@ the Shadowvale CSR
from TrueSite or Lazarus's Site
by Lazarus
Solution to Puzzles
@ Lazarus' site
Laser Puzzle
Sniper Puzzle
Block/Barrel Puzzle
This is my first scenario for BOA. It is now ready for download.
The scenario is small, it has 12 towns and 4 outdoor sections. However, it will hopefully be as enjoyable to those who play it as it was for me to design it.
Start your quest by going to speak with Mayor White in the northwest corner of town. Wander around town and appreciate the eloquent dialog and breath taking town design =). You shouldn't leave unless you have the following spells (can be purchased upstairs at the Academy if you don't already have them) Healing/Mass healing/ Divine Restoration, Lightning Spray/Fireblast, Haste/Slow, War blessing/Radiant Shield, Cloud of blades - All as high level as you can afford. You should also pick up a rope from Wallace in the tavern.
Sidequest:
This is just that, a sidequest. It isn't necessary to complete it, but if you do then the game will be easier and you'll get some rewards. If you're interested then here's how you start. Talk to Glup, who is sitting behind the inn. (If you have already began the main quest then he may have left. He only sticks around for a while.) Tell him you'll help, and then go to meet him in his village on the northern edge of the lake. Once you've talked to the Shaman, Glup will join the party. You need to clear out the dungeon on the southern edge of the lake (the one with all the slugs.) Fighting here is pretty simple, most of the slugs are just melee monsters, except the hallucinogenic slugs. These are the ones you need to worry about. Kill them as quickly as possible, and use radiant shield to protect yourself from negative status effects. There is a secret passage to the West to get you across the river. Then proceed north until you get to the smelly cavern with all the side tunnels diverging from it. There are two secret passages on the east wall, use the one that takes you across the waterfalls. Now get ready for a big fight, haste, bless and radiant shield yourself. This fight should be no problem. Then proceed to take the mushrooms beneath the tree. Time to get back to Glup's village. Just keep following instructions in the village and sit through a cutscene and some dialog. Now Glup will journey with you, and you can buy some powerful potions from the shaman. Chieftain Krep has some weapons for sale, the most useful are the lancets. Buy some if you have a thrown missile user.
Main quest:
Almost everyone you ask in Keilan suggests you explore the south, so why don't we? If you go down the hill to the south east of Keilan you will have to fight a large group of golems. If you want you can beat down on them and gain some levels, but they might be a little much for a low level party. Otherwise head west and go down the cliff path. Go up into the mountains to the south to get to Smolt.
Smolt:
Tip: When fighting golems it is important to have as much magic resistance as possible. Equip any rings, necklaces, armor etc. that boost your resistances. Also, use radiant shield liberally, this will protect from status effects like charm and fear, which will otherwise ruin you.
When you first enter you will be faced with an ethereal, void and beam golem. The void golem should be your highest priority. This monster removes all status effects from character next to it. Kill it quickly before it drains you, if you are drained of magical resistance then you will be vulnerable to the beam golem. Ethereal golems are almost immune to melee, plus its sitting on top of a wall, so Fireblast is effective for killing it. The beam golems are pretty easily killed, use radiant shield to protect from negative status effects, then take it out with fireblast or melee. The next fight group will reveal itself when you approach the building in the middle of town. Its more of the same, kill the beam golem quickly then slug it out with the melee units. Tip: Slow spells are effective against golems of all kinds, especiall y melee. Use it to give yourself a big advantage.
Inside the building is your first puzzle. No, it isn't magnificently done, I was still getting used to beam puzzles when I made it, and quite frankly I still don't like them very much. Place a nw/se mirror at 26,31. Then move the mirror at 22,26 away from the wall so it won't get in the way. Lastly, put a ne/sw mirror at 21,30. Move the mirror at 21,30 up to 22,29. Now push the mirror at 22,26 back against the wall and watch the lasers fire across the room and blast open the door. (It can help to enter combat mode and use one PC to move the mirrors, otherwise it's a bit cramped- thanks to Dintiradan for the tip) Read all the bookshelves, and trigger the cutscene, then take the Chain mail in the chest. Now return to Keilan and talk with Tuchin at the Academy, you can also gather plot related information from people around town.
Sewers:
Tuchin will send you to the sewers, which can be found due west of the cliff road you took down to Smolt. Get in the boat and follow the river to the rat room. This should be a cakewalk, kill the rats and pick up the key from their nest. If you bought a rope as I said, then you can swing across the pit in the room. Otherwise you can find one in a secret passage to the south, (guarded by a strong trap). Or you can go back to Keilan and buy one from Wallace. Find the main control room. For now the control panels are off limits. Use the wheels to get to the previously inacessible room to the far South West(all the way back before the rat room, take a boat there), where you can find a body with a key. Get your third key by smashing the box in the slimey room. Take the new boat west to the abandoned library and pick up the manual from the desk. Now return to the control panel. Press the button to close the water control gates. Hurry, back to the library area and jump in the boat. Go over the falls to the east, and keep going east until you reach the ramps. Go through the door and pull the lever to open the gates. Now you're free to walk along the path past the flood gates and into the next dungeon.
Mountainwatch:
If you want to return to Keilan from here you will have to either complete your quest, or fight the group of guards by the cliff outside of town. First you should fight the guards at the gates to Mountainwatch. Like usual kill the void golem as quick as possible, then take the ranged golems out with fireblast. The golems in the courtyard aren't as easy. If you walk right in you will have to deal with melee golems while being shot by all the magic and beam golems. To avoid this, sneak along the walls until you reach either of the paths leading up to the overlook. Get ready with all your spells, then charge up to the overlook. Kill the magic users as quick as possible, and get everyone up to the overlook before the melee units figure out what is going on. Standard tactics apply here, make sure your radiant shields don't fade, and cast slow and fireblast. Note: Glup probably won't follow you upstairs, but he can hold his own with the melee golems. Just leave him be and heal him when necessary.
Puzzle time:
Go upstairs to find your first puzzle. I can't properly explain this puzzle, but hopefully I will soon have a frame by frame explanation on my website. If you're having problems then stop by and see if I have it ready yet. I'll give a few broad hints, 1. Don't forget your special abilities, they make this puzzle infinitely easier, 2. The second set of golems moves in a set cycle. 2-ticks just east golem, 2 ticks- both golems, 2 ticks just west, 2 ticks neither golem. Use this to time your moves.
Next puzzle: You need to push the large pink blocks into the holes to make it across. When you finally get the barrel to the spo t in the first room then you're done. You can now either go downstairs to plug in the disruption crystal, or confront Janok without it. If you can't figure this one out, come check out my site which will hopefully have a picture soon. Here is what it will look like when complete, 0's = walkways, x's = pits, *'s = pits filled in by blocks.
o x o x o x o x
o x o x o x o * o
o x o x o x o x
o * o x o * o x
o x o x o x o x
o x o * o x o x
o x o x o x o x
o * o x o * o x
Disrupting
Go down to the first floor. Notice that a barrel fell through the ceiling from the puzzle on level 3. How useful, push it to the hole in the middle of the room to open the gates. Proceed downstairs and take care of the group of golems. By now you should know the drill, this one isn't even as hard as the courtyard. Go to the room with the lasers. Turn off the power, and walk to the central pedestal. Plug in the crystal. Now return to the control panel, turn on the power, and set the power to "divert all power"(in that order). Watch the explosion and run like there's quickfire behind you (which there actually is).
Back upstairs:
Go back upstairs to talk with Janok. Sit through the loooonnnggg cutscene (sorry guys). You might want to go back outside and rest when its done, and if you haven't yet you should plug in the disruption crystal. If you go up the stairway to the final confrontation without having completed the disruptin crystal, and if you're using a party of the appropriate level, then you will most likely get taken apart. These tips assume that you HAVE plugged it in.
Final fight:
Janok has 4 pillars that help him by summoning monsters, attacking you, healing and boosting him. The first pillar you want to kill is probably the summoning pillar (SE). Use slow and radiant shield liberally. Some arcane summoning won't hurt, because your summoned monsters can take care of the monsters Janok will summon. Proceed to destroy the healing pillar (NE).
Then destroy the next two pillars in any order you wish. Now its time for Janok. Make sure your radiant shields don't fade away, and just keep healing and hacking. Slow him some more if the last one has worn off. Janok is a magic caster, but he has a powerful melee attack so watch out. When you finally kill him you're done. Grab your loot and return to Keilan and Glup's village to pick up your rewards and leave.