Save Your Midnight Bolts! (Minor Spoilers)

[GrandMajora]

If you want to unlock the secret ascension ending, you're going to need to save your Midnight bolts for specific enemies. This ammunition is necessary to acquire the Fresh Nahyndrian Crystals you will need for ascending the rest of your party members. A minimum of 5 is required to ascend the entire party, but this is optional.

Now, who should you be using these bolts on, you might ask? Why, demon lords, of course.

If you shoot a demon lord with a midnight bolt, they will drop a fresh crystal, which you can then loot. Although for the boss battle in the city of Iz, the crystal must be collected BEFORE the battle is over, or else the boss will destroy the arena and you'll lose your chance to get it.

[=DeadShot=]

Thank you. I thought the Balor was a demon lord. Because he was a named enemy. But tried didn't got anything and asked to be sure.

[GrandMajora]

Originally posted by =DeadShot=:

Thank you. I thought the Balor was a demon lord. Because he was a named enemy. But tried didn't got anything and asked to be sure.

Balor are the strongest type of demon next to that of the demon lords.

Most species of demons are pretty much carbon copies of each other in terms of appearance and abilities (though not necessarily personalities). But the Demon Lords are unique individuals. They rule entire realms of the Abyss, and have power that comes close to rivaling demigods.

Deskari, Baphomet, Nocticula and Socothbenoth are all demon lords.

[=DeadShot=]

Thank you .

[canuck250]

Originally posted by Aldon:

I'm in my first playthrough. What makes that (for me still unknown ending) more secret than every other i don't know about? And why should I care to follow a strict path to gain a special ending (as there is no benefits, like following a guide to obtain a valuable item or feat or something, as the game is over afterwards) in a game, which is all about choosing/forming your own destiny?

This is the way I saw it. I liked getting my own unique story/ending for my first playthrough, then on the subsequent plays I can force outcomes. So no guides except for puzzles on 1st go.

My main logic, how can I miss something if I have never experienced anything. So the secret ending has no meaning to me until I have experienced the first ending.

[elbentzo]

Originally posted by Robert Silvermyst:

Is there a place with a list of names of those you need to use the Midnight Bolts on? I know demon lords, but a list of who all of the demon lords are.

Obviously this is all spoilers.
1. Deskari, right at the beginning of the game, in the market square when the demon attack begins. When the halfling asks if you prefer a weapon or a good protective scrolls, choose the weapon. You don't need to actually use a bolt, just choose the correct dialogue option.
2. Baphomet, end of act 4, in Colyphyr mines. You'll have a boss fight against his daughter Hepzahmira, once you beat her there's some dialogue and then you can fight him. Have an archer slot the bolt into a quickslot, activate it, and attack. Should be an auto hit with 50 damage and when the fight's over you can collect his blood.
3. Deskari once again, during act 5 in Iz. Same thing, you get to fight him and have to manually attack him with the arrow.
4. Areshkagal in the Enigma. In act 5 you can complete Nenio's tedious and annoying companion quest where you collect 5 masks and use them to teleport to the Enigma. Finish the dungeon, and you fight Areshkagal. Shoot her with the bolt and pick up her blood post-fight like the others.
5+6. After you beat Areelu at the end of the game, you start a conversation with her. If you fulfilled the necessary requirements during the game and give the right answers, you will trigger another fight against Deskari and Baphomet at the same time.

Optional: if you choose the Trickster mythic path you can fight Nocticula in act 5 as part of the mythic quest. Same with Demon. They can skip Areshkagal (she's the only one who's in a side quest, and a really annoying one at that).