Pandemonium

Version 0.31: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Pandemonium is an infinite realm of pain and suffering. While you can find a good deal of loot there, all these treasures are guarded by demons and even crueller demon lords. Many a hero, confusing confidence with megalomania, has died screaming in the barrage of torment and hellfire. Pandemonium is endless. Portals there are found abundantly in the deeper parts of the main dungeon. Note that getting back might be more difficult. No fewer than five runes can be found in Pandemonium: • a fiery rune in the well-heated realm of Cerebov • a glowing rune in the contaminated domain of Mnoleg • a magical rune guarded by the arcane powers of Lom Lobon and his minions • a dark rune in the shadowy abode of Gloorx Vloq • a demonic rune, owned by a less famous lord

This gate leads to the endless halls of Pandemonium. Tales about successful lootings of these netherworlds are rare. Even the strongest and most experienced characters can die there. On the other hand, these halls contain several runes and lots of valuable items. It is much easier to get in than to get out.

Pandemonium (or Pan) is an infinite demonic realm, populated by all manner of demons and randomly littered with any kind of treasure imaginable. One of the final branches of the game to explore (and a purely optional one), it contains endless treasure and experience, and five runes of Zot:

The demonic rune, lost somewhere in the endless halls of Pandemonium.

The fiery rune, guarded by Cerebov.

The glowing rune, guarded by Mnoleg.

The magical rune, guarded by Lom Lobon.

The dark rune, guarded by Gloorx Vloq.

Layout

The Pandemonium is infinitely deep - floors are finite, but you can go through as many as you want. Once you leave a realm, you can never go back. Each realm is around the size of an ordinary Dungeon floor, comes in a wide variety of layouts, and usually contains one pandemonium lord vault. Unlike the Abyss, items (except unrands) can spawn as normal. Unlike the main Dungeon, monsters slowly spawn as you spend time inside a realm.

You may enter Pandemonium through any Pandemonium entry portal, which generate from Depths:1-4. Depths:2 always has a portal while other Depths floors have a 25% chance to have a Pandemonium entrance.

Portals

Instead of stairs up or down, there are portals:

• Gateway to another realm - sends you to another level of the Pandemonium.
• Gateway out - lets you leave Pandemonium, to the place you entered it.
• Gateway to the Abyss - lets you enter the Abyss; once you exit the Abyss, you'll exit Pandemonium. Only Abyss entries can let you out. If you're banished inside Pandemonium, you'll exit back into Pan.

Actual exit portals are very rare, but they most commonly show up inside of pan lord vaults, and each rune you collect increases the odds of finding an exit. Abyss exits are somewhat more common.

Be aware that each time you travel to a new realm in Pandemonium, you will be placed at an entirely random point. There is no guarantee that another portal will be anywhere near where you enter, or that you won't be dumped in the middle of a horde of powerful demons. If your character can buff themselves, it is a good idea to cast them before entering any portal.

Monsters

Any given realm of Pan can throw almost any demon above tier-4, but each individual realm is inhabited by a fraction of the possible demons. As a general rule, tier-1 and -2 demons are a very regular occurrence, as are professional demonspawn.

There will always be a pandemonium lord per floor. Each lord is essentially a randomly generated unique, with resistances, attack brand, and spell set. They also tend to generate along with a very large horde of demons appropriate to the floor, making it a frequent occurrence to come across multiple sources of torment and/or heavy elemental damage.

Always e'x'amine a pandemonium lord before engaging it in combat. And always act carefully; there's a chance that it'll be a pushover, but it's just as likely to be one of the deadliest opponents in the game.

The Runes

Players can conceivably acquire unlimited XP and items by farming Pandemonium endlessly. But doing so serves little purpose - since Pan is so dangerous, most characters capable of handling Pan can grab the Orb of Zot and win. Searching for potions of mutation or items to open a treasure trove may be rewarding, but bear in mind that there are plenty of sources of bad mutations here as well.

The main reason for anyone to enter Pandemonium is to retrieve its five runes of Zot.

The Demonic Rune

While exploring random Pandemonium realms, the demonic rune of Zot will occasionally generate lying on the ground within the vault of a Pandemonium lord. This means you will always have to deal with a powerful horde of demons to get it (or at least to apport it and run).

There's an 11.1% chance that the demonic rune appears in an ordinary pan lord vault, and a 100% chance for certain particular vaults:

• Hellion Island - A square of terrain, surrounded by lava, populated by dozens of damnation-flinging hellions, all led by a single Pandemonium lord. Extremely dangerous: one false move and you receive 5-8 damnation bursts. Always be wary of lava pools as an indicator of this level.
• Eyes of Draining - Eight carefully spaced ghost moths, locked away behind grates, will devastate your MP as you deal with a Pandemonium lord and its cohorts. The rune is locked away in a ninth cage in the center.
• Smiting - A hallway lined with smoke demons, locked away behind grates. These will smite you repeatedly as you deal with the horde inside.
• Frozen Over - An open area filled with multiple blizzard demons, with an ice statue in the middle sitting on top of the rune. The statue is surrounded by deep water, preventing easy access. Expect heavy cold, electricity, and Airstrike damage.
• Bazaar - A demonic rune can be found, for a price (a couple thousand gold). Also contains various shops and piles of gold.
• The Shining One's Fortress - see the section below.

These vaults will notify you of the rune upon entering their realm.

If you abandon the demonic rune, it can show up again. But once you've collected the rune, you can't collect it again. These vaults can still appear, so you can get Hellion Island well after you've gotten all 5 runes.

Unique Realms

Along with the endless random realms of Pandemonium, traveling from realm to realm will eventually bring you to four unique realms, each of which is ruled over by a unique pandemonium lord.

Upon entry, you'll receive a message declaring whose realm you've entered. If you leave, you won't be able to enter again, and the runes are forever lost. The game warns you about this:

An item of great power still resides in this realm, and once you leave you can never return. Are you sure you want to leave?

It is entirely possible to steal these runes without killing the unique Pandemonium lords which guard them. Clever use of fast movement speed, scrolls of magic mapping, a wand of digging, Shatter, Passage of Golubria and/or Apportation can allow you to snag the rune quickly and (relatively) safely.

If you get one of these runes without killing the pan lord, the pan lord can show in future Pandemonium floors and the orb run (until they are slain).

The Fiery Rune: Cerebov's Realm

Searing heat pours from the floors and walls of this place. The mighty Pandemonium lord Cerebov resides here.

The fiery rune of Zot is guarded by Cerebov, a powerful giant and master of Fire Magic. Its realm is primarily made up of long narrow hallways which intersect with small rectangular chambers, but roughly half of the map will consist of a massive metal fortress. Fully exploring the fortress will reveal several small treasure chambers, and killing Cerebov will reward you with the sword of Cerebov. Max out your fire resistance, and see the Cerebov article for further advice.

The following monsters are found in Cerebov's realm:

y Sun moth

R Efreet

3 Sun demon

3 Ynoxinul

2 Balrug

1 Brimstone fiend

6 Demonspawn warmonger

& Cerebov

The Glowing Rune: Mnoleg's Realm

The air here is shimmering with an eerie glow. The mighty Pandemonium lord Mnoleg resides here.

The glowing rune of Zot is guarded by Mnoleg, a chaotic jester who delights in mutating its foes. Mnoleg's realm offers wide hallways and occasional doors, while its vault is made up of several wide diagonally crossing hallways. Apart from the rune, there is no guaranteed treasure to be found here. Breaking line of sight from monsters with Malmutate is difficult due to Cacodemons's Dig spell. Bring potions of mutation to remove any particularly bad mutations and see the Mnoleg article for further advice.

The following monsters are found in Mnoleg's realm:

2 Shadow demon

3 Neqoxec

4 Chaos spawn

2 Cacodemon

2 Tormentor

X Tentacled monstrosity

C Protean progenitor

u Very ugly thing

G Glass eye

G Golden eye

G Eye of devastation

G Shining eye

6 Demonspawn corrupter

& Mnoleg.

The Magical Rune: Lom Lobon's Realm

You sense a powerful magical presence. It is not pleased. The mighty Pandemonium lord Lom Lobon resides here.

The magical rune of Zot is guarded by Lom Lobon, a powerful archmage demon who can inflict devastating amounts of electricity and cold damage. The realm is made up of crossing vertical and horizontal hallways and small chambers, while the rune vault is a massive green crystal structure, much of which is submerged in deep water. Both Lom Lobon and the rune reside in the large chamber in the center of this structure. Apart from the rune, there is no guaranteed treasure to be found here. Bring some electricity, poison, cold, and willpower, and see the Lom Lobon article for further advice.

The following monsters are found in Lom Lobon's realm:

4 Hellwing

3 Sixfirhy

3 Smoke demon

2 Blizzard demon

2 Green death

G Glowing orange brain

R Rakshasa

N Nagaraja

m Merfolk aquamancer

H Jorogumo

H Fenstrider witch

q Draconian annihilator

e Deep elf annihilator

C Titan

L Lich

6 Demonspawn blood saint

& Lom Lobon

The Dark Rune: Gloorx Vloq's Realm

Shadowy figures dance across your vision. The mighty Pandemonium lord Gloorx Vloq resides here.

The dark rune of Zot is guarded by Gloorx Vloq, a hooded demon with spectacular speed and access to all manner of devastating Necromancy. The floor is filled with open chambers and wide hallways, while Gloorx Vloq's vault is a large chamber filled with pillars, Executioners, and a back chamber containing the rune. Apart from the rune, there is no guaranteed treasure here. See the Gloorx Vloq article for further advice.

The following monsters are found in Gloorx Vloq's realm:

Z Skeleton

W Shadow wraith

3 Soul eater

2 Reaper

1 Executioner

W Flayed ghost

z Laughing skull

z Curse skull

6 Demonspawn black sun

& Gloorx Vloq

The Shining One's Fortress

The tension of great conflict fills the air!

Along with the four unique panlord realms, you may come across this realm in your travels. Populated only with holy opponents, the Shining One's Fortress contains significant amounts of treasure, three exit portals located in a corner far from where you spawn, and the demonic rune of Zot (if you haven't found it yet elsewhere). Undead and demonspawn characters should proceed with extreme caution. The rune can be found in the treasure vault at the center of the fortress, guarded by the seraph and his allies.

The following monsters are found in the Shining One's Fortress:

A Angel

A Daeva

A Cherub

G Ophan

Y Apis

D Pearl dragon

A Seraph

Mennas & Ignacio

Along with the endless stream of Pandemonium lords, there are also two unique non-boss enemies found here: Mennas the Voice of Zin, and Ignacio the executioner of Makhleb. Mennas is a fast and competent holy melee fighter who has a tendency to silence everything around him (except for the resident demons, of course). Ignacio, meanwhile, is even faster and carries a well-enchanted executioner's axe of pain.

A Mennas

1 Ignacio

Either can rarely be found wandering any of the realms of Pandemonium. If you encounter one and fail to kill them, they may still show up in later realms. Ignacio has a 50% chance of appearing in a given game, and each floor has a 10% chance of housing him.

Strategy

Due to the very diverse monster set you will face in Pandemonium, you should try to be ready for a little bit of everything before entering. The more powerful you are in every field, the better your chance of survival. That being said, it is strongly recommended you bring at least the following:

• Fire resistance, preferably rF+++ when facing Cerebov.
• Cold resistance, preferably rC+++ when facing Lom Lobon.
• A source of electricity resistance when facing Lom Lobon.
• A source of poison resistance when facing Gloorx Vloq or green deaths.
• Any source of torment resistance for dealing with fiends, tormentors, and Gloorx Vloq.
• Some inventory space for the loot you come across.
• A wand of digging. Some exits (along with the pan lord) lie just behind a rockwall.

Of course, you don't necessarily have to gather all five runes in a single trip. Leaving Pandemonium and then returning after you've resupplied or levelled up has no punishment, and any of the preset realms you have not yet visited will still be waiting for you when you return. Just be aware that you do not get to choose when you find any given preset realm, or even an exit.

History

• Prior to 0.27, you would not receive a warning upon entering a realm guaranteed to have the demonic rune.
• Prior to 0.21, the rate at which unique pandemonium floors appeared was lower.
• Prior to 0.18, Pan would occasionally spawn Ziggurat portals.
• Prior to 0.17, Pandemonium didn't spawn primarily tier 3 and above demons.
• Prior to 0.16, Mennas could not be found in Pandemonium.
• Prior to 0.14, Pandemonium runes carried did not increase your odds of finding an exit. Pandemonium did not feature a set of demonspawn monsters.
• Prior to 0.10, self-banishing via a distortion weapon was an effective way to escape, equivalent to using a portal to the Abyss.
• Prior to 0.9, there were infinite demonic runes of Zot. The record for most collected came in at over 250.
• Prior to 0.7, scrolls of magic mapping and Lugonu's Gate yourself to the Abyss ability were both disabled in Pandemonium.
• Prior to 0.6, you received no warning message upon entering the realm of a unique Pandemonium lord.