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ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Icewind Dale (PC)
Frequently Asked Questions
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ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
July 16, 2000
Version x.9.2
Written by: Dan Simpson
Email: manymoose@hotmail.com
Email Policy:
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Got an Icewind Dale Question? Email me!
For a speedier response, make sure to put
"Icewind Dale Questions" as the subject.
Notes
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You will find the most up to date version of this FAQ at:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/
http://www.gamewinners.com/
http://www.cheatcc.com/
This document is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) ONLY. It is not a
walkthrough! My current intention is to only help people with the trickier
areas and situations, as well as some other information. This FAQ WILL get
you through the game, but it doesn't have every little thing for you to do in
the game. I may in the future do a full Walkthrough, but again, this FAQ isn't
it. This also isn't currently intended to be the end-all-be-all Guide to
Icewind Dale... that also may come later.
This is pretty much just a FAQ... for now.
There is a BETA patch out for Icewind Dale, which you can find here:
Patch: ftp://ftp.interplay.com/pub/patches/IWDpatch.zip
Readme: http://www.interplay.com/icewind/readme.txt
There are also some "bonus" portraits available:
ftp://ftp.interplay.com/pub/misc/iwd_ports.zip
ftp://ftp.interplay.com/pub/misc/t_port.zip
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Note: In the FAQ I use the abbreviation IWD to stand in for the full title of
Icewind Dale, and BG to abbreviate Baldur's Gate.
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Contents:
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x... My Party
x... Where I am in the game
x... Creating a Balanced Party
Frequently Asked Questions
x... Gameplay Specific Questions
x... General Gaming Questions
x... Monster Questions
x... Technical Questions
x... Other Questions
Walkthrough
x... (Nothing here yet! Wait until the next update!)
Appendices
x... Bugs
x... Strange Things
Final Words...
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My Party:
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The party I first beat the game with:
Human Fighter
Elf Fighter
Half-Elf Cleric/Ranger (has access to both Druid and Cleric spells this way,
also is currently dual wielding a Morningstar and a
Hammer for 3 attacks! It's not a true dual wield,
but the extra attack is nice.)
Human Bard (useful to identify things, and can cast magic!)
Halfling Fighter/Thief (don't bother ever giving points to the Pickpocket
skill, it's useless in IWD)
Human Conjurer
I actually started the game with a Human Thief instead of the Halfling, but
switched over later. (You can bring in new characters at any time) Then I
just stayed in the area I was at, and leveled my new character up a bit. What
monsters was I fighting? Cold Wights! One of my favorite monsters in all of
Dragon's Eye. Easy to beat, and decent Exp (1500) as well.
Pickpocket is useful especially for the bard who has nothing to do but
pickpocket. I pick a few NPC's pockets and got some nice item especially from
the archdruid himself (I got 2 rings of free movement; I will never be held by
spells or item like wise). (from Mike Gan)
The party I'm going to play through IWD again with:
Dwarf Fighter (with proficiencies in Axes and Crossbows)
Half-Elf Cleric/Ranger (is actually IMPORTED from my first party, though
not from the end of the game, at level 8/8 with a
lot of cool items)
Halfling Fighter/Thief
Elf Fighter/Mage (I'd found a cool weapon my first go through of the
game that could only be used by Fighter/Mages so...)
And they're all going to be EVIL (except the Cleric/Ranger)! I was really
surprised by how many items in IWD couldn't be used by GOOD characters, so now
I'm going to have some EVIL characters. And for more roleplaying fun, I'm
going to say all the "jerk" responses in the dialogs. After this maybe I'll
go through with a party of Gnomes...
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Where I am in the game:
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Finished!
I will be starting another party as soon as the Patch is released (the non
beta patch, that is) to check things I may have missed, or done wrong.
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Creating a Balanced Party
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One of the most important decisions that you have to make comes before you
ever start the game. What will your party look like? Naturally I would
recommend the party I used to beat the game (see My Party above) as it worked
well, but I know that that party isn't for everyone. So here we now have a
section on creating that balanced party that you can use to smite your
enemies!
Decision 1: How many characters to have in the party?
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You can have anywhere from 1 to 6 characters in your party. Naturally
going through the game with just one character would be extraordinarily
difficult. The minimum number of characters that I think would keep the
game playable is 4. 3 could probably be done, but you're pushing it.
Four characters allows you to cover all the bases (one fighter, mage,
cleric, and thief type characters), with the obvious advantage that they
will get more experience per battle, as there are less people to share the
experience with. (Whenever you defeat a creature, each character gets the
exp that that creature was worth divided by how many characters you have
in your party. So if you just beat a 2000 exp monster, and had 4 people,
then each person gets 500 exp, but if you have 6 people then they only get
333 experience)
That being said, if you are a newcomer to AD&D games, such as Icewind Dale
and Baldur's Gate, then I would recommend that you go with the full 6 member
party. Even if you are pretty good at Baldur's Gate, you may still want to
go with the full 6 member party.
But if you enjoy a challenge, try 4 (or 3).
And if you're suicidal, try just one character.
Decision 2: What classes should be in my party?
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You need to balance your party in IWD. All melee parties will do pretty
poorly in IWD, as they get slaughtered by nasty enemies. Magic heavy
parties do poorly as well as you don't have enough standing between you and
certain death. As such, careful balance is in order.
Let's take a look at the party I used to beat the game:
Human Fighter
Elf Fighter
Half-Elf Cleric/Ranger
Human Bard
Halfling Fighter/Thief
Human Conjurer
At level 1 this party has 4 melee fighter types, two thief types (the Bard
can only Pick Pockets, but this frees the Fighter/Thief from having to use
any skill points on Pickpockets), two mage types (the bard gets spells on
level 2), and one Cleric type. The only weakness at the beginning is that
the Conjurer only gets 6 HP to start out with.
What you need:
A thief
A cleric
And enough Hp's to not get killed in every battle
Everything past that is extremely helpful, but not specifically NEEDED.
Naturally you get the HP's from Fighters. A thief and a Cleric alone will
get killed easily, so add a few Fighters to the mix, and/or multi-class the
thief and cleric.
Adding in Magic is a really good idea as it supplements your melee power.
Therefore my recommended party looks very much like the party I first used,
with the six party members.
If I were to play with only three characters, this is how I would do it:
Cleric/Ranger (I love these)
Fighter/Thief
Fighter/Mage
ERSKINE makes this recommendation about which type of Mage to play:
If you make your wizard a specialty Conjurer then you can use all the
spells currently in the game!! Conjurers in Icewind Dale (IWD) have
an opposition school of Divination, but all wizards can learn/cast
"lesser divinations" of up to and including 3rd level (maybe 4th, but I
don't think so)-- there are no divinations in IWD above second level, so
a conjurer can cast all spells in the game and gains the bonus spells
for being a specialist-- I do not think IWD uses any of the disadvantages
of being a specialist like in AD&D.
The "All-Fighter" Party:
------------------------
This is a "powergamer" type of party, that takes advantage of the Human's
Dual Classing.
Create a party of six (or how ever many people you want) fighters. While
creating each of them, keep in mind what you would like them to dual class
over to later. So, when you are creating your Fighter who will dual to
Cleric, you need to get not only good Fighter stats, but also good Wisdom.
The same would go for your Fighter who will be Thief, needing good
Dexterity, Fighter who will be Mage needs good Intelligence, etc. Now
when they reach level two, instantly dual class them over to their new
class. What this accomplishes is creating better versions of
Clerics/Thieves/Mages/etc., at a low cost of experience. (2000 exp for the
Fighter level 2)
Fighter (stays a fighter)
Fighter (stays a fighter)
Ranger dualled to Cleric at level 2
Fighter dualled to Thief at level 2
Fighter dualled to Mage at level 2
+1 more character if desired (I'd take a Bard)
ERSKINE's party making strategies:
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My thoughts on party composition --
at least two Fighters--- great hit points, great THAC0's, wear almost any
armor, 5 levels of weapon specialization, and they
usually have the best strength with which to carry
your heavy items without being encumbered
one Mage --- make it a conjurer (use all the spells, memorize 1 extra spell
per spell level) they can use almost all of the wands, and
their spells rock at high levels
one Druid--- I think their spells are better (like Creeping Doom, Fire
seeds, Static Charge), the loss of turning undead is not that
much of a problem-- I hate chasing down skeletons and wights
that ran away, and they can even use some good armor and
shields later in the game (Umber Hulk plate and Rhino Beetle
Shields) (Ed. Note: You're almost at the END of the game before
you get THOSE items! Though they are quite good)
a multi-classed thief--- true thieves in IWD are a little bit lacking, make
your thief a thief/mage or a fighter/thief for
better effect (you can still reach lvl 14/12 with a
thief/mage or 14/11 with a thief/fighter)
Your 6th character can be what ever you like--- if you love mages add
another one, or try out a Paladin or even a cleric
I would avoid Rangers-- they are great in AD&D but they have some limitations
in IWD: there are not a lot of animals to charm, only 2 levels of weapon
specialization, more xp's to level up and if you want to hide in shadows
then you are limited in your choice of armor. Two weapons can be
useful, and so can the racial enemy, but I don't think that makes up for
their deficiencies. Also, their druid spells are rather weak when you
finally get them
Paladins are a better choice--they can lay on hands, better saving
throws, cast protection from evil, are immune to disease, and can cure
disease, and can cast cleric spells (although the spells are only a
minor help late in the game).
I haven't played with bards yet so I can only speculate, but there are
some cool items that only they can use, and they can cast spells and
sing for your party so they could be very helpful--- also I think that
there are some places in the game where bards can do things that other
classes can't (Talking to the Sea-Elf in Easthaven, the bard can sing to
her for extra xp's--or so a friend told me).
When chosing a race for your class stick mostly to elves, half-elves and
humans. However, Dwarven fighters can have a 19 constitution and their
hit points can really get up there, also dwarves are very resistant to
poison, and have some resistance to magic. Elves and Half-Elves have a
resistance to sleep and charm related spells (90% for elves and 30% for
Half-Elves--if they followed AD&D rules on this) Personally, I have
never had much use for gnomes and halflings (big noses and hairy feet,
respectively)
My 1st party -- Human Male Fighter
Half Elven Female Ranger
Human Male Fighter
Elven Female Mage/Thief
Dwarven Female Cleric (just for fun)
Elven Male Conjurer
this party got the job done, but this is where I learned of some
problems with the classes-
My new party -- Human Male Fighter
Human Male Paladin
Dwarven Male Fighter
Elven Female Mage/Thief
Elven Male Druid
Human Female Conjurer
(Ed. Note: With the Druid above, I'd start with a Fighter, then at level 2
dual over to a Druid. This way, once your Druid hits level 3, then they can
wear normal armors and such.)
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Gameplay Specific Questions:
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Easthaven
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Q: What do I do with the Caravan Contract? Neither Pomab nor Hrothgar seem
to care about it.
A: Give it to the Fishmonger (he lives between Hrothgar's house and the
Tavern) for some experience.
Q: What's with that weird Aqua-Elf in the SW corner of Easthaven?
A: That "Aqua Elf" is part of a mini-subquest. There's a man a bit
further north of her, standing by the lake just mumbling to himself. Talk
to him to learn about her, then talk to her about it, and she gives you a
broken sword to give to him
Kuldahar Pass
-------------
Q: How do I get to Kuldahar?
A: Head east, cross the bridge, and leave the area to the east.
Kuldahar
--------
Q: There's this one locked door here that I can't open. How do I open it?
A: I have no idea. As soon as I find out, though, I'll put it in. I have
heard a rumor that pins this door as some sort of Easter Egg/Expansion
Pack door. Meaning that maybe they will release an expansion pack
(similar to the Tales of the Sword Coast for BG), and it will be accessed
via the Kuldahar Secret Door of Doom!
Q: Where do I find Mirek's Family Heirloom?
A: In the Vale of Shadows, on the Yeti Chieftan. It's a necklace. You can
find the Yeti Chieftan just south of the Giant Statue in the center of the
Vale. Return it to Mirek for some experience (Mirek is the frightened
townsperson who first ran from the Yeti, I found him near the Potter's).
Vale of Shadows
---------------
Q: I'm in the final crypt in the Vale of Shadows. I have the gate key and
the sanctum key but neither seems to open the gate that is in the middle
of the crypt (the one with the blue pools of skeleton goo.) How do I get
this gate open?
A: Go through the doors to the left, and search the coffin there to get the
Priest's Key. Take that key, and open the doors to the right. Search
this coffin to pick up Myrkul's Holy Symbol. Now with the Holy Symbol,
you can now open the big double doors.
Q: I am at this big GEAR DOOR, and I can't figure out how to open it. Is
there a switch that I need to find?
A: Yes there is! Just to the south of the door is a triangle with three
pillars, check the pillar on the lower right (that is, the one farthest
from the door), and on the left side of the pillar is the switch. Switch
it to open.
Also I am not sure, but this Lever may require a key.
Q: I went through the Crypt in the vale, and found this skeletal knight
(Kresselack) who asked me to find and eliminate a Priestess. Where is
she?
A: You can only do this once you have agreed to kill her. You must go out of
the crypt, and back into the vale. Now, on this screen you want to head
into the cave in the bottom-middle of the area (just south of the Statue
in the center of the area). This is a Yeti cave, rather than a crypt. Go
inside, and she'll be there.
After killing the frostmaiden priestess go back to the inn and talk to the
innkeeper. He will say that he wants to throw away her items, and if you
say the right things he will pass them on to you. I got an ice mantle
which is very nice item with +30 to ice/fire resistance. Plus some other
stuff as well. (from Mike Gan)
Q: So, how do I open Kresselack's coffin? I can't KNOCK it, BASH it, or
PICK it!
A: Just kill the Priestess and then talk to Kresselack again. Then it will
be automatically opened for you.
Dragon's Eye
------------
Q: I'm in Dragon's Eye, and there are these weird Peaceful Monks here, and
they don't let me go in all these doors. What's their deal?
A: If you wander around there enough you'll start picking up clues about
them. Go check out their carpet, or the books in their library to learn
that they are up to no good. Make sure you're ready for a fight though,
these Monks are nasty, and they like to summon more monsters as well.
Q: OK, I cleared the Monks area out, so where's the Heartstone Gem?
A: It's on a later level in Dragon's Eye. Head to the next level via the
passage in the SE of the area. When you find the BOSS, you'll find the
Gem.
Q: I returned to Kuldahar after Dragon's Eye, but now Arundel is dead. What
do I do now?
A: What you have seen is the false Arundel on the main floor disappear. Go
upstairs to find the real Arundel to get to the next area.
Shattered Hand (aka Severed Hand)
--------------
Q: In the Shattered Hand, I need to find Larrel... where is he?
A: As you go up the tower, it eventually splits into five smaller towers, or
fingers. You want to go in the far right tower, up that until you get the
option of going to a passage to the left. Go across the skybridge, and
over to another tower. Go up the stairs here, up the next stairs and
you'll be in the Astrolabe, with Larrel.
Q: In the library in the Shattered Hand, are any of these books important?
A: As far as I know, only the book on the Mythal has any significance (you
give it to Orrick back in Kuldahar, although sometimes this doesn't come
up due to a bug).
Q: OK... Larrel seems to want me to fix the Astrolabe, how do I do that?
A: By giving his companion machinery pieces. The first is found in the War
Room, the second on Kaylessa (she'll let you fight for it when you "free"
her subordinates on the levels above her), the third is found in the
southern tower, in a chest guarded by some Shadow Clerics, the fourth is
found several levels below: to get there you have to take the Lift down
(the Lift can be found one level below the level where the five towers
split off) and then go down the stairs, search the area to find it. Give
all four pieces to the Mage there, then when the machine is finished, talk
to Larrel and he'll be a bit more forthcoming.
Dorn's Deep
-----------
Q: In the Dorn's Deep cavern (with all the pretty mushrooms), where do I go?
A: Your eventual goal is the main Dwarven Complex, which is in the lower
right of the area. Go to the center of the area to the giant statues, and
go right from those. Since that leads to the next areas in the game,
you'll probably want to explore the other areas first.
Q: Also in Dorn's Deep Cavern, I can see another building in the very top
right of the map, but I can't find a way to get there. So, how DO you get
up that way?
A: Go all the way back to the beginning. Now there is a small path that
leads all the way to the right, along the side of the wall. It's kinda
hard to see at first, but it's there. Along the way there is a cave with
some Orog's (but nothing else, really). Go into the building in the Top
Right, and talk to Bandoth. You won't ever really get anything of
interest out of him, EXCEPT that you can BARTER with him for some really
cool spells! (and potions too, but you can get those anywhere) Be careful
while talking to him, as he might attack you. (and if you beat him you
get neither experience nor any items!)
Q: Can I do anything with the bottle of Razorvine Extract? Or were the
developers just having fun?
A: You can find the Bottle on a corpse in the Ettin's Lair (the big cave in
the bottom part of the area), and it calls itself then "Razorvine Extract
-- Property of Mourns-for-Trees." If you never played Torment, that won't
really make sense to you.
The container of Razor-vine extract is part of a mini-quest. If you
talk to Bandoth (in the tower in the NE of Upper Dorn's he will ask you
to find his apprentice and return the extract. (from ERSKINE)
Q: In Dorn's Deep, I met an Umber Hulk named Saablik Tan who asked me to
retrieve a badge for him. Where do I find it?
A: Go right, and south to find an Orog who will talk to you. Kill him and
take the badge. Return it to Saablik for experience. Also, you're going
to need to gather 6 of these badges.
Q: In Dorn's Deep, I found a secret door in a Dwarven Round Table Room, which
lead to a big circular trap thing. I've wandered around it with my Thief,
but can't disarm the traps. What do I do??
A: This is a puzzle! If you look at the three statues it will show you what
you are supposed to do. Anyway, here's the solution. The idea here is to
disarm the three rings of the trap. So, moving around the edges, careful
not to step on any of the RUNED squares, move to the top right and step on
the tile that looks like an ANVIL & HAMMER. You have now unlocked the
outer ring. Now move around to the bottom, careful not to touch any of
the inner ring tiles, and step on the tile with the TWO CROSSED SWORDS.
Finally move around to the upper left and step on the tile with the two
INTERLOCKING CIRCLES to disarm the entire trap. Now go back to the
conference room, and the Dwarf Statue just to the right of the secret
passage will have his Hammer down, click on the hammer, and then go back
through the secret passage. There will now be a set of stairs here.
Q: I killed the Lich, but he keeps coming back. How do I finally get rid of
him?
A: You have to get rid of his life force. In the Hall of Heroes, in one of
the left crypts you will find Terrikan's Phylactery, this is the essence
of the Lich, and is needed to destroy him. Now take this item to Jamoth's
crypt, which is the second one from the entrance on the right side. The
phylactery will vanish, and so too will the Lich.
Q: I found Evayne's Diary (Larrel's Daughter) is there anything that I should
do with it?
A: Yes, take it to Larrel, and get yourself some Experience! Sure it means
going all the way back to the Shattered Hand, but what else were you going
to do with it? He doesn't actually TAKE the journal, so just leave it
there when you're done.
Q: And then how do I get through those big double doors in the Hall of
Heroes?
A: Go back to the spirit you talked to about Terrikan, and you'll get some
experience. (He's moved to the bottom of the stairs) Now check the
caldron on the statue to open a small compartment. Check inside for the
key to the doors.
Q: Is there anywhere to REST in Dorn's Deep? Seems like it won't let me
sleep anywhere!
A: After the Dwarven Conference Room, you won't be able to rest until you hit
the glacier. Which means that you have to do the entire Lich thing
restless.
Wyrm's Tooth
------------
Q: I'm now in the Glacier area, where now?
A: Go south and you'll find a broken bridge. That is your overall goal for
this area, to repair that bridge. Head into that large building
(Aquarium, I suppose) and talk to the Ice Salamanders there. They won't
attack, and think that you were sent by the BOSS. Whatever. Head down
the stairs that are located just to the left of the entrance to find the
revolted slaves.
Q: In the Aquarium, I keep getting damaged! Who is attacking me?
A: In the frozen aquarium you are getting damaged by walking too
close to the frost salamanders, if you try to walk around them as much
as possible then you will cut down the damage, but occasionally you
can't avoid passing close to them. (from ERSKINE)
Q: I met a woman named Vera in the western part of this area, who is she, and
what's she doing here?
A: Vera was instrumental in the slave revolt, and is now hiding out from the
Salamanders. Talk to her if you want, then drop down the stairs and tell
Garth about her (he's one of the slaves at the far right) for some
experience.
Q: How do I get the slaves out? Do I have to fight all those Salamanders?
A: No, you don't have to fight them, as long as they still think that you are
working for the BOSS. Before doing this, be sure to get the Book on
Suspension (to fix the bridge with) from Soth (see the next question for
more information). Anyway, talk to Gareth, and he'll reveal that they
have found a new way out, but that they need a key. Then go back to
Kerish (the Salamander leader, located at the far right in the Aquarium)
and ask for the key. He'll give it to you if you say that you'll keep the
slaves from escaping. Give the key to Gareth and all the slaves will be
free, and you get some experience for your trouble. If you go back
upstairs after freeing the slaves, you will be attacked. Oh, and if you
go back to Vera and talk to her after the slaves are freed, you get more
experience.
If you want, you can follow the slaves out. It leads to a new area. To
get back to the main map, go up and right, to go back to Wyrm's Tooth go
down and left, and to go to the next chapter, go down and right (but we
still have things to do in this chapter).
Q: So, how do I fix that bridge?
A: Once you're on the lower level of the Aquarium (it's really a temple, but
since it has fish in it, I call it an Aquarium), talk to Soth at the far
left. Ask him about the books, and ask for a book on bridges. I suppose
that you can only do this after you've SEEN the broken bridge. He'll give
you a book on suspension and the like, and you also get some experience.
Walk back to the bridge, and when you get near it, it will automatically
get repaired, and you get some experience.
Q: What do I need to accomplish in this cave?
A: Just head west until you run into some Frost Giants. One of them is the
BOSS of this area, Joril. Kill him and take his pendant, which is the
second part of the six part key. That's all you need to do in this cave,
although there are a lot of other cool things in here... such as a lot
more Frost Giants! (and their treasures!) There are also some slaves to
be freed, and some dragons to be slain (ok, they are only small wyrms, but
still, also search where the Wyrms were for a couple of treasures). When
you're done with this, leave the cave, and go back to the earlier area
(it's reached from the top right of this map), and then take the lower
right passage to reach the next chapter.
Q: What do I do with the Barrel of Pure Water that I found when I defeated
the follower of Auril?
A: Take it to the Arboretum in the Shattered Hand, and give it to its Elven
Caretaker, Valestis, of course! You get experience for this.
Lower Dorn's Deep (fire Salamander area)
-----------------
Q: How do I get into the Watchtower in the SE (lower right) of this area?
A: Go across the bridge into the top right of this area, and there will be
a gnomish girl named FENGLA, who will give you the key to the watchtower.
Now go inside, and kill all the archers here (they all have about 40
Arrows of Piercing so ... beware). When you clear out all the archers,
Fengla reappears, thanks you, and you get some experience, as well as the
satisfaction in knowing that you have helped some gnomes out. Whee.
Q: So what do I do here?
A: Go into the door at the very top of the map (it's sorta in the middle, and
has a Blue Thing above it) here to get into the Boarded Up City. I would
assume that this was a Deep Gnome city before it was taken over by this
Umber Hulk horde. We want to go north into the weird Green Building.
Once inside, head right and up to find Malavon. Be careful with this one,
it's one of the more difficult battles in the game. Once Malavon is gone
take the third Emblem (of six).
ERSKINE had this to add:
In the deep gnome area with the green dome--- on the left side, about
2/3 of the way north there is a building that you can enter and find a
corpse-- if you search the corpse it appears to be just a normal long
sword he was carring-- but it is actually "PALE JUSTICE" a sort of
"Holy Avenger"-- it just dosen't appear to be magical but it is actually
extermely powerful, and you can sell it for a whole 15-30 gp (I guess
the merchants are really as dumb as we think).
Ed. Note: You don't actually ENTER the building as you would, say to
go into a shop. You merely go THROUGH the building, like a
tunnel.
Q: What's with those weird drawings of EYES on the ground?
A: They're traps.
Q: In the Boarded Up City, is there anything to do besides going into the
large green obvious building?
A: There are a couple of barrels with some treasure (I got spells) in about
the center of the area, just south of the green building. Beyond that,
just some Umber Hulks to go through, and a big green building to go into.
Q: What do I do with these Seeds that I found in Malavon's room?
A: Take them to the Arboretum in the Severed Hand, of course!
Q: What is with this garden-type room? There seems to be a never ending
stream of monsters here!
A: You have to take out the "screamers" (the stationary mushrooms) in order
to stop new monsters from coming in.
Q: OK, I've taken out Malavon, now where?
A: To take out Ilmadia, of course! From the Boarded City (the area which has
Malavon's massive green laboratory), go south through the RIGHT passage to
get to the garden. From the garden take the South East (lower right)
passage to get to the Mines (you can help the Gnomes here if you want by
killing the Salamanders here), then continue all the way to the right to
get to the Fire Giant chamber (there are two passages on the right, we
want the far right one). Get past the guard, and head south to the
lake of lava, then go east to find Ilmadia, an evil Elven wench. (In case
you were wondering, she's the elf maid who visited the library in the
Severed Hand) Never underestimate women who control Fire Giants should be
your motto, so you should make some preparations before talking to her
(such as summoning a few Water Elementals, or whatever). Beat her and get
the 4th part of the key.
Q: Where is Marketh?
A: From the Garden, take the passage in the top left. There are some of the
absolute COOLEST items in his mansion, but beware Thieves! (The easiest
way to get to the garden from the main Salamander cave is to go into the
building in the top right -- where FENGLA was) Go upstairs, find Marketh
(he's the Thief that insists on talking to you), kill him or agree to
spare him, and take his Badge, the 5th part of the key.
Q: What do I do with the Drow Dinafae?
A: She's being held in Marketh's palace against her will, and should she try
to leave, she will be killed. First thing's first, you have to take out
Marketh (don't kill him), then talk to her with a Potion of Null Effect
(which you should have gotten from Malavon) in your possession to try to
help her out.
Q: What on earth do I do with a Sack of Potatoes?
A: Give it to some Gnomes, of course! From the main cavern of Lower Dorn's
Deep (where you came in), take the Lift in the top middle of the screen
down to a holding area. A gnome will talk to you, ask if there is
anything that you can do to help, then give him the Spuds, it's good for
some experience. Plus then you can free the Gnomes, and find their hidden
city, which has some interesting shops in it. (such as Nym)
Q: Nym sells Squirrels and Birds. Let me guess: these are for the
Arboretum in the Severed Hand?
A: Yes, they sure are. You get experience for both.
Q: Where is the last badge?
A: In the temple. From the garden it is the path that leads up and right.
Q: I'm getting killed in this temple, what do I do?
A: All you need to do to win in here is to take out the Idol. It is located
just north of Perdiem. Take it out, and all the undead will die, and the
priests will be freed of some form of mind control. Oh, and you get the
6th and final badge from Perdiem.
Q: How do I get up these stairs located just north of the Idol?
A: You need all 6 of the badge-keys. Just under the stairs are 6
"containers", click on them to place each badge in them, and the stairs
will "unlock" allowing you to go up them. I'd rest up (you can do so in
the garden) before going up the stairs. Once up there, I'd cast all the
preparatory spells you can, then move up and you'll find Poquelin.
Easthaven Again
---------------
Q: Is there anywhere that I can rest up here?
A: Yes, the tavern. It's just north of where you appear.
Q: So what do I do here?
A: First head down to the lake in the bottom left corner of the screen and
talk to the townsperson there. He'll tell you to rescue the people from
some camp. And he'll give you a nifty new sword. Now go to the east end
of the village, and head south across the bridge to find the Camp. Talk
to the Priest of Tempus (Everard) there to learn how to get into the
tower.
Q: The battle with the False Pomab's is impossible! Whenever I beat one of
his sentry's they just get back up, and there always seem to be more
Pomab's! How do I win?
A: Ignore the Sentries as best you can, and concentrate on getting rid of all
the False Pomab's. Once they are all gone, the real Pomab will reveal
himself. Kill him, and all the Sentries will die with him.
The battle with the false Pomab's can be tough--You have to find the
real Pomab---Attacking the mirror images (I wish my mirror-image spell
worked like that) dosen't do anything, but when you attack the right one
one of the other images disappear instead. So find the right one to
attack and just wail on his scrawny ass. (from ERSKINE)
Q: Where do I go on the level above Pomab, the Crystal won't let me go
anywhere!
A: Go into the mirror to the left.
Q: Any final advice on winning this battle?
A: Take out the Golems first, then take out the BOSS. This battle didn't
seem as tough as some of the earlier ones (Malavon comes to mind).
Misc
----
Q: What do I do with all of these keys? Do I need to keep them for
something? What about these other Items I've got? (Myrkul's Holy Symbol,
etc.)
A: I kept keys only while I was still in the area in which I got the keys,
then when I got back to Kuldahar, I sold the keys in the item shop (not
the armory). They aren't worth much, but if you discover later that you
really DID need them, you can always buy them back.
As for the other items, I would suspect that they are useless past the
area that you got them in, but as I haven't gotten through the game yet, I
can't say for sure. If you want to get rid of them, but want to make sure
that they are still around (you can't sell them, by the way), just drop
them in a treasure chest somewhere.
Q: I gave Valestis (The Elf caretaker in Severed Hand's Arboretum) Seeds,
Pure Water, Squirrels, and Birds, but he still says that the Arboretum
isn't restored! What else does he need?
A: I have no idea. He only asked for three things, seeds, water, and
animals. Maybe he wants a way to restore that statue, or maybe... who
knows!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
General Gaming Questions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Got any advice on winning [insert tough battle here]?
A: Yeah, save and retry. Usually what I'll do first is to save it, then rush
the area hacking at everything. When that fails, and it usually does, I
begin my planning. Were there magic users? Clerics? What monsters need
to be taken out first? Can I clear the area with an Area Effect Spell
(Fireball, Icestorm, etc.)?
Next I'll try to draw off monsters one by one. It's a lot easier to beat
a horde of monsters one at a time, rather than all at once. So I'll move
until I spot one monster, make sure it sees me, then slowly lead it back
to the waiting party. Make sure the monster follows you, as they have a
tendency to just wander back if they lose sight of you.
If you can't draw monsters off one by one (i.e. all monsters see you at
the same time), you have to start thinking more Tactically. Hit the mages
first to prevent them from spellcasting (nothing worse than getting hit by
Confusion, or Hold Person, much less a Lightning Bolt) then rush the
archers to get them to switch to melee weapons. Try to keep the party
together for support, and to prevent flanking. And of course, have your
own mages and clerics casting their devastating magics. I usually would
have my Conjurer bring up a host of goblins to deal with archers, leaving
the tougher enemies for my main party.
Finally, if there is a "BOSS", try to deal with it first, as they tend to
have the most devastating attacks.
Q: I recently played through an area, got some really cool treasures, but
then I had to reload to an earlier save, now the when I get the treasures,
they are all different! What gives?
A: To enhance replay value, most of the treasures are "randomized." So one
time you might get the "Armor of Goodness", the next time you might get
"Potion of Not so Goodness." Usually the treasures have the same value,
but don't count on it.
Q: Is Charisma/Reputation important in IWD?
A: Not really, no. I think you still get the Charisma Discount at the shops,
but it doesn't affect conversations. Reputation exists, but only for the
sake of Paladins and Rangers. If your Rep. drops low enough, then the
Paladin/Ranger is "fallen" and loses their special abilities.
Q: I just stole something right in front of someone's face! Don't they care?
A: Ransacking people's homes seems to have fewer consequences in IWD, than it
did in BG. No guard ever seems to be called. There are, however, some
situations in which an NPC will tell you to leave a door/chest/whatever
alone, and they will attack if you ignore that warning.
Q: How do I dual-class? Is it worth it? Can I dual more than once?
A: Dual classing is reserved only for Human characters, and may not be
performed by Bard or Paladins (and you can't dual TO a Bard or a Paladin,
either). In order to successfully dual to another class, you must have
at least a 15 score in your current classes prime attribute (for a
Fighter, that would be STR) and at least a 17 score in the prime attribute
of whichever class you want to dual to (so a Mage would be Int of 17).
Also, you must be at least level 2 before dual classing.
Once you are "dual classed" you are essentially a level 1 of your new
class. You are NOT a multi class! So if you were a Fighter, who dualled
to Thief, you are now a level 1 Thief, until your Thief level SURPASSES
your Fighter level, at which point, your old abilities come back.
As to whether it is worth it, is sort of up to personal preference. The
advantages are that you end out with a far more powerful character, the
disadvantages are that you are very weak while just starting your new
class. "Powergamers" will often dual class several of their party members
at the same time; such as a Fighter dualling to a Thief, and a Thief
dualling to a Mage, while the Mage duals to a Fighter.
Finally, no, you can't dual one character more than once.
Q: Can my Ranger Dual Wield two swords?
A: Yes, but you won't see it. Simply put two swords in the Quick Weapons
slots, and you will gain one extra attack. This only works if you don't
have a shield equipped.
Q: What was your favorite armor in the game?
A: I liked the Mithril Field Plate +2. Sure there is a better armor out
there, but, the best feature of the Mithril Plate is that it ISN'T
considered magical! Therefore you can wear a Cloak of Protection +2 at
the same time to get the best armor class in the game!
Q: Is there any Elven Chainmail in the game?
A: Yes. There is a whole bunch found in the Severed Hand area. If you don't
know, then Elven Chainmail can be worn by your Fighter/Mages, Bards, or
Fighter/Thieves and they can still cast spells (where applicable) or use
thieving skills. Naturally this is a very good item to have!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monster Questions:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do I kill trolls? They just keep getting back up!
A: Annoying, aren't they? Anyway, to kill a troll, first you have to beat it
normally so that it falls down to the ground. It isn't dead yet. Now,
your party will still be attacking the troll, but they can't kill it, so
pull them back. Now you have to hit the troll with either Fire or Acid.
This is easiest to do magically (Burning Hands, Melf's Acid Arrow,
Fireball), just be sure not to hit your own party at the same time
(Burning Hands and Fireball especially). There are also items such as
Burning Oil, and Arrows such as Flame Arrows which also work nicely.
Also note that some Trolls seem to get back up even after you've knocked
them down AND hit them with Acid/Fire! Then you have to knock them down
AGAIN, and then acid/fire them again as well. And even more rare is the
case where you manage to kill Trolls without fire or acid, either by
repeatedly knocking them down or mere luck.
Q: I can't seem to make any headway on these Cryshal Sentries, how do I kill
them?
A: You can't kill them. You must kill whoever is controlling them to get
rid of them. At best you can knock them down, but they will get back up.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Questions:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Can I get IWD to run at any higher resolutions than 640x480?
A: No. This option will be available in the upcoming BioWare game, Baldur's
Gate II, but not in IWD.
Q: Can I play IWD in a Window, rather than in Full Screen Mode?
A: Yes, just press ALT-ENTER at anytime while playing. Black Isle says that
this will be a drag on performance of the game, but it actually seemed
FASTER when I did it. There's also an OPTION for that in the "Graphics"
options.
Q: How can I get rid of this silly "Register Now!" thing without registering?
A: You can either register, or if that thought horrifies you, then after
three times of ignoring it, it will bring up a little console, type 123 in
it, and it will go away forever. (thanks to lauren for that)
Q: Can I set HOTKEYS to certain spells, or whatever?
A: Sure, just run the IWD Configuration Program located in the Start Menu.
(Usually, Start > Programs > Black Isle > Icewind Dale > )
You can also monkey about with some other game options here, such as the
Search Nodes (used in pathfinding), Cache size, or AI Speed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Questions:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Is Icewind Dale worth getting? Is it better than Diablo II? Or is it
just "Baldur's Gate Lite"?
A: I was surprised by just how much I've liked Icewind Dale. I was somewhat
expecting a "BG Lite" type of game, but Icewind Dale is anything but a
lightweight. I've only played the first Diablo, and so I can't really
comment on whether IWD is a better game.
So, yes, Icewind Dale is worth getting.
Q: Any cheats for IWD?
A: There are no in-game cheats (such as BG's CLUA type cheats), however
TeamBG has created a character editor for IWD.
http://www.teambg.com/
Q: I have the Official Strategy Guide, and it SAYS that there are cheats, but
when I try them, they just plain don't work. What gives?
A: The in-game cheats were taken out of the Release version of IWD at the
last minute. I have heard of plans to put the cheats back in later, in
some patch or another. Currently, however, there are no cheats.
Q: What is the Experience Cap in IWD? And is there a way to remove it?
A: Yes, it's about 1.8 million exp points. This is usually done to keep the
end of the game balanced, otherwise you might win too easily.
And of course there is a way to remove it. Just check out TeamBG:
http://www.teambg.com/
Q: Will you REALLY do a full Guide/Walkthrough for this game? You haven't
finished your Torment walkthrough!
A: I really don't know. (nor do I know when I'll finish the Torment FAQ!)
Q: What's with all the little x's?
A: You mean in the version number and contents? At the time, I didn't know
if I was even going to release this FAQ, and so the version number (x.1)
reflected that. I also thought that I might want to later turn this into
a full Walkthrough/Guide, which when completed would naturally be version
1.0, therefore a FAQ-only would have to have a "lesser" version number.
The contents (x... My Party for example) were done out of whimsy.
Q: I have another question ....
A: Got other questions? Email me!
manymoose@hotmail.com
For a speedier response, make sure to put "Icewind Dale Questions" as
the subject.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bugs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The "Symbol of Correlon Lorethian" Necklace bug:
This artifact is supposed to affect your THAC0 by +2 when worn, but instead
it actually CHANGES your THAC0 by +2 EVERY time it is worn! So if you were
to unequip/reequip this item over and over, your THAC0 would continuously
decrease! Not only that, but when you simply LOAD your game up, it will
decrease your THAC0 then as well. As far as I know, you can keep improving
your THAC0 forever (I stopped at -130).
WARNING: I wouldn't use this Bug as it horribly unbalances the game. What
I would do with it is to equip it once, then throw it away. This
way you get the effect of the item, but not the bug.
Denaini's Holy Water:
When you give Denaini the holy water, she is supposed to give you an item
"as Thanks", but you get nothing.
Orrick and the Book of Mythal:
When you give Orrick the Book about Mythal that you found in the Shattered
Hand, you should get an artifact, but you don't. Not only that, but when
talking to him about it, you get a "NO REPLIES OR LINKS" as your only
dialogue option! (even IF this is fixed in a patch, if you have already
visited Orrick, then you will never get the right reply, you would have to
start a new game)
Character Arbitration Bug (This was done in Single Player mode)
I recently started a new game with only 2 characters, just to play around
with some different classes and such. Quickly getting bored with that I did
a Quickload (via pressing L) to bring up my regular party. Now I wanted to
Modify this party of 6, but discovered when I pressed the Character
Arbitration button that it only showed the first two people in the party.
If I clicked 'done' at this point nothing happened, but if I clicked
'modify' first, then 'done', it would drop my party from the full 6 to only
2.
Then if I were to try to create a new character in one of the "blank" spots,
it would actually restore the party member who should have been there
already!
Infinite Experience Loop in Aquarium (from ERSKINE)
This is a bug I found and I don't know if it will work for you but--- If
you talk to the boss salamander and he tells you to kill the leader of
the slave revolt, go talk to the leader of the slaves in the basement
(not Vera- you need to avoid talking to Vera before you talk to
Gareth)-- he thinks that vera is dead and you can now go back to the
Boss and tell him that she died in the escape---heres the bug--- He will
then tell you to kill all of the slaves, tell him you will think about
it and the conversation ends, BUT if you talk to him again you can tell
him Vera died in the escape again and get more xp's (about 10k for each
character) I was able to do this indefinately (I got my characters up
about three levels each before I got tired of it)-- again I don't know
if this will work for you, or if you even want to try it.
Rhino Beetle Shell Bug (from ERSKINE)
Another bug-- when I took rhino beetle shell to dirty lew (use a female
to talk to him--better prices) and got him to make a shield for me I
then took it to Nym (the dark-elf) an paid for him to enchant it and to
buy his dagger (refuse his first offer of 30,000 gp and the next offer
is 33,000gp for the enchantment and a dagger)- only he didn't give me
his dagger! (the dialogue said "here's your dagger" but I didn't get
one)-- if you refuse his second offer he offers "a better enchantment"
for 28,000gp-- but this is the same as the first enchantment, but
2,000gp less.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strange Things
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Shadowed Orcs in the Severed Hand say "Zug Zug" when they attack you, just
as the Peon Orcs in Warcraft II do.
The Razorvine Extract (property of Mourns-for-Trees) is a reference to the
Black Isle game, Planescape: Torment.
Erevain's Journal makes mention of Xan from Baldur's Gate (see the Stinger at
the end of the FAQ for the exact quote).
================================================================================
Final Words...
================================================================================
This FAQ was written entirely using the GWD Text Editor: (shareware)
http://www.gwdsoft.com/
_________________________
Special Thanks: (Credits)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tony for a small update on the Priestess of Auril
Lauren for mentioning how to get rid of the Register Now thing
Scott Werner for pointing out that Trolls sometimes die without fire or acid
Jim Valeri for a good question
Mike Gan for information on the Ice Priestess' Items, etc.
ERSKINE for lots of information all over the place
Ken Baker (Founder of TeamBG) for making some of the best BG & IWD Utilities
CJayC for posting this FAQ
Anyone who emails me with nice things to say, you are appreciated!
Black Isle for making such a great little game!
_________________________
Shameless Self Promotion:
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
I have also written FAQs for:
NES: Disney Adventures in the Magic Kingdom
Final Fantasy -- Magic FAQ
The Legend of Zelda
SNES: Aerobiz
Aerobiz Supersonic
Utopia: Creation of a Nation
Genesis: StarFlight
PSX: Thousand Arms -- Walkthrough
-- Forging/Dating FAQ
PC: Baldur's Gate & Tales of the Sword Coast -- FAQ/Walkthrough
NPC List
Creature List
Colonization -- the Single Colony Strategy Guide
-- the Cheat Guide
Drakan: Order of the Flame
Dungeon Hack
Master of Magic (revision)
Messiah
Pharaoh (currently being edited by Red Phoenix)
Planescape: Torment -- FAQ/Walkthrough
Items Listing
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
The Sims
Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar
Ultima 7: The Black Gate
Ultima 7 Part 2: Serpent Isle
Ultima Underworld -- Keyboard Commands
Ultima Underworld II -- Keyboard Commands
-- Spell List
All of my FAQs can be found at:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/2203.html
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________
Version History:
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Version x.1 July 6, 2000 14k
Version x.2 July 7, 2000 24k
Added new Questions, added a Contents, added the Bugs list, added this here
Version History, and slightly changed the format
Version x.3 July 8, 2000 35k
Had the version history saying that this was done in "june", so I fixed that
Added new questions, and a new bug (one I found myself, no less!). Also
began separating the Gameplay Specific questions into their separate areas
to not only make things easier to find, but also to help people avoid
spoilers. Added the Special Thanks thingie in the Final Words section.
Fixed a spelling mistake. Spaced in all the questions, hopefully this makes
things easier to read.
You know, this was just going to be a 5-10k mini-FAQ at first, just
answering the basic questions, but it keeps growing and growing...
Version x.4 July 9, 2000 38k
Added more questions taking me all the way through the game. Now I'm going
to go through the game again with a different party, but with the items
from my first party. Sure that's sorta cheating, but I've already won the
game once without cheating!
Version x.5 July 9, 2000 41k
Added a couple of new questions, and updated the Troll killing question.
Lots of little changes too, just things that looked like they could use an
extra word or two. And in case you were wondering, version x.4 was only
uploaded to one site, and it wasn't GameFAQs. After it was uploaded I found
some new things to put in, so here we are.
So, now that I've finished the game, and pretty much all the questions, what
will I do next? A full Guide/Walkthrough? Who knows!
Version x.6 July 10, 2000 45k
Removed a bad question (well, the question was irrelevant, and the answer
was bad). Added a new question about my favorite armor in the game (the
Mithril Field Plate +2), as well as a question dealing with the Caravan
Contract, and some other questions.
Version x.7 July 11, 2000 49k
Added some info from Mike Gan. Also went through the FAQ and corrected a
number of spelling mistakes and/or typos. Added the section on Creating a
Balanced Party... but it needs some more work, I think.
Version x.8 July 11, 2000 53k
Added lots of new information from ERSKINE, so THANKS!
Version x.9 July 12, 2000 53k
Just some small changes.
Version x.9.1 July 13, 2000 54k
Fixed two mistakes.
Version x.9.2 July 16, 2000 60k
Added new party making strategies, one from me, and another from ERSKINE.
Reformatted the Contents slightly (you'll notice that I claim to have a
Walkthrough forthcoming...heh). Some other small changes.
________
Stinger:
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Excerpt from Erevain's Journal:
"It is an endeavor doomed to failure. Oh, there I go again. Corellon help
me, I'm starting to sound like cousin Xan!"
________________________________________________________________________________
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
This Document is Copyright 2000 by Dan Simpson
Icewind Dale is Copyright 2000 by Black Isle/Interplay
I am not affiliated with Black Isle, Interplay or anyone who had anything to do
with the creation of this game. This FAQ may be posted on any site so long as
NOTHING IS CHANGED and you EMAIL ME telling me that you are posting it. You may
not charge for, or in any way profit from this FAQ.
