Completing Vow Soulstones and Treasures in Berserker: Khazan

The Vow is a challenging side quest in The First Berserker: Khazan and one of the last missions you receive. This mission is packed with valuable collectibles hidden behind deceptive illusory walls throughout the bloody ruins. The layout can also be quite confusing, with numerous twists and turns to navigate.

In this guide, I will provide clear directions, point out all the chests, and help you collect every item so that you can leave this dungeon fully prepared. As we progress, I’ll highlight traps and warn you about the enemies you’ll face. That’s my promise.

Forbidden Passage

Start this stage in The Great Temple Underground Ruins. Go through the gate, down the stairs, and onto the elevator, arriving at the Forbidden Passage Blade Nexus. Before moving on, it’s wise to equip armor that offers increased resistance to the Plague effect, as you will encounter a lot of blood that can quickly inflict this status.

Behind a statue, you can find an Unstable Soul Tearstone and an illusory wall. Strike it to reveal a room containing a Yoma Jester and two Yoma Shamans. Opening the chest here will yield a Temple Knight’s Spear, Temple Knight’s Ring, Necklace of Gratitude, and three Transmutation Mists.

Next, take the passage to the left of the statue in front of the Blade Nexus. Retrieve the Plague Cleanse Potion located in front of the statue. Proceed down the hall and confront a frenzied Yoma Pursuer, flanked by a Shaman on the left. When you reach a ladder, climb down to enter a narrow corridor. Be cautious; there’s an arrow trap near the ladder that’s challenging to avoid. Hide behind the metal casket on your right when the arrows shoot. A Shaman patrols nearby, so stay alert.

Elite Renowned Swordsman’s Shadow

In the following area, you’ll find two Shamans. Be cautious as the ground will collapse, dropping you into an arena with an Elite Renowned Swordsman’s Shadow. If you tread carefully, you can take out the Shamans before falling in. Once you jump down, you’ll have an opportunity to strike the Renowned Swordsman’s Shadow from behind.

This opponent is familiar by now. He’ll heal himself with attacks, but that’s nothing new. Be careful not to stand in the blood, as it will cause the Plague effect. A Special Cleanse Potion is located in the center of the room, while a Ghost Spearhead can be found in the corner.

The First Soulstone

Go through the locked gate, then take a right. You’ll discover another illusory wall. Break it to uncover the Soulstone (1/2) hidden behind it. Continue down the hallway until you reach a fork; take the left path to confront two Yoma Pursuers.

Descending the stairs, you’ll come across another illusory wall. Watch your step, as you’ll trigger an arrow trap if you’re not careful. Sprint down the hallway to evade the initial arrow. At the end is a chest containing a Ghost Relic, Great General’s Helm, Great General’s Pauldrons, Great General’s Gauntlet, Great General’s Leggings, and a pair of Great General’s Combat Boots. Return to the fork and take a right.

The Jarling’s Location

You’ll enter a room with two frenzied Yoma Pursuers. Just in front of the statue is a Large Spirit Ore. The next room will split again; head right first to find a Lightning Enhancer in one corner and a Jarling in the other. Then, kick down the ladder that leads back to the arena where you fought the Renowned Swordsman’s Shadow. Don’t descend the ladder yet; instead, go back and take the left pathway. A Pursuer is lurking there. This will lead you into a massive chamber.

In this large room, you’ll confront an Undead Ice Archer across the chamber, along with two Undead Shieldbearers who will engage you as soon as you enter. Retreat to the previous room to fight the Shieldbearers first, then take down the Ice Archer, either with javelins or by closing the distance. Collect the Netherworld Energy located next to where the Ice Archer was, along with a Lightning Enhancer. You can then drop down to the lower area.

Here, you’ll face off against three Undead Swordsmen, an Undead Archer, and two Undead Vagrants. Watch for the Ice Archer who will be firing at you from the hallway. Once you’ve dealt with this group of enemies, look for a Concentrated Poison Essence in a nearby cell, as well as a Lightning Spirit Fuel and an Unstable Soul Tearstone in the center of the room. Move towards the hallway that has the Ice Archer, eliminate them with a javelin, and take the first left to duck into an alcove.

You’ll find a trap trigger next to the alcove, so step around it and enter the room where the Ice Archer was. There’s another Vagrant waiting in this space. You’ll then find a room with a Summoner and two Shieldbearers. It’s crucial to defeat the Summoner first. Once they’re gone, open the gate behind them to reveal a room with an elevator. Don’t take it down just yet; instead, walk around the area to locate the Hismar Conquest 3 document. After that, head down to the next floor using the elevator.

Ruins Bridge

Take a right and bind to the Ruins Bridge Blade Nexus. Cross the bridge and descend the stairs. To the right, you’ll spot a Poison Enhancer. The path will take you into a huge cavern. Beware, that isn’t a Soul Tearstone: it’s your old adversary, the Crypt Devourer. Approach that area with caution.

This area is swarming with 15 Yoma Pursuers, with three frenzied ones. Thankfully, you can defeat most of them one by one. I recommend circling the cavern and clearing out the Pursuers as you go. Once you’ve cleaned out the area, make your way back to the entrance. Head to your left to discover 15 Transmutation Shards. Continue following the wall around, and you will find the Hismar Conquest 4 document hidden behind the waterfall.

Please keep following the left wall and you’ll discover a treasure chest containing a Claw-Slit Dual Wield, Trooper’s Ring, Necklace of Preparation, and two Hallucination Cleanse Potions. You’ll find two frenzied Pursuers nearby the chest.

Continue along the left wall to find three Vitality Spheres and two Willpower Orbs. Be cautious, as the glowing corpse you see hides yet another Crypt Devourer, so be sure to take them out with a javelin. Nearby, on a rock in the center of the stream, you’ll find seven Spirit Ores.

The Second Soulstone

In the next area, you’ll find an Unstable Soul Tearstone. Navigate down and around, and you’ll encounter a large Servant of Chaos golem. Defeat it to collect a Devourer’s Scroll. To your right, tucked behind a statue, is the second Soulstone (2/2). Proceed through the doors to gather another Unstable Soul Tearstone and activate the Hidden Chamber Blade Nexus. From here, you only need to advance and face the stage’s boss: The Specter of Pleuvious.

The Specter of Pleuvious

The Specter of Pleuvious is essentially a more powerful version of the Soulbound Knight. This means not only increased health and damage, but also the ability to summon two spirits to aid him. Furthermore, his spear has a much longer reach than that of the standard Soulbound Knight.

Much like the regular Soulbound Knight, he will mirror Pleuvious’s moves. However, there’s a twist: the spirits he summons can arrive with a delay, making timing your dodges trickier. This allows him to attack from one side while the spirits assault you from another, and the spirits can also mask his Burst Attack, where they will execute a thrust attack in succession followed by his lunge.

If the spirits hit you, they’ll deal a significant amount of Hallucination status infliction, which is why it’s crucial to have a Hallucination Cleanse Potion ready for this fight.

The best moments to attack Pleuvious are right after you’ve dodged both his and his spirits’ strikes. Also, when he is in the process of summoning the two spirits into the air, he is particularly exposed.

Upon defeating the Specter of Pleuvious, you’ll receive the Hastily-Written Note along with some gear. Now, head into the chapel to find Reese’s Ring on the table. Interact with the diary to wrap up The Vow mission.