Spindleclutch is the first 4-man group dungeon for Daggerfall Covenant players. Spindleclutch is in northeastern Glenumbra, which is the first major zone members of Daggerfall Covenant arrive in. The normal mode of the dungeon is designed for level 12-15 groups.
Aldmeri Dominion and Ebonheart Pact players can also experience Spindleclutch after they’ve completed the first dungeon in their own territory. For the Dominion it is Banished Cells, for the Pact Fungal Grotto. You can choose to travel to Spindleclutch via the world map.
This guide explains the boss fights & mechanics of Spindleclutch, so you’ll know what to look out for.
Spindleclutch Overview
As soon as you arrive in Spindleclutch, you’ll receive a quest for the dungeon. It also acts as a story, which will be different in veteran mode. Running through the dungeon is worth it, not just because of the awesome story, but because you receive a skill point for completing the quest inside.
Spindleclutch is all about spiders, as I’m sure you’ll find out! As long as you don’t have breaks, the dungeon is easily played through in about 15 minutes.
Recommended Group setup
Spindleclutch is in my opinion the easiest out of the three starter group dungeons. Just like with the other dungeons, if you stand in red circles, you’ll most definitely need heals, at least for the last boss, but if you stay out of them, you might be able to complete Spindleclutch just fine without a dedicated healer or a tank.
Beginner groups will probably want to stick with the usual tank + healer+ 2 dps composition.
Bosses
- Spindlekin (miniboss)
- The Swarm Mother
- Cerise the Widow-Maker (miniboss)
- Big Rabbu (miniboss)
- The Whisperer
Normal Mode
Spindlekin
Level: 14
Health: 2,714
Spindlekin is a giant level 14 spider, and the first boss in Spindleclutch. There’s very little to worry about in this boss fight. Spindlekin aggroes with a bunch of spiders. You should try to gather them up and AOE them down. If you get the spiders down nice and clean, you probably won’t need many heals at all in this fight.
Boss mechanics
- Every now and then Spindlekin creates a pool of web/poison which snares everyone in the area of effect. It’s annoying but does no damage. You can ignore it.
- The boss periodically Summons spiders beneath her. They don’t pose a threat and can be aoe’d down easily.
- When the first spider she has summoned dies, Spindlekin will run to its location and Devour it, healing herself up in the process. The only way to prevent this is to not kill her adds. The heal isn’t a big deal though, and will only slightly delay her death.
The Swarm Mother
Level: 15
Health: 8,415
The Swarm Mother (level 15) is the second boss in Spindleclutch. Just like Spindlekin, The Swarm Mother shouldn’t be difficult to take down.
Boss mechanics
- The tank needs to look out for her power attack and prepare to block it. It has a pretty clear visual cue. Not blocking it will cause a knockdown and heavy physical damage, but is not lethal.
- The Swarm Mother periodically charges random distant targets with her Arachnid Leap ability. The charge does quite a bit of damage, but again, is not lethal. As long as your health is hovering above 70%, you should be fine.
- The Swarm Mother sometimes pulls distant targets to her.
- The boss summons a couple of spider hatclings every now and then. They have very low Health and can be taken down quickly.
Cerise the Widow-Maker
Level: 15
Health: 2,874
Cerise the Widow-Maker (level 14) is the third boss in Spindleclutch. The fight its self isn’t difficult. In fact, the big trash packs before her will probably prove to be more of a challenge than Cerise herself.
Cerise also aggroes with a bunch of trash mobs. The mobs include Corrupted Healers, Corrupted Evokers and Corrupted Infantry. You should take down the healers first, followed by evokers and infantry. The fight shouldn’t be tough as long as you take down the adds before you focus on her.
Boss mechanics
- Cerise casts Agony on the tank, dealing magic damage and stunning him.
- Cerise has a physical damage over time ability called Blood Craze, which just needs to be mitigated and healed through.
- At around 50% health Cerise seems to run rampant in the cave, not responding to taunts. Just deal with it!
Big Rabbu
Level: 14
Health: 2,874
Big Rabbu, a level 14 guardian, is the fourth boss in Spindleclutch. Like Cerise, Big Rabbu comes with a bunch of friends who should be dealt with before taking on him.
Boss mechanics
- Rabbu’s most powerful weapon is his Charge ability. He’ll charge right over his main target in a straight line, knocking everything down on his way and dealing physical damage. The charge path is marked with a red rectangle – just step out of it.
- Big Rabbu also casts Low Slash on the tank which is a snare. It will make getting out of his charge’s way a bit more difficult, but apart from that is only an annoyance.
The Whisperer
Level: 15
Health: 8,415
The Whisperer (level 15) is the fifth and final boss in Spindeclutch. Right infront of her is a big bunch of trash mobs, which do not aggro with her. You can and should take the trash down before you engage her. The Whisperer is the only encounter in Spindleclutch which demands at least some kind of attention.
Boss mechanics
- The most deadly ability The Whisperer has is called Daedric Explosion. Prior to the Explosion she pulls targets infront of her with the ability Grappling Web, and then lays a red circle of doom on the ground which quickly expands in size. If you fail to get out of it in time, you’ll take massive magic damage. It could be lethal.
- The Whisperer also has a high-damage ranged knockback ability called Arachnophobia which seems to prefer distant targets. You get disoriented for a few seconds first, then knocked back.
Veteran Mode
This section is WIP. Will be updated soon!