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

NobleNick · 10-14-2005, 09:20 AM

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 ]

10-14-2005, 09:20 AM	#4
NobleNick Quintesson Join Date: February 5, 2002 Location: Huntsville, AL, USA Age: 63 Posts: 1,045	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 ]