===================================================================== Siege of Avalon ===================================================================== FAQ Version 1.0 Author: Sane Jake Email: jreyal@hotmail.com Legal Disclaimer: No part of this FAQ may be published in whole or in part without oral or written approval by the author. This document copyright 2002-07-27. Siege of Avalon is copyright 1999-2001 by Digital Tome LP Texas USA. Wouldn't it be great if everyone was honest enough that we didn't need disclaimers like these? 1 Introduction 2 About this FAQ 3 General Advice 3.1.1 The Manual 3.1.2 Game Mechanics 3.1.3 Playing Advice 3.2 Combat Strategies 3.3 Stealth and Scouts 3.4 Mysticism 3.5 What is the Best Class? 3.6 NPC's 3.7 Stats 3.8 General Class Strategies 3.8.1 Squires - AKA "The Fighter" 3.8.2 Apprentices - AKA "The Mage" 3.8.3 Hunters - AKA "The Scout" 4 Customizing the Game - and Cheating 5 Spoiler-Free Chapter Help 5.1 Chapter One 5.1.1 General Tips 5.1.2 Key Characters and their Locations 5.1.3 Weapons and Armour of Note 5.1.4 Available Training 5.1.5 Spells of Note 5.1.6 Quest Check-List 5.2 Chapter Two 5.2.1 General Tips (How do I START Chapter 2??) 5.2.2 Key Characters and Locations 5.2.3 Weapons and Armour of Note 5.2.4 Available Training 5.2.5 Spells of Note 5.2.6 New NPC's 5.2.7 Quest Check List 5.3 Chapter Three 5.3.1 General Hints and Tips 5.3.2 Key Characters and Locations 5.3.3 Weapons and Armour of Note 5.3.4 Available Training 5.3.5 Spells of Note 5.3.6 New NPC's 5.3.7 Quest Check List 5.4 Chapter Four 5.4.1 General Hints and Tips 5.4.2 Key Characters and Locations 5.4.3 Weapons and Armour of Note 5.4.4 Available Training 5.4.5 Spells of Note 5.4.6 New NPC's 5.4.7 Quest Check List 5.5 Chapter Five 5.5.1 General Hints and Tips 5.5.2 Key Characters and Locations 5.5.3 Weapons and Armour of Note 5.5.4 Available Training 5.5.5 Spells of Note 5.5.6 New NPC's 5.5.7 Quest Check List 5.6 Chapter Six 5.6.1 General Hints and Tips 5.6.2 Key Characters and Locations 5.6.3 Weapons and Armour of Note 5.6.4 Available Training 5.6.5 Spells of Note 5.6.6 Final NPC 5.6.7 Quest Check List 6 Chapter Spoilers 6.1 Chapter One 6.1.1 Quick Q&A 6.1.2 Walkthrough 6.2 Chapter Two 6.2.1 Quick Q&A 6.2.2 Walkthrough 6.3 Chapter Three 6.3.1 Quick Q&A 6.3.2 Walkthrough 6.4 Chapter Four 6.4.1 Quick Q&A 6.4.2 Walkthrough 6.5 Chapter Five 6.5.1 Quick Q&A 6.5.2 Walkthrough 6.6 Chapter Six 6.6.1 Quick Q&A 6.6.2 Walkthrough 7 Fun Things to Try 8 Final Thoughts --------------------- 1 Introduction ===================== Siege of Avalon is a fair game for the price you pay - in my case, the anthology cost me $20 Canadian. (For you Americans - that's about $10) It attempts to mix Diablo-style combat with some of the RPG elements of Planescape: Torment or Baulder's Gate. The down-side is that it's plagued by poor controls, horrible NPC AI and a badly organized manual. The upside is that the game is really quite customizable and on the whole, not too badly written - especially if you snoop around the installed directories - and for the cost, it's a pretty decent game. The graphics are adequate but the sound is rather lacking. The designers have potential, but to me they seem pretty inexperienced. Enough with the review - you came to have your questions answered, right? ----------------------- 2 About this FAQ ======================= I've attempted to arrange this FAQ in a way to avoid spoilers without warning whenever possible. To do this, I've arranged the chapters so it gives general advice, hints and tips for each chapter, and then a spoiler-filled walkthrough with blatant answers to various problems. By "Weapons/Armour of Note", I mean weapons that you should either be on the look-out for. Some items are included because they have special advantages you might not expect. This FAQ provides walk-through as well as general strategies, but does NOT give you the fullest, most rewarding route through the game. There are a lot of side-stories and conversations that you can experience provided you have enough perception and charm, and if you really want to enjoy the game then explore on your own, using the FAQ when required. I'm also going to assume that you have all six chapters, and that you intend to play all six chapters regardless of your character class. You only have to complete 4 of the 6 chapters - 1,2, and then your class chapter, and then chapter 6. However, it's a lot harder to survive chapter 6 unless you have completed all the other chapters. This FAQ will also assume that you will perform all the quests during the walkthroughs - if you didn't do all the quests and then you can't seem to do something in chapter 6, it's because you skipped a chapter ormissed a previous quest. By all means, if you find an error, would like to make a suggestion for a new strategy, or even have game modification tricks you'd like to share, contact me. Flames will be ignored. ----------------------- 3 General Advice ======================= 3.1.1 The Manual =================== The manual is not well organized - some really important information is buried deep within and can slow down your game. Here are the tidbits that I dug out of it: * Don't worry about crowns - for the most part, you'll be finding, not buying, your gear. You automatically get any cash a character was carrying when you kill them. * It's not worth the effort lugging around extra armour to sell for just a handful of coins. You will need to have about 1,000 crowns by chapter six, but this won't be a problem. (Hint right from the manual) * Loot, loot, loot. Always check the corpse of an enemy, even if the enemy doesn't seem to normally carry gear. * Don't spend any points when creating your character. You can use your training points at ANY TIME, just by hitting 'C' and clicking on the adjustment arrows. Wait until you know your needs first. * Steal lots. No one cares. * To start Chapter Two, leave via the North-West exit in Outer Keep Level 1. 3.1.2 Game Mechanics ======================= * The class you choose at the beginning DOES make a difference; the final chapters have a few quests only available to characters of a specific class. It is possible to cheat to remove this class-specific aspect, but then you're ruining the point of your initial class choice anyway! * Black gear tends to have more advantages than any other colour. * Each quest is important not only for the Training Points it provides, but because of the good it does which may help later on. To get as many quests as possible within a chapter, make sure your Perception and Charm are high enough. It's a good idea to carry "In-Town" gear with you for just such an occasion. * Skills provide more value that attributes at the beginning of the game - once your skills start to get as expensive as your attributes, it's time to start building up your class-specific attributes. * Just because YOU can see an enemy doesn't mean your character can. If an enemy's Stealth skill is high enough, IT might get the drop on YOU. Watch out - enemies also get to make use of the Scout's Sniping Shot. * One quarter way into Chapter 6 you will cease to get Training Points. * NPC's silently get stronger as you do - you will receive not notification when their power increases. 3.1.3 Playing Advice ====================== * You'll need to familiarize yourself with the locations of several key characters. Basically, it's a good idea to note anyone who has more than a few lines to say, just in case. Otherwise you'll have to waste a lot of time running around looking for them. * Do not over specialize. It's to your advantage to partake in all the optional chapters, and each chapter has a specific theme (fighting, scouting, magic). You won't want to be just learning your trade you need when you enter a chapter. That's not to say you shouldn't concentrate on your strengths, but Combat, Stealth and Mysticism will ALL come in very handy. * Gear yourself appropriately for each situation. Don't be afraid to run - enemies may be able to run at the same speed, but at least they CAN'T CATCH YOU. Even very large groups are easy to evade - providing you either don't care about or don't have any NPC's (who tend to run around like idiots, getting trapped in corners no sane person would) * Save your Training Points for instructors. They will teach you special things at excellent costs and are always worth more than normal building. * Carry only the best gear. Don't get an item because it will fetch a good price unless it's small like a ring. Get an item because you think you'll have need of it. Just because a weapon has a unique name does not mean you should pick it up. * Store your gear somewhere in the chests while you don't need it. I highly recommend Outer Sanctum F2, because your starting room has lots of chests around it. 3.2 Combat Strategies ========================= I've found two combat strategies: Tank, and Hit-and-Run. In order to Tank, you must have sufficient combat skill and the Aura of Iron spell - and then just wear the heaviest armour you can. It's a simple strategy and it works on Chapter 3. It IS fun to be a Fighter-Tank, wading through hordes and simply ignoring their pathetic attempts to hurt you. Hit-and-Run is a little trickier but far safer and works even on large groups of enemies. Everyone must STOP in order to attack - and that's when you stand there, wait for them to get close, and then bolt - the enemy will have to stop and take a swing, which you've already moved out of range from. Then you fire with your ranged magic or spell. If you need to do this melee style, use the stand-and-attack (Hit shift while clicking) and you should start swinging as they guy gets close - hitting him as soon as he's in range, and then running before he returns the favour. If you don't hold shift while you click, your character is more likely to blunder over to your opponent rather than stop and shoot like he's supposed to. Even if you shift-click you're likely to just miss (because the controls are so awful it has problems realizing that you wanted to attack the enemy character - despite the fact that he's highlighted and your pointer was over him when you gave the command) but at least you won't be charging over to get wacked in the head. If your character gets stunned - you'll see him buckle from a blow - start clicking. When stunned you lose your target and you have to click again to get the idiot to do anything. Be sure to charge enemy archers! They get "snipe" damage on you and are fully capable of firing from off-screen. Once you get close enough to swing at them you're guaranteed that they can't snipe you anymore. When facing magical opponents, know thy enemy. Prepare by equipping the right gear for the situation, or get the surprise. Some enemies LOVE to cast Hold spells, and an unfortunate thing about this game is regardless of your mysticism skill, you will NEVER get any natural magical resistances. Hence, you must gear up appropriately. I've also found that the best way to deal with tracking spells is to run in a direction parallel to which the spell was travelling, and then run TOWARDS the caster. In other words, if the spell is heading right for you, run left or right initially, and as the spell arcs to chase you, then run towards the direction it came from. Most spells can't travel in such a tight arc. Finally, be aware that no one is invulnerable to ranged attacks - they will hit whatever gets in the way first, friend or foe. I've had enemies shoot each other down accidentally, and have hit my allies by accident as well. Thankfully your allies know the different between friendly fire and a personal assault and won't turn on you for a few accidental hits. 3.3 Stealth and Scouts ========================== Do NOT underestimate Stealth. In the game's documentation, it mentions that Stealth lets you move about unseen and get the surprise. What it does not mention is that attacking an unsuspecting enemy does dire damage. To be more specific: Fire upon an unsuspecting enemy and you will practically kill him instantly if your Stealth is high enough. This is MOST effective with ranged weapons, although melee weapons will work too (well, for Stealth 100). If your enemy does not spot you, he will just stand there - even if you're right in his face and hacking away. They don't even take evasive action. A high stealth skill will let you merrily trot along slaughtering powerful enemies just because they didn't see you coming. In effect, you are a sniper. Not ALL enemies can be snuck up on, unfortunately. Some can spot you even if you're not in view - very cheap considering you can't move the viewing plane farther - but sometimes even these enemies, should you be lucky enough to JUST bring them into view while sneaking, can be snuck up on and picked off sniper style. If you know you have a clear shot and that there is an enemy ahead of you, you can also fire blindly (shift-click) and hope to hit them - Sniping damage applies even on blind shots. To do blind fire, simply hold shift and move your pointer in the direction of the enemy and then click. Do this in several locations to spread your fire out, and you should eventually hit something. It's a lot of fun to wipe out an entire enemy camp and having them never know what hit them. Your character will ALWAYS be sneaking according to his adjusted skill - that is, Sneak is always on. When I say it's "Always On", I mean even if you run up to a guy and kill him in melee combat - you're STILL sneaking and his two buddies may STILL ignore you. A good stealth target would be about 40 to 50; when you activate the Shadow spell, you will become invisible to most enemies around you. That being said, you'll want enough mysticism to make the spell last long enough to be useful. As a side note, if you're going to be a scout, you will want to travel only with other scouts if you're going to play the role of a scout. Unless you can find a really hard NPC who can act as a good distraction, you're better off with scouts only. Let the other scouts act as back up if you're spotted. *** FINAL TECHNIQUE: SCOUT'S SURE-KILLING SNEAKY STRIKE *** This is a little technique I picked up near the end of writing this FAQ. When you initially cast Shadow, there are a few moments of invisibility that occur during which no one will be able to detect you, providing your Stealth abilities are high enough. During which time you will be allowed to make "Sniper Shots" on an enemy that's already seen you. You can use this technique - if you're fast enough - to your advantage. It works against the game's "End Boss", and it is this trick that finally evens the score for the Scout. 3.4 Mysticism ================= This single skill has the greatest range of effect. When you build your Mysticism, not only do you increase your Mana maximum, but you also increase the recharge rate and power of your spells, and decrease the power needed to cast them. No other skill effects as many attributes as Mysticism - naturally it's quite important. When you Mysticism is quite high (around 50) only the most powerful spells will drain it - weaker spells like Fireball can be tossed off rapid-fire without a thought. There's something just too satisfying tossing off attacks spells left, right, and centre and never worrying about running out of Mana. If you know there's a horde of enemies up ahead, trying blindly firing off a barrage of spells rapid-fire first in their general direction. I've slaughtered enemies and never been detected that way. Rapid-fire is not advisable with friendlies about. 3.5 What is the Best Class? =============================== The mage is the easiest class to clear the game with. Scouts can kill things with one hit and without worry of retaliation. Fighters are tanks on the battlefield. Mages just blast everything in their path. It's VERY easy to become a jack of all trades - especially if you complete all chapters. However, as far as the Chapter orders are concerned, Chapter 3 is for the Fighter, Chapter 4 is for a Scout, and Chapter 5 is for a Mage. I've found that there are times that you'll have to walk into things as a Fighter quite often in Chapter 2, so plan on heavy armour at some point. The Mage's biggest fear is MULTIPLE enemies. The mage can kill just about any single enemy, but being swarmed is very dangerous. The Fighter, due to his excellent combat skills and heavy armour, stands the best chance when swamped by a crowd. The scout, when things are good, doesn't have to worry about crowds as he can kill any number of enemies so long as they don't find him. As some enemies will ALWAYS find you, and hence you need something to fall back on -- and considering you won't have armour, magic is best. As a side note, the character who has the easiest time at the beginning is one who does not neglect magic. Stealth pays off, but it doesn't REALLY help until you're VERY good at it, and it needs the Shadow spell to be truly powerful. 3.6 NPC's ============= They're idiots. Don't get me wrong - they can be very useful. But the AI in this game is so horrid that their usefulness is really restricted to either scouts who snipe enemies who get too close, or support mages who run around wildly tossing healing and defensive spells on the party. Sometimes their sole purpose is just to take the heat off you. NPC's get stronger as you get stronger, and they don't have to be in the party in order to power up. A few characters don't do too badly with their AI - Phellic's Apprentice is one who does - Defensive Magic suits him just fine. Your character's brother Corvus is probably the only melee NPC I've ever encountered who really knew how to take care of himself - only available in the final chapter. However, don't count on NPC's to do the job during a fight. The designers showed very poor judgement when creating the game - enemy characters have far-reaching vision at time, but your NPC's won't. For example, you can sneak up on an enemy (accompanied by an NPC scout) You shoot at the enemy. Does your scout follow suit? No. He stands there. He won't react until the villain gets close - despite having "Ranged" AI. If you want a team effort, you have to switch between your character and your NPC's to manually make them shoot - and considering that your character has NO AI, it means if say, an enemy approaches your character, he will sit there like a lump whereas even the idiot NPC's would at least fight back or run away. It wouldn't be a problem if you were able to issue commands while the game is paused, but you can't. If it weren't for the fact that the enemy characters aren't that bright themselves, the game would be really very difficult. The designers have no excuse for these problems -- there are plenty of examples of better RPG controls out there. Like I said, NPC's are best used as back-up. The best way to use them is as a back-up plan - if someone nails you with a Hold spell, quickly swap to an NPC and keep fighting! Last but not least, remember that NPC's only act on their own if you're in COMBAT MODE. This can be easy to forget as a mage who maybe never enters combat mode as he just shoots down everyone with spells. The best NPC's are: Wyatt (by a -- pardon the pun -- long shot for most of the chapters) Phellic's Apprentice (he gets named in Chapter 5) Kalevi (basically a Wyatt clone) Amori (Has spells that you won't be able to get until near the end of Chapter 5) Corvus (Maybe it was because I was so powerful by Chapter 6, but I think it's just that being a legendary unstoppable force runs in the family bloodline ;) 3.7 Stats ============= What exactly do your stats do? Strength This stat is used to raise melee damage and to meet weapon requirements. Raising this stat is important to fighters as they will want to cause as much damage as possible per swing. If you're not interested in melee combat, then for the most part you'll only want enough strength to use weapons properly. Coordination This stat effects Attack, Defence, and Attack Speed as well as meeting gear requirements. Every ten points or so will speed your attack up. While it shouldn't be ignored (weapon use), this stat still has the least effects for what you pay for it. Constitution This stat effects how many HP you have and how quickly you heal, and also effects Mana maximum to a certain degree. Important to anyone. Perception This stat is used in conversations to unlock extra conversation paths and potentially extra TP. It may or may not have an effect on how easily you can spot enemy snipers. Charm This stat is also used in conversations as well as improving your barter. It's not a very important stat, although you will need to maintain it as the game progresses. Some conversation paths are only available to those with high charm. More often than not, the extra paths just stroke your ego a bit. Combat This stat effects your Attack and Defend skills - very important for melee fighters. Mysticism Probably the single most potent stat in the game, this effects the power of your spells, maximum Mana, and rate of recharge. Stealth This stat allows you to move undetected. Undetected attacks do snipe damage, often enough to kill in a single blow. If the stat (adjusted, usually) hits around 80-100 you'll actually be able to walk right up to enemies and attack them in melee combat without being detected. It looks REALLY odd to see a bunch of bozos stand around nonchalantly while some nutcase is swinging at them. Attack Recovery The lower this score is, the better as it means you can attack faster. Coordination has an effect on this stat. Hit Recovery The lower this score is, the better as it means you don't get stunned as long when hit. Restriction The lower the better. Take any training that lowers your Restriction as it means you'll be able to equip heavy armour and still fight without penalty. Healing Rate You constantly recover from damage - the higher this score is, the faster you regain your HP. Recharge Rate How quickly your Mana regenerates. 3.8 General Class Strategies ================================ 3.8.1 Squire - AKA "The Fighter" ----------------------------------- Priority Stats: Combat, Strength, Constitution Least Important: Stealth Fighters should not ignore Mysticism stats or skills - they will most certainly want to be able to heal themselves and use defensive spells. Their least important skill is Stealth - they will want to wake up enemies and beat them hand-to-hand. Scouts make EXCELLENT NPC's for fighters - their AI actually kicks in at close quarters, but most of the enemies are more concerned with killing the tank than going after the scouts. Should they decide to chase down a scout, chase THEM down and correct them with a few savage blows to the head. Always pick up any training that decreases your restriction - a fighter's power comes through his weapon and gear, and the lower your natural restriction, the better. Around Chapter 3, start building up your Stealth skill if you decide to do Chapter 4 - and during Chapter 4, concentrate on magic. 3.8.2 Apprentice - AKA "The Mage" ------------------------------------ Priority Stats: Mysticism, Constitution Least Important: Strength Mages have it easy; their one skill provides all the potency they need. Don't completely ignore Combat - that way your defence stays up when you're attacked, and Stealth is actually a good thing to work on a little as you can support it with your Shadow spell. Mages can handle ANY chapter their way, with the exception of Chapter 4 (you'll need SOME Stealth) - and be sure to build up your stats enough to use a hunting bow at least by Chapter 4. This is probably the easiest class to play in the game. which just shows how unbalanced magic is. 3.8.3 Hunter - AKA "The Scout" --------------------------------- Priority Stats: Stealth, Combat, Mysticism Least Important: Strength Scouts have a distinct advantage in some levels, and a decisive weakness in others. This is mostly due to poor game design and inconsistent detection of characters. Enemies can see you from various lengths away, but the PLAYER can only see up to half a screen length away. So it means that some enemies will detect you only because you can't shift the screen far enough to get a proper snipe shot off. Most of the scout's problems don't arise due to the character, but due to the lack of usability testing on the part of the designers: You can't move the screen. You can't make your party stay put just in case and scout ahead yourself. Which makes the NPC scout characters incredibly useful and the player scout a handicap. Why? You're allowed to send an NPC out ahead alone. But as a player, your party will mindless follow behind. So the ideal combination of scout/fighter doesn't work properly like it would if the player was the fighter. To top it all off, some enemies seem to spontaneously detect you. I've had enemy scouts snipe me down from outside the screen while other enemies in the area haven't clued in at all to my presence. That's right - closer enemies were unaware while enemies much farther away were. Despite all this, the scout is still pretty playable. It's just frustrating to have the character's potential lowered by design flaws. As a scout, plan to defeat enemies by either surprise or by using magic. Trying to take down enemies later in the game in melee combat without serious armour is just too risky. Later in the game you should become a ranger and get an item that will allow you to attack faster than anyone else, which is a significant advantage. -------------------------------------------- 4 Customizing the Game - and Cheating ============================================ They are just ASKING for you to mess with the game. You can customize your looks, but look at the Resources directory - that's in the ArtLib folder. Audio, Conversations, Journal - you can mess with it ALL. Sound like fun? You bet it does! This is also the easiest way to cheat. All the .CNV files are text files - open them with a text editor and you can change the dialogue. With a little time and effort, you can prevent premature death, give yourself free Training Points - even change your attributes! (Constitution of 1000 is pretty interesting) I'm pretty sure that while you can't create Quests, you can change the entire feel of the game. You can even add additional conversation loops - experiment a bit. Don't do it until after you've beaten the game or you will spoil it. I'm sure the hardcore gamers won't cheat. ---------------------------------- 5 Spoiler-Free Chapter Help ================================== 5.1 Chapter One ==================== 5.1.1 General Tips -------------------- All Types: * Your Mysticism will be the single most useful skill for Chapter 1. While most normal enemies can be either slain in melee combat, or shot down with hit-and-run arrow tactics, enemies like archers and mages who who can attack at a distance will be difficult to overcome unless you have magic on your side. A well-placed Hold spell can be the difference between life and death. * Be sure to raise your Charm a little before you start selling off gear. * Take this chapter slowly until you get a feel of the combat and your character's abilities. * It is highly recommended that you kill each and every enemy character in all the Village areas. * Don't spend every last Training Point; try to keep some in reserve until you've learned all you can from the three instructors in the Chapter. Save a little before embarking on Chapter 2 - you will be introduced to three more instructors and you will want what they can teach. * Be sure to do SOMETHING about enemy archers first. They have a Stealth skill - if they sneak up on you, they can do GRAVE damage. Just because YOU can see them doesn't mean your character can. * It'd be a very good idea to power up your Mysticism a bit so your HOLD spell will last. You'll need it. * If you know there's a really obnoxious enemy up ahead, and you know that if you could actually advance the screen to SEE the bugger you'd be able to shoot him down, fire blindly. There are times when you can taken enemies down with lucky blind hits before they can retaliate. Warriors: * You will start out with all the attributes for the gear you'll get after you visit the Quartermaster. * If you really want to see the effects of your strength, switch to Combat mode and then hit 'C' to see your stats. * The Warrior has the second hardest path through this chapter, especially against any ranged opponents, if you plan to go entirely melee. It might be a good idea to find a bow and arrow at some time, or also use mage skills. Scouts: * Don't spend any Training Points until AFTER you've visited the Quartermaster. You may have to raise your Strength and Coordination so you can use your bow without penalty. * As Scouts must tread quietly - and hence wear light armour -- they should not skimp on their magic skills. They'll need the various spells to magically improve their defences when enemies can't be struck down with a single shot from a distance. * It's a sad fact that the Scout has the hardest time starting out in this game - you simply can't raise your Stealth skill high enough to be effective in enough time. Since the Shadow spell is taxing to cast at this point in the game and doesn't last very long, you can forget about getting in too many death-blows. You'll get to see Stealth's power in Chapter 2 at the earliest. * As a scout, you'll have to strike a balance between Combat (so you can hit enemies), Stealth (so you can shoot at them without worrying about retaliation - which is vital when facing other archers) and Magic (so you can use the Shadow spell effectively). * One variation of playing the scout could be to actually play him like more of a mage - concentrating on magic over stealth and using his archery abilities while waiting for Mana to recover. Don't ignore your Stealth skill completely. but just focus on it less. Mages: * Concentrate on your mage skills. By building on your magical skills, you'll be able to fry enemies with ease. You'll be mostly doing shoot-and-run tactics. If you're outnumbered and low on Mana, retreat. * A single enemy can be dealt with just by letting him chase you until your Mana builds enough to blast him again. You start with the poorest gear - look around for better armour. * There's an old, worn set of chain-mail in Outer Keep Level One near where the monks are - it's about as good as Leather Armour, although noisier. Better than nothing - which is what you'll start with. * Be advised that if you see an enemy archer, your best bet is to cast Hold on him; archers tend to move around quite a bit and they're therefore harder to target with spells. If you see an enemy archer combined with a foot soldier, run. Let the foot soldier chase you - the archer is less likely to. After the foot soldier is eliminated you can deal with the archer. If you MUST fight them both as once, be sure to Hold the archer first. * Mages should focus on their Mysticism and Constitution scores first - once you're satisfied with them you might want to build up your Combat to minimize melee damage, or Stealth so you don't have to deal with melee damage. Equip yourself appropriately - no point being trying to be sneaky while clanking about in heavy armour. 5.1.2 Key Characters and their Locations ------------------------------------------ Sir Roth (Chapter 1 Only) - Outer Keep L2, west most area (blocked off initially) Mudam - Outer Keep L2, farthest south eastern room. Can train you. You MUST visit him, it's part of the fixed path. Elarath - Outer Keep L2, North-west most room. Can train you. Highly advisable to meet and train with him. Madden - Outer Keep L2, in hallway. Bonnie - Outer Keep L1, near stairway. Anora - Outer Keep L1, Kitchen Friar Masses - Outer Keep L1, north most area Brother Mo - Outer Keep L1, east most area Pell(andrian) - Outer Bailey, east of north gate Freeman - Outer Bailey, north-eastern area Ladren - Outer Bailey (location changes) Can train you. Olon - Outer Bailey, east side. Penrith - Outer Bailey, near training grounds Lucan - South Gate L1, south east side. Elazar - South Gate L2, north Calum - South Gate L2, centre 5.1.3 Weapons and Armour of Note ----------------------------------- A brief note: I don't believe stun damage does actual DAMAGE, but improves the chances of actually making your opponent buckle and therefore slow him down considerably. 5.1.3.1 Fur-Lined Boots Piercing: 0-2%, Crushing: 0-3%, Cutting: 0-4% 5.1.3.2 Elven Leather Breeches These pants are not meant for warriors who NEED their strength and Constitution. Coordination +2, Stealth + 1, Attack Recovery -1, Hit Recovery -1, Perception +1, Strength -2, Constitution -2, Restriction +3 Piercing: 2-9%, Cutting: 2-9%, Magic: 2-6% 5.1.3.3 Black Boots of the Shadows Excellent gear for ANY class, but especially Scouts. Coordination +1, Stealth +5, Attack Recovery -1, Hit Recovery -1, Defence +2, Restriction -1 Piercing: 0-7%, Crushing: 0-6%, Cutting: 0-11% 5.1.3.4 Long Bow Better range than the Hunting Bow, but otherwise the same weapon. Sacrifice 1 Stealth while using it. 5.1.3.5 Common Long Sword (Fighter's starting weapon) Minimum Requirements: Strength 7, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 14 Piercing 0-4, Crushing 1-6, Cutting 4-12 Total Potential: 5-22 damage. 5.1.3.6 Broad Sword Minimum Requirements: Strength 12, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 16 Piercing 0-4, Crushing 1-6, Cutting 5-15 Total Potential: 6-25 damage 5.1.3.7 Axe of Confidence Minimum Requirements: Strength 13, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 16 Stealth -3 Crushing 3-7, Cutting 6-13, Heat 3-7 Total Potential: 12-27 5.1.3.8 Officer's Sword You get this weapon for retrieving the Fine Steel Bars for Freeman and clearing out Village 3. While it may not do as much damage as the heavier arms, it is a very FAST weapon and well worth the trouble. Minimum Requirements: Strength 7, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 7 Attack +5 Piercing 0-4, Crushing 1-4, Cutting 5-15 Total Potential: 6-23 5.1.3.9 Ogre's Club Very, very slow weapon requiring massive strength. While it can do a lot of damage, the fact that it's so slow doesn't make up for it in my opinion. Minimum Requirements: Strength 18, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 23 Crushing 15-30, Stun 0-10 Total Potential: 15-30 5.1.4 Available Training --------------------------- Elarath Mage Craft (+1 Perception, +2 Mysticism, +2 Recharge Rate): 5 TP Basic Energy Management(+5 Mana): 3 TP Minor Meditation(+1 Recharge Rate): 3 TP Mudam Path Finding (+2 Coordination, -1 Restriction, +3 Stealth): 5 TP Basic Camouflage (+2 Stealth, -1 Restriction, +1 Perception): 3 TP Centre of Balance (+2 Defense, -2 Hit Recovery): 3 TP Field First Aid (+2 Hit Points, +1 Healing Rate): 2 TP Lucan Combat Breathing (+5 HP, +1 Heal Rate) - 3 TP. Weapon Balance (+2 Coordination) - 3 TP Armour Fitting (-2 Restriction) - 3 TP 5.1.5 Spells of Note ---------------------- All the spells you can learn, you can learn from Elerath except for Shadow. Heal - Enough said! Get it! Fireball: Does heat and crushing damage - a pretty standard spell and can do really heavy damage on lightly armoured enemies. Frost: While having an overall lower damage potential, it has a higher minimum damage and does only cold damage - which makes it effective against armoured foes. Hold: Should be cast against enemy mages and archers. Shadow: A fine spell for sneaky characters, and a must for Scouts - once your Stealth hits 100, you can run in front of most enemies and they won't notice you. Some enemies, as you will later discover, will detect you regardless, but casting Shadow when spotted may give you a few moments to prepare. 5.1.6 Quest Check-List ------------------------ Have you... Killed the Cellar Bugs? Retrieved the Rose and Letter? Found the Fine Steel? Cleared Village 3 of enemies? Found the Saphire Ring? Found the Key Ring? Recovered the Chalice? Got all the scrolls with strange writing? Recovered the Amulet? Killed every single enemy creature? (It's not a quest, just a good idea to do) 5.2 Chapter Two ==================== 5.2.1 General Tips (How do I START Chapter 2??) ------------------------------------------------- The Inner Bailey and Inner Keep Levels 1,2, and basement are now all open to you. To start the chapter, go past the northern guards in the Outer Keep Level 1. You will be warped to the Inner Keep, and Sir Roth's chambers. Sir Roth will move the battle room on Inner Keep L1 when this Chapter is complete. They mention how to start Chapter 2 very briefly in the manual, and it's hard to find that rather vital bit of info. Keep a look out for secret areas - there are a number of them. This chapter is pretty straightforward and the spoiler-free strategies are the same for just about all the classes. There is a lot of good gear in this chapter. Be sure to explore the Inner Bailey as well as the caves very thoroughly. Also be sure to report things to everyone - it's worth TP. You'll want at least 15 Perception and Charm for this Chapter. By Chapter 3, you'll need about 20 Perception/Charm. Don't forget that the adjusted stat does the trick. There are a fair number of extra conversation paths that don't do anything but respond to your stats, but some will reveal traitors which are good to kill for Training Points. You'll encounter three new types of enemies. Lurkers don't look too bright (they're not) and they don't seem that skilled (they're not) nor do they have much stamina but they ARE fast and strong so if they hit it will HURT. Just keep this thought in mind - there will be times when you're laughing at their lack of skill and then the next moment you're near death because they got lucky and hit you twice. Rock Golems are very sturdy creatures, but they're clumsy. If you're going to attack them, make the most out of your class - spells, snipe, or in melee, swarm him with the help of NPC's. Skeletons can basically be treated like human opponents - except they play dead. You can take advantage of this by shooting them before they get up. There are many NPC's available in this chapter - a sage's apprentice, an experienced knight, a broke but skilled scout, and the soldier the scout owes money to. You will want to take some NPC's with you - at this stage in the game you'll need some help to keep everyone off your back. The type of NPC's you take depends on how you like to overcome your enemies. I would most certainly take Wyatt if no-one else strictly due to his Stealth ability - it means he will dish out good damage while not being attacked. If you're a fighter, my recommendation is to take Phelic's Apprentice and Wyatt - the apprentice will rejuvenate you and Wyatt takes pot shots at unguarded enemy backs while you fight (and draw their attention AWAY from Wyatt so he can be at his most effective). If you're a mage, I would suggest recruiting a fighter to distract enemies while you and Wyatt shoot them down. Even a scout should take Wyatt along - but then you'll certainly want a melee character to flush them out with. You'd be surprised how effective it is just to keep moving while a ranged character fires at your opponent - just don't get too far away, or the enemy will attack the archer. While you're just out of arm's reach however, you're too tempting a target to pass up. If they DO go after the archer, a few good wacks usually gets their attention. If you're having trouble against the boss (Uh. do NOT attack the Lich - you have been warned) then I recommend building your mysticism skill a bit (around 20-25) and getting Wyatt. Cast Shadow on him and he can take down the boss in a matter of moments, as it does NOT have the "super detection ability" that the Shaman did. I do not suggest trying to fight the boss hand-to-hand unless you are a complete tank. If you really want to whip this level, get Wyatt and improve your Mysticism to the point where Shadow is effective. Let Wyatt sneak up and snipe-shot enemies for you. Except for the Lich, it works on everyone in this chapter. A final note (and this is mentioned in the manual) - you will not be able to help the Lurkers until Chapter 5. Quests often can't be completed once you pass the chapter they were assigned in, but this is the exception to the rule. 5.2.2 Key Characters and Locations ------------------------------------ Sir Caerleon - a new trainer, warrior tactics. Found in the North-East side of Inner Keep Level 2 near the L-shaped junction with the stairwell. Sir Olsa - North West side of Inner Keep Level 2, west of Sage Phelic. Sage Phelic - North-West most side of Inner Keep Level 2. King and Queen - Large room on the south side of Inner Keep Level 2. Ambassadar Lucius - next to King, east of his chambers. Inner Keep Level 2. Sir Dinadon - Southern bar of Inner Keep Level 2. NPC. Brother Larry - South-East area of Inner Keep Level 2. The door will be locked - after hitting the locked door, speak to Sir Roth for the key. Fester the Alchemist - East area in large room of Inner Keep Level 2. Sir Ither - North-West of King's room, Inner Keep Level 2. Simek - Inner Keep, Main Hall Maris - North East rooms, Inner Keep Level 1. Have at least 15 Perception before talking to him. Library - South West Side. Marcus is there. Wyatt, the scout - NPC. North East side of Inner Keep Level 1. Vasek, the soldier - NPC. North East side of Inner Keep Level 1. Joins if Wyatt is in the party. Esmond - East side of Inner Keep Level 1. Tracy - Far East side of Inner Keep Level 1. Neese - East of Main Hall, Inner Keep Level 1. Merchant Rayous - Inner Bailey, West side. Tristan - Inner Baily, North-East corner. Felious, the Necromancer - Basement of Inner Keep. Bones - Basement of Inner Keep, behind a hidden door. Talk to the necromancer first. 5.2.3 Weapons and Armour of Note ---------------------------------- There's some really fantastic gear in this chapter. 5.2.3.1 Splint Haubrek Stealth -3, Defence -1, Restriction +5 Piercing: 0-4%, Crushing: 0-5%, Cutting: 0-6% 5.2.3.2 Mace of Frozen Barbs Minimum Requirements: Strength 15, Coordination 13, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 15 Piercing: 2-4, Crushing: 6-13, Cold: 2-4, Stun: 6-13 Total Potential: 10-21 plus Stunning 5.2.3.3 Eleven Fine Long Bow Minimum Requirements: Strength 16, Coordination 12, Restriction 30 Attack Recovery: 17 Coordination +2, Stealth +2, Perception +2 5.2.3.4 Bracers of Defence Worn as gauntlets. Defence + 5 5.2.3.5 Mystic Claw Mainly used to bolster your magic as it's an otherwise unimpressive weapon. Minimum Requirements: Strength 1, Coordination 8, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 8 Mana: +30, Restriction -1 Piercing: 1-2, Cold: 0-2 Total Potential: 1-4 5.2.3.6 Fine Long Sword Minimum Requirements: Strength 7, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 14 Piercing: 1-4, Crushing 1-7, Cutting: 5-13 Total Potential: 7-24 5.2.3.7 Black Pants of the Shadows Fantastic gear, especially for scouts and mages. Coordination +4, Constitution +2, Mysticism +3, Perception +1, Mana +10, Restriction +1 Piercing: 0-5%, Crushing: 0-7%, Cutting: 0-8% 5.2.3.8 Ahoul Leather Plate Kilt Good armour for an NPC, worn on either Leg 2 or Belt Hit Recovery -1, Stealth -5, Defence -3, Restriction +5 Piercing: 1-5%, Crushing 1-6%, Cutting 1-7%, Stun 1-4% 5.2.3.9 Fine Great Helm Hit Recovery -3, Stealth -3, Defence -2, Restriction +2 Piercing: 1-6%, Crushing 1-8%, Cutting 1-8%, Stun 1-5% 5.2.3.10 Fine Long Bow Minimum Requirements: Strength 16, Coordination 12, Restriction 30 Attack Recovery: 19 Stealth -1 5.2.3.11 Ruby Red Boots Reduces your restriction slightly. Restriction -2 Piercing 0-1%, Crushing 0-2%, Cutting 0-2% 5.2.3.12 Black Leather Gloves They give stat bonuses because they look cooler, I suppose. Coordination +2, Restriction +1 Piercing 0-3%, Crushing 0-4%, Cutting 0-4% 5.2.3.13 Sword of Ezra Minimum Requirements: Strength 7, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 14 Attack +5 Piercing: 0-4, Crushing: 1-6, Cutting: 4-12 Total Potential: 5-22 5.2.3.14 Iron First of Oriam Minimum Requirements: Strength 15, Coordination 13, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 15 Stealth -3 Crushing: 6-13, Stun: 6-13 Total Potential: 6-13, plus stunning. 5.2.3.15 Ahoul Metal Pauldrons Worn on Chest 3, good for an NPC. Hit Recovery -1, Stealth -2, Defence -3, Restriction +6 Piercing: 1-6%, Crushing: 1-7%, Cutting: 1-8%, Stun 1-4% 5.2.3.16 Wizard's Braces Stealth -1, Hit Recovery -1, Defence -1, Restriction +1 Piercing: 0-2%, Crushing: 0-2%, Cutting: 2-4%, Heat: 2-6%, Cold: 2-6%, Electricity: 2-6%, Stun: 0-2% 5.2.3.17 Hands of Truth Tricky to find, worth the effort. Strength +1, Coordination +2, Constitution +1, Hit Points +5, Mana +15, Attack +1, Defence +1, Restriction +1 Piercing: 1-2%, Crushing 1-2%, Cutting 1-2%, Stun 2-4% 5.2.3.18 Open Black Cloak Notice that black items tend to have more bonuses. In this case, a small Stealth bonus. Worn on the Outer area. Stealth +1, Restriction +2 Piercing 0-2%, Crushing 0-4%, Cutting 0-5% 5.2.3.19 Fine Steel Greaves Worn on Legs. Stealth -5, Hit Recovery -1, Defence -3, Restriction +7 Piercing 1-6%, Cutting 0-8%, Crushing 1-8%, Stun 1-4% 5.2.3.20 Bauldazor's Razor _Quick_ and deadly. Minimum Requirements: Strength 7, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 7 Attack +3, Coordination +5 Piercing 0-4, Crushing 1-6, Cutting 6-12 Total Potential: 7-22 5.2.3.21 Shield of Fortitude A great shield if you're a mage or fighter. Strength +4, Constitution +4, Stealth -4, Hit Recovery 1, Defence +1, Restriction +8 Piercing 1-6%, Crushing 1-6%, Cutting 1-6%, Stun 2-6% 5.2.3.22 Wounding Bit A damaging but unimpressive special weapon due to its slow speed. Minimum Requirements: Strength 12, Coordination 12, Restriction 40 Attack Recovery: 16 Stealth -3 Crushing: 4-12, Cutting 5-15, Stun 4-8 Total Potential: 9-27 plus Stun 5.2.3.23 Sacrificial Dagger Keeps you healthy, but don't equip it in town due to Charm penalty. Minimum Requirements: Strength 1, Coordination 8, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 6 Charm -5, Healing Rate +3, Hit Points +20 5.2.3.24 Heart Guardian The armour's impressive bonuses and only a minor Stealth penalty makes this ideal gear for any class - I kept it almost the entire game. Constitution +2, Stealth -2, Hit Recovery 2, Charm +2, Healing Rate +2, Hit Points +5, Defence +1, Restriction +4 Piercing 2-5%, Crushing 2-7%, Cutting 2-9%, Stun 2-8% 5.2.3.25 Ring of Protection Protects against everything to a small degree. Defence +1 Piercing, Crushing, Cutting, Heat, Cold, Electricity, Magic, Stun: 0-2%. 5.2.3.26 Ring of Protection from Electricity Electricity 3-25% 5.2.3.27 Ring of Health +10 HP 5.2.3.28 Combat Boots If your mother wears them then ask her if you can borrow them. Not recommended for magic types. Strength +4, Combat +4, Stealth +4, Attack Recovery 1, Defence +1, Mana -5, Mysticism -4, Recharge Rate -5 (that hurts), Restriction +2 5.2.3.29 Fine Ancient Sword Not bad, but there are much better weapons available by this point. Minimum Requirements: Strength 7, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 14 Piercing: 0-4, Crushing 1-6, Cutting 4-12 Total Potential: 5-22 5.2.3.30 Mother-Of-Pearl Charm +2, Perception +2 5.2.3.31 Bone Club Powerful but very slow. Minimum Requirements: Strength 14, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 20 Charm -15, Restriction +5 Crushing: 8-16, Magic 3-6, Stun 1-7 Total Potential: 11-22, plus stunning. 5.2.3.32 Fedora of the Deceiver Wear this in town, but swap it once you head towards battle. Coordination +4, Stealth +4, Perception +4, Charm +4, Restriction -4, Healing Rate -5 (ow), Recharge Rate -5 (ow, again), Hit Points -5, Mana -5 5.2.3.33 Troll Girdle A belt which makes you heal faster and grants extra HP. Healing Rate +2, +25 HP. 5.2.3.34 Rotting Black Robe The Mana bonus is worth it once you leave town. Charm -3, Mana +25, Restriction +5 Piercing 0-1%, Crushing 0-2%, Cutting 0-3% 5.2.4 Available Training --------------------------- Sir Caerleon Weapon Skill (+3 Coordination, +5 Combat): 15 TP Pain Tolerance (+15 HP, +2 Healing Rate): 10 TP Endurance (-5 Restriction): 10 TP Cynric Silent Movement (+3 Coordination, +5 Stealth): 20 TP Body Control (+4 Defend, -4 Hit Recovery, +2 Attack): 20 TP Advanced Camouflage (+3 Stealth, -5 Resistance, +2 Perception): 10 TP Bones Wizard Craft (+2 Perception, +2 Coordination, +3 Mysticism, +1 Recharge Rate): 15 TP Lesser Meditation (+2 Recharge Rate, -1 Restriction): 10 TP Energy Management (+25 Mana): 10 TP 5.2.5 Spells of Note ---------------------- All spells learned from Bones. Aura of Iron: This handy spell will protect you against physical damage by improving your resistance for all physical attacks by 50%. Costs 20 TP to learn. Protection From (Lightning/Cold/Fire) - get ALL of these spells. You'll need them later. Resist damage by 50%. Each 15 TP. 5.2.6 New NPC's ----------------- Wyatt Wyatt is an excellent NPC due to his high Stealth skill - IF you know how to use it. Cast "Shadow" on Wyatt and let him run ahead killing enemies for you. Wyatt is a good companion for anyone. He is vital to a smooth operation in Chapter 2, once you learn how to use him. Vasek Vasek is a rather run-of-the-mill NPC, and he only joins if Wyatt's in the party because he doesn't want Wyatt to get killed while he still owes him money. He is a defensive fighter - he starts out with an exceptional shield. Phelic's Apprentice Phelic's Apprentice is a rather weak NPC in the beginning - he has pathetic skill all around. So why is he a recommended party member? For the simple reason is that he's the only mage NPC you're going to see until Chapter 4. "Defensive Magic" AI suits him perfectly. While you're fighting, he'll run around tossing healing spells to keep you alive. It's a good idea to dump him in heavy armour ignoring restriction - he's not going to be doing any fighting anyway. Just keep the little Mana-burner alive so he can keep YOU alive. Sir Dinadon Sir Dinadon is an aggressive fighter who joins you once you free up his task list, so to speak. He starts out with an exceptional weapon and armour - in fact, his restriction is so high due to his armour that you really can't add any more to it without encumbering him. 5.2.7 Quest Check List ------------------------ Have you... Cured the King's Poisoning? Found out 2 additional traitors? Make Neese more of a man? (Get your head out of the gutter!) Report the courier's status to Sir Roth? Tell the guard about his lack of relief? Reveal the fate of Tristan's friend? Help out Esmond? Report everything to Sir Roth? 5.3 Chapter Three ===================== 5.3.1 General Hints and Tips ------------------------------ This is the Fighter's Chapter. You will deal with grunts - and lots of them. Of course, the trick for this chapter is that Scouts and Mages can play it like any other Chapter because there's no real trick involved with fighting grunts, with the exception of their numbers. Scouts don't CARE about numbers, Scouts kill everyone before they know what's hit them. Mages may find it a little harder if they get swarmed... but then there's plan B: Blast the hell out of them. The Fighter has the simplest time - tank up, and beat the snot out of everyone. The main point of this Chapter for Fighters is the special training you can receive - and it's HARD. Unless your Combat and Strength are up to par, you're going to be in trouble if you try to go it through melee combat alone. This is your first taste of special training - not only do you have to pay a lot of TP for it, but you don't even GET the bonuses until AFTER you survive! At least the bonuses are worth it. Despite all the wandering you have to do, this is a pretty fun chapter. This is also the chapter where the Squire becomes a Knight. I still recommend bringing Wyatt along for the ride. His sniper shots will help you make quick work of your enemies. You will encounter new enemies: Lizard Men, who aren't healthy but do a lot of damage, and a number of special creatures whom you'll only meet in this chapter. With an NPC scout, your #1 priority is to kill any enemy who approaches the scout - keep them away from your sniper! You'll find combat is easiest with all the idiots trying to kill you while your scout merrily picks them off as you crush them. (You DID cast Aura of Iron on yourself first, right? Good! Okay, go to it) Phellic's Apprentice is also a good choice for this chapter, if only for his supportive magic. Besides, NPC's do get stronger as you do, and you really can't do the next chapter with them in tow. If you plan to take on Chapter Three, start putting points into your Stealth BEFORE you finish the Chapter. Shoot for at least 30 base Stealth before leaving this Chapter. Basically, for this chapter you need to thoroughly explore each and every part of every bit of the forest. Kill every single enemy you find. Pay special attention to Forest 8, but also search Forest 1, 2 and 3 for Ahoul. Once clear you'll be able to get some training. As a fighter, you'll want to reserve 70 TP for the training available. The final challenge of this Chapter is not a single enemy. Still, all the tactics you've learned in the previous chapters are fully applicable in this one. None of the enemies that you'll be fighting are very special, but the combination you'll be dealing with is dangerous. If you're wondering, there are three items in this chapter useful to fighters ONLY - and when I say fighters, I mean if you chose fighter training at the beginning. They're useless to all the other classes - but other classes are only taking this chapter for the extra TP anyway. Finally, although this is a "fighter" chapter, don't neglect your spells! There are times when the only thing between you and death is the power of the Aura of Iron spell, or by stopping very dangerous enemies as quickly as possible with Hold. If you are outnumbered, don't forget that the melee characters will chase you but the mages and archers usually don't. Draw them away - remember what I said about archers in Chapter One. One last note - the final challenge of the chapter is triggered by talking to page Entrowe whom poke with you at the beginning of the chapter. Other Classes: This is a great chance to improve extra abilities, as the training offered here while useful isn't vital for you to take. With over two hundred TP available via combat, you can't afford NOT to do this Chapter! 5.3.2 Key Characters and Locations ------------------------------------ Sir Roth is now in the War Room - Inner Keep, Level 1. Page Entrowe - wanders to the East of the War Room in Inner Keep Level 1. Captain Nicophorus - Inner Keep Level 1 War Room. Sir Mabon - Inner Keep Level 1 War Room. Ambassador Lucius - Inner Keep Level 2. Captain Calvaric - Inner Bailey, the Tavern Sir Kyner, Sir Engres - NPC's, Inner Bailey Tavern Lord Harold - Outer Keep, Level 2 Penrith - Outer Bailey, around the training grounds Ezarath - South Gate Level 2 Callum - South Gate Level 2 Holden - Forest 5 Kalevi - Forest 5 Oskari - Forest 5 5.3.3 Weapons and Armour of Note ---------------------------------- King Tortain's armour isn't as great as one would expect. 5.3.3.1 Leviathan's Scale Shield This is a great, all-purpose shield, especially if you have to deal with enemy magic users. Stealth +2, Hit Recovery -1, Attack +7, Restriction +7 Piercing: 2-6%, Cutting: 2-6%, Heat: 2-6%, Cold: 2-6% 5.3.3.2 Black Leather Hood It just looks really, really cool when you put it on. It is also better than the regular leather hood. 5.3.3.3 Helmet of Reason This helmet has some nice attribute bonuses in exchange for less physical protection. Coordination +3, Stealth -1, Hit Recovery -1, Perception +4, Restriction +2 Piercing: 1-6%, Crushing: 1-6%, Cutting: 1-6%, Heat: 0-1%, Cold: 0-1%, Electricity: 0-1%, Magic: 0-1%, Stun: 1-6% 5.3.3.4 Greaves of Fever Guard If you have to deal with spell-casters or fire, this is the armour to go with. Strength +2, Stealth -3, Attack Recovery -1, Hit Recovery -1, Defence -1, Attack -1, Restriction +4 Piercing: 1-4%, Crushing: 1-4%, Cutting: 1-4%, Heat: 6-13%, Magic: 2-6% 5.3.3.5 White Great Helm Looks cool, with great protection too. Stealth -5, Hit Recovery -4, Defence -3, Restriction +3 Piercing: 2-8%, Crushing: 2-11%, Cutting: 2-11%, Stun: 1-8% 5.3.3.6 Fine Steel Arm Plates Exceptional protection against physical attacks. Stealth -4, Hit Recovery -3, Defence -5, Restriction +9 Piercing: 2-9%, Crushing: 2-10%, Cutting: 2-11%, Stun: 2-7% 5.3.3.7 Shadow Cuffs Worn on the hands, not the arms. Appropriate gear for the next chapter. Coordination +4, Stealth +4, Perception +2, Restriction +1 Piercing/Cutting/Crushing: 0-1% 5.3.3.8 Gauntlets of Grounding Restriction +1 Crushing: 1-2%, Electricity: 2-8%, Stun: 1-2% 5.3.4 Available Training -------------------------- Oskari - available after killing all Ahoul in Forest 1, 2, 8 and possibly 9 Weapon Mastery (+3 Coordination, +10 Combat): 30 TP Pain Control (+30 HP, +3 Healing Rate): 20 TP Fortitude (-10 Restriction): 20 TP 5.3.5 Spells of Note ---------------------- There are no new spells in this chapter - it's the fighter's chapter, after all. I would suggest getting the Aura of Iron spell from Bones before embarking however. 5.3.6 New NPC's ----------------- Sir Kyner A defensive melee character, he has Healing and Protect from Fire spells in exchange for weaker combative ability. Weaker? Both Sir Kyner and Sir Engres are Ahoul fodder without protective spells and heavy armour! He starts with poor gear - beef him up with some of your good gear before taking him out, IF you think you'll need someone to take the pressure off. Sir Engres A more combat-oriented charcter who has a healing spell. Like Sir Kyner, he'll need some of that fine gear you've collected to stand a chance, and like Sir Kyner, he's a moron. Kalevi The elf will probably join you prematurely due to a bug: he tells you he doesn't like you, and then he joins you anyway. If you want to do it "properly", talk to him, remove him from the party, then prevent Mikki the unicorn from being killed. Then go back and talk to him, and he will behave normally. Kalevi is an excellent NPC as his Stealth skill is great, but as you can't equip him with anything he can't take much damage. Still, if you like Wyatt then you'll like Kalevi. He has no spells. 5.3.7 Quest Check List ------------------------ Have you... Killed every single enemy? (You have to anyway.) Recovered King Tortain's signet ring? Recovered King Tortain's crown and armour? Saved Mikki? Become a Knight? (fighters - AKA SQUIRES only) 5.4 Chapter Four ===================== 5.4.1 General Hints and Tips ------------------------------- This is the Scout's chapter. Unlike the Fighter's chapter, you MUST have a good Stealth skill if you want to live through it - there are many invincible enemies and a number of areas that spit out infinite enemies who aren't worth any TP. Unequip any noisy armour, and get yourself a bow and quiver - it's the only way to go for this one. This is another fun Chapter providing you don't get caught. LOTS of easy TP - just be sure you never let the Shadow spell wear off and kill any magic-users as SOON as you spot them - they can detect you fairly easily, but one sniper shot will usually drop them. This is THE chapter for all those who've ever wanted to wipe out entire towns in RPG's, as most of the enemies think you're one of their own. Just a bit of advice: Don't kill the Scout Master like I did my first time through. That's this chapter's ONLY trainer. I found out later he was a trainer long after he was dead. Doh! If you really want to benefit from this Chapter, systematically scout out the entire area, killing all red-highlighted enemies (duh) and any enemy without a unique name. You might still want to speak to anyone who's not hostile before killing them. The dialogue will reveal some important information eventually... but killing them is often still worth TP. I highly recommend this Chapter for all classes provided they either have a sufficient Stealth skill, or enough Mysticism to allow for frequent use of the Shadow spell... preferably BOTH! I've noticed that certain enemies will always notice you unless you have the Shadow spell activated (like wolves) However, the amount of easy TP to be gained just by snipe shots is too good to pass up, especially since a lot of enemies won't even be hostile. That's right - you're killing non-hostile characters for fun and profit. And you're the "hero". Just make sure you only kill those with a generic name such as "Ahoul Scout", "Ahoul Warrior", etc. If you have enough Stealth and Mysticism to make good use of the Shadow spell, then this is probably the easiest Chapter in the entire game. If you do get detected, leave the area - this will reset your pursuer's to "non-chase" mode. Also keep in mind your "Shadow" spell wears off when you leave an area. If you're wondering how to target non-hostile characters, hold "Shift" while left-clicking on the enemy. This makes your character attack while standing, but it also forces and attack. (Right from the manual) This is also the chapter where the Scout will become a Ranger. Be sure to kill all Shamans and Casters for their gear. You can not kill Elite Guard or tribal chiefs - the designers simply made them invincible, although you can certainly stand around bouncing arrows off their heads. General Ovoron is also invincible until the final part of the Chapter. You will want to have about 16 Strength and Coordination (adjusted, in quiet armour) for this Chapter just to use the good bows. (This should be an issue only for mages who don't care about Strength/Coordination) The final challenge of this Chapter is rather... well. boring? What's one more snipe shot after you've been gleefully decimating an enemy camp? This Chapter really demonstrates how powerful Scout characters can be under the right circumstances - although you're probably already been on the receiving end of the power of Stealth during the last fight of Chapter 3. 5.4.2 Key Characters and Locations ------------------------------------ Johfrit - Inner Keep Level 1, near entrance. Elazar - South Gate, Level 2 Olon - Outer Bailey Pell - Outer Bailey Nester - Inner Keep Level 2 Old Ben - Village 3, covered building Captain Calvaric - Inner Bailey Tavern Siilazin - Village 9 (Ahoul) Breetag - Village 9 (Ahoul) Kaldden - Village 9 (Ahoul) Darg - Village 11 (Ahoul) Sha' Ahoul Scoutmaster - Village 4, near tent Ahoul Blacksmith - Village 10 Edgard (Village 15) 5.4.3 Weapons and Armour of Note ---------------------------------- 5.4.3.1 Draugdur's Bow An excellent combat bow - it's fast and deadly. Minimum Requirements: Strength 16, Coordination 12, Restriction 30 Coordination +5, Attack +5 Attack Recovery 9 5.4.3.2 Assassin's Knife While it doesn't do very much piercing or cutting damage, it will always do at least 4-6 points due to the "Special" category. In addition, it does relatively heavy piercing damage - and less armour offers protection against piercing damage. Not recommended against a heavily armoured opponent all the same. Minimum Requirements: Strength 1, Coordination 8, Restriction 45 Stealth +10 Attack Recovery 6 Piercing: 1-7, Cutting: 1-4, Special: 4-6 5.4.3.3 Flamberge Broad Sword This sword is slow and not magical, but it is capable of massive damage. Minimum Requirements: Strength 12, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery: 16 Piercing: 1-4, Crushing: 1-7, Cutting: 6-17 Potential: 8-28 5.4.3.4 Greaves of Extinguishing Heavy fire protection - you'll need this gear for the next chapter. Stealth -7, Hit Recovery -3, Defence -4, Restriction +9 Piercing: 2-9%, Crushing: 2-11%, Cutting: 0-11%, Heat: 2-25%, Stun: 1-7% 5.4.3.5 Scimitar of Winds A VERY quick weapon. Minimum Requirements: Strength 7, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Coordination +2 Attack Recovery: 5 Piercing: 1-4, Crushing: 1-7, Cutting: 4-12 Potential: 6-23 5.4.3.6 Mana Bow Despite the bonuses, I don't consider this bow to be terribly useful. Minimum Requirements: Strength 15, Coordination 15, Restriction 40 Mysticism +3, Stealth -2, Mana +3 Attack Recovery: 16 5.4.3.7 Mail of Midnight Special scout-style chain mail. Stealth +10, Restriction +5 Piercing: 0-3%, Crushing: 0-5%, Cutting: 0-7% 5.4.3.8 Voreworm Skin Shoes There are better boots. Coordination -2, Stealth -2, Attack Recovery 1, Hit Recovery -1, Defence +1, Restriction +2 Piercing: 1-8%, Crushing: 1-8%, Cutting: 1-8%, Stun: 3-8% 5.4.3.9 Cloak of Storms Not that useful considering that lightning-using enemies are pretty rare. Restriction +2 Electric: 0-25% 5.4.3.10 Helm of Alertness Good gear for a fighter who needs to be alert. Stealth -3, Hit Recovery -4, Perception +10, Defence -2, Restriction +2 Piercing: 1-6%, Crushing: 1-9%, Cutting: 1-9%, Stun: 1-5% 5.4.3.11 Ring of Shadows Stealth +10, Charm +1, Restriction -5 5.4.3.12 Ring of Greater Protection from Magic Perception +2, Charm +2 Magic: 8-40% 5.4.3.13 Ring of Greater Protection from Fire/Cold/Electricity There's an error that calls the ring of greater protection from electricity just "Ring of Greater Protection". (Element): 8-35% 5.4.3.14 Boots of Evasion Not very useful over all. Defence +1, Restriction +1 Piercing: 0-3%, Crushing: 0-4%, Cutting 0-4% 5.4.3.15 Tunic of Warmth You'll want to use this in Chapter 5 if the weather looks chilly. Coordination -1, Attack Recovery 1, Hit Recovery 1, Healing Rate +1, Attack -1, Defence +1, Restriction +2 Piercing: 0-8%, Crushing: 0-8%, Cutting: 0-8%, Cold: 5-12% 5.4.3.16 Ring of Shadows Stealth +10, Charm +1, Restriction -5 5.4.3.17 Ring of Greater Health HP + 25 5.4.3.18 Dreamwalker's Wand You are probably better off not ticking off Olon, so give this to him. Mysticism +3, Mana +30 5.4.4 Available Training -------------------------- The Sha' Ahoul Scoutmaster is the only person who can train you for this Chapter. You will have to perform a quest for him first. His training is far easier than Oskari's. Attack recovery bonuses are rare, and expensive to earn via high Coordination! Sha' Ahoul Camouflage (+4 Stealth, -15 Restriction, +2 Perception): 20 TP Focus (+5 Defence, -5 Hit Recovery): 20 TP Shadow-Walker (+3 Coordination, +5 Stealth, -3 Attack Recovery): 30 TP 5.4.5 Spells of Note ---------------------- None, but the Shadow spell is vital. 5.4.6 New NPC's ----------------- None. Do not take NPC's with on for this Chapter. Not even the scouts - they may be quiet but NPC's have a tendency to blunder into things as well as not actually HELPING you while you're sniping. 5.4.7 Quest Check List ------------------------ Did you... Save Johfrit's ward? Destroy the ram? (There are three ways of doing so, but you should do this the most "interesting" way) Swap the staff's? (Scouts only) Learn from the Scoutmaster? Help Kaldden? (not a quest, but worthwhile) Give Olon the Dreamwalker's Wand? 5.5 Chapter Five ===================== 5.5.1 General Hints and Tips ------------------------------- This is one of the more difficult chapters in the game, although it starts out easy enough. You simply MUST dress to neutralize as much enemy magic as possible, or you will find yourself very dead very quickly. Even the Stealth skill won't help you later in the game - a horrible shock if you're been happily sniping enemies to death through half the chapter and then suddenly it just doesn't cut the mustard. While anyone can partake in this chapter, ONLY the character who was generated as a magic-user will be able to personally help Felious. Knights -- Be sure to have 30 TP left over when this chapter is finished. Rangers -- You'll want to have about 45 TP left over from this chapter. If you'd like to change Phelic's Apprentice's name, have him in the party and talk to Phelic. Of course, I first did this having left PA out of the party for most of the game, so the conversation made no sense. ;) You'll find he's far more powerful now and a worthy ally, if you rejected him previously. Along with a name, he also grabs a few new spells including a much-improved HEAL spell. It's a good idea to have NPC's with you for this chapter as there are a lot of spell-slinging enemies and they love their Hold spell. You will need every defensive spell from the previous chapter (well, you could probably get away with skipping the anti-electric spell) as well as a few new ones that you'll pick up. You'll also encounter several spell scrolls which you can trade in for the actual spell. I haven't experimented too much with retaining the scrolls, but I believe it's in case you want to have an NPC learn a spell instead. In addition, several spells will require an item equipped before you can cast them. In Frosthelm, make sure you equip yourself and your party with anti-cold items and gear not only to stop the icy spells of the Doomfrosts, but also to resist cold damage while walking about in a frozen world. A scout in the party will be particularly effective during the first half of Frosthelm. Once in the ice caves, you may want to swap the scout with another mage. In Infernous, make sure you equip yourself with anti-heat gear for the same reasons as you did in Frosthelm. While scouts are still useful here, a second mage will be equally effective. Watch out for Fire Elementals -- they have itchy trigger fingers. Notsuoh is the perfect place to employ a scout. You'll encounter a few VERY dangerous enemies in this chapter - namely the Wraiths. You must deal with them in Elzarath's Tower and again in the ice caves of Frost Helm. They have one basic stragety: Cast "Deflect" on themselves, then hold and destroy the target. Best handled by attacking in a group as it will usually only try to cast ONE hold spell. Melee attacks will cause it to be less effective as it will use a few melee tactics itself, but said melee attacks will do little damage to it. Before facing off against your final challenge (you'll know it's coming as you've cleared all the other worlds) make sure you have all the defensive spells you have. In addition, it doesn't hurt to just fire off a swarm of spells from the outside. After this battle, you just have a little walking around to do to finish off this chapter. It's interesting that there doesn't appear to be any side quests for TP in this chapter, although you'll get plenty from killing bad guys. As a final note, leave nothing and nobody of value in the Astral areas - because they will be sealed off in Chapter 6. 5.5.2 Key Characters and Locations ------------------------------------ Elarath - Outer Keep Level 2 Elazar - South Tower Level 2 Pell - Outer Bailey (the red-head in the blue dress, remember?) Lauren - Outer Bailey, near Pell. Phellic - Inner Keep Level 2 Khaele - Inner Bailey, East side in a large tent. Amori - NPC, stands with Khaele. Bones - Inner Keep Basement 5.5.3 Weapons and Armour of Note ---------------------------------- 5.5.3.1 Gauntlets of Coordination Coordination +8, Restriction -2 Piercing: 0-3%, Crushing: 0-4%, Cutting: 0-4% 5.5.3.2 Ring of Magic Mysticism +8, Perception +5 5.5.3.3 Hands of the Undying Revenant Perfect for the fighter-mage. The strength bonus will easily offset the disadvantages. Strength +8, Coordination -2, Mysticism +2, Stealth +2, Perception -2, Charm -5, Healing Rate -1, Mana +5, Restriction -1 Piercing: 0-3%, Crushing: 0-4%, Cutting: 0-4%, Cold: 0-4%, Magic: 0-2%, Stun: 0-1% 5.5.3.4 Tomb of the Burning Pit Improves your fireball spell. 5.5.3.5 Cloak of the Frozen Dawn Worn on "Outer", gives you the Blizzard spell. a sort of ice-based blast similar to buckshot. Coordination +4, Stealth -2, Perception +3, Mana +15, Restriction +3 Cold: 3-12% 5.5.3.6 Robes of Ineffable Darkness This gear is given to Phellic's Apprentice during his naming ceremony to "Icharas", but you may "borrow" it from him. Coordination +5, Constitution +2, Stealth -5, Attack Recovery 2, Hit Recovery -1, Percpetion +7, Recharge Rate +3, Manag +30, Attack -1, Defence +2, Restriction +5 Piercing/Crushing/Cutting/Stun: 0-1% 5.5.3.7 Black Boots of the Nether Realm Stealth +5, Perception +1, Mana +10, Restriction +2 Electric: 0-10%, Magic: 0-3% 5.5.3.8 Limbs of the Crawling Dead Worn on the legs and provides protection against cold as well as other bonuses. Coordination +2, Constitution +1, Stealth +8, Attack Recovery 1, Hit Recovery 1, Perception +2, Charisma -3, Restriction +2 Piercing: 1-5%, Crushing: 1-7%, Cutting: 1-8%, Cold: 2-8% 5.5.3.9 Shadow Garment of the Wraith Any chest area. Mysticism +3, Stealth +5, Perception +5, Charisma -8, Healing Rate -3, Recharge Rate +2, Mana +10, Restriction +4 Piercing: 1-4%, Crushing/Cutting: 2-6%, Cold: 2-8%, Magic: 1-6% 5.5.3.10 Skeletal Sarong of the Spectre Worn on the belt or leg2. Mysticism +3, Stealth +6, Hit Recovery -2, Perception -3, Charm -5, Recharge Rate -1, Mana +6, Restriction +3 5.5.3.11 Sword of the Elements Minimum Requirements: Strength 7, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Attack Recovery 14 Cutting: 2-4, Heat: 4-8, Cold: 4-8 Total Potential: 10-20 5.5.3.12 Felious' Grimoire Personally I don't feel the bonuses are worth the penalties except for perhaps diehard mages. Strength -10, Coordination +10, Constitution -5, Mysticism +15, Combat -50(!), Stealth +10, Perception +10, Charm -25(!), Mana +25 Magic: 0-15% 5.5.3.13 Brimstone A burning hammer, although not really any more impressive than the Sword of Elements. It's slower but has better stunning power. Minimum Requirements: Strength 15, Coordination 15, Restriction 50 Stealth -2 Attack Recovery 16 Crushing: 4-8, Heat: 4-8, Magic: 2-4, Stun: 3-8 Total Potential: 10-20, plus stun damage. 5.5.3.14 Ring of Blades Be careful - that's a NEGATIVE absorption score which means you will take extra damage! It allows you to cast the Shrapnel spell. Piercing: 0-(-15%), Cutting: 0-(-15%) 5.5.3.15 Eye of the Mercswog A pretty and useful little goodie. Coordination +3, Mysticism +3. Stealth -3, Perception +3, Recharge Rate +3, Mana +3, Attack -1, Defence -1, Restriction +1 5.5.3.16 Blistering Book of the Volcano Allows you to cast Flamestrike. Basically a flame-thrower like spell. 5.5.3.17 Ring of Meditation Really improves your recharge rate! Recharge +5, Restriction -5 5.5.3.18 Scarlet Robe of the Sorcerer Part of Amori's gear, but it's removable. Coordination +3, Mysticism +10, Stealth +1, Hit Recovery -5, Perception +5, Mana +25, Restriction +1 Cutting: 0-1% 5.5.3.19 Scarlet Gloves of the Sorcerer Part of Amori's gear, and again, removable. Coordination -1, Mysticism +5, Stealth -10, Perception +6, Charisma +5, Recharge Rate +2, Mana +7, Defence -1, Restriction +1 Piercing: 0-1%, Crushing/Cutting: 0-2%, Magic: 0-3%, Stun: 0-1% 5.5.3.20 Mages Only: The Staff of the Magi This weapon will hurt enemies with powerful physical armour do to the magic damage. Minimum Requirements: Strength 20, Coordination 20, Restriction 40 Stealth -10, Perception +20, Charm +15, Defence +15 Attack Recovery: 15 Crushing: 1-4, Magic: 4-12, Stun: 4-8 Total Potential: 5-16. plus stunning. 5.5.4 Available Training -------------------------- Bones can now teach you Aura of Steel and Summon Wolf. As Aura of Steel improves your resistance to physical attack by 75% as opposed to just 50%, it's certainly worth learning. Aura of Steel: 25 TP Summon Wolf: 20 TP Glaucus the mage is in Frosthelm, and will train you as well as teach you some new spells. It's highly recommended you take Mystic Arts training BEFORE Advanced Energy Management as there's a bug that causes the latter trial to continue even into the former. It's not too serious, but it is annoying. Mystic Arts (+3 Perception, +3 Coordination, +5 Mysticism, +1 Recharge Rate): 30 TP Advanced Energy Management (+45 Mana, -5 Restriction): 20 TP Great Wolf Spell: 15 TP Heal All Spell: 25 TP 5.5.5 Spells of Note ---------------------- Mana Thief (learned from a scroll) This spell improves your recharge rate by stealing Mana from the area around you. The catch is that you'll also steal it from your NPC's - which isn't bad provided they can't cast spells. Forget (learned from a scroll) Never found this spell very useful. Aura of Steel (learned from Bones) Excellent spell. Improves your resistance to physical attack by 75%. Summon Wolf (learned from Bones) To the point: Provides a distraction to take the heat off you. They tend to die VERY quickly. Mirror Image (learned from Khaele) Excellent spell, but very draining to cast. Creates mirror images of yourself that not only fool the enemy but are capable of attacking as well. Summon Great Wolf (learned from Glaucus) Causes great physical damage, but is slow and expensive to cast. Good vs. mages. Heal All (learned from Glaucus) Excellent spell that heals the entire party, although expensive to use. Shrapnel A spell that causes piercing damage, but its effects are rather dispointing. Blizzard The best description is icy buckshot. Good to spray an area with, especially if your enemies are weak against cold attacks. Deflect (learned from a scroll) Essential defensive spell that bounces any projectile off of you. Great Hand This hits with heavy crushing damage and is exceptional against mages. Flamestrike Flame-thrower like attack. Limited range but significant damage. Shock Nice spell. Heavy damage. 5.5.6 New NPC's ----------------- You can change Phellic's Apprentice into Icharus if you have him in your party and speak with Phellic. You can only do this during this Chapter. Icharus has improved spells and gear - he gets an advanced healing spell, Blizzard, and Shrapnel. Amori Picked up by agreeing to Khaele's quest. A powerful mage, he has outstanding gear, most of which can be removed, and a number of powerful spells including Deflect, Blizzard, Great Hand, and Shock. 5.5.7 Quest Check List ------------------------ Have you... Performed Khaele's quest? Mages Only: Defeated the Lich once and for all? 5.6 Chapter Six =================== 5.6.1 General Hints and Tips ------------------------------ This is the Final Chapter - and it gets rough quickly. What makes this chapter nasty is that many enemies can detect even high-Stealth skill characters pretty easily, they're healthy, and they're strong. You KNOW your enemies by now though. Use what you've learned. Do not spend any TP on stats, saving it for special training, until your mission is to re-take the South Gate. Chapter One and this chapter are the only chapters that I've broken into class-specific strategies because it's the only other one that requires it. (Chapter Two is straight-forward and the rest are class-specific anyway) Do what quests you can BEFORE completing the cure for Ezarath - trust me on this one. You can complete them afterwards, but it will do you more good to complete what you can before. After you re-take South Gate, you will be facing off against Mirthrias in one-on-one combat. You are given no warning that your party will suddenly vanish -- so I'm warning you now. The final battle is triggered by wandering off to the far West or South areas -- you don't have to kill the enemies first. You'll know when you're there because you'll be fighting along side three female warriors. 5.6.1.1 Mages The final chapter is a PUSHOVER for the ever-powerful mage. Even without completing the mage's quests, grabbing the Deflect and Mirror Image spells from Chapter 5 will ensure your success. The person you need to find is called Anthamas, and he resides in the North-West most area of Inner Keep Level 2. He's irritating to speak to the first time, but be persistent. Complete his quests - they'll net you a fine piece of gear, TP, and training. After a certain, significant event occurs (not spoiling it, nope)... To complete his final and most rewarding quest, you will have to compete in a riddling contest (well, you'll just be answering them). You'll notice that the crypt's map has changed since you were last down there - go to the East to enter a new area, and then go South-East, ignoring the big gates (useless for your class). You'll meet an individual named Krog. Now you have two options: Save and deal with the poor design required to defeat Krog, or open up Krog's conversation and alter it to suit your needs. I said the design is poor because it breaks with the rest of the game style. This is the only time you can die due to bad choices, but the stupid part is that if you just attack him, he's a joke. Lack of consistency = bad design. Still, if you want to play it straight, here's some advice (POTENTIAL SEMI-SPOILER): 1. Save before attempting it. 2. Water, and one of the Four Horsemen of the. 3. Be humble. 4. Run like hell. After completing this final quest, you will be able to get some seriously fine gear. Equip it. The Chapter is straightforward from here on in - just do what you are told. I would suggest enlisting your brother Corvus as an NPC - he's VERY tough and it literally takes an army to take him down. Hot-key the "Aura of Steel" and "Deflect" spells and cast them on your party every time you enter a new area. This is because your idiot NPC's have a tendency to blunder into your spells and get themselves killed - and Deflect will help prevent that. It's a straight-forward blast-fest. If you've built up your Mysticism skill nice and high (mine was around 90) then the combination of your gear and training will make your final battle go something like this: Player casts "Deflect". Player casts "Summon Great Wolf Spirit", "Great Hand" or any other undeflectable spells. Bad guy bends over and kisses butt good-bye. In all seriousness, with your mystic skills high enough the entire chapter is a joke. Just make sure you have Aura of Steel on you at all times - and Deflect on your party. 5.6.1.2 Knights Knights have the shortest route through the chapter with the least running around. Xandar is the only person you need to really care about meeting. Complete his training, and claim your reward. I would also suggest searching the caves after taking care of any undead threats for a person to replace Icharus, if you promoted him. He will reward you with a nifty bit of gear. While General Roth's sword is nice, your weapon won't matter as much as your natural abilities. After bulldozing your way through the enemy hordes, you will come to face your final opponent. Cast "Deflect" - without this spell you're in for a world of hurt - and charge him. Do not let up! He does have a limit to his mana and the Deflect spell will mean you won't have to waste time healing (although your natural healing rate will be so high that won't be much of an issue anyway). A few well-placed "Forget" spells might even do the trick once he's very weakened. This fight will be a pain - one time I had him down to nothing, and all he did was repeatedly heal himself, not having enough mana to do anything else. I stood there hacking away for what seemed like forever - but didn't try a "Forget" spell which might have done him in. The lopsidedness of difficulty compared to how easily a mage can defeat him really bothered me. 5.6.1.3 Rangers Rangers will probably have a fairly easy time in this chapter provided their Stealth is high enough, and they make use of a new technique you are surely ready for by now. If you are spotted in a battle, quickly cast Shadow, and provided you are far enough away at the time, your enemies will all pause. At this time, you may make a Snipe Shot. If it doesn't work, cast Shadow again and run until you get some distance between you and them, and try it again. Another good move is to cast Hold, and then Shadow and shoot the held enemy for an instant kill. There is some nice gear and a LOT of training - if you don't have enough TP leftover from the previous chapter then you won't be able to afford it all. Your training will come from Mudam indirectly, Fenton, and Chad. Be sure to speak with Opias and complete his quest. To get some special, end-game gear you better have taken chapter 5 - or be prepared to just BARELY survive to claim it. (You'll need Deflect) If you're having trouble with a certain stream of fire, be aware that it can't keep out that stream constantly - keep making it shoot and it will eventually slow down to firing volleys of fire-balls instead of a continual stream. If you have Deflect, just use that instead. You will be better off travelling without NPC's for this chapter. They'll just slow you down. The special Shadow-Snipe tactic I mentioned will work on everyone - including the last fight. 5.6.2 Key Characters and Locations ------------------------------------ Sir Roth - Inner Keep Level 1 Mudam - Outer Keep Level 2 Elarath - Outer Keep Level 2 Opias - Inner Keep Level 1, Library Anthamas - Inner Keep Level 2, North-West most area. Fenton - Inner Keep Level 1, Library Gentza - Inner Bailey, tavern Jora - Inner Bailey, near tavern, wears white George - Inner Bailey, East-most side (around Khaele) Alain - Outer Keep, Level 1, South-middle area Corvus - NPC, Outer Keep Level 3 (after an event) Bonnie - After a certain event, Village 2, North-West most house with a roof, if you're wondering. Xandar - Hidden caves (East of the crypt entryway) Arion - Caves 1, far West side (Skeletons non-hostile) 5.6.3 Weapons and Armour of Note ---------------------------------- 5.6.3.1 Fiery Shroud of the Inferno (Mages Only) Powers up Fireball to the next level - you will fire two sets of fireballs that do incredible damage. Strength -5, Coordination +5, Constitution -3, Mysticism +20(!), Combat -15, Stealth -20, Charm +10, Heal Rate +5, Mana +50(!), Restriction +6 Piercing: 2-6%, Crushing: 2-8%, Cutting: 4-10%, Heat: 6-18%, Magic: 1-6% 5.6.3.2 Ancient Cuirass (Knights Only) Strength +5, Constitution +5, Combat +15, Stealth -15, Hit Recovery -4, Charm +15, Healing Rate +4, Mana -15, Defence -4, Restriction +10 Piercing: 6-15%, Crushing: 4-14%, Cutting: 2-15%, Magic: 10-15%, Stun: 4-10% 5.6.3.3 Ancient Upper Arm Guards (Knights Only) Strength +3, Coordination -1, Constitution +3, Stealth -6, Charm +1, Defence -1, Restriction +7 Piercing: 2-8%, Crushing: 3-10%, Cutting: 2-9%, Magic: 0-1% 5.6.3.4 Ancient Steel Pauldrons (Knights Only) Strength +5, Coordination -4, Constitution +4, Combat +7, Stealth -5, Hit Recovery -1, Charm +5, Healing Rate +1, Defence -3, Restriction +7 Piercing: 3-8%, Crushing: 3-8%, Cutting: 3-10%, Magic: 3-6%, Stun: 2-5% 5.6.3.5 Ancient Lower Arm Guards (Knights Only) Strength +10, Constitution +5, Coordination +5, Stealth -10, Charm +2, Healing Rate +1, Mana -10, Restriction +4 Piercing: 1-6%, Crushing: 3-10%, Cutting: 2-8%, Magic: 5-10%, Stun: 3-8% 5.6.3.6 Ancient Boots (Knights Only) Coordination +5, Constitution +2, Combat +2, Stealth -5, Charm +3, Mana -3, Defence +4, Restriction +2 Piercing: 4-10%, Crushing: 4-12%, Cutting: 5-15%, Magic: 3-9%, Stun: 3-10% 5.6.3.7 Ancient Plate Greaves (Knights Only) Strength +1, Coordination +5, Constitution +2, Combat +10, Stealth -10, Hit Recovery -3, Charm +5, Heal +1, Mana -10, Defence -4, Restriction +8 Piercing: 4-12%, Crushing: 4-14%, Cutting: 2-15%, Magic: 2-10%, Stun: 3-10% 5.6.3.8 General Roth's Sword Minimum Requirements: Strength 7, Coordination 10, Restriction 45 Strength +5, Coordination +3, Attack +6 Attack Recovery: 9 Cutting: 8-16, Heat: 4-8, Cold: 4-8 Total Potential: 16-32 5.6.3.9 Magic Amulet A good investment considering the final battle Piercing/Crushing/Cutting: 5-0% Heat/Cold/Electric/Magic: 0-20% 5.6.3.10 Bone Bow (Rangers Only) Minimum Requirements: Strength 20, Coordination 35, Restriction 20 Strength -5, Coordination +15, Mysticism +5, Stealth +25(!) Attack Recovery: 5 Resistances Cold: 0-4%, Magic: 0-3%, Stun: 0-2% 5.6.3.11 Quiver of Bone (Rangers Only) Strength +5, Coordination +5, Mysticism +5, Stealth +5, Restriction +2 Resistances: Piercing, 1-4% Damage: Piercing: 6-12, Cutting: 0-4, Heat: 1-8, Cold: 3-6 Total Potential: 10-20, the most damaging arrows in the game. 5.6.4 Available Training -------------------------- 5.6.4.1 Mages Mind Control -- Learned from Opias after completing the Fire Gullet quest. Recharge +5, Restriction -15: 45 TP Energy Control - Learned from Anthamas after getting the vial for him. Mana +125(!): 35 TP Master of Mystic Arts - Learned from Opias after returning the mystic tomb Perception +5, Coordination +5, Mysticism +15(!): 55 TP 5.6.4.2 Knights Pain Manipulation (+50 HP, +5 Healing Rate): 15 TP Free Action (-20 Restriction): 15 TP Combat Mastery (+5 Coordination, +5 Perception, +15 Combat): 30 TP 5.6.4.3 Rangers Transcendent Will - Learned from Chad after completing the Fire Gullet quest. Defence +10, Hit Recovery -7: 40 TP Master of Shadows - Learned from Fenton after speaking with Mudam. Stealth +6, Restriction -25(!), Perception +4: 45 TP Phantom Movements - Learned from Fenton after completing a quest for him. Coordination +3, Stealth +5, Attack Recovery -3, Shadow I believe "Shadow" means that the special properties of the Shadow spell that makes you invisible even to dogs is now permanently on... but I didn't find it that helpful in this chapter. 5.6.5 Spells of Note ---------------------- Improved Fireball Only activated while wearing the Fiery Shroud of the Inferno. Fires two fireballs at the same time. 5.6.6 Final NPC ------------------ Your brother, Corvus. Yes. And he is as powerful as he should be. Corvus is one tough NPC - you can actually see how you're related by this point in the game. Just don't let him get too carried away either by being swarmed, or by trying to do too much. Corvus is a complete TANK, but this is a rough chapter. 5.6.7 Quest Check List ------------------------ 5.6.7.1 Mages Did you... Mix up Fire Gullet? Return the Vial of Silent Spirits? Return the Mystic Tomb? 5.6.7.2 Knights Did you... Meet Xandar and get the gear? 5.6.7.3 Rangers Did you... Talk with Mudam? Mix up Fire Gullet? Give Chad a taste of Fire Gullet? Get the Vial of Silent Spirits and Elixir of Shade for Fenton? Get the special Ranger Gear? (Try moving the candle in the underground chruch -- it only appears if Mudam's bracelet is in your possession) 5.6.7.4 All Did you... Find a new apprentice for Phellic? (talk to the new apprentice for your reward) ------------------------- 6 Chapter Spoilers ========================= 6.1 Chapter One =================== 6.1.1 Quick Q&A ------------------ Q: What do I need to give Ladren to give to Pell? A: A sapphire ring. You'll find one in Village 2 on one of the enemy bodies, north-west side. Q: Where is my brother? A: Village 3, down the stairwell of the ruins of the south-most building. It won't open until after you've completed most of your other quests, and you might as well do it last because your success will end the chapter. Q: Where is the Chalice of Life? A: In the church - which you can enter in Village 2. Inside the church, click on the candle-holder near the north wall. Q: Where is the chest Olon talks about? A: Village 3 - it's the house that still has half a roof on it. Q: That enemy Shaman is a real pain in the neck. How do I kill him? A: Well, either cast Hold on him and finish him off real quick, or run around so he wastes some Mana and can't cast hold on you. This is the toughest fight in the chapter. Your Constitution and armour won't help you - the Shaman just does too much damage with his attack spells. (Well, unless you're cheating) An alternative method is to fire arrows blindly in his general direction. You can do this by holding down shift as you click on a spot. If you're sneaky enough you will manage to hit and kill him with only a couple of lucky shots. The Shaman has a real sort of sixth sense and he can detect you VERY easily. This is the fault of the designers - you are not allowed to scroll the screen forwards in order to get a good shot or clearer view of what's ahead, but enemies can see YOU as if they could do just that (sometimes they will fire at you from off-screen). I'd advise equipping the elfin breeches before this fight, if only for the magic defence (vs. hold spell) Q: How do I kill the ogre? A: Hit and run. If you must, use shift and click so you start swinging ahead of time. Archers and mages just shoot and run. A good mage can kill the ogre with two frost spells. This is a much harder fight for the melee Warrior type, but the ogre is still pretty slow. 6.1.2 Walkthrough ----------------- The first thing you have to do is get equipped - visit the quartermaster as instructed. He's easy to find, just follow the directions you were given. Once you get your gear, open up one of the chests in your brother's room - put on one of the vests. At this point, every little bit helps. You should then visit the mage Elarath and at least learn the Heal spell. Muddam, the Scout Master, can also give you some valuable training. Both trainers will give you Training Points; the wizard also gives you a Spell Book. Raid each and every chest - the only real items of note are the rose and personal love letter. Talk to Madden and then give them to him for 1 training point. (The rose and letter are on the chest on the east side) More importantly, you get the dried rose which substantially raises your charm. Visit Bonnie, who is just outside the stairs when you enter the Outer Keep's first level. To complete the quest, you'll have to head to the kitchen and talk with Anora, and then head down into the basement. The bugs are weak, but so are you and you should be careful. So long as you fight them one-on-one you should be fine. Use hit and run tactics when possible. Don't be afraid to retreat and get healed. After all the bugs are dead, you report back to Bonnie and Anora, and then finally tell the two goof-offs to fix the hole and report back to Anora for 4 Training Points. Just as well - the bugs themselves aren't worth any points. Brother Mo will give you the Healing Herb Quest. There's nothing you can do about it NOW, but it's good to have on your agenda. Then go southeast to the Outer Bailey. Chat with Penrith, and then report to the training grounds. Do a bit of sparing, and then get dismissed. Penrith will then approach you - don't try to talk to him, just let him approach. He'll advance the storyline. Do what he says. Go back up to Outer Keep L2, and talk with Sir Roth. In the chest in this room you'll find a couple of helpful items but nothing that major. Finally report to Mudam. If you haven't trained with him yet, you will do so now. Back out the Outer Baily. Talk with Olon, get the Pell(andrian) quest. Might be advisable to Quick-Save now just in case you mess up. You'll have to run back and forth between Pell and Ladren for a little while - don't offer to show Ladren magic as he hates it - and eventually you will realize that you'll need to get a gift somewhere in the village. Talk to Olon again - he should advise you to visit Father Massus in Outer Keep L1 (the only monk with a hat) and Elarath on Outer Keep L2. You don't have to do so right away, but you will want to eventually. After you mention the gift, be sure to talk to Pell to get the Shadow spell. Finally, head out to South Gate if you haven't already. Lucan, who is in the SE corner, can give you valuable training as well. Then head out into the village. The herbs you need are in Village 1 - killing all the Merscwogs is worth 2 TP, as is giving Brother Mo the herbs. After Village 1 is secured (everyone dead) then go south to the Village 3. Elven Leather Breeches are under house in NW part of Village 3. Fine Steel Bar is under north house, guarded by 4 giant spiders. Return to Freeman, who will then tell you to talk to Penrith. If you've cleared Village 3, head right back to Freeman and get your sword. This is a fine weapon due to its speed and damage. Having this quest completed will MATTER in the last chapter. Key Ring is on enemy body in Village 3. The chest is in the same area. Returning the key ring to Olon after you've opened the chest will be worth 2 Training Points. Your brother is trapped under the house in the south-eastern part of Village 3, but you can't save him until you've had Ladren translate all the letters for you. Village 2, which is East of Village 1, has the Church. You'll find the Sapphire Ring in Village 2 near the north-west side, as well as the Axe of Confidence and a scroll. Give the Sapphire Ring (Pell's favourite colour, blue) to Ladren for 2 Training Points. Inside the Church you'll find someone with an amulet. Click the candle-holder in the NE part of the Church (where the pews are) to access the secret underground passage. You'll have to fight the enemy shaman - this is the most dangerous fight in the chapter. The shaman can cast Hold on you and it lasts for 6-7 seconds - if he hits you with a Frost spell you'll be in for a world of serious hurt. Either cast HOLD on him and quickly finish him off, or if your spell doesn't last long enough, either alert him to your presence by running in quickly and then running out (Frost is slow and hopefully you'll be free before it hits you if he casts Hold). He doesn't have the Mana to cast Hold too often. It's a sad fact of the game that enemy magic users are very dangerous and very annoying - they cast spells rapid fire and always seem to have obscene amounts of Mana. Killing him will net you two scrolls AND the Chalice of Life. Keep moving north and kill the remaining enemies then return to Avalon. If you plan to do Chapter 5, and you're not a mage by trade, be sure to complete this quest. Ladren should translate the scrolls for you. Report to Mudam. Show the amulet to Elarath, who will then direct you to Elzear, who will then send you back to Elarath. That nonsense will give you 5 Training Points. Returning the Chalice of Life to Friar Masses gives you 10 Training Points. The basement of South gate will be open now - go down and slaughter the traitors. Search Naul's body for some keen gear (Giant's Pauldrons) and kill everyone else, reporting back to Mudam. Now the path to save your brother should be open. Head to Village 3, SE house and go down. The way will be open; you will fight the Ogre. This battle is a snap compared to dealing with the Shaman because you can use hit-and-run tactics without worrying about being held, and the Ogre is VERY slow to swing. You'll reach your brother - you should have an herb to give him having completed the herb quest previously. Head out back for Avalon (they'll warp you) and you'll have completed Chapter 1. Finding your brother is worth a few points - returning with him alive is worth 10 points, and you'll have a very powerful NPC to help you in the final chapter. 6.2 Chapter Two ==================== 6.2.1 Quick Q&A ----------------- Q: How do I start Chapter Two? A: Go through the North-West exit of the Outer Bailey. Q: How do I cure the King? A: Visit Fester, then Marcus in the library, Rayous in the Inner Bailey, and finally Page Simek in the Inner Keep L1 main hall. The page will attack - kill him, and return the poison to Brother Larry. You won't get TP, but you will get the spell Protection From All, worth the trouble - you'll know that in Chapters 5 and 6. Q: Who are the traitors? A: The courier (talk to the West-most guard near the gate in the Caves to trigger it), Maris, and Sir Ither, and Page Simek. Q: How do I do the Sir Olon quest? A: Talk to Sir Ither, then Sir Olon, Sir Ither again, then Sir Olon, read the note, take the note to the king. Do NOT attack Sir Olon. Q: How do I defeat Lydia's corpse? A: If you're really have trouble, cast Shadow on Wyatt and have him snipe her. If you've already "woken" her up, leave and come back again. This will reset Wyatt's "Stealth" check. Alternatively if you're tough enough, engage Lydia in melee-combat while Wyatt snipes her to ensure she won't notice him. I'd suggest having Phelic's Apprentice along to keep your HP up. Mages can just blast the hell out of her. "Blast the hell out of it" is the standard solution for mages. Q: How do I kill the Lich? A: You have to take Felious into your party, down into the tomb. He will then leave the party and move to the Lich Stone. The Lich will appear, cast a defensive spell on itself, and then start sending BIG HURT spells your way. KEEP THE SPELLS AWAY FROM FELIOUS! They're slow moving, so keep walking and distracting the Lich. Last enough time and Felious will die - taking the Lich with him. An alternative method is to actually "wake up" the Lich by approaching the stone, and then leading the Lich away BEFORE having Felious join the party, or before he enters the Lich Stone area (when he initially leaves the party). The Lich will be in the same position as you left it - meaning that you won't have to deal with it at all if you're lucky. You'll have to search the Lich's body for the Earthstone - take the cloak, too. Q: Where's some of the keen gear? A: Here we go. The Wizard's Bracers are in the South-West side of the Inner Keep basement. The Heart Guardian is in the Inner Baily, in the building where Chad and Tristan are. Check the North-East most rooms. The Shield of Fortitude is in the Temple with the docile Cave Lurkers and a "copy" of the Lich with Balzedear's Ghost. The Hands of Truth are hidden in a chest in the far East part of Caves 2. The Fine Elven Longbow, and Mace of Frozen Barbs are in a hidden room just East of Phelic's room - visible on the map. The Fedora of the Deceiver is in a hidden room in the North Eastern area of Tomb 1 - visible on your map. The Troll Girdle is on the body of one of the Ahoul just outside the Village 4 entrance to Caves 2. Always carefully search all bodies. 6.2.2 Walkthrough ------------------- First off, you'll need to go to the Inner Bailey (North-West exit from the Outer Bailey) and you'll be warped to Sir Roth's chambers. He'll give you your quest, and instruct you to find a couple of NPC's to bring with you. The only really useful ones are Wyatt, and Phelic's Apprentice. You can whip the entire level just by casting Shadow on Wyatt, and let him eliminate your enemies by sniping them. Sir Caerleon, just South-West of Sir Roth, will train you in warrior skills. The first thing you should do is go to the South-West side of Inner Keep Level 2. You'll find a locked door - go back and talk to Sir Roth, who will give you a key. This key also lets you open the locked chest in the hidden room just East of Phelic's room - you can see it on your map. Just walk through the tapestry. Inside the locked box, you'll find the Fine Elfin Long Bow - excellent for Scouts. You'll also be able to open the door to speak with Brother Larry. He'll give you the Poison Quest. On your way back, speak to Sir Ither. Go to the far North-East side and talk to Fester, the alchemist. Find out about the book and Night Faerie's Breath. Go downstairs to Inner Keep Level 1. Humour the blowhard Cynric and he'll teach you Scouting skills. The South-West end has the library where Marcus can tell you about who borrowed the book. There's a secret room on the North-East side - again, visible on your map. Might as well visit it while you're down here. The chests have good gear. Also on the North-East side is Wyatt, Vasek, and Maris - a traitor. You'll need 15 Perception to realize he's a traitor, after which he'll attack you. Kill him for 5 TP. Also in this area is Esmond, who will ask you to give Tracy his ring back. Do so for an easy 6 TP. Bug Neese for a couple of TP (be abusive). With Wyatt in tow, go outside (South East exit) to the Inner Bailey. Go East and visit Tristan, who will give you a Quest if your Perception is 15. Enter the North room for the Heart Guard - excellent armour. Head South-West to visit Rayous the merchant and ask about the Night Faerie's Breath, and then back to the Inner Keep Level 1 to speak with Page Simek. Dispatch him, and take the poison to Brother Larry (Inner Keep Level 2) who will cure the King. Then go chat with Sir Olsa, then back to Sir Ither, and then talk to Sir Olsa again to find out the truth - read the letter and take it to the King. This running around nets you 12 TP! Finally, you're ready to clear the caves. Speak with Wican by the North-West exit down to the Inner Keep Basement for a quickie Quest. Visit Felious the Necromancer - be kind and he'll have Bones teach you a few great tricks. Bones is behind the door through an illusionary wall. Search around the basement for the Wizard's Bracers and some armour, then out into the caves. Eliminate each enemy you'll find. In Caves 1, these are Lurkers and Rock Golems. Both are clumsy but strong. At the far West end you'll find the guard to complete Wican's Quest, but also find out the courier never passed. Go back a short bit East up into a small dead-end and speak with the courier, revealing that he is a traitor. Dispatch him. Reporting this to Sir Roth is worth some TP, but you're not quite done in the caves yet. Grab the fox- headed gold ring off the fallen Knight's body (surrounded by Ahoul corpses) If you take the far West entrance to Caves 2, you won't have to face any Ahoul immediately - like you will for either of the other two entrances. Kill ALL the Ahoul - watch out for a few casters. While not as bloody dangerous as the shaman they're still plenty irritating... hence why not just let a Shadowed Wyatt pick them off. Clear out Caves 2, going out the West exit to enter the Temple. Find out about the Lurker's plight from the friendly ones, and then enter the insect-shaped temple. Kill off the two skeleton casters, but DO NOT fight the Lich - the developers made him invincible. Kill off the ghost though, raid his body, and also check the chest behind him for more keen gear - although the Shield of Fortitude takes up a LOT of space. Go back to Caves 2, and check the far East side for some very special gloves. Finally, you can either exit up out through the basement to Village 4, or go North into the Tomb. Accept Lydia's quest. Tomb 1 has the Fedora of the Deceiver through a hidden North wall (again, totally visible on the map) as well as some cash-in rings. Kill all the skeletons until you hit Tomb 3, and then BE CAREFUL. Lydia's corpse is POWERFUL - she does terrible damage and is a decent fighter. Mages can HOLD her and then blast her, but anyone else is better off just casting Shadow on Wyatt and letting him snipe her. If Wyatt is lost, and your mage skills are lacking... well, I would suggest bringing help and be prepared to lose an NPC. The only tactic you have left would be to stand outside the visible plane of view and fire arrows blind, because you're in for a world of hurt fighting Lydia hand-to-hand. Non-sniped arrows just don't do enough damage. Lydia is NOT worth TP - what a rip-off, eh? Do not enter the area - or at least, don't go near the Lich stone. Talk to Lydia's ghost and find out about the Seer Waynar. Go topside through the basement, kill all the Ahoul - grabbing the Troll Girdle off one of their bodies. You'll rescue Waynar, and find out about the Lich. Head North (Waynar will vanish behind a wall) and back into Avalon. Inform Sir Roth of the Lich for 6 TP, visit the Inner Bailey to let Tristan know of his friend's death (for 8 TP) and then down into the basement to pick up Felious. You may need to remove a party member here. Take Felious to Tomb 3. When he leaves the party and tells you to follow him, one tactic is to run ahead, approach the stone, and make the Lich chase you outside the area. Run around the outside and rejoin Felious who will drop dead after completing the spell - also killing the Lich. Search the Lich's body (you may have to hunt) for the Earthstone and take his robe too - it grants +25 Mana. The other method would be to just let the Lich chase you around, but DON'T cut across Felious or he'll get hit by the spells, die, and you'll be screwed. Finally return to Sir Roth (Bloody lot of walking!!) and get 15 TP for Chapter complete. 6.3 Chapter Three ===================== 6.3.1 Quick Q&A ----------------- Q: Where are all the enemies? A: One pocket around the middle Forest 1. One pocket in the South-West end of Forest 3 and a camp in the South-East end. There is a caster and an archer in Forest 2. Five archers, and an enemy camp in Forest 8. Be sure to nail the two front guards and the two guards on the Northern road as they may not wake up for the fight in the main camp. Q: Where is the outpost? A: Forest 5 - you can't miss it. Q: Where is the Lizard Man camp? A: North-West most part of the forest. (Forest 7) Q: Where is Mikki? A: East-most part of the forest. (Forest 9) She won't appear unless you've spoken to the elf in Forest 2 (by two bridges) Q: How do I save Mikki? A: Well, for one thing make sure you're not trying to do special warrior training at the same time or you'll be at a distinct disadvantage. Also be aware that spells might tip the balance in your favour - you can cast healing on Mikki. Bring help - they'll at least distract the enemies. Q: Is it vital to save Mikki? A: Saving Mikki will mean the elf will join the party. Keep talking to him and eventually he will. Essentially just a sneakier version of Wyatt - which is a good thing. Q: What are the Shadow Bracelets for? A: If you're a Squire (fighter) then you take them to Ambassador Lucius. You must speak with Captain Nicolious first. You will get Knighted. Q: Where is the enemy with the King's armour? A: Village 3. You'll have to go through the Caves. Q: Where is the special armour you mentioned? A: Leviathan is on an enemy in Village 3, the Greaves are on an enemy in Forest 3 camp, and the Shadow Gauntlet is on a lizard man guarding a northern bridge in Forest 7. The Helm of Reason is hidden in the tower in the lake - see the Shadow Amulet question. Q: Where are the Shadow Amulets? A: There's one in the tower in the lake - the entrance is a near-by building on the south shore. To navigate the illusionary maze, take the far south door, and then try to go down the dead-ends. The monolith is immune to spells but not to sniping attacks and guards the Helm of Reason. To the south is a Shadow Amulet, guarded by a Shadow Scout. The next Amulet is hidden in the South-East part of the Forest in the cemetery - enter the crypt and defeat the Shadow Mage. The final Shadow Amulet is deep within the Lizard Man's camp; you'll see a slew of corpses you weren't responsible for. Eliminate the Shadow Knight for it. Q: How do I succeed at Fortitude? A: It's the ogre - fight it accordingly. Your NPC's can help you. A: How do I succeed at Pain Control? A: This one is difficult. You pretty much well HAVE to tank-up in order to survive because the swords strike so quickly. Cast "Aura of Iron", don't be afraid to use spells like HOLD, and just keep at it. This is the most difficult training in this Chapter. Q: I did all the tasks. Now what? A: Speak to Page Entrowe. Blonde. Wanders around the main hall in Inner Keep Level 1. Q: Where are the enemies prowling around the fort? A: In the middle of Forest 8. Q: How do I kill the enemies threatening the fort? A: Nasty fight, huh? The abundance of enemy archers and casters will make life difficult for you - but there are two ways to tackle them. One is to cast Shadow on one of your scouts, and then control the scout and pick off as many enemies as you can - kill the archers and casters first. Another method is to just draw them out a few at a time - archers never give chase. It's just about impossible to save the Baron's men... but the Baron himself is nigh invulnerable so don't worry too much about him. Be CAREFUL - the enemies in this area are capable of cheating when it comes to detection - and more than likely due to a flaw in the engine as it's not consistent. One snipe hit from any of the four or five enemy archers can kill you in one blow. If you're going to send a scout out, be prepared that you might lose him. Don't forget about your spells - HOLDING any archers or casters is a good idea. If it weren't for the cheating, a single scout could take this chapter without difficulty. 6.3.2 Walkthrough ------------------- First talk to Sir Mabon for a Quest. Then Sir Harold - he'll finally stop telling you to bug off and ask for help. Accept his quest and get the report from him while you're at it. Go visit Ezarath (getting the report from Penrith and Callum along the way) and he'll tell you where the enemies are. Head to the caves, up into Village 4 and then West to Village 3. Kill all the enemies - if you're having difficulties then don't be afraid to use spells, or even just send a Shadowed Wyatt to pick them off for you. Collect the Leviathan Shield from one slain regular foe, and the signet ring from the armoured enemy - along with the rest of the armour if you can carry it. Report back to Lord Harold - the easiest way is to just go through the village to the main gates - and give him the crown and ring. The ring will get you 5 TP, the crown just gives you permission to use the armour... like you'd care. Dump most of the armour - only a few pieces should prove interesting. Head back to the caves and exit through the west gate. Now, explore all of each part of the Forest. You'll have to kill every enemy you meet, so you might as well be in Combat Mode almost all the time. There's no real help I can offer other than just thoroughly explore each part of the forest. In Forest 9, be aware that you'll have to save Mikki. but other than that, you might as well just move along stinking up the forest with corpses. Feel free to use up TP as you see fit; you'll only need about 60 for your upcoming training. Once everyone is dead, report to Holden, give the message to Byron (for 10 TP) and get your report. If you saved Mikki, talk to the elf and he'll join. You'll also be able to get advanced training - accept it. Fortitude will permanently lower your restriction and this is a positive boon - the stones he mentions are actually in the same area, don't wander off like I did. Yep, same strategy as killing the Ogre. Pain Resistance is difficult - the swords in the tower attack furiously and will often making getting a single swing in difficult. Advice: Don't be afraid to use spells. ESPECIALLY Aura of Iron and Hold. Weapon Skill is a snap - and yes, you are allowed to use NPC's. It takes the drama out of it, though. Report to Holden, investigate Forest 8 and meet the Baron. Then head back to report to Holden and Sir Roth. After giving the reports to Sir Mabon for a measly 5 TP, get knighted if you haven't already by talking to the Captain and then the ambassador. (If you've got all the amulets, just talk to him twice) This is worth 7 TP plus bonuses. Finally, speak to Page Entrowe (the blonde who spoke to you at the beginning) and then after a brief chat with Holden, head up to Forest 8. In the middle of the forest you'll find the Baron and his men fighting a large group of dangerous enemies. There are about three casters, a shaman, and four archers along with regular foot soldiers. The archers are the worst of the lot due to sniper fire. If your scouts are with you (both Wyatt and Kalevi count) then cast Shadow on one of them and have him run up and pick off enemy mages and archers - this is the easiest way, but I've had the game cheat by having off-screen enemies spot my scouts and pick them off with sniper fire while closer enemies aren't aware. If he gets into trouble, just run back to the group and finish off any stragglers. Alternatively, lead off small groups to be picked off, blast away with magic at a distance, or wade in with protective spells activated. Speak with the Baron and this ends the Chapter. 6.4 Chapter Four ==================== 6.4.1 Quick Q&A ----------------- Q: Should I really kill anyone without a unique name? A: Highly recommended. Just make sure to do it real quiet-like using a bow and the Shadow spell. Don't kill enemies who aren't worth TP, but you will want to have cleared a path through the Village in order to rescue Johfrit's ward Edgard. It also means that should you get spotted, you'll have less people chasing you. Q: How do I destroy the ram? A: There are three ways. One is with a weapon that does fire damage. Another is with a spell. (Technically, that's the same method as the engine just looks for fire damage - therefore a spell is the same as a weapon). The best way is to go talk to Fester and get the special oil - this item will also be useful just to add fire damage to any weapon. You must have spoken to Elzarath first. Q: Where is Edgard, Johfrit's ward? A: He's in Village 15, South end. Be sure to eliminate as many enemies as you can before trying to lead him out. Q: Can I kill everyone? A: You can't - some are invincible, and others just continually pour out of the surrounding tents. If you don't get TP for a guy in an area, don't bother killing anyone else around him. Q: Where is Ovoron? A: Village 15, East side. You can't kill him until after you complete Sir Roth and Mudam's quests. Q: Where is the Sha' Ahoul Scout Master? A: Village 4, South side. Q: What is the "Kaldden" Quest? A: Talk to Kaldden, and then tell Darg that there's someone who'd be interested in visiting the supply camps. Hey, they may be "The Enemy" but if you've bothered to talk to them at all, you'll find out that they're still "human". It's worth TP, anyways. Q: If I don't like a named enemy, is there any harm in killing him after I've spoken with him? A: Not really. Some are worth TP. It's just a good idea to talk to them first. Q: Should I kill the "Training" Ahoul? A: It doesn't get you any TP, but I usually do anyways just to be a jerk. ;) Plus, if I make a wrong turn leading Edgard out, I won't have to deal with them. Q: Where is Mirthias? A: Village 16, South-East side. Invincible, of course. Q: Where is the Dreamwalker Staff? A: Village 13 - in the same tent as the Boots of Evasion, Ring of Shadows, etc. Look for a second chest to the South of the immediate one. Q: Where are the Greaves of Extinguishing and the Scimitar of Winds? A: Village 15, in a South-West tent. Q: Where is the Tunic of Warmth? A: On the corpse of an Ahoul (well, it WILL be a corpse soon, right?) in Village 4 - he guards an empty tent. Q: Where is Draugdur's Bow? A: On the body of a human scout in Village 9. He lies near the West end in a small building with a door. This is also where the map is. Q: Where are the Lizard Men? A: Not exploring much, are you? The Lizard Men are in Village 12. Q: Where do I have to explore for Mudam? A: Village 7 for the training grounds, Village 10 for the ram, Village 4 for the Snake Men. To make a better report, talk to everyone before killing them. Q: How do I steal Ovoron's satchel? A: His tent is obvious. He's in Village 15, East side. Just sneak in - shouldn't be a problem if you have 30 Stealth and then activate the Shadow spell. Q: Help! I don't have enough Stealth and I keep getting found trying to enter Mirthia's tent!! A: Sheesh - the Shadow spell gives you 50 Stealth!! Try entering through the stables near his tent. If your Stealth is high enough (due to the Shadow spell) you can even walk RIGHT PAST THE FRONT GUARDS. Next time, build your Stealth to at least 30. And you call yourself a Scout?! (You'll only want to enter the tent if you are one) 6.4.2 Walkthrough ------------------- The best way to handle this Chapter for maximum TP is to thoroughly explore each area systematically. You don't need to go downstairs, although the spiders have respawned if you want to pick up a few extra TP. Starting from Village 1, explore each screen and kill any Ahoul without a unique name - talking to them first if you want a taste of your enemy's mindsets. Past one screen south, keep talking to the warriors until they mention when the attack will come - your Adventure log will update when they do. Then go East to the next screen and repeat the process until you can't go East anymore - the go South and start moving West. It's not the most efficient way but it will certainly mean you will eliminate everyone you can for TP. Keep your Shadow spell on at all times. Village 3 -- Old Ben (Scouts Only) His quest, in return for which you'll get the Ranger title (+5 Stealth/Coordination) and the ever-so-valuable Ring of Speed. The ring will allow you to attack and recover from hits very quickly. To do this, you must take the fake staff and switch it for the real one in Mithria's tent in Village 16. The staves are VERY large - you'll need all but one vertical inventory slots and two across to carry it. The best way to enter Mirthria's tent is through the stables - kill a few hostile guards along the way. Be careful that you HAVE the fake staff when Old Ben gives it to you and when you switch staves - if you didn't have enough room you will drop it with little notice. Village 4 - Sha' Ahoul Scoutmaster In the west end of this area you'll find a warlord (highlighted as enemy) guarding a tent. Kill him for the Tunic of Warmth - you'll need it for Chapter 5. Go to the North-East side to see the Naga - this completes 1/3 of your quest for Mudam. Then finally, go to the South-East side to visit the Scoutmaster - talk to him and accept his quests as his training will be useful - anything that reduces your Hit/Attack Recovery stats is useful regardless of class. The Houndsman's Tunic is in Village 10 - wear it and the dogs will no longer have a red highlight. Like that stopped me from shooting 'em anyway. ;) The Lizardmen are in Village 12 - one screen North of Mithiria's camp (Village 16). They will have yellow highlights - shift-click to kill them anyway. The map is on the body of a Scout in Village 9 - along with the powerful Draugdur's Bow. Village 7 - Training Grounds This is part 2/3 of your Quest for Mudam. You need only witness the training. Slaughtering everyone is optional. If you shoot the Trainer before the Trainees, then the Trainees will all stop training. Shoot all the Trainees, and the Trainer will still go through the motions. Go figure. Village 9 Look in the tent behind Breeteg's Tent for the Assassin's Knife. Talk to Kaldden, and listen to his story. Helping him will be worth 2 TP - talk to Darg in Village 11. Village 10 - The Ram. Part 3/3 of Mudam's quest. Do not destroy it. (You can with fire arrows or a fireball spell, but it may cheat you out in Chapter 6) Village 11 Darg is near the corner of the ruined wall - tell him about Kaldden for 2 TP. Village 13 There's some excellent gear tucked away in the tents as well as the Dreamwalker's Staff. Village 14 A shaman guards the entrance to a tent with a few goodies in it. Village 15 Edgard and Ovoron are both in Village 15, as are a few excellent pieces of gear in the South-West tent. As a matter of fact, you will really want that gear for the upcoming chapter due to the protection it helps provide. Getting the Satchel is easy provided you have enough Stealth and the Shadow spell. Leading Edgard out shouldn't be too difficult either as you've already killed most of the Ahoul anyway. Cast Shadow on Edgard while escorting him out all the same. In Village 1, you'll find the last stretch is blocked by 4 Ahoul. You can lead Edgard right through them if the Shadow spell has been activated on him, or just keep running. After you've visited every Village screen - there are 16 - and talked to any named Ahoul, return to Mudam and make your report. Get the Oil from Fester (visit Elazar first if you haven't done so already) and give Sir Roth Ovoron's satchel. Return and destroy the Ram - just equip the Oil in your Misc. Items section and attack it with any weapon. Then return to Sir Roth for your final mission - assassinate Ovoron. This is a joke, really - with Shadow cast on you, you can either A) Kill him with one shot or B) Walk up to him and hack him to bits. Take his sword - it's large - and return to complete the Chapter. Finally, report to Sir Roth for your final quest to assassinate Ovoron. As you've noticed - Stealth is POTENT and it will only take a single shot to kill Ovoron. It's highly recommended that you improve your stats to use a better bow than the Hunting Bow, as the better the bow the higher the chance of a one-shot kill. 6.5 Chapter Five ==================== 6.5.1 Quick Q&A ----------------- Q: How do I get the Mirror Image spell? A: Khaele will teach it to you for doing a bit of foot-work for him. Speak to Lauren, then report back to him. Amori will also become available as an NPC. Q: How do I get into the Tower? A: There's a small branch poking out of the ground just next to the entrance. Make sure you're not in combat mode, and you'll find it - highlighted in violet. Q: Where is Juel's Helm of Focusing? A: On the body of a Doomfrost, North-West most area of the caves. Perfect head-gear for a scout. Q: Where are the scrolls? A: You'll find two in the bookshelves of Elazarth's tower - one in the basement and one in the 2nd floor. These have Mana Thief and Forget. The last scroll is in the Naga's camp in Notsuoh. It's in the South-East area of the camp, near a wall in a small, dark grey chest. It has the Deflect spell and is rather essential to pick up. Q: Where is the Ring of Magic? A: In the Tower basement. Q: Where are the "Hands of the Undying Revenant"? A: In the Tower basement, in a small chest. Q: Where is the "Tomb of the Burning Pit"? A: Tower, 2nd floor, bookshelf. Q: Where is the "Cloak of the Frozen Dawn"? A: Tower, 3rd floor, in a wardrobe. Q: How do I get "Icharas"? A: With Phellic's Apprentice in the party in Chapter 5, speak to Phellic. Q: Where's the necromatic gear? A: In the chest behind Bones. You'll have to speak with Fellious first. Q: Who has the "Sword of Elements", or that magic blade I'm supposed to need? A: Lucan. South Tower, first floor, far East side. Q: Where's the Brimstone hammer and living crab enemies? A: Go South when you first enter Infernous and keep going South until you can exit. Q: Where is the Ring of Blades? A: With the scroll that will allow you to cast Deflect after speaking with Elarath. In a small, dark grey chest in the Naga camp in Notsuoh, South-East area. Q: Where is the Blistering Book of the Volcano? A: On the corpse of one of the Dreamwalkers in their camp. Q: Where is the Heart Container? A: On a corpse of one of the Dreamwalkers in their camp. You'll have to make the guy a corpse yourself, of course. ;) Q: Where is the Ring of Meditation? A: Dreamwalker corpse. See Book of Volcano, Heart Container. Q: How do I learn the "Great Hand" spell? A: The first restored Lurker that you meet will teach it to you after returning from the Dreamwalker Camp. 6.5.2 Walkthrough ------------------- Preparation First thing you'll want to do is equip yourself to resist magic and elemental attacks, and get the right NPC's for the job to accompany you. Like I said before - don't expect them to behave intelligently, but you'll want to have someone on hand as a back-up in case an enemy lands a Hold spell on you. My suggestion is to grab a scout and deposit him in Elarath's room for easy access. Then go to the Inner Bailey and speak with Khaele and perform his quest - this will get you both Amori as an NPC and earn you the spell of Mirror Image. (His quest would be to go talk to Lauren and then report to him) I'd also suggest turning Phellic's Apprentice into Icharus. The Tower Grab a scout and a mage - your choice - and head into the Caves and then up out the exit into Village 4. This will land you in the same area as the Tower. Cast Shadow on a scout (although depending on how you built yourself, the scout might not even need it) and move the scout forward, eliminating any enemies you find. On the body of one of the mages attacking the tower, you will find the Gauntlets of Coordination, although their use is limited by now. The branch is right next to the entryway - make sure you're not in combat mode and you'll find it poking out of the ground. Enter. If you don't have any scouts then cast as many defensive spells as possible before entering combat, including Aura of Steel/Iron as some spells inflict physical damage. Once inside, use your Scout (with Shadow spell on) to eliminate all the enemies in the tower. Head to the basement - but have the Hold spell ready. You'll be attacked, but quick use of the Hold spell will make it short lived. Again, cast Shadow on your scout and have him kill the guardians for you. Yes, I know they weren't supposed to be activated. So what - it's TP. Search around the bookcases and all the chests - including small, dark grey ones - for some nice gear. Head back up, and to the second floor. You'll be set upon as soon as you enter again, but they should take a few moments to realize you're there so quickly cast Hold on them. Once they're neutralized, cast Shadow on the scout and then take control of him and let him do his thing. If you'd rather do things personally then Hold works well. Search the bookshelves and speak to the book, referring to passages 491 and 673 as instructed (I'm not sure why they even bothered - the other conversation paths will point you in the right direction eventually). Have it translate the spells for you. Then head up to the 3rd floor - but be ready as you will be set upon by spectral knights and a wraith as soon as you enter. Get the cloak from the wardrobe and the ring from the chest. Return to Avalon - you may take the village route if you'd like a few extra TP eliminated the Ahoul there. The Astral Realm Reporting to Elzarath will be pointless - he's not there now. Speak to Elarath instead, give him the ring, and then speak to Pell (back to the Outer Bailey), and then back to Elarath. I suggest letting the scout do your dirty work - I've noticed that mage allies tend to get a little trigger happy in combat. Kill every Naga in the area to make life easier for you now. Collect only one "Brood" charm. (The rest would be redundant) Talk to Fellious after taking a quick visit to the centre temple and then return to Avalon and give Bones a visit to get both the item needed to enter Frosthelm and also some really decent gear (behind him in the dark grey chest) You can take care of Bone's request at any time to get fresh orders and net you Fellious' Grimoire, but I never found it that useful. Then it's off to... Frosthelm You'll certainly want to equip anti-cold gear - Fellious' gear works nicely as does the Tunic of Warmth you might have from Chapter 4. You will take damage without protection so make sure you have spells ready. A scout works well to eliminate many of the enemies outside the caves of this icy world - scouts work equally well in the cave. Still, you might prefer to swap a scout with a second mage. Visit the old wizard and learn all you can before entering the caves - the Great Wolf spell works wonders against Doomfrosts once they cast "Deflect". Enter the caves, but take it slowly. Enemies blend in easily here and Doomfrosts can kill characters in record time so make sure you have Protect Vs. Cold and Vs. All spells activated at all times. If possible, have "Deflect" active as well (have Amori cast it). Slaughter all the enemies you can - be sure to visit the North-West most Doomfrost and kill him for Juel's Helm of Focusing. Talk to the giant tree called the Muir. It will give you the item needed to enter Infernous. Return to the Astral realm. Optional: Battle with the Lich If you took mage training at the beginning of the game, when you get Bones' new orders, he will mention that he found a way to free Fellious' soul. This quest will grant you 5 TP for defeating the Lich and another 4 or so for killing his skeleton minions that he summons. It also will make you a full fledged Mage upon speaking with Elarath upon your success. I would highly recommend getting the Summon Great Wolf spell first - as this is a powerful physical attack, it will be far more effective to use on the Lich as it will cast Deflect on itself. Amori will be able to harm him via Great Hand spell. Don't forget to go into combat mode or your NPC's will stand there like morons. (It's easy to do when mages can destroy things regardless of mode) This is a fairly easy fight, but all the same make sure you prepare yourself first. Infernous Swap your anti-ice gear for anti-heat. You'll be attacked by a fire elemental as soon as you enter - and a second one, if you're unlucky. Eliminate them using cold spells. Then carefully pick your way through - be careful, fire elementals blend into the background easily, as do the golems. If you want some extra TP, go South to kill a bunch of Lava Crabs - they're pathetic. It will also let you grab the Brimstone hammer, but I didn't think it was very impressive. Otherwise, go South-East and dispatch the two Dreamwalkers. A Scout can do this neatly, but it's not that difficult a fight provided you have defensive spells activated first. Return to the Astral Realm. Notsuoh Head towards the Temple - but before entering, prepare yourself with defensive spells. Then enter the fray and help the Astral Guardian destroy the Dreamwalkers. You might want to save after speaking with her - you've got more work to do. Go North, and eliminate the last two Dreamwalkers and witness the Queen's spirit being abducted. Here you'll get your instructions to get the Astral Guardian's necklace and the Earthstone. Let's get the Necklace first as it's more fun. Head up far North-East to the Notsuoh portal - this would be a good time to have a Scout in your party. Let the Scout do your dirty work yet again. In the Naga camp, far West side, there is a Naga with the necklace. In the middle South-East side is a chest with the Deflect spell scroll and the Shrapnel ring. In the East side chest with the eggs you can get the Mercswog Eye. After you're done here, return to the Astral realm. Final Battle Get the Earthstone from Phellic, and learn Deflect by taking the scroll (you got from the Naga camp) to Elarath and then report to the Astral Guardian. She will open the portal to the final battle of this chapter. Take your favourite NPC's, enter, and then prepare to fight by casting defensive spells - Aura of Steel/Iron, Protect from All/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Magic, Deflect and maybe even toss on Mirror Image. Then charge right in - keeping in mind that some bozo will almost immediately toss "Hold" on you - and kick some butt. (If you get held, switch to one of your NPC's) Be sure to use physical attack spells as they might also cast "Deflect". You can take some blind pot-shots at the enemies by firing randomly into the area first, before they can raise their defensive spells. Loot all the bodies for various goodies and especially the Heart Container, and then return to the Astral Guardian. Talk to the first Restored Lurker you see for the Great Hand spell. Then back to Avalon, speak with Elarath, then Pell, the Elarath twice to complete the chapter. As a final note - don't leave anything or anyone of value in the Astral Realm because you can't go back after this Chapter is completed. 6.6 Chapter Six =================== 6.6.1 Quick Q&A ----------------- Q: Where is the Fireweed? A: Talk to Jora - she wears white. Q: Where is Merchant George? A: Far East side, near Khaele. You must have 1000 crowns to afford his stuff. If you did Chapter 4, sell off some of your spare Rings of Protection you get from the shamen if you must. Q: Where is the Lich's Shrine? A: East side of the Crypt. Q: How do I challenge Krog? A: Mages only. Tell Krog you want Krog stew, wait for his attack and then push him when he moves to attack. Then challenge him. Q: How do I solve Krog's riddles? A: First answer is the Ocean, then War, the Apocalypse. Do not gloat, grab the book, run and don't look back. Q: Can I kill Krog? A: No. If you attack him, he will fight back but he's pathetic. The fact that he's pathetic in combat just goes to show you how badly designed this whole part was. If I figure out how to kill him via scripting - I'll let you know. (I need to figure out his ID) Q: What are the answers to the Ghost Knight's riddles? A: Compassion, Pride, Self, Failure. Q: Can I get the Ghost Knight to join the party? A: Heh. No one would actually ASK this question, but it's something I've been able to do since his ID was exposed in the conversation files. Yes, you can make him join. No, he's not a good NPC. I had Corvus hit him and he died in one wack. pity that, if he kept his invulnerability he would have been interesting. Q: Where's the special Ranger gear? A: Go past the Ghost Knight to the back of the church and you will find a candlestick that you can manipulate. Make sure you drop off your NPC's before entering or they will become eternally frozen - a bug, they're just supposed to die instantly I suppose. You will notice that a stream of fireballs pours out - back off behind the wall. Now you have two strategies - cast Deflect and waltz through, or if you don't have that, you'll have to fake the fireballs out. After spitting out so many in a row, the fireballs will begin to slow down, allowing you to actually survive getting past. Still, you've got a LOT more dodging ahead. The ghost guarding the chest actually uses two decoys - sneak up on the one that actually highlights and kill it. The bow and arrow are yours. Q: Where are Callum's Keys? A: Can't miss 'em - obvious potted plant on the East side of South Gate Level 3. Q: HOW THE HELL DO I BEAT THE LAST BOSS? A: His weakness is a PHYSICAL attack. The point of watching Sir Roth die is not for story - it's a preview of the spells he uses! Prepare yourself by equipping gear that will repel those kinds of attacks. You won't have much time to cast defensive spells before the fight begins. You'll have to fight Mirthrias in single combat - no NPC's. You'll engage him as soon as you go as far West as you can after going through the gate and returning they key to the head of the Blood Roses. First thing - cast Deflect, if you have it. If not, run while casting as many defensive spells as possible. Then make sure you keep up a physical attack - spells like Summon Great Wolf Spirit or Great Hand work wonders, especially Great Hand as it's faster. If you're a mage, and you have a high Mysticism stat, this will be a push-over fight. Knights will have the most difficult time - they simply MUST keep up an offensive with Deflect and Aura of Steel as defence, until Mirthrias runs out of Mana. Then pour on an offensive and maybe toss on the Forget spell to keep him from healing himself in time. Scouts have a real trick they can use. Cast Deflect first to survive the initial onslaught, and then toss on Shadow immediately afterwards to temporarily confuse Mirthrias, and run away a bit to put some space between the two of you. Cast Shadow again, and advance until Mirthrias just comes into view - and cast Shadow again. Fire at him immediately after casting the spell, and you SHOULD be able to get a Snipe Shot in, killing him instantly. Remember that the Shadow spell resets the detection counter so you have a few moments to get a critical first strike in. 6.6.2 Walkthrough ------------------- First off, go to Inner Keep Level 1. Sir Roth's page will start up the plot. Do not spend any TP in this Chapter on your attributes (saving it for training) until you have been given the assignment to re-take the South Gate. 6.6.2.1 Mage Walkthrough Part One Go visit Anthamas in Inner Keep Level 2 (North-West side). Then visit Opias and Fenton. You can't help Fenton, but you can assist Opias. Go speak with Gentza to get the list of items you need, and the speak with Jora and Merchant George, both in the Inner Bailey. Then speak with Gentza again for him to whip up the drink. Give the drink to Anthamas, who will take a sample, and then send you down to Opias. Opias will offer you Mind Control training for 45 TP. Next up, get the Vial of Silent Spirits from Alain, and return it to Anthamas. He will offer to train you in Energy Control for 35 TP. 6.6.2.2 Knight Walkthrough Part One Visit Opias, and then go speak with Gentza. Get the list of items you need, then speak with Jora and Merchant George in the Inner Bailey. Speak with Gentza again and he'll whip up the drink, and you'll get a much-needed 30 TP. Unlike the mage, you will NOT get enough TP in this chapter alone to afford all your training, so be SURE to have saved 30 TP from Chapter 5. Talk to Tempest - and then visit Fester to get the oils he'll need. Mind you, if you didn't find the steel bars this won't be available. 6.6.2.3 Ranger Walkthrough Part One Visit Mudam and get the bracelet plus 10 TP. Then go speak with Fenton, who can give you training for 45 TP. Speak with Opias to get the Fire Gullet quest, and then question Fenton about the guild of thieves and ask if you can help. You now have several quests, but you're not quite done yet. Go speak to Wacian in the far west side of Inner Keep Level One to get the advice to speak with Phellic. Do so. Then head to Outer Keep Level 1, talk with the Friar, Brother Crosby, Alain and Bonnie (if you'd like). The Friar will start on the skeleton solution, Crosby will tell you to speak with Elarath, and Alain will give you the vial. Bonnie just acts pleasnt. ;) Then speak with Elarath to get the list. Go to the Inner Bailey and do Gentza's quest, collecting one of the ingredients from Rayous while you're at it. This will net you 30 TP. Then give the Fire Gullet to Chad, which gives 10 TP, and Chad will train you for 40 TP. Return to Fenton to get Phantom Movements for 30 TP, and he'll train you for 40 TP. You've now finished all your training. Follow the remainder of Generic Walkthrough. 6.6.2.4 Resume Generic Walkthrough Visit Wacian in Inner Keep Level 1 (far West side) and he will tell you to speak to the Friar. Finally, it's time to save Ezarath. Visit Brother Crosby, then Elarath, and finally Olon and Rayous to get the ingredients. Talk to Brother Crosby again and you will be taken away to the trial. This wastes time until you find out that South Gate has fallen. Speak with Captain Calvaric, and be given your new orders. Do as your told - go up to the Outer Keep Level 3 and here you will lose your NPC's temporarily. Go East and speak with the female warrior - tell her that you will defend the gate. Kill all your attackers - this is a TIMED fight, so killing them quickly will just mean killing more of them quickly. Then the back-up will arrive and you will be able to report back to what's his face and get your NPC's back. PLUS Corvus is now available! Get him into your party - the guy is a TANK. The Scout player might not want him, as scouts basically ignore enemies for the most part since no one sees them, and the extra NPC's just slow them down. Still, the enemies in South Gate that you'll have to eliminate are pretty tough - you just might want someone with you for back-up. It's up to you. Report back to Calvaric at the Outer Bailey. He will then instruct you to secure an escape route. Talk to Friar Massus and he will give you the Chalice and holy water. Then down into the caves. You might just want to run past all the skeletons instead of fighting them -- in which case you might as well dump your NPC's for the moment. After using the Holy Water on the Lich's shrine (the round thing to the East in the crypt) and speaking with Bones, you can then take the East exit into a new area. 6.6.2.5 Mage Walkthrough Part Two Ignore the large gates and go past them to the East and visit Krog, who's got that book you're after. Tell him that you want to see what's in the water, then say you want Krog stew, say you're a smart mage and finally wait for his attack and push him. Then challenge him to a game of riddles - your answers are Ocean, War, and Apocalypse. Then grab the book and run, and keep running. Do not talk to Krog again. Return the book to Anthamas who will tell you to visit Opias for your final training. Do so, and then go back to Anthamas who will give you the Fiery Shroud of the Inferno. This is all you need, you are now ready for the final show-down. 6.6.2.6 Knight Walkthrough Part Two Go through the large gates and visit Xandar, the Holy Knight's ghost. Answer his riddles with "Compassion", "Pride", "Self" and "Failure". Then take his training to get some heavy gear - it will pump up your Strength and Constitution by 24 if you wear it all! The first trial is an easy fight against skeletons, while the second pits you against a magic user who LOVES his "Hold" spell. Your final test is an utter joke. That's all you need to do here. Head back and report. 6.6.2.7 Ranger Walkthrough Part Two Go into the church, past Xandar the Ghost Knight, and then leave your NPC's behind. Use the candlestick. Cast Deflect (You DO have it, right??) and walk through the fireballs until you reach the chest, guarded by a ghost. There's only one target - the rest are illusions. Kill him, get the contents. Leave. I am aware of the secret passageway in this flaming area, but I thought the contents were a joke. Can anyone prove otherwise?? 6.6.2.8 Resume Generic Walkthrough Go to the far West side of the caves and speak to a very curious person named Arion. Having pointed him in the direction of Sage Phellic, you should then speak to the sage and his new apprentice, who will give you a potent magic charm. Report to Calvaric, watch Roth die, and then talk to him about the final ditch effort to reclaim South Gate. Knights: You can now get General Roth's sword from Tempest, provided you got the oils from Fester before the trial. Go through the caves and out into the Village. My suggestion is to make sure you cast Aura of Steel on your party, and the Deflect and then use that new Fireball spell you've got thanks to the shroud. (The Deflect spell keeps your allies safe from stray shots.) If you're playing a scout, then you're better off leaving your NPC's behind - you can make it through much faster and safer alone with your Stealth skill. In Village 2, you can rescue Bonnie if you want - it gives you a nice journal entry. Far North-West side, roofed house. She's not guarded, although there are plenty of enemies in the area. Finally, you will enter the South Gate. Slaughter everything and then head up to level 2 to drop the gates by attacking the winch. Up to Level 3, again killing everyone except Callum, who will tell you where his keys are. (East side, in the bright potted plant.) Head out into the catwalk and you'll meet up with the Blood Roses. Give Cirrico the keys, and then go down the first flight of stairs and out through the south gate. Ignore the enemies - go West until your party members suddenly vanish and face Mirthrias alone in a final show-down. 6.6.2.9 Mage Strategy Yeah right - what strategy? Throw on Deflect and Aura of Steel - that covers you against ALL the spells you need to worry about. Cast Mirror Image too, if you'd like. Then hit him repeatedly with Great Hand or Summon Great Wolf Spirit. Bye-bye big boss! Watch the ending. 6.6.2.10 Knight Strategy This fight will annoy you, trust me. The problem is not beating the snot out of Mirthrias, the problem is KILLING him. It's very easy to toss on Deflect spells and then charge him - but he can hit you with "Shock", the "Magic Push" and there are enough bugs in the engine that you might get hit by his spells when you shouldn't have. When you turn the pressure on and he's all out of Mana (when he does "Mirror Image" your "Deflect" spell will bounce his duplicates' shots back at them and kill them. Casting "Mirror Image" drains his Mana greatly) he'll just desperately heal himself. Repeatedly. I haven't tried this, but the only solution I can think of is to cast "Forget" on him just as he's getting weak, and then quickly finish him off. The last time I beat him, he glitched and or something because he froze for a moment - and that's all I needed to kill him. Perhaps I got too many good hits in after he cast "Mirror Image". Trying to beat him with the Deflect spell is very difficult at best - compensate by gearing up with as much anti-elemental gear as possible and using all the defensive spells you can utilize. Good luck! 6.6.2.11 Scout Strategy You've got one really good trick up your sleeve. Cast Deflect first thing, but then cast Shadow, run off a bit and then cast Shadow again. This will cause Mirthrias to lose sight of you just long enough for you to snipe-shot him. End of fight. Yep, one-hit-kill on the final boss. You HAVE to cast Shadow though - casting Shadow causes enemies to briefly lose sight of you unless they're very, very close. As Mirthrias is a magic user and therefore NEVER wants to get in melee combat (he's not armed anyway) he stays far away enough from you by himself to let you get a snipe-shot in. If you're having problems losing him, move until he's off screen, cast Shadow, and then creep in. As soon as you see him, cast Shadow again and then snipe-shoot him. -------------------------- 7 Fun Things to Try ========================== There's only one fun thing to try in the game after you've beaten it - and that's re-writing it by mucking with the dialogue files! You'll notice that certain dialogues will give you more to work with than others. I've made it so certain characters who you're just supposed to talk to actually join the party (because they had code to turn them into enemies, disappear, or what have you) This isn't advisable if you want a good party member - these make-shift guys really suck. I've also re-written Krog's code so he's as powerless in text as he is in game - a pathetic combatant who doesn't stand a chance against you. I've increased my constitution to 999 and above, and watches enemies drop with a single blow from 1000 Strength. Just examine the conversation files in "Siege Of Avalon\ArtLib\Resources\Conversations" (replacing "Siege of Avalon" with whatever directory you installed it to) and it should be pretty obvious how to alter it. You can also change the sounds, and Journal entries! ---------------------- 8 Final Thoughts ====================== Well, I must thank CJayC for keeping the whole "GameFaqs" site going. It's simply the best site there is for finding out all the best tips and tricks there are for games. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have written this FAQ. Hey, how could I resist the bounty?? As for the game... Well, there are bugs, slowdown, terrible controls and some really bad design... but really, it's a nice game considering the low price and the team who created it definitely show some talent... if a lack of good sense at times. The inability to re-map as many keys as you need is the most glaring, but the fact that the path-finding, click detection and AI is a joke stands out pretty clearly too. The game itself though is pretty nicely written and a LOT of thought went into the villains of the game. You're missing a great deal of the game if you don't do Chapter 4 and talk to your enemies. Please excuse the amount of griping I do in this FAQ, but I am a VERY demanding player. This document, again, is copyright 2002-07-28 by "SaneJake", and no part may be reproduced in any form without expressed consent of said person. I can be reached at jreyal@hotmail.com. Comments, criticism and suggestions are welcome, flames will be ignored. Oh yes - thank-you for reading this FAQ, and I'll close by explaining my alias: "Sane Jake" as opposed to "Mad Max".