BEFALLEN

Allakhazam Links: Bestiary || Equipment || Quests || Strategy
Text last updated: 07/19/01
Map last updated: 07/19/01

Description

Befallen was once the site of a wonderful temple, a reclusive home for the monks who maintained it. Many blame the dark elves for what it has become, but whatever the cause, Befallen is now a home to the undead its inhabitants used to hunt and destroy. Individuals who thrive on these beings have also taken up residence in its halls, necromancers and shadow knights.

Dangers

Befallen is a small dungeon filled to the brim with undead creatures of all sorts. If that doesn't give you enough of a feel for the danger here, I'll explain more. Trains and being swarmed here are the largest danger to anyone adventuring into the halls. Most adventurers would describe this place as difficult to adventure in without dying at least once, and usually for one of the above reasons.

First off, the trains can be atrocious. There is a very low level area (the 1st floor) and a quite high level area (3rd floor). On the 3rd floor (well, on any floor actually) it is very easy to be swarmed and overwhelmed, and many people, if they don't die, will then be running for the exit. This causes problems for the people who lie along their path. Many of the monsters will jump off of the train and attack people that they pass by, but even worse is what happens when the person that all the monsters are chasing either zones or dies, and that is that the entire train walks back down to its level again. Along the way, they will attack anyone within their frenzy radius (which is almost the whole dungeon, it is so small). The trains are also more deadly because, if you are fleeing them, you have to somehow try and open locked doors from your inventory screen while being slammed.

As for the swarming, if you are able to walk in the front door and look down into the main hall when it hasn't been cleared out in a while, you will have a good idea of how this is readily possible. From your standpoint at the top of the stairs, there are at least four skeletons within view. Each of these skeletons is in attack trigger range of each other one, so basically, if you are low enough level to get experience from killing them, attacking one will bring all four onto you, which if you can get experience from them, can be tough to handle. Needless to say, every single room in the whole dungeon has essentially the same design, so either get used to soloing greens and low blues, or get in a group. It's even worse when you get jumped by creatures who spawn during your fight, so keep your eyes peeled and your keys handy (in order to create the trains mentioned above).

Specific dangers... Mummies attack, and mummies cause rabies. If you cannot cure disease, make sure you are friendly to someone who can (and will). Sitting or, even worse, meditating, is a surefire way to get swarmed. Basically, what happens is when you do either (or loot, incidentally) you increase the attack radius for any creatures around you. In other words, they will attack someone who is sitting down at a farther distance than someone who is standing. Also, aggressive greens (everything here) will attack when you sit, so if you sit down next to a decaying skeleton, he will attack you. Very annoying and potentially dangerous depending on your level. Necromancers are pure evil (no kidding, right?). They are much more deadly than they /con to you, especially since the normal rules of spellcasting that you and I follow do not apply to NPC casters (rules like not casting while running, using mana, being interrupted, etc). They tend to run early, so kill them fast and effectively.

Benefits

Most people who come to hunt here are either looking for a specific item, either quest or otherwise, or are necromancers, clerics or paladins who have spells specifically designed for dealing with the undead. For them, this place is a great area in which to increase their experiences in the world, and almost anybody will group with them if they are interested in doing so.

For the rest of us, this place has a lot to offer still. The various undead have a high spawn rate and carry around a lot of cash, so if you're careful it's very easy to make a lot of experience and a lot of money. Some of the higher undead carry bronze weapons and rawhide armor, which is worth a fair amount of money.

The Keys

This dungeon is unique among the lower level dungeons in that you need to obtain keys to move around the dungeon at will. All of the keys are obtained by killing various shadowknights, and the shadowknights will give the appropriate key and also all keys lower down in the key chain. For instance the second SK gives her key as well as the splintered wooden one. The first key, the splintered wooden key, is obtained from all the SK's, but must initially be obtained from the dark elf SK in the room to the west of the well and where Skeleton Lrodd spawns. This opens the first locked door. The second key, the charred bone key, comes off of the female SK in the room with the pits, and opens the door directly across the hall. The third key, smoked glass key, spawns off of the ogre SK who also spawns the barbed armplates. People will also sometimes leave this key on wimpy skeletons or rats on the top level for someone else to pick up later on, since it is No Rent. This key opens the third and final door at the bottom of the ruined stair. All of these keys can be obtained from the female shadow knight on the third level, so if you fall down, you can still walk back out. This key is also a no camp item, so if you log off when you come back it will be gone. You can also reach the lower level by either falling through the pits in the female SK room or going through the pit (not recommended due to significant damage from fall).

Travelling To and From Befallen

Befallen can be reached through a small, partially hidden tunnel along the southern wall of the West Commonlands. An unholy glow marks the entrance at night, and during the day one must climb the dunes to find it, as it is hidden behind an upward-jutting sand dune.