Welcome to Castle Darkmoor! Entry is limited. Wizards Level 100 and above may enter, if they dare. Muhahaha… Looking for a challenge? Then you will enjoy Darkmoor. Bring your favorite tanking wizards and copious free time to embark on this journey.
There are several levels to each dungeon, but thankfully, we do not have to complete them in one sitting. There are three sigils within Darkmoor, Castle Darkmoor, Upper Halls and the Graveyard. As we advance, teleportals appear in Darkmoor for quicker travel to the sigils. They are to the left if you are facing Castle Darkmoor’s entrance.
For background information regarding the Darkmoor dungeons, read this fantastic article on the KingsIsle Blog where the designers explain everything from the return of Malistaire to the depths of teamwork involved in their creation.
Branches of Woe Quest Line
Begin at Dworgynfor Branches of Woe. He leads us to Mortis who explains that the Exalted Lord of Death — Malistaire the Undyingis back! He is in Darkmoor and he challenges us to battle in Castle Darkmoor. During the ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ quest, we speak with Cyrus Drake. Professor Drake explains Malistaire invoked the ancient custom of The Spiral, the Law of Kan Davasi and returns us to Dworgyn and Mortis. Mortis leads us to read the inscription upon the tomb of Noel Thornley to open the way.
Inscribed on the Tomb of Noel Thornley:
Denn die Todten reiten Schnell
German: Because the dead ride fast.
After speaking the phrase, a gateway opens. We enter Darkmoor and meet Renfield Flygob, Herald of Darkmoor. He is our guide into Castle Darkmoor, the Upper Halls and the Graveyard.
Initial Preparations
There are red Health Wisps and blue Mana Wisps at the Castle Darkmoor entrance, after the first battle in the Lower Depths, and by the Upper Halls sigil. There are red Health Wisps all throughout the Upper Halls, at the Graveyard sigil and in the Graveyard.
We can flee any battle and return via Dungeon Recall. On your first run, bring Potions. Worst case scenario, you can flee, get health and Dungeon Recall. After you learn the dungeon, health isn’t as much of an issue and the Wisps will be enough.
Resistant gear (such as Jade gear) can make these battles much less difficult. Resist/boost from all creatures is not always what we expect. It may take an extra blade to defeat these monsters than we are accustomed in regard to typical school resists for bosses and minions. We see fewer boss cheats if we can complete the battles in under 5 rounds. As you will see, careful planning is indicated.
We recommend bringing a team of wizards on your first few runs due to the complexity. Soloing will be quite difficult, unless you are a much higher level.
The Astral Bosses bring back visions of Celestial dungeons. Remember how hard they were at first? Then we figured out all of their secrets and it became much simpler. This dungeon is certainly reminiscent of all boss cheats we have ever seen in the game. Global changes, interrupts, no Feints.. OH MY!
Below you see the enemy’s stats, the cheats, our battle observations and strategy suggestions. You’ll know what to expect when you arrive and tips that we learned that will help you through the fight. Knowing how to defeat them ahead of the battle does help us bypass the problems.
One more word of caution before moving on- if for any reason a teammate is defeated in battle and the battle ends before they are healed, they may still receive credit for the battle although no drops. Do not move on to the next quest/quest dialog until they have returned to the dungeon. With any luck, they will be able to continue with you.
Good luck and have fun!!
Le Chateau de Darkmoor (Lower Depths)
Flygob leads us to the lonely path of Castle Darkmoor to seek the Secret of the Observatory. That secret will enable Mr. Flygob to lead us to Malistaire the Undying. Upon crossing the drawbridge, Malistaire the Undying appears before the sigil to threaten and warn us that things in the dark are bigger and scarier than us. Pfft! I would think by now he would know us!
Defeat Howling Chaney
Howling Chaney is tasked with ripping our lungs out by Shane von Shane, Malistaire the Undying’s henchman.
Howling ChaneyRank 13 Life Boss with 20,000 health (Has +25% Armor Pierce, Fire and Death boost)
3 Hounds of Heck Rank 13 Elite Balance with 5,280 health
Cheats:
Healing Cheat: “You like the taste of Life?” Uses Gnomes! on anyone who casts a heal. Pet heals and MC Rebirth from the Root of Spring do trigger the cheat.
Second Round Interrupt: “I sharpen my claws!” 12% Lifespear interrupt at the beginning of the second round and every other one thereafter.
Third Round Interrupt: +35% x3 Life Fuel interrupt at the beginning of the third round and every three rounds thereafter.
Minion Spells: Big Bad Hound, Sabertooth, Savage Paw, Chastisement Auras, Chimera, Power Nova, and Spirit Dispels.
We can use all blades and traps.
“Tremble under the power of Life!” is said randomly during hits by any of the team.
Strategy
No May Cast Healing Pets
Take off healing pets to avoid Gnomes! or use Entangles on Howling Chaney. This is an important step for Life hitters.
There are Health wisps at the end, don’t worry about health for the next battle. Chaney is Stun Immune, but you can stun the minions.
Stack Blades/Feints and hit once. Bring Cleanse Charm in case of a Power Nova/Weakness or add an extra blade and ignore it. You may get hit by more than one by the time you are ready to hit. As like most first dungeon battles, it is not terribly difficult.
Blade Cheat: “I Disarm you wizard!” Blades or Globals trigger a single Disarm to the caster. (Will also try to Disarm the Balance Damage Global after a Gaze of Fate)
Weakness Cheat:“I reach inside myself to harm you!” Weakness triggers Dark Pact, which will remove your universal traps and Death traps.
Death Interrupt Cycle (5 rounds):
I make this Sacrifice” At the end of every round of the first 5 rounds, Blackwater casts Sacrifice on himself which will use our universal and Death traps.
At the beginning of the fifth round, Sir Blackwater casts a Death Damage Global, Virulence, Deathblade and a Call of Khrulhu.“I call upon the Spirits of the Deep” This happens again in every 15 rounds thereafter. (R20, R35, …)
Life Interrupt Cycle (5 rounds):
“Darkmoor amors us” At the end of every round in this cycle, Sir Blackwater places an Absorb on himself.
At the beginning of the tenth round, Sir Blackwater casts a Sanctuary, Circle of Life, Guiding Light, and Rebirth. “I am steadfast in my resolve.” This happens again in every 15 rounds thereafter. (R25, R40, …)
Storm Interrupt Cycle (5 rounds):
“I lay on hands” At the end of every round in this cycle, Sir Blackwater uses a Healing Current on himself.
At the beginning of the fifteenth round, Sir Blackwater casts a Astraphobia, Stormblade, Galvanic Field, and Glowbug Squall.“The power of Storm will destroy you” This happens again in every 15 rounds thereafter. (R30, R45, …)
Battle Notes
Battle Notes:
Sir Blackwater’s Spells: Balanceblade, Storm/Death/Life Blade, Virulent Plague, Storm/Death/Life Shield, Dark Pact, Glowbug Squall, Avenging Fossil and Call of Khrulhu. Also see Interrupts above.
Darkmoor Squire’s Spells: Deathblade, Virulent Plague, Dr. Von’s Monster, Virulence, Vampire, Deer Knight, Ether Shield, and Strangle.
The Global interrupts can be changed. We can heal, and we can use traps, shields, and dispels. Elemental/Spirit Blades result in 1 Disarm, therefore not ideal for Fire or Life wizards. Bladestorm results in a Disarm to the caster. Minions can be stunned, Sir Blackwater cannot.
In-depth Strategy
This is the first of many tough battles in this dungeon series. The next Astral bosses will do the 5 round Interrupt cycles as well.
Wear your most resistant gear to Death and Storm. Bring your favorite healing pet! Sending in a tank wizard first round alone will help. Storm will want a Mass Prism.
If you plan to be in the battle when the 5th round interrupt begins, bring a wizard with Rebirth to help recover from the all enemy hits. Try to cast when Sanctuary is up. Pierce/Shatter/Steal Ward are ideal if your hitter is using Storm, Death or Life damage due to shielding.
Blade friends, not yourself. Think outside of the normal blade box: “What other tools do you have?” Global? Aura? How about a gear card on an amulet that lurks in your backpack? An aura is a great value due to the 0 pip. Global value depends on what school you are using and if it is cast it in the same round the hit. Friends can also use single school blades and TC Elemental (Ice and Storm only)/Spirit blades(Myth and Death only.)
Place Feints in the same round of your team’s hit due to the Sacrifice cheat during the initial 5 rounds or the Storm Cycle.
Bring Cleanse Charms for the Plague and Virulent Plague on your hitter. When they stack, an off school wand is helpful, but be wary of any Balanceblades cast by your team before using. Defeating the Darkmoor Squires first will stop the Plague-fest, but then you are stuck in the battle for the Interrupts. I recommend hitting once and getting out.
This is one of those battles that if we get out of it fast enough, before round 5,we will breathe much easier. Most of the time we can defeat thisboss within a few roundswith a good team. Do you have a Myth or Fire wizard/mastery with you? Stun them for a round.
At the end of the battle if you are in need of health, you can return to the previous room for Health Wisps.
The door is located on the stairs to the Observatory. You must have a special Gold Skeleton Key to enter. The keys drop as housing items as a battle reward.
Inside this door is a Treasure Chest with goodies like battle drops.
The new mastery amulets drop here as well as other useful decks and gear. Read more in our Darkmoor Gear Guide.
Observatory Puzzle in Castle Darkmoor
Time to unlock the Observatory Secrets. Shane von Shane does his best to keep you from it!
Technical drawings reveal the Grand Hartmann Refractor that converts lunar rays to solar rays. When assembled correctly, a beam of pure and unadulterated solar light broadcasts.
Answer: Crimson Lens (currently a box), then Neutral Density Filter (lever.)
Pull the wrong lever or select the wrong lens, you will battle. What you battle depends on how you fail. Click the tabs to learn my findings.
I am not convinced of the method in which we receive the boss battles. I spent two and a half hours to get the following results. Note the inconsistencies in the boss battle result. It could be that we receive a random enemy between the Scarlet Wampyr and Count Bela. E.g.: In the Malistaire the Undying battle, we get a mix of any three minions from any of the seven schools. Let us know your findings in the comments below.
Four Scarlet Wampyrs Rank 12 Elite Death with 5,930 health
The following combinations result in this mob battle
Blue+Haze
Blue+Linear
Blue+Neutral*
Crimson+Linear
Crimson+Haze
Violet+Neutral
Violet+Linear
Violet+Haze**
Battle Notes:
Fleeing out of the battle will not reset the lenses and filters. We must complete the battle, then they will reset.
Scarlet Wampyr’s spells: Scarecrow, Mass Infection, Infection, Deathblade, Deathspear, Feint, Death Trap, Curse, Dr. Von’s Monster, and Vampire.
*Blue+Neutral produced a boss battle once. The following three times produced a mob battle.
**Violet+Haze produced a boss battle 3 times in a row. The next three times produced a mob battle. Could a maximum amount of boss battles been reached? It didn’t matter who pulled the levers.
Count Bela BlacksheepRank 12 Death boss with 13,930 health and 3 Scarlet Wampyrs Rank 12 Elite Death with 5,930 health.
The following combinations result in this boss battle
Violet+Haze**
Blue+Neutral*
Battle Notes:
Cheats: None. We observed no cheats toward blades, traps, shields, globals, heals, or may casts. Count Bela Blacksleep uses the same spells as her minions.
*Blue+Neutral produced a boss battle once. Three times it produced a mob battle.
**Violet+Haze produced a boss battle 3 times in a row. The next three times it produced a mob battle. Could a maximum amount of boss battles been reached?
Rewards: Tier 2 gear observed and the Incendiary & Verglas Grimoire pets.
Congrats on completing the first dungeon, Castle Darkmoor!
Darkmoor Upper Halls
Walpurgisnacht
Renfield Flygob meets us exclaiming “The spider eats the fly, the bird eats the spider and I eat, uh-they are life, and all life interests me.” He needs lives for his master and wishes to become immortal. He wants our lives! I guess he isn’t on our side. Sooooo surprising. To reach Malistaire the Undying, we must now search the Upper Halls and compel the Spirit of Darkmoorto aid us in “Ghosts of the Past.”
Defeat Darkmoor Gargoyles
If we are careful, we can sneak around this battle. (If someone gets caught, flee and use Dungeon Recall.)
Four Rank 13 Elite Myth Darkmoor Gargoylesat 4,640 health block your path.
This is a typical Myth mob battle. No cheats. Expect Basilisk, Medusa, Orthrus, Earthquake, Minotaur, Keeper of the Flame and Reliquary. They can be stunned.
Defeat Akhtang Wormcrawl
Continuing down the hall results in boss battle. He has the nerve to call us pitiful and pathetic! After him!!
Akhtang WormcrawlRank 14 Fire Boss at 15,600 health (Has 40% Armor Pierce)
3 Draconian Eidolon Rank 13 Elite Storm at 4,620 health (Has 25% Armor Pierce)
Cheats
Blade/Spear Cheat: “I rip it from you!” Uses Steal Charm on any blade, spear or global cast. Unlike Sir Blackwater’s Disarm cheat, he does take the blade from where it is cast. No Elemental Blades for Fire/ no Spirit Blades for Life. No single blades like school blades, Balanceblades or Dragonblades. Bladestorm results in Steal Charm on caster. (We can steal them back with Steal Charm without penalty.) Weakness and Dispels trigger this cheat too.
Random May Cast Cheat:“Take this!” Sometimes the Eidolons randomly cast Wild Bot or Insane Bolt. These can sometimes hit enemies.
Battle Notes
Battle Notes
Akhtang Wormcrawl’s spells: Fire Dragon, Fire Prism, Fireblade, Rain of Fire, Steal Charm and Fire From Above.
Draconian Eidolon’s spells: Wild Bolt, Storm Lord, Stormblade, Insane Bolt (They can defeat themselves and not return), Stormspear, and a lot of fizzles!
We may heal, global, trap, Feint, and shield without penalties. We can Steal Charm blades from Wormcrawl. The minions can stun; however, Akhtang Wormcrawl is immune.
Strategy
Bring traps. Feints and school traps are helpful in this battle.
Send a Tank in first round to endure the majority of the single hits. Storm hitter will need a Mass Prism and Fire a single Prism.
Elemental Blades only for Ice and Storm hitters. Spirit Blades only for Death and Myth hitters. Sharpened, TC and/or gear Elemental Blades and Spirit blades are great to add. Bladestorms are okay for anyone except the wizard casting.
Fire hitters do not have the easiest time here. Fire wizards must bring convert. Auras and Steal Charms are good tools. Have a friend cast a Wyldfire the round you hit.
*Be warned of the cheat. He will use stolen blades to increase his damage, this is not a Disarm.
If we walk carefully, we can skip this battle. We get any combination of the following enemies:
Rank 13 Elite Myth Darkmoor Gargoyles at 4,640 health
Rank 13 Elite Ice Draconian Revenant at 6,045 health
Rank 13 Elite Storm Draconian Eidolon at 4,640 health
There isn’t much to this battle. Enjoy the simplicity. Load up and hit. (Prisms are not necessary if you have decent pierce or an extra blade or two.)
Skeleton Door – Bunferatu
Up the stairs on the right is another locked door. We use a Stone Skeleton Key to open it. Inside, he sure looks like our favorite Halloween villain, but he is not.
Bunferatu Rank 15 Death Boss at 23,600 health (Has +40% Armor Pierce)
1-3 Darkmoor Squire Rank 13 Elite Death at 5,930 health
1-3 Scarlet Wampyr Rank 12 Elite Death at 5,930 health
Cheats
First Round Interrupt: “Doom and Gloom” Bunferatu uses Doom and Gloom. Changing the global results in Doom and Gloom going up again. We can cast Strangle before casting our global to prevent it.
End of Round Blade Stack Cheat:“Death sharpens my bite” Starting at the end of the second round, Bunferatu casts a Dark Pact + Deathblade + Balanceblade which stacks and removes our Universal/Death traps.
Call of Khrulhu Interrupt: “Death swallow you” At the beginning of the third round, Bunferatu casts Call of Khrulhu
Damage Cheat: “I plague you” Any time Bunferatu is damaged, he responds with an Infection to the caster.
It isn’t over yet! Two battles to go. The Spirit of Darkmoor has the familiar cheats of Sir Blackwater although with different school cycles. I find this battle much easier than Sir Blackwater.
Spirit of Darkmoor Rank 14 Sun Boss at 14,700 health (Storm/Death Boosts, she has +40% Armor Pierce) (Resists Fire, Life, and Myth)
3 Darkmoor Gargoyle Rank 13 Elite Myth at 4,640 health (Has +25% Armor Pierce)
Cheats
Trap Cheat:“I shatter your chains”Traps trigger a Myth Efreet on the caster and place two myth traps on them. If you can take the hits, use them (I do). Multi-target traps won’t trigger this cheat.
Blade/Global Cheat:“Burn Wizard” Blades or Globals triggers Scald (999 damage over 3 rounds) to all wizards. (Pet blades do trigger this cheat.)
Minion Defeat Cheat:“The depths of Darkmoor strike at you” If a minion is defeated, the Spirit of Darkmoor casts a Green Leviathan at the damage caster then gives health to all of the enemies, including defeated minions which brings them back. We were able to avoid this with a defeat by a DoT effect.
Myth Interrupt Cycle (5 rounds):
“This place defeats us all” At the end of each of the the first five rounds, Spirit of Darkmoor casts a Pierce on a random wizard.
At the beginning of the fifth round, Spirit of Darkmoor casts a Time of Legend, Mythblade, 12% Mythspear and a Mystic Colossus.“The stories of lore will defeat you” This happens again in every 15 rounds thereafter. (R20, R35, …)
Life Interrupt Cycle (5 rounds):
“Darkmoor holds my spirit” At the end of every round in this cycle, Spirit of Darkmoor casts a Regenerate on herself.
At the beginning of the tenth round, Spirit of Darkmoor casts a Namaste, Lifeblade, 12% Life Spear, and a Hungry Caterpillar on a random wizard. “The world hunger consumes you!” This happens again in every 15 rounds thereafter. (R25, R40, …)
Fire Interrupt Cycle (5 rounds):
“We are connected.” At the end of every round in this cycle, Spirit of Darkmoor casts an zero-pip Backdraft for the number of pips she has, to a random member of our team.
“Your passion will consume you!” At the beginning of the fifteenth round, Spirit of Darkmoor casts a Wyldfire, Fireblade, 12% Firespear, and Fire from Above to a random wizard. This happens again in every 15 rounds thereafter. (R30, R45, …)
Battle Notes
Battle Notes
Spirit of Darkmoor’s Spells: Life/Myth/Fire Shield combo, Fire/Life/Myth Trap combo, 35% Balanceblade, Sun Serpent, Guardian Spirit, Regenerate, Forest Lord, Meteor Strike, Hungry Caterpillar, and Earthquake.
All blades and traps stick. Can change the Global Fields. We can Shield and Heal.
Strategy
I choose to ignore the Myth Efreet and the Scald, and use Blades and Feints. The strategy is identical to the other Astral School Bosses, use one hit to them all out before the 5th round if at all possible.
Myth, Life and Fire wizards will want a Shrike or Prism(s).
Shane Von Shane has the Spirit of Darkmoor’s Phylactery, holding her in the Upper Halls to haunt. I’m ready to release her. How about you?!
Shane von Shane Rank 14 Death Boss at 19,470 health (Life Boosts, has 40% Armor Pierce)
1-3 Darkmoor Gargoyle Rank 13 Elite Myth at 4,640 health (Has 25% Armor Pierce)
1-3 Darkmoor Serf Rank 13 Elite Storm at 5,200 health (Has 15% Armor Pierce)
Cheats
Feint Cheat:“I can see through you” Feints on Shane von Shane trigger a Dark Pact which removes it along with any other universal or Death traps. Other traps and universal traps do not trigger cheat. (Feints may be placed on the minions without penalty.) We can use a Strangle to stop this cheat.
Heal Cheat:“More life for me!” Heals by any wizard or wizard’s pet trigger Shane von Shane’s Vampire on the caster. This is a boosted Vampire. (~1100 Damage)
Weakness Cheat:“I will not bow to you” Removes weakness with Sacrifice.
Beginning of Round Cycled Cheat:
“We feast tonight!” At the beginning of round two, Shane von Shane interrupts with a Vampire on a random wizard. (This vampire does more damage than usual, ~1100 Damage)
“The monster begins to rise!” At the beginning of round three, Shane von Shane interrupts with a Dr. Von’s Monster on a random wizard.
“It’s a graveyard smash!” At the beginning of round four, Shane will cast Monster Mash, which beguiles the wizard. Shane von Shane will continue to interrupt with the specialty Monster Mash Spellevery round afterwards.
Monster Mash Spell
6 pips
85% Accuracy
1170 Death Damage
Beguile for 1 round
“Hiss!” Reset the cycle by damaging Shane von Shane. Damage over time spells count as 1 hit toward the reset.
Battle Notes
Battle Notes
Shane von Shane spells: Virulence, Vampire, Infection, Monster Mash, Dr. Von’s Monster, Lord of Night, Scarecrow, Mass Infection, Dark Pact, Doom and Gloom, Age of Reckoning, and Dream Shield.
Shane von Shane is stun Immune; however, the minions are not. We can cast all dispels. We can cast Globals.
Shane Von Shane Death’s Natural Attack
Strategy
Heal only when necessary because of the Vampire cheat. Take off your healing pet to avoid the Vampires. Wear your best Death/Storm resistant gear. Sending in a tank first will draw some hits, but not the Shane von Shane cheats.
The best defense to the cycle cheat is to it from occurring at all, particularly on the rounds before the big hit. Strangles also work. Other option is to use only single target hits once you reach the 4th round.
*If anyone on your team is defeated during the last round, DO NOT follow your quest arrow and go to “Find Phylactery in Castle Darkmoor” until they return using Dungeon Recall to the Upper Halls. They will not receive credit; therefore, not be able to move on. I have experienced this both ways. I have not received credit because someone moved on, and I have received credit by immediately returning before the next quest was picked up.
Beguile: How does it work? Beguile makes you part of the caster’s team. It is intended to last one round which is where it gets confusing. Beguile starts the turn it is cast, and ends after 1 full turn. If we are Beguiled from second, it’s no big deal as our turn has already passed. If Beguiled from first turn placement, it actually lasts two rounds, the one cast and the next. Single target hits will still cast during the first round of being Beguiled.
Congrats on completing the second dungeon, Upper Halls!
The Graveyard
House of Mystery and Suspense
After getting our school spell from Tatyana, we enter a third sigil, and begin the quest The Sound of His Wings. Within are three battles. The toughest yet.
Defeat Yevgney Nightcreeper
Yevgeny pledged his wand to the House of Drake long ago, until they fell in the great wars. They served Vladan Drake, father to the Cyrus and Malistaire. Now he is stuck in the afterlife serving Malistaire. This Astral dude has some serious tricks up his sleeves! It is a bit intimidating at first look.
Yevgeny NightcreeperRank 15 Moon Boss at 22,400 health (Has 55% Armor Pierce. Storm/Fire/Life boosts, Myth/Ice/Death resists)
3 Anguished Wraith Rank 14 Elite Ice at 5, 440 health (Has 35% Armor Pierce)
Cheats
Freeze Cheat:“I counter your blade!” Using a Blade or Global triggers a Freeze on caster.
Root of Spring’s Guiding Light and pet maycasts will also trigger a Freeze.
Conviction can be used to counter this.
Pierce Cheat: “You give away your hand!” “Leave this place!” Using a Spirit Armor, Ice Armor or any shield triggers a single Pierce on the caster. A minion (or minions) may also cast a Steal Ward.
Rebirth caster receives a Pierce. (Pet heals are not seen. Root of Spring’s MC Rebirth is seen.)
Shields from spells like Hungry Caterpillar and pet maycasts will trigger a Pierce
Stun Block does not trigger Pierce
Legion Shields result in Pierce to the caster. In addition, remaining Anguished Wraiths may also use Pierce on the caster. (Legion Shield is allowed during the Ice Cycle)
Bad Juju Cheat:“I vex you!” Casting a weakness triggers a Bad Juju on the caster.
Spells such as Efreet or Rusalka’s Wrath will also trigger this cheat.
Virulent plague and plague will not trigger the cheat.
Polymorph Cheat: At the end every three rounds, Yevgney Nightcreeper Polymophs and hits one random player. The Polymorphs alternate between Chaney (“Fear the howl of the moon”; 800 life damage), a Draconian (“Fear the bite of Dragonspyre”; 1,000 fire damage), and Sir Blackwater (“Fear the Blackwater”; 1,200 moon damage.)
Ice Interrupt Cycle (5 rounds):
“I wrap you in armor!” During the first five rounds, Yevgney Nightcreeper casts an Ice Armor on one of his minions or himself at the beginning of each round. These do not stack, do not be alarmed. They can be removed with: Pierce, Shatter, Mystic Colossus, Earthquake, and Steal Ward if you so desire.
“Let the cold wind destroy you!” At the beginning of the 5th round, Yevgney Nightcreeper casts Katabatic Wind, +35 Ice Trap on all wizards, Iceblade, and an Abominable Weaver. The shield is best removed with a Shatter if you plan on hitting that round. This happens again in every 15 rounds thereafter. (R20, R35, …)
Myth Interrupt Cycle (5 rounds):
“I empower you!” Throughout this cycle at the beginning of each round, Yevgney Nightcreaper casts a 40% Balanceblade (Myth Spell) on himself or one of his teammates.
At the beginning of the 10th round, Yevgney Nightcreeper casts Saga of Heros , +35 Myth Trap on a wizard, 40% Mythblade and a Mystic Colossus. This happens again in every 15 rounds thereafter.
Death Interrupt Cycle (5 rounds):
“I decimate you!” He will start subsequent rounds in this cycle with a Feint to a random wizard.
“Klaatu Barada Nikto!” At the beginning of the 15th round, Yevgney Nightcreeper casts a Doom and Gloom , +35 Death Trap on one wizard, +45 Deathblade and Call of Khrulhu. This happens again in every 15 rounds thereafter.
Battle Notes
Battle Notes
Yevgeny Nightcreeper Spells: 40% Balanceblade (Myth spell), Call of Khrulhu, Mystic Colossus, Lord of Night, Monster Mash, Death/Ice/Myth Shield, Death Shield, Infection, Feint, Angel, Abominable Weaver, Bad Juju, Winter Moon, Freeze and Tower Shield. See above in Interrupt Cycles.
Anguished Wraith spells: Frostbite, Wyvern, Iceblade, Stun Block, Sleet Storm, Tower Shield, Lord of Winter, Icespear, Freeze, Steal Ward, Ice Trap, Winter Moon, and Wolly Mammoth.
Heals are allowed. We can remove all of their shields. All Globals can be changed. Dispels are allowed.
Yevgney Nightcreeper is Stun Immune; the minions will stun.
Strategy
The Freeze for casting a blade is incredibly annoying. Stun Shields are helpful and will not be removed until stunned. Consider putting on one of your PvP amulets with Stun Resist or possibly Conviction. If in battle in the 5th round, bring a way to remove the -75 Tower shield left by the Abominable Weaver. (Note: He could cast it at other times as well.)
Mystic Colossus is fun to cast against these creatures with all of their armor and shields (Fun, but not ideal since the shields are removed after our hit.) Shadow Shrike is ideal along with spears and some Armor Piercing. Pierce so you do not have to worry about removing them. In fact, since they don’t stack, I hardly notice the damage loss.
I sill like to get out of this battle fairly quickly as multiple Snow Angels, Frost Giants and stuns slow us down. The Mystic Colossus will not take your stun Shields. Ice hitters need Mass Prism.
Here we go again with Shane von Shane. This version is a bit meaner. He has the same cheats… and a few more. Cheater! He could be called a Stormblade master. Are you ready to fight a powerful Storm with stacked blades? Sounds like fun, right? Grab your best Storm Resistant gear.
Shane von Shane(robot version) Rank 15 Star Boss at 21,200 health (Has 55% Armor Pierce, resists Storm/Death, boosts Myth/Life)
1-3 Darkmoor Serf Rank 13 Elite Storm at 5200
1-3 Darkmoor Gargoyle Rank 13 Elite at Myth 4,640
Cheats
Shift Cheat:“Skree!” Darkmoor Gargoyle will use Shift.
Damage Cheat:“Hiss! Bah, you are nothing!” Any damage to Shane von Shane triggers him to use a Healing Current (Including anytime he hits himself!)
Damage to minions or supernova will not trigger.
Damage over time effects will trigger.
Feint Cheat:“I can see through you” Feint on Shane von Shane triggers him to use Dark Pact which removes the Feint and any other universal or Death traps.
These can be Strangled.
Feints may be used on minions.
Mass feint and mass hex won’t trigger this cheat.
Healing Cheat:“More life for me!” Any heal, including pet heals, trigger a Vampire on the wizard. These can be Strangled. (This vampire does more damage than usual. ~1100)
Blade Cheat:“I revel in my power” Blades trigger Shane von Shane to use a 12% Super Charge. He will get the Super Charges whether the player who first cast the blade is still in the round or not.
Weakness Cheat:“I will not bow to you!” Weakness triggers Shane von Shane to use a Sacrifice.
Storm Interrupt Cycle (starts at end of round one, repeats every 4 rounds):
“Prepare for the thunder!” At the end of round one, Shane von Shane casts Stormblade on himself.
“And the lightning!” At the end of round two, Shane von Shane casts Stormspear on himself.
“The storm grows!” At the end of round three, Shane von Shane casts Galvanic Field.
“And shatters you!” At the end of round four, Shane von Shane casts Natural Attack on a random wizard.
Death Interrupt Cycle (starts at beginning of round two, repeats every 4 rounds):
“We feast tonight!” At the beginning of round two, Shane von Shane interrupts with a Vampire on a random wizard. (This vampire does more damage than usual. ~1100)
“The monster begins to rise!” At the beginning of round three, Shane von Shane interrupts with a Dr. Von’s Monster on a random wizard.
“It’s a graveyard smash!” At the beginning of round four and subsequent rounds, Shane von Shane will interrupt with a Monster Mash Spell on a random wizard every round, beguiling them.
“Hiss!” The death interrupt cycle is reset by attacking Shane.
Monster Mash Spell
6 pips
85% Accuracy
1170 Death Damage
Beguile for 1 round
Battle Notes
Battle Notes
Robo Shane von Shane’s spells: Galvanic Field, Stormblade, Lightning Bolt, Lord of Night, Sirens, Glowbug Squall, Storm Lord, Storm Prism, Call of Khrulhu, Dark Pact, and Doom and Gloom.
Darkmoor Gargoyle’s spells: Basilisk, Orthrus, Minotaur, Mythblade, Mystic Colossus, Celestial Calendar, and Vaporize.
Shields have no penalty. Minions can stun, Shane von Shane is immune.
Shane von Shane Storm Natural Attack
Strategy
If you have Storm or Storm/Death resist gear, use it! As we use blades, he uses blades. His blades will stack and if his pips are high, so are the blade percentages. Don’t be surprised to see 4 blades go off at once. He uses powerful Storm and Death spells that hurt. In fact, if you notice a Shadow Pip on him, brace yourself or dispel. He will most likely use a Glowbug Squall or a Call of Khrulhu. Resist gear is your saving grace. Sanctuary will stay up most of the time if you so choose. Health is definitely an issue. Remember, every caster of a heal or pet heal will receive a Vampire (~1100 Death damage) unless it is Strangled.
Heal only when necessary because of the Vampire cheat. Take off your healing pet to avoid the Vampires. Wear your best Storm resistant gear. Sending in a tank first will draw some hits, but not the Shane von Shane cheats. The best defense to the Monster Mash cheat is to keep them from occurring at all, particularly on the rounds before the big hit. Strangles also work. Other option is to use only single target hits once you reach the 4th round.
Enfeeble is a nice spell to bring if you plan to use multiple blades. Shane von Shane’s stacked blades along with an all enemy attack can take out an entire team. Casting blades on the same round will trigger the same percentage of Supercharge which will not stack
Storm wizards can use a Mass Prism; however, place it as close to your hit as possible due to the frequent Storm Shields from the Serfs. Storm wizards can use Steal Charm (Amulet is 1 pip) to steal and stack one of Shane von Shane’s big Supercharge blades. Life/Myth/Storm will want to bring a way to remove shields or Armor Pierce/Shrike.
For Fire wizards, a Backdraft cast by a Fire teammate works well. Stun strategies can be successful for Fire/Myth wizards or those with Fire or Myth Mastery amulets and treasure card Chokes or Blinding Light. To stun the minions every round, two wizards need to stun. One to Stun, one to remove the Stun Shield. The stunning wizards must have high accuracy since a fizzle can bring hits for which we may not be prepared to withstand.
Working as a team helps tremendously. Strangle will assist to get on a Feint or two. In one round with two wizards: Strangle then Feint. Stack blades on one wizard and hit within 4 rounds for the ideal run. Don’t sit around with blades on too long because of the Glowbug Squall. There are Health Wisps outside if needed after the battle.
If working solo or in a small group where four rounds isn’t a possibility for you, consider using single enemy attacks an heals to keep from helping the enemy while Beguiled.
Beguile: How does it work? Beguile makes you part of the caster’s team. It is intended to last one round which is where it gets confusing. Beguile starts the turn it is cast, and ends after 1 full turn. If we are Beguiled from second, it’s no big deal as our turn has already passed. If Beguiled from first turn placement, it actually lasts two rounds, the one cast and the next. Single target hits will still cast during the first round of being Beguiled.
This is like two battles in one. Malistaire the Undying first appears with his minions. Once defeated he returns with 48,000 health. His Bone Dragon, perched on the rooftop, reaches through a gaping hole and attacks.
Mali has a special Skeletal Dragon spell that summons the dragon from the roof. It is not cheat or an interrupt. It is an 8 pip spell with Death damage of 666 + 333 over three rounds to all. Be aware, add his Armor Piercing to his buffs including Global and Aura and this Dragon can hurt! We can shield these and Triage/Mass Triage.
Malistaire the Undying Rank 16 Shadow Boss at 24,000 health with four shadow pip holders (Storm/Death resist, Life/Ice/Balance Boost. Has 40% Armor Pierce)
Any combination of the following minions x3 with Malistaire the Undying (Minions have 35% Pierce and Critical)
Draconian Sorcerer Rank 15 Elite Balance at 6,960 health
Draconian Necromancer Rank 15 Elite Death at 6,960 health
Draconian Thaumaturge Rank 15 Elite Ice at 6,960 health
Draconian Pyromancer/Pyro Rank 15 Elite Fire at 6,960 health
Draconian Theurgist Rank 15 Elite Life at 6,960 health
Draconian Diviner Rank 15 Elite Storm at 6,960 health
Draconian Conjurer Rank 15 Elite Myth at 6,960 health
Haunted Malistaire the Undying returns Rank 16 Shadow Boss at 48,000 health and 60% resist to all (Has 60% Armor Pierce)
*Malistaire the Undying comes back as Haunted Malistaire the Undying. Once defeated, the minions never return.
Cheats
Malistaire the Undying:
First Round Interrupt to cast Taunt on the first player. (Not quite sure what that is meant to accomplish.)“I cannot be stopped”
Balanceblade Cheat:“What was yours is mine!” Casting a Balanceblade will trigger Steal Charm on the wizard that received it. Casting a Bladestorm triggers a Steal Charm from the caster.
Tower Shield Cheat: Tower shields trigger a Steal Ward. Legion Shields result in Steal Ward on caster. Pet’s MC talents included. Does not include shield from Abominable Weaver.
Damage Cheat:“Can you face my stare?” Damage to Malistaire triggers a -55 Black Mantle to the caster.
Universal Trap Cheat: “I cast off your spells” Universal traps such as Feint, Hex, and Curse trigger Cleanse Ward. Pet and gear Feints included. (Cannot use Vaporize)
Cleanse Charm Cheat: “I cast off your spells” Mantles or dispels will trigger Cleanse Charm. Efreet will trigger this cheat. Tri-dispels trigger 3 Cleanse Charms.
Weakness Cheat:“I grow stronger every moment” Weaknesses trigger Empower, which will use any Death traps. Mantles or dispels will trigger Cleanse Charm. Efreet will trigger this cheat. Tri-dispels trigger 3 Cleanse Charms.
First Interrupt Cycle (5 rounds):
“Fear the power of Dragonspyre” At the end of the third round, Malistaire polymorphs into a Black Dragon and attacks a random wizard, removing any aura.
“A gift from Tartarus” At the end of the fourth round, he will cast Deadly Minotaur.
“My curse upon you!” At the end of the fifth round, he will cast a +50% death damage and +20% power pip chance aura.
Second Interrupt Cycle (4 rounds):
“Its power shakes your spells apart!” At the beginning of the fifth round, the Bone dragon drops down from the ceiling and clears our positive and negative charms and wards from all. Does not remove Stun Shields.
Minions use spells as Interrupts. This is dependent, of course, on which minions you face. The cheats are triggered by Star auras, pet/weapon May Casts, traps and prisms.
Snow Drift Cheat: “Take this!” Draconian Thaumaturges steal heal over time spells with Snow Drift
Supernova Cheat:“Tsk, tsk!” Draconian Sorcerers use Supernova on Auras
Shift Cheat: Draconian Conjurers use Shift
Mass Triage Cheat: Draconian Theurgists use Triage on Damage over Time spells
Mass Infection Cheat:“Take this!” Draconian Necromancers use Mass Infection when healing spells are cast.
Detonate Cheat:“Take this!” Draconian Pyromancers cast Detonate on wizards with a DoT
Wild Bolt Cheat:“Take this!” Draconian Diviners use Wild Bolt.
Shift Cheat:Draconian Conjurers use Shift on damage over time spells cast on them.
Haunted Malistaire the Undying
“I touch Shadow!” Once Malistaire the Undying is defeated, the boss respawns as Haunted Malistaire at 48,000 health at the beginning of the round. The starting health can be reduced (read strategy notes below).
Haunted Malistaire still has all the same cheats as before, except the First Interrupt Cycle is replaced by the Shadow Version.
Shadow Interrupt Cycle (5 rounds):
“I call upon Shadow” At the end of the first round, Malistaire casts Shadowblade on himself.
“I call upon Shadow” At the end of the second round, Malistaire casts Shadowspear on himself.
“I call upon Shadow” At the end of the third round, Malistaire casts Shadow trap on all enemies.
“I call upon Shadow” At the end of the fourth round, Malistaire casts Shadow Steal, dealing 1,600 damage and healing for the same amount.
Universal Trap Interrupt: “Curse you beast! Do not defy me!” During Haunted Malistaire Phase, the Bone Dragon drops down to add a 100% Universal Trap to Malistaire.
Battle Notes
Battle Notes
Malistaire the Undying’s spells: Specialty Skeletal Dragon (above), Potent Feint, Deer Knight, Lord of Night, Death Minotaur, Specialty Aura with +20% pp (5 rds), +20% Death Damage (4 rds), +25% Death Damage (4 rds), +15 Death Damage (4 rds), Age of Reckoning, Call of Khrulhu.
Draconian Pyromancer’s spells: Fire Dragon, Furnace, Glacial Shield
Draconian Necromancer’s spells: Monster Mash Spell, Virulence, Deathspear, Avenging Fossil, Berserk, Mass Infection, Call of Khrulhu, Infection
Draconian Diviner’s spells: Storm Lord, Catalan, Glowbug Squall, Insane Bolt (can defeat themselves and not come back)
Haunted Malistaire the Undying’s spells: Shadow Blade, Shadow Spear, Shadow Trap,+25% Shadow Trap to all,and Shadow Drain Attack.
Malistaire the Undying is Stun Immune. Minions stun. Globals are allowed. Heals are allowed. All Dispel’s fail. All Universal traps fail. Storm needs Prism for Mali.
Strategy
Leave your pets with MC Tower at home. Remove every Balanceblade from your deck so you are not tempted to use it in this battle. Universal traps can only be used for the Minions. Getting the minions out of the way quickly will help tremendously. All of the Shadow Enhanced Spells are used, can easily Critical and defeat a player or an entire team. An early use of Plague/Virulent Plague are excellent to decrease the damage.
Pack reshuffles, especially on your first few runs. All of the damage over time spells used in this dungeon make our pets hyper active. With Sanctuary up, and the minions defeated, healing becomes less of an issue. The Call of Khrulhu and specialty Skeletal Dragon to all can Critical and will hurt. Death Shields can help although our greatest assist is high resist.
We are limited to school traps and only a few rounds to add blades. Helpful tools in here are Shadow Shrike, Prism for Storm and Death, Auras like Infallible (except when there are Draconian Squires), Potent Trap, Elemental and Spirit traps. If you find you’re having trouble gathering the 50,000 damage hit, old school tactics work quite effectively. First, stack off school traps, then add Prism, then add your school traps. Don’t forget there are TC traps for each school and TC Elemental/Spirit Traps too. Watch out for any shields by the minions! Having friends add blades the round you hit is ideal. Plan ahead of time. Keep count of the 5 round Bone Dragon ‘Clear All’ cheat. Start adding blades the round it clears.
***When we first defeat Mali, he revives with a spell like a Guardian Spirit. He has an initial health of 100 and heals himself up to 48,000. We can decrease his health to 25,050 upon return with the use of a Doom and Gloom TC before we hit. Infections do not further decrease the heal (see glitch below.) They are lost when he is defeated. There is no chance to damage Malistaire at the “reduced health” phase.
No Doom and Gloom, or using trained Doom and Gloom, results in Malistaire the Undying respawning as Haunted at 48,000 health
TC Eye of Bartleby Doom and Gloom at 85% reduces his health to 15 and he respawns at 15,263 health
TC Doom and Gloom at 75% reduces his health to 25 and he respawns at 25,050 health
Congrats on completing the final dungeon, Graveyard!
Special thanks to the entire Duelist101 team and initially to Katherine Light/Mercenaries for Hire team for collaborating on the cheat intelligence.
There are red Health Wisps and blue Mana Wisps at the Castle Darkmoor entrance, after the first battle in the Lower Depths, and by the Upper Halls sigil. There are red Health Wisps all throughout the Upper Halls, at the Graveyard sigil and in the Graveyard.
Resistant gear (such as Jade gear) can make these battles much less difficult. Resist/boost from all creatures is not always what we expect. It may take an extra blade to defeat these monsters than we are accustomed in regard to typical school resists for bosses and minions. We see fewer boss cheats if we can complete the battles in under 5 rounds. As you will see, careful planning is indicated.
In-depth Strategy
Answer: Crimson Lens (currently a box), then Neutral Density Filter (lever.)
Heal only when necessary because of the Vampire cheat. Take off your healing pet to avoid the Vampires. Wear your best Death/Storm resistant gear. Sending in a tank first will draw some hits, but not the Shane von Shane cheats.
Strategy
Mali has a special Skeletal Dragon spell that summons the dragon from the roof. It is not cheat or an interrupt. It is an 8 pip spell with Death damage of 666 + 333 over three rounds to all. Be aware, add his Armor Piercing to his buffs including Global and Aura and this Dragon can hurt! We can shield these and Triage/Mass Triage.
