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RIFT 1.5 Hammerknell Chronicle Guide
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A Guide to Planar Attunement
Chronicles of Telara Solo Commentary
Author: Pamela in MMOSite
Two friends or a brave solo player can enjoy a little RIFT lore by queuing for one of the new Chronicle instances. Chronicles are designed for fresh 50s, but can provide a challenge for semi-geared solo players as well. Currently, there are two duo instances and one solo instance.
Today, we'll look at the Hammerknell instance; a duo mission. A small party went missing in Hammerknell and it's the players' job to find out the fate of those trapped inside. The Chronicle, Hammerknell: Runes of Corruption, gives players a chance to fight Murdantix, a Painstalker Broodmother, Prince Dollin, and the Rune King Molinar.
A decently geared 50 will have no problem soloing this instance especially if healing is involved. Thoughtfully built clerics and mages should have no problem by themselves in a little dungeon gear or some lower rank PvP gear. Geared rogues and warriors should be able to solo it as well, but those players might need some potions for their journey. The Chronicle is made for two fresh 50 players, and can be completed once a day for Plaques of Achievement, loot, and gold.
Getting into the Hammerknell chronicle is easy. Just press "J" and select "Enter" next to the Chronicle listed in Hammerknell to get started. When you're transported to the instance, a number of dwarves will appear before you. Borrin Gammult is the dwarf to talk to in order to begin the quest within the instance. After speaking with him, you're ready to engage the enemies the hall in front of you.
Hammerknell
In front of dwarves stand seven mobs and a patrol of three that walk up and down the hall. The first stationary three are rather close to where you and dwarves are standing. If you pull them, the outer two, the Runebroken Golems, will run toward you while the middle Dominating Ghoul stands his ground. The Dominating Ghoul, cannot be persuaded to get within melee range if pulled even if it is silenced.
Entrance
Once you've killed those three enemies, you should take out the wandering patrol first since it will practically stop where you just pulled the first three from. The last four mobs in the hall can be taken on one at a time if needed. The four Runebroken Golems will run to you if pulled making a quick AoE ideal if you've got the power for it. A moderately geared player can take two on at a time, but if you're a fresh 50 take them on one at time (even if in a duo). All the mobs in this hallway can be kited to where the dwarves stand making them a little easier to kill if needed. The dwarves will help you fight the mobs if you bring them close enough.
Great Hall
After the hall is cleared, a small staircase down is the only way to proceed. At the bottom of the stairs waits three mobs directly in front of you. Those are the ones to work on first. They are comprised of a Forgotten Steward, a Cursed Delver, and a Fallen Hammerlord. Although you're surrounded by a number of aggro fallen dwarf spirits (five on each side of the room), the three tougher mobs at the base of stairs are easily killed without disturbing the lesser enemies. Pay no mind to Murdantix either, he won't engage until you've explicitly told Borrin Gammult to release him.
The Great Hall
If you need the aid of the dwarves, wait a moment before engaging the three enemies at the base of the stairs. The dwarves will eventually run up given you've cleared the hall you just ran through. They will stand near the bottom of the stairs if you need to kite any of the lesser spirits into them as well. Killing all of the lesser spirits in the room is advised since a number of artifacts can be found in the room. On the right of the Great Hall, an elite Painstalker Drake waits to be engaged. Killing him will show you the way into the Halls of Knowledge. You can run into that room now, handle his Broodmother, and kill Murdantix after, or you can kill Murdantix first. It does not matter; however, killing Murdantix is required to proceed through the instance.
Players short on time can skip the Halls of Knowledge and killing the Broodmother. They can skip killing off the spirits in the Great Hall as well if they're confident in not getting knocked into them by Murdantix. Activating Murdantix is done by killing the three mobs you saw immediately after entering this room at the base of the stairs. Once they're dead, Borrin Gammult will wait at the rune vessel holding Murdantix down. Talk to him to start the battle with Murdantix.
Murdantix
Killing Murdantix is pretty easy no matter what calling you are. Borrin Gammult tanks Murdantix the whole time, and using the rune vessel on the ground makes you, and your pets, do more damage while taking less damage. The fight still does take a moment to complete, however. If you have range, simply stand on the rune vessel and click it when it expires to keep the buff on. It lasts around 15 seconds so watch that buff bar. Most characters will barely touch Murdantix without it. Melee characters will have to make a little extra effort to run between the rune vessel and Murdantix but the enemy is not far away from the vessel. If you are in a duo when completing this fight, only one player needs to activate the rune vessel. The buff applies to the entire party when clicked by just one person.
Murdantix
Murdantix will stay on Borrin Gammult stubbornly. He targets the player to knock him/her up and sometimes to knock them back. There's little danger involved, though, especially if the room was completely cleared. Whittle his health down with the aid of the rune vessel and everything should work out fine. Loot Murdantix to find a blue quality reward, some money, and a Plaque of Achievement. Note that he can drop a mount version of himself if you're lucky.
Once Murdantix is defeated, the way behind him opens up. Continue forward or visit the Halls of Knowledge if you didn't already (given that you want to).
Halls of Knowledge
All seven of the mobs in this room are elite. Six Painstalker Drakes surround the Painstalker Broodmother in a circle. Each Drake can be killed individually without alerting any of the other Drakes or the Broodmother quite easily. Small alcoves line the wall making it easy to attack a Drake at range and then run behind a wall if necessary. As long as there's not a lot of AoEs being cast, a Drake can be killed near, but not completely on, where it stands for the most part. Systematically kill each Drake by starting on one side of the Broodmother. Kill the three on one side and then run back to the front of the Broodmother. Now go to her other side and kill the rest of the Drakes. Following their deaths, engage the Broodmother.
Painstalker Broodmother
The Painstalker Broodmother likes to cast Devouring Shadows, Corrupting Breath, and Fling. The first two will hurt, but a player can run out of Devouring Shadows to save some health. The last ability, Fling, is as exactly as it sounds. Fling tosses the player back away from the Broodmother.
Painstalker Broodmother
Fighting her isn't difficult. She doesn't hit for too hard and avoiding her AoE makes the fight very painless. Run out of her AoEs and keep attacking. Be ready to heal or use a potion but probably no more than one potion or a few heals. Loot the Painstalker Broodmother for a blue quality item, some gold, and a Plaque of Achievement.
HK after Murd *Optional Image*
If you've killed Murdantix, then return to where he was slain to progress. If you haven't killed him yet, now's the time since you can't move on until he's dead. Borrin Gammult opens up the passage behind Murdantix into another set of stairs. At the base of these stairs waits two Runebroken Golems and a Dominating Ghoul. Two paths lead out of this hall and are both lined with Runeburst Shades. Three are in each hallway and they should not cause problems for anyone.
The three mobs at the base of the stairs are pretty closely tied together and can't really be separated. The Dominating Ghoul won't run to you even if it's silenced. The Golems will go down quicker for most people, but some players might find it better to kill the Dominating Ghoul first. Killing the Golems first was the method used in this situation.
Both paths out of this area lead to the Throne of the Rune King, but it's advisable to clear both halls just in case you need to fall back to them. Although, If you're in a hurry and confident, it's not required. The Runeburst Shades in these halls shouldn't pose a problem for anyone, but they can be killed one a time if pulled back from their starting location only slightly.
Throne of the Rune King
Players enter the Throne Room by coming through one of the two halls just mentioned. Three dwarven spirits wait for the player at the end of both halls. Two Cursed Delvers and a Fallen Hammerlord must be dealt with no matter what. Be careful, though, because three Runebroken Golems separately patrol the Throne Room. One wanders along each wall while the third walk back and forth between the two groups of dwarven spirits. There is also a long Dominating Ghoul along this Golem's path. He can wait until the patrol is dead to be dealt with. The patrols are why it's advisable to kill all of the Runeburst Shades in the halls before the Throne Room. You can pull these three dwarven spirits into the hall behind you to avoid the detection of the patrolling Golems.
The Throne Room
After killing the dwarven spirits, work on the patrols as they approach the halls you just stepped out of. This will make it easier to kill the three Runebroken Golems lining the left and right walls. These Golems can easily be killed without disturbing the number of Runeburst Shades in the middle of the room. Just run along each wall killing a Golem as you come to it. A Runebust Shade from the middle might venture toward the wall, but keeping an eye on what's behind you will keep you aware of their movement.
Killing the Runebroken Golems along the walls is really optional. The final fight won't push you to these walls, but they have a chance to drop blue quality gear like everything else in the instance. There is also a chest someone in this room usually in one of the corners. You'll need to kill the Golems lining the wall to get to the chest. It is recommended to kill all of the Runeburst Shades in the middle, though. You can fight no more than two at a time if you're careful. After you've cleared the Runebusrt Shades, you'll find a Fallen Hammerlord, a Cursed Delver, and a Fallen Steward in front of the final bosses. These three dwarven spirits can be pulled back away from Prince Dollin and the Rune King Molinar, but all three of the spirits will aggro on the player. The Forgotten Steward will try to keep his distance to spell cast, but a silence will bring him closer to you and farther away from the final bosses.
Prince Dollin and Rune King Molinar
These two come at you together no matter what you do. Neither can be crowd controlled and both have a few tricks up their sleeves. Like the Murdantix fight, clicking a vessel is the key to defeating these two. There are four rune vessels in the room by the four pillars closest to the Prince and King. Again, only one member of the duo needs to click on the vessel to give the buff to the party.
The Prince and King
Starting with the Prince is a good idea. He's a spell caster that likes to keep his distance. He'll go down quicker than the King so it's easier to get him out of the way first. Otherwise the Prince will keep hitting hard with spells while the King "destroys everything in his path." When the King does destroy everything in his path there's not a lot to do if you're alone. A lesser armored companion in duo should stay away when he does this. Keep the rune vessel buff active and slowly work his health down. Once the Prince and King are defeated, enjoy some lore through dialogue. Once you've heard the speech, jump through the portal to return to the beginning of the instance. Here you'll find a chest to open with another blue quality item, some gold, and another Plaque of Achievement.
The Portal
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