Fate:Gates of Dawn Clues, tips and other useful bits discovered so far Sent in by Piotr Tyminski Following my recent enthusiastic review of "FATE" here is some useful advice and information for any of you who might be playing the game at the early stages (well, not-so-early-stage players should, hopefully, also find something for them, too). Please note the intention of this article is not to provide you with a complete solution to the game (frankly, I would be unable to provide any, I am still very far from completing it), the idea is to share my experience with any of you who may be playing "FATE". If you do not want to make your life too easy just skip these parts which may reveal too much. What I think though, is that even if you take advantage of all the help I may hopefully provide writing this it will not spoil the game, since it is so huge the lion's part of it is will still be left unexplored for you (and me, too). Let's start with some general advice (some of them may sound all too obvious but that's why, we just never do obvious things when playing RPGs or tend to forget them simply): * Don't just walk around hackin'n'slashin' everybody in sight; it's much better to TALK to people. Without various bits of info which they may possess you really do not know what to do in the long run. * Don't look down upon people; even humble and poor ones may have valuable clues. * When assembling a party go for a good mix of abilities (when you are in desperate need of cash and decide to cross swords with wandering nasties - there's always a chance they are rich - your strong warriors will probably perform quite well but what about recruiting a fragile female healer prior to major battle? She doesn't need to fight - you can always tell her to hide somewhere - but she will be invaluable to cure your heros' wounds afterwards). You should not be tempted to recruit extremely strong characters only; you should rather think in terms of their final USEFULNESS to your particular task. * You will definitely need someone with language abilities, preferably an official translator or maybe someone who studied ancient languages in the past (such person is of use in later stages of the game, but why not think ahead?). * It's no use developing all attributes and special abilities for all of your companions; remember there are also protective "magical spheres" to be developed! (there are 10 basic character values plus eleven "spheres") It's not the best idea to develop intelligence of a Mutant warrior, he will not make much use of it anyway, you should rather work on his strength or stamina. Depending on what kind of tasks you intend to assign to your companions you should work on improving their certain abilities. * To make any real progress you MUST have an Enchanter in your team (or just someone who mastered Enchanter's range of spells). The spell in question is "FLARE": a nice trick revealing any secret (normally not visible) doors, passages, etc. * You will need, sooner or later, more than one party, i.e. three or four giving you effective control over 28 characters. Don't worry though, it's not a matter of life and death in the very early stages of your quest. Since characters can be easily transferred between teams creating other parties can be of real use even in the beginning; the second party can be used for "storing" characters who are, for some reasons, unwanted at the moment in the no 1 team but on the other hand are too precious to be disposed of. * There are twelve different races having various abilities, strengths and weaknesses. When looking for certain professional don't just take pure profession into consideration; you should also look at the origin (i.e. race) of the individual. Some races make good warriors, some good healers, magicians, etc. Don't be deceived by your first impressions; you may happen to meet a Ter Moron who's a good warrior but try to think ahead, i.e. Bes Zaraks make better warriors in general and their values may be developed much further than those of Ter Morons. * You shouldn't enter dangerous dungeons just for fun; if you will be lucky enough you'll just manage to escape with some treasures/gold but otherwise there will be no profit (unless you don't care, ha!). There are loads of important things and clues hidden deep under the ground in caves and catacombs but you must know what you are looking for; if you don't it may well happen that you just keep on wandering aimlessly (in the best case). You can also get stuck pretty easily or, even worse, get your whole team wiped out by powerful enemies if you descend into dungeon without proper knowledge and preparation. * Remember to use "SAVE" option sparingly; the game gets tougher and tougher (and I mean REALLY tough) when you try to cheat by saving your position too often in order to try several different options just afterwards. There is a warning in the manual, too, and they are damn right about what they say. * Do read the manual several times (sounds pretty obvious, eh?); it will pay in the end. It is really perfectly written so it is not boring to read it. These are just basic guidelines for you to follow, now let's have a look at the small square map which comes with the game. You start your journey in the top left-hand corner just a short distance south-east of Larvin - big town and apparently the capital of the country. Wander around for a while and have a look at the map again; you should have some idea now about how immense the area is. Don't worry though (in case you think it's not big enough for you); there's more than shown - there's still land behind the Great Sea, there are unmapped islands with towns and villages, etc. North-east corner of the map, including Larvin and Laronnes, is separated from the rest of the land by an impassable mountain range. You will not cross it, no way, but exploring the mountains, as well as the edges of the map, may prove profitable, as there are tales about strange weapons and things hidden there. If you examine the map carefully enough you will surely notice tiny red dots here and there. These are either cave train stations or, better, some strange places worth visiting and exploring. These may be monuments (i.e. huge, tall black monolith or immense lion) or mysterious places of no apparent use (I haven't discovered any real meaning of these places yet, what makes me feel even worse is that there are places where I can see some stone buildings or walls or whatever it is but I am unable to approach them - they just flicker through the dense forest and bushes). There is really plenty to explore in the area before you set off further away, i.e. behind the mountains. Wandering around alone is not safe, especially in the night, so you will need a bunch of good companions to help you in your quest. If you are lazy enough you may start with recruiting the most powerful guy in the area. Just look at the map carefully: Larvin is on the lake, just south of it is another, smaller lake. And just in between and a bit to the east there is something like a small spiral. You can reach the place by road and then some stubborn searching in the wood will reveal a hole in the ground. If you have someone small enough in your team to fit the hole you will find a dead body down there. Usually your small companion will not be strong enough to drag the dead one out of the hole. You will need some magic potions to increase considerably his strength in order to comply with the task. You can buy some in numerous magic shops in Larvin (they are not so strong, i.e. STRENGTH + 1, but just go for forty or fifty of them at once). And remember, do not swallow them on the spot, they are active only for some time so you have to drink them just before the real effect is needed. When the body is retrieved search for good healers in the capital; they can bring the dead hero back to life (oh well, it costs like a hell of a lot of money for a beginner). He can then join your party if you want (and better you do - he's powerful and faithful). Your first real task, except for searching for treasures here and there, should be to cross the mountain range in order to get to the main part of the land. The only way to do this is to travel by underground rail system which connects some major locations in the mainland (so called "cave train"). The problem is the train doesn't work anymore. Oh, dear. Since I assume you DO talk to people from time to time (if you don't your companions will get impatient and will tell you there's is something wrong about your way of doing things) you will get some basic clues what to do and where to go. Here are some conversations I had with various people (i.e. that's what I was told). Please note that in case you decide to follow your own line of investigation you may get more (or less) information. It is impossible to talk to everybody (technically you can but c'mon, there are thousands of people out there) so depending on to whom you talk (and how you do it - that's really important!) you may get different pieces of information. Here it goes: What they say in Larvin and surrounding area: - "I've heard about small hollow south of Laronnes. An old Mage told me about treasures hidden there (never found it) - "I've heard about magical bow hidden in the western glens (sounds good but I've never found it) - "We've got a big problem in Larvin; the Cave Train doesn't work anymore" - "Our king Harold set a big prize for the one who repairs the train" (Doesn't sound encouraging enough for you, eh?) - "Mongards pursue the train" - "Mongards are ghostly creatures and live in the dark" - "Mongards are nasty ape-men, beware of them" - "The Shade Ghosts are the power behind the Cave Train" - "The Shade Ghosts aren't evil creatures, they're on our side" - "The southern part of Larvin is a small isle; maybe you'll find some clues there" - "Southern Isle is a home of many wise men" - "Seek the mighty banshee Arleena, she knows how to use diamonds. You will find her in the Hernan's Wood" (I've never found her) - "The Mongards have the power to control the Shade Ghosts, but there's a tale about another being which can also do it" - "An old legend tells about a strange man who lives deep in the catacombs. The legend calls him >>The Master of the Shade Ghosts<<" - "The legend calls him Miras Athran, but that's all I know" - "I was told he went along with Thardan, so he must be an evil creature" - "The tale says he's a powerful Mastermage who nobody can destroy; avoid meeting him" - "In Larvin lives an old and wise druid called Mulradin; he's keeper of many secrets" - "Maybe he lives on a Southern Isle, like many other wise men" - "I've heard he died last summer" - "Mulradin lived in Larvinonce but I don't know where he is now" - "There's only one hidden way leading to the Southern Isle. The key may be found in the catacombs" - "There's more than one way to enter the catacombs" - "The key to the deeper dungeons might be found in the Lich's Inn (and that's bloody important information) - "I am looking for a way to reactivate the Cave Train; I think Miras Athran is a cause of our troubles" - "To find the way to the Southern Isle look for the big boulder in the catacombs" (I've found the boulder but it didn't seem to help. Maybe I just missed something) What they say in the catacombs/castle/on the Southern Isle: - "I've heard of a magical axe, it should be hidden in the secret Benth's Chamber here in the catacombs" - "Miras Athran is really an evil man. He lives deep in the catacombs. Athran is an evil mage who's been on the evil side since his earliest days. He used his force to absorb all of the peaceful Shade Ghosts into his mind. Now his spiritual power is greater than ever. In this way Athran caused the malfunction of the Cave Train to imprison the mysterious World Wanderer here in Larvin. All of our hopes are with you now. Find Miras Athran and free the Shade Ghosts. But beware of him; you can't destroy him in fight. Athran has surrounded himself with an aura of evil. each attack will only strengthen his force. There's only one way to break this aura. Only an innocent being without any hate in mind and heart is able to annihilate the dark sphere of Athran. The contact of this being with Athran's aura will kill him... but the Shade Ghosts will share his demise. To prevent this you have to carry the magical Staff of Gathalak. Gathalak will snatch the Shade Ghosts at the moment of Athran's death. I hope you are now able to accomplish your task. Good luck" (that's what I was told by Mulradin on the Southern Isle). - "Staff of Gathalak is located in the King's castle, I think" - "The castle is surrounded by a deep moat. The only way to get there leads through deep chambers of catacombs" - "Follow the blue stones in the catacombs - they'll lead you to the castle" - "I've heard that the Gathalak is owned by the Royal Mage Guild" - "Ask Tinius, the master of the Royal Guild" - "The way to the castle is very long and hard. You will need all your strength to survive" - "The Staff is hidden in the chamber in the southeast wing of the castle. Search for the Staff and re-enter the catacombs beyond the second stairs. And there's something else you need to enter the deeper vaults. Here you are given a parchment with a note >>you'll find it in FATE package<<. It's a kind of strange code without which you will never go to really deep catacombs. Use it to pass the Stone Guardian. But I also see you've fought a long way with the darkness. If you want to return to the city first there's an easy way to change between the castle, the Isle and the rest of the city. There exists a magical teleport system which can be activated here in the castle. Seek the switch chamber. That's all I'm able to tell you. I'm in a hurry; the king has sent for me. Good luck" (I've found something like the chamber mentioned but it didn't work. The screen just flicks once for a split of a second upon entering the chamber and my hard drive seems like hesitating to load any additional data and that's all, nothing happens. Since my party was already very powerful at that point of the game, so maybe the program just assumed things would get too easy for me and the access to the teleport system was denied. Or maybe I just made something in a wrong way. I've also found inactive teleport fields in Larvin - these should apparently work when activated from the castle. Let me know if you manage to put the teleport system into operation). What they say in the mainland beyond the mountain range (there's much more to be heard, I'm sure): - "Maybe you'll find some clues in the Spectre Wood but beware, it's a mysterious place" (I haven't managed to find anything) - "I've travelled once to the proud city of Cassida. Something strange has happened to the citizens" - "One time I was in Valvice, a decayed city at the sea. There you'll find the medley of oddest fellows you've ever seen" - "There's a mysterious island beyond the Great Sea" - "There's a legend about a city called Katloch, which is located on the island beyond the sea" - "I sailed across the sea once looking for this isle but it was impossible to reach it since it was guarded by dreadful squids" - "To reach it you must survive many perils. There're dangerous whirlpools, immense winds and ghastly squids around the isle" - "If you're in Cassida beware of the nights. Evil mages are walking around in the dark" - "Beware of the Forbidden Zone. Each creature who's not in the service of Thardan will be killed by the deadly spheres" (I was told this on the Wym Island) - "Forbidden Zone is a realm of Thardan" - "The Forbidden Zone is guarded by a deadly sphere. Beyond the inner Death Zone you'll find Thardan's castle but you'll be killed if you try this" - "An old tale says only the Cassidian mage can enter the Zone. But no Cassidian would ever leave Cassida" - "I don't know the way to cross the Forbidden Zone, but maybe you should ask the keeper of the Sorion Lake. He's an old druid who knows many secrets" - "Oh, it's written in the language of the Ancient Mages. I've studied this language years ago. It says it's the Lion of Justice which relieves each person from all bad curses, who is pure in mind and heart. But there's also a warning, hm... I can not decipher the rest. Someone has rendered it unrecognisable" (It was written on the monument in the Memorial Place) And in Valvice they say: - "If you're on a quest for mysterious things seek the legendary Grottos of Gahmos" - "People say that marvellous treasures may be found there" - "A lot of treasure seekers have gone into the grottos, but only a few have been seen again. And most of them had lost their minds" - "Drunken sailor spoke about a mage he met years ago. The mage appeared suddenly in Valvice one day. In those days this mage, called Mandrag, caused great trouble to Valvice because he was wanted by Thardan. Thardan has sent great army of mercenaries to Valvice to capture him. And those soldiers slayed lots of people here in the city. And then, he said, that one day the evil warriors disappeared as suddenly as they arrived" - "He disappeared years ago. Nobody knows for sure where he's gone. But I think he went down to Gahmonian Grottos" - "I met him in the days before he disappeared. He told me he was going to search for the strange stone" - "If you are on the quest for treasures beware of the Dracs. They're turning all seekers to stone" - "I haven't seen this dialect for ages. It's written in the language of Brals, an ancient race of mages. It explains how to find an entrance to the Gahmonian Grottos. Two numbers, 19 and 15 are carved in here" (There was a slab like that on the wall somewhere in Valvice") These are the most important information I have obtained through conversations with inhabitants of FATE. Friendly chats, quarrels, etc. are not listed here since although they add a lot to the atmosphere of the game they are not extremely important as far as gaining information is concerned. You are undoubtedly going to travel using underground rail system from time to time. Here's the route the Cave Train is taking: Halo Station (Larvin) - Park Station (Larvin) - Moonfield (Wilderness) - Desert Falls (Wilderness) - Cormac Place (Perdida) - Moonlake Station (Wilderness) - Grals Station (Cassida) - Lanoux Station (Cassida) - Deathstone (Wilderness) - Cheltic Square (Valvice) - Central Station (Valvice) - Crying Fields (Wilderness) - Demolon Station (Wilderness) - Spectre Wood (Wilderness) - Valingood (Fainvil) - Lake Edge (Laronnes) - Halo Station (Larvin). Don't try to save on tickets - there's no mercy (it means NO MERCY AT ALL) for those who do. There are several strange places in the mainland which definitely have some significant importance but, kill me, I have absolutely no idea what kind of importance this could be. This includes black monolith north of Fainvil (I once viciously attacked it and, once hit, it just flew away. Later on, in the most unsuspecting moment, it fell straight from the sky crushing dead one of my companions. It was probably not the wisest approach to that nice piece of artwork which I applied so you'd better try something else). If you happen to visit Demon Tower you'll have a chance to solve the mystery of a strange pool located there. My team seems to be strong enough to fight any kind of enemy but somehow they are getting too scared to do anything with the pool. The Lion of Justice apparently has some meaning, too, but it still remains to be discovered. There is a stone circle north of Cassida; if you stand in the middle of it a voice will speak to you from above. I do not even tell you what it says as it mentions places/names which are absolutely unknown to me. That should be enough for now, I think. Next time we'll have a closer look at Laronnes and Larvin, including its ultra-massive catacombs. Detailed maps with full descriptions will follow, so just stay tuned. I am sorry for somehow chaotic way of presentation; it would definitely look better if I have ever completed the game. But since I have not you may suffer a bit from my way of making things clear. Sorry for that.