Greatwall Courtyard¶

When you make it to the Greatwall Encampment, rest and stash loot as necessary, then head through the gate to the Greatwall fort. From the entrance head north, where you’ll shortly startle two Salvation members hanging out in the courtyard. They’ll run away and when the cutscene ends you’ll find that the courtyard is swarming with foes- two armored Cyclops and all the Snow Harpies you can eat. Downside? This combination of foes can be really annoying. Upside? The Cyclops will often hit the Snow Harpies, and you don’t really need to fight them at all-just run through the gate to the north and you shouldn’t be followed.

Greatwall Cemetery¶

When you’re done fighting… or if you’re being a coward, leave the courtyard and head under the northern gate. To the north you’ll find a citadel, wherein your quarry lies. Ignore the stairs leading to the citadel for now and explore around the exterior wall to the north-west, where you’ll find a graveyard with a craggy tree in the middle. You can score a square chest and some warrior remains here, but your presence will be contested by some Undead Warriors. Still, it’s worth doing a bit of light grave-robbing, since you can get some decent potions and, if you’re lucky, even some items from them.

Deny Salvation¶

Now head south-east to reach the citadel-there are two gated passages that lead to the interior, one on the western side of the citadel, and one on the southern side. Both paths leads to the same four-way intersection, where a number of Skeleton Knights lie dormant. Dispatch them and head through a doorway to the south-east-you can ignore the north-east, as you can’t open the door at the end of the hallway.

Walk down a short, narrow hallway to reach a small room. A Salvation member walks around here, and he’ll shortly be joined by two Skeleton Knights. They might harass you, or the Gran Soren guard lying prone on the ground. The Salvation member functions like the Sorcerers outside Gran Soren… basic elemental spells, and it’ll also cast Anodyne on its minions if they are hurt. Once the foes are dispatched the guard - Ser Bacell - will get up and thank you, offering you some Harspud Milk. That is, of course, if he’s still alive.

Take a gander at the south-eastern wall, where you’ll see a barred, gated door you cannot open, and a damaged section of wall. The latter will grant you entry to the room beyond if you can destroy it; powerful attacks like Comestion and Warrior attacks can do it, but if you’re playing less potent classes, you’ll have to resort to gunpowder barrels. So, assuming you can’t just knock a hole in the wall, go through the doorway to the north-east. Ser Diggan will run up to you, thankful for aid. He’ll tell you the leader of the zealots is upstairs, and will unlock the door to the north-east. The less impressive stairs beyond the door Ser Diggan unlocked will bypass the stairs nearby, which are crawling with Salvation members.

Don’t be a wussy; introduce the cultists on the stairs to the death they embrace so much, then search the landing beyond them to find a gunpowder barrel. Don’t worry about Ser Diggan’s door, you’ll get there shortly, but for now, grab the gunpowder barrel and return to the room south-west of the staircase room. Once there, chuck the barrel into the damaged portion of the wall to create a passage-how ingenious of you! Masticate (yes, chew them up) the Undead Warriors in the room beyond, unbar the door, and search the table for some delicious fruit before heading down some stairs to the south-east.

When you reach the room at the bottom of the stairs, cross it to the north-west, stopping only to grab a Dose of Courage on a table. Go through another doorway and down a small flight of stairs to reach a room occupied by another member of Salvation and his pet Undead Warriors, who set upon several helpless Gran Soren guards. Kill the undead quickly to save the guards, as they’ll gift you if they survive. Their gifts include Harspud Juice, Harspud Sauce, Desiccated Herbs, Matured Greenwarish and Ser Cronnel will also open a door to the north-east, beyond which lies a rounded chest. The treasure in Greatwall is quite nice-equal or superior to that found in Soulflayer Canyon or Bluemoon Tower, so it’s worth making the extra effort to get.

Backtrack to the first floor, returning to the chamber with the cultist-infested stairs and the door Ser Diggan unlocked. Go through this door now and head up the smaller stairs beyond until you reach a small room crammed with loot-two Square chests along the north-western wall and some fruit and a some Harspud Milk on the table. Loot and continue up some more stairs to the north-east, grabbing a Dose of Strength along the way.

Slaying Salvations Pet¶

Unbar a door and continue through it. To the south-west are the cultist-infested stairs you clear, to the north-east a narrow tunnel continues deeper into the citadel. Head down the tunnel to the north-east and grab some Harspud Juice on the floor as you go. When you exit into a large chamber on the other side of the chamber you’ll be treated to the scene of a Chimera trying to get at a cowardly Gran Soren soldier named Ser Estoma, hiding on the other side of a door from the beast. Being the wuss that he is, he won’t open the door until the Chimera is dead… if you’ve avoided fighting one this long, well… this encounter is unavoidable. Best that you learn how to fight it, you’ll be facing a stronger version very soon. Most of you following this guide will have downed a Chimera before, and although you’re in a enclosed setting, that shouldn’t make this fight any more challenging. There are some ballistae lining the room, but making yourself a sitting duck to deal inferior damage to a Chimera isn’t an ideal strategy. Put the beast down and Ser Estoma will open the door and gush over how awesome you are. Yeah, yeah, all in a day’s work. Continue into the room he was locked in (along the south-western edge of the Chimera-occupied room) and loot two rounded chests. There’s also a Dose of Strength hidden behind the crates in the north-eastern corner, if you care.

To the Roof¶

Head through a doorway to the south-west and follow the tunnel beyond until it terminates at a staircase running up to the south-east. Atop the stairs you’ll find two asswipe Skeleton Sorcerers, their bodyguard of Undead Warriors, and a Salvation cultist. In front of the stairs is a small cubby where Ser Faerma is beset by a group of Undead Warriors. If you aim to save him, you’ll have more luck killing the critters on the stairs, first, then helping him (he tends to get grappled by Undead, which limits the damage he takes a good bit.) Once all the foes on the stairs are dead, aid Ser Faerma, who will tell you that the leaders of Salvation are above, preparing some dark ritual. He’ll then unlock a door situation along the south-eastern wall of his little cubby. Head through that door, up some stairs, and into a small room with a rounded chest within. There’s also an Interventive on a crate in the corner. If you failed to protect Ser Faerma, you’re not out of luck-there’s a weakened section of wall that connects this room to the landing atop the stairs beyond-either grab a gunpowder barrel from earlier in the level (there are some in the Chimera room, or atop the cultist-infested stairs) or destroy the wall with a sufficiently powerful attack. At the bottom of the stairs you can find some warrior remains, which are now safe to loot now that there aren’t any Skeleton Sorcerers blasting you in the face with magic.

At the top of the stairs you just cleared you’ll find a doorway to the south-east. Head through and up the stairs beyond to reach a small chamber occupied by another Gran Soren guard beset by undead, a Skeleton Lord this time. Pretty much the same as the other rescue missions, save you’re fighting one strong foe instead of a bunch of weaker ones. This could be a bit tough, as the Skeleton Lord can kill the guard - Ser Gerrick - in three hits. Save him if you can and he’ll inform you the leader is just beyond, then he’ll unlock the storeroom to the north-east, beyond which lies an ornate chest full of goodies. In the room where you fought the Skeleton Lord you’ll find a Salubrious Brew and an Interventive on a crate in the north-western corner.

The door to the north-west leads onto the roof, where the leader of Salvation - the Elysion - lurks. Before you head out there though, note that you will not be able to return to the Greatwall citadel afterwards. If you want to try to score any of the loot here again, you’ll need to refrain from confronting the Elysion. Rest up at the Greatwall Encampment and return when the treasure has respawned. Then again, the loot it only going to get better as you advance, so it might not be worth the effort to farm this gear when the best loot in the game lies on the horizon.

Salvations Last Stand¶

Go through the door to the north-west to reach the roof. When you enter a cutscene will trigger-the Elysion and two other cultists sit around conjuring purple-badness. The Elysion babbles about how you’ve no chance against the Dragon… but just in case, they’ll kill you anyways. After all, a dream deferred is a dream denied. The Elysion will stab his two accomplices, who rise again as Wights. Once the cutscene ends, the fight begins; you versus the two Wights and all the undead minions they can summon, which include Skeleton Knights (3), Skeleton Sorcerers (2), and Undead Warriors (3). If you’ve got ranged attacks, you can just shoot down the Wights-they won’t re-summon minion until they’re all dead, so kill everything save an Undead Warrior (which can be easily ignored and avoided) and focus on the Wights. If you’re more of a melee persuasion, you’ll have to dispatch the minions, as the Wights will lower themselves to the ground-and within reach-only when the summon more fodder. In either event, this fight shouldn’t be too difficult-Wights are old news, as are all the paltry undead that guard them.

After the fight the Elysion cackles from a high vantage he managed to crawl to during the fight. He’ll admit he underestimated you before going into hysterics about the Dragon… who bothers to show himself. The Elysion, in a bout of religious fervor, continues preaching about the glorious doom the Dragon will bring to the world… and the Dragon obliges him by giving him a sample. Then, for the first time since Cassardis, you stand face-to-face with the Dragon, who announces that he will now allow you to confront it, if you dare. But with this challenge, a warning: When the weak court death, they find it. The Dragon then demonstrates its power by demolishing Greatwall, proving that the mighty keep meant to ward against the Dragon is barely even a nuisance to it. The Dragon has one more gift for you, if you’ve played your cards right romantically. The Arisen’s Bond will fall from the sky as the Dragon departs; a final bit of bait set out for you by the Dragon, in case your heart wasn’t enough. This will, of course, only occur if a) you gave the Arisen’s Bond to somebody, and b) the person you gave it to is your romantic interest… in other words, if they have the highest affinity towards you. In any event, you’ll score the Achievement/trophy ‘Rough Landing’, and the Greatwall will now count as ‘civilized’ (Stamina-free) territory.

When you’re back in control, walk forward to pick up the Arisen’s Bond, if the Dragon dropped it, then turn north to examine Greatwall. Only the lower floors still stand-head north to the four-way intersection and turn south-east to note that the way into the interior is now blocked by rubble. All the loot in Greatwall is now buried under debris, but on the plus side, the previously-locked door north-east of the intersection is now unlocked. It leads to the Tainted Mountain Temple; the Dragon’s domain. The end is nigh, but before you confront the beast, you should do a final bit of preparation. Head back out to the Greatwall Encampment and rest/stash loot as necessary. The next stop? The Dragonforged’s Sanctum.

The Dragonforgeds Gifts¶

Return to Hillfigure Knoll and visit the Dragonforged, who, recognizing that you are nearing the final confrontation with the Dragon will generously aid you in your fight. He tells you to ‘seek the temple atop the Tainted Mountain, beyond the Greatwall… At its pinnacle, in the shadow of the wyrm, keeper of the endless ring, you will make your choice. What you become, only you can decide.’ Cryptic, but fortunately his aid isn’t limited to mere words, as he’ll also give you ‘Draconian Strategy Vol. I’ and either a ‘Dragonleather Vest’ (torso clothing) or ‘Dragonhide Bracers’ (arm-wear).

Anyways, once you’re done picking up that little trinket, return to Greatwall, which should just be a Ferrystone away. Time to head into the ruins of Greatwall and explore the Tainted Mountain Temple… don’t worry, you’re not yet fighting the Dragon, but there’s plenty of new foes (and new loot!) up ahead.