Boss order: which Gatekeeper to fight first
Four Gatekeepers sit at four depths. Fight them in order, and only move down when the current one dies without costing the run.
Go Depth 1 Gotoorak, then D2 Ramok, D3 Molaktula, D4 Balgorath. 80.2% of players have killed the first, 3.6% the last. The jump between Molaktula and Balgorath is where runs stop, so farm D1 and D2 until a Gatekeeper kill feels routine.
Four Gatekeepers, one per depth, and they are not interchangeable. Fight them in order and each fight teaches the habit the next one punishes. Skip ahead and Depth 4 will eat the run in the first thirty seconds.
The order is fixed by design: Gotoorak at Depth 1, Ramok at Depth 2, Molaktula at Depth 3, Balgorath at Depth 4. Update 2 uncoupled difficulty from depth, so a Depth 1 fight on Threat 5 is genuinely harder than a Depth 3 fight on Threat 1. The depth only controls which boss you meet.
Fight order and the one mechanic
| Boss | Depth | Official counter mechanic | Kill rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gotoorak | 1 | Force push during the Corestone phase; pulls its eye in to block during counters | 80.2% |
| Ramok | 2 | Ram charge smashes the pillar holding the Corestone; invulnerable during the tornado | 44.9% |
| Molaktula | 3 | Kill the spike turrets and the defensive constructions to open a window | 29.3% |
| Balgorath | 4 | Its projectiles block your shots, so shoot in the gaps and stay mobile | 3.6% |
Rates are Steam global achievement unlocks, checked 2026-11-15.
Farming D1 instead of pushing D4
Run Depth 1 until a Gotoorak kill costs you nothing. Not a clear, not a close call, nothing. The reason is Merits and levels: a Reclaimer that dies at Depth 4 in the first room earns almost nothing, and the same twenty minutes spent on two clean Depth 1 runs pays for an Enhancement slot.
The same logic applies one step down. Ramok killing you more than half the time means Depth 3 is a donation, not a challenge. Drop back, take a Threat Level off, and return when the Corestone phase stops surprising you.
Why 3.6% is the number
Three point six percent is the Balgorath kill achievement. For comparison, 18.7% of players have reclaimed a Depth 4 facility, and 29.3% have killed Molaktula. That gap is not a difficulty curve, it is a wall, and it sits exactly where the bullet-hell patterns start.
Two things explain most of it. Balgorath's projectiles act as shields that block your shots, so the obvious play of holding the trigger does nothing during the patterns. And the fight is three phases with a Corestone phase between each, so a team that cannot do the tentacle routine loses to attrition rather than to damage.
Workable progression
- Clear Depth 1 three times with the same class. Do not switch.
- Take that class to the level cap and Ascend once. The first Ascension is what unlocks Gauntlets for the account.
- Clear Depth 2 twice. If Ramok's tornado still catches you, read the counter on the first three bosses page.
- Push Depth 3 on Threat 2. Molaktula rewards patience more than damage.
- Only then look at Depth 4. Bring a team, bring Flux Quartz, and expect the first attempt to fail.
Official Ghost Ship Games announcement art.
The order is not a suggestion about skill. The reason is income: every clean clear buys the upgrades that make the next depth survivable, and every wipe at Depth 4 buys nothing.