Level 3: Pillars of Light

Walkthrough[]

Upon entering, you will find yourself in a small room with five sconces—three of them are on the central pillar, and two are on the walls. The door leading farther into the level is shut, and next to it is the inscription "A lone pillar of light stands alone in the night". In order to open the door, you need to place a Torch in each of the sconces on the pillar, and empty those on the walls. One can be taken from the wall in this room, but the other two Torches will need to be taken from previous levels. Behind the door are three Crowerns, and a new enemy: the Undead Archer. These monsters fire Frost Arrows at you, and with obstacles blocking your path like the pits in this room, they can be very annoying. Get rid of the Crowerns, then either fight the archer with ranged attacks or go south around the pillar.

Continuing along the path, you'll find a locked door and a gated room, which holds the key to the former. Press the button on the wall to open the gate, but beware: the pressure plate will seal you inside and open several gates within the room, releasing four Undead Soldiers. If they give you too much trouble, the second plate might be of use; it controls the pit in the middle of the room, which you can use to drop some of the Soldiers to the floor below, then leave or fight later. Alternately, you can activate the first plate with an item, then fight the Soldiers one at a time with the button. The Brass Key you're looking for is inside the southeastern alcove, and several of the others feature items; unless you got in the room by weighing down the first plate, though, you're going to be trapped inside. A switch in one of the northeastern passages controls two walls, revealing a passage back to the hallway.

Unlock the door and proceed through. A well-lit dead end can be seen to your left; stop in there to pick up the first of Toorum's Notes that you can find. Continue onward to reach the Crystal of Life. In the same room, you can see the stairs leading to the next level; unfortunately, you are separated from them by two pits. This floor still has quite a bit waiting for you, and you'll get a taste of it as you move east—a Giant Spider waits in the shadows to ambush you. These monsters move quickly, and their bites can leave poison draining your health for a good while. This Spider is far from the last that you'll encounter on this level, so you would be wise to keep the shortest path back to the Crystal in mind. You'll be meeting the second Spider in the pit-filled room past the gate.

Pillars of Light[]

The eponymous pillars are a pair of Windgates circling around a pit; they teleport you right back to the start of the puzzle when touched, posing a challenge of timing. To progress, you'll first need to close the pit in the middle, which is controlled by the pressure plate just to its east. Since moving between the Windgates to reach it just isn't possible, you must throw an item onto it. This turns the central tile into a safe haven, and allows you to reach the area with the plate, but you still can't proceed yet; to open the gate, you'll need to weigh down the pressure plate in the southwest corner. Wait for one of the Windgates to be on top of it, then move behind it. As soon as it passes to the next tile, set an item on the plate, then move back onto the pit. You should have just enough time to get through the gate before the other Windgate teleports the item off. Follow the path, then go north at the intersection; a switch opens the gate to the eastern area, allowing you to backtrack.

The path in the south loops around a pillar, featuring some destructible spider eggs hiding items, but the tunnel has collapsed. The only path available is through the door, which hides another Giant Spider. The door in the north is locked with two keyholes, so you'll need to hunt down the keys here. Sticking to the north, you'll come to a dead end with a cell holding a pit. An inscription next to it reads "I demand a sacrifice", so place an item on the pit and press the button next to it. It will open, and an Iron Key and Silk Hose will drop next to you. Don't worry about what you sacrifice, as it will also show up among the items. The other key is inside the room in the south, and four more Giant Spiders stand between it and you. Many spider eggs fill the room, with some of them hiding items. Destroying some in front of the north door will allow you to reach the switch controlling it.

Behind the locked door are two more Giant Spiders and a room layout reminiscent of this level's entrance—identical, in fact, aside from the fact that the path ahead is already open. The tunnels ahead are full of tight corners and grates, including one blocking the exit. A button on the wall opens it, but there's no way to reach the exit before it closes once more. Look inside the alcove to its left to find a button in the stone, which will open walls holding another Spider. Once you've taken care of it, you can use the opened walls to reach the exit in time; unfortunately, you'll find yourself in a room with two more Spiders. Look for a button on the west wall, and press it to keep the door open permanently.

Past the gate, there are two paths. The one to your right leads to a dead end that contains some food items; if you choose to explore it, take care that none of the Giant Spiders crawling around on the left path wander into previously-explored rooms. The left path splits again, with the south path blocked by a closed door. You aren't far from a point where several spider-filled rooms will suddenly open, so this door may help you make an escape if you get overwhelmed. The point is in the south side of the room, near where you can find a Round Shield and a Note about the abundance of spiders; several walls in the north will open, all releasing spiders. Quickly get to a spot where you can fight them off without being surrounded. One of them will drop a Gold Key on defeat. The wall holding a secret contains yet another hidden feature; a loose rock on the north wall reveals a staircase leading to the Slime Dungeon.

There are two tunnels leading out of this chamber, both shortly ending in front of a gates leading to a room containing five spiders. Open one of the gates when you're ready to strike whichever spider is waiting on the other side, then close it to ready for the next strike. Once the group has been thinned, you might be able to enter and take the rest out in ordinary combat, should you prefer.

Spectral Relay[]

This introduces a new puzzle element, the spectral relay: a demon head which fires a spectral orb, generally toward a receptacle. If it reaches the receptacle, some event will occur, such as a door or pit opening. The orb is harmless, and will do nothing besides dissipate if you stand in its way. Here, the pressure plate activates the relay, but the path to the receptacle is blocked by a gate. Open it by placing an item on the plate on the other side, then activate the relay again. Once the orb reaches the receptacle, the door will open.

Behind the door is the other half of the room with the Crystal of Life. A switch on the wall closes one of the pits, giving you a shortcut back; next to them lie a second note from Toorum and a Leather Cap. Just by the stairs is a door with a gold lock, which you can open with the Gold Key that was dropped earlier.

The isolated room in the far east is reached by falling down the pit east of the Crystal of Life in Level 2. It contains a Grim Cap.

Monsters[]

Items[]

Weapons[]

Armor[]

Consumable & Ingredients[]

Miscellaneous[]

Secrets[]

In the room introducing the Undead Archer, search the west side of the pillar for a button. This will open a wall on the south side, revealing an alcove with a Shuriken. Press the loose rock across from the weapon to open the wall separating you from the pit, fully splitting the pillar into two. A pressure plate lies at the end of the line of pits; throw an item onto it to close them. Besides the Torch on the wall, there are shelves holding 3 Broadhead Arrows and a Short Bow.
In the first square of the pit-filled room, look next to one of the pits for a button in the stones. This will close both of the pits, but only for a brief period. A second button can only be reached when the eastern pit is closed; quickly cross over to it and press the button to open a nearby wall, then step off. A Windgate inside takes you to the room in the northwest, where a Shuriken and a Tome of Health lie.
After getting the Iron Key and Silk Hose from the sacrifice, place the Silk Hose inside the cell and press the button again. When the Silk Hose return, they will be joined by a set of Nomad Mittens.
One of the rooms in the Giant Spider ambush is a square room in the north; entering it counts as finding a secret. It contains two Tar Beads. A loose rock in the northwest corner opens the stairs to the Slime Dungeon.
Opening the gold lock at the end of the level counts toward the secrets. Inside are the Knoffer Mace and Ring Boots.
Iron Door: In the room with the layout identical to the one at this level's entrance, do the opposite of what opened the door there—place a torch in each of the wall sconces, leaving those on the pillar empty. This time, the door ahead will close, but a wall in the corner will open, revealing a short path to a switch and a view of the Iron Door. Pull the switch to open it, and return to the pillars of light. The pressure plate controlling the central pit also controls the pit between you and the Iron Door; if it's open, clear the plate. Behind the door is the Huntsman Cloak.
There are three secrets on Level 4 which can only be accessed through this level.

Treasures[]

Level 3 offers access to the Slime Dungeon, which contains the Golden Deity Figure.

Legend of Grimrock levels

Into the Dark • Old Tunnels • Pillars of Light • Archives • Hallways • Trapped • Ancient Chambers • The Vault • Goromorg Temple I • Goromorg Temple II • The Tomb • The Prison • The Cemetery

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