Desolation of Salt

Version 0.19: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

The Desolation was once ruled by the divines Sheza and Sargol. After the dread twins were cast down, the good gods reduced their former realm to salt, that such a terrible cult would never rise again. Amidst the ruins, only the last cultists of the dead gods, their heretical constructs, and the guardians of the cult's legendary treasure yet remain.

A seemingly endless, flat plain, wracked by blinding salt-storms. Anyone venturing across it would be lost beyond all hope in short order.

The Desolation of Salt (or simply Desolation) is a mini-branch reached via a timed portal found in the Vaults and Elven Halls, signalled by the sound of "a distant wind." The Desolation is designed around packs of weak constructs accompanied by a variety of support-focused allies as well as using cloud concealment over wall cover.

Layout

The layout of the Desolation is usually very simple. It always consists of a large, open plain, largely devoid of any real structures save for the small to medium size treasure vaults that lie not good distance from where the player spawns. In lieu of permanent cover, there are large permanent clouds of salt that block line of sight but also conceal you from bands of foes, functioning as "virtual terrain" in an otherwise open level.

Monsters

Exclusive to the Desolation are a number of constructs and their human allies. While these enemies are each fairly weak, as a pack, they can create a massive of volume of attacks that can rapidly whittle your health down to dangerously low levels. Combined with the general of lack of substantial cover to funnel enemies through, fighting the inhabitants of the Desolation can prove incredibly dangerous. Besides sheer numbers, each unit brings its own troubles:

9 Saltling - Fast and plentiful, can rapidly surround unfortunate players

9 Peacekeeper - Swift and especially resilient, can buff allied constructs and Throw Barbs, leaving immobilized players open to enemy onslaught

a Servant of whispers - Strikes you with divine Lightning Bolts, casts Still Winds, stripping away cloud cover and shutting down cloud-based spells

a Ragged hierophant - Soaks up damage from allied constructs, strikes you down with construct-boosted Resonance Strike

a Imperial myrmidon - Strips away magic resistance in melee, rendering the unprepared helpless to Agony and debilitating hexes

L Halazid warlock - Summons Shadow Creatures and can sacrifice an ally for a burst of massive negative energy damage

S Guardian serpent - Can encircle you with nearby allies

Strategy

• Earth Magic users may have an easier time in the Desolation than other characters. Saltlings and peacekeepers, being constructs, are particularly vulnerable to Lee's Rapid Deconstruction, and the explosion of shrapnel will whittle down the allies inevitably adjacent to them.

History

Added in 0.19