Floor 1: Thornwood

The floor

Floor 1 of the descent

Thornwood lies in the thornwood. The run begins under old trees where the forest has turned on its keepers. Roots, spores and bark-clad guards fill the first floors. The floor timer runs for 10 minutes; then the Endless Swarm begins and does not stop until you leave through the portal.

Thornwood is the first floor, so the monsters fight at their base strength. Use it to build the core of your run: two or three damage skills, an area skill and a first potion.

Roster

Monsters on this floor

You meet Briar Maw, Duskclaw, Thorn Runner, Bark Guard, Spore Bearer. Briar Maw, Duskclaw, Thorn Runner, Bark Guard, Spore Bearer appear here for the first time. The weight says how common each one is in the spawn pool; the minibosses arrive on a fixed clock.

1. From the start
   

   meleeweight 48

   Briar Maw

   Bark armors the beasts that gnaw at the crown’s roots.

2. From 0:45
   

   meleeweight 23

   Duskclaw

   Copper-plated scavengers hunt beneath the crown’s roots.

3. From 1:30
   

   runnerweight 15

   Thorn Runner

   A splinter of the crown drives each hurried step.

4. From 2:30
   

   tankweight 9

   Bark Guard

   Old wardens still obey a forgotten command.

5. From 3:30
   

   specialistweight 5

   Spore Bearer

   It sows the crown’s rot far beyond its roots.

6. At 4:00
   

   Miniboss

   Rootbound Warden

   The forest sealed its keeper inside his oath.

7. At 8:00
   

   Miniboss

   Spore Shepherd

   It tends a flock beneath the fallen trees.

Portal boss

Veyr, the Oathkeeper seals the portal

Portal boss

Veyr, the Oathkeeper

The first keeper still waits for the crown’s return.

Find the portal, interact with it to summon Veyr, the Oathkeeper and defeat it to open the way down. The Veyr, the Oathkeeper guide explains its attack and how to dodge it.

Next

Before and after

This is where every run begins. Down: Floor 2, Mossbound Grove. See the whole world and every monster.