Requirement
You will need to be using the Ring of Fire Artifact to complete this Easter Egg.
Setup
Pack-a-Punch & the Relic
Build the Pack-a-Punch.
In front of the Pack-a-Punch, a stone will appear. Interact with it to place the Relic. This triggers a cinematic with Kortifex appearing in front of the stone.
Enter the portal leading to the Dark Aether.
Note
Try to survive in the Dark Aether, but if you die, a short conversation will occur and you'll be sent back to the Temple. A shovel is required to complete the trials below — it can be found in the Derailment, in one of the wagons.
Trial 1
Trial of Mindfulness — Merchant Road
Dig around the obelisk until a red orb appears.
Interact with the orb to start a challenge. 3 symbols will appear, along with runes on the ground showing symbols. Stand on the runes with the correct symbols, in the same order as they appeared.
After standing on the last rune, a challenge will appear on screen — complete it.
Repeat this 2 more times. Each repeat adds one additional symbol you must remember and stand on.
After all 3 rounds are done, go to the obelisk to start the final Trial of Mindfulness.
You'll have 2 bars on the side of your screen. Stand on runes to fill the bottom bar while avoiding damaging zombies. This step is timed.
Trial 2
Trial of Resilience — Debris Field
Near this area, there's a red Aether Crystal slightly out of bounds up on the rocks. Shoot it — a red orb will fly near the obelisk.
Collect 3 Cursed Items and bring each back to that orb. While carrying an item, you can't sprint, and a challenge will appear on the left side of your screen:
- Cursed Skull — near Diabolical Damage
- Cursed Officer's Hat — near a crafting table to the left of spawn
- Cursed Femur — dug up at the back of the train area
The Decimator Shield will fall — pick it up.
Once you have the Shield, activate the obelisk. You'll be locked into the area, and 4 syphoncores will appear around it.
Use the shield blast on the syphoncores — each one contains a chalice.
Pick up each chalice and bring it to an empty fountain in the area. Repeat for all 4 syphoncores.
Trial 3
Trial of Sacrifice — Derailment
There are 3 unlit torches in this area. Throw a molotov at each one in quick succession.
After the final molotov, a red orb spawns.
Give the orb a Pack-A-Punched weapon.
Kill the Sturmkrieger that spawns in.
You can now start the trial at the Obelisk.
Any kills you get will fly into the Obelisk. After enough kills, it will drop a Full Power near it.
There are 4 other Obelisks surrounding the main one. Go near one, use Ring of Fire, and get kills while inside it.
You'll know each one is done when it has a red beam connecting to the main Obelisk. Repeat for all 4 Obelisks.
Final Steps
Boss Fight
The portal by Pack-A-Punch will open — go through it.
The boss, Kortifex, has 3 phases.
Tip
Make sure you're geared up before starting the boss fight.
Shoot the bright glowing orb on Kortifex's Crown until the phase ends.
His attacks during this phase: summoning zombies, placing "trip mines" on the ground, and throwing a big red orb at you that follows you around — someone with the Decimator Shield must hold it out and run into it to dispel it.
Between Phases
You'll have about 30 seconds to run around and gear up before Phase 2.
Red Aether Crystals on the ground will drop a red rock. Throw these at the purple pods — they'll eat the rock, and after a while destroy themselves and drop a blue rock.
Throw the blue rocks at the triangular pillars in the sky.
Eventually Kortifex's shield will drop — shoot him in his eye, then repeat the process until the phase ends.
His attacks are the same as in Phase 1.
Between Phases
You'll have about 30 seconds to run around and gear up before Phase 3.
Phase 3 is exactly like Phase 2, except Kortifex can heal himself.
You'll know he's healing when there's a green ring around him — simply shoot him until he stops healing.