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BAYJIN SHALLOWS
Setting Davy Jones' Locker
I set up a savegame called "Davy Jones Locker" before I enter the Bayjin Shallows. I enter the Shallows and quicksave.
The reason for backing up a savegame prior to entering the Bayjin Shallows is that it has one of the best chests in the game, the Davy Jones Locker. The Locker will set a few items from the Davy Jones list when you first enter the Shallows.
A few of the more interesting items include the Raven's Bill (+2 to hit, -5 initiative, -1 hit point drain, 25% poison, 5% critical strike, cursed), Excaliber (+4 to hit, -5 initiative, +1 health regeneration, 25% hex, 5% critical strike, Lightning with limited charges), and Tinker's Carryall Bracers (+1 armor class, +20 Strength, +5 Locks & Traps, Gadgeteers only).
The one I'm after is the Ring of Regeneration (+2 armor class, +4 health regeneration), which I intended for RFS-81 to wear for the rest of the game. *NOTE* Or at least I originally intended to. I had to change plans later on.
Remember, the placement of chest items works the same as in the first Icewind Dale game. So, I enter the Bayjin Shallows and quick-save. The backup savegame is there for when I don't get the items that I want from the Locker. The quick-save will be for if I do get the items I want from the Locker.
Also, note that just straight ahead is a huge sea monster called Nessie. I will fight Nessie soon, but not yet. So, the quick way to see what is in Davy Jones' Locker is for Terra to cast Chameleon, and then for me to go down, and avoid Nessie as long as possible by hugging and going along the wall to my right. At some point, Nessie will notice me and start combat. But then I simply run away from her and to Davy Jones' Locker. Once I'm inside the little cave that holds the Locker, combat will end. I can then simply open the Locker to see what's inside. If the Locker doesn't have what I want, I simply reload the backed up savegame and start the process over.
However I get what I want on my first try, the Ring of Regeneration in the Locker, and a bonus as well. That bonus is a Gown of Divinemail (L), which I would have wanted for Rothgar. I had plans to get it later on, but getting it now is an added bonus. So I reload my quicksave.
Nessie
Now I'm ready for Nessie. Terra had cast Chameleon beforehand so that the party can get closer to her. Nessie has a fairly extensive spell repertoire, and has a breath weapon that both inflicts damage and drains stamina.
I set up a walk so that my front-line warriors can starting hacking away at Nessie the next round. It's also set up so that at the end of it Vi Domina will cast Soul Shield, Terra will cast Elemental Shield, and Chun-Li will also cast Summon Elemental. Errol will also use his Angel's Tongue to cast Bless. Ryu the next round casts Armormelt on Nessie.
After that it is simply a matter of sustaining damage on Nessie round after round. The Earth Elemental Lord provides a handy distraction, and also scores a few blows on Nessie. It's only a matter of time.
Davy Jones' Locker
Now I unlock Davy Jones' Locker. RFS-81 gets the Ring of Regeneration (+30% Divine Resistance, +4 Hit Points regeneration) for the time being. I plan to have RFS-81 wear a set of Black Gowns of Death that would have boosted his AC sky high, but together would have resulted in -4 Hit Points drain for him. The Ring of Regeneration will nullify that Hit Point drain.
Rothgar wears the Gown of Divinemail (L) (+10 AC, +10% Divine Resistance, +1 Hit Points regeneration, +15 Vitality) for the rest of the game. The Hit Point regeneration and the welcome boost to Vitality will augment his innate regeneration ability as a Lord.
I go to the geyser on the west, and let it take me up to the tunnel that leads westward.
Buccaneer Ghosts
In due course, I run into a sunken shipwreck. Waiting for me are 7 Buccaneer Ghosts. They can inflict nasty effects with their touch attacks like hit point drain, disease, stamina drain, sleep, etc., and often cast the same spells that other undead spirits do (e.g. Sleep, Insanity, Slow, etc.).
Keep in mind that Buccaneer Ghosts have a 20% chance of dropping a Vaporizer, plus 1 item from the Bayjin Good drop list. Items from that list include a lot of mundane stuff, but also some good ones, like the Stave of 12 Stars (+1 to hit, -2 initiative, 7-16 damage, 35% sleep, restore magic with limited charges) and the Frontier Phaser (3-30 damage, 5% chance of killing target).
I'm angling for three items from that list. A *Light Shield* (+10 armor class, +90% fire resistance, +90% water resistance) and two *Light Swords* (+6 to hit, +7 initiative, 10% critical strike, double damage against androids). There will be a chance to get a second *Light Shield* later on.
? Okay, so each Ghost has only a 20% chance of dropping an item within that list. An even when it does drop an item from that list, within that is only a 2.5% chance of the Sword turning up and a 4.9% chance for the Shield to turn up. Doesn't sound very encouraging, does it? But, there's a justification for this.
So, my method is to have Chameleon in place, and then hug the wall to the right until I bend around the ship, and thus have all of the Ghosts in view when combat starts. Vi Domina casts Soul Shield and Terra casts Elemental Shield to protect against their spells. Ryu and Rothgar each cast Banish, and Errol uses his Cornu of Demonspawn. Chun-Li uses Banish to power level 2 in the next round. The result is that four Ghosts have been killed, and three remain with their hit points substantially reduced.
And that is perfect for my purposes. I now run away, while setting my characters who use missile weapons to use defensive mode when setting up the runs. I keep running away until combat ends and quicksave. The intention is now to scum-save each of the three surviving Ghosts, one at a time, and each time getting one of the items I want.
I approach them and position myself so that my front-line warriors can only attack and kill one of them. If it doesn't drop what I want, I simply reload. I scum-save until I get a *Light Sword* and run away again. Ryu uses the first *Light Sword* for the rest of the game. A Samurai, with the lightning strike ability and the bonus to the Sword skill, is the perfect class for taking full advantage of the *Light Sword*.
But there's now a complication in that four Psi Sharks have come close to the shipwreck, and are likely to participate in the next combat along with the two surviving Ghosts. So I go west carefully, stopping myself when I see the first Shark to encourage them to come closer while also giving the surviving Ghosts a little more time to go back closer to the shipwreck. I get what I want in that it's only the Psi Sharks attack me. I retreat in order to encourage them to come closer and way from the shipwreck. I set up Soul Shield after that. When I figure the Sharks have followed me for a bit, that's when I cut them down one by one. Zarax and Errol advance to their 22nd levels of experience.
I go back and scum-save the second last Buccaneer Ghost. MANY reloads later and I get a *Light Shield* (+10 AC, +90% fire and water resistance), which will be Ryu's shield for the rest of the game. I run away until the combat ends and quicksave.
I thought of squeezing the last one for another prized item, but decided I can get what I need in Bayjin itself. I kill the last Buccaneer Ghost. There is a Piece of Coral near the shipwreck, which can be used to craft the Ivory Blade. But it doesn't fit into my plans. I next loot the chest in the shipwreck.
I return to the center depths of the shallows, and then go up the geyser on the south side.
Depth Flayer Cave
Now I go up the bubble water south of where I fought Nessie, and travel east along the tunnels.
At 'Cave' is a Cave that is home to 3 Depth Flayers and 2 Depth Dwellers. Flayers are basically more powerful versions of Dwellers. Again, as long as you can outmatch them physically and/or recoup your health, this fight should be routine for a decent levelled party.
The cave itself has a fair amount of loot, including a Plague Axe (-2 initiative, 4-12 damage, 5% poison, 70% disease, 5% blindness, 5% nausea, 5% insanity), an Ankh of Healing (+1 armor class, +1 health regeneration, Heal Wounds with limited charges), a Plate Mail (U) +3 and a Dragon Kite (+4 armor class, +20 shield skill, +40% fire resistance, +20% water resistance). Zarax wears the Plate Mail +3 (U), while Rothgar equips the Dragon Kite.
Now I make my way to the Sea Caves.
