Seek and Preserve – The Castle

This guide will attempt to provide you with Tips, tricks and information on how to increase your success rate within Castle.

It’s recommended that you read through the general scenario guide before reading further as this guide will only provide you with Map specific information.

SURVIVOR CAMP LOCATIONS AND ENEMY SPAWN POINTS

The green points mark where the survivor camps will be after you have rallied the survivors. The orange points mark the various locations where enemies will spawn during the scenario. The yellow lines stretching point an orange point to a green point marks which survivor camp the enemies will attack based on where they spawn. Upwards arrow heads indicate that points that are located on the second floor of the Castle.

Use this intelligence to prepare yourself for the randomness this scenario will expose you to and plan ahead. Position yourself strategically.

ENVIRONMENT AND SHORTCUTS

Knowing your way around the map and making use of the environment will affect your success rate.

The starting platform.

NPC’s don’t jump, make use of this knowledge by jumping on and off the edges of the platform in order to force them to find a different path.

Windows provide quick ways from one side to the other side of the Castle allowing you to get enough distance from enemies to break combat as well, Jump through them!

DEALING WITH SPECIAL EVENTS

Snipers

Make use of the walls to break Line of sight. If breaking line of sight is not an option Active Dodge, Dashes or abilities including [Epipen] can take care of it as well.

Hazardous Weather

A blizzard appears outside of the mansion, slowing and dealing damage to anyone within it. If you get caught at the starting platform simply active dodge towards the Castle to get back in.

Persistent Filth patches

filth patches are mostly there to force you to take different routes, here follows a way to deal with specific patches.

Filth patch at the front door of the Castle.

This filth patch keeps you from making use of the door and partially blocks your way of making use of the stairs next to it. To make use of the stairs anyway simply jump on it from the side.

Filth patch on the balcony near the windows upstairs.

Keeps you from making use of the windows or stairs leading up, simply find an alternative route from within the castle.

Filth patch within the same room as the survivors.

Many ranged mobs will find their way unto the filth, grab their attention and force them to move by leaving the room and standing behind walls.

Relentless Entity

Ice Golem (Effigy X77 Golem)

This golem critically hits all enemies that are rooted in place.

Cold Wave this ability will be casted in a cone infront of the golem and deals a moderate amount of damage to everything it hits.
Icy Reach is a massive AoE that will root anyone in place within the Ice Golems sight.

Avoiding Cold Wave is only a problem after the golem hits you with Icy Reach, Icy reach damage component can be impaired however you will still be rooted in place.

In order to avoid Icy Reach you will have to move out of sight, walls are your friends.

You do not have to engage the golem but it has a chance of dropping up to rare quality augments.

ACCURSED

This debuff deserves its own section, it’s a commonly used debuff in scenarios that deals damage over time and reduces healing taken from all sources including leech healing.

Don’t let it stack too high, get rid of it by staying out of combat until it’s gone or cleansing yourself through passives or actives.

Vampires

These blood sucking individuals appear at night and during wave one of Castle (Can also appear during wave 2).

They appear to be resistant to debuff effects and often cast Major hit chance.

Single strong mobs

These vampires Lash Out kicking you to the ground impairing their targets for a few seconds. This is generally followed by Surgical Strike which deals a moderate amount of damage and heals the vampire, Surgical Strike is basically a vampire kicking you while you’re down.

Avoiding Lash Out is what will make you win against vampire waves, you can do this through abilities that help you avoid being impaired or by dodging through the vampire right before Lash out finishes casting.

Two average mobs

Vampire casters that wear hoodies.

They have several abilities but the only cast that should be paid attention to is Gore detonation. Gore Detonation is a large AoE effect that deals a low amount of damage while applying 4 stacks of debilitate lowering your damage output by 3% per stack up to 10.

Fight these vampires in places where it’s easy to maneuver.

Throng of weak mobs

Throng of weak vampires that cast Surgical Strike and have a buff called unending hunger, which increases critical hit and pen chance when on low health.

Vampire General (Effigy Y77 Vampire)

A ranged damage dealer that frequently casts an AoE leech ability to deal damage and regain health.

Leech Bomb this ability deals damage and heals the caster.
Pool of blood leaves a pool of blood behind upon cast under the target which will deal damage over time and apply a stack of Accursed every time it deals damage.

This boss prefers to be in melee range but will resort to long distance attacks if you move too far away from him. When he casts any of his abilities move away from the blast radius, do not step in Pool of blood.

Demolisher (Effigy X77 Vampire)

A large Vampire with a wrecking ball.

Ball and Chain a small casted AoE around the boss that deals a high amount of damage and knocking back everyone caught within the blast.
Demolisher a large AoE ability that deals a moderate amount of damage to anyone caught in the blast.
Surgical Strike is a fast casted ability that deals a moderate amount of damage and heals the caster for a portion of the damage dealt.

Impaling Strike grants the major penetration chance, increasing chance to penetrate by 40%

This boss can hit really hard while Impaling strike is activated, his natural high penetrating chance combined with this buff makes all his special abilities devastating.

WereWolves

Attempts to shred you into pieces while barking at you, werewolves have a high chance at dealing critical hits. They also have a slightly higher chance of evading your attacks than other mobs. In addition to their Bloodthirst buff which increases the chance to deal critical hits, Werewolves gain a stack of Rage on each critical hit further increasing their critical hit chance while reducing their chance to evade attacks.

These can appear during wave 2 & 3.

Single strong mobs

Standing tall these Werewolves attempt to Overrun their enemies.

Overrun is a column ability that will impair anyone caught in the attack and apply 5 stacks of exposed while dealing a moderate amount of damage. It’s strongly recommended that you avoid this ability.

Two average mobs

Two werewolves that run on all fours, they can run swiftly for a brief moment and cast Lycan Precision granting them major hit chance. They will also attempt to apply a damage over time effect on their targets.

Throng of weak mobs

Wolves that move swiftly and bite, nothing  difficult or special about these.

Frenzy Werewolf (Effigy X77 Werewolf)

Very angry Werewolf. Possibly hungry as well.

Lumbering Rage puts the Werewolf into a state of Frenzy, causing all attacks thrown at him to miss while increasing his damage output significantly. Do not get hit while this ability is active. On difficulties lower than Nightmare the Werewolf is hindered by this ability and will move very slowly.

Angry wolves do not jump! Fight the Frenzy Werewolf at the starting platform and you can simply jump on and off the ledge to avoid letting the Werewolf take a bite out of you.

Howling Werewolf (Effigy Z77 Werewolf)

Awhoooo says the big bad wolf man.

Howl summons a charging wolf to his side that will attempt to dash into enemies impairing them upon impact.

Like any charging ability the wolves will need a clear path in order to impair you, standing near objects or ledges will keep dashes from hitting you at all. Alternatively simply avoid getting hit by the column dash attacks.

FungAls

Leaving a trail of spores and mushrooms these ground effects infect you with an infection and poison. These can appear during wave 2 & 3.

Single strong mobs

Big fungals that attempt to infect or poison you.

Ejected Matter is a casted ability that applies 3 stacks of poison.

Vile Miasma a large aoe cast that results in a lasting ground effect, standing on this ground effect applies a single stack of infection per second.

Vile Miasma will generally be one of the first attacks when engaging this mob, he will only attempt to cast Vile Miasma when he’s in melee range of his target.

It’s recommended to either engage him when he starts casting Vile Miasma in order to interrupt the ability or to keep him away from survivors as you attempt to slay him.

Throng of weak mobs

Throng of small arachnids like fungal creatures, they move fast but are easily killed.

Bombs

Slow moving Fungal that will explode when reaching a survivor.

The lay out of Castle makes these extremely difficult to deal with when spawned at the northern spawn point. In order to have any chance of dealing with these creatures you should not wait for them to come to you. Run towards them and kill as many as you can  but beware of bombs that take an alternative route, if you’re alone only Explosive mines can help you.

Large Blue Fungal (Effigy x77 Fungus)

Afflicting this boss applies 2 stacks of poison to you.

Vile Miasma is a large aoe cast that results in a lasting ground effect, standing on this ground effect applies a single stack of infection per second.
Ejected Matter is a casted ability that applies 3 stacks of poison.
Deep Roots an AoE ability that deals a moderate amount of damage and roots anyone caught within the blast.

Simply avoid his AoE abilities, if his damage over time effects kill you unslot any ability or passive that applies the state afflicted before re-engaging.

Blue Arachnid (Effigy Z77 Fungus)

Afflicting this boss applies 2 stacks of poison to you.

Chaos Spreads a chain attack that hits a target and anyone near this target.
Leeching Miasma ground AoE that leeches health and applies a damage over time effect.

The attacks of the Blue Arachnid are chained attacks, don’t stand near each other.

Stacks of poison hurt, it’s best to engage this boss without any afflictions running. If you have a build that applies affliction attempt to gain some distance in order to remove the passive/active.

Fauns

Only appear in wave 3.

Single strong mobs

Big angry Faun that will attempt to kick you in the face, knocking you down to the ground for 3 seconds. This ability requires them to be in melee range, their normal attacks can be casted from a short distance.

These Fauns are what will get you killed during this wave, it is recommended that you bring abilities that prevent you from being affected by these impairs.

Two average mobs

More fauns, these do not attempt to kick you in the face but do apply accursed at a slow rate.

Throng of weak mobs

A Throng of angry spirits that attempt to corrupt all things around them, they are ranged damage dealers and come in groups of 5, they have low health and die fairly easily.

These spirits will each attempt to place a stack of accursed on you with the ability Dead Lights, quickly diminishing your healing received by alarming amounts. It’s strongly recommended that you cleanse yourself.

Deathless

Silence you when you attempt to impair them. Only appear in wave 3.

Single strong mobs

Ranged damage dealers with several abilities that could ruin your pace.

Circle of Sulpher a ground effect that increases the damage output of the deathless standing on top of it.

Unholy denial a barrier effect.

Strong single target mobs with the ability to become stronger by standing on top of Circle of Sulpher. In order to combat this mob it’s recommended to keep him off the circle, break line of sight by moving behind walls. Moving behind walls will force the deathless mob to move away from his position.

Two average mobs

Ranged damage dealers that apply corrupted.

If they spread out force them to move by breaking line of sight.

Throng of weak mobs

A group of familiars will run around without clothes. These streakers should not pose any threat, their exposure however appears to apply the debuff exposed on their targets.

HELLSPAWN

Only appear in wave 3.

Single strong mobs

Large Hell Champion: Hits hard, uses a Major defence buff, places an AoE called Salted earth under the player which can be avoided.

Two average mobs

Succubus & Medium Hell Champion: 2 succubus, 2 Champion or a combination will spawn. The succubus will attempt to hinder you and is a ranged damage dealer with low health, it’s recommended to prioritize the Champion if any is nearby.

The Medium Hell Champion has a buff that heals the succubus upon dealing damage.

Hell soldiers: Hell Soldiers will start casting an AoE called Warhead around them that deals a moderate amount of damage and applies 2 stacks of exposed, impair or move out of it, otherwise not much of a threat.

Throng of weak mobs

Rakshasa: Easily dispatched but are resistant to impairs.

FINAL BOSS

Vampire Lord (Effigy Z77 vampire)

Wants blood, more blood.

Lord of Veins a long channeled attack that creates many ground targeted attacks that each deal a large amount of damage while healing the caster.

Royal Blood a pool of blood that deals damage.

The Vampire Lord has a very low amount of health but in return has great healing potential.

When facing this boss it is strongly recommended to bring him to the starting platform. Lord of Veins deals a lot of damage and turrets, survivors and players hit will heal him up faster than he can be taken down through DPS.

Avoid the circles they won’t be casted very far from the Vampire Lord’s position but he can move while casting this ability. Alternatively bring some impairs,

Troll (Effigy X77-0 Troll)

Doesn’t know the lyrics but claims to be a troll.

Overhead Smash large aoe ability that knocks down anyone caught in the blast while dealing a large amount of damage.
Sloughing Filth places a ground effect of growing filth.

Simply avoid his AoE attacks, Sloughing Filth grows in size so don’t stand close to it.
He can pack a punch if you find him difficult to take down bring him to the starting platform.

Padurii (Effigy x77 Padurii)

Spawns with 3 spirit aids, these spirits provide the Fata Padurii with a full damage  absorbion shield, strong healing over time effect and a fire aura that deals damage every few seconds to all enemies around the boss.

Branch Whip deals a large amount of damage and applies a damage over time effect.

Treacherous growth places a large ground effect near the caster that slows everyone within with a hinder effect. Deals no damage.

In order to defeat this boss you require to separate the spirits from the boss.

Effective ways of doing so involves using mines.
Position yourself near the spirits and use an Entangling or Freezing mine then dash/dodge in the direction that allows you to get far away from the spirits. The boss is immune to CC and will follow you around.

Freezing mines lasts long, and any hinder applied to spirits last 12 seconds by default.

Hinders lasting 12 seconds can be used to your advantage through the use of normal abilities or passives as well. Examples of effective abilities and passives would be: Slow the Advance, Dirty Tricks, Cold Wave or Close Quarters.

Once the Spirits have been dealt with kill the boss as normal, Branch whip deals a lot of damage impairing it or dodging through the boss will keep you from taking damage.