Crypt of Decay

== Crypt of Decay Guide == Crypt of Decay is the step after Plane of Disease. This version of the zone is a custom raid crawl built around CoDecay essence, several named events, Bertoxxulous, and the Chapter 1 reflected mirror path. If Plane of Disease is the first lesson in PoP pressure, Crypt of Decay is where that pressure starts stacking: trash builds a reward chest counter, bosses pulse area damage, some mobs can glitch into Nyseria-coven versions, and Bertoxxulous opens the way to Plane of Nightmare. == Zone-Wide Mechanics == Most normal kills in the crypt can add CoDecay essence progress. When you reach 1000 CoDecay essence, a reward chest appears at your location and the counter resets. The CoD essence chest can reward: * Twilight Reliquary * Elemental Essence * Gooey Heart * Shard of Gloombound Reflection * Ring of Fatigue, Ear of Fatigue, and Necklace of Fatigue * Fumes rewards: Fumes of Force, Fumes of Tranquility, Fumes of Knowledge, Fumes of Endure, and Fumes of Spread Bosses in this zone are not just larger trash. They use custom scaling and a repeated life-drain aura that hits nearby players and bots, so keep the raid tightened up and treat each named as a real engagement. == Tarkil And Barban Access == Tarkil Adan is the first NPC to care about your deeper CoD access route. Hail him and he tells you to go to the bone throne at the ruins entrance. This grants the crypt preflag and he despawns shortly afterward. Barban Cryptwalker uses that preflag inside the CoD instance. If you have it, he can send you deeper to the Bertoxxulous area. If you already hold the later Plane of Nightmare access, Barban also offers the Bertoxxulous challenge option. That challenge has a short cooldown, so if the boss was just requested, give it a few minutes before trying again. Practical version: hail Tarkil first, then use Barban as your shortcut deeper into the crypt. == Spectre Of Corruption == Spectre of Corruption is a custom scaled named. It can drop Corpse Bits, Twilight Reliquary, and Elemental Essence. On death, it sends the zone-wide hint: Only eyes like yours can see ghosts, ghosts like me. Treat that as part of the crypt's spooky custom flavor. == Overlord Banord Paffa == Overlord Banord Paffa starts as a proximity event. When you step into the event area, the room calls in puslings in waves: * First wave: five Corrupted or Foul Puslings. * Second wave: five more puslings. * Third wave: five more puslings, then Banord himself appears. Banord can drop Ring of Putrid, Shard of Carrion Reflection, Twilight Reliquary, and Elemental Essence. The important mirror note is that Banord is one of the CoD sources for the Decay mirror chain. His Shard of Carrion Reflection is one of the pieces used for Fragmented Mirror of Decay. == High Priest Ultor Szanvon == High Priest Ultor Szanvon is tied to the crypt trigger flow. Once the trigger receives both required crypt signals, the High Priest appears. High Priest Ultor Szanvon can drop Ear of Putrid, Shard of Blighted Reflection, Twilight Reliquary, and Elemental Essence. His Shard of Blighted Reflection, together with Banord's Shard of Carrion Reflection, completes Fragmented Mirror of Decay. == Nyseria-Glitched Decay Mobs == Several Decay knights, priests, and necromancers have a chance to glitch into a Nyseria-guard style version when they spawn. If they glitch, they can flicker visually during combat and they are guaranteed to carry Shadowed Coven Poppet. Their regular loot table includes Corpse Bits, Twilight Reliquary, and Elemental Essence, but the poppet is the special thing to watch for. == Bertoxxulous == Bertoxxulous is the capstone boss of Crypt of Decay. He is heavily scaled, hits hard, and uses the Chapter 1 reflected encounter check at low health. At about 35% health, Bertoxxulous checks whether a living player is carrying Decaying Mirror of Eclipsed Midnight in the ammo slot and has the required mirror buff active. If the check succeeds, Bertoxxulous has a 40% chance to become reflected. A reflected Bertoxxulous gains a large stat boost, takes on the reflected visual state, and adds one reflected reward to the corpse: * Reflected Diseased Artifact * Symbol of the Reflected Plaguebringer Normal Bertoxxulous drops include: * Diseased Artifact * Symbol of the Plaguebringer * Mirrorbound Aegis * Shard of Blightwoven Reflection * Coalesced Essence of Decay * Runestone of Decay * Runestone of Nightmares, Runestone of Torment, and Runestone of Time * Timelost rewards such as Timelost Sword of Ssraeshza, Timelost Sword of Truth, Timelost Skybreaker, Timelost Scepter of Shadows, Timelost Shield of Mental Fortitude, and Timelost Torch of Judgment * Blighted Amn, Ko, Nef, and Ort runes * A broad set of PoP bracer rewards When Bertoxxulous dies, a Planar Projection appears if one is not already up. == Mirror Progression == CoD continues the Chapter 1 mirror line from Plane of Disease. The key CoD mirror steps are: * Fragmented Mirror of Decay uses Shard of Carrion Reflection from Banord and Shard of Blighted Reflection from High Priest Ultor Szanvon. * Shard of Eclipsed Reflection uses Shard of Gloombound Reflection and Shard of Blightwoven Reflection. * Decaying Mirror of Eclipsed Midnight is the mirror used by Bertoxxulous and Grummus-style Chapter 1 reflected checks. Carry the mirror and keep the required mirror state active before pushing Bertoxxulous through his low-health check. == Plane Of Nightmare Access == After Bertoxxulous dies, hail the Planar Projection. It grants Plane of Nightmare access if you do not already have it, shares that access through the group or raid when eligible, and offers the Plane of Nightmares dynamic zone. Say Plane of Nightmares DZ to create the instance, then say ready to enter. == Practical Route == Start by clearing normally and building CoDecay essence. Hail Tarkil Adan for the crypt preflag, then use Barban Cryptwalker to move deeper once you are in the instance. Clear the Banord wave event and the High Priest trigger path for mirror pieces, then prepare for Bertoxxulous with the Decaying Mirror ready. If you are chasing reflected progression, do not treat Bertoxxulous as a simple kill target. You want the mirror equipped and the proper state active before the 35% health check. == Next Zone == Plane of Nightmare