Abyss

Seal the Pits in your maps, follow the Abyssal Wounds from the Well of Souls to the two Commanders, and jump into the Well to face the Vessel of Kulemak.

Start: Abysses in your maps0 of 4 lessons read

Down to the Vessel of Kulemak

Six stops, in order. Tick each one when you've done it in game.

0 of 6 done in game.

  1. Stop 1

    Abyss in a map

    Close the cracks, seal the Pits and open what they leave.

    You seal every Pit of one Abyss in a map.

    Taught in Abysses in your maps

  2. Stop 2

    The Well of Souls

    The Abyss hub. It appears on your Atlas after your first Abyss, and the maps around it give Abyss Atlas points.

    You enter the Well of Souls from the Atlas.

    Taught in The Well of Souls

  3. Stop 3

    Northern Wounds and the Dark Domain

    Clear the Northern Abyssal Wounds. One leads to the Dark Domain, where Vandroth, Blackblooded Enslaver waits.

    Vandroth is dead and the Invitation is in your inventory.

    Taught in The Commanders: Vandroth and Tasgul

  4. Stop 4

    Southern and Eastern Wounds, then the Lightless Void

    Close the remaining Wounds and beat Tasgul, Swallower of Light. Both Commanders always drop Kulemak's Invitation.

    Tasgul is dead and you've picked up the Invitation.

    Taught in The Commanders: Vandroth and Tasgul

  5. Stop 5

    Jump into the Well

    With Kulemak's Invitation, choose "Jump In" at the Well of Souls.

    You arrive in The Black Cathedral.

    Taught in The Vessel of Kulemak

  6. Stop 6

    Vessel of Kulemak

    A revival gauntlet. Each time you beat it, steal a Lich's power for a stronger fight and a better ring, or take the Finger and the loot.

    The map completes when you take the Finger or kill the final form.

    Taught in The Vessel of Kulemak

Three Petrified Liches

After each defeat, touch a Petrified Lich to revive the Vessel stronger and add a hidden modifier to Grip of Kulemak, up to three times. Amanamu leans to fire, armour and Strength, Kurgal to cold, energy shield and Intelligence, Ulaman to lightning, evasion and Dexterity.

The wiki says Return the Finger then gives a fourth, full-power fight and a fourth modifier. One guide says the ring stops at three.

The Abyssal Lich

Already ascended as a Lich? After the Vessel, an urn lets you switch to the Abyssal Lich and back.

Sources disagree on whether the fight must be fully empowered by the Liches. Check it in game.

Lessons

  1. Abysses in your mapsCracks, Pits and Troves, the three Lich factions, the Depths and what drops.Up next
  2. The Well of SoulsThe hub, the Abyssal Power quest, Abyss Tablets and revealing Desecrated modifiers.Open
  3. The Commanders: Vandroth and TasgulThe Abyssal Wounds, the Dark Domain and the Lightless Void, and Kulemak's Invitation.Open
  4. The Vessel of KulemakThe revival gauntlet, the three Liches, Grip of Kulemak and the drops.Open
  5. The DescentPass it to light up the test node on the map.After the lessons

Desecration

Abyss's crafting. A bone adds a hidden modifier; reveal it at the Well of Souls and pick one of three.

  • Three tiers of bone. Gnawed works on items up to item level 64, Preserved on any item, and Ancient gives a minimum modifier level of 40.
  • One bone per slot type. Jawbones for weapons and quivers, Ribs for armour, Collarbones for jewellery, Crania for jewels.
  • One per item. An item can only have one Desecrated modifier, and it doesn't count as your crafted one.
  • Full items lose a line. If the item has no open slot, one existing modifier is removed at random to make room.
Read the Desecration lesson
Read “Abysses in your maps” as text

Spot an Abyss

An Abyss shows up as cracks in the ground near monster packs in your maps. Since 0.5.0, large cracks called Abyssal Wounds also appear on your Atlas. Since 0.5.5, Large Abyssal Ravines can appear anywhere on the Atlas, and every map along a Ravine has Abysses.

Guides and the wiki say the last map on a Ravine always has an Abyssal boss. GGG's notes don't say so.

Close the cracks and seal the Pits

Kill monsters near the cracks and they close, pulling Abyssal monsters out. Close enough of them and a Pit opens and sends out a bigger wave. Kill it to seal the Pit. One Abyss can chain several Pits together.

Monsters from a Pit take on the rarity and modifiers of the monsters you killed nearby, so a Rare there can come out stronger.

Open what the Pit leaves

A sealed Pit can leave an Abyssal Trove, and sometimes the entrance to an Abyssal Depths instead. The wiki lists three kinds of Trove: an Armoury with armour and Ribs, an Arsenal with weapons and Jawbones, and a Coffer with currency.

Pick a Lich faction

Abysses belong to one of three Lich factions, usually one per map. Each brings its own Lichborn modifier and its own Omen. The Atlas passive Balance of Power lets you always meet the one you choose. Here's how they differ.

  • Ulaman: Legion of the Pit. Ulaman's Legion spawns copies of a monster and gives extra currency. Drops Omen of the Sovereign. Pick it when: You're learning. One guide calls it the easier start. The cost: Copies mean more monsters at once.
  • Amanamu: The Lightless. Amanamu's Void makes a dark cloud: you can only hurt monsters from the same side of it. Drops Omen of the Liege. Pick it when: You want its Omens and can handle tougher fights. The cost: Its monsters are tougher.
  • Kurgal: The Blackblooded. Kurgal's Final Gasp revives a monster empowered, and it drops loot again. Drops Omen of the Blackblooded. Pick it when: You want weapon chests and double loot. The cost: Killing things twice takes time.

Go down into the Abyssal Depths

Abyssal Depths is a long underground area where every Rare has an Abyssal modifier. At the end, Troves wait behind a strong Rare. Since 0.5.3 the final Large Abyssal Trove always holds Desecrated Currency.

If it goes wrong: The wiki says that if you die inside, you're thrown out and can't go back in. Go in ready.

Know what Abyss drops

Desecrated Currency (bones) comes from Troves and Depths. Abyss Omens come from Abyss monsters, mostly Lichborn Rares, and only in areas of level 65 or more since 0.5.0. Large Troves can hold Abyssal Eyes and Abyss Lineage supports. Abyss Tablets drop too.

Lesson 2 shows where the bones go: the Well of Souls.