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 “The Well of Souls” as text

Find the Well of Souls on your Atlas

The Abyss hub is the Well of Souls. You may know it from Act 2. After your first Abyss it also appears on your Atlas, and the maps around it give Abyss Atlas points.

The wiki puts it east of where your Atlas starts.

Start the Abyssal Power quest

A Lurking Creature lives in the Well. Guides call the endgame quest Abyssal Power. It sends you into the Abyssal Wounds, quest maps that lead to the two Commanders in lesson 3.

If it goes wrong: Three names that sound alike: Abyssal Wounds are quest maps, Abyssal Ravines are the 0.5.5 Atlas feature, and Abyssal Depths is the dungeon under a Pit.

Add Abysses with tablets

An Abyss Tablet in the Map Device enables Abysses in that map; since 0.5.0 it no longer adds an extra one by itself. Its modifiers do: "of Hollows" adds an Abyss, "of Treasures" makes Pits twice as likely to have rewards, and "of Ossification" raises the chance for Desecrated Currency. Since 0.5.5, "of Champions" adds 2 to 3 extra Rares.

The unique tablet Unforeseen Consequences adds 14 to 18 Abysses and leaves the map Overrun, for one use.

Use bones on your gear

A bone adds a hidden Desecrated modifier to a rare item. Jawbones go on weapons and quivers, Ribs on armour, Collarbones on jewellery, and Crania on jewels. Gnawed bones work up to item level 64, Preserved on anything, and Ancient give a minimum modifier level of 40. If the item is full, it loses a random modifier first.

Since 0.5.0 an item can only have one Desecrated modifier, and it doesn't count as your crafted one.

Reveal it at the Well

Bring the item to the Well of Souls to reveal the hidden modifier: you choose one of three. An Omen of Abyssal Echoes rerolls the three once. On weapons and jewellery, the faction Omens force that Lich's modifier: Liege for Amanamu, Blackblooded for Kurgal, Sovereign for Ulaman.

The Crafting course has a full Desecration lesson, with practice on the bench.

Plan your Abyss Atlas points

Atlas points can't be taken back once spent, though nodes with options can be switched. Plan before you spend. These are our three suggested paths, not tested in game; the Abyss Atlas tree on the map can load each one.

  • Learning: Ulaman, extra Pits, better chests and Strongboxes, then Omens. Pick it when: You're new to Abyss. The cost: Slower to the Commanders.
  • Bones and currency: More Pits and monsters, Strongboxes, Ancient bones, and Overrun maps spreading. Pick it when: You farm Abyss for profit. The cost: Dense maps; your build has to keep up.
  • Pushing the pinnacle: More Depths and boss Depths, so more Invitations. Pick it when: You're chasing the Vessel of Kulemak. The cost: Less from ordinary Abysses.