Last friday, we finished Crushbone Keep in our guild project. I’ve got to say; working our way through the dungeon, all in all taking 6 or 8 hours to do so, is something i’ve missed. In World of Warcraft, i used to do that sometimes, but it was more like 3 or 4 hours and it was instanced. When you left the dungeon, you had to start in the beginning. Nowadays, most dungeons come in convenient 20-30 minute-packs. I think you could finish Crushbone Keep faster- it took us three or four sessions because we cap at 2 hours and of course, there have been respawns. Crushbone Keep is not an instanced dungeon, though, so you might encounter other players working their way through, as well.
While i didn’t follow the story- i rarely do when in a group- i really liked the atmosphere of this dungeon and i liked how it ends. Also, there’s a dungeon in the dungeon. All in all, with being a subscriber and the recent changes in Alternate Advancement (you’ll get AA points with each levelup, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to put the slider above 0% conversion), my character gained 14 levels and is level 38 as of now. Which makes Eshaunia possibly my future main character. I’ve got lots of Station Cash- or Daybreak Coins, or Sunny Stars or whatever they’re called in the future, so if possible, i’ll transfer her over to Antonia Bayle once the guild project is done. My guess is that she’ll be above level 50 by then.
The Ground Floor
Crushbone Keep begins on the Ground Floor, as most buildings do. The ground floor has an orcish feel to it and, well, it’s a Keep, after all.
You’ll start at the room with the “Font of Zek”. There are some quests, one makes you go to each of the towers, but to me, the highlight was the temple. I know, i know, it’s an old game and the graphics aren’t very good, but to be honest, it was so strange to encounter this room and the cult that was in it, that it made an impression.
Also, in some rooms, it’s going to be impossible to pull these orcs in an orderly fashion- the whole room is going to attack, which results in quite a chaotic fight and we had some wipes in those rooms.
The Basement
Here be Dark Elves. And a torture chamber.
The Basement is kind of short, but has its tough fights, as well. Oh yes, there were Undead, as well. I think level-wise, you should go there last, but it doesn’t really make sense to do so. You’d have to finish the ground floor, go upstairs, clear that and then go downstairs. But if you want to see the Dungeon in the Dungeon, you’d have to go back upstairs- with respawns and all. The D’Vinnian Throne is the highest level part of this whole affair, so you wouldn’t go there when you take the second floor after the ground floor.
Upstairs
Upstairs was…well, i think it was quite easy, because i can’t really remember something that stood out- i think maybe the room with the entrance to the D’Vinnian Throne was somewhat tough, but seeing that i didn’t take any screenshots there, it was either because we were so busy or because it was a breeze.
The entrance to the D’Vinnian Throne is in the Royal Guardpost.
The D’Vinnian Throne
Now that was something. In the D’Vinnian throne, you’ll meet Dark Elves or whatever they are, and the whole thing culminates in confronting Emperor D’Vinn himself, although you don’t get to fight him (yet). There’s no map to be found for this Dungeon, and i found it to be quite confusing in layout, but i’m not very good in orientating myself in virtual indoors. Luckily, one of our group members is the exact opposite and navigated the closed doors and hallways as if he has been there several times. This is a tough place, there were really close fights and group wipes, although i outlevelled the content by 3 or 4 levels by then (but not all Party members did).
Solo with a Mercenary?
I could see that working. My guess is that you should go in when you are level 25/26, clear the ground floor and maybe even go upstairs first. You shouldn’t go into the basement solo before level 30, i think. I guess i’ll try it some time.
All in all, it was a very fun experience. Next up will be getting the leaping mount and Kaladim.
Party Business 
I remember liking Crushbone Keep in EverQuest II, though it has been a really long time. I actually am a pretty big fan of the dungeons I did in that game. I loved the instant dungeon within a dungeon mechanic, especially since the open world dungeons still felt pretty dungeony. They captured some great atmosphere in a lot of zones in that game!
I am a huge fan of Nektropos Castle. Mechanically, narrative-wise, thematically: it is almost perfect to me.
Thanks for the suggestion 🙂 It would also fit, level-wise, to do next with the group. Hmmm, maybe i’ll change plans?
I really like non-instanced dungeons. Some of the party members don’t like the possible interference of other players, but in EQ2 these days, there’s not so much going on there, anyway.
I like the potential for strangers to be involved, but I hate overrunning. You’re right though, EQ2 doesn’t have those issues anymore.
Nek is just a really complete experience. I think the narrative blended pretty seamlessly into the gameplay itself, since it involves a lot of mystery and exploration to complete 100%. It has been a few years though, so my love might be more nostalgia at this point!