Soulfire Bastion Dungeon Guide

Soulfire Bastion Dungeon Last Epoch

Soulfire Bastion is a dungeon themed around Fire, Necrotic, and the gathering of Souls. It introduces a mechanic where players can switch between two types of damage invulnerability. Rewards come through the collection of Souls, which are then traded to a gambler. The dungeon also features a challenging boss fight that requires players to focus on identifying the damage type being used to succeed.

In this guide, we'll cover the dungeon's layout, boss mechanics, and the rewards you can earn.

Accessing the Dungeon

To access any Dungeon, you’ll need a Soulfire Bastion Key. These keys drop randomly from enemies but can also be farmed from Timeline Bosses and the Arena of Champions (though the Arena is not recommended due to its low drop rate).

Once you've obtained a Key (or Keys), you need to head to the Soulfire Bastion in the Imperial Era. Start at the Risen Lake waypoint. From there, head west and then east at the crossroads. This will lead you to the entrance for The Felled Wood. After entering The Felled Wood, head northeast over a bridge until you reach the entrance to Soulfire Bastion. Do not take the door directly east, as it leads to a different area. Right-click on the Soulfire Bastion Key to highlight this section of the map.

Dungeon Rewards

There are three primary rewards you can obtain from Soulfire Bastion: items you purchase from The Soul Gambler, boss-specific Uniques, and modifiers that affect the rewards offered by The Soul Gambler.

The Soul Gambler

The most notable rewards come from the ability to gamble for items with Souls. Throughout the dungeon, you collect the Souls of fallen enemies. After defeating Cremorus and entering the next area, you will encounter the Soul Gambler. He has a stash of items that change in quantity, diversity, and cost each time you run the dungeon. Purchasing items from him requires spending Souls. You can buy as many items as you want as long as you have the required number of Souls to make the purchase.

While much of the Soul Gambler's inventory is random, the items he offers and the outcome of your purchase can be influenced by the choices you make during your dungeon run (scroll to Dungeon Modifier Rewards for more details).

The most valuable rewards come from modifiers that provide a Sealed affix. The Soul Gambler is the only way to obtain a Tier 5 Sealed affix on an item (aside from Experimental Affixes), which means these items have some of the highest overall Tier potential in the game.

Uniques

There are four different Uniques that Cremorus can drop, each with different tier requirements:

• Ashes of Mortality drops from tier 1 and higher.
• Lich's Envy drops from tier 2 and higher.
• Immolator's Oblation drops from tier 3 and higher.
• Pyre of Affliction only drops from tier 4.

Dungeon Modifier Rewards

When running a Dungeon, you will encounter modifiers that have both positive and negative effects. There are two sources of modifiers:

1. Any Dungeon tier beyond tier 1 has a modifier attached to it. This modifier changes daily, so it's worth saving keys for a particularly good modifier that you can farm.
2. Every door you open to move to the next part of the Dungeon adds a modifier. There are two doors in total: one to go from floor 1 to floor 2, and one from floor 2 to Cremorus.

Dungeon Modifiers

There are many modifiers that players can encounter, all of which affect the inventory of the Soul Gambler. The first modifier increases the inventory of a certain item, while the rest affect the quality of items. Higher-tier Dungeons have better versions of the lower-tier modifiers, as well as new ones. (See Difficulty for more info on tiers.)

Tier 1 Reward Modifiers

Floor 1

• No modifiers

Floor 2

• The first item purchased from the Soul Gambler is a Rare item with a random Tier 3 Sealed Affix.
• The first item purchased from the Soul Gambler has a 30% chance to be a Unique or Set item.
• The first item purchased from the Soul Gambler has its Soul Ember cost refunded.
• 10% of the Soul cost of each item purchased from the Soul Gambler is refunded.
• Rare items from the Soul Gambler have a random Tier 1 Sealed Affix.
• 15% chance to refund the cost of each item purchased at the Soul Gambler.

Floor 3

• Each non-exalted affix on an Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 20% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.
• The lowest tier affix of a Rare or Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 40% chance to gain a tier.
• Uniques from the Soul Gambler have a 10% increased chance to have at least 1 Legendary Potential.
• The lowest tier affix of each Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 40% chance to roll perfectly within its tier.
• The lowest tier affix of each Rare item from the Soul Gambler has a 50% chance to roll perfectly within its tier.
• The forging potential of each item from the Soul Gambler has a 20% chance to roll twice and pick the higher value.
• Each implicit mod on a Rare or Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 15% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.
• Each affix on a Rare item from the Soul Gambler has a 20% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.
• Each implicit mod on a Unique or Set item from the Soul Gambler has a 12% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.

Tier 2 Reward Modifiers

Floor 1

• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional axes.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional belts.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional body armours.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional pairs of boots.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional bows.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional catalysts.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional pairs of gloves.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional helmets.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional maces.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional sceptres.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional shields.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional staves.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 2 additional swords.

Floor 2

• The first item purchased from the Soul Gambler is a Rare item with a random Tier 3 Sealed Affix.
• The first item purchased from the Soul Gambler has a 30% chance to be a Unique or Set item.
• The first item purchased from the Soul Gambler has its Soul Ember cost refunded.
• 10% of the Soul cost of each item purchased from the Soul Gambler is refunded.
• Rare items from the Soul Gambler have a random Tier 1 Sealed Affix.
• 15% chance to refund the cost of each item purchased at the Soul Gambler.

Floor 3

• Each non-exalted affix on an Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 20% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.
• The lowest tier affix of a Rare or Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 40% chance to gain a tier.
• Uniques from the Soul Gambler have a 10% increased chance to have at least 1 Legendary Potential.
• The lowest tier affix of each Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 40% chance to roll perfectly within its tier.
• The lowest tier affix of each Rare item from the Soul Gambler has a 50% chance to roll perfectly within its tier.
• The forging potential of each item from the Soul Gambler has a 20% chance to roll twice and pick the higher value.
• Each implicit mod on a Rare or Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 15% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.
• Each affix on a Rare item from the Soul Gambler has a 20% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.
• Each implicit mod on a Unique or Set item from the Soul Gambler has a 12% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.

Tier 3 Reward Modifiers

Floor 1

• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional axes.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional belts.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional body armours.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional pairs of boots.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional bows.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional catalysts.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional pairs of gloves.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional helmets.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional maces.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional sceptres.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional shields.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional staves.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 3 additional swords.

Floor 2

• The first item purchased from the Soul Gambler is an Exalted item with a random Tier 1 Sealed Affix.
• The first item purchased from the Soul Gambler is a Rare item with a random Tier 4 Sealed Affix.
• The first item purchased from the Soul Gambler has a 50% chance to be a Unique or Set item.
• The first 2 items purchased from the Soul Gambler have their Soul Ember cost refunded.
• 15% of the Soul cost of each item purchased from the Soul Gambler is refunded.
• Rare items from the Soul Gambler have a random Tier 2 Sealed Affix.
• 20% chance to refund the cost of each item purchased at the Soul Gambler.

Floor 3

• Each non-exalted affix on an Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 25% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.
• The lowest tier affix of a Rare or Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 60% chance to gain a tier.
• Uniques from the Soul Gambler have a 15% increased chance to have at least 1 Legendary Potential.
• The lowest tier affix of each Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 60% chance to roll perfectly within its tier.
• The lowest tier affix of each Rare item from the Soul Gambler has a 70% chance to roll perfectly within its tier.
• The forging potential of each item from the Soul Gambler has a 30% chance to roll twice and pick the higher value.
• Each implicit mod on a Rare or Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 20% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.
• Each affix on a Rare item from the Soul Gambler has a 25% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.
• Each implicit mod on a Unique or Set item from the Soul Gambler has a 16% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.

Tier 4 Reward Modifiers

Floor 1

• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional axes.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional belts.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional body armours.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional pairs of boots.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional bows.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional catalysts.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional pairs of gloves.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional helmets.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional maces.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional sceptres.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional shields.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional staves.
• The Soul Gambler's inventory contains 4 additional swords.

Floor 2

• Exalted items from the Soul Gambler have a Tier 1 Sealed Affix.
• The first item purchased from the Soul Gambler is an Exalted item with a random Tier 2 Sealed Affix.
• The first item purchased from the Soul Gambler is a Rare item with a random Tier 5 Sealed Affix.
• The first item purchased from the Soul Gambler will be a Unique or Set item.
• The first 3 items purchased from the Soul Gambler have their Soul Ember cost refunded.
• 20% of the Soul cost of each item purchased from the Soul Gambler is refunded.
• Rare items from the Soul Gambler have a random Tier 3 Sealed Affix.
• 25% chance to refund the cost of each item purchased from the Soul Gambler.

Floor 3

• Each non-exalted affix on an Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 30% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.
• The lowest tier affix of a Rare or Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has an 80% chance to gain a tier.
• Uniques from the Soul Gambler have a 20% increased chance to have at least 1 Legendary Potential.
• The lowest tier affix of each Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has an 80% chance to roll perfectly within its tier.
• The lowest tier affix of each Rare item from the Soul Gambler has a 90% chance to roll perfectly within its tier.
• The forging potential of each item from the Soul Gambler has a 40% chance to roll twice and pick the higher value.
• Each implicit mod on a Rare or Exalted item from the Soul Gambler has a 25% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.
• Each affix on a Rare item from the Soul Gambler has a 30% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.
• Each implicit mod on a Unique or Set item from the Soul Gambler has a 20% chance to roll twice within its range and pick the higher value.

Dungeon Ability

Soulfire Shield is a dungeon-specific ability that allows players to switch between Fire and Necrotic immunity. The dungeon is primarily themed around these two damage types, so having the correct immunity can prevent damage from many incoming attacks. This ability can also be used to counter boss mechanics, as Cremorus is also themed around these two damage types (more details in the Boss section). Using Soulfire Shield consumes Souls, which are acquired by killing enemies and are also used to purchase items from the Soul Gambler.

Layout

Soulfire Bastion has several map layouts, all with a somewhat rectangular shape. In addition to the layouts, all Dungeons have a system of pseudo-randomized roadblocks. These roadblocks change with every dungeon run, and their purpose is to block certain paths while leaving others open.

Enemies

Soulfire Bastion contains several very dangerous enemies. Some of their mechanics are not immediately obvious, which can lead to frustration for players who don't know what to look for. While Soulfire Shield can help, you must choose the correct damage type to remain vulnerable to at any given time. Therefore, understanding the mechanics of these enemies is crucial.

The Immortal Incinerator uses three abilities:

• A low Physical Damage melee attack to targets within range.
• A low Fire Damage attack that resembles multiple Fireballs in a conical pattern.
• A beam attack that deals increasing Fire Damage every second.
• The beam attack is the most dangerous of the three and should be avoided at all costs.

Searing Flesh has two abilities, with one having two versions:

• The first ability is a Flare attack that deals high Fire Damage in a conical pattern.
• The second ability is an AoE slam attack that deals both high Fire and Physical Damage, with a melee and ranged version.
• The melee version has a smaller AoE but does more damage.
• The ranged version has a larger AoE but deals less damage.
• The Flare can be completely negated by Soulfire Shield, but the slam attack, which deals both Fire and Physical Damage, can only be partially negated.

The Possessed Construct is problematic because it can spawn off-screen and fire a high Necrotic Damage attack at the player with a short telegraph. This makes it possible for players to be "sniped" by the Construct if they are unaware of its presence. If you are not in Necrotic immunity, it is crucial to keep moving to avoid being hit by an off-screen attack.

The Possessed Golem has three attacks:

• A basic Melee Attack that deals low Physical Damage to enemies in range.
• A low-damage Necrotic attack that fires multiple projectiles and applies Marked for Death.
• A high-damage Necrotic AoE attack.
• The AoE attack will bounce to the position of the player at the time it landed, meaning this attack can hit twice. Players must remain aware of when the projectile initially lands so they can avoid the second hit.

Difficulty

Difficulty in Dungeons scales through both Dungeon Tiers and Modifiers. Additionally, there's an extra layer of challenge through the 'roguelike' aspect of Dungeons.

Dungeon Tiers

Each Dungeon has 4 tiers that you can choose from once they are unlocked. Tier 1 is available by default, and upon completing the Dungeon, you unlock Tier 2, and so on. Higher tiers feature stronger enemies and more challenging modifiers. You will need to complete higher-tier Dungeons to obtain certain Uniques from Cremorus and to receive better modifiers from the Soul Gambler (see Dungeon Rewards for more info).

Modifiers

Choosing any Dungeon above Tier 1 grants you your first modifier. These modifiers provide a certain reward but also increase the Dungeon’s difficulty by adding Increased Damage and Increased Health to all enemies (including the boss). You must also use two doors to progress through the Dungeon: one to go from floor 1 to floor 2, and another to go from floor 2 to the boss room. Each door adds a modifier, making subsequent rooms more difficult, but also more rewarding, than the previous ones.

Lower-tier Dungeons have minor modifiers, while higher-tier Dungeons become substantially more difficult. For example, the strongest modifier at Tier 1 adds 30% increased health and damage to enemies, while the strongest modifier at Tier 4 adds 180%. When selecting your modifiers in a Dungeon, don't just focus on the rewards; make sure you're able to handle the difficulty scaling.

You Only Get One Shot...

There are no extra attempts in Dungeons. If you die at any point in the Dungeon, you lose all of your progress and will need to use a new Key to try again. Balancing the risks of starting over with the rewards offered is crucial to maximize your Dungeon experience.

Pre Boss Strategy

Unlike other Dungeons, you always want to clear trash mobs in Soulfire Bastion. Killing enemies drops Souls, which can be collected and used at the Soul Gambler to purchase gear that could potentially be very useful. The amount of the Dungeon you should clear depends on the modifiers you receive and how many purchases you want to make. As a general rule, killing more enemies is beneficial since it provides more opportunities to purchase items from the Soul Gambler, so don’t rush through this Dungeon!

Boss - Cremorus

Cremorus uses a full set of skills, primarily dealing Fire and Necrotic damage. This allows players to make use of the Soulfire Shield ability, switching between the two immunities to mitigate damage effectively during the fight.

Mechanics - Cremorus

Cremorus activates various parts of the floor, causing them to deal high Necrotic Damage over time. As you deal damage to him, more sections of the floor are activated, and eventually, the entire floor becomes activated. Once this happens, Cremorus begins alternating the floor between Necrotic and Fire damage.

• Two types of skulls orbit Cremorus, one dealing moderate Necrotic Damage and the other dealing moderate Fire Damage.
• A large skull is cast by Cremorus and chases the player, dealing low Fire and Necrotic Damage.
• Cremorus channels a line of Fire at the position where the player was standing when the channel starts. The wall of Fire increases its damage every second and applies Ignite at a high frequency.
• A wall of Fire travels across the arena, dealing moderate Fire Damage.
• Cremorus casts a series of skull projectiles that alternate between Fire and Necrotic damage. Both types deal moderate to high damage, with Fire skulls applying Ignite and Necrotic skulls applying Marked for Death.
• Cremorus summons a Thrall that chases the player, eventually exploding in a large burst that deals high Necrotic Damage and applies Marked for Death.
• Cremorus fires two projectiles that deal high Necrotic Damage in a large circle and apply Marked for Death.
• A Necrotic Circle collapses into Cremorus, dealing moderate Necrotic Damage. This attack cannot be dodged.
• 8 Imperial Guards are summoned, using Melee attacks and dealing low Physical Damage.

Boss Strategy - Cremorus

Cremorus is a single-phase fight that becomes progressively more difficult as the floor becomes increasingly covered with a damaging effect that switches between Necrotic and Fire damage. Eventually, the entire floor will be affected, forcing players to rely on their immunity to avoid taking damage. This dynamic creates situations where Cremorus uses an ability with the opposite damage type to the floor, which may be impossible to avoid for certain builds, forcing those builds to tank the damage.

For Tier 3 and below, this shouldn’t be an issue, as most builds can find enough defenses to mitigate the damage. However, for Tier 4, we recommend using builds with:

• A movement ability that has an invincibility frame (e.g., Teleport, Shift with Shadowslip, Transplant, Lunge with Unstoppable, or Paranoia). Sentinels can also use Rebuke to tank the damage.
• A Cleanse ability to deal with DoTs while switching. You can acquire this through the Ward and Ailment Cleansing on Potion Use affix or skills like Shift with Molting. Potions are readily available throughout the fight since they don’t have a cooldown, so the belt affix is preferred.

Once you master the mechanics of the fight, it becomes more straightforward. Here are some useful tips to help with the encounter:

• Once the entire floor is covered in the damaging effect, be ready to switch immunities quickly. The floor does high damage and will kill almost every build at Tier 4.
• When switching immunities, keep track of debuffs and cleanse if necessary. Switching from Fire to Necrotic while being Ignited can be deadly.
• Avoid Incendiary Torrent. Even if you're immune to Fire, the Ignites can quickly kill a player who is switching during a ground transition.
• Avoid Disintegration. It does a lot of damage and also applies Marked for Death, which increases the damage you take from all sources.
• When Cremorus summons a Thrall, run from it until it explodes.
• Both Wall of Fire and Collapsing Decay can be avoided with a movement skill that has an invincibility frame (e.g., Teleport, Shift with Shadowslip, Transplant, Lunge with Unstoppable, or Paranoia).

The most difficult part of the fight is mastering the floor transition and keeping track of Ignites when switching from Fire to Necrotic immunity. The right build can handle Cremorus with relative ease, but builds without a movement ability that has an invincibility frame and a Cleanse will always struggle unless they are exceptionally tanky. If you want to farm Tier 4, make sure to use a build that can handle the mechanics.

Summary

The Soul Gambler is the only way to acquire Tier 5 Sealed Affixes (aside from Experimental Affixes), making it the highest overall tier potential in the game.
The Dungeon ability Soulfire Shield grants immunity to either Fire or Necrotic damage and is a critical mechanic for defeating Cremorus.

Enemies in the dungeon are particularly dangerous, so be on the lookout for Immortal Incinerator, Searing Flesh, Possessed Construct, and Possessed Golem.

Dying in the dungeon results in failure, causing the player to lose all progress and the Temporal Sanctum Key they used to enter.

Cremorus is a challenging fight, especially for builds without an Invincibility Frame and a Cleanse.

The key to success in this fight is switching immunity to match the floor's damage type, avoiding high-damage attacks like Wall of Fire and Collapsing Decay, and using Cleanse to prevent switching out of Fire immunity while Ignited.