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Partial Walkthrough for N:R -- Romans: Annwn and Spire of Ages


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After seeing Aloreal mention there's no real Nethergate: Resurrection walkthrough...I felt inspired to try to contribute a little. Unfortunately, inspiration didn't strike until I had played through as the Celts and was most of the way through the Romans' game. So, I took notes on what was left, and here are is effort at walkthrough for the Romans from Annwn to the end of the game. I've tried to write something like this before, so it may not be too good, but perhaps it'll help.

 

If this is found worthy, maybe it could be added to the Strategy Central list?

 

After the whole Castle Aethdoc/Eye of Cathrac/hidden tunnel business, Vibius sends you to Annwn. You get there by going to the gate at the stone pillars at the east end of Shadowvale.

 

Valleys of Annwn

 

Shortly after you enter Annwn, all your food will disappear. Sylak's Nourishing Bowl is the only recurring source of food available to you (since as Romans you cannot get the Create Food spell...I don't think). As you walk, periodically, if you don't have food, your spell energy will be drained. Don't eat any spectral Annwn food you find.

 

There is a room toward the SE where you can rest.

 

On the eastern half of the map, in the middle, is a hidden area (accessible from secret walls both to the north and the south). It contains some nasty experience draining wights, a couple other monsters, and a searchable body with a little food.

 

In the NE, to progress, you must answer the statue's riddle. "Bones" works. This leads to the northern part of the map. Near the center of the northern section is a hidden room with with a few bits of food and an energy elixir. To the east is another secret room with another bit of weird meat and a healing elixir. On the western edge of the upper section, a portal will take you to the SW corner of Annwn Spirit Homes. NE of the portal (in a nook south of a group of statues) is the Bony Keymaster, a skeleton dude who drops a special item shadow key.

 

A portal near the center of the map ( west of the hidden area with the food) leads to leads to the SW corner of Annwn Battlefield.

 

In the western half of the map, toward the north, is an obelisk; just below that is an area full of spectral wolves. Inside you'll find a nifty Runed Helm and some other loot.

 

There is an area along the north edge accessible only by portal in Annwn Spirt Homes. To the west is a hidden room with some food. To the east is a grove with spirits who you can 200 gold to pass, or fight them. Behind them is a portal that leads to Halls of the Dead.

 

The is an area in the far NW corner accessible only by portal in Halls of the Dead. To the west is a drake you can choose to attack; he's got a Lifeshield miscellaneous other loot.

 

There is an area in the SE corner reached only by portal on Annwn Battlefield. To the south is a drake with a blessed pike and other loot.

 

Annwn Spirit Homes

 

One hut in the SW quadrant (where you start) has a shade you can talk to, but she hates Romans and will attack if you select the right options; otherwise she's useless. She drops some shadow leather.

 

In the SE quadrant, a side passage leads to a group of spectral wolves, warrior's plaid pants, drakeskin boots, and a steel battle axe. The most SE house has the shade of a Roman. He has some info, but nothing you can't find on your own. In NE part of the SE quadrant, a portal leads back to Valleys of Annwn.

 

In NW quadrant, there is a shade named Kevin to talk to; again he has nothing important to say. In the SW corner of the NW quadrant, a portal leads to Annwn Battlefield. The NE hut in the NW quadrant is blocked by a barrier; the chest has a few coins, a couple potions and a couple scrolls (plus the XP from disarming a trap), probably not worth burning a piercing crystal on.

 

In the NE quadrant, enemies will appear in the huts if you try to enter. The SW hut in the NE quadrant has scrolls with writings (special item for the dude that wants scrolls back in Shadow Valley Fort). When you approach the barrier on the NW corner of the NE quadrant, bunch of enemies appear. The portal takes you to a previously inaccessible portion of of Valleys of Annwn (along the north edge).

 

Annwn Battlefield

 

Stick to the walls. If you stay close to the edges of the map, you'll be relatively safe. Moving into the middle won't get you anything (no loot) and will get you surrounded by enemies.

 

From the SW where you arrive, walking along the south edge (heading east) will take you to a portal that leads back to Valleys of Annwn. Trying to go east past the portal will get you into a fight.

 

From the SW where you arrive, walk N. You find a room with ghosts whom you can attack. You'll get Cordelia's Locket. In the NW corner is a portal leading back to Valleys of Annwn. A side room along the north wall has a body with a blessed spear and a bite of food. In the NE corner is a room more ghostly foes. You'll get Ghoulbane, and other stuff, and access to a portal that leads to Annwn Spirit Homes. Continue around the perimeter, along the east wall now, to find a body in the SE corner with food.

 

Halls of the Dead

 

Watch out here; the gray trees and dark grass can let enemies blend in so that you don't notice them until they hit you.

 

In the NW corner is a portal that leads to Valleys of Annwn.

 

Just east of it is the Hall of the Hunt. Stepping the platform will summon spectral wolves. In the east wall is a secret passage; you'll need a shadow key to get through. On the west side of the Hall of the Hunt, behind some barriers, is a chest; you cannot do anything with it until you talk to Donovan in the spirit prison; then come here and destroy his skull (return to him for experience a stat boost of some kind?).

 

The secret passage leads two places: the back entrance to the main hall, and a sort of prison area in the NE corner of the map. The NE corner area is also accessible by going around and approaching from the S. The secret passage will get you into a treasure room with four chests of goodies, including a hedgehog charm, Robe of the archdruid, blessed gloves, and drakeskin boots. You'll come out into a big pit room. Proceeding around clockwise the other doorways lead to:

1. the main hall - go here and die

2. a portal - instant death.

3. the crown you seek.

4. a spectral wolf pen; there's meat in here

5. funky pedastal thingy; just for flavor.

Once you get the crown, head back to the portal in Valleys of Annwn where you entered Annwn; you'll leave and be done here.

 

The NE corner area contains some enemies; in far NE room one enemy drops Blessed Plate Mail.

 

In the south-center is the main entrance to Bel's hall. If you try to walk inside the entry room, Rhys the doorkeeper and some cronies will attack you. Killing them gets you the Jade Pike. Trying to enter the main hall cause automatic death. Just to the west, off a small, is a portal leading to a previously inaccessible spot in Valleys of Annvw.

 

South and east of the main hall is a part that warps you to the middle of Annwn Battlefield.

 

In the SE corner is an encounter with two Nether Beasts that gets you a Rod of the Huntsman.

 

In the short connector passage between the entrance to the main hall and the main SE area, there is a hidden passage in the S wall. In leads down to hidden prison area; walking around too much causes you to take damage there. The first cell (straight ahead as you come down the steps) is empty. The first cell on your left has a ghost named Donovan; he asks you to go to the Hall of the Hunt and destroy his skull. The second cell on the left has a trio of Wind Warriors; you get nothing but XP for fighting them. The cell opposite it has a Beast Pack Leader; you get here either. The last cell on the left has Dark Wyrm; but you get an invulernability elixir for your trouble. The cell opposite has a shade named Donnelly; nothing much happens from talking to him.

 

After Annwn:

Leave, go back to Shadow Valley Fort; report to Vibius. Talk to Quintus for a warrior's ring. Talk to Gnaeus to get a boost to druidism. Go rest in your room. Go talk to Vibius. Go talk to Gaius. Go to the Spire of Ages in the previous impassable woods at center of Shadowvale.

 

Spire of Ages

 

Floor 1

You are invisible to the faeries, so you can explore freely. There are other enemies, however, to worry about...

 

Your overall goal here is to get to the second floor. Do this by getting to one of the gatehouse rooms (immediately to your right and left through the windows when you first enter the Spire); turn the wheel, and the gate to one of the stairways to the second floor will open. The south gatehouse wheel is a bit easier to get to - to reach the north room, you must go through some rooms with monsters loose.

 

There's lots of stuff lying around, and you're free to explore and grab it -- walkthrough necessary. Blessed Large Shields, Blessed Shields, Blessed Leather Armor...it can be useful for equipping Carog, if you're dragging him around. In the small room just west of the each gatehouse, there is a crystal wand; you can thus get it early, before reaching the second floor. In the NW is blacksmithy area with a blessed longsword in a crate. Since you cannot leave the Spire, the only ones of these items that could really be useful are the crystal wands (and assorted potions, scrolls, and wands).

 

A room in the middle of the north side has a hostile drake in it. The room immediately east of it (not directly connected by door, however) has lost souls, and a toxic atmosphere (the chest has a Rod of the Huntsman, but nothing else special). The room east of that had more shades.

 

In the SE quadrant is a Holding Cell (a gold plate says so) with a goblin inside, Carog, who offers to join you. He isn't much use (and actually double-crosses you at the very end); all he really serves to do is make a few flavorful/comic comments.

 

Scattered around, on searchable bookshelves and cabinets, are clues, of some sort, about some password to use later on. The clues are...

"The first letter is A."

"There are two A's."

"Every letter appears at least once, and the middle letter is a vowel."

 

I think that's all the clues...

 

Second Floor

 

From the landing area: to the south and west is The Nether Gate Test (so the sign says); go there first; you must pass at least three tests in order to go to the third floor of the Spire.

 

The tests give you XP for completing them, by the way:

1. Test of battle: the first room is fighting two drakes; the second room is fighting three Testing Caryatids. These really count as two different tests.

2. Test of dexterity seems to require certain level of...dexterity. Big surprise there. Step on the carpet, and pass or fail.

3. Test of strength is again a matter of stepping on carpet, seeing if you have enough.

4. Test of mind uses (I assume) intelligence.

5. Test of luck: bring Sylak's magic dice and auto-pass this.

6. Test of pain: a bunch of monsters, lava, and magic barriers to walk through/kill.

7. Test of knowledge: look at northernmost bookshelf: answer is "raven." - this test is it's through a secret door in the west wall at the end of the corridor. Look at southernmost bookshelf: answer is "Velanna."

9. Unnamed test: North of the test of a knowledge is an unmarked room; reading the bookshelf apparently tests something else.

10. Altars: There are two altars, one accepts if you're good, one accepts you if you're evil.

11. Unnamed test: across from the good altar, in the same wall as the door that leads to the factor area, is a secret passage; with a Pen and Ink item, you can get a rune.

 

At the end of the testing area, through a set of barriers and a locked door, is the factory area; this a back door route that helps you bushwhack the faeries who are waiting for you to enter that area from the main (east) entrance.

 

However you get into the factor area, take out the faeries. In the western end of the area, on its southern edge, will be a room with a sort of practice shooting range, and just south of it a room with a desk: check it out to gain the ability to the faeries nifty wands! Proceed this area taking out faeries; note that for some reason if you walk out of this part of the floor (say back into the testing area), enemies respawn. IMPORTANT: From the back entrance (through the testing area) make sure you go north slightly, and take the door in the east wall; exploring through a couple small rooms leads to steps back to the first floor.

 

This area is only accessible from the second floor, so I mention it here. There is a locked cabinet requiring a combination. With (I suspect) enough Luck, it's left unlocked. Otherwise, see the clues above, or the spoiler below for the password:

 

 

ALEAT apparently works, since that's what it said when I (due to Luck?) found it unlocked. Destroy the wands; this will get the "good" Roman ending, the ending you're meant to get. Now just head up to the third floor.

 

 

From the landing area: to the east is the "Empty, Eerie Throne Room" (I love some of the location descriptions in this game); south of there is a garden with potions and potion-making ingredients (plus a few monsters).

 

 

From the landings where you enter the second floor, if you head north and west, you get to the factory area. You'll get to a room that leads west into the factory area, or south to the steps that lead upstairs.

 

If you pass through the south gate (after completing at least three tests) without exploring the factory area and finding the wands to destroy (there will be a popup asking if you're SURE you want to go on), you cannot go back, and you will get the bad Roman ending, where the Britons get Sylak's gift.

 

Whenever you head upstairs toward the third floor, you will end up in the Hedge Prison.

 

Hedge Prison:

Oh, sometimes the walls in this place change: openings disappear and others appear. Netherbeasts wander around in here.

 

Your lights won't work here. Head west, then south, then west; follow the pop-up messages. You'll find bonfire to light that will enable you to see (located roughly in the middle of the map along the south side).

 

Points of interest: Vlado the Nether Beastkeeper hangs out toward the SW corner; she'll with you. Near the center of the map is a spring that heals you. To the NE is where Crumb the gardner hangs out. Talk to him; he sends you to ask Vlado a question; you'll repeat this several times until you're either angry or laughing.

 

Now head to the NW corner of the map; a gap will appear allowing you to reach the palace. If you destroyed the ruby on the lowest level of the Abandoned Mine, and then touched the talking stone on first level of the mine, you will meet an extra enemy, the true master of the Hedge Maze, Dhoralon (he drops a nifty Ring of Speed and other stuff). Otherwise there's no one here. Enter the NW room with the big hole to return the Spire of Ages. Go up to the third floor.

 

Endgame:

 

There's some stuff lying around to pick up if you want, but the main thing to do here is end the game. The center of the map is a large raised platform. You can get close to the steps by staying behind all the piles of rocks and wood and such. If Carog is with you, he'll double-cross you at this point and alert the faeries to your presence. Whoopdeedo. Your goal is to reach a pedestal and grab the Eye of Cathrac; the pedestal it appears on doesn't seem to be the same every time, so you'll just have to meander around and find the Eye. You might also be able to defeat Sylak, but it didn't seem worth my time to try. Sylak stands on the east side, so if you want to fight him take the east steps, but if you want to just run to the Eye, go around the other way and take the west steps or the south steps.

 

Enjoy the ending!

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In this case, it's all stuff that appeared in Nethergate. What would really help is a small addendum to existing walkthroughs noting the differences, describing new effective party design, and giving full walkthroughs for the two new areas.

 

—Alorael, who thinks your walkthrough style is fine. He'll still turn to the inestimable Shrodinger's work in a pinch, though.

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