"The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven. Thus on the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves; on the other, a victory that is complete."
--The Art of War, Sun Tzu
By Grandmaster training level, everything you know and can do will be tested by the deadliest foes from the extraplanar realms of Shavarath and the Dream Plane. You are the Outsider there, fighting on the enemy's world. This is a realm of eternal war and chaos. If you do not match its intensity, you'll be cast among the bones of the failed.
Devil Battlefield (wilderness area)
- The area's denizens are rarely alone and attack you in groups. The rare encounters here are some of the deadliest in the game.
- Cold Iron, Good weaponry are essential. Your ability to endure and manage your resources is paramount. Thankfully, you're a Monk. Rotate your stances and generate ki as you need it.
- Use stealth to avoid mobs and slay them at will.
- Several of the rare encounters are either horned devils or pit fiends, which require Silver+Good to effectively destroy.
Sins of Attrition (flagging quest)
- After a point, the statues you encounter come alive. Waves of these mobs may quickly overwhelm you without a good tactic to slow them down or eliminate them fast.
- Shavarath environmental effects make traditional melee tactics such as paralysis ineffective, and banishing is impossible. Stealth may be great here to avoid some fighting (although not all).
- Fast Shadowdancers might be able to tumble through walls of enemies trying to block you in as you sneak down hallways.
A New Invasion (flagging quest)
- Follow the right or left wall and stay on that path until you find your hole to the next level.
- There are huge mobs here. Kill them or avoid them.
- Sometimes the best way to defeat the final boss is to go alone into the round trapped room. Light Monks can remove their own curses while attacking and evading all at once, if you time things right. Stick and move. You'll need this fighting tactic in Epic quests. Be warned; anything left on the trapped platforms (players, their soulstones) activate the platforms!
Bastion of Power (flagging quest)
- Stealth (with a few Quivering Palm assassinations) can save you time and fighting here. Portals frequently appear that will spawn enemies if you are found and until you destroy the portals.
- On the first floor, you need to find two switches to open the way forward. You simply need to find the right paths to lead you to successive upper levels and eventually to the boss room.
- The boss is a horned devil that occasionally reverses gravity. At that moment, attempt to get to one of the ledges above the fight where a switch will unlock the third of three chests awaiting you after the quest is done.
- Stay alert after the devil is slain--a powerful Maralith demon and her entourage appear immediately after. Slay her quickly--the longer she is around, the more powerful she seems to get.
Genesis Point (flagging quest)
- This area is filled with mobs and more mobs. After you clear out the top level, occasional respawns will appear.
- This quest is difficult but not wholly impossible to solo. You'll need a hireling and to turn up your graphic effects so that you can direct your hireling to target switches on the upper level while you are standing on the lower level. To make it easier, just organize a live party.
- You can decide which end-fight to complete. Commonly, the path to the three mephits is easiest.
The Weapons Shipment
- Enemies scale with Difficulty level and number of members in your party, including hirelings. Don't underestimate the spawns.
- Use every Tainted attack you have.
- Use any Cleave effect you have.
- Go at it alone against the entire mob if you're a Light Monk. You are "Neo" against the "Smiths" in this scenario. Revel in it.
Wrath of the Flame
- The Silver Flame fighters and mages are Good-aligned. You can't banish them. An Evil weapon will help. You'll find their saves against stunning and their preparedness against death effects challenging.
- When you reach the yugoloth prisoner, don't kill any further Flame guards. Instead, target Lightbringer nearby. She is not who she says.
Tower of Despair (raid)
- This is actually a relatively easy raid with a party effective at killing demons. Don't fall off stairs or ledges anywhere in this raid or you may never be recovered.
- In Part 1, you make your way to the Jailer and Judge. The Judge is a horned devil that loves to throw healing-curses and fling you about into the deadly Shavarath lava of his lair. Most melees will be occupied on killing him first, then the Jailer, an Orthon, who also loves to throw people.
- Don't die in Part 1, or you and your soulstone will be put in a jail and cannot be revived until both bosses are dead and the door is opened.
- Part 2 is arguably the toughest for some. An experienced spellcaster will need to use Walls of Fire or other attacks to lure away very deadly shadow creatures that give massive cold damage, while the rest of the party slays the shadow demon at his throne. Don't use area-of-effect attacks here or you may lure the minions to the throne and doom the party.
- Part 3 requires you to wear the Boots of Anchoring to avoid being banished back to Stormreach. Horoth is often tanked by someone when a second demon, "Sully," appears. Killing only Horoth gains a chest, but you get a second with killing Sully first. A Light Monk is essential here--your Grasp of the Earth Dragon anti-stun buff will be needed by everyone as Horoth has a nasty stun attack.
- The end-chests give you the singular opportunity to obtain an Incredible Potential ring. You can use any of these bound-to-character-on-acquire rings to apply Holy Burst effects, not just the Monk-aligned ones. Keep any ring you might get, and roll for any that are offered for trade. The Monk rings (with their companion necklaces from the flagging quests) give special benefits if you can get them together.
Inspired Quarter/The Dreaming Dark
- Dream creatures are often ethereal and hard to hit. Some are healed by elemental damage types.
- Rather than enter in the front door in "The Mindsunder," consider another entrance. Look up.
- Take down enemy mages first and fast. Most of the Inspired Quarter's casters love to drain energy. Death Ward is a must.
- Dream wraiths often damage your ability scores. Too much ability damage and you'll become helpless and uncentered.
- The Dreaming Dark boss has Crystal+Good damage reduction. He also quickly damages your abilities and uses nightmarish minions to distract and disable your party as you fight him. They aren't absolutely required, but where might you find some Crystal handwraps?