Stonekeep strategy guide
Lots of detail on surviving in Stonekeep
StonekeepUpgrade to version 1.1 IMMEDIATELY.This FAQ will frequently refer to game coordinates (i.e., the dagger is locatedat X-15, Y-10, underneath some rubble). Press [SHIFT + F8] to display thecoordinates of your current position. The game objective is made pretty clear by Thera, during the game intro: "I amThera, Goddess of Earth. Prepare yourself, your journey awaits. You mustdescend to the lost city of Stonekeep and retrieve the nine recepticles. Toprotect you from the magic of the darker realm, I must free your spirit.Achieve your goal, and Stonekeep and I will be free. Fail, and you will beentombed with the forces of darkness ... forever." Phew! All that frommemory. I've definately been playing this game too long. In any event, your job is to find the Nine Recepticles of the Gods, and restorethem to Thera's Temple. Simple, right? Only there's all kinds of really nastymonsters, viscious traps, and confusing puzzles along the way. Sheeradventure!!Throwing weapons are mentioned first, because they're the first weapons you getany real experience in. The Stonekeep Instruction Manual (such as it is), describes how Drake can find and use a rock in the "Getting Started" section(p.20 - 21). The following objects can be used as throwing weapons (listed inorder of "effectiveness"): skulls, rocks, darts, crossbow bolts, arrows (yes,you can throw arrows and bolts without a bow; I never figured out why),daggers, hand-axe, and a spear. To throw a weapon, first you must activate it. Activate a weapon by taking itout of your inventory (move the cursor to the right of the screen, when it turns to a scroll, right click the mouse; grab the item you want and click toclose the scroll). The higher you hold the object, the harder Drake will throwit. Don't hold it too high -- sometimes you'll throw it right over yourenemies head!Do "The Wahooka Shuffle." Basically, you close to the same square as youradversary, you hold down your mouse button (so that your weapon just keepsswinging at the bad guy) and hold down your [left arrow] or [right arrow] buttons. This causes Drake to just spin around and around, swing at thebeast. If you keep your cursor centered on the creature, you really do end updoing more damage to them than they can do to you.For most creatures, the best strategy is to attack them with all thrown &projectile (if you have any) weapons first: rocks, crossbow bolts, bows).Whittle those hit points down. Keep retreating and firing until you run out ofammo.Later in the game, the opponents are tougher. You'll need some of the runes tobe effective in combat. The best tactic you can have is to cast INVISIBILITYon your party, and then spell yourself up with STRENGTH-TRIPPLE (strength, withthe tripple meta rune added on). While invisible, nothing will attack you ...and with tripple strength it doesn't take much to whale on 'em. Aim for theface always, or places where there is no armor!Sometimes, it just makes sense to use the runes instead of combat. I usuallyavoid offensive runes, because I like to use the mana for healing, teleportingand defensive/protective spells. I can hit unlimited times with a sword, butcan only case a finite number of fireballs before my runecaster wears out.However, there are times when it just makes sense to use the runecaster:firebolts on the Ice Queen and her Ice Ball minions, Ice bolts on the Fireelementals, shrink runes are enemies that are bigger than you, etc. Runes are used to cast magical spells. When you start the game, you will haveno magical ability and will not know any Runes. After you have found theJournal (see 2-5) you will have a medium for recording runes. Thereafter,whenever you find a rune scroll in the lands of Stonekeep, that rune willautomatically be recorded into your journal. A runecaster is simply a stick on which you inscribe runes that you've collected in your journal. Pages 11-12 ofthe Interplay Stonekeep Instruction manual outline how runes are placed ontorunecasters.Learning to cast runes will become crucial to your success in the game. Manyrunes are offensive in nature (such as fire, wind, ice), and these are thesimplest to cast. Simply equip Drake with a Rune Stick, click the right mousebutton (if the stick is in Drake's right hand), and this will bring the weaponup in front of Drake. Center the crosshair cursor on the bad monster, and thenclick the right mouse button again. Whoosh -- there goes the spell effectagainst the bad guy!Some runes (such as strength, armor and healing) are defensive in nature andare intended to be cast on yourself, or members of your party. To cast theserunes, first inscribe them on your rune stick. Raise the rune stick forward bypressing the right mouse button (if the stick is in your right hand), selectthe rune you want to cast. Type "M" to bring up Type "M" to bring up MysticMirror of Afri, and place the crosshair cursor over the charcter to be healed.Press the right mouse button again and [tinkle, tinkle, tinkle], you'reaffected by the spell.To teleport in the game, you need to have both the Home Rune (Feeding Grounds1, X-25, Y-19) and the Teleport Rune (Dwarven Fortress, X-01, Y-19). It'susually a good idea to cast your Home Rune near a Mana Circle (so that when you teleport to "home", you are near a circle at which you can quickly recharge).Inscribe the Home Rune on your Rune stick (see section 4-1), and then bring therune stick forward. Be sure there is a section of corridor in front of you(not a wall) and select the Home rune. Press the mouse button with the cursorstraight in front of you. Whamo -- blue home circle. The teleport rune will ALWAYS teleport you to the home circle. If you don'thave a home circle inscribed somewhere, the all activating the teleport runewill do is suck mana from your stick! After a Home circle is laid outsomewhere, inscribe the Teleport rune on your stick (see 4-1) and then bringthe rune stick forward. Select the Teleport rune and press the button. Blink-- you're home.In the opening intro, Thera tells Drake that he "must retrieve the ninereceptacles." Khul-Khum, the Dark Brother, betrayed the 9 gods, and imprisoned them within small orbs. The gods will be set free only when Drake issuccessful in restoring them to Thera's Temple.Having difficulty finding the 9 Recepticles? Here's where they are located: Afri (Held by 2 tough Shargas in the Ruins of Stonekeep 1, x13, y14) Aquila (In a chest in the Sharga Mines 1, x18, y28) Azrael (In the left eye of a Throggi Statue, Temple of Throggi, x18, y4) Yoth-Soggoth (Held by a big, mean troll, x34, y25) Helion (Caverns of Ice) Safrinni (On the floor in the Pits, x19, y4) Marif (Giant orb at x17, y18 -- use Shrink rune to make this orb normal size) Thera (Tower of Shadows 4, x4, y10) Kor Soggoth (Tower of Shadows 4, x5, y10) Khull Khum (Tower of Shadows 4, x5, y10) What do the Nine Recepticles Do 5-3-1 Afri ( Vision Seeker): Shows a *complete* map of the surrounding area(within 5 squares in any direction), including hidden passages. Very helpfulif you can't find away past a certain wall or object -- because Afri may showyou that there really IS nothing on the other side of that wall.Follow the basic "Getting Started" directions in the instruction manual thatcame with your CD-ROM. Basically, get the skull and a rock. Kill thewandering giant ant, read the sign, find the guardroom, get the dagger and theleather armor find the only other door in this section of the Entrance Level.The door won't open, but if you throw that switch to the left of the door,you'll be on your way. Don't worry, the other tricks in the game are a lotmore subtle!There are two doors on this level which seem impassable. These doors eitherdon't have any keyholes, or don't have keyholes on this side. You'll have tokeep exploring to get to the other side of these doors.There are two "tough" goblins at x13, y14. New players sometimes havedifficulty killing these beasties off. Advice tendered here is to throw yourburning oil flasks, rocks, daggers, skulls -- anything. Try to whittle them down from afar. Then enter the room and start attacking them directly. Keepmoving, keep circling -- do Randy's "Whahooka Shuffle". When you start gettinghurt badly, leave the room and seek out the healing fountain.The Green Slime has the ivory key at x22, y5 on the Ruins of Stonekeep 2 level.Walk the corridors until you hear the wind sound (if you have headphones on,you can even tell which direction the wind is blowing from ... which is prettycool on Interplay's part!). That wind is coming from a small hole -- whichDrake can barely squeeze through (treat it like an illusionary wall). There are two windy passages on this level, and one of them leads to a passageout.There is an Ettin (two-headed giant) roaming about the Sharga Mines Level 1.You cannot kill this creature (no matter how strong the NPC's are in yourparty), but you can get his treasure by using the Silence spell.The Throggi Priests use this statue head to recharge their Rune Scepters. Takeone of your rune sticks from your inventory, hold it up to the statue and clickyour mouse button. Your rune sceptre is now recharged. Warning! If you don'thold anything up for the Throggi God to charge, you'll be blasted withlightning!To get the Duck Rune from the Faerie Players, give them a mushroom.There is a magical Horn of Fear hidden at X-##, Y-## of the Farie Realm. TheHorn casts a Fear spell at enemies, causing them to run away.The stump like pyramid at X-10, Y-08 is a one-time rune staff recharge. Placethe cursor over the object until Drake's hand appears, then trigger yourmouse. All your rune staffs are recharged.Some cave-in walls are dead-ends, others can be gotten past by chipping at themwith your weapon (or a fist). More than likely, there is nothing beyond thesepassages. They're just a dead end. You can verify this by using Afri's Orb.Simply walk up to the wall, take Afri's Orb from your inventory, and place itbefore you. If Afri the visionary can't see anything beyond that wall, thanthere is no game there! Another way to test the wall is to whack it with yourweapon -- if you here a clang, than it's a wall that you can get past. Justkeep chipping at it. If you here nothing, then you can't affect that wall.Find the Ice Queens Throne at X-##, Y-## and cast Fire or Warmth at thethrone. It will melt into a small puddle, which will heal your party to full(only once).Use the scroll from the dark Dwarves lair. The O's represent buttons you pushon the puzzels and the x's buttons you don't. count them from the top, left toright. then just push the appropriate numbered button and your done. For example Push the 1st, 2nd and 8th buttons, three more and the magic door across the will open...At X-15, Y-03 there is a door to Tower of Shadows 3. Wahooka gives you a bigclue on opening this door, when he tells you that you need to use magic. Casta Spoilspell or the Murphy rune to unlock the door. The Spoilspell Rune isacquired at the Temple of Throggi (X-21, Y-20), and Murph's Rune is in theFaerie Realm (X-9, Y1). Break it. If the dark dwarves are still alive they give you some information.It's not a cross, but an insert. When you find the silver cross, insert ithere! If you are playing version 1.0, there is a helpful bug (that's unusual) thatgives you free hit points. There are 3 places (2 signs and 1 secret panel)which, when touched, do damage but raise your max hit points by 20. DO NOTremove the dust from these with fire, water or wind spells; this dust is whatraises your points. The best technique is to save, then ttouch a few times,heal to max, touch some more. DO NOT exceed 980 or you will be dumped out ofthe game. Y ou can show the numeric values by clicking on your health bar onthe mirror. This was fixed (awww, rats!) in version 1.1, as it seems the update to v1.1has fixed this -- you now *lose* 20 health, permanently... RUMORS: The following of rumors that I haven't been able to check up on yet.There is an easter egg in the game where Kevin Bass (credited in the game asbeing responsible for Sharga interactions or something) is mentioned by Drakeor some of the NPC's. You only get this if you have the very sharp dagger. - There is a note in the Dwarf hall about Quality Assurance missing thisparticular scroll. - Jim is spelled out in an inaccessible area of the game.
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