Underworld

Underworld Loot Island, in the Underworld beneath Eyeaduct.

Underworld (introduced in Eyeaduct of the Very Scary Halloween Special update) refers to the several alternate play spaces located "beneath" certain Haunted Halloween maps.

Underworlds differ from each other, but common characteristics among them are the presence of Magic spells, a harmful atmosphere, and deadly waters or Infernal Lava.

General features

Underworld locations draw from a number of features:

• Many Underworlds are accessed and exited through portals.
• Entry and exit Buffs (Overheal, Invulnerability, Crits) and rare, powerful Magic Spells encourage players to learn to use some Underworld locations for tactical advantages in the main map.
• Underworld locations generally have mechanisms for limiting the time players can remain there, either by automatically killing off or pushing out all players that stay there for too long or by ending the round:
  • Several locations feature portals for returning to the main level, usually with the aforementioned exit Buffs, to incentivize players to leave.
  • Many ​Underworld ​locations are surrounded by instantly-lethal hazards, such as Stygian water or lava.
  • Some Underworld locations​ cause Health drain on all players, either persistently (such as in Monster Bash) or after a certain grace period ends (such as Cursed Cove)​.
    • A map with multiple Underworlds (such as Eyeaduct) may have separate health-drain characteristics for each.
• Achievements with Achievement items that can only be earned in certain Underworld locations encourage players to try out the location.

List of maps with Underworld locations

Note: Community maps are identified in italics.

Name	Picture	File name	Underworld(s)
Brimstone		pl_fifthcurve_event	Hell Island
Carnival of Carnage		sd_doomsday_event	Bumper Cars
Cauldron		koth_bagel_event	Swampy Purgatory
Cursed Cove		pd_cursed_cove_event	Davy Jones' Locker
Eyeaduct		koth_viaduct_event	Purgatory, Loot Island
Ghost Fort		koth_lakeside_event	Skull Island
Gravestone		pl_rumble_event	Island (Underworld), Graveyard (Purgatory), Bumper Cars
Hellstone		pl_millstone_event	Purgatory, Hell
Helltower		plr_hightower_event	Hell
Monster Bash		pd_monster_bash	Pit and Pendulums
Moonshine Event		koth_moonshine_event	Underworld
Pit of Death		pd_pit_of_death_event	Underworld
Slasher		koth_slasher	Underworld
Laughter		koth_slaughter_event	Funhouse

Underworlds

Brimstone

Brimstone has two underworlds: Purgatory and Hell.

Purgatory consists of two small islands surrounded by lava with a harmful atmosphere. Players can access it through the portals opened by MONOCULUS when it teleports in order to obtain Rare Spells and several buffs that last a few seconds if they manage to go through the white portal.

Hell is very similar to Purgatory: it consists of two islands, though one is small and the other is big and has an altar, has lava and a harmful atmosphere, and provides players with Rare Spells and several buffs when exiting. It can be accessed by jumping into the portal opened by defeating MONOCULUS, jumping into the portal that opens over the pit if BLU managed to push the cart into the pit, or by going through the white portals in the coffins.

When entering these locations, players will receive an overheal and a brief moment of invincibility to help them survive their malicious atmospheres. When leaving through a portal, they will be sent back to the overworld with a series of buffs.

• 

  Purgatory.

• 

  Hell.

Carnival of Carnage

Once one of the teams has successfully delivered the tickets to the Strongmann in Carnival of Carnage, Merasmus will take all players to another realm, where they will be forced to play one of three deadly bumper cars mini-games. The winning team will receive an advantage over the other as a reward.

Falling Platforms: players must drive on wooden platforms and avoid falling off. Merasmus will periodically destroy all but one of the platforms and then bring all but one of them back. Once only one platform remains, he will bring them all back and restart the process.

Bumper Car Soccer: players are forced to play soccer using a giant beach ball. There are three ways to win:

• Score three goals
• Knock all enemy players off the field
• Score a goal during sudden death

Duck Collectors: players are taken to a figure-8 racetrack-like arena and have to collect ducks. Golden bonus ducks dropped by enemies rammed into are worth 2 points each.

Spells can be collected and cast in Bumper Car Soccer and Duck Collectors, most of them being unique to this realm.

Falling off any of the arenas will turn the player into a team-colored ghost that can still be controlled by the player. Touching an ally that's still alive will resurrect the player; touching an enemy will cause the player to bounce up.

• 

  The Falling Platforms.

• 

  The Bumper Car Soccer field.

• 

  The Duck Collectors track.

Cauldron

Cauldron's Underworld consists of a series of islands rising from a toxic swamp engulfed in poisonous air in front of a clock tower. Two floating cauldrons serve as moving platforms.

It can be accessed when the cauldron on the control point erupts and opens up portals as a result, and can be exited by jumping into the glowing cauldron. When entering, players are fully healed; when leaving, they receive a series of buffs.

• 

  Cauldron's underworld.

Cursed Cove

Davy Jone's Locker resembles the bottom of the sea, with algae and corals dotting the landscape. Players must go there in order to deliver the souls they've collected. It can be accessed by touching the Flying Dutchman while it is sailing through the town.

Although the Locker does not feature a harmful atmosphere, a player that stays there too long will start to quickly drown. To leave, they have to either go through the white portal on the sunken ship, or be kicked out by Davy Jones.

• 20181021213930 1.jpg

  Davy Jones' Locker.

• 

  Davy Jones on his ship.

Eyeaduct

Purgatory is a gloomy swamp of deadly waters and poisonous air.

If a player takes one of MONOCULUS' portals, their health will be fully restored and they'll be transported to a small set of small islands. Leaving through the white portal will take them back to the control point with a series of temporary buffs, including full critical hits. If a player attacks MONOCULUS with these crits, he will be stunned for a few seconds. All players will be transported to this location when Humiliation starts.

Loot Island is another location in Purgatory. Players can access it by touching the Bombinomicon that appears once MONOCULUS has been defeated; they must then make their way to the giant skull and get the Bombinomicon in there. Once they do, they'll be taken back to the control point with a series of buffs. While the air in Loot Island is harmless, the cease-fire will have ended, and players may attack their enemies on this location. Also, staying here for too long will cause the island to explode, killing anyone on it.

Players reaching the Bombinomicon on Loot Island for the first time will receive it as a cosmetic item and unlock the Halloween achievement Dive Into A Good Book.

• 

  Loot Island.

Ghost Fort

While Ghost Fort's Skull Island is not an Underworld, it shares a few similarities with them:

• It is reached by touching the Bombinomicon left by Merasmus when defeated.
• Falling into the water is an instantaneous kill.
• Leaving through the exit will return the players to the control point with invulnerability and crits.

Players who touch the Bombinomicon after Merasmus is defeated are taken to the island's pier and have to get the Skull Island Topper inside the giant skull. If players take too long to get the Skull Island Topper, Skull Island will explode and kill all those on it.

Players reaching the Skull Island Topper for the first time will receive it as a cosmetic item and unlock the Halloween achievement A Lovely Vacation Spot.

• 

  Skull Island.

Gravestone

Gravestone's Underworld is a gloomy swamp with deadly waters and poisonous air. It can be accessed through white portals in coffins and doorways opened every Witching Hour to collect Rare Spells and receive buffs when leaving through the exit.

Once the Payload stage of the map ends, all players are taken to a Mansion in the underworld and forced to participate in a bumper cars race, the winning team receiving a head start. Shortly after the race start, Merasmus and skeletons will appear and attack players. The first team to reach the top of the Mansion wins.

Hellstone

Like Brimstone, Hellstone has both Purgatory and Hell.

Purgatory is an island surrounded by lava ending in a white portal with a single Rare Spell in front of it. Players entering Purgatory are restored to full health, but quickly suffer from the evil atmosphere's effect. Going through the portal takes the player back to the overworld with a series of buffs.

Hell is much larger than Purgatory, and has more Rare Spells. It can be accessed by touching the Bombinomicon that appears after defeating MONOCULUS and can be exited by reaching him at the other end. It is also filled with lava with an evil atmosphere, and leaving through the portal grants the same bonuses.

• 

  Purgatory.

• 

  Hell.

Helltower

Hell is a set of islands surrounded by lava where all players are taken to once the Payload Race stage of the map is over.

The teams will spawn dancing next to an island featuring a copy of the tower seen in the overworld. Both Common and Rare Spells can be found throughout the area, with the Rare Spells being on harder-to-reach places.

Skull Island lies in front of the tower across a wooden bridge over the lava. The first team to get the Fancy Spellbook inside the giant skull wins the round.

Players who die in Hell will not respawn; instead, they will turn into team-colored ghosts that can float around and say "boo".

Players reaching Skull Island for the first time will receive the Unfilled Fancy Spellbook and unlock the Halloween achievement Hat Out of Hell.

• 

  The tower in Hell. Teams spawn on the islands on the opposite sides.

• 

  Skull Island in the distance. A Rare Spell can be seen on the tower.

Moonshine Event

Moonshine Event's Underworld is a gloomy swamp with deadly waters and poisonous air. All players are transported there if the Wheel of Fate lands on Dance-Off. They will receive an overheal when being taken there to compensate for the damage received from the place's harmful air while unable to move due to the Dance spell.

Two Rare Spells can be found in the Underworld, and exiting through the portal inside the giant skull takes players back to the control point with invulnerability and crits.

• 

  Moonshine Event's Underworld.

Pit of Death

Every Witching Hour, a portal will appear over the bottomless pit in the center of the map. The portal will take players to the gates of a mansion in the Underworld. If they have collected any souls, they can deliver them by heading to the mansion's yard.

The Underworld can be exited by going through the mansion's white portal, which will take the player back to the overworld with a series of buffs.

• 

  The portal leading to the Underworld.

Slasher

Slasher's Underworld is a series of islands floating above a foggy abyss with an evil atmosphere. It contains many Health Kits due to its large size, and houses many Spells spread across it.

While it can be accessed at any time through a portal near the map's control point, it can also be done by entering one of MONOCULUS' portals, which will spawn the player closer to the exit. Returning to the overworld through the exit will grant the player with guaranteed crits for a few seconds.

• 

  The permanent portal.

• 

  Slasher's Underworld.

Laughter

Laughter's Underworld is a randomly-generated Funhouse made by combining pre-made rooms. Some of these rooms have bottomless pit, and there is a small chance for a Bombinomicon to place a bomb on a player's head if they stay inside for too long. Stepping into the last portal instantly teleports the player back into the main map, granting Invulnerability, a 200% Overheal, a Speed Boost, and a Crit Boost for a limited time.

The room presets are as following:

• A twisted room
• A rotating barrel room
• A room with bouncing pads that bounce with unusual direction and force*
• A room with zig-zagging floors and ceilings
• A room with slanted platforms and rings of fire in between them*
• A room with a conveyor belt moving backward*
• An upside-down room where players must climb on several mantles to exit
• A room with several different doors in a hallway
• A room that gets increasingly small as you go along, with the exit being so small players must crouch to fit through

• 

  Rings of fire.

• 

  A long hallway.

• 

  Bounce pads.

• 

  A series of hallways.

See also

• Halloween map
• Halloween
• Hell
• Probed (flying saucer environment)

Sources

Names of certain Underworld locations can be obtained form the following:

• Halloween achievements, which name some specific locations, e.g., Loot Island, Skull Island, Hell
• Update histories, which can incidentally reveal or confirm names of locations, e.g., Purgatory, Hell, Underworld
• Decompiled maps: VMF files.
• Comments by ICS.