Cave of Desperation will be the third Dungeon available for Throne and Liberty players to tackle, and quite a challenging one at that. Its challenging mechanics and great amount of AoE damage can become a problem for unprepared parties. So, with that in mind, this guide will cover every aspect of the dungeon — from the smallest of details to advanced tactics — to prevent suffering unnecessary deaths at the hands of the Ant Queen Lacune and her minions.
Throne and Liberty: Roaring Temple Dungeon Guide
Here's what players need to do to breeze through the Roaring Temple dungeon in Throne and Liberty.
This dungeon also drops a lot of great items for those seeking to complete their collections, and it's a prerequisite to complete Codex Chapters 4 and 6. It also holds quite a lot of challenges that will allow players to earn extra rewards. But, first things first, let's take a look at how the map is distributed, as well as how many types of enemies players will be facing during this 6-player challenge from the Dimensional Circle Co-Op Dungeon pool.
Cave Of Desperation Overview - What To Expect
This dungeon will be open for all players starting at level 40, and it is a pretty straightforward one at that. Starting from the entrance, where the Grappling Hook zone is, players will have to defeat a series of Elite Ant enemies to enter the first Boss Stage.
Before delving further, here's a breakdown of the enemies players should expect to encounter in the Cave of Desperation:
- Mutant Acid Ant: Spits poison in rows and attacks from range. Quite annoying — priority number one to take down.
- Mutant Soldier Ant: Resilient and with an enormous HP pool, it doesn't cause any considerable damage and doesn't have any particularly annoying mechanics.
- Exploding Larvae: Not too much of a threat, but if left unattended, it can explode and create a fire AoE.
- Exploding Acid Larvae: Same as the one above, but creates a Poison/Acid AoE.
- Exploding Acid Ant: Perhaps the most dangerous enemy in the Dungeon, it runs toward players and explodes. Those who are not paying attention will be instantly killed or badly hurt. Avoid it at any cost. Don't waste time and skills killing it — just dodge or keep moving to avoid it.
- Gem Ant: Buffs the rest of the Ants and provides other mechanics during the Final Boss Fight. More on this later.
Player Priorities During Exploration Between Boss Fights
Here's what every player should be doing during the exploration parts and combat against minor enemies:
- Tanks: Focus on aggroing the Ants, avoid aggroing Exploding Acid Ants at any costs, and leave those for the DPS to handle.
- Range DPS: Focus on taking down Exploding Larvae and Mutant Acid Ants; avoid Exploding Acid Ants at any cost.
- Melee DPS: Try to off-tank whenever the main tank is overwhelmed; catch aggro from Mutant Acid Ants, as those will be the priority.
- Healers: Keep as far away from the exploding ants and AoE as possible. Avoid unnecessary damage, keep a close look at the Tank's health at all times, since the poison can cause serious damage — even if the player has the sturdiest of builds.
Once players dispatch enough enemies, it will be time for the first boss of this Dungeon, which lies a little bit further ahead once the players take down the first wave of enemies. Don't forget to ignite the Campfire before moving forward to face the first Boss.
Throne And Liberty: Specter's Abyss Dungeon Guide
Specter's Abyss is the first dungeon players will encounter in Throne and Liberty. Here's how to beat every boss and reach the end safely.
How To Beat Mutant Princess Ant (First Boss)
The next room has a few ants that need to be killed before a contingent of larvae that need to be destroyed before the fight begins. Once they are dead, the Mutant Princess Ant will spawn, and the battle against the boss will begin. The boss will use the following skills during the fight, so pay attention to their description to know how to counter them.
- Cone Breath Attack: The Mutant Princess Ant breathes a cone-shaped AoE attack from its mouth. The best way to deal with this is to make the Tank fight the boss with his back against the wall so the AoE only targets him, and then he can block and prevent damage.
- Summon Exploding Larvae: The Mutant Princess Ant summons a timed bomb in the shape of a larva and targets a player. Another player needs to run quickly and touch the player’s body to defuse it.
- Summon Larvae Swarm: The Boss will shout and call for reinforcements. The red larvae will mature into Soldier ants, while the green ones will mature into Exploding Mutant Acid Ants. They need to be killed asap. Generally, using AoE does the trick.
Ranged DPS: To avoid being cornered by Exploding Acid Ants, move in a 'C' pattern while dealing damage, and keep moving at all times. The ants will approach and start exploding. Use dodge abilities as a last resource. Melee DPS: Focus on dealing with the adds, and when the Exploding Ants pop up, run away from the squishier party members.
Combat Tips During Mutan Princess Ant Boss Fight
Here's every role during the fight summarized, so players know where to stand and how to counter the boss attacks:
- Tanks: Focus on aggroing the Ants until the Mutant Princess Ant appears, then aggro the boss and fight it facing away from the wall to prevent the boss AoE from hitting the party.
- Range DPS: Focus on taking down Exploding Larvae fast to prevent more adds from spawning. Avoid the Exploding Acid Ants since they do loads of damage.
- Melee DPS: Try to off-tank whenever the main tank is overwhelmed, catch aggro from stray adds, and protect the Range DPS.
- Healers: Dodge the AoE's on the Floor, stick close to the tank (but not in front of the boss) and everything will be fine.
After beating down the Mutant Princess Ant, a new wall of the cave will crumble, and players will be able to proceed further down the nest. They will immediately face another boss with similar mechanics: the Mutant Giant Acid Ant.
How To Beat Mutant Giant Acid Ant (Second Boss)
To start the fight, players will need to break a series of Empty Poison Sacs that are placed in the middle of the room. At first, there will be only one sac, but after destroying it, four more will spawn, and among them, many Mutant Soldier Ants and Gem Ants. The mechanics are quite similar to the previous encounter, and to make the boss spawn, players will need to destroy the ants until a Giant Acid Ant Egg spawns in the middle of the room. Break it to make the second boss, Mutant Giant Acid Ant, spawn, and then begin the real combat phase.
Important Fight Mechanics In The Mutant Giant Acid Ant Boss Fight
- Poison Spit AoE: The boss spits poison that drops on top of the targeted players and creates an AoE damaging area on the ground. To control the fight, the Tank must aggro the Mutant Giant Acid Ant and make it spit the goo on the same spot, preventing it from spreading throughout the arena.
- Stun and Pull: The Mutant Giant Acid Ant will roar and launch a blockable attack. The players who didn’t manage to block it in time will be pulled towards the boss and are at risk of falling in the Poison AoE.
Exploding Acid Ants will constantly spawn during the fight, and if players do not avoid them, they can be killed easily — especially Ranged DPS and the squishy Healers, who are subject to the worst parts of the Poison AoE and stray adds looking for blood.
Combat Tips During The Mutant Giant Acid Ant Boss FIght
Players should divide the roles as follows, making sure that each of them knows what to do to prevent unnecessary casualties:
- Tanks: Aggro the adds and prevent Exploding Mutant Ants from jumping on their backs. When the boss spawns, aggro it and direct it towards the northern part of the arena to better control the acid spit of the boss.
- Range DPS: Focus on taking down Gem and Soldier Ants when they spawn, and help Melee DPS with the boss damage. Stay away from the Spit AoE, and avoid the Exploding Acid Ants.
- Melee DPS: Try to off-tank whenever the main Tank is overwhelmed, catch aggro from stray adds, and protect the Range DPS.
- Healers: Dodge the AoE and Exploding ants, and keep the team alive. Prioritize healing the Tank, as they will be receiving the most damage.
When the boss Roars, it's time for the Pull Attack, so players should prepare to block the stunning tendrils — or in case they fail to block, to dodge if they fall into the Poison AoE. The rest of the fight is pretty straightforward, and once the Mutant Giant Acid Ant is dead, the wall will crumble once more, revealing the path to the final boss of the Dungeon.
Throne And Liberty: Tips For Playing Solo
Players looking to conquer Throne and Liberty solo may want to heed the following tips and strategies.
How To Beat Lacune (Final Boss)
Before starting the fight against Lacune, players will need to destroy 3 eggs positioned on three different platforms in the arena. Take notice of these platforms, as they'll be crucial for later. Now, destroy the three Gem Ant Eggs to begin the fight against the boss. Once the boss spawns and the fight begins, players should be aware of the following mechanics that will happen during the combat:
- Swipe Attacks: Lacune will have an indicator similar to a ‘Rage Meter,’ which looks like a purple bar below its health. Once it's filled, it will commence a sequence of fury swipes in the direction of the player who is doing the most damage. Players should avoid it at any cost.
- Paralysis/Poisonous Ants: Ants that paralyze and poison players will enter the arena periodically, and every available DPS should destroy them on sight. This is crucial to avoid a wipe.
- Red Pillar of Death: Lacune shouts and begins charging a wiping red AoE. At the same time, red circles will appear on the ground. Move on top of the circle, and pillars will elevate players above ground level, also buffing their damage. If players fail to reach the pillars and are near some of the platforms, they should climb there instead. Staying on ground level means death.
- Gem Ants Spawn in Platforms: When the Red Pillars crumble, Lacune will summon 3 Gem Ants that will attack targets on sight. Those available players should quickly kill the Gem Ants before they target the Healer or divert the attention of the Tank.
- Slam Attack: Lacune will slam the ground and send players flying. If they do not morph into their Gliding forms, they will receive fall damage.
- Summon Exploding Larva: Once Lacune drops below 50% health, it will begin infecting players with the same ticking time bomb-larvae as in the fight against the Mutant Princess Ant. Players can remove these in the same way — by walking near another player.
Combat Tips During Lacune Final Boss Fight
Here's the best strategy for each role during this complicated fight. Pay attention because this will save lots of time and unnecessary suffering:
- Tanks: Aggro the boss and keep Blocking and facing the team. Instead of directing the boss toward the center, lean a little bit toward one of the pillars, so Melee DPS can have a little bit more time to get on top of them and avoid the Death AoE when it comes.
- Range DPS: Focus on dealing damage, look for the Red Pillars, and climb on top when the AoE attack comes. If they cannot find a pillar or platform to climb on, this means game over, so they need to pay attention to when the boss roars and starts charging the AoE of Death. When Gem Ants spawn, kill them as fast as possible.
- Melee DPS: Try to off-tank whatever comes and might distract the Tank, stay clear of the Gem Ants on the platforms, and instead go for the Paralyzing Ants and let Range DPS take charge of the other adds.
- Healers: Focus on healing the Tank, and if possible, keep the Melee DPS at least over 50% health at all times. The Healer's role is crucial, and their death means a guaranteed wipe for the party. Stick close to a Melee DPS and also near a Red Pillar spawning zone — or a platform to guarantee surviving the Death AoE.
Players should keep chipping away at Lacune's health until she starts spawning the Ant Bombs, then, help teammates eliminate the debuff by walking near them. With a little coordination and patience, this fight will be over soon, and players will be able to collect the rewards of their hard work.
Throne and Liberty
- Released
- October 1, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- NCSoft
- Publisher(s)
- NCSoft, Amazon Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4, Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Number of Players
- 1
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 40.49 GB
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
