Shell Shock

Shell Shock

Year

1325 AE

Storyline

Personal story

Chapter

Forming the Pact

Location

Sootberme
(Mount Maelstrom)

Level

70

Choice

Dishonor my allies

Preceded by

Forging the Pact

Followed by

Fixing the Blame
Volcanic Extraction

API

304

Shell Shock is part of the personal story for characters who chose their worst fear as That I would fail so grievously that I would lose the respect of my comrades and be dishonored" during the mission A Light in the Darkness.

In this mission, you meet Warmaster Caisson in Sootberme to assist the artillery unit stationed there.

Objectives

Get the Pact's top artillery company on track.

• Meet Warmaster Dalia Caisson at the Pact camp near Sootberme.
• Rendezvous with the artillery company.
• Escort the artillery company to the battleground.
• Bombard the undead.
• Eliminate any remaining undead.
• Talk to the injured Pact tactician.
• Talk to Caisson and choose a course of action.

Rewards

Click here to edit the reward data

All professions

• Bag of Loot (3)

Walkthrough

Meet with Caisson at the camp, who instructs you to lead her squad to the bombardment point in the south.

Enemies are quite densely packed in this mission, and your allies - although tough - aren't particularly powerful so you'll likely end up killing most of the foes yourself.

There is generally a veteran foe with each group of foes. After clearing the group of Risen spiders you arrive at your destination, whereupon you command your Vigil allies to shell what appear to be enemy Risen. After a cutscene the river beneath is covered in Vigil bodies much to your allies' displeasure.

You now have to choose between investigating Syska (leads to Fixing the Blame) and rescuing the remaining vigil troops sheltering in the volcano (leads to Volcanic Extraction).

NPCs

Allies

Asura

• Creator Jixi

Charr

• Scribe Steelnail
• Crusader Barbus Blackpowder
• Tactician Syska

Human

• Warmaster Dalia Caisson

Various

• Pact Soldier
• Priory Arcanist
• Priory Explorer
• Priory Magister
• Priory Scribe
• Priory Scholar
• Vigil Crusader
• Vigil Marksman
• Vigil Tactician
• Vigil Warmaster
• Whispers Agent
• Whispers Creator
• Whispers Slayer

Marmox

• Pack Marmox

Foes

Elementals

• Earth Elemental

Risen

• Risen Brute
• Risen Drake Hatchling
• Risen Grub
• Risen Plague Carrier
• Risen Spider Hatchling
• Risen Thrall
• Veteran Risen Abomination
• Veteran Risen Drake
• Veteran Risen Spider

Wind Rider

• Breeze Rider

Objects

Bundles

• Green Plant
• Poison Pod
• Spikeroot Fruit

Dialogue

Inside the camp:

Pact Soldier (1): These new orders don't make any sense. Have you seen this?

Pact Soldier (2): It's just gibberish. Maybe it's some sort of code?

Pact Soldier (1): We've never used code before. I don't think the average undead can even read.

Pact Soldier (3): This is impossible. How can we inventory supplies when supplies keep going missing?

Pact Soldier (4): Like what?

Pact Soldier (3): Like everything. Ammunition, food stores, tools, you name it.

Pact Soldier (4): That's how it goes. The Pact is still getting itself organized. Don't let it get to you.

Pact Soldier (5): Where's Crusader Gulka? I've been looking for her for hours.

Pact Soldier (6): She said she was going to catch some down time. If she's not in the bunk, maybe she went on patrol.

Pact Soldier (5): But she's the one who said we shouldn't be sending out patrols. (growls) I don't like this.

Pact Soldier (6): I'd say you're being paranoid...but I agree. This doesn't smell right.

Approaching Warmaster Dalia Caisson

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: Welcome, Commander.

Talking to Warmaster Dalia Caisson (cinematic):

<Character name>: Warmaster Caisson? Trahearne said you're having communication problems. I'm here to help.

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: Glad to hear it. This duty is too dangerous for crossed signals.

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: I have the best-trained artillery crews in the entire Pact, but they keep making rookie mistakes. I don't get it.

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: There's a mortar team heading out right now. Their target is a horde of undead massing in the southwest.

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: Join the team, escort them to the kill zone, and help them set up. I'd like to see a mission go smoothly for a change.

Talking to Warmaster Dalia Caisson:

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: I heard about Claw Island, by the way. Sounds like it was pure agony, but a victory is a victory. We need more of that "never quit" spirit around here.

Tell me about the problems you've been having.

It's small stuff that has big impacts. Rations go missing, inventories come out miscounted, orders are lost or misstated. It's like we're jinxed.

Is it a question of preparation?

My troops are well trained and well disciplined, but an army is a huge, complicated machine. It can't function if logistics and supplies aren't reliable.

Sounds like a dangerous situation.

It is. It's killing the morale, and soon it'll start killing soldiers. If the Pact is going to survive, it needs to function better from the top down.

I'll see what I can do to sort this out.

I have another question.

Thanks for the information.

I have another question.

That's all I needed to know.

That's why I'm here.

On the way to the artillery company:

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: Claw Island was a tough win, wasn't it? We all lost friends that day.

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: I heard you handled yourself well at Claw Island. Wish I could have been there to help.

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: Quite a successful career for someone so young. I see why Trahearne relies on you.

Meeting with the artillery crew:

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: Crusader Blackpowder. Status report.

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: Mortars loaded and ready for deployment, Warmaster.

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: Good. Trahearne's second-in-command will handle operations on this mission.

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: You take care of logistics, but the commander calls the shots. Clear? Good. Now move out.

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: You heard the warmaster. Move out!

On the way to the battleground position:

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: The undead make our pack animals skittish. They freeze up when that stench hits 'em.

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: Ha! If undead drakes were tasty, we'd be dining like kings tonight. Take 'em down!

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: Flay me alive—spiders? This stroll through the woods just got more interesting.

When there are dead NPCs after defeating each group of foes:

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: On your feet, soldier! The warmaster isn't paying us to recline!

Talking to Dalia:

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: Our plan is rock-solid; it's the execution that's giving us problems. I'm hoping you can spot any flaws in our performance.

I'll keep my eyes open.

Arriving at the battleground position:

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: Unload the supplies and get those mortars ready to fire.

When the mortars are set (cinematic):

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: The mortars are in position, and the target is in range. Standing by for orders, Commander.

<Character name>: Everything looks solid. Mortar teams, fire at will!

After the short cinematic:

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: You heard the commander! Fire!

Talking to your allies while firing:

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: Firing as ordered, Commander. And we'll keep firing until we run out of shells, or targets—whichever comes first.

Carry on.

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: Keep firing, Commander. The first rule of artillery warfare: there's no kill like overkill.

On it.

After the bombardment (cinematic):

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: All right, let's get down there and mop up. Lead the way, Commander. We're right behind you.

Talking to your allies after the bombardment:

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: This has been a textbook operation so far. It's your call, Commander, but I suggest we survey the battlefield and make sure the mortars didn't miss anybody.

Agreed. Let's move out.

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: Alright, let's get down there and verify our kill count. Tally up all the enemy dead—and if you find any that are still alive, kill 'em and add 'em to the tally.

On my way.

Checking for more undead:

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: Wait...these are friendlies! We just shelled an entire platoon of our own troops!

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: Heads up. We've got a live one.

Talking to your allies after realizing the mistake:

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: This is bad, Commander. Real bad. What happened here? Didn't anyone train to you [sic] verify your targets before you give the command to open fire?

This doesn't make sense. I need to talk to Caisson.

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: You were sent here to help us avoid this kind of foul-up, and now I'm looking at significant friendly fire casualties. I'm going to have to report this, Commander.

Go ahead. I want to get to the bottom of this, too.

Talking to Tactician Syska (cinematic):

Tactician Syska: Smodur's eye! You just called down fire on our own troops!

<Character name>: But I saw undead. We all saw undead. Blackpowder, back me up here.

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: Sorry, Commander. I saw some undead, but I was focused on the mortar teams during the bombardment.

Crusader Barbus Blackpowder: Caisson put you in charge, so I assumed you knew what you were doing.

Tactician Syska: Just get me back to base. I need a medic. And half my force is still in the volcano. They're waiting for me to extract them.

Tactician Syska: You want to make this right, go get them out. Unless you plan to blow up them, too.

After the cinematic:

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: Not your best day's work. How are you going to fix this?

Interacting with Syska:

Tactician Syska: Go on, get out of my sight. Trahearne will hear about your incompetence, "Commander."

Talking to Dalia:

I know you did your best, but that's a cold comfort to our dead soldiers. I'll make sure Tactician Syska gets safely back to camp. What's your next move, Commander?

I'm not sure. I...I'm still trying to sort this out.

Syska said there's still a squad in that volcano, but if you think she's hiding something, her background would be the place to start. Pick one, and I'll handle the other,

Syska's the key to all this. I'll investigate her. (Leads to Fixing the Blame.)

Very well. Speak with Warmaster Gurnn over by Gallant's Folly. He's had dealings with Syska before, and I bet he'd be happy to share impressions.

Thanks. I'll get started right away.

I'll rescue the missing squad. (Leads to Volcanic Extraction.)

I need to think this over.

After making a choice:

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: I'll send word to get an extraction team to the volcano on the double.

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: I can't keep you on active duty with my squad, but feel free to investigate this matter on your own.

Warmaster Dalia Caisson: I'm not sure what happened out there, but...I'm sorry it turned out like this.

My story

“ Something went horribly wrong. I reported to Warmaster Caisson's artillery unit to assist them with their mission. I was put in charge of a mortar team's fire mission, but when the smoke cleared, I saw we had been shelling our own troops. How could this have happened? I know I saw the enemy when I gave the order to fire. This could have catastrophic effects on the newly formed Pact's chain of command, so I decided my top priority is getting to the bottom of this. — My story

---

Pact storyline