Act III

"A great wound on the face of Norrath, the Pit of Ill Omen was a mighty sea imprisoned on all sides by towering cliffs. IT was a hidden world, containing grasslands, tropical islands, and even stretches of desert within its chaotic interior, all knotted together by mysterious ancient gates, part of an old riddle that no explorer had yet been able to solve. Having barely survived the perilous journey into the Pit, the wooden boat, in urgent need of repair, soon found itself the prey of another force. Not long after their arrival, evil magic filled the sky of the Pit, and lightning lashed down from above. The tired vessel found it had nowhere to flee, and the storms tore the ship apart. But there were survivors, and that meant the battle for Norrath was not yet over."

Water’s Edge

As the act opens, you automatically speak with Davel Grom; he updates you on the islands’ situations. Apparently they have a bit of a problem with slavers. He also tells you about the portals that serve as a transport device between the islands. Finally, Davel tells you about the horn of Ill Omen.

Quest: Obtain the Horn of Ill Omen--Follow any leads you can to find the location of the horn. Once found, bring it to Davel.

Portals are key in the third act.

Quest: Explore the Island--Look around the island for the ancient portals that Davel spoke of.

Explore the initial island and search its crates and shells for additional loot. When ready to move on, find the sandbar that connects to an adjacent island. Activate the portal on this island then find the entrance to the island caves near its center.

Island Cave

Reptilian guards populate this first island cave. These are melee-based warriors that should perish rather easily to your preferred weapon or spell. Maneuver through the dank caverns and clear each room of its enemies. Explore corners for loot and gold and make your way to the other side and find Rondo in a large chamber. Speak with him.

You couldn’t tell from the wide shot but Rondo has been bound and gagged. He can’t utter a word other than "Hmmph!" until you remove the gag. He confirms the worst: it’s a trap!

Dark elves surround you and Rondo. You must protect Rondo from the dark elves to complete the task. If Rondo dies, you must reload and try again. Concentrate your weapons and spells on the dark elves around Rondo before facing the others. You’ll be attacked by other elves while saving Rondo so have health potions armed and ready.

Rondo tells you about the slavers and their camp on the western island. It also sounds like your orc nemesis was also involved in the ambush. He points the way to the portal that leads to western island and briefly tells you about his brother Lazlo. He requests that you find a way to rescue Lazlo from the slavers. Finally, he tells you he’s headed back to Water’s Edge to repair his shop. He’ll serve as the merchant for the rest of the act; whenever you use a gate scroll, you’ll return to him at Water’s Edge.

Quest: Find Lazlo--Rondo’s brother, Lazlo, may know the secrets of the portals. Find him for more information.

Enter the portal when ready to enter the next area.

Hidden Shore

Battle through additional reptilian guards and proceed to the edge of the ocean. Here you’ll find an underwater cave. But you can’t go through just yet (as it states, you can’t breathe underwater). Instead, return to the beach and face the cave. Find the very narrow path between the sand and the rocks going to the right side of the shore.

As you approach the next section, Kerriel the mermaid automatically contacts you. She needs a favor: she’s looking for a conch shell and will reward you if you can return one to her.

Kerriel the mermaid offers a valuable reward...if you solve her quest.

Quest: Find a Conch Shell--Kerriel the mermaid will reward you if you can find a conch shell and bring it to her.

Continue to explore the island and find another portal. Activate it and move along. Follow the winding path through the dunes (combating the guards throughout the way) until you reach the gargantuan beast at its end. He has a powerful attack so it’s highly recommended that you keep your distance and attack at range if possible. If not then you must use block and counter attacks to withstand his punishment. Move past the giant and into the next cave area.

Tropical Cave

This is a short set of caves that connect the Hidden Shore and the Western Island. You’ll face more reptilian guards here. The challenge isn’t too difficult. Take the time to search for loot and gold through the dark tunnels and exit the other side into the next island.

Western Island

As you enter the Western Island, walk forward and automatically spot Babik Nurn captured and caged. He survived the storm! But he’s unwilling to come out of his cage. It isn’t even locked! The island is crawling with slavers and, frankly, he think it’s safer inside the cage than out. He does provide some information on Lazlo and does say he’ll exit the cage if all slavers on the island are eliminated. A counter appears at the top of the screen that reveals the number of slavers left on Western Island and its two caves.

Quest: Kill the Slavers--Find all of the slavers hiding on and around the island and kill them.

The slavers are much tougher opponents than those reptilian guards. Comb the island cautiously and alert as few slavers as possible. There are large groups hiding out in various sections of the island so it’s best to move slowly and fight just a few at a time to avoid being punished for hasty exploration. Check each nook and cranny of the island to find shells serving as chests; pillage the items and gold from each.

You may find the cave entrances while exploring Western Island. Remain outside the caves until you have hunted down all slavers outside of the caves. You’re notified when all slavers on the island exterior have been killed. Now it’s time to explore the caves.