• u8-undermine-strange-soundsSeries: Droaam Invasion
  • Level: 13 Group
  • Patron: The Coin Lords
  • Length: Medium
  • Dungeon: Sapper Tunnel
  • Recommended Party: Standard
  • MoBs: Droaam Gnoll Archer, Droaam Infantry, Droaam Skirmisher, Droaam Conscript, Droaam Sappers, Elder Earth Elemental
  • Dangerous MoBs: Droaam Combat Engineer, Droaam Vanguard, Droaam Warpriest, Blitz, Kaboom
  • Buffs: Fire Resistance
  • Special Note:
  • Quest Stats: Detailed Quest Stats on DDMs Realm Here

u8-undermine-surpriseOnce you are in make sure to buff up and summon hirelings before you talk to Tollis Kalmor or head towards the corner. Once you talk to him and move over to the strange noise, the quest begins.

Waves of Droaam will jump out of the hole and attack.  They come in manageable waves but there is no pause between them so be ready for each wave.  If you are having trouble fall back to the courtyard guards and they will help you.  If you want you can train one of the mobs around the courtyard to pull the guards over near the hole to help you. u8-undermine-blitzYou meet Blitz, a big nasty Orange Named ogre, in the last wave.  Be very careful as he has lots of HP and hits really hard.  Once he and his minions are dead (28 kills), a shrine appears.

Shrine up, talk to Tollis and then head down. You can come back to this shrine if you want, but there is another shrine as soon as you enter the tunnels.

u8-undermine-meet-kaboomThere is really only one way to go in the mines.  Watch out for sappers and exploding barrels.  This is a fun place to train, but be careful if you do.

There are a ton of kobolds here and it is quite fun to slaughter them.  Soon you will encounter Kaboom for the first time.  This is the boss and the one behind the tunnel under Stormreach.  He is cowardly, as most kobolds are, and will flee after he’s been hit some.  Chase him at your own risk.  Dungeon Alert will skyrocket and he will leave little gifts for anyone that chases him: nasty knockdown mines.  These can be disabled but it takes time.  Let him go and take your time.  He will run out of tunnel soon enough.

u8-undermine-why-kaboomYou will run into him again a little ways in.  He will quickly run further down the tunnel and collapse the tunnel behind him.  Across the room from the collapse is a sealed off section of the mine.  Break it down as you are going to need the explosive charges inside this area.

In this large cave area you will find out that the kobolds avoided this cave because it is full of big ole earth elementals.  Go in and to the right to pick up some charges.  If you are fast you can sneak back up the stairs before the elementals smash through them.  Otherwise you will have to fight them and head back to the south.  u8-undermine-curse-you-kaboomCollect some demolition charges and go back to the stairs.  Either head to the cave in to continue the quest or use the charges on the rock pile to the east of this room.  This will expose a shrine as well as a named elemental, Rhyolite.

To use the charges put them in a hot bar.  You can only have three at a time but you can refill at any time by picking up more charges.  When you set them make sure you step way back as they have a large range and do upwards of 2000 points of damage! The charges go off 10 seconds after you set them, and they are tons of fun to play with.  They can do so many more fun things than just clear rubble.  I will mention a few in the guide but feel free to have some fun with them and experiment!

u8-undermine-kobold-partyOnce you are ready to move on, head further down the tunnel after Kaboom. You will come to a large open room full of Droaam.  This is their supply depot and one place I love to use a charge.  Sneak up to the entrance and place a charge.  Come out of sneak and range some of the Droaam. They will start to come after you.  Retreat down the tunnel out of range and watch the hilarity ensue as your enemies run right into the explosion! If you place it right you can open up an optional room with a chest in it. It should be placed on the right side at the top of the stairs.

u8-undermine-mine-fieldJust after this room is another shrine on the right.  Drop a charge in the middle of all of the crates and boxes to open a hole to a hidden room with a chest. Then use the shrine if you need to and then continue on.  This quest may seem like it has a ton of shrine but you will find you just may need them as you experiment and play with the demolition charges!

You will soon come to the mine field.  Another place full of fun and possible frustration! There are many mines here.  They do fire damage and have a good chance of knocking you down.  There are several ways across the minefield:

  1. Jump from platform to platform.  This can be tricky, if not impossible for some players.  A good jump will be needed and make sure you are wearing a feather fall item.
  2. Have a rogue disable a path through. This is slow and uses a ton of tools.
  3. Have evasions tough it out and just set off the charges for others.  Don’t do this on hard or elite.
  4. Use the explosives to blast your way through.  Fun, but this method is time consuming.
  5. The most entertaining, the train wreck! To do this have one person run through the entire mob after the shrine and use the jumping method.  The twist is that the mobs that are chasing this person can clear a nice path for rest of the group. Try it at least once.  Fun, exciting and entertaining!  Keep in mind, however, that sometimes enemies will not set off the mines for some reason.

u8-undermine-shrinePast the mine field you will come to a chasm and another shrine. Use it if you need.  Grab some more charges here if you need them and continue.

On the other side of the chasm you will see a long straight tunnel heading up.  It reminds you of an Indiana Jones movie, doesn’t it?  The kobolds have seen that movie too and have the same trap in mind.  u8-undermine-squishBe ready for the boulder!  Spread the group out and try to stop the rolling ball of death before it hits the bottom for some extra XP!  Use ranged weapons and spells. Better yet, use it to smash all the enemies that are following you, by far the more fun route.

Just past this trap, you’ll find Kaboom at the end of the tunnel with no more room to run and hide.  Make sure you have fire resist and begin your attack.  u8-undermine-kaboom-boomMake sure to take out the Kobold Combat Engineers quickly since they can do a lot of damage fast. When Kaboom gets to 50% he will take off running around the room.  Don’t fall for this old trick again.  Let him place his charges.  If you have evasion and fire resist this fight is not too bad.  If you don’t, it can be really tough.

Make sure to get your trinkets on before you go through the gate for the end chest.  As soon as you step inside the gate,  the quest will complete.