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2026-09-22T13:43:02Z

Rubius:

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2026-09-22T13:41:25Z

Rubius:

Silver Falls Pass

2026-09-22T13:40:35Z

Rubius:

== Silver Falls Pass ==
[[File:T3 sfp.png|thumb|Silver Falls Pass is a completely original Dungeon built by the ''Return of Reckoning'' team, featuring new maps, bosses, mechanics, voice acting, and more.]]
''Silver Falls Pass'' is a level 25+ Dungeon within Return of Reckoning.

This Dungeon teaches basic mechanics players will see in future Dungeons, introduces entirely new mechanics, and offers Hard Modes for higher level players to challenge.

From strong gear to fun mechanics, the Dungeon features a little something for everyone, and is generally worth running when a player reaches level 25.

The Dungeon was one of the two debut Dungeons built with the team's new Terrain Editor in 2026; the other being [[Blood River Canyon]] for Destruction.

== Entering the Dungeon ==
[[File:T3 entrance.png|thumb|Look for the Dungeon's entrance behind the brewmaster in Southeast Karaz-a-Karak, or use a teleport scroll if your guild is high enough rank.]]
Silver Falls Pass can be entered via [[Karaz-a-Karak]], with the entrance located in the Southeast Corner of the City's upper level.

Players in a guild of rank 26 or higher can also purchase teleport scrolls in the Guild Hall, which will port them directly to the entrance.

== Gear and Rewards ==

The Dungeon offers the ''Oathkeeper Set'' for those who defeat bosses and clear the Quests.

By completing the Dungeon two times, a player may earn a full set of Oathkeeper gear.

Additionally, finding Shiny Treasures for various achievements will reward the player pieces of the Accessory set, which is also very strong for this level and well-worth acquiring.

== Dungeon Story ==

[[Dragonback Pass]] guides Grom and Gruff make a return, now accompanied by a new character named "Amos".

By first interacting with each of these characters, the player will unlock a short story for each within their Tome of Knowledge, which grants insight on events that happened prior to the player arriving in the Dungeon.

To begin the story, click on Grom (he has a bright beam on him) in the Tavern once your party is ready.

== Dungeon Bosses and Mechanics ==

There are six bosses within Silver Falls Pass, and each Boss has unique mechanics which must be managed and respected.

Before arriving at the first boss, your party will encounter a Loot Goblin NPC. This NPC will drop bonus buffs for the group depending on how hard you hit it; the more damage you do, the more buffs he will drop.
* Green buffs increase your group's movement speed while within the Dungeon
* Red buffs will increase your group's outgoing damage while inside the Dungeon

Soon after exiting the cave, you'll encounter Guktar Waaghfist, the first boss.

=== Guktar Waaaghfist ===
[[File:T3 sfp b1.png|thumb|Guktar will summon Gorknados and defile the statue at 50% and 10%. Have your buckets of water ready!]]
Guktar is an Orc Shaman who has taken up Math, and now realizes it's the key to... well, everything.

There's only one problem: he's really bad at it.

Key Mechanics:
*Buckets of Water: This fight has a number of Buckets of Water near the edges of the arena. Non-tanks should pick these up once the fight begins. This will enable a granted ability (like a Rune Priest or Zealot buff) to allow you to throw water in front of you.
*Tank: The boss will periodically gain a Sword icon, marking a damage increase. This can be shattered or stripped by the tank or other players.
*Gorknado: The boss will periodically spawn a Gorknado, a large green Tornado of fire. If this is allowed to reach the Book of Numbas, the Math will flow into Guktar's mind, healing him for a huge amount.
** Bucket of Water: Use the Bucket of Water first here to extinguish the Tornado. While normal attacks will do minor damage to it, the Bucket of Water does huge damage, quickly extinguishing it.
*Defiled Statue: At 50% HP and at 10% HP, the boss will defile the statue, covering it with mud while he prepares a devastating attack.
** Throw the water!: Here, multiple players should all run next to the Statue and use their granted ability to quickly cleanse the Statue. The water must be poured a total of 6 times to cleanse it, so keep pouring until it's spotless!

=== Boss 2: Krubs da Jawbreaka ===
[[File:T3 sfp b2.png|thumb|Krubs and his tag-along Gobbo Fastfingas will work together in this fight. Keep them split apart, and be careful not to kill Fastfingas.]]

Boss 2 is a dual boss fight with the main boss (Krubs) and a secondary mini-boss (Fastfingas). This fight introduces a key aggro generating mechanic also seen later in [[Mount Gunbad]], as well as important Cleanse and Game Object destruction mechanics.

Key Mechanics:
*Keep 'em Split!: When Fastfingas spawns, be sure to keep him away from Krubs. If both are near each other, Krubs will steadily increase his damage, eventually wiping the entire party.
*Fastfingas Shinies': Players can pick up Fastfingas Shinies around the arena to force his aggro to them. As he will periodically reset and pick a random target, it's good to leave a couple of these available to grab.
*Don't kill Fastfingas: If Fastfingas is killed, Krubs will enrage, wiping the group.
*Cleanse: Periodically, Fastfingas will throw a poisoned dagger at a party member at random. This will deal true damage and tick steadily, and should be cleansed by your healer.
*Effigy of Mork: The boss will gain both reduced damage taken or increased damage dealt from the Effigy that spawns near the elevator. DPS should shift over and destroy this quickly when it activates. (You can see the location of this before the fight begins.)
*Guard-Swap: The Tank should prepare to Guard Swap to the target Krubs picks as the fight continues. Remember that for Guard to work, the targeted player must be within 30 feet of the tank while Guard is active on them, so stay close!

=== Boss 3: Murdra Redkilla ===
[[File:T3 sfp b3.png|thumb|Use the Brittle Braziers to stun Murdra when he begins his enraged charge, and watch out for his punt on a random player!]]

Boss 3 is a Choppa named Murdra who really, really, really wants red paint to smear on his face. Since he can't find any, he's quite upset -- perhaps you can find some red things to help calm him?

Key Mechanics:

*Brittle Brazier: There are four Brittle Brazier objects in this fight. Remember their locations, as you'll need them for a key mechanic.
*Enraged Charge: The boss will periodically begin an Enraged Charge, rooting himself in place. The tank should quickly run behind one of the Brittle Braziers.
** If lined up correctly, the boss will charge right into the Brazier, stunning himself and allowing the DPS to deal free damage after. If not done correctly, he will one shot the tank.
*Damage Increase: The boss will continue to gain more and more damage as the fight continues. A player should pick up one of the Baskets of Apples around the arena and run it towards the boss, which will reduce his stacks once he takes it.
*Forward Cleave: This boss has a forward cleave, so be sure to face it away from your group.
*Upwards Punt: The boss will periodically punt a player into the air. Teammates should move away from that player's location to avoid taking damage when they land.
**The Punted player can also use Detaunt to reduce the damage this ability deals.

=== Boss 4: Fanks Ferdat ===

Boss 4 introduces a totally new mechanic that had never been seen before in Age of Reckoning when introduced: Red Circles! These circles show where incoming damage is going to soon land, creating a dance for players as they weave in and out to safety while fighting the boss. You'll see these Red Circles introduced first in the 3-wave warm-up after firing the flare.

Key Mechanics:
*Incoming Boulders!: Red Circles will light up the floor to show where the Trolls' Boulders are going to hit. Move out of them quickly, or you'll take large damage, and gain a stacking debuff!
*Weakened Defenses: Each time you're hit by a boulder, you'll take 25% more damage from all sources for the duration of the fight. This stacks, so dodge well!
*Adds: Twice in the fight, the boss will spawn adds. These are generally only dangerous if allowed to pile up on healers or squishy DPS allies, but beware: they have a knock! In Hard Mode, this can be extremely dangerous, though in normal mode it's usually fairly easy to manage.
*AP Drain and Dots: The adds will apply an AP drain to their target, which can be cleansed by healers.

=== Boss 5: Qizzig da Elderest ===

Qizzig Da Elderest, not to be confused with Qizzig Da Elder in [[Mount Gunbad]], is the original (and thus even 'more' Elder) goblin boss. Though old age has made him a bit slower than he once was, he still has an ace up his sleeve that can one-shot players who don't take him seriously!

Key Mechanics:
*Line-of-sight: The boss will begin to channel his power a few times in this fight. Each time he does, your party should quickly break line of sight and hide behind a pillar or cave wall.
** If you do this correctly, you'll be fine and the boss will run to your tank afterwards to continue the fight. If he sees you, you'll die instantly.
*Ore: Players can pick up either Gold or Gromril ore during this fight. Each will grant a specific buff but will also weight the player down by 10% per ore picked up.
**Gold Ore will increase a player's outgoing damage and healing by 3% per stack. (Useful for all classes)
**Gromril Ore will reduce a player's incoming damage per stack. (Best used on Tanks or MDPS pulling adds.)
*Add Spawns: Adds will periodically appear to reinforce Qizzig. DPS should kill them quickly.
*Tunnels: Twice during the fight, 3 Tunnels will open in a triangle formation in the room. DPS should split up and pop these tunnels quickly to stop adds from spawning.
** It is also possible to ignore the tunnels and simply focus the boss; eventually the Tunnels will run out of reinforcements.

=== Cannon Barrage Mini-Game ===

As you make your way to the final boss, the Goblins will turn the captured Dwarf cannons upon you. Click Gruff to begin the escort walk, then stay near him to take 90% less damage as you make your way forward.

If Gruff senses too few allies around him, he will reset to the start, so be sure to keep your party near him!

=== Boss 6: Griket Redspear ===

The final boss is a crafty and merciless Nasty Skulker who will throw together a number of mechanics from previous fights at once. Be ready to use some brain cells and swap targets, and clearing the Dungeon is within your sights!

Key Mechanics:

*Don't hurt me!: The boss has a large amount of bonus armor. This can be removed by keeping him near an explosive red barrel, and then utilizing the next mechanic, Gork's Flames.
*Gork's Flames: A random player will be marked with a red beam, and will drop a green fire at their location soon after. If this is run into one of the three explosive barrels, and the boss is near, it will remove one of his stacks of Don't Hurt Me.
*Wyvern Air Support: Wyverns will fly in when the boss hits 90% HP. One or two party members should move over and use the cannons to shoot them down. Once all Wyverns are shot down, the boss will lose any damage reductions or increases he had.
** If you ignore this mechanic, the boss will slowly enrage, and eventually wipe the group.
* Squig Spawns: The Boss will summon forth three of his favorite squigs. Each does something useful for him, so the order in which you kill them does matter:
**Harry: This Horned Squig will heal Griket's wounds, slowly recovering his HP the longer it stays alive.
**Snipey: This squig will steadily increase Griket's damage, eventually giving him a huge damage boost after 40-50 seconds.
**Gassy: This Squig will give Griket and both other squigs a huge damage reduction. It's generally recommended to kill Gassy first, then decide between the other two depending on your party's needs.
*Zeppelin: As the fight progresses, a Zeppelin will appear to give even more support to Griket.
** This Ship will randomly spawn red circles on the ground like on the fourth boss, so move out of these quickly to avoid taking damage!
*At 20%, Amos will sense energy swirling in the air around him. By moving near him, a player will gain a granted ability encouraging him to make use of it -- call upon his power and lightning will begin to rain down upon the Zeppelin, destroying it soon after!

Once the boss is defeated, Gruff and Amos will reconvene for the outro section, and a Git Lobba will appear that players may use to launch themselves back to camp. It's totally safe... mostly!

== Hard Mode Fights ==

Once a player has cleared the Dungeon once, they may activate the Lamp on the ramps outside the tavern to turn on the Hard Mode objects at each boss.

These are unique objects so that a party may toggle on or off a Hard Mode on each boss, depending on which they want to challenge.

Hard Mode fights generally take the same mechanics from the original fight, but ramp up the difficulty and offer more punishing, challenging fights meant for players level 40+ and all the way up to BiS.

For each Hard Mode boss defeated, all players will be given a [[Champion's Mark]] if it's their first time defeating it.

== Secrets and Achievements ==

By completing achievements and secrets in the Dungeon, players will a dark silver [[Shiny Treasure]], which can be traded for various Accessories at the merchant in the starting Tavern.

While not all achievements are listed here, a few that have been discovered can be found below:

{| class="wikitable"
!Achievement
!Requirement
!Rewards
|-
|Grand Visions|| After loading into the Tavern, wait near Grom for 90 seconds without speaking to him, then listen to the hidden cutscene || [[Shiny Treasure]]
|-
|What goes up...|| Defeat Griket Redspear once. (This ToK allows for Hard Mode fights to be enabled) || [[Shiny Treasure]]
|-
|Splat!|| Went slightly off-course when using the Git-lobba after clearing the Dungeon (Random chance on use) || Grants Title: No No No No No No No!
|}

2026-09-22T11:58:06Z

Rubius:

2026-08-04T08:08:22Z

Rubius:

{{Infobox instance
|name=Bastion Stair
|aka=BS
|ss=Bastion Stair Art.png
|caption=The Bastion Stair
|loc=[[Chaos Wastes]]
|race=[[Chaos]]
|boss=
|type=Dungeon
|level=40
|players=6
|key=
}}

== The Bastion Stair ==

Bastion Stair is a dungeon located deep in the [[Chaos Wastes]]. Inhabited by demon and mortal alike, the fiends who inhabit this bloody fortress seek the blessings of their dark god Khorne through spilled blood and claimed skulls.

Bastion Stair is an upper mid-tier Dungeon in terms of difficulty, and awards players the [[Bloodlord Set]], which includes DPS-focused Weapons and Armor.

This Dungeon is intended for level 40 players wearing Vanquisher-gear or equivalent.

== Entering the Dungeon ==
[[File:Bastion Entrance.png|thumb|Bastion Stair has three Wings to clear. Killing the final boss of each will reward Influence.]]
If your guild is level 32 or higher, you can purchase an instant Teleport Scroll from either [[Sigmar's Hammer]] or [[The Viper Pit]].

If you're too cool for scrolls and prefer to walk, follow these instructions:
*Order: Fly to Chaos Wastes, and follow the PvE road South. Then, go east to reach 64,000 / 60,000 and the Dungeon's entrance.
*Destro: Fly to Praag, and follow the PvE road North. Head to the ''Tomb of Deathsword'' PQ in the Northeast, and follow that small road further North to the Dungeon's entrance.

== Dungeon Basics ==

*Similar to [[Gunbad]], Bastion Stair has three distinct wings, each filled with unique bosses to fight and defeat.

*Influence in Bastion Stair, which grants [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord]] items, is earned only upon killing the '''final boss''' of a wing. (It is no longer given out for boss kills along each wing.)

*This means that skipping optional bosses is highly recommended for those looking to optimize their run - just don't ask for The Blood God's opinion.

*Bloodlord Weapons can only be earned via Influence. Bloodlord Armor can be found from boss kills and earned via repeatable quests.

*Thanks to a 2022 Patch that heavily reduced Influence required, you can now earn your first Bloodlord Weapon after only two full runs of the Dungeon.

== Bastion Stair Quests ==
[[File:Bloodlord Armor Repeatable.png|thumb|Grab repeatable quests at the start of Bastion Stair to earn guaranteed [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Armor]] pieces.]]
Be sure to take the '''Blue Repeatable Quests''' in the first room of the Fortress, as these will give you free [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Armor]] pieces after completing 4 runs of the dungeon.

One of these quests will also grant the [[Stalwart Soulstone]], which is used to purchase 7-day duration Best-in-slot Talismans that can be slotted into Sentinel or Triumphant rings.

A long quest chain beginning with [https://killboard.returnofreckoning.com/quest/41206 Stairway to Oblivion] for Order—or Blood on the Steps for Destruction—rewards [https://killboard.returnofreckoning.com/item/607518 Liquid Serenity] and Fleshborne accessories. Quest names change as the chain moves through each wing.

Liquid Serenity can be used at the entrance-hub jewelry merchant to:

* Upgrade a [[Blood-Iron Ring]] into a Bled Blood-Iron Ring.
* Convert Fleshborne accessories into defensive variants.

After completing the main chain, repeatable quests allow players to obtain additional Liquid Serenity and Fleshborne Gems. The jewelry remains unique-equipped.

Players who previously earned and later destroyed their Bloodlord Cloak can obtain a replacement quest from the Tome Unlock vendor—the Free Company Knight for Order or Grulgaar the Maker for Destruction—provided the character has the required cloak Tome unlock.

== Lore ==

''"I saw a Stair, surrounded by pinnacles and columns and arches of blood and carven bone, circled by Daemons bound within black iron, brazen steps and hideous shrieking mouths.''

''All that could speak or gibber vomited forth the praises of Khorne and shrieked out songs of blood and death."''
[[File:Bastion Capes.png|thumb|Players who defeat the Wing Bosses of Bastion Stair 100 times each unlock special cosmetic capes.]]

In ''Return of Reckoning'', the Bastion Stair is a dungeon and Fortress of the Blood God Khorne that the forces of Order and Destruction both seek to conquer for their own purposes.

Within, the Knights of the Blazing Sun search for the fabled Spear of Myrmidia, but rumor has it their initial attempt has already fallen to ruin, and even now their Grandmaster is missing...

The forces of Chaos vie amongst themselves for control of the citadel, and the followers of Tzeentch now seek to weaken Khorne's hold and ever-growing power, as Tchar'zanek commands.

== Exceptional Seeds ==

Bastion Stair can drop six different [[Charged Purple Seed|charged Purple Seeds]], corresponding to the six exclusive liniments introduced with the dungeon rework.

Each seed can be grown 250 times before being consumed and provides enough materials for approximately 1,000 liniments. Charged seeds may drop directly in the dungeon or, very rarely, replace the normal reward from a [[Bag of Bloody Seeds]].

== Tome Stories and Bestiary Unlocks ==

New Tome short stories were added throughout Bastion Stair in January 2026. Three can be obtained by speaking to characters in the starting room, while others are hidden around the dungeon.

Twelve additional Bestiary unlocks were also added:

* Bloodbeast of Khorne
* Bloodletter
* Bloodthirster
* Bray Shaman
* Centigor
* Chaos Fury
* Chaos Giant
* Chaos Hound
* Doombull
* Ogre Tyrant
* Two Ragebeast unlocks

See [[Bastion Stair (Achievements)]] for the broader dungeon achievement list.

== Teleports ==
[[File:Bastion portals.png|thumb|If you get disconnected during a run, you can use the Skulls at the Dungeon's entrance to teleport to an already defeated boss.]]
Quality-of-life Teleports were added in the October 2024 Patch.

You can now teleport to defeated bosses by using the Skull objects at the entrance of the Dungeon.

These are particularly helpful if you disconnect during the Dungeon, or teleporting to a final boss bugs and sends you to your book of binding.

To teleport, simply right click one of the skulls that spawn at the entrance, then catch up to your group!

Aligning with the Sacred Number of Khorne, there are a total of 8 Boss Teleports that can be activated.

== Wing Guides ==

For a list of Bastion Stair Guides, please see the sections below.

As part of the 2025 Re-work, almost all fights in Bastion Stair now offer new Double-Edged mechanics that will make your party take more damage, but also increase your damage in exchange.

Almost all of these mechanics are optional, so stronger groups are recommended to use these to their benefit to make the run faster.

==Updated 2026 Boss Guides==
The Dungeon was rebuilt in Q1 2026.

<youtube>Cz6ARBnaLGQ‎</youtube>

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz6ARBnaLGQ Click above (or here) for an updated video guide created by members of the community!]

== Left Wing ==

=== First Boss: Borzhar Rageborn ===
[[File:Borzhar.png|thumb|Fight Borzhar inside the room he spawns in to avoid his enrage. If your group is strong, leave the Banner of Blood active for bonus damage!]]
Head down the stairs to find the first required boss of the left wing, '''Borzhar Rageborn.'''

Key Mechanics:

*Tanks: Fight this boss inside his room as he will enrage if pulled outside of it. (In the old days, moving him out of the room was standard - now there's a good reason not to.)
*There are two banners in the room with this boss: The Banner of the Herd and the Banner of Blood.
**The Banner of the Herd spawns adds every 15-20 seconds. These can be killed and will grant a 1% movement speed bonus (if not already maxed) per kill, up to 20%.
**The Banner of Blood is a new double-edged buff added in the 2025 re-work. This banner increases the damage that all players and creatures - including the boss - take by 20%.
***If you can survive the damage increase, leave this up to burn the boss even faster!
*This boss will do some AOE damage, so healers should be ready to heal through it, especially if you're leaving the Banner of Blood up.

Borzhar Rageborn drops [[Blood Gems]], used for Iron-Blood rings, and the Bloodlord Amulet, which is a decent DPS jewelry piece but is not part of the [[Bloodlord Set]].

With Borzhar defeated, you can now proceed through the hall at the bottom of the stairs.

As you move forward, you'll spot an NPC named The Collector who will give you a choice of 3 randomized [[Dungeon Group Buffs]]. You can pay gold to purchase one for your party.

=== Second Boss: Gahlvoth Darkrage ===

[[File:Gahlroth_Darkrage.png|thumb|Avoid Gahlvoth's AOE's on the floor, and kill his pet to make him take more damage and deal more damage.]]
'''Gahlvoth Darkage''' is a towering Dragon Ogre with a pet bloodhound named Beastrip.

Key Mechanics:
*If Beastrip is killed, the boss will apply the ability "Daisy Chained" to himself, making him deal 30% more damage, but also take 30% more damage while enraged.
*This boss will call down lightning strikes on anyone near him. Once these finish, you will see an electric AOE on the floor - '''move away from this!'''
*Curse of Lightning: The boss will periodically announce that a player has the Curse of Lightning. This will apply a green lightning strike on a player, which deals 10-15% of their HP per tick.
**Any healer can cleanse this, so have healers watching and ready to use it.
*After 4-5 AOE's are on the floor, the first to be summoned will begin to disappear. Your tank can follow a circular pattern here and repeat it.

This boss drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Boots]].

=== Third Boss: Azuk'Thul ===

Enter the fiery arena ahead of you to confront '''Azuk'Thul''', the next boss.

Azuk'Thul has a very unique mechanic which your healers need to pay special attention to.
[[File:Azukthul.png|thumb|Heals will cause damage back to you while fighting Azuk'Thul, so be mindful!]]
Key Mechanics:
*All: Watch out for the Curse of Khorne on this fight, which deals damage back to anyone who casts heal. Almost all heals will trigger this, so be especially careful of hots and small heals. Even non-healers can trigger this.
*Tank: Tank the boss near the platform he starts on, and as usual, keep him faced away from the group. This boss will cleave anyone in melee near him.
*Healers: Group heals work fine on this boss, but watch out for hots (health-over-time) as these will deal much more damage back to you and may kill you.
*At 80% HP, two Orbs of death spawn on either side of the boss arena.
**The player who picks up an orb temporarily increases all damage dealt by 50%, but also reduces all incoming healing by 50% for 60 seconds. This risk-reward mechanic is optional, but very powerful.

This boss drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Gloves]].

One more boss awaits in the left wing!

=== Fourth Boss: Thar'Ignan ===

The final boss of the Left Wing is the Doombull '''Thar'Ignan.'''
[[File:Tharignan.png|thumb|When Thar'Ignan punts your teammates, move quickly to support and save them!]]
Key Mechanics:

*Tank: [https://wiki.returnofreckoning.com/images/b/bf/Tharignan_tanking.png {{#tip-img: https://wiki.returnofreckoning.com/images/c/cd/Tharignen_tiny.png|Hold this boss near the middle of the room}}] where the crumbling floor and dirt meet. (This is important for the next mechanic.)

*For every 10% of HP the boss loses, he will send one of your party members flying to a location in the room and root them in place. Two champion hounds will then spawn and try to kill the rooted player, so your party needs to quickly head to assist them, with the exception of whoever is tanking the boss.

*If your ally who is punted lands near the boss, move the boss away from that teammate (more on this with the healing mechanic below).
**Each time someone is punted in this way, they lose all aggro - so this can be a problem if your tank(s) are consistently unlucky and get punted repeatedly in this way.
**There is no cooldown on this punt and it's purely random, so the same person might get punted 5-6 times in a row.

*This boss will periodically hit his target for 50% of their HP in True Damage, which cannot be defended against. This will happen throughout the fight, so keep the tank near full HP as much as possible.
*If anything dies near this boss - be it an enemy add or an allied player - he will heal for a significant amount of health. Thankfully, he won't reset his punts if this happens.

If you have two tanks, make sure to keep both tanks near the top of the aggro charts (use the helpful [https://tools.idrinth.de/addons/aggrometer/| aggrometer add-on] to see this) just in case one or both end up getting punted and lose their aggro.

*If you have a Solo Tank, you can use the Stones of Aggression, which spawn near the entrance as the fight begins, to rapidly build aggro. Each of these will generate roughly 40,000 hate, so save them in case your solo tank has bad luck!

*Double-Edged Buff - Pulsing Herdstone: There is a Pulsing Herdstone fragment just behind where the boss first stands. The fist player to interact with this will activate a special buff on themselves and any players next to the stone, granting 30% more damage in exchange for 30% more damage taken.
**In addition to the damage bonuses, a player marked with the Pulsing Herdstone buff will also attract two additional dogs if they are selected for the throw mechanic. Provided you have decent AOE dps, this increase should be manageable for most groups.

As with many other fights in Bastion Stair, this fight is a marathon, not a race, and shouldn't give you much trouble if you take it steady.

Once the boss is defeated, loot him to claim the two [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Shoulders]] that he drops!

With the boss dead, head back out the entrance and take a left to find a portal back to the main dungeon hub.

== Right Wing ==

=== First boss: Urlf Daemonblessed ===
[[File:Urlf.png|thumb|Destroy his skulls, then focus down Urlf. Be ready for his stun and aggro reset.]]
Head up the stairs to find the first boss, '''Urlf Daemonblessed''', a Marauder of Chaos. Urlf's boss room has two skulls which will spawn on altars to either side of him once the fight begins.

Key Mechanics:
*Attack these skulls one at a time to quickly destroy them, then burn him down. The skulls will respawn after a period of time.
*The beginning of this fight is the hardest part, so have your healers ready to focus your group hard until the first skull is destroyed, and the pressure drops.
**If your group is having difficulty surviving the initial phase, one player may pick up the Skull's Blessing at the back of the room. This will grant a 30,000 absorb shield to the player, but then makes them take 50% more damage and deal 50% less healing and damage after it runs out. (It's a very good crutch to help survive the start, but you'll have to pay for it a little after.)
*Stun: This boss will use “Throat Punch” to stun your top aggro member for 10 seconds at a time, which will reset their aggro fully.
**He will constantly make his way down the top aggro list, so be ready for him to hit the DPS while your tanks rebuild threat.
*Orb of Blood: The boss will spawn an Orb of Blood once he goes under 50% HP. Have a DPS pick this up to speed up the latter half of the fight. This will increase their damage by 50%, but also make them take 50% more damage.

The fight is relatively easy, and drops the DPS-focused Bloodlord Jewelry piece, which is not part of the [[Bloodlord Set]].

=== Second Boss: Garithex the Mountain ===

As you move forward you'll arrive at a giant symbol of Chaos bathed in crimson light. Here, head straight and then look to your left to find the next boss: '''Garithex the Mountain.'''

Garithex has three armor pieces that heavily reduce the damage he takes: The Helmet, Pauldron, and Gauntlet of Slaughter, which are located in a triangle formation around the room.

*The intended strategy is to split your DPS on each of the pieces and then destroy two or all three at once, allowing you to burst the boss for high damage immediately afterwards.
*However, each time you destroy an armor piece, Garithex will reduce the armor of his current target by 25% per piece. This means that if you pop all three pieces, your main tank will take significantly higher damage.
**High avoidance (Block/Parry) can help significantly reduce the incoming damage in this phase, as Garithex has very few true damage attacks.
*The pieces of armor will heal if they get out of combat, so be sure to keep either your off-tank or minor dots rolling on the lowest piece while your DPS burn down the others.
*Aggro Spikes: This boss will sometimes spike huge amounts of aggro to a teammate (usually a healer) -- tanks can save their taunt and use it when the aggro spikes if this is an issue for your team.

Rinse and repeat this process as the armor of Slaughter will eventually respawn itself, and you should have the boss down.

Garithex drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Boots]].

=== Third Boss: Chorek the Unstoppable ===
[[File:Chorekboss.png|thumb|You can either kill Chorek's Juggernaut, or leave it alive to make the fight go faster.]]
With Garithex down, head back the way you came and take a left turn at the crossroads (on your mini-map, you should be heading West). You’ll find a door that leads into a large open room.

Head to the left and drop off the side, then clear all the adds nearby. Open the large grey door to begin the next boss fight with '''Chorek the Unstoppable.'''

This is a dual-boss fight, so if you have two tanks, you can split these two bosses away from each other.

Key Mechanics:
*The Ragebeast, named Juggernaut, is the first choice your group should make. You can kill Juggernaut to remove his CC/extra damage, or:
**If you leave Juggernaut alive, he will apply a stacking debuff to all nearby creatures (both players AND chorek) that increases their incoming damage by 2% per stack.
**If your group is strong enough, you can use these built up stacks to make burning Chorek much faster.
*Armor Shred: Your main tank should start by holding Chorek, but mind his armor shred mechanic, which stacks and will eventually neutralize almost all armor your main tank has.
**If your main tank is dying to this, have your off-tank pick up aggro so that the main tank can wait for the debuff to fall off.
*Tanks: Hold Chorek near the fiery lit brazier nearby. This is done primarily to position you well for the next mechanic:
*Add Spawns + Jail: At 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20%, the boss will spawn Fireborn Sprite adds and randomly select a Non-tank player to place them in the nearby jail.
**Tanks should generally challenge these, and DPS should quickly AOE the sprites down. Once the sprites are all killed, the jailed player will immediately be released. (They will eventually break out of jail even if sprites are still up.)
**If you're taking a lot of damage, use your tank Bellows morale 3 to drop the boss and the sprite damage down to 50% during these sections.

This fight drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Gloves]].

=== Fourth Boss: Lord Slaurith ===
[[File:Slaurith2.png|thumb|Stand in the circles of Khorne on the floor to increase your damage, but mind the incoming damage increase you'll also get!]]
One boss remains in the right wing: '''Lord Slaurith'''.

Key Mechanics:
*Three colored circles will appear and move around on the floor throughout the fight. Standing in each grants unique stacking effects that help and hurt you:
**The Orange Circle increases your melee damage, but will increase incoming damage.
**The Purple Circle increases your Range and Magic damage, AND grants a 5 second temporary silence immunity, but will increase incoming damage.
**The Blue Circle increases your chance to Block, but will increase incoming damage that does hit you.

The damage increase from these circles is generally not too bad and easily healed, but there is one section of the fight later, called the Warrior's Gamble, where the boss will test your healers.

*At 75%, and at 50%, Icons on the ledges on either side of the room (up the stairs) will pulse red, and the giant Chaos Symbol on the floor will also pulse red to indicate that the mechanic has begun.
**While active, the boss gain will a stacking damage increase, which will eventually wipe the group if not removed.
**To remove his damage increase, these two icons must be pushed within a few seconds of each other. If this works, the red symbol on the floor will immediately vanish.
**Important: Once you purge the icons once, you will gain a warning debuff that says doing so again will weaken you. If the same player does this mechanic twice in a row, they will take 500% more incoming damage for the rest of the fight.
**To get around this, it's recommended to pick two pairs of players and alternate, having one group get the 75% icons, and another get the 50%.

*Bloodpulse: This boss will randomly spawn a Bloodpulse effect on one of your party members. Whoever stands on the "Bloodpulse" will continue to gain huge amounts of aggro, and will become the new tank if they stand in it too long.

*Warrior's Gamble: At 25%, the boss will Champion's Challenge the entire room and begin a 10-second channel called Warrior's Gamble. This hits every second, and may hit hard if you have lots of increased damage stacks.
**To counter this, use your Tank's M3 Bellows or M4 Immaculate defense (if available) to heavily reduce the damage of this ability.
**Healers can also continue healing in this phase, as the boss will no longer cast his AOE silence under 30% HP.

*Select a Champion!: At 20%, a Greatsword will appear near the entrance of the room. The first player to interact with this will become the Duelist for the final phase of the boss fight, which starts at 10%.
**If your party does not select a Champion, the boss will enrage, furious at your cowardice, and wipe the group.

*At 10% HP, the Champion player grows in size and gains additional wounds and a 100% damage increase. The other party members are teleported up to the ledges and gain a new "Cheer for your Champion" ability.
**If you are a spectator, target your Champion while up top and hit the Cheer ability to heal them for 300 HP. This healing stacks from all party members, so cheer hard to keep your Champion going!

As your Champion finally conquers Lord Slaurith (thanks to your wonderful cheers, of course) the right wing is complete!

You'll gain the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Belt]] from this boss.

== Middle Wing ==

The Middle Wing is the final wing in Bastion Stair, and as you ascend the summit of the fortress, you'll encounter two bosses who both grant Influence.

This wing also contains a number of optional bosses, listed below.

===First boss: Wrackspite ''(Optional)'' ===
[[File:Wrackspite2.png|thumb|Tank Wrackspite in the middle of the room, and be ready for the statues to come to life.]]
''Note: To skip this boss, simply hug the right wall and run through the room.''

'''Wrackspite''' is an optional boss that most groups skip. He has a 100% drop rate of [[Blood-Iron]].

Key Mechanics:

*Start with the boss in the middle of the room.
**If near the walls, he may enrage and hit your tank for upwards of 10,000+.
*DPS: focus down the statue adds as they come to life, and don't let them reach the boss.
*Tanks: Face the boss away from the group to protect from his cleave. As adds spawn, move the boss away from their location.
*Aggro Reset: This boss will periodically reset his aggro on the tank. It's highly-recommended to use two tanks for this fight to avoid him bouncing to your DPS.
*Terror: This boss causes Terror, so healers won't be able to rez dead allies during this fight.

Wrackspite drops [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Boots]].

===Second Boss: Doomspike===

'''Doomspike''' is the first required boss of the Middle Wing, and is either a dual-tank fight or can be handled by a geared solo tank.

As with all the named Bloodletters in the middle wing, Doomspike also has a 100% drop chance for [[Blood-Iron]].

[[File:Doomspike.png|thumb|Keep the health of Doomspike and Clawfang close as you DPS them down.]]
Key Mechanics:
*This boss fight will spawn an additional sub-boss, '''Clawfang''', a Fleshhound of Khorne and a ''very good boy''.
*The two bosses must be kept within 10% Health of each other and burned down together.
*Tank the bosses near each other to avoid taking increased damage.
*Terror: This boss causes Terror, so healers won't be able to rez dead allies during this fight.

This boss drops the Bloodlord Jewelry piece, which can be useful for some characters but is not part of the [[Bloodlord Set]].

This pair of bosses must be defeated in order to progress further in the Wing.

===Third Boss: Zekaraz the Bloodcaller ''(Optional)'' ===

'''Zekaraz the Bloodcaller''' is an optional boss that stands in your way as you ascend towards the summit of the Bastion Stair. He has a 100% drop-rate of [[Blood-Iron]].
[[File:Zekaraz.png|thumb|Move out of the fire AOE while fighting Zekaraz!]]
''Note: At the time of writing, this boss can be skipped by sacrificing one team member while others pass the door. Simply rez your teammate afterward.''

*This boss has a "Bloodrage" buff that will steadily increase his damage the longer the fight continues, up to a maximum of 400%.
*Move out of the Fire AOE he drops on the ground. (This attack is called "Field of Screams" in your combat log.)
*In indents along the wall of the arena you can find skulls, which can be picked up and taken to the altar in the middle of the room. Doing this will reset Zekaraz' stacking damage buff.
**Skulls should only be taken to the altar shortly before the damage on your tank is too significant to heal through.
**Be careful, as only three skulls can be placed, despite there being four of them. If you use your skulls up too quickly, you won't have enough time to kill the boss before he kills your tank.
**When a Skull is used at the altar, your team will also gain a debuff reducing your outgoing damage, which is a stacking 20% reduction per skull. (As the fight goes on, you'll do less and less damage.)
*Terror: This boss causes Terror, so healers won't be able to rez dead allies during this fight.

This boss drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloordlord Gloves]].

=== Fourth Boss: Kaarn the Vanquisher ===

'''Kaarn the Vanquisher''' is the final boss of the Middle Wing, and as such will grant Influence once defeated.

''Note: Some groups choose to save this boss for last, and fight Skull Lord Var'ithrok first, as there's a rare bug that may send you back to your capital city when exiting his arena.''
[[File:Kaarn.png|thumb|Avoid Kaarn's Blood puddles and send one DPS to destroy his totems.]]
Key Mechanics:
*Tank: Hold this boss on the platform you find him on. If he leaves this platform, his skin will turn to iron and he will take no damage.
*All: Make sure to avoid standing in the red Blood puddles this boss will periodically spawn if a specific totem is up. The tank can move the boss out of these.
*Healers: You can stand further back from the boss to avoid getting hit by his AOE cleaves. Melee DPS will take damage from these.
*Totems: this boss will spawn skull Totems which buff him. There are 3, which appear randomly on the platform above him - to get to these, use the ramps leading up on the far left and right sides of the room. Each totem causes a different bonus for the boss.

You can either DPS him down and ignore the totems if your party is strong, or send one DPS (ideally a range DPS) to destroy them.
*Range DPS can still attack Kaarn from the stairs if he's pulled to a nearby corner.

This boss drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloordlord Chestpiece]].

This boss is considered the Final Boss of the Middle Wing, but not of the Dungeon, so note there's still one more boss to go afterward!

=== Final Boss: Skull Lord Var'ithrok ===
[[File:Skull Lord Varithrok.png|thumb|The final boss, Skull Lord Vari'throk, awaits!]]
'''Skull Lord Var'ithrok''' is the Final Boss of the Bastion Stair, and behind him looms the Rift of Madness.

*Party Positioning:

Your party positioning is very important on this fight, so start by splitting up your DPS and Tanks into pairs. One tank and DPS stand in front of him, one tank and DPS (or just two DPS if solo tanking) stand behind him. Your healers both stand alone on the remaining two empty sides, parallel from each other.

You can see a visual example by [https://wiki.returnofreckoning.com/images/c/c7/Skull_Lord_example.png {{#tip-img: https://wiki.returnofreckoning.com/images/c/c7/Skull_Lord_example.png| hovering over or clicking this text.}}]

[[File:Funnel power v2.png|thumb|If you deal damage while you have Infectious Rage, you're going to die. Quickly.]]
Key Mechanics:
*Stay within the Ring of Fire once the fight begins. If your party stays far from the boss for too long, he will reset.
*This boss will give one player an "Infectious Rage" buff which looks like the Bright Wizard's "Funnel Power" skill. '''DO NOT ATTACK if you have this buff, or you'll kill yourself and everyone around you!'''
**When a player is given Infectious Rage, this will also appear in the chat window in yellow text and will put a visual Skull Icon over the player's head. (Added January 2025 patch)
*This boss will also periodically place a strong damaging dot on a player which cannot be cleansed. This is called Khorne's Affliction, and the text messages will read: "(player name) is taking extra damage!" (Added January 2025 patch)
**Have a healer focus heals onto the announced player to counteract the incoming damage.
*This boss will periodically punt those in front of him and then aggro anyone else left in the circle. Those punted should simply run back into the fire circle and keep attacking. If you have a second tank, they begin tanking once the other tank goes flying.
*The boss will spawn hounds that should be pulled off the healers and can be AOE'd down by your DPS. Keep these killed to avoid them piling up as the fight continues.
*Solo tanking: If you're solo tanking, have the DPS standing opposite the tank prepare an avoidance Morale 1 skill (like 100% parry) to mitigate damage while the Tank runs back from being punted.

This fight is actually quite simple beyond the Infectious Rage buff, so as long as you take it slow, you should have no problem.

This boss drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloordlord Helmet]].

Once defeated, the Skull Lord is pulled back into the Rift, perhaps to be tormented by the Chaos gods for his failure, or perhaps to return even stronger to fight another day... ''or perhaps both?''

'''Congratulations on clearing the Bastion Stair Dungeon!'''

== Secret Bosses ==

There are two Secret Bosses that can be challenged within the Bastion Stair.

These are optional bosses, and each has a chance to drop both Purple Seeds for [[Cultivating]] liniments and also the Rare Mount. They also both grant additional Dungeon Influence.

To challenge the Secret Bosses, the party must kill three optional creatures, one per wing. Those creatures are:

*'''Bulrok Headsmasher:'''
**After defeating Borzhar in the left wing, continue straight instead of turning right at the split. At the end of this path, you will find Bulrok and Squonk, who drop the Skulls of Carnage.
*'''Hargan the Furious: '''
**In the right wing, after defeating Urlf and as you arrive at the four-way split with the red Chaos Symbol on the floor, take the left turn to arrive at the feast hall. Hargan is located here, and drops the Skulls of Fury.
*'''Lockjaw: '''
**Just before arriving at Zekaraz in the Middle Wing, look to your left as you ascend the stairs to find a non-hostile enemy named Lockjaw. Defeat them to gain the Skulls of Ruin.

Once your party has all 3 Offerings of skulls, you may enter the portal that has appeared near the Dungeon's entrance.

The player with the Offering item should interact with the skull pile to add the skulls to it, and grant access to the next. These skull piles are also positioned to the left, right, and middle, hinting at the wing in which the paired offering may be found.

Once all 3 offerings are given, your party may enter The Depths, where the first secret boss, Murr Deyng, awaits.

===Murr Deyng===

'''Murr Deyng''' is the first secret boss.
[[File:Murrdeyngfight.png|thumb|Murr Deyng, Destroyer of Worlds. Do not let her size fool you.]]
* Party Positioning:
**Tank her against wall where you came from.
**Send 1 player across the bridge on the other side of the lava. (It's not a dps race).
**Rest spread around the boss.

Key Mechanics:

* Boss will punt the person it's attacking, face the wall if you have aggro so you don't get punted into Lava.
* When boss calls your name and you get a debuff. Stop attacking.
* The boss will call an item that he wants. They are spread around in the room (even across the lava). You have limited time to return the item to the boss. So if you are across the bridge you want to mount back with the item. Tank can also move the boss towards the player who is running the item.
* This boss will periodically reset aggro, so tank have to be ready to swap guard and dps move against the wall.
* At 40% 2 adds will spawn. This is the hardest part of the fight:
**Tank want to get aggro from them asap and probably use m3 Bellow or m4 so dps/healers don't die from boss and adds.
**At the same time the boss might attack other players as well.

Healers want to save morale for this phase. Kill the adds asap!

* At 10% you want to interact with the banner at lava to Spare Murr Deyng, or you may continue attacking to kill the boss.
**If you spare Murr Deyng, you will not be given any loot, but you will be able to summon Murr Deyng to assist you in the next secret fight if you summon The Collector.
**If you kill Murr Deyng, you will gain boss loot, with a guaranteed [[Blood-Iron]], Blue Seeds, and a higher than normal chance of getting a Purple Seed with charges.

=== The Collector ===
'''The Collector''' is the last secret boss.

Having watched your party progress through the Dungeon, and seeing you defeat Murr Deyng and honor Khorne with the four Skulls of the Middle Wing, he will arrive at last in hopes of finding a truly glorious battle.

He will not go down easy.

* Party Positioning:

When looking at the bridge from where you were fighting Murr Deyng. You want the whole party to stack at the left side in the corner of the wall and lava. (Note: This strat is probably not intended, and may get fixed)
[[File:collector fight.png|thumb|The Collector is the final secret boss. He will count the amount of times your group dies and returns, with 15 unique voice lines as he enters combat.]]

'''Key Mechanics:'''

* As the boss HP goes lower, fires will begin to spread across half of the room.
* You may open the gates to free a Bloodletter. Killing one will grant an Unnatural Strength buff to all players around it when it does.
** Use this Unnatural Strength buff to interact with and push a rock into the Lava. (Save this for after you cross the bridge once.)
** Rocks pushed in this way only last for a few seconds, so use these to let your party quickly jump across to safety. (Away from the fires!)
** Two of the gates, at random, will spawn Ragebeasts which charge forward and can punt players into the lava. Sidestep / avoid these if you get one.

Once a player has earned Unnatural Strength once, they cannot get it again for the remainder of the fight, so it's important to coordinate who will use this in which order if doing the fight as intended.

* Flames: The first time flames engulf the room, you can use the bridge to get to the smaller second half of the arena. However, as you continue to DPS, this side will eventually also become covered in fire.
** Fires always spawn at exact Boss Health Percentages. Just before they engulf the section you're on, fires on the opposite side will extinguish.
** When you see the fires vanish, slow DPS and have your player with Unnatural Strength flip the rock, then have your party jump across.

You will need to jump back and forth across the Lava a few times in this fight, so take note and open gates in advance of these timings to ensure your party can push the rocks.

* Morale Punish: You never want to reach Moral 3, so always use your moral when you have it or the boss will kill you.
* Later in the fight, a Cauldron will spawn in the room if you chose to spare Murr Deyng in the previous encounter.
** If you spared Murr Deyng, one player should interact with it so send Murr Deying to kill adds.
** If you did not spare Murr Deyng, you party should quickly destroy the reinforcement portals. If these stay up too long, the adds will overwhelm your party.

As the fight nears the end, you will see the return of the Infectious Rage mechanic from Skull Lord:

* Infectious Rage: 3 random players will get Infectious Rage
** If you get the debuff you want to stop attacking or you will kill your group. Preferably you want to stop dps right before it's applied.

Once the boss is defeated you can go to the library in the Altdorf or The Inevitable City and buy your [[Now My Collection's Complete|Band of Unfettered Fury]]

== Achievements & Champion's Marks ==

The 2025 re-work introduced a number of [[Bastion_Stair_(Achievements) | Bastion Stair Achievements]]. These include [[achievements]] for:

{| class="wikitable"
!Achievement
!Requirement
!Rewards
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Thar'Ignan|| Defeated Hard Mode Thar'Ignan 1 time || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Thar'Ignan|| Defeated Hard Mode Thar'Ignan 5 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Thar'Ignan|| Defeated Hard Mode Thar'Ignan 10 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Lord Slaurith|| Defeated Hard Mode Lord Slaurith 1 time || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Lord Slaurith|| Defeated Hard Mode Lord Slaurith 5 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Lord Slaurith|| Defeated Hard Mode Lord Slaurith 10 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Kaarn the Vanquisher|| Defeated Hard Mode Kaarn the Vanquisher 1 time || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Kaarn the Vanquisher|| Defeated Hard Mode Kaarn the Vanquisher 5 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Kaarn the Vanquisher|| Defeated Hard Mode Kaarn the Vanquisher 10 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Skull Lord Var'Ithrok|| Defeated Hard Mode Skull Lord Var'Ithrok 1 time || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Skull Lord Var'Ithrok|| Defeated Hard Mode Skull Lord Var'Ithrok 5 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Skull Lord Var'Ithrok|| Defeated Hard Mode Skull Lord Var'Ithrok 10 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Conquered All Bastion Stair Hard Mode Fights||Defeat all Hard Mode Bosses Once|| Title: Do you even Rift?
|-
|"It's Got My Leg!" (Bestiary)||Defeated Murr Deyng|| Title: Tiny Terror
|-
|"I want Murr Deyng!"||Defeated Murr Deyng Twice|| [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|"Murr Deyng, my beloved"||Defeated Murr Deyng 5 times|| [[Champion's Mark]] Title: Small but Furious
|-
|Blood of my Blood||Defeated Murr Deyng 10 times|| [[Champion's Mark]] Companion Pet: Murr Deyng
|-
|Now My Collection's Complete (Bestiary)||Defeated The Collector|| Accessory: [[Band of Unfettered Fury]]
|-
|Once more, with feeling||Defeated The Collector Twice|| [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|High Five||Defeated The Collector 5 Times|| [[Champion's Mark]] Title: The Lava Leaper
|-
|Champion of Champions||Defeated The Collector 10 Times|| [[Champion's Mark]] Title: Champion of Champions
|-
|Murr Deyng, we choose you!||Defeated The Collector after sparing Murr Deyng|| [[Champion's Mark]]
|}

There are also special cosmetic capes which can be earned for defeating each Wing Boss 100 times.

== Additional Tips ==

*There's a rare chance that you may get ported back to your capital city while exiting the Kaarn the Vanquisher fight. Some groups choose to defeat Vari'throk first, and then double back to Kaarn to avoid this.

*Bastion Stair is usually abbreviated as "BS" in the LFG channels when forming a group.

== Special Thanks ==

In 2025, the Bastion Stair re-work introduced Voice Acting for a number of bosses. The team would like to thank all of the talent who donated their voices for this endeavor, which includes:

{| class="wikitable"
!Voice Talent
!Character
|-
| Aleondra || Jodis Wolfscar / Thar'Ignan
|-
| Kismet Dunkerly || Hannah Eberly
|-
| Jason Lewing || Mysterious Knight / Lord Slaurith
|-
| Lisa Goodness || Captain Dunstan
|-
| Blucross || Voice of the Schemer
|-
| Hans-Henrik Rottbøll || Rakkoth Doomfist / Garithex the Mountain
|-
| Brandon Mayo || Chorek
|-
| Natherul || Url Daemonblessed
|-
| Benjamin Lockwood || The Collector
|}

== 2026 Sources ==

* [https://www.returnofreckoning.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60115 Patch Notes 16/01/2026 — Bastion Stair rewards, seeds, Tome stories, and Bestiary unlocks]
* [https://www.returnofreckoning.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60238 Patch Notes 12/02/2026 — completed rework and secret bosses]
* [https://www.returnofreckoning.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60737 Patch Notes 14/05/2026 — repeatable Fleshborne and cloak replacement quests]

{{Dungeon navigation}}

Bastion Stair

2026-08-04T08:06:32Z

Rubius:

{{Infobox instance
|name=Bastion Stair
|aka=BS
|ss=Bastion Stair Art.png
|caption=The Bastion Stair
|loc=[[Chaos Wastes]]
|race=[[Chaos]]
|boss=
|type=Dungeon
|level=40
|players=6
|key=
}}

== The Bastion Stair ==

Bastion Stair is a dungeon located deep in the [[Chaos Wastes]]. Inhabited by demon and mortal alike, the fiends who inhabit this bloody fortress seek the blessings of their dark god Khorne through spilled blood and claimed skulls.

Bastion Stair is an upper mid-tier Dungeon in terms of difficulty, and awards players the [[Bloodlord Set]], which includes DPS-focused Weapons and Armor.

This Dungeon is intended for level 40 players wearing Vanquisher-gear or equivalent.

== Entering the Dungeon ==
[[File:Bastion Entrance.png|thumb|Bastion Stair has three Wings to clear. Killing the final boss of each will reward Influence.]]
If your guild is level 32 or higher, you can purchase an instant Teleport Scroll from either [[Sigmar's Hammer]] or [[The Viper Pit]].

If you're too cool for scrolls and prefer to walk, follow these instructions:
*Order: Fly to Chaos Wastes, and follow the PvE road South. Then, go east to reach 64,000 / 60,000 and the Dungeon's entrance.
*Destro: Fly to Praag, and follow the PvE road North. Head to the ''Tomb of Deathsword'' PQ in the Northeast, and follow that small road further North to the Dungeon's entrance.

== Dungeon Basics ==

*Similar to [[Gunbad]], Bastion Stair has three distinct wings, each filled with unique bosses to fight and defeat.

*Influence in Bastion Stair, which grants [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord]] items, is earned only upon killing the '''final boss''' of a wing. (It is no longer given out for boss kills along each wing.)

*This means that skipping optional bosses is highly recommended for those looking to optimize their run - just don't ask for The Blood God's opinion.

*Bloodlord Weapons can only be earned via Influence. Bloodlord Armor can be found from boss kills and earned via repeatable quests.

*Thanks to a 2022 Patch that heavily reduced Influence required, you can now earn your first Bloodlord Weapon after only two full runs of the Dungeon.

== Bastion Stair Quests ==
[[File:Bloodlord Armor Repeatable.png|thumb|Grab repeatable quests at the start of Bastion Stair to earn guaranteed [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Armor]] pieces.]]
Be sure to take the '''Blue Repeatable Quests''' in the first room of the Fortress, as these will give you free [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Armor]] pieces after completing 4 runs of the dungeon.

One of these quests will also grant the [[Stalwart Soulstone]], which is used to purchase 7-day duration Best-in-slot Talismans that can be slotted into Sentinel or Triumphant rings.

A long quest chain beginning with [https://killboard.returnofreckoning.com/quest/41206 Stairway to Oblivion] for Order—or Blood on the Steps for Destruction—rewards [https://killboard.returnofreckoning.com/item/607518 Liquid Serenity] and Fleshborne accessories. Quest names change as the chain moves through each wing.

Liquid Serenity can be used at the entrance-hub jewelry merchant to:

* Upgrade a [[Blood-Iron Ring]] into a Bled Blood-Iron Ring.
* Convert Fleshborne accessories into defensive variants.

After completing the main chain, repeatable quests allow players to obtain additional Liquid Serenity and Fleshborne Gems. The jewelry remains unique-equipped.

Players who previously earned and later destroyed their Bloodlord Cloak can obtain a replacement quest from the Tome Unlock vendor—the Free Company Knight for Order or Grulgaar the Maker for Destruction—provided the character has the required cloak Tome unlock.

== Lore ==

''"I saw a Stair, surrounded by pinnacles and columns and arches of blood and carven bone, circled by Daemons bound within black iron, brazen steps and hideous shrieking mouths.''

''All that could speak or gibber vomited forth the praises of Khorne and shrieked out songs of blood and death."''
[[File:Bastion Capes.png|thumb|Players who defeat the Wing Bosses of Bastion Stair 100 times each unlock special cosmetic capes.]]

In ''Return of Reckoning'', the Bastion Stair is a dungeon and Fortress of the Blood God Khorne that the forces of Order and Destruction both seek to conquer for their own purposes.

Within, the Knights of the Blazing Sun search for the fabled Spear of Myrmidia, but rumor has it their initial attempt has already fallen to ruin, and even now their Grandmaster is missing...

The forces of Chaos vie amongst themselves for control of the citadel, and the followers of Tzeentch now seek to weaken Khorne's hold and ever-growing power, as Tchar'zanek commands.

== Exceptional Seeds ==

Bastion Stair can drop six different [[Charged Purple Seed|charged Purple Seeds]], corresponding to the six exclusive liniments introduced with the dungeon rework.

Each seed can be grown 250 times before being consumed and provides enough materials for approximately 1,000 liniments. Charged seeds may drop directly in the dungeon or, very rarely, replace the normal reward from a [[Bag of Bloody Seeds]].

== Tome Stories and Bestiary Unlocks ==

New Tome short stories were added throughout Bastion Stair in January 2026. Three can be obtained by speaking to characters in the starting room, while others are hidden around the dungeon.

Twelve additional Bestiary unlocks were also added:

* Bloodbeast of Khorne
* Bloodletter
* Bloodthirster
* Bray Shaman
* Centigor
* Chaos Fury
* Chaos Giant
* Chaos Hound
* Doombull
* Ogre Tyrant
* Two Ragebeast unlocks

See [[Bastion Stair (Achievements)]] for the broader dungeon achievement list.

== Teleports ==
[[File:Bastion portals.png|thumb|If you get disconnected during a run, you can use the Skulls at the Dungeon's entrance to teleport to an already defeated boss.]]
Quality-of-life Teleports were added in the October 2024 Patch.

You can now teleport to defeated bosses by using the Skull objects at the entrance of the Dungeon.

These are particularly helpful if you disconnect during the Dungeon, or teleporting to a final boss bugs and sends you to your book of binding.

To teleport, simply right click one of the skulls that spawn at the entrance, then catch up to your group!

Aligning with the Sacred Number of Khorne, there are a total of 8 Boss Teleports that can be activated.

== Wing Guides ==

For a list of Bastion Stair Guides, please see the sections below.

As part of the 2025 Re-work, almost all fights in Bastion Stair now offer new Double-Edged mechanics that will make your party take more damage, but also increase your damage in exchange.

Almost all of these mechanics are optional, so stronger groups are recommended to use these to their benefit to make the run faster.

==Updated 2026 Boss Guides==
The Dungeon was rebuilt in Q1 2026.

<youtube>Cz6ARBnaLGQ‎</youtube>

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz6ARBnaLGQ Click above (or here) for an updated video guide created by members of the community!]

== Left Wing ==

=== First Boss: Borzhar Rageborn ===
[[File:Borzhar.png|thumb|Fight Borzhar inside the room he spawns in to avoid his enrage. If your group is strong, leave the Banner of Blood active for bonus damage!]]
Head down the stairs to find the first required boss of the left wing, '''Borzhar Rageborn.'''

Key Mechanics:

*Tanks: Fight this boss inside his room as he will enrage if pulled outside of it. (In the old days, moving him out of the room was standard - now there's a good reason not to.)
*There are two banners in the room with this boss: The Banner of the Herd and the Banner of Blood.
**The Banner of the Herd spawns adds every 15-20 seconds. These can be killed and will grant a 1% movement speed bonus (if not already maxed) per kill, up to 20%.
**The Banner of Blood is a new double-edged buff added in the 2025 re-work. This banner increases the damage that all players and creatures - including the boss - take by 20%.
***If you can survive the damage increase, leave this up to burn the boss even faster!
*This boss will do some AOE damage, so healers should be ready to heal through it, especially if you're leaving the Banner of Blood up.

Borzhar Rageborn drops [[Blood Gems]], used for Iron-Blood rings, and the Bloodlord Amulet, which is a decent DPS jewelry piece but is not part of the [[Bloodlord Set]].

With Borzhar defeated, you can now proceed through the hall at the bottom of the stairs.

As you move forward, you'll spot an NPC named The Collector who will give you a choice of 3 randomized [[Dungeon Group Buffs]]. You can pay gold to purchase one for your party.

=== Second Boss: Gahlvoth Darkrage ===

[[File:Gahlroth_Darkrage.png|thumb|Avoid Gahlvoth's AOE's on the floor, and kill his pet to make him take more damage and deal more damage.]]
'''Gahlvoth Darkage''' is a towering Dragon Ogre with a pet bloodhound named Beastrip.

Key Mechanics:
*If Beastrip is killed, the boss will apply the ability "Daisy Chained" to himself, making him deal 30% more damage, but also take 30% more damage while enraged.
*This boss will call down lightning strikes on anyone near him. Once these finish, you will see an electric AOE on the floor - '''move away from this!'''
*Curse of Lightning: The boss will periodically announce that a player has the Curse of Lightning. This will apply a green lightning strike on a player, which deals 10-15% of their HP per tick.
**Any healer can cleanse this, so have healers watching and ready to use it.
*After 4-5 AOE's are on the floor, the first to be summoned will begin to disappear. Your tank can follow a circular pattern here and repeat it.

This boss drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Boots]].

=== Third Boss: Azuk'Thul ===

Enter the fiery arena ahead of you to confront '''Azuk'Thul''', the next boss.

Azuk'Thul has a very unique mechanic which your healers need to pay special attention to.
[[File:Azukthul.png|thumb|Heals will cause damage back to you while fighting Azuk'Thul, so be mindful!]]
Key Mechanics:
*All: Watch out for the Curse of Khorne on this fight, which deals damage back to anyone who casts heal. Almost all heals will trigger this, so be especially careful of hots and small heals. Even non-healers can trigger this.
*Tank: Tank the boss near the platform he starts on, and as usual, keep him faced away from the group. This boss will cleave anyone in melee near him.
*Healers: Group heals work fine on this boss, but watch out for hots (health-over-time) as these will deal much more damage back to you and may kill you.
*At 80% HP, two Orbs of death spawn on either side of the boss arena.
**The player who picks up an orb temporarily increases all damage dealt by 50%, but also reduces all incoming healing by 50% for 60 seconds. This risk-reward mechanic is optional, but very powerful.

This boss drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Gloves]].

One more boss awaits in the left wing!

=== Fourth Boss: Thar'Ignan ===

The final boss of the Left Wing is the Doombull '''Thar'Ignan.'''
[[File:Tharignan.png|thumb|When Thar'Ignan punts your teammates, move quickly to support and save them!]]
Key Mechanics:

*Tank: [https://wiki.returnofreckoning.com/images/b/bf/Tharignan_tanking.png {{#tip-img: https://wiki.returnofreckoning.com/images/c/cd/Tharignen_tiny.png|Hold this boss near the middle of the room}}] where the crumbling floor and dirt meet. (This is important for the next mechanic.)

*For every 10% of HP the boss loses, he will send one of your party members flying to a location in the room and root them in place. Two champion hounds will then spawn and try to kill the rooted player, so your party needs to quickly head to assist them, with the exception of whoever is tanking the boss.

*If your ally who is punted lands near the boss, move the boss away from that teammate (more on this with the healing mechanic below).
**Each time someone is punted in this way, they lose all aggro - so this can be a problem if your tank(s) are consistently unlucky and get punted repeatedly in this way.
**There is no cooldown on this punt and it's purely random, so the same person might get punted 5-6 times in a row.

*This boss will periodically hit his target for 50% of their HP in True Damage, which cannot be defended against. This will happen throughout the fight, so keep the tank near full HP as much as possible.
*If anything dies near this boss - be it an enemy add or an allied player - he will heal for a significant amount of health. Thankfully, he won't reset his punts if this happens.

If you have two tanks, make sure to keep both tanks near the top of the aggro charts (use the helpful [https://tools.idrinth.de/addons/aggrometer/| aggrometer add-on] to see this) just in case one or both end up getting punted and lose their aggro.

*If you have a Solo Tank, you can use the Stones of Aggression, which spawn near the entrance as the fight begins, to rapidly build aggro. Each of these will generate roughly 40,000 hate, so save them in case your solo tank has bad luck!

*Double-Edged Buff - Pulsing Herdstone: There is a Pulsing Herdstone fragment just behind where the boss first stands. The fist player to interact with this will activate a special buff on themselves and any players next to the stone, granting 30% more damage in exchange for 30% more damage taken.
**In addition to the damage bonuses, a player marked with the Pulsing Herdstone buff will also attract two additional dogs if they are selected for the throw mechanic. Provided you have decent AOE dps, this increase should be manageable for most groups.

As with many other fights in Bastion Stair, this fight is a marathon, not a race, and shouldn't give you much trouble if you take it steady.

Once the boss is defeated, loot him to claim the two [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Shoulders]] that he drops!

With the boss dead, head back out the entrance and take a left to find a portal back to the main dungeon hub.

== Right Wing ==

=== First boss: Urlf Daemonblessed ===
[[File:Urlf.png|thumb|Destroy his skulls, then focus down Urlf. Be ready for his stun and aggro reset.]]
Head up the stairs to find the first boss, '''Urlf Daemonblessed''', a Marauder of Chaos. Urlf's boss room has two skulls which will spawn on altars to either side of him once the fight begins.

Key Mechanics:
*Attack these skulls one at a time to quickly destroy them, then burn him down. The skulls will respawn after a period of time.
*The beginning of this fight is the hardest part, so have your healers ready to focus your group hard until the first skull is destroyed, and the pressure drops.
**If your group is having difficulty surviving the initial phase, one player may pick up the Skull's Blessing at the back of the room. This will grant a 30,000 absorb shield to the player, but then makes them take 50% more damage and deal 50% less healing and damage after it runs out. (It's a very good crutch to help survive the start, but you'll have to pay for it a little after.)
*Stun: This boss will use “Throat Punch” to stun your top aggro member for 10 seconds at a time, which will reset their aggro fully.
**He will constantly make his way down the top aggro list, so be ready for him to hit the DPS while your tanks rebuild threat.
*Orb of Blood: The boss will spawn an Orb of Blood once he goes under 50% HP. Have a DPS pick this up to speed up the latter half of the fight. This will increase their damage by 50%, but also make them take 50% more damage.

The fight is relatively easy, and drops the DPS-focused Bloodlord Jewelry piece, which is not part of the [[Bloodlord Set]].

=== Second Boss: Garithex the Mountain ===

As you move forward you'll arrive at a giant symbol of Chaos bathed in crimson light. Here, head straight and then look to your left to find the next boss: '''Garithex the Mountain.'''

Garithex has three armor pieces that heavily reduce the damage he takes: The Helmet, Pauldron, and Gauntlet of Slaughter, which are located in a triangle formation around the room.

*The intended strategy is to split your DPS on each of the pieces and then destroy two or all three at once, allowing you to burst the boss for high damage immediately afterwards.
*However, each time you destroy an armor piece, Garithex will reduce the armor of his current target by 25% per piece. This means that if you pop all three pieces, your main tank will take significantly higher damage.
**High avoidance (Block/Parry) can help significantly reduce the incoming damage in this phase, as Garithex has very few true damage attacks.
*The pieces of armor will heal if they get out of combat, so be sure to keep either your off-tank or minor dots rolling on the lowest piece while your DPS burn down the others.
*Aggro Spikes: This boss will sometimes spike huge amounts of aggro to a teammate (usually a healer) -- tanks can save their taunt and use it when the aggro spikes if this is an issue for your team.

Rinse and repeat this process as the armor of Slaughter will eventually respawn itself, and you should have the boss down.

Garithex drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Boots]].

=== Third Boss: Chorek the Unstoppable ===
[[File:Chorekboss.png|thumb|You can either kill Chorek's Juggernaut, or leave it alive to make the fight go faster.]]
With Garithex down, head back the way you came and take a left turn at the crossroads (on your mini-map, you should be heading West). You’ll find a door that leads into a large open room.

Head to the left and drop off the side, then clear all the adds nearby. Open the large grey door to begin the next boss fight with '''Chorek the Unstoppable.'''

This is a dual-boss fight, so if you have two tanks, you can split these two bosses away from each other.

Key Mechanics:
*The Ragebeast, named Juggernaut, is the first choice your group should make. You can kill Juggernaut to remove his CC/extra damage, or:
**If you leave Juggernaut alive, he will apply a stacking debuff to all nearby creatures (both players AND chorek) that increases their incoming damage by 2% per stack.
**If your group is strong enough, you can use these built up stacks to make burning Chorek much faster.
*Armor Shred: Your main tank should start by holding Chorek, but mind his armor shred mechanic, which stacks and will eventually neutralize almost all armor your main tank has.
**If your main tank is dying to this, have your off-tank pick up aggro so that the main tank can wait for the debuff to fall off.
*Tanks: Hold Chorek near the fiery lit brazier nearby. This is done primarily to position you well for the next mechanic:
*Add Spawns + Jail: At 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20%, the boss will spawn Fireborn Sprite adds and randomly select a Non-tank player to place them in the nearby jail.
**Tanks should generally challenge these, and DPS should quickly AOE the sprites down. Once the sprites are all killed, the jailed player will immediately be released. (They will eventually break out of jail even if sprites are still up.)
**If you're taking a lot of damage, use your tank Bellows morale 3 to drop the boss and the sprite damage down to 50% during these sections.

This fight drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Gloves]].

=== Fourth Boss: Lord Slaurith ===
[[File:Slaurith2.png|thumb|Stand in the circles of Khorne on the floor to increase your damage, but mind the incoming damage increase you'll also get!]]
One boss remains in the right wing: '''Lord Slaurith'''.

Key Mechanics:
*Three colored circles will appear and move around on the floor throughout the fight. Standing in each grants unique stacking effects that help and hurt you:
**The Orange Circle increases your melee damage, but will increase incoming damage.
**The Purple Circle increases your Range and Magic damage, AND grants a 5 second temporary silence immunity, but will increase incoming damage.
**The Blue Circle increases your chance to Block, but will increase incoming damage that does hit you.

The damage increase from these circles is generally not too bad and easily healed, but there is one section of the fight later, called the Warrior's Gamble, where the boss will test your healers.

*At 75%, and at 50%, Icons on the ledges on either side of the room (up the stairs) will pulse red, and the giant Chaos Symbol on the floor will also pulse red to indicate that the mechanic has begun.
**While active, the boss gain will a stacking damage increase, which will eventually wipe the group if not removed.
**To remove his damage increase, these two icons must be pushed within a few seconds of each other. If this works, the red symbol on the floor will immediately vanish.
**Important: Once you purge the icons once, you will gain a warning debuff that says doing so again will weaken you. If the same player does this mechanic twice in a row, they will take 500% more incoming damage for the rest of the fight.
**To get around this, it's recommended to pick two pairs of players and alternate, having one group get the 75% icons, and another get the 50%.

*Bloodpulse: This boss will randomly spawn a Bloodpulse effect on one of your party members. Whoever stands on the "Bloodpulse" will continue to gain huge amounts of aggro, and will become the new tank if they stand in it too long.

*Warrior's Gamble: At 25%, the boss will Champion's Challenge the entire room and begin a 10-second channel called Warrior's Gamble. This hits every second, and may hit hard if you have lots of increased damage stacks.
**To counter this, use your Tank's M3 Bellows or M4 Immaculate defense (if available) to heavily reduce the damage of this ability.
**Healers can also continue healing in this phase, as the boss will no longer cast his AOE silence under 30% HP.

*Select a Champion!: At 20%, a Greatsword will appear near the entrance of the room. The first player to interact with this will become the Duelist for the final phase of the boss fight, which starts at 10%.
**If your party does not select a Champion, the boss will enrage, furious at your cowardice, and wipe the group.

*At 10% HP, the Champion player grows in size and gains additional wounds and a 100% damage increase. The other party members are teleported up to the ledges and gain a new "Cheer for your Champion" ability.
**If you are a spectator, target your Champion while up top and hit the Cheer ability to heal them for 300 HP. This healing stacks from all party members, so cheer hard to keep your Champion going!

As your Champion finally conquers Lord Slaurith (thanks to your wonderful cheers, of course) the right wing is complete!

You'll gain the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Belt]] from this boss.

== Middle Wing ==

The Middle Wing is the final wing in Bastion Stair, and as you ascend the summit of the fortress, you'll encounter two bosses who both grant Influence.

This wing also contains a number of optional bosses, listed below.

===First boss: Wrackspite ''(Optional)'' ===
[[File:Wrackspite2.png|thumb|Tank Wrackspite in the middle of the room, and be ready for the statues to come to life.]]
''Note: To skip this boss, simply hug the right wall and run through the room.''

'''Wrackspite''' is an optional boss that most groups skip. He has a 100% drop rate of [[Blood-Iron]].

Key Mechanics:

*Start with the boss in the middle of the room.
**If near the walls, he may enrage and hit your tank for upwards of 10,000+.
*DPS: focus down the statue adds as they come to life, and don't let them reach the boss.
*Tanks: Face the boss away from the group to protect from his cleave. As adds spawn, move the boss away from their location.
*Aggro Reset: This boss will periodically reset his aggro on the tank. It's highly-recommended to use two tanks for this fight to avoid him bouncing to your DPS.
*Terror: This boss causes Terror, so healers won't be able to rez dead allies during this fight.

Wrackspite drops [[Bloodlord Set|Bloodlord Boots]].

===Second Boss: Doomspike===

'''Doomspike''' is the first required boss of the Middle Wing, and is either a dual-tank fight or can be handled by a geared solo tank.

As with all the named Bloodletters in the middle wing, Doomspike also has a 100% drop chance for [[Blood-Iron]].

[[File:Doomspike.png|thumb|Keep the health of Doomspike and Clawfang close as you DPS them down.]]
Key Mechanics:
*This boss fight will spawn an additional sub-boss, '''Clawfang''', a Fleshhound of Khorne and a ''very good boy''.
*The two bosses must be kept within 10% Health of each other and burned down together.
*Tank the bosses near each other to avoid taking increased damage.
*Terror: This boss causes Terror, so healers won't be able to rez dead allies during this fight.

This boss drops the Bloodlord Jewelry piece, which can be useful for some characters but is not part of the [[Bloodlord Set]].

This pair of bosses must be defeated in order to progress further in the Wing.

===Third Boss: Zekaraz the Bloodcaller ''(Optional)'' ===

'''Zekaraz the Bloodcaller''' is an optional boss that stands in your way as you ascend towards the summit of the Bastion Stair. He has a 100% drop-rate of [[Blood-Iron]].
[[File:Zekaraz.png|thumb|Move out of the fire AOE while fighting Zekaraz!]]
''Note: At the time of writing, this boss can be skipped by sacrificing one team member while others pass the door. Simply rez your teammate afterward.''

*This boss has a "Bloodrage" buff that will steadily increase his damage the longer the fight continues, up to a maximum of 400%.
*Move out of the Fire AOE he drops on the ground. (This attack is called "Field of Screams" in your combat log.)
*In indents along the wall of the arena you can find skulls, which can be picked up and taken to the altar in the middle of the room. Doing this will reset Zekaraz' stacking damage buff.
**Skulls should only be taken to the altar shortly before the damage on your tank is too significant to heal through.
**Be careful, as only three skulls can be placed, despite there being four of them. If you use your skulls up too quickly, you won't have enough time to kill the boss before he kills your tank.
**When a Skull is used at the altar, your team will also gain a debuff reducing your outgoing damage, which is a stacking 20% reduction per skull. (As the fight goes on, you'll do less and less damage.)
*Terror: This boss causes Terror, so healers won't be able to rez dead allies during this fight.

This boss drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloordlord Gloves]].

=== Fourth Boss: Kaarn the Vanquisher ===

'''Kaarn the Vanquisher''' is the final boss of the Middle Wing, and as such will grant Influence once defeated.

''Note: Some groups choose to save this boss for last, and fight Skull Lord Var'ithrok first, as there's a rare bug that may send you back to your capital city when exiting his arena.''
[[File:Kaarn.png|thumb|Avoid Kaarn's Blood puddles and send one DPS to destroy his totems.]]
Key Mechanics:
*Tank: Hold this boss on the platform you find him on. If he leaves this platform, his skin will turn to iron and he will take no damage.
*All: Make sure to avoid standing in the red Blood puddles this boss will periodically spawn if a specific totem is up. The tank can move the boss out of these.
*Healers: You can stand further back from the boss to avoid getting hit by his AOE cleaves. Melee DPS will take damage from these.
*Totems: this boss will spawn skull Totems which buff him. There are 3, which appear randomly on the platform above him - to get to these, use the ramps leading up on the far left and right sides of the room. Each totem causes a different bonus for the boss.

You can either DPS him down and ignore the totems if your party is strong, or send one DPS (ideally a range DPS) to destroy them.
*Range DPS can still attack Kaarn from the stairs if he's pulled to a nearby corner.

This boss drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloordlord Chestpiece]].

This boss is considered the Final Boss of the Middle Wing, but not of the Dungeon, so note there's still one more boss to go afterward!

=== Final Boss: Skull Lord Var'ithrok ===
[[File:Skull Lord Varithrok.png|thumb|The final boss, Skull Lord Vari'throk, awaits!]]
'''Skull Lord Var'ithrok''' is the Final Boss of the Bastion Stair, and behind him looms the Rift of Madness.

*Party Positioning:

Your party positioning is very important on this fight, so start by splitting up your DPS and Tanks into pairs. One tank and DPS stand in front of him, one tank and DPS (or just two DPS if solo tanking) stand behind him. Your healers both stand alone on the remaining two empty sides, parallel from each other.

You can see a visual example by [https://wiki.returnofreckoning.com/images/c/c7/Skull_Lord_example.png {{#tip-img: https://wiki.returnofreckoning.com/images/c/c7/Skull_Lord_example.png| hovering over or clicking this text.}}]

[[File:Funnel power v2.png|thumb|If you deal damage while you have Infectious Rage, you're going to die. Quickly.]]
Key Mechanics:
*Stay within the Ring of Fire once the fight begins. If your party stays far from the boss for too long, he will reset.
*This boss will give one player an "Infectious Rage" buff which looks like the Bright Wizard's "Funnel Power" skill. '''DO NOT ATTACK if you have this buff, or you'll kill yourself and everyone around you!'''
**When a player is given Infectious Rage, this will also appear in the chat window in yellow text and will put a visual Skull Icon over the player's head. (Added January 2025 patch)
*This boss will also periodically place a strong damaging dot on a player which cannot be cleansed. This is called Khorne's Affliction, and the text messages will read: "(player name) is taking extra damage!" (Added January 2025 patch)
**Have a healer focus heals onto the announced player to counteract the incoming damage.
*This boss will periodically punt those in front of him and then aggro anyone else left in the circle. Those punted should simply run back into the fire circle and keep attacking. If you have a second tank, they begin tanking once the other tank goes flying.
*The boss will spawn hounds that should be pulled off the healers and can be AOE'd down by your DPS. Keep these killed to avoid them piling up as the fight continues.
*Solo tanking: If you're solo tanking, have the DPS standing opposite the tank prepare an avoidance Morale 1 skill (like 100% parry) to mitigate damage while the Tank runs back from being punted.

This fight is actually quite simple beyond the Infectious Rage buff, so as long as you take it slow, you should have no problem.

This boss drops the [[Bloodlord Set|Bloordlord Helmet]].

Once defeated, the Skull Lord is pulled back into the Rift, perhaps to be tormented by the Chaos gods for his failure, or perhaps to return even stronger to fight another day... ''or perhaps both?''

'''Congratulations on clearing the Bastion Stair Dungeon!'''

== Secret Bosses ==

There are two Secret Bosses that can be challenged within the Bastion Stair.

These are optional bosses, and each has a chance to drop both Purple Seeds for [[Cultivating]] liniments and also the Rare Mount. They also both grant additional Dungeon Influence.

To challenge the Secret Bosses, the party must kill three optional creatures, one per wing. Those creatures are:

*'''Bulrok Headsmasher:'''
**After defeating Borzhar in the left wing, continue straight instead of turning right at the split. At the end of this path, you will find Bulrok and Squonk, who drop the Skulls of Carnage.
*'''Hargan the Furious: '''
**In the right wing, after defeating Urlf and as you arrive at the four-way split with the red Chaos Symbol on the floor, take the left turn to arrive at the feast hall. Hargan is located here, and drops the Skulls of Fury.
*'''Lockjaw: '''
**Just before arriving at Zekaraz in the Middle Wing, look to your left as you ascend the stairs to find a non-hostile enemy named Lockjaw. Defeat them to gain the Skulls of Ruin.

Once your party has all 3 Offerings of skulls, you may enter the portal that has appeared near the Dungeon's entrance.

The player with the Offering item should interact with the skull pile to add the skulls to it, and grant access to the next. These skull piles are also positioned to the left, right, and middle, hinting at the wing in which the paired offering may be found.

Once all 3 offerings are given, your party may enter The Depths, where the first secret boss, Murr Deyng, awaits.

===Murr Deyng===

'''Murr Deyng''' is the first secret boss.
[[File:Murrdeyngfight.png|thumb|Murr Deyng, Destroyer of Worlds. Do not let her size fool you.]]
* Party Positioning:
**Tank her against wall where you came from.
**Send 1 player across the bridge on the other side of the lava. (It's not a dps race).
**Rest spread around the boss.

Key Mechanics:

* Boss will punt the person it's attacking, face the wall if you have aggro so you don't get punted into Lava.
* When boss calls your name and you get a debuff. Stop attacking.
* The boss will call an item that he wants. They are spread around in the room (even across the lava). You have limited time to return the item to the boss. So if you are across the bridge you want to mount back with the item. Tank can also move the boss towards the player who is running the item.
* This boss will periodically reset aggro, so tank have to be ready to swap guard and dps move against the wall.
* At 40% 2 adds will spawn. This is the hardest part of the fight:
**Tank want to get aggro from them asap and probably use m3 Bellow or m4 so dps/healers don't die from boss and adds.
**At the same time the boss might attack other players as well.

Healers want to save morale for this phase. Kill the adds asap!

* At 10% you want to interact with the banner at lava to Spare Murr Deyng, or you may continue attacking to kill the boss.
**If you spare Murr Deyng, you will not be given any loot, but you will be able to summon Murr Deyng to assist you in the next secret fight if you summon The Collector.
**If you kill Murr Deyng, you will gain boss loot, with a guaranteed [[Blood-Iron]], Blue Seeds, and a higher than normal chance of getting a Purple Seed with charges.

=== The Collector ===
'''The Collector''' is the last secret boss.

* Party Positioning:

When looking at the bridge from where you were fighting Murr Deyng. You want the whole party to stack at the left side in the corner of the wall and lava. (Note: This strat is probably not intended, and may get fixed)
[[File:collector fight.png|thumb|The Collector is the final secret boss. He will count the amount of times your group dies and returns, with 15 unique voice lines as he enters combat.]]

'''Key Mechanics:'''

* As the boss HP goes lower, fires will begin to spread across half of the room.
* You may open the gates to free a Bloodletter. Killing one will grant an Unnatural Strength buff to all players around it when it does.
** Use this Unnatural Strength buff to interact with and push a rock into the Lava. (Save this for after you cross the bridge once.)
** Rocks pushed in this way only last for a few seconds, so use these to let your party quickly jump across to safety. (Away from the fires!)
** Two of the gates, at random, will spawn Ragebeasts which charge forward and can punt players into the lava. Sidestep / avoid these if you get one.

Once a player has earned Unnatural Strength once, they cannot get it again for the remainder of the fight, so it's important to coordinate who will use this in which order if doing the fight as intended.

* Flames: The first time flames engulf the room, you can use the bridge to get to the smaller second half of the arena. However, as you continue to DPS, this side will eventually also become covered in fire.
** Fires always spawn at exact Boss Health Percentages. Just before they engulf the section you're on, fires on the opposite side will extinguish.
** When you see the fires vanish, slow DPS and have your player with Unnatural Strength flip the rock, then have your party jump across.

You will need to jump back and forth across the Lava a few times in this fight, so take note and open gates in advance of these timings to ensure your party can push the rocks.

* Morale Punish: You never want to reach Moral 3, so always use your moral when you have it or the boss will kill you.
* Later in the fight, a Cauldron will spawn in the room if you chose to spare Murr Deyng in the previous encounter.
** If you spared Murr Deyng, one player should interact with it so send Murr Deying to kill adds.
** If you did not spare Murr Deyng, you party should quickly destroy the reinforcement portals. If these stay up too long, the adds will overwhelm your party.

As the fight nears the end, you will see the return of the Infectious Rage mechanic from Skull Lord:

* Infectious Rage: 3 random players will get Infectious Rage
** If you get the debuff you want to stop attacking or you will kill your group. Preferably you want to stop dps right before it's applied.

Once the boss is defeated you can go to the library in the Altdorf or The Inevitable City and buy your [[Now My Collection's Complete|Band of Unfettered Fury]]

== Achievements & Champion's Marks ==

The 2025 re-work introduced a number of [[Bastion_Stair_(Achievements) | Bastion Stair Achievements]]. These include [[achievements]] for:

{| class="wikitable"
!Achievement
!Requirement
!Rewards
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Thar'Ignan|| Defeated Hard Mode Thar'Ignan 1 time || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Thar'Ignan|| Defeated Hard Mode Thar'Ignan 5 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Thar'Ignan|| Defeated Hard Mode Thar'Ignan 10 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Lord Slaurith|| Defeated Hard Mode Lord Slaurith 1 time || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Lord Slaurith|| Defeated Hard Mode Lord Slaurith 5 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Lord Slaurith|| Defeated Hard Mode Lord Slaurith 10 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Kaarn the Vanquisher|| Defeated Hard Mode Kaarn the Vanquisher 1 time || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Kaarn the Vanquisher|| Defeated Hard Mode Kaarn the Vanquisher 5 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Kaarn the Vanquisher|| Defeated Hard Mode Kaarn the Vanquisher 10 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Skull Lord Var'Ithrok|| Defeated Hard Mode Skull Lord Var'Ithrok 1 time || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Skull Lord Var'Ithrok|| Defeated Hard Mode Skull Lord Var'Ithrok 5 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Defeat Hard Mode Skull Lord Var'Ithrok|| Defeated Hard Mode Skull Lord Var'Ithrok 10 times || [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|Conquered All Bastion Stair Hard Mode Fights||Defeat all Hard Mode Bosses Once|| Title: Do you even Rift?
|-
|"It's Got My Leg!" (Bestiary)||Defeated Murr Deyng|| Title: Tiny Terror
|-
|"I want Murr Deyng!"||Defeated Murr Deyng Twice|| [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|"Murr Deyng, my beloved"||Defeated Murr Deyng 5 times|| [[Champion's Mark]] Title: Small but Furious
|-
|Blood of my Blood||Defeated Murr Deyng 10 times|| [[Champion's Mark]] Companion Pet: Murr Deyng
|-
|Now My Collection's Complete (Bestiary)||Defeated The Collector|| Accessory: [[Band of Unfettered Fury]]
|-
|Once more, with feeling||Defeated The Collector Twice|| [[Champion's Mark]]
|-
|High Five||Defeated The Collector 5 Times|| [[Champion's Mark]] Title: The Lava Leaper
|-
|Champion of Champions||Defeated The Collector 10 Times|| [[Champion's Mark]] Title: Champion of Champions
|-
|Murr Deyng, we choose you!||Defeated The Collector after sparing Murr Deyng|| [[Champion's Mark]]
|}

There are also special cosmetic capes which can be earned for defeating each Wing Boss 100 times.

== Additional Tips ==

*There's a rare chance that you may get ported back to your capital city while exiting the Kaarn the Vanquisher fight. Some groups choose to defeat Vari'throk first, and then double back to Kaarn to avoid this.

*Bastion Stair is usually abbreviated as "BS" in the LFG channels when forming a group.

== Special Thanks ==

In 2025, the Bastion Stair re-work introduced Voice Acting for a number of bosses. The team would like to thank all of the talent who donated their voices for this endeavor, which includes:

{| class="wikitable"
!Voice Talent
!Character
|-
| Aleondra || Jodis Wolfscar / Thar'Ignan
|-
| Kismet Dunkerly || Hannah Eberly
|-
| Jason Lewing || Mysterious Knight / Lord Slaurith
|-
| Lisa Goodness || Captain Dunstan
|-
| Blucross || Voice of the Schemer
|-
| Hans-Henrik Rottbøll || Rakkoth Doomfist / Garithex the Mountain
|-
| Brandon Mayo || Chorek
|-
| Natherul || Url Daemonblessed
|-
| Benjamin Lockwood || The Collector
|}

== 2026 Sources ==

* [https://www.returnofreckoning.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60115 Patch Notes 16/01/2026 — Bastion Stair rewards, seeds, Tome stories, and Bestiary unlocks]
* [https://www.returnofreckoning.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60238 Patch Notes 12/02/2026 — completed rework and secret bosses]
* [https://www.returnofreckoning.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60737 Patch Notes 14/05/2026 — repeatable Fleshborne and cloak replacement quests]

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