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Eye of the Brandstorm

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Eye of the Brandstorm

Eye of the Brandstorm loading screen.jpg

Click to enlarge

Eye of the Brandstorm is the first part of Daybreak.

Objectives[edit]

Discuss the current status of Kralkatorrik with Taimi and Rytlock.

  • Go to the dolyak ranch in the southern Amnoon Outskirts.
  • Meet with Taimi and Rytlock behind the dolyak ranch.
  • Speak with Rytlock.
  • Listen to Rytlock.
  • Check on Taimi.

Save citizens of Amnoon from the Branded.

  • Go to Amnoon.
  • Free citizens from Branding Crystals before they shatter.
  • Advance toward the city.
  • Destroy Brandstone Elementals: x
  • Advance toward the city.
  • Free citizens from Branding Crystals before they shatter.
  • Advance toward the city.
  • Destroy Brandstone Elementals: x
  • Go to the city's south gate.

Defend the Free City of Amnoon against the Branded Invasion.

  • Destroy the Death-Branded Lieutenants: x/3
  • (Destroy Death-Branded Deputy Qais.)
  • Defeat Death-Branded Deputy Qais: x/1
  • (Destroy the final Empowering Crystal and Death-Branded Deputy Qais.[sic])
  • Destroy the Death-Branded Lieutenants: x/2
  • (Destroy the Branded wyvern.)
  • Branded Wyvern
    Event bar green.jpg Event boss (tango icon).png

Discuss the next move for Dragon's Watch with your allies.

  • Regroup with your allies.
  • Approach Aurene.
  • Speak with Agent Kito.

Rewards[edit]

Upon replaying

Walkthrough[edit]

Outside Amnoon

After meeting up with Taimi and Rytlock, head back towards Amnoon. As you cross the bridge leading to the refugee camp, you'll find a group of civilians who have been trapped inside a Branding Crystal. Rytlock will instruct you to save them, but the people inside this one are a lost cause. Push deeper into the camp and destroy the three crystals with red timer circles above them. When they're destroyed — whether you killed them or the timers ran out — it will be time to move on. Head west, pausing briefly to deal with the Brandstone Elementals that spawn to attack, towards Amnoon Water Authority, where there will be five more Branding Crystals to destroy. When these are down, head north to the gate into Amnoon, and fight another cluster of Brandstone Elementals.
The gate will open and you will be greeted by Canach, who joins your party.

Inside Amnoon

There will be three Death-Branded Lieutenants to defeat when you enter, each of them protected by an Empowering Crystal which must be destroyed first. All three lieutenants are at ground level; one crystal is next to its lieutenant, while the other two are atop walls to the east and west. When these are down, head north to fight Death-Branded Deputy Qais. Destroy his crystal and take him down. There are two more crystals and lieutenants atop the east and north border walls; when these are dead, the Branded Wyvern will spawn.

Branded Wyvern fight

The wyvern has an extreme amount of health, and even players with high damage must be ready for a long fight. Most of the wyvern's attacks are telegraphed, stunning and dealing high damage in a large area of effect. The wyvern also has delayed point-blank attacks that deal just as much damage but are not telegraphed. Move quickly or dodge at the right time to avoid getting hit. The wyvern doesn't inflict very many conditions, but stun breaks, ranged weapons, and vigor can make surviving the fight easier. Being defeated does not reset the boss's health and the player will respawn close by.

At 75%, the wyvern will shield itself and begin rapidly healing itself with three Recharging Crystals each guarded by a Branded Priest, a Branded Cavalier, and a Branded Priestess — though these mobs don't need to be defeated, just the crystals, which are much easier to destroy than the Empowering Crystals earlier in the mission. During this phase, lightning still periodically strikes the area, and the wyvern periodically breathes lingering spiral circles of Brand. It doesn't matter how quickly the crystals are destroyed as Aurene will breathe a line of divine fire, undoing its healing and stunning it for a short period of time.
At 50%, the wyvern's shielded phase repeats.
At 25%, Aurene will breathe another path of fire, permanently stunning the Branded Wyvern. At this point, it takes massively increased damage.

Achievements[edit]

Eye of the Brandstorm Daybreak 0Achievement points
Meet up with your guild in Amnoon.Journal: Eye of the Brandstorm Completed Completed Eye of the Brandstorm 0Achievement points
  • Complete the instance.
This achievement rewards items. Return to Eye of the Brandstorm Return to Daybreak 0Achievement points
Complete the story mission Eye of the Brandstorm in Living World Season 4 Episode 1.
Reward: Volatile Magic.pngVolatile Magic (5)
Completed Eye of the Brandstorm 0Achievement points
  • Complete the instance.
Amnoon Evacuation Daybreak 2Achievement points
Save 40 civilians. Count represents number remaining.Story Instance: Eye of the Brandstorm Helped Amnoon Citizens Escape the Branded Invasion 1Achievement points
Helped Amnoon Citizens Escape the Branded Invasion 1Achievement points
Electric City Daybreak 2Achievement points
Repel the Branded from the Free City of Amnoon in under 12 minutes.Story Instance: Eye of the Brandstorm Repelled the Branded from Amnoon in Under 12 Minutes 2Achievement points
  • Kill the Branded Wyvern within 12 minutes from the moment you enter Amnoon. The timer begins soon after meeting Canach.
  • The difficulty of this achievement largely lies in the fact that you will need to waste time destroying six Empowering Crystals and the Death-Branded Lieutenants protected by them before the wyvern spawns. As soon as the gate to Amnoon opens, mount up on your Springer, turn left, and jump up on the tall building ahead of you and destroy the crystal. Skip its lieutenant for now and fly directly to the crystal atop the wall to the east. Once this is destroyed, jump down from the wall and kill its lieutenant. Head north and turn left to find the next crystal and lieutenant; when these are dead, head west to kill the final lieutenant for this cluster. Now run to where Amnoon Waypoint would be to take down Death-Branded Deputy Qais. You will need to finish him once his HP drops to zero. Once he's dead, mount up on your springer again and jump on the wall to the east to take down another crystal and lieutenant, then run across the top of the wall to the north-west for the last one. The wyvern will now spawn; refer to the walkthrough above for a guide to fighting it.
  • Achievement qualification may be tracked via the Achievement effect.png Achievement Eligibility: Electric City effect.
Not So Shocking Daybreak 3Achievement points
Repel the Branded from the Free City of Amnoon without being struck by lightning.Story Instance: Eye of the Brandstorm Repelled the Branded from Amnoon without Being Struck by Lightning 1Achievement points
2 2Achievement points
This achievement requires at least one completed objective to become visible. Qais Closed Daybreak 1Achievement points
Learn all the details of Deputy Qais's destiny, and relay that information to Captain Rahim.Story Instance: Eye of the Brandstorm Relayed the Details of Deputy Qais's Destiny to Captain Rahim 1Achievement points
  • After killing the Branded Wyvern, talk to Captain Rahim about Qais' death and go through all the dialogue about him and his family.
    • Since dialogue is restricted to the instance owners, only the instance owner may get this achievement.

NPCs[edit]

Allies[edit]

Animals
Asura
Charr
Dragons
Golems
Humans
Sylvari

Foes[edit]

Ambient creatures
Branded

Objects[edit]

Dialogue[edit]

Open World[edit]

Right after starting the story chapter, you receive the following comm:

Taimi: Hey, Commander, it's Taimi! Here with Rytlock. Say hi, Rytlock.
Rytlock Brimstone: Hi.
Taimi: Rytlock has rounded up our provisions, and I'm almost done desert-proofing Scruffy.
Taimi: So whenever you're ready to start looking for Aurene, we're at a dolyak ranch just outside Amnoon.
Rytlock Brimstone: Follow the smell.

At Amnoon Southern Outskirts[edit]

Mission entrance:

<Character name>: I'm here, Taimi.
Taimi: Great! We're in the corral out back.
Taimi: Sorry about the location, but since you stole Joko's Awakened army, Agent Kito thought we should keep a low profile.

Talking to Head Rancher Bedar:

You must be the Godslayer. Welcome to my humble dolyak ranch.
Talk more option tango.png Hello. I have a few friends who are supposed to meet me here.
They're around back. The feisty one's puttering around with her golem and nattering away. The charr is very...patient.
Talk end option tango.png That sounds like them. Thank you.
Talk end option tango.png Please pardon me. I must be going.

After finding Taimi:

Taimi: There you are! Just a few more adjustments to Scruffy and we're ready to hit the road.
<Character name>: We should check in with Jory and Kas. See if they've caught up to Kralkatorrik.
Taimi: They already checked in. Kralk is perched in some mountains. They said it's acting strange...
Taimi: That's odd. Something's interfering with the comm signal. I'll try out front.

Talking to Rytlock:

<Character name>: Where's Canach? I thought he was with you.
Rytlock Brimstone: Amnoon. Collecting his winnings. He's going double or nothing on you and Kralkatorrik.
Rytlock Brimstone: Speaking of which: We got a plan for when we DO catch up to the purple menace?
<Character name>: I'm hoping Taimi's research turns up something.
Rytlock Brimstone: And if it doesn't?
Taimi: Commander! Rytlock! Come quick!

Caught up with Taimi:

Taimi: Found what's causing the static.
Rytlock Brimstone: A Brandstorm? Again? I don't see any sign of Kralkatorrik.
Taimi: If Kralk HAD flown over, we'd be walking jewelry right now.
<Character name>: Looks like Kralkatorrik's learned a few new tricks.
Taimi: This is why I brought Scruffy! I'll have him run a scan.
<Character name>: Sounds good. Rytlock and I are gonna go get a closer look.
<Character name>: I was afraid of something like this.
Rytlock Brimstone: We only handed an Elder Dragon the energy of a god. What could go wrong?

In Amnoon refugee camp:

Priestess of Kormir: A Brandstorm! It's right on top of us!
Citizen: Save yourselves! Run for your lives!
If held a mostly upbeat speech in Small Victory (Epilogue):[verification requested]
Villager: Why is this happening? You promised everything would be okay!
If held a mostly vague speech in Small Victory (Epilogue):[verification requested]
Villager: It's the Elder Dragon! We have to get out of here!
If held a somber speech in Small Victory (Epilogue):[verification requested]
Villager: It's just as you said! Kralkatorrik is here to kill us all!
Rytlock Brimstone: Those people are trapped inside that crystal! We gotta get'em out—
Rytlock Brimstone: Burn me!
<Character name>: We've got to save these people!
Rytlock Brimstone: Tell me I didn't just see a dragon fighting a dragon.
<Character name>: Was...was that Aurene?
Rytlock Brimstone: We've done all we can here. Let's move out!

Between Refugee camp and south gate:

Rytlock Brimstone: Heads up!
Rytlock Brimstone: Clear these elementals! We need to get these people out of here!
Rytlock Brimstone: We've got to free these people! Come on!
Rytlock Brimstone: Hope she still remembers who her friends are.

Upon approaching allies on the way to the south gate:

If chose to side with Sunspears in Blazing a Trail:
<Character name>: Priestess, gather your clergy and get to the south gate.
Priestess of Kormir: I will, thank you! Kormir be praised! Brothers and sisters, come with me!
If chose to keep Amnoon independent or sided with Joko in Blazing a Trail:
<Character name>: Cavalier, gather your squad and get to the south gate.
Cavalier: Right away! Squad: on me!

Upon clearing the Branding Crystals:

Rytlock Brimstone: We're done here. Keep moving. Go! Go!
Rytlock Brimstone: All right. This is starting to feel personal.
If chose to side with Sunspears:
<Character name>: We should get to the south gate. Direct any remaining clergy into the city.
<Character name>: Clergy of Kormir! Amnoon needs you! Get any surviving civilians to safety!
Priestess of Kormir: Do as the commander says!
If chose to keep Amnoon independent (or have not yet completed that chapter) or side with Joko:
<Character name>: We should get to the south gate. Rally any remaining Cavaliers into the city.
<Character name>: Cavaliers! Amnoon needs you! Get the civilians to safety.
Cavalier: You heard the commander! Let's get those people out of here!

Upon reaching the south gate:

<Character name> Aurene?
<Character name> Open the gates!
Cavalier: But there's dragons!
<Character name> No time to explain! Do it!
Rytlock Brimstone: Canach?
Canach: Took you long enough. I'm not getting any greener, you know.
Canach: But enough chitchat. Those Branded lieutenants are raising undead. I hope you wore your Risen-kicking boots.

Upon approaching distressed civilians:

Citizen: No! Help! Help!
Refugee: Get these monsters away from me!
Citizen: I can't take this!
Merchant: I can't find my brother! I think he's still inside!
Citizen: Please... I don't want to die...

Upon saving civilians:

Citizen: You're a lifesaver! Bless you.
Citizen: Thank you for helping us.

Speaking with Captain Rahim:

Commander, good to see you. We need help driving these monsters back.
Talk more option tango.png How bad is the situation?
If chose to side with Sunspears:
Last I saw, the Sunspear was holding off a score of Branded on his own, but there's only one of him. We can't cover the whole city!
Talk more option tango.png And Imann and the others, are they...? (Same as below.)
Talk end option tango.png We're here to help.
If chose to keep Amnoon independent:
We have the numbers in my new recruits, but their training didn't prepare them for this.
Talk more option tango.png What about Imann? Zalambur? (Same as below.)
Talk end option tango.png I'll do everything I can.
If chose to side with Joko:
The Awakened fought well at first, but...it was almost as if dragon targeted them specifically. Now that they're all Branded, we're overwhelmed!
Talk more option tango.png And Imann and the others, are they...? (Same as below.)
Talk end option tango.png I'll do what I can
Talk more option tango.png Where are Imann and the others?
Imann, Zalambur, and your friends from Kryta evacuated a number of civilians via airship. And at the moment, the Hamaseen and my cavaliers are working together.
Talk more option tango.png And the situation on the ground? (Same as above)
Talk end option tango.png I'm on it.
Talk end option tango.png I'm on it.

Upon traversing the city:

Rytlock Brimstone: We're clearly winning here, so why aren't they losing?
Canach: Those huge crystals or the walls—I think they're healing the Branded!
<Character name>: Then target the crystals!
Canach: Rytlock—is that Aurene? Fighting a wyvern?
Rytlock Brimstone: Yeah... She's put on some muscle.

Upon destroying the crystals:

Rytlock Brimstone: It's working! Probably oughtta take out those lieutenants while we're at it...
Cavalier: We have to get rid of those Branded!
Cavalier: Move up and take back the city.
If chose to side with Sunspears:
Sunspear: These people are under my protection!
If chose to keep Amnoon independent:
Hamaseen: Clear out all of the Branded!
Hamaseen: Please, aid us against the Branded!
Cavalier: Protect the wounded!

Upon encountering Qais:

Canach: There's another one! Let's go!
Canach: Rot. That's Deputy Qais. Seems he's no longer under cover.
Canach: I hate having to kill people I know. But I guess it's him or us!
Canach: Life was hard on him, made him mean. Being Branded has made him meaner.
Canach: Such a waste. Rahim will want to know what became of his deputy.

Battling the Branded Wyvern:

Canach: Reinforcements! Over there!
Canach: And on cue: wyvern! Incoming!
Canach: You definitely hurt it!
Canach: Quickly! Take out those crystals!
Canach: Why couldn't Kralkatorrik have Branded a choya for its lieutenant?
Canach: Smash the crystals! Hurry!
Canach: I'm glad she's on our side.
Rytlock Brimstone: Let's hope it stays that way.
Rytlock Brimstone: Finish this, Commander!

After defeating the Branded Wyvern:

Rytlock Brimstone: Joko, Balthazar, now Kralkatorrik... Remind me never to build a summer home here.
Taimi: ...Ha! Kablam!
Taimi: I mean: first field test of Scruffy's new tactical upgrades, successful. And look, I brought Agent Kito!
Rytlock Brimstone: Commander, if Kralkatorrik's minions can Brand people even when it's not nearby...we have a very big problem.
<Character name>: We'll need local allies to stop it. And we can't just steal Joko's army again.
Canach: Recruiting forces would be easy back in Tyria. But Elona...

Upon approaching Aurene:

<Character name>: Aurene! We've been looking everywhere for you! What were you thinking? You could have been killed!

(Aurene shows a prophetic vision depicting the Awakened assaulting various races of Central Tyria from an ancient city with a Mysterious Figure leading them.)

After the vision:

Canach: Mulch...!
Taimi: Did everybody see that? I'm not the only one that saw that, right?
<Character name>: Aurene... I don't understand. That was... What was that?
Rytlock Brimstone: It wasn't good.
Canach: The screams...
Shadows Agent Kito: I don't know about the rest of it, but the city? Looked a lot like Fahranur.
Taimi: There she goes again.
Rytlock Brimstone: Teenagers... They grow up so fast.

Interacting with Shadows Agent Kito after the vision:

<Character name>: Fahranur? You know this place, Kito? Can you take us there?
Shadows Agent Kito: I know every place. But no one gets into Fahranur. Or wants to. It's...infested.
Canach: Humor us.
Shadows Agent Kito: Well... The Sunspears supposedly know a way in. And if you need local allies, they're a good place to start.
<Character name>: Right. Sunspears. Where do we find them?
Shadows Agent Kito: Hiding somewhere in the Astralarium in Istan, I expect. The head archivist may know something.
Shadows Agent Kito: There aren't many left, and Joko's trying to wipe the rest them out. They don't want to be found.
<Character name>: Details. Istan it is. Rytlock, you and Canach stay here and clean any Branded stragglers. Taimi?
Taimi: There's enough new Kralky debris here to keep Scruffy and me busy for days.
Shadows Agent Kito: We should travel separately for safety. I'll go ahead; Jonnick at the docks can get you passage. See you in Istan.

Speaking with Captain Rahim again:

Commander, once again, we find ourselves in your debt.
Talk more option tango.png How bad do things look?
Structurally, the city is surprisingly intact. As for casualties...we managed to evacuate as many as we could, but the attack was so sudden.
Talk more option tango.png Kralkatorrik definitely showed its newfound power. Can Amnoon recover?
If chose to keep Amnoon independent:
Amnoon is strong. It will take time, and hard work, but our history is long, and we've weathered worse.
If chose to side with the Sunspears:
The priests will do what they can to help. The community's become used to dealing with adversity. I only wish we'd been able to repel the attack before the damage was done.
If chose to side with Joko:
We will rebuild. But I still can't get over the sense that the Awakened were targeted deliberately. Even though I know that dragon minions aren't capable of such advanced tactics.
Talk more option tango.png You should know...your Deputy Qais was among the Branded. (Same as below.)
Talk end option tango.png I must be off, Captain.
Talk more option tango.png I'm sorry to tell you that your Deputy Qais was among the casualties. (Same as below.)
Talk end option tango.png We'll continue to do what we can here. You and I will speak again.
Talk more option tango.png Captain...your Deputy Qais was among the Branded.
Ah. That's... I'll have to let his family know.
Talk more option tango.png Qais had a family?
A son and a daughter. Qais would do anything to see those two were cared for. Maybe that's why he turned to the Hamaseen.
Talk more option tango.png I really didn't know him at all.
If chose to keep Amnoon independent:
For what it's worth, he did come to the big celebration in your honor, which was so unlike him. He must have respected you as much as he respected anyone.
Talk more option tango.png I guess we'll never know. (goes to "It's no secret he was...disloyal" below)
Otherwise:
Few of us did.
Talk more option tango.png Oh.
It's no secret he was...disloyal. To me and his fellow Cavaliers. But no one deserves fate like that. May Grenth guide him to a better place.
Talk more option tango.png What about the rest of the city? (Same as "How do things look?")
Talk end option tango.png You're a forgiving man. Good-bye, Captain.
Talk more option tango.png How did the rest of the city fare? (Same as "How do things look?")
Talk end option tango.png Perhaps. I should let you go find them.
Talk more option tango.png I should let you do that, then. Before they hear it from a stranger. (Same as "How do things look?")

My story[edit]

Eye of the Brandstorm loading screen.jpg

Soon after Balthazar's defeat at the Kodash Bazaar, Rytlock Brimstone, Canach, and Taimi procured a dolyak ranch outside the Free City of Amnoon where they could make necessary repairs to Taimi's golem before resuming our search for Aurene. Taimi contacted me with a progress report.

Cavalier Captain Rahim generously allowed Taimi, Canach, and Rytlock to have use of the dolyak ranch as a base camp from which to search for Aurene, track Kralkatorrik's activities, and figure out what to do next. The location provides easy access to Amnoon's bustling marketplace while allowing us to keep a low profile.

When I arrived at the ranch, Taimi updated me on her progress outfitting Scruffy, her mobile lab/golem. She also relayed a message from Marjory Delaqua and Kasmeer Meade regarding Kralkatorrik's current location and activity. Their update was interrupted by a Brandstorm that appeared without warning and engulfed Amnoon. We put our search for Aurene on hold to investigate.

Rytlock Brimstone, Canach, and I fought waves of Branded laying siege to the Free City of Amnoon and rescued as many Elonians as possible. The Brandstorm concealed a Branded wyvern: Kralkatorrik was clearly experimenting with new powers acquired after the deaths of Balthazar and the two Elder Dragons.

We also found our search for Aurene rendered unexpectedly moot, as she was already in Amnoon protecting its citizens. She appeared to be substantially larger and more powerful than when we last saw her just days ago at the Kodash Bazaar, and her temperament seemed erratic. My concern about the effect of Aurene's proximity to Balthazar at his death has only increased after this encounter.

My story