- Final words of the Ancient Nightmare(src)
The Ancient Nightmare is a beshadowed, demonic colossus that has stalked the highlands of Mount Zavain since the last days of the war between Rakkis and the Patriarchs. Wherever it treads, poisonous black fog seeps from the ground, birthing horrors from the worst nightmares of those who stay within.[1]
Biography[]
Long ago, it was sealed beneath the Silent Monastery. When the monastery came under attack during the Zakarum Crusade, the patriarch of the monastery released it as a last ditch effort to defeat the legion of Zakarum Paladins besieging the monastery.
The Ancient Nightmare proceeded to spread its corruption throughout the monastery and its surroundings, draining everyone caught in it and turning them to undead, using the stolen essence to birth a new type of demons. It then took Sladyan as its host[2].
Forgotten Nightmares[]
Sometime after the destruction of the Worldstone shards, Shura employed the help of the Shard-seeker to investigate the expanding Black Mist in Mount Zavain. Together, the discovered the Silent Monastery and killed the Ancient Nightmare[2].
Reborn[]
The Ancient Nightmare still stalks the Misty Valley presently, but brave adventurers are always there to defeat it each time it reforms[3].
A Reborn Nightmare roaming the Misty Valley
Appearance[]
Originally, the Ancient Nightmare was indistinguishable from the Black Mist. It first took form as a blue humanoid behemoth when it possessed Sladyan.
After it reformed, it retained a similar look as before, but with fewer and thicker horns; and a more bestial visage.
The Ancient Nightmare, reborn
In-game[]
- Ancient Nightmare(src)
The Ancient Nightmare is the final boss of the Silent Monastery dungeon. It has abilities similar to that of a Monk, but with shadow element.
Using its prayer beads to perform shadow based variants of some Monk skills
After it reforms, it acts as the boss for the Ancient Nightmare (event). It still retains some Monk abilities like a shadow based Tornado[3].
Skills[]
Phase 1[]
"You have seen the forbidden, and for that you must die."
- Swipe: the Ancient Nightmare swipes at the player, using its arm blades to cut them. This is its basic attack.
- Dark Bolt: The Ancient Nightmare fires a single bolt of shadow from its hand.
- Ground Spikes: The Ancient Nightmare charges energy in its hand as it's raised up, then erects a large bone spikes in front of itself. Getting hit causes knockback. The spikes are summoned when the warning bar becomes fully colored.
- Teleport: Similar to monks, this is actually fast movement, rather than teleportation.
- Dark Beam: Immediately after a teleport, the Ancient Nightmare gathers energy in its hands, then fires a large piercing beam at the player. The aim adjusts to the player's position until just before firing. The actual AoE is wider than the warning bar, and getting causes large knockback.
- This skill is similar to Piercing Energy; a variant of Wave Strike.[4]
- Nova Beads: The Ancient Nightmare levitate itself and conjures 10 spectral beads in a circle around itself. The beads shoot out in an explosion after being aimed for a second.
- This skill is similar to Explosive Light; a variant of Wave of Light.[5]
Phase 2[]
"Join me in the darkness!"
- The Ancient Nightmare consumes the player with Black Mists, and they have to defeat the demon-corrupted Sladyan within its soulscape.
Phase 3[]
"The Mists will spread and blot out the Light of Zakarum."
- All skills from the first phase are present in the third phase. The skills mentioned here either vary from, or were not used during phase 1
- Dark Beam: Now fires 3 beams
- Pulsing Beads: The Ancient Nightmare levitates itself, and summons multiple spectral beads to fall like meteors. After landing, the beads harmful pulses of energy around themselves for 10 seconds, after which they charge for 3 seconds then explode. During this period, the Ancient Nightmare also releases Nova Beads.
- This skill is similar to Echoing Bell; a variant of Wave of Light.[6]
Quotes[]
- "Forgive me child, but you will not stop the salvation of Ivgorod." (To an intruding Monk)
- "Warrior of Zakarum, I will break you." (To an intruding Crusader)
- "Join me in the darkness!" (Emits Mists that swallow the intruders)
- "The Mists will spread and blot out the Light of Zakarum." (After the intruders escape the Mists)
- "As long as hatred survives, so also shall I." (Dying words)
Personality and Traits[]
The Mists will spread out and blot the Light of the Zakarum"
- Ancient Nightmare(src)
As a nascent consciousness, the Ancient Nightmare's personality was heavily influenced by Sladyan (It spoke of saving Ivgorod).
After Sladyan's consciousness within it was destroyed, the Ancient Nightmare had a basic personality that was defined by its hatred (especially towards the Zakarum), and its desire to spread it's Mist to swallow everything in darkness
Abilities[]
Like all nightmares, the Ancient Nightmare's heavily aligned towards shadow element, and can be incapacitated by Light.
As a mist, it was capable of draining essence from humans. The essence was then used to create different minions. Because of its corrupted nature, the victims were turned into undead after they died. After gaining form, it created specialized nightmares to harvest essence more efficiently, and control other nightmares.
When it gained form after possessing Sladyan, it got many of his abilities, like the high speed movement used by monks. It could perform Piercing Energy and different variants of Wave of Light. It also got better control of its previous abilities over shadow and necromancy like a basic shadow bolt and Bone Spikes. It could also release Black Mists from its body to consume people, though this could be resisted.
After reforming, it lost most of the abilities it got from its host, but retained a few abilities like a powerful shield similar to Shield of Zen, and Tornado. It could also vomit a dark fluid which formed pools of darkness which harmed any who stood on them. It has a few crowd control abilities like massive Bone Spikes, and the waller trait.
Trivia[]
- The conclusion of the Forgotten Nightmares questline implies that the Ancient Nightmare is the consciousness of the Black Mists that was given form when it possessed Sladyan, and is the progenitor of nightmare demons.[7]
- The likeness of a Veradani Monk's prayer beads revolving around the neck of the Ancient Nightmare's current form hints that it might have retained more abilities from Sladyan.
- There is evidence that before the events of the Forgotten Nightmares, the Ancient Nightmare occasionally left its lair within Silent Monastery to roam the Misty Valley.[8]
- The in-game model of the Ancient Nightmare's true form is a pallette-swapped model of a Terror Demon.
- By 1272, Dymdrail commanded a score of nightmares. It even showed some skills used by the Ancient Nightmare (eg. the nova and pulsing beads). It is unknown what this means for the fate of the Ancient Nightmare.
Gallery[]
