Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance - Strategy Guide (Page 04)

Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance - Strategy Guide (Page 04).

Inside the Keep's Interior, you'll encounter some more lizard men and some
kobolds. You'll also encounter some umber hulks in some rooms. Make sure to
find the room filled with kobolds in the west of the keep. Keep heading north
and you'll find Sess'sth's throne room.

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| BOSS: Sess'sth the Lizard Man King |
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Watch out for that spiked club of his. It can cause massive amounts of damage.
Like all bosses, keep an eye on your health bar and retreat for healing when
things get dicy. After defeating him, return to Sleyvas.

Sleyvas
-------
He says that the road to the tower is now clear. He says there is no gate to
reach the Onyx Tower, however. He talks about a Sinking Temple beyond the
Rotting Bog. Inside that temple, he says there might be a way inside the Onyx
Tower. He mentions something about a Water Stair. It seems there's an entryway
to the Elemental Plane of Water in this Sinking Temple. Sell off your extra
stuff and upgrade your equipment as needed. Return to Sess'sth's throne room
and head down the stairs to the Rotting Bog.

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3-7. The Rotting Bog
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Poisonous zombies infest this bog. There's nothing really interesting in this
area so just keep on fighting zombies. Eventually, you'll reach an area of the
bog that is infested with bullettes, creatures that borrow in the ground. Watch
out for these, as they can cause an impressive amount of damage if engaged in
melee combat. The entrance to the Sinking Temple is guarded by a humonguous
bullette. Defeat it and enter the Temple.

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3-8. The Sinking Temple
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Inside this Temple, you'll encounter some minotaurs. Watch out for their bull
rush type attacks. It's no use using recall potions in this Temple. Sleyvas
is waiting for you inside this Temple, next to the Water Stair. Talk to him.
He casts an enchantment on you that will allow you to breathe in the Plane of
Water. This will be the last time where you can buy/sell stuff so make sure you
have enough potions and equipment for the rest of the game. When you are ready,
tell Sleyvas you're ready and head down the stairs.

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NOTE: You will find many very powerful magical items in the Onyx Tower.
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3-9. The Onyx Tower
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Onyx Tower Basement
-------------------

You'll encounter some gargoyles and some iron golems down in this basement.
Watch out for the poisonous gas the golems spit out. Make your way up to the
first level of the Onyx Tower. The stairs are in the northwest corner of the
basement.

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Onyx Tower Level 1
------------------

Monsters in this level include iron golems and minotaurs. Again, search every
corner for powerful items on this level. Make your way north and you'll find
the stairs leading to the second level of the Onyx Tower.

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Onyx Tower Level 2
------------------

Gargoyles assault you as soon as you enter this level. You'll also encounter
another variety of iron golems. These ones wield huge swords and come at you
swinging them like madmen. You'll also encounter some more minotaurs. Make your
way north again and you'll find the stairs leading to the third level of the
Onyx Tower.

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Onyx Tower Level 3
------------------

You'll encouter some more gargoyles, iron golems and a new variety of iron
golem, a much larger one that wields a massive halberd to attack you. Make your
way north, once again, and you'll find stairs that lead to the Black Forge.

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3-10. The Black Forge
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First, you'll encounter some black spiders. You will also encounter creatures
known as fire mephits. These creatures are elementals from the Plane of Fire.
Make your way north again and you'll reach a very large room. Inside is a huge
onyx golem. It is very powerful. Try not to get too close to it or it'll stomp
you for massive damage. Make sure to pick up the Onyx Sword it drops when
defeated. Continue onward to the Hall of Rememberance.

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3-11. The Hall of Rememberance
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The only creatures you'll encounter in this place are the ghosts of Eldrith's
mercenary company, the Westering Sun. You'll find stairs leading upwards but
you cannot climb them. Go to the west and meet a ghost named Keledon.

Keledon
-------
He was the first captain of the company of the Westering Sun. Soldiers of the
Westering Sun are imprisonned here, in the Hall of Rememberance. He talks about
Eldrith (see the Background Story section for info on Eldrith and how she
betrayed Baldur's Gate). Keledon also speaks about her wife, an elven maid he
left in Baldur's Gate on the last day of the campaign against the Black Horde.
You mention to Keledon that you've met his wife and that she has passed on but
still sings for his return in the Elfsong Tavern. After Keledon's story, he
says you'll find Eldrith at the top of the Onyx Tower. He says he'll open the
way to the top of the tower and that he prays you will kill her, for the second
time and hopefully, the last time. He mentions that maybe a blade constructed
in the Black Forge and made of the same material as the tower may be your
strongest weapon against her.

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NOTE: Although it may seem, according to Keledon's words, that only the Onyx
Sword can harm Eldrith, that's not true at all. While the Onyx Sword is a very
potent weapon of itself, there are more powerful weapons in the game and they
are just as effective against her.
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When you are ready, save your game and head to the top of the tower.

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| BOSS: Eldrith the Betrayer |
------------------------------

With the Dwarven Fighter, just equip your strongest weapon, armors, rings and
amulets and hack away at her, taking pauses for health regeneration.

With the Arcane Archer, I used my Hail of Arrows feat to cause massive damage
at close range. Just be careful not to stick near her too long because one or
two swipes of her sword could kill you.

With the Elven Sorceress, don't try Ball Lightning, it won't have any effect
on her at all. I didn't really bother using any of my other spells and decided
to just hack away at her using the Onyx Sword, which works really well. Just
keep an eye on your health meter at all times.

At certain parts of the fights, Eldrith will become electrified and grow in
size. When she is undergoing the transformation, your attacks will have no
effect. Take that time to rest and heal yourself, dodging the lightning bolts.
Just keep at it and eventually, she will stand down on one knee.

When you have defeated her, the Onyx Tower starts to crumble. Make your way to
the teleportation gate on top of the tower and enter it. The Onyx Tower is
destroyed. It seems that Sleyvas has an unseen master and that your quest to
destroy the Tower was all a ruse... You emerge from the teleportation gate in
an unknown place, surrounded by dark creatures... but that, is for another tale
and hopefully, another awesome game. ^_~

Congratulations! You've beaten the game!

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                                 S E C R E T S
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4-1. The Gauntlet
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After completing the game at least once, you'll unlock this special game mode.
In this mode, you control probably the most popular character ever in the
Forgotten Realms, Drizzt Do'Urden, the renegade drow ranger. He wields his
usual equipment, his twin magical scimitars, Icingdeath [+3 Frost Scimitar] and
Twinkle [+5 Defending Scimitar] along with a suit of Mithral Chainmail +4.
Basically, you go around in rooms, attacking various monsters. You have a 15
minute time limit as well.

I completed this mode after about 50 different tries, maybe more.

Helpful strategies
------------------
* Attack very quickly and use hit and run tactics.
* Use potions only when absolutely necessary (for they are in limited supply).
* Avoid getting swarmed by enemies at all costs. Use Repulsion when enemies
  try to swarm you and things get too crowded.
* I beat the mode without using the Icy Sphere spell. It can be useful in
  slowing down enemies, though.

Section 1 : Spiders
-------------------
Watch out for their poison. Try and avoid getting swarmed by them. Lure them
one by one to a safe spot somewhere. I've noticed that they sometimes have the
tendency to run circles around you. Use that to your advantage.

Section 2 : Kobolds and Kobold Shamans
--------------------------------------
Go for the Shamans first because their spells, when combined with other Shamans
can cause massive damage. Kill off the rest of the kobolds. Believe it or not,
I actually got killed here a few times. As always, be careful not to get
swarmed.

Section 3 : Umber Hulks
-----------------------
Toughest section in this mode, IMO. Just one of these creatures can kill you
with two swift strokes. Make sure not to attack all of them at once. Try luring
them one at a time in the southern hallway.

Section 4 : 3 Spiders and 2 Huge Spiders
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Watch out for the huge spiders for they can pack quite a mean attack (similar
to the Umber Hulks). Keep an eye on your health meter at all times, especially
since these creatures use poison. Again, lure them out in the previous hallway,
one by one, if possible.

Section 5 : Gnolls and Kobold Shamans
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The gnolls are wimps but still, watch out not to get swarmed. Go for the
Shamans at first, as always.

Section 6 : Gargoyles
---------------------
Probably one of the toughest sections in the mode. The gargoyles cause massive
damage so be careful to not let them swarm you, as always.

Section 7 : Spiders, Drow and Onyx Golem
----------------------------------------
Final section is fairly easy but watch out for the Onyx Golem. It can kill you
with a single stroke and end your try very quickly.

Once Gauntlet Mode is completed, the game will ask you to save your game. It
unlocks Extreme mode, which basically allows you to import any character you've
made in the new difficulty mode called Extreme. I haven't played it at all so
far though. I think that after you've completed this mode, you can import
Drizzt in normal games.

More details to come in further versions.

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5-1. Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: What are gems used for in this game?
A: Nothing, except getting a little extra gold. Gems are more useful in
   Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II, actually, but in this game, nah.

Q: How do you unlock The Gauntlet Mode?
A: Finish the game at least one in any difficulty setting.

Q: How do you unlock Extreme Mode?
A: Finish The Gauntlet.

Q: Where can I find the Onyx Sword?
A: The Onyx Sword, a pretty potent weapon (90-120 damage) can be found after
   you defeat the Onyx Golem guarding the stairs up to the Hall of Rememberance
   in the Black Forge. The golem drops the sword on the ground when it is
   defeated.

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6-1. Credits, acknowledgments and legal stuff
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ffixeiko       : Thank you for recommending this great game to me. ^_~
CJayC          : Thank you for creating my favorite website for FAQs and a
                 great message board system.
Richard Curtis : Thanks for the info on the Burst weapon attribute.

Portions of this FAQ/Walkthrough are taken from the game manual.

This FAQ/Walkthrough may be distributed, but not modified in any way without
explicit permission from the author.

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Copyright © 2002-2004 - Marc "Darth Maul" Binda.
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance © 2001 Interplay Entertainment Corp.