ARCANIA - GOTHIC 4

 

A Solution by Lu Richardson

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About this Product:

 

Contrary to what you might think, Arcania is not the work of the brilliant creators of the Gothic series (well, I only consider Gothic and Gothic 2 truly brilliant).  Nevertheless, it has tried to keep up the links by using familiar names such as Diego, Gorn, Lester, etc. and various little touches, such as working waterpipes; others are also present and usable but do not work (lecterns, beds, barrels, whetstones).  So much for nostalgia.

 

This game is really entirely different to what has gone before, but remarkably similar in many aspects to Risen 2, which I have just played.

 

What I liked about Arcania is that you seldom die... if you manage things sensibly.  Of course it has things I do not like; paramount amongst them is my pet hate, weather effects.  You are treated to a bit of sunshine here and there, but mostly there is either fog or it rains constantly, turning day into night.  The idea, I guess, is to make it difficult for you to see your surroundings clearly.

 

About 95% of the game is played in various degrees of darkness and impenetrability.  The idiotic thing is that you buy an expensive card to enjoy high quality graphics and what you get in this game is... well, I don't know, I can't tell you because I couldn't really see.

 

I don't know whether the darkness bugged me, the constant rain irritated me, the inability to sleep the night away enraged me, the change of viewpoint to overhead during fights annoyed me or the fact that most people looked the same confused me; but the fact is that I found this game a bit of a chore and rather boring.  Pity.  Ah, well, too late... I’ve bought it.

 

 

About this solution:

 

In order not to repeat myself endlessly, I will not mention that you should look about you all the time for things that can be picked up:  useful herbs, for instance, have fluttering light moths (?) about them so they are fairly easy to see, and other useful items kind of glow. 

 

Nor will I mention that you should loot every creature and person you kill and in this last instance, the weapons they drop.

 

Again, I won't say every time it happens that you should examine in the Inventory the items that you pick up to see what they do and that you should compare each weapon you pick up to the one you have and equip it if it is better.  You should also learn recipes and make use of scrolls, so examine your inventory frequently.  Trade at every opportunity.

 

Always have your healing potions and bandages in your quick launch bar so that you can access them quickly.  You use the healing potions in battle and the bandages afterwards.  Never be without them.

 

As to levelling up, again it's up to you.  I worked on Mettle, Discipline and Vigour to the end, with one advance in Precision (you don't really need Stealth and you only need Precision if you are going to use bows), and then I worked on Zeal.  But you do your own thing.

 

Another thing I won't go on about is that in every location you should push back the dark fog on the map, that is to say, you should make it a priority to explore the whole of each area as soon as you arrive and before you get involved in any quest.  This will allow you to uncover places you'll be visiting, pick up herbs (Sun Berries are particularly useful), fight creatures for xp and activate teleporters (such as they are).  When the quests come, your way will be clear.

 

For a lot of the quests there are alternative ways to solve them.  In order to avoid confusion I will follow one and ignore the other altogether.

 

Talk with everyone who has a name and pay attention to what they say, the quests they give and their directions.  Talk again to quest-givers once you've completed them.

 

Finally, I have to explain I played in Easy mode (I'm not fond of frequent and prolonged fights) so if you are playing in another and things are not the same you'll know why.  Still, I hope this helps you to solve the game.  Here we go.

 

 

The Nightmare

 

The opening sequence is a tutorial.  You cannot die but you learn the mechanics of the game.  All you have to do is concentrate in moving forward and guessing that, in fights, you have to go for the magic users or archers and chance the odd blow from other creatures, and also that if you manoeuvre yourself to get an enemy between the caster or archer he gets hurt instead of you.  After killing the second archdemon the game proper begins.

 

 

FESHYR

 

The next section continues the tutorial and is very easy.

 

Ivy informs you her father wants to see you.  Follow her into the village and when she stops, turn L and speak to Gromar.  Talk to Ivy and then to Knut who's standing nearby with an exclamation mark on his head.

 

Follow the main path looking out for molerats which will be marked in the mini-map.  At the end you'll have to jump into a hollow and then climb up giant stairs into a cave; explore it, find the dagger and leave.  Speak to Knut and then find Gromar.  He sets you the next task.

 

Look for the mark on the map and head there; speak to Ivy and then open the gate and go ahead.  You will soon see Diego - you'll have a chat and a fight and he'll tell you to kill some goblins.  Go down to your L to the beach and do it.  Go along the edge of the beach killing and looting turtles.  Right at the end there is a potion.  Go back to Diego, who will give you a machete.  Take it to Gromar, fighting the odd goblin along the way.  He'll give you the next task.

 

Find Ivy - she will unlock the gate and tell you where to find a bow.  Do as she says and as soon as you get it you'll get a tutorial on its use.  You will have no difficulty shooting the deer, but loot each one as it falls or you might lose it in the undergrowth.  You pick up the antlers automatically.  When you've got three, take them to Gromar who'll tell you what to do next.

 

Halwen will come forward and send you to Orruk.  He, of course, will set you yet another task.  Walk past him to your Mum's house, there are a few things to pick up here.  Talk to Alma if she is around; if not, it doesn't really matter. 

 

I thought I could sleep on a bed to heal and wait till morning - because surely you can't go blundering in the dark, without even a torch, in unknown surroundings.  And yet that's what I had to do because although the hero lay on a bed, absolutely nothing happened.  How's that?

 

Anyway, go to the Deer Thicket, Orruk will be waiting at the door to encourage you.  Look at the map and you will see that the path leads to a black spot.  Go to it, drop down, open the door and start looking for the mushrooms.  Unfortunately there are also goblins.  As you go in you will be attacked; once you've defeated the goblin look at the three boxes to your R, one is a chest and it contains bracers which regenerate your health if only modestly.  Still, it's better than a poke in the eye.

 

Carry on picking up mushrooms and anything else you find.  When you've got them all take them to Orruk, who gives you the amber to take to Halwen, who gives you the bangle to take to Ivy.

 

After your conversation with her you go to Diego, but before you get to him Knut attacks.  Go on to Diego, who is in a cave ahead and up the hill.  Talk to him and he'll tell you to take some herbs to Lyrca.  Follow his instructions to find her.

 

Lyrca

 

After the conversation with Lyrca you'll end up in the nightmare cave and you are given some spells; put them in the bar ready to use.  As an example, put them in slot 3 for now (I had a melee weapon in 1, bow in 2, potions in 4 and bandages in 5).  When you are ready to move, look for the vermin and attack watching the blue numbers rising from it - when you see 1's press 3, attack, press 1, attack till you see 1's and so on.  You have to be quick because, while they are in their shells, their health regenerates.  Always watch in which direction you are moving so that, if you need more scrolls, you can come back to Lyrca.  

 

If attacked by those creatures which come out of the ground (I don't know what they are, I couldn't read the label - cave crawlers with a death wish?) kill them first so that you can concentrate on the vermin.

 

When you kill the queen, watch what happens.  Diego will take you to...

 

 

 

 

AARGEN

 

After the conversation, start exploring around and find out where everything is.  In your travels you will meet with Jelvie, who warns you about the brigands on the bridge to Stewark.  You will also meet Ulfrik (your first opportunity to trade and unload your surplus) who has a small task for you; oblige him if you haven't inadvertently done so already.

 

Once you have covered the whole area, your first port of call is The Cleaved Maiden.  You are greeted by Grengar who sends you to Murdra.  Talk to her and trade, if you want, then follow her instructions to find Daranis.  He explains the situation and gives you a choice of people to approach:  Murdra or Rauter. 

 

Before you go to the latter, pick up everything in this room (you read the parchments automatically) and empty the chest.  In this game nobody seems to mind if you steal from them right under their very noses.  Check the whole Inn, together with outbuildings and yards.

 

Rauter will tell you his plan:  you've probably already found a peg leg in a bend of the road in the centre of the map, SE of Inn, parallel to the black spot.  Lorn is just upstairs, give him the peg leg and he will ask for a money box.

 

Go to the Inn and talk to Zyra.  Talk also to Murdra to get another job, but don't ask about her plan - you've already got one.  Might as well do this first.  Go to Garv and ask for the mead; the lads are out to get you, so refuse to pay 200 gold and beat them up.  You get the mead, take it to Murdra.

 

Now go to the black spot on the map SE of the Inn.  Enter, find and talk to Digger.  Out, go to the black spot S of here and start searching.  You'll find the alembic easily (as well as a few other things) so take it to Digger.  Approach the rockface and when you see the word Rubble, press your "use" button.  Move on.

 

If you are thorough you'll find a Forgotten Grave, a statuette, lode to mine and the money box guarded by a jolly fellow called Gulthard who has (or should I say had?) a wicked hatchet - equip it.  It emits a slight radiation which relieves the darkness, so you could walk about with it unsheathed.

 

When you have covered the whole mine leave through the nearest exit (grey blob on the map) and find Lorn at the Fishermen's Huts in the NW.  It turns out Murdra has the key to the box, so use the circle to teleport to the Inn and swap the peg leg for the key.  Bring it back to Lorn.  But before you go, trade with Murdra and if you have the Nighteye recipe it would be as well to make as many of these potions as you can; healing potions would be good, too.

 

When you give him the key, Lorn will tell you what to do next.  Go to the bridge and talk to Hiula, give him the password and he'll let you through.  Kill everybody and loot them, open the gate to the bridge and, on the other side, meet Elgan, who explains how things are in...

 

 

 

 

 

 

STEWARK

 

When you are ready, go to the farmer Ogtar to see what he wants.  While you are helping him out with the raiders pick up as many beehives as you can.  Return to Ogtar for your reward. 

 

Now go to town and Dak will fill you in.  Inside, go to the pub ahead and on your L.  Talk to Ingor to find out about Diego.  Go up the main stairs to the Citadel and talk to Gorn; follow his instructions and go to Aldrich, he'll let you in so that you can talk to Diego.  He gives you his instructions, too.

 

Carry on exploring the town (check out Rhonda the smith) and getting jobs.  For instance, Worgan the Alchemist needs you to find Hem and Gerrik wants you to sort out a creepy house.  Let's do that right now:  go to the front gate, R, in, talk to Chuck, beat him up and get the key, out, up the main stairs, R, up the outside stairs to the R, tear into the cultists and kill the lot.

 

Go to Gerrik to get your reward, you also get a long lecture for free.  Let's set out to look for Hem (he is at the top of the winding path you'll see on your map).  As you come out of town you meet Jilvie at the foot of the stairs - she tells you about the caves and that she's looking for her boyfriend.

 

Hem will tell you about the experiment and you will have to go down the winding path and kill the beasts.  Take their livers to Worgan, next door to the pub.

 

With the little jobs out of the way we can concentrate on the main one.  Find Winstan and save a special game (you could side with the rebels instead if you wanted); in this instance, don't believe a word he says.  Fight him and find out where they are keeping Mermund. 

 

Before you go visit Ingor at the pub.  He wants 6 beehives which, with luck, you will have collected already and so you are spared another journey.

 

Go to the red exclamation mark and defeat the sentry.  Use a Nighteye potion, open the door and battle it out with the rebels.  When you get to the end of the cave you get to fight a Master of Inquiry who owns a nice weapon.  Take it from him.  Free Mermund and he'll give you another job.  Sigh. 

 

You can get outside through a gate in the E.  Go to the mark on the map and you'll find Winstan, who will give you the key.  In, start searching/fighting till you kill Hertan, loot him and go to Gorn and then Renwick.

 

Talk to Mermund in this room and also to Gorn and Diego who are sitting in front of the pub.

 

Before you leave, there is an Ancient Relic to be had in the Watchtower to the SE.  You might notice that the Old Crypt is not open to you:  the reason for this is that you could have sided with the rebels while talking to Winstan and then events would have run quite differently.  Don't worry about it.

 

Did you see to the Belial cultists (black spot to the SE of town)? 

 

Off to the border.  Speak to Kastor, use the trapdoor and watch.

 

 

SILVERLAKE

 

During your coverage of the whole area you will meet Jilvie, who wants an arrowhead from a cave to the E.  You can do it right now and get that done; nothing special, you just go in, kill a few goblins, find the right chest, take the arrowhead to Jilvie.

 

When you are ready go into town, talk to Gunda for a lot of info.  You probably collected the nuts she wants while exploring but, if not, you know where to find them.  Talk to Gilthor, he wants you to fetch Doran from the battlefield.  Baldrin is a mine of information. 

 

Go to the extreme NE and talk to Doran.  Talk to Craglan.  Take the road S to the Woodcutters' Camp and talk to Alzar.  From here, take the road NW and enter a cave to find Khilian.  You might have already killed the Lurking wolves, if not just go outside and do it.  Khilian will go to the Castle.  In the cave, to the R, there is an Antique Relic.  Approach the rockface but you cannot break it down.

 

Go to the cave E of the battlefield and find the standard, take it to Doran.  Collect the mushrooms Alzar wanted, plus a skull, and take them to him.  You’ll have to kill him.  Head S for the Castle.

 

Just before you move to the next map you meet Jelvie (this girl gets around); talk to her.  S.

 

 

SILVERLAKE CASTLE

 

This time you have to go directly to the Castle.  Talk to Norman, in, L, talk to Welgard.  Talk to Semele and Kardor, inside.  Upstairs, talk to Gilthor.  Out, both Semele and Welgard need things, talk to them.  Don't forget to look for Semele's weeds.

 

Leave the Castle and turn L, go along here until Pip challenges you at the bridge.  You know the password, so he'll let you through.  Start exploring.  At the watchtower you'll meet Shuruk, tell him you just want a book but you'll have to fight.  Push past him inside and search around.

 

Find the Orc bastion to the E and speak to Ogbosh, you get a job.  S, over a bridge, to a hut.  There, have a chat with Lester.  Talk to Molog.  Look at the map and get over there.  Talk to Irrigh, go S to Shalog and talk to him.  Find the cave to the E, go in, get the amulet from a chest near the lizard, take it back to Irrigh at the hut.  Talk to Molog, get the amulet from Irrigh, empty both chests and pick up anything rattling loose, out, use the teleporter.

 

Give Ogbosh the booze and Darruk lets you in, talk to him.  You'll soon find Erhag and will fight him and his playmates.  Keep your eye on the red bar and keep it full with health potions.  At the end of the fight, pick up everything in sight here and roundabout.  The mace called The Boss is good because it doubles up as a torch.

 

First, with you back to the throne advance and look for Irrigh amongst a bunch of orcs on your L.  Give him his amulet and return to the throne - behind it is the imprisoned Gawaan, talk to him.  On the way out talk to Lester, Molog and Durruk.

 

Well, you heard what Gawaan said, let's go to the woodcutters' camp.  Look at the map, go over there and do your stuff.  When you've finished go back to the Castle.

 

Give Welgard his book and Semele her weeds, in, up the stairs, talk to Gilthor and Gawaan, he gives you a key.  Nose around here and afterwards go downstairs, L, into the Archives.  Search well here.  As you head for the door to leave look R under the shelves and find an old scroll and a new quest.

 

If you've got everything go to Gawaan to report.  Leave by the N door and talk to Gilthor.  Now you are going to from tower to tower searching (upstairs, too).  In the 5th tower you'll find Tronter's key.  Go back to where Gawaan was and unlock the door at the top of the stairs.

 

Through to the end, pull the lever, cross the bridge, into the next tower, search around, open the chest to get Tronter's signet ring and complete the quest, pull a lever to open another door, go through, carry on searching till you've done all the towers.

 

Time to go to Tooshoo, so take the road S and keep going till you get to the entrance.  Examine the rock face and press the "use" button when you see the outline of a gap. 

 

 

TOOSHOO

 

Blacklake

 

On the other side you’ll find a stone golem.  Keep going S, there will be a cut scene to watch.  Carry on exploring; collect any cobwebs you see.

 

When you are ready, approach the town from the N.  Talk to Leboras for info and a job.  Might as well get it done now, so look at the map, go to the spot, kill the lurkers and collect 6 eggs.  In one of the nests you'll find a bag, take it.

 

Back to the village, again approaching from the N:  don't go up the stairs to the mages yet, let's explore Blacklake first, which is very difficult to negotiate.  Talk to Freemonger Borran.  Start by going L, enter every hut you can.  You will meet Shakes and you hand over the bag you found in the lurker nest.  You will also find Leboras and be able to question him.  Go into the hut behind him (the pub, I think), and talk to Mama Hooqua who wants 12 cobwebs.  Find Nejos in one of the huts and he'll ask you to get a chalice and where it is.

 

If you've completed the circuit of the village go to Borran; which means you have to go to Shakes, beat him up and come back to Borran.  If it is daytime collect the cobwebs, if it is night-time go to the cave.  You will have noticed that whilst days are short, nights last forever.

 

In the case of the cobwebs, start in the NE corner of the map heading S and look about you for intense patches of white in the landscape because they are likely to be cobwebs.  When you get to the S go W a bit and then start N doing a parallel run; when you get N, go W and then S.  You should find them all this way and, if you are lucky, you'll be at the entrance of the cave.

 

Note that there are two sets of caves, not connected but adjacent.  In the N one there is a Forgotten Grave (in the northern tip) which contains a very good weapon.  To get the chalice, go to the S entrance, beat the goblins and you'll find it right there.

 

The Mages

 

Take the cobwebs and the chalice to those who wanted them and make your way to the entrance of the village in the N.  Face S, F, L and up the stairs.

 

In, activate the teleporter, R to Gilana.  Listen to her then turn around and go down the depths of the tree to Vultus and listen to him.  Pay attention to his instructions (I'm siding with him), talk to Gilana but no need to ask what she wants unless you particularly want another quest.  Use the teleporter to get out of the tree.

 

Go to the underground temple to the SW, in, go L to a circular chamber to get the straw hat, and finish exploring this section.  Take the teleporter NE of here to get inside the tree.  Go to Vultus.  Back to the teleporter and the Old Ruins.

 

You'll see Zyra by the broken statue, talk to her and drop into the Temple.  Clear each chamber and be on the lookout for chests.  In the E there is a chamber you must drop into (if you've finished with this floor).  To the L there is a locked gate.  You'll find the key in the extreme NE (where else?), so go and get it.  You'll find the statue parts behind this gate.  For your next trick, you have to go back to the entrance and jump from slab to slab to get out.  If you have problems with this, F5 every time you land successfully on the next slab up.

 

Once you are out talk to Zyra; insist on sun and you have to fight her.  When you win make sure you choose sun.  Talk to Zyra, use the teleporter and talk to Gilana and then to Vultus.  Back to Gilana to get the seal.

 

Upstairs and to the L to see what you can pick up, then up the stairs again and to the L to see what sticks to your fingers this time and then in again and to the Library. Talk to Calamus and he'll let you through the door.  Find Merdarion and he'll send you back to Calamus.  Explore while you are here:  talk to Milten and Ningal.

 

Calamus will give the key to his booth, go through the Dormitory and down the stairs, open the door and you'll find Icarus dead; Calamus will join you and the conversation will prompt you to go to Lester.

 

Use the teleporter to get out and then go E to his hut (by the way, there is a small cave to the SW of it which doesn't seem to contain anything interesting).  You'll find Milten there, so have a chat.   To find Lester all you have to do is follow the trail of glowing swampweed (you don't have to but you can pick them up) and you'll end up in, guess what, a cave. 

 

Naturally, Lester will be at the very end, so battle your way through till you see Xesha, who sets a few orcs on you before she disappears.  But, what are a few orcs to us?  We laugh at them ha ha.  When you've dispatched them talk to Lester. 

Go S and use the statue, F, outside, empty the chests, pull the lever to leave the lines of communication open and go E over the rock bridge.  Go to the Monastery and speak to Ruhndal.  This is getting tedious.  Kill the golems in the courtyard.  Find Ruhndal and tell him to stop wasting your time, attack him and you have passed the second test.

 

Before you do anything else, it's worth your while to explore the Monastery - a lever in a room to the W opens the way to undoubtedly the best weapon in the game, the Bloody Harvester.  It heals you with every blow you deal so, with it, you become the most dangerous creature in the game since, along with the use of other health-regenerating equipment, healing potions and bandages, you are practically indestructible.

 

When you are ready go to the abbots, talk to them and watch.  Out, go N to the Black Gorges; when you go through the gate you'll meet Bartur, who will ask you to find his bundle and take it to Jabo (no need to come back to Bartur).

 

S, head N and keep left and you'll find the bundle; keep going N and L and you'll find two strange guys, Ludd runs away from you and Bron attacks you and you have to kill him.  Eventually you'll find Jabo and he'll ask you to kill his doggie at his hut; it shouldn't be a problem with your new sword.  Go tell him about it.

 

When you've finished here carry on exploring but you now know to go into to the Old Ruins (where Bron attacked you).  Fight your way through to...

 

 

SETARRIF

 

Follow the path and talk to Hathon.  L and clear the beach.  Archers remain in the sea shooting at you but you cannot reach them without drowning; so run away and they'll follow you out of the sea where you can get at them.

 

You'll see a wreck you can board; do so and look behind the mast to find Varald.  Back to Hathon, place the statue on the altar, talk to Hathon and go off adventuring.

 

In the NW, near the bridge, you'll find a troll.  When he crosses his arms press and hold the attack button and, when you opens them, let him have it.  You can do a lot of harm this way. 

 

When ready go N to the town.  When you approach the teleporter and a small camp you'll be met by Thor.  Go to the town's gates and you won't be allowed in.

 

The Temple

 

Go to the bridge and cross it to meet Dantero.  At the end of the conversation, go to whichever passage you choose to pull the lever (I chose fireballs because you can dodge them).  Come back here and fight Dantero - go for him first, ignoring the golems then go for them too.  Keep your eye on the red bar because even with the weapon you are carrying you can take a lot of damage.

 

Enter the temple:  in the first room you'll find an old friend, the good old minecrawler.  This one goes underground so, when it does, press the attack button and keep it pressed until it comes out again... then, wham!

 

In this room there is a chalice which cannot be picked up, obviously a bug.

 

Fight your way through the temple heading mainly N.  You will encounter many minecrawlers and, in the last chamber, the queen crawler:  killing her causes the egg sacs to collapse and reveal the exit; in an alcove to your left there is magic ore, if you want it.  Out and on.

 

Eventually you'll come to a gate.  Watch from the side the frequency of the fireballs and open it after one of them.  Hug the side of the corridor to avoid the fireballs.  Expect skeletons; you can entice them to their deaths if you can be bothered.

 

You'll come to a locked gate and the key is in a chest nearby.  Through the gate and more corridors till you can see at last your way out.  If you have a few of those spells which affect various creatures at once, now is the time to place them in the bar.  Save and go up the stairs to face a couple of harpies.  When the fight starts use the spells and finish off whoever is left with your sword.

 

Have a look around, find a ramp and follow it up to the Forge.  Watch.  Pick up the Divine Hammer from an anvil and start looting the place.  Out the other side, pick your way downwards and enter yet another cave.

 

At the end, you have to jump in and talk to Tadoy. 

 

 

THORNIARA

 

Leave the cave, fight the undead, back to Tadoy, down the path to your L, clear the village, check it out, go tell Tadoy.  He'll give you a key for some treasure.  If you want it, you need to go to the W-SW of this cave, look at the map to identify the path that ends at the mountains.  Go in, keep R, get the treasure, fight the shadowbeast and when you see the message Rubble press your "use" button and you'll come out on the other side of the mountains.  Go back into the cave and use the other exit.

 

On your way to the town in the N, investigate the abandoned farmhouses. 

 

When you get to the town you'll find Gorn at the gate and he'll fill you in.  What follows is a nightmare of blocked passages and locked doors which impede your progress at every turn.  From here on, in each quarter of town you can reach, search the houses you can enter for useful items.

 

If you keep L you'll probably meet Ningal first.  Talk to him and go down the stairs to your R, F, pick up the scroll, turn L, go use the obelisk.  Go S to the other end of the Slums to find the other scroll and obelisk.  Once you have activated it go to Ningal and he will give you a key.

 

Move on, still keeping L, past the Inn and there is the gate.  Before you go through you might like to look into all the buildings in the Market.

 

Through the gate, over the bridge, F, jump over the chest onto the quay, F to the Lighthouse, in, up, meet an Apparition.  Out, go to the other end of the Harbour and meet Diego.  He'll tell you how to get to his Estate.

 

Look at the map and follow the street to get there.  Go to the next mark on the map to talk to Lester.  Seek Daranis and go with his plan.  Again, look at the map to find the Golem and you'll have to fight him and a bunch of zombies.  Back to Daranis and into...

 

 

 

The Fortress

 

As soon as you are in you meet Zyra, a.k.a. Daca.  At the end of the conversation go L; you could speak to the king but it won't do much good right now.  Have a good look around and then leave, activate the teleporter and go R.  You are aiming for the square building on your map.  Once inside, find Maldun.  After you've freed him, turn around, out, L, through the gate and to the Arena.

 

Search this place well, then find Hagen, Diego and Milten.  After you've spoken to them all, out, L, kill Cerone.  Place in the bar whatever scrolls can deal damage to a group and move F.  Talk to Drurhang and fight him and his 14 officers.  Look to the W gate and you will see Xardas, talk to him and go through the open gate to Lord Dominique's tomb. 

 

Run around to the R dodging fireballs to pull a lever, dodge again and stand at the now open door.  Watch the pattern of the fireballs and make it as safely as you can to the coffin.  Empty it and all hell breaks loose - fight the undead watching the red bar and healing as necessary.  When you've killed them all, get out of here by opening the gate to the N with the lever and go to Rhobar.

 

After all the talking, leave the Fortress and in the courtyard take the N exit which will take you to the sewers.  Nice.

 

Enter them and go straight ahead to Daranis, who will open the gate for you.  Go along here, down some stairs to Merdarion; talk to him and he will open the barrier for you.  Just go through killing Cultists until you reach the Temple.

 

Keep going around trying to kill the Cultists - if they dodge into the blue barrier ignore them and move on.  They will come out and then you can hit them.  Inevitably you will take some damage, so I hope you have enough healing potions.  Eventually you'll kill the lot.  Go to the blue dome in the middle of the temple and talk to Daranis and, after that, to the three mages. 

 

If you look at your map, you will see that only Ningal's hearts are marked.  Naturally, one would go for them:  only they are infernally difficult to get at so arm yourself with patience and go where you can and take shortcuts through houses or even the sewers.  The whole thing is a monumental time-wasting exercise.

 

The easiest are the runes.  One is right at the top of the Lighthouse, for the next go to the Bastion:  when you get to the gates, L and up the stairs to the battlements - fight your way along here and you will find the rune on the W wall, “below” the Fortress.  The last one is in the Fortress itself.  Go to the throne room, turn your back on Rhobar and go up the stairs to your L, follow on here till you get to a balcony.  The third rune is here. 

 

Take them to Merdarion and the blue dome will disappear.  Get the amulet it was hiding and look about you for Xardas, who wishes to speak to you.  After you've heard him, follow the path in front of you.  It will take you to Gorn and the catacombs on the way to the N Lighthouse.  You know what to do.

 

You'll arrive at the Lighthouse battle-weary and soaked to the skin to find an archdemon you have to defeat.  Before going up the stairs you might want to follow the path to the L in order to open the gates to town which can only be open on this side. 

 

At the Lighthouse go all the way up and use the teleporter.  Watch.  At Xardas' Tower talk to him about everything, pick everything you want here, leave and turn R:  keep going down then go N (you'll have to jump from slab to slab to get to the entrance of the cave).

 

When you get to the first junction, going R leads to a locked door; you need to fetch the key from the other end of the cave, so go L and get it, back here, open the door, search the caves and come out at the other end, where Ruhndal has bad news for you.   

 

Look at the map and follow the markers:  you have a tedious battle ahead.  When you reach the very top of the monastery talk to the abbots (last chance to do a bit of shopping) and then go through the hole in the ground.

 

The End

 

You'll find your arch-enemy at the end of the tunnel.  I wasn't in mortal danger at any time.  What you need to do is to keep moving.  When Xasha knocks you down press the attack button and hold it and when you are upright, lash out.   She'll throw other stuff at you but nothing you can't handle.

 

Watch the finale.  That's all, folks.