Unresolved Questions

[Lilith]

Well, I've finally finished Nethergate as both Celts and Romans and a few things are bugging me.

 

1. Is there a way to get through the sealed door under Ruined Hall as Celts? I've found two opening stones (one in Shadow Valley Fort, one somewhere else much earlier) and I'm wondering if there's another one somewhere.

 

2. What happens (for either side) if you don't free the spirit in the Abandoned Mine? I suppose for the Celts you just don't get the HP/SP boost, but I somehow doubt that failing to free the spirit as Romans allows you to bypass the entire Hedge Prison, and I really don't feel like going through all over again just to check what does happen.

 

3. Does Sylak's Enlightening Amber actually do anything? Zeviz's walkthrough says it gives bonuses to knowledge skills, which I assume means Rune Reading and Item Lore. If that's all it does, I'd much rather have the seven league boots from the Widow Queen.

 

4. Is there any way to get Hero of Old if you give the stones to the Rose Lady instead of Samael? I prefer the stat boost over the spell anyway, but it'd still be nice to have the spell as well.

 

5. Which is better, an Intelligence Bracelet or a Druid's Bracelet?

 

I also noticed one interesting little bug/oversight. As Celts, if you try to return to the Crone Caverns after killing the crone outside the Spire of Ages, you'll be attacked by Caryatids outdoors as you approach -- as far as I know, this doesn't happen if you approach the Crone Caverns earlier in the game. If you kill the Caryatids and enter, you'll see that there are still three crones there, all apparently alive and well. As near as I can guess, Jeff decided he ought to change the Crone Caverns appropriately once you killed the crone, but then forgot to finish what he'd started.

[Icshi]

Regarding the crones, if I remember correctly, the stone guards appear and block your re-entry after you escape, not just after you kill the one crone next to the Spire of Ages. I don't think there's any difference between the Caverns' set-up before and after the one crone gets killed. Jeff expected us to keep going on towards the Spire, rather than turn around and check for continuity glitches.

[Schrodinger]

1. I'm pretty sure no, though I can't say I ever went back after searching the area thoroughly.

 

2. I've never not rescued the shade, but I can't imagine any significant change.

 

3. The bonus is minimal compared to the boots. Definitely stick with the boots.

 

4. Sadly no. I've always gone for the spell, since it is quite impressive and powerful.

 

5. For a druid, I noticed the druid bracelet was superior (one additional icelance over an intelligence bracelet).

 

6. I noticed the carytids as well, but nothing else. Strange, but you're probably right about the crones and Jeff forgetting.

[Lilith]

Thanks for the responses. I know that the Druid's Bracelet seems to give +4 to all Druidism skills, but wasn't sure how the Intelligence Bracelet compared to that.

 

Question 1 is still the most bothersome -- it seems odd for one of the keys to a Roman-only area to be accessible only to Celts. But maybe it's just Jeff's way of teasing us.

[NaCN]

As to question one, once when I was really bored I pimped my characters out (gave them very high luck, Int, Dex, and lots of lockpicks) with the editor and made lockpick attempts until the door finally gave up. I was finally able to enter the room. It looked just the same as it did for romans, but other than that there was nothing particularly interesting inside. It’s worth noting, though, that even after the door was opened, walking up to it still triggered the message about the impossibly complex lock.

[Xyra]

2. If I remember correctly, if you don't save the shade as Romans you wont have to go through that annoying thorn maze.

[Donald Hebb]

Correction on number 2.

 

If you free the shade, not only do you STILL have to go through the Hedge Prison, but the fellow who owns the place is back on his throne and attacks you when you try to escape. He's not a tough fight, but still...

[Lilith]

So not freeing the spirit just means you don't have to fight the guy at the end of the Hedge Prison? That's what I suspected.