Twilight Arbor (explorable)

“

Faolain has fled the Twilight Arbor, but the evil that infects this region remains. In her wake, other forces have now flooded in to take advantage of her foul magics to their own ends.

— In-game description

While Faolain has been defeated and driven out of Twilight Arbor, others of the Nightmare Court seek to move into her domain and take over. Her former allies and lieutenants conspire and compete to seize her old domain, and control the secrets she left behind.

Level requirement: 55

Dungeon information

Your Herald

An ongoing nightmare

---

I've heard that Faolain has been driven from the Twilight Arbor, but that in her absence three Nightmare Court supporters have stormed the forest, seeking to gain control of a secret lying somewhere among the trees.

I have no idea what this secret might be, but it appears to be worth killing over. I'm getting reports that terrified sylvari are streaming out of the arbor with stories of bloodshed and horror. There's a handful of sylvari who are caring for the refugees dislodged by the Nightmare Court invasion, but someting more must be done.

I've already volunteered your assistance, so go and be a hero and end this brutality.

—Safe travels,
Your Herald

Objectives

All paths

• 
  Explore Twilight Arbor and stop the Nightmare Court.
  • Find the missing valiants.
  • Defeat the Nightmare vines.
  • Nightmare Vines killed: x/6
  • Greater Nightmare Vine
  • 
    

Up path

• 
  Explore Twilight Arbor and stop the Nightmare Court.
  • Kill Malrona
  • Malrona
  • 
    
  • Kill the Countess of Spiders
  • Fyonna
  • 
    
• 
  Locate the Nightmare Tree.
  • Find the Nightmare Tree.
  • Destroy the Nightmare Tree and Leurent.
  • Nightmare Tree
  • 
    
• 
  Congratulations! The arbor is safe.

Forward path

• 
  Explore Twilight Arbor and stop the Nightmare Court.
  • Defeat the ambushers.
  • Nightmare Ambushers killed: x/6
  • Find the missing valiants.

Forward forward path

• 
  Explore Twilight Arbor and stop the Nightmare Court.
  • Defeat Luerent's elite guard.
  • Elite Guards killed: x/4
  • Slay the Count of Blood.
  • Leurent
  • 
    
• 
  Locate the Nightmare Tree.
  • Destroy the Nightmare Tree and Vevina.
  • Nightmare Tree
  • 
    
• 
  Congratulations! The arbor is safe.

Aetherpath

Rewards

• 70% experience towards the next character level
• 26 
• Bonus Gold (first time each day per account)
  • Up Path: 1 
  • Forward/Forward Path: 1 
  • Aetherpath:
• 60  Deadly Blooms (first time each day per path)
• 1880  (first time each day per path)

Walkthrough

The Explorable mode in Twilight Arbor works different from other dungeons. Instead of choosing a scout you choose the path as you go along. Your first choice is to go up or forward. If your team chooses 'forward', a second choice of up or forward is presented at a later point. If your team chooses 'up' at the first branch, there are no further branches.

General Tips

• Volatile Blossoms are the most annoying mechanism in this dungeon. Players are expected to know how to deal with them and be extra alert when in areas that have blossom coverage. Here are some tips:
  • Swiping mouse cursor across the ground will reveal hp bars of blossoms that can otherwise be hard to spot.
  • Remember that killing blossoms in downed mode will rally you, so it may be smart to start looking for blossoms when you know you will be down in the next second or two.
  • Remember blossoms' spawn positions, as after killing them they will respawn rather quickly.
  • Generally avoid fighting mobs in blossom-filled areas, especially ones that can knockdown/pushback. Again, remember where blossoms spawn and choose an area with a bigger safe zone if you can't avoid such fights.
  • Unless timed well, groups should avoid running "through" a blossom field, because the first player who activates the blossom's AoE DoT may escape the damage, but those who follow him are likely to eat the full damage across multiple blossoms. Luckily most of such blossom-filled passages are free of difficult mobs, so spamming nearest target and auto-attack from a ranged weapon is enough to clear the path.
  • Do not panic when a blossom is activated around you during a fight. Don't "blind dodge" into more blossoms.
• In general, bring anti-melee measurements. Many foes have knockdown abilities that can easily combo one player into downed mode, or disable multiple players who are clustered together. Stun-break, blind, daze/interrupt, and snare skills are recommended.
• Three paths converge as players need to defeat the Twilight Tree at the end, though the encounter differs slightly from path to path. The boss is immobile, immune to DoT damage from conditions (such as bleed, poison, and burn), and has a lot of HP. Thankfully, its attacks are mostly auxiliary in all paths, though the strategy differs for each path. For example, standing on top of the vines just left of the entrance and using ranged attacks on the boss is a good way of reducing damage from the boss for "up" and "forward up" path, it is not viable for "forward forward" path. In general, raw damage, 1200+ range attacks are preferred by most.

Shared Portion

• The beginning of the dungeon is common to all paths. Start by talking to the marked NPC. After the cinematic plays, move forward and clear the blossoms.

Prelude

• Your first fight will be against four nightmare hounds. Don't be fooled by the fact that this is the opening of the dungeon; these hounds can easily wipe an unprepared party with their liberal use of knockdowns, snares, and their rather high damage potential.
• Past the hounds is a single nightmare husk, behind which are three more husks. You may choose to fight them or simply run past them. Either way, be wary of their ability to knockdown/knockback.

Boss: Champion Nightmare Vine

• Past the husks will be a large room filled with blossoms. Once you enter nightmare vines will begin to spawn. Each kill you make spawns the next vine(s), and killing the 5th vine spawns the champion. At 75% and 50% health the champion vine spawns smaller vines, choose whether to focus down the boss or eliminate adds.
• Currently there is a bug with the vines' AI that causes them to idle if ranged attackers stand on certain spots on the hill in the northwest portion of the room. It is especially useful dealing the champion vine after it has spawned smaller vines.
• After killing the champion vine the smaller vines will disappear and a chest will spawn. At this point the party gets to choose the first branch.

Up path (path 1)

• Enter the newly-opened cave and clear several sets of spiders. Be careful not to rush forward; doing so will spawn all the spiders at once and can easily lead to a party wipe. Instead, move forward slowly, spawning one set of spiders at a time.
• There are 2 small spawns of spiders in the initial tunnel, 2 large spawns to the left and right ends of the room, then another larger spawn halfway up the hill.

Boss: Malrona

• After clearing the last set of spiders, a boss named MALRONA will spawn. She is a rather mobile boss with two primary attacks: a frontal cone attack that deals moderate damage and poisons, and a multi-target ranged AoE spitting attack that deals a significant amount of damage (oftentimes enough to instantly down those who fail to dodge out of the AoE in time).
• Malrona's multi-target attack is telegraphed by standard red AoE rings, but players do not have much time once the rings appear to react and dodge. She can also throw this attack anywhere in a 360-degree arc around her, so the only way to be sure to avoid it is to stay at long range.
• It is recommended to fight Malrona in the large room in which she spawns; this gives players plenty of room to maneuver and dodge her AoE attacks.
• Note that Malrona's poison-spew attack (the frontal cone) applies poison, and also has a subtle but important side effect- attacks will deal about 4 times normal damage to her while you remain poisoned. One way to take advantage of this is to use reflect skills such as Mesmer's Feedback or Guardian's Wall of Reflection while poisoned to reflect her AOE, which is a projectile-based attack. It's not uncommon for a single reflected barrage to remove roughly 15-20% of her total HP if timed correctly.

Interlude

• Once Malrona is dead, move forward carefully and a group of stonetouch spiders will spawn. Be wary of their ability to stun multiple players for a rather long time (stunbreaks do not work against this either), but otherwise this should be a rather straightforward fight.
• Next you will encounter a fork: take the left path. Nightmare vines will spawn here and in the next room a large group of spiders will spawn as well. Most players choose to simply run past these mobs into the tunnel leading to the next boss. If running, be sure to equip condition removal since the spiders can apply cripple.

Boss: Fyonna

• Past the long tunnel in the large egg-filled cave is the next boss, FYONNA. Touching eggs in the room causes spiders to spawn. To avoid contact with the eggs pull Fyonna into the tunnel and engage her there.
• As long as you don't touch the eggs, this is a straightforward fight; Fyonna is a ranged attacker with both knockback and pull abilities, but her damage is moderate at best and should not pose much danger.
• When Fyonna's health is low, she will transform into a large spider. This is apparently cosmetic since she seems no more or less dangerous in this form.
• When you run through her room afterwards, remember to not touch or go near the eggs.

Cliffs and Wardens

• Past Fyonna are various Nightmare Court archers stationed near cliffs the party must drop down from. Most parties elect to run past these.
• After dropping down the final cliff, you will encounter two wardens guarding a gate. Both are melee with knockdown abilities. It is possible to pull just one warden at a time using a skill like Spectral Grasp or Scorpion Wire.
• Of the two wardens, the one wielding the hammer (silver ring) has much less health but in general can burst for much more damage, so it may be advantageous to focus him if fighting both at the same time.

Nightmare Tree

• The final boss is the Nightmare Tree. In this path, it will repeatedly spawn mortar and healing turrets around itself.
• By far the easiest method to beat this version of the Nightmare Tree is to stay near the room entrance and bombard it with skills at 1,200+ range. The seed mortar turrets will not be able to hit you and you will not reset the boss.
• Be sure to watch for the appearance of red AoE circles on the ground and dodge out of them. If you fail to do so, you will be hit for massive damage as well as have 20 stacks of bleed applied to you, almost certainly leading to a down unless you are specced heavily into toughness/vitality.
• Standing on the branches near the entrance (off to the left) will help you avoid the tree's AoE attacks.

Forward path

• After choosing forward at the first branch you enter a room with many blossoms.
• Three ranger foes will spawn on both sides of the room, but they can be picked apart easily. After clearing the room, another branch point is reached where the party must choose to proceed either forward or up.

Forward/Forward path (path 2)

• In this path you must first proceed through an underwater tunnel into a large open cave. In the cave are various enemies, including nightmare vines. Stay to the right (in the shallow water) to avoid most of the enemies here.
• Note that there are many Vines which spawn as you clear the mobs in this area - at least 9 mobs in all, two vines spawn at a time, and a Champion Vine will spawn in the center island - you can drop into the water under the bridge and kill it from the water without taking too much damage.
• Your objective is past the small bridge guarded by a warden. You may choose to run past the warden or kill it (it drops a Bag of Wondrous Goods). If electing to kill it, fight it in the shallow water to the southeast of the bridge to avoid aggroing more enemies.

Boss: Leurent's Elite Guard

• In the next room the objective is to kill nightmare rangers standing behind shield bubbles. The shield will negate most ranged attacks, and touching it will down the player. Players need to enter the bubble via portals and kill the rangers with melee attacks.
• A gear icon would appear both on the mini-map and on screen, it rotates among all portals in the room, pointing to the destination if players enter from any unshielded portal.
• Certain ranged attacks are capable of penetrating the bubbles. In general, these are 'non-physical' attacks such as Necrotic Grasp. Ground-targeted AoE skills also work, such as marks.
• Players can exploit the downed mechanic to enter the bubbles without using the portals. Simply run into the bubble, have a teammate revive you, and you should be able to walk inside the bubble while you are invulnerable.
• There is a bug where ranged and some other forms of attack do not work on rangers even if the player is inside the portal. Most melee attacks should work, however.
• There is another bug where the shield bubbles will continue to kill players who cross the threshold even after they disappear. Players should wait at least several seconds after bubbles disappear before trying to cross them.

Interlude

• As you exit the room, 5 nightmare hounds will spawn. Although it is possible to run past them, it is advised to kill them as this makes the next part of the dungeon much easier.
• Past the dogs are four sets of Nightmare Court of all kinds spread out along the path. Fighting them can be tricky, since certain group combinations can be very dangerous. Watch out for knights, who can knockdown and burst for massive damage, and sorcerers, who can area-denial large portions of the battlefield with an AoE ability that persists for a long time.
• It is possible to run past all four Nightmare Court groups. It is recommended to equip swiftness, stability, stunbreaks, and AoE CC such as stuns, knockdowns, or fear. The most effective method is to run past the first group, then pause once you cross the bridge to heal and recharge your skills. Then hug the right wall and run past the remaining three groups into the tunnel.
• Once you enter the tunnel, continue forward, killing the many nightmare pups that spawn. Exit the tunnel and either kill or run past the few archers that stand in your way.
• Once you jump down the last cliff, you will have reached the penultimate boss in this path.

Boss: Leurent

• This is arguably the hardest fight in the entire dungeon. You must fight Leurent, who is flanked by three Nightmare Court Knights.
• Leurent himself is actually not terribly dangerous; it is the knights that are the real threat: they each have AoE knockdown abilities that they almost always follow up with multiple smashing attacks that can easily burst squishier players into the downed state. Engaging them all at the same time is extremely difficult without a very well-equipped and skilled party.
• It is possible to fight the knights one at a time. Simply have most of the party stand back at a distance (near the cliff where you jump down from) and have one person aggro a knight. At this point, the entire group will aggro, but if the party focuses only on one target, the others will eventually reset. Skills that pull enemies toward you, such as Spectral Grasp and Scorpion Wire, are extremely useful in pulling one target closer than the others, making it much easier for the group to focus that one target while ignoring the others.
• Leurent, like the knights, has the ability to knockdown, but he uses it much more sparingly compared to his other attacks, including one that immobilizes and bleeds in an area, much like Entangle. He also has much more health than the knights. For these reasons, it is best to leave him for last, whether engaging all four enemies at once or pulling them one at a time.

Boss: Nightmare Tree

• The final boss is the Nightmare Tree. In this path, it will spawn up to eight Veteran Oakhearts.
• The oakhearts here are arguably more dangerous than the tree itself, since they have AoE knockdown and immobilization as well as a decent damage output. Targeting the oakhearts is generally not helpful since they periodically respawn anyway.
• Equipping skills that counter knockdown and immobilization and simply targeting the tree while kiting the oakhearts works fairly well.
• There is a small crevice in the back of the room where ranged players can hide in to attack the tree while avoiding most of the oakhearts' attacks.
• The oakhearts can also be bugged by having the entire party stand on top of the branches near the entrance at the beginning of the fight. The oakhearts will spawn on top of the branches as well, becoming stuck at that location. Using this method, the party can easily nullify two or even all three oakhearts. With the oakhearts out of the picture, players can then attack the nightmare tree from behind where they are at no risk of attack.

Aetherpath (path 3)

Escort the Oozes

The first obstacle you come to involves luring oozes to a door across the room with fire obstacles and lava elementals in your path. Two members of the party will need to interact with nectar dispensers to get ooze pheromones so the oozes will follow them. Two oozes will spawn on either side of the room and two ooze lurers will need to kite them to the door. The lava elementals will attack the oozes so the rest of the party should kill the lava elementals to keep the path clear. Both party members who are luring oozes must reach the end at roughly the same time or the progress will reset. A good tactic would be to have three party members with the strongest AoE kite and tank all of the elementals to the door ahead of time. These kiters should wait until the lurers have attracted the oozes to attack the elementals - that way, the paths will be clear and the elementals occupied as the lurers start their paths and any elementals killed will respawn at the beginning of the paths which the oozes have already gone through.

Bosses: Sparki and Slick

During this fight, Slick will put pools of oil on the ground which damage and cripple players who stand in or walk through it. Also, for each pool of oil on the ground, the party will receive a stack of an uncleansable debuff, poison mist, that deals approximately 200 damage per second, stacking in intensity. To reduce the stacks of poison mist affecting the party, the player with the pheromone effect will need to lure the ooze to the pools of oil. The ooze will absorb the oil, reducing the stacks of poison mist on the party. The pheromone effect will be randomly given to a player for a short period of time and will then be applied, randomly, to another player. There is also a plant on the east side of the area that players can interact with to gain the pheromone effect.

Sparki deals high fire damage and causes burning and she will periodically spin, throwing many fire projectiles in all directions. Sparki also ignites the pools of oil put down by Slick, doing more damage to players who stand in or walk through the pools. However, a burning pool of oil still contributes to the stacks of poison mist on the party, but can also be absorbed by the ooze.

Once one of the bosses is dead, the other will become enraged. Slick will produce two pools of oil at a time and Sparki will increase her damage output. Slick has more health than Sparki, while Sparki does more damage than Slick. However, the poison mist debuff can quickly overwhelm a party, especially if Slick becomes enraged. Therefore, the best strategy is to focus on Slick first, while the player with the pheromone effect lures the ooze to the pools of oil, keeping poison mist off of the party. Once Slick has been killed, Sparki will become enraged and do more damage, but it is usually single-target damage and is much more manageable than the party-wide degeneration provided by Slick.

Hologram generators

When you get to the hologram generators, the only way to kill them is by killing the holograms near the generator so that they explode, damaging the generator.

Boss: Clockheart

This boss' main attacks include an AoE attack in front of him for massive damage and a ranged attack where he throws cogs of blades at the players that spin in place on the ground, dealing very high damage to every player around them. If a player goes down to one of these spinning cogs, he will quickly become defeated, and the party will be unable to revive him until the cog disappears. The Clockheart will also occasionally throw a player who comes within his reach.

Periodically, the Clockheart will put up Aetherized Shielding, a shield which makes him invulnerable to all sources of damage. Once he puts up this shield, he will gain another effect that gains 1 stack every second. This effect will become fully charged at 30 stacks (30 seconds), at which point he can discharge the effect in 5 waves of a massive AoE attack that spans the entire room. This attack can easily wipe a party as each wave deals very high damage and knocks down the players. The waves of this attack can be dodged, if timed correctly, but the waves come very quickly and players do not have enough energy to dodge every wave. In order for players to disrupt the Clockheart's Aetherized Shielding and, consequently, his building charges, they will need to destroy an Aetherblade hologram, which spawn periodically around the room, near the Clockheart, causing it to explode, removing the shield.

Occasionally, the floor will become electrified, dealing damage to all players standing on the floor. During this time, in order to avoid damage, players will need to stand on the raised platforms. The center of the room is also electrified and damages any player entering the center area.

The best strategy for this fight is to stay close to the Clockheart to keep him from using his ranged attack, while standing behind him to avoid his frontal AoE attack. Players can also dodge this attack as it is easy to spot: the Clockheart will raise his arms in the air and then slam them down on the ground. When the Clockheart puts up his shield, it is best for one player to aggro an Aetherblade hologram and pull it to the Clockheart. Once the hologram reaches the Clockheart, all players attack and destroy it, removing the Clockheart's shield. If the players are unsuccessful at pulling a hologram to the Clockheart before he has 30 charges, it is still possible to disrupt this attack by destroying a hologram near him before he discharges his attack. If the Clockheart does discharge his attack, all players should attempt to dodge the first 2 waves of the attack. Once 1 wave strikes a player, he will be knocked down and will be unable to dodge any further waves. Skills which allow a player to evade attacks can be used to dodge additional waves. Stability will keep the player from being knocked down but still take damage while other effects like Endure Pain will prevent the player from being damaged.

NPCs

Allies

• Guard
• Morrigu
• Prisoner
• Refugee
• Sylvari Warden

Foes

• Canine
  • Nightmare Hound
  • Nightmare Pup
• Fish
  • Barracuda
• Plant
  • Flametouched Husk
  • Nightmare Husk
  • Nightmare Tree
  • The Defiler
  • Torrential Husk
  • Veteran Oakheart
• Spider
  • Malrona
  • Nightmare Spider
  • Spider Hatchling
  • Undergrowth Bloodfang
  • Undergrowth Recluse
  • Undergrowth Stonetouch
  • Undergrowth Webber
• Sylvari
  • Fyonna
  • Leurent
  • Nightmare Court Archer
  • Nightmare Court Cultist
  • Nightmare Court Knight
  • Nightmare Court Sorcerer
  • Nightmare Warder
  • Vevina
• Wurm
  • Greater Nightmare Vine
  • Nightmare Vine
• Currently unknown
  • Death Touched Swarm

Objects

• Healing Seed
• Sylvari Mortar Turret
• Volatile Blossom

Dialogue

Initial dialogue

Repeating at entrance:

Refugee: I can still feel it. I never knew so much pain could be inflicted.

Refugee: I can still hear the voices in my head. All that whispering, like tiny teeth eating me from the inside out.

Refugee: You are safe now. You'll never be in one of those conversion pods again.

Sylvari Warden: I caution you against departing again too soon.

Refugee: Why? Will my nightmares hurt the Pale Tree?

Sylvari Warden: Not as such. Those experiences are already a part of the dream, but you've been through a terrible ordeal.

Sylvari Warden: Take some time to recuperate, and regain your strength before facing the outside world again.

Refugee: Have you seen Salonna? She was behind me, but we were separated.

Refugee: The scouts found...some of her. They believe the hounds got to her.

Upon meeting Morrigu (cinematic):

Morrigu: Before she was driven away, Duchess Faolain of the Nightmare Court nurtured a terrible tree into existence.

Morrigu: Whomever possesses it will have their darkest desires granted. As I speak, three Nightmare Courtiers are seeking it out.

Morrigu: Leurent, the Count of Blood, will use the Nightmare Tree to wage war on all of Tyria.

Morrigu: Vevina, the Countess of Obedience, will use the tree to force us all to worship her without choice or question.

Morrigu: And Fyonna, the Countess of Spiders...it's too horrible of to even speak of her schemes. She must be stopped.

Morrigu: Two valiants are already battling those courtiers, but we need more to defeat them.

Talking to Morrigu:

Morrigu: Strange. You don't appear to be a refugee. Have you come to assist me in my fight against the Nightmare Court?

Your fight is my fight. Let's go.

What's the Nightmare Court doing here?

 ?

Refugees? What happened here?

 ?

Just passing through.

Upon approaching the first Volatile Blossoms:

Morrigu: "Be careful. Those volatile blossoms are dangerous."

Upon engaging Nightmare Vines:

Morrigu: "Foul and hungry vines! Prune them back!"

When Greater Nightmare Vine spawns:

Morrigu: "Look out!"

Upon defeating Nightmare Vines:

Morrigu: Oh, the horror. They've butchered him.

Morrigu: I promise you: your death will not be in vain.

Morrigu: There are two paths. Which one shall I open?

Talking to Morrigu:

Morrigu: Another set of doors. This brave valiant left us one explosive. Which door should I open?

Let's keep moving forward.

Let's go up.

Up Path

Talking to Malrona:

Morrigu: Be quick. Leurent seeks the Nightmare Tree. I know that if he gains it, it will tear through Tyria like giant sword.

Then let's stop him.

Upon reaching Malrona:

Morrigu: (shudders) It's Fyonna's horrid champion, Malrona.

Upon reaching Fyonna:

Vevina: You treacherous monster. I will tear all of your spiders apart for turning on me.

Fyonna: Oh, your bluster is charming, my sweet. But you couldn't have believed I would rule alongside you.

Fyonna: My children deseerve Faolain's gift, and with it I shall let them feast on the whole world.

Vevina: Your spiders are above me? I hope Leurent skewers you and leaves you to rot in the shade.

Fyonna: Oh, don't be like that, sweetie. You are rather special. After all, my children haven't eaten in a long time.

After defeating Fyonna (cinematic):

<Player character>: Two down, one to go. Leurent should be a pushover compared to those two.

Morrigu: Not hardly. I know what he's capable of.

<Player character>: Are you holding something back?

Morrigu: I loved him. I thought we would be entwined forever. But the bloodlust consumed him and took his mind.

Morrigu: Be ready for war-his true mistress. And if you're worried about me, don't be. I can face him. I moved on long ago.

Upon locating the Nightmare Tree (cinematic):

Morrigu: Put away your rage, my lost love. Come with me, or you'll lose yourself to this twisted growth.

Leurent: I see you brought outsiders. Did they fall for your whining about love and mercy?

Morrigu: You were the only one I ever loved. But you chose blood over my tenderness.

Morrigu: I did not want to face you again, my darling. But I can't let you have this awful tree.

Morrigu: I know your rage. I know your hatred. If you give yourself to this tree, you will burn the world.

Leurent: Yes, yes I will. You will all bear witness to it. Especially you, my "love." Suffer, break, and burn!

Upon defeating the Nightmare Tree (cinematic):

Morrigu: The shock of Leurent's passing will be brief, but the wound will never fully heal.

Morrigu: Please, leave me to mourn. I must tend to the fallen and put my dear to rest.

Talking to Morrigu after defeating the Nightmare Tree:

Morrigu: Leurent. My broken friend, my ruined love. Rest and sleep in the peace you always pushed away from.

What will you do now?

I'll mourn Leurent, but rage burned away all he used to be. At least I know he'll no longer harm anyone else.

What about the Nightmare Tree?

(see below)

Good-bye.

What about the Nightmare Tree?

Like Leurent, it is no more. It will have to be broken into pieces and burned, just to make sure no one can revive it for their vile purposes.

What will you do now?

(see above)

Good-bye.

I take it this Wyld Hunt is at an end for you?

This was not my Wyld Hunt. This was an act of mercy, for my lost love and for the people who he attacked. The kodan speak of balance. In a way, I suppose I was trying to right a wrong.

What will you do now?

(see above)

What about the Nightmare Tree?

(see above)

Good-bye.

Good-bye.

Forward Path

After defeating ambushers:

Morrigu: I'm so sorry. I tried to get here as soon as I could.

Morrigu: I will sing of your bravery to the Pale Tree.

Morrigu: There are two paths. Which one shall I open?

Forward Forward Path

Upon reaching elite guards:

Morrigu: Leurent's elite guard. Be careful. They'll show no mercy.

Upon reaching Leurent:

Fyonna: You didn't have to massacre my children.

Leurent: The first lesson in war is to wipe out your enemy. And that includes generals and foot soldiers alike.

Fyonna: But we agreed to crush that vainglorious Vevina. Your soldiers won't last against her charms, you know.

Leurent: When the Nightmare Tree is mine, I'll use her as kindling to burn down the Grove.

Leurent: Pity you weren't more clever. Perhaps I would have found a better place for you in my ranks. Kill her!

Upon locating the Nightmare Tree:

Vevina: Faolain! I have come for your prize. I have twisted the weak and pitted allies against one another.

Vevina: I have proved my worth, and with your prize I shall march into the Grove. I will make the Pale Tree bow to me!

Morrigu: Vevina! Stand away from that vile tree. We will not let you enslave anyone for your own vanity.

Vevina: How delightful! A crowd. You will be first to watch my glorious transformation.

Vevina: And you will be the first to bend your knees and serve me without question.

Upon defeating the Nightmare Tree:

Morrigu: Vevina's mad chase for adoration is over. It shall not bring back my friends, but the Grove is safe.

Morrigu: I thank you for your bravery. Together, we have stood against darkness and prevailed.

Aetherpath

Before selecting the path:

Lionguard Turma: I'm sorry, but my orders are clear: the Lionguard is here to crush Scarlet's minions and derail their plans.

Lionguard Turma: The Nighmare Court holds part of this facility, but they're not our problem. Our objective is the Aetherblades.

Lionguard Turma: We've got a large strike force standing by, but this security system is damn near impenetrable.

Lionguard Turma: I need volunteers to go in and shut down the power so the full Lionguard continent can storm the facility. Interested?

Caithe: Possibly. I have personal business here that takes precedence, but if I can help you achieve your goals, I will.

Talking to Lionguard Turma:

Good, you got my message. The Aetherblades are up to something in there, and I need to stop it.

Why are you after the Aetherblades?

They killed Councillor Ashford and terrorized everyone in Lion's Arch during Dragon Bash. I will not let these poltroons have another free shot at my city.

I'm with you. What can I do?

My troops are exellent face to face, but they aren't the Order of Whispers. I need a team to sneak inside and disable the security so my people can enter.

I'm your team. What's next?

Talk to Caithe. She wants to access the base too, but for her own reasons. Maybe you two can help each other out, while opening the doors for the Lionguard.

Why are you after the Aetherblades? (same as above)

Got it.

I'll pass.

Good luck.

What's my part? (same as "I'm with you. What can I do?")

Another time.

Talking to Caithe:

So many weeds for such small dirt patch. Scarlet's Aetherblades are massing beyond here, and the Nightmare Court is chasing a dark legacy nearby. Which do you want to stop?

Tell me about the Aetherblade situation.

Scarlet's sky pirates carved out a space in this arbor for some nefarious purpose. The Lionguard is here to stop them, but they need help.

I have more questions.

Who's Scarlet?

She is chaos walking, bent on disrupting the world for her twisted enjoyment. She made a point of provoking me with my own secrets, so I'm here to find out how she knows what she knows.

I have another question.

What are the Aetherblades doing here? (same as "Tell me about the Aetherblade situation.")

Good-bye.

What are the Aetherblades doing here? (same as above)

Good-bye.

What's the Nightmare Court up to?

When we drove Faolain out of the arbor, she left behind a new horror: a Nightmare Tree. Some of her followers now seek it. Fortunately, a noble sylvari named Morrigu is standing by to stop them.

Wait, I need to know something else.

Who is Faolain?

She's a sylvari firstborn, like me. We were very close...until she fell into Nightmare. Now she seeks to corrupt the Dream as the Grand Duchess of the Nightmare Court.

I have more questions.

What's a Nightmare Tree?

A twisted mockery of our Pale Mother. It promises anyone who possesses it a way to manifest their darkest desires. It's waiting in the forest for it's new master to come claim the prize.

I have more questions.

Who's Faolain? (same as above)

Good-bye.

Good-bye.

What's a Nightmare Tree? (same as above)

That's enough for now.

I know who I'm going to stop.

I need to think about this.

After selecting the path:

Caithe: I respect the Lionguard, but I have my own agenda. Luckily with you here we can all get what we want.

Caithe: I met Scarlet in the Grove, before she went on her academic pilgrimage. I was not overly impressed.

Caithe: Now she's sent me a direct challenge. She claims to know things...things I wouldn't want the world to know.

Caithe: It doesn't matter what she has on me, or thinks she has. I just want to find out how she's acquiring these "secrets."

Caithe: I say we collaborate. You follow the Lionguard's plan. Confront the enemy head-on while I undermine them from the shadows.

Caithe: The Lionguard gets in, I access one of Scarlet's inner sanctums, and she suffers a double setback. See you inside, partner.

Caithe: I'll be with you every step of the way, but you won't see me until I want you to. And neither will Scarlet.

Caithe: We don't know Scarlet's defence system, but she doesn't know we're here. Maybe we can surprise her for a change.

First room:

Scarlet Briar Hologram: You must be the intruders. Could it be my quest of honor got my invite and came out to play? Oh, happy day!

Scarlet Briar Hologram: Brrr... Is anyone else cold? I think it's time for another mass execution. Throw some more prisoners on the fire!

Caithe: I thought Scarlet was this great engineer with radical ideas. Pfft. All I see around here are the same old poison plants.

Second room:

Sparki: More mulch for the compost heap, eh? Prisoners! Listen up!

Sparki: It's time to make whatever spiritual mumblings you people make when death comes for you.

Slick: Because it has. Scarlet said, "Catch and burn anyone who doesn't run fast enough." You should have run faster.

Caithe: ? oozes to it. That should loosen things up.

Caithe: The oozes seem drawn to that goo. Steer them past the flames and onto the door mechanism.

Caithe: Oozes are a tar elemental's favorite dish. Keep them away from each other or we'll never get through this door.

After oozes are guided to the gate:

Scarlet Briar[sic]: Today's mass executions have concluded, but we have plenty more scheduled tomorrow. And the next day, and the next...

Caithe: It's working: Scarlet's security system is focused on you, which allows me to move freely.

Caithe: I appreciate you taking most of the risk. If all goes well, it'll pay off for both of us and the Lionguard in the end.

Caithe: So let's keep moving. I'll scout an alternate route past the next obstacle and meet you on the other side.

Third room:

Caithe: Plenty of Scarlet holograms, but I wonder if she's actually here. I certainly hope so.

Caithe: Once I get my hands on her, it won't matter what she knows or how she knows it. See you soon.

Scarlet Briar Hologram: Make me proud, my minions. Or at least make me laugh. Come on, kill something! Make it messy!

Scarlet Briar Hologram: Ah, team? Why aren't these intruders dead yet? Why do you think I pay you-slash-allow you to live?

Scarlet Briar Hologram: If I have to treat you guard dogs like actual dogs, so be it: Who's a cute little puppy? Kill, puppy, kill. Good dog!

Fourh room; cut-scene:

Scarlet Briar Hologram: Have I mentioned how much I love unusual pairings? Because I do, and as such, I present Sparki and Slick!

Sparki: Prepare to be barbecued.

Slick: Let the boss talk, Spark. She spent a lot of time setting up these messages.

Scarlet Briar Hologram: They complement each other perfectly. Just like fire needs fuel and fuel needs ignition.

Scarlet Briar Hologram: But don't take my word for it. Sparki? Slick? Show 'em what you can do. And make it burn.

Fourth room; fight:

Sparki: I have no use for all this toxic horticulture. Die, stupid plants!

Slick: Jormag take these oozes! They're sucking up all my beautiful oil! (repeated several times during the fight)

Sparki: How do you want to be buried? Well done or medium-rare?

Sparki: So, you want to play rough? Here's a little game I like to call "Inferno."

Sparki: Suit functions critical! If this keeps up, the whole thing will melt and I'll be fighting naked. (less than 25% health)

Slick: You can't win. We will break you and burn you.

Slick: Now I have to kill you, or Scarlet will kill me for taking so long.

Slick: Don't bury me here. I don't want to be plant food. (on death)

Fifth room:

Caithe: There's a large room ahead that's buzzing with activity. I can see the main power source.

Caithe: There's some sort of energy shield protecting it. We'll need to break through to let your Lionduard friends in.

Caithe: Let's move. Follow the power cables forward and I'll meet you at the next junction.

Aetherblade Swashbuckler: I saw one of those holos that looked just like me. It was funny right up to the point it exploded.

Veteran Aetherblade Grenadier: This isn't going to be as easy as we thought. Finally, foes worth killing.

Aetherblade Thug: I like these holos. They don't eat or claim a share of the booty, and they take the enemy with them when they die.

Aetherblade Thug: Following Scarlet's lead is dangerous, but it's also profitable. Not to mention fun.

Aetherblade Grenadier: Clear the vegetation, build the ships, kill the intruders... There better be some serious coin at the end of this.

Scarlet Briar Hologram: Work. Work harder! You can't convert a dire cavern of dread and misery into an arms factory by wishing for it.

Scarlet Briar Hologram: I love my holorgamatic pirates. All the punch of the flesh and blood variety, with none of the strange odors.

Scarlet Briar Hologram: I'm still registering intruders, Aetherblades. Finish them off. And keep everyone clear of those generators.

Aetherblade Taskmaster: Stick together! Scarlet will flay us with rusty blades if we break!

Aetherblade Thug: Hold fast. Whatever they do to us Scarlet will do worse if we lose.

Sixth room; cut-scene

Aetherblade Foreman Spur: Incoming arrival! Clear the landing zone. Step lively!

Aetherblade Foreman Spur: If even one airship gets so much as scratched, I'll make belts and boots out of every last one of you.

Aetherblade Foreman Spur: We're already way behind schedule. If you lot want to get back to plundering full-time, pick up the pace.

Aetherblade Foreman Spur: Ships in, ships out. Scarlet want's an entire fleet in the air, and nobody rests until she gets it. Move!

Scarlet Briar Hologram: Ooh, is that Caithe sneaking around my facility? It must be—no one else could have gotten this far before being detected.

Scarlet Briar Hologram: You got my invitation! I was afraid you'd be all aloof and distant. You know, like you want people to think you are.

Scarlet Briar Hologram: But I know better. I know you. How nasty you fight, how you think...what you did. And what you did is soooo nasty.

Caithe: Are you even here? Stop hiding behind prerecorded nonsense. Come out and face me.

Scarlet Briar Hologram: Ooh, and I just realized: I know something about you even Faolain doesn't know.

Scarlet Briar Hologram: Does that mean we're dating? Should I start calling you "dearheart?"

Caithe: Keep babbling. When I find you, I'm going to shut your mouth for good.

Sixth room:

Caithe: That vicious little—if Scarlet's here, I'm goign to find her. And she'll wish I hadn't.

Caithe: Let's go. You follow the main cable forward. I'll meet you at the next junction, and we'll go through it together.

Caithe: And feel free to make as much noise as you like. The louder you are, the easier it is for me to clear a path for you.

Aetherblade Foreman Spur: All hands! Battle stations! Those uninvited guests we heard about are here.

Aetherblade Foreman Spur: Two days off for whoever cuts their throats. Three if you make them suffer first.

Seventh room:

Caithe: Tread lightly. The defenses in this room aren't active, but I have no idea what triggers them.

Caithe: I can't do much from this side of the door, but I did get a good look at the layout. I think I can guide you through.

Caithe: The floor's supposed to be electrified. Those platforms figure into the control scheme somehow.

Caithe: Too bad we didn't bring one of those holo-generators. The blast they make would get through this door faster that I can.

Caithe: I think—never mind! They've found me! There's too many... Get in here as fast as you—

Aetherblade: Take her down. Hold her tight. Scarlet has plans for this one.

Aetherblade: We've got her. Okay, turn the system back on!

Eight room:

Scarlet Briar: That Caithe... She's a panic, isn't she? One of the smartest, sneakiest sylvari alive, and I caught her. Easily.

Scarlet Briar: I wouldn't worry about Caithe if I were you. Whoever you are, you've got more serious problems.

Scarlet Briar: Yoo-hoo, Aetherblades? I got what I wanted. Fry the rest of the intruders and start digging another mass grave.

Caithe: Don't worry about me. This looks worse than it is.

Caithe: I don't mind being captured, but I can't stand another of Scarlet's drivel

Scarlet Briar: I'll give the Nightmare Court you regards, Caithe. And won't they love to hear about your little indiscretion?

Scarlet Briar: I knew you'd want to see the heart of my new facility, Caithe. So tell me: how do you like it?

Scarlet Briar: What do you think the Pale tree will say when she finds out what you did? Or does she already know?

Scarlet Briar: Nice and comfy, Caithe? I only wish I was there to tuck you in.

Scarlet Briar: All hands to the main power core. This is not a drill—though I will use a drill on you if you fail.

Scarlet Briar: I know a secret, I know a secret... Caithe's secret, in fact. And soon, so will everybody else.

Scarlet Briar: Such lovely, juicy secrets, caithe. It's just not fair to keep them all to yourself.

Scarlet Briar: Red alert! Someone's trying to shut down my fun house!

Caithe: You have to shut that thing down! It's shielded, but you can handle that.

After beating the Clockheart; cut-scene

Scarlet Briar Hologram: This is a recorder message. The system is temporarily down. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Lionguard Turma: This is it, Lionguard! Time to make these skypirates pay for Theo Ashford.

Lionguard Turma: Take down every Aetherblade you see. Wreck every piece of machinery you find.

Lionguard Turma: We're not leaving until this entire place is a dead, smoking hole in the ground.

Lionguard Turma: That'll send Scarlet the message: you can't hide from Lion's Arch justice.

After beating the Clockheart:

Caithe: I fell for Scarlet's trap like a rank amateur. If you weren't here—let's just say I'm glad you were. I owe you one.

Trivia

• The Forward/Up path was replaced by the Aetherpath as part of the Twilight Assault update.

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Dungeons