Cryomancer

Well, it's not listed anywhere. The few places that have alchemy recipe locations online fail to include the location for weak energy. I'll check the grove though I'm pretty sure I found ingredients there, not a recipe. But I'll check anyway.

I was thinking the Empire might want to peacefully take control of Avernum to 1) stop constant wars, having seen Avernum's power after Garzahd's failed invasion and 2) to gain control of the caves and all its rich resources and opportunities. Surely the Empire can't still be stupid enough after all these years to dismiss the Underworld as useless and too dangerous. That's just poor thinking. A lot of Avernites would be in favor of integration, since a lot of them hate the Underworld and want to be on the surface again anyway. Of course, the Imperial pretense of pardoning the Avernites and integrating their nations REALLY means the abolishment of Avernum as a nation at all. And there are plenty of opportunities in the Underworld for disposing of 'unwanteds'...like throwing them down a chasm, or dropping them in lava, or feeding them to evil monsters. The Empire would find a way even after 'integration' to continually get rid of unwanteds/misfits. Anyway, I think it would be an interesting twist. Redmark trying to take over Avernum would be really predictable.

Yeah the place I'm thinking of is definitely not reachable anymore...I tried. It's somewhere in the middle, past Dahris-Bok, I think, but well before the final waterfalls. Oh well. So, does anyone know where to get weak energy potion recipe? I'm a completist...even if I don't use it, I want to find it, but I swear I've explored everywhere already.

As far as the plot/story for A6, I'm really in favor of something new...no return of old enemies, etc. Here's my idea for A6: The Empire offers for Avernum to (re)join the Empire and they'll all be a big happy family again, and any crimes on the Avernites' parts will be pardoned (with the new Surface+Underworld Mega-Nation having complete control of the caves and all the rich resources and all the surface). A faction of Avernites+Imperials opposed to this integration forms and tries to prevent the deal through either assassinations, coups, or devious political maneuvering. If the Vahnatai get involved (and I think it's ok if they don't), they might help the dissenting faction, since they still hate the Empire and Avernum (Olgai clan) or they just don't want the Empire encroaching on their territory (which it will inevitably do if the deal goes through). Your party, at the start, can choose to help either the dissenters (stop the deal and have Avernum remain its own nation) or the Integrationists (have Avernum combine with the Empire and all Avernites pardoned). Missions on each side of the conflict could be to enlist/persuade other denizens of the caves to the player's side. These could include the Sliths(maybe even *gasp* an evil tribe), the nephils (various clans), an undecided clan of Vahnatai, and maybe a group of magical creatures like the eyebeasts/gazers (like the Empire did in E2/A2). Depending on the player's actions, the conflict could be resolved peacefully or through warfare (though both ways still involve small-group assassinations, persuasions, etc.) Of course, on either side, you'll have to resort to "underhanded" tactics, like taking out key "stubborn" enemy leaders, which would involve complicated planning and artifact-finding for dealing with defenses, traps, and special enemies, etc. It could end either with the Dissenters winning and having Avernum remain its own nation (maybe with even more Empire-given benefits, coaxed out of them by the "persuasions" of the party), or of the Dissenters being destroyed and Avernum/Empire integrating and living happily ever after as one big blob of bureaucracy. The Vahnatai (and/or other races) helping the Dissenters (or Integrationists, depending on what side you chose) could either be beaten into submission, or coerced into defecting, or withdrawing altogether.

Ok, I'm almost done with the game...only mission left is to kill Garzahd, and I have all the necessary special items and information. My party looks like this: Fighter: level 45 (demonslayer, dragonscale shield+shocking waveblade when not dealing with demons, all magic armor(plate)) Fighter: level 39 (flaming steel halberd, ice plate, mithral helm) Ranger: level 43 (Yew Bow, Magic or Flaming arrows, dual wield Alien Blade+magic broadsword, magic plate) Thief: 31 (dualwield blade of thieves+dragon tooth knife) Mage: 34 (17 int, over 200 mp via mindduels...81 natural max) Priest: 33 (90 mp, 17 int) The fighters and ranger have 200 hp...thief has 176...mage has 73...priest has 87. Mage and Priest have all spells. Mage has tons of smoky crystals and a ring of will, and among my party I have several wands of death, nullity, and charming, as well as a prismatic wand and a crystal wand, and the Regenerating Ruby. I have plenty of $$ for energy potions and such. Think my party's ready for Garzahd? Note: the only dungeons that actually gave me a hard time were the Halls of Chaos and the Giant Fort (because enemies respawned a lot) Every other dungeon wasn't too bad. Some close calls, but no deaths ever. Oh, Fort Kothtar was annoying too...but no one died. The only thing that's bugging me is I haven't found the recipe for weak energy potions. Where is it? Was it somewhere obvious and I just missed it? One other thing...anyone remember, in the Dark Waters chapter, that place where there was a special across a chasm that you couldn't get to? I was wondering if that's anything special, since now I have the Orb of Thralni (but probably couldn't get back to that spot even if I wanted to)

I'm a fan of the Exile series, was a fan of that before Avernum came out...but I love the continuing story, and seeing how the Exile games stopped at #3 and Avernum goes 2 more, I figured I should take a look at these new story parts. I've heard some people say A4 is no good, but that A5 is amazing. I played through A1 and I liked it, tried A4 and its changes from previous Avernum games kinda turned me off. It feels too much like Geneforge now (which is a great game but not my style). What do you all think? Does A4 match up with A1-3/E1-3, or is it subpar? Also, I noticed a screenshot of the A5 map, and there are whole new areas of Avernum never before seen. That's cool, but i want to know if you can still go to the original areas of Avernum/Exile, or is the story confined to the new portions?

Another question. What's the point of the hidden shrine across the lava pool just north of the Lava Dome? I put the dead bug in the offering plate, the bug that's at the special southwest of the lava dome.

Yeah, I also think the whole Dark Waters sequence helped make E2 amazing. I remember the panicky feeling I got when my party lost all their food on the waterfalls, and the weirdness of that one Resting Cell...can't remember the name of it.

I have the recipe and ingredients for graymold salve, and I made some and it's in my priest's inventory, but I still get the message that I can't do anything for the drake. edit: nevermind, I didn't have any salve. I made some and gave it to him, and it worked. Nice reward, too!

I usually have: Fighter (blades) Fighter (pole) Ranger (ambidextrous, blades, archery)-this character owns in E2 at high levels. Best fighter ever w/ light armor and high dex. Thief/Assassin (mostly for lockpicking/item lore)--low str. high dex. high poison and assassination skill make this one a killer. Mage Priest I use spells mostly in outdoor battles or single-big-fight encounters, and in long dungeons I use my fighters for all the damage, and use magic to heal/bless/haste them. Works like a charm. High level mages and priests wipe the floor with enemy armies in outdoor/special encounter battles. At one point in E2 my mages and priests were higher level than the fighters, cuz all the enemies died from my spells before my fighters could get off a hit.

I think my favorite dungeon would be the Long Tunnel from E3. Fighting the doomguard, smashing the crystal, and trying not to die in the huge troglo/giant battle...that whole sequence was great. I think my favorite questline overall would have to be rescuing Caffren-bok from Ornotha Ziggurat. Not the coolest/most difficult dungeon, but the story itself was awesome and epic. The battle at the Guardian Plains with Garzahd, the dramatic escape attempt with Garzahd flying around, laughing like a maniac, and throwing quickfire everywhere while the party's trying to jump off the roof and not die. That whole arc was pretty awesome.

I'm off and on with Erika. I'm never quite sure if she's admirable or loathsome. Not a big fan of the Vahnatai themselves...I like their culture though. So weird and alien and mysterious. I think my favorite character would have to be either Solberg or the royal high priestess in E2 (the one in the castle who willingly defected from the Empire...can't remember her name). Solberg's superpowerful and a great mindduelist, but he's friendly and down to earth. A little cowardly perhaps. I mean I'm pretty sure he could have squashed the demons around his tower in E2. And if he'd only confronted Linda in the first place, instead of running away in fear, maybe the whole demon-summoning thing wouldn't have been a problem. Garzahd's definitely my favorite enemy. Out of all the exile evil masterminds, he has the most presence in the story, and the most personality, I think. And it's cool that he has personal connections with The Five and actually has legitimate reasons for wanting them dead.

Yeah, I figured Shockwave would be most useful in single-encounter large-scale battles without any allies. Limits its usefulness, but still awesome when available. Think my party can survive Akhronath now? They're all in the 30s as far as levels go, and I've gotten both other crystal souls back with not too much difficulty.My mage has 71 normal max mp, my priest has 81. But my mage mindduels so much that at any time his mp could be from 100-200. I used my mage to retrieve demonslayer. Major blessed himself before picking it up. Picked it up, went to combat mode, summoned an ur-basilisk, then covered himself and the basilisk in an antimagic cloud. Sometimes I'd step out to hit something with an icebolt. Eventually summoned another ur-basilisk. Killed every enemy in this way, with some MP left to spare. Had my priest make curing potions and graymold salve beforehand in case my mage got diseased/poisoned, which he did, and used the potions to great effect. Yay alchemy! Speaking of alchemy, anyone know why so few potions can be made in E2? No medium/strong energy potions, or speed potions, or potions of clarity...kinda disappointing. But I use alchemy a lot so I don't have to buy potions, and so I don't waste my priest's MP with individual healing/curing. I generally only use revive all, major cleansing, and heal all when all my party members are sick/poisoned/badly injured. Random question. Any way to enter Bargha? It was one of my favorite towns in E1. And is there anything interesting in Harston? Another random question. There are a couple outdoor encounters when people/creatures are sick and ask for healing, but I can't give it, either because I don't have something or don't know something. This happened with a nephil tribe and a drake. Is there anything I can do for these people, or do I just have to be sad that I can't help?

After a while of using them both, I think that divine thud is stronger than firestorm...it consistently does more damage, and there have been a couple times it's done around 70 damage. I still don't use it a lot though...costs a lot of MP to be throwing around. So, what's the verdict on Shockwave? I haven't gotten the spell yet (it's one of a couple spells I don't have yet). When I've had shockwave scrolls in the past, I used them to start a combat, and then do major blessing/summonings etc. It worked nicely on mid/upper-mid level enemies, but is it worth casting on high level crowds (mutant giants/evil high priests/wizards/bladesmen/empire archers etc)?

Thanks, good to know. At least with Micah's Gloves the damage has been upped some. Am I right that (at least in E2) divine thud is just a magic version of firestorm? They seem to do the same damage. Flamestrike is where the money is. Most of the priest's XP comes from that spell.

Thanks! That's too bad about Khoth...he's my favorite dragon. I fell in love with Exile before Avernum came out, and when Avernum came out it just didn't sit right with me...I played through (and enjoyed) A1 (after which I can't go back to the original Exile 1) but I still love the magic/spell system in exile more than Avernum. Yay area of effect and wall/field spells! Something about having a battlefield cluttered with fire, lightning, ice, bladewalls and antimagic clouds just makes it more satisfying for me. But thanks for the answers. I'll go with intelligence for now. The extra MP from mindduels is good for my mage, and 80 mp is good enough (for now) for my priest. 2nd level of Kothtar now...much more interesting than most other dungeons so far (except Sixus' tower and halls). Kinda getting tired of the corridors. While fighting some champions, I keep hearing the "monster breaking a barrier" noise and getting messages "mung demon" undamaged. I hate mung demons.

I've been a member for a while, took a hiatus of a few years...finally bought E2, love it, and have some questions. 1. Does Khoth play a role in E2? Is it possible to see him? 2. What's the use for random ingredients found outside like crypt shroom and aescal shrooms (I think) 3. How does mindduel work exactly? I minddueled a mage and killed him. I assume the dumbfound/death only happens after the spell points are all gone? And if I mindduel while I have my max MP, will my max rise? 4. My characters are level 35 (fighter) 27 (fighter) 35 (ranger) 24 (thief) 26 (mage) 25 (priest). My mage and priest have 12 and 11 intelligence, respectively. Mage has 71 mp, priest has 80. I'm about to go tackle fort Kothtar, and then attempt to rescue Caffren from Ornotha Ziggurat (I already got Jekknol from Pyrog's Cave, and I found it really easy). So, when leveling up, do you think I should focus on getting my spellcasters more intelligence, or more mp? 5. Also, is there a reason my priest does more damage with his spells than my mage does? My mage has more intelligence, but my priest's flamestrike spell always does WAY more damage than my mage's fireball or firestorm. My mage has Micah's Gloves, too. Say my mage casts firestorm...it might do in the 30s or 40s of damage. Priest casts Flamestrike, it can do 60-upper 70s damage.

I thought I heard somewhere that Dragons were one of the first races on Ermarian, along with the Vahnatai, but I also have heard that the Vahnatai created all races...but that just doesn't seem possible, I mean a dragon could take out quite a few vahnatai before it went down, so why would the vahnatai create something that's more powerful than they are?

Vahnatai would win. No ifs, ands, or buts. They are the superior fighters and mages and priests in the world. Second in line I think would be the sliths, then the nephilim. To be honest, humans stink. Vahnatai have the supreme intelligence and spellcasting ability, sliths have the brute force and biggest weapons, and nephilim are the fastest and most skilled with ranged weapons. They could take down a company of humans before the humans knew they were there. In response to dragons winning, that would be possible, if there were more. There's only 5 to begin with, 6 if you count Pythras, and be Exile 3 we only have 3. Also it took Athron MANY years before she is as powerful as she is...by the time all of her brood would be full grown dragons, the other races would probably be extinct (because they killed each other) and of course, who would be surprised to find that some of her brood are killed before reaching maturity? (i.e.- Exile 1, Athron's Lair-slaughtered all her precious drake babies) In response to Straw Man's post about vampires and liches: vampirism is spread through biting, but liches were once powerful human necromancers who, at a certain level of power, underwent a complicated and vile ritual to turn tem into undead so they can live forever, having an eternity to hone their magical skills.