Walkthrough for the 4th Floor of the Lava Ruins

Please note that this is the revised version of the 4th Floor Walkthrough. The existing version in the Bestiary and Caves Guide contains a fundamental error for first-time visitors to the 4th floor. I wrote it initially to help a player who had beaten the Boss previously find the Locked Door. It therefore is NOT suitable for a player who is entering the 4th floor for the first time in order to unlock the doors. The following walkthrough IS correct for the player who wishes to unlock the shortcut stairway.


From the Isolated Stairway from the 3rd Floor


Path to the 5th Floor

When you descend from the 3rd Floor, you will see a long wide staircase that descends to the west. It leads to a peaceful chamber containing a single large tillable field containing four plots, a water source, one real Treasure Chest and one Monster Box. An exit in the southwest is blocked by a huge round stone boulder. This is a new device first found on the 4th floor of the Lava Ruins. There is no way to move it from this side, however, so retrace your steps to the isolated stairway.
Now go east to find a stationary catapult. Hit the lever with a Hammer and it will destroy fallen masonry to the south that barred the entrance to a narrow staircase leading downward. Do not explore the stairway yet.
Instead, move east of the catapult to find three smooth small square boulders that act as a barrier to the east. You need a Silver Hammer or better to destroy boulders of this sort. Do so and move east to find a Treasure Chest that usually contains Copper.
From here, you will enter an area with two narrow twin staircases to the south and a large round boulder in the north held in place by sand. A Monster Generator in the northeast corner spawns two Trolls. Against the eastern wall are two white urns. This is the northeast limit of the 4th floor.
Use your hoe on the pile of sand to release the large round boulder. Follow it as it rolls down the narrow stairway and then down a narrow path to destroy a pile of fallen masonry. You will find a Monster Generator that spawns three Buffaloo as well as the isolated stairs that lead to the 5th floor.

Path to the Shortcut Stairway

Note that, if you used the catapult initially, you now have three separate narrow staircases side by side that lead south. The one farthest east leads to the isolated stairway to the 5th floor.
The other narrow stairway west of the one leading to the isolated stairway will take you down a narrow path to a Monster Generator that spawns two Summers. If you continue south, you will find a pile of fallen masonry blocking your accesso to a large chamber that contains tillable fields and a Monster Generator spawning two Trolls.
Ignore this path for now, therefore, as you must destroy the fallen masonry from the other side.
Return to the first stairway that was unblocked by the action of the catapult. This stairway is the one furthest to the west and closest to the isolated stairway leading from the 3rd floor. At the foot of the stairs, you will encounter two Trolls immediately. The monster generator that spawns them is to the west.
This effectively constitutes a crossroads, with exits in all directions. You can go west into a large chamber containing tillable fields or east to a large almost empty chamber that contains a single Monster Geneartor that spawns two little Fluffys.
You can go south up another flight of stairs as well.
Go east first, into the chamber with a single Monster Generator that spawns two Fluffys. You will see an exit in the southwest. If you take it, you will find yourself in a large area with two tillable fields, a water source and two crates. Each of the fields contains two plots. In the northeast corner, fallen masonry effectively imprisons two Trolls who are spawned by a single Generator. To the north of the trolls is the middle narrow pathway patrolled by the two Summers.
At the moment, this large chamber is a dead end, although there is a wide stairway to the west, as your access is blocked by fallen masonry.
Return then to the crossroads and take the stairway that ascends to the south. You will find that this is a dead end to you at the moment as well, as fallen masonry at the top blocks your passage.
Your only real path, therefore is to the west past the Monster Generator that spawns the two Trolls that guard the crossroads.
You will find yourself in a very large peaceful chamber with four tillable fields, each of which consists of two plots. There is a single crate in the northwest with a water source next to it.
The exit from this chamber is in the southwest down a narrow causeway that leads south to a platform guarded by two Summers spawned by a Monster Generator.
The position of this Monster Generator marks a crossroads as well. There is a wide stairway that ascends to the east. To the west, another parallel causeway leads north and south and directly south, the causeway on which you travel continues.
If you continue south along the causeway, you will find your passage barred by fallen masonry.
Ascend the wide stairway east first, therefore, to a large platform with a single Monster Generator that spawns two Trolls and two Minotaurs. A cluster of two rocks can be smashed for Ores/Gems. In the southeast, you will find a swiveling catapult.
This can be turned in any direction. Turn it to destroy the fallen masonry at the foot of the wide stairway in the east. There is a pile of fallen masonry in the south as well but the catapult will not serve for this. You will be forced to detonate a bomb from the other side instead.
Return to the crossroads now, going back down the wide staircase in the west and continue west to the causeway that runs parallel to it. This is the western limit of the 4th floor.
To the north is a Monster Generator that spawns a Buffaloo. If you continue north, you will find a large round boulder held in place by sand at the end of the path. Use your hoe on the sand and run south quickly to avoid being crushed.
This is the round boulder that blocked the exit from the first chamber you explored on the 4th floor. If you wished now, you could continue north back to that chamber.
If you continue south along the causeway, you will find three Rocks that can be smashed for Ores/Gems barring your path. Smash them and continue south to a Monster Generator that spawns two Trolls. To the left of the Generator is a catapult.
Hit the lever to destroy the fallen masonry on the causeway to your right. You now can return to the eastern causeway and go all the way south to gain access to two white Urns and a Treasure Chest. It is a dead end, however.
Go south from the catapult, then east to find a locked door in the south. If you attempt to access this door, you will see:
Freyr: It won’t open… Huh? There’s a hole in the door. Is it a keyhole? But it has such a strange shape… I can’t go in now anyway. I’ll try again later.
Continue east and you will see a narrow stairway leading north. If you ascend it, you will find a bomb at the top and beyond that, fallen masonry. Beyond that is the large platform where you encountered two Trolls and two Minotaurs. If you wish to return to that platform, detonate the Bomb to clear the path.
Otherwise, continue east instead. You will encounter two Buffaloo that are spawned by a single Generator. The Generator is on a little island and therefore can be destroyed only by a long distance weapon such as a spear or a magical rod. Continue east and you will find a Catapult at the end of the path. If you hit the lever, it will destroy the rubble that imprisoned the two Trolls in the chamber to the north.
From the position of the catapult, a narrow path leads south. Go through a sliding door to unlock it, gaining access to the shortcut stairway.
You will not be able to use this stairway yet to go to the 5th floor as that door has not been unlocked. Instead, return to the isolated stairway that leads to the 5th floor.

From the Shortcut Stairway to the Locked Door

From the shortcut stairway, you first will encounter a catapult platform. Hit the lever with a hammer to send the missile flying north to destroy a pile of fallen masonry. It will not affect the path you are on at the moment, however.
Go west from the catapult to encounter two Buffaloo spawned by a single Generator that can be reached only with a long range weapon such as a spear.
West of this is another Monster Generator that spawns two Summers. You have a choice of destination here.
You can climb a stairway to the north or continue west.
Continue West first to find a monster Generator that spawns two Trolls.
Past the Monster Generator that spawned the Trolls is the western end of the dungeon. To the north, you will find a stationary catapult. If you hit it with a Hammer, it will destroy a pile of masonry that blocks access to two white urns and a treasure chest on the parallel path to the east.
North of the catapult are three Rocks that can be smashed for Ores/Gems. They act as a barrier so you must destroy them before you can go north. One of the rocks often contains Silver.
If you continue north along the narrow path with the Rocks, you will encounter a Monster Generator that spawns two Buffaloo.
Continue north along a narrow pathway that skirts a lava river and you will come to a huge round Boulder held in place by sand. It will not destroy anything when it rolls but with it out of the way, you will have access to a huge peaceful chamber with a large tillable field containing six plots. There is a single treasure chest here and a Monster Box as well as a stairway to the east.
If you climb the wide staircase to the East of the tillable field, you will find yourself at the entrance to the isolated stairway that leads back to the 3rd floor.
Use the Walkthrough from the Isolated Stairway from the 4th Floor if you wish to find the Isolated Stairway to the 5th floor.