A4 - The Best Weapons

[1337 h4x0r]

Obviously there is no single 'best' weapon, but I'd like an idea of which weapons (swords and spears) are favoured by skilled adventurers, and where I might be able to obtain these artifacts. Any thoughts on your preffered armor, jewellery, etc. is also welcome.

[Grain of Salt]

I understand that the Oozing blade is among the best weapons. I myself sold it because I judge how good a weapon is on price, and it doesn't sell for all that much .

[1337 h4x0r]

I also asked for the locations of the weapons, it would make it a lot more convenient for me when it comes to tracking them down, as the NPCs in the game are no help at all.

[Grain of Salt]

Look at the Item List.

 

EDIT: The location appears to not be on there. South Honeycomb, then. The ooze cave.

[1337 h4x0r]

Thanks, I never thought of checking the Item List. Heh. Guess I should try thinking harder...but it hurts sometimes.

[The Lurker]

Let's see...

 

Armor : Emerald Chestguard - Nociduas's Lair (Slith Lands near Cotra).

 

Pole Weapon : Jade Halberd - Darkside fortress under Fort Saffron.

 

Melee Weapon : Radiant Soulblade - Darkside fortress in Erika's Ruins. You need to beat Dorikas before you can get it, though. The blade is in a box behind the portal.

EDIT : Schrodinger's FAQ says that the Radiant Shortblade does more damage. I prefer the Radiant Soulblade, though, due to its bonus to parry. To get it, complete Crewl's quest to kill Annatolia (in Bargha). To get the quest, you must first speak with Annatolia, and tell Crewl she wants to kill him.

 

Bow : Heartstriker Bow - Dark Lands, guarded by a bunch of pylons that will come to life when you get too close to it (the bow itself is in a pile of dirt, your party needs to have 25 nature lore to uncover it; keep in mind you don't have to concentrate this skill on one person).

[1337 h4x0r]

I notice you mentioned the Darkside fortress twice. If you don't mind me asking, what is it?

[Lilith]

The items mentioned in his post are actually in two separate Loyalist bases. The one under Fort Saffron is, well, under Fort Saffron.

 

As for the other one, there's a large green rune next to a wall in the ruins of Erika's Tower. Step on it to reveal the entrance to the Loyalists' base.

[The Lurker]

Quote:

Originally written by Thuryl:
As for the other one, there's a large green rune next to a wall in the ruins of Erika's Tower. Step on it to reveal the entrance to the Loyalists' base.

Yep. And by the way, you have to be on the west side of the river to find the real entrance to this Darkside fortress.

[1337 h4x0r]

It may be the lack of boats or Thralni's Orb, but I'm having a very diffucult time navigating through Avernum this time around...Could be the Geneforge-type engine as well I suppose, but whatever it is, it's making it very difficult for me to reach some places, like Erika's tower. Or whatever's left of it now.

[The Lurker]

Quote:

Originally written by 1337 h4x0r:
It may be the lack of boats or Thralni's Orb, but I'm having a very diffucult time navigating through Avernum this time around...Could be the Geneforge-type engine as well I suppose, but whatever it is, it's making it very difficult for me to reach some places, like Erika's tower. Or whatever's left of it now.

You can't get to Erika's Tower until very late in the game. You first need to get to the Abyss, then to Bargha, then to the Giant Lands, then to the tunnels in said Giant Lands, then to the Remote Lands, then to the Dark Lands, and from here you need to go west, then south to the west side of the Remote Lands until you reach Erika's Tower. Phew. And I hope boats will be back in Avernum 5.

[Lilith]

You can only get to Erika's tower at the very, very end of the game. In the caves in the far northwest of Avernum, you meet a Vahnatai who offers to lead you to Rentar's lair. Instead of taking up his offer, head south and eventually you'll get to Erika's tower.

 

EDIT: Um, yeah. What he said.

[1337 h4x0r]

Thanks, you guys have been almost as helpful as Thralni's Orb. =D

[Randomizer]

If you want a decent weapon from early in the game, the ghostly blade from the Mertis Spiral when you slay the keeper at the bottom. Decent damage and the jinx to curse monsters, although less than the oozing blade in the Honeycomb, and it has defensive bonuses.

 

Demonslayer in the Scree Caves is the next step up in power from the ghostly blade.

[Ephesos]

Frozen Blade, Jade Halberd, Radiant Soulblade, and Emerald Chestguard. I'm also a fan of the Shockwave Bow, usually best kept in the hands of my secondary archer.

[1337 h4x0r]

Could anyone tell me where to find the following items, and please try to be descriptive. Shockwave Bow, Demonslayer and Frozen Blade. Thanks. ^.^

 

EDIT: Wrote 'Freezing' instead of 'Frozen'. Whoops?

[The Lurker]

Quote:

Originally written by 1337 h4x0r:
Could anyone tell me where to find the following items, and please try to be descriptive. Shockwave Bow, Demonslayer and Frozen Blade. Thanks. ^.^

EDIT: Wrote 'Freezing' instead of 'Frozen'. Whoops?

Last time I fully played A4 I used a slith halberdier, so I forgot about the Frozen Blade. I never used the Shockwave Bow either. However, I can tell you how to get Demonslayer : go to Patrick's Tower and speak with Solberg, who will tell you about Lord Bhoralon. East of Patrick's Tower, guarded by some lizards, is a stairway. Go down, then go northwest. Find the red demon (Lord Bhoralon). Kill him. Go back to Solberg, tell him that you killed the demon, then ask him about where Demonslayer is. Go to Fort Emerald. From here, go north, then west, then north as soon as possible, and hug the wall, going north until you find a secret passage. Enter, go down, deactivate the golem-spawning machine to the southwest (if you can), and use all of the panels in both control rooms (northwest, southeast). The entrance to the Demonslayer Hall is southeast, and is protected by blue traps, get rid of them and follow the path. Kill the demon and the golem (make sure that, each turn, you attack the one that isn't protected by the magical barrier). Use Smite on the demon, and Acid Spray, Lightning Spray, and physical attacks on the golem. Once the golem falls, get Demonslayer.

EDIT : You can also use physical attacks on the demon. Once one of two guardians falls, the remaining guardian will no longer be protected by the magical barrier.

[1337 h4x0r]

Thanks muchly, getting Demonslayer was a lot easier than I thought. =D

[Ephesos]

I'm not completely sure about this, but I think the Shockwave Bow was a reward for one of the Fort Saffron quests.

 

EDIT: Okay, I thought it was either that or the Bow of Decay. It appears that I guessed wrong.

 

As for the Frozen Blade, I can't remember.

[The Lurker]

Quote:

Originally written by Ephesos:
I'm not completely sure about this, but I think the Shockwave Bow was a reward for one of the Fort Saffron quests.

The Bow of Decay is a reward for one of the Fort Saffron quests. I can't remember getting the Shockwave Bow on completion of a Fort Saffron quest, but I could be wrong.

[Schrodinger]

The Shockwave Bow is found when you're storming Rentar's keep west of Fort Remote.

[1337 h4x0r]

Do you think you could be a bit more specific? I've already attacked the fort quite some time ago, and don't recall finding a Shockwave Bow.

[AdamWe]

I believe it was in one of the item spots you find on the ground that you have to have nature lore to get into, I think you had to have quite a bit of nature lore to get into it, but it was outside of the keep, before the bridge and closer to the top side of the map I think. I might be wrong about that, but I'm pretty positive it was in one of those nature lore spots in that specific area.

[Darkdread]

Speaking of weapons, have a look at this:

 

1) Quicksilver Bulwark

(Protection 12% Value: 5,000 )

Armor: +12%

+1 to Action points

+1 to anatomy

+2 to Lethal blow

 

-------------------------

 

2) Assasin's Shield

(Protection 12% Value: 1,000 )

Armor 12%

+2 to Quick Action

+1 to Anatomy

+2 to Lethal blow

 

-------------------------------

 

Is The first one really *that* better? (in terms of value of course)..

I was just wondering..

[Randomizer]

Since the quicksilver buckler doesn't decrease strength it's better for getting extra actions. Combine with Mercuric armor and you get 2 actions a round and 3 when hasted. It's great for spell casters.

[Ephesos]

Yeah, as far as item values have gone for the Avernum series, getting extra AP is one of the most expensive abilities. Thus, it makes sense that a +1 AP item with no drawback would be way more expensive than something that just offered some cheap Quick Action points.

 

That said, if the Assassin's Shield gave Quick Strike points, the value would be greater, but still not as high as the Bulwark's guaranteed extra AP.

[Wanderer]

When I played through a second time in torment, I found the shockwave bow by far the most useful weapon since it disabled the villans by stunning them, making it impossible for them to hit back while the rest of the party hacked away. And you don't need much archery skill to use it.

 

If spiderweb is going to rebalance the game in the future, I would recommend making the shockwave bow a little less effective.

[Archmagus Micael]

Quote:

Originally written by Wanderer:
When I played through a second time in torment, I found the shockwave bow by far the most useful weapon since it disabled the villans by stunning them, making it impossible for them to hit back while the rest of the party hacked away. And you don't need much archery skill to use it.

If spiderweb is going to rebalance the game in the future, I would recommend making the shockwave bow a little less effective.

Yes, but the bow itself did minimal damage, and late-game the enemies never get stunned, so it doesn't matter.

- Archmagus Micael

[Mage Master]

If you want a decent weapon from early in the game, the ghostly blade from the Mertis Spiral when you slay the keeper at the bottom. Decent damage and the jinx to curse monsters, although less than the oozing blade in the Honeycomb, and it has defensive bonuses.

 

Demonslayer in the Scree Caves is the next step up in power from the ghostly blade.

 

WHERE in the Scree Caves is Demonslayer located

 

COMMENT: The one let-down of the Annotated Maps is the have items in the walkthrough map BUT do not show where they are.

[Randomizer]

You need to go see Solberg in Patrick's Tower to open the cave with Demonslayer. It will be west of Fort Emerald.

 

Then fight the guardians: golem and demons to get it.