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Kuldahar | Vale of Shadows | Kresselack's Tomb - Level 1 | Kresselack's Tomb - Level 2 | Kresselack's Tomb - Level 3 | Temple of the Forgotten God |
VALE OF SHADOWS
North Crypt
Now I travel east, until I run into Lesser Shadows. Don't worry, they can be hit with non-magical weapons, and the best they can do is a brief spell of minor bad luck should they hit you for not much damage.
I then arrive at the front entrance of a crypt. Once I enter, I get attacked by several Skeletons and a couple of Zombies. They can't be affected by the Sleep spell, so you'll just have to tough it out with physical combat. Note that afterwards I check the ground for any weapons they've dropped. The reason for this is that they may sometimes drop Masterwork weapons that I can sell for decent prices.
This crypt will have a few traps, so I send the Black Thorn ahead to look for and disarm them. If any undead come after him, he simply leads them back to the party.
Note that at one instance, I encountered a Carrion Crawler. The Crawler can paralyze its targets, so I play it safe by hitting it with missile weapons at a distance. Should it survive (which it doesn't), I'll switch to melee weapons and take it down quickly after it has been wounded.
Note that the corpse to the northeast has a scroll of Stinking Cloud, which my Mage will find useful, and thus scribes into his spell book.
Northwest Crypt
Now I travel back west, then south, killing off a pack of Yeti that I find there. I then continue east and then north, killing Lesser Shadows along the way. I thus find another Crypt entrance.
Although I don't show it in this video, I set up a savegame in front of the entrance called 'Vale of Shadows'. The reason is that there will be a sarcophagus in the northeast corner of the crypt that offers one of the following items:
The Halberd is the one I want, not so much because I'll keep it, but as a magical weapon it can fetch the biggest return for me on a sale. The reason I'm meticulous thus far about maximizing my gold returns will become apparent.
So I step in through the Crypt. Note that I let the Zombies and Skeletons come to me, and carefully hold my position by the door. This is so I can quick-save after fighting the fewest creatures and avoid bringing others into view. Again, I don't show it in this video, but I have the Black Thorn hide and check out the sarcophagus in the northeast corner. If it doesn't have the Halberd, I'll reload my 'Vale of Shadows' savegame and start over. If it does have the Halberd, I'll reload my quicksave.
Now, just a little north of where I first entered is a statue that is guarded by a Ghast. The Ghast causes disease to Halagrim, but Genevieve uses her Cure Disease power on him. The statue itself has a Gate Key that I'll need later.
I move towards the northeast corner. There's a trap that you can't avoid tripping, but it's beneficial anyway, since it brings out 4 Lesser Shadows that I can kill for experience.
I continue to kill the undead in the northwest corner, and then loot the sarcophagus for the Halberd and other items.
I then go towards the northwest corner. There's a series of traps along the corridor that the Black Thorn needs to disarm. I then kill the Ghoul, and loot the shelf for any items.
Therik
Now I head back west, then south around the bend, and then I head a long way eastwards until I find another Crypt entrance.
And again, I set up the "Vale of Shadows" savegame just before I enter the crypt. Once I enter the crypt, a skeletal warrior named Therik wants me to leave. I'm not willing to oblige, so he and two Zombies attack me. Therik will drop an item that is set once you first enter the crypt. The possibilities include one of:
And also one of:
Again, it's a process of elimination. All of the weapons will be overtaken by better weapons to be found later in the game. The potion isn't a big deal either, since Charisma doesn't really provide any benefit in combat. On the other hand, beneficial rings that can be worn with magical armor are rare. It is the Ring of the Warrior that I want, as it will have lasting value for the rest of the game. So, I simply reload the backed up savegame if Therik doesn't drop the ring, and quick-save if I do get the Ring. Cassandra, who as a multi-class Fighter/Druid will have her THAC0 improve more slowly than my Paladin, wears it as one of her rings for a good while.
Southeast Crypt
Now I continue to explore the rest of the Crypt. Note that I often have the Black Thorn go ahead of the party looking for traps. This has two advantages. One is of course that he can find and disarm traps before they can do any harm. The other is that it utilizes the 'drawing out' approach in that he can egg on a few monsters to chase him, and separate them from the rest of the monsters, allowing the party to deal their enemies piecemeal. And indeed, this is far more sensible within this crypt than charging across narrow bridges or walkways, which has the risk of 1 or 2 party members getting caught in a bottleneck and being attacked by many monsters.
In the south and east portion of the crypt are a few sarcophagi that the party loots for their items. The sarcophagus to the south is trapped, and has the Sanctum Key that I will need to use soon.
Also, note that just north of the sarcophagi is a skeleton that has a scroll of Invisibility, along with a little gold. Derrick adds this to his spell book, and the Invisibility spell will become part of a frequent method for checking the contents of randomized chests that I want to cherry pick. More on this later.
Northeast Crypt
Now I leave the Crypt, and go west a little, and then turn north, and then turn east. I fight more Yeti and Lesser Shadows along the way. Keep in mind any Yeti pelts you find should be collected.
I soon find another Crypt entrance. There's again plenty of treasure, with a Chainmail +1 perhaps being the most noteworthy. And there's plenty of undead of various sorts to fight here. The only tip I'll add at this point is to target Ghouls and Ghasts first, since they can paralyze party members.
Yeti Chieftain
Now I head for the large central plateau, that will have Yeti hanging around. There will be more Yeti in the narrow ravine going south and then east. I don't fight them there. I lead them away and onto the large wide-open plateau. This way, I don't have 1 or 2 characters taking all the heat when they're foremost along the ravine. Instead, I can surround and gang up on the Yeti once they're in the wide open. This includes a Yeti Chieftain, who leaves behind Mirek's Heirloom, as well as a random +1 weapon. The weapon was randomly set when I first entered the Vale, and it turns out to be a Morningstar +1. Genevieve equips it when she needs to use blunt damage instead of slashing damage.
I soon make my way to a cave entrance just south and down from the plateau.
Yeti Cave
Now I enter the cave itself, which will have a few Yeti. Remember, collect their pelts. There will also be a series of crates near the northwest corner of the cave. Among the loot to be had is a Mace +1. Of particular interest to me is a Potion of Fire Resistance. I hold onto this, and any others that I find, in anticipation of my final fight against Belhifet.
Conlan's Smithy
Now I head back to Kuldahar for a bit. Mirek, the townsman who was being chased by Yeti, will now be found by the Potter's Shop just west of the Druid Statue. I return his Heirloom to him, and he rewards me with xp and a Sling +1, an upgrade for Halagrim.
Now I go northwards and enter Conlan's Smithy. Conlan sells +3 variants of a lot of weapons, if you're interested. Conlan will also buy any weapons and armors you find along the way. Here, I show how to maximize my gold returns. I make sure Halagrim's inventory is stacked with all Yeti Pelts. This way, they all sell for 50gp each. Any pelt I sell to Conlan from that point onwards will only go for 20gp each. I also sell any weapons and armor I find. Note that I sold my Chainmail +1. It provides the same protection as the Splint Armor that my warriors are already wearing, but it sells for more gold. Same thing with the Leather Armor +1 as compared to the Studded Leather Armor that the Black Thorn is already wearing.
Now, there's a reason why I'm being so meticulous about maximizing my profits. There a number of expensive items, available from either Orrick or Conlan, that I want to become part of my lasting inventory for the game. The sooner I get them, the better.
Orrick's Tower
Now I go to Orrick's Tower, which is towards the northwest corner of Kuldahar. I speak briefly with his Goblin servant, Weenog, and then head upstairs.
I then speak with Orrick. He wants to discover any secret lore about Elven Mythals that he can get his hands on, and would like me to keep my eyes open for anything that can help him.
*NOTE* Keep in mind that Orrick sells both spell scrolls, as well as some unique magical items. Both the scrolls and the unique magical items available for sale will change once a new chapter starts.
Scrolls I bought from him include:
The unique items that Orrick has for sale include:
If you want to get any of these items, you'll need to get them during Chapter 1. Orrick will be selling different items during Chapter 2, and these won't be available anymore. The only one I had any interest in was the Clasp of Bron's Cloak, which I bought for Halagrim. The 5% to damage resistances won't be a big deal by itself, but it will be a big deal when I stack it with the damage resistance bonuses provided by other items that I find later in the game.
To Kresselack's Tomb
