Horde of Darkness

This article is about a quest. For the foe, see Horde of Darkness (NPC).

Horde of Darkness
Section	Primary Quests
Campaign	Nightfall
Given by	Priest Kehmtut in Bone Palace (The Desolation)
Preceded by	A Deal's a Deal
Followed by	Ruins of Morah Strange Bedfellows
Type	Primary quest
Map(s)
(Click to enlarge)

Slay the Horde of Darkness then catch up to Varesh Ossa.

Quest information

Objectives

• Teach your great wurm to siege by devouring an elder siege wurm.
• Destroy the Horde of Darkness guarding access to the Ruins of Morah by using Junundu Siege.
• Strike down the Solitary Colossus with your wurm siege attacks to create a path to the Ruins of Morah.
• Speak with Captain Mehhan.
• See Captain Mehhan for your reward.

Reward

• 2,500 Experience
• 200 Gold
• 30 Lightbringer Points

Environmental changes

• While active, this quest prevents the spawning of Saushali the Frustrating in the Shattered Ravines.
• Once this quest has been completed, Hordes of Darkness will no longer spawn in The Alkali Pan.

Walkthrough

Travel northwards to The Shattered Ravines. The Elder Siege Wurms that your wurm needs to devour are located to the north east (location "a" on the map). There is a chance Desert Wurms spawn among the Elder Siege Wurms too. Defeat all the Elders, to receive the elite skill Junundu Siege. Once you have acquired this skill and the quest updates, it will be available any time your character uses a junundu wurm.

Map travel back to the Bone Palace and exit west into The Alkali Pan. Destroy the three groups of Horde of Darkness (location "b") by firing Junundu Siege several times.

Finally, siege the Solitary Colossus to create a bridge to enter the Ruins of Morah (location "c"). Speak to Captain Mehhan for your reward.

Skip

It's possible to skip most of the quest, saving a lot of time. Equip a ranged degen or life steal skill and head out into The Alkali Pan. Don't bother fighting any of the enemies on the way to Ruins of Morah. Just get close enough to the barrier so that the Resurrection Shrine on the far side activates. Wipe your party (walking on the sulfur is the quickest way to do this and does not interfere with the Survivor title) and you'll res behind the barrier. Use your degen/life steal on the Solitary Colossus to kill it, cross the bridge, and speak to Captain Mehhan. You will unlock Junundu Siege on quest completion.

NPCs

Foes

Demons (Margonites)

• 24 (26) Horde of Darkness (in the Alkali Pan)

Monoliths

• 1 (22) Solitary Colossus (in the Alkali Pan)

Wurms (Undead)

• 28 (30) Elder Siege Wurm (in the Shattered Ravines)

Dialogue

Initial dialogue

Priest Kehmtut

"To finish this business, you will need firepower like you have never wielded before. The force you just defeated is nothing compared to what now rises in the Alkali Pan. To reach Varesh, you must face the Horde of Darkness...the very Margonites who fought the gods when Abaddon stormed the gates of heaven. Do not despair. The great wurms wield great power. Travel north to the Shattered Ravines where you will find elder siege wurms. Kill them and allow your great wurms to devour their carcasses, imbuing them with the carnal knowledge of how to use siege attacks. This is your only chance against the Horde. If you fail, the Horde of Darkness will spill forth across the world like an eternal shadow, and forever the eternal darkness shall reign. You living folk might want to see to that."

 Accept: "Yes. Yes, we really should see to that. Good idea."

 Decline: "God-battling demons and fire-spitting wurms, huh? Maybe later. First, I think I should go have a nice lie-down."

 Ask: "Before you battle the Horde of Darkness in the Alkali Pan, you must first travel north to the Shattered Ravines and teach your wurms how to shoot long range siege attacks. Fill their bellies with elder siege wurms and they will learn this awesome power."

Intermediate dialogue

Captain Mehhan

"You are the ones Morgahn has sided with? It is good to see such bright heroes in a time of total darkness. Ah, I see you can tell I have been touched by Varesh's dark god, Abaddon. Yes. It is true. I was left behind when Varesh sent her forces into Vabbi to hunt the Sunspears. As more and more of her army received the dark god's "blessing," some were driven mad while others committed suicide rather than suffer the madness. I had to stay strong even as I descended into darkness. I knew Morgahn would need good men if he were to ever return. So, I remained with Varesh as she crossed the Desolation and seized the Bone Palace. Varesh then pushed on toward the Mouth of Torment, where she now performs her dark ceremony even as we speak. As the ceremony swelled, the strongest creatures I've ever encountered rallied for battle. That was the Horde of Darkness you just decimated. Abaddon only knows what you will face next. I was left in charge of Varesh's final line of defense but, as you can see, I am at Morgahn's service, not hers. What would you have of me?"

We must reach the Mouth of Torment.

"Of course. I am here to serve Morgahn. I've seen what Varesh's dark god plans for this world; it is not what I would want for my children...or anyone else. Even though I've been "blessed," that doesn't mean I cannot fight this battle to the end. Let me know when you are ready."

We are ready. (Sent to Horde of Darkness (cinematic))

We are not ready yet.

Reward dialogue

Captain Mehhan

"Please take this with my thanks. You see, Morgahn and I were close friends, even though his father was a high-ranking noble and mine just a simple guard captain. We both worship Lyssa and grew up viewing the world in much the same way. He and I have seen more than our share of dire situations and have saved each other's lives more times than either of us care to remember. I would follow him into the depths of the Realm of Torment if he so commanded. It is a shame Varesh and Bayel could not inspire that loyalty."

Notes

• You will receive Junundu Siege during the course of this quest, or when you complete the quest if you take the shortcut (see next note).
• There are two shortcuts for this quest.

• If you get a character with Junundu Siege to join your character's party, they can kill the Horde of Darkness and the Solitary Colossus for your character, allowing your character to complete the quest without going to get the siege skill first.
• If you trigger the shrine on the other side of the gate and die, you can resurrect on the other side and kill the Colossus with degen hexes. If you've already acquired the outpost this way, you can complete the quest by simply walking out and talking to Captain Mehhan.

• There may be a Desert Wurm in the cave before the Elder Siege Wurms. Ensure he is not there or kill it before going for the wurms, or it may pop out in the middle of the fight.
• Since you are headed in that direction, Strange Bedfellows followed by Under New Management from Palawa Joko have great synergy with this quest.
• You may wish to go and unlock the Lair of the Forgotten outpost before going to the Elder Siege Wurms.