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Weird or What? Spoiler

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davfra
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Weird or What? Spoiler

Post by davfra »

I`m in Mekrath`s Lair. I`ve wiped everything out and it`s time to leave. I left and ended up on a balcony in the Bridge area. I went back and tried again and the same thing happened. I couldn`t find a way off the balcony so I went back to the lair.
Then I realised that there are two ways to leave on that staircase. One way puts you back to the sewers and the other puts you on a balcony in the Bridge area.
Have I got a bug or does this happen to everybody?
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Sojourner
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Post by Sojourner »

It's not a bug.
There's nothing a little poison couldn't cure...

What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, ... to receiving decisions deliberated in secret; to believing that the situation was so complicated that the government had to act on information which the people could not understand, or so dangerous that, even if he people could understand it, it could not be released because of national security.
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bruciarsi
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Post by bruciarsi »

Originally posted by Sojourner
It's not a bug.


i'll 2nd that.
Would be cool to see Mekrath actually standing up there when you first enter the bridge district and sorta foreshadow the lil quest.
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VonDondu
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Post by VonDondu »

I noticed that a long time ago.

In terms of geography, putting Mekrath's lair next to the Bridge District seems to conflict with the general layout of Athkatla. I had the impression that the sewers were supposed to be northwest of the Temple District, not southeast of it.

I can see one good reason for putting Mekrath's balcony in the Bridge District: after you rescue Haer'Dalis, it would be nice if there were a shortcut back to the Five Flagons Inn. But unfortunately, you can't go anywhere from the balcony. Not unless you cheat, anyway. (I always use Ctrl-J and pretend that my characters have found a way down to the street from the balcony.)

It would also be convenient if you could get to Mekrath's lair from the Bridge District, so you could go straight there after Raelis gives you the quest to rescue Haer'Dalis. Maybe there's a reason why it shouldn't be so easy, but I can't think of one. Most of the quests in BG2 offer easy accessibility (unlike a lot of the quests in BG1, which made you jump through hoops just to get from one place to the next). Maybe you're not supposed to be able to go inside the sewers before you hear Gael's sermon. Simple answer: then don't put Mekrath's lair in the sewers (especially if it's supposed to be right next to the gate to the Bridge District). Maybe the designers didn't want you to go to Mekrath's lair unless you passed a "test", such as getting past the party that tries to collect a toll from you in the sewers. But if that's the case, then why do you have the option to pay them off and pass without a fight? Maybe the designers wanted to put the imp nearby but in a place where there was no pedestrian traffic to get in the way and where you could use magic without being accosted by the Cowled Wizards. But if that's the case, they could have put the imp inside an empty building somewhere, like a warehouse down by the docks (which would give you a reason to go to the docks and meet some colorful characters you might otherwise miss). Besides, if the imp had escaped into the sewers, how come you never saw him there before?

I'm not criticizing anybody; I'm just saying that it all seems pretty arbitrary to me (which is not a criticism--the designers can be as arbitrary as they like), and I wish that the balcony was accessible from the Bridge District. It would have been very handy. :)
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JackOfClubs
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Post by JackOfClubs »

My guess is that they originally intended the sewers to be accessible from different locations like they are in BG1. It has always seemed a little odd that only the Temple district has sewers. But the fact that they had to use the 3rd CD for the Temple District suggests that they ran out of room and had to scrap the idea. Of course, that doesn't really explain why they left the link to that room above the gates, so maybe I'm just babbling.

A related oddity is that the Temple and Sewers are on the 3rd CD with all the Out Of Town areas, but the Graveyard complex is on the 2nd. That has always seemed backwards to me.
Resistance to Tyrants is Service to God.
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Mini Me
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Post by Mini Me »

I think that the balcony is there to show you where to go next after freeing haerdalis
'My pantaloons are full of weasels. Inform the Queen, so that she might shoo them away. Here we go 'round the mulberry bush. Go monkey GO!'-Wanev
Have you ever heard any more inspiring or logical words? I sure haven't.
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JackOfClubs
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Post by JackOfClubs »

Um, maybe. But he basically tells you where to go, and none of the other quests have that feature.
Resistance to Tyrants is Service to God.
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