Difference between revisions of "The Vaults"

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''Not to be confused with "[[vault]]s", pregenerated features of the dungeon.''
 
{{flavour|Possibly constructed by some powerful madman, the Vaults are said to be home to great treasures. The blood spattered liberally around the entrance suggests that there is a certain amount of violence, too.
 
{{flavour|Possibly constructed by some powerful madman, the Vaults are said to be home to great treasures. The blood spattered liberally around the entrance suggests that there is a certain amount of violence, too.
  
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The Vaults are eight levels deep and contain the silver rune. The entrance can be found between levels 14 and 19 of the main dungeon.
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The entrance to this branch can be found between levels 13 and 14 of the Dungeon.
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}}
 
  
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{{flavour|These stairs lead down into the Vaults, said to be home of great treasures. They are sprinkled with spots of blood.}}
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This branch can only be exited while carrying at least 1 rune of Zot.
  
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[[File:Vaults entry.png]] '''The Vaults''' are a convoluted 5-floor [[Dungeon branch]] filled with long, wide hallways and countless treasure chambers (most of which are unfortunately empty). They are guarded by a wide variety of late-game monsters, as well as a number of guards unique to the branch, but the promise of the silver [[rune of Zot]], access to [[the Crypt]] and the [[Hall of Blades]], and four guaranteed treasure or [[shop]] vaults makes it well worth the hazards. [[Stairs]] to the Vaults can be found between floors 14 and 19 of [[the Dungeon]].
+
This branch is 5 levels deep.
 +
 
 +
This branch contains the entrance to the Crypt.
 +
 
 +
This branch contains the silver rune of Zot.}}
 +
 
 +
[[File:Vaults entry.png]] '''The Vaults''' are 5-floor [[branch]] filled with long, wide hallways and countless chambers. The gate to the Vaults can be found on either floor 13 or 14 of [[the Dungeon]].
 +
 
 +
You can enter at any time, but you must have at least 1 [[rune of Zot]] (no matter where it's from) in order to exit back into the [[Dungeon]]. If you try to enter with no runes, you will receive a prompt warning you that you must have a rune to exit.
  
 
==Layout==
 
==Layout==
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The Vaults are a sprawling compound made up of wide hallways and small chambers of various shapes and sizes, most of which are separated by [[door]]s. Composed primarily of stone, metal, and green crystal [[wall]]s, only the most powerful [[Earth Magic]] specialists or [[Lugonu]] followers can expect to alter the floor plan much. Because the arrangement of rooms can be extremely convoluted, it's easy to get cut off from the stairways back up if you aren't careful; try to clear rooms methodically to avoid enemies you missed showing up when you're already half dead.
+
The Vaults are a sprawling compound made up of wide hallways and small chambers of various shapes and sizes, most of which are separated by [[door]]s. The entirety of this branch is made of [[wand of digging|undiggable]] material; stone, metal, and rarely crystal walls. If you aren't careful, it's easy to get cut off from an upstairs. Try to clear rooms methodically to avoid enemies you missed showing up when you're already half dead.
 +
 
 +
===Vaults:5===
 +
The fifth and final floor changes this pattern abruptly. Vaults:5 contains 4 very large rectangular chambers that take up almost the entire area. Each chamber is filled with loot and/or [[shop]]s. A cross-shaped hallway cuts through the center, and the outer border is a hallway. The silver [[rune]] will be in one of the chambers, although there are [[mimic]]s imitating the rune.
 +
 
 +
All three of the regular staircases from Vaults:4 lead to the center of Vaults:5. The center is always surrounded by 24 [[vault guard]]s, as well as a number of other angry inhabitants.
 +
 
 +
Vaults:5 often contains much stronger monsters than the rest of the branch, including  [[titan]]s, [[quicksilver dragon]]s, [[golden dragon]]s, and [[lich]]es.
 +
 
 +
==Strategy==
 +
The Vaults are inhabited by a wide variety of monsters, with many foes from late [[Dungeon]] and early [[Depths]]. Getting beaten to death by brute force is an everpresent threat, but there's many magical monsters as well.
 +
 
 +
Pack enemies appear in great numbers, from [[deep troll]]s and high-level [[orc]] bands, to squads of [[yaktaur]]s firing at range. The wide hallways and open chambers make it difficult to effectively bottleneck opponents or cut off lines of fire.
 +
 
 +
The various guard units unique to the Vaults each cause their own issues:
 +
*{{monsterlink|Vault guard}}- Plentiful lumbering oafs with heavy weapons and sturdy armour.
 +
*{{monsterlink|Vault sentinel}}- Wakes up nearby enemies, afflicts you with [[Sentinel's Mark]], often has a [[crossbow]].
 +
*{{monsterlink|Vault warden}}- Can seal [[door]]s and [[stairs]] around you, forcing you to kill it to get past.
 +
*{{monsterlink|Ironbound convoker}}- Recalls and buffs enemy units from elsewhere on the floor.
 +
*{{monsterlink|Ironbound preserver}}- Soaks partial damage for other enemies, effectively doubling their HP until the preserver dies.
 +
*{{monsterlink|Ironbound frostheart}}- [[Creeping Frost|Freezes]] anything standing by the walls.
 +
*{{monsterlink|Ironbound thunderhulk}}- [[List of ogres|Ogres]] who bombard you with lightning, but only from a distance.
 +
 
 +
Bring sufficient firepower, take your time, and be ready to take a different staircase down if the one you just used places you in a fight you don't want to deal with right away. Also, if you get hit with a Sentinel's Mark, retreat to an empty floor as quickly as possible. The reinforcements it will bring can be devastating on a mostly unexplored floor.
 +
 
 +
Do not enter Vaults:5 before you are ready for it. If you had difficulty with floors 1-4, floor 5 will probably be too much for you, and even peeking down there can be ''immediately fatal''. Many players will do Vaults:1-4, move on to the other branches, then come down to get the rune.
 +
 
 +
==Vaults:5 Strategy==
 +
As soon as you climb down to V:5, you can be locked in by a [[vault warden]], so preparation is important.
 +
 
 +
===Preparation===
 +
Resistances are more important than usual. [[Shadow dragon]]s and [[storm dragon]]s can deal surprising damage if you don't resist them. Other elemental threats like [[titan]]s and [[list of deep elves|deep elves]] are common, too.
 +
 
 +
When entering V:5 for the first time, use what buffs are at your disposal before heading down: [[Haste]], [[Might]], [[potion of brilliance|Brilliance]], [[Heroism]]/[[Finesse]]...
 +
*Haste is particularly important, either for darting through the ring of guards towards a hallway, or for killing as many of them as quickly as possible.
 +
*[[Invisibility]] isn't very helpful here -- the vault guards and many of the most dangerous threats down here can all [[see invisible]].
  
−
The fifth and final floor changes this pattern abruptly. The floor contains four very large rectangular chambers that take up almost the entire area, except for a cross-shaped central hallway separating them all and an outer hallway bordering everything. All three normal staircases from the 4th to the 5th floor dump you in the very middle of the room, which will be surrounded by many [[vault guard]]s and other angry Vault inhabitants. Fortunately, this floor also houses an immense amount of loot or several shops, and the silver rune of Zot.
+
===Tactics===
 +
There are two/three 'common' strategies to tackling the entry vault. These are not exclusive with each other; you may need to use multiple.
  
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==Useful Info==
+
*'''[[Stair dancing]].''' Only adjacent enemies follow you up the stairs. If you have good [[AC]] (and are reasonably lucky), stair dancing can clean up the entrance party.
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The Vaults are inhabited by a wide variety of monsters (almost anything that can appear in the lowest floors of the Dungeon can generate here) with a very diverse array of attacks, but generally speaking the biggest threat is simply getting beaten to death by sheer brute force. [[Stone giant]]s, [[yaktaur]] bands, and other creatures which can deal high physical damage output at range are common enough, and the wide hallways and open chambers make it difficult to effectively bottleneck opponents or cut off lines of fire. Pack enemies also appear in great numbers, ranging from high-level [[orc]] bands to devastating [[hell knight]] packs, and the various guard units unique to the Vaults each cause their own issues:
+
:However, a variety of foes may prevent you from using stairs. [[Vault warden]]s can seal stairs. [[Tentacled monstrosities]] can constrict you, and [[list of dragons|dragon]]s can [[trample]] you away. Having a way to snipe enemies ([[javelin]]s, all manner of high-level spells, offensive [[Invocations]], [[evocable]]s, etc.) is great to have.
−
*[[Vault guard]]: Plentiful lumbering oafs in armour.
+
:In addition, the stairs may become too dangerous to climb down. Sometimes, the best thing to do is teleport away - see below for detail.
−
*[[Ironbrand convoker]]: Recalls and buffs enemy units from elsewhere on the floor.
 
−
*[[Ironheart preserver]]: Soaks damage for other enemies, effectively doubling their HP until the preserver dies.
 
−
*[[Vault sentinel]]: Wakes up nearby enemies, afflicts you with [[Sentinel's Mark]], often has a [[crossbow]].
 
−
*[[Vault warden]]: Can open or seal shut [[door]]s around you, forcing you to kill him to escape.
 
  
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Bring sufficient firepower, take your time, and be ready to take a different staircase down if the one you just used places you in a fight you just don't want to deal with right away. Also, if you get hit with a Sentinel's Mark, retreat to an empty floor as quickly as possible. The reinforcements it will bring can be devastating on a mostly unexplored floor.
+
*'''Teleport strategy.''' The basic gist is to [[teleport]] (or use an [[escape hatch]]) to land in a random location. This may land you in one of the sparsely-populated hallways along the edges of the level, where you can begin methodically clearing the level. Your goal is to end up in the corners and create a safe place to rest (by killing nearby monsters).
 +
:Of course, it might also land you in the middle of one of the treasure chambers, along with an assortment of far deadlier enemies. You may need to teleport multiple times to get a good location - teleport early and often. Buffs are highly recommended.  
  
−
Do not go to Vaults:5 before you are ready for it. If you had difficulty with floors 1-4, floor 5 will probably be too much for you.
+
*'''Being loud.''' Blast through everything in your path. If you can sustain combat for a long time, large AOE can be a good idea. Be aware that (at least when fighting in the center) the noise you generate will wake and lure out monsters from the four chambers.
 +
**A [[scroll of immolation]] will tear through the initial vault guards, but you'll absolutely need as much [[fire resistance]] as possible. Read the scroll on the guards (or other enemies) and start a chain reaction. It's extremely [[noise|loud]], so will attract a bunch of enemies, but successfully pulling it off is a blast (literally). If you plan to teleport to the edges, making noise in the center can actually be to your benefit.
 +
**AOE offensive spells: [[Freezing Cloud]], [[Starburst]], [[Olgreb's Toxic Radiance]] + [[Ignite Poison]], [[Eringya's Noxious Bog]], and high level spells like [[Ignition]] and [[Polar Vortex]] can clear things out.
 +
**[[Discord]] is a powerful crowd clearing effect, though watch out for the frenzied monsters ''you'' have to deal with. Mass debuffs, like [[Metabolic Englaciation]] and [[Alistair's Intoxication]], can also be effective.
  
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===Vaults:5===
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One of the worst possible things that can happen on V:5 is to receive a [[Sentinel's Mark]]. If this happens, quaff a [[potion of cancellation]] or quickly retreat up the stairs to V:4. Normally, targeting yourself with your own [[wand of quicksilver|quicksilver bolt]] or [[Yara's Violent Unravelling]] isn't a recommended tactic, but it may just well be worth the damage.
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The fifth floor is an abrupt change from the first four. All of the standard down staircases to V:5 place you in the very center of the floor, with a ring of over a dozen [[vault guard]]s waiting for you and several other (much more dangerous) opponents lurking right behind them. These monsters can include [[titan]]s, [[storm dragon]]s, [[quicksilver dragon]]s, [[shadow dragon]]s, and [[lich]]es, along with the worst of what you've encountered in the top 4 floors. No matter what your character type may be, charging in and slugging it out is very likely to go poorly.
+
 
 +
Even if you don't plan on being loud, it's nice to have some form of AOE attack. If you don't have spells, certain divine abilities ([[Chei]]'s Slouch, [[Nemelex]]'s deck of destruction, [[Ru]]'s Apocalypse, [[Qazlal]]'s Disaster Area...) can fill the gap. For any character, [[evocable]]s ([[condenser vane]] / [[tin of tremorstones]]) are great tools if you have high Evocations skill.
 +
 
 +
Casters should be mindful of their MP, especially when teleporting. "MP efficient" spells like [[Malign Gateway]] and [[Spellforged Servitor]] are very useful. Remember to use [[potions of brilliance]] and/or [[potions of ambrosia]] when you got the chance.
  
−
Melee characters may want to stair dance to break up the enemy as much as possible. You can usually get a small group of vault guards to follow you up initially; if you have trouble dealing with them, then you're probably not ready to face the floor. Casters can create some useful chaos by casting [[Alistair's Intoxication]] with [[Clarity]]; this will confuse the majority of the guards, giving you time to blast the biggest threats with a wall of bodies in the way. Cloud spells or [[Bolt spells]] that can target multiple enemies at once help with crowd control here immensely, as do the [[Storm]] spells if you have them. Even so, be prepared to run as soon as things get ugly, as several of the monsters here have [[smite]]-targeting attacks or breath attacks that will tear right through your confused guards, and making this much noise will attract attention from the four treasure vaults.
+
==Monsters==
 +
{| class="prettytable" style="border:none; margin:0; padding:0;"
 +
| {{monsterlink|Centaur warrior}} || {{monsterlink|Yaktaur}} || {{monsterlink|Yaktaur captain}} || {{monsterlink|Orc knight}} || {{monsterlink|Orc warlord}}
 +
|-
 +
| {{monsterlink|Dire elephant}} || {{monsterlink|Slime creature}} || {{monsterlink|Harpy}} || {{monsterlink|Lindwurm}} || {{monsterlink|Boggart}}
 +
|-
 +
|{{monsterlink|Vault guard}} || {{monsterlink|Vault sentinel}} || {{monsterlink|Vault warden}} || {{monsterlink|Ironbound convoker}} || {{monsterlink|Ironbound preserver}}
 +
|-
 +
| {{monsterlink|Ironbound frostheart}} || {{monsterlink|Ironbound thunderhulk}} || {{monsterlink|Deep troll}} || {{monsterlink|Entropy weaver}} ||{{monsterlink|Necromancer (monster)}}
 +
|-
 +
|{{monsterlink|Wizard (monster)}} || {{monsterlink|Very ugly thing}} || {{monsterlink|Great orb of eyes}} || {{monsterlink|Glowing orange brain}} || {{monsterlink|Sphinx}}
 +
|-
 +
| {{monsterlink|Peacekeeper}} || {{monsterlink|War gargoyle}} || {{monsterlink|Crystal guardian}}
 +
|}
  
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Alternatively (and less hazardously), you can controlled teleport or blink your way out of the ring of guards and then flee down the hallway while [[haste]]d. Once you've cleared some distance and outrun your pursuers, take them out bit by bit and then clear the border of the room at your leisure before attempting the vaults. While you may find a few dangerous opponents along the way, this approach greatly reduces the odds of noisy combat waking up reinforcements, and by the time you circle your way back to the stairs up to V:4, you'll find them nearly unguarded.
+
===Vaults:5===
 +
Also includes most enemies from the above list.
  
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Resistances are much more important on V:5 than on the floors above. The [[draining]] attacks of shadow dragons can strip away your [[experience]] with frightening speed unless you have [[negative energy]] resistance (preferably rN+++). Storm dragon breath can be brutal as well without [[electricity]] resistance. This also protects against the lightning bolts of titans, but they also know [[Airstrike]], so avoid [[fly]]ing in their presence. [[Quicksilver dragon]]s deal severe damage regardless of your defenses, so try to make them a high priority. Packing some [[fire]] and [[cold]] resistance on top of everything else is advisable, as there are plenty of other dragon types around, not to mention casters with broad spell lists.
+
'''Easier'''
 +
{| class="prettytable" style="border:none; margin:0; padding:0;"
 +
|{{monsterlink|Hell knight}} || {{monsterlink|Phantasmal warrior}} || {{monsterlink|Freezing wraith}} || {{monsterlink|Shadow wraith}} || {{monsterlink|Flayed ghost}}
 +
|-
 +
|{{monsterlink|Deep elf annihilator}} || {{monsterlink|Deep elf sorcerer}} || {{monsterlink|Deep elf death mage}} || {{monsterlink|Deep elf demonologist}} || {{monsterlink|Deep elf high priest}}
 +
|-
 +
|{{monsterlink|Stone giant}} || {{monsterlink|Ettin}} || {{monsterlink|Fire giant}} || {{monsterlink|Frost giant}} || {{monsterlink|Ogre mage}}
 +
|-
 +
|{{monsterlink|Deep troll earth mage}} || {{monsterlink|Tengu reaver}} || {{monsterlink|Lich}}
 +
|}
  
−
Alternatively, you can enter, read a [[scroll of magic mapping]], and controlled [[teleport]] as quickly as possible to one of the hallways at the edge of the map. This will give you time to recover, as these hallways are much less densely populated than any other part of the level, and you can cautiously clear out the central cluster of opponents without being surrounded. Making an uncontrolled teleport or heading down an [[escape hatch]] from V:4 to V:5 may place you in this safe outer hallway, but there's a better-than-even chance that you'll end up stuck in one of the four vaults and have to fight your way out.
+
'''Harder'''
 +
{| class="prettytable" style="border:none; margin:0; padding:0;"
 +
|-
 +
|{{monsterlink|Shadow dragon}} || {{monsterlink|Storm dragon}} || {{monsterlink|Quicksilver dragon}} || {{monsterlink|Golden dragon}}
 +
|-
 +
|{{monsterlink|Titan}} || {{monsterlink|Tentacled monstrosity}} || {{monsterlink|Ancient lich}} || {{monsterlink|Dread lich}}
 +
|}
  
−
As the monsters here are significantly deadlier than those on the floors above, the warning about Sentinel's Mark goes double here. If it hits you, get back upstairs quickly.
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===Uniques===
 +
{| class="prettytable" style="border:none; margin:0; padding:0;"
 +
| {{monsterlink|Aizul}}
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| {{monsterlink|Asterion}}
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| {{monsterlink|Bai Suzhen}}
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| {{monsterlink|Boris}}
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| {{monsterlink|Donald}}
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|-
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| {{monsterlink|Frederick}}
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| {{monsterlink|Jory}}
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| {{monsterlink|Mara}}
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| {{monsterlink|Margery}}
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| {{monsterlink|Mennas}}
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|-
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| {{monsterlink|Nikola}}
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| {{monsterlink|Saint Roka}}
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| {{monsterlink|Sojobo}}
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| {{monsterlink|Xtahua}}
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| {{monsterlink|Zenata}}
 +
|}
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
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Prior to [[0.12]], the Vaults were made up of 8 floors, the first 7 of which were all wide open areas spotted with rectangular rooms. Also, the [[vault guard]] was the only guard-type monster found here, and they usually appeared on the eighth floor.
+
*Prior to [[0.30]], you needed one [[rune of Zot]] in order to enter this branch. (This requirement has now been moved to the exit)
 +
*[[0.28]] removed [[ironbound beastmaster]]s.
 +
*[[0.27]] added [[ironbound frostheart]]s, [[ironbound thunderhulk]]s, and ironbound beastmasters. Additionally, many of the weaker enemies that could spawn in the Vaults were reduced in number or removed altogether.
 +
*Prior to [[0.14]], it was not necessary to obtain a [[rune of Zot]] to enter this branch, and its entrance was located on D:15-20. Also, the four chambers on Vault:5 only had entrances on the corners nearest the center of the floor.
 +
*Prior to [[0.12]], the Vaults were made up of 8 floors, the first 7 of which were all wide open areas spotted with rectangular rooms. Also, the [[vault guard]] was the only guard-type monster found here, and they usually appeared on the eighth floor.
  
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[[Category:Dungeon_Branches]]
+
{{branches}}

Latest revision as of 01:29, 23 April 2024

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

Not to be confused with "vaults", pregenerated features of the dungeon.

Possibly constructed by some powerful madman, the Vaults are said to be home to great treasures. The blood spattered liberally around the entrance suggests that there is a certain amount of violence, too.

The entrance to this branch can be found between levels 13 and 14 of the Dungeon.

This branch can only be exited while carrying at least 1 rune of Zot.

This branch is 5 levels deep.

This branch contains the entrance to the Crypt.

This branch contains the silver rune of Zot.

Vaults entry.png The Vaults are 5-floor branch filled with long, wide hallways and countless chambers. The gate to the Vaults can be found on either floor 13 or 14 of the Dungeon.

You can enter at any time, but you must have at least 1 rune of Zot (no matter where it's from) in order to exit back into the Dungeon. If you try to enter with no runes, you will receive a prompt warning you that you must have a rune to exit.

Layout

The Vaults are a sprawling compound made up of wide hallways and small chambers of various shapes and sizes, most of which are separated by doors. The entirety of this branch is made of undiggable material; stone, metal, and rarely crystal walls. If you aren't careful, it's easy to get cut off from an upstairs. Try to clear rooms methodically to avoid enemies you missed showing up when you're already half dead.

Vaults:5

The fifth and final floor changes this pattern abruptly. Vaults:5 contains 4 very large rectangular chambers that take up almost the entire area. Each chamber is filled with loot and/or shops. A cross-shaped hallway cuts through the center, and the outer border is a hallway. The silver rune will be in one of the chambers, although there are mimics imitating the rune.

All three of the regular staircases from Vaults:4 lead to the center of Vaults:5. The center is always surrounded by 24 vault guards, as well as a number of other angry inhabitants.

Vaults:5 often contains much stronger monsters than the rest of the branch, including titans, quicksilver dragons, golden dragons, and liches.

Strategy

The Vaults are inhabited by a wide variety of monsters, with many foes from late Dungeon and early Depths. Getting beaten to death by brute force is an everpresent threat, but there's many magical monsters as well.

Pack enemies appear in great numbers, from deep trolls and high-level orc bands, to squads of yaktaurs firing at range. The wide hallways and open chambers make it difficult to effectively bottleneck opponents or cut off lines of fire.

The various guard units unique to the Vaults each cause their own issues:

Bring sufficient firepower, take your time, and be ready to take a different staircase down if the one you just used places you in a fight you don't want to deal with right away. Also, if you get hit with a Sentinel's Mark, retreat to an empty floor as quickly as possible. The reinforcements it will bring can be devastating on a mostly unexplored floor.

Do not enter Vaults:5 before you are ready for it. If you had difficulty with floors 1-4, floor 5 will probably be too much for you, and even peeking down there can be immediately fatal. Many players will do Vaults:1-4, move on to the other branches, then come down to get the rune.

Vaults:5 Strategy

As soon as you climb down to V:5, you can be locked in by a vault warden, so preparation is important.

Preparation

Resistances are more important than usual. Shadow dragons and storm dragons can deal surprising damage if you don't resist them. Other elemental threats like titans and deep elves are common, too.

When entering V:5 for the first time, use what buffs are at your disposal before heading down: Haste, Might, Brilliance, Heroism/Finesse...

  • Haste is particularly important, either for darting through the ring of guards towards a hallway, or for killing as many of them as quickly as possible.
  • Invisibility isn't very helpful here -- the vault guards and many of the most dangerous threats down here can all see invisible.

Tactics

There are two/three 'common' strategies to tackling the entry vault. These are not exclusive with each other; you may need to use multiple.

  • Stair dancing. Only adjacent enemies follow you up the stairs. If you have good AC (and are reasonably lucky), stair dancing can clean up the entrance party.
However, a variety of foes may prevent you from using stairs. Vault wardens can seal stairs. Tentacled monstrosities can constrict you, and dragons can trample you away. Having a way to snipe enemies (javelins, all manner of high-level spells, offensive Invocations, evocables, etc.) is great to have.
In addition, the stairs may become too dangerous to climb down. Sometimes, the best thing to do is teleport away - see below for detail.
  • Teleport strategy. The basic gist is to teleport (or use an escape hatch) to land in a random location. This may land you in one of the sparsely-populated hallways along the edges of the level, where you can begin methodically clearing the level. Your goal is to end up in the corners and create a safe place to rest (by killing nearby monsters).
Of course, it might also land you in the middle of one of the treasure chambers, along with an assortment of far deadlier enemies. You may need to teleport multiple times to get a good location - teleport early and often. Buffs are highly recommended.
  • Being loud. Blast through everything in your path. If you can sustain combat for a long time, large AOE can be a good idea. Be aware that (at least when fighting in the center) the noise you generate will wake and lure out monsters from the four chambers.

One of the worst possible things that can happen on V:5 is to receive a Sentinel's Mark. If this happens, quaff a potion of cancellation or quickly retreat up the stairs to V:4. Normally, targeting yourself with your own quicksilver bolt or Yara's Violent Unravelling isn't a recommended tactic, but it may just well be worth the damage.

Even if you don't plan on being loud, it's nice to have some form of AOE attack. If you don't have spells, certain divine abilities (Chei's Slouch, Nemelex's deck of destruction, Ru's Apocalypse, Qazlal's Disaster Area...) can fill the gap. For any character, evocables (condenser vane / tin of tremorstones) are great tools if you have high Evocations skill.

Casters should be mindful of their MP, especially when teleporting. "MP efficient" spells like Malign Gateway and Spellforged Servitor are very useful. Remember to use potions of brilliance and/or potions of ambrosia when you got the chance.

Monsters

c Centaur warrior.png Centaur warrior c Yaktaur.png Yaktaur c Yaktaur captain.png Yaktaur captain o Orc knight.png Orc knight o Orc warlord.png Orc warlord
Y Dire elephant.png Dire elephant J Slime creature.png Slime creature H Harpy.png Harpy k Lindwurm.png Lindwurm g Boggart.png Boggart
p Vault guard.png Vault guard p Vault sentinel.png Vault sentinel p Vault warden.png Vault warden p Ironbound convoker.png Ironbound convoker p Ironbound preserver.png Ironbound preserver
p Ironbound frostheart.png Ironbound frostheart O Ironbound thunderhulk.png Ironbound thunderhulk T Deep troll.png Deep troll B Entropy weaver.png Entropy weaver p Necromancer.png Necromancer (monster)
p Wizard.png Wizard (monster) u Very ugly thing.png Very ugly thing G Great orb of eyes.png Great orb of eyes G Glowing orange brain.png Glowing orange brain H Sphinx.png Sphinx
9 Peacekeeper.png Peacekeeper 9 War gargoyle.png War gargoyle 9 Crystal guardian.png Crystal guardian

Vaults:5

Also includes most enemies from the above list.

Easier

p Hell knight.png Hell knight W Phantasmal warrior.png Phantasmal warrior W Freezing wraith.png Freezing wraith W Shadow wraith.png Shadow wraith W Flayed ghost.png Flayed ghost
e Deep elf annihilator.png Deep elf annihilator e Deep elf sorcerer.png Deep elf sorcerer e Deep elf death mage.png Deep elf death mage e Deep elf demonologist.png Deep elf demonologist e Deep elf high priest.png Deep elf high priest
C Stone giant.png Stone giant C Ettin.png Ettin C Fire giant.png Fire giant C Frost giant.png Frost giant O Ogre mage.png Ogre mage
T Deep troll earth mage.png Deep troll earth mage Q Tengu reaver.png Tengu reaver L Lich.png Lich

Harder

D Shadow dragon.png Shadow dragon D Storm dragon.png Storm dragon D Quicksilver dragon.png Quicksilver dragon D Golden dragon.png Golden dragon
C Titan.png Titan X Tentacled monstrosity.png Tentacled monstrosity L Ancient lich.png Ancient lich L Dread lich.png Dread lich

Uniques

S Aizul.png Aizul H Asterion.png Asterion d Bai Suzhen.png Bai Suzhen L Boris.png Boris @ Donald.png Donald
@ Frederick.png Frederick V Jory.png Jory R Mara.png Mara @ Margery.png Margery A Mennas.png Mennas
@ Nikola.png Nikola o Saint Roka.png Saint Roka Q Sojobo.png Sojobo D Xtahua.png Xtahua a Zenata.png Zenata

History

  • Prior to 0.30, you needed one rune of Zot in order to enter this branch. (This requirement has now been moved to the exit)
  • 0.28 removed ironbound beastmasters.
  • 0.27 added ironbound frosthearts, ironbound thunderhulks, and ironbound beastmasters. Additionally, many of the weaker enemies that could spawn in the Vaults were reduced in number or removed altogether.
  • Prior to 0.14, it was not necessary to obtain a rune of Zot to enter this branch, and its entrance was located on D:15-20. Also, the four chambers on Vault:5 only had entrances on the corners nearest the center of the floor.
  • Prior to 0.12, the Vaults were made up of 8 floors, the first 7 of which were all wide open areas spotted with rectangular rooms. Also, the vault guard was the only guard-type monster found here, and they usually appeared on the eighth floor.
Dungeon branches
Dungeon exit.png The Dungeon • Temple entry.png The Temple • Depths entry.png The Depths • Zot entry.png Realm of Zot
Lair entry.png The Lair ( Spider entry.png Spider's Nest • Snake entry.png Snake Pit • Swamp entry.png The Swamp • Shoals entry.png The Shoals • Slime entry.png Slime Pits)
Orc entry.png Orcish Mines ( Elf entry.png Elven Halls) • Vaults entry.png The Vaults ( Crypt entry.png The Crypt • Tomb entry.png The Tomb)
Abyss entry.png The Abyss • Pandemonium entry.png Pandemonium • Hell entry.png Hell ( Cocytus entry.png Cocytus • Dis entry.png • Dis • Gehenna entry.png Gehenna • Tartarus entry.png Tartarus)
See also: Portal
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