Talk:Dunes of Despair

Is the time trick nerfed now in NM? We keep trying and getting bad map spawns.... it *could* be bad luck... just wondering if anyone knew.

--Tisi 21:02, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

I can't say whether it was a nerf or just a side affect from the many updates to the game and mechanics over the last two years, but it certainly is harder now to get a good spawn than when I took my first two characters through the mission, and even more so it seems within the last couple of weeks.

Originally, Scarabs used to spawn upon every visit to the cliff near the Boss' fortress, but that changed later on, and the primary way to use NT was to aggro the closest Boss with a longbow. But within the last couple of weeks, I have had to make many tries in order to get a good Boss spawn, then actually get one that wouldn't run out of range after the initial attack. I just now somehow managed to aggro a Scarab for a go through with the last two characters I needed to get through this mission, but I've been trying since yesterday afternoon!! HanokOdbrook 13:31, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

Bug/Feature
I left a bonding hero protecting the ghostly hero while I did the bonus, and I succeeded in getting the bonus without terrible difficulty; but while I was killing the forgotten trying to get the mission done in the same run, the Hero just up and died.

It seems, that if you have not defeated all of the forgotten before time runs out, you lose the mission.

Has anyone else found this to be the case? (granted, it could have just been a very lucky spike on the part of the forgotten, but it's doubtful, in my mind. Especially that this spike would co-incide with the clock time running out.)

Note: In the mission failed box, it said that my hero had died, not that I had failed to clear the forgotten.

Necrotic Traversal
Anon, nothing has changed to make the bonus impossible with Necrotic Traversal. In fact, at the same time I reverted your first edit I was doing the Dunes bonus by that very method. See the included screens. . --Valshia 05:22, 9 December 2007 (UTC)
 * I have used the necrotic traversal trick to complete the bonus with heroes in hard mode last month. It took a few tries to get the scarab to spawn, but it did work.  There's no reason to say that it doesn't work anymore, it's just harder to get it right, takes a few tries.  [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]Rose Of Kali  07:35, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

HARD MODE The necrotic transversal trick still works, as of feb 14 2008.Gotta love it (pun intended) I also noticed a patrol of forgotten illusionists(3) that spawn and patrol to the "south west" on occasion.They arnt there immediately, but they show up after a few minuites.I wonder if this is only in HM?There is a monk boss to kill, so bringing "signet of humility" helps. Also assasin skills like "deaths charge" and "return" dont work to teleport you to the boss area.Also when you teleport down to the boss area, your quest log doesnt update to let you know what bonus is. But when you kill the bosses, you do get bonus.If your using H&H a few interupts help and even meteor shower, as you will only have 4 in your group fighting the bosses, unless you aggro the forgotten illusionists into the henchmen. And watch for scarab pop ups around the bosses. Micro 18:30, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

Skills ? It's like I lag the ability to make just a single kille outside the wall. The Scarap just ran off and heal. Does anyone have a hint about skills to use? Gollomotors 14:00, 19 May 2008
 * Do not use AoE damage since the scarab or the boss if in range will run away from that. Other then that, if pulled to edge into aggro range of you an enemy should stay there to be killed. -- Inspired to ____ 22:09, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Cartographer Track
It should be noted that the "large area" outside the fort is nearly 0,6% of Tyria. I only watched the progression bar after a while, so I can only confirm 0,5%, but with the two castles it's definitely more. 85.178.251.140
 * Added. &mdash;  ク  Eloc  貢  21:43, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

I have noticed two other castles next to the castle with the three bosses for bonus, i am wondering, how can i enter them? the right castle doesn't need to be entered, because i can work around it for cartographer, but the left castle seems inaccessable. Do i have to kill the two groups of forgotten next to the brigde right before it is lowered or something else? 82.176.163.30 10:34, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
 * You can walk right across the gap as if the bridges are lowered. It's a little trippy looking, but it works.  --Valshia 16:39, 25 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I had been wondering the same thing, thanks for that information. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to see that on this discussion page, since people can often ommit such details.--99.241.76.164 23:45, 21 September 2008 (UTC)
 * After 4 years of play this is one of the few missions I've never fully completed. Now I'm working on my Cartographer this is one of my last stops. Does anyone have an tips they can give on how to complete this. Is it at all possible with a H/H group? Do you need to have speed boosts to map it all before time runs out? What's the best way to divert damage and keep the ghost alive while in a split group? Magic  [[Image:User Magic Icon.jpg|19px]] Talk  02:49, 22 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Mapping here is very easy if you use he teleport trick. Due to the large number of scarab spawns, it's hard to just run around and map, it's very likely that you will die before you finish.  Instead, go Necro secondary with Necrotic Traversal or Consume Corpse, no need for Rebirth.  With a full H/H group, once you're across, tag them somewhere off your compass inside the fort and then un-tag, they should "magically" appear running to you on your side of the ravine.  Once this is done, happily map to your content.  Leave the ghost as soon as he opens the last gate behind the mesmer boss, you do not need to kill the enemy ghost.  I also advise to do this in NM unless you still need to do HM Bonus, because the monk boss needs a darn good punch to kill, and the hoards of scarabs spawning on your ass become quite annoying.  [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]Rose Of Kali  09:17, 22 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Hmm.. I seem to be stuck on this whole teleport thing. I have the skills needed but I can't find where you teleport over. I've tried 5 times in a row with no success on what I'm doing. :S Could you possibly take a screen shot of you map and show me where people jump across?  Nvm, I figured it out. I was at the wrong location to kill foes for the body to teleport over. I got it. ;) Magic  [[Image:User Magic Icon.jpg|19px]] Talk  05:59, 23 September 2009 (UTC)

Just a note to anyone else trying this. i as an ele took necrotic traversal but my H/H had no teleport skills. i tried the trick explained above (flag somewhere inside the fort then unflag) but this did not work for me so, i tried to do the carto on my own and consequently died :D howver with me dead my heroes then decided to hop on over :d so, if you're having problems getting your heroes across, die, and see if that helps :D Kraal Fardale Talk


 * Almost... For the hero/hench teleport trick to work, they have to be out of your compass range when you unflag them, you can tell that when their names become grayed out in the party list. It's also not instantaneous, it can take them a little bit to show back up, though not more than a minute. You probably got far enough when you died and they finally caught on. [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]Rose Of Kali 08:25, 12 March 2010 (UTC)

The explorer picture is inaccurate, there is a chunk of territory above the Siege Wurm in the NW corner.

When I did this, I just walked along the "invisible" bridge. No teleports necessary. Previously Unsigned 04:52, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Axe Mastery skills on the Ghostly Hero
I thought that the Ghostly Heroes were given axes in a recent update?64.180.184.69 17:58, 21 July 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't think so...maybe just in HA? &mdash;  ク  Eloc  貢  01:58, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

something interesting
This is my first time doing the bonus with the teleport&rebirth method and I stumbled into something useful. Instead of killing the Mesmer boss that triggers the cutscene, I just ignored it and had the Ghostly Hero open the gate. After clearing out the monsters around the Enemy Ghostly Hero, I noticed that the wurm on the western side was already spawned. I believe the cut scene would have normally hidden it. When I attacked it, the wurm did not respond to my actions and was extremely difficult to damage.

I was able to kill it and am now waiting for my last hero to die of degen from my vampiric hammer. Can anyone else confirm this event being repeatable?

Or is it just a bug?


 * I tried this 3 times and all three there was a wyrm on the right side of the entrance and it was easy to use consume on it and rebirth heroes.

There was something strange btw,the wyrm had every hex and condition duration shortened and it was a pain for me because i was using discord,but i managed to kill it...that a bug or?95.180.43.70 11:56, 6 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Wurm on the right side would be the one you would see from the cutscene if you had killed the mesmer boss... I'm not surprised if he's sepcial 65.6.156.101 12:07, 6 September 2009 (UTC)


 * I tried this method (1st time) and it worked - the main page should REALLY be updated to reflect this (remove scarab references, perhaps I'd do it but maybe some more verifications) User:nbaird2 Dec 15 2010

Method one
I made alterations to Method One for complting the mission and bonus as I have run this many times for friends... by noting the fact that you do not have to kill all the wurms you can buy 1 to 2 extra mins. to engage the generals if you also kill the extra forgotten that spawns fro mthe death of the first general... The wurm at appears when the timer has 3:20 remaining can be ignored... MrPaladin talk 18:02, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

You can also alter Method One to be more aggressive than the walkthrough suggests. I played a W/E, with only one hero (M.O.X.) b/c it's my first time through the game. I also took four henchies: Alesia, Reyna, Orion, and Dunham. I used skills that boosted my damage (Power Attack, Pure Strike, Final Thrust, and Warrior's Endurance, as well as a flaming weapon with Conjur Flame, and Fire Storm). I also used a summoned ally from a summoning stone, and blue rock candy for speed and damage boost.

After killing the enemy ghost, the Forgotten Arcanists will spawn from the East, West, South, and East, in that order. Kill them in that order, ending in the East. Run to kill the wurm on the East wall. By then the ghostly hero will either be under attack, or a melee attack will be gathering at the West wall, run there and kill them at the wall if you can. That will cause a ranged attack on the hero from the South. After defeating that group, a Forgotten Boss with support will be forming at the West wall. Don't wait for it, run to it and kill the group. You'll save probably a minute of mission time. That's the last group that threatens the hero. You will have aggro'd the two wurms on the West wall, but they don't do enough damage to kill the hero so ignore them.

As soon as possible after defeating the first boss, run to the South to engage the 2nd Forgotten boss. I found it to usually be the monk and he is the hardest to kill. He is supported by scarabs and Enchanted Bows that inflect health degen and blindness and the monk has powerful healing capabilities. You'll need heavy offensive output here, and I used Area Effect spells (firestorm) to kill the scarabs and the Enchanted Bow. If you have skills that get rid of conditions, especially blindness, they will be very helpful here. After his support is gone, focus all attacks on the monk and you will kill him. The remaining two bosses are easier to beat.

I played this mission probably 10 times before I got the right combination of party members, strategy, and luck. Good luck. Good hunting. Cyryl Chevalier 02:20, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Substitutes for Rebirth
Does anyone know of any alternative skills that can be used to teleport party members across the chasm aside from Rebirth? It seems that, based on the new description, Unyielding Aura should also work. Does Sunspear Rebirth Signet work as well? - Zaxares 01:23, 22 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I did this with my E/N just a couple days ago in HM. Took Necrotic Traversal and Sunspear Rebirth signet.  Using UA still requires you to be N/Mo or Mo/N to H/H this, and I don't know if it works.  The thing is that whom ever you use the signet on has to have the real Rebirth.  I had Discord type heroes with some sac skills to kill themselves, and the two monk henchies whom I flagged away while saccing.  Make sure they sac close enough for rebirth and have all their res, minion making and heal skills disabled.  My Restoration N/Rt had Spirit Light which sacs health without a spirit around (disable it and target another party member and micro it so he doesn't heal himself).  My Curses N/Rt had Blood Ritual, so make sure he wasn't the last one alone or he can't use it at a distance.  My MM just had Blood of the Master.  The MM was the half prot hybrid with Rebirth, so I used the SS signet on her and then she rebirthed the curses and resto.  The henchie trick still works with flagging them away.  The biggest problem is having enough bang to kill the monk boss.  I had my Snadstorm/blind ele, Ruby Djinn and a summoning stone that happened to roll an Ooze (don't use any stones before you rebirth, they won't follow).  Was a long fight, but he finally started running low on energy and we got him.  The rest was a joke.  I then completed the mission in the same run by using the trick again at the start by the mesmer boss, there are scarab pops there too if you didn't trigger them earlier.  [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]Rose Of Kali  17:23, 23 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Actually, the flagging trick works for the Heroes as well! You didn't need to go to all that trouble. ;) Thanks for confirming that Sunspear Rebirth Signet works as well though! It's a boon for knowing that I can use the Traversal trick to map the outside of Dunes if I'm not a Necro or a Monk, and want to bring another friend along. - Zaxares 05:24, 25 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Lol, I wondered if that worked on Heroes, but didn't feel like proving myself wrong and having to start over, and it wasn't a big deal anyway, I only had to change like 2 skills total for the 3 of them (rebirth and blood of the master weren't in their usual builds), the whole rebirthing thing took maybe 3 minutes. ^_^  But yeah, it's nice to have a skill that makes this possible for any profession.  Still don't know about UA, but it requires Mo anyway.  [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]Rose Of Kali  15:41, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Bonus
If you dont kill the enemy ghostly immediately, you can run around him and then lure some things to kill with a longbow outside of the walls so you dont have to kill them when going towards the generals. This saves some time ;o
 * saves some time to the timer ya mean :) but yer... that is noteworthy 65.6.156.101 11:06, 2 July 2009 (UTC)
 * The bridges to the outside of the throne (aka the bridges to the generals) are up, you need to kill the enemy ghostly hero to make them drop, only then can you go kill the generals.--84.192.6.24 19:58, 12 July 2009 (UTC)
 * He meant that you can get started on the killing before the timer starts and the bridges drop, just pull what you can from the hill. But we already knew that. :) [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]Rose Of Kali  21:28, 12 July 2009 (UTC)


 * You can kill the enemy Ghostly Hero without starting the timer, since it doesn't start until the friendly Ghostly Hero reaches the throne and starts his incantation: Just park him at the upper gate and feel free to roam the inner courtyard with your troupe.85.181.189.238 15:05, 7 August 2009 (UTC)
 * True, but the point was to lure things from outside and kill them before the timer starts, regardless of killing the enemy ghost or not. [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]Rose Of Kali  16:51, 7 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Yer the doors remain closed until the ghostly hero takes the throne and the timer starts... I don't find those things slowing me down to much... pain inverter knocks em dead when they use chilibans... and its good on the wurms too... but yer if your only talking proph skills its probably not a bad idea to take the time and bow down the hidden spawns... MrPaladin talk 16:54, 7 August 2009 (UTC)

Bug with teleport bonus
I got a Scarab in the "perfect" spot - right at the corner by the south drawbridge - and he crossed the drawbridge (even though it was still up) and came at me from the interior. Anyone else seen this happen? (AUNTMOUSIE) 04:14, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
 * I have seen this on my last run through this, same bridge. Got another scarab for my teleport.  [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]Rose Of Kali  15:36, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
 * I've also had this happen. Just restart and try for another spawn. It's annoying, yes, but eventually you'll get one that doesn't glitch over the "moat" of sorts. Twe So |  talk  00:22, 26 September 2009 (UTC)

Bonus with H/H, without "death teleport"
Me R/M -  OgMTcZslX6xQ3qxBM81Q2o4QmAA

Jora W -  OQATETJXzBvpUiKQlrCXxw+XBA

Gwen M -  OQBDAoszO9gLgMgIwBGhoABA

Xandra Rt - OACjEuiMZNXTMm3MjNOZmTukLA

Lina and Alesia came along as healers (a surprisingly good combination) with Xandra throwing in the odd heal.

The -unorthodox- skill selection evolved through iteration (7 failures before success), I tried to focus on weakness (-20 AL against lightning damage) and strength (Non-fleshyness: No poison, desease or bleeding damage) of the Enchanted armor, stance removal through Whirling Axe and strong interrupts/damage against the Siege Worms and bosses - Xandra's Signet of Spirits was all the rage, so to speak. Positioned my group at the throne, started the event and killed the 3 waves approaching it. Then we went East (1 group plus Siege Worm) and South (Enchanted bows, the Scarabs and the 1. bonus boss), flagging Xandra in mid-fight back to the Ghostly Hero to keep him alive. Back at the throne we relieved the Ghostly Hero, then went West and killed the Enchanted, the 2. Siege Worm and boss there. At this point I had about 4:30 on the timer and two bosses left. With the spawns from the 1. bonus boss already dead, I took my whole party into the south fort (ignoring the Siege Worm at the southern gate) and killed the last two bonus bosses - at about 0:30 I got the bonus confirmation screen. The mission finished with the Ghostly Hero at 100% health without any help from my healers.85.182.13.17 17:59, 5 August 2009 (UTC)

Edit: Spelling
 * Yep, my Rt can comfortably run people using a spirit spam build using the SoS as you mentioned, the heroset I use is a modified sab that has a bit of enchant removal to overcome the healer boss... then I pretty much follow the as mentioned "Method one: Just focus on the mission first" method and have no problem.... tried to do it in hard mode and it was ok until I realised that the enemys get a speed increase so I could not leave that last group to head toward the ghostly hero... but the bonus was np... MrPaladin talk 18:03, 5 August 2009 (UTC)

Trick is after every wave kill a little ways out side and run back for another wave. Always keep lina/alesia at ghost, perferably down below. Once you get the boss wave killed from i think the east, go kill the fort. The biggest concern is a monk boss. Be sure to have a good shutdown for it or you will spend way too much time on it. Another possible team setup is a bonder hero and leave it at ghost, take lina/alesia with as monks for you and take 2 other solid dps heros. Justice 18:09, 26 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Nope, that obsticle is overcome by knowing what apwans at which bosses death... then you pull the bosses over to the spawn location and agro those groups on spawm... with my Rt I'm easily able to do Hard mode runs... don't need to leave anything at the ghost because after the first 6 enemys nothing else reaches the ghost.... 65.6.156.101 12:04, 6 September 2009 (UTC)

Wurm siege doesnt hit ghost? or do the wurms not attack the ghost if it is alone? or do you kill the two wurms quickly before going to fort? Justice 22:11, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
 * 65.6.156.101 either thad killed them all before marching south or he/she din't get into their aggro zone - Siege Wurms attack the ghost once you aggroe'd them, and their aggro radius is much larger than 1/2 our aggro bubble. If you can stay out of it they seem to ignore the ghost und just twiddle their thumbs.85.181.189.104 21:45, 10 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Confirmation- As suggested above and with more experience I now Aggro the groups that spawn after each bosses death and can comfortable Rush HM with mish and bonus.... Confirmation - also as above you dont need to worry about the last wurm that spawns as it will not agro the Ghostly hero unless your party enters agro range... in place of a RT you may get away with odd combinations that include "Pain Inverter" for the wurms and the scarabs using Chillibans... and Ausrans summons and summon stones to help your offence... Good hunting all MrPaladin  &dagger;  talk 15:08, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

Wurms not attacking at all for last 4 minutes
After I beat the boss at the alter, I flagged my party to the alter and just waited there. The 3 wurms spawned on the outer edges (I killed the first one), and they made no attempt to attack, and I simply stood at the alter and did nothing. Is this a bug? Anyone else experience this?

174.5.41.140 02:50, 15 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Sometimes the AI breaks. I had a group of Enchanted Armors that sat and took a beating until the ele in the group loosed an AoE spell on them, causing them to wakeup and scatter. SarielV [[Image:User SarielV sig.png|20 x 20px]] 19:11, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

3 days later...
and I still haven't gotten this mission done in hard mode. Well, I've gotten the mission, but not the bonus. No matter what I do, I can't keep the stupid ghostly hero alive, or the party wipes, or something else happens. The difficulty needs to be lowered; it's already been confirmed by a member of the test krewe that Tyria wasn't designed for hard mode, and having to fight level 26+ monsters with a party of 6 is ridiculous. Not impossible. Hard. --Kyoshi (Talk) 06:08, 3 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Hard Mode is hard? Say it ain't so. I don't know where you got this confirmation from, and I managed to get my Legendary Guardian just fine without a runner for this mission. --Kyoshi (Talk) [[File:User Kyoshi sig.png]] 06:05, 3 March 2010 (UTC)
 * There's a difference between hard and impossible.
 * "and I managed to get my Legendary Guardian just fine without a runner for this mission."
 * Then I guess you're just 1337, because it's ridiculously OVER HARD. It's hard enough in normal mode, it's 10 times worse in hard mode even with a well coordinated team.
 * Me along with every other Legendary (or for that matter, Tyrian) Guardian? Try different builds, try different strategies, ask friends for help; if you think you absolutely cannot accomplish it, you're probably doing something wrong. (Signing your comments is very 1337 by the way, since apparently I would know what is 1337.) --Kyoshi (Talk) [[File:User Kyoshi sig.png]] 06:17, 3 March 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm leaving them unsigned on purpose because I don't want flamers to easily be able to track me. I've tried like 50 different builds, asked guildies, allies, friends, even members of the test krewe for help and no one is able to do it. It doesn't matter what build we use, who stays behind with the ghostly hero (what's up with that, he's a ghost, he's already dead for crying out loud, why do we fail if he dies again?), or what, we fail, and it's absolutely ridiculous.
 * Flamers and vandals can be reported. There's no need to fear them.
 * You shouldn't really need anybody to stay back with the ghostly hero, unless you're having someone run the crystal to him at the start. Minotaurs won't go up towards the ritual area, Forgotten won't unless you pull them there (and you should really be killing them anyway)...I'm not sure why it's an issue. --Kyoshi (Talk) [[File:User Kyoshi sig.png]] 06:27, 3 March 2010 (UTC)
 * You're thinking of Elona Reach. --Silver Edge 06:31, 3 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Since you only need bonus, have you tried the Necrotic Traversal method? --Silver Edge 06:33, 3 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Ohh, whups, been a while since I've been able to play Prophecies. Give me a moment to re-think my reasoning, because I did beat that one in HM too. --Kyoshi (Talk) [[File:User Kyoshi sig.png]] 06:34, 3 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Alright, so. If you're doing it with H/H then make sure you take two healers, one hero and one hench. Flag one of them back after a wave of Forgotten come by, go kill a boss quickly, and head back to defend. Do that after each wave and it should be quick. Otherwise you can always try the teleporting method. --Kyoshi (Talk) [[File:User Kyoshi sig.png]] 16:22, 3 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Ok, let me explain this through what I hope will be a balanced argument. Yes, many Prophecies missions are head-bangingly imba on HM for various reasons, usually where you have to protect a key NPC e.g. Nolani Academy, D'Alessio Seaboard. However, this isn't the issue with Dunes of Despair: the problems are the general difficulty of the bonus, and the party size when considering the mission/bonus objectives: splitting a party with 6 members against groups of Lv.26 enemies is very difficult (see also Aurora Glade bonus, although that bonus can at least be rushed successfully). The defending argument that Prophecies was never designed for HM is a logical fallacy: neither was Factions, and that's relatively well balanced (HM Eternal Grove excepted). On the other side of the argument, Kyoshi is correct: it's all doable with the right builds and a bit of luck. Conclusion: Most of Prophecies is just badly balanced (particularly the mobs), but you don't often notice it in normal mode because the difficulty levels are generally low. As for this mission, it is doable; just expect to be frustrated if you can't/won't use Necrotic Traversal. Andran Steel 03:14, 18 April 2011 (UTC)

Method 5 dispute
Can a solo sig of spirits rt (with slot taken to keep it alive) really out damage the monk bosses healing? Dassk Arossyss 192.203.160.241 20:46, 18 March 2010 (UTC)
 * I doubt. I have done a bonus in HM using the spirits-based build, with 2 hero and 2 henchmen (1 hero monk was protecting the Ghostly Hero). It was really hard, especially killing the monk boss (I think that Scourge Healing could make this little easier, but on some other hero, it was not possible to have it in my build). So, I think that method 5 needs to be confirmed and/or explained in details. --Slavic 09:46, 19 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Yep thats what I was thinking, when I run hardmode I keep 3 heros with me and the monk boss is a burden on the timer... in NM you could probably solo it (taking soemthing that reduces his heals or interrupts)... but in HM I have to say no.... 65.6.156.101 12:01, 19 March 2010 (UTC)

Maybe...
There a cartographer map that shows a way around the castle. Can we use that to complete the bonus, wipe out all foes in the area and then go back and continue the mission?
 * As mentioned in the walkthrough, it depends on how you got behind the castle. If you use the teleport trick, then I suspect not (because there is no way to lower the drawbridges).  --DryHumour 17:12, 16 April 2010 (UTC)
 * I've been able to teleport back in the area to the left of the Mesmer boss that you encounter at the entrance to the fort, there are scarab pops there. [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]Rose Of Kali 23:24, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Magical Teleporting Henchies
OK I'm probably showing my ignorance about henchmen here, but twice now while doing this mission with henchmen and the Necrotic Traversal trick I brought myself and my 3 necro heroes to the other side but I pinned Alesia and Dunham inside because I couldn't kill them. When I unpinned my heroes they dissappeared off the screen (walked out of compass view) and shortly afterwards they were on the other side of the fort with me. Is this part of henchmen programming that if there is possible route to your location they can teleport to you or is there a hidden way to walk to the other side? 58.106.43.167 09:33, 12 May 2010 (UTC)
 * H&H will teleport to your side if the server thinks they are stuck. when you to this trick, it will appear to pathing that this has happened. Backsword 09:36, 12 May 2010 (UTC)

New bug?
Playing the mission in hard mode and found this bug where one of the enchanted guys was named dune lizard. I only noticed it just as I was killing it but when I saw nothing about it mentioned on the page I made an account and yeah this is result. I took a printscreen but don't know how to place link of pic on. So has anyone else encounted this bug?--Puderz101 13:40, 8 October 2010 (UTC)
 * Thats just a common bug in guild wars, sometimes foes names are changed with the name of a charmable animal... nothing to worry about--Domador 13:52, 8 October 2010 (UTC)

bug: Mission completed for zquest but not for title
The ghost died at a time such that all 3 parts of the zquest were completed but the hard mode map of Tyria shows only the bonus completed, not the mission. Red helmet, 1 sword. Quest updated 3 times, for 100 coins. Is this a bug documented somewhere on this wiki? Where does it belong? --War_Pig5 08:26, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

2:00 timer trick
I was in a PUG doing this zmission and the leader had us wait until the timer passed 2:00 before we attacked the 3rd boss for the bonus. When asked "Why at 2:00?" he responded only "spawns." I don't understand this answer nor do I know what spawns at 2:00 and how it helps to wait until this time to kill the last boss. Can anyone clarify any of this? There is a reference to a timer trick above, but I cannot find a full explanation of this trick anywhere. --War_Pig5 08:26, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * That trick only applies to the thirsty river mission since every 2 minutes, if a preist is alive, the enemy team is fully rezed. I don't think there is any advantage to doing that in dunes. --<font color ="#8b0701">Lania  [[Image:User Lania Elderfire pinkribbon.jpg]]22:57, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

I can identify what the trick really is about. Each time you kill one of the bonus bosses, a new wave of enemies is generated and sent running to the Ghostly Hero. They will wait at the doorways for several seconds before entering and (likely) slaughtering him, since you are occupied elsewhere. If it is close to time, they may wait until the timer runs out. This would explain why some people fail the mission even though they figure they've taken care of all the enemies, because it's easy to miss these enemies appearing and quickly scurrying away. SarielV 19:09, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

Worst mission in the game
^ 124.191.57.178 08:29, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Would you mind commenting on it further. I really like this mission cause it is challenging and you need a specifick tactic. Maybe I can give you some tips how to make this mission less worse for you.Rumian 08:46, 28 March 2011 (UTC)
 * I used to hate this mission too, but after a few tries you can get it down, even in hard mode. I am working towards some prophecies books and was easily able to do 5 HM runs in a row, with bonus (cause I didn't want to just stand around, even though you don't need them for the books). -- Kniblet Beast  03:41, 18 April 2011 (UTC)

Annoying fact about the bonus
So, I just learned earlier the hard way that killing just the 3 generals isn't good enough. Nope, apparently you have to kill their guards as well, which resulted in me NOT getting the bonus since I was down to the wire on time. At least I got the bonus a couple tries later, but still, that is really god damn annoying if you're trying to kill the siege wurms and the popups that spawn off to the side when killing a general. Pjwned 13:33, 13 April 2011 (UTC)

Method 6 ?
If you do not kill Goss Aleessh. You can claim the altar to start the timer. As soon as the timer starts, kill Goss Aleessh to start the scene and teleport back outside in front of the castle with the ghostly hero. Talk to the ghostly hero once to make him stay. There you have ~9min30 to do the bonus. No ennemy will go outside to kill the ghostly hero where he was parked. During the end scene, you will see the swarm of Enchanted & Forgotten which has been completely avoided. Vezz 03:13, 12 May 2011 (UTC)

Excellent method. To keep Goss Aleessh away from you, bring a MM or a Spirit Ritualist. Take nukers to easily get rid of the foes gathered at the altar and it's very easy. 82.2.38.128 18:43, 20 May 2011 (UTC)


 * I can ensure that this works. And it works like a charm. I only tested it in NM, but like 9 minutes is more than enough for the bonus. It's a guaranteed win! The ending cinematic looks espacially funny xD.91.62.226.232 16:09, 21 May 2011 (UTC)


 * I have got to say, this technique is brilliant and works in both NM and HM with correct spirit placement, pulling and snares/slow totem. --[[Image:User_Chieftain_Alex_Chieftain Signature.png]] Chieftain  Alex 22:49, 10 June 2011 (UTC)


 * Agreed, this is by far the easiest way to do this mission in HM. Once you get past Goss and activate the timer and trigger the cutscene you're home free. Just kill some archanists and go finish the bonus and stand around--Bluespider 15:51, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Overhaul
I've cleaned-up the walkthrough based on some of the ideas on the talk page as follows:
 * Combined like ideas and separated contrasting ideas.
 * Combined two of the bonus methods, which were almost identical.
 * Added a variation section, so that important tips remain
 * Added the bypass Alessh method to the list.
 * Added recommended skills section.
 * Included a descriptive introduction including a chronology of the main spawning events.
 * Tried to introduce each bonus method before its walkthrough, to help orient people unfamiliar with any trick(s) involved.
 * Removed text which essentially paraphrased an earlier point.
 * Removed text which explains techniques covered elsewhere (e.g. how to sacrifice, bond, or spirit spam)

The idea was to streamline the overall walkthrough, to make it easier to follow (and/or choose among methods). With the exception of adding the new method, I did not intentionally change the instructions significantly, so if something important was lost, it was probably a copy/paste error. — Tennessee Ernie Ford ( TEF ) 17:30, 21 May 2011 (UTC)