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[Sleep for the Wicked]
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Mission Briefing

Always looking for more energy sources, knights at The Lab have combined one too many minerals and materials together in their pursuit of science. A strange portal to parts unknown has opened up, and a squad of Recon Rangers has been dispatched to investigate any potential danger. When they don't return in a timely manner, Desna has requested for you to follow along after them.

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Floors
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Depths will be dependent upon the rank of the knight.

Mission Lobby: A wing of The Lab with the portal visible behind a gate. Interacting with a knight standing guard in front of it will lower it and allow the party to proceed.

Rust Winter Road: Mostly Freeze themed with mainly Beast/Construct. Seems to be some form of abandoned highway littered with scrap metal.

Overgrown Grotto: Mostly Sleep themed with mainly Beast/Construct. Small caverns mix with wide open spaces, all covered in various plant life.

Garden of Dreams: Lore/Treasure floor. Large flowering field, yet something is not quite right...

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New Enemies: “Monster (Family/Type)”
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Ironback Beetler (Beast/Turret): A large, armored insect with a bad attitude. [Resists] Elemental [Neutral to] Shadow [Weakness] Piercing

[Abilities]

• Beetle Spray: Fires a five shot spread of beetle projectiles that deal pure Piercing in the same fashion as a Polyp
• Shell Shield: Takes greatly reduced damage when hit from behind. When shot at, it will hide with its shell and become momentarily invincible
• Lunge: Upon defeat, winds up and dashes at the nearest knight before vanishing. Deals split Normal/Piercing

Diabolic Beetler (Beast/Turret): A large, armored insect with a worse attitude. [Resists] Elemental [Neutral to] Shadow [Weakness] Piercing

[Abilities]

• Beetle Spray: Fires a five shot spread of beetle projectiles that deal pure Piercing in the same fashion as a Polyp
• Shell Shield: Takes greatly reduced damage when hit from behind. When shot at, it will hide with its shell and become momentarily invincible
• Burrow: Digs underground and heads after the nearest knight, then pops up to the surface. Deals split Normal/Piercing
• Beetle Barrage: When defeated, it will launch eight mini beetle projectiles in all directions before disappearing. Projectiles deal pure Piercing

Rust Bunny (Construct/Mini): A Construct version of the Dust Bunny. Immune to Sleep [Resists] Piercing [Neutral to] Shadow [Weakness] Elemental

[Abilities]

• Short Circuit: When defeated it will rapidly hop after the closest knight before exploding. Each hop deals split Normal/Elemental
• Explode: Destroys itself in a small explosion that deals pure Elemental

Blooming Wolver (Beast/Wolver) A Wolver that seems to have been taken over by a strange fungus. Immune to Poison [Resists] Elemental [Neutral to] Shadow [Weakness] Piercing

[Abilities]

• Bite: Shorter attack wind up than a normal Wolver with slight tracking capability
• Slightly increased movement speed compared to a normal Wolver

Alpha Bloomer (Beast/Wolver) An Alpha Wolver that seems to have been taken over by a strange fungus. Immune to Poison [Resists] Elemental [Neutral to] Shadow [Weakness] Piercing

[Abilities]

• Bite: Long wind up with a single homing lunge instead of three consecutive bites
• Summon Help: When there are no Blooming Wolver enemies, it will howl and summon three (summoned enemies do not drop loot, only hearts)
• Spore Release: At random intervals, releases a small cloud of spores that cause Slight Poison without dealing damage

Blooming Chromalisk (Beast/Chromalisk): A Chromalisk that seems to have been taken over by a strange fungus. Immune to Poison [Resists] Elemental [Neutral to] Shadow [Weakness] Piercing

[Abilities]

• Lick: Longer windup than a normal Chromalisk, but faster attack with tracking capability
• Triple Spit: Creates three puddles of sludge that deal Moderate Poison when walked over, but no damage
• Slightly faster movement speed with more sporadic dodging compared to a normal Chromalisk
• Spore Release: At random intervals, releases a small cloud of spores that cause Slight Poison without dealing damage

Miniboss - Rust Bunny King: A large Rust Bunny that seems to be welded together from smaller ones, powered by a strange colored core. Immune to Sleep [Resists] None [Neutral to] All [Weakness] None

[Abilities]

• Bite: Three consecutive, homing bites in a row similar to an Alpha Wolver. Deals split Normal/Elemental
• Summon Rust Bunny: At random intervals, spits out 1-3 Rust Bunnies to assist it in battle. Total amount for the fight will cap at 10
• Power Hop: Leaps in the air and slams down hard. Deals split Normal/Elemental with a chance of Moderate Stun within a small radius. Becomes immobile for a short while after
• Defense Up!: After taking enough of one damage type, it will buff its defense towards it with a colored shield (red, yellow, green or purple depending on type.) It can generate a total of three shields, each one reducing a specific damage type by 25%. (Example: if only Normal damage is used the entire time, it will become 75% resistant to Normal by having all three shields be red, and remain neutral to all three of the remaining damage types)
• Short Circuit: When defeated it will rapidly hop after the closest knight before powering down. Each hop deals split Normal/Elemental. Once down, it can be picked up and thrown. When it breaks it will deal Moderate Shock to anything nearby

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New Hazards
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Large shrub-like plants that deal a status upon being hit. None will deal damage form the act of being attacked.

Sapling: A hazy beige plant that inflicts Moderate Stun on anything nearby when destroyed.

Frostling: A chilly blue plant that inflicts Moderate Freeze on anything nearby when destroyed.

Flareling: A smoldering red plant that inflicts Moderate Fire on anything nearby when destroyed.

Toxling: A sickly green plant that inflicts Moderate Poison on anything nearby when destroyed.

Zapling: A sparking grey plant that inflicts Moderate Shock on anything nearby when destroyed.

Drowsling: A soothing teal plant that inflicts Moderate Sleep on anything nearby when destroyed.

Heartling: A pastel pink plant that seems different than the others. It will always drop at least three large hearts when defeated, but does not regrow. It has a decent chance to spawn in place of any other “-ling” enemy with guaranteed spawns during the boss fight.

Winding Vine: A gnarled looking vine that will ensnare knights who wander too close, grabbing them in a similar way to the Aprocrea tendrils. These deal no damage on their own and can be dealt by a party member, or by the knight that is stuck attacking them. They will retreat into the ground after being hit enough, but will regrow over time. They are immune to all statuses except for Fire and Shock.

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Enemy Spawns Per Level
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Note: Please be advised some enemies listed here are from my other suggestion thread regarding sleep themed enemies. If anything looks unfamiliar, that's probably why.

Rust Winter Road

• Ironback Beetler
• Rust Bunny
• Hollow Soul
• Sapling
• Frostling
• Frostifur
• Slush Puppy
• Sleetrode
• Silkwing
• Rust Bunny King

Overgrown Grotto

• Winding Vine
• Ironback Beetler
• Diabolic Beetler
• Snoozing Howlitzer
• Sapling
• Drowsling
• Toxling
• Blooming Wolver
• Blooming Chromalisk
• Alpha Bloomer
• Lazy Bones
• Listless Bombie
• Napper
• Silkwing
• Angoria

"Overgrown Grotto" will function similar to an arena. There will be three rooms full of enemy encounters prior to the boss room. After each wave is complete, a wall of “Heartlings” will be found blocking the path. Destroy them and watch it rain hearts.

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Boss Battle: Angoria
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The end of the floor consists of a stretch of land in an "L" shape with one wall being covered by a large mesh of leaves, and a portal visible at the other end. Proceeding too far will trigger the next sequence.

Both exits will become covered with large, thick vines that cannot be destroyed. The wall of leaves will shake a few times before blowing apart with a large roar from Angoria! It is a large, hulking Beast with unique resistances. Roughly the size of Lord Vanaduke, Angoria looks like a large Dust Bunny that has been mutated by the plant life in the area. It sports a mouth of razor sharp teeth, is covered in thick green fur, a few vines for arms and is rooted to the ground. In fact, all of the “Winding Vines” are its roots! The most noticeable feature is a large, bright grey orb nestled in its chest.

This battle is split up into four phases. Angoria is immune to Sleep, Stun, Freeze and Poison, but is also initially neutral to all damage types. If one should choose to use bombs, then it is worth noting that attacking the “Winding Vines” will cause a bit of damage so you don't have to get up and give it a hug to be a hero. It will not be nearly as much per hit, but when the vines spawn close together it makes it viable to use area damage.

During each phase transition, based on the entire party's contribution, whichever damage type was used to attack with the most will determine what happens next.

Mostly Normal: The orb will glow red; Angoria protects itself with a Normal damage shield.
Mostly Piercing: The orb will glow yellow; Angoria protects itself with a Piercing damage shield.
Mostly Elemental: The orb will glow green; Angoria protects itself with an Elemental damage shield.
Mostly Shadow: The orb will glow purple; Angoria protects itself with a Shadow damage shield.

In the same way the Rust Bunny King fight played out, the first time a shield appears it will reduce incoming damage of that type by 25%. The second and third times will reduce it by 50% and 75%, respectively. If damage types are varied across all phases, it can become resistant 25% to three types and remain neutral to one for the final phase.

Each time a shield appears, it will be given an outline to determine its level of reduction.

No Outline: 25% damage reduction
White Outline: 50% damage reduction
Gold Outline: 75% damage reduction

[Phase One]

Angoria will attack with its arms in a similar fashion to a large Trojan slam, as well as a sweeping attack if knights wander too close. These attacks will have a chance of causing Moderate Stun if they connect, and deal mostly Normal damage. If there are no targets within range, the “Winding Vines” will begin to try snagging the closest person and holding them. Once someone gets held in place, Angoria will reel back and charge an attack. It cannot be flinched during this time, but is vulnerable to close ranged attacks. “Winding Vines” defeated in this area will regrow in a different, random spot much quicker than normal.

After charging for a few moments, Angoria will fire out a large ball of sludge where the knight is or was, depending on if they were freed. The initial impact will both damage the target and anything in the area with Elemental damage, then spread a few tiles out from where it landed and remain for a few moments. Touching it at this stage will cause Moderate Poison as well as reduced movement speed, but no actual damage.

When enough damage is dealt, Angoria will let out a roar that shoves every party member back in a similar fashion to the ability Battlepods have. The first damage shield will be put up here. A few “Heartlings” will spawn, so take advantage of them while you can.

[Ability Recap]

• Vine Slam: Strikes the ground with its arm causing Moderate Stun
• Vine Sweep: Moves its arm across the field in an attempt to bash its targets
• Ensnare: Stray Winding Vines grab and hold the target (can be freed by teammates or attacking enough times)
• Toxic Spit: Charges and fires a large ball of sludge, dealing Elemental damage and causing Moderate Poison
• Roar: Releases a mighty, non-damaging roar that knocks back all targets
• Defense Up!: Summons a 25% damage reduction shield at the end of the phase

[Phase Two]

Angoria looks a bit roughed up, with a few patches of fur being scuffed and wrinkled. During this phase, it will call up multiple Frostling and Drowsling hazards, making a minefield out of them. Angoria will now begin to charge up the attack from before without waiting for a knight to get captured. This time, however, once this ball lands it will split into two smaller versions that attempt to home in on the closest knight. They behave normally after the first bounce and will generate puddles of ooze much like the larger one. Angoria will still attack in a normal fashion if knights wander too close.

Other than being resistant to one of the four damage types, this phase plays out much the same as the first with the added hazards. After enough damage is dealt, the second damage shield will be put up and the third phase will begin. A few more “Heartlings” spawn here.

[Ability Recap]

• Rapid Growth: Brings up an assortment of Frostlings and Drowslings
• Toxic Spit Ver.2: Charges and fires a large ball of sludge that breaks into two smaller sludgeballs. Each smaller version will bounce once towards the nearest knight before breaking into a puddle of toxic ooze
• Vine Sweep: Moves its arm across the field in an attempt to bash its targets
• Roar: Releases a mighty, non-damaging roar that knocks back all targets
• Defense Up!: Summons a 25% damage reduction shield at the end of the phase

[Phase Three]

Angoria isn’t looking so hot, with dark patches all along its body and bits of fur having been knocked off. Once again, Angoria will let out a roar that knocks all party members back while it prepares for the next phase. Its attack has changed to a charged up blue orb that breaks open when hitting the ground or a knight, dealing pure Elemental damage and releasing a small cloud of sleep mist. The initial hit as well as the mist both can cause Minor Sleep.

After three rounds of firing, Angoria will pause for a moment to catch its breath. Use this time to get in and dish out your best amount of damage. If you are too close when Angoria regains its composure, you will be caught by one of its arms and held. This cannot be escaped from, and will hit three times for high Normal damage: once for the initial grab, followed by two squeezes. All three hits can be shielded and have the damage reduced, but not completely negated.

If Angoria had grabbed anyone, after finishing the attack it will throw/shove them back away from it. During this phase, at regular intervals, the ground will begin to have sharp roots rise up similar to the later tier Jelly attacks wherever knights may be standing. These, however, will also cause Minor Sleep if they connect as well as almost pure Piercing damage with a bit of Normal. The upside is they will only target one knight at a time. There will also be a longer delay between the initial indication and the actual attack, giving people a decent window to sidestep away from danger.

Should the party manage to wear down Angoria’s health again, the third damage shield will be put up and they will be greeted with the final phase. A handful of “Heartlings” will spawn again.

[Ability Recap]

• Sleep Bomb: Fires a large orb full of sleep inducing mist
• Breather: Pauses after firing three times to catch its breath, making it vulnerable to attack
• Wrap Up: Grabs a single target and squeezes twice before releasing
• Thorn Prickle: Raises sharp, sleep inducing spikes below a single target
• Roar: Releases a mighty, non-damaging roar that knocks back all targets
• Defense Up!: Summons a 25% damage reduction shield at the end of the phase

[Phase Four]

Angoria will now look very weathered and damaged, with leaves and fur turning dull brown. The same roar as the other phases greets the party. It also appears to have been hiding a dangerous trick for this phase…

Accompanying the battle will be respawning “Blooming Wolvers” and “Blooming Chromalisks” that appear in pairs of two (two of each, not one and one.)

When someone stays too close for too long, they will be instantly grabbed and held by one of the arms. Angoria will lean down and chomp the target, dealing pure Piercing before knocking them away. This has a chance of applying a status effect of “Atrophy.” When inflicted with “Atrophy,” you will be given debuffs of “Attack Speed Decrease: Low" and "Movement Speed Decrease: Low," and all enemies will become resistant to all damage types. This status will last for 5 seconds and cannot be removed with a Remedy Capsule; however, healing is unaffected. This attack can only be done on one knight at a time, so if someone wants to volunteer to be a meat shield as only true friends would, the rest of the party can wail on Angoria in the meantime.

There will be very little delay between firing the sleep orbs this time around, and the pause after firing three rounds will be a bit shorter. It will still be enough to get in and smack Angoria around with swords, but be quick! Between the vines, Angoria’s firing and the sharp roots, this is not a fight you want to stand still very long for!

Once its health is finally brought down, everything will stop moving. All of the “Winding Vines” will shrivel and go back into the ground. Angoria will release one final roar, before collapsing into a pile of fur and leaves. It is at this point the way forward will be opened, and everyone may proceed to the final portal.

[Ability Recap]

• Crippling Chomp: A harsh bite for those who wander too close
• Rapid Growth Ver.2: Winding Vines will not regrow almost instantly after being defeated
• Sleep Bomb Ver.2: Fires three small bombs full of sleep inducing mist with a one second delay between firing
• Breather: Pauses after firing to catch its breath, making it vulnerable to attack. Shorter down time than the previous phase
• Wrap Up: Grabs a single target and squeezes twice before releasing
• Thorn Prickle: Raises sharp, sleep inducing spikes below a single target

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Garden of Dreams
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There is no party button to be found here, only a large expanse of flowers completely covering the floor in a seemingly endless field with a portal back to The Lab in the middle. Mixed in with the treasure boxes are multiple large flower buds housing Recon Rangers. Interacting with any of them will result in a chat bubble saying one of three things randomly.

• "..."
• "Zzz..."
• "...?"

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If you made it this far, congratulations! Thanks for taking the time to read over everything. Feedback is much appreciated.