Exile1: I am so lost! This world is huge!

[Rosa Aquafire]

Hello, everyone! I first started playing the Exile trilogy when I was still back in middle school, ages ago. It was my introduction to the role-playing genre and it's my first love. At the time, I could only afford those original shareware versions, and have been forever haunted at what was on the other side of the Shareware chasm.

 

Well, recently, a friend bought the triology for me as a birthday gift! With excitement, I've installed the game and started on Exile 1, with the intention to finally beat it.

 

And found that ... WOW, this place is just GIGANTIC, and it's so hard to keep track of the Shareware chasm free world, and even HARDER to figure out where I'm supposed to go and what I'm supposed to do! I was hoping I could get some help so I could find some direction for myself here!

 

1. There IS a way to beat the game, isn't there? I've always assumed that Erika ropes us into killing Hawthorne for her based on the plots of the later games and I'm going to be pretty sad if that's not the goal I'm working towards here!

 

2. What should I be sure to finish in the "shareware version area" before going on to the rest of the game?

 

3. Uhh ... actually, those are the only major things I wanted to ask about! I'm so excited to be finally playing these games!!

[Randomizer]

There are 3 main quests in Exile 1. Find a route to the surface, kill Grah-Hoth, and do Erika's quest to assassinate Hawthorne. They each have many smaller quests that need to be done as steps along the way.

 

You need to do the Mayor of Formello's quest to retrieve her necklace to be able to get into the Castle from the Shareware part. Anything else is for fun usually.

 

It helps to have done the Giant Intelligent Friendly Talking Spider (GIFTS) quest and cleared the Mertis Spiral in order to have found 2 of the 5 brooches. Edit - Forgot that Motrax's Cave has a brooch.

 

Take your time and explore. There is plenty to see and do so enjoy.

[ex post slarto]

Also in the shareware area:

 

Motrax has a piece of information you need to hear, and once you hear it, you need to put it to use.

 

The Tower of Magi hides a major boss fight that you will need to complete. You will likely want to do this much, much later, but I believe all the necessary steps are in the shareware area.

[The Mystic]

Quote:

Originally written by Rosa Aquafire:
WOW, this place is just GIGANTIC, and it's so hard to keep track of the Shareware chasm free world, and even HARDER to figure out where I'm supposed to go and what I'm supposed to do!

Been there, done that. It took me about a year to figure out what I was doing. And as for finding your way around, here's a map (or, more accurately, a series of maps).

Randomizer already listed the game-winning quests, so I won't repeat the list. After training up a bit, I recommend you go after Grah-Hoth first, since it's probably the easiest of the three, and fairly straightforward.

[Tonweya]

Aside from the Main Plot(s), doing all the side quests you come upon will garner you experience and, often, special items such as better weapons, armor, potions, etc. This includes searching for secret passages and checking, (look), all the things you find. We all miss things the first time we play a game. Often a game will require that you find a special item before you can accomplish a task.

The games are for enjoyment, so the more you do, the more you enjoy.

Lastly, if you haven't heard it enough times already, save often; keep notes, etc., especially before you enter a new area, or encounter. It's very frustrating to have come a long way, be killed, and have to start over from several earlier stages.

P.S. This is a large game, but they get bigger.

[Syaoran2001]

I don't know if others will agree with me but I suggest using the editor to get all maps. This saves you the hassle of finding sapphires to cast Magic Map, which also uses up SP and doesn't last. Also, I find the games much easier and actually more enjoyable when I can see where I'm going. For example, I can see if there's a town coming up, or if there's a special I should investigate.

[macdude22]

Quote:

Originally written by Ahbleza:
Aside from the Main Plot(s), doing all the side quests you come upon will garner you experience and, often, special items such as better weapons, armor, potions, etc. This includes searching for secret passages and checking, (look), all the things you find. We all miss things the first time we play a game. Often a game will require that you find a special item before you can accomplish a task.
The games are for enjoyment, so the more you do, the more you enjoy.
Lastly, if you haven't heard it enough times already, save often; keep notes, etc., especially before you enter a new area, or encounter. It's very frustrating to have come a long way, be killed, and have to start over from several earlier stages.
P.S. This is a large game, but they get bigger.

Definatly keep notes, I keep a yeller ledger pad on my desk for this purpose. There is so much going on it's easy to forget quests, items, locations, etc...

[Xaiya]

The get map cheat also shows secret passeges, very cheap. And it is more fun to explore and gather map info on the way.

 

Actually, I found the Hawthorne battle to be easier than Grah-Hoth.

[Verelor]

Consult a walkthrough; there's almost no good replacement for it, and nothing exceeds the sheer amount of access to information that it provides you with. Here:

 

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/game/575517.html

[The Mystic]

Another good source of info would be the hint book, if you have it; that's what I used.

[Erika Maroonmark]

The Avernum Annotated Maps are always worth a try, too–in certain areas, there's almost nothing different between the two games.