Colossal wurms roam the sulfurous wastelands of the Desolation. These burrowers tunnel through soft soil with amazing alacrity. Elonians know them by their more formal name: the Junundu. According to historians, the undead lord Palawa Joko commanded these wurms to patrol his kingdom, but the Junundu’s inability to tunnel through solid rock limited their usefulness. Myths tell of great heroes using Junundu to travel across the wastelands, covering vast distances safe from the sulfuric clouds. More recent accounts describe devastating wails and thunderous attacks that shake the very earth and topple buildings in their wake.
According to legend, Junundu society is developed enough that they act in service to a queen mother: a subterranean monstrosity called Aijundu. Lurking below, Queen Aijundu patiently waits for foolish surface dwellers who would dare to cross her apocalyptic domain. As long as wind shifts the desert sands, some say, she will lie beneath it...waiting.
While in a Junundu, you will be under the effects of the Desert Wurm disguise.
The Junundu skills will replace the skillbar of the character inside, except for Signet of Capture. The Signets of Capture will still be usable inside the wurm, but will replace the skill in its slot. Therefore, you must be careful of which skill slot you place the Signet of Capture in before you enter the Junundu. If Leave Junundu is replaced, you will not be able to leave the wurm until you approach rocky ground. Generally, a good skill to replace is Unknown Junundu Ability (if you do not have Junundu Siege yet) or Junundu Tunnel (which henchmen will not use, making you more vulnerable to enemies before they can catch up). After capturing a skill, the Junundu skill will return over the newly captured skill. As a result, players cannot use any skills other than Junundu skills or Signet of Capture while riding a Junundu.
If you have Death Penalty while entering the Junundu and recover from your death penalty, your worm would increase his maximum health and energy.
Junundu are summoned by using a Wurm Spoor. You cannot do this if there are foes within a certain radius of the spoor.
A Junundu is summoned with 3,000 Health and 60 Energy regardless of the level, profession, death penalty, or equipment of the character controlling it. Characters in Junundu form are known to have 28 less AL against Earth damage. It is suspected that they have reduced armor against all other damage sources too, however the exact values are unknown.
The Junundu has the same energy recovery of the character inside. Equipped items with Energy regeneration -1 will affect the Junundu. Equipped Zealous weapons will still work.
Since they give constant health and armor, wurms make a great way to power level heroes.
A Junundu's regular attacks do a flat amount of armor-ignoring damage, dependent on weapon type.
The damage type of the Junundu's weapon is the same as the damage type of the weapon the character is holding. Wielding a Smiting Rod or Smiting Staff will allow your Junundu to deal double damage against undead for its normal attacks.
Weapon Type
Damage
notes
Axe/Hammer/Sword
55
Melee
Daggers
40
Melee, doublestrike chance
Scythe
35
Melee, hits multiple foes
Bow
40
Ranged
Staff/Wand
40
Ranged
Spear
55
Ranged
When controlling a Junundu, the character's primary attribute is reduced to zero.
Junundu are immune to the Sulfurous Haze environment effect.
Junundu cannot tunnel through rocky terrain. Trying to do so will cause the wurm to release the character controlling it, similar to as if the skill Leave Junundu was used. During the April Fools 2008 it was noted that touching a rocky terrain caused a knockdown effect to the stick character. It's believed that the knockdown effect is used to trigger the release of the player from the Junundu.
Junundu Smash can be used to knock down certain pillars to create bridges.
All active consumable effects are ended upon entering a Junundu, irrespective of remaining duration.
When a player has left a Junundu, all skills are reset, including Resurrection Signet.
Pets will die when entering a Junundu in explorable areas. When the owner of the pet exits the wurm, their pet will appear beside them (alive). Only during the Gate of Desolation mission will the pet enter its own Junundu. Pets do not use any of the Junundu skills. If the pet dies while in the Junundu, Junundu Wail will not resurrect it. Interestingly, however, pets gain experience for monsters defeated by their Junundu-riding owners. Minions are not killed when characters enter a Junundu (but are difficult to keep alive with Junundu skills).
Junundu controlled by henchmen keep a fairly large distance between you and each other while stationary. This can cause problems when using a Wurm Spoor near rocky terrain: while henchmen may be standing on sand before entering the wurm, they may move towards the rocky terrain once inside, and thus be released. Take a moment to check all your henchmen are inside their wurms before moving towards the Sulfurous Haze.
It is not possible to ping the Junundu's skills.
Death inside a junundu will add to your /deaths count and will affect your survivor title. An efficient way to avoid your death is to flag your heroes near your foes so that they won't follow you and, thusly, the foes won't either, allowing you to use Junundu wail.
Bug! Sometimes a hero will exit a wurm in the middle of the sulfurous haze effect, resulting in death and preventing resurrection with Junundu Wail.
Bug! When you enter the Junundu you have 3000 health points. However you can unequip equipment with a Rune of Vigor, Vitae, Attunement, a Radiant or Survivor Insignia or Weapons which increase your health/energy and re-equip it so the health bonus will raise the health of the Junundu. This also works in reverse, so Superior runes will actually lower your health. This is unfortunately not true for all weapons and armor runes.
Bug! Raven Blessing, Ursan Blessing and Volfen Blessing remain on you inside the Wurm. When the blessing ends, you will have your original skills while still being a wurm. Despite this, you will be as weak as a human and still will not have your primary attribute.
Bug! Even though animal companions will die when entering Junudu, if a party member leaves the Junundu and resurrects someone else's pet, the pet will stay alive and be able to walk the wastes.
Trivia[]
One of the Lost Souls suggests the Junundu are undead, but game mechanics and other dialogue suggest otherwise.
The Junundu monster model allows the following emotes:
/dance : The Junundu dance consists in a simple wiggle.
/dancenew : Same as /dance, but currently henchmen and heroes will perform an 'interrupted' version of their dances.
/roar : Will make the Junundu Wail animation and roar out loud. It can be quite impressive when all the henchmen roar at the same time.
/afk and /sit : The Junundu will burrow itself in the sand. Only the upper part will be visible.
/stand : Just the reverse animation of /sit and /afk.
/rank and /fame : The rank will appear above the wurm on its back.
Other emotes will be used without animations.
Although the exact mechanics of riding them differ, the Junundu are obviously inspired by the sandworms in Frank Herbert's Dune universe.
The Junundu also resemble in both their appearance and the sounds they make to the carnivorous beasts in the movie series Tremors.
Junundu Siege (elite) will replace Unknown Junundu Ability by following the Horde of Darkness quest.
