Varmundt's Biosphere Walkthrough (Lv 240+)

kRO's endgame field-dungeon complex, ported in full: seven ecological habitats built by the sage Varmundt beneath Barmund Mansion, the Depths 1st Floor hidden below them, and the Depths Abyss at the very bottom. Each layer feeds the next — this page walks you through the whole progression.

Quick route: Warper → Dungeons → the Barmund/Biosphere entries, or walk into Barmund Mansion (ba_maison) and take the bathhouse at 197,274 into the research wing (ba_in01).

Layer 1 — The Seven Fields (Lv 240+)

Seven specimen habitats, each themed on one element. Monsters are Lv 252-255 versions of familiar species with ~90% damage reduction map-wide — bring your endgame gear. Each field has its own MVP (respawns ~6h, 99% reduction) dropping Blacksmith Blessing, Rune Boxes and field essences.

The two guide robots (Admin Beta, ba_in01 252,353 for the A-wing and 237,301 for the B-wing) explain everything in-game and can point the way to each door.

Daily surveys — big EXP

Beta (ba_in01 309,44) offers one survey per field per day: hunt 100 monsters (any species) in that field. Reward per survey: 80,000,000 base / 48,000,000 job EXP + 5 elemental Runes + 2 Essences of that field. Seven fields = seven surveys every day. Resets at midnight WIB.

Runes, gear, enchants (the NPC row at ba_in01 358-371)

All of these stand in one row along the south-east wall of ba_in01 — walk it left to right:

• Omega (358,50, rune exchange): 10 Rune Fragments + 20,000z → 1 complete Rune, for all seven elements. Rune Fragments drop in the Depths 1st Floor, not in the fields — every Deep monster drops its own element's fragment (~0.8%) and occasionally the finished Rune itself (~0.2%). The seven daily field surveys also pay 5 finished Runes each, which is by far the fastest way to stock them.
• Beta shops (359,53 and 361,53): craft the Varmundt Rune armor sets (Armor 300k + 30 Runes, Manteau 200k + 20, Boots 150k + 15) and Engraved versions of classic gear (Orlean's set, Naga set, Survival Manteau and more). The craft needs a blank base piece as its ingredient — the base Varmundt Rune Armor, Pauldron and Greaves drop at the official 0.15% from the monsters in the four original fields (Grass, Fire, Ice, Death), so farm a blank first, then bring it here with the Runes to imbue an element. The base Varmundt Rune Ring works the same way (0.15%) but drops only in the three newer fields (Temple, Venom, Soul**); imbue it into a Temple/Venom/Soul ring with 20 matching Runes.
• Enchanting (363,53 for base gear, 371,55 for reformed gear and rings): base gear enchants at +7 or higher (rings any refine), up to 2 slots with matching Runes; reformed (upgraded) gear gets 3 slots. Resets available.
• Reform (368,55): upgrade your +7 Varmundt gear to the stronger tier — refine, cards, enchants and grade carry over (rings keep cards + enchants). You do not need an upgrade ticket, just talk to Beta and pick the set. What you do need is materials, and they are the real cost:

Where the Upgrade Stones actually come from. Grid, the Ore Researcher, sells them in four grades, and each grade is three of the one below. The chain starts at Shadowdecon, under his third menu option ("Buy additional ore"):

Give	Zeny	Get
1x Shadowdecon	20,000z	1x Upgrade Stone (Lower)
3x Lower	10,000z	1x Intermediate
3x Intermediate	20,000z	1x High
3x High	50,000z	1x Superior

So one Superior costs 27 Shadowdecon and 740,000z, and the 100 the reform needs work out to 2,700 Shadowdecon and 74,000,000z per piece. Budget for that before you start.

Shadowdecon drops all over the place: the Biosphere Temple / Venom / Soul monsters at 1 to 3%, their MVPs (Temple Valkyrie Randgris, Enhanced Venom Chimera, Soul Gloom Under Night) at 20%, the four original fields' MVPs at 18%, and every classic MVP at 0.5%.

Grid's menu also lists a "5x Enhancement Ore" route for each grade. Ignore it — none of the twelve Enhancement Ore items has any source on DewataRO, so that half of his shop cannot be used.

Getting into the Regenschirm lab. You cannot warp or /navi straight to rgsr_in — the map carries a nowarpto flag, so any direct attempt silently fails. Talk to the Equipment Reform PR Agent at /navi lighthalzen 99/156 (there is a second one in the Item Mall at itemmall 14,50) and choose "Let's go." She walks you in through the visitors' route and drops you at rgsr_in 125,170. From there the Ore Researcher, whose name in dialogue is Grid, stands a short walk away at 131,187.

The condensed ring upgrades trade differently: 5 Runes and 10 Magical Water instead of 20 Runes and 50 Essence.

Plan for it rather than grinding blind. The Runes are the slowest line, and the seven daily field surveys pay 5 finished Runes each, which covers a set in about four days per element. Barmil Tickets come almost entirely from repeating the EP17.2 dailies, so start banking them before you need them.

Layer 2 — Depths 1st Floor (Lv 250+)

A crack connecting all seven biospheres. 16 species, Lv 262-265, all boss-flagged (no status tricks, no MVP). Teleportation does not work inside.

1. Talk to the Depth Research Manager (ba_in01 292,104, Lv 250 required) for the introduction.
2. Enter through the blue gates inside any of the seven fields.
3. Exit through the portal at the center of the Depths.

Reputation: "Depths 1F Research"

Everything here builds your Depths 1F Research score (watch it live in the in-game Reputation window). Earned from the quest board at the Depth 1st Floor Research Manager (ba_in01 286,104):

• Daily: hunt 300 (any Depth monster) → 3 Research Documents + 90 rep + huge EXP.
• Weekly: hunt 2,000 → 12 Documents + 240 rep.
• 8 elemental Sample Studies (I and II): hunt 50/80 of two specific species and collect 15/20 elemental specimens, then report to the matching Sample Research Manager → Documents + 15 rep + EXP. Study II unlocks at 2,000 rep.

Trade 2 Documents to the Depth Research Manager for a random research result (Deep energies, crystals or rune fragments).

What reputation unlocks

The Rune Energy Fusion Manager (293,119) fuses Deep energies → crystals → runes/essences for the enchant costs.

Layer 3 — Depths Abyss (Lv 250+, 2,000 rep)

The strongest monsters on the server: 10 species, Lv 265, all boss-flagged, 155-180M HP. No teleport, no memo, no escape tools inside.

1. At 2,000 Depths 1F rep, the Depth Research Manager gives you a new investigation.
2. Use the Chessboard in the mansion garden (ba_maison 242,128) to reach the Chess Garden.
3. Meet the Abyss Research Manager there, then enter through the Abyss Rift.

Abyss reputation and quests

A second score, "Depths Abyss Research", from the Abyss Research Manager:

• Daily: hunt 450 (any Abyss monster) → 60 rep + 1 Time Dimension Magic Rune.
• Daily per species: hunt 25 of one species (10 quests) → 6 rep + 1 Abyss Magic Rune Ore each.
• Weekly: hunt 3,000 → 300 rep + Deep Abyss Rune Box (30 Abyss Magic Runes + 10 Time Dimension Magic Runes).

Abyss loot and materials

Every Abyss monster drops Abyss/Time Dimension Jewel Fragments, Etel Dust, and rarely a Dimension Weapon Box (one random Dimensions-class weapon for any 4th job, Lv 250, 2 slots) or a Dimensions Weapon Refinement Device.

On top of that, every Abyss kill can drop the crown materials: Temporal Gemstone (~3.5%) plus the rarer Contaminated Magic and Temporal Spell (~0.75% each). The 75 Gemstones a crown needs work out to roughly 2,100 Abyss kills — the daily and weekly hunts get you there while paying rep and runes along the way. (On kRO these materials only come from Glast Heim Challenge Mode boxes; here they drop directly in the Abyss so the whole crown loop lives in one place. Contaminated Magic ×5 + Temporal Spell ×3 are also what the Fusion Manager charges for a Time Dimension Magic Rune.) The Abyss Fusion Manager runs the chain: 10 fragments + zeny → jewel → 10+10 jewels → Rune Ore → + Temporal Crystals → Abyss Magic Rune → + spell materials → Time Dimension Magic Rune.

Abyss enchanting (official enchant UI)

The Abyss Magic Enchanter in the Chess Garden:

All of it runs through the official enchant window — perfect (selectable) enchants and resets included.

Time Gap weapons (Lv 250)

The Time Gap series — 21 weapons, one kit per 4th job, Lv 250, WLv 5, 2 slots, each boosting that job's newest skills — lives entirely in the Abyss. Three ways to get yours:

1. Drops: every Abyss monster can drop any of the 21 weapons (0.075% each — about a 1.6% chance per kill that something drops) plus the Time Gap Refine Hammer (0.3%).
2. Craft (1,000 rep): pick the exact weapon at the Abyss Magic Enchanter, priced like a crown.
3. The Melter (no rep): feed the furnace any three Time Gap weapons — mixed is fine — and get a Time Gap Token, which buys exactly the weapon you want. Pick the three pieces yourself in the furnace window; refines, cards and enchants burn with them, and equipped gear can't be melted. The token is storage-only (it can't be traded), so melt on the character that farms.

Enchanting uses the 1,500-rep Dimensions service above: element crystals (Slot 2) cost 10 Energy of Elemental + 15 Time Dimension Magic Runes each; race gems (Slot 3) cost 15+15 Depth Runes + 10 Time Dimension Magic Runes. The Refine Hammer reforms a +9 to +11 Time Gap weapon upward with a Blacksmith Blessing + a Time Dimension Magic Rune — no break risk, through the Item Reform window.

Where the enchant materials come from: Depth Runes are traded at the Depths 1F material NPC for Depth Crystals (which drop from Depths 1F monsters); Energy of Elemental comes from the Garden of Time barter (Contored Wrath drops in the Forest Dungeon + Contaminated Magic); Time Dimension Magic Runes from the Fusion Manager chain above.

Tips

• Field monsters keep their classic race/element — check the table above and bring converters.
• The damage reduction applies to everyone: sustained DPS classes shine, one-shot builds do not.
• Do all 7 surveys daily — that is over half a billion base EXP per day before you even touch the Depths.
• Both Depth layers count any monster for the big hunts — grind wherever your build farms fastest.
• Your reputation scores are per character. Check them any time in the Reputation window.