Orb of Zot

Version 0.13: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Once you have escaped to the surface with this invaluable artefact, your quest is complete.

The Orb of Zot is located in a vault on the deepest floor of the Realm of Zot, guarded by very strong monsters (ancient liches, Orb Guardians, orbs of fire, all kinds of dragons and draconians) and surrounded by indestructible walls. Acquiring the Orb and escaping back to the surface is the final step to win the game. Doing so without fighting your way past its guardians is difficult, as the floor prevents teleport control, and the Orb is both fairly heavy and actively resists Apportation attempts (1 out of every 3 attempts will fail, and each attempt will create a loud noise).

If you ever see the Orb outside of Zot:5, it's a monstrous mimic, an even stronger version of a ravenous mimic.

Ascension

Once the Orb is in your possession, numerous terrible things happen. Teleport control becomes disabled, and almost all teleports will take 5 to 9 turns longer to kick in (teleport traps still function immediately, however). All portals to Pandemonium, the Abyss, and the branches of Hell (but not the Vestibule itself) are immediately sealed. All floors of the Dungeon will now begin spawning a wide variety of Hell- and Pandemonium-type monsters, Orb Guardians, and Pandemonium lords, all at a greatly increased rate (see monster generation). Most of these will generate just beyond your line of sight. On top of all that, the Orb itself weighs a hefty 60 aum and emits strange energy, reducing your stealth and causing magic contamination to last longer. Make sure you have the carrying capacity to hold it without becoming burdened beforehand.

Strategy

• You don't need to pick up the Orb of Zot as soon as you reach it. If you want a higher score, you should definitely clear out the extended end-game and collect all 15 runes before beginning the ascent.
• The only enemies that matter once you have the Orb are the ones that get in your way. Ignore any enemies that aren't able to kill you or that you can simply run away from. For this reason, boots of running or other sources of fast movement speed are extremely useful at this point.
• Your goal after picking up the Orb is to get out of the Dungeon as quickly as possible. Use auto-travel (Shift + G) to make the game calculate the fastest route out possible.
• Don't be afraid to use up your consumable items at this point. Potions of speed, scrolls of holy word, and all manner of restoratives should be used as needed to clear a path to the exit as quickly as possible. Also, if you've got a wand of digging, feel free to create tunnels if it'll get you away from nasty opponents or up a floor even faster.
• Even with the delay on teleportation, it's worth considering it as an escape option. If you find yourself cornered by enemies or a long way away from the next stair case up, activate a teleport and hold out until it kicks in. Teleport traps still function instantly, by the way.
• If you've already cleared the entirety of Zot:5, you can reduce the distance you have to run with the Orb by apporting it from its chamber all the way to a staircase. This will take a while, but as Zot:5 is one of the largest, most wide-open areas you'll need to haul it through, it may be worth the effort. Bear in mind that this process is extremely loud; if you've left anything alive, it will almost certainly find you.
• Find Dungeon Crawl too easy? For an added challenge, try avoiding the Tomb until you're already on your Orb run.

Zot Defense

In the Zot Defence mini-game, you are instead charged with guarding the Orb from wave after wave of random enemies. Only after you've fought off enough enemies to earn 15 runes are you allowed to grab the Orb and escape.

History

Prior to 0.8, the Orb did not resist Apportation.

Prior to 0.9, it did not limit controlled teleports; in fact, the player was unable to do so on Zot:5 until they collected the Orb. The Orb also only weighed 30 aum.

Prior to 0.10, it did not reduce stealth or magic contamination dissipation rates.

Prior to 0.12, it was possible to drop the Orb after picking it up, and the Orb refused to be apported only 1 of every 6 times.

Prior to 0.13, only 50% of teleport attempts while carrying the Orb were delayed, and the variety of monsters which spawned during ascension were weaker and did not include Orb Guardians.

In 0.14 Hell/Pan/Abyss portals won't be closed upon picking up the Orb.

The Orb's origin.