Age of Elysian's dungeon system is designed after Darkest Dungeon: preparation and inventory decisions matter alongside combat. You bring provisions, collect money items and heirlooms, and decide what deserves your limited carrying space. The current provisions are Skeleton Keys and Antidotes.
The central trade-off is simple: dungeon treasure can only be carried in your nine-slot hotbar. Weapons and supplies compete with loot for convenient access, and each treasure has its own stack limit. A valuable individual item is not always the most valuable use of a whole slot.
| Guide | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Ruins Dungeon | Ravensburg's introductory dungeon: poisonous insects, undead guardians, and the Seeker with its mount and birds. |
| Fire Dungeon | A demanding volcano-area dungeon with fire creatures, minibosses, and a Fire Mage supported by healers and adepts. |
| Sewer Dungeon | Poison, life-draining creatures, spikes, and mimic chests. |
| Pirate Dungeon | Jungle creatures, cursed pirates, and a multi-stage captain battle. |
| Blood Cult Encounters | Health-draining cultists, healing, summons, and a blood-infused golem. |
Antidotes are preventive, not a cure for poison already applied. Fire Resistance is useful in the Fire Dungeon, but does not make you immune to direct damage, explosions, pulls, or other attack effects.
Fight through the rooms, watch enemy attack cues, and clear the local monsters before attempting ordinary dungeon treasure chests. Wait for the room-clear feedback; trying a key does not bypass that requirement.
Pick up loot selectively. Money treasure, heirlooms, and dungeon materials all use the same restricted hotbar space during a run. Their different stack limits make partial stacks an important part of the decision.
The restriction applies to dungeon treasure and converted Skeleton Keys, not every ordinary item you own. Armor can still be worn, and ordinary supplies such as Antidotes can use the main inventory. Skeleton Keys convert into hotbar-restricted provisions when brought through an active dungeon entrance.
| Outcome | Reward handling |
|---|---|
| Clearing the dungeon | Money treasure is redeemed at full base value, subject to any active loot bonus. Heirlooms and material loot redeem into their corresponding items. |
| Fleeing before a clear | Money treasure pays 20% of its base value. Each item-reward unit has a 20% chance to survive redemption; a small heirloom stack is not guaranteed to return exactly one fifth. |
| Unused in-dungeon Skeleton Keys | Removed on exit rather than paid out as money. |
Wait for the dungeon's clear feedback before leaving for full rewards. Defeating a miniboss or supporting enemy is not the same as completing the run.
Using /spawn during a run prompts an exit warning; repeat the command to confirm. Leaving also means abandoning loot still on the ground or in unopened chests. A retreat can be sensible, but budget for the loss before committing.
Use the normal exit rather than treating death or disconnecting as a safe way to leave with treasure.
Dungeon difficulty can scale with pass tier, party size, and personal progression after clears. Enemy health, damage, armor, and skill power can also scale with level. Health listed in encounter guides is base health; stronger runs can have tougher enemies.
Check entrance messages, item lore, and traders for pass requirements, cooldowns, and rewards.