With the disgusting Grotto behind you, you can take your first, chilly steps into the Frigid Channel, the next area. The floor and walls are coated with ice that grows thicker and more widespread the further down you travel, giving the impression of descending into a cold, dark hell. You will find a flagpole a few metres down the passage, allowing you to check your progress/spend doubloons from the last boss fight.
You'll want a torch travelling into the Frigid Channel, as it is an incredibly-dark area. You will also find that your character moves realistically on the ice, skidding slightly further than you intend with each movement (or just like DaS2 in general huehue). At first the only enemies you'll encounter are normal cave bats, but don't let this lull lure you into a sense of security, because this area has some hellishly-difficult sections.
As you descend further, the cavern walls open up, and you will arrive in a large, round room, with a jagged staircase made of solid ice at the centre leading up to the higher levels. There are several new enemies in this room. The first is a stationary Revelatory Staff, which you may recognise as being a covenant item from the Followers of the New Age Pact. Their job is to try and pull a 'boarder' from another world, either an online one (a la bell maidens in Bloodborne) or, if none are available, a generic NPC with randomized gear. You'll have to kill every enemy in the room before tackling these, as they are protecting by an energy shield comprised of lifeforce leeched off of the other enemies.
There are several mace-wielding Clergy to fight, who also carry talismans for casting various New Age Charms, such as the Heavenly Pierce and Whisper of Devastation, which to recall, fire off javelins from at you and from underneath your feet. They are resilient foes, but will go down in less than ten hits most times. There are also the Forsaken Congregation, naked NPC enemies that appear to have no bones, allowing them to stretch their arms out way longer than would be possible, as well as a long, mournful face akin to the Munich Scream painting, which can spew a damaging misty red haze at you.
Destroying the Revelatory Staff will grant you a Seed of the New Age, a covenant item. Should you be forced to kill an enemy phantom, you'll also receive an Empty Vessel, a murky glass stone which you can sell for a high price in shops.
You can loot the following items from this room:
- Mattas' Tweezers: An item with sinister connotations, which you can use infinitely to exchange a sliver of your health for an AOE-blast attack utilising Mattas' signature red mist of devastation. Description reads: Pair of ornate tweezers faintly coated with rusted blood. This is no mere tool, but a personal torture device, which will contentedly drink your life force in exchange for the favour of the zealot pilgrim, Mattas.
- 6 x Molotov Cocktail
- Adornment New Age Charm: Casting it sears your character's back with a luminous symbol depicting the Followers of the New Age, granting your strikes an added red mist for up to sixty seconds. (Requires 36 Zeal)
- Pilgrim Twinblades: Paired scimitars with a unique diving slash which aims to cripple an opponents legs, knocking them over if used successfully. Description: "Twinblades wielded by members of the Followers of the New Age. Originally utilised for ritual executions, these blades now hold a fond home in the armoury of the zealous pilgrims of Mattas, and their steel bears his deadly kiss." REQUIRES: 31 DEXTERITY
- 2 x Blood of a Starved Puffin
- 3 x Large Mystic Shard: Advanced upgrade material.
Carrying on into the passage, you will travel up the frozen stairwell, allowing you to see that the exit from the caverns lies way above the plateau you are currently standing on. You will have to progress into a new tunnel, where you'll encounter more Forsaken Clergy and their Congregation, as well as the threat of new variants on the bat enemies, which have frozen wings which will shred you for bleed damage should they come close enough. You can loot the Yearning Crystal from an alcove in the wall. This trinket item heavily powers up New Age Charms, at the cost of a third of your current stamina bar. The description reads: "Turquoise crystal formed in a frigid forge somewhere in the Frigid Passage. This jewel, colder than the touch of a corpse, should not be worn by the sane, unless they have a longing for death."
The tunnel will lead you to another circular room, this time slightly smaller, which has a load of Clergy and Congregation, and not one but TWO Revelatory Staffs jutting out of the ground. However, these two do not summon invaders, but instead power up enemies in the room, granting them higher health and damage outputs. However, you must kill these enemies before taking on the staffs, which then will both drop a Seed of the New Age.
A rickety wooden staircase frozen over with the artificial ice will lead you up yet another level, at which point the path diverges. There is a steep gravelly passage which seems to lead to the surface, with a few shafts of light peeping down through, or a door locked by a mysterious contraption, which you will be able to open in a bit. So, taking the 3x Blood of a Starved Puffin from a corpse on the wall, you press on up to the surface.
You emerge at the edge of an enormous frozen lake amidst the mountains above the channel, spanning several hundreds of metres long. In the distance you can see a turret shrouded by heavy snowfall, as well as the rim of the lake, where a white mist grows so deep you cannot see further. There are new enemies lurking under the ice here, so be aware of the Floating Corpses. True to their ominous names, these enemies lurk under the ice, visible through translucent passages, and will bob around after you, stabbing their blades up through the ice to attack you if you stay still too long. You can't kill them, however, and their purpose is simply to distract you from destroying the Revelatory Staffs littered around on the ice, as well as several Forsaken Clergy roaming about like nomads. You can loot the following from the icy lake:
- Frozen Tear: A trinket with a white, cloudy appearance, which bolsters your resistance to Frigid Blood. Description: A small white gemstone that is freezing to the touch. It is said that when Mattas crossed the lake of revelations, his sorrow froze the waters over, and a single tear, shed from his one eye, became a stone bearing his unthinkable grief. But legends are legends, and as all those who know him would tell you, Mattas bears a fiery hatred for every living thing.
- Ice Hammer: A great-hammer with a large, curved pick head. Charging R2 unleashes a spinning swipe that can be concluded with a brutal downards smashing attack. Description: Cumbersome hammer used by pilgrims to the revelatory mountain range in Dayle's northern borders. This hammer is effective at breaking ice, but is better utilised to break bones, for no man can withstand a strike from its blunt. REQUIRES: 40 PROWESS
- Cold Heart Tidal Hex: Grants unlimited stamina for thirty seconds at the cost of 1% health every second (so basically, 30% health per cast by the end) Requires 34 Inner Soul Darkness, 26 Zeal
- Spirit Bottle Fragment: Upgrade material for Spirit Bottle
- (With 36 Cartography): Ice-Rotted Genoa: A gross-ass cake you can bring to Squawkers the parrot to get two free levels.
- Crescent Moon Orb: Key item which you can take back to the locked door to open up. Description reads: "Complex clockwork mechanism used to lock a door. The orb feels somehow sorrowful, as though it were crafted out of grief. Even holding onto it for too long evokes a strong depression, which makes it an unwise treasure to keep for long."
Since you now have this key item, you may as well go back and open the door. Inside is a stone pedestal with a single item on it, the Bloodied Patchwork, a key item with no immediately-obvious effect. Description: A patch of cloth that seems to have been soaked in blood. Who it belonged to is a mystery, but it carries a pungent scent of death. Nothing good can come of such inquisitiveness.
Obviously the turret caught your attention from the opening shot of the lake, so once you make your way over there, you'll enter a small circular room with a staircase leading up into the unknown. Your favourite NPC, Patricia, is waiting for you by the steps.
"Ahoy! Why, it's my ol' treasure hunting buddy, back for more! Well, you're in luck! At the top of this tower is Mattas' treasure room, filled to the brim with glorious trinkets and more gold than you can shake a barnacle at! What are you waiting for?"
Obvious trap is obvious, but as an inqusitive player you head up the steps nonetheless to find a nearly-empty room, occupied by a single treasure box and a hunched over enemy. As you approach the chest, the enemy, who wears a raggedy white and gold robe, the distinctive missionary set worn by the most devout preachers of Mattas, will rear up, their cloak flapping behind them as they draw out their Pilgrim's Twinblades and charge you. This enemy is essentially an NPC, and so won't go down easily, especially since they can cast a spell to block your healing. However, killing them nets you a Sack of Salt, the large soul equivalent that gives you 25K doubloons. The chest contains the Iridescent Helmet/Overcoat/Gloves/Wrappings set, which resembles a gold and white version of the Michelin mascot, with layered, cotton armour that provides little defence to physical attacks, but a huge defence to all forms of elemental and magic damage. The helmet resembles an owl, with a bushy gold monobrow engraving. When you take the set however, the ground will erupt with pillars of damaging red mist, similar to the Whisper of Devestation spell.
Description for the set reads: "Surprisingly-comfortable clothing crafted out of fine materials, woven with incantations intended to provide a divine protection. Mattas had this garb made to provide immense protection for his most treasured follower, but circumstance meant it was never worn. Perhaps this set goes some way to explain away the sadness of the lonely old preacher."
Patricia will be pleased to see you have survived your ordeal.
"My, my. What a bountiful treasure indeed. Are you not indebted to me? Perhaps you might be so kind as to share your treasure with me? For my most helpful tip?"
Yes (forfeit half of your current doubloon count): Splendid. You are kind and brave. We shoud be partners in treasure-hunting! Yes! Let us shake and make it so. Until the next time, partner! Heehee."
No: What a wretched scoundrel. Are you angry that I didn't tell you about the bewitched chest? How was I to know? I hope the next treasure you find gets your throat slit, so no more ungrateful words leave your foul mouth.
If you answer no, you can make amends by talking to her again at any point and choosing the prompt to 'Apologize', which then takes half your doubloons and gives new dialogue: "I knew you would come to your senses. We are all strangers in this land, unwelcome reminders of Podrice's bloodshedding and sin. Co-operation is the only way we will keep our heads above water."
She offers a bit of DEEPEST LORE as well: "The Frigid Bay is just beyond those shrouded borders. What a desolate place to make one's home. But you know what they say about Mattas, dont'cha. He went mad after a great loss, taking it upon himself to order the complete destruction of all mankind. These icy waters are said to have absorbed the weight of his sorrow. But a story is a story. There is no truth here but what we make of it ourselves."
The area is at an end, and all thats left to do is approach the mists at the edge of the lake, which will slowly part like the Red Sea as you pass through them. After some walking - and some deeply unsettling ice-cracking sounds - you'll chance upon a small shrine built onto a snowy bank, with a quartet of the diamond-shaped obelisks as seen in the New Age Church surrounding a large, armoured figure. Approach, and a cutscene begins.
The large armoured figure, who is seated in a praying pose, slowly rises, their head turning a full 180 degrees to the left to look at you as you approach, and then another 180 back to the front as they turn around. Their armour, once a glorious gold with white tassels and a cloak bearing the sigil of the New Age, is rusted over, faintly garnished with icicles and old, blackish blood splatters. Slowly, the giant reaches for their weapon, a monumental mace, that is buried in the snow beside them, as their left hand glows misty red with the power of the New Age.
Pilgrim Mattas, the second of the great four boss fights, is pretty difficult. As will become increasingly obvious throughout the duration of the fight and by close examination, Mattas' actual body has rotted away to almost nothing, leaving a disembodied suit to fight you. As the suit is not alive it has little limitations to the way it can move, essentially ignoring stamina restrictions and rarely ceasing attacks, which initially take the form of swings that come in patterns of 1-3 strikes, and a special attack where Mattas will strike the ice with the point of his mace and unleash a volley of red mist geysers in a circle spreading out around him. There are advantages to this state of being that you can observe in the fight. As a mindless suit of armour, Mattas has little to no senses, meaning that only by proximity can the boss locate you unless you are being very noisy.
When his health bar hits half, Mattas will fall flat on his empty face, the ice cracking under the weight of his armour. You can no longer damage him. Suddenly, disembodied, almost-ethereal voices, as though out of a memory, will be heard.
"Why do you insist on wearing those filthy rags? I would make you a nobleman. A proud lord of the New Age!"
"I only wish to serve you, Mattas. Not my pride."
"My enemies are many. They will seek to harm you."
"Let them try."
The mysterious conversation ends abruptly with a gut-wrenching scream, apparently from Mattas. At this, the armour will rise again, red mist flowing through every gap in the metal as Mattas prises his mace from the ice and slides the contraption apart to transform it into its lance-state, the metal folding back to reveal a sharp spear-end.
The second phase sees Mattas' aggression multiply exponentially. His attacks can hit you from a much-longer distance with the lance-state, and the point will emanate a small red misted spike, so that the range is even more unpredictable. He will also now cast jet-streamed plumes of the mist (a la DaS1 Fire Surge) as well as a grab attack in which he squeezes your character so hard with his misted gauntlet that their head explodes, killing you instantly. Luckily he telegraphs this move pretty clearly, so dodging back is never too difficult.
The fight also has an interesting environemntal effect. With Mattas in a heightened state of rage, the ice around him will start to melt, changing the arena into a pool of water which is much easier to traverse, with the added caveat that his New Age Charms are enhanced by being cast in water.
When the armour falls for a second time, it will crash through the thinning ice and sink beneath the waters, ending the fight. However, no victory screen is offered. Instead, the voice of Mattas comes back, this time clearly addressing you.
"Blasphemer... Defiled wretch... You would take him from me... I will wait for you at the church on the cliffside..."
So, in order to complete this fight once and for all, you must return to the New Age Church on the Winding Cliff Path. The clergyman who offered you the chance to join the Followers of the New Age pact earlier will now reveal his true identity.
"Freegalian descendant, you have slain my body. Congratulations. But so long as my mind lives on within my beloved, I shall never die. I am Mattas, the pilgrim who salted the very earth with devestation. How do you expect to defeat me?"
The way this plays out can vary in two ways. The first is a standard NPC fight with one of the heardest enemies in the game. He won't have a boss bar, but you must reduce his health to zero in order to win, and he has a variety of New Age Charms as well as a silvery rapier which inflicts poison damage. However, if you obtained the Bloodied Pstchwork earlier, then you have the option to present it to Mattas.
"What... No, how... Oh, sweet Benedict... I won't fight for you any longer... It is time we both had peace..."
Moved by the appearance of the item, with which he clearly has a storied history, Mattas will stab himself with his rapier, killing himself immediately.
Either way, when Mattas falls, you are finally given the GREAT SOUL REAVED message, alongside the New Age Ink and 50'000 doubloons.
The ink, which you can etch on your body to provide both a 30% increase to New Age Charms as well as an increased 20% damage resistance to them, has the following description: "Ink drawn from the blood of a fallen cleric, Benedict of the New Age Pilgrims. Benedict was the most devout follower of Mattas, and it is said the two men shared a love which only cold steel could rend apart. But is death truly the end? Storytellers speak of the piglrim's efforts to save his beloved, spiltting his mind and body to be with them forever more."
Charmer Tobias also offers you two weapons made from Mattas' soul.
First is the Mattas Greatmace, the transforming mace/lance weapon from the initial boss fight (35'000 doubloons): Greatmace of the wandering pilgrim Mattas, who seeded the land with death and devestation. Mattas, who once sought to heal the world with the healing properties of the Freegalian waters, was sent into a spiralling rage, which eventually softened into a cold grief, when the world responded to his kindnesses with fire and fury. REQUIRES: 34 PROWESS, 20 ZEAL.
Second is Benedict's Rapier, the rapier wielded by Mattas' human body, which can inflict poison (20'000 doubloons): Mercury-hewn rapier which was the favoured weapon of the fallen cleric, Benedict. When Benedict learnt of an imperial plot to assassinate his beloved Mattas, Benedict sacrificed himself to save him, leaving only a bloodstained robe behind. REQUIRES: 31 DEXTERITY, 15 ZEAL
With two founders of Freegalia dead and their souls reclaimed, you are well on your way to completing your quest to revive the fabled city. Greta will offer some interesting dialogue: "Ahh, I smell a fresh scent upon you... One our kind has not smelt in some time... Hope, for the future... For Freegalia... Won't you reunite our lost souls with the waters?"
You can also get new dialogue from Squawkers if you bring them that yucky cake from earlier.
"Squawk! Yummy, yummy! Squawkers have, squawkers love!"
Yeah... He's not the most erudite fellow.
Two of the three forked paths at the Winding Cliff Path are now completed, leading only the third.