Introduction
This is a complete walkthrough for Ishar 2: Messengers of Doom. The game takes you across multiple islands, each with its own challenges. Follow the path carefully, keep your team well-equipped, and save often.
Irvan's Island
Go west, then north, and avoid the fight. Enter the village and play with the pump handle. Recruit Kudseac, pick up his possessions, then kill him. Visit the two inns to recruit four characters (preferably Eliandr, Zeloran, Fandhir, and any warrior). Buy a sword, a bow, and some arrows from the armourer, and some food from the shopkeeper to help you recover strength after fights.
Go to the harbour (south-southwest) and force a passage. Take the prisoner and hand them over to the village chief, who will tell you what your mission is. Return to the starting point. Kill the three thieves, find the woman, and pick up the pendant. Eat some food if your strength is low, then return to the village to recruit and buy helmets and shields.
Go as far east into the forest as you can, then head north to pick up the black and white mushrooms. Go to the extreme north, pick up the dandelions, then fight the wasps. Enter the forest clearing on the south side and kill the orcs. Use as many arrows as possible on the chief orc. Pick up the necklace.
Return to the village, hand the necklace to the chief, then recover the boat. Eat, sleep, buy arrows, arms, and food. Go to the harbour and select the town landing-stage.
Zach's Island
Shopping tip: As you travel through the town, write down every shop and all prices for armour, helmets, weapons, and shields. Don't buy anything yet. Once you have the whole town mapped out and enough money, buy the most expensive items for everyone on your team — this avoids wasting money on items you'll soon find something better for.
Money tip: After each fight, always share the money you pick up between team members. Happy team members perform better!
Go straight through the town to the library at the extreme northeast. Pick up the fortress parchment and kill as many enemies as possible for money and experience. Buy food and recruit if necessary. Eat and sleep to recover, then head to the harbour towards the fortress.
Akeer's Island
Follow the wall on the right, moving east as much as possible. Fight skeletons, then go through the south passage. Pick up the treasure in the cul-de-sac at the south end and the skull in the cul-de-sac to the east. Leave the passage, continue east, then go south. In the large room, go to the extreme south-east, then south, east, and into the corridor to the north.
Activate the two handles on the right and left walls. Continue north into the passage and follow the corridor into the large room. Activate the handle on the north wall. Leave again, go to the extreme south-east, follow the corridor, and pick up a skull in the cul-de-sac. Return to the corridor with the two handles. Walk around the west wall, enter the room on the other side, and pick up the treasure, skull, and arms. Return to the landing-stage and go back to the town.
Zach's Island (2nd Visit)
Buy fighting gear, arrows, and as much food as possible — big battles are coming. Buy two monk's habits and five fur coats from the clothes shop (not far from the harbour, in the road leading to a small square to the north). Go to the library, examine the parchment on potions, then go west to the bank.
Enter the street and kill all the guards at once using arrows and spells. Take the door opposite, pick up 100,000 po (stolen!), and deposit 10,000 po in the bank across the street.
Go shopping: buy a magpie, a monkey, an eagle, and a parrot from the pet shop in the extreme south-east of town. The shop opposite is a super-armourer if you have the money. Go south and buy five ropes from the shopkeeper. Move west and buy potions for the HUMBOLG spell ("troublesome priest") and the JABLOU spell ("ent reviver"). Continue west, and at the next three crossroads go north, then west, then east. Kill the giant guard (difficult), then regain strength — more fights are coming.
Enter the Blue Velvet nightclub (only open at night) — you'll be thrown in prison. Release the magpie through the bars; it will bring back the key. Open the cell. Put on five monk's habits. Enter the fortress passage between midnight and 4am, pass the monk, and witness the sacrifice. Recover the prison key from the monk's belt, then leave the passage. Find the invisible wall (one character should notice a draught) and cross it. Leave the prison and fight the guards.
For the next step you need at least 10,000 po and an iron shield. If you have these, take the boat back to where you originally started — Irvan's Island.
Irvan's Island (2nd Visit)
Go as far east as you can, then follow the east coast. Find a magician and give him 10,000 po, then send out the eagle. Pick up the mountain parchment. Return along the coast to the extreme west. When you find the standing stones, continue to the west end. Pick up the relic at the foot of the standing stone.
When the Golem wakes up, kill him — remember, most spells won't work on him. Then turn around and fight Golem a second time. Return to the harbour and select the mountains, landing on the south landing-stage.
Jon's Island
In the mountains, put on your fur coats. Remove armour and attach the ropes to avoid falling. Head east, pick up the cauldron from the snow, then set off in the opposite direction following the mountain road along the precipice. Find a Rhinoceros, kill it, and take its horn. Return to the landing-stage and select the mountains landing-stage to the north-west.
On leaving the harbour, travel east. Follow the coast, then take the passage to the west. Fight two giants and pick up the living sword in a mountain hollow, then leave the passage. Continue northwards until you find the priest at the end of a cul-de-sac. Prepare the HUMBOLG potion and give it to him, then pick up the tree island parchment. Return to the harbour and select the tree island.
Thorm's Island
Put on the pendant recovered from the dead woman. Take the crossroads to the left, then north, then second on the right. At the end, find an ent. Prepare the JABLOU potion and give it to him to drink, then pick up the pendant he leaves. Go south, head west, and enter the village. Visit the huts (two open huts give useful information). Return to the harbour, go to the extreme east, and fight the ewoks. At the end, pick up the relic and return towards the harbour.
Head north, east, north, then east, follow the road, and find the stone druid at the end. Place the Rhinoceros horn on it, then give it the iron shield when it wakes up. You'll receive the magic shield (protects against fire). Turn around and at the crossing go north, east, then first north. Fight the monster, then take the first west. Navigate the labyrinth, avoiding false trails and aggressive eagles. At the far western end, find the dead woman. Collect the key to the town hall from around her neck, then hurry back to the harbour.
Zach's Island (3rd Visit)
Go to the town hall (extreme north-west). Pick up the idol, then go to the temple (west of the bank) and give the idol to the monk. Pick up the air elemental pendant, then go to the bank and withdraw some money. Buy arms and food if necessary, eat and sleep, but keep 7,100 po. Return to the harbour and go to the fortress.
Akeer's Island (2nd Visit)
Follow the left-hand wall north to the passage. In the circular corridor, take the invisible passage to the north. Follow the corridors into the flooded area. In the maze, keep taking corridors north until you leave the catacombs. Find the three weighing scales and put exactly 3,350 po on each of the first two scales. Return to the catacombs — hopefully the water has drained. Take the second path to the south-east, follow the small underground passage.
In the large room, activate the handle at the south-east end. Take the treasure at the north-west end, then put on the air elemental pendant. Continue to the north-east end, take the first right, and fight the mummies (fire cloud and lightning are effective). At the very end, go south and pick up a skull.
Return north, take the access east. Stop in front of the wall, take the invisible passage to the south, pick up the treasure and skull. Return to your position, then cross the invisible wall still moving east. If blocked, sidestep south and continue east. Enter the prison. You can find other treasures by passing invisible passages at the ends of the maze.
Follow the corridor. In the east, kill the lion-guard. At the eastern end, use the prison key in the lock to open all cells. In the first cell to the right, there's treasure behind an invisible wall. In one cell is a blind girl whom you must recruit — dismiss either the archer or warrior first (take their possessions). In the second cell to the south (from the west), there's a secret passage through an invisible wall.
Follow the corridor into a vast room. This area is cursed — some characters will be inverted. Cast the lifting spell to un-invert them. Go to the middle of the columns and pick up the living sword. From the center, make the return journey in pattern: go north, return to center; go south, return to center; go west, return to center; then continue. At the end, you'll find invisible walls with treasures or a secret passage with a handle to activate. Take the passage to the south-east, go through the door, follow the corridor south. In front of the grille, release the monkey to open the passage. Reach the landing-stage and select the fortress entrance again.
Akeer's Island (3rd Visit)
Return south-east to the corridor with handles. Go due north into the passage and follow corridors west. Beware the destroying wizard of chaos — prepare psychic protection before fighting him. Kill him and pick up the treasures and skull. Return to the passage entrance and take the corridor to the south-east. Watch for the magician, kill him, then click the button underneath the eagle-heads to reveal a secret passage. Continue along the corridor to the north and place the six skulls on the six scales. Continue, kill the guard, and pick up the relic. Return to the landing-stage and re-enter the town.
Zach's Island (4th Visit)
Buy five evening tunics from the clothes shop. Put on the tunics and the ent pendant, and enter the nightclub Blue Velvet. Pick up the end of fortress parchment. With 20,000 po, go to the cul-de-sac of the four towers between 1am and 2am. Give the 20,000 po to the shady character there, then pick up a relic. Buy ingredients for five anti-vertigo potions (MILDONG), then eat and sleep. At the harbour, select the mountains and the north-east landing-stage.
Jon's Island (2nd Visit)
Find a passage to the west. Follow the road, kill the dwarves, then enter the mountains to the north. Pick up two edelweiss plants — one in a cul-de-sac to the west, one to the east. Return to the passage entrance. Continue east, kill the vultures, enter the mountains to the north, and pick up one more edelweiss. Return to the passage entrance, then go east then north. Take the passage east and pick up two more edelweiss plants. This area is cursed — cast a curse-lifting spell. Each character must drink an anti-vertigo potion to continue. Follow the road, pick up a relic, then return to the harbour and select the mountains north-west landing-stage.
Jon's Island (3rd Visit)
Travel west along the coast. Fight all the guards, then dismiss or cast one character into the void. Enter the mountains to the east, kill the guards. At the end, leave five relics on five pillars and the druid will revive. Recruit the druid — he's essential for his fire-protection spell. Return to the landing-stage and select the end of fortress. Replenish supplies in town if needed.
Otbar's Island – The Fortress
Fight the Fire Elemental: put the magic shield on one character, activate the fire-protection spell, approach the elemental, and strike. At the first crossroads, turn right and travel around the block. Take the access to the north, then at the next crossroads go west. In the maze, fight orcs and collect arms and treasures; to the north, fight the dragon (same principle as the fire elemental — the protection spell must always be active). Use the healing spell as often as needed.
Continue north, collect treasures in the crannies. At the next crossroads go north, then through the secret passage in the north wall. Fight the wizard and skeletons. At the end of the invisible-walls maze, activate the handle. Return to the crossroads and head south. Navigate around the spikes in the walls carefully.
Reach Shandar's fortress. Move along the edges of the large room (missiles in the ceiling). Pick up the treasure at the south-east end, then at the north-west end fight the knight and take the access north. Follow the corridor and activate the mechanism in the small room to the west. Fight the Gorgon (beware — she inverts characters!), then enter the large room with the fountain that restores life points.
Continue south into the labyrinth with the mummies and the witch. Take the passage south then east. There's a mechanism to activate in the small room to the west. Fight the lion guards. The trapdoor can be activated to open the grille. At the next crossroads, go north, collect the treasures, and activate the mechanism. Return to the crossroads and go south.
Follow corridors to the end and find a small room with a magician. Listen carefully to what he says — do not attack him. Take the north access in the previous corridor. Put the parrot in front of the ear and the passage opens. In the next room, move carefully (head height), then move along the edges. Prepare psychic shelter, then fight Shandar in the north access. Kill him, and that's it — you've finished Ishar 2!
Walkthrough sourced from The Spoiler Centre.