List of content with instakill mechanics or notable ways to easily die

axel15810

Well-known member
I didn't see one yet on the new forums, so thought I'd make a list of areas in DDO with instakill mechanics or otherwise unusual and notable ways to easily die in Hardcore. Please comment ones I have missed, goal is to make a comprehensive list. I'll update the original post as people mention new ones that aren't yet on this list. Hopefully this will serve as a reminder to folks and prevent some deaths.

The goal here is to be a refresher of DDO's instakill mechanics and other easy ways to die that are particularly uncommon in game. So the scope of this list doesn't include every common trap and common monster encounter which can kill your character.

General:

Deathblock - Wear a deathblock item at all times to avoid being instakilled from various mob spells. Deathward spell is not sufficient since it can be dispelled. Items can't be dispelled, so wear a deathblock item.

Teleport - The teleport spell/clickies/scrolls fail on a 1 which will put you high above the marketplace, likely leading to death from fall damage if you do not have featherfall equipped or successfully teleport again before hitting the ground

Player vs. Player Areas - The PvP areas that exist in some of the game's taverns still function and you can die in there if someone attacks you.

Quests:

Level 4 - Irestone Inlet - If you don't run away from the ship after lighting the torch you will die
Level 7 - Sorrowdusk - Falling off trap bridge in parts 3 and 4 means you die in lava, there is no way back out other than DDoor or Teleport
Level 7 - Plundering Pirates Point - Touching the water does a lot of cold damage unless you complete the optional by clearing all 3 totems
Level 7 - The Trouble with Tar Pits - The mud is dangerous, stay out
Level 9 - White Plume Mountain - The mud is dangerous, stay out
Level 9 - Haywire Foundry - At the end of the quest, if you don't make it back to the beginning before Foundry explodes you die
Level 11 - Oath of Vengeance - Standing in the beams of light from the mirror puzzles will kill you, be especially careful when activating the light
Level 13 - Undermine - Being too close to explosives when they go off kills you, getting hit by the boulder in this quest does a lot of damage
Level 13 - Seigebreaker - Being in the room with the big barrel when it explodes kills you
Level 15 - Creeping Death - Touching the gelatinous cube with the kobold inside it instakills you

Level 13 - Blockade Buster - If you don't get off a ship before it explodes, you are instakilled. Can even die if close on an adjacent ship.
Level 14 - Prison of the Planes - Being in the lawful room if not lawful will kill you. The first person to touch the relic at the end will advance the quest but if any other party member touches the relic afterwards, they will be instakilled.
Level 15 - Lost at Sea - Altar of the Devourer text option instakills
Level 15 - Litany of the Dead - Dialogue mistakes with the dragon instakills
Level 17 - Acute Delerium - Insta kill if you fall off the bedship
Level 18 - Rest Stop - Breaking a staff while doing the optional deals heavy damage which can one shot you.
Level 18 - Terminal Delirium - Mirror debuff and balloon sections both make it very easy to die, you are instakilled if you lose dance fight.
Level 18 - Schemes of the Enemy - The bottomless pit is an instakill zone when crossing the bridge.
Level 18 - Blown to Bits - Being too close to explosives when they go off kills you.
Level 19 - What Goes Up - Falling through a hole or off to the side in the last phase instakills
Level 19 - Genesis Point -Mephit optional ending, falling between the bridges is instant death.
Level 20 - Storm the Beaches - The ballistas in the epic version of this quest will likely oneshot you, even on lower epic difficulties. Ballistas do not fire in the heroic version.

Level 25 - Precious Cargo - If you don't get off the enemy ship before it crashes you are instakilled
Level 28 - Haunted Halls - The pit door trap in Haunted Halls of Eveningstar is an instakill

Wilderness Areas:

Level 5 - Feywild - Interacting with fountain can spawn dangerous effects
Level 10 - Restless Isles - Falling off bridge or islands in the wilderness instakills
Level 15 - Cogs - The lava in the cogs is very deadly, be careful to not fall in it when running to the quests. Particularly when jumping onto the moving platform to get to the quest the Magma Must Flow. Also, the bottomless holes in the Cogs instakill.
Level 17 - Reaver's Reach, Eerie Forest - There is a barrier at zombie attack rare which will instakill you.
Level 22 - Sschindylryn - Falling off bridge or otherwise into chasm instakills

Public Areas:

The Twelve - It is possible to fall in the lava and die, be cautious in this zone

Raids:

Level 6 - Chronoscope - Falling off the ship in the first room instakills, staying in the boss fight area after the boss is killed and not taking the portal out quick enough (or not DDooring out) will result in death.
Level 12 - Titan Awakes - Getting hit by pillar or laser instakills
Level 14 - Reaver's Fate - Failing puzzle or not solving the puzzle before quest timer runs out (20 minutes) instakills entire party, if the Stormreaver is killed prematurely the entire party is instakilled about 20 seconds later.
Level 17 - Shroud - Clicking on the portal to the last phase instakills entire party
Level 17 - Ascension Chamber- Falling into the abyss in either the tile room or asteroids room instakills
Level 20 - Lord of Blades - Touching the water kills you
Level 24 - Caught in the Web - Falling off the stage at any point instakills
Level 30 - Temple of the Deathwyrm - Talking to dwarf skeletons in portal maze instakills, standing in puzzle light kills you
Level 30 - Defiler of the Just - If you're in area where an archon will fall, it instakills you
Level 32 - Curse of Strahd - Grip of Strahd instakills unless trinket wearing party member saves you
Level 32 - Too Hot to Handle - Going too far forward off ledge will instakill you.
Level 34 - Skeletons in the Closet - Running into the spikes on the pillars in phase 2 or being thrown into them by the Kopru will likely one shot you, the Roar in phase 3 will likely kill you if you aren't on a platform when it goes off.
 
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axel15810

Well-known member
I would like to add, on epic in plundering pirates point, the end boss casts power word:kill, a no save instakill. if you don't have deathblock you WILL die
I'll add a general note to just wear deathblock at all times. I'd say by the time you get to level 5 quests and onwards. I think the pixies even in heroic Feywild cast color spray, could be wrong. I don't know of any earlier occurrences of instakill spells.
 
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jotmon

Well-known member
Beholders..

Dreams of Insanity
Entering the Gate Chamber
In The Flesh
Invaders!
Slavers of the Shrieking Mines
Tempest's Spine
The Jungle of Khyber
The Missing Expedition
The Prisoner
The Threnal Arena
Legendary Tempest's Spine
The Codex and the Shroud
In The Flesh
 

axel15810

Well-known member
Chronoscope. People forget in the boat in the beginning if you fall off it's instadeath. I've seen a few people bored wiating for the group to arrive jumping around like kangaroos and someone suddenly being dead. LOL
Good one! I completely forgot about this.
 

eshadowbringer

Well-known member
What a fantastic thread.


I think the pixies even in heroic Feywild cast color spray, could be wrong. I don't know of any earlier occurrences of instakill spells.

I believe heroic pixies can cast prismatic ray and it can instakill. I have an active THREAD about this because I have been lookig into it.
Also... prismatic ray will kill a Palemaster (probably Dark Apostate too) without a deathblock item. even the capstone in PM is reported not to work!

Wilderness Areas:

Level 10 - Restless Isles - Falling off bridge in the wilderness instakills
Level 15 - Cogs Wilderness - The lava in the cogs is very deadly, be careful to not fall in it when running to the quests

Level 20 - Sschindylryn - Falling into the chasm around the city
 
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eshadowbringer

Well-known member
Level 9 - Church and the Cult - End boss vampire casts destruction pretty reliably

This was my not so sublte reminder that i need deathblock several lives in a row several years ago and used to be one of the first quests to use instakill.
 
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vryxnr

Well-known member
Which quest are you referring to?
That is the Chronoscope. Staying in the boss fight area after the boss is killed and not taking the portal out quick enough (or not DDooring out) will result in death.

Speaking of raids, in Skeletons in the closet I've suffered several deaths from the spears on the pillars in phase 2 (some of the attacks knock you up and away, and those spears do a lot of damage). Plus if you go for the good ending, the wrath of vecna slam can easily do 12k+ damage on normal. Then there's also the curse from there that causes you to damage party members who move away from you (not sure if that's been fixed yet, but I've had it linger after the raid, and it scales with difficulty. In normal it's like 60 damage, in low reaper it's several hundred per party member cursed). edit: though at this point it's not so much "instakill" but "so much damage it'll kill all but the tankiest of tanks".
 
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vryxnr

Well-known member
The wiki doesn't mention it, but I've seen deaths from the mysterious fountains in the boarderlands. I think they have a small chance to finger of death instead of a random buff, but I'll have to verify that on softcore.
 

Buddha5440

Well-known member
The wiki doesn't mention it, but I've seen deaths from the mysterious fountains in the boarderlands. I think they have a small chance to finger of death instead of a random buff, but I'll have to verify that on softcore.
You drank water from a fountain in the wilderness and rolled a 1...It's poison! :)
 

C-Dog

Well-known member
In maybe Season 3, I had my wireless mouse battery die while running toward the bridge in The Twelve. Lava kills. :cautious:
 
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