Ancient Guardian — guide (Iragoth minion)

In short

Ancient Guardian isn't a boss on its own — it's the minion that bodyguards Iragoth on Doom Tower boss floors. It's the reason those fights stall out: its passive cuts AoE damage against the entire enemy team, and its basic attack keeps stacking Decrease DEF and Provoke. You clear the floor for the usual tower loot — artifacts, gems, books, shards — but only once you stop treating the guardians as scenery.

Mechanics

• Break Defense (A1): hits every enemy and applies Decrease DEF for a couple of turns. That debuff, more than the raw damage, is what wipes teams.
• Provoke: lands on enemies that have their non-basic skills blocked. Combined with the A1 it creates a loop where your supports basic-attack instead of healing or cleansing.
• Ancient Shield (passive): the whole enemy team takes roughly 75% less damage from AoE attacks, so AoE nukers are close to useless here.
• There is more than one guardian in the encounter and they cover Iragoth: while they live, the boss has protection and your team eats a constant stream of debuffs.

What your team needs

Targets: 200+ SPD (much higher on late floors and Hard), 250–350+ ACC on your debuffers depending on the floor, and 250–300+ RES on the cleanser so Provoke and Decrease DEF don't land. HP/DEF with enough margin to survive a full AoE round without healing.

• Cleanse or Block Debuffs — mandatory, both Provoke and Decrease DEF have to go.
• Increase DEF and shields so the AoE doesn't flatten you.
• Decrease ATK and Decrease DEF on the guardians: less damage taken, faster kills.
• Single-target damage: poison, HP Burn and focused hits bypass the passive.
• Revive as a safety net in case Provoke catches your cleanser.

Teams

• Budget: Deacon Armstrong (SPD aura, Decrease DEF), Stag Knight (Decrease ATK/DEF), Doompriest (free cleanse every turn plus heals), Vogoth (tank healed by his own passive), Kael (poison on Iragoth and single-target hits). Cheap cleanse, debuffs that actually land, and all damage focused on one target.
• Mid-game: Geomancer, Fahrakin the Fat (ally attack and crit buffs), Maneater (Block Debuffs), Dhukk the Pierced (Decrease ATK/DEF), Whisper (single-target nuker). Maneater shuts off Provoke while the rest eat the guardians one at a time.
• Endgame: Marius the Gallant, Gnut, Acrizia, Duchess Lilitu, Mithrala Lifebane. Permanent Block Debuffs and cleanse plus massive single-target damage — Iragoth dies before the debuffs pile up.

Common mistakes

• Bringing AoE nukers (Royal Guard, Kael's AoE skills) — the passive eats most of their damage.
• Ignoring the guardians and tunnelling Iragoth, so Provoke and Decrease DEF never stop.
• Cleanser too slow, so the cleanse lands after everyone already acted under debuffs.
• Low ACC on whoever carries Decrease ATK — nothing lands and the guardians delete your DPS.

Tips

• Cleanser on Lifesteal or Immortal with max RES; debuffers on Perception and Accuracy.
• Turn off AoE skills in the auto-battle skill settings.
• Poison and HP Burn ticks aren't AoE attacks, so the passive doesn't reduce them — build your damage around DoTs.
• Speed-tune so the cleanse lands right after the guardians' A1.
• Take single-target damage masteries from the Offense tree; against the boss they beat the AoE ones.