Dungeons: what each one drops and how to beat it

What each dungeon gives

Bosses in most dungeons are immune to the usual crowd control, so a team that wins by [Stun] or [Freeze] alone will stall. Plarium also runs dungeon events that boost drops from time to time, so keep a little spare energy.

The Keeps (potions)

Drops. The five Keeps give the potions used for ascension: one Keep for Arcane potions and one each for the Magic, Force, Spirit and Void affinities. Some also drop XP brews. Potions come in three sizes and can be mixed upwards.

Boss. There is no gimmick: these are damage-and-survival tests, and higher floors have tougher enemies.

Team. Pick the Keep that matches the champion you are ascending. A reliable farmer with a [Poison] or two is enough; see champions with Poison.

Dragon's Lair

Drops. Gear sets: Speed, Accuracy, Lifesteal, Destroy, Toxic, Daze, Frost, Avenging and Stalwart.

Boss. The Dragon has a very large pool of health and a heavy attack that hits the whole team.

Team. Damage over time works well on that much health, and the champions need enough HP and DEF to survive the big hit. Try champions with Poison or HP Burn.

Ice Golem's Peak

Drops. Gear sets: Life, Offense, Defense, Critical Rate, Resistance, Cursed, Provoke, Retaliation and Reflex.

Boss. Klyssus fights alongside two minions. At set health thresholds he hits the whole team, ignoring part of their DEF, with a chance to freeze them, and he revives fallen minions. The more minions are alive, the harder it hits.

Team. Kill the minions first, or stop their revival with Block Revive. Guides report that the threshold attack is not triggered by [Poison] or [HP Burn] damage. The minions use [Heal Reduction] and [Decrease DEF], so a cleanser helps.

Fire Knight's Castle

Drops. Gear sets: Crit Damage, Fury, Frenzy, Regeneration, Immunity, Shield, Savage, Stun and Curing.

Boss. The Fire Knight starts with a barrier that nearly removes damage and blocks debuffs. It only breaks after a number of separate hits, and at the higher stages that number is large.

Team. Bring champions with several hits per skill, and sources that add hits, such as Reflect Damage or Counterattack.

Spider's Den

Drops. Accessories only: rings, amulets and banners. The higher stages are also popular for silver.

Boss. Skavag fights with a swarm of Spiderlings. Reports say that at the higher stages the swarm adds area damage-over-time effects, so your team keeps losing health between turns.

Team. A tank with high RES, a cleanser and some turn meter control. See champions that remove debuffs.

Minotaur's Labyrinth

Drops. Mastery scrolls in three sizes: Basic, Advanced and Divine. Guides put the total for one champion's full masteries at around 1,650 scrolls, so it is a long project. The top stage gives the most per run.

Boss. The Minotaur applies [Hex] to several of your champions, and its area attack hits a hexed champion twice as hard. It cycles through a few turns of Rage, which boosts its damage, then a turn of Daze, when it takes extra damage.

Team. Hex cannot be resisted, so cleanse it or block it. Burst the boss during the Daze turn. Look at champions with Block Debuffs and champions that remove debuffs.

Iron Twins' Fortress

Drops. Soul coins and the essences made from them, used to awaken champions. The Fortress has 15 stages.

Boss. Two bosses hit your team with an [Ironbrand] debuff that cannot be removed, only resisted. The longer Ironbrand lasts, the harder their special attack hits, and they get stronger as the fight goes on. They cap damage that is a share of their max HP and take much less from [Poison].

Team. Speed, accuracy and resistance matter more here than anywhere else in the dungeons, and each stage band asks for more. Many players use tuned [Unkillable] or [Block Damage] teams, similar to the Clan Boss. [Decrease SPD] also helps.

Sand Devil's Necropolis

Drops. Artifact oil, used to ascend gear, plus silver and shards. It is meant for later in the game.

Boss. Al-Naemeh uses an area attack that ignores shields, [Block Damage], [Unkillable] and DEF, then puts itself to sleep. While it sleeps its defences are down, but each attack also removes part of your champions' max HP.

Team. Older guides say the standard answer is a champion who can revive the team after the big attack, and one who can put the boss to sleep. Look at champions with Sleep and champions that revive.

Phantom Shogun's Grove

Drops. Three sizes of extract, used to ascend accessories: Lesser (from the early stages), Greater (from the middle ones) and Superior (from the highest stages only). The Grove has 25 stages.

Boss. The key mechanic is a counter that rises on weak hits, critical hits and when [Enfeeble] ends. As it climbs, the Shogun ignores [Poison], then [HP Burn], then skills based on max HP, and finally ignores your DEF altogether.

Team. Avoid weak hits and kill fast. Bring [Decrease ATK], [Decrease C.RATE] or [Decrease C.DMG] against his critical hits. [Block Passive Skills] can hit the whole team, so passive-reliant champions are a risk. Taunt protects fragile ones.

Event dungeons

Drops. Event-only gear sets such as Pinpoint and Chronophage.

Boss and team. These change with every event. The dungeon screen lists what the boss does; read it before you spend energy.

Hard mode

After you clear stage 25 of the four gear dungeons (Dragon, Ice Golem, Fire Knight, Spider), Hard mode opens with stages from 26 up. The bosses become "Tainted" versions with new abilities and immunities, and the gear drops can include Mythical pieces, which are otherwise hard to get. The number of Hard stages has grown over time.

Next: gear basics, so you know which of these sets to chase.