The Let's Play Archive

Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga

by Stabbey_the_Clown

Part 31: Temple of Doom




Chapter 21 – Temple of Doom


Temple of Doom
A Hunting We Shall Go
Bandit Camp Raid


Yara’s Current Auras



Video: Temple of Doom


Yara strode past the priestess and up to the gates of the Temple of Doom.




Music: A Sense of Menace





(Jagon) Well, well, well! Once more one of my bandits decides to challenge me?
(Yara) Yes, I’ve become fond of this camp. Don’t worry, I’ll run it well!
The arrogance of the cutthroat! Enjoy this Temple Hall, also known as death’s antechamber!
(-400 XP) Lord Laiken will reward me well for the head of a Slayer!

Music: Battle Large


This music is for gauntlet-type situations, and it works really well in the Temple of Doom.




With that Jagon teleported away and the doors closed behind Yara. The lock rotated shut.




Yara turned right, but only a few steps from the door she began to choke and gag in toxic air.

Agh! Ack! I have been poisoned!




She retreated to the entrance, where oddly the air was perfectly fine.

What the hell?
(Talana) The priestess at the entrance… she said something when you read her mind…




(Leda) To survive the temple is to know the motto: ‘All are equal in death and in its black eternity even the poorest shall walk the same path as kings.’

There’s a path through the poison?

This area is extremely dangerous. Stay on the path of bodies, do not try and force your way through the poison or you risk death. Poison will kill you just as well as a sword.

I do stray in the videos to get at the decoy chests, but they only contain random loot not worth risking your neck for. By the way, you only get one chance at anything here; you can’t come back after you’re done. So try to clear inventory space out before coming in.

The enemies in here are only level 10, and I am level 14, but do not underestimate them, these are DANGEROUS level 10 enemies.

Trying to fight them in melee would require either foolish rushing into lethal poison, or wasting time trying to lure them closer. So screw that, I’m fighting them with Rothman’s bow, and I don’t care if you don’t like it.




That trail of bodies… it’s not a warning, it’s a sign!




Agh! I can’t get to those skeletons without getting poisoned, and if I ignore them they’ll kill me just as quickly! … Wait… I still have that bow Rothman gave me!






Nothing for it but to jump to that raft.






Yara was not skilled with a bow, so her aim was off and she only hit Jagon in the arm. But it was enough to make him retreat from the room.




Oh good. Now there are fireballs.
What were you expecting? The building had the word "Doom" in its name.




The rest of the place is relatively easy, now that we’re out of the poison room. Still, the skeletons pack a punch, so don’t get over confident.





Yara entered a room which was dominated by a large Dragon statue at the far end. It was partly flooded from a waterfall behind the head.




Locked, of course.




Ladders and platforms let Yara climb on top of the head.




This key which appears form mind-reading Ragnar lets us back into the locked room below. There's just random loot in the golden chest. It would have been a fine spot for the Wild Dwellers set Leggings. There’s also this book of Jagon’s notes:






Ha ha ha ha ha!

He teleported away again.




The rocks look very hot. I shouldn’t step on them.

The rocks which are on either side are extremely hot and will cause massive fire damage to you. You might spot some chests high up. Ignore them, they are more decoy chests, designed to punish you for greed with a fiery demise. There is only random loot in them, not worth the price of the health potions you need to survive getting them. Walk in the river instead.






Here’s a dick move. This chest on the molten rock actually DOES have a special item which you need to risk death to get. My advice is to drink a health potion BEFORE you start to run across, it heals over time, so it will keep your health high for long enough to escape. Inside the chest is:





The third of four pieces. The fourth is found much later on. This makes the Wild Dwellers for rangers the biggest pain to get in the game. The final ranger set in the game is also annoying, but for different reasons.

It’s definitely a purposeful dick move as either the chest in the locked room and the chest in the upcoming boss room could easily have had the leggings in them.




A path led behind the waterfall to a cave.






You made it further than I thought! Good! Here we shall do battle under the all-seeing eyes of my master!
I didn’t think men like you answered to masters!
I do so willingly! All Lord Laiken wants is the bodies of those we kill. All the gold, all the loot… Mine! Soon I’ll be the richest man in Rivellon!
He should have taken up adventuring instead of banditry. I hear that’s extremely profitable, and there’s much less overhead.
You’ll not stop me little trespasser! Time to chop you up! Don’t worry. This is only the first of many deaths in Lord Laiken’s experiment chambers!




Jagon isn’t too tough, although he can do some good damage with that two-handed sword.




Jagon’s necklace is a bounty item, and the only item in the game with +1 Lockpick, which makes it somewhat tempting to hold on to for a little while, but I usually max that out soon enough, the reward for cashing in all the bounties is better than +1 Lockpick.

That Goblin Head will give my creature Rank 5 Fireball, so it’s going on my creature until I find a Dragon Elf head. It is actually very strong, doing 150 or so damage.




No! Don’t go into… why do I waste my breath?
It’s amazing that the Dragon Knight didn’t kill herself as a child by stuffing poisonous berries into her mouth.


The chest to the right contains the first piece of Dragon Armour for your dragon form.



It’s for the Bone Armour style. I’ll hold off on explaining Dragon Armour until it actually matters.

Music: A Sense of Menace





(Laiken) Ah! I have a new chief corpse-deliverer, have I?




Good. Jagon was starting to drag his feet.

Other Choices:
1. Chief corpse-deliverer?
3. So you’re supposed to be a Dragon Knight?

Won’t drag his feet any more.
Make sure you don’t either.
(-200 XP) Soon I shall unlock the powers of the Dragon Stone and I will become a Dragon Knight in reality as well as in role.
Step up the deliveries, for I need many fresh corpses for my experiments. Try to procure some young women, they… But what is this? You… It can’t be! It cannot be! The Battle Tower is mine! You shall not have it! You can not have it!
He’d fit right in with the Black Ring, if he didn’t have desires of ruling Rivellon on his own.




Yara was hurled back through the portal into the cave. An ominous rumbling in the ceiling made her retreat.




The portal was buried under tons of rock.

“The Temple of Doom” complete! Quest Reward: 1500 XP, 400 Gold. Bonus Chosen: 750 XP




You just made a powerful necromancer wet his robes! A peculiar achievement, I must say. But this Dragon Knight impostor can wait: the Maxos Temple should be our priority.

Excerpt from “The Last of the Dragon Knights”, by ZixZax the Almost-Wise:
“Lord Laiken occupied the very place the Dragon Knight needed to reach, and now he knew who the Dragon Knight was, and that they were on the way.”




(Leda) You have entered the temple and survived?
Jagon is dead and Laiken… he feared me.
Hahaha! Oh, go on, get out of my face you laughable little liar!
Time to call in the cavalry, so to speak.


Video: A Hunting We Shall Go.


(Rodney) What brings you to the barracks again, friend?
I killed Jagon. Here is his necklace.
Well done! Here is your reward, Slayer. I can’t believe you actually got them all! Broken Valley is indebted to you! An extra reward is in order, I think. I have here the armour of my predecessor, Captain Jurak. Wear it with pride, Slayer! Much protection may it offer you during your travels!
“Jagon” complete! Quest Reward: 1200 XP, 300 Gold. Bonus Chosen: 600 XP
“A Hunting We Shall Go” complete! Quest Reward: 1800 XP, 700 Gold, Cuirass of Jurak. Bonus Chosen: 800 XP, 350 Gold
Five were wanted, five are dead. You have proven your might, now let us show it in the Maxos Temple.
… Yes. It’s time.



It’s okay, but I want to use the Defenders of Aleroth with it’s magic damage set bonus for a while longer.




(Louis) Welcome, Slayer! Do you bring news of the Bandit Camp?
I have the location!
You do! That’s amazing! Tell me all, Slayer!
They are hiding in a secret valley close to the mine. The password you need to be able to enter is “beetroot.”

Yara described the rest of the camp’s layout and gave some suggestions for approach.

Capital job, Slayer! Very well done! You have more than earned your reward! I’ll ask for reinforcements from Aleroth or Rivertown. Soon those bandits will be history!
“Into the Bandit’s Den” complete! Quest Reward: 1500 XP, 400 Gold. Bonus Chosen: 750 XP Level up!




Well timed, that. That was the very last quest in Broken Valley and we are now Level 15.




Excerpt from “The Last of the Dragon Knights”, by ZixZax the Almost-Wise:
“With a great sense of unease, The Dragon Knight finally stopped putting off the inevitable. The Dragon Knight moved towards Maxos Temple, knowing that temple also could be considered a "Temple of Doom" for someone. Maybe even the Dragon Knight them-self.”






Temple of Doom
A Hunting We Shall Go
Bandit Camp Raid




Bandit Camp Raid



The Map

Temple of Doom



Total Bunnies Killed: 4.


Yara’s Current Auras



Level 15



At last we reach level 15, unlocking the second-last tier of skills. Look for a separate update giving full details of those later.

I have 8 spare skill points. I could have spent some of them earlier, though.

Lockpick

Rank increased to 4.

It’s getting close to the time I should max it out, so one of my next few points will go there.

Unarmed

Rank increased to 5.
Damage Bonus: +54% -> 67%

Battle Rage

Rank increased to 4.
Damage Bonus: +40% -> 50%

New Skills

Bleed


Duration: 10 -> 4
Bleed Chance: 10 -> 33%
Damage per second: 10% -> 47%

This was a Rank 10 skill I didn’t get earlier because it wasn’t a priority. But now Yara can punch people hard enough to make their blood fly out. All their blood.


Life Tap


Mana Cost: 0
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Mana per Hitpoint: 2 -> 4

Convert 10% of your health into twice as many mana points. Very useful for warriors and rangers. This will let me use Thousand Strikes and other high-mana cost spells more often.


Healing


Mana Cost: 101 -> 116
Cooldown: 10 seconds
Duration: 8 -> 1 seconds
Healing/second: 15 -> 303
Total Healing: 120 -> 303

It’s the healing spell. It scales poorly, so only put in one point, but I find it more useful that using a potion or standing around waiting.


Regenerate


Regeneration Bonus: +0.21% -> +0.70%

Boosts your natural regeneration rate. The first point provides a solid boost, other points have much smaller returns, so I only recommend the one point.


Thousand Strikes


Damage Multiplier (per strike): 1x -> 2x
Mana Cost: 118 -> 268
Cooldown: 15 -> 20 seconds
Knockdown Chance: 10 -> 80%

A really cool skill that as per request I won’t be using until Amdusias. It performs 6 normal attacks in about 2 seconds and costs a ton of mana. This is why I’ve been pumping so many points into Spirit.






I’m no low-life lackey/New Order member. I am one who surpasses your comprehension!
Are you? Only Lord Laiken is such a one, you fool. And he’s a Dragon Knight!




So you’re supposed to be a Dragon Knight?
Supposed to be? How dare you question me, you asinine worm?
There is little I do not dare. I am the last Dragon Knight after all.
Ha! Sad imposter! Talana…

Chief corpse-deliverer?
Well yes. You know our deal, don’t you?


Bandit Camp Raid

I was actually planning on handing the location to Louis before killing Jagon because it would fit with the story slightly better. But it doesn’t matter much.

You can go back after handing the location over, and you find that the reinforcements have already arrived.

Video: Bandit Camp Raid


(Fenton) Come on, men! Your fellow soldiers are fighting for the glory of the New Order and you have the honour to partake! Show those barbaric bandits no mercy! No mercy whatsoever!
(Arvin) Yes sir!
Dragon Slayer! Over here!
(-100 XP) Here we are, ready to engage our foe, and Louis is nowhere to be seen. Coward!

I decided to go with the reluctant hero approach, which means that Yara will complain about being asked to help, but will help.

What can’t you handle this time?
What’s that supposed to mean?
Just anticipating the part where you ask for help because there are unforeseen circumstances.
Yes, uhm, well, this is the situation: The New Order is laying siege to the bandit camp! But that rabble can swing swords and hurl spells better than we thought!
Underestimating your enemy is a severe tactical mistake!
I… yes, that’s true. We should have prepared the assault better. So how about it Slayer, feel like gutting some scum?
Sure, I’ll have a look around.
Thanks, Slayer! Here, let me show you the way in.

Music: Bandit Camp Raid





I had to re-record, so this bunny didn’t actually die.




If you didn’t do the temple before the raid, there’s a new female character standing guard outside the temple.





(Emily) Be warned, Slayer! We may have exterminated this rabble, but that temple is another matter!
What do you mean, Captain?
We killed the guards and a priestess who were guarding the place with their lives. I sent in a few men, but they have not returned – and I heard screaming from within. I’ll not allow more New Order soldiers in. But you are, of course, free to do as you please.
(-400 XP) I can’t get that priestess’ last words out of my mind: All are equal in death and in its black eternity even the poorest shall walk the same path as kings.

Jagon is aware of the raid in the camp, but doesn’t care.




Stand back! No New Order pig shall pass!
They already slaughtered your merry band of bandits, though!
Replaceable! And what’s more, Lord Laiken will be pleased with their corpses! Enjoy this Temple Hall, also known as death’s antechamber!




You return alive and well! What did you discover in the temple?
A necromancer with a temper!
Truly? I’ll keep my troops out!




Back to the main continuity now.

(Fenton) Victory! This is a great day for the New Order.
Many died, though.
They are with the Divine now, Slayer, and as such can only be envied!
Says the man who stands there alive and well. “They are with the Divine now, and can only be envied.” Ha!