Whew! This (and the rest of this series) is one of the meanest and most difficult RPG's I have ever come across. The puzzles are fiendish and the combat is really tough. I really can't bother about combat too much, so I cheated by editing the save game files and gave myself LOTS of hit points (HP).
The start party I chose was a Paladin, a Fighter/Thief, a Mage (essential) and a Cleric (essential). One of the puzzles in this game requires strength, so make one character VERY strong.
Some global hints
1. Doors can be opened in the following ways:
• a key that fits the lock
• forced open (by a strong party)
• opened with a button/lever on the door or wall nearby
• your thief can pick SOME locks (careful - lockpicks break!)
• activating some special mechanism or solving a puzzle
2. Check the walls carefully for hidden buttons - they reveal secret passages containing valuable items.
3. Pressure plates can be stepped on to open doors etc. or you can leave something on them - carry additional rocks for them.
4. If you don't have maps, make maps! Otherwise you can spend your time walking around in circles like a madman.
5. The flashing purple lights are teleporters - they transport you to some other location on the same level.
6. By the way, there are 12 "levels" in this game, each level being a 32x32 grid of blocks (every time you move in a direction, you move one block), with the level incrementing when you go down a stairway and vice versa.
7. Portals are doors with strange symbols on both sides. Notice that one symbol is missing from each portal - place the matching "stone item" (eg. stone dagger in level 2) on this symbol to transport to ANOTHER LEVEL, and you can usually transport back as well.
8. Gameplay - hope you have a mouse!!! I used the cursor keys to move, Home and PgUp changes direction. To use objects (eg. weapon, potion, spellbook) click the RIGHT mouse button on a hand of a character. Some items are better than others especially magical ones (use detect magic), and some wands can be used this way (limited magic however).
The LEFT mouse button is used to pick/drop items and select menus. You can use it to fight by picking up a weapon and clicking on an enemy - I prefer the latter way however. The other functions are logical (hopefully!).
Level 1
Just kill a few goblins and slugs and find the staircase down - this is behind a door near a pressure plate - put something on the plate and press the button nearby.
I managed to find a Special Quest for this level - put a dagger into a rectangular hole on a wall somewhere, and it turns into a magical dagger "Guinsoo"! If anyone has found any more special quests, please make a posting to the Internet!
Level 2
You are faced with 3 doors (E,N,S) and one key.
Open the E door first. Watch the pits, some have to be opened and closed with pressure plates. Get the key and other stuff and return to the 3 doors.
Open the S door, and you come to an intersection. If you go W, you will see a wall with a strange rune - you can walk through this wall. Later on you will see other walls like this, and with other writing or objects, that you can go through.
If you go E, you'll be in a mini- maze that makes you go in circles - watch your compass change direction. E, through two walls is a key and some stuff. Come back to the maze, which has two blocks in the centre.
Go in the centre and look W at a wall with a rune - go through this wall, then using Home and PgUp, turn until you spy a passage going W - freedom!
Open N door, carry on till you're in a 3x3 room (force open certain doors) - this room has a secret passage to N. Go back towards your 3 doors again - just before these doors, a passage has opened up to W.
Go there, somewhere here you'll find a stone dagger - this, and 7 other stone items are used to travel through portals which you will see later.
The way to the next level is behind a N door near a teleporter - you need a key however. The key you get as follows: somewhere there is a W door leading to a one-block room. Step inside, close door, press button on wall - the room moves - step out and you are elsewhere. Step in, repeat procedure, step out - elsewhere.
The third time you do that, you are back to your starting place. The key is in one of these elsewhere places, and other stuff too.
Level 3
Straightforward level. There is some stuff in a room with pressure plates. Walk around until you find a blue gem in a wall somewhere. You will find a wall with 2 eyes - place this gem in the missing eye.
Walk around the walls with the eyes (watch your compass here!) and find 3 more gems (4 in all) and place them in 4 eye slots - the eyes will turn purple when you are successful. A wall will open up in the eye-walls, and two stairways go down here. Take the S first, get some items in a 3x3 room, then return here and take the N door.
Level 4
Go N beyond some illusionary walls and walk around. The way down is easy to find here. Kill some spiders (hack their webs with a longsword) and the stone sceptre is found in one of the spider lairs.
This level also has a portal (extreme N) that takes you to level 7 area 2, and the oracle of knowledge E of the portal (MUCH later on you find an orb of power which you can place here - this releases power that tells you the true nature of your magical items eg. some weapons, rings, amulets.
Level 5
Dwarf level. LOTS of fake walls here (behind silver objects and runes). There are 2 stairs down, but the "easy" one is blocked on the next level, and the "difficult" one is beyond the room of teleporters.
Sooner or later you'll find the dwarves - they'll tell you their sad story, and two objectives for you are to save their prince and heal their king... achieved much later. Walk around, the dwarf cleric is somewhere N and he can resurrect the bones you pick up to become members of your party.
Who you wish to resurrect or allow to join your party is your choice and does not detract from the game plot.
The dwarves will give you a stone amulet which activates the portal on this level (behind a N fake passage) - don't go anywhere now however.
Go W behind a door with a hidden switch to find some stuff.
Go S somewhere to a place with pits that open up behind you. Open the doors here. There are 2 teleporters here - the E one takes you to the W one which takes you out of this place. You can get all the items here, but DON'T take the boots, or you will fall through the pits.
Go E through a fake wall and you might arrive at a winding passageway - watch your compass. N of this passageway (and extreme E) is another fake wall - continue N then W and you will be at the room of teleporters.
Û{{ in out Û Û 1..9, A..F = teleporters ^ Û Û Û+ÛÛÛÛ Û Û = wall Û 12 Û ÛF*ÛÛ 3 Û * = lever ÛEDÛÛ45Û A 67Û E Û CB9 ÛÛ N+S Û Û* 8*Û W Û ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
There are items here you can get if you want, but I will tell you the way out, you spoilt person! Here goes...
Walk into 2. Pull lever at N. Walk into B. Pull lever in this place. Walk into 8. Walk into 4. Walk into 9. Walk into 6. Walk into E. You are now at +. Pull the lever around here, and leave. Beyond 3 doors is the stairway down.
Level 6
You need 3 dwarven keys to go down to level 7.
Beware when stepping onto pressure plates on this level - darts fly from the walls and hit you, so step onto plate and quickly step back. Collect as many darts as possible, there's a place where you'll need about 20 darts.
When walking S somewhere you'll meet an evil powerful magician - run to a larger level and avoid his magic by moving around and attacking him, but make sure you kill him (I dunno what happens if you don't).
You will find kenku eggs in some rooms - you can eat them as food, but save one or two for a bribe on level 7.
There's a portal here that takes you to level 10. Don't go now. W of the portal is a closed area with a pressure plate, and W and E of the plate area are 2 pits - jump into both respectively (climbing up brings you back to this area) to get 2 dwarven keys.
S of this area are 2 passageways - one is the place which has the stairway and needs 3 keys to open up the passageway to the exit. The other is an area beyond 4 pressure plates containing walls with rectangular holes (cubbyholes).
Place a dart into each cubbyhole to make the walls disappear - if you run out of darts go back to one of the 4 pressure plates - here you will find the 3rd key and some other stuff including a nice adamantite dart for combat.
This level has the stone ring, which you can only get much later on coming up from level 7 to a closed area on this level.
Level 7
Drow level. Here there are 4 main areas.
Area 1: Large, populated by lots of drow and flying fireballs - explore fully, and eventually go down a stairway to level 8 area 2. A stairway behind a door goes up to the stone ring room on level 6.
Area 2: A "room of portals" containing 5 portals. This is used as a halfway point later in the game so that you can get to other levels easily and quickly. Don't worry about the doors in this room.
Areas 3 and 4? Two of a whole host of areas reached by coming up from level 8, using methods like using certain keys or certain mechanisms. Level 8 and 9 have these "areas" as well, all interconnected. If I explain what to do in a certain "area", remember that an "area" is a closed space with one or more rooms, and is reached from another level.
These areas contain valuable weapons and magical items. Most areas have doors that need certain keys to open - if you're stumped at one area, try the next and so on until you find the right keys.
Area 3: Come up from level 8 area 4, go past 3 doors, put an item in a cubbyhole and press button - wall disappears, and you reach a room with a pit - leap down without fear to level 8 area 3.
Area 4: Up from level 8 area 4 past 2 doors, and the door seals behind you. E, W and S are fake walls - E and W are many items and keys (and baddies) and S are 4 doors that lead to area 2 on this level (I told you don't worry about the doors).
Level 8
Area 1: Has 2 portals. This large area can only be reached via portal from level 7 area 2. Explore this area as best you can - I found items like a +3 sword and the Sceptre of Kingly Might here. There are stairways going down to level 9 area 1.
Area 2: This is the "centre" of the areas. The first stair S takes you up then back down to this level to an area (5) with a stair down and a key. There is a fake wall N that takes you to a door that can only be opened with a ruby key.
Area 3: A teleporter takes you to a room with a teleporter which takes you to area 4 on this level.
Area 4: Reached from level 9 area 3, or area 3 this level. S of the stair down are two fake walls with a key. N of the stair is an area with a mounting device and cubbyhole. Put some kind of key into this hole, press button and a gem will appear. Put gem in mounting device and go through door.
Two stairways lead E and W - E goes to level 7 area 3 and W goes to level 7 area 4.
Level 9
Area 1: Reached from level 8 or a portal from level 7 area 2. There are some magical items here such as Stoneskin scroll and the wonderful +5 "Severius" sword. Go S beyond the Oracle of Devouring and you will come to a stairway that goes to level 10.
You will come to a room that asks you for 4 items - a sword, armor, rations and arrow, and a door will open. Continue and you will arrive at a place where "Severius" is found (6 fake walls) and some other items are beyond here, with puzzles I could not solve.
Area 2: Storage - reached from level 8 area 5. Some stuff.
Area 3: A place with 2 stairs up. You need keys for every door in this place. You MUST have a gem for this place (can't remember where I found one) - place gem in cubbyhole and you will get a key to open a door to the S, which goes up to level 8 area 4.
Level 10
Reached from level 9 area 1 or a portal from level 6. The portal from level 6 takes you to a room with 2 portals, 3 doors and a passage S. The E portal takes you back to level 6, the W portal takes you on a ONE-WAY trip to level 8.
Don't worry about the teleporters to the S - if you can solve them then congrat. but it isn't necessary. The E-most door leads you to some items.
The W-most door leads you to the dwarf Prince - heal him and take him back to the dwarves (using portals) and they will tell you of a way out of this place. Then return here.
The middle door takes you to a large place you can explore and fight mantis creatures. Eventually you will come to a place where you will see a button on a S wall. Press this button twice - turn and look N and hey presto, a passage appears. Walk N and press the button on the W wall twice. Another passage appears to the N.
Walk into the room and leap down - this is the only way I managed to get to level 11 for the first time.
Level 11
You will arrive in a room with a portal that can only be activated by the stone symbol, found elsewhere on this level. But first a few tricks...
Around the portal block is a square wall with buttons, a star and a fake wall as you would have gathered. If you walk out of the fake wall, you will come to a larger square wall with the same setup, and out of here yet a larger square wall (the final one, whew).
If you have read the signs, you would have seen "fate lies in stars" and "alignment must be true". This simply means that the stars must lie in a straight line. Less simply, it means that the stars in the inner two square walls should point to one direction if you wish to exit from the outer square wall.
So press the buttons on the inner walls (pressing a button makes the wall rotate) until both stars point to one direction (ie. if you look at them directly in front of you, your compass direction must agree). Another weird rule is that if both stars point in one direction, you can only exit in the opposite direction (eg. N for S).
So for starters, one would make the stars point E, then press the W button on the outer wall to Go W. So follow the order I give you:
Go W: Here you will find the +4 "Slasher" sword.
Go N: Walk E, and a door S leads you to the "room of lever" where you will find the potion to heal the dwarf king. Come out and go E again (be ready, the battle is tough here) and make your way S till you come to a 3x2 room, the "room of the key".
A BIG but camouflaged switch (damn the makers of this game) on the W wall opens a passage where you can find the stone orb.
Go E: Arrive at a room with 3 inner blocks - the centre block has a switch the opens a passage where you will find the stone symbol. The orb of power is around here in a secret room as well. Caution!
There are some powerful creatures lurking here - try to avoid the death spells (etc.) they hurl at you, then attack.
Now you have the stone symbol, you can go back to the dwarves using the central portal. They will be overjoyed and will give you the wand of Silvias. If you wish you can use the orb of power in level 4. Then return to this level using the stone symbol.
Go S: Walk W and you come to a N-S passageway. N leads you to a magical room where if you walk round and round in different directions, you can pick of certain magical items. S leads you to a W doorway that opens a 3x3 room. The S wall of this room has a switch that open to a large room.
Beyond a door lies a portal, which by using the stone orb, takes you to level 12. At last!
Level 12
I didn't worry about puzzles or items in this level, I just wanted to find Xanathar. I fiddled around with lampshades and switches, picked up a few things and eventually found him E of a 2x2 room with 4 pressure plates.
Well I was told the wand of Silvias will help me - it didn't do much for me, I can tell you that (can someone fill me in here?), but to defeat Xanathar one can do one of 2 things - run to a large area and avoid his death spells (etc. etc.) and attack him repeatedly, or as I did, cheat.
All I did was alter my save game file EOBDATA.SAV to bring my dead back to full health.
Sit back and enjoy the fantastic ending with extensive animation and music (he he he).
Remember to keep your save game for Eye of the Beholder II (OH NO! NOT AGAIN!) Well, for the masochistic amongst you, comparing Xanathar to
Part 2
Special Quests
As Shanil Misra stated, there is a special quest at the first level: Guinshoo is a +4 (not +3, as I wrote earlier) dagger. Dear Shanil, I have good news: here are five additional special quests, and modifications are made in SQ's of level 4 and level 11 -- and I ask you everyone to write me if you know any sq's not stated here.
Also, thanx go to Morten Bek ([email protected]) for sq of level 10, and to an anonymous figure (sorry, but your address has been wiped out in a system crash) who sent me all the sq's. They are under test, the results will be readable soon.
Since I have played through the game once again in the near past, incorrect things are corrected by now.
Level 2: Daggers In, Rations Out
There are some dagger-shaped carvings on the walls at this level. The proper number is somewhere between 5 and 10 (5, if I counted exactly now), but it's unimportant. The heart of the matter is what to do with them. Clear: put one dagger in each.
You'll know that you've done it, from the green Special Quest for this level message and a ration appearing in front of ALL these carvings. Put the rations away carefully, you might need 'em at level 5.
Level 3: Blind the Cats Again
Those nice almond-shaped eyes are the key for the fourth level, as Shanil stated. But if you get back all the four blue gems from the eyes, there will be the SQ.
The fact is that I tried it only once, and did not look around heavily for bonus treasure or anything, although there has to be something. The information is from Sandor Takacs ([email protected]), so special thanks to him.
Level 4: Chains of Freedom
This SQ I managed to trigger twice again, so it seems to be proper by now. There are two chains hanging from the wall: one near the entrance to this level, which enables or disables the secret walls near, and one at the room that opens from the chamber which has heroic dwarf sayings carved on the walls.
This room contains Drow Cleaver, but you'll find it iff (math's argo: if and only if. sorry) you shut both doors near the one with the key. The SQ is to pull the first chain, just when the walls are at proper position: the simplest is to run a whole circle through the moving walls (taking the dwarven key), and then pull the chain.
Level 5: Witch's Brew
There's a hole in a wall called the pantry, not far from the dwarves. DO NOT drink the potion (of poison) you have found there. Instead, place in five (normal) rations to get five iron ones -- and the nice SQ-signal.
You should have more than enough rations till then, either from level 2 or from Dohrum whom you can allow to join (even if you drop him immediately:)
Level 6: Hatch The Stone From The Egg
Yeah, another neat SQ that might be found out. The marking `nest' is a fairly telltale one: get all ten kenku eggs, and put 'em in the small room. You'll see that this room isn't so small at all. The reward is the Chieftain Halberd +5, though I wonder who would use it two-handed (damage 2d6+5), unless against a demilich.
But, since there are no demiliches in EOB1 (not even in EOB2), it would be much more appreciatable to use `Slasher' +4 and a short sword (or a shield +2/+3), due to multiple attacks or AC improvement.
Another thing: if you leave the eggs here, you can come back here anytime with the stone ring, or to the 5th level, with the medallion. It is convenient to travel between these levels and level 10 through the room of the portals on level 7. See Level 10: Stolen eggs? for details.
Level 7: Experiment Might Be Useful
If you try anything blessed with faint chances of success, you already know this SQ, just like the ones on the two levels above. What to do is simple: put a stone portal key in each of the three niches in the room of portals.
If somebody gets to know anything not obvious about the cryptic messages that can be thus gained, send me a few words. (What obvious means is certainly subjective; for example, no need to say, what `great evil lies beyond the orb'...)
Level 8: Another Rack of +5 Weapons
At level 11, you can gain Flicka +5 for your mage in the back row, but the second best missile weapons for a mage are only the adamantine dart +4 (gained on level 6) and Guinshoo +4, gained on level 1.
However, the damage caused with this dagger is 7-10/7-9 points (S-M/L, assumed 18 Strength), and darts also do one point lesser maximum damage. If you could gain a dart +5, it would do 8-10/8-9 points of damage if hurled by the same character, which has a half point higher average and a much longer range.
No need to say that this is only the monty-haul train of thought, but what if this is possible?
Yes it is. Also said by John Lennon; just find the room with the 10 (or 12) dart racks at the northeastern part of the level, and put a single dart in each. Be aware when stepping on the plate at the entrance, since even without strength bonus, the darts shoot out doing 6-8 points of damage each...
Level 9: What Are These Orbs For?
Yes, does anybody know? There is a writing in front of the niche converting gems to keys, telling us to throw a dart through the wall. Well, not exactly this is what the writing says, but this is what we want to do. For a jeweled key and three orbs of power.
One goes to the Oracle of Devouring, vapourizing permanently, but is there anything other effect?
Level 10: Stolen Eggs?
I wonder wether those kenku eggs are not mantis eggs, since they can be hatched really here. Near the room with the two portals, there is a room with four mantis and three niches. After defeating the monsters, try to put eggs in the niches in different orders.
`Somebody' says that the central niche should be the first one, the niche at the far side of the room the next, and the niche near the door is the third. However, I simply keep putting one egg in each, again and again, and after 7 eggs, I managed to create other four mantis warriors, each wearing a magical ring.
If my logic hasn't failed me, these rings are of feather fall, sustenance and two rings of protection +2
Level 11: Proper Sequence II.
After such a long time, I am not sure at all, that this is a special quest actually. (It seems not to be one) By now, however, I do can describe the proper sequence.
Till now, you should have met Shyndia the drow-elven. She explained that the antidote can be found in the room of the levers. However, the levers are not used (as I remember), but have a nice effect if you manage to turn them up ALL. It's a bit more difficult than it might sound since the levers also switch each other.
If you succeed, the reward will be a wand of frost. The sequence is (I hope it's correct): counted from left to right, pull levers 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 8, 7, 6. There might be other solutions, too. (In fact, any combination proves to be useful, if you pull each lever exactly once)
You might also want to know the solution to the Proper Sequence one level above which has 13 written on it and has seven teleports on a corridor. Here it is:
The levers represent a mechanical display of a binary number, with the `turned up means one' rule, as follows (levers are from west to east, the rightmost implementing 1 and the leftmost implementing 64, * stated for teleport):
* 7 * 6 * 5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1 : id.number 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 : values dn dn dn up up dn up 0 + 0 + 0 + 8 + 4 + 0 + 1 = 13
So the problem is to turn up the 1, 3 and 4 levers and turn down 2, 5, 6 and 7. The state of a lever defines where the teleport just west of it will lead to. It is not too difficult to find out the up/down effects since there are cracks on each other wall.
So, after each teleport, head south to determine wether you are at an even or odd numbered lever (as I remember, crack means even, but it can be easily checked examining the first or second wall.) You can also see at most two teleports to the east and to the west. If you see none, the sequence is fulfilled -- congratulations!
Otherwise refer to the table below to determine where you are. The number before the semicolon means 'with crack', after it means 'without crack'. Without a semicolon, don't mind the cracks.
teleports | teleports to east to west | 0 | 1 | 2 ----------+-------------+-------------+------------------------ 0 | you're out! | impossible | still should go back!
----------+-------------+-------------+------------------------ 1 | impossible | impossible | 7 ----------+-------------+-------------+------------------------ 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 or 6 : 3 or 5
Remember, the (2,2) cell of the table might be a BIG MESS if the cracks are not so nicely placed. Also, if you know the state of levers 1, 2 and 7, you can find out wether 4 or 6, 3 or 5 is your position, peering through the teleports to see the nearest levers.
Level 12: Dismiss Xanathar
This is NOT a special quest for level 12, I simply wonder why Shanil could not use the wand of Silvias. Sure you didn't try to use it long enough, Shanil. Here we go:
When equipped by a mage (since only magi can use wands) you can use it to force Xanie retreat a square -- and do nothing that round! Be careful, for he (it?) is quick -- nearly quicker than a magic missile 😊
So use the wand and step forward instantly. Repeat it, then round Xanie to the left (rather quickly!), and when he (let's agree by this -- although sexless, a beholder has really manful power:) steps forward you, chase him down the long corridor and after a small dance, push him in the niche between the two columns.
The effect should be enthralling...
So much written, have a nice day,
Otto von CU ([email protected])
