There is a moment in every Gatekeeper‘s journey when pure force meets its match. When the endless hordes of the Nowhere become a tide that cannot be held back by hammer or turret alone. It was in one such moment of desperation, my back against the crumbling walls of the Temple of Time, that I first truly understood the power of a different kind of strength. Not the strength to destroy, but the strength to twist fate itself.
This is the path of the Mediator, the cursed shaman who does not resist the darkness but instead weaves it into his weaponry. If you are a player who finds satisfaction not in straightforward power, but in complex, high-risk, high-reward gameplay that bends the game’s rules to the breaking point, then this Mediator guide is your key to unparalleled power.
This Gatekeeper 1.0 build guide is designed to transform you into a master of negative energy. We will delve into the mechanics that allow him to turn the game’s most dangerous artifacts into unimaginable strengths. We will explore the best build strategies, the precise sequence of abilities, and the strategic mindset required to thrive on the edge of disaster. Forget simple survival; here, we learn to profit from peril.
The Lore of the Mediator in Gatekeeper
To understand the Mediator is to understand a soul torn between past and purpose. He was once Lord Crustad’s blood shaman, a figure who channeled his formidable powers to aid the Void Empire in its most bloody battles. His death came not from a foe, but from the hand of the Lord himself during the Second Universal War. Instead of finding peace in Purgatory, he awoke in the Nowhere, facing the Creators who offered him a stark choice: oblivion or atonement.
Now, as “Chaos’ favorite,” he uses the very abilities that once sowed destruction to protect the Heart of Time, his past a heavy burden even as he serves the light. This lore is reflected perfectly in his gameplay: he is a master of cursed artifacts, turning their debilitating effects into massive advantages, forever dancing with the darkness he is sworn to contain.
Embracing the Shadows – Unlocking the Mediator
Before you can wield the power of curses, you must prove your dedication and resilience across multiple forays into the Nowhere. Unlike other Gatekeepers found on specific planets, the Mediator is unlocked through cumulative experience.
The Unlock Requirement
The Mediator becomes available once you have passed a total of 60 locations. This crucial detail means you do not need to complete 60 full runs or planets. Each individual location or stage you clear within any run counts toward this total. This can be achieved naturally across multiple attempts, encouraging you to experiment with other characters and gradually explore the game’s content. This methodical unlock process is fitting for a character whose power is not found in a single moment of glory, but accumulated through persistent engagement with the game’s challenges.
Deconstructing the Curse – Mediator’s Abilities and Upgrades
The Mediator’s kit is a masterpiece of synergy, where each ability feeds into a cycle of cursing, damaging, and sustaining. His core mechanic, Purification Rite, is what sets him apart and defines his entire playstyle. Understanding each skill is the first step to mastering his dangerous rhythm.
Mediator’s Ability Overview
| Ability Name | Type | Base Effect | Key Upgrade Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
 Purification Rite | Passive | Makes the properties of Cursed Artifacts more advantageous for the Mediator. | N/A (Passive) |
 Cranium Scatter | Main Attack (First Skill) | Throws a projectile dealing 100% damage in a 4-unit radius. On impact, it splits into 3 additional projectiles. | Gains a 50% damage aura; Fires extra projectiles; 35% chance to throw 2 projectiles. |
 Pain Conduit | Secondary Skill | Casts a curse on an enemy for 10s. Your attacks deal 80% damage in an 11-unit radius around the target. | Damage increases as target loses health; Ignites enemies; Deals 30% damage per second. |
 Ghostwalk | Mobility Skill | Enter an immaterial state for 3 seconds. Any action other than moving cancels it. | Pushes enemies on exit; Deals 150% damage when passing through enemies; Killing restores 10% HP. |
 Harvest | Ultimate Skill | Harvests souls in a 25-unit radius, dealing 400% damage to all impacted enemies. | Weakens enemies; Heals 7 HP per soul; Boosts next Cranium Scatter. |
Ability Deep Dive and Strategic Analysis
Passive: Purification Rite – The Heart of the Build
This passive is the entire foundation of the Mediator’s high-risk, high-reward playstyle, earning him his A-Tier status as a specialist . Cursed Artifacts are powerful items that come with a severe negative effect. For most Gatekeepers, they are a dangerous gamble. For the Mediator, Purification Rite mitigates these downsides or amplifies the positives, allowing him to safely stack curses that would cripple any other character. This lets him break the normal power curve, creating builds of monstrous proportions.
- Strategic Implication: Your primary goal as the Mediator is to actively seek out Cursed Artifacts. They are not to be feared but are your greatest source of power. A Mediator with several curses is exponentially more powerful than one without.
Main Attack: Cranium Scatter – The Cascading Carnage
This is your primary workhorse for dealing damage and applying the effects of your curses. Its innate area-of-effect and splitting projectiles make it excellent for clearing groups, especially when paired with the area damage from Pain Conduit.
- Upgrade Priority: The upgrade that provides a 35% chance to throw two projectiles (Upgrade 3) is a massive damage multiplier. However, the initial damage aura (Upgrade 1) provides consistent area damage that is invaluable for dealing with swarms. The final upgrade turns Cranium Scatter into a true screen-clearing ability.
Secondary Skill: Pain Conduit – The Mark of Death
This is your single-target elimination tool and your primary damage amplifier. Marking a high-health enemy like a boss or elite with Pain Conduit and then focusing your attacks on them will cause devastating area damage to everything around them.
- Upgrade Priority: The upgrade that causes damage to increase as the target loses health (Upgrade 1) is phenomenal for boss melting. The synergy with the ignite effect (Upgrade 2) adds another powerful damage-over-time component, while the passive area damage (Upgrade 3) makes the curse consistently deadly.
Mobility Skill: Ghostwalk – The Tactical Reprieve
This is not a simple dash; it is an incredibly versatile tool for survival, positioning, and even offense. Its unique “immaterial state” makes you invulnerable for 3 seconds, allowing you to reposition through enemy attacks or escape certain death.
- Strategic Implication: Use Ghostwalk aggressively to bypass enemy front lines and apply Pain Conduit to a priority target, or defensively to evade a deadly Siren attack. The upgrade that heals on kill while immaterial is a game-changer for sustainability, allowing you to recover health in the middle of a dense pack.
Ultimate Skill: Harvest – The Soul-Shattering Finale
Harvest is a powerful “reset” button for overwhelming situations. It provides massive area damage, crowd control, and healing all in one package. The upgrade that weakens enemies (reducing their speed and increasing damage taken) is a powerful debuff that can turn the tide of a difficult fight.
- Strategic Implication: Do not hoard this ability for perfect moments. Use it to create space when surrounded, to finish off a weakened boss and its minions, or to trigger the healing and damage boost when your next Cranium Scatter volley needs to count.
Crafting the Perfect Curse-Bearer – Artifacts and Stat Priorities
Knowing the Mediator’s abilities is only half the battle. The true mastery lies in selecting the right artifacts and stats to amplify his unique curse-centric playstyle into an unstoppable force.
S-Tier Artifact Synergies: Embracing the Curse
The Mediator’s best-in-slot artifacts are, unsurprisingly, the Cursed Artifacts that his passive, Purification Rite, is designed to empower . However, he also benefits tremendously from standard artifacts that enhance his area damage and survivability. The following table highlights the ideal synergies for his playstyle.
| Artifact Type | Example/Effect | Why It’s Great for the Mediator |
|---|---|---|
| Cursed Artifacts | Various powerful effects with severe negatives (e.g., “+100% Damage, -50% Max Health”). | His Purification Rite passive mitigates the downsides, allowing him to gain immense power for a fraction of the cost. This is his core mechanic. |
| Area-of-Effect (AoE) Boosters | Artifacts that increase the size or damage of area effects. | Synergizes perfectly with Cranium Scatter‘s splitting projectiles and the area damage from Pain Conduit, allowing him to clear entire screens. |
| Damage-over-Time (DoT) | Artifacts that apply Ignite, Bleed, or other debuffs. | Complements the Ignite effect from Pain Conduit and allows him to apply multiple damaging effects to crowds simultaneously. |
| Cooldown Reduction | Artifacts that reduce skill cooldowns. | Lower cooldowns mean more frequent uses of Ghostwalk for survivability and Harvest for crowd control and healing. |
| Defensive Buffs | Artifacts that provide a shield, damage reduction, or flat health. | While he can heal with Harvest, his base health is a low 90. Defensive artifacts provide a crucial buffer for mistakes. |
Stat Priority: What to Focus On
When choosing between upgrades during a run, prioritize these stats in the following order:
- Cursed Artifacts: This is your number one priority. Whenever you have the opportunity to take a Cursed Artifact without jeopardizing your immediate survival, do so. Your passive will make it more beneficial than any common artifact of similar power.
- Skill Cooldown Reduction: This is incredibly valuable. More cooldown reduction means more uptime for Ghostwalk (safety) and Pain Conduit (damage amplification), making your gameplay much smoother and more powerful.
- Damage vs Debuffed/Weakened: Since you will constantly be applying curses and the weaken effect from Harvest, bonuses to damage against impaired enemies are highly effective multipliers.
- Max Health & Health Regeneration: With a base health of only 90, the Mediator is relatively fragile . While Harvest can heal you, stats that increase your health pool or provide regeneration are invaluable for surviving burst damage.
The Art of Cursed Warfare – Gameplay Strategy and Rotation
The Mediator’s gameplay is a delicate dance. It’s about managing risk, knowing when to engage, and orchestrating the demise of your enemies by turning their own numbers against them.
The Engagement Philosophy: Calculated Aggression
Your mindset should be one of controlled chaos. You are not a passive kiter like Echo, nor an unstoppable brawler like Bastion. You are a tactical controller who thrives in the midst of danger. Your core principle is to mark and amplify.
- Priority Targeting: Your first action in any engagement should be to apply Pain Conduit to the most dangerous enemy in a group—typically an elite or a boss. This turns that enemy into a bomb that will damage all its allies as you focus fire on it.
- The Power of Ghostwalk: Use Ghostwalk not just as an “oh no” button, but as a tactical tool. Phase through a crowd to place a Pain Conduit on a high-value target in the backline, or use it to break line of sight with ranged attackers.
Optimal Skill Rotation and Combat Flow
While every encounter is dynamic, a general combat loop will maximize your effectiveness:
- Initiation and Marking: As you approach a group, lead with Pain Conduit (Secondary) on the strongest enemy you can safely target. This immediately sets up your damage amplifier.
- Amplification and Crowd Control: Immediately begin spamming Cranium Scatter (Main Attack) on the cursed target. The area damage will begin shredding the surrounding mobs. If enemies get too close, use Harvest (Ultimate) to weaken them, deal massive damage, and heal yourself.
- Repositioning and Survival: Use Ghostwalk (Mobility) to avoid heavy attacks, reposition for a better angle, or escape if your health gets critically low. Remember, you can deal damage and get kills while in this state for healing.
- Sustain the Cycle: Repeat. Keep Pain Conduit active on high-priority targets, use Cranium Scatter to exploit it, and use your ultimate and mobility skills to control the flow of battle. The goal is to create a perpetual cycle where your curses are constantly dealing damage and your mobility keeps you just out of reach.
Understanding the Mediator’s Place in the Meta
It is important to address the Mediator’s placement in the current meta. He is firmly ranked in A-Tier as a powerful specialist . This is because he requires a specific build and a skilled hand to unlock his full potential. He is not as straightforward as the S-Tier powerhouses like Bastion or Aegis .
The Mediator’s strength is unparalleled scaling potential . In the hands of a player who understands the game’s artifacts and isn’t afraid of a little risk, a fully-cursed Mediator can reach levels of power that challenge even the top tiers. He is a master of turning disadvantages into overwhelming advantages for those who enjoy a complex, cerebral playstyle.
Mastering the Mediator is not about seeking pure power; it is about understanding the balance between light and shadow and learning to wield chaos as a precise instrument. It is the satisfaction of watching a screen full of enemies disintegrate under the weight of curses they cannot comprehend, their strength becoming their downfall. From the moment you pass your 60th location, you accept the legacy of a shaman seeking redemption.
This guide has given you the tools: the knowledge of his cursed kit, the rhythm of his risk-and-reward combat, and the path to building a true master of the arcane. Now, the battlefield awaits your dark influence. Go forth, weave your curses, and let your power echo the fraught redemption of the Mediator. Become the Gatekeeper who turned the darkness itself into a shield for the Heart of Time.