This page explains the rules of a run once your party is inside the crypt. For entering, see Entering the Dungeon. For scoring and rewards, see Dungeon Scoring and Loot.
The shape of a run#
The crypt is assembled from a library of hand-built rooms and hallways when your party enters, with a seeded layout, so every run differs. It is split into levels. In the live setup the exploration part holds up to three levels of roughly four to eight rooms each. After the last level comes the boss door and the boss arena. The room budget depends on the difficulty. See Dungeon Difficulties.
Each level is closed off from the next by an iron-bars gate. A level is finished when its gate opens. Players are healed to full health when they enter the instance and again when the run is completed.
The HUD#
While you are in a run, the sidebar titled OVERGROWN CRYPT shows:
| Line | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Level | The level your party is working on |
| Keys | Keys your party holds |
| Score | The party's score so far |
| Secrets | Secrets found out of the total in this layout |
| Time | The run clock |
| Party | Each member's health, or DOWNED, DEAD or LEFT |
The action bar shows what is left in the room you are standing in: mobs remaining, secrets found and puzzles left, or a green "Room cleared" mark.
Everyone also carries a Dungeon Map that shows the layout, cleared rooms, gates, the boss room and your party's positions. It is taken back when you leave.
Gates and keys#
A gate opens in one of two ways:
- Clear the level. When every mob of the level is dead and no objective (puzzle, wave fight or mini-boss) is open, the gate opens by itself.
- Spend a key. Click the gate with a key in the party's pool to open it without killing every mob. A level gate costs 1 key.
A key does not skip an objective. If a puzzle, wave fight or mini-boss is still open on the level, the gate stays shut until it is finished, even after the key is spent.
Keys belong to the whole party. They come from:
| Source | Keys |
|---|---|
| The key bearer of a level dying | 1 |
| Defeating a mini-boss | 1 |
| Solving a combo or runes puzzle | 1 each |
The key bearer#
At the start of each level the dungeon picks one living mob of that level as the key bearer. The message is "One creature on this level carries the key onward". When it dies, the party gains a key ("The key bearer falls! Your party holds n key(s) - use one at the gate."). The bearer carries no visible name tag, so you have to find it among the mobs. Mobs in the crypt glow, which lets you read a room through its walls.
Sweeping a level#
When the last mob of a level dies, the party earns a level swept bonus of +100 score. A level that is swept clean also opens its gate on its own once no objective is left open.
The boss door#
The door to the boss is different. It never opens by itself. Once the level before it is cleared, the party is told "Level cleared! Click the boss door when the party is ready to fight." Click the door to open it and start the encounter. If the level is not cleared, a key lets you skip the remaining mobs. The boss door needs 1 key, and if you try without one you get "The boss door will not budge - bring a key or clear this level first." Choose the moment: heal, drink potions and rally the party first. Behind the door waits the Bandit Warrior in a flooded sewer arena. See Bandit Warrior.
Mobs#
- The whole run is stocked with mobs when it starts, so rooms ahead of you are already populated.
- Nothing else spawns: natural spawning is off, and strays that do not belong to the run are removed.
- Rooms that nobody designed mob groups for are filled automatically. A normal room gets about one mob per 30 floor blocks, between 2 and 8, scaled by room size (small rooms x0.7, large rooms x1.4) and by the difficulty. Puzzle and special rooms are left alone. Mobs spread out and stay clear of doorways and walls.
- Mob types come from weighted pools. See Dungeon Mobs.
- Every kill of a dungeon mob is worth +10 score.
Mini-bosses#
A mini-boss spawns when its level starts, shows a red boss bar ("Mini boss: name") and holds the level until it is beaten. Beating it:
- opens the way on, because the mini-boss counts as the level's objective,
- gives the party 1 key and +150 score,
- pays 40 Sewer Shards to every player who has dealt damage to dungeon mobs during the run.
The two mini-bosses are the Gravewarden and the Bog Shaman. See Dungeon Bosses.
Wave fights#
Some rooms are wave fights. They announce "Something stirs in the walls - n wave(s) are coming". Waves pour in one at a time:
- The first wave arrives 3 seconds after the level starts.
- You get a 6 second breather after each cleared wave, with a countdown on the action bar.
- A gold boss bar shows "Wave n/total - left left".
- The room's level cannot finish until the last wave is down. If stragglers remain, they start glowing and the party is told how many are left.
- Some waves flood part of the room when they begin.
Secrets#
Secrets never block progress. They raise your score and your final grade.
| Kind | How to find it |
|---|---|
| Hidden spots | Click a block that does not belong. The first player to click it claims it. |
| False walls | Hit a wall that crumbles to reveal a stash or passage |
| Hidden passages | A doorway sealed with the room's own stone. Hit it to uncover a hidden room behind it |
Each secret is worth +75 score. Finding every secret in the layout adds a +150 bonus when the run ends. The sidebar shows secrets found out of the total.
Puzzles#
Puzzle rooms hold up levers, braziers, runes, a sequence of flashing blocks or a hidden keyholder. A puzzle blocks its level until it is solved. See Dungeon Puzzles.
Blessing chests#
Chests found in rooms during the run are blessings. One opener claims it, and the whole standing party gets a rolled boon. See Dungeon Scoring and Loot.
Going down#
Dying does not end your run. You go down, and teammates can revive you. If the whole party is down, the run fails. See Reviving and Second Wind.
The end of a run#
When the boss falls and the arena is finished:
- The run is complete, the clock stops and everyone still standing is healed.
- Your grade and score are announced to the party.
- Reward chests appear, one for each tier your grade unlocked, and everyone still inside is brought to the reward room.
- A 120 second loot window opens. The party gets warnings at 30 seconds and 10 seconds. When it closes, everyone is teleported back to spawn.
- About 10 seconds after completion, the dungeon announces the top damage dealers of the run to players who have dungeon alerts switched on.
Only players who dealt damage to dungeon mobs get a chest payout or a mini-boss payout. A player who is still down when the run ends is carried and gets no chests.
See also#
- Dungeon Bosses for the boss encounters
- Dungeon Scoring and Loot for score and chests