Faction Holds
Once you reach Stage III with a faction (Standing and Tokens), its Hold opens: a fixed node on the Atlas with an area level between 80 and 84. Holds are not random maps. Each is a set stronghold with a Warden to defeat.
| Hold | Place | Area level | Warden |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lion | Lion Sanctum | 82 | Warden of the Sanctum, with three armoury chests opened by lieutenants |
| Falcon | Falcon Bastion | 82 | A three-wave rift fight in the courtyard, then the Warden |
| Cobra | Cobra Bastion | 83 | A Warden with five cysts that hold five essences |
| Naga | Naga Hold, a deep temple | 83 | A Warden with three heads, each tied to a shrine |
The Warden. It is the faction's strongest mini boss: many times a normal monster's life, three modifiers and two phases.
How you get in. The Hold appears on your Atlas when you reach Stage III. It is opened like a map at the map device, with no gold fee (The map device). Death follows the normal rule (The death rule).
Reward. Killing the Hold's Warden once issues your first Writ for that faction's pinnacle, free of charge (Pinnacles and Writs). The Warden can also drop chase uniques unique to that faction, such as Kesar's Last Oath (Lion), Grand Chaplain's Mitre (Falcon), Sister Hetai's Fang (Cobra) and Tideguard's Brine Greaves (Naga) (Unique items). A chase unique has a rising chance and is guaranteed within a few kills.
Parties. Bring friends, up to six, as for any map (Parties in maps).
What to prepare. Elemental resistances near the cap, a stocked flask belt, and a Portal Scroll. Fire, poison and bleed all appear in the Holds (Flask types and tiers, Damage types and resistances).
Order. You can do the Holds in any order, since the four factions are independent.
Status: the Hold fights are not yet in the game (coming soon).
Related: The four factions, The Atlas.