Elven Halls

Version 0.15: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Whereas most elven folk would never move into a dark subterranean complex like this, the deep elves did. Their halls are filled with riches, but any passers-by should be aware of the legendary magical prowess of this species. The Elven Halls are three levels deep.

A wide stair down to the murky depths of the halls of the deep elves, skilled warriors with blades and bows, and fearsome sorcerers and magicians.

The Elven Halls is a mid-to-late game branch whose entrance is located on the third or fourth floor of the Orcish Mines. It is home to the deep elves, a subterranean race that is frail but versed in all types of magic, and occasionally a few of the orcs from the mines above can be found there as well. Although it has no rune, the Halls occasionally house shops, and are littered with decent bows, blades, bucklers, and light armour. The deepest floor contains well-stocked treasure vaults as well, but these are fiercely guarded.

Layout

The Halls are one of the least variable branches, full of small rooms connected by narrow corridors, though wide open spaces may make up large portions of certain floors. The third and final floor is guaranteed to have a very well guarded treasure vault taking up a significant amount of the map.

Useful Info

Although the entrance is located in an early branch, it is not advisable to enter the Elven Halls right away. Characters below level 15 should probably steer clear, although it is possible to explore the first few floors relatively safely if you bring the right preparations and flee when clearly outmatched. The Halls are filled with packs of dangerous ranged casters and archers, so be sure to avoid getting surrounded in an open area. Instead, lure them into the long hallways to prevent most of them from getting a clear shot at you, and use Bolt or Cloud spells to eradicate long lines of them all at once. Also be prepared for summoned demons, smite-happy priests, and the possibility of being banished to the Abyss.

Elf: 3

The last floor of the Elven Halls is especially dangerous, but its treasure vaults make it worth looting. Most of the floor should be similar to the floors above it, but the treasure vault itself will be filled with many extremely dangerous advanced deep elves, capable of hitting you with such devastating spells as Lehudib's Crystal Spear, Summon Greater Demon, and Hellfire. Always attempt to lure the enemies in the treasure vaults out one by one, and be ready to run (preferably while hasted) if too many elves notice you at once. Alistair's Intoxication with Clarity, Mass Confusion, and Discord all work very well for disabling large packs of visible elves, making it easy to pick off dangerous ones or escape without being pursued.

Controlled teleports are not possible on Elf:3, making it extremely difficult to reach the treasure without killing your way past the guards first. Be careful attempting to teleport here, or entering with teleportitis, as you risk getting stuck in the middle of a room full of brutal opponents.

Recommendations

• Round out your elemental resistances for at least fire and cold. Negative energy resistance will help out against the Bolts of Draining, though these are less common.
• A good amount of magic resistance; around +++.. will help you resist banishment quite frequently (>95%), and additional pips will make it nearly impossible.
• Good defenses, and lots of HP. Despite the shallow depth, the monsters in Elf:3 are just a notch under Vaults:5 in terms of damage; smiting, hellfire, LCS, bolts of everything, and major melee and ranged physical damage are all present. Repel/Deflect Missiles will be quite helpful here.
• A good way of killing elves fast. If you are a fighter type, with a good weapon and solid weapon skill, you'll probably kill them quickly enough so long as you don't take on too many high-tier elves at once. The level 6 Bolt of Fire/Cold spells work well, as do Poisonous Cloud and Freezing Cloud. Corridors are plenty, so simply shout for attention, let a couple enemies see you, walk down the corridor, and fill the halls with your deadly mist of choice.
• Escape options. The danger level in Elven Halls is volatile, and you should bring as many emergency items as you can. This strategy is a little moot for Elf:3, though; without any control over teleportation, and with a massive section of the map filled with very deadly opponents, scrolls of teleport have a good chance of being suicidally unwise. If you are not fully prepared to face the dangers there, do not enter.

Monsters

• e Deep elf fighter
• e Deep elf knight
• e Deep elf mage
• e Deep elf conjurer
• e Deep elf summoner
• e Deep elf priest
• o Orc knight
• o Orc high priest
• o Orc sorcerer

Elf: 3

These monsters are most commonly found in the vault of Elf:3, but can rarely generate elsewhere.

• e Deep elf blademaster
• e Deep elf master archer
• e Deep elf annihilator
• e Deep elf sorcerer
• e Deep elf death mage
• e Deep elf demonologist
• e Deep elf high priest

History

Prior to 0.13, lower-tier orcs would generate here, and high tier elves were almost never seen outside of the Elf:3 vault.

Prior to 0.11, the Elven Halls were 5 floors deep, not 3. Prior to 0.8, they were 7 levels deep.

Prior to 0.10, you could restore teleport control to Elf:5 by drinking all of the sparkling fountains dry.