Did we miss anything in this section? Is there something we didn't discover? Let us know!

Walkthrough

We wrote this walkthrough using a variety of game versions, starting with the retail release and ending with version 1.0.252.0.

No DLC content is included in the walkthrough.

We wrote the walkthrough using the "normal" difficulty setting.

Most of the quests in the game have their own walkthrough page, but some of the smaller quests (which are usually triggered and completed in a single encounter) are covered on the location page where you find them.


Characters

You'll probably end up around level 22 by the end of the game. That'll earn you at least 55 ability points, 16 attribute points, and 7 talent points (including the points available during character creation).

You can get bonuses for most abilities from equipment. The exceptions to this are the "weapons" and "skills" abilities. All characters should max out at least one "skills" ability. Fighters and rogues should also max out at least one "weapons" ability. It'll cost you 15 points to max out an ability.

There are four companions in the game (including two that can be downloaded in a free DLC), and you'll find them all in Cyseal City. Later when you reach the Homestead, you'll be able to purchase hirelings, so you'll have lots of options for who to add to your party.

We'd recommend a party consisting of:

• A melee thief (DPS), who should be your lead character, and who should concentrate on Dexterity and Perception. A good build includes:
  
  
  • Scoundrel 5
  • One-Handed 5
  • Armor Specialist 3
  • Bodybuilding 3
  • Willpower 3
  • Blacksmithing 1
  • Lockpicking 2
  • Lucky Charm 2
  
  
• A melee fighter (tank), who should concentrate on Strength. A good build includes:
  
  
  • Man-at-Arms 5
  • One-Handed 5
  • Armor Specialist 3
  • Shield Specialist 3
  • Body Building 3
  • Willpower 3
  • Blacksmithing 1
  
  
• A water / air mage (healer), who should concentrate on Intelligence. A good build includes:
  
  
  • Aerotheurge 4
  • Hydrosophist 5
  • Bodybuilding 3
  • Willpower 3
  • Leadership 5
  
  
• A fire / earth mage (DPS), who should concentrate on Intelligence. A good build includes:
  
  
  • Geomancer 4
  • Pyrokinetic 5
  • Bodybuilding 3
  • Willpower 3
  • Blacksmithing 3
  • Crafting 3
  • Loremaster 3

Starting Out

The battles outside Cyseal City will be tough, and for most of them you'll be outnumbered by Level 4-5 enemies. So you should try to explore as much of Cyseal City as possible, and complete as many quests there as you can. If you're thorough, then you can reach Level 4 before leaving.

The easiest way to make money early in the game is to steal paintings. You'll find them everywhere, and selling them will net you 100-500 gp each.

You should give one of your main characters the Pet Pal talent, which will allow you to talk to animals. Animals are involved in several quests.


Miscellaneous

The alt key is your friend. Get used to keeping it pressed so you can see what objects are available to be picked up.

Unlike other inventory items, keys are shared. If one character picks up a key, then any character in your party will be able to open the door or chest it goes to.

Rats are worth 90 xp each. Kill them!

Many enemies have such good resistances that they'll actually get healed by certain types of damage. So you should always keep a basic weapon without any elemental or tenebrium bonuses for your fighters and rogues.

It's possible to teleport through gates but not walls. You'll need to do this for a few puzzles.

Most equipment deteriorates slowly -- except for weapons. So it's convenient to give your fighters and rogues a point in the Blacksmithing ability so they can repair their own gear.

You can keep certain tools (like Shovels and Repair Hammers) in a Backpack, and the game will still recognize that the character with the Backpack has them. That means you can use Backpacks to de-clutter your inventory a little, and also prevent you from accidentally selling something you want to keep.

The contents of chests aren't decided until you open the chest. That means you can save first and then load until you get something good.

Items placed in chests won't disappear, so you can store your excess stuff in any chest you want. You'll also get a special storage chest in the Homestead.

It's never a good idea to use a weapon with a level requirement higher than the level of the character who wants to wield it. Higher level weapons will do more damage, but the extra AP cost of using them will offset the bonus.

You'll encounter several glowing purple locks in the game. You'll only be able to open them by using the proper key, or by using a Magical Unlock Scroll. You'll only find five Magical Unlock Scrolls in the game, so don't waste them on regular locks.