Why was the Dungeon of Dorukan so easy?

[snowblizz]

Also, it's already been pointed out that Xykon wanted some foolish adventurers to make it to the bottom and touch the gate anyway.

Actually, to be clear. Xykon wanted the adventurers to be entertainment for the day. Which is why he designed his initial defences to be a lvl appropriate increasing challenge. Providing a humorous answer to the question why would a dungeon be like this anyway. RC quite sensibly suggest a more effective way if actually wanting to defend.

Half-way through, however, he learns through Nale's intervention that the good adventurers have a direct use in his gate related plans.

Of course Dorukan's defences is also defeated by an idiot bard pressing a self-destruction rune. In the sense that it blows the entire thing up and that intact gates are kinda vital. Girard's simlarly is destroyed by physical force, as is Soon's.

Girard's gate wouldn't have stood aginst the undead lich, descendents living or not I think? Though I don't remmber all of the discussions. Ultimately, Girard built defences against Soon's meddling more than anything. Which was his weakness, you can't hide and illusion away people who knows it's there because Serini had the exact cordinates.

Lirian's gate won, effectively. But for druids life is precious so she didn't kill the defeated where they stood. And made sure all of this happened.

Dorukan's gate was holding. But I'm not convinced it wasn't, given enough time, doomed to be revealed that someone good could bypass the final defence.

Soon's gate also nearly won. I can't argue Miko was unavoidable (though the Sapphire Guard kinda ends up defeating tiself), so am going to have to say Soon's defences at least would have worked against Xykon. Cosmic irony for the win I guess?

Of course there are meta reason the gates have to fall too. Hard to get around.

And there is a question what are the defences suppsoed to do, keeping away Xykon and RC's Plan that may or mat no work is one thing. But fundamentally the gates defences need to make sure the gates stand and rifts kept under control. None of them were very good at doing that.