Ice Temple: How long should I stay here?

[Orka]

I've done everything in the Ice Temple I can think of. Waiting for Nickodemus to pull in his favor and the Battle square thing are the only (I think) things I have not completed. I did one rank in all levels of BtlSq and recieved small prizes in each one after completeing. But it never tells me I've completed a level. I've defeated level one 6 times, level two 7 times, level three 5 times, level four 5 times, and the rest of levels five thru ten once each. Am I wasting time here? Am I'm going to get anything I need later on by fighting the battle square seemingly endlessly?? Please just hints. And sorry for such a long message.
thanks,
Orka.

[Aragorn1]

I had the same problems.
The favour gets pulled in later in the game, it is unavoidable so don't worry about it.

As for the battle square i couldn't be othered after being killed a few times. Every level you complete you get an item, getting better each time. None ofthem are critical as i completed the game without them, hope this helps.

[Micah Foehammer]

You might be confusing RANK and LEVEL. There are 10 RANKS to battle square, and each rank has 5 LEVELS requiring you to successfully gain 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 squares (sort of like a giant tic-tac-toe game). One you have completed all five levels, you should get a message telling you that you have successfully completed that RANK. Once all 10 ranks are finished, you should also get a message telling you that you have gained Battle Square Mastery.

Elsewhere in this forum is list of the items you gain at the end of each rank, plus the item you get for completing all 10 ranks. Occassionally, you will also gain an item (gold, scroll, or gem) for completing a level.

[Nightowl2]

Well, if you've killed the three priestesses, destroyed the altar spirit, and given Nathaniel all his items, then you can be on your way.

The battlesquare is a pain and I only did it through once. Just too many fights to be fun.

Just to clarify on the ranks: For rank one, you put three across, kill the critters. Then rank 2 is four across, kill the critters, etc.

So for each of the ten levels, that's 25 fights, for a grand total of 250 combats if you do the whole thing. Just so you know

Nightowl2

[ZFR]

just to add one more thing: when doing higher levels be careful not to get an early victory... usually the middle square has to be left till last

[Micah Foehammer]

It's not just the middle square - ANY three consecutive squares will trigger a premature victory, whether they are along the diagonal, an edge or otherwise. Think of it JUST like tic-tac-toe, except in this version you need to get those extra squares completed first. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Vassago]

I read elsewhere that you are better off to complete the battle squares later b/c the xp you are given is set and if you finish it now, then you'll get less for the enemies that you have to fight. I've read that you can go back and complete the battle squares any time before starting chapter 4. Here is an example on how to beat all levels of a rank in battle squares. Red X to be completed last.

X is square beaten
0 is left alone

X X X
0 0 0 Rank 1 Level 1 beaten
0 0 0

X X X
X 0 0 Rank 1 Level 2 beaten
0 0 0

X X X
X 0 0 Rank 1 Level 3 beaten
0 0 X

X X X
X 0 0 Rank 1 Level 4 beaten
0 X X

X X X
X 0 X Rank 1 Level 5 beaten
0 X X

[Magness]

I'd also like to add to Vassago's good info that you should try to the levels in reverse order, i.e. do the hardest battles first. Why? Because it allows you to bail out if you get seriously whacked halfway thru the series of mini battles.

What do I mean by this? Say that you are trying to win the level 5 (7 squares) battle but get seriously damaged while winning the 4th square. If you're fighting the levels in reverse order, you can just select a 5th square that would complete level 3 (5 squares) and bail out while still completing a required level. True, you could do the same if you've already completed level 3, but it's a bit of a waste of time to complete a level that you already completed once. Doing the battles in reverse order allows you to bail out without that waste.

Furthermore, if you were lucky and were able to complete a level without any serious damage, you can always try to take on another lower level without taking time to rest and rebuff. However, do a save before starting that next level. You don't want to die and have to refight 2 levels.

[Magness]

Originally posted by Orka: Am I wasting time here? Am I'm going to get anything I need later on by fighting the battle square seemingly endlessly?? Please just hints. And sorry for such a long message. thanks, Orka.

I suggest that everyone should complete the entire Battle Squares at least ones, if only for the experience (and I don't mean XP).

"Am I'm going to get anything I need later on...?"

Need? No. But there are a few really good items that are worth the trouble. These "good" items are enchanted at levels that are largely out of proportion to the items that you'd get as random drops at this point in the game.

Somewhat specifically, the items for completing ranks 6, 7, and 10 are excellent. The item for completing all 10 ranks is probably the best item of its type in the game. Heck, the item for completing rank 10 is also probably the best of its type in the game as well.

BTW, I suggest completing rank 6 just to get the rank 6 prize before taking on the rest of the ranks. It makes finishing the rest of the battle squares a good deal easier.


I've fought the BSquares enough times now that I've downloaded a "cheat" from the Wiemur mods sites (that's a part of his Ease-of-Use mod) that allows you to skip the fighting in the battle squares and just get the XP and the items. Yes, it's a serious cheat. But after completing battle squares 3 or 4 times, it really is just too boring and tedious to replay when I can just get the XP and items and preserve my patience.

[Vassago]

I beat the first four ranks using my Fighter 4/Rogue X (can't remember what his current level is) before I bailed on to Chapter 3. I read about the xp points being set and I was having a lot of trouble w/ the fifth rank that I decided to move on. I plan to come back and finish it before heading on to Chapter 4 (Kuldahar?). Also, I don't know if it's my party or not, but I'm getting my arse handed to me in Chapter 3.