The Swamp
| A swampy wasteland, the Swamp is filled with ooze, muck, flies and large slavering carnivorous monsters.
A dungeon features only one of the Swamp and Shoals branches. The entrance to this branch can be found between levels 2 and 4 of the Lair of Beasts. This branch is 4 levels deep. This branch contains the decaying rune of Zot. |
The Swamp is a side branch that contains the decaying rune of Zot. Four levels deep, it is home to all manner of small water creatures and swamp insects, as well as hydras, dragons, and worms. The entrance to the Swamp may be found in the Lair between Lair:2-4. The Swamp is one of two water-themed branches that may be generated in each game (the other is the Shoals).
Contents
Layout
Each floor is large and open with trees and plants providing the only cover most of the time. You'll find small islands of land and the occasional ruin or vault amid large masses of shallow and deep water.
You can set trees on fire to create passages. The resulting forest fire will create immense amounts of steam and may go out of control, however!
Strategy
- Due to Mephitic Cloud-breathing swamp drakes, Poisonous cloud-breathing Swamp dragons, and the general watery nature of the Swamp, it's a bad idea to attempt this branch without poison resistance or a source of cloud immunity. You could also rely on a large supply of potions of curing or Elyvilon's Purification ability to overcome confusion and poisoning, but these are costly.
- Consider having some means of flying; without it, the shallow water can fatally slow you down if you need to retreat. Many of the monsters encountered in the Swamp receive speed boosts in the water.
- Players lacking poison resistance can acquire it in the Swamp itself. If you can find, kill a swamp dragon for a chance to get swamp dragon scales, which have the rPois intrinsic.
- Edged weapon users will also need some alternative means of killing hydras. See the hydra article for an in-depth list of methods.
Monsters
Common monsters
l  Alligator |
F  Spiny frog |
w  Swamp worm |
w  Tyrant leech
|
k  Swamp drake |
l  Komodo dragon |
D  Hydra |
D  Swamp dragon
|
y  Vampire mosquito |
v  Insubstantial wisp |
n  Bog body |
J  Slime creature
|
y  Hornet |
i  Spriggan rider |
i  Spriggan druid |
t  Ghost crab
|
Dangerous monsters
Uniques
D 
The Lernaean hydra - found in certain Swamp endings.
- Depending on which ending you get, you might also come upon undead variants of the usual Swamp inhabitants or a number of other dangerous monsters. Tread carefully on the last floor!
History
- During it's history, the swamp has received countless changes to the list of monsters inhabiting it. Many unthreatening monsters have been pruned.
- Prior to 0.17, the Swamp was five levels deep.
- In 0.11, the Swamp was given an improved layout, with smaller and more compact levels, and more trees. It is also less misty than before.
