For every dungeon you encounter during your journey to the level cap, there is a second, more difficult, version for players at level 50. These dungeons are called “Expert” Dungeons. Ten in all, they are divided into two tiers; the first tier is aimed at players who have just recently hit level 50 and the second tier is geared towards those who have spent time in Tier 1 Expert Dungeons.

For the purpose of this guide, Abyssal Precipice is considered a Tier 2 Expert Dungeon. General requirements for all Tier 2 dungeons include a Tank with at least 100 Toughness, DPS minded players must have either 100 Hit or Focus, a credible healer and an off-healer. The Tank can be a Warrior, Rogue or Cleric if properly geared, however Cleric Tanks will have the hardest time of all three. Healers will consist of Clerics mostly where your best off healer will be a Chlormancer. This does not mean you will not be able to use a Bard or Justicar as an off-healer or a Chloromancer as a main healer.

All expert dungeons offer new challenges, more bosses and sometimes additional areas to explore. In Abyssal Precipice you will find two additional bosses, but the dungeon itself is not expanded. This guide will go over each boss fight and what to expect during each encounter.

For a full list of Tier 2 Dungeon Gear please use this link.

Kaler Andrenos

The fight mechanics for Kaler are pretty much the same as the normal version except things really hurt now. The fight is pretty simple but now you have to be more aware. He will cast a water spout on someone that will cause a local AOE slow. It will also damage you and you will die if you don’t run away. This is where the ice block you have to run behind will form.

Kaler will then cast a large cast time spell that will doe AOE damage to everyone and usually one shot anyone who isn’t a well geared tank. To avoid this damage line of site him. This can be done by using the terrain or the ice block that formed earlier. Once the spell is cast the ice block will disappear and a new one will form shortly.

What you also have to be aware of is a debuff Kaler will randomly put on someone that will pull in other players to them. This will often cause other players to by pulled into line of site or into the AOE slow effect and kill them. Be aware and stay spread out.

Icetalon

Right up the hill from Kaler is Icetalon. The fight starts off simple with a single boss mob that is tank and spank where he will summon three bird adds. Once he is close to dieing he will summon Icetalon.

Icetalon is pretty simple, he will randomly charge someone and he cleaves. If he charges you he will send you flying with a knockback. You can be knocked off the edge and die. So be careful where you stand.

The easiest place to tank Icetalon is to have the tank position himself against a wall. There is also a hollow log in the back of the boss fight area. Have all dps and healer sit in the log while the tank stands nearby with his back to the wall. This should take care of any issues you might have with placement. The log will prevent you from flying back on the charge.

Majolic the Bloodwalker

This fight is exactly the same as Normal Mode. Upon starting the fight you will be attacking Majolic. Once he reaches 50% he will explode so all melee characters must run away or will most likely be one shot. At this point he will transform into the Bloodwalker.

The rest of the fight is quite simple. The boss will cast a DOT on a player that will spread another DOT to everyone around them. Have your healers cure/purge this and keep an eye out if it spreads to others. Stay spread out as well. The Bloodwalker will also turn a random target into a Blood Crystal. In this case, destroy the crystal and free the trapped player.

Ranged DPS is preferred on this fight as it’s easier to transition to the Blood Crystals.

Renthar

Renthar is a new addition to Expert Mode. He is in a small cave down from the last room before the final boss. The fight isn’t very complex but you’ll have to be aware of your positioning.

Renthar has two abilities, one he charges the player furthest from him, and the second is he casts a damaging and slowing ground effect. The best strategy is to either have a second tank or a decently equipped cleric stand in the back of the room so they can absorb all the charges. The rest of the group should stand on the sides of the cave and DPS from range. Melee is acceptable but it’s harder to survive as Renthar does cleave and players in melee range might be cleaved when he returns from his charge.

Calyx the Ancient

Calyx is a very fun and interesting fight that requires heavy movement and healing. You will notice at the onset of the fight that large “lasers” will form a cross centering around Calyx. They will slowly revolve so everyone will constantly have to move in a clockwise direction to avoid being hit. This is the heavy movement portion of the fight.

Calyx also has a damage shield that can be purged. If it isn’t purge melee dps character can, and often will, kill themselves. Keep your eyes open for this.

Calyx also casts a ground effect spell that will slow and damage you. This spell is also followed up by another ability that will damage everyone in the party down to a low percentage. If you are caught in the ground effect at this point you will be frozen in ice for a short duration. Get out of the ground effects.

The large AOE spell effect is what makes the fight healing intensive. Once it goes off, everyone will be down to 10-20% health. You will have to avoid the lasers as well as get everyone back to high health.

Melee and Range both suffer on this fight, having a single person in the group with an offensive purge is beneficial for the shield.

The highest spires of Iron Pine Peak are rightly called the roof of Telara, snow-capped giants from whose shoulders climbers could once look out upon the whole world. Today, these lofty peaks overlook a swirling storm of sleet and snow, as if hovering over an endless void. Over the abyss.

This vista chills the blood of bold explorers, while encouraging the mountain’s new full-time occupants to redouble their wicked efforts. These cultists of Akylios find the seemingly bottomless expanse almost comforting, a reminder that if their schemes in Iron Pine are successful, all of Telara will be swallowed in cold, roiling chaos for them to rule over.

The Abyssal have made camp in these mountains, seeking to awaken an ancient horror. This cephalon, a loyal servitor of Akylios during the Age of Dragons, knows where the Profane One is imprisoned. The Abyssal must not wake the cephalon, lest his secrets help free the maddest of dragons.

Quest Information

King of the Mountain
Quest Giver: Automatic
Location: Dungeon Entrance
Objective: Defeat the three bosses of Abyssal Precipice; Kaler Andrenos, Majolic the Bloodwalker and Calyx the Ancient

The Book of Sunken Dreams (G)
Quest Giver: Alaric
Location: Dungeon Entrance
Objective: Collect the Sunken Dreams Chapters One, Two and Three

The Icewatch here in Iron Pine have been combating the Abyssal. They’ve destroyed many tablets that contained dread rituals. but the Abyssal are thorough, and would not have come to the mountain without the means to draw power from it.

They have taken pages from the Book of Sunken Dreams, a tome written by the mad priest Cezayrli in the Age of Dragons. We need to recover the pages of that book and destroy them.

Deep Touched Technology (D)
Quest Giver: Faceless Man
Location: Dungeon Entrance
Objective: Collect the Ethian Core and other Sourcestone

Have you taken our technology back, yet?

Sword of Thedeor (G)
Quest Giver: Magnus Lucklum
Location: Dungeon Entrance
Objective: Survive Thedeor’s first test.

There is a monument high upon the precipice, a sword dedicated to Thedeor, where stalwart guardians have tested their mettle for ages in Thedeor’s legendary trials. yet, non have survived the journey to his sacred shrine since the war.

Thedeor thrives on the courage of heroes. If you are unable to succeed, I’m not sure anyone can. Without anyone to pay homage at his site, Thedeor will weaken, and the Vigil will surely fall.

Abyssal Precipice: To the Peak Sir! Mush!

Click on the map for a larger image.

Into the snowy frontier…

Abyssal Precipice is one of two level 50 dungeons, paired up with Charmer’s Caldera. These are the two dungeons you will be running in order to gear up your character for Tier 1 Expert Dungeons. This dungeon contains three bosses and at least two quests. For the both the Guardians and the Defiant you have the standard autoquest. The Defiant have one other quest entitled, Deep Touched Technology. The Guardians have two quests, the first is called Sword of Thedeor and The Book of Sunken Dreams and both require some discussion as they are not quite that easy.

For The Book of Sunken Dreams you have to gather three chapters of a book. Where they are are plainly marked on your map. Each time you open up the chest (seen above in the Quest Information Section) a trap will be set off. The first trap will fire off green balls and do ground based AOE damage. The second trap will kick off a frontal knockback that travels the width of the ledge. It’s easily avoidable if you stand far to the side. The third trap is the hardest. It will polymorph the opener and summon three wolves to attack you.

Once you are finished collected the chapters, the quest updater will ask you to burn the chapters in the Fire of Thedeor. This area is located in the last cave prior to the last boss. Once you enter this cave, there is a downward passage on your left that will lead you to this chamber. Click on the green fire and four NPCs will spawn. Once you kill them you will finish the quest and an NPC will spawn for you to turn it in.

For Sword of Thedeor you will need to travel to the designated spot marked on the map which happens to be after the first boss. You can begin the trial by clicking on the giant sword sticking out of the ground and going through the dialogue. First, six melee warriors will spawn as well as six archers.

Clean them up and a second round will come after you. Halfway through this phase Durak will spawn and attack you.

Defeating all the mobs will give you your quest completion and an NPC will spawn and allow you to turn in the quest.

Into the precipice.

The Abyssal Precipice is the shorter of the two level 50 instances only have three boss fights, however the trash is more difficult. You will not need any special group makeup but always having an offhealer is a good idea if you run into any problems with the boss fights. Ranged DPS specs certainly help a lot with the second boss.

Upon entering the instance you will find a faction specific NPC that will give you your quests for the instance. Once you are finished collecting them it’s time to head into the dungeon. It’s a straight forward dungeon that allows no deviation or changes to your routes. So you can’t get lost.

There are plenty of trash pulls prior to the first boss. You will have to look out for giant roaming Water Elementals called Frozen Riptides. They are tougher Elite mobs that will make any trash pull more difficult. Also keep you eye out for groups of Iceclaw Scuttlers.

These are a swarm of five non-elite mobs that, if you don’t know where they are, may surprise you. You can see them before hand though so keep your eye out.

Prior to first bridge you will see updates for the Guardian Chapter quest and the Ethian Core quest. Once you wrap those up you will continue through the instance, over the bridge and up towards the first boss.

Kale Andrenos
Kale has one trick to him which is called Ice Geyser which is a ground based AOE damage-knockback ability. From this spot a large iceblock will pop into existence. Kale’s second attack is called Icy Explosion. This spell has a long cast time that instantly kills anyone that it hits. To avoid the damage you will have to put the large iceblock between you and Kale and you will avoid the Explosion.

The fight is incredibly easy as long as you pay attention to when the Icy Explosion is about to go off. No one should die in this fight unless the Healer under-performs.

Once you are finished, the second portion of the Defiant Quest is on the platform behind the boss. Across from that platform is a cave leading further into the dungeon. Before going in, make sure you go up the hill to the east for the quest Sword of Thedeor.

Entering the cave you will have a difficult trash pull. Outside the actual trash, there are a group of mobs above you that you should make sure you are aware of. It is possible to accidentally pull them as well. Once you clear your way through the cave, you will come out the other side, be wary of a wandering Frozen Riptide. Around the bend you will find your second chapter for the Guardian Quest. Follow the path up and around back into the cave and down towards the second boss.

Majolic the Bloodwalker

Majolic is a slightly difficult encounter that consists of two phases. The first phase Majolic just attacks the main tank with no special abilities. When you get him down to approximately 35% he will cast Bloodsurge and transform into a bloody textured mummy character. Phase two Majolic has three abilities. The first ability is called Blood Contagen which is puts a debuff on a random target called Infected Blood. This debuff will do damage over time on the target and massive damage to everyone around that target. Infected Blood is also dispelable. The last ability is called Blood Crystal which transforms a random target into a giant crystal where the rest of the group will have to it to free the entrapped player.

Majolic also gains a buff that increases damage when he is at lower health.

The best strategy for this fight is for all the DPS players to go ranged if available. This will allow quick transitions to killing Blood Crystal without any movement. Another pro for ranged dps is that players can stay spread out and avoid Infected Blood’s AOE damage. The fight is all about dispelling Infected Blood and killing the Blood Crystal. The rest of the fight is quite easy. Stay spread out and enjoy your new loot.

After you are finished you can go up the hill where you will find the last two parts of the Guardian and Defiant quests (see map above). Once you clear the rest of the trash you will enter the last cave before the boss. There is a passage to your left where you can complete The Book of Sunken Dreams. Upon leaving the cave it’s a straight shot to the last boss.

Calyx the Ancient

The last boss of the instance is Calyx the Ancient which is a pretty hectic fight. She has four abilities that drop group damage quickly, so if you have a healer that is strong in group heals, make sure they are using that spec. Calyx’s first ability is called Hydro Blast which shoots out multiple water balls that do damage to everyone. The second ability is called Abyssal Depths which is a ground based AOE damaging attack. If you stay too long in the area of effect you will become stunned. The third ability is called Jagged Ice Shield which is a reflective damage shield.

The fourth ability is called Frozen Wrath. This spell has a long cast time where if you get hit by it, drops your health to a very low amount without killing you. This is where the group healing comes into play.

This fight is intensive with group heals. If you can manage to move quickly out of the AOE effects, keep everyone’s health up after Frozen Wrath so Hydro Blast doesn’t kill everyone then you should easily win this fight if you have a good healer. The only way that will screw up the fight is if the healer gets stunned by Abyssal Depths.

If you are successful at defeating Calyx then you have completed Abyssal Precipice.

The Brink of the Void

The highest spires of Iron Pine Peak are rightly called the roof of Telara, snow-capped giants from whose shoulders climbers could once look out upon the whole world. Today, these lofty peaks overlook a swirling storm of sleet and snow, as if hovering over an endless void. Over the abyss.

This vista chills the blood of bold explorers, while encouraging the mountain’s new full-time occupants to redouble their wicked efforts. These cultists of Akylios find the seemingly bottomless expanse almost comforting, a reminder that if their schemes in Iron Pine are successful, all of Telara will be swallowed in cold, roiling chaos for them to rule over.

The Abyssal have made camp in these mountains, seeking to awaken an ancient horror. This cephalon, a loyal servitor of Akylios during the Age of Dragons, knows where the Profane One is imprisoned. The Abyssal must not wake the cephalon, lest his secrets help free the maddest of dragons.

Cold like the Crushing Depths

Cultists of Akylios make camp throughout the Abyssal Precipice, manning eldritch machines meant to pinpoint and draw out the spirit of the banished cephalon. They have planted seacaps in the snow around their camps, and the vicious little crustaceans pounce on any intruders who draw near the cultists’ sensitive equipment. Furthermore, water elementals patrol the cliffs, large enough to drown a full-grown Bahmi in their flowing bulk.

As they race to stop the Abyssal ritual, heroes must plunge into icy caverns teeming with juvenile Deep Ones. What they lack in the adults’ tremendous size, these young make up for in ferocity and numbers, and their claws can tear clean through plate armor. Siltreavers also lair in these caves—hungry tentacled horrors who lurk under the snow, ready to drag adventurers into madness and death.

For a chance to free Akylios, the Abyssal have brought their two most loyal enforcers. These cultists command liquid in any form: One blends water magic with the frost of Iron Pine to summon up deadly spikes and blasts of ice, while the other can manipulate the very blood in his enemy’s veins. Both of these villains must be overcome to find the leader of the Abyssal before he can unleash the cephalon amid the cold peaks.

Stem the Tide of Madness

It is in all Telara’s best interest that the Abyssal fail to summon Akylios’s cephalon advisor. Not only is this being ancient and horrible in its own right, it is rumored to know the location of its master’s prison. Akylios’s madness transcends mortal understanding, and if Telara is to survive, he must remain chained.

The Faceless Man, who spearheads the Defiant’s more clandestine operations, bids his fellows to claim a book of horrid spells integral to the Abyssal summoning efforts. Once an Abyssal himself, he seeks the book’s secrets to stop his former comrades from unmaking the world. The Guardians would rather destroy the book than trust him, or any Defiant, with such twisted magic.

Keeping forbidden lore from their enemies is just one reason Guardians would assault the Abyssal Precipice. According to legend, the sword of Thedeor himself stands on one of the cliffs. No one knows for sure whether this oversized blade belongs to the war god, but Guardians who have seen the weapon claim it filled their spirits with holy light. If so, all Guardians should strive to make this pilgrimage, for a true vision of righteousness is precious in a world where madmen wake slavering nightmares.