Hordes of the Underdark Puzzle FAQ
www.rpgtalk.com
Version 2.1
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Hi everyone
I made this FAQ (with the help of serveral people on the Bioware forums) because we're seeing so many questions about the puzzles in HOTU in this forum. I hope that this FAQ will reduce the numbers of threads where people ask for advice on the puzzles.
I make no claims that the answers in this thread are perfect. So if there is something wrong, don't hesitate to tell me about it. Or if you know a better and easier way, let me know and I'll add your comments to it ASAP.
1.0
1.1 MY STUFF!!!!!!
2.0 Chapter 1 puzzles
2.1 Undermountain Central level 1 Pilar puzzle
2.2 Undermountain North level 1 Blocked PAssage
2.3 Undermountain South level 1 Lever Puzzle
2.4 Undermountain Central level 2 Colored Chain puzzle
3.0 Chapter 2 puzzles
3.1 The Maker's Island; Mirror Puzzle
3.1.1 The Maker's Island; Golem Control puzzle
3.2 West of Lith My'athar Beholder Bridge
3.3 Obelisk Cavern beneath the Beholders lair
3.4 Vixthra's Lair
4.0 Chapter 3 puzzles
4.1 Mimic Chamber puzzle(s)
4.1.2 Lever puzzle.
4.1.3 Killing the Mimic.
4.3 Lever Puzzles in the Puzzle room.
4.4 Arrow puzzle
4.5 Under the Ice - Corridor Of Fire
7.0 Changes or additions
8.0 Contact
9.0 Credits
1.1 MY STUFF!!!!!!
Hahaha, I loved this part. Some drow thief steals all your equipment and you'll have to use whatever weapons you can find in the Armory. Don't worry though. You can get your weapons back in Undermountain level 3 North, just before you're going to rescue Halastar. It's in a black Drow chest with a note. Although, the weapons you've found in UM are probably much better then what you had.
Note; If you carried Bag's of Holding and/or Scroll Boxes they're going to be EMPTY. The game stores all your equipment OUTSIDE the Bag's of Holding but doesn't store what was in it. So make sure you've emptied them before you start HotU. Otherwise it's gone forever.
Comments from Brennan068:
I found that the equipment in the bags of holding came across fine. Problem is the bags do not if anything is in them.
2.0 Chapter 1 puzzles
2.1 Undermountain Central level 1: Pilar puzzle
You'll see this puzzle just after you rescuded Sharwyn. The goal of this puzzle is to lower as much pilars untill you can pass it. The colored rods are located throughout this level and UM South and UM North.
2.2 Undermountain North Level 1:Blocked Passage
You'll find the blocked passage just behind the Ogre boss. You need a Keg Of Alchemist Fire and a Alchemist Fire Bomb if you want to blast the passage open. You can find the Keg of Alchemist Fire behind the Fairy Queen in UM South.
Canadian_bob comment:
One of the options on the keg is "light wick". You don't actually need an alchemist's fire in your inventory to light it.
2.3 Undermountain South level 1: Lever Puzzle
This is funny puzzle. Notice the 3 Gargoyle statues. Rotate each statue and have them face the door. Every few rounds a Skeleton will showup and attacks you and blows up. Also, everytime a skeleton shows up the statues will turn a another direction. So have the statue face the door, then quickly pull the lever beside it. Pulling that lever will prevent them from turning around again. YOu'll notice when you've pointed the statue in the right direction when it zaps electricity at the door. Once you placed the 3 statues in the right position they'll blast open the door for you.
Comment from SideStep:
Watch the coloured spellholdstudios.netlights! The seguence is 3 green, 2 yellow, 1 red then the statues turn. Let the red go past before pulling the lever and you won't be caught. (Good idea to save before starting this one.)
Comments from Brennan068:
If you kill the bombmaker first (north eastern part of UMSouth) you will not have to worry about the skeleton bombs distracting your statues as you spin them. You will be less likely to lock it in the wrong position (you only get 1 try at the lock.)
The bombmaker is in the "bomb maker's sanctum". It is hard to find; you need to go through several hidden doors to get there.
2.4 Undermountain Central level 2 Chain puzzle
Before placing the 4 chains I suggest that you save the game.
This is a cool puzzle. You need to find the 4 chains if you want to proceed to the next level. There are 3 different areas and each are has 1 chain but you need 4 chains for the puzzle. At the beginning of the level you get to see a cutscene with a goblin being chased by 2 Drow. They kill the Goblin but don't do much else. Loot the Goblins body because he has the fourth Chain you need.
Place each Chain onto the pilar with the same color (Purple chain on the purple pilar)
Once you placed the 4 Chains it'll show 6 different colors above the pool. Click the pilars in the same color sequence the pool showed you. What I usually do is writing down the color sequence on a piece of paper. I suggest that you do the same. Much easier then memorizing it.
If you didn't write it down and forgot what the sequence was, have no fear. Everytime you pull the right chain it'll make a sound.
After completing the sequence the door will open and you can advance to the next level. Yay.
Comment from Brennan068:
After you've attached the chains, you need to click on the pool in the middle to see the 6 colours above the pool. Be careful of your viewing angle. The colours above the pool can blend with the colours above the pillars and make them hard to distinguish. Spin your camera angle around so that you have a clear line of sight to the area above the pool.
Me: Oops, forgot to mention that. Thanks!
3.0 Chapter 2 puzzles
3.1 The Maker's Island; Mirror Puzzle
Everytime you enter the central passage you'll get zapped back after a few rounds. Equip a ranged weapon (Maybe magic missiles work too, I'm not sure because I never tried it) and quickly shoot EACH mirror ONCE. After you've shot the mirrors you can proceed. Do NOT destroy the mirrors. Just hit them ONCE and then target the next mirror.
Comment from SideStep:
Spells work just fine here - Magic Missile, Melf, Fireball - whatever!
3.1.1 The Maker's Island, Golem Control puzzle:
From Danomau:
I didn't see the golem control panel puzzle from the first level of the island of the maker so here it goes...
In the control room there are 3 control panels. The left and right control panels are used to set up numbers. Once you set up the correct numbers you use the middle (large) control panel to destroy a golem. The golem you can destroy are scavanger golem (the one that heals/ressurects the other golems) his number is 54. The strong guardian golem's number is 79 (the one at the stairs to the 2nd level).
On the 2nd level of the island of the maker to open a certain door to find/get the password to see the maker (and not have to fight his guardian golems in the 3rd level). There are a couple of diferente ways:
1) If you can talk/convince the rat to open the door (there's a lever on the other side)
2) You have good rogues skills and rogue level (Disarm trap, pick lock) because of the DC you must be a rogue.
After that in the room talk to ghost... and give him something that's in that room...
3.2 West of Lith My'athar Beholder Bridge
Activate the bridge conrtol panel and move each exclamation mark (!) to the MIDDLE of the "map"
Use LORE to examine the controls. If your LORE is to low here's what each word means:
ORING means RIGHT
VIKIK means LEFT
GALOON, SNIRK, PUCKIN and ZAPP are the rows from top to bottom.
When you've allinged the exclamation point(!) press the glowing button and the bridge will appear.
Comment from SideStep:
Can help to drink a lore potion if you want to read everything. Insert the Perl of Bashing into the Machine
Comments from Brennan068
The exclamation mark does not have to be in the middle. You just have to line them up vertically. Middle is nice and easy, but if you've started by sending some in the wrong direction it is good to know that you don't need to keep hammering away to push them into the middle line
3.3 Obelisk Cavern beneath the Beholders lair
This is a DEAD MAGIC zone. All your weapons and now unenchanted and magic doesn't work anymore. Search the area untill you find the Obelisk. If you get attacked by the Bebilith before you found the Obelisk just run past it. It woon't follow you and it can't catch up because you're faster then the Bebilith.
The Obelisk puzzle is fairly easy. Take a look at the symbols beneath the Obelisk. Match the runes with the unusable runes. When you've matched all four the Death Magic. Don't forget to pickup the Orb of Death Magic from the deactivated Obelisk. Return to the Bebilth and whack it. As far as I know, unechanted weapons do NOT damage the Bebilith unless you score a critical hit.
Comment from SideStep:
Magic doesn't work - BUT you can take a summoned creature in with you. A level IX fire elemental makes life a LOT easier for spellcasters...
Comment from Kamiryn
Actually the Bebilith has damage reduction 30/?, ?>2. No problem for a good rogue but other classes might have serious problems unless they have a heavy weapon with high critical multiplier.
Canadian_Bob:
There's actually four other ways to get to the obelisk that don't involve a death run past the Beblith. On the way there, you pass a short dead-end hallway with a closed/locked door and a cobweb-encrusted magical device you can activate.
If you have a high lore skill, you can activate the device and unlock the door. (method 1). If you have a high spellcraft skill, you can recognize which symbols do what and unlock the door by pushing the "knock" symbol. You can also buff yourself with stoneskin. (method 2). If you have a high search skill, you can see a secret door between the door and the device that leads through to the obelisk room. (method 3). If you have high pick lock and disable trap skills, you can disable the trap and pick the lock, to get through to the obelisk room. (method 4). All of those allow you to disable the obelisk before running through the Beblith lair.
3.4 Vixthra's Lair
If you don't want to fight Vixthra multiple times you need to destroy his phylactery first. This is in the room/area behind him, the cooridor to get there has several traps (use find traps) or find the secret door that's right behind Vixthra.
Chapter 3 puzzles
4.1 Mimic Chamber puzzle(s)
4.1.1 Barrier puzzle
Use the Sleeping Man's ring to navigate through this little maze. When you're wearing it you can pass a barrier. Unequip it and pass the next barrier. Equip it again to pass the next barrier. By doing this a few times you'll eventually pass them all
4.1.2 Lever puzzle.
Ok, this is not really a puzzle but i've seen people asking for how to open the door.
Equip the ring and use the 2 levers. Unequip the ring and switch the other 2 levers. The door is now open
4.1.3 Killing the Mimic and retrieving your armor and recieving the Grappling Hand.
Wander around the level and pickup aprrox 6 to 8 Gem Piles. Now goto the centre of the area. Leave a trail of gem piles that leads to the center of the circle. When the Mimic enters the circle, quickly pull the lever. The Mimic will be dead and you can retrieve your goods again.
Comment from SideStep:
Kill the rats that approach the Gempiles. They destroy them!
4.2 Gargoyle statues
Once you've beaten them move to the left and use the Sensate Amulet to transform into a Pixie. Go through the hole, then transform back to a human form, pull the switch, use the amulet to transform into a Pixie again and fly through the hole again.
4.3 Lever Puzzles in the Puzzle room.
This is a fairly easy puzzle once you know what to do. Use the Levers to jump from one platform to another. When you land on a platform with 2 levels pull the other lever till is glows BLUE. There are 3 levers that need to be switched to match the blue color.
After you've done the 3 levers head to the other area and allign the 3 Gargoyle statues and have them face the door. When they are facing the door pull the switch and they'll blast open the door to the next part.
From Danomau:
The gargoyles/lever puzzle in linux is bugged (go to linux forum for workaround), it has been fixed in the new 1.62 BETA patch (you may not want to install it there's a XP explosion in chapter 3).
4.4 Arrow puzzle
Equip the Sleeping Man's ring first.
You can open the chests and the door only when the arrow is pointing to it. So if the arrow is pointing at the door you can open the door.
Misc Chapter 3 information
After killing Grimgnaw and friends, you have to become a pixie to get to the lever that destroys the statues that are around the cave exit. (don't know if you can get the rat in this room to activate the lever for you if your a druid or ranger).
In the cave with fire elementals to pass over the fire corridor you have to become a pixie (you should tell your henchies to stand their ground while you do this or they will try to follow you)
The door in the Ice giants fortress doesn't lead to nowhere and there is no key (ignore it, don't waste your time back tracking looking for the key... there is none).
Free knower of names,
After killing the final guardian (this is somewhat bugged on slowwer machines, search the forum for workarounds) you have to become a earth golem and throw the catapult over to the ice prison. Here you should position the catapult to the "noon" position (North) to free the knower
To get Mephistopheles' true name you have to buy first the knower's name.
For your henchmen to remain faithfull at the final battle you need to have:
1) bought their true name's
2) romance them
3) have a good presuade skill (using nymph cloak and eagle's splendor might help).
If you want to fight and kill Mephistopheles, use acid damage (or have a really stupid amount of heal potions and choking powder...) and weapons with a high to hit bonus (I'm not sure if you can only damage him with weapons with a bonus over 5)
4.5 Under The Ice - Corridor Of Fire
When you enter this are, you'll notice a huge corridor of fire blocking your way. Use the Sensate Amulet to shapechange into a Pixie to cross it. Don't forget to order your henchies to "Stand Ground" or they'll perish in the flames very quickly. There is a way to have your henchies with you when you do battle with a few of the caverns monsters. There is a cloak worn by a Alpha Wolf that can "pull" your companions to your locations. IIRC you'll encounter those wolfs quite soon but before the Mimic chambers.
7.0 Version changes
Version 2.1 (Most recent)
Added a few comments. Added Under The Ice - Corridor of Fire (4.5)
Version 2.0
Revamped it from txt to a .doc extension, added several comments and new additions.
Version 1.0
Started the FAQ and kept adding stuff to it. Seen several good comments to certain parts of the FAQ and added them
8.0 Contact
If you have anything to add to this faq, please email me at shodan@rpgtalk.com
9.0 Credits
Thanks go to:
Sidestep:
Suggestion of Under The Ice - Corridor of Fire. Several comments.
Brennan068:
Adding a few comments to the Colored Chain puzzle and Bag of Holding and the Gargoyle statues in UM South Level 1 and the Beholder Bridge. DEAD MAGIC not DEATH MAGIC. Hehe. Silly typo from my part.
Kamiryn:
Extra Bebilith info
Cannadian_Bob:
Another way to reach the Obelisk plus how-to :-)
Danomau:
Maker's Island: Golem Control puzzle, Vixthra lair, Gargoyl puzzle (linux bug), misc Chap 3 info
Edited by Michel, 23 May 2004 - 07:02 AM.
