Where is stupid Nichols the Blowhard?

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buckmana
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Where is stupid Nichols the Blowhard?

Post by buckmana »

I'm replaying Drakan TAG, trying to get all the elemental swords of the Order.

However, I've run into a major problem.

Nichols is gone!

He wasn't in the cell and he's not below the broken bridge being attacked by Trog mages.

Have I just wasted all this time getting here?

Do I have to start the game again from the very beginning?

I only have one savegame and I've been overwriting it as I progressed. Or so I thought.

Blasted PS2s and their limited saveslots!!! If this was a pc, I would have multiple saves and backups. Then I could go to before this point and try again.

Outlaw Wyvern
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Post by Outlaw Wyvern »

Here's the deal with Nichols.
If you bypass him or don't talk to him at the first meeting near some ruins, he won't be at the subsequent locations. You must interact with him all three times.

I've got a challenge for you if you restart.
Finish ALL of Surdana except Khassa Vole and the Blackwings and Bonedragons BEFORE you get Arokh, or even go to the 'Mire.
I promise it can be done.
I often take out everything on foot - ballistas, giant chicken, Monastery, Inquisitor's and Mushroom caves, and even the two little caves, one with Wartoks, one with Grull. (it looks like you can't access the higher-up Wartok cave without Arokh, but you can)
Then go to the Shadowmire with three and a half experience points!
This way, if you were doing... let's say an Archery save... You could equip the Bow of Speed as soon as you score it in the Shadowmire, or very shortly thereafter when you level up to four. If you're a Mage, you'll be spamming everything in sight with second level Fireball in the "Mire.

Good stuff.

The save I'm in right now is restricted to just Fire.
I'm not picking up any breath runes for Arokh, so no powers but Fireball and Fire Breath. Rynn is only using the Fire Blade and Flamestrike swords, Fireball and Combust Spells, and the Flame Bows, FlameStrike, Flame Burst and Fire Talon.
I warped to the Valley of the Fallen directly after the Shadowmire so I'd have the Fire Blade and higher level bows early.
Dehrimon tried to stiff me on Kragmor, but I cracked in with warp and laid the darn Cleaver at Dehrimon's feet after it was over!
I also cracked into Shiverbane with all of Zeggoro's items except the golden blade. I'll leave them on the prison floor.
Well... maybe not... if I do that, I won't get the experience from the four Halfmen that come out before the gate is opened.

There's a LOT of variation in the game if you make it so.

buckmana
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Post by buckmana »

I could have sworn I spoke to him.

But maybe I missed him the second time (I got lost and loaded a save so I would know where I was).

The first time round, I went to the Inquistor's lair without anything but Rynn's dagger! That was hard enough.

Then I went to the Swamps.

I missed all the special weapons the first time round. This time I'm trying to collect them all.

My personal difficulty enhancer is not to take the powers of the two remaining triplet dragons and fight with only the four powers up to this point.

Lots of dodging involved.

And this time around I'm trying to save all my invisibility and invulnverabilty potions for the end of the game (when fighting Jassad and his pet Pain Golem (now I get what Jade was talking about when her village was destroyed, didn't pay attention first time around)).

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