Ring of Fire (mission)

Mission Objectives
Establish a foothold on the Ring of Fire Island Chain
 * Gain access to the Citadel Guardhouse
 * Open the main gate to the Citadel Guardhouse
 * Clear the Guardhouse of Mursaat
 * BONUS

Walkthrough
In this mission, the party is trying to get into Abaddon's Mouth, the entrance to the volcano where the Door of Komalie is located. Unlocking the Door of Komalie will supposedly yield the best tool for defeating the Mursaat.

Brechnar Ironhammer will throw himself at a large group of Mursaat spellcasters as you enter this mission (point A). Do not try to save him: he is supposed to die drawing away the Mursaat; trying to save him may wipe out your party. Let him go, and veer right. Once you've gone as far right as possible, you should see two groups of three Mursaat spellcasters. A group of Jade Armors and a group of Jade Bows will slowly circle around the lava pit to attack you from behind; you can either wait to take them out, or go after the Mursaat spellcasters first. Either way, when you are done, follow the purple path on the map until you come to point B.

This may be your first time facing a Mursaat Tower powered by an Ether Seal, and they are bad news for your party. While the seal remains, the tower is activated by your proximity, and will initiate an area effect that quickly drains away your energy. Additionally, the seal will cast Air spells. So, not only will you not have the energy to hit the seal with spells and skills, but you will not have the energy to heal your teammates as they get clobbered with Chain Lightning and Mind Shock. When attacking a seal, you should first try to lure away its defenders to a distance where your healers and spellcasters can operate outside the tower's light radius. The seal itself is much easier to destroy once its defenders are dead.

Tip: It may be a good idea for your Warriors to bring a few adrenaline-based attacks, and not just energy-based ones.

Tip: Knockdowns do work on the seals. The round seal will collapse when it is successfully knocked down. Starting combat with interrupting spells such as Meteor Shower and Maelstrom that interrupt over time is also a useful strategy, since the Seal does not move.

Tip: Having an Elementalist cast Mark of Rodgort promptly on the seal will ensure that casters will be able to maintain some sort of damage dealing on the seal by simply attacking with their weapon (in as so long as that weapon deals fire damage). With the knowledge in mind that many caster weapons (not just elementalist) deal fire damage your teams casters will remain useful despite their lack of energy.

Keep going on the purple path. You will engage various groups of Igneous Ettins, wade through a pool of lava, and pass another seal. At point C, Vizier Khilbron will appear and note (quite shrewdly) that the main entrance is too tough to tackle head-on. He advises you to take the back route into the Mursaat fortress to try and get into Abaddon's mouth. It is arguably as difficult, if not more so, to take the back route, but either an assault on the front gate or fighting your way to the back will satisfy your mission objectives. If you're taking the back route, just follow the purple path.

Note: It is worth noting that the back route can be more difficult than the front route, depending on party composition and party cooperation. It includes fighting the deadly and very resilient Lava Spitters, as well as having to traverse flaming pits of lava, and facing nuking Lava Imps! For some parties, the concept of pulling mobs away from the Ether Seals on the front gate is simpler than the strategies required for negotiating combat around lava pools and dealing with waves of fire AoE spells. In addition, the front gate is needed for the completion of the bonus.

Tip: A necromancer with Spiteful Spirit makes tightly packed mobs like the Lava Imps much easier.

You will engage various groups of wildlife on the Islands if you take the back route. Eventually, you will approach the Mursaat encampment to the west. Take out the groups of Jade Armors, Jade Bows and Mursaat carefully. You will be able to get to a bridge, but its end will be locked. The lever to open it is in the adjacent room (point D), guarded by a Mursaat boss. Luckily, you should be able to sneak into the room without triggering the host of nearby enemies guarding the front gate.

Pull the lever, and cross the bridge, which has a lone boss halfway across. You will finally face a group of Mursaat spellcasters and then a Mursaat boss alone in the central chamber. Defeat him to win the mission.

Bonus
Method A: Clear out points 2 and 3. Talking to the Ancient Seer right before point 1 triggers Eidolon to appear between points 2 and 3, so clearing the area before talking to the Ancient Seer results in Eidolon by himself. Bring the left overs from Eidolon (the essence of that monster) to the Ancient Seer to get bonus.

Method B: Go to point 1 after destroying the first Ether Seal. There you will find some Ettins (with a boss) and a Seer. Speak to the Seer and she will mention an Eidolon (the squid-like monster that you killed to infuse your armor in the Iron Mines of Moladune mission) and ask you to bring her (or him or it) the essence of that monster.

The Eidolon is located at point 3. You will have to destroy two Ether Seals in the courtyard, which will cause the Eidolon to spawn and engage you. Because of this, Method A is easier than Method B.

Note: Parties that have completed this bonus have entered the fortress by breaking through the main gate before taking down the two seals in the courtyard. When you do that, the Eidolon appears. If you come from the back road (purple path), and breaking the two seals does not work for you, try engaging the main gate.

Tip: Assaulting the main gate is easy with careful luring and timing of patrols. One trick is to have a party member with a longbow shoot at a seal: this will cause the patrol guarding it to rush out and meet you. This helps you avoid any surprises from patrols. Also, it is possible to destroy only one of the seals so that the gate does not open, then place an elementalist to "nuke" the enemies before entering.

After killing the beast, take its Spectral Essence back to the Seer. You will get the bonus, as well as a chance to infuse any part of your armor that is not already infused.

Bosses and Elite Skill Capture
Ettin Bosses (northeastern part of the map):
 * Ferk Mallet : Backbreaker
 * Vulg Painbrain : Spike Trap

Mursaat and Jade Bosses (located in and around the fortress):
 * Cairn the Smug : Devastating Hammer
 * Cairn the Troubling : Oath Shot
 * Coventina the Matron : Aura of Faith
 * Odelyn the Displeased : Life Transfer
 * Sarlic the Judge : Life Transfer
 * Melek the Virtuous : Energy Surge
 * Maida the Ill Tempered : Thunderclap

Phantom Bosses (just inside east entrance of the fortress during the bonus):
 * Eidolon : Mist Form

Rider Bosses (east, north and northwest of the fortress):
 * Grun Galesurge : Shield of Deflection
 * Jyth Sprayburst : Ether Prodigy
 * Pytt Spitespew : Migraine

Spider Bosses (north of the fortress):
 * Casses Flameweb : Incendiary Arrows

Additional Notes
The players will be in Abaddon's Mouth at the completion of this mission.