Difference between revisions of "Lord Surtur"

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{{questmon|Lord Surtur|Valkyrie|nemesis}}
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{{questmon|Lord Surtur|Valkyrie|nemesis}} He is a [[fire giant]] that guards the [[Bell of Opening]] and the Valkyrie's [[quest artifact]], [[The Orb of Fate]].
He is generally considered one of the easier to defeat. Novice players should still beware, however, as Lord Surtur may be the first enemy they encounter who teleports to the upstairs to heal. He is generated asleep at the center of his lair, surrounded by his fellow [[fire giant]]s, as well [[fire ant]]s and a handful of [[Trap#Squeaky board|squeaky board traps]]. A valkyrie starts off with the [[stealth]] intrinsic, so if she doesn't wake the nemesis by stepping on a squeaky trap or in any other way, she can clear out the fire giants before facing Lord Surtur in single combat. He has fire resistance but not cold resistance, so any [[wand of cold|cold]] attacks will do 50% extra damage. A [[wand of death]] is also effective. He is not a spellcaster, so [[magic resistance]] is not necessary, but [[the Orb of Fate]] does not grant it, either.
 
  
It is popular to [[tin]] Lord Surtur's corpse, whether to eat for the [[strength]] gain or simply to keep as a trophy.
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Like any other fire giant, eating Lord Surtur's [[corpse]] may grant fire resistance, with a 50% chance (compare to 30% from any other fire giant), and also has a chance to raise the player's [[strength]].  
  
== Strategy ==
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==Strategy==
Lord Surtur can be defeated easily by a prepared Valkyrie. There are several ways one might go about doing this:
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Lord Surtur is generally is generally considered one of the easier quest nemesis to defeat, with his only threat being two weapon attacks and an artifact-stealing attack that hit decently hard. Even so, he is likely one of the first [[covetous]] enemies a Valkyrie will meet, and novice players must still handle him carefully.
  
* Lord Surtur does respect [[Elbereth]]. This can be used to buy time in a bad situation, as Lord Surtur will not pursue you if he has just turned to flee. Do note that since [[3.6.0]] and later versions, attacking will instantly remove the engraving.
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Since Surtur is generated [[meditating]] at the center of his lair, any Valkyrie can easily clear the area of his fellow fire giants and [[fire ant]]s, along with the other monsters, unless they have somehow lost the [[stealth]] intrinsic they started the game with; beware of any explosive monsters if they spawn, and watch for the handful of [[Trap#Squeaky board|squeaky board traps]] generated on the level. Like all other quest nemesis, you can also awaken him remotely and bring him to you; Lord Surtur respects [[Elbereth]] and the [[scroll of scare monster]], which can be used to your advantage in either scenario.
* Like any other quest nemesis, Lord Surtur also respects the [[scroll of scare monster]], so this can be placed on the upstair for an easy fight, provided that you can get there.
 
* Zapping Lord Surtur with a wand of death will instantly kill him.
 
* Lord Surtur will take additional damage from cold attacks. Zapping him with a wand of cold or a cone of cold spell will quickly finish him.
 
* Make sure you take out his fire giant and fire ant minions before engaging him, if possible. Lord Surtur will hit fairly hard, and you don't want to be dealing with other enemies at the same time.
 
  
==Mythology==
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Lord Surtur has the most [[monster magic resistance]] of all [[giants]], but is still somewhat vulnerable to wands and spells; a [[wand of death]] will kill him if he does not successfully resist it, and the [[wand of cold]] and [[cone of cold]] spell will do extra damage against him. [[Frost Brand]] or even [[Giantslayer]] in the hands of a Valkyrie will bring him down quickly.
  
The mythological name is spelled Surtr in Old Norse, and Surtur in modern-day Icelandic.
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Lord Surtur providing a strength bonus makes him a popular target for [[tinning kit]]s, since it provides a benefit outside of serving as a trophy, as is done with many other quest nemeses.
  
The Nethack Surtur draws directly from the source of Norse mythology, as suggested from the encyclopedia entry. The Prose Edda is an unnamed collection of old Norse poems. In the Norse mythology, Surtr is an important giant of Ragnarök, the Norse end of the world.
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==Mythology==
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Lord Surtur's depiction draws directly from Norse mythology; in ''The Prose Edda'', Surtr is depicted as an important giant of Ragnarök, the Norse mythos's end of the world. The mythological name is spelled '''Surtr''' in Old Norse, and '''Surtur''' in modern-day Icelandic.
  
 
==Encyclopedia entry==
 
==Encyclopedia entry==
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|[ The Prose Edda, by Snorri Sturluson ]
 
|[ The Prose Edda, by Snorri Sturluson ]
 
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{{nethack-360}}
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{{nethack-364}}

Revision as of 05:06, 2 March 2020

Lord Surtur, H, is the Valkyrie quest nemesis. He is a fire giant that guards the Bell of Opening and the Valkyrie's quest artifact, The Orb of Fate.

Like any other fire giant, eating Lord Surtur's corpse may grant fire resistance, with a 50% chance (compare to 30% from any other fire giant), and also has a chance to raise the player's strength.

Strategy

Lord Surtur is generally is generally considered one of the easier quest nemesis to defeat, with his only threat being two weapon attacks and an artifact-stealing attack that hit decently hard. Even so, he is likely one of the first covetous enemies a Valkyrie will meet, and novice players must still handle him carefully.

Since Surtur is generated meditating at the center of his lair, any Valkyrie can easily clear the area of his fellow fire giants and fire ants, along with the other monsters, unless they have somehow lost the stealth intrinsic they started the game with; beware of any explosive monsters if they spawn, and watch for the handful of squeaky board traps generated on the level. Like all other quest nemesis, you can also awaken him remotely and bring him to you; Lord Surtur respects Elbereth and the scroll of scare monster, which can be used to your advantage in either scenario.

Lord Surtur has the most monster magic resistance of all giants, but is still somewhat vulnerable to wands and spells; a wand of death will kill him if he does not successfully resist it, and the wand of cold and cone of cold spell will do extra damage against him. Frost Brand or even Giantslayer in the hands of a Valkyrie will bring him down quickly.

Lord Surtur providing a strength bonus makes him a popular target for tinning kits, since it provides a benefit outside of serving as a trophy, as is done with many other quest nemeses.

Mythology

Lord Surtur's depiction draws directly from Norse mythology; in The Prose Edda, Surtr is depicted as an important giant of Ragnarök, the Norse mythos's end of the world. The mythological name is spelled Surtr in Old Norse, and Surtur in modern-day Icelandic.

Encyclopedia entry

Yet first was the world in the southern region, which was
named Muspell; it is light and hot; that region is glowing
and burning, and impassable to such as are outlanders and
have not their holdings there. He who sits there at the
land's-end, to defend the land, is called Surtr; he brandishes
a flaming sword, and at the end of the world he shall go forth
and harry, and overcome all the gods, and burn all the
world with fire.

[ The Prose Edda, by Snorri Sturluson ]

This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.

It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.4. Information on this page may be out of date.

Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-364}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.