Safav Hamon
Self-Ejected
- Joined
- May 15, 2018
- Messages
- 2,141
I'm going to breakdown a quest in Deadfire to show how it has the best quest and level design of any CRPG
Now I could go with an obvious example like Fort Deadlight or Arkemyrs Manor, but instead I will choose a less obvious example - Hasongo
The quest begins at marker #1 where your party discovers the fortress has been ransacked. You can head inside the storage room at marker #2 to find some holed up Rauitaian soldiers, who inform you that Coral Naga have taken over the fortress and their leader is in the lighthouse.
Proceeding forward, your party will be ambushed at marker #3 by 9 coral naga archers and 4 coral naga swordsman on an elevated platform protected by a large barricade (#4). If your party isn't high enough level, you will most likely be slaughtered instantly. If you can survive the ambush and make it up the stairs without dying, you will need to use your grenade skill or AoE damage spells to destroy the barricade quickly. Alternatively, if your stealth skill is high enough you can sneak past the ambush.
After surviving the ambush, you will find the next two paths blocked by very tough mobs. The mob at marker #5 is virtually impossible because shamans will summon unlimited reinforcements. The mob at #6 is easier, although will still be challenging at low levels. Thankfully, there is a way to bypass mob #5 without combat.
The non-combat approach requires making it to the kitchen at marker #7, although just running up to it will alert the mob at #5. You have two choices. If your stealth skill is sufficiently high, you can sneak up to it. Otherwise, you can use a rope & grappling hook and your athletics skill to shimmy over to the rooftop at marker #8. Either way, you're now in the kitchen.
From the kitchen, you can use the flooded hallway to access the Dining Hall and Cannon Ramparts. In order to know which way to go, you need to pass a survival skill check of 4.
Heading over to the cannon ramparts requires passing a might check of 14 or having a prybar. Heading to the Dining Hall requires passing a party-wide athletics check of 8 or one of your characters will be injured. Exiting the Dining Hall will put you on the other side of the impossible mob.
Optional Objective: Use the bombard to eliminate the central mob
Now that you've figured out how to bypass the mob, you're in a position to use the bombard to eliminate the tough mob at marker #6. Doing this requires three things.
1. Finding ammunition.
The only ammunition is in the Fleet Masters Office. The only way to get into the office is to pass a mechanics check of 10 or backtrack to marker #2 and ask Zuhira for the key. Once you're in, you can speak to the Fleet Master and he will give you ammunition.
2. Positioning the Bombard
This requires passing a might check of 18 or finding some cooking oil in the Kitchen
3. Aiming the Bombard
This requires having Maia in your party or finding the artillery manual in the Cannon Rampart
Once you complete all these steps, you can fire the bombard at the central mob and eliminate it.
After completing the optional objective, there are three paths to the lighthouse.
Path #1 will have you ambushed by 8 coral naga archers on an elevated platform, similar to the first encounter at the beginning of the quest. The difference is that there's no way to reach them in melee without first entering the Engineering Workshop, which is impossible if you're already in combat. So either you have a strong ranged party, sneak past them, or run past them (since they can't follow you either). Alternatively, you can take Path #2 and hit the archers from behind, making the fight much easier.
Or if you want to avoid combat altogether, you can take Path #3 by passing a party-wide athletics check of 8 and climbing up the ramparts. However if one of your party members has below 8 athletics, you will fail and be injured.
In the lighthouse you will be confronted by Sugann, the leader of the Coral Naga.
He will fight you unless you pass one of several high level skill check, and then demand that you find the spirit of one of his people. This requires backtracking to the Flooded Hallway and going to the Cannon Ramparts, which if you remember requires passing a might check of 14 or having a prybar. There you will find a Coral Naga spirit called Yanass. Ask him to come with you and head back to Sugann.
After heading back to Sugann with Yanass, he will let you touch the Adra Pillar. You will have a conversation with Eothas, where he will ask you several questions. Your dialogue options determine which of several unique abilities you recieve.
At this point you can say your farewell to the Naga and head back to Neketaka... that is unless Maia is in your party. She will demand bloodshed for her fallen brothers at Hasongo. In order to convince her to back down, you need to pass a reputation check of 2 with her or the Royal Deadfire Company. Otherwise you will be forced to massacre Sugann and his men, which can be tough at low levels.
--------------------
So there you have it. This isn't even in the top 5 most complex quests in the game, yet it's more complex than anything you will find in any other CRPG.
Now I could go with an obvious example like Fort Deadlight or Arkemyrs Manor, but instead I will choose a less obvious example - Hasongo
The quest begins at marker #1 where your party discovers the fortress has been ransacked. You can head inside the storage room at marker #2 to find some holed up Rauitaian soldiers, who inform you that Coral Naga have taken over the fortress and their leader is in the lighthouse.
Proceeding forward, your party will be ambushed at marker #3 by 9 coral naga archers and 4 coral naga swordsman on an elevated platform protected by a large barricade (#4). If your party isn't high enough level, you will most likely be slaughtered instantly. If you can survive the ambush and make it up the stairs without dying, you will need to use your grenade skill or AoE damage spells to destroy the barricade quickly. Alternatively, if your stealth skill is high enough you can sneak past the ambush.
After surviving the ambush, you will find the next two paths blocked by very tough mobs. The mob at marker #5 is virtually impossible because shamans will summon unlimited reinforcements. The mob at #6 is easier, although will still be challenging at low levels. Thankfully, there is a way to bypass mob #5 without combat.
The non-combat approach requires making it to the kitchen at marker #7, although just running up to it will alert the mob at #5. You have two choices. If your stealth skill is sufficiently high, you can sneak up to it. Otherwise, you can use a rope & grappling hook and your athletics skill to shimmy over to the rooftop at marker #8. Either way, you're now in the kitchen.
From the kitchen, you can use the flooded hallway to access the Dining Hall and Cannon Ramparts. In order to know which way to go, you need to pass a survival skill check of 4.
Heading over to the cannon ramparts requires passing a might check of 14 or having a prybar. Heading to the Dining Hall requires passing a party-wide athletics check of 8 or one of your characters will be injured. Exiting the Dining Hall will put you on the other side of the impossible mob.
Optional Objective: Use the bombard to eliminate the central mob
Now that you've figured out how to bypass the mob, you're in a position to use the bombard to eliminate the tough mob at marker #6. Doing this requires three things.
1. Finding ammunition.
The only ammunition is in the Fleet Masters Office. The only way to get into the office is to pass a mechanics check of 10 or backtrack to marker #2 and ask Zuhira for the key. Once you're in, you can speak to the Fleet Master and he will give you ammunition.
2. Positioning the Bombard
This requires passing a might check of 18 or finding some cooking oil in the Kitchen
3. Aiming the Bombard
This requires having Maia in your party or finding the artillery manual in the Cannon Rampart
Once you complete all these steps, you can fire the bombard at the central mob and eliminate it.
After completing the optional objective, there are three paths to the lighthouse.
Path #1 will have you ambushed by 8 coral naga archers on an elevated platform, similar to the first encounter at the beginning of the quest. The difference is that there's no way to reach them in melee without first entering the Engineering Workshop, which is impossible if you're already in combat. So either you have a strong ranged party, sneak past them, or run past them (since they can't follow you either). Alternatively, you can take Path #2 and hit the archers from behind, making the fight much easier.
Or if you want to avoid combat altogether, you can take Path #3 by passing a party-wide athletics check of 8 and climbing up the ramparts. However if one of your party members has below 8 athletics, you will fail and be injured.
In the lighthouse you will be confronted by Sugann, the leader of the Coral Naga.
He will fight you unless you pass one of several high level skill check, and then demand that you find the spirit of one of his people. This requires backtracking to the Flooded Hallway and going to the Cannon Ramparts, which if you remember requires passing a might check of 14 or having a prybar. There you will find a Coral Naga spirit called Yanass. Ask him to come with you and head back to Sugann.
After heading back to Sugann with Yanass, he will let you touch the Adra Pillar. You will have a conversation with Eothas, where he will ask you several questions. Your dialogue options determine which of several unique abilities you recieve.
At this point you can say your farewell to the Naga and head back to Neketaka... that is unless Maia is in your party. She will demand bloodshed for her fallen brothers at Hasongo. In order to convince her to back down, you need to pass a reputation check of 2 with her or the Royal Deadfire Company. Otherwise you will be forced to massacre Sugann and his men, which can be tough at low levels.
--------------------
So there you have it. This isn't even in the top 5 most complex quests in the game, yet it's more complex than anything you will find in any other CRPG.
Last edited:
