Tales of the Sword Coast areas - when to visit

Remove all ads!

The new areas added with Tales of the Sword Coast (Ulgoth's Beard and Dulgar's Tower) have been on my map for ages. So far, there has been no plot-related reason to visit them, so I haven't.

Is there ever a plot-driven reason to visit those areas? Or do you just have to wander over there for sake of wandering over there - just to see what is there?

[ September 29, 2004, 23:03: Message edited by: Taluntain ]

 

No i think there is no plot-driven reason to visit either Ulgoth's Beard or Dulgar's Tower...so yeah wandering for the sake of it

It also makes more sense to visit Ulgoth's Beard first in terms of quests related to ToSC.

 

If you want to go to Durlag's Tower as a tourist (and see how the trip of other tourists end...), speak to Ike in Ulgoth's Beard.

By the way, no these areas aren't related with any serious quest. In original BG, somewhere I slightly remember meeting a wanderer who mentions Durlag's Tower... that's all I think.

 

So when should I visit them then?

 

It's really up to you except that you'll probably need a high level party in order to tackle the new areas.

Usually do them before I enter Baldur's Gate...

 

I usually do them before travelling to Candlekeep. Or when I have returned to BG.

 

I do them any time in chapter 5, either before entering Baldur's Gate or once I'm done there. One small quest in Ulgoth's Beard could be a little different if you go there after completing all the quests in Baldur's Gate.

 

To avoid spoiling others' fun, my question will be vague: do you mean the quest that is related with a wizard, right?

 

I'm sure he does Baronius. I would say it would be foolhardy to attempt to tackle any part of the expansion with out at least a level 6 party. I would recommmend even higher for the dungeon's below Durlag's Tower.

 

I'd recommend to do Durlag's tower at the very, very end.

It's arguably the hardest and most frustrating dungeon in any BG game ever.

 

go to Ulgoths beard first and talk to the dwarf in the bar. Do whatever you need and then hit Durlags tower at the end. You will find out that you need to go back to Ulgoths beard after Durlags.

 

lots of nice items down there

 

lots of good stuff, I would go to Ulgoths beard before finishing Baldur's. Durlag's is pretty tough for lower levels and the mage labrynth to the North is pretty hard to. Just my opinion, but I would wait until you are ready to put the beat down on Sarevok and then go to Durlag's and the mage stronghold. good luck

 

I must say the new areas in TotSC are very poorly integrated with the rest of the game. I mean, the only in-game reason to go to Durlag's tower is going like a tourist. Isn't that just a bad way of implanting a new hack-N-slash area?

I realize it must've been hard to put in those areas in an already existing game, a game without needs for more areas. Yet, they could've come up with something slightly better - maybe some new NPC's that want to travel to those places with you? That couldn't have been too hard to do. It would've been enough with like 2 or 3 new NPC's that could be found either in Ulgoth's Beard or in some other already existing area.

Don't think I don't like the TotSC expansion tho, because I love it Yet some thing could've been done better.

 

@Falk,

It is up to the player to explore new areas or not, BG1 is not like BG2, where all the places to go are indicated by one NPC or another.

Regarding Durlag's Tower, when you go to Gullykin, the halfling that welcomes you talks about it, even if you don't have ToSC installed. And one learns about Gullykin and the Firewine ruins by talking to townsfolk. In fact, you can get references to most of the areas of the game in the same fashion.

I don't remember if there were references to Ulgoth's Beard, but there were no refences at all to the Bassilisk Forest either, and people found it in the game, nonetheless.

 

I actually liked the whole tourist thing. It seemed like a nice change from just going to some ruins with the express purpose of adventuring. Even adventurers can be tourists, right?

 

Colthrun - don't take my words wrong. I was just giving TotSC a little bit of criticism, yet I still said I loved the expansion. It's just that if I had made it myself, I would probably have spent much more time implanting the new areas more completely. What you say is right, and like Kam says it is an interesting thing to be a tourist for once.

Just wanted to tell things from my perspective!

 

@ Colthrun, Ulgoth's Beard is mentioned in Feldepost's Inn. Marl's son bought a plow with money he made clearing out Kobolds near Ulgoth's Beard or something.

I always do the ToSC quests right before the thief maze, which makes them a lot less intimidating. Also it means I've usually hit the experience cap by the time I go down to face Sarevok.