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Walkthrough and FAQ
Version 0.9
Elroy Ng(elroyng@singnet.com.sg)
This Document Copyright 1999 Elroy Ng
Do not reproduce or redistribute this FAQ in any form without my
consent. If you want to include any part of this FAQ on your website,
publication, etc, e-mail me for permission first.
Contents:
1. Author's Note
2. Introduction
3. The Ideal Party
4. General Physical Combat Strategies
5. General Magical Combat Strategies
6. Tales of the Sword Coast Walkthrough
7. Items In Tales of the Sword Coast
8. New Monsters in Tales of the Sword Coast
9. Contributors
10. Conclusion
1. Author's Note
23.5.99
First of all, I would just like to say that Baldur's Gate is the BEST
RPG I have ever played on the Playstation or PC. The game is just
simply incredible.
All of the tips and strategies in this guide are created and tested by
myself. These strategies are tried and tested and have proven their
worth.
22.6.99
Ok, I have updated this FAQ and replaced the crappy Durlag's Tower
guide in my previous version of this FAQ. Enjoy!
23.6.99
Here I am again. I even surprised myself by my enthusiasm for this FAQ.
Anyway I added any Items List and also a Monsters List.
Also, there are NO STORY SPOILERS IN THIS FAQ.
2. Introduction
In Baldur's Gate, especially Tales of the Sword Coast, there are tons
of strategies and tactics involved when dealing with powerful foes. The
kind of strategies you use would depend on the kind of party you are
controlling. For example, a pure physical attack party would use
different kinds of strategies and technique compared to a party using
maigcal attacks.
In this FAQ I have listed the various ways to tackle the tough foes
found in BG. And my definition of "winning a battle" is "winning a
battle without a single party member dead". Please take note of this.
3. The Ideal Party
The ideal party to use in Baldur's Gate MUST have at least one mage who
casts spells such as Lightning Bolt or Fireball. Another must-have
member is also a priest who handles the healing of your party.
If you are like me, and prefer to stick to a pure brawling party with
no mages whatsoever, then I must warn you that you are only making
things difficult for yourself. In BG, it is almost impossible to make
it through the game without magic. Powerful foes such as the Battle and
Helmed Horrors make your life difficult. I had such an experience.
In the first few chapters of the game, it is possible to make it
through without magic. I did. However by the time I reached Cloakwood
Mines, I found the game to be extremely tough without magic when
dealing with the Horrors. This was my party at that time:
Myself (Paladin)
Khalid (Fighter)
Jaheria (Fighter/Druid)
Ajantis (Paladin)
Kivan (Ranger)
Imoen (Thief)
All of the members of my party used long-range weapons such as bows and
slings. For the lesser enemies I met, this party was all-around
supreme. However the lack of any form of magical attack soon became
apparent when I reached Baldur's Gate. It was near impossible to beat
those Doom Guards and Invisible Stalkers in that mage's house without
losing a single member. So I reshuffled my party and this is my current
party in Tales of the Sword Coast too. The members are:
Myself (Paladin)
Khalid (Fighter)
Ajantis (Paladin)
Branwen (Cleric)
Imoen (Thief)
Dynaheir (Invoker)
If you are wondering what happened to Minsc and Jaheria, well, I simply
killed them. Yes, feel free to kill any member of a pair when forming
your ideal party, the game would not penalize you any way. (However, I
regretted killing Minsc) There is another way to get rid of the person
u do not want. For example, say, I want Khalid but not Jaheria for my
party, well, simply send Jaheria, alone, into a building which you
would not enter again, and then remove her. She would not be able to
navigate out of the building to take Khalid with her! There you have
it!
All of my characters carry a long-range weapon and a secondary short-
range weapon. If there's a need, Branwen could use the Wand of the
Heavens which I bought and Dynaheir coould use the Wand of Frost which
I also bought.
4. General Physical Combat Strategies
? When fighting hand-hand, long range missile weapons are always more
effective than even the best sword that you can ever find in the
game. Equip your whole party with long range weapons. For the
fighters, use a Composite Longbow and for the mages and clerics, use
the Slings. Any normal enemy approaching your group will be
mincemeat by the time they reach you.
? When fighting a group of powerful enemies, make sure to take out the
magic user among them first with your long-range weapons. Mages can
wreak havoc with spells such as fireball and horror if you are not
careful.
? I would advise that you put your best armour and equipment on one
warrior alone. Try not to spread the equipment out to create a well-
balanced party. A party with a super-warrior and two weaker warriors
is better than a party with three average warriors.
5. General Magical Combat Strategies
? The best magic attacks in the game usually come from wands. I found
the Wand of the Heavens and Wand of Frost to be the most effective.
? Spells such as Fireball and Lightning Bolts dish out tremendous
amount of damage. However these spells MUST be used cautiously. A
single Fireball spell targeted wrongly can really ruin your day. The
best strategy to adopt when using a Fireball spell is to cast it far
behind the opponent. When done correctly, only the monster in front
of you gets injured by the spell.
? Do NOT ignore spells such as Hold Person and Horror. These spells
can really help when dealing with groups of tough foes.
? Never forget about your lower-level spells when you receive your
third or fourth level spells. Spells such as Magic Missiles and
Burning Hands are excellent when executed by a high-level mage.
? Personally, I think that the best spell in the game is the Magic
Missile spell. It never misses and is cast instantly. This is
effective for hitting mages before they get their powerful spells
off on you.
6. Tales of the Sword Coast Walkthrough
Be warned that all the subquests in Tales of the Sword Coast are very
cahllenging. To begin with, you would need a Level-7/8 party, which is
also well equipped at the same time. The party I used to tackle TOSC is
the same as mentioned above with 3 warriors, 1 thief, 1 cleric and 1
mage. In TOSC, the most important member has to be the thief. This is
due to the sheer amount of traps you would find in TOSC.
? Retrieval of Shandalar's Cloak
Talk to Shandalar found in Ulgoth's Beard. He would ask you to retrieve
a cloak belonging to him from a faraway place. Make sure you prepare
your party sufficiently before agreeing. Stock up on ammo for your
long-range weapons and cure your whole party. When ready, talk to him
again and he would give you a wardstone, which can get you out of that
island. And then he would teleport your party to the island to retrieve
his cloak.
You would then appear on an island, enter the cave to the dungeon. In
this dungeon, there are winter wolves scattered about and there are
three major battles with mages in the dungeon. The first battle
involves a group of 3 mages. This is a really difficult battle. You
would have to enter the space where the group of mages are via a narrow
corridor. Upon seeing you, they would attack you, not giving you time
to get your entire party into the room. Whats more, they would cast a
Horror spell which makes you lose control over several members of your
party. I have developed a specific strategy for this battle. And it
goes like this:
? Get your mage who can cast either Fireball or Stinking Cloud to the
other end of the corridor, which is a dead end. Make sure you do not
let the three mages spot you.
? Then cast Fireball into the room where the three mages are, not
moving from your position. As soon as the fireball spell hits,
retreat back into the room from which you came from.
? If successful, the fireball spell would damage one or two of the
mage prompting them to approach and attack you.
? This is the opportunity to take them out one by one. Once you have
taken out one or two of the mages, you can then rush into the room
to take care of the rest of the mages.
? One mage (can't remember his name) gives a whopping 6000 exp whereas
the others give 1800 and 2000 exp.
There is another battle here involving a mage and 4 Ankhegs. This
battle is pretty easy as the mage is not that powerful. Make your way
to the top of the map via a narrow passage near the beginning of the
dungeon. Watch out for the traps though. Either use a thief to disarm
them or use a mage with Minor Globe of Invulnerability to walk through
them. You will then meet two more mages who are pretty easy to beat.
The last mage that you would fight is called Dezkiel (I think), he
holds Shandalar's cloak. This guy is wimp, just take him out with long
range missiles. Grab the cloak and leave the dungeon by the stairs in
the room he was in. Leave the island by moving to the spot from which
you landed on when you arrived. You should teleport out of the island
automatically.
? Werewolf Island
To initiate this quest, talk to Mendas of Waterdeep in his house which
is to the far west of Ulgoth's Beard. He would tell you to retrieve the
sea charts from the Counting House in Baldur's Gate. The Counting House
can be found by walking north from the Soceries Sundries, and then
exiting the map. On the new map, on your immediate right is the
Counting House. Unlock the door and enter. The guy at the top would
tell you to do a quest for him before you can obtain the sea charts.
Actually, you can simply pickpocket him for the charts and leave not
bothering with the quest. Head back to Ulgoth's Beard and talk to
Mendas again. When ready, go outside and talk to Mendas. He would then
have hired a boat which would take you to Werewolf Island.
Your ship would then meet a storm and land on Werewolf Island
(coincidence?). As soon as you land, head towards the center of the map
and enter a house then talk to Kaishas Gan. She would tell you of the
story of how they came to be on this island and about the lycanthropes
in the upper half of the island. Offer to get rid of the Werewolves in
the upper half of the island. Also, to the west of the gates of the
village, a young girl name Farthing, is looking for her doll. A woman,
named Maralee, standing in the center of the village wants you to help
her find her baby son, named Pelandan back. A fisherman, in the south
of the village, is looking for his brother and probably killed by a
sirine in the north.
Head to the northern part of the island. To the east of the village,
you can find the sirine who killed the fisherman's brother. Proceed to
the shed where a mage, called Dradeel, resides in. He would ask you to
retrieve his spellbook from the ship where the Wolfweres are so that he
can get out of the island. His shed provides a safe resting place so
rest if you have to. He would also hand you an amulet that helps
against lycanthropes. Pickpocket him for another such amulet. Proceed
to the ship to the northwest of the shed. Here, there are four levels
where you would meet Wolfweres and Vampiric Wolves. I would suggest
Magic Missiles and wands to deal them damage. Of course the most
efficient way is still the traditional way, and that is, by hacking and
slashing at them. There are chests around each level. However, most of
them are booby-trapped so have your thief to disarm them beforehand. If
you find yourself not being able disarm the trap and therefore not
being able to unlock the chests, your only option is to cast the
second-level mage spell, Knock and then take the effects of the traps
head-on. (BTW, you better get used to this, such occurrences are
aplenty in Durlag's Tower). On the third level of the ship, a Werebane
dagger can be found.
The fourth level is the final level of the ship where Karoug is. There
is a nasty fight waiting for you though. Here is how I survived it
without anyone dying:
? As soon as you reach the top, have someone cast a Fireball spell
aimed at the bottom end of the room. This is to weaken the Wolfweres
that would approach your party when the conversation ends.
? And then have another person cast monsters or skeletons to block the
Wolfweres from approaching your party.
? When the conversation ends, Karoug turns into a Greater Wolfwere.
You need specific weapons to hit him. Bastard Sword+3 vs
Shapeshifters, the Werebane dagger and the Flametongue can hit him.
? Have your best fighter approach and challenge the Greater Wolfwere
to "hold him off" while you hit it with Magic Missiles or wands.
? An attack should be made on the enemy mage as soon as the
conversation ends so as to disrupt her spellcasting. As soon as
someone or something hits her, she would turn into a Wolfwere.
? The Greater Wolfwere would give your party 8000 experience points.
There many other strategies for this battle. However, the most crucial
part of the battle is to Summon Monsters or Skeletons to provide a
"barrier".
Grab the doll and baby named Pelandan, from the room with Balduran's
Logbook and the Sword of Balduran. Return to the shed and return the
spellbook to Dradeel and he would cast Dimension Door and disappear.
Return back to Kaishas Gan once you clean out the ship. Suddenly, the
whole village except Kaishas Gan would turn against you. Go outside and
any villager who notices you would "explode" into a Werewolf to attack
you. (So much for cleaning out the island for them) Approach the large
house to the west of the village where it is enclosed by stone walls.
Dradeel whom you just "saved" by returning the spellbook would approach
and tell you to enter the secret passage in the house.
Go into the house and enter the passage revealed. You would then find
yourself in a cave with winding paths. Head towards the north-east to
find the exit. When you exit the cave, approach the ship where Kaishas
Gan is. She would then turn herself into a Lou Garou and attack you.
The Lou Garou is not very strong, equip the Sword of Balduran which you
should have found in the ship and kick its ass. And the escape from the
island by clicking on the mast (or somewhere there) of the ship.
When you return to Ulgoth's Beard, Mendas's plot is revealed and he too
turns into a Lou Garou. As the previous battle, use the Sword of
Balduran to hammer it.
? Durlag's Tower
Ok, this is it, the main reason why you bought TOSC. Durlag's Tower is
filled with TONS of traps not to mention plenty of tough foes. Skeleton
Warriors are abundant here so are Greater Dopplegangers. The Tower also
contains plenty of special missiles. It is IMPOSSIBLE to loot the
entire Tower with just one attempt. You may need to invade the Tower
several times in order to clean out the tower.
Level 1
Ok, if you came with Ike, talk to him several times. Eventually, a
Demonknight would appear to wreak havoc. After casting two fireball
spells, he would cast Dimension Door and escape. It is impossible to
kill him immediately on that spot. So, just send your party to another
part of the floor, unaffected by the Fireballs then have your mage with
Minor Globe of Invulnerability and talk to Ike. This would help your
party escape the ordeal unscathed. Nothing much to loot on here so just
head upstairs.
Upper Level 1
Nothing much here either. There is a door to access the "outside" of
the tower. However, there are several Greater Basilisks there. A
Scimitar+2 can be found "outside" though, which makes the trip and
trouble to fight the Basilisks worth it.
Upper Level 2 and Upper Level 3
Nothing much to loot here. Several NPCs to kill. Once you are done,
head back to Level 1 and proceed downstairs.
Lower Level 1
Meet Bayard here and he will tell you of his adventures below.
Lower Level 2
This level is filled with traps and there are four puzzles and one
nasty fight to handle before you can advance. The four warders guarding
the entrance to the next level would require you to solve their riddles
by performing certain actions.
When you arrive, head to the west and enter the room with the anvil.
Take note of this. You can also find a Key here. Head downwards along
the secret passageway which can be accessed by detecting a secret door.
When you reach the end of the passageway, you would see several rooms.
Head towards the room with the gong and take note of it. And then head
towards the room with the books spread out. Click on each of the books
and then the sword in the opposite room would light up. This solves one
of the warder's riddles. Continue to follow the route and eventually
you would end up in a luxurious bedroom. Head towards the wardrobe and
grab the Plate Mail+3 and also the grape. And then head to the table
and unlock the drawer with the Key you found earlier. Grab the Handle
from the chest. If you head towards the room with two tables from the
bedroom, you would see that a passageway is there which returns you to
the main hall of this level. DO NOT use this passageway, it is loaded
with traps which cannot be disarmed.
Around the bedroom, you can detect a secret door. Open it and head in
and open any other secret doors, eventually, you would stumble upon a
treasure room. Grab the Glittering Blue Gem from the piles of treasure.
And then return to the bedroom and continue to follow the route, you
would then come across a room with a huge machine. Activate the machine
using a switch. And then head to the adjacent room and click on the
weird wooden machine. The grapes would then be used up and a grape
juice would be formed. And then continue along and you would be back in
the main hall. Head towards the room which you missed out earlier on,
fight the spiders that reside there and then loots the area. A Scroll
of Cloudkill can be found in the shelves. Also you can also find a
Mallet Head here. Head towards the room with the anvil and fix the
Mallet Head and Handle. And then head towards the room with the gong
and hit it.
By now, all the four riddles have been solved. Talk to all the four
warders. By lighting up the sword, you solved one puzzle. By hitting
the gong, you solved another puzzle. By obtaining the glittering blue
gem, you solved the third puzzle. By obtaining the grape juice, you
solved the final puzzle. A fight would then break out between you and
the four warders.
This fight is tough. One warder would cast Cloudkill over a fixed area.
So avoid that area. The warder whom you gave the grape juice to is a
mage and should be taken out first. Use long-range missile to kill him.
Another warder is thief and he constantly deals Triple Backstab damage.
The key element in this fight is to summon monsters and skeletons
beforehand. You would not have time to do so during the battle. Summon
skeletons to fight the warder who casts Cloudkill as they are not
affected by it as they are Undeads. And then summon TONS of monsters to
block off the other warders while you settle the warder who casts
magic. Use Magic Missiles against the warders to deal out damage. With
the right amount of monsters summoned and enough tough warriors, your
party would emerge victorious out of this tough fight. Grab the
wardstone from one of the warder's body and head downstairs.
Lower Level 3
This level is really annoying with lots of Greater Doppelgangers and
traps to disarm. When you enter the level, you would see three locked
doors. Oh, by the way, don't bother with any books on the ground. They
all just contain some useless text.
Head downwards and into the room with the statues. Click on the two
statues. This would give you access to the bedroom. And then head to
the bedroom and grab the wardstones. This gives you access to the other
room opposite. In the room, there are three Sparring Dummies Hit them
once each and then you would gain entry to the throne room. Head to the
throne room and pick up Kiel's Helm. This would cause three Greater
Doppelgangers to enter the room. A fierce fight would then break out.
The Greater Doppelganger at the throne would cast two Stinking Clouds
and one Cloudkill which increases the difficulty of this fight by a
notch. Get out of the Cloudkill and the Stinking Clouds and use missile
weapons and magic to take them out.
Next, two doors would open up two doorways. Both get you to the same
place so just enter either one and make your way through. You would
intially see a stairs down but it is a fake and clicking on it would
cause three skeleton warriors and a Stinking Cloud spell to appear so
avoid it. There is a room beside the fake stairs with several Doom
Guards. Opening the chest and looting the item there prompts them to
attack you. The Doom Guards are relatively easy if you have several
battle-hardened and tough warriors to fight them. Cast magic if you
have to. And then find a secret door nearby and head down the stairs.
Lower Level 4
You would find yourself at the junction of three rooms. However, to get
to them you would have to get past a Fireball trap that explodes in
intervals of time. Head towards the door that is open first. I think
the only effective way to get past the trap without damage is by Boots
of Speed or Oil of Speed or the spell, Haste.
After you make it across, you would find yourself in a garden maze
(sort of). Head downwards and you would find a dried-up fountain. Grab
Bala's Axe here. There is nothing more of interest here so head back
from where you came and head across to the other room. This is a room
with a Dragon's skeleton in the background. When you enter, Tanor (I
think) would approach you and tell you about his story and how to
enlist the help of other NPCs momentarily. Clicking on the other
statues would "activate" them and a NPC who is dire-charmed would
approach and pledge his loyalty. Anyway I would recommend clicking on
all five of the statues. There are three Greater Wyverns here which
gives 5000 exp each. You would need these NPCs to provide an effective
barrier while you take out the Greater Wyverns by missile weapons.
Eventually, you would also have to take out the NPCs themselves. Kill
them all before you leave the room. And one NPC have a Full Plate Mail!
The third Full Plate Mail you can get in the game.
You can then head towards the last door. In this room, there are lots
of skeletons firing special arrows at you. Stinking Cloud spells would
also go off if you do not disarm the traps. This place is pretty easy
if you have a souped-up fighter. I managed to finish the whole room by
myself without my party who were still crossing the Fireball trap.
Nothing much here to loot so head down and open the door.
You would see four tunnels. Enter the topmost tunnel. You would fight
several winter wolfs and a polar bear. Easy fight. When you win, get
out anf enter the second tunnel. An Air Aspect with three Invisible
Stalkers are there. Summon monsters and skeletons to hold off the
Invisible Stalkers while you take out the Air Aspect. Another easy
fight. The third tunnel contains a Fission Slime. You got to use any
Fire magic to take it out effectively. This is because it would divide
into two if you kill it by weapons or other type of magic. The two
would then divide subsequently if you do the same thing again. Save
yourself the trouble and use Fireball and Wand of the Heavens. The
fourth tunnel contains two Phoenix Guards. After finishing all the
tunnels, you would be transported to a chess game.
The chess game is really tough with out the proper strategy. The object
is to take out the opponent's king. I would recommend summoning
monsters and not moving from your spots at all. The whole board is
practically booby-trapped and you would be better off, letting them
come to you. The easy way to win the fight is by using Fireballs.
Here's what I did:
? After the conversation, immediately cast a Fireball spell targeted
at the middle of the board. This would take out about six pawns.
? The rest of the enemies would then swarm you immediately.
? You would not have time to cast another Fireball spell. So use the
next best thing. Arrows of Detonation.
? Target the Arrows at the three mages who would be at the middle of
the board. Two Arrows of Detonation would take them out together
with the rest of the units.
? This leaves the king alone. Hammer him and win the match
? Easy fight. No sweat. You can retrieve the Long Sword+3 from the
king's corpse.
Head towards the door to advance to the next and last level.
Lower Level 5
In this level, there are three huge areas to tackle and explore. First
of all, head to towards the east and you will meet a "phantom Durlag".
Talk to him and then head up towards the door. You will then meet
Islanne who would offer to teleport you out of the Tower. Ignore her
for the moment. You would notice that you have three options here.
Ignore the door to the east as it cannot be unlock and head towards the
door in the west. You would come into a room. If you attempt to cross
the carpet, you would be attacked by a flurry of spells. Just cross the
carpet from the top. There are plenty of treasure here. A Large
Shield+2, Sling+3 and other stuff are found here. Click on one of the
beds and you would be teleported to a room with several stone statues.
You are supposed to answer the question the stone statue poses. With
the correct answer, you would be teleported out of there and to the
beginning of the level.
Head towards where Islanne is and open the door which takes you to the
south. There are tons of spider in the huge room which you would enter.
Make sure to disarm the Web trap before you enter the room. After
taking care of the spiders, head towards the statue in the room. Answer
his questions correctly and you would be teleported to a room with
several statues like before. The question in this time is quite tricky.
My tip: take note of the designs on the floor. Now you would be
teleported to the beginning of the level again if you managed to answer
correctly.
Now head towards Islanne again. However, stop a bit of distance from
the door and you will detect a secret door. Enter the place and you
would find yourself in a "green dungeon". Head towards the west first.
Keep going west and you would eventually find a room with several
Ghasts and Grael. Kill them and grab the Compass Wardstone. Now head
east, you would soon find a secret door to an area. Enter it, and
follow the path. Beware of the "crushing traps" here though. Also, a
way-too-cool Flametongue Sword is found here. Head towards the room
which has a door like that of a vault and click on the throne there.
Again, solve the riddle and you would be teleported to the beginning of
the level. Talk to Durlag and he would lead you to Islanne where the
Locked Door would be Unlocked. Inside you would meet Clair De'Lain. She
would tell you her story. After that, head down the stairs.
Lower Level 6
Here, you would meet the Demonknight at last. He's a wimp so just kill
him with your warriors. Then grab the Soultaker Dagger in his corpse
and talk to Dalton in this level. Exit the place and talk to Islanne to
get out of the Tower.
Congratulations! You have completed Durlag's Tower! Now head towards
Ulgoth's Beard for the nastiest fight in the whole of BG and TOSC.
? The Aec'Letec
Go to Ulgoth's Beard and a Cult Agent would demand the Soultaker Dagger
from you. You can accept or refuse his request. Either way you still
lose it. Go to the inn and talk to Hurgan Stoneblade. He would tell you
his story and send you to take out the Aec'Letec (if he's that
powerful, why did he not offer to help?)
Anyway head towards the west of the village and kill the Cult Agents
protecting a house. Go inside and kill the guards there too. And then
get ready for the fight of your life.
When you go down, a female mage would break the dagger and unleash the
Aec'Letec. There are also several Cult Agents around who would do
nothing even if you attack them. However, even if you managed to kill
the Aec'Letec he would "regenerate" out of any one of these Agents.
Hence taking the Agents out first is a must. This fight is extremely
tough. Anyway, I have managed to win the fight. However, I will not
post my strategy due to two reasons. One, my strategy kind of caused a
bug in the game to kick in. Two, since this is the absolute ultimate
challenge, I hope you can develop your own strategy to win it. Good
luck!
7. Items in Tales of the Sword Coast
In Tales of the Sword Coast, there are many new magical weapons and
items, here, I have listed ONLY THE INTERESTING AND OUTSTANDING ONES.
This means that the items here are basically the ones you would want to
get in TOSC.
Scimitar +2
This weapon is as good as the Long Sword +2. It offers a +2 THACO
bonus and causes 1D8 +2 damage and has a speed factor of 3. Found in
Durlag's Tower
Sword of Balduran
This sword is actually very weak. However because its made of gold, it
offers some advantages against Lycanthropes. It deals 2D4 (+4 vs.
Lycanthropes) damage and offers a THACO of +4 vs. Lycanthropes. Its
speed factor is 7 and is found in Werewolf Island.
Two Handed Sword +3
This sword is extremely powerful, beating even the Spider's Bane. It
deals 1D10 +3 damage and adds a THACO bonus of +3. It has a speed
factor of 7. It is found in Durlag's Tower.
Long Sword +1- Flametongue
Now, this is one of my favourite sword in the game. It deals 1D8 +1
damage and offers a THACO bonus of +1. However, its abilities change
when meeting certain creatures. Its +2 vs. Regenerating Creatures, +3
vs. Cold-using Creatures and +4 vs. Undead. This is indeed a great
weapon with its +4 vs. undead which means its +4 vs Skeleton Warriors!
Great weapon and it has a speed factor of 3. Found in Durlag's Tower.
Sling +3
This is a great weapon particularly if you have mages and priests. It
is +3 missile damage and offers a THACO bonus of +3. Its speed factor
is 3 and can be found in Durlag's Tower.
Werebane Dagger
This dagger offers 1D4 +1 damage (+4 vs. Lycanthropes) and offers a
THACO bonus of +1 (+4 vs. Lycanthropes). Its speed factor is 2 and can
be found on Werewolf Island.
Staff Spear +2
This weapon, suitable for every character, deals 1D8 +3 damage and
offers a THACO bonus of +2. Its speed factor is 4 and is two-handed. It
is considered a Blunt Weapon and can be found in Durlag's Tower.
Mace +2
This Blunt Weapon deals 1D8 +3 damage and offers a THACO bonus of +2.
Its speed factor is 5 and can be found in Durlag's Tower.
Staff Mace
This weapon, usable by every class, deals 2D4 +2 damage and has a THACO
bonus of +2. Its speed factor is 2 and can be found on Werewolf Island.
Quarter Staff +3
This staff deals 1D6 +3 damage and offers a THACO bonus of +3. Its
speed factor is 1. Personally, I think this staff is the best weapon,
apart from the Sling +3, that a mage or priest can wield. It can be
bought in Ulgoth's Beard.
Staff of Striking
This unique staff offer 1D6 +9 damage and a THACO bonus of +3. Its
speed factor is 1. However, this staff has "charges" much like a wand.
Therefore, you may want to save it for certain battles, considering its
high-damage capability. It can be found in Durlag's Tower.
Warhammer +1, +4 vs. Giant Humanoids
This warhammer deals 1D4 +2 (+5 vs. Giant Humanoids) damage and offers
a THACO bonus of +1 (+4 vs. Giant Humanoids). This warhammer can be
found in Ulgoth's Beard and has a speed factor of 2.
Cloak of Displacement
This cloak offers an Armor Class bonus of +4 vs. Missile Weapons. It
also conveys a saving throw bonus of +2 for death, breath and wand. It
can be bought in Ulgoth's Beard.
Plate Mail +3
This Plate Mail has offers a Armor Class of 0, making it the best Armor
found in BG, apart from the Full Plate Mail +1. It can be found in
Durlag's Tower.
Kiel's Helmet
This helmet protects against critical hits and also against all forms
of panic and boosts morale. It can be found in Durlag's Tower.
Kiel's Buckler
This buckler offers an Armor Class bonus of +1 and adds +1 to Dexterity
while equipped. However, it does not protect against Missile Weapons.
This buckler is perfect for a thief. It can be found in Durlag's Tower.
Ring of Invisibility
This ring, when used, causes the wearer to be Invisible. It can bought
in Ulgoth's Beard.
8. New monsters in Tales of the Sword Coast
In Tales of the Sword Coast, there are several new monsters. Most of
these foes are tough to beat and here, I have listed them and the
strategies for defeating them.
Polar Bear (2000 exp)
This one is easy. Take out by long range weapons. No magic resistance.
Encountered in Durlag's Tower and the island Shandalar sends you to.
Werewolf (650 exp)
This monster is pretty easy too. Its fast though, use long range
weapons to take it out easily. No magic resistance. Encountered on
Werewolf Island.
Wolfwere (3000 exp)
Now, this is a tough foe. It moves and hits fast. Its THACO is pretty
high. These things attack in packs, so watch out. They are unaffected
by non-magical weapons and have some magic resistance. You would need
some powerful warriors to challenge them. Use Magic Missiles to deal
damage effectively. Encountered on Werewolf Island
Greater Wolfwere (8000 exp)
High THACO and damage and the inability to affect it with even the most
powerful magical weapons make the Greater Wolfwere a formidable foe
indeed. This sucker is tough indeed. You would need specific weapons
against it. Even Drizzt's Defender +5 was ineffective. Use the Bastard
Sword +3 against Shapeshifter, Flametongue, Sword of Bladuran and
Werebane Dagger to damage it. Or, use magic to effectively deal it
damage. A bit of magic resistance though. Encountered on Werewolf
Island.
Lou Garou (4000 exp)
The Lou Garou is kind of like the Greater Wolfwere. With a single
powerful fighter and a suitable weapon, this monster is a piece of
cake. To deal it further damage, use some magical firepower too. Some
magic resistance. Encountered on Werewolf Island and in Ulgoth's Beard.
Greater Ghast (1000 exp)
This is a more potent version of the Ghast. It can cause your character
to be Held and Nauseous. However, long range weapons can effectively
remove it before it can even touch your party. No magic resistance.
Encountered in Durlag's Tower.
Greater Wyvern (5000 exp)
The Greater Wyvern is a very powerful and dangerous enemy. It has a
high THACO and HP and deals out some serious damage. You would need
some "barrier" between it and you so you can remove it by long range
missile weapons. Either summon monsters or send your toughest and
nastiest fighter up against it while the others attack it from behind.
A bit of magic resistance. Encountered in Durlag's Tower.
Air Aspect (3000 exp)
The Air Aspect is kind of a Wyvern breed. It has plenty of HP but does
not deal out much damage nor does it have a high THACO. Long range
weapons can take it out effectively. No magic resistance. Encountered
in Durlag's Tower.
Fission Slime (3000 exp)
The Fission Slime is a problem if you do not know its weakness. And
that is Fire. You got to use Fire-based spells to effectively destroy
it. If you used other magic or weapons, you would cause it to split
into two. Further killing it by weapons would cause it to further split
into two. So one becomes two. Two becomes four. You get the idea. It
great if you need the experience points. You would only meet one of
these in the whole game so "treasure" the experience. No magic
resistance. Encountered in Durlag's Tower.
Demonknight (15000 exp)
The Demonknight is a wimp considering that he gives 15000 exp. And this
sucker even prides itself on being powerful. Sheesh. It has some high
magic resistance and regularly casts Fireball spells. Use some powerful
warriors to deal it damage. Magic Missiles work too. Encountered in
Durlag's Tower.
Aec'Letec (16000 exp)
What can I say? This sucker is tough indeed. It has about 140 HP and
extremely high THACO and deals out some serious damage. Oh yeah, its
magic resistance is also very high. Uses Vampiric Touch regularly,
Death Gaze occasionally and sometimes Silence. Death Gaze if successful
would cause your character to have a "Dying" status. This would cause
your character to die and turn into a Ghast within a few rounds. A
Dispel Magic spell would effectively get rid of this status. Use Acid
Arrows, Magic Missiles and TONS and LOTS of mosnters and skeletons to
hold it off too. Encountered in Ulgoth's Beard.
9. Contributors
Thanks goes out to:
Paul Smith (Psmith@walkerinfo.com) for the info on getting rid of one side
of a pair of NPCs.
Silverdawn (silverdawn@bgchronicles.com) for the info on Dradeel.
Kevin Hill (khill@quarterleaf.com) for the info on the baby and doll
subquest.
Alberto Marani (lubas@iol.it) for the info on the fisherman's subquest.
10. Conclusion
This is FAQ is nearly complete. I may update it with more tiny snippets
of info. Anyway, if you have any questions or queries about Tales of
the Sword Coast, e-mail me and I would try to get back as soon as I
can. If you can help by filling in some missing info in this FAQ, send
me an e-mail and if it gets into my FAQ, I would give credit where its
due.
Elroy Ng (elroyng@singnet.com.sg)
Version 0.9
Elroy Ng(elroyng@singnet.com.sg)
This Document Copyright 1999 Elroy Ng
Do not reproduce or redistribute this FAQ in any form without my
consent. If you want to include any part of this FAQ on your website,
publication, etc, e-mail me for permission first.
Contents:
1. Author's Note
2. Introduction
3. The Ideal Party
4. General Physical Combat Strategies
5. General Magical Combat Strategies
6. Tales of the Sword Coast Walkthrough
7. Items In Tales of the Sword Coast
8. New Monsters in Tales of the Sword Coast
9. Contributors
10. Conclusion
1. Author's Note
23.5.99
First of all, I would just like to say that Baldur's Gate is the BEST
RPG I have ever played on the Playstation or PC. The game is just
simply incredible.
All of the tips and strategies in this guide are created and tested by
myself. These strategies are tried and tested and have proven their
worth.
22.6.99
Ok, I have updated this FAQ and replaced the crappy Durlag's Tower
guide in my previous version of this FAQ. Enjoy!
23.6.99
Here I am again. I even surprised myself by my enthusiasm for this FAQ.
Anyway I added any Items List and also a Monsters List.
Also, there are NO STORY SPOILERS IN THIS FAQ.
2. Introduction
In Baldur's Gate, especially Tales of the Sword Coast, there are tons
of strategies and tactics involved when dealing with powerful foes. The
kind of strategies you use would depend on the kind of party you are
controlling. For example, a pure physical attack party would use
different kinds of strategies and technique compared to a party using
maigcal attacks.
In this FAQ I have listed the various ways to tackle the tough foes
found in BG. And my definition of "winning a battle" is "winning a
battle without a single party member dead". Please take note of this.
3. The Ideal Party
The ideal party to use in Baldur's Gate MUST have at least one mage who
casts spells such as Lightning Bolt or Fireball. Another must-have
member is also a priest who handles the healing of your party.
If you are like me, and prefer to stick to a pure brawling party with
no mages whatsoever, then I must warn you that you are only making
things difficult for yourself. In BG, it is almost impossible to make
it through the game without magic. Powerful foes such as the Battle and
Helmed Horrors make your life difficult. I had such an experience.
In the first few chapters of the game, it is possible to make it
through without magic. I did. However by the time I reached Cloakwood
Mines, I found the game to be extremely tough without magic when
dealing with the Horrors. This was my party at that time:
Myself (Paladin)
Khalid (Fighter)
Jaheria (Fighter/Druid)
Ajantis (Paladin)
Kivan (Ranger)
Imoen (Thief)
All of the members of my party used long-range weapons such as bows and
slings. For the lesser enemies I met, this party was all-around
supreme. However the lack of any form of magical attack soon became
apparent when I reached Baldur's Gate. It was near impossible to beat
those Doom Guards and Invisible Stalkers in that mage's house without
losing a single member. So I reshuffled my party and this is my current
party in Tales of the Sword Coast too. The members are:
Myself (Paladin)
Khalid (Fighter)
Ajantis (Paladin)
Branwen (Cleric)
Imoen (Thief)
Dynaheir (Invoker)
If you are wondering what happened to Minsc and Jaheria, well, I simply
killed them. Yes, feel free to kill any member of a pair when forming
your ideal party, the game would not penalize you any way. (However, I
regretted killing Minsc) There is another way to get rid of the person
u do not want. For example, say, I want Khalid but not Jaheria for my
party, well, simply send Jaheria, alone, into a building which you
would not enter again, and then remove her. She would not be able to
navigate out of the building to take Khalid with her! There you have
it!
All of my characters carry a long-range weapon and a secondary short-
range weapon. If there's a need, Branwen could use the Wand of the
Heavens which I bought and Dynaheir coould use the Wand of Frost which
I also bought.
4. General Physical Combat Strategies
? When fighting hand-hand, long range missile weapons are always more
effective than even the best sword that you can ever find in the
game. Equip your whole party with long range weapons. For the
fighters, use a Composite Longbow and for the mages and clerics, use
the Slings. Any normal enemy approaching your group will be
mincemeat by the time they reach you.
? When fighting a group of powerful enemies, make sure to take out the
magic user among them first with your long-range weapons. Mages can
wreak havoc with spells such as fireball and horror if you are not
careful.
? I would advise that you put your best armour and equipment on one
warrior alone. Try not to spread the equipment out to create a well-
balanced party. A party with a super-warrior and two weaker warriors
is better than a party with three average warriors.
5. General Magical Combat Strategies
? The best magic attacks in the game usually come from wands. I found
the Wand of the Heavens and Wand of Frost to be the most effective.
? Spells such as Fireball and Lightning Bolts dish out tremendous
amount of damage. However these spells MUST be used cautiously. A
single Fireball spell targeted wrongly can really ruin your day. The
best strategy to adopt when using a Fireball spell is to cast it far
behind the opponent. When done correctly, only the monster in front
of you gets injured by the spell.
? Do NOT ignore spells such as Hold Person and Horror. These spells
can really help when dealing with groups of tough foes.
? Never forget about your lower-level spells when you receive your
third or fourth level spells. Spells such as Magic Missiles and
Burning Hands are excellent when executed by a high-level mage.
? Personally, I think that the best spell in the game is the Magic
Missile spell. It never misses and is cast instantly. This is
effective for hitting mages before they get their powerful spells
off on you.
6. Tales of the Sword Coast Walkthrough
Be warned that all the subquests in Tales of the Sword Coast are very
cahllenging. To begin with, you would need a Level-7/8 party, which is
also well equipped at the same time. The party I used to tackle TOSC is
the same as mentioned above with 3 warriors, 1 thief, 1 cleric and 1
mage. In TOSC, the most important member has to be the thief. This is
due to the sheer amount of traps you would find in TOSC.
? Retrieval of Shandalar's Cloak
Talk to Shandalar found in Ulgoth's Beard. He would ask you to retrieve
a cloak belonging to him from a faraway place. Make sure you prepare
your party sufficiently before agreeing. Stock up on ammo for your
long-range weapons and cure your whole party. When ready, talk to him
again and he would give you a wardstone, which can get you out of that
island. And then he would teleport your party to the island to retrieve
his cloak.
You would then appear on an island, enter the cave to the dungeon. In
this dungeon, there are winter wolves scattered about and there are
three major battles with mages in the dungeon. The first battle
involves a group of 3 mages. This is a really difficult battle. You
would have to enter the space where the group of mages are via a narrow
corridor. Upon seeing you, they would attack you, not giving you time
to get your entire party into the room. Whats more, they would cast a
Horror spell which makes you lose control over several members of your
party. I have developed a specific strategy for this battle. And it
goes like this:
? Get your mage who can cast either Fireball or Stinking Cloud to the
other end of the corridor, which is a dead end. Make sure you do not
let the three mages spot you.
? Then cast Fireball into the room where the three mages are, not
moving from your position. As soon as the fireball spell hits,
retreat back into the room from which you came from.
? If successful, the fireball spell would damage one or two of the
mage prompting them to approach and attack you.
? This is the opportunity to take them out one by one. Once you have
taken out one or two of the mages, you can then rush into the room
to take care of the rest of the mages.
? One mage (can't remember his name) gives a whopping 6000 exp whereas
the others give 1800 and 2000 exp.
There is another battle here involving a mage and 4 Ankhegs. This
battle is pretty easy as the mage is not that powerful. Make your way
to the top of the map via a narrow passage near the beginning of the
dungeon. Watch out for the traps though. Either use a thief to disarm
them or use a mage with Minor Globe of Invulnerability to walk through
them. You will then meet two more mages who are pretty easy to beat.
The last mage that you would fight is called Dezkiel (I think), he
holds Shandalar's cloak. This guy is wimp, just take him out with long
range missiles. Grab the cloak and leave the dungeon by the stairs in
the room he was in. Leave the island by moving to the spot from which
you landed on when you arrived. You should teleport out of the island
automatically.
? Werewolf Island
To initiate this quest, talk to Mendas of Waterdeep in his house which
is to the far west of Ulgoth's Beard. He would tell you to retrieve the
sea charts from the Counting House in Baldur's Gate. The Counting House
can be found by walking north from the Soceries Sundries, and then
exiting the map. On the new map, on your immediate right is the
Counting House. Unlock the door and enter. The guy at the top would
tell you to do a quest for him before you can obtain the sea charts.
Actually, you can simply pickpocket him for the charts and leave not
bothering with the quest. Head back to Ulgoth's Beard and talk to
Mendas again. When ready, go outside and talk to Mendas. He would then
have hired a boat which would take you to Werewolf Island.
Your ship would then meet a storm and land on Werewolf Island
(coincidence?). As soon as you land, head towards the center of the map
and enter a house then talk to Kaishas Gan. She would tell you of the
story of how they came to be on this island and about the lycanthropes
in the upper half of the island. Offer to get rid of the Werewolves in
the upper half of the island. Also, to the west of the gates of the
village, a young girl name Farthing, is looking for her doll. A woman,
named Maralee, standing in the center of the village wants you to help
her find her baby son, named Pelandan back. A fisherman, in the south
of the village, is looking for his brother and probably killed by a
sirine in the north.
Head to the northern part of the island. To the east of the village,
you can find the sirine who killed the fisherman's brother. Proceed to
the shed where a mage, called Dradeel, resides in. He would ask you to
retrieve his spellbook from the ship where the Wolfweres are so that he
can get out of the island. His shed provides a safe resting place so
rest if you have to. He would also hand you an amulet that helps
against lycanthropes. Pickpocket him for another such amulet. Proceed
to the ship to the northwest of the shed. Here, there are four levels
where you would meet Wolfweres and Vampiric Wolves. I would suggest
Magic Missiles and wands to deal them damage. Of course the most
efficient way is still the traditional way, and that is, by hacking and
slashing at them. There are chests around each level. However, most of
them are booby-trapped so have your thief to disarm them beforehand. If
you find yourself not being able disarm the trap and therefore not
being able to unlock the chests, your only option is to cast the
second-level mage spell, Knock and then take the effects of the traps
head-on. (BTW, you better get used to this, such occurrences are
aplenty in Durlag's Tower). On the third level of the ship, a Werebane
dagger can be found.
The fourth level is the final level of the ship where Karoug is. There
is a nasty fight waiting for you though. Here is how I survived it
without anyone dying:
? As soon as you reach the top, have someone cast a Fireball spell
aimed at the bottom end of the room. This is to weaken the Wolfweres
that would approach your party when the conversation ends.
? And then have another person cast monsters or skeletons to block the
Wolfweres from approaching your party.
? When the conversation ends, Karoug turns into a Greater Wolfwere.
You need specific weapons to hit him. Bastard Sword+3 vs
Shapeshifters, the Werebane dagger and the Flametongue can hit him.
? Have your best fighter approach and challenge the Greater Wolfwere
to "hold him off" while you hit it with Magic Missiles or wands.
? An attack should be made on the enemy mage as soon as the
conversation ends so as to disrupt her spellcasting. As soon as
someone or something hits her, she would turn into a Wolfwere.
? The Greater Wolfwere would give your party 8000 experience points.
There many other strategies for this battle. However, the most crucial
part of the battle is to Summon Monsters or Skeletons to provide a
"barrier".
Grab the doll and baby named Pelandan, from the room with Balduran's
Logbook and the Sword of Balduran. Return to the shed and return the
spellbook to Dradeel and he would cast Dimension Door and disappear.
Return back to Kaishas Gan once you clean out the ship. Suddenly, the
whole village except Kaishas Gan would turn against you. Go outside and
any villager who notices you would "explode" into a Werewolf to attack
you. (So much for cleaning out the island for them) Approach the large
house to the west of the village where it is enclosed by stone walls.
Dradeel whom you just "saved" by returning the spellbook would approach
and tell you to enter the secret passage in the house.
Go into the house and enter the passage revealed. You would then find
yourself in a cave with winding paths. Head towards the north-east to
find the exit. When you exit the cave, approach the ship where Kaishas
Gan is. She would then turn herself into a Lou Garou and attack you.
The Lou Garou is not very strong, equip the Sword of Balduran which you
should have found in the ship and kick its ass. And the escape from the
island by clicking on the mast (or somewhere there) of the ship.
When you return to Ulgoth's Beard, Mendas's plot is revealed and he too
turns into a Lou Garou. As the previous battle, use the Sword of
Balduran to hammer it.
? Durlag's Tower
Ok, this is it, the main reason why you bought TOSC. Durlag's Tower is
filled with TONS of traps not to mention plenty of tough foes. Skeleton
Warriors are abundant here so are Greater Dopplegangers. The Tower also
contains plenty of special missiles. It is IMPOSSIBLE to loot the
entire Tower with just one attempt. You may need to invade the Tower
several times in order to clean out the tower.
Level 1
Ok, if you came with Ike, talk to him several times. Eventually, a
Demonknight would appear to wreak havoc. After casting two fireball
spells, he would cast Dimension Door and escape. It is impossible to
kill him immediately on that spot. So, just send your party to another
part of the floor, unaffected by the Fireballs then have your mage with
Minor Globe of Invulnerability and talk to Ike. This would help your
party escape the ordeal unscathed. Nothing much to loot on here so just
head upstairs.
Upper Level 1
Nothing much here either. There is a door to access the "outside" of
the tower. However, there are several Greater Basilisks there. A
Scimitar+2 can be found "outside" though, which makes the trip and
trouble to fight the Basilisks worth it.
Upper Level 2 and Upper Level 3
Nothing much to loot here. Several NPCs to kill. Once you are done,
head back to Level 1 and proceed downstairs.
Lower Level 1
Meet Bayard here and he will tell you of his adventures below.
Lower Level 2
This level is filled with traps and there are four puzzles and one
nasty fight to handle before you can advance. The four warders guarding
the entrance to the next level would require you to solve their riddles
by performing certain actions.
When you arrive, head to the west and enter the room with the anvil.
Take note of this. You can also find a Key here. Head downwards along
the secret passageway which can be accessed by detecting a secret door.
When you reach the end of the passageway, you would see several rooms.
Head towards the room with the gong and take note of it. And then head
towards the room with the books spread out. Click on each of the books
and then the sword in the opposite room would light up. This solves one
of the warder's riddles. Continue to follow the route and eventually
you would end up in a luxurious bedroom. Head towards the wardrobe and
grab the Plate Mail+3 and also the grape. And then head to the table
and unlock the drawer with the Key you found earlier. Grab the Handle
from the chest. If you head towards the room with two tables from the
bedroom, you would see that a passageway is there which returns you to
the main hall of this level. DO NOT use this passageway, it is loaded
with traps which cannot be disarmed.
Around the bedroom, you can detect a secret door. Open it and head in
and open any other secret doors, eventually, you would stumble upon a
treasure room. Grab the Glittering Blue Gem from the piles of treasure.
And then return to the bedroom and continue to follow the route, you
would then come across a room with a huge machine. Activate the machine
using a switch. And then head to the adjacent room and click on the
weird wooden machine. The grapes would then be used up and a grape
juice would be formed. And then continue along and you would be back in
the main hall. Head towards the room which you missed out earlier on,
fight the spiders that reside there and then loots the area. A Scroll
of Cloudkill can be found in the shelves. Also you can also find a
Mallet Head here. Head towards the room with the anvil and fix the
Mallet Head and Handle. And then head towards the room with the gong
and hit it.
By now, all the four riddles have been solved. Talk to all the four
warders. By lighting up the sword, you solved one puzzle. By hitting
the gong, you solved another puzzle. By obtaining the glittering blue
gem, you solved the third puzzle. By obtaining the grape juice, you
solved the final puzzle. A fight would then break out between you and
the four warders.
This fight is tough. One warder would cast Cloudkill over a fixed area.
So avoid that area. The warder whom you gave the grape juice to is a
mage and should be taken out first. Use long-range missile to kill him.
Another warder is thief and he constantly deals Triple Backstab damage.
The key element in this fight is to summon monsters and skeletons
beforehand. You would not have time to do so during the battle. Summon
skeletons to fight the warder who casts Cloudkill as they are not
affected by it as they are Undeads. And then summon TONS of monsters to
block off the other warders while you settle the warder who casts
magic. Use Magic Missiles against the warders to deal out damage. With
the right amount of monsters summoned and enough tough warriors, your
party would emerge victorious out of this tough fight. Grab the
wardstone from one of the warder's body and head downstairs.
Lower Level 3
This level is really annoying with lots of Greater Doppelgangers and
traps to disarm. When you enter the level, you would see three locked
doors. Oh, by the way, don't bother with any books on the ground. They
all just contain some useless text.
Head downwards and into the room with the statues. Click on the two
statues. This would give you access to the bedroom. And then head to
the bedroom and grab the wardstones. This gives you access to the other
room opposite. In the room, there are three Sparring Dummies Hit them
once each and then you would gain entry to the throne room. Head to the
throne room and pick up Kiel's Helm. This would cause three Greater
Doppelgangers to enter the room. A fierce fight would then break out.
The Greater Doppelganger at the throne would cast two Stinking Clouds
and one Cloudkill which increases the difficulty of this fight by a
notch. Get out of the Cloudkill and the Stinking Clouds and use missile
weapons and magic to take them out.
Next, two doors would open up two doorways. Both get you to the same
place so just enter either one and make your way through. You would
intially see a stairs down but it is a fake and clicking on it would
cause three skeleton warriors and a Stinking Cloud spell to appear so
avoid it. There is a room beside the fake stairs with several Doom
Guards. Opening the chest and looting the item there prompts them to
attack you. The Doom Guards are relatively easy if you have several
battle-hardened and tough warriors to fight them. Cast magic if you
have to. And then find a secret door nearby and head down the stairs.
Lower Level 4
You would find yourself at the junction of three rooms. However, to get
to them you would have to get past a Fireball trap that explodes in
intervals of time. Head towards the door that is open first. I think
the only effective way to get past the trap without damage is by Boots
of Speed or Oil of Speed or the spell, Haste.
After you make it across, you would find yourself in a garden maze
(sort of). Head downwards and you would find a dried-up fountain. Grab
Bala's Axe here. There is nothing more of interest here so head back
from where you came and head across to the other room. This is a room
with a Dragon's skeleton in the background. When you enter, Tanor (I
think) would approach you and tell you about his story and how to
enlist the help of other NPCs momentarily. Clicking on the other
statues would "activate" them and a NPC who is dire-charmed would
approach and pledge his loyalty. Anyway I would recommend clicking on
all five of the statues. There are three Greater Wyverns here which
gives 5000 exp each. You would need these NPCs to provide an effective
barrier while you take out the Greater Wyverns by missile weapons.
Eventually, you would also have to take out the NPCs themselves. Kill
them all before you leave the room. And one NPC have a Full Plate Mail!
The third Full Plate Mail you can get in the game.
You can then head towards the last door. In this room, there are lots
of skeletons firing special arrows at you. Stinking Cloud spells would
also go off if you do not disarm the traps. This place is pretty easy
if you have a souped-up fighter. I managed to finish the whole room by
myself without my party who were still crossing the Fireball trap.
Nothing much here to loot so head down and open the door.
You would see four tunnels. Enter the topmost tunnel. You would fight
several winter wolfs and a polar bear. Easy fight. When you win, get
out anf enter the second tunnel. An Air Aspect with three Invisible
Stalkers are there. Summon monsters and skeletons to hold off the
Invisible Stalkers while you take out the Air Aspect. Another easy
fight. The third tunnel contains a Fission Slime. You got to use any
Fire magic to take it out effectively. This is because it would divide
into two if you kill it by weapons or other type of magic. The two
would then divide subsequently if you do the same thing again. Save
yourself the trouble and use Fireball and Wand of the Heavens. The
fourth tunnel contains two Phoenix Guards. After finishing all the
tunnels, you would be transported to a chess game.
The chess game is really tough with out the proper strategy. The object
is to take out the opponent's king. I would recommend summoning
monsters and not moving from your spots at all. The whole board is
practically booby-trapped and you would be better off, letting them
come to you. The easy way to win the fight is by using Fireballs.
Here's what I did:
? After the conversation, immediately cast a Fireball spell targeted
at the middle of the board. This would take out about six pawns.
? The rest of the enemies would then swarm you immediately.
? You would not have time to cast another Fireball spell. So use the
next best thing. Arrows of Detonation.
? Target the Arrows at the three mages who would be at the middle of
the board. Two Arrows of Detonation would take them out together
with the rest of the units.
? This leaves the king alone. Hammer him and win the match
? Easy fight. No sweat. You can retrieve the Long Sword+3 from the
king's corpse.
Head towards the door to advance to the next and last level.
Lower Level 5
In this level, there are three huge areas to tackle and explore. First
of all, head to towards the east and you will meet a "phantom Durlag".
Talk to him and then head up towards the door. You will then meet
Islanne who would offer to teleport you out of the Tower. Ignore her
for the moment. You would notice that you have three options here.
Ignore the door to the east as it cannot be unlock and head towards the
door in the west. You would come into a room. If you attempt to cross
the carpet, you would be attacked by a flurry of spells. Just cross the
carpet from the top. There are plenty of treasure here. A Large
Shield+2, Sling+3 and other stuff are found here. Click on one of the
beds and you would be teleported to a room with several stone statues.
You are supposed to answer the question the stone statue poses. With
the correct answer, you would be teleported out of there and to the
beginning of the level.
Head towards where Islanne is and open the door which takes you to the
south. There are tons of spider in the huge room which you would enter.
Make sure to disarm the Web trap before you enter the room. After
taking care of the spiders, head towards the statue in the room. Answer
his questions correctly and you would be teleported to a room with
several statues like before. The question in this time is quite tricky.
My tip: take note of the designs on the floor. Now you would be
teleported to the beginning of the level again if you managed to answer
correctly.
Now head towards Islanne again. However, stop a bit of distance from
the door and you will detect a secret door. Enter the place and you
would find yourself in a "green dungeon". Head towards the west first.
Keep going west and you would eventually find a room with several
Ghasts and Grael. Kill them and grab the Compass Wardstone. Now head
east, you would soon find a secret door to an area. Enter it, and
follow the path. Beware of the "crushing traps" here though. Also, a
way-too-cool Flametongue Sword is found here. Head towards the room
which has a door like that of a vault and click on the throne there.
Again, solve the riddle and you would be teleported to the beginning of
the level. Talk to Durlag and he would lead you to Islanne where the
Locked Door would be Unlocked. Inside you would meet Clair De'Lain. She
would tell you her story. After that, head down the stairs.
Lower Level 6
Here, you would meet the Demonknight at last. He's a wimp so just kill
him with your warriors. Then grab the Soultaker Dagger in his corpse
and talk to Dalton in this level. Exit the place and talk to Islanne to
get out of the Tower.
Congratulations! You have completed Durlag's Tower! Now head towards
Ulgoth's Beard for the nastiest fight in the whole of BG and TOSC.
? The Aec'Letec
Go to Ulgoth's Beard and a Cult Agent would demand the Soultaker Dagger
from you. You can accept or refuse his request. Either way you still
lose it. Go to the inn and talk to Hurgan Stoneblade. He would tell you
his story and send you to take out the Aec'Letec (if he's that
powerful, why did he not offer to help?)
Anyway head towards the west of the village and kill the Cult Agents
protecting a house. Go inside and kill the guards there too. And then
get ready for the fight of your life.
When you go down, a female mage would break the dagger and unleash the
Aec'Letec. There are also several Cult Agents around who would do
nothing even if you attack them. However, even if you managed to kill
the Aec'Letec he would "regenerate" out of any one of these Agents.
Hence taking the Agents out first is a must. This fight is extremely
tough. Anyway, I have managed to win the fight. However, I will not
post my strategy due to two reasons. One, my strategy kind of caused a
bug in the game to kick in. Two, since this is the absolute ultimate
challenge, I hope you can develop your own strategy to win it. Good
luck!
7. Items in Tales of the Sword Coast
In Tales of the Sword Coast, there are many new magical weapons and
items, here, I have listed ONLY THE INTERESTING AND OUTSTANDING ONES.
This means that the items here are basically the ones you would want to
get in TOSC.
Scimitar +2
This weapon is as good as the Long Sword +2. It offers a +2 THACO
bonus and causes 1D8 +2 damage and has a speed factor of 3. Found in
Durlag's Tower
Sword of Balduran
This sword is actually very weak. However because its made of gold, it
offers some advantages against Lycanthropes. It deals 2D4 (+4 vs.
Lycanthropes) damage and offers a THACO of +4 vs. Lycanthropes. Its
speed factor is 7 and is found in Werewolf Island.
Two Handed Sword +3
This sword is extremely powerful, beating even the Spider's Bane. It
deals 1D10 +3 damage and adds a THACO bonus of +3. It has a speed
factor of 7. It is found in Durlag's Tower.
Long Sword +1- Flametongue
Now, this is one of my favourite sword in the game. It deals 1D8 +1
damage and offers a THACO bonus of +1. However, its abilities change
when meeting certain creatures. Its +2 vs. Regenerating Creatures, +3
vs. Cold-using Creatures and +4 vs. Undead. This is indeed a great
weapon with its +4 vs. undead which means its +4 vs Skeleton Warriors!
Great weapon and it has a speed factor of 3. Found in Durlag's Tower.
Sling +3
This is a great weapon particularly if you have mages and priests. It
is +3 missile damage and offers a THACO bonus of +3. Its speed factor
is 3 and can be found in Durlag's Tower.
Werebane Dagger
This dagger offers 1D4 +1 damage (+4 vs. Lycanthropes) and offers a
THACO bonus of +1 (+4 vs. Lycanthropes). Its speed factor is 2 and can
be found on Werewolf Island.
Staff Spear +2
This weapon, suitable for every character, deals 1D8 +3 damage and
offers a THACO bonus of +2. Its speed factor is 4 and is two-handed. It
is considered a Blunt Weapon and can be found in Durlag's Tower.
Mace +2
This Blunt Weapon deals 1D8 +3 damage and offers a THACO bonus of +2.
Its speed factor is 5 and can be found in Durlag's Tower.
Staff Mace
This weapon, usable by every class, deals 2D4 +2 damage and has a THACO
bonus of +2. Its speed factor is 2 and can be found on Werewolf Island.
Quarter Staff +3
This staff deals 1D6 +3 damage and offers a THACO bonus of +3. Its
speed factor is 1. Personally, I think this staff is the best weapon,
apart from the Sling +3, that a mage or priest can wield. It can be
bought in Ulgoth's Beard.
Staff of Striking
This unique staff offer 1D6 +9 damage and a THACO bonus of +3. Its
speed factor is 1. However, this staff has "charges" much like a wand.
Therefore, you may want to save it for certain battles, considering its
high-damage capability. It can be found in Durlag's Tower.
Warhammer +1, +4 vs. Giant Humanoids
This warhammer deals 1D4 +2 (+5 vs. Giant Humanoids) damage and offers
a THACO bonus of +1 (+4 vs. Giant Humanoids). This warhammer can be
found in Ulgoth's Beard and has a speed factor of 2.
Cloak of Displacement
This cloak offers an Armor Class bonus of +4 vs. Missile Weapons. It
also conveys a saving throw bonus of +2 for death, breath and wand. It
can be bought in Ulgoth's Beard.
Plate Mail +3
This Plate Mail has offers a Armor Class of 0, making it the best Armor
found in BG, apart from the Full Plate Mail +1. It can be found in
Durlag's Tower.
Kiel's Helmet
This helmet protects against critical hits and also against all forms
of panic and boosts morale. It can be found in Durlag's Tower.
Kiel's Buckler
This buckler offers an Armor Class bonus of +1 and adds +1 to Dexterity
while equipped. However, it does not protect against Missile Weapons.
This buckler is perfect for a thief. It can be found in Durlag's Tower.
Ring of Invisibility
This ring, when used, causes the wearer to be Invisible. It can bought
in Ulgoth's Beard.
8. New monsters in Tales of the Sword Coast
In Tales of the Sword Coast, there are several new monsters. Most of
these foes are tough to beat and here, I have listed them and the
strategies for defeating them.
Polar Bear (2000 exp)
This one is easy. Take out by long range weapons. No magic resistance.
Encountered in Durlag's Tower and the island Shandalar sends you to.
Werewolf (650 exp)
This monster is pretty easy too. Its fast though, use long range
weapons to take it out easily. No magic resistance. Encountered on
Werewolf Island.
Wolfwere (3000 exp)
Now, this is a tough foe. It moves and hits fast. Its THACO is pretty
high. These things attack in packs, so watch out. They are unaffected
by non-magical weapons and have some magic resistance. You would need
some powerful warriors to challenge them. Use Magic Missiles to deal
damage effectively. Encountered on Werewolf Island
Greater Wolfwere (8000 exp)
High THACO and damage and the inability to affect it with even the most
powerful magical weapons make the Greater Wolfwere a formidable foe
indeed. This sucker is tough indeed. You would need specific weapons
against it. Even Drizzt's Defender +5 was ineffective. Use the Bastard
Sword +3 against Shapeshifter, Flametongue, Sword of Bladuran and
Werebane Dagger to damage it. Or, use magic to effectively deal it
damage. A bit of magic resistance though. Encountered on Werewolf
Island.
Lou Garou (4000 exp)
The Lou Garou is kind of like the Greater Wolfwere. With a single
powerful fighter and a suitable weapon, this monster is a piece of
cake. To deal it further damage, use some magical firepower too. Some
magic resistance. Encountered on Werewolf Island and in Ulgoth's Beard.
Greater Ghast (1000 exp)
This is a more potent version of the Ghast. It can cause your character
to be Held and Nauseous. However, long range weapons can effectively
remove it before it can even touch your party. No magic resistance.
Encountered in Durlag's Tower.
Greater Wyvern (5000 exp)
The Greater Wyvern is a very powerful and dangerous enemy. It has a
high THACO and HP and deals out some serious damage. You would need
some "barrier" between it and you so you can remove it by long range
missile weapons. Either summon monsters or send your toughest and
nastiest fighter up against it while the others attack it from behind.
A bit of magic resistance. Encountered in Durlag's Tower.
Air Aspect (3000 exp)
The Air Aspect is kind of a Wyvern breed. It has plenty of HP but does
not deal out much damage nor does it have a high THACO. Long range
weapons can take it out effectively. No magic resistance. Encountered
in Durlag's Tower.
Fission Slime (3000 exp)
The Fission Slime is a problem if you do not know its weakness. And
that is Fire. You got to use Fire-based spells to effectively destroy
it. If you used other magic or weapons, you would cause it to split
into two. Further killing it by weapons would cause it to further split
into two. So one becomes two. Two becomes four. You get the idea. It
great if you need the experience points. You would only meet one of
these in the whole game so "treasure" the experience. No magic
resistance. Encountered in Durlag's Tower.
Demonknight (15000 exp)
The Demonknight is a wimp considering that he gives 15000 exp. And this
sucker even prides itself on being powerful. Sheesh. It has some high
magic resistance and regularly casts Fireball spells. Use some powerful
warriors to deal it damage. Magic Missiles work too. Encountered in
Durlag's Tower.
Aec'Letec (16000 exp)
What can I say? This sucker is tough indeed. It has about 140 HP and
extremely high THACO and deals out some serious damage. Oh yeah, its
magic resistance is also very high. Uses Vampiric Touch regularly,
Death Gaze occasionally and sometimes Silence. Death Gaze if successful
would cause your character to have a "Dying" status. This would cause
your character to die and turn into a Ghast within a few rounds. A
Dispel Magic spell would effectively get rid of this status. Use Acid
Arrows, Magic Missiles and TONS and LOTS of mosnters and skeletons to
hold it off too. Encountered in Ulgoth's Beard.
9. Contributors
Thanks goes out to:
Paul Smith (Psmith@walkerinfo.com) for the info on getting rid of one side
of a pair of NPCs.
Silverdawn (silverdawn@bgchronicles.com) for the info on Dradeel.
Kevin Hill (khill@quarterleaf.com) for the info on the baby and doll
subquest.
Alberto Marani (lubas@iol.it) for the info on the fisherman's subquest.
10. Conclusion
This is FAQ is nearly complete. I may update it with more tiny snippets
of info. Anyway, if you have any questions or queries about Tales of
the Sword Coast, e-mail me and I would try to get back as soon as I
can. If you can help by filling in some missing info in this FAQ, send
me an e-mail and if it gets into my FAQ, I would give credit where its
due.
Elroy Ng (elroyng@singnet.com.sg)