***MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THOSE NEW TO IWD***
_________________________________________
The Seldarine hand I http://www.gamebanshee.com/ubb/cool.gif
If you thought getting here was hard...
http://www.gamebanshee.com/ubb/cool.gif
This is an awesome level, my favourite in the game.
Shadowed orcs & goblins, ogres & wolves - easy kills for the XP and there are lots of them. Also, specific spells will not affect them (for example, ice storm
http://www.gamebanshee.com/ubb/frown.gif) . I only ever use damaging ones (magic missile, melf's and fireball) and some of the higher offensive spells (hopelessness is *great*). No problems - you can still cast defensive magic. Watch for ambushes where they just "appear" (making the over-run mages in your party fight for their lives). Scout around first, draw them out then burn them and form a defensive line. Protection from fire are valuable spells which allow you to toss fireballs into the front line. Take out the shamans first.
Shadowed marksmen - lethal. These are good shots. Use the different angles afforded by windows etc. to *your* advantage. Summon monsters on the "other" side of windows. Fireball is your best friend. When you've whittled down their numbers, close in quickly for the kill.
Undead (Bladed skeltons & Fire skeletons) - Protection from fire helps here too. You must close with the Fire skeltons and finish them off or they will fry your party - one fighter protected from fire can do this. Clerics can be useful if powerful enough, though the Bladed skeletons are pretty tough. Its defensive line time again as they swamp your positions. These enemies have the annoying habbit of chasing the individual who discovered them - use it to your advantage, run around the debris whilst your other characters lay into them. You should have some powerful maces & hammers by now.
There are lots of entrances and exits on this level. Explore them all. There are also many undead and a few tough fights:
Shattered souls - As you progress up the hand you will come across these guys who drain your HP constantly with Larloch's. Very annoying. But when you chase them down you run into hordes of undead guardians. Concentrate on killing the souls with one or two fighters - the rest of you party should support from afar/defend themselves form the guardians. The main lesson here is concentration of force. You can't spread yourself too thinly but you need to take out two or more distinct threats. By using a cleric to repel the guardians you can defeat the souls and turn on the guardians later.
[This message has been edited by Gruntboy (edited 03-26-2001).]