Baldurs Gate & Tales of the Sword Coast
This guide is set at a width of 72 characters. For ease of use, make
sure your browser is displaying all the numbers on the line below.
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
o======================================================================o
| |
| Baldur's Gate & Tales of the Sword Coast |
| |
o======================================================================o
"Beating Baldur's Gate in 554 Easy Steps!"
Version 1.06
Written by: Nathan Garvin
Edited by: Lee Kadel (v1.04 and v1.06)
Wim Vlayen (aka Zenryo) (v1.05)
Email: Theendbringer (at) Hotmail (dot) com.
If you're going to email me about this guide, make sure you put
"BALDURS GATE" in the title, or I'll probably end up deleting it as
junk.
Guide Information
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This FAQ was written in Notepad, and is best viewed in a simple text
editor. The default text is Lucida Console at size 10 font, but any
fixed-width font will work... if not with the intended aesthetics
intact.
Note that this is an incredibly large FAQ, and depending on your
computer, internet speed, and the restlessness of computer gremlins,
you may have to refresh this file several times to get the whole thing
to load. Look for the ***END OF FILE*** line at the bottom to ensure
you've got the whole thing.
Legal
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
I have no affiliation with Bioware, Black Isle, Interplay, Atari, or any
other parties involved with this game. This is a not-for-profit fan-made
guide. If you wish to post, mirror, or quote this guide, feel free to do
so. Credit would make me happy, an email would make me feel good. Let
your conscience be your guide, just like all good people.
Supporting HaeravonFAQs
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Now, I know this is a not-for-profit FAQ, but FAQ writing is time
consuming work. If you want to show your appreciation for this FAQ
and/or support for future FAQs by donating to my PayPal account, that
would be an above-and-beyond gesture. If every person who downloaded
my FAQs donated a penny... well, it would help out immensely (not
really, since it won't even cover PayPal's fees, and in fact, very, very
few people out of my 2,000,000 hits donate anything-it's hyperbolic
speech, people). Now, without any more PBS-style solicitation...
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=delirious
devil%40hotmail%2ecom&lc=US&item_name=HaeravonFAQs¤cy_code=USD&bn
=PP%2dDonationsBF%3abtn_donateCC_LG%2egif%3aNonHosted
Alternatively, you can use the PayPal button on my webpage, at
www.haeravon.com
(Note: For you funny souls who donated exactly $.01... thanks for
calling me out on my hyperbolic speech. The real idea behind that
statement is the fact that, with over 2,000,000 hits on GameFAQs.com
alone, such a paltry investment on the part of everybody who benefited
from my guides would immensely contribute to my ability to create more
guides.)
HaeravonFAQs on Facebook
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
If you liked this FAQ, if you like talking about video games, if you
think sunshine was for people who were born before they had the good
sense to invent pixels, then you're not alone. Check out my Facebook
page at (www.facebook.com/HaeravonFAQs) for mindless video game
chatter, information about updates and upcoming FAQs, or for just a
more direct connection to yours truly, so you can tell me in person
about all the mistakes, typos, and other imperfections you've found.
Haeravon.com
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Yeah, there's a website, of course there's a website. You KNEW there
would be a website eventually. If the meagre pickings of Facebook
doesn't do it for you, if you want full articles, stories, opinion
pieces, reviews, and even more in-depth gaming information provided by
Haeravon and fellow contributors (die-hard nerds, one and all) check
out Haeravon.com, a gaming community that really is made for-and by-
gamers.
Table of Contents
o======================================================================o
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GAMEPLAY INFORMATION<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
I. Introduction {INT001}
1. Using this FAQ {INT002}
2. Continuity {INT003}
3. Items {INT004}
4. Rewards {INT005}
5. Traps {INT006}
6. Active Pause {INT007}
II. 2nd Edition Dungeon and Dragons
Mechanics (character Creation) {DND001}
1. Composition {DND002}
2. Gender {DND003}
3. Race {DND004}
3.1 Class Restriction by Race {DND005}
3.2 Attribute Modifications {DND006}
by Race
4. Class {DND007}
4.1 Dual-Classing {DND008}
4.2 Multi-Classing {DND009|
4.3 Dual-and-Multi-Classing {DND010}
in Baldur's Gate 2
4.4 Class Kits {DND011}
4.5 Bard {DND012}
4.6 Cleric {DND013}
4.7 Cleric/Ranger {DND014}
4.8 Druid {DND015}
4.9 Fighter {DND016}
4.10 Fighter/Cleric {DND017}
4.11 Fighter/Druid {DND018}
4.12 Fighter/Mage {DND019}
4.13 Fighter/Mage/Cleric {DND020}
4.14 Fighter/Mage/Thief {DND021}
4.15 Fighter/Thief {DND022}
4.16 Mage {DND023}
4.17 Mage/Cleric {DND024}
4.18 Mage/Thief {DND025}
4.19 Paladin {DND026}
4.20 Ranger {DND027}
4.21 Thief {DND028}
4.22 Thief/Cleric {DND029}
5. Alignment {DND030}
5.1 Reputation Effects {DND031}
6. Abilities {DND032}
6.1 Strength {DND033}
6.2 Dexterity {DND034}
6.3 Constitution {DND035}
6.4 Intelligence {DND036}
6.5 Wisdom {DND037}
6.6 Charisma {DND038}
6.7 Tomes {DND039}
6.8 Suggested Abilities {DND040}
by Class
7. Skills {DND041}
7.1 Weapon Proficiencies {DND042}
by Class/Level
7.2 Weapon Proficiency {DND043}
Perks by Rank
7.3 Proficiency Selection by {DND044}
Class
8. Thieving Abilities {DND045}
8.1 Open Locks {DND046}
8.2 Stealth {DND047}
8.3 Find Traps {DND048}
8.4 Pick Pockets {DND049}
9. Hit points {DND050}
10. THAC0 and Armor Class {DND051}
10.1 THAC0 by Class/Level {DND052}
10.2 Armor Class Modifiers {DND053}
by Weapon Type
11. Saving Throws {DND054}
12. Spells {DND055}
13. Lore {DND056}
13.1 Lore by Class/Level {DND057}
14. Experience Points (EXP Cap) {DND058}
15. My Protagonist {DND059}
III. Characters {CHR001}
1. Note about Character Quests {CHR002}
2. Ajantis {CHR003}
3. Alora {CHR004}
4. Branwen {CHR005}
5. Coran {CHR006}
6. Dynaheir {CHR007}
7. Edwin {CHR008}
8. Eldoth {CHR009}
9. Faldorn {CHR010}
10. Garrick {CHR011}
11. Imoen {CHR012}
12. Jaheira {CHR013}
13. Kagain {CHR014}
14. Khalid {CHR015}
15. Kivan {CHR016}
16. Minsc {CHR017}
17. Montaron {CHR018}
18. Quayle {CHR019}
19. Safana {CHR020}
20. Shar-teel {CHR021}
21. Skie {CHR022}
22. Tiax {CHR023}
23. Viconia {CHR024}
24. Xan {CHR025}
25. Xzar {CHR026}
26. Yeslick {CHR027}
27. Table of Character {CHR028}
Attributes
28. Chart of Characters by Role {CHR029}
29. Suggested Parties by Role {CHR030}
IV. Spell Tactics {SPT001}
1. Healing Spells {SPT002}
2. 1st Level Cleric Spells {SPT003}
3. 2nd Level Cleric Spells {SPT004}
4. 3rd Level Cleric Spells {SPT005}
5. 4th Level Cleric Spells {SPT006}
6. 5th Level Cleric Spells {SPT007}
7 1st Level Druid Spells {SPT008}
8. 2nd Level Druid Spells {SPT009}
9. 3rd Level Druid Spells {SPT010}
10. 4th Level Druid Spells {SPT011}
11. 5th Level Druid Spells {SPT012}
12. 1st Level Arcane Spells {SPT013}
13. 2nd Level Arcane Spells {SPT014}
14. 3rd Level Arcane Spells {SPT015}
15. 4th Level Arcane Spells {SPT016}
16. 5th Level Arcane Spells {SPT017}
V. Map {MAP001}
VI. General Tips {TIP001}
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>MAIN WALKTHROUGH<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
VII. Prologue
1. Sequence #1 {WLK001}
Leaving Candlekeep
(17 Steps)
VIII. Chapter 1
1. Sequence #1 {WLK002}
Friendly Arm Inn
(13 Steps)
2. Sequence #2 {WLK003}
Beregost
(18 Steps)
3. Sequence #3 {WLK004}
Party-Building
(8 Steps)
3. Sequence #4 {WLK005}
High Hedge and Enroute
to Nashkel
(9 Steps)
IX. Chapter 2
1. Sequence #1 {WLK006}
Nashkel and the Carnival
(20 Steps)
2. Sequence #2 {WLK007}
The Gnoll Stronghold
Expedition
(15 Steps)
4. Sequence #3 {WLK008}
southwestern Areas
(10 Steps)
5. Sequence #4 {WLK009}
Northern Areas
(9 Steps)
6. Sequence #5 {WLK010}
Middle Areas
(9 Steps)
7. Sequence #6 {WLK011}
Temple Area and the
Nashkel Mines (exterior)
(11 Steps)
[PARTY STATS: NASHKEL MINES]
8. Sequence #7 {WLK012}
Nashkel Mines (interior)
(21 Steps)
X. Chapter 3
1. Sequence #1 {WLK013}
Back to Beregost
(13 Steps)
2. Sequence #2 {WLK014}
Western Areas and the
Northern Farmhouse
(26 Steps)
3. Sequence #3 {WLK015}
Tranzig and the
northeastern Areas
(16 Steps)
4. Sequence #4 {WLK016}
Bandit Camp
(10 Steps)
XI. Chapter 4
1. Sequence #1 {WLK017}
southeastern Areas
(20 Steps)
2. Sequence #2 {WLK018}
Cloakwood Forest
(21 Steps)
3. Sequence #3 {WLK019}
Cloakwood Mines
(18 Steps)
XII. Chapter 5
1. Sequence #1 {WLK020}
Foiling the Throne's
Assassination Attempt
(33 Steps)
2. Sequence #2 {WLK021}
Baldur's Gate: Eastern
and southeastern Areas
(20 Steps)
3. Sequence #3 {WLK022}
Baldur's Gate: Southern,
Northern, and Western
Areas
(24 Steps)
4. Sequence #4 {WLK023}
Baldur's Gate:
southwestern
northwestern Areas
(27 Steps)
5. Sequence #4 {WLK024}
Baldur's Gate:
Balduran's Gear and the
Iron Throne Headquarters
(17 Steps)
XIII. Chapter 6
1. Sequence #1 {WLK025}
Returning to Candlekeep
(9 Steps)
2. Sequence #2 {WLK026}
Candlekeep Catacombs
(14 Steps)
XIV. Tales of the Sword Coast
1. Sequence #1 {WLK027}
Ulgoth's Beard,
Shandolar's Request
(13 Steps)
2. Sequence #2 {WLK028}
To Durlag's Tower and
the Upper Levels
(14 Steps)
3. Sequence #3 {WLK029}
Durlag's Tower,
First Lower Level
(13 Steps)
4. Sequence #4 {WLK030}
Durlag's Tower,
Second Lower Level
(10 Steps)
5. Sequence #5 {WLK031}
Durlag's Tower,
Third Lower Level
(11 Steps)
6. Sequence #6 {WLK032}
Durlag's Tower,
Fourth Lower Level
(13 Steps)
7. Sequence #7 {WLK033}
Cult of Aec'Letec
(6 Steps)
8. Sequence #8 {WLK034}
Balduran's Isle
(30 Steps)
XV. Chapter 7
1. Sequence #1
Thwarting Sarevok {WLK035}
(18 Steps)
2. Sequence #2
The Endgame {WLK036}
(13 Steps)
[PARTY STATS: FINAL]
Total Walkthrough: 546 Steps
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>MISCELLANEOUS<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
XVI. Items {ITM001}
1. Finding Recorded Items in {ITM002}
the Walkthrough
2. Item List {ITM003}
3. Item Description {ITM004}
XVII. Experience List {EXP001}
XVIII. List of Mage Spells {SPL001}
1. 1st-Level Mage Spells {SPL002}
2. 2nd-Level Mage Spells {SPL003}
3. 3rd-Level Mage Spells {SPL004}
4. 4th-Level Mage Spells {SPL005}
5. 5th-Level Mage Spells {SPL006}
XIX. Updates/Thanks {UPD001}
*Note: When searching for items in the FAQ, be sure to include the
{} brackets. When I reference other parts of the FAQ outside of the
index, I put them in [] brackets, so as to make general searches using
the index more efficient. For example, when I refer to later parts of
the Walkthrough in the Walkthrough, I'll refer to those referred
sections as [WLK###], when it should be understood to search for
{WLK###}. This is an organizational scheme used to prevent you from
having to scroll through several referential brackets in order to find
what you're looking for, as I reference other parts of the FAQ much more
frequently in this guide than I do in other FAQs I have written.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Introduction {INT001} |
| |
o======================================================================o
Welcome! This is my guide on how to beat Baldur's Gate in 554 steps of
varying length, complexity, and importance! Whoo.. Okay, let me collect
myself here a moment. Okay. Baldur's Gate is probably my favorite game.
Not on its own, mind you, but combined with carry-over to the sequel,
and the two expansions between the two games, it is truly an epic story.
Easily the greatest, most expansive, and most personable D&D gaming
series out there. It is with some trepidation that I write this, as
there are so many good FAQs out there already. That said, I'm not
writing this FAQ because there is some great need for another, but as a
labor of love. I will go through this game and its expansion the same
way I went through Icewind Dale. I will play through the game with my
own play style, and record as I go along. I will give brief descriptions
of the areas, monsters, treasure, and traps. I will discuss strategy,
character progression, and the sequence in which I play through the
game. I understand that other players won't have the same party or the
same protagonist. There are lots of ways to play through the game
successfully, this is merely a description of how I played the game. If
you at least follow the general tactics of having a versatile party, you
should be able to use any advice I give even if you don't use the
character I use.
Using this FAQ {INT002}
o======================================================================o
Below I will list some of my quirks, organizational methods, and various
other tidbits that will help you navigate this guide. For starters,
during the main FAQ I'll break up the various chapters and
organizational components of the guide with a large heading:
o======================================================================o
| |
| Large Heading |
| |
o======================================================================o
During the FAQ, I'll break up different areas with a thick line:
Thick line
o======================================================================o
Multiple parts of a mission in the same area will be broken up with a
thin line. This breaks up the missions into a series of steps, and
limits how much unbroken text you'll have to read at once. Nobody likes
wordiness:
Thin line
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Of course, I reserve the right to break my own rules during the FAQ..
mostly due to being scatter-brained and working on the FAQ in shifts
over the course of time. Life and all. So cut me some slack. Besides,
this organizational scheme is mostly for consistency and ease-of-use.
Sequence of Events
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Unlike some of my other guides, this FAQ does hold your hand through the
game. As I go through areas I will list what I do sequentially. To help
streamline the guide and make your life easier, I've included a list of
steps at the beginning of each section, so you can see in what order I
am about to do things. Each different Sequence of Events is separated by
a large heading, while each step is divided by a thick line (if we
travel to a different area) or a thin line (if we don't.)
Continuity {INT003}
o======================================================================o
One of the things to keep in mind about Baldur's Gate is...
Baldur's Gate 2. I keep this in the back of my mind every time I play
the game, since it seems like a waste to go through the game and NOT
continue with my character into the sequel. I will explain how the
differences between the two games affect my character creation later.
Items {INT004}
o======================================================================o
I'll list items found in containers-bookshelves, chests, environmental
bodies, etc. in the ***ITEMS*** category, I'll also list the (x=, y=)
coordinates the container is found at. The container could be quite
large, but I try to find areas in the 100s or at least the 10s if
possible. For example, I won't give you (x=1996, y=217) when I could
give the coordinates (x=2000, y=200).
Rewards {INT005}
o======================================================================o
When you complete a quest, or otherwise gain some story award, I will
list it in the ***REWARDS*** section in the appropriate step in the FAQ.
I won't go out of my way to label the start and end of quests, as some
quests have long stretches of game in between their assignment and
completion. I will tell you to go activate the quest (even if you don't
need to activate it to complete), but I typically include the reward
upon the quests conclusion, occasionally requiring you to go back to
the assigner on your own.
Traps {INT006}
o======================================================================o
I list the location of traps in a section similar to the items section.
Except it's wisely called ***TRAPS***. I didn't bother recording what
sort of trap it was, I intended to disarm traps I come across, and
frankly, it's just too much of a bother determining the sort of trap.
If you think you can figure out how to use traps to cause collateral
damage, that's fine with me; I'll point as many out to you as I found.
Active Pause {INT007}
o======================================================================o
You can pause the game any time by pressing the 'space bar' button,
unless, of course, you have the inventory screen up. Don't ask, it's
just Black Isles' idea of being hardasses. Anyways, you'll use this
option often to reorganize during battles, select new targets.. you
know, make tactical decisions. It's not just helpful, it's vital. If
you plan to play any other old school Black Isle games, like Planescape
or Icewind Dale, they'll also use the same system.
o======================================================================o
| |
| 2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons Mechanics |
| (Character Creation) {DND001} |
o======================================================================o
Below are some suggestions for character creation in Baldur's Gate,
Along with a number of tables, charts, and rules used by the game. My
character's advancement through the game and its sequel greatly affects
my choices.. along with a good bit of aesthetic prejudice and personal
opinions. Either blindly follow my lead or read up on the section below
and make your own choices. I'll give opinions and brute facts, but I
won't be rating anything. Feel free to make you own-informed-decisions.
Composition {DND002}
o======================================================================o
Unlike in IWD, you only create one character-the protagonist. This means
your character will need some help on their journey through Baldur's
Gate I & II. In any D&D game you need a Cleric, Fighter, Mage, and a
Thief, the four 'base' classes. No matter what character you make, you
NEED one representative of each of those four base classes in your
party. A party without a front line, spell buffs, healing, and trap
finding is a party that is probably losing.
Gender {DND003}
o======================================================================o
Gender only matters when it comes to the sequel, and then only with
the romances. If you want to romance female characters, you need to
have a male protagonist.. And uh, there's only one male character to
romance in the sequel, so.. Anyways, I'll list the following romances
that come with the game so you can plan for them. The alignment of the
character matters in-so-much as certain characters will only romance you
if you're of a similar alignment. Be the same alignment or close to it
if you want to make sure you'll be able to romance the NPC. Oh, and if
you make a Dwarf, and wonder why the pretty Elf lady won't romance you,
don't cry to me. Racist women.
Aerie (Female) Lawful Good, Elf
Anomen (Male)
Jaheira (Female) Neutral, Half-Elf
Viconia (Female) Neutral Evil, Elf (will not romance Elves!)
Race {DND004}
o======================================================================o
Only humans can dual class. Only elves and half-elves can multi-class
into a Fighter/Mage. Elves can only begin play with a maximum
constitution of 17, which will make them slightly harder to get off the
ground. I decide to play an elf for my good Fighter/Mage protagonist,
and a half-elf for my evil Fighter/Mage/Thief protagonist.
Class Restrictions by Race {DND005}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
|Human
| |Elf
| | |Half-Elf
| | | |Gnome*
| | | | |Halfling
| | | | | |Dwarf
| | | | | | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Bard | x | | x | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cleric | x | x | x | x | x | x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cleric/Mage | d | | x | x | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cleric/Ranger | d | | x | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cleric/Thief | d | | | x | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Druid | x | | x | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fighter | x | x | x | x | x | x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fighter/Cleric | d | | x | x | | x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fighter/Druid | d | | x | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fighter/Mage | d | x | x | x | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fighter/Mage/Cleric | | | x | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fighter/Mage/Thief | | x | x | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fighter/Thief | d | x | x | x | x | x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mage | x | x | x | x | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mage/Thief | d | x | x | x | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paladin | x | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ranger | x | x | x | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thief | x | x | x | x | x | x |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o
* = Instead of a Mage, they are always an Illusionist.
x = Race/Class combo is allowed.
d = Can dual class, not multi-class.
Attribute Modifications by Race {DND006}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Dwarf: +1 Constitution, -1 Dexterity, -2 Charisma
Elf: +1 Dexterity, -1 Constitution
Gnome: +1 Intelligence, -1 Wisdom
Halfling: +1 Dexterity, -1 Strength, -1 Wisdom
Class {DND007}
o======================================================================o
Since you can recruit a character that pretty much covers whatever you
may lack, you have the freedom to create a character that plays how you
want (at least in this game, Baldur's Gate 2 isn't nearly as nice in
that regards). Versatility and power are my goals in character creation,
and that pretty much cries out for multi/dual classing. Also, if the
developers were so kind as to provide you with a recruitable ally with
their own unique voice, portrait, history, and statistics, why bother
making a similar character? Since dual/multi class characters invariably
make the strongest characters in Baldur's Gate 2, they are what I
suggest. You simply get two characters out of one if you dual class.
Triple classing always seemed too stunted for my liking, and by triple
classing you won't have access to 9th level Mage spells in the sequel,
if, say, you make a Fighter/Mage/Thief or Fighter/Mage/Cleric.
A Fighter/Mage is arguably the strongest class in the game by the end of
Baldur's Gate 2. Magic in the sequel is incredibly important and deep,
and controlling a protagonist who cannot cast spells seems rather..
blasphemous. And if you can destroy any foe in melee combat as well,
all the better. Alternatively there's the Fighter/Mage/Thief, who
isn't as much of a Fighter or Mage, but you don't have to rely upon a
recruitable Thief to do your trapfinding. There's also the
Fighter/Cleric, but the spell buffs a Mage can cast are more powerful,
and a Mage won't be limited to blunt weapons like a Cleric. If you're
at all interested in making a Fighter/Cleric, try a Ranger/Cleric
instead. Pretty much the same thing in terms of weapon selection, and
Hit Points, but they'll also get Druidic spells, in addition to their
Clerical spells. This means Insect Plague, Elemental Summoning, and
Iron Skins in the sequel.. it's something to get excited about, trust
me. I've never played as a Fighter/Mage/Cleric, but.. it certainly
sounds interesting. In the end I feel a Fighter/Mage is a great
protagonist, a great play, and certainly a good choice to write a guide
around. For the evil party play-through (Version 1.02) I created a
Fighter/Mage/Thief so I could use many of the strategies with which
I am familiar, but also because of how desperately the evil party needs
a Thief in Baldur's Gate 2. My girlfriend's choice was much the same,
except she used a Fighter as her protagonist and created a
Fighter/Mage/Thief sidekick in the sequel to overcome the crippling
Thief-shortage. It might be cheap, but it's better than dragging around
Haer'Dalis.
Dual-Classing {DND008}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
To dual-class you must be a human, and you must be at least 2nd level in
the class you started out as to dual-class. You must have a 15 in the
prime requisites of your current class, and 17 in the prime requisites
of the class you want to change to. The prime requisities for each of
the four base classes are as follows:
Cleric: Wisdom
Druid: Wisdom, Charisma
Fighter: Strength
Mage: Intelligence
Ranger: Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom
Thief: Dexterity
Once you dual-class the experience of your previous class will be capped
at the minimum required to meet the last level you attained, and it will
go inactive. You can no longer gain levels in this class, or use any of
the class abilities. The only thing you keep from that class are the Hit
Points, you temporarily lose weapon and armor proficiencies, skills,
spells, THAC0, and even saves.
You now begin advancing as your second class, following all its rules.
For example, if you were a Fighter and dual-classed into a Mage, you
would be bound by the weapon and armor restrictions of the Mage. You'd
have the saves, THAC0, proficiencies, and spells of a 1st level Mage,
but you'd have your Fighter Hit Points. Once your level in your new
class exceeds your level in your old class, your old class becomes
active again. You cannot gain experience in your old class, but you gain
back any previously attained abilties, weapon and armor proficiencies,
skills, spells, THAC0, and saves, if they are better than what you have
now. A good tactic is to start out as a Thief and gain their Find Traps
skill, get it as high as you need, and then dual-class into something
more useful, like a Fighter or Mage. This gets you the essential Thief
skill without having to waste an entire character on a class that,
frankly, isn't great on its own. Another option is to make a Fighter,
get up to a high level and attain its high Hit Points, THAC0, and maybe
even High Mastery, then dual-class into something else to retain those
excellent combat stats to make a more 'hardy' version of that class.
The experience gained by the first class does count towards your total
experience, and hence towards the experience cap. If you dual-class a
character, be sure to dual class early enough so you have enough
experience left to exceed your previous classes' level with your new
class. If you never exceed your first class with your second, it will
never become active, making the whole process a waste and stunting your
character. That said, it's best to get only nine or so levels in a
class. You get most of the bonuses in this time (skills, proficiencies,
Hit Points) and only use up a small fraction of your experience
allotment. This is obviously more of a preparatory tactic for the
sequel, as you will not gain enough experience to reach level nine in
most classes.. much less enough to exceed the first class with a second
one. For characters like Imoen, dual class away, but for your main
character I do not suggest dual-classing until the sequel. Note that
in the sequel you CANNOT start out as one class and then dual-class into
a specialist Mage. If you import a character who was a dual-classed
character who started as one class and dual-classed into a specialist
Mage, they will just be Mages in the sequel. I cannot begin to state
how much this annoys me. The proficiency changes were a necesary evil,
but not allowing you to be a class you could be in the previous game is
just ass.
Multi-Classing {DND009}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Mutli-classing is a bit simpler than dual-classing. Most races besides
human can multi-class into something, but half-elves are by far the
most versatile multi-classers. Whereas dual-classing means dropping one
class in favor of another, only to gain the benefits of the previous
class back after you exceed its level with the second class, multi-
classing means pursuing both classes simultaneously. You get the better
choice of THAC0 and saves between the classes, meaning a Fighter/Mage
would use their better Fighter THAC0 instead of their worse Mage THAC0
or some composite. Hit points, however, are a composite, essentially
halving the dice rolls of both classes and giving them to you. If a
Fighter/Thief levels up in both classes, they get a maximum of eight
hitpoints (10 + 6 = 16/2 = 8.) Note, however, that if you are a Fighter
multi-class, you get the highest benefit of your Constitution, meaning
a Fighter/Cleric with a Constitution score of 18 would get a +4 bonus to
their Hit Points per composite level, instead of only +2 as a single-
classed Cleric would.
Experience is split evenly between the two classes, which can level up
independently. This results in a slower rate of leveling than a single-
classed character. Multi-classed characters typically make up for it
with versatility, being able to effectively combine multiple class
abilities to maximum effect. After all, a Thief who can hide in shadows
and backstab with a Fighter's THAC0 and higher weapon proficiencies is
better than just a Thief, and a Fighter who can use Mage spells to spell
buff themselves with Mirror Image, Haste, and Improved Invisibility will
be MUCH more effective than just a Fighter. The big consideration for a
multi-classed character is the fact that they will not be able to
progress as far as a single-classed character under the experience cap.
This isn't a big deal in this game, where a Fighter/Mage can hit level
7/7, while a normal Fighter and Mage can only hit levels 8 and 9,
respectively. In the sequel, however, it'll cost you a considerable
number of levels. This is worth the trade-off, however, as most Hit
Point growth ends at 9th level, and THAC0 and Saving Throw progession
is done by 20th level. A multi-classed spell-caster will still gain
plenty of spells by the end of Throne of Bhaal (the sequel's expansion),
and if anything will recieve a more diverse selection of Epic Feats
than a single-classed character. All in all, aside from slower
progression at the beginning of the game, there is no good reason to
avoid the multi-class option.
Multi-classed characters must abide by the restrictions of BOTH
classes. A Fighter/Mage could wear Fighter armor, but not cast spells
while so doing. A Fighter/Cleric could not use Swords or Bows. A
Thief/Cleric could sneak, but not in heavy armor, and so on.
Dual-and-Multi-Classing in Baldur's Gate 2 {DND010}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
There is one significant advantage to multi-classing over dual-classing
in Baldur's Gate 2, namely in the selection of Epic Level Feats. Upon
reaching a certain experience threshold (and every level thereafter)
you'll get to pick a feat, many of which are phenomenally strong. If
you dual-class, you'll never again level up with your dormant class,
meaning you'll never get these feats. A dual-class Fighter/Thief might
have all the perks of a Fighter, and unimpeded progression in thieving
skills as well, but they will never get the Epic Fighter feats. A
multi-classed Fighter/Thief will, however. This is something to keep in
mind for later, if you plan on making a character that imports to the
sequel. Consider yourself duly warned-if your 'uber' Fighter/Thief
dual-classer turns out to be a sissy late in the sequel because you
can't get Greater Whirlwind Attack(s)... it's on you.
Class Kits {DND011}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
In Baldur's Gate 2 most single-classes have 'kits' which are basically
varients of the normal class. These include everything from shape
shifting Druids, combat-focused Bards, Paladins skilled at thrwarting
Mages, sword saint Fighters, and Rangers who are truly dedicated
archers. For the most part the kit functions like the normal class, with
a few advantages and disadvantages thrown in. Note that you cannot
multi-class with a kit, but you can start out with a kit or
specialization and then dual class into a class without a kit or
specialization. If you are a single-or-dual-classed character when you
import to Baldur's Gate you'll will be asked if you want to change your
class to one of these kits (if dual-classed, you'll get the chance to
change your first, or dormant class.) You do NOT have to choose a kit,
and in most cases it's better to just remain the normal class. I won't
explain the kits in this guide, but it's just another thing to keep in
mind for the sequel.
o==========================o
|Bard | {DND012}
o==========================o
Hit points per Level: d6
Armor: Buckler, Leather Armor, Studded Leather Armor
Weapons: Club, Dagger, Light Cross Bow, Long Sword,
Quarter Staff, Short Bow, Short Sword, Sling,
Throwing Dagger
Special: Bard Song, Pick Pockets, Mage Spells
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Bards are rogues with a flair for the dramatic. They sing, they dance,
they cast spells.. they just aren't as good at the whole Thiefy thing.
They are, however, a legitimate class in Baldur's Gate 1 as their
spell-casting power allows them to be versatile and potent. Of course,
since they cannot multi-or-dual-class, back stab, or wear decent armor,
they should be kept back as archers, rather than sent into melee. The
only Thief ability they get is pick pockets, which means they will not
replace the need for a Thief, but it does free you from needing to have
your Thief put points in this ability. In the sequel, their stunted
spell-casting ability does limit their versatility, as 6th level spells
just don't cut it. This isn't to say a Bard's magic will be useless-far
from it-but the gap between a Bard and a true Mage is much wider in the
sequel. If you want a combatant character who has Mage spells too, dual-
class or multi-class instead.
Bard
Level EXP HP Spells Special
Pick Pockets
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
1 n/a 1d6 40%
2 1,250 2d6 1 45%
3 2,500 3d6 2 50%
4 5,000 4d6 2/1 55%
5 10,000 5d6 3/1 60%
6 20,000 6d6 3/2 65%
7 40,000 7d6 3/2/1 70%
8 70,000 8d6 3/3/1 75%
9 110,000 9d6 3/3/2 80%
10 160,000 9d6+2 3/3/2/1 85%
o==========================o
|Cleric | {DND013}
o==========================o
Hit points per Level: d8
Armor: All
Weapons: Club, Flail, Mace, Morning Star, Quarter Staff,
Sling, War Hammer
Special: Cleric Spells, Turn Undead
Prime Requisite for Dual-Classing: Wisdom
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
The Cleric is a spell caster who is more melee-capable, with mostly
defensive, healing, and status-affecting spells. They might not have
the sheer versatility of a Mage, but they've got a number of great
spells, especially in the sequel. And of course, if you want to have
healing power at your finger tips, this is the best way to get it. On
the other hand, the developers give you plenty of recruitable Clerics to
choose from, and there's not much you'll gain by making your own single-
classed Cleric compared to what your allies can provide. If you make a
multi-classed Fighter/Cleric, however.. ugh.. you know, Jaheira and
Anomen will do a fine job with that, and Viconia is a great single-
classed Cleric. You don't really need to make yourself a Cleric. If you
do, however, just don't forget that Clerics are restricted to blunt
weapons, so don't expect to dual-or-multi-class into a bow-wielding
sword-swinging Fighter type with Cleric spells. Clerics can turn undead,
which is useful in.. well, making undead flee. But the undead this works
on are so weak, it's more of a chore to have to chase them down than to
simply kill them, and it likely won't work on more powerful undead, so
I can't recommend using it often.
Cleric
Level EXP HP Spells Special
Turn Undead
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
1 n/a 1d8 1 Lv1
2 1,500 2d8 2 Lv2
3 3,000 3d8 2/1 Lv3
4 6,000 4d8 3/2 Lv4
5 13,000 5d8 3/3/1 Lv5
6 27,500 6d8 3/3/2 Lv6
7 55,000 7d8 3/3/2/1 Lv7
8 110,000 8d8 3/3/3/2 Lv8
o==========================o
|Cleric/Ranger | {DND014}
o==========================o
Thanks to some wise advice I received from my readers, my eyes were
opened to the merits of this class. To be fair, they're not readily
apparent in Baldur's Gate 1, but in the sequel, this multi-class
combination really becomes something special. Why, then, mention it
here? Well, this guide is all about continuity, and really, in
Baldur's Gate 1, none of the multi-class combos fully come into their
own (even my beloved Fighter/Mage). If you want a great character for
the first game only... well, then just play a Fighter and muscle
through everything. Anyways, the big draw of a Cleric/Ranger over
the superficially similar Fighter/Cleric is a simple matter of spell
selection. They'll both get Clerical spells, obviously, but the
Ranger/Cleric will also get Druidic spells (thanks to their Ranger
levels). Mind you, you won't get two separate spellbooks for Cleric
and Druid spells, instead you'll get Druidic spells mixed in with
your Cleric spells... meaning you get extra spell-selection (if not
extra spell memorization) with absolutely no downside. Other than
that... well, the Fighter/Cleric has the same weapon selection, same
weapon proficiency limitations, same Hit Points... and no ability to
sneak about (for what good that does, without a backstab), so why not
just play a Cleric/Ranger instead?
o==========================o
|Druid | {DND015}
o==========================o
Hit points per Level: d8
Armor: Buckler, Helmet, Hide Armor, Leather Armor,
Studded Leather Armor
Weapons: Club, Dagger, Dart, Scimitar, Sling, Spear,
Quarter Staff, Throwing Dagger
Special: Druid Spells, Shape-Shifting
Prime Requisite for Dual-Classing: Wisdom, Charisma
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Druids are a lot like Clerics, but instead of worshiping gods they are
typically animists and get their power from nature itself. How does that
matter? It doesn't really. Their spells are more nature-focused.. why
this doesn't allow them to have Protection from Evil 10' Radius or Hold
Person is beyond me, but they still have a good selection of spells
none-the-less. In addition, they aren't afraid to use edged or piercing
weapons. Unfortunately, they don't like metal, so they can't use heavy
armor, most shields, or many of the better weapons that Clerics can.
Let's face it, a morning star or mace is better than a dagger any day.
In all, they won't be as well protected as a Cleric, and frankly, the
Cleric has the edge on them in spells. Druids can't turn undead, but
they can shapechange in later levels. In Baldur's Gate, this allows them
to change into a brown bear, black bear, or wolf.. although I can't
think of a single instance in which this is useful. In Baldur's Gate 2
they get left even further behind, as their Armor Class woes become
severe. A priest isn't a good type of character to get into combat with
in the first place, but at least Clerics have armor to keep them alive.
If you MUST play a Druid, make a Fighter/Druid. This eliminates the
armor problem. But you already have Jaheira, so..
Druid
Level EXP HP Spells Special
SSBrB SSW SSBlB
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
1 n/a 1d8 1
2 2,000 2d8 2
3 4,000 3d8 2/1
4 7,500 4d8 3/2
5 12,500 5d8 3/3/1
6 20,000 6d8 3/3/2
7 35,000 7d8 3/3/2/1 1 1 1
8 60,000 8d8 3/3/3/2 1 1 1
9 90,000 9d8 4/4/3/2/1 1 1 1
10 125,000 9d8+2 4/4/3/3/2 1 1 1
o==========================o
|Fighter | {DND016}
o==========================o
Hit points per Level: d10
Armor: All
Weapons: All
Prime Requisite for Dual-Classing: Strength
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Making your own Fighter is the easy choice for the first game, and
frankly having a Fighter with 18(xx) Strength, 18 Dexterity, and 18
Constitution will allow you to muscle through this game, especially if
you attain High Mastery in a weapon. In the sequel, however, there are
better choices to make. If you want to go through the game with a
Fighter, you can.. and probably should.. consider dual-classing in the
sequel (after you hit 9th level and get Grand Mastery, anyways). If you
want to make a Fighter/Thief dual class, get to level 9 as a Fighter and
dual class into a Thief. This will leave you with essentially two
characters in one, no matter what combination you choose. Making a
Fighter dual classed character will net you a whopping amount of
Hit Points, good THAC0, and a high weapon proficiency you wouldn't
otherwise be able to get. Of course this means you have to play a Human,
and you won't get the epic feats in the sequel.. all things considered,
if you're going to be a Fighter, you should dual or multi class for
versatility. Dual-classing Fighter/Mage or Fighter/Thief or
Fighter/Cleric will probably give you the best results.. although a
Fighter/Cleric dual isn't as useful, as the benefits of being a Fighter
don't offset the weaknesses of a Cleric as well.
Fighter
Level EXP HP
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
1 n/a 1d10
2 2,000 2d10
3 4,000 3d10
4 8,000 4d10
5 16,000 5d10
6 32,000 6d10
7 64,000 7d10
8 125,000 8d10
o==========================o
|Fighter/Cleric | {DND017}
o==========================o
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
You'll have a better Fighter than a straight Cleric, or a weaker Fighter
with Clerical spells, depending on how you view it. I always thought a
Fighter/Druid was a more interesting concept, as it fixed the problems
inherent with the latter class. Still, a more powerful Cleric is a real
good thing, this is almost as good as a straight Fighter and with a
good selection of Cleric spells to boot. Ultimately the Fighter/Mage is
stronger due to its defensive spells, but this is no slouch of a multi-
class either.
o==========================o
|Fighter/Druid | {DND018}
o==========================o
This combination works almost exactly like the Fighter/Cleric, except
that you will of course have Druid spells intead of Clerical ones, and
you will have the Druid weapon selection, which includes Scimitars, but
doesn't allow War Hammer, Maces, and Flails. The game provides you with
a perfectly fine recruitable Fighter/Druid in Jaheira, so I don't know
why you'd ever need to make your own.
o==========================o
|Fighter/Mage | {DND019}
o==========================o
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
My favorite class, and possibly the strongest in the game. You can't
wear armor and cast spells at the same time, but that's hardly an issue
in this game, where you have many ways to improve your Armor Class
without having to wear armor. Bracers of Defense are one obvious way,
while Robes of the Archmagi will give you the same protection as Chain
Mail. Although this won't be enough to make you terribly safe on the
front lines, that's where the Mage comes in. Pop on a Blur and Mirror
Image and you're doing much better. Much later on in the game when you
get Improved Invisibility you'll really have some defensive options.
Still, in the first game the Fighter/Mage doesn't really come into its
own. The best option is to make them archers and give them a reach
weapon. They can use their Fighter THAC0 to deal some considerable
damage (my Fighter/Mage ended the game with 36% of the party's kills,
and I didn't even practice any favoritism!) While buffing the party with
spells like Haste, and keeping them safe with spells like Dispel Magic.
They'll even get up to 4th level spells in this game, which means
Greater Malisons and Confusions abound. They really come into their own
in the sequel, however. I know I've said that several times, but it
should be stressed-delayed gratification in this game will lead to a
super-tank character that can soak up magic or melee attacks with the
right spells memorized, and retort with a devastating Time Stop combo.
o==========================o
|Fighter/Mage/Cleric | {DND020}
o==========================o
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Ah, the triple-classer. In this game you'll get to pretty high levels
with all three classes, meaning you won't start to feel the hurt of your
choice until the sequel. Sure, it's going to be hell getting this class
up and running (you'll be level one still when most of your buddies are
hitting level three and four) but when you start casting third level
Mage and Cleric spells, everything is forgiven. Also note that because
of the Cleric you won't be much of an archer, as you'll be regulated to
slings which.. are not very good. This class might be an example of just
too many options, not enough rounds. You'll be able to spell buff pretty
well, but in combat you can still only take one action a round. That's
one Mage spell, one Cleric spell, or one attack. Having all that
versatility in one character doesn't really mean much if you can't bring
it to bear. The most crippling thing this, and what all triple-classed
characters will suffer, is the fact that they won't get many epic feats
in the sequel. Not legitimately, anyways.
o==========================o
|Fighter/Mage/Thief | {DND021}
o==========================o
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This class suffers from many of the problems the Fighter/Mage/Cleric
suffers from, but to a lesser degree. Firstly, most Thief skills are
useful out of combat, or as telling first strikes. It's not another host
of spells you're trying to cast in a finite window of time, meaning the
Thief actually enhances the Fighter and the Mage. Also, the Thief is
capable of using a much greater selection of weapons than the Cleric,
allowing you to diversify your weapons and tactics much more. A
Fighter/Mage/Thief in essence works like a combination of the
Fighter/Mage and Fighter/Thief. Best of all you can use Bows in this
game, and while you won't be as potent as a Fighter/Mage, you'll be
damn close. Plus, you'll have the option to jump on other spell-casters
with pre-emptive backstabs, whereas the Fighter/Mage cannot. While the
Fighter/Mage is arguably more destructive in the long run (at least in
the sequel) the Fighter/Mage/Thief will be more versatile than the
Fighter/Thief in the sequel. Even though it's difficult to get this
class off the ground-a Fighter protagonist with 18 Constitution and
4,000 experience can get up to 42 Hit Points, but a Fighter/Mage/Thief
with the same Constitution and experience will have a pathetic 11 Hit
Points. I still think it's the best evil character to take through both
games.
o==========================o
|Fighter/Thief | {DND022}
o==========================o
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This class easily matches a Ranger's skill with weapons while having the
same quirks. Some important differences remain, a Fighter/Thief can
disable traps and backstab, while a Ranger cannot. This makes a
Fighter/Thief in my eyes a good bit more powerful than a Ranger. Sure,
the Ranger will have higher Hit Points and some minor Druid spells, but
a Fighter/Thief is just as good in combat, especially since they can
backstab. Things only get better for the Fighter/Thief in Baldur's
Gate 2 as their backstab reaches a mighty x5 and a deeper melee system
allows them to abuse it to its fullest advantage. If you were thinking
of making a Thief, go with a Fighter/Thief instead. You'll get a much
more potent character out of it. Hell, if you were thinking of playing a
Ranger, give the Fighter/Thief a look. Then you don't have to bring
around a Thief at all!
o==========================o
|Mage | {DND023}
o==========================o
Hit points per Level: d4
Armor: None
Weapons: Dagger, Dart, Quarter Staff, Sling,
Throwing Dagger
Special: Mage Spells
Prime Requisite for Dual-Classing: Intelligence
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Ah, the Mage... a versatile spell caster, your proverbial glass cannon.
They can't wear armor, and they have access to a poor selection of
weapons. On the other hand, they don't really need them. As long as you
can keep them from getting hurt, they can lay waste to your enemies
with their spells. Anything from damaging spells like Fireballs, to
support spells like Haste, or simple fight-winners, like Confusion and
Chaos, it's the Mages' domain. A single-classed Mage is somewhat
vulnerable, but a combination Fighter/Mage is strong in melee and in
magic! Also, the fact that Edwin pretty much dominates the Mage field
means you just don't need a single-classed Mage. Dual or multi class for
extra durability and versatility. If you specialize in a spell school,
you will gain an extra spell per spell level. The down side? You have
a prohibited school which opposes your chosen school, and you can't cast
spell from the prohibited school. This can be almost painless
(Conjurer), painful but survivable (Enchanter), or downright decimating
(Invoker). Below is a list of the Mage schools and their prohibited
school(s). Needless to say, if you have a choice in the matter
Conjuration is the way to go.
Specialist School Opposition School
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Abjurer Abjuration Alteration
Transmuter Alteration Abjuration, Necromancy
Conjurer Conjuration/Summoning Divination
Diviner Divination Conjuration/Summoning
Enchanter Enchantment/Charm Invocation
Illusionist Illusion Necromancy
Invoker Invocation Enchantment/Charm,
Conjuration/Summoning
Necromancer Necromancy Illusion
Mage
Level EXP HP Spells
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
1 n/a 1d4 1
2 2,500 2d4 2
3 5,000 3d4 2/1
4 10,000 4d4 3/2
5 20,000 5d4 4/2/1
6 40,000 6d4 4/2/2
7 60,000 7d4 4/3/2/1
8 90,000 8d4 4/3/3/2
9 135,000 9d4 4/3/3/2/1
o==========================o
|Mage/Cleric | {DND024}
o==========================o
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This class suffers from the same 'too many options, not enough time to
make full use of them' problem the Fighter/Mage/Cleric suffers from,
but frankly, in this combo the Fighter seems like more of a problem than
a boon. It'll slow down progression in exchange for heavy armor (which
the Cleric already provides) a few Hit Points, a small increase to
THAC0, and weapon specialization. Sure, a Mage/Cleric won't be much of a
warrior.. but what the do you have two spell classes for if you want to
be a warrior?! If you must cast both types of spells with one character,
this is probably the best way to do so.
o==========================o
|Mage/Thief | {DND025}
o==========================o
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
I find it hard to imagine any case in which a Mage/Thief would be
particularly useful, especially compared to a Fighter/Mage or
Fighter/Thief. Being able to use Bows is fine and all, but Mages should
have something better to do in most fights than shoot things. And you
never need to hide if you have Invisibility. Imoen has it right, this is
best done as a dual-class option for the sake of versatility. There's
nothing wrong with getting a Mage with some Thief abilities, especially
since you can get plenty of ranks into Find Traps while sacrificing no
potential Mage levels. Frankly, if you're even going to bother making a
Mage as your main character, I'd suggest doing this. At least then you
can dispense with having a Thief altogether. And you'd have extra hit
points and THAC0 to boot. You lose nothing and gain a great deal.
o==========================o
|Paladin | {DND026}
o==========================o
Hit points per Level: d10
Armor: All
Weapons: All
Special: Lay on Hands, Detect Evil, Protection from Evil,
Turn Undead, Priest Spells
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Paladins are holy warriors, and as such they gain a slew of abilities
to help them combat evil. They aren't as combat savvy as Fighters, only
being able to buy two ranks in any weapon proficiency, and they cannot
multi or dual class. In exchange you'll get the ability to lay on hands
(heal a character 2 Hit Points per level), detect evil (useful for
telling which NPCs are bad or not and detecting enemies on the map
before you even scout), protection from evil, and they can turn undead
as if they were a Cleric two levels lower than their Paladin level.
Paladin's make great party leaders due to their high minimum charisma
(17). In the first game, you'll get Ajantis to fill the Paladin-shaped
hole in your good party, and in the second game you'll get Keldorn, who
is kind enough to come with the best Paladin-kit in the game.. which
begs the question why you'd ever really need to even make your own
Paladin?
Paladin
Level EXP HP Spells Special
LoH D. Evil P. Evil Turn
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
1 n/a 1d10 n/a 2 x5 x1 -
2 2,250 2d10 4 x6 x2 -
3 4,500 3d10 6 x7 x3 Lv1
4 9,000 4d10 8 x8 x4 Lv2
5 18,000 5d10 10 x9 x5 Lv3
6 36,000 6d10 12 x10 x6 Lv4
7 75,000 7d10 14 x11 x7 Lv5
8 150,000 8d10 16 x12 x8 Lv6
o==========================o
|Ranger | {DND027}
o==========================o
Hit points per Level: d10
Armor: All (Cannot use Stealth in Heavy Armor)
Weapons: All
Special: Stealth, Charm Animal, Druid Spells
Prime Requisites for Dual-Classing: Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Rangers are defenders of the wilderness, hunters, scouts, and
outdoorsmen. They can only get two ranks in a weapon proficiency, but
in compensation they can use stealth, charm animals, and eventually
cast Druid spells. The stealth ability can only be used in light armor,
Leather, Studded Leather, or Hide, but it makes them invaluable for
scouting ahead of the party. Being strong enough to fight their way out
of trouble helps too. The charm animal ability sucks, but once in a
while if you want to play with it and charm a bear or something.. eh..
they'll still turn hostile on you when it's over, so why bother? The
Druid spells are a long time in coming, but it's somewhat nice to be
able to cast Cure Light Wounds or Entangle, although the level cap in
Baldur's Gate doesn't really allow this feature to pan out.
Ranger
Level EXP HP Spells Special
Stealth Charm
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
1 n/a 1d10 35% x1
2 2,000 2d10 40% x1
3 4,000 3d10 47% x2
4 8,000 4d10 53% x2
5 16,000 5d10 60% x3
6 32,000 6d10 67% x3
7 64,000 7d10 75% x4
8 125,000 8d10 1 82% x4
o==========================o
|Thief | {DND028}
o==========================o
Hit points per Level: d6
Armor: Buckler, Leather Armor, Studded Leather Armor
Weapons: Club, Dagger, Light Cross Bow, Long Sword,
Quarter Staff, Short Bow, Short Sword, Sling,
Throwing Dagger
Special: Thief Skills, Backstab
Prime Requisites for Dual-Classing: Dexterity
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
The Thief isn't as combat savvy as the Cleric, and they don't have
spells. What's the draw then? Their thieving abilities. These allow them
to pick pockets, find and disarm traps, open locked objects, and hide
from enemies. Of these skills, one is essential, so some character or
another with thieving abilities is required in any party. As for combat,
they can only wear the lightest armors, but they do have access to a
variety of weapons. Most importantly, as they gain levels they get the
ability to 'back stab'. If they are hidden and attack an enemy they
multiply the damage they deal by their back stab modifier. They are a
waste of a class on their own, but it is a great dual or multi class
option, as it gives any class the ability to be more lethal by
backstabbing.. and if you make your own, you don't have to drag around
a useless character to do the thieving for you. A Fighter/Thief is a
potent combination, and so is a Fighter/Mage/Thief. Below is a chart of
various racial and attribute influences on Thief abilities.
Thief
Level EXP HP Special Backstab
Ability Points Multiplier
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
1 n/a 1d6 20 x2
2 1,250 2d6 20 x2
3 2,500 3d6 20 x2
4 5,000 4d6 20 x2
5 10,000 5d6 20 x3
6 20,000 6d6 20 x3
7 40,000 7d6 20 x3
8 70,000 8d6 20 x3
9 110,000 9d6 20 x4
10 160,000 9d6+2 20 x4
o==========================o
|Thief/Cleric | {DND029}
o==========================o
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Well, might as well mention it eh? The Thief/Cleric is an odd, and at
odds character. You won't be wearing any heavy armor if you want to keep
your Thief skills, but you can certainly wear light armor with no
problem. Of course, you're stuck with the Cleric's selection of weapons,
but you'll be able to use all the Thief skills, including backstab.
Honestly the Mage spells seem a better fit for a Thief, which is more of
a 'stay back out of the way' kind of class, as opposed to the Cleric,
which is often a decently armored character who can stand up in combat.
This might be an interesting dual-class, provided you don't care that
your Cleric won't be as tough as if you had dual-classed with a Fighter.
Alignment {DND030}
o======================================================================o
The alignment of your protagonist only matters so much in the first
game. In the sequel the allies you choose will react to your alignment
more, so you should try to choose party members who have an alignment
similar to yours. Where alignment really matters is between your allies.
Evil characters will react poorly to good characters, and vise-verse,
and in some instances violence may erupt between two party members.
This is less of a problem in the first game than in the sequel, but
spare yourself the aggravation and choose party members of like
alignment. If your protagonist is good-aligned, choose good or neutral
allies. If your protagonist is evil-aligned, choose evil or neutral
allies. If your protagonist is neutral, pick either good, or evil
allies, but not both.
Another reason for having some continuity of alignment within your
party is your reputation. Good characters will be happy with a high
reputation and unhappy with a low reputation, while evil characters
will be happy with a low reputation and unhappy with a high reputation.
At a neutral reputation, nobody is happy. If your reputation gets too
high (19+), your evil characters will disband. If your reputation gets
too low (2-) your good characters will disband. Since a high reputation
gets you discounts at shops, I decide to play a good character for this
game. Discounts are good, and you can't really afford to be pure 'evil'
anyways, as a reputation of 1 will earn you some pretty serious
harassment by groups of Flaming Fist Enforcers. That's right, even evil
characters will want to keep their reputation reasonable.. even good
for the purpose of purchasing items.
o===============o===============o
| Alignment | Starting |
| | Reputation |
o===============o===============o
| Lawful Good | 12 |
|---------------|---------------|
| Neutral Good | 11 |
|---------------|---------------|
| Chaotic Good | 11 |
|---------------|---------------|
|Lawful Neutral | 10 |
|---------------|---------------|
| True Neutral | 10 |
|---------------|---------------|
|Chaotic Neutral| 10 |
|---------------|---------------|
| Lawful Evil | 9 |
|---------------|---------------|
| Neutral Evil | 9 |
|---------------|---------------|
| Chaotic Evil | 8 |
o===============o===============o
Reputation Effects {DND031}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
These are derived from the manual... save that the manual misprints the
required donation at reputation values of 13 and 14 as 200 gold and
500 gold. They should be 1200 gold and 1500 gold, respectively.
o======================================================================o
|Reputation|Item Cost|Donation Required| Additional Effects |
|--------------------------------------|-------------------------------o
| 20 | -50% | --- |+4 Reaction Adjustment |
| 19 | -40% | --- |+3 Reaction Adjustment |
| 18 | -30% | --- |+3 Reaction Adjustment |
| 17 | -20% | 500 |+2 Reaction Adjustment |
| 16 | -10% | 400 |+2 Reaction Adjustment |
| 15 | -10% | 300 |+1 Reaction Adjustment |
| 14 | base | 300 |+1 Reaction Adjustment |
| 13 | base | 200 |N/A |
| 12 | base | 200 |N/A |
| 11 | base | 100 |N/A |
| 10 | base | 100 |N/A |
| 9 | +10% | 100 |N/A |
| 8 | +20% | 100 |N/A |
| 7 | +20% | 100 |-1 Reaction Adjustment |
| 6 | +30% | 200 |-2 Reaction Adjustment |
| 5 | +40% | 200 |-3 Reaction Adjustment* |
| 4 | +50% | 200 |-4 Reaction Adjustment* |
| 3 | +100% | 300 |-5 Reaction Adjustment* |
| 2 |will not | 400 |-6 Reaction Adjustment* |
| 1 | sell | 500 |-7 Reaction Adjustment* |
o======================================================================o
*Indicates that at this reputation you may get attacked by a group of
Flaming Fist mercenaries when entering a new area.
Item Cost: The rate of increase or decrease of the cost of items in a
store. It's funny, you'd think a thieves guild would or other morally
dubious merchants would reward a low reputation.. In any event, the
principle is simple, the higher your reputation, the cheaper things
will be.
Donation Required: Give money to churches, and your reputation
increases. Why we assume that churches morally benefit humanity, I will
never be able to understand. It reminds me of watching the 700 Club
when I was bored, listening to these predators telling desperately
poor people that they can afford to give money to 'Jesus'.. anyways,
in a world with good and evil deities (as opposed to reality, which just
has evil ones) wouldn't giving money to an evil deity like Umberlee
lower your reputation? Evidently not. Even if you give money to sexist,
jealous, petty gods who delight in killing humans, your reputation
improves. Talk about art imitating reality..
Abilities {DND032}
o======================================================================o
Your abilities define what your character is good at. I prefer to call
them attributes, so if I mess up and refer to them as attributes later,
well, I'm talking about abilities. You have six abilities, and you can
re-roll them until you get what you want.. or close to it. Take
advantage of it, get comfortable, and get rolling. Before that, let me
explain them a bit, so you know what to shoot for.
Strength {DND033}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
If you're a Fighter (single, multi, or dual class) or a Fighter type,
you can get exceptional Strength, which is a percentile bonus in
parentheses after the strength score. For example, 18(01-00) denotes a
strength of 18 with an exceptional range of 1% to 100%. A single-class
Fighter should try for as much strength as possible. Ideally anything
from 18(91) and up is fantastic, as it provides a +2 THAC0 and a +5
damage bonus. If you are a Cleric, you might as well try for an 18 so
you can melee well. Regardless, any fighting class needs an 18 in
Strength. A Mage or a Thief that doesn't intend to melee can use this as
a dump stat. If you're making a multi-class character, don't sweat the
exceptional Strength. The higher, the better, but getting high scores in
your other abilities is more important. Weight is somewhat important...
as it'll reduce your trips to town if you can just carry more. Also, if
your Strength isn't high enough, you won't be able to wear some heavier
armor (in this game, a suit of Full Plate Mail weighing 70 pounds can-on
its own or in conjunction with other gear like weaponry, a shield, etc.,
-prove to be too much of a burden to bear. In the sequel, arms and armor
will outright have a Strength requirement). Your bash % is your chance
of forcing a door or chest. It's not honest. Save/reload won't get you
into a chest. Some chests/doors just have a threshold you must reach,
and your Strength will never be a replacement for the knock spell or
good old-fashioned lock picking. Just make sure that you get an 18 if
you ever intend to melee. If you're NOT a single-classed Mage, this
might be a good idea, as the Manual of Gainful Exercise (a stat-boosting
item you'll find later in the game) will set your Strength up one point,
ideally from 18 to 19. Just look at the chart and see how that affects
your melee bonuses. Get an 18 Strength score now, and that whopping
increase will be yours.
o========o=====o======o======o=====o
| Score |THAC0|Damage|Weight|Bash%|
o========o=====o======o======o=====o
| 3 | -3 | -1 | 5 | 3 |
| 4 | -2 | -1 | 15 | 4 |
| 5 | -2 | -1 | 15 | 4 |
| 6 | -1 | 0 | 30 | 6 |
| 7 | -1 | 0 | 30 | 6 |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 8 |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 8 |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 10 |
| 11 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 10 |
| 12 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 12 |
| 13 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 12 |
| 14 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 14 |
| 15 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 14 |
| 16 | 0 | +1 | 150 | 16 |
| 17 | +1 | +1 | 170 | 18 |
| 18 | +1 | +2 | 200 | 20 |
|18/01-50| +1 | +3 | 220 | 25 |
|18/51-75| +2 | +3 | 250 | 30 |
|18/76-90| +2 | +4 | 280 | 35 |
|18/91-99| +2 | +5 | 320 | 40 |
| 18/00 | +3 | +6 | 400 | 45 |
| 19 | +3 | +7 | 500 | 50 |
| 20 | +3 | +8 | 600 | 55 |
| 21 | +4 | +9 | 700 | 60 |
| 22 | +4 | +10 | 800 | 65 |
| 23 | +5 | +11 | 1000 | 70 |
| 24 | +6 | +12 | 1200 | 75 |
| 25 | +7 | +14 | 1600 | 80 |
o========o=====o======o======o=====o
Dexterity {DND034}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This affects your Armor Class, and your THAC0 adjustment for missile
weapons. EVERY character should get an 18 Dexterity for the wonderful
-4 Armor Class modifier. Period. Anybody else find it odd that the
highest bonus a PC can legitimately have (18, -4) is only two points of
Armor Class shy of the Armor Class bonus gained by the fastest critters
in 2nd Edition (25, -6)? Ah, 2nd Edition was funny..
o=======o=======o=======o
| Score |Missile| Armor |
| |Adjust.| Class |
o=======o=======o=======o
| 0 | -20 | +5 |
| 1 | -6 | +5 |
| 2 | -4 | +5 |
| 3 | -3 | +4 |
| 4 | -2 | +3 |
| 5 | -1 | +2 |
| 6 | 0 | +1 |
| 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 0 | -1 |
| 16 | +1 | -2 |
| 17 | +2 | -3 |
| 18 | +2 | -4 |
| 19 | +3 | -4 |
| 20 | +3 | -4 |
| 21 | +4 | -5 |
| 22 | +4 | -5 |
| 23 | +4 | -5 |
| 24 | +5 | -6 |
| 25 | +5 | -6 |
o=======o=======o=======o
Note: Your Dexterity will also affect your Thief abilities.. if you
are a Thief, of course. See [DND045] for more information.
Constitution {DND035}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This attribute gives you Hit Points. Hit points are good. At 16, you
gain a +2 bonus to Hit Points gained per level, which for non-Fighters
is the highest bonus possible. The number to the right lists the bonus
for Fighters, which is +4 at 18. All characters should have a minimum of
16 in Constitution, and all Fighters should have an 18. At 20+, your
character will regenerate-slowly.
o=======o===============o=======o
| Score |Hit Points per |Regen. |
| | Level | Rate |
o=======o===============o=======o
| 1 | -3 | 0 |
| 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 3 | -2 | 0 |
| 4 | -1 | 0 |
| 5 | -1 | 0 |
| 6 | -1 | 0 |
| 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | +1 | 0 |
| 17 | +2/+3 | 0 |
| 18 | +2/+4 | 0 |
| 19 | +2/+5 | 0 |
| 20 | +2/+5 | 60 |
| 21 | +2/+6 | 50 |
| 22 | +2/+6 | 40 |
| 23 | +2/+6 | 30 |
| 24 | +2/+7 | 20 |
| 25 | +2/+7 | 10 |
o=======o===============o=======o
Note: In the Regeneration Rate column, what the hell do those numbers
mean? Well, they're a measure of the time it takes to regenerate a lost
Hit Point.. but not REAL time, no, that would be too simple-it's the
number of game-time seconds it takes to regenerate a lost Hit Point.
So for a Constitution score of 20, it takes 60 seconds-one minute-of
game-time to recover one Hit Point. One minute of game-time is 2.5
seconds of real time, so our rate of time-lapse difference is
60/2.5 = 24:1. This makes sense, doesn't it? It means that one hour
spent playing in real-time is one day of game-time. So divide all those
numbers by 24, and that's how many seconds it takes to recover a lost
Hit Point.
Intelligence {DND036}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
If you're a Mage, get an 18, if not, it's a dump stat. By 'dump stat',
I mean lower it to 10 or so to put the excess points in other attributes
you actually need. Level refers to the highest level of spell you'll be
able to cast if you're a Mage. Note that if you're a triple class Mage,
you only need a 15 intelligence as you'll never be able to memorize 9th
level spells anyways (the tome will raise your intelligence high enough
to cast 8th level spells.) Max #/Level is the maximum number of
different spells you can have in your spell book per level. This will
never be a deciding factor as you can simply drink a potion to
temporarily allow you to scribe more spells than your spells per level
allowance. In fact, you can just use potions in a timely manner to
scribe all the spells you wish, allowing you to have as low of an
intelligence as you please regardless of your natural level maximum
or max #/level. Still, it's just more convenient to have the natural
intelligence instead of having to rely on potions all the time and
scribing spells all at once. If you fail at scribing a scroll, simply
reload until you succeed. Lore is your ability to identify magical
items. You'll legitimately never get high enough to identify everything,
so you'll always need the Identify spell, making lore a non-issue.
o=======o=======o=======o===============o=======o
| | Learn | Max |Max Spells per | |
| Score | Spell | Spell | Spell Level | Lore |
| |Chance | Level | | |
o=======o=======o=======o===============o=======o
| 0 | 0% | - | - | -20 |
| 1 | 0% | - | - | -20 |
| 2 | 0% | - | - | -20 |
| 3 | 0% | - | - | -20 |
| 4 | 0% | - | - | -20 |
| 5 | 0% | - | - | -20 |
| 6 | 0% | - | - | -20 |
| 7 | 0% | - | - | -10 |
| 8 | 0% | - | - | -10 |
| 9 | 0% | 4th | 6 | -10 |
| 10 | 35% | 5th | 7 | 0 |
| 11 | 40% | 5th | 7 | 0 |
| 12 | 45% | 6th | 7 | 0 |
| 13 | 50% | 6th | 9 | 0 |
| 14 | 55% | 7th | 9 | 0 |
| 15 | 60% | 7th | 11 | +3 |
| 16 | 65% | 8th | 11 | +5 |
| 17 | 75% | 8th | 14 | +7 |
| 18 | 85% | 9th | 18 | +10 |
| 19 | 95% | 9th | All | +12 |
| 20 | 96% | 9th | All | +15 |
| 21 | 97% | 9th | All | +20 |
| 22 | 98% | 9th | All | +25 |
| 23 | 99% | 9th | All | +30 |
| 24 | 100% | 9th | All | +35 |
| 25 | 100% | 9th | All | +40 |
o=======o=======o=======o===============o=======o
Wisdom {DND037}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
If you're a Cleric or a Druid, you want an 18. If you're a Mage, you
might want at least a 14 to use the wish spell effectively in Baldur's
Gate 2. Otherwise, it's a dump stat. For Clerics and Druids you don't
have a spell level maximum for a low wisdom in 2nd edition, but higher
wisdom nets you bonus spells. Definitely a draw for single class
characters, but if you simply cannot spread your points out enough to
get a great Wisdom, it's not that big of a deal. And keep in mind, there
are four tomes in the game that add a 1 point bonus to this stat. The
bonus spells are listed by level, at 17 you'd get 2 first level spells,
2 second level spells, and 1 third level spell.
o=======o===============o=======o
| Score | Bonus Spells | Lore |
o=======o===============o=======o
| 3 |- | -20 |
| 4 |- | -20 |
| 5 |- | -20 |
| 6 |- | -20 |
| 7 |- | -10 |
| 8 |- | -10 |
| 9 |0 | -10 |
| 10 |0 | 0 |
| 11 |0 | 0 |
| 12 |0 | 0 |
| 13 |1 | 0 |
| 14 |2 | 0 |
| 15 |2/1 | +3 |
| 16 |2/2 | +5 |
| 17 |2/2/1 | +7 |
| 18 |2/2/1/1 | +10 |
| 19 |3/2/1/2 | +12 |
| 20 |3/3/1/3 | +15 |
| 21 |3/3/2/3/1 | +20 |
| 22 |3/3/2/4/2 | +25 |
| 23 |3/3/2/4/4 | +30 |
| 24 |3/3/2/4/4/2 | +35 |
| 25 |3/3/2/4/4/3/1 | +40 |
o=======o===============o=======o
Charisma {DND038}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Charisma affects NPC reactions to you and determines shop prices. Rarely
you'll get a better reward for having a higher charisma. It's a dump
stat for everybody except Bards, who should get an 18 in it. To get the
best discounts, make sure to have your character with the highest
Charisma as party leader when interacting with the shopkeeper.
o========o========o
| Score |Reaction|
o========o========o
| 3 | -5 |
| 4 | -4 |
| 5 | -3 |
| 6 | -2 |
| 7 | -1 |
| 8 | 0 |
| 9 | 0 |
| 10 | 0 |
| 11 | 0 |
| 12 | 0 |
| 13 | +1 |
| 14 | +2 |
| 15 | +3 |
| 16 | +4 |
| 17 | +4 |
| 18 | +5 |
| 19 | +8 |
| 20 | +9 |
| 21 | +10 |
| 22 | +11 |
| 23 | +12 |
| 24 | +13 |
| 25 | +14 |
o========o========o
Tomes {DND039}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Now that you should know more or less what you're shooting for, keep in
mind that there are tomes that add 1 to an attribute throughout the
game. There is one for each attribute except Wisdom... there are about
four of those tomes in the game. You still want the minimums I stated
above, especially Strength. An 18 strength nets you a bonus of +1 THAC0,
+2 damage. 19 Strength gives you +3 THAC0, +7 damage. That's a big
deal. Give all the books you find to your protagonist, since they are
the only characters who will carry the bonuses over to Baldur's Gate 2.
Suggested Abilities by Class {DND040}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Bard 10~ 18 15 13~ 10~ 18
Cleric 18 18 15 10~ 18 10~
Cleric/Mage 18 18 15 18 18 10~
Cleric/Ranger 18(xx) 18 18 10~ 18~ 10~
Cleric/Thief 18 18 15 10~ 18 10~
Druid 18 18 15 10~ 18 15~
Fighter 18(91+) 18 18 10~ 10~ 10~
Fighter/Cleric 18(xx) 18 18 10~ 18 10~
Fighter/Druid 18(xx) 18 18 10~ 18 15~
Fighter/Mage 18(xx) 18 18 18 10~ 10~
Fighter/Mage/Cleric 18(xx) 18 18 18 10~ 10~
Fighter/Mage/Thief 18(xx) 18 18 18 10~ 10~
Fighter/Thief 18(91+) 18 18 10~ 10~ 10~
Mage 10~ 18 15 18 10~ 10~
Mage/Thief 10~ 18 15 18 10~ 10~
Paladin 18(91+) 18 18 10~ 13~ 17~
Ranger 18(91+) 18 18 10~ 14~ 10~
Thief 10~ 18 15 10~ 10~ 10~
Skills {DND041}
o======================================================================o
You have a selection of skills.. or rather, weapon proficiencies to
choose from. Bow, Spiked Weapons, Small Sword, Large Sword, Axe, Blunt
weapons, Missile Weapons, and Spear. If you are a Fighter-type, I'd
put two points into large swords, since there are plenty of good weapons
from that category, and two points into bows. Clerics should put their
points into blunt weapons, as there is an excellent war hammer that can
be obtained fairly early into the game, and missile weapons for slings.
Rogues should likewise focus on large swords and bows. You'll simply
find better large swords more frequently, and two of the best small
swords are only found near the end of the game. Druids are tricky, and
there is a good scimitar to be had.. eventually.. but the best route
with a Druid is probably to shoot for the dagger of venom (small
swords). Mages.. leave them with missile weapons so they can use slings,
and eventually give them a point into blunt weapons, so they can carry a
Quarter Staff they'll never use.
Weapon Proficiencies by Class/Level {DND042}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
LEVEL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Warrior 4 - 1 - - 1 - - 1 - - 1 ..+1/3 levels
Wizard 1 - - - - 1 - - - - - 1 ..+1/6 levels
Priest 2 - - 1 - - - 1 - - - 1 ..+1/4 levels
Rogue 2 - - 1 - - - 1 - - - 1 ..+1/4 levels
--> Priest includes Druids.
--> Rogue includes Bards.
--> Warrior includes Paladins and Rangers.
--> Single-or-dual-classed Fighters can spend five ranks in a
proficiency.
--> Multi-classed Fighters and Rangers can spend two ranks in a
proficiency.
--> Everybody else can only spend one point in a proficiency,
Weapon Proficiency Perks by Rank {DND043}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
These are the bonuses you gain by become specialized in a weapon type,
taken straight from the Baldur's Gate manual and confirmed by the 2DA
files. Enjoy them while they last-they're nerfed in Baldur's Gate 2.
As Misty Mouse smartly points out, Grand Mastery is a tease in this
game, since you can only reach 8th level as a Fighter-high enough for
High Mastery. Ah well...
o===============o=======o=======o=======o===============o
| Level | Ranks |To Hit |Damage | Attacks/Round |
o===============o=======o=======o=======o===============o
| Proficient | 1 | +0 | +0 | 1 |
|---------------|-------|-------|-------|---------------|
| Specialized | 2 | +1 | +2 | 3/2 |
|---------------|-------|-------|-------|---------------|
| Master | 3 | +3 | +3 | 3/2 |
|---------------|-------|-------|-------|---------------|
| High Master | 4 | +3 | +4 | 3/2 |
|---------------|-------|-------|-------|---------------|
| Grand Master | 5 | +3 | +5 | 2 |
o===============o=======o=======o=======o===============o
--> Bards, Clerics, Druids, Mages, and Thieves can only reach the
rank of Proficient.
--> Paladins, Rangers, and multi-classed Fighters can only reach the
rank of Specialized.
--> The bonus attacks per round only applies to melee weapons.
Proficiency Selection by Class {DND044}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Below you'll find listed the different weapon types in Baldur's Gate,
and the classes who can use them. Note that there is an important
difference between Clerics/Druids and Mages/Thieves. Mages/Thieves are
unskilled in the use of many weapons simply due to a lack of martial
prowess (presumably swinging a club takes special training that swinging
a staff doesn't take..?). Anyways, if you're a full-time Mage or Thief,
apparently you just can't be bothered to learn how to use many weapons.
Clerics and Druids, however, suffer from religious prohibition, not lack
of melee prowess. Smashing a critter's skull with a hammer is just more
dignified and less bloody than stabbing somebody. Really, that's the
explanation 2nd Edition AD&D gives. Druids, however, don't have any
qualms about cutting and stabbing, they just don't like metal.. unless
it's a scimitar or a dagger, which is somehow okay, whereas an axe is
not. Why is this distinction important? Well, a dual-or-multi-classed
Mage/Rogue can use the better weapon selection of whatever other class
they have. A dual-or-multi-classed Cleric or Druid, however, cannot.
Their religious restrictions apply regardless of their martial prowess.
Therefore, a Fighter/Mage has a more diverse weapon selection than a
Fighter/Cleric or Fighter/Druid. Wizards and Rogues use the BEST weapon
selection they have access to-theirs is additive. Clerics and Druids can
ONLY use the weapons not restricted by their class, regardless of what
other classes they may have.
|Bard
| |Cleric
| | |Druid
| | | |Rogue
| | | | |Warrior
| | | | | |Wizard
o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Small Swords | x | | x | x | x | x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Large Swords | x | | x | x | x | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blunt Weapons | x | x | x | x | x | x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Missile Weapons | x | x | x | x | x | x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bows | x | | | x | x | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spiked Weapons | x | x | | | x | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Axes | x | | | | x | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spears | x | | x | | x | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o
--> Warrior includes Paladins and Rangers.
--> Blunt includes Clubs, War Hammers, Maces, and Quarter Staves.
--> Bows include Long Bows and Short Bows.
--> Missile Weapons includes Slings and Cross Bows (both heavy
and light).
--> Small Swords includes Daggers and Short Swords.
--> Large Swords includes Long Swords, Scimitars, and Two-Handed
Swords.
--> Spear includes Spears and Halberds.
Thieving Abilities {DND045}
o======================================================================o
In case you're wondering where to allocate your Thief ability points,
I'll cover that here. In general though, you'll want to shoot for Find
Traps. Once you have 100% Find Traps, you can move onto other things.
Find Traps is the only thing that Thieves can do that a spell cannot.
Below are tables detailing how a character's race and Dexterity affects
their Thief skills.
|Pick Pockets
| |Open Locks
| | |Find Traps
o=============o | | |Stealth
| Race | | | | |
o=============o=====o=====o=====o=====o
Human | 15 | 10 | 5 | 10 |
<-------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
Dwarf | 15 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
<-------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
Elf | 20 | 5 | 5 | 20 |
<-------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
Gnome | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
<-------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
Half-Elf | 25 | 10 | 5 | 15 |
<-------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
Halfling | 20 | 15 | 10 | 25 |
<-------------o=====o=====o=====o=====o
|Pick Pockets
| |Open Locks
| | |Find Traps
o=========o | | |Stealth
|Dexterity| | | | |
o=========o=====o=====o=====o=====o
9 | -15 | -10 | -10 | -20 |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
10 | -10 | -5 | -10 | -15 |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
11 | -5 | - | -5 | -10 |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
12 | - | - | - | -5 |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
13-15 | - | - | - | - |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
16 | - | +5 | - | - |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
17 | +5 | +10 | - | +5 |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
18 | +10 | +15 | +5 | +10 |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
19 | +15 | +20 | +10 | +15 |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
20 | +20 | +25 | +15 | +18 |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
21 | +25 | +30 | +20 | +20 |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
22 | +30 | +35 | +25 | +23 |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
23 | +35 | +40 | +30 | +25 |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
24 | +40 | +45 | +35 | +40 |
<---------|-----|-----|-----|-----|
25 | +45 | +50 | +40 | +35 |
<---------o=====o=====o=====o=====o
Open Locks {DND046}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
You can use Open Locks to.. well.. open locks. Of course, once you get
the knock spell you won't need this anymore. Sure, it's nice to have
a Thief who can pick locks without having to use up 2nd-level spell
slots, but it's not essential. You can ignore this skill unless you are
just overflowing with points to spend.
Due to some prompting by Misty Mouse, I've decided to include the
lock values you'll find throughout the game, organized by walkthrough
sequence. While I don't find it necessary to note the difficulty of
every lock in the game, it will give you some idea as to where your
skill needs to be for each area... but again, keep in mind, this Thief
ability isn't necessary at all. Areas with no locked objects will
merely have an '--' in place of a numerical value. You don't find too
many locked objects in forests, go figure.
o========o==============o========o==============o
|Sequence| Highest Lock |Sequence| Highest Lock |
| | Difficulty | | Difficulty |
o========o==============o========o==============o
|[WLK001]| 65 |[WLK019]| 90 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK002]| 70 |[WLK020]| 60 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK003]| 90 |[WLK021]| 85 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK004]| -- |[WLK022]| 80 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK005]| 70 |[WLK023]| 95 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK006]| 100 |[WLK024]| 90 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK007]| -- |[WLK025]| 65 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK008]| -- |[WLK026]| 80 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK009]| 60 |[WLK027]| 80 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK010]| -- |[WLK028]| 70 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK011]| -- |[WLK029]| 100 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK012]| -- |[WLK030]| 100 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK013]| -- |[WLK031]| -- |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK014]| 70 |[WLK032]| 80 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK015]| -- |[WLK033]| -- |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK016]| 70 |[WLK034]| 90 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK017]| 70 |[WLK035]| 90 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK018]| 80 |[WLK036]| -- |
o========o==============o========o==============o
Stealth {DND047}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
If you can go into stealth, you can move about undetected by foes and,
if you're a Thief, backstab enemies for heavy damage. This is pretty
much the one combat upside to being a Thief, and it's deceptively good.
Seriously, if you have a Thief with a good strength score, a magic
weapon, and a good backstab multiplier, you could end up doing well
over 40 damage in a hit. Considering that the most powerful enemies in
this game will be lucky to push 100 Hit Points, that's good stuff. For a
combat-focused Thief, this should be a priority.. after Find Traps.
Hiding in the shadows does help, and you'll find a number of items that
improve this skill throughout the game, so you probably only need 70
points or so in this skill.
Find Traps {DND048}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This is the essential Thief skill. Clerics can find traps with a spell,
but they can't disarm them. To safely eliminate traps, you need a Thief
with this skill, and traps can be a problem in this game. In fact, this
skill is really the reason you need a Thief in your party at all. No
matter who you have, get their Open Locks to 100% before you do anything
else.
Again, I've added a table showing the highest trap difficulty by
walkthrough sequence, just like I did with lock difficulty, above.
There's no spell that disarms traps for you, so this is somewhat more
important than the lock difficulty table.. but if you just follow my
advice, you'll be equipped to handle any traps you come across without
ever really having to care about the actual numbers. There are
actually two numbers the game uses-'trap removal difficulty' and
'trap detection difficulty'. In almost all cases, the removal difficulty
is higher than the detection difficulty... when the two differ at all.
I have thus used the former rather than the latter. If you can't detect
the trap, you probably can't remove it, and suppose you could somehow
remove a trap-oh, if only you could detect it? Use the 2nd-level Cleric
spell 'Find Traps'. Also keep in mind that all containers that summon
guards are technically 'trapped'-yes, that whole 'Someone has noticed
you! You hear the guards being summoned!' thing is actually a trap. It
triggers a script called 'ACT01', 'ACT02'... all the way up until
'ACT13', each of which just summons a different type or number of
guards (Flaming Fist Soldiers, Amnish Guards, etc.) These have not been
recorded here since they cannot be detected nor disarmed, they do not
fall under the purview of the Find Traps skill. In fact, I should just
disregard all traps that cannot be disarmed, but that seems a little
rash-instead, I'll simply settle for disregarding all traps that cannot
be detected OR disarmed. These are, as far as I'm concerned, just
triggered scripts that cannot be avoided.
Note: There were some locations (like the building in Beregost [AR3336]
and Tazok's Tent [AR1901]) that wouldn't read via Infinity Explorer..
hence, their difficulties are unrecorded here. It's rather annoying,
since in both those cases they were the only traps present in that
walkthrough sequence. This has been denoted with '**'.
o========o==============o========o==============o
|Sequence| Highest Trap |Sequence| Highest Trap |
| | Difficulty | | Difficulty |
o========o==============o========o==============o
|[WLK001]| -- |[WLK019]| 90 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK002]| -- |[WLK020]| -- |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK003]| ** |[WLK021]| 100 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK004]| -- |[WLK022]| -- |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK005]| -- |[WLK023]| -- |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK006]| -- |[WLK024]| 60 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK007]| -- |[WLK025]| -- |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK008]| -- |[WLK026]| 70 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK009]| -- |[WLK027]| 90 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK010]| -- |[WLK028]| 100 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK011]| -- |[WLK029]| 97 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK012]| 15 |[WLK030]| 90 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK013]| -- |[WLK031]| 70 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK014]| -- |[WLK032]| 80 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK015]| 50 |[WLK033]| -- |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK016]| ** |[WLK034]| 70 |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK017]| 50 |[WLK035]| -- |
|--------|--------------|--------|--------------|
|[WLK018]| 50 |[WLK036]| 90 |
o========o==============o========o==============o
Pick Pockets {DND049}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
There aren't too many items you'll want to pick pocket in this game, and
you can pretty much steal anything with a low score provided you're
willing to reload a lot. Of course, you can always pop potions for when
you really need to steal something. Still, Find Traps is essential and
Stealth helps with combat, so Pick Pockets should take a back seat to
those two.
Hit points {DND050}
o======================================================================o
You run out of Hit Points, and you die. These are important.
Multi-classing averages your Hit Points/level across your classes. A
Fighter/Mage multi would gain 7 Hit Points a level (10+4)/2 = 5 Fighter,
2 Mage. A multi-classed character will still get bonus Hit Points for
having a Fighter class and a high Constitution, but a dual-class
character can start out 9 levels of Fighter, get all 9d10+36 Hit Points,
and dual class into something else. This is in every way favorable. And
don't accept crappy Hit Point rolls upon leveling up, especially not on
your main character (these stats will carry over into the sequel, you
know!) You should get max Hit Points each level, no matter how many
save/loads it takes. You can be less picky about your allies, since they
won't carry over their Hit Point totals, but you should still try to
ensure they get most, if not all, the Hit Points available to them each
level. Unfortunately, this isn't Baldur's Gate 2, where you can just
select to get max Hit Points every time you level up.. it'd save me a
lot of reloading.
THAC0 and Armor Class {DND051}
o======================================================================o
THAC0 is an acronym for 'To Hit Armor Class 0'. This is the roll on a
d20 (a 20 sided die) that you'd need to hit somebody with an Armor
Class of 0. Statistically, each point is a 5% chance to hit Armor Class
0, and a roll of 20 is ALWAYS a hit, and a roll of 1 is ALWAYS a miss,
regardless of your THAC0/their Armor Class. Fighters get a lower THAC0
quicker (hence a better chance to hit) than other classes, and Mages
have the worst THAC0 progression. A lower THAC0 and lower Armor Class
are better-which seems counter intuitive, but that's 2nd Edition for
you. (Nostalgia for a moment here.) Having a negative Armor Class
essentially raises the enemies' THAC0. For instance, my Paladin has a
base THAC0 of 5 (-2 with all her proficiencies, Strength, the bonus on
the weapon, etc), and my Ranger/Cleric has an Armor Class of -13. My
Paladin would need an 11 on a d20 to hit her (-2 +13 = 11). That's a
55% chance to miss-a 45% chance to hit. So, for a general rule, lower
THAC0 and lower Armor Class are good. Unless the enemy has them. Then
it's not so good.
THAC0 by Class/Level* {DND052}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
*This is taken straight from the 2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragon's
Players Handbook.
LEVEL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Warrior 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Wizard 20 20 20 19 19 19 18 18 18 17 17 17 16 16 16 15 15 15 14 14
Priest 20 20 20 18 18 18 16 16 16 14 14 14 12 12 12 10 10 10 8 8
Rogue 20 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 16 16 15 15 14 14 13 13 12 12 11 11
--> Priest includes Druids.
--> Rogue includes Bards.
--> Warrior includes Paladins and Rangers.
Multi-class characters use the best THAC0 progression of either of
their classes-Fighter/Mages use the Fighter's THAC0 progression, and
Cleric/Thieves' use the Thief's THAC0 progression.
Dual-class characters use the THAC0 of their active class if they
haven't regained their bonuses from the previous (inactive class). If
they have, they use whichever gives them the best THAC0.
Armor Class Modifiers by Weapon Type {DND053}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Different armor types are strong against different attack types. It
might seem like information overload, but keep it in mind when picking
between various types of armor. A suit of Leather Armor +3 versus a
suit of Studded Leather Armor +2 might both give the same Armor Class,
but because of the modifiers the Studded Leather is by far the better
choice. It comes up.
o===============o===============o===============o===============o
| Armor | Slashing | Piercing | Bludgeoning |
o===============o===============o===============o===============o
| Leather Armor | 0 | +2 | 0 |
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|Studded Leather| -2 | -1 | 0 |
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
| Chain Mail | -2 | 0 | +2 |
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
| Splint Mail | 0 | -1 | -2 |
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
| Plate Mail | -3 | 0 | 0 |
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
| Full Plate | -4 | -3 | 0 |
o===============o===============o===============o===============o
Saving Throws {DND054}
o======================================================================o
There are some things that speed and armor just can't protect against.
This typically means magic, in some form or another, and really, a
Fireball doesn't care about your Plate Mail Armor. An enchantment can't
be blocked by a shield, and being fleet of foot won't stop a Lich from
using vile necromancy to rip the soul from your body. Nope, for that,
we resort to Saving Throws, needlessly sorted into five categories that
aren't always as self-explanatory as they seem to be. When your
character is forced to making a saving throw check against something,
they 'roll' a d20 and must exceed their Saving Throw. So like Armor
Class, the lower the better.
Paralysis/Poison/Death
|Rod/Staff/Wand
| |Petrification/Polymorph
| | |Breath Weapon
| | | |Spells
Warrior o=======o=======o=======o=======o=======o
Level 1-2 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 |
Level 3-4 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 |
Level 5-6 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
Level 7-8 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
Level 9-10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
Level 11-12 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
Level 13-14 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
Level 15-16 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
Level 17+ | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Wizard |-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|
Level 1-5 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 12 |
Level 6-10 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 10 |
Level 11-15 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 8 |
Level 16-20 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 6 |
Level 21+ | 8 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
Priest |-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|
Level 1-3 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 15 |
Level 4-6 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 14 |
Level 7-9 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 12 |
Level 10-12 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 11 |
Level 13-15 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 10 |
Level 16-18 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 9 |
Level 19+ | 2 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 7 |
Rogue |-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|
Level 1-4 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 15 |
Level 5-8 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 13 |
Level 9-12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 11 |
Level 13-16 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 9 |
Level 17-20 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 7 |
Level 21 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 5 |
o=======o=======o=======o=======o=======o
--> Priest includes Druids.
--> Rogue includes Bards.
--> Warrior includes Barbarians, Paladins, and Rangers.
Note: Multi-classed characters take the lowest Saving Throws offered by
any of their classes. For example, a high level Fighter/Mage uses the
better Fighter Saving Throws versus Paralysis/Poison/Death, and the
better Mage Saving Throws versus Rod/Staff/Wand.
Spells {DND055}
o======================================================================o
If you're a Mage or Bard, you'll get to choose two 1st level spells you
know. I tend to pick sleep and identify. You never know when this game
is going to be picky and not drop identify scrolls in a timely manner,
and sleep is a great spell for clearing out masses of annoying weak
enemies. Next you get to choose one spell to have memorized at the get
go. I choose sleep.
Note from Lee: if you have the auto-identify mod installed (I do), then
choose Magic Missile and Sleep as your two beginning spells. Magic
Missile is just awesome as an enemy-mage-slower-downer.
Lore {DND056}
o======================================================================o
Lore is a minor statistic that rates your ability to identify unknown
magical items. Bards have the best lore, but the identify spell is the
great equalizer. So long as you get a high enough lore on a character
to identify minor items that you receive a lot of (such as ammunition)
you're fine.
Lore by Class/Level {DND057}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Everybody Else 1 Lore/Level
Mage 3 Lore/Level
Thief 3 Lore/Level
Bard 10 Lore/Level
Experience Points (EXP Cap) {DND058}
o======================================================================o
You kill things, you complete quests, you earn Experience Points. You
gain Experience Points, you Level up, you gain Levels, you get stronger,
you can kill more stuff. Fun. In Baldur's Gate you could get up to
89,000 experience points. with Tales of the Sword Coast you can get up
to 161,000 Experience Points, a total cap that is split between all your
classes, single, dual, or multi. If you're single-or-multi classed, this
just limits your total level. For dual classed characters, you must
choose the opportune time to switch in order to gain enough experience
to become a higher level in your second class than in your first, thus
unlocking all your previous classes abilities. Keep in mind that when
you are multi-classing, you will progress in levels very slowly. If you
get, say, 240 experience for smacking an Ogre around, only half of that
will go to each of your classes. So if you were a Fighter/Mage, you'd
get 120 in Fighter, and 120 in Mage. If you were a Fighter/Mage/Thief,
only a third of that would go into each class, or 80 experience points.
Now if you have a six person party, you have to divide that amongst each
member. For that ogre, a Fighter/Mage would get 20 experience points in
each class.. that's one hundred ogres to increase from Level 1 to Level
2. It may seem tedious.. but I find Baldur's Gate to be a very well
balanced game. So what if it takes hours to level up? You'll be too busy
exploring, gathering loot, and making gold to worry. Besides.. you'll
only reach level 7/7 as a Fighter/Mage anyways.. Don't rush it, enjoy
the ride. Below is a table listing the experience caps for Baldur's
Gate, Tales of the Sword Coast, Shadows of Amn, and Throne of Bhaal,
just so you know what to look out for in the immediate and far-distant
future.
o===========================================o
| Baldur's | Tales of |Shadows of|Throne of |
| Gate |the Sword | Amn | Bhaal |
| | Coast | | |
o===========================================o
Bard | 8 | 10 | 23 | 40 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Cleric | 7 | 8 | 21 | 40 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Cleric/Mage | 6/6 | 8/7 | 14/13 | 25/20 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Cleric/Ranger | 6/6 | 8/7 | 14/12 | 25/21 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Cleric/Thief | 6/7 | 8/8 | 14/16 | 25/28 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Druid | 8 | 10 | 14 | 31 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Fighter | 7 | 8 | 19 | 40 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Fighter/Cleric | 6/6 | 7/8 | 13/14 | 24/25 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Fighter/Druid | 6/7 | 7/8 | 13/13 | 24/21 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Fighter/Mage | 6/6 | 7/7 | 13/13 | 24/20 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Fighter/Mage/Cleric | 5/5/6 | 6/6/6 | 11/12/12 | 18/17/19 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Fighter/Mage/Thief | 5/5/6 | 6/6/7 | 11/12/14 | 18/17/22 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Fighter/Thief | 6/7 | 7/8 | 13/16 | 24/28 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Mage | 7 | 9 | 17 | 31 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Mage/Thief | 6/7 | 7/8 | 13/16 | 20/28 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Paladin | 7 | 8 | 17 | 40 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Ranger | 7 | 8 | 17 | 40 |
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
Thief | 8 | 10 | 23 | 40 |
o===========================================o
My Protagonist {DND059}
o======================================================================o
As I said earlier, I'm planning to make a Fighter/Mage. I also decide to
be an Elf, as it adds a certain.. tension.. with the antagonist of the
sequel, at least in my mind. My character is true neutral, and I focus
in large swords and bows, since I'll primarily be an archer in the first
game. I roll up the following, modest, abilities for my character:
Strength: 18/66 (19)
Dexterity: 19 (20)
Constitution: 17 (18)
Intelligence: 18 (19)
Wisdom: 13 (16)
Charisma: 10 (11)
(The numbers in parentheses are my projected end-game attributes,
after collecting all the tomes and using them on my protagonist.)
For the evil party play-though I rolled up another character,
although I wasn't nearly as picky about her stats as I was with the
Fighter/Mage.. mostly because her Wisdom was irrelevant, as she
would never gain access to 9th level Mage spells (and hence Wish) in
Baldur's Gate 2. She's a Neutral Evil, Half-Elven, Fighter/Mage/Thief:
Strength: 18/73 (19)
Dexterity: 18 (19)
Constitution: 18 (19)
Intelligence: 18 (19)
Wisdom: 10 (13)
Charisma: 10 (11)
(The numbers in parentheses are my projected end-game attributes,
after collecting all the tomes and using them on my protagonist.)
If you think that's trying too hard, take a cue from the Bioware staff.
Their ship-in protagonist in the 'Mission Pack' save that comes with the
Tales of the Sword Coast expansion (for those of you who are too lazy to
want to play through the main game..) has the following stats:
Strength: 18/90
Dexterity: 19
Consititution: 19
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 6
Charisma: 18
Obviously they're taking into consideration the fact that you won't
be able to get many of the stat-raising tomes, but they're still
assuming some pretty high base stats! (Also note that every party
member in the mission pack save is a sequel character..) Now that that's
all out of the way, lets get gaming!... Or read up on the recruitable
characters in the game, but you can do that a little later.. you know,
after the Prologue.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Characters {CHR001} |
| |
o======================================================================o
Allies come in all shapes and sizes, and fill a variety of roles. Many
of them can't be found until later in the game, which effectively makes
them all but useless. Still, you've got more characters to choose from
than you can fit into a party. Who should you pick, and which is the
best? These are hard questions to answer. Frankly, your main character's
class will help determine who you should travel with, and who you should
leave behind. If you make a Paladin, you certainly won't need Ajantis,
and if you make a character who has Thief levels, you won't need to even
consider Imoen, Montaron, or Safana. Also, life will be easier if all
the characters you choose are of the same alignment.. or are at least
relatively close. Always remember that you need at least one Thief, one
Cleric, and one Mage. The rest should be warriors of some sort, at least
dual-or-multi-classed.
In the recruitable section, 'Early' indicates characters that can be
recruited before the Nashkel Mines. 'Mid' indicates characters that can
be recruited sometime after the Nashkel Mines, but before Baldur's Gate.
'Late' indicates characters that can be recruited after Baldur's Gate.
As a point of practice, a character that can't be recruited until the
middle of the game has little chance of being useful by the time you
reach them (at least, not without editing their Hit Points with a mod of
some sort), and one that cannot be recruited until late is basically a
moot character. You'll notice that all the sequel characters are ones
you can recruit BEFORE the Nashkel Mines. This probably isn't a
coincidence. Why does when you can recruit them matter? Because the
computer is stupid when it comes to allocating proficiencies, skill
points, and accepting Hit Points rolls. The longer you wait to recruit
a character, the higher their level will be. The higher their level is,
the more likely they are to have accepted stupid levels. Most characters
have several 'versions' they can be-they don't scale to match your
experience exactly, and there's not a level for every possible ally.
I have included every instance of each character that it is possible to
recruit-according to Infinity Explorer, but my description will be
based on the assumption that you get them at the lowest possible level-
with bias towards the difficulty of actually doing this, as is
appropriate.
Note about Character Quests {CHR002}
o======================================================================o
Many of the characters you can recruit have quests they want you to see
to before you've 'secured' them. If you mess around too long, they'll
leave to go find somebody more willing to see to their quests, but after
you've completed their quests, they're generally yours for the rest of
the game. Many of these are very simple-go to a certain area, talk to
somebody, and so forth. Kagain, Edwin and Minsc are some (but not all)
examples. These quests should be resolved immediately after recruiting
them, and whatever you do, do not disband them from the party before
completing their quest-it tends to make them pester you ceaselessly
until you add them again, and just causes all kinds of glitches, in
general. I had a note about this behavior under Yeslick's character
entry, but an e-mail from Lee revealed that he had the same issue with
Kagain-and I doubt it's just a Dwarf thing. So, I'm posting an official
warning here under its own heading to let you know not to disband
characters without completing their specific quests.
Ajantis {CHR003}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 12
Male, Human, Paladin, Lawful Good
Str 17, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 17
Paladin 2
Experience: 2263
Hit Points: 20
Large Swords ++
Bows +
Blunt Weapons +
---or---
Paladin 4
Experience: 9026
Hit Points: 32
Large Swords ++
Small Swords +
Bows +
Blunt Weapons +
---or---
Paladin 6
Experience: 37129
Hit Points: 55
Large Swords ++
Small Swords ++
Bows +
Blunt Weapons +
Overview:
---------
He's got a decent Strength and Constitution, and a Dexterity that just
begs for the Gauntlets of Dexterity. Unfortunately, there are a lot of
potential Fighters that need those gauntlets, so competition is rather
stiff. To his credit however, Ajantis does have a high Charisma, which
makes him recommendable as a party leader (especially if you throw on
Algernon's Cloak). He also has access to several Paladin abilities,
namely Lay on Hands, which allows him to heal once on rest shifts.
Unfortunately, he starts to turn sour very quickly if you leave him to
his own devices. If you somehow can't manage to get the level two
version-you might as well just leave him behind to become Ankheg food.
His level two Hit Points (20 out of a possible 24) are... manageable,
but by level four he's got 32 out of 48 possible Hit Points, which is
just unacceptable. By level six, he's thoroughly ruined as a front-line
warrior.
How to Use Ajantis Effectively:
-------------------------------
Ajantis is another self-explanatory character. He starts out Specialized
in Large Swords, which will serve as his weapon of choice throughout
the game, be they Bastard Swords or Long Swords. He's also proficient
in Blunt Weapons and Bows... which I never have him use. Instead, get
him Specialized in Axes so he can use the returning Throwing Axe +2,
giving him a handy ranged option.
Recruiting Ajantis:
-------------------
Ajantis (x=1570, y=3130) is in the farm area north of the Friendly Arm
Inn (AR1400). Don't provoke him and ask him to join your party and
you're good to go. Also, avoid the Ankhegs in this area if you're lower
level-they can be harsh.
Alora {CHR004}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Late
Max Hit points per Level: 6
Female, Halfling, Thief, Chaotic Good
Str 8, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 7, Cha 10
Thief 4
Experience: 5012
Hit Points: 14
Small Swords +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 80%
Open Locks 80%
Find Traps 20%
Stealth 40%
---or---
Thief 6
Experience: 20115
Hit Points: 19
Bows +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 100%
Open Locks 100%
Find Traps 20%
Stealth 40%
Overview:
---------
Alora has one great attribute-her Dexterity, and for a Thief, isn't that
what it's really all about? Sure, since Dexterity is a slow-progressing
attribute, she's not much better off than all those other Thieves with
an 18, but she's got enough Dexterity that she'll get a good Armor Class
bonus and she'll be able to contribute with Short Bows. Unfortunately,
by the time you have access to Alora, your need for a Thief has long
since required you to recruit another. She's also a perfect example of
why late-game allies just don't work. When recruited in my playthrough
she was already level six, and the computer had wisely accepted 19
Hit Points (out of a possible 36) and had allocated most of her Thief
skill points into Pick Pockets and Open Locks. What good is a level six
Thief with 19 Hit Points and a Find Traps score of 50? How strong are
Imoen, Safana, Montaron, or Coran by now in comparison? Characters you
can reach in the Cloakwood Forest are passable-if you hurry and
maintain as low of a level as possible through the Bandit Camp and the
Nashkel Mines, but you'd be incredibly hard-pressed to fight your way
through those two locations AND the Cloakwood Forest AND the Cloakwood
Mines and remain less than level three or four. And by that time the
damage has largely been done. I'd also like to point out that the
average Hit Points on die for a level six Thief (granting max Hit Point
rolls at level one, which the game does) is 23, meaning that Alora is,
at level six, somewhat behind average, and certainly behind the decent
rolls we're looking for.
Of course, I might be missing her point entirely-at least according to
Misty Mouse: "Alora has 100% pick pocketing when you recruit her later
in the game. I always end up recruiting her temporarily and taking a
journey around the world to pick pocket everyone worth pick pocketing
before sending her home again. No need to waste my thief's valuable
thief skills on pick pocketing. Plus, Alora isn't really suited to
fighting." On the latter part, I couldn't agree more, and when you put
it like that... sure, why not recruit Alora late-game and take her
around stealing all the crap you couldn't steal earlier? Simpler than
just using Knock on every obstinate chest, right? I'll concede, she
isn't useless... at least, if you never consider her a potential
long-term party candidate.
How to Use Alora Effectively:
-----------------------------
Keep her out of combat. In fact, keep her out of any party that might
one day see combat. She's really not meant for it. Like Misty Mouse
suggested, she's here for one reason-to steal crap we might not have
been able to steal earlier. If you insist on taking her into battle...
well, use her as an archer and hope nothing retaliates. When she hits
level eight and gains the one proficiency point you can control, put it
into Bows.
Recruiting Alora:
-----------------
Alora is in the High House (AR0130), which is located in the eastern
district of Baldur's Gate (AR0600). She'll only be there at night, and
the ideal time to meet/recruit her is during the quest to steal the
telescope interred therein for Brevlik. Join her heist and when the deed
is done, she'll want to join up permanent-like.
Branwen {CHR005}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 9
Female, Human, Cleric, True Neutral
Str 13, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 9, Wis 16, Cha 13
Cleric 2
Experience: 1545
Hit Points: 17
Blunt Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Cleric 5
Experience: 14045
Hit Points: 38
Blunt Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
Overview:
---------
Branwen, a war-priest from the Norheim isles. She's neutral, so she can
fit into any party, and I've played through with her, she's really not
bad. Of course, she doesn't edge out either Jaheira or Viconia. In fact,
I feel she's patently inferior to Viconia, seeing as how Viconia has
both a better Dexterity and Magic Resistance, which means she's better
than Branwen defensively. With a Cleric, we want defense, defense is
good. If you can't keep your Cleric alive, you can't use your Cleric to
keep your other characters alive, no? The extra Hit Point a level is
nice, as are the extra spells, but if push came to shove, I'd still take
Viconia. Branwen comes in two flavors-good, and still good. When you
first recruit her at level two, she'll be a mere one Hit Point off her
maximum. If you wait until she's level five, she'll be a whopping... two
Hit Points off maximum. No big deal.
How to Use Branwen Effectively:
-------------------------------
First, the proficiencies-she comes Proficient in Blunt Weapons and
Missile Weapons. Ashideena +2 and a ranged option-she's good to go as
soon as you get her. Yeah, in Baldur's Gate 1 there's just really not
much brain-work when it comes to Clerics.
Recruiting Branwen:
-------------------
Branwen is in the Nashkel Carnival area (AR4900) and has been turned to
stone (x=3250, y=2890) by a wizard named Tranzig. An opportunistic evil
Halfling is selling a scroll to turn her back for 500 gold, but I prefer
to steal it. Cheaters never prosper.. unless they are me, of course.
When you turn her back to flesh, she'll offer to join your party.
Coran {CHR006}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Mid
Max Hit points per Level: 8
Male, Elf, Fighter/Thief, Chaotic Good
Str 14, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 9, Cha 16
Fighter 3/Thief 3
Experience: 8126
Hit Points: 27
Large Swords ++
Bows +++
Pick Pockets 40%
Open Locks 60%
Find Traps 20%
Stealth 78%
---or---
Fighter 5/Thief 5
Experience: 33524
Hit Points: 39
Large Swords ++
Bows +++
Pick Pockets 40%
Open Locks 80%
Find Traps 20%
Stealth 98%
Overview:
---------
Coran is a pretty good character for his role. He's a Thief, which
fulfills a need you might have, and he's also a Fighter. Frankly though,
with his Strength (which is just low enough to avoid any bonuses) and
his need to remain in light armor he's best used as an archer-which is
what he claims to be. In that, he excels. Notice the 20 Dexterity? He
starts out with Mastery in Bows (which technically isn't possible
for a multi-class character), and a respectable two ranks in Large
Swords. There are only three gripes I have about him: 1) He's not a
sequel character, which I'm sure matters to somebody other than me.
2) His starting skills aren't great-not a single point spent in Find
Traps. 3) You can't recruit him until you gain access to the Cloakwood
Forest, making him a mid-game character. Now to refute all my points:
1) Who cares? 2) If you get him at level three, you will be able to get
his Find Traps up to snuff, and also-he replaces Minsc in the Good
party, not Imoen. Let Imoen continue to be your trap-finder, and enjoy
Coran's archery. 3) Even at level five, his Hit Points are only a single
point off maximum, so it never really matters WHEN you recruit him...
but at level three, his Hit Points are maximum, and we all would love to
get that extra Hit Point, wouldn't we? He's probably the best archer in
the game, although for my money Kivan makes a superior all-round support
Fighter.
How to Use Coran Effectively:
-----------------------------
Recruit him and put a Longbow in his hands. Seriously, there's nothing
to this guy. As long as he's shooting at things, he's doing alright.
Once he hits level six... it doesn't really matter where you put that
proficiency. He doesn't belong in melee, he'll already be a candidate
for a few good Two-Handed Swords and every good Longbow, and he's not
going to transfer to the sequel. It's really a moot proficiency. Perhaps
get a rank into Halberds, if you have plans for Two-Handed Swords?
Recruiting Coran:
-----------------
You can find Coran in the first part of the Cloakwood Forest (AR2200)
on a bridge in the northwestern corner of the map (x=1520, y=700). He
wants help ridding the Cloakwood Forest of a wyvern nest, which is fine,
since we intend to kill as many wyverns as we can find.
Dynaheir {CHR007}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 6
Female, Human, Invoker, Lawful Good
Str 11, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 17, Wis 15, Cha 12
Invoker 1
Experience: 452
Hit Points: 6
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Invoker 2
Experience: 2638
Hit Points: 11
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Invoker 4
Experience: 11003
Hit Points: 21
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Invoker 6
Experience: 40653
Hit Points: 31
Blunt Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
Overview:
---------
Dynaheir has... a decent Intelligence, and a good Constitution, but
there is one horrible, crippling, damning weakness that prevents her
from ever being included in a party of mine... She's an Invoker. What's
the big deal? She can't cast enchantment/charm or conjuration/summoning
spells. No Sleep, Confusion, Chaos, Hold Monster, or Monster Summoning.
So many good spells... Yes, Invocation is good, but not THAT good. She's
more of a burden than a boon, so kill her for Edwin, or... walk her into
a herd of Gnolls and dump her corpse off. Either way, get rid of her,
keep Minsc or Edwin. Yes, I know you CAN keep her alive and appease both
Edwin and Minsc-but I kill her just out of spite. Despite my hatred,
she doesn't go quite as astray statistically as some other PCs do.
At level two she's only down one Hit Point, by level four she's down
three, and by level six she's missing five-but she's an early character,
so you should have no trouble recruiting her before level four or six,
by the latest.
How to Use Dynaheir Effectively:
--------------------------------
She already starts out Proficient in Missile Weapons, which is good,
because with her limited spell-book, she'll be using her Sling a bit.
Get her a rank into Blunt Weapons later and you're good to go.
Recruiting Dynaheir:
--------------------
You can find Dynaheir in the Gnoll Stronghold (AR5100), in one of the
holding pits at (x=2530, y=1450). The Gnoll Stronghold is in the south-
western corner of the world map, so she requires a bit of exploring to
reach. Recruiting both Edwin and Minsc require finding her, so she's
somewhat important... but not in the good way.
Edwin (Sequel character) {CHR008}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 6
Male, Human, Conjurer, Lawful Evil
Str 9, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 18, Wis 9, Cha 10
Conjurer 1
Experience: 342
Hit Points: 6
Blunt Weapons +
---or---
Conjurer 2
Experience: 2819
Hit Points: 10
Blunt Weapons +
---or---
Conjurer 4
Experience: 10984
Hit Points: 17
Blunt Weapons +
---or---
Conjurer 6
Experience: 41752
Hit Points: 27
Blunt Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
Overview:
---------
He's not strong, fast, wise or pretty. He's a glass cannon. That's
right, with an 18 Intelligence and the maximum useful Constitution,
Edwin seems to be in a good place to let loose magic. His Armor Class
isn't all that important, since your job is to keep him AWAY from
combat. Any time he's getting attacked in melee or at range is a time
you failed to use him right. Spells are another story, and more Hit
Points will help weather the odd enemy reprisal. Did I mention he gets
two additional spells per level and is the most useful specialist
class, the Conjurer? The only useful spells he can't cast are Identify
and (in the sequel) True Sight. All those factors make him the most
powerful spell caster in the game, bar none. Even if you made your own
Conjurer protagonist, it would be your end-of-chapter abilities versus
his extra spell per spell level. Not a good trade. You must take him
to the Gnoll Stronghold fairly expediently after finding him, and his
quest directly opposes Minsc's. Do Edwin's job for him, and he's yours
for the rest of the game. Oh, and be sure to recruit him early-he starts
to suck in the Hit Point department if you leave him to his own devices.
How to Use Edwin Effectively:
-----------------------------
You'll want to get him ranks in Missile Weapons so he can make ranged
attacks should he ever run out of spells. This will... take him a while,
but once it's done you can just have him chuck Bullets at less
threatening foes, and rely on his enormous spell arsenal for anything
that might be somewhat threatening. He's just the best Mage in the
game, hands down.
Recruiting Edwin:
-----------------
Edwin is in Nashkel (AR4800), standing on the bridge that runs over the
river separating the map in half (x=2870, y=2950). You'll have to agree
to hunt down and kill the witch Dynaheir to get him to join you, and
actually go through with it to keep him. Obviously this won't make him
friends with Minsc, so you need to choose one or the other.
Eldoth {CHR009}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Mid
Max Hit points per Level: 7
Male, Human, Bard, Neutral Evil
Str 16, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 16
Bard 3
Experience: 2526
Hit Points: 15
Small Swords +
Bows +
Pick Pockets 50%
---or---
Bard 5
Experience: 10126
Hit Points: 24
Small Swords +
Bows +
Spears +
Pick Pockets 60%
Overview:
---------
Eldoth isn't one of my recommended characters, although you could
technically reach him somewhat quickly. This is a case, however, where
it's really not worth it. He will get a bonus to his Hit Points, and
will do well in combat due to his Strength... except for the fact that
seven Hit Points a level does not a killer make, and a Bard doesn't have
a great THAC0 progression. Garrick will make a better archer/support
character, which is really what a Bard should be, and you can get him
much earlier. If you just have to have a Bard, take Garrick. Eldoth
starts out somewhat shy of Hit Points (having 15 out of a possible 21
at third level) and by level five he's down to 24 out of a possible 35.
Neither of which are really acceptable losses for a character whose
maximum Hit Points are 65 before starting out sans six Hit Points.
Perhaps the only interesting thing about Eldoth is that you'll need him
to recruit Skie... who sucks in her own right. Ah well...
How to Use Eldoth Effectively:
------------------------------
Use him as... a rather poor archer with his proficiency in Bows, but
aim to pick up proficiency in Large Swords or Halberds so he can
participate in melee... where he can attack from behind other, better
warriors. Oh, he'll also be able to cast support spells, provide you
nanny him when he tries to scribe, as his Intelligence is laughable.
Recruiting Eldoth:
------------------
You can find Eldoth in the third area of the Cloakwood Forest (AR1600)
at (x=3180, y=3500). He wants your help to 'abduct' his lover Skie from
her house in Baldur's Gate, then ransom her father, Entar Silvershield.
He will, however, wait around for you to finish your quests before
tackling his. If he only knew what he was getting himself into, eh?
Faldorn {CHR010}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Mid
Max Hit points per Level: 8
Female, Human, Druid, True Neutral
Str 12, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 15
Druid 3
Experience: 4097
Hit Points: 16
Blunt Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Druid 5
Experience: 13197
Hit Points: 22
Spears +
Blunt Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
Overview:
---------
Ookay... well, let's get it out there, Faldorn sucks. She doesn't have
the Hit Points or the Strength of Jaheira, paltry as it is, and her tiny
bonus to Armor Class is a poor compensation. Jaheira can wear much
better armor and will survive in melee combat much longer as a result.
Not only that, she'll get more points to spend in her proficiencies and
she'll have a better THAC0. What does Faldorn have over Jaheira besides
the one point of Armor Class that is rendered negligible because of
Jaheira's better armor? Well, she can cast a few more spells. If you
want a Druid, take Jaheira-you'll also get a competent Fighter. The
earliest you can recruit her is when she's level three-by then, she's
already lost a third of her possible Hit Points at that level. By 5th
level, she's boasting a mere 22 out of 40 potential Hit Points. They
took perhaps one of the worst classes in the game, and gave you a
version that is always doomed to having crappy Hit Points. Wonderful.
She's a big bag of suck and liabilities. My mother told me "If you can't
say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all." She also
told me that I was Catholic, and she sure got that wrong. So let me
reiterate: Faldorn sucks. Sucks. Sucks. Sucks. Blows. Sucks.
How to Use Faldorn Effectively:
-------------------------------
You really can't, she just sucks... but we'll humor (humour, for my
British friends-or as I like to call them, Englishly-challenged)
ourselves by pretending she's not as horrible as she is. She'll come
Proficient in... Blunt Weapons and Missile Weapons. Oh yeah, things are
looking up. She'll be sticking to Slings, since she doesn't have the
Strength or Armor Class to survive in melee. Her Blunt Weapons
proficiency is less useful than it might seem-it's fine for a Cleric,
but a Druid cannot use Maces or War Hammers... so, this pretty much
limits them to clubs and Quarterstaves. Of the two, Faldorn is better
off with the latter, since it has reach... besides, there's not a single
magical Club in the entire game. If you reach her before she wastes her
next proficiency... well, it doesn't really matter anyways. The best you
can do is make a poor man's Jaheira out of her by allowing her to become
Proficient in Small Swords, or have her get Large Swords and use a
Scimitar. It really doesn't matter.
Recruiting Faldorn:
-------------------
You can find Faldorn in the third Cloakwood Forest area (AR1600) by some
stone henges and an obelisk (x=650, y=2280). She wants to cleanse the
forest of its Iron Throne infestation, which naturally aligns her with
your current goals.
Garrick {CHR011}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 6
Male, Human, Bard, Chaotic Neutral
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 9, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 15
Bard 1
Experience: 76
Hit Points: 6
Small Swords +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 40%
---or---
Bard 2
Experience: 1270
Hit Points: 10
Small Swords +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 45%
---or---
Bard 4
Experience: 5089
Hit Points: 15
Small Swords +
Bows +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 55%
---or---
Bard 6
Experience: 21121
Hit Points: 20
Small Swords +
Bows +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 65%
Overview:
---------
Garrick is... well, a support character. His Dexterity is good enough
that he can be a decent archer. He won't be sturdy, he won't satisfy
your thieving needs, but he can shoot at bad guys from a distance and
cast support spells. So... if you have an extra party slot and want
another support character-and solely a support character-you can take
Garrick along to take up space. You must be sure to get him early,
however, as his Hit Points become unacceptable by the time he hits level
four (15 out of 24), and by level six he's thoroughly ruined (20 out of
36). It shouldn't be too hard to get to Beregost in a timely fashion,
however.
How to Use Garrick Effectively:
-------------------------------
He starts out proficient with Missile Weapons, which... are inferior to
Bows. Still, they're usable until he hits level four and you can become
Proficient in Bows. Afterwards, consider getting a rank into Large
Swords or Halberds so he can contribute in melee, as well. He can also
cast support spells, but like Eldoth, his Intelligence is wretched.
Recruiting Garrick:
-------------------
You can find Garrick in Beregost (AR3300), hanging out in front of the
Burning Wizard. If you kill Silke, he'll offer to join you afterwards.
Imoen (Sequel character) {CHR012}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 8
Female, Human, Thief, Neutral Good
Str 9, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 17, Wis 11, Cha 16
Thief 1
Experience: 76
Hit Points: 8
Small Swords +
Bows +
Pick Pockets 0%
Open Locks 0%
Find Traps 20%
Stealth 10%
---or---
Thief 2
Experience: 1304
Hit Points: 14
Small Swords +
Bows +
Pick Pockets 0%
Open Locks 0%
Find Traps 30%
Stealth 20%
---or---
Thief 4
Experience: 5124
Hit Points: 29
Small Swords +
Bows +
Blunt Weapons +
Pick Pockets 0%
Open Locks 0%
Find Traps 50%
Stealth 40%
---or---
Thief 6
Experience: 20636
Hit Points: 43
Small Swords +
Bows +
Blunt Weapons +
Pick Pockets 0%
Open Locks 0%
Find Traps 70%
Stealth 60%
Overview:
---------
Imoen has pretty damn good Thief attributes, with a high Dexterity and
the highest useful Constitution score. Her Strength means she should be
restricted to archery, but that's not much of a loss. Her Thief
abilities also progress handily, too. If you somehow get her late in
the game (the only way this could happen is on a subsequent playthrough)
she'll automatically get a Find Traps score of 100. Best of all, she
only loses five Hit Points over the same number of levels. There's only
one problem... a single-classed Thief is a bit of a waste. Never fear,
we'll address that problem in the next section... I keep Imoen in the
good party as my Mage of choice. Her inevitable inclusion into my
Baldur's Gate 2 good party gives her some leverage as well.
How to Use Imoen Effectively:
-----------------------------
The most common strategy with Imoen (and there's a reason it's so
prevalent) is to turn her into a dual-class Conjurer after she gains
enough points into Find Traps. Her 17 Intelligence has to be there for a
reason, right? Even the tutorial for the Enhanced Edition has Imoen
dual-classed into a Thief/Mage! It's just the way Imoen was meant to be.
For a good-aligned party, she'll provide the bare bones thieving you
need, and can become a good wizard to boot. Convert her to a Conjurer
when she hits level 6 as a Thief and she'll finish the game as a level
6 Thief/level 9 Conjurer without wasting a single level. Dump all her
points into Find Traps until it's 100%, then put the rest into... well,
either Move Silently/Hide in Shadows or Open Locks. She won't ever be a
great sneaker, but it could help getting the drop on bad guys from time
to time. When she needs to pick pockets, you'll have potions to help
with that. She comes Proficient in Bows and Small Swords, but you may
want to add another good weapon before she dual-classes... Large Swords,
for example. Not like it matters, she'll probably never be used to
backstab after she dual-class. As for after she dual-classes, well...
her proficiencies really don't matter much. The whole goal is to get
back her Thief levels so she can return to shooting things with her bow.
In the meantime, start out with Missile Weapons so she can have some
ranged presence in those awkward first Mage levels. Now, you might be
wondering... why are there four different level versions of Imoen?
Doesn't she join you right after Candlekeep, at the beginning of the
game? Sure she does, but if you replay the game with an old character
(that 'export' button isn't just for decoration, you know!) you could
potentially start with a high level character.. and hence, get a
high-level Imoen. I won't even bother to discuss it here-if you want
to replay the game multiple times with the same character, that's on
you. This guide is for a single playthrough with a fresh protagonist.
Recruiting Imoen:
-----------------
Imoen will join your party automatically after leaving Candlekeep, at
the start of Chapter 1.
Jaheira (Sequel character) {CHR013}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 12
Female, Half-elf, Fighter/Druid, True Neutral
Str 15, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 15
Fighter 1/Druid 1
Experience: 3572
Hit Points: 12
Blunt Weapons ++
Missile Weapons ++
---or---
Fighter 2/Druid 2
Experience: 4516
Hit Points: 16
Blunt Weapons ++
Missile Weapons ++
---or---
Fighter 4/Druid 4
Experience: 16165
Hit Points: 30
Small Swords +
Blunt Weapons ++
Missile Weapons ++
---or---
Fighter 5/Druid 6
Experience: 41651
Hit Points: 40
Blunt Weapons ++
Missile Weapons ++
Overview:
---------
Jaheira... ahh.. Well, let's start off with the obvious, her abilities
just aren't good. Her Strength is just shy of giving her any bonuses,
and so is her Dexterity. Her Constitution is good, but that's about it.
She does get better in the sequel, but even in this game, I still keep
her with nearly every party I have. Why? Because if you don't compare
her to a Fighter/Cleric, or a Fighter in general, and compare her to a
Cleric instead, you'll find that she does fine in this game. She'll end
up with more Hit Points and a better THAC0, which justifies her cruddy
Dexterity. She'll also get 4th level spells just like any of the single-
classed Clerics, so you're not really missing out on anything with
Jaheira. She can also become Specialized (two ranks) with weapons, which
beats a Cleric's Proficiency (one rank) any day. All in all she pans out
as a slightly more melee competent Cleric. In the sequel, when you have
access to powerful Scimitars and Girdles of Giant Strength, and she
gains access to a whopping amount of spell power, all is forgiven. Let's
not neglect continuity here, folks. Also notice her neutral alignment.
She can fit into any party. She's another character you really have to
get to early, as her Hit Points will go wrong real fast. If you get her
level one version, she'll come with maximum Hit Points, but if you wait
until she's level two, she'll accept... you know, I don't even know HOW
she ends up with only four Hit Points out of a level. In any event, 16
Hit Points out of a possible 24 is awful for a character who, 1000
experience ago, showed some potential.
How to Use Jaheira Effectively:
-------------------------------
Get two ranks in Small Swords so she can use the Dagger of Venom +2. She
could use Rashad's Talon +2 (a Scimitar which can be obtained in
Durlag's Tower, which would require the Large Swords proficiency) but
the Dagger of Venom +2 will still come sooner, and all in all, it's
probably better than Rashad's Talon +2. In the meantime, she'll just
have to use Quarterstaves.
Recruiting Jaheira:
-------------------
Jaheira waits in the Friendly Arm Inn (AR2301), and will offer to join
your party when you talk to her. She's at about (x=300, y=710), and is
standing near Khalid. Unfortunately Khalid insists on accompanying his
wife, so they're a package deal.. unless something.. unfortunate.. were
to befall Khalid.
Kagain {CHR014}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 15
Male, Dwarf, Fighter, Lawful Evil
Str 16, Dex 12, Con 20, Int 15, Wis 11, Cha 8
Fighter 1
Experience: 116
Hit Points: 15
Blunt Weapons +
Axe ++
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Fighter 2
Experience: 2019
Hit Points: 25
Blunt Weapons +
Axe ++
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Fighter 4
Experience: 8232
Hit Points: 43
Blunt Weapons +
Axe +++
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Fighter 6
Experience: 33839
Hit Points: 60
Blunt Weapons +
Axe ++++
Missile Weapons +
Overview:
---------
His Strength is pretty crummy for a Fighter, and if you get him, he
pretty much requires the Gauntlets of Dexterity... still, his Strength
isn't low enough to be problematic (it's just underwhelming) and the
Gloves of Dexterity are an acceptable sacrifice for such a Fighter.
What you get in return is a front-liner that will have excellent Armor
Class, the ability to attain High Mastery (four ranks) in Axes, and he
REGENERATES. Yessir, that's a 20 Constitution, and while he won't heal
fast enough to win a fight, you'll almost never need to heal him during
rest. Hell, just traveling to a different map area can heal him fully.
He's easily the best Fighter in the game, all things considered.
How to Use Kagain Effectively:
------------------------------
Spend Kagain's proficiency ranks in Axes. Axes, axes, and more axes!
Attain High Mastery in axes and he'll be a true phenom... he'll even
find a throwing axe with which to smite enemies at range.. with axes!
Axes!! Kagain is another character that goes to shit if you don't
recruit him ASAP. His phenomenal Constitution ensures his Hit Points
will always be decent, but at level four he's got a mere 43 out of a
potential 60 Hit Points, and by level six he's lost a full third of his
Hit Points by that level-starting with a measly 60 out of 90 Hit
Points. If you get him early, he'll easily be a three-digit Hit-Pointer.
Recruiting Kagain:
------------------
Kagain is in his store (AR2301) in Beregost (AR2300), and he will join
your party if you accept to go on his mission. Go to the wilderness
area directly north of Beregost (AR1400) and walk up north until you
find some sacked caravans. He'll complain about the work and give up,
and decide to join you permanently.
Khalid {CHR015}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 13
Male, Half-elf, Fighter, Neutral Good
Str 15, Dex 16, Con 17, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 9
Fighter 1
Experience: 42
Hit Points: 13
Large Swords ++
Bows +
Axe +
---or---
Fighter 2
Experience: 3138
Hit Points: 24
Large Swords ++
Bows +
Axe +
---or---
Fighter 4
Experience: 8037
Hit Points: 46
Large Swords +++
Bows +
Axe +
---or---
Fighter 6
Experience: 33871
Hit Points: 64
Large Swords +++
Bows ++
Axe +
Overview:
---------
One of the first Fighters you get in the game, he's also one of the
better ones. His Strength is pathetic for a warrior, but at least he's
got a passable Dexterity, a good Constitution, and the ability to
attain High Mastery (four ranks) in a weapon proficiency. Like most
characters, if you get him early you'll keep him from losing Hit Points.
He's not quite as bad as his wife-by level two he's only lost two Hit
Points, which is manageable, but by level six he'll be at 64 out of a
possible 78 hit Points.
How to Use Khalid Effectively:
------------------------------
He's a pretty obvious character when it comes to proficiencies-get him
High Mastery in Large Swords and let him go on killing. If you put the
Gauntlets of Ogre Power on him later in the game, he becomes rather
powerful, as well as durable. He's in direct competition with Ajantis
for a party slot, but Ajantis' high Charisma makes him a good choice
for a party leader, even if Khalid may be a better Fighter by the end of
the game. Khalid also has an annoying habit of failing morale checks
when his Hit Points get low, which can be dangerous. "Better part of
valor!" My ass.
Recruiting Khalid:
------------------
Khalid is in the Friendly Arm Inn (AR2301), right next to Jaheira. He
will join your party if you talk to him. If you take Khalid, Jaheira is
obliged to join up as well, and it's not too much of a problem, since
they're both decent characters in their own right. Unfortunately, if
you just want one or the other, you'll have to either get one of them
killed off, or send that character alone into a house or other structure
separate from the main map and disband them, then just never return to
that house so they won't initiate dialogue with you and take their
spouse with them.
Kivan {CHR016}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 10
Male, Elf, Ranger, Chaotic Good
Str 18/12, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8
Ranger 2
Experience: 2262
Hit Points: 16
Bows ++
Spears ++
Stealth 45%
---or---
Ranger 4
Experience: 9012
Hit Points: 27
Large Swords ++
Bows ++
Spears ++
Stealth 58%
---or---
Ranger 6
Experience: 36120
Hit Points: 36
Large Swords ++
Bows ++
Spears ++
Stealth 72%
Overview:
---------
Look at his stats! This guy is the good-guy's equivalent of Shar-Teel,
but better. Of course, he fits into the same niche that Minsc occupies,
but with a better Armor Class, and an arguably more useful favored enemy
(Ogres). Kivan also has great dialogue with Viconia. Sure, his Hit
Points can be low, but it's not too much of a problem, considering his
perks. He makes a great scout and archer, and I included him in my party
on my very first play-through of this game, back when everybody was an
idiot and thought the world was going to end near the end of the year,
unlike nowadays. Minsc does have something going for him, however -
he's a sequel character, and I'd rather have a Ranger pal through both
games, rather than choose a character who will only be in one. Besides,
they both play the same way, except I tend to have Kivan use his bow
more than Minsc. If you want Kivan, anything I say for Minsc pretty much
covers him... except Kivan doesn't need The Brawling Hands... or any
support items, for that matter. Kivan is pro. Again, be sure to get him
quickly. As soon as you can recruit him, he's already lost four Hit
Points, which isn't too bad, but by level four he's lost a whopping 13,
and that rises to 24 by level six.
How to Use Kivan Effectively:
-----------------------------
He starts out Specialized in Bows and Spears, which is nice, but aim to
get him ranks in Large Swords later, as there are a few good Two-Handed
Swords in the game. Kivan is good enough that he can be a great melee
character as well as an archer... but he'll do slightly better at a
range. Still, it's nice to have the versatility. His light armor means
that he should always be attacking from behind another character,
however... hence the reach weapons.
Recruiting Kivan:
-----------------
You'll find Kivan milling about the eastern side of High Hedge (AR3200),
at (x=3650, y=1470). High Hedge is just west of Beregost. Kivan will
join your party if you tell him you're fighting evil, and you allow him
to join.
Minsc (Sequel Character) {CHR017}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 11
Male, Human, Ranger, Neutral Good
Str 18/93, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 6, Cha 9
Ranger 1
Experience: 258
Hit Points: 11
Large Swords ++
Spiked Weapons +
Axe +
Stealth 25%
---or---
Ranger 2
Experience: 2276
Hit Points: 19
Large Swords ++
Spiked Weapons +
Axe +
Stealth 30%
---or---
Ranger 4
Experience: 9142
Hit Points: 33
Large Swords ++
Small Swords +
Bows ++
Stealth 43%
---or---
Ranger 6
Experience: 32293
Hit Points: 52
Large Swords ++
Small Swords ++
Bows ++
Stealth 57%
Overview:
---------
Now here's a true nut-job. A character who is off his rocker and with a
Wisdom of 6 to boot. Minsc has a fantastic Strength score, but his
Dexterity and Constitution only give him very minor bonuses. This is
compounded by the fact that he can't wear heavy armor and keep his
stealth abilities (paltry as they are). Still, The Gauntlets of
Dexterity will set him up fairly well, and if you give him a weapon with
reach (a Two-Handed Sword being the best option) he won't need to put
himself in as much danger. The other reasons to include him? He's a
sequel character, and he's entertaining to have around... again,
especially in the sequel. If you're power-gamey, none of this matters
to you. His favored enemies are Gnolls, which will be fairly common,
if never much of a threat, and he can berserk, which isn't all that
great. Oh, and about waiting to recruit Minsc-don't. His Hit Points take
a beating if he gets to level four before you recruit him.
How to Use Minsc Effectively:
-----------------------------
His light armor means he should always be attacking at a range, or with
a reach weapon... like a Two-Handed Sword. Thankfully, he starts out
Specialized in both Large Swords and Bows-just get him a Two-Handed
Sword and a Long Bow and get to work. Later on, consider investing in
Spears if you find Two-Handed Swords being hotly contested.
Recruiting Minsc:
-----------------
Minsc is in Nashkel (AR4800), standing by the garrison at
(x=3390, y=1950). Talk to him and accept to help him rescue Dynaheir to
get him to join your party. Mind you, you'll need to actually go through
with this in a timely manner, or he'll turn on you. Check in the
walkthrough [WLK007] about reaching Dynaheir.
Montaron {CHR018}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 9
Male, Halfling, Fighter/Thief, Neutral Evil
Str 16, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 9
Fighter 1/Thief 1
Experience: 49
Hit Points: 9
Small Swords ++
Missile Weapons ++
Pick Pockets 25%
Open Locks 15%
Find Traps 20%
Stealth 50%
---or---
Fighter 1/Thief 2
Experience: 2830
Hit Points: 16
Small Swords ++
Missile Weapons ++
Pick Pockets 45%
Open Locks 15%
Find Traps 20%
Stealth 60%
---or---
Fighter 3/Thief 4
Experience: 14326
Hit Points: 33
Small Swords ++
Axe +
Missile Weapons ++
Pick Pockets 65%
Open Locks 15%
Find Traps 20%
Stealth 80%
---or---
Fighter 5/Thief 6
Experience: 42218
Hit Points: 50
Small Swords ++
Axe ++
Missile Weapons ++
Pick Pockets 85%
Open Locks 15%
Find Traps 20%
Stealth 100%
Overview:
---------
He's got fairly decent stats at a glance, enough so that you can
actually consider using him. However, none of his stats are really
high enough to fully make him recommendable. He'll receive a bonus to
damage from his Strength, but he's still too weak to make a superb
front-liner, especially since he'd need to go lightly armored to
maintain his Thieving abilities. Also, Montaron and Xzar are package
deals, even though you can get around that several ways. Since he's not
much of a Fighter, he's not bringing much more to the party than a
single-class Thief, even if he could use Longbows rather than Shortbows.
If you don't want to use Garrick, use Montaron, ditching or killing Xzar
off to get rid of the excess baggage. If you don't recruit Montaron
quickly (easier done than said)... well, he puts his Thief skills into
stupid things. A Thief who can't Find Traps isn't worth much.
Fortunately, his Hit Points stay pretty good throughout.
How to Use Montaron Effectively:
--------------------------------
Montaron's Dexterity makes him a natural archer... as well as his
ability to use Longbows. Unfortunately, he starts out Specialized in
both Small Swords and Missile Weapons. The former isn't terrible, but
the latter... just sucks. Considering that you'd need to get him several
levels to get him using bows... eh, you'll find the superior Coran in
that time. Build up his skill in Find Traps and get him ranks in Bows.
Recruiting Montaron:
--------------------
In the wilderness area just east of Candlekeep (AR2700), near the
eastern edge of the map (x=4500, y=2700) you'll find Montaron and Xzar
loitering, just waiting for you to talk to them. Talk to Xzar, and agree
to journey to Nashkel with him and he'll join your party. Montaron comes
along for the ride.
Quayle {CHR019}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Late
Max Hit points per Level: 6
Male, Gnome, Cleric/Illusionist, Chaotic Neutral
Str 8, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 17, Wis 10, Cha 6
Cleric 2/Illusionist 2
Experience: 4001
Hit Points: 11
Spiked Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Cleric 4/Illusionist 3
Experience: 14326
Hit Points: 18
Spiked Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Cleric 6/Illusionist 5
Experience: 55178
Hit Points: 24
Spiked Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
Overview:
---------
Quayle is a spell machine that continuously goes on about his vast
intellect and huge brain. This is probably due to the fact that he
really doesn't have any other stats to be proud of. He does have a
paltry Dexterity that gives him a point to his Armor Class, but his need
to stay unarmored, his piss-poor Strength, cruddy Hit Points, and the
fact that he still can't use bows means he's not good for much beyond
spell casting. Still, by the time he's used up his spell arsenal,
chances are the battle is over. Unfortunately any of the suggested
characters that fulfill the Cleric or Mage roles in an early party are
better at their spell-craft and usually more hardy and versatile to
boot. And of course there's the fact that you can't get Quayle until
Baldur's Gate, which just makes me indisposed to replacing one of the
characters I've grown accustomed to, especially for such a mixed bag.
How to Use Quayle Effectively:
------------------------------
He starts out proficient with Missile Weapons... which is good, because
he'll be using them a lot. Other than that... hell, it doesn't really
matter. He has no business being in melee combat. On the plus side, if
you are dead-set on getting him, it's apparently possible to recruit him
at level two... how, practically, this works, I don't know, but if you
manage it, he's only lost one Hit Point. Later on, he's somewhat worse
off. Don't ask me how a Cleric/Illusionist with 2000/2000 Experience
Points ends up being level 2/2, that's what the file says, and I just
don't care enough about Quayle to bother running to Baldur's Gate with
a low-level party to see what, exactly, I'll find.
Recruiting Quayle:
------------------
You can find Quayle north of the bridge leading to Baldur's Gate
(AR0900), at (x=480, y=800). You cannot reach him until chapter 5.
Safana {CHR020}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 6
Female, Human, Thief, Chaotic Neutral
Str 13, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 9, Cha 17
Thief 2
Experience: 1281
Hit Points: 9
Small Swords +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 20%
Open Locks 50%
Find Traps 25%
Stealth 15%
---or---
Thief 4
Experience: 5036
Hit Points: 19
Small Swords +
Spears +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 20%
Open Locks 70%
Find Traps 45%
Stealth 15%
---or---
Thief 6
Experience: 20119
Hit Points: 25
Small Swords +
Spears +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 20%
Open Locks 90%
Find Traps 65%
Stealth 15%
Overview:
---------
If you don't want Imoen, Safana is probably the next best choice for a
Thief. Frankly, however, Imoen has better Thief stats, with a higher
Dexterity and a good Constitution. The Strength difference is
negligible, as Safana still doesn't gain any to hit or damage bonuses,
and Thieves really aren't much for armor. Also, Safana can't dual-class
into a Mage, which makes her much less versatile than Imoen. Of course,
if you gave her the Tome of Clear Thought... but you get your hands on
it so late in the game, and it means your main character can't carry
those stats over to Baldur's Gate 2. All in all, Safana is a good Thief,
but Imoen is better.
How to Use Safana Efficiently:
------------------------------
She unwisely doesn't have any ranks in Bows-remedy that if you plan
to use her, then play her like Imoen as much as possible. Like most
characters, she's much more hardy if you recruit her early-if you fail
to get to her by level four, she'll have lost five potential Hit Points,
and if you delay until level six, she'll have lost 11.
Recruiting Safana:
------------------
You'll find Safana at (x=3750, y=2390) in (AR3600), which is southwest
of High Hedge (the area with the light tower.) She'll ask if you want to
team up to hunt for the treasure of Black Alaric, which is located in
a sirine and flesh golem guarded cavern in the northwestern area of the
map (x=400, y=900). Get the treasure and Safana will offer to join your
group permanently. Note that she will not offer to join your party if
you do not have any 'fighting ready men' with you, so be sure to bring
a Y chromosome with you.
Shar-Teel {CHR021}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 10
Female, Human, Fighter, Chaotic Evil
Str 18/58, Dex 17, Con 9, Int 14, Wis 7, Cha 11
Fighter 2
Experience: 2150
Hit Points: 17
Large Swords ++
Small Swords ++
---or---
Fighter 4
Experience: 8213
Hit Points: 32
Large Swords ++
Small Swords ++
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Fighter 6
Experience: 32590
Hit Points: 46
Large Swords ++
Small Swords ++
Missile Weapons ++
Overview:
---------
Her Strength is good, her Dexterity is good, but her Constitution? Blah.
In any event, the biggest problem with Shar-Teel is her location. You
have to go pretty far afield to reach her. That said, she's easily the
second most competent Fighter for the evil party. Her good Armor Class
should mitigate her low Hit Points, and her Strength mixed with High
Mastery makes her a potent character without having to use up any items.
In my last evil party, this left me free to give Kagain Gloves of
Dexterity and Jaheira Gauntlets of Ogre Power, essentially giving me
three awesome front-line powerhouses. If you can reach her (and beat
her) she's worth including. Also, she has history with Angelo, which
might help you later on in the game...
How to Use Shar-Teel Effectively:
---------------------------------
For her proficiencies, get High Mastery in Large Swords and she'll
become a demon. Again, try to get to her as soon as possible, as her
Hit Points suffer greatly if she reaches level four before you recruit
her.
Recruiting Shar-Teel:
---------------------
Shar-Teel is in (AR3500), otherwise known affectionately as 'the
Basilisk Area' by me. She's in the northwestern part of the map, at
around (x=280, y=300). She'll challenge your strongest male to a fight,
and if you win, she'll join your group. Since you can out-gear her,
and just use Kagain, this shouldn't be too hard of a fight. Of course,
at lower levels (ideally when you want to recruit her) the fight can be
decided with one bad hit or two-so save before you pick a fight.
Skie {CHR022}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Late
Max Hit points per Level: 7
Female, Human, Thief, True Neutral
Str 11, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 15, Wis 8, Cha 13
Thief 4
Experience: 5098
Hit Points: 22
Small Swords +
Bows +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 50%
Open Locks 45%
Find Traps 30%
Stealth 45%
---or---
Thief 6
Experience: 20056
Hit Points: 28
Small Swords +
Spears +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 60%
Open Locks 55%
Find Traps 40%
Stealth 55%
Overview:
---------
Skie is another case of too little, too late. Although with Skie, she
could have legitimately made a decent Thief with the following notes:
1) She's Eldoth's girl, which means you'd need to drag Eldoth along, or
dispose of him. 2) She's got great Dexterity, which will make her a
capable archer, but Safana is nearly as good, and obtainable much
earlier. Montaron and Coran are both more versatile and more powerful
Fighter/Thief combinations, and Imoen can dual-class into a Mage. That
leaves Skie fairly far down on the list of thieves. Also hindering her
chances of ever making it into a party is the fact that Skie has
apparently taken the shotgun approach to thieving-she has points into
everything, but is good at nothing. Last but not least-since she starts
out at level four, she'll at least be suffering as far as Hit Points
are concerned (22 out of a possible 28 Hit Points), and by level six
her situation is laughable (28 out of 42 Hit Points).
How to Use Her Effectively:
---------------------------
First and foremost, you must get to her as early as possible, to save
as many Thief Ability points as possible. Afterwards... well, she's
Proficient with Bows, and she's not good for anything but archery,
so... she really just needs to be recruited.
Recruiting Skie:
----------------
You can find Skie in the northwestern section of Baldur's Gate (AR0100)
loitering around in her room in the upper level of Entar Silvershield's
house (AR0102). You must have Eldoth in your party when you talk to her,
or she'll call some guards and disappear.
Tiax {CHR023}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Late
Max Hit points per Level: 9
Male, Gnome, Cleric/Thief, Chaotic Evil
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 9
Cleric 2/Thief 2
Experience: 3091
Hit Points: 21
Blunt Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 25%
Open Locks 35%
Find Traps 30%
Stealth 25%
---or---
Cleric 4/Thief 4
Experience: 12308
Hit Points: 34
Blunt Weapons +
Spiked Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 35%
Open Locks 45%
Find Traps 40%
Stealth 35%
---or---
Cleric 5/Thief 6
Experience: 40723
Hit Points: 47
Blunt Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
Pick Pockets 45%
Open Locks 55%
Find Traps 50%
Stealth 45%
Overview:
---------
Quite possibly the last recruitable ally in the game you'll encounter,
Tiax scores points for being amusing, if nothing else. He's a
Cleric/Thief, which makes him somewhat more useful than a straight
Cleric... although there are some side-effects to be aware of. Firstly,
he's still stuck with blunt weapons because of his Cleric background,
which isn't a big deal. Also, he can't use bows, which does kind of
suck. His Strength is crap, but he doesn't suffer a penalty because of
it, and overall, he's not any worse in combat than Viconia. What he
lacks in Armor Class he makes up for with an extra Hit Point per level.
That is, of course, until you consider that he can't wear heavy armor
and keep his Thief skills. You could put him in Shadow Armor, but he
would never have the same Armor Class of, say Viconia, or the fighting
ability of Jaheira. His biggest problem is how late in the game you get
him, and although he can potentially be recruited at level two-I just
don't see how it's feasible to make it to Baldur's Gate that soon...
although if you DO manage it, he apparently has a few more Hit Points
than is strictly possible (21 out of what should be his maximum of 18).
All in all, his Hit Points remain pretty good, and his proficiencies?
Well, they suck no matter what he does-Slings are about the best he can
hope for. The only thing that really suffers by the delay are his Thief
skills. Like Skie, he seems to have taken the Jack-of-all-Trades
approach, which just means he sucks at everything. So... letting the
computer level him doesn't hurt him as much as it hurts other
characters, but he still sucks, regardless.
How to Use Tiax Effectively:
----------------------------
He starts out Proficient in Blunt Weapons and Missile Weapons. The
latter is decent for obvious reasons, but the former... well, he doesn't
have the Strength or Armor Class to be a decent warrior, so giving him
a Quarter Staff comes recommended. He really shouldn't bother in melee
combat at all, however, reach or not, and you should view him as... more
of a Cleric with a few Thief skills... Save for the fact that by the
time you get him, he'll probably have wasted his skills. Oh, and I
prefer my Clerics to fight-Mages can have the luxury of hanging back and
casting spells. Clerics cannot. Still, that's the only real way to play
Tiax-use Slings and cast the odd Clerical spell. Blech.
Recruiting Tiax:
----------------
Tiax is in the southeastern section of Baldur's Gate (AR1100), at
(x=1450, y=1620), right in front of the Flaming Fist compound.
Viconia (Sequel character) {CHR024}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 8
Female, Elf, Cleric, Neutral Evil
Str 10, Dex 19, Con 8, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 14
Cleric 2
Experience: 1603
Hit Points: 12
Blunt Weapons +
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Cleric 4
Experience: 6134
Hit Points: 18
Blunt Weapons +
Spiked +
Missile Weapons +
---or---
Cleric 6
Experience: 27628
Hit Points: 27
Blunt Weapons +
Spiked +
Missile Weapons +
Overview:
---------
Another character with a high Dexterity and a low Constitution. You
can't have your cake and eat it too, right? Fortunately, her Armor Class
will keep her safe from most damage... and as for spells, to which her
Armor Class does not apply? She's 50% magic resistant by nature, making
her rather hard to injure... unfortunately, Bioware saw this as a
balance issue, so they made her Magic Resistance a special kind of Magic
Resistance-it affects ALL spells, friendly or hostile, save those cast
by Viconia on Viconia. Obviously they didn't view this as so terrible of
a balance issue in the second game, where Magic Resistance functions
normally (it only blocks hostile magic), but in this game, it's a
liability to keep in mind. Her Strength is pathetic, but she can still
serve as a secondary warrior due to her defensive merits.... Which is
fine. She's a Cleric. A damn good one at that. And did I mention she's a
sequel character? What more do you need? She's another Hit Point
sensitive character that you must recruit early. As soon as you can get
her (level two) she'll already be down four Hit Points, and as a Cleric
with a poor Constitution, she doesn't have the Hit Points to spare. By
level four she'll have a mere 18 out of the possible 32 Hit Points a
Cleric her level should have, and by level six she's suffering with only
27 out of 48 Hit Points. Ouch.
How to Use Viconia Effectively:
-------------------------------
Her proficiencies-as a Cleric-are pretty self-explanatory. She can only
become Proficient in a few types of weapons and she'll only get two
points to spend in the game. Since she already comes Proficient in
Blunt weapons and Missile Weapons... well, she's good to go from the
moment you get her.
Recruiting Viconia:
-------------------
Viconia is in Peldvale (AR2400), east of the Friendly Arm Inn. She's
being accosted by a Flaming Fist Mercenary. To get her in your party
you have to defend her from the mercenary, then accept her into your
party. Your reputation takes a two point hit for letting her join... but
it is a good way to get some plate mail early on. Also, if you kick her
out of your party later, you'll regain the lost reputation, so it's not
a permanent loss.
Xan {CHR025}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Mid
Max Hit points per Level: 4
Male, Elf, Enchanter, Lawful Neutral
Str 13, Dex 16, Con 7, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 16
Enchanter 2
Experience: 2561
Hit Points: 7
Small Swords +
---or---
Enchanter 4
Experience: 10042
Hit Points: 12
Small Swords +
---or---
Enchanter 6
Experience: 41549
Hit Points: 17
Small Swords +
Missile Weapons +
Overview:
---------
Xan is technically on the list of early-recruitable characters, although
it involves trekking to the Nashkel Mines fairly early. Don't worry.
There's no need. Xan sucks. His Intelligence is passable, and his
Dexterity actually gives him a bonus to Armor Class, but he's an
Enchanter. This means he cannot cast any evocation spells, like Magic
Missile, Web, Stinking Cloud, Fireball and Fireshield. This severely
limits his offensive powers, and once you consider the competition,
there's no need to bother with Xan. Edwin is a better evil Mage and
Imoen is a better good mage. There's just no need for him, regardless of
your alignment. He DOES get a Moonblade, however, which is a +3 sword
(that really counts as a dagger) that also grants a +1 bonus to Armor
Class and 50% Fire Resistance. Still, his class and low Strength score
makes this a fairly useless weapon in his hands. Oh, and to sweeten the
deal he's a whiney pessimist. Skip on Xan, he's more trouble than he's
worth. However, if you take him along long enough to feed him to a Sword
Spider, you'll get bonus points from the author of this FAQ. Why? Go
look at my Icewind Dale FAQ to find out why this is a suitable way to
dispose of Xan. Hehe. Oh, right, and his leveling... well, if you see a
level six character with 17 Hit Points, you know something is wrong. To
be fair his Constitution is just high enough to prevent him from losing
Hit Points, but the computer is not so generous. At the earliest point
you can recruit him, he's already level two and has lost a Hit Point.
Not enough to end the world, but at level four, he's lost four (and the
sad thing is, this is a quarter of his possible Hit Points he's lost
here), and by level six he's down seven out of twenty-four.
How to Use Xan Effectively:
---------------------------
As Sword Spider bait. He comes proficient in Small Swords-and hence,
with his Moonblade +3, but he is not to be exposed to melee combat.
Fortunately, he also is Proficient in Missile Weapons, and really,
using a Sling is about all he's good for.
Recruiting Xan:
---------------
To get Xan you have to make your way through the Nashkel Mines. He's on
the fourth level (AR5404), in the cavern that Mulahey is in, in a room
to the north (x=800, y=590).
Xzar {CHR026}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Early
Max Hit points per Level: 4
Male, Human, Necromancer, Chaotic Evil
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 17, Wis 16, Cha 10
Necromancer 1
Experience: 58
Hit Points: 4
Small Swords +
---or---
Necromancer 2
Experience: 2539
Hit Points: 6
Small Swords +
---or---
Necromancy 4
Experience: 10042
Hit Points: 8
Small Swords +
---or---
Necromancer 6
Experience: 41549
Hit Points: 12
Small Swords +
Missile Weapons +
Overview:
---------
I'm not sure how a psychopath has a good Wisdom score.. better than
pretty much every Cleric in the game at that.. but anyways. Xzar isn't
a terrible character. He'll get a minor bonus to Armor Class from his
Dexterity and his Intelligence is decent. Also, a Necromancer isn't a
horrible specialist Mage. If you want him, be sure to get him early,
as the computer is absolutely retarded when it comes to his Hit Point
rolls. At level six he's got a mere 12 out of a possible 24 Hit Points.
Seriously, a level six Mage with 12 Hit Points? If anything looks at
him, he'll die.
How to Use Xzar Effectively:
----------------------------
Xzar has only one problem. Edwin has him pretty much outgunned in every
field. That's really Xzar's only major problem. Edwin. Play Xzar just
like Edwin. Get him ranks in Missile Weapons so he can contribute in
combat without getting destroyed. Even at his best, 24 Hit Points is not
very impressive.
Recruiting Xzar:
----------------
In the wilderness area just east of Candlekeep (AR2700), near the
eastern edge of the map (x=4500, y=2700) you'll find him and Montaron
loitering, just waiting for you. Talk to him, and agree to journey to
Nashkel with him and he'll join your party, along with Montaron.
Yeslick {CHR027}
o======================================================================o
Recruitable: Mid
Max Hit points per Level: 12
Male, Dwarf, Fighter/Cleric, Lawful Good
Str 15, Dex 12, Con 17, Int 7, Wis 16, Cha 10
Fighter 2/Cleric 3
Experience: 7232
Hit Points: 32
Blunt Weapons ++
Missile Weapons ++
---or---
Fighter 4/Cleric 5
Experience: 27381
Hit Points: 56
Blunt Weapons ++
Spiked Weapons +
Missile Weapons ++
Overview:
---------
Yeslick is a great choice for a Cleric, being a Fighter/Cleric he'll get
better THAC0 and Hit Points than a Cleric, as well as the ability to put
two ranks in a weapon proficiency. This will make him more competent in
melee, while still retaining the useful healing and buffing powers of a
Cleric. His Strength isn't fantastic, but compared to the other Clerics
in the game, it's as good as you can expect... His poor Dexterity could
be offset by the Gauntlets of Dexterity, but he has plenty of Hit Points
to keep him going. His only problem? You can't get him until you're
nearly done with the Cloakwood Mines. All things considered, I'd still
rather take Jaheira, who essentially fills the same role. Even if
Yeslick was obtainable earlier, I'd still pick Jaheira, being a sequel
character wins over Yeslick's slightly better spell arsenal. He is
certainly an interesting replacement for Branwen, but honestly, in most
games I break my own Good/Evil party rules and just bring Viconia along
in the Good party anyways, and I'd rate both Jaheira and Viconia over
Yeslick any day. Yeslick is one of those rare, wonderful characters
whose Hit Points stay dependable no matter what level you get him at.
How to Use Yeslick Effectively:
-------------------------------
He comes Specialized in both Blunt Weapons and Missile Weapons... the
ideal Cleric set-up.
Recruiting Yeslick:
-------------------
You can find Yeslick in the second level of the Cloakwood Mines (AR1804)
at (x=860, y=1720). He wants revenge on the Iron Throne pretty badly,
and will jump at any offer to take them out. All you really have to do
is extend that offer. Bear in mind, he won't be happy until the mines
are flooded, so don't recruit him and head off to do other things.
Table of Character Attributes {CHR028}
o======================================================================o
For reference purposes, here's a list of the attributes of the
characters you may recruit in the game. It should help you compare the
Strengths and weaknesses of the various characters, and plan for item
distribution accordingly. I also threw in some useless 'averages', just
because it interested me, and by deduction, every other sentient being
in the universe.
o=======o=======o=======o=======o=======o=======o======o
| Str | Dex | Con | Int | Wis | Cha | Total|
o=======o=======o=======o=======o=======o=======o======o
Ajantis | 17 | 13 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 88 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Alora | 8 | 19 | 12 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 70 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Branwen | 13 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 16 | 13 | 82 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Coran | 14 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 16 | 85 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Dynaheir | 11 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 84 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Edwin | 9 | 10 | 16 | 18 | 9 | 10 | 72 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Eldoth | 16 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 16 | 82 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Faldorn | 12 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 16 | 15 | 79 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Garrick | 14 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 81 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Imoen | 9 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 11 | 16 | 87 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Jaheira | 15 | 14 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 85 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Kagain | 16 | 12 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 82 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Khalid | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 82 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Kivan | 18/12 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 81 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Minsc | 18/93 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 71 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Montaron | 16 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 82 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Quayle | 8 | 15 | 11 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 67 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Safana | 13 | 17 | 10 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 82 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Shar-Teel | 18/58 | 17 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 76 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Skie | 11 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 80 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Tiax | 9 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 73 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Viconia | 10 | 19 | 8 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 82 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Xan | 13 | 16 | 7 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 83 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Xzar | 14 | 16 | 10 | 17 | 16 | 10 | 83 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Yeslick | 15 | 12 | 17 | 7 | 16 | 10 | 77 |
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|
Average | 13.28 | 15.56 | 13.56 | 13.44 | 11.84 | 12.16 |79.84 |
o=======o=======o=======o=======o=======o=======o======o
Note: The average result of a 3d6 dice roll is 10.5 (3.5 per d6).
Bioware is using some loaded dice to come up with a lot of those
attributes. Then again, if these were 'average' characters, they
wouldn't be worthy traveling companions, right?
It also amuses me that the stats that Bioware found the least
useful-Wisdom and Charisma-are the stats that I found the least
useful in my days as Dungeon Master. (If I bothered to average
out stats for Baldur's Gate 2 characters, you can bet I have
spreadsheets of old campaigns and characters of my own). Many
characters that are fun to play aren't nice (everybody likes to
play a jackass, from time to time) and/or they aren't wise. Crazy
characters.. or more politely, dangerously uninhibited characters..
are often more fun to play than characters who are responsible,
cautious, and deliberate. I think these are universal traits that
most long-time players will discover if they bother to average out
their PC attributes.
Quayle has a total attribute score of 67. This is only four points
higher than the dice average of 63 (10.5 x6).
Chart of Characters by Role {CHR029}
o======================================================================o
Below is a list of all the recruitable characters in the game and the
different roles they fill. This will list whether a character is a good
Fighter, good at multiple things, appears in the sequel. essentially the
information above condensed into a chart. Maybe it'll be helpful, maybe
not, but at least you can't say it's not here!
Fighter
|Cleric
| |Mage
| | |Thief
| | | |Archer
| | | | |Leader
| | | | | |Gauntlets of Dexterity
| | | | | | |Gauntlets of Ogre Power
| | | | | | | |Sequel
| | | | | | | | |Easily Recruitable
| | | | | | | | | |Good
| | | | | | | | | | |Neutral
| | | | | | | | | | | |Evil
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Ajantis | X | | | | | X | X | X | | X | X | | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Alora | | | | X | o | | | | | | X | | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Branwen | o | X | | | | o | | | | X | | X | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Coran | | | | X | X | o | | | | | X | | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Dynaheir | | | o | | | | | | | X | X | | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Edwin | | | X | | | | | | X | X | | | X |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Eldoth | | | o | | o | o | X | | | | | | X |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Faldorn | | o | | | | | | | | | | | X |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Garrick | | | o | | o | o | | | | X | | X | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Imoen | | | X | X | o | | | | X | X | X | | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Jaheira | X | o | | | | X | X | X | X | X | | X | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Kagain | X | | | | | | X | X | | X | | | X |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Khalid | X | | | | | | | X | | X | X | | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Kivan | o | | | | X | | | | | X | X | | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Minsc | o | | | | X | | X | | X | X | X | | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Montaron | o | | | X | X | | | | | X | | | X |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Quayle | | X | o | | | | | | | | | X | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Safana | | | | X | o | o | | | | X | | X | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Sharteel | X | | | | | | | | | X | | | X |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Skie | | | | X | | | | | | | | X | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Tiax | | X | | X | | | | | | | | | X |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Viconia | o | X | | | | X | | | X | X | | | X |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Xan | | | o | | | | | | | | | X | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Xzar | | | X | | | | | | | X | | | X |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
Yeslick | X | X | | | | | X | X | | | X | | |
o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o===o
X = Strong Candidate
o = Weak candidate
Fighter: Characters who can meet foes in melee combat with regular
success. These characters typically have decent Hit Points (typically
ending near or over 100), a good THAC0, and multiple attacks per round.
Heavy armor for an exceptionally low Armor Class is also a must. A
Cleric is typically better at fitting into this category than a Ranger
or Fighter/Thief, since they do not work as well with heavy armor.. and
the main point of a Fighter is to tank.
Cleric: In order to meet this classification, a character must not only
be able to heal, but be able to cure poisons, and cast higher level
Cleric spells within the experience cap of Baldur's Gate. A true Cleric
can cast Dispel Magic, Protection from Evil 10' Radius, Defensive
Harmony, and so forth. A Druid may or may not meet your healing needs
alone, but they certainly help.
Mage: In order to meet this classification, a character should be able
to cast several of the following: Magic Missile, Identify, Knock,
Stinking Cloud, Web, Mirror Image, Dispel Magic, Haste, Slow, Fireball,
Summon Monster I, II, or III, Confusion, Greater Malison, Chaos. A bard
may satisfy your requirements for a Mage, but any character who is not
capable of casting at LEAST Knock, Stinking Cloud, Dispel Magic and
Haste should make you think twice about using them as a Mage.
Ironically, this might make some bards qualify, whereas some specialist
Mages might not be versatile enough.
Thief: A Thief only needs to be able to find and disarm traps.
Everything else can be done another way. Thus, bards and Rangers do not
qualify as thieves, even though they can use some Thief skills.
Archer: An archer has access to bows. Slings, crossbows, darts, and
other missile weapons just don't have the same rate of fire and damage
potential as a bow, although this is not to underestimate a melee
Fighter with the Throwing Axe +2. Archers may or may not be capable in
melee combat, but they do not use shields. If they participate in melee
combat, they typically do so with a reach weapon, such as a Spear,
halberd, or two-handed sword so they are not open to reprisals. This
does not qualify them to be Fighters, as part of the Fighter role is
tanking.
Leader: Technically anybody can be a leader, but to be a good leader,
you need to have a high Charisma, and you need to be durable enough to
survive in the front. This narrows our selection down a bit, but with
Algernon's Cloak and the Helm of Glory, even a modest Charisma of, say,
14 can get up to snuff.
Gauntlets of Dexterity: This character needs the Gauntlets of Dexterity
to excel. These are typically Fighters with a low Dexterity (and hence,
a low Armor Class). Ideally almost every character could use these, but
this category is for otherwise decent characters who become much
stronger by equipping the gauntlets. This is not a category for
characters who do not fit into an archery or fighting role, or
characters who will still suck with them. It's also not for characters
who really don't need these gauntlets to excel. If it's not lowering
their Armor Class by three or four points, they probably don't need it.
Gauntlets of Ogre Power: This character needs the Gauntlets of Ogre
Power to excel. These are typically Fighters (as Fighters have more
attacks than Clerics, they are better candidates for the gauntlets) who
have a low strength. Ideally almost every character could use these, but
this category is for otherwise decent characters who become much
stronger by equipping the gauntlets. This is not a category for
characters who do not fit into a fighting role, or characters who will
still suck with them. It's also not for characters who really don't need
these gauntlets to excel. If their strength is naturally a sixteen or
higher, you can probably find somebody better to give them to.
Sequel: This character is playable in the sequel, a serious
consideration for me, and for anybody who actually cares about the
story enough to play through both games with one character. It's not
vital, like say, in Mass Effect, where characters respond to your
previous actions, but it does give you that fuzzy warm nostalgia that
makes the entire game more worth it.
Easily Recruitable: This character is recruitable without much fuss. By
this, I mean a character you can go ahead and recruit any time before
the Cloakwood Forest simply by going out and finding them. If you're too
lazy to head far enough afield to get them, that's another story.
Good: Characters of Good alignment.
Neutral: Characters of Neutral alignment. Note neutrality is secondary
to Good and Evil. Chaotic and Lawful characters do not cause problems.
Evil: Characters of Evil alignment.
Suggested Parties by Role {CHR030}
o======================================================================o
These are my suggestions for characters, based on their strengths, the
ease in which they can be obtained, and the roles they fill. All of this
will, of course, have to work around whatever protagonist you choose to
play. Obviously a good protagonist should be hanging out with goodly
folk, and if you make a protagonist of a certain class, you obviously
won't need to recruit another character to fill the same role, will
you? I strongly suggest playing some sort of Thief for the evil party,
which allows you to obtain a decent character that fulfills your
thieving needs. The Thief options for the evil party aren't great in
Baldur's Gate, and they're even worse in Baldur's Gate 2. My ideal
party is one where I can recruit characters to fit my every need,
allowing me to develop my protagonist for power, instead of necessity.
As we have seen, however, this is not really possible with the evil
party, but making a Fighter/Mage/Thief to substitute for the lack of a
good Thief ally in Baldur's Gate 2 doesn't slow the character down
too much. As I've said before, I want my protagonists to be special,
something that I can't get anywhere else-a unique combination. For me,
there's no better class than the Fighter/Mage, which is the template I
build both my parties around. It may be discouraging at low levels
when every Wolf is a potential threat to your survival, but when you
reach the end of the game and you send out your spell-buffed protagonist
to go toe-to-toe with the toughest foes in the game to protect the rest
of your party... you'll know you've done something right.
My Good Party:
--------------
Ajantis
Jaheira
Branwen (Yeslick, Viconia)
Minsc (Kivan, Coran)
Imoen
Ajantis is just the best good party leader candidate out there. His
Strength and Constitution are both passable, and with The Gauntlets
of Dexterity he'll have the Armor Class a true front-line leader needs.
Being a party leader means a combination of prowess, resilience, and
Charisma, and Ajantis excels in all fields.
I put Jaheira down as my secondary Fighter... but she's hardly a
full-fledged Fighter. Again, I've said to compare her to a Cleric, and
in that capacity her melee prowess shines. Still, her stats are good
enough (especially with the investment of the Gauntlets of Ogre Power)
that she can manage as a front-liner, and cast Druid spells, to boot.
All things considered, I find her versatility more than a match for
Khalid, or any other potential warrior save Yeslick.
Ah, now the Cleric has always been a bit of trouble for me... Branwen is
decent, and I've beaten the game with her, but the good party isn't
over-flowing with awesome warriors (they need to wait until Baldur's
Gate 2 for that). Yeslick has many of Jaheira's perks-a good Fighter who
can cast spells, and since he's never ruined by crappy computer
leveling, it's worthwhile to play with Branwen until the Cloakwood
Mines, then switch her out with Yeslick. Or... just use Viconia. I know,
she's evil, and this is a good party, but none of that really starts to
matter until Baldur's Gate 2 anyways.
Minsc is a decent Archer, but Coran and Kivan are better. Why Minsc
then? Well, he's a sequel character, and I dig that. Other than that,
his Strength and proficiencies allow him to participate in melee, too,
when needed. Albeit while standing behind a stronger, more
heavily-armed character.
Imoen does double duty as the party Mage AND Thief, thanks to the magic
of dual-classing. She'll be able to disarm traps, pick some locks, and
cast the full range of Mage spells. What more could you ask for? One
additional spell per level, you say? Shut up. Play the evil party.
My Evil Party:
--------------
Jaheira
Kagain
Shar-Teel
Viconia
Edwin
Jaheira serves as the leader of the evil party. Her Charisma is just
high enough (with boosting items) to pull it off, and she's got a
decent enough Armor Class and-with the Gauntlets of Ogre Power-melee
prowess to pull it off.
Kagain might be second on the list, but that doesn't mean he's second
in prowess... necessarily. He's still got a great Constitution score,
and with the Gauntlets of Dexterity he's just the tops. Oh, plus High
Mastery in Axes, can't forget that little nugget.
Shar-Teel is a warrior elite, taking advantage of the otherwise
unappreciated Large Sword weapon category for the good party. She's the
group's main muscle, even if she is a bit light on the Hit Point
department.
Viconia is the Cleric for the evil party (and often times, for the good
party, too!) High Dexterity and Magic Resistance for the win. Her
Strength and Constitution suck, but they can't keep her down.
Another obvious choice-Edwin is just the best Mage in the game, better
than anything you or I could make, so bring him along and put that
goodness to work for evil.
Note from Lee: below is the party I played thru with. It is possible to
get both Edwin and Misnc in the same party (see the appropriate section
in the walkthrough), and I take them both. I sometimes tend to switch
out some characters during the mid-game, but in general this is a good
party and has lasted thru the entire game for most of my playthroughs.
My character stats and party makeup:
K'aos Reynes
Male, Half-Elf, Fighter/Mage, Chaotic Good
Str 18/89, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 18 Wis 12, Cha 15
K'aos
Jaheira
Minsc
Edwin
Imoen
Kivan
o======================================================================o
| |
| Spell Tactics {SPT001} |
| |
o======================================================================o
This section was added into the Baldur's Gate 1 FAQ because it seemed
like a worthy addition to the Baldur's Gate 2 FAQ... and really, who
wants to skim through the walkthrough for information on the best spells
in the game when a kind FAQ-writer could just condense the information
and put it in its own conspicuous section? Nobody, that's who. So,
here I'll discuss the spells; which are good, which are bad, and why.
To help you out and minimize how much you need to read, however, I'll
put an * next to the spells I find the most useful. Who wants to read
all that crap anyways? Just assume I know what I'm talking about and
read the marked spells and you'll be fine. If that's too much work for
you, however, I've also listed the top spells by level under the
***TOP SPELLS*** heading, with very, very brief descriptions of why the
spells are good.
Healing Spells {SPT002}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
I tend to have a subtractive, rather than additive view towards the
inclusion of healing spells in my spell-books. Healing spells are good,
nobody doubts that, but how many should you get? In my mind, it
varies by spell-level. Cure Serious Wounds is clearly better than
Cure Light Wounds, but the competition for 1st-level Cleric spells is
much less intense than for 4th-level spells. So, how do I determine what
to get? I get all the spells I want besides healing spells, then fill
up left-over slots with healing. Therefore, most of my 1st-level
Clerical spells tend to be Cure Light Wounds (with a token Remove Fear
on every caster, just in case) while on the other hand, I have almost
no Cure Serious Wounds, as I'd rather have Defensive Harmony, Protection
from Evil 10' Radius, and so on. The only healing spell unworthy of this
second-class status is Heal, which is the ultimate healing spell, and
really, one of the best things about a Cleric or a Druid. Too bad you
can't get that spell in this game, eh?
1st Level Cleric Spells {SPT003}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Bless: Minor, short-lasting party buff.
---
Command: Causes one foe to sleep for one round, with no save.
---
Cure Light Wounds: Heals 8 Hit Points.
---
Entangle: Holds affected creatures in place.
---
Remove Fear: cures and prevents fear effects for one turn.
*Bless
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Bless gives all allies within a 50-foot cube a +1 bonus to attack rolls
and a +1 bonus to saves versus fear. I'll be honest, I rarely use it,
but it's not that bad of a spell. Your THAC0 won't be low enough to
ignore a +1 bonus.. but its six-round duration is just lame.
*Command
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
You can attempt to make an enemy 'die' (go to sleep) for one round. It
provides no penalty to the saving throw, and it only affects one
creature, and it only lasts one round, but it has no Hit Dice threshold.
Another spell that's good for melee-potent enemies. If it works, you
essentially have a free round to abuse them. You'll outgrow it fairly
quickly.
*Cure Light Wounds
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
The essential healing spell, you'll probably want to keep several
instances of this spell ready at all times.
Detect Evil
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
It's.. not a great spell, and I wouldn't keep one prepared, but Ajantis
can use it as a special ability. It's got quite a range, and nearby
enemies will be detected as evil in your dialogue box. Want to know if
some Black Talons are currently lurking in Larswood, or want to know if
those humble-looking fishermen are up to no good? Give this spell a go.
*Entangle
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
An early-game alternative for Stinking Cloud or Web, it does much the
same thing, but it only has one chance to work, and it allows the enemy
to make the save with a +3 modifier, so you shouldn't expect it to work
all the time. It does, however, have no Hit Dice maximum, meaning that
it'll come in handy against Ogres and Bears early on.
Magic Stone
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
You enchant a small pebble, which flies out and hits a foe for... 1d4
damage. It counts as a magic (+1) weapon, but otherwise gets no bonuses
to damage. Compare this to, say, Magic Missile and marvel at how much
this spell sucks.
Protection from Evil
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
A handy little personal buff that gives the target +2 bonus to Saves and
Armor Class... of course, when you've got Protection from Evil 10'
Radius, why would you ever bother with this?
*Remove Fear
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Enemy Mages love using Horror. This spell prevents such magics from
working, and will counter it if you're affected by fear. Always keep
one prepared on each Cleric.
Sanctuary
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Gives the priest temporary immunity to prosecution by foes, during
which time he can heal/buff themselves (but they cannot affect other
creatures without ending the spell). I don't see the point. If you're
getting hurt, retreat and cast a healing spell. Why waste two rounds
doing what can be done in one?
Shillelagh
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Creates a +1 cudgel that deals 2d4 damage. You won't spend much of the
game with a permanent weapon worse than this, so why bother?
2nd Level Cleric Spells {SPT004}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Draw Upon Holy Might: Boosts Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.
---
Hold Person: Paralyzes one living, humanoid foe.
---
Resist Fire and Cold: 50% Resistance to Fire and Cold.
---
Silence 15' Radius: Shuts up spell-casters.
---
Slow Poison: Cures poison.
Aid
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Bestows the effects of Bless and heals 1-8 Hit Points. Since it only
effects one creature, I don't bother with it.
Barkskin
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Grants a target an Armor Class of six, which improves (decreases) by
one for ever four levels of the caster... So, up to a maximum Armor
Class of four. C'mon, that's Splint Mail, people. We were probably
wearing that crap before we could even cast 2nd-level spells!
Chant
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
It affects a 30-foot radius, and gives your allies a one-point bonus to
attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves, and imposes a one-point penalty
to the same onto your enemies. A decent spell, even though it takes a
full round to cast.. I'm almost never using my Clerics to buff in
combat, and the first-strikes are handled almost exclusively by my
Mages.. and with a five-round duration, I tend to ignore the spell in
favor of Defensive Harmony and Protection from Evil 10' Radius.
*Draw Upon Holy Might
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This is actually a decent spell for some Clerics... alright, it's
useful for Branwen and Yeslick (and possibly a protagonist with good
attributes). Since the level cap is so low on Baldur's Gate, however,
the best it'll do is give a +2 bonus to Strength, Dexterity, and
Constitution. Since it only lasts a turn, you'll need to cast it right
before heavy combat where your Cleric must act decidedly unpacifistic.
I wouldn't keep it prepared all the time, however.
Find Traps
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Detects traps in a very close range. This spell doesn't disarm them,
however, so it's rather pointless.
Flame Blade
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell allows the caster to create a flaming blade, which the caster
is considered Proficient with. It deals 1d4 slashing damage, plus 1d2+4
fire damage. Despite being a magical blade of flame it does NOT count
as a magical weapon for determining what it can hit-makes sense to me.
*Hold Person
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Another spell that should be good, that I just don't use. It affects
everybody within a five-foot radius, but most often you'll be using this
on one character. It only affect man-sized humanoids, but fortunately,
they're common. No save penalty, and it only lasts 10 rounds... which is
long enough to kill them and then some, to be fair. Still, almost
anything I would use this on, I could just scout out and kill with
Stinking Cloud and missiles. It doesn't hurt to keep one prepared, but
the actual use I get out of this spell is... well, perhaps several
casts a game.
Know Alignment
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Like Detect Evil, except it detects... everything. Evil things glow red,
neutral things glow blue, and friendly things glow green... like those
little circles under your feet!
*Resist Fire/Cold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
You won't fear the elements too often, but when dealing with fire or
cold happy foes, this spell can cut their damage in half. I wouldn't
keep it ready all the time, but it'll come in handy once in a while.
*Silence 15' Radius (Cleric Only)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Enemy Mage or Cleric getting you down? Not if they can't cast spells-
which is exactly what this little beauty does. It boasts a 15-foot
radius, a duration of two rounds per level, and forces the save to be
made at -5.. which means it works often. I would use it more, if not
for that damn Stinking Cloud tactic. Still, if a Mage gets the drop on
you, or if it's just not in a spot where you want to cast a Stinking
Cloud, this spell is a great way to squelch them. And if you happen to
catch your fighters in the spell, it doesn't matter. They don't need to
make noise, anyways.
*Slow Poison
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Slow Poison is being humble. This spell eradicates the effects of most
poisons in the game. Keep at least one handy on each Cleric all the
time.
Spiritual Hammer
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Conjures a magical hammer, which may be used as an implement of
righteous smiting. It counts as a +1 weapon from 1st-6th level, as a
+2 weapon from 7th-12th level, and a +3 weapon at 13th level and
beyond. You'll find more powerful weapons than this spell conjures. You
should never need to use it.
3rd Level Cleric Spells {SPT005}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Animate Dead: Summons several Skeletons to do your bidding.
---
Dispel Magic: Remove buffs/debuffs in an area.
---
Remove Paralysis: Curse paralysis/hold effects.
*Animate Dead
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Possibly the best summoning spell in the game, for several reasons.
First, it lasts a full eight hours. Cast 'em and keep 'em. Second,
although they're frail enough in combat, Skeletons are immune to several
spell-effects, something we can-and will-exploit. Being immune to
nausea, Skeletons can endure Stinking Clouds, and kill the helpless
enemies trapped therein. Also they're immune to Cloudkill, allow you to
use them to keep enemies in place and taking damage. Against enemy
Mages with little or no fighter support (common in the Mage Prison)
you can just summon groups of Skeletons and sic them on the Mages with
no other spell support. It might not kill them all, but they'll waste
a lot of spells putting them down. A very good spell, indeed.
*Dispel Magic
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
See the description of this spell in the Arcane section for more
information. Simply put, however, this spell is a life-saver. Always
keep one on each caster.
Glyph of Warding
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Creates a static 'trap' that explodes when an enemy comes close, dealing
1d4 damage/level to foes within range. This spell is party friendly, so
it should be used-not defensively, as the description suggests, but
offensively, like Fireball. Still, the Cleric has better 3rd-level
spells to cast, and the Mage has far, far superior damage-dealers.
Invisibility Purge
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Like the Arcane spell 'Detect Invisibility' this spell will allow you
to detect-and therefore thwart-sneaking enemies. Very rarely a useful
spell.
Miscast Magic
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
You'll see the enemy cast this spell a few times, but I never bother
with it. If the enemy fails at a Save vs. Spells (save at -2), they'll
suffer an 80% spell casting failure rate. Of course, Silence 15' Radius
can affect multiple foes, imposes a -5 save, and makes spell casting
100% impossible for affected creatures... and Insect Plague is superior
to Silence. This puts Miscast Magic pretty low on my list of anti-Mage
spells.
Protection from Fire
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Like the Resist Fire/Cold, but it protects you from 80% of fire
damage. Excellent in a few areas, but it's easier for me to justify
using up a 2nd-level 'Resist Fire/Cold' instead.
Remove Curse
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
You should NEVER need to cast this spell. It's grand purpose? Getting
icky cursed items out of your hands. This guide tells you what items
you're getting, and you should never equip unidentified items in the
first place.
*Remove Paralysis
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Ghouls and Ghasts can be killers, and keeping one of these spells ready
is a good idea in Ghoul-populated areas. Of course, it's just as good
to not allow the undead to gang up on one party member. It also will
free you from the effects of Hold Person spells, too, which are the bane
of Baldur's Gate battles. If push came to shove, I'd rather have Dispel
Magic prepared, but if you get yourself an extra 3rd-level spell slot,
this is always a good spell to have ready.
Rigid Thinking
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Another spell you'll more often see when it's cast on you than when you
actually waste the time to cast it-it affects one critter and inflicts
confusion. It lasts one turn, and can be negated by a simple Save vs.
Spells. Compare this to the 4th-level Arcane spell Confusion, and you'll
see what a butt-nutter this pansy version is.
Strength of One
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Gives the entire party a Strength score of 18/75, and lasts for a turn.
It might seem nifty at first, but once you get the Gauntlets of Ogre
Power, or any of the other Strength-boosting items in the game, this
spell will actually hinder you in combat. For natural heavy-hitters like
Minsc or Shar-Teel, this spell is a meagre bonus from the outset.
4th Level Cleric Spells {SPT006}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Animal Summoning I: Conjure a horde of animals.
---
Defensive Harmony: Lowers the Armor Class of the party by 2.
---
Protection from Evil 10' Radius: Long-lasting party buff.
*Animal Summoning I
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Summoning up to eight critters of under four Hit Dice, this spell seems
pretty potent.. and it's just as good as Monster Summoning II. Still,
it's easier to cast Animate Dead, which will always give you a number of
Skeletons equal to your level-almost certain to be more than you'll get
with this spell. And I'd prefer to let my Mages use up their fourth-
level spell slots on summoning.
Cure Serious Wounds
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
A more potent version of Cure Light Wounds, it must compete with
Defensive Harmony and Protection from Evil 10' Radius.. not good spells
to ignore. At the end of the day, healing is just not strong enough in
this game to save you during a fight, the way the 'Heal' spell will in
the sequel. 17 Hit Points is a patch to a late-game fighter, not a life-
saver in the heat of battle.
*Defensive Harmony
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell gives you a +2 bonus to Armor Class for ten rounds-the
perfect last preparation before a big fight. +2 Armor Class is the same
as 10% miss chance, and it affects the whole party.
Free Action
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell comes in handy any time you encounter Carrion Crawlers,
Ghouls, Ghasts, Greater Ghouls, or butthole Clerics who like to cast
Hold Person. Of course, it's just as easy to strap on a Ring of Free
Action and save yourself the 4th-level spell slot.
Mental Domination
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Like the Arcane spell Domination... but Clericy. It allows you to take
control of a critter and command it. I never bother with these spells,
as there's always a better debuff to cast.
Neutralize Poison
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Cures poison and heals for 10 Hit Points... eh... Slow Poison works
fine for me.
*Protection from Evil 10' Radius
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
The best defensive party spell in the game, it always deserves a 4th-
level spell slot. Enemies suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls, and your
saves against spells and attacks made by such creatures receive a +2
bonus. At a turn per level, this spell will last long enough for any
encounter.. or perhaps several encounters.
Protection From Lightning
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Makes the recpient entirely immune to lightning. It's handy in a few
instances where a Lightning Bolt trap can be used to cause collateral
damage, or where a hostile Mage is likely to fling such magic at you,
but otherwise it's forgettable.
5th Level Cleric Spells {SPT007}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Animal Summoning II: Summons a handful of animals.
---
Flame Strike: Pillar of flame deals 1d8 fire damage per level.
*Animal Summoning II
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Just like Animal Summoning I, but with fewer, stronger summons.
There's not much in the way of competition for 5th-level Cleric spells
in this game, so it might end up in your spellbook due to lack of
alternatives.
Cure Critical Wounds
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Heals for 27 Hit Points.
*Flame Strike
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Target a critter and make 'em toasty, that's what this spell does. I
wouldn't compare it with any of the better Mage damage-dealers, but for
a Cleric... well, they just don't have much else like it. It deals 1d8
damage per level, allowing a save for half damage. If you've got some
free 5th-level spell slots, it might be worthwhile to give your Cleric
the extra firepower.
Raise Dead
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Revives a dead character... albeit, with one Hit Point. I have a better
idea-don't die.
1st Level Druid Spells {SPT008}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Bless: Minor, short-lasting party buff.
---
Cure Light Wounds: Heals 8 Hit Points.
---
Entangle: Holds affected creatures in place.
---
Remove Fear: cures and prevents fear effects for one turn.
*Bless
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Bless gives all allies within a 50-foot cube a +1 bonus to attack rolls
and a +1 bonus to saves versus fear. I'll be honest, I rarely use it,
but it's not that bad of a spell. Your THAC0 won't be low enough to
ignore a +1 bonus.. but its six-round duration is just lame.
*Cure Light Wounds
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
The essential healing spell, you'll probably want to keep several
instances of this spell ready at all times.
Detect Evil
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
It's.. not a great spell, and I wouldn't keep one prepared, but Ajantis
can use it as a special ability. It's got quite a range, and nearby
enemies will be detected as evil in your dialogue box. Want to know if
some Black Talons are currently lurking in Larswood, or want to know if
those humble-looking fishermen are up to no good? Give this spell a go.
*Entangle
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
An early-game alternative for Stinking Cloud or Web, it does much the
same thing, but it only has one chance to work, and it allows the enemy
to make the save with a +3 modifier, so you shouldn't expect it to work
all the time. It does, however, have no Hit Dice maximum, meaning that
it'll come in handy against Ogres and Bears early on.
*Remove Fear
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Enemy Mages love using Horror. This spell prevents such magics from
working, and will counter it if you're affected by fear. Always keep
one prepared on each Cleric.
Shillelagh
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Creates a +1 cudgel that deals 2d4 damage. You won't spend much of the
game with a permanent weapon worse than this, so why bother?
2nd Level Druid Spells {SPT009}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Resist Fire and Cold: 50% Resistance to Fire and Cold.
---
Slow Poison: Cures poison.
Barkskin
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Grants a target an Armor Class of six, which improves (decreases) by
one for ever four levels of the caster... So, up to a maximum Armor
Class of four. C'mon, that's Splint Mail, people. We were probably
wearing that crap before we could even cast 2nd-level spells!
Charm Person or Mammal
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Essentially Charm Person, this spell allows you to convince a foe that
you're friendly... in gameplay terms, you get to take control of them.
The target receives a +3 bonus to their Saving Throw to avoid the
effect.
Find Traps
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Detects traps in a very close range. This spell doesn't disarm them,
however, so it's rather pointless.
Flame Blade
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell allows the caster to create a flaming blade, which the caster
is considered Proficient with. It deals 1d4 slashing damage, plus 1d2+4
fire damage. Despite being a magical blade of flame it does NOT count
as a magical weapon for determining what it can hit-makes sense to me.
Good Berry
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Creates five magical berries that each heal for one Hit Point. They
last forever, so it's like creating a weak healing potion to use...
just as long as you don't expect them to be worth anything in combat.
They take time to use in combat, and since they can only be consumed
one at a time... yeah, one Hit Point of healing per round will not win
you any fights. If for some reason you cannot rest, you could
conceivably give thirty of the weightless things to each party member...
but I can't think of a single instance where this is necessary. So,
no combat uses, takes forever to actually use them all, and there's no
point in time where you'd need to do it. Useless spell.
Know Alignment
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Like Detect Evil, except it detects... everything. Evil things glow red,
neutral things glow blue, and friendly things glow green... like those
little circles under your feet!
*Resist Fire/Cold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
You won't fear the elements too often, but when dealing with fire or
cold happy foes, this spell can cut their damage in half. I wouldn't
keep it ready all the time, but it'll come in handy once in a while.
*Slow Poison
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Slow Poison is being humble. This spell eradicates the effects of most
poisons in the game. Keep at least one handy on each Cleric all the
time.
3rd Level Druid Spells {SPT010}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Invisibility Purge: Reveals invisible creatures in a 30-foot radius.
---
Miscast Magic: 80% spell failure unless target saves at -2.
Call Lightning
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell calls down lightning to randomly strike foes. Once per turn
you'll summon one bolt per four levels of the caster, each dealing
2d8 damage +1d8 per level of the caster. It sounds awesome enough-an
8th-level caster can call down two bolts a turn, each dealing 10d8
damage. Still, you can only target the first bolts, and what fight
lasts longer than a turn? None, really. Ultimately, I just find this
spell too damn random to bother with.
Hold Animal
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Another hold spell-it only affects 'normal and giant-sized' animals,
pointedly exempting Wyverns and Ankhegs, for no good reason. That
leaves... what? Cave Bears? Who cares? This spell just doesn't have
enough potential targets to make it worthwhile, nor are the foes it
affects worth keeping it prepared.
*Invisibility Purge
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Like the Arcane spell 'Detect Invisibility' this spell will allow you
to detect-and therefore thwart-sneaking enemies. Very rarely a useful
spell.
Protection from Fire
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Like the Resist Fire/Cold, but it protects you from 80% of fire
damage. Excellent in a few areas, but it's easier for me to justify
using up a 2nd-level 'Resist Fire/Cold' instead.
*Miscast Magic
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
You'll see the enemy cast this spell a few times, but I never bother
with it. If the enemy fails at a Save vs. Spells (save at -2), they'll
suffer an 80% spell casting failure rate. This is nowhere near as
useful as, say, Silence 15' Radius, but if you haven't noticed, Bioware
is unkind to the Druid... you'll probably end up filling up your
3rd-level spellbook page with spells Clerics or Mages would laugh at.
4th Level Druid Spells {SPT011}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Animal Summoning I: Conjure a horde of animals.
---
Defensive Harmony: Lowers the Armor Class of the party by 2.
*Animal Summoning I
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Summoning up to eight critters of under four Hit Dice, this spell seems
pretty potent.. and it's just as good as Monster Summoning II. Since
the Druid doesn't have Animate Dead, this is their go-to summoning
spell.
Cure Serious Wounds
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
A more potent version of Cure Light Wounds, it must compete with
Defensive Harmony and Protection from Evil 10' Radius.. not good spells
to ignore. At the end of the day, healing is just not strong enough in
this game to save you during a fight, the way the 'Heal' spell will in
the sequel. 17 Hit Points is a patch to a late-game fighter, not a life-
saver in the heat of battle.
*Defensive Harmony
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell gives you a +2 bonus to Armor Class for ten rounds-the
perfect last preparation before a big fight. +2 Armor Class is the same
as 10% miss chance, and it affects the whole party.
Neutralize Poison
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Cures poison and heals for 10 Hit Points... eh... Slow Poison works
fine for me.
Protection From Lightning
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Makes the recpient entirely immune to lightning. It's handy in a few
instances where a Lightning Bolt trap can be used to cause collateral
damage, or where a hostile Mage is likely to fling such magic at you,
but otherwise it's forgettable.
5th Level Druid Spells {SPT012}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Animal Summoning II: Summons a handful of animals.
*Animal Summoning II
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Just like Animal Summoning I, but with fewer, stronger summons.
There's not much in the way of competition for 5th-level Cleric spells
in this game, so it might end up in your spellbook due to lack of
alternatives.
Cure Critical Wounds
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Heals for 27 Hit Points.
1st Level Arcane Spells {SPT013}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Blindness: Blind targets suffers -4 penalty to attack and Armor Class.
---
Identify: Identifies magical items.
---
Magic Missile: Up to five bolts that unerringly deal 2-5 damage each.
---
Sleep: Puts creatures with less than 4+3 Hit Dice to sleep.
Armor
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
A simple cast that drops your Armor Class to six (as if you were wearing
Scale Mail) and lasts for nine hours. Seems like a pretty good
defensive spell, right? Eh, for a Fighter/Mage it might have its uses,
but you'll find Bracers of Defense so early into the game (with which
this spell doesn't stack) that you'll never really need this. By the
time you can afford Robes of the Archmagi, this spell is quite useless,
but it's dubious enough long beforehand. As far as I'm concerned, Sleep
makes for better defense than Armor.
*Blindness
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Once in a while you might find this spell useful.. early on, against
Ogres, for example. It'll last longer than any fight will at 10 turns,
and -4 penalties to hit and Armor Class are significant impediments.
Honestly, however, Entangle works just as well.
Burning Hands
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
A simple offensive spell that deals 1d3+2 damage per caster level, up to
a maximum of 1d3+20. Unfortunately, it doesn't have much range and isn't
party friendly, so it can't be safely cast from behind more sturdy
characters. Sleep works better for low-level foes, and Magic Missile is
a more dependable damage-dealer.
Charm Person
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell is potentially useful once in a while-against human-sized
bipeds, at least. Anything else is outright unaffected, but, as the
spell exults, a 10th-level Fighter could potentially be affected... even
if Ogre Berserkers cannot. It doesn't impose a save penalty, however,
and since foes turn hostile when the spell wears out, you should refrain
from the obvious move of casting it on neutral NPCs to make them more
pliable. Ultimately... I never use it. I admit it could have its uses,
as will become abundantly clear when foes cast it at you, but for me,
by the time I tangle with foes worth charming, I've got better take-down
options. More reliable, less finger-crossing type take-down options.
Chill Touch
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
A horrible, horrible damage-dealer, for two reasons-first, the caster
has to touch the foes in order to deal the damage. Second, this requires
the caster to actually 'make a successful melee attack'. Two things
Mages are not built for-being where enemies can hit them, and trying to
hit foes in melee. On top of that, the 1d8 damage and no save penalty
side effect of a -2 THAC0 penalty is nothing special.
Chromatic Orb
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Chromatic Orb is a handy little spell that deals damage and afflicts
an enemy with status effects. At fourth level the spell can blind, at
fifth it can stun for three rounds, and at seventh level it will
paralyze for 20 rounds. Of course, by that time you'll have better
disabling spells, and if you want to deal damage, the 10-25 damage
Magic Missile causes will probably be more reliable than a chance to
stun.
Color Spray
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
We should consider this spell like a debuff version of Burning Hands...
you emit a party unfriendly effect in an arc in front of you. Instead of
damage, however, it'll knock foes out (unless they save at no penalty,
or they have more than 4 Hit Dice) for five rounds. A few obvious
problems... Okay, one, really big problem. Sleep. It imposes a -3
penalty, has a much larger radius, is party friendly, affects creatures
with up to (but not including) 4+3 Hit Dice (34 Hit Points), and lasts
for five rounds per level. Really, it's many times more useful than
Color Spray.
Friends
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell can be useful when shopping, as it raises your Charisma by
six points temporarily-long enough to lower prices. Keep in mind that
this spell doesn't seem to have an effect if your Charisma is over 20.
Grease
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Much like Web and Stinking Cloud-superior 2nd-level spells-this is an
area-of-effect spell that hampers anything caught in the area... albeit,
after a Saving Throw to attempt to negate the effects. Those who fail
are forced to move quite slowly for the rest of the round, and must save
every round to avoid the movement impediment. Ultimately, I'd rather
just wait for Web and/or Stinking Cloud, as both are superior in their
own ways. If you're looking for a 1st-level debuff, try Sleep, instead.
*Identify
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
You'll always have some of these prepared, as they... identify magical
items. Sure, having a high Lore skill can do the same, but most strong
magical items require a higher Lore score than you'll probably have..
and it's not worth playing a Bard just to identify crap. Combat use?
None. But it'll save you 100 gold that you would have wasted identifying
items at merchants.
Infravision
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Cast this spell, and the creature affected gains infravision, which in
this game makes creatures glow orange. Of course, if you have anybody
with infravision naturally, you can simply turn on the 'Group
Infravision' option and use it at will. It's not terribly useful
anyways, either naturally or as a spell, and at 10 turns, this spell's
duration isn't terribly enviable.
Larloch's Minor Drain
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
A mediocre damage-dealing spell, this spell deals a measly four points
of damage and heals the caster for the same amount. On the plus side,
it's got range and doesn't allow a save, so I find it superior to
Burning Hands or Chill Touch, at least. Heck, it's even comparable to
Magic Missile... up until Magic Missile starts getting additional
missiles.
*Magic Missile
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
The essential damage-dealing spell you'll use through most of the game..
it deals 1d4+1 points of damage per level, has a casting time of one,
always hits, and allows no save. At 9th level, that's 10-25 damage, and
Edwin can-with a Ring of Wizardry equipped-memorize plenty of these
spells. When you just need to deal some damage, there are few better
ways for a Mage to contribute directly.
Protection from Evil
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
A low-level buff that protects the recipient...against evil! Attacks
against the protected character are made at a -2 penalty, while saves
made by the protected character are made at a +2 bonus.
Shield
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Like Armor, this spell drops your Armor Class. Unlike Shield, Armor,
however, this spell drops your Armor Class to four against melee
attacks, and two against missile attacks... that's a six or eight
point bonus. It also renders you immune to Magic Missiles! Score.
Unfortunately, it-like Armor-doesn't stack with whatever mundane armor
you may be wearing, and at a five-turn duration, it'll last enough to
last a fight... so, it's a slightly sup'd up version of Armor with a
much shorter duration.
Shocking Grasp
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Another crappy 1st-level damage-dealer, it deals 1d8+1 point of damage
per level and the opponent has to be touched for the spell's damage to
be done. You miss, you wasted the spell. Me? I'd rather take the sure
damage of Larloch's Minor Drain or Magic Missile any day.
*Sleep
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Sleep is one of the best low-level Mage spells in the game. It'll force
all critters within a 15-foot radius to save at -3 or fall asleep for
five round per level.. an insane amount of time, and more than enough
time to kill any and all afflicted critters. Against high-level enemies
(those with 4+3 Hit Dice or more) it's useless, but that still means
you can affect Wolves, Gibberlings, Kobolds, Kobold Commandos, Bandits,
and Black Talon Elites-among others. Once you reach Baldur's Gate, you
should phase it out, but that still leaves about half the game where
this spell stays useful.
2nd Level Arcane Spells {SPT014}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Blur: Gives caster bonus to Armor Class and Saving Throws.
---
Horror: Causes fear in an area.
---
Knock: Open locked containers/doors.
---
Invisibility: Makes caster invisible.
---
Melf's Acid Arrow: Unerringly deals acid damage, lasts several rounds.
---
Mirror Image: Creates 2-8 illusory images which confound attackers.
---
Protection From Petrification: Prevents petrification.
Resist Fear: Removes fear effects in area.
---
Stinking Cloud: Nauseates creatures in an area, leaves them helpless.
---
Web: Immobilizes creatures in an area, leaves them helpless.
Agannazar's Scorcher
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell creates a 15 foot long jet of flames that deals 3-18 damage
to everything in its path. Technically, it's possible to hit several
foes in one cast, but this requires some good luck as to where the foes
place themselves. Frankly, there are many, many other 2nd-level spells
worth casting long before your need to settle for a mediocre damager
like Agannazar's Scorcher... for instance...
*Blur
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
...Blur. One of the best defensive spells a Mage has to offer, this
spell forces enemies to suffer a -3 penalty to attack rolls, and gives
the Mage a +1 bonus to Saving Throws. At four rounds +2 rounds per
level, it should last an entire encounter once you hit higher levels.
Granted, for most of the first game it won't really be worth casting,
but once your Armor Class and level improves, it'll be a spell you'll
lean on heavily before any large encounter.
Detect Evil
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
It's... not a great spell, and I wouldn't keep one prepared, but Ajantis
can use it as a special ability. It's got quite a range, and nearby
enemies will be detected as evil in your dialogue box. Want to know if
some Black Talons are currently lurking in Larswood, or want to know if
those humble-looking fishermen are up to no good? Give this spell a go.
Detect Invisibility
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Unlike in the sequel, you'll only fight invisible enemies rarely.. a
certain spot in Durlag's Tower, however, can be made much easier with
with this spell. Otherwise.. meh.
Ghoul Touch
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
A thoroughly bad debuff, this spell attempts to paralyze a foe... as if
you were a Ghoul, see? Unfortunately, you need to touch an enemy for the
spell to work and it imposes no save penalty whatsoever.
*Horror
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Horror is a spell you'll become very, very familiar with... because your
enemies will absolutely love to throw this spell at you. And why not?
It's got a decent duration and a large area-of-effect... even though it
doesn't have a save penalty, it might just end up in your spell book...
at least, if you're tactically challenged and can't properly set up a
Stinking Cloud/Animate Dead combo. Still, a pair of well-cast Horror
spells can win fights against rival adventurers. Just keep in mind that
some critters-like undead-are immune to this spell, being a
mind-affecting effect.
*Invisibility
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Most Mages don't have the option to sneak, so this spell will have to
substitute. If necessary, it'll allow you to sneak up on foes and get in
a devasting first strike. And of course, if you're a Fighter/Mage/Thief
you might not be able to fund a super-high Stealth score. This is a
fail-proof way to hide when you really need to. It won't come in handy
often, and you can always substitute the Ring of Invisibility or Potions
of Invisibility.
*Knock
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Another essential Mage spell that has absolutely no use in combat. You
need to unlock something? Use Knock. In the case of a Fighter/Mage/Thief
it's really a case of pick your poison. You can get Stealth, but you'll
then need Knock for every lock. Or you can get Open Locks, but you'll
need another way to reliably sneak. If you're unlucky, you might have to
wait until the Cloakwood Mines to get this spell.. leaving a lot of
locks unmolested.
Know Alignment
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Want to know somebody's alignment? Cast this spell. Simple as. Of
course, why do you care anyways? If they're not evil, you don't need to
worry, and if you follow my guide, you'll know what to do without having
to pry into everybody's alignment.
Luck
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell absolutely reeks with suckness. It gives a '5% bonus' to any
and all actions... whatever the hell that means. I have to assume,
however, that on a d20 system... 5% equals a +1 bonus. See? I can do
math. The real suck, however, is that it's a low-powered buff that only
affects one person, and lasts all of three rounds. It's hard to imagine
a more underwhelming buff.
*Melf's Acid Arrow
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Another good damage-dealer. It's not as fast as Magic Missile, and 2nd
level Mage spells provide some serious competition, but if you need
damage-dealing, it's an option. At 9th level it can deal up to 8d4
points of damage (8-32) over four rounds. Honestly, I prefer Magic
Missile, and I'd rather save my 2nd level spells slots for defense
(Mirror Image), utility (Knock), un-debuffing (Resist Fear), or
debilitating (Stinking Cloud/Web).
*Mirror Image
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This is THE defensive Mage spell in Baldur's Gate. You create two-to-
eight images that will foil attacks that might otherwise harm you. This
spell doesn't work the way it should in this game, as the enemy must
break through each image before hitting you-giving you a number of free
'hits' where you won't take damage. It won't make you invulnerable, but
it will buy you some time. Always keep one ready.
*Protection from Petrification
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Basilisks getting you down? Fear no more, with Protection from
Petrification, they'll become non-issues. Their gaze will not affect
you at all, letting you dispatch them with ease. When Basilisks rear
their ugly heads, be prepared with this spell, or be a statue.
*Resist Fear
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
If an enemy gets off a Horror spell, it can easily end in a reload. If
you have one of these spells prepared, however, you have nothing to
fear.. or at least, you need not fear fear. A great protective spell,
I tend to just make my Clerics prepare Remove Fear, as 2nd level Mage
spell slots are precious.
*Stinking Cloud
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Stinking Cloud creates nauseating clouds in a thirty-foot radius that
forces enemies to save or be rendered helpless for 1d4+1 rounds. Lasting
one round per level, this spell might not keep enemies down as long as
Sleep, but it has no Hit Dice limit. Let me say that this spell is my
early-game answer to pretty much everything too strong for sleep. When
multiple instances are prepared and an enemy is spied in the distance,
cast Stinking Cloud at the enemy just outside of their sight radius by
scouting their position with a Ranger, Thief, invisible character, or
the like. With two or three Stinking Clouds affecting an area, there's
little chance anything will save enough to respond. Then move in with
your archers and shoot the helpless enemies dead. Better yet, have a
Cleric cast Animate Dead in the cloud. The Skeletons are immune, and
can massacre everything within.. while you shoot at them, as well.
Strength
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This crappy spell sets the Strength score of the target up to 18/50...
or rather, sets it to 18/50, potentially lowering their Strength if it's
higher. For some characters with mediocre Strength-Jaheira, Ajantis,
Kagain come to mind-this spell might prove to be a useful buff, but
it's really unnecessary for most fights, and where it'll prove useful,
Potions of Giant Strength abound.
Vocalize
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Allows the caster to cast spells without making use of its verbal
component... or in other words, you can cast spells silently. The
practical implications of this spell? It allows you to cast spells
while silenced. It only lasts a turn, however, and very few enemies
cast Silence. I have never found a use for this spell.
*Web
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Web is just like Stinking Cloud, same radius, same result-it disables
enemies for quite a long time, and they are forced to save at -2. It
used to be my go-to spell for enemies too strong for Sleep, but I have
replaced it with Stinking Cloud in most situations. Web will affect
Skeletons summoned by Animate Dead, Stinking Cloud won't, meaning I can
just abuse enemies more with Stinking Cloud.
3rd Level Arcane Spells {SPT015}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Dispel Magic: Removes buff/debuffs from all creatures in area.
---
Haste: Doubles movement speed, gives an extra attack per round.
---
Monster Summoning I: Summons a number of weak monsters.
---
Slow: Slows targets, massive penalties to attack rolls and Armor Class.
Clairvoyance
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell removes the fog-of-war in any outdoor area, but it does not
show creatures, and it does not allow you to 'see' what's in the area,
exactly. Again, it just removes the fog-of-war... you know, all that
black crap that's everywhere in a new area? Instead of casting this
spell, why not just walk around? Seriously I can't think of a single
time where this spell is useful.
Dire Charm
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Just like Charm Person, but with no save bonus for targets. There are
far more useful 3rd-level spells to prepare.
*Dispel Magic
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Any time you fight spellcasters, they'll attempt to buff themselves, and
hit you with debilitating spells like Hold Person and Horror. Dispel
Magic should therefore be memorized at least once by every spellcaster
in the game, as it gives you a chance to take down a protected Mage,
or free your characters from the effects of another spell. Dispel Magic
is your magical safety net, and it's good to get into the habit this
game, as it's imperative in the sequel.
Fireball
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Fireball has its uses, as might be expected from an iconic Mage spell.
The first time I played this game, I was much less refined in my
tactics, and was overjoyed by this brute force option. Still..
experience has taught me that buffs like Haste, fodder like Summon
Monster and Animate Dead, and debilitative spells like Chaos are much
better strategies. That being the case, this spell will only come in
handy once in a while.. and most foes-mobs of enemies-can be dispatched
just as easily with Sleep. Edwin has the luxury of keeping one handy,
but most Mages should just ignore it.
Flame Arrow
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
A single-target damage-dealer that's far easier to control, and hence,
more useful than Fireball in some circumstances. It deals 4d6 fire
damage and 1d6 piercing damage, but the target can save for half the
fire damage. Like Magic Missile, you obtain another missile-for this
spell, once every 5th level-so that's two bolts at 10th level, three at
15th, four at 20th, and so on... but that's of no concern for the first
game, where we must judge it based on what it can actually achieve...
which is 5d6 damage, 2d6 of which can be negated. Obviously it's not
any better for a high level Baldur's Gate Mage than Magic Missile, so
you should gleefully ignore it. In the sequel, however, when your level
can climb into the 20s and you can string several of these spells
together with a Spell Sequencer... the damage that can be done with a
Flame Arrow combination can grow fairly phenomenal. Still, it's a rare
cast, at best, and in the first game, it should never grace your
memorized spell list.
Ghost Armor
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Yeah, you knew there'd be more of these spells, didn't you? Like the
old 1st-level Armor spell, I consider these spells useless for
single-class Mages. They should be kept out of combat anyways, but for
multi-or-dual-class Mages? Well, let's be honest... if you don't have
some form of armor-Bracers of Armor or Robes of the Archmagi-by the
time you can cast 3rd-level Mage spells, you're slacking... or perhaps
you're grinding too much? Either way, I always have some armor or
another before I get access to this spell. That said, it does give you
protection equal to field plate (Armor Class 2-field plate is a type of
armor in paper and pencil Dungeons and Dragons that is not in this
game, by the way.) While this is certainly better than whatever armor
you're wearing, it's probably not worth a 3rd-level spell slot. At least
it lasts five turns-which means it can last a few fights, if you cast it
when you enter a dungeon.
*Haste
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Haste is the best buff in the game-and it will remain great in the
sequel. In fact, in every late game encounter in this game, and most
encounters in the second game will require Haste. Always have at least
one ready with each Mage.. it just doubles your offensive power.
Hold Person
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Just like the 2nd-level Cleric spell, this spell attempts to 'hold', or
paralyze a target, and also affects nearby targets in a 7.5-foot radius.
It only affect man-sized humanoids, but fortunately, they're common. No
save penalty, and it only lasts 10 rounds... which is long enough to
kill them and then some, to be fair. Still, almost anything I would use
this on, I could just scout out and kill with Stinking Cloud and
missiles. Also... there are far better 3rd-level Mage spells to cast.
Leave it to Clerics, if you must use it at all.
Lightning Bolt
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This is an interesting damage-dealing alternative for enclosed spaces,
where you can try and bounce it off walls to deal outrageous damage.
Multiple hits will dispatch most enemies. It's a gimmick, however, and
I rarely ever use it, as I'm just not good at aiming it, and generally
find it unreliable.
*Monster Summoning I
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
In this game, summoning monsters does just that-summons a mob of weak
critters to do your bidding. Few enemies will have access to spells
like Fireball, Cloudkill, or Dispel Magic, and hence your summoned
enemies will provide a great flesh-shield between you and your enemies.
Since enemies aren't quite as strong in this game as in the sequel, the
occassional rolls of 20 which result in auto-hits mean your summons will
actually do some damage to the enemies they're summoned to impede... but
practically summoning a wall of minions means you can shoot down enemies
while they attempt to cut their way through.
Non-Detection
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell makes you immune to scrying attempts, spells like
Clairvoyance, Invisibility Purge, etc. You know how many foes will
use these spells? None. You will never need this spell.
Protection From Normal Missiles
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Makes a target invulnerable to normal (non-magical) missiles for five
turns. This spell is... alright, sometimes, as many foes will actually
bother to use mundane arrows in this game. Of course, good luck trying
to get them to shoot at the protected character... and by the time you
can cast this spell, many foes will be packing magical arrows... but if
you feel you need added protection from Bandits and Hobgoblins.. well,
you suck.
Skull Trap
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Create a... skull trap that explodes when enemies get too close to it,
dealing 1d6 points of damage per level to all critters in a 20-foot
radius. Honestly, I prefer Fireball. I can aim it, and decide what gets
hit, when. No need to lure foes into a trap with the hope that it'll
affect a good number of them.
*Slow
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell affects all enemies in a forty-foot cube, and any melee
character affected might as well be dead. It forces them to move and
attack at half the normal rate, and imposes a -4 penalty to attack rolls
and Armor Class. Enemies save against this effect at a -4 penalty.
When faced with a group of sturdy melee enemies, there's little better
to cast.
Vampiric Touch
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Deals 1d6 damage per every two caster levels (up to 6d6 damage), and
heals the caster for that amount. Unfortunately, it's a touch spell
(see the word 'touch' in the name?) so its utility for a single-classed
Mage is dubious, at best.
4th Level Arcane Spells {SPT016}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Confusion: Foes in area are confused unless they save at -2.
---
Greater Malison: Reduces saves by 2, softening up foes.
---
Improved Invisibility: Recipient can't be targeted by spells.
---
Minor Globe of Invulnerability: Ignore spells of 3rd-level or lower.
---
Monster Summoning II: Summons stronger monsters.
*Confusion
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Confusion is a great debilitating spell, second in the game only to
Chaos.. which outshines it in every way. Still, it forces all enemies in
a sixty-foot cube to save at -2 or wander around, go berserk, or simply
stand there. Simply put, it breaks up all effective resistance and wins
fights.
Dimension Door
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Transports the caster to any place within visual range of the caster.
Or... not far. Seriously, how long will it take any foe to follow you?
This spell is garbage.
Emotion
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Like Confusion, but with no save, and enemies 'sleep' (lie down and
remain helpless) for the duration of the spell. If it weren't for the
lack of a save penalty, it would be a great spell.
*Greater Malison
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Hit enemies with this before casting other spells that allow saves and
you'll stand a greater chance of affecting your enemies. It's not so
much of an issue in this game, as enemies won't have the saves that they
will in the sequel. You won't have the one-hit kills like vorpal weapons
and Finger of Death to make this spell shine, and against groups of
enemies, it's often more effective to just cast another debilitator
than to waste time softening up enemies.
*Improved Invisibility
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Another great defensive spell that won't really shine until the sequel,
this spell imposes a -4 penalty to the attack rolls of enemies, and
gives the caster a +4 bonus to saving throws. Best of all, you can't
be targeted with spells until the invisibility is dispelled. Still, a
Fighter/Mage has no better 4th-level buffs to cast, so it'll come in
handy.
*Minor Globe of Invulnerability
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell makes you immune to 1st-3rd level spells.. which means half
of the spells in the game. Along with Improved Invisibility and Mirror
Image, it makes you nearly untouchable to magic. Still, I can't think of
a single instance where I used it. Probably a tactical oversight on my
part, but I've always preferred to send Skeleton Warriors out against
enemy Mages, although a Fighter/Mage buffed with this spell could easily
fill the same role.
Monster Summoning II
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Like the 3rd level spell, but it'll summon tougher monsters. What's not
to like?
Otilukes's Resilient Sphere
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
I'll admit, I like the idea of this spell. Taking a foe out of a fight
long enough to deal with its buddies makes me feel all strategyful, and
stuff. But it's just not a good spell. Otiluke's Resilient Sphere
captures a single foe in a 'globe of shimmering force', which prevents
the trapped critter from affecting the outside world, and vice versa.
Still, it's a single creature, the spell has no save penalty, and it
only lasts a turn... granted, probably enough time to resolve any fight.
Still, Slow, Confusion, or Chaos would all be superior casts.
Polymorph Self
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Allows the caster to assume the form of another creature, which you can
select from a short list of the following:
Wolf
Black Bear
Brown Bear
Mustard Jelly
Sword Spider
Ogre
Flind
First, you can change to any of these creatures at will-and back again-
for the entire duration of the spell, a passable one turn, plus three
rounds per level, so you can change your form as events necessitate.
Your statistics and attributes are affected by each form, which is not
mentioned by the spell, but which I will show below. Also, you cannot
cast spells while polymorphed-something to keep in mind, to be sure.
Your natural Armor Class may change, as well-magical protections will
still be counted, but armor will not. You can equip and unequip
clothing, jewelry, and armor at will, but not weapons.
Black Bear
Armor Class (Base): 7
Strength: 18/00
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 18
Brown Bear
Armor Class (Base): 6
Strength: 18/00
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 18
Flind
Armor Class (Base): 2
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 17
Constitution 12
Mustard Jelly
Armor Class (Base): 4
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 9
Constitution 9
Cold Resistance: 50
Electrical Resistance: 100
Magic Resistance: 125
Magic Cold Resistance: 50
Slashing Resistance: 30
Crushing Resistance: 30
Piercing Resistance: 100
Missile Resistance: 85
Ogre
Armor Class (Base): 5
Strength: 18/00
Dexterity: 9
Constitution 18
Spider
Armor Class (Base): 1
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 16
Constitution 9
Wolf
Armor Class (Base): 2
Strength: 15
Dexterity: 18
Constitution: 13
So... there everything is, all pink and naked. Honestly, I don't see
the point in turning a Mage into a melee creature, especially one that's
likely to be rather mediocre compared to your mainstay warriors...
If anything, however, the Mustard Jelly is interesting for its
resistances, if nothing else. I never make use of this spell, but if
you feel like giving it a go... eh... it's your Mage's funeral.
Remove Curse
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
You pick up a shiny new ring and stupidly put it on your finger not
knowing what it is, and boom! Wertle-wertle-woo for you. Honestly,
that's really the only way to get cursed in this game, save for perhaps
short-term spells like Doom, and who cares about that anyways? You can
always go to a church to have curses removed, but this is cheaper. You
probably will never need to use this spell.
Spirit Armor
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
The strongest of the armor spells, this particular version creates an
intangible suit of armor that grants an Armor Class of one. It doesn't
stack with other armor, but it will stack with Dexterity bonuses,
magical protections, and shields. When the spell ends, it'll deal 2d4
points of damage to the caster. It's actually potentially very nice
armor, but honestly, it'll only drop the Armor Class of a well-equipped
Fighter/Mage by a few points-comparable to what Improved Invisibility
will do.
5th Level Arcane Spells {SPT017}
o======================================================================o
***TOP SPELLS***
Chaos: Foes in area are confused unless they save at -4.
*Chaos
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This spell is the go-to debilitator for Baldur's Gate... and much of
the sequel as well. Forcing a save at -4 is just not fair. Otherwise it
works just like Confusion. Get used to hearing about this spell, as
I'll be comparing 5th-level spells to it at every turn.
Cloudkill
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
The only effective use of this spell that I can think of is in
conjunction with Animate Dead and Stinking Cloud. Your Skeletons can
simply distract enemies and cause them to take damage while they remain
within the Cloudkill. Still, at 1d10 damage per round, it's not a great
way to destroy enemies.. not when you can just hit them with Chaos,
instead.
Domination
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Control a creature's actions while affected by this spell. It's
essentially the same as any Charm spell, but it imposes a -2 penalty to
their Saving Throws. Oh, and it only lasts eight rounds. Again, I'd
rather disable an entire group of foes with Chaos (at a -4 save!) than
control one.
Feeblemind
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Cast this spell for stupid-making. It's like watching Fox News! The
target saves at a -2 penalty and lasts indefinitely-unless dispelled.
This spell lowers the target's Intelligence to three. On most foes, it's
nothing serious, but if you hit a Mage with it... well, they won't be
casting anything, will they? Still, I'd rather... you guessed it, just
use Chaos. A foe affected by Chaos is not going to cast anything, the
save penalty is -4, and it affects a group.
Hold Monster
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Like Hold Person, but it affects pretty much any critter. It imposes a
-2 save penalty and affects any foes within a very small 7.5-foot area
of the target... which is, for all intents and purposes, adjacent. Chaos
is still superior.
Monster Summoning III
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Like the lower spells, but with stronger monsters. Eh. I'd just as soon
grab another Chaos.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Map {MAP001} |
| |
o======================================================================o
Below is a friendly-although admittedly crappy-text map for you, so
you'll know where various areas are as I talk about them. I'll list them
by their AR, and by their name if they have one. I'll TRY to get the
area exits right, but if I'm wrong about some, you'll live. Besides,
this is just for general reference so you know roughly where to go to
get to places. For example, when I tell you to gather your party, if
you want to snag Shar-Teel, you'll have to know where AR3500 is. Note
the area exits (the lines) between areas show what edge of the map you
have to exit in order to discover the other areas. Once discovered, you
can travel to any area from any other area. For example, if you exit
(AR3700) on the western side, you should discover both (AR3600) and
(AR4100). If you're following this guide, being thorough, and exploring
all the exits anyways, this shouldn't matter so much, as you'll find
everything on your own. Also note you don't have to actually travel to
an area to discover it, or leave the area you're in, you merely have to
click on the area transition (where the icon turns into a wheel at the
edge of the map).
AR0100--------AR0200---AR0300 AR0400----------AR1000
| | | | ULGOTH's BEARD
| | | |
| | | |
AR0600--------AR0700---AR0800 |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
AR1100--------AR1200---AR1300 AR0900
|
|_______BALDUR's GATE________| |
|
AR1600--------AR1700---AR1800 AR1400 AR1900
CLOAKWOOD3 CLOAKWOOD4 MINES / | BANDIT CAMP
| / | |
| / | |
AR2100--------AR2200-----------AR2300----------AR2400------
CLOAKWOOD2 CLOAKWOOD1 FRIENDLY PELDVALE
ARM INN |
| |
AR2600--------AR2700----------AR2800----------AR2900----------AR3000
CANDLEKEEP | | LARSWOOD |
| | | |
| | | |
AR3100--------AR3200----------AR3300----------AR3400----------AR3500
| HIGH HEDGE BEREGOST TEMPLE |
| | | | |
| | | | |
AR3600--------AR3700----------AR3800----------AR3900----------AR4000
| / | | ULCASTER GULLYKIN
| / | | | |
| / | | | |
AR4100--------AR4200----------AR4300----------AR4400----------AR4500
| | | / FIREWINE
| | | / BRIDGE
| | | / |
AR4600--------AR4700----------AR4800---AR4900-------AR0500----AR5000
| | NASHKEL CARNIVAL DURLAG's TOWER |
| | | | |
| | | | |
AR5100--------AR5200----------AR5300---AR5400-----------------AR5500
GNOLL NASHKEL MINES
STRONGHOLD
o======================================================================o
| |
| General Tips {TIP001} |
| |
o======================================================================o
Save often. There is a lot of trial and error in this game. If you walk
into an encounter you weren't ready for, there's a good chance you can
lose characters. And of course, there is always just bad luck.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Press the 'L' button to see the coordinates of your cursor (this will
show you the x-y coordinates of where your cursor is located).
Note from Lee: I reprogrammed this to 'X', to match the default in BGII
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Recruit your party early. The more characters you have the better your
chances of survival. Also, the sooner you get them, the better they'll
be in the long run.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Lead with pretty. Take your character with the highest charisma and make
them party leader. That way they will use their reaction adjustment to
influence people they talk to, getting your better reactions, rewards,
and prices. Paladins make great natural party leaders, as they are both
strong and have a high charisma. Evil parties will have to improvise.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Lead with steel. Of course, pretty isn't the only consideration to make.
Your front line characters will be under fire more often than any other
characters. Put your most well protected characters up front, taking
into consideration Armor Class and Hit Points
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Spread the wealth. Don't load up good gear all on one character, even
though it might be tempting to spoil you main character. If you get
multiple items that give bonuses against missile weapons, spread them
amongst your front line Fighters. There's no need for one character to
have a Large Shield +1, +4 versus Missiles, Boots of Avoidance, AND
a Cloak of Displacement. The one exception? Tomes that increase your
health permanently. Only give these to your main character.. they are
the only ones who will appreciate it in the expansion as well.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Travel with like-minded characters, or rather, characters of the same
(or similar) alignments. Evil and good characters will bicker, so it's
not always wise to have both in one party.. that said, this is Baldur's
Gate 1, not Baldur's Gate 2, so take whomever you wish. Neutral
characters will fit into either party. The worst case scenario, Ajantis
might take a swing at Viconia, but you can break it up, unlike in the
sequel..
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Manipulate your reputation. Good parties will want to have a high
reputation just to keep folks happy, but evil parties will want the
discounts high reputations bring. Just don't go over 17 or you'll face
desertion. Go to temples to raise your reputation before major shopping
sprees. If it gets too high, go kill a peasant in a house.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Some NPCs will react to you differently depending on your reaction
modifier-which is determined by your base alignment, your Charisma, and
your reputation. It's not usually a big issue, but it can affect some
quest rewards.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Scout ahead. If you can find danger before it finds you, you can prepare
for it and get the drop on it. Difficult encounters can turn into snore
fests if you make a resounding first strike.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
First strikes win fights. Mark enemy locations with a character who has
stealth, then at the edge of the fog of war-just before you can see the
enemy-target the area with an area of effect spell. Web, Stinking Cloud,
Entangle, and Silence 15' Radius are all great first-strike spells.
Later on Confusion, Chaos, and Greater Malison all become indispensable
ways to decimate enemies before they even know you're there.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Save your finite-use items for when you need them! Sure, it can be fun
to smite Gibberlings with Wands of Fire, and Arrows +1 do take down
Bandits faster than normal arrows, but there are better things to use
them on. Having enough Arrows +2 to shoot at Aec'Letec and the
Demonknight will save you a lot of trouble, and hitting that Mage with
an Arrow of Biting as the fight begins is better in the long run than
firing them back at Sirines while shouting "How do YOU like it?!" You'll
miss your Potions of Giant Strength if you waste them. It's a simple
lesson in conservation and restraint.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Summon monsters to distract your foes. If you can put three summoning
spells in between yourself and tough enemies, you can reduce or even
destroy them with missile fire before they even get close. This comes in
handy in later encounters where you desperately need to divide the
offensive power of your enemies amongst more bodies.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Haste is probably the most powerful spell buff in the game. You act
faster in combat, you get twice as many attacks, and twice the movement
speed. It is, essentially, a way to double your offensive power for a
short amount of time. Use it before every major fight.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Magic Missile is an awesome spell, especially in 2nd Edition, where
Hit Points remain within relatively sane boundaries. First, there are
few better spells out there for disrupting enemy spell casters and
tearing down their Mirror Images.. unless they have a Minor Globe of
Invulnerability up, that is. Some monsters are immune to or very
resistant to missile fire, like Battle Horrors, Doom Guards, and
Skeleton Warriors. Skeletal undead and magic resistant creatures are
both vulnerable to Magic Missiles however, as Baldur's Gate checks each
missile for magic resistance. This means that even buggers like the
Demonknight should take some damage from them, even if they aren't hit
by every missile. Go pop Viconia with a couple, and see how well her
magic resistance holds up. This spell truly becomes indispensable at
9th level, when casters like Edwin and Imoen will pop off five missiles
per spell, doing 1d4+1 damage per missile.. that's 10-25 damage with no
save, and by this time Edwin will have, oh, a dozen 1st level spells?
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
If you bounce a Lightning Bolt down a hallway you can hit an enemy with
it multiple times. Frankly, I'm horrible at judging the direction these
things will go, and they've always been more of a danger to myself than
others, but if you can figure out how to do it right, you can really
make a mess of enemies in enclosed spaces.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Get the drop on enemies with Web or Stinking Cloud, then shoot them to
death with missile weapons. Like shooting fish in a barrel. Just don't
get caught in your own spells.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Animate Dead is a cheap, but very effective way to obliterate foes.
Summon some skeletons with it and get the drop on your enemies with a
pair of Stinking Clouds (or even Cloudkill!) Your enemies will be
affected, but your undead chums won't be. There's nothing better than
slaughtering a group of snotty adventurers, assassins, bounty hunters,
or mercenaries with a group of meek Skeletons while they lay around
nauseated from Stinking Clouds.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Spell-buff before big fights. Any fight that sucks will suck less if you
cast Protection from Evil 10' Radius, Defensive Harmony, and Haste.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Mind the experience cap. Don't dual class a character at a level in
their first class that they cannot exceed with their second. You'll just
end up with a gimped character that has half the abilities they should,
instead of a double-powerful extra-versatile character.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
If you get caught stealing, make sure to run away before the guards
show up and talk to you. If not, you risk turning nearby neutral
characters hostile, and suffer a reputation loss. Leaving the area will
allow you to escape the guard. If you rest a few hours, the guards
should go away.
o======================================================================o
| Prologue |
o======================================================================o
| |
| Leaving Candlekeep |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK001}
1) History in the Haystack
2) Shanking Shank
3) Poor Old Nessa...
4) Combat Training for Two
5) Ratocide
6) Helping Hull
7) Group Combat Training
8) The Hospital
9) Killing Carbos
10) The Barracks
11) Cashing in Candlekeep Quests
12) Ol' Puffguts
13) Firebead Elvenhair
14) Larcenous Intent
15) Robbing the Guest Rooms
16) Bolts and Blessings
17) Into the Darkness
Candlekeep (AR2600)
o======================================================================o
1) Before we head off into the Candlekeep Inn to buy anything, let's do
some quests, meet some folks, and gather some loot. Besides, it would be
silly to, say, buy a weaker armor because you can't afford better when
if you just waited you could have bought the better suit. It would also
be silly to go there now if you had a quest that required you to go
there later... in case such an unlikely scenario occurs. We'll head
northeast and work our way around clockwise until we end up back at
the Candlekeep Inn. Head northeast and talk to Phlydia (x=3600, y=310).
Along the way you can talk to tutors to learn about the game. I'll just
assume you trust in my FAQ enough to ignore them. Anyways, Phlydia will
ask you to find her book, 'History of Halruaa'. All in good time.
Priest's Quarters (AR2627)
o======================================================================o
2) Keep moving clockwise until you find the Priest's Quarters at
(x=2950, y=400). Once you enter the building a man named Shank will
attack you. As the first battle of the game, it shouldn't be too tough,
even with a quarterstaff. Once he's dead, loot him and the building
around you and leave.
**ITEMS***
(x=130, y=320) Dagger
(x=100, y=200) 8 gold
(x=480, y=220) War Hammer
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) When you leave you'll be approached by Parda, who notices signs of a
scuffle. Tell him off and continue east until you find Dreppin
(x=3270, y=420) who will tell you that Phlydia left her book in the hay
(x=3250, y=290). Pick it up and talk to him again. This time he'll
ask you to get an antidote potion from Hull for his poor cow, Nessa.
***ITEMS***
(x=3250, y=290) History of Halruaa
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) Keep following the trail south. Outside of the Storehouse you'll find
Jondalar (x=4100, y=1330), who will give you some combat training if
you talk to him. If you haven't played before, you might as well. Just
attack Erik when he shows up and starts shooting at you. Outside of the
Storehouse is a dwarf named Reevor (x=4330, y=1450). Talk to him and
he'll ask you to clear the rats out of the storehouse. Head inside the
Storehouse (x=4350, y=1400) to do just that.
The Storehouse (AR2606)
o======================================================================o
5) Inside the Storehouse you'll be accosted by several rats, who walk up
to you and wait to be smote. Oblige them, loot, and head outside. Talk
to Reevor again for your reward.
**ITEMS***
(x=100, y=200) Silver Ring
***REWARD***
(For killing Reevor's rats)
EXP 50
Gold 5
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) Keep heading south until you find a soldier named Hull at around
(x=3650, y=2430). Talk to Hull, who will ask you to retrieve his sword
for him. Also, he'll tell you that the potion Dreppin wants is where his
sword is. Convenient.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Go south some more until you run into the Gatewarden, who will offer
to train you in group tactics. If you decide to go, follow him to the
building he mentions (x=3050, y=3000). You'll get a party and fight a
number of illusory foes. Training or no, afterwards head inside the
building at (x=3550, y=2960).
Hospital (AR2605)
o======================================================================o
8) Talk to the Priest of Oghma that wanders around and he'll offer to
give you a healing potion. Why refuse? There's another potion you can
filch from the desk at (x=660, y=410) but the guards will be called on
you. Still, enemies can't move from one area to the next, so if you
break into the desk, take the potion, and bolt out the door, you'll be
fine. Get used to this, you may be doing it often.
***ITEMS***
(x=660, y=410) Potion of Healing
Bunkhouse (AR2607)
o======================================================================o
9) Head west until you come across the Bunkhouse. Loot the chest
outside, then head into the Bunkhouse (x=2070, y=2670). Inside you'll
be accosted by Carbos, who you'll be forced to dispatch like Shank.
Since there's nothing to loot, head outside. You'll be approached by
Karan, who like Parda has nothing useful to say. Head west and loot the
barrel outside of the Barracks before entering.
***ITEMS***
(AR2600)
(x=2150, y=2750) 15 gold
---
(AR2607)
(x=1410, y=2680) 8 gold
Barracks (AR2618)
o======================================================================o
10) Inside the Barracks you'll find Fuller (x=490, y=410), and Hull's
chest is at (x=650, y=260). I wouldn't suggest stealing from the
Barracks, as the two Watchers inside will not simply 'disappear' over
time if you get caught, and will remain hostile to you. Talk to Fuller
and ask if he has any errands to run. He'll ask you to get him a quarrel
of bolts from the Candlekeep Inn.
***ITEMS***
(x=650, y=260) Hull's Long Sword, Antidote
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) When you're done head outside and start turning in those quest items
you've found. After you've satisfied Phlydia, Dreppin, and Hull, head up
to the Candlekeep Inn (x=1050, y=550). The easiest way to do this is
simply go in reverse order (around the keep counter-clockwise).
***REWARD***
(For giving Hull his sword)
EXP 50
Gold 10 or 20*
*If Hull likes you, he'll give you more money.
***REWARD***
(For giving Dreppin an antidote)
EXP 50
***REWARD***
(For returning Phlydia's book)
EXP 50
Item Lynx Eye Gem
Candlekeep Inn, Downstairs (AR2616)
o======================================================================o
12) Talk to Winthrop at (x=670, y=410). From him you can buy all the
goodies you'll need to get started... he sells just about every weapon
out there. For my protagonists, I buy two Morning Stars (for my good
protagonist) and two Long Swords (for my evil protagonist). I also buy
a Helmet, but otherwise no armor. They won't be wearing much anyways,
and if they need some, they'll find armor soon enough without having to
spend money on it. Lastly, don't forget to pick up a quarrel of bolts
for Fuller while you're here.
Note from Lee:
I wait to talk to Winthrop until after I've looted both levels of the
Inn (just before starting step 16). I end up with a bit more to spend,
although in the end it doesn't really make all that much difference.
When it's all said and done, I have 441 gold; I pick up the Composite
Long Bow, 200 arrows, Studded Leather Armor, a Bastard Sword, a Small
Shield, and a Helmet (plus the Bolts for Fuller). All this and I still
have 262 gold for later. I equip the Bastard Sword and Shield as my
primary weapons (I'll switch back and forth to the Long Bow as needs
dictate).
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13 At (x=200, y=400) you'll find Firebead Elvenhair. Talk to him and
he'll ask you to retrieve a Scroll of Identify from Tethtoril. We'll
get on this shortly. Speaking of spell scrolls, grab the Scroll of Armor
and the Scroll of Infravision from the dresser at (x=800, y=250) and
scribe them. Just... pick them up, go into your inventory, right-click
on the scroll and select 'write magic'. I don't know why people have
trouble with this, but I've received E-mails, so...
***ITEMS***
(x=800, y=250) 18 gold, Scroll of Armor, Scroll of Infravision
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
14) Only one more thing to do here now, and since it *might* require us
to run upstairs to see it come to fruition, it's a good transitional
Step. In a room to the north-east you'll find a pair of nobles standing
around. Talk to the male (x=550, y=200) and when you get a chance to
reply pick dialogue option #3 to lavish an unseemly amount of attention
on their status symbols. Most characters will be reprimanded with
threats of incarceration, but if you manage to get a good reaction
check from the noble (reaction is a combination of Charisma and
reputation-and since we can't influence our reputation right now, save
by our starting alignment, it seems to be a Charisma score of 18 or
bust) his wife will mistake your larcenous intent and decide to put
her jewelry back in their room, to avoid offending the monks with any
further ostentatious displays. Anyways, when you're done with this level
head upstairs (x=350, y=250).
***ITEMS***
(x=650, y=100) Dagger
The Candlekeep Inn, Upstairs (AR2617)
o======================================================================o
15) Go around looting, there's not really much else to do besides
antagonize nobles. If you have a great amount of Strength (and by 'a
great amount' I mean more than is legitimately possible to get with a
new character), or a terribly high lock pick score (60 or more), or
a Knock spell memorized, you can get at the Star Sapphire in the dresser
at (x=420, y=170). However, to get this you need one of three things,
either a character from a previous play through, a non-legit character,
or a Thief with the appropriate skills. For the rest of us, the gem is
just there to mock us. Even if you have a Thief, investing in the Open
Locks skill is, in the long-term, a waste of points, so I suggest just
ignoring it. When you're done up here, you're done with the Candlekeep
Inn. You still have the center to explore, and bolts to deliver.
Note: If you managed to convince the nobles downstairs into putting
their jewelry away, the Star Sapphire in the dresser at (x=420, y=170)
will be joined by a Pearl Necklace and a Fire Opal Ring. The Star
Sapphire alone sells for 1000 gold, while the Fire Opal Ring is worth
250, and the Pearl Necklace will burden your purse with 500 gold. It's
not a bad bit of starting money. It's also worth noting that the nobles
will still plant their goodies in the dresser if you rob the Star
Sapphire from it before talking to them and convincing them to stash the
rest of their loot. Not very smart, eh?
***ITEMS***
(x=100, y=270) 4 gold
(x=170, y=350) Silver Necklace
(x=380, y=400) Potion of Clarity, 36 gold
(x=420, y=170) Star Sapphire, (Pearl Necklace, Fire Opal Ring)
(x=570, y=300) Flamedance Ring, 86 gold
Note from Peter: Just to make that sure. You'll usually get caught by
the noble at (x=520, y=350) when stealing from the chest at (x=570,
y=300). To avoid this, you can hit him with your bare hands until he
gets unconscious. You don't lose reputation because you didn't kill him
and nobody sees you stealing.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
16) Now that you're done in the Candlekeep Inn turn in the bolts to
Fuller and find Tethtoril, who is lurking somewhere in the central area
by the keep. He'll initiate dialogue and give you the scroll you're
after, which you'll need to... return to Firebead Elvenhair at the
Candlekeep Inn. He'll give you a meagre reward and cast 'Protection From
Evil' on you. Oh boy.
***REWARD***
(For giving Fuller a score of bolts)
EXP 50
Gold 10
or
Item Dagger +1*
*You'll get this item if your reaction is good. This is one of the first
and few examples of your Charisma coming into play. Fuller will only
give you the dagger if your Charisma is high enough, you're an alignment
he likes (lawful good being the optimum) and if you haven't tanked your
reputation by killing Watchers. Overall it's not an earth shattering
item, but it's still nice.
***REWARD***
(For giving Firebead Elvenhair his scroll)
EXP 50
Item Potion of Healing
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
17) Towards the south you'll find Imoen. If you're a good party, you
might as well get used to her... There's a good chance she's going to be
your Thief through the game. Towards the southwestern side of the keep
a number of chanters, who since Alaundo's prophecies. Neat. Especially
that bit about Bhaal. Once everything is done in Candlekeep, talk to
Gorion (x=2700, y=1760). If you're ready to go, tell Gorion, and we're
off to Chapter 1.
o======================================================================o
| Chapter 1 |
o======================================================================o
| |
| Friendly Arm Inn |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK002}
1) The Morning After...
2) Xzar and Montaron
3) Quickly, Through the Wilderness
4) The Friendly Arm Inn
5) Joia's House
6) Attacked by Tarnesh
7) Jopi's
8) Khalid and Jaheira
9) Merchant Memo
10) Unshey's Ogre Problem
11) Gnome Homes and Golden Pantaloons
12) Joia's Ring
13) Belt Fetish
Wilderness (AR2700)
o======================================================================o
1) After the cutscene and the intro you'll be pestered by Imoen, who
joins your party. You might as well take her along for now, even if you
don't plan to keep her. The advice in the prologue is sound, heading to
the Friendly Arm Inn should be a priority. To go to new areas, you
simply have to reach the edge of the map and click when the icon turns
into a wheel... assuming you're at an edge that actually goes somewhere.
Naturally that means in every area you're in, you'll want to explore at
least to the four edges and click to leave from each applicable edge, as
this is how you 'discover' new areas, which appear on your map after
attempting to leave from a side in an adjacent territory. In any event,
there's not all that much to do in this area. You'll get bothered by an
inexperienced hermit named Kolssed as you head east along the road. Xzar
and Montaron are further along the road, and you might as well loot your
foster father's body, and the bodies of his assailants (x=3150, y=1370).
They sure aren't going to be needing their stuff anymore. You might run
into wolves and Gibberlings around here. Gibberlings are cheese, but
wolves can be surprisingly brutal to an unprepared character. If you're
in trouble, just use Sleep to settle things. If you head east, you'll
find another wilderness area (AR2800) if you head south, you'll
discover High Hedge (AR3200). We'll head to High Hedge soon enough, but
not just yet.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) Xzar and Montaron await at (x=4500, y=2700), and they'll be friendly
enough, even handing over a Potion of Healing if you accept their aid.
They'll then try to get you to head to Nashkel with them, which is a
destination you'll be heading to eventually anyways. Regardless of your
alignment pick them up for now. Make sure to relieve Montaron of his
potions, and Xzar of his scrolls. You'll put them to better use. You can
go around and explore the area if you want, but there's not much point.
You'll find a whiny noble in the west, and some Black Bears who will
probably make your life miserable if you get too close. You should,
however, grab the Diamond hidden in a tree at (x=4420, y=1960), not far
from where you met Xzar and Montaron. I'll admit, I've played this game
through countless times, and I've never found this before. Thanks to
Mr. Rozzo for this (and other) obscure treasures. When you're done exit
along the eastern side of the map to unlock another wilderness area.
Keep in mind that when you travel between areas there is always a
chance you'll run afoul of a random encounter. At low levels, these can
be, well, devastating. If it happens just reload your autosave, which
the game makes every time you leave an area. How thoughtful, eh? After
your trip to the Friendly Arm Inn, your first priority will be to
assemble your party, which I will discuss at the appropriate time.
***ITEMS***
(x=4420, y=1960) Diamond
Wilderness (AR2800)
o======================================================================o
3) Upon entering this area you'll be bothered by an 'Old Man'. Answer
him as you please, and head northeast, where you can find a rock which
has a hollow containing a Ring of Protection +1 (x=1005, y=1115).
Another treasure brought to my attention thanks to Mr. Rozzo... it's a
decent little Armor Class booster that'll become obsolete once we start
getting enchanted armor. In the meantime, however, wear it, love it.
Once you're done, head east until you find a road, then follow it north.
If you come across Aoln, just answer him however you please (he's
entirely inconsequential) and continue north. There's more to do here,
but first we really need to gather up our party. Exit to the north and
you'll discover the Friendly Arm Inn.
***ITEMS***
(x=1005, y=1115) Ring of Protection +1
Friendly Arm Inn, Exterior (AR2300)
o======================================================================o
4) Watch the movie. Yay. Now head east. Before you enter the Inn,
there's a little trinket worth grabbing. At precisely (x=2553, y=3761)
there's a Ring of Wizardry hidden in the terrain. This baby doubles
first level Mage spells, and is good for your main Mage. For me this
either goes to Edwin (when we get him-if I'm evil)-or to my protagonist
until Imoen can use it. It's particularly devastating on Edwin, who will
have eight first-level spell slots at level two, allowing me to memorize
enough Sleep spells to pacify a small army. Now head across the
drawbridge. Just after you enter the exterior of the inn, there's a
house to enter at (x=1520, y=2500).
***ITEMS***
(x=2553, y=3761) Ring of Wizardry
Joia's House (AR2306)/House (AR2305)
o======================================================================o
5) Talk to Joia at (x=250, y=260). Pick dialogue option #1 and she'll
give you a quest to go fetch a ring for her from some Hobgoblin thieves
north of the inn. Accept her offer. You'll get to this in a bit. Don't
forget to loot her house while you're here. When you're done, there's
another house to the north for you to search. Loot it, leave the house
and head to the east.
***ITEMS***
(AR2306)
(x=300, y=200) Andar Gem, 7 gold
(AR2305)
(x=300, y=200) Agni Mani Necklace, Silver Ring
(x=200, y=200) Long Sword
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) When you get near the stairs leading to the inn, you'll be approached
by a Mage named Tarnesh, who will end up attacking you. Just one of many
bounty hunters after your head that you'll meet in the game, Tarnesh can
be a real pain, which is why we brought along Xzar and Montaron. He
likes to cast Horror, and follow up with damaging spells. At level one,
you can't really weather too much, so keep your party together and make
sure to get on him fast. If you can interrupt his first spell, he'll
fall with no problem. If he gets his spell off, you're in for a fight.
Loot his body for a Scroll (bounty hunter notice), a Scroll of Shield, a
Scroll of Magic Missile, a Scroll of Burning Hands, and 58 gold. Thanks,
Tarnesh, I needed that Magic Missile. This should go without saying, but
hold onto copies of spell scrolls you find. Imoen will need them when
she dual-classes, and Edwin will need them when you find him. A Mage is
only as good as their spell arsenal. Now head up the stairs into the
inn (x=3500, y=1900).
Friendly Arm Inn, 1st Floor (AR2301)
o======================================================================o
7) A commoner named Jopi will initiate dialogue with you, complaining
about the two central points of the early game: the iron shortage, and
the bandit raids. You'll be hearing about these a lot. Sounds kinda
questy, no? He'll also mention his uncle, who is none other than the
Mage Ragefast, a resident of Baldur's Gate. Wonder if we'll bump into
him some day...
***ITEMS***
(x=920, y=230) Potion of Healing
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) Head to the northwest of the inn to find Jaheira and Khalid
(x=300, y=710) and (x=330, y=660). Jaheira is a pivotal Baldur's Gate
character, but she really comes into her own in the sequel. I include
her in just about every party I play... not so much because she's
terribly powerful in the first game (in the sequel though...) but
because... I have a bit of a game-crush on her. I don't know why, maybe
it's her deep chick voice, or her general surliness? In any event,
I take the both of them along with me, but Khalid's days are numbered
in my party (die!). In any event, these two are heading towards Nashkel
too. Kind of a theme... Jaheira has a Potion of Invisibility she doesn't
need, and Khalid comes with a Potion of Healing and a suit of Splint
Mail that can be reassigned to his lovely wife.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) Finally for this level, you can buy some things from Bently
Mirrorshade (x=420, y=490), if you need arrows or something.
Before we go on, I'll pass on a few notes about stores. Their prices
are dictated by how much the shopkeeper likes you. This is largely a
function of a 'reaction' roll made when you talk to NPCs, and it is
dependent upon your Charisma score and your Reputation. The higher the
two of those are, the lower prices will be. Also, Baldur's Gate puts
into effect market saturation. The more stuff you sell to a merchant,
the less that item will be worth. If you sell a Two-Handed Sword to a
merchant one time for 25 gold, the next time it might not be worth that
much. The way to maximize your profits is to sell a number of similar
items at the same time-and hence at the same price. So if you happen to
have a dozen Short Bows in your inventory, give them all to the same
character and sell them all at once. Sometimes the price disparity
between reputation scores makes it worth donating to a temple to raise
your reputation; this is especially true when buying very expensive
items. For example, buying a suit of Full Plate Mail might cause over
7000 gold for a neutral party, but a party with a higher reputation may
only have to pay 5000. For big-ticket purchases, it can be worth it to
donate a couple hundred gold to raise your reputation and lower prices.
You'll know when a donation raised your reputation, as the dialogue with
the temple's donation screen will tell you. Donation amounts are NOT
cumulative. If you donate 100 gold and it doesn't raise your reputation,
you just wasted 100 gold. Therefore it's a good idea to save/load
between donations, which are effective in increments of 100 gold. If
donating 100 gold doesn't work, donate 200, if that doesn't work, 300,
and so on. Of course, it's cheaper to raise your reputation through
quests, but that's not always convenient.
Friendly Arm Inn, 2nd Floor (AR2302)
o======================================================================o
10) Go talk to a Gnome named Unshey (x=1190, y=750) who will tell you
about a 'rogue Ogre with a belt fetish to the south'. You'll deal with
this later. Head upstairs when you're done looting.
Note: It's very possible that you won't be able to open some of these
containers, whose difficulties range from 40 to 70. Even if you can,
you might not want to bother running from the guards right now. Without
an absurdly high Strength score or a very high Open Locks skill, you
have no real way of getting some of this loot. Your options 1) return
when you have the 2nd-level Mage spell, Knock, or 2) ignore them,
because most of the gear here isn't worth much anyways.
***ITEMS***
(x=900, y=1000) Gold Ring, Potion of Healing, 23 gold
(x=850, y=900) Chain Mail Armor
(x=1050, y=820) 23 gold
(x=1250, y=700) Dagger
(x=1220, y=570) Throwing Dagger x5
(x=1340, y=510) War Hammer
(x=1060, y=320) Dagger
(x=720, y=350) Studded Leather Armor, Studded Necklace with Zios Gems
(x=600, y=490) Rainbow Obsidian Necklace
(x=350, y=630) Bastard Sword
(x=230, y=600) Zircon Gem
Friendly Arm Inn, 3rd Floor (AR2303)
o======================================================================o
11) In the middle of the main room on this floor is a Gnome named
Landrin. She'll ask you to clear out the spider infestation in her house
in Beregost and return some possessions to her. If she likes you, she'll
even hand over some Antidotes (or you could always just steal them.)
Also, in a room to the north is a nobleman who will demand you launder
his Golden Pantaloons. If you're a sneaker, you can take his knickers.
If you've got a high Charisma he'll give you some coins, as well. If
you have these in your character's inventory when you export to Baldur's
Gate 2 you will find them in the sequel, allowing you to fabricate the
Big Metal Unit in Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal. Something to keep in
mind.
***ITEMS***
(x=350, y=630) Andar Gem
(x=230, y=600) 12 gold
(x=420, y=450) 43 gold
(x=750, y=350) Bloodstone Gem
(x=900, y=205) Arrow x4
(x=1330, y=510) Battle Axe
(x=1490, y=620) Club
(x=1050, y=830) Onyx Ring
(x=850, y=900) Leather Armor, Quarter Staff
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) Leave the Inn, cross the drawbridge to the south, circle around the
Inn to the west, then head up around to the north. Your mission? Kill
Hobgoblins and loot them until you find Joia's Flamedance Ring. Return
it to her when you find it for your reward. When that's done, exit the
map from any direction and head to the wilderness area south of the
Friendly Arm Inn.
***REWARD***
(For recovering Joia's ring)
EXP 400
Reputation +1
Wilderness (AR2800)
o======================================================================o
13) We've skirted around this area, but now that we have a full party,
let's finish it off. Unshey's 'rogue Ogre with a belt fetish' is at
about (x=4650, y=1650). An Ogre can be... painful... at this point in
the game, so use Jaheira to Entangle it and take it down with missile
fire and spells. You really don't want to melee an Ogre at levels 1-2 if
you can help it. When it dies it'll drop a Morning Star, two belts, and
38 gold. It would be best if you identified these belts before putting
them on. The larger one is a Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity, and it
will change its wearer into the opposite gender. Unless you like the
change, you'll need a Remove Curse cast to get it off. It'll be a while
before you can cast it, and it'll cost money to get it done at a temple.
The other belt, however, is a Girdle of Piercing, which confers a
+3 Armor Class bonus against piercing weapons. This is the girdle Unshey
wants back, and you can certainly return it... but why would you? Strap
this on a front-line character, especially one who might be sent out in
front of the party to draw the fire of archers. This will make their
survival all the more likely. Still, if you decide to give the belt
back, the reward is below. If you change your mind later, the only way
to get the belt back is to kill Unshey, which will cause your reputation
to plummet and turn the entire level of the Friendly Arm Inn Unshey is
on to turn hostile.. likely lowering your reputation further.
Note: The Ogre's position my vary a bit, as I've found him in slightly
different positions before. He should, however, be in this general
area.
***REWARD***
(For giving Unshey her belt back)
EXP 800
Gold 95
Item History of Tethyr
Other than that, there's not much in this area besides random encounters
and some ruined caravans. Head south to Beregost when you're done
exploring.
***ITEMS***
(x=2420, y=3400) 7 gold
o======================================================================o
| |
| Beregost |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK003}
1) Arriving in Beregost
2) Thunder Hammer Smithy
3) Kagain's Shop
4) The Burning Wizard
5) Silke's Scheme
6) The Red Sheaf
7) Mirianne's House
8) The Jovial Juggler
9) Landrin's House
10) Firebead Elvenhair's House
11) Feldpost's Inn
12) A Note on Looting Beregost
13) The northwestern Buildings
14) The southwestern Buildings
15) The Central Buildings
16) The Eastern Buildings
17) The Southern Buildings
18) Gerard Travenhurst's Manor
Beregost (AR3300)
o======================================================================o
1) Now you're in Beregost. Watch a movie, and a peasant named Golin
Vend will talk to you, basically to tell you about various places in
town. Beregost is the second most substantial settlement in this game,
and it's not until you reach Baldur's Gate that you'll find a larger
bastion of civilization. We'll pick up some quests, put down assassins,
recruit some new party members, and oogle over items we can't afford
yet... you know, typical RPG stuff.
Thunder Hammer Smithy
o======================================================================o
2) The main shop to hit in Beregost is the Thunder Hammer Smithy
(x=4600, y=2850) which sells all kinds of good loot we can't afford
yet. There's no reason to go there yet, but for the sake of continuity,
we'll discuss it now... and more importantly, what goodies it sells. Or
at least the most interesting ones.
Dagger of Venom
---------------
The best-and most expensive-weapon sold in this game, it's one of the
few weapons that will allow Jaheira to become an effective melee
fighter. She just doesn't have the Dexterity to make do without a
shield, even if you can get a pretty good Quarter Staff later in the
game. The only other option-a Scimitar +2-is located on top of Durlag's
Tower. Even at its price, it's easier to obtain and more effective than
anything else in the game. Sure, 1d4+2 damage sucks, but the chance to
deal an extra 15 damage via poison makes up for it.
Full Plate Mail
---------------
This is just some of the best armor in the game. The fact that you can
find some much, much later in the game doesn't mean you shouldn't
purchase this suit sooner or later. No matter what party I assemble,
I tend to have at least three characters in need of some heavy armor,
and being able to get them all in superb armor before the Nashkel Mines
is worth a few thousand gold to me. It's not impossible to just make do
with normal Plate Mail until you find superior armor in Durlag's Tower,
if you don't mind having a two-point higher Armor Class for a large part
of the game. Also, it might seem uneccesary to purchase this armor as
you can obtain two suits of Anhkeg Plate Mail, but even though they both
have the same Armor Class, you can wear magical protection (Rings and
Cloaks of Protection) with Full Plate Mail, whereas you cannot with
Ankheg Plate Mail... you'll just have to decide if that extra Armor
Class is worth it.
Light Crossbow of Speed
-----------------------
A fast, potent Light Crossbow that I never have found any use for.
Anybody who can use a crossbow can also use a bow, which will give as
many attacks per round (two) as this crossbow will (or two-and-a-half
attacks per round if the user is specialized with bows). And at 10000+
gold, it's just an expensive way to engage in ranged combat less
effectively. Compare this to the Composite Long Bow +1 sold at
Feldpost's and the Short Bow +1 sold here-a quarter of the price for
ranged weapons that are just as good (if not better).
Shadow Armor
------------
While this armor might be tempting, it's only really useful if you
for some reason have a Thief in your party who is not also a Mage.
My evil protagonist is a Fighter/Mage/Thief, and Imoen in the good
party is also a Mage (or will be, after she dual-classes). I just can't
find a use for this armor. If, however, you are playing a Fighter/Thief,
there's only one better suit of armor in the game.
Short Bow +1
------------
Although this weapon doesn't seem exceptional (and it's not), it's
worth mentioning for one reason. We won't find a superior Short Bow
until Baldur's Gate. If you're fine waiting over half the game for
a decent ranged weapon for a Thief (I have Imoen in mind here, of
course), then don't worry about it. On the other hand, with a decent
reputation you can get it for less than 2000 gold, so I find it worth
the purchase.
Sling +1
--------
Again, not a great weapon, but it's dirt cheap, and with every Cleric
in my party needing a ranged weapon, it's worth a buy.
Keep the Thunderhammer Smithy in mind for later, when we have some money
to spend. Also note that if you return at night, the pesky blacksmiths
will be gone and you'll be free to loot the place. That Bastard Sword +1
is a nice catch at this point in the game, either to throw on Ajantis
or sell. It also wouldn't hurt to stock up on some mundane weapons, so
long as you like spears and swords. Once you're done in here, leave the
smithy, head west and enter the building at (x=1500, y=2000).
***ITEMS***
(x=370, y=170) Spear
(x=770, y=440) Bastard Sword x2, Long Sword x3, Two-Handed Sword x2,
Short Sword
(x=840, y=340) Bastard Sword +1, Spear x6
Kagain's Shop (AR3353)
o======================================================================o
3) Behind the counter is Kagain, the premier Fighter for evil parties.
I typically use his shop to store excess baggage, be it weapons,
scrolls, potions, wands... anything I don't want to get rid of, but that
I don't want to carry around. I also disband party members here, so I
can remember where I left them. Just remember to take whatever useful
loot they have before disbanding them. You'll need it more out in the
wilderness than they will in Beregost. Anyways, good, evil, or
otherwise, talk to Kagain. Accept his job to look for the caravan his
mercenaries were responsible for. It's time to bid Xzar and Montaron
farewell. If you don't keep Kagain, at least keep his cool golden
helmet. Loot the place and get going. Note that if it's daytime you
should find a man clad in black (the town crier) standing somewhere in
the clearing where the Beregost obelisk is. Talk to him to find out some
pertinent information about the going-ons of the world. He should
mention a quest to slay the Cleric Bassilus, and the hefty reward of
5000 gold attached to it - keep this in mind for later.
***ITEMS***
(x=250, y=300) Fire Agate Gem x2, 58 gold
(x=580, y=150) 76 gold
(x=510, y=150) Fire Agate Gem x3, 73 gold
The Burning Wizard (AR3308)/(AR3307)
o======================================================================o
4) Head east until you find the Burning Wizard. Go inside and talk to
a halfling named Zhurlong. He'll tell you about some Boots of Stealth
he lost to some hobgoblins, and offer you 100 gold for their return.
He will also lighten your coin purse a bit. There's some minor looting
you can do upstairs to rectify the situation a bit.
***ITEMS***
(x=550, y=190) Iol Gem
(x=160, y=260) Sunstone Gem
(x=250, y=100) Dagger
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Once you're back outside, talk to Garrick (x=2500, y=2270). He'll
offer you 300 gold to protect his mistress Silke from some of Feldpost's
thugs. Accept and you'll automatically follow him around to the side
of the Red Sheaf. Talk to Silke to hear her story. When she's done,
a group of three men will come to deliver Silke her gems. You can either
choose to kill them, or to turn on Silke. If you kill the men Silke will
pay you, you'll lose reputation, and you'll get to loot them, gaining
three Potions of Defense. If you turn on Silke you'll discover that,
like Tarnesh, she's a troublesome Mage. Surround her before you talk to
her and make sure to disrupt her spells and she'll go down quickly...
If she gets a Lightning Bolt off, however, you're going to regret it.
Once she's dead, consider stealing from the three 'thugs' you just
spared. Each of them carries a Potion of Defense, and their leader,
Faltis, also has a number of gems-a Lnyx Eye Gem, Turquiose Gem,
Sunstone Gem, and Fire Agate Gem-presumably the gems Silke wanted to
kill them for. A rather small sum to murder three people over, eh?
Whether you steal or not, talk to Faltis after putting Silke down and
he'll give you one of the Potions of Defense for a reward (yes, you can
somehow get four of them if you stole three, previously). Better yet,
you get to loot Silke and take her 400 gold, Quarter Staff +1, and
Potion of Invulnerability. That Quarterstaff +1 will serve Jaheira well,
until we find her something magical and one-handed. Talk to Garrick and
allow him to come with you. I plan to dump him off back at Kagain's,
but he might just fit into your party (see his description in the
Characters section.) Now head into the Red Sheaf.
***REWARD***
(For killing 'Feldpost's Thugs' for Silke)
Gold 300 or 400
Reputation -2
The Red Sheaf (AR3357)/(AR3303)
o======================================================================o
6) When you enter you'll be accosted by a dwarf named Karlat, another
one of your friendly neighborhood assassins. This can be a fairly tough
fight at this level, but if you surround him with melee characters, or
hit him with a Sleep or Entangle spell you should be able to deal with
him handily. He carries Chainmail, a Medium Shield, a Battle Axe,
38 gold, and a Scroll (another bounty notice). I give Jaheira the shield
and armor. Find a halfling named Perdue, who will ask you to retrieve
his short sword. Agree to do it and he'll offer to pay you 50 gold if
you 'wipe 'is arse with it.' Sounds good. If you want to loot, do it
upstairs as the guard will be called on you for looting downstairs.
***ITEMS***
(AR3357)
(x=560, y=650) 9 gold
---
(AR3303)
(x=190, y=520) 21 gold
(x=440, y=600) Leather Armor
(x=300, y=400) Dagger, 8 gold
(x=630, y=330) Club, 36 gold
(x=400, y=100) Bloodstone Gem, 12 gold
(x=700, y=200) Jasper Gem
Mirianne's House (AR3313)/(AR3314)
o======================================================================o
7) Leave The Red Sheaf and enter a secluded house north of the Thunder
Hammer Smithy (x=4770, y=2100). Inside is a woman named Mirianne. Talk
to her and she'll tell you about her husband, and ask you to keep your
eyes open for any word from him. You don't really need to come here
before you travel on, but when you complete the quest later, you'll know
where to head back to... or you could just pick-pocket Mirianne for your
reward of a Ring of Protection +1, if you're not a fan of delayed
gratification. There's a chest upstairs to loot if you so desire.
***ITEMS***
(AR3314)
(x=190, y=240) Silver Necklace
The Jovial Juggler (AR3304)
o======================================================================o
8) Now head south until you reach the Jovial Juggler, the southeastern
most building in town. Head in and talk to the armored figure named
Bjornin, who will tell you about some half-ogres in the southwest who
whupped up on him. Good to know. Again, if you want to get the reward
without doing the quest you can just steal his Medium Shield +1. Head to
the back of the bar and a dwarf named Gurke will yell at you, mentioning
that he lost his cloak in the Cloakwood forest. It'll be a bit before
you get to that.
Landrin's House (AR3315)
o======================================================================o
9) Leave the Jovial Juggler, head west, and enter the house at
(x=3070, y=3400) (you can score some meagre gold in a barrel outside of
this house at (x=2970, y=3380). Inside there are four Huge Spiders.
Their poison can be fatal at lower levels, especially if you weren't
charismatic enough to get Landrin to hand over any Antidotes. I hit them
with a shot of Sleep and Entangle, and pick them off with my main
character and Imoen. While you're here, grab the body of the largest
spider, as well as the boots and wine Landrin is looking for. Return
these to Landrin at your leisure (Friendly Arm Inn, 3rd Floor); perhaps
enroute to recruiting Ajantis or Viconia?
***ITEMS***
(AR3300)
(x=2970, y=3380) 6 gold
---
(AR3315)
(x=300, y=200) Andar Gem, Worn out Boots, Bottle of wine, 7 gold
***REWARD***
(For recovering Landrin's boots)
EXP 300
Gold 120
***REWARD***
(For recovering the body of the largest spider)
EXP 200
Gold 100
***REWARD***
(For recovering Landrin's wine)
EXP 300
Gold 75
Firebead Elvenhair's House (AR3333)/(AR3334)
o======================================================================o
10) Now head west some more and enter the house at (x=2050, y=2950).
An old friend from Candlekeep will approach you and ask you to get him
a copy of 'The History of the Fateful Coin,' which you can find at
Feldposts' across the street. Better yet, you can loot his house
without him being a sissy and calling the watch.
***ITEMS***
(AR3333)
(x=400, y=150) 39 gold
---
(AR3334)
(x=200, y=290) Jade Ring
(x=100, y=300) 38 gold
Feldpost's Inn (AR3351)/(AR3352)
o======================================================================o
11) Go across the street to Feldpost's Inn. You'll immediately be
confronted by a drunkard named Marl and his goon Dunkin. It's very
easy to end up picking a fight with him, but the best course is to talk
him down. Pick the following dialogue options: #1, #1, #3, #3, #1 and
he'll back down. You'll also gain 900 experience for your trouble. Go
talk to the bartender and buy a copy of the 'History of the Fateful
Coin' for Firebead. Now take a Thief and head upstairs. Find the portly
merchant Algernon and steal Algernon's Cloak. Put this on your party
leader... ideally the character with the highest Charisma, as it will
improve your reaction with NPCs. When you have Algernon's Cloak, return
to Firebead's and give him his book.
The Bartender at Feldpost's (x=750, y=520) is your friend. Not only will
he purchase gems, jewels, and other inventory clutterers, but he sells a
few trinkets worth considering. One is the Battle Axe +1. It'll be a bit
before we get a magical battle axe, so if you have Kagain in your party,
you might want to invest in this axe to tide him over. Feldpost also
sells a Composite Long Bow +1, which is a nice item for the dedicated
archer in your group, and is also worth a purchase. For my good party,
the latter is a solid choice, since both Minsc and my protagonist will
need a good bow. For my evil party, however, I'm content to just wait to
find a bow, but the axe is a must-get item. Either way, expect to pay
somewhere in the area of 2000-3000 gold to get what you want.
Practically this means we won't be buying anything for a while.
***REWARD***
(For finding Firebead a copy of 'The History of the Fateful Coin')
EXP 300
Item History of the Dead Three
Reputation +1
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) Now to loot around Beregost. I didn't bother including these Steps
prior to version 1.03, as the loot to be found in Beregost is... well,
worth a few coins, but nothing that can't be missed. Now, however, I
feel that it's not really an issue of whether I consider it important
or not, it's just a better guide with this information in it. Keep in
mind that we really only have three ways to get some of this loot:
picking locks, bashing them, or casting Knock. At this point in the
game, it's unlikely that we have the Knock spell, much less the
experience to cast it. I've also suggested that you should be putting
your Thief skill points in Find Traps, so you shouldn't have enough
Open Locks to do it.. granted, even though most of the locks here only
have a difficulty of 30 to 50, I don't find my Thieves sufficient to the
task right now. Finally, 18(00) Strength isn't enough for every lock
here, so unless you're cheating, you're not bashing your way to money.
It's just another reason I didn't bother with looting Beregost before;
it's not really something a low-level party can do, and it's beneath the
dignity of a high-level party. Still, for reference, it'll be included
here with the expectation that you can, if you wish, return to this
section when you get the Knock spell later in the game. Finally, a note
on looting: watch out for the guards. It's a certainty you'll be caught
at some point while looting, so save frequently. Just keep in mind that
guards leave after a while, and will not follow you outdoors. So unlock
objects with your Mage, then head inside with a character who can sneak,
steal, hide, and leave. Simple enough, right? The looting will be split
into several steps, where adjacent buildings will be grouped together
for convenience, as there's just too much looting for one Step.
Buildings that have already been explored will not, of course, be
mentioned again here.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) The first group of buildings to loot includes the five buildings
in the northwestern corner of Beregost.
***ITEMS***
(AR3347) (x=990, y=1100)
(x=400, y=150) 86 gold
---
(AR3348)
(x=100, y=300) Leather Armor, 5 gold
---
(AR3345) (x=1150, y=1370)
---
(AR3346)
(x=300, y=350) 3 gold
(x=200, y=250) Small Shield, Short Sword, 11 gold
---
(AR3343) (x=1700, y=1400)
(x=300, y=200) Dagger, Halbert, Quarter Staff, 31 gold
---
Outside (AR3300), between (AR3343) and (AR3341):
(x=1820, y=1420) 6 gold
---
(AR3341) (x=2050, y=1050)
(x=400, y=250) Silver Ring, 39 gold
---
(AR3342)
(x=150, y=350) Dagger, Potion of Healing, 31 gold
---
(AR3339) (x=2100, y=850)
(x=350, y=100) Spear, Fire Agate Gem, 13 gold
(x=550, y=200) Potion of Insight, 10 gold
---
(AR3340)
(x=350, y=100) History of Estagund, 13 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
14) The second group of buildings to loot includes the four buildings in
the southwestern corner of Beregost, as well as Feldpost's Inn and
Kagain's Shop.
***ITEMS***
(AR3349) (x=800, y=1700)
(x=130, y=250) 4 gold
---
(AR3350)
(x=200, y=250) 11 gold
---
(AR3344) (x=1200, y=1750)
(x=200, y=200) 7 gold
---
(AR3355) (x=990, y=2950)
(x=400, y=150) Dagger, Moonstone Gem, 11 gold
---
(AR3356)
(x=200, y=300) 35 gold
(x=100, y=300) Short Sword
---
(AR3354) (x=770, y=3250)
(x=300, y=200) Lynx Eye Gem, Fire Agate Gem, Turquiose Gem,
Sunstone Gem
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
15) The third group of buildings to loot includes the three buildings
in the center of the map, as well as the Burning Wizard and Red Sheaf.
The building at (x=2700, y=1300 (AR3325)/(AR3326) is empty. Note that
the diamond in the house north of the Red Sheaf (AR3323)/(AR3324) is one
of the few items worth looting in Beregost.
***ITEMS***
(AR3329) (x=2150, y=2050)
(x=400, y=150) Dagger, 14 gold
---
(AR3330)
(x=300, y=400) Silver Ring, 19 gold
---
(AR3337) (x=2400, y=1600)
(x=400, y=250) 9 gold
---
(AR3338)
(x=150, y=350) Short Sword, Dagger, 5 gold
---
(AR3323) (x=3520, y=1850)
(x=400, y=150) Diamond
---
(AR3324)
(x=100, y=300) Light Crossbow, Bolts x3
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
16) The fourth group of buildings to loot includes the four buildings
along the eastern edge of the Beregost, as well as Mirianne's House and
the Thunder Hammer Smithy. In the house at (x=4000, y=2050) (AR3317)
you'll meet a commoner who will allow you to rest here for free...
provided your reputation is high enough.
***ITEMS***
(AR3319) (x=4150, y=1900)
(x=120, y=220) Potion of Agility
(x=220, y=150) Long Sword
(x=400, y=120) Dagger
---
(AR3317) (x=4000, y=2050)
(x=120, y=220) Battle Axe
(x=220, y=150) Silver Necklace
---
(AR3316) (x=3950, y=2400)
(x=650, y=320) Splint Mail, Short Sword, Dagger
---
Outside (AR3300), between (AR3316) and (AR3302):
(x=3880, y=2570) 3 gold
---
(AR3302) (x=4100, y=2600)
(x=200, y=200) Long Sword
(x=300, y=200) Agni Mani Necklace, Silver Ring
---
In a barrel found in the triangle between the houses:
(x=4500, y=2050) Dagger, 5 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
17) The fifth group of buildings to loot includes the five buildings
along the southern edge of Beregost, as well as Firebead Elvenhair's
House, Landrin's House, and the Jovial Juggler.
***ITEMS***
(AR3327) (x=3400, y=2800)
(x=400, y=250) Heavy Crossbow
---
(AR3328)
(x=150, y=350) Mace, Potion of Heroism, Jasper Gem
---
(AR3309) (x=3000, y=2700)
(x=400, y=150) Turquoise Gem
---
(AR3310)
(x=100, y=300) Short Sword
---
(AR3311) (x=2600, y=2600)
(x=400, y=150) Dagger, Chainmail Armor, 9 gold
---
(AR3312) Sunstone Gem, 38 gold
(x=100, y=300)
---
(AR3331) (x=2200, y=2700)
(x=140, y=250) 13 gold
---
(AR3332)
(x=250, y=300) 4 gold
(x=200, y=250) 8 gold
---
(AR3335) (x=2000, y=3200)
(x=400, y=250) Jasper Gem, 11 gold
---
(AR3336)
(x=200, y=330) Andar Gem, 11 gold
***TRAPS***
(AR3336)
(x=150, y=350)
In a crate south of (AR3335):
(x=2100, y=3420) Leather Armor
Gerard Travenhurst's Manor (AR3320)/(AR3321)
o======================================================================o
18) Finally, the last area to loot is the large mansion along the
northern edge of Beregost. First, loot around outside of it to score
a few goodies, then head inside (x=3650, y=900). On the first floor
you'll find two hired goons, as well as the manor's owner, Gerard
Travenhurst. He really doesn't have anything interesting to say, nor
is there anything worth stealing on the first level. Upstairs,
(x=150, y=400) however, you'll find some goodies that are downright
decent... or at least, the Wand of Lightning is pretty nifty, and the
potions and gold won't hurt, either.
***ITEMS***
Upstairs (AR3321)
(x=150, y=350) Dagger
(x=500, y=300) Iol Gem, Horn Coral Gem
(x=420, y=340) Gold Necklace, Wand of Lightning
(x=350, y=400) Potion of Healing, Potion of Invisibility, 86 gold
o======================================================================o
| |
| Party-Building |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK004}
1) Party-Building 101
2) The Undesirables
3) Future Recruits
4) Acquiring Ajantis
5) Scheming with Safana
6) Taming Shar-Teel
7) Defending Viconia
8) To High Hedge
1) Now for the most important part of the first chapter... the assembly
of your party. Remember, you're going to need a Mage, a Cleric, and a
Thief. This is the minimum, and you won't suffer by having, say,
Viconia and Jaheira in the same party, but if you fail to have one of
the classes, you're in for a tough time... and of course, with them,
you'll need some Fighters to keep them safe. Standard RPG stuff, I know,
but you'd be surprised... You need to recruit your choice characters as
quickly as possible, as the higher the level you reach, the higher
level they will be before you reach them. What's the problem with that,
asks my metaphorical reader? Well... Let's just say the computer isn't
very discriminating when it comes to accepting Hit Point rolls upon
leveling up. You, on the other hand, can save/reload until you get
decent Hit Points. The longer you wait to grab a character, the weaker
they will be. Of course, characters that can't be found until later
chapters get excluded from party consideration because of this, save for
a few notable exceptions-namely Coran and Yeslick. They're both great
multi-class characters who - while not being obtainable particularly
early - also don't suffer terribly for it. Still, since they're currently
out of reach, they won't be discussed here - keep them in mind for later.
This leaves us with the following list of eligible characters that can
be recruited:
***CLERICS***
Branwen (NEUTRAL)
Jaheira (NEUTRAL)
Viconia (EVIL)
***FIGHTERS***
Ajantis (GOOD)
Kagain (EVIL)
Khalid (GOOD)
Kivan (GOOD)
Minsc (GOOD)
Shar-Teel (EVIL)
***MAGES***
Edwin (EVIL)
Dynaheir (GOOD)
Xan (NEUTRAL)
Xzar (EVIL)
***THIEVES***
Imoen (GOOD)
Montaron (EVIL)
Safana (EVIL)
***MISCELLANEOUS***
Garrick (NEUTRAL)
Between me and my girlfriend, we've played through this game with just
about every one of those characters... except Xan, he sucks... but for
my good playthrough, I'll end up with Ajantis, Minsc, Jaheira, Viconia,
and Imoen... all of which are sequel characters, except Ajantis. For my
evil party I'll recruit Kagain, Shar-Teel, Jaheira, Viconia, and Edwin.
We should already have met (and recruited) Imoen, Jaheira, and Kagain,
and in the next few steps I'll discuss how to recruit Ajantis, Safana,
Shar-Teel, and Viconia as painlessly as possible. Note, however, that
for these characters I do NOT intend to explore the areas in which they
are found, as they are rather... difficult, for low-level characters.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) Now, to discuss some of the undesirables. Xzar is just inferior to
Edwin. Montaron... he could work in an evil party, if you dispatch
(kill/abandon) Xzar, but he's just a bandaid for your thieving woes-he
won't be around next game, so you might as well just make your evil
protagonist a Thief (better yet, a multi-classed or dual-classed Thief)
and spare yourself the headache in the sequel. Xan and Dynaheir are both
specialist Mages-and undesirable ones, at that. They don't have the
spell selection that Edwin will have, and let's just leave it at that.
If you want Minsc, however, you'll need to rescue Dynaheir... and then
I suggest promptly having her walk into combat to get rid of her. It's
no worse than what the developers have in store for her in the sequel
anyways. Garrick, while being acceptably mediocre, just doesn't add
anything compelling to the evil party over what the rest of my choices
give me. I'd rather have a strong melee fighter like Shar-Teel than a
support spell caster. Maybe if I wasn't playing a Fighter/Mage/Thief,
I'd bother with him, but since I am, he's unwanted. Safana is, in her
own right, a pretty good Thief... which is to say, her Dexterity is
good. I'd rather have Imoen, however, as she can dual-class into a Mage
and keep the Thief skills I need to her have, while not being a complete
waste of a character, which a single-class Thief certainly is. But
Safana might just be appealing if you're an evil party without a Thief
(although honestly, Montaron is a stronger, better character.)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Kivan can be found while we're exploring High Hedge shortly [WLK005],
and Branwen can be recruited in [WLK006]. Edwin, Minsc, and Dynaheir
require a bit more work, and since both Edwin and Minsc end up in one
party or another, it's a bit of work worth doing... they are recruited
in [WLK006], but the quest we must undertake to keep them in our party
is covered in [WLK007]. Xan can be found in the bowels of the Nashkel
Mines [WLK012]. The other characters who can be recruited before
Chapter 3 (besides the ones mentioned above, and those we've already
recruited, of course) will have a Step dedicated to recruiting them,
below. These characters are Ajantis, Safana, Shar-Teel, and Viconia.
If you don't want to recruit them, don't. They'll still be discussed
when we officially explore the area they are in during the rest of the
walkthrough.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) First up is Ajantis, and he's pretty easy to recruit. Exit The
Friendly Arm Inn area (AR2300) via the northern edge of the map to
find some farms to the north (AR1400). In this area Ajantis awaits
(x=1500, y=3130). Talk to him, insist you're not bandits, and tell him
you're trying to clean up the Sword Coast. He'll gladly join you in
your mission to put an end to the banditry plaguing the area.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Safana lurks in the coastal area depicted on your map as a tower
(AR3600). There are numerous ways to reach this area, but the safest
is by exiting the southern edge of High Hedge (AR3200) and traveling
south to (AR3700). Stay along the northern edge of the area and head
west, eventually exiting by the western edge of the map. Safana is
standing at (x=3750, y=2400), and will agree to join you if you help
her score some treasure. This sounds time-sensitive, and sure, she'll
whine about it, but I sat around ignoring her quest for fifty game-days
before, so you should be safe to ignore it too.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) Shar-Teel could prove to be very troublesome to recruit... if you're
not careful. Fortunately, you have this guide, so you don't need to
be careful-you just need to follow my advice. Head to the Temple area
east of Beregost (AR3300), and hug the northern edge of the map. You'll
probably get bothered by some drunkard pretending to be a Lich, but he's
harmless. Exit via the eastern edge of the map to find (AR3500) to the
east. When you enter, you'll be on the western edge of the area. Don't
explore south, or east. Instead head north until you find Shar-Teel
(x=270, y=300). Talk to her, and she'll challenge your best fighter to a
duel-which probably means Kagain. Save and, if you win, she'll offer to
join you. If you lose, reload.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Finally, we're up to Viconia. To reach the area she's in, Peldvale
(AR2400), simply exit the Friendly Arm Inn area (AR2300) via the
eastern edge of the map. You'll appear along the western edge of
Peldvale. Head north to find Viconia (x=450, y=740) who will try to
talk to you when she sees you. Apparently, due to her race, she's being
hunted. Sure enough, a member of the Flaming Fist will show up and
condemn her. Defend her, and kill the Flaming Fist soldier (who has
Cleric levels, and will use Hold Person if you let him). When he's
dead she'll offer to join your party. Accept, and your reputation takes
a two-point hit.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) Recruit who you want to recruit, then, with your more complete
party, head on back to Beregost, exit via the western edge of the
area, and travel to High Hedge.
o======================================================================o
| |
| High Hedge and En Route to Nashkel |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK005}
1) Recruiting Kivan
2) Perdue's Short Sword
3) Trading With Thalantyr
4) Abandoned House
5) Roe's Note
6) Wilderness Cave
7) Boots of Stealth
8) Nobody Calls me a Bandit and gets away with it!
9) Onward, to Nashkel
High Hedge (AR3200)
o======================================================================o
1) The only real problem in this area are Skeletons, who spawn
constantly and love to throw daggers at your party... which they are
fairly lethal with, especially at these low levels. You also may
encounter Wild Dogs, Gnolls, and in one specific area, Giant Spiders.
At (x=3650, y=1470) you will find the elven Ranger Kivan, who will join
you if you say you're out to beat up bad guys. Recruit him or not, and
head south.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) You should now come across a large octagonal building with eight
towers. Along the southern end you will run into some Gnolls, one of
which will have Perdue's Short Sword. Take it back to him at the Red
Sheaf Inn for the reward at your leisure. Continue around to the front
of the house.
***REWARD***
(For returning Perdue's Short Sword)
EXP 500
Gold 50
Thalantyr's House (AR3202)
o======================================================================o
3) This is the abode of the wizard Thalantyr (x=2900, y=2600), and you
may have heard of him from the Thief Permidion Stark who lurks to the
northwest. As he mentions, Thalantyr has a pair of Flesh Golems that
defend his shop, so when you go speak to him (x=240, y=270), make your
way to the middle of the shop and talk to Thalantyr directly, before
you do ANYTHING else. The Flesh Golems are hostile until you talk to
Thalantyr, so don't dally. Once you get Thalantyr talking to you,
(enter dialogue with him twice) the golems will not trouble you anymore.
Thalantyr sells some nifty stuff-namely Mage gear, and until you reach
Baldur's Gate he'll be your best source of Scrolls. Thalantyr also sells
Robes of the Good and Neutral Archmagi, powerful defensive items that
improve a Mage's Armor Class as if they were wearing Chain Mail. It's
good stuff, but VERY expensive. You'll find some Robes of the Evil
Archmagi later on in the game, but the Good and Neutral versions must
be purchased here, so if you have a good or neutral Mage main character,
or you dual-class Imoen, you're going to eventually want these.
Remember, these robes are alignment conditional, so select your
character in the shop dialogue before you buy them to see if they can
use it first. He also sells an item that functions as a ring called
'The Claw of Kazgaroth', which gives a +1 bonus to Armor Class, +4 bonus
to Armor Class versus Missiles, a +3 bonus to Saves versus Wands,
Polymorph, Breath, and Spells, however it also imposes a -4 penalty to
Saves versus Death and a -2 penalty to Constitution. This ring can be
useful if you put it on a character with a 'neutral' Constitution,
(a Constitution that will not cause the character to lose Hit Points).
This is a range from 9 to 14. You still have to be wary of the Save
versus Death penalty, but the perks might just outweigh the negatives
if it doesn't cause you to lose Hit Points.
Perhaps one of the best things about Thalantyr's shop is the fact that
he'll purchase almost anything, so he can end up becoming your one-stop
shop for whatever you're selling. Keep him in mind, and use him as the
resource that he is, it's for this reason we venture here so early.
o===========o
|Mage Spells|
o===========o
1st-Armor x2
1st-Blindness x2
1st-Burning Hands x2
1st-Charm Person x2
1st-Chill Touch x2
1st-Chromatic Orb x2
1st-Color Spray x2
1st-Friends x2
1st-Grease x2
1st-Identify x2
1st-Infravision x3
1st-Larloch's Minor Drain x2
1st-Magic Missile x2
1st-Protection From Evil x2
1st-Shield x2
1st-Shocking Grasp x2
1st-Sleep x2
1st-Sleep
---
2nd-Detect Invisibility x3
2nd-Horror x3
2nd-Invisibility x3
2nd-Luck x3
2nd-Mirror Image x3
2nd-Protection From Petrification x2
2nd-Resist Fear x3
2nd-Strength x3
---
3rd-Flame Arrow x3
3rd-Hold Person x3
3rd-Skull Trap x3
3rd-Vampiric Touch x3
Note: The 'Mage Spells' section above, as well as all other subsequent
ones throughout the guide, were recorded directly from the game's files.
Abandoned Cabin (AR3201)
o======================================================================o
4) To the northwest of High Hedge you'll find an abandoned cabin at
(x=1750, y=1550), which has several huge spiders outside of it. Inside
is a locked chest, which will probably force you to have either a Knock
spell handy, or a very high open locks score on a Thief. Anyways, with
that this area is done. Head to the area south of Beregost.
***ITEMS***
(x=500, y=180) Aquamarine Gem
Wilderness (AR3800)
o======================================================================o
5) This area is pretty tame, populated by Gibberlings and Hobgoblins
mostly. You do have to be wary, however, as the odd Hobgoblin Elite will
show up. They are tougher Hobgoblins, that are fond of shooting you
with poisoned arrows. Ghouls can paralyze you, and if one manages to,
chances are it'll make quick work of that character before you can put
the Ghoul down (at least, at these tender, low levels). South from where
you entered (assuming you came from Beregost) you will find two
Ogrillons at approximately (x=3900, y=1500). They've got decent Hit
Points, but nothing for Armor Class. Still, they can hit pretty hard...
I don't know why, they have historically loved pulping up one of my
characters. One of them will have a Scroll on it, destined for Mirianne.
You can turn it in to her at your leisure... and since town is still
nearby... ah, it's up to you.
***REWARD***
(For delivering the note to Mirianne)
EXP 300
Item Ring of Protection +1
Cave (AR3802)
o======================================================================o
6) In the southwestern area of the map you'll find a cave
(x=1800, y=2200). Inside you'll find a bunch of harmless rats and a
crate which contains some loot.
***ITEMS***
(x=300, y=150) Potion of Healing x5, 29 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Just south of the cave you will find a trio of Hobgoblins, one of
which will have some Boots of Stealth on him. Kindly relieve him of
his boots and carry on. If you want, you can turn these into Zhurlong
for his reward. Frankly however, it's not worth the loss of those
boots. The best option? Give him the boots, then kill him and take them
back. No reputation lost, and the added satisfaction of killing the
bugger.
***REWARD***
(For returning Zhurlong's boots)
EXP 300
Gold 100 (Plus whatever he previously stole from you)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) Towards the southern end of the map along the road you'll be
approached by a Flaming Fist Mercenary, who accuses you of banditry. You
can talk your way out of a fight... but I prefer to kill him and take
his Plate Mail. Especially since you suffer no reputation penalty for
doing so. Now exit this area on the southern edge of the map to continue
south towards Nashkel.
Wilderness (AR4300)
o======================================================================o
9) There's not much to recommend in this area. It's mostly populated by
Hobgoblins, but you might run into the odd Bandit, Kobold, or Hobgoblin
Elite here, including a camp of Hobgoblins at around (x=3300, y=700). As
far as noteworthy events and NPCs, you can find Lord Foreshadow
mentioning the then-upcoming Neverwinter Nights, and Portalbendarwinden,
who has some interesting dialogue, but nothing essential. If you do run
into any Bandits, keep their scalps. They might not be worth much now
(although Thalantyr will buy them) but after Chapter 2 you can cash them
in for 50 gold a scalp, which can really add up. Exit on the southern
edge and continue on to the Carnival outside of Nashkel, where we will
end the first chapter.
o======================================================================o
| Chapter 2 |
o======================================================================o
| |
| Nashkel and the Carnival |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK006}
1) Carnival Fun!
2) The Stone Maiden
3) Zordral's Revenge
4) Stupid Thief...
5) The Amazing Oopah!
6) You Get What you Pay For
7) Nashkel and Ankheg Armor
8) Another Assassin in Nashkel Inn
9) Pelts and Shields
10) Meeting the Mayor
11) He's Not Quite Dead Yet...
12) Temple of Helm
13) Garrison Looting
14) Mistaken Identity
15) Mad Minsc
16) Encountering Edwin
17) The Belching Dragon Tavern
18) Joseph's Wife
19) Looting the Manor House
20) Annoying Noober
Shortly after beginning this chapter you'll get a dream upon resting.
Besides being disturbing, you'll find yourself endowed with a special
ability when you wake up. If your reputation is bad (9-), you'll get
an offensive spell; if you're reputation is good (10+), you'll get a
healing or defensive spell. I've listed the spells you gain below, even
though they are listed earlier in the FAQ. You don't need to get all the
good or evil spells, you can, for instance, have a good reputation the
first two chapters and get the Cure Light Wounds, and in the next
chapter drop your reputation and receive Ghoul Touch... although why
you'd want to do that is beyond me. In general, the good abilities are
much better than the evil abilities, although it is fun to use the
regenerating Kagain as a Hit Point cow, sapping some of his life away
with Larloch's to heal your protagonist... it's still not nearly as
efficient as just having Cure Light Wounds.
Chapter 2
Cure Light Wounds (GOOD)
Larloch's Minor Drain (EVIL)
Chapter 3
Cure Light Wounds (GOOD)
Larloch's Minor Drain (EVIL)
Chapter 4
Slow Poison (GOOD)
Ghoul Touch (EVIL)
Chapter 5
Slow Poison (GOOD)
Ghoul Touch (EVIL)
Chapter 6
Draw Upon Holy Might (GOOD)
Vampiric Touch (EVIL)
Chapter 7
Draw Upon Holy Might (GOOD)
Vampiric Touch (EVIL)
Carnival (AR4900)
o======================================================================o
1) After all that marching, what better way to relieve your stress than
by visiting the local carnival? This area is pretty tame, as well it
should be, but you do have to be wary of the odd group of Kobolds
lurking around. In some of the tents are merchants, which sell mostly
mundane gear. In the tent at (x=2520, y=2800) you'll find a merchant who
will sell some magical trinkets, but it was never anything I found
necessary. If you steal from an occupied tent, chances are you're going
to bring trouble in the form of the watch. Still, if you make a quick
enough exit...
***ITEMS***
(AR4900)
(x=3580, y=2100) Long Sword, Short Sword
(x=3640, y=2100) 56 gold
(x=3500, y=2400) 26 gold
(x=2700, y=2880) Spear x2
(x=2470, y=2850) 21 gold
---
(AR4901)
(x=550, y=350) Battle Axe x3, Splint Mail
(x=650, y=400) Long Sword x2
---
(AR4907)
(x=300, y=150) Dagger
---
(AR4908)
(x=150, y=170) 9 gold
---
(AR4909)
(x=300, y=150) Quarterstaff
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) At (x=3050, y=3100) you'll find a halfling named Zeke trying to
peddle a Stone to Flesh scroll off for 500 gold, with the idea that
whomever has the scroll can use it to turn the 'stone warrior maiden'
(x=3250, y=2890) back into flesh... a 'stone warrior maiden' who would
then be very 'grateful'. Despite the fact that this is rather sadistic,
it's also outrageously overpriced for a scroll you can buy at any
temple for less. If you want the 'stone warrior maiden', it's cheaper
and more satisfying to steal the scroll from Zeke. Once done, equip the
scroll in a quick slot and use it on the statue. Zeke might be an evil
bastard (go ahead, use detect evil), but his scroll works fine.
And behold Branwen, warrior-priest from the Norheim Isles, entrapped in
stone by one Tranzig (who wants to bet we'll see that name again?)
She'll join you if you let her, and she wants revenge on her captor.
Fair enough. Take her along... or not, it's up to you. She's a decent
Cleric, and I've played through the game with her before.
Bentha's Tent (AR4906)
o======================================================================o
3) Inside a tent at (x=2270, y=3050) you'll find a Mage named Zordral,
who is having a bit of a 'disagreement' with another Mage, Bentha.
Zordral will threaten to slay her by finishing his incantation. If you
insult his ability and intelligence, he'll turn on you. If you reason
with him or play on his morality, he'll just kill her, so pick dialogue
options #1 and #1 to provoke him. He's pretty rough for a weak party,
like Tarnesh, so get on top of him early, and stay on top of him. If
he gets off a Mirror Image and a Horror on a low level party, you're
probably going to have to reload. When he dies he'll drop a Knave's
Robe, a Scroll of Armor, a Scroll of Color Spray, a Quarter Staff, and
79 gold. This robe will go well on my main character, or another Mage,
if you have one. Talk to Bentha. If you ask for information,she'll tell
you about Volo; what a waste... If you ask for trinkets, she'll give you
an Antidote. If you take the high road and say that a good deed is
enough, she'll give you a Potion of Heroism. It pays to be good! Loot
and leave.
***ITEMS***
(x=150, y=200) 15 gold
(x=300, y=150) Quarter Staff
(x=400, y=250) History of Shadowdale, Throwing Dagger x1, 20 gold
***REWARD***
(For saving Bentha from Zordral)
Information (lame)
---or---
Item Antidote
---or---
Item Potion of Heroism
Gambling Tent (AR4903)
o======================================================================o
4) There's another tent at (x=1550, y=2950) you should enter. Upon
entering a Thief named Vitiare will try and rob you. Shoot him down
before he reaches you and loot his corpse. You'll gain a Potion of
Healing, a Potion of Master Thievery, a Potion of Agility, a Dagger,
and 73 gold. I hate that guy.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) At (x=1290, y=3200) you'll find 'The Great Gazib', a Mage who manages
'The Amazing Oopah', the world's only exploding ogre! First rob Gazib
for a Scroll of Blindness and a Scroll of Agannazar's Scorcher, if you
care to. Once done, talk to Gazib several times to watch Oopah explode!
Eventually Oopah will get sick of it and go on a rampage. Put Oopah
down. This is really more amusing than rewarding. Note that 'The Great
Gazib' is only around during the day. If you want to see Ogres explode,
you need to do so during normal business hours. Also, be sure to pick up
whatever typical Ogre loot Oopah drops.
Merchant's Tent (AR4905)
o======================================================================o
6) In a tent at (x=1870, y=3500) you'll find a merchant peddling some
potions. Both sell for 50 gold a piece, and the violet will give you a
'titan's strength', while the red will make 'your insights rival
Elminster, your clarity of thought indefinitely enhanced.' Both of these
potions do as he says, but they also come with pretty significant
drawbacks. For instance, the violet potion gives you a Strength of 25,
but sets your Dexterity and Constitution to 3, which completely
nullifies its usefulness in combat (although if you want to smash open
crates and chests...) The red potion gives you 25 Intelligence, but sets
your Wisdom and Strength to 3, also giving you 50% resistance to all
magical damage. Both potions last 24 hours. Of course, you could always
steal the potions. He also has some chests to loot, which actually
contain some nice items. He'll call the guards on you for looting the
big chest (x=200, y=200) but not the small chest (x=320, y=200).
Figures. Steal and flee. Now it's time to head to Nashkel (AR4800).
***ITEMS***
(x=200, y=200) Potion of Fire Resistance, Potion of Invulnerability,
Potion of Invisibility, Potion of Healing, 208 gold
(x=320, y=200) Potion of Fire Giant Strength, Potion of Heroism,
230 gold
Nashkel (AR4800)
o======================================================================o
7) Begin to head south, where an Amnish soldier will initiate dialogue
with you. They're pretty tense in Nashkel, and for good reason: their
miners are disappearing and what little ore they get out of it is
tainted. This is kind of bad for a mining town. Also, the commander of
the guard-Brage-has apparently murdered his family and gone missing.
Sounds like Nashkel needs a hero, eh? But a hero needs better arms and
armor, and thanks to Mr. Rozzo (yet again) we're about to get some of
the latter. Ignore the bridge and head to the west, then go south along
the western edge of the map until you find a plowed field. Near a small
coniferous tree at (x=185, y=2745) you'll find a buried Pearl and a suit
of Ankheg Plate Mail. Normally we get our hands on this armor a bit
later in the game, but to get this armor so early, and for free... It's
as good of a find as the Ring of Wizardry we found outside the Friendly
Arm Inn. Seriously, this is some of the best armor in the entire game,
with its Armor Class of 1 and weight of 25, you could easily end up
wearing this until the closing credits. Again, thanks to Mr. Rozzo for
this find, I don't know how, but in numerous playthroughs I've never
found this... I guess I'm just not so observant? Put this armor on
Jaheira. Green, for a Druid, you know? We'll get another suit of this
armor for Viconia eventually, and Ajantis/Korgan will get the Full Plate
Mail from the Thunder Hammer smithy... in the meantime, the latter can
just wear the Plate Mail we got from the over-zealous Flaming Fist
Mercenary earlier, and Viconia... well, she can just go without for now,
she shouldn't be relied upon too much in melee anyways. Backtrack to the
north, then cross the bridge to the south. Enter the Nashkel Inn at
(x=1370, y=600).
***ITEMS***
(x=185, y=2745) Pearl, Ankheg Plate Mail
Nashkel Inn (AR4801)
o======================================================================o
8) Once inside a woman named Neira will approach your party. Behold,
another head-hunter! She's a Cleric, and if she gets off a Hold Person
spell, she could cause trouble. The tactics? Same as the Mages. Hit her
early, hit her often, and disrupt her spell casting. Of course she has
a better Armor Class, but the principle still works. She'll drop a
Helmet of Infravision, a suit of Splint Mail, a Medium Shield, a Club,
and another bounty notice. I put the Helmet on Ajantis, but really
it'll work on any Human who can wear a helmet.
***ITEMS***
(x=300, y=200) 7 gold
(x=580, y=220) 9 gold
(x=680, y=380) 5 gold
(x=700, y=150) 4 gold
(x=800, y=300) 8 gold
Nashkel Store (AR4803)
o======================================================================o
9) Now head out of the building and down the road to the next building,
the Nashkel Store (x=1680, y=800). You don't really need to BUY
anything in here except ammuntion, which you will need quite a bit of
for the next walkthrough sequence, so be sure to stock up. The owner
will tell you about a fabulous money-making opportunity... he'll pay
500 gold for every Winter Wolf pelt you bring him. Nice. But more
immediately rewarding... He's got Large Shields +1 for sale, or rather,
Large Shields +1 that can be stolen. It might take some time, since my
pick-pockets score is abyssmal no matter what party/protagonist I'm
playing, but just save the game if you manage to steal one, and reload
if he catches you. You won't find better shields until Baldur's Gate,
so it's worth the effort.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) Exit the building and head down the road. Outside the Temple of Helm
you'll be approached by Berrun Ghastkill, the mayor of Nashkel. He will
ask you to investigate the mines, which is the task both Jaheira/Khalid
and Montaron/Xzar are interested in... and talking to Berrun about it
will at least shut them up for a while. There's still plenty to do
before we head into the mines, however. Agree to explore the mines and
continue on.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) Now for a fun (and perhaps fatal) little easter-egg. Bothering one
of the tombstones (x=2920, y=1280) outside the Temple of Helm will cause
a Mage named Daer'Ragh to appear and threaten you. Click on it again and
he will summon a host of Phoenix Guards for you to play with. When you
kill one, it'll explode... and at this level, well, it's really just a
way for you to commit suicide...
...or is it? Jeff has some ideas for how we can exploit the Phoenix
Guards, should you wish to give it a try: "After turning in the
emeralds from Prism to Oublek, you can summon the Phoenix Guards and
explode them near him. Thus you can then loot his corpse back for the
two emeralds. You can now also lure them into the Barracks and kill
them there to take out the guards, thus you can loot the barracks
without consequences. They can also be used to kill the wandering
Ammish soldiers so you can loot their armor and weapons. In all a good
time. Just make sure you don't kill Berrun Ghastkill by accident before
completing the Nashkel mines." I do like sneaky ruthlessness in these
games, but playing tag with exploding foes to score a few hundred gold
worth of loot just doesn't seem worth it, to me. Your call, though.
Temple of Helm (AR4802)
o======================================================================o
12) Now for the temple itself (x=2800, y=880)... like in reality the
huge, opulent temple that dominates this small, poverty-ridden country
town is also one of the least interesting places in Nashkel. Inside
you'll find Nalin (x=570, y=320) who will prostitute his priestly
services... you know, heal you for a price, identify for a price, sell
some potions and Scrolls of Stone to Flesh, and charitably accept
donations. Damn churches... for something that claims to be so concerned
with the spiritual realm, they sure like material wealth.
Garrison (AR4810)
o======================================================================o
13) Over at (x=3350, y=1700) you'll find the Nashkel garrison, wherein
you can find plenty of Amnish Soldiers, including one salty fellow who
yells at you when you enter. Respond with threats of your own and he'll
back down, leaving you to loot, since there's really not much else to
do in here. Just keep in mind that this place is crawling with soldiers-
so don't expect to get away with stealing anything. They'll even call
the guard... err... themselves... if you open an empty chest! So if you
want something, grab it quickly and run.
***ITEMS***
(x=180, y=420) Dagger, 4 gold
(x=230, y=450) Potion of Agility, 3 gold
(x=360, y=550) Short Sword +1, 3 gold
(x=520, y=480) 10 gold
(x=300, y=330) Throwing Dagger x3, 3 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
14) Further down the road is a character named Oublek (x=2800, y=1650),
who will offer you a reward of 200 gold for a job done by someone named
Greywolf. If you don't take the money, you'll be thanked for your
honesty, and gain a reputation increase. Or you could take the money, but
Oublek will be sore with you from here on out. He will refuse to pay you
one bounty entirely, and will only give you half the reward on another,
so it's not really cost-effective in the long run to cheat him. You can
also ask him about unclaimed bounties to hear about the artist Prism,
and Cmmander Brage. We'll do both of these quests later.
***REWARD***
(For telling Oublek the truth)
Reputation +1
---or---
***REWARD***
(For claiming Greywolf's reward)
Gold 200
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
15) When you're done with Oublek continue south, where you'll run into a
warrior named Minsc (x=3380, y=1950). Ah Minsc... Talk to him, and he'll
ask you on a grand quest to save his 'charge', Dynaheir. If you want
Minsc in your party, you have to do this quest for him, and in a fairly
timely manner. Since Minsc (for the good party) and Edwin (for the evil
party) are both characters I tend to include in my party, I end up doing
this quest early... as you will see.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
16) Head southwest until you come to a bridge. Standing on the bridge
is a red-robed wizard named Edwin-by far the strongest recruitable Mage
in both Baldur's Gate games. If you talk to him, he'll ask you to kill
the witch Dynaheir... obviously Edwin and Minsc aren't going to be
friends. No matter which one you take, you have to head off to the Gnoll
Stronghold in the far southwestern corner of the world map fairly
quickly, lest they grow antsy and disband. So... that's what we'll do
next. Once we're done in Nashkel, anyways.
Note: It is possible to satisfy both Edwin and Minsc, so if you want
both, take both.
Belching Dragon Tavern (AR4809)
o======================================================================o
17) Just north of the bridge is the Belching Dragon Tavern
(x=2750, y=2350), inside of which you'll find Volo (x=400, y=350),
another Forgotten Realms staple who is nothing more than a stale
character created to provide some personality to some campaign modules.
Still, random titters of his litter the game manual, and if Elminster
made it into the game, why not Volo? At least he's not another character
ripped from an R.A. Salvatore novel. Anyways, he'll tell you-at length-
about the trouble at the mines (and with the iron trade in the region
in general) and about the old captain of the guard in Nashkel. You can
also lift an Aquamarine Gem off of him. Yep... that's uh, that's it for
this place. Really.
Joseph's House (AR4806)
o======================================================================o
18) Continue south until you reach the house at (x=4200, y=2900). Talk
to the commoner walking around. You can hold her up, decreasing your
reputation, but there's really no point. You can ask her about the mines
too, and she will tell you about her husband Joseph, and ask you to
look for his Greenstone Ring. Might as well, since you're inevitably
going through there.
***ITEMS***
(x=660, y=300) Battle Axe, 2 gold
(x=200, y=250) 1 gold
Manor House (AR4804)/(AR4805)
o======================================================================o
19) Now head to the northeastern corner of the map to find the 'Manor
House' at (x=4730, y=500). Do some looting for some interesting treats.
Whatever you do, do not flirt with Samantha too much, or her secret
lover 'Jamie' will come out of the closet and attack you. If you kill
him, the rest of the people on the level will turn hostile... so just
ignore her. When you're done, head southwest across the bridge.
***ITEMS***
(AR4804)
(x=350, y=450) 35 gold
(x=750, y=470) Scroll of Magic Missile, Scroll of Chill Touch,
Scroll of Shield
---
(AR4805)
(x=150, y=350) History of Shadowdale, 9 gold
(x=510, y=300) Potion of Invisibility, 20 gold
(x=350, y=400) Tainted Potion of Healing, 33 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
20) Head across the bridge towards the western edge of Nashkel. A goober
named Noober will annoy you. If you are patient and withstand his
barrage of inane questions you'll get some experience... so just wait
him out. When he's done, exit the map via the western edge of the
area and travel to the area that appears on the world map, near the
river.
Note: Final warning, we're going to be gone a while, so be sure to have
lots of ammo with you, and perhaps some spare melee weapons, in case any
break during the trip. Nothing will suck more than making it to the
Gnoll Stronghold, and have no arrows, and Fighters with broken swords.
Well... perhaps something could suck more, but I dare not think of it.
And by 'lots of ammo', I don't mean full quivers, I mean full quivers
plus... oh... at least six stacks in the inventory of each archer...
just in case.
***REWARD***
(For enduring Noober)
EXP 400
o======================================================================o
| |
| The Gnoll Stronghold Expedition |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK007}
1) Xvart Genocide
2) Ursa the Cave Bear
3) Cave Raid
4) Beating Borda
5) Neville's Ambush
6) The North Bridge
7) Fat Happy Ogre
8) Laurel's Crusade
9) Jared's Bear
10) Ogre Bridge
11) Storming the Gnoll Stronghold
12) Killing the Gnoll Chief (and Friends)
13) Dynaheir
14) The Southern Caves
15) What Next?
Wilderness (AR4700)
o======================================================================o
1) You can utterly skip this area if you're on your way to the Gnoll
Stronghold by hugging the southern edge of the map and exiting out the
western edge of the area. For continuity, however, I will cover the area
in its entirety here, and there's certainly nothing here a low-level
party can't handle... at least, not without a little luck and some
strategy. Head southwest until you find a path leading north. Up this
path is a Xvart village just waiting to be massacred. Kill everything
you see, heading west when you've clear the way.
Note from Lee:
Bottleneck the pass at (x=3550, y=2100) and let the stupid Xvarts come
to you. Set your ranged characters behind and your melee fighters
blocking the pass, and the Xvarts will just keep coming until there are
no more left. If they stop coming, simply walk a fighter forward a few
steps and the next batch will show up. I took almost no damage this way.
Oh, and remember to grab the coins, etc, from the bodies - individually
they don't carry much, but when you have this many of them it adds up.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) When you head deeper into the Xvart village, a Xvart named 'Nexlit
the Xvart' will approach you and sick the Xvart's pet bear 'Ursa' on
you. Use an Entangle spell to immobilize the bear and shoot Ursa to
death from a distance.
Bear Cave (AR4701)
o======================================================================o
3) Go northeast of the Xvart village and enter the cave at
(x=4300, y=900). Inside is another Cave Bear, and for some reason the
game likes to put your weak party members nearest the bear... Command
Word: Die works well. When it's dead, loot the cave and leave. The flail
should go to whatever Cleric you have (check for characters with the
Spiked Weapons proficiencies)' the Bracers should go to a Mage. I put
them on my Fighter/Mage main character for now.
Note from Lee:
Enter with only your strongest fighters and move them up into position;
then go out and bring your weaker/ranged characters in. This overcomes
the problem of having your weaker characters immediately exposed upon
entering. You need to do this quickly, as the bear will attack your
fighters while you're out getting the rest of the party, but if you do
it right you'll be able to take down the bear without severely
jeapordizing your weaker characters. I suppose it's possible to take
down the bear with just the strong melee fighters; I didn't try that.
***ITEMS***
(x=300, y=150) Flail +1, Potion of Fire Resistance,
Bracers of Defense A.C. 8
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) In the western area of the map you'll find a con-man named Borda,
(x=690, y=1620) who will try and sell you what amounts to magical junk
for a total of 150 gold. A better option? Kill him and take all his
stuff. He's not a nice person anyhow. He's a rather brutal opponent at
this stage in the game, and if he gets off spells, you're in trouble.
Hit him with missile fire and hope for the best. His first goal is to
get up Mirror Image, followed by Horror and several rounds of Magic
Missile, which will kill any low-level character. Casting Remove Fear
before you talk to him will make this fight much easier. Don't bother
using offensive spells, however, as his Magic Resistance is an absurd
100%. There's no real justification that I can think of for why his
Magic Resistance is so high-the gear he has certainly doesn't provide
any. If he's proving too much for you to handle, there's really no
shame in avoiding him for now and coming back when you're stronger. If
you can get him to focus his Magic Missiles on Viconia (preferably one
who has leveled up to level three or four) there's a good chance she'll
resist enough of the damage to survive, and if you heal after she takes
damage, it's possible to force him to waste all of his offensive spells
on her. When he falls he'll leave behind a Scroll of Web, a Scroll of
Color Spray, a Cursed Scroll of Petrification, a Cursed Scroll of
Weakness, a tainted Potion of Healing, a Short Sword +1, and 74 gold.
The Short Sword +1 will set Imoen up temporarily, the scrolls will go
nicely on any Mage, and overall, it's a nice haul. By the way, the
crappy stuff is what he was planning on selling you... We're much better
off killing him, no? Exit this map top the west to the enxt area.
Note from Lee:
You should have a Potion of Fire Giant Strength and a few Oils of Speed
by now - these will make the fight MUCH easier to win. Spell buff, chug
the potions, and get on Borda fast and hard; it only took me two tries
to take him down.
Wilderness (AR4600)
o======================================================================o
5) This area is a bit trickier to skip if you're trying to get right to
the Gnoll Stronghold... head south along the eastern side of the map and
exit out the bottom. You'll probably have to deal with Jared and his
bear problem (Step 9, below), but it's nothing you can't handle. If you
want to explore the entire area, read on. In the northeastern area of
this map you'll find a bandit named Neville, around (x=3800, y=850). If
you're nice to him, he'll attack, along with his Hobgoblin buddies. If
you threaten to rob him and kill his buddies, he'll find it amusing,
skim some money from you, and you'll get 100 experience. It's more
rewarding to just kill him and his buddies, however, and you get to keep
your money (not to mention your dignity!). So pick a fight and drop a
Sleep spell on his Hobgoblin buddies and get to killing. Neville himself
can be a bit of a problem, and he should be considered more than a match
for any of your Fighters at this point in the game; still, it's nothing
Entangle or Command: Die won't fix. His Hobgoblin buddies have typical
Hobgoblin gear. Neville has a suit of Chainmail, a Scroll of Dispel
Magic (nice!), his scalp, a Long Sword +1, and 65 gold. The Long Sword
immediately goes straight to Ajantis/Shar-Teel. Once they are dead and
looted, head to the northern bridge.
***REWARD***
(For amusing Neville the bandit)
EXP 100
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) This bridge is crawling with Hobgoblin Elites (poisoned arrows,
remember?) and Ogre Berserkers... you don't want to melee the ogres, so
try to entangle them and shoot them to death... while also trying to
incapacitate the Hobgoblins (Sleep, Hold Person) or engage them in
melee. It's difficult to try and juggle the two tactics, but if you can
lure an ogre away by itself, it'll make the process simpler. Remember
the prime tactic when dealing with pesky archers: send a high Armor
Class, shielded party member up front and try to engage them in melee.
If you didn't remember that tactic from earlier, it's because I just
said it for the first time here.
Note from Lee:
I was able to lure the enemies out one at a time, and didn't have to use
any spells; I only got into melee once. Set your ranged characters in a
line from (x=3330, y=1150) to (x=3420, y=1100); set two strong fighters
in blocking positions in front of them; and send your other fighter-type
up slowly until you spot a single foe. Then, once it starts moving
toward you, run back into formation with the other fighters and mow
down the baddie with missile fire. The fighters are there only to block
anything getting thru, and shouldn't have to fight at all. Repeat until
the bridge and surrounding area is clear. HAVE ANTIDOTES READY - YOU
WILL TAKE A HIT OR TWO FROM POISONED ARROWS!!
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) In the northwestern part of the map is an Ogre who is eating and is
too busy to fight. Talk to him again when he is 'fat-happy' to fight
him. If you cast Entangle on him first, he won't stand a chance, and you
can just mow him down with missile fire.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) At (x=1280, y=1100) you'll find Laurel, a female Paladin who wants
your help exterminating a Gibberling horde. Accept her offer when she
invites you to help, and her 'horde' will arrive shortly. One Sleep
spell is good enough to disable most of them. Once the Gibberlings are
vanquished, talk to Laurel again for some experience. If your reputation
is low when you talk to her, she'll identify you as rogues, and declare
that it's her duty to exterminate you. Killing her isn't as rewarding
as you think, as she coughs up laughable experience and killing her
will reduce your reputation by 2 points. You will, however, score some
Plate Mail armor. Now head to the southeastern corner of the map.
***REWARD***
(For helping Laurel fight the Gibberling horde)
EXP 250
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) A nobleman named Jared will approach you, asking you to kill a
hostile bear across the bridge, promising to give you anything should
you succeed. At this stage in the game, you might want to use Entangle,
and shoot it down with missile weapons. Return to the nobleman for your
reward. If you have high Charisma and/or a good reputation, he'll give
you his Boots of the North. If not, he'll be less rewarding and just
fork over 50 gold... If he doesn't cough up the boots, I suggest you
steal them from him, or kill him and take them. These boots... aren't
really all that useful. Cold attacks are rare, but they do happen from
time to time as projectiles, such as when fighting Winter Wolves. Put
them on a front line Fighter, particularly one who is not well
protected against missiles. Now it's time to head on to the Gnoll
Stronghold; exit the screen on the southern edge.
***REWARD***
(For killing the bear for Jared)
EXP 150
Gnoll Stronghold (AR5100)
o======================================================================o
10) Once you reach the Gnoll Stronghold, you'll be on a small ledge in
front of a bridge. As fitting, Gnolls spawn here constantly, so be
careful when resting or back tracking. Make sure you're ready to go now,
rather than allowing yourself to be at half strength later. This area is
populated by a variety of Gnolls and Xvarts, neither of which are
terribly dangerous in small numbers. Head across the bridge, where two
half-ogres-Gnarl and Hairtooth-will be waiting. Gnarl will attempt to
initiate dialogue with you, and if he succeeds, he'll demand you pay
200 gold to get across the bridge. You can talk him down to 100 gold,
and pay him... which will get you some experience (I presume for talking
him down?) Still, losing 100 gold isn't my idea of fun, and they leave
when you pay, which is even worse! Besides, Hairtooth has a truly
indispensable defensive item that you simply cannot let walk away. So,
pick a fight with them by refusing to pay, or by continuing to drop the
price. You can lure Gnarl away by simply walking back across the bridge
when he tries to talk to you. Let Gnarl 'catch' you when he's out of
sight of his buddy, and whomp him, then return and dispatch Hairtooth.
The half-ogre Gnarl possesses a Potion of Hill Giant Strength, a Potion
of Cold Resistance, an Iol Gem, a Bastard Sword, and 20 gold. Hairtooth
has Gauntlets of Dexterity and 67 gold. The Gauntlets of Dexterity raise
one character's Dexterity to 18, and in the case of some characters
(Ajantis, Kagain, Minsc) to name a few, can drastically raise their
Dexterity, and thus, their Armor Class. Such a powerful tool, gained so
early... It's good stuff. Give them to an Armor Class deficient front-
line Fighter.
Note from Lee:
There are two small groups of Gnolls due north from the western end
of the bridge, if you're so inclined. At only 35xp each it's not all
that much to gain, but hey - who am I to tell you what's important?
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) Continue to the west, slaying Gnolls as you go. Keep going up
the stairs to the northwest until you come across a small staircase
going north. Go up the stairs and smash the Gnolls that are doubtlessly
waiting up top. Watch out for crappy path finding. Narrow stair-cases
plus enemies on top means jams, and jams mean your party members will
try to find alternate paths. Party members walking around aimlessly will
spawn more Gnolls, and cause problems.
Note from Lee:
At the narrow staircase north, I line up my archers across from the
bottom and my stronger melee fighters at the foot of the stairs, then
send one fighter up and draw the Gnolls down one or two at a time. When
done like this, they are cheese - the archers take them all down and
the fighters have to do extremely little. One drawback - if you're light
on arrows, you could end up screwed for the rest of this area.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) Now continue east, where a tough group of Gnolls awaits, including
a Gnoll Cheiftan. Use the narrow path to bottle-neck them. Really, one
good Sleep spell can pretty much end this fight. Keep heading east until
all the Gnolls in the area are dead. The Gnoll Chieftain has a Fire Opal
Ring, an Angel Skin Ring, a Halberd, and 29 gold.
Note from Lee:
Same strategy here, sort of.... Align archers in back and fighters as
blockers, then send one fighter forward and draw in the Gnolls one or
two at a time into the bottleneck. The idiots will just keep coming
that way, and you can mow them down with missile fire and never take a
hit.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) Dynaheir is at the bottom of one of the pits at (x=2530, y=1450). If
Edwin is in your party, he'll demand that you kill Dynaheir, and will
leave if you don't. If you make them both settle their differences,
they'll fight until only one side remains. If you attack Dynaheir,
Minsc will turn on you... wherever he may be, if he's still alive. Of
course, if you disband Edwin, THEN recruit Dynaheir, and reinvite
Edwin, you can have all three in your party. I prefer to kill her (if
I'm recruiting Edwin) or allow her to join, then send her in front of
the rest of the party to scout the rest of the gnolls in the area (if
I'm recruiting Minsc). Unfortunately, this tends to get her killed...
shame that... Anyways, if you 'find' her for Edwin, you'll gain some
quest experience. Edwin, however, is light on the reward, and so he
decides that he'll serve you for a year to compensate.
***REWARD***
(For hunting down Dynaheir for Edwin)
EXP 800
---or---
***REWARD***
(For rescuing Dynaheir)
EXP 800
Cliffside Caverns (AR5101)/(AR5102)/(AR5103)
o======================================================================o
14) Now head to the cliffs south of the fortress. To get here, you'll
need to leave the fortress entirely, and go south and west from the
bridge where you obtained the Gauntlets of Dexterity earlier. You'll
have to smite some Xvarts along the way, but it shouldn't be much of a
problem by now. There are three caverns for your exploration pleasure:
The cave at (x=570, y=2100) contains some Xvarts in the large main room,
and a Carrion Crawler in a smaller room to the east. These critters
don't do much damage, but they attack very quickly, and can paralyze
you. A paralyzed character is in serious trouble next to a Carrion
Crawler, so be careful when you fight them. The cave at (x=820, y=2400)
houses more Xvarts-but thankfully no Carrior Crawlers. Kill the Xvarts
and loot the crate. Of course, the important item is the Tome of
Leadership and Influence, which permanently raises your Charisma by one
point. No matter what attribute it effects, ALWAYS use Tomes on your
main character. You'll get to keep those attribute increases into the
sequel, provided you export your character to Baldur's Gate 2. Finally,
the last cave at (x=130, y=3300) just shelters some petty Xvarts. Kill
them, and rejoice. You are now officially done with the Gnoll Stronghold
area.
***ITEMS***
(AR5102)
(x=300, y=150) Potion of Healing x3, Scroll of Magic Missile,
Scroll of Larloch's Minor Drain,
Tome of Leadership and Influence, 95 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
15) Alright, we've explored the Gnoll Stronghold, and therefore have
Minsc and Edwin for the rest of the game... in fact, we should have all
of our permanent party members by now. That being the case, what's our
next step? Well, we could go tackle the Nashkel Mines... However, I
prefer to gather a few trinkets before I go. Namely, magical weapons.
If you haven't noticed yet, your weapons sometimes break during combat,
which is not fun. It's even less fun in the middle of a dungeon, or
cave, or mine, where you can't run back and buy a new one. Oh, and it's
annoying to have to run back and buy more weapons in any case. Magical
weapons - aside from being more powerful - do not break. So we should
find a magical melee weapon for every character in your party. Besides,
it'll give you more experience and gold. I don't typically complete the
Nashkel Mines until I'm level four or five anyways. Here's a list of the
items I intend to grab BEFORE I head to the Nashkel Mines:
Halberd +1
Found in a cave (AR5202) in (AR5200).
Girdle of Bluntness
Found in (AR5200).
Studded Leather Armor +2
Found in (AR5300).
Long Sword +1
Found in (AR5300).
Bracers of Archery
Found in (AR5300).
Dagger +1
Found in the Ankheg's Nest (AR1401) in (AR1400).
Wand of Fire
Found in the Ankheg's Nest (AR1401) in (AR1400).
Chainmail +1
Found in the Ankheg's Nest (AR1401) in (AR1400).
Flail +1
Found in (AR1400).
Ankheg Plate Mail
Made from Ankheg Shells, costs 4000 gold.
Two-Handed Sword +1
Found in (AR4400).
War Hammer +2: 'Ashideena'.
Found in (AR3700)
Short Sword +2: 'The Whistling Sword'
Found in (AR3700).
Full Plate Mail
Purchased from the Thunder Hammer Smithy, costs 4500+ gold.
Dagger of Venom +2
Purchased from the Thunder Hammer Smithy, costs 7500+ gold.
Short Bow +1 (for single-or-dual-classed Thief or a Bard)
Purchased from the Thunder Hammer Smithy, costs 1125+ gold.
Sling +1
Purchased from the Thunder Hammer Smithy, costs 75+ gold.
Composite Long Bow +1 (if you have two archers)
Purchased from Feldpost's, costs 1875+ gold.
Battle Axe +1 (for Kagain)
Purchased from Feldpost's, costs 1125+ gold.
Long Sword +2: 'Varscona'
Found in (AR5400).
Some of it we will find, some of it we will buy. Seems like a lot of
stuff, right? It is. It'll cost you at least 16200 gold to buy all
the stuff on that list (although you won't need the Battle Axe +1 if
you don't have Kagain, or the Short Bow +1 if you don't have a Thief
or Bard). And mind you, those prices are with Ajantis wearing the
Cloak of Algernon leading a party with a reputation of 20... and the
price doesn't include the 4000 gold needed to forge the Ankheg Plate
Mail. Well, at least we have our work cut out for us, right? First
stop, the area due east of the Gnoll Stronghold.
o======================================================================o
| |
| southwestern Areas |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK008}
1) Ousted Ingol
2) Pixie's Plunge
3) Defending the Dryad
4) Gnoll Toll
5) Cave
6) That Boy's Just Not Right...
7) Hidden Scrolls
8) Slaying Sendai
9) Larry, Darryl, and Darryl!
10) The Fastest Dart-Thrower on the Sword Coast!
Wilderness (AR5200)
o======================================================================o
1) In the northwestern section of the map you'll be approached by a
Gnoll named Ingot (x=600, y=1200), who is having tribal problems with
his buddies over in the Gnoll Stronghold. See, he wanted to eat Dynaheir
(I stand corrected, she is good for something!) but the others kept her
prisoner. Shame. You can be nice and let him go, but it's more fun to
kill him. When he dies he'll drop a generous amount of random loot.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) South of the center of the map is a waterfall, which can be searched
at (x=1700, y=3300.) Inside is a dead cat... Hrmm... Walk up the ledge
behind the waterfall to find Drienne at (x=2080, y=2970). She'll cry
about her dead cat, Pixie, which apparently didn't have nine lives. Give
her the dead cat for a reward that varies depending on her reaction to
you (an NPC's reaction is determined by your Charisma, Alignment, and
reputation... remember the rewards from Hull and Fuller in Candlekeep?
It's like that).
***REWARD***
(For giving Drienne her cat, Pixie, with a bad reaction)
EXP 200
Gold 23
***REWARD***
(For giving Drienne her cat, Pixie, with a good reaction)
EXP 200
Item Scroll of Protection from Undead
Reputation +1
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Just east of the middle of the map you'll find a Dryad of the
Cloudpeaks who is getting harassed by a pair of missing links by the
names of Caldo and Krumm. Agree to help her and talk to Caldo. If you
agree to help them, they'll decide the Dryad isn't worth tangling with,
leaving you to deal with her. This is an evil action, and will lower
your reputation if you kill her. It's more profitable to kill Caldo and
Krumm however, so pick a fight with them and trounce them. Krumm will
drop Studded Leather Armor, a Girdle of Bluntness, a Potion of Healing,
a Club, and 24 gold. Caldo carries Studded Leather Armor, a Medium
Shield, a Flail, and 39 gold. After they are dead, talk to the Dryad for
your well-deserved reward. The Girdle of Bluntness is the real treat,
however. Put it on your toughest front-line Fighter, the one you tend
to use to hold down, say, Ogres, and whatnot. Kagain and Ajantis make
great choices.
***REWARD***
(For helping the Dryad of the Cloudpeaks)
EXP 500
Item Antidote
Reputation +1
Note from Lee:
I usually go south and then east around the waterfall, doing the cave in
step 5 and then coming up around the eastern side of the rock structure
to hit this step from the south after Minsc has the Halberd +1.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) North of the center of the map you'll find a group of Gnolls milling
about. One will approach the party and try to get you to pay 50 gold
tribute. If you say you have no money, the leader will challenge you to
a fight. If you beat the Gnoll they will leave without a fight, and
you'll get some quest experience. If you pick a fight by calling them
names, you'll get to kill all the Gnolls. I tend to fight the Gnoll
leader (he won't go hostile on you, so you'll have manually attack him)
beat him in a fight, then kill him as he walks away, and take his money
as well. He commonly carries 100 gold or more on him. This is less
rewarding than just butchering the whole pack of Gnolls, but after
getting done with the Gnoll Stronghold, killing more Gnolls isn't novel
anymore.
***REWARD***
(For defeating the Gnoll)
EXP 500
Wilderness Cave (AR5202)
o======================================================================o
5) Just east of the waterfall you'll find a cave (x=3100, y=2600). Go
inside and loot the crate. The Halberd +1 will go well on a character
who is proficient with Spears, and who wants some distance in melee. For
me, this goes great on my Fighter/Mage. Leave the cave and exit the map
on the eastern edge, and travel to the area south of Nashkel.
***ITEMS***
(x=300, y=150) Halberd +1, Tiger Cowrie shell Necklace, 238 gold
Wilderness (AR5300)
o======================================================================o
6) In the northwestern part of the map by some trees you'll find a boy
named Albert (x=1350, y=970), who asks you to look for his dog Rufie. He
gives you a somewhat... questionable... chew toy to let Rufie know
you're a friend. Keep it on you, you want Rufie to be your friend (mind
you, Rufie only knows two kinds of people, friends and food). After
getting Albert's quest I head east around the top of the map. If you
find Rufie during your exploration, lead him back to Albert for your
reward. Your... disturbing reward. Or, if you smell a rat (or you just
hate children... and dogs...) you can kill Rufie. Albert won't be
pleased, but considering what Albert was, it's probably a good thing
he's not happy.
***REWARD***
(For reuniting Rufie and Albert)
EXP 1000
***REWARD***
(For killing Rufie)
EXP 1200
Note from Lee: I usually find Rufie around (x=3800, y=750)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Now for some more obscure, hidden loot. Along the north-central edge
of the map you can find a lootable patch of terrain (x=1790, y=415)
which contains a Scroll of Chromatic Orb, and a Scroll of Cloudkill.
It'll be a while before we can cast a fifth-level Mage spell, but we
can scribe it at our leisure. I doubt Cloudkill is ever worth casting,
although in tandem with our Stinking Cloud assault it can be totally
devastating to groups of enemies-we just need to be mindful of the
fact that it won't hurt critters immune to poison and it's not party
(or NPC) friendly... and of course, we won't have access to it until
we have a 9th-level Mage.
***ITEMS***
(x= 1790, y=415) Scroll of Chromatic Orb, Scroll of Cloudkill
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) North of the center of the map you'll find a trio of warriors, led
by a woman named Sendai (x=3100, y=900). You can avoid fighting them,
but it's much more profitable to pick a fight... and frankly, they're
looking for a bit of sport, the most dangerous game style. These guys
can be tough at this point in the game, and it would be silly to simply
charge them (Delgod and Alexander would make a pincushion out of a
low-leveled character). If you take a single character into view of
Sendai you can make life easier by luring Sendai away when she talks to
you without bringing her archers into the fight. After she's dead, you
can have a character (like Imoen or Minsc) use stealth to occupy one of
the archers in melee while rushing the other with your party. If you're
lucky you'll engage them both before your sneaky character can be
killed, and they're not half as deadly in melee combat. My evil party
had the benefit of Edwin, who had obtained the Web spell from Borda
earlier, and by now had the experience to use it. After luring Sendai
away, I scouted the two archers and had Edwin hit them both with
several Webs from the side, targeting the area adjacent to them without
actually bringing them into view. My Fighter/Mage/Thief was then able
to walk up and shoot them to death-three arrows apiece. Delgod has a
suit of Splint Mail, 35~ Arrows +1, a Longbow, a Warhammer, and 43 gold.
Alexander has a suit of Splint Mail, a Helmet, 35~ Arrows +1, a Potion
of Healing, a Longbow, a Spear, and 37 gold, and last but not least,
Sendai has Studded Leather Armor +2, a Helmet, a Small Shield, a Long
Sword +1, and 172 gold. Obviously, Sendai is the big catch, and that
armor will go fine on any light-armored character (for me, that's
Minsc, or alternatively, Imoen could wear it until she becomes a Mage,
and Minsc could just stomp around in heavy armor for the time being,
until he's more survivable and his stealth is actually decent). I keep
going east until I hit the eastern edge of the map, then I go south.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) You'll eventually come across Larry, Darryl, and Darryl at
approximately (x=4200, y=3400), a Xvart, Kobold, and Tasloi. I'll admit,
I don't get it. If you talk to them and ask for their autograph, you'll
be rewarded with it. This is a pointless... if amusing encounter. Head
west.
I have been informed by Jesse on HaeravonFAQs the following bit of...
uh... information:
"Regarding Larry, Darryl and Darryl in BG1 AR5300... it's a reference to
an old sitcom, Newhart I think it was called, starring Bob Newhart. The
trio were recurring characters, hillbilly brothers. "Hi, I'm Larry, this
is my brother Darryl, this is my other brother Darryl" was their
trademark catchphrase."
One of the many reasons I love writing these guides - if you don't know
something about the game, chances are somebody else, somewhere, has some
insight that you lack.
Note from Lee: the autograph is worth 25 gold at the Nashkel Store
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) You'll be approached by a warrior named Vax (x=1170, y=2640), who
threatens you with the violent speciality provided by his companion, Zal
(x=1270, y=2620)-the fastest dart thrower that ever walked the Sword
Coast! Unless, of course, you give up all your money. Granted, Zal is
somewhat deadly, especially at this level. So, when Vax tries to talk to
you, move your party away from him, luring him away from Zal. When he
does talk to you, and you pick a fight, you'll get to take them out one
at a time. Vax has a suit of Splint Mail, two Potions of Healing, a
Halberd, and 107 gold. Zal has a suit of Splint Mail, Bracers of
Archery, a Helmet, 60 Darts, a Spear, and 49 gold. These Bracers should
go to a dedicated ranged character, particularly one with lots of
attacks a round, and a poor THAC0 that could use a boost. Imoen is a
perfect candidate for the good party, whereas my protagonist on the
evil party gets spoiled.
Now that you've cleared out the southwestern areas of the world, it's
time to head back up north. We've got to find a way to make some good
money so we can buy some gear from Nashkel. We also have a powerful war
hammer, a magical two-handed sword, a good long sword, and some light
weight full plate mail on the list. Head to the area where you can find
(or found) Ajantis (north of the Friendly Arm Inn).
o======================================================================o
| |
| Northern Areas |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK009}
1) Ankheg Hunting
2) Ajantis
3) Sonner's Scourge
4) Brun's Son
5) The Ankheg Nest
6) Talk to Tenya
7) Nester's Dagger
8) Five (Minus Two) Fisherman Fillet
9) No Evil Deed Goes Unrewarded
Wilderness (AR1400)
o======================================================================o
1) This area can be rough, as it will spawn bandits and Ankhegs. Bandits
aren't too bad, but Ankhegs can deal some serious damage. They wait
underground until you get close, but their antennae give them away. Lead
with your most heavily-armored character and close in melee. They drop
minor treasure and their shells. Each shell weighs 100 pounds, but try
and load up as many as you can. Your goal here is to grab a number of
them and haul them back to Beregost. Taerom Fuiruim will pay you 500
gold pieces for each shell... or rather, for ALL the shells you bring
him. Just drop all of them on the ground save for one, and talk to him.
He'll buy them for 500. Pick up another, and sell that one too. Rinse,
wash, and repeat. When you've sold him... let's say... at least eight,
give him another and refuse to sell it. He'll offer to make you a suit
of armor out of it for the sum of 4,000 gold. Agree and he'll say it'll
take ten days. Keep in mind that once you start the armor you can't turn
in any more shells, also, other bad stuff will happen if you refuse to
sell him shells AND refuse to make the armor... see the note below for
more information. When the armor is done, you'll be given another suit
of wonderful green goodness. I put this one on Jaheira, since Viconia
already has a suit. Somewhere in this area you'll find a woman named
Gerde wandering around, who will tell you a little about Ankhegs and
tell you that hunters are limited to ten Ankhegs per party. Once you
reach this quota she'll give you some gold and trust that you'll not
exceed the limit. Right...
Note: Whatever you do, do NOT refuse to sell Taerom Ankheg Shells then
decline his offer to craft you armor. When you refuse to sell him a
shell it starts a global variable:
SetGlobalTimer("Taerom","GLOBAL",TEN_DAYS)
You now have ten days to have him forge you a suit of Ankheg Plate
Mail. If you do not get him working on this armor in time, you'll get
the following response from him when you approach him with an Ankheg
Shell in your inventory:
"It's you again. I am afraid I'm no longer interested in the ankheg
shell ye possess. I can tell by the sight of it that it's begun to rot.
You'll not get 1 gold for it now, let alone 500. What a shame."
This renders every Ankheg Shell in the game-currently possessed or
dropped in the future-absolutely worthless, and prevents you from ever
getting this suit of Ankheg Plate Mail. So... don't refuse to sell him
Ankheg Shells until you are ready to make your armor.
***REWARD***
(For killing your quota of Ankhegs)
Gold 75
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) Northwest from the southern edge of this area is an armored man
named Ajantis (x=1570, y=3130). Talk to him, and he'll ask if you're
friend or foe. Play nice, and he'll offer to join your party. Pick a
fight, and you'll get one. Now head to the northwest.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) At (x=700, y=2650) you'll find Sonner and his fisherman buddies who
complain about a priestess of Umberlee harassing them. Accept to help
them. You can steal a Flail +1 and a Bowl of Water Elemental Control
from Sonner. Kind of seems a bit heavy for a farmer, no? While we're in
the habit of stealing from fishermen, why not check out their houses,
too? No, they don't have anything exceptional in them, but I needed an
excuse to invite you to go rob them, if you wish. There are two houses
for you to loot, (AR1402) (x=380, y=2430), and (AR1403) (x=950, y=2330).
***ITEMS***
(AR1402)
(x=200, y=200) Silver Necklace
(x=300, y=200) 32 gold
---
(AR1403)
(x=200, y=250) Sling, Bullets x10
(x=650, y=320) 27 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) You'll find a farmer named Brun at (x=3500, y=2330.) He'll ask you
to go searching for his son Nathan. Sure. Maybe the giant hole in the
ground at (x=2100,y=2400) would be a good place to start? When you find
his son he'll reward you (see the next Step).
***REWARD***
(For telling Brun about his son)
EXP 500
If you offer to give him some money to help him on his way, he'll be
very thankful. Also, you'll get a reward for being such a nice person.
***REWARD***
(For giving Brun some money)
EXP 1000
Reputation +1
Ankheg Nest (AR1401)
o======================================================================o
5) You're going to want to head east, carefully leading with your most
defended character and dropping Ankhegs one after another. You're goal
is a treasure trove at (x=2450, y=150), which contains a good deal of
loot... as well as the body of Brun's son, Nathan. I give the dagger to
Jaheira (if you didn't get a magical dagger from Fuller in Candlekeep.)
I put the magical chainmail armor on Viconia, at least until she gets
the Ankheg Plate Mail. Return the body for a reward (see above) and
head off to the 'bridge' area north of this one, adjacent to Baldur's
Gate so we can finish the fishermen's quest.
***ITEMS***
(x=2450, y=150) Wand of Fire, Chainmail +1, Dagger +1,
Dart of Wounding x5, Dart of Stunning x5,
Scroll of Dire Charm, Scroll of Ghost Armor,
Potion of Cloud Giant Strength,
Potion of Magic Protection, tainted Antidote, 560 gold,
Brun's Dead Son.
Bridge to Baldur's Gate (AR0900)
o======================================================================o
6) Head north until you find a house, outside of which is a priestess
named Tenya (x=4000, y=700). If you say the fishermen sent you, she'll
attack. She's not terribly strong, (she's twelve years old, what do you
expect?) and when you deal enough damage she'll give up and start
talking (if you accidentally kill her you may wish to reload.) She'll
tell you that Sonner and his ilk have displeased Umberlee by killing
her mother and taking a 'elemental summoning bowl', which they have
been abusing. We have a choice here-either kill her for Sonner and
company, or leave her alive and go grill Sonner about his own alleged
misdeeds. Either way, it's time to head back and pay them a visit...
eh... shortly. First, let's rob Tenya's House (AR0901) (x=4140, y=630)
for some meager loot. Certainly we need it more than a recently orphaned
pre-teen.
***ITEMS***
(AR0901)
(x=200, y=200) Dagger, Dart x10, 26 gold
(x=300, y=200) Jade Ring, Skydrop Gem, 18 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) North of Tenya's house is an Ankheg lurking about. Kill it and loot
it, it has Nester's Dagger (as well as typical Ankheg loot), an
otherwise mundane dagger. Who is Nester, and why is a giant bug dropping
his Dagger? It's part of a small quest in Baldur's Gate, so stash the
dagger, hold onto it, whatever, it'll be useful in... oh... a few days.
Play time, not game time. Now return to (AR1400) to clear up this
business with the fishermen. If you want to side with Tenya, see
Step #8, below. On the other hand, if you want to side with Sonner and
company (you have killed, or will kill Tenya) see Step #9.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) Go confront Sonner. You can force him to give up the bowl (dialogue
options #1, #2, and #1) with threats. They aren't Fighters, and they
know it... despite capitulating, however, they'll turn hostile once
your 'transaction' is complete. This is just as well, since they're
weak, evil, and generally just worth killing. Once they're all dead
(they'll try to run into their houses, which is annoying) loot Sonner
for a Flail +1 and 170, Jebadoh will drop a Spear and 5 gold, and Telman
yields a measly 3 gold. My good protagonist smoothly equips this second
magical Flail as his off-hand weapon. Return to Tenya and give her the
bowl for an experience reward. It seems like a meager reward-and it
is-but considering we also get the money and the Flail +1 that Sonner
dropped, it's not a bad deal. Also, Tenya will show up to help us out
later in Baldur's Gate, but that's a good way off yet.
***REWARD***
(For returning the bowl to Tenya)
EXP 2500
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) On the other hand, if you actually killed Tenya, Sonner will give you
your reward (you could haggle the price with him twice, once before
confronting Tenya for 20 gold, another time after talking to her for
50 gold.) Of course, by killing Tenya you also get her gear, which
includes Bracers of Defense A.C. 7 and a Flail, but she won't be around
later to lend a hand in Baldur's Gate.
***REWARD***
(For killing Tenya for Sonner)
EXP 1000
Gold 50, 70, or 120
Item Flail +1
Anyhow, now that you're done with these areas, let's go get us some more
magical weapons, and hopefully waste some time while we're at it. Head
to the wilderness area north of the Carnival.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Middle Areas |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK010}
1) Ambush Arghain
2) Ettercap Cave
3) Trio of Trouble
4) Pick on Ogres
5) Cow Champion
6) Bassilus
7) The Whistling Sword
8) Why did the Chicken cross the Adventurers?
9) Antichickenator!
Wilderness (AR4400)
o======================================================================o
1) At (x=1170, y=1200) you'll find Arghain, a half-ogre with an ambition
to rob your party of its iron. Since he starts out hostile, there's
really no room for diplomacy here. When he spots (and attacks) you,
three more half-ogres will spawn. They are, of course, susceptible to
Entangle, Sleep, and ranged take-downs. When he falls, Arghain will drop
a Helmet, a Scroll of Charm Person, an Iol Gem, a scalp, a Two Handed
Sword +1, and 49 gold. Minsc and Boo will be pleased with their new
sword.
Ettercap Cave (AR4401)
o======================================================================o
2) Just east of where Arghain was you'll find a cave (x=1550, y=1300).
Enter with ONLY a Thief, because immediately inside is a web trap
(x=400, y=400) and an Ettercap, and you don't need to have paralyzed
party members facing an Ettercap and its poison. Without the trap, the
Ettercap is child's play. Loot and leave. Just outside of the cave is
a rock with a Water Opal under it, something I just discovered in this
last playthrough. It just goes to show that no matter how much you play
some games, there's always something you missed.
***ITEMS***
(AR4401)
(x=300, y=150) Bloodstone Amulet, tainted Oil of Speed,
Potion of Fire Resistance
---
(AR4400)
(x=1570, y=1490) Water Opal
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) East of the cave you'll find a trio of bandits led by one Ioin
Gallchobhair (x=3200, y=1750). His group is comprised of two archers and
a swordsman. Again, this is a situation where rushing in is not a good
idea, as his archer pals can make life hell for you. I creep up on them
with a stealthed Minsc, who engages one of the archers in combat while
Ajantis rushes in. With any luck the rest of the party will show up
before they can destroy Minsc. If you are fortunate enough to have a
Mage who can cast 2nd level spells, now would be a good time to hit them
with a Web or Stinking Cloud spell (if you have them) and pick them off
while they are incapacitated. Dribben will cough up a suit of Chain
Mail, 5 Arrows +1, 40 Arrows, a scalp, a Longbow, a Bastard Sword, and
49 gold. Billy has a suit of Splint Mail, 5 Arrows +1, 40 Arrows, an
Aquamarine Gem, a scalp, a Longbow, a Short Sword, and 49 gold. Last but
not least is Ioin, who will drop a suit of Splint Mail, a Star Diopside
Gem, a Waterstar Gem, a scalp, a Long Sword, and 74 gold. All in all?
Not really worth the hassle, but at least they're gone.
Note: In Nashkel, at (x=2950, y=1250) you'll find a tombstone with the
name "Ioin O Gallchobhair" on it, with the line "Mea Gloria Fides" on
it. Weird.
Note from Lee:
In case you're wondering, "Mea Gloria Fides" translates to "My Glory
Faith" (Latin). Woopee...
Thankfully, as usual, somebody smarter and more wordly than I came
along with some divine wisdom to clear things up. This is from
shandrakor:
"You seemed curious about the enemy and gravestone for Ioin O
Gallchobhair.
Ioin is a (very uncommon) Celt variation on John. O Gallchobhair is the
oldest spelling of the clann now spelled Gallagher. John Gallagher was
the lead concept artist for Baldur's Gate.
Oh, and Mea Gloria Fides, The Faith is My Glory, is the family motto of
the Gallagher clann."
There you have it. I said it before, one of the reasons I love writing
FAQs is because of how much you learn about the game while doing it.
Great stuff.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) East of the two bandit encounters you'll find a dwarf named Sarhedra
(x=4750, y=1750). She will tell you to pick on the Ogres to the south.
Indeed, there are several Ogres to the south for you to pick on. Use
Entangle and take them out at a distance. Loot them and the corpse by
the tree before heading back to Sarhedra. She'll be rather flustered
you completed her 'quest' so quickly.
***ITEMS***
(x=4390, y=2760) Potion of Healing, tainted Oil of Speed, 59 gold
***REWARD***
(For killing the Ogres)
EXP 300
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Just south of the center of the map you'll find a bunch of Xvarts
attacking a poor cow (x=2950, y=2970). Slay all the Xvarts and the cow's
owner, Hulrik, will be very grateful. Now exit the map and head to the
area south of High Hedge. It's time to make some money.
***REWARD***
(For saving Hurlrik's cow)
EXP 350
Reputation +1
Wilderness (AR3700)
o======================================================================o
6) At (x=4280, y=2850) you'll find Bassilus, surrounded by his undead
'family'. This includes a number of Skeletons with heavy crossbows, and
Zombies. The Skeletons are the real problem, as they can dish out some
serious damage. Bassilus will, for his part, conspire to make things
worse by casting Hold Person, while the Zombies more or less just get
in the way. There is a way to handle this, however, even at low levels.
If you go forward with one character to initiate dialogue with Bassilus,
you can cause him to lose control over a bit of his horde by picking
the following dialogue options: 1, 3, 1, 2. This will cause a number of
his minions to bite the dust. At which point retreat and regroup, then
attack en mass, focusing directly on Bassilus (if he gets off a Hold
Person, it's dangerous, regardless of how few undead he has left). When
he falls he'll drop a Bloodstone Amulet, a suit of Chain Mail, a Medium
Shield, Gauntlets of Fumbling, a War Hammer +2: 'Ashideena', and
Bassilus' Holy Symbol. This war hammer is one of the best blunt weapons
in the entire game, especially considering how early you can get it. Put
in on a Cleric, and they'll have their weapon needs satisfied for pretty
much the rest of the game. The rest of his gear is garbage, especially
the gauntlets, which are cursed and should not be equipped. Keep his
holy symbol in your inventory; when we head over to the temple area east
of Beregost, we can turn it in as proof of Bassilus' death and score a
huge cash reward. I also take the Heavy Cross Bows and Two Handed Swords
so I can sell them... it's a nice way to net a couple hundred gold.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) At (x=2900, y=2450) you'll find a Hobgoblin named Zargal and two of
his hobbuddies, who typically demand you pay them all your coin or else.
You certainly could, but we wouldn't get very far in this game by
constantly doing that, would we? Just make sure you close with them
quickly to stop the archers and you should be fine. When they die,
Malkax will drop Leather Armor, a Helmet, 20 Arrows, an Iol Gem, a
Composite Longbow, a Bastard Sword, and 13 gold. Geltik will drop a
suit of Leather Armor, a Helmet, 20 Arrows, a Silver Ring, a Composite
Long Bow, a Bastard Sword, and 11 gold. Their leader Zargal will yield
a suit of Studded Leather Armor, a Helmet, A Scroll of Burning Hands,
and a Short Sword +2: 'The Whistling Sword', and 127 gold. That sword
will serve Imoen for the majority of the game.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) At about (x=4620, y=470) you'll find the chicken Melicamp, who is
being pursued by a wolf. Ah... the food chain. Melicamp will beg you to
help him, after which he'll try to get you to restore him to his
original condition. Even if you have a Dispel Magic spell at this point,
it wont work, so offer to help him and he'll ask you to take him to
Thalantyr, in High Hedge. Remember Thalantyr? I'm sure he'll just be
enthused.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) Take the talking chicken to Thalantyr in High Hedge. You'll discover
that the 'chicken' was once an apprentice of Thalantyr's who foolishly
stole artifacts he didn't understand and managed to accidentally turn
himself into a chicken. Make sure you TELL Thalantyr that Melicamp said
he was his apprentice. If you get into a fight with Thalantyr or don't
agree to help with the quest, you won't get anything out of it. Agree to
help Thalantyr (dialogue options #4, #1, #2, #1) and he'll send you out
to fetch the skull of a skeleton. Simple enough. Go outside, walk
around, rest, whatever it takes to trigger Skeletons to attack and come
back with the skull. SAVE before you give the skull to Thalantyr, as
there's a chance his fix won't work and if that happens you'll get no
reward. Thalantyr will cast his 'Antichickenator' spell until it works,
reloading as necessary. When Thalantyr finally does turn Melicamp back
into his normal, bipedal self, you'll get a reward. Note that Melicamp
still makes chicken sounds when you go to talk to him. Epic.
Now let us head to the Temple area to the east of Beregost to turn in
Bassilus's Holy Symbol, and to clear that area out. Doing that should
give me all the money and experience I need to buy some things before
finally tackling the Nashkel mines.
***REWARD***
(For saving Melicamp from his fowl fate)
EXP 2000
Reputation +1
o======================================================================o
| |
| Temple Area and the Nashkel Mines (exterior) |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK011}
1) The Temple Grounds
2) Bassilus' Bounty
3) Butchering Blane and Bram
4) Attack Cattack
5) Unholy Hounds
6) Shopping Spree
7) Free Wands, any wand?
8) Storehouse Stealin'
9) Duh! Kobolds
10) Prism's Epiphany
11) Into the Mines
Temple Area (AR3400)
o======================================================================o
1) This area... eh... is not really safe. Packs of dogs ranging from
Wild Dogs to War Dogs to Dread Wolves spawn here, along with Hobgoblins.
Be careful of the eastern edge of the map, lest you tussle with a pack
of Wolves you can't beat. The entrance to the 'Song of the Morning
Temple' is at (x=1220, y=1050), which marks our first stop in this
area. Don't worry, we'll brave the exterior shortly.
Song of the Morning Temple (AR3402)
o======================================================================o
2) Enter the 'Song of the Morning Temple' to find Kelddath Ormlyr at
(x=500, y=600). If you talk to him with Bassilus' Holy Symbol in your
inventory, he'll take it and give you one hell of a reward for a fight
that, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't all that hard. 5000 gold and
one of the best blunt weapons in the game... if only all fights were as
rewarding, eh? If that's still not enough, however, you can attempt to
rob the four Sirines, each of which carries a Pearl. Once you're done
increasing your wealth, leave.
***REWARD***
(For slaying Bassilus)
EXP 1000
Gold 5000
Vestibule (AR3401)
o======================================================================o
3) This is a bit extraneous, but worth mentioning for those savage
experience-and-gold-hungry folks out there. North-west of the temple
you can find the Vestibule (x=480, y=850), wherein you'll find two Dawn
Priests, Blane (x=380, y=520) and Bram (x=320, y=220). They have nothing of
interest to say, unless you're overly interested in shiny floors. They
can, however, be massacred without any reputation loss. They're worth
300 experience points each, and will both leave behind 64 gold, so...
free money and experience. Thanks to Mr. Maasz for pointing this out to
me.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) For a Temple so close to town, this place is awfully dangerous.
southeast of the temple, for example, is a pack of Hobgoblins. When you
get near their leader, Cattack, will approach you (x=3400, y=2600). This
is another situation where you can lure the leader away from his party
and deal with him individually, although Cattack and his men should no
longer be a threat to you. Still, if you do this you can kill Cattack
off in the distance, and his Hobgoblins won't turn hostile. That way,
you can return to the temple any time you wish to hear the gentle
cooing of Hobgoblins! When Cattack falls he'll leave behind a suit of
Studded Leather Armor, a Helmet, a Lynx Eye Gem, a Two-Handed Sword,
and 34 gold.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Skim along the northern edge of the map until you get to the north
eastern corner. Below you, along the upper eastern edge of the map are
a variety of Wolves, ranging from the lowly Worg to the Vampiric Wolf.
Vampiric Wolves outside of a temple to the sun god? Irony. Anyhow, they
can paralyze, and like all doggies in Baldur's Gate, they are strangely
strong... I typically do this quest earlier, to make off with some of
the experience here, but doing it now in the guide is less risky.
Vampiric Wolves cannot be harmed by normal (non-magical) weapons, and
if you get paralyzed in a pack of Wolves, you're pretty much a goner. So
use a character with stealth to spy on them and mark their locations.
Once done, hit them with Entangle spells until any Vampiric Wolves are
affected. Then, bring up archers with some of those spiffy Arrows +1 you
have been finding, and shoot them down. Be careful not to use any
magical arrows on normal Wolves though, that's just a waste. My evil
party didn't have the benefit of Imoen, and my Fighter/Mage/Thief was
nowhere near as deadly at ranged combat as my Fighter/Mage, so another
strategy was in order. Sure, the same one would have worked, but it
would have been more touch-and-go and would have taken longer. Instead,
with Kagain, Shar-Teel, Viconia, and Jaheira, I felt more comfortable
with a melee encounter. I was cautious to lure only a few wolves up at
a time and gave my undivided attention to the Vampiric specimens.
Killing these doggies will give you some nice experience, and clear
out the temple area. There are a few more encounters with random NPCs,
including a run-in with a drunkard who claims to be a lich, but you can
explore and find these humorous-if unimportant-encounters on your own.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) Now you should be pretty well off, money-wise. My party has just over
20,000 gold, which makes it high time to purchase some gear. Before you
do so, however, you should make sure you reputation is decent. It's a
cost-effective investment to raise your reputation before making some
major purchases. I purchase a suit of Full Plate Mail, the Dagger of
Venom, and a Short Bow +1 from the Thunder Hammer Smithy. I also buy a
Composite Long Bow +1 from Feldpost's (you may also consider buying the
Battle Axe +1 from Feldpost's if you have Kagain.) Remember to turn in
any Winter Wolf pelts you may have found to the owner of the Nashkel
Store. 500 gold pieces a pelt will make anybody's coin purse happier.
Unless the purse doesn't like being fat.
When you've purchased all you can (or want), get ready to go to the
Nashkel Mines. Get rid of all the extra junk in your inventory so you
have as much looting room as possible, and make sure your reputation
is where you want it to be. Chapter 2 ends after the mines, and that
means a dream, and that means a new reputation-based spell. If you want
the good ability, make sure you have a good reputation beforehand, and
if you want the evil ability... well, kill somebody in a house or
something. When you're done, go to the Nashkel Mines. In this FAQ I'll
cover it all in one shot, but if you wish to leave and resupply, that's
fine... Wuss.
Nashkel Mines, Exterior (AR5400)
o======================================================================o
7) Now that we're here, we might as well explore this area before we
commit to the mines. Somewhere along the way a soldier named Dandal will
tell you about the 'dog-headed' monsters causing trouble. There's also
loot to be had. In the northwest corner of the map, at (x=165, y=180)
is a dead tree, in the hollow of which you'll find a Wand of Frost.
Nice.
***ITEMS***
(x=165, y=180) Wand of Frost
Storehouse (AR5406)
o======================================================================o
8) There's a storehouse at (x=2850, y=400) that begs you to explore it.
It's guarded by a trio of War Dogs, but they're not a serious threat to
us by now.
***ITEMS***
(x=280, y=430) Potion of Healing
(x=100, y=200) 33 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) Southeast of the mines, around (x=3000, y=2800), you'll run into a
gnome named Galtok, who is being pursued by some kobolds. After you're
done talking to him, several Kobolds will spawn for your killing
pleasure. If the Nashkel movie and the comments of various NPCs
(including Dandal earlier) hasn't clued you onto the problem, this is
yet another hint.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) At (x=650, y=2710) you'll find the artist Prism, working on his
latest masterpiece. If you talked to Oublek you'd have heard of Prism,
who is wanted for the theft of some emeralds. Talk to him, and he will
confuse you with Greywolf's lackeys. Popular guy, this Greywolf. You can
try and take him in, which will turn him hostile and force you to kill
him. You'll complete the quest, but it's much more rewarding to let him
finish his masterpiece. As you wait, Greywolf will show up to claim the
bounty. Obviously you gain nothing by letting Greywolf do his job, so
stand up for Prism and pick a fight. If you're still lower-leveled you
can take Greywolf out the same way you take out Ogres. Entangle him and
shoot him to death, or cast Command Word: Die and maim him. Once he's
dead he'll drop a suit of Studded Leather Armor, the Longsword +2:
Varscona, and 102 gold. This sword is fantastic, and will serve Ajantis
or Shar-Teel for a long time to come. Talk to Prism again, and he will
thank you, walk off, and die. He'll call out to 'Ellesime' before he
dies. It's a name you will hear again... but not until the sequel. Take
his emeralds and turn them into Oublek when you're done with the mines,
or keep them and sell them, whichever.
***REWARD***
(For allowing Prism to finish his masterpiece)
EXP 1000
Reputation +1
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) Talk to Emerson at (x=980, y=1130). He'll be nicer if your reputation
is better, but he'll allow you in the mines regardless. Then talk to the
Amnish Soldier at (x=1200, y=700) to enter the mine. Take a deep breath,
and head into the darkness. Suspenseful! Here are my stats heading into
the mines, to let you know what I'm working with, and give you an idea
where you should hopefully be. The mines aren't too tough, as they were
designed more to challenge level 1 and 2 characters. By level 4 and 5,
this place is cake.
GOOD PARTY STATS: NASHKEL MINES
o======================================================================o
Ajantis
Paladin 5
Experience: 20539
Hit points: 60
THAC0: 13
Armor Class: -6
Weapon: Longsword +2: Varscona
Helm: Helmet of Infravision
Armor: Full Plate Mail
Gloves: Gauntlets of Dexterity
Ring: Ring of Protection +1
Shield: Large Shield +1
Belt: Girdle of Bluntness
Cloak: Algernon's Cloak
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Jaheira
Fighter 4/Druid 4
Experience: 11766/11766
Hit points: 48
THAC0: 15
Armor Class: -1
Weapon: Dagger of Venom
Helm: Helmet
Armor: Ankheg Plate Mail
Shield: Large Shield +1
Belt: Girdle of Piercing
Boots: Boots of the North
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Viconia
Cleric 5
Experience: 20577
Hit points: 40
THAC0: 16
Armor Class: -5
Weapon: War Hammer +2: Ashideena
Helm: Helmet
Armor: Ankheg Plate Mail
Shield: Large Shield +1
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Minsc
Ranger 5
Experience: 20086
Hit points: 55
THAC0: 12
Armor Class: 4
Weapon: Two-Handed Sword +1
Composite Long Bow
Helm: Helmet
Armor: Studded Leather Armor +2
Boots: Boots of Stealth
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Protagonist
Fighter 4/Mage 4
Experience: 10076/10076
Hit points: 40
THAC0: 10
Armor Class: 3
Weapon: Halberd +1
Composite Long Bow +1
Helm: Helmet (Kagain's)
Armor: Knave's Robe
Gloves: Bracers of Defense A.C. 8
Ring: Ring of Wizardry
Ring: Ring of Protection +1
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Imoen
Rogue 5
Experience: 19924
Hit points: 40
THAC0: 14
Armor Class: 3
Weapon: Short Sword +2: The Whistling Sword
Short Bow
Armor: Studded Leather Armor
Gloves: Bracers of Archery
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
EVIL PARTY STATS: NASHKEL MINES
o======================================================================o
Viconia
Cleric 6
Experience: 33812
Hit points: 48
THAC0: 16
Armor Class: -5
Weapon: War Hammer +2: Ashideena
Helm: Helmet (Kagain's)
Armor: Ankheg Plate Mail
Shield: Large Shield +1
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Kagain
Fighter 6
Experience: 34824
Hit points: 90
THAC0: 11
Armor Class: -6
Weapon: Battle Axe +1
Helm: Helmet
Armor: Full Plate Mail
Gloves: Gauntlets of Dexterity
Ring: Ring of Protection +1
Shield: Large Shield +1
Belt: Girdle of Bluntness
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Shar-Teel
Fighter 6
Experience: 33010
Hit points: 60
THAC0: 8
Armor Class: -3
Weapon: Long Sword +2: 'Varscona'
Helm: Helm of Infravision
Armor: Plate Mail Armor
Ring: Ring of Protection +1
Shield: Large Shield +1
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Jaheira
Fighter 5/Druid 5
Experience: 17630/17630
Hit points: 60
THAC0: 14
Armor Class: -1
Weapon: Dagger of Venom
Helm: Helmet
Armor: Ankheg Plate Mail
Shield: Large Shield +1
Belt: Girdle of Piercing
Boots: Boots of the North
Cloak: Algernon's Cloak
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Protagonist
Fighter 4/Mage 4/Thief 4
Experience: 11142/11142/11142
Hit points: 43
THAC0: 11
Armor Class: 6
Weapon: Composite Long Bow
Helm: Helmet
Armor: Knave's Robe
Gloves: Bracers of Archery
Boots: Boots of Stealth
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Edwin
Conjurer 5
Experience: 34017
Hit points: 30
THAC0: 18
Armor Class: 4
Weapon: Quarter Staff +1
Sling +1
Amulet: Edwin's Amulet
Armor: Mage Robe of Cold Resistance
Gloves: Bracers of Defense A.C. 8
Ring: Ring of Wizardry
Note: The evil party ended up with more experience by this point in the
game for two reasons: First, I killed many more Ankhegs this time
around-mostly to counter the lower reputation I had, and yes, also to
grind for my weaker protagonist. Also, because I recruited Viconia and
Shar-Teel, I felt obligated to explore the areas they are found.
Basilisks give lots of experience, and the tactics for defeating them
remain the same at level three as they are at level eight-Protection
from Petrification on a sturdy character, then kill them all with said
protected character.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Nashkel Mines (interior) |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK012}
1) Ruffie's Demons
2) Marvin's Ghosts
3) Bob's Dragon
4) Dink the Dagger-giver
5) Gay-Name Tunnel
6) To Level 2
7) Beldin's Bad Day
8) Returning Kylee's Dagger
9) Catching the Kobold Culprits!
10) Joseph's Greenstone Ring
11) Eastern Exploration
12) Western Wandering
13) Trapped Gap and Beyond
14) More Traps and Kobolds
15) Arachnicide
16) Ghoul Near the Pool
17) To Level 4
18) Another Bridge to Cross
19) Mulahey's Conspiracy
20) Useless Xan
21) Leaving the Mines
Mine Level 1 (AR5401)
o======================================================================o
1) Head into the mine and a miner named 'Miner Gord' will talk to you.
He'll tell you to seek out another miner named Ruffie. Ruffie is just
south, at (x=1200, y=820). He will helpfully tell you that demons are
the cause of the disturbance. Right. To the south again, you'll find one
Miner Dink (x=1570, y=1300), who is rather pessimistic about your
chances of success. Oh, and in case you were wondering-no, there is no
point in picking up any of the contaminated ore.
***ITEMS***
(x=1600, y=770) War Hammer, Long Sword
(x=1150, y=1000) Contaminated Ore
(x=1850, y=1350) Contaminated Ore
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) Now, there's no real need to explore this level of the mine
thoroughly, but for the sake of completionism, let's. To the east you'll
find Miner Marvin wandering around. Did you know that my parents almost
named me Marvin? Yep. I would have been Marvin Michael Garvin. My life
would have sucked-but my named would have been awesome. Anyways, he'll
blame the troubles in the mine on ghosts... but it seems like the mine
might have more of a problem with laziness.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) If you head south from where you met wandering Marvin, you'll pass
two Amnish Soldiers and come to a fork in the tunnel. To the southeast
you'll find Miner Bob (x=2710, y=1260), who thinks the mine monster is
nothing short of a Dragon. Demons, Dragons, and Ghosts? My bet now is
a sinkhole and a very low local IQ average.
***ITEMS***
(x=2350, y=1050) Contaminated Ore
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) Back-track to the fork and take the unexplored tunnel south, then
follow it as it turns west. Along the way you'll run into a Kobold, of
all things. Step on it, and continue west until you run into Miner Dink,
who will ask you to return a dagger to one Miner Kylee. Might as well,
unless you have a problem with quest experience, that is.
***ITEMS***
(x=1400, y=1800) Contaminated Ore
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Continue to the northwest to find another fork. The path to the
north leads back to where we met Miner Ruffie. If you explore to the
southwest you'll encounter another Kobold at a dead-end. To the
northeast is another Amnish Soldier and beyond him yet another fork.
Down to the southeast you'll find two more moronic miner-Miner Lesley
(x=500, y=1470) and Miner Cory. Must be the gay-name tunnel. Lesley has
a fit of claustrophobia and wanders off when you talk to him, and
Cory... well, he's just testy, but he's smart enough to think the
missing miners are getting lost in the dark.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) With that, we're done with this level. Continuing north just leads to
another empty dead-end tunnel, or back to the entrance. Return to where
you found Miner Dink and head down to the south. The exit to the next
level is at (x=2100, y=1850).
***ITEMS***
(x=1070, y=1260) Dagger
Mine Level 2 (AR5402)
o======================================================================o
7) This mine level is darker and more menacing than the last one, and
to set the mood, a terrified Miner Beldin will run up to you when you
head north a bit. He'll tell you that demons are everywhere, and to
prove his point, he promptly gets shot down by some Kobolds. This will
set the tone for the rest of this level. There are kobolds-many with
bows-fairly regularly throughout this level. Remember the advice that
I gave in the 'Hints and Tips' section of the guide (that you all
probably ignored), and lead with steel-somebody with a good Armor Class.
Note: If you retreat back to the entrance of the area after triggering
Miner Beldin to show up, you can lure him safely down the tunnel as he
tries to talk to you. This triggers the Kobolds-but Beldin is out of
their sight, and hence, lives to mine another day. He's probably better
off dead... anyways, it doesn't matter. He vanishes from the game upon
exiting this level, but it's fun to thwart the game, nonetheless.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) From the entrance head north, and when the path branches (where
Miner Beldin was) head northwest. When you reach another fork, follow
the mine cart rails to the north. Finally, on the next split follow a
connecting set of rail tracks to the southwest to find a large room.
At (x=850, y=2100) you'll find Kylee, whose dagger you possess. Give it
back to him for a small reward and some information. There are also some
weapon racks in this room, probably for those who came down here with
breakable weapons. But we're too cool for that, what with our magical
gear and all, right?
***ITEMS***
(x=1920, y=1820) Contaminated Ore
(x=880, y=1820) Contaminated Ore
(x=900, y=1800) Contaminated Ore
(x=920, y=1980) Contaminated Ore
(x=880, y=1980) Contaminated Ore
(x=550, y=1780) War Hammer, Battle Axe
(x=700, y=1770) Battle Axe, Long Sword, Short Sword
***REWARD***
(For giving Miner Kylee his dagger)
EXP 200
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) Explore the rest of the level as you wish, but the way down to the
next level is to the east. The western and northern parts of the level
consist of carts carrying contaminated ore, nameless miners with stock
conversations, Amnish Soldiers with just as little to say, and Kobolds.
Backtrack to the northeast and strive to explore in that direction
until you find a large body of water in the middle of the level with a
natural bridge running across it. Head across this bridge to the
southeast, smiting Kobolds as you go. On the far (eastern) side of the
water-room, head northeast until you find some more rail cart tracks,
and follow them south. Before you reach the exit to the next level
you'll find a pair of Kobolds. Kill and loot them to find two Vials of
Mysterious Liquid. Wonder what THAT could be, eh? Enter the next level
(x=3500, y=2600).
***ITEMS***
(x=1970, y=1170) Contaminated Ore
(x=2000, y=1120) Contaminated Ore
(x=1950, y=1020) Contaminated Ore
(x=2050, y=1000) Contaminated Ore
(x=2100, y=950) Contaminated Ore
(x=1570, y=730) Contaminated Ore
(x=1150, y=880) Contaminated Ore
(x=980, y=850) Contaminated Ore
(x=1450, y=600) Contaminated Ore
(x=1400, y=280) Contaminated Ore
(x=3350, y=350) Halberd, Spear, Quarterstaff
(x=3400, y=1200) Quarterstaff, Quarterstaff, Halberd
(x=2900, y=2200) Halberd, Spear, Quarterstaff
Note from Lee:
On one of my playthroughs, one of the Kobolds on the bridge dropped
Bullets +1 x5
Mine Level 3 (AR5403)
o======================================================================o
10) Right in front of you at (x=1590, y=260) you'll find Joseph's
Greenstone Ring. His wife will be... well, mixed feelings, I imagine.
Keep it for now. There's a trap to the east, which might just be our
first trap of the game. Exciting! Disarm it and continue east.
***ITEMS***
(x=1590, y=260) Joseph's Greenstone Ring
(x=1700, y=550) Contaminated Ore, Potion of Healing
(x=1670, y=500) Contaminated Ore
(x=1660, y=450) Contaminated Ore
***TRAPS***
(x=1800, y=350)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) There are two tunnels that run east-following the northern-most one
and you'll come across some Kobolds and a dead-end. Follow the
southern-most one and you'll reach a north-south running tunnel with a
small pool of water in it, along with crates and Kobolds... it's also
a dead-end.
***ITEMS***
(x=3700, y=780) Fire Agate Gem
(x=3690, y=700) 26 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) Now backtrack to where you entered the level and explore to the
west. If you thought the eastern exploration was boring... well, the
west sucks even worse. There are two groups of Kobolds to exterminate at
the far western end of the tunnels, one group to the north, and the
other to the south. Fun. Now backtrack to where you entered again, and
this time head southeast until you find a land-bridge connecting the
northern and southern halves of the level.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) However harmless a natural bit of dirt suspended over a lava-filled
pit might look, this land-bridge is actually covered with traps, and
guarded by a trio of Kobolds equipped with shortbows. Their goal? To
provoke you into rushing across the traps. I shoot them down with Minsc,
who is more than capable of out-shooting a few rat-lizards. Afterwards,
Imoen calmly walks up and disarms the traps.
***TRAPS***
(x=2300, y=1310)
(x=2300, y=1380)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
14) Once you reach the southern edge of the level you'll find that
this half of the level is also split into eastern and western tunnels...
and again, there are two paths to the east. Both are crawling with
Kobolds, but the southern-most one has the benefit of traps, behind
which the Kobolds lurk. Either send Minsc to shoot the guarding
Kobolds down, or just go east along the northern path, whence you can
circle down south and attack the Kobolds from the east, where their
traps will do them no good.
***TRAPS***
(x=2050, y=2150)
(x=2100, y=2200)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
15) Once you're done exploring the meaningless dead-end to the east,
back-track to the bridge spanning the center of the level. From here
head to the southwest to find a chamber on the southern-most edge of
the level housing a pair of Huge Spiders, which shouldn't provide a
mid-level party the slightest concern.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
16) From here we have two routes to explore-there's a tunnel to the
east, just north of the room where we vanquished the Huge Spiders, or...
there's the entire southwestern part of the area. Let's explore to the
west, first, to get it out the way. Northwest from the spider room
you'll find a Ghoul contemplating the meaning of life near a pool of
water. Alas for our amateur undead friend, the meaning of life is
death-show him some. Once done, kill some Kobolds to the northwest,
then backtrack until you're just north of the Huge Spider room.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
17) From here head east and kill a small group of Kobolds. Further east
you'll find a tiny land-bridge leading over some lava, beyond which
await a trio of Kobolds armed with Shortbows, and a Kobold Commando.
What's a Kobold Commando? A slightly tougher Kobold that shoot flaming
arrows. Let me go on record by saying I HATE these things. They are
uncannily good at shooting you, and deal plenty of damage when they do
hit. Fortunately there aren't many here, and it's not like we'll
encounter them again, in greater, quickly-respawing numbers. Right?
Meh... Anyways, keeping going east and disarm the traps in front of the
exit to the next, and lowest, level of the mine (x=3450, y=2350).
***TRAPS***
(x=3200, y=2570)
(x=3200, y=2520)
(x=3200, y=2480)
Mine Level 4 (AR5404)
o======================================================================o
18) Head northeast and kill a lone Kobold in the tunnel, then continue
northeast until you reach a large chamber. To the east looms a large
structure of some sort - a cavern within a cavern - encircled by water
and bridged by a narrow rock walkway. As you've come to expect, a group
of Kobolds (including another Kobold Commando) guard the eastern side
of the bridge. Destroy them and note the entrance to this curious
structure at (x=1450, y=1150), wherein we'll find the cause of this
mine's woes. First, however, follow the walkway outside of the structure
counter-clockwise until you encounter a Ghoul at (x=2400, y=1480), which
can be smote for some extra experience. Wee... when you're done, enter
the chamber-within-a-chamber.
Underground Cavern (AR5405)
o======================================================================o
19) Inside the cavern, to the southeast, is a Half-Orc named Mulahey
(x=690, y=890), and above him are several Kobolds. If you're tricky, you
can shoot down the Kobolds without drawing Mulahey's attention. If he
sees you, he'll move to initiate dialogue with you, which experience has
taught use we can use to lure him to our party. His conversation ends in
a fight, with him summoning a group of Skeletons and Kobolds north of
the entrance to this cavern. He's a Cleric, and like we've seen, if he
gets off a Hold Person his minions will be troublesome. Keep on top of
him and when he's low on health he'll surrender. Don't yield, as he's
just using this as an opportunity to summon more minions. When Mulahey
dies he'll leave behind a suit of Chain Mail Armor, Boots of Grounding,
a Ring of Holiness, a Large Shield, Mulahey's Holy Symbol, a Morning
Star, and 29 gold. I give the boots to my main character (or a Mage) as
they will be the ones most likely to be subjected to lightning bolts.
The Ring of Holiness goes to Viconia (or another Cleric), as I find her
spells more useful than Jaheira's. Loot Mulahey's chest at
(x=650, y=860). Read the letters, as one will point you in the right
direction: to find a Mage by the name of Tranzig, who is staying in
Feldpost's Inn. The notes are signed by one Tazok, the ogre Kivan is
trying to slay, and Tranzig is, of course, the Mage who imprisoned
Branwen. Crazy how everybody's problems revolve around this iron crisis,
no? Keep the letters and Mulahey's Holy Symbol, as they serve as
evidence for Berrun Ghastkill. Now who does this Moonblade belong to...?
***ITEMS***
(x=650, y=860) Potion of Absorption, Potion of Healing x2,
Short Sword +1, Letter x2, Scroll of Armor,
Scroll of Infravision, Scroll of Charm Person,
Scroll of Sleep, Scroll of Identify, Scroll of Web,
Moonblade, and 790 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
20) At (x=800, y=590) you'll find Xan, to whom the Moonblade you found
in Mulahey's chest belongs. You can accept him into your party, but
because Xan sucks I leave him behind. If only he was a Fighter/Mage who
could put that Moonblade to use... but no, he just sucks. His 13
Strength would make him useless as a Fighter anyways. That Moonblade is
there merely to taunt you, although you cannot sell it so you might as
well just give it to Xan.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
21) Leave the central cavern and walk around the outside ledge of the
moat, working your way clockwise. There will be two Gray Oozes in your
path. Smite them and exit the mines at (x=3000, y=900). Keep in mind
that once you leave, the only way back to the lowest level of the
Nashkel Mines is to wander through the rest of the mines again... you
won't be returning via your escape route.
Note: Now that you've smashed up the Nashkel Mine operation, be wary
of an assassin that awaits you in Nashkel. If you follow the guide by
the letter, you'll be fine, but if you feel the need to return to town
early you might want to skip ahead to read Step #11 of the next
Sequence of Events.
o======================================================================o
| Chapter 3 |
o======================================================================o
| |
| Back to Beregost |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK013}
1) Fresh Air
2) Tomb Robbing
3) Hentold's Haunting
4) The Revenant
5) Narcillicus Harwilliger Neen
6) More Tomb Robbing
7) Iron Throne Assassins
8) Joseph's Widow
9) Berrun's Reward
10) Prism's Bounty
11) Nimbul
12) Officer Jessa Vai
13) Dual-Classing Imoen
Wilderness (AR5000)
o======================================================================o
1) You've exited the mines and now find yourself in an area to the east.
Although your packs may be bursting with loot, this area is worth
exploring before we run back to Nashkel. Also, when you rest you'll gain
another spell for your main character. This area is populated by various
Dogs, Gnolls, and Ankhegs, in addition to the non-random encounters
below.
Tombs (AR5001)
o======================================================================o
2) From where we exited the Nashkel Mine (x=1770, y=770) head southwest
until you find the entrance to a tomb (x=900, y=1750) which contains a
Ghoul and a coffin. Splatter the Ghoul, loot the coffin, and then make
like a tree and leave.
***ITEMS***
(x=200, y=150) 81 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) South of the tomb you'll run into a rogue named Hentold
(x=1230, y=2900), who is spooked about something. Accept to help him and
'take it back.' He'll give you a Dagger +2 and tell you he got it from a
tomb in the east. Who wants to bet that we have no intention of giving
this dagger back? (I do!)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) Head east, and at (x=1900, y=2850) you'll find the entrance to
another tomb, inside of which you'll find a Revenant. It'll ask you for
the dagger Hentold gave you. If you give it back you'll get a minor
reward. Of course, if you don't, it will attack you, while occasionally
asking for the dagger back. It's a fairly tough monster, but you should
be able to simply chop it down. The Revenant is immune to non-magical
weapons, but that shouldn't be a problem now, should it? If you kill it,
you get much more experience AND you keep the dagger. Nice. Leave the
tomb and continue to the east.
***ITEMS***
(central tomb)
(x=400, y=350) Potion of Invisibility, 35 gold
(x=500, y=400) Potion of Freedom, 107 gold
***ITEMS***
(northern tomb)
(x=200, y=150) 81 gold
***REWARD***
(For giving the Revenant its dagger)
EXP 900
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) At about (x=3780, y=2780) you'll find a Mage named Narcillicus
Harwilliger Neen, who has just discovered a way to control all slimes,
jellies, and oozes! If you show disdain for his discovery, he'll leave
without anything happening (dialogue option #1). If you call him mad,
he'll realize he indeed botched the casting (dialogue option #2, #1) and
four Green Slimes will appear and Neen will flee. If you are excited by
his discovery (dialogue option #2, #2) he'll become protective of his
discovery and attack, along with two Mustard Jellies. I'm fairly sure
they are immune to piercing damage, as well as damage from non-magical
weapons. They can also inflict a poisoning and slow upon characters they
hit. These guys can be rough early on, and if at all possible you should
try and lure them away from Neen, as the threat of a wizard is only
multiplied by having these creatures around. Once they are dead, move in
and deal with Neen. When he dies he'll leave behind a Knave's Robe, a
Scroll of Burning Hands, a Scroll of Web, a Scroll of Lightning Bolt, a
Dagger, and 38 gold. Killing them is by far the most rewarding path to
take.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) The third and last tomb is just a short way to the east, at
(x=4530, y=2800) and is populated by three Ghasts. Kill them and loot
the three sarcophagi behind them. This is where the real loot is at.
Now leave and give grave-robbing a rest... for now.
***ITEMS***
(southern tomb)
(x=750, y=450) Chain Mail Armor +1, Potion of Frost Giant Strength,
Arrows +2 x5
(x=800, y=500) Greenstone Ring
(x=900, y=530) Wand of Monster Summoning, Pearl Necklace
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Just north of the exit from the mines you'll find another group of
assassins. That's right, a group of them this time. There's four of
them, all females, led by one Lamalha (x=2090, y=200). They've got
archers; they've got spell casters. Rushing in head on is probably the
least effective way to deal with them, but now that my main character
has full use of 2nd level spells, I'll introduce a new tactic (a tactic
that is probably not 'new' to the evil party, as Edwin has had 2nd-level
Mage spells for a while now... but I digress...). I creep ahead with
Minsc who is using stealth to spy them out. When they are spotted, I
cast Web twice just in front of the closest enemy (while keeping my
spell-caster out of their sight range, i.e. behind Minsc). This way my
spell can affect them, but I do not draw their attention. Web functions
like a recurring Entangle, and it will constantly hold enemies in place.
Unlike Entangle, however, creatures who are webbed cannot attack with
spells or missile fire. The only downside is that it will affect my own
characters too. After they are webbed, I slink up with Minsc and my main
character, and promptly shoot them to death one at a time. When I get
it, I'll switch out Web with Stinking Cloud, as Stinking Cloud will
affect creatures for 1d4+1 rounds AFTER they fail a save. Web forces
them to save at a -2, but Stinking Cloud keeps them down much longer.
Also, when your Cleric gains the ability to cast Animate Dead you can
summon up some Skeletons and send them into the Stinking Clouds to
melee your incapacitated victims. This tactic is effective because
undead are immune to Stinking Cloud (poison) which means they can wade
in and massacre your foes without being affected. Fun! Of course,
nothing prevents you from helping your Skeletons out with missile fire
while they engage in melee-you'll kill more, faster, and it has the
added benefit of putting some summons in between you and the enemy if
the spell ends before everything is dead (not very likely). Maneira will
drop Leather Armor +2, a Potion of Magic Blocking, Oil of Fiery Burning,
20 Darts of Wounding, a Short Sword, and 78 gold. Zeela possessed a suit
of Splint Mail, a Medium Shield, a Potion of Hill Giant Strength, a
Flail, and 67 gold. Lamahla leaves behind a suit of Plate Mail, a
Helmet, a Medium Shield, a Potion of Power, a Potion of Stone Form, a
Mace, and 94 gold. Finally, Telka has a suit of Studded Leather
Armor +1, 20 Flaming Arrows, a Long Bow, a Short Sword, and 78 gold.
If you talked to Lamalha, chances are you heard her threaten you on
behalf of the Iron Throne. Oh yeah, it'll come up again. You'll notice
there were no bounty notes on them, meaning these ladies were hired by
a different source than the previous assassins. Nobody said solving an
iron crisis would be simple. Now there IS an area south of this one that
just begs to be explored, but it requires you to head back to the
Friendly Arm Inn, so we'll skip it for now and head back to Nashkel.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) First things first, let's return Joseph's Ring to his wife. Her house
is at (x=4200, y=2900), in case you forgot. You can tell her about the
ring, then decide to keep it as payment for telling her, which will make
her understandably angry. Or you could give the widow her late husband's
ring, since it's not worth much anyways. You only get the reward if you
give her the ring... so you can be evil, or pragmatic.
***REWARD***
(For returning Joseph's Greenstone Ring to his wife)
EXP 800
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) Go report to Berrun Ghastkill, who will reward you as long as you
have either both the notes or Mulahey's Holy Symbol. If you only have
the notes, he'll give you a smaller reward, if you have Mulahey's Holy
Symbol, you'll get a better reward.
***REWARD***
(For turning in Mulahey's Notes)
EXP 1000
Gold 900
---or---
***REWARD***
(For turning in Mulahey's Holy Symbol)
EXP 1000
Gold 900
Reputation +1
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) If you want to turn in the Emeralds you got from Prism, you might as
well do it now. Frankly though, you'll get more money selling the
Emeralds than you'll get for turning them in. Or... why not do both?
You can sell them to the proprietor of the Naskhel Store for a cool
1500 gold, steal them back, and give them to Oublek for the quest
reward. I'm usually pretty mercenary when I play this game, so I'm
somewhat at a loss as to how I've missed this obvious way to score
extra gold... anyways, thanks to P. Maasz for pointing this out.
***REWARD***
(For collecting the bounty on Prism)
EXP 200
Gold 300
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) Now that the mines are effectively over, it's time to sell/store our
loot and make ready for some more adventuring! First things first, head
up the road until you run into an assassin named Nimbul (x=1250, y=680)
who is voiced by the spectacular Michael Bell. He also does the voice
of Raziel in the Legacy of Kain series and more recently, of Sed in
Lost Odyssey. Look him up in IMDB, chances are, you've heard him on
something in the past 20 years. Even more pertinent, he does the voice
of a recruitable character in Baldur's Gate 2, the bard Haer'Dalis.
Anywho, I suggest luring him to the party, and attacking him with as
many melee characters as possible. He's got Mage spells and he isn't
afraid to use them, and usually this calls for missile fire, but he
is... well... exceptionally well-protected against them. Keep on him
and he should fall fairly quickly. Loot his body for Boots of Avoidance,
a Ring of Infravision, a letter, a Short Sword +1, 20 Throwing Axes,
and 58 gold. The boots and ring both go to Ajantis, and the former
explain why Nimbul was so hard to hit with missiles. It's a great
defensive item for your most hardy front line Fighter, the one who tends
to draw missile fire. Ajantis passes his helmet down to Minsc, seeing as
he no longer needs it. The Boots of Avoidance won't belong to Ajantis
for the rest of the game, but he'll have them on when he needs them.
You'll also notice that the letter Nimbul had was from Tazok, the same
character who was in charge of Mulahey (and the same Tazok who killed
Kivan's lover, if you read character biographies), and it also mentions
Tranzig (the same Tranzig who petrified Branwen. Again, character
biographies). Head on into Beregost when you're done in Nashkel and sell
or store whatever excess loot you might have.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) In Beregost you'll be approached by a child named Chloe, who will
be asking around for you. She'll tell you that a member of the Flaming
Fist named Officer Vai is looking for you, and that she's waiting in the
Jovial Juggler. All in good time. I head to Kagain's shop where I stash
all my loot and take out all my Bandit Scalps. With the scalps in hand I
head over to the Jovial Juggler to meet with Officer Vai. She'll
approach, and tell you that because of the bandit activity, she and her
men have been cut off from Baldur's Gate, and she's not happy about it.
She'll pay you 50 gold for each Bandit Scalp you bring her, 500 for a
Winter wolf pelt, and 1000 for any Wyvern heads-when you find some. You
may also be bothered by Elminster again sometime in Beregost, but this
is an inconsequential encounter. He will tell you that the Bandits are
in the northeast, but this doesn't do much to further our cause.
Note: If your reputation is low enough, Officer Vai will attack you.
You know, being a wanted criminal and all, and she being an officer of
the Flaming Fist... it's kind of her job.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) Now it's time to stash my loot and get ready for another spree of
exploration. Sure we could have done all this earlier, but why do all
our optional exploration at once? Gaming is better if you mix some story
in once in a while, and it's better for the FAQ, too. There is, however,
a serious change taking place in my good party - if not already, then
certainly before I finish this chapter, Imoen will hit that 20,000
experience mark, meaning it'll be time to dual-class her. We all know
how it works: turn her into a Conjurer and give her Proficiency in
Missile Weapons. This is a large transition and deserves a decent
explanation - Imoen will no longer be able to use anything a Mage can't
use (at least, until she hits 7th-level as a Mage and gets her Thief
abilities back). This means no Bracers of Archery (Minsc uses them in
the meantime), no armor, no Short Bow +1. We'll find other stuff to get
her shortly, but for now, just make sure she has a Sling (preferably the
Sling +1 sold at the Thunderhammer Smithy-she'll get more use out of it
than Viconia or Jaheira will) and plenty of sling Bullets. Also have her
scribe any scrolls you SHOULD have been saving. Anyways, it's time to
head to the area west of High Hedge, with the ambition of clearing out
all the western areas I have access to.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Western Areas and the Northern Farmhouse |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK014}
1) Shoal the Nereid
2) Ogre Clan
3) The Surgeon
4) Mad Arcand, Wertle woo
5) Seductive Safana
6) A Note on Sirines
7) Sil's Squad
8) Seaside Cavern
9) Diviner Drama
10) Fifteen Birds...
11) Gnoll Tribe
12) Charleston Nib's Excavation
13) Best Left Buried
14) Wrath of Kozah
15) Get Off My Land!
16) A Cousin's Plea
17) Captain Crazy
18) Bjornin's Bullies
19) Teyngan's Trio
20) Drizzt's Cameo
21) Hafiz's Horrors
22) Hunting for Samuel
23) Hidden Treasure
24) Lena's Plea
25) Zombieland
26) Rich Farmhouse!
Wilderness (AR3100)
o======================================================================o
1) At (x=2900, y=530) you'll find Shoal the Nereid. If you talk to her,
she'll trick/force whomever talked to her into a kiss and kill them off.
That being the case, whatever you do, do NOT talk to her with your main
character, because her kiss is fatal, and she doesn't take no for an
answer. You CAN just kill her, and if you do you'll receive a whopping
5000 experience for her. Still... it's more profitable to let her talk
to you. Lead with a character who is disposable... in this case I choose
Imoen, since at her level she's the least useful. Once she is kissed,
Imoen dies and Shoal turns hostile. Rough her up a bit and she'll yield,
blaming her actions on one Ogre Droth. Force her to restore your comrade
and offer to fight on her behalf. She will do so, but your fallen
comrade will have only a single Hit Point and their loot will have
dropped wherever they died, so quickly heal them and equip them again.
Droth will show up eventually and question Shoal. Kill him and talk to
Shoal for some experience. Droth will drop a Helmet of Defense, a Horn
Coral Gem, a Bastard Sword, and 129 gold. The Helmet of Defense gives a
bonus to all saves and 20% resistance to electrical, cold, and fire
damage. I put it on Viconia, as improving her saves will make her less
likely to fall victim to status effects. If your Cleric is
incapacitated, they wont be able to use their magic to help others.
***REWARD***
(For rescuing Shoal the Nereid)
EXP 750
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) Just east of the center of the map, at around (x=3400, y=1900),
you'll find a clan of Ogres, consisting of everything from Ogrillons,
Half Ogres, Ogres, and Ogre Berserkers. Simply put, they're not to be
trifled with. I hit them with a double shot of Web and some Entangles
(for good measure) and shoot most of them to death.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) At (x=2890, y=2090) you'll find the Surgeon, who will offer to heal
your party. After fighting those Ogres nearby, you might just want to
take him up on his offer. If you ask who he is, he'll tell you about
his brother, Davaeorn. Again, who wants to bet that name will come up
again? He'll cast about seven Cure Light Wounds on you and leave. That's
refreshing, eh? You can also steal a variety of potions from him,
including a Potion of Magic Protection, an Antidote, a Potion of
Healing, and an Elixir of Health.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) At (x=2000, y=1280) you'll find a gnome named Mad Arcand, who will
ask you to retrieve an item from a pirate ship (x=900, y=1590). Go
search the ship, which is guarded by Carrion Crawlers, and retrieve a
ring from it. The ring is cursed, so there's no reason to keep it.
Return it to Mad Arcand for a reward. Now that you're done here, head
down to the area south of this one... the area with the light house. To
get there, you might have to backtrack to the area where we killed
Bassilus (AR3700), and exit via the western edge of the map.
***ITEMS***
(x=900, y=1590) Ring of Folly
***REWARD***
(For returning the Ring of Folly to Mad Arcand)
EXP 300
Items Oil of Fiery Burning
Wilderness (AR3600)
o======================================================================o
5) At (x=3750, y=2390) you'll find the Thief Safana. She wants to go
hunting for the treasure of one 'Black Alaric'. If you need a Thief,
Safana is a great choice, if you've got Imoen and plan to keep her, tell
Safana to walk. Accept to hunt for the treasure (which we'll do shortly)
if you want her in your party.
Note from Lee:
I pick up Safana here - with Imoen recently dual-classed to Mage, I
need a good Thief more than a good fighter at this point. I plan to
keep her until Imoen regains her Thief abilities, then dump her ass
and pick up either Kivan or Ajantis in her place.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) There is a path down the center of the map that leads south. It is
positively swarming with Hobgoblins, and they respawn fairly regularly.
Find and kill a group of Hobgoblins near the shore, in the middle of
the map, then continue along the shore to the west. You'll probably run
into a few Sirenes along the way, and they can cause havoc. They tend to
start out by casting Invisibility, then they follow up the next two
rounds casting Charm Person, which-needless to say-can cause problems.
Charmed characters will attack their allies, and should be avoided or,
if you're a high enough level, dispelled. After that they tend to fire
away with Arrows of Biting, which can do some serious damage, especially
if they decide to continue shooting at a charmed character (it happens).
Still, I find the best way to kill Sirines is to simply concentrate as
much missile fire on them as possible. Fittingly, they give a hefty sum
of experience, and they drop Arrows of Biting and Pearls, both of which
are fairly nice. Keep your Arrows of Biting when you get them - you'll
use them shortly, and it would be such a waste to use them up on Sirines
and Hobgoblins.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Keep going west along the shore until you can't go west any more...
if you find a lighthouse, you're too far south, and need to explore the
northern shore running west. From the western edge of the map head
north until you find Sil (x=350, y=1150) and two of her Sirine buddies.
I drop Webs on them and do my best to pick them off. Now that Imoen can
throw Web spells, I can drop four of them in succession, which just
about ends most fights before they begin... this one included.
Pirate's Cave (AR3601)
o======================================================================o
8) There's a cave that Sil and her gals were in front of (x=400, y=900).
Go inside the cave and exterminate the Flesh Golems within. Flesh
Golems are tough and immune to non-magical weapons, but by now you
should be able to slay them without suffering too much. How tough are
they? They can hit a -5 Armor Class on a roll of 17, which makes them
fairly rough in my book. Fortunately, you kept those Arrows of Biting
that Sirines have been donating to us, right? These arrows are
exceptionally effective again Flesh Golems, as one or two arrows can
kill them if you let the poison do its work. Equip them on a sneaky
archer (Minsc, for example), shoot a Flesh Golem, run away, and hide.
This cave is all but designed for hit-and-run fun. If the Flesh Golem
fails its save and takes poison damage, wait and let the poison do its
work. If not, sneak up and shoot them again. There are a total of three
Flesh Golems in the cave, and they are fairly far apart. By the way,
this cave is a great place to level up, since Flesh Golems will attack
you fairly regularly if you rest. Anyways, there's a... rock... you can
loot at (x=700, y=350). Among its other treasures is a Manual of Bodily
Health. As always, use this on your main character. Mmm... Constitution.
Exit the cavern and continue exploring the wilderness area. If you have
Safana in your party, she'll offer to stay with the group after clearing
out this cavern.
***ITEMS**
(x=700, y=350) Dart of Wounding x10, Antidote, Potion of Infravision,
Elixer of Health, Potion of Absorption,
Wand of Paralyzation, Cloak of the Wolf,
Manual of Bodily Health, 312 gold
Note from Lee:
I use this cave to gain levels for several characters - at 333xp per
character per Golem, it really is a great place to take advantage.
Rest, kill a Golem, rinse, repeat until you have achieved what you want.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) At (x=3500, y=2950) you'll find a Mage by the name of Arkushule, who
will offer to read your fortune. Allow her to, and she'll tell you what
she sees. She'll become uneasy when learns about you 'back before this
Gorion.' Continue to pester her for what she saw and she'll freak out
and attack. Kill her and take her stuff. You'll gain a Mage Robe of
Cold Resistance, a Scroll of Burning Hands, and 38 gold.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) At (x=1420, y=3680) you'll find a commoner whose son was playing in
an abandoned lighthouse before some Worgs came and surrounded the place.
Head up to the northwest to find the light house and slay all the worgs
around it. There are only about three of them, which makes this a piece
of cake. When they're dead go back to the mother for your reward. Now
head to the area south of this one.
***REWARD***
(For saving the boy from the Worgs)
EXP 500
Gold 60
Reputation +1
Wilderness (AR4100)
o======================================================================o
11) To the east, along the northern edge of the map you'll find a large
variety of Gnolls, including Gnoll Elites, Slashers, Veterans, a Flind,
and a Chieftain. Kill them, and loot the Chieftain for a nice little
payday.
Excavation Site (AR4101)
o======================================================================o
12) Towards the middle of the map you'll find a dig site, and the dig
leader Charleston Nib (x=2860, y=1510) (but you'll have to wait until
the sequel to meet DigDag... there's a limit to how much dig you get in
one game). Talk to Charleston Nib and pick any dialogue option the first
time you get a chance to respond, then when you can reply again, avoid
calling them tomb-robbers, don't try and rob them, and don't pick any of
the dialogue options with "goodbye" in them... essentially, inquire into
what they're doing, and agree to help watch over their camp. When the
conversation is over another man, Gallor, will come and talk to you.
He's under the impression that there is some great treasure to be found
in this excavation and asks you to remove Nib. Accept or don't, but if
Gallor walks off you wont get a reward from him. If you threatened to
rob Nib, or were otherwise rude, Nib won't let you into the excavated
tomb, and you'll have no choice but to either leave them be, or side
with Gallor and butcher Nib and company. For the good party, I have them
play nice with Nib and turn Gallor down and for the evil party... well,
I do the same, since siding with Nib is ultimately less dangerous and
more profitable.
Excavated Tomb (AR4101)
o======================================================================o
13) Either side with Gallor or turn him down (de facto siding with Nib),
then talk to Nib to enter the tomb (if you didn't piss Nib off earlier).
A cutscene ensues where the game gives a brilliant show of how much its
pathfinding sucks. The diggers will go mad and you'll have to put them
down. After the slaughter, talk to Nib one more time for a reward (if
you didn't side with Gallor). Now if you want to be evil, you have to
kill Nib and take the treasure from a sarcophagus (x=1150, y=550), or
you can warn Nib of Gallor's plans for some experience. Nib has a
Sunstone Gem and 100 gold on him. If you sided with Charleston Nib and
left the Idol alone, this quest is over, if not... well, either way,
you need to head back to the surface.
***ITEMS***
(x=1150, y=550) Idol
***REWARD***
(For siding with Charleston Nib)
EXP 1000
Gold 50
Reputation +1
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
14) If you take the Idol you got from the sarcophagus out of the tomb
(regardless of whether you've sided with Gallor or Charleston), a
Doomsayer will be waiting for you when you reach the surface at
(x=2650, y=1570). It'll babble at you-but the meaning is clear-it
wants the Idol you stole, and if you refuse to hand it over, it'll
attack. The Doomsayer is a rough opponent-as an undead creature, it's
immune to mind-affecting attacks, so don't bother trying to debilitate
it with spells. It's also got a very low Armor Class, high Hit Points,
a potent melee attack (with fast attack speed and a low THAC0 making up
for what it might lack in pure damage) and it can be harmed only by
magical weapons. In a straight fight, a 5th-6th level party will
probably be able to chop it down if you withdraw injured characters,
use healing spells, get it to attack more protected party members, and
whittle it down with damage-dealing spells (Magic Missile works wonders
here.) There is, however, a way to make this fight much easier-the
humble Dispel Magic spell will remove a few buffs that can significantly
weaken the Doomsayer. These two effects (which, as far as I can tell
are permanently granted to it via equipped, non-droppable items-this is
how Bioware grants many monster traits, abilities, resistances, and
immunities) are Blur and Flame Blade. Taking away Blur will make it
quite a bit easier to hit, and removing Flame Blade will effectively
cut its damage in half. This is a good thing. So, if you're keen to
fight it in order to keep the Idol, for the Doomsayer's 4000 EXP kill
value, or just because you can, hit it with Dispel Magic, pump it full
of Magic Missiles, and smack it around with magical weapons.
If you want to get any reward from Gallor, however, you must give him
the Idol BEFORE the Doomsayer talks to you, otherwise Gallor will freak
out and attack you. If you give the Idol to Gallor, the Doomsayer-when
you see it-will babble at you, but wander off in search of the Idol.
Seems like it's Gallor's problem, now.
***REWARD***
(For siding with Gallor, but warning Charleston Nib of Gallor's plans)
EXP 1000
---or---
***REWARD***
(For giving Gallor the Idol)
EXP 900
Reputation -2
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
15) Over at (x=940, y=1200) you'll find Ba'ruk, who like any good
red-neck will yell at you to get off his land before he attacks. The
Hobgoblin isn't so much of a threat, but the four Kobold Commandos that
spawn northwest of him can be. Hit them all with a Sleep spell, then
go to work slaying. The Kobold Commandos will drop their usual fare:
Arrows of Fire and garbage. Ba'ruk will drop a suit of Leather Armor,
20 Arrows, a Greenstone Ring, a Waterstar Gem, a Bastard Sword, a
Composite Longbow, and 39 gold.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
16) At (x=3650, y=2050) you'll find Laryssa, who will talk to you and
ask you to not kill her cousin Brage. (Remember, the murderous commander
from Nashkel?) If you say you're going to kill him, she'll attack you.
She possesses a suit of Studded Leather Armor, a Small Shield +1, and a
Flail.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
17) Brage is just north of Laryssa, at (x=3700, y=1930) and he'll ask
you a riddle, the answer to which is Death. If you get it wrong, he'll
attack you, if you answer correctly he'll snap out of his madness. If
you kill Brage you'll be able to loot him for a suit of Chain Mail
Armor, a Potion of Stone Giant Strength, a Two Handed Sword, Cursed
Berserking +3, Brage's Body, and 83 gold. Turning in Brage's body will
allow you to claim Oulbek's reward for the bounty. If you take him back
to the Temple of Helm in Nashkel, you'll get a reward from the temple,
as well as Oublek's reward, which is by far the best path to take. Plus,
you'll still get his sword and potion by sparing him. You'll
automatically take Brage back to Nashkel when you do this, so make sure
everything in this area is done. Now you have only one more western area
left to do, which is northwest of Nashkel. Head there when you're ready.
***REWARD***
(For killing Brage)
EXP 500
Gold 250
---or---
***REWARD***
(For saving Brage)
Gold 1000
Wilderness (AR4200)
o======================================================================o
18) You'll run into a number of half-ogres near the northern edge of
this map. These are the ogres that beat up Bjornin. Kill them and talk
to Bjornin at your leisure. Keep in mind that if you stole the Medium
Shield +1 from him earlier, you're not getting it as a reward.
***REWARD***
(For beating up Bjornin's bullies)
EXP 400
Item Medium Shield +1
Reputation +1
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
19) At (x=3850, y=1330) you'll find Teyngan and his merry band of
bandits... well, merry duo. You know the deal. They'll ask for your
money, you decline and kill them, that old bird. By this point in the
game we can simply walk up to them and pummel them, but a double shot of
Web or Stinking Cloud works just as well. Zekar will leave behind a
suit of Leather Armor, a Helmet, 20 Arrows, a scalp, a Composite Long
Bow, a Bastard Sword, and 14 gold. Jemby will drop a Mage Robe of Fire
Resistance, a Scroll of Resist Fear, a Scroll of Larloch's Minor Drain,
a Scroll of Chromatic Orb, a scalp, a Quarter Staff, and 23 gold.
Finally, the chatty one, Teyngan will give you a suit of Splint Mail
Armor, a Helmet, a Potion of Healing, a scalp, a Mace, and 93 gold. Not
much of a haul at this level, and not worth the trouble earlier on.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
20) In the middle of the map you'll find the one, the only, the most
famous and well-loved dark elf, Drizzt Do'Urden! He's being harassed by
Gnolls and will ask for your help. What's he doing this far south? Has
he ever even been this far south? Maybe during the Halfling's Gem, but
he would have been on a boat at the time... anyways, if you're goodly
folks, agree to help him out and kill the Gnolls... although Drizzt
admittedly does most of the work. If you're evil, you may just want to
kill him for his goodies, but be prepared, Drizzt is no push-over, and
he will decimate your party if he gets close enough. The best way to
handle him? Be level 5-6 at the minimum, be able to cast Haste, and
summon as many minions (Monster Summoning I and II, Animate Dead) as
possible and use them to occupy Drizzt, as well as deal incidental
damage. The rest of the party should fire on him with the best missile
weapons they can get their hands on. Obviously this isn't for the faint
of heart, so it'll take some doing before you can take Drizzt down.
Another-admittedly cheap-way to deal with Drizzt is to surround him with
party members, one on each side, hence boxing him in and preventing him
from moving. Once done, disband those party members (putting your
protagonist next to each one as you disband them, to ensure they don't
wander away and destroy the integrity of your Drizzt-box). Drizzt is
now surrounded on each size by a neutral box of characters. Take one of
your remaining characters and attack Drizzt with a ranged weapon or a
melee weapon with reach (a Spear, Two-Handed Sword, Halberd, etc.) You
probably won't hit him without rolling a 20, but since he's incapable
of fighting back, you don't need to... just be sure to have plenty of
ammunition. After a long, long while, Drizzt will be dead, you will
have lost nothing but time and some ammunition, and you can safely loot
Drizzt and reform your party.
You should be warned that killing Drizzt here WILL come back to you in
the sequel. Now, for the whole point of killing Drizzt-his over-powered
gear. He drops a suit of Mithral Chain Mail +4, which has an Armor Class
of 1-same as Full Plate Mail, except you can use your Thief skills while
wearing it. You cannot, however, cast spells in it, it's still awesome
armor, especially for a dual-class Fighter/Thief Shar-Teel, Coran,
Minsc, Kivan, etc. He also drops his two iconic weapons, a Scimitar +3,
Frostbrand, and a Scimitar +5, Defender (Icingdeath and Twinkle,
respectively). These are some of the best Large Swords in the game,
and I would say they're not really meant for the party to get... if
killing Drizzt didn't come up again in the sequel. As it stands, it's
up to you to decide if it's worth the trouble for these weapons. Ajantis
would clearly stand to benefit from Twinkle, being far superior to any
other weapon in the game, and Jaheira would be well-served by using
Icingdeath. As for the armor, it's good armor for, say, a Ranger like
Minsc or Kivan, or a Fighter/Thief, but since it doesn't allow spell
casting, it's no use for my protagonists.
When you're done here, let's work on the eastern side of the
map. We'll have to ignore some areas, like Ulcaster, Firewine, Gullykin,
and Durlag's. I simply don't have a Thief to tackle the traps in those
areas yet. Go to the area east of the Nashkel mines that we haven't
explored yet.
Wilderness (AR5500)
o======================================================================o
21) At (x=850, y=850) you'll find a dwarf named Hafiz who will approach
the party when he sees you. You can blow him off, or pick a fight. If
you kill Hafiz you'll get a Scroll of Protection from Magic, a Scroll of
Color Spray, a Short Sword, and 67 gold. If you pick dialogue options
#1, #1, and #3, he'll decide to help you by giving you his Scroll of
Protection from Magic. Do whatever you wish.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
22) Along the western edge of the map is a Flaming Fist Mercenary who
paces around in the general area of (x=500, y=2800). He's looking for a
deserter named Samuel. He'll approach you if he sees you, asking you to
identify yourselves. 'We're a rampaging horde of Tarrasques. Krie!
Krie!" Hah, epic. Why would a Tarrasque go krie? Who knows. It's still
epic. Say you're adventurers and he'll tell you about Samuel. Pick a
fight with him and he'll attack. Of course, you'll take a large
reputation hit if you kill him, so it's really not worth it.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
23) I've always thought this area was suspicious... I mean, it's
terribly boring compared to most other areas, isn't it? Sure, you'll
find a group of gory Gibberlings and the remains of their victims in
the northeastern corner of the map, but there's nothing interesting
there. Stock bad guys, only a handful of NPCs, nary a cavern to
explore... I was right to be suspicious. You see, for three versions of
this FAQ and about a dozen playthroughs of this game, there had been
a sneaky item hidden here which I had never found... In the cliff face
at (x=1957, y=2375) you'll find a lootable niche which contains an Iol
Gem, a Ring of Fire Resistance, and a Star Sapphire. The Ring is a nice
defensive item that increases your Fire Resistance by 40%-worth putting
on a front-liner who may get targeted by the odd Fireball or Arrow of
Fire (Ajantis/Kagain). The Star Sapphire is.. well, it's just worth a
good chunk of gold. Sneaky game!
***ITEMS***
(x=1957, y=2375) Iol Gem, Ring of Fire Resistance, Star Sapphire
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
24) You'll find Lena at (x=3140, y=2270), who will ask you to take her
friend Samuel to the Friendly Arm Inn. You can extort a Jade Ring from
her by asking for payment, you can even renege after taking her ring.
Still, if you offer to help Samuel he'll be added to your inventory.
You can now take him back to the Friendly Arm Inn, or turn him into the
Flaming Fist Mercenary you met earlier. The reward for taking him to
the Friendly Arm Inn is better though. You'll need to leave immediately
and go straight to the Friendly Arm Inn, as Samuel won't survive long in
your care. Take him to the Temple of Wisdom next to the Inn at
(x=3900, y=2400) and talk to Gellana Mirrorshade, who wanders about
inside. If he died along the way, you wont get any reward. While you're
here, buy a Scroll of Stone to Flesh. Before we head over to the east,
let's collect an item from the wilderness area north of the bridge
leading to Baldur's Gate.
***REWARD***
(For turning Samuel into the Flaming Fist)
Gold 50
---or---
***REWARD***
(For taking Samuel to Gellana Mirrorshade)
EXP 500
Item Elixer of Health
Item Potion of Heroism
Reputation +1
Wilderness (AR0400)
o======================================================================o
25) This area is pretty easy, as it's populated with Zombies. We could
have done it earlier, but I have continuity to think about here. You'll
find a farmer named Wenric at (x=620, y=550), who will ask you to
exterminate the twenty zombies lurking about the map, in return for
which he'll pay you 150 gold. Fair enough. Return to him after you're
done exploring the area and slaying petty undead.
***REWARD***
(For exterminating Zombies)
EXP 800
Gold 150
Farm House (AR0401)
o======================================================================o
26) Enter the house behind Wenric at (x=600, y=350). There's some
looting to be done in here, even if the locks are somewhat stubborn (one
of the reasons I don't come here early is because these chests typically
require me to have the Knock spell, since these locks have a difficulty
of 50 to 70). I put the Cloak of Protection on my main character.
***ITEMS***
(x=130, y=200) Long Sword, 24 gold
(x=240, y=140) Pearl Necklace, 11 gold
(x=400, y=120) Cloak of Protection +1
Head back to Beregost, stock up, rest, and get ready to head east. First
things first, let's continue with the main story just a bit and open up
some new map areas. After you're done preparing, head to Feldpost's Inn.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Tranzig and the Northeastern Areas |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK015}
1) Tranzig
2) A Note on Basilisks
3) Korax the Ghoul
4) Shar-Teel
5) Transmuted Tamah
6) Mutamin's Challenge (The Baldur's Gate Version!)
7) Waterhavian, Born and Bred
8) Fahrington's Folly
9) Red Wizard Ruins
10) Spider Nest
11) Defiled Druid Grove
12) Gibberling Tower
13) Teven and the Bandit Camp
14) A Note on Black Talon Elites
15) Viconia
16) Raiken and the Bandit Camp
Feldpost's Inn (AR3351)/(AR3352)
o======================================================================o
1) Head upstairs to find Tranzig at (x=200, y=570), who is apparently
eager to get out of town. One would have to assume that this is the same
Tranzig that petrified Branwen, but how this weakling who can barely
cast 2nd level Mage spells managed such a feat is beyond me. Surround
him and pick a fight, he shouldn't be too much trouble at this stage in
the game. Loot him for a Ring of Protection +1, a Wand of Magic Missile,
a letter, a Quarter Staff, and 91 gold. The Ring goes to whatever can
actually wear it, if you still have one. The letter tells you to look
in Peldvale or Larswood to find the bandit camp. First things first,
head to the wilderness area east of the Temple.
Wilderness (AR3500)
o======================================================================o
2) This area can be rough, as it contains Basilisks. On their own,
they're not too bad-except for the fact that they can turn you to stone
with their gaze. This is not a good thing, and should be avoided at all
costs. There is a 2nd level Mage spell 'Protection from Petrification'
which renders you immune to this threat, thus turning the deadly
Basilisk into mere experience cows. I used to do this area early (at
level 3) to milk it for experience, but it really can wait. Just make
sure you scout the area out with a stealthed character and cast
Protection from Petrification on a Fighter to tackle the Basilisks, or
you're in for a rough time. There are a number of them amongst the
debris south of the center of the map, and more in the forest to the
north, but we'll cover that separately. I tend to cast Protection from
Petrification on my best archer and go on a Basilisk hunting spree.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) At (x=440, y=1460) you'll find a Ghoul named Korax. He was featured
prominently in the book-yes, I read it-but he's a VERY minor character.
The only good thing about that book is Xan's demise... fittingly, he
gets killed by spiders, just like his relative in Icewind Dale. Anywho,
talk to Korax and he'll travel with you for a while. Since he's Dire
Charmed, he'll go hostile when it wears off... but in the mean time,
you'll get a pet Ghoul to control. Pretty cool. Send him to the
northeast to attack some Basilisks, since he's immune to their gaze. He
actually does pretty well, I got him to kill two Lesser Basilisks before
he died.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) You'll find the warrior-woman Shar-Teel at (x=270, y=300). She'll
challenge your best warrior to a duel... your best MALE warrior. If she
wins she gets 20 gold, if you win, you get her to join you. Sounds like
she doesn't value herself very highly... and she has a chip on her
shoulder. If you want her in your party, duel her. She's actually a
pretty good Fighter, if you can be bothered to go this far out of the
way to get her.
For my evil party, I did exactly that... I traveled down to Beregost,
recruited Kagain, and sated his desire to look for the caravans (or
rather, his laziness to avoid doing a thorough search) before heading
to the Temple and skirting the northern edge of the map to avoid any
confrontations. Exit to the east and travel to this area and head north
to meet Shar-Teel. At this point the best Fighter in my party was
obviously Kagain, but a duel between two level-two Fighters is more a
toss-up than anything else. I spared myself some trouble by giving
Kagain Khalid's Splint Mail, and saved the game before talking to
Shar-Teel. Kagain has more Hit Points than Shar-Teel, but Shar-Teel has
much better Strength and Dexterity. The plus side is, if Kagain gets one
good hit on her, she'll concede victory to us. I just reload until
Kagain wins and Shar-Teel is mine for the rest of the game.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) A warrior named Tamah has been turned to stone (x=1430, y=820). Use
that Scroll of Stone to Flesh you bought at the Friendly Arm Inn to turn
her back to normal. If you are evil, you can force her to give you her
house, which is just south of Beregost next to a lake. Of course, the
house is half submerged in water and useless (which gives us an
indication of how long she's been here) but if you want SOMETHING...
even if it's nothing... well, there you go. If you don't try and get
anything out of her, you'll get an experience reward for being such a
nice guy.
***REWARD***
(For freeing Tamah, then forcing her to give you a reward)
Reputation -1
---or---
***REWARD***
(For freeing Tamah, no strings attached)
EXP 300
Reputation +1
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) At (x=2150, y=860) you'll find a gnome named Mutamin. If the name
sounds vaguely familiar, you'll recall that in Neverwinter Nights there
was an Innkeeper named Mutamin. Mutamin's Challenge? Anyhow, the fact
that this little critter is surrounded in Basilisks and their victims
should suggest that something is wrong with him. When he sees you he'll
try and talk to you. Lure him AWAY from his 'pets' and deal with him
separately. Mutamin will leave behind an Adventurer's Robe, two Potions
of Healing, a Scroll of Horror, a Scroll of Stinking Cloud, a Quarter
Staff, and 120 gold. That Stinking Cloud scroll has been a long time in
coming, but now that we have it, Imoen gladly scribes it. I sell the
Adventurer's Robe, as I prefer the Armor Class bonus versus slashing
weapons and the +1 save versus death on the Knave's Robe over the Armor
Class bonus against bludgeoning and the +1 save versus petrification/
polymorph on the Adventurer's Robe.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) North of the middle debris and south of the forests you'll come
across another group of adventurers, led by one Kirian (x=3050, y=1940).
They'll try to pick a fight by taunting you, and by all means, fight
them. They're rough, but nothing several Web or Stinking Cloud spells
cast from afar can't fix. Loot Baerin's body for a suit of Splint Mail
Armor, 40 Arrows +1, a Long Bow, a Spear, and 49 gold. Lindin will drop
a suit of Plate Mail Armor, a Medium Shield, a Potion of Absorption, a
Potion of Invisibility, a Long Sword +1, and 75 gold. Peter drops a suit
of Chain Mail Armor, a Helmet, a Medium Shield, a Potion of Explosions,
Oil of Fiery Burning, a Morning Star +1, and 97 gold. Finally, loot
Kirian for a Golden Girdle, Bracers of Defense A.C. 7, a Scroll of
Charm Person, a Scroll of Infravision, a Scroll of Protection from Evil,
a Long Sword +1, and 163 gold. Now THAT is a haul! They can be beaten
earlier... in fact, this entire area can be cleared at level 3, but
there are easier magical weapons to obtain, so I put the Waterhavians on
the back burner until now. The Golden Girdle gives a +3 bonus to Armor
Class against slashing weapons, and I put it on Viconia pretty much by
default, since my other two front line Fighters are wearing other
girdles. I put the Bracers of Defense A.C. 7 on Imoen, since my main
character is using the Bracers of Archery. Now I head to the area north
of this one.
Wilderness (AR3000)
o======================================================================o
8) At about (x=1460, y=1060) you'll find a man named Fahrington, who
will ask you to retrieve a scroll of his that was stolen by an ill-fated
Tasloi who fled into an Ettercap lair. The Ettercaps are at around
(x=4040, y=650). Grab his protection scroll and bring it back to him.
You'll get a minor reward and get to keep the scroll-which is cursed
anyhow.
***REWARD***
(For returning Fahrington's Scroll)
EXP 300
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) Just west of the middle of the map you'll find some ruins, upon which
you'll find a number of Red Wizards led by one Denak (x=1760, y=2160).
If you have Edwin in your party, they'll recognize each other and the
four Mages will leave. Otherwise, you're in for a fight, and everybody
loves fighting groups of Mages, right? In any event, I hit them with
Stinking Clouds, Webs, and a Silence 15' Radius for good measure, then
I shoot them to death. If you want to fight them but you have Edwin in
your party, you'll have to disband him temporarily, which shouldn't be
a problem if your reputation isn't too high. Lasala will leave behind a
Mage Robe of Cold Resistance, a Scroll of Grease, a Scroll of Protection
from Petrification, a Quarter Staff, and 81 gold. Diana drops a Mage
Robe of Fire Resistance, a Scroll of Blindness, a Scroll of Agannazar's
Scorcher, a Quarter Staff, and 81 gold. Brendan will cough up a Mage
Robe of Cold Resistance, a Scroll of Burning Hands, a Scroll of Armor,
a Quarter Staff, and 81 gold. Loot Denak for a Mage Robe of Electrical
Resistance, a Ring of Energy, two Potions of Healing, a Quarter Staff,
10 Darts, and 102 gold.
Note: According to Infinity Explorer, the tag name for Denak is
'DENFUCK'. I can't think of any good reason why he should be named
this... I guess Bioware really hates this NPC? There's also a tag named
'FUCKYU', but it has no dialogue assigned to it. Apparently there was
some aggressive potty-mouth working at Bioware, eh?
Note from Lee:
Approach from the north or northeast - Lasala, Diana, and Brendan will
not go hostile prior to the dialogue with Denak, and you can take them
out one at a time with little or no resistance. When they're dead, move
southwest and initiate the encounter with Denak.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) Along the eastern edge of the map you'll find a nest of spiders,
replete with web traps to make fighting them more hellish. This spider
nest includes Ettercaps, Giant Spiders, Phase Spiders, Sword Spiders,
and Wraith Spiders. I highly suggest creeping forward and luring them
out one or two at a time. Sword Spiders are incredibly fast and capable
of dealing out severe damage quickly, tearing lightly-armored characters
to bits. Wraith Spiders are immune to non-magical weapons, and can drain
your Strength. Phase Spiders teleport about and possess a very lethal
poison. once they're all dead, however, it's a pretty nice experience
load for you. Now head west to Larswood.
***TRAPS***
(x=3800, y=1550)
(x=3600, y=1990)
(x=3020, y=1601)
Larswood (AR2900)
o======================================================================o
Note that there won't be very many bandits in this area before or after
chapter 3. In chapter 3, however, when this is one of the areas adjacent
to the bandit camp, you'll find bandits roaming about in larger numbers.
Also, during chapter 3 you may run into Black Talon Elites, which mostly
spawn in Peldvale.
11) Over near some henges you'll find a deranged Druid named Osmadi
(x=4610, y=700) who will accuse you of killing his brothers. He won't
listen to reason, and will attack, aided by some Cave Bears. Another
Druid named Corsone will help you put him down. Osmadi will leave behind
a suit of Leather Armor, a Quarter Staff, and 12 gold. Talk to Corsone
after the fight and pick dialogue options #1, #2, #2, #2 to expose him
as the murderer. Put down Corsone and loot him for a suit of Leather
Armor, a Quarter Staff and 12 gold.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) In the southwestern area of the map you'll run into a horde of
Gibberlings that are apparently lairing near an abandoned tower. Kill
them and take their goodies.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) If you're in chapter 3 you'll find a bandit named Teven over at
(x=1470, y=2250). If you provoke him, he'll attack, leaving behind a
suit of Splint Mail Armor, a Medium Shield, a Long Sword, and 45 gold if
you kill him. You can trick him into taking you back to the bandit camp
by picking dialogue options #2, and then #3 or #4. If you picked option
#4, you'll have to fight Tazok upon reaching the camp, if not, you'll
get a chance to talk to him. But that's not important just yet, I prefer
to clear out Peldvale before tackling the bandit camp. Exit to the north
to get to Pelvdale...
Note from Lee:
To get the max out of this, skip this step and come back after talking
to and killing Raiken in step 16, and then have this guy take you to
the camp.
Peldvale (AR2400)
o======================================================================o
14) This area contains Black Talon Elites, armored archers who love
shooting you with Arrows of Ice and Arrows +1. Fortunately, they're
susceptible to Sleep, and if you can withstand their fire they are a
great place to stock up on magical arrows. They are not for weak
parties, however, so venture here with caution. In addition to random
encounters, this place contains a number of lootable objects.
***ITEMS***
(x=1420, y=3450) 10 gold
(x=4100, y=2560) 32 gold
(x=1200, y=1770) 10 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
15) Over in the northwestern corner of the map you'll find Viconia, who
will implore you to aid her. If you want her in your party you'll
accept, and a Flaming Fist Mercenary will show up. You'll have to defend
Viconia from him if you want to keep her around. Kill the Flaming Fist
Mercenary and accept Viconia into your party. Your reputation will take
a two-point hit, but you'll get a good Cleric.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
16) If you're in chapter 3 you'll find a bandit named Raiken at
(x=4000, y=590). You can kill him, or trick him into taking you to meet
Tazok. If you kill him he'll drop a suit of Chain Mail Armor, a Medium
Shield, a War Hammer +1, and 39 gold. His conversation goes exactly like
Teven's (see above). Pick option #2, and then #3 or #4 to get him to
take you back to the camp. Note that you can kill one of the two, and
then go to the other to get to the bandit camp. Namely kill Raiken, take
his gear, then get Tevan to show you to the bandit camp. Pick dialogue
options #2, and #3, as it allows you to talk your way out of fighting
Tazok for experience. If you don't want to be stealthy, you can always
exit Peldvale from the northern edge of the map and simply walk to the
bandit camp, but everyone will be hostile... not that I don't plan to
kill them anyways, but still. You get the most experience by killing
Raiken, getting Teven to take you to the bandit camp, and then talking
Tazok out of a fight. Go back to town, clear out your inventory, then
proceed with getting to the bandit camp any way you choose. You may want
to rest in Peldvale to provoke Black Talon Elites in order to stock up
on magical arrows before you head off to the bandit camp, although it's
not necessary.
***REWARD***
(For talking Raiken or Tevan into taking you to the Bandit Camp)
EXP 400
o======================================================================o
| |
| Bandit Camp |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Event: {WLK016}
1) Exploring the Bandit camp
2) Gnoll Time-Out
3) Gnoll Tent
4) Quartermaster Tersus' Tent
5) Knott's Tent
6) The Iron Thorn
7) Fireball!
8) Ardenor Crush
9) Taugosz Khosann
10) Tazok's Tent
11) Imoen's Dual-Class Woes
Bandit Camp (AR1900)
o======================================================================o
1) Once you get to the bandit camp you'll be approached by an Ogre named
Tazok. You know, the same guy who was signing all those letters we've
been finding. If you pick dialogue options #3, #2 you'll talk Tazok out
of a fight, and be free to wander the bandit camp unmolested...
otherwise you'll have to fight him and prove you're not a wuss. Tazok
is a bit of a bruiser, but we're well armored, well-leveled, and hence
easily capable of humbling Tazok. Either way, once you have free reign
of the camp, you might as well explore around and loot while everything
is calm. The locks can get up to a difficulty of 70 here-well beyond
what you'll have if you've been investing in Find Traps like you're
supposed to. Use the Knock spell, bash chests, or just come back later
if you must. Once you're done looting, let's set about this camp
piecemeal.
***ITEMS***
(x=4060, y=750) Throwing Dagger x10
(x=4160, y=900) Medium Shield +1, 23 gold
(x=3970, y=970) Wand of Fear, 34 gold
(x=4470, y=770) 56 gold
(x=3820, y=840) 95 gold
(x=3640, y=1160) 76 gold
(x=3330, y=950) Potion of Firebreath, 87 gold
(x=3250, y=900) Short Sword +1, 134 gold
(x=3040, y=1000) 102 gold
(x=2840, y=1100) Potion of Perception
(x=2700, y=1060) Acid Arrow x1, Arrow of Piercing x1
(x=2140, y=1100) 47 gold
(x=1950, y=1080) Potion of Healing x2, 13 gold
(x=1280, y=950) Scroll of Flame Arrow
(x=1735, y=800) Potion of Fortitude
(x=1300, y=890) 35 gold
(x=2010, y=460) Potion of Heroism
(x=2080, y=400) Oil of Fiery Burning
Gnoll Cave (AR1903)
o======================================================================o
2) There's a cavern at (x=2400, y=700), in front of which a Hobgoblin
stands. If you talk to him, he'll warn you about the Gnolls inside.
Go inside, and a Gnoll named Garclax will talk to you. No matter what
you say, it ends in a fight. Slaughter the Gnolls and take their booty.
Note from Lee:
Here again, like the cave in the Xvart Camp, if you enter with your main
fighters first, move up a step or two, and then bring in your ranged and
spell casting party members, you will be in a better position. Not that
it really matters - they are only Gnolls, after all...
Tent (AR1902)
o======================================================================o
3) This tent (x=1900, y=420) is populated by a trio of hostile Gnolls.
Kill them, rob the tent, and leave.
***ITEMS***
(x=380, y=120) 53 gold
(x=350, y=100) Pearl Necklace, 19 gold
Tent (AR1904)
o======================================================================o
4) This tent (x=1430, y=650) contains a Hobgoblin named Tersus, who will
give you Leather Armor (the kind all the bandits wear!) or give you
information. Loot and leave.
***ITEMS***
(x=380, y=120) 83 gold
(x=350, y=100) Long Sword, Short Sword
(x=120, y=150) tainted Oil of Speed
Tent (AR1905)
o======================================================================o
5) When you come into this tent (x=2150, y=1000) you'll be accosted by
Knott. If you threaten him he'll spill the beans about the camps' layout
and tell you where Tazok's tent is... if you couldn't figure it out.
Loot and leave.
***ITEMS***
(x=480, y=140) Potion of Fortitude
(x=350, y=100) Dagger, 32 gold
Tent (AR1906)
o======================================================================o
6) Another empty tent (x=2800, y=1050) waiting for some looting.
***ITEMS***
(x=480, y=140) Potion of Healing
(x=360, y=130) 48 gold
(x=120, y=150) 9 gold
Tent (AR1907)
o======================================================================o
7) This tent (x=3600, y=1500) is empty, but it does have some high-
quality loot to score. Namely, you can find a Scroll of Fireball in the
chest in the back. It's been a wait, but now you can give this to your
main Mage, for them to fling about as needed.
***ITEMS***
(x=530, y=350) 39 gold
(x=350, y=100) Scroll of Fireball, Scroll of Web
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) You'll find the leader of Chill, Ardenor Crush, at (x=1800, y=570).
Head up to him after looting and killing the Gnolls and pick a fight.
Ardenor Crush will drop Studded Leather Armor, a Helmet, a Bastard
Sword, and 104 gold. Make your way down through the camp killing as you
go. By now the bandits should be cake.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) At (x=3400, y=1320) you'll find Taugosz Khosann, leader of the
Black Talons. He can be rough, as he's a decent level Fighter in Full
Plate Mail. I Entangle him and shoot him down. Ah, the great equalizer.
He'll leave behind a suit of Full Plate Mail Armor, a Medium Shield +1,
a Potion of Fortitude, a Potion of Firebreath, a War Hammer +1, and 85
gold. Now that's some loot. This second suit of Full Plate Mail should
switch out one of the suits of Ankheg Armor, as it can be worn with a
Ring of Protection, or other magical defense. Continue slaying on your
way to Tazok's tent (x=3600, y=900.)
Note from Lee:
Set youself up on the raised platform around Tazok's Tent. The only
access is via the stairs, and you can simply shoot down whatever comes
at you. I send Minsc out to draw the bandits back to my "fortified"
position and kill them as they approach (there's only a few left).
Tazok's Tent (AR1901)
o======================================================================o
10) Once inside the tent you'll be immediately questioned by a bandit
named Raemon. Regardless of what you say, a fight ensues. I send
Ajantis to occupy the Hobgoblin named Hakt in the back, and concentrate
fire on the Mage Venkt with my main character, Imoen, and Minsc. Jaheira
attacks Raemon and Viconia engages Britik. By now my characters simply
outclass these goons, and they fall in short order. Venkt leaves
behind a Mage Robe of Fire Resistance, two Potions of Healing, a Scroll
of Color Spray, a Scroll of Blindness, a Scroll of Friends, a Quarter
Staff, 10 Darts, and 92 gold. Britik drops a Sphene Gem, a Horn Coral
Gem, a Scroll of Strength, and a Halberd. Hakt drops a suit of Leather
Armor, 20 Arrows, a Silver Ring, a Bastard Sword, a Long Bow of
Marksmanship, and 85 gold. Finally, loot Raemon for a suit of Leather
Armor, 10 Arrows of Ice, 20 Arrows, a scalp, a Long Sword, a Composite
Long Bow, and one single gold coin. The Longbow of Marksmanship is just
as good as the Composite Longbow +1, but the to hit and damage bonuses
are reversed on them. I give it to Minsc, since he needs the THAC0 more
than my main character. That's right, the Ranger is getting outshot by
the Fighter/Mage. Talk to Ender Sai (x=170, y=310), who will tell you
that he only crossed the Iron Throne before ending up as Tazok's
prisoner, and that Tazok has been taking trips to the Cloakwood Forest.
Sounds like our next destination. Loot this tent and head back to
Beregost to unload loot. Be careful of the large chest at
(x=150, y=270), which is trapped with a Lightning Bolt trap. At this
point in the game I have two options, 1) go all the way back to
Beregost and get Safana to disarm it, or 2) just weather the trap.
Either way, it sucks. Lazy Imoen. When you grab the letters
chapter 3 ends.
***ITEMS***
(x=440, y=520) 410 gold
(x=380, y=140) 340 gold
(x=140, y=140) Potion of Magic Blocking
(x=150, y=270) Letter x2, Scroll of Stinking Cloud,
Scroll of Aganazzar's Scorcher, Scroll of Horror,
2060 gold
***TRAPS***
(x=150, y=270)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) You've ended the bandit raids and cleared out the mines, but you
still don't know why these events are taking place, or how this Tazok is
connected to both the iron shortage and the caravan raids. By reading
the letters you found in Tazok's tent you'll introduce a new nemesis,
Tazok's apparent superior, Davaeorn. This Davaeorn is the name of the
Surgeon's brother, if you'll remember. Anyways, it seems that answers
await in the Cloakwood Forest... but we've got a problem-at least, my
good party does. I still don't have my Thief abilities back on Imoen,
so I need to get more experience. We still have plenty of areas in the
east to explore... but there are traps there, too. This leaves me with
three options 1) Play through without a Thief until Imoen hits 6th level
as a Mage and gets her Thief abilities back, 2) bring along another
Thief to handle traps when necessary, or 3) grind until Imoen has her
Mage levels back. The best place to grind is in the coastal watchtower
area (AR3600), on the beach outside of the Pirate Cave... you know,
where we fought Sil? Rest there and spawn Sirines. It gets tiring quick,
and I don't bother with it, personally, so I suggest we just persevere.
The evil party, of course, has no such issue. Either way, Chapter 3 is
over, begin Chapter 4. My goal is to clear the southeastern areas of the
map... except for Durlag's Tower-I'll deal with the Tales of the Sword
Coast content later. For now, however, it's time to finally explore
Ulcaster-with the evil party, with an insufficient Imoen, with a
substitute Thief, or after grinding a bit, it doesn't matter. Also note
that if you return to Officer Vai without any Bandit Scalps in your
inventory, she'll leave for Baldur's Gate, her mission here being done
and all. Ulcaster is south of the temple...
***REWARD***
(For talking to Officer Vai after ending the bandit menace)
Reputation +1
o======================================================================o
| Chapter 4 |
o======================================================================o
| |
| Southeastern Areas |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK017}
1) Ulcaster Overview
2) Furret's Forgery
3) The More the Merrier
4) Over My Dead Body... Wait...
5) Ulcaster's Request
6) Jelly Smiting
7) Wolves and Spiders
8) Winding Tunnels and More Wolves...
9) Dead-Ends and Fireball Traps
10) Vampric Wolf Corpse Pile
11) Knowledge Recovered
12) Massacre Molkar
13) Gullykin
14) Looting Little-People Lairs
15) Kobold Conspirator
16) Halfling Harassers
17) Firewine Dungeon Crawl
18) Poe's Poem
19) Meilum's Mistake
20) Kahrk, Strongest of the Ogre Magi
Ulcaster (AR3900)
o======================================================================o
1) Ulcaster seems pretty tame for how late in the game we're tackling
it-there are no Basilisks, no Ankhegs, no marauding hordes of rival
adventurers... but that doesn't mean it's not without annoyances. This
area is populated by Kobolds, Kobold Commandos, Skeletons with various
arms, Hobgoblins, Hobgoblin Elites and Zombies. Nothing terribly
threatening to a mid-level party like ours, but you should still take
care to lead with steel and watch the respawns - walking Edwin into a
group of Kobold Commandos or Skeletons with Composite Longbows is not a
good idea.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) Near the northern part of the western side of the area map you'll
find a halfling named Furret, who will try and sell you a 'gem of true
seeing' for 1000 gold. It is, of course, bogus. I prefer to kill him and
take his stuff, for trying to con us innocent adventurers. He'll leave
behind a suit of Leather Armor, a Turquoise Gem, a Dagger, and 1 gold.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Southwest of the center of the map you'll find a green-clad
Hobgoblin who has, amongst his other possessions, Boots of Stealth.
Well, having a second pair can't hurt, now both Imoen and Minsc can
enjoy the improved stealth. I found this Hobgoblin at (x=1950, y=2600).
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) On top of the plateau to the east you'll find an undead warrior named
Icharyd (x=4280, y=1200). He will enter dialogue with you when he sees
you and say that he... wants your flesh... "Over my dead body! Wait a
minute..." Ah, this is why I love this game. Kill him and he'll leave
behind a Helmet, a Medium Shield, a Sphene Gem, a Flail +1, and 76 gold.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Up near the entrance to the remains of Ulcaster you'll find...
Ulcaster. Talk to him four times, and he'll say "with the retrieval of
the simplest of tomes...beneath the rubble...on the lowest floors...
return hope...history is so important..." Keep your eyes peeled for a
book in the school to please Ulcaster. The entrance to Ulcaster - err,
the school, not the ghost - is at (x=3050, y=650). Let's give it a
look-see, shall we?
Ulcaster Ruins (AR3901)
o======================================================================o
6) Ulcaster... is just one of those places that suck. Baldur's Gate was
not designed well for tight dungeon-crawls like this, where walking down
the wrong corridor can lead to a bad encounter with either murderous
traps or hungry monsters. As you've doubtlessly noticed the pathfinding
is one of the most frustrating issues with this game. That's probably
why in Baldur's Gate 2 they didn't have areas quite this cramped. Still,
let's try and make the best of it, eh? From where you enter, head
southwest until you reach a fork, where you'll want to continue
southwest, then turn southeast until you get the opportunity to go
southwest again. It'll be a short trip southwest before you turn
southeast yet again, move through a small room, and into another small
room occupied by an Ochre Jelly. It's nothing special, but to the
northeast there's another small room occupied by a Mustard Jelly,
which we'll probably provoke in the course of smiting the lesser jelly.
Kill them, then grab the loot on the floor at (x=2185, y=1035).
***ITEMS***
(x=2185, y=1035) Bastard Sword, Potion of Mirrored Eyes, Splint Mail,
Chyrsoberyl Gem, Cursed Scroll of Ugliness
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Well, that was unexceptional. Backtrack toward the beginning, but at
the first fork head northwest, through two small chambers (in the second
of which is a corpse to loot) and into a third, larger chamber to the
northeast, which is occupied by a Dire Wolf. Kill the doggy and grab
the loot on the floor at (x=660, y=370) before continuing to the
southern-most tunnel to the southeast, which will ultimately
terminate in a small room guarded by a pair of Huge Spiders, with yet
more loot lying on the ground, waiting to be taken.
***ITEMS***
(x=1230, y=160) Dagger +1, Potion of Genius, 101 gold
(x=660, y=370) Potion of Strength, Skydrop Gem
(x=855, y=580) Potions of Healing x2, 85 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) Back in the Dire Wolf room, explore the southwestern corner of the
room to reveal another passage, sneakily concealed by the fog of war.
This passage leads to the northwest into a boring, empty room. Southwest
from this empty room however is another, smaller room containing yet
another Dire Wolf that should be smote... now we have two Dire Wolf
rooms! Never mind that, continue southwest until you run out of
southwest, then turn southeast until you can't go any further in that
direction. To the northeast is a Dread Wolf, to the southwest is more
dungeon. Smite the doggie and continue to the southwest.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) It's a short ways southwest before we're compelled to turn
southeast again. Ignore the first side-tunnel to the northeast, as
it's ultimately a boring dead-end. Just beyond that is another fork. To
the southwest is another dead-end, but this one has the added benefit
of ending in a Fireball trap. So... continue to the southeast, loot
a body in a small room and disarm another Fireball trap just beyond the
body. My evil protagonist just disarms it, but my good party... well,
they can either just send one strong character across alone-Ajantis
with Batalista's Passport should get past without too much damage, or
Viconia can go on alone and save/load until her Magic Resistance negates
any and all damage.
***ITEMS***
(x=1170, y=1390) Zircon Gem, Arrows of Biting x2, Arrows of Piercing x3,
38 gold
***TRAPS***
(x=1150, y=1450)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) Once you've navigated the Fireball trap (one way or the other...)
continue into a room to the southeast. There are two items on the
ground here... but before you concern yourself with them too much, deal
with the Vampiric Wolf in the room to the northwest. Once it's dead,
grab the loot on the floor, then head into the room to the northwest,
now vacant. Loot a huge pile of corpses (also trapped with a Fireball
trap - deal with it however you must) for some goodies, including the
book 'History of the Darkness'.
***ITEMS***
(x=1570, y=1430) Wand of Fire
(x=1515, y=1250) Potion of Healing, Potion of Absorption
(x=1400, y=1100) Potion of Hill Giant Strength, Oil of Fiery Burning,
Potion of Healing x2, tainted Antidote, Acid Arrow x10,
Arrow of Ice x10, History of the Darkness
***TRAPS***
(x=1400, y=1100)
(x=550, y=1440)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) With that, we're done with the Ulcaster dungeon-see? That wasn't too
bad, even without a Thief. Leave the dungeon and find Ulcaster himself,
where-ever the hell he's wandered off to. You'll get an experience
reward for giving him the book, and all is well in the neighborhood.
Exit this area via the eastern edge of the map to discover Gullykin,
which just happens to be our next destination!
***REWARD***
(For preserving knowledge)
EXP 1000
Gullykin (AR4000)
o======================================================================o
12) Gullykin itself is to the north, so let's head south and clear out
the wilderness around Gullykin before we get to business. There's one
encounter in particular that's worth finding. Along the southern edge of
the map you'll find Molkar, the leader of a group of bounty hunters who
are after... guess who? Been a while, eh? Anyhow, Stinking Cloud, Web,
and Fireballs end this battle quite decisively. Morvin drops a suit of
Chain Mail Armor, a Helmet, a Battle Axe, and 38 gold. Halacan will
leave behind a Scroll of Sleep, a Scroll of Color Spray, a War Hammer,
and 38 gold. Loot Drakar for a suit of Chain Mail Armor, a Helmet, a
Medium Shield, a Potion of Absorption, a Morning Star +1, and 84 gold.
Finally Molkar will cough up a suit of Chain Mail Armor +2, a Helmet,
a Medium Shield, a Potion of Heroism, a Long Sword +1, and 84 gold.
Nothing worth strapping on, but it's welcome loot nonetheless. Continue
exploring until there's nothing left to do but enter Gullykin.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) At (x=730, y=1210) you'll find a Halfling named Gandolar Luckyfoot.
Talk to him twice and he'll ask you to help clear Kobolds out of the
Firewine ruins, and point you in the direction of the winery. Search
and loot the Halfling homes, then enter the house at (x=200, y=900) when
you're ready to get to work on the Ruins.
Halfling Home (AR4005)/(AR4006)
o======================================================================o
14) Enter the house at (x=1330, y=1100) and loot it. Give the Sling +1
to Viconia, so she has a long-term ranged option. Wee. Also listed are
all the other homes in Gullykin, for your looting pleasure.
***ITEMS***
(AR4005)
(x=360, y=120) Sling +1, 10 gold
---
(AR4006)
(x=470, y=220) 13 gold
(x=200, y=260) Dagger, Sling, 3 gold
(x=220, y=220) Greenstone Ring, Agni Mani Necklace
(x=300, y=150) 50 gold
Halfling Home (AR4007)/(AR4008)
o======================================================================o
House at (x=1900, y=570).
***ITEMS***
(AR4007)
(x=360, y=120) 11 gold
(x=185, y=185) Tiger Cowrie Shell Necklace
---
(AR4008)
(x=470, y=220) Sling, 35 gold
(x=220, y=220) Cursed Scroll of Summon Monster
(x=300, y=150) Potion of Defense, 1 gold
Halfling Home (AR4009)/(AR4010)
o======================================================================o
House at (x=1340, y=640).
***ITEMS***
(AR4009)
(x=360, y=120) Short Sword, 5 gold
---
(AR4010)
(x=470, y=220) Fire Agate Gem, 11 gold
(x=200, y=260) 3 gold
(x=220, y=220) Sling, Dagger
(x=300, y=150) Wand of Magic Missile, 28 gold
Halfling Home (AR4011)/(AR4012)
o======================================================================o
House at (x=800, y=420).
***ITEMS***
(AR40011)
(x=360, y=120) Short Sword, Leather Armor
(x=185, y=185) Small Shield, 51 gold
---
(AR4012)
(x=470, y=220) Jade Ring
(x=200, y=260) 31 gold
(x=300, y=150) Chrysoberyl Gem, Sling, Short Sword, 3 gold
Halfling Home (AR4013)/(AR4014)
o======================================================================o
House at (x=2750, y=300).
***ITEMS***
(AR4013)
(x=185, y=185) 13 gold
---
(AR4014)
(x=470, y=220) Turquoise Gem
(x=220, y=220) 8 gold
Halfling Home (AR4001)/(AR4002)
o======================================================================o
15) This house (x=200, y=900) seems like any other house until you get
downstairs, where the owner, Jenkal, will prove to be sorely lacking in
common Halfling hospitality. Call him on it, and he'll admit to being
the one who is letting Kobolds into town. Then he'll try to kill you. He
talks a big game, but he really is just a little critter, after all.
He'll leave behind a suit of Studded Leather Armor, a Helmet, a Small
Shield, a Short Sword, and 47 gold. You'll notice that the bookcase at
(x=190, y=150) highlights, indicating a secret door. Open it, and
descend into the depths.
***ITEMS***
(AR4001)
(x=185, y=185) 13 gold
---
(AR4002)
(x=200, y=260) Potion of Stone Form, 31 gold
(x=220, y=220) Andar Gem, Zircon Gem
(x=300, y=150) Dagger, 85 gold
Firewine Underground (AR5201)
o======================================================================o
16) Immediately in front of you will be an Ogre Mage, smite him and keep
your party out of the middle of the room. Down the hallway from you is
another Mage named Lendarn (x=350, y=530) who is fond of shooting
Lightning Bolts in enclosed spaces. It might be suicidal, but it can
also wreak havoc upon your party. I mark his location with Minsc and
have Imoen and my main character shoot him down. The Ogre Mage drops a
Scroll of Dire Charm, a Potion of Fortitude, a Moonbar Gem, and a
Bastard Sword. Lendarn will drop a Mage Robe of Electrical Resistance,
a Scroll of Ghoul Touch, a Scroll of Lightning Bolt, a Scroll of
Fireball, a Scroll of Cloudkill, a Potion of Stone Form, a Potion of
Power, a Quarter Staff, and 159 gold. The Scroll of Fireball and the
Scroll of Cloudkill will go to my protagonist, seeing as how greedy
Imoen already learned both Fireball and Cloudkill.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
17) Now let me explain these ruins to you. Kobold Commandos spawn
constantly. I mean, as soon as you're out of sight. They can pop up
around any corner. Constantly. The pathfinding in the game sucks, so
your characters will have... difficulties... traveling through this
place. It's a recipe for frustration. A better solution? Take your two
most heavily protected characters and move one in the front of your
party, and one behind so that any Kobold Commandos you may encounter
will attack them, instead of your more vulnerable characters. Move your
party sequentially, your front character taking ground and your back
character moving the chains, whilst the characters in the middle fire
ranged weapons at will. Ajantis and Viconia were my front and rear
characters, respectively, in the good party; and Kagain and Shar-Teel
took over for the evil party. With their low Armor Classes and specific
defensive gear against missile weapons the Kobolds needed a 20 to hit
them, allowing them to make progress without suffering much damage. Be
especially careful going around corners. Do your best to avoid leaving
gaps in sight in between the front the rear characters (you don't want
Kobolds spawning in your midst!) and keep moving the chains. Save
constantly and use Fireballs to clear out particularly large groups of
Kobolds when needed. At (x=1470, y=350) you'll find an undead knight,
who wants you to strike it down and return its armor. Righty-O. You'll
want to reach the Ghost Knights at (x=690, y=970) to give the armor
back. Now that's done, get the hell out of here. I exit these ruins at
(x=1050, y=1670). This will take us back to Gullykin, the winery to be
more specific. Head outside and talk to Gandolar for your reward.
Totally not worth all that work. Oh well. During my evil party
playthrough I noted that after escaping the dungeon under Gullykin I had
scored exactly 250 Arrows of Fire. At a rate of two arrows per Kobold
Commando, that means I wasted 125 Kobold Commandos while scouring the
dungeon-no joke. That also means I scored 4375 experience while clearing
out these ruins... alot more work than reward. Now exit via the southern
edge of the map and travel to Firewine Bridge, which isn't nearly as
trying as the Firewine ruins were.
Note: According to Infinity Explorer, there are eight 'Spawn Points'
where the Kobold Commandos show up throughout the level. Knowing their
locations should help you to manage them more effectively. Just be
warned that the Kobolds aren't necessarily sedintary after they spawn-
they'll move around quite a bit. Their approximate locations are as
follows:
(x=200, y=700)
(x=1200, y=100)
(x=2250, y=650)
(x=1700, y=1200)
(x=1600, y=1300)
(x=1650, y=1750)
(x=1770, y=500)
(x=1130, y=530)
***TRAPS***
(x=1900, y=700)
(x=1200, y=1050)
(x=1200, y=1460)
***REWARD***
(For returning the armor of the undead knight to its companions)
EXP 1500
***REWARD***
(For informing Gandolar about the Kobold menace)
Gold 250
Firewine Bridge (AR4500)
o======================================================================o
18) Head west, then southeast across the bridge. At (x=2820, y=1560)
you'll find a Bard named Poe, who will tell you a story of betrayal.
Sounds kind of like the undead knights in the Firewine Ruins below, no?
Anyhow, there's the back story to that.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
19) You'll find a warrior named Meilum at (x=4900, y=700) who will
initiate dialogue with you and declare himself to be the Sword Coast's
most skilled swordsman. Belittle him to pick a fight and kill him. When
he falls he'll leave behind a suit of Studded Leather Armor, Gauntlets
of Weapon Expertise, a Long Sword +1, and 64 gold. I could give these
gauntlets to Viconia, seeing as how she has the lowest THAC0 of my
front line Fighters... but since she only can make one attack per round,
she's a rather poor choice. Ajantis/Kagain has the Gauntlets of
Dexterity, and Jaheira is due to receive the Gauntlets of Ogre Power,
which really only leaves Shar-Teel on the evil party, or your
protagonist on the good/evil party. All these characters can make more
than one attack per round, and will be greatly benefited by the
+1 THAC0/+2 damage bonus.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
20) There's a Mage named Carsa at (x=3520, y=920) who found a cursed
jar which is apparently causing her to have a bit of a... mental
disturbance. Offer to help her, and then try to take the bottle away
and Carsa will summon the inhabitant of the jar, an Ogre Mage named
Kahrk - mightiest of the Ogre Mages! He can be rough if you run up to
him, as he starts out fairly spell-buffed. I only approach him with
Minsc, and when he continues casting spell-buffs I run off and hide.
Out of sight, I simply rest, letting most of his spell buffs wear off.
Now I cast some spell-buffs of my own, namely Protection from Evil 10'
Radius and Defensive Harmony and rush him. He's fairly lethal in melee,
but if you keep on top of things, he should fall. Kahrk will leave
behind an Elixer of Health, a Scroll of Detect Evil, a Pearl Necklace,
a Long Sword, and 158 gold. Loot Carsa for a Knave's Robe, a Scroll of
Protection from Fire, a Dagger, and 25 gold. Whew. Now you're done with
every eastern area except Durlag's Tower. I have done Durlag's Tower
before ever setting foot in the Cloakwood Forest, but I don't recommend
it. Besides, we've done enough in this chapter, let's get on with the
main story.
Note from Lee:
I use the crappy pathfinding to my advantage here, and against Kahrk.
I set the party at the top of the path leading down into the area where
Carsa and Kahrk are, then send one Hasted character down to intiate the
encounter. A few steps into and out of his sight range will waste a lot
of his spells, and eventually he decides to come after me in melee. I
run back up the path to rejoin the party, and the stupid Ogre ends up
not being able to find the path and gets stuck at about (x=4250, y=980)
where I can simply shoot him down with missile fire and spells.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Cloakwood Forest |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK018}
1) Creatures of the Cloakwood I
2) Cloakwood Cape-r
3) Aldeth's Hunting Troubles
4) Coran
5) Creatures of the Cloakwood II
6) Tiber's Request
7) To the Spider's Den
8) Centeol the Cursed
9) Traps and Ettercaps
10) A Note on Wyverns
11) Creatures of the Cloakwood III
12) Eldoth
13) Laskal's Inquiry
14) Faldorn
15) Shadow Druid Takiyah
16) The Druid Tree
17) Shadow Druid Izefia
18) ...Subterranean Trees?
19) Creatures of the Cloakwood IV
20) Hamadryad Hunt
21) The Wyvern Cave
Cloakwood Forest I (AR2200)
o======================================================================o
1) In this area you'll run across Dire Wolves, Dread Wolves, and other
doggies, as well as Huge Spiders, Tasloi, and typical woodland threats,
like Bears. Nothing you can't handle, and nothing terribly interesting.
Don't worry, you're just getting your feet wet.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) In the southeastern corner of the map you'll run into a band of
Tasloi, one of which will drop a Cloak of Non-Detection. This cloak
belongs to Gurke, the dwarf in the Jovial Juggler who lost his cloak in
the Cloakwood Forest. Return it to him at your leisure. It turns out he
doesn't want it back due to his newfound celebrity gained from losing
the cloak in the first place. Just as well. I stick it on Imoen.
***REWARD***
(For recovering Gurke's Cloak of Non-Detection)
EXP 300
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Towards the middle of the map at (x=2650, y=2100) you'll find Aldeth
Sashenstar. Apparently he's being harassed by some Druids, and wants
your help to get rid of them. If you agree the Druids will arrive in
short order, led by one Seniyad. If you side with Aldeth you'll have to
fight Seniyad and his Druid buddies. Seniyad gives a hefty load of
experience, and leaves behind a Ring of Animal Friendship. Aldeth will
give you a Potion of Heroism for your troubles and will tell you to find
him at the Merchant League Estate in Baldur's Gate later. If you decide
to side with the Druids, however, Aldeth will make the perfectly
sensible decision to kill the adventurers he hired to kill the Druids he
was afraid to fight alone. Kill Aldeth and loot him for a suit of
Studded Leather Armor, a Diamond, a Potion of Heroism, a Bastard
Sword +1, +3 versus Shapeshifters, a Short Sword, and 1240 gold. I give
the sword to Ajantis - it'll come in handy in a few encounters down the
road, so you should definitely keep it on hand. If you have any qualms
about killing poor Aldeth, a simple detect evil should show who is in
the right. By all means, however, pick-pocket that ring of Animal
Friendship from Seyinad before talking to him after slaying Aldeth. HE
certainly doesn't need it. Loot Aldeth's lodge (x=2450, y=1700) after
he's dead. In for a penny, right?
The Bastard Sword +1, +3 vs Shapeshifters is a pretty sweet prize, but
you'll have a chance to get it later in Baldur's Gate if you help Aldeth
out here, as he'll have another quest for you. Granted, aside from some
money and experience, the sword is the best reward you'll get from these
later quests. On the other hand, siding with the Druids seems less
rewarding, but you'll get the Bastard Sword +1, +3 vs Shapeshifters,
plus Aldeth's brother will show up for revenge, which will score us a
pretty potent crossbow. Your call-a magical crossbow, or a quest, both
in Baldur's Gate.
***REWARD***
(For siding with Aldeth)
EXP 2000
***REWARD***
(For siding with Seyinad)
EXP 2000
***ITEMS*** (AR2215)
(x=520, y=160) Rainbow Obsidian Necklace, Arrow of Fire x2,
Arrow of Ice x2, Elixer of Health,
Potion of Invulnerability, 395 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) At (x=1520, y=700) you'll find Coran: Thief and archer! (That's a
Conan: The Barbarian reference... you know, the movie with Arnie?) He'll
ask if you want to help him collect a bounty on some Wyverns. If you
want him, accept, if not, decline. He's probably the best archer in the
game (with both a bogus Dexterity of 20 AND bogus Mastery in Bows). When
you're done, exit west and head to the next area of the Cloakwood Forest.
Cloakwood Forest II (AR2100)
o======================================================================o
5) The diversity of the foes in this level is down, but that doesn't
diminish the threat - expect to encounter critters of the spidery
persuasion throughout this level - Huge Spiders, Giant Spiders, Phase
Spiders, Sword Spiders, Ettercaps... the whole lot.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) At (x=4650, y=1200) you'll find a rather out-of-place commoner named
Tiber (and he's standing near a river!) Talk to him and he'll tell you
that his brother Chelak found a sword named 'Spider's Bane' and thought
to become heroes by clearing out the forest. If there's one place that
needed a Spider's Bane, this is it; the whole area is like the spider's
nest in (AR3000), spiders and web traps galore. Keep an eye out for
traps as you go along and keep your party in good order.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Head west from Tiber and the path will split. We can head south to
find... nothing, or continue west and find traps, foes, and generally
the kind of interesting stuff adventurers like to find. We of course,
want to explore to the west. Follow the cliffs west across... well, the
entire level, really. You'll get to smite the odd spider as you go along
to keep things interesting. In the southwestern corner of the level is
a small peninsula, along the western side of which you'll find some
Phase Spiders. Put them down and continue north up the western edge of
the level until you hit a waterfall, then turn east until you find a
large ominous den with a rather human-friendly door begging you to
enter at (x=1850, y=1150). Before entering, do whatever spell-buffing
you can.
***TRAPS***
(x=4500, y=1350)
(x=3600, y=1100)
(x=3500, y=750)
(x=3200, y=1000)
(x=970, y=2300)
(x=500, y=2100)
Centeol's Lair (AR2101)
o======================================================================o
8) Over at (x=1850, y=1150) you'll find a large ominous den with a
rather human-friendly door begging you to enter. Do some spell buffing
before you go in (I really wish I had Haste) including Protection from
Evil 10' Radius and Defensive Harmony. Head inside and Centeol will talk
to you, but no matter what you say it ends with a fight. She will
mention an archmage named 'Jon Icarus' along one of her dialogue
paths... Sounds awfully close to Jon Irenicus... Anywho, that's the next
game. I choose to NOT advance, but merely summon some Skeletons ahead of
me and fire off a Stinking Cloud (or two) as far north as I can. Jaheira
fires off an Entangle to complete my spell assault. I sic my Skeletons
on any foe that is incapacitated in the Stinking Cloud while my party
engages any spiders that draw close. This all amounts to little more
than a stall, but it's all that I require. You don't want to fight all
the enemies in this area at the same time. My Skeletons manage to kill
an Ettercap and a Sword Spider while my party focuses on the half of the
arachnids that are out of the Stinking Cloud(s). When the Stinking
Cloud(s) go down it's my party versus what's left of the spiders, which
I am more than a match for. Viconia ends up taking a whole six points of
damage from this encounter, which is all the damage I suffer (Skeletons
not included) making this my best run through of this area. (Self high
five.) Loot the area around Centeol for some nice loot. Minsc happily
equips Spider's Bane. Anyways, time to get the stiff back to his
brother.
***ITEMS***
(x=500, y=400) Fire Opal Ring, Wand of Frost, Ring of Folly,
Chelak's Body, Spider's Bane
Note from Lee:
A couple of Fireballs first, then the creature summoning will make this
fight all the easier - spiders simply cannot tolerate fire. Anything
that's left will come to you to be killed, and several Magic Missiles
will take care of Centeol.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) If you want to score some extra experience, note that you can head
west just behind Centeol's Lair to reach the northern waterfall, where
you can cross and kill some more Phase Spiders, for what it's worth.
From Centeol's Lair head east into the forest, where traps, spiders,
and Ettercaps abound. Particularly of note, if you head northeast from
Centeol's Lair through a clearing in the trees you'll arrive at a
clearing where several Ettercaps lurk, protected by a Web trap along
each cardinal direction. Take some caution, disarm the traps, then
smite the Ettercaps. Once you've made your way back to Tiber, talk to
him to give him his brother back... Exit the area along the northern
edge and travel to the next area.
***TRAPS***
(x=750, y=350)
(x=2200, y=1500)
(x=3500, y=710)
(x=3500, y=1100)
(x=3270, y=1000)
(x=4000, y=800)
***REWARD***
(For bringing Chelak's body back to his brother, Tiber)
EXP 800
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) Now, we're fairly deep into the Cloakwood Forest, so it seems like a
good time to talk about a random encounter you might have moving between
areas here... I haven't made a habit of talking about random encounters
earlier, but this one stands out for being a fairly common occurence,
and for being dangerous. You may find a random encounter moving between
areas in the Cloakwood Forest where two Wyverns attack you. Wyverns can
be bad news, as they are relatively strong and have one of the most
potent poisons in the game. Needless to say, if you don't have a Slow
Poison ready for a character who gets poisoned, they're probably going
to end up a corpse. On the plus side, killing Wyverns can end up making
you a good bit of coin. Loot fallen Wyverns for their heads when you
kill them, as Keldath Ormlyr, the mayor of Beregost, and the high priest
in the Song of the Morning temple (AR3400) will pay you 2000 gold for
the first one you bring him (he's the same guy you turned Basillus' Holy
Symbol in to). If you stock up on more Wyvern Heads, Officer Vai will
give you 1000 gold per head (just remember, you can't sell crap to her
unless you've got Bandit Scalps in your inventory).
***REWARD***
(For presenting a Wyvern head to Keldath Ormlyr)
Gold 2000
Cloakwood Forest III (AR1600)
o======================================================================o
11) Nothing too special in this area; expect to run across a variety of
canines - Wolves, Dread Wolves... even a Vampiric Wolf near the north.
You might also encounter Tasloi and Huge Spiders - you know, the usual
forest-foe fare.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) You'll find a Bard named Eldoth at (x=3180, y=3500) who will offer
you some booze, and then let loose with a slimy scheme, to fake-kidnap
his lover Skie from her father, one Entar Silvershield. If you want him
agree, if not, leave him behind.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) Shortly after crossing the bridge to the north you'll find a Druid
named Laskal (x=3120, y=2150) who asks if you're part of the Iron
Throne. If you say you are, he'll attack, leaving behind a suit of
Leather Armor, a Potion of Invulnerability, a Quarter Staff, and 12
gold. This is, however, an evil action and will lower your reputation.
If you say you are enemies of the Iron Throne, he'll give you a Potion
of Invulnerability to help your efforts. Unpopular bunch, that Iron
Throne.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
14) Head southwest along the shore until you find a stone henge around
(x=800, y=2800). By the stone henge and obelisk you'll find a Druid
named Faldorn (x=650, y=2280). Talk to her and she'll ask you to help
her clear out the Iron Throne in the Cloakwood Forest. Awful lot of
recruitable characters in this forest, eh? Take her or leave her as you
wish.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
15) North of where you found Faldorn you'll find another Druid named
Takiyah (x=1070, y=2530). He'll attack if you have Jaheira in your
party, which means I regularly trounce him. Like most Druids in this
area, he inexplicably can (and will) cast Hold Person to start out the
fight. The normal rule of 'hit 'em fast, hit 'em hard' to disrupt their
spells often doesn't work for some reason, but we've got other options
now. If you head forward with just Minsc (or whomever has Spider's
Bane equipped, and hence, has Free Action) they'll absorb the Hold
Person harmlessly. Just something winners might want to keep in mind.
Anyways, once the tree-hugger is vanquished he'll leave behind a suit
of Studded Leather and a Quarterstaff. If you don't have Jaheira with
you, he'll ask you a question. If you answer that you're here hunting
bandits, he'll refer you to Faldorn. All in all, it's an inconsequential
encounter.
Tree House (AR1601)/(AR1602)
o======================================================================o
16) Near Takiyah you'll find a giant tree-home (x=820, y=2100). There's
looting to be done, but more importantly on the second level is another
Shadow Druid named Amarande, who will attack you if you have Jaheira in
your party. Like Takiyah, if you don't have Jaheira in your party
Amarande will ask you a question, and if you reveal that you're here to
destroy the bandits, he'll refer you to Faldorn. He'll leave behind a
suit of Studded Leather Armor and a Quarter Staff. Loot and leave.
***ITEMS***
(AR1601)
(x=300, y=160) Potion of Freedom, Potion of Healing, Antidote
(x=200, y=160) Quarter Staff, Sling, 6 gold
---
(AR1602)
(x=70, y=270) Bullets +1 x10
(x=150, y=150 Quarter Staff, Potion of Fortitude
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
17) At (x=2000, y=1530) you'll find a Shadow Druid by the name of
Izefia, who will attack if Jaheira is in your party. For future
reference Jaheira is a normal Druid, Faldorn is a Shadow Druid. These
two sects do not get along. Shadow Druids will let you go if Faldorn is
with you, or if you say you're out hunting bandits, but they'll attack
if Jaheira is with you. If Jaheira isn't in your party, you can say
you're hunting bandits and Izefia will tell you that somebody is raising
'creatures' in a cave nearby. If you're like me, you'll have Jaheira,
and hence, a dead Izefia. He will leave behind a suit of Studded Leather
Armor and a Quarter Staff.
Cave (AR1603)
o======================================================================o
18) Over at (x=2300, y=900) you'll find a cave. Inside the cave you'll
find an armored man named 'Peter of the North' (x=470, y=330) and
some Baby Wyverns. No matter what you say, he'll end up attacking you.
Kill him and loot him for a suit of Splint Mail, 5 Arrows of Ice, 10
Arrows +1, 30 Arrows, a Long Bow, a Long Sword, and 20 gold-typical
Black Talon Elite gear. Kill his babies while you're at it. Exit the
map on the eastern edge and go to the next Cloakwood Forest area.
Cloakwood Forest Part IV (AR1700)
o======================================================================o
19) A few new faces in forest-land, this time around. You'll face Guards
wearing Splint Mail, bearing Long Swords and Medium Shields. Must be
getting close to this mine, eh? Anyways, they're not too much trouble.
Also showing up will be Baby Wyverns - yeah, their poison sucks, but
they're not too much trouble. It's guaranteed that you'll be fighting
a small pack of them past the bridge leading to the northwestern corner
of the map. Other than that, don't be surprised if you encounter Wolves
or Giant Spiders.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
20) Over at (x=1130, y=3360) is a Hamadryad. She's the only one in the
game that I know of, and I'm not sure why they even bothered to put one
here... but anyhow, her tactics are to start out with a pair of Dire
Charm spells, then a Hold Person, then a pair of Entangles, and finally
she'll end with another Hold Person. After each spell she'll Dimension
Door to another location, making it hard to effectively attack her.
Obviously, her goal here is to cause mayhem with her spells, and if
you're going to suffer any losses at all, it'll be through the agency of
your own charmed party members. I have two good options for dealing with
her safely-head over to where she is with just Minsc, who will be
immune to her Hold Person/Entangle spells, and if she charms him... who
cares? He's too far away to harm any other party members, just wait
it out and attack her again. The second option is to scout her out and
cast a Silence 15' Radius just outside of her sight radius. Her saves
are pretty good, but once you've Silenced her, she's toast. She will go
berserk with the Dimension Doors (apparently they don't count as magic),
where I can only assume she's attempting to cast her spells - to no
effect. Once she's done spazzing out, however, she'll attack in melee,
where she's easily dispatched. You'll encounter another critter like her
in the game, but thankfully not until Durlag's Tower. She'll leave
behind a Dagger. Wee.
Note from Lee:
All that, and she's only worth 650 experience - what a rip-off...
Wyvern Cave (AR1701)
o======================================================================o
21) In the eastern part of the map you'll find a huge cave entrance
(x=4100, y=1700). I suggest you rest up and spell buff before you enter
the cavern. Inside are a number of Wyverns and Baby Wyverns. I hit them
with a double shot of Fireball to start the battle off in a good way,
then it's a simple matter of smiting them. If you want to play it safe,
you can hide your party on the staircase (right click and drag the
mouse to assemble your party on the stairs without leaving the area).
These stairs provide a natural bottle-neck, allow you to avoid bringing
more Wyverns into the fray, and are outright too small for adult
Wyverns! Dispatch the Baby Wyverns and shoot the adult Wyverns dead,
then lure more to you and dispatch them, too. Either way you do it,
kill all the Wyverns before exploring the cavern. At the back of the
cavern you'll see the mother of all wyverns... good thing it's dead.
Obviously somebody came by before us. Yuck. Anyhow, loot and leave.
Exit the map on the eastern edge and travel to the Mines.
***ITEMS***
(x=400, y=600) Jade Ring, Water Opal, Garnet, Wand of Fear,
Plate Mail Armor, 62 gold
Note from Lee:
This is a great place to grind for experience - Wyverns will spawn
every time you rest, and at 1400xp for each adult and 450 for each baby
it adds up fast. You have to be a bit careful, as Wyverns will appear
on the stairs behind you every once in a while, but if you position the
party well, it's no big deal. I managed to gain levels for three party
members after resting only six times (picking up as many Wyvern heads
in the process).
o======================================================================o
| |
| Cloakwood Mines |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK019}
1) Lacerate Lakadaar
2) Always Kill the Mouthy One, That's What I Always Say
3) Bunkhouse Brawl
4) Minehouse Massacre
5) Introduction to Cloakwood Mines
6) A Slew of Inconsequential Encounters
7) Bring Down the River
8) The work-around
9) Rill's Rebellion
10) Yeslick
11) Welcoming Party in Level 3
12) Officer's Quarters
13) Hobgoblin Barracks
14) The Training Room
15) Spells, Courtesy of Natasha
16) Ogre's Pride
17) Cyric Sacrilege
18) Leveling the Playing Field
19) Defeating Davaeorn
20) Spineless Stephan and Slimey Servants
21) Flooding the Mines
Cloakwood Mines (AR1800)
o======================================================================o
1) Over at (x=1680, y=580) you'll find Lakadaar, who will ask what you
are doing in the forest. If you say your name, and say you're hunting
Wyverns you can scare him off, but what fun is that? Say just about
anything else to pick a fight and he, along with several guards, will
attack you. They all carry a suit of Splint Mail Armor, a Medium Shield,
and a Long Sword. Explore the area as you wish, but this meager
encounter is the only thing of interest before you enter the fort in the
middle of the map.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) In the fort, at (x=1570, y=1870) is Drasus and his buddies. That's
right, another group of bounty hunters to smite. This group has two
Mages with it, so they shouldn't be underestimated, especially if
you're still the 'rush in and smite them' type. However, if you use some
discretion, you'll find that this fight is actually easier than most.
You can sucker punch them with some Stinking Clouds and Animate Dead,
and that will work just dandy to smite them but good, but you can also
use Drasus' uncanny speed to your advantage by luring him ahead of his
buddies into your midst, where he can promptly be massacred. Better yet,
the Mages are in the back of the group, and they will most likely not
notice if you lure off both of their warriors and kill them. I
personally prefer the Stinking Cloud/Animate Dead approach. Dispose of
this group as you wish and loot their sorry corpses for some quality
loot. Genthore will drop a suit of Plate Mail Armor +1, a Large Shield,
Throwing Axes, 10 Darts, 20 Throwing Daggers, a Dagger, and 56 gold.
Rezdan will leave behind a Mage Robe of Cold Resistance, a Quarter
Staff, 20 Darts, and 32 gold. Loot Kysus for a Traveller's Robe, a
Dagger, 20 Throwing Daggers, and 66 gold. Finally, Drasus is kind enough
to bestow a suit of Chain Mail, Boots of Speed, a Medium Shield, a
Potion of Frost Giant Strength, a Letter, a Morning Star +1, and 56
gold. I can't really find a use for the Plate Mail +1, as Full Plate
Mail is simply better, but I do stick the Boots of Speed on Ajantis.
Don't worry, we'll find more missile defense for Ajantis later. These
boots allow Ajantis to go around from hot spot to hot spot, putting out
fires as needed. It also makes him that much more likely to be the
first into battle and hence, to draw enemy fire. Before you head into
the mines, loot the bunkhouse at (x=1330, y=1750).
Note from Lee:
After dispatching the two guards at the bridge, align your party with
fighters at the foot of the western end of the bridge (the bridge acts
as a natural bottleneck), with your spellslingers and archers behind
them. Then send your strongest fighter forward to entice Drasus across
the bridge, shooting him to death with missile fire and/or spells as he
tries to cross. The eastern end of the bridge is right at the limit for
spell range, so you can blast him as he approaches, and if he survives
the spell onslaught he will run into missile fire about halfway across,
then get mopped up in melee if/when he actually makes it all the way to
the party. Repeat for Genthore. Too easy....
Now, the mages.... I move the party up to the eastern end of the bridge
(but still on it), and send my main character (F5/M5) forward using the
Boots of Speed. If you stay slightly north, you'll encounter Rezdan
first; the instant you see the glimmer of magic from him, run back out
of range of his spell and wait for the spell duration to expire - chalk
up one wasted spell. Repeat until he's out of spells and attempts to
charge you (maybe he's pissed over all those wasted spells?). Bad move
Magie boy, now you're dead. Repeat for Kysus - he apparently didn't
learn anything from watching his buddy try it. Ya know, for having such
a high Intelligence, mages certainly are stupid (ah - no Wisdom.... that
would explain it).
Bunkhouse (AR1805)/(AR1806)
o======================================================================o
3) Downstairs are two hostile guards and upstairs is a cowardly guard.
They shouldn't be more than speedbumps by now. When you're done, exit
and continue east until you find the entrance to the Minehouse at
(x=3200, y=600).
***ITEMS***
(AR1805)
(x=250, y=150) Potion of Magic Shielding, Zircon Gem, 83 gold
(x=450, y=200) Dagger, Mace, 13 gold
---
(AR1806)
(x=350, y=160) Long Sword, Dagger, 11 gold
(x=250, y=200) Mace, Spear, 18 gold
(x=170, y=250) Long Sword, Heavy Crossbow, 8 gold
(x=400, y=200) Long Sword, Heavy Crossbow, 48 gold
(x=320, y=280) Long Sword, 32 gold
(x=250, y=310) Dagger, 89 gold
Minehouse (AR1809)/(AR1807)
o======================================================================o
4) Kill guards, loot, and head down the stairs (x=500, y=200) and take
the elevator down to the mines (x=200, y=300).
***ITEMS***
(x=370, y=170) Long Sword x2, 58 gold
Cloakwood Mines Level 1 (AR1801)
o======================================================================o
5) When you round the first corner you'll be attacked by a guard with
more confidence than sense. After you head down the tunnel a ways a
miner named Faber (x=1150, y=550) will come to tattle on another miner
named Andarsson. These mines are much like the Nashkel Mines, but with
a few differences... no Kobolds, and the guards will attack you.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) Andarsson is at (x=1270, y=620). There's an impotent guard at
(x=1350, y=330). A miner named Tipian is at (x=740, y=880). A guard
(x=260, y=1180) will summon other guards unless you are aggressive with
him. A miner named Phaersis is at (x=1070, y=1270), who will tell you
about a way to flood the mines. Canticle the miner, formerly a bard, is
at (x=1380, y=1150).
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) At (x=1970, y=250) you'll find a miner who is standing in front of
a giant plug. Listen to his plan about flooding the mine. He'll also
tell you about Yeslick, and to go find another miner named Rill. when
you're done talking to him, head to the next level of the mines at
(x=1450, y=1500).
Cloakwood Mines Level 2 (AR1804)
o======================================================================o
8) As soon as you enter this level you'll see bad guys that need a
beating. Go on slaying what guards you find as you head southeast. You
could take the trapped passage southwest, which leads to a room full of
guards led by a Mage named Hareishan (x=850, y=1250), but there's a
better way to get there. Keep going southeast, there's a guard at
(x=1940, y=940) who will surrender and tell you some info if you let him
go. There is also a secret door (x=2020, y=1020). Go inside the tunnel
beyond the secret door and kill the Ghasts on your way down, taking the
first side passage you find. Another secret door (x=1200, y=1400) opens
into the room with Hareishan and company inside of it. I hit them with a
few Stinking Clouds and a double shot of Fireball. Taking the side route
is better because it allows you hit the enemies with a telling first-
strike spell-assault, where the more obvious, trapped path has multiple
corners that prevent you from getting the drop on them. Amongst the
carnage you'll find the body of the Mage Hareishan. Loot her for an
Adventurer's Robe, a Scroll of Ghoul Touch, a Scroll of Haste, a Potion
of Explosions, a Quarter Staff, and 310 gold. Finally, we get Haste.
Scribe it on your top Mage. This spell is the indispensable support
spell which you'll use before EVERY major encounter from here on out.
It doubles your movement speed increases you attack rate, turning your
warriors into juggernauts. It's often the only spell-buff you'll need,
and you'll be using it until the end of Throne of Bhaal.
***TRAPS***
(x=1100, y=720)
(x=1100, y=920)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) Head back into the Ghast tunnel and continue south, finding another
secret door at (x=1000, y=1800). At (x=720, y=1630) you'll find Rill,
the self-proclaimed defacto leader of the Cloakwood slaves. He'll ask
for 100 gold so he can bribe the captain of the Black Talons. Give him
the money, it'll be worth it later.
Note from Lee:
The door at (x=670, y=1600), in the room southwest of Hareishan, also
leads to Rill and Yeslick, and doesn't require you to go all the way
back out and around. Simply open the door, do the various dialogues,
and exit down the stairs.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) And in the same room you'll find Yeslick (x=860, y=1720). He wants
to get revenge against the Iron Throne for wronging him and stealing his
clans' mine. If you want him, take him along... or at least move him to
the surface in case you change your mind, if you flood the mines with
Yeslick still inside, you wont be seeing Yeslick again, which would be
a real shame, too, considering that he's probably the 3rd-best Cleric
in the game. Also, letting the computer level him hasn't hurt him too
much. When you are done the stairs down are at (x=400, y=1600).
Cloakwood Mines Level 3 (AR1802)
o======================================================================o
11) This level is mostly comprised of guards and Hobgoblins, some of
which will greet you when you arrive. Smash them and loot as you will,
but don't fill up your inventory with cheap crap-there's plenty of loot
on this level, and there's still another level to go. You can safely
ignore the southwestern side of the map, as all you'll find there is a
smelter room occupied by wussy Hobgoblins, and a big, pointless hole.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) Since we need not explore to the southwest, let's head northeast
instead. Along the northwestern wall you'll find doorways leading to
officer's rooms, and anybody within will not be your friend. So much
the worse for them. Just as well. These rooms have plenty of loot-the
locks will vary in difficulty from 30 to 70.
***ITEMS***
(x=960, y=840) Fire Agate Gem
(x=970, y=830) Scroll of Shocking Grasp, Scroll of Sleep
(x=1090, y=840) Acid Arrows x5, Arrows of Biting x5, 23 gold
(x=1240, y=800) Fire Agate Gem x3, Jasper Gem
(x=1300, y=600) Dagger, Mace
(x=1370, y=570) Waterstar Gem, 112 gold
(x=1500, y=550) Bloodstone Ring
(x=1600, y=600) Garnet Gem, 31 gold
(x=1580, y=400) Potion of Mirrored Eyes, Potion of Strength
(x=1600, y=380) 19 gold
(x=1720, y=300) Scroll of Dispel Magic
(x=1750, y=420) Potion of Fire Giant Strength, 119 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) While we're in this tunnel, let's pay some attention to the tunnels
to the southeast, which eventually connect to a barracks room full of
Hobgoblins. This barracks connects to another barracks to the south-
east, also full of Hobgoblins, and another tunnel to the southeast
neatly bisects the level. Kill the Hobgoblins and loot their goodies,
just be wary - they respawn like bunnies.
***ITEMS**
(x=1690, y=1100) Composite Long Bow
(x=1750, y=1050) Dagger, Long Sword
(x=1900, y=930) Long Sword, 21 gold
(x=2000, y=860) Sunstone Gem, 26 gold
(x=2050, y=820) Cursed Scroll of Weakness,
Scroll of Protection from Acid
(x=2170, y=900) Potion of Magic Protection, 29 gold
(x=2550, y=1150) Spear +1, 354 gold
(x=2670, y=1270) Flamedance Ring, Star Diopside Gem, Shandon Gem,
Lynx Eye Gem
(x=2600, y=1330) Dagger, 23 gold
(x=2530, y=1380) Halberd
(x=2400, y=1470) Halberd, 15 gold
(x=2300, y=1550) Halberd, Dagger
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
14) Now return to the tunnel in the northwest (the one adjacent to the
officer's rooms we looted a moment ago) and continue to the northeast.
In the northeastern corner of the level you'll find a training room,
replete with weapons, armor, and training dummies. Most of the loot here
is junk, but you can score a few enchanted items and a suit of Plate
Mail.
***ITEMS***
(x=2160, y=400) Chain Mail
(x=2300, y=350) Studded Leather Armor +1
(x=2320, y=350) Plate Mail Armor
(x=2350, y=250) Halberd x2, Battle Axe, Throwing Axe x3
(x=2200, y=300) Studded Leather Armor
(x=2230, y=300) Splint Mail Armor
(x=2070, y=270) Chain Mail Armor
(x=2100, y=250) Splint Mail Armor
(x=2100, y=220) Long Sword x4, Bastard Sword, Two Handed Sword
(x=2250, y=150) Spear, Halberd, Battle Axe
(x=1990, y=220) Large Shield, Medium Shield x2
(x=2070, y=170) Large Shield x2, Small Shield +1
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
15) From the training room head southeast and enter the first (and only)
room to the northeast, south of the training room. Inside the room at
(x=3100, y=860) you'll find a Mage named Natasha who needs a small
dose of death. She can cast 4th level spells, so be cautious. She also
comes with a handful of Hobgoblin Elites. When she dies she'll leave
behind a Traveller's Robe, a Scroll of Ghoul Touch, a Scroll of Slow, a
Scroll of Hold Person, a scroll of Mirror Image, and a Dagger. The Slow
spell is the opposite of the Haste spell, and it is just as effective at
hampering foes as the Haste spell is at buffing your party. It halves
their attacking and moving speed and imposes a four point penalty to
Armor Class and attack rolls. Simply put, this is a death sentence when
it affects melee-oriented enemies. Learn it, love it. Also, if you
haven't learned Mirror Image yet, now is a good time to do so. It's a
great defensive spell... actually probably one of the best... and my
Fighter/Mage simply couldn't do without it.
***ITEMS***
(x=3050, y=750) 13 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
16) In the room southeast of the Hobgoblin barracks (around the corner
from the room with Natasha) you'll be pestered by an invisible critter.
The corpses around are apparently this beast's 'handiwork', which it'll
gloat about. Its plans for you are... well, look around. Fear not,
however, as it's just a petty little Ogre Mage. Kill it and and loot it
for some goodies.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
17) From the Ogre Mage room continue southwest to find a guard station.
From here, head up a tunnel to the northwest until you find a temple to
the northeast. At (x=1590, y=1460) you'll find a Guard who keeps the
temple. If you say you're here to pay homage you'll need to identify
their god as Cyric. Loot the temple and leave. when you're done with
this room, leave the temple and return to the guard station to the
southeast, then go through a door to the southwest to reach a room in
the southern edge of the map. To the southeast you find another,
smaller room, where you'll find a staircase at (x=2700, y=2900).
***ITEMS***
(x=1720, y=1300) Elixer of Health, Potion of Stone Giant Strength
(x=1220, y=1520) Potion of Healing, Potion of Invulnerability
Cloakwood Mines Level 4 (AR1803)
o======================================================================o
18) Once you get down stairs you'll run into a guard, who will attack
you regardless of what you say. He'll leave behind a suit of Plate Mail
Armor, a Large Shield, and a Long Sword. To the southwest is a trapped
hallway that should be disarmed before you go picking a fight. There's
no reason to fight Davaeorn after walking through a gauntlet of traps,
right?
***TRAPS***
(x=1250, y=520)
(x=1200, y=520)
(x=1200, y=540)
(x=1120, y=600)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
19) You'll find Davaeorn at (x=870, y=820), and you two are not going to
be friends. He'll start out spell-buffed with Protection from Normal
Arrows and Mirror Image on. He's fond of casting Dimension Door whenever
you put the pressure on him, but keep on him and he'll fall. The best
thing you can do tactically? Rest before you engage him, which will make
his protection from normal arrows wear off and make your life easier.
With my evil party, my Fighter/Mage/Thief protagonist can get the fight
started in a good way by equipping a one-handed sword and backstabbing
Davaeorn. Anytime a Mage is left vulnerable, it's a good idea to start
out the fight with a pre-emptive backstab... especially now that my
Fighter/Mage/Thief can use Mirror Image and Blur to protect them. When
he falls he'll leave behind a Traveller's Robe, Bracers of Defense
A.C.6, Robes of the Evil Archmagi, a Scroll of Grease, three Letters,
a Scroll of Shield, a Scroll of Protection from Evil, a Scroll of
Protection from Petrification, a Quarter Staff, 109 gold, and the Key
to the River Plug.
Davaeorn's death causes a bit of a dilemma for my evil party... mostly
due to his Robes of the Evil Archmagi. Of course, now they're OUR Robes
of the Evil Archmagi, and where do they go, to Edwin or our protagonist?
I put them on my protagonist for several reasons. First, my evil
protagonist is almost exclusively an archer in this game, making the
Bracers of Archery a good investment. The only two ways to significantly
improve your Mage's Armor Class in this game is with Robes of the
Archmagi, or with Bracers of Defense. Obviously, if I wear the Bracers
of Defense A.C. 6 on my protagonist, I can't wear the Bracers of
Archery. Second, my protagonist is much more likely to be targeted by
enemy fire... having a better Armor Class will help. Edwin gets the
Bracers of Defense A.C. 6, and my protagonist gains the Robes of the
Evil Archmagi. Of course, I could have made my evil protagonist neutral-
aligned, and just traveled with evil folks. It would have made no real
difference, and then I wouldn't have competition for this Robe of the
Archmagi (as my protagonist could have just worn the Robe of the Neutral
Archmagi)... still, I wanted a truly evil protagonist (it does affect
a few things in the sequel, whether you're good, neutral, or actually
evil, although you can change your alignment to evil at the end of
Shadows of Amn) and if all I had to sacrifice was one point of Armor
Class on a non-combatant... well, it's not too much of a bother.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
20) Davaeorn's apprentice, Stephan, is at (x=730, y=1190), and you can
(and should) pump him for information. Afterwards, if you're in doubt as
to whether you should let Stephan go or not, a simple Detect Evil
courtesy of Ajantis reveals him to be evil. Sure, he might not be lying
about being a hapless underling, but in the world of black-and-white
alignment, we can safely assume that if he was innocent, he was only
innocent because he lacked the capacity to play a more active role in
things. My evil party, of course, kills him simply because they can.
There's also a Mustard Jelly protecting some chests, but it's nothing
you can't handle. You'll notice-if you're observant-that Davaeorn has a
shrine to Bhaal in his chambers. Spooky. Technically the chapter ends
when you kill Davaeorn, but for the purposes of continuity, we'll finish
the mines off and THEN start chapter 5. As for the loot in this level...
Blur is a good defensive spell, I give it to my Fighter/Mage. Also, if
you didn't have Knock before, you do now, which is really good, since
some of the lock here are quite difficult, with a difficulty as high as
90! I give it to Imoen/Edwin so they can start helping out in that
department. When you're done, get on the elevator at (x=300, y=1200).
If you were unable to open any chests on the previous level, be sure
to use your new-found Knock spell to open them up; we're not coming
back here once we're done with the next Step.
***ITEMS***
(x=1580, y=420) Potion of Healing, Potion of Cold Resistance
(x=1200, y=150) Potion of Healing, 83 gold
(x=1450, y=750) Scroll of Detect Invisibility
(x=670, y=360) Greenstone Ring, Potion of Explosions,
Potion of Firebreath, Potion of Master Thievery
(x=840, y=730) 308 gold
(x=450, y=1050) Wand of Fear
(x=820, y=1120) Scroll of Infravision, Scroll of Larloch's Minor Drain,
Scroll of Horror
(x=630, y=1200) Scroll of Blur, Scroll of Larloch's Minor Drain
(x=950, y=1550) Diamond, Moonbar Gem, Laeral's Tear Necklace,
Scroll of Melf's Acid Arrow
(x=1050, y=1500) Scroll of Knock, 1085 gold
(x=1120, y=1600) Cursed Scroll of Stupidity,
Scroll of Protection from Undead,
Scroll of Protection from Fire,
Scroll of Detect Invisibility
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
21) Go talk to the miner in front of the plug. If you've talked to Rill
and have the key you can flood the mine. Make sure you're done with
everything before you do so, because you're not coming back. Once
everything is in order pick dialogue option #2. You'll be taken back to
the surface, and someone named 'Dradeel' will narrate for you...
which is odd. Anyhow, for freeing the miners you'll gain their gratitude
and a reward.
***REWARD***
(For flooding the mines)
EXP 2000
Reputation +2
o======================================================================o
| Chapter 5 |
o======================================================================o
| |
| Foiling the Iron Throne's Assassination Attempt |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK020}
1) Spying for Scar
2) Quayle
3) A Note on Baldur's Gate
4) Unlucky Aello
5) The Iron Throne Threatens
6) Loot Shop
7) Silence's Shop
8) The Thieves Guild Contact
9) Golden Extra-Farseer
10) Spell Shopping
11) Stores Exist in an Intermediate Space
12) Maltz's Home/Shop
13) Arkion's Request
14) Searching the Sewers
15) Looting (AR0800)
16) Looting Lower (AR0700)
17) His Brother's Keeper
18) Lady Hannah's Peeve
19) Pernicious Poultry
20) The Iron Throne Strikes Back
21) Lothander's Salvation
22) Looting Upper (AR0700)
23) To the Bitch-Queen's House
24) Trading Favors
25) Varci's Plea
26) Those Who Did Dare and Fail
27) Begging for Books
28) Swindling the Sea Goddess
29) Lady Luck Smiles
30) Lothander's Liberation
31) The Seer's Sphene
32) Level Larze
33) Revenge of the Protagonist
We now know that an organization known as the 'Iron Throne' is
responsible for the the iron poison, Mulahey, and the bandit raids, and
we can probably guess why. There is also a new name in the chain of
command, one 'Reiltar'. The city of Baldur's Gate is now open to you,
and we still have Durlag's Tower and Ulgoth's Beard to tackle. You could
choose to do either at this point, but frankly, Durlag's Tower will go
easier with some of the loot you can find in Baldur's Gate. Loot that
is, in all honesty, much easier to get than the goodies in Durlag's
Tower. So head off to Beregost, store your loot, and get ready for the
city of Baldur's Gate. Feel free to go buy gear from Ulgoth's Beard at
any time if you're frisky and you have too much money on you. I'll cover
it in detail later, but if you were to say, read ahead and grab a Cloak
of Displacement, nobody would fault you.
Bridge (AR0900)
o======================================================================o
1) Head to the bridge (AR900) and head across that bad boy. Near the end
of the bridge a Flaming Fist Mercenary awaits. He'll collect a toll of
6 gold and bring his commander to talk to you. A man named Scar will
show up and offer you a job investigating two trading companies that are
acting strangely. He's offering 2000 gold for the job, which is still
good money in my book.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) North of the bridge you'll find a gnome named Quayle (x=480, y=800)
who seems to be going in your direction... whatever direction that may
be. He'll offer to join you, no strings attached. If you want him, take
him, but bear in mind, he's awfully annoying. Exit on the western edge
of the map (thru the tower, sort of).
Baldur's Gate, East (AR0800)
o======================================================================o
3) When you enter Baldur's Gate you'll be bothered one last time by
Elminster. Baldur's Gate represents a change of pace of sorts, as we
will pursue quests that take us from area to area, rather than
completing areas in their entirety all in one go as we did previously in
this guide. Granted, I will still try and finish all the quests that
start in one area before moving on completely, but we will be running
around the city a bit. The plus side? You'll finish quests sequentially,
the down side? You'll be doing a bit of back-tracking. The main goal we
have right now will be to deal with a time-sensitive quest. Rather than
trying to avoid it, it would be best to resolve it and get it out of the
way so we have more freedom.
***ITEMS***
(x=2940, y=600) 17 gold
(x=1350, y=200) Gold Ring
(x=800, y=1220) Cursed Scroll of Stupidity
(x=2700, y=2500) Sunstone Gem
(x=950, y=2890) History of Calimshan
Lucky Aello's Discount Store (AR0810)
o======================================================================o
4) Up at (x=3130, y=1000) you'll find 'Lucky Aello's Discount Store',
which sells nothing but tainted potions and cursed scrolls. You get
what you pay for, and if we've learned anything so far in this game,
it's that 'discount' means 'defective' or 'deceit'.
Baldur's Gate, Northeast (AR0300)
o======================================================================o
5) Exit the map on the northern edge... say... (x=2200, y=20) and travel
to the new area to the north. You'll be accosted by two men Marek
(x=1920, y=2850) and Lothander (x=1870, y=2870). They will warn you to
stop meddling with the Iron Throne and wander off. By now we've
dispatched dozens of would-be assassins, surely we need not fear these
two, right? Loot around outside for a little bit of variable treasure,
then head into the shop at (x=2180, y=2500).
Shop (AR0304)
o======================================================================o
6) The Storekeep here sells mundane armor of no interest to us. On the
other hand, his store is stocked full of goodies we can steal... and by
steal, I mean take, because he doesn't care if you rob him blind! What
a nice guy. Grab the many potions, monies, the Mace +1 and the Ring of
Infravision before leaving. Once done, we're done with this area,
for now. We'll deal with The Counting House (x=2350, y=3100) later.
Head back south to (AR0800).
***ITEMS***
(AR0300)
(x=1805, y=2800) 28 gold
(x=2050, y=2350) History of the Last Giants
---
(AR0304)
(x=500, y=500) Andar Gem, Gold Ring
(x=400, y=550) Arrows of Dispelling x4, Arrows of Biting x7
(x=100, y=400) Mace +1, Sling, Dagger, Potion of Healing
(x=220, y=300) Potion of Mind Focusing
(x=300, y=300) 17 gold
(x=370, y=220) Potion of Hill Giant Strength
(x=480, y=260) Ring of Infravision
(x=500, y=180) Potion of Absorption
(x=650, y=180) Potion of Invulnerability
Silence's Store (AR0809)
o======================================================================o
7) In a house at (x=3350, y=2000) you'll find a Thief named Silence
(x=530, y=430) who will sell you a variety of items, notably a Cloak of
Protection +1, a Sling +1, Potions of Master Thievery, Potions of
Agility, Bullets +1 and Bullets +2. You can also rent out rooms here,
in case you need to rest.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) At (x=1550, y=1780) you'll find a Thief named Niklos, who will pay
you 50 gold to simply go and talk to his boss. He's alright, so take
the money. We'll do this quest later, as there is one annoying little
quest we need to get out of the way first.
Elfsong Tavern (AR0705)/(AR0706)
o======================================================================o
9) At (x=1800, y=2350) you'll find the Elfsong Tavern, homebase for you
in Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. It's somewhat less significant in this
game, however. At (x=750, y=600) you'll find a gnome named Brevlik, who
will ask you to steal a telescope from the Hall of Wonders, and offer
you 500 gold for the theft. Make him pony up a magical item as well and
accept his offer. It's another quest we'll do later. If you back out
after hearing his plan he'll realize he's been robbed. If you talk to
him again, you can buy a Ring of Folly from him for 500 gold (but you
can argue down to 200). Why you would want to do this, I have no idea.
There is no need to go upstairs just yet.
Sorcerous Sundries (AR0703)/(AR0704)
o======================================================================o
10) Over at (x=1000, y=1950) you'll find a large round building aptly
named 'Sorcerous Sundries'. Inside is a man named Ordulinian
(x=770, y=600), who will warn you about two squabbling Mages named
Arkion and Nemphre. Righty-O. At (x=670, y=570) you'll find Halbazzer
Drin, who will sell you a variety of magical goodies. Most notable are
his Arrows of Detonation, Arrows of Dispelling, Potions of Giant
Strength (great for any warrior), Potions of Genius (in case you wanted
to have Imoen scribe more scrolls than her Intelligence normally
allows). Speaking of which, he also has a vast collection of Mage
Scrolls. If you don't have them yet, here's a list of interesting
scrolls you might want to pick up.
o===========o
|Mage Spells|
o===========o
1st-Armor x2
1st-Blindness x2
1st-Burning Hands x2
1st-Charm Person x2
1st-Chill Touch x2
1st-Chromatic Orb x2
1st-Color Spray x2
1st-Friends x2
1st-Grease x2
1st-Identify x2
1st-Infravision x3
1st-Larloch's Minor Drain x2
1st-Magic Missile x2
1st-Protection From Evil x2
1st-Shield x2
1st-Shocking Grasp x2
1st-Sleep x2
---
2nd-Agannazar's Scorcher x2
2nd-Blur x2
2nd-Detect Evil x2
2nd-Detect Invisibility x2
2nd-Ghoul Touch x2
2nd-Horror x2
2nd-Invisibility x2
2nd-Knock x2
2nd-Know Alignment x2
2nd-Luck x2
2nd-Melf's Acid Arrow x2
2nd-Mirror Image x2
2nd-Protection From Petrification x2
2nd-Resist Fear x2
2nd-Stinking Cloud x2
2nd-Strength x2
2nd-Web x2
---
3rd-Clairvoyance
3rd-Dire Charm x2
3rd-Dispel Magic x2
3rd-Flame Arrow x2
3rd-Fireball x2
3rd-Ghost Armor x2
3rd-Haste x2
3rd-Hold Person x2
3rd-Lightning Bolt x2
3rd-Monster Summoning I x2
3rd-Non-Detection x2
3rd-Protection From Normal Missiles x2
3rd-Skill Trap x3
3rd-Slow x2
3rd-Vampiric Touch x2
---
4th-Confusion x2
4th-Dimension Door x2
4th-Greater Malison (infinite quantity)
4th-Minor Globe of Invulnerability x2
4th-Monster Summoning II x2
4th-Otiluke's Resilient Sphere (infinite quantity)
4th-Spirit Armor (infinite quantity)
---
5th-Chaos (infinite quantity)
5th-Polymorph Self (infinite quantity)
5th-Remove Curse (infinite quantity)
I had 55,000 gold pieces at this point (after buying two Robes of the
Archmagi at that!) so I was able to buy just about any spell that struck
my fancy. When you're done, head upstairs (x=200, y=300).
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) There is a quartet of Mages led by one named Niemain (x=400, y=600).
If you pick dialogue options #2, then #1 you can avoid a fight... but
why would you want to? On the other hand picking options #1, then #2
will allow you to blast Niemain with a scholarly, long-winded, and
thoroughly douchy speech about the indeterminate social nature of
'stores'. After subjecting him to this, he appropriately turns hostile.
I have my Cleric cast Animate Dead, and merrily send them on their own
to soak up as many hostile spells as they can. This should be sufficient
to win the fight on its own, as most of their 'strategy' revolves around
the use of Horror, after which they'll resort to 1st-and-2nd-level
damaging spells, which can potentially take down the Skeletons, but
you're likely to kill at least one of them, and once your undead fall,
the survivors just won't have enough spell-power left to stop your
party. Alternatively, this is an excellent time to test out that new
Chaos spell you SHOULD have purchased... if you have a Mage who can cast
it. Once they're dead, get to looting... It's nothing spectacular, but a
nice payday in any event:
William Garst: Mage Robe of Fire Resistance, Scroll of Luck, Scroll of
Identify, Quarter Staff and 49 gold.
Oulam: Mage Robe of Electrical Resistance, Darts of Stunning x5, Dagger
and 52 gold.
Wheber Ott: Mage Robe of Cold Resistance, Scroll of Luck, Scroll of
Identify, Dagger, Dagger +1 and 52 gold.
Niemain: Mage Robe of Fire Resistance, Ring of Clumsiness, Wand of Fire,
Dagger and 282 gold.
Nogte from Lee:
Having purchased several (8) Wands of Fire downstairs, along with a
half-dozen Wands of the Heavens, I simply cook these mages. I don't
care how many spells they have, it is nothing compared to three big
old Fireballs and a Flame Strike. A second round of the same renders
them... well... crispy...
General Store (AR0803)/(AR0804)
o======================================================================o
12) At (x=1120, y=2920) you'll find the home of Maltz, a merchant with
the right idea - he does business right from his home. He only sells
mundane junk, however. There is a bit of looting that can be done, but
Maltz will not let his goodies go without calling the guard.
***ITEMS***
(AR0803)
(x=350, y=100) Spear, 25 gold
(x=440, y=100) Silver Ring
(x=550, y=200) Potion of Perception, 5 gold
---
(AR0804)
(x=350, y=100) 13 gold
Arkion's House (AR0805)/(AR0806)
o======================================================================o
13) Over in the house at (x=1600, y=3200) you'll find a Mage named
Arkion (x=450, y=250). He'll send you on a quest to go find him a body
from the sewers - he won't ask how you got it, you don't ask why he
needs it. Sounds legit. Although this quest ties with one that Scar will
give later, it's really no bother to do it now... after you loot the
house, of course.
***ITEMS***
(AR0805)
(x=400, y=150) Medium Shield +1, 8 gold
---
(AR0806)
(x=310, y=410) Dagger
(x=200, y=300) 7 gold
(x=100, y=300) Potion of Insulation
Sewers (AR02260)
o======================================================================o
14) Leave Arkion's house and head to the sewers beside the Sorcerous
Sundries store (x=270, y=1840). Once down you'll be right next to an
Ogre Mage and a handful of Carrion Crawlers. Kill them and loot the Ogre
Mage for a Ruby Ring, a Bloodstone Ring, a Bastard Sword +1, and 5 gold.
Head west and loot the bodies for a variety of goodies. You can explore
the sewers more thoroughly, if you wish - expect to encounter Carrion
Crawlers and Phase Spiders. Loot is... non-existent. Once you're done
messing around in the sewers, return to Arkion with a body in your
possession and he'll reward you for your toil. While you're here, steal
his necklace from him - you'll have use for it shortly. Also, don't sell
the Ruby Rings, as they'll allow you to score a large reward later.
(AR0226)
(x=830, y=1450) Male Body, Ruby Ring, 135 gold
(x=700, y=1400) Male Body, Potion of Protection from Magic, 51 gold
(x=530, y=1380) Male Body, 28 gold
(x=400, y=1370) Male Body x2, tainted Oil of Speed, 85 gold
***REWARD***
(For bringing Arkion a body)
EXP 1800
Gold 250
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
15) Now that you're ahead of the game, lets loot around this area to
finish it off... Except for those places we'll come back to once we're
ready to do associated quests, and whatnot. I know, I'm a harsh
taskmaster and we're 'skipping' a lot of stuff, but we've no need to
start time-specific quests before we're ready to deal with them, and
there's no need to explore other places now when we'll get quests
inviting us to explore them later. Besides the loot found in random
containers outside (AR0800) there are two houses to loot-one at
(x=530, y=2500) (AR0801)/(AR0802) and one at (x=2900, y=500)
(AR0811)/(AR0812).
***ITEMS***
(AR0800)
(x=800, y=1220) Cursed Scroll of Stupidity
(x=2050, y=1350) History of the Dragon Coast
(x=3150, y=200) Gold Ring
(x=2700, y=2500) Sunstone Gem
(x=950, y=2880) History of Calimshan
---
(AR0802)
(x=530, y=120) Bluestone Necklace
(x=500, y=80) 10 gold
(x=250, y=300) Dagger
(x=200, y=250) 14 gold
---
(AR0811)
(x=350, y=100) Splint Mail, Medium Shield, 11 gold
(x=440, y=100) 5 gold
(x=550, y=200) Dagger, 25 gold
---
(AR0812)
(x=350, y=100) Darts x10, 15 gold
Once you're done looting, you're done with this area. Exit the map on
the western side of the area (x=20, y=3000) and head to the central
section of Baldur's Gate.
Baldur's Gate, Center (AR0700)
o======================================================================o
16) Now, we just got done looting, so of course it's time for... more
looting! There are three houses in the southeastern corner of the
area, near where we entered, that are ripe for robbing of their...
minor treasure.
***ITEMS***
(AR0711) (x=4100, y=240)
(x=350, y=100) Leather Armor, 10 gold
(x=440, y=100) 6 gold
(x=550, y=200) 3 gold
(x=180, y=340) Potion of Defense
---
(AR0712)
(x=350, y=100) Darts x8, 18 gold
---
(AR0709) (x=3780, y=3030)
(x=130, y=250) Potion of Mirrored Eyes
---
(AR0710)
(x=500, y=80) 7 gold)
(x=300, y=350) Throwing Dagger
(x=250, y=300) 6 gold
(x=200, y=250) Tiger Cowrie Shell Necklace, 9 gold
---
(AR0707) (x=3450, y=2850)
(x=400, y=150) Zircon Gem, 7 gold
---
(AR0708)
(x=200, y=300) 6 gold
(x=100, y=300) Dagger +1, 15 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
17) That's enough looting for now. Head west and go up some stairs to
the north. Atop the stairs you'll find one Dabron Sashenstar
(x=780, y=1680), who will be waiting for you if you killed his brother
Aldeth in the Cloakwood Forest. There's no avoiding this fight, but
that's fine, you don't really want to, do you? When he falls he'll leave
behind a suit of Plate Mail Armor, a Helmet, 20 Bolts, Heavy Crossbow of
Accuracy, and a Morning Star +1. This is a nice Crossbow, and if you
have a character who can use it, you may want to keep it in their
inventory so you can draw it when you need it.
***ITEMS***
(x=2350, y=3000) 35 gold
(x=750, y=450) Scroll of Burning Hands
(x=2150, y=1300) Lynx's Eye Gem x2, 10 gold
(x=2250, y=880) History of Halruaa, History of the North
(x=3640, y=1260) 6 gold
(x=3070, y=700) Sunstone Gem
(x=2280, y=530) Silver Ring
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
18) At (x=660, y=1100) you'll find a noblewoman named Lady Hannah, who
will complain about a man named Ragefast who has acquired his own
personal nymph. Yet another thing we'll deal with later, with a little
more motivation.
Poultry Shop (AR0721)
o======================================================================o
19) There's a door at (x=650, y=500) which leads to a Poultry Shop,
which is full of Rabid Chickens! Why? I don't know. Blast them with a
Fireball for giggles.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
20) Lothander is at (x=2350, y=1080), and he's got some serious
information for you. He'll tell you that you've been poisoned and
have ten days to live. The worst part is, he's not bluffing. He'll
reveal that he's been geased into working for the Iron Throne, and
that if you help him, he'll help you find the antidote. What else is
there to do? Enter the Fortune Teller's Tent at (x=2500, y=800).
Fortune Teller's Tent (AR0726)
o======================================================================o
21) Go talk to the Diviner (x=320, y=250). Pay his 50 gold and ask him
who has the ability to release Lothander of his geas. He'll tell you
that Jalantha Mistmyr of Umberlee can remove it. Great. Now you just
have to get her to help you. Talk to Lothander after getting your
divination, and he'll encourage you to go to the Water Queen's House
(he's got hearing like a bat!). When you've got a way to reverse his
Geas he'll be waiting at the Blade and Stars Inn. Exit the area on the
southern edge of the map.
Note: Lothander won't head to the Blade and Stars until you talk to him
here, so be sure to do so before continuing to spare yourself some time.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
22) Even though we're poisoned and dying... why not loot around this
area to finish it off, kinda mostly not really? There are three houses
to loot (AR0722)/(AR0723) (x=250, y=450), (AR7017)/(AR7018)
(x=3500, y=850), and (AR0713)/(AR0714) (x=4300, y=700). In Nadine's
House (AR0715)/(AR0716) (x=4150, y=900) you'll find a Halfling lady
named... Nadine (x=400, y=270). She'll give you a good luck charm and
ask you to find and give it to her boy, Euric. The 'good luck charm' is
an Amulet of Protection +1... Yeah... We'll get around to it eventually.
Also, you can loot the Drakon Tavern (x=1660, y=1200) (AR0720), for what
little that's worth.
***ITEMS***
(AR0715)
(x=140, y=250) Greenstone Ring
---
(AR0716)
(x=500, y=80) 6 gold, Dagger
(x=340, y=120) 14 gold
(x=200, y=250) 8 gold
(x=300, y=350) Sunstone Gem
---
(AR0713) (x=4300, y=700)
(x=400, y=150) Turquoise Gem, 11 gold
---
(AR0714)
(x=200, y=300) 6 gold
(x=100, y=320) Spear, Halberd
---
(AR0717) (x=3500, y=850)
(x=350, y=100) Chain Mail, 17 gold
(x=440, y=100) 6 gold
(x=550, y=200) Scroll of Invisibility, 5 gold
---
(AR0718)
(x=350, y=100) Throwing Dagger x10, Scroll of Friends, 32 gold
---
(AR0720) (x=1660, y=1200)
(x=720, y=150) Onyx Ring
---
(AR0722) (x=250, y=450)
(x=380, y=250) Heavy Crossbow, 20 gold
---
(AR0723)
(x=170, y=350) Potion of Heroism, Jasper Gem, 5 gold
Once you're done with all that looting, exit via the southern edge of
the area (x=1200, y=3320) to reach Baldur's Gate, South (AR1200).
Baldur's Gate, South (AR1200)
o======================================================================o
23) If you have Jaheira in your party a Harper named Entillis Fulsom
will talk to you. Yay. Head over to the WaterQueen's House
(x=870, y=2370). Make sure to pick up the Gauntlets of Weapon Skill
along the way (x=750, y=2700). These go well on any of the secondary
warriors who didn't get something better already... Viconia, for
example.
***ITEMS***
(x=750, y=2700) Gauntlets of Weapon Skill
WaterQueen's House (AR0609)
o======================================================================o
24) You'll be approached by a Priestess of Umberlee, who will ask you
to state your business. Ask to see Jalantha Mystmyr and pay a donation
of 50 gold in order to do so (if you cheap out, you'll end up paying
100 gold). She will ask you to retrieve a Book of Wisdom (she means a
Tome of Understanding) for her from the Temple of Tymora. Agree to do
it and head outside. Return to the Central area (AR0700) and exit the
map on the western side to reach the western area of Baldur's Gate
(AR0600).
Baldur's Gate, West (AR0600)
o======================================================================o
25) You'll run into an ex-merchant named Dun who will give you some info
on the Seven Suns and Merchants' Consortium. Over at (x=1160, y=760) you
will find a boy named Varci Roaringhorn. Normally we wouldn't bother
with a kid's request, but it ties in with the quest we're on now, so go
talk to him. He'll ask you to follow him to his guardian's house
(x=880, y=680). Do so.
Tremain Belde'ars House (AR0617)/(AR0618)
o======================================================================o
26) Upon entering a priest named Tremain Belde'ar will approach. He'll
ask you to retrieve the body of his son from the priestesses of
Umberlee. Accept and head to the The Lady's House (x=1300, y=1000).
***ITEMS***
(AR0617)
(x=400, y=250) Bluestone Necklace
---
(AR0618)
(x=500, y=350) History of the Ulgarth, 22 gold
The Lady's House (AR0132)
o======================================================================o
27) Talk to Chanthalas Ulbright (x=250, y=250) and pick dialogue
options #3 and #1 to offer to pay 500 gold for the tome. Seeing your
need, he'll give it over for free. Score.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
28) Now go back and pay the priestesses of Umberlee a visit. Instead of
giving Jalantha the 'Book of Wisdom', simply pick-pocket the Geas
Removal Scroll from her. Now talk to one of the lesser priestesses (the
blonde one) and ask for Tenya. Simply ask for the boy's body back, and
she'll deliver. If you didn't help Tenya out earlier, you still have
options. You can steal the body off Jalantha, or you can pay 2000 gold
for it. And then again, you can always kill all the priestesses of
Umberlee. Your call. You can also steal a Sphene Gem from Jalantha,
which will be used in a quest later.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
29) Return the body to Tremain and he'll raise him. Talk to him again
and the two will leave. Talk to Varci and he'll reward you. I give the
shield to Ajantis. Now he has missile defense again. Also, you might as
well read that Tome of Understanding you just got. More juicy Wisdom
for my protagonist.
***REWARD***
(For recovering the body of Tremain's son)
EXP 5000
Gold 2000
Item Large Shield +1, +4 vs. Missiles
The Blade and Stars (AR0105)/(AR0106)/(AR0107)
o======================================================================o
30) To give the scroll to Lothander you'll have to head to the Blade and
Stars, which is in the southeastern portion of Baldur's Gate (AR1300)
at (x=200, y=650). Go inside and head up the stairs (x=400, y=100) to
find Lothander at (x=250, y=200). Give him the scroll and he'll give you
half the antidote. To get the other half, you'll need to pay Marek a
visit at the Blushing Mermaid. It won't be a social call. To get to the
Blushing Mermaid you have to go to the northern area of Baldur's Gate
(AR0200), and then exit on the eastern edge of the map to reach the
northeastern area (AR0300). The Blushing Mermaid is at (x=200, y=1750).
***REWARD***
(For freeing Lothander from his geas)
EXP 1500
Item Antidote
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
31) On your way back down go talk to G'axir the Seer (x=250, y=220) who
will ask you to recover a Sphene Gem for him. He wants one from 'the
lair of the Basilisk', but any Sphene Gem will do. Once you've given
him the gem, he'll give you a reward.
***REWARD***
(For giving G'axir the Seer a Sphene Gem)
EXP 1000
The Blushing Mermaid (AR0114)/(AR0115)
o======================================================================o
32) When you enter an Ogre named Larze will approach you with painful
intent. If you pick dialogue options #1, #2 you can avoid a fight, but
again, that's not how I tend to do things. You do get some experience
for talking you way out of a fight, but you can't loot Larze for
Gauntlets of Weapon Skill, a Scroll of Melf's Acid Arrow, a Flamedance
Ring, a Horn Coral Gem, a Scroll of Stinking Cloud, an Angel Skin Ring,
a Morning Star, and 87 gold. Admittedly, Larze is a tough fight, but
it's worth tackling him for the lootage.
***ITEMS***
(X=420, y=150) Gold Ring, Dagger +1, 350 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
33) Head up the stairs at (x=1100, y=650) and talk to Marek at
(x=400, y=330). Surprise, surprise, he'll threaten to kill you, entirely
ignorant of the odds. Surround him and pummel him to a well-deserved
death. You'll get a whopping experience reward for talking to him, and
you'll get even more for killing and looting him. He'll drop 20 Arrows,
a Potion of Freedom, a Potion of Master Thievery, Marek's Potion of
Antidote, a Dagger +2, the Eagle Bow, and 201 gold. Imoen happily
accepts the Eagle Bow as a replacement for her current bow.
***REWARD***
(For killing Marek and obtaining the antidote)
EXP 10000
Now that the Iron Throne's latest, and most lethal, assassins have been
dealt with you have free reign over the city... for the most part. Now
it's time to tackle quests in a somewhat more organic, less frantic
manner. We'll start with the quests we picked up in the first area;
we will now cover the eastern and southeastern parts of Baldur's Gate
(AR0800) and (AR1300). Be sure to have plenty of Knock and Invisibility
spells prepared if your thieving skills aren't great. Having the Ring of
Invisibility from Ulgoth's Beard will also help. Start by heading to
the eastern area, where we first arrived in the city (AR0800), and enter
the Thieves Guild (x=1460, y=1250).
o======================================================================o
| |
| Baldur's Gate: Eastern and Southeastern Areas |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK021}
1) Password: Fafhrd
2) Bartering With Black Lily
3) Testing Yer talent
4) Brielbara's Bathos
5) Nightwatch with Narlen
6) Gantolandon's Gem
7) Halruaan Heist
8) Component Caper
9) ...Among Thieves
10) Mage Murdering
11) The Hall of Loot
12) Nemphre's Request
13) Ordulinian's Trinkets
14) No Honor...
15) A Good Luck Charm
16) Nadarin's Warehouse
17) Shop Looting
18) General Store Looting
19) Warehouse Looting
20) Looting (AR1300)
The Thieves Guild (AR0148)/(AR0150)/(AR0151)/(AR0152)/(AR0153)
o======================================================================o
1) When you enter you'll be approached by a rogue who will demand that
you give the password. The password is Fafhrd, in case you forgot. Tell
him and continue on into the next area. Don't be afraid to enter from
multiple routes to loot all the containers about. Don't worry about
stealing, it IS a thieves guild, after all. Make sure to take the Manual
of Quickness in Action while you're here. Dexterity is nice...
***ITEMS***
(AR0150)
(x=150, y=100) Leather Armor x3, Short Sword x3
(x=550, y=200) Sling x2, 20 Bullets
---
(AR0151)
(x=290, y=320) Oil of Speed
(x=50, y=300) Short Bow, 13 gold
(x=100, y=200) Throwing Dagger x2
(x=220, y=120) Throwing Dagger, Dagger
---
(AR0152)
(x=350, y=150) Quarter Staff, Sling, Bullet x10
(x=200, y=120) Potion of Firebreath
---
(AR0153)
(x=550, y=600) Leather Armor
(x=800, y=300) Bullet +1 x10, Bullet +2 x5
(x=1240, y=540) Manual of Quickness in Action
***TRAPS***
(x=370, y=570)
(x=400, y=250)
(x=800, y=300)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) Over at (x=1150, y=590) you'll find Black Lily, who'll sell you a
variety of goodies... namely potions and arrows that might come in
handy. By now, you should know that Potions of Magic Blocking,
Protection, or Shielding are good buys, as are Potions of Giant
Strength and Potions of Master Thievery.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Alatos (x=580, y=200) and his associate Resar (x=700, y=200) await
you, but there's another quest you should do first. He's waited this
long, he'll wait a little longer. You can hit Husam up for more
information (x=1140, y=280), and he'll reveal such useful information as
the leaders of the Iron Throne, including Reiltar Costashck, Brunos,
Thaldorn, and Sarevok, most of these names we've encountered already.
Once he's done he'll head to the Elfsong Tavern. Now for the quest we
need to finish, go talk to Narlen Darkwalk (x=960, y=260). Bring a Thief
into his line of sight and he'll introduce himself. Pick options #2 and
#1 to accept a job to rob a noble house near the Splurging Sturgeon. It
can't possibly hurt to buddy up with some of the rank-and-file Thieves
here in this guild before talking to the bossman, right?
Baldur's Gate, Northeast (AR0300)
o======================================================================o
4) To get there, you'll need to head to the northern area of Baldur's
Gate (AR0200) and exit on the eastern side of the map... the same way
you took to reach the Blushing Mermaid. Before you deal with Narlen
however, let's pick up another quest real quick-like. Talk to the Mage
named Brielbara (x=730, y=2260). She'll offer to pay you 200 gold to
retrieve the spellbook from a Mage named Yago at the Low Lantern. She'll
remain at the Splurging Sturgeon while you're out.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Anyhow, when that's done hide your party in the Blushing Mermaid and
take a Thief to go meet Narlen at (x=480, y=3020). Make sure it's night
time, and make sure the character you take is a Thief. For me, this is
Imoen's job. Narlen will tell you to hide and keep watch for the
soldierman, and you'll be escorted to a house north of the meeting
place. Hide and wait, eventually a Flaming Fist mercenary will show up
and question you. If you don't give Narlen the warning, his partner will
get killed, and he'll be none too happy to see you back at the guild.
Since Narlen's help will come in handy later, let's keep him on our good
side and give him the warning. The guard will go hostile, but since your
party is hiding in the Blushing Mermaid, and your Thief is using
stealth, there's no way he'll find you, right? Don't kill the guard and
exit the area. Meet up with Narlen back at the thieves guild and you'll
get rewarded. Better yet, he'll also set up another caper.
***REWARD***
(For successfully spotting for Narlen)
Gold 100
Gantolandon's House (AR1312)/(AR1313)
o======================================================================o
6) If it's still early enough in the night, head over to the south-
eastern edge of Baldur's Gate (AR1300) and meet Narlen near the Blade
and Stars (x=350, y=850)... otherwise, rest until the next night. This
time you'll be on the inside, doing the looting. Follow Narlen to the
house at (x=790, y=1200). Head upstairs and loot the dresser at
(x=200, y=320). Make sure to disarm the trap, first. My Imoen has to use
Knock, since her Open Locks score isn't up to snuff, but as long as it
gets opened, who cares how it happened, right? If Gantolandon wakes up
and questions you, pretend to be a cat and he'll go back to sleep. If
you wake him up fully you'll find that he's pretty tough. If you do kill
him, you'll get a Long Sword +1 and 64 gold. If he questions you twice,
tell him you're a stray. Regardless of what happens with Gantolandon, as
long as you return with the Rogue Stone you'll get the reward. Of
course, you could always turn in the reward, then return and gink
Gantolandon. Don't worry about it, he's evil anyways.
***ITEMS***
(AR1312)
(x=400, y=250) 29 gold
---
(AR1313)
(x=200, y=320) Rogue Stone
***TRAPS***
(x=200, y=320)
***REWARD***
(For stealing from Gantolandon)
Item Pearl x3
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Now that you're done with Narlen's quests go talk to Alatos. He's
something of an ass, considering he's basically asking you to burgle a
household full of Mages with no reward upfront. If you refuse him, he'll
end up attacking, and although he gives juicy experience, you might as
well go along with his request for now. You have ten days to do the
mission, but we might as well get it over with right away, eh? Make sure
you have either the Ring of Invisibility from Ulgoth's Beard, or Potions
of Invisibility before you go, just to be safe.
Oberon's Estate (AR0143)/(AR0144)/(AR0145)
o======================================================================o
8) Head to the central area of Baldur's Gate (AR0700) and enter the
large pink house near the top of the area map (x=3400, y=120) with just
little old Imoen. You could go in sword swinging, but this is supposed
to be a Thief mission, remember? Unequip your weapons and talk to the
fat lady on the first floor named Glanmarie and ask about the servile
position. Say that you worked at the palace, or that you don't have any
experience, and she'll give you the job. Head upstairs, your target is
on the third floor, in the desk at (x=350, y=460). Stay hidden, using
your Ring of Invisibility from Ulgoth's Beard (if you went there) or
potions to stay out of sight. At (x=500, y=500), (x=600, y=500) and
(x=820, y=250) are Helshara, Ithmeera, and Delorna, respectively, each
of which is a competent enough Mage to cause a lone Thief plenty of
trouble. They have some fairly valuable gear (although nothing unique),
but we're not here to fight them - we're here to steal. Grab Helshara's
Artifact Fragment, Delorna's Statue, and Delnora's Spellbook from the
desk and leave. You'll know you did a good job if there was no dialogue
after the first floor.
***ITEMS***
(AR0143)
(x=600, y=100) Scroll of Clairvoyance, Cursed Scroll of Weakness
---
(AR0144)
(x=300, y=450) Scroll of Non-Detection, Scroll of Web, Scroll of
Identify
---
(AR0145)
(x=350, y=460) 564 gold, Helshara's Artifact Fragment, Delorna's Statue,
Delorna's Spellbook
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) Take the loot back to Alatos for your reward. You'll be relieved of
your quest items, and it'll be revealed that you were hired because you
were disposable. Resar will turn hostile, and you'll have to put him
down. If you made good with Narlen, he'll jump in and kill Resar for
you, and everybody will be happy. Loot Resar for a Wand of Paralyzation,
and a Quarter Staff.
***REWARD***
(For turning in the sky-ship components)
EXP 4000
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) Now that you're done with the guild, you can always go back to
Oberon's house and kill the Mages within, if you hurry:
Helshara: Mage Robe of Electrical Resistance, Garnet, Scroll of Fire
Resistance, Dagger and 35 gold.
Ithmeera: Mage Robe of Fire Resistance, Angel Skin Ring, Quarter Staff
and 23 gold.
Delorna: Necklace of Missiles, Traveler's Robe, Potion of Perception,
Dagger and 56 gold.
Also, we might as well finish up the quests assigned in this area,
right? Let's go and get that telescope for our Gnome friend then. I have
Imoen rest and prepare as many Knock spells as she can memorize before
heading to the western side of the city (AR0600).
Hall of Wonders (AR0130)
o======================================================================o
11) Head over to the western edge of the city and enter the Hall of
Wonders (x=1600, y=2200). If you head there at night you'll find a
Halfling Thief named Alora there, who wants to team up on a heist and
split the loot 50/50. I prefer to do this quest during the day simply
so I don't have to bother with her-you can always come back some night
after you've already robbed the place, satisfy Alora's desire for
skullduggery, and then recruit her without sharing anything. I have to
say, however, that she's a pretty useless Thief by this point in the
game, but if somehow you find her skill set and attributes appealing,
just keep her along after the heist. I have my main character go in
and force the locks on all the displays in the area, then he leaves and
Imoen comes in. She'll steal the goodies, hide, and repeat, taking care
not to get caught by any guards. If they see her stealing, big deal, so
long as they don't initiate dialogue. You can go into the next area, the
High Hall of Wonders, but the only thing of note within is a bard named
Forthel August who wastes your time. Anyhow, once you've pocketed the
telescope (and those sweet gems!) head back to the Elfsong Tavern for
your just reward. Now that the eastern area of Baldur's Gate is all
but dealt with, I head to the southeast part of town to work on that
area (AR1300).
***ITEMS***
(x=500, y=950) Star Sapphire
(x=670, y=800) Rogue Stone
(x=730, y=830) Telescope
***REWARD***
(For stealing the telescope from the Hall of Wonders)
EXP 5500
Gold 500
Item Wand of Lightning
Nemphre's House (AR0813)
o======================================================================o
12) Enter the house at (x=1750, y=250) and talk to Nemphre
(x=400, y=290). If you talked to her without completing Arkion's task,
she'd have been dismissive. Seeing as how we already got Arkion his
body, however, she will offer you a reward if you steal Arkion's
amulet. Give her Arkion's Bloodstone Amulet for your reward. However, if
you give her Arkion Amulet, you can't turn it in to Ordulinian (see
below) unless you kill her.
***ITEMS***
(AR0813)
(x=300, y=350) Cloak of Protection +1
---
(AR0814)
(x=530, y=120) Iol gem
(x=250, y=300) 18 gold
(x=200, y=250) War Hammer
***REWARD***
(For giving Arkion's Amulet to Nemphre)
EXP 1000
Item Scroll of Vampiric Touch
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) If you gain possession of both Nemphre's Onyx Ring and Arkion's
Bloodstone Amulet, you can turn them both in for a reward to Ordulinian.
Take the two trinkets to Ordulinian at the Sorcerous Sundries store the
next time you're there for a reward. He says he'll give you a cloak too,
but doesn't actually deliver. Note that if you gave Nemphre Arkion's
Amulet, you cannot steal it back from her, you'll have to kill her to
get ahold of it again. If you kill Arkion, he'll drop a Mage Robe of
Cold Resistance, a Dagger, and 250 gold. Nemphre will drop a Mage Robe
of Electrical Resistance, an Onyx Ring, a Bloodstone Amulet, and a
Dagger.
***REWARD***
(For giving Ordulinian Nemphre's Ring and Arkion's Amulet)
EXP 3500
Burglarized Home (AR1316)/(AR1317)
o======================================================================o
14) In a house at (x=1720, y=1070) you'll find a Thief named Taxek, who
is apparently robbing the house along with his buddy Michael. You can
get them to give you the money they stole, or you can just let them off
the hook, but their gear makes them worth killing. Taxek drops a suit of
Studded Leather Armor, 40 Bolts of Lightning, a Garnet Gem, a Sphene
Gem, a Light Crossbow +1, a Short Sword, and 75 gold. Michael yields a
suit of Studded Leather Armor, Arrows of Fire +2 (varies), a Ziose Gem,
a Horn Coral Gem, a Long Bow, a Dagger, and 54 gold. That'll teach those
bad Thieves a lesson! Head over to the building at (x=1700, y=2350).
***ITEMS***
(AR1317)
(x=200, y=250) Throwing Axe x4, Quarterstaff
Inn and Tavern (AR1306)/(AR1307)
o======================================================================o
15) At (x=400, y=470) you'll find Euric. Talk to him to give him the
good luck charm his mother wanted him to have for a reward. It's
arguably more profitable to just sell the damned amulet. Go kill a
Phase Spider in the sewers for 1400 experience instead... but it's up to
you. If you talk to Nadine later, she'll sweeten the deal for you. Head
upstairs for an amusing conversation with a lady named Sandal Gwist
(x=1700, y=1340). If you ask her why she's sad she'll say that her
brother and cousin, Shank and Carbos, are missing. Remember those two?
Your very first assassins... It's just an amusing conversation.
***ITEMS***
(AR1306)
(x=540, y=140) Club
---
(AR1307)
(x=180, y=400) 23 gold
***REWARD***
(For giving Euric a good luck charm)
EXP 1100
***REWARD***
(For reporting back to Nadine)
EXP 400
Item Necklace of Missiles
Reputation +1
Nadarin's Warehouse (AR1303)
o======================================================================o
16) Enter the warehouse at (x=800, y=1950) and talk to Nadarin, who is
wandering around somewhere inside. He'll tell you about some retarded
adventurers who decided it would be a good idea to ship a Basilisk
around. Naturally the creature broke loose and needs to be put down.
We'll deal with this critter in Step #7 of the next Sequence, but when
you've killed the Basilisk, return to Nadarin for a reward.
***ITEMS***
(x=730, y=880) Arrows x30, Long Bow
(x=670, y=700) Bolts x30
(x=750, y=400) Light Crossbow x3
(x=600, y=400) Bolts x30
***REWARD***
(For slaying the runaway Basilisk)
EXP 1300
Gold 1800
Shop (AR1320)
o======================================================================o
17) Now we've done everything interesting in this area, which means
one thing... time to cover all the boring looting. There are two shops
in this area, we'll explore the northern one (x=2150, y=400) first. The
Storekeep doesn't sell anything interesting save Large Shields +1,
which we should have plenty of, by now. Also note that he will not part
with anything in his store without calling the guard. Stingy bastard.
***ITEMS***
(x=500, y=500) Battle Axe, 23 gold
(x=150, y=350) Potion of Fire Breath, Potion of Healing
(x=220, y=300) Morning Star
(x=510, y=150) Bullet x20, Dart x20
General Store (AR1302)
o======================================================================o
18) Now enter the General Store to the south (x=1000, y=2420), which
isn't much more interesting than the last store we were in-the loot is
just as mediocre, the Storekeep sells nothing of interest, and he
won't part with anything without alerting the guard.
***ITEMS***
(x=600, y=400) Potion of Absorption
(x=270, y=270) Oil of Speed
(x=400, y=530) Dagger x3
(x=190, y=400) Dart x30
Warehouse (AR1301)
o======================================================================o
19) Sick of meager loot? No? Good. There's a warehouse to explore over
at (x=950, y=2900). Nothing great inside, but on the plus side, you'll
only get the guards called upon you if you try to steal the Splint Mail
and Medium Shield.
***ITEMS***
(x=620, y=1050) Long Sword x2
(x=700, y=950) Splint Mail, Medium Shield
(x=1000, y=920) Throwing Axe x6
(x=620, y=540) Mace x2
(x=1200, y=590) Studded Leather Armor
(x=1100, y=320) Leather Armor
(x=1300, y=300) Scroll of Blur, 1 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
20) Now to finish up all the somehow even more boring, unnamed buildings
in this area. There are four buildings to loot, the first
(AR1304)/(AR1305) is at (x=230, y=2400). Second (AR1308)/(AR1309) is at
(x=480, y=1850). Third (AR1310)/(AR1311) is at (x=1280, y=1400). Finally
there's the house (AR1314)/(AR1315) at (x=1400, y=1200). None of them
really contain anything interesting, but hey, better it ends up in the
guide, so I can't be accused of neglect, right? Anyways, you're done
with this area, so move on to the south central area (AR1200).
***ITEMS***
(AR1304)
(x=400, y=250) Short Sword
---
(AR1305)
(x=150, y=350) Mace, Potion of Healing
---
(AR1309)
(x=300, y=350) 2 gold
(x=200, y=250) Dagger
---
(AR1310)
(x=350, y=100) Spear, 17 gold
(x=550, y=200) Potion of Insight, 12 gold
---
(AR1311)
(x=350, y=100) Short Sword, 14 gold
---
(AR1314)
(x=400, y=150) Mace, 5 gold
---
(AR1315)
(x=100, y=300) Short Sword, Leather Armor
In this section of the FAQ we will cover the southern, northern, and
western areas of Baldur's Gate (AR1200), (AR0600), and (AR0200). For
the first several Steps, you'll want to have the typical spell-buffs
prepared (Haste, Defensive Harmony, Protection from Evil 10' Radius,
etc.), so be sure to replace your Invisibility/Knock spells with a
more combat-oriented selection of spells, as there are several fights
where spell-buffing will make your life easier. For Step #8 you'll
need to have a Protection from Petrification prepared.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Baldur's Gate: Southern, Northern, and Western Areas |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK022}
1) The Void Sisters
2) Yago's Demise
3) The Splurging Sturgeon
4) Jelly Dare
5) Looting Eastern (AR0300)
6) Brotherly Love
7) A Sirine's Last Wish
8) Noralee's Warehouse
9) Basilisk Breakout
10) Scrollman Cordyr
11) Ratchild's Wrath!
12) Ogre Magessacre
13) Looting (AR1200)
14) Unicorn Run Fun
15) Angel May Cry
16) Razimath's Request
17) The Helm of Glory
18) The Three Old Kegs
19) A Lady's Honor
20) A Lesson Not Learned
21) Licitenous Ragefast
22) Ghorak's Salvation
23) Raiding Razimath's Tower
24) Looting (AR0200)
The Low Lantern (AR0133)/(AR0134)/(AR0135)
o======================================================================o
1) Now it's time to help out Brielbara. Head to the Low Lantern, which
is a moored ship that is also an inn/tavern/place of ill-repute
(x=3400, y=3100). There's not much to do on the first level, so head to
the second level and reorient your party so the lead Fighters are facing
the front of the ship (northwest). At (x=320, y=320), (x=330, y=250)
you'll find Desreta and Vay-ya, respectively. Desreta will initiate
dialogue, which you can use to lure her away from Vay-ya if you're so
inclined. Pick option #2 twice to pick a fight with her... you really,
really want to fight her. She's packs a punch, but when she falls you
can chase her friend Vay-ya down and deal with her separately. Vay-ya
starts out with status effect spells, including Confusion, and she can
make Desreta that much more troublesome. When they die, loot Vay-ya for
a Wand of Fireball, a Skydrop Gem, a Tchazar Gem, a Scroll of
Clairvoyance, a Scroll of Dispel Magic, a Dagger +1, and 94 gold.
Desreta will drops Gauntlets of Ogre Power, a Long Sword +1, and 172
gold. I cannot over-emphasize how good those gauntlets are. They'll take
any Fighter and make them a phenom, raising their Strength to 18/00
while they're equipped. For me, these bad boys go to Jaheira, but any
Fighter who is not using the Gauntlets of Dexterity will work. Head down
to the next level.
Note from Lee:
Desreta is worth 1600 experience, and Vay-ya is worth 2000. Not bad for
a couple of pesky mages...
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) Yago is at (x=150, y=120). You only need to pick-pocket the spell
book from him, but why let that child-cursing mean old wizard stay
alive? Surround him and talk to him, which will probably end in a
fight. When he falls, loot him for a Knave's Robe, a Quarter Staff, and
most importantly, Yago's Book of Curses. Now you can loot about the
Low Lantern, but keep in mind that looting is going to cause guards
to show up, and there's not much room to move. You should therefore
loot with only one character, moving up a level every time you get
caught. Especially be sure to loot the dresser near Yago's bed for a
variety of scrolls and coins.
***ITEMS***
(AR0133)
(x=150, y=100) Cursed Scroll of Weakness,
Scroll of Protection from Fire, 112 gold
---
(AR0134)
(x=730, y=450) 86 gold
(x=220, y=120) Long Sword +1, Andar Gem, 34 gold
---
(AR0135)
(x=150, y=100) Scroll of Melf's Acid Arrow, Scroll of Blur,
Scroll of Sleep, Scroll of Fireball, 143 gold
(x=350, y=220) Dagger, 87 gold
Splurging Sturgeon (AR0103)/(AR0104)
o======================================================================o
3) I make a detour to the Splurging Sturgeon (x=400, y=2900) to complete
the quest with Brielbara. Inside you'll be molested by some woman named
Lantanara, who has seen you in a dream. Seems to happen to you a lot,
no? You'll also find a drunk wandering around named Lusselyn, who will
dare you to kill off some slimes if you talk to him three times. Accept
his bet (and put 100 gold on the line). Before we settle this wager,
talk to Brielbara (x=400, y=390). She'll ask if there's anything she
can do for you. If you say "We'd just like to be paid" you'll get gold
in addition to the quest reward, if you say "Just remember us for the
future." She'll... well, do just that. Money, or memories, it's your
call. Anyhow, make your choice and head upstairs (x=750, y=300).
***REWARD***
(For giving Brielbara Yago's book)
EXP 1000
Reputation +1
Gold 200 (if you ask for money)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) Upstairs at (x=350, y=200) you'll find your Mustard Jelly. Also at
(x=850, y=470) you'll find Mr. Shade, who runs through a series of
ambiguous questions without actually saying anything. Search the place
and head back downstairs. Talk to Lusselyn, who will pay up his half of
the wager... or at least the sixty gold pieces he has left.
***ITEMS***
(x=300, y=150) Bluestone Necklace, 6 gold
(x=450, y=220) 11 gold
(x=280, y=400) Mysteriously locked...
(x=460, y=500) Dagger, 13 gold
(x=750, y=350) Sling, 10 Bullets, 56 gold
***REWARD***
(For killing Lusselyn's slimes)
Gold 160
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) And... since we're here, we might as well finish looting this area
before we go back out to (AR1200). There is actually some loot out in
containers for a change, but after that, there are only two places of
'interest' we've yet to explore. At (x=1300, y=1260) lies the Temple of
Ilmater (AR0149) which lacks anything worth mentioning. Yeah, it's what
a church that actually practices poverty would look like, folks. Having
your own private state in the middle of Rome with your own bank = not
doing poverty right. Over at (x=770, y=1000), on the other hand, you'll
find a more conventional loot house (AR0302)/(AR0303) with... well,
actually some stuff worth looting for a change. I know, I was surprised
too. Once you're done looting, exit this area and return to the southern
section of the city (AR1200).
***ITEMS***
(AR0300)
(x=550, y=1020) 19 gold
(x=1080, y=1000) 16 gold
(x=1260, y=1350) History of Shadowdale IV
(x=580, y=1840) 7 gold
(x=290, y=1830) Lynx Eye Gem
(x=510, y=2515) 13 gold
(x=50, y=2980) Scroll of Friends
(x=940, y=2280) Gold Ring
---
(AR0302)
(x=400, y=150) Flamedance Ring, 16 gold
---
(AR0303)
(x=450, y=120) Throwing Dagger
(x=340, y=200) Cloak of Protection +1
(x=310, y=400) 4 gold
(x=200, y=300) 18 gold
(x=100, y=300) Halberd, Spear
Ghorak's House (AR1211)/(AR1212)
o======================================================================o
6) Enter the house at (x=4220, y=1900) to find poor Ghorak. Talk to
him, and he'll ask you to find the skull of his brother, Kereph, which
lies behind a painting in the Three Old Kegs Inn and take it to Agnasia
in The Lady's Hall. The Three Old Kegs is at (x=3700, y=2350) in the
north-central area (AR0200) of Baldur's Gate. We'll get there eventually
in the guide.
***ITEMS***
(AR1211)
(x=400, y=250) Antidote, Short Sword
---
(AR1212)
(x=160, y=360) Throwing Dagger x12, 43 gold
Sirine-Slain House (AR1209)/(AR1210)
o======================================================================o
7) In the house at (x=3950, y=1650) you'll find a Sirine named Larriaz,
who wants nothing more than to be left alone to die. You'll get paltry
experience for killing her, or none for leaving her alone. Either way
you go about it is up to you. She'll leave behind a Pearl in any case.
***ITEMS***
(AR1209)
(x=400, y=150) Turquoise Gem
---
(AR1210)
(x=100, y=320) 1 gold
Noralee's Warehouse (AR1208)
o======================================================================o
8) Leave the Sirine-Slain House and go into the Warehouse at
(x=3550, y=1500). Inside you'll find a lady named Noralee (x=580, y=800)
who will ask you to retreive some gauntlets she lost. She of course
means the Gauntlets of Weapon Skill we found earlier in this district.
Frankly, the quest reward is nowhere near as good as keeping the
gauntlets, but do what you will.
***ITEMS***
(x=700, y=860) Elixir of Health
(x=750, y=420) Potion of Stone Form, Potion of Defense
(x=860, y=500) Potion of Healing x2
(x=960, y=400) Oil of Speed
(x=850, y=250) 44 gold
***REWARD**
(For returning Noralee's Gauntlets of Weapon Skill)
EXP 1000
Gold 45*
Item Potion of Infravision x2*
Reputation +1
*If Noralee likes you (high Charisma and Reputation helps) she'll give
you the potions. If not, she'll give you the gold.
Basilisk Warehouse (AR1207)
o======================================================================o
9) Make sure you have a Protection from Petrification spell prepared
before you enter the warehouse at (x=3260, y=1160). When you get inside,
you'll be informed that a Basilisk has been let loose in the warehouse.
Take your protected character forward and smite it heartily. Regardless
of what else the Basilisk drops, it's sure to leave behind a Sphene
Gem, which is what G'axir the Seer was talking about. You can also
return to Nadarin for a respectable reward. If you don't get the Boots
of Stealth from Nadarin, be sure to steal them from him.
***ITEMS***
(x=650, y=1200) Sling, Sling, Composite Longbow
(x=700, y=950) Heavy Crossbow, Light Crossbow
(x=620, y=550) Bolt x30
(x=820, y=300) Bullet x30
(x=940, y=300) Arrow x30
(x=1100, y=300) Shortbow, Shortbow
(x=1600, y=500) Studded Leather Armor
***REWARD***
(For killing the Basilisk for Nadarin)
EXP 1300
Gold 500*, 1800*
Item Boots of Stealth*
*Another reaction-variable quest reward, this time in reverse. If his
reaction to you is high (ReactionGT, NEUTRAL_UPPER), he'll give you the
1800 gold. If his reaction to you is lower (ReactionLT, FRIENDLY_LOWER),
you'll get 500 gold and the Boots of Stealth. Another little bit of
information revealed by Infinity Explorer. Make sure to steal the Boots
of Stealth from Naradin if he doesn't give them to you.
Cordyr's House (AR1213)/(AR1214)
o======================================================================o
10) In the house at (x=3050, y=880) you'll find Cordyr wandering about.
He's got nothing interesting to say, but he does have a Scroll of Haste
and a Scroll of Flame Arrow in his inventory, just waiting to be stolen.
Other than that, this house isn't terribly interesting.
***ITEMS***
(AR1213)
(x=300, y=350) Club
(x=130, y=250) 1 gold
---
(AR1214)
(x=200, y=250) Potion of Healing
Sewers (AR0225)
o======================================================================o
11) Enter the sewers at (x=2650, y=850) and you'll encounter a Kobold
named Ratchild. No matter what you say, he'll end up attacking you...
little bugger has a big chip on his shoulder. He'll be joined by a
number of Kobold Commandos, so keep on your guard. He'll leave behind a
greater number of Arrows of Fire than normal, but that's about it.
Ogre Bank (AR1201)
o======================================================================o
12) At (x=1150, y=1250) you'll find a large building. You should
certainly spell-buff before entering, as there are no less than five
Ogre Mages inside. In addition to the normal spell-buffs, you should
have a See Invisibility spell prepared, to neutralize the Ogre Mages'
attempts to go invisible. Let them have their way and they will cast
Lightning Bolt-and this is not a good way to go about surviving. Note
that one will claim that the 'Son of Murder' has offered 10,000 gold for
your head. At least your hunter has a title. Once they're all dead, loot
them for a variety of trinkets and gems.
Note from Lee:
A few fireballs at the back of the room (courtesy of Wands of Fire) and
a blast from a Wand of the Heavens kills three Ogre Mages outright and
severely damages the others. Follow this up with an Agannazar's Scorcher
and another Fireball and these guys are toast (literally). My fighters
simply stood there and watched in stunned silence as the room erupted in
flame; it truly was an amazing sight. No need to spell-buff; I suffered
no damage in this fight, except for some minor collateral damage from
the fireballs.
***ITEMS***
(AR1201)
(x=550, y=730) 31 gold
(x=150, y=600) Scroll of Burning Hands
(x=920, y=300) History of the North VII
(x=650, y=150) History of the Red Ravens
---
(AR1202)
(x=200, y=640) 29 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) Now to finish up this area by looting. Over at (x=2680, y=530) is
Jopalin's Tavern (AR1215) which has absolutely nothing interesting in
it, save some singing sailors. At (x=2600, y=1800) you'll find another
equally useless building, the Harbor Master's Building (AR0702). So
much for the named locations. Near the Ogre Bank are two houses to loot,
one (AR1203)/(AR1204) at (x=700, y=1400) and the other (AR1205)/(AR1206)
at (x=450, y=1570). Both have wildly unexceptional loot within.
***ITEMS***
(AR1203)
(x=130, y=250) 1 gold
---
(AR1204)
(x=530, y=120) 1 gold
(x=300, y=350) Dagger
(x=200, y=250) Short Sword
---
(AR1205)
(x=400, y=150) 2 gold
---
(AR1206)
(x=310, y=400) 1 gold
(x=100, y=300) Quarterstaff, Club
At (x=400, y=600) is the large building where the Iron Throne is hiding.
You'll come back here at the behest of Scar, so avoid it for now.
Instead head to the northern area (AR0200) to pick up some quests before
we finish off (AR0600). Why skip over the middle area (AR0700)? Well,
because we're all but done with it... at least until we pick up more
quests.
Rinnie's House (AR0006)/(AR0007)
o======================================================================o
14) Over at (x=1200, y=2800) you'll find Rinnie's House. Inside, Rinnie
(x=430, y=310) will ask you to fetch her a book about the Unicorn Run.
We'll pick one up later on, but I'll list the reward here for reference.
***ITEMS***
(AR0006)
(x=400, y=250) Ziose Gem, 4 gold
---
(AR0007)
(x=150, y=350) Potion of Invisibility, 24 gold
***REWARD***
(For finding Rinnie a book of the Unicorn Run)
EXP 400*, 900*
Gold 80*
Item Scroll of Protection from Poison*
*Yet another variable quest reward. If Rinnie has a good reaction
towards you, you'll get 900 EXP and the Scroll. If Rinnie's reaction is
low, you'll get 400 EXP and the 80 gold.
Bheren's House (AR0004)/(AR0005)
o======================================================================o
15) Over at (x=670, y=2770) you'll find Petrine, who ran away from her
uncle's house. Unfortunately, her cat ran off to 'get her ring'. So,
go into the house at (x=750, y=2700) to retrieve the ring so Angel will
return. Inside (AR0004) you'll find Bheren wandering about, and he'll
complain about the cat. Head upstairs and loot the dresser at
(x=350, y=100) for some shinies, including an Angel Skin Ring. What
better to lure a cat named Angel? If you dispose of the cat for Bheren,
you'll get some experience and lose a point of reputation. If you give
the ring to Petrina, you'll get more experience. Or you could go give
the ring to Petrina, go back inside, kill the cat, talk to Bheren, and
get both rewards. Whatever. Also, if you pick-pocket Bheren, you can
nab a Cloak of Protection +1. Not bad.
***ITEMS***
(AR0004)
(x=350, y=100) 11 gold
(x=350, y=120) Tainted Oil of Speed
(x=550, y=200) 10 Bullets +1
---
(AR0005)
(x=350, y=100) Skydrop Gem, Angel Skin Ring, 8 gold
***REWARD***
(For killing Petrina's Cat for Bheren)
EXP 400
Reputation -1
***REWARD***
(For giving Petrina her Angel Skin Ring)
EXP 500
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
16) At (x=3600, y=1550) you'll find a wizard named Razamith. He'll ask
you to go kidnap a Nymph from a Mage named Ragefast. Sounds reasonable,
and that's the reason we did this area before (AR1100).
Jardak's House (AR0010)/(AR0011)
o======================================================================o
17) Head into the house at (x=2450, y=1200) at you'll be pestered by a
man named Drelik, who will pick a fight with you regardless of what you
say. Kill him and loot him for a Scroll of Dire Charm, a Short Sword +1,
and 65 gold. Head upstairs and you'll be approached by the master of the
house, a warrior named Jardak. Since you've killed his butler, there's
really no reason to expect this won't end in a fight either. He's a
fairly lethal warrior on his own, but he just can't withstand six-to-one
odds. When he falls he'll leave behind a suit of Plate Mail armor, the
Helm of Glory, a Medium Shield, a Potion of Frost Giant Strength, a
Potion of Genius, a Long Sword +1, and 68 gold. The Helm of Glory is
a spiffy helm that should go on your party leader. In my case, this
means Ajantis.
***ITEMS***
(AR0010)
(x=400, y=150) Small Shield, 15 gold
---
(AR0011)
(x=100, y=300) Throwing Dagger, 6 gold
Three Old Kegs (AR0119)/(AR0120)/(AR0121)
o======================================================================o
18) South of Razimath's tower you'll find the Three Old Kegs tavern
(x=3700, y=2350). If you remember, this is where we were told to go find
Ghorak's brother's skull. Inside you'll be approached by both a commoner
named Shep and a halfling named Bellamy, neither of which have anything
useful to say... unless you're evil, in which case, she'll warn you
about a powerful Paladin named Phandalyn, who lurks around taverns near
the docks. In reality, however, you'll find him in a tavern in the south
western section of the city (AR1100). You can steal a Star Diopside gem
from the bartender, Nantin Bellowgyn, but overall there's not really
much to recommend this level. Upstairs at (x=530, y=100) you'll find
the painting you're looking for, behind which is Kereph's Skull. Take
it and head upstairs. Again, there's not much to do up here... unless
you think becoming fantastically rich is something extraordinary. Loot
the place, and in one of the dressers you'll find 208 Ziose Gems. If
you sell them to a merchant you haven't saturated with gems yet, you'll
make a bundle off of them... about 6500 gold, to be more specific. Also
talk to the Noblewoman who is wandering about. She'll ask you to kill a
man at the Elfsong Tavern named Cyrdemac. She'll offer to pay 2000 gold
for the task... and double it to 4000 if you ask for more. Let's finish
this side-quest off, then hand in Kereph's Skull and deal with Ragefast
as part of finishing up the southwestern section of Baldur's Gate
(AR1100).
Note: During my last playthrough, these 208 Ziose Gems sold for exactly
6240 gold... sold by a 20 Charisma Ajantis, with a reputation of 19.
***ITEMS***
(AR0120)
(x=530, y=100) Kereph's Skull
---
(AR0121)
(x=700, y=200) Bloodstone Ring, Ziose Gem, 150 gold
(x=150, y=350) 208 Ziose Gems, Iol Gem
The Elfsong Tavern (AR0705)/(AR0706)
o======================================================================o
19) Enter the Elfsong and head upstairs. You can find a merchant
wandering around who sells a variety of magical trinkets, including The
Protector +1, Topsider's Crutch... you know... the same exact selection
that a merchant had in the Nashkel Carnival? There's also looting to
be done, and the tavern's proprietor, Alyth (x=200, y=420) from whom you
can steal a Fire Agate... but the reason you're here is Cyrdemac
(x=600, y=400). You can ask to see him alone, but there's really not
much point, as you're perfectly capable of smiting him wherever he is.
He's not one to be reasoned with anyhow. Kill him and loot him for a
suit of Chain Mail, a Medium Shield, a Bastard Sword +1, and 50 gold.
That's not a bad payday there, but we were promised more.
***ITEMS***
(AR0706)
(x=550, y=750) Heavy Crossbow
(x=520, y=350) 125 gold
(x=200, y=550) Dagger, 11 gold
(x=850, y=600) 10 gold
(x=250, y=650) Chainmail, 56 gold
(x=450, y=270) Aquamarine Gem, 198 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
20) Head back to the Three Old Kegs to confront Areana. She'll reveal
that she has only 500 gold with which to reward you. If you accept, and
pick option #3, you can blackmail her for 500 gold every tenday. If you
head back to collect your money, however, you'll find a man named Tor
Lobo waiting for you. Apparently, Areana has not learned her lesson, and
decided to hire a guy to kill the guy she hired to kill the last guy.
When Tor Lobo falls he'll leave behind a suit of Plate Mail Armor, a
Large Shield, a Long Sword, and 78 gold. It's not 500 gold, but it's
something. Now I head down to the western edge of the city (AR0600).
Ragefast's House (AR0126)
o======================================================================o
21) Surprisingly, after hitting the House of Wonders and dealing with
the Tymorans, we're all but done in this area. Just two little things
to do, and we should know what those are without this guide. Enter
the building at (x=2850, y=500) where you'll be immediately confronted
by an angry Ragefast. You can pick a fight with him by picking options
#1 or #3, but I prefer to let Ragefast live for some reason... One of
the few NPCs I regularly spare. If you do kill him, however, he'll
leave behind an Amulet of Protection +1, a Knave's Robe, and a Wand of
Paralyzation. You can then take Abela with you (as an inventory item)
to Razimath, who reveals his intentions to use her body to create
various magical items. Not really a nice guy, eh? And, he doesn't pay
you, but he sure seems to think he did (probably a glitch). You can
talk to Abela when she's at Ragefast's (after you've dealt with
Ragefast) or at Razimath's to set her free and get her gratitude. If
you set her free, you'll get a quest reward, and Razimath won't seem to
care. So, since there's no reward, there's really no reason to give
Razimath his nymph, although there's no reason to NOT kill Ragefast, I
tend to talk some sense into him by picking options #2, #2, #1, and #3.
You'll get Abela's reward, but Razimath won't be too happy. You can
turn the Nymph hair in to Halbazzer Drin at Sorcerous Sundries, who will
pay you either 500 gold, or, if you say that it was a gift he'll offer
to turn it into a Nymph Cloak for 100 gold. You don't really need more
than one cloak like this, and you already have Algernon's Cloak, so I
take the money. Anyways, enter the Lady's House at (x=1300, y=1000).
***REWARD***
(For saving Abela the Nymph)
EXP 2000
Item Lock of Nymph's Hair
The Lady's House (AR0132)
o======================================================================o
22) Go talk to Agnasia (x=420, y=200) with Kereph's Skull in your
inventory to complete the quest. You'll get an experience reward for
your effort. If you go talk to Ghorak, you'll get to see him turn back
to normal. Now that that's done, head back to Razimath's tower and
enter it.
***REWARD***
(For giving Agnasia Kereph's Skull)
EXP 1000
Reputation +1
Razimath's Tower (AR0137)/(AR0138)
o======================================================================o
23) Talk to Razimath, who will accuse you of betrayal and cast a
Lightning Bolt on you before teleporting to the top of his tower. If
you're lucky you can nail him before he teleports away, but we need to
get to the top of his tower anyhow. To get there, you'll have to go up
the stairs and fight through a gauntlet of enemies on each level. On
the first level, it's a pair of Mustard Jellies. On the second level
you'll fight five Ghasts. The third level there are six Hobgoblin
Elites. On the fourth level you'll square off against six Kobold
Commandos, and on the fifth level will be Razimath himself. Head up
with your most well-defended party member first to draw the attention
of the bad guys... bringing your whole party up at once is just begging
the enemies to torment your Mages. When I get up to the top level, I
immediately have my main character and Imoen cast Magic Missile, which
puts Razimath down good-like. Loot him for an Amulet of Meta-Spell
Influence, a Ring of Protection +2, and a Knave's Robe. Also be sure to
loot around for some great gear, including his Tome of Clear Thought.
He also has a copy of the History of the Unicorn Run, if you haven't
been able to find one for Rinnie.
***ITEMS***
(x=350, y=100) Scroll of Blindness, Scroll of Invisibility,
Scroll of Blur, Scroll of Mirror Image
(x=400, y=250) Tome of Clear Thought
(x=270, y=300) Wand of Paralyzation, Elixer of Health,
Cursed Scroll of Clumsiness,
Scroll of Protection from Magic,
Scroll of Protection from Poison, 395 gold
(x=100, y=200) History of the Unicorn Run
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
24) Return the book to Rinnie if you haven't already, then finish this
area off by looting. The Temple of Helm-(AR0002), (x=1550, y=1100) is a
waste of time to explore. In the house just east of Rinnie's House
(x=1550, y=2900) (AR0008)/(AR0009) you'll find a rather poor bit of
loot, while the houses at (x=2700, y=1100) (AR0012)/(AR0013),
(x=3030, y=1200) (AR0014)/(AR0015), (x=3000, y=900) (AR0016)/(AR0017),
(x=3320, y=820) (AR0018)/(AR0019), and (x=4000, y=900) (AR0020)/(AR0021)
contain some goodies worth looting.
***ITEMS***
(AR0009)
(x=310, y=400) 5 gold
(x=200, y=300) 3 gold
(x=100, y=300) Heavy Crossbow, Bolts x10, Bolts +1 x6, 9 gold
---
(AR0012)
(x=150, y=350) Dagger, 11 gold
---
(AR0013)
(x=540, y=120) Jade Ring, 9 gold
(x=500, y=80) 5 gold
(x=300, y=350) Fire Agate Gem
(x=200, y=250) Potion of Stone Form, 20 gold
---
(AR0014)
(x=450, y=80) 4 gold
---
(AR0015)
(x=300, y=350) 11 gold
(x=200, y=250) Andar Gem, 25 gold
(x=70, y=270) History of the North
(x=530, y=120) Throwing Dagger x1, 5 gold
---
(AR0016)
(x=400, y=250) Large Shield, 3 gold
---
(AR0018)
(x=350, y=100) Leather Armor, 7 gold
(x=450, y=100) Mysteriously locked...
(x=550, y=170) Potion of Explosions, 23 gold
---
(AR0019)
(x=350, y=100) Rainbow Obsidian Necklace, 8 gold
---
(AR0020)
(x=400, y=250) Small Shield +1, 10 gold
---
(AR0021)
(x=180, y=350) Mace, Potion of Heroism, Jasper Gem
Now we're done with several areas of Baldur's Gate, we're ready to hit
the southwestern corner of the map (AR1100), which includes dealing
with the dysfunctional merchant coasters. That's right, it's time to
finally do some work for Scar. Most of our item gathering in Baldur's
Gate is done, too, although there's an odd trinket or two still
waiting, but if you were to get antsy and decide to tackle Durlag's
Tower, you're much better equipped for it now. When you're ready, head
to (AR1100). We will now cover the southwestern and northwestern areas
(AR1100) and (AR0100). There's a large fight in Step #14 of the next
Sequence of Events - have all the typical buffs ready.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Baldur's Gate: Southwestern and Northwestern Areas |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK023}
1) Slimy Tavern
2) The Sewer King
3) The Seven Suns
4) Destroying Doppelgangers
5) Rescuing Jhasso
6) Sewer Spiders
7) Tiax Rules!
8) Scar's Missions
9) Wiven's Last Hit
10) Phandalyn the Paladin
11) Sunnin, Master-Mage
12) Aldeth's Second Request
13) Investigation, Upstairs
14) Three Guilty Documents
15) Purging the Merchant League
16) Looting Stores and Outdoors
17) Looting (AR1100)
18) Fenten's Shell Search
19) Defeating Degrodel's Guardians
20) Secrets Sealed in Stone
21) Pheirkas' Cape-r
22) Twins, a Wizard, and a Druid
23) Quinn's House
24) Entar Silvershield's Estate
25) Ransoming Skie
26) Talkative Tavern and Inn
27) Looting (AR0100)
Ye Olde Inn (AR1113)/(AR1114)
o======================================================================o
1) In the tavern at (x=2450, y=750) you'll find a number of Green
Slimes attacking the patrons. The bartender is already gone (see how
he's all green?); slay the slimes and leave. Be careful when fighting
Green Slimes, if they hit a character, there's a chance they'll infect
that character, and permanently kill them. In D&D rules, I believe Green
Slimes are kind of like the Blob in the movies... they devour organic
flesh and turn the victim into more Green Slime. In Baldur's Gate, this
happens exceedingly quickly and without any chance to rectify the
situation. Just wait a few rounds after the battle to see if anybody is
taking damage and explodes (Jaheira seems particularly fond of turning
into piles of goo.)
Note from Lee:
Wands of the Heavens strike again - Green Slimes are no match for the
awesome power of these items. Note to self - pick these up at EVERY
opportunity.
***ITEMS***
(AR1113)
(x=530, y=150) 15 gold
Sewers (AR0224)
o======================================================================o
2) Head down one of the sewer grates, either (x=3870, y=570) or
(x=3550, y=1500) will do. You'll be interrogated by Schlumpsha the
Sewer King and his retinue. If you pick the bottom options, you can
avoid a fight. If you fight Schlumpsha, you'll get some experience and
minor trinkets, but nothing great. Leave the sewers and head over to
the Seven Suns building (x=3470, y=1270).
Seven Suns (AR0601)/(AR0602)
o======================================================================o
3) You'll notice something is wrong as soon as the first merchant talks
to you. He'll say that the faces of his colleagues change when he's not
looking. Anybody have some D&D knowledge here? If you've been to
Durlag's Tower, you'd have a clue as to what's going on. Before we
press the issue, however, head into the Flaming Fist Compound at
(x=1500, y=1300) and talk to Scar (x=1500, y=1050) and tell him what
you've discovered for an experience reward and the gold he promised
you. If you do all the job at once, you'll only get one reward (the one
listed below). If you talk to Scar after just finding out about the
Dopplegangers, you'll get the reward below AND Scar will ask you to
return to the Seven Suns and exterminate the Dopplegangers for double
the reward.
***REWARD***
(For telling Scar about the Dopplegangers)
EXP 5000
Gold 2000
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) With the promise of greater rewards in mind, return to the Seven Suns
building and talk to one of the Merchants. Talk to them long enough and
they'll take on their true form and reveal that they are Dopplegangers.
Slay them and head upstairs, killing more foul shapeshifters. When
they're all dead, head to the basement (x=100, y=500).
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Downstairs you'll find another Doppleganger guarding Jhasso
(x=200, y=350). After the Doppleganger is dead, talk to the man. Pick
option #1 twice to tell him about Scar and send him on his way. That
wasn't so hard, was it? Loot and leave. When you exit you'll be
approached by Laola Axehand, who will tell you to report to Scar.
All in good time. Head down the sewer grate at (x=4070, y=1420).
***ITEMS***
(x=250, y=250) Spear, Spear +1, Halberd x2, Quarter Staff
(x=400, y=410) Scroll of Protection from Undead,
Scroll of Protection from Electricity,
Wand of Magic Missiles, Potion of Hill Giant Strength
(x=400, y=390) Flamedance Ring, Chrysoberyl Gem, Shandon Gem 368 gold
Sewers (AR0224)
o======================================================================o
6) In this part of the sewers, you'll be attacked by a number of Wraith
and Phase Spiders, which aren't too bad anymore, but worth the
experience for clearing them out. There are also several Ghasts in
the northwestern section of this sewer complex, around (x=500, y=350).
When you're done, go up the ladder at (x=450, y=2200).
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Go south around the large building to the east. At (x=1450, y=1620)
you'll find a little sociopath by the name of Tiax. He's a Cyric
worshiping, delusional, first-person speaking little barrel of laughs...
Recruit him or give him the boot and head on into the Flaming Fist
compound (x=1500, y=1300).
Flaming Fist Compound, Downstairs (AR0607)
o======================================================================o
8) Talk to Scar (x=1500, y=1050) and tell him you cleared out the
Dopplegangers and restored Jhasso to power. He'll decide to jump up the
reward to triple the original amount (a total of 6000 gold, instead of
2000), and you'll get more experience and a hefty two-point boost to
your reputation. If somehow you didn't manage to clear out the
Dopplegangers (and why anybody would settle for this, I can't
imagine...) you'll only get double the reward in gold (2000 more) as
Scar promised. Either way, he'll offer you another job - this time to
find out why people have been disappearing from the streets. The
culprit, as you already know, was an Ogre Mage and his host of Carrion
Crawlers. Accept to go on the mission and he'll pay you 300 gold, with
a promise of 1000 more if you find out what is causing the problems. If
you have the Ruby Ring in your inventory you got from looting the
corpses in the sewer, talk to him again and pick option #2 to finish the
quest. Turn in the Ruby Ring for a whopping 2000 gold bonus, which is
roughly triple what the ring is worth. Nice. Now he's ready to tell you
about the Iron Throne, and heads outside. We'll deal with the Flaming
Fist compound itself in detail later. Scar wants to talk serious-like
about the Throne. This is the climax-quest of Baldur's Gate, so we'll
save it for later.
***REWARD***
(For telling Scar you are incapable of removing the Dopplegangers)
Gold 2000
***REWARD***
(For destroying the Dopplegangers and restoring Jhasso)
EXP 2000
Gold 4000
Reputation +2
***REWARD***
(For agreeing to look for the missing people)
Gold 300
***REWARD***
(For telling Scar about the missing people, sans the Ruby Ring)
EXP 2000
Gold 1000
***REWARD***
(For telling Scar about the missing people and turning in the Ruby Ring)
EXP 3000
Gold 3000
Thief Bank (AR1101)/(AR1102)
o======================================================================o
9) Enter the house at (x=2250, y=1750) to find a group of Thieves
including Wiven, Dirk, Meaken, and Sath. Wiven will demand that you hand
over your money... and by now, we know how this goes. When combat
starts, her three buddies will take pot shots at the party, but since
your party enters the building in order, they'll be shooting at what
should be your best defended characters. Simply put, Ajantis wasn't
having trouble with their arrows. Kill them and take their stuff:
Dirk: Studded Leather Armor, 40~ Arrows +1, Long Bow, Flail and 49 gold.
Sath: Studded Leather Armor, 30~ Arrows of Fire, Longbow, Short Sword
and 49 gold.
Meaken: Studded Leather Armor, 30~ Arrows of Fire, Longbow, Short
Sword and 49 gold.
Wiven: Potion of Master Thievery, Scroll of Protection from Normal
Missiles, Scroll of Ghost Armor, Short Sword +1, and 90 gold.
***ITEMS***
(AR1101)
(x=350, y=500) Scroll of Identify
(x=150, y=600) 22 gold
(AR1102)
(x=650, y=200) Scroll of Friends
(x=550, y=750) 13 gold
Phandalyn-Occupied Tavern (AR1109)/(AR1110)
o======================================================================o
10) Over at (x=1100, y=2200) you'll find a tavern that is uninteresting
save for one 'customer', the Paladin Phandalyn, whom Bellamy warned you
about earlier. If you enter this tavern during the day with an evil
character, he'll attack you. He will not, however, turn hostile, meaning
you'll have to force-attack him. This will turn all the patrons hostile
to you, and you'll lose some reputation for killing him. He'll drop a
suit of Plate Mail armor and a Spear +1, but overall, he's more trouble
than he's worth. If for some reason you wish to explore this tavern
(there's really no reason to do so) come in at night, or send a good-or-
neutral character in alone. Like all good Paladins, Phandalyn only
hunts evil during the day, and after he passes judgement on the party,
he'll head off on his merry way.
***ITEMS***
(AR1110)
(x=300, y=350) Mace
Sunin's House (AR1111)
o======================================================================o
11) In a house at (x=1700, y=2500) you'll be greeted by the master Mage
Sunin, who doesn't appreciate the trespassing of robbers such as you.
If you pick option #2 (the hostile response) he'll just attack, but if
you pick option #1, he'll summon up two friends, an archer named Maka,
and a Fighter named Joular. Together... they're not too bad. Sunin walks
right up to you, which makes him easy pickings for your party. After
that it's a matter of pouncing on Maka and beating Joular down. Once
they're all dead, let the looting begin:
Sunin: Mage Robe of Electrical Resistance, Ring of Wizardry, Scroll of
Fireball, Scroll of Vampiric Touch, Quarter Staff and 102 gold.
Maka: Plate Mail, 20~ Arrows of Piercing, Long Bow, Spear and 39 gold.
Joular: Long Sword +1 and 64 gold.
The real catch here, is, of course, the second Ring of Wizardry. This
goes on whatever Mage still needs it. Only one more thing to do before
the general looting-that is, if you sided with Aldeth Sashenstar back in
the Cloakwood. If not, skip to Step #16.
Note from Lee:
A Resist Fear buff will make this even easier. It's the only spell that
Sunin will manage to get off before dying, and if you make his single
spell assault ineffective then you will have the entire party still
active to kill the other two.
***ITEMS***
(x=450, y=420) 38 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) Over at (x=3500, y=2480) you'll find Aldeth Sashenstar, who has
another problem he needs your help with. He's a rich bastard with shares
in the Merchant's League, sharing ownership with two others-Irlentree
and Zorl Miyar. Of course, since his return he's noticed some...
changes... It's as if his partners have become wholly different people
in his absence! After the Seven Suns we can suspect what those sinister
changes might be. His request is simple enough-he'll set you up in the
Merchants' League Estate and entrust you with the task of observing his
pals. Accept and follow him into the Merchants' League Estate
(x=3200, y=2450).
Merchant League Estate, 1st Floor (AR0127)
o======================================================================o
13) As soon as you enter, talk to one of the guards and listen to his
suggestion-he asks you to seek out his superior-Brandilar. Talk to any
of the merchants on the level and pick options #2 and #1 and you'll be
told to search Zorl's office, upstairs. Talk to Irlentree (x=350, y=500)
and he'll 'invite' you to attend a party celebrating Aldeth's stay.
Either way, it's clear you'll need to head upstairs (x=400, y=250).
Merchant League Estate, 2nd Floor (AR0128)
o======================================================================o
14) Aldeth awaits you at (x=200, y=480), but he really only serves to
point you towards Brandilar. Brandilar (x=380, y=500) is wise enough to
see through your 'childhood friend' guise. Pick option #2 and he'll
offer to help your investigations, an offer you should accept. Zorl
stands at (x=580, y=440), but he only serves to test your authenticity
by asking you if you know Dabron-answer in the affirmitive, as Dabron
is Aldeth's brother. It doesn't really matter what you do-he's not very
talkative. In the south-eastern corner of the level you'll find Zorl's
office. Pick the lock on his desk (x=1250, y=650), or use 'knock' to get
at its contents-980 gold and three Letters. These letters contain all
the guilty information you need.
***ITEMS***
(x=1250, y=650) 980 gold, Letter, Letter, Letter
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
15) Turn the letters into Bradilar or Aldeth-both accomplish the same
goal, but in a different fashion. If you turn them into Brandilar he'll
implore you to smite the Doppelgangers-about ten up them upstairs (on
the 3rd floor, (AR0129)), several downstairs, and of course Zorl and
Ilentree. If you give them to Aldeth he'll consult with Brandilar and
you'll be transitioned to the third floor, where Aldeth and Brandilar
will confront Zorl and Ilentree. In this case, you'll have to fight all
the Doppelgangers at once, and one of the creatures will mention Reiltar
before attacking. Once they're all dead talk to Aldeth for your reward.
Leave the Merchants' League Estate building-it's finally time to loot.
***REWARD***
(For routing the Doppelgangers in the Merchant League)
EXP 5000
Gold 100
Item Bastard Sword +1, +3 vs Shapeshifters
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
16) First things first, loot around outside, and once you're done, there
are four shops in this area to explore... we're joining them all
together in this Step solely because they're stores, not because it's
convenient geographically. My guide, my rules. There are two stores
that sell the same loot (AR1112) (x=2250, y=2700) and (AR1116)
(x=2700, y=1100), the best of which is Plate Mail and Large Shields +1,
neither of which we need anymore. Over at (x=2520, y=2320) is another
store (AR1117) whose Storekeep sells you potions, including a few good
ones, like Potions of Magic Protection, Potions of Magic Shielding,
Potions of Master Thievery and Potions of Invisibility. Sure, there are
some tainted potions mixed in, but you should know how to spot them by
now. Finally, over at (x=3200, y=620) is... and identical potion store
(AR1115). Fun. Loot varies by store, but tends towards the
unexceptional.
***ITEMS***
(AR1100)
(x=3840, y=340) History of Durpar and Var the Golden
(x=3200, y=400) 33 gold
(x=2300, y=1040) 28 gold
(x=1020, y=1790) Aquamarine Gem
(x=1470, y=2100) 16 gold
(x=2200, y=2220) History of Shadowdale V
(x=2720, y=1750) Turquoise Gem
---
(AR1112)
(x=550, y=380) Long Sword x2
(x=500, y=500) Oil of Fiery Burning
(x=100, y=350) 12 gold
(x=510, y=150) 53 gold
---
(AR1116)
(x=800, y=250) Short Sword
(x=400, y=550) 44 gold
---
(AR1117)
(x=780, y=300) Throwing Axe x6
(x=580, y=130) Mace
(x=420, y=250) 23 gold
(x=250, y=300) 12 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
17) Now, onto the unmarked buildings in this area. Next to the Thief
Bank are a couple of houses, starting with (AR1103)/(AR1104)
(x=2100, y=1900). southeast of it you'll find (AR1105)/(AR1106)
(x=1700, y=2150). Finally, there's (AR1107)/(AR1108) (x=1900, y=1500).
When you're done, exit the area and head to the central-western area of
Baldur's Gate (AR0600).
***ITEMS***
(AR1103)
(x=400, y=250) Heavy Crossbow
---
(AR1104)
(x=170, y=350) Potion of Healing, Club, 12 gold
---
(AR1105)
(x=550, y=180) Antidote, 15 gold
(x=350, y=100) Battle Axe, 13 gold
---
(AR1106)
(x=350, y=80) History of Shadowdale, 13 gold
---
(AR1107)
(x=400, y=150) 3 gold
---
(AR1108)
(x=100, y=300) Throwing Dagger x4
Fenten's House (AR0619)/(AR0620)
o======================================================================o
18) If you approach the western area from the south you'll be able to
reach the area outside of the walls. In a house at (x=3400, y=3200)
you'll find a dwarf named Fentan (x=450, y=250) who will ask you to
fetch him some Ankheg scales. He'll give you the same sort of deal
Taerom Fuiruim did, but Fenten will only cough up 250 gold each time you
sell him scales. Still, it is a way to make some money, if you need it
still. Now head to the northwestern area of Baldur's Gate (AR0100).
You're just about done with this city!
***ITEMS***
(AR0600)
(x=3550, y=3050) 12 gold
---
(AR0619)
(x=400, y=150) Long Sword, 38 gold
---
(AR0620)
(x=200, y=300) 14 gold
(x=310, y=400) Bloodstone Ring, 18 gold
Degrodel's House (AR0161)
o======================================================================o
19) There's a house at (x=2100, y=3000) that needs to be explored, but
before you do, spellbuff to the max. Inside are two Doomguards, two
Helmed Horrors, and three Invisible Stalkers. Target the Invisible
Stalkers with ranged weapons, because the other foes will be immune to
non-magical missiles. Also, shaving down one of the Doomguards with
Magic Missiles might be a good way to open up the fight.
Note from Lee:
This is a hellish fight - Wands of the Heavens help out a lot, but won't
win it outright like they did in other encounters. Haste and Defensive
Harmony are essential, and Barkskin will help keep your healers alive.
Animate Dead, Monster Summoning, and similar spells will help keep the
baddies off your ass while you plink away at them with magical missile
weapons (Arrows +1, Bullets +1, etc). Be prepared to pause the game
often, and to move injured characters out of the fray.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
20) Once the beasties are beaten, head into the back and talk to
Degrodel (x=200, y=580). He'll ask you to unpetrify a group of
mercenaries and get the Helm of Balduran from them, and offer 5000 gold
for the task. Surely by now you realize that the helm itself is the
prize, but agree to his task for now. He'll give you six scrolls of
Stone to Flesh, so you don't even have to worry about that part of the
mission. How nice. We'll get to it in a little bit.
***ITEMS***
(x=350, y=670) 63 gold
(x=450, y=400) Splint Mail +1
Pheirkas' House (AR167)
o======================================================================o
21) Enter the house at (x=1750, y=2500) to find the dwarf Pheirkas
(x=400, y=290). He'll ask you to fetch Algernon's Cloak for him, and
offer you a reward for the caper. Of course, the reward isn't as good
as the item he's asking you to steal, but if you want to be a
completitionist you could always give him Algernon's Cloak and keep the
Nymph Cloak you can get from Halbazzer Drin. Or better yet, you could
just ignore this quest entirely and save yourself the bother.
Note: If you do not have a Thief in your party when you talk to
Pheirkas, he'll simply say "Hmm, I prefer not to work with amateurs."
To get him to give you the task mentioned above, you'll need to bring
a Thief-and for some reason, a dual-classed Imoen doesn't count.
***ITEMS***
(AR0167)
(x=400, y=150) 6 gold
---
(AR0168)
(x=200, y=300) 5 gold
(x=100, y=300) Leather Armor, Small Shield
***REWARD***
(For giving Pheirkas Algernon's Cloak)
EXP 300
Gold 200
Twin's House (AR0162)
o======================================================================o
22) Head over to the large house at (x=2750, y=2300). Inside are two
twins named Laerla and Louise. Talk to either one to find out that some
spooks are spying on them. Shortly thereafter a Mage named Gervisse
will appear, and tell you about a Druid named Voltine who is trying to
abduct the twins. Shortly thereafter Voltine appears, and if you talk to
her, she accuses you of being a peeping tom, like Gervisse. So, who to
believe? A simple Detect Evil spell points Gervisse out as a bad guy, so
he's probably the one worth killing. If you kill Gervisse, he'll drop a
Mage Robe of Fire Resistance, a Dagger, and 72 gold. Talk to Voltine for
a Wand of Polymorphing, and talk to Laerla for a quest reward. If you
kill Voltine, she'll drop a Wand of Polymorphing, a Quarter Staff, and
24 gold. Gervisse will thank you, but won't reward you. You get the
reward from Laerla regardless of who you kill. I'm typically in favor of
killing them both, then robbing the house.
***ITEMS***
(x=450, y=400) Splint Mail +1
(x=350, y=670) 63 gold
***REWARD***
(For talking to Laerla after getting rid of Gervisse)
EXP 1000
Item Scroll of Protection from Evil
***REWARD***
(For siding with Voltine)
Item Wand of Polymorphing
Quinn's House (AR0157)/(AR0158)
o======================================================================o
23) Over at (x=3670, y=2200) you'll find Quinn's House, and fittingly
enough, inside is a Halfling named Quinn. He'll ask you to find some
possession of his friend. Remember that Ankheg north of Tenya's house,
with Nester's Dagger amongst its loot? That's the dagger he wants. Give
it to him for a reward. Now, if you'll remember Eldoth wanted us to
rescue/kidnap his girlfriend from her father, one Entar Silvershield.
His house is in the northwestern corner. If you want to get his gal-pal
Skie to join you, you're going to have to bring Eldoth along and leave a
space for Skie as well.
***ITEMS***
(AR0157)
(x=400, y=150) Scroll of Horror, 13 gold
---
(AR0158)
(x=310, y=400) Potion of Magic Protection
(x=100, y=300) Longbow +1, Arrows x20, 6 gold
***REWARD***
(For giving Quinn Nester's Dagger)
EXP 950
Item Shandon Gem
Reputation +1
Entar Silvershield's Estate (AR0101)/(AR0102)
o======================================================================o
24) Enter the large house at (x=1150, y=1650) and head over to the south
west. You'll be questioned by a guard on your way. Pick option #1 and
continue on your way. You don't want to be attacked, do you? Head up the
stairs at (x=500, y=1400) and talk to Skie, who will be wandering about.
If Eldoth is in your party, she'll recognize him and offer to join your
party. If not, she'll call for help and armed guards will appear and
attack. If he's in your party, but downstairs, you'll get to meet Biff
the Understudy if you talk to her. Biff is a device Bioware inserted
to handle conversations when one of the required participants isn't
present. Neat-o. Whether you recruit Skie or not, case the house for
goodies. Be careful not to alert guards, some of these treasure can be
tricky due to the high number of snarky servants milling about. Also,
expect the locks to be top-notch. Rich people can afford fancy and
effective locks to keep their riches in their britches. Heh. Note that
you can lure the guard in the southeast out of sight of the chest
(x=500, y=950). Or you could just kill him out of sight of servants
without suffering a reputation penalty. You'll also find a lady named
Brilla, (x=1650, y=300) in the northwestern part of the level. She'll
initiate dialogue with you, and if you pick dialogue option #3, she'll
summon some guards for you to play with. Options #1, #2, and #4 can
convince her to stay cool... if you get a good enough reaction from her.
You should know the drill by now-talk to her with a high Charisma
character, with a good party reputation. Dialogue option #4 will, with a
sufficiently charming character, score you some tongue-kiss action...
what a slutty wife!
***ITEMS***
(AR0101)
(x=500, y=950) Moonbar Gem, Potion of Magic Blocking,
Tainted Potion of Invulnerability, 254 gold
(x=350, y=1050) Star Diopside Gem, Gold Necklace,
Studded Necklace with Zios Gems, 385 gold
(AR0102)
(x=550, y=1250) Cloak of Protection +1, 308 gold
(x=470, y=1300) Pearl Necklace, Black Opal, Water Opal,
Potion of Freedom, Elixer of Health, Oil of Quickness,
359 gold
(x=610, y=1200) Laurel's Tear Necklace, 154 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
25) If you recruited Skie for Eldoth, he'll eventually tell you that
Entar has agreed to pay ransom for Skie, and that you should head to the
Blade and Stars (AR1300, AR0105) (x=200, y=650) and meet with a man
named Elkart for the ransom money. Elkart is on the first floor at
(x=120, y=270), and as promised, every two days he'll cough up 1000
gold. You can do this up to eight times, as on the ninth he'll call up
a pack of six Flaming Fist Enforcers. Still 8000 gold is nothing to turn
your nose up at.
Tavern and Inn (AR0165)/(AR0166)
o======================================================================o
26) And now, of course, comes the looting of (AR0100). To start our
looting spree out, head over to the Tavern and Inn at (x=3000, y=1650).
Inside you'll be bothered by a man named Connoly Finn, who will, if you
ask about the tales being thrown about the bar lately, tell you of the
common practice of blackmailing slumming nobles in the Undercellar...
also warning against the practice, because, of course, if they can
afford to pay you, they can afford to pay somebody else to shut you up
forever-like. Sounds familiar, no? Anyways, upstairs (x=400, y=200) is
where the loot is, as well as a peasant named Borinole Mann
(x=600, y=280) whose name is almost certainly a pun for the fact that,
with any prompting, he will babble at length about his past adventuring
days.
***ITEMS***
(x=350, y=500) 8 gold
(x=200, y=400) Potion of Defense
(x=450, y=420) 3 gold
(x=550, y=350) Dagger, Throwing Daggers x25
(x=400, y=220) Silver Necklace, 6 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
27) Once that ordeal is over with, it's time to loot the rest of the
map. Yeah, I know we've neglected the Helm and Cloak, but we'll get to
it shortly... when we have more reason to go there. First loot outside,
then loot the houses, as you see fit. There are five houses to loot,
counting (AR0155) (x=1280, y=2600) and (AR0156) (x=1280, y=2450)
separately since they both have their own entrances... even if they do
have interior connecting stairs. Normal two-level, one entrance houses
can be found at (AR0159)/(AR0160) (x=4180, y=2380), (AR0163)/(AR0164)
(x=2970, y=1170) and (AR0169)/(AR0170) (x=850, y=2800).
***ITEMS***
(AR0100)
(x=890, y=2820) 16 gold
(x=1620, y=2600) Scroll of Color Spray
(x=1900, y=3150) 22 gold
(x=580, y=2120) 34 gold
(x=500, y=2070) Club
(x=350, y=1700) Cursed Scroll of Foolishness
(x=2240, y=1740) History of Shadowdale XIII
---
(AR0155)
(x=400, y=250) Splint Mail
---
(AR0156)
(x=200, y=330) History of the Ulgarth, 22 gold
---
(AR0160)
(x=540, y=120) Potion of Healing
(x=490, y=70) 15 gold
(x=300, y=350) Throwing Dagger x3
(x=200, y=250) Quarterstaff, 10 gold
---
(AR0163)
(x=350, y=100) 12 gold
(x=440, y=120) Studded Necklace with Zios Gems, 8 gold
(x=550, y=200) Potion of Insight, 10 gold
---
(AR0164)
(x=350, y=100) Bloodstone Gem, Dagger, 23 gold
---
(AR0169)
(x=300, y=330) Amulet of Protection +1
---
(AR0170)
(x=540, y=120) Tiger Cowrie Shell Necklace
(x=300, y=350) 8 gold
(x=200, y=250) Light Crossbow, 11 gold
When you're done being a menace to society, head over to the central
area of Baldur's Gate (AR0700). It's time to get some premium gear
before we're done with the game's namesake city. Again, there's another
large fight in the next Sequence of Events, so have all the best spell
buffs prepared. You know, Haste, Protection from Evil 10' Radius,
Defensive Harmony, and all that good stuff. Also, have some Summon
Monster spells and Animate Dead-it's one of THOSE big fights.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Baldur's Gate: Balduran's Gear and the Iron Throne Headquarters |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK024}
1) Unpetrifying
2) Rival Adventurers
3) Robbing Amn Blind
4) The Helm of Balduran
5) Degrodel's Deserts
6) Fallen Saint
7) Scar's Third Mission
8) A Ring for Fergus
9) A Little Extra Loot
10) Preparation
11) The Iron Throne
12) Basement
13) The Second Level
14) The Third Level
15) The Fourth Level
16) Sarevok's Acolytes
17) Hunting the Throne
Felonius Gist's Manor (AR0719)
o======================================================================o
1) Enter the house at (x=1750, y=1000). You'll notice a number of
statues around the place, just waiting to be turned back into people.
Oblige them with the scrolls Degrodel gave you and talk to the Elf
warrior at (x=750, y=160). If you pick option #3, you'll get a small
experience reward, but nothing else. If you pick options #1, #2, and #3
he'll tell you where to find another powerful item, the Cloak of
Balduran. If you pick options #1, #2, #2 he'll give you a Letter that
contains a clue to the helmet's location, and to the cloaks'. You
clearly want both items, however. You can pick-pocket the letter from
him and deal with the unpetrified adventurers however you wish. If you
kill them the elf Fighter (Vail) leaves behind a suit of Plate Mail, a
Medium Shield, a Long Sword, and 64 gold. The human warrior drops the
same loot, but with 84 gold. The human archer drops a suit of Splint
Mail, 30 Arrows of Ice, a Long bow, a Bastard Sword, and 49 gold, the
second human archer drops a suit of Splint Mail, 5 Arrows of Acid,
4 Arrows of Piercing, twenty Arrows +1, a Long Bow, a Bastard Sword,
and 49 gold, and finally the human wizard drops a Mage Robe of
Electrical Resistance, two Potions of Healing, a Quarter Staff, ten
Darts, and 102 gold. I typically just kill them and take the letter.
In any event, the Helmet is hidden in the Helm and Cloak Inn, so head
back to the northwestern area (AR0100). Make sure you nab the Angel
Skin Ring from the table before you leave.
***REWARD***
(For unpetrifying Vail)
EXP 500
Item Letter*
***ITEMS***
(x=900, y=300) Angel Skin Ring, 102 gold
Helm and Cloak (AR0116)/(AR011)7/(AR0118)
o======================================================================o
2) Enter the Helm and Cloak at (x=3550, y=2900). At (x=700, y=640)
you'll find Gorpel Hind. Talk to him and pick option #1 to join in his
good-natured adventury bragging. A party will appear near the entrance
led by Gretek, who will represent the BAD side of braggart adventurers.
Pick option #1 with them to pick a fight. Don't be afraid to go heavy
with the spell-buffs, as Haste and Confusion will go a long way to
winning this fight in style. Note that it's possible to talk to Gorpel
Hind multiple times and trigger multiple enemy parties to spawn... with
multiple drops of loot. Just be careful not to glitch up more enemies
than you can handle. Gretek will leave behind a suit of Plate Mail, a
Large Shield, a Battle Axe +2, and 48 gold. Arlin will drop a suit of
Splint Mail, a Helmet, a Medium Shield, a War Hammer, and 50 gold. Wilf
coughs up an Adventurer's Robe, a Greenstone Ring, a Quarter Staff, and
38 gold. Pargus drops Bracers of Defense A.C. 7, a Bloodstone Ring, a
Long Sword +1, and 48 gold. Nader leaves behind a suit of Studded
Leather armor, Arrows of Fire (varies), Arrows (varies), a Short Bow, a
Dagger, and 23 gold. Finally Caturak can be looted for a suit of Plate
Mail Armor, Arrows of Ice (varies), Arrows (varies), a Silver Ring, a
Composite Long Bow, a Short Sword and 16 gold. Most of this loot is just
good for selling, but if you have Kagain in your party, I'm sure he'll
enjoy that Battle Axe +2.
Note from Lee:
Set up your party at the western end of the main room, and then start
the encounter using the character with Boots of Speed. The enemy party
will show up around the entrance door, and you can simply Web, Slow,
Horror, and generally spell-fuck them to death. This is one time that
I don't recommend Fireballs, as the collateral damage to patrons is
potentially a reputation drain. Nevertheless, you can repeat this as
many times as you wish, grinding for some rather nice experience in the
process - I actually gained a level for a couple characters here.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Head upstairs (x=800, y=800) and you'll come to a level that is
blocked off due to the status of the inhabitant. The guards are just for
show though, you can walk right in and harass the noblewoman as you
please. If you pick option #1 you can rob her. You'll gain 189 gold but
lose two points of reputation. She's kind of a bitch, so don't feel bad
if you choose to go for it. You can also kill the guards without losing
reputation, if you want to rob the room (or if they're just getting in
the way.)
***ITEMS***
(x=480, y=280) Angel Skin Ring, 195 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) Now go back downstairs and head up the stairs in the back of the Inn
(x=600, y=400). Search and disarm the painting (x=640, y=180) to claim
the Helm of Balduran for your own. It's an awesome helm for this game,
giving a bonus to Armor Class, five extra Hit Points, a bonus to all
your saving throws, and a bonus to your THAC0. Best of all, you can wear
it in conjunction with magical armor/other magical protections.
I typically give this helmet to my main character out of favoritism, but
it can go on nearly any fighting character.
***TRAPS***
(x=640, y=180)
***ITEMS***
(x=640, y=180) Helm of Balduran
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Now return to Degrodel. Obviously, you don't want to give up the
helmet. If you talk to him with the helmet equipped, he'll take the
helmet and summon some Doom Guards and an Invisible Stalker to escort
you out. Prick. Why he would do this AND pay you is beyond me...
Anyways, there's nothing to stop you from killing Degrodel, in which
case he'll drop a Mage Robe of Electrical Resistance, a Quarter Staff,
and 98 gold. Of course, the best option is to surround him, spell buff,
and give him the helm. Trap him with your party and kill him. Sure, you
won't get as much experience for killing a non-hostile Degrodel, but the
beasties he summons will make up for it. Plus, this way you keep the
Helm of Balduran AND get the 5000 gold piece pay day. Nice.
***REWARD***
(For giving Degrodel the Helm of Balduran)
Gold 5000
The Undercellar (AR0112)
o======================================================================o
6) Return to the Blushing Mermaid (AR0300) and enter the area at
(x=100, y=400) to reach the Undercellar. You can find Quenash at
(x=1310, y=1310). If you got the note from Vail legitimately, she'll ask
you to describe him for her. Describe him as a blonde Elf to get the
cloak. Or... you could just steal it from her. Either way, the Cloak of
Balduran is a cloak that improves your Armor Class and Saves by one,
and gives 25% magic resistance. I tend to throw this on Jaheira, as it
will increase her Armor Class... and really, she just needs the Armor
Class more than, say, Viconia.
Flaming Fist Compound, Upstairs (AR0608)
o======================================================================o
7) Go so the southwestern area of Baldur's Gate (AR1100) and talk to
Scar (x=1560 y=1440) in front of the Flaming Fist Compound. He'll take
you to see Eltan, one of the Grand Dukes of Baldur's Gate. He'll offer
to pay you 2000 gold to gather evidence of the Iron Throne's mischief
from their headquarters in the city. Ah, sweet, sweet incentive. Accept
and head down the stairs at (x=370, y=150).
Note: If you loot this area BEFORE talking to Scar, there won't be
anybody around to squeal on you - Duke Eltan doesn't appear until you
talk to Scar and accept to look in on the Iron Throne, as a Flaming Fist
Mercenary will inform you when you leave the upstairs area (only if you
come here before talking to Scar, however.)
***ITEMS***
(x=620, y=280) Large Shield, Dagger, 180 gold
(x=510, y=400) Medium Shield +1, Short Sword, 550 gold
(x=500, y=480) Splint Mail +1, Long Sword, 354 gold
(x=200, y=330) Dagger, Sling, 10 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) On the way down talk to a blonde Flaming Fist mercenary named Fergus,
who will mention needing an Angel Skin Ring for his lady. I can think of
at least two we've found recently, so talk to him again to give him one
for a reward.
***REWARD***
(For hooking up Fergus with an Angel Skin Ring)
EXP 800
Reputation +1
Flaming Fist Compound, Basement (AR0606)
o======================================================================o
9) Now head down the trap door at (x=1150, y=800) to reach the basement.
Loot the chest at (x=770, y=300) for a Halberd +1, and a suit of Chain
Mail +1. A little extra loot never hurt anybody, right?
***ITEMS***
(x=770, y=300) Halberd +1, Chain Mail +1, Long Sword, Small Shield
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) I go and drop off whatever excess loot I have at the local merchants
before heading into the Iron Throne building... don't want to score some
new loot and not have any room for it, do I? I grab some Arrows of
Detonation from Sorcerous Sundries as well, which I use in appropriate
situations in lieu of a Fireball, since I usually can't be bothered to
keep one prepared... not when Haste, Slow, and Dispel Magic are all more
practical alternatives. It might be very expensive to load up on enough
to give two or three archers a full stack, but at this point in the
game I have almost 100,000 gold and nothing better to spend it on than
magical arrows, scrolls, potions, and other limited-use items. Once I
have sixty I'm satisfied... I really don't have much of a choice
anyways, that's as many as you can get your hands on. Do NOT use them
frivolously, as they are great tools for softening up strong parties
of enemies. When you are fully prepared, rested, etc, head to the
southern area (AR1200) and enter the Iron Throne building at
(x=400, y=600).
Iron Throne Headquarters, 1st Floor (AR0616)
o======================================================================o
11) When you enter a merchant named Triadore will bother you, rambling
about madness in the building. Pay him some coin and he'll tell you
that Sarevok's acolytes are up on the 5th floor with one Thaldorn, and
that there are two priests, two Mages, and two warriors. Sounds like...
a lot of magic in one party. We'll just have to fight fire with...
Arrows of Detonation! (...and Haste, Slow, Confusion, Summon Monsters,
and all that jazz.) There are also guards around that will bother you.
Pick options #1 or #4 to bribe them into leaving you alone, or
options #2 or #3 to bluff your way past, or option #5 to indiscreetly
start slaying things. First head down the stairs to the basement at
(x=1300, y=720).
Note: With my evil party, I had some trouble convincing the guards to
leave me alone, another rare instance where Charisma comes into play.
With Ajantis I had no trouble sweet-talking the guards, but with Jaheira
leading the group... just be sure she's wearing Algernon's Cloak and the
Helm of Glory, if you wish to convince the guards.
Iron Throne Headquarters, Basement (AR0611)
o======================================================================o
12) You'll be bothered by a guard. Just pick options #1 or #2 to have
him go away and loot the two large chests. When you're done, go back
upstairs and up to the second level (x=800, y=200).
***ITEMS***
(x=150, y=320) Potion of Genius, Potion of Insulation, Tainted Antidote,
Potion of Storm Giant Strength, 100 gold.
(x=200, y=200) Scroll of Protection from Acid,
Scroll of Protection from Cold, 255 gold
Iron Throne Headquarters, 2nd Floor (AR0612)
o======================================================================o
13) You'll be bothered by more guards. Pick option #2 to avoid a fight.
If you keep picking the second option, he'll let you in on his
suspicion that people are 'changing faces' up there. Sounds like
Dopplegangers again. Head up the stairs to the third level
(x=800, y=200).
Iron Throne Headquarters, 3rd Floor (AR0613)
o======================================================================o
14) Another level, another nosy guard. Pick option #1 to bribe him, or
options #2 or #3 to bluff... or option #4 to pick a fight. You'll also
be bothered by a man named Nortuary, who asks to see Reiltar. Deal with
him however you wish. You'll also find some whale of a lady named
Emissary Tar, who seeks the stairs to the fifth floor... she must not
have good eyesight when it comes to things other than food. When you're
done with all that, head upstairs again (x=800, y=200).
Iron Throne Headquarters, 4th Floor (AR0614)
o======================================================================o
15) Awfully close to that 5th level now... spooky. A manling named
Destus Gurn will approach and confuse you for Emissary Tar. He'll tell
you about the inhabitants of the next level, one Zhalimar Cloudwulfe,
Gardush, Naaman, Diyab, Aasim, and Alai. He'll also mention one Thaldorn
and some Lyle person. If you interact with the Bartender, be sure not
to pick option #4, as it'll make him go hostile... and killing him
causes you to lose reputation. Anyways, loot about and head to the
staircase.
***ITEMS***
(x=900, y=400) Scroll of Hold Person, Scroll of Stinking Cloud,
Scroll of Flame Arrow
(x=1130, y=500) Scroll of Know Alignment, Scroll of Shield,
Scroll of Protection from Petrification
Iron Throne Headquarters, 5th Floor (AR0615)
o======================================================================o
16) Now for the big fight... we could prepare to the maximum with
potions of giant strength, potions of magic blocking, and tons of spell-
buffs, but it's really not needed. The cheap way to win is by spell-
buffing one Mage and sending them up one stair case, and spell-buffing
another and sending them up the opposite, then lay into them with
Fireballs, Wands of Fire, and the like before quickly running
downstairs... but that kind of tactic isn't very satisfying and won't
serve you well in the sequel. So, I go with a different option. I equip
Arrows of Detonation on Minsc, Imoen, and my main character and send the
entire party up (x=800, y=200).
First, I make sure my party AI is off, so I can micromanage this fight,
then I focus my archers on Diyab, and have Jaheira cast an Entangle and
Viconia a Silence 15' Radius near Diyab. Ajantis stays put. Don't worry
about hitting Emissary Tar, she's a Doppleganger. Diyab, Naaman, and the
Doppleganger go down immediately under the onslaught and all their
spells are disrupted. I switch to normal arrows and have Imoen cast
Summon Monster II, my main character casts Haste, Viconia casts Animate
Dead, Minsc targets Aasim, and Jaheira moves to engage Alai while
Ajantis targets Zhalimar. Aasim dies shortly thereafter, while Imoen and
my main character ready a double shot of Confusion and Slow, and Viconia
casts Protection from Evil 10' Radius. Now I move in to finish off the
remaining three, who are injured, outnumbered, out-matched, and without
a vast majority of their spell buffs. Alai dies next, and my party (and
summons) converge upon the two remaining warriors. They fall quickly in
what can be described only as a glorious rout. My party doesn't take a
lick of damage and expends only three Arrows of Detonation. Glorious.
Zhalimar leaves behind a suit of Plate Mail armor, a Helmet, Arrows
(number varies), a Scroll, a Halberd +2, a Composite Long Bow, and
68 gold. Gardush drops a suit of Plate Mail armor, a Medium Shield,
a Long Sword, and 63 gold. Alai vacates a Ring of Free Action, a Wand
of Lightning, a War Hammer, Throwing Daggers (varies), and 65 gold.
Diyab drops a suit of Leather Armor, a Small Shield, Oil of Fiery
Burning, a Potion of Perception, an Antidote, a War Hammer +1, and 95
gold. Naaman will cough up Bracers of Defense A.C. 7, a Scroll of
Confusion, a Scroll of Dimension Door, a Scroll of Protection from
Normal Missiles, a Scroll of Protection from Undead, a Scroll of Know
Alignment, a Scroll of Vocalize, a Scroll of Dispel Magic, a Scroll of
Fireball, Throwing Daggers (varies), a Dagger, and 66 gold. Finally,
Aasim will yield a suit of studded Leather armor, a Potion of Stone
Giant Strength, a Wand of the Heavens, a Mace +1, and 95 gold. The
Doppleganger will probably drop some gold, gem, or trinket as well.
My evil party has a more difficult time of it, since only my protagonist
uses bows and hence, Arrows of Detonation. Instead of making a poor
attempt at copying the good party tactic, I just ignore it and try
something else. What I lack in missile fire, I more than make up for in
melee prowess and spell power, and I use the latter to start the fight
out. Viconia casts Animate dead and Edwin casts Summon Monster II near
Zhalimar to occupy them. After that, Viconia casts Silence 15' Radius,
Jaheira tries her luck with Entangle, and Edwin hits them with two
Confusion spells. Only after those two rounds of spells do I send my
melee characters in (Kagain, Shar-Teel, Viconia, and Jaheira), and I
summon up another host of monsters to replace the ones I've lost. By
now the battle should be well in hand-it's highly unlikely that Edwin's
pair of Confusion spells didn't affect at least half the enemies, and
the remaining threats can be exterminated in detail. It's not as clean
of a victory, but it's a solid one, nonetheless.
I give the Ring of Free Action to Jaheria while my main character
takes the Halberd +2 as a long-awaited substitute.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
17) You'll find Thaldorn at (x=950, y=610), who will spill some
information about the Iron Throne and beg for you to let him go. He's
evil and he's one of the Iron Throne's leaders. There's no way I let him
leave with his life. Kill him and loot him for a suit of Studded
Leather +1, a Potion of Agility, a Short Sword +1, and 350 gold.
Search the desk at (x=1100, y=710) for some evidence and loot. You may
want to rest up, sell some gear, and get ready for more story before
you report back to Duke Eltan. When you exit the Iron Throne building,
a Flaming Fist mercenary named Caedmon will prompt you to return (as if
you've forgotten!) When you're ready, report back to Eltan. When you
reach him, pick options #3 or #4 to continue on with the story. He'll
decide that the only option is to find Reiltar at Candlekeep, and give
you a book that will allow you admittance, along with your promised
quest reward. You'll immediately be whisked away to the outskirts of
Candlekeep, and Chapter 5 comes to a close.
***REWARD***
(For reporting back to Duke Eltan after dealing with the Iron Throne)
GOLD 2000
Item History of the Nether Scrolls
***ITEMS***
(x=1100, y=710) Letter, Letter, Scroll of Lightning Bolt
Scroll of Hold Person.
o======================================================================o
| Chapter 6 |
o======================================================================o
| |
| Return to Candlekeep |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK025}
1) The Long Road Home
2) Trouble in Paradise
3) Cadderly Chat
4) So Sayeth the Wise Alaundo
5) Tsinogatna Eht
6) Leaders of the Throne
7) Doppleganger in Disguise
8) The Truth of the Dreams
9) Scapegoat
Candlekeep (AR2600)
o======================================================================o
1) Go talk to the Keeper of the Portal (x=4520, y=2650) and give him the
book Eltan gave to you. This will get you back into Candlekeep. You can
meet your old friends, see the old locales, even collect some old loot
that has respawned... Namely the two Potions of Healing at the Hospital
(AR2605) and the scrolls and Diamond in the Candlekeep Inn
(AR2616)/(AR2617).
Priest's Quarters (AR2627)
o======================================================================o
2) Head into the house where you fought Shank (x=2950, y=400) to find
a Priest of Oghma studying a dead cat. Select dialogue option #1
repeatedly until he gets annoyed and attacks you. He'll change shape,
revealing that he's a Doppleganger. Somehow, I don't suspect our return
home is going to be a happy one. Furthermore if you try to enter the
Barracks (AR2618) you'll be prevented and called a chimp from something
inside... what else typically uses such slurs... "Your time is done,
primate!" Hmm... Also in the Bunkhouse (AR2607) you'll find Parda, who
will claim that something is wrong in Candlekeep. Head to the keep when
you're done reminiscing and looting.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Towards the middle of Candlekeep - in front of the keep - you'll meet
Cadderly. What? You didn't expect BOTH R.A. Salvatore's Forgotten Realms
protagonists to make an appearance? Too bad. Talk to him and he'll tell
you a good bit of fluff. Head into the keep (x=2600, y=1650).
Candlekeep, First Floor (AR2608)
o======================================================================o
4) You'll find Karan at (x=1540, y=940). If you ask him if he's seen
anything strange he'll tell you about some Koveras fellow and mention
that he was reciting Alaundo's prophecies from memory. You'll find some
of said prophecies on bookshelves to the north. Over at (x=900, y=880)
you'll find Theodon and Jessup (x=970, y=820), who will recount some
days of your apparently adventurous youth. Head up the stairs
(x=1250, y=950) and head to the upper level.
***ITEMS***
(x=1850, y=750) Letter, Scroll of Vocalize
(x=1700, y=650) Letter, Scroll of Chill Touch
(x=880, y=1300) Scroll of Web
(x=550, y=1050) Scroll of Knock
Candlekeep, Second Floor (AR2609)
o======================================================================o
5) A monk named Bendalis will approach you when you arrive on this
floor and will also spread his worries about people being out of sorts.
He'll also mention the Iron Throne merchants and Koveras. You can also
find a chanter at (x=730, y=810) who will tell you about weird things
in the keep, namely Alaundo's tomb hidden underneath the library. A
reader (x=550, y=580) will let you know that the Iron Throne leaders
are on the third floor. The real point of interest in this level is
Koveras, however, who is at (x=1480, y=750). Talk to him and pick
options #2, #2 and #2 to find out that Koveras knows a little too much
about the night Gorion was murdered. Of course, if you accept his
trinket you'll get a Ring of Protection +1. You could always steal it
from him though. After you're done talking and looting, head upstairs
to the third level (x=1200, y=970).
***ITEMS***
(x=1300, y=1290) Scroll of Chromatic Orb
(x=1100, y=540) Scroll of Luck
(x=800, y=380) Scroll of Melf's Acid Arrow
(x=600, y=850) Scroll of Mirror Image
Candlekeep, Third Floor (AR2610)
o======================================================================o
6) On this level you'll find the leaders of the Iron Throne.
Unfortunately there's no fighting in Candlekeep - blood on the books and
all - so you'll have to leave them be for now. Unless you don't care
whether you end up looking like a bad guy. At (x=780, y=620) is Tuth,
Brunos is at (x=800, y=520), Keslor is at (x=700, y=5500) and finally,
the big cheese Rieltar is at (x=730, y=530). If you bug Keslor too much,
he'll go hostile on you, and save you the burden of guilt being the
aggressor would force you to bear. Tuth leaves behind a suit of Plate
Mail, a Medium Shield +1, a Long Sword +1, and 98 gold. Brunos coughs up
a suit of Chain Mail +1, a Medium Shield +1, a Potion of Frost Giant
Strength, a Morning Star +1, and 256 gold. Keslor will drop a suit of
Studded Leather Armor, Darts of Stunning (varies), Darts (varies), and
105 gold. Rieltar relinquishes a Potion of Genius, a Potion of Clarity,
a Dagger, and 510 gold. Don't fight them just now, you'll want to
explore the upper levels first, and if you kill them now you'll be
apprehended upon reaching the fourth (next) level. Leave them alone for
now and head up the stairs at (x=1400, y=1050).
***ITEMS***
(x=1270, y=1470) Scroll of Luck
(x=1750, y=600) Scroll of Shield
(x=850, y=200) Scroll of Identify
Candlekeep, Fourth Floor (AR2611)
o======================================================================o
7) If you didn't kill the Iron Throne leaders yet, you won't be bothered
by a Watcher on this level, allowing you to loot. If you did kill them,
you'll have to either fight the Watcher or go with him... neither of
which are the best of decisions. There's not much to do on this level
besides loot. Over at (x=1700, y=1270) you'll find a monk named Shistal.
Pick option #1 every time and he'll drop his guise, revealing himself to
be a Greater Doppleganger. These guys are just like normal
Dopplegangers, but are actually strong in melee. They also cast Mirror
Image and Haste before wading into combat, which can make them
surprisingly dangerous foes. They are individually capable of causing
trouble to any Fighter in the game, and they can be positively
bothersome against characters with a higher Armor Class. In groups, you
can really have a fight on your hands unless you hit them with a Dispel
Magic and/or cast a Haste of your own. This one, however, can be
surrounded ahead of time, and wasted before he becomes a problem. At
least they give you plenty of experience for the trouble!
***ITEMS***
(x=1000, y=1320) Potion of Fortitude, 1 gold
(x=850, y=1350) Scroll of Grease, Scroll of Blindness
(x=750, y=1150) Silver Necklace
(x=300, y=1000) Bluestone Necklace
(x=800, y=350) Scroll of Web, Scroll of Detect Invisibility
(x=1650, y=580) Wand of Fear
(x=2200, y=970) Moonstone Gem, 18 gold
Candlekeep, Fifth Floor (AR2612)
o======================================================================o
8) When you enter this level you'll be approached by a monk named Piato.
He'll tell you to check Gorion's room before taking off. Do so, and at
(x=660, y=1000) you'll find a letter and some gold. The letter will
spill the beans about your paternity and warn you about one Sarevok - a
name we've seen on Iron Throne documents. Loot the level and head back
to level three (AR2610). Now you can kill the Iron Throne leaders by
picking a fight with Keslor, and you really might as well. If you decide
to not kill the Iron Throne leaders, read step #9 after heading up the
stairs at (x=950, y=750). If you do kill them, when you head back to the
fourth level (AR2611) you'll be arrested by a Watcher, instead of the
Gatewarden, either way, it'll be covered in Step #9.
***ITEMS***
(x=900, y=1200) Quarter Staff
(x=660, y=1000) Letter, 105 gold
(x=500, y=800) 9 gold
(x=150, y=630) Potion of Defense, 35 gold
(x=100, y=650) Cloak of Protection +1
(x=1500, y=800) Gold Necklace
Candlekeep, Sixth Floor (AR2614)
o======================================================================o
9) As soon as you arrive on this level you'll be apprehended by the
Gatewarden and accused of the murders of the Iron Throne's leaders
whether you killed them or not (this is one of many reasons why I
prefer to kill them myself - at least then I get the loot, experience,
and satisfaction of doing the killing, which makes the blame easier to
bear). If you try and make a break for it, you'll be pretty decisively
smote, so agree to go along with him (option #2.) You'll be taken to
a prison and roughly accused by Ulraunt, who obviously has no love for
you. He'll also cite some evidence planted on you by 'Koveras'. He
threatens to send you to Baldur's Gate, where 'appropriate punishment
will be administered'. Well, newsflash, a Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate
sent us here in the first place, chump! He'll leave and Tethtoril will
show up and rescue you on your father's behalf... Gorion, not your REAL
father. Ask Tethtoril about Koveras, and he'll tell you it's the reverse
of Sarevok. That bastard! And so off you are whisked to the Candlekeep
Catacombs.
Note: This area actually has NPCs - Tethtoril, Ulraunt, and the
Gatewarden. It also has lootable objects. The gear you can score is
pretty mediocre, but it does make me wonder... why? You get arrested as
soon as you set foot on this level, so why even bother putting loot
here? Also, Ulraunt has some dialogue lines.. granted, one-liners that
just checks his reaction towards you before he ultimately tells you to
get lost (with varying degrees of rudeness), while Tethtoril tells you
about the inheritence Gorian left (which you doubtlessly already
claimed) or tells you to surrender to the watch if you killed the Iron
Throne. Bioware, you never cease amazing me with your arbitrariness...
o======================================================================o
| |
| Candlekeep Catacombs |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK026}
1) Secret Library
2) Phony Phlydia
3) Tome of Understanding
4) More Looting
5) Manual of Gainful Exercise
6) Corpse Pile
7) Duplicate Dreppin
8) Childhood Copies
9) The False Triad
10) Exit the Catacombs
11) Sarevok's Assassins
12) Spider Dens
13) Basilisk Barricade
14) Spilling the Beans
Secret Library (AR2613)
o======================================================================o
1) Okay, you've been accused of killing the Iron Throne leaders, whether
you actually killed them or not. Sarevok went well out of his way to
paint you as an Amnish assassin (the Shadow Thief ring and the gold
minted in Amn) and Ulraunt played right into his scheme. You've been
whisked away to the bowels of Candlekeep in order to escape, so escape
you shall... after this room has been looted, of course. When ready,
exit out the door at (x=150, y=150).
***ITEMS***
(x=100, y=220) Scroll of Chromatic Orb, Scroll of Confusion,
Scroll of Knock
(x=250, y=120) Scroll of Aganazzar's Scorcher, Scroll of Lightning Bolt
(x=400, y=170) Scroll of Fireball, Scroll of Monster Summoning II,
Scroll of Minor Globe of Invulnerability,
Scroll of Identify x2
Candlekeep Catacombs, Level 1 (AR2615)
o======================================================================o
2) Head northwest until you run into Phlydia, who will accuse you of
stealing her book before turning into a Doppleganger. This could be a
troublesome development... Kill it and you'll come to a room where there
are three passages coming off of it. Go southwest first, but keep your
game face on. We're in dungeons again, and that means monsters and
traps, so scout ahead.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Head down the passage and take the first side-passage to the south.
You'll encounter a number of traps, but the loot in the sarcophagus is
totally worth it. The Ring of Fire Resistance goes on another front-
liner who may be subject to fire attacks - Ajantis/Kagain should already
have one, which leads me to give it to Jaheira, on both the good and
evil parties. Tomes are always nice, too. when you're done looting
continue down the southwest passage.
***TRAPS***
(x=3120, y=1420)
(x=3170, y=1870)
(x=3180, y=1880)
(x=3220, y=1920)
(x=3130, y=2130)
***ITEMS***
(x=3130, y=2130) Studded Necklace with Zios Gems, Bloodstone Ring,
Ring of Fire Resistance, Tome of Understanding,
Scroll of Protection from Acid
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) Continue down the southwest passage until it terminates in a room.
Disarm traps and loot the sarcophagus. Head back up the passage and
explore the northern side-passage (opposite the one that led you to
the Tome of Understanding.)
***TRAPS***
(x=2620, y=1800)
(x=2500, y=1900)
***ITEMS***
(x=2500, y=1900) Oil of Speed, Potion of Invulnerability,
Potion of Heroism, Potion of Invisibility,
Bloodstone Amulet, Scroll of Protection from Magic
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) The passage will turn and curve, but stick to it and ignore all other
side-passages... there's nothing down them but traps. Eventually you'll
come to a room with four Phase Spiders inside of it. Dispose of them and
continue through the room until you get to another, more ornate room.
Loot the... uh... hole in the wall for some premium loot, including the
long awaited Manual of Gainful Exercise, which boosts your Strength by
one point. Now, if your strength is 18, this completely bypasses all the
exceptional strength percentiles and gives you a strength of 19. For a
character with 18 strength, this could mean going from +1 THAC0 +2
damage to +3 THAC0 +7 damage. That's a HUGE improvement, and it'll
pretty much make most any character melee competent. So... if you're a
dual-or-multi class character with Strength in the lower percentile,
it's fine. You're about to become a powerhouse. My modest 18/66 strength
is happily improved... sadly, it took us most of the game to get here,
but that's fine, since melee combat becomes much more powerful in the
sequel. Also, you'll never need a Girdle of Giant Strength for your main
character in the next game. If you're a Mage then you're probably not as
excited as everybody else playing this game, but for everybody who is
not a single-classed Mage (and who bothered to make sure their Strength
was at LEAST 18 before starting the game) this is probably the single
greatest stat-boosting item in the game. You'll be reaping the rewards
of 19 Strength forever more. I really can't overstate how great this
item is, and how much it'll help you in the sequel. I put the Cloak of
Protection +2 on my main character, as everybody else has magical armor
that prevents them from wearing it.
***TRAPS***
(x=2170, y=1570)
(x=2100, y=1600)
(x=2100, y=1650)
(x=1620, y=1750)
(x=1050, y=2100)
(x=1800, y=1300)
(x=1120, y=1400)
(x=650, y=1080)
(x=350, y=900)
***ITEMS***
(x=350, y=900) Ruby Ring, Rogue Stone, Cloak of Protection +2,
Manual of Gainful Exercise
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) Now I head up the northwestern passage. In the side-room to the
southwest you'll find a room filled with corpses and two very happy
Ghasts. In another side-room to the north you'll find another Ghast. At
the end of the hallway you'll find a room filled with Ghasts... about
six of them in total. When they're dead loot the pile of bodies and
head back to the room where you were attacked by the Phlydia-
Doppleganger and go down the northeastern passage. You'll find that
it's a short passage indeed. Exit the area at (x=3900, y=900).
***ITEMS***
(x=900, y=500) Horn Coral Gem, Lynx Eye Gem, Angel Skin Ring,
War Hammer +1, Potion of Frost Giant Strength,
Potion of Fortitude, Potion of Stone Form,
Tainted Antidote, Wand of Fire
Candlekeep Catacombs, Level 2 (AR2619)
o======================================================================o
7) As soon as you enter Dreppin will approach. He's also a Doppleganger,
and you'll have to put him down. This is a large open room with smaller
rooms on the northern and southern sides. In the center of the room
you'll find Arkanis (x=3600, y=1680) and Deder (x=3550, y=1680). If you
pick option #1 they'll tag along with you, if you pick option #2 they'll
depart. Stay away from the northwestern side of the level for now, as
there's an encounter there which will be covered in step #9. First check
out the middle-area, which is crawling with Skeleton archers and covered
in traps. The Skeletons respawn often, so it might be worth planting
your party around where they appear to prevent them from returning. When
that's done explore the side-rooms, starting in the north and from east
to west, then the south from east to west.
***TRAPS***
(x=3800, y=1800)
(x=3400, y=1820)
(x=2700, y=1320)
(x=2330, y=1000)
(x=4000, y=1510)
(x=3400, y=1100)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) In the north you will find a Reevor-Doppleganger. In the next room
you'll find Parda, and in the last room on the top you'll find Fuller.
In the south you'll encounter Jondalar. In the next room you'll find
Hull, and after that it'll be Karan. After slaughtering Doppleganger-
clones of pretty much everybody in the prologue, head on to the
northwest.
***ITEMS***
(x=3150, y=2150) Scroll of Dispel Magic
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) Go up some stairs and you'll find Gorion (x=1880, y=3800), Elminster
(x=1940, y=380), and Tethtoril (x=1950, y=330). Obviously, they're not
who they say they are. If you continue to doubt their identities,
they'll attack. If you agree to follow them they'll lead you down the
hallway before attacking. Dispose of the two Dopplegangers and the
Greater Doppleganger - if you haven't already - and continue down the
hallway... .
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) You'll find a long hallway with room on either side. In the first
room to the southeast you'll find Winthrop - who is, of course, a
Doppleganger. You'll also fight several more Dopplegangers on your way
down the passage. Now is a good time to rest up, heal, and leave the
catacombs (x=100, y=1000). If you still need money... somehow... you
might want to rest here a while to provoke Dopplegangers. They can drop
some premium gems and jewelry, such as Emeralds, Pearl Necklaces, and
Laeral's Tear Necklaces. They can also occasionally drop 3rd level
Mage Spells, if you still need them. In any event, you should make sure
you have at least one Protection from Petrification spell prepared
before advancing.
Candlekeep Caverns (AR5506)
o======================================================================o
11) Due south of your location you'll find four of Sarevok's assassins,
led by one Prat (x=900, y=520). They're not too bad, but you'll do
yourself a favor by spell-buffing and sending your Fighters down
different tunnels to attack from. You don't want to make your battle
miserable by bottle-necking yourself. I start out by peppering them
with status-effecting spells from out of their sight range, and lead
off with a Monster Summoning II to draw their attention. Jump on Prat
first, as he'll annoy you with spells if you give him the chance.
Prat will leave behind a Letter, a Scroll of Chromatic Orb, a Scroll of
Detect Evil, a Scroll of Luck, a Scroll of Resist Fear, a Scroll of
Mirror Image, a Throwing Axe +2, and 170 gold. Tam will drop a suit of
Plate Mail, Acid Arrows (varies), Arrows (varies), a Gold Necklace, a
Laeral's Tear Necklace, a Composite Long Bow, a Short Sword, and 49
gold. Sakul will yield a Bloodstone Amulet, a Scroll of Strength, a
Scroll of Ghoul Touch, a Scroll of Haste, a Scroll of Dire Charm, a
Scroll of Ghost Armor, a Scroll of Haste, and 139 gold. Finally, loot
Bor for a suit of Plate Mail, a Skydrop Gem, Darts of Stunning (varies),
Darts (varies), a Flail, and 38 gold. The Throwing Axe +2 is a great
ranged weapon for Kagain, but it works fine on any shielded warrior.
I strap this on Ajantis.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) Over to the east you'll find a nest of Spiders, including a Phase
Spider, a Wraith Spider, and a Sword Spider. This will be easier if you
disarm the web traps before going in. To the southeast is another
spider's den with two Phase Spiders and another web trap. The last den
is to the west, and it is populated by a Sword Spider and a Phase
Spider. Finally there's a Phase Spider to the southwest. He doesn't
get a den, and I can only assume it's because he's the annoying mooch
spider... or maybe he has bad spider flatulence?
***TRAPS***
(x=1300, y=650) (East)
(x=1600, y=550) (East)
(x=1550, y=1300) (southeast)
(x=200, y=950) (West)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) In the south are a pair of Greater Basilisks. Make sure to hit
somebody with a Protection from Petrification spell before tangling
with them. See? We came prepared, because we're awesome like that.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
14) As you head south you'll find Diarmid (x=350, y=2020). He'll mistake
you for Prat - one of the guys you just killed. Pick the top options at
first to get him to spill the beans on Sarevok and his plans. If you
pick the lower options, he'll catch on to the ruse and leave. If you
equip everybody with missile weapons you might just be able to shoot
him down before he gets away... although there's really not much point,
as you'll get little experience for killing a non-hostile and he's got
the same loot as any Black Talon Elite. When you're done, exit at
(x=300, y=2000).
Now that we're done with Chapter 6, Chapter 7 begins. You need to get
back to Baldur's Gate and foil whatever Sarevok is plotting... but
first, we should do the four major Tales of the Sword Coast quests.
Now is a great time, as we have all the goodies from Baldur's Gate and
the Manual of Gainful Exercise. Frankly though, taking on Chapter 7
leads right into the endgame, so if you're going to do those quests,
you really need to do them now. You have the best gear and you should
be damn near the highest level you can attain in the game. You've got
the best chance of making your way through Durlag's Tower you can have
without cheating. For story purposes... we can say we're letting the
whole Iron Throne murder thing cool down and heading up north so our
notoriety dies down a bit before heading to the Gate. Yeah - that's it.
Head over to Ulgoth's Beard (AR1000).
o======================================================================o
| Tales of the Sword Coast |
o======================================================================o
| |
| Ulgoth's Beard and Shandolar's Request |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK027}
1) Free Ring of Free Action
2) Shapeshifter Sword Stealing
3) Hurgan's Request
4) Ulgoth's Beard Store and Inn
5) Lootin' the Inn
6) Ike's Tour
7) Shandalar's Sentence
8) Mage-Bane Island
9) Andris' Welcome
10) Garan's Ankhegs
11) Crazy Cuchol
12) Tellan's Tunnel
13) Dezkiel's Defiance
Ulgoth's Beard (AR1000)
o======================================================================o
1) At (x=2450, y=800) you'll find a gnome named Dushai. She doesn't have
anything to say to you yet, but she certainly has toys for you to steal.
You can nab a Scroll of Web, and a Ring of Free Action from her. The
Ring of Free Action goes great on Viconia. She's a better Cleric than
Jaheira, and a worse Fighter. Plus, she tends to not be affected by
Haste anyways, so she's not really missing out much.
Loot House (AR1006)
o======================================================================o
2) Enter the house at (x=2700, y=750) for some lootables. That Bastard
Sword +1, +3 vs. Shapeshifters will come in really handy during a later
quest, so make sure to strap it onto one of your Fighter's quick-slots.
***ITEMS***
(x=300, y=350) Pearl
(x=250, y=300) Dagger
(x=200, y=250) Bastard Sword +1, +3 vs. Shapeshifters,
Tainted Oil of Speed, 33 gold
Ulgoth's Beard Store and Inn (AR1001)
o======================================================================o
3) When you enter the inn (x=2350, y=540) you'll be approached by a
Dwarf named Hurgan Stoneblade, who will ask you to retrieve his
grandda's dagger 'Soultaker' from Durlag's Tower. Be sure to demand a
reward for his request, or he won't give you one... but, if you're not a
fan of delayed gratification, you can steal the War Hammer he's planning
to give you (at least, if you requested compensation) as a reward. The
Knee-capper +1 from him (aka: War Hammer +1, +4 vs. giant humanoids.)
Unfortunately, there aren't too many Ogres in this game that'll trouble
us at this point.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) Now for the real gear, the barkeep (x=490, y=350) sells a variety of
nice items for you perusal. The best thing he sells is probably the
Cloak of Displacement, which gives a bonus against missile weapons and
saves. Also is interest is the Ring of Invisibility, and the Greenstone
Amulet. Last but not least, he sells high-end Mage scrolls such as
Remove Curse, Emotion, Greater Malison, and Improved Invisibility. Buy
as many of these great items as you can afford. I put the cloak on
Viconia, as she does not have any missile defense items. I give the
Greenstone Amulet to Jaheira, as Viconia already has the Ring of Free
Action. The Ring of Invisibility switches characters as it is needed,
but keep in mind both the ring and amulet have charges. As for the
spells, Improved Invisibility is probably the greatest defensive spell
in the game, as it gives you a four point bonus to your saves and Armor
Class, and makes you untargetable by enemy spells... and best of all,
in this game, most enemies really don't have much of a way to get around
it. Greater Malison is also a nice-first strike spell for lowering enemy
saves, particularly when followed up by Confusion, Slow, or some similar
effect.
o===========o
|Mage Spells|
o===========o
4th-Emotion
4th-Greater Malison
4th-Improved Invisibility
4th-Remove Curse
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Now, if you care to loot this place, there are some goodies that can
be had around here... although your chances of being caught are on the
wrong side of inevitable... it's up to you to decide if it's worth the
hassle or not.
***ITEMS***
(x=350, y=680) 52 gold
(x=450, y=400) War Hammer +1, 70 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) Back outside you can talk to Ike (x=2200, y=620). Pay to take his
tour of Durlag's Tower. We'll get back to him later, after finishing
another quest. Head over to the west.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Over at (x=1700, y=640) you'll find Shandalar. Remember him? You
stole skyship components from his daughters? If you didn't kill them,
he'll send you on a little quest to fetch a cloak. If you did kill them,
he'll send you on the same mission, but as punishment for your crime.
Either way, when you're ready-or when you're forced to go as the case
may be-you'll be teleported to an island. Before you go (if you have a
choice) make sure to pick-pocket the tons of great loot Shandalar has,
including a Scroll of Greater Malison, a Scroll of Spirit Armor, a
Scroll of Otiluke's Sphere, a Scroll of Feeblemind, a Scroll of Remove
Curse, a Scroll of Emotion, and two Potions of Heroism. If you killed
Shandalar's daughters, you'll have to wait to steal from him.
Mage Prison Isle, Exterior (AR1008)
o======================================================================o
8) You'll get Shandalar's Wardstone upon your transportation, which is
your means of extrication from this place when you retrieve Shandalar's
cloak. Right in front of you will be a Polar Bear. Put it down and head
inside the cavern (x=600, y=400).
Mage Prison Isle, Interior (AR1009)
o======================================================================o
9) Head inside and dispatch two Winter Wolves. Down a tunnel to the
northwest you'll find Andris (x=1850, y=1190), Beyn (x=1900, y=1150),
and Marcellus (x=1790, y=1200). Andris will chat with you, but if his
red circle isn't evidence enough... well then I don't know what is.
This isn't going to end peacefully. I leave my party behind in the
adjoining room and head in with Ajantis (or whatever character has
the Boots of Speed). As the Mages begin casting spells I run back to
my party. Andris will probably pop in with a Dimension Door (he likes to
fight like Davaeorn). Hit him with Magic Missiles, as he starts out with
Protection from Normal Missiles cast. Let them come to you, popping
Andris whenever he shows up. If you get hit with a Scare or Confusion
spell, you'll regret it. Keep on top of them and don't be afraid to use
a Dispel Magic if they get a spell off on you. Andris will drop a
Knave's Robe, a Scroll of Protection from Evil, a Scroll of Grease,
Andris' Journal, and 109 gold. Marcellus will leave behind a Traveller's
Robe, a Scroll of Vampiric Touch, a Quarter Staff, and 81 gold. Beyn
can be looted for a Wand of Fear and 66 gold. I really hope you didn't
mind that fight, because if you paid attention to Andris, you'll know
that only people that can teleport end up here... which means you're
going to be fighting Mages aplenty.
With the evil party, my tactics are slightly different. I hide my
protagonist and get the drop on the bad guys by backstabbing Marcellus
before running away. Andris teleports around, but fails to notice the
rest of my party who is hiding near the entrance. As soon as I am out
of sight I hide again, and hopefully I won't be affected by the fear or
confusion spells they cast at me. Ultimately, Andris' 'defense' causes
some separation between him and Marcellus and Beyn, who are more
straight-forward in their approach and easier to lure to the rest of
the party and dispatch. When only Andris is left, Edwin casts Summon
Monster II and I let Andris dispatch the critters summoned. This
safely forces him to waste some of his Magic Missile, Melf's Acid
Arrow, Flame Arrow, and Lightning Bolt spells. When the summons are
dead my party walks in and destroys him with authority.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) Go south and you'll find another pair of Winter Wolves waiting to
give you their pelts. Head west and you'll run into a Mountain Bear.
Keep going down these tunnels and you'll eventually come to a room
where a man named Garan (x=1050, y=1100) is waiting. Take your party in
all at once, because when he's done talking he'll summon his 'pets',
four Ankhegs. How he got them here is anybody's guess. A Summon
Monster II and Haste allows me to swarm Garan, then focus on his
Ankhegs. You know Ajantis has a good Armor Class when he can suffer
attacks from several Ankhegs and only take damage from a Flame Arrow.
Loot Garan for a Scroll of Dimension Door, a Scroll of Protection from
Normal Missiles, a Scroll of Know Alignment, a Scroll of Fireball, and
66 gold.
***TRAPS***
(x=600, y=1400)
Note from Lee:
If you're careful, you can manage to get the entire party into Garan's
room without initiating the encounter - this allows you to get set up
in the northwestern end of the room, and not have to struggle to get
position while fighting Ankhegs. Fireballs and Flame Strikes (from the
Wands of the Heavens) will make short work of Garan himself, and deal
some hefty damage to the Ankhegs as well.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) Head north from where Garan was to find Cuchol (x=1300, y=670).
Deal with him and continue on. He's really not much of a threat.
Honestly, my Imoen shot him to death on her own without him getting off
a single spell. Make sure you disarm the trap before you head in, or...
you might get minorly harmed. Loot Cuchol for a Wand of Paralyzation
and 66 gold. Head north and you'll loop back to the room where Andris
was.
***TRAPS***
(X=1500, y=850)
(x=1900, y=1000)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) Head north from the room where Andris and his cronies were and
continue down the trap-filled tunnels until you meet a wretched little
gnome named Tellan (x=900, y=590). He has Protection from Normal
Missiles on as well, so you'll need to either rush up and smite him...
(which can be risky in such enclosed spaces,) use Magic Missiles, if
you have enough, or backstab him and run around the corners so you can
hide again. Repeat as necessary. Imoen and my main character lay into
him with well-timed Magic Missiles. After about six he goes down. Loot
him for Darts of Stunning (varies) and 78 gold.
***TRAPS***
(x=2100, y=1020)
(x=1750, y=320)
(x=1250, y=200)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) Continue on your way. To the southwest you'll run into a trio of
Winter Wolves. To the north you'll find Dezkiel (x=720, y=250). He's
just as inhospitable as everybody else, but he admits to having the
cloak you're after. Kill him and take Shandalar's Cloak, Dezkiel's
Scroll, and 66 gold. He's not capable of putting up much of a fight,
so just whomp him as you will. Take the cloak and head up the stairs
nearby. You'll shortly be teleported back to Ulgoth's Beard. If
Shandalar forced you to come here, now is a good time to pick his
pockets (see above.) Shandalar will take his cloak and his wardstone
and you'll get a tidbit of experience. I'll leave it to you to sell off
those Winter Wolf hides you've found (remember the storekeep in
Nashkel will pay a pretty 500 gold for each pelt).
***REWARD***
(For returning Shandolar's Cloak)
EXP 500
o======================================================================o
| |
| To Durlag's Tower and the Upper Levels |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK028}
1) Therella's Tale
2) Delsivirftanyon's Deal
3) Fenrus
4) Mendas' Mission
5) Eerie Erdane
6) Battle Horrors
7) Clearing the Battlements
8) The Tower's New Master
9) Traps & Ghasts
10) Basilisk Battlements
11) Riggilo
12) Tome of Understanding
13) Dead Daital
14) Succubus Summit
Therella's House (AR1005)
o======================================================================o
1) Now to explore the rest of Ulgoth's Beard... or what of it we can.
Enter the house at (x=1550, y=400). Inside you'll find Therella, whose
son Dalton went missing after deciding to head to Durlag's Tower. Might
as well offer to tell her if you find him. There's not much to loot in
here, but at least she won't mind if you take what you can.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) To the south you'll find a little chap by the name of Delsvirftanyon
(x=1580, y=1180), who will try to sell you the rest of his inventory
while selling you a sob story at the same time. You can let him guilt-
trip you into buying his inventory for 500 gold, but if you decline him
too many times he'll leave forever. For your trouble you'll get a
Gold Ring, a Silver Ring, an Onyx Ring, a Silver Necklace, a Short
Sword, and two Wardstones, one of which is a forgery, the other of which
looks genuine... Or you could just steal them.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Ignore the house at (x=1200, y=650) since there's nothing in there
yet and head to the south of the map to find Fenrus at (x=630, y=1330).
He'll give you some information about Durlag's Tower, for what it's
worth. Head into the house at (x=850, y=1250)
Mendas' House (AR1004)
o======================================================================o
4) Once inside you'll be approached by a man named Mendas, who
identifies himself as a quester of small truth with a big heart for
friendship... Yeah... Anyways, he'll ask you to do a job for him, and
offer up 2000 gold pieces. Long story short, he'll ask you to go steal
a sea chart kept locked up in Baldur's Gate by the Merchant League in a
building called the Counting House, which is in the area just north of
the Elfsong tavern. In the dresser at (x=350, y=100) you can find a
whopping 980 gold. We'll do this job later, after we're done searching
Durlag's Tower. Speaking of which, head over there now.
***ITEMS***
(x=350, y=100) 980 gold
Durlag's Tower, Exterior (AR0500)
o======================================================================o
5) Watch a pretty cutscene... or rather, a cutscene that was pretty a
decade ago. Oooh... spooky. Anyways, welcome to Durlag's Tower. To the
east you'll find a rogue named Erdane (x=720, y=320), who will sell you
a variety of goodies that might come in handy in Durlag's Tower, namely
Potions of Master Thievery, Potions of Perception, and Potions of Hill
Giant Strength. If you don't have a Thief who is up to snuff, you're not
going to do well in Durlag's Tower, so grab whatever potions you need
before continuing on.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) Head south across a small stone bridge to find a Battle Horror.
Rather than charge it, retreat and let it come to you on more open
ground where your party can effectively surround it and pummel it into
submission. It's immune to non-magical weapons, so don't waste any
arrows on it. Magic Missiles are especially effective against it. Down
south a little further you'll find another one.
Note from Lee:
I also found a couple Dopplegangers at around (x=570, y=3400). Not a
big deal by any stretch of the imagination, but I thought it was worth
mentioning so you don't get surprised.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Keep going south and turn east to reach a draw bridge. If you paid
Ike for his tour he'll be standing at (x=1950, y=3100), and will yell at
you for being late. Follow him across the courtyard but don't enter the
keep yet. First head east, where you'll find that the walls are anything
but unguarded; up the stairs are a Doom Guard and several Skeletons.
Back down and to the west is a doorway (x=1500, y=1060) which leads to
the western battlements - up here you'll find a variety of Skeletons and
another Doom Guard. When all is quiet, make for the main entrance and
enter Durlag's Tower (x=2700, y=2200).
Durlag's Tower, First Level (AR0502)
o======================================================================o
8) Only go forward with a (well-healed) Ajantis, Kagain, or other beefy
front-liner, particularly if they have the Ring of Fire Resistance. Talk
to Ike in the main room repeatedly as he goes about his tour. When he
takes a break, talk to him again and he'll offer you one of the genuine
tower wardstones for a mere 300 gold... on the condition that if you
don't succeed down below you'll return it to him. Buy it... or don't...
a Demonknight will show up and declare the tower to be his. He'll then
launch some Fireballs around the room. If you're quick you can avoid
them, if not... well, it's not like you came in here with your whole
party anyways, right? You can now take your money or the wardstone from
Ike's corpse. There's only one trap at (x=480, y=350) worth noting. Take
the stairs (x=700, y=550) up to the second level.
Note: Killing the Demonknight
First, thanks to Jason Rozzo for this information - I did not discover
this on my own, and the only reason I'm able to share this information
with you is because of him. Credit due, credit given. Now, when the
Demonknight appears on the first level, you can actually kill him if
you're well-prepared, and very, very lucky. Normally he just shows up,
gives his 'under new management' speech, and tosses out a pair of
Fireballs... obviously he's not meant to be killed here... but then
again, Degrodel wasn't meant to be killed after you gave him the Helm
of Balduran, either. To kill the Demonknight here, you have to 1) hit
him with a Greater Malison spell, 2) immediately afterwards use a Wand
of Paralyzation on him, 3) he must roll a natural 1 on his Save vs.
Wands, 4) you have to kill the Demonknight in the ten rounds during
which he's paralyzed. Steps #1 and #2 are all preparation, step #3 is
all luck. With a strong character wearing a Ring of Fire Resistance,
stand in front of Ike - this character will talk to Ike when we're ready
to provoke the Demonknight. Two Mages (equipped with Wands of
Paralyzation) should stand opposite Ike, on the western side of the
room. Everybody else should remain safely out of the way, but ready
to go; casting Haste on everybody before you talk to Ike isn't a bad
idea. Have one of your Mages start casting Greater Malison (targeting
the carpet east of the frozen Skeleton isn't a bad idea, either), and
while that Mage is casting (but before the spell goes off) have your
protected character near Ike talk to Ike to provoke the Demonknight. The
Demonknight will show up, and interrupt with some dialogue. If you timed
it right, the Greater Malison will hit him shortly. Immediately after
it does, use your Wands of Paralyzation on the Demonknight. Normally,
he'd be unaffected by the wands even if he rolled a natural one, but
with Greater Malison affecting him, he'll be stunned for ten rounds if,
and only if, he rolls a natural one on his save. Once he's stunned,
rush him and pummel him to death. You won't get any experience for
killing him, and he'll still be at the bottom of Durlag's Tower for you
to deal with later, but he will drop some loot. Namely, he'll cough up
a suit of Full Plate Mail +1, the Helmet of Opposite Alignment, and a
Large Shield +1. You'll find another suit of Full Plate Mail +1 later,
and it's not any better than a suit of Full Plate Mail paired with an
abundant protection +1 item, or some other armor you'll find shortly,
but it's an interesting find, in any event. The Helmet of Opposite
Alignment... well, changes your alignment, but it's not something you're
supposed to have, nor is it terribly useful. Still, it's an interesting
glitch.
***ITEMS***
(x=850, y=850) 2 Gold
(x=970, y=820) Dagger
(x=290, y=560) 4 Gold
Durlag's Tower, Second Level (AR0503)
o======================================================================o
9) To the north you'll find a trap in a doorway (x=400, y=350), behind
which are several Ghasts. This is pretty much the tactic of this level:
Traps, and Ghasts. If you get caught by the trap, you're probably going
to get ripped up by Ghasts. If you disarm the trap and lure the Ghasts
to you, your only danger is falling asleep while searching for traps.
There's a door over at (x=1000, y=750) that leads to the battlements,
but you really should cast Protection from Petrification on a character
and send them out alone.
***TRAPS***
(x=400, y=350)
(x=150, y=430)
(x=470, y=770)
(x=770, y=820)
(x=1060, y=550)
(x=1100, y=650)
***ITEMS***
(x=470, y=770) Turquoise Gem, Chrysoberyl Gem, 20 Arrows of Flame
(x=1060, y=550) Oil of Speed, Potion of Strength, Potion of Invisibility
38 gold
(x=1100, y=650) Moonstone Gem, 24 gold
(x=770, y=140) 6 gold
(x=620, y=100) Horn Coral Gem
Durlag's Tower, Battlements (AR0500)
o======================================================================o
10) Immediately ahead of you will be a Lesser Basilisk. Kill it and head
up some stairs and through a door at (x=3250, y=1150) to reach the roof.
Up here you'll find three Greater Basilisks spread about. Kill them for
their juicy experience and loot one of the... chimneys?... at
(x=2300, y=570) for a Scimitar +2. I generally consider this weapon to
be more than a match for the Dagger of Venom Jaheira uses, as the 1d8
base damage averages out to 4.5 damage per hit, and the dagger's 1d4
averages at 2.5. Two points more damage per hit, every hit, without any
saves or any delay. Still, it takes a lot of effort to get to Durlag's
Tower, and the Dagger of Venom is a more readily available alternative.
Head back into the tower and go up the central flight of stairs to reach
level three (x=700, y=550).
Note from Lee:
One time I found one Lesser Basilisk and 5 Gnolls (the Basilisk on the
main level of the battlements, as described, and the Gnolls up the
stairs, before the door to the upper battlement). Protected fighter
wearing Boots of Speed kills the Basilisk then runs up the stairs past
the Gnolls and deals with the rest of the dangerous critters. Once the
Basilisks are all dead and the loot in hand, run back down to the main
level of the battlements and bring up the rest of the party to deal with
the Gnolls a la the Gnoll Stronghold.
***TRAPS***
(x=2300, y=570)
***ITEMS***
(x=2300, y=570) Scimitar +2, 20 Arrows of Acid, 104 gold
Durlag's Tower, Third Level (AR0504)
o======================================================================o
11) In the room to the west you'll find some bookshelves that have
useless books on them. In a room you can reach by heading southeast
you'll find Riggilo (x=1380, y=570), who will come chat if you get too
close. You can pick a fight with him if you wish, but he might just come
in useful later. No matter what dialogue you pick, you'll at best get
him to leave you alone. Get the conversation out of the way and ignore
him for now. Be sure to loot the two chests in the small southeastern
room, as well as the one by Riggilo.
***TRAPS***
(x=1300, y=700)
***ITEMS***
(x=1200, y=700) Chyrsoberyl Gem
(x=1300, y=700) Silver Necklace, Gold Necklace, 89 gold
(x=1450, y=550) Oil of Speed, Chainmail +1, Wand of Lightning
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) Head north from Riggilo to find a small shrine. Although the alter
is trapped, I've never had a character good enough to disarm it (it's
a pesky trap with a difficulty of 100). It doesn't matter anyways. Go in
with your Thief, and only your Thief, and have them try. Worst case
scenario they get charmed and you have to wait for it to wear off. When
the trap is gone claim your prize, a Tome of Understanding. Nice.
***TRAPS***
(x=1350, y=120)
***ITEMS***
(x=1350, y=120) Tome of Understanding
(x=950, y=120) Potion of Healing
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) Go back to the room with the stairwell and explore to the south to
find a wraith named Daital (x=420, y=860). No matter what you say it
ends with him attacking you. He'll start out with Mirror Image, Shadow
Door, and Dimension Door, after which he'll Dimension Door around,
casting spells Davaeorn style. Put him down and loot his room, and the
room beyond. When you're done, head up the central staircase to the next
level (x=920, y=600)
***TRAPS***
(x=500, y=800)
***ITEMS***
(x=600, y=800) 63 gold
(x=500, y=800) Tainted Potion of Invulnerability, Potion of Stone Form,
Potion of Genius
(x=220, y=290) 17 gold
Durlag's Tower, Fourth Level (AR0505)
o======================================================================o
14) Let's start by heading southwest and progressing counter-clockwise.
In the tunnels north of the trapped chest with the darts inside will be
a whole bunch of Ghasts. Keep going until you find a woman named
Kirinhale (x=230, y=350), who will talk to you. She'll casually ask you
to remain here for eternity. You can also glean that she's had her
wings removed and has been imprisoned here by Durlag, marking her as a
Succubus (unforuntately, Bioware never does bother to make a true,
winged Succubus model, even in Baldur's Gate 2. We should just assume
that they've all had their wings removed, I suppose). If you deny her
she'll attack, her main tactics are to use Charm Person and go ethereal,
which in all intents and purposes counts as a Dimension Door. She'll
also use energy drain on characters, taking away experience levels.
Although this can be fixed at a temple for a price, it sets you at the
minimum experience required to meet the restored level, making it a
major pain in the ass when it happens. For that reason, ranged weapons
are suggested. If she charms anyone, dispel it, and keep hitting her
with magical ranged weapons. When she dies she'll leave behind a Staff
Spear +2, which is pretty much a Quarter Staff with 1d8 damage instead
of 1d6, and her hair. If you try to get someone to stay in her stead,
she'll give you a lock of her hair, and tell you that you need to give
it to some male within the tower, who will then have to remain trapped
here for all time. If you want to take that approach, go pay Riggilo a
visit. If you pick option #5 and #3, or option #6 he'll kindly give you
a potion of Cloud Giant Strength in return for the hair. When you report
back to Karinhale she'll refuse the 'unearthly delights' part of the
bargain, but you'll get 4000 experience nonetheless. If you talk to
Riggilo after getting a quest reward from Karinhale he'll realize you
were up to no good, and attack. On his body you'll find Leather
Armor +1, a Chrysoberyl Gem, a Star Diopside Gem, Karinhale's Hair, a
Short Sword +1, and 170 gold. Note that you can kill Karinhale and then
give Rigillo her hair for the potion. And of course nothing prevents you
from screwing Rigillo over then killing Karinhale before she can leave,
either. Now head down to the main floor and go to down the stairs at
(x=530, y=530) to reach the lower levels. This is where Durlag's Tower
gets serious.
***TRAPS***
(x=1220, y=480)
***ITEMS***
(x=550, y=750) Cloak of Protection +1, Mage Robe of Electrical
Resistance
(x=1220, y=480) Dart of Stunning x10, Dart of Wounding x10
(x=670, y=100) Moonstone Gem
(x=400, y=100) Halberd +1, Halberd x2, Spear
***REWARD***
(For freeing Kirinhale)
EXP 4000
o======================================================================o
| |
| Durlag's Tower, First Lower Level |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK029}
1) Bayard in the Basement
2) The Mallet Head
3) The Mallet Handle
4) Repairing the Mallet
5) A Small Room
6) Rousing Fear
7) Appeasing Pride
8) Skeleton warrior Rumble
9) The Tunnel of Doom
10) Giving In to Avarice
11) Grapes, Switches, and The Practical Defense
12) Clearing the Training Room
13) Makin' Love-Juice
14) Avarice, Fear, Love, and Pride
Durlag's Tower, Basement (AR0501)
o======================================================================o
1) You'll immediately encounter Ghasts in the room to the west, which
has a rather lame Stinking Cloud trap laid across the doorway. When
they're dead talk to Bayard (x=650, y=540). He'll warn you about some
of the traps within. You can also ask about Dalton, who was apparently
traveling with Bayard. He'll tell you they're still below. You can
steal a tainted Potion of Healing from Bayard, if you desire. Through
the door to the north are more Ghasts and trapped blocks, one of which
contains a fairly handsome amount of loot. There's a secret door at
(x=470, y=170) leading down to the next level when you're ready.
***TRAPS***
(x=300, y=440)
(x=600, y=590)
(x=1180, y=380)
(x=1150, y=410)
(x=1200, y=400)
***ITEMS***
(x=200, y=400) Sunstone Gem, Turquoise Gem
(x=730, y=330) 97 gold
(x=820, y=360) Leather Armor +1
(x=1150, y=410) Star Sapphire, Ring of Protection +1, 560 gold
Durlag's Tower, First Lower Level (AR0511)
o======================================================================o
2) Welcome to the first real level of Durlag's Tower. Or should it be
Durlag's Durnace, at this point? Either way, right ahead of you is a
Fireball trap that needs to be disarmed. Through the first door leading
east you'll find Phase Spiders and Wraith Spiders, which by now are
push-overs. Head east into another room with two bookshelves in it. On
one of the shelves is a Scroll of Cloudkill. The Scroll of Summon
Monster III goes to Imoen, or whatever primary spell caster you have.
Having a higher version of this spell is nice for two reason. Stronger
monsters are always better, but they're basically just fodder anyways.
Also, getting access to this spell at 5th level frees up a 4th level
spell slot... and frankly, 4th-level spells have more competition.
This allows you to memorize more Greater Malisons and Improved
Invisibilities, which is a good thing. What about Chaos, you ask?
Well... most of the critters in Durlag's Tower are undead, so Chaos
won't be very useful here anyways. When you're ready send a scout to
the north. In the room to the north you'll find three Greater
Dopplegangers, which you really do not want to encounter in force in
a narrow passage. Summon some monsters and lure the Dopplegangers down
to the southern room. Hit yourself with Haste and set your monsters on
them, while you pick the Dopplegangers off with missiles. You're now
free to loot the Doppleganger room, which contains a Mallet Head on
one of the bookshelves. Keep this, you'll need it soon enough.
***TRAPS***
(x=2800, y=545)
(x=2950, y=1150)
(x=3500, y=1250)
(x=3300, y=1200)
(x=3300, y=800)
(x=3400, y=850)
***ITEMS***
(x=2950, y=1150) Long Bow, Arrows x20, Arrows of Acid x12
(x=3020, y=1200) Silver Necklace, Darts x10, Potion of Healing x4,
History of Gondegal the Lost King
(x=3500, y=1250) History of the Dragon Coast, Buckler,
History of the Last Giants, Rainbow Obsidian Necklace,
Bullet +1 x10, Scroll of Cloudkill, Bolt of Biting x11
(x=3300, y=1200) History of the Drow, Warhammer, History of King,
Helmet, Potion of Hill Giant Strength,
Scroll of Minor Globe of Invulnerability,
Scroll of Summon Monster III
(x=3300, y=800) Warhammer, History of Cormyr, History of Calimshan,
Dart x10, Scroll of Summon Monster II
(x=3400, y=850) History of the Drow, Mallet Head, Flail, Halberd
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Go back to the main room and head south until you find a well with
four Dwarves standing around it. Talk to each Warder and they'll give
you a riddle, as follows:
Warder (x=2110, y=1250): I am the warrior's bane
(Fear) I live in the darkness of his soul
I bring him to his knees,
Trembling and weeping
Unable to lift a hand in his own defense
Yet I sleep - Awaken me
Warder (x=1870, y=1070): I am the warrior's curse
(Avarice) I steal his future
I mar his past
The more he has, the less it seems
He becomes a slave
Of glittering things
Yet I hunger -
Feed me that which glitters beyond all else
Warder (x=1950, y=1380): I am the warrior's madness
(Love) I curse him with trust and respect
I slow the blade in its course
By stealing his passion for blood
And offering a softer emotion in return
Yet I thirst for more -
Give me the sweet crimson drink of laughter
and passion.
Warder (x=1720, y=1220): I am the warrior's fate
(Pride) I raise him above his brethren
I amplify his deeds
He becomes scornful, where once he had respect
He becomes a giant, where once he was a man
Yet I lack the proper honor -
Raise me up in glory
Through the chronicles of my deeds,
pride shall be honored
Through the passing of knowledge my sword shall
display its glory
Then you shall know that I am well pleased
Essentially you've got to fetch several things for these ghosts in order
to progress to the next level. Search the barrels around the well room
for some goodies, including the Mallet Handle, which we'll need to solve
the Warder's quests.
***ITEMS***
(x=2300, y=1100) Arrow of Biting x8, Arrows x20, Potion of Heroism
(x=1700, y=1080) Scroll of Protection from Acid,
Scroll of Protection from Electricity,
Potion of Master Thievery x2
(x=1530, y=1230) Mallet Handle, Potion of Healing x3, 110 gold
(x=1484, y=1224) Wand of Monster Summoning, Antidote x6,
Potion of Perception x4, Potion of Insulation,
Potion of Fire Resistance
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) Head back north and go through the door opposite the one we took to
reach the room with the spiders... You do not want to head southwest
from the well, as the passage there is lined with traps and... uh,
that's not the order in which I do things, so shut up and follow
directions. You'll find a room with a pair of chests, a lootable object
on a shelf, a door to the northwest, and a door to the southwest.
Loot around, but be wary of traps, both on the chests and in the doorway
leading to the northwest. Go through the trapped arch to the northwest
to find a smithy and click on the anvil (x=1630, y=230) to repair the
the Mallet.
***TRAPS***
(x=1900, y=420)
(x=2050, y=370)
(x=2150, y=450)
(x=1550, y=200)
***ITEMS***
(x=2050, y=370) Bolt of Lightning x20, Tower Shield, Scimitar,
Potion of Perception, Arrow of Ice x15,
Scroll of Hold Monster
(x=2150, y=450) Spear, Potion of Absorption, Antidote x4,
Acid Arrows x15, Potion of Master Thievery x2,
57 gold
(x=2150, y=350) Potion of Master Thievery, Potion of Healing x6,
Arrows +2 x10, Bolt +2 x10, Darts of Wounding x13,
Bullets +2 x10
(x=1680, y=150) Dart +1 x20, Arrows +1 x20, Bolt +1 x20, Arrows x20,
Arrows x20, Bolt x20, Bolt x20, Dart x20, Dart x20
(x=1550, y=200) Bullet +1 x20, Sling, Bolt +1 x20, Heavy Crossbow,
Acid Arrows x20, Composite Long Bow,
Dart of Stunning x20
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Now head southwest from the treasure-chest room to find a small
bedroom with a secret door leading southwest (x=1450, y=750), and two
secret doors to the southeast (x=1700, y=750) and (x=1850, y=850)
connecting to the main room. This room is also the site of an enemy
spawn point, so you'll often encounter Ghouls and/or Ghasts here.
Head southwest through a trapped tunnel to find another secret door to
the southwest (x=600, y=1250) which connects to another tunnel.
***TRAPS***
(x=1630, y=630)
(x=1050, y=1050)
(x=1800, y=840)
***ITEMS***
(x=1630, y=630) Dart of Wounding x15, Bullet +2 x20,
Arrows of Fire x20, Dart +1 x20, Bolt +1 x20,
Potion of Healing x12, Potion of Cloud Giant Strength
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) To the northwest is a show-room of sorts, the most interesting
object within is a gong (x=400, y=1100). Activate it with the Gong
Mallet in your inventory to get the following dialogue:
'You strike the gong sharply with the mallet. The gong makes no sound
but you can sense a faint vibration.'
Well, that should be enough to awaken the 'Fear' Warder. If a gong
won't do it, nothing will... even if it's a lame, silent, vibrating,
magical gong.
***ITEMS***
(x=400 y=950) Potion of Healing x10, Throwing Axe x10
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Anyways, once you're done beating gongs, head back into the tunnel
and travel south a bit to reveal two new, small, circular rooms. Head
into the western room first to find four books (x=400, y=1400),
(x=300, y=1350), (x=130, y=1360), and (x=70, y=1450). Read them to learn
a bit about Mr. Durlag. Once you read the last Book you'll get the
dialogue:
'When you reach the final book, you hear a click as if something has
been activated. A few seconds later you hear a humming sound and can see
a glow coming from across the hallway.'
Durlag's Pride will talk to you - you know, the sword on the pedestal in
the eastern room? - and thank you for buttering it up:
'You have raised my deeds in glory and my sword now glows with pride.'
That should, of course, satisfy the 'Pride' Warder. Two down, and two
more to go.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) There's a secret door (x=1200, y=1550) in the room where Durlag's
Pride resides, but I am happy just ignoring it and taking the long route
around. From the tunnel between the two circular rooms, continue
down to the south to find a room with a trap in the doorway. Inside is
a Skeleton Warrior and some minor goodies. Skeleton Warriors are pretty
rough customers (as we should know from summoning them so frequently),
with good combat abilities and immunity to non-magical weapons, all in
all about as strong as Battle Horrors, but with Magic Resistance on top
of it. At least they always drop Two Handed Swords +1 to make up for it.
Loot this room before carrying on.
***TRAPS***
(x=470, y=1670)
(x=500, y=1700)
***ITEMS***
(x=500, y=1700) Ruby Ring, Arrow x20, Broken Weapon, Oil of Speed x2
(x=580, y=1750) Potion of Freedom, Broken Weapon, Arrow +2 x7, Bolt x20
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) Head east to find some Mustard Jellies in a tunnel. The path will
fork, one leads to the north, which takes you to a room just south of
the room with the Warders and the well, which is where we're heading.
Whatever you do, do not go north through the tunnel to reach the well,
as you'll be decimated by traps, including a Fireball trap that rearms
itself. I've never been able to disarm this trap - or rather, these
traps - as the hallway is littered with them. They range in difficulty
from 95 to 97, and while I've disarmed other traps of that level... oh
well, it doesn't matter anyways, just avoid that hallway entirely and
keep an eye on your character, unless they try to roam down the trapped
tunnel... trust me, it happens.
***TRAPS***
(x=1550, y=1530)
(x=1500, y=1550)
(x=1500, y=1560)
(x=1470, y=1600)
(x=1100, y=2000)
***ITEMS***
(x=1200, y=1650) Bullet x20, Broken Weapon, Bloodstone Gem,
Dart of Stunning x10, Scroll of Identify
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) Anywho, when you're done looting, disarming traps, and opening
useless secret doors, turn you attentions to another secret door
(x=1570, y=1700) leading southeast. Opening it and head down the
tunnel beyond to find another tunnel running perpendicular, one to the
northeast, the other to the southwest. Each ends in a secret door and
has a trap for a doormat, which you should disarm now. The door to the
northeast (x=1900, y=1880) leads to a room with some sort of machine
in it, which we'll ignore for now, whereas the door to the southwest
(x=1700, y=2020) leads to a room filled with treasure, guarded by two
Skeletons and a Skeleton Warrior. I suggest luring them somewhere more
open to deal with them, but kids will be kids. Once they're smote,
search the huge piles of loot for... well, huge piles of loot. The
Glittering Beljuril Gemstone satisfies one of the Warder's requests...
even though it sucks to give it up. Hold onto the Odd-Looking Key, as
it opens a desk in a room to the southwest... speaking of which,
continue down the tunnel to the southwest.
***TRAPS***
(x=1850, y=1910)
(x=1700, y=2020)
***ITEMS***
(x=1750, y=2100) Pearl Necklace, Pearl, Water Opal, Small Shield +1,
Odd Looking Key, Bullet +2 x11,
Potion of Frost Giant Strength, Bolt +2 x20,
Arrows +2 x20
(x=1600, y=2100) Glittering Beljuril Gemstone, Bullet +1 x10,
Star Diopside Gem, Arrows of Fire +2 x20, Morning Star,
Composite Long Bow, 2137 gold, Darts +1 x10,
Darts +1 x10, Arrows of Ice x18, Acid Arrow x10,
Bullet +1 x10, Arrows of Dispelling x2
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) Through the secret doors you'll find a richly furnished room, just
east of where you fought the Mustard Jellies. In the chest you'll find a
good bit of ammo, some scrolls, and Platemail +3. Viconia finally equips
this armor, and bids a fond farewell to her Ankheg Plate Mail. Over at
(x=1390, y=2280) you'll find a locked desk which can be opened with the
Odd Looking Key we found earlier. Inside you'll find some loot, and a
Switch for an Engine. Think this has anything to do with the quests in
this level?
***TRAPS***
(x=1380, y=2280)
(x=1050, y=2280)
(x=930, y=2200)
***ITEMS***
(x=1380, y=2280) Bluestone Necklace, Potion of Firebreath, Bullet +2 x5,
Switch for an Engine, Scroll of Chaos, 72 gold.
(x=1050, y=2280) Potion of Heroism, Potion of Master Thievery,
Scroll of Confusion, Scroll of Feeblemind,
Arrows of Detonation x2, Bolt +1 x14, Bolt x20,
Bolt x20, Arrows x20, Arrows x20, Platemail +3
(x=930, y=2200) Dagger, Elixir of Health, History of Dambrath,
Bolts x20, Bolts x20, Grapes,
Scroll of Mental Domination, Darts x20, Darts x20,
Arrows x20, Arrows x20, Arrows x20, Bullets +2 x18,
Sling +1, 510 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) Make your way down a virgin tunnel leading southeast, then follow
the hallway northeast to find a training room which is populated by a
Skeleton Warrior and two Flesh Golems. Obviously you don't want to fight
all of those at once, do you? The Flesh Golems are easily taken down
with hit-and-run tactics from an archer with stealth, especially if they
use Arrows of Biting, in which case one or two arrows should suffice.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) Once the way is cleared, make your way through the otherwise
uninteresting training room and continue up a tunnel to the north until
you find a door (x=2300, y=1850) leading to the machine room. Inside,
click on the wall at around (x=2080, y=1520) to place the Switch for an
Engine. You'll get the text:
'The engine begins to hum quietly.'
Now head back out into the tunnel and go north some more, disarming a
trap along the way until you find a room with a wine press. Get close to
the press and activate it (x=2900, y=1450) to turn your grapes into
wine:
'You place the grapes in the press and gather their juice in a bottle.'
You can now exit through two secret doors (x=2600, y=1400) and
(x=2400, y=1250) to the northwest to reach the main room again,
disarming a trap after the first door.
***TRAPS***
(x=2700, y=1820)
(x=2600, y=1420)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
14) We should now have met all the Warder's requirements, we have the
wine, the gem, we rang the gong, and read about Durlag. All that is left
is to talk to the Warders, but it really can't just be that easy, right?
Of course not. Once you talk to them they give you experience and
disappear, talk to them all and they're reappear and attack. You should
save the one named Love for last (x=1950, y=1380), as his southern
location will allow you to concentrate on him without drawing all three
of them into the fight. First things first. Summon Monsters, Animate
Dead, whatever, near where Pride was. I suggest Animate Dead. They're
feeble, sure, but they resist damage from slashing and piercing weapons,
and most importantly, when Avarice appears he casts a Cloudkill on
himself. Summoned monsters... Gnolls, Hobgoblins, Ogrillons, whatever,
will die very quickly, but Skeletons are utterly immune to the
Cloudkill, meaning any that survive Pride can hold off Avarice. Once
summons are in place, spell buff (Haste, Mirror Image, Defensive
Harmony, Protection from Evil) so it catches you and your summons. I
suggest equipping everybody with a ranged weapon (with magical arrows,
bolts, and bullets) and keeping your actual party in the southern corner
by Love. Talk to Love to start the fight. I keep one sole melee
character (Ajantis or Kagain) near Love, while everybody else
concentrates on firing at him. The summoned monsters attack Pride, who
will cut a swath through them, but that's what they're there for
anyways. Love will go down spectacularly quickly, at which point I
concentrate all my fire on Pride - who is a devastatingly strong melee
combatant - save Ajantis, who stays near Love and occupies Fear. With
his buffs, health, and Armor Class, the chances of Fear taking him down
are slim indeed. When my missile fire takes down Pride I take aim at
Fear, and when those three are down, I move up to bring Avarice into
the fight. He explodes his Cloudkill and my remaining Skeletons occupy
him while I shoot away until he dies. Ajantis takes 24 Hit Points of
damage, but the rest of my party is otherwise unscathed, I even have
four Skeletons alive at the end of the fight! I used up 71 arrows +1,
and 16 Bullets +1, but otherwise, not a single potion, scroll, or other
limited-use item. Loot Fear for a Bastard Sword, Love has a Bottle of
Wine and the Level 1 Exit Wardstone (make sure you keep this on you at
all times!) Pride leaves behind a suit of Plate Mail, a Helmet, a Tower
Shield, and a Battle Axe, and Avarice has a suit of Studded Leather
Armor, a Helmet, and a Short Sword +1. Just goes to show you don't need
good gear to be a pain in the ass... as long as you're the computer. Can
you imagine fighting with crap like that anymore? Blech. Head down the
well to the next level (x=1900, y=1200).
Note from Lee:
Set archers in a line behind the first table in the room to the north;
fighters lined up across the top of the steps. Send the character with
Boots of Speed down to trigger the Wardens and then run back to the
party. With any kind of luck at all, they'll only come at you one at a
time. Hit each Warden with 3 Wands of Fire (Agannazar's Scorcher) and
a Wand of the Heavens. Instant death for all except Pride, and he's
easy by himself. Only minor damage to any character to rid the place of
the first three, but did get injured by Pride.
***REWARD***
(For solving Avarice's riddle)
EXP 2000
***REWARD***
(For solving Fear's riddle)
EXP 2000
***REWARD***
(For solving Love's riddle)
EXP 2000
***REWARD***
(For solving Pride's riddle)
EXP 2000
***REWARD***
(For completing all the warder's riddles)
EXP 2000
o======================================================================o
| |
| Durlag's Tower, Second Lower Level |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK030}
1) The Statue Room
2) Islanne's Room
3) The Training Room
4) The Throne Room
5) The Torture Roo... err... Chamber
6) The Temple
7) Ghastly Vents
8) The Dead Can Dance
9) The Family Bridge
10) Full Circle
Durlag's Tower, Second Lower Level (AR0512)
o======================================================================o
1) Oh, how I hate this level... Hitting objects to trigger locked doors
to open while fighting Dopplegangers who take the forms of Durlag's
family sucks. In addition to the odd random Greater Doppleganger around,
some will be in the form of Fuernebol (Archer), Durlag (Fighter),
Islanne (Mage) and Kiel (Cleric). Whatever you do, don't rest ANYWHERE
but in the central circular room next to the staircase, you do not want
to get sealed in anywhere in this level. You'll notice three doors in
the small room you're in, one to the northwest (x=1300, y=1000), one
to the northeast (x=1530, y=1000), and one to the southeast
(x=1550, y=1150). The stairs back up to level one are to the north. All
of these doors are locked, and cannot be picked, bashed, or knocked.
Head south to find a statue room with two secret doors, one to the
northwest (x=1000, y=1200), and one to the southeast (x=1250, y=1350).
Again, locked. There are two statues that can be manipulated on either
side of the room. Manipulate the southeastern statue to open the south-
eastern door in the room above. My advice is to only enter with one
character: a character with the Boots of Speed (this should also
typically be your best melee Fighter).
***TRAPS***
(x=730, y=1500)
***ITEMS***
(x=730, y=1500) Water Opal, Potion of Healing x4,
Scroll of Greater Malison, Antidote, Scroll of Haste x5,
346 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) This is a nice-lavish even-room with some lootables and two secret
doors, one to the southwest (x=1560, y=1350) and one to the southeast
(x=1850, y=1300). Loot the table for an Islanne Runestone. When you
pick it up, the door you came in through will close, and the two lower
doors leading back to the statue room will open. Durlag will appear in
the hallway, and dimension door his way up to you. When he gets nearby
he'll explode in a Fireball, turn into a Greater Doppleganger, and
attack. If you only entered with your main character you can run down
the hallway to the statue room and avoid the Fireball, then return with
your party to deal with the Doppleganger. If you grab the Furnebol
Wardstone, the door in the first circular room to the northwest will
open. Note that this door also opens if you manipulate the northwestern
statue in the statue room. So, head over to the newly opened room.
***ITEMS***
(x=1700, y=1300) Islanne Wardstone
(x=1710, y=1140) Adventurer's Robe, Scroll of Domination,
Scroll of Spirit Armor, Scroll of Remove Curse,
Scroll of Summon Monster II, Dart of Stunning x7,
Dart of Wounding x17, Dart +1 x11, Bullet +2 x8,
Dart x20, 331 gold
(x=1930, y=1170) Kiel Wardstone
(x=1820, y=1080) Fuernebol Wardstone
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) This room is covered with traps and contains three 'hostile'
sparring dummies. First disarm the traps to save yourself the bother.
If you hit the silver dummy, (x=1270, y=820) the door in the circular
chamber to the northeast will open. If you hit the red dummy
(x=1200, y=820) the door to Islanne's room will open, and if you hit the
gold/bronze dummy (x=1150, y=830) the door leading to this room will
close, and the secret doors to the south leading to the Statue Room will
open. Durlag will appear again, Dimension Door around, talk, and then
explode into a Stinking Cloud. Again, only entering with one character
is recommended. Run down into the Statue Room, wait for the Stinking
Cloud to dissipate, then return and smite the Doppleganger. Note that
the sparring dummies can all be looted.
***TRAPS***
(x=1260, y=850)
(x=1200, y=910)
(x=1150, y=875)
(x=1150, y=910)
(x=1090, y=900)
(x=1050, y=900)
(x=970, y=920)
***ITEMS***
(x=1280, y=800) Potion of Healing x8, Potion of Heroism x2
(x=1200, y=790) Scroll of Otiluke's Resilient Sphere,
Scroll of Defensive Harmony,
Scroll of Protection from Lightning,
Scroll of Champion's Strength
(x=1140, y=800) Potion of Master Thievery, Arrows +1 x19,
Arrows of Acid x5, Arrows of Fire x11,
Arrows of Ice x12, Arrows +2 x6
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) Now head back to the circular room and go through the northeastern
doorway to get to a throne room. At the base of the throne you'll see a
helmet (x=2103, y=543). It's an obvious trap, but pick it up anyways,
and run like hell back to the circular room. Durlag will come out again
with two others of his clan, all of which will explode into cloud spells
and turn into Greater Dopplegangers. The doors on either side of the
room will open, but the door back out will close... so be quick about
fleeing back to the central room. You can return to the sparring dummy
room and just hit the dummies again to open your way back. When the
spells dissipate, return in force and wipe out the Dopplegangers. You
can now go northwest, or southeast. I typically choose to go north
west. The helmet you gained was Kiel's Helmet, which makes you immune
to fear... it's an excellent helmet for your Cleric, say, Viconia, or
Branwen?
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) On the floor by the door you'll find Durlag's Goblet, a little item
that heals you for 'five Hit Points', but makes you panic when you see
an enemy. The negative effects can be offset by Kiel's Helmet, meaning
that anybody using Kiel's Helmet might as well put Durlag's Goblet in a
quick slot for free healing any time. As long as you keep the helmet on,
this trick is golden, basically making one character immortal... unless
they're held, or something. Durlag's Goblet does have a finite number of
charges, however, so keep that in mind. Besides that, traps are abundant
in this room, so keep your Thief busy disarming them. Head through the
torture room into another room to the southwest. A book will be on the
floor that states 'Face my demons'. When you pick it up two Greater
Dopplegangers will appear in the northeastern side of the torture room.
Kill them and search the trapped circular urn for a Teleportation
Wardstone. So long as you have this bad boy you can activate the runes
on the floor to teleport to the southern room, and from there, back to
this one. Activate the rune on the floor (x=950, y=650) to continue on.
***TRAPS***
(x=1350, y=550)
(x=1500, y=540)
(x=1420, y=490)
(x=1600, y=460)
(x=1450, y=370)
(x=1400, y=350)
(x=1400, y=270)
(x=1250, y=320)
(x=1200, y=380)
(x=1200, y=450)
(x=1100, y=370)
(x=860, y=690)
***ITEMS***
(x=860, y=690) Teleportation Wardstone
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) Loot the trapped urn on this side of the room and head southwest
into a small, square room. There's a trap in the middle of the room
where another book is, and each of the basins on the walls have traps
and goodies. The book says merely 'Seek no exit'. Yeah. Okay. Open the
door to the southeast and carefully disarm the floor trap before
heading in. Disarm and loot the statue for a Level 2 Exit Wardstone.
Now to just find the exit, right?
***TRAPS***
(x=820, y=720)
(x=400, y=1050)
(x=390, y=950)
(x=520, y=1040)
(x=400, y=1120)
(x=280, y=1030)
(x=600, y=1200)
(x=720, y=1180
***ITEMS***
(x=820, y=720) Teleportation Wardstone
(x=390, y=950) Potion of Healing
(x=520, y=1040) Potion of Healing
(x=400, y=1120) Potion of Healing
(x=280, y=1030) Potion of Healing
(x=250, y-950) Bolt +1 x9, Bolt of Biting x11, Bolt of Lightning x20
(x=720, y=1180 Level 2 Exit Wardstone
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Head through another door to the southwest and follow the tunnel to
the southeast. Ghasts will pop out of the red tunnels lining the
passageway. Don't go too far down, as there is a rearming Fireball trap
the Ghasts just love to walk all over (actually, the Ghasts are traps,
too, but that's neither here nor there...). When the Ghasts are dead
send a Thief up to disarm the traps. Head through a door to find a
chamber with some stairs leading down. They're trapped, and they lead
absolutely nowhere. Instead, find a secret door at (x=1050, y=1950),
which leads to where we want to go. Unfortunately, we've got some more
work to do before it opens. Pick up the book near the top of the bogus
stairs to read 'Dance with the dead.'
***TRAPS***
(x=550, y=1700)
(x=700, y=1800)
(x=1000, y=1880)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) To the southeast are four Dwarven Doom Guards, which suck just as
much as the normal ones. They won't attack you until you attack them, or
until you loot the chest they're guarding. I'd suggest you not engage
them all at once, instead head back into the Ghast tunnels and send your
character with the Boots of Speed to run in, grab some of the loot, and
run out, hopefully only luring one or two to you at a time. Kiel's
Morningstar sucks for the same reason the Two-Handed Sword Brage had
sucked, it's no good if you go berserk every fight. Kiel's Buckler, on
the other hand, can be useful if the Dexterity bonus from the shield
increases the wearer's Armor Class as well, but frankly, you might as
well just use a Large Shield +1 if you can use a shield at all. The door
opens to the next level, but by now I'm pretty beat up... for arguments
sake, let's complete the level, head back to town, and hit the third
level fresh.
***TRAPS***
(x=1400, y=2130)
***ITEMS***
(x=1400, y=2130) Kiel's Buckler, Kiel's Morningstar,
Potion of Healing x3, 432 gold
(x=1520, y=2120) Potion of Hill Giant Strength,
Potion of Frost Giant Strength
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) From Kiel's tomb head through a passage to the southeast and follow
it until you come to a room with bridges spanning the middle. Instead
of rushing on in there, go forward with a Thief and disarm the trap in
the doorway to avoid Fireball punishment. Sneak forward and you'll see
a pair of Fuernebols and an Islanne. I hit them with a Fireball and
retreat into the tunnel. If they chase me, they have to fight me in
close quarters, which is not healthy for them. Also note the obscure
loot at (x=2000, y=1390), another bit of eagle-eyed goodness, courtesy
of Jason Rozzo. Anyways, when you're done across the bridge and open the
door (x=2170, y=1550).
***TRAPS***
(x=1660, y=1660)
(x=2000, y=1390)
***ITEMS***
(x=2000, y=1390) Scroll of Protection from Evil 10' Radius,
Scroll of Chaotic Commands, 1157 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) Another statue room full of traps. Despite the creepy statues, there
isn't anything interesting in here. Head up the tunnel to the north
east and disarm the huge trap when the tunnel turns. You'll come into a
room with wheels on two of the walls, and levers on another. Flip the
northeastern most lever (the one closest to the wheel on the north
east wall) to open the door leading back to the throne room. You should
now be able to make your way through this level without too much
trouble. Many doors that shut on their own, we know how to open, and
if they were opened by triggering an event (such as by taking Kiel's
helmet) they should now open with Knock spells. When in doubt, head
through the throne room, the door leading to the northwest can be
knocked. To get to the throne room, hit the silver sparring dummy, and
to open the sparring dummy room, activate the northwestern statue in
the statue room. When you're ready to move on to level 3, go to the room
by Kiel's tomb south of the bogus staircase and go down the stairs
(x=1000, y=2300).
***TRAPS***
(x=2260, y=1460)
(x=2340, y=1440)
(x=2200, y=1360)
(x=2330, y=1330)
(x=2380, y=1380)
(x=2340, y=1240)
(x=2600, y=900)
o======================================================================o
| |
| Durlag's Tower: Third Lower Level |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK031}
1) Now THAT is what I call 'Continual Flame'
2) The Garden
3) This Level's Puzzle
4) Skeleton Platforms
5) Durlag's Beastiary
6) Durlag's Petrified Champions
7) Ice Monster
8) Slime Monster
9) Wind Monster
10) Fire Monster
11) Check!
Durlag's Tower, Third Lower Level (AR0513)
o======================================================================o
1) Oh man, now we're in deep. Past the door to the south will be a
circular room with a constantly detonating Fireball trap. You'll have
to pick another door to go through quickly, and with your Boots of
Speed character, you should make it through. Once the door is open, the
rest of your characters can just make it across if you send them one at
a time and the pathfinding doesn't get retarded on you. This level isn't
as bad as the other one, in my opinion, but the Fireball trap makes it
a pain to head back up. Also it'll interrupt your resting and quick
saving from time to time, which is annoying... but at least you can rest
here without worrying about the level rearranging itself. I head through
the door to the southeast.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) You'll find a garden level filled with traps, Greater Ghouls and
Ashirukuru. Greater Ghouls are like Ghasts... but with more Hit Points,
and they attack faster. Ashirukuru are invisible little bastards that
attack from the shadows, dangerous only in their ability to backstab
you. If you have Detect Invisibility or Invisibility Purge, now is the
time to use it. In the middle of the garden you'll find a statue that
you can loot. Bala's Axe is an interesting little Battle Axe, and if
you have Kagain in your party, you might just want to equip it. It's
good against Mages, but I can't remember a single time when I had
Kagain run up to a Mage in combat. Keep going south until you find the
door at (x=2400, y=2600).
***TRAPS***
(x=3580, y=2000)
(x=3200, y=2040)
(x=3300, y=1700)
(x=3000, y=2370)
(x=2900, y=2600)
(x=2800, y=2100)
***ITEMS***
(x=3200, y=2040) Bala's Axe, Potion of Healing x3,
Scroll of Hold Monster, Scroll of Domination,
Potion of Heroism, Potion of Master Thievery,
Dart of Stunning x10
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Head southwest through a door from the garden room to enter a more
dwarven stone room. Follow the path south until it turns to the north
west. You'll have to fight some Greater Ghouls and deal with more traps
as you go. Click on some of the stone faces, the largest one tells you
what's up next: 'Down four tunnels lie four foes. Kill all four and the
game begins.' That's right, four enemies in the four rooms to the
southwest that all need smiting. Others will tell you about some of the
enemies.
'Fire, ice, slime, and wind. All must perish to continue. She who fires
flame must be killed before her bow is drawn.'
'Queening can change a match - much worse if you're the other player.'
'Ooze only parts before blows and spells, but evaporates in the
cleansing fire.'
***TRAPS***
(x=1920, y=2650)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) Blah blah, let's clear out the rest of this level before we go
messing around with fire, ice, slime, and wind. Continue northwest and
take the passage leading to the northeast. In this room are Skeletons
with bows and magical arrows on platforms connected by bridges. Since I
can rest as I wish, I tend to stock up on Fireballs and just go in with
my Mages (protected by Mirror Image, of course) and blast every platform
I see. Crude, yes, but effective. And it conserves their arrows. You
need to be careful though, as there are traps on many of the platforms.
If you blast the Skeletons to hell, you'll score a pretty huge cache of
elemental arrows. This room is really just here in case you needed the
elemental arrows against some of the monsters up ahead... and frankly,
the Arrows of Fire will come in handy against the slime we've got to
fight.
***TRAPS***
(x=2100, y=1930)
(x=2400, y=1870)
(x=2420, y=1600)
(x=2800, y=1650)
(x=2730, y=1430)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Head back to the stone tunnels in the southwest and continue to the
northwest until you find a door to the northeast (x=600, y=1700).
Honestly this is not the ideal direction to be approaching this room, as
beyond this door lies some Greater Wyverns. Everything is greater down
here, isn't it? Anyways, they act like they're Hasted, have a dreadful
THAC0, and decent Hit Points. Sending up your own Fighters to get poked
full of poison by them is not really a good idea, so cast Animate Dead
and spell buff yourself and your summons to the max before heading in.
I wouldn't suggest going with all-ranged attacks, but certainly let your
summons engage first. I'll admit, all my front liners were pretty beat
up after this, but the important thing is, I won.
Note from Lee:
Here is another place where all those Wands of Fire and Wands of the
Heavens come in handy. Each of my Mages has 3-4 fire wands, and Jaheira
has 6 Wands of the Heavens to work with. I also have a couple Wands of
Monster Summoning, and a a few summoning spells memorized. I simply walk
up slowly until I spot the Wyverns (I try to get them one at a time),
summon some distractions, and blast the crap out of them with all the
fire I can muster. Voila - Wyvern Flambe... I totally used up two wands
here, but I have plenty; I suffered zero damage killing three Wyverns,
and even had some summoned helpers left over for the next step.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) Near the northern end of this room a Skeleton (x=2320, y=740) will
tell you that you can summon some ancient heroes trapped by Durlag to
help you. Doesn't do much good if you already killed the Greater
Wyverns, but they still might as well be summoned for the loot and
experience they'll bring. When they arrive they'll make a little
statement and then promptly get Dire Charmed, and we know how this
works-you'll have to put them down when the duration of their charm
wears off. We have Meiala the Sirine (x=2000, y=660), Hack, an Ogre
(x=1880, y=880), Bullrush the Hobgoblin (x=2300, y=500), the Dwarf
Tarnor (x=2150, y=800), and Moorlock, a Human warrior (x=2450, y=650).
None of them are impressively powerful, and if you summon them one at
a time you should have no trouble whatsoever. If you're extra clever,
while Meiala is charmed you'll have her waste all her Dire Charm spells
so she won't be using them on you. Their loot is as follows:
Meila: Arrows of Biting x40, two Pearls, Pearl Necklace, Composite
Longbow and 308 gold.
Hack: Flail.
Bullrush: Leather Armor, Shortbow and a Bastard Sword.
Moorlock: Studded Leather Armor, Long Sword +1 and 64 gold.
Tarnor: Full Plate Mail, Small Shield and a Battle Axe.
Well, that suit of Full Plate Mail really has nowhere to go, seeing as
how we already have two suits of it... not to mention two suits of
Ankheg Plate Mail and the suit of Plate Mail +3. Still, it'll sell well.
Tarnor must be making up for his lack of experience value. Now head back
south and go through the door at (x=450, y=1850). We'll go right down
the hallway, killing the monsters in order. First is ice, then slime,
then wind, then fire. Exit to the ice monster's cavern at
(x=100, y=2100).
Ice Monster's Cavern (AR0507)
o======================================================================o
7) This isn't too bad. As soon as I enter I summon some monsters and
Animate Dead to occupy Kaldran the Bear and its Winter Wolf chums. Then
I cast Haste and concentrate all my fire on Kaldran. After that, it's
really just a matter of mopping up some sissy Winter Wolves. Kaldran is
a bit of a beast in melee combat, and it can paralyze foes it hits, but
if you distract it with summons you don't have much to fear.
Slime Monster's Cavern (AR0510)
o======================================================================o
8) Go through the door at (x=830, y=2130) and enter the slime monster's
cavern (x=500, y=2400). This one is pretty easy. I spell buff my main
character and Imoen and haste myself. Then I just equip all my archers
with Arrows of Fire (courtesy of the Skeletons in Step #4) and walk up
and shoot the Fission Slime to death. My evil party has less firepower
to concentrate on the Fission Slime, so I make do with what I have.
I summon some Skeletons in front of the Fission Slime to distract it,
and shoot it down with my protagonist. It takes longer, but it works.
Wind Monster's Cavern (AR0509)
o======================================================================o
9) Go through the door at (x=1250, y=2400) and enter the wind monster's
cavern at (x=900, y=2700). Again, probably not the best idea to engage
in melee combat. I summon monsters, Haste, and then engage with my
Fighters while my archers shoot it to death. Seeing a pattern here? The
Air Aspect also has some Invisible Stalkers with it, which is another
good reason to let summons take the brunt of their offense.
Fire Monster's Cavern (AR0508)
o======================================================================o
10) Now head through the last doors (x=1650, y=2700) and enter the fire
cavern's domain (x=1300, y=2950). Make sure you're fully rested and you
have all your spells prepared before heading into the fire domain. There
will be another fight right after you're done in here. Take a character
in stealth mode ahead of the party until you find a female Phoenix
Guard. I take Minsc and shoot her, and if you're lucky it should take
only a single arrow to put her down... especially if you use an Arrow of
Frost. Now there's just a single male Phoenix Guard left, who isn't
much of a threat. If you can kill him with ranged weapons you can avoid
getting blasted by him when he dies.
Note from Lee:
I had a weird thing happen one time - I killed a Phoenix Guard and was
immediately taken to the next area along with another Guard. So I had
to kill him as well as the multitude of enemies, and got blasted by
the fireball when he died. Can anyone say 'reload'?
Chess Board (AR0506)
o======================================================================o
11) Once the Phoenix Guards are dead you'll be whisked off to a chess
board, where you'll be told the rules. Your main character should be
the king, while your queen can move anywhere. For me, the queen just so
happens to be Jaheira. Instead of moving around and risking having spell
effects hit you, I take a more passive strategy. I prefer to set loose
several Stinking Clouds and animate a host of undead to wipe out as
many of the enemies as I can. I also hit the opposing chess pieces with
every status-affecting spell I can cast, Confusion, Chaos, etc. If you
don't have these prepared, you can always rest now. I inch forward with
my characters after my Skeleton screen is in place and take all the
afflicted enemies down with ranged fire. When the King dies you can move
about the board as you wish, most of the enemies have Plate Mail, but
the King will leave behind ten Darts of Stunning, a Potion of Frost
Giant Strength, a Scroll of Emotion, a Scroll of Remove Curse, a Scroll
of Protection from Evil 10' Radius, a Scroll of Champion's Strength, a
Two Handed Sword +3, and 417 gold. That Two Handed Sword +3 is the great
prize of Durlag's Tower, and for such an easy fight? Ah well. I give it
to my main character, who is more than happy to part with his old
Halberd +2. When you're done looting head north through the door at
(x=1020, y=320) to reach the fourth level of Durlag's Tower. Note that
the only way to leave Durlag's Tower from the fourth level is to talk to
the ghost of Islanne, Durlag's Wife. To get back down to the fourth
level, just go through any of the doors to the elemental caverns to
appear on the Chess Board (AR0506), across from which the stairs down to
the fourth level (AR0514) are located.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Durlag's Tower, Fourth Lower Level |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK032}
1) Spiders and Riddles
2) The First Path
3) Western Slime Caves
4) Grael the Ghoul
5) Eastern Slime Caves
6) The Treasure Trove of Durlag's Tower
7) The Second Path
8) Bone Wardstone
9) The Rune Room
10) The Third Path
11) Clair De'lain's Tale of Terror
12) The Demonknight
13) Saving Dalton
Durlag's Tower, Fourth Lower Level (AR0514)
o======================================================================o
1) As soon as you enter you'll be bothered by Durlag Trollkiller, or
rather, his ghost. He'll tell you that you have to understand what made
this place, and that there are three paths to take. Righty-o. Head
through the door to the south, across a bridge and into some tunnels.
Follow the passage to the northwest until you come into a larger room.
There's a trap at the entrance to the room, and various Spiders and
Ettercaps beyond. Of note is an Astral Phase Spider, which is just a
beefed up Phase Spider with rougher poison. Ignore the door at
(x=2050, y=1250) for now and talk to the stone golem at (x=1850, y=830).
It'll ask you some questions:
"If you count Durlag, son of Bolhur 'Thunderaxe,' as your kin, you will
know well the family that built this place. The mother of the sons, the
matron of the clan: what is her name?"
A: Islanne
"Durlag, builder of the home, founder of the clan, had a name not from
his father but his own deeds. The tower was built with the fortunes of
hordes, but the last name of Durlag came from the fortune of battle.
With axe and fire he cleansed the land of beasts he loved to fight, when
axe alone would not suffice. I ask the second name of Durlag."
A: Trollkiller
"The father of this place formed the clan that fell in times of
treachery. False faces claimed the future, and clanless became Durlag.
This he shared with his own father, a wanderer that lived by the
strength of his weapon. The second name of Bolher is what I ask of you.
Sense most common is all you need for this answer."
A: Thunderaxe
Answer all three correctly and you'll be given a clue, 'The bones will
walk where flesh cannot. The ward will walk the bones.' You'll be
teleported off to a circular room where a number of Stone Golems stand.
Time for more questions, much?
***TRAPS***
(x=1550, y=1630)
(x=2020, y=1260)
Note from Lee:
The first question is variable - I got:
"If you count Durlag, son of Bolhur 'Thunderaxe,' as your kin, you will
know well the family that built this place. The youngest son of Durlag,
the pride of the clan: what is his name?"
A: Fuernebol
Durlag's Trial (AR0515)
o======================================================================o
2) Talk to all the statues save the northeastern statue. When you've
talked to them all bother the last one (x=480, y=180) to answer a
question.
"With me it ended. Speak now of my troubles, to show you have learnt.
From where did my pain come? Where did my pain stab home? Where did my
pain take root? Where dost my pain reside? Speak and show that you
understand."
A: From the west it came, and then the south. The east held it next, and
now it rests in the north.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) You'll be teleported back to near Durlag. Go east past him and head
up a tunnel to the north. There's a secret door to the east at
(x=3300, y=1400), and another one past it at (x=3350, y=1550). You'll
now be in some slime caverns. A number of the slime pools, or slime
basins rather, near the wall have loot in them, so keep an eye out.
There are pools of slime that deal damage to you if you walk over them,
although you'll have to do this from time to time to score some loot.
There are also Greater Ghouls and Crypt Crawlers (slightly advanced
Carrion Crawlers?) to keep you company. Head west first to find a
trapped door at (x=2400, y=2350), behind which are some Greater Ghouls
and a slime basin with some loot. South of that door you'll find a
secret door at (x=2000, y=2800). Don't get too gung-ho about rushing
through the secret door though, as a host of enemies wait beyond it. At
least the slime damages them too, right? Beyond the damaging slime
you'll find some loot.
***TRAPS***
(x=2400, y=2350)
***ITEMS***
(x=3230, y=2130) Bullet +2 x20, Arrow +1 x20, Arrow +1 x20
(x=3100, y=2900) Potion of Master Thievery
(x=2220, y=2270) Oil of Speed, Bolts of Lightning x20
(x=1840, y=2240) Bolts of Lightning x10, Bullet +1 x10,
Arrow of Fire x20
(x=2600, y=2050) Potion of Healing x5, Antidote, 69 gold
(x=2020, y=2700) Oil of Speed, Potion of Healing x3,
Potion of Fire Giant Strength,
Potion of Frost Giant Strength
(x=1900, y=2800) Wand of Lightning
(x=1700, y=2780) Antidote, Potion of Freedom
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) Head west some more until you find a secret door to the north
(x=1300, y=2100), beyond which are some Greater Ghouls and loot. There
is a little bit of loot further west, but where we really want to go is
south of the secret door and across some slime pits to the west. You
will find another secret door south of a dry landing between two slime
pits at (x=700, y=2800). Through the secret door you'll find some
Greater Ghouls, Crypt Crawlers, and a unique Greater Ghoul named Grael.
He'll tell you about a Tanar'ri (demon) Durlag fought in the past, and
warn you about its gaze. Grael will then attack. When he dies he'll drop
a Gold Ring, a Jade Ring, a Scroll of Strength, a Scroll of Agannazar's
Scorcher, and a Compass Wardstone.
***ITEMS***
(x=1200, y=1850) Potion of Freedom, Potion of Frost Giant Strength
(x=1160, y=2100) 41 gold
(x=800, y=1950) 45 gold, Dagger
(x=1500, y=2600) Potion of Frost Giant Strength,
Wand of Monster Summoning
(x=1000, y=2500) 1880 gold
(x=500, y=1350) Potion of Healing, Potion of Fire Giant Strength,
Wand of Fire
(x=500, y=2850) Bracers of Defense A.C. 8
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Now head back to where you entered the slime caves and venture to the
unexplored east. In the southeast you'll find a secret door at
(x=4100, y=3000), behind which are some Greater Ghouls and Crypt
Crawlers, and of course, some loot. Beyond a small slime pit to the
north of the secret door to the southeast you'll find yet another
secret door at (x=4000, y=2700) that leads to a small room with a
trapped treasure chest with goodies inside. The Staff of Striking is
nice... but who will really use it anyways? You could stick it on Edwin,
but anybody who can use it is better off using the Quarter Staff +3 you
can buy from the innkeeper in Ulgoth's Beard. For one thing, it doesn't
have charges, and for another thing... well, you don't need another
thing. The whole point of getting a magical weapon is so it won't break
during use in combat. The Long Sword +1, Flame Tongue is less
questionable, it's just a good weapon. The fact that it gets combat
bonuses against Regenerating creatures means it can be used against a
specific type of enemy later on (one that could previously only really
be hurt by Bastard Swords +1, +3 versus Shapeshifters). If that's not
good enough, it is +3 against Cold-Using creatures, of which we don't
really have any left to fight, and +4 against Undead. In all, it's a
good replacement for or alternative to a Bastard Sword +1, +3 versus
Shapeshifters. And it's fiery. Ooooh....
***TRAPS***
(x=4300, y=2200)
***ITEMS***
(x=2870, y=2270) Potion of Master Thievery, Antidote x2, Oil of Speed,
582 gold
(x=3500, y=2680) 1 gold
(x=3700, y=3250) 980 gold
(x=4520, y=3120) Oil of Speed, Potion of Healing
(x=4300, y=2200) Staff of Striking, Long Sword +1, Flame Tongue, 53 gold
(x=4370, y=2250) Andar Gem
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) To the north, opposite of where you found the chest with the Flame
Tongue you'll find yet another secret door (x=4500, y=2300). Take the
passage to the west, disarming a trap as you go, then take the south
passage, down which is another trap. Follow the tunnel until you get to
a door with a wheel on it (x=3600, y=2000). You can normally only open
it with a 'special wardstone', but I suspect Grael donated to our cause
in this case. Search the western treasure pile for a WHOPPING amount of
gold. This is the 'piles of gold' that we heard about from people when
we came to Durlag's Tower. It was a bit of a chore to get here, but it
was worth it. Click on the throne to be whisked away to another question
session.
***TRAPS***
(x=4880, y=1880)
(x=4500, y=2100)
(x=4200, y=1870)
(x=4000, y=2170)
***ITEMS***
(x=3740, y=1840) 13950 gold, Long Sword, Short Sword +1, Turquiose Gem,
Jasper Gem, Zircon Gem, Moonstone Gem, Ziose Gem,
Star Diopside Gem, Aquamarine Gem, Horn Coral Gem,
Sphene Gem, Water Opal, Moonbar Gem, Star Sapphire,
Diamond, Emerald, Rogue Stone
(x=3780, y=1980) 72 gold
Durlag's Trial (AR0515)
o======================================================================o
7) Same deal as before, talk to all the statues save the one in the
northeast corner. Once the other three have spilled the beans, talk to
the northeastern one:
"This is the end of things. Here I stood and struck them down as they
came. My family and my clan, with their false faces; the dropped all
pretense and drew their weapons against me. I fought them to the last,
killing the shapechangers that had take their forms. I cursed them for
destroying the dream, but they were not the real evil. The real evil
could not save my people before this deception. The real evil hid from
life in the face of this tragedy. The real evil deserves the blame. This
is the end of things. Answer where the blame has fallen."
A: The blame begins with the invaders, but they attacked with supposed
good reason. It could be on your people, but they were in the shelter of
your confidence. The craftsmen only did their jobs as directed. In your
eyes, you are the one to blame for all that has happened.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) Again you'll be whisked to near Durlag, and again you should head
past him and up the tunnel to the north. This time keep going north
until you find Islanne (x=3870, y=750). She'll offer to teleport you
out of the tower, should you need to leave. It's a quick way out... it's
just a shame there's no quick way back down here. Don't worry about the
secret door to the east (x=4100, y=850), as it's beyond our power to
open as of yet. Instead head through the door to the west
(x=3650, y=600). Go through another door to reach a room with two Helmed
Horrors. You'll find yourself in another smithy. Loot the trapped... uh,
hole? For some goodies, including the Bone Wardstone.
***TRAPS***
(x=3240, y=250)
***ITEMS***
(x=3880, y=600) Jasper Gem, Tchazar Gem x2, 171 gold
(x=3240, y=250) Potion of Healing x3, Bolt of Biting x8, Arrow +2 x20,
Oil of Speed, Dart +1 x14, Bolt +2 x10,
Bone Wardstone
(x=3050, y=300) War Hammer, War Hammer +1, 43 gold
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) Now head back to the room where we fought the spiders earlier in the
level and go through the door we previously ignored. Go up a tunnel and
through a doorway to the west. At (x=2100, y=750) you'll find a
locked.. object. If you click on it with the Bone Wardstone it'll turn
off some rune traps. Head back out of the room and go to the east now,
following the passage when it turns north until you find a room with a
rune inscribed carpet running the length of the room, across which you
can now safely pass. Loot the room for some goodies. The Leather
Armor +3 is equal to the Studded Leather Armor +2 we got from Sendai
earlier in the game, but Studded Leather has better modifiers against
various attack types, making it superior. Whether you prefer the Mace +2
(1d6+2 damage) over the War Hammer +2 (1d4+3, plus 1 electrical) is more
of a matter of preference than anything else. I keep the War Hammer
because its damage range of 5-8 is better than the Mace +2's damage
range of 3-8. The loot in the other chest is less of a tease. The Large
Shield +2 is an obvious improvement over the Large Shields +1 Jaheira
and Viconia still have. I give it to Jaheira since her Armor Class needs
the most improvement. The Sling +3 goes to Jaheira as well, even though
Viconia gets less attacks in melee and would therefore be more disposed
to fighting at a range, I just can't argue with the fact that Jaheira
gets two attacks per round as compared to Viconia's one. Click on the...
uh... whatever, at (x=2500, y=700) to get teleported to your last
questionnaire.
***TRAPS***
(x=2650, y=550)
(x=3000, y=660)
***ITEMS***
(x=2650, y=550) Large Shield +2, Turquoise Gem, Bloodstone Gem x2,
Sling +3 'Arla's Dragonbane', 5547 gold
(x=3000, y=660) Leather Armor +3, Ziose Gem, Star Diopside Gem, Mace +2
201 gold
Durlag's Trial (AR0515)
o======================================================================o
10) Again, talk to the stone golems, saving the northeastern one for
last:
"My father roamed as I, and saw much of the world in his time. Well
respected was he, but he had no home. At his end, he died in some far
away land, with no dwarven kin by his side. I would not allow such to
happen to me. I would not follow his steps that far. I would not be
Durlag the clanless. This was my fear. Trace the path of fear and show
me you have learned.
A: It began with you and your need for a home. It grew with your clan,
as you feared losing them. It manifested in the invaders that came, but
you feared their coming already. It became your home, where it keeps you
safe.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) Again you'll be teleported to near Durlag. Talk to him this time
and he'll ask you to kill the Demonknight before he becomes too
entrenched. Follow him up to where Islanne is, and he'll dispel the
secret door that was previously locked. Go through a door at
(x=4200, y=1000) to find a female adventurer named Clair De'lain. She'll
tell you her party was slain by the Demonknight up ahead, and will also
tell you about the Mirror Of Opposition the creature has, and suggest
you use it in the hope that it'll have to fight its own duplicate. That
is for sissies though; we use force. The Cloak of the Shield... eh, it's
a nice little item that gives you good defense against missile weapons
when you use it. If I were to put it on anybody at all, it would be a
quaternary Fighter, one who doesn't already have, say, the Tower Shield
+1, +4 versus Missile, Boots of Avoidance, of the Cloak of Displacement.
It also is somewhat of a waste on Mages, who can just cast Mirror Image
to give themselves defense. This leave Minsc, by default. Take a deep
breath and head up the stairs at (x=4550, y=1200).
***TRAPS***
(x=4100, y=1100)
***ITEMS***
(x=4100, y=1100) Zircon Gem, Iol Gem, Cloak of the Shield
Demonknight's Chamber (AR0516)
o======================================================================o
12) Now it's time to get ready for the Demonknight. He's a very tough
combatant, but with some careful planning he can be taken down. For this
fight, the use of summons is a bad idea, as he loves to cast Dispel
Magic and high-powered Fireballs, both of which will take care of any
summoned creatures you have. Prepare with the typical spells, but
don't get too attached to them, as previously mentioned, he's fond of
Dispel Magic. On every melee Fighter you should equip some Potions of
Giant Strength and Oils of Speed. You might also want to grab some
Potions of Fire Resistance. Everybody should also equip a +2 weapon, if
you're not firing +2 missiles at him, you might as well be doing
nothing. He's got a good Armor Class, good Hit Points, and good magic
resistance, so there's not going to be any cheap-shots, you'll need to
bring him down with good-old muscle. When you enter, have all your
characters spell buff, then fan out, leaving your primary Fighter in
the middle. You're going to want the works, Mirror Image, Blur, Haste,
Protection from Evil 10' Radius, Defensive Harmony. Your front line
Fighters also need to have Protection from Fire cast on them, and yes,
I'm repeating, Potions of Giant Strength, Oils of Speed, and Potions
of Fire Resistance. Have your party fan out along the top ring, and
head down the stairs with only your strongest Fighter. The Demonknight
will talk a bit, and then the fight begins. He typically will start out
with a Dispel Magic, which is why we go down with only one character,
if he debuffs you, at least it'll only be the one character. Quickly
rebuff by keeping your Fighter away from the Demonknight and having them
quaff potions. Have your archers shoot at him while your other Fighters
drink their Potions of Giant Strength and engage, pulling them out of
the conflict if they take too much damage. With any luck you'll put him
down rather quickly, hopefully before he kills anybody. He likes to use
Power Word: Stun, which sucks, but hopefully he wont be able to stun a
character and then decimate them. When he dies he'll leave behind a
Large Shield +1 and the Soultaker Dagger. If you DO use the Mirror of
Opposition, a number of 'Mirror Fiends' will appear and attack you. The
Demonknight will also be attacked by a duplicate of itself, which might
just win-especially if you shoot the real Demonknight with Arrows +2
while he fights himself. I don't know if it's the same for every party,
but the Mirror Fiends I fought were Ettercaps, an Ogrillon, and two
Doppleganger Mages.
Note from Lee:
I used the mirror trick to occupy the Demonknight, then slaughtered the
Mirror Fiends with various wands (Heavens, Scorchers, etc). Kagain took
a lot of damage after letting a Fiend get too close, but a couple hits
from his Battle Axe +2, along with my protagonist using Flametongue, and
the situation was resolved very nicely. Mirror fiends are actually
pretty easy if you can knock 2-3 of them down with magic right away,
before they can get close to you.
Note: I kept having a problem where the Demonknight fight would progress
as if I had used the Mirror of Opposition when I spell-buffed before
talking to the Demonknight. This didn't occur if I talked, ran back, and
then spell-buffed. If the mirror by the Demonknight is covered in a red
sheet, the Mirror of Opposition won't trigger, if it's not, it will.
Ideally you'd need to sneak past the Demonknight and pull the curtain
off to trigger it, so I don't know what was going on this time. In all
honesty, the Mirror of Opposition trick isn't worth it. The damned
Mirror Fiends are more of a pain in the ass than the damned Demonknight.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) You can find Dalton along the eastern side of the room at
(x=1160, y=480). Talk to him and he'll make a rather pathetic display of
himself. Now you're done with Durlag's, you can talk to Clair if you
wish, She'll be surprised you won. Meh. Head out and talk to Islanne and
get her to take you to the surface. Good riddance to Durlag's Tower. Now
let's head over to Ulgoth's Beard so we can turn this stupid dagger over
to Hurgan Stoneblade.
o======================================================================o
| |
| Cult of Aec'Letec |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK033}
1) Cult Ambush
2) Dumbass Dalton
3) More Cultists
4) Raiding the Cult House
5) Aec'Letec
6) Returnin' to Hurgan
Ulgoth's Beard
o======================================================================o
1) As soon as you arrive you'll be bothered by a Cult Enforcer asking
you for the Soultaker Dagger. Tell him to piss off and he'll attack,
aided by plenty of buddies. Cult Guards are Fighters in Plate Mail that
tend to drop Potions of Heroism. Cult Assassins are backstabbing turds
that likewise have Potions of Heroism. Cult Archers fire Arrows of
Biting. When he goes down loot the Cult Enforcer for a Knave's Robe, a
Helmet, a Fire Opal Ring, a Wand of Frost, a Long Sword +1, and 84 gold.
Head into the Inn and talk to Hurgan Stoneblade to find out what's up.
He'll tell you that the cultists are trying to release a Nabassu that is
trapped in the Soultaker Dagger. Who wants to bet we won't get there in
time to stop them?
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) While we're here, go to the next house over and talk to Therella.
She'll tell you that Dalton came home - for a time - and she'll give you
some of her savings. She'll then tell you that Dalton went back out on
the road again. Some people just aren't long for this world it seems.
***REWARD***
(therella)
GOLD 300
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Head across town to the west to find a Cult Guard (x=1280, y=650)
standing on the deck of a house. Talk to him and start a fight, a large
group of guards will spawn, along with two archers to the north. Dispose
of them with whatever strategy you devise; they're not all that rough.
When they're dead go through the doors to the house at (x=1200, y=650).
Be ready for a fight.
Cultist's House (AR1003)
o======================================================================o
4) As soon as you enter you'll be addressed by a Cult Wizard
(x=400, y=440), who will bore you with some pointless banter before the
fight begins. Two assassins will, of course, get the drop on you in a
bad way. As soon as the battle starts I cast two Stinking Clouds and an
Animate Dead behind the wizard, well our of range of my party so that
those spells will at least distract and delay the enemy, if not kill
any. Other than that it's Haste, Chaos, and missile fire concentrated
on the Cult Wizard. Hitting him with a pair of Magic Missiles to take
down his Mirror Image is probably a good idea, too. The Cult Enforcer
inside will drop identical gear to the first one outside, while the
Cult Wizard will drop a Traveller's Robe, a Quarter Staff +1, a Wand of
Sleep, and 100 gold. Now, there's another rather big fight coming up...
in fact, it's probably the most difficult fight in the game. We are
going to use some sound strategy, however, and make life easier on
ourselves. Prepare ahead of time by having +2 weapons and ammunition on
every character. Your Mages should have the following spells prepared:
Haste, and Dispel Magic. Your Clerics should also have Protection from
Evil 10' Radius, Remove Paralysis, Remove Fear, Defensive Harmony, and
Dispel Magic. In addition, make sure your sneaky characters are good to
go; my protagonist prepares with Invisibility so he can act as a sneaky
character for this fight, as does Imoen. The good party is thus more
prepared to deal with this than the evil party, but both can manage
fine. Hide/use Invisibility and head downstairs (x=459, y=250). with
any character who can manage it, and who can wield a bow.
Ritual Chamber (AR1002)
o======================================================================o
5) When you come downstairs you'll see a number of cultists standing
right in front of you, led by one Tracea Carol (x=500, y=450). She'll
talk, and proceed to summon Aec'Letec, the Nabassu.. at least she would,
if she could see us! Before I get to our strategy, however, I'll discuss
how this fight normally unfolds. The cultists start casting nasty
spells, and it's your first priority to kill them, as Aec'Letec will
simply take one of them over and reincarnate. If you get hit with a Fear
or Hold spell, I just need to cast Remove Fear or Remove Paralysis, I
cannot afford to use Dispel Magic, as I absolutely need Protection from
Petrification on. Aec'Letec has a 'Death Gaze' attack that it uses to
inflict people with... well... death. Once the target is affected, they
will turn into a Ghoul in a number of rounds. If that happens, the
transformed character is lost forever - no raising, just gone.
Fortunately, Dispel Magic removes this affliction just fine (thanks to
Misty Mouse for this information), but casting this in the midst of
battle is likely to get you killed as well. Look out for the symbol
indicating that a character is afflicted, and if Aec'Letec bites it,
immediately cast Dispel Magic on your party to secure your victory.
Aec'Letec can also cast Vampiric Touch and can cause Silence - both
minor afflictions, at worst.
...or, there is a sneaky way of doing this. Take our sneaking/invisible
character (or characters) and go down the stairs, leaving the rest of
your less stealthy party members above. Being undetectable, Tracea Carol
will not notice you, and hence, will not initiate dialogue or summon
Aec'Letec. Sneak to the corners of the room opposite the stairs so that
Tracea Carol is out of sight. Don't worry about sneaking again, or being
noticed by the Cult Guards - they won't move a muscle, even as you
gleefully shoot them to death at your leisure. Apparently, their
survival instincts aren't so good without Tracea to tell them they
should defend themselves. Once all the Cult Guards are dead, sneak back
upstairs, then spell-buff, and rush downstairs with your whole party.
Tracea Carol will then speak to your visible party, and everything will
go as normal - save she won't have any supporting Cult Members. Cut down
Tracea Carol (her being the only surviving hostile mortal, standing
right in front of your spell-buffed party means she'll die rather
quickly) then focus on Aec'Letec, who will have no support, and no
chance of reincarnation, fighting against an untouched, fully spell-
buffed party. Again, since this trick relies on avoiding a trigger to
cheaply hedge the enemy ranks, you can consider this a 'cheap' tactic.
Thanks goes to Jason Rozzo for this, as he was the one who brought this
to my attention.
Note from Lee:
The following are "required" buffs - it certainly wouldn't hurt to throw
other spells on top of these, but this is what I used:
1) Protection from Evil 10' Radius
2) Defensive Harmony
3) Resist Fear
4) Free Action (on those that don't have rings)
5) Haste
* Have archers load at least Arrows/Bullets +1 (I tend to blow myself up
with Arrows of Detonation, so I don't use them).
* Equip as many wands as possible
* Make sure everyone has healing potions equipped
* Save
* Save again, just to be safe
Upon entering, target Tracea Carol with as much firepower as possible;
the Cult Guards apparently don't like him much, because they just stood
there and let me kill him (it doesn't take much). I had three melee and
three missile characters, so I split them into teams of two and went
after the guards (a melee and a missile on each) - they also go down
easily. Once everyone and everythng else is dead, kill Aec'Letec.
The trickiest part of this is avoiding Aec'Letec while you're busy
killing everything else, but if you're properly Hasted (or double
hasted, or triple, or whatever) you can outrun him until he's the only
thing left. Once it's just you and him (it?), the battle is pretty
straight forward - Wands of the Heavens, Wands of Fire and massive
weaponry.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) However you put Aec'Letec down, once it's dead return to Hurgan and
he'll give you his War Hammer +1, +4 versus giant humanoids if you
haven't already stolen it. Whew. Talk about unrewarding. Now all that is
left is to go get Mendas his sea charts, which involves running back to
Baldur's Gate. Go stash your loot, reprepare your typical spells, rest,
and head to the northeast area of Baldur's Gate (AR0300).
o======================================================================o
| |
| Isle of Balduran |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK034}
1) To the Counting House
2) Counting House, First Floor
3) Captain Tollar's Vice
4) Debt to De'Tranion
5) To the Isle of Balduran!
6) Shipwrecked near Solianna
7) Kaishas Plan of Escape
8) Maralee's Plea
9) Loot Houses
10) Rude Jorin
11) Farthing's Dolly
12) Evalt's Brother
13) Taloun's Warning
14) More Looting
15) Delainy and Lahl
16) Beasts of Balduran's Isle
17) Palin's Monsters
18) Murdering Meym
19) The Sirine Queen
20) Don't Kryla Wolf
21) Dradeel
22) Balduran's Ship, First Level
23) Balduran's Ship, Second Level
24) Balduran's Ship, Third Level
25) Showdown with Karoug
26) No Good Deed...
27) Werewolf City
28) The Warrens
29) Kaishas
30) Sealing the Deal
Baldur's Gate, Northeast (AR0300)
o======================================================================o
1) Now, it can be a little bit of a hassle in Baldur's Gate at this
point of the game, seeing as how you're criminals and all. Don't get
caught by any Flaming Fist Mercenaries, or they'll try to take you in.
If they approach you, avoid them. If they attack you and you fight back
the whole area will turn hostile, and we don't want that. Anyways,
remember when we were poisoned by Marek and Lothander back when we first
arrived in Baldur's Gate? There was a house in the east-northeastern
district we ignored, the Counting House (x=2350, y=3100). Head there
now.
The Counting House, First Floor (AR0307)
o======================================================================o
2) As soon as you enter you'll be accosted by a guard, who demands to
know your business. Pick options #2, or #3 and #2 to get him to leave
you alone. Or you could just fight your way through them all to get the
sea charts. Head up the stairs at (x=400, y=400).
***ITEMS***
(x=330, y=530) 64 gold
(x=550, y=730) Lynx Eye Gem, Potion of Healing
The Counting House, Second Floor (AR0308)
o======================================================================o
3) Again, you'll be bothered when you arrive on this level, this time by
one Captain Tollar Kieres. Pick option #1 and he'll tell you to go get
some liquor from Old De'Tranion at the Blushing Mermaid. If you picked
a fight before, you'll just have to fight your way through them here.
Alternatively you can pick the Captain's pockets to get the Sea Charts.
***ITEMS***
(x=650, y=200) 23 gold
(x=950, y=350) Potion of Fire Resistance
(x=500, y=750) Scroll of Protection from Lightning, Scroll of Chaos
(x=250, y=600) 44 gold, Tainted Potion of Healing x2
The Blushing Mermaid (AR0114)
o======================================================================o
4) In case you forgot, the way to reach the Blushing Mermaid is to go
to the northern section of Baldur's Gate (AR0200) and exit to the
northeastern section on the eastern edge of the map. You'll appear
right south of it. Head inside and a little critter named Ivanne will
ask you to pay him 10 gold for a tale of murder and deceit. If you pay
him, he'll tell you about Scar's murder by a Doppleganger, and about
Duke Eltan being sick, his duties taken up in lieu of Scar by someone
named Angelo. Looks like a lot has happened while we were off killing
Demonknights and whatnot, eh? You'll find Old De'Tranion at about
(x=1050, y=820), and he won't sell you the liquor until you cover
Captain Tollar's tab, running at 900 gold as of now. You can pay him or
steal it from him. Just goes to show, sometimes crime DOES pay. If you
give the booze to Captain Tollar he'll get woozy and hand you the Sea
Charts.
***REWARD***
(For bringing the good captain his alcohol)
Item Sea Charts
Before you head back over to Mendas' House and give him his Sea Charts,
let's just be clear about a few things. You want to carry magical
ammunition with you, and you're going to want to give yourself as much
free space in your inventory as you can. The fights to come aren't on
the same level as the Demonknight and Aec'Letec, but they can drag on.
Also, you're not going to be able to run back to town and sell or stash
your loot like you could in Durlag's Tower. Once you commit to this
quest, you've got no choice but to see it completed. Be absolutely sure
you bring your Bastard Swords +1, +3 versus Shapeshifters and your
Flametongue with you. This is the one time you really need them, and if
you don't have them on hand, you'll regret it.
Note from Lee:
I installed several mods, including the one that adds Bags of Holding;
inventory management isn't a problem for me. While this guide assumes
that you are a purist, and do not have mods installed, this is one that
you really should consider.
Ulgoth's Beard, Mendas' House (AR1004)
o======================================================================o
5) Talk to Mendas, who will reward you and urge you journey to the
island. If you accept he'll head outside. Follow him and head north,
Mendas will talk to you again, give you a copy of the Sea Charts, and
ask you to go now. If you decide not to go, he'll offer ANOTHER 3000
gold, so play hard to get once before accepting for the extra payday. He
REALLY wants you to go to this island! When you go you'll get some
dialogue akin to a chapter break to describe your trip to the island.
***REWARD***
(For brining Mendas the Sea Charts)
GOLD 2000
***REWARD***
(For holding out on Mendas)
GOLD 3000
Item Sea Charts
Mysterious Village (2000)
o======================================================================o
6) You've been shipwrecked, and have washed up on the shore of a
mysterious island. Good thing you held onto all your gear, eh? You'll
find a little girl named Solianna wandering around to the north. Play
nice and she'll tell you about how you don't belong, people who are like
them, but mean, and who 'change'. She'll also tell you to speak to
Kaishas. What a chatty child. Note that none of the commoners will talk
to you until you speak to the 'headwoman', by whom they mean Kaishas. So
we might as well go find her if we're going to get anything out of
these people.
Chieftain's House (AR2002)
o======================================================================o
7) Head north until you find a wooden wall encircling some buildings.
Go west along the wall, then north to find an opening. Inside the walls
a woman named Maralee (x=3630, y=1470) will implore you to speak with
Kaishas. Yeah, yeah, we're getting there. Go through the door at
(x=3270, y=1270) to enter the house where you'll find Kaishas Gan
(x=250, y=380). The long and short of it comes down to the fact that you
have to kill the wolf-like, man-like creatures that infest the island
outside of town to be able to have any chance of getting back to the
mainland. Fortunately, they nest in and around the ship the islanders
used to travel here on generations ago, way to nail two birds, right?
You'll also find Tailas (x=220, y=420) nearby, but he's not inclined to
chat with you.
***ITEMS***
(x=600, y=250) Potion of Heroism
(x=670, y=160) Sunstone Gem
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) Leave the Chieftain's House and talk to Maralee outside, who will now
talk to you. She'll ask you to save her baby, whom her husband took out
hunting. Daddy was killed and now the bad wolf-creatures have him.
She'll also say he was three moons old... Just what was her husband
doing out hunting with a baby that wasn't even old enough to walk? Ah
well, agree to do it anyways.
Loot Houses (AR2003)/(AR2004)/(AR2005)
o======================================================================o
9) You can loot the houses nearby (x=4000, y=1660) (AR2003),
(x=3830, y=1230) (AR2004), and (x=3500, y=1900) (AR2005) but they don't
really have anything exceptional to loot.
***ITEMS***
(AR2003)
(x=330, y=220) Potion of Healing x2
---
(AR2004)
(x=210, y=430) Jade Ring
---
(AR2005)
(x=170, y=320) Chyrsoberyl Gem
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) Travel to the west to find Jorin outside the wall (x=2450, y=1950)
He's rather rude to you, but if you can swallow your pride and ask him
about the creatures outside, and he'll describe them as wolves who can
appear human. He'll also tell you that only blessed or enchanted weapons
can hurt them... hence the magical arrows you were told to bring by one
benevolent FAQ writer.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
11) South from Jorin you'll find a girl named Farthing (x=2130, y=2250)
who'll ask you to find her dolly, which she lost somewhere out in the
woods. She'll even let you play with it on the way back.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) Head south from Farthing to find Evalt wandering about. He'll tell
you that his brother wandered off, and he suspects that a 'witch' named
the Blue Lady has enchanted him. He'll tell you that she's somewhere on
the western side of the island.
Taloun's House (AR2007)
o======================================================================o
13) Travel west along the shore and you'll find a rather large house
(x=850, y=2450). Inside a man named Taloun will talk to you and tell
you how he came to be part of this clan. He'll also mention the husband
of Kaishas, one Selaad Gan, who sailed off the island in a small boat a
few years ago and never returned. Before ending the conversation he'll
give you an ominous warning. Woo...
***ITEMS***
(x=140, y=300) Pearl x2
(x=400, y=250) Moonbar Gem, Long Sword
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
14) Now head to the west and loot the house at (x=550, y=2000). The
sandy path to the south will turn east, bringing you near more houses to
loot, and will eventually wrap back to where you started. Loot the
houses in the city (x=1950, y=3300), (x=2700, y=3350), and
(x=3150, y=3350) and head back to the gate, north of where Jorin is
standing. You can safely ignore the large house at (x=1670, y=1370) for
now. We'll be going there soon enough.
***ITEMS***
(AR2011)
(x=300, y=180) Potion of Agility, Sphene Gem
---
(AR2006)
(x=140, y=300) Potion of Healing x3
(x=400, y=250) Pearl x2, Potion of Fire Giant Strength,
Potion of Regeneration
---
(AR2008)
(x=320, y=260) Oily of Fiery Burning
---
(AR2009)
(x=270, y=160) Tainted Potion of Healing, Potion of Explosions
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
15) Head east to reach some fields, where you'll find a lady named
Delainy (x=2530, y=1230). Be polite and she'll ask you to retrieve a
'cloak' that blew away during the storm that wrecked your ship. You'll
also find a farmer named Lahl, who will ask you to kill some of the
beasts outside to avenge his wife. Might as well, since we're going to
be smiting them anyhow. Go north outside the gate. You can exit to the
island anywhere on the northern side of the map. You can also score some
Belladonna Flowers, which you'll need to get for Delainy later. She
won't give you an experience reward for either the cloak or the flowers,
but she'll help out later.
Note: If your protagonist is female, Delainy will be replaced by a male
named Durlyle. Pretty much the same thing, a weak flirty 'romantic'
interest that goes nowhere.
***ITEMS***
(x=970, y=220) Belladonna Flowers x3
(x=1700, y=200) Belladonna Flowers x2
Balduran's Island (AR1500)
o======================================================================o
16) Finally, back into the thick of things, exploring, fighting... that
old game. Balduran's Island has a variety of critters on it - you may
have encountered Black Bears or Brown Bears north of town, which by now
are horribly weak and mundane foes. In this area you'll encounter Dire
Wolves as random spawns as well as Wolfweres. Wolfweres... kind of suck.
They're strong physical combatants that can, in a group, shred one
of your stronger warriors. Their danger is more due to their damage
potential (Werewolves have high natural Strength scores) despite the
fact that their THAC0 isn't too great. Using The Long Sword +1:
Flametongue or the Bastard Sword +1, +3 vs. Shapeshifters is a good
idea, if you have a character proficient in Large Swords, while
non-magical weapons are utterly useless. Hasting yourself during every
large scale fight is also a good idea, as well as casting Slow on the
enemies. In fact, I remove Dispel Magic and Fireball from my Mages
entirely, going with just Haste and Slow, since they'll play a much
larger role in subduing Wolfweres. If needed I can always use Wands of
Fire or Arrows of Detonation instead.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
17) Head north a ways and a man named Palin will ask you to help him
fight off a group of monsters. He'll go east a short ways, and call
some Wolfweres on you. You'll find Farthing's Dolly on Palin, as well as
a suit of Studded Leather Armor, Arrows, a Composite Longbow and a
Dagger. Also don't be afraid to go back to town to rest. Resting outside
just invites groups of Wolfweres to attack you, and that won't help you
make any progress. Turn in Farthing's Dolly at your leisure.
***REWARD***
(For recovering Farthing's dolly)
EXP 1400
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
18) Head to the northwest until you find Meym (x=850, y=2450), who will
question you about your business, and Kaishas' goals. If you don't pick
a fight with him, talking to him again will cause him to turn into a
Wolfwere and attack. He'll leave behind a suit of Studded Leather Armor,
20 Arrows, and a Short Bow.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
19) Continue going northwest until you find a sandy path leading north.
Continue along it until you encounter the Sirine Queen. She'll tell you
that she attempted to mate with Evan, and he attacked her, forcing her
to kill him. If you're nice, she'll simply hand over Evan's body... or
you could be rude and pick a fight, which will score you a good bit of
experience, and typically good Sirine loot. You can turn in Evan's body
to Evalt for some comparatively minor experience. If you are going to
fight the Sirine Queen, I suggest only approaching with the character
who has the Boots of Speed and luring her back to wider land so you
can more easily attack her and the Sirines she'll summon. Getting off
a Haste before engaging will also help you stay on top of them. The
Sirine Queen herself has a fairly ridiculous amount of Hit Points, but
you'll be surprised how fast you can shoot down her Sirine cohorts with
high level hasted archers. I know I was. If you don't have Arrows of
Biting with you, I suggest you fight the Sirine Queen. Between her and
her minions you'll get 50 arrows, provided they don't fire any off. The
Sirine Queen will drop a Pearl Necklace, two Pearls, 40 Arrows of
Biting, Evan's Body, a Composite Long Bow, and 308 gold. Continue north
to find more of the Sirine Queen's cronies (if you fought her).
***REWARD***
(For being nice to the Sirine Queen)
EXP 2000
Item Evan's Body
***REWARD***
(For giving Evalt his brother's body)
EXP 900
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
20) When you reach grass again, head to the southeast until you find
Kryla (x=3650, y=2000), who will tell you that someone named Jondal has
been killed. By now you should be able to detect an ambush like this.
Just a short ways to the northwest she'll turn on you and attack,
along with Jondal, who shows up at about (x=3050, y=1600).
Note from Lee:
One or the other of them drops a Dagger - big F'n deal...
Dradeel's House (AR1505)
o======================================================================o
21) Continue to the east until you find a small house (x=4180, y=1600).
Inside you'll find Dradeel, Balduran's ship-wizard. How he survived so
long is a mystery. He'll tell you how on Balduran's final voyage his
crew caught the disease of lycanthropy, and how the crew went feral when
they stopped on this island to replenish their water stores. He'll ask
you to recover his spell book from the ruins of Balduran's ship. He'll
then give you the Wolfsbane Charm amulet, which gives you a +2 THAC0
bonus versus Lycanthropes and a +2 damage bonus versus Lycanthropes, and
offer to let you rest in his abode whenever you wish. I give the amulet
to Ajantis, as he does not yet have an amulet, and being my main
Fighter... it just seems to make sense. You can pick-pocket another one
off of Dradeel as well, which I give to Minsc, as he too has no amulet,
and will be getting into scraps with the stronger Wolfweres later on.
The Staff Mace in the chest is a really nice weapon. Its base damage
(2d4+2) is greater than the War Hammer +1 (1d4+3 +1 Electrical) and the
Dagger of Venom (1d4+2). I give it to Viconia, as it's more of a clear-
cut improvement (4-10 damage as compared to 5-8) over the War Hammer +2
than it is over the Dagger of Venom. The Holy Cloak is what Delainy is
after. North of Dradeel's house you'll find Balduran's Ship
(x=3660, y=1060). You should Haste up before you enter, and before you
go to any new level inside.
***ITEMS***
(x=650, y=330) Staff Mace, Belladonna Flowers, Holy Cloak, 210 gold
(x=100, y=350) The Recipes and Rumination of One Dradeel of Tethir
Balduran's Ship, First Level (AR1501)
o======================================================================o
22) Once you head inside, you'll get... another cutscene. Yeah, yeah,
we get it, Tales of the Sword Coast is supposed to be super spooky.
You'll immediately be attacked by a bunch of wolves. And by a bunch,
I mean three Dread Wolves, three Dire Wolves, two Worgs, two Vampiric
Wolves, and a Wolfwere. I concentrate on the Dread Wolves in the middle
of my party while my archers shoot Arrows +1 at the Vampiric Wolves,
and when they're dead, the Wolfwere. When you're done killing, thank
Jason Rozzo again for another fine bit of loot (x=210, y=507) that I had
missed, then go up the stairs at (x=420, y=300).
***TRAPS***
(x=690, y=290)
***ITEMS***
(x=210, y=507) Wand of Frost, Dart of Wounding x10,
Potion of Storm Giant Strength, Potion of Healing x5,
Potion of Master Thievery
(x=690, y=290) Dart +1 x10, Wand of Magic Missiles, 320 gold
Baldurans Ship, Second Level (AR1502)
o======================================================================o
23) You'll be bothered by a bunch of Wolfweres and a Vampiric Wolf. Same
horde of wolves tactics as usual; you might want to cast a Slow or two,
which will help. The game does you no favors with the placement of your
party. The Silver Dagger - Werebane goes to Jaheira, so she can at least
hurt the stronger Wolfweres ahead. And whatever you do, do NOT equip the
Bracers of Binding. That would be a bad idea. When you're ready, head up
the ladder (x=450, y=250).
***TRAPS***
(x=290, y=380)
(x=680, y=180)
***ITEMS***
(x=290, y=380) Oil of Speed, Wand of Lightning
(x=280, y=520) Bracers of Binding
(x=680, y=180) Silver Dagger - Werebane, 423 gold
Baldurans Ship, Third Level (AR1503)
o======================================================================o
24) Up here are two Vampiric Wolves and three Wolfweres. This level
really hates your sixth party member. This is typically my Mage, and
they end up right in front of a Vampiric Wolf and a Wolfwere. If it
wasn't for party placement, this place wouldn't even be a challenge.
Before you go upstairs (x=550, y=200) you want to spell buff to the max.
This is the toughest fight in this quest.
***TRAPS***
(x=660, y=160)
(x=230, y=470)
***ITEMS***
(x=660, y=160) Medium shield, Potion of Absorption, Antidote x2
(x=230, y=470) Potion of Cloud Giant Strength, Arrows of Acid x2,
Potion of Healing x3
(x=350, y=495) Arrow +2 x10, Bolt +2 x10
Baldurans Ship, Fourth Level (AR1503)
o======================================================================o
25) When you get upstairs Karoug will talk to you. Anything you say ends
in a fight, and of all the levels, this time really screws over party
member #6, who is put first in line near several Wolfweres. You can only
hit Karoug, who turns into a Greater Wolfwere, with Bastard Swords +1,
+3 versus Shapeshifters, the Silver Dagger, or the Flame Tongue. Have
your Mages cast Magic Missile on Daese as soon as the battle starts to
stop her from casting Horror, if possible. After that, it's just a
matter of keeping your characters safe and micromanaging. Karoug will
leave behind a Shield Amulet and a Cloak of Protection +1 when he turns
into a Greater Wolfwere, and he'll drop Peladan, the child you're
looking for, when you kill him as a Wolfwere. Daese drops a Knave's
Robe when she turns into a Werewolf. Dradeel's Spell Book is in the
chest at (x=440, y=260). The Sword of Balduran is really only good
against Lycanthropes, meaning it's a great weapon until you get off this
island. It can replace any of the other anti-Lycanthrope weapons, but I
give it to Ajantis, who has the weakest of such weapons. Now go back to
Dradeel and give him his spell book, upon which the bastard promptly
Dimension Doors away and leaves you stranded. At least you get plenty of
experience for it though. Head back to town.
Note from Lee:
Haste, Resist Fear, and Defensive Harmony are required buffs. Once
upstairs, summon a bunch of "helpers" to the southwest to occupy the
Wolfweres (I used a Wand of Monstor Summoning - it's much faster than
casting a spell); Magic Missile Daese to death (I again used a wand,
because.... well.... I had one); while your properly equipped
character(s) hack the holy crap out of Karoug. This may be the toughest
fight in this section, but it's nothing compared to, say, the
Demonknight.
***TRAPS***
(x=440, y=260)
(x=550, y=200)
***ITEMS**
(x=440, y=260) Dradeel's Spell Book
(x=550, y=150) Sword of Balduran, Balduran's Log Book,
Butter Knife of Balduran
***REWARD***
(For giving Dradeel his spellbook)
EXP 5000
Mysterious Village (AR2000)
o======================================================================o
26) Go give Maralee her kid back. She'll be rightfully appreciative and
wander off. Now go pay Kaishas a visit. Complete all the quests you wish
to complete before talking to her. You won't get another chance. When
you talk to her she'll inform you that you were inflicted with
Lycantropy yourself while fighting the beasts, and that you now 'belong'
with them. From Balduran's Log Book and from Kaishas, it's clear to see
what happened. Balduran's new 'recruits' he picked up from Andromache
had Lycanthropy, and spread it to the crew. Apparently Balduran and his
followers didn't take kindly to the disease and refused to become part
of the 'pack', as it were. It's also interesting to note that Balduran
mentions a shaman they threw overboard, and the fact that these
Lycanthropes are led by spiritual leaders of sorts as well... making
this a unique form of Lycanthropy... at least, as far as Dungeons and
Dragons is concerned. Even if you accept the Lycanthropy, Tailas turns
on you. No matter what you do, you're not getting out of this without a
fight. He turns into a Werewolf and attacks. Nothing can ever be simple,
can it? Note that you must now be very frugal with your Hit Points and
spells. Resting should only be done when you're entirely tapped. If you
take too long, your party members will start to turn into Greater
Wolfweres and attack. Not only do they suck to fight, but this kills
them PERMANENTLY. Yeah, the expansion seems to be fond of that little
kicker. You have about two days, that's six rest periods, not including
walking time. For this reason I wouldn't waste too much time walking
around picking fights in town. It might not take long to kill every
Werewolf in town, but it will take time to rest up from doing so.
***REWARD***
(For giving Maralee her baby back)
EXP 4000
Note from Lee:
If you surround Tailas before initiating the conversation with Kaishas,
things will go much smoother in this fight. After that, it's just a
Wolfwere fight...
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
27) Head back outside. Every villager you find will turn into a Werewolf
and attack... save Maralee if you got her kid, and Delainy if you helped
her out. She'll lead you to the chieftain's hut... the one house we
didn't explore earlier. Follow her. On your way Dradeel will show up and
chat, telling you that Kaishas was waiting for her husband to return
with maps so they could get to the mainland on a ship they built months
ago. Enter the house at (x=1670, y=1370) (AR2001) and enter the Warrens
at (x=450, y=300).
***ITEMS***
(x=450, y=350) Dagger
Warrens to Eastern Shore (AR2012)
o======================================================================o
28) This place is randomly populated with Werewolves, with some loot
strewn about. I'll list the locations of the loot and leave the killing
up to you. If you don't want to go around grabbing potions, that's just
as well, they're not all that good anyways... well, except the Potion of
Storm Giant Strength. Why this place is littered with potions is beyond
me. The exit is to the east at (x=3050, y=350). Don't wander around
arbitrarily, as the Werewolves do, of course, respawn - and quickly.
Think Firewine quickly. Okay, maybe not that bad.
***ITEMS***
(x=1440, y=810) Potion of Healing x2, Potion of Storm Giant Strength
(x=1820, y=590) Potion of Cold Resistance
(x=2360, y=250) Oil of Speed
(x=2550, y=560) Potion of Defense
Balduran's Island (AR1500)
o======================================================================o
29) Go west until the path turns north. When you get here, stop your
party and go ahead only with your Boots of Speed character. Continue
up north, then head east to find Kaishas. She's not nearly as friendly
this time around, and decides that you have to die. She'll turn into
a Loup Garou... essentially another Greater Wolfwere. Again, it's only
hurt by Bastard Swords +1, +3 versus Shapeshifters, the Sword of
Balduran, the Silver Dagger, or the Flametongue. Lead her back to your
party so you can fight her in the open, not one-on-one on a small
plank. Be sure to spell buff when your runner gets back. When she dies
she'll drop the Sea Charts, and her old body will have 94 gold on it.
Get on the ship and sail back home by clicking (x=4450, y=2400). This
is where the plot gets a little crapful for me. It took you a score of
days to get here with a ship fully manned, but the six of you can sail
back successfully? And in under the two-day time limit? Why doesn't
everybody turn into a Greater Wolfwere? Whatever.
Ulgoth's Beard
o======================================================================o
30) When you get back a man named Baresh will talk to you. He'll tell
you that master Selaad awaits you... Selaad being, of course, the name
of the missing Werewolf chieftain. If you haven't already figured it
out, Mendas is Selaad, and he will be none too pleased to learn you
whacked his wife. Baresh storms off. Heal up and spell buff before you
head inside. Mendas is, of course, angry, and him and Baresh turn into
Loup Garous and attack. Baresh will leave behind Chainmail Armor +3, a
Tower Shield, a Morning Star, and 72 gold, and his Loup Garou self will
drop more Sea Charts. Mendas leaves 100 gold. The Chainmail is decent...
but it's just shy of being good enough to use. It's one point behind
Full Plate Mail, and since you can't cast spells or sneak in it, it
just doesn't work for anybody else in my party. You are, however, now
mercifully done with Tales of the Sword Coast. Time to rest up, stash
loot, and head back to Baldur's Gate.
o======================================================================o
| Chapter 7 |
o======================================================================o
| |
| Thwarting Sarevok |
| |
o======================================================================o
Now, we already know that the Flaming Fist is after us, and if you've
been following along, we also know Scar is dead and Duke Eltan is sick.
To find out what's going on in detail, let's return to Baldur's Gate. To
get from place to place we'll be using the sewers a bit, which is why I
was so kind to create the following section, just for you!
Sewer Routes in Baldur's Gate
o======================================================================o
Below is a list of the sewer entrances in Baldur's Gate, starting with
the location on the surface they can be found on the left, and the
corresponding location in the sewers to which they lead on the right.
You can reach any part of one sewer by traveling from another, so you
can use this as a reference to where to go from one sewer area to get to
a surface access area in the section of Baldur's Gate you wish to travel
to. This may come in handy during this chapter when you're trying to
duck Flaming Fist mercenaries. Or you could just follow the instructions
in the FAQ.
AR0100 AR0224
(x=3700, y=2420) ------> (x=850, y=900)
(x=3000, y=2950) ------> (x=1150, y=800)
(x=1860, y=2420) ------> (x=1350, y=1350)
(x=2280, y=2340) ------> (x=1700, y=1300)
(x=2700, y=1230) ------> (x=700, y=350)
(x=3300, y=1860) ------> (x=350, y=350)
AR0200 AR0255
(x=450, y=2800) ------> (x=1750, y=850)
(x=3240, y=1120) ------> (x=3600, y=350)
(x=4300, y=1620) ------> (x=3900, y=600)
(x=2700, y=2900) ------> (x=3200, y=650)
(x=4100, y=2800) ------> (x=2200, y=900)
AR0300 AR0226
(x=1100, y=1260) ------> (x=1850, y=450)
AR0600 AR0224
(x=3870, y=120) ------> (x=2100, y=1750)
AR0700 AR0225
(x=3350, y=3050) ------> (x=2100, y=1750)
(x=800, y=1120) ------> (x=3600, y=1550)
(x=850, y=500) ------> (x=3550, y=1000)
(x=3920, y=1120) ------> (x=3900, y=1800)
(x=2000, y=850) ------> (x=1900, y=1000)
(x=2700, y=370) ------> (x=3900, y=1000)
AR0800 AR0226
(x=2650, y=500) ------> (x=1550, y=1650)
(x=2120, y=2750) ------> (x=2780, y=1800)
(x=1280, y=1480) ------> (x=3400, y=1500)
(x=1150, y=1550) ------> (x=1350, y=1350)
AR1100 AR0224
(x=4070, y=1420) ------> (x=750, y=2100)
(x=3870, y=570) ------> (x=2350, y=2300)
(x=3550, y=1500) ------> (x=1900, y=1900)
(x=2300, y=2350) ------> (x=2700, y=2300)
(x=2100, y=2100) ------> (x=2350, y=2420)
(x=1400, y=2220) ------> (x=2700, y=2400)
(x=420, y=770) ------> (x=450, y=2200)
AR1200 AR0225
(x=3560, y=1760) ------> (x=3900, y=2900)
(x=2650, y=850) ------> (x=2500, y=1900)
(x=4250, y=730) ------> (x=3850, y=2200)
(x=1030, y=1480) ------> (x=3600, y=2750)
(x=300, y=930) ------> (x=2050, y=2000)
AR1300 AR0226
(x=2440, y=480) ------> (x=2200, y=2300)
(x=2050, y=1150) ------> (x=1780, y=2780)
AR0112 AR0226
(x=150, y=1800) ------> (x=100, y=1400)
AR0112 AR0225
(x=400, y=120) ------> (x=2200, y=3300)
AR0112 AR0224
(x=2450, y=300) ------> (x=100, y=800)
Bridge (AR0900)
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK035}
1) Husam...
2) Tamoko and Delthyr
3) Sewers to the Flaming Fist Stronghold
4) Tamoko's Confession
5) In Custody
6) Assaulting The Flaming Fist Compound
7) Saving Duke Eltan
8) The Harbormaster
9) The Empty Throne
10) Sarevok's Consort
11) ...The Shadow Thief
12) Assassinating the Assassins
13) Coronation Crashing
14) Duchal Palace, Level 3
15) Duchal Palace, Level 2
16) Duchal Palace, Basement
17) Thwarting Sarevok
18) Into the Warrens
Baldur's Gate, East (AR0800)
o======================================================================o
1) When you enter your drunk friend Husam from the Thieves Guild will
talk to you. He'll tell you some of what you already know and tell you
that he'll be at the Blushing Mermaid. We'll get to that soon enough.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) Head over to the Sorcerous Sundries store. To get there without
troubling the guard you can enter the sewer at (x=2650, y=500) and
leave at (x=1100, y=1550) to arrive west of Sorcerous Sundries. You'll
be approached by a woman named Tamoko. Be nice and she'll tell you that
the Duke Eltan's doctor is actually keeping the Duke sick. She'll also
presume to mention your paternity, both divine and mortal, and tell you
to meet her outside of the Flaming Fist Compound to talk more. Nearby
you'll also find Delthyr, of the Harpers. He'll tell you more of what
you already know, but he'll also tell you the new leader of the Iron
Throne, Sarevok, has placed a bounty on your head. He'll wait at the
Three Old Kegs Inn if you need to talk more.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) To get to the Flaming Fist Compound enter the sewer (AR0226) at
(x=300, y=1850) and exit at (x=100, y=200) to reach (AR0225). Now exit
anywhere on the western side of the map to reach (AR0224) and go up the
ladder at (x=450, y=2200) to surface to the northwest of the Flaming
Fist stronghold. You should, of course, be wary of Phase Spiders and
other beasties that lurk in the sewers... but they shouldn't be too much
trouble by now, right?
Baldur's Gate, Southwest (AR1100)
o======================================================================o
4) In front of the Flaming Fist Compound you'll meet Tamoko, as she
promised. She'll ask you to make a promise before she tells you
anything. Humor her, and she'll ask you to defeat-but not kill-Sarevok.
There's no penalty for agreeing to do this, and if you agree she'll tell
you that you and Sarevok are siblings, and that Sarevok seeks to become
the God of Murder by starting a war with Amn so that he might cause the
deaths of thousands, and by committing murder on such a scale claim his
ascension. She'll tell you that Duke Eltan can be saved, but to find the
killers of Entar you need to go to the Undercellars and kill two
assassins named Slythe and Krystin. She'll also tell you about
Cythandria, one of Sarevok's consorts who is in the Iron Throne
Headquarters.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Now seems like a good time to talk about what happens if you let
yourself be captured by the Flaming Fist Mercenaries. You'll be brought
to the Flaming Fist Compound and questioned by Angelo. If you pick
option #1, he'll have one of you randomly killed, and you'll be sent to
prison. If you pick #2, #3, or #4, he'll just send you to jail. Go talk
to Neb at (x=1050, y=780), who reveals himself to be fully worthy of his
residence. Wait a while and he'll bug you about a secret exit, and pose
a riddle to you, the answer to which being the number of kids he killed.
The answer to the riddle is 33, guess it and he'll spring you from
prison. This part is entirely optional, as it does nothing to further
your cause. From now on all Flaming Fist Enforcers will be outright
hostile, making this an annoying endeavor. Head into the Flaming Fist
Compound when you're ready, make sure to cast some spell buffs before
you enter... or at least Haste.
Flaming Fist Compound, Downstairs (AR0607)
o======================================================================o
6) When you enter you'll be bothered by a guard named Benjy, who will
scoff at your attempt to attack the Flaming Fist Stronghold. Have your
Fighters attack him, while your archers shoot at the two Mercenaries
behind him, who will cast nasty Clerical spells like Hold Person if you
let them. They all drop Plate Mail Armor, as if money matters at this
point in the game. Head up the stairs (x=900, y=550).
Note from Lee:
A couple of Stinking Clouds and a Fireball will make short work of the
guards. Start casting immediately upon entering, before Benjy can get
to you and start the dialog, and your spells should go off right away
when the conversation ends. Benjy dies from just a couple hits in melee
and the others are incapacitated, and then cooked. Oh... and Haeravon's
note about not needing money any more is sound; I have over 300k in
gold at this point, and nowhere to spend it. And having ported my main
character over to BG2 before, I can personally attest that the old
adage holds true: you can't take it with you.
Flaming Fist Compound, Upstairs (AR0608)
o======================================================================o
7) When you enter a man named Kent will tell you that he thinks Rashad
isn't a healer, and tell you that he followed him to the Undercellars
one night. Time to talk to this Rashad (x=560, y=300). Pester him and
he'll turn into a Greater Doppleganger and attack. Talk to Duke Eltan at
(x=580, y=250) and he'll tell you to take him to see the Harbormaster,
which is in the same district as the Iron Throne Headquarters. How
convenient. He'll also give you a letter. You can now loot this level
free of bother, if you wish... well, almost bother-free.
(x=620, y=280) Large Shield, Dagger, 180 gold
(x=510, y=400) Medium Shield +1, Short Sword, 550 gold
(x=500, y=480) Splint Mail +1, Long Sword, 354 gold
(x=200, y=330) Dagger, Sling, 10 gold
Harbormaster's Building (AR0702)
o======================================================================o
8) Go back down through the sewers to the northwest (x=420, y=770) to
reach (AR0224) and exit at (x=2900, y=2750) to reach (AR0225). Exit at
(x=3900, y=2900) to surface east of the Harbormaster's building. Enter
the building at (x=2600, y=1800) and talk to the Harbormaster
(x=430, y=350) to leave Duke Eltan in his care. Leave and enter the
sewers you came out of (x=3560, y=1760) and exit at (x=2050, y=2000) to
surface just south of the Iron Throne Headquarters.
***REWARD***
(For rescuing Duke Eltan)
EXP 2500
Iron Throne Headquarters (AR0611)/(AR1612)/(AR1613)/(AR1614)
o======================================================================o
9) Inside a woman named Dhanial, who is eager to get out of the Iron
Throne Headquarters. She'll tell you that Sarevok is more interested in
becoming a Grand Duke than making money, and the Iron Throne is
suffering as a result. She'll also tell you that he seems intent on
pushing for war with Amn. Another person named Pang Wallen will share
similar sentiments. It doesn't seem that there's much of an Iron Throne
left to topple, Sarevok having apparently traded in the Throne's iron
for status. Upstairs Gregor will share the sentiments of his fellows
below, and even encourage you to kill Sarevok if you state that as your
intent. He will, however, attack if you say you're here to clear your
name, dropping a suit of Leather Armor, a Short Sword +1, and 350 gold.
In the southwestern corner of this level you'll also find Tralithan,
who'll elaborate on the Iron Throne's intended plan, and wonder openly
at what Sarevok has to gain by pursuing his selected course. On the
third floor Kalessia, a representative from Sembia wants to know
why this branch has failed, and Wirthing on the floor above will talk
about Sarevok's imminent coronation.
Iron Throne Headquarters (AR0615)
o======================================================================o
10) On the top floor where you slew Sarevok's acolytes a lifetime ago
you'll find Cythandria, one of Sarevok's consorts, and she'll put up a
fight. Finally, someone to hurt! When the fight starts she'll summon two
Ogres, Ughh and Arghh. Have your Fighters engage them and use your
archers to shoot at Cythandria. When she's nearly dead she'll tell you
where to find Sarevok, pointing to the Undercellars. Whatever you do,
do NOT let her go. Cythandria will drop a Mage Robe of Cold Resistance,
two Letters, the Diary of Sarevok, a Dagger, and 144 gold. Both the
letters are from Slythe, one talks about the commission to kill the
three Grand Dukes of Baldur's Gate, and talks about the assassins
staying in the Undercellars. The second mentions the slaying of Entar
Silvershield, and talks about killing two Grand Dukes at Sarevok's
coronation. It seems that Cythandria was trying to send you to your
death in the Undercellar at the hands of these assassins. Feel better
about killing her? I do. Sarevok's Diary is the real catch, as it
details the planning of the iron shortage by the Iron Throne, Sarevok's
discovery of his paternity, his murder of Gorion, and his... well, at
least his intention to murder the Iron Throne leaders. With this in your
hands you can prove Sarevok was responsible and your allies are
innocent, regardless of where the truth actually lies. The Ogres drop
typical Ogre loot-gems, jewels, or scrolls. Now there's only one
logical thing to do; stop Sarevok's assassins. But let's do so in a
round-about fashion. Head over to the Blushing Mermaid.
Baldur's Gate, Northeast (AR0300)
o======================================================================o
11) Talk to Husam (x=200, y=2030). Agree to follow him and a bunch of
thieves will pop out of nowhere and Husam will drop his drunkard act,
revealing himself to be an agent of the Shadow Thieves. Be nice and
he'll lead you to the Temple of Ilmater (x=1280, y=1250). Talk to him
again and he'll tell you to talk to the priest, who will get you to the
Undercellars. Enter the temple and talk to the priest (x=180, y=220);
ask him to take you to the Undercellars (if you haven't talked to him
before you might have to talk to him twice to get the option).
Undercellar (AR0112)
o======================================================================o
12) Haste yourself and take your character with the Boots of Speed
to the south until you find your assassins. Slythe is at (x=1270, y=970)
and Krystin is invisible at around (x=1350, y=970). Let Slythe follow
you back to your party - either before or after talking to him. Slythe
is incredibly fast and has great combat stats for a rogue, and he'll be
a pain if you don't sic your whole Hasted party on him. Doing so, he's
not too much of a pain, when he dies head forward and smite Krystin, who
isn't so much of a threat without Slythe distracting you. Krystin will
leave behind Sling Bullets +1 x10, Sling Bullets +2 x10, a Scroll of
Clairvoyance, a Scroll of Flame Arrow, a Scroll of Summon Monster I, a
Scroll of Non-Detection, a Scroll of Protection from Normal Missiles, a
Scroll of Soul Trap, a Scroll of Vampiric Touch, a Dagger +2, Longtooth,
a Sling +1, and 78 gold. Slythe has a suit of Studded Leather Armor, a
Buckler, a Potion of Master Thievery, a Light Crossbow, a Letter, an
Invitation, a Short Sword of Backstabbing, and 54 gold. The Longtooth
Dagger is a +2 Dagger with a base of 1d6 damage, using the speed and
proficiency of a dagger. The Short Sword of Backstabbing is a Short
Sword +3 with a speed factor of zero, making it an ideal rogue weapon.
Kinda late though, huh? The letter basically tells Slythe to get his ass
over to the coronation, and the invitation is how he's going to get in.
Time to go stop an assassination.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
13) Exit the Undercellar at (x=400, y=120) to get back into the sewers
(AR0225). Go north to the exit at (x=1750, y=850), which will take you
to the west of the Duchal Palace. Make sure you rest and heal before you
go up. It wouldn't do to go pay your brother a visit at anything less
than your best. And make sure you have all the evidence against Sarevok
with you! This includes the letters from Cythandria, Eltan, Slythe, and
most importantly, his diary. When you're ready, talk to Bill at
(x=1960, y=2840) and show him your invitations, then enter the Duchal
Palace (x=2000, y=2650).
Duchal Palace, Level 3 (AR0110)
o======================================================================o
14) Once inside yet another guard will ask for invitations. Show them.
Now, you can head into the central room and continue with the story,
or you can go up the stairs (x=1200, y=700) to score some more loot.
Although one has to wonder... why do you need the loot at this point in
the game? Still, I'll cover it for the sake of this guide. There are
witnesses on every level, so the best thing to do is head up to the
highest level (AR0110) and steal everything you can. On (AR0110) there
are a pair of Flaming Fist Mercenaries walking around, making stealing
difficult. Still, if you've got a Thief who can hide fairly well, you
can steal, hide, and steal some more. Hide your party down on (AR0109)
while you steal so the Flaming Fist Mercenaries who show up won't bother
you.
***ITEMS***
(x=1060, y=560) Wand of Sleep
(x=950, y=450) Scroll of Agannazar's Scorcher, Scroll of Fireball,
Scroll of Chill Touch, Scroll of Horror, Scroll of Haste,
Scroll of Color Spray, Scroll of Clairvoyance,
Scroll of Protection from Normal Missiles,
Scroll of Slow, Scroll of Ghost Armor,
(x=800, y=750) Wand of Sleep
(x=700, y=820) Bloodstone Amulet, Fire Opal, 1050 gold
(x=80, y=450) Diamond x2, Ruby Ring
(x=120, y=400) Arrows +1 x20, Oil of Speed, Potion of Heroism
Potion of Cloud Giant Strength, 1564 gold
(x=150, y=400) Bastard Sword +1, Splint Mail +1, 350 gold
Duchal Palace, Level 2 (AR0109)
o======================================================================o
15) On the second level you'll find Nila (x=500, y=600), a guest who is
apparently bored of the party downstairs. She's not very interesting,
and really only serves as a foil to make stealing more bothersome,
since she WILL see you.
***ITEMS***
(x=570, y=570) 650 gold
(x=750, y=650) Wand of Lightning, 165 gold
Duchal Palace, Basement (AR0111)
o======================================================================o
16) Finally head to the main level and take your party-one character at
a time-along the northern wall around Sarevok and head down the stairs
at (x=600, y=150) to reach the basement. This is an absurd place to hide
a movie, which really only shows that there is a bunch of treasure down
here. Go grab it and head back upstairs.
***ITEMS***
(x=350, y=1000) King's Tears, Diamond x4, Emerald, Large Shield +1,
Arrows +50, Arrows of Dispelling x10, Arrows of Ice x10,
9560 gold
Duchal Palace, Level 1 (AR0108)
o======================================================================o
17) Return upstairs and get near Sarevok to start a conversation where
Belt and Liia will announce Sarevok as a Grand Duke. Sarevok kinda
sticks out like a sore thumb in his evil black spiky armor, no? The
Noblemen nearby will clamor for war, and Sarevok will speak, claiming
himself as not only the bringer of arms for the city (courtesy of the
stockpiles robbed and stored by the Iron Throne) but the general in
charge of the Flaming Fist, and hence the military commander of Baldur's
Gate itself. When Sarevok notices you things break down, the noblemen
transform into Greater Dopplegangers - six in all - and attack you,
Belt, and Jiia. After the fight show the surviving authorities Sarevok's
diary, upon which Sarevok will attack. Your goal here is not to win,
but to survive. Hit him with Magic Missiles, one of the few effective
spells against him, and keep your Fighters from getting killed. Sarevok
will eventually flee, and you'll be directed to the Thieve's Guild,
where you'll be promptly teleported.
Note from Lee:
Start out in the far southeast end of the room, and summon a host of
allies right in the middle of the soon-to-be enemy group. Send the party
member with Boots of Speed forward to initiate the sequence, and then
run back to the party. Forget spells, just fire ranged weapons to help
keep the enemies back, and let your summons do all the work. Once the
Dopplegangers are all dead, and the next sequence begins, blast Sarevok
with as many Magic Missiles as you can, and don't let up. If all goes
well, you will never even have to engage in melee, and you can win the
fight while suffering no damage. Yes, even at this level, Magic Missile
is still one of the best spells you can have memorized...
Thieves Guild (AR0153)
o======================================================================o
18) When you arrive a Thief named Denkov will talk to you, and tell
you that Sarevok fled into the Thief Warrens (x=1070, y=500), and
suggest that you get prepared before you chase him down by talking to
Black Lily (x=1150, y=590), which is an excellent idea. Sell off all
your junk and buy some select items, like the Potions of Giant Strength,
the Potions of Magic Shielding, Protection, and Blocking, and Arrows
of Dispelling, Arrows +2, and Arrows +1. You can, of course, just go get
these from your stash if you want. Her supply of Arrows +1 is plentiful
so get as many as you need. If you need more potions, arrows, or
whatever, Sorcerous Sundries has about the best selection and the most
numerous stock in the game. No need to hold back now. It's endgame time,
baby! Before you go, however, you might want to grab the Golden
Pantaloons. Remember those? We fleeced them off a nobleman in the
Friendly Arm Inn? If you have them in your main character's inventory
when you import them to Baldur's Gate 2 you'll be able to find them in
the sequel. If you collect all the metallic underwear items in the
sequel you'll be able to get the Big Metal Unit in Throne of Bhaal. It's
a long way off, yeah, but you might as well have them in your inventory.
Don't complain to me later if you neglect to do this and want the Big
Metal Unit.
Note from Lee:
I get rid of all regular spells and load up on Dispel Magic and Magic
Missile, in addition to defensive spells. Jaheira fills up with as
many Barkskins as she can. Each of my mages (Edwin, Imoen, and my
protagonist) has a Wand of Fire, and Jaheira has a Wand of the Heavens.
I seriously don't need all that much diversity in spell selection any
more, and some spells I will only need one of (Defensive Harmony and
Resist Fear, for example). Spread out the giant strength potions to
anyone who will be called upon to engage in melee; magic resistance
potions go to spell casters. Oils of Speed means I only need to have
one Haste memorized (just in case).
o======================================================================o
| |
| Showdown with Sarevok |
| |
o======================================================================o
Sequence of Events: {WLK036}
1) Best Wishes from Voleta Stiletto
2) The Jelly Run
3) Even More Jellies
4) Skeleton Warriors and Traps
5) Split Decision
6) The Western Way to Winski
7) Invisible Stalkers
8) More Skeleton Warriors
9) The Southern Way to Winski
10) Winski Perorate
11) The Enemy of My Enemy is Still My Enemy
12) Tamoko's Last Stand
13) Sarevok
Thieves Warrens (AR0146)
o======================================================================o
1) As soon as you get down the stairs a Thief named Voleta Stiletto
will talk to you. She'll tell you Sarevok attacked her on his way past,
but was too rushed to kill her. She'll warn you about the maze, saying
it's inhabited by undead and jellies. Our two favorite things!
Note: In the tunnels ahead, paintings on the walls indicate nearby
traps, so when you see colors on the walls, keep your eyes peeled.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
2) Head northeast, then northwest, then southwest. Ignore the path
leading southeast, instead continuing southwest and then u-turn into a
tunnel to the northeast. You'll find two Green Slimes at the beginning
of this tunnel, and an Ochre Jelly at the end. Remember Green Slimes
can be very dangerous in spite of their stats - if you see a character
turn green, you might as well reload. Unless you think that exploding
characters is something worth saving.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
3) Head down the next hallway to the southeast, then down a parallel one
to the northwest. When it opens up at the northern end it'll split into
two parallel tunnels running southeast, in the northern-most of which
are a pair of Mustard Jellies. The middle passage is a dead end, so head
up to the northern-most one, go southeast, then follow the parallel
passage above it to the northwest, and above that you'll find yet
another parallel passage running back southeast. Ah, zigzagging hallways
in video games that are just there to make you waste as much time as
possible... In this one you'll find some Gray Oozes. The passage will
continue southeast until it ends, after which it'll go northeast for a
ways.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
4) Instead of jellies, oozes, and slimes you'll find a pair of Doom
Guards. Save your magical arrows and just chop them up in melee, using
Magic Missiles to speed things along. It's not like you can't rest,
after all. Follow the hallway until it ends, then take a parallel one
to the southwest. Can you see the pattern here? There are traps about
halfway down this tunnel, and if that's not enough, there are also
a pair Skeleton Warriors with bows. Travesty! Your best bet is to lure
the Skeletons back to the party, away from the traps so you can deal
with them separately. Triggering a Fireball and Lightning Bolt trap
while fighting Skeleton Warriors in narrow hallways is not a recipe for
success. When they fall they'll each drop a Helmet, Arrows of Frost,
Arrows, a Composite Long Bow, and a Two Handed Sword... and usually some
gems, gold, or jewelry.
***TRAPS***
(x=2850, y=1550)
(x=2800, y=1580)
(x=2700, y=1600)
(x=2700, y=1650)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
5) Follow the tunnel until it ends, then follow a parallel tunnel to the
northeast until it turns northwest. A parallel tunnel will run southeast
for a ways before terminating into another parallel tunnel to the north-
west, and a tunnel to the southwest. The southern tunnel has some traps
in it, but is ultimately a dead end, so explore the northwest tunnel,
then follow it southwest. You'll get another decision to make, a
parallel tunnel running northeast and southwest will open up to the
west, and the tunnel you're in will continue south. Both can get you to
where you're going, so it's really up to you which way to go. If you
decide to go the western route, see Step #6-7; if you go south, see
Steps #8-9.
***TRAPS***
(x=2950, y=1180)
(x=2880, y=1250)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
6) The northeast passage soon ends in a dead end, where an Invisible
Stalker is waiting to greet you. The southwestern path will turn north-
west, then northeast. Keep going northeast and keep an eye out for
traps; the passage will eventually terminate, but not before giving you
a slew of new areas to explore. The parallel tunnel to the west runs
northeast and southwest. The southwestern route will lead you to Winski
Perorate (x=550, y=1190) and the exit to the Undercity (x=560, y=1100).
The northeastern route turns southeast, then terminates into a hallway
heading southeast and northwest, both of which are shortly dead ends.
Skip to Step 10 once you come to Winski.
***TRAPS***
(x=1570, y=600)
(x=1750, y=500)
(x=1800, y=460)
(x=2500, y=480)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
7) Alternatively if you head southeast instead of west you'll find two
passages to the southwest. The northern one runs northwest, then to the
southwest, and terminates to the southeast, after a trap, of course. The
southern one splits again into three more southwest-running tunnels. The
northern most of the three has a pair of traps in it. The middle one has
a pair of Invisible Stalkers, and the southern one has a single Invisible
Stalker. There is no exit from here, so either backtrack to Step #6 or
head back to the split in Step #5 and head southwest, which is detailed
in the next Step.
***TRAPS***
(x=900, y=1180)
(x=1500, y=920)
(x=1450, y=950)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
8) The southern path will continue southwest, then turn southeast for a
spell, then northeast again. Follow it northeast until it turns to the
southwest down a parallel tunnel. You'll find your old favorite combo of
traps and a Skeleton Warrior; this one has a Helmet, some gems, gold, or
jewels, and a Two Handed Sword +1 - the more typical Skeleton Warrior
loot. Disarm the traps between the green symbols and head up a parallel
tunnel to the northeast. It will eventually turn southeast, then to the
southwest, during which time you'll encounter a Doom Guard, and later
on, another Skeleton Warrior. The path then splits into two, both going
southwest.
***TRAPS***
(x=2300, y=1230)
(x=2050, y=1400)
(x=1970, y=1450)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
9) The southern-most of the two tunnels ends in a dead end to the north-
west, but not before it loves you with a nice Lightning Bolt trap. (You
can tell when I step on one, because then I tell you what it does! Ah,
reloads...). The main tunnel turns northwest, crooks a bit, and then
continues to the northwest. Follow it until you find a wounded man named
Winski Perorate (x=550, y=1190). What a name, eh? Somebody's parents
must have really hated them.
***TRAPS***
(x=1500, y=1860)
(x=1450, y=1850)
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
10) Talk to Winksi, who will reveal himself to be Sarevok's mentor, the
one who taught him and shaped him to be as he is, or so Winski claims.
Do with him as you will, but if you kill him you'll lose two points of
reputation... which makes little sense. When you're ready head through
the exit at (x=560, y=1100) to reach the Undercity. Just keep in mind
that once you go down, you cannot come back up... Nah, I'm just messing,
you can come and go as you please.
Undercity (AR0123)
o======================================================================o
11) Send a character to the west in stealth to find a group of hostiles
including an Ogre named Gorf, a bow-wielding man named Rahvin, another
man named Haseo, a woman named Wudei, another bow-wielder named Carston,
and a Mage already Mirror Imaged named Shaldrissa. Rahvin will speak and
ask who you are. You'll find out that they are mercenaries in the employ
of the Iron Throne being sent to kill Sarevok... talk about irony... but
they are willing to kill you for the bonus, too. I sneak up with Imoen
and hit them all with a Dispel Magic without being seen, then I cast a
pair of Stinking Clouds, followed by shooting at Rahvin with my three
archers, all using Arrows of Detonation. They should all die quite
nicely and cleanly in this admittedly crude yet showy display of force.
It's not like those Arrows of Detonation are going to be of any use
after this fight anyways. Gorf will leave behind an Arrow of Acid, two
Gold Rings, an Angel Skin Ring, a Bloodstone Ring, a Sphene Gem, a Horn
Coral Gem, a Morningstar, and 47 gold. Rahvin drops a suit of Plate Mail
Armor, a Ring of Protection +1, two Arrows of Detonation (which he would
have loved to shoot at you, by the way), ten Arrows of Piercing, twenty
Arrows +2, a Skydrop Gem, a Tchazar Gem, a Composite Long Bow, a Long
Sword, and 49 gold. Haseo has a Ring of Protection +1, a Long Sword +1,
and 64 gold. Wudei will give up a suit of Studded Leather Armor +1, a
Quarter Staff, and 12 gold. Carston abandons a suit of Plate Mail Armor,
a Helmet, ten Arrows of Fire, ten Arrows of Frost, ten Arrows of Biting,
a Black Opal, a Bloodstone Amulet, a Composite Long Bow, a Bastard
Sword, and 71 gold. Finally, Shaldrissa forfeits a Traveller's Robe, a
Quarter Staff, and 55 gold. Why you need anything besides the Arrows +2,
I do not know.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
12) You can find plenty of Ghouls, Skeletons, Zombies, and other undead
in the ruins to the south, whose only purpose I swear is to provide you
with arrows should you need them. Continue west to find Tamoko, who is
resigned to her fate of either losing her life, or losing Sarevok. If
you're a nice guy and you made your promise to her before you can talk
her out of a fight, but if she walks she takes her Full Plate Mail +1
with her. It's your choice. At this point in the game, the Full Plate
Mail +1 isn't really going to do much for you besides replace the Ankheg
Plate Mail. when she dies she'll drop a suit of Full Plate Mail +1, tied
for the most protective armor in the game, even if it's late, a Large
Shield +1, a Flail +1, and 125 gold. Head north to find the entrance to
a large shrine to Bhaal (x=1700, y=1300). Rest up, put Potions of Giant
Strength in your Fighter's quick-slots, and prepare spells for the final
fight. You no longer need anything like Identify or Knock, get Magic
Missiles, as many as you can get. Make sure you have summoning spells,
Dispel Magics, and Hastes. You won't really need Fireball, or crowd
control spells. When you're ready to go, head in. The final stats of my
party are below:
GOOD PARTY STATS: FINAL
o======================================================================o
Ajantis
Paladin 8
Experience: 161000
Hit points: 96
THAC0: 9
Armor Class: -8
Weapon: *Longsword +2: Varscona
Longsword +1, Flame Tongue
Throwing Axe +2
Helm: Helm of Glory
Amulet: Wolfsbane Charm
Armor: Full Plate Mail
Gloves: Gauntlets of Dexterity
Shield: Large Shield +1, +4 versus Missiles
Ring: Ring of Protection +2
Ring of Fire Resistance
Belt: Girdle of Bluntness
Cloak: Algernon's Cloak
Boots: Boots of Speed
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Jaheira
Fighter 7/Druid 8
Experience: 80500/80500
Hit points: 89
THAC0: 7
Armor Class: -3 (-4)
Weapon: *Dagger of Venom
Sling +3: Arla's Dragonbane
Helm: Helmet of Defense
Amulet: Greenstone Amulet
Armor: Ankheg Plate Mail (or Full Plate Mail +1)
Gloves: Gauntlets of Ogre Power
Shield: Large Shield +2
Ring: Ring of Free Action
Ring: Ring of Fire Resistance
Belt: Girdle of Piercing
Cloak: Cloak of Balduran
Boots: Boots of Avoidance
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Viconia
Cleric 8
Experience: 161000
Hit points: 72
THAC0: 13
Armor Class: -6
Weapon: *Staff Mace +2
Sling +1
Helm: Kiel's Helmet
Armor: Plate Mail +3
Gloves: Gauntlets of Weapon Skill
Shield: Large Shield +1
Ring: Ring of Holiness
Ring of Free Action
Belt: Golden Girdle
Cloak: Cloak of Displacement
Boots: Boots of the North
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Minsc
Ranger 8
Experience: 161000
Hit points: 88
THAC0: 6
Armor Class: 4
Weapon: Spider's Bane
Bastard Sword +1, +3 versus Shapeshifters
*Long Bow of Marksmanship
Helm: Helmet of Infravision
Amulet: Wolfsbane Charm
Armor: Studded Leather Armor +2
Gloves: Gauntlets of Weapon Skill
Ring: Ring of Energy
Ring of Animal Friendship
Cloak: Cloak of Non-Detection
Boots: Boots of Stealth
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Main Character
Fighter 7/Mage 7
Experience: 80500/80500
Hit points: 77 (82)
THAC0: 3
Armor Class: -2
Weapon: Two Handed Sword +3: The World's Edge
*Composite Long Bow +1
Helm: Helm of Balduran
Amulet: Amulet of Metaspell Influence
Armor: Robe of the Neutral Archmage
Gloves: Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise
Ring: Ring of Wizardry
Cloak: Cloak of Protection +2
Boots: Boots of Grounding
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Imoen
Thief 6/Conjurer 9
Experience: 20000/141000
Hit points: 64
THAC0: 10
Armor Class: 0
Weapon: Eagle Bow
Amulet: Necklace of Missiles
Armor: Robe of the Good Archmage
Gloves: Bracers of Archery
Ring: Ring of Wizardry
Ring of Invisibility
Cloak: Cloak of Protection +1
Boots: Boots of Stealth
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
EVIL PARTY STATS: FINAL
o======================================================================o
Jaheira
Fighter 7/Druid 8
Experience: 80500/80500
Hit points: 89
THAC0: 8
Armor Class: -5
Weapon: Dagger of Venom +2
Sling +1
Helm: Helm of Glory
Amulet: Greenstone Amulet
Armor: Plate Mail +3
Gloves: Gauntlets of Ogre Power
Shield: Large Shield +2
Ring: Ring of Free Action
Ring of Fire Resistance
Belt: Girdle of Piercing
Cloak: Cloak of Balduran
Boots: Boots of the North
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Kagain
Fighter 8
Experience: 161000
Hit points: 120
THAC0: 8
Armor Class: -6
Weapon: Battle Axe +2
Bastard Sword +1, +3 vs. Shapeshifters
Throwing Axe +2
Helm: Helmet (Kagain's)
Amulet: Necklace of Missiles
Armor: Full Plate Mail
Gloves: Gauntlets of Dexterity
Shield: Large Shield +1, +4 vs. Missiles
Ring: Ring of Fire Resistance
Belt: Girdle of Bluntness
Cloak: Cloak of Protection +1
Boots: Boots of Speed
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Shar-Teel
Fighter 8
Experience: 161000
Hit points: 80 (85)
THAC0: 4
Armor Class: -7
Weapon: Long Sword +2: 'Varscona'
Bastard Sword +1, +3 vs. Shapeshifters
Helm: Helm of Balduran
Amulet: Necklace of Missiles
Armor: Full Plate Mail
Gloves: Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise
Shield: Large Shield +1
Ring: Ring of Protection +2
Ring of Energy
Belt: Golden Girdle
Cloak: Cloak of the Wolf
Boots: Boots of Avoidance
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Viconia
Cleric 8
Experience: 161000
Hit points: 64
THAC0: 13
Armor Class: -6
Weapon: Warhammer +2: 'Ashideena'
Sling +1
Helm: Kiel's Helmet
Armor: Full Plate Mail +1
Gloves: Gauntlets of Weapon Skill
Shield: Large Shield +1
Ring: Ring of Free Action
Ring of Holiness
Belt: Golden Girdle
Cloak: Cloak of Displacement
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Protagonist
Fighter 6/Mage 6/Thief 7
Experience: 53666/53666/53666
Hit points: 69
THAC0: 4
Armor Class: -1
Weapon: Long Bow of Marksmanship
Helm: Helmet of Defense
Amulet: Amulet of Metaspell Influence
Armor: Robe of the Evil Archmagi
Gloves: Bracers of Archery
Ring: Ring of Wizardry
Cloak: Cloak of Protection +2
Boots: Boots of Stealth
o----------------------------------------------------------------------o
Edwin
Conjurer 9
Experience: 161000
Hit points: 54
THAC0: 13
Armor Class: 5
Weapon: Quarter Staff +3
Sling +3: 'Arla's Dragonbane'
Amulet: Edwin's Amulet
Armor: Knave's Robe
Gloves: Bracers of Defense A.C. 6
Ring: Ring of Wizardry
Ring of Protection +1
Cloak: Cloak of Non-Detection
Boots: Boots of Grounding
*Evil Note: My evil party required significant gear changes from my good
party, mostly due to the fact that Jaheira needed to take on Ajantis'
role as party leader, and I had to furnish four characters with good
armor, shields, and all the good stuff fighters like. If anything, these
restrictions made life easier, as I just needed to make sure the right
suits of armor, missile protection gear, and gauntlets went on the right
characters. As you can see, the armor classes are all more balanced this
time around then they were with the good party-at least for the front
line characters. My protagonist and Edwin just had to suffer... but with
four melee characters, there was no fear of them ever really being
pressured in melee themselves. Hence, all my front-liners have a
respectable armor class of -5 to -7.
Shrine of Bhaal (AR0125)
o======================================================================o
13) Take a deep breath. Whew. Alright. Now before you go charging
blindly ahead, take your little Thief and look for traps, because there
are a bunch of them. In fact, you might as well just consider the large
symbol of Bhaal in the center of the room a no-walk zone. There's still
plenty of ground to fight on. There are also traps on the left side of
the room, and a Battle Horror on the right. Lure the Battle Horror back
to you and take it out, and disarm the traps to the left. Once that's
done sneak up one of the sides until you can see Sarevok and his goons.
He'll be joined by Angelo, imposter to the Flaming Fist leadership,
Tazok, everybody's favorite Ogre-brigand, and some dill-hole named
Semaj. It would be advisable to lure his flunkies down without engaging
Sarevok, or at least Semaj. Semaj thinks he's clever anyways, and will
probably Dimension Door near the party when Sarevok speaks. Shoot him
full of Arrows of Dispelling and, when his Protection from Normal Arrows
and Mirror Image fails, properly whomp him. Does it really matter what
they drop at this point? Really? When his assistants are dead, do the
normal spell buffing. Haste, Protection from Evil 10' Radius, Defensive
Harmony, Mirror Image, the works. It would also be wise to summon some
monsters, Animate Dead, whatever you have. Then go up with just one
character and lure him down to the party, preferably AWAY from the
trapped center of the level. Sick your summons on him and pelt him with
missile fire, Magic Missiles work particularly well on him... certainly
better than any other offensive spell in your arsenal. If he breaks
through, have your Fighters quaff Potions of Giant Strength, Storm is
preferable, but Cloud or Fire will work just as well. Then... well, just
keep up the pressure. If a character is getting wounded, pull them out.
Keep hitting him with Arrows +2 and Magic Missiles until he falls. Once
he does you'll get some useless experience and a message saying your
party has been exported. See you in Baldur's Gate 2!
***TRAPS***
(x=700, y=850)
(x=775, y=865)
(x=830, y=830)
(x=750, y=800)
(x=840, y=730)
(x=570, y=1000)
(x=420, y=850)
(x=630, y=780)
o======================================================================o
| |
| Items {ITM000} |
| |
o======================================================================o
Below is a list of the items I deem to be rare and useful. If it's ever
a serious consideration for equipment, it'll be listed. You can simply
do a search of the item's name to find the item's location in the FAQ,
or you can search the area number listed by the item. Some items, like
more common magical weapons, will not be included. There are plenty of
places you can get a Ring of Protection +1, but there's only one Ring of
Protection +2.
Finding Recorded Items in the Walkthrough {ITM001}
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
You can simply do a search of the item's name to find the item's
location in the FAQ, or you can search the area number listed by the
item. It must be stressed that the latter method can be tedious, as
different events occur in areas at different times in the game. For
example, by looking at the location of the Boots of Avoidance, you might
be tempted to run off to Nashkel, not realizing that the assasin who
drops them doesn't appear until after the Nashkel Mines are cleared
(Chapter 3 or later). Combine this with the fact that I don't
necessarily list the area number of places I visit on subsequent visits,
and it can be rather difficult to find an item with just the area
number. On the other hand, searching for the name could prove fruitless
as well if the full name is broken up by a line change in the
Walkthrough. This can be overcome by searching for a key word in the
name (i.e. 'Archmage' in the Robe of the Evil Archmage.) Of course,
even this isn't fool proof, as some items that appear multiple times or
are otherwise unworthy of comment (especially unexceptional items in
stores) won't be mentioned in the Walkthrough, or on the other hand
might be mentioned several times, thus making it difficult to find the
actual part of the FAQ where the item is acquired, as opposed to where
it's just mentioned. Then you have cases such as the Cloak of
Displacement, where the key word 'Displacement' appears as a spell that
may be mentioned without any connection to the item. It's not a perfect
system by any means, but having an index dedicated to the items is
better than nothing at all, even with all its flaws. Of course if you
actually read the Walkthrough you'll get everything worth getting, so
you really have no *real* reason to gripe, do you?
Item (Alphabetical) Item Type Found {ITM002}
o======================================================================o
o===o
|(A)|
o===o
Algernon's Cloak Cloak (AR3352)
Amulet of Metaspell Influence Amulet (AR0138)
Anhkeg Plate Mail Armor (AR3301)
Ankheg Plate Mail Armor (AR4800)
o===o
|(B)|
o===o
Bala's Axe Axe (AR0513)
Battle Axe +2: 'Battleaxe of Mauletar' Axe (AR0116)
Bastard Sword +1, +3 vs Shapeshifters Large Sword (AR0128)*
Bastard Sword +1, +3 vs Shapeshifters Large Sword (AR1006)
Bastard Sword +1, +3 vs Shapeshifters Large Sword (AR2200)*
Boots of Avoidance Boots (AR4800)
Boots of Grounding Boots (AR5405)
Boots of the North Boots (AR4600)
Boots of Speed Boots (AR1800)
Boots of Stealth Boots {AR1207}
Boots of Stealth Boots (AR3800)
Boots of Stealth Boots (AR3900)
Bracers of Archery Gloves (AR5300)
Bracers of Binding Gloves (AR1502)
Bracers of Defense A.C. 6 Gloves (AR1803)
*You can only obtain one of these two items, one by helping Aldeth
Sashenstar out in the Cloakwood Forest, then again at the Merchant
League. The other can be obtained by killing Aldeth in the Cloakwood.
o===o
|(C)|
o===o
Chain Mail +2 Armor (AR4000)
Chain Mail +3 Armor (AR1004)
Claw of Kazgaroth, The Ring (AR3202)
Cloak of Balduran Cloak (AR0112)
Cloak of Displacement Cloak (AR1001)
Cloak of Non-Detection Cloak (AR2200)
Cloak of Protection +2 Cloak (AR2615)
Cloak of the Shield Cloak (AR0514)
Cloak of the Wolf Cloak (AR3601)
Composite Long Bow +1 Bow (AR3351)
o===o
|(D)|
o===o
Dagger of Venom Small Sword (AR3301)
Dagger +2: 'Heart of the Golem' Small Sword (AR0115)
Dagger +2: 'Heart of the Golem' Small Sword (AR5000)
Dagger +2, Longtooth Small Sword (AR0112)
Durlag's Goblet Miscellaneous (AR0512)
o===o
|(E)|
o===o
Eagle Bow Bow (AR0115)
o===o
|(F)|
o===o
Full Plate Mail Armor (AR0513)
Full Plate Mail Armor (AR1900)
Full Plate Mail Armor (AR3301)
Full Plate Mail +1 Armor (AR0123)
Full Plate Mail +1 Armor (AR0502)
o===o
|(G)|
o===o
Gauntlets of Dexterity Gloves (AR5100)
Gauntlets of Fumbling Gloves (AR3700)
Gauntlets of Ogre Power Gloves (AR0133)
Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise Gloves (AR4500)
Gauntlets of Weapon Skill Gloves (AR1200)
Gauntlets of Weapon Skill Gloves (AR0114)
Girdle of Bluntness Belt (AR5200)
Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity Belt (AR2800)
Girdle of Piercing Belt (AR2800)
Golden Girdle Girdle (AR3500)
Greenstone Amulet Amulet (AR1001)
Gregan's Harp Miscellaneous (AR1001)
o===o
|(H)|
o===o
Halberd +2: 'Suryris' Blade' Spear (AR0615)
Heavy Crossbow of Accuracy: 'The Guide' Missile Weapon (AR0700)
Helm of Balduran Helmet (AR0118)
Helm of Glory Helmet (AR0011)
Helmet of Defense Helmet (AR3100)
Helmet of Infravision Helmet (AR4801)
Helmet of Opposite Alignment Helmet (AR0502)
Horn of Kazgaroth, The Miscellaneous (AR3202)
o===o
|(K)|
o===o
Kiel's Buckler Shield (AR0512)
Kiel's Helmet Helmet (AR0512)
Kiel's Morningstar Spiked Weapon (AR0512)
Koveras' Ring of Protection Ring (AR2609)
o===o
|(L)|
o===o
Large Shield +1, +4 versus Missiles Shield (AR0617)
Large Shield +2 Shield (AR0514)
Leather Armor +2 Armor (AR5000)
Leather Armor +3 Armor (AR0514)
Light Crossbow of Speed Missile Weapon (AR3301)
Long Bow of Marksmanship Bow (AR1901)
Longsword +1, Flame Tongue Large Sword (AR0514)
Longsword +2: 'Varscona' Large Sword (AR5400)
o===o
|(M)|
o===o
Mace +2: 'Krolan's Skullcrusher' Blunt Weapon (AR0514)
Manual of Bodily Health Miscellaneous (AR3601)
Manual of Gainful Exercise Miscellaneous (AR2615)
Manual of Quickness of Action Miscellaneous (AR0153)
Mithral Chain Mail +4 Armor (AR4200)
Moonblade Large Sword (AR5405)
o===o
|(N)|
o===o
Necklace of Missiles Necklace (AR0145)
Necklace of Missiles Necklace (AR0715)
Necklace of Missiles Necklace (AR4907)
Nymph Cloak Cloak (AR0703)
o===o
|(P)|
o===o
Platemail +1 Armor (AR1800)
Platemail +3: 'The Practical Defense' Armor (AR0511)
o===o
|(Q)|
o===o
Quarter Staff +3 Blunt Weapon (AR1001)
o===o
|(R)|
o===o
Ring of Animal Friendsip Ring (AR2200)
Ring of Clumsiness Ring (AR0704)
Ring of Energy Ring (AR3000)
Ring of Fire Resistance Ring (AR2615)
Ring of Fire Resistance Ring (AR5500)
Ring of Folly Ring (AR0705)
Ring of Folly Ring (AR2101)
Ring of Folly Ring (AR3100)
Ring of Free Action Ring (AR0615)
Ring of Free Action Ring (AR1000)
Ring of Holiness Ring (AR5405)
Ring of Infravision Ring (AR0706)
Ring of Infravision Ring (AR4800)
Ring of Infravision Ring (AR4907)
Ring of Invisibility Ring (AR1001)
Ring of Protection +2 Ring (AR0138)
Ring of Wizardry Ring (AR1111)
Ring of Wizardry Ring (AR2300)
Robe of the Evil Archmage Armor (AR1803)
Robe of the Good Archmage Armor (AR3202)
Robe of the Neutral Archmage Armor (AR3202)
o===o
|(S)|
o===o
Scimitar +2: 'Rhashad's Talon' Large Sword (AR0500)
Scimitar +3: Frostbrand Large Sword (AR4200)
Scimitar +5: Defender Large Sword (AR4200)
Shadow Armor Armor (AR3301)
Shield Amulet Necklace (AR1503)
Shield Amulet Necklace (AR4907)
Short Sword of Backstabbing Small Sword (AR0112)
Short Sword +2: 'The Whistling Sword' Small Sword (AR3700)
Silver Dagger - Werebane Small Sword (AR1502)
Sling +3: Arla's Dragonbane Missile Weapon (AR0514)
Spider's Bane Large Sword (AR2101)
Staff Mace +2 Blunt Weapon (AR1505)
Staff of Striking Blunt Weapon (AR0514)
Staff Spear +2 Blunt Weapon (AR0505)
Studded Leather Armor +2 Armor (AR5300)
Sword of Balduran Large Sword (AR1503)
o===o
|(T)|
o===o
Throwing Axe +2 Axe (AR5506)
Tome of Clear Thought Tome (AR0138)
Tome of Leadership and Influence Miscellaneous (AR5102)
Tome of Understanding Miscellaneous (AR0132)
Tome of Understanding Miscellaneous (AR2615)
Tome of Understanding Miscellaneous (AR0504)
Two Handed Sword, Cursed Berserking +3 Large Sword (AR4100)
Two Handed Sword +3 'The World's Edge' Large Sword (AR0506)
o===o
|(W)|
o===o
Wand of Fear Miscellaneous (AR0703)
Wand of Fear Miscellaneous (AR1009)
Wand of Fear Miscellaneous (AR1803)
Wand of Fear Miscellaneous (AR1900)
Wand of Fear Miscellaneous (AR3202)
Wand of Fear Miscellaneous (AR4501)
Wand of Fire Miscellaneous (AR0134)
Wand of Fire Miscellaneous (AR0500)
Wand of Fire Miscellaneous (AR0514)
Wand of Fire Miscellaneous (AR0703)
Wand of Fire Miscellaneous (AR0704)
Wand of Fire Miscellaneous (AR1401)
Wand of Fire Miscellaneous (AR2615)
Wand of Fire Miscellaneous (AR3901)
Wand of Frost Miscellaneous (AR0703)
Wand of Frost Miscellaneous (AR1000)
Wand of Frost Miscellaneous (AR1001)
Wand of Frost Miscellaneous {AR1501)
Wand of Frost Miscellaneous (AR2101)
Wand of Frost Miscellaneous (AR5400)
Wand of Lightning Miscellaneous (AR0109)
Wand of Lightning Miscellaneous (AR0514)
Wand of Lightning Miscellaneous (AR0703)
Wand of Lightning Miscellaneous (AR0705)
Wand of Lightning Miscellaneous (AR1502)
Wand of Lightning Miscellaneous (AR3321)
Wand of Magic Missiles Miscellaneous (AR0601)
Wand of Magic Missiles Miscellaneous (AR0703)
Wand of Magic Missiles Miscellaneous (AR1501)
Wand of Magic Missiles Miscellaneous (AR3352)
Wand of Magic Missiles Miscellaneous (AR4010)
Wand of Monster Summoning Miscellaneous (AR0514)
Wand of Monster Summoning Miscellaneous (AR0703)
Wand of Monster Summoning Miscellaneous (AR5001)
Wand of Paralyzation Miscellaneous (AR0126)
Wand of Paralyzation Miscellaneous (AR0138)
Wand of Paralyzation Miscellaneous (AR0153)
Wand of Paralyzation Miscellaneous (AR0703)
Wand of Paralyzation Miscellaneous (AR3601)
Wand of Polymorphing Miscellaneous (AR0162)
Wand of Sleep Miscellaneous (AR0110)
Wand of Sleep Miscellaneous (AR0110)
Wand of Sleep Miscellaneous (AR0703)
Wand of Sleep Miscellaneous (AR3202)
Wand of the Heavens Miscellaneous (AR0615)
Wand of the Heavens Miscellaneous (AR0703)
Wand of the Heavens Miscellaneous (AR1001)
War Hammer +1, +4 vs Giant Humanoids Blunt Weapons (AR1001)
War Hammer +2 'Ashideena' Blunt Weapons (AR3700)
Wolfsbane Charm Amulet (AR1505)
Wolfsbane Charm Amulet (AR1505)
Item Descriptions {ITM003}
o======================================================================o
Below I have added the descriptions of every item mentioned above, their
stats taken directly from the descriptive text of the game. (Whether the
stats listed by the game matches what the item actually does is another
story!)
o===o
|(A)|
o===o
Algernon's Cloak
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Charisma: +2 bonus
Weight: 3
Not Usable By:
Amulet of Metaspell Influence: 'The Amplifier'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Special: Memorize one extra second level spell.
Ankheg Plate Mail
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 1
Weight: 25
Only Usable By: Bard, Druid, Mage, Thief
o===o
|(B)|
o===o
Bala's Axe - Wizard Slayer
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d8
Damage Type: Slashing
Special: Miscast Magic affects victim on each successful hit.
Miscast Magic: Any spell casting creature that is affected by this spell
has its casting ability severely disabled. When the creature attempts to
cast a spell it has an 80% chance of failure. Creatures can save vs.
spells to avoid the affect, but do so at -2.
Weight: 6
Speed Factor: 7
Proficiency Type: Axe
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief
Bastard Sword +1, +3 vs. Shapeshifters: 'Kondar'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 2d4 +1, +3 vs. Shape Shifters
THAC0: +1 bonus
Damage Type: Slashing
Weight: 8
Speed Factor: 7
Proficiency Type: Large Sword
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief
Battle Axe +2: 'Battleaxe of Mauletar'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d8 +2
THAC0: +2 bonus
Damage Type: Slashing
Weight: 5
Speed Factor: 5
Proficiency Type: Axe
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief
Boots of Avoidance: 'Senses of the Cat'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class Bonus: +5 vs. Missile Weapons
Weight: 4
Boots of Ground: 'Talos' Gift'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Electricity Resistance: +50%
Weight: 4
Boots of Stealth: 'Worn Whispers'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Stealth Bonus: +35%
Weight: 4
Not Usable By: Fighter, Mage Cleric, Druid
Boots of the North: 'The Frost's Embrace'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Cold Resistance: +50%
Weight: 4
Bracers of Archery: 'The Dale's Protector'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
THAC0: +2 (missile weapons only)
Weight: 2
Not Usable By: Druid, Mage, Cleric
Bracers of Binding
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Special: Casting failure 75%
THAC0: +5 penalty
Damage: -5 penalty
Bracers of Defense A.C. 6
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 6
Weight: 2
Not Usable By:
o===o
|(C)|
o===o
Chain Mail +2: 'Mail of the Dead'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 3
Weight: 10
Only Usable By: Druid, Mage, Thief
Chain Mail +3
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 2
Weight: 9
Only Usable By: Druid, Mage, Thief
Claw of Kazgaroth
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: +1 bonus
Save vs Death: -4 penalty
Save vs Wands: +3 bonus
Save vs Polymorph: +3 bonus
Save vs Breath: +3 bonus
Save vs Spells: +3 bonus
Constitution Modifier: -2 penalty
Cloak of Balduran: 'Cloak of Balduran'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: +1 bonus
Saving Throws: +1 bonus
Magic Resistance: 25%
Weight: 3
Not Usable By:
Cloak of Displacement
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: +4 vs. Missile Weapons
Saving Throws (death, breath, wands): +2 bonus
Weight: 3
Not Usable By:
Cloak of Non-Detection: 'Whispers of Silence'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Special: Non-detectable by magical means such as Detect Invisibility
and scrying.
Weight: 3
Not Usable By:
Cloak of Protection +2: 'The Spirit's Shield'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: +2 bonus
Saving Throws: +2 bonus
Weight: 3
Not Usable By:
Cloak of the Shield
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Special: +5 Armor bonus vs. missile weapons
Special: +1 Armor bonus vs. all other weapons
Duration: 1 turn
Number of Charges: Unknown
Weight: 4
Not Usable By:
Cloak of the Wolf: 'Relair's Mistake'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Special: Polymorph into wolf at will.
Weight: 3
Not Usable By:
Composite Long Bow +1
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
THAC0: +2 bonus
Damage: +3
Weight: 9
Speed Factor: 6
Proficiency Type: Bow Weapons
Type: 2-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief, Bard
o===o
|(D)|
o===o
Dagger +2: 'Heart of the Golem'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d4 +2
THAC0: +2 bonus
Weight: 2
Speed Factor: 1
Proficiency Type: Small Sword
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Cleric
Dagger +2, Longtooth: 'Grave Binder'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d6 +2
THAC0: +2 bonus
Damage Type: Piercing
Weight: 2
Speed Factor: 0
Proficiency Type: Small Sword
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Cleric
Dagger of Venom
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d4 +2
THAC0: +2 bonus
Poison Damage: 6 points per round, Up to a total of 15 damage
Weight: 2
Speed Factor: 0
Proficiency Type: Small Sword
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Cleric
o===o
|(E)|
o===o
Eagle Bow
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
THAC0: +2 bonus
Damage: +2
Weight: 2
Speed Factor: 4
Proficiency Type: Bow Weapons
Type: 2-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage
o===o
|(F)|
o===o
Full Plate Mail
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 1
Weight: 70
Only Usable By: Bard, Druid, Mage, Thief
Full Plate Mail +1: 'Plate of the Dark'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 0
Weight: 35
Not Usable By: Bard, Druid, Mage, Thief
o===o
|(G)|
o===o
Gauntlets of Dexterity: 'The Brawling Hands'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Dexterity: Set to 18
Weight: 2
Not Usable By:
Gauntlets of Fumbling:: 'Elander's Gloves of Misplacement'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
THACO: -10 penalty
Dexterity: -2 penalty
Weight: 2
Special: Can only be removed by a 'remove curse' spell.
Gauntlets of Ogre Power
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Strength: set to 18/00
Weight: 2
Not Usable By: Thief, Mage
Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
THACO: +1 bonus
Damage: +2 bonus
Weight: 1
Not Usable By:
Gauntlets of Weapon Skill
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
THACO: +1 bonus
Weight: 2
Not Usable By:
Girdle of Bluntness: 'Destroyer of the Hills'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class Bonus: +4 vs. blunt weapons
Weight: 2
Not Usable By:
Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Girdle of Piercing: 'Elves' Bane'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class Bonus: +3 vs. piercing weapons
Golden Girdle: 'Golden Girdle of Urnst'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class Bonus: +3 vs. slashing weapons
Weight: 2
Not Usable By:
Greenstone Amulet
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
This amulet confers the wearer protection against all charm, confusion,
fear, domination, ESP, detect alignment, hold, stun, psionics, sleep and
feeblemind, much like the 8th level wizard spell Mind Blank. However the
protection effected uses one charge each time it is used and will only
last for 1 turn.
Weight: 1 pound
Gregan's Harp: 'The Captive Audience'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Special: Dominates a single victim each time it is played, as per the
5th level wizard spell Domination (victim must save vs. spell at -2 to
avoid the effect). Has a finite number of charges left.
Duration: 12 hours
Weight: 3
Only Usable By: Bard
o===o
|(H)|
o===o
Halberd +2: 'Suryris' Blade'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d10 +2
THAC0: +2 bonus
Weight: 12
Speed Factor: 7
Proficiency Type: Spear
Type: 2-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief
Heavy Crossbow of Accuracy: 'The Guide'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: +2 (missile)
THAC0: +5 bonus
Weight: 10
Speed Factor: 7
Proficiency Type: Missile Weapon
Type: 2-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief
Helm of Balduran
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: +1 bonus
Hit Point Max: +5
Saving Throws: +1
THAC0: +1 bonus
Special: Protects Against Critical Hits
Weight: 1
Not Usable By: Mage, Bard, Thief
Helm of Glory
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: +1 bonus
Charisma: +1 bonus
Special: Protects Against Critical Hits
Weight: 2
Not Usable By: Mage, Bard, Thief
Helm of Infravision: 'The Eyes of the Truth'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class Bonus: None
Special:
Protects Against Critical Hits
Grants wearer infravision up to 120 ft.
Weight: 3
Not Usable By: Mage, Bard, Thief
Helmet of Defense: 'Gift of Peace'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class Bonus: None
Saving Throws: +1 bonus
Electrical Resistance: +20%
Cold Resistance: +20%
Fire Resistance: +20%
Special: Protects Against Critical Hits
Weight: 3
Not Usable By: Mage, Bard, Thief
Helmet of Opposite Alignment
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class Bonus: None
Special:
Alignment will become opposite
Protects against Critical Hits
Can only be removed by 'Remove Curse' Spell
Weight 2
Horn of Kazgaroth
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Immunity to first and second level spells.
Save vs Death: +2
Save vs Wands: +2
Save vs Polymorph: +2
Save vs Breath: +2
Save vs Spells: +2
Armor Class bonus vs missile attacks: +5
Damage done to user: Unknown
Not Usable By: Cleric (any combination of Cleric or Druid
cannot use this item), Druid, Thief
o===o
|(K)|
o===o
Kiel's Buckler
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: +1
Special: No Missile/Piercing Attack Protection
Special: +1 Dexterity while equipped
Weight: 2
Not Usable By: Mage
Kiel's Helmet
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: None
Special: Protects Against Critical Hits
Special: Protects Against all forms of panic and boosts
morale.
Weight: 2
Not Usable By: Mage, Bard, Thief
Kiel's Morningstar
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 2d4 +3
THAC0: +3 bonus
Damage Type: Crushing
Special: This weapon is cursed and instills a berserker
fury in its wielder.
Weight: 10
Speed Factor: 4
Proficiency Type: Spiked Weapons
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Mage, Thief
Koveras' Ring of Protection: 'Ring of the Princes'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: +1 bonus
Saving Throws: +1 bonus
Not Usable By:
o===o
|(L)|
o===o
Large Shield +1, +4 vs. Missiles: 'Shield of the Falling Stars'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: +2 bonus, +5 vs. Missile Weapons
Weight: 12
Not Usable By: Bard, Druid, Mage, Thief
Large Shield +2
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 3
Special: +1 vs. Missile Weapons
Weight: 4
Not Usable By: Bard, Druid, Mage, Thief
Leather Armor +2: 'Protector of the Second'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 6
Weight: 5
Not Usable By: Mage
Leather Armor +3
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 5
Weight: 4
Not Usable By: Mage
Light Crossbow of Speed: 'The Army Scythe'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: +1 (Missile)
THAC0: +1 bonus
Special: 1 extra attack per round
Weight: 5
Speed Factor: 3
Proficiency Type: Missile Weapon
Type: 2-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief
Long Bow of Marksmanship: 'The Dead Shot'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
THAC0: +3
Damage: +2
Weight: 2
Speed Factor: 5
Proficiency Type: Bow Weapons
Type: 2-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief
Long Sword +1: 'The Burning Earth'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d8 +1
THAC0: +1 bonus
Special: +2 vs. Regenerating Creatures
+3 vs. Cold-Using Creatures
+4 vs. Undead
Damage Type: Slashing
Weight: 4
Speed Factor: 3
Proficiency Type: Large Sword
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage
Long Sword +2: 'Varscona'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d8 +2
Special: +1 Cold Damage
THAC0: +2 bonus
Damage Type: Slashing
Weight: 3
Speed Factor: 3
Proficiency Type: Large Sword
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage
o===o
|(M)|
o===o
Mace +2: 'Krolan's Skullcrusher'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d6 +3
THAC0: +2 bonus
Damage Type: Crushing
Weight: 7
Speed Factor: 5
Proficiency Type: Blunt Weapons
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Mage, Thief
Manual of Bodily Health
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Constitution: Raised by 1 point permanently.
Special: The book is consumed upon use.
Usage: Place into quick item slot.
Manual of Gainful Exercise
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Strength: Raised by 1 point permanently.
Special: The book is consumed upon use.
Usage: Place into quick item slot.
Manual of Quickness of Action
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Dexterity: Raised by 1 point permanently.
Special: The book is consumed upon use.
Usage: Place into quick item slot.
Mithral Chain Mail +4
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 1
Requires: 5 Strength
Weight: 7
Moonblade
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d8
Damage Type: Slashing
Bonus to Hit: 3
Bonud to Damage: 3
Special:
+1 bonus to Armor Class
+50% Fire Resistance
Weight: 4
Speed Factor: 5
Proficiency Type: Small Sword
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Everyone but Xan
o===o
|(N)|
o===o
Necklace of Missiles 'The One Gift Lost'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Range: 50 ft.
Area of Effect: 30 ft. radius
Damage: 6d6 (save vs. spell for half)
Nymph Cloak
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Charisma: +2 bonus
Weight: 3
Not Usable By:
o===o
|(P)|
o===o
Plate Mail +1: 'Fallorain's Plate'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 2
Weight: 20
Only Usable By: Bard, Druid
Plate Mail +3: 'The Practical Defense'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 0
Weight: 18
Only Usable By: Bard, Druid, Mage, Thief
o===o
|(Q)|
o===o
Quarter Staff +3: 'Aule's Staff'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d6 +3
THAC0: +3 bonus
Damage Type: Crushing
Weight: 3
Speed Factor: 1
Proficiency Type: Blunt Weapons
Type: 2-handed
Not Usable By:
o===o
|(R)|
o===o
Ring of Animal Friendship: 'Druid's Ring'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Special: Charm animal unless save vs. wands.
Range: 40 ft
Area: 1 animal
Duration: 10 turns
Ring of Clumsiness: 'The Jester's Folly'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Dexterity: reduced by 50%
Stealth: reduced by 50%
Spells: 75% casting failure
Special: can only be removed by a 'remove curse' spell
Ring of Energy: 'The Victor'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 2d6 (no save)
Range: 120 ft
Area: 1 creature
Ring of Fire Resistance: 'Batalista's Passport'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Fire Resistance: +40%
Not Usable By:
Ring of Folly
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Intelligence: Set to 3
Wisdom: Set to 3
Special: Infects the wearer with Feeblemind
Can only be removed with a 'Remove Curse' spell.
Ring of Free Action: 'Edventar's Gift'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Special: The wearer is immune to everything, magical and otherwise, that
effects mobility in any way, although can still be hasted. Be aware,
however, this will also protect the wearer from beneficial effects such
as those received from the boots of speed.
Ring of Holiness: 'Honorary Gift of Sune'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Spells: Grants an extra spell of each level from 1st to 4th.
Only Usable By: Cleric, Druid
Ring of Infravision: 'Topsider's Crutch'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Special: The wearer gains the ability of infravision up to 120 ft.
Ring of Invisibility: 'Sandthief's Ring'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Not Usable By:
Ring of Protection +2: 'The Guard's Ring'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: +2 bonus
Saving Throws: +2 bonus
Not Usable By:
Ring of Wizardry: 'Evermemory'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Spells: Doubles the amount of 1st level spells a Mage can memorize.
Only Usable By: Mage
Robe of the Evil Archmagi
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 5
Magic Resistance: 5%
Saving Throw: +1 bonus
Weight: 6
Only Usable By: Mage (single, dual, & multi-class),
Evil-aligned characters
Robe of the Good Archmagi
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 5
Magic Resistance: 5%
Saving Throw: +1 bonus
Weight: 6
Only Usable By: Mage (single, dual, & multi-class),
Good-aligned characters
Robe of the Neutral Archmagi
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 5
Magic Resistance: 5%
Saving Throw: +1 bonus
Weight: 6
Only Usable By: Mage (single, dual, & multi-class),
Neutral-aligned characters
o===o
|(S)|
o===o
Scimitar +2: 'Rhashad's Talon'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
THAC0: +2 bonus
Damage: 1d8 +2
Damage Type: Slashing
Weight: 3
Speed Factor: 3
Proficiency Type: Large Sword
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Cleric, Mage, Thief
Scimitar +3: Frostbrand
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d8 +3
THAC0: +3 bonus
Damage Type: Slashing
Weight: 4
Proficiency Type: Large Sword
Speed Factor: 2
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Cleric, Mage
Scimitar +5: Defender
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d8 +3
THAC0: +3 bonus
Special: +2 Armor Class Bonus
Damage Type: Slashing
Weight: 4
Proficiency Type: Large Sword
Speed Factor: 2
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Evil or Neutral Alignment, Cleric, Mage,
Shadow Armor
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 4
Special: +15% Hide in Shadows
Weight: 8
Only Usable By: Thief (single, multi, and dual class)
Shield Amulet
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Range: 0
Area of Effect: Self
Armor Class: Base set to 4
Special: Bonus +2 AC vs. missile attacks
Duration: 5 turns
Short Sword +2: 'The Whistling Sword'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d6 +2
THAC0: +2 bonus
Damage Type: Piercing
Weight: 2
Speed Factor: 1
Proficiency Type: Small Sword
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage
Short Sword of Backstabbing: 'The Shadow's Blade'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d6 +3
THAC0: +3 bonus
Damage Type: Piercing
Weight: 3
Speed Factor: 0
Proficiency Type: Small Sword
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage
Silver Dagger - Werebane
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d4 +1 (+4 vs. Lycanthropes)
THAC0: +1 bonus (+4 vs. Lycanthropes)
Damage Type: Piercing
Weight: 1
Speed Factor: 2
Proficiency Type: Small Sword
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Cleric
Sling +3: 'Arla's Dragonbane'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: +3 (missile damage)
THAC0: +3 bonus
Weight: 0
Speed Factor: 3
Proficiency Type: Missile Weapons
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By:
Spider's Bane
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d10 +2
THAC0: +2 bonus
Special: Free Action (while equipped) - protects the wielder from any
magics that effect movement such as hold and web.
Damage Type: Slashing
Weight: 10
Speed Factor: 8
Proficiency Type: Large Sword
Type: 2-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief
Staff of Striking
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d6 +9
THAC0: +3 bonus
Damage Type: Crushing
Weight: 4
Speed Factor: 1
Proficiency Type: Blunt Weapons
Not Usable By:
Staff Mace
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
THAC0: +2 bonus
Damage: 2d4 +2
Weight: 4
Speed Factor: 2
Damage Type: Bludgeon
Proficiency Type: Blunt Weapons
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By:
Staff Spear +2
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
THAC0: +2 bonus
Damage: 1d8 +3
Weight: 4
Speed Factor: 4
Type: 2-handed
Proficiency Type: Staff
Damage Type: Piercing
Not Usable By:
Studded Leather Armror +2
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Armor Class: 5
Weight: 8
Not Usable By: Mage
Sword of Balduran
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 2d4 (+4 vs. Lycanthropes)
THAC0: +4 vs. Lycanthropes
Damage Type: Slashing
Weight: 12
Speed Factor: 7
Proficiency Type: Large Sword
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief
o===o
|(T)|
o===o
Throwing Axe +2
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d6 +3
THAC0: +2
Damage Type (melee): Slashing
Damage Type (thrown): Missile (Piercing)
Special: Returns to users hand once thrown
Weight: 3
Speed Factor: 2
Proficiency Type: Axe
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief
Tome of Clear Thought
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Intelligence: Raised by 1 point permanently.
Special: The book is consumed upon use.
Usage: Place into quick item slot.
Tome of Leadership and Influence
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Charisma: Raised by 1 point permanently.
Special: The book is consumed upon use.
Usage: Place into quick item slot.
Tome of Understanding
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Wisdom: Raised by 1 point permanently.
Special: The book is consumed upon use.
Usage: Place into quick item slot.
Two Handed Sword +3: 'The World's Edge'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d10 +3
THAC0: +3 bonus
Damage Type: Slashing
Weight: 9
Speed Factor: 7
Proficiency Type: Large Sword
Type: 2-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief
Two Handed Sword, Cursed Berserking +3
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d10 +3
THAC0: +3 bonus
Damage Type: Slashing
Special:
Causes the wielder to go berserk.
Can only be removed with a 'Remove Curse' spell.
Weight: 15
Speed Factor: 10
Proficiency Type: Large Sword
Type: 2-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Cleric, Mage, Thief
o===o
|(W)|
o===o
Wand of Fear
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Special: Causes enemies to run in fear unless they save vs. spells.
Range: 100 ft
Area: 20 ft radius
Duration: 15 rounds
Not Usable By: Fighter, Thief
Wand of Fire
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Ability 1:
Effect: Shoots out a Fireball
Damage: 6d6 (save vs. wands for half)
Range: 90 ft
Area: 30 ft radius
Ability 2:
Effect: Agannazar's Scorcher
Damage: 6d6 +6 (save vs. wands for half)
Range: 90 ft
Area: 1 creature
Not Usable By: Fighter, Cleric
Wand of Frost
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Effect: Colum of Ice
Damage: 8d6 (save vs. wands for half)
Range: 100
Area: 1 creature
Not Usable By: Fighter, Cleric, Druid, Thief
Wand of Lightning
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Effect: Lightning Bolt
Damage: 6d6 (save vs. wands for half)
Range: 100ft
Area: Path of bolt
Not Usable By: Fighter, Cleric, Druid, Thief
Wand of Magic Missiles
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Special: 1 Magic Missile will strike target.
Damage: 1d4 +1
Range: 100 ft
Area: 1 creature
Not Usable By:
Wand of Monster Summoning
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Effect: Summon 12 HD of monsters.
Range 20 ft
Duration: 2 turns
Not Usable By: Fighter, Cleric, Druid, Thief
Wand of Paralyzation
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Effect: Stun target unless save vs. wands with -4 penalty.
Range: 100 ft
Area: 1 creature
Duration: 10 rounds
Not Usable By: Fighter, Druid, Cleric, Thief
Wand of Polymorphing
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Effects: Polymorph target into squirrel unless save vs. wands.
Range: 100 ft
Area: 1 creature
Duration: Permanent until dispelled
Not Usable By: Fighter, Cleric, Druid, Thief
Wand of Sleep
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Effect: Sleep unless victim saves vs. wands.
Range: 90 ft
Area: 20 ft radius
Duration: 2 turns
Not Usable By:
Wand of the Heavens
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Effect: Flamestrike
Damage: 8d6 (save vs. wands for half)
Range: 120 ft
Area: 1 creature
Not Usable By: Fighter, Mage, Bard, Thief
War Hammer +1, +4 vs. giant humanoids
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
THAC0: +1 bonus (+4)
Damage: 1d4 +2 (+5)
Damage Type: Crushing
Weight: 8
Speed Factor: 2
Proficiency Type: Blunt Weapons
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Mage, Thief
War Hammer +2: 'Ashideena'
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
Damage: 1d4 +3 (+1 electrical)
THAC0: +2 bonus
Damage Type: Crushing
Weight: 5
Speed Factor: 2
Proficiency Type: Blunt Weapons
Type: 1-handed
Not Usable By: Druid, Mage, Thief
Wolfsbane Charm
<---------------------------------------------------------------------->
THAC0: +2 bonus vs. Lycanthropes
Damage: +2 bonus vs. Lycanthropes
Weight: 3
Not Usable By:
o======================================================================o
| |
| List of Mage Spells {SPL000} |
| |
o======================================================================o
Below is a list of all the Mage spells in the game.. or at least all of
the spells I was able to find. This is for referential purposes, and
since divine spells are all automatically learned I feel no real need
to include them. You want a full list of Cleric/Druid spells? Look at a
Cleric/Druid, respectively. I've also provided a handy-dandy checklist,
if you care to use it. Characters who have their checklist marked with
a --- indicates that this spell is prohibited by their Mage
specialization, or in the case of Bards, because they cannot cast
5th-level spells in this game. And yes, Imoen is included in this list
even though she's not a Mage-that's how strongly her dual-classing into
one is recommended.
1st Level Mage Spells {SPL001}
o======================================================================o
|Dynaheir
| |Edwin
| | |Eldoth
| | | |Garrick
| | | | |Imoen
| | | | | |Protagonist
| | | | | | |Quayle
| | | | | | | |Xan
| | | | | | | | |Xzar
| | | | | | | | | |
o===================================o
Armor |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Blindness | | | | | | |---| | |
|-----------------------------------|
Burning Hands | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Charm Person |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Chill Touch | | | | | | |---| | |
|-----------------------------------|
Chromatic Orb | | | | | | | |---| |
|-----------------------------------|
Color Spray | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Friends |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Grease |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Identify | |---| | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Infravision | |---| | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Larloch's Minor Drain | | | | | | |---| | |
|-----------------------------------|
Magic Missile | | | | | | | |---| |
|-----------------------------------|
Protection from Evil | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Shield | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Shocking Grasp | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Sleep |---| | | | | | | | |
o===================================o
2nd Level Mage Spells {SPL002}
o======================================================================o
|Dynaheir
| |Edwin
| | |Eldoth
| | | |Garrick
| | | | |Imoen
| | | | | |Protagonist
| | | | | | |Quayle
| | | | | | | |Xan
| | | | | | | | |Xzar
| | | | | | | | | |
o===================================o
Agannazar's Scorcher | | | | | | | |---| |
|-----------------------------------|
Blur | | | | | | | | |---|
|-----------------------------------|
Detect Evil | |---| | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Detect Invisibility | |---| | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Ghoul Touch | | | | | | |---| | |
|-----------------------------------|
Horror | | | | | | |---| | |
|-----------------------------------|
Invisibility | | | | | | | | |---|
|-----------------------------------|
Knock | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Know Alignment | |---| | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Luck |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Melf's Acid Arrow |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Mirror Image | | | | | | | | |---|
|-----------------------------------|
Protection from Petrification | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Resist Fear | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Stinking Cloud | | | | | | | |---| |
|-----------------------------------|
Strength | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Vocalize | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Web | | | | | | | |---| |
o===================================o
3rd Level Mage Spells {SPL003}
o======================================================================o
|Dynaheir
| |Edwin
| | |Eldoth
| | | |Garrick
| | | | |Imoen
| | | | | |Protagonist
| | | | | | |Quayle
| | | | | | | |Xan
| | | | | | | | |Xzar
| | | | | | | | | |
o===================================o
Clairvoyance | |---| | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Dire Charm |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Dispel Magic | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Flame Arrow |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Fireball | | | | | | | |---| |
|-----------------------------------|
Ghost Armor |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Haste | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Hold Person |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Lightning Bolt | | | | | | | |---| |
|-----------------------------------|
Monster Summoning I |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Non-Detection | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Protection from Normal Missiles | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Skull Trap | | | | | | |---| | |
|-----------------------------------|
Slow | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Vampiric Touch | | | | | | |---| | |
o===================================o
4th Level Mage Spells {SPL004}
o======================================================================o
|Dynaheir
| |Edwin
| | |Eldoth
| | | |Garrick
| | | | |Imoen
| | | | | |Protagonist
| | | | | | |Quayle
| | | | | | | |Xan
| | | | | | | | |Xzar
| | | | | | | | | |
o===================================o
Confusion |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Dimension Door | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Emotion |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Greater Malison |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Improved Invisibility | | | | | | | | |---|
|-----------------------------------|
Minor Globe of Invulnerability | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Monster Summoning II |---| | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Otiluke's Resilient Sphere | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Polymorph Self | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Remove Curse | | | | | | |---| | |
|-----------------------------------|
Spirit Armor | | | | | | | | | |
o===================================o
5th Level Mage Spells {SPL005}
o======================================================================o
|Dynaheir
| |Edwin
| | |Eldoth
| | | |Garrick
| | | | |Imoen
| | | | | |Protagonist
| | | | | | |Quayle
| | | | | | | |Xan
| | | | | | | | |Xzar
| | | | | | | | | |
o===================================o
Chaos |---| |---|---| | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Cloud Kill | | |---|---| | | |---| |
|-----------------------------------|
Domination |---| |---|---| | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Feeblemind |---| |---|---| | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Hold Monster |---| |---|---| | | | | |
|-----------------------------------|
Monster Summoning III |---| |---|---| | | | | |
o===================================o
o======================================================================o
| |
| Experience List {EXP001} |
| |
o======================================================================o
This is a list of the experience rewards given by different characters
and creatures when slain. It is not a complete list, I didn't go around
killing every NPC to record how much experience they give. However, if
you killed somebody while following the instructions of this guide, they
should be listed.. unless I forgot to add them. In any case, it's not
a big deal.
o===o
|(A)|
o===o
Aasim 1800
Aec'Letec 16000
Air Aspect 4000
Alai 1800
Alatos "Ravenscar" Thuibuld 4000
Alexander 300
Aldeth Sashenstar 650
Amarande 120
Amnish Soldier 65
Andris 6000
Angelo 9800
Ankheg 975
Ardenor Crush 900
Arghain 520
Arghh 1250
Arkion 900
Arkushule 600
Arlin 850
Ashirukuru 2000
Astral Phase Spider 4000
Avarice 2500
o===o
|(B)|
o===o
Baby Wyvern 450
Baerin 300
Bandit 65
Bassilus 975
Battle Horror 4000
Beyn 1800
Billy 300
Black Bear 175
Black Talon Elite 240
Bor 650
Borda 900
Brage 1400
Brendan 300
Britik 900
Brown Bear 420
Brunos 1400
Bullrush 950
o===o
|(C)|
o===o
Caldo 175
Carbos 20
Carrion Crawler 420
Carston 2400
Caturak 750
Cattack 120
Cave Bear 650
Centeol 1000
Chill Hobgoblin 35
Corsone 1000
Cult Archer 300
Cult Assassin 300
Cult Enforcer 1000
Cult Guard 500
Cult Wizard 1800
Cuchol 1800
Cyrdemac 975
Cythandria 2000
Crypt Crawler 420
o===o
|(D)|
o===o
Dabron Sashenstar 1200
Daital 3750
Davaeorn 6000
Delgod 300
Delorna 1400
Demonknight 15000
Desreta 1600
Denak 1200
Dezkiel 1800
Diana 600
Diarmid 24
Diyab 1600
Digger 7
Dire Wolf 125
Diseased Gibberling 35
Doom Guard 2000
Doomsayer 4000
Doppleganger 420
Drakar 1200
Drasus 1400
Dread Wolf 650
Drelik 1200
Dribben 150
Droth 975
Druid 120
Dryad of the Cloudpeaks 975
Durlag Trollkiller 4000
o===o
|(E)|
o===o
Ettercap 650
o===o
|(F)|
o===o
Fear 2200
Fission Slime 3000
Flaming Fist Mercenary 15, 250
Flesh Golem 2000
Flind 120
Fuernebol 4000
o===o
|(G)|
o===o
Gantolandon 1200
Garan 2000
Garclax 120
Gardush 1800
Genthore 1600
Geltik 165
Gervisse 90, 900
Ghast 650
Ghoul 175
Giant Spider 450
Gibberling 35
Gnarl 175
Gnoll 35
Gnoll Elite 65
Gnoll Slasher 65
Gnoll Veteran 65
Gnoll Chieftain 120
Gorf 2000
Grael 5000
Gray Ooze 275
Greater Basilisk 7000
Greater Doppleganger 4000
Greater Ghoul 1000
Greater Wolfwere 8000
Greater Wyvern 5000
Green Slime 65
Gretek 1200
Greywolf 1400
Guard 65, 120, 240
o===o
|(H)|
o===o
Hack 2000
Hafiz 650
Hairtooth 175
Hakt 750
Halacan 650
Half Ogre 270
Hamadryad 650
Hareishan 1200
Haseo 1500
Helmed Horror 2000
Helshara 975
Hobgoblin 35
Hobgoblin Elite 95
Huge Spider 270
o===o
|(I)|
o===o
Icharyd 950
Ingot 235
Invisible Stalker 3000
Ioin Gallchobhair 300
Islanne 4000
Ithmeera 650
Izefia 120
o===o
|(J)|
o===o
Jardak 3600
Jemby 350
Jenkal 290
Jondal 1500
o===o
|(K)|
o===o
Kahrk 3500
Kaldran the Bear 3000
Karlat 270
Kestor 1200
Kiel the Legion Killer 4000
King 2000
Kirian 900
Kirinhale 3000
Kobold 7
Kobold Commando 35
Korax the Ghoul 175
Krumm 175
Krystin 3000
Kysus 1400
o===o
|(L)|
o===o
Lakadaar 120
Lamalha 1200
Laryssa 600
Larze 2000
Lasala 300
Laskal 1000
Laurel 60
Lendarn 1400
Lesser Basilisk 1400
Lindin 600
Loup Garou 420, 2200
Love 3000
o===o
|(M)|
o===o
Mad Arcand 2000
Maka 1300
Maneira 600
Malkax 165
Marcellus 2000
Marek 650
Meiala the Sirine 4000
Meilum 1200
Meym 1400
Michael 300
Mirror Fiend 650, 4000
Molkar 1200
Moorlock 1900
Morvin 650
Mountain Bear 900
Mulahey 650
Mustard Jelly 2000
Mutamin 1200
o===o
|(N)|
o===o
Naaman 2000
Nantrin Bellowglyn 920
Natasha 1200
Neira 650
Nemphre 1200
Nexlit the Xvart 35
Nieman 1200
Nimbul 650
o===o
|(O)|
o===o
Ochre Jelly 270
Ogre 270
Ogre Berserker 650
Ogre Mage 650
Ogrillon 175
Ordulinian 2700
Osmadi 1000
Oulam 1200
o===o
|(P)|
o===o
Palin 1400
Pargus 900
Pawn 150
Peter 1200
Peter of the North 240
Phandalyn 3700
Phase Spider 1400
Phoenix Guard 100
Polar Bear 900
Prat 1400
Pride 2500
Priest of Oghma 175
Prism 35
o===o
|(R)|
o===o
Rabid Chicken 1
Raemon 1200
Ragefast 2000
Raiken 650
Rat 1
Ratchild 350
Razimath 4000
Revenant 3000
Rezdan 1200
Rhavin 1800
Rieltar 975
Riggilo 1400
Rogue 15
Rufie 17
o===o
|(S)|
o===o
Sakul 1600
Sarevok 15000
Schlumpsha the Sewer King 2500
Semaj 3000
Sendai 600
Seniyad 4000
Sewerfolk 35, 65, 175, 650
Shaldrissa 2000
Shank 20
Shoal the Nereid 5000
Sil 2000
Silke 900
Sirine 2000
Sirine Queen 6000
Skeleton 65, 95, 120
Skeleton Warrior 4000
Slythe 5000
Statue (Elf Warrior) 1600
Statue (Human Archer 1) 900
Statue (Human Archer 2) 900
Statue (Human Magic-User) 1200
Statue (Human Warrior) 1200
Stephan 12
Sunin 2000
Sword Spider 2000
o===o
|(T)|
o===o
Takiyah 120
Tam 1300
Tamoko 5000
Tarnesh 120
Tarnor 15
Tasloi 35
Taugosz Khosann 2000
Taxek 975
Tazok 4000
Teyngan 500
Thaldorn 975
The Amazing Oopah 270
Telka 600
Tellan 3000
Tenya 650
Tevan 975
Tor Lobo 600
Tracea Carol 2000
Tranzig 975
Tuth 4000
o===o
|(U)|
o===o
Ughh 1250
Undead Knight 65
Ursa the Cave Bear 650
o===o
|(V)|
o===o
Vampiric Wolf 2000
Vax 400
Vay-ya 2000
Venkt 900
Vitiare 12
Voltine 60
o===o
|(W)|
o===o
War Dog 65
Werewolf 420, 1700
Wheber Ott 1500
Wild Dog 35
Wilf 800
William Garst 1500
Winter Wolf 975
Wolf 65, 120
Wolfwere 1400, 1800
Worg 120
Wudei 1200
Wraith Spider 1400
Wyvern 1400
o===o
|(X)|
o===o
Xvart 15
o===o
|(Y)|
o===o
Yago 1400
o===o
|(Z)|
o===o
Zal 600
Zargal 650
Zeela 900
Zekar 65
Zhalimar Cloudwulfe 3000
Zhurlong 90
Zombie 65
Zordral 900
o======================================================================o
| |
| Updates/Thanks {UPD001} |
| |
o======================================================================o
Version 1.00 Information (8/04/2010) (566,752 bytes)
o======================================================================o
Version 1.00 to 1.01 changes (5/19/2011) (601,373 bytes)
o=o Added more information to the '2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons
Mechanics' portion of the FAQ, namely info dealing with multi-
and-dual-classing, information pertaing to the sequel, a list of
maximum levels by class, a list of class selections by race, and
added descriptions of all the multi-class combos.
o=o Added more information about importing to the sequel, especially
when it comes to character creation.
o=o Added the Items Index section.
o=o Fixed some typos, including MANY instances of the name Jaheira
being spelled 'Jahiera'. I before E doesn't work with names.. or
in many cases in general.
o=o Fixed the search guides so they actually made sense.
o=o Added more complete mention of the Big Metal Unit and the
Golden Pantaloons.
o======================================================================o
Version 1.01 to 1.02 changes (12/25/2011) (714,809 bytes) Merry X-Mas!
o=o Added the character Alora.
o=o Added the 'Evil Party Walkthrough', with details on a new
Fighter/Mage/Thief protagonist, in-progress stats, and a few
interjections in the Walkthrough when necessary.
o=o Edited the layout of the Walkthrough to make it resemble my
Baldur's Gate 2 FAQ, and hence, made it more organized. There
are no more bogus [WLKxxx] headings at the beginning of each
chapter, since they were blatantly unecessary. Also, this
guide's new total of 36 Walkthrough Sequences more accurately
fit with the sequel's 61 Sequences. Best of all, new
Walkthrough sections now have a much larger heading, rather
than being indistinguishable from area transitions.
o=o Added the 'Item Description' section-another idea I had while
writing the Baldur's Gate 2 FAQ that's being interjected
retroactively into the Baldur's Gate 1 FAQ.
o=o Added the 'List of Mage Spells' section to provide a handy-
dandy checklist of Mage spells.
o=o The final Sequence of Events, 'The Endgame' has been renamed
'Showdown with Sarevok', to match the Bhaalspawn Steps in
Baldur's Gate 2. Just an organizational flourish this author
wanted to point out.
o=o Added the 'Spell Tactics' section, to mirror a similar addition
to my Baldur's Gate 2 FAQ. It might not be as vital here, as
there are much fewer spells and fewer enemies that require
sophisticated spell tactics, but it's still relevant. And it
makes the two FAQs fit together better.
o=o Added the 'Table of Character Attributes', because I find such
things interesting.
o======================================================================o
Version 1.02 to 1.03 changes (7/17/2012) (774,045 bytes)
o=o Fixed more typos, merged or split Steps when necessary, made
some of my charts look more pretty, and in general just made a
bunch of grammatical, cosmetic, and compositional changes that
nobody really cares about.
o=o Finally fixed the incorrect usage of the term 'NPC' throughout
the guide. The words 'allies', 'characters', and 'recruitable'
have spread in its place. In any event, the term NPC now
rightfully only refers to Non-Player Characters, whereas the
term PC now refers to characters that go places and attack
things when you click some buttons.
o=o Added numerous bits of info provided by Jason Rozzo, including
obscure loot that I had missed previously (including a suit of
Ankheg Platemail, free for the taking), a few alternative battle
strategies, and notes for how to kill the Demonknight when he
appears on the first level of Durlag's Tower-which allows you
to obtain another suit of Full Plate Mail +1 and the Helmet of
Opposite Alignment.
o=o Made many changes as suggested by Lee Kadel. Also added various
notes and strategies as provided by Lee. He's a great proof-
reader that has made this guide better for everybody.
o=o Added more comprehensive looting information for Beregost.
[WLK003], Steps #12-#18.
o=o Added more dialogue strings (pick option #x, etc.) to the
walkthrough, for more detailed directions on how to advance
conversations correctly.
o=o Added area numbers (AR####) in the character descriptions, to
make it somewhat easier to find said characters.
o=o Combined [WLK006] and [WLK007] into a single Sequence of Events:
'The Gnoll Stronghold Expedition'.
o=o Added a new Sequence of Events [WLK004] 'Party-Building', which
discusses in greater depth the task of recruiting your party
members in full-namely it provides instructions for recruiting
Ajantis, Safana, Shar-Teel, and Viconia. I had originally left
this to the reader to do, on their own.
o=o Fixed the Cleric/Ranger class description. It was brought to
my attention that this class really takes off in the sequel-
now the class description reflects this.
o======================================================================o
Version 1.03 to 1.04 changes (11/22/2012) (831,320 bytes)
o=o This version update should really be called the 'Lee Update',
since most of everything that was changed was either suggested
by him.. or changed while I was in the process of changing
something suggested by him. He also went through the guide and
meticulously spell-checked it, and changed directions to be
more accurate: northwest instead of north, for example, to
better guide players, since most maps in this game are, after
all, set on a diagonal grid. For all that work, he gets credit
near the top of the guide, right next to the name of a sexy-yet
humble-author. Give credit where credit is due.
o=o Fixed several instances where my search guides didn't match
my index. To Self: They're only useful if they actually link to
something..
o=o Added three more steps to the Cloakwood Mines [WLK019] section
of the walkthrough, to break up an overly large ***ITEMS***
secton.
o=o At the end of each Baldur's Gate section of the walkthrough
[WLK020], [WLK021], [WLK022], [WLK023] I added some spell-
suggestions for the section ahead, as requested.
o=o Explored some quest reward variability with Infinity Explorer.
Most notably, it allowed me to find out that Naradin will give
you a set of Boots of Stealth if his reaction to you is low
enough.. or you can just steal them. Thanks to Lee for telling
me about these.
o=o Adjusted the Abilities tables to reflect what the game's 2DA
files indicate.. and reformatted them to make them more
prettiful. It's a word if I use it like one.
o=o Added more information to the 'Thief Abilities' section to
show how race and Dexterity affects Thief abilities.
o=o Added the 'Saving Throws' section and made some of the charts
more pretty-like. Yes, it was a necessary addition.
o=o Changed mentions of 'Grand Mastery' in the guide to 'High
Mastery'... because you can actually reach the rank of High
Master, unlike Grand Master, which must wait until you are a
9th-level Fighter. Since you can't reach 9th-level as a Fighter
in this game, Grand Mastery must wait until the sequel... where
it is sadly nerfed. *sigh* Anyways, thanks to Misty Mouse for
pointing this out to me.
o=o Added the 'Weapon Proficiencies by Class' section.
o=o Edited the Table of Contents to make it more presentable.
o=o Edited the guide-again-and fixed more over-margin lines. The
72-character-per-line rule might be self-imposed, but that
doesn't mean I shouldn't follow it.
o=o Added the stats of all the recruitable characters in the game,
at every level they can be recruited. This allows you to see
just how the computer screws up characters if you take too long
to recruit them... and also showed me a few rare instances
where not being able to recruit a character early wasn't so
detrimental to them that it necessarily removed them from party
consideration. I also rewrote parts of each and every character
description... mostly tweaking proficiency suggestions and
pointing out how they get nerfed if you take too long to
recruit them. Thanks to Misty Mouse for defending Coran and
Yeslick, hence sending me off on this tangent.
o=o Added tables under the 'Open Locks' and 'Find Traps' section,
taking the advice (if not the actual words) of Misty Mouse.
These tables note the difficulty of locks and traps in various
walkthrough sequences [WLK###], as shown by Infinity Explorer.
Other mentions to lock/trap difficulty to the walkthrough
were added at this time as well.
o=o Added more information about selling Ankheg Shells to Taerom.
Namely, why these shells 'rust' and become useless. How and
why this happens is now no longer a mystery.
o=o Added the locations (x=, y=) of the Kobold Commando Spawn
Points in the Firewine Ruins.
o=o Added another hidden treasure cache which I had previously
missed in (AR5500).
o=o Edited the Aec'Letec fight to make the strategy suggested by
Jason Rozzo the default strategy. Also, I corrected the
mistaken idea that 'Protection from Petrification' protects
against Aec'Letec's Death Gaze. Thanks to Misty Mouse for
this correction, and also for the knowledge that Dispel Magic
cures the effects of the Death Gaze.
o======================================================================o
Version 1.04 to 1.05 changes (3/9/2013) (947,574 bytes)
o=o Updated the guide to utilize improvements made during the
Enhanced Edition conversion, in general. Specific changes are
listed below:
o=o Divided each character section into three sub-sections,
'Overview', 'How to Use [character] Efficiently', and
'Recruiting [character]'. This hopefully provides more focused
information and cuts down on the text wall a bit.
o=o Edited the 'Suggested Parties by Role' section, to make it
more concise and offer definitive opinions.
o=o Edited and added new spells to the 'Spell Tactics' section.
o=o Added several steps where necessary, to cover places missed in
previous versions, break up overly long segments, or to add
connecting Steps between two other Steps, for better flow.
o=o Greatly expanded the Nashkel Mines [WLK012] and Ulcaster Dungeon
[WLK016], and Cloakwood Forest [WLK018] sections, because they
were... well, kind of vague and lazy, honestly.
o=o Pretty much every walkthrough section in Chapter 5 ([WLK020],
[WLK021], [WLK022], [WLK023], and [WLK024]) has been expanded,
adding more Steps to each Sequence of Events, and/or more
content to some Steps.
o=o Expanded the first (lower) level of Durlag's Tower to 14 Steps,
up from a previous 11. Also rewrote the Warder fight at the end
of this Sequence of Events, as the fight has changed a bit in
the Enhanced Edition.
o=o Changed the format of my arrows (-->) to match my as-of-yet
unreleased Fallout 1 guide... for the sake of conformity.
Shouldn't the Fallout 1 guide be forced to conform to the
existing Enhanced Edition guide? Sure... but I like the style
better in the Fallout 1 guide, so...
o=o Made numerous typo fixes, as suggested by Zenryo, who scanned
the entire guide and fixed various errors. Whatta guy!
o======================================================================o
Version 1.05 to 1.06 Changes (5/18/2014) (974,433 bytes)
o=o That old Lee is at it again-editing my guide and making things
better for everybody. It's all the more impressive now, since
he's in the FAQ-writing game himself these days. Anyways, v1.06
of this guide is the 'Lee Update II'... Lee 2.0... Lee: First
Blood Part II... The Lee Strikes Back? Whatever, bad movie
sequel puns, you all get it. Version 1.06 wasn't all Lee,
however. It's also the version where I decided to take many
improvements from the Enhanced Edition (often pointed out to
me by other contributors) and add them to the original guide.
o=o Added a bit of info to the 'Strength' section of the guide.
o=o In [WLK001], Step #13 was split into two Steps, and another
Step (Step #15) was added, for a grand total of two new Steps
covering Candlekeep Inn, Downstairs. Step #15 was added to deal
with the nobles in the north-eastern corner of the inn, who,
if you get a good reaction check out of them, will cause some
loot to spawn upstairs. It's the most difficult reaction check
in the entire prologue (requiring an 18 Charisma), and you
still need a way to open the container which contains said
loot (a Thief with 60%+ Open Locks), so it's unlikely most
gamers will ever see this treasure... but still, it's there.
Thanks to Celestin for this.
o=o Speak of the devil, the 'Belt of Antipode' mentioned at the
beginning of [WLK002] was a cross-over error between the two
versions of this guide. There is no such belt in the original
game.
o=o Added the Bastard Sword +1 and other, mundane loot to the
Thunderhammer Smithy, as suggested by Mr. Duerksen.
o=o Added Jeff's suggestions for exploiting the Phoenix Guards in
Nashkel.
o=o Switched the 'Garrison Looting' and 'Mistaken Identity' Steps
in [WLK006], which were out of order for some reason.
o=o Added a number of pick-pocketing victims, as suggested by Jeff.
These include the Sirines at the temple near Beregost, the
Surgeon, the Great Gazib, Silke's thugs and Volo.
o=o Added the experience reward for saving Dynaheir from the Gnoll
Stronghold. Thanks to Peter Maasz for pointing this out.
o=o Added the Vestibule to [WLK011], the sole purpose of which is
the butchering of Dawn Priests Blane and Bram. Another devious
item, courtesy of Peter Maasz.
o=o Updated the Doomsayer fight in [WLK014]. As Jeff pointed out to
me, using Dispel Magic significantly weakens the Doomsayer.
o=o Added Aldeth Sashenstar's quest with the Merchant League,
[WLK023], Steps #12-15.
Special Thanks
o======================================================================o
o=o My girlfriend, for putting up with me for all these years and
allowing me to waste so much time working on these games. Even
better, since she's played through many of these games herself,
she's often been able to proof-read my guides and offer advice
based on her own gameplay experience. Could a guy ask for a
better girlfriend? No. For all you guys out there who have
settled for some snippy bitch who hates your gaming-dump her
and find someone better. You can find a girl who loves you AND
loves to game, if you bother to look.
o=o Lee Kadel, for putting more work into these guides than any
sane person would. What started with him bugging me about a...
bug... in Baldur's Gate 2 has, over time, led to scores of
E-mails. These E-mails have prompted several version updates,
based upon his astute suggestions and resulted in these guides
becoming truly gold-standard works. Every FAQ-writer should be
so lucky to have a contributor like Lee. In fact, Lee has
started his own journey into guide-writing by tackling Icewind
Dale 2. I eagerly await the fruits of his labor, which I, in
turn, will proof-read for him... and in the mean-time I giggle
with glee as he gets to experience the many frustrating joys of
FAQ-writing. Is this how it feels to be a grand-parent? I hope
so.
o=o Wim Vlayen (aka Zenryo) for editing this guide of his own
volition and sending me a corrected document with many typos
and other grammar errors highlighted. I don't know what it is
about this guide specifically that seems to draw helpful folks
to it, but I'm not complaining.
o=o Dmitry Jemerov, the creator of Infinity Explorer. This program
reveals the game's inner workings, which in turn allows me to
write a more detailed, more accurate guide. I mostly used this
program to view dialogue files to understand what variables were
being checked by the game during conversations... but its
usefulness (and uses) are boundless.
o=o Aaron O'Neil, the creator of Gate Keeper. His mods have been a
blessing for the Infinity Engine games, including Dale Keeper
(Icewind Dale) and Shadow Keeper (Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of
Amn). Gate Keeper was used mostly for cosmetic reasons in this
FAQ.
o=o Jason Rozzo, for providing alternative strategies and pointing
out various bits of loot that I had previously missed. Very,
very good loot, in a lot of cases.
o=o Misty Mouse, for pointing out a series of oversights and
mistakes on my part, and for making suggestions which eventually
led to some solid additions to the guide.
o=o Jesse Cian Fawcett, for finally explaining what the hell that
Larry, Darryl, and Darryl gag was. What can I say? It was before
my time. He's also a stellar contributor on www.haeravon.com,
and with any luck may one day grace us all with a full
Neverwinter Nights guide.
o=o Shandrakor, for enlightening us all about Ioin O Gallchobhair.
o=o T. Duerksen, for pointing out you can score a Bastard Sword +1
at the Thunderhammer Smithy.
o=o P. Maasz, for suggesting you sell Prism's Emeralds, steal them
back from the vendor, then give them to Oublek for improved
rewards. He also pointed out the murderous easy experience you
can gain in the Vestibule, and made a note of the experience
reward you get for saving Dynaheir.
o=o Celestin, for telling me about the extra loot you can obtain
in the prologue by convincing the nobles to stash their
jewelry.
***END OF FILE***
Amazing Games. Many Cheats. Such Wow.
