Part six of our instance preview season expands on the previous guide to The Abscess in normal mode. Hard mode adds time-limited fights, tougher monster attacks and further rewards, all of which will be detailed here.
For this 5-player instance we recommend an item level of at least 175 – it's the most difficult in all of Arborea!
Thalweg
The fight against Thalweg is limited to 10 minutes. If your group doesn't manage to defeat Thalweg within the allotted time it will be curtains for everyone.
In addition to his normal attacks, Thalweg creates a special area on the floor. You must tempt the enemies which appear into this field in order to defeat them.
During the phase when the globulins appear you need to work fast and keep your wits about you. Each globulin that reaches Thalweg will permanently increase his power, so you need to be swift and exterminate them before they get the chance!
Krakatox
Similar to Thalweg, your group will have only 10 minutes to deal with Krakatox, before he is completely consumed with rage and annihilates all life around him. But the time limit is just one of numerous little wrinkles in this hard mode. Krakatox has a wide range of options to choose from to make life difficult for you…
Targeted area damage
Krakatox targets a player who will produce a circular area of effect at their position after a couple of seconds. If you are targeted by this attack, it would be best to move to the edge of the area, since the circle that appears has a long duration and causes damage to anyone who walks inside it.
Tentacles
Krakatox occasionally beats the ground with his hand, causing tentacles to shoot out of the ground a short distance away. They cause immediate damage and further bleeding for 20 seconds if they hit you. In addition, your ability to replenish health using healing spells and potions is reduced.
Healers need to remove this effect.
Demokron Bombs
Aside from hands and swords, in hard mode Krakatox also pulls demokrons from his belly and throws them in front of him. They explode after a few seconds, causing damage.
Strengthening
To strengthen himself during combat Krakatox uses an effect on himself with a short duration. This should be removed by healers as quickly as possible, otherwise Krakatox will benefit from a powerful strength buff for 30 seconds.
Tentacle Cages & Shield
During the fight, Krakatox will move to the center of the area a few times, summoning tentacle cages and receiving a shield which protects him from damage. Destroy the shield as quickly as possible to interrupt the attack! Once you've destroyed the tentacle cages, your group will receive an effect which drastically reduces the damage dealt by Krakatox for a few seconds.
If Krakatox is defeated within 10 minutes, the following items can be won as loot:
- Gold
- Master Enigmatic Scroll
- Moloch equipment items
- Krakatox Bone
- Batahir the Blacksmith's Belt
If you defeat Krakatox 150 times, you'll receive the title 'The Guide of Light', which glows above your character's head.
