Anthem Cataclysm Guide: Cataclysm Arenas First Steps
Anthem has just dropped Cataclysm, a new puzzle/challenge style stronghold and asked us to create a little guide to help returning and new players with the first few arenas.
TAG will walk you through the Eye of Magnus, Britaheim, and Vara arenas with details on solving their challenging puzzles.
Arena 1: The Ring of Magnus
Location: The Approach District
Hint: Think back to the puzzles you completed in the Sunken Cell stronghold.
Freelancers will have their hands full in this arena, as they attempt to interact with each of the rods allowing them to take out the Emitter while simultaneously fighting off attacking Dominion enemies. A combination of speed and good teamwork can really make the difference here.
Look to the Shaper Emitter platform for an indication of which rods you’ve successfully interacted with. Green indicates that the rod's been activated, and red means it's in a deactivated state. Time is of the essence; let too much pass and the rods rise again from the ground and you'll need to start over.
Once all rods have been completed, the field protecting the Emitter will fall and you'll be able to destroy it to complete the arena. If you can do so in under 55 seconds you'll get a chance to face Magnus. Defeat this Valkyrie for extra points.
Arena 2: Britaheim
Location: Hope Shattered District
Hint: Remember to look below the surface.
Once again you'll need to collect echoes (five in total) but this time they'll be protected by shields that must be deactivated first. To do that, you'll need to find and trigger the associated pressure plate (follow the cables from the echo to locate it).
To unlock the final room containing the fifth echo, you'll need to place two echoes in the receptacles in front of the gate. Once inside, when the fifth echo becomes visible behind another shield, place your two remaining echoes inside the room to free it.
The echoes will need to be retrieved in a specific order if you want to avoid becoming trapped in this room. Collect all the echoes in the room first, then the two you placed in front of the gate. Once retrieved, you and your fellow Freelancers need to place them in the center of the arena to destroy the Shaper Emitter.
Arena 3: Vara
Location: Echoes' Heart
Hint: Take out the rift to get started.
Make use of the environment to avoid the worst of Vara's attacks. For example, when she turns the floor to lava you can head for the tops of the pillars surrounding her to avoid your molten fate. But don't get complacent, just because the lava can't harm you doesn't mean she's just going to stand there and let you attack her. Avoid her oncoming attacks by staying in motion as much as possible. And when you get an opening be sure to target Vara's head and upper body if you want to do the most damage.
When she releases her World on Fire attack, head for the glowing circle in the middle if you hope to survive it. If any of your teammates weren't able to make it to safety in time just revive them as quickly as you can after the fiery effect dissipates.