Herder's Den refers to both a cave system located beneath Keelbreach Bog and the fungal Boss which has overgrown the majority of the space.
Walkthrough[]
A green haze of spores fills this cavern, strongly reducing visibility. Open the gate and clear out the Herders that fill the room; all varieties are present. Look in the chest for some weaponry, a Mine Key, and a Map directing you to a Treasure Chest in the Forgotten River. Go back through the gate and use the Mine Key to open the door in the east; you now have access to the Crystal of Life and the Timepiece on the pedestal beside it, as well as a magical challenge.
Runemaster's Trial[]
On the ground in front of a gate, nine pressure plates form a square; behind it, a Fireball is repeatedly launched across a short distance. The challenge is to treat the pressure plates as a rune board, with the top against the wall, and weigh down the plates which correspond to the runes cast in each spell. Thus, for the Fireball, weigh down the three plates against the east wall and the central plate in the south wall. After you have successfully matched the runes, Ice Shards will be cast instead. Finally, a Lightning Bolt will be fired. When all three spells are successfully matched, the gate will open and you can claim your prize: the Serpent Staff, a necessity for entering the Pyramid of Umas. Once this is complete, all that remains is to return through the gate and travel through the north tunnel.
Herder's Den[]
Upon walking through the gate, it will seal behind you and the battle will begin. Herder's Den is comprised of the massive fungal growth which has overtaken the cave, represented by six large spore mushrooms scattered throughout the room. On their own, they are practically harmless, unable to attack beyond leaving behind a Poison Cloud upon their defeat.
The real danger is in the Herders they produce—when the battle begins, each spore will create several in clouds of poison, and every five seconds after that, one of the remaining spores will spawn another Herder. It is terribly easy for the room to get flooded with them; while your focus should be on taking out the spore mushrooms, you will have to devote energy toward clearing out some of the Herders. If you need rest, ducking into the alcove in the east can keep most of the Herders wandering around from reaching you—as long as you've taken out the spore mushroom back there, along with anything that it's already spawned. As with Herders, the spore mushrooms are immune to Poison Magic.
For parties that can withstand the onslaught of Poison, this fight can provide a useful way to grind. Taking out all but one spore mushroom leaves it to endlessly spawn Herders every five seconds, with the dropped Herder Caps making food plentiful.
With the spore mushrooms cleared out, you can freely look around the room for various items and alchemical ingredients. Be sure to pick up a Sack in a nook against the north wall; among other items, it contains a Hub Key, which you can use to activate Keelbreach Bog's access to the Hub. A Power Gem floats in the eastern alcove next to an inscription about Kilhagan.
Monsters[]
- Herders (all varieties)
- Herder's Den (Boss)
Items[]
Weapons[]
Armor[]
Consumable & Ingredients[]
- Antivenom
- Blackmoss
- 3 Blooddrop Caps
- Bread
- Crystal Shard of Healing
- Etherweed
- Falconskyre
- 3 Mudworts
Miscellaneous[]
Secrets[]
- Along the north wall of the room with the chest is a button. Pressing it will open the gate to your left, revealing a short passage to two pedestals with an Antivenom and an Iron Basinet.
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