_,-._
~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~='     '=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~
|     F O R G O T T E N   R E A L M S     |
~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~
| |  \  |  \ \  \ `. _.-' /  | |  \  |
_| \_.-' ;      `-.__.-'   ; |   \ |   \ '. '._`__.-'   ; |   \ |
_.-' _.-'     |  `,   '._`__.-'   ; |   \ |   `-.__.-'
,-' _.-'         '___>      `       /__|    `|
`-'                                         '
===============================================================================
-                                                                             -
=                      Forgotten Realms: DEMON STONE                        =
-                        a complete FAQ/Walkthrough                           -
=                           by ::~ Syonyx ~::                               =
-                                                                             -
===============================================================================
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~                                             ~+~+~+~+~+~+~
TABLE OF CONTENTS                                                 GAME INFO
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~                                             ~+~+~+~+~+~+~
1.0) Introduction                                            Title: Demon Stone
2.0) Controls & Gameplay                             Platform: Sony Playstation
3.0) Characters                                         Also on: Microsoft Xbox
3.1) Rannek, the fighter                                   Genre: Action
3.2) Zhai, the rogue                               ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
3.3) Illius, the sorcerer                                # of Players: 1
4.0) WALKTHROUGH                                          Developer: Stormfront
4.1) War in Damara                                      Publisher: Atari
4.2) Descent into Gemspark Mine           Release Date: 14-Sep-2004 (NA)
4.3) Attack at Cedarleaf
4.4) The Wizard's Tower                                   ~+~+~+~+~+~+~+
4.5) The Jungles of Chult                                   GUIDE INFO
4.6) The Yuan-Ti Temple                                   ~+~+~+~+~+~+~+
4.7) Stand at Mithral Hall
4.8) Into the Underdark                                   Author: Syonyx
4.9) The Dragon's Lair                               Version number: 1.2
4.10) The Lord of Chaos             Initial completion date: 18-Mar-2006
5.0) Abilities & Upgrades                  Current version updated: 13-Jan-2007
5.1) Character Abilities
5.2) Character Equipment
6.0) Level Unlockables
7.0) In closing
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-                                                                             -
=                            1.0) INTRODUCTION                              =
-                                                                             -
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Thank you for visiting my guide to Demon Stone.  This game is at heart a
dungeon hack-and-slasher, albeit a more creative and varied one than most.  Set
in the Forgotten Realms universe, you will encounter many races and creatures
while playing, most of which are hell-bent on destroying you and seem to come
in tremendous numbers.  Controlling one of three unlikely heroes (and switching
at will between them at almost any time), you will partake in a quest to stop
two warring evil factions from achieving world domination.  This guide will
provide a complete walkthrough to the game, including as many secret areas and
treasures as I have been able to locate.
The Forgotten Realms is a product of the Dungeons & Dragons pencil-and-paper
RPG system.  It was created in the mid-1980's in order to have a game world
with a consistent, fully envisioned geography, history and chronology,
producing a believable living world, something that the previous D&D modules
were lacking.  This world has been revealed since then through campaign sets,
novels, and video games.  In Demon Stone, your heroes will travel to various
locations on the continent of Faerun and encounter legendary characters, such
as Khelben Arunsun and Drizzt Do'Urden, well-known to virtually all fans of
Forgotten Realms material.  This source material has made for a compelling
story-driven fantasy action game, which I hope you will enjoy as much as I
have.
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-                                                                             -
=                         2.0) CONTROLS & GAMEPLAY                          =
-                                                                             -
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~~ BASIC GAMEPLAY CONTROLS: ~~
(Note: I created this guide using the Playstation 2 version of the game.
However, my friend Robert Daltry was kind enough to send me the Xbox
control scheme as well.  Thanks, Robert!)
====================================================================
| PS2 Command  | Action                               | Xbox command |
====================================================================
| Left stick   | Move character / change target when  | Left stick   |
|              |    aiming projectile                 |              |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  X           | Attack with melee weapon /           |  A           |
|              |  ranged attack (with L1 held)        |              |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  O           | Attack with fists or feet            |  B           |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  Triangle    | Super attack (needs full Hero Meter) |  Y           |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  Square      | Block/shield (hold button)           |  X           |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  R1          | Finish downed opponent               |  R trigger   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  R2          | Special ability (character-specific) | Black button |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  L1 (hold)   | Ready and aim ranged weapon/spell    |  L trigger   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  L2          | Team Attack (consumes Hero Meter)    | White button |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  R3 (click   | Team Super Attack (requires 3 full   |  R stick     |
| right stick) |  Hero Meters)                        | (click)      |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| D-pad up     | Select Rannek, the fighter           | D-pad up     |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| D-pad left   | Select Illius, the sorcerer          | D-pad left   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| D-pad right  | Select Zhai, the rogue               | D-pad right  |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Start        | Pause game and open pause menu       | Start        |
====================================================================
~~ COMBAT COMBOS: ~~
The following are potentially available to all playable characters.  Some are
accessible from the start of the game, others must be learned.
X: Weapon strike
X, X: 2-hit weapon strike
X, X, X: 3-hit combo, can hit multiple targets
O: Weaponless strike (fists or feet)
O, O: 2-hit combo, pushes back opponent
X, O, X: Trip combo, knocks enemy to ground (must be learned)
X, O, O: Bull rush combo, pushes back opponent farther (must be learned)
X, O, R1: Critical hit combo (must be learned)
Square, X: Riposte, counter-strike after blocking attack (must be learned)
(Rising) X: Attack from downed position (must be learned)
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
| PLAYING THE GAME |
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
'Demon Stone' is a third-person action game.  You move your currently-
controlled character around the screen with the L stick and use attacks and
combos to hit the monsters that swarm around you.  Most areas that you pass
through have a set number of enemies to defeat, while a few will release a
limitless stream of opponents as you try to accomplish a certain task.  As you
fight, there are 2 meters to watch:
Health Meter: Colored arc around the rim of the HUD (heads-up-display, in
the lower left corner of the screen).  The red one represents
Rannek's health, the yellow one Zhai's, and the blue one
Illius's.  These meters are drained as the heroes take damage,
and are filled by finding pickups.  If any character's health
meter reaches zero, the game is over.
Hero Meter: The center of the HUD, where the current character's head is
displayed, gradually fills with white as certain actions are
performed.  When full, the circle at the end of the health meter
will also shine.  A full hero meter is required to perform super
attacks, and all 3 hero meters must be full to perform a team
super attack.  Each character fills their hero meter quickest in
different ways:
Rannek - continuously attack with melee combos, without
taking many hits yourself.
Zhai - make stealth kills and critical attack combos.
Illius - launch magic spells.
And of course, you can switch to controlling any of the three characters at
almost any time, using the D-pad.  Occasionally, however, there are sections in
which only one or two characters are available to you, as the story events
demand.
The game is divided into ten missions, each representing a story chapter.  At
the end of each chapter, the team receives experience points and gold based on
the number of enemies killed, pickups found and other events.  Each party
member will receive the same amount of points and gold.  These can then be
spent to upgrade your skills and equipment (see section 4, below).  You will
need to improve your abilities throughout the game if you are to survive the
challenges to come.  You are also given the option to save before starting the
next chapter.
~~ PICKUPS ~~
Some enemies drop pickups when defeated, and more pickups can be found in the
environment through a variety of means.  You will come across the following
throughout the game, simply walk over them to gain the effect:
-Health Potions: Blue/purple round flasks, restores some health for the
character who picks it up.
-Health Scrolls: Rolls of parchment, the spells inscribed thereon restore
health for the entire party.
-Potions of Heroism: Vials of red liquid, these will fill the hero meter
of the character who collects them.
-Arrow Heads: Add to the collector's ammunition supply (Zhai or Rannek).
-Gold pieces: Add to the reward in gold that each character receives at
the end of each mission.  Come in single coins or groups.
-Experience Tomes: These educational books add to the experience gained by
all party members at the end of each mission.
~~ DIFFICULTY LEVELS ~~
On starting a new game, you must select from Easy, Normal or Hard difficulty
levels.  The differences between them are quite notable.  If this is your first
time playing, I strongly suggest not choosing Hard mode (but neither should you
make it too easy for yourself if you're an experienced gamer).  As the
difficulty level increases, enemies will require more hits to kill, cause you
more damage, and drop pickups less frequently.
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-                                                                             -
=                             3.0) CHARACTERS                              =
-                                                                             -
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~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-
|  RANNEK, the fighter |
-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~
A human warrior, despairing over the destruction of his home town by a troll
invasion.  A skilled swordsman, he will not hesitate to fight on behalf of the
defenseless.  Voiced by Dan Riordan.
Melee weapon: Sword
Ranged weapon: Throwing axes (max capacity: 15)
Special ability (R2): Ground smash - destroys nearby obstacles and
can knock back some enemies.
Unique skills:
-Sword power-up: Hold X to charge, then release for a powerful
slash (must be learned).
~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-
|  ZHAI, the rogue |
-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~
Half-wood elf, half-drow, all outcast.  Not feeling at home anywhere, she roams
about trying to find a place for herself.  Her unique parentage has provided
her with unique stealth abilities.  Voiced by Vanessa Marshall.
Melee weapon: Twin daggers
Ranged weapon: Throwing knives (max capacity: 25)
Special ability (R2): Jump - lets you reach greater heights.
Unique skills:
-Stealth: Stand in shadows to briefly turn invisible.  Effect
ends when you attack or take a hit.
-Stealth kill: When invisible, approach an enemy from behind and
press X to execute an instant kill.
-Jump attack: Press X while coming down from a jump to slash at
an enemy below.
~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~
|  ILLIUS, the sorcerer |
-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-~+~-
Born to a long line of knights, he was disowned due to his predilection for the
arcane rather than martial arts.  He sets out to learn from greater wizards and
hone his craft.  Voiced by Chris Nissley.
Melee weapon: Staff
Ranged weapon: Spells (unlimited use)
Special ability (R2): Beads of Force - explosive beads, press R2
again once placed to trigger.
Unique skills:
-Charged ranged attack: Hold L1 and X until charged, then release
for a much more powerful attack.
-Sleep spell: Hold L1 and press and hold O to temporarily
immobilize a group of enemies.
-Shield spell: Hold L1 and press and hold Triangle to create a
temporary defensive shield around entire party.
NON-PARTY CHARACTERS:
~~ Ygorl ~~
Lord of the Slaad, a vicious race from the chaotic planes.  He is a master of
destructive magic and seeks to become ruler of the Realms by force.  He has a
special affinity with red dragons.  Has been locked in battle with Cireka and
her forces for ages.  The 'Y' in his name is silent.  Voiced by Michael Clarke
Duncan.
~~ Cireka ~~
General of the Githyanki, a powerful militaristic race set to oppose any
competing force for domination of the Realms.  Wields the legendary Githyanki
Silver Sword of Gith.  Mortal enemy of Ygorl, whose brute strength is countered
by her speed and agility.  Voiced by BJ Ward.
~~ Khelben "Blackstaff "Arunsun ~~
A mighty wizard and guardian of law and order across the Realms.  When he first
recognized the danger that Ygorl and Cireka posed, and fearing that either one
should become victorious in their clash and then turn to conquering the Realms,
he locked them away in a Demon Stone, where their mutual hatred would keep them
trapped forever.  Voiced by Patrick Stewart.
~~ Drizzt Do'Urden ~~
A legendary Drow dissident and warrior for the side of good on the surface
world.  His skill with his twin scimitars, Twinkle and Icingdeath, is
unmatched.  A noble and fearsome fighter.  Voiced by Robin A. Dowes.
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-                                                                             -
=                             4.0) WALKTHROUGH                              =
-                                                                             -
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This walkthrough was written while playing the game on Normal difficulty.  When
playing on Hard, the same strategies generally apply, though you need to play a
little more defensively, and it will require more work to build up your hero
meters to use super attacks, since Potions of Heroism are not dropped nearly as
often.  Whatever difficulty level you're playing on, be sure to set the sound
to Dolby Pro-Logic II for the best effect, assuming whatever system you're
using for sound can support it!
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4.1)                  Chapter One: War in Damara
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This is the obligatory training level, where you receive an introduction to
the characters and practice the basic hacking and slashing that will carry you
through most of the game.  Please note that many of the initial skills cannot
be used in this level, including the super attack, R2 special abilities, or
team attack (which makes sense as you only have one fighter at a time).
Basically, you can move, block, use the most basic combos (X,X,X, and O,O), and
use your ranged attacks, but that is all.
~~ Rannek's Introduction ~~
After the gorgeous opening video, away you go in control of Rannek, the
fighter.  Throughout this level, you will find masses of Orcs split into two
camps fighting each other.  You always have the option of hanging back and
letting them kill each other off, then just stepping in to finish off the
survivors, but that can be time-consuming, and you're unlikely to get killed in
this stage.  So feel free to walk up to the edge of a skirmish and start
hacking away at Orcs on the edges.  If you find yourself surrounded, block for
a moment, then run out of the pack and re-approach from a distance.  In the
first area, several waves of Orcs will enter the fray.  Keep slashing until
they're all dead, at which point a brief cut-scene of Rannek opening the cage
to release the Wood Elves lets you know that you've done your job.
Move along the road to the right to reach the next skirmish.  You can smash a
few barrels along the way, but they don't contain any pickups.  After the
second group of enemies, the dragon flying about will flame the path ahead of
you.  Keep moving ahead to reach another group fighting around a catapult, and
a cut-scene of a distant Orc catapult firing your way will play.  Run in and
slash at the point where the catapult on your side is pegged to the ground to
release it and destroy the troops across the way, then continue slashing at all
of the Orcs around you.
Continue to the right to reach a fence.  Some more Wood Elves in a cage will
shout for you to help them...  then they get fried by the dragon.  Whoops!  Oh
well, continue breaking the fence barring the path anyway and keep fighting
those Orcs down the road.  Eventually you reach a large wooden cart barring the
road.  Note the lone figure in the cage ahead of you.  Keep attacking and
waiting for the last groups of Orcs to rush into the fray.  Once they're all
dead...
~~ Zhai's Introduction ~~
You can use the many shadows (dark areas on the ground with purple embers in
them) to turn invisible, then move behind any Orc and press X to execute a
stealth kill.  Look, there's one just ahead in the rock archway!  Zhai says
that she could do that all day, and you can indeed for most of her little solo
adventure here.  When a group of Orcs presents itself, find a patch of shadows,
use it, run up and kill one, then go back to the shadows and repeat.  You can,
of course, also take the Orcs head-on, but you're not quite as strong a fighter
as Rannek.  Still, you're not likely to get killed unless you're careless.
Note that Zhai's defending move is to dodge attacks, rather than just block
them.  Neat, huh?
At the first group of Orcs, hang back a bit until a rain of fireballs kills
most of them, then advance once it stops.  You have to go up through the break
in the short rock wall.  Take a right when the dragon knocks the wall down in
front of you.  Fight some more Orcs (there's a patch of shadow on the bottom
that you can spot after the camera angle changes), then go up through the hole
made by the dragon's fire blasts.  Here there are some brown Orcs that you need
to fight head-on.  Slash the post of the catapult beyond them to stop the
troops in the distance from shooting hails of fiery arrows at you, then do the
same again a short distance ahead to the right.  For the next larger group of
Orcs, there are several patches of shadow for you to use for the sneaky
approach.  Watch out for the green Orc archers, try to take them out early so
that they don't turn you into a pincushion.  This is more of an issue in the
next group of enemies, as two archers are holding their ground at the far end
of the field.  Sneak up to them invisibly and take one out instantly, then
slash the other one to bits.
Move ahead just a little further and...
~~ Illius' Introduction ~~
With Illius, a healthy dose of ranged magic attacks is the way to go.  Of
course, he is also a skilled melee fighter, so don't feel restrained.  For the
first group of archers, except for the left-most one they will all ignore you
no matter what you do to them.  Kill the first, with spell or staff, then take
your time on the rest.  Practice cycling through targets with L1 held, shoot a
couple of them with simple and charged shots (just to compare for the sake of
your in-game education), and knock a couple off of the cliff with the O,O
combo.  Move on to the next batch of warring Orcs.  You can easily dispatch
them from a distance while they fight each other.  Advance, and a last single
green Orc will emerge from the mine entrance on your right.  Try a staff combo
on him, then continue up the ledge.
After you see a little cut-scene where Rannek and Zhai ask for you help, since
they're pinned down by archers, move ahead a little further and strike the
siege crossbow with your staff to fire it at the archers.  Continue up the
road, shoot the Orc who runs ahead of you in the back, then run up to the large
battle ahead to join up with Rannek and Zhai.  Kill the last of the Orcs to
complete the level.
~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~
Notes on leveling up
~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~
After each chapter, you have the opportunity to spend your party's experience
points on new skills, and gold on better equipment.  Since each party member
receives the same amount, you never have to worry about upgrading one character
while leaving another behind.  Now, when it comes to choosing the order of
upgrades, I can't tell you what to do, since it comes down to how you want to
play the game.  I can, however, make some helpful suggestions, and I will try
to provide good reasons for my choices, which tend to be based on the strengths
of each character and how I expect them to act throughout the game.
LEVEL UPGRADES:
Rannek is the fighter, and thus he will be the one in the middle of combat
most of the time.  Because of this, he needs good endurance, and good
attacking power.  I recommend starting by improving his Toughness, then
his Sword Focus and then add all of the attack combos as you can afford
them, starting with Bull Rush, so that you can knock enemies off of cliffs
as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
Illius, conversely, will be more often attacking from a distance, using
his magic.  Upgrade his ranged attack whenever possible (starting with
Flame Arrow).  Sleep and Protection from Evil are also useful, as he will
use these frequently when you are not controlling him, supporting the
other characters in combat quite a bit.  You can give him the varied
attack combos later.  They're not a priority, since they'll never do all
that much damage.
Zhai's a little more difficult to pin down, though she has a little less
to choose from at level 2, making the decision a little easier.  I
recommend starting with Toughness again, basically to improve your
survival potential (this is a good thing with any character).  Don't
choose the Acrobatic Attack yet, since you won't be able to jump until the
end of the next chapter.  It then comes down to the three attack combos.
Bull Rush is always useful for knocking back enemies, but Zhai's Improved
Critical is also impressive and acrobatic, and fills her hero meter more
quickly.  You may prefer to upgrade all character's combos in the same
order, so that you won't have to keep track of who can perform which as
you're switching between characters in the heat of battle.
ITEM UPGRADES:
Initially, you can't really afford to upgrade to more that the first level
in any category, unless you want to spend all of your money on one item.
So for Rannek, start with the melee combat essentials: Armor Enchantment
+1, Half Plate Armor, and Sword +1.  Later on, try to go for the Amulets
of Health to further extend your endurance.  I wouldn't bother adding
elemental effects to Rannek's sword unless you have money to burn, since
he does plenty of damage without them.  Also, throwing axe enhancements
are next to useless, since you'll be using Illius whenever ranged attacks
are a necessity.
Illius will need improved defense, and enhanced magic ability, so focus on
the first upgrades in the armor category, and the Pearls of Power under
accessories.  And though you can't really afford them now, make the
Amulets of Health a priority in another chapter or two.
Zhai can benefit from an early upgrade in her invisibility, so consider
purchasing Slick under the armor category.  She'll need this skill in some
upcoming sections.  Once more, basic armor upgrades are in order.  For
Zhai, the status-effect weapon enhancements can be useful and suit her
character.  A sneaky slash that leaves the enemy bleeding is right up her
alley.
Whatever upgrades you choose, remember that you will likely be able to acquire
most, if not all of them by the end of the game.  Nevertheless, you always want
to make sure that you'll be able to survive the next chapter, so give it some
thought.  Also remember that item upgrades are never really permanent, as you
can always move back down to a lower level of enhancement and get the price
difference back to spend on something else.
Now back to the game...
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4.2)           Chapter Two: Descent into Gemspark Mine
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As the level loads, you get a lovely little HUD (heads-up display) explanation.
Thank you, game designers.  When you start the level, press the D-pad left,
then right, then up to cycle through the characters before you go on your merry
way across the rock bridge.  This is a good place to practice any combos you
purchased before the start of the chapter.  They're not at all difficult to
execute, but at least you'll know what they look like.
~~ Into the Mines ~~
At the end of the bridge, smash the fence by attacking it with any character,
and the fun will begin.  Start by killing the annoying archer in the left
corner.  You have to smash the ore crates in front of him to reach him.  After
that, go wild.  Heed the game's advice to block, it'll spare you a lot of
unnecessary pain.  There are also two places to quickly kill enemies without a
lot of slashing: the fire forge in the back, and the cliff to the right of the
forge, behind the large pillar.  Force enemies into either for an instant kill.
The Bull Rush combo (X,O,O) is useful for this, but it can also take some
practice to line up your attack properly to push the enemy where you want it to
go.  You can also send enemies into these locations with regular slashing
combos (X,X,X), available to all of your characters.  Once you kill the Orcs
that come out of the cracks in the walls, another group smashes through the
wall in the far left corner.  Watch for Potions of Heroism that are dropped and
switch to characters who have not already filled their Hero Meters to pick them
up.  And be sure to smash all of the barrels in this area, many of them hold
Gold Coins!
Once all enemies are dead, go through the smashed wall and down the corridor.
As soon you turn the corner, an Orc archer will start firing, so use a ranged
attack to take him out right away as the other characters handle the couple of
melee fighters.  Smash through the barrels and ore buckets for more Gold, then
watch as Crystal Spiders rain around you.  They don't pose much threat; use
weapon attacks to clear out large swaths of them at once.
Cross the bridge, and switch to Illius to deal with the Orc archers in the
distance.  To complicate matters, however, several Crystal Spiders also climb
over the edge of the bridge to attack you, and you can't fire ranged attacks
while you're being hit.  Move Illius to the very end of the bridge so that your
other fighters will deal with most of the spiders.  You may need to strike some
with your staff at times, but go back to killing the distant archers as soon as
possible.  After you've killed eight or so of them, you are prompted to bring
down the drawbridge.  Use a charged spell to break the chains (you may need to
do them one at a time, but if you have the Flame Arrow skill you can hit both
at once).  Continue across the bridge, fight a few more Orcs (I suggest going
back to melee attacks rather than ranged ones for this group, as you need to
fight through several axe-wielding Orcs to reach the archers), then smash the
fence to the room beyond.
In here, you must fight Orcs on the ground as well as archers that stand on the
fallen pillar towards the back of the room.  You can sometimes hit them with
melee attacks if you stand very close to them, bringing them down to your level
to finish them off.  Alternately, ranged attacks are the way to go, if you can
get off a shot before you are hit by either an arrow or an axe.  There are many
objects to smash in this room, yielding Gold, Potions of Heroism, and a Health
Potion.  Be sure to pick them up quickly once they appear, or they may vanish.
Because of all of the hero potions, go crazy with your super attacks and team
super attacks, which are also highly effective at striking those annoying
archers on the fallen pillar.  There's no point in saving up super attacks for
later; any time is a good time when there are several enemies around.
A cut-scene runs, and then Zhai is briefly on her own.
~~ Zhai's Solo Adventure ~~
Wait for the Orcs to turn away, then walk behind them and press X for a stealth
kill, then run to the next shadowed area, rinse and repeat.  After three such
kills, smash the barrels and crates for some Gold Coins.  Ahead, some Crystal
Spiders run into a hole in the wall as you approach, never to re-emerge.  As
far as I can tell, this is just for atmosphere.  I've tried throwing daggers at
them before they start scampering away to no avail.
Once you reach the room where Rannek and Illius are imprisoned, you must be
even stealthier than before, lest a horde of Orcs come to attack you.  Wait in
the shadows for the far patrolling Orc to walk up to his companion, then as
soon as he turns away, run up behind the still one and kill him, then
immediately dash back to the shadows.  Head back out to assassinate the second
guard once invisible again.
~~ Team Reunited ~~
With companions freed, several waves of Orcs emerge from various parts of the
room.  Any of the cracked dark openings in the walls are fair game, as is the
edge of the cliff at one end of the room.  For Orcs there, it's quite easy to
knock them back off of the edge with any kind of attack.  For the rest, it's
the tried and true methods of constant slashing, super attacks, and team super
attacks.  Don't be stingy with these, as there are many Potions of Heroism to
be found by smashing the crates and barrels around the room (there are also
many Gold Coins to be had in this way).  Once one character grabs a potion,
switch to another and pick up another one to quickly return to a point where
you can execute another team super attack.  Finish off the Orc minions, and
their noble leader appears, trampling down the hall.
==================
| Boss: ORC KING |
===========================================================================
| This is one tricky dude.  When he first appears, have Rannek execute a    |
| combo on him, then back off as he charges up and lets loose with some     |
| magic attacks.  He fires a ranged shot at your current character, briefly |
| paralyzing them, so switch to someone else and stay out of the way as the |
| King releases a ring of fire around himself.  After that, you can move in |
| and try to hit him some more until he jumps to the top of the stairs.  At |
| this point, you can't hurt him (note that his life meter vanishes), so    |
| focus on the Orc minions he summoned instead.  They're nothing special,   |
| fight them as you normally would, and use any super attacks you have      |
| stored up (they're virtually useless against the King, so make use of     |
| them while you can).  Once they're down, the Orc king launches distance   |
| attacks from the top of the stairs, so have Illius hit him with charged   |
| shots.  You can continue to do this once he comes down and engages the    |
| party again, at least until you get paralyzed.  Keep repeating this,      |
| through several rounds of Orc minions, who turn out to be useful for      |
| dropping pickups.  Be sure not to miss these, especially any Health       |
| Scrolls.  Avoid the King when he glows blue, as he's invulnerable then.   |
| When he's on the ground and not launching spells, have Rannek combo him.  |
| When the head-on approach becomes more hazardous, switch to Illius and    |
| throw charged spells at him, which are surprisingly damaging.  Just wear  |
| down his health to zero and he'll fall in no special manner.              |
===========================================================================
~~ After the Fight ~~
The team automatically collects some treasures from the fallen Orc King: the
Gauntlets of Ogre Power for Rannek, a Ring of Jumping for Zhai, and Beads of
Force for Illius.  They can now all use their special abilities with R2 (on
PS2) or the Black button (on Xbox)!  They must each do so to get through three
walls that only they can see (switch to a different character, and you only see
a stone wall).  Have Illius approach the first, press R2 to lay down a bead,
then press R2 again to blow it up.  Now it's Zhai's turn.  Jump to the first
ledge on the left, then across to the one on the right, then back left to the
top and press X near the lever to activate it.  And finally, Rannek gets to
flex his muscles.  Hold R2 until he smashes the ground.  Before you advance,
however, return to the Orc King's throne room, where you were just fighting a
minute ago...
!!SECRET!!
Use Rannek's Gauntlets of Ogre Power to smash the Ork King's throne in one
corner of the room.  Switch to Zhai and have her jump up the stone ledges
behind where the throne was to reach a treasure chest.  Smash it open to
receive some bonus Gold Coins!
Back in the mysterious tunnel, use Rannek's special ability again to smash the
rocks blocking the path, and walk forward to trigger a cut-scene.  Oh no, what
have you done!?!
You now battle hordes of Slaadi minions, who just keep on coming.  It's fairly
easy to knock them off of the cliffs all around, since it's a small area.  It's
even easier to keep slamming them with team super attacks.  Doing so yields
many pickups, including Potions of Heroism.  Switch between characters to pick
one up, then switch again and get another, until the Hero Meters are all full
again, and you can unleash another team super attack.  If there are less than 3
Potions, be sure to have Rannek grab one, because his meter is the hardest to
fill (until you've had more practice, anyway).  Illius fills his the most
quickly by using charged magic shots, so back him up to a safe spot and let
them fly until a Slaad minion reaches you.  Make use of the Health Potions that
also appear, and keep up the fight until Cireka is regenerated, triggering a
cut-scene and the end of the chapter. Thank goodness.
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4.3)              Chapter Three: Attack at Cedarleaf
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At the outset, you need to stop Cireka from fully opening her portal.  The
quickest way to do this is to have Illius launch charged magic shots at her
until her 'stamina' bar in the top right corner of the screen reaches zero.  If
you start right away, you can accomplish this very quickly, in four or five
shots (assuming you've upgraded your magic, anyway).  This is assuming that the
Githyanki Warriors stay off your back for a moment.  If they don't, take a
moment to block and attack your attacker a little, then move to a new position
and keep firing on Cireka.  Afterwards, Ygorl appears with his Slaadi minions
to add to the chaos.
~~ Restore the Bridge ~~
You control Zhai and only Zhai here.  From the shadows where you start, go up-
right along a path.  Stay along the top edge and use your new R2 jump ability
to reach the first ledge, where a Githyanki awaits.  Kill him, then jump up to
the next landing where a pair of Green Slaadi appear.  Push them off of the
edge or otherwise take them down.
!!SECRET!!
Well, not a well-hidden secret for sure, but it's still potentially
missable.  From the ledge with the two Green Slaadi, jump left and up
further (rather than just running right to the bridge control), and up
once more to find a treasure chest.  Smash it to receive lots of Gold!
Head up to the bridge control room and Zhai will automatically activate the
device, so that all hell can then break loose.
~~ Rescue the Wood Elves of Cedarleaf ~~
Ygorl and Cireka are devastating the village as they battle each other.  So
inconsiderate.  It's your job to clear a path for the defenseless denizens of
the village to reach their portal to safety.  Basically, this task involves
slaughtering a whole bunch of Slaadi and Githyanki warriors.  Start in front of
the tree portal, killing all comers, then go right and have either Rannek or
Illius destroy the log with their R2 ability.  Ahead, a lot more fighting
awaits.  Keep in mind that the red-garbed humanoids are the Elf defenders of
the village, so don't try to attack them (not that you can hit them, there's no
ally damage in this game).  Do hit everything else that moves, however.  You
have to fight for a good while in this area until no more enemies appear, and
the fire that was blocking the log on the left side dies down.  Smash it (with
Ogre Power or Beads of Force) to reach the next area of the village, freeing a
few more Elves along the way.
Repeat this pattern a couple more times, with only a few enemies to defeat in
each section, until a cut-scene of the two big bads fighting plays.  Then, it's
more fighting yet again.  Once the enemies are done, smash the planks on both
side of the house in the top corner with Rannek or Illius (R2, remember), then
fight some more enemies behind you and smash more planks blocking the bridge
above you.  Follow the flow of villagers back towards their portal, fighting
whatever gets in your way.
Near the portal, you will fight while Ygorl and Cireka continue their epic
battle in the vicinity, which makes for a dramatic setting.  Unfortunately, at
times the camera angle will be very wide to take in their battle as well as
yours, and at these times it's difficult to make out what you're doing.  Just
keep slashing aimlessly or continuously hold block at these times, and try to
move right or left to get the camera to move to a new position.  The fight in
this area lasts a long time.  Use team super attacks judiciously, and keep an
eye on your fighter's health.  When it gets low, try to grab one of the many
Health Potions that will appear as you conquer enemies (they occur more
frequently when using super attacks).  Eventually, a cut-scene will take over
and the chapter will end as the big bad guys escape to other regions.
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4.4)               Chapter Four: The Wizard's Tower
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As the level begins, your trio is attempting to make their way down the tower
to reach Khelben's portal.  Running around the first section, Bugbears attack.
Use Rannek to knock back their ladders before too many climb up.  Use R2
between the pair of ladders to knock them both down at once.  Keep moving ahead
and doing the same for the entire length of this corridor, then kill any
remaining Bugbears.  At the end of the hall, enter the door on the right.
~~ Balconies ~~
Along the balconies, another series of Bugbears enter the fray via ladders
leading up to the windows between the suits of armor.  Run ahead and knock back
all of these ladders.  The R2 move is not necessary (nor does it hurt to use
it), you can simply strike the ladders with your weapon.  Note that the statues
and the magical books at the ends will only strike the Bugbears, not your
party.  Once the ladders are all down, finish off the Bugbears.
!! SECRET !!
Well, not much of a secret since it doesn't earn you anything, it's just
a fun little tidbit.  At the desks along the walls piled with arcane
objects, have Rannek smash the ground in front of them.  This will knock
many objects off the tops of the desks.  Yup, that's it.
On the other side of this floor, a number of Red Slaadi will appear in waves in
front of the large fireplace.  There are several ways to dispose of them
quickly: knock them into the fire, knock them off of the balcony directly
opposite the fire (the banister will break here), or force them to the right
side where a steady stream of magic books will pelt them from the shelves.
Once all of the Slaadi have been destroyed, the magical barrier blocking the
door on the left side will dissipate, so go on through there.
~~ Magical Traps ~~
Next, there is a trap-laden hallway to deal with.  Only Zhai can get by, by
leaping over the magical blue flames.  After the second jump, you get to fight
a Green Slaadi.  Just knock him into the flames to make your life easier.
Another appears two jumps later.  And finally, at the end, there's a Red Slaadi
for you to take on.  Since there's only one, you could easily knock him off
with combos, but if you want to be quicker about it, step into the alcove on
the right with a shadow in it, then use a stealth kill to eliminate your
opponent.  Actually, if you want to have a little fun, try engaging the enemy,
then run and hide in the shadows; he might go running into the flames looking
for a new target and kill himself.  Stupid Slaad.  Smash the chest for some
Gold Coins, then strike the glowing symbol on the wall with your weapon a
couple of times to deactivate the trap.  Wait for the boys to catch up with you
and head through the door on the right.
~~ Pool of Death ~~
On this level, you can't help but notice the large pool that takes up a good
chunk of the room.  Every time that an enemy falls in, a pair of symbols light
up over the pool.  When the entire archway is lit, then a blast hits all
enemies and the symbols are reset.  Continue to knock enemies into the pool
until three complete cycles are achieved, at which point the enemies will cease
appearing and the door on the left will be unsealed.  You may at times have
trouble getting enemies to the pool, at times the AI controlling your other
party members leads enemies off to the far left corner.  Switch players when
this happens and move around to a new spot.  Archers that appear on the sides
of the pool are easy targets, just run up to the wall and hit them straight
into the water.
~~ Another Trapped Hallway ~~
This passage is more difficult than the last, due to a couple of double rows of
magic fire and seemingly tougher enemies.  Be very, very careful not to touch
the flames, no matter what else happens, because they damage you quite a bit.
Use the shadowy alcoves on the right along the way to avoid initial detection
by the Slaadi.  At the end, immediately run into the shadowy alcove on the
right, then run out and stealth kill one Red Slaad before turning on the other
one.  Smash the chest for more Gold and attack the symbol on the wall again.
A short but foreboding cut-scene plays here.
~~ Ground Floor ~~
On this floor, Bugbears will climb up to where you are, and Bugbear axethrowers
will come through the windows to the far balcony.  Have Illius throw charged
spells at the latter, while your other fighters take care of the enemies on
your side.  There aren't many enemies to contend with in this section (at least
not compared to the hordes you face elsewhere).  You'll know that you killed
the last one when you hear the creak of the next door opening.
!!SECRET!!
Beside the exit door on the far side of the balcony, in the top corner
you may notice a big crack in the wall.  Use Ogre Power or Beads of Force
to blow this wall open, revealing Khelben's treasury.  As Illius comments,
he would want you to have what's in there, so go and help yourself.  Lots
of Gold and an Experience Tome await you.
Make sure that you also smash the chest to the left of the exit door before you
leave to receive a Health Scroll.
Through the door, a heck of a lot more Bugbears attack.  There are more suits
of armor to help out here, but they don't do much.  You can actually lead the
Bugbears back to the previous room, where you have more space to maneuver.  Try
doing this with Illius so that he can get some shots off.  Use any super
attacks that you have (don't bother saving them up for a team super at this
point), and go and help any character whose health is getting low and is under
siege by multiple enemies.
!!SECRET!!
At the end of the hallway with the suits of armor on both sides, go right
up the stairs and follow the landing behind the armor back to a chest with
some Gold Coins.
Go through the door on the left side at the end of the long hallway.  More
Bugbears await in the next room.  There are two pairs of ladders coming up to
the windows, one on each side, so destroy them post haste in order not to
prolong the battle.  Lure enemies to the middle of the room where the magic
swords will fly off the wall to attack them.  Thank you Khelben.
In the last room in this area, there are thankfully no Bugbears.  Just be sure
to smash open all three chests on the upper level where you begin before going
down the stairs.
~~ Shield Guardian Assault ~~
Fun!  Illius magically controls this giant warrior.  The best approach is
basically to just keep plowing along, swinging that axe constantly.  As you
move along the bridge, make sure to go to the sides and knock down the ladders
to stem the flow of Bugbears, and remember that there are ladders on both sides
of the bridge!  Any stragglers who get by your guardian can generally be left
for Rannek and Zhai to deal with.  Keep an eye on Illius' health, however, and
if it's getting dangerously low then you may want to turn around once in a
while and strike at any Bugbears that got behind you.  But again, for the most
part just keep moving forward, going side to side to destroy the ladders, until
you reach the end of the bridge.  At that point, along comes the dragon and...
so much for the shield guardian.  Now it's boss fight time!