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The Curse of Strahd

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You return to Castle Ravenloft, this time by stealth and armed with powerful artifacts and allies. You all share a single goal: to end Count Strahd.

Requires access to expansion pack: Mists of Ravenloft
The Curse of Strahd
Heroic level: None
Epic level: 32
(considered Legendary)
Tier 3 end game raidTier 3 end game raid:
  • ML:28 raid loot.
  • Drops +8 ability and +1 Racial AP tomes.
Duration: Very Long
Heroic XP: N/A
Epic XP:  ♦23,655Normal ♥24,225Hard ♠24,795Elite
Takes place in: The Crypts of Castle Ravenloft
Bestowed by: Rudolph van Richten
NPC contact: Rudolph van Richten
Quest acquired in: Blood on the Vine Tavern
Patron: Keepers of Barovia
Base favor: 10
Purchase: Mists of Ravenloft
Extreme Challenge: No

Overview

Strahd and his three brides are determined to watch you suffer in pain and death.

Flagging

Complete the following chains in order (quests within chains can be completed in any order):

Unless your soul is bound in a Ravenloft public area, you must complete Into the Mists before anything else to reach the rest of the pack.


Spoiler Warning: Spoiler material below this point!


Objectives

  • Speak with Van Richten
  • Have Madam Eva read your Cards
  • Obtain the Icon of Ravenloft from Van Richten
  • Obtain the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind from Van Richten
  • Obtain the Sunsword from Van Richten
  • Defeat Rahadin
  • Find Strahd
  • Defeat Strahd

Known Traps

Trap DCs

  • Spikes, gust of wind, spell wards on the stairs (17 total)

Tips and Misc

Preparation

Lockout point: Stepping through the door

Strahd's Grip

At certain intervals during the raid, Strahd will target a random player (even if they are currently dead) and give them his 'Grip'.

  • You cannot move in this position and strike a dramatic pose.
  • On your screen, Strahd calls out to you:
    • "It appears that you are stuck. But then your ploy was always a desperate and futile one, in the end."
    • "Your time is ended"
    • "You are mine now. Embrace the death I give you."
  • Gripped characters will die if the effect is not removed.
  • The two players with the Icon of Ravenloft and Holy Symbol are responsible for removing grip from affected party members. The Icon and Symbol will remove the grip affect, which will otherwise kill the affected player within 10 seconds. These items have infinite uses, as the 3 charges will quickly regenerate while equipped.
    • If you find yourself gripped, the best course of action is spamming, 'g' into chat, or saying, "<name> is gripped."
    • Keeping a sentient weapon equipped and the sentient weapon narration volume up can help you notice when you're gripped, as the sentient weapon will make a remark about being unable to move.
    • The trinkets must be equipped before being used, so it's recommended to keep them equipped throughout any portion of the raid in which grip occurs. Keeping them on a hotbar is necessary for using them on party members.
    • An alternative method of protection from the Grip death effect is to use Divine Intervention on a player.
    • The Icon and Symbol cannot be cast on yourself while gripped. This is why the Icon and Symbol should always be given to different players.
  • The Grip effect triggers every 30, 270 and 90 seconds (in this order, repeating).
Main Hall
  • Defeat the steward, hate demons, and some dogs.
  • Kill the remaining Greater Shadows of Hate in this area.
    • Bring Remove Curse potions as the shadows can stack curses that will do damage.
  • There is a shrine to the east, behind Strahd in Sergei's tomb; it is only accessible during this point of the raid.
  • Exit south (or Dimension Door), then use Dimension Door next to van Richten in entry to proceed to stairs.
  • Note: after Strahd disappears from the shrine area (NOT when you talk to Richten), grip is now a threat and the first occurrence will happen in exactly 30 seconds.
Stairs
  • Ascend the heavily trapped staircase. Mind the trash.
  • There's at least one oil patch near the bottom of the steps, so Freedom of Movement is a plus
  • Steel spikes, gusts of wind, spell wards can be disabled.
  • Force spikes cannot be disabled, walk around them.
  • Heavy Gravity in this area means no feather fall. If you must go past a non-disabled air jet trap, try to hug the wall.
  • Do not, under any circumstances, allow the bearer of the Sunsword to die on the staircase. The Sunsword is at risk of falling through the floor, rendering the quest incompletable.
  • At the top, the person with Sunsword has to interact with the heart to proceed to the next phase.
  • Players can get gripped while climbing the tower stairs. The first grip happens exactly 30 seconds after Strahd disappears. You can use the Holy Symbol or Icon to remove this paralyzation.
  • Trap locations are dependent on Card DrawingsDDOCast
In the Heart
  • Party must stay relatively close to where you enter. Do not wander into the mists, or you will die almost instantly.
  • Party should focus mostly on killing mobs, not Strahd, as you're not really going to hurt him anyway.
  • After fight, picking up the Sunsword will cause the exit to appear – go the rest of the way up the stairs to proceed to the next part.
  • Note: Grip stops after this step, but starts again after talking to Ezmerelda.
Return to Main Hall
Typical Diagram for most groups assigning Crypt Locations
Alternate diagram for assigning crypt search patterns
  • Torches under cards will need to be lit, in the same order as the cards were presented at the beginning of the raid or the raid will fail.
  • Someone will need to tank Strahd while party finds cards in tombs.
  • Note: Most cards are referred by using a coordinate plane. The alternate diagram indicates players start in the north, working to the south.
  • Different colours of Bigby's Floating Hands can also be used to mark card locations.
  • Avoid the red mist in the middle of the room, it will hurt you.
  • Trash should be dealt with quickly, or you end up with nasty mobs of flaming skulls that can quickly wipe the party.
  • Proceed west to enter Strahd's tomb for final fight.
  • Strategic Map ARCHIVE ME!, as stand-alone map
Strahd's Tomb
  • Tank and prep brides and Strahd, to be killed together.
  • If a bride is killed separately, she will respawn.
  • Red mist will appear and cover 2/3 of the room – safe spot is random and can be north, south, or center.
  • When Strahd and brides are dead, the bearer of the Sunsword should run to the coffin and use it on Strahd before he can regenerate, killing him for good. If this fails, Strahd and his brides resurrect with full health.
    • The coffin can be "used" by simply clicking on it, but for some shorter characters (dwarves and halflings in particular), this is buggy – it is probably best to manually select the coffin instead.
  • DDO Forums ARCHIVE ME! – end fight bug discussion thread
  • Update 39: Strahd's Chamber is now a no Dimension Door zone.

Bonus XP

External Links

Loot

  • Chests: Strahd Rune drop rates:  ♦64Normal ♥84Hard ♠125Elite

NPC end rewards

Randomly generated loot, ML correlates with effective quest level.

Named Chest Drop

Item Type Enhancements ML Bind Quests
Bell of Warding
(edit)
Trinket 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, raid chest
Calamity, a Brush with Death
(edit)
Khopesh 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, Raid Warded Chest
Coat of Van Richten
(edit)
Medium Armor 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, Raid Chest
Divinity, the Morninglord's Goal
(edit)
Bastard Sword 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, Raid Chest
Duality, The Moral Compass
(edit)
Handwrap 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, Raid chest
Echo of the Sunsword
(edit)
Short Sword 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, Raid Warded Chest
Echo of The Tome of Strahd
(edit)
Orb 28 Bound to Character on Acquire, Exclusive The Curse of Strahd, Raid Warded Chest
Fleetfoot Necklace
(edit)
Necklace 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, End chest, Strahd Rune turn-in
Flow, the Piercer of Hearts
(edit)
Rapier 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, End chest
Hands of the Dawn Healer
(edit)
Trinket 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, raid chest
Mantle of Escher
(edit)
Clothing 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, Raid Warded Chest
Nocturne, the Song of Night
(edit)
Quarterstaff 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, Raid Warded Chest
Null, the Darkness Without
(edit)
Sickle

Main hand:

Off hand:

Either hand:

28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, Raid Warded Chest
Pain, the Half of Whole
(edit)
Dagger 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, Raid chest
Platemail of Strahd
(edit)
Heavy Armor 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, Raid chest
Sanctity, the Morninglord's Keep
(edit)
Great Sword 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, Raid Chest
Spiral, the Voice of the Elements
(edit)
Club 28 Bound to Character on Acquire The Curse of Strahd, Raid Warded Chest
Storm in a Bottle
(edit)
Trinket 28 Bound to Character on Acquire, Exclusive The Curse of Strahd, raid chest
The Masque
(edit)
Goggles 28 Bound to Character on Acquire, Exclusive The Curse of Strahd, warded chest

Based on The Curse of Strahd loot ( t • e • h )

Monsters

Name ( picture ) CR Type Race
Anastrasya Karelova( view
 • edit )
 ♦35Epic Normal ♥39Epic Hard ♠44Epic Elite Undead Vampire
Animated Armor Archer( view
 • edit )
 ♦33Epic Normal ♥37Epic Hard ♠41Epic Elite Construct Animated Object
Barovian Living Disintegrate( view
 • edit )
 ♦34Epic Normal ♥38Epic Hard ♠43Epic Elite Ooze Spell
Barovian Living Finger of Death( view
 • edit )
 ♦34Epic Normal ♥38Epic Hard ♠43Epic Elite Ooze Spell
Greater Shadow of Hate( view
 • edit )
 ♦35Epic Normal ♥39Epic Hard ♠44Epic Elite Evil Outsider Demon
Hateful Shadow( view
 • edit )
 ♦34Epic Normal ♥38Epic Hard ♠43Epic Elite Evil Outsider Demon
Hound of Strahd( view
 • edit )
 ♦33Epic Normal ♥37Epic Hard ♠41Epic Elite Evil Outsider Hellhound
Ludmilla Vilisvic( view
 • edit )
 ♦35Epic Normal ♥39Epic Hard ♠44Epic Elite Undead Vampire
Rahadin( view
 • edit )
 ♦36Epic Normal ♥40Epic Hard ♠45Epic Elite Elf Drow Elf
Strahd von Zarovich (purple-named)( view
 • edit )
 ♦38Epic Normal ♥42Epic Hard ♠48Epic Elite Undead Vampire
Strahd's Animated Armor( view
 • edit )
 ♦31Epic Normal ♥35Epic Hard ♠39Epic Elite Construct Animated Object
Torrid Flameskull( view
 • edit )
 ♦32Epic Normal ♥36Epic Hard ♠40Epic Elite Undead Skeleton
Volenta Popofsky( view
 • edit )
 ♦35Epic Normal ♥39Epic Hard ♠44Epic Elite Undead Vampire