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Shades & Wraiths

Shades are hostile spirits that haunt the Forgotten Polis in large numbers. Hunting them is the bread-and-butter PvE loop of the wilds: they drop boss essence, enchanting materials, and the occasional jackpot — and every kill pushes your Hunter's Path forward.

Finding them

Head to the Forgotten Polis through the /warp menu. Shades roam the whole region around the city, so you won't have to look hard. They unlock with Fund I at the start of the season; their elite cousins, Wraiths, unlock at Fund IV.

Remember the Polis is a PvP area — other hunters are as dangerous as the spirits.

Tiers and the first-hit lock

Shades come in eight tiers, shown as a numeral from [I] to [VIII] in front of the name once a fight begins — a shade's tier isn't decided until someone hits it:

  • Your first hit locks the shade to you. Its tier is set to match you — based on your Hunter Rank (or your mining level if you're new to the wilds).
  • While locked, only you can fight it. Other players who try are told it's locked to you.
  • The lock releases if you die or stop fighting it for a short while, freeing the shade for someone else.

Higher tiers hit harder and have more health — and pay out better. The tier brackets follow your progression, so a Tier VIII hunter never farms Tier I loot.

Wraiths

Occasionally a Wraith appears instead — a far deadlier elite with double the strength, enchanted diamond armor, and a netherite blade. They follow the same first-hit lock rules and drop noticeably better loot, including more boss essence per kill.

Drops

Drops scale with the locked tier. Across the tiers you can expect:

  • Enchant dust and enchant erasers (stronger erasers from higher tiers)
  • Boss essence, matched to your tier: Lamia essence at low tiers, Echidna in the mid tiers, Thanatos higher up, and Hephaestus at the top — essence accumulates toward boss summoning keys
  • Motes of the Ancients and booster boxes
  • Rare specials: boss summoning keys, the Spectral Trim, Golden Tickets, and Heroic Meteor Flares
  • From Tier V up: a rare chance at a Trim Remover

Wraiths trade a couple of those drops away — Motes and Trim Removers stay with regular shades — for extras of their own, such as bot fuel and G-Kit level-up boxes.

Your standing in the wilds matters too — certain alignments earn a chance at a bonus loot roll on every kill.

Progression

  • Kills award Hunter Points toward your Hunter's Path ranks.
  • Check the server's best hunters with /shadetop.
  • Clue scrolls regularly ask you to kill or damage Shades and Wraiths.