That was awesome atmospheric adventure at AD&D style and one of the best mod I've played. Highest rating for all source - Story/Map design/Difficulty/Puzzles etc. Almost 40 hours played. 24/24 secrets found. 10/8 chests digged (2 more than declared). 57/59 levels visited (2 miss?)
I know that declared difficulty was "Easy". But I am always play "Hard" and tried do not use health potions and crystalls and tried to find some good tactic.....BUT this "Hard" was terribly hard on many Boss fights and some Ambushes, especially
when no spells like Invisibility and Force Field
. And I hate myself for this lame action...but I am used load option to often...
Especially when I fall in the pit and broke few legs and can't move and get surround and dead in 1-2 seconds:
- Ice lizard pit (The Pale burial lvl 2)
- Snake Pit (the Atlantis lvl 3) thanks for Staff of Force Ffields
- Spiders ambush (chest) at the Highsnow
- Ogre mage with hound (fast and petrify attack)
- The Sleeper (Invisible guy who oneshoted my party in 2 sec)
- Bugged Glitched Bridge with snakes. where my FPS dropped to 0 (The Atlantis lvl 5)
ABOUT NEW SKILLS AND SPELLS:
All new spells were awesome! I have learned all schools to Avae. Blizzard spell is mach than owerpower and always freezes the enemy. That make many boss-fights much than easy. I think need to nerf chance of freeze
I chose a "Treasure hunter" from the start of the game and fill it to maximum before other skills. I regret about this choice during whole game. That greatly weakened my Askalon. Thanks for the "Tome of memories"...better late than never. This skill really doesn't cost waste of 5 points. Maybe need 3 parts with 33% each and Master Skinner at 3 points. Same with "Undead Slayer". there are much more useful skills, but I tried all new and that was a disappoint.
I didn't try Firearms. Firearms are very weak for Hard difficulty - long cooldowns and not high damage. I make Mortimer as melee rogue with 2 assassins daggers and "Reach" skill. That much more profit.
Also Maul of the Ares was a useless item with no point of use in the end of the game
SOME QUESTIONS: Did not found what to do with:
- All this wooden logs
- Magic Flute is single quest item? did not found anymore use for it.
- Poem "O sweet illusions of song". I am found that all poems can be turned for the experience at Jewelry shop (Rumble guy). But this poem is part of museum's secret and it is lead somehere or not?. I tried use Magic Flute at different places of the Rocky Coast and at different time of day and night but nothing found.
- Fortune Cookies hint " where 4 guardians there are more cookies". Digged all cemetry and around it and nothing found.
- Statue with bare hands inside a rock at the northern part of The Nethelen's
Ruins - tried all subjects (even all from the shops) but nothing fits.
- Hidden Obelisk near Treasure portal (east of it)
- Golden Gem Chalice. Found in the water deepth of The Nethelen's Ruins. It
cant be sold and noone want it. Tried place it everyhere on the altars.
- Closed gate at the western part of the Elemental Tower lvl 2
- Golden lamp at the Library
- Altar at the Atlantis lvl 4 west part on the short bridge
- Altar at the Conwill forest near Fountain
- Altar at the Cemetery Crypt lvl 4 near 8-puzzle. This way was without any secret (other 3 were with secrets)
All other altars doesn't look like important
SOME BUGS AND ISSUES:
1) Locked forever" at The Lake Underground lvl 1.
I am noticed closed pit in the first chamber and left this place for later exploring. When I proceeded to the end of the level I decided return to this closed pit. As expected I fall down. Then I found way up and find myself locked with 2 pits: (one pit with plate behind it was blocked by stable teleport). I spend 2 hours there....tried clicking everywhere and throw different objects through teleport and nothing help. Then I give up and load some old save (that cost me huge amount of time loss). I fall this pit from the start of the level and I found that the teleport not stable as in my previos game! It is shimmering! When I proceed to the end of the level and returned to this place again I found that the teleport does not exist anymore. So essence of the bug - some actions or things (maybe pulling lever or plate) near the end of the level make this teleport stable when you skip this place from the start. And this make you locked there forever. I was very angry!
2) Paladins spell "Recovery" does not heal chest injury
3) Huge amount of FPS drop when sun sets at the Rocky Coast and Central Beach. Like chain-freezes
4) The Atlantis lvl 5. Huge FPS drop on the Bridge
with snakes that make fight almost not playable even on low video options. Also turn camera at the way to the bridge make same drop FPS. This can be due to a bug with water reflection of the bridge
5)
Weight puzzle in the Cemetery Crypt lvl1 does not count weight of the items inside Box although it shows the total weight
6)
Ascalons Mithril Rapier mk2 degraded to mk1 when you give it to another party member
7) Instead "Essence of Air" appear quest item "Essence of Water" it is a bit confusing
8) Eating Fortune Cookies makes sometimes game crash
i read all of em, I-IX, and took exactly the same route as they told me to. are there more of them? how do i do this right?
).