Cult Grounds/Guide
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This content is part of the Atlas of Discovery Expansion.
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| This page was last updated for (v1.2.2). |
Basic Guide
This is a Barrier dungeon introduced with the 
Atlas of Discovery Expansion, there is a general guide to this dungeon and a more in-depth look into Barrier combat in general in this guide. This page will go deeper into combat options, including when 
Throne of the Herald Expansion is owned and already completed.
This guide is not meant for optimal kills per hour but instead focuses on easily obtainable ways ranging from just passed God Dungeons to having beaten 
Throne of the Herald to clear the dungeon effectively.
Requirements
- Complete
Trickery Temple - Find
Lost Cursed Text
Level 82
Level 80
Continue using your Aeris God armour setup for this dungeon. These monsters do not have the mechanic where they base their max hit off of the player's max hit, a crossbow with bolts can be used. As soon as enough 
Barrier Exalted Shard and 
Siphoning Barrier Gem have been obtained to upgrade the first item, it is advised to go collect barrier dust. All of the individual armour pieces have the same passive effect, so the order in which they are upgraded doesn't matter. Start with the armour piece that costs the fewest Barrier Shards and Siphoning Gems (You can skip the helm for now if you've got the Shade Summoning set).
| Item | Upgrade Cost |
|---|---|
   
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4 Barrier Exalted Shard 2 Siphoning Barrier Gem
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10 Barrier Exalted Shard 5 Siphoning Barrier Gem
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6 Barrier Exalted Shard 3 Siphoning Barrier Gem
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5 Barrier Exalted Shard 5 Siphoning Barrier Gem
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Once enough upgrade materials have been obtained, depending on the gear the player has, kill either 
Cult Imp or 
Cult Member. The benefit from killing Cult Members for barrier dust, is that only the Aeris set needs to be upgraded for maximum effect. However, the Cult Imp can potentially drop more barrier dust in a given hour. Especially if the player is using 
Big ol Ron. Terran God armour is also required in the next sections of the guide.
Collect enough barrier dust to obtain 2,000 
Imbued Dragonite Bar. Upgrade your armour piece and move back to the Cult Grounds dungeon until enough materials have been obtained for the next upgrade. Repeat this cycle until the full Aeris armour has been obtained. Finally, also upgrade a pair of 
(U) Ancient D-hide Vambraces as they are slightly better than the previously used Barrier Draining Gloves (Not required if you have the Shade Summon set).
Recommended starting gear is similar to that of the previous dungeon.
You can mix and match the gear.
|weapon1 = Feather Storm Crossbow
|weapon2 = Shockwave
|weapon3 =
|ammo1 = Jadestone Bolts
|ammo2 = Emerald Bolts
|shield1 = Shield of Ranged Power
|shield2 = Scaled Shield
|consumable1 =
|passive1 = Barrier Draining Gloves
|passive2 = Old Summoning Amulet
|gem1 = Siphoning Barrier Gem
|familiar11 = !
Spider 
Spectre
|familiar12 = !
|familiar13 = !
}}
Prayers: 
Battleborn and 
Battleheart
Potion: 
Damage Reduction Potion IV (Required if you're at or below 
Level 111 and don't have the Shade Summon Set), 
Ranged Assistance Potion IV, 
Penetration Potion IV.
Point of Interest: 
Dark Waters
Agility obstacles aren't required, this is purely an indication how you can get the most out of your Agility if you have it. Follow it untill where you have it.
| Slot | Obstacle | Bonuses |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cargo Net | +3% Global GP (except Item Sales) +2% Fishing Mastery XP |
| 2 | Monkey Bars | -4% Firemaking Interval |
| 3 | Pipe Climb | +5% Melee Evasion +5% Melee Max Hit |
| 4 | Cave Climb | -40 Maximum Hitpoints +5% Ammo Preservation +5% Rune Preservation +5% Melee Max Hit |
| 5 | Cliff Balance | +20 Maximum Hitpoints +5% Ranged Accuracy Rating +2 Prayer Point Cost for Prayers +5% Magic Accuracy Rating +5% Melee Accuracy Rating |
| 6 | Lake Swim | +1% Damage Reduction +5% Damage To All Monsters +3% Chance To Preserve Prayer Points |
| 7 | Boulder Trap | -20% Chance to Preserve Resources in Skills |
| 8 | Spike Jump | +5% Damage to Monsters in Dungeons +5% Chance To Double Loot in Combat |
| 9 | Ice Jump | +20 Maximum Hitpoints +5% Food Healing Value +5% Chance to Double Items Globally +10 Mining Node HP +10% Chance to Preserve Resources in Skills |
| 10 | Dragon Fight | -16% Auto Eat Efficiency -0.3s Monster Respawn Timer |
| 11 | Forest Maze | -20% Global Accuracy -20% Auto Eat Efficiency +15% Flat Slayer Area Effect Negation +8% Slayer Skill XP +10% Global Slayer Coins (except Item Sales) |
| 12 | Boulder Balance | -20% Global Accuracy +5% of Maximum Hit added to Minimum Hit -0.1s Attack Interval |
| 13 | Balance Trap | +10% Agility Interval +5% Chance to Double Items Globally -30% GP gained from Agility |
| 14 | Freezing Climb | +30% Accuracy Rating +30% Global Evasion -150% GP from Combat -6% Chance To Double Loot in Combat +15% Damage to Monsters in Dungeons |
| 15 | Waterfall Crossing | -100 Maximum Hitpoints Your Attacks now roll twice (Select highest chance) -10% Global Slayer Coins (except Item Sales) |
| Pillar | Pillar of Combat | +10% Ranged Evasion -0.2s Monster Respawn Timer +5% Flat Slayer Area Effect Negation +10% Melee Evasion +10% Magic Evasion +5% of Maximum Hit added to Minimum Hit +10 Flat HP Regen |
| Elite Pillar | Elite Pillar of Conflict | +10% Lifesteal +35% Flat Slayer Area Effect Negation +25% Chance To Preserve Prayer Points -3 Prayer Point Cost for Prayers +50% Hitpoint Regeneration +350% GP from Combat |
Dust Farming
The following gear is starter gear to farm cult imps for barrier. If you do not have Big ol Ron, simulate how many barrier dust you are receiving with your alternative, and potentially use ranged on cult members instead. It is recommended to upgrade the melee armour used, with a preference over upgrading Terran. This is because the extra Damage Reduction is required for the 
Underwater Ruins. The equipment below will result in roughly 2,400 barrier dust an hour. More or less can be obtained depending on the actual gear and other bonusses used. The amount of barrier dust an hour rises to around 5,200 with Terran fully upgraded to (B). Depending on your choice in the next section, you do not need to fully upgrade Terran.
Again, Terran is used in this recommended gear over Ragnar with the assumption that this will be (partially) upgraded into (B). Start by upgrading the Terran Boots, Platelegs and Chestplate.
Battleborn and Battleheart
Potion: Penetration Potion IV, 
Critical Strike Potion IV, 
Melee Accuracy Potion IV.
Point of Interest: Dark Waters
It is advised that the player stays at Cult Grounds until the 
Summoner's Blessed Ring is obtained. This is also a good time to go back to 
Magic Mirror with the gear recommended here since the 
Trickery Mirror is required for the next section. With fully upgraded Aeris (B) and the other barrier damage items, it shouldn't be a problem at all taking these down much faster than before.
Lastly, if the player has finished 
Into the Mist at least once, and thus has obtained the passive slot, it's a good idea to go for another item. The enemies from now on will have a lot more barrier to take down. The 
Barrier Burn Shield from the Trickery Temple can be used in the passive slot for a lot of extra barrier damage.
Endgame Setup
These 2 gear setups are equal when it comes to chests per hour.
You can substitute the 
Weakness Exploiter Cape with 
Ancient Infernal Cape for a very minor (0.3) chest per hour loss.
Potion: 
Ranged Strength Potion IV
Point of Interest: 
Bandit Hideout
Prayers: Battleheart & Battleborn
| Slot | Obstacle | Bonuses |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cargo Net | +3% Global GP (except Item Sales) +2% Fishing Mastery XP |
| 2 | Monkey Bars | -4% Firemaking Interval |
| 3 | Pipe Climb | +5% Melee Evasion +5% Melee Max Hit |
| 4 | Cave Climb | -40 Maximum Hitpoints +5% Ammo Preservation +5% Rune Preservation +5% Melee Max Hit |
| 5 | Cliff Balance | +20 Maximum Hitpoints +5% Ranged Accuracy Rating +2 Prayer Point Cost for Prayers +5% Magic Accuracy Rating +5% Melee Accuracy Rating |
| 6 | Lake Swim | +1% Damage Reduction +5% Damage To All Monsters +3% Chance To Preserve Prayer Points |
| 7 | Boulder Trap | -20% Chance to Preserve Resources in Skills |
| 8 | Spike Jump | +5% Damage to Monsters in Dungeons +5% Chance To Double Loot in Combat |
| 9 | Ice Jump | +20 Maximum Hitpoints +5% Food Healing Value +5% Chance to Double Items Globally +10 Mining Node HP +10% Chance to Preserve Resources in Skills |
| 10 | Dragon Fight | -16% Auto Eat Efficiency -0.3s Monster Respawn Timer |
| 11 | Frozen Maze | +1% Damage Reduction -0.1s Monster Respawn Timer -3 Prayer Point Cost for Prayers -20% Rune Preservation -20% Ammo Preservation |
| 12 | Boulder Balance | -20% Global Accuracy +5% of Maximum Hit added to Minimum Hit -0.1s Attack Interval |
| 13 | Balance Trap | +10% Agility Interval +5% Chance to Double Items Globally -30% GP gained from Agility |
| 14 | Freezing Climb | +30% Accuracy Rating +30% Global Evasion -150% GP from Combat -6% Chance To Double Loot in Combat +15% Damage to Monsters in Dungeons |
| 15 | Waterfall Crossing | -100 Maximum Hitpoints Your Attacks now roll twice (Select highest chance) -10% Global Slayer Coins (except Item Sales) |
| Pillar | Pillar of Combat | +10% Ranged Evasion -0.2s Monster Respawn Timer +5% Flat Slayer Area Effect Negation +10% Melee Evasion +10% Magic Evasion +5% of Maximum Hit added to Minimum Hit +10 Flat HP Regen |
| Elite Pillar | Elite Pillar of Expertise | +8% Mastery XP for Melvor Realm only -3% Interval for all Non-Combat Skills +40% Global GP (except Item Sales) +8% Chance to Double Items Globally |
| Melvor Idle version v1.3 (Released: 13th June 2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Reference Tables: Items, Equipment, Experience Table, Upgrading Items, Combat Areas, Slayer Areas, Dungeons, Strongholds, The Abyss, Monsters |
