Burning Crypt Walkthrough

01Quick facts

02Terrain and weather

There are ×1.4 as many lava pools as on a normal map. Standing in lava burns 6% of your max health plus 5 every 0.5 seconds and can kill you in seconds; Fire-type monsters don't mind it at all.

The weather is mostly harsh sunlight or sandstorms. Harsh sunlight makes Fire damage ×1.5 and Ice ×0.5, for you and the monsters alike.

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.

Brittle Skeleton0:00–2:40Skeleton0:00–6:20Skeleton Archerwhole runZombie0:00–8:20Fire Ant1:10–8:20Plague Bloaterfrom 1:10Cursed Gravefrom 2:40Skeleton Magefrom 2:40Ghost Zombiefrom 4:20Fire Skeleton Magefrom 4:20Dark Zombiefrom 4:20Fire Gravefrom 6:20Armored Antlionfrom 6:20Fire Wyvernfrom 8:20Dragonfrom 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 Burning Crypt, Holy pays off the most. For the full matchup rules, see Element Chart.

05Bosses

• 3:00 mid-boss: Skeleton Lord.
• 6:00 mid-boss: Skeleton Knight.
• 9:00 guardian: Abyss Lord. 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 Abyss Lord 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 5; 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 5: Light of the Crypt

Light of the Crypt

A white light shines at the entrance of the Burning Crypt: someone has stood guard there alone for days. It all began there. Go and close the seal.

The first time you take on Burning Crypt on Normal, solo, while Lumen the Paladin hasn't joined your town yet, the run turns into the story.

At 3:30 you reach the crypt's forecourt, where Lumen the paladin is surrounded by fiery undead inside a fading dome of light. Escort him along the path to the altar, waiting for the lava rivers to fall whenever they rise; inside his light, lava doesn't burn you. At half health the Abyss Lord drops the half key: bring it to the altar to close the seal, and only then is he trapped and takes double damage.

Beat the guardian and step into the portal, and Lumen joins your town; from then on you can switch to the Paladin 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

• Never stand in lava: when surrounded, take a hit or two from monsters rather than backing into lava.
• Holy works best: most of the stage is Undead, Holy hits Undead and Dragons for ×1.6, and nothing here resists it. Fire is decent too, but gets no bonus against Fire-type monsters like the Fire Ant, Fire Skeleton Mage, Fire Grave and Fire Wyvern.
• Don't rely on Ice, poison or Shadow: Undead resist all three, so they often barely scratch things here.
• Careful in harsh sunlight: Fire becomes ×1.5, so Fire-type monsters hit harder too. Dodge those Fire Ant explosions.
• Tear down Fire Graves first: they don't move but keep spawning Fire Ants.
• The toughest story stage: monster health is 1.6 times that of stage 1, so build up your talents and gear on earlier stages first.

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

09FAQ

How much damage does lava do in the Burning Crypt?

6% of your max health plus 5 every 0.5 seconds; Fire-type monsters are immune. A few seconds and you're down, so always go around it.

Which element should I bring to the Burning Crypt?

Holy is best, since almost every monster is weak to it; Fire comes next. Ice, poison and Shadow are mostly resisted by the Undead here.

What comes after the Burning Crypt?

Clearing all five stages on Normal unlocks Nightmare difficulty and the Normal Secret Cow Level.