Crucible Scale Talisman

Type

Talismans

Weight

1.1

Effects

A talisman fashioned from a scale that embodies the aspects of various creatures.

Said to have grown on the human body long ago.

Reduces damage taken from critical hits.

A vestige of the crucible of primordial life. Born partially of devolution, it was considered a signifier of the divine in ancient times, but is now increasingly disdained as an impurity as civilization has advanced.

Leyndell Catacombs fire-pillar upper room

Leyndell

Starting Site of Grace: Leyndell Catacombs

1. In Leyndell, Royal Capital, start at Avenue Balcony. Descend the northwestern stairs and go through the door. Follow the railing west, then drop left onto the lower rooftops.
2. Drop off the right side of the roof, turn back north and find the well behind the broken wall. Climb its ladder, open the gate in the lower passage and take the next ladder down.
3. Follow the damp corridor northeast into the rat-filled sewer entrance. Go through the southeastern doorway and descend the ladder into the large Omen hallway.
4. Head northeast along the hallway and enter the first room on the left, opposite the summoning statue. Activate Underground Roadside grace.
5. Leave Underground Roadside and turn southeast. Descend the ladder against the right wall, then go through the arch to the pipe chamber.
6. Step onto the pipe in front of the doorway and deal with the Imps ahead and hanging overhead. Follow it up to the first wooden platform, clearing the Imp that runs toward you.
7. Look below the wooden platform for the lower pipe. Drop onto it first, then down to the sewer floor. Do not jump directly from the high entrance.
8. Two Giant Crayfish occupy the lower chamber. Head southwest to the opening in the wall past the second one, then take the stairs down to Leyndell Catacombs grace if you need a safe checkpoint.
9. From Leyndell Catacombs grace, pass the locked boss doors and cross the first flooded altar room. Climb its stairs and turn right through the explosive corpses to the first fire-pillar corridor.
10. Reach the fire-breathing pillar and strike it to lower it. Wait until it is safe to approach, then stand on its top.
11. Strike it again to ride upward into the hidden room above the corridor.
12. An Omen guards the altar in this upper room. Deal with it and loot the corpse for the talisman; the dungeon's boss is not required.

Notes

• Reduces damage received from qualifying critical attacks by 30%. Backstabs and ripostes are the main attacks covered by this protection.
• It reduces the damage after you are caught; it does not prevent the critical animation from starting or give you a way to escape it.
• Ordinary heavy hits, ranged headshots and thrusting counter hits are different actions. This talisman does not give the same reduction to every hit that deals unusually high damage.
• Dagger Talisman increases your outgoing critical damage. Crucible Scale protects you from incoming criticals, so the two serve different purposes.
• Cannot be equipped with Talisman of All Crucibles, which includes the matching critical-hit protection among its effects.
• The Omen guards a corpse in the room above the fire pillar. Defeating Esgar at the end of Leyndell Catacombs is not required for this pickup.
• This protection does not heal the damage afterward. Its value depends on actually being caught by critical attacks; an ordinary enemy combo usually does not qualify.