The Realm of Zot

A region of the dungeon that is so terrifying, so full of madness, frenzy and lunacy, that it has been locked securely against random trespassers. Only the most demented adventurers would dare gather the required keys, break the seal and penetrate deeper — all in the vain hope for a fabled artefact no one has ever laid eyes on before. The Realm of Zot is five levels deep and can only be entered when carrying at least three runes.

This gate leads to the Realm of Zot, the final stage of your quest as its deepest level houses the infamous Orb of Zot. Both the Orb and this Realm have a fearsome and questionable reputation, but one piece of information seems to be for certain: The monsters inhabiting this area and protecting the Orb are strong and strange - some of them nowhere encountered but here.

The Realm of Zot is the final branch in the game. It houses the goal of your quest, the legendary Orb of Zot, but its ferocious guardians won't simply let you walk in...

Useful Info

The Realm of Zot is 5 levels deep. Three locked portals to the Realm are always found on the last (27th) level of the Dungeon. To unlock them, you will require three runes of Zot. The unlocking process is a one-time affair: once the Realm is unlocked, you do not need to carry the runes to enter it again.

The layout of the Realm of Zot is similar to the Elven Halls (a series of rooms interconnected by narrow corridors). The Realm is filled with creatures the likes of which you won't see outside of the branch, except for shapeshifters, which occasionally take on the form of creatures from the Realm of Zot,:

• Draconians of all hues: black, green, pale, mottled, purple, red, white and yellow. In addition to their hue, draconians always have a profession among the following: zealot, shifter, scorcher, knight, monk, annihilator, and caller. Some combinations can be deadly!
• Several types of dragons, including storm dragons and golden dragons.
• Ghost moths and moths of wrath
• The always-dangerous orb of fire.
• Death cobs!
• Killer Klowns!

The final level of the Realm of Zot houses the Orb of Zot. It is under guard by the largest and toughest group of monsters you will face, including Orb Guardians. Teleport will still work here, however it cannot be controlled, so it's in fact a very bad idea. Those with teleportitis should stay well away from here until they can negate the effect, either by curing the mutation or finding an item that prevents teleportation. If you've already explored the Dungeon and all branches, consider wandering around the Abyss or Pandemonium until you find such an item.

Visiting and clearing the Realm of Zot will have no effects on gameplay until you actually pick up the Orb. This action will trigger ascension, resulting in the closing of all portals (including Hell) and fast monster generation of demons and Pandemonium lords everywhere. You should thus pick up the Orb only when you are ready to finish the game, but you may freely clear the whole Realm and leave the Orb alone before moving on to bonus branches.

Recommendations

The first four levels of the Realm of Zot can be cleared after you've explored the rest of the Dungeon and all its branches, but before venturing into Hell. Take care to isolate and break down packs of draconians whenever possible. The most challenging opponents will be the orbs of fire; you'll want as much fire resistance as possible and resist mutation before facing them. Electricity resistance and resist corrosion are also important to protect against black and yellow draconians and storm dragons. Potions of resistance are handy for quickly filling in a resistance you're lacking.

The fifth and final level of the Realm of Zot contains a part outside of the Orb chamber which is similar to the upper levels, and the chamber itself. See the separate article for more details on how to assault the Orb chamber and its guardians.