Shadowlands

The Shadowlands, also known as the Great Darkness, the Shadow Creature, the Primordial Darkness, the Ultimate Darkness, the Dark Zone, and the Ultimate Evil, is a realm of primordial, quasi-sentient darkness that has existed since before the creation of the matter. The realm is a power source for beings such as the Shade, Culp, and Obsidian, who utilize the power of shadow in their magical...

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Overview

  • The Shadowlands, also known as the Great Darkness, the Shadow Creature, the Primordial Darkness, the Ultimate Darkness, the Dark Zone, and the Ultimate Evil, is a realm of primordial, quasi-sentient darkness that has existed since before the creation of the matter. The realm is a power source for beings such as the Shade, Culp, and Obsidian, who utilize the power of shadow in their magical abilities.
  • This dungeon is a level 30 instance for magic-power hero or villain players who have Wonder Woman or Circe as their mentor.
  • To get to the Shadowlands, enter the Oblivion Bar and speak to Doctor Fate (heroes) or Etrigan (villains), who will then open a portal.
Related article links (5)Wonder Woman · Circe · Oblivion Bar · Doctor Fate · Etrigan
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Background

  • When light was introduced unto the world, the Original Darkness retreated and stayed inactive for unknown ages. However, during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a cult known as the Brujeria awakened the Darkness in hopes to destroy the creator and re-shape the world. John Constantine and the Swamp Thing worked to prevent the awakening alongside a gathering of supernatural heroes as well as parts of the angelic and demonic armies of Heaven and Hell.
  • The Darkness soon gained consciousness, with several heroes trying and failing to defeat it. Each encounter taught the Darkness a lot and, assessing itself as evil, it pointed its aggression towards Heaven. Finally, Swamp Thing entered the Darkness and tried to explain his theory that good and evil defined each other and that one could not exist without the other.
  • Coming to accept Swamp Thing's theory, the realm stopped its attack and settled to serve as the shadow off-sider to heaven's light.
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Map

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Involvement

  • At Level 30, Magic players join Circe and Wonder Woman in the Shadowlands to drive off an invasion of Brainiac's forces. The Shadow Keeper, the realm's guardian, has been imprisoned and its powers being used by Brainiac to keep a portal open.
  • Upon the Shadow Keeper being destroyed, Circe betrays Wonder Woman. For heroes, Circe will trap her and they must take Circe down. For villains, Wonder Woman will bind Circe with her lasso, and they must take Wonder Woman down before also betraying Circe and entrapping her in a similar fashion until she promises great reward.
  • Shadowlands is also available as tier 2 duo.
Related article links (1)duo
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Combatants

Related article links (4)Brainiac Translocator · Shadow Keeper · Circe · Wonder Woman
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Walkthrough

  • You have to fight through several chambers of Brainiac forces. They can be quite overwhelming in numbers at the minimum combat rating, Brainiac Umbras will ground and slow you while Brainiac Imprisoners can trap you in a spell cage (you can use breakout).
  • The boss chamber is not too difficult, while Brainiac Umbras pour out of the portal en masse they are quite easy to kill. You then have to destroy 3 Brainiac Imprisoners, but you will have Circe and Wonder Woman aiding you the whole time. Afterwards, you must destroy the Shadow Keeper by interacting with all 3 Tears of the Keeper, and then you will have to beat Circe (heroes) or Wonder Woman (villains) without the other's help.
  • As Circe is briefly targetable by hero players prior to the cutscene in which she betrays Wonder Woman, it is possible for players with high Combat Rating to KO her before she could trap Wonder Woman. The crystal trapping effect will not appear on Wonder Woman but story wise it will continue as normal as you will still have to "free" her.
Related article links (2)breakout · Combat Rating
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Briefings and Investigations

Related article links (2)Creatures of the Shadowlands (Investigations) · Hearts of Darkness: Episode VI (Briefings)
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Feats

  • Quick Crags: Secure 14 crags in the Shadowlands in 100 seconds or less. (10 Points)
Related article links (1)Quick Crags
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Trivia

  • The Shadowlands first appeared in Swamp Thing #49 (June, 1986)
  • If you lure Brainiacs from before the boss chamber into it, they can KO Wonder Woman, Circe, and eventually the Shadow Keeper (who would disappear entirely) if left alone for a long time. This does not break the game in any mechanical way, as they still talk and interact with each other and are still interacted with (or in the Shadow Keeper's case, the Tears of the Keeper) as if they are not KOed for the rest of the instance, although Wonder Woman and Circe would alternate between their KO'ed pose, and their talking pose while speaking. You will not need to defeat Wonder Woman/Circe again personally.
  • During the waves of Brainiac Umbras there are a couple which uses Brainiac Translocator's model while apparently playing Umbra's animations, resulting in uncanny movement.
  • Trigon, Darkseid, Nekron, Empty Hand, Upside-down Man, and Doomsday are some of the many avatars of The Great Darkness.
  • The Duo version of this mentor mission walk-in instance was released with Game Update 50 on July 15, 2015.
Related article links (1)Game Update 50
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Gallery

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External links

  • Shadowlands DC Database
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