Alliance Strategies and General Questions

[SkyRanger]

OK...First let me say how much I wish the NPC's weren't such sniveling cowards and would just go anywhere the party goes...argh! Anyway...I am currently in the Rapax Away Camp. I looted all the chests, scared off the Prince (my party are Templars, by the way), spoke to the King, questioned the two prisoners, killed the King and freed the Queen (Strangely enough, after killing the King, no one became hostile). Obviously since no NPC would go into the camp with the party (I had Vi and Saxx), I only have the original six party members.

I tried recruiting the prisoners, but even though I killed several, I was quickly overwhelmed by Templar Knights all casting spells. Next, I tried climbing the tower closest to the cells and nuking the archers. I was able to get down OK, and managed to kill the 4 guards by the cells, but on the path down to try and escape, I was again overwhelmed with a mass of Knights casting spells.

Is it possibly the makeup of my party that is making it difficult to escape? My party is as follows:

Male Lizardman - Fighter (19 - Swordsman) Weapon - Fang/Dragon Kite Shield
Male Felpurr - Samurai (18 - Daimyo) Weapon - Enchanted Katana/Wakizashi
Male Rawulf - Lord (18 - Paladin) Weapon - Walriblade/Poignard
Male Hobbit - Rogue (19 - Pirate) Weapon - Poison Dagger/Thieves Buckler
Male Faerie - Ninja (17 - Master) Weapon - Cane of Corpus/Boomerang Shruiken
Female Faerie - Mage (18 - Necromancer) Weapon - Ebon Staff

When I started the game, I though about maybe adding a Psionic along with the Mage for greater spell abilities, but decided instead to go more for the warriors.

I think I have also come to realize that before I even free the prisoners to set up the alliance, I need to complete the trip to Bayjin to get the ship cooridnates for the T'Rang (I am a double agent for both sides). Or is this assumption incorrect?

Or how about this possibility...would it work if I left the prisoners in their cells, completed the Bayjin section (for Galumph, and the Savant Coordinates), and then spoke to the traitor in the Umpani camp to get the fake pass to the Mt. Gigas weapons; but instead of putting in the coords for the Umpani ship, put in the ones for the Savant ship.

Of course, I suppose I could also leave the Away Camp for now, go back to Marten's Bluff and set a portal there, then return to the Away Camp, release the prisoners, and port back to the Bluff.

That would then beg the question if I release the prisoners and the Rapax become hostile, would I have to fight my way through the Rift again to get to a portal to Ascension Peak, or is the best way there to speak with Bela again in the Mountain Wilderness?

I realize I may have answered some of my own questions, but the board is a great sounding place for all those ideas anyway.

[Scatter]

You should have 4 Portals. Set one in front of the Mirror to the Rift while the Rapax are still green.
If you don't have 4 Portals, go practise until your Book (eg Alchemy for the Ninja) plus one-tenth of your Air Magic skills total over 60, and read the books or level. If you take either at levelling, it'll give you the other without using another pick.)
You only realy need 2 Portals, one there and then one wherever you want to go first with the prisoners. (Ump camp is best) This Portal can be at the T'rangaporter, too, you can use it to go to the Umps, too.

(edit) You can go to Ascension Peak form the Bela side as long as you don't go in there with more than one of the final quest items. in your inventory. (you can place them all one at a time that way and never have to deal with your Al-offspring and the rest of them.

[ 05-27-2004, 10:25 PM: Message edited by: Scatter ]

[Nightowl2]

Typically, you do the quests for each side up until they ask you to destroy the other's ship. That's usually when you would rescue the prisoners and get the alliance. So yes, you should go to Bayjin first and take care of Glumph. Especially as he has to join the party, and you wouldn't have room for him if you rescue the Templar prisoners first.

As Scatter said, entering Ascension Peak with no or only one doodad prevents the Rapax from blocking the place off. However, if you've already been there with two or more, the landslide has happened and you can't get there again from Bela's side; you'll have to use the Rapax portal.

There is no absolute need to kill the Rapax king or rescue the queen. All that matters is getting the two prisoners out there in one piece. The usual place to set a portal is by Z'Ant. Open the two cages, then talk/recruit the prisoners, and portal away before the Rapax can react.

Nightowl2

[Gadgeteer Tom]

The Trang prisoner says that the King and Prince must be killed. We had a confrontation with the King after he noticed us picking his pocket (for that Key), but killed him quietly enough that we can still casually walk to the cave (oops ! there went our faction once we opened the cave), and still walked to the Stockade (faction slipped as soon as I 'recruited' a prisoner), but I took Portal (to Trangporter) without hanging around to see how hostile the Rapax may have become...Yes, my 'other' portal is by the Rapax transporter to Ascension Peak - and I totally forgot to drop off the stuff I brought for the Mirror Armor before hiking off to the Templar Camp (where I was greeted heartily 6 times "Welcome Templar Brother !", nice killing Al-Sexedus quickly before she spawned...).
Only now I can't figure where to place the Trang tracking device (and I did it before on prior games ?!)...

[Nightowl2]

The kill king/rescue queen stuff is probably yet another "unfinished item" in the game. I only bothered with that once. It made no difference, since in all subsequent games I never killed him or rescued the queen, and nothing changed.

The T'Rang tracking device is used on the control panel for the "big rocket" at the top of Mount Gigas.

Nightowl2

[Gadgeteer Tom]

I tried it there, but only after trying the red button and being assured of no chance of hit...but restarted to an earlier point (I like saving the queen, since it does give XP for not much trouble - except that this time I'd killed Ferro already and when the King was killed all of the Templars were quite hostile [hey more XP !] and I had to kill all of them - Whew !).
The "Welcome Templar Brother" guy was showing up yellow before I nailed the King...
Thanks for reminding me where the tracking module goes, Nightowl2 !