Caverns

Loading screen of Caverns

“	Filthy and perilous as these tunnels may be, there is plunder left to be found. Collect what you are able.	„
	~ The Captain, when entering a Caverns mission.

The Caverns is the second Location dungeon that can be explored (Note: so is Exposed Interior). They are dark and cold passageways home to the Troglodytes (or Trogs for short). Tough environmental conditions and centuries of utilizing Amber made human slaves of the fallen Kvarotz Empire devolve into terrible, unintelligent beasts retaining only a mere fraction of their culture, twisting their humanity into something disturbingly uncanny. Individually, such Troglodytes are quite weak, however their strength comes in numbers.

This region is your prime source of Amber. The nature of Amber-hungry Flameseeker activities makes this region the lifeblood of your expedition. Getting as much amber as possible should be your #1 priority when delving into the deep.

Caverns Strategy

Provisions

TBA.

What to expect?

• The layout of Caverns is a signature feature, generating as a large set of rooms with tiny one-tile hallways connecting them. It allows for this region to have the most amount of room fights of all.
• Another signature mechanic of this region is the new Swarm enemy type: these small enemies summon an ally on the third turn, essentially making them a 2-for-1 enemy pack. This also doubles their HP pool and heals. Try to kill swarmers as quickly as possible.
• A lot of enemies use amber-dependant abilities here. Getting Amberblight on some of your heroes is a common occurrence.
• Trogs are squishy, but are VERY speedy and evasive. Their carapaces also tend to protect them from DoT effects, so both blight and bleed teams are not really recommended here. Some troglodytes also have reasonable PROT.
• All Troglodytes ignore Stealth. Completely. Glass cannon Grave Robber is probably not a good choice.
• Diseases are everywhere. A lot of moves trogs use have a chance of infecting your character, so make sure to bring as much Disease Kits as you can.
• Stress and especially horror are also very common and can get out of hand quickly if left unattended.
• Position 3 is usually a safe zone, where your squishier heroes usually tend to be. In this region, it is not safe.
• Scouting and prevention of your party being surprised is incredibly helpful in here with the number of fights you are going to take.
• Mission goals are a bit more forgiving in Caverns: to finish a quest, only 80% of rooms need to be discovered and 90% of room fights have to be be completed to account for this dungeon having more rooms and this being longer overall.

Party Composition

Heroes reliant on Bleed or Blight effects will struggle in these caves due to hardy Troglodyte carapace. Some Trogs may be slightly weaker to Bleed but strong to Blight, and vice-versa. However, Heroes that utilize attacking Marked enemies will shine, as well as Stun attacking the Trogs. Bounty Hunter and Occultist will do well in marking/debuffing enemies, then having the former and any heavy-hitters attack.

Strategy

TBA.

Things to watch out for

• Lesser Sandwurm is an unfortunately common tank that burrows and hides, then can deal extreme damage and Bleed to your team, similar to Crocodilians of Darkest Dungeon. Having higher Dodge, Bleed, and debuff-dealing handy can cripple the beast, but be warned of its Stun immunity.

List of Enemies

Enemies in the Catacombs
Enemy	HP	DODGE	PROT	SPD	Resistances	Abilities
Lesser Sandwurm	33	6%	10%	6	Stun - 300% Blight - ?% Bleed - ?% Debuff/Mark - ?% Move - 300%
Troglodyte Cultivator	51	15%	20%	8	Stun - 45% Blight - 70% Bleed - 90% Debuff/Mark - 55% Move - 35%
Troglodyte Lurker	41	20%	0%	22	Stun - 50% Blight - 75% Bleed - 50% Debuff/Mark - 70% Move - 30%
Troglodyte Piker	36	18%	0%	14	Stun - 40% Blight - 80% Bleed - 45% Debuff/Mark - 55% Move - 30%
Troglodyte Pterotillus	38	24%	0%	16	Stun - 40% Blight - 80% Bleed - 50% Debuff/Mark - 70% Move - 40%