Red Hall of Cages

This area has an optional boss. The main reason for exploring this area is to find a secret passage that leads to Cran's Pass. Defeating the boss of Cran's Pass would unlock a shortcut to The Ruined Temple, an endgame area. You should explore Red Hall of Cages to find various useful consumables and spells. The Despondent Thief is found in a hidden section of the area. You must advance her quest line to receive her quest reward.

21. Red Hall of Cages, Salt and Sanctuary

Many strong enemies at the Red Hall of Cages are weak against holy damage. An example is the Hanged Man, which hovers above ground level. Stock up on Blessed Page as necessary; these can be purchased from the Cleric NPC. The Obsidian Pillar III is recommended for this area. From now on, consider equipping armour pieces that provide better defense than the Rogue set. At minimum, equip the Split Mask as your character's head piece. Apart from providing decent defense, the Split Mask also increases your Endurance by 3 points, thus increasing your maximum equip load. Farm salt as necessary to level up and invest in skills that boost your Endurance and allow you to equip armour pieces that provide better defense. From here on, enemies will hit hard.

Start from the sanctuary of Red Hall of Cages. Head right to find the Masterless Knight and exhaust his dialogue. Then return to the above sanctuary and continue left. You will find an obelisk, on either side of which can be found a shiny. Interact with the obelisk and head right into a room where you will find the Mad Jester. Exhaust his dialogue and grab all nearby treasures. Exit the room and continue upward through the area. Once you are done exploring the top of the area, head down into the lowest depth of the area. Along the way, look for the Despondent Thief and exhaust her dialogue to further her quest line. You will also unlock the secret passage to Cran's Pass. Finally, farm for a Red Lord's Ear as a prerequisite for opening the shop of an NPC in an upcoming area.

Notable loots:

• Lightvessel x 9. Three are found on a high platform, accessible by interacting with an obelisk.
• Bag of Salt x 5. One is from the same shiny where you collect the Lightvessel x 3.
• Crystal Sphere
• Lightning Storm. An Incantation that summons multiple lightning bolts on either side of your character. Found to the right of the obelisk near the sanctuary of the area.
• Shockstone
• Type 46 Tower Shield
• Silver Leaf
• Fireball. A Spell that summons a fireball that shoots horizontally, exploding upon impact. Found next to a lever that unlocks a shortcut to Bandits' Pass.
• Stone Leader. On a platform near Hanged Man x 5.
• Vile Charm. Adds poison damage to your weapon. Located behind a movable wall.
• Stone Guide. On a platform, guarded by Skullbat x 2.
• Charred Doll x 6. An upgrade material. Three are on a platform to the left of where you collect the Stone Guide.
• A Soldier's Poem x 3. On a platform above a door. A Red Lord guards the door.
• Stone Blacksmith. On a platform, from the same shiny where you collect a Bag of Salt.
• Steel armour set. Within a treasure chest, guarded by a Clay Phantom.
• Sack of Salt x 2. One is from the same shiny where you collect Lightvessel x 3. One is found near the Despondent Thief, who sits high above on a platform. Can only be accessed by interacting with an obelisk.
• Gray Pearl
• Relentless Ring. Equip to reduce Stamina fatigue from melee combat. Found underneath the Despondent Thief and accessible by an obelisk. Above where you collect the Gray Pearl.
• Stone Merchant. Atop a steep ladder, to the left of three giant spinning wheels.
• Stone Alchemist. Behind a movable wall, to the right of the three giant spinning wheels, on the path leading to Cran's Pass. Rest at the sanctuary of Cran's Pass and level up as necessary, but do not join the creed yet.
• Flame Orbiters. An Incantation that summons four orbs of fire to surround your character for a brief moment. Found on a platform above the shrine of the area.

22. Farm for Red Lord's Ear at Red Hall of Cages, Salt and Sanctuary

Before fighting the area boss, spend some time to farm for a Red Lord's Ear from the various Red Lords scattered throughout the area. You need one Red Lord's Ear to open the shop of an upcoming NPC. Equip the Kismet Stone and the Brightcoral Ring to boost your item find rate. Also, equip the Grasping Ring in case you need extra salt to level up. You should find Red Lord x 4 scattered throughout the area, one of which is protected by a Heartseeker.

The Tree of Men

23. The Tree of Men, Salt and Sanctuary

This is a multi-creature boss. The first phase is you fighting various Chained Men, each hanging from a different location of the boss. In the second phase, you will attack the head of the boss. During both phases, the boss itself is weak against arcane damage. Buff the Obsidian Pillar III with a Stained Page. The difficulty of the whole fight is navigating your way around the various platforms that comprise the arena, while avoiding flame vents that periodically shoot fire. Equip the Impen Crest Ring to boost your fire defense.

Defeat the boss and enter Hager's Cavern to rest at its sanctuary.