Last updated: Exalt Version 2.2.0.1 (Dec 2021) |
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Unlike practically all other dungeons, the Ice Cave is not a race to the boss room, but rather, a dungeon where you must clear out the enemies in order to fight the boss, similar to the Haunted Cemetery. While this dungeon has a high difficulty rating, it really isn’t that difficult once you get the hang of it. However, as with most things, you should be very alert in this dungeon. Going AFK is one of the quickest ways to die in this dungeon, as massive drags are very common, and it’s not hard to get caught in the middle of one. In this dungeon, DEF is actually not the most crucial stat to have maxed, as almost all shots are armor piercing. It helps to be maxed in DEX, but overall, a character that has good equipment and a couple pots under their belt should do fine in this dungeon.
The Lord of the Lost Lands will guaranteed drop the Ice Cave. He is a simple boss to defeat, just clear out the minions, don’t sit on him, and especially avoid his large red Bleeding shots.
The Ice Cave Key can also be purchased from the Nexus for 100 .
The entire Esben Necromancer Set can drop from this dungeon. The Staff of Esben is the only staff that can pierce multiple targets, however, it can be seen as inferior to spellblades, the latter of which both armor pierces and hits multiple targets. The Skullish Remains of Esben is the only skull in the game that can inflict Slowed, giving it great use as a support skull. Esben’s Shaman Attire, similarly to both the skull of the same set and the Spider’s Eye Ring, can also inflict Slowed, albeit more rarely. Finally, Esben’s Wedding Ring can be considered an upgrade to the Ring of Unbound Attack, as it not only gives the same +10 ATT, but an additional +30 HP and MP. The -5 DEF debuff can be negligeble, as it’s such a small amount and is especially negated on high DEF classes.
The boss can be a good source of Tier 12 weapons early on, as it is one of the few sources of it besides Oryx the Mad God 2.
This dungeon can also drop all four pieces of the Nordic Knight Set from its various enemies and the boss. The set gives a high amount of HP, SPD, ATT, and VIT, making the wearer become fast, durable, and do a lot of damage.
The boss also drops two miscellanious ST pieces. Namely, the Vortex Plating and Hailstorm. The Vortex Plating is the armor piece of the Corrupted Paladin Set. It has great crowd clearing potential due to its proc despite its low DEF. Meanwhile, the Hailstorm is the weapon piece of the Storm Caller Bard Set, which pierces armor, although it has less DPS than tiered bows, but is good if you need to get the full set.
The boss is one of the few sources of the Potion of Mana, along with a Potion of Dexterity, and should be used to farm for Mana during mid-game stages, along with a couple other dungeons.
Any of the enemies or minions can be Stunned, allowing you to keep many of your friends/allies safe from harm. Having plenty of mana, which can be achieved by wearing an MP ring for example, should do your Knight good when Stunning, but switch to another beneficial ring when the mana runs out, as the ring would render useless unless you wait it out.
The Knight can be very useful in the boss room, since the Stun gives you the ability to save your friends from the Icy Whirlwinds, and Stunning the Cursed Graves that inflict Paralyzed to you and spawn the Icy Whirlwinds. Be careful of the blue shots the boss shoots at you; if you’re hit by one of them, you’ll receive a long Quiet effect.
Paladins and Warriors are perfect to buff up the DPS of your group, making it easier to shred through groups of enemies. If both classes are present, you can really wreak havoc, especially with classes wielding piercing weapons, such as wands, bows and katanas.
These classes are great to help people with clearing the Icy Whirlwinds and they already have great DPS even without their buff. However, like the Knight, be aware of the blue shots that the boss shoots if there isn’t another Paladin/Warrior with you and that person is Quieted, this can lower your DPS quite a bit.
The Mystic is very powerful in this dungeon, but only when used effectively, not for trolling. A Mystic with a good orb can easily Curse the enemies and, if they need to, Stasis a large amount of annoying minions like the Mini Yetis. The Curse effect synergizes beautifully with the buffs of the Paladin/Warrior, as it increases the damage that the group deals, meaning an easier time killing monsters.
The Mystic can stasis the Icy Whirlwinds that the Cursed Graves spawn as well as Curse any surrounding enemies to increase the damage dealt.
These classes are suited with amazing weapons, they have some of the best piercing weapons in the game and with their moderately high range, you can cover a lot of ground, but the downfall is their low DPS when using tiered bows. With buffs and a Curse, they can actually mow down a huge swarm of enemies with ease. They can also Slow/Paralyze enemies, making it easier to aim.
On the boss itself, tiered bows deal relatively low damage, so switching to the Doom Bow if you have one is a good idea. Paralyzing the tornados allows you to hit the Cursed Graves safely.
These classes are most preferable in this dungeon, but any class can do this, so it all comes down to the player’s personal preference.
Layout:
There are two possible types of layouts you can get within the Ice Cave. One type is a simple linear path from the spawn to the Inner Sanctum, with the spawn area at the start and the Inner Sanctum portal spawn at the very end. The other type of map is a little trickier. Instead of a single short path, it consists of two paths with two spawn areas, and the Inner Sanctum being in the middle of the path. It is easier for you to clear a single segmented path, as it is short, straightforward, and makes soloing more possible. However, if you happen to get a two segment path, hope that you brought a group. The two segmet layout is more group oriented, as it is intended for two groups of people to clear from spawn and meet up in the middle at the Inner Sanctum.
Be wary of the slippery ice, as it can be hard to maneuver. Especially try not to walk into hazards such as enemies or Tearing Frost, as they can deplete your HP quickly. Once all enemies have been defeated, the portal to the Inner Sanctum will appear, where the boss is located.
The Mini Yetis aren’t of large concern, as they initally circle the Big Yeti. However, their shots do armor pierce, so remain on guard for that. The Big Yetis are of much more concern, as they deal 200 damage with each of their shots and grenades. Focus on the Big Yetis, then clear out the Mini Yetis afterwards.
Similarly to the Yetis, Snow Bats have a large spawning minion, the Snow Bat Mama, and the minions spawned from it, the Snow Bats. For the Snow Bat Mana, focus on sidestepping the lines of orange shots. They also inflict Unstable, which can hinder your DPS. Especially focus on dodging the large purple Confused star, as you can end up accidentally walking onto the Snow Bat Mana when trying to dodge the rest of her attacks. As with before, the small Snow Bats aren’t of large concern, spawning statoinary shots dealing a measly 100 damage.
The Iceion is one of the two standalone large minions in this dungeon. The Iceion starts shooting a 3-armed clockwise spiral of white crescents inflicting Quiet dealing 120 damage each. Upon 50% HP, it will then begin its same attack, but this time chase players and simultaneously shoot an aimed spread of blades dealing 180 damage. For the first phase, simply rotate or deal damage from afar if you’re a ranged class. The second phase is a bit trickier. It is best to drag the Iceion around, which can be hard due to the slippery ice floor of the dungeon.
The Lizicle is the other standalone large minion of the Ice Cave. It shoots 4 way lines of boomeranging Crystal Shards with a high 180 damage each, making this attack alone dangerous. However, the Lizicle also shoots a wide spread of blue orbs to the closest player doing 130 damage each. Ranged classes will have an easier time as they can do damage from afar. Melee classes will have to do more dodging. Try to sidestep the lines of Crystal Shards and move in between the gaps of blue orbs. Due to the slippery nature of the dungeon’s floor, it is best to move only when necessary, and not make unnecessary movements. Again, ranged classes will have an easier time, while melees will have to deal with the seemingly erratic attacks.
The Creepy Weird Dark Spirit Mirror Image Monster is a recurring minion within the Inner Sanctum. There are two versions of this minion. Its small version during Phase 2 of the boss fight, and its large version in Phase 4. The small version simply shoots 5 shots in 5 evenly spaced directions. The large version meanwhile shoots both towards the boss and to nearby players. The small version is arguably easier. Just sidestep the shots. For the larger version, try to rotate with the Creepy Weird Dark Spirit Mirror Image Monsters and damage them.
The Cursed Grave is a simple turret enemy in the Inner Sanctum. It only has one attack that doesn’t even damage you but does Paralyze. Just try not to get Paralyzed and you should be fine.
The Icy Whirlwind is a small minion spawned by the Cursed Grave. It has two different shots that both pierce armor, along with its purple shot inflicting Confused. It also slowly chases players while attacking. Simply drag it around and damage it.
Taunts upon activation:
”Welcome. Come closer to accept your reward.”
“Come in… come in.”
“Ah, fresh meat. I must thank you for the souls…”
Esben the Unwilling is found in the middle of the room, taunting before beginning the fight. He has various shots dealing a fair amount of damage and many a few status effects, but can be dealt with fairly well if done properly.
Taunts:
”The ice I throw is of my construction, but when it hits you it means destruction!”
“Ice is cold, blood is thick, you being alive makes me sick!”
“Bad puns I may use to cause offense, but the pain you will feel shall be immense!”
“Icicles, rend their flesh!”
“I will cut you to shreds!”
“Your soul will soon nourish me.”
“Your entrails will make fine decorations!”
Esben attacks from the middle of the room, cycling rapidly between three attacks:
For his two armed purple spiral attack, try to weave in between the gaps. Another way is to quickly rotate with the purple shots to the next ice set of ice walls to hide behind. His icicle barrage is much harder to dodge due to how unpredictable the shots are. It is best to avoid it entirely and stay away from where Esben is shooting. Finally, rotate to the next ice walls for cover to avoid the Grey Boomerangs.
In order to progress to Phase 2, you must destroy all 8 Cursed Graves. Avoid getting paralyzed in the gaps between the ice walls, as they’ll leave you at the mercy of Esben’s shots.
Taunts:
”YOU FOOLSssSsss…”
“LOSING…CONTROL…NOOOO!”
“H…help…”
Esben will rapidly alternate between his monstrous and human form, before disappearing entirely. However, while invisible, he will shoot out rings of purple armor piercing shots, with each ring adding in one more shot. Afterwars, 8 smaller versions of the Creepy Weird Dark Spirit Mirror Image Monsters will spawn around the edges of the room, which must all be defeated in order to move to Phase 3. They don’t move around much and their shots don’t have much range, so just sidestep their shots.
Taunts:
”Please, do not let him consume my soul…”
“End it… quickly! Before he returns.”
“You must destroy me. It is the only way to banish him.”
“I can barely hold on. Please. Do it.”
Esben will transform into his human form and become vulnerable. This is your chance to deal as much damage as possible, since there are no hazards in this phase and Esben will only turn back to his monstrous form at 50% HP. Once he does reach that threshold and transform back, Phases 1 and 2 will repeat, ending again in this phase. Upon reaching this phase a second time, Esben will be vulnerable again, this time until only a small amount of his HP is left, which is when he’ll go into the next phase.
Taunts upon transformation back:
”Fools! You though it SO EASY!!”
“You will not have him. He is mine.”
“HAHAHAHA”
Taunts:
”Noooo! Shades, come to me. Protect the corpus.”
“YOU’LL NOT HAVE ME! ESBEN IS MY VESSEL!”
Esben will return to being Invulnerable and seal himself in giant transparent ice sphere. 8 larger versions of the Creepy Weird Dark Spirit Mirror Image Monsters will then spawn around the edges of the room and begin rotating clockwise. They will simultaneously shoot at players and towards the boss. Your best strategy here is to rotate with the minions and kill them off while doing so. The more minions defeated, the more room you have to rotate in. Once all of them are defeated, Esben’s ice sphere will disappear and he will for the final time become vulnerable. Simply damage him down and kill him for your loot.
The Ice Cave is a lengthy dungeon with many enemies and a boss that does deal a fair bit of damage and shots. However, the loot he drops is great, as he gives a powerful set for both the Knight and Necromancer, has a chance at dropping some decent mid-game gear, and is a reliable source of Potions of Mana. The boss also drops a couple of random ST sets, which are decent and are needed to complete their full respective sets.