Floor 3: Withered Crossing

The floor

Floor 3 of the descent

Withered Crossing 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.

Every floor down raises the pressure. On Withered Crossing monsters have 2.6× the health, deal 1.6× the damage and move 1.3× as fast as on the first floor, and elites appear 1.2× as often. A build that felt safe one floor up needs another damage multiplier here.

Roster

Monsters on this floor

You meet Briar Maw, Duskclaw, Thorn Runner, Bark Guard, Spore Bearer, Root Tender, Briar Lancer. Briar Lancer appears 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 34

   Briar Maw

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

2. From the start
   

   meleeweight 22

   Duskclaw

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

3. From the start
   

   runnerweight 16

   Thorn Runner

   A splinter of the crown drives each hurried step.

4. From the start
   

   tankweight 10

   Bark Guard

   Old wardens still obey a forgotten command.

5. From the start
   

   specialistweight 6

   Spore Bearer

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

6. From the start
   

   specialistweight 6

   Root Tender

   Patient hands wake the roots beneath your feet.

7. From 1:00
   

   specialistweight 6

   Briar Lancer

   The forest has sharpened its fallen knights.

8. At 4:00
   

   Miniboss

   Rootbound Warden

   The forest sealed its keeper inside his oath.

9. At 8:00
   

   Miniboss

   Spore Shepherd

   It tends a flock beneath the fallen trees.

Portal boss

The Briar Regent seals the portal

Portal boss

The Briar Regent

A throne of roots holds a false sovereign.

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

Next

Before and after

Up: Floor 2, Mossbound Grove. Down: Floor 4, Fallen Sanctum. See the whole world and every monster.