Dungeons

Three Dungeons are going to be available for players to explore in Velkus!

Available right away is Dungeon 1: Taproot Chasm. D2: The Shattered Halls will open with the first content patch and you can expect D3: The Temple of the Damned to launch with the second content patch, two months in.

These are large, combat oriented dungeons nestled into The Center's existing content caves. These should keep you on your toes throughout the season, and you should have a reason to keep coming back to them from the beginning of the season to the end.

These three dungeons are going to be the only *normal* dungeons that we have in Velkus, but as design ideas for these dungeons either shine or fizzle they'll be refined.

Locating these should be simple - they're all listed on the world map in Season Info in discord.

*Back to Guides. Back Home.*

## Loot

Each dungeon has several loot containers of two different tiers. We'll call them Lesser and Greater Loot Crates. The Lesser Loot Crates are the same as what you'd find in a Mini-Dungeon. These have basic loot and a moderate chance of yielding a talon of the dungeon's tier. The Greater Loot Crates will have a higher chance at dropping talons and you'll see larger quantities of kibble and gold as well.

In addition to the loot crates, you can challenge bosses in each dungeon using the Summoning Altars inside. Their heads and flags can be used in the Trial of the Gods or exchanged for goods in Woodbury.

## Summoning Bosses

Each dungeon's bosses are summoned using the Summoning Altars placed in some of the larger chambers in the dungeon. You'll need a variety of things to start these fights. Plop the appropriate items into the inventory of the summoner, choose which encounter you want to fight, and click Summon!

## Unique Resources

Each dungeon contains a unique resource that you'll need if you want to fight bosses.

#### Taproot Chasm

* Copper Ore
* Artifact of Growth
* Artifact of the Brute

#### The Shattered Halls

* Silver Ore
* Artifact of the Clever
* Artifact of the Devourer

#### The Temple of the Damned

* Gold Ore
* Artifact of the Massive

## Strategies

#### The Sneaky Archer

A timeless classic. Stealth, incarnate. Why *do* content when you can just *not* do content and still get loot? Mostly because if you mess up while doing this, you just die and have to go through it all again. Anyhow, here's what'll help you sneak through these dungeons: a suit of ghillie armor, bug repellent, cactus broth, and a shinobi (Shiny!) mount or shoulder pet will all reduce your agro radius on wild dinos. Grapple hooks won't always work in dungeons, so climbing picks and a glider suit will get you through some tight spots with lots of critters. You probably don't even need a bow for this. Do keep in mind that the *best* loot is still dropped by bosses, so this'll get you no more than a handful of crates.

### Heavy Infantry

If riding around on the back of some lizard isn't your thing, then an up-armored gigantopithecus will probably suit your fancy. Not only can it carry a weapon, but a helmet, shield, and body armor will minimize the damage you receive on these. Coupled with some well-placed ziplines and you'll find yourself scooting through any dungeon with ease.

### The Trinity

As with most RPGs, these dungeons can be overcome with good group composition. You'll want a healer, a tank, and a damage dealer to make any dungeon delve with friends a breeze. Your humble author recommends a daeodon, stegosaurus, and a direbear for an easy starting comp. Swap the direbear out for some wolves if you've got more people with you. For dungeons featuring creatures with pack bonuses, like The Shattered Halls, sabertooths will obliterate the healthbars of the fodder with their pack-shredding perks.

# Taproot Chasm

A winding chasm that stretches from the coast up into the hills of the southern jungle island.

## The Entrance

A large, open room with sprawling plants coming out of the floor and ceiling. Lots of insects in here, including some brute spiders that'll give you a tough time if you stay for too long. They're not terribly hard to kill, but they do respawn rather quickly.

## The Broodmother's Chamber

A cavernous room just across from the tunnel that you entered through. The high ceilings and walls are illuminated by glowing plants are a little concealed by some vegetation, so look carefully and don't miss this room! Be wary of the thylas that spawn in here. They're tougher than they seem and their bleed will whittle away at your health. The steady spawn rate of these cats will mean that you're fighting cats when you're engaging the boss as well. Bringing items that reduce bleed damage and heal your creatures is a really good idea. On the far end of the room you'll find an altar. There, you can engage four encounters:

#### Gamma Broodmother

* Artifact of Growth
* Copper Ore

#### Three Poison Wyverns

* Artifact of Growth
* Copper Ore

#### Beta Broodmother

* Artifact of Growth
* Silver Ore

#### Alpha Broodmother

* Artifact of Growth
* Gold Ore

## The Hall of Yetis

While not terribly challenging alone, the yetis aren't afraid of ganging up on you and pushing you into a corner. Move quickly through the hall or risk getting overwhelmed.

## The Snake Pit

Some shiny loot is available here, but the basilisks aren't going to hesitate to defend this space. If they're not already up and fighting the apes, they'll doubtlessly spring out to put an end to reckless adventurers that don't bypass this room.

## The Ape's Lair

Hidden away behind grasses and trees is a small passage emptying into a large chamber. Like the first boss room, this one has several challenges available:

### Gamma Megapithecus

* Artifact of the Brute
* Copper Ore

#### Beta Megapithecus

* Artifact of the Brute
* Silver Ore

#### Alpha Megapithecus

* Artifact of the Brute
* Gold Ore

## The Exit

The final room isn't a free passage to open air. You'll have to fight an alpha tyrannosaurus here, aided by a handful of (tameable) Paleo Megalosauruses and two dozen onycs. The armor-shredding bats aren't something you can ignore. You'll need to be shifted into a tiny creature or on foot to get through the door to the final loot room.

# The Shattered Halls

An icy temple complex beneath the northwestern mountain.

## Getting Ready

The Shattered Halls are a step up in difficulty from Taproot Chasm. You'll be facing fewer carnivorous foes, but they're stronger and have the environment on their side. If properly equipped, this dungeon should be a fun challenge for any small to medium sized group.

#### Hazard: Radiation

Well-made hazard gear from your local armor smiths will keep you alive in here. Don't forget mushroom brews for your mounts and forms as well.

#### Hazard: Cold & Water

In addition to your hazard gear, a scuba tank (either crafted or from the general store) will come in handy for the passages. Lazarus chowder and fria curry will help deal with the elements as well.

#### Threat: Aquatic Beasts in the Tunnels

My recommendation here is a basilosaurus. Immunity to shocks from the eels and jellies and being unable to be grabbed by the squids will come in handy as you whittle down the brute tusos and megalodons. Rushing past these on a smaller mount is a dangerous gamble and larger mounts may get stuck in the icy passages.

#### Threat: Dinopithecus Kings

A rather straightforward monkey-smashing fight, but *do be aware: the king will dismount you at some point. Be ready.*

#### Threat: Ice Golems

Velonasaurs will do well against these golems if they have something to tank with them, but I recommend using an ankylosaurus. They ignore the damage mitigation of golems entirely and can whittle these rocks down to size quickly.

#### Threat: Purlovia Packs

Shifters need not worry about ambushes from badgers, but everyone else should definitely be concerned. Throw a grenade at any buried purlovia to get it out of the ground and disable its pounce attack.

#### Threat: Shadowmanes

There's no easy way to take these down. They'll dismount riders and shifters alike, so be sure to handle these feline fish very carefully, separate from other threats.

#### Threat: Worms and the Worm Queens

There aren't enough insects around to keep a megatherium buff active, but if you can manage to get the buff from a spider and use a sloth against the queens, it's a great counter to their chitinous fury. Anything else with high health and some damage mitigation should fare well against the worms.

#### Threat: Wyverns

All wyverns are particularly susceptible to getting \*\*\*\*ing shot, so high quality rifles can do some work in the final chamber. If you're gunfire averse, velonasaurs will shine against flying foes as well, and the classic 'throw rexes at your problems' strategy is remarkably effective.

## The Entrance

A large, open chamber of ice and teeth. The creatures in here aren't terribly threatening, but explorers will doubtlessly notice a certain spiciness to the air. Radiation is a constant threat beyond the first gate, so make sure you're in a high quality hazard suit for the majority of this dungeon.

## The Tunnels

If you think of the aquatic tunnels like a large T, with the entrance rising from the middle, this whole place makes more sense. Once you descend through the first icy tube (and fight off the squids), you'll be able to choose an east or west path. Each is color coded to help you find your way.

Each 'hall' is littered with eels that will slow you down and dismount you if not immune, and the brute tusos at each end will inflict some serious pain if you're not ready.

## The West Wing

A large room ringed with ruins and ore. A marvelous place to gather some silver ore for other adventures. Be careful of the yetis here - some are natural spawns, some are most definitely not. On one end, you'll find the artifact to be used at the summoning altar on the stairs located on the other end.

#### Gamma Dinopithecus King

* Artifact of the Devourer
* Silver Ore

#### Beta Dinopithecus King

* Artifact of the Devourer
* Gold Ore

## The East Wing

Certainly more difficult than the west ring. Immediately after clearing the tuso and sharks in the water, you'll be greeted by yetis on the land. I recommend clearing these with your basilos before proceeding through the tunnel.

The tunnel is blocked by some ice golems that you'll need to defeat before moving on, because some shadowmanes and purlovia lie in wait just beyond the obstruction.

If you choose the path on the right and go up, you'll need to fight a few worms before reaching the summoning altar for the worm queens. Defeat those, and you'll be able to make a trade with Johnny Awesome inside the small shelter for some omega 3 pills! Each of those gives 25,000 exp. You can also bring in the trophies that you earn in the Trial of the Gods to trade with Johnny.

#### Iceworm Queen x2

* Silver Ore

Down the left path, you'll need to kill a few more shadowmanes before entering a sort of geode-tunnel-thing that will let you descend to the final floor. A winding passage will take you from that elevator past yetis, shadowmanes, brute seekers, and purlovia before you arrive at the final door.

## The Wyverns' Lair

Beyond the final door in the East Wing is a large chamber of ice and water. Scattered around the room, you'll find more ice golems and karkinos designed to make the encounters at the summoning altar a bit more difficult. Get a good look around here though - there are some loot crates tucked away in strange corners.

#### Beta Crystal Wyvern Queen x2

* Artifact of the Clever
* Silver Ore

#### Alpha Crystal Wyvern Queen x2

* Artifact of the Clever
* Gold Ore

# The Temple of the Damned

A fiery temple deep beneath the eastern volcano. Winding passages of stone and lava are punctuated by deadly foes of all sorts.

## Getting Ready

The Temple of the Damned is less environmentally hazardous than the Shattered Halls (eg: no radiation), but you'll still find plenty of threats to keep you moving through its tunnels.

#### Threat: Alpha Ornis

With a fragile constitution, these go down quickly. Beware though, avians flying around at mach Jesus alpha boosting *everything else in the dungeon* are not something you should ignore. Be sure to clear out any of these you see before attempting fights on the summoners.

#### Threat: Brute Magmasaurs

High health and high damage. These should be handled from afar with penetrating damage of your choosing. A few velonasaurs may be a good choice here.

#### Threat: Deinos

Like the thylas in Taproot Chasm, these are designed to make your boss fights a little more challenging without pushing anyone over the edge. With some **Alduin's Breath** from Kraken's Better Dinos, you'll not have too much trouble with these. The deinos come grouped with alpha raptors, so kill them quickly.

#### Threat: Dimorphodons

Corrupted dimorphodons guard the first tunnel of the dungeon. They aren't very strong, but they respawn *very quickly* and get in the way while you're facing greater threats.

#### Threat: Dinopithecus Kings

A rather straightforward monkey-smashing fight, but *do be aware: the king will dismount you at some point. Be ready.*

#### Threat: Dodorex

The DodoRex has two attacks: melee and fire-breath. Both of these can easily kill an unprepared adventurer.

#### Threat: Dodowyvern

The dodowyvern uses all three wyvern breath attacks, is fast, and hits as hard as the dodorex. Combine that with an immunity to elemental damage and you've got yourself a good fight. Don't skimp on the gas masks for this one. A lightning breath will break a basic one in a single pass, and then a poison breath will one shot any unprepared fighter.

#### Threat: Heat

While the Shattered Halls were freezing, the heat of the volcano is intense. Bringing appropriate consumables and equipment that increases your hyperthermal insulation will help you stay alive. Oh, and don't forget that canteen!

#### Threat: Lava

There's no easy solution here. Lava **will** kill you if you fall in. A large health pool will give you an extra moment to grapple back out though. If you've invested heavily in stats aside from health though, take some extra precautions in here.

#### Threat: Lightning Wyverns

Summoned on the final boss terminal, these are standard wyverns. The kicker is that they're high level, likely alpha boosted by an orni you missed, and do *thousands* of damage every time they strafe. Shifters need not worry about this encounter too much, but anyone riding on the back of a creature should be wary of taking this fight lightly.

#### Threat: Megalania

Megalania aren't very dangerous, but the rabies they inflict might be. Carry an antidote or five with you and you'll be fine.

#### Threat: Megapithecus

These are heavy hitters. If you're fighting these, be sure to have a sturdy front line that can take the hits. Their waves and waves of ape friends being alpha boosted by local fauna isn't going to do you any favors either.

#### Threat: Neovenators

They're regular neos, not alphas, despite their appearance. If you're riding something small enough to be grabbed, **do not ignore these neos**.

#### Threat: Rock Elementals and Brute Rock Elementals

In the Shattered Halls, the ice golems could be whittled down and disposed of quickly. Here, you'll face golems with considerably higher health pools and some added challenges. First, they respawn *very quickly.* If you choose to fight these instead of running through, be aware that they're going to be respawning faster than you can kill them. Second, their knockback can and will hurl you into lava. Routes out of that lava are few and far between. Finally, they're probably going to be alpha boosted. They hurt. A lot.

#### Threat: Wyverns and Alpha Wyverns

Yes, actual wyverns. Kill them for some easy talons, but beware the flames and gas! Healing consumables and a gas mask are highly recommended for dealing with these, as well as some high power ranged weapons. The **RPE Crossbow** with **Piercing Bolts** will eviscerate these beasts and you won't have to worry about the long reload of a carbine.

## The Entrance

Enter through the tunnel on the eastern side of the volcano, drop down the chute, clear out the critters, and prepare to jump. Once you're down the shaft, be wary of using any flying creatures. They'll have trouble keeping you on their back in here. **From the vendor on the ledge, take a leap downwards towards the river of lava spilling from the wall. The structures there mark the entrance.** The exit is just up the hill from the vendor.

Down the ledge Flyers won't get you far in here, but a sino, parachute, grapple, and glider wings will do wonders for navigating this dungeon.

## The River

A simple series of obstacles. Flying on a sino will get you through, but I recommend using a grapple hook to jump between the pathways to get to the first gate. Clear out the dimorphodons, wyverns, and ornis as you go.

## The Apes

The first large door you come to on your right will grant entry to the Ape Cave. Two fights are available here, with an added hazard or two. You don't need to worry about radiation, but the high level neovenators and (standard) deinos with a *very* effective bleed will hemorrhage your health pool if you aren't quick about clearing them out. Some **wyvern milk** or **Alduin's Breath** will stop the bleeding though.

These fights use artifacts on a 30 minute cooldown, but you only have 15 minutes to kill the bosses.

#### Alpha Megapithecus x2

* Artifact of the Lost
* Gold Ore

#### Alpha Dinopithecus King x2

* Artifact of the Stalker
* Gold Ore

## The Central Chamber

The Central Chamber is host to three possible boss encounters. Around the room, wyverns, alpha ornis, megalania, and magmasaurs will continue spawning throughout your fights. Handle those quickly if you want to succeed. If you're good at handling wyverns, the lightning wyvern fight is an easy way to trade up your fire talons at a better rate than the vendors in town.

#### Dodorex

* Artifact of Chaos
* Gold Ore

#### Dodowyvern

* Artifact of Chaos
* Gold Ore

## The Upper Chamber

This chamber leads to the exit. It's a gauntlet of sorts, riddled with obstacles and threats. *However,* the majority of the loot crates in the Temple of the Damned are located up here. Evade the magmasaurs, rock golems, and wyverns and you'll find yourself getting richer by the minute. It's also the closest you're going to get to an exit with a gold vein. Mine some gold and make your way out to the Trial of the Gods for those manticore encounters!