Looking down upon a windswept valley, you are struck by the desolate area which makes you hesitate. However the rumor of the Pell’s new God has spread throughout Galeras and the draw to conduct a closer inspection is just too compelling to resist. You have traveled far to arrive here at the southern end of Thundercall Valley to witness what lies below; remnants of an unknown Elden technology surrounded be many Pell huts. Violent tornadoes can be seen in the area, yet the huts are undamaged, making you question whether the storms are being controlled by the local populace. Off in the distance we make out pillars erected to each side of a well-worn path leading into the cliff-side, invitingly suggesting that is where we may need to go. Traveling down into the valley, it quickly becomes clear that the Pell are obsessed with the power of wind and lightning, befriending mighty Elemental creatures. Something serious is going on here, ceremonies of some kind are being conducted by High Priest Stormrender on the Elden platform. Listening carefully, we can hear claims that he will give life to Stormtalon.
Location: Nexus. At the end of a valley we discover a pier like wooden structure which clearly extends deep into a cave. A swirling blue mist covers the cave entrance and if you continue, you are given the standard Dungeon Difficulty options: Normal, Veteran and Rally the Instance. You have discovered a Dungeon entrance in WildStar and need to decide how you will enter.
Normal will contain encounters and rewards appropriate to the level of the dungeon (17 to 20 for Stormtalon’s Lair) as it exists in the leveling progression. Veteran will contain encounters and rewards for players who have reached the level cap. The encounters in Veteran modes are more challenging that those found in Normal mode. Lastly you have Rally the Instance Level, which will scale your character’s level and gear power to the level of the instance. You will retain access to your abilities, tiers, AMP’s and Runes. In this mode, you can earn unique achievements and titles not available in the normal, unscaled version of the instance. You can Rally the Instance Level in both Normal and Veteran and you will need to toggle the selection before entering. Stormtalon’s Lair has an expected completion time of around 75 minutes. You will be able to use the LFG Tool to queue in the future now that you have found the dungeon entrance.
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Upon entering the cavern, you see a group of Thundercall Pell talking to Blade-Wind the Invoker. Once spotted, he will direct the twelve Zealots to stop you from proceeding deeper. Upon killing the twelve, a challenge will trigger that gives you 10 minutes to kill as many Thundercall Pell (20) as you can. Lightning and knock down are the common attacks you will get hit with if you hang out in their telegraphs. This challenge is the first of many optional content you can complete while traveling throughout the dungeon. Optional content will provide you addition experience and rewards but is not required to complete the dungeon (hence, optional). You will be able to start two additional optional goals in this room if you choose: just find a Corrupted Stem and a Thundercall Storm Totem.
Optional Content
Here is a summary list of all the optional content that you can find within Stormtalon's Lair. Group etiquette warrants discussing the completion of these to prevent someone attempting to do a part of one while the rest are off fighting.
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Thundercall Pell Challenge has you kill as many (up to 20) as you can within 10 minutes as you make your way to Blade-Wind the Invoker.
Gather 15 Corrupted Stem samples, which are tall plants around the edges of the cave. Belle Walker informs you that these plants have mutated due the proximity to primal energy. You will be able to continue collecting these as you wind your way throughout the entire cave. It is a good idea to actually collect them just prior to each fight to help you rather than just colleting them as you see them as they will give you a 2 minute buff called Spore Coating that gives you a 10% chance to proc Corrosive Spores on the target when you attack. Whatever is happening within the cave system is powerful when it corrupts the local plant life.
Hijack power from 8 of the Thundercall Storm Totems is triggered when you click on the first totem. Activating a totem will give you a 1 minute buff to all primary attributes.
Free 5 of the Thundercall Sacrificial Prisoners that are trapped in cages is triggered on the defeat of the Invoker.
Defeat Arcanist Breeze-Binder for the encryption key to unlock the data stored on the Thundercall Integrated Network is triggered on the defeat of the Invoker.
Tornado Chasing challenges you to defeat Aethros without anyone being caught by a tornado.
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Blade-Wind the Invoker
Coming around a short bend and see the way blocked by Shamans ready to protect the Invoker with Arcane Bolts but they can also heal themselves and their friends. The Sentinels are melee mobs that will slash you to death if you let them. The last mob type here is the Stormcallers who like to throw out storms that can stun you and then drop damage over time effect on your head. Pulling and clearing them out is simple enough, just take your time. Blade-Wind the Invoker is a pell warrior who has been siphoning off primal energy to try and be the new god’s champion. As the first boss in the area, we best do what we can to put him down. He is surrounded by four Channelers that won’t join the battle until you have reduced the Invoker’s health by about 50%, at which time he rises form the ground and starts a cycle of calling down lightning strikes. Ensure your group all works on the same Channeler at a time.
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Once the first is dead, move to the next but be careful of the Static Wisps that will be sent out as getting it by them will immobilize you. As more Channelers die, more Wisps are moving around the room making the fight a dance. The Invoker is calling down Lightning Strikes on random people that will get a mark above their head. Once you get a mark, move to a location you wish the Lightning to Strike and then move just before it hits. Anyone standing in the lightning strike area will take damage, including the Pell Channelers, so let the Invoker help you pick them off one by one. Once all four Channelers are dead, you will be able to get back on the Invoker and finish him off. At this point he will throw out a large telegraph that covers most of the room and you will have to run outward to the small safe areas at the edge of the circle while also avoiding the Wisps.
And yes, folks... this is the first dungeon of WildStar.
