Resurrection of Darroc – Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard

This is a guide for Resurrection of Darroc, Chapter 3 of the Lizardfolk campaign in Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard. It includes a detailed walkthrough, a handy map, and a table listing all the points you can earn throughout the mission.

Resurrection of Darroc Map

Legend

1. Nexus
2. Troglodyte Hurler
3. Spitting Turtles
4. Expansion Well
5. Dragon Statues
6. Keeper Hives
7. Pteranodon Riders
8. Draconic Spirit
9. Expansion Well
10. Gelatinous Cube
11. Obsidian Monk’s Room
12. Beholder Battle
13. Door
14. Darroc

Exits:

• A: Teleport Circles. You won’t be able to use the teleport circles until you’ve defeated the bloodroot at the northern instance.
• B: Tunnel to the hive keeper area.
• C: Tunnel to the gelatinous cube area.
• D: Tunnel to Darroc’s tomb.

Description

In desperate need of council, the Lizardfolk must travel to a hidden vale and delve into the Tomb of Darroc, the final resting place of their greatest champion.

New Units

• Spitting Turtle
• Pteranodon Rider

Walkthrough

You’ll start out with a nexus (#1) in this chapter, but the Umbragen will only receive a pair of expansion wells (#4 and #9), and so the Umbragen will never put much pressure on you. The difficulty in this chapter is in dealing with the fixed enemies of the underworld.

So start building up your nexus, and explore your surroundings. To the east you’ll find a troglodyte hurler (#2), who will ask you to rescue the nearby spitting turtles (#3). To do that, you’ll have to knock down the fence hemming them in and destroy the expansion well of their captors (#4). Once you’ve rescued the spitting turtles, they’ll join your side, and you’ll be allowed to build turtle dens in your nexus.

Then in the northwestern corner, amid several keeper hives (#6), you’ll meet up with some pteranodon riders (#7). They will ask you to defeat the hives (you’ll have to enter the underworld at Exit B to hit them where they’re vulnerable), and if you do it, the pteranodon riders will join your side, and you’ll be allowed to build pteranodon roosts in your nexus.

The remaining Umbragen expansion well can be found on a plateau in the northeastern corner (#9). You won’t be able to walk up to it and attack it. That means you’ll either have to assault it with pteranodon riders, or else you’ll have to use at least one pteranodon rider to destroy the bloodroot blocking the teleport circle to the plateau (Exit A). Since the toughest part of the chapter takes place in the underworld where pteranodon riders can’t go, the best option is the latter one.

There are three dragon statues to be found in the chapter, but once you’ve helped the spitting turtles and the pteranodon riders, and once you’ve captured the enemy expansion wells, all three will fall under your control, and the entrance to Darroc’s tomb (Exit D) will open.

Inside the tomb, you’ll find a lot of beholders. At the start, the beholders will have tribal shamans under their control, but if you can defeat the beholders without killing the shamans, then the shamans will join your side. Finally, at the end of the tomb, you’ll meet up with three beholders and one beholder lord (#12). That’s a nasty fight no matter how powerful your army is, so the best course of action is to run away and then try to pick off the beholders one or two at a time. Once that last group of beholders is down, you’ll have a free path to Darroc (#14). When you reach him, the chapter will end.

1 – Nexus

2 – Troglodyte Hurler

The hurler will ask you to rescue the spitting turtles to the north (#3). But to do that, you’ll not only have to destroy the fence surrounding the turtles, you’ll also have to destroy the expansion well belonging to the turtle’s captors (#4). Once you’ve done that, the hurler will give you 500 gold, and you’ll be allowed to build turtle dens in your nexus.

3 – Spitting Turtles

You’ll need to destroy the barrier surrounding the turtles in order to free them.

4 – Expansion Well

5 – Dragon Statues

You’ll need to control these three dragon statues in order to open Darroc’s tomb (Exit D).

6 – Keeper Hives

The hives will hit you with ranged attacks, but you won’t be able to kill them permanently unless you attack them in the underworld.

7 – Pteranodon Riders

The pteranodon riders will ask you to deal with the nearby keeper hives (#6). To do so, you’ll have to enter the underworld (via Exit B) and attack the “roots” of the hives. After you’ve destroyed all four hives and returned to the pteranodon riders, they’ll join your cause, and you’ll be allowed to build pteranodon roosts at your nexus.

8 – Draconic Spirit

If you’re playing Redfang, Wowen, or Blackclaw, then at one of these three spots you’ll meet up with a draconic spirit who will present you with a dilemma. The dilemma depends on the champion that you’re using, but the result is always the same. As long as you complete the challenge given to you by the spirit (usually involving killing a few enemies), then you’ll receive a champion’s artifact. The artifact will be different for each champion.

If you’re playing Silverblade, then you’ll receive your champion’s artifact at #11.

9 – Expansion Well

10 – Gelatinous Cube

You’ll find a few gelatinous cubes in this corner of the underworld, but the one here should drop some gelatinous goo and a helm of willpower, and nearby on the ground you should find a ring of regeneration plus some gold.

11 – Obsidian Monk’s Room

In this room you’ll find an obsidian monk being tortured by a pair of silent stalkers. The monk isn’t a good guy, so your objective isn’t to free him. Instead, you’ll discover that there’s a special chest in the room, and that you’re not able to open it. If you read the two nearby “obsidian doctrines,” then you’ll learn that the chest can only be opened using blood from the monk, and that only acid from a gelatinous cube can cause the monk to bleed.

You’ll find some gelatinous goo with the gelatinous cubes in the northeastern corner of the underworld (#10). If you use the goo on the monk, then the monk will die, and you’ll receive monk blood. If you use the blood on the chest, then you’ll receive the champion’s artifact sadistic blades if you’re playing Silverblade. Otherwise, you’ll receive a ring of fireball.

12 – Beholder Battle

You’ll face three beholders and a beholder lord here. The best thing to do is to retreat and then face the beholders one or two at a time.

13 – Door

You won’t be able to pass through this door until you’ve defeated the beholders at #12.

14 – Darroc

Reaching Darroc will end the chapter.

Points Chart