Thunderhead Keep

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This is a mission entry. For information on the outpost, see Thunderhead Keep (outpost).
Thunderhead Keep
Campaign Prophecies
Region Southern Shiverpeaks
Type Cooperative
Party size 8
Duration Long
Preceded by Iron Mines of Moladune
Followed by Final Blow

The Deldrimor Dwarves have lost the Keep, and they need your help to retake it from the Stone Summit and defend it against the Mursaat.

Contents

[edit] Objectives

Retake Thunderhead Keep.

  • Clear the city.
  • Clear the fort.
  • Kill Dagnar Stonepate.
  • Added: Help King Jalis Ironhammer hold Thunderhead Keep.
  • Bonus: Light the beacons to draw additional Mursaat forces into Thunderhead Keep.
  • King Jalis Ironhammer must survive.

[edit] Skill recommendations

  • Depending on the approach taken during the final siege, speed enhancements such as "Charge!" may be very useful. Likewise, a ranger equipped with traps or a Ritualist with attacking spirits such as Pain and Bloodsong may help during the siege.
  • Randomly, you will face Demetrios the Enduring during the final siege. If unprepared to deal out sufficient damage, the mission may end in a stalemate. Someone in the party should take skills to mitigate or interrupt Demetrios's healing to prevent this.
  • Necromancer wells may be helpful to deny Stone Summit Gnashers of their minions, but they will be of limited use against the non-fleshy Jade.

[edit] Party

A party consisting out of two monks, two tanks, two nukers and two interrupters should be able to complete the mission without any problems. Make sure you can split up your party into two balanced teams if you choose for the strategy 'defend the gates'.

[edit] Walkthrough

This mission is a trial of teamwork. Before the mission even begins, players should agree on who will lead King Jalis Ironhammer and how they plan to defend the fort during the final siege. Designate a target caller and decide if you will be attempting the bonus.

[edit] Getting to the fort

When the mission starts, you'll see King Jalis in front of you. He will follow whoever talks to him first, so if you have a designated babysitter, wait until that player speaks with the king. Outside the doors, defeat the Summit Giant Herders in front of you. Then work your way around the back of the hill with Siege Ice Golems and defeat them too. Avicara occupy the rest of the western edge here, but you do not need to fight them. Instead, proceed down the bridge guarded by Stone Summit. Towards the end of the bridge is another group. It's safest to pull them onto the bridge to fight, as another group of Stone Summit squad containing a boss patrols up to the bridge. You will need to defeat this patrol as well and proceed across the ridge. You should be looking down at the gates of the city with only a few rangers and Enslaved Frost Giants defending.

Once in the city, the eight groups of Stone Summit will periodically ping on the compass. You will need to defeat them all to continue. A typical path involves starting up the left path along the city wall, then crossing the center via a gully, avoiding the boss's group, then circling up and around to the boss's group. You will also notice a pair of outcroppings stationed by rangers and giants. While they rarely can hit you, you may kill them now to ease the difficulty later. The leftmost group is easiest to kill with skills that don't require line of sight, while the group on the right can be hit with bows from the ledge next to the gate. When ready, lead the king to the gate and he will open it. After he opens the gate, he will follow the closest player to him.

With the gates open, you'll be greeted by Stone Summit Heretics and Gnashers. If you did not kill the rangers and giants from inside the city, you will also have to fight them now. Follow the path towards the fort. The foes in the fort are dangerously close to each other, and it is very easy to accidentally aggro more then you planned, especially the Heretics in the center. Use a bow to draw them away from each other when possible. Before killing all the foes in the fort, you may want to use one of the ballistae on the western wall to take out a group of White Mantle. Four shots should kill the entire group. Once the fort has been cleared out, a cutscene with Vizier Khilbron ensues, the king takes his place at the top of the fort, and the siege begins.

[edit] Defending the fort

Waves of White Mantle and Mursaat will attack the fort from both the eastern and western gates and head towards the king. If the king dies, the mission is lost, so protect him at all cost. Both the eastern and western walls house a pair of ballistae that, when fired will hit one of the darkened areas on the map. Occasionally some of the attacking forces will stand in these areas and be killed before they enter the gates. Four shots will finish off any unit that doesn't heal. All enemy units spawn at a Mursaat teleporter in the north.

The siege consists of three phases. During the first phase, the waves consist of Stone Summit Dwarves and Enslaved Frost Giants, and includes one of six elemental and Stone Summit Dwarf bosses. During the second phase, the waves consist of Mursaat and jade constructs, as well as one Mursaat or jade construct boss. During the third phase, the waves consist of White Mantle members, there is no boss during this wave, but the final wave is a large group including Confessor Dorian.

[edit] Defend the king

Perhaps the easiest method when using all heroes and henchmen is to stand at the top of the stairs where the king is. Regardless of which gate foes enter, they will always converge at the top of the stairs, thus it is difficult for any to slip by unhindered to the king. However, this means that the king is dangerously close to battle and will occasionally join in. He has a tendency to stop somewhere away from his normal post, so players must keep track to ensure he is not the first to gain aggro from an incoming wave. Also, uncoordinated groups may find players venturing into the courtyard to do battle, raising the chances of foes moving along the wall and killing the king. If foes are cleared quick enough, a player can often get a few shots off from the ballistae, but if the foes are not killed, they will heal by the time they reach the top of the stairs.

[edit] Defend the gates

By splitting into two groups, each taking one of the two gates, the attacking foes can be kept a safe distance from the king. The difficulty, of course, is if the party is split. While some may run across the courtyard to assist the other side, you always want at least one player keeping an eye on both gates to ensure no enemies slip by to the unprotected king. Ballistae are more useful using this strategy, as foes may not fully heal by the time they reach the gates. Classes that do not need line of sight or trapper rangers should man the ballistae so they can move down the wall to assist foes that reach the gate. Trappers may place traps on the wall above the gate and they will still trigger against foes passing below.

When bosses appear, especially the Mursaat boss, it may be difficult to deal enough damage to take it down (especially if it is the monk boss). In such case, leave him alone and kill everything else. Otherwise, the troops will build up and eventually overwhelm the defenders. When there is a lull on the other gate, players with speed boosts may rush over to attempt to take out the boss then rush back.

[edit] Attack the Spawn

If the party has sufficient power, it can push back the oncoming waves to the north where they spawn. They all must pass through a northern choke point, so if the players defend it, they can remain as a full party and keep the king a safe distance from battle. Any Jade along the way can be safely ignored, as they are part of the bonus and will not attack the king. Focus on getting everyone up to the choke point, making sure nothing that can't be killed by the Smoke Phantoms gets by.

[edit] Bonus

After the cutscene marking the start of the siege, the two Storm Beacons on the eastern and western walls must be lit to begin the bonus. This will redirect a couple small groups of Jade away from the dwarves calling for help and towards the fort. If the party delays too long in lighting the beacons, the dwarves will be killed, failing the bonus. You will know if the bonus failed if the dwarves cry out, The end is here! Great Dwarf save us! Credit for the bonus is not awarded until the end of the siege; talk to the King once Confessor Dorian is dead.

Lighting the beacons can easily be done even if you hero/hench the mission. After the cutscene, run directly to the left beacon (which is the closest). Pick up the torch, light the beacon and then drop the torch before you head off to the other side. Once at the second beacon, pick up the torch there and light the beacon. If you don't linger too long, there's enough time to single handledly activate the bonus without any running skills.

The Jade that are redirected are not aligned with the remaining siege troops and will attack them. While they will enter the fort, they do not move up to the king, so you can hold back, letting them fight the first waves of the siege. Due to this, Thunderhead Keep is easier to complete with bonus than without.

[edit] Time markers

The whole mission usually takes at least 40-45 minutes no matter how fast and efficient you are, due to the scripted arrival of the enemies at the fort. There are several timed remarks from King Jalis Ironhammer once you have entered the keep:

"King Jalis Ironhammer: The Mantle followed you! Stand fast friends! This will be our finest hour!" (about 17 minutes left until Confessor Dorian arrives)

"King Jalis Ironhammer says: Be on your guard. The left hand of Grenth himself comes for us." (about 12 minutes left)

[edit] Mission NPCs

[edit] Foes

Avicara

Dwarves

Elementals

Giants

Griffons

Mursaat

White Mantle

[edit] Bosses

Dwarves

Elementals

Mursaat

[edit] Notes

  • Complete exploration of this area contributes approximately 1.1% to the Tyrian Cartographer title.
Prophecies missions
The Great Northern Wall » Fort Ranik » Ruins of Surmia » Nolani Academy » Borlis Pass » The Frost Gate » Gates of Kryta » D'Alessio Seaboard » Divinity Coast » The Wilds » Bloodstone Fen » Aurora Glade » Riverside Province » Sanctum Cay » Dunes of Despair and Elona Reach and Thirsty River » Augury Rock » The Dragon's Lair » Ice Caves of Sorrow » Iron Mines of Moladune » Thunderhead Keep » Ring of Fire » Abaddon's Mouth » Hell's Precipice
Missions in the Southern Shiverpeaks
Ice Caves of Sorrow • Iron Mines of Moladune • Thunderhead Keep
Towns and outposts • Explorable areas • Landmarks
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