The Stars Are Left campaign of Magicka is a DLC adventure set in a fantasy world where wizards wield vast elemental powers capable of destroying the world. Inspired by themes from horror novels by the author H.P Lovecraft, the adventure calls upon the heroes of the past to help against another terrible evil once again, this time in the form of a cult in Fornskogur Village summoning new unearthly monsters in worship of the second coming of Cthulhu. A full playthrough will typically last 2-3 hours on the first attempt, and around half that on subsequent attempts.
The Stars Are Left was released on November 29th, 2011.
Features[ | ]
- A second Adventure for the game, with 3 levels.
- 2 new robes - Cultist Robe and Detective Robe.
- New enemies.
- 5 new achievements.
- 5 new Magicks - Tractor Pull, Propp's Party Plasma, Levitation, Chain Lightning and Portal.
- Awesome, fluffy beards in the new Adventure.
Things you should know[ | ]
The Stars Are Left DLC is divided into 3 chapters. It is known for its higher difficulty level compared to the original Magicka adventure. Players who are trying to beat the adventure solo (i.e single player) can obtain a revive fairy if they activate the checkpoint in Chapter 1, right outside of the Magicka Academy after crossing the bridge. This fairy will revive you upon your first death, giving you a chance to continue, after which she will vanish until you reach the next checkpoint. The only penalty from this is that the player will no longer be able to earn the Steam Achievements "Breezed Through", "Handling the Frustation", and "Driven Mad", which requires the player to beat each chapter of The Stars Are Left without dying at all.
The revive fairy is not available in multiplayer. As such, any deaths without the revive fairy will result in loss of progress and the game will restart from the last checkpoint you have reached, much like the original Magicka adventure. However, should you decide to quit the game and exit to the main menu, your progress in the current chapter will resume from the last checkpoint you reached. This means you do NOT have to play the entire chapter all over again should you decide to quit partway.
Certain items in The Stars Are Left DLC can only be found by using the Detective Robes. It is recommended to switch to the Detective Robes to obtain the secret items, as the skin's description suggests.
New Magicks[ | ]
Below is a list of Magicks exclusive to The Stars Are Left DLC:
Walkthrough[ | ]
There are 3 chapters in the expansion. These are:
- Chapter One - A Shadow Over Aldrheim
- Chapter Two - The Fornskogur Horror
- Chapter Three - The Nightmare Corpse-city of R'lyeh
Chapter One - A Shadow Over Aldrheim[ | ]
The story begins with the wizards, now old and retired, enjoying a drink outside Aldrheim Castle. Vlad then appears, reporting suspicious activity and lack of fish supplies coming from the small Village of Outsmouth near Fornskogur Forest, which (apparently) warrants your investigation.
Immediately after the conversation, you may obtain the Magick book for Tractor Pull and Cthulhu's Cursed Sword before moving to the next areas. After defeating a series of Goblins, Orcs and Trolls on the way northward, you will reach the first boss: Parker, Lord of the Underworld.
Chapter Two - The Fornskogur Horror[ | ]
With the giant spider Parker dead, the wizards travel through the moist caves, emerging at the outskirts of Veiditorp many hours later, while day has turned into night. The first thing they see is a group of Cultists summoning a mysterious abomination in the middle of a wheat field.
While both threats need to be dealt with, the priority target is the abomination, known as a Shoggoth, with 35000HP, and absorbing physical damage, such as .
- Cast an arcane shield to negate the damage of the cultists kiting you from range with their purple bombs.
- Keep both threats out of melee range. Otherwise, the cultists will slash you with a poison sword and the Shoggoth will instantly eat you, much like a Snow Troll.
- A combination of and will help keep the Shoggoth subdued.
Option 2:
- Your priority are ranged first, always, in any game.
- Something that will help you almost with anything: cast (as many as you see fit) to wet as many as you can
- Then bombard repeatedly with (it's really fast if you pres SDF - right mouse button one after the other)
You will freeze them, which gives you time to keep on shooting the frozen arcane ball, which will keep them frozen, or switch to any ray with cold.
After mowing through a small band of goblins, you will reach the gate to Veiditorp, which appears to be locked but will open anyway. You may talk to Edgar at the fire until he gets annoyed and offers you the Magick book for Propp's Party Plasma (), and then DO NOT speak with him any further afterwards. The book itself can be obtained by then talking to the lady who runs the shop inside the crashed goblin ship to the right of Gram's Workshop.
Venturing further into Fornskogur Forest will introduce the Enderman (Minecraft reference) and more cultists along with their frog minions known as Deep Ones. The Enderman are capable of teleporting next to you and will attempt to eat you instantly, whereas the Deep Ones will spray you with water, rendering you wet and unable to use lightning unless you dry yourself with fire (). Heading north from this juncture with Detective Robes will allow you to open the gate to obtain the Magick book Chain Lightning () sitting at the altar just at the bottom of the mountain before the uphill trail.
EXPLOIT: Its also possible to launch yourself over the gate with mines getting the book that way. Cast on yourself and then face away from the gate and place the mines in front of you () and slowly walk over them. you will have to protect yourself with when you fall down to prevent falling to youre death.
Crossing the bridge will lead to the village of Outsmouth, where Vlad will suggest inspecting the village thoroughly. The Levitation Magick book can be found on a boat in the middle of the lake next to the wooden docks. After that use levitation and go to the right of the lake, there is a green thingy on the rocks. Get it, it's Umi's Trident that allows you to conjure lighting while wet. Lighting the campfire just outside the town hall will result in the 2nd boss fight, as a Starspawn named Dagon will come crashing down.
Shortly after the fight, the unbeatable Dagon will retreat to the town hall entrance, only to suck you into a portal back to his realm: The Nightmare Corpse-city of R'lyeh.
Chapter Three - The Nightmare Corpse-city of R'lyeh[ | ]
Once Dagon has teleported you, head down the stairs. You will stop in front of a door as Vlad explains what has happened. You are now trapped in the Nightmare Corpse City of R'yleh, and you must set things "left" by defeating Cthulhu. Begin by standing to the right side of the path and fire a life beam () into the mirror so that it lowers the giant wall in your way.
To reach the boss Cthulhu, you must solve the 4 puzzle rooms to reach his watery lair.
- Remove the Tentacles (bottom left room)
- Turning on the Water (upper left room)
- Open the Door (middle right room)
- Extend the Bridge (bottom right room) **Optional**
While the rooms do not have to be done in any particular order, turning on the water (2) before opening the door (3) will provide a river for the player to freeze and walk over, if they did not obtain the Levitate Spell (). The Portal spell book will be on the upper right side of the map, but can only be reached from the other side via the middle right room from the main hall.
Before you proceed, you may want to deal with the tentacled floating creature in the centre of the main hall, called an Elder Thing. While it is not aggressive and will teleport away from the player if they get too close, it is immune to ALL attacks except Earth, and will cast Confuse if the player attempts to cast Earth (), causing the player's movement and spells to be reversed, which can be fatal. However, there are still ways to deal with it:
- Spray it off a cliff with water (). It can still be pushed or knocked back, despite taking zero damage.
- Bounce it up in the air with arcane mines (). It still takes falling damage. Adding elements to the mines yields the same result.
- Enchant sword with ice () and attack while keeping your distance.
- Cast an earth shield on yourself (), then run over them personally with Haste (). They will be knocked down, allowing you some time to cast a meteorite () on them.
- Or simply charge meteorite () while not facing them, then turn around and cast on them.
Path #1: Removing the Tentacles[ | ]
This area is by far the easiest one. Head to the lower left and take the curvy path down to the cave opening. After Vlad pops in and wakes up the horde of monsters by yelling across the hall, Deep Ones and Shoggoths will greet you from the hall openings. Simply fight your way to the switch and turn it on with a life beam or AoE life spell (). Throwing up rock walls () at the openings and slowing any that get by the walls with cold () will buy you enough time to make it a simple in-and-out operation.
Path #2: Turning on the Water[ | ]
This section is likely the most difficult part. Head to the upper left and go upstairs. The switch to turn the water on is at the far upper left side of the map, but it is behind a door that can only be opened by life beaming () the door switch back at the starting point, using a three mirror puzzle that you must solve first. You have to get to the other side, stand on the runic circle, and then line up the perfect beam with the mirrors to make the door open. To get across, you must activate a series of moving platforms with life beams () and stopping them at the right moments with arcane beams (). You also have to life beam () the mirror at the bottom to rotate it into the right position for the perfect shot, as shown in the picture above.
Once you manage to achieve this shot, the door will open for a very short time, during which you must RUSH there by casting Haste () and then life beaming () the water switch with it. However, there will be a mob of Deep Ones blocking the path to the switch, so it is quite possible that you will fail to reach the water switch the first time, before the door shuts. If this happens, kill the Deep Ones and then attempt the mirror shot again. Only one wave of mobs will ever spawn, so your second attempt will be easier.
Alternatively, you can turn on the door switch from the very start to spawn the enemy wave beforehand, and then deal with them once you get to the other side of the chasm. This then gives you ample time to setup the shot and get to the water switch unhindered. If you are in multiplayer, have a teammate camp at the starting point next to the door switch. Once you get to the other side, tell him to activate it and you can reach the water switch without having to line up the mirror shot every time.
If doing the puzzle is too much a hassle for you, you can just make your way across to the door, stand in front of it and cast healing mines () Twice, which will place them behind the door, and the second set will cause the first set to detonate, hitting and activating the switch.
To summarize:
- Move the mirror on the moving platform to a spot right in front of the door switch near the starting point.
- Rotate the snake mirror in the middle of the chasm with a life beam ().
- Get to the other side, stand right in the middle of the runic circle for the wide angle view.
- Shoot a perpendicular life beam () such that all 3 mirrors reflect into the door switch.
- Run to the door and cast life beam () on the water switch before the door closes again.
- Use Tracktor Pull (more than one time) near puzzle door to get life-leeching October's Whip.
Once the water switch is activated, a waterfall will start coming down, signaling that the area is complete. Proceed back to the main hall.
Path #3: Opening the Door[ | ]
From the middle right path of the main hall, proceed down the flight of nicely designed stairs until you reach the chasm/river. If you did Step #2 and turned on the water first, the crack will be a river and Deep Ones will jump out of it. If you haven't done it yet, it'll be an open chasm, which will require Levitate () to cross.
To open the door to the next chamber, you have to life beam () the door switch above you with any of the methods below:
- stand right at the edge of the chasm/river and fire a life beam () at a correct angle.
- go to the fork at the 2nd flight of stairs, cast levitate (), and fire at the switch directly.
Cross the chasm/river into the next room when the door opens. Walk left to get the Portal spell book, or walk right to reach the door switch. To cross the narrow ledge you need to cast an earth shield () on yourself to prevent the air vents from blowing you off the cliff. Once you activate the switch, prepare to be trapped inside with a Shoggoth. If you cannot defeat him, a combination of frost lightning shield () and steam beam () should be enough. Make sure you don't miss your beam spells, because the walls are reflective. Once you defeat him, you can proceed back to the main hall.
Path #4: Extend the Bridge[ | ]
This section can be reached through the lower right path, closest to the entrance. It simply consists of a large chasm with invisible paths, guarded heavily by flaming volcano monsters. A fire shield () or generous use of water () on yourself is a must for this area.
The easiest way to get across half the map is to cast Levitate () and Haste (), then making a mad dash to each stone pillar in a hopscotch kind of manner. If you do NOT have Levitate, you will have to cross the old-fashioned way by spraying the area in front of you with either fire or frost to reveal the "fuzzy" paths ahead of you until you reach the other side. This will take longer, and you will also have to deal with the monsters regularly as they will block your path.
The volcano monsters are weak to a pure frost attack . However, they are immune to freezing, so you will have to come up with creative uses of AoE attacks to at least get them out of the way, if not destroy them. They will continuously spawn until you leave the area.
Finale: Defeating Cthulhu[ | ]
After all 4 areas have been completed, the door to Cthulhu's lair will be fully opened. Proceed straight up the main hall over the extended bridge to the entrance, where Vlad will offer his condolences one last time before your final battle.
Cthulhu, High Priest of the Old Gods
Cthulhu is the final boss of The Stars Are Left DLC, and is one of the hardest fights in Magicka. He has a circle of tentacles that grab and consume teammates caught out of position, an AoE lightning attack, and two moves (Mouth Vacumn and the "pink fireball") that will instantly kill you Plus a Compulsion spell that forces you to walk off the edge. Throughout the fight, he will summon minions and begin casting Confuse and Charm to further disorient your team. When his health bar starts to get low, he will even drop Dagon into the arena as a last resort! This boss fight is about reflexes, positioning and dealing with multiple threats at the same time. Many veterans and newcomers alike will die at his hands many times over. However, he is not invincible. Hopefully the tips below will help. Combat tips:
OR, the Speed Runner exploit: Remember Propp's Party Plasma () in Chapter 2? It is possible, as proven on Youtube, to blow him up within 60 seconds by spamming Propp's Party Plasma at godly speeds. As soon as the fight starts, walk up to Cthulhu like a man and spam FFQS like a boss. Do not let him cast. Do not let him vacumn. Do not even let him look at you funny. If you do it right, he won't even be able to attack as 8000 damage nukes randomly fall from the sky. This tactic requires high casting skill, decent courage and a bit of luck, but it can be done. OR, the insta-kill cheat: Remember Vortex Magick from Adventure mode? Well, you can actually use it to insta-kill Cthulhu, all you need to do is download any Utilities to edit savegames and add Vortex in the list of avaible magicks (you may start chapther 3 from the beginning doing this way).
Killing Cthulhu will get the "Fhtagn once more!" achievement. |
Congratulations, you have beaten The Stars Are Left DLC. Unfortunately, Vlad is unable to help you get back to Aldrheim, so he's going to go back to his wine and let you rot in another dimension as the credits roll.
Video walkthrough[ | ]
Chapter 1: http://youtu.be/n4SachqW4kY
Chapter 2: http://youtu.be/_i3uHXcw7M0
Chapter 3: http://youtu.be/UZeG9pUplFI
Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3895E50EACC61D55
Useful spells[ | ]
Although there are over a thousand different combination of spells that you can cast, multiplied by the different ways that you can cast them, you really only need a few spells to get past the game, not counting specific boss strategies.
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