Cerus

Cerus

Race

Demon

Level

80

Rank

Legendary

Locations

• Lonely Tower Fractal
  (Fractals of the Mists)
  
• Temple of Febe
  (Nayos)

Organization

Kryptis

“

Even though my brother is...gone, his dream is mine. Eparch will see that Deimos and I are truly the same. I am just as capable.

— Cerus

Cerus, the Glaive of House Nephus is a Kryptis Lord from Nayos, the Realm of Dreams. He is the brother of Deimos and Peitha in House Nephus, and the mate of Heitor, their cousin. Eager to prove himself to be as capable a warrior as his brother under the eyes of Midnight King Eparch, Cerus intends to hunt his greatest quarry yet.

After the World Spire's breaking, Cerus leads his fellow Kryptis to assault Amnytas and the rest of Tyria while he singles out the Seer wizard Isgarren as his primary target to present to his master. During the invasion he crosses paths with the Pact Commander who has drawn his attention. Cerus eventually subjugates both Isgarren and the Commander but is betrayed by Peitha during the moment of his triumph as she chooses to side with the Commander and Isgarren instead to kill him and declare her rebellion against Eparch's tyranny in an attempt to claim the title of Midnight King for herself.

Biography

Early years

Cerus and his siblings Deimos and Peitha were born to the evolving Kryptis society in Nayos, the Realm of Dreams. As their uncle Midnight King Eparch and aunt Queen Labris tightened their hold over the realm and made preparations to one day invade Tyria to assault Eparch's rival, the Seer wizard Isgarren, the siblings gained power as well. The trio would be named as members of House Nephus after General Nephus, one of the Kryptis lords who acted as Eparch's right hand, although it remains unclear why they were associated with him over their uncle. Cerus eventually became the mate of his cousin Heitor. Cerus always felt that Eparch respected Deimos more than him, however, which drove him to prove himself so that the Midnight King would realize that Cerus was just as capable as Deimos.

The Midnight King gave the Kryptis orders to invade other realms in the Mists and consume and corrupt their landscape and inhabitants to add these victims' power into their own, while he would feed on his subjects in turn and continued scheming for ways to send his forces en masse to invade Amnytas and Tyria. Cerus was personally responsible for fighting heroes from other worlds during these campaigns. Although most Kryptis were intimidated by their powerful king to the point of fighting to their last breath rather than anger him, a select few had the courage to speak against Eparch's tyranny at the cost of their lives. Cerus encouraged Kanaxai to follow Aurkus's orders to execute Lady Mosyn, an influential Kryptis lord, at the Coliseum of the Midnight King for her defiance against Eparch. Febe, another respected lord and friend to Mosyn, spoke about autonomy and also opposed Eparch openly but was slain by Deimos in the Temple of Febe with Cerus and Eparch in audience. Eparch was said to have smiled upon watching Febe's fall.

Lonely Tower Fractal

After the Astral Ward's founding in 604 AE, Eparch's Kryptis possessed the first Warden of the Wizard's Court, Taryn. This ultimately led to Eparch's first invasion attempt into Tyria in 635 AE, where the Kryptis targeted the Wizard's Tower with Eparch himself leading the incursion alongside his nephews. During the assault, Cerus and Deimos killed the Forgotten wizard Vass before being forced back into Nayos by Astral Ward defenders, including the mursaat wizard Mabon. Isgarren and his allies were able to banish the Midnight King and the remaining invaders back into Nayos as well despite the tower sustaining heavy damage in the ensuing clash.

Interim years

When Deimos was stuck in the wards of the Bastion of the Penitent and slain by the Pact Commander and raiders many years later in 1330 AE, Eparch was merely content to watch and did nothing to help his champion. Peitha would remember it as another form of the Midnight King's indifference towards his subjects, while Cerus appeared to have accepted Eparch's silent judgement without voicing any overt disapproval.

Secrets of the Obscure

Act 1

Cerus during the Kryptis invasion of Tyria.

Following the World Spire's fracturing in the wake of the Elder Dragon Soo-Won's death and Aurene's ascension affecting the magical balance of the All in 1335 AE, the Kryptis were able to breach the Veil to invade Tyria en masse at last. Eparch sent Cerus, Asthenes and several other Kryptis champions to lead the assault as they targeted Isgarren and his wizards to neutralize the Astral Ward's greatest defenders one by one. Cerus chose to subjugate Isgarren and present the Seer wizard to Eparch and thus prove his worth as a hunter.

As Cerus targeted Isgarren for possession, he sensed a solitary being from Tyria appearing in the Temple of Febe from a rift in 1336 AE. Approaching the disoriented trespasser, he decided to toy with this flickering soul, tasting many conflicting emotions on this person whom he would later learn was the Pact Commander. The Kryptis Lord did not respect the Commander's personal space as he got closer while the Commander tried to keep some distance between them, all the while he tried to figure out what kind of creature he was dealing with given the depth of the Commander's emotions. However, when the Commander suddenly gained the knowledge to call the Kryptis Lord as Cerus during their clash, Cerus grew angry with his quarry's audacity to utter his true name and decided to end their little game then and there. However, the Commander was able to elude Cerus in the ensuing chase and escaped back to Tyria while the Kryptis Lord refocused on his mission to subjugate Isgarren, remaining unaware that his sister had been aiding the Tyrian interloper in secret.

Act 2

Asthenes finally succeeded in its grim task to subjugate Mabon after the mursaat wizard had spent much of his strength in saving his dwarven comrade Lyhr from possession as well as opening the Wizard's Tower. Despite the possession, however, Mabon was still able to control some of his actions to set up wards in the Bastion of Strength in an attempt to shield parts of it from the Kryptis although his resistance continued eroding under the Kryptis's influence.

The Pact Commander who was now known as the Wayfinder, Zojja as well as members of the Wizard's Court and Astral Ward eventually tracked down Mabon to the Bastion of Strength. However, it turned out to be a trap as the possessed mursaat wizard was accompanied by several Kryptis which ambushed the would-be rescuers. The wizards ended up splitting up in the ensuing battle, leaving the Commander and Zojja to face Mabon alone. Asthenes emerged from Mabon's body to battle the pair directly while its comrade, Cerus, observed the battle on the sidelines via a projection. Regaining some of his willpower, the mursaat wizard urged the pair to slay Asthenes despite what it would cost him. After a fierce struggle, Asthenes was defeated albeit it led to Mabon's demise as well. Wishing to torment his quarry further, Cerus let go of Isgarren's mind for only a moment, long enough for the Seer wizard to sense his mursaat friend's demise but not long enough to let him do anything about it.

Act 3

Peitha being playful with Cerus before betraying him.

When the Astral Ward had finally located Isgarren, the Wizard's Court and the Wayfinder set off to rescue Isgarren and cleanse him of possession. After chasing the Seer across the Bastion of the Celestial and fighting his many fragmented magics which manifested and amplified Isgarren's negative traits much to Cerus's amusement as he taunted the Astral Ward, a final confrontation occurred atop the World Spire itself. However, instead of simply removing the possessing Kryptis from Isgarren, a new rift opened and dragged both Isgarren and the Wayfinder into the Temple of Febe in Nayos, where Cerus had first met the Wayfinder and was now waiting for the pair.

Unable to properly move, Isgarren gave the Wayfinder what little help he could so that they could stand up and confront Cerus. It was not enough, however, but rescue came in the unexpected form of Peitha who distracted Cerus with her inquiries about his prize just in time. Cerus admitted to his sister that while Isgarren was reserved for Eparch, the Wayfinder had become Cerus's unexpected prize, and the Kryptis Lord now had to decide what to do with the hero. Positioning herself between her brother and his captives during the talk, Peitha used Cerus's hesitation to her advantage and lectured him about Eparch's indifference towards Deimos's demise that had finally inspired her to take a stand, while she accused Cerus of being just as bad as Eparch towards their fellow Kryptis and not as honorable as Deimos. Angered by his sister's accusations and that she had chosen to not only aid his quarry but oppose him and the Midnight King so brazenly, Cerus engaged the trio in combat. Despite proving to be a mighty opponent, Cerus ultimately fell while the trio successfully escaped from Nayos. Cerus's demise would signal the true beginning of Peitha's rebellion to liberate the Kryptis from Eparch's tyranny.

Legacy

Through the Veil

As he had done with Deimos, Eparch did not care for Cerus's fate either, deeming him just as expendable. When Peitha brought the Wayfinder to Inner Nayos and had her fellow Kryptis rebels shelter the stranded Astral Ward from Eparch's loyalists as they planned to take the fight to the Midnight King later that year, however, Heitor learned of Cerus's demise and swore to make Peitha pay for her treachery. Despite her efforts, Heitor failed to avenge her fallen mate when Peitha's party killed her as well.

Locations

Horn of Maguuma

• Nayos
  • Strike Mission: Temple of Febe

The Mists

• Fractals of the Mists
  • Lonely Tower Fractal
  • Silent Surf Fractal (voice only, as the Mysterious Voice)

Story involvement

Secrets of the Obscure story

• Act 1
  • Hell Breaks Loose
• Act 2
  • Mabon's Fate (as a vision)
• Act 3
  • The World Spire (voice only)
  • Treachery

Combat abilities

• Click on the "[Show]" button to the right to show information.

Fractals of the Mists: Lonely Tower Fractal

Abilities

• The Glaive of House Nephus

Behavior

• Fixates onto the closest player through the  Cerus's Focus (18s) effect.

Effects

•  Brothers United (only when near Deimos) - Strengthened by proximity to his brother.
•  Empowered - Increases damage by 5% per stack. At 99 stacks, Cerus's attacks become unblockable.

Skills

• Cry of Rage - Channel overwhelming rage into a massive cry. Cerus gains ₁ Empowered if a player is hit.
• Despair - Manifest overwhelming despair onto enemies, leaving behind a damaging pool that inflicts  Agony.
• Malicious Intent - Tether to an enemy and manifest their malice. Gain ₅ Empowered upon consuming the malice.
• Smash - Basic melee attack.

Stolen skills

•   Soul Stone Venom

Story mode: Hell Breaks Loose

Abilities

• ???

Behavior

• Becomes untargetable and passive when the player is downed.
• Endlessly recuperates from battle.

Effects

(unlocked at 85% health but cannot be broken)

•  Empowered - Increases damage by 5% per stack. At 99 stacks, Cerus's attacks become unblockable.
•  Determined (at 85% health) - Determined to survive and immune to damage.

Skills

• Cry of Rage - Channel overwhelming rage into a massive slam, inflicting ₁ Exposed on-hit.
• Envious Gaze - Manifest a beam of overwhelming envy that sweeps through the area, corrupting boons on-contact.
• Malicious Intent - Manifest overwhelming burden onto enemies at range. Gain ₁ Empowered and apply ₁ Debilitated if the burden is not shared.
• Petrify (at 85% health) - Tether and petrify all enemies that cannot escape, stopping their ability to act for 7 seconds. Regenerate 20% health or 13% health if poisoned.
• Wail of Despair - Manifest overwhelming despair onto enemies, leaving behind a damaging pool in its wake.
  • Pool of Despair - Impose devastating despair to enemies caught within the pool.

Stolen skills

•   Soul Stone Venom

Story mode: Treachery

Abilities

• The Glaive of House Nephus

Behavior

• Endlessly recuperates from battle until interference.

Effects

(unlocked at 75%, 50%, 25%, and 5% health)

•  Empowered - Increases damage by 5% per stack. At 99 stacks, Cerus's attacks become unblockable.
•  Empowered - Damage increased by 50%.
•  Impenetrable Defense (at 75%, 50%, and 25% health when vulnerable) - Immune to all damage and conditions.
• At least one of the following depending on which embodiments are defeated:
  •  Empowered Despair
  •  Empowered Envy
  •  Empowered Gluttony
  •  Empowered Malice
  •  Empowered Rage
  •  Empowered Regret

Skills

• Crushing Regret - Manifest overwhelming regret onto an enemy. If this burden is not shared by at least two people, apply ₁ Exposed to all enemies and gain ₁ Empowered.
• Cry of Rage - Channel overwhelming rage into a massive unblockable slam, inflicting ₁ Exposed on-hit. If affected by  Empowered Rage, this covers a larger area.
• Enraged Smash - Overwhelm all enemies with a frenzied smash.
• Envious Gaze - Manifest a beam of overwhelming envy that sweeps through the area, corrupting boons on-contact. If affected by  Empowered Envy, a second faster beam sweeps through the area before merging with the other beam. Both beams will steal boons in addition to corrupting them.
• Insatiable Hunger - Manifest and draw in coalesced gluttony. Consuming each orb grants barrier and each large orb grants ₁ Empowered.
• Malicious Intent (variant 1) - Tether to an enemy and manifest their malice. Gain ₁ Empowered upon consuming the malice.
• Malicious Intent (variant 2) - Manifest overwhelming burden onto an enemy at range. Gain ₁ Empowered and apply ₁ Debilitated if the burden is not shared.
• Petrify - Tether and petrify all enemies that cannot escape, stopping their ability to act for a period of time. Regenerate 20% health or 13% health if poisoned.
• Wail of Despair - Manifest overwhelming despair onto enemies, leaving behind a damaging pool in its wake. If affected by  Empowered Despair, this covers a larger area.
  • Pool of Despair - Impose devastating despair and ₁ Torment to enemies caught within the pool. If affected by  Empowered Despair, this persists much longer.

Stolen skills

•   Soul Stone Venom

Raid encounter: Temple of Febe

Abilities

• Kryptis Lord

Effects

Unnamed defiance skill — Breaking the defiance bar will expose the aspects of Cerus's power.  Occurs when defiance is broken.

•  Empowered - Increases damage by 5% per stack. At 99 stacks, Cerus's attacks become unblockable.
• At least one of the following depending on which embodiments are defeated:
  •  Empowered Despair
  •  Empowered Envy
  •  Empowered Gluttony
  •  Empowered Malice
  •  Empowered Rage
  •  Empowered Regret

Skills

• Crushing Regret - Manifest overwhelming regret onto an enemy. If this burden is not shared by at least three people, apply ₁ Exposed to all enemies and gain ₅ Empowered. If affected by  Empowered Regret, three enemies are now targeted by this burden.
• Cry of Rage - Channel overwhelming rage into a massive unblockable slam, inflicting ₁ Exposed on-hit. If affected by  Empowered Rage, this covers a larger area and deals unavoidable damage.
• Enraged Smash - Overwhelm all enemies with a frenzied smash.
• Envious Gaze - Manifest a beam of overwhelming envy that sweeps through the area, corrupting boons on-contact. If affected by  Empowered Envy, a second faster beam sweeps through the area before merging with the other beam. Both beams will steal boons in addition to corrupting them.
• Insatiable Hunger - Manifest and draw in coalesced gluttony. Consuming each orb grants barrier and each large orb grants ₁ Empowered. Enemies become  Insatiable upon touching each large orb. If affected by  Empowered Envy, additional large orbs will spawn and  Insatiable is permanent.
  • Insatiable - Insatiable enemies take periodic, stacking damage.
• Malicious Intent - Tether to an enemy and manifest their malice. Gain ₅ Empowered upon consuming the malice. If affected by  Empowered Malice, three enemies are now tethered.
• Petrify - Tether and petrify all enemies that cannot escape, stopping their ability to act for a period of time. Regenerate 20% health or 13% health if poisoned. Applies  Petrify periodically to players until the defiance bar is broken, reducing their damage and speed, potentially lasting beyond this attack.
• Wail of Despair - Manifest overwhelming despair onto enemies, leaving behind a damaging pool in its wake. If affected by  Empowered Despair, this covers a larger area.
  • Pool of Despair - Impose devastating despair and ₁ Torment to enemies caught within the pool. If affected by  Empowered Despair, this persists much longer.

Stolen skills

•   Soul Stone Venom

Gallery

• 

  Cerus in the Temple of Febe.

• 

  Peitha showing her disapproval of her brother's methods.

• 

  Cerus talking during cut scene.

• 

  Cerus during the Wizard's Tower invasion from Lonely Tower Fractal.

• 

  Cerus concept art.

Stats of encounter relevant enemies

Enemy	Health	Defiance Bar
Cerus	53,087,400 (NM) 106,174,800 (CM) 130,064,136 (LM)	3,600 (NM, CM, LM)
Embodiments	1,769,580 (NM) 3,539,160 (CM, LM)
Malicious Shadow	630,960 (NM)1 1,577,4002(CM, LM)

¹ Has 2,253 armor, down from the normal 2,597

² Has 3,147 armor, up from the normal 2,597

Related achievements

• Secrets of the Obscure: Act 3: Emotional Fortitude — Defeat all of the embodiments of the chapter boss. (1)
• A New Look: Sample of Kryptis Corruption
• Daily Raid Encounter: Priority Horn of Maguuma Strike: Temple of Febe — Complete the Temple of Febe raid encounter. (0) (Historical)
• Secrets of the Obscure: Apathetic — While challenge mode is active, complete the Temple of Febe raid encounter with all of Cerus's emotional aspects empowered. (5)
• Secrets of the Obscure: Legendary Conqueror of Cerus — Complete the Temple of Febe raid encounter after selecting a legendary challenge from the challenge mote. (0)
• Secrets of the Obscure: Legendary Temple of Febe — Complete the Temple of Febe raid encounter with challenge mode active. (5)
• Secrets of the Obscure: Temple of Febe — Complete the Temple of Febe raid encounter. (5)
• Secrets of the Obscure: Unbounded Optimism — While challenge mode is active, complete the Temple of Febe raid encounter without taking damage from Cerus's Wail of Despair or Pool of Despair skills. (5)
• Secrets of the Obscure: Weekly Secrets of the Obscure Strike Missions — Complete 2 unique Secrets of the Obscure Raid Encounters within a week. (0)
• Lonely Tower Fractal: Brothers, Together — Defeat Cerus and Deimos within 5 seconds of each other in the Lonely Tower fractal. (3)

Notes

• The Endless Kryptis Lord Combat Tonic originally had the player assume the form of Cerus. However, a later update changed the tonic form to resemble Peitha instead.

Trivia

• Cerus is voiced by Noshir Dalal.
• Cerus's name was first revealed in the press preview of the Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure expansion.
• The name may be derived from Cerus, the masculine Latin version of Ceres the Goddess of Agriculture and Fertility. The name stems from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₃-os ('nourishment, grain'), a derivative of the root *ḱerh₃- ('to feed').
• The "Mysterious Voice" in the Silent Surf Fractal has been confirmed to be Cerus.

See also

• Family trees

Associated items

• Mini Cerus
• Relic of Cerus

References

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Raids