Horde of the Illithid Controller

Horde of the Illithid Controller is the 3rd quest in the Illithid Invasion story arcStory arcs are chains of quests that make up a story line. Completing everything in a story arc often yields a nice reward..
These quests can be completed in any order.
Pilgrims' Peril • Stolen Power • Horde of the Illithid Controller • Astral Ambush

A Mind Flayer Controller has taken control of monstrous troops from Droaam and is gathering them in a secret base on the Brelish border. You must confront the Controller stop its plan to create a mind-controlled army.

Requires access to adventure pack
Definition: Adventure Pack
A list of all adventure packs
: Illithid Invasion

Horde of the Illithid Controller
Heroic level:	None
Epic level:	34 (considered Legendary)
Duration:	medium
Heroic XP:	N/A
Epic XP:	♣19,562Solo/Casual ♦33,373Normal ♥34,143Hard ♠34,912Elite
Takes place in:	Secret Border Base
Bestowed by:	Tassinith
NPC contact:	Tassinith
Quest acquired in:	Sharn - Clifftop Tower District
Patron:	The Twelve
Base favor:	9
Purchase:	Free to Play
Extreme Challenge:	Yes

Loading screen

Overview

An Illithid has established a Secret Border Base in order to gather an army of mind-controlled Droaam troops. Go there and destroy the Illithid Controller before it can use this army as a weapon.

Spoiler Warning: Spoiler material below this point!

Objectives

Speak With Borlum Darl
Open the Illithid's headquarters
Defeat the Illithid Controller
(Optional) Enter the Controller's gate without alerting the Giants — Bonus (15%): Legendary( ♣2,934 ♦5,006 ♥5,121 ♠5,237 )
(Optional) Kill all the Giants (4) — Bonus (15%): Legendary( ♣2,934 ♦5,006 ♥5,121 ♠5,237 )
(Optional) Slay Howling Wind the Air Elemental — Bonus (15%): Legendary( ♣2,934 ♦5,006 ♥5,121 ♠5,237 )

Known Traps

Trap DCs

Pressure plates in front of small chest

Tips and Misc

The discovery of an Illithid invader in their territory has placed the generals of Droaam in a tricky situation. Politics between the various monstrous races make it difficult for them to stage an attack on their own territory without risking civil war. Their solution: adventurers.
The first thing you should be aware of here are the Giants. Three red-named Cloud Giants are patrolling the main ring of the quest, and one is guarding either of the towers in the south corners. You can score an optional for sneaking past all the giants, or killing all four.
- All Droaam monsters in this quest have two enchantments: Mind Block, which makes them immune to Domination and similar spells, and Deaden Senses, which vastly reduces their field of vision but also increases their absorption of all damage.
To sneak past the giants:
- Invisibility will not help here – the giants can see through it. You'll need to avoid getting within range of the Giants' morningstars to avoid setting them off.
- You cannot sneak past the giant guarding a tower at the start, so go through the other one, pull the lever, loop round to the other tower via the large central area, and pull the lever in the guarded tower.
- If you get spotted and want to carry on with the quest, a Dimension Door out of the fight will reset the giants to patrolling mode, allowing you to continue without the massive time and resource sink of taking them down. Alternatively, if you're a particularly durable character on a low difficulty setting, you may just be able to ignore the giants until you reach a gate they can't follow you through – the entrance to either gatehouse or the final boss door – or you could just try breaking line of sight with the giant for about 15 seconds; if a Giant can't see any players, it will quickly lose interest and return to its patrol route.
To kill the giants:
- The giants are powerful fighters and also very durable, but you can make things easier by heading to the north section and pulling the two stiff levers near the Psionic Amplifier. This allows you to smash the Amplifier, which removes Mind Block and Deaden Senses from all Droaam enemies, and also causes them to start fighting each other.
The west side of the quest also contains a trapped and locked chest under a ramp, and a little extra western section containing a massive vibrating crate – if smashed, this releases Howling Wind, which can be slain for a bonus chest with cards from the Deck of Many Curses. (If fighting the elemental while trying to sneak past the Giants, note that the western Giant guard's pathing AI means he will sometimes look into this area's gate, and may spot you – try and stay close to an eastern wall.)
Once you pass through the gate unlocked with the levers in the gatehouses, the optional to sneak past the Giants completes if none of them have detected a player. At this point, should you wish, you can go back and kill them for the second optional without penalty.
Finally, head north and fight Malthakoor and his Mindflayer Guardians. The Guardians cannot be outright slain until Malthakoor is, but while one is conscious, Malthakoor absorbs 95% of all damage, so they should be beaten down whenever they get healed and stand up. (The shield will occasionally collapse on its own even if only one Guardian is currently out – make use of this opportunity to damage Malthakoor or this fight can drag on for ages.)

Bonus XP

Discreet bonus: ≥18 or fewer monsters killed +5% Bonus.( ♣−0 ♦−0 ♥−0 ♠−0 )
Aggression bonus: 19-28 or more monsters killed +10% Bonus.( ♣−0 ♦−0 ♥−0 ♠−0 )
Onslaught bonus: >35 or more monsters killed +15% Bonus.( ♣−0 ♦−0 ♥−0 ♠−0 )
Tamper bonus: 1 or more trap disarmed +10% Bonus.( ♣−0 ♦−0 ♥−0 ♠−0 )
Neutralization bonus: >2 or more traps disarmed +20% Bonus.( ♣−0 ♦−0 ♥−0 ♠−0 )
Mischief bonus: 14 or more breakables smashed +8% Bonus.( ♣−0 ♦−0 ♥−0 ♠−0 )
Vandal bonus: 19 or more breakables smashed +10% Bonus.( ♣−0 ♦−0 ♥−0 ♠−0 )
Ransack bonus: 23 or more breakables smashed +15% Bonus.( ♣−0 ♦−0 ♥−0 ♠−0 )

Loot

Chests: 3
One locked under the ramp at the exit of the West guard tower, trapped
One for optional air elemental (contains cards, mainly otherworldly)
One end chest
Collectables: 4 out of
- Bookshelf — 1st floor of West guard tower
- Crude Altar — 2nd floor of West guard tower
- Crude Altar — East of jewelled gate
- Cabinet — top of East guard tower
- Adventurer's Pack — bottom of East guard tower
- Fungus — near the locked chest
- Rubble — near the air elemental
- Fungus — beneath the northern stiff lever
- Fungus — behind the first gate near altar

NPC end rewards

Randomly generated loot, ML correlates with effective quest level.

Named Chest Drop

Last Edited	Item	Type	Enhancements	ML	Bind	Quests
Update 68.0.1 3 months and 6 days BugTime	Legendary Ring of the Transformed Voice ^(edit)	Ring	Quality Charisma +3Quality Charisma +3: This item makes the wearer have more flair, granting a +3 quality bonus to Charisma. Quality Impulse +37Quality Impulse +37: Passive: +37 Quality bonus to Force, Untyped, Slashing, Piercing, and Bludgeoning Spell Power. Exceptional Universal Spell Lore +5%Exceptional Universal Spell Lore: 5% Exceptional bonus to Universal Spell Lore. Enchantment Save +11 Enchantment Save +11: +11 Resistance bonus to your saves versus enchantments Green Augment SlotGreen Augments Named: Category:Green augments Blue Augments Named: Category:Blue augments AC: Natural Armor Bonus (+1 to +14) or Protection (Deflection bonus) (+1 to +11) ASF reduction: -5% to -15% Fortification: +25% to +100% Good Luck: +1 or +2 Hit points: +4 to +54 Max Dex Bonus (Armor): +1 or +2 Defense (PRR and MRR): +3 to +36 Saves (Resistance bonus): +1 to +11 Dodge: +1% to +14% Tactics DCs (Stunning, Sunder, Trip): +2 to +16 Accuracy: +2 to +22 Positive/Negative/Repair Healing Amplification: +3 to +57 Yellow Augments Named: Category:Yellow augments Deathblock Elemental Resistance: +5 to +45 Immunity: Fear, Blindness Movement: Feather Falling, Striding: +10% to +30%, Swiftness +5% to +15%, Underwater Action Proof Against Disease, Poison: +2 to +10 Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus (Enhancement bonus) Spell points (Enhancement bonus): +19 to +294 Damage: +1 to +11 Spell penetration: +1 to +9 Colorless Augments Named: Category:Colorless augments Ability (Enhancement bonus): +1 to +14 Ability (Exceptional bonus): +1 Ability (Insight bonus): +5 Skills, except UMD (Competence bonus): +5 to +20 Colorless Augment SlotColorless Augments Named: Category:Colorless augments Ability (Enhancement bonus): +1 to +14 Ability (Exceptional bonus): +1 Ability (Insight bonus): +5 Skills, except UMD (Competence bonus): +5 to +20	32	Bound to Account on AcquireBound to Account on Acquire: This item is Bound to Account on Acquire	Horde of the Illithid Controller, end chest
Update 68.0.1 3 months and 6 days BugTime	Legendary Jar of Brain Essence ^(edit)	Trinket	Quality Intelligence +3Quality Intelligence +3: This item focuses the power of the wearer's mind, granting a +3 quality bonus to Intelligence. False Life +54 False Life +54: +54 Enhancement bonus to hit points. Quality Magical Sheltering +8Quality Magical Sheltering +8: +8 Quality bonus to Magical Resistance Rating Immunity to FearImmunity to Fear: The wearer of this item is immune to all fear effects. Green Augment SlotGreen Augments Named: Category:Green augments Blue Augments Named: Category:Blue augments AC: Natural Armor Bonus (+1 to +14) or Protection (Deflection bonus) (+1 to +11) ASF reduction: -5% to -15% Fortification: +25% to +100% Good Luck: +1 or +2 Hit points: +4 to +54 Max Dex Bonus (Armor): +1 or +2 Defense (PRR and MRR): +3 to +36 Saves (Resistance bonus): +1 to +11 Dodge: +1% to +14% Tactics DCs (Stunning, Sunder, Trip): +2 to +16 Accuracy: +2 to +22 Positive/Negative/Repair Healing Amplification: +3 to +57 Yellow Augments Named: Category:Yellow augments Deathblock Elemental Resistance: +5 to +45 Immunity: Fear, Blindness Movement: Feather Falling, Striding: +10% to +30%, Swiftness +5% to +15%, Underwater Action Proof Against Disease, Poison: +2 to +10 Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus (Enhancement bonus) Spell points (Enhancement bonus): +19 to +294 Damage: +1 to +11 Spell penetration: +1 to +9 Colorless Augments Named: Category:Colorless augments Ability (Enhancement bonus): +1 to +14 Ability (Exceptional bonus): +1 Ability (Insight bonus): +5 Skills, except UMD (Competence bonus): +5 to +20 Colorless Augment SlotColorless Augments Named: Category:Colorless augments Ability (Enhancement bonus): +1 to +14 Ability (Exceptional bonus): +1 Ability (Insight bonus): +5 Skills, except UMD (Competence bonus): +5 to +20	32	Bound to Account on AcquireBound to Account on Acquire: This item is Bound to Account on Acquire	Horde of the Illithid Controller, end chest
Update 68.0.1 3 months and 6 days BugTime	Legendary Pearl of Uncanny Prediction ^(edit)	Trinket	Quality Constitution +3Quality Constitution +3: This item gives the wearer improved health, granting a +3 quality bonus to Constitution. Riposte +6Riposte +6: This item enchants its user with incredible awareness and speed, granting a +6 Insight bonus to AC and to Saves. Lesser DisplacementLesser Displacement: Equipping this item causes light to distort around you. Attacks from enemies have a 25% chance to miss you due to concealment. Dodge +14% Dodge +14%: +14% Enhancement bonus to Dodge. Green Augment SlotGreen Augments Named: Category:Green augments Blue Augments Named: Category:Blue augments AC: Natural Armor Bonus (+1 to +14) or Protection (Deflection bonus) (+1 to +11) ASF reduction: -5% to -15% Fortification: +25% to +100% Good Luck: +1 or +2 Hit points: +4 to +54 Max Dex Bonus (Armor): +1 or +2 Defense (PRR and MRR): +3 to +36 Saves (Resistance bonus): +1 to +11 Dodge: +1% to +14% Tactics DCs (Stunning, Sunder, Trip): +2 to +16 Accuracy: +2 to +22 Positive/Negative/Repair Healing Amplification: +3 to +57 Yellow Augments Named: Category:Yellow augments Deathblock Elemental Resistance: +5 to +45 Immunity: Fear, Blindness Movement: Feather Falling, Striding: +10% to +30%, Swiftness +5% to +15%, Underwater Action Proof Against Disease, Poison: +2 to +10 Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus (Enhancement bonus) Spell points (Enhancement bonus): +19 to +294 Damage: +1 to +11 Spell penetration: +1 to +9 Colorless Augments Named: Category:Colorless augments Ability (Enhancement bonus): +1 to +14 Ability (Exceptional bonus): +1 Ability (Insight bonus): +5 Skills, except UMD (Competence bonus): +5 to +20 Colorless Augment SlotColorless Augments Named: Category:Colorless augments Ability (Enhancement bonus): +1 to +14 Ability (Exceptional bonus): +1 Ability (Insight bonus): +5 Skills, except UMD (Competence bonus): +5 to +20	32	Bound to Account on AcquireBound to Account on Acquire: This item is Bound to Account on Acquire	Horde of the Illithid Controller, end chest

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Any of the four cards forming the Deck of Many Curses (primarily Otherworldly Cards)

This quest may also drop the following augments:

Monsters

Name ^{( picture )}	CR	Type	Race
Dominated Cloud Guard ^{( view • edit )}	●♦37Epic Normal ●♥41Epic Hard ●♠46Epic Elite	Giant	Giant
Droaam Gnoll Ranger ^{( view • edit )}	●♦34Epic Normal ●♥38Epic Hard ●♠43Epic Elite	Gnoll	Gnoll
Droaam Kobold Shaman ^{( view • edit )}	●♦34Epic Normal ●♥38Epic Hard ●♠43Epic Elite	Reptilian	Kobold
Droaam Ogre Crusher ^{( view • edit )}	●♦34Epic Normal ●♥38Epic Hard ●♠43Epic Elite	Giant	Ogre
Droaam Wererat Rogue ^{( view • edit )}	●♦34Epic Normal ●♥38Epic Hard ●♠43Epic Elite	Monstrous Humanoid	Wererat
Howling Wind ^{( view • edit )}	●♦37Epic Normal ●♥41Epic Hard ●♠46Epic Elite	Elemental	Air Elemental
Malthakoor ^{( view • edit )}	●♦37Epic Normal ●♥41Epic Hard ●♠46Epic Elite	Aberration	Mind Flayer
Mindflayer Guardian ^{( view • edit )}	●♦37Epic Normal ●♥41Epic Hard ●♠46Epic Elite	Aberration	Mind Flayer
Psionic Amplifier ^{( view • edit )}	●♦37Epic Normal ●♥41Epic Hard ●♠46Epic Elite	Construct	Inanimate Object