Ziggurat

Version 0.28: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

A portal leading to a ziggurat. A ziggurat is a strange tower constructed of incrementally larger combat arenas, each containing greater wealth and even greater danger than the last. Beware, for a ziggurat is not a place for the faint of heart: even the bravest and most skilled adventurers have met their ends in one. While a portal to safety will be present on every level, once left, a ziggurat cannot be re-entered. One ziggurat is guaranteed in the Depths. Tales tell of an magical item found at the bottom of each ziggurat, granting access to a new ziggurat in turn. Such an item is also said to be found at the bottom of the Tomb of the Ancients. Each time a ziggurat is conquered by exiting it from the final floor, subsequent ziggurats will become increasingly dangerous and lucrative. “Captain: Take off every ‘zig’!! Captain: For great justice.” -Zero Wing

Ziggurats are the most dangerous, unpredictable, and lucrative branches in the game. Each Ziggurat has 27 oval- or cross-shaped floors, with each floor growing in size as you go down, containing increasingly more monsters of higher difficulty. The entrance to each floor closes as soon you walk through it; the only way out is at the opposite end of the floor. There, you will find large amounts of treasure, including armour, jewellery, valuable potions (many of which are potions of experience), manuals, and many other wonderful things, as well as one set of stairs going further down and two portals leading out of the Ziggurat.

Layout

Each floor of a Ziggurat contains a number of monsters of a particular theme. On early floors, you'll face two or three, but the number of opponents rises dramatically as you descend, pitting you against massive hordes by the time you reach the deepest levels. Most are sets of monsters that would be generated in a particular branch, but some are ad-hoc. The deeper you go, the more dangerous it becomes; deeper floors will have a greater ratio of powerful monsters to weak ones, may generate all monsters awake and wandering (0% chance for Zig:1-4, 100% chance for Zig 25-27).

Each floor may also contain a central clump of dungeon features. These are often purely cosmetic, but occasionally ramp up the difficulty of the floor significantly; an orange crystal statue or oklob plant cluster is no laughing matter.

One Ziggurat portal is guaranteed to generate somewhere in the Depths. A figurine of a ziggurat can be found in the bottom of the Tomb, and at the last level of every Ziggurat. If the player should clear a Ziggurat successfully (i.e. completing all 27 floors), all subsequent Ziggurats will become significantly more difficult. Clearing one ziggurat will also stop the Zot clock for the rest of the game.

Once one has left a Ziggurat, the portal turns into an empty arch and may not be reentered. Any new portal encountered or created leads to the first floor of a fresh Ziggurat. Summoned creatures cannot follow the player through a Ziggurat portal or stairway. Ziggurat portals have no timers.

Monster Themes

Unless mentioned otherwise, the chance for any given set is (approx.) 5.89% for Zig:1-7, 5.56% for Zig:8-13, and 5.54% for Zig:14-27.

Branches

Lair, Shoals, and the Hells all have 50% chance of the normal chance to spawn.

• Y Monsters from the Lair, plus catoblepas, dire elephants, hellephants, spriggan druids, and caustic shrikes.
• o Monsters from the Orcish Mines, with bonus orc warlords, orc high priests, orc sorcerers, and stone giants, plus iron trolls and depth-dependent priority for moths of wrath.
• e Monsters from the Elven Halls, with bonus deep elf high priests, deep elf blademasters, deep elf master archers, deep elf annihilators, and deep elf demonologists.
• m Monsters from the Shoals, with bonus merfolk aquamancers, merfolk javelineers, merfolk impalers, and water nymphs.
• y Monsters from the Spider's Nest with bonus ghost moths, hornets and orb spiders.
• N Monsters from the Snake Pit, with bonus guardian serpents and nagarajas, plus depth-dependent priority for quicksilver dragons.
• l Monster from the Swamp with bonus hydrae and swamp dragons, and depth-dependent priority for tentacled monstrosities and shambling mangroves, plus rare golden dragons, green deaths and death drakes.
• J Monsters from the Slime Pits (with loot inside a level-end-dividing room behind a door). Notably, this includes acid blobs, floating eyes, and eyes of draining.
• L Monsters from the Vaults, plus titans, golden dragons, and ancient liches with depth-dependent priority.
• D Monsters from the Crypt, with bonus bone dragons, ancient liches, revenants, and curse skulls, plus profane servitors.
• X Monsters from the Abyss, plus a tiny chance of corrupters. Notably, this includes starcursed masses, lurking horrors, and wretched stars.
• 1 Monsters from Cocytus, with a minor bonus of ice fiends and blizzard demons.
• 1 Monsters from Gehenna, with a minor bonus of brimstone fiends and balrugs.
• 1 Monsters from the Iron City of Dis, with a minor bonus of hell sentinels, dancing weapons, and war gargoyles.
• 1 Monsters from Tartarus, with a minor bonus of tzitzimimeh, curse toes, and shadow demons.
• M Monsters from the Tomb, with depth-dependent scaling for bonus royal mummies (reaching a 14.53% of spawns at Zig:27).
• 2 Pandemonium spawns and a single Pandemonium lord, with extra greater demons and classed demonspawn. Pan lords can spawn even on Zig:1, making it dangerous to enter a Ziggurat unprepared

Theme Sets

Giants, dragons, archers, and conjurers have 20% of the normal chance to place, while Lair rune branches has 50% of the normal chance.

• C Giants: hill giants, cyclopes, stone giants, fire giants, frost giants, ettins, titans, and juggernauts.
• D Dragons of all colours, drakes of all types, and hydrae.
• d Draconians of all colours and walks of life, with classed draconians increasing by depth.
• e Archers: centaurs, yaktaurs, centaur warriors, yaktaur captains, cyclopes, stone giants, naga sharpshooters, merfolk javelineers, deep elf master archers, and rare fauns, satyr, thorn hunters.
• 6 Conjurers: wizards, necromancers, ogre mages, orc sorcerers, naga mages, naga ritualists, salamander mystics, nagaraja, tengu conjurers, tengu reavers, spriggan air mages, merfolk aquamancers, deep elf conjurers, deep elf annihilators, deep elf sorcerers, draconian scorchers, draconian knights, draconian annihilators, liches, ancient liches, and blood saints.
• X Lair rune branches: starting from Zig:14, monsters from the Swamp, the Snake Pit, the Shoals, and the Spider's Nest, with extra nagarajas, guardian serpents, hydrae, swamp dragons, tentacled monstrosities, merfolk aquamancers, merfolk javelineers, alligator snapping turtles, ghost moths, emperor scorpions, and moths of wrath.
• p Player Ghost: Player ghosts of those who died in a Ziggurat.

Elemental

Elemental floors all have 20% of the normal chance to place, aside from Chaos.

• A Holy: daevas, angels, cherubs, pearl dragons, ophanim, and apis.
• * Fire: fire elementals, fire drake, hell hounds, efreets, fire dragons, fire giants, and orbs of fire.
• 2 Ice: ice beasts, ice dragons, frost giants, ice devils, blizzard demons, ice fiends, simulacra, white draconian knights, and shard shrikes.
• 8 Air: insubstantial wisps, air elementals, titans, raijus, storm dragons, electric golems, spriggan air mages, and shock serpents.
• b Earth: gargoyles, earth elementals, torpor snails, boulder beetles, entropy weavers, stone giants, iron dragons, crystal guardians, war gargoyles, iron golems, octopode crushers, hell sentinels, juggernauts, and caustic shrikes.
• A Negative energy: spectral things, shadow wraiths, eidola, shadow dragons, deep elf death mages, death knights, revenants, profane servitors, soul eaters, tzitzimimeh, and black suns.
• & Chaos: heavy depth dependence for chaos spawn, ugly things, very ugly things, apocalypse crabs, high-hd shapeshifters and glowing shapeshifters, Killer Klowns, chaos champions, high-tier demons and a multitude of pandemonium lords.

Fighting Strategies

Main article: Mega-Zig

You should enter a Ziggurat as the last thing in the game if you are planning to finish it, as Zig:27 can potentially be the hardest place in the game. Preparation is somewhat similar to Pandemonium, but you need even more care, since the enemies are much harder.

You will need the following:

• XL27 and very high skills.
• Decent (~40+) AC and EV.
• Blink and Passage of Golubria at 0% failure, to avoid getting surrounded, create some distances from powerful enemies, or just escape.
• As many resistances as possible; at least something like rCorr, rElec, rPois, rC+, and rF++. You should strive for rN+++, especially if you're susceptible to torment.

The following are recommended, if not essential:

• Scrolls of fog to block enemy sight, and scrolls of blinking to escape.
• Potions of curing to cure confusion (especially if you use an orb of energy), potions of heal wounds to recover lost HP, potions of might/brilliance/haste to enhance your battle prowess, and potions of magic to recover MP in a pinch.

Keep in mind you're limited to 52 items; only bring what you know will be useful, else you might not be able to take all the loot you want with you. Artefacts with multiple resistances and intrinsics are your friend!

Conjurer Strategy

The basic strategy is to use Necromutation and cast your offensive spells. Throw javelins at silencing foes. Depending on your god choice, you can also use Sif Muna's channel (more reliable), Vehumet's MP gain on killing (somewhat more random, but passive), or Gozag's magic potion (expensive at first). Keep in mind that you can't escape to rest for MP, so make sure to have backup in the form of a potion of magic, Sublimation of Blood, etc...

Spells

Support Spells:

• Necromutation: Immunity to torment and mutation, which are both incredibly deadly.
• Translocations: Blink, Passage of Golubria, Disjunction all allow the movement of things to be in your favor.

Offensive Spells:

• Ignition: hits every enemy in the cramped floors of a ziggurat up to 9 times over.
• Polar Vortex: MP efficent, largely irresistable, passive damage that works in silence.
• Shatter: Another LOS-wide spell with good damage. However, many threatening enemies like pandemonium lords and the orb of fire are flying, so take little damage from that spell.

Optional Spells:

• Discord: this makes floors with many natural monsters with low MR, such as orc or merfolk floors, very easy.
• Offensive Spells: Chain Lightning, Fire Storm, and/or Lehudib's Crystal Spear are useful to kill dangerous monsters (especially Pan lords) who get close to you.
• Sublimation of Blood: you can use this to restore MP if you don't need lichform.
• Dragon's Call: Creates distractions for a somewhat efficent MP cost, though it'll use your entire bar if you aren't careful.

Equipment

In addition to the general equipment:

• Enhancers (e.g. rings of fire/ice, staff of conjuration/fire/cold/air, etc...) to enhance the power of Fire Storm, Ignition, or Polar Vortex. A robe of the Archmagi is amazing for this purpose, if low AC.
  • A ring of wizardry to improve the success rates of your level 9 spells, if necessary. Also, try downgrading your shield type (tower hield to a kite shield to a buckler) if your Shields skill isn't high enough. Your offense is your best defense.
• An Orb of energy and/or the Staff of Wucad Mu if you have high Evocations (you will probably find one soon in the Ziggurat). The former unfortunately uses your shield slot, but if you couldn't wear one anyways...

Specific Floors

Most floors can be completed by spamming high power spells. However, some need special care; more detail can be found in the mega-zig article.

Silence, whenever it be from silent spectres or pandemonium lords, should be your main threat. Especially when combined with torment. Preserve lichform for as much as possible, always casting it before moving on. This applies to tomb floors especially, though every floor with torment is risky.

Fire floors, with orbs of fire and hellions, demand a spell that is not Ignition. Ozocubu's Refrigeration or Shatter work nicely.

Spell-less Strategy

Do not attempt to fully clear a Ziggurat without spells of some sort. It is very likely to be fatal. Having said that, the first few floors are usually safe for many XL27 characters, although this can still be risky.

Strategies For Troublesome Floors

Skip With Death's Door

See "Conjurer strategy" above. Cast Death's Door after getting as close as possible to the stairs. Make a break for it.

Banishment With Lugonu

Banish yourself to the Abyss, so you can recover. You'll return to the same level after leaving the Abyss.

Banishment With Distortion Weapon

You may also try to banish yourself with a distortion weapon. However, you have about the same chance of going to the Abyss as to be instantly teleported on the level.

Tips & Tricks

Since a subsequent Ziggurat only get harder if the previous one was fully completed, and the player has two opportunities for entering a Ziggurat, a player desiring a second run with a difficulty identical to the first may simply exit from the first run early, at level 26 or before.

See Also

• Mega-Zig

History

• Prior to 0.28, Ziggurats required at least 2 runes of zot to enter.
• In 0.27, the Zot clock now stops when you complete your first Ziggurat.
• Player ghost-themed floors were added in 0.25.
• Prior to 0.18, Ziggurat portals generated randomly in the Pandemonium, requiring money to enter.
• 0.16 introduced so-called Mega-Zigs. Every time a ziggurat is cleared, subsequent ziggurats become much harder.
• Prior to 0.16, entry was denied until the player had at least three runes of Zot in her possession.
• Prior to 0.15, a Ziggurat portal could be summoned by the Trowel card of a legendary Deck of dungeons once per game. The Trowel card was removed in 0.15.
• Prior to 0.14, Ziggurat portals would generate randomly in the main Dungeon, and required you pay an admission fee of 2,100 to 14,000 gold to enter.
• Prior to 0.11, you could use Projected Noise at the bottom of the map, then walk around the top end (or vice-versa).
• Prior to 0.10, it was possible to permanently leave a Ziggurat via Banishment.