RAVENSWORD: SHADOWLANDS (RAVENSWORD 2) TIPS AND WALKTHROUGH Jim Gagne, 1/24/2013 I don't even know why I'm such a fan of Ravensword: Shadowlands, or why I've played through it three times. There is no characterization, not even at the comic book level. (The only exception is the Archmage, and mostly what he does is whine.) It's a standard "save the world by finding the magic sword to kill the Foozle" RPG. There isn't really a plot, just one bunch of monsters to kill after another. But I love it. The graphics are a little primitive but beautiful. The music is effective and at times compelling. I found the various areas and their inhabitants challenging and delightful. You're free to go almost anywhere in the game, including spots where the monsters will kill a low-level PC in one blow. Ravensword has a lot of weird conventions and interface elements. If you're the sort who thinks help getting with the interface is cheating, read no further. Next, I'll present some general tips with some minor spoilers, and finally the walkthrough. ===================== *** THE INTERFACE *** ===================== The introduction movie provides some pointers on playing the game, but I missed a few the first time around. Here they are: A. You move with your left index finger or thumb on the mid lower left-hand side of the keyboard. Your PC won't turn but moves forward, diagonally, sideways, or back while facing the same direction. BUT double-tapping the center of the screen sends the PC into a fixed forward run (i.e., moving forward at the same speed as usual), stopping only when you do something else (e.g., use a weapon or run into something) or if you double-tap the center screen again. This double-tap thing works over a fairly wide area of the middle of the screen, and I kept sending my PC into a run when I didn't want to. This especially occurred while I was trying to fire my bow. B. Sliding your finger over the upper right half of the screen or almost anywhere in the middle of the screen rotates both the direction of the view and the way the PC is facing. For some reason, this area overlaps with the Power Strike button, and I kept getting a false forward strike with my sword while trying to move. Mostly rotating the screen while your PC is walking works well, like moving around with the mouse and arrow keys on a PC RPG. C. It wasn't until the second go-round that I realized tapping the compass indicator at the top center of the screen gives you a local minimap. This is invaluable for finding where things are in Aven, particularly North Aven, where otherwise it's impossible to find anything without a LOT of wandering around. Even with the minimap, North Aven is incredibly confusing--no doors are marked; there are lots of dead ends; and half the houses are eye candy blanks without any content. The minimap will also show where some of the hidden corners and caves are. These often contain treasure. (Many cubby holes with treasure do NOT show on the minimap). D. I played my first game in easy mode and then forgot where the difficulty setting is located: in the Options screen right off the main game menu. It's a slider. My first playthrough was at "0" (totally easy) and the last at "55" (a little higher than halfway). I have more to say about the difficulty setting below. E. The button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen does two things. A quick press toggles you in and out of first-person perspective. Holding the button down puts you into and out of being Hidden, which only works if you're not right near another character. You'll flip out of Hidden frequently, especially at first. Move speed is about half normal. The game won't let you Hide in many special situations. So long as you stay Hidden, you can change your weapon, draw your sword, or do just about anything without being detected. If you kill a monster with one hit, you stay hidden, but if not, you're detected. F. The last time around I bought a horse when it became available and I could spare the 2500 gold. HUGE fun. The horse can move anywhere you can, and you can fight from the horse. How to get off? Hold down the Hide button, since there's no way to Hide when you're on a horse. Later in the game you get to fly on a pterodactyl! G. One of the most frustrating problems with the interface was opening a locked door when I had the necessary key. Sometimes the door just opens when you approach it. Sometimes the hand icon shows up, indicating you can click on it. But often there's no indication at all. I thought I was locked out, but all you have to do is click on the door to open it. H. You can buy a small house in South Aven or a large one in North Aven. The cost is prohibitive, and the only reason I can think of for doing so is to have a place to stash your stuff. And there's an unbelievably expensive furniture store in North Aven, again for no earthly reason or purpose I can determine. It's near the equally inane fancy hat store. ==================== *** GENERAL TIPS *** ==================== A. SAVE FREQUENTLY!! It's easy to get killed, and the game lets you save at any time. So far as I can tell, the game keeps EVERY save, so you can move back incrementally. B. The game requires that you keep a supply of food in your inventory. You'll automatically eat it over the course of your adventures, generally pretty slowly. If you run out of food, you can't fight or use skills, meaning you're dead. You'll kill a lot of food early in the game. HANG ONTO IT. You'll have to buy food later in the game. C. The game says you can be a magic-based character, but there really isn't any magic in the game. You have some runes that will do things like freeze a monster temporarily. The fire rune is wimpy. D. Sneak attacks are by far the most powerful way to kill things. Yes, you move really slowly while Hidden, but you start with a 100% attack bonus that your can increase to 200%. One-hit kills then become almost too easy, especially with a ranged weapon. E. A few monsters continually respawn around you: the rats on the Terraces, the deer and boars in the Eastern Forest, and the orcs near the entrance to the pass. Otherwise, monsters are gone after you kill them but respawn if you leave an area completely and return, or if you Fast Travel into the area (even if you're already there!). F. Strength is the most important Attribute early in the game. It helps you kill things, and it's essential for carrying around your loot. Boost Endurance as needed to keep up your hit points and Vigor for your Energy. G. At a low difficulty level, I didn't find potions all that useful. Usually, if l was being mauled, a potion didn't help, and otherwise I didn't need it. But at normal difficulty, potions often came in handy, especially with mobs or bosses. =================== *** WALKTHROUGH *** =================== 1. While you're in Guild Hall at the very beginning, pick up every spare goblet and pitcher you can find. Get the dagger on the first table. No one will mind, and they are worth a few gold. (The game warns you if you're about to steal something, and the object highlights red. Nearby characters will object unless you're Hidden. You can only sell stolen goods at the gipsy trailer just outside the west gate.) Go outside into South Aven and use your sword to break every barrel you can find all over town. Each one contains a few gold. Level up, putting points into Strength. 2. Go to the blacksmith and sell your dagger and goblets. Agree to the quest. Buy a shield and cloth helmet. EQUIP all your new stuff. 3. In one video review on YouTube, the guy starts the game, runs out the west gate, attacks a grizzly bear, and is killed in one hit. You need to be AT LEAST level 6 to take on a grizzly. But DO go out the west gate only so far as the painted wagon, speak to the guy, and buy some lock picks. (You can talk to the girl Leah. If you accept her quest, you don't need to spend any gold until later. Nice bauble VERY late in the game.) 4. Go out the SOUTH gate to the Terraces. Stay on the top level and kill rats. They'll keep spawning. SAVE THE MEAT. If you're at any difficulty level higher than easy, at first the rats will occasionally kill you. Save often. Kill about 15-20 rats, higher on more difficult settings. This is a good place to practice Hiding. Keep leveling up, and get your sword and defense skills up to at least 30. You should be able to kill a rat with one hit. 5. Go back to the Guild Hall and get your first main quest: speak with the wizard outside the east gate. 6. You'll see Rebecca standing in the street, who asks you to watch her child. Agree. Save the game. Go into her house. The outcome is the same if you confront the situation or flee: once outside, speak with Rebecca, and she'll give you a nice ring. 7. Go out the east gate. Kill deer and boars. Sneak. Get your next quest from the guy next to the tent. He'll buy all your boar hides. (Actually, every merchant in the game will buy anything, no limit, so long at it's not stolen.) Kill 15-20 boars. Go to the wizard's house and get your next task. 8. Head east to the goblin ruins. Go slow the first two times you're here or you'll get swarmed. Kill goblins. Raid the two chests to solve the blacksmith's quest and find a nice helmet. Fast travel back to South Aven. Sell all your loot to the blacksmith, and wind up his quest. 9. I'd recommend going back and forth to the goblin ruins a few times. Each goblin you kill is worth about 100 gold, and there are 8-12 of them right there. If you keep upgrading your strength, you'll be able to do several rounds before returning to South Aven to sell your loot. You can Fast Travel to the goblin ruins even when you're already there, and it resets with all new goblins. So it's easy to get enough gold to vastly upgrade your sword and armor. The guy in the painted wagon sells the best ranged weapon in the game: a 4000 gold crossbow. It's worth every penny. Don't buy another bow. 10. When you're ready, head through the troll cave and get the holy water. Use the minimap to find the two chests in the cave, one of which requires a lock pick. Fast travel to the wizard, resolve his conundrum, and advance the main quest. Then go to North Aven and see the Archmage, but don't start his quest yet. Wander around North Aven. I particularly recommend the Fine Steel store, which sells the best weapons and armor, and the Jeweled Finger store, which offers terrific stats-enhancing rings. (You'll find a great sword in a cave soon. All you need now is a good sword.) Go to the House Carrowen and House Pellemon and get your first quests from each. What? Eight grizzly skins? 11. Time to go out the west gate to Avenshire Hills and kill some grizzly bears. AVOID going north in this area; the orcs will slaughter you. Using Hide and a crossbow makes it almost too easy. If you keep getting killed, go back to goblin ruins or troll caves and level up. Bring the hides to House Pellemon and sell the rest. 12. This is the grind part. How long it takes depends upon how high your difficulty setting is. You want to keep killing grizzlies and keep leveling up until you can enter the cave at the top of the hill on the west and kill the Elder Bear. He's tough: you can't hide in the cave, and you have to use your sword. Until you're ready, he'll kill you with one hit. The nearby chest has great stuff. 13. Now go south in this area and kill Giant Yetis. I found a terrific sword in a nearby chest. Go in the cave and loot the skeleton. SAVE HIS JOURNAL!! You'll need it later. There's other great loot on the skeleton. 14. Go back to the Terraces and go down the stairs into the valley. For now ignore the castle on the left for now and instead head to the cabin near the center. Get the quest, enter the castle through the cellar, and save the princess from the bad men. Return to the cabin and then keep going towards the ocean. Once on the beach, kill a couple of giant crabs and go to the right of the ship, swimming along its side until you can jump up onto the deck. What you want is in a chest. Fast travel to North Avon and House Pellemon. Their third quest is a simple "kill the guy in a nearby house." 15. The House Carrowen quests are easy. The first is find a book in the library and read it. The second was impossible to figure out until I stood on a black square not far from the archery target near the fountain. (You have to equip a bow.) The contest is then automatic. Return for your reward. You already found Sir Robert's journal in #13 above. Also, go the the Guild House in South Aven for the Trouble in Aven quest. -------------------- * First Ravenstone * -------------------- 16. Now exit out the north gate in North Aven to North Meadows. Head for the farmhouse. Buy a horse and get the quest from the owner inside. A bug in the game means you can speak with him again and complete the quest without doing anything. You get a nice sword, but you should already have a better one. The dino cows are easy to kill and a great source of meat. 17. In this large grassy and snowy area, the only chest I found was in a watch tower in the northeast guarded by a few orcs. The rest is eye candy. 18. Go through the cave in the north center of this area and head north to White Iron Peaks. If you like, you can enter the pass ahead on your left and kill some orcs, but in fact the pass doesn't go anywhere. The road north goes on forever, so this is a nice place to try out your horse. 19. You'll wind up at the Mining Camp. Sell your loot and get the quest to rescue the miner. Straightforward, with a nice gem at the end. The Snow Yeti is in a cave on the other side of the road, east of the camp bulidings. 20. Head north, burn down the ice barrier, and start killing Ice Giants, starting with the cave just northwest of the ice barrier. I didn't find any other chests in this area. Kill your way to the Ice Giant Lair. 21. Make your way through the hallways to the dining room, loot the chest, and grab the key from the table. Open the door to the next section of the lair and fight your way to the end. Grab the key, click on the door, and go kill Gulch. He's a wuss. Loot the chest and retrace your steps. Talk with the Archmage. Ð-------------------- * Second Ravenstone * --------------------- 22. The hardest area to find is the Crags. Pass through the Terraces, up the hill behind the cabin, into Tanglewood Marsh. The monsters are a bit more challenging here, but you can avoid many of them. There's a nice chest ahead on the left (east), but mostly you want to go to the right (west). Hug the boundary of this area as you head west and then south. Pass two large stone faces. Kill swamp goblins, who are tougher than their woodland cousins. The path to the Crags is hard to spot but well marked on the minimap. There's a chest tucked in along the way. 23. The Crags is my favorite area. Gorgeous. There are no enemies unless you land on the sand below. Talk to Cribbon, get the quest, and fly to the nests to get five eggs. It takes some searching. In the southwest corner there's a cave at ground level with a chest, well marked on the minimap. I didn't find any other chests. Get the Rune of Winds from Cribbon and retrace your steps to Tanglewood Marsh. Head to the Citadel of Ror-Dan. 24. Ror-Dan is the most difficult area of the game. Be sure you have enough food before entering. You can Fast Travel to and from the front door. The enemies are skeletons, who aren't that difficult if there are only one or two. One room has some spiders. Enter and travel straight ahead past the spider room until you get to the statue. Use the Rune of Winds to retrieve the crystal key. 25. Back to the spider room and open the door on your right with your new key. Fight your way onward and downstairs until you get to a room filled with green fluid. If you touch the fluid INSIDE the room, you die instantly. You'll die several times in this room, so save after each step. Use the Rune of Winds to move the stone blocks to form a pathway to the other side. The right-hand control with the rune moves things side to side; the left-hand movement control moves things from front to back. You'll need to grab the blocks from behind you and move them in front of you so you can get across the room. This is tricky, and the ease of moving your PC when you intend to move the blocks means you'll fall into the fluid several times. But once you get used to them, the Rune of Winds controls work fairly well. This section is both the most frustrating and the most elegant part of the game. Take time to enjoy it. 26. You're welcome to maneuver the blocks near enough to the statue to grab the the Rune of Force, but all you really need to do is reach the opposite side. Once you touch the stairs on the opposite end, there's a click, and the fluid drains away for good. Now you can walk through the room without risk. Then it's easy to get the Rune of Force if you haven't already done so. 27. Up the stairs, kill skeletons, and reach a door that opens only when you stand on a pressure plate. But the door closes before you can get to it. Go back to the fluid room and drag some blocks up the stairs with the Rune of Winds until you can get one block to sit on the pressure plate. If you try to move just one block up the stairs, it rolls back down, but several seem to brace each other long enough to get one to the top. Now the door stays open. 28. At first nothing happens in the final room of this section, and then skeletons appear and start to swarm you so long as you stay in this room. Run back into the hallway to keep the head count down, then back to the final room for more skeletons. After you kill about a dozen, there's another click, the skeletons stop spawning, and a statue appears with a crystal key. Grab it and return to the spider room. 29. This time head through the remaining locked door. There's a chest and more skeletons. The final door reveals an octagonal room with a central pool filled with poison. A giant snake pops out of the pool, attacks, and dives back into the pool. He'll knock you over unless you're at easy difficulty, meaning your sword strikes have no effect. Standing next to one of the snake statues prevents you from getting hit or from striking the snake, but a few inches out from the statue allows you to strike back without getting knocked over. Kill the snake. The second Ravenstone then appears on a statue. Leave Ror-Dan and return to the Archmage. Update your quest. A man appears as you leave the Archmage's tower and asks you to find his daughter Marissa, who's in the Wastelands. Agree to do so. -------------------- * Third Ravenstone * -------------------- 30. Sell your loot and be sure you have enough food. Buy the Ring of Feathers from the Jeweled Finger, and upgrade your armor to the max. If you accepted Leah's quest (#3 above), go to the Wayward Inn and pay her the 500 gold. Go through the west gate to Avenshire Hills and head north, killing the 3-4 orcs who guard the entrance to Grim Pass. Though the World Map shows two plank bridges, in fact they're destroyed, and you can't jump the gap. No need. One or two orcs aren't too challenging, but three or more can kill your PC quickly, so avoid being swarmed. When you first enter the area there's a nice chest to your right (east). Fight your way north. Watch out for the two caves along the way with orcs who can swarm you. Each cave has a chest if you can stay alive long enough to reach it. Continuing north, you'll reach a dead end, but you'll discover a crack in the rocks you can jump and wiggle through. Eventually you'll reach the path to the Wastelands. 31. Go to the guy standing at the tents ahead and to the right, killing gorgons as you go. Keep their skins and get the quest to bring him eight Gorgon skins. You can wander this area killing gorgons, but there will be plenty ahead. He'll tell you the nomadic tribes to the west know how to get into the secret tunnels under the citadel. The only way to get there is to jump over the two smoky crevasses blocking your way. Continue west until you reach the nomad tribe. Speak with Marissa, who agrees to take you to the tunnels. You'll find Leah nearby, and her boyfriend Jordan gives you a nice gem in reward. When you're ready, have Marissa take you to the tunnel entrance and open it. As it happens, the tunnel entrance is near the entrance to the Wastelands. 32. You're about to enjoy the best loot in the game, so go back to the guy near the tent and give him the eight gorgon skins for 3000 gold. Fast Travel to South Aven and sell everything you don't absolutely need. Then Fast Travel back to the Wastelands and enter the hidden tunnels. 33. There are a bunch of Dark Elves to kill and a prisoner to free. Work your way down the path, up the ladders, and to the boss. There's a chest after the first ladder with elven armor. The only thing I found useful was the shield. 34. The prince will strip you of all your possessions (no runes, jewelry, or armor). You'll fight him with just an elven dagger, so you need sufficient Strength to beat him. It may take one or two tries before you succeed. Third Ravenstone! The game then moves you to the entrance to the tunnels. 35. The best loot in the game is the ten or twelve elven bows, each worth about 650 gold. (Ignore the elves' swords, which aren't worth their weight.) I didn't have enough extra carrying capacity to get them all unless I left the bows on the first three elves I killed and then came back to retrieve them after killing the Prince. (I put my Strength enhancing gems on my sword but used my bow for most of my attacks. Strength determines how much you can carry, so my load capacity was higher when I equipped the sword.) Exit the tunnels and Fast Travel to South Aven to sell your loot. Back to the Archmage to discover the Ravensword is hidden somewhere in Aven. End Game 36. It's actually in the middle of South Aven. Great sword! Be sure you have enough food and potions. When you're ready for the final quest, return to the Archmage. Have him open the portal. Kill the evil apprentice. Pop through the portal into the Shadowlands. Head straight ahead to the narrowest part of the river of lava. A nearby chest has a Ring of Jumping, which you will absolutely need in a moment. Cross to the other side of the lava, kill some spiders, and find the stone monkey skull head nearby. Equip the RIng of Jumping and jump up a series of platforms to the top. Save along the way because you'll probably fall once or twice. STOP at the top and get ready for a fight. Equip your best combat ring. Step forward to fight a shadow troll, and then the foozle himself. Victory! 37. You pop back into the Archmage Tower. You share final thoughts with the Archmage. When you're ready, leave the tower. You'll wind up in a nice ending cut scene. The game then leaves you free to do whatever you wish. =================== *** SIDE QUESTS *** =================== * Family Conflict * See #3 above. When you're ready to pay 500 gold, meet Leah in the Wayward Inn (North Aven). Collect your reward in the Wastelands (#31). * Assist Rebecca * See #6 above. * Missing Shipment * See #2 and #9 above. * Robbery * (Lady Katrin's house in North Aven) This one drove me crazy until I realized you don't have to CHASE the robber. He'll wait forever for you to cross the rope between the two houses. First person perspective helps; if you fall to the street just go upstairs and out the window again. Go to the far edge of the roof and shoot him with your ranged weapon. He'll come at you and you'll finish it up on the street. * History * * Lost Heirloom * * Debt Owed * These are the House Pellemon quests described in #10-14 above. * Bear Hunt * * Tournament * * Sir Robert * These are the House Carrowen quests described in #14 above. * Lady Catalina * She's the lady in distress in the castle; see #14. * Trouble in Aven * Obtained from Guild Hall. Break into Silas Brown's house in South Aven and get the letter. Present it to Silas in the Strongarm Tavern, learn the whereabouts of the White Hand hideout in the abandoned house. Head there and kill eight thieves and their leader. Their crossbows are worth a tidy sum, so be sure you're not carrying anything extra so you have the capacity. Don't forget to loot the two chests. Return to Guild Hall for a pat on the back. * Snow Yeti * See #16 and #19 above. * Lost Miner * See #19 above. * Find Marissa * See #31 above. * Gorgon Hides * See #31-32 above.