Dzagonur Bastion

This article is about a mission. This name is also used for an outpost and a Zaishen mission quest. For the explorable area, see Wilderness of Bahdza.

Dzagonur Bastion
Campaign	Nightfall
Region	Vabbi
Type	Cooperative
Party size	8
Required hero	Master of Whispers
Duration	Short
Preceded by	Calling the Order
Followed by	Pledge of the Merchant Princes A Sound of Ancient Horns Brains or Brawn Destroy the Harpies Extinction

Support the Vabbian force led by Prince Ahmtur the Mighty to stand against the invading Kournan military and Margonite army at Dzagonur Bastion stronghold.

This mission represents a branch in the storyline which is determined by your choice between Master of Whispers or Margrid the Sly. If you picked Margrid the Sly, you may return to this mission after completing Abaddon's Gate or enter with someone who has Master of Whispers.

Mission information

Requirements

• All party members must have accepted the reward for Calling the Order or Greed and Regret.
• Master of Whispers must be present in the party.

Objectives

Defeat the Margonite generals before their forces take the Citadel. Preserve the perimeter bombards to aid you in the battle. Defend the gates to prevent enemy forces from reaching the Citadel.

• Speak to Prince Ahmtur the Mighty.
• [3...0] of 3 gates still stand.
• [3...0] of 3 bombards still function.
• [4...0] of 4 generals remain.
• *Bonus* Keep the bastion's defenses intact.
• [6...0] of 6 defenses left intact.

Reward

Normal mode	Remaining defenses	Rewards
Standard	0	1,000 XP	100	1	25
Expert's	1 - 4	1,500 XP	150	1	25
Master's	5 - 6	2,000 XP	200	1	25
Hard mode	Remaining defenses	Rewards
Standard	0	1,000 XP	200	1	80
Expert's	1 - 4	2,000 XP	300	1	80
Master's	5 - 6	3,000 XP	500	1	80

Walkthrough

The aim of this mission is to make sure that the citadel is not captured. You aren't alone in this task; you have several groups of Vabbi defenders to help you out and siege support from the citadel. You start out in the citadel and use a teleporter to exit the stronghold and begin the mission.

In front of the citadel there are 3 groups of Vabbi defenders. The Disciple of Secrets which leads each group can be given instructions on where they should be defending. It is recommended that you send 2 groups to defend one side, and defend the middle with the last group.

Initially a few groups of Kournan soldiers will come towards the citadel. Focus your defense on the center with the Vabbi defenders, but you may need to travel widely to help control the Kournans. In a team with 2 or more human players, split into two teams of 4 for mobility and better defense. If you are alone it is best to stay with your team and defend the middle and the side without Vabbi defenders - Master of Whispers as a minion master is a good choice. 2 groups of Vabbi defenders will have trouble defending a side without some assistance.

After several waves of Kournan groups, four Margonite bosses (the Generals) will spawn at the far edge of the area in front of the citadel. The Chaos rifts which they control will continue to spawn groups of Kournan soldiers accompanied by a single Margonite demon as long as the boss is alive. The bosses must be killed to reduce the defensive workload for the team and complete the mission. The Generals will only come down towards the fort when each defense is broken - so the elementalist boss will come down to the East Bombard when the East Bombard is destroyed by the Kournan forces and will move onto the gate and beyond when the Kournan forces have destroyed the East Gate. The generals in order from west to east are; General Doriah, General Nimtak, General Kumtash, General Tirraj.

Go to the side which does not have the Vabbi defenders. Kill any group of Kournans which emerge after the boss spawn and then push up to take out the boss. Fall back if need be to defend the middle, but each time you attack try to kill the boss or at least one of the Margonites in the boss' group. When that boss is killed get on top of the defensive situation on the other side and middle then work on the next boss along from the one you just killed. When the second boss is killed the worst is over and it should now be easy for you to get the situation under control as the attackers and defenders are focused in the same spot. Take out the remaining two bosses to finish the mission.

Remember that the mission becomes easier the more generals you kill as they will no longer summon more troops, so be assertive even if it means you suffer a few losses. If you send the Vabbians to the east gate (you should) then you can work from west to east, i.e. starting with General Doriah (the warrior). This will mean you have less running to do, and by the time you get to General Tirraj you should have a sizeable Vabbian force left to help you out (and absorb some of Tirraj's ridiculous spike damage). Go in for the kill - take out the priest (if there is one) and then the general - massive spike damage is your best friend, so a high-damage assassin build, air elementalist (or AoE fire elementalist if you've got snares) and mesmers are effective. When you go in for the kill, commit to it. Make sure you've got the energy reserves to get it, then you can retreat to regenerate before finishing off the group.

You lose this mission (and bonus) by getting worn down. The Kournans and Margonites are fighting a war of attrition against you - you have very little time to recuperate between battles as you constantly need to be fighting somewhere else. That means your team needs to be relatively self-sufficient - bring a self-heal and something to help you regenerate energy quickly. The longer the mission goes on, the harder it will get as death penalty starts to rack up and you have no reserves left you will find it harder to eliminate groups quick enough and you'll find yourself overwhelmed. Consequently, end it as soon as possible - be ready to eliminate at least one general the moment they spawn. While this is a tough mission, well-equipped teams shouldn't have too much trouble.

Bonus

For the Master's reward on this mission only 5 of the 6 defensive structures need to remain.

If you are attempting the bonus with heroes and henchmen, it may take a few attempts to be successful. Assign all the Vabbi defenders to either the western or eastern bombard, and use your party to defend the remaining two. It may also be easier to let one of the bombards fall after the bosses spawn, since this will prompt the boss at that bombard to move towards the center; you can then engage him without having to move too far away from the other bombards. However, if any other defensive structures are lost you'll have to restart the mission for the bonus. You should also keep an eye on the status of the Vabbians; while they can usually hold their own against the Kournans, you may have to come to their aid.

Tactically, the Eastern Bombard is easier for the Vabbian defenders to hold because the difference in elevation between the attacking position and the Vabbian defenders is less significant, so the Kournan archers receive a smaller height advantage against the defenders. Furthermore, General Doriah is typically easier for smaller parties to defeat due to his lack of area of effect damage and generally weaker healing ability. Defeating him early in the battle will make it much easier for you to manage against the other generals, because the Western Bombard is much farther from the other two bombards.

Skill recommendations

• It helps to bring a minion master (especially Master of Whispers) and/or a spirit spammer to provide additional allies to hold the enemies' attention.
• Party-wide speed boosts, such as "Fall Back!", to move between bombards more quickly.
• Shutdowns to prevent General Tirraj from dealing heavy damage, including interrupts and daze (along with martial players/heroes). Alternatively, damage mitigation skills, e.g. Shelter or Ward Against Elements.

NPCs

Allies

Humans

• 20 Lieutenant Murunda
• 20 Vabbian Guard
• 20 Vabbian Guard
• 20 Disciple of Secrets
• 20 Prince Ahmtur the Mighty

Foes

Demons (Margonites)

• 24 (26) Margonite Executioner
• 24 (26) Margonite Bowmaster
• 24 (26) Margonite Cleric
• 24 (26) Margonite Warlock
• 24 (26) Margonite Reaper

Humans (Kournan military)

• 16, 20 (25) Kournan Guard
• 16, 20 (25) Kournan Bowman
• 16, 20 (25) Kournan Priest
• 16, 20 (25) Kournan Oppressor

Plants

• 22 (26) Mirage Iboga
• 22 (26) Storm Jacaranda
• 22 (26) Whistling Thornbrush
• 22 (26) Enchanted Brambles

Bosses

Demons (Margonites)

• 28 (30) General Doriah → Magehunter's Smash
• 28 (30) General Nimtak → Spell Breaker
• 28 (30) General Tirraj → Invoke Lightning
• 28 (30) General Kumtash → Anthem of Guidance

Dialogue

Opening cinematic

Meanwhile...

(Fortress of Jahai)

Morgahn: "Varesh! We have located the Sunspears."

Varesh: "The Sunspears are completely irrelevant. Everything is ready. We must move at once."

Morgahn: "Surely there is an easier way."

Varesh: "No. It all comes down to this. We must do this for the good of all Kourna."

Morgahn: "Varesh, I fear for the priests."

Varesh: "The followers of Lyssa will be unharmed. I respect your faith, Morgahn, and would never harm it, even in Abaddon's name."

Morgahn: "Perhaps if I spoke to them, they would let us proceed."

Varesh: "NO! No, let me handle this. Your precious priests are safe."

Varesh: "But I must ask you, old friend, where your loyalties lie - with your faith, or with your homeland?"

Morgahn: "My loyalty is to you, Varesh. To you and Kourna."

Varesh: "Thank you, old friend. Ready the troops, General Morgahn. We move out!"

Varesh: "Ah Morgahn. Your heart is good. It is a pity there will be no place for it in our new world."

Meanwhile...

(Citadel of Dzagon)

Norgu: "Good audience. We should have sold tickets."

Master of Whispers: "Hush!"

Norgu: "Excuse me Mister Big-Time-Secret-Keeper"

Master of Whispers: "Will you be quiet?"

Norgu: "At least Prince Ahmtur is attacking the problem head-on, instead of sneaking around."

Master of Whispers: "Norgu..."

Norgu: "I mean, no one even knows your real name."

Master of Whispers: "My task lies heavy on my shoulders. I do not engage in such frippery."

Norgu: "Shhhhh. Keep it down. He's talking."

Prince Ahmtur: "Soldiers of Vabbi! We face our ultimate foe!"

Prince Ahmtur: "There has not been a battle like this since Turai Ossa himself defeated Palawa Joko in the Battle of Jahai!"

Prince Ahmtur: "We are few, and our enemies are many. This is our greatest battle, and it may be our last."

Prince Ahmtur: "But let it be known we would rather fight and die than cower and hide."

Prince Ahmtur: "Let the bards make legends of us! For today, we defend our homes, and will not sell our lives cheaply!"

Prince Ahmtur: "For Vabbi! For Elona!"

Initial dialogue

Lieutenant Murunda: "Glad you could join us! Our finest guards await your orders. Tell the Disciples of Secrets where to station their troops before the enemy is upon us."

Lieutenant Murunda: "Here comes the first wave. Prepare yourselves! Don't let them reach the Citadel! Show these beasts the true strength of Vabbi!"

End cinematic

Prince Ahmtur the Mighty: "We have them on the run! It will be months before they can muster a credible threat!"

<Party leader>: "Perhaps now you can help us against Varesh, Prince."

Prince Ahmtur the Mighty: "If Varesh has been conspiring with demons, she is my enemy. She will pay."

Norgu: "See what I mean? Straight up kind of guy. No secrets at all."

Master of Whispers: "Jurah."

<Party leader>: "Pardon?"

Master of Whispers: "Jurah. He asked my real name. It is Jurah. I feel I can trust you with it."

<Party leader>: "Jurah. Nice name."

Norgu: "See? Was that so hard?"

Master of Whispers: "What the-?"

Norgu: "What is that?"

Master of Whispers: "It is a demonic manifestation. A part of Abaddon's world pushing into the living world."

Norgu: "What does that mean?"

<Party leader>: "It means we are too late. Nightfall has come to Elona."

Notes

• Along with The Eternal Grove, this is one of the hardest missions to complete with only heroes and henchmen, due to having to defend multiple points against large numbers of foes.
• You can force the generals to come forward as soon as they spawn by allowing one or more of the bombards to fall early on. The two central generals will come forward if the middle bombard is taken; the others will move closer if the bombard nearest to them falls.
• If the generals are killed near where they spawned, their summoned groups usually will not move towards the bombards after their deaths. This allows you to specifically aim to kill only the general, before disengaging and running off to kill the next general.
• Cartographers can choose to ignore all the foes and make a run for the portal in the south, normally leading to Resplendent Makuun. Because it's a mission, you'll just run through the portal and encounter an end-of-the-world glitch. This makes for an extra, non-required 0.1% - 0.2%.
• If Prince Ahmtur dies, the mission fails.
• After completing this mission, your party will appear in the Kodash Bazaar.
• Completion of this mission will fill in page #8 in the Night Falls storybook.

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