Deep Cavern Walkthrough

01Quick facts

02Terrain and weather

Your light radius in the cavern is ×0.6 of normal, and there are ×1.3 as many walls. Ranged Skeleton Archers and Fossilized Antlions often shoot from the dark, so watch for bullets flying in from the edges of the screen.

From 2:00 on, each minute there's a 18% chance the weather changes, lasting about a minute. Weather affects you and the monsters alike:

03Monsters you'll meet (15 types)

Monsters change in waves over time, and the later ones are stronger. Each run draws part of the list, so you won't necessarily meet every one. The brackets show when each mainly appears; click a name to see its weaknesses and behavior in the bestiary.

Spiderling0:00–4:20Antlion Hatchling0:00–4:20Brittle Skeleton0:00–2:40Zombie0:00–8:20Fire Ant1:10–8:20Plague Bloaterfrom 1:10Goblin Miner2:40–8:20Cursed Gravefrom 2:40Spider Matriarchfrom 2:40Ghost Zombiefrom 4:20Fossilized Antlionfrom 4:20Dark Zombiefrom 4:20Antlionfrom 4:20Armored Antlionfrom 6:20Dragonfrom 8:20

04Which elements to bring

The table shows, for the 15 monster types in this stage, how many each element is effective against and how many resist it. Effective means ×1.6, resisted means ×0.6, and Undead take only ×0.3 from poison.

In Deep Cavern, Fire pays off the most. For the full matchup rules, see Element Chart.

05Bosses

• 3:00 mid-boss: Necromancer, Skeleton Lord, one at random.
• 6:00 mid-boss: Skeleton Lord, Skeleton Knight, one at random (never the same as at 3:00).
• 9:00 guardian: Plague Lich. At 8:00 you get a warning that the guardian arrives in one minute.

The guardian enrages at half health, moving faster and attacking more often. When it falls, it drops a legendary item on the spot and a blue portal opens next to it: you only clear the stage once you step into the portal, and dying before that doesn't count.

For the guardian's attacks, warning areas and weaknesses, see the Plague Lich guide.

06Strength on the three difficulties

Each stage comes in three difficulties: Normal, Nightmare and Hell. The multipliers below already include this stage's own difficulty (stage 2; later stages are tougher):

Normal is especially forgiving: half the health and damage, 20% fewer monsters, and later stages scale up only half as much. Nightmare unlocks after clearing all five stages on Normal, and Hell after clearing all five on Nightmare. Legendary drop rates are ×1.5 on Nightmare and ×2 on Hell; see Legendary Gear.

07Story chapter 2: Whispers in the Cavern

Whispers in the Cavern

The miners of the Deep Cavern never came back, and a necromancer went down after them. Find out what is pouring out of the depths.

The first time you take on Deep Cavern on Normal, solo, while Vesper the Necromancer hasn't joined your town yet, the run turns into the story.

At 3:30 you find an abandoned miners' camp, where Vesper the necromancer holds off the plague undead with her skeletons inside a chalk circle. Break the two Plague Wells spewing undead and poison fog, then stay inside her circle for 45 seconds while she seals the source. Until the seal is done the clock stops at 7:59; once the Plague Lich arrives, he takes no damage while any Plague Well is flowing.

Beat the guardian and step into the portal, and Vesper joins your town; from then on you can switch to the Necromancer at the campfire. If you fail and try again, the story is told more briefly. Once the hero has joined, talk to the militia guard at this road's exit to replay the chapter. For the full walkthrough, see the story guide.

08Tips

• Poison is nearly useless here: Undead are almost immune to poison (×0.3) and Insects resist it too, and together they make up most of the stage. If you have poison skills, make another element your main damage.
• Holy and Fire hit Undead for ×1.6, and Fire hits Insects for ×1.6 too. They're the two safest elements here.
• Plague Bloaters leave poison pools when they die: don't stand where you killed one, and don't kill one on the path you're about to take.
• Stay in the light: when surrounded, fall back into an area you've just cleared instead of charging into the dark.
• Graves don't move: Cursed Graves keep spawning zombies, so tear them down on sight.

New to Endless Curse? Read How a Run Works first to learn what happens during those 9 minutes.

09FAQ

Why is the Deep Cavern so dark?

That's the stage's twist: your light radius is only 60% of normal, so monsters are often very close before you can see them.

Are poison skills good in the Deep Cavern?

No. Most of the stage is Undead and Insects: poison hits Undead for just ×0.3 and Insects for ×0.6. Fire and Lightning work much better.

When does the Plague Lich appear?

At 9:00. In chapter two of the story, Vesper first has to seal the source, and until then the clock stops at 7:59.