Ironworks Gaming Forum - When should I go start "Heart of Winter"? (spoilers)

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- - When should I go start "Heart of Winter"? (spoilers) (http://www.ironworksforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24122)

I talked to Hjollder when I first arrived in Khuldahar, and he told me that I need to be more experienced before going off and helping him (that must have been some vision!).

That was a while ago, and I'm at the point in the game where I've just defeated all the Orogs that invaded Khuldahar after Yxuonomei (sp?) was killed and some "ancient enemy" of Yxxy killed Arundel.

Anyway, I plan on getting this Heartstone to some elf before trying to talk to Hjollder again, but would that be too soon to go start Heart of Winter? Would it be too early?

I need some advice here. I do NOT want to have to export my game into HoW or TotL. I want to beat them by playing through them.

A few spoilers ahead, I've tried to make it as precise yet vague as I can.
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It's a little too early to go to HoW right after giving up the Heartstone Gem. For the best gaming experience (IMO), continue the main game until you have the six significant quest items - you will have completed every area in Lower Dorn's Deep at that point. Then dump the items in a chest in Kuldahar and go to HoW.

When you get to HoW, go through it until Hjollder offers you the opportunity to cross the Sea of Moving Ice. Decline his offer, and visit the tavern in Lonelywood to begin TotL.

Oooooo... I'll try and remember all of that! [img]smile.gif[/img]

(bookmarking this one!)

krunchyfrogg,

Aerich's advice is excellent. Let me add a few things, some of which he implied, but did not explicitly state.

First off, you want as much XP as possible before starting HoW, since you will not find HoW to be a cake walk. The point in the game that Aerich talks about is about as far as you can go before hitting a "point of no return." You can put the 6 items where they logically should go (instead of storing them) without ill effect; but do not explore new territory in that room after that. You will likely have several unfinished quests from earlier parts of the game, that need items from Dorn's; and the XP from some of them is quite high. After completing these quests, return to Kuldahar and start HoW.

If this is your first time through IWD, a fun trick is to save your party to 2 different game names after you have maximized your party's XP; then take the party to finish IWD. After seeing what it is like, return to your other previous save and take the party to HoW as if they had never seen the IWD end-game. That way you get to compare your "IWD only" party's prowess in the final battles against that of your more seasoned HoW party.

--------------------
What's a party,
without a song?
Bards ROCK!
Party On!!


[ 10-14-2005, 09:20 AM: Message edited by: NobleNick ]

spoilers!(even for you krunchyfrogg)
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i dont quite understand, are you saying that we should begin How after getting all six badges? but before finishing IWD then go onto TotLM before going to Iscaraget(sp?) temple or whatever?. that would mean that you would never finish the first 2 games wouldnt it?.

Yes, more spoilers (well, nothing too new)
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You go back, hence:

Go through IWD until you have the 6 badges and store them somewhere.
Go to Hjollder in Kuldahar and start TotLM.
Continue with TotLM until you get an offer to go to the Sea of Moving Ice, say no.
Return to the Inn in Lonelywood and speak to...some halfling guy, hell take you to do the trials.
Return to Lonelywood and finish HoW
Return to Kuldahar, get the badges, then go finish IWD.

The concept is that as you are going along to save Kuldahar, you are intercepted and sent on a quest to help Hjollder (HoW), and take on a further quest from Hobart (TotL). In terms of the order of finishing, you will finish TotL first, then HoW, then IWD - the opposite order in which you were given the quests.

Pictorially, Aerich's explanation might look something like this:

(View in window wide enough for this sentence to fit on one line, or else the "picture" will look confusing.)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Start TotLM > > > > > > Finish TotLM 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /\ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \/ 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /\ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \/ 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Travel to TotLM . . . . . . Return to HoW 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /\ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \/ 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /\ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \/ 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . Start HoW > > Accept TotLM offer . . . Continue HoW > > Finish HoW 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /\ . . . . . . (in Lonelywood) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \/ 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /\ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \/ 
. . . . . . . . . . . Travel to HoW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Return to IWD
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /\ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \/
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /\ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \/
Start IWD > > Accept HoW offer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Continue IWD > > Finish IWD
. . . . . . . . . . . (in Kuldahar)

Don't forget to use the advice given in the posts above, to pick the best times to accept offers to travel to HoW and then on to TotLM.

Hope this helps.

--------------------
What's a party,
without a song?
Bards ROCK!
Party On!!


[ 10-20-2005, 04:38 PM: Message edited by: NobleNick ]

Re: When should I go start "Heart of Winter"? (spoilers)

Ok, just for simplicities sake, is it ok if I start the HOW when I am in Upper Dorn’s deep? I just finished the first part of the Deep, and got to the creature that would give me an item (apparently the first badge) if I kill a guy whom I am coming to. I went back to Khaldhar (sp?) and tried to open the only building I hadn’t been to yet, but I get a message about how the door is locked and cannot be opened by normal means. How do I start Heart of Winter? And how/when should I do the Trials?

Re: When should I go start "Heart of Winter"? (spoilers)

If the expansion door in Kuldahar is locked, then you haven't installed HoW yet. The HoW discs have a picture of a white dragon on them but I do not know what discs you have. Trials of the Luremaster is an online download that you may still find here...but I do not know how much longer it might be available. Some mods/updates for older games--and by "old" I mean "10 years"--have a tendency to disappear without warning, even from the official software producer.

If you do not have HoW, then you can probably find it at used book stores or online. I have my older installs--complete with patches--on a large USB stick, just in case.