Dragon's Eye Level Three

[Dancing Virginia]

Haven't had a lot of time for IWD lately since I got my hands on Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. However, I have turned my attention away from my PS2 and towards my computer.

Possible spoiler

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I'm on level three in Dragon's Eye and the combination of undead and traps are kicking my butt! I have a Paladin (who's turn undead function isn't worth a dime in DE), a bard, and four fighters at level six. If I could just get to level 7 I could DC my thief and cleric!!! That could help. Or not. I don't know.

If you have any strategies for me, that would be great. I don't even get past the first battle without my bard biting the dust.

[Roboghost]

1. No thief! You eat traps.
Hint:
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Stay off the main paths.

2. Do only one battle (of the 5) at a time between rests--the higher you set the difficulty, the more important this is.

3. Immobilize the Wights (Web)--their cold damage is equal to their physical damage! Your Bard can memorize Web--keep him/her at the back.

4. Buff the hell out of the main fighters with potions: this would be the expensive way to get through this.

5. Use magic ammo for the bow/missile folk if you've got it.

6. Don't play the game again without having characters fill in until you can get the DC characters up to snuff. For example: I don't want a super fighter mage (I have other tanks), so I just started a thief until level 13, then I have a cool mage that can do thief duties AND be my main mage (this guy works best with a Bard.) –BTW: a mage dagger doesn’t cripple strike—rats!

Good Luck.

[Otto]

SPOILER
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Here's my plan:

Coldwights have a THAC0=14, so you need an AC= -6 to avoid being hit, except by a natural "20".

(1) Leave the Bard behind or turn him/her invisible for the duration of the coldwight battles. He's just a liability at this point.

(2) Pick just TWO warriors to serve as tanks, and give them your best defensive gear so that each has AC=-6. For example, your party should have Lysan's cloak (25% cold resistance & +1 AC); the +2 defender axe (+2 to hit/+2 AC); Kresseleck's Plate Mail (AC 3); Blackwolf Talisman (+10 HP, +1 AC); and some type of normal shield. Give these to your fighter who specializes in axes.

If you equip this gear on the fighter with DEX=18 and profiencies in axes, you should have these stats:

Fighter
Level 7
Axes: **** (+3 to hit/+5 damage)
# Attacks: 2
Damage: 11-21/attack (1d8 +2 axe; +5 profiency; +3-6 STR bonus)
Max HP: 80-108 (depending CON bonus)
Armor Class: -6
- Plate mail (AC = 3)
- Shield (AC = 2)
- Blackwolf Talisman (AC = 1
- Lysan's Cloak (AC = 0)
- +2 Defender Axe (AC = -2)
- DEX=18 or Potion of Agility (AC = -6)

This fighter only gets hit by coldwights with a natural "20" and has 25% resistance to cold damage. He can probably complete the level by him/herself.

Now take your Paladin. He should have proficiencies in large swords. Give him/her Everain's +2 broadsword; platemail; shield; and any other protective gear (+1 ring of protection; Glimglam's cloak; +1 shield, etc.) These are mostly random items, and you may or may not have them. If you're missing one, you can increase DEX with potion of mind focusing for the same effect (i.e., DEX=21, or use two potions for DEX=24).

Paladin
Level 7
Large Swords: ** (+1 to hit/+2 damage)
# Attacks: 2
Damage: 9-18/attack (2d4 +2 sword; +2 profiency; +3-6 STR bonus)
Max HP: 70-98 (depending CON bonus)
Armor Class: -6
- Platemail (AC= 3)
- +1 Shield (AC= 1)
- +1 Ring of Protection or Glimglam's Cloak (AC= 0)
- DEX=18 or Potion of Agility (AC= -4)
- Protection from Evil (AC = -6)

Now you have two warriors who can fight pretty good and will only get hit 5% of the time (natural "20"). They should have no problem.

(3) Only the two fighters above engage in hand-to-hand combat. These are your "tanks". They have the best possible defense, and good offensive capabilities. The other three fighters should be missle support. You don't really "need" them, but they can help if they hang back a good ways. Every fighter should have at least two proficiencies in some type of missle.

Using this strategy, you should be able to clean the level with relative ease. In fact, either one of your "tanks" should be able to do it alone. If you do get too injured by an improbable amount of critical hits, just return to the previous level and Mother Eugenia will be waiting outside the cave to heal you.

[ 11-09-2004, 09:19 AM: Message edited by: Otto ]

[Calagari]

All spoiler info follows.
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I am now in HOW past the middle of that part of the game. What I did in DE where you are was single file my party members through that trapped area avoiding the trapped tiles one by one.

Stand in the doorways and fight there. Send in one party member to lure the others to the doorway.

Do all the buffs you can and drink whatever potions you may find as loot to help.

Bows are the life saver here.

Don't forget the pause key to regroup and heal members.

The walk back to the previous level to sleep and heal is a bit tedious but that is all there is.

I hope some of this helps.

BTW Shame on you for playing the PS2 instead of your computer.

Originally posted by Dancing Virginia: Haven't had a lot of time for IWD lately since I got my hands on Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. However, I have turned my attention away from my PS2 and towards my computer. Possible spoiler * * * * I'm on level three in Dragon's Eye and the combination of undead and traps are kicking my butt! I have a Paladin (who's turn undead function isn't worth a dime in DE), a bard, and four fighters at level six. If I could just get to level 7 I could DC my thief and cleric!!! That could help. Or not. I don't know. If you have any strategies for me, that would be great. I don't even get past the first battle without my bard biting the dust.

[Marty4]

Spoilers
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Fire is your friend. If your bard's got fireball or agganazer's scorcher, then use them without mercy. If you miss singing, then lead off with a fireball or scorcher, then resume watever chant you want. A cleric would be handy here, but if needed you could do without, and at level one you would miss fighter power more than you would enjoy cleric spells. Keep your party tightly grouped together when you are swarmed, and try to immobilize the blast skelotens with chromatic orb, as a snowball storm would bring your group of warriors to an icy grave.

Good luck, this is a tough part of the game, so don't be discouraged. Pretty soon you'll be resting repeatedly to get a chance to kill these off for xp.

[Aerich]

With your setup, you MUST use Web + the Free Action rings, especially in the opening battle. It's the best way to do it. Your bard should stand at the back and have one fighter act as melee interceptor for incoming Cold Wights. Also have Chromatic Orb or Magic Missile memorized for level 1 spells; use them to hammer wights who get around your fighters, or use them to finish off hurt wights that are threatening your front line. Your best armored character HAS to be in the front, and a potion or two for him/her would be well-advised.

In going through the level, I like to scout with one character, preferably one with a good missile weapon. If my lead draw cold wights, he/she retreats all the way back to where my party is set up - with this strategy you can actually "lose" cold wights in getting back to your party - that makes the odds a bit better. If you draw a mixture of blast skeletons and wights, take out the skeletons first with your missile weapon, then retreat.

Resting often (possibly on the lower level, as Calagari mentioned, is the other key. You can talk to the Ilmater priestess Egenia on level 2 to rest with no fear of attack.

[NobleNick]

Cary,

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(Some slight DE spoilers in this post.)

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Remember this clip from a post in your thread "My Party -- FINALLY!" ?

It is a lo-o-ong haul to wait till F(9) to get your Thief, but you will ever after be glad you waited (and maybe even wish you'd gone to F[12] when your character hits Thief[22] in HoW and has nothing to show for it except an additional Hit Point or two per clvl).

DE is exactly what I was thinking of when I wrote those words about the pain a thiefless party must put up with.

The GOOD news: This is the hardest fight for most people on this level.

The BAD news: The hardest fight for most people in DE is yet to come.

But hang in there, you can do it!

First, let's take inventory --> You have 4 full Fighters and a Pally: That's a lot of muscle. Can your CLVL6 Bard throw SLVL3 spells, yet (i.e. Fireball)? Do you have Grease and (more preferably) Web? I will assume that your Bard has at least 2 area effect spells available (Web/Web, Web/Grease or Grease/Grease); and has at least one SLVL3 slot with Fireball loaded. And I know (way to go!) she has the Bardic Horn.

Second, strategy --> Pre-fight: Memorize all the area effect spells your Bard can, and Fireball. Most of your DE3 opponents HATE fire, so load up on it. Memorize Aganazzar's Scorcher if you have it and won't sacrifice a Web to do so. (I forget the spell levels.) Get the Lyre of Progression (in Kuldahar shop, IIRC) to boost your spell slot count. Save your fire potions from previous levels to use here.

Rest, to regain all HP and to recharge your Bardic Horn. Sort out any buffing potions you might want. March to the exit from DE2 to DE3. Arrange your party so that the formation is a two-by-three (looks like "six" on 6-sided dice) with your Bard in the back, and save game. When ready, quickly do any buffing you desire (use pause, so that several rounds don't pass while everyone takes a drink). When ready, unpause and quickly go to DE3.

Battle: Use pause a LOT!

The general idea is twofold. First, to regulate the rate at which the enemy hits your front line, so that you can gang up on them as they trickle through; and second, to bunch them up and blast the tar out of as many of 'em as possible with each Fireball and/or Aganazzar's Scorcher. Your Bard is important for both of these tactics; so keep your group tightly packed and the Bard protected in the back. Arrange the line so that all warriors can strike the opponent's front line, and the most well armored warrior is placed so that she takes the most hits.

The Bard should throw Web just far enough in front of the party that your own Fighters are not affected. Throw another overlapping area effect spell (hopefully another Web) so that the entire area in front of your group is covered, and most is double covered. That should slow them down.

The next two big guns in your arsenal (Berserkers and Fireball/Scorcher) can be played in several ways; and either one, timed well, should be enough to tip the fight in your favor. IIRC, the Berserkers' weapons are ineffective against wights, but they can still be used as excellent meat shields to slow down the rate at which monsters hit your front line. Do not totally occlude your front line: you want the enemy to trickle through just fast enough for your warriors to gang up on them and chop 'em to bits.

Combine your forces on as few of the enemy as possible (and still keep your formation tight), until each opponent goes down and you can focus on another. Do not let your fighters get into 5 one-on-one conflicts: a two-on-one and a three-on-one is plenty.

Fireball: Time it to hit after enough monsters have showed up to get the maximum kill; but before you throw Berserkers. With practice you can fry EVERY monster on your front line without singeing any of your front line! Satisfying. Scorcher can also be used to good effect; but be careful that your Bard does not draw hostile fire: Later in the fight is better. I love running my Mage around the end of my front line, targeting the farthest monster and frying 5 or 6 monsters for 20 or 40 HP apiece. Yeah, smell that sizzle. If you see monsters grouped, and your Bard doesn't have anything else going, hit 'em with a fire potion.

As you can see, your Bard will be a very busy girl.

If things get too hairy, hopefully you can break off and run your party back up to DE2, rest and come back. I haven't tried this, so don't know if it works.

Calagari was having similar problems at start of DE3. He got lots of advice from us here.

Post battle: If all your gals are alive, save immediately. Go upstairs. Save game, again. Rest. Explore the rest of DE3 very cautiously. Form your party up at tactically advantageous spots and send a lone searcher (NOT your Bard) out as you would a Thief.

Hope this helps. Let me know how things work out for you.

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


[ 11-15-2004, 05:09 PM: Message edited by: NobleNick ]

[Roboghost]

About fire and the CWs:
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Cold Wights are actually RESISTANT to fire (25%), but a higher level bard and Fireball still does a good job of cooking them anyway.
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Hint:
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If you had Druid or Cleric power (the both have spells that will cause them grief)...they are EVIL.
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A bigger hint:
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A link showing the little devils:
http://www.locusinn.com/index.php?hs...creatures&l2=w

[Gimli]

I was using Holy Smites on them combined with spells to slow them (web, grease and entangle) and that seemed to work pretty well. The blast skeletons were slow enough for me to mow down with ranged weapons and stay out of their snilloc's range when they die (at least the ones after the first I saw which surprised me).

[Dancing Virginia]

Thanks for all of the great advice. Wish I had a druid to use that moonlight thing. Got a long way to go until I'm ready to DC her. It should be fun to figure out what strategy will work best in my particular situation. Unfortunately it won't be until next week or something.

And by the way, Otto, depending on the tempo of the music, a swingout could very well kill off some enemies! :-D Follow this link to see a picture of me dancing!

http://benswing.com/glenecho/glenech.../Image122.html