Shroud of the Apocrea/The Grasping Plateau

From Tombstones:

• Freezing Bombie
• Pale Scarab
• Freed Soul

From Puzzles:

• Blech Bunny
• Devilite
• Trojan
• Caustic Polyp
• Toxigel
• Grave Scarab
• Bombie
• Frozen Deadnaught

Plateau:

• Apocrean Harvester

• The Grasping Plateau is a large Graveyard-like area that spawns many tombstones in a grid. It features one or more two-part puzzles and difficult enemies. Its dimensions seem to consistently be 50-52 (West/East) x 34-36 (North/South) tombstones.

• Puzzles in The Grasping Plateau reward Apocrean Sigils in bulk. Everyone in the party receives the puzzle's sigils as soon as it's solved. Puzzles come in two parts - if you find one part, you can predict and mentally prepare for the other.

Sometimes a material will be rewarded (in addition to sigils in bulk) when a puzzle is solved. It appears on the ground in the puzzle and must be picked up. Each player must investigate the area - one player will not pick a material up for the entire party. It might not appear for everyone in the party, and it may or may not be the same material for everyone in the party. If one appears, this material is always randomly one of the ones available from Lost Soul (Apocrean Item Trader). The player does not have to be nearby for it to have a chance to drop - someone else can solve the puzzle far away.

Goal: Get to the elevator or collect Apocrean Sigils.

The gallery below displays puzzle pairs and their solutions.

Use the Control+F keyboard function to find terms such as "key."

• 

  This "water pot" is picked up and used to put out a fire somewhere.

• 

  SOLVE: This wall of fire is put out by a "water ball." A red button is hidden under some books, break the books and step on the button to solve this puzzle.

• 

  This ember is picked up and used to light an unlit candle somewhere. It might be very far away, or very close!

• 

  SOLVE: One of these candles is unlit (usually the right-hand side candle). Light it with an ember (a.k.a magmaball, fireball) found elsewhere in the plateau.

• 

  This "ember loader" is almost always paired with the "Frozen Deadnaught Candle" elsewhere in the Plateau.

• 

  A Frozen Deadnaught appears when this candle is lit. Sigils are obtained, even if the deadnaught goes undefeated.

• 

  This heavy statue should be carried somewhere and placed on a pressure plate. Find it elsewhere in the Plateau.

• 

  This pressure plate could use a heavy statue. Find it elsewhere in the plateau.

• 

  Find a gold key elsewhere in the Plateau. Then put the heavy statue on the button to solve.

• 

  This gold key seems to be here on its own from the start of the level. It should be used to unlock a gate somewhere elsewhere in the Plateau.

• 

  This is where a key might go. This one is almost always paired with a purple ritual tower elsewhere in the Plateau.

• 

  SOLVE: Walk along the path of purple light. Fiendish noises can be heard. A gold key and Devilites (or more rarely, Bombies) will appear at the same time after the path is walked correctly.

• 

  This is where a gold key might go. This one is almost always paired with a skull pile elsewhere in the Plateau.

• 

  Some Grave Scarabs (or more rarely, Blech Bunnies) appear when the player hits the hidden switch in this pile of skulls. SOLVE: A gold key will appear when the last enemy (spawned in relation to the skull pile) is vanquished. It is suggested that the player use a Shivermist Buster before activating the pile.

• 

  Two Trojan statues watch over this gate. Find the key elsewhere in the Plateau.

• 

  Break these statues to spawn a gold key. A Caustic Polyp spawns when the player approaches. Two Toxigels spawn along with a key after breaking statues. A version without slime can be encountered. Beware - breaking a trojan statue might turn it to dust, or spawn a Trojan.

• 

  This tower simply reveals the order of activation for its partner puzzle.

• 

  Approach the lights to either light them up or trigger a small explosion and reset the puzzle. (Resetting will not cause it to "lock up" or anything like that).

• 

  A possible map of the Grasping Plateau, which can occasionally appear due to a bug (though the map is normally static and cannot be displayed). It may vary across instances.

• 

  A possible map of the Grasping Plateau from top-down view. Strange, it seems smaller than I remember...