Wine Cellar Guide

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Last updated: Exalt Version 2.2.4.0 (Mar 2022)

Contents


Why & How to find the Wine Cellar

Why

T12 WeaponsT6 AbilitiesT13 ArmorsT5 Rings
The main reason people do the Wine Cellar is that many top tier items that can be found here, nicknamed “Wine Cellar Tops.” These consist of Tier 12 Weapons, Tier 6 Abilities, Tier 13 Armors, and Tier 5 Rings. While there are higher tiered armors, these items are still very viable late game, and are very sought after due to their nature.

Oryx's GreatswordChampion's BastionMercy's BaneBloodstone Ring
The Wine Cellar also drops the Oryx’s Battle Attires Set, a decent ST set for the Knight. The Mercy’s Bane in particular is a great DPS boosting armor and is even considered viable in endgame.

Tome of Holy Furor
The Tome of Holy Furor is the white bag UT of the Wine Cellar. It acts as a more DPS increasing tome, giving a temporary increase to DEX. There are other tomes better at directly dealing high damage, but this can be a good midgame damage boosting tome.

WinesPotion of DefensePotion of AttackPotion of VitalityPotion of Wisdom
While not normally run solely for this, the Wine Cellar can drop a few stat potions, specifically Potions of Defense, Potions of Attack, Potions of Vitality, and Potions of Wisdom. Also, the various minions throughout the dungeon have a rare chance of dropping different Wines. There are many different Wines, but the main effect is either healing +150 MP or +150 HP. The HP restoring Wines may be more preferrable for surviving, especially the Fire Water, as it restores a whopping +230 HP not given by any other healing consumable in the game.

How

Wine Cellar Incantation

In order to open the Wine Cellar, first you must defeat the first Oryx the Mad God in his chamber. Upon his death, a Locked Wine Cellar Portal will appear. In order to unlock it, a player in the chamber must use a Wine Cellar Incantation, a rare, one-time use item dropped by many Realm and dungeon bosses. Once it has been unlocked, all players can enter the Wine Cellar.

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Navigation and Layout

The Wine Cellar has a predetermined layout which looks like this:

Wine Cellar Map

Players begin on either the top or bottom right of the map, which is shaped like a maze; and progress through a bunch of enemies which inflict a range of status effects on you. Watch out for Red Down Arrow Slowed and Swirl Confused because these 2 hinder you the most, although Skull Sick can also be of concern if getting cornered and needing to heal. Yet still reaching Oryx 2 itself is fairly easy, given the fact that the enemies you encounter are mainly stationary. Do not try to clear the dungeon, you probably won’t reach Oryx in time. Almost any character can rush this unique dungeon with obviously the utmost care. Don’t be afraid to Nexus, its better to live and try again next time.

Enemies

Henchman of Oryx

Henchman of Oryx
The elite guard of the Wine Cellar, Henchmen of Oryx are the most threatening enemy in the dungeon, as not only are they very powerful, they are the ones who spawn the rest of the monsters there. Since they can create up to 3 other minions for backup, it is quite difficult to take them out. However, they can be run past. Avoid his Confuserang at all costs- it’s the spinning blue star- as it can Confuse you into its minions, or even worse, into Oryx.

Abomination of Oryx

Abomination of Oryx
A highly aggresive fighter, the Abomination lunges quickly at players before unloading a massive shotgun of 23 bullets, each dealing 50 damage. The bane of players with unmaxed defense, these guys can inflict massive damage with their attacks. However, they can only lunge in one direction, meaning their dash can easily be sidestepped. Since they have a cooldown between attacks, dodge its lunge and exploit the cooldown to attack or run past it.

Aberrant of Oryx

Aberrant of OryxAberrant Blaster
A more peculiar monster, the Abberant of Oryx does not attack you directly. Instead, it spawns Aberrant Blasters, small mines that explode into a directed spray of shots when approached. While they do not do too much damage, the Aberrant can throw them at a surprisingly long range. Keep your guard up and prepare to fire at any blasters that land near you, and do not sit on them at all costs.

Monstrosity of Oryx

Monstrosity of OryxMonstrosity Scarab
A highly dangerous enemy, the Monstrosity, like the Aberrant, does not attack. Instead, it spawns Monstrosity Scarabs, small enemies that dash at you and attempt to detonate on you, like Gray Blobs. However, unlike Gray Blobs, the Scarabs can deal immense damage if all the shots hit, potentially one-hit killing squishier classes. Exercise extreme caution and ensure the destruction of any Scarabs that are within your sight.

Bile of Oryx

Bile of OryxPurple Goo
A nasty creature and the nightmare of all rushers, the Bile moves around, leaving a trail of Purple Goo. While the bile doesn’t do any damage, the goo it makes does, and anyone that steps in it is inflicted with Sick and Slow. While the slow can make you a sitting duck for the other minions, it’s the Sick effect that is most devastating, as it prevents you from healing by any means, which can be catastrophic to rushing attempts. Nevertheless, these guys can be avoided pretty easily.

Vintner of Oryx

Vintner of Oryx
A more interesting enemy, Vintners of Oryx attack by throwing relatively slow wine bombs. While they do minimal damage, they inflict Wine Bottle Drunk, which impairs your vision, even more so with Hardware Acceleration on. Drunk can cause you to be unable to respond to threats faster, so set a Hotkey to enable you to turn off Hardware Acceleration and suffer only the milder version of Drunk, or just avoid their shots. Besides that, they are nearly no threat.

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Boss

Oryx the Mad God 2

Oryx the Mad God 2

Upon reaching Oryx the Mad God 2, you will find the fight to be completely different than from his form in his chamber. Oryx has 4 different phases, with the first and last being similar.

Phase 1

Oryx will wander around the middle of the room, periodically spawning minions. Oryx will also be shooting his infamous rainbow shotgun, which deals enormous damage and a wide variety of debuffs. This phase is one of the most danagerous phases in the battle. Tricksters and Knights are so valuable for this phase, as Tricksters can decoy the shotgun away from the group, while Knights can push in to chain stun Oryx. If neither class is present, clear out the minions and circle oryx as he shoots at you. While it is risky, it’s the best option if you have neither a Trickster or Knight.

Phases 2 and 3

The reason these phases are grouped together is because they are randomized. For Phase 2 and 3, Oryx will choose one phase out of 4 to use. He will never repeat this phase, so be prepared. Before beginning one of the phases, he will shoot a small ring of fire bolts while taunting. Taunts are very important for recognizing which phase Oryx is about to use next. They are easy to memorize since they usually describe the phase, but still be wary.

Exploding Suns Phase

Taunt: “Ignorant fools! I wield the power of exploding suns!”
Oryx returns to the middle of the room and begins firing a 4 way clockwise spiral of large armor piercing Sun Explosions. Each Sun Explosion splits into rings of 6 armor piercing yellow shots. The biggest danger in this phase is getting instantly killed by the Sun Explosions when they do explode, as they both armor pierce and deal massive damage. This makes high HP characters more valuable in tanking shots. There is no apparent foolproof way to push in, as the shots go both far away from and close to Oryx. People usually use two common strategies. The first is getting cloes to Oryx and rotating with the Sun Explosions. While it may seem risky, it’s very effective on tanky melee classes like the Knight or Warrior, who have high HP, and can also deal moderate damage. However, due to the unpredictable nature of the shots and how some will go inwards anyways, it is best to bring a lot of healing consumable. Then, once you start tanking a lot of damage, run out and use HP pots when necessary. The other way is for ranged classes to shoot from afar, sometimes pushing in a bit to land their shots, but mostly leeching in the back. Debuffs like Red Down Arrow Slowed and Paralyzed Icon Paralyzed are useful for keeping Oryx immobile and making it easier for people to push in for damage.

Chasing Phase

Taunt: “There is no point in running, but you will anyway!”
Oryx will become Wooden Shield Armored and immune to status effects like Red Down Arrow Slowed and Paralyzed Icon Paralyzed, as to not make the phase too easy. Oryx will then begin chasing the nearest player while simultaenousy shooting out spreads of highly damaging white bullets and the occasional 3 spread AOE attack. Oryx will also inflict a large AOE every few seconds that does no damage, but inflicts Red Down Arrow Slowed into anyone near it, making it harder to outrun him. Tricksters are great for this phase, as they can easily decoy Oryx in place. When decoyed, Oryx will simply circle the decoy and shoot towards it. This allows the group to easily deal damage. However, if you don’t have a Trickster, then the best way is to drag Oryx around the room and deal damage while dragging. This can be risky, since if you don’t have enough speed or let yourself get cornered, Oryx will most likely kill you instantly. Be very careful when turning corners. Finally, do not drag Oryx outside of the room. If you drag him out far enough, he will “rubberband” and move rapidly back towards the boss room. This can quickly kill and players who are in the way. If you see someone else doing this, move away from the hallway out of the room and step to the side to dodge Oryx.

Dance Phsse

Taunt: “Do you still remember how to dance? Haha!”
Oryx will return to the cener of the room and spawn a ring of rotating clockwise Bomb Artifacts around him, with one missing to enable a gap for players to run into. He will also be shooting rings of small Word Bubble Quiet shots that alternate between shots to create different gaps to weave in between. Throughout all this, Oryx will also throw out two AOE grenades at randomized points within the ring. You’re supposed to “dance” in the ring of Bomb Artifacts, sidestepping the Word Bubble Quiet shots and also dodging the AOE grenades. However, ranged classes can easily avoid the danger in this phase if a Bard is present, as they can give Inspired Icon Inspired to everyone and allow ranged classes to deal damage from afar.

Missile Phase

Taunt: “You cannot withstand this power!”
Oryx will return to the middle of the room and begin firing both a two way counterclockwise spiral of white stars inflicting Yellow Swirl Dazed, and a two way clockwise spiral of self detonating Bomb Artifacts. There are two simple strategies here. Either rotate counterclockwise to completely avoid the Yellow Swirl Dazed shots but risk tanking the Bomb Artifacts, or rotate clockwise to avoid the Bomb Artifacts, but be forced to weave in the gaps between the white Yellow Swirl Dazed shots and risk a large drop in DPS. Most groups tend to rotate counter clockwise so that they can retain their DPS and quickly push Oryx to the next phase. However, the normal way is to rotate clockwise to avoid both the Bomb Artifacts and weave in between the white missiles. While yes, you are risking a drop in DPS, it’s much more safe and easier to dodge.

Phase 4

Taunt: “That’s ENOUGH!”
Oryx will temporarily become Mithril Shield Invulnerable. When he returns to being vulnerable, he will chase the nearest player and begin using the same rainbow shotgun from before, with a few added shots. At the same time, Oryx will shoot out two rings of shots periodically, first starting at the beginning, then continuing throughout the phase. The first ring of shots inflicts Weak Icon Weak, while the second ring inflicts Word Bubble Quiet. They are both applied for a very long time, specifically, 10 seconds and 15 seconds, respectively. Furthermore, Oryx will rapidly spawn Monstrosity Scarabs from his yellow grenades. This phase is about as deadly as Phase 1. Make great care to dodge the Weak Icon Weak and Word Bubble Quiet shots, as they are very punishing. As for the Monstrosity Scarabs, run away from them and shoot, as they are very easy to kill. Finally, use the same strategy for the rainbow shotgun. Rotate Oryx and shoot to deal damage. Again though, Knights and Tricksters can easily decoy and/or stun Oryx, making this phase a cakewalk.

Aftermath

Upon death, Oryx the Mad God 2 will drop his loot (if you got any soulbound damage that is), spawn a portal to the Nexus in the center of the room, and three monuments around the portal. These monuments can only be activated using the three Oryx Runes (rare drops from various late-endgame bosses), unless they spawn already active. If all three monuments are activated at about the same time, the portal to the Nexus will disappear, with a large menacing portal to Oryx’s Sanctuary rising up in the former’s place. Oryx’s Sanctuary (OSanc/o3) is the “final” dungeon in the game, with the hardest form of Oryx awaiting. Only enter if you’re prepared. If you just wanted to farm for Wine Cellar tops, you may leave instead to the Nexus.

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Overview

The Wine Cellar is a fairly difficult mid-lategame dungeon that serves as a great source for easy-to-get tiered gear, which can be saved for other characters or sold for potions to max.