Sulphite and Delves

Once you have broken the seal in Highgate and gained access to the mines below, you will begin to encounter veins of Voltaxic Sulphite throughout the world. When you interact with these Voltaxic Sulphite veins, a character called Niko will appear to mine it out of the ground for you. Niko operates a mine that was previously abandoned by the Eternal Empire, and wants your help obtaining enough Sulphite to help illuminate the mine. Once you have some Sulphite, you can visit his mine. There are three points of interest at the mine: Niko himself, the Subterranean Chart, and the Generator.

The Mine

To access the mine itself, you need to use the Subterranean Chart device and select the point within the mine you wish to visit. Once there, you will appear next to a mobile machine called Crawler, which is powered by the Voltaxic Sulphite you have collected throughout the world. Use Crawler to select which adjacent area within the mine you would like to explore, and it will start moving in that direction. Be aware that this consumes some amount of Voltaxic Sulphite. Along the way to your destination you will encounter monsters and other paths into the dark depths of the mine, and at your destination you may find a difficult fight! Be careful when straying too far from Crawler, because the darkness in this mine is no ordinary darkness!

The Darkness

The darkness in this mine obscures your vision, but it also deals you damage. The damage grows the longer you stay in the darkness, so while short visits into the darkness might be OK, you won't be able to stay in there for long periods. The monsters within the mine are also empowered by the darkness, and will take massively reduced damage while they dwell within it. Some of the monsters will even use the darkness as a weapon, shutting down nearby lights. But don't worry, you can create some weapons of your own!

Flares and Dynamite

With the Azurite you find in the mine you can craft and upgrade flares and dynamite. Flares are portable light sources that can be thrown to specific locations and last for a short while. You won't get very far through the mine by just throwing flares -- you need Crawler's help for that -- but you can use them to explore areas near your pre-lit paths for valuable treasures. Dynamite won't provide any light, but can be used to harm enemies and open up new paths. You'll encounter Fractured Walls throughout the mine that can be destroyed with a well-placed stick of dynamite. Both of these items can be upgraded at the Generator, improving their effectiveness as well as the amount of each that you can carry. It's worth carrying a few on your character when you want to go treasure-hunting in the dark.

Resonators and Fossils

While it's fun to explore and slay monsters, the main reason you'll want to explore the Azurite Mine is for the Resonators. Resonators are special crafting items with sockets. They act like Chaos Orbs and come in several different sizes. To use one, you need to find Fossils to socket into them. It's the Fossils that set Resonators apart from their currency counterparts. Each Fossil socketed into a Resonator in some way influences what the outcome will be when that Resonator is used on an item. See below for an example.