Strange contrast in difficulty (spoilers)

[CerebroDragon]

Hello...hello...hello (hears the cold lingering echo of his voice across the vast emptiness of the Ironworks Spine of the Cyberworld....)

After much pain was had with the Driders in chapter four, I finally reached Kuldahar after almost a day at home fighting those dire Drow abominations.
I think I reloaded a good twenty times in one of the battles - the Drider seem to have a way of creeping upon the unwitting party. (Hope that doesn't spoil the chilling factor for when it happens to someone new to the game like me...) I had to grimly hold formation and flee with single characters time and time again.

Anyway, I also snuck through and completed the Illithid area without too much hassle which was quite a surprise to be honest. I was expecting the kind of fear I experienced with them in Bg2 only worse since my party has very little in the way of anti-charm magics here.

Was I the only one who eventually slaughtered those Merchants?
And only because the body guard insulted me.
(Well...my rogue couldn't keep her hands to herself either)

Now that I'm just starting out in Kuldahar - I'm finding it to be an almost warm and secure place despite the area's obvious problems with the Yuan-Ti. That could be because of the familiarity it has from the first game. I do find it odd though that I relish entering battle with these snake-men, since they don't drip with the sense of dread that the Driders did. Its almost a kind of xp heaven fighting Yuan-Ti in comparision I think, even if you don't get that much after awhile. Definitely seems as if things are easier, if only for the time being.

I'll be moving on to the Jungle portal near the tree very soon! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Cheers,
Cerebrodragon

[Bozos of Bones]

Originally posted by CerebroDragon: Definitely seems as if things are easier, if only for the time being.

Hehe, you got that right. Good luck in the Jungle. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[Luvian]

Just try cleaning out the temple, and defeating the guardian... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[JrKASperov]

Hmm, I was playing with a 4 player party, but after the exterior of the ice temple, things have been pretty easy actually... For now...

[CerebroDragon]

Another progress report due I think:

I managed to infiltrate the temple using the disguises so conveniently left behind by those initiates who turn on you just to the northwest of the entrance.

What followed was a very slow, arduous clue gathering exercise, as my party fell victim traps galore and the sensation that things could go very sour very quickly in here. We talked to the chef, the half-breed from Dragon Eye, a few Yuan-Ti priests and fighters, trying to understand just what was going on down here.

The events took a turn for the worst when my inquisitive rogue disarmed a fire pit trap and followed a passage leading to Ashra and his viper assassin cronies. A few silly dialogue options later (I want to join you and the how absurd response) and an inevitable combat began.

What followed was an endless stream of reloads as I took alot of time to figure out how to wipe the entire population of these two factions out. My tactic when I succeeded was to walk all the way into the two factions room and around to the east, buff up, summon a couple of creatures to put into the room entrance, then put armour back on!
Cloudkill and web in the entrance helped as well.

Definitely one of the hardest fights in the game so far, although I do wonder if I've made the right decision in being so quick to want to wipe them out. When the battle was done, I simply went slowly again through the temple and picked the rest of the Yuan-Ti off until I got the message that their stronghold was over and that Kuldahar was saved.

Is there another strategic moment that I missed?
I noticed that the screen goes black ocassionally and a 'ritual' is mentioned, but I never did get to witness what it was all about...

[Bozos of Bones]

Are you still in the jungle? Good, in the temple in the room filled with undead there's a broken stone you need. Collect the rest from the jungle shrines and expect the hardest battle yet, and then some more

[CerebroDragon]

Hmmm. I don't recall a room filled with undead - uh oh, sounds like I'll be going back now!

I think I fitted three of those statue pieces outside the temple...is this broken stone of which you speak related to this? I figure this battle is with the ominous sounding 'Guardian'.
Interesting that killing it isn't essential in the quest to wiping out the Yuan-Ti threat completely...

Another question!
I obtained all the human hearts in the statue but didn't find a use for them.
Can I do anything with them? Or are they just for making squisky messes with?

I've just finished the first two levels of Dragon's Eye. Nice flow to the battles so far...am coping pretty well. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I really loved the battle back when you get back to Kuldahar with Cedran's forces - it was lengthy but with good tactics and the healing support of the druid, we were always going to win. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 06-19-2004, 11:43 AM: Message edited by: CerebroDragon ]

[Luvian]

The Guardian battle is one of the most interesting in the game, along the one for the Holy Avenger.

[Bozos of Bones]

ANd they're all in Kuldahar, imagine that...

[Geoff]

You don't really have to fight the guardian yet to get to Dragons Eye.....just make sure you slaughter them all in the temple. You can come back to the guardian later when you've gain a couple ( a few ?????? ) levels, but it's still a haaaaard fight.