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INNER SANCTUM
19th Level
All of my companions now join the party once I reach the Inner Sanctum. I can now also rest as well.
Valeria, Casavir, Qara, Ammon Jerro and Zhjaeve had advanced to their 20th levels at earlier points in the game, as the early parts of the video show. I did not have the opportunity to do it for everyone else until I made my way completely through the Vale of Merdelain.
Now I advance everyone else besides Neeshka to their 19th level. There isn't really anything that stands out as highlights.
20th Level
Now everyone advances to their 20th level. One highlight is that both Valeria and Sand obtain the Persistant Spell feat. One benefit for Sand is that he'll be able to cast a Shield spell on himself that will both immunize himself against Magic Missiles, but more importantly give him a shield bonus to armor class. It won't wear off until he next rests.
Another benefit is that he'll be able to cast a Haste spell that lasts until the party rests. In fact, this is a key objective behind having Valeria take the Persistant Spell feat, but she won't be able to do that until the Mask of the Betrayer expansion.
Another highlight is that the Construct, after having obtained all the needed prerequisites during previous level-ups, selects the Whirlwind Attack feat. This allows the Construct to make a single sweeping attack that connects for damage on all adjacent enemies. That can really come in handy during battles against numerous foes that swarm the party.
Preparing for Black Garius
I now do the following buffs in preparation for the penultimate battle of the OC:
Black Garius
The first half of the video consists of an extended dialogue with Black Garius and other characters. At various points he will try to sow dissension in the party. The possibilities are as follows:
Now the battle ensues against Garius, Bishop, Sand, and a pair of Shadow Golems. Garius will also put up a magical barrier between himself and the party, although there will be two openings to the left and right. He is also going to summon a Balor right in the middle of the party.
It will take about two rounds or so for the Balor to show up, so I take the opportunity to buff up some more or take the offensive as follows:
There are openings through the barrier to the left and right, but they're only temporary. As soon as more than character goes a certain distance to the right, a new barrier will appear behind one character and cut off the other. And as soon as one character goes a certain distance to the left, a new barrier will appear behind one character and cut off the other. Ideally you want to get at least one melee character to make their way towards Black Garius from both the left and the right and on the other side of the new barriers. Casavir and Khelgar were my choices.
Once the Balor is gone, Black Garius will frequently cause Dread Wraiths and Greater Shadows to appear near the rest of the party. It's a simple enough matter to blow them away with offensive spells.
Meanwhile, Elanee managed to make it through to Black Garius' group as well. The trio takes out Sand and Bishop, as well as the Shadow Golems. That leaves only Black Garius. Black Garius can periodically use the shadow portal to rejuvenate himself. Nonetheless, the trio are soon able to overwhelm him with help from Qara and her Empowered Flame Arrows spells.
*Evil* Black Garius
The evil version. I've deliberately alienated Neeshka over the course of the game, so that I'll have fewer enemies when I ally the King of Shadows. I talk Bishop into leaving, so I'll have an ally during the final fight as well.
Another difference is that it is Qara who bails on me instaed of Sand. Otherwise, the tactics and the final outcome remain much the same.
Neeshka Levels Up
I've acquired enough xp for Valeria and most of her companions to qualify for the 21st level of experience. However, I cannot take any epic levels during the OC. That will have to wait for Mask of the Betrayer.
It does, however, mean that Neeshka can herself advance to the 20th level. She takes the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting feat on her 18th level-up, which gives her a third attack with her off-hand weapon but at a -10 attack bonus penalty.
She takes the Defensive Roll feat at 19th level, which allows her to take half damage on what would be an otherwise lethal blow as long as she makes a Reflex saving throw.
Finally, she adds +1 Dexterity at her 20th level. It, combined with her Belt of Agility +8, results in an even Dexterity score of 30.
Exporting for Mask of the Betrayer
Here I make a few adjustments to Valeria in anticipation of an export to Mask of the Betrayer:
*Evil* Zarathos makes the following adjustments to his inventory for export:
Preparing for the King of Shadows
I do much of the same preparations as before with Black Garius. There are a few key differences. One difference is that I make sure everybody has a Energy Immunity (Cold) spell cast on them. The reason is that the King of Shadows, in its various forms, is heavily reliant on cold damage.
Another difference is that I have Death Ward cast on the Beetle Familiar, the Badger Animal Companion, Grobnar, Neeshka, and Zhjaeve. These are the only characters that are not equipped with items that protect against ability / level draining.
The other difference is that I have Grobnar switch from Inspire Toughness to Inspire Defense. The next battle will emphasize physical combat in comparison to the previous one.
King of Shadows
The final battle comes in three phases. The first is against a rather large King of Shadows. This form is, however, fairly easy to take down in straight physical combat.
The next phase is when the King of Shadows splits itself apart into many small forms. The smaller forms can still inflict significant damage with their physical attacks, but they can also use a ranged touched attack similar to Polar Ray that can inflict a lot of cold damage (see my note above on immunizing everybody to cold damage). Initially only a few will close in. I take the time to put up some more buffs, as so:
The final phase is when a colossal sized King of Shadows appears. It can inflict tremendous damage with its physical attacks, and has rapid regeneration. It can also use an area-effect attack that covers a very large area and inflicts lots of cold damage. I have Qara and Neeshka switch over to their crossbows for this phase, since I don't want them to get too close to it now.
This final form of the King of Shadows cannot be defeated permanently unless the five nearby statues are destroyed. I find that Khelgar, with his foot speed as a Monk and his Flurry of Blows ability, is ideal for taking out the statues as quickly as possible.
The next step is to then destroy the portal. Physical attacks from Casavir and Khelgar get the job done. Once the portal is destroyed, the party can now take down the King of Shadows for good. Qara helps matters along with repeated castings of Empowered Flame Arrows.
*Evil* King of Shadows
This is not considered canon come Mask of the Betrayer, but I show it here anyway. My character is of evil alignment, so the King of Shadows offers an alliance in exchange for me killing all of my former allies. I accept, and Bishop joins in on my side.
The NPCs are developed very nearly the same as when I'm playing good, and most of them have optimum equipment, so this can present quite a challenge. Forget the spellcasters, Casavir and Khelgar on their own are capable of overwhelming me in combat. So, I need a trump card. An ability that will confound their ability to do anything to me, but allow me to bring them down. The answer is the Word of Faith spell. The manual says Word of Faith will stun characters for a round. View this entry in the NWN2 wiki for what the spell really does.
All of my former companions are at least 12th level. What Word of Faith can do is render all of its targets blind for several rounds without any saving throw, so long as it can get past spell resistance. So, Zarathos starts off combat with Word of Faith, and soon everybody is running around as though in a daze. They can't see me or Bishop, and can't target either of us.
I follow up with an Extended Blade Barrier, which will now cause severe damage to any enemies who get too close. And indeed Khelgar subsequently diced himself on the Blade Barrier. Zarathos tops things with offensive spells while Bishop is absolutely decimating my former comrades with his custom-made vorpal Falchion.
Keep in mind that if you want to win this battle, you'll need to find some way to either bring down everybody very quickly, or forcibly remove their ability to harm you.
Epilogue
And here is the epilogue for Valeria following the defeat of the King of Shadows.
*Evil* Epilogue
Zarathos' epilogue is quite different, to reflect his alliance with the King of Shadows, the swath he cut through Neverwinter, and his previous allegiance with the Shadow Thieves.
Valeria's and Zarathos' adventures will resume in the Mask of the Betrayer expansion.
