Vex Thal is the pinnacle raid zone of Luclin. Gaining access requires assembling The Scepter of Shadows (the Key to Vex Thal) through a multi-step process involving items from across Luclin's endgame zones.
The quest has three main components:
The assembly is a two-step tradeskill combine: first you combine the Shadowed Scepter Frame with the 10 Lucid Shards to create the Unadorned Scepter of Shadows, then you combine that with the Glowing Orb of Luclinite to create The Scepter of Shadows. The Scepter must be in your inventory to zone into Vex Thal through the entrance in Umbral Plains.
Key Items:
| Item | Source | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Shadowed Scepter Frame | The Spirit of Akelha`Ra (Akheva Ruins) | Container for the first combine |
| A Lucid Shard (x10) | Trash mobs across Luclin zones | Combined inside the Scepter Frame |
| A Glowing Orb of Luclinite | Raid bosses across Luclin | Second combine with the Unadorned Scepter |
| Unadorned Scepter of Shadows | First combine result | Intermediate item |
| The Scepter of Shadows | Second combine result | Key to Vex Thal — zone in from Umbral Plains |
The Shadowed Scepter Frame is a 3-slot container obtained from The Spirit of Akelha`Ra in Akheva Ruins. This is the container you use for the first combine.
A shimmering presence is a questable NPC found within Akheva Ruins. Hail the presence and go through the dialogue about memories, the great temple, and ornate robes to hear the story of the scepter being shattered by a storm.
Give a Summoned: Wisp Stone to A shimmering presence. This causes the presence to transform, spawning The Spirit of Akelha`Ra (level 65).
Note: The Spirit of Akelha`Ra has a 30-minute despawn timer once spawned.
Hail the Spirit and follow the dialogue about her tormented prison, spirits, Atenha`Ra, and Vex Thal. She explains that her scepter was shattered in the storm and you need to reassemble it. She mentions you will need to "merge an Orb of Luclinite with a source of celestial power inside the scepter" and warns that "the emperor of the Shissar holds the power to manipulate such energy."
Give the Spirit an Essence Emerald. She absorbs the energy, chants in Akhevan, and disappears, leaving behind the Shadowed Scepter Frame for you.
There are 10 unique Lucid Shards, each dropped by specific mobs in different Luclin zones. Each shard has an internal code that makes it unique. Every shard is No Drop, and you need exactly one of each.
Shards drop at varying rates from the listed mobs, with a shared lockout timer of approximately 30 days (2,629,800 seconds). This means each shard can only drop once per character per month from a given source.
Dropped by mobs in The Grey:
Item: A Lucid Shard [Kel]
The sun revenants are the better target with a higher drop chance. Sun revenants are undead and can see through invisibility.
Dropped at ~15% by multiple Shik`nar types in Fungus Grove:
Item: A Lucid Shard [Dat]
Fungus Grove is accessible from Twilight Sea. Many different Shik`nar types can drop this shard, making it one of the easier shards to farm.
Dropped by undead mobs in Scarlet Desert:
Item: A Lucid Shard [Set]
These undead creatures roam the open desert areas of Scarlet Desert. They can see through invisibility.
Dropped at ~15% by several mob types in The Deep:
Item: A Lucid Shard [Raf]
The Deep is accessed from the Echo Caverns (Shadowhaven). It is populated by Thought Horrors and other mind-affecting creatures. This is a dangerous zone; bring a group or raid.
Dropped at ~7% by Soriz mobs in Ssraeshza Temple:
Item: A Lucid Shard [Vin]
These are trash mobs within Ssraeshza Temple. You need access to the temple (see the SSRA Key guide) to farm this shard. Note that A Soriz Slave and A Soriz Skeleton do not drop this shard.
Dropped at ~15% by several mob types within Akheva Ruins:
Item: A Lucid Shard [Dax]
Many Akheva Ruins trash mobs can drop this shard. The Akheva are powerful constructs that see through invisibility. You can combine farming this shard with the Scepter Frame quest and boss kills in the same zone.
Dropped at ~5% from various mobs in Dawnshroud Peaks:
Item: A Lucid Shard [Lor]
These are accessible outdoor mobs. The Sambata tribals and Rockhoppers are common in Dawnshroud Peaks, though the 5% drop rate means you may need to kill many of them.
Dropped at high rates (85-100%) by named Goranga mobs in Maiden's Eye:
Item: A Lucid Shard [Tak]
The Goranga named mobs are rare spawns in Maiden's Eye. The high drop rate per kill is offset by the rarity of the spawns themselves. These are named (rare spawn) mobs indicated by the # prefix.
Dropped by grimling mobs in Acrylia Caverns:
Item: A Lucid Shard [Ved]
The regular runed grimlings are the best target with a 15% drop rate. Many of the named grimling mobs in Acrylia Caverns also drop this shard at a lower rate.
Dropped at ~15% by named mobs in Dawnshroud Peaks:
Item: A Lucid Shard [Kelara]
These are named spawns in the Dawnshroud Peaks zone. You can farm this shard alongside the [Lor] shard since both drop in the same zone.
The Glowing Orb of Luclinite is a raid-dropped item that serves as the "power source" for the scepter. It drops 6 per kill from several raid bosses across Luclin (enough for 6 raid members per boss kill).
The Glowing Orb drops 6 per kill from these raid bosses:
| Boss | Zone | Level | HP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shei Vinitras | Akheva Ruins | 63 | 650,000 |
| The Insanity Crawler | Akheva Ruins | 63 | 150,000 |
| The Itraer Vius | Akheva Ruins | 63 | 600,000 |
| Thought Horror Overfiend | The Deep | 63 | 800,000 |
| Grieg Veneficus | Grieg's End | 65 | 325,000 |
| Servitor of Luclin | Grieg's End | 65 | 120,000 |
| Xerkizh The Creator | Ssraeshza Temple | 66 | 800,000 |
| High Priest of Ssraeshza | Ssraeshza Temple | 66 | 930,000 |
| Rhag`Zhezum | Ssraeshza Temple | 63 | 200,000 |
Shei Vinitras is a two-phase fight in Akheva Ruins. The initial version must be killed first, which then spawns the real Shei Vinitras. She periodically spawns waves of Tatrua adds (Diabo, Thall, Tavuel, Va Tatrua) every ~5 minutes during combat, and her Xin trash mobs spawn additional adds when they get kills.
The Insanity Crawler in Akheva Ruins has a 2-hour despawn timer and spawns mind worm adds when it slays players. At 150k HP it is the easiest of the bosses. A zone-wide emote warns of its spawn: "You hear squealing voices of Centi echo through the dark hallways."
The Itraer Vius in Akheva Ruins is a 600k HP boss — a challenging fight but another source of orbs in the same zone.
Thought Horror Overfiend in The Deep is one of the toughest bosses on this list at 800k HP.
Grieg Veneficus in Grieg's End is a level 65 boss with 325k HP. On death, he spawns a lootable corpse version that carries his loot table. Grieg's End is accessible from Dawnshroud Peaks.
Servitor of Luclin in Grieg's End is a 120k HP boss — the easiest orb source alongside The Insanity Crawler.
The Ssraeshza Temple bosses (Xerkizh The Creator, High Priest of Ssraeshza, and Rhag`Zhezum) are high-end encounters that also drop orbs. Guilds clearing SSRA Temple for gear progression can collect orbs during these clears.
With all components collected, the assembly is a two-step tradeskill combine process.
The Unadorned Scepter of Shadows is itself a container. Place A Glowing Orb of Luclinite inside and click Combine. The result is The Scepter of Shadows — the Key to Vex Thal.
The entrance to Vex Thal is a door in Umbral Plains (coordinates approximately -1912, -750). You must have The Scepter of Shadows in your inventory to open the door. Once keyed, you can enter Vex Thal freely as long as you carry the key.
Because shards come from different zones with varying difficulty, here is a sensible progression: