Conan: FAQ/Walkthrough by Mister Sinister Last Updated 2007-10-17 View/Download Original File Hosted by GameFAQs Return to Conan (X360) FAQs & Guides Liked this FAQ? Click to recommend it to other GameFAQs users. =========== =========== ===== ==== ===== ===== ==== ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ \ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ \ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ \¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ \¦ ¦ ¦ .------ ¦ ----- ¦ ¦ . ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ . ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦\ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦\ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ \ ¦ ¦ ^ ¦ ¦ ¦ \ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ \ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ \ ¦ ¦ .------ ¦ ----- ¦ ¦ ¦ \ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ \ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ \ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ \ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ \¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ \¦ =========== =========== === . ==== ==== === . ============================================================================== Copyright Mister Sinister, 2007 ============================================================================== This guide is dedicated to my best friends Matthew & Peter ============================================================================== CONAN WALKTHROUGH ============================================================================== ¦ This walkthrough is copyrighted to Mister Sinister (2007) ¦ ¦ I don't mind it being lifted in its entireity, but if you do so, please ¦ ¦ make sure you give credit to the author (me) and DON'T pass it off as your ¦ ¦ own. Thanks ! ¦ ============================================================================== ============================================================================ ¦ I N D E X ¦ ============================================================================ In order to make this guide as quick and easy to navigate (given that many of the people that read it are going to do so specifically to get over specific issues that they are experiencing) I have elected to implement a section code which I originally used for my Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Guide. It's really quite simple, and I'll give you an example just to make sure we're all on the same page ;) If, for example, you want to skip to the "BOSS FIGHT - THE SAND DRAGON" section, just hold ctrl + F to call up your default find screen, and type in "0 1 0" and hit enter. This will take you, first to 0 1 0 in this index, and then to the appropriate section. 0 0 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 0 0 2 OPTIONS AND SETTINGS 0 0 3 CHOOSING YOUR DIFFICULTY 0 0 4 BASIC CONTROLS 0 0 5 GETTING STARTED 0 0 6 ACT ONE - THE BARACHAN ISLES 0 0 7 ACT TWO - THE PIRATE RAID 0 0 8 BOSS FIGHT - BONE CLEAVER 0 0 9 ACT THREE - SAND VAULT 0 1 0 BOSS FIGHT - THE SAND DRAGON 0 1 1 ACT FOUR - TRIBAL WARRIOR 0 1 2 ACT FIVE - ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD 0 1 3 BOSS FIGHT - ELEPHANT GOD (AKA ELEPHANT DEMON) 0 1 4 ACT SIX - MIDNIGHT RAID 0 1 5 ACT SEVEN - OUTPOST 0 1 6 BOSS FIGHT - SORCERESS QUEEN 0 1 7 ACT EIGHT - DEVIL ISLAND 0 1 8 BOSS FIGHT - GIANT SQUID 0 1 9 ACT NINE - FALLEN KINGDOM 0 2 0 BOSS FIGHT - BONE CLEAVER II 0 2 1 ACT TEN - WELL OF DREAMS 0 2 2 ACT ELEVEN - SPIRE 0 2 3 ACT TWELVE - DARK SPIRE 0 2 4 BOSS FIGHT - GRAVEN 0 2 5 MASTER CLASS - COMBAT 0 2 6 MASTER CLASS - FATALITIES 0 2 7 MASTER CLASS - BESTIARY 0 2 8 HINTS AND TIPS 0 2 9 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ============================================================================ ¦ 0 0 1 ¦ ============================================================================ INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Hello and welcome to my Conan (for the X-Box 360) FAQ and Walkthrough ! My name is David, and I will be your guide, so let's get started shall we ? I should mention that I don't at all mind you getting in touch to ask me questions or to provide me with helpful critique or suggestions you would like me to consider incorporating into my guide - my objective at the end of the day is to produce a piece of work to honour the game, and to try and help as many of you out there as possible to increase YOUR enjoyment of it - however I should point out that I don't (DO NOT) like dealing with idiots, so if you have nothing either interesting or constructive to say, MY advice is to not bother getting in touch with me - you'll just incur my ire, cheers ;) So ! Onto the game :) Conan is a hack and slash game. A stand-alone title which can be alikened to a number of titles including Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, God of War (I & II), the Tombraider Series, Onimusha Warlords and others but which, like so many decent titles out there, looks to borrow from, and improve upon the best that many of the other titles have to offer, rather than to obvious rip any one off. You control (rather unsurprisingly) Conan, a barbarian brute of a man who is far more interested in pillaging and conquering than tea and biscuits. As such I expect you to find him THOROUGHLY entertaining to play with ... I certainly did !! The main selling point of playing an out-and-out warrior like Conan is that the game centres heavily around his combat control system, which is very well developed. You can attack using one of four different combat styles, and you can mix-and-match these styles during play. Just quickly, your combat styles are :- - One weapon (with optional Shield) - Two, single-handed weapons - One, double-handed weapon - Bare hands (grappling) ============================================================================ ¦ 0 0 2 ¦ ============================================================================ OPTIONS AND SETTINGS Conan's main menu consists of five options, which break down as follows :- NEW GAME - start a new Conan campaign RESUME GAME - continue the last-loaded Conan campaign LOAD GAME - load a specific Conan save game EXTRAS - leads to the following options ... ~ Statistics - stats from the current campaign (if one exists) ~ Unlockables - leads to the following options ... > Videos/Concept Art - hidden artwork (unlocked during play) > Cheats - leads to the following options ... -) Master All Moves* -) Armour Power Mode* -) Song of Death Mode* -) Invulnerability Mode* ~ Achievements - lists your X-Box 360 in-game achievements ~ Leaderboard - shows your position on the online leaderboard ~ Credits - plays the game's credits OPTIONS - leads to the following options ... ~ Gameplay - leads to the following options ... > Fade HUD > Vibration > Gore ~ Audio/Video Settings > Brightness > Music Volume** > Sound Effects Volume > Voice Volume > Subtitles * I will go into more detail about the cheat modes in section 0 2 8 - HINTS AND TIPS. ** Be wary of turning this down - it has a BIG impact on the cutscenes !! ============================================================================ ¦ 0 0 3 ¦ ============================================================================ CHOOSING YOUR DIFFICULTY Since you have absolutely no control over the character you are allocated to play (it's Conan or nothing), the first consideration you should give to THIS title is what level of difficulty you want to impose upon yourself. You might be tempted to just whack it on easy, but I can assure you that there ARE definite reasons to play it on the higher difficulties (namely that if you play the game on Normal, Hard or King (which you must play through on Hard in order to even UNLOCK let alone PLAY), you will be rewarded, upon completion of each of the difficulties, with certain modes of play being made available to you anew via the cheats section. For the purposes of good order, I confirm that THIS guide has been created by my playing through the game on the NORMAL difficulty. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 0 4 ¦ ============================================================================ BASIC CONTROLS Here are the basic controls for Conan :- Left Thumbstick - Moves Conan in any given direction Right Thumbstick - Rolls Conan in any given direction X (Blue Button) - Fast/Light Attack Y (Yellow Button) - Slow/Strong Attack A (Green Button) - Jump B (Red Button) - Grab D-Pad - Selects Conan's current Magic Spell LB (Left Shoulder Button) - Cast Conan's current Magic Spell LT (Left Trigger Button) - Block/Parry RB (Right Shoulder Button) - Activate Item RT (Right Trigger Button) - Throw Weapon Back Button - Takes you to the combo purchase screen Start Button - Pauses the game During my guide I will be giving you directions and, since the game is fully three-dimensional, there will be times when I will be unable to give you simple go left, go right instructions, as the camera pans of its own will. Therefore whilst I will TRY to keep my directions as simple as possible, sometimes I will refer to items in rooms or things you can see in the distance, in order to give you points of reference, hokay ? ============================================================================ ¦ 0 0 5 ¦ ============================================================================ GETTING STARTED Hokay, so we've chosen our difficulty, and we're IMMEDIATELY treated to a cutscene, wherein an aged lady (apparently speaking to a child at a campfire) sets out the setting for a tale she is to tell of Conan - the barbarian warrior of legend, who (in this particular adventure) finds his way to the lost island of Balmoria, in the Western Sea. Conan ascends to the highest peak on the island, there to find a long- forgotten tomb, which he seems bent on exploring. .................. and we're off !! As soon as you gain control of your character, a spectral warrior (which I am going to refer to from here on in as a Wraith) manifests itself before you, telling you that you don't belong here. WhatEVER dude ... I kinda like it here !! In fact I think we'll move in. Wraiths are spiritual warriors which are thankfully colour-coded in this title. The colour of a Wraith determines what type of weaponry it has at its disposal, as follows :- - PURPLE Wraiths are armed with a single weapon and shield; - BLUE Wraiths wield two, single-handed weapons; and - BROWN Wraiths are equipped with a twin-handed weapon. Move Conan over to the purple Wraith, and attack it with any combination of moves you wish. Once it has been destroyed, another purple Wraith will come to life and attack you, and the game will pause to give you the first of a large number of hints which you cannot turn off, but which are there to help you (at least for your FIRST run through the game) - this time it's telling you that X is for your light attacks, and that light attacks are fast but do less damage than heavy attacks. There are a number of wraiths for you to despatch in this first section, which is very obviously a training level designed to help get you into the swing (no pun intended) of playing the legendary warrior himself. Slay all the Wraiths in the area, and (if you wish to change the weapon you have to hand, or adopt a different fighting style), walk up to whatever weapon you want to pick up, and press the RB (right shoulder button - the one immediately in front of RT - the right trigger button), and you Conan will pick up the weapon. Note that he might drop whatever weapon he currently has equipped to do so, depending on what you're after. Once you are ready, head to the back of the room, stand by the door in the little white ring which is flashing, and the game will give you another hint. This time it tells you to press RB to open doors, and that some doors need you to enter a series of commands to open them, which are displayed on-screen. Press RB to open the door, and then tap the B button repeatedly to force it open. In the next room, observe the number of suits of armour lying on the floor. These are all going to be possessed by Wraiths in the very near future, so bear that in mind when you wade into the room. Move forward and onto the red circle, and despatch all the Wraiths that are created. Once you are done, head to left of the room and either press RB near one of the two urns (the ones with the green energy pouring out of the top), or destroy some of the duller-looking urns, to release little green runes which will hover about for a second or two, and then enter Conan's body. The game will confirm that green runes restore Conan's health. Exit this room via the right (RB by the door, and then tap B repeatedly to open it). In the next chamber, destroy the vases (if you need to replenish any health), and head to the right and back into the chamber - HOWEVER, take care when you walk past the statues, as energy from the brown Wraiths causes them to crumble and fall down about your ears. It is at this point that the game will explain that pressing RB near a fallen enemy's weapon will cause you to pick it up, and that you can carry different weapon combinations on this basis. Defeat the Wraiths in the area and, as you reach the steps at the back of the chamber, one of the giant statues set into the wall by the doorway comes to life and steps down to attack you !! "Crom ... the statues live !!" exclaims Conan (which is a bit more tame than what I said the first time I saw it to be honest). The best technique for defeating these enemies is to focus on hit-and-run, so I would suggest a strong attack, and then rolling away or blocking. They do have an unblockable attack which is when they swing at you and the blur of their blades is RED, but to be honest this is just the training level, so even that won't do you too much damage. Kill the Statues and the Wraiths, and then head through the door (RB, tap B). This next chamber is the final room in this training level. You will see a green urn and a two-handed weapon just inside the door on the level you enter and thereafter a drop down to the room below. Heal up, take the weapon IF you like, and then drop into the room and head to the centre. Take out the two statues (you don't need to worry about keeping any health for the next level as this is your last fight here), and a cutscene will ensue. --- CUTSCENE --- Conan destroys the statue in the centre of the room, and the narrator explains that, whilst Conan had come to the island seeking a jewel, what he found (and unleashed) was a monster. Something happens to Conan, and the next thing you know, you awaken adrift on the open seas, apparently bereft of your armour. There is an island close by, and so Conan swims over to it. --- END CUTSCENE --- Congratulations - you have survived the training level ! At the end of each level you are presented with a statistics screen which shows you a number of pieces of information including :- Total Score for the level and the game Total Time Played for the level and the game Kills for the level and the game ... and also how many objects you destroyed, bodyparts you severed, your favourite combo and so on and so forth - it's a handy way of keeping tabs on your performance and to reflect on all the enemies you've despatched to meet Crom ;) *shakes his head* this game ROCKS !! =) ============================================================================ ¦ 0 0 6 ¦ ============================================================================ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ¦ ACT ONE - THE BARACHAN ISLES ¦ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- --- CUTSCENE --- Conan swims toward the Barachan Isles - a notorious den of pirates and cutthroats, and promptly removes a sword from the corpse of a nearby fallen pirate, before you resume control of him. --- END CUTSCENE --- Hokay, since we've now gotten through the tutorial level together and can start the game proper, I am going to make my instructions considerably more cut-and-dried, so as to dispense with the drivel and help you on your path to fame and glory. I will elaborate on sections where I feel it may be of benefit or interest to you for me to do so ;) > Run forward, and follow the path around as it curves gently right, until Conan exclaims "Pirates !". =================== COMBAT MASTER CLASS =================== Whilst I will go into further detail in the section 0 2 5 further on, I think this is an appropriate time to give you a bit of a master class on Conan's combat system, or at least one major aspect of it - FATALITIES. Conan has the ability to instantly slay an enemy, and I am going to teach you how to do this quickly, and easily. The simple diagram looks like this :- [Enemy Attacks] + [You Parry] + [You Press the Appropriate Button] = [DEATH] It's very simple - take the first pirate that comes towards you as a test. At this level, since these are your first PROPER opponents, they will attack you slowly, giving you plenty of time to respond. When the pirate attacks you, LITERALLY as he is about to strike your body with his sword, hold LT - the left trigger button at the back of the controller, and Conan will block the attack. If you simply hold LT the whole time, Conan will block the whole time. What I need YOU to do, however, is to PARRY the attack, by which I mean you need to block it just as it is about to strike you. You will know when you have successfully parried an attack because the game will call up either the letter X, Y or B above you, indicating that you should now press that button to counter-attack, and slay your opponent. Try it ... if neither X, Y or B appears when you defend the strike, it means you either blocked too soon, or you let yourself be hit (silly billy). Practice that technique on these enemies and you WON'T be disappointed. There are different fatalities for each of the different weapon styles in the game, making a grand total of ... ooh ... LOTS of ways to slay your enemy !! Once you have slain an enemy with either a valid combo or fatality, the game will tell you how much of that move you have mastered (text appears in white) as well as the name of the move you just pulled off (in case you want to show off to your mates later). ... but for now, back to the plot ... > Once you have slain the pirate, you should get your first red rune. Red runes are the equivalent of experience points that you can use to buy new combos for Conan as the game progresses. > Slay the 4 Pirates around the campfire, and then open up the chest behind, to gain enough red runes to buy your first combo. ================= PURCHASING COMBOS ================= Well done ! You have amassed enough experience points to be able to buy your first combo - I'm so proud *clasps his hands together* Pressing the BACK button on your controller (that little white button to the left of the bigass X-Box button in the middle ?) will call up your "Combat Abilities" screen. =========================== THE COMBAT ABILITIES SCREEN =========================== As you can see from this simple screen, there are five pages (denoted by icons) running along the top, being :- 1) "Ready to Learn" - a picture of Conan's ugly mug; 2) "General Move" - a picture of an open hand; 3) "One-Handed" - a picture of a sword atop a shield; 4) "Dual-Wield" - a picture of two crossed swords; and 5) "Two-Handed" - a picture of two hands gripping a large sword. Whilst you can check out what's in pages 2-5 at your leisure, page 1 is where it's at. This page lists all the combos that you have yet to learn, and which you can purchase (and yes, the list WILL grow in time). Each combo has certain pieces of information which you MUST pay attention to or you'll fluff this bit up. * The image to the left of the combo's name corresponds with one of the icons for pages 2-5, so for example at the top of the list are two combos with the same name - "Fast Strike Finisher" - HOWEVER, one is only useable when you have a sword and/or shield (the FIRST one), and the other is useable only when you are wielding two single-handed weapons (the SECOND one), got it ? * The button combo to the right of the combo's name is (rather obviously) the combination of buttons you need to press to do the combo (I can't BELIEVE I just explained that, but there we go). * A description of the combo is at the bottom of the screen, with two figures to the right of it. The first figure - that under "Experience Cost" - shows you how many experience points you have to give up in order to buy this combo. The second figure - that under "Experience" - shows you how many experience points you have amassed. You don't have to spend all your experience points at once - they will accrue as time goes on. Therefore you MIGHT want to consider saving up for a bigger and better combo - it really does pay off ;) ... but for now ? Buy a combo if you like, and then let's get back to the game ! > Head over to the hanging vines to the right of the campfire and Conan will tell you that they can come down (hack them to bits to proceed). > Slay the pirates in the next area (you can use RB to pick up and throw the heavy rocks nearby if you wish, or slay them with combos and fatalities - it's your call), but WATCH OUT for the one clad in brown - he is quicker than the ones in white, and can block some of your attacks. > From the fork in the road where you fought the pirates, take the road that leads to the right, slay the 3 pirates by the campfire, and use the green urn if you need to. > Hack through the vines that lead to the beach, and open the chest for more red runes (lovely lovely). > Double-back on yourself and return to the fork on the road, before this time heading down the left path. > Ignore the pirates in the distance and instead hack through the vines that are directly ahead of you as you come down this road. Inside you will find a busty maiden shackled to the wall in need of your ... ahem ... attention. ============== BUXOM BEAUTIES ============== At various points in the game (you KNEW I would expand upon this bit didn't you !!) you will find topless women chained to walls, trees and other areas. You will receive plenty of red runes for rescuing them, not to mention (for the horny young men of you out there) a stirring in your pants as they say such charming things as "TAKE me and CRUSH me with your love" or "My clothes ! Where are my clothes ??", before standing and jiggling about a bit for your bemusement. *sigh* Back to the game. > Head back through the vines you just cut down, and then continue down the path towards the large pirate gathering in the distance. > Slay all the pirates in the area (noting that, initially at least, when you despatch a pirate, another comes from one or t'other of the tents in the area. That's fine - there IS only a finite supply of them. > Once you have slain ENOUGH pirates, a pirate boss steps out from the far tent and tells you you're going to die on this island (fat chance mate). Beware when fighting the pirate bosses in Conan, as they are MUCH harder to defeat than their minions. The best technique is to roll and block initially until you have learned his moves (he has three main attacks - a thrown explosive which takes a few seconds to detonate; an unblockable stab followed by a couple of sword strikes, and a set of four fast strikes which you CAN block), and then (once you're comfortable taking him on), hit him with two strong attacks and then roll away; then another two strong, then roll away again. When his helmet falls off, he's half- cooked so just keep it up ;) > Use the green urn in this area if you need to, and then hack through the vines at the back of the area. > As soon as you enter this next clearing, an archer will hit you with an arrow (it cannot be avoided). This is to teach you about blood loss from leaving projectiles embedded in your manly flesh. If you are hit with an arrow, press RB to remove it (and try and remember to remove it as fast as possible to avoid bleed damage). > Slay the archer (best way to avoid his arrows is to roll away from them), and then dispose of all the pirates in the area PLUS the three archers in the distance, taking the time to pick up the green urn if you need it, AND one of the shields from the stand if you fancy it. ================================================= NB. SHIELDS CAN BLOCK ARROWS - NOTHING ELSE CAN. ================================================= > The large gate behind the three archers will open automatically as you approach it and, as you walk through it, you are treated to a ... --- CUTSCENE --- Conan bumps into (almost literally) an archer who is fleeing toward the gate, and slays him in fitting style. The archer was running from the Warrior Queen A'Kanna (voiced over by Claudia Black of Stargate fame - Vala), who stabs his comrade-at-arms with an arrow before notching another and taking aim at Conan. After what can only be described as a "cute" exchange of words between them, in which Conan offers to knob her off to demonstrate that he IS the man in this relationship, A'Kanna suggests instead that he follow her to avoid the black death that has swept the island, to save his own life (and perhaps prolong the time the two of them spend together), bless her. --- END CUTSCENE --- > In order to escape the island, A'Kanna needs you to find and release three members of her crew, to man her ship. From where you start, head over to the blue scone and press RB to use it - this will allow you to save your current game (and I would suggest you do). Pick up the green urn IF you need it, and then head over the nearby wooden bridge, to do battle with 3 pirates, and 1 pirate boss. Take out the pirates first - it'll make your life easier, and WATCH OUT for the little sh!t on the upper level that pelts you with arrows during the fight as he is RATHER irritating. > Grab the green urn under the balcony (if you need it), and open up the chest beside it (the one hidden by the small wooden crates) to get plenty of red runes (yay). > Slash all three of the chains holding the stand together, and then jump up (it will take two jumps) to get to the top level, and the bumhead pirate that was shooting you with arrows beforehand. I'll leave it to you how best to deal with him *looks away* > Walk up to the nearby cage and press RB to grab the door, and then tap B repeatedly to rip the door off its hinges, and free the first of the 3 crewmen. > Head north (away from the camera) and drop off the ledge into the next section. > Head right, and all the way around the spiked central pillar before going LEFT (ignore the right path for the time being), to slay the pirates there and free the second of A'Kanna's crewmen (same method on the door again - RB, Tap B). > Use the green urn if you need to, and then head back to the right, this time following the path to the right that leads in front of the waterfall. Prepare yourself for quite a tough fight as there are no less than 16 pirates that will attack you on this narrow bridge !!!!! > Keep heading right once you're done, and then around the spikey pillar in the centre of the area, and finally north (behind the pillar) to the platform with the level on it. Press RB to activate the lever. > On this second level, keep leading left (slaying pirates as you go), over the rope bridge and then up to the last platform, where the third of A'Kanna's crewmen is being held prisoner. Find and release him (RB, Tap B). --- CUTSCENE --- One pirate ascends to your current level on a different platform to the one you used to get up here. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Return to the south/right (the camera pans automatically), and slay the pirate. Then take the platform HE used to get up here (it's just past the rope bridge on the left-hand side), and press RB on the lever to get the platform to descend, and prepare yourself for your toughest fight yet. > There are 3 pirate bosses here, so stick and move as best you can (attack one with two strong attacks, then roll away from all three, rinse and repeat until he falls and then focus on his mates) paying PARTICULAR attention to the locations of the other two AT ALL TIMES. Once they are all dead, you get a ... --- CUTSCENE --- Having liberated the three of A'Kanna's crewmen that were being held prisoner, Conan and A'Kanna reach her ship. She says that she needs to liberate more of her crewmen in order to ensure she has a full compliment of them available to her on the open seas (perhaps the poor lass just gets lonely !?!?!). Conan says that there's no WAY she'd survive long enough to liberate them, and that he will go in her stead. She says she'll sail behind him, and bids him use the "war machines" (mounted turrets on the shoreline) to clear her path of enemy ships so that she can sail alongside him. With that, he sets off. --- END CUTSCENE --- ============================================================================ ¦ 0 0 7 ¦ ============================================================================ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ¦ ACT TWO - THE PIRATE RAID ¦ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- --- CUTSCENE --- The camera pans from A'Kanna's ship just off the shore, to Conan who is standing on the beach. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Head forward and up to the green ring (your first Rune Triumvirate), on the floor. The camera will pan around and a hint (and Conan himself) will tell you that you must activate all three in immediate succession to turn them on. Walk up to the first one and press RB, then watch as green lines of energy show you the way to the second. Walk up to that and then press RB, and then finally jump up to the next ledge and press RB at the third rune triumvirate, and watch your health bar increase. ============================================================================== NB. YOU MUST ACTIVATE ALL THREE CORRESPONDING RUNE TRIUMVIRATES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, AND WITHOUT ENGAGING IN ANY OTHER ACTIVITY INBETWEEN. THIS MEANS THAT YOU SHOULD LOCATE AND CLEAR OUT ANY ENEMIES IN THE AREA SO THAT YOU CAN ENSURE THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO DO A QUICK 1, 2, 3 WITHOUT HINDERANCES FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL MEAN THE TRIUMVIRATE JUST DOESN'T WORK, AND MUST BE RETRIED AGAIN ... AND AGAIN ... AND AGAIN UNTIL YOU GET IT RIGHT ;) ============================================================================== > Follow the path northwards and slay the pirates, taking note that A'Kanna's ship is, true to her word, sailing alongside you as you go. > Keep following the path and Conan will say (as you enter the next area) "These Corsairs have made their home in the ruins". Slay the pirates in this area, taking care to avoid both the archers (they should be among your first targets). > Once they have fallen, grab the green urn (if you need it), and then jump up onto one of the "mantle points" (outcroppings) in the wall at the back. The game will give you a hint about this just to keep you in the loop ;) > From here, jump up and then up again and you will get a ... --- CUTSCENE --- The camera pans around to show a Corsair ship en route to do battle with that of A'Kanna. A'Kanna's ship pelts the Corsair ship with arrows, but it does not appear to be doing any appreciable damage. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Conan says "Blasted Corsairs ... I'll sink their ships !" as you take control over him again. See that mounted turret in the background ? You need to get control over that in order to sink the Corsair ship, but it takes a fair while to move and load with bolts, so you need to slay the pirates in the area first. Do not dawdle though, since (as you can see at the bottom of the screen), A'Kanna's ship has a health bar and it is reducing by the minute. ... and watch out for the archers !! ;) > Once the area has been ... pacified ... move over to the mounted turret, and press RB to take control over it. Use the left thumbstick to move it (right moves it left, left moves it right), and then rotate the right thumbstick to load it with a weapon (you cannot do both at the same time). Once the turret is ready, press RT (the right trigger button) to fire a bolt into either the front, back or middle of the Corsair ship. Repeat this loading and firing process two more times (so that you hit the front, back and middle at least once each) and you will sink the Corsair ship. > Press RB to move away from the turret, and then head left to activate a ... --- CUTSCENE --- A'Kanna sends a volley of arrows Conan's way to destroy the door that blocks his path forwards. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Go through the doorway that A'Kanna has just opened for you, and activate the blue stone to save your progress. > Slay the pirates in the area whilst avoiding the archers - best way is to :- a) Slay the pirates on the ground including those that spawn from the first tent, whilst dodging the 3 archers; b) Head up top and slay the 2 archers there and open the chest to get the red rune goodness; and c) Drop down and use strong attacks to quickly slay (don't bother grabbing or using fast attacks against) the archer there. Take care when you attack him, as a pirate boss exits the tent behind him to do battle with you, and it's easier to despatch the archer before taking out the boss. For calling A'Kanna a whore, this little MOFO deserves to die BIG stylee. > Grab the green urn if you need it, and then follow the path to the right, watching in glee as A'Kanna pelts the pirates (and pirate boss) standing by the second mounted turret with arrows from her ship, weakening and potentially killing some in order to aid you. > Slay all the pirates and the pirate boss before taking control of the mounted turret and taking out the Corsair ship in the area just as you did with the first one (fire at the front, middle and back). > Head to the left (and then forward down the path) and, where the path forks, take the right-hand fork. Kill the two pirate archers, release the buxom wench, opening the treasure chest to get the reddy goodness, and taking the green urn as your own ... ah, treasure =). There is also a shield stand here if one of those takes your fancy. > Return to the fork in the road and this time take the left-hand fork, killing the pirates as you go, and following the path around to a gigantic tree root, behind which (on a ledge higher than you, but not by much) two archers are pelting you from their elevated position. > Kill the pirates, jump up BEHIND the root and take out the archers, grab the green urn, activate the blue stone to save your game, and then move over to the tree to your left - the game will give you a hint that large objects can often be toppled by repeatedly pressing the B button when you are next to them (actually you must press RB to use the tree, and then tap B repeatedly to push it over). > The fallen tree will destroy a section of stone wall to your left. Climb the tree trunk and traverse the now-broken wall, and turn and head left. > Follow the path as it turns and take out the four brown-clad pirates in the area before dropping down into the clearing. > "Hmm ... Rats in the Rubble" Conan exclaims as you enter this area. Take out the pirates and the pirate boss, and keep slaying them as there are, as you will see, quite a few tents that respawn pirates for a wee while. However, there is (as always) an end to the respawning process, so just be patient and you'll do fine here. Once you have slain enough pirates you get a ... --- CUTSCENE --- Conan thinks he's on top of the situation, when a door in the distance swings open and a pirate boss and two pirate archers run through to join the fray. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Once these three idiots have been slain (my advice ? Kill the archers first AS always, and then focus on the pirate boss), move through the now open doors they came through. > There are two green urns to the left of the doors as you come in, but think VERY carefully before using them, as there are a large number of pirates atop the slope to your right ... perhaps use one if you really need it, and keep the other for afterwards ?? ;) > Slay the pirates, and then head back (if you followed my suggestion above) and pick up the second urn (or both if you didn't use either). > Head back up the slope, past the tents, and over to the large stone on the right. Press RB to use the stone, and then tap B repeatedly to push it over. This will trigger a ... --- CUTSCENE --- The camera pans to show you two turrets atop the platform you can now reach, and then returns to Conan. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Jump and run up the slope to the right, and then turn and head over to the stationery turret to your south. > Press RB by the turret to activate it, and then turn it and shoot at both of the sentry posts on the left and right of the bridge, to destroy them. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE ARCHERS - THEY CANNOT HIT YOU FROM THERE. > Once both the sentry posts are destroyed, a section of bridging will fall into place, allowing the pirate boss on the far side to come across. Take him and the archer that was standing inbetween the two sentry posts out, and head over to the door at the far side of the bridge. > Press RB to activate the door, and then tap B repeatedly. Then press the left thumbstick forward (when prompted), and then tap B repeatedly again, to get through (from this point on the doors start to become more interesting to get through). > In this next area, run to the right and take out the brown-clothed pirates, taking care to avoid the archers who's arrows clip through the low wall ;) Take out the archers once you're done with the pirates, and then follow the walkway around to the right, taking out another set of brown-shirted pirate DOGS before turning north and heading along a wooden, root-covered walkway that leads down and into a clearing STOCKED with pirates and one pirate boss. Slay them all. > Walk over to the large, wooden double-doors just away from the clearing, and go RB (Tap B, LS Forward, Tap B) to get through - please note that from now on, LS = Left Thumbstick ;). Once through the doors, activate the blue stone nearby to save your game, and then use one or both of the green urns to stock up your health if you need to. > Head right, and run down the slope and into the large cave that is set into the mountain side. You will, at last, come to a grand arena. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 0 8 ¦ ============================================================================ BOSS FIGHT - BONE CLEAVER Hokay, this is your first boss fight and, as with all your boss fights, it begins with a ... --- CUTSCENE --- You walk into a fighting arena, and the camera pans to show you a very large gentleman with a fiersome-looking warhammer standing on the upper level of the arena along with HORDES of pirates, looking down at you. The man incites the pirates to attack you, claiming (rightly so) that you have slain their brothers, and that they should have their revenge against you. --- END CUTSCENE --- Another common element to the Conan Boss Fights is that they ALL take place in multiple stages. Therefore, in order to make it easy for you to work with, I am going to cite the stages and then go through them one by one :- BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - White Pirates BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - Brown Pirates, Pirate Bosses & Archers BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 - Bone Cleaver himself Take note of the arena and what is available to you - there are 2 green urns and a wall full of spikes for starters. Also BE ADVISED that the archers on the upper level do NOT shoot regular arrows - they shoot explosive arrows, so be VERY quick in removing them from your body if you get pegged by one or more or they WILL hurt. =============================== BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 =============================== The first stage of this boss fight is SO easy it's unbelievable - Bone Cleaver sends a couple of waves of white-shirted pirates (the lowest of the low) into the arena to do battle with you. They will cause you NO problem. =============================== BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 =============================== Once you have enraged him by slaying all his white-shirted pirates, Bone Cleaver moves up to stage 2 - sending in wave after wave of brown-shirted pirates, and a total of four pirate bosses (1 in 1 wave, 1 in a second wave, and 2 in the final wave). His archers also start to pelt you with their arrows, so keep on your toes and avoid the blast radius at all costs. Try and avoid using either of the green urns during this stage if at all possible as it is good to keep them for the Bone Cleaver fight proper. =============================== BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 =============================== Once you have slain ALL his pirates (barring the archers on the upper level and a couple of minions that are standing and watching you), Bone Cleaver drops down into the arena and tells you that he's going to proudly display your corpse from his axe (axe ??? It's not really an axe dude) before the day is through, AND, more importantly, that he is the one that brought the black death to this island. ============ BONE CLEAVER ============ First and foremost, Bone Cleaver CAN take damage from the archers who continue to shoot their explosive arrows into the arena during the fight, so keep that in mind at all times. Secondly, he is DECEPTIVELY nimble for a guy his size, and can attack you in many different ways, including :- A) Overhead smash and push with his "axe"; B) Calling upon his archers to pelt the arena with explosive arrows; C) A BEAUTIFUL side flip which, when he lands, sends out an earthquake. To get around this one, jump ;) D) A 4-hit combo which is slow but VERY powerful (the blade blur is orange in colour) - you can easily roll away and, if you gauge his range just right, you can be ready to strike back with a few strong hits once he has completed the combo. The best technique to use against Bone Cleaver is NOT to try and combo him too much - use strong attacks, hit once, gauge whether you can hit again and, if you can, do so, and if you can't, roll away. Keep an eye out for when he looks like he's about to jump and do his earthquake attack (C on the above list), and jump over it to avoid irritation, and DO try and avoid his 4-hit combo or you will be lifted into the air by the first hit, and that is ALSO rather annoying. Once he has taken about 75% damage, Bone Cleaver goes into a Blood Rage (he displays a visible red glow, which fades to a white glow as the fight goes on) and he becomes more aggressive for the last part of his fight. ============================================================================= BE PREPARED TO PRESS THE B BUTTON ONCE YOU HAVE TAKEN AWAY ALL HIS HEALTH, AS THIS TRIGGERS HIS FATALITY CUTSCENE. ============================================================================= --- CUTSCENE --- Conan repeatedly slams Bone Cleaver's head into his "axe" until he is well and truly fallen. As Conan is poised to strike the final blow, Bone Cleaver disappears into nothingness, leaving behind a gauntlet which Conan immediately recognises as his own. The gauntlet is a piece of a complete set of armour - the one Conan was wearing when he went to Balmoria, and which he later lost. As he slips the gauntlet on, he beholds a vision of a great evil - a Sorcerer named Graven, who had been held prisoner in a stone form until Conan inadvertantly set him free, mistaking his prison as the vault for a jewel he was seeking. Graven's reward for Conan was to knock him out, eject him from his tower, and keep his armour for his own dark purposes. --- END CUTSCENE --- Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Two. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 0 9 ¦ ============================================================================ ACT THREE - SAND VAULT --- CUTSCENE --- Conan returns to A'Kanna aboard her ship, and she immediately lashes out at him upon seeing him wearing the gauntlet. She says she has been looking for it for some time and, when it appears obvious to her that she cannot overpower him, she comes clean and explains to him that the black death beset her island as well, turning good men mad, and poisoning their minds with bloodlust. She intimates that the black death is not a disease, but a curse, and that it is spreading like wildfire. A'Kanna says that the curse can be broken, but only by the use of powerful magic (which you now possess a portion of). She begs you to help her people by returning with her to Parad Isle, and helping to destroy the black death before it takes over your world. You agree, but only so you can whoop some ass (and WHO can blame you !!). --- END CUTSCENE --- You regain control over Conan at the top of a sandy hill that descends toward an archway, beyond which is a beautiful castle. You should take immediate note that you have a new energy bar - it sits just underneath your health bar. This bar, called the Song of Death Power Bar, fills up as you slay your enemies and, once it is full enough, unleashes the Song of Death (an enhanced fighting mode where your blades SING as they call for the blood of your enemies, and where (visually-speaking) they leave some BEAUTIFUL energy trails as you dance your ballad of carnage and woe). You also do more damage ... just in case you were wondering ;) To keep the Song of Death going, just keep killing things - the more damage and death you deal out, the more you top up your Song of Death Power Bar. I should have been a muse you know *sticks his thumbs in his lapels and grins* > Run down toward, and through, the archway, straight into your first battle with a NEW type of enemy ... the lion. Lions attack very much as you would expect, and CAN be despatched really easily if you read my instructions with care (or they CAN be a real pain in the arse if you don't). There are two very efficient ways of dealing with lions :- 1) The hit-and-run, where you NEVER get drawn into hand-to-hand combat with a lion, and instead hit with 1-2 strong, or 1-3 fast attacks and then ROLL AWAY. This will trick the beast into counter-attacking, which gives you a HUGE window of opportunity to do the same. Attack, roll, attack, roll and keep doing this until the beast has fallen; or 2) Close-quarters, with HEAVY reliance on blocking to prevent you being ripped into little pieces by the beast. Again, 1-2 strong or 1-3 fast attacks and then BLOCK LIKE BUGGERY. Rinse, and repeat !! Whichever way you choose to take him out, please pay attention to these suggestions ;) > Head over to the cart that is blocking the archway in the back of this area, press RB to use the cart, and then hit Y at the appropriate time to push it out of the way. The archway WILL collapse behind you, so you cannot go back after this. > Move around the cart and into your first encounter with the Stygians. They, like so many of their kin, are encountered in different levels of power. THESE boys (the one-handed weapon wielding type) are the equivalent of the white-clothed pirates from Act One. They are easily defeated, can be thrown around and pose little problem - HOWEVER they do have stronger attacks, including not-quite-unblockables-but-which-can-cause-your-guard- to-fail-and-leave-you-open-to-further-attack stylee moves, so be warned ;) > Once you have slain all the Stygians, whom I shall dub the Stygian Swordsmen in this area, STOP. There is a green rune triumvirate here to be activated so we should turn our attention to that now. > Head over to the large, free-standing pillar on the right of the area (next to the rubble), and use RB and then tap B repeatedly, to cause it to fall. Two of the three rune triumvirate symbols are on the ground, but we'll start with the hardest one to reach ;) > Head up the newly-created slope, and hack your way through the iron bars immediately to your RIGHT. Head in and pick up the two-handed weapon IF you fancy it. > Come out of that chamber, and head left (picking up the green urn ONLY IF YOU NEED IT, as you are about to do battle with a concealed lion), past the green urn (unless you drink it), and to the far left-hand iron gate. Behind this gate is a treasure chest filled with red runes, and a lion that is just WAITING to be released so it can claw you to ribbons. Break open the doorway and slay the lion CAREFULLY, using the techniques I described to you before. There are two vases to your left that contain green runes should you need them, PLUS the green urn you probably didn't drink (I hope) when you were coming to this chamber. Crack open the treasure chest by where the lion was to get your goodies. > Head now, at last, to the final chamber (the one to your right, but to the left of where the green urn was), and hack it to bits to get in. THIS is where the third rune triumvirate is. > Activate this rune triumvirate, then drop immediately down into the arena, turn and head into the covered chamber just to your left at ground level to activate the SECOND rune triumvirate, and then run to the right and jump OVER the pillar you pushed over, to reach the third rune triumvirate. Thus empowered, we can proceed !! ============================================================================== NB. I should point out that completing a green triumvirate automatically heals all your health, as well as extending its maximum level ;) ============================================================================== > Head back up the slope you created by pushing over the pillar, and then turn and head to the right, up the stony ledges, and over to the blue rock, which you should use to save your game. > Drop down into the courtyard below, and to your first battle with the SECOND type of Stygian Warrior you will face, which I will dub the Stygian Pikemen. Stygian Pikemen are NOT to be underestimated. They generally skulk around letting others engage you ahead of themselves, but are fearsome combatants who have the ability to fire bolts of green energy that saps your health, from a distance, and who have a number of two-handed combos they can use at close-quarters. Watch them in any group encounter, and think of them as Pirate Archers on Steroids. > Once you have felled all the Stygians in this area, head over to the cart in the back of the courtyard, and use RB and then press Y at the right moment to push it out of the way (and yes, again, the archway will crumble behind you, blocking your return this way). > Move around the cart, slay all the Stygians (Swordsmen and Pikemen), and head over to the doorway, breaking open the vases for green health if you need to. > This is a new type of door by the way. To open it, press RB, then LS forward, then LS backward, then LS forward (when prompted). Run to the right once you are through the door, and you will get a ... --- CUTSCENE --- The camera pans around to show you a massive wall in front of you with a circular symbol in two halves. Obviously we are to do something with it. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Slay all the Stygians in this area (including the Pikemen that are standing on the steps to the far left and right) before attempting to do anything here. There are 8 urns containing small amounts of green runes dotted around this area, so use them wisely if need's be, and BE AWARE that once you have slain the first wave of troops, another will come after you, so it's a slightly longer fight than you might at first have anticipated ;) > Once ALL the Stygians are slain, head over to either the left OR right set of stairs, and use RB to activate the chain, and then tap B repeatedly to move that half of the circular symbol to the centre of the room. > Move across to the other side of the chamber as fast as you can and repeat the process. The reason I asked you to slay all the enemies here first is because this puzzle is on a timer, and if you take too long to complete it, the first side will swing back to where it originally was (and that's rather frustrating after a while). --- CUTSCENE --- A swirl of energy moves around the now completed symbol, and the sandpit in the centre of the room disappears to reveal a hidden staircase leading down. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Head down the newly formed steps, and activate the blue stone to save your game. Take the green urn here as well, if you need it. Then head through the archway and you'll get a ... --- CUTSCENE --- The camera pans around to show you the three cat heads (one MASSIVE one in the centre of the room, and two smaller ones - one to the left; one to the right). --- END CUTSCENE --- > Two lions are released into the room, so strike, roll, strike, roll and so on or go close-quarters and block, strike, block, strike and so on, until they are both dead. Keep your cool and have fun with this fight ;) --- CUTSCENE --- The door to the RIGHT opens up --- END CUTSCENE --- > Head through the door to the right, and around the corner to the right and into the light. To open the door, go RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up. > In the next room, take out the Stygian Swordsmen AND the Stygian Pikemen, and then destroy the vases to get some green runes. > Jump up onto the ledge at the back, and take out the Stygians here, whilst trying to stop your jaw from dropping at the HUGE shadow of the Dragon from the introductory cutscene to this level walking past the windows. > Exit via the door in the left-hand wall (on this upper level - don't drop back down). The door requires an RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up combo to get through. Head down the steps once the door is open. > You will enter a courtyard, where you will have to do battle with 2 lions, and a few Stygians. Slay them all. There is a green urn up the stairs to the right (as in diagonally right) of the stairs you took to get DOWN here, and there are also a few vases in the same area just to bump up your health that little bit more. From the bottom of the stairs you took to get into this courtyard, go from the camera (as in diagonally to the left of your starting point, through the big archway) and, once you are sure the area is adequately pacified, we will sort out the little puzzle that lies before us. > Run to the back wall, and push over the pillar that is beside the crawlspace there (RB, Tap B) - Conan will say "I need to get on top". Once that pillar has fallen, head diagonally back across the courtyard, and push the pillar that stands by the archway back up against the right-hand wall (RB, Press Y). Now, go back to the first pillar you pushed over, and use it as a stepping- stone to get up to the higher ledge. Destroy the two vases if you need any health, and then push the pillar on THIS level (RB, Y), so that it falls into the courtyard below. Drop back into the courtyard, and then jump up onto this last pillar that you have caused to fall, and use that as the basis for jumping onto the second pillar you used (the one you pushed back against the wall). BE AWARE, however, that the clipping and camera angle in this area is quite frustrating, so if it helps you, try thinking about jumping slightly AWAY from the wall, so that you don't clip it mid-jump. Works a treat ;) > As soon as you jump from this pillar up to the ledge slightly above you, Conan exclaims "I see you dragon" (as the Sand Dragon walks along in the background, knocking over loads of pillars as it goes). You are about to be set upon by 2 Stygian Swordsmen and 1 Stygian Pikeman, so be forewarned. There is a green urn here too, which you might want to use ... > Head right (down the stairs), across the walkway, and then take the stairs leading up, over another causeway WELL-STOCKED with Stygians for you to kill =) and then keep going right as the camera pans, to open another door (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up). > In this next room (you're back in the main chamber with the three cat heads on the wall, but at a higher level - level, in fact, with the two smaller heads), turn and head left to take out the 2 Stygian Pikemen. Slay them and, as Conan approaches the cat's head, he comments that its jaw should come off. Hmmmmmmmm. Stand under the cat's head in the little white circle, and press RB, LS Down, B, LS Down and watch the --- CUTSCENE --- The cat's head spits out a large quantity of some black powder, causing the platform that stands in front of it to descend. As the platform goes down, a set of stairs in the centre of the room partially forms. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Drop back down into the chamber, and head to the left (through the door that has just opened in that wall). > Kill the 3 Stygian Pikemen, and then crack open the 2 vases, green urn and save the game. > Head towards the cascading sands at the back of the room, and run to the back wall. Conan will say "Nowhere to go but up". > This is the first of quite a few sections where you have to jump and move side-to-side to get through, by grabbing ledges. I shall keep my directions as brief as possible for you :- Starting on the lowest ledge (left-hand side of the back wall) :- Jump (from the ground to the lowest ledge), Up, Right, Up, Up > Hack through the two flimsy gates to find two treasure chests and a rack holding 5 axes (in case you want to change styles or weaponry). There is also a green urn on the main walkway just outside the two rooms. > Run to the right along the walkway, and the camera will pan again. Conan says "By Crom !!" (or it could actually be BYE Crom because the number of times I have watched people die in this very simple area is MOST amusing). Here are the instructions, but PLEASE BEAR IN MIND the timing :- From ground level :- Jump (from the ground to the lowest ledge), *wait for the black sand to stop falling down the column immediately to your right*, Right, Up, *wait for the sand to your right to stop*, Right, *wait for the sand to your right to stop*, Right, Down, *wait for the sand to your right to stop*, Right, Right, Right, Down to FREEEEEEEEEEEEDOM !! > Run right, and keep going around and to the right until you get to the slope which goes down. Conan will say "Spill your guts, cat !" when he gets to the bottom, and you should block IMMEDIATELY, as there is a lion very close to you which will attack you imminently. Despatch it after blocking its first attack. > With the lion dead, head from the camera (behind where it was standing), and open up the gate on the left-hand wall (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up). > Take out the Stygian Pikeman and drop off the ledge (how spectacularly you choose to do that is entirely up to you of course), but be aware that there are 2 lions waiting for you down below ;) > Your objective here is to get the lowered platform along the left wall to raise up so that you can proceed. To do this, stand on the three circles in the centre of the room (easy peasy). > Once the platform has raised, jump back up to the higher ledge, then over the newly-erected platform, and then over to the far side where a further Stygian Pikeman awaits you. Slay him, and then use RB on the chain and tap B repeatedly, to drag the chain down and lock it. This will cause the sand pouring down in front of the main exit to cease its flow. Conan will say "This should do the trick". --- CUTSCENE --- Hey presto ! The sand that was pouring down in front of the main exit from this chamber has stopped - we can leave !! --- END CUTSCENE --- > Drop back down into the main chamber, and then head over to the opposing wall, and jump up onto the pillar there (the wall adjacent to the black sand that is still pouring down there). From this pillar, jump up, and then (when the coast is clear), go Left, Left, Left and finally Left, out the now cleared exit. > Turn and head away from the camera, and open up the door on the back wall (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up). > You're back in the central chamber with the cat's heads again (although this time you're on the other side). Slay the 2 Stygian Pikemen in the room and then head over to the cat's head, use RB to activate it, then LS Down, B, LS Down and you will get another --- CUTSCENE --- As with the first small cat's head on the other side of the chamber, this one opens its jaw (or rather YOU opened it), and black sand pours forth, causing the pedestal in front of it to descend, and the stairs in the centre of the room to be completed. The largest cat's head in the room opens to reveal a *shock horror* hidden passage !!!!! =O --- END CUTSCENE --- > Didn't see THAT coming did we ;) Drop down and then head up the newly- created set of stairs, and through the big cat's head (you will have to jump to get in by the way). Activate the blue stone to save your game, and then open up the door along the back wall (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up), and go through. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 1 0 ¦ ============================================================================ BOSS FIGHT - THE SAND DRAGON --- CUTSCENE --- As you go through the door, you see a load of Stygians running around like headless chickens on the other side of the archway that lies ahead of you. As one of the hapless warriors heads through the archway towards you, the Sand Dragon that you have been stalking spots it, lunges its head through the archway, and gobbles him up, before breathing fire at you !! --- END CUTSCENE --- > The Sand Dragon is the second boss in Conan and, like Bone Cleaver, its fight must be conducted in numerous sections. The sections are :- SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Head through the Wall SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - Chasing over the Rooftops SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 - Open Air Platform Fight SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 - Running the Gauntlet SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 - Pillar Platform Fight SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6 - Scaling the Tower SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7 - Atop the Tower ============================== SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 ============================== Right, here we go. The Sand Dragon (because he is a rather DULL beast) has stupidly rammed his head into the archway, and so doesn't have a HUGE degree of room to manoeuvre in. You are safe during this fight, as long as you stand right up against the camera, so if you need to take a breather and get your bearings, head here. The Sand Dragon attacks with a variety of biting attacks ranging from 1 snap, to 2 snaps, to 3 snaps. If you are a beginner then the best advice I can give you is to hang back and watch his attacks to learn what they are, and then to rush forward (rolling will close the distance reasonably quickly) and start unloading with the strong hits, taking care to block his responses. If he knocks you back to the camera, you will have had your block broken, and he will snap at you a couple of times doing reasonable damage. If he knocks you to the side, you should find you move that little bit closer to him (as in just inside the crook of his neck), and can unleash HELL upon him no problem at all. If you are adept at this game, then heed my advice for CRUSHING him :- The safest place to do battle with the Sand Dragon from, is the top left-hand corner of the area, as it is inside the crook of his neck, and he has quite some difficulty snapping at you from there (but don't forget to block just to be on the safe side). It is possible to do battle with him in this position and take absolutely no damage during this stage of the fight. Once he has taken enough damage, you will get a large health powerup, and he will flail around for a bit before sinking his head to the ground. Run up to him and press the button indicated, to begin the end-sequence for this stage. You MUST hit the buttons in the right order, otherwise he will throw you against the wall, and regain part of his health (meaning this stage of his boss fight will become longer and harder than it needs to be). Once you have correctly entered the commands (which will be Y, Tap B) you will be HURLED up high into the air, and land on your back. ============================== SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 ============================== WASTING NO TIME, as the Sand Dragon is merely stunned, NOT dead, run to your left (the camera pans), and keep going left until the ground breaks under your feet and you slide down (Conan will say "I've GOT to keep moving"). Run to the left (Conan will say "This rooftop won't last", and keep running to the left, jumping over two gaps as you go, and then having to jump up to a slightly higher platform. This leads you to the next actual fight with the Sand Dragon ... ============================== SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 ============================== ... the open air platform fight ! (Sorry, I really couldn't think what else to call it !!). The Sand Dragon has outpaced you, and must now be battered down again. He rises up at the back of the platform you are standing on, all snake-like and ... snakey ... and engages you with a couple of nasty attacks, being :- A) Expanding ring of flame (you will know he is about to do this because he raises his head to the skies and glows with flaming energy before breathing fire across the platform). This attack can be jumped over, but your timing must be good. B) Tongue Lash. He lashes out at you with his tongue. You CAN counter- attack this move with the B button, but you must be VERY quick. C) Bites. If you get too close to him, he will try and take a chunk out of your manly butt with his snappy teeth - best dodged or blocked, and I DON'T mean blocked with your arse ;) As with the first fight with the Sand Dragon, as long as you stay as close to the camera as possible, he CANNOT bite you. Therefore I would suggest standing inbetween the two sets of black spiked railings, and jumping over his flaming rings, and counter-attacking him. I wouldn't bother going in for strikes unless you're brave, foolhardy, Spider-Man or on a VERY easy setting. Once he has taken enough damage (from your well-timed counter-attacks or other tomfoolery), he will once again slump onto the deck. Run up to him and press the right combination of buttons when prompted (it will be X and then B), and you will get up onto his head but, unfortunately, before you are able to strike a killer blow, he comes to and shakes you off, causing you to fly into a nearby building, smashing through one of the walls. ============================== SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 ============================== From where you land, take out the Stygians and destroy the vases to get a bit of green health, and then then run to the left and, when the Sand Dragon has broken enough of this area for you to be ABLE to jump up, jump up the ledges on the left-hand wall, and onto the platform at the top. DO NOT TRY AND ENGAGE THE SAND DRAGON - JUST RUN AWAY FROM HIM. When you reach the top (which puts you on a large wooden set of platforms), run to the right and keep running until you can drop down the two wooden platforms, to ultimately land (once again) on an open-air platform, which leads us to ... ============================== SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 ============================== ... the Pillar Platform Fight. As soon as you land on the platform the Sand Dragon's barbed tail will snake up at the far end menacingly. Move to the far left corner, nearest the camera to dodge the spines he shoots out, and he will make his slightly more grand appearance, snorting at you before destroying the right-hand pillar. You can do a LOT of damage to him at this point if you strike him from your left-hand side whilst he's snaking up to do his first smash (of the right- hand pillar), and if you remain in the top left-hand corner (retreating back to behind the left-hand pillar when he raises his tail (until the left-hand pillar is destroyed of course)), and time your rolls to avoid his head-smash attacks, then you CAN defeat him in this stage without taking any damage either ! His moves in this stage are :- A) Rise up and slam his head down into the platform, causing a shockwave which you can jump (you'll know he's about to do this as he snakes his head veeeeeeeery slowly upwards before ramming it down); B) Bites (in a number of different quantities, but as always he cannot bite you if you hang around the back); and C) Barbed Tail Spikes. He CANNOT hit you with them if you stay at the bottom-left, AS LONG AS THE LEFT-HAND PILLAR REMAINS IN TACT. Once THAT has fallen, try rolling to avoid the spikes as they hit all over the bloody place. Rush forward and hammer him with strong attacks, when he slowly raises his head up get ready to jump away or roll away, as you won't be able to do him any harm at that particular point in time, and when he drops down and the tail pops up, get ready to either roll or jump away, unless the left-hand pillar is up in which case hide in the bottom left-hand corner, nearest the camera. Once he has fallen, he chases you off the platform and onto a pillar, which you cling onto and ascend, his response being to smack it with his tail, causing it to fall into a set of wooden platforms built around ANOTHER tower to the right. ============================== SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6 ============================== As soon as you are back in control of Conan, have him jump up to the first ledge on the tower, then Right, Up, Left, Up, Left (if you want to get the Treasure Chest) BUT DO NOT DAWDLE on that ledge as it crumbles rather quickly. Assuming you've gone to the left and picked up the Treasure Chest, you will then need to get back onto one of the central ledges to make the jump to the pathway on the right. TO DO THIS, DO *NOT* JUMP - just run off the ledge, aiming right and towards the centre of the pillar, and Conan should grab onto the nearest ledge. If he fails to grab that one, there are two in line below it, and he should grab one of those. If you jump then the odds are 95% likely that you're going to plummet to your death. Once you're on the central ledge to the left of the pathway that spirals off to your right, jump to the right to get onto THAT pathway, and then follow it as it snakes around the pillar upwards. You will need to jump up onto one wooden ledge, and then over a reasonably- large gap to another wooden ledge (which is made that little bit more awkward because the camera is panning around the pillar as you go), before you reach another section of ledges to jump around. Jump Up, Right, and finally Up again to reach the highest platform, and set the scene for ... ============================== SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7 ============================== You will, I am sure, be ELATED to learn that this is the last stage of the Sand Dragon Boss Fight ... WOOHOO !! It's also one of the easiest, which is nice ... however if you don't know what you're doing you WILL get battered, which is NOT so nice. Your objective here is to knock the Sand Dragon back to the extent that he backs off, giving you a little time to achieve 2 things. HOWEVER, the timing of this stage of the fight means that you will have to do it like this :- 1) Knock the Sand Dragon back and stun him; 2) Achieve Objective 1; 3) Knock the Sand Dragon back and stun him; 4) Begin Objective 2; 5) Knock the Sand Dragon back and stun him; 6) Achieve Objective 2; 7) Sand Dragon FINALLY Dies. The Sand Dragon's attacks in this stage are :- A) Frenzied Tongue Lashing (block it to avoid damage and being drooled all over, which is NEVER nice); B) Biting (in various stylees) (block to avoid damage, but be aware that if he hits you at the right angle he will break your block, and you will take some damage); C) Expanding Ring of Flame (as per the last time he used it - jump over it to avoid it). Once he has fallen back, smash your way through the wooden planks to the left, and push over the massive rock (do not grab the green urn unless you need it - remember you ARE running against the clock in this stage, and you do not have enough time to pick up the green urn AND push over the rock). To push over the rock, you need to "use" it with the RB button three times. This will trigger a mini cutscene where you realise you are actually standing atop a giant statue, and have just booted off one of its arms - an arm holding some type of sword, which plummets to the ground below, sharp-end pointing straight up ... hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Once you are back in control, and have activated this cutscene (by which I mean if you chose to get the green urn you will have to knock the Sand Dragon back again and kick off the statue's arm before proceeding), do battle with the Sand Dragon again to knock him back, and then head over to the LEFT-hand side of this platform, and use the controls (RB, rotate the right-hand thumbstick like billio). This will cause a giant ball of stone to be raised up, and gradually be pulled to the left. Odds are you won't be able to get it all the way up this time around, and will have to face the Sand Dragon for another bout. HOWEVER, once you've knocked him back a FURTHER time, you should have ample time to complete this, your second objective on this level (just keep rotating that thumbstick) and, when you're done, you will get your VERY well-deserved --- CUTSCENE --- Conan jumps onto the ball he has brought up, and cuts one of the support cables, causing it to swing around. Using his weight to change its angle, he brings it SMASHING into the back of the Sand Dragon, who, unable to maintain his position atop the platform, falls down, becoming impaled upon the sword below. Not content with this being the Sand Dragon's end, Conan cuts the ball's other support, causing it to smash down into the Sand Dragon's stomach, thus destroying him utterly. Conan finds another gauntlet lodged around one of the Sand Dragon's teeth, and claims it as his own. A'Kanna says that a NEW Power surges through Conan as he sees a glimpse of the past ... of two brothers - guardians of the most ancient magic on earth, who had taken a sacred vow to protect this power. She tells of how one of the brothers broke their vow, and took the power as his own, losing himself to its darkness and becoming possessed in the process. He did terrible things as a result of the power he now wielded. The scene then shifts to Conan coming back to A'Kanna on her ship. She comments about his new attire, and suggests you sail to Stygia to obtain the rest of your armour and slay the dread source of the curse, that you might be free ... ... and then you boink her. --- END CUTSCENE --- Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Three. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 1 1 ¦ ============================================================================ ACT FOUR - TRIBAL WARRIOR --- CUTSCENE --- Conan awakens, but A'Kanna is no longer in the bed. She has arisen and readied herself for the day's toils. As she stands on the ship, bandits move onto the deck and take her prisoned. Conan asks the crewmen what has happened to her, and he learns that she has been taken prisoner, and is to be sacrificed to the local tribe's Elephant God. Unmoved by the suggestion of the crewman (that they let her die and keep her share of the bounty for themselves), Conan stabs him in the gut, and then commands the other crewmen to pilot the ship to land so that he may pursue his lover of the moment. --- END CUTSCENE --- You begin this level in rocky terrain - a beaten path leading off into the distance behind you. A noise signals that you have attained a new power - your first of four Magic Spells that you can utilise during the game - well done !! Being as you only have the one spell at this point in time, it is depicted as your active spell (the graphic in the blue circle in the top-left corner of your status bar). The spell is called "Stone Prison" - a VERY handy little power which creates a short-range cone of petrifying energy that will turn any enemies caught within its radius to stone for a short while. Most regular foes can be smashed to pieces with a few hits whilst in this state. When you pick up additional spells, use the D-Pad to select which spell to use. You will see from the graphic depicting the spell that there is a little blue arrow pointing to the left ? This means LEFT on the D-Pad to select this spell - it's really quite simple :) One other consideration when using spells is that, as the astute player will have already spotted, there is a new energy bar in your status bar at the top of the screen as well - a BLUE bar that sits beneath the Song of Death Power Bar. The blue bar depicts how much magical energy you currently have to spend. You can pick up extra energy from slaying enemies and smashing blue urns. (You will find blue energy now forms part of the bounty you receive from certain kills, so you don't really have to do anything SPECIAL to recharge this bar, HOWEVER you should be aware that it will NOT recharge itself over time - you must fill it to use it). As the levels progress, so too will the level of the bar. At the moment you have one level of charge, but ultimately you will get two, three and more. Each spell takes more and more power to use, so whilst the Stone Prison spell requires but one level of magic to use, the next spell you will learn will require two, the third three, and so on. To use the spell (which I wouldn't do until you're in combat, no matter how much you want to test it out), press the LB button. Righty-ho ! Ready to continue ? Let's kick some tribal ASS shall we ??? =) > Run away from the camera (into the background), and a tip will pop up to confirm (basically) what I've just told you. > Test your Stone Prison power out on the lion by the campfire if you like - he will make a handy test (just make sure you're in hand-to-hand range before you let loose with the spell, or you'll waste it). > Once the lion is dead, press RB by the campfire to pick up a burning torch from the flames ... me likey !! =) > If you want to see something REALLY nice, throw the burning torch into the fire to see the sparks FLY !! > Hokay sorry - letting the pyromaniac in me out to play for a sec *blush*, we need to ascend, so jump up the ledges by the campfire and Conan will say "This bramble will burn" (and you'll get a tip as well). Press RB by the vines and they will ignite, allowing you to ascend further. > Jump Up, and then Up again to reach a new plateau. You will be attacked by a lion, but keep tapping the fast attack and you'll set him on fire - it won't slay him but it will make him run around in a circle like a lunatic which will make you laugh, and you can use fast attacks to snap at him whilst he does so. > Once the lion is dead, you should get your first blue rune from him, and you will receive a further tip telling you that blue runes restore your special armour (magic) abilities. > Head to the left and the camera will pan to show you a tribal warrior walking about beneath you. Drop down and slay him and his friend. Tribal combatants come in three varieties which I shall quickly itemise for ease of reference - those that I will call "Tribal Warriors" are bald, wear face paint, and carry two-handed weapons; those I will refer to as "Witch Doctors" wear large masks, and carry sword and shield; and those I call "Tribal Hunters" look just like Tribal Warriors, but they use bow and arrows to strike you from afar, switching to two-handed weaponry when you get close enough to do battle with them. > Once the two Tribal Warriors have fallen, either pick up the large boulder that was lying on the floor in this area, or push over the large totem and use its head as a throwing weapon, and lob whichever item you have picked up at the tusk-gate to the left, to make your way through. > As soon as you enter this new area (a tribal encampment), the camera will pan just a touch so that you can see a campfire, a load of straw huts, and a Witch Doctor exiting the nearest hut to you. > Take out the Witch Doctor, bearing in mind that he is quick and dangerous, and that you cannot throw him. Once he has been slain, grab a burning log from the nearby campfire, and torch the hut the Witch Doctor came out of to get yourself a green urn, which you should use if you need to. > We are now going to take out the tribe in this encampment, and burn all their homes (not very nice, but we ARE barbarians after all) > As you move further into the encampment, you meet your first Tribal Hunter. Be aware that if you try and throw the burning log at him, it throws LIKE a log, so it doesn't just keep going - you must be reasonably close to him for it to hit him ;). Also, as I've already said, be aware that when you get close enough to him, he will sheath his bow and arrows, and whip out a very nice two-handed weapon before trying to carve you into pieces ... > There are two ways of proceeding in this area - you can either wade on into the encampment and take out all the tribe in the area, and THEN burn down their huts once they are finished spawning tribal warriors, archers et al., OR you can be more methodical, and take out each hut as you get to it, but this is going to involve a fair bit of going back and forth to get new burning logs from the fire ... your call. In order to try and keep things simple, I am going to tell you that you will find in the huts :- [From there you enter this area - i.e. after you've ignited the hut above] 1st hut on the right - Blue Urn 2nd hut on the right - Empty 3rd hut on the right - Treasure Chest 1st hut on the left - Red Rune Triumvirate (1/3) There is also a green urn hidden behind a large block behind, and inbetween the 3rd hut on the right, and the 1st (and only) hut on the left. There is also a buxom beauty to the right of the green urn (she doesn't really have a lot to say until you free her) ;) > Disregard the rune triumvirate for now - we cannot complete it yet, but we WILL come back to it in a few. You can set alight to the brown grass if you want to - just walk through it with a burning log in your hand. > You will need to ignite the brambles to the left of the brown grass to get into the next area of the encampment, but beware the Tribal Hunter that is trying to pick you off with his arrows from the nearby structure. > Once you are into this second encampment, you can just repeat your previous performance, and either take out all the tribe in the area and then focus on their huts, or take out the tribe and huts one by one. Be aware that there are three additional structures in this area - two turrets for Tribal Hunters to stand on and shoot arrows from, and one area which is more like a drape-covered caravan, with some vases beside it. When taking out archer turrents on this level, you have two options - you can either burn them (killing the archer in the process), or you can press RB and then tap B by them to pull them down, but then you have to do battle with the Tribal Hunter hand-to-hand. As with the previous area, here is what you will find in the huts, working your way around from the first archer turret counter-clockwise around the encampment :- 1st Archer Turret - Nothing 1st Hut on the right - Treasure Chest 2nd Hut on the right - Red Rune Triumvirate (2/3) Draped Caravan Thing - Treasure Chest 3rd Hut on the right - Treasure Chest 1st Hut on the left - Treasure Chest Now that we have uncovered the furthest red rune triumvirate from the two in the previous section (the one I specifically mentioned to you, and the one you probably stumbled upon yourself), we can activate this triumvirate soooooo ... if you would like to activate the red rune triumvirate that you find in this SECOND encampment first, and then run back to the first rune triumvirate we found together, and then finally follow the red energy line that runs from that triumvirate back towards where you started the level, then you will find and be able to activate the third triumvirate, and obtain a healthy boost to your Song of Death Power Bar. > From the third red rune triumvirate, head back to the second tribal camp, and run all the way to the left, to the far side past the first hut on the left from my list above, and over to the horizontal tusk gate, you will see that there are two levers, one on either side of the door. Use RB to call Conan to use the levers, and then tap B to push them into their locked position (you will need to lock both sides in order to proceed). > Follow the path and you will be set upon by 2 lions (1 from in front, 1 from behind). Perfect opportunity for a Stone Prison Spell non ?? Once they are dead, head further down the path and you will come to a set of ledges leading up a rock face, with a couple of Tribal Warriors standing atop it. You have a choice - you can either go up there (which is what I am going to do, or you can carry on the way you were going - this area is a loop, so you will wind up coming back on yourself). I'm going to (as I said) head up those ledges and take out the Tribal Warriors ... *does what he said*. Now, carry on on this new plateau, taking out the Tribesmen (Witch Doctor and some Tribal Warriors) along the way. > Burn down the two huts to receive a blue urn and a green urn, and then push over the large totem (RB, Tap B) to cause its head to fall down to the valley floor below. > Take out the Witch Doctor and Tribal Warriors (you may as well use your Stone Prison Spell here), and then burn down their hut to receive a further blue urn. > Either burn down or pull down the archer's turret and slay the archer. > Head back down the path on the valley floor towards where this loop started, MAKING SURE that you have a burning log in your hand, and you will find that you come to an area where the camera pans up to show you a higher ledge. Burn down the bramble to access the ledges that you need to use to get to the top and, when you get there, you will find a blue urn, a green urn and a treasure chest. > Drop back down to the valley floor, and head back to the area you just left and use the blue stone to save your progress. > Use either the totem's head that you caused to drop down onto the valley floor, or the large stone block that is lying by the tusk gate, to smash the gate so that you can proceed. > Take out the Witch Doctor and the Archery Turret, and proceed onward to do battle with another set of Tribesmen (this must be on HELL of a large tribe !!) - this time a Witch Doctor, a set of Tribal Warriors and 2 Lions. In the area where you fight the lions (around and to the left), there is also a buxom beauty and a treasure chest. > Since the bridge has been taken out of play by the tribesmen, you will have to use the ledges available to get across. Therefore, if you go to where you WOULD have been able to get across the bridge and head to your left, along the edge of the chasm, you will find your first ledge in the wall. You must jump and then tap B to ascend (a new technique in this setting, and one you will be using again and again in the future, so try and get it right) ;). Then, once you are on the ledge, jump to the right and tap B to ascend again, and then keep jumping up and right (trying your best to time your jumps so as to avoid the arrows from the two archers' turrets as you go), and then finally you can drop down behind a large boulder. *wiggles his eyebrows* You KNOW what's coming next. That's right boys and girls !! RB on the boulder to use it, and then press LS Down, Tap X, LS Down, Tap Y and the boulder will roll down and crush both the archery turrets. BONZA !! > Drop down and head into the LOVELY archway which looks like a misshapen mouth (the entrance to ANY evil deity's lair MUST be a scary thing or so help it). --- CUTSCENE --- Conan frees a buxom beauty from her shackles, and she tells him that the tribe are already killing the women up ahead in the cave. Conan heads off. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Run forward and use the blue stone to save your game. Go forward aways, and you will be ambushed by a Witch Doctor and a Tribal Warrior. The Witch Doctor taunts you, saying that you're already too late to save A'Kanna. > Run forward, ignoring the buxom beauty and the structure she sits upon, and keep going down the path, and Conan will say "there's the entrance". Keep going until you reach the large set of three circles, the nearest one to you having three small circles atop it - one red, one blue, one yellow. > Stand upon the yellow circle, and you will get a brief ... --- CUTSCENE --- The camera pans to show you that the structure you have just run past changes form, as a windchime structure arises from its top. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Turn and head back to the structure, taking out the newly arrived Tribal Warriors as you go. Jump up onto the first ledge and save the buxom beauty from her imprisonment, and then jump up again and finally one more time to reach the windchimes at the top. As you can hear, they are out of sync. Pull both the chains down and lock them in position (RB, tap B), and this will make the sound considerably more harmonious. > Drop down to the valley floor and run back to the three circles, and you will see that the circle closest to the entrance has arisen and cannot be reached, and furthermore that the blue circle on the first large circular step has also raised up slightly. Step on this blue circle to get a ... --- CUTSCENE --- The camera shows you the direction in which you must travel to reach the second tower. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Follow that path, taking out the Witch Doctor, Archery Turret (and Hunter), 2 huts (one of which spawns Tribal Hunters; the other a Witch Doctor), and SECOND Archery Turret. The 2 huts give you a green urn and a treasure chest. When you are done, ascend the second tower and, when you get to the top, do a repeat of your performance at the first tower to lock the chains (RB, tap B) and you will see the second large circular platform raise up in the distance, and two Witch Doctors come scuttling towards your position to await their turn to dine at Crom's Table *balls his fist up and slams it into the desk* > Drop down, slay the Witch Doctors, and head back to the central area, making sure to push over the large totem you encounter on the way, and when you get there, activate the third and final circle - the red circle. --- CUTSCENE --- The camera pans to show you the third and final tower, and the windchime structure arising on its top. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Run back to the now demolished totem, grab its head and use it to smash your way through the tusk gate that blocks your path to the third windchime tower. Head through the demolished gate, taking out the Witch Doctor and two Tribal Hunters as you go. There is a green urn here should you need to use it. > Ascend the third and final windchime tower and, when you get to the top, use and lock both chains (RB, tap B) to align this tower's windchimes as well. As with the second tower, you will see the column rise in the distance, and some Tribal Warriors heading over to your area to do battle with you. > Run back to the newly-erected tower, and ascend to the top (there are ledges cut into the side which you might miss at first, but which are really quite obvious when you stop and look at it). Once you get to the top, run towards the entrance and a small ARMY of tribesmen will pour out to do battle with you. Specifically there are 3 Witch Doctors and 4 Tribal Warriors. The easiest way to slay them is to wait on the three-circle bridge that you are currently standing upon, and the Witch Doctors will come forward, but they will be unable to climb up onto the bridge to do battle with you. HOWEVER, you can stand at the edge of the bridge, and cast your Stone Prison spell, which will turn all three of them to stone to be smashed by your blades. Once THEY are down, the others will not present too much of a problem for you, I am sure. > There is a green urn and three small statues which contain green energy on these steps. > Head through the door (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up), and you complete this act. Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Four. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 1 2 ¦ ============================================================================ ACT FIVE - ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD --- CUTSCENE --- A set of tribesmen peg it as far and as fast away from you as they can, crying "He's come for HER". The camera then pans up to where you are standing. --- END CUTSCENE --- ============================================================================= NB. THERE IS A LOT OF BLACK TAR IN THIS ACT, AND YOU SHOULD AVOID STEPPING IN IT WHEREVER POSSIBLE, AS IT IS ACIDIC, AND WILL DO DAMAGE TO YOU WHILST YOU ARE IN IT. ============================================================================= > Follow the path down and through the archway. As you approach, there is a rockfall from the ceiling above, and the archway is blocked. A large, lumbering ape-like beast (which I shall call an "Gorilla Man") comes charging towards you, scraping his knuckles on the ground as he goes ... These guys are TOUGH to fight, because they have a really annoying close- quarters attack which replicates a Gorilla's punches somewhat. It can hit you multiple times and do quite a bit of damage AND annoyance, so be aware of that. Strong attacks work best, as does stick-and-move play. If he jumps up, he's about to pound the floor and cause a minor earthquake so you should jump out of the way or roll away to avoid taking a lot of damage. He also has a couple of brutal arm swings that can ruin your afternoon. > Once he is dead, stay on the path, but follow it like a big U-turn rather than going over to the archway, and you will run past a green rune triumvirate (which you can ignore), and up to a rockface with a ledge in it, which you need to climb. Jump, tap B, then Up again. > Once you are here, use RB on the boulder to activate it, and then LS Down, tap X, LS Down, tap Y and the boulder will roll down and smash its way through the archway for you. > Activate the green rune triumvirate up here, then drop back down to the cave floor below, activate the green rune triumvirate there, and then run back to the archway to activate the third and final green rune triumvirate and earn yourself a health boost. > Head through the archway to get a ... --- CUTSCENE --- Conan enters the chamber to the calls of the Tribesmen who say "the Woman is OURS" (shyeah RIGHT !!). A'Kanna (GO GIRL !!) boots one of them in the chops and chides the others, saying they should come closer so that she can kick their teeth in ... we love her :) --- END CUTSCENE --- > Take out the Witch Doctor and the 3 Tribal Warriors, and then 2 Gorillamen enter the fray !! Slay them as well, and then you get another --- CUTSCENE --- An extra Gorillaman springs into action, grabs A'Kanna and jumps down a huge drop with her in his arms ... filthy BEAST. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Use the green urn on the ledge to the right if you need to, and take the sword or shield that are on the same ledge if you like. Then, when you are ready, drop down in pursuit of A'Kanna and the Gorillaman that took her. > Take out the 2 Gorillamen in this first area, and smash the small pillars that glow slightly green and have skulls set into them for some probably much-needed health. > There is also a green urn here which you might well want to use. > When you are ready to proceed, go over to the bright, sparkly chain that seems to be holding up the wall of skulls, and strike it with your weapon. Then press RB, and finally tap B to pull a chunk of it away and reveal a gateway for you to go through. > You drop off a ledge and into a large chamber, only to realise you have been pursued by 2 Witch Doctors and 2 Tribal Warriors !! "You've come back for more ?" Conan asks (and I agree - we've whupped the TAR outta these guys before - let's show 'em how it's done !! G'wan) :) > Once they are dead, head around to the left, and take out the Gorillaman Lobber (a new type of enemy for you - basically a white-furred Gorillaman that picks up boulders from the earth itself to lob against you) - attack him with strong attacks and crowd him to try and get him to back off to give you the edge in combat and beat that mutha DOWN. > Once he has fallen, run up the slope beside him and take out the Gorillaman, (preferably by using your magic spell), and then venture into his cave to free the buxom beauty and use the blue urn to replenish your magic energy. There is another attack coming your way so be prepared to be ambushed by another Witch Doctor and a Tribal Warrior. Once they are dead, head to the right and use the green urn there. > Save using the blue stone, and then head back down the slope, taking out the Gorillaman and 2 Tribal Warriors that try and ambush you AGAIN from behind, and picking up the green urn if you need to. > Keep heading around to the left, taking out ANOTHER Gorillaman, and you will at last come to a red-headed buxom beauty, and another chain in the wall. Save her, then slash and pull the chain (RB, tap B), and go through the gate you create to do battle with YET ANOTHER Gorillaman (there is a blue urn in his cave), and then head down the slope, hugging the black river as there is SO obviously another Gorillaman waiting in ambush there for you it's UNREAL. Slay him, and enter his cave to obtain a Treasure Chest and a blue urn. > Continue further into the area, and just behind the blue rune triumvirate you will find another Gorillaman lying in ambush. Take him out and then rescue the buxom beauty here (she's just to the right of his cave). Ignore the blue rune triumvirate at this time. > Jump up the ledge beside her (jump, tap B, then Up again) to reach the next ledge above you. Here, take out the Gorillaman that will try and ambush you, and then turn and run towards the camera and over the bridge, slaying the Gorillaman Lobber and picking up the blue urn and the green urn as you go. > Head over to the boulder, and take out the additional Gorillaman that tries to ambush you (FOOLISH beast). Use RB on the boulder, then LS Down, tap X, LS Down, tap Y to unsettle the boulder, and send it crashing down towards a structure below you. > Run down the slope after the boulder and dispose of the Gorillaman Lobber that comes out of the cave on your left. There is a second blue rune triumvirate in the building that you just knocked a huge chunk out of with the boulder, but again we must ignore it at this time. > Slay the large number of enemies that come at you from the right (including Witch Doctors, Tribal Warriors and 2 Gorillamen), and then run to the right and back across the open area, to reach the first blue rune triumvirate, which I STILL do not want you to activate yet. Grumpy, aren't I ;) From there, move to the detailed structure immediately to Conan's right, and the head to the right of it, and the camera will pan. As the camera pans, head directly towards yourself - i.e. into the camera, and keep coming down until you reach what looks like a poorly-placed section of tiling on the floor - it looks almost like a bigass jigsaw piece to be a bit more elaborate. From there, head left, and you will find a blue urn, a statue with a bit of green energy in it, and a shield on the floor. Use whatever you wish, and then keep heading left, and over into the nearby cave, using both the green urns if you wish. Once you have done all the OTHER actions you might want to do here, activate the blue rune triumvirate (1/3), and then double-back on yourself to the rune triumvirate we found first in this cave and activate that (2/3), and then finally head left and into the structure you destroyed, to turn on the third and final blue rune triumvirate (3/3), and earn another level to your magic energy bar. > In this structure you can also avail yourself of a green urn should you wish to. Once you're ready, use RB on the chain and then tap B repeatedly to lock it into position, and open up the door to allow you to proceed. > Be aware that as you approach the door to get through, you are going to be ambushed by 2 Witch Doctors, 1 Gorillaman, and 1 Gorillaman Lobber, so be prepared. > Once they are defeated, pick up and lob as many of the boulders that are blocking your path through the door as you need to (whilst A'Kanna tells you that she is in there, and that they are going to sacrifice her to their Elephant God - TELL US SOMETHING WE *DIDN'T* KNOW LOVE !!!!!), and then head through - the door is a standard RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up combo. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 1 3 ¦ ============================================================================ BOSS FIGHT - ELEPHANT GOD (AKA ELEPHANT DEMON) Hokaaaaaaay then ! As you enter this area, drop down from the ledge and you will get a ... --- CUTSCENE --- Conan sees A'Kanna shackled across a large expanse of black tarry muck, quite obviously housing the corpse of a gigantic elephant. She calls out to him, and he begins to approach, but as he does so the tar magically turns blue, breathing life to the husk that is the Elephant God. It arises from its dark slumber, and prepares to do battle with our intrepid hero. --- END CUTSCENE --- As with every boss fight (as you know), the Elephant God Boss Fight is divided up into multiple sections (only 2 this time around though), being :- ELEPHANT GOD BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Meet and Greet ELEPHANT GOD BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - The Puddle Fight =============================== ELEPHANT GOD BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 =============================== In this first stage of the Elephant God Boss Fight, he exhibits the following main attacks :- A) Tusk Slam (he slams his massive tusks sideways into obstacles, leaving him vulnerable to counter-strikes during the lag); B) War Cry (he blasts blue, sonic energy in a narrow cone-shape ahead of him - you WILL take damage if you are in a direct line from it, so BE SOMEWHERE ELSE); and C) Stomp (he rears up and slams his hoofs down causing a shockwave to emanate from the point at which he lands - jump or roll away to dodge). Your objective here is to sever both the chains on the upper left and right platforms. You won't be able to reach them without the help of the Elephant God, so here's what I would like you to do. 1) Lure the Elephant God to either the left, or right-hand side of the reasonably small arena in which you are currently combating him; 2) Do enough damage to him for his eyes to turn red, meaning a) he's p!ssed off, and b) he's about to do a stomp and clear you a pathway to the ledge on whichever side you are on. 3) Jump or dodge his stomp, and then vault over the now cleared area, to get to the bottom of the platform. 4) The Elephant God will do a Tusk Slam (which you should avoid, obviously) and then, when he is lodged against the wall, press the A button when prompted to vault up onto him, and then press A and whichever direction you need to, to jump up onto the platform nearby. 5) Destroy the small statue to release some green energy, and then cut the chain, to cause a burning urn to drop down from above into the black tar, hurting the Elephant God and causing him to yank himself free of the rocks, tearing off one of his four massive tusks in the process (OUCHIES !!). 6) Go back to 1), and do 1-6 for the other side of the arena. Once he has lost two tusks, he screams and falls (apparently dead) back into the black tar, forming a rather neat bridge for you to traverse to reach A'Kanna. Move over him, and you can proceed to ... =============================== ELEPHANT GOD BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 =============================== --- CUTSCENE --- As Conan strides confidently over the Elephant God's Corpse, it arises once again behind him, ready to do battle with him anew. --- END CUTSCENE --- I have named this stage the Puddle Fight because the area in which you are able to stand is not entirely safe - there are a number of black tar puddles that you need to locate and avoid stepping in (they are at the back of your area), and this can make moving to avoid the Elephant God a bit more taxing than it was in the first stage. In this stage the Elephant God exhibits the following attacks :- A) War Cry (as per his attack in stage 1) - dodge it but be wary of stepping into the black tar; B) Stomp (same as before, but this time instead of causing a shockwave, it causes rocks to fall from the ceiling down upon wherever he lands, so be aware of that); and C) Head Slam (he rises up and slams his jaw down into the ground, causing a shockwave to emanate that throws you up into the air if you are hit by it - jump or roll to avoid). Go for strong hits on the schnoz (the nose) whenever you have the chance, and ALWAYS be prepared to roll away if he rises up to do a War Cry or Stomp. When you have done enough damage to him, his eyes will once again turn red, and he will drop to the ground, with you being invited to execute the commands B, A, Y, Y to sever the third of his tusks (poor lad - I actually do feel really quite sorry for him) from his head. You then need to do exactly the same thing again, but this time instead of the previous set of button commands, you need to go B, X, B, B to sever his fourth and final tusk from his head. *sniff* This takes you onto the final piece of this stage, where you must do 100% damage to the Elephant God (which will cause the two last little bits of his two severed tusks to drop off), ending his undead existence, and trigger a ... --- CUTSCENE --- The Elephant God rears up, and a brilliant blue light begins to emanate from his head. The light gets stronger and brighter, until it results in an explosion that decimates the Deity, leaving his lifeless husk of a body afloat in the black tar that spawned him. Conan frees A'Kanna, and she praises his fearlessness, before spotting his leggings on the ground nearby. As Conan reaches out to take his prize (THE LEGGINGS YOU PERV), he gets another flashback. This time the scene depicts Graven - the corrupted brother, and by now the most powerful wizard on Earth, in his quest to become truly immortal. Graven sired many children, and took to slaying them to preserve his own lifeforce. However, one child escaped - a little girl, who was spirited away to safety. That girl is the Warrior Queen, A'Kanna. --- END CUTSCENE --- Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Five. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 1 4 ¦ ============================================================================ ACT SIX - MIDNIGHT RAID --- CUTSCENE --- A'Kanna's ship once again sets sail for Stygia, aware that somebody there is already looking for Conan's Enchanted Armour. A'Kanna prays that it is the Sorceror Graven himself, as she wants for nothing more than to put an end to his miserable existence. --- END CUTSCENE --- As you begin this new Act, you are gifted a further spell - this one is called "Rain of Fire" and, when it is activated, Conan jumps and slams into the ground, causing meteors to strike the earth in close proximity to him at random points, doing hefty fire damage to anybody caught in the radius. The Rain of Fire Spell costs 2 Magic Bars to use (you will spot that you are given a further magic bar to use from now on which, if you followed my guide about the blue rune triumvirate in the Elephant Graveyard, means you now have 3 Magic Bars available to you), and can be accessed by pressing Up on the D-pad. Before we begin, I would like you to familiarise yourself with changing spells so if you could please press LEFT on your D-pad to access your Stone Prison spell ? That's good, thanks - and now press Up on the D-Pad to access your Rain of Fire Spell ? Thaaaaaaaaaat's great, ta. You can switch spells as often as you like, but be aware that you cannot cast a spell unless you have enough magical energy to do so. Therefore with 3 bars you could cast both spells once each. ... or the Stone Prison spell three times ... ;) Right ! Onward to victory !! =) > From where you start, head away from the camera and up the ledges (don't forget on those close-grip rocks you will need to tap B to ascend), until you reach the higher plateau. > When you do, you will come to a craggy area with a steep drop into a chasm below, and a boulder on the path to your right. Drop down into the chasm, and go left to get to a treasure chest. There is a red rune triumvirate here, but you can ignore that for now. > Climb out of the cave from the right-hand side again (and be prepared to screw this bit up multiple times, so take a deep breath). > In order to complete the red rune triumvirate, we need to get across to the second ledge on the right-hand side, so I'd like you to pick up and throw away the boulder on the path to the right, and then do a running jump to get onto the close-grip section (best not to hug the wall here - go from the left-hand edge of the path on the right into the close-grip rocks, or you won't make the distance). DON'T FORGET TO TAP THE B BUTTON WHEN YOU GRAB THE ROCKS, or you'll fall off (much to your irritation). Once you've ascended the close-grip rocks, jump off and to the left. > You can see the other 2 red rune triumvirates from here, and these are the 2 we should focus on getting first, so if you would like to jump across the chasm and onto the ledge on the left (back up to the right wall first to give yourself a little run-up). Activate this rune triumvirate, and then head onto the next ledge away from the camera, before dropping down to activate the second rune triumvirate, and then doubling-back, dropping into the chasm below, and using the third and final red rune triumvirate to boost your Song of Death Power Bar. > Get back to the second red rune triumvirate (ascend from the chasm, back over the close-grip rocks and ledges and over to the far side), and then use RB and tap B repeatedly on the chain, to open the doorway, and your path forward. > The door slams shut behind you, and a mini-avalanche takes place in front of you so don't run forward TOO fast. It's actually fortunate, as you need one of the rocks to smash through the wooden gate to get to the next door (which, again, is a RB, tap B door). > Go through THAT door, and you will find an encampment, and head into your first battle with the enemies on this level, which I shall name "Stygian Elite Swordsmen", and the Stygian Pikemen you have fought previously. The Stygian Elite Swordsmen are the ones to watch out for, as they are RUTHLESS. They are quick, dangerous, have both block-breakers and blocking abilities, are armed with sword and shield, and can use an irritating magical attack that they fire from their shields (it looks like green fairy dust) which befuddles your control method for a few seconds. WATCH OUT FOR THEM AT ALL TIMES. The key thing to remember during this fight is CROWD CONTROL. You can hit the campfire if you need to, to cause the sparks to ignite any nearby enemies, but you can only do this once - therefore the campfire is a good place to stage an attack when you begin to become overrun with the respawning enemies that come from the tents. ALWAYS keep an eye on the Stygian Pikemen, as they will retreat and pelt you with projectiles no problem at all. Once they are all slain, burn down all the tents, and pick up, from the very far left-hand corner of this encampment (where there is a burning pedestal and a blue urn) :- Blue urn (from that location) 1st hut on the north wall - Treasure Chest Blue Stone (save your game here) 2nd hut on the north wall - Nothing Green urn 3rd hut on the north wall - Treasure Chest 4th hut on the north wall - Nothing 1st hut on the east wall - Treasure Chest Green urn 2nd hut on the east wall - Nothing > Once the camp has been silenced, use the chain (located behind two barrels in the wooden housing inbetween the tents on the north and east walls (top right-hand corner of the camp)) - RB, tap B - and head down the pontoon towards the ship that is docked there. Conan will say "I must destroy this warship !" (and so we shall). > First, clear out the pontoon - there is a buxom beauty, together with a green urn and a blue urn, at the far end of the pontoon. Once the pontoon is clear, head onto the boat. The way to sink the warship is by igniting the bundles of cargo (1 on the main deck, 2 in the hold below) with torches from the wall-brackets, OR by using your Rain of Fire Spell, although this is a bit of a waste. Watch out for the Stygian Archers, as they fire flaming arrows at you, although you will (I am sure) be glad to hear that they don't draw out different weaponry when you get too close to them - they're just crap basically. On the main deck there are also two weapon racks holding axes, which you MIGHT want to avail yourself of - it's your call. My advice is to take out all the Stygians on the main deck (and up the stairs on the right), and then grab a lit torch from the wall and ignite the cargo bundle on the main deck (it's just behind the mast). Once you've done that, head down into the cargo hold (press RB to smash open the wooden door that takes you down there - it's on the right-hand side of the main deck, between the two sets of stairs which lead up. Once you are in there, pick up the green urn and ignite the two bundles of cargo in there (don't worry if the torch breaks, there is another on the stairs leading down to the bundles in this room) and, when you're done, head back up to the main deck. > As you approach the ramp to get off the ship, you get a ... --- CUTSCENE --- The mast breaks and Conan narrowly avoids it smacking him on the bonce. He dives off the ship as it capsizes, and rolls onto the pontoon. Job done !! --- END CUTSCENE --- > Conan tells you that now you need to take out the OTHER ship ... OTHER SHIP ????? *sigh*. Return to the Stygian Encampment (RB, tap B on the chain to lock it into position), and take out the Stygians that have amassed there but TRY and avoid going too far towards the door on the other side, as a Stygian Honour Guard lies in wait. Once you draw close enough to the door, as I've just said, a Stygian Honour Guard will come through it, and immediately enter into combat with you. Remember the Pirate Bosses and how tough they were ? Well these guys can be thought of as Pirate Bosses on Steroids - they are NAILS, so have your wits about you. His toughest attack by far is a 4-hit combo (which you will mistake for a 3-hit combo with an additional attack afterwards the first few times you see it) - AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS. It's 2 fast strikes, a block-breaking knockdown that CANNOT be parried, and a fire breathing attack whilst you are on the floor which you MUST roll out of the way to avoid. The easiest way to defeat a Stygian Honour Guard is with a technique I have developed called the four-point roll. You roll under his first strike, roll under his second strike, roll under his unblockable strike, and roll past his flame attack, and have JUST enough time to pull off a full-strength strong hit combo ... rinse and repeat !! Obviously this works best in a 1-2-1 situation ;) ============================================================================= NB. They are best defeated either with the Stone Prison Spell, or by using a one-handed weapon and shield combo, because at least that way you can better defend against their attacks. NB2 In THIS fight, I would suggest (as long as you're quick), using the flame pedestal to throw at him first, and then retreating to the campfire to spark that off when he draws close enough (shouldn't matter whether you used this campfire to do the same thing the first time you were here - the sparking effect should have been renewed). This will weaken him considerably, and hopefully avoid your having to cast your spells on him. ============================================================================= > SAVE THE GAME - you don't want to have to fight that BUMHEAD again, non ? > Head to the door that the Stygian Honour Guard came out of, and use RB, tap B repeatedly on the chain to get through. > Head up the slope and you will be greeted by a set of Stygians to play with. Slay them all, and move on. > In the next area, take out the Stygian Honour Guard and his entourage (my advice ? STONE PRISON SPELL Baby YEAH), and then burn down the hut on the right-hand side, using the burning torch from the wall-bracket. You will find a probably much desired green urn inside it. There is also a weapon rack with a load of axes in it just to the left. > Down the little slope, RB, tap B on the chain to lock it into place, and then out through the door and onto the pontoon please. > As with the previous pontoon, there is a buxom beauty bound at the far end, however this time she is in the company of 2 green urns (rather than the 1 green, 1 blue we had before). Rescue her, drink your fill, and then board the ship. > Same as before really - clear the main deck, set alight the cargo bundle on the deck and then descend into the ship's cargo hold - HOWEVER, this time I would like you to descend via the left-hand set of stairs first, as you have to do both, and the left is the easiest (RB three times to smash open the heavily reinforced door). There is a weapon rack just to the right of the door should you wish to go Dual-Wield. At the bottom of the left-hand set of stairs you will find a Stygian Pikeman and a Stygian Swordsman - easy pickings for one of your skill. I would take the Pikeman's Staff if I were you. Once you are done here, and have taken the liberty of setting alight the cargo bundle in this hold, head back up to the main deck, and then across to the right-hand door (RB three times to smash THIS door open as well), and then descend into the hold on THAT side. Here you will face a VERY tough fight in close-quarters - 2 Stygian Honour Guards and 2 Stygian Pikemen - so BE PREPARED. It's easiest to use a two-handed weapon here, as it hits more enemies and, in the confined space, it will increase your odds of success - just take care where you put your feet so you don't get boxed in ;) > Once they are all dead, pick up the green urn, blue urn, treasure chest and set alight to the cargo bundle (although to be honest odds are you will have to go back to the main deck, and then up the stairs on the right-hand side to grab another torch, as there isn't one on the steps leading down to the right-hand cargo hold). > Return to the slope leading off the ship, and you will get a ... --- CUTSCENE --- Conan just narrowly manages to dodge the ship's mast as it cracks and hurtles down toward him. He throws himself off the ship and lands back on the pontoon with A'Kanna's ship asail in the harbour behind him. The scene shifts, with Conan and A'Kanna both aboard her ship, as it comes around to view a mighty Citadel with a towering Spire at its centre. A'Kanna is adamant that the treasure (your armour) MUST be in there. Conan confirms that it's all yours for the taking. --- END CUTSCENE --- Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Six. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 1 5 ¦ ============================================================================ ACT SEVEN - OUTPOST You regain control of Conan beside a small boat which you have apparently used to get ashore - the severed heads of Stygian Warriors adorning the spikes around you. > Turn and head down the path, clocking the sentries as you go. The first wave of enemies you will face are Stygian Pikemen; the second, Stygian Elite Swordsmen. > As you near the Stygian Pikemen, take note that there is a campfire, and a Treasure Chest for you to pilfer once they are dead. > Once the Stygian Elite Swordsmen are taken out of the equation, head into the nearby building (tap RB three times to get through the door), and take out all the Stygians inside. Once you have slain all the Stygian Pikemen, a door opens in the northern wall of the room and a Stygian Honour Guard arrives together with some of his cronies. Slay them all, and only read on when you have done so. There is a red rune triumvirate in this room, not to mention a lot of vases. HOWEVER, it is possible for you to screw this up beyond correction, so PLEASE PAY ATTENTION. DO NOT push anything over in this room yet. Once all the Stygians are slain I would like you to head to the bottom right-hand corner of the room, and activate the red rune triumvirate inbetween the two pillars there (1/3). Then, head to the top left-hand corner of the room, and activate the red rune triumvirate there (2/3). Finally, head into the room that the Stygian Honour Guard and his posse came from, and activate the red rune triumvirate there (3/3). This will bolster your Song of Death Power Bar. Take the green urn, smash the vases and other items in the room for extra goodies, and pick up whatever weaponry (if any) you desire, before going back into the main chamber. Now, head back to where you activate the first red rune triumvirate, and push over the pillar on the right so that it falls to the left (RB, tap B). See ? If you'd done that BEFORE you activate the triumvirate, you wouldn't be able to use it now would you ;) (( I know because I screwed it up the first time I played )) =./ Jump up the demolished pillar, up the next pillar, and then up again to a new plateau. > Follow the pathway around to the right, and you will be attacked by a new group of enemies - Conan calls them Winged Lizards, so that's what I'm going to call them too. The Winged Lizards are TERRIBLY ineffectual combatants, and should give you NO problems at all. When their eyes glow red it means they are about to bite at you, so just roll away. You really shouldn't have any problems with them at all. They do have a poisonous breath attack that they VERY rarely use, which stuns you for a couple of seconds, and which can be counter-attacked if your timing is good. > At the far end of the clearing where these foul winged beasts attack you is a Treasure Chest for your plundering. Once you have taken your fill of the treasure, head up the slope to your left, using the ledges as you go. Incidentally, if you go (from the ground) up, up, up, up, left, left, left, left you will reach a hidden plateau which contains a treasure chest, and can then either drop down to the pathway below you and climb the whole rockface again, or double-back on yourself and pick up where you were. As you reach the top, Conan says "More foul magic I'll wager" - seems he's becoming rather more verbose as we play on eh !! ANYHOW, when you reach the top, take out the Stygians and smash open the nearby wooden door (RB), to get access to a small room containing a Buxom Beauty, a VERY important blue stone for saving your progress, a blue urn, a number of vases, and a weapon rack replete with axes. You're going to need all this clobber, because there is an ARMY coming at you from the other side of the bridge, and you will need your wits about you for taking them out. Equip yourself with whatever you fight best with, and get stuck in !! There are a number of Stygian Archers that will pelt you from afar, so you ought to try and close the distance with them as quickly as you can. You might want to use your Rain of Fire power here to see how it functions against multiple troops or, failing that, use your Stone Prison to even the odds against you ;) > Once you have slain them all, head through the door (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up), and into the next chamber. There is a green urn, a weapon rack filled with axes, and a load of destructible items in this room, together with a set of Stygians, who will be reinforced by another set further into this combat. > Once all the Stygians are slain, leave via the door in the right-hand wall, and you will enter another chamber. There are some vases to smash, another weapon rack against the far wall (filled with axes), and two doors - one to the left that requires a chain to be pulled to get through it, and a wooden door to the right. Head right (RB to smash the door) behind which you will find a buxom beauty AND A STYGIAN HONOUR GUARD lying in wait for you (you won't see him until he is right upon you owing to the dodgy camera angle - grrrrrr). There is also a treasure chest, and a fair amount of destructible items in this room which you can smash to bits. > Once you are done here, head back through the room you were in previously, and run up to the door on the far side (RB, tap B on the chain to lock it and open the door). As soon as you enter this room, prepare to block as you are propelled right into hand-to-hand combat with 2 Stygians. They are soon backed up by a Stygian Honour Guard, and further warriors who pile into the chamber to do battle with you. Once they are all dead, smash as many items as you like to get some goodies, and then head up the stairs on the right-hand side (there's plenty more to smash, along with a couple more Stygians, on the upper level), and finally head through the wooden door (RB to smash it) to get to the next area. > In this next room are 2 (TWO !!) buxom beauties to be saved, plus a few Stygians to be taken out. There is also a weapon rack on the left-hand wall, filled with axes (again - what's with the AXES people !?!?!). Use RB and then tap B repeatedly on the chain in the north wall, to open the door and gain access to the next room. > In this room you will do battle with a Stygian Honour Guard whilst having to dodge Stygian Archers' arrow fire from above, which is a BIT of a pain. Once he has been slain, run up the stairs on the right-hand side and take out both the Stygian Archers, before doubling-back on yourself across the higher level, to pick up a green urn. I needn't mention it, but there is YET ANOTHER axe-filled weapon rack on the ground floor in this room should you really want another axe (!!). When you are done, RB three times on the door to smash it to bits, and head out to the next area. > Here the camera gives you a VERY handy angle - up high and at a distance, so you can see your adversaries immediately. There are 2 Stygian Pikemen and a Stygian Elite Swordsman in the immediate area, but reinforcements in the form of 2 Stygian Honour Guard, 2 Stygian Elite Swordsmen and a Stygian Pikeman lie in wait. There are a further 2 buxom beauties to be rescued here as well !! Read on once you've slain everybody. > There is a blue rune triumvirate in this room that we shall now complete. If you would like to activate the first blue rune triumvirate (the one nearest the door you used to get into this room) (1/3), and then head to the north of that one along the line that is drawn to find the second (2/3), and finally follow the line that heads away from the camera from the second, to reach and activate the third (3/3). This will bolster your magic power bar so that you now have FOUR levels - power enough for 2 Rain of Fire Spells, or FOUR Stone Prison Spells !! BONZA !!!!! =) > Head back to where you activated the second blue rune triumvirate, and push the pillar over onto it (RB, tap B). > Jump up onto the broken pillar, and then up onto the scaffolding - the camera pans to show you the way. > Run to the left, and then jump up to reach the next level of scaffolding, and the green urn atop it. > From here, head away from the camera and then right, down, right, and then jump onto the back wall (which is actually a ledge), and go up, up to reach the next level of scaffolding (just above the banner), and head away from the camera, then right and then right again, to drop down by the blue urn and blue stone. > Save your game. > Follow the path away from the blue stone, and push over the pillar (RB, tap B). Jump up onto the demolished pillar, and keep running to the right (over the pillar effectively), ignoring the Winged Lizards. When the camera pans to show you the way up, take it, and then head to the door at the back of the room - RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up to open it. > In this next room BLOCK IMMEDIATELY, as there are several Stygians in the area, 2 of which will attack you as soon as you arrive. There is also a treasure chest and a weapon rack filled with ... that's right ... axes !! There are HEAPS of vases to smash here as well =) Head up the stairs, taking out the Stygians as you go and, when you reach the top, press RB and then tap B repeatedly on the central pillar, to twist it so that you can get by. Just be careful of the Stygian Honour Guard and Stygian Elite Swordsman on the other side !!!!! It is very important that you get this bit right - you should twist the block and it should then rise up when it's been moved. If it does not, which is quite likely if you are hit whilst you are moving it, you should slay the warriors that face you, and then run off the broken steps at the top to drop back down to the bottom and run up to do the twisty bit again. Once you have done it right, run up the broken steps and then jump to make sure you reach the ledge on the other side, and then jump right, right, up, and up again to reach a new ledge. Smash the vases to get some green energy, and then run and jump over to the right, before heading up, up and up again, to reach a large open-air chamber with what looks like a huge chalice in the centre. > Take out the Stygians that you face here, but WHATEVER you do, DO NOT USE THE GREEN URNS !!!!! ============================================================================ ¦ 0 1 6 ¦ ============================================================================ BOSS FIGHT - SORCERESS QUEEN --- CUTSCENE --- There is a bubbling from the fluid at the centre of the Chalice, and a warped female voice calls to Conan, saying "Bow to me Barbarian. I am Chimera, Ruler of this City". Conan naturally refuses, telling her he wants his armour ... NOW ... Chimera arises from the Chalice - a disgustingly misshapen female upper torso atop the lower body of a serpent, and says "I have a message for your woman. Tell her the Barbarian WILL be her salvation, but only after she has made the Ultimate Sacrifice". Conan calmly responds "She will learn only of your death", and Chimera, NOT impressed by his candour, slithers out of her Chalice to do battle with you, laughing as she goes. --- END CUTSCENE --- This is a TOUGH boss fight, so we shall have to knuckle down. Obviously I told you NOT to use the green urns, because you will need as much help as you can get to make it through this one, believe me !! As with all the other boss fights, the Chimera / Sorceress Queen Boss Fight is divided up into sections, being :- SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Hand-to-Hand #1 SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - Warriors Awaken #1 SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 - Hand-to-Hand #2 SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 - Warriors Awaken #2 SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 - Final Battle with Chimera ================================== SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 ================================== The Sorceress Queen begins at the right-hand side of her battle arena, and you begin at the centre. She has a number of attacks when she engages you in hand-to-hand, being :- A) 4-hit combo (3 short strikes followed up by a swinging, unblockable hit that you must DOUBLE-roll away from); B) Psyched-up strong swing that leaves a red trail, and is a block- breaker, but not unblockable. Additionally, she does not take a whole heck of a lot of damage from you in hand-to-hand, so this is quite a slow-paced stage of her fight. Once she has taken enough damage we can move on to stage 2. ================================== SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 ================================== Chimera slinks back to her Chalice, and casts a spell drawing upon the black fluid that fills it. "Warriors, AWAKEN !!" she cries, as her black filth pours forth, filling the lungs of the recently deceased Stygians and bringing them back to life as puppets under her control. The Stygians are nothing compared to how effective they were when they were alive - HOWEVER, to make matters more interesting, Chimera fires blasts of red energy from her staff into the ground in a regular pattern (first blasts down the middle in a narrow cone; second blasts diagonally out and to the sides), to try and fry you. Once all the Stygians have been slain, we move onto stage 3. ================================== SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 ================================== Slinking back out of her Chalice to engage you in hand-to-hand combat once again, Chimera exhibits the following attacks :- A) 4-hit combo (3 short strikes followed up by a swinging, unblockable hit that you must DOUBLE-roll away from); B) Psyched-up strong swing that leaves a red trail, and is a block- breaker, but not unblockable; and C) Charged Attack (raises her staff and slams it point-first into the ground, resulting in a red shockwave that ripples out, and must be jumped over or rolled away from in good time, to avoid decent damage). Once she has taken enough damage in this form, we go to stage 4. ================================== SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 ================================== As with stage 2, Chimera slinks back to her Chalice and casts her "Warriors, AWAKEN !!" Spell. Isn't she getting tired of that ? I know I am !! Anyhow, THIS time around there are plenty more Stygians to do battle with, and you should take great care to avoid being penned into a corner, as their sharp claw-attacks can demolish your health faster than Chimera herself !! Also watch out for the Sorceress Queen's revised energy blast attacks - this time she attacks in straight lines from left-to-right or right-to-left, and in narrow cones from back to front. She does not WAVE the lines, however, so once you see her starting to blast from back to front, my advice is to ditch the Stygians and focus on rolling away from whatever line her attack is coming at you from. Once all the Stygians are dead (and relax, this time they ARE dead), her Chalice breaks, and the Sorceress Queen falls back to the ground, wailing in pain as she does so. This take us onto stage 5 - the final stage of this boss fight. ================================== SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 ================================== In this stage, you start at the front of the battle arena (nearest the camera), and Chimera is at the back. Her black tar has spilled all over the arena floor, making your progress toward her VERY slow, and she emits wave after wave of red energy toward you which is difficult to dodge because you move AND JUMP at the same, very slow speed. Get your timing right, however, and she won't be too much of a problem - however, to REACH her, you must head diagonally up and to the top right-hand corner of the arena, and then move to the left. Until you get to that point, there will just be a question mark over her head. When you DO reach her, go B, X, Y, X, B, X, tap Y, X, tap X to defeat her. --- CUTSCENE --- White energy courses from the Sorceress Queen's mouth at the site of her wound, and she disappears in a blast of white light, leaving behind Conan's shoulder-plate as his reward. As he touches it, he gets yet another flashback. It appears that ancient laws finally caught up with Graven, and he was held accountable for all the evil he had wrought upon the world - his brother Kalden would be both judge AND jury to him for his misdeeds. Kalden used the ancient magic he had sworn to protect to imprison Graven in stone. There he would remain for all time (or so they thought - Conan put pay to that when he arrived at the island, remember ?). STUPID Barbarian. Returning to A'Kanna's ship, she spots his new armour, and asks what else he found in the Citadel. He says it doesn't matter, and asks who Kalden is. She responds by saying that he is the man that rescued her from Graven, and raised her as his own daughter. Conan asks where to find him, and A'Kanna confirms that he resides in Argos. They set sail to find her father. --- END CUTSCENE --- Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Seven. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 1 7 ¦ ============================================================================ ACT EIGHT - DEVIL ISLAND Conan arrives on the shores of Argos, and is given a new spell - Raven Plague, and a further level to your magic power bar (which should bring you up to FIVE points). Raven Plague causes a large group of pitch black ravens with red eyes to soar from your body and attack any enemies in the immediate area, before disappearing. It takes 3 points of magical energy to use, and is accessible by pressing RIGHT on the D-pad. Ready to go ?? Hokay, let's DO this =) > Ascend the rock face in front of you using the ledges ... just watch out for rockfalls as you do !! A boulder hits the ground on the first proper ledge you can walk on, and then you have to jump and tap B to get to the next ledge, before heading up, up and finally up again to reach the next ledge. Whilst ascending that bit it may look like a boulder is about to drop right down onto you - DO NOT PANIC - just go up and he'll jump up and to the right, just avoiding it ;) > Follow this ledge around to the left, and you will find a Treasure Chest reasonably well-hidden in a nook in the wall on the right. > Double-back a few steps, and drop down and to the left, and then run forward and to the right as the camera pans, do to battle with some Winged Lizards. There is a second one-handed sword stuck into the ground in an Excalibur stylee by the skeleton here, should you wish to Dual-Wield. > Once they are all slain, ascend the rockface (jump, tap B to grab the ledge and then jump up, HOLD FOR A MOMENT until the boulder to your right has fallen, and then head right, and right again to drop down to the ledge. > Run to the right and pick up the green urn if you need it. > From the green urn, run to the right and jump off the ledge to reach the other side. From here you will need to head up and away from the camera, but there are a number of Winged Lizards to slay (and you DON'T want to drop off the ledge to your death now, DO you) ;) > Once they are all dead, run up and away from the camera, and pick up the green urn, before jumping up onto the first ledge on the rockface. This bit is tricky, so use the shadows of the rocks falling from above to help guide you. From the first ledge, go right, tap B to ascend, left, left and finally left again to get to the next ledge, but as I say make sure your timing is right - generally wait a second after you've finished tapping B, and then PEG IT to the left as fast as you can, and you'll be fine. > Here, slay the Winged Lizards (throw rocks at them if you like), and don't pass up the chance to switch to a two-handed weapon if you like - there's a very impressive sword stuck into the ground. Once you've cleared the area, leap over to the ridge on the left, and head down the path that runs away from the camera, and please take GREAT care when you do so, as there are a large number of boulders that will fall down and do you considerable damage if you get struck by them (they aren't just in one go either - there are at least 2 distinct instances of rockfall here, so be alert). > Once you're at the end of the ridge on this side, jump across to the right again, save your game at the blue stone, and take out the Winged Lizard. > Run away from the camera, and Conan will reach the edge of the mountain ridge. Looking down, he spots an Archery Tower that you just KNOW he wants to get stuck into. > Drop down and take out the two Archers. I shall call them Argosian Archers, as that is what they are. They fire explosive arrows, and do not change from their bows even at close-quarters ... they just keep on firing !! Slay them both and drink of the green urn to replenish your health. > Drop down from the tower and slay the 2 Argosian Swordsmen quickly, avoiding the arrows from the Archers to the left. When they are dead, drop down to the left and take out the Archers. > Activate the lever on the northern wall of this platform, and then drop down into the central courtyard, to do battle with a host of Argosian Swordsmen and Argosian Archers (the Swordsmen outnumbering the Archers by about a BILLION to 1). There is also a weapon rack filled with two-handed swords here, against the left-hand wall. > Once they are all dead, head down and, as the camera pans, to the left, and onto the jetty to activate the stationery turret, which you should turn back towards the main area, and take out the 3 statues - 2 on the left; 1 on the right. You should also turn it back towards the jetty, and take out the heavy cargo bundle right by the sea, to reveal a blue rune triumvirate beneath it. Ignore that triumvirate for now - we'll come back to it later ;) When the statues and cargo bundle destroyed, abandon the stationery turret and head back into the square to take out the Argosian Archers that have congregated there. Once they are all dead, run to the left and jump over the leftmost statue (which should now be in bits) to access a green urn, and then jump up onto the SECOND statue which you destroyed (the other statue on the left-hand side) to gain access to a new plateau, where you will do battle with your first Argosian Elite Swordsman. These boys are VERY tough to best in combat, because of their agility, dexterity, and the BEAUTIFULLY-crafted shields they wield, which are really a set of daggers lying flat against a shield base. They attack with blinding speed, and can cause the daggers on their shields to extend out at will, offering them retaliatory damage should you try and strike their shields whilst they are blocking. Be VERY cagey when you are fighting these little mofo's. They are also able to throw their shields, so watch out for that as well, as the shield go back to them afterwards !! Finally, they can charge you with their shield (this is their block- breaker). > Once he has fallen to your power, ignore the lever, and take one or more of the axes from the weapon rack to its right IF you wish, and then head up the stairs in this area to do battle with 2 more Elite Swordsmen. > There is a vine-covered wall here which you should climb to reach a secret area that contains a treasure chest, green urn, blue urn, and (woohoo !!) the third and final blue rune triumvirate. Pick up all the goodies first, and then activate this triumvirate (1/3), before heading back down to the courtyard and running all the way to the right, to jump over the third statue you destroyed with the stationary turret and reach the second rune triumvirate (2/3), only to then jump back over the statue's bits and head back to the jetty and where the cargo bundle was, to switch on the third blue rune triumvirate (3/3), and increase your magic power bar to 6 !! > Now that you have completed this blue rune triumvirate, head back up to the mid-level platform (where you first fought the Argosian Elite Swordsmen) on the LEFT, activate the lever in the northern wall, and drop back down to the courtyard to go through the now open wooden door (but be quick - it will close again if you're not quick enough !!). > In this new area, run to the left and free the buxom beauty under the ramp. Then double-back and run across the ramp (not up it yet) to take a shield off the weapon rack IF you wish, and to destroy the 2 vases. As soon as you start to head up the ramp, spiked balls will begin to roll down, and you will have to dodge and jump over them, so have your wits about you youngling ... here we go. RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN GOGOGOGOGOGOGO !! Up the ramp as fast as you can and JUMP over those balls JUMP JUMP !! *phew* You can either stay and do battle with the Argosian Elite Swordsmen, which is what I'm going to do, OR you can just peg it up and up and up, bearing in mind that if you stay you MUST avoid standing where the balls roll from (although it's a good idea to get the Argosians to fall back there as they will take heaps of damage), and if you run, balls come down each slope so the pressure is on ... There are 2 weapon racks at this first juncture with shields on both and 2 Argosian Elite Swordsmen; at the next juncture there are 2 vases and 1 Argosian Elite Swordsman; at the next, 1 Argosian Elite Swordsmen with 2 sets of 2 Argosian Swordsmen in waiting, and a blue stone for saving your progress; at the fourth juncture there is absolutely nothing; and you will I am sure be pleased to learn that there are NO balls coming down the fifth ramp, as it leads to the plateau at the top. There are, however, about 50 billion enemies waiting for you, including a new type of adversary - the Argosian Honour Guard. Remember the Stygian Honour Guard ? Same type of enemy, but this one has a beautiful lion helmet atop his bonce. Unfortunately for HIM, he is no way NEAR as tough in combat as the Stygian Honour Guard, and will fall nicely to a combined technique of rolling out of his reach and responding with strong attacks. Destroy the vases if you like, but they're just filled with water. Once the area has been pacified, push the two statues on the left and right of the portcullised doorway together (RB, Y, RB, Y on each), and then use a combination of RB, tap B, LS Up, tap B to get through the massive wooden door, and enter the next area. > In this area there is a HUGE ramp leading up to the right, a green urn to your north, 2 Argosian Elite Swordsmen waiting to battle you, and some pretty useless vases filled with water. > As you begin to head up the ramp, take out the archers on the north wall, and prepare yourself to be surrounded - Winged Lizards come at you from behind whilst Argosian Swordsmen come down at you from ahead. KILL THEM ALL. > When you get to the top, run towards the camera to get a blue urn, and then run away from the camera to reach a green urn and a blue stone for saving your progress, WHICH I suggest you do !! > Head into the building and take out all the enemies on the ground floor. There are 2 weapon racks along the left wall, one containing axes (shock, horror) and the second containing shields (Mmmmmmm) =) - this arrangement is replicated on the right wall as well. The small planters will give you green energy, so use them wisely - the vases are next to useless. > Once the area is secure, head up the left-hand set of stairs, and cut and then pull the chain (RB, tap B) from the statue to get a miniature cutscene directing your attention to the beautiful chandelier in the centre of the ceiling. > Head into the room adjacent to the statue and take out the Argosian Swordsmen. There is a Treasure Chest in the far right-hand corner of the room, the table and chairs in the left-hand corner give blue energy, and there are 2 weapon racks - one on the right-hand wall containing axes; and the other on the left-hand wall containing shields. > Go through the door in the northern wall (RB three times to get through), and do battle with the Argosian Honour Guard in the next room, to win the favour of the buxom beauty tied to the wall here. There is also a blue urn and a green urn in this room. > Head back to the central area (down the stairs past the statue), and head up the stairs on the right-hand side of the building. > Cut and pull the chain as you did with the statue on the left-hand side of the chamber (RB, tap B) and the chandelier will fall down, smashing a hole in the floor of the main chamber. > Head into the room on your right and, as with the other side, clear it out of Argosians, crack open the Treasure Chest, destroy the table and chairs for blue energy, and then head back to the main chamber - you do not appear to be able to go through the door in the room so there's no point in wasting time with it. > From the main chamber, head back outside and save your game again - there's no point in going through that little saga all again, non ?? And then drop down into the chamber below. > Open the door ahead of you (RB three times to boot it to splinters), and then head through. > There are 3 Argosian Elite Swordsmen in this room, so you MIGHT want to make your life easier and use Magic on them - I won't look *turns away*. *peeks back through his fingers* Oh my GOD - I can't believe you just did that !!! Nevermind. Take the green urn if you need it, and raid the weapon racks on the left and right walls for shields and axes should you wish. When you're ready, head through the door in the right-hand wall (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up to get through). > Take out the 2 Argosian Elite Swordsmen, and head through the door in the right-hand wall (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up). > You will find yourself on a ledge overlooking ... who knows, but I'll bet it's beautiful. ANYHOW. You will be attacked by two waves of Winged Lizards, so be anything but asleep. There are 2 small planters that will give you a little green energy, plus a green urn, but to be honest you shouldn't need ANY to mop these freaks up. > Move to the far end (as in the end furthest away from the camera), and then jump to grab the ledge, then jump up, right, up and tap B to ascend to the next plateau. > Use the green urn should you need to, and then head through the door on the LEFT (smash it to bits). > Take out the Argosian Honour Guard and his 3 Argosian Elite Swordsmen, and keep heading left to take out the Argosian Archer, behind whom is a treasure chest and 2 small planters which will give you a little green energy. When he is dead, head back to the area just to your right (where the Honour Guard did battle with you), and go through the door in the north wall (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up). > Run straight through and use the door in the right-hand wall (RB three times to get through). --- CUTSCENE --- You and A'Kanna burst into a bedroom to find a busty, topless maiden reclining on the bed. A'Kanna asks where everybody has gone, only to be told by the rather distainful girl on the bed that they've all gone; that the Black Death came and infected the men. A'Kanna asks whether Kalden was also affected, and the girl says she doesn't know, but that the last she heard he had fled to the city. She says that you'll have a "hard time" (which causes Conan's ears to prick up the little DOG that he is) getting there, and that perhaps you should rest with her a while and regain your strength ? Picking up on Conan's obvious interest in the girl, A'Kanna wheels on one heel and butts into him as she moves for the door, letting him know she does NOT approve. He chuckles at her thinly-veiled jealousy. --- END CUTSCENE --- ============================================================================ ¦ 0 1 8 ¦ ============================================================================ BOSS FIGHT - GIANT SQUID --- CUTSCENE --- A'Kanna's ship sets sail for Argos in a bid to find Kalden, and is promptly set upon by a HUGE Squid that swims up to it from the sea, slamming its tentacles down onto the main deck. --- END CUTSCENE --- The Giant Squid Boss Fight is just like any other - it comes to you in sections, being :- GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Slap Happy GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - Mast Stranglehold #1 GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 - Infection #1 GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 - Mast Stranglehold #2 GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 - Infection #2 GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6 - Mast Stranglehold #3 GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7 - Desperation and Anger ============================== GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 ============================== There is a green urn in the bottom right-hand corner of the boat should you start to take a pounding. There is also a blue urn there for you as well. In this first stage of the fight, the Giant Squid flings its tentacles out of the water and slams them down onto the deck. You must sever the suckers from the tentacles, causing pain to the beast. The easiest way of doing this is to hand back behind the mast, as the Squid cannot really attack you there, and to just slice off the tentacles as they come right, left, right, left, repeat ad nauseum until he is down to zero health - two strong attacks will sever a tentacle, in case you're wondering. When he's done and dusted, we move on to ... ============================== GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 ============================== Frustrated at its inability to pound the ship to pieces, the Giant Squid decides to try and wrap a single tentacle around the mast, and capsize the boat. Use strong attacks to batter the tentacle until it can take no more pain, and falls back. We then come to ... ============================== GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 ============================== The Giant Squid decides to use one of its more icky powers, and wraps a sucker around one of the crewmen, infecting him with its inky darkness, and turning him into its slave. The crewman then proceeds to attack you !! Keep striking at the tentacles that are poisoning the crew, and you will do damage to the beast. Once he has taken enough punishment, you can move onto ... ============================== GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 ============================== Back to his old tricks again - the Giant Squid decides to try once again to pull the mast towards it, capsizing the boat. Slice its tentacle with strong attacks to put pay to its plans in short order. Then we can move onto ... ============================== GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 ============================== Another attempt to infect the crew, save this time the Giant Squid combines its sucker-hold on crewmembers with slapping the deck with OTHER suckers, making it more awkward to reach your comrades. Stand behind the mast again and your expose to the Squid will be minimised. ========================================================================== NB. IF YOU NEED TO USE EITHER THE BLUE OR GREEN URNS, NOW IS THE LAST TIME YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET AWAY WITH IT. ========================================================================== Keep slicing and dicing those tentacles and you will be just fine. Then we get to ... ============================== GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6 ============================== YET ANOTHER attempt to capsize the BLOODY boat !! Although this time he's really quite desperate so you MUST get to his tentacle quickly, or you will lose BIG stylee. Once you've struck him again - BAD Squid BAD !! We can go on to ... ============================== GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7 ============================== Now he's getting REALLY mad. The Squid latches onto the vessel with as many tentacles as he has left it seems, pulling himself up onto it and partially capsizing it in the process. This means you are no longer able to reach either the blue or green urns !! In this final stage, the Giant Squid exhibits the following attacks :- A) Sucker Smash (as per his previous attacks - he raises up his suckers and smashes them down onto the main deck); B) Ink Spray (he sprays about 75% of the deck with oil, leaving only the very far left and very far right untouched, and instantly poisoning any crewmen that come into contact with him); Best way to defeat him here is to hang on the VERY far left, wait for him to spray his gunk all over the boat (he will travel from left to right), and then LEG it after him and unleash a strong combo whilst avoiding the crewmen, before rolling back to the safety of the very left-hand side of the boat. Once the Squid is down to zero health, Conan will automatically engage it in a --- CUTSCENE --- Conan enters the mouth of the beast, stabbing it behind its eye and up through its skull, before pushing one of its eyes out so that he can escape its skull. --- END CUTSCENE --- Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Eight. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 1 9 ¦ ============================================================================ ACT NINE - FALLEN KINGDOM --- CUTSCENE --- A'Kanna's ship (or rather what's LEFT of it) calls into port at Argos, but they immediately see that the populace is under siege by its own troops !! As an Argosian charges towards Conan, A'Kanna takes him out with an arrow through the neck, before telling Conan to head off, and that she will hold off their enemies. --- END CUTSCENE --- A'Kanna tells you to go, and that she will find you in the city, before shooting one of the Argosians with an arrow, slaying him instantly. > Head off to the right, slaying as many Argosians as you can whilst you are on your merry way, until you come to an Argosian Honour Guard. > In the courtyard just behind him (which you can explore AFTER you have slain him), you will find a green rune triumvirate underneath a cart. Use RB on the cart to push it out of the way. This is the THIRD of three - we have already walked past the first two - you probably just didn't spot them ;) > Double-back on yourself just a few steps, over the white line that makes the square of this square. Do you see 2 wooden doors with a cross-hatched door in the middle, and sand bags in front of that ? Kick open the left and right doors please - the wooden ones. That's cool. Now, please use the blue urn if you need to, then use the THIRD rune triumvirate (the one underneath the cart in the square) (1/3). Now use the most recent rune triumvirate we have uncovered (2/3), and now run back towards the ship ALONG THE LINE that is drawn by the second green rune triumvirate and it will lead you to a gap in the railings, just past a sandbag. Drop down, and you will find the first rune triumvirate (3/3), which you should activate immediately, giving you an increase to your health together with 20 Gamer Points and a "Bill of Health" Achievement. BONZA =) Now rescue the buxom beauty in this area as well ;) > Jump back up to the town's main road, and run to the right and back to the square. In the far right-hand corner you will find, behind the barrels, a green urn and a treasure chest that you may want to avail yourself of ;) > Now head up the well-illuminated stairs through the entrance in the left- hand wall, and double-back on yourself to ascend the second set of stairs, running past a weapon rack filled with axes, and onto a causeway, only to be pinned - Argosian Archers firing at you from afar, whilst Argosian Swordsmen and an Argosian Elite Swordsman attack you from behind. Slay all the hand-to-hand combatants, and then drop off the northern edge of the causeway. > Jump up onto the dais and push over the pillar (RB, tap B repeatedly), to smash a pathway for you into the next area. > Run forward, and you will get a --- CUTSCENE --- Conan enters the next area and the camera pans to show him just how many enemies he has to slay, PLUS that his path UP is blocked by a fiery area. However, there is a beautiful water feature in the centre of the area that might be put to good use. "I need to put out that fire", Conan says. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Kill all the enemies on the ground and then head up the ledges on the right- hand side of the arena, taking out the Argosian Archers as you do. When you get to the top, pick up the green urn and blue urn (if you need to), and then drop back down to the arena floor. Grab vases and throw them (at close-distance) against the fire, to gradually put it out. 3 vases will do. > Ascend the ledges, and then drop down on the RIGHT-hand side, behind the cart. Use RB on the cart immediately, to take out the Argosian Honour Guard ahead of you. The gate ahead of you will close as you move forward. > Take out the rest of the Argosians here, and head into the building on the right to get a green urn. Then move to the closed gate and use RB, tap B to pull and lock the chain in position. > Run forward and take out both the Argosian Archers at the far end of the arena, and ALL the Argosians that drop down (unless you really DON'T want to fight them in which case move on). Once they are dead or you have decided to flee, jump up onto the awning of the cart on the right-hand side of the street (approach it as if you were going to buy something - that's the easiest way to get up), and then run up and grab the green urn IF you need it, before jumping up to the next ledge above. > Use the blue stone to save your progress, and then turn and head RIGHT, through the flimsy wooden doors, and continue that way taking out the Argosian Swordsmen as you go, until you come at last to a buxom beauty. Rescue her, then double-back to the blue stone and save your progress again. 3 Argosians will try and block your path, but you know what to do. > Now run all the way around to the left, and batter through the flimsy wooden defences (again). Run right across the walkway, and smash the next wooden door to get access to a green urn (which you might, or might not, want to avail yourself of at this time). > Head back to the walkway and drop down into the courtyard to the north, and take out the two lions that are released during a mini cutscene, together with the Argosian Swordsmen, Elite Swordsman and Honour Guard, and then turn and head up the slope to your right, using the cart (if you choose) to hurtle ahead and POTENTIALLY damage your enemies (although its angle is not too good), slaying all in your path including the SECOND Argosian Honour Guard, before heading behind the massive gate and using RB, tap B on the chain to raise a barrier on the level above you. > Exit this structure and ascend via the awning to your left. When you reach the upper level, turn left and head through the flimsy wooden gate to obtain a Treasure Chest. > Double-back on yourself and run all the way along the causeway, around to the other side, through the flimsy wooden gate and to a second Treasure Chest. > Head back to the causeway and drop down into the courtyard to the north. > Quickly run over to the left-hand cart and push it - it will take out 2 Argosian Archers. Fall back to give you a reasonable distance between Conan and the Argosians and brace yourself to weather the storm of their assault. Wipe them out ..... All of them. > Once all the Argosians are slain, A'Kanna will set alight to some wood to the north of you, and admonish you for still being here. Once the wood has burnt, you can ascend where once it stood. The way to go, in case you're curious, is (from the wood) Up, Up, Up, Left, Up, Up, Up, Right, Down. This will place you atop a platform. From here, jump to the right, ensuring that you go past the remaining ledges, and you should land nicely on the balcony (if you screw it up, do it again !!). From the balcony, head right and slay the two Argosian Archers, and using the green urn beside them should you need it. Now double-back on yourself, and run to the left, destroying the flimsy wooden door and activating the blue stone to save your progress. > From here, head back to the balcony and drop off the north side, into the square below. > Head to the right and slay all the Argosians in the square. > Once they are slain, there will be a tiny cutscene in this A'Kanna shoots an arrow from a rooftop into the neck of an Argosian Archer up ahead, and bids you to venture onward and find Kalden. > Head up to the gate on the right and use RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up to get through it. > Ignore the civilians and run up the stairs to the right and use RB, LS Up, tap B to get through and into the next room. > Run past the weapon rack (unless you fancy anything from it) and up to the blue stone. Save your game and keep going right. > Use the green urn and then run past the next weapon rack and into the following room. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 2 0 ¦ ============================================================================ BOSS FIGHT - BONE CLEAVER II --- CUTSCENE --- You enter the burning building to be confronted by what I mistook at first for a Minotaur of Legend, but what it in fact a man wearing a Bull's Head Helmet. Conan makes no mistake, however, and immediately identifies the warrior before him as none of than Bone Cleaver - the enemy he defeated to obtain his first gauntlet back on Baracha. Bone Cleaver says he does not die so easily, and Conan offers to finish the job he started so long ago. --- END CUTSCENE --- Yup, our boy is back and he's MAD. REAL mad. Bone Cleaver II has a number of abilities similar to those he exhibited the first time we fought him, and a new bag of tricks to keep us amused ... As with every boss fight, his is divided up into sections, his being :- BONE CLEAVER II BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Meet and Greet BONE CLEAVER II BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - The Old Ball & Chain ================================== BONE CLEAVER II BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 ================================== Bone Cleaver isn't alone this time around, OH no. He's got a lion to keep him company. Take out the lion first, and then we'll focus on Bone Cleaver. Bone Cleaver's attacks at this point are :- A) Kick (which stuns you); B) MASSIVE Combo (includes an unblockable hit, and should be avoided at ALL costs); C) Ground Pound (raises his two-handed sword above his head and dashes it to the ground, causing a shockwave); and D) Bolas (he glows blue and then throws a bolas at you, which ropes you to the spot - tap B to escape from it). The best technique I have learned to adopt for tackling him in this stage is as follows :- 1) Take out the lion (use magic if you have to - you can't really use magic EFFECTIVELY against Bone Cleaver); 2) DUPE Bone Cleaver by feigning a strong attack, and then when he goes to attack you faster, roll away and then capitalise on his mistakes. He does try to block the occasional hit, and when he does so, you can hit him with a whole string of strong attacks in a combo, so whip out the best one you've got in your repetoire. Whenever he goes for his bolas, roll away and, if you ARE hit, make sure you jam on the B button as fast and frequent as you can - if he gets close enough to you, you WILL be slain immediately. Once Bone Cleaver is down to zero health, we move on to ... ================================== BONE CLEAVER II BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 ================================== Disposing of his two-handed sword and electing to use a ball and chain, Bone Cleaver STILL means business (poor lad doesn't know he's already dead !!) Ha ha. In this stage of proceedings, his attacks are :- A) Swift Strike (a quick once-around flick with the ball & chain - hard to dodge, but try rolling away if you see it coming); B) Ground Pound (different than the first time around as he's using the ball & chain, so the move lags longer than it did with the sword as he needs to wind up to it. When he strikes the ground it unleashes a HEAUUUUGE shockwave, so roll or jump AWAY from him - don't jump up if you're already in hand-to-hand *points up at the whirling ball & chain and winks at you*); and C) Kick (as before, but he will ALWAYS try and follow this move up with a Swift Strike during this stage of play). Best advise I can give you here is to try and avoid getting SPLATTED by his ball and chain. Whilst he may be slower in bringing some moves to bear, he is generally LESS likely to block during this stage, and poses just as much a danger now as he did in the first stage, if not moreso. The radius of his shockwaves is HUGE, and the game IS smart enough to work out that if you're too close and you jump to get away from him whilst he's prepping a shockwave attack, you WILL get chobbled up by his ball and chain above you, so BE WARNED. Once he has taken 100% damage, press the B button when prompted to end this combat and get yourself a --- CUTSCENE --- Just as you are about to deliver the final blow to Bone Cleaver, A'Kanna comes RUSHING into the fight, begging you not to kill him. A voice answers her, but it is NOT Bone Cleaver's. "Crom's Bones !!" Conan exclaims as, before his very eyes, Bone Cleaver changes into the form of ... Kalden !! Conan protests that he was very much a demon, but Kalden explains that he was not - he was simply possessed by his brother Graven. He says that Graven wanted him to suffer and slay in his name, and so he did. Whilst Kalden begs A'Kanna to back off as he senses a dark energy coursing through him, she is unable to in time, and both Kalden AND A'Kanna disappear from the room, leaving only Conan's Helmet behind. When Conan touches the Helmet, he gets another vision - this time of him engaging Kalden directly in conversation. Kalden confirms that A'Kanna has fallen into Shadow, and that only by finding the Well of Dreams can Conan find Graven and put an end to this madness once and for all. Conan sets sail once again, for Parad Isle. --- END CUTSCENE --- Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Nine. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 2 1 ¦ ============================================================================ ACT TEN - WELL OF DREAMS --- CUTSCENE --- The camera pans to show A'Kanna's ship WAAAAAY below Conan, with him standing at the edge of a mountain. --- END CUTSCENE --- Welcome to Act Ten ! At the beginning of this act, you are given access to a new spell - your fourth and final spell to be precise - it is simply called "Void". It takes up FOUR bars of magical energy to cast, and sees Conan carve a rift in the very fabric of space itself, into which all nearby enemies are sucked, never to return. The Void Spell can be accessed by pressing Down on the D-pad. You are also given an additional level of magical power, bringing you up to 7 points on your magical power bar. > Run to your left and, as the camera pans, up, and do battle with 3 lions - 2 from the front, 1 from behind. > Continue down the path, past the statues and onto the crumbled section of stone that forms the valley floor. > Here you will have your first encounter with the main adversaries of this level - "Desert Warriors" and "Desert Pikemen". Desert Warriors are equipped with two one-handed swords, and have a BEAUTIFUL Savage Spin the same as yours, which they fashion into a rather nasty and ultimately very aggravating combo; whereas Desert Pikemen, who I believe are actually even MORE dangerous later on in the game, carry very fierce-looking two-handed Staves, which they use to great effect. Despatch both these FOOLS, and we can get on with our mission. > Around the corner (just to the right of where the first of these ruffians materialised from) you will find two green urns which you can take. > There are two more Desert Pikemen in the back left-hand corner of this arena which will materialise as you draw near. Slay them both. > There are two pillars by where the Desert Pikemen materialised there are 2 pillars. Push the right-hand pillar over so that it hits the left- hand pillar, and it will smash through a barrier, enabling you to proceed. That's RB, tap B in case you were curious ;) > Head down the path taking out the 2 Desert Pikemen on the pathway, and when you get to the campfire, kill all the enemies in that area too. There are a further 2 green urns here to help you should you need them, and don't forget to hit the fire if you're getting flummoxed ;) > Head off up to the left (up the path), taking out the 2 lions that drop in unannounced, and keep following the path until you get a --- CUTSCENE --- The camera zooms off to show you the crux of the puzzle that lies before you. --- END CUTSCENE --- > Run forward and duck into the building on your left to get a treasure chest and, once you are done there, return to the main pathway and OBLITERATE all the enemies that come at you, taking GREAT care to avoid being pinned by more than one Desert Warrior at a time, as they will cumulatively take off HUGE amounts of damage with their Savage Spins. > Once the area has been adequately pacified (there is a campfire and a green down and to the left of the campfire should you need it), we can turn our attentions to the puzzle here. > Run up to the massive, MASSIVE door and jump up on its RIGHT hand side - there are ledges mounted into the archway around the door. Once you are on the top, push the pillar so that it lands on the cup on the left of the door (RB, Y). This will cause the cups to fall out of balance, and for the door to become partially unlocked. Pick up the piece that fell from the pillar, and run up the slope to the right of the door and lob that piece onto the cup on the right-hand side of the door. This will cause the door to become completely unlocked. You can rescue the buxom beauty here too whilst you're at it ;) > Now, before we go through the door we can find a new blue rune triumvirate if you'd like ? What's that ?? Yes ??? Alright then =) From the buxom beauty, head diagonally down and right, until you reach the cracked stones. You'll find a brick building to your right - jump up onto the lowest section and, lo and behold, a blue rune triumvirate !! Don't activate it - I just wanted you to know where it was. You'll see why in a moment. Drop down and run all the way over to the left by what LOOKS like a tiny arched doorway. Head around to the left-hand side of the tower in which the archway sits, and scramble up to the top via the ledges and you will find the SECOND blue rune triumvirate but, again, I don't want you to activate it, for reasons we shall come to in a moment ! Drop down and head back towards the slope, and you will come to a square block that looks PERFECT for jumping upon, on the left-hand side of the path. Ascend this and jump up to the next ledge. Dispose of the lion, and keep heading forward and, ultimately, around to the right where, when you land on the platform, you will fall through to a hidden room beneath, which contains the FIRST blue rune triumvirate. Now ... ACTIVATING this little sonofabitch is even harder than FINDING it, to such an extent that I have tried doing it in every combination I can think of, but the distance between the three sections makes it virtually impossible to do within the time allowed. If anybody can work out how to do it, can they please let me know ?? CREDIT WILL BE AWARDED ;) Ta. > When you are ready, enter through the massive double-doors you have already unlocked, just beside the campfire (RB, tap B, LS Up, tap B). > Once you are inside, run to the left, down the stairs and then down the slope. Conan will say "the lair of the Ground-Dwellers" as you approach a ledge that looks down over a HUGE cavern. > Drop down and use the blue stone to save your progress. > Run to the left, demolishing the skull statue for some green energy if you need it, and then continue left, taking out the 2 Gorillamen, the Gorillaman Lobber hidden behind the badly cracked rock, and the 4 Desert Pikemen that materialise to do battle with you. > Once they are all dead, head through the cavern that the Gorillaman Lobber was guarding, and smash your way through the rocks to go onward. > Follow the path, taking out the 2 Desert Warriors that materialise, and then head up the ledges in the wall ahead of you, but BEFORE you do so, take a moment to watch the order of the tar droplets, as if you touch them you WILL take a dive. The ledges take you up and then right all the way to the other side ;) > Take out the Winged Lizards, and then head down the pathway. > As you enter this next area you will be set upon by another group of 2 Gorillamen, and 2 Desert Pikemen. Slay them all. There is a Gorillaman Lobber hidden behind the wall in the far right-hand corner (he is guarding a blue urn), and there is a skull statue for some green health, plus a two-handed sword, on a small island in the black tar ahead of you. > When you are done here, head left, and then swipe and grab the chain, giving it a damned good yanking to get through the skull wall (RB, tap B). > In the next room, slay the Winged Lizards, and then head to the left until you reach a bridge that runs overhead, and a Gorillaman Lobber standing atop it, pelting you with boulders. Jump over the black tar and tab B to ascend the close-grip rocks to reach the bridge above. Slay the Gorillaman Lobber (unless he has overstepped his mark and dropped to the floor below, in which case you can slay him when we come back down), and then double-back on yourself to cross the bridge. There is a buxom beauty waiting to be saved, and a green urn for your use. > When you are done here, run back to the close-grip section and jump off, to get back to the ground. Then, head all the way to the left, under the bridge, taking out the 2 Gorillamen that try and bushwhack you, and the Gorillaman Lobber in the far corner (who is hidden in the wall). You will see a close-grip section of wall to the right of where the Gorillaman Lobber was hidden, and you can use this to reach the next area. ============= ============= !! WARNING !! !! WARNING !! ============= ============= > This section is a carefully designed trap - carefully designed because your eyes will automatically be drawn to the large pillar at the back of the room, and a less EXPERIENCED player than yourself might be tempted to just rush over and push it over. FORGET IT - there are QUITE a few nasty nasty men that are going to ambush you here, and if you've pinned yourself into the corner with the pillar you are SERIOUSLY S-C-R-E-W-E-D, believe me. Instead, stay in the large expanse that is the room's centre, and use the space available to you to stick and move, wiping out the waves of enemies as you go. The waves of enemies I just mentioned are :- 1) Desert Pikemen; 2) Desert Warriors; 3) Winged Lizards; and 4) 2 Gorillamen. Once THEY are all slain, move over to the pillar, smash the rocks around it, and then push it over (RB, LS Down, tap X, LS Down, tap Y) and then (RB, tap B) and run over it to reach the end of this act. --- CUTSCENE --- Conan walks up to the beautiful shimmering pool of water at the back of the chamber, and a gentle, female voice speaks to him. She bids him welcome, and asks him what he would like to see. Conan tells her to show him Graven, and she does so by extending tendrils of magical energy towards him, suddenly whipping him off his feet and dragging him into the pool. --- END CUTSCENE --- Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Ten. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 2 2 ¦ ============================================================================ ACT ELEVEN - SPIRE This level harkens back to the training level we were in at the beginning, which makes perfect sense plot-wise, since the game *technically* starts AFTER the training level, as in AFTER Conan has released Graven and SCREWED US OVER, but we'll try not to hold that against him 'coz he's so cuuuuuuuuuute *holds out a Scooby Snack for Conan who does tricks to get it*. *sigh* HOKAY !! LET'S GET IT ON !! =) > You are deposited rather unceremoniously into the centre of a large pool in the middle of the floor. As soon as you land, one of the Giant Statues comes to life from the wall, and moves to attack you. DO NOT make the mistake I did and think :- "HAHA ! I've fought you MANY times before ruffian, HAVE AT YOU !!" *plink as his sword hits it on the big toe* *shadows are cast over Sinister's face as his bottom lip trembles - he looks up at the HUGE weapon being brought to bear directly at his head* ((( you get the idea ))) These boys are CONSIDERABLY tougher than they were on the training level, but if you can remember that far back, you should have amassed the skills needed to effectively fight them in combat - i.e. ROLLING. Take out this nutsack and then brace yourself for more of the same, as you are assailed by blue & purple wraiths, and 3 more of his Statue Buddies ... There is a blue urn hidden behind the wall (press RB to kick it in) behind the SECOND Giant Statue that attacks you. ============================================================================= NB. DON'T FORGET THAT THE WRAITHS ARE COLOUR-CODED, SO YOU KNOW WHICH TYPE OF WEAPONS THEY WILL HAVE AS SOON AS YOU SEE THEIR COLOUR, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING CHART :- BLUE WRAITHS DUAL-WIELD PURPLE WRAITHS USE SWORD-AND-SHIELD BROWN WRAITHS USE TWO-HANDED WEAPONS ============================================================================= > Head towards the camera, destroying the vases for additional green energy should you need any. There is a green urn on the left-hand side of the room, beside a pillar that collapses when you draw near, and a purple wraith who materialises as you approach. > When you are ready to proceed, head through the beautiful ornate doors at the far end (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up), and move on. > In the next room, if you run straight to the left you will find a brown wraith, together with a further green urn. Then if you go back away from the camera and into the distance, you will have to do battle with another Giant Statue (on the wall to your right), as well as a brown wraith. Be careful of the pillar just before the Giant Statue, as it is rigged to collapse - just like in the training level really. > Run to the left and take out the three blue wraiths. > Head diagonally AWAY from the platform you are obviously supposed to jump onto, and you will find another blue wraith guarding a treasure chest, which you can plunder. > When you're ready, double-back on yourself and jump up onto the obvious platform - the one over the flames - and take out the blue wraith and the Giant Statue before picking up the blue urn (if you need it). > Jump up to the ledge behind where the Giant Statue was standing to get the green urn (should you need it, which you PROBABLY will), smashing the other vases should you need additional health. > Jump over to the higher platform on your left, and venture on just a few steps to do battle with a brown and then a purple wraith. > Activate the giant blue orb on the left (RB, LS Down, tap X, LS Down, tap Y) and this will cause it to fall onto the ground below, breaking it and making a HUGE hole for you to descend into. > SAVE YOUR GAME at the blue stone. > Drop down the hole ! > Run to the left and take out the purple and blue wraiths before knocking over the large blue pillar (RB, Y) and crossing over the makeshift bridge that is created as a result, to reach the next platform. > Here, take out the wraiths, knock over the pillar (RB, Y), note that there is a red rune triumvirate (which we shall come back to in a few), and use the green urn should you need to. My advice is, if you DON'T need it ? Leave it be for the time being - we'll be coming back to activate the triumvirate, and you might need it then ... > Head back over the makeshift bridge, taking note that the camera WILL move whilst you are walking over it, so DO try not to fall off, there's a good chap ;) When you are over to the other side, head around to the other side of the plateau, taking out the wraiths as you go, and then help yourself to the blue and green urns should you need them. There is a second red rune triumvirate here (just make a mental note that this is where it's at for now). > Against the wall you will find another blue pillar, which you should push so that it falls directly into the ravine (RB, Y). DO NOT TRAVEL OVER THE BRIDGE THAT FALLS JUST YET, as you will not be able to come back this way once you have. > Now it's time to activate this last red rune triumvirate, and obtain ourselves 20G and the Adrenaline Rush Award. Ready ?? First, activate the first red rune triumvirate we found. You will see that it sends out two lines, one to where we just were (where we pushed over the last blue pillar to create the MASSIVE bridge down to the ornate double- doors with the 2 Giant Statues against the wall), and one to the other side of the same bridge. Second, run back to where I just described (where we pushed over the pillar which created the MASSIVE bridge), and activate the second red rune triumvirate there. Then, cross the MASSIVE bridge, and immediately run to the right, TAKING GREAT CARE as there is a chasm you must jump over, and LEAP over the chasm running STRAIGHT PAST the 2 wraiths that come to life, to activate the last red rune triumvirate in the far left-hand corner. This will give you the final Song of Death Power Bar Upgrade, together with the above-listed achievement. BONZA !! > Take out the 2 wraiths (1 purple, 1 brown), and then double-back on yourself AGAIN taking great care not to fall into the mini-chasm and die, and take out the 2 Giant Statues (it is far easier to gingerly approach the one on the right-hand side and leave the one on the left for afters, rather than to take them both on at the same time), before taking the green urn as yours and opening the large ornate doors (RB, tap B, LS Up, tap B). > Run down the stairs and take out the purple and brown wraiths whilst being careful to avoid the statues nearby falling on you, before opening up the nearby treasure chest, and saving your progress at the blue stone. > Then run around to the left, and take the blue urn and treasure chest, AGAIN being careful to avoid falling pillars, and slay the blue wraith before running back to the halfway point (to the left of the blue stone), and cracking and yanking the chain (RB, tap B) to pull your doorway clear of the stone. > You might want to save again just to be on the safe side ;) > Immediately as soon as the door is created, so-to-speak, a pair of wraiths (1 blue, 1 purple) materialise on the other side, and attack you. You know what to do ;) > Continue down the path, take out the brown wraith on the right, and pick up the green urn should you need it. > Crack open the obviously-placed cracked wall section, and block immediately as there is a blue wraith on the other side just ITCHING to do battle with you. He is guarding a treasure chest. > Follow the pathway as it snakes around, and drop down to the lower level, straight into an ambush at the hands of 1 blue and 1 purple wraith. Pick up the green urn if you need it. > Drop down into the next area, and immediately do battle with a Giant Statue and a blue wraith. There is ANOTHER green urn here for you if you need it, but I would leave it for a little as there is another fight to be had before you move onto the next area. > Head towards the camera and pick up the blue urn, and then turn to your left and do battle with the Giant Statue that comes to life there. Behind him is a chain that you can yank from the wall to lead you into the next area. Return and pick up the green urn from the right before venturing on, whether you need it or not ;) > There are 2 Giant Statues along the north wall which you do NOT need to battle should you wish to avoid them - the way onward goes to the left. I, however, am a blood- (or rather stone-)thirsty S.O.B, so I'm going to have a pop. C'MON - I'll take you all one ... The 2 Giant Statues are guarded by 1 blue wraith (on the right), and 1 brown wraith (on the left). There are 2 green urns inbetween them, so if you survive the fight you can nurse yourself back to an IMPRESSIVE level of health, even if you take a pounding. Behind where the right-hand Giant Statue stood is a treasure chest, and behind where the left-hand Giant Statue stood is a blue stone for you to save your progress. > Heading to the left, you will reach a large circular dais with quite a few wraithly suits of armour scattered about the place ... you KNOW what that means, right ? Exactly. ============= ============= !! WARNING !! !! WARNING !! ============= ============= This bit is the first of three EXTREMELY ANNOYING sections of the game, so BE WARNED. > There is a Giant Statue in the centre of the Dais that must be taken out first. Then you will be attacked by 4 wraiths - 2 blue, 1 purple, 1 brown. > Once they are all dismissed, run off the top-left corner of the Dais, and you will land on a platform just ever-so-slightly lower than it. A light will shine, showing you the path forward. ============================================================================ NB. BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL AND VERY, VERY DELIBERATE IN THIS NEXT SECTION, AS ONE WRONG MOVE WILL RESULT IN TERMINATION OF YOUR LIFE. NO "I'LL BE BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK" ... WELL ... OK, YOU *CAN* CONTINUE, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, RIGHT ?? ============================================================================ > Run forward and make the leap. As soon as you do, a pillar to your left will collapse. > Forward, and turn to your right and run diagonally. Ground will fall to your left first, and then to your right, forcing you to turn and head straight up in-line with the blue central line on the floor, and over a gap. Make the jump. > As soon as you do, a HUGE boulder will take out a chunk of the ground ahead of you, forcing you again to turn and head diagonally to your right. > Go very gingerly ahead, and you will wind up on a triangle of rocks. You have to make a jump diagonally to your right, and then turn and head back to your left. THIS is the most annoying bit. > Make the jump diagonally and to the right - you CAN take your time ok ?? AS SOON AS YOU LAND, STAND STILL - DO NOT PANIC - YOU WILL BE FINE. > See what I mean ? The ground shakes, and lesser men overcompensate, sending them into the ABYSS *spits*. Walk gingerly forward to the top-left corner of this, the right-hand rock of the triangle, and the camera will pan, AGAIN throwing lesser players off track. > Now, back up just a touch so you can have a nice run-up to the drop, and make the leap JUST BEFORE YOU GET TO THE EDGE, or you'll have Conan run off to his demise. > As soon as you land, AGAIN, to not panic. There will be another major rumble, and a path will fall in front of you, diagonally to your left. Take the rest of this bit VERY gently, and you will reach the end of this VERY aggravating section. As you approach the huge doors ahead, you will get a ... --- CUTSCENE --- As the huge doors open ahead of Conan, he is forced to shield his eyes from an intense white light that blinds him. The room is fully bathed in light as the doors open fully, and the act draws to a close. --- END CUTSCENE --- Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Twelve. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 2 3 ¦ ============================================================================ ACT TWELVE - DARK PRISON The act begins right in the thick of combat - Conan stands at the other side of the gate he just came through, and is almost immediately attacked by tar- covered warriors. ============================================================================= NB. Since this is the last act in the game (barring the final boss fight), it would be a prudent to save as much of your magic energy as possible, so that you have a better chance of whupping Graven's ass. ============================================================================= These warriors are just like the resurrected Stygian Warriors that Chimera, the Sorceress Queen, used in her boss fight against you - they are strong en masse given the sharpness of their claws and the unpredictability of their attacks (they have a tendency to LURCH towards you), but they are weak individually. > The Tar Warriors materialise from the black tar pits, which also burn you like acid would, so DO watch your step on this level, ok ?? > If you despatch all the Tar Warriors and the wraiths (blue, purple AND brown) that attack you on this first area, then head to the left and you will have to do battle with a further set of wraiths and Tar Warriors, but it IS worth it, as there is a little area tucked-away at the side which houses a green urn, a treasure chest and a blue urn - however the treasure chest COULD technically be considered booby-trapped, as there is a blue wraith waiting to come to life as soon as you open it (so be aware of that). > If you head off the side of the main area where you started (i.e. straight forward from the doors, or further around to the left of the side-area we just explored), you will find a set of 4 statues, in front of which are another group of wraiths. Slay the wraiths, and move up to the statues. Strike them and you'll see they all crumble. > Move forward into what is obviously a trap, and prepare yourself for a bit of a scrap, as Tar Warriors arise from the tar pits around you, and wraiths take arms against you. SLAY EVERYBODY, and proceed. > Take out the Giant Statue at the end of this section of walkway, and then push over the pillar to form a makeshift bridge. Watch out for the falling pillars, and the purple and brown wraiths (1 of each) that stand just to his right ... as well as the blue wraith by his feet. It's RB, tap B to push the pillar over. > As you run across the bridge, it collapses JUST shy of your reaching the other side, so prepare yourself to do some natty jumping (any of your mates watching, tell them to get their score cards ready). DO NOT JUMP as soon as you see the bridge snap. This is because the far side flips up as it falls so you'll just hit it and go down with it. > Once you reach the other side, take out ALL the Tar Warriors, whilst taking care to avoid the falling pillars, and then run up to the blue stone, but be aware that it IS a trap - just look at the number of wraith suits lying around it ffs !!! Once they are taken care of (or even before if you're REALLY really quick), save the game at the blue stone. Even if you save it before they materialise, SAVE IT AGAIN AFTERWARDS, so you don't have to fight them from scratch. ============= ============= !! WARNING !! !! WARNING !! ============= ============= THIS SECTION IS EXTREMELY ANNOYING > Run past the next tar pit on the ground, and you will find that, as you run towards the edge of the ledge, it will break off, and fall away. DO NOT PANIC !! There is a second or two when the ledge will lower itself low enough for you to comfortably make the jump, so time yourself rather than panicking. > Once you land on the other side, you must do battle with 3 wraiths (1 blue, 1 purple, 1 brown) and then when THEY are done with, 2 purple wraiths that spawn from up the stairs ahead of you. > Don't go up the stairs yet, just walk off to the right of the stairs and do battle with the Tar Warriors, and you will be able to use the green urn there to heal up afterwards. There is also a treasure chest in the far right-hand corner of this section. > Back up the stairs, and slay the 3 purple wraiths that come to life, as well as the Tar Warriors that just can't seem to get enough of your Conan Goodness. You can see the 2 Giant Statues up ahead ? Yep, yep - they will ALSO come to life in a sec, and you can take them out as well. I should mention that they are also accompanied by an entourage of 3 wraiths (1 blue, 1 purple, 1 brown). > Once EVERYBODY here is dead, smash open the 2 badly broken walls behind where the Giant Statues were standing - the left-hand wall has a boulder behind the wall, a small vase beside the wall, and a treasure chest beside the vase; the right-hand wall has a boulder behind the wall, and a vase to the left of it. > Use one of the boulders to destroy the wall to the RIGHT, and then venture forward and crack open a treasure chest. > Jump up on the dial beside the treasure chest, and tap B to ascend, and then have Conan jump up and to the right, and keep jumping in that direction as fast as you can to avoid the ledges dropping off !! > From where you land, Tar Warriors spawn from the tar pit directly ahead of you, so take them out, and then go to the right, taking out the wraiths and Tar Warriors, and picking up the blue urn.; > Walk back around to the left from the blue urn, and jump up to reach the next level. Here, beware the falling statue first and foremost, THEN brace yourself for an onslaught. You have to deal with your enemies in waves, as follows :- Wave 1 - 3 Purple Wraiths; Wave 2 - 3 Blue Wraiths; Wave 3 - 3 Brown Wraiths; Wave 4 - 3 Giant Statues; and Wave 5 - Tar Warriors from 2 Tar Pits Behind the walls the 3 Giant Statues are guarding are, from left-to-right :- Treasure Chest - Blue Urn - Green Urn There are blue and green urns (1 of each) in the far right-hand corner of this area as well, and don't forget the vases in the area for additional green energy. > Once you are done here, head off to the right-hand side of the arena, and open the ornate door (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up). > Run up the stairs to your right, taking out the 2 blue wraiths that attack from the bottom, and the 1 brown wraith that descends from the top. ============= ============= !! WARNING !! !! WARNING !! ============= ============= THIS SECTION IS EXTREMELY ANNOYING As you reach the top of the stairs Conan will say "What Spell holds back the Water ?" Good question !! > Defeat all the wraiths WITHOUT SETTING FOOT ON THE STEPS THAT LEAD FORWARD PLEASE. There is a good reason for this, which we shall come to ... now !! > As soon as you set foot on the stairs that lead forward, they will begin to collapse, and YOU my friend must make it to the bottom (to the tar pit to be precise). To do this without banging your head REPEATEDLY against the desk (or anybody else in the room), simply keep running forward, making the tiniest of adjustments to your course as necessary. DO NOT try and flowery, over-the- top flips and moves (like I did) *blush*. > YOU ARE NOT SAFE until you land beside the tar pit - as in, on the same level as the tar pit. The step immediately BEFORE the tar pit will fall, so get off it. > Defeat the Tar Warriors that arise from the tar pit, and then jump onto the next platform, and then rapidly onto the platform after that. > Use the blue stone to save your progress by the cog. > Turn the cog (RB, tap X, then tap Y) --- CUTSCENE --- A small column arises ahead of you, which unleashes a blast of energy toward the central Dais that stands before you. Conan steps forward, shouting "Come out of your hole and Face My Blade !", to which Graven gladly obliges. Graven confirms that A'Kanna is "with her father, where she belongs", and proceeds to suggest that Conan NOT get in his way, as he represents the TRUE Gods, who are angry at what man has done to the world around him. He says that civilisation is a sickness that he is hellbent on releasing the planet from ... what a nut job !!!!! Combat is assured ;) --- END CUTSCENE --- ============================================================================ ¦ 0 2 4 ¦ ============================================================================ BOSS FIGHT - GRAVEN ============= ============= !! WARNING !! !! WARNING !! ============= ============= THIS IS THE MOST ANNOYINGEST BOSS-FIGHT EVER Graven is the most difficult of the bosses in Conan and, as with every other boss fight, his is divided up into multiple sections, being as follows :- GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Plastic Man #1 GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - The Whirligig #1 GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 - Plastic Man #2 GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 - The Whirligig #2 GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 - Plastic Man #3 GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6 - The Whirligig #3 GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7 - Final Cutscene PLEASE NOTE that you will lose your Magic Spells progressively during this boss fight. As soon as you begin the fight you will notice that you have already lost your Stone Prison Spell (not that it would do you any good here anyway). I will point out where you lose your other spells. ========================= GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 ========================= I've chosen to call this section Plastic Man because ... well ... you'll see. Graven should have been renamed Pepparami or something 'coz he's bendy, funny and not very intimidating unless you are DEATHLY afraid of toffee, but hey, whatever. In this stage of his boss fight he exhibits the following main attacks :- A) Charged-up unblockable hit (with a delay beforehand so you can get out of the way - roll to avoid); B) 3-hit combo (fully blockable - either block or roll away to avoid); C) Fist Slam (raises his fist and slams it into the ground, creating a part of his body to shoot through the ground and strike out at you). Engage him in hand-to-hand and, when he has taken 100% damage in this form, Graven goes into a dramatic cutscene where you will be prompted to press B, A, Y at the right time to move onto ... ========================= GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 ========================= The boss fight is about to take a ... DIFFERENT ... turn ... During the second, fourth and sixth sections of this boss fight you will be expected to activate one of the cogs around the outside of the Dais to spin the central section OF the Dais sufficiently to align the arrow on the central section with the cog you are manning. Once you have done this, you will strike Graven, and lose a Magic Spell. HOWEVER, to make it harder for you, he will attack you in a number of different stylees ... so ... here we go. Graven rematerialises in the centre of the Dais, and you should IMMEDIATELY run to your right around the Dais, to the closest cog on the right, which will be raised up in a mini-cutscene. You need to RUN because if you're able to get there before the cutscene begins during which the cog is raised, THIS will be your respawning point if (or should I say when) you die. As soon as you reach the cog, use RB to activate it and tap X like it's going out of fashion. As soon as you have pressed the RB button, Tar Warriors will arise on both sides of you, so you need to get as much of the turning done as you can at this point, but try NOT to do a complete revolution of the cog, as the animation of Conan going back to the start point to grab it again is uninterruptible, and time-consuming, leaving you open to both tentacle- and Tar Warrior-attacks. ========================================================================== NB. DO NOT use a Magic Spell here - you WILL need it later on, believe me. ========================================================================== Once you have been surrounded by Tar Warriors, run away to the right, avoiding Graven's tentacles (you can jump over them or roll under them at this point, but jumping is easier and safer). Try and work out the gaps between the tentacles (they ARE equidistant), and take out ALL the Tar Warriors when you have the opportunity. The KEY to the Graven Boss Fight is timing and patience - DO NOT RUSH YOURSELF !! Once all the Tar Warriors are dead move back to the cog and, once Graven draws all his tentacles back into his body and you have a few seconds to make your move, grab the cog again, and give it another damned good thrashing. If you still haven't got the arrow to where it needs to be, just stand in place and jump over the tentacles until you get another break, as there won't be any more Tar Warriors in this stage. Once you have aligned the symbol with the cog, you get a beautiful mini- cutscene, in which Graven is bombarded with Fire Rain from above, and takes a pounding. This brings us to ... ========================= GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 ========================= You will have just LOST your Fire Rain Spell. Graven rematerialises on the Dais, and enter into hand-to-hand combat with you again. THIS time, he exhibits the following as his main attacks :- A) Charged-up unblockable hit (with a delay beforehand so you can get out of the way - roll to avoid); B) 3-hit combo (fully blockable - either block or roll away to avoid); C) Fist Slam (raises his fist and slams it into the ground, creating a part of his body to shoot through the ground and strike out at you). He can either grab you or just stab you this time. D) Downward-swipe with his claws and then a stab (which remains dangerous for a good second or so after his animation has ended). Once Graven has taken 100% damage in THIS stage, you are asked to press Y, X, B, A, Y during the very nice and drawn-out cutscene, before you hand him his butt on a plate. This brings us to ... ========================= GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 ========================= Your objective here is the same as it was in stage 2, so run to the right as fast as you can, as soon as you gain control over Conan, and start spinning the first cog you reach. As soon as you press RB you activate the Tar Warriors around you, and Graven's tentacles come after you as they did last time - HOWEVER, THIS time around, he attacks with high AND low tentacle-attacks, meaning you have to jump and roll faster to avoid him. Aside from that it's the same old, same old. Take out his Tar Warriors when you get a chance, and then focus on twisting the cog so that the symbol aligns perfectly with it. Once you have done this, you will be treated to a further cutscene, in which you unleash the power of your Raven Plague Spell upon him, pecking him to pieces. We can now proceed to ... ========================= GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 ========================= You will have just LOST your Raven Plague Spell. This is the final stage in which he will engage you in hand-to-hand and AREN'T you glad of that !! This time he's PROPER mad, and uses the following as his main attacks. A) Charged-up unblockable hit (with a delay beforehand so you can get out of the way - roll to avoid); B) 3-hit combo (fully blockable - either block or roll away to avoid); C) Fist Slam (raises his fist and slams it into the ground, creating a part of his body to shoot through the ground and strike out at you). He can either grab you or just stab you this time too. D) Downward-swipe with his claws and then a stab (which remains dangerous for a good second or so after his animation has ended). E) Block-breaker combo with unblockable finish (sounds like an advert for BLEACH or something !! This is an aggravating combo where the energy trails are orange for the first four hits, and then red for the fifth, unblockable attack. Roll away to avoid it. Once he has taken 100% damage in this form, you will be promped to press Y, X, B, A, Y, tap X, B at the appropriate time to BEAT that MUTHA down, which takes us to the PENULTIMATE stage of the fight ... ========================= GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6 ========================= You will be DELIGHTED to hear that this is the last of the SECOND phase of combat with Graven that you will have to endure ... err ... I mean ENJOY !! =) In THIS stage, as with stages 2 and 4, you must run to the right, get to the cog ASAP, press RB tap X to spin it, HOWEVER ... THIS time Graven will send out warriors from the central tar pit AND the tar pit around the last cog (and that's a LOT of Tar Warriors). The ones that come from the central tar pit WILL re-spawn, so crowd-control is only a partial solution here. Additionally, his tentacles follow the same basic pattern as the fourth stage, but they tend to shoot out a bit more randomly, which can intimidate the less-diehard player. You need never fight the Tar Warriors - just run around the outside of the Dais avoiding the tentacles, and they will slowly pursue you. Then, as and when the opportunity presents itself, grab the cog and tap X with all your might to twist it. Once you have aligned the symbol with the cog, you get to ... ========================= GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7 ========================= DO NOT PUT YOUR CONTROLLER DOWN - this IS a cutscene, but it is ALSO a fight so be ready ;) --- CUTSCENE --- The ground underneath Graven ignites, and a hole is burnt into the Dais where he stands. He plummets down to what looks like his demise, but as Conan is just about to breathe a sigh of relief, Graven shoots a tentacle up and wraps it around Conan's leg, in a Gandalf stylee. Conan is dragged down into the depths of the earth along with Graven, and the fight continues. You must Tap Y, and then press X, B, and finally Tap A to beat this BOZO. As Conan delivers the final blow to Graven, he expires (Graven, not Conan), but his life force is rekindled by the Gods he has enslaved ... not to SAVE him, OH no - to exact their revenge upon him for having bastardised their powers and abused his position as Guardian of their Ancient Magics. A'Kanna disappears - teleported away perhaps ? With Graven gone, Conan swims to the surface of the now natural waters again, with A'Kanna nowhere to be seen. He never saw her again, nor she him - but she was NOT slain as had been his fear. The Gods took pity upon her, and brought her safely to shore. A'Kanna, it transpires, was the narrator of the tale the whoooooole time. --- END CUTSCENE --- Congratulations ! You have completed the game !! ============================================================================ ¦ 0 2 5 ¦ ============================================================================ MASTER CLASS - COMBAT Combat is the main element that makes Conan such an enjoyable title to play. Combat, and boobies for the boys. ANYHOW, the combat system in Conan is very easy to get to grips with, generally very responsive and GREAT fun to use, but if you want to know how to get the MOST out of it ? I have a number of helpful hints and tips for you to consider. Before we get to those, however, let's go through the whole combat spiel from start to finish. You move Conan using the thumbsticks - the left thumbstick gets him to either walk or run around in whatever direction you push, and the right thumbstick gets him to roll in whatever direction you push. Fighting is done by pressing any of the X, Y, B, A, LB, LT, RB and RT buttons, each of which produces a different result as follows :- X - Fast/Light Attack (Quick, but doesn't do a lot of damage); Y - Slow/Strong Attack (Slower, but does lots more damage); B - Grab/Throw (Grapples your enemy for a throw/hold that will stun them); A - Jump; LB - Casts whatever Spell you currently have selected; LT - Block/Parry; RB - Pick up Item/Weapon; and RT - Throw Weapon Any idiot can wade into enemies and just randomly mash the buttons in the hope that he's going to come out on top - however this is a MASTER CLASS people, so we are aiming for the HIGHEST echelons of fighting prowess, non ?? Therefore OUR combat techniques will centre around the following :- 1) The individual strike; 2) The combo attack; and/or 3) The counter-attack. ===================== THE INDIVIDUAL STRIKE ===================== The individual strike is, very simply, where you hit the buttons but do not pull off a recognisable combo. It is the simplest fighting style to adopt, and will reflect most of your initial play (without this or a similar guide to work with at least). ================ THE COMBO ATTACK ================ Striking the right buttons in the right combination (e.g. X,X,X,X) will (if you have purchased the appropriate combo and are wielding the right type of weaponry) execute a combo attack. Each combo attack has its own name - e.g. "Fast Strike Finisher" or "The Barbarian", giving it its own identity. In order to buy combo attacks, you must acquire red runes (which you can get by either slaying enemies, freeing buxom beauties or cracking open treasure chests). Once you have obtained enough red runes to enable you to buy a combo attack, a tiny little depiction of the back button will appear in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, to show you that you can purchase a combo attack. Pressing the back button will take you into the Combat Abilities screen. =========================== THE COMBAT ABILITIES SCREEN =========================== I have already described this, but for the sake of completeness here is a brief repeat. The Combat Abilities screen has five icons running along the top, being :- 1) "Ready to Learn" - a picture of Conan's face; 2) "General Move" - a picture of an open hand; 3) "One-Handed" - a picture of a sword on a shield; 4) "Dual-Wield" - a picture of two crossed swords; and 5) "Two-Handed" - a picture of two hands gripping a large sword. You will make all your combo attack purchases on the first screen - the "Ready to Learn" screen - but if you cycle through the second to fifth screens you will see those combo attacks that you have already learned in that combat style, together with confirmation of your current level of mastery in each. You will also see question marks beside those combo attacks which are in this particular fighting style, but which you have NOT yet learned, for your reference. Beneath the icons at the top there is a run-down of certain key pieces of information regarding each of the combo attacks on offer, so here are some notes about those :- * The image to the left of the combo's name corresponds with one of the icons for screens 2-5, so for example at the top of the list are two combos with the same name - "Fast Strike Finisher" - HOWEVER, one is only useable when you have a sword and/or shield (the FIRST one), and the other is useable only when you are wielding two single-handed weapons (the SECOND one). * The button combo to the right of the combo's name is (rather obviously) the combination of buttons you need to press to do the combo successfully. * A description of the combo is at the bottom of the screen, with two figures to the right of it. The first figure - that under "Experience Cost" - shows you how many experience points you have to give up in order to buy this combo; the second figure - that under "Experience" - shows you how many experience points you have amassed. IT IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT that you realise that you do NOT have to spend all your experience points in one gigantic splurge. You CAN if you would like, but some of the combos on offer are well worth saving up for, so I would strongly suggest you don't always blow your experience on the cheapest combo available ... juuuuuuuuuuuust a thought ;) Read through the combos to see what you like - if you are the type of player that likes to build up a broad base of skills across all the different fighting styles, then you will want to pick up as many combos as possible. If however you are the type of player that thinks "Pfffft, I'm NEVER going to use a twin-handed weapon - they're WELL biff", then there is absolutely NO point in buying combos for that weapon type, non ?? ================= MASTERING A COMBO ================= Once you have performed a combo attack a certain number of times, you will attain what is called "Mastery" of that combo. This means that doing the combo from THAT point on will result in bigger rewards for you (greater green, red and blue rune deposits mostly). ================== THE COUNTER-ATTACK ================== The third (and MOST satisfying) method of combat in Conan is what is called the Counter-Attack. This is where you parry an incoming attack, and counter it, thus slaying your opponent immediately. It goes without saying that this type of attack cannot be used against bosses (more's the pity as most of them RICHLY deserve it !!). If you acquaint yourself with the LT button (the left-hand trigger button at the back of your controller), you will find that by pressing and holding it, Conan blocks as many incoming attacks as he can. If he has a shield, he can block more attacks (the so-called "unblockable" attacks - or at least some of them), but it's very simple to block - you literally just hold the left trigger, and he's blocking as much as he can. PARRYING, however, is another kettle of fish. Think of parrying as a gold medal performance, whilst blocking is the bronze. In order to successfully parry an incoming attack, you must press the LT (left trigger) IMMEDIATELY BEFORE YOU ARE STRUCK. This means you have to watch your opponent to see what they're doing, and time your parry just right. In order to make your life easier, try parrying the easier enemies first, just to get a feel for how to parry well, and THEN try your hand at parrying the more powerful enemies later in the game. ========================================================================== NB. GENERALLY-SPEAKING, YOU CANNOT PARRY BOSSES - YOU CAN ONLY BLOCK THEM. ========================================================================== When you have successfully parried an attack you WILL know about it, because one of the letters X, Y or B will appear immediately over your head. If you respond quickly enough by pressing the corresponding button on your controller you will find that Conan counter-attacks (thus slaying his enemy). The counter-attacks in Conan are nothing short of BRUTAL, and will leave your jaw in your LAP the first few times you see them - some of them are literally BREATHTAKING. Each fighting style has its own set of counter-attacks, and I have taken the liberty of listing them in section 0 2 6 below :- =================== THE FIGHTING STYLES =================== Since you now know what the different fighting styles are (grappling, one- handed weapon (with, or without shield), dual-wield and two-handed weapon), we should go into more depth on the fighting styles so that I can explain their respective strengths and weaknesses. ========= GRAPPLING ========= Grappling your enemies involved grabbing them, and man-handling them. You can only grapple those enemies that are either stunned, or are weaker (i.e. smaller) than you. You cannot grapple larger enemies as they have a habit of countering your grapple and kicking you squah in the noots ;) If you are able to successfully grapple an enemy, you can execute any of the "General Moves" listed above (provided you have purchased them), or just throw your enemy (which is your standard grapple move) around the area. Throwing is arguably the most USEFUL of the moves available, as you can throw them into their comrades, or off ledges (hurling them to their deaths in the process), or even into spiked walls or fences (which is rather satisfying I must say). Grappling is NOT the best form of combat, and should be used with due consideration for your surroundings. ========== ONE-HANDED ========== One-Handed fighting is basically two different styles in one. You can wield a one-handed weapon (such as a short sword or an axe), OR you can with the same weapon WITH A SHIELD in your other hand. Regardless of which configuration you go for, you will be deemed to be fighting "one-handed". IF YOU HAVE A SHIELD EQUIPPED you will be able to block arrows. This is the ONLY way to block arrows in Conan - if you don't have a shield you will have to roll or otherwise dodge out of their way to avoid being perforated like a rather fetching tea bag. Additionally, carrying a shield gives you added protection from unblockable hits. It doesn't enable you to block EVERY unblockable hit in the game, but lower-level enemies will be blocked by your shield. Therefore my suggestion, if this is the type of style that appeals to you, is to try and combine the one-handed weapon WITH a shield. You can throw the shield and then go and pick it up, which is nice - however the shield does impact on your ability to grapple, as sometimes you will use the shield to slice an enemy's head off rather than get them into a close- quarters hold (but hey ! It's aaaaaaaaaall good) ;) There is another variation to the one-handed fighting school, which is where you combine a one-handed weapon with a lit torch. In this fighting style, you can execute the finishing moves and standard moves of the one-handed school, but you can also finish up a combo by swiping an enemy (or animal) with your torch, causing significant burn damage (and much hilarious laughter) in the process. You can also use the RB button to ignite combustible material, such as tents, wooden platforms, vines, and so on. ========== DUAL-WIELD ========== Dual-Wield is THE fighting style for me I have to say. Whilst it is arguably the poor relation of the four styles you have available to you, it is most certainly the flashiest and most breathtaking visually. You can combine any two one-handed weapons - they needn't be the same, and so it's just as viable for you to play in Dual-Wield mode with two axes, two short swords, or an axe and a short sword - your choice entirely. Unfortunately you cannot block arrows with Dual-Wield, which would have been nice but I can appreciate that they wanted to keep that solely for those of you that like to use the shield. Dual-Wield is arguably the quickest fighting style in the game, and you can throw one (or both, if you have a sword on your back) of your weapons at your enemies and pick them up (if they hit) later, so you always have at least one projectile attack available to you when you are Dual-Wielding. There is a certain level of versatility in fighting as a Dual-Wield specialist insofar as some combos include block breaking moves, whilst others are able to be extended (not indefinitely, but try the improved variation of the standard Windmill Combo, and you'll see what I mean). If you're interested in more flash than substance, and the GENUINE "Wow" factor of slaughtering enemies like a pro, then this is perhaps the fighting style for you !! ========== TWO-HANDED ========== Ah, yes - the slowest, and most powerful of all the fighting styles available to you is, without a doubt, the Two-Handed Fighting Style. Whilst you will suffer with your attack speed, you will increase with your reach, often being able to strike 2, or even sometimes 3 enemies at the same time, resulting in MASS carnage (and a couple more achievements if you know what I mean) ;). There are a few drawbacks to fighting with the Two-Handed school, such as blocking still isn't on par with the One-Handed School's sword-and-shield combo, the reduction in speed is palpable, and (of course) you only have the one weapon available to you, so if you throw it you'll be immediately busted back to the One-Handed fighting school, as Conan draws his trusty sword from the scabbard at his back. Two-Handed is a good option for boss fights (once you've learned how they attack you, and can time your strikes well), and large groups of enemies, but variety being the spice of life, I tend to dip more into the Two-Handed style periodically, than rely on it exclusively ... but that's just me. As I have mentioned previously, you will NOT be able to block arrows with a two-handed weapon, so don't even try. ================= COMBAT TECHNIQUES ================= So !! Now that we've had a look at the basics of combat, and the four main fighting styles that are available to you during play, let's move up a step and take on board some master-class tips, shall we ?? ===================== DOMINATING IN A 1-2-1 ===================== If you're looking to impress your mates then pick your fights carefully. Conan is a FAR more skilled combatant than any individual enemy he faces, with the possible exception of the Boss Fights, and so if you're in a 1-2-1 situation, take your time - don't rush your enemy, wait for them to attack you and then parry and beat the mofo down ... then bask in the glory of the kill. ===================================== MULTIPLE ADVERSARIES AT THE SAME TIME ===================================== When you are tackling multiple enemies at the same time, they will (as a matter of course) attempt to surround you, to make their attacks more effective. This is absolutely fine - however you MUST learn to prioritise which enemies to take out first. As a master, you should be looking to take out any ranged units first, so archers and spellcasters should be the first to fall. If you don't manage to get to them immediately, then try and manoeuvre your enemies so that they are standing inbetween you and the ranged units, as they WILL take damage from arrows, energy blasts, explosions and so on and so forth. Once you have bested all the ranged units, THEN and ONLY then would I look to allow myself to be surrounded by the other attackers, and I would then focus on watching out for the enemies with the quicker attacks first. In most levels you will encounter 2-3 different levels of average enemy, with the lowest being slow and dull, and the higher being quicker, stronger and smarter so in the first two acts it would be the brown-shirted pirates and/or pirate bosses, NOT the white pirates whereas in act three it would be the Stygian Pikemen and NOT the Stygian Swordsmen. You will find it easier to take out the weaker enemies first obviously, but you should almost allow your peripheral vision to pick up on when they are about to attack you, as their attacks are slow, predictable, and easily parried. Hawkishly watch the stronger enemies for signs that THEY are about to launch an attack at you (and whether you will be able to parry it, or whether it will be unblockable), and respond accordingly. When you ARE surrounded, and multiple enemies begin to attack you, try and concentrate on parrying the one that will hit you first (because attempting to block that one and parry somebody else is tricky at best), and ignoring the others. Once you have successfully parried an attack, the game slows down just a touch which should give you the time to counter-attack the first enemy, and conveniently side-step or spin away from the other inbound attacks no worries at all - it's all just a matter of keeping a level head, and watching the timing. Finally, when you are engaging multiple enemies at the same time, LEARN TO MASTER THE ROLL TECHNIQUE. You can roll away, sometimes even during a brief repose in a combo, and almost CERTAINLY if your enemy fails to strike you with one of the hits of whatever combo THEY are attempting to pull off at a given time, and so you can REALLY put rolling into and out of combat situations to GREAT use - a prime example being whenever you have to fight more than one lion at a time. Hit-and-move (roll), rinse and repeat !! ======== FEIGNING ======== Feigning is the process of making it look like you're going to do one thing, and then going and doing another. Whilst the AI in the game is not the best, you will experience great benefits during combat if you feign or dupe your opponent into making a move, and then taking advantage of their committing TO that move, particularly if they are bigger and/or slower than you. Therefore if you go to strike a pirate boss with a strong attack, and he goes to block, he has committed to blocking. You can roll away (if you haven't already gone too far into the strong attack), and attack him from another angle. Granted it doesn't ALWAYS work, but there are times when this technique will pay off and you will go "Hmmmmmmmm ... so Sinister DOESN'T just like the sound of his own voice" ... ;) ==== LURE ==== Since your enemies will follow you around once they have spotted you, if there are archers with explosive arrows pelting the arena floor (such as in the first Bone Cleaver fight, you can lure your enemies so that they actually walk over the exploding arrows and, if your timing is right, they will go booooom ! MUCH hilarity to be had doing that I assure you !! ======== THROWING ======== Whilst throwing an enemy at another enemy doesn't do a huge amount of damage to either, it CAN result in stun damage, which leaves the enemy/ies vulnerable to massive amounts of damage for a few secs (you can even finish them in a variety of suitable brutal ways if you choose to). ========= FLASHBOMB ========= If you want to do something VERY special, hurl a burning torch into a fire and watch the sparks FLY, OR strike the fire with a weapon for the same effect ;) The fire will recharge over time, but you should rely upon this as a last- ditch effort if you're getting crowded whilst around a campfire. ================ ATTACKING FASTER ================ [Thanks to my brother for this one] Conan's finishing animations for some of his combos are BEAUTIFUL, but quite drawn-out (for dramatic purposes). If you incorporate a roll at the end of a combo, you will achieve 2 things. Firstly, you will make yourself harder to hit, and SECONDLY you will cut the combo animation short, enabling you to attack again quicker. Use this technique to therefore significantly increase the speed and ferocity with which Conan can attack. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 2 6 ¦ ============================================================================ MASTER CLASS - FATALITIES Since the fatalities (which are achieved by parrying an attack, and then successfully counter-attacking when prompted) vary depending on the fighting style you adopt, there are quite a few different ways of slaying your enemy in any given situation. Therefore, in order to try and make the entire process of finding the right move for you as easy as possible, I thought I would write out the fatalities/ counter-attacks down for you, to make your life that little bit easier. ============= GENERAL MOVES ============= These are not, generally-speaking, considerable as counter-attacks, as you can only really use them when an enemy is NOT attacking you, or when they are stunned. However, here is the list. B - Grapple and Throw your enemy B, X - Grapple and Piledrive your enemy into the ground B, Y - Grapple and perform a Backbreaker on your enemy B, B - Grapple and Powerslam your enemy into the ground ========================== ONE-HANDED COUNTER-ATTACKS ========================== Parry, X - "Skull Crusher" Conan grabs an enemy, swivels around behind him putting his weapon to the enemy's throat as he turns, and decapitates his foe with a twist, and a fountain of blood ensues. Parry, Y - "Cleave in Twain" Conan elbows his enemy in the face, causing them to fly back and at an angle from him (a 90 degree angle to be precise). As they fly back, he brings his blade down in a sharp arc, cutting them clean in half at the waist. Parry, B - "Crom's Curse" Conan rams his fist into his opponent's torso, ripping out their intestines as he draws it back out again. This move is considered as different and separate from the Two-Handed counter of the same name, so both skills must be levelled-up independently of each other. ========================== DUAL-WIELD COUNTER-ATTACKS ========================== Parry, X - "Blade Fury" Conan slices and dices his enemy with a large number of opposing cuts, and then kicks them away causing all their extremities to fly off in different directions. Parry, Y - "Head Stomp" Conan kicks his enemy so that they spin away from him at an angle, and then leaps into the air, spiralling as he goes. Once the angles are just right, Conan boots his enemy in the head with such force that they are decapitated, and their head bounces away ! Parry, B - "Gwahlur's Leap" Conan's most amazing move of all, he jumps at his opponent and stabs them in the shoulders (with a downwards thrust) to give him purchase on their body. Then he stabs them again, getting better grip on both weapons, which he then twists as he backflips off his foe's body, slicing off both their arms in the process !! AMAZING. ========================== TWO-HANDED COUNTER-ATTACKS ========================== Parry, X - "Steps of Hell" Conan uses his opponent as a springboard, stepping on and then jumping off their knee, to give him enough lift to bring the full force of his attack down upon their head, splitting them clean in half. Parry, Y - "Demon's Descent" Conan hurls his two-handed weapon up into the air, catching his enemy under the chin with an uppercut as he goes. This causes his hapless adversary to soar up into the air, where they become impaled upon his weapon. As enemy and weapon descend to terra firma, Conan grabs the weapon and jerks it violently, causing his enemy to split in half on the ground. Parry, B - "Crom's Curse" Conan rams his fist into his opponent's torso, ripping out their intestines as he draws it back out again. This move is considered as different and separate from the One-Handed counter of the same name, so both skills must be levelled-up independently of each other. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 2 7 ¦ ============================================================================ MASTER CLASS - BESTIARY I thought that it might also be quite helpful to you to compile a bestiary, wherein I listed certain bits of information about each of the enemy types you will encounter in each of the Acts of Conan ... so here we go !! ======= ACT ONE ======= ENEMY NAME - White-shirted Pirate DANGER RATING - 1/5 DESCRIPTION - A pirate clad in a white shirt. Weak, slow, and predictable CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes OTHER NOTES - These guys lag REALLY nicely when they go to strike you, so you have absolutely no excuse for not countering each and every single one of them, thus bumping up your mastery of counter-attacks significantly. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Brown-shirted Pirate DANGER RATING - 2/5 DESCRIPTION - Brown-shirted pirates are quicker and more combat-ready than their white-shirted counterparts. Their attacks are a bit harder to see coming (although not much, truth be told), and they have the ability to block your attacks, so be warned. CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Buxom Beauty DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - The Buxom Beauties are the ladies that you will find from time to time. They will all be topless (hence the danger rating - we wouldn't want you to be thinking of anything other than the mission at hand, would we) ;), and they will all want you to free them. They WILL reward you handsomly for your efforts ;) CAN BE THROWN ? - You wish !! Over your shoulder probably, right ?? NO. ;) OTHER NOTES - I am particularly fond of the shading on this sprite, AND the rather gormless way they sway around after you've ... liberated them ... =./ ------------ ENEMY NAME - Pirate Archer DANGER RATING - 1/5 DESCRIPTION - Pirate Archers will fire either regular arrows or explosive arrows at you from a distance - however they do not move from their positions, making them generally very easy foes to locate and despatch. Press RB to withdraw any arrows that DO become lodged in any parts of your anatomy, and throw them to the ground (pay close attention to doing this when they fire explosive arrows, as they are on a timer !!). CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes OTHER NOTES - If you do not remove the arrow/s quickly enough, you will begin to sustain bleed damage. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Pirate Boss DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - Pirate Bosses are ANNOYING. They are comparatively heavily- armoured, carry two-handed weapons, and wear helmets. Not to mention talking a lot of sh!te. Best technique to adopt against them is the tried-and-tested, hit-and-run technique which works wonders. CAN BE THROWN ? - No OTHER NOTES - When their helmet falls off, they are approximately 50% of the way through being cooked. ======= ACT TWO ======= ENEMY NAME - Corsair Ship DANGER RATING - 1/5 DESCRIPTION - Since the Corsair ships never attack you personally, they should be considered very easy to take out - HOWEVER, they do attack A'Kanna's ship instead, and so you are on a timer to despatch them. Use the stationery turrets to take them out in good time. CAN BE THROWN ? - No. Not even Conan can throw a ship ;) OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Bone Cleaver DANGER RATING - 4/5 DESCRIPTION - Bone Cleaver is the boss of Act 2, and deservedly so. He has a series of four different attacks (listed in the walkthrough, but to recap they are a smash-and-poke move; calling for his archers to pelt his battle arena with their explosive arrows; a spiralling sideflip which causes an earthquake; and a 4-hit slow-moving but powerful combo. CAN BE THROWN ? - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ... no. OTHER NOTES - Time your attacks, watch out for getting caught in his 4-hit combo, and jump over his earthquake move. Also be aware that, when he's about 75% cooked, he will generate an aura that is tantamount to a blood rage, which bolsters his aggressiveness and combat performance. ========= ACT THREE ========= ENEMY NAME - Lion DANGER RATING - 2/5 DESCRIPTION - Lions are more annoying than dangerous - they attack very much as you would expect a wildcat to - swiftly, and without mercy. CAN BE THROWN ? - No OTHER NOTES - Lions catch fire quite nicely, and whilst it will in most cases not kill them, it does cause them to run around like they are ............... well ... on fire really !! ------------ ENEMY NAME - Stygian Swordsman DANGER RATING - 1/5 DESCRIPTION - With tattoos on their faces, facemasks and lithe bodies, these boys are RIPE for an ass-whupping !!! They are armed with one-handed swords with nasty curved blades, and are the weakest enemies you will encounter in the Sand Vault. CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes OTHER NOTES - Whilst they are the weakest, they are still palpably more powerful than the white-shirted pirates were in Acts 1 & 2, so be on your guard. They can do semi-unblockable hits (by which I mean they stun your guard, leaving you open to further attacks). ------------ ENEMY NAME - Stygian Pikeman DANGER RATING - 2/5 DESCRIPTION - In a word ? ANNOYING. They are armed with polearms that make them visually very easy to distinguish from their Stygian Swordsmen cousins, and like to attack from a distance with green, life-sapping fireballs, or VERY quickly up-close-and-personal by snapping their staffs at you, which leaves you very little time to dodge unfortunately. CAN BE THROWN ? - No OTHER NOTES - Try and take these boys out first, to minimise the annoyance factor they will otherwise visit upon you. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Sand Dragon DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - The Sand Dragon is the boss of Act Three, and ranks as one of the LONGEST bosses to fight (in terms of the number of stages you have to go through with him). He isn't overly difficult to kill as long as you follow either my guide or common sense really, but the length of the battle can be a bit aggravating if you're not careful. CAN BE THROWN ? - Nope, not even in your dreams OTHER NOTES - Be calm - he may be large, but he's not that tough. ======== ACT FOUR ======== ENEMY NAME - Tribal Warrior DANGER RATING - 2/5 DESCRIPTION - Bald-headed man wearing face paint and carrying a two-handed weapon. These are the grunts of the Tribe. They attack quickly, and can do both block breakers and power attacks, where the game slows just a touch and they raise their staffs up before SLAMMING them into the ground to create a mini shockwave. CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes OTHER NOTES - Aside from their speed, they are not too bad to fight. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Witch Doctor DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - They have face masks (BIG ones), and attack with sword and shield, but are also able to cast spells from a distance that rip up the earth with shockwaves and cause tusk-shaped projectiles to shoot across the ground towards you. They are NOT to be underestimated. CAN BE THROWN ? - No OTHER NOTES - Their face mask will come off when they have taken about half-damage. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Tribal Hunter DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - Looking very similar to the regular Tribal Warrior, these men use bow and arrow from a distance, and then switch to brutal two-handed swords when you draw near. They are suave combatants, able to cope very well with many of your attacks, so be on your guard. CAN BE THROWN ? - No OTHER NOTES - They are versatile and not overly stupid. They also shoot arrows over a VERY long distance, so be prepared to do a fair share of dodging/rolling. ======== ACT FIVE ======== ENEMY NAME - Gorillaman DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - The Gorillaman is a huge, hulking man-beast that resembles a Yeti or Caveman of old. He has huge muscles, but is not hugely well-evolved, behaving very much like a primate. His massive hands can deal heavy damage, and he likes to jump and pound the ground, unleashing minor earthquakes to show off his power. CAN BE THROWN ? - You MUST be joking OTHER NOTES - The best way to defeat the Gorillaman is to stand just out of his range when he does his close-quarters punchy-chest- poundy attack, and then to unleash 2 strong attacks whilst he is preparing to attack you again. Rinse and repeat, and keep an eye open for his ground pound attacks or you'll be flat on your arse in no time ;) ------------ ENEMY NAME - Gorillaman Lobber DANGER RATING - 2/5 DESCRIPTION - Having soft white hair in place of the regular Gorillaman's dark smooth skin, the Gorillaman Lobber digs up boulders from the earth to throw at you, meaning he has an effectively unlimited supply of ammunition. The trade-off is that he falls quickly in combat to strong attacks. CAN BE THROWN ? - Nope, don't THINK so !! :) OTHER NOTES - Crowd him and he will ordinarily try and back off to give him a better chance of using his ranged powers against you. THAT is the moment to lay the smack down ;) ------------ ENEMY NAME - Elephant God (aka Elephant Demon) DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - The Elephant God is NOT that tough an enemy to face - his Boss Fight is short and reasonably sweet, and as long as you keep your head, and avoid his concussive shockwave attacks, you will do just fine. CAN BE THROWN ? - You're joking, yes ? He's about 100 times your size !! OTHER NOTES - None really - just keep calm ;) ======= ACT SIX ======= ENEMY NAME - Stygian Elite Swordsman DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - The Stygian Elite Swordsman is armed with a sword and shield, and can project a blast of green energy from his shield over a short distance that looks like green dust, and which screws up your control system for a few seconds (right and left, back and forward swap around, etc.), making you easier prey for their attacks. They also have a block-breaking running strike that is impressive to watch. CAN BE THROWN ? - No OTHER NOTES - These guys are the ones to watch out for - they are quick, dangerous, and block well, so keep your eyes peeled !! ------------ ENEMY NAME - Stygian Archers DANGER RATING - 1/5 DESCRIPTION - The Stygian Archers are just like the Pirate Archers from Acts 1 & 2, save that they fire flaming arrows which do more damage than their pirate relations. CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Stygian Honour Guard DANGER RATING - 4/5 DESCRIPTION - Able to block-break, block, and BREATHE FIRE (yes, you heard me), these boys are NAILS and should be treated with respect and care - BE VERY CAUTIOUS WHEN FIGHTING THEM. You'll live longer if you take them out with a one-handed weapon & a SHIELD ;). Their most devastating attack is a 4-hit combo (2 fast, 1 block-breaking knockdown, fire breath whilst you are on the floor) - it REALLY hurts, so avoid it at all costs ! CAN BE THROWN ? - No OTHER NOTES - Roll to avoid their fire breath or take MEGA damage ;) ========= ACT SEVEN ========= ENEMY NAME - Winged Lizards DANGER RATING - 1/5 DESCRIPTION - Weird, dinosaur-style lizards that flap about causing more nuisance than damage. When their eyes glow red they are about to bite you, but this can be easily dodged and, with a few strong strikes, they fall pretty nicely. They also have a poisonous breath attack that can be countered, and which will stun you for a few seconds if you are hit by it. CAN BE THROWN ? - No OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Sorceress Queen DANGER RATING - 4/5 DESCRIPTION - A huge female upper torso atop a serpent's lower-half, Chimera, the Sorceress Queen, is both grotesque and very dangerous. She attacks with her staff, through which she can channel red energy blasts and shockwaves, and by bringing her followers back from Death's Door itself. CAN BE THROWN ? - Nope OTHER NOTES - She's a BITCH of the first order, and can really ruin your day with her EXTREMELY annoying 4-hit combo. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Resurrected Stygian Warriors DANGER RATING - 2/5 DESCRIPTION - Called back to life by Chimera, these fallen warriors lack their weapons, but are given sharp claws to perform open- hand strikes with, making them weak individually, but VERY strong en masse. CAN BE THROWN ? - Don't bother OTHER NOTES - None, really. ========= ACT EIGHT ========= ENEMY NAME - Argosian Archers DANGER RATING - 2/5 DESCRIPTION - They fire fast, accurate, and without fear (meaning they keep firing even if you are right in their faces - they do not fall back for better vantage in general). Take them out swiftly to avoid them becoming a pain in the arse. They have AMAZING range on their bows, but the sparking noise explosive arrows make whilst in flight gives their impending attacks away ;) ROOOOOOOOOLL !! CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Argosian Swordsman DANGER RATING - 2/5 DESCRIPTION - They attack VERY quickly, but the charge-up for their block-breaker move is slow, so they kinda even out. They are hard to parry though, so be aware of that. CAN BE THROWN ? - Don't bother OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Argosian Elite Swordsmen DANGER RATING - 4/5 DESCRIPTION - The Argosian Elite Swordsmen are some of the finest warriors in Conan for the 360. They are fast, precise, strong, SMART warriors with beautiful shields that function as both an excellent defence AND an automatic counter-attack, owing to the blades that run along their surface. You should take them out with caution, and always watch out for the retaliatory damage you will take from striking their shields whilst the blades are out. They can throw their shields and they will return, and finally they are able to charge you (a block-breaker) with their shields !!!!! CAN BE THROWN ? - Nope OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Argosian Honour Guard DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - Whilst they are big and imposing-looking, and are armed with a nasty whip which they can use to throw you about like a rag doll (and which is very hard to counter owing to its speed), they are poorer combatants than the Stygian Honour Guard, and not particularly scary. CAN BE THROWN ? - No OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Tar Warriors (aka Ink-Covered Crewmen) DANGER RATING - 2/5 DESCRIPTION - Whilst they are PISH individually, the Tar Warriors (who re-occur later in the game) are QUITE annoying in multiples as they attack quickly (they tend to lurch), and unleash multiple swipes at you before running out of puff. They are slow and generally easily-despatched, but DON'T GET PENNED IN ;) CAN BE THROWN ? - Yep OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Giant Squid DANGER RATING - 2/5 DESCRIPTION - The Giant Squid is not an overly tough boss to deal with, truth be told. He is predictable, reasonably weak, and unintelligent ... much like my boss. If you make good use of the available terrain, and memorise which spots you will be safe from his ink spray in, you will be juuuuuuuust fine. CAN BE THROWN ? - Nope, not at all OTHER NOTES - None, really. ======== ACT NINE ======== ENEMY NAME - Bone Cleaver II DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - Bone Cleaver II attacks in two different stylees, both of which are devastatingly powerful - his first shows him coming at you with a two-handed weapon; his second with a ball and chain. He is also backed up by a lion when the match starts, so that should be the first enemy you take out. CAN BE THROWN ? - That boy has never been thrown in his entire life, sorry, but nope OTHER NOTES - None, really. ======= ACT TEN ======= ENEMY NAME - Desert Warrior DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - Desert Warriors Dual-Wield 2 one-handed swords, and use the Savage Spin move to DEADLY effect, as well as charging into close-quarters combat. They are ok on a 1-2-1, but when you start to deal with 2 or more at a time, be VERY careful about where you are standing, and how easily you can be pinned at your current location. CAN BE THROWN ? - No OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Desert Pikeman DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - Desert Pikemen may LOOK slightly weaker than the Desert Warriors, but BELIEVE me they are not. They have some truly BEAUTIFUL moves with their staves and can spin them around their bodies to end with some massive hits - watch out for them, and DON'T underestimate them. CAN BE THROWN ? - No OTHER NOTES - None, really. ========== ACT ELEVEN ========== ENEMY NAME - Blue Wraith DANGER RATING - 2/5 DESCRIPTION - Blue Wraiths Dual-Wield, and have a very nice multi-hit delayed combo (you will think they have stopped, but they will repeat the end-move 3 times so keep guarding). They fall quickly to two-handed attacks, as they don't block too well. CAN BE THROWN ? - They have no legs dude. OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Purple Wraith DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - Purple Wraiths are arguably more dangerous than Blue Wraiths owing to the strength and prevalence of their guarding skill which is VERY good - they are armed with a one-handed weapon and a shield, and block like billio. Batter down their defences and wreak havok upon them. CAN BE THROWN ? - They have no legs dude. OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Brown Wraith DANGER RATING - 1/5 DESCRIPTION - Brown Wraiths use two-handed swords to attack you, and are the strongest hitters, but poorest combatants of the wraith- world, as they are SO obvious to predict in combat. They do wield their two-handed weapons QUICKLY, but they lag when they attack, and should pose no real problems for you. Brown Wraiths are also responsible for all the pillars and statues that fall upon you as you fight, so be wary of that. CAN BE THROWN ? - They have no legs dude. OTHER NOTES - None, really. ------------ ENEMY NAME - Giant Statue DANGER RATING - 3/5 DESCRIPTION - Giant Statues are slow and, once you have mastered their array of attacking moves, easy to deal with on a 1-2-1 in combat. HOWEVER, the strength of their ground-pound move is not to be underestimated, and it is difficult to avoid on a GOOD day, so beware of that. They do a very nice 5- hit slow combo that people tend to assume has finished before time (2 fast, 2 block-breakers, 1 fast). CAN BE THROWN ? - Never ever McNEVERever, no. OTHER NOTES - None, really. ========== ACT TWELVE ========== ENEMY NAME - Graven DANGER RATING - 5/5 DESCRIPTION - Graven is a MOFO - he fights in two different forms - very bendy Graven for the kids, and central spinny Graven for the grown-ups, and is backed up by HORDES of Tar Warriors, not to mention his tentacles, so BE VERY CAREFUL, and be VERY patient !! CAN BE THROWN ? - Nope, never. OTHER NOTES - None, really. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 2 8 ¦ ============================================================================ HINTS AND TIPS Here are a number of (what I certainly hope to be) helpful hints and tips that I have picked up during play :- BLOCKING ARROWS =============== You can only block arrows if you have a shield - dual-wielding and two-handed weaponry CANNOT BE USED to block arrows unfortunately. BACKPACKING IT ============== Since Conan is able to carry an additional weapon on his back, I find that whenever I am playing, I make a point of picking up as many weapons as possible, as he will do the following :- - Start in One-Handed Mode - When you pick up a second weapon, go into Dual-Wield Mode - If you pick up another one-handed weapon, stay in Dual-Wield Mode, but put the surplus weapon in the scabbard at his back The main point I'm making is that it's important to try and keep a weapon on Conan's back at all times. If you're in Dual-Wield and he has a spare weapon at his back, you can throw a weapon that's in your hand, and he'll pull the extra weapon from his back and stay in Dual-Wield mode (thus giving you a free projectile shot which can take out an archer or similar). It really is well worth it. FREE HEALING ============ Completing a rune triumvirate automatically heals (and increases) your health bar, so bear that in mind whenever you see one. REPEAT SAVING ============= There's nothing to stop you from repeatedly saving the game so if, for example, you find yourself having just slain a PARTICULARLY troublesome group of enemies just after having saved ? Go back and save again !! Odds are the game will remember they're dead, and then you won't have to go through all the aggravation of slaying them again. UNLOCKABLES =========== If you go to the Extras > Unlockables > Cheats screen, you will find that there are FOUR hidden modes you can unlock in Conan. Completing the game on easy does not give you access to any of these; Completing the game on normal gives you access to the Master All Moves and Song of Death Modes; Completing the game on hard gives you access to the Armour Power Mode, and enables you to play through the game on King Difficulty; and Completing the game on king gives you access to the Invulnerability Mode. ============================================================================ ¦ 0 2 9 ¦ ============================================================================ ============================================================================== ¦ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ¦ ============================================================================== As I mentioned at the top of this guide, I would like to dedicate it as a piece of work to my best friends Matthew and Peter, who have always stood up up for me, loved and looked after me, sheltered me when I've been hungry, protected me when I've been scared, and shared every happiness of my life with me. You mean everything to me xx I would also like to give special praise to my brother Sming, who's invaluable input into some of the finer combat techniques he himself has mastered with Conan has enabled me to make my Combat Master Class even better =) ============================================================================== ¦ Copyright Mister Sinister, 2007 ¦ ============================================================================== Conan: FAQ/Walkthrough by Mister Sinister Last Updated 2007-10-17 View/Download Original File Hosted by GameFAQs Return to Conan (X360) FAQs & Guides