Ascension Chamber

{{Quest | adpack     = The Necropolis, Part 4 | name       = Ascension Chamber | level      = 17 | duration   = Long | raid       = yes | normal     = 6340 | hard       = 6580 | elite      = 6820 | loc        = Hall of Ascension | npc        = Sir Rohine Stiedra | zone       = The Necropolis | patron     = The Silver Flame | favor      = 7 | mappic     = M ascension chamber.png | maplegend  = yes | loadingpic = L Ascension Chamber.jpg | overview   = The Black Abbot awaits his rise to godhood and only you can stop his ascension.

You and your fellow adventurers are out to stop the Black Abbot from trying to ascend to godhood.

This raid has been tweaked (again) with Update 12; article on previous versions of this quest is archived here.

Flagging
| flagging   = A completed  and the four paths of the Litany of the Dead pre-raid quest. | objective_1 = Destroy the Sarcophagi granting the Abbot immortality (total: 6) | objective_2 = Defeat the Black Abbot | expect     =
 * A completed and the four paths of the Litany of the Dead pre-raid quest.
 * Reflagging is required for this raid once per TR.
 * Traps (fixed, undisarmable)
 * Puzzles (mandatory: 3)
 * Spawning/respawning monsters
 * Requires extra player(s) (mandatory)

Quest Details
When you enter this quest, make sure you do not move too far past the end of the bridge until all your party members have made it across. The bridge disappears when combat starts and can drop anyone still on the bridge into instant-death water. When you step forward, combat with the Abbot begins. He will retire from this first round of battle when he is reduced to around 70% of his maximum HP. At this point, three dimension door portals appear through which party members can go into each puzzle.

Doors are up for 90 seconds with one of the following four patterns at random: The pattern stays the same in the same round but will change after each additional Abbot beatdown.
 * Tiles/Roids/Ice
 * Ice/Tiles/Roids
 * Ice/Roids/Tiles
 * Roids/Ice/Tiles

The three puzzles are: (Combat): A feeling of dread permeates the room. You cannot be healed, repaired or cast spells while in this chamber.
 * Iceball Wand Room - You and a partner equip a special wand, found upon entering the room, and take turns in creating ice islands over the deadly water to progress to the other side. Each island lasts for around 15 seconds and the cooldown is about the same for the wands, so you have to alternate the creation of the islands as you go across. Try to place the islands a reasonable distance apart and not under a bolt path from the traps that are present. Each wand has 10 charges; new wands are supplied on completion where you will find a portal to return you to the main encounter area.
 * If you have a character with high heal amplification, moderately high hit points (600+), and Silver Flame Healing Potions in your party, have them solo the room: get in the room, get the wands (if the scout didn't pick them up) to use to avoid Inferno later, go to the far right of the initial platform and use a thrown weapon to break the first sarcophagus you can just see around the first corner, then swim the other end of the water using Silver Flame Healing Potions to heal along the way. Once safely on the end platform, turn around and break the 2nd sarcophagus. Pick up the end wands and go through the portal when ready.
 * Asteroid Room - When the server is lagging, it may manifest as invisible or unbreakable asteroids. Four piles of boulders stand on the ground. Pick up the boulders and equip these as your main hand weapon. You then have to use mouse look and attack to aim these throwing rocks at incoming asteroids, before they hit you for ~200 damage. If you die, you are teleported to the main chamber.
 * This room prevents you from casting spells or receiving positive or negative energy healing, but does allow use of non-spell effects that give temporary hit points (such as a Greater Heroism clicky). Neither the Primal Avatar Epic Destiny ability Rejuvenation Cocoon nor Undying Vanguard (Unyielding Sentinel) can be cast in the asteroid room.
 * The 200 damage can be mitigated with PRR and although spells and healing are prevented, Epic Destiny abilities such as Reign (Fatesinger) and when below 50% HP Celestial Shield from Renewal (Exalted Angel) can be used to absorb damage without the loss of so much actual HP.
 * (Combat): You are hit by impending doom.
 * The puzzle completes after a certain number (how many?) of asteroids are destroyed with Boulders. Any ranged weapon can break the asteroids but only attacks with the Boulders count toward ending the puzzle. If you don't use any Boulders the asteroids just keep coming indefinitely. With all asteroids being broken by Boulders the puzzle ends after two and a half minutes. Once this puzzle is complete two more stacks of rocks will be available and then after a few more minutes two more stacks will also be available - those with no rocks left should pick them up to break the Abbots 'Encased' effect - remember to place them on your hotbar for quick use. Once this puzzle is complete anyone who also came to this area that did not pick up rocks should do so in turn whilst waiting for the other puzzles to complete so more party members have rocks to use for Abbots encased effect.
 * Alt to hide the UI, and give you a bigger and better view of your surroundings and of the incoming asteroids, so you can spot them easier.
 * Phasing Tile Room - This puzzle sees the person who found the having to guide a teammate across a series of invisible platforms that phase in/out of existence. Take your time to examine the pattern and find a good route across. Ideally you will get a pattern that will allow your partner to run across without having to "change lanes". A good technique for this is for the person on the platforms to run sideways while looking at the person with the goggles. That person only runs when there are platforms available for the runner to be able to move to. Thus you mirror each other's movements across the pattern. As there are issues with voice chat latency, it's recommended that if you need your partner to change lanes that you use visually agreed cues such as jumping to move away a lane or block to move forward a lane, and so on. Once the first person is across, they then have to equip the  and use those to guide the other player across his hidden platforms. Once both characters are across, portals spawn to allow you to return to the main platform to continue battle with the abbot.
 * A helpful technique is to also document the maneuvers you will be doing, for example:
 * 1-4 stop, 5 stop, 6-9 stop, all the way.
 * This lets your partner know in advance when to expect to move/stop as they progress across the tile pattern. You can also count the tiles as your progress across if you have voice chat.
 * Update 13 made the Tile puzzle more difficult on Hard and Elite difficulties, but this change was reverted later. Currently the tiles phase at the same rate on all difficulties:
 * Some static blue tiles. Phasing tiles cycle:
 * 9 seconds white
 * 3 seconds fading to red
 * 4 seconds missing

After the Abbot comes back to main platform, he uses 4 special attacks at various points:

| traps      = | misc       = See also.
 * The Inferno - (Abbot text: "I call the inferno..." and he bursts into flames) The main platform is engulfed in flames, causing massive HP and SP damage. You have about 10 seconds from when he announces Inferno and when he casts it.
 * You can cast 1 island platform of ice and then jump on it and wait a few seconds before jumping back in the fighting circular stone pad; if you wait too long, the platform will disappear, making you fall in the tainted water. If someone with the inferno effect on him jumps on your ice platform, the ice will instantly melt, making everyone on it fall into tainted water. While making the ice islands, avoid the SW because if you accidentally fall into the water you'll be insta-killed by an environmental effect.
 * Another way to at least partially avoid the effects of inferno is to equip a when inferno is called, and stay near the edge of the platform to minimize the amount of charges drained. Inferno seems to consist of multiple spells that overlapping close to the center, so staying near the edge results in minimal charges drained. You should keep moving as the Abbot can hit you with his regular spells during inferno, draining more charges.
 * An alternative method if you do not have many charges of spell absorption is to tank the Inferno. Being near the edge helps with this to prevent Inferno from overlapping but on Elite, Inferno ticks for 150+ damage so some level of fire absorption or fire shield (cold) will be practically necessary to tank it. You will also need to spam remove curse potions to remove the spell drain curse.
 * Encasement - (Abbot text: "Engulf and Encase!") The Abbot can encase party members with a tight constricting rock which squeezes the life out of them.
 * Throwing boulders from the asteroid room at the encased person will free him. Sometimes the encased one can free himself if he is caught while equipping a boulder and with the animation of throwing it. If someone encased is resurrected exactly where he died, he will be instantly encased again; therefore, if you do not move away before accepting resurrection you will be doomed to die again. Tier 5 of the Divine Crusader Heavenly Presence or the tower shield from Defiler of the Just grants you the immunity to the encasement. Being in midair while encased may also result in being able to jump off the encasement.
 * Invisible ghosts - (Abbot text: "What you can't see...") The Abbot summons 4 Phasing Wraiths(CR ). Their attacks drain your SP too. You can see them only while equip corresponding goggles from phasing tile (each goggles only shows you 2 of 4).
 * Mordenkainen's Disjunction - (Abbot text: "Let's see how you do without your little toys!") Casts Mordenkainen's Disjunction on a random party member, suppressing magical effects on worn weapons and items.
 * Ice Room has some bullet traps on the way.
 * Deadly water - Touch it and take around 150-450 hp of evil damage per tick, one tick on first touching it and every 2 seconds thereafter, even if you have undead traits. It is possible for characters with extremely high hit points, healing amp and self-healing abilities to survive a swim through it. (Clerics' Divine Intervention will not help.)

Other than being resurrected by teammates, these can be helpful to avoid wipes:
 * Rise of the Phoenix (once per rest, 15-minute cooldown)
 * Reborn in Light (can be used multiple times per rest after reaching 25 charges, 15-minute cooldown)

Farming for 20th completion

 * Can be done on normal for the 20th completion, apparently the drop rate for a named item (which can be any named item) is 16% on normal, 18% on hard and 20% on elite. Abbot has much more hp on Elite and the #1 cause of wipes is due to players running out of spell absorption charges for Inferno, so dpsing him ASAP when he is on the platform is essential to minimize the amount of times he casts Inferno.
 * Preferably, at least 3 players in epic levels with some form of petrification immunity (commonly obtained through Divine Crusader).
 * Players should have raise dead scrolls, remove curse pots, some way of getting death ward or spell resistance as Quells cast enervation, and will quickly level drain an epic player with no protection. Some way of removing negative levels via restoration or regenerate is also ideal, as Abbot may dispel deathward.
 * Spell Absorption to negate Inferno is also ideal.
 * Assign roles before the raid starts.
 * One person should stay in mid to kill trash and res. He should also have raise dead scrolls, even if he can cast the spell normally, as he may run out of SP due to Inferno.
 * Someone who can do Ice should scout left as it has the highest chance of being Ice. The easiest method to do this is to use tank the swim with high hp and some form of healing, either silver flame pots or healing yourself while spamming jump (which may prove glitchy, as jumping in water often does). If done quickly, the player can finish Ice and then enter roids to help.
 * One person should scout mid for roids, this player should ideally have low ping and a stable connection as boulders can glitch through roids if lag is present. High HP and high PRR to survive as long as possible is essential.
 * If Ice and Roids are done in the first round, both players can do Goggles, if not, they should do Roids in the 2nd round and then Goggles in the 3rd round.
 * If someone ends up in Goggles on the first round, they should try to reach the other side, but will likely die and should do either ice or roids, depending on which has no player in i, after being ressed.
 * It is essential that the scouts be capable of doing the puzzles, very low hp players (600 hp or below) will be unlikely to survive the swim and will die quickly when hit by the roids. The player in mid also needs to be able to kill trash, while level 16s can enter the raid if flagged for it, they will likely struggle to solo the trash mobs. Most players do not bother to flag for the raid so everyone needs to cover as many roles as possible.

In-quest items: * Items above are all "Drops on Leaving Adventure" and "Drops on Death" | chest      = One Warded Chest with chance to drop Raid Loot listed below. | unique     = yes | npcreward  = Random rewards, list of raid loot with a 20th completion. }}
 * Iceball Wand - Wand: Iceball (caster level 1) 10 Charges, 15-second cooldown, 14.75-second duration
 * Allows you to create icebergs on the water, used to cross the Ice room, then to avoid Abbot's Inferno by casting them into the water in the main chamber as soon as the Abbot calls Inferno.
 * Two are provided at the start of the puzzle. Two more are at the end, and can be respawned indefinitely by moving about near their spawn locations.
 * : Visibility 2
 * Allows the wearer to see out of phase things, platforms and invisible monsters
 * One set is provided at the start of the phase tile puzzle.
 * : Visibility 1
 * Allows the wearer to see out of phase things, platforms and invisible monsters
 * One set is provided mid way through the phase tile puzzle.
 * Boulders (available in stacks of 50) - Equip in weapon hand
 * Allows you to destroy incoming asteroids and on successful completion of the puzzle to break Encasement cast by the Abbot in later fights; can also be thrown directly at the Abbot, dealing ~200 damage.
 * Four stacks of 50 are provided at the start of the asteroids puzzle.
 * Two more stacks of 50 spawn upon completion, and respawn every ~2 minutes thereafter.