Brightstone Cove Tseldora #2

Following the church there are two paths down through the rock-face cave dwellings with both paths proving tricky to negotiate. Top of the annoyances list are the mage types firing unerring homing soul-spears at you as you find a path down the cliff face. The mutant spider men inherit the same attack power as their spider parasites but back it up with more HP thanks to their fleshy hosts and can be troublesome in numbers. The basilisks barely provide a threat now thanks to my increased petrify protection via the Lost Sinner's gear.

The trek is certainly not without reward though as I picked up a Southern Ritual Band +1 which offers an additional 2 spell slots! Ideal for my build where I don't want to waste levels on Attunement. There's plenty of other loot too as I smashed down furniture and detritus to find hidden doors and secret passageways aplenty.

It took a while to fully clear out the area and establish where to go but eventually I found a gateway of sorts guarded by a red phantom miner (I wasn't invaded so not sure what his story is). Beyond him was another set of vault doors with the spider logo and a building chock-full of arachnids. This was the first part I'd encountered where using the torch was of any help as I made my way down spider web walkways in the dark.

At the base is the inevitable boss fog and the even more predictable giant spider boss! This is a toughie as most of the torso and legs are impervious to damage and its head at either end prevents the usual "attack the rear" strategy. That's saying nothing of its laser death-beam and paralyzing web attacks! Not aided by the fact she is surrounded by a bunch of normal spiders to keep you on your toes. Might need to revisit this one as initial attempts proved fruitless.