Difference between revisions of "Hexx Ruins"
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== Bosses == | == Bosses == | ||
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{{:Random Boss}} | {{:Random Boss}} | ||
| + | {{:Stheno}} | ||
== Strategy == | == Strategy == | ||
Revision as of 09:12, 31 October 2016
| |
| Hexx Ruins | |
|---|---|
| Region | South |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Monster Stats | 100% |
| Population |  Naga,  Serpent,  Goo Blob,  Gorgon,  Goblin,  Meat Man, Random
|
| Bosses |  Stheno,  Random
|
| Suggested Classes |  Paladin,  Rogue,  Warlord,  Rat Monarch
|
| Quests |  Stone Cold Crazy
|
| Unlock | Complete Swamp Romp
|
In an almost impassible region of the southern swamp, a set of ancient ruins peeks out of the muck. This bridge to new realms is guarded by a force both mysterious and deadly.
Contents
Special Rules
Whenever an XP-valuable monster is slain, a Revenant of equal level rises in its place. Revenants grant no XP and have a poison attack. As well, whenever any monster dies, every Revenant will suddenly move in to surround you. If you don't kill the Revenants, they will quickly swarm you. Monsters killed within subdungeons do not rise as Revenants, nor do the bosses.
Quests
Stone Cold Crazy
Defeat 
Hexx Ruins
Unlocks: 
The Slime Pit, 
Ick Swamp
Someone Say Loot?
Buy every item in Hexx Ruins (
Translocation Seal do not count as buying)
Unlocks: Bazaar LV3
Unlikely Heroes: Swamp Edition
Defeat Hexx Ruins with 
Gnome Priest, 
Gnome Wizard, and 
Gnome Berserker
Reward: 500 
Bosses
Stheno has the abililty to absorb strength from the other monsters in the dungeon. When you first attack Stheno, every other monster will disappear and be converted into physical and magic resist (4% per absorbed monster). This also includes Revenants, but not monsters that reside in subdungeons, nor plants. There is also another boss chosen randomly. This second boss is not removed from play when Stheno absorbs monsters, but seeing as you are capable of using level-up catapults against this second boss, it is almost always preferable to leave Stheno for last.
Since Stheno cannot absorb monsters in subdungeons, it is possible to get a level-up anyways by preparing the Smuggler's Den and needing exactly 1 or 2 XP to level up. However, manipulating your experience so precisely will force you to leave some monsters alive for her to absorb, which may do more harm than it's worth. 
Goblin is a more reliable way of getting a level-up against her.
If you move Stheno using 
PISORF (even to an empty square), she is angered and absorbs all monsters. However, you can move her safely using 
WEYTWUT or 
WONAFYT.
Strategy
Your top priority is to avoid being surrounded by Revenants. These monsters are not overwhelmingly strong as individuals, but their poison attack means they can exhaust you as you fight and in large numbers they can pin you down and overwhelm you. If you have the 
HALPMEH glyph, you can try to pick the Revenants off one at a time and then use your magic to cure the poison. You can also use the 
IMAWAL glyph to turn them to stone. They're not worth experience points anyways, so it's no loss to you to brick 'em. However, IMAWAL can also cut off your avenues of escape, and may increase your chances of being trapped by Revenants in the future. To complement this, you can choose to worship the Earthmother. This yields a free IMAWAL glyph and 10 piety per IMAWAL use, even on Revenants. You will most likely max out your piety without sacrificing any actual resources.
The best way to stay safe from Revenants is to avoid creating too many to begin with. If you fight one or two powerful monsters, you will create one or two powerful Revenants. Although these will be dangerous opponents, there will not be enough of them at any given time to trap you. A swarm of 6 or 7 weaker Revenants is a much greater threat. By focusing on killing stronger monsters, you can level up very quickly, and by the time you've created a large number of Revenant you should have already gained enough levels to kill the weaker ones in a single blow.
Once you've figured out how you're going to deal with Revenants, your next problem is Stheno. If there are any monsters left on the level, Stheno will grow stronger when you begin the boss battle. Clearing out the entire dungeon is critical. IMAWAL is an effective way to remove any stragglers you don't want to bother fighting. It's not like you can get a mid-boss level up anyway. The best answer to this is brute force; find a combination of items, glyphs, and deities to make your character as powerful as possible a plough through those monsters, and then the boss.
One tricky strategy that can be used against Stheno is to employ many one-time bonuses to 1-hit-KO the boss. Since the first attack goes through before she absorbs the other monsters, this attack will not be affected by those extra resistances. However, pulling this off is usually more difficult than more conventional approaches.
Suggested Classes
Paladin
He begins with the HALPMEH glyph, and the dungeon is almost exclusively physical damage. There's no more straightforward approach than this. The Human and Orc races are suggested for the Paladin.
Rogue
With first strike and high damage, Rogues have an easier time getting 1-hit kills against Revenants. The difficulty will be improving their durability so they can survive more powerful enemies. The human race is recommended; you will need to find some way to boost your hit points (
Absolution, 
Vine Form and 
Boost Health all work well for the Rogue here)
Warlord
Using 
CYDSTEPP, a Warlord can continue fighting effectively even while poisoned and at 1 HP, allowing him to kill Revenants without leaving himself helpless. The 
Orc and 
Gnome races are recommended for Warlords.
Rat Monarch
An unconventional choice, but the Rat Monarch's corrosion stacks do not care at all about Stheno's resistance, which lets you play exactly like a normal dungeon without the need to kill everything. The random second boss will almost certainly be more threatening than her. The meat men, goo blobs and gorgons in this level are all easy fodder for the Rat Monarch.
However, revenants are considerably more dangerous for the Rat Monarch than anyone else, because you cannot kill even the weak ones in melee without being poisoned. You will need to dispose of almost every one with either fireballs or petrification, so be sure to prep the Earthmother.
Suggested Gods
The Earthmother
The free IMAWAL glyph provides an easy way to get rid of revenants without fighting them, while also generating piety and bonus experience. You can easily generate more Earthmother piety on this map than virtually any other in the game, without sacrificing any XP-valuable monsters. The extra clutter this god naturally produces make it harder to avoid getting trapped by revenants, however.
Avoid worshipping 
Dracul, since he will deduct piety every time you kill a revenant, which you will need to do often. The 
Glowing Guardian will not reward you for revenant kills since they are worth no XP, nor do any other dieties.
