Dwarven Dungeon phase by phase

The four phases of the Dwarven Dungeon: what each one asks for, how to clear it fast and how to reach Azhakar in one piece.

How it works

The Dwarven Dungeon is four phases chained across four scenes. Each phase has its objective and its portal; using it takes you to the next one with your whole run —score, gold, level, build, clock and difficulty floor—, as in Expedition. The HUD shows “Phase n/4” and the clock counts the total time. The record is the time of the four phases together.

Phase 1: hold out

The valley at the gates of the fortress. The objective is to hold out 5:00 until the gates open. It can't be shortened, so make the most of it: chests, NPCs, altars and camps, with the dungeon's softest horde. When the gates open, the portal waits on the terrace in front of them.

Inside the ring of mountains you can climb any rock or mountain you can jump onto: the fall rescue only brings you back if you leave the map. There’s a reward up there: a Legendary chest on the flower plateau next to the peak, and a Rare one by the spiky plant. And at the end of the west path waits a camp with a pagoda: three minibosses guard their posts and wake if you come close or hit one; if you walk away they return to their posts without healing, and the ones you kill don’t come back. Behind the pagoda, an artifact chest.

Watch outThe entrance bridge has open edges on purpose: if you fall, you land on the sand several metres below and have to climb back up the stairs. You don't die, but you lose time.

Phase 2: wake the king

Halls and throne, with a single map (“Halls and Throne”). The Dwarf King lies dead on his throne: walk up until the game tells you he seems to be in a deep sleep, and wake him. He rises with a harmless entrance stomp and fights like the Ghost: Axe Blow, Heavy Cleave, Stomp and Skullbreaker. He appears in phase 2, so his health is × 50. His death opens the portal. The phase has fixed chests: a Legendary one on the east ledge, an artifact chest at the south bridge door and two Mix chests in the lower cave.

TipBefore waking him, clear the room and visit the merchant: with the king up, the horde keeps coming.

Phase 3: 2,000 kills

The forge. The objective is to slay 2,000 enemies: any enemy counts, minibosses included (the boss never). The horde is the densest of the dungeon, with its own pressure profile —30% more than on the easy maps— and row 3. Anything that kills in an area and fast shines here, and the altar helps because it adds extra waves. When you reach the number, the path to the abyss opens. Mind the lava: it’s a floor you can cross, but it burns while you stand on it. In the throne room a Legendary chest waits, with a Mix chest on the other side.

Phase 4: Azhakar

The abyss: no horde, no minibosses. At the foot of the rock stairs there’s a merchant (at ×4 prices) and two Legendary chests: one on the brazier pillar, up those stairs, and one on the lower ledge of the west basin —you drop in and jump your way out—. The lava burns, but you can walk on all the rock. And in his arena, Azhakar, the Fallen God, who waits asleep in his arena and wakes when you approach. Six greatsword attacks —Cleave, Ground Slam (with a ring-shaped wave), Three-hit Combo, Spinning Sweep, Crushing Leap and Thrust— and a rage below half health. He appears in phase 4: his health is × 100.

Watch outHome rule: if no player is within 32 m of the centre of his arena, nothing gets through —no hits, no periodic damage, no statuses—. He can’t be sniped: you have to go in. Nor from places he can’t reach on foot —the pillar, the high rocks, the merchant platform—: there he turns immune and goes back to his spot. And he no longer falls out of his arena: if he gets stuck, he walks home.

TipThe Ground Slam's wave only hits whoever is standing on the ground: jumping it or moving away works. Against the Thrust and the Crushing Leap, step sideways, not backwards.

Between phases

It travels with you: score, gold, level and experience, the whole build, the equipped set, health and mana, the total clock and the difficulty floor.
Base difficulty goes up phase by phase, more slowly than in Survival: 1 · 1.5 · 2 · 2.5.
Merchant prices rise with the phase (×2 in phase 2, ×3 in phase 3 and ×4 in phase 4), and the apothecary's request starts from scratch (150 + 50 × the phase).
In co-op, using the portal to the next phase stands downed players up with 30% health and mana, without spending their revive.

The record

Your time is the total of the four phases, until you use the portal of phase 4 (loading doesn't count), and only a run started in phase 1 counts. Phase 1 lasts what it lasts, so time is won in the other three: going straight to the throne in phase 2, mass-killing in phase 3 and not losing the arena in phase 4.

Guide checked against game v0.9.16.