The Lair

Most adventurers find the Lair of Beasts to be an exciting change of climate. And indeed, there is something to be said about getting gored, mauled and eaten rather than sliced, burnt or stabbed. The Lair is eight levels deep and contains the stairs to three more branches.

These stairs lead to the Lair of Beasts, for a change of climate.

The Lair of Beasts (commonly known as the Lair) is a branch of the Dungeon filled with natural beasts of all kinds and offers a comparatively easy source of experience and treasure. While the lair itself does not contain a rune, it will have entrances to three themed branches, all of which contain a Rune of Zot. There is one poison themed branch (the Snake Pit or the Spider's Nest), one water themed branch (the Swamp or the Shoals), and the Slime Pits.

At the very bottom of the Lair you may even find a gate to the Hells, though using it so early is likely suicide. The staircase to the Lair is often surrounded by plants, fungus, or occasionally (and unfortunately) an oklob plant.

Layout

The Lair is 8 levels deep and its entrance is located on D:8-13. Floor layouts vary significantly, including wide open chambers with almost no cover, series of interconnected small chambers with 1-tile-wide hallways between them, and open areas dotted with either small forests or ponds. In any case, there will be shallow water, deep water, and occasionally lava placed throughout.

The bottom floor of the Lair is most noticeably different. Some endings include a large forest or temple which takes up a large portion of the floor. The temple can contain hordes of demons and a portal to the Vestibule of Hell or packs of dire elephants which disguise themselves as statues until you reach the back rooms. As for the large forest, expect swarms of spriggans and their wilderness allies.

While there are very few altars found in the Lair, those wishing to worship Jiyva can occasionally find his altar immediately outside of the Slime Pits. But remember the possible spawning of greedy jellies menacing your stash if you convert to this god.

Strategy

If you haven't done so yet, read the article on hydras.

Although the Orcish Mines are often discovered first, many players choose the Lair as the first branch they explore. The Lair is a sprawling area, filled with more and better treasure than you've found thus far. There is a wide variety of possible monsters to encounter, but with a few exceptions they are easier prey than you'll find delving deeper into the dungeon, at least on the first few floors. Just keep an eye out for surprisingly deadly spiny frogs or the obscenely deadly hydras. As you descend deeper and deeper, you'll encounter other dangerous opponents, such as packs of blink frogs, elephants, and (on Lair:7-8) the dreaded death yak.

Many monsters in the Lair are poisonous; bringing poison resistance will neutralize much of the potential damage output of the branch. This is less crucial for spellcasters or ranged fighters who usually don't let monsters get near enough to bite or sting. Beyond that, electricity resistance will help you avoid an embarrassing death by electric eel shocks, and fire resistance can come in handy on the bottom floors.

As you go to lower floors of the Lair, keep an eye out for messages suggesting the presence of a timed portal on the floor: you can gain access to the Ice Cave, Volcano, and Labyrinth from here (although each game randomly determines which, if any, of those will be present).

The second floor of the Lair is a good place to keep your stash; it's a centralized location in the dungeon, your inventory should be nearly full by this point, and almost all of the monsters generated in the Lair are animals which don't pick up items.

You should probably clear at least the first 7 floors of the Lair before venturing into any of its sub-branches; these can contain surprisingly difficult early encounters, and may require much more training for some character builds. As for Lair:8, explore it carefully as there is often a pack of death yaks hiding somewhere. You may want to save this floor for when you have a higher Traps & Doors skill, as there may be also Zot traps hidden around. If you find the temple mentioned before, proceed with caution; while it usually contains a small treasure heap somewhere in the back, it can also contain such surprises as statues suddenly turning into dire elephants or a hidden chamber filled with a dozen mid-tier demons (beware of opening any hidden doors you discover). If you find a gate to the Vestibule of Hell in the very back of the temple, be aware that most characters this low-level will quickly die upon entry.

Note that a scroll of magic mapping will not display this secret room.

Lair:8 vaults

The last level of the Lair is more difficult than the previous levels. It always includes one of these vaults:

• due_jungle_book: A temple in the middle of the jungle. This vault contains an anaconda which is very fast and hits hard. Killing the anaconda will turn some of the statues into dire elephants. Hint: This vault has a few doors and none of these monsters can open doors.
• evil_forest: A forest with a gateway to the Vestibule of Hell. The gateway is guarded by a few demons, including a sun demon. This vault also has a wizard who sometimes can cast very dangerous spells, like banishment.
• wormcave: A cave full of worms, spiny worms, brain worms, giant leeches, lindwurms, giant fireflies and rock worm. There is also dragon, but that fight is optional (don't open the door if you are not ready). In 0.11, giant leeches can hit very hard.
• bearwithus: A cave with some bears. It contains a few honeycombs.
• kennels (aka Who let the dogs out?): This cave contains an acquirement-level object, guarded by lots of dogs, including war dogs and hell hounds.
• minmay_lair_end_frog_pond: A pond with many frogs, vampire mosquitoes, some electric eels and a few giant leeches.
• minmay_lair_end_enchanted_forest: A forest populated by spriggans. Be careful if you find a spriggan druid.

Monsters

• Bugs: Giant cockroach, giant ant, giant centipede, scorpion, goliath beetle, boring beetle, boulder beetle, giant snail, giant slug, elephant slug, worm, spiny worm
  • By the Swamp entrance: Swamp worm, vampire mosquito
  • Vault Only: Killer bee, killer bee larva, queen bee, worker ant, soldier ant, queen ant
• Jellies: None
  • By the Slime Pits: Slime creature, ooze, jelly, giant amoeba, brown ooze, acid blob, giant eyeball
  • Vault Only: ooze, jelly
• Fish: Big fish, giant goldfish, jellyfish, electric eel, shark
• Rodents: Rat, bat, quokka, grey rat, green rat, orange rat
• Canines: Jackal, hound, war dog, wolf
  • Vault Only: Hell hound
• Beasts: Raven, sheep, yak, death yak, black bear, grizzly bear, polar bear, elephant, dire elephant, porcupine
• Mythical: Griffon, hippogriff, hydra, manticore, catoblepas
• Snakes: Ball python, adder, water moccasin, black mamba,
• Frogs: Giant frog, spiny frog, blink frog
• Lizards: Giant newt, giant gecko, iguana, komodo dragon, basilisk, fire drake, lindwurm
• Dragons: Wyvern, steam dragon
  • Vault Only: ice dragon
• Demons: None normally
  • By the Vestibule of Hell: Sun demon, smoke demon, rotting devil, hellwing, orange demon
• Humanoids: None (except uniques)
  • By the Shoals entrance: Centaur, mermaid
  • By the Snake Spit entrance: Naga, naga warrior
  • By the Vestibule of Hell: Crazed wizard (identical to a standard wizard)
  • In the Lair:8 Forest: Spriggan, spriggan druid, spriggan rider, giant firefly
• Plants: Oklob plant, ballistomycete, giant spore, wandering mushroom
• Statues: Elephant-shaped statue

History

Prior to 0.9, a scroll of magic mapping would reveal the secret rooms of the temple on Lair:8.