When to start Watcher's Keep? (spoilers! ToB!)

[Shotgun]

I'm just about the start Chapter 6 of SoA, and ended up heading to the Watcher's Keep first (I saved the moment before I headed there in case I changed my mind). Anyway, I started the ritual and got my a** kicked, thanks to that stupid Summon Insect spell.

So, my question is: Should I wait and start Watcher's Keep later or will it be just as hard then? I'm not at home, so can't check the level of my characters, but I think my PC is a level 18 mage or something and the others are up there, too. However, if I clean out the first level without doing the statue ritual, can I leave WK with all of the pretty weapons/potions I've acquired at this point and finish the rest of SoA or do I have to completely finish level 1 of WK before leaving it? Thanks!

[ 09-10-2003, 10:07 AM: Message edited by: Shotgun ]

[Seraph]

TOB content = TOB forum.
TOB Spoilers ahead
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Assuming by "ritual" you mean the WK level 1 ritual and not the Tactics-mod "ritual"

First of all, on the ritual, you know that you don't have to fight all the statues at once right? There are atleast two different triggers, so if you put one item on the altar, exit the loot screen, some of the monsters should be hostile. This really helps (its easier fighting two groups then fighting one big group).

To answer your question, you can do as much, or as little of WK as you want. However, [This is very important] Make sure you don't lose the items the knights gave you when you talked to them [/This is very important].

[ 09-10-2003, 10:04 AM: Message edited by: Seraph ]

[Xen]

This contains ToB informations so therefore it belongs to ToB forum.

You can leave it as it is.

Roleplaying:do it in ToB

Powergaming:do it in SoA

[ 09-10-2003, 10:07 AM: Message edited by: Xen ]

[Shotgun]

Sorry about posting in the SoA forum. I wasn't sure because I had started the quest while still doing SoA. Oops. My apologies.

Yup, I do know that you fight the statues twice, but the first group really destroyed me. Maybe I'll try again before giving up and doing the quest later.

[Zarr]

I usually do Watchers Keep at chapter six and I'm about your level. I don't have many problems completing the entire keep in chapter 6 so you should be able to do the first level. Do you have a good ranged attacker like Mazzy? They can be invaluable disrupting the insect plague spell. If you don't spell imunity - aburation will protect from the insect plague then use the protected character to cast dispel magic on those affected.

[ 09-10-2003, 10:26 AM: Message edited by: Zarr ]

[Shotgun]

Hm I tried dispel magic, and it did nothing. Maybe they put the kybosh on my spell casting, and I didn't realize it. I'll try the spell immunity again and see what happens. I have Mazzy, Minsc, and Anomen and I think I just got them into the fight with the mages to late--I dealt with the regular fighters first, so that was probably the reason. I'll have to try it again. How would they help disrupting the spell?

Oh, and in case anyone's wondering, I've asked to have this post moved to the ToB forum. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 09-10-2003, 10:55 AM: Message edited by: Shotgun ]

[Dace De'Briago]

I guess I'm a bit of a powergamer.

As soon as I start SoA I go to watchers keep and sneak my thief through the first level in order to grab a particular dart.

It's a bloody good dart in fact.

Then I leave and continue SoA. In the middle of SoA (well, after the underdark), I go back into Watchers Keep and find that I'm easily powerful enough to reach the last level.

A certain pair of bracers holds a lot of appeal for me as a powergamer [img]smile.gif[/img]

Then onto the SoA endgame. And so forth.

[teardropmina]

Originally posted by Shotgun: Hm I tried dispel magic, and it did nothing. Maybe they put the kybosh on my spell casting, and I didn't realize it. I'll try the spell immunity again and see what happens. I have Mazzy, Minsc, and Anomen and I think I just got them into the fight with the mages to late--I dealt with the regular fighters first, so that was probably the reason. I'll have to try it again. How would they help disrupting the spell? Oh, and in case anyone's wondering, I've asked to have this post moved to the ToB forum. [img]smile.gif[/img]

the most effective way to disrupt spell casting, I think is to shoot her (I maybe mess up the gender of that annoying spellcaster) an insect plague. however, you cannot do it faster than she does. so, the key is to finish her off before she can even cast any spell. surround her with Mazzy, Minsc and mighty summons (you should have some HLA summons already right?). Do this before you initate the ritual. Position your party well first. if you focus you fire power on her, she will die very soon. after she's gone, the rest is easy.
I'll suggest to use Mazzy and Minsc to sandwich her (with the short sword you get before you enter the keep, Mazzy is deadly).

btw, personally I think the reason that any WK discussion should be in ToB forum (even if you get in there in SoA) is that, IF you don't have ToB installed, you don't get to do the WK thing. Not everyone has ToB.

[Shotgun]

That's what I figured about the post, too. Once again, my mistake.

Now, teardropmina, when you talk about that specific mage, do you remember if she's on the right or the left side of the screen? I don't have the game in front of me, but I think it's the one on the right, correct? Also, I went into this fight blind, so I didn't have any creatures summoned when I first did it. I'll definitely have them ready next time, though!

[Devv]

This post is full of spoilers.

I do a few quests around Athkatla then like go to WK with a party about level 11 (single class 11). It is tough, but when you go there that early you don't have the insect plague summoner statue or the mage one. They only appear if you go to WK at higher levels.

The first floor is fairly easy to sneak around aslong as you have the daystar to kill the vampiric wraiths and at least one +3 weapon to kill the golem statue. I actually managed to get to the third floor before minsc reached level 12 lol and he had been in my party since the start of the game. Then I went to the succubs and let her life drain me to get to the cambion. Gambled for wish and spectral brand then for his way out. There is absolutely no way at all I coulda killed him though. Had to fight the demon wraith next, but the hardest part of that fight is disarming all the traps in the room as quick as possible.

You really indulge the powergamer in you like this, two + 4 weapons with spectral brand and usumos blade, bag and case of holding +1, crimson dart +3 and some other nice ToB items like the extra healing potions. You do need to take a thief who is good at disarming traps like Yoshimo though to get by the second floor [img]smile.gif[/img]