Gremalkins aren't supposed to die, so I hope you don't try attacking them.
They are able to bite through shields, so I hope you don't try to shield from them, or shield bump them.
The only way to deal with them in the dark is to kite them.
Also, their attack animation takes a while to execute, so you can stand next to them, then move right away, dodging the bite.

With this in mind, the levels don't get too hard if you can keep track of everything and not set of all the mobs at once. Keep the place lit, kill things as they come, dodge gremalkins.

However, I agree, for all the chaos the level induces on pub groups, the level should have more rewards. And while they are doable, they are a pain and not fun. I avoid them not because I worry about death, but because the alternative is usually better or easier.

I found that they aren't THAT hard to manage. True, I eat through at least 1 health pill from them, but that's from the monsters (its a bit hard trying to stay in candlelight while dodging bullets.)

Here's my suggestions:
1. Get shadow resistance. I have a Sinister Skelly Helm. I counter the fire weakness with my Wise Owlite shield.
2. Taunt the Grimalkins to attack you, but run away at the last moment. After Grimalkins attack, they disappear, meaning that's one less invincible monster to fight. Don't get reckless with this. I often have to try 3-4 times before I'm successful.
3. Be wary and move fast. Don't hold up the team.

However, i do think the levels need more prizes. The lack of loot-able monsters in these levels is quite annoying.

candlestick keeps are okay, i guess. but there was one instance where i was trapped in a room with grimalkins and a trojan. i kept relighting the cancdles, to keep the Grimals away, but i couldn't kill the trojan. no matter what i did, i could get it to charge at me.

after 10 minutes, i decided to just charge him.

i started whirling around him right next to him like crazy, and soon enough, i was in range of the crystal! coulnd't believe it worked. then i attacked. but he was still moving, so i had to do it like 5 times (and die once) to finally kill him.

most trolly SK day of my life so far.

Candlestick Keep isn't even hard. The first rule that people break, and ends getting everyone killed, is someone panics and splits off from the group. Running ahead, activating all the spawns, and then dragging the Grimalkins into a neat line right on top of everyone behind him. Every single time I see people die, its because of this.

Personally, I would be happy just being able to block the Grimalkin attacks with a shield. It's not even as if they smash through your shield and deal some reduced damage, they just bypass any attempt at defense entirely. If that kind of thing is going to be done, it should be for a boss, IMO. I mean, you can block spikes, fire, Roarmulus's PWN BEAM (to an extent), missiles, and shock damage (somehow); why not the Grimalkins?

@Geekfox

Lol. So THAT's how I can get more heat on candlestick keep levels!

(and to answer your question. No. it's not really that hard... Just... welcome to PUGS! =)

The Grimalkins constantly put the player on edge so you can't enjoy the haunting atmosphere of the background because there's always 1-4 invincible monsters chasing you into the light. There's a meager amount of enemies, which don't even earn you a lot of heat and money for your trouble. The unpleasant appearance of Trojans on a solo run further frustrate the player.

Conclusion? Candlestick Keeps aren't fun adventure levels. They're quick, unproductive races to the elevator.

These areas are fun to me though. Because everyone else gets hit by the Grimalkins but not me :U
I know there ARE some spots with a group of blue candles that a Grimalkin can still appear in, so watch out.

More crowns would be nice though.

it's kind of like graveyard the more people the harder it gets

its atleast better than having to shell out 7500 ce just to get a shadow key and die in the unknown passage. csk is awesome!!! fyi-did u know a leviathan blade can push back a gremalkins?

@starlinvf - thats the frist rule everyone breaks in a horror movie

@everyone else - the number one rule to surviving anything "DON'T PANIC", rule number 2 "ALWAYS KNOW WHERE YOUR TOWEL IS"

Candlestick Keeps are not my favourites, and are frustrating with PUGs, but in solo play I can still enjoy them. They are among my least favourite, but still worth diving into. The only levels I feel are not worth the time and Energy are Treasure Vaults; they're terribly boring, and unfortunately I cannot just go get a drink or something to wait for them to rotate since they don't rotate. I do not know about Crown, Heat, Material and whatever other payouts, though, since I usually ignore that stuff and play based on what I feel like playing. There's a whole lot of gear I still want to try, but as long as I'm enjoying the game there's no rush.

It's about time we got a challenge! You Pick Up Groups are annoying. Find some good friends/guildies and do that run like it was Fire Storm Citadel/Lord Vanaduke. That's what you all get for doing basil runs and leaving after terminal. Leaving poor old me to wonder off alone in Tier 3 to die....

Can I add you anakletos? Not on this charac tho, for my T3 to be knight. I'm an ex veteran from back in the day and looking for some good players to do runs in T3, full runs. Honestly guys, the whole point of a game being fun is the challenge. Do you think I like farming? I hate that @#$%. After finally becoming the vet I was again, I am so glad that they added this new content. Spiral Knights used to be wayyy harder back in the launch periods (april - june). I like to call those days the Age of Legends. Few great players rose to the challenge of FSC and managed to fulfill it completely. Now a days in SK it seems like everyone is doing FSC like nothing. Soloing even. Graveyard's phantom spawning has been made slower, lots of things have changed.

I troll on the SK community because you guys are so lame. Tho you guys are bright little programmers and have talent etc, you lack teamplay. No one likes following directions. Worst of all, you guys are LAME. Man up/ Woman up kiddies. "If you can't take the heat, then get out of the kitchen." Or like Gordon Ramsey says, "If you can't stand my heat, then get out of my kitchen you pantry chef". You are all pantry chefs.

I just have a few T3 bombs. Hope you like bombers! I mostly stun and poison.

A mixed group always seems to get frustrated and wants to hop on that elevator. The 5* guys know better and choose to wait. I've personally soloed off from groups who won't wait, and I've solo/invited other 5*s who wanted to do the same.

It's not that they're HARD, per se...they're just HP sinks. There's a completely invincible foe who can't even be shield-blocked, there's a full battery of flyers and shooters, there's some really gnarly spike trap setups, and for what? Ambiance? There's only a minor semblance of teamwork, and when that fails, it's corpses everywhere. It's not the graveyard. it's just a deathtrap with a bag of pennies at the end.

No thanks, I'll wait for whatever comes next.

I enjoy candlestick keep, yes the payout may not be oh so plentiful as other levels, i like the change of atmosphere and that it takes some thought. Run forward see whats ahead maybe pull back and kite a few mobs back and kill them. its all about staying in the light, stay in the light and its ezy mode. but thats the problem these days no one wants a challenge, they think everything should all be spoon fed to them...look back a month ago when people qq about vana gate being fiends, everyone that wanted to do vana learned how to deal with fiends and most enjoy it now. I wish vana gate was fiends every week, its easy, much quicker and well i cant deny i love hearing people qq cause they gotta have a strategy. oh well my rant is done. Keep making levels similar to candlestick.

The problem is not the difficulty itself, the problem is that this difficulty is not balanced at all to the reward and does not form any sort of difficulty curve. If people wanted to be spoon fed everyone would love treasure vaults. Do they?
Same thing with fiends infront of Vana, once you get to FSC the challenge is over. That is pointless. It is just horrible balancing, you want an increasing difficulty curve not a decreasing one. If the gate was FSC -> fiends -> Vana with increasing rewards I don't think people would complain about the difficulty.
The point is not if an experienced group with the right strategy can handle Candlestick Keep and Fiends or not, the point is if the difficulty is in line with the rest of the game and it just is not. Just join some random groups in those areas and see how they do.

This is why I hate doing Pick Up Groups and decided to become a bomber for support. I bet when I get to T3 and we do candlestick keep, watch everyone run it like if it were Graveyard. It's the thrill of survival guys! Hahaha. Seriously tho, FIEND STRATUMS is something that should revovle around your heads instead of candlestick keep. Dark city is very very DIFFICULT.

Pick Up Groups + GY(graveyard)+DARK CITY+CANDLESTICK KEEP= RUNNING
Good team you formed with allies or guildie or friends+GY+DARKCITY+CANDLESTICK KEEP=ACCOMPLISHMENT/KILLED ALL MOBS/GOT ALL REWARDS/NO CE USED/TRIUMPHED AND HAVE THE VICTORY AS OUR REWARDS FOR DOING SUCH A DIFFICULT DEPTH.

EDIT: You know you love that good feeling of accomplishment when doing hellish stratums. ALL KNEEL TO THE GUILD THE RISEN.

Rock to our theme song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngtaJpzLcfU

We actuallu need more like it! The game could use some variety