That nearly impregnable chest in the basement of Helm's Hold

[dragon wench]

Okay.. you know the one, in that first area of Helm's Hold, where you meet Johny and a real Helmite you free in an area full of undead.

That chest is damn near unbeatable, first a very nasty trap, followed by an extrememely difficult lock. This time round, however, I had the pixie familiar to untrap it for me, and (so I thought) unlock it. She untrapped the chest, but would not even attempt to unlock it. First I tried various spells (lightening, fireball, acid, ice storm etc.), all to no avail. Finally it dawned on me to possess my pixie and unpick the lock myself, and much to my satisfaction, it worked. So there I was figuring that surely a chest that difficult to penetrate would hold something really good, and perhaps unusual.....

What have I found so far upon various attempts at reloading? Several shimmering sashes, numerous of the ubiquitous cloaks of elvenkind, a dagger +1, a crossbow +1.....

Honestly.. after all that work...

[Xandax]

Originally posted by dragon wench
<snip>
Honestly.. after all that work...

But how much time have you spend in the game to open it

[Taco Magus]

its a pretty lame chest. i think next time i get to the chest ill save the game before i open itthen reload till i get something good ^^

[Xandax]

I don't think I've ever spendt much time opening a quest, neither with the reload-save thingy.

It is not like you get poor in that game, and most used things are bought anyway (well they were for me).
So I just loot what chests I pass by, and ignore thoese I can't blast away.

[dragon wench]

@Taco, yeah I did that, and just gave up in disgust, finally selling whatever item it was to Johny.

Xandax is right, I have found that most of the really useful stuff you actually buy or make. At least, if you are playing a wizard anyway; Eltoora has some pretty good items.

[Taco Magus]

im playing a rouge/monk/wizard its actally quite challanging right now.rouge2/monk2/wizard1 im gonna put 3 more lvls in wizard. possibly 1 more lvl in rouge and the rest in monk. ive just been lookin for good stuff but the 1st chapter kinda sucks for it im saving up for the improved robes of the old order(i think thats the name. wich should be easy since i really dont need any items

[DreadmasterBane]

5yo Post, but a Solution Nonetheless

The contents of this chest are not minor treasure, and worth the effort if you have the ability to open it. With thieving tools +3, you must get your open locks skill up to a minimum of 11. Random magic item examples within this chest: a Gnomish Magnetic Armor (which is +1 plate /w 12 magic resistance), a Shield of the Watch (magical small shield +1/+2 against humans), a +2 heavy crossbow, a Belt of Inner Barrier (with 5 slashing and bashing resistance), a Rod of Terror (casts Fear and Scare), and Finger of Death scroll.

Means to improve the open locks skill are dexterity modifiers. A potion of Cat's grace and/or the Amulet of the Elf +1 work well...the amulet only being useful if you only need to raise your dexterity 1 more, because it stacks with Cat's Grace. If you don't have thieving skills yourself, the Cat's Grace potion can probably be given to either Tomi or your familiar if they are the lock pickers. HTH someone being such an old game now

[mistered]

helholm 's chest

You can shoot the chest with a fire arrow or a fireball. Most likely, the chest will be destroyed and you'll get its remains.

[Baseblgabe]

Hate to bump a four-year-old thread, but having had this problem myself, and having solved it, I figured I'd provide my solution to what was for me the first google result. Simply run the console (~), enable debug mode with DebugMode 1 (case sensitive), and then type dm_spawncreature nw_fm_pixi40 (NO "e"). This will spawn a pixie with an open locks skill of 40. After detrapping the chest, click on it, and your pixie will proceed to unlock the bloody thing. Save first, if you wish, and repeat until you receive loot which meets your standards. Best! -Baseblgabe