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ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Icewind Dale (PC)
FAQ/Walkthrough
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ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
August 21, 2000
Version 1.4
Written by: Dan Simpson
Email: manymoose@hotmail.com
Email Policy:
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Got an Icewind Dale Question? Email me!
For a speedier response, make sure to put
"Icewind Dale Questions" as the subject.
Notes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You will find the most up to date version of this FAQ at:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/
http://www.gamewinners.com/
http://www.cheatcc.com/
I have now added a Walkthrough section to the FAQ! You can look for it after
the Frequently Asked Questions. It isn't complete at the moment, but will
soon get there.
There is a NEW (July 30) patch out for Icewind Dale, which you can find here:
Patch: ftp://ftp.interplay.com/pub/patches/IWDPatch106.exe
Readme: ftp://ftp.interplay.com/pub/misc/patch106.txt
There are also some "bonus" portraits available:
ftp://ftp.interplay.com/pub/misc/iwd_ports.zip
ftp://ftp.interplay.com/pub/misc/t_port.zip
Portraits need to be placed in the \portraits folder in the game directory.
This folder needs to be created by you.
I quote directly from other people who have sent in information. When I want
to comment on their strategies, I use the "Ed. Note", or Editor's Note.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________
What's New in 1.4:
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Added new information from Souma, including new names, a new party making
strategy, and some other information. Also added a tip from Jeremy
Treanor about fire protection and fireballs. Added my own tip about
Proficiencies in the General Strategies.
Lots of small changes, additions and corrections from Leo Wang. (thanks)
For a complete Version History, check out the Final Words Section at the end
of the FAQ.
Note: In the FAQ I use the abbreviation IWD to stand in for the full title of
Icewind Dale, and BG to abbreviate Baldur's Gate.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
x... My Party
x... Creating a Balanced Party
x... General Strategies
Frequently Asked Questions
x... Gameplay Specific Questions
x... General Gaming Questions
x... Monster Questions
x... Technical Questions
x... Other Questions
Walkthrough
1... Easthaven
1.1... The Lost Caravan
2... Kuldahar Pass
3... Kuldahar
4... Vale of Shadows
4.1... Kresselac's Tomb
4.2... Post Vale Kuldahar
5... Temple of the Forgotten God
6... Dragon's Eye
7... Severed Hand
8... Dorn's Deep
9... Wyrm's Tooth
10... Lower Dorn's Deep
11... Easthaven (again)
Appendices
x... Guide to Naming Characters
x... Cheats
x... Bugs
x... Strange Things
Final Words...
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My Party:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The party I first beat the game with:
Human Fighter
Elf Fighter
Half-Elf Cleric/Ranger (has access to both Druid and Cleric spells this
way, and also gets the "dual wield" which is just
an extra attack when a shield is not equipped)
Human Bard (useful to identify things, and can cast magic!)
Halfling Fighter/Thief (don't bother ever giving points to the Pickpocket
skill, it's useless in IWD)
Human Conjurer
I actually started the game with a Human Thief instead of the Halfling, but
switched over later. (You can bring in new characters at any time) Then I
just stayed in the area I was at, and leveled my new character up a bit.
What monsters was I fighting? Cold Wights! One of my favorite monsters in
all of Dragon's Eye. Easy to beat, and decent Exp (1500) as well.
Pickpocket is useful especially for the bard who has nothing to do but
pickpocket. I pick a few NPC's pockets and got some nice item especially
from the archdruid himself (I got 2 rings of free movement; I will never be
held by spells or item like wise). (from Mike Gan)
The party I'm played through IWD with the second time:
Dwarf Fighter (with proficiencies in Axes and Crossbows)
Half-Elf Cleric/Ranger (is actually IMPORTED from my first party, though
not from the end of the game, at level 8/8 with a
lot of cool items)
Halfling Fighter/Thief
Elf Fighter/Mage (I'd found a cool weapon my first go through of the
game that could only be used by Fighter/Mages
so...)
And they were all EVIL (except the Cleric/Ranger)! I was really surprised by
how many items in IWD couldn't be used by GOOD characters, so I had to have
some EVIL characters. And for more roleplaying fun, I said all the "jerk"
responses in the dialogs. After this maybe I'll go through with a party of
Gnomes...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Creating a Balanced Party
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the most important decisions that you have to make comes before you
ever start the game. What will your party look like? Naturally I would
recommend the party I used to beat the game (see My Party above) as it worked
well, but I know that that party isn't for everyone. So here we now have a
section on creating that balanced party that you can use to smite your
enemies!
Decision 1: How many characters to have in the party?
------------------------------------------------------
You can have anywhere from 1 to 6 characters in your party. Naturally
going through the game with just one character would be extraordinarily
difficult. The minimum number of characters that I think would keep the
game playable is 4. 3 could probably be done, but you're pushing it.
Four characters allows you to cover all the bases (one fighter, mage,
cleric, and thief type characters), with the obvious advantage that they
will get more experience per battle, as there are less people to share the
experience with. (Whenever you defeat a creature, each character gets the
exp that that creature was worth divided by how many characters you have
in your party. So if you just beat a 2000 exp monster, and had 4 people,
then each person gets 500 exp, but if you have 6 people then they only get
333 experience)
That being said, if you are a newcomer to AD&D games, such as Icewind Dale
and Baldur's Gate, then I would recommend that you go with the full 6
member party. Even if you are pretty good at Baldur's Gate, you may still
want to go with the full 6 member party.
But if you enjoy a challenge, try 4 (or 3).
And if you're suicidal, try just one character.
Decision 2: What classes should be in my party?
------------------------------------------------
You need to balance your party in IWD. All melee parties will do pretty
poorly in IWD, as they get slaughtered by nasty enemies. Magic heavy
parties do poorly as well as you don't have enough standing between you and
certain death. As such, careful balance is in order.
Let's take a look at the party I used to beat the game:
Human Fighter
Elf Fighter
Half-Elf Cleric/Ranger
Human Bard
Halfling Fighter/Thief
Human Conjurer
At level 1 this party has 4 melee fighter types, two thief types (the Bard
can only Pick Pockets, but this frees the Fighter/Thief from having to use
any skill points on Pickpockets), two mage types (the bard gets spells on
level 2), and one Cleric type. The only weakness at the beginning is that
the Conjurer only gets 6 HP to start out with.
What you need:
A thief
A cleric
And enough Hp's to not get killed in every battle
Everything past that is extremely helpful, but not specifically NEEDED.
Naturally you get the HP's from Fighters. A thief and a Cleric alone will
get killed easily, so add a few Fighters to the mix, and/or multi-class the
thief and cleric.
Adding in Magic is a really good idea as it supplements your melee power.
Therefore my recommended party looks very much like the party I first used,
with the six party members.
If I were to play with only three characters, this is how I would do it:
Cleric/Ranger (I love these)
Fighter/Thief
Fighter/Mage
ERSKINE makes this recommendation about which type of Mage to play:
If you make your wizard a specialty Conjurer then you can use all the
spells currently in the game! Conjurers in Icewind Dale (IWD) have
an opposition school of Divination, but all wizards can learn/cast
"lesser divinations" of up to and including 3rd level (maybe 4th, but I
don't think so)-- there are no divinations in IWD above second level, so
a conjurer can cast all spells in the game and gains the bonus spells
for being a specialist-- I do not think IWD uses any of the disadvantages
of being a specialist like in AD&D.
Alignment Note: There are various items in the game that can only be used
by Good or Evil characters, so try to have a mix of
alignments. Maybe 2 Good, 2 Neutral and 2 Evil. Also
your reputation is based on the Alignment of the character
in the first slot, Lawful Good being the best, Chaotic
Evil being the worst.
The "All-Fighter" Party:
------------------------
This is a "powergamer" type of party, that takes advantage of the Human's
Dual Classing.
Create a party of six (or how ever many people you want) fighters. While
creating each of them, keep in mind what you would like them to dual class
over to later. So, when you are creating your Fighter who will dual to
Cleric, you need to get not only good Fighter stats, but also good Wisdom.
The same would go for your Fighter who will be Thief, needing good
Dexterity, Fighter who will be Mage needs good Intelligence, etc. Now
when they reach level two, instantly dual class them over to their new
class. What this accomplishes is creating better versions of
Clerics/Thieves/Mages/etc., at a low cost of experience. (2000 exp for the
Fighter level 2)
Fighter (stays a fighter)
Fighter (stays a fighter)
Ranger dualled to Cleric at level 2
Fighter dualled to Thief at level 2
Fighter dualled to Mage at level 2
+1 more character if desired (I'd take a Bard)
ERSKINE's party making strategies:
----------------------------------
My thoughts on party composition --
at least two Fighters--- great hit points, great THAC0's, wear almost any
armor, 5 levels of weapon specialization, and they
usually have the best strength with which to carry
your heavy items without being encumbered
one Mage --- make it a conjurer (use all the spells, memorize 1 extra spell
per spell level) they can use almost all of the wands, and
their spells rock at high levels
one Druid--- I think their spells are better (like Creeping Doom, Fire
seeds, Static Charge), the loss of turning undead is not that
much of a problem-- I hate chasing down skeletons and wights
that ran away, and they can even use some good armor and
shields later in the game (Umber Hulk plate and Rhino Beetle
Shields) (Ed. Note: You're almost at the END of the game
before you get THOSE items! Though they are quite good)
a multi-classed thief--- true thieves in IWD are a little bit lacking, make
your thief a thief/mage or a fighter/thief for
better effect (you can still reach lvl 14/12 with
a thief/mage or 14/11 with a thief/fighter)
Your 6th character can be what ever you like--- if you love mages add
another one, or try out a Paladin or even a cleric
I would avoid Rangers-- they are great in AD&D but they have some limitations
in IWD: there are not a lot of animals to charm, only 2 levels of weapon
specialization, more xp's to level up and if you want to hide in shadows
then you are limited in your choice of armor. Two weapons can be
useful, and so can the racial enemy, but I don't think that makes up for
their deficiencies. Also, their druid spells are rather weak when you
finally get them.
Ed. Note: Which is why I like Cleric/Rangers. Complements the Ranger
abilities perfectly.
Paladins are a better choice--they can lay on hands, better saving
throws, cast protection from evil, are immune to disease, and can cure
disease, and can cast cleric spells (although the spells are only a
minor help late in the game).
I haven't played with bards yet so I can only speculate, but there are
some cool items that only they can use, and they can cast spells and
sing for your party so they could be very helpful--- also I think that
there are some places in the game where bards can do things that other
classes can't (Talking to the Sea-Elf in Easthaven, the bard can sing to
her for extra xp's).
When chosing a race for your class stick mostly to elves, half-elves and
humans. However, Dwarven fighters can have a 19 constitution and their
hit points can really get up there, also dwarves are very resistant to
poison, and have some resistance to magic. Elves and Half-Elves have a
resistance to sleep and charm related spells (90% for elves and 30% for
Half-Elves--if they followed AD&D rules on this) Personally, I have
never had much use for gnomes and halflings (big noses and hairy feet,
respectively)
My 1st party -- Human Male Fighter
Half Elven Female Ranger
Human Male Fighter
Elven Female Mage/Thief
Dwarven Female Cleric (just for fun)
Elven Male Conjurer
this party got the job done, but this is where I learned of some
problems with the classes-
My new party -- Human Male Fighter
Human Male Paladin
Dwarven Male Fighter
Elven Female Mage/Thief
Elven Male Druid
Human Female Conjurer
Ed. Note: With the Druid above, I'd start with a Fighter, then at level 2
dual over to a Druid. This way, once your Druid hits level 3,
then they can wear normal armors and weapons.
Souma's Party Making Strategies:
--------------------------------
My first time through I played with 6 characters (Human Paladin, Dwarven
Fighter/Thief, Human Cleric, Human Ranger, Elven Fighter/Mage and Half-Elf
Bard) and had a pretty rough old time as I got to grips with the way the game
works. All in all, it wasn't too tough. My second time 4 (Human Fighter, Elf
Thief, Half-Elf Druid and Half-Elf Mage) and I had great fun using all those
abilities that a fighter heavy party lets rust as they pound through a
dungeon (it's a lot different when only 1 party member can use the big
missile weapons like longbows and crossbows!). For my third time through, I'm
testing what I suspect to be the "ultimate" party. I'll cover them one at a
time (there are only 3).
I've taken a Halfling Fighter/Thief as my front character. This gives me all
the thiefly skills you need from the get go (you do not want to be hit by
traps with a small party!) and a sturdy fighter. I also look forward to
casting Haste spells on her without fear of her becoming exhausted (due to
the halfling/gnome only helmet, Helm of the Trusted Defender). As her max Str
is only 17 though, I will be using up Giant Strength Potions as I find them
to make her into a killing machine (especially when she backstabs!). Once you
reach Kuldahar you can equip her with Plate Armor, a +2 Ring of Protection
(from Oswald), the Helm of the Trusted Defender and a shield (magical if you
get one) for a total of about -7 AC. That's just awesome and the monsters
will have no idea of how to hurt you for a long time (short of a lucky 20 on
the hit roll). I've specialized her in Bows and Large Swords and recommend
specializing in Axe (so as to take advantage of the Battleaxe +2 Defender and
Throwing Axe +2) or Small Swords (to get another weapon you can backstab
with) after that.
For my second character I've picked a Human Ranger with the intention of
dual classing to cleric once I reach level 9 (thus allowing me to reach
level 14 and have access to all cleric/druid spells in the game). I picked
specialization in Missile Weapons and Mace and have been running around with
Slings and Morning Stars. As I levelled I also specialized in Hammers so as
to be able to use Conlan's Hammer to the best of her ability. I picked
Skeletal Undead as her racial enemy and have been going through them like
holes in swiss cheese. With the extra attack that Rangers get with any
single-handed weapon and no shield, my Ranger really lays on the hurt in
close combat and has been known to kill as much as both the other characters
put together. If I can remember it, I'll also be looking forward to using
the Charm Animal special ability on as many Winter Wolves as I can (sneak up
on them, use the skill and maybe they won't even get to ice breath me). When
I dual to Cleric, I will be able to use both Druid and Cleric spells making
her an awesome powerhouse of enhancement, healing and attack spells. I've
found that I really haven't needed a cleric so far (right up to the end of
the Dragon's Eye)...
For my third character I've picked a Human Fighter with the intention of
dual classing to Mage (Conjurer if I can) once I reach level 9 (thus
allowing my to reach level 14 and have access to the highest mage level in
the game). I started off with specialisation in crossbow and large swords
and then increased that to mastery in both. I find that a mage is not really
necessary early in the game, and you should be able to go mage some time
around about the Elven Hand. Big hit points, massive strength, lots of
attacks, great armor, all the mage spells in the game. That's pretty
awesome.
Note that with my characters I maximised their Strength, Constitution and
Dexterity first and then gave the Fighter/Thief max Charisma, the
Ranger>Cleric max Wisdom and the Fighter>Mage max Intelligence. It's very
munchkin behaviour, but IWD is a very munchkin game I think.
The benefits of this 3 character group should be made clear. Firstly, your
characters level up a lot faster, a couple of extra levels at every point in
the game makes a substantial difference. Secondly, the fewer characters you
have, the easier it is to focus your attacks and reducing the number of
monsters that can get to you in hand to hand. Thirdly, you have half the
number of characters to spread the best equipment over so each character
tends to be better equipped. Fourthly, you can sell off half the magical
stuff you'd normally have to keep, allowing you to buy stuff from the stores
earlier. Finally, because you have no magic users in the first half of the
game, you don't have to rest much (you can't either. Quaff healing potions
or get healed by a cleric or rest for weeks to get those hit points back.
Lucky you've got heaps of money eh?)
The main drawback of this party is in the early game when you have no lore
skill to speak of (10-20 lore on the 18 Wisdom ranger is just not enough!)
so you spend a fair chunk of money paying other people to identifying things
(or use up about 3 +4 Int potions in one go to get 25 Int for 50-60 lore and
you still won't identify everything). The fact that you don't have any
spells to speak off until you reach the elven hand is actually not as big a
deal as I thought it would be (although if you missed pickpocketing for
those two rings of free action you would be in deep trouble with clerics
that like casting hold person).
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General Strategies
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fighting Battles:
-----------------
Let them come to you. When you first see an enemy, your first instinct may
be to run over to it and slaughter it. Well don't. Let it come to you,
and attack it there. This way if there are 50 more of these creatures,
they won't see you and won't attack. You can then pick off each creature
one at a time. This is especially useful in dungeons where the enemies may
be more difficult. So when you first see an enemy (let's say that it's a
Umber Hulk), turn off the AI (it's the left button in the bottom right
corner of the screen), and let him come up to you. You should also have
your archers/mages hit the enemy with everything they can, but don't move
any closer to the enemy! The last thing that you want is to fight TWO
Umber Hulks at the same time!
Also realize that some monsters (like Yxunomei) require that you hit
them with Magic Weapons only. You should never use Magic Arrows on a
normal creature; you should save the special arrows for enemies that need
them, such as Imbued Wights, Iron Golems, etc.
Area spells can take out a lot of enemies without them even knowing that
you are there. Suppose for a moment, that you are walking along, and a
Giant comes to attack you. You immediately stop, wait for him to come to
you and kill him. Well, where there is one Giant there are probably more,
so you launch a fireball in the direction that the Giant came from, and
immediately hear the screams of dying Giants.
Leo Wang has this to add:
Take a character with the Hide in Shadows ability or a way to cast
Invisibility and scout out the area before doing any area-effect spells.
Example of where random fireballing can result in a bad situation: Mother
Egenia in the Troll Caves. The only place where scouting with an
invisible character won't work is Lower Dorn's Deep (the area immediately
after the Wyrm Tooth area, not the other areas of Lower Dorn's Deep), as
Tarnished Sentries can see invisible characters apparently.
Composite Long Bows can hit monsters outside of your "fog of war" area
sometimes. A good place for an example of this in action: The Orc caves
in the beginning--let your characters kill the two orcs in the beginning
by themselves without moving from the entrance (i.e. everyone's got a
ranged attack, so they don't need to move); if the first two characters
have Composite Long Bows, they will automatically pick off the third orc
in the black area without the orc fighting back.
Useful spells and tough Enemies
-------------------------------
When fighting 2 or more difficult enemies use the Dire Charm spell (or
Domination, or Charm Animal, etc.) to quickly turn the odds in your favor.
If you have 2 magic users who can cast charm in the first round of a fight,
not only does the enemy lose two characters, you gain them temporarily (so
the odds change from 10 enemies vs. 6 of you to 8 enemies and 8 of you).
Once they are charmed, pull back your big bruisers from the front lines and
replace them by the newly acquired members while continually pelting the
remaining enemies with ranged weapons. If any charmed characters survive
the encounter, simply force-attack them to get rid of them.
Also, the spell Entangle is pretty useful to stop any melee intensive enemy
from hitting your party. Once entangled, they can't move and you can get
rid of them easily and safely with ranged weapons. The spell Web is also
good since a webbed creature can't even attack with a ranged weapon, but
the spell can last for several rounds and could eventually web some of your
own party members from round to round if they get in the affected area.
You can, of course, use Free Action (either by Item or by Spell) to keep
your party from being affected by these webs.
Monsters summoning and the Elemental Summons, are great spells. Although
the early summoned monsters do not do a lot of damage, their primary
purpose resides in the cannon fodder that they become. While they keep the
enemy busy, you can pick them off one by one with ranged weapons or spells
(saving all your potions, and more potent spells for later more powerful
enemies). Even the powerful Elementals best usage is to soak up the damage
from enemies.
Fireballs and those other major area effect spells should be used only to
weaken the enemy or for luring them to you and thus, do not memorize a lot
of these (memorize others, such as Fire Arrow instead). These major area
effect spells, when not cast at the right place, can literally damage your
whole party so unless you know exactly where to cast them, don't use them.
Keep them instead for when an area is completely filled with a group of
weaker enemies to get rid of them quickly and with minimal damage (happens
when you quickloads or loads a lot of times in the same map).
Jeremy Treanor has this to add:
I have a suggestion that wasn't mentioned in your general strategies. It
involves using a druid (or cleric? not sure if they get it) and having
them cast protection from fire on all the members of your party. This
spell lasts long enough that your mage who should know fireball becomes a
portable explosive. Basically, have your other characters surrounding the
mage as best they can when a group starts to surround you and launch a
fireball at your feet. This is especially useful in the aquarium and the
areas where you encounter snow and ice trolls.
Memorize a lot of Dispel Magic spells. Dispel Magic negates any magic
affecting your party (fear, horror, paralysis, entangle, slow, etc...)
while it can also be used to dispel the enemy magics that they use (haste,
minor globe of invulnerability, protection from normal missiles, etc...).
Dispel Magic is an Area Effect Spell, so don't forget that casting dispel
magic will negate both magics affecting your party and the enemy so knowing
when to cast what spell when is crucial in an important battle. Usually,
though, it is preferable to dispel everyone's magics than having one or
more of your party members being paralysed, charmed, running in fear,
etc...
Save a Lot:
-----------
There are 3 times when you should definately save the game. When you win a
battle, before you go to sleep, and everywhere else. You never know when
you will go to a new area, have your best warrior charmed, and have half
your party killed. So save often. Also don't just save over the same slot
over and over, use at least 10 slots. This also means you should probably
avoid the Quick Save. Well... not avoid, just don't use it exclusively.
What I would do is to create an "Archive Save" whenever you enter a new
major area. So when you start the Vale of Shadows create a "Vale of
Shadows Beginning Save" so if you screw up, you can start over from the
start of the Vale.
That said, I have heard reports where game performance drags when someone
saves in TOO MANY DIFFERENT slots. I'm not sure how many it takes to drag
down performance, but I think you'll be safe between 10-15 saves.
Scribing Scrolls:
-----------------
Since at 18 INT you have only an 85% chance to successfully scribe a spell
from a scroll into your spellbook, I would recommend using Potions to
temporarily increase your INT to raise your success rate. The Potion of
Genius works great, but any potion that raises your INT is good. So, what
I usually did was this: I would wait until I had about 4 spells that
needed to be scribed, then I would use a potion and learn them all at once.
Unless, of course, I got a really really useful spell then I would learn it
as soon as I got it.
Alternatively you could just SAVE before you scribe any spell. If you fail
to learn it, then you can just reload and try again. I don't like this
method as much, but it's just as effective.
Proficiency Tip:
----------------
Don't have all your characters specialize in the same weapons. That is not
only boring, but counterproductive as well. If everyone in your party is
specialized in Long Swords, and you find a really cool axe, you are out of
luck! There is quite the penalty for using weapons that you aren't
familiar with. So I would recommend something like this:
Character 1: Long Swords and Great Swords
Character 2: Axes and Crossbows
Character 3: Halberds and Great Swords
and so forth...
Souma's Pickpocketing Advice
----------------------------
In Easthaven, the priest Everard has 2 Healing Potions you can pick pocket
from him. In Kuldahar, you can pick pocket a number of valuable items. The
archdruid Arundel has a Ring of Free Action that you can pick pocket. The
mage Orrick has a Ring of Free Action and a Necklace of Metaspell Influence
(gives an extra level 2 mage spell!) that can be pickpocketed. Oswald
Fiddlebender has a Necklace of Missiles (three or less charges of a 6d6
damage fireball usable by anyone), a Ring of Protection +2, 2 Oils of Fiery
Burning and a Firebreath Potion. On a side note, if you kill Oswald
Fiddlebender (-4 Reputation and important townsfolk become hostile) you get
Boots of Grounding (50% electricity resistance), a Golden Girdle (+3 AC vs
slashing), an Oil of Fiery Burning, a Fire Resistance Potion and some loose
change. Not too shabby. There may be some places later in the game where
you can get things by pick pocketing, but I can't recall them at this time.
In any case, the best of the items you can pick pocket is the Ring of Free
Action, a brilliant item that I've never found any other way. It allows all
sorts of cheeky tactics with Web spells and grants your main fighters
immunity from irritating hold person spells (it negates boots of speed
however, so it's not smart to combine the two). There are Free Action
potions and Free Action spells, but they don't give the 24 hrs a day
protection of the ring. In short, it is well worth the cost of investing up
to 40% in pick pockets (or taking a bard) so that you can grab these nice
items...
(Ed. Note: I just took a Bard. Bards rule.)
===============================================================================
Frequently Asked Questions
===============================================================================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gameplay Specific Questions:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Easthaven
---------
Q: What do I do with the Caravan Contract? Neither Pomab nor Hrothgar seem
to care about it.
A: Give it to the Fishmonger (he lives between Hrothgar's house and the
Tavern) for some experience.
Q: What's with that weird Aqua-Elf in the SW corner of Easthaven?
A: That "Aqua Elf" is part of a mini-subquest. There's a man a bit
further north of her, standing by the lake just mumbling to himself.
Talk to him to learn about her, then talk to her about it, and she gives
you a broken sword to give to him
Kuldahar Pass
-------------
Q: How do I get to Kuldahar?
A: Head east, cross the bridge, and leave the area to the east.
Kuldahar
--------
Q: There's this one locked door here that I can't open. How do I open it?
A: I have no idea. As soon as I find out, though, I'll put it in. I have
heard a rumor that pins this door as some sort of Easter Egg/Expansion
Pack door. Meaning that maybe they will release an expansion pack
(similar to the Tales of the Sword Coast for BG), and it will be accessed
via the Kuldahar Secret Door of Doom!
Q: Where do I find Mirek's Family Heirloom?
A: In the Vale of Shadows, on the Yeti Chieftan. It's a necklace. You can
find the Yeti Chieftan just south of the Giant Statue in the center of
the Vale. Return it to Mirek for some experience (Mirek is the
frightened townsperson who first ran from the Yeti, I found him near the
Potter's).
Vale of Shadows
---------------
Q: I'm in the final crypt in the Vale of Shadows. I have the gate key and
the sanctum key but neither seems to open the gate that is in the middle
of the crypt (the one with the blue pools of skeleton goo.) How do I get
this gate open?
A: Go through the doors to the left, and search the coffin there to get the
Priest's Key. Take that key, and open the doors to the right. Search
this coffin to pick up Myrkul's Holy Symbol. Now with the Holy Symbol,
you can now open the big double doors.
Q: I am at this big GEAR DOOR, and I can't figure out how to open it. Is
there a switch that I need to find?
A: Yes there is! Just to the south of the door is a triangle with three
pillars, check the pillar on the lower right (that is, the one farthest
from the door), and on the left side of the pillar is the switch. Switch
it to open.
Q: OK, I found the switch on the Column, but it says that it is locked? Now
what?
A: The "key" for the switch is the Black Wolf Talisman, which can be found
on a skeleton which can be found by heading almost directly south from
the column. This leads to an "L" shaped room, there is a door in the
southern end of this room that leads to the room with the skeleton in it.
Q: I went through the Crypt in the vale, and found this skeletal knight
(Kresselack) who asked me to find and eliminate a Priestess. Where is
she?
A: You can only do this once you have agreed to kill her. You must go out
of the crypt, and back into the vale. Now, on this screen you want to
head into the cave in the bottom-middle of the area (just south of the
Statue in the center of the area). This is a Yeti cave, rather than a
crypt. Go inside, and she'll be there.
After killing the frostmaiden priestess go back to the tavern and talk to
the barkeeper. He will say that he wants to throw away her items, and if
you say the right things he will pass them on to you. I got an ice
mantle which is very nice item with +30 to ice/fire resistance. Plus
some other stuff as well. (from Mike Gan)
Q: So, how do I open Kresselack's coffin? I can't KNOCK it, BASH it, or
PICK it!
A: Just kill the Priestess and then talk to Kresselack again. Then it will
be automatically opened for you.
Dragon's Eye
------------
Q: I'm in Dragon's Eye, and there are these weird Peaceful Monks here, and
they don't let me go in all these doors. What's their deal?
A: If you wander around there enough you'll start picking up clues about
them. Go check out their carpet, or the books in their library to learn
that they are up to no good. Make sure you're ready for a fight though,
these Monks are nasty, and they like to summon more monsters as well.
Q: OK, I cleared the Monks area out, so where's the Heartstone Gem?
A: It's on a later level in Dragon's Eye. Head to the next level via the
passage in the SE of the area. When you find the BOSS, you'll find the
Gem.
Q: I cannot seem to damage this BOSS (Yxunomei) at all! How do I kill her?
A: With magical weapons. I'm not entirely clear on what it requires to kill
her since Erevain's Broadsword didn't hurt her, and Conlan's Hammer does.
(Both are +2 weapons) To get Conlan's Hammer, once Sheemish has been
rescued, go back to Kuldahar, visit the Smithy and talk to Sheemish to
get the key to the chest that contains the Hammer.
Q: I fought the Big Evil Snake Goddess (Yxunomei), but was unable to kill
her so I went back to the previous level to rest up. But when I
returned, she wasn't where she should be! Where'd she go?
A: She can be found in the very NW corner of this area. However, this
doesn't happen if you have the latest patch installed.
http://www.interplay.com/icewind/
Q: I returned to Kuldahar after Dragon's Eye, but now Arundel is dead. What
do I do now?
A: What you have seen is the false Arundel on the main floor disappear. Go
upstairs to find the real Arundel to get to the next area.
Shattered Hand (aka Severed Hand)
--------------
Q: Where is the Severed Hand? I can't find it on my map.
A: You have to scroll the map down to find the Severed Hand. This can be
done either by clicking and dragging the mouse, or by using the arrow
buttons in the top right corner.
Q: This Elf in the Arboretum has asked for animals, or seeds, where can I
get these?
A: You don't find these in the Hand, but don't worry, you will bump into
these things eventually.
Q: In the Shattered Hand, I need to find Larrel... where is he?
A: As you go up the tower, it eventually splits into five smaller towers, or
fingers. You want to go in the far right tower, up that until you get
the option of going to a passage to the left. Go across the skybridge,
and over to another tower. Go up the stairs here, up the next stairs and
you'll be in the Astrolabe, with Larrel.
Q: In the library in the Shattered Hand, are any of these books important?
A: As far as I know, only the book on the Mythal has any significance, which
you give to Orrick back in Kuldahar.
Q: OK... Larrel seems to want me to fix the Astrolabe, how do I do that?
A: By giving his companion machinery pieces. The first is found in the War
Room, the second on Kaylessa (she'll let you fight for it when you "free"
her subordinates on the levels above her), the third is found in the
southern tower, in a chest guarded by some Shadow Clerics, the fourth is
found several levels below: to get there you have to take the Lift down
(the Lift can be found one level below the level where the five towers
split off) and then go down the stairs, search the area to find it. Give
all four pieces to the Mage there, then when the machine is finished,
talk to Larrel and he'll be a bit more forthcoming.
Dorn's Deep
-----------
Q: In the Dorn's Deep cavern (with all the pretty mushrooms), where do I go?
A: Your eventual goal is the main Dwarven Complex, which is in the lower
right of the area. Go to the center of the area to the giant statues,
and go right from those. Since that leads to the next areas in the game,
you'll probably want to explore the other areas first.
Q: Also in Dorn's Deep Cavern, I can see another building in the very top
right of the map, but I can't find a way to get there. So, how DO you
get up that way?
A: Go all the way back to the beginning. Now there is a small path that
leads all the way to the right, along the side of the wall. It's kinda
hard to see at first, but it's there. Along the way there is a cave with
some Orog's (but nothing else, really). Go into the building in the Top
Right, and talk to Bandoth. You won't ever really get anything of
interest out of him, EXCEPT that you can BARTER with him for some really
cool spells! (and potions too, but you can get those anywhere) Be
careful while talking to him, as he might attack you. (and if you beat
him you get neither experience nor any items!)
Q: Can I do anything with the bottle of Razorvine Extract? Or were the
developers just having fun?
A: You can find the Bottle on a corpse in the Ettin's Lair (the big cave in
the bottom part of the area), and it calls itself then "Razorvine Extract
-- Property of Mourns-for-Trees." If you never played Torment, that
won't really make sense to you.
The container of Razor-vine extract is part of a mini-quest. If you
talk to Bandoth (in the tower in the NE of Upper Dorn's he will ask you
to find his apprentice and return the extract. (from ERSKINE)
Q: In Dorn's Deep, I met an Umber Hulk named Saablik Tan who asked me to
retrieve a badge for him. Where do I find it?
A: Go right, and south to find an Orog who will talk to you. Kill him and
take the badge. Return it to Saablik for experience. Also, you're going
to need to gather 6 of these badges.
Q: In Dorn's Deep, I found a secret door in a Dwarven Round Table Room,
which lead to a big circular trap thing. I've wandered around it with my
Thief, but can't disarm the traps. What do I do??
A: This is a puzzle! If you look at the three statues it will show you what
you are supposed to do. Anyway, here's the solution. The idea here is
to disarm the three rings of the trap. So, moving around the edges,
careful not to step on any of the RUNED squares, move to the top right
and step on the tile that looks like an ANVIL & HAMMER. You have now
unlocked the outer ring. Now move around to the bottom, careful not to
touch any of the inner ring tiles, and step on the tile with the TWO
CROSSED SWORDS. Finally move around to the upper left and step on the
tile with the two INTERLOCKING CIRCLES to disarm the entire trap. Now go
back to the conference room, and the Dwarf Statue just to the right of
the secret passage will have his Hammer down, click on the hammer, and
then go back through the secret passage. There will now be a set of
stairs here.
Q: I killed the Lich, but he keeps coming back. How do I finally get rid of
him?
A: You have to get rid of his life force. In the Hall of Heroes, in one of
the left crypts you will find Terrikan's Phylactery, this is the essence
of the Lich, and is needed to destroy him. Now take this item to
Jamoth's crypt, which is the second one from the entrance on the right
side. The phylactery will vanish, and so too will the Lich.
Q: I found Evayne's Diary (Larrel's Daughter) is there anything that I
should do with it?
A: Yes, take it to Larrel, and get yourself some Experience! Sure it means
going all the way back to the Shattered Hand, but what else were you
going to do with it? He doesn't actually TAKE the journal, so just leave
it there when you're done.
Q: And then how do I get through those big double doors in the Hall of
Heroes?
A: Go back to the spirit you talked to about Terrikan, and you'll get some
experience. (He's moved to the bottom of the stairs) Now check the
caldron on the statue to open a small compartment. Check inside for the
key to the doors.
Q: Is there anywhere to REST in Dorn's Deep? Seems like it won't let me
sleep anywhere!
A: After the Dwarven Conference Room, you won't be able to rest until you
hit the glacier. Which means that you have to do the entire Lich thing
restless.
You can, actually, rest in the Forge Room (where the Ghost is). There is
a chance of monsters here, though.
Wyrm's Tooth
------------
Q: I'm now in the Glacier area, where now?
A: Go south and you'll find a broken bridge. That is your overall goal for
this area, to repair that bridge. Head into that large building
(Aquarium, I suppose) and talk to the Ice Salamanders there. They won't
attack, and think that you were sent by the BOSS. Whatever. Head down
the stairs that are located just to the left of the entrance to find the
revolted slaves.
Q: In the Aquarium, I keep getting damaged! Who is attacking me?
A: In the frozen aquarium you are getting damaged by walking too
close to the frost salamanders, if you try to walk around them as much
as possible then you will cut down the damage, but occasionally you
can't avoid passing close to them. (from ERSKINE)
Q: I met a woman named Vera in the western part of this area, who is she,
and what's she doing here?
A: Vera was instrumental in the slave revolt, and is now hiding out from the
Salamanders. Talk to her if you want, then drop down the stairs and tell
Garth about her (he's one of the slaves at the far right) for some
experience.
Q: How do I get the slaves out? Do I have to fight all those Salamanders?
A: No, you don't have to fight them, as long as they still think that you
are working for the BOSS. Before doing this, be sure to get the Book on
Suspension (to fix the bridge with) from Soth (see the next question for
more information). Anyway, talk to Gareth, and he'll reveal that they
have found a new way out, but that they need a key. Then go back to
Kerish (the Salamander leader, located at the far right in the Aquarium)
and ask for the key. He'll give it to you if you say that you'll keep
the slaves from escaping. Give the key to Gareth and all the slaves will
be free, and you get some experience for your trouble. If you go back
upstairs after freeing the slaves, you will be attacked. Oh, and if you
go back to Vera and talk to her after the slaves are freed, you get more
experience.
If you want, you can follow the slaves out. It leads to a new area. To
get back to the main map, go up and right, to go back to Wyrm's Tooth go
down and left, and to go to the next chapter, go down and right (but we
still have things to do in this chapter).
Q: So, how do I fix that bridge?
A: Once you're on the lower level of the Aquarium (it's really a temple, but
since it has fish in it, I call it an Aquarium), talk to Soth at the far
left. Ask him about the books, and ask for a book on bridges. I suppose
that you can only do this after you've SEEN the broken bridge. He'll
give you a book on suspension and the like, and you also get some
experience. Walk back to the bridge, and when you get near it, it will
automatically get repaired, and you get some experience.
Q: What do I need to accomplish in this cave?
A: Just head west until you run into some Frost Giants. One of them is the
BOSS of this area, Joril. Kill him and take his pendant, which is the
second part of the six part key. That's all you need to do in this cave,
although there are a lot of other cool things in here... such as a lot
more Frost Giants! (and their treasures!) There are also some slaves to
be freed, and some dragons to be slain (ok, they are only small wyrms,
but still, also search where the Wyrms were for a couple of treasures).
When you're done with this, leave the cave, and go back to the earlier
area (it's reached from the top right of this map), and then take the
lower right passage to reach the next chapter.
Q: What do I do with the Barrel of Pure Water that I found when I defeated
the follower of Auril?
A: Take it to the Arboretum in the Shattered Hand, and give it to its Elven
Caretaker, Valestis, of course! You get experience for this.
Lower Dorn's Deep (fire Salamander area)
-----------------
Q: How do I get into the Watchtower in the SE (lower right) of this area?
A: Go across the bridge into the top right of this area, and there will be
a gnomish girl named FENGLA, who will give you the key to the watchtower.
Now go inside, and kill all the archers here (they all have about 40
Arrows of Piercing so ... beware). When you clear out all the archers,
Fengla reappears, thanks you, and you get some experience, as well as the
satisfaction in knowing that you have helped some gnomes out. Whee.
Q: So what do I do here?
A: Go into the door at the very top of the map (it's sorta in the middle,
and has a Blue Thing above it) here to get into the Boarded Up City. I
would assume that this was a Deep Gnome city before it was taken over by
this Umber Hulk horde. We want to go north into the weird Green
Building. Once inside, head right and up to find Malavon. Be careful
with this one, it's one of the more difficult battles in the game. Once
Malavon is gone take the third Emblem (of six).
ERSKINE had this to add:
In the deep gnome area with the green dome--- on the left side, about
2/3 of the way north there is a building that you can enter and find a
corpse-- if you search the corpse it appears to be just a normal long
sword he was carring-- but it is actually "PALE JUSTICE" a sort of
"Holy Avenger"-- it just dosen't appear to be magical but it is
actually extermely powerful, and you can sell it for a whole 15-30 gp
(I guess the merchants are really as dumb as we think).
Ed. Note: You don't actually ENTER the building as you would, say to
go into a shop. You merely go THROUGH the building, like a
tunnel.
Also one of the designers (JE Sawyer) has pointed out that
since the Pale Justice looks and acts like a normal sword to
anyone but a Paladin, that is why it sells so poorly.
Q: What's with those weird drawings of EYES on the ground?
A: They're traps.
Q: In the Boarded Up City, is there anything to do besides going into the
large green obvious building?
A: There are a couple of barrels with some treasure (I got spells) in about
the center of the area, just south of the green building. Beyond that,
just some Umber Hulks to go through, and a big green building to go into.
Q: What do I do with these Seeds that I found in Malavon's room?
A: Take them to the Arboretum in the Severed Hand, of course!
Q: What is with this garden-type room? There seems to be a never ending
stream of monsters here!
A: You have to take out the "screamers" (the stationary mushrooms) in order
to stop new monsters from coming in.
Q: OK, I've taken out Malavon, now where?
A: To take out Ilmadia, of course! From the Boarded City (the area which
has Malavon's massive green laboratory), go south through the RIGHT
passage to get to the garden. From the garden take the South East (lower
right) passage to get to the Mines (you can help the Gnomes here if you
want by killing the Salamanders here), then continue all the way to the
right to get to the Fire Giant chamber (there are two passages on the
right, we want the far right one). Get past the guard, and head south to
the lake of lava, then go east to find Ilmadia, an evil Elven wench. (In
case you were wondering, she's the elf maid who visited the library in
the Severed Hand) Never underestimate women who control Fire Giants
should be your motto, so you should make some preparations before talking
to her (such as summoning a few Water Elementals, or whatever). Beat her
and get the 4th part of the key.
Q: Where is Marketh?
A: From the Garden, take the passage in the top left. There are some of the
absolute COOLEST items in his mansion, but beware Thieves! (The easiest
way to get to the garden from the main Salamander cave is to go into the
building in the top right -- where FENGLA was) Go upstairs, find Marketh
(he's the Thief that insists on talking to you), kill him or agree to
spare him, and take his Badge, the 5th part of the key.
Q: What do I do with the Drow Ginafae?
A: She's being held in Marketh's palace against her will, and should she try
to leave, she will be killed. First thing's first, you have to take out
Marketh (don't kill him), then talk to her with a Potion of Null Effect
(which you should have gotten from Malavon) in your possession to try to
help her out.
Q: What on earth do I do with a Sack of Potatoes?
A: Give it to some Gnomes, of course! From the main cavern of Lower Dorn's
Deep (where you came in), take the Lift in the top middle of the screen
down to a holding area. A gnome will talk to you, ask if there is
anything that you can do to help, then give him the Spuds, it's good for
some experience. Plus then you can free the Gnomes, and find their
hidden city, which has some interesting shops in it. (such as Nym)
Q: Nym sells Squirrels and Birds. Let me guess: these are for the
Arboretum in the Severed Hand?
A: Yes, they sure are. You get experience for both.
Q: Where is the last badge?
A: In the temple. From the garden it is the path that leads up and right.
Q: I'm getting killed in this temple, what do I do?
A: All you need to do to win in here is to take out the Idol. It is located
just north of Perdiem. Take it out, and all the undead will die, and the
priests will be freed of some form of mind control. Oh, and you get the
6th and final badge from Perdiem.
Q: How do I get up these stairs located just north of the Idol?
A: You need all 6 of the badge-keys. Just under the stairs are 6
"containers", click on them to place each badge in them, and the stairs
will "unlock" allowing you to go up them. I'd rest up (you can do so in
the garden) before going up the stairs. Once up there, I'd cast all the
preparatory spells you can, then move up and you'll find Poquelin.
The 6 badges are:
Brother Perdiem's Badge
Joril's Badge
Krilag's Badge
Maiden Ilmadia's Badge
Malavon's Badge
Marketh's Badge
The one that people miss the most is Joril's Badge. To get it, leave
Lower Dorn's Deep, and go back to the main Wyrm's Tooth area. Take the
southwest passage to get back to the frozen aquarium area. Now to the
very southwest of this map is a bridge that leads to a cave. You need
to cross this bridge and go into the cave. Joril is in there. (If you
can't cross the bridge, then you have to go into the Aquarium, see above
for more information)
Easthaven Again
---------------
Q: Is there anywhere that I can rest up here?
A: Yes, the tavern. It's just north of where you appear.
Q: So what do I do here?
A: First head down to the lake in the bottom left corner of the screen and
talk to the townsperson there. He'll tell you to rescue the people from
some camp. And he'll give you a nifty new sword. Now go to the east end
of the village, and head south across the bridge to find the Camp. Talk
to the Priest of Tempus (Everard) there to learn how to get into the
tower.
Q: The battle with the False Pomab's is impossible! Whenever I beat one of
his sentry's they just get back up, and there always seem to be more
Pomab's! How do I win?
A: Ignore the Sentries as best you can, and concentrate on getting rid of
all the False Pomab's. Once they are all gone, the real Pomab will
reveal himself. Kill him, and all the Sentries will die with him.
The battle with the false Pomab's can be tough--You have to find the
real Pomab---Attacking the mirror images (I wish my mirror-image spell
worked like that) dosen't do anything, but when you attack the right one
one of the other images disappear instead. So find the right one to
attack and just wail on his scrawny ass. (from ERSKINE)
Q: Where do I go on the level above Pomab, the Crystal won't let me go
anywhere!
A: Go into the mirror to the left.
Q: Any final advice on winning this battle?
A: Take out the Golems first, then take out the BOSS. This battle didn't
seem as tough as some of the earlier ones (Malavon comes to mind).
Misc
----
Q: What do I do with all of these keys? Do I need to keep them for
something? What about these other Items I've got? (Myrkul's Holy Symbol,
etc.)
A: I kept keys only while I was still in the area in which I got the keys,
then when I got back to Kuldahar, I sold the keys in the item shop (not
the armory). They aren't worth much, but if you discover later that you
really DID need them, you can always buy them back.
As for the other items, I would suspect that they are useless past the
area that you got them in, but as I haven't gotten through the game yet,
I can't say for sure. If you want to get rid of them, but want to make
sure that they are still around (you can't sell them, by the way), just
drop them in a treasure chest somewhere.
Q: I gave Valestis (The Elf caretaker in Severed Hand's Arboretum) Seeds,
Pure Water, Squirrels, and Birds, but he still says that the Arboretum
isn't restored! What else does he need?
A: I have no idea. He only asked for three things, seeds, water, and
animals. Maybe he wants a way to restore that statue, or maybe... who
knows!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
General Gaming Questions
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Got any advice on winning [insert tough battle here]?
A: Yeah, save and retry. Usually what I'll do first is to save it, then
rush the area hacking at everything. When that fails, and it usually
does, I begin my planning. Were there magic users? Clerics? What
monsters need to be taken out first? Can I clear the area with an Area
Effect Spell (Fireball, Icestorm, etc.)?
Next I'll try to draw off monsters one by one. It's a lot easier to beat
a horde of monsters one at a time, rather than all at once. So I'll move
until I spot one monster, make sure it sees me, then slowly lead it back
to the waiting party. Make sure the monster follows you, as they have a
tendency to just wander back if they lose sight of you.
If you can't draw monsters off one by one (i.e. all monsters see you at
the same time), you have to start thinking more Tactically. Hit the
mages first to prevent them from spellcasting (nothing worse than getting
hit by Confusion, or Hold Person, much less a Lightning Bolt) then rush
the archers to get them to switch to melee weapons. Try to keep the
party together for support, and to prevent flanking. And of course, have
your own mages and clerics casting their devastating magics. I usually
would have my Conjurer bring up a host of goblins to deal with archers,
leaving the tougher enemies for my main party.
Finally, if there is a "BOSS", try to deal with it first, as they tend to
have the most devastating attacks.
Q: I recently played through an area, got some really cool treasures, but
then I had to reload to an earlier save, now the when I get the
treasures, they are all different! What gives?
A: To enhance replay value, most of the better treasures are "randomized."
So one time you might get the "Armor of Goodness", the next time you
might get "Potion of Not so Goodness." Usually the treasures have the
same value, but don't count on it.
If you're curious about what Random Items are possible, check out the
Walkthrough below.
Q: Is Charisma/Reputation important in IWD?
A: Not really, no. I think you still get the Charisma Discount at the
shops, but it doesn't affect conversations. Reputation exists, but only
for the sake of Paladins and Rangers. If your Rep. drops low enough,
then the Paladin/Ranger is "fallen" and loses their special abilities.
Q: I just stole something right in front of someone's face! Don't they
care?
A: Ransacking people's homes seems to have fewer consequences in IWD, than
it did in BG. No guard ever seems to be called. There are, however,
some situations in which an NPC will tell you to leave a
door/chest/whatever alone, and they will attack if you ignore that
warning.
Q: How do I dual-class? Is it worth it? Can I dual more than once?
A: Dual classing is reserved only for Human characters, and may not be
performed by Bard or Paladins (and you can't dual TO a Bard or a Paladin,
either). In order to successfully dual to another class, you must have
at least a 15 score in your current classes prime attribute (for a
Fighter, that would be STR) and at least a 17 score in the prime
attribute of whichever class you want to dual to (so a Mage would be Int
of 17). Also, you must be at least level 2 before dual classing.
Once you are "dual classed" you are essentially a level 1 of your new
class. You are NOT a multi class! So if you were a Fighter, who dualled
to Thief, you are now a level 1 Thief, until your Thief level SURPASSES
your Fighter level, at which point, your old abilities come back.
As to whether it is worth it, is sort of up to personal preference. The
advantages are that you end out with a far more powerful character, the
disadvantages are that you are very weak while just starting your new
class. "Powergamers" will often dual class several of their party
members at the same time; such as a Fighter dualling to a Thief, and a
Thief dualling to a Mage, while the Mage duals to a Fighter.
Finally, no, you can't dual one character more than once.
Q: Can my Ranger Dual Wield two swords?
A: In a way yes, but not really. If a Ranger is using a one handed weapon,
any one handed weapon, without a shield, he will get an extra attack.
That's it. No special animations, no cool effects, nothing. Just an
extra attack.
Q: What was your favorite armor in the game?
A: I liked the Mithril Field Plate +2. Sure there is a better armor out
there, but, the best feature of the Mithril Plate is that it ISN'T
considered magical! Therefore you can wear a Cloak of Protection +2 at
the same time to get the best armor class in the game! (Technically there
is a better cloak, but it's more rare)
Q: Is there any Elven Chainmail in the game?
A: Yes. There is a whole bunch found in the Severed Hand area. If you
don't know, then Elven Chainmail can be worn by your Fighter/Mages,
Bards, or Fighter/Thieves and they can still cast spells (where
applicable) or use thieving skills. Naturally this is a very good item
to have! It should be noted that getting ANY Elven Chain is random. So
one person might get three sets, while another won't get any. If you
don't get one, simply reload the area and try again.
Q: I've heard that there is this really cool armor called the Glory of
Suffering. How do I get this?
A: Yes it is an interesting armor, a Plate Mail +6 (although it drains 25
HP from your max) making it a full 2 AC better than the next best Armor.
However, it appears as though the subplot needed to get this armor, as
well as several other interesting items, was removed from the game. I
can't say why this is, and can only speculate that it may reappear in an
expansion to IWD. (although at this point, no expansion is planned for
IWD that I'm aware of)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monster Questions:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do I kill trolls? They just keep getting back up!
A: Annoying, aren't they? Anyway, to kill a troll, first you have to beat
it normally so that it falls down to the ground. It isn't dead yet. Now,
your party will still be attacking the troll, but they can't kill it, so
pull them back. Now you have to hit the troll with either Fire or Acid.
This is easiest to do magically (Burning Hands, Melf's Acid Arrow,
Fireball), just be sure not to hit your own party at the same time
(Burning Hands and Fireball especially). There are also items such as
Burning Oil, and Arrows such as Flame Arrows which also work nicely.
Also note that some Trolls seem to get back up even after you've knocked
them down AND hit them with Acid/Fire! Then you have to knock them down
AGAIN, and then acid/fire them again as well. And even more rare is the
case where you manage to kill Trolls without fire or acid, either by
repeatedly knocking them down or mere luck.
Q: I can't seem to make any headway on these Cryshal Sentries, how do I kill
them?
A: You can't kill them. You must kill whoever is controlling them to get
rid of them. At best you can knock them down, but they will get back up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Questions:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Can I get IWD to run at any higher resolutions than 640x480?
A: No. This option will be available in the upcoming BioWare game, Baldur's
Gate II, but not in IWD.
Q: Can I play IWD in a Window, rather than in Full Screen Mode?
A: Yes, just press ALT-ENTER at anytime while playing. Black Isle says that
this will be a drag on performance of the game, but it actually seemed
FASTER when I did it. There's also an OPTION for this in the "Graphics"
options.
Q: How can I get rid of this silly "Register Now!" thing without
registering?
A: You can either register, or if that thought horrifies you, then after
three times of ignoring it, it will bring up a little console, type 123
in it, and it will go away forever. (thanks to lauren for that)
Q: Can I set HOTKEYS to certain spells, or whatever?
A: Sure, just run the IWD Configuration Program located in the Start Menu.
(Usually, Start > Programs > Black Isle > Icewind Dale > )
You can also monkey about with some other game options here, such as the
Search Nodes (used in pathfinding), Cache size, or AI Speed. What is
AI Speed? It literally speeds up the entire game. Monsters, your
characters, everything will run faster. I hear that there are weird bugs
that happen if you increase this, however.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Questions:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Is Icewind Dale worth getting? Is it better than Diablo II? Or is it
just "Baldur's Gate Lite"?
A: I was surprised by just how much I've liked Icewind Dale. I was somewhat
expecting a "BG Lite" type of game, but Icewind Dale is anything but a
lightweight. I've only played the first Diablo, and so I can't really
comment on whether IWD is a better game.
So, yes, Icewind Dale is worth getting.
Q: Any cheats for IWD?
A: Yes, check out the CHEATS section further down in the FAQ. Also there is
a Character Editor from the good people at TeamBG:
http://www.teambg.com/
If you want the in-game cheats added to the game, simply download the
latest patch located at http://www.interplay.com/icewind/
Q: I have the Official Strategy Guide, and it SAYS that there are cheats,
but when I try them, they just plain don't work. What gives?
A: The in-game cheats were taken out of the Release version of IWD at the
last minute. In order to get these cheats to work, you must first
download and install the latest patch (right now, it's 1.06). You can
find any and all patches at:
http://www.interplay.com/icewind/
Q: What is the Experience Cap in IWD? And is there a way to remove it?
A: Yes, it's about 1.8 million exp points. This is usually done to keep the
end of the game balanced, otherwise you might win too easily. However,
most people only get to about 1 million exp points by the end of the
game, so there isn't much purpose to removing the cap.
And of course there is a way to remove it. Just check out TeamBG:
http://www.teambg.com/
Q: What's with all the little x's?
A: You mean in the version number and contents? At the time, I didn't know
if I was even going to release this FAQ, and so the version number (x.1)
reflected that. I also thought that I might want to later turn this into
a full Walkthrough/Guide, which when completed would naturally be version
1.0, therefore a FAQ-only would have to have a "lesser" version number.
Currently the Walkthrough portion isn't finished, but when it is the
version number will be 2.0.
The contents (x... My Party for example) were done out of whimsy.
Q: I have another question ....
A: Got other questions? Email me!
manymoose@hotmail.com
For a speedier response, make sure to put "Icewind Dale Questions" as
the subject.
===============================================================================
Walkthrough
===============================================================================
This walkthrough was written during my third time going through the game.
The party I used this time was as follows:
Human Male Paladin (to take advantage of the Pale Justice sword)
Human Male Fighter dualled to Conjurer at level 3
Human Female Bard (to identify items and cast Magic Missile)
Half-Elf Female Cleric/Ranger
Human Female Fighter (using Halberds!)
Halfling Male Fighter/Thief
This party has just about everything you could possibly want. It comes with
two Healers (Cleric/Ranger and Paladin) two Mages (Conjurer and Bard) and
five melee-ready warriors. Two concerns with this party are the Conjurer
getting himself killed in battle, and the amount of multiclassing makes
levelling up slower. To address the first concern, I will start out with a
fighter, and dual him to Conjurer later. Dualling at level 2 is quicker, but
level 3 gives another proficiency point.
Location Note: Throughout the walkthrough I use various locations listed in
the (x 900 y 400) format. This means that what I am talking
about is 900 pixels from the left and 400 from the top. To
find your location press the X button on your keyboard. This
displays the x,y at the mouse cursor. You can change the
location key to anything you want by opening the Icewind Dale
Configuration Program in the start menu.
Experience Note: To get the amount of experience gained in a quest to display
(the default option will say only that you gained experience,
not how much was gained), you need to download the 1.06
patch, and follow the instructions in the readme. Also the
experiences that I get may not exactly correspond to those
you may get.
Traps Note: I don't make a specific mention in this walkthrough where
each and every trap is. Although this would be very useful,
I just don't have the time to research it. However, it is
safe to assume that every dungeon is heavily trapped, and
requires a thief with Detect Traps ACTIVE (thieves don't
automatically detect traps, you must turn that skill on) to
find the traps.
Items Note: Throughout the walkthrough I list which items you can get at
each and every treasure chest, sack, desk, etc. These items
come complete with a brief description. These descriptions
are just a brief summary of that items abilities. If you
want the full description, check out my Item List. (also at
GameFAQs)
Patch Note: This walkthrough was written using the latest (V1.06) version
of the game. There have been three patches released since
IWD shipped, so make sure that you have the latest patch.
http://www.interplay.com/icewind/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Easthaven (AR 1000)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Only a few things to do in Easthaven before we set off on an adventure.
Somewhere along the lines here, you need to drop by Pomab's Emporium (x 3400
y 550) and equip your party with adventuring equipment. You can also buy
potions and scrolls in the Temple of Tempus (x 550 y 550). Then there are
the following quests to do, after which go talk to Hrothgar. (more on him
after the QUESTS)
QUEST: Clear the Tavern's Storeroom. (Tavern AR 1006, Storeroom AR 1015)
You start the game in the Tavern, and naturally after enduring Hrothgar's
little speech, you get control of your characters. The first quest to be
done is right here in the Tavern. Talk to the barkeeper, and try to get a
drink. She'll tell you that her storeroom was overrun by big bugs, and
asks for your help to clear it out. Go down the stairs (x 920 y 300) to
find the bugs. These guys aren't so tough, take them out, go back
upstairs, talk to her again, and get your reward (5gp, 1200 experience).
QUEST: Give the fisherman some Wine. (Pomab's AR 1007, Fisherman's AR 1009)
Buy a bottle of Wine from Pomab's (3gp) and take it to the first
building you see south of you, on the lake (x 1980 y 1220). Inside you
find a drunk fisherman who has no more liquor. Talk to him to get him to
ask you for a bottle of Wine, then talk to him again to give it to him.
For your trouble you get 1200 exp and 6 gp.
Alternatively... It is possible to get the Fisherman in Easthaven to give
up drinking. It requires that the character doing the talking have both
16 INT and 15 CHA. (from Souma)
QUEST: Solve the Mystery of Jhonen's Aqua Elf
Talk to Jhonen (x 1450 y 1030) to find out that he's been plagued by a
woman singing a song. Offer to help him. Head to the very southwest
corner of the map and talk to the Aqua Elf (x 140 y 2633). Agree to take
the sword up to Jhonen. (If you talk to her with a Bard, you greet her with
a song for some experience, and can memorize her song for an extra 1200
exp) Go back to Jhonen and tell him nice things about the Elf to get 1200
exp. Return to the Elf and tell her that you have succeeded, and she gives
you further experience and a Pearl. Jhonen's sword becomes more important
later when we return to Easthaven.
QUEST: Clear the Wolf out of Apsel's House (Apsel's House AR 1010)
Just south and west of Jhonen is Apsel (x 770 y 1818), a scrimshander. His
house has been taken over by a wolf, and he wants your help to clear it
out. Agree to help him, and enter his house (x 1120 y 1717), you will have
to break the door down, or pick it. Kill the wolf, go back out and get
your reward: 1200 exp, Apsel's Dagger, 25gp.
QUEST: Kill the Goblins and Retrieve Damien's Fish
At the bridge (x 2700 y 1830) in the south east part of town, Damien will
talk to you and complain of goblins. Go south, then east. Goblins will
shoot arrows at you from the bottom of the ravine there. Once you get
around the ravine, kill the goblins, and search the leader for Damien's
Fish. Return the fish to Damien for a reward, 1200 exp.
MISC: Search the houses for treasure
This isn't really important, since the treasures aren't that great. One
house has a winter wolf pelt, but that's about it.
MISC: Talk to Erevain (Inn AR 1008)
Inside the Inn (x 3215 y 1320), in the first room on the left (x 557 y 230)
you will find Erevain, an Elf. He's not really important, but you do bump
into him later, though he won't be nearly so alive. If you don't mind the
reputation loss (-4), then kill him and take his Broad Sword, a +2 weapon.
Very useful this early in the game. (Although everyone in town will attack
you if you do this)
PLOT: Talk to Hrothgar about the Adventure (Hrothgar's House AR 1004)
Once all the above foolishness is out of the way, go into Hrothgar's House
(x 2020 y 350), and talk to him. Join up with his expedition, and he'll
ask you to look into the missing caravan first. Head out of town via the
southeast bridge, then head east.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.1 The Missing Caravan (Exterior AR 1200, Interior AR 1201)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow this path. You will be attacked by wolves. Further down the path you
will find the caravan. But what's this? An orc leaving the scene of the
crime going into a cave? Follow him into the cave.
Note: We're coming up on the first RANDOM TREASURES in the game. Normally
when you open a chest, you will get the same items every time you
open that chest. If the first time through the game you find a
Hammer of Unholy Smiting, the next time you will find that.
However, some items are random. One time you will find the Hammer,
the next it could be the Armor of Unholy Protection. If ever you're
unsatisfied with the random item you got, simply reload to a
previous save (one that isn't in the same area), and try again.
I list the random treasure as RANDOM followed by a list of possible
items. Most will only give you ONE item from that list, some
however will give you two (or more).
Immediately inside the cave you will be attacked by some Orcs. The whole
cave is crawling with Orcs, Orc Shamans, and Orc Bowmen.
Head up to the fork (x 2480 y 960), then go left. This chamber is
particularly Orc-infested. Head south into the smaller chamber, and get the
treasure at (x 2170 y 1560):
Spell - Protection from Petrification (Mage)
2 Gems
Go all the way north from here until you get the option to get left or right
(x 1170 y 640). To the right are some more Orcs, and to the left are more
Orcs and treasure (x 460 y 650):
Silver Necklace
22 gp
RANDOM ITEM - Fire Dagger (+2 Thac0, 15% chance of 1d4 fire dmg)
(any 1 of these) Girdle of Beatification (Bless)
Ring of Protection +1
Ring of Lesser Resistence (+2 to save vs. magic)
Quiet Boots (+7% Stealth, Rangers and Thieves only)
Go back to the fork, and take the Southwest path. Keep going southwest until
you get to (x 630 y 1150), at which point go south through some more Orcs to
find the BOSS (Ogre). Be sure to check the Ogre's corpse for the Caravan
Contract. Get the treasure at the east end of the room here:
Spell - Horror (Mage)
21 gp
Winter Wolf Pelt
Once that's done, leave the cave and go back to Easthaven.
QUEST: The Caravan Contract (Fishmonger's House AR 1005)
Take this to the Fishmonger (x 2480 y 430), which is the house one left
of the Tavern, and one right of Hrothgar's. Give the Contract to the
Fishmonger (you have to talk to him about Scrimshaw first) to get some
experience (1200 exp).
Next, go talk to Hrothgar who has 2400 more experience for you. He also
wants you to run a list of supplies to Pomab. Do so. Nothing complicated
about this one. You get 1200 experience for giving the list to Pomab.
Return to Hrothgar and tell him that you are ready to go. You won't be
returning to Easthaven for awhile, but there's a much better town just ahead.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Kuldahar Pass (AR 2000)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the avalanche, a hermit approaches with information. There are goblins
all over this area. Although not a threat to any warrior, goblins can be
quite deadly to low level mages. There are a number of things to do here,
none of which are required. To get to Kuldahar, simply head right, cross
the bridge, and leave the area. (x 3825 y 1225)
QUEST: Clear out the Mill (Mill AR 2004, 2005, 2006)
At the far east of the map, just north of the bridge to Kuldahar is a Mill
(x 3260 y 400) that has recently been overrun by goblins. Ignore the
goblin outside of it, he's harmless. Go inside the mill. Inside you will
be confronted by an Orc named Uligar. Kill him and his cronies. Be sure
to search Uligar for some interesting items:
Spell - Blur (Mage)
Gold
Axe
RANDOM ITEM - Applebane Dagger +1 (+1 Thac0)
(any 1 of these) Stoutward (Small Shield +1)
Wand of Trap Detection
The Merry Shorthorn (casts Bless once per day, Bards)
Glimglam's Cloak (+1 AC, +1 Saving Throws)
Go down the stairs. There is a hoard of goblins here to clear out. Then
there are three treasures to get (x 300 y 150), (x 375 y 125) and
(x 525 y 225):
5 throwing axes
15 gp
3 Gems
Once that's done, open the door under the stairs (x 840 y 140) to free a
boy, Jermsy. Talk to the lad and he'll be freed. Offer to take him to the
village, and you get 2400 experience.
Next climb the stairs at the bottom of the area (x 250 y 415), kill the
monsters, and leave the Mill satisfied in the knowledge that you made a
difference.
QUEST: Deal with the Ogre in the Silo (Silo AR 2003)
Situated in the dead center of this area is a giant grain silo (x 1730
y 750). Within the silo you will find an Ogre with a headache. There are
three ways to deal with this ogre:
1. Talk to him, insult him, and he'll attack you. Kill him.
2. If you have a Druid, or Fighter/Druid they will discover a fix for
his headaches. (The Druid MUST be the one who talks to him, though)
3. Talk to him once, then in Kuldahar talk to Arundel about the ogre.
Return with the answer.
Any of these ways works fine, however you get 1200 experience for the non-
violent solutions, and only 270 for killing him.
QUEST: Clear out the Goblin Base (Base AR 2001, Cave AR 2002)
At the north end of this area (x 1500 y 90) is a passage to the goblin
base. Once there, you will be attacked by a lot of goblins. Once they've
been dealt with, head north into the cave (x 1166 y 280), and kill the
beetles there. You can find some minor treasures in the cave, such as
Magic Arrows.
Once these quests are done, head east out of the area and into Kuldahar.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Kuldahar (AR 2100)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to Kuldahar! This will be your base of operations for most of the
game, so get used to it. There are a number of shops here with which to
get new items for your party:
Orrick's Tower (Spells and things) -- (x 350 y 800)
Gerth's Equipment Shoppe (standard items) -- (x 1000 y 1800)
Conlan's Smithy (weapons and armor) -- (x 1500 y 400)
Temple of Ilmater (healing, scrolls) -- (x 2900 y 700)
Evening Shade Inn (rest) -- (x 1150 y 550)
Root Cellar Tavern (drinks) -- (x 2030 y 860)
Oswald's Skyship (potions) -- (x 3100 y 450)
PLOT: Arundel the Archdruid (AR 2112, 2116)
The first and most important place to go is, of course, Arundel's house.
You can find Arundel's House just south of the first bridge (x 1400
y 2150). Go inside and talk to Arundel to find out what you should be
doing. He tells you to go to the Vale of Shadows, there to search for an
EVIL force. You can also mention the Ogre from the previous area, if you
talk to him again.
Getting to the Vale of Shadows is easy. Simply leave the Kuldahar area,
and click on the Vale of Shadows. Interestingly, you can leave Kuldahar
from any direction, including where you came in from.
QUEST: Convince a Townsman that Ilmater is Good
Somewhere around Arundel's house (I found the guy on the bridge to the
east of his house) (x y ) you will find a townsperson in orange.
Talk to this man with a Cleric (not just in your party, have your Cleric
do the talking) about Kuldahar, and ask about the Temple. He will bring
up Ilmater, talk to him about it, and convince him to worship Ilmater for
1200 exp. (thanks to Nereid for this)
Matt Richardson sent me this:
I found out that a Paladin can do the same. Also, a Druid can convince
the man to worship Nature. I did both in my game, and got two 1200
experience point bonuses, plus the man game me a gem when I championed
Nature-worship. I just thought you might want to know!
QUEST: Open the Locked Door
See that mysterious door that won't open? Well you can't open it. Ever.
I only mention it to prevent people from asking about it.
QUEST: Beat back the Yeti Invasion
At the east end of the city (x 3150 y 1640), Mirek will come running up to
you yelling of Yeti. Then right behind him come a gaggle of Yeti.
Dispatch the Yeti and talk to Mirek again. Seems that a precious family
heirloom of his (a necklace) was stolen by a Yeti Chieftan in the Vale of
Shadows. When you return it to him, he gives you 2400 exp, and a magic
sling.
QUEST: Untangle Eidan's Legacy (Tavern AR 2111, Inn AR 2114, 2115)
There's a bit of a controversy over how Aldwin the Halfling came to possess
the local Inn. Go into the tavern (x 2030 y 860) and talk to Amelia the
barmaid about Aldwin and the Inn. She'll tell you that she thinks Eidan,
a previous owner of the Inn, never meant to leave it to him. Go to the Inn
(x 1150 y 550) and talk to Aldwin about this. You won't get anywhere. Go
upstairs and search the third room's chest (x 300 y 275) to find Eidan's
Legacy Ring. Go back downstairs and accuse Aldwin of things. He'll spill
the whole sordid story. Now you have two options of what to do, accept
cheap rates at the inn for not telling anyone, or getting Aldwin to confess
to the town elders. Confession gets you 3225 experience.
MISC: Lysan
Also in the tavern is the other barmaid, Lysan. You can talk to her,
though she won't have anything interesting to say. For now, anyway...
Once you're done in here, leave Kuldahar and head over to the Vale of
Shadows!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Vale of Shadows (AR 3000)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Vale of Shadows is the first major "area" of the game, and consists of
numerous small caves and crypts, and one big Tomb. Naturally we need to hit
each of the small caves before tackling the big Tomb. The Tomb is covered
in the next sub-section as "Kresselac's Tomb."
The first crypt can be found by going directly right (x 1830 y 240).
Crypt 1: (AR 3401)
------------------
Traps are located all around this crypt, have a thief searching for them at
all times.
Once entered you will be beset upon by numerous of the lesser undead,
skeletons and zombies. The skeleton on the wall in front of you
(x 775 y 670) has some treasure:
Spell - Luck (Mage)
2 Potions
Studded Leather Armor
Deeper in to the Crypt is another skeleton on a wall (x y ) with more
treasure:
Spell - Stinking Cloud (Mage)
Short Bow
Arrows
That's it for the first Crypt, on to the next. Go back left from the first
crypt, then head south. At (x 750 y 1300) take the right path, and then go
up to find the next crypt (x 1200 y 420).
Crypt 2: (AR 3101)
------------------
Again as before be wary of traps. (This is pretty constant, you always have
to beware of traps)
And again you are attacked by undead, this time there are also Ghouls and
Ghasts added into the mix.
Search the altar statue at (x 350 y 480) to find some treasure:
Gate Key (necessary item!)
Spells - Identify (Mage)
Remove Fear (Mage)
Healing Potion
Going right, then up will reveal more undead, and a coffin full of fun fun
treasures (x 766 y 155):
Spells - Grease (Mage)
Strength (Mage)
Gold
2 Potions
RANDOM ITEM - Huge Long Bow (mightier than the L. Bow, harder to use)
(any 1 of these) Flawless Two Handed Sword
Halberd of Sparks +1 (15% chance 1d10 electric dmg)
Finest Long Sword (+2 Thac0)
From the entrance, going left then up leads to still more undead, and a
shelf (x 267 y 327) with more treasures:
Leather Armor +1
Spell - Cure Light Wounds (Priest)
That's it for that Crypt, so leave. Head south, and west until you reach
the very bottom left corner of the map. Then go right along the bottom path.
There will be a path that splits to the north (x 2575 y 1600), go up it.
The path then goes left to an open area with a statue. Continue north to
find the third crypt (x 2600 y 450).
Crypt 3: (AR 3201)
------------------
Again you are rushed by undead. Just a little to the northwest (x 180
y 580) is a container with treasure:
Spells - Find Traps (Priest)
Chant (Priest)
Go into the east room, to find a shelf (x 780 y 460) with some treasure:
2 Potions
Head north, and in the eastern chamber is another coffin (x 850 y 315)
full of treasure: (careful, it's trapped)
Gold
Gold Ring
Bastard Sword
Spells - Infravision (Mage)
Protection from Evil (Mage)
Potion of Infravision
Chainmail +1
Once that is done, leave this crypt, and go back down to the Statue area.
From here, go west, until you see the path that leads down and to the right.
Follow that path to a cave (x 2020 y 1360) with a Yeti Chieftan guarding
it. Kill that Chieftan and take his treasure:
Mirek's Family Heirloom (give to Mirek for some experience!)
Yeti Pelt
RANDOM ITEM - Short Sword +1
(any 1 of these) War Hammer +1
Short Bow +1
Long Sword +1
Morning Star +1
Enter the cave.
Cave: (AR 3001)
---------------
We don't need to be here right now, but it's useful. First there are
several treasures to pick up, and second clearing out the Yeti now makes
life easier later. Remember this cave, you'll have to come back soon.
There are four crates of treasure here, all located at about (x 360 y 415):
Mace +1
Chainmail
6 Potions
Gold Necklace
Gold
4 Gems
Spells - Glyph of Warding (Priest)
Prayer (Priest)
Leave the cave, and get back to the southernmost path (from the statue, head
right, then south). Go right and into the fourth crypt (x 3380 y 1450).
Crypt 4: (AR 3301)
------------------
When you enter here, a skeleton by the name of Therik will accost you.
Demand entrance to the crypt and he will attack. He has some interesting
items on him:
RANDOM ITEM - Flawless Two Handed Axe (+2 Thac0)
(any 2 of these) High Quality Bastard Sword (+1 Thac0)
High Quality Battle Axe (+1 Thac0)
Battle Axe
Long Sword
High Quality Long Sword (+1 Thac0)
Bastard Sword
High Quality Bastard Sword (+1 Thac0)
Finest Halberd (+2 Thac0, +10% slashing resist)
Potion of Action Transference (perm. +1 CHA, -1 DEX)
Ring of the Warrior (+1 Thac0)
Phase Dagger (15% chance enemy is phased)
Go east across the bridge, through the skeletal mob, and north to the wall.
On the wall are numerous cubbies where skeletons have been stuffed. One
of these has treasure (x 1540 y 300):
Helmet
Long Sword
Gold
Continue east until you reach the stairs, and then go south down the
stairs. Go west into the room with the circle of coffins. One of the
coffins (x 1900 y 790) is open and has treasure:
Spell - Color Spray (Mage)
Dagger +1
Gold
Potion of Strength
Just north of the circle is a skeleton sticking out of the wall with
treasure (x 1640 y 585):
Gold
Spell - Invisibility (Mage)
Go south into the next room and search the coffin there as well (x 1800
y 1250): (careful, it's trapped!)
Sanctum Key (necessary item!)
Gold
Broken Armor (no purpose, just sell it)
Spell - Chill Touch (Mage)
Potion of Insulation
That done, leave the crypt, and head north through a shadow ambush to the big
crypt, Kresselac's Tomb (x 3250 y 435).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.1 Kresselac's Tomb (AR 3501, 3502, 3503)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You NEED these items:
Gate Key
Sanctum Key
If you do not have these items, you skipped them in the previous crypts (see
the above section) and need to go back and get them.
Level 1:
--------
From where you start, go up the right passage, and open the door. This leads
to a large room with a big glowing green pool. Clear out all the skeletons
here. There are 4 side passages here, and one major passage to the north.
The first passage to the left of where you came in (x 840 y 1360) has nothing
down it but monsters and a small box by the coffin with minor treasures.
Open the door just north of the first passage (x 900 y 1130), and enter this
passage. Clear out the wights and zombies to access the open coffin at
(x 440 y 1025). Careful this one is trapped. Open it to get the treasure:
Priest's Key (Necessary Item!)
3 Potions
Gauntlets of Weapon Skill (+1 Thac0)
Now go to the passage just to the right from where you came in (x 1400
y 1515) enter the room, clear out the undead, and get the treasure (x 1600
y 1990):
4 Potions
Long Sword +1
Now we have only one side passage left, the only locked door here (except the
main doors), which we now have the Priest's Key to open. (x 1600 y 1385)
Immediately inside is a treasure (x 1800 y 1375):
Ring
Potion of Strength
Gold
Spell - Armor (Mage)
Short Bow +1
Continue to the right, clear out the Ghouls, to get to the coffin full of
treasure (x 2020 y 1530):
Myrkul's Holy Symbul (necessary item!)
War Hammer
Splint Mail
Potion of Genius
Spells - Larloch's Minor Drain (Mage)
Burning Hands (Mage)
That done, we now have the ability to open up those big double doors at the
top of the main room. Once opened, an irritating Skeletal Mage named Mytos
talks to you. If you ask Mytos to search the tomb, and try to convince him
of this non-violent solution you still get attacked, but you get some extra
experience (about 3225). Mytos' items:
Warhammer +1
Random Gem
From where we now stand, the passage continues to the north, and there are
also two side passages, one to the left, and one to the right. Go up the
main passage to the north. There's a really big shadow here (x 1850 y 285)
called Myrkul's Sending. Beat him and get some treasure:
Ring of Shadows (+15% stealth skill, rangers and thieves only)
RANDOM ITEM - Massive Warhammer (1d4+3, -2 Thac0, req. 18 STR)
(any 1 of these) Dazer (Club +1, 5% chance to stun)
Static Dagger +1 (50% chance of 1d3 electrical dmg)
Crooked Flail (+1, 50% chance of 1d4 piercing dmg)
Reinforced Large Shield +1 (+10% resist to slashing)
Mage Dagger +1 (+1 1st level spell)
Go back down, and take the left passage (x 1500 y 620), follow it up, then
down to the coffin (x 833 y 685). When you open the coffin, a trap is set
off that releases bunches of new skeletons, but you still get treasure:
Gold
Spell - Haste (Mage)
Scroll of Protection from Fire
Short Bow +1
Go back, and go right through the last passage (x 1770 y 710). Soon you'll
go south to (x 1910 y 1120) where you will find a secret door. Open the
secret door to reveal a Mummy. Beat the Mummy, and get the treasure
contained in his sarcaphogus:
Mausoleum Key (Necessary Item!)
Potion of Genius
Spells - Knock (Mage)
Resist Fear (Mage)
Mage Robe of Cold Resistance
RANDOM ITEM - Finest Light Crossbow (+4 Thac0)
(any 1 of these) Giant Halberd (2d8 dmg, -1 Thac0, -2 AC, min 18 STR)
Finest Heavy Crossbow (+2 dmg, +4 Thac0
Diseased Halberd +1 (10% chance target is diseased)
There is also a small box of treasures just in front of the coffin:
Gold Ring
Gold Necklace
Gold
Spells - Aid (Priest)
Blindness (Mage)
Head right, up, right, and down to get to the doors at (x 2200 y 1330), open
them to get to the next level.
Level 2:
--------
There's only one thing to do at the moment, and that is to open the only door
in front of you. You are now in a long hallway leading west. Somewhere
along the way, you will trigger a trap. You can't disarm this trap, so don't
bother. However, if you hug the wall to the north, you can avoid the trap
altogether. (It creates several skeletons to fight you, so it isn't that bad)
Anyway, past this hallway is a large chamber filled to bursting with enemies.
Skeletons, Skeletal Mages, Imbued Wights, etc. Search the Skeletal Mage for
some treasure:
Bracers AC 8
Random Gem
There is further treasure in the open coffin located right there (x 660
y 840):
Wand of Sleep
4 Potions
Spells - Cure Moderate Wounds (Priest)
Agannazar's Scorcher (Mage)
RANDOM ITEM - Massive Warhammer (1d4+3, -2 Thac0, req. 18 STR)
(any 1 of these) Dazer (Club +1, 5% chance to stun)
Static Dagger +1 (50% chance of 1d3 electrical dmg)
Crooked Flail (+1, 50% chance of 1d4 piercing dmg)
Reinforced Large Shield +1 (+10% resist to slashing)
Mage Dagger +1 (+1 1st level spell)
There are four side passages here, two to the north, and another two to the
south. We'll start with the northern passage (x 990 y 445), go up the
passage to get some treasure:
Gold
Potion of Regeneration
Wand of Armory
Spell - Silence 15' Radius (Priest)
Morning Star +1
Next we'll hit the passage located just to the right of this one (x 1300
y 700), open the door and go in. There are four containers on the north wall
with some very minor treasures in them (mostly just gold). Open the door at
(x 1920 y 520) and go through. Head left to get:
Plain Key (needed)
Spell - Slow Poison (Priest)
The southwest passage has only a few monsters in it. So, go in the southeast
passage (x 860 y 1333), open the door and go in. There are a number of
treasures found in the walls here, but the real attraction is the door in the
south (x 1000 y 1820), open it and go through. Go left to find the skeleton
at (x 575 y 1725) and get its treasures:
Spell - Hold Person (Priest)
Black Wolf Charm (Needed for the Lever, +10 Max HP, +1 AC)
Go back to the main chamber, and search the rightmost column for a lever
(x 925 y 890), use the lever to open the left gear door. Go through the door
to get to level 3.
Level 3:
--------
You are in a very large chamber filled to bursting with undead. Plus there
are several new types of undead such as Spectral Knights for you to deal
with. From here there is the main passage that continues to the left, and
two side passages, one to the north and another to the south. Go up the
north passage (x 2300 y 640) first.
There's a Mummy up here with some shadows backing it up. There are three
treasures to pick up here, one to the left (x 2112 y 400), one in the middle
(x 2485 y 350), and one to the right (x 2725 y 530):
Spells - Silence 15' (Priest)
Cure Moderate Wounds (Priest)
Ghoul Touch (Mage)
Shocking Grasp (Mage)
Gold
Gems
5 Potions
Helmet
Ancient Armor (can sell)
Leave this chamber, and go into the southern side passage (x 1600 y 1650).
There are Imbued Wights (they cast Magic Missile) and Chosen Zombies here.
And again there are three treasures, one to the left (x 1250 y 1667), one in
the middle (x 1450 y 1860), and one to the right (x 1760 y 1915):
Gold
Composite Long Bow
Spells - Chant (Priest)
Shield (Mage)
Cure Light Wounds (Priest)
Magic Missile (Mage)
Color Spray (Mage)
Gems
3 Potion
Leave this chamber, go back into the main room, and continue down the left
passage. There are lots of enemies here, Spectral Knights, Skeletal Mages,
etc. So, you might want to draw some enemies off, kill them, and work your
way through them like that. Work your way left to the door, open it, and
go through.
Here you will find the Skeletal Knight, Kresselack. This is his tomb. Talk
to him (you couldn't kill him if you tried), and agree to get rid of the
Priestess of Auril for him. You MUST agree to this!
Leave the Tomb completely, and get back to the Vale of Shadows. Remember
the Cave that we cleared the Yeti out of? Well it's the cave under the giant
statue in the middle of the area. Go into it to find Lysan (the barmaid),
who is also the Priestess of Auril. Talk to her, and tell her that you are
there to kill her. She'll summon more Yeti. Kill her and her Yeti friends:
Morning Star +1
After she is dealt with, a Shadow will tell you that he is free. This isn't
Kresselack, so return to Kresselack and give him the good news. You will get
13,000 experience for the deed, and he'll tell you that he ISN'T the evil
that plagues Kuldahar. How useful. Search his nearby coffin (x 350 y 500)
for some treasure:
Healing Potion
Gold
Plate Mail
Helmet
Kresselack's Sword (Two Handed, +1 Thac0, +10% cold resist)
RANDOM ITEM - Fine Long Sword +1 (+2 Thac0)
(any 1 of these) Phasing Bastard Sword +1 (15% chance target is phased)
Giant Two Handed Sword (+4 dmg, -1 AC & Thac0)
Turodahel (Long Sword +2, +1 INT)
Cradle of Mielikki (Scimitar +1)
Flaming Short Sword +1 (50% chance of 1d3 fire dmg)
Return to Kuldahar.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.2 Post Vale Kuldahar
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once back in Kuldahar, you will want to get rid of the keys that you gathered
in the Vale:
Sanctum Key
Gate Key
Plain Key
Priest's Key
Myrkul's Holy Symbol
Mausoleum Key
Most of these can be sold to Gerth's item shop, however Myrkul's Holy Symbol
will have to be dropped off somewhere.
If you haven't already given Mirek his family heirloom, do that now for 2400
exp and a magic sling. Mirek can usually be found near the Potter's.
PLOT: Talk to Arundel
Inform Arundel of everything that has transpired for 10,350 experience. He
tells you of a Heartstone Gem, which could be used to root out the source
of the Evil, and that this can be found in the Temple of the Forgotten God.
Agree to go there.
QUEST: Get Lysan's Items from the Tavern
Since Lysan was an evil priestess of Auril, one wonders what she was doing
working as a barmaid in the tavern. Go to the tavern and talk to the
barkeep there. Tell him that you had to kill Lysan, and that she was evil.
He has her items, so ask for those nicely:
Protection from Fire
Spells - Cure Critical Wounds (Priest)
Cure Serious Wounds (Priest)
Mantle of the Coming Storm (+1 AC, +30% cold & fire resist, +1 save para)
Once you're done here, leave and go to the Temple of the Forgotten God.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Temple of the Forgotten God (AR 3600, 3601, 3602, 3603)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once you're at the temple, go north to find a fleeing Verbeeg (the least of
all giants). It would seem as though the temple has been invaded by someone
before you got a chance to. At any rate, go inside the temple.
Level 1:
--------
Once inside, you will quickly find an Acolyte who assumes that you were part
of the invading host that already sacked the temple. Nothing you say can
change his mind, and he will attack you. Up ahead is a big sitting statue,
and two passages, one to the left and one to the right. Take the passage to
the LEFT. (x 1030 y 1130)
This passage leads south to a series of rooms on the left. There is a
treasure chest at (x 480 y 1700):
Potion of Stone Form
RANDOM ITEM - Long Bow +1 Protector (+2 Thac0, +1 AC)
(any 1 of these) Light Crossbow +1 (+3 Thac0, +1 dmg)
Long Bow +2 Defender (+3 Thac0, +2 dmg, +2 AC)
Short Bow +1
Medium Shield +1
Protection From Fire Scroll
Spells - Ghost Armor (Mage)
Hold Person (Mage)
Flame Arrow (Mage)
Web (Mage)
The next room also has treasure (x 515 y 1410):
RANDOM ITEM - Greater Ring of the Warrior (+1 Thac0, +1 AC)
(any 1 of these) Boots of Many Paths (cast Blur once a day)
Ring of Missile Deflection (+10% missile resist)
Black Knight (Summons a Black Knight)
Amulet of Protection +1 (+1 AC, +1 saving throws)
Boots of Moander (immune to Entangle)
Studded Necklace w/ Zios Gems (non-magical!)
Badge of the Brave (can cast Emotion: Courage once/day)
The last side room before the main room has some bookshelves with some
potions on them.
Go up into the library room here (x 510 y 970) and there are a couple of
Acolytes here with a Verbeeg. Oh, and there are a lot of dead Verbeeg
already. Interesting. There are 7 different bookshelves arrayed around the
room here with:
Spells - Skull Trap (Mage)
Lots of History Books
Go back to the sitting statue, and this time take the other passage (x 1580
y 1000). This passage goes south into a small room. Search the barrels in
the corner (x 2390 y 1425) to find some treasure:
Potion of Healing (cursed)
Head north up the right passage to get to an Acolyte guarding some stairs.
Down the stairs is the passage to the next level (x 825 y 450).
Level 2:
--------
From where we are, you have to go north and east into some nicer looking
tunnels. Along this Grand Hallway are rooms on each side, one on the north
and one on the south all down it. Each of these four rooms has a treasure
chest in it (that could be trapped), the total treasures of all these chests
are:
Gold
2 Potions
RANDOM ITEM - Spiked Long Sword +1 (25% chance of 2d6 piercing dmg)
(any 1 of these) Short Sword of Lesser Phasing (10% phased, +1d2 cold dmg)
Studded Leather +1 Shadowed (+15% Stealth, +5% magic res)
Studded Leather +1
Reinforced Leather +1 (+35% crushing resist)
RANDOM ITEM - Two Handed Sword of Resistence +1 (+5% magic resist)
(any 1 of these) Two Handed Sword +1 Hammering (20% chance of stun)
Charged Battle Axe +2 (50% chance 1d3 electric, 15% stun)
Bastard Sword +1
Two Handed Fire Axe +1 (50% chance 1d3 fire dmg)
Flaming Bastard Sword +1 (25% chance of 2d3 fire dmg)
The Snow Maiden's Reaver (Bastard +2, 2% turned to ice)
Once you get past those 4 rooms, you come to the well guarded end of the hall
(x 2875 y 750). There are several Acolytes and Verbeeg here. Just past that
you can find a body of an Acolyte, that was killed in a very bizarre manner.
And past that you find a great big door (x 3400 y 600). Open it, and go
through to the last level here.
Level 3:
--------
Walk forward until you get the Journal Updated message. Read it if you are
curious about what happened here. The green body in the middle there has a
Vial of Mysterious Liquid, be sure to take it.
Once all that is done, go back to Arundel in Kuldahar.
Kuldahar:
---------
Talk to Arundel again, and tell him all that has gone on for 19,500 exp.
He then tells you the next place that you need to go, the Dragon's Eye. Once
you are ready to go, head on out to Dragon's Eye. The most Dragony Eyed
place you'll ever find.
Note: Before leaving Kuldahar, you may want to visit Orrick to see if you
need any of his items. Why? As soon as you get to Dragon's Eye,
Chapter Two starts, and Orrick's inventory changes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Dragon's Eye (AR 4000, 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004, 4005)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kill the Ice Trolls (not indicative of how you kill real trolls), and go
inside the Eye of the Dragon.
Level 1: (Lizard's Level)
--------
At the far left of the area, you are immediately attacked by two varieties of
Lizardmen. This whole area is crawling with Lizardmen, and I won't mention
further when you are going to be attacked, just assume that every new area
has new monsters. Notice how some lizardmen have little bottles of firey
oil? This could be useful when you bump into Trolls later.
Drop to the south. Be careful not to get too close to the Bombadier Beetles
as they shoot out an acid cloud (usually only one). Go over to the bridge
at (x 1385 y 2000), cross the bridge to the right and clear out the spiders.
To the south you will find the body of Erevain (the elf from earlier) at
(x 1880 y 2300). Search him to find:
Erevain's Broad Sword (+2, +2 save vs. wands, +10% acid resist)
Gold
Long Bow
Arrows
Erevain's Journal
Chainmail
Medium Shield
Go back left and up to get back to the entrance. Go north into the little
room with the two treasure chests (x 530 y 860) to get some treasure:
Gold
Dagger
Gems
15 Antidotes
Oil of Speed
Spell - Protection from Normal Missiles (Mage)
RANDOM ITEM - Arrows +1
(any 2 of these) Arrows
Bullets +1
Bolts
Hammer Darts
Leave this little room, and go east (and slightly south) to the bridge at
(x 1730 y 1110). Continue further south and east until there is a passage
that splits off to the north (x 2375 y 1475). What we want to do here is go
up this passage to defeat the hordes there. Definately save it before going
up there in case your party isn't ready for it yet.
Once up there you will be confronted by the King of the Lizardmen and his
army. I'd take the Shaman out first as they tend to cast Hold Person on your
party. Search the corpses for:
Gold
2 Potions
Protection from Acid
Spinesheath (Dagger +1, +5 Thac0)
Search the giant snake statue (x 3050 y 500) for some more treasures:
8 Gems
Spells - Detect Evil (Mage)
Fireball (Mage)
Monster Summoning I (Mage)
2 Potions
RANDOM ITEM - Boots of the Fox (walking speed +40%, +1 AC)
(any 1 of these) Potion of Magical Resistance (Perm. +5% magic resist)
Potion of Constitution (Perm. +1 CON)
Ring of Resistance (+10% Missile & Fire resist)
Ring of Intelligence (+1 INT, -1 CON)
Shield Ring (constant Shield Spell on user)
Go back south, and continue down the passage past the bridge (the only thing
over there are some captive villagers, but with the King dead, they're freed)
down through more lizardmen and captives to (x 3155 y 2466) near the very
bottom. Go through the right to find the entrance to the next level. As
you enter a child will come up to you and give you 30,000 experience for
clearing out the monsters.
Note: If you rest in between killing the Lizard King and getting to the
captured villagers, they will all leave, and you won't get your
experience for freeing them. And sometimes the villagers just die.
Go to the next level (x 3450 y 2300).
Level 2: (Lizard's Level Part 2)
--------
As soon as you appear here you are attacked by more lizardmen. Checking out
the map you are in the top, near right part of the map. The way to the next
level is right then down, but first we want to go left to get some treasures,
and kill some monsters.
TROLL Note: There are trolls here. Anyone unfamiliar with trolls need
only know this. To kill a troll first you must fight it as
normal, until it falls down. It isn't dead yet. Now you hit
it with a FIRE or ACID spell/arrow/weapon/potion so that it
dies. The mage spells Melf's Acid Arrow works best, and later
so does Fire Arrow. Also Burning Hands works well, though
you need to keep your party out of the way.
If a Troll is stunned/Held/Phased before getting knocked down,
it will usually die without the need for acid/fire.
Go left to (x 1190 y 810). Just to the south is a bridge, however, we want
to go left up the steps to kill some spiders and some trolls. Go back to the
bridge, but don't cross it yet. Go right, through the Lizardmen Shaman to
their fire (x 1920 y 1234). Now there is a lower passage that leads left.
Go down that all the way to find several frightened children. One of them
(x 950 y 1330) is Sheemish the son of Conlan the blacksmith. Talk to him,
and if you have cleared out the previous level, and most of this level you
can get him freed.
Sheemish Note: If you ever need a MAGICAL WEAPON (say, for a large snake
goddess), go back to Kuldahar and talk to Sheemish in the
blacksmith's shop. He'll give you a key to a chest that
holds a Mighty Hammer.
Go back to the bridge, and this time cross it. This passage leads left to
some rubble (x 320 y 1370) and a passage that leads south.
There are a lot of trolls and evil priests down this way, so some strategy
is in order. One good strategy to try is to send out one person until only
one monster sees you, then slowly draw that monster back to your party and
slaughter it. Once you can't do that anymore, rush in and clear out the
rest.
Once this is cleared out, talk to the Priest of Ilmater at (x 1225 y 1950).
She'll give you some experience (I got 36,000) and will also provide healing
and a safe place to rest. Further to the right are more captive villagers,
however these ones don't seem to realize that they are freed, and I have no
idea what to do with them.
Retrace your steps and get back to the entrance. This time we are going
right to get to the next level. Take the northern right path (x 3000 y 350)
all the way to the right, and then all the way to the south. There are a LOT
of beetles to be processed, but it eventually leads to a dead body (x 3540
y 1285) with treasure:
Gold
Battle Axe +2 Defender (+2 AC, +10% missile resist)
Long Sword +2 Confusion (25% chance target is confused)
Go back to the crossroads, and this time take the southern path. There are
more Bombadier Beetles and Trolls here (the beetle's acid cloud can in fact
kill the trolls). Continue south to the big steps at (x 2650 y 1450), go
down the steps, and take a right.
Clear out the trolls and sword spiders here. There are three passages to
take here, two to the right, and one to the lower left. The top right and
lower left passages are connected, and only have some trolls on them. Take
the bottom right passage around to the entrance to the next level (x 2950
y 2100).
Level 3: (Presio's Level)
--------
You will immediately be confronted by a large skeleton called an "Undead
Lieutenant." Then he and his cold wights will attack.
Blast Skeleton Note: There are large skeletons running around called
Blast Skeletons. These have NO experience value
when killed, and when dusted explode in a wave of
cold that damages your party. Your best bet with
them is to shoot an arrow at them from a distance
(they don't have many HP either) and let them explode
well away from you. Another idea to deal with them
is to cast Hold Person on them, then whack them until
they die giving you 500 exp.
After that there are more monsters to take care of. This whole area has
traps all over it, but mostly on the planks on the ground. Also I find the
Cold Wights to be the easiest 2000 exp enemy in the game, making them ideal
for levelling up. Just find a good spot, and rest over and over. Let the
Cold Wights attack you for lots of good experience.
The entire left side of this area has many instances of that Undead
Lieutenant confronting you with a horde of wights. I'm not going to bother
mentioning all of them.
The object is to go down and right until you get to the bridge (x 2100
y 2150) cross that bridge to the right. Just to the right (x 3000 y 2420) is
a room filled to bursting with monsters, mages, etc. This is the den of
Presio the mage. Do the old draw-them-out trick to avoid having to fight
them all at once to clear this out. Presio has some treasure:
Gold
