The Fissure of Woe

The Fissure of Woe (commonly abbreviated as FoW) is one of the Realms of the Gods. It is the domain of Balthazar, God of War. There his Eternal warriors are in constant struggle with the Shadow Army of Menzies, Lord of Destruction. It is a very inhospitable place. Mobs are plenty and very strong. It is not recommended to go there without a full party of eight experienced players. You cannot take henchmen there.

After entering the Fissure you will find yourself next to Rastigan the Eternal. He will be attacked by any Shadow creatures that may find their way there but unfortunately on his own he doesn't stand a chance in a fight with those creatures. Make sure to protect him and / or clear out the immediate surrounding area of any Shadow forces before further exploring the Fissure of Woe. If Rastigan is killed your whole party dies also and you have to transfer back to the Temple of the Ages. Also be careful not to accidentally trigger the quest Tower of Courage before the coast is clear (it is safe to accept the quest, just don't attack the quest related foes). You will meet more Eternals like Rastigan in the Fissure, who must not die either.

The Fissure is the only place where you can find Shadow Shields, Bows, Blades, and Staves and Chaos Axes. Also Obsidian Shards drop relatively often here. In addition, many players consider the Fissure to be the only worthwhile place to do chest runs.

Getting there
To enter the Fissure of Woe, you must go to the Temple of the Ages in Tyria or the Zin Ku Corridor in Cantha while your side has favor and make an offering of one platinum to the Champion of Balthazar. After doing so, you and your whole party will be teleported to the Fissure of Woe. Upon arriving, you will be next to the spirit of Rastigan the Eternal and surrounded by shadow creatures of various kinds.

Area Layout
You do not have a map available when venturing the Fissure of Woe. The adjacent map shows the layout and major areas of the Fissure (the teal-colored dots show the connecting paths between areas).A similar map can also be found here.

In general, the Fissure is divided into general areas that form an asymetrical grid in the form:

Each area has a different environment and different monsters. Click on an area's name to learn more about it.

Quests
The Fissure of Woe features several quests, which are quite demanding, but give tremendous rewards in experience points. These quests can be done repeatedly, once each time you enter the Fissure. All quests you have done on previous visits to the Fissure will be cleared once you leave it and you will have to do them again if you want to reach subsequent quests. The Obsidian Armor can be crafted in the Fissure, after you have completed several quests.

The following quests start in :

(Note: Icons indicate repeatable quests.)

Monsters

 * For a list of creatures in the Fissure of Woe, see: Category:Fissure of Woe

General Survival Tips
The Fissure of Woe can be a daunting place for those who tread there for the first time. Here are a few FYIs to keep you alive:
 * Watch out for Patrols!! There are patrols running around all over the place. Proceed carefully. If there are 20 yards between you and the next group, expect someone or something to walk by or pop out of the ground.
 * A few people should equip Rebirth. Rebirth is not useful in recovering from death situations during a fight, but it's an excellent recovery tool from near wipe out situations. The reason being that if a party is wiped out in the Fissure, it is kicked back out to the Temple of the Ages.
 * Use XP rewards wisely. Players going into the Fissure are always level 20 and do not need experience per se. Still, experience is very valuable inside the Fissure itself. Because the experience rewarded by Fissure quests is so high, it is the best tool in erasing Death Penalty from party members. As such, if a party finishes a quest and is ready for cashing in on the reward, they should save that reward until there is DP to erase.


 * Obtaining the Unholy Text From The Priest of Menzies early on is a key element to survival. Having a strong stance tank hold the Unholy Text throughout your journey will make it easy on healers and everyone else as the holder of the book will be the primary target. It is recomended that groups keep the book with them at all times until they are ready to leave The Fissure of Woe. Just make sure you deliver the book before departing so everyone will get the experience reward. Note: as of the update on 4/25/2006, carried items no longer cause the bearer to universally be the primary target of all enemies.

Bosses and Elite Skills

 * Priest of Menzies (Word of Healing): only after taking the quest Army of Darkness