The Devil’s Roar is louder than usual as the mysterious client blasts, digs, and tunnels its way into the volcanic islands of the region. In their search for buried Sanctuaries of the Banished, they also unearthed mysterious sarcophagi.
Inside the sarcophagi are fearsome ancient warriors known as Eternal Guards. Each Eternal Guard holds a key to the sanctuary and is bound to protect it by any means necessary. Perform a summoning ritual to wake the Eternal Guard, take the key it holds, and open a Sanctuary of the Banished to plunder the treasures inside!
What is an Eternal Guard?
An Eternal Guard is an emergent enemy that you can summon by lighting candles on its sarcophagus. Defeating an Eternal Guard will reward you with a key that unlocks a Sanctuary of the Banished, filled with Banished Ancient Treasure.
Eternal Guards are large enemies, similar in size to a Skeleton Lord. However, they differ significantly in their abilities.
Using ancient magic, Eternal Guards can cloak, summon Banished Ancient Skeletons, and deploy Poison Bombs. They can also throw Spears and use Blowpipes.
As you damage an Eternal Guard, its armor will crack, the music will intensify, and its attack frequency will increase. So, you can determine how far along you are by the number of cracks in its armor, the pace of music, and the Eternal Guard’s attack pattern.
You can also stagger an Eternal Guard by inflicting a lot of damage in a short period of time. Staggering the Eternal Guard will allow you to damage it further uninterrupted, as it cannot cloak or attack while staggered.
Where can you find an Eternal Guard?
You can randomly find an Eternal Guard on large islands while sailing the High and Safer Seas, with a higher chance in The Devil’s Roar. For spawn islands, how to spot a sarcophagus, and every known location marked on our interactive map, check out our guide on where to find an Eternal Guard.
Since resources are scarce in The Devil’s Roar, you’ll want to come prepared with plenty of Food. You’ll also want to bring some Hunting Spears, Black Powder Barrels, Tridents of the Banished, your Blowpipe, and a Chest of Rage to complete several of the related Secrets of the Banished Commendations.
Once you find a sarcophagus, it’s time to summon the Eternal Guard and take it down!
How do you summon an Eternal Guard?
To summon an Eternal Guard, you must perform a ritual by lighting three groups of candles on its sarcophagus. Equip your Lantern, raise it, and ignite all the candles. Once you light the last candles, you will wake the Eternal Guard from its slumber and summon it to battle.
You’ll want to create some distance between you and the sarcophagus after you light the last candles, as the Eternal Guard’s arrival will release a damaging blast.
Eternal Guard abilities
Once summoned, you will need to defeat the Eternal Guard to acquire the Sanctuary of the Banished Key it holds. However, you’ll need to contend with several abilities that distinguish the Eternal Guard from other enemies you’ll face in the Sea of Thieves.
Cloak
First off, the Eternal Guard can temporarily cloak, making itself barely visible. However, you can still track it while cloaked by following its purple trail of smoke, as well as its glowing eyes. The Eternal Guard moves more quickly while cloaked, so you’ll need to be alert as it dashes around you, trying to find an advantageous position.
While cloaked, the Eternal Guard is invulnerable to all attacks, and you cannot damage it. You must wait for it to reveal itself to inflict damage. However, the Eternal Guard also cannot attack you while cloaked. It only attacks while visible.
So, you will need to attack the Eternal Guard while it can attack back.
Blowpipe
An Eternal Guard might not have a mighty sword, but it does have a deadly Blowpipe. You can expect it to shoot Black Powder Darts and Poison Darts during the fight.
The Black Powder Dart will trigger an explosion that can damage multiple targets and set them on fire.
The Poison Dart will poison a single target, reducing their health over time, similar to venom from a Snake bite.
Spear
On top of the Blowpipe, the Eternal Guard has a Spear at its disposal. They can throw it a great distance with great force, dealing significant damage. You can see the Eternal Guard charging the Spear above their head, allowing you time to dodge its throw.
Poison Bomb
The Eternal Guard also has a stash of Poison Bombs that it will throw down before cloaking. The Poison Bombs create a cloud of poison that will damage anyone standing in it. If you see the Eternal Guard raise its right arm above its head, step back as it is about to throw one down. The poison cloud will slowly dissipate over time and remain even after the Eternal Guard cloaks and moves away.
Summon
Throughout the fight, the Eternal Guard will periodically summon a wave of Banished Ancient Skeletons to defend themselves from your attacks. These skeletons are immune to the dangers of The Devil’s Roar and can walk through geysers without taking damage. You’ll have to clear them out yourself if you want to focus on the Eternal Guard.
Dying Breath
And finally, upon defeat, the Eternal Guard will release one final damaging blow, their Dying Breath. The Dying Breath is a powerful shockwave that will knock you back while inflicting a significant amount of damage. The closer you are to the Eternal Guard when they perform their Dying Breath, the more damage you’ll take.
Eternal Guard Rewards
Once defeated, the Eternal Guard will drop a Sanctuary of the Banished Key. You can use this key to open any one of the three Sanctuaries of the Banished in The Devil’s Roar:
- Sanctuary of the Veil on Brimstone Rock
- Sanctuary of the Dark Widow on Cinder Islet
- Sanctuary of the Unending Flame on Flame’s End
Inside, you’ll find piles of Banished Ancient Treasure worth around 100,000 Gold in total. For every treasure type, its value, and where to sell it, check out our Banished Ancient Treasure article.
