The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut

The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut

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Dwarven ruins
I found these dwarven ruins in my playthrough and after entering them decided they looked pretty important and would probably have quests associated with them. Rather than exploring them at the time I would wait until I had relevant quests. Well, I completed the game and never got directed to the dwarven ruins. I did find in the last dungeon various chests requiring dwarven keys to open. Are these connected? When should I have visited the dwarven ruins?
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Showing 1-15 of 24 comments
Twigleaf Sep 16, 2019 @ 6:26am 
Same situation. I dont think the devs put any quests in for this. only non quest place in game too. Very bad design. there is a multi use key in there too. Should been documented as a side quest, but wasnt.
Hody Sep 16, 2019 @ 7:03am 
Just found them by "accident" after finishing sacred grove. Was wondering too if I should enter. You guys sure there are not quest related?
svdp Sep 16, 2019 @ 8:57am 
Hmm. You guys are making me curious. I thought you meant the dwarven dungeon or something related to that, but apparently you don't? (Is it there in the original as well?)

If you really think it's a forgotten side-quest, maybe mention it in the bug-fix related thread also?

Or, maybe they put it in there like that, especially for those that just go for the "wild" exploration?

If it's in the original, it's strange though, because it doesn't ring a bell with me, so I'm not sure if I have found it or not.
Last edited by svdp; Sep 18, 2019 @ 7:04am
SpudByNight Sep 16, 2019 @ 11:01am 
What I am referring to are the dwarven ruins that are on the same map as the sacred grove. In the village where you pickup Lioslaith there is a little path at the back that I initially missed. It takes you to a wooden set of stairs down to a beach that looks like the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. There is a door that you go through into these detailed dwarven ruins.

I don't think there is a missing side quest. I just left these ruins as they looked too big to not have associated quests and expected to be sent back to them at some point in the future.
Last edited by SpudByNight; Sep 16, 2019 @ 11:07am
svdp Sep 16, 2019 @ 2:34pm 
Ah! You mean with the coastline with the hexagonal stones, there? Sorry, I really thought you meant something new in the DC, related to the new dwarven dungeon.

I did find and played through those ruins in the original. Wasn't all *that* difficult to find, if you explore a bit. I remember the ennemies being difficult there the first time, so I had to go back later when I leveled up, but even then the combats weren't easy. And some puzzles too, I remember. And some sort of elevator with which you could go to the above ground around the lowlands or something, where you could open a few chests.

Could be there is no quest for it, I don't remember that part. But that's ok as well, isn't it? Not everything has to be gained by quests, and some random exploration "in the wild" should give you some surpises and discoveries as well, so I'm pretty much ok with it.

I guess you mean you can't return to them once you finished the main quest? Well, can't be helped, I guess. Best option is probably load a save closest to it where you could still enter, and explore it from that point forwards. At least you'll have experienced it, then.
Last edited by svdp; Sep 16, 2019 @ 2:34pm
SpudByNight Sep 17, 2019 @ 3:11am 
My issue is that I found it and thought it looked too big to not have associated quests. So, I left it assuming I would be directed back.
svdp Sep 17, 2019 @ 4:42am 
Originally posted by SpudByNight:
My issue is that I found it and thought it looked too big to not have associated quests. So, I left it assuming I would be directed back.

Yes, but ultimately that turned out to be a wrong assumption, so if you can't go back now, try an earlier save where you still could.

I mean, it's not THAT uncommon for RPG's to have stuff that you only discover by exploration, and not by quests. There were a buckload of caves and ruins in Skyrim as well, that were not associated with quests. There too, one could assume there was a quest linked to it (and sometimes it was, and you had to go back), but often this was not the case.

There's no use in crying over spilled milk. Use another, earlier save. Or make a request to inxile to leave the game 'open' to be played further, even after the last chapter of the story. I mean, if they have no quest for it, and never planned for it, I doubt they're going to make one now.

Personnally, I never look nor assume quests for anything I discover, and just try out anything I see when exploring. If they're too strong I return when I think I've levelled up enough to give it another try.

Except when/if you're physically blocked by not having the prerequisite of a quest-item, I feel like there is no use in halting your explorationprogress in any case.
Last edited by svdp; Sep 17, 2019 @ 5:07am
ettoralk Sep 17, 2019 @ 9:55pm 
Yeah good advice, just use another save from 30 hours earlier, good fun.
It is, it must be , a bug. It not being part of any quest my be plausible but it being blocked for no reason it's not. As far as I'm concerned, that door has always been blocked for me no matter when I tried it.
Hody Sep 17, 2019 @ 11:43pm 
I am just doing all the side quest like Mangars Tower and some other things before continuing the main quest to the "stennis island". Would you recommend me to go into the dwarven ruins before?
svdp Sep 18, 2019 @ 7:00am 
Originally posted by ettoralk:
Yeah good advice, just use another save from 30 hours earlier, good fun.
It is, it must be , a bug. It not being part of any quest my be plausible but it being blocked for no reason it's not. As far as I'm concerned, that door has always been blocked for me no matter when I tried it.

Of course it is good advice, if one doesn't make a strawman-fallacy out of it. Who said it was 30 hours ago for the parent poster? Could as well be 30 minutes ago. It always suprises me to see this '30 hours save'-counter as if it were a given.. But; one IS aware one has a 'save anywhere' option now, is one not? I use it every 5-10 minutes, and it works just fine. So... Isn't one actually claiming 'I forgot to save in more than 30+ hours'?

And frankly, I don't see you offering ANY advice, let alone better. Even if it's a bug, it won't change the fact that you can't enter it for the moment, so trying out an earlier save is sound advice, and one of the few things one can already try out.

It depends, for the parent poster, what exactly he means with 'not being able to go back'. It implies he was able to enter at one point in time, at least. If he's talking about going back after he finished the main quest, it's quite possible it's not a bug, because a lot of quests are unplayable once you go far enough into the game (you get a warning about that, if memory serves well).

If you're only speaking for yourself and your situation, and you don't want to try an earlier save and you can't enter it regardless 'when', the only option you have left is waiting for a fix.
Last edited by svdp; Sep 18, 2019 @ 7:47am
svdp Sep 18, 2019 @ 7:44am 
Originally posted by Hody:
I am just doing all the side quest like Mangars Tower and some other things before continuing the main quest to the "stennis island". Would you recommend me to go into the dwarven ruins before?

Yes, I would. I doubt there is a seperate quest involved (and even if there is, you can always go back, as long as you're not too far into the mainquest). It was pretty difficult the first time I entered, but if you leveled up a bit and go in well-prepared, it's do-able.
Astral Projection Sep 18, 2019 @ 5:13pm 
This dungeon is broken for me as well.

- entered it
- decided to come back later because stuff was red
- now door is "blocked"

At end-game now so doesn't matter. But just adding that it is a problem. :steamfacepalm:
svdp Sep 19, 2019 @ 1:56pm 
Originally posted by Astral Projection:
This dungeon is broken for me as well.

- entered it
- decided to come back later because stuff was red
- now door is "blocked"

At end-game now so doesn't matter. But just adding that it is a problem. :steamfacepalm:

I'm wondering what people mean when they say "I can't go back later". How much later is that? As memory serves well, once you're passed a certain point (in the main quest) you can not access most quests or area's anymore. You get a warning for that (at least, with the original).

If one is just talking "a bit" later, however, then it probably is a bug.
Originally posted by Astral Projection:
This dungeon is broken for me as well.

- entered it
- decided to come back later because stuff was red
- now door is "blocked"

At end-game now so doesn't matter. But just adding that it is a problem. :steamfacepalm:


Same, and I didn't get the end-sequence warning yet.
Astral Projection Sep 19, 2019 @ 9:05pm 
Originally posted by svdp:
Originally posted by Astral Projection:
This dungeon is broken for me as well.

- entered it
- decided to come back later because stuff was red
- now door is "blocked"

At end-game now so doesn't matter. But just adding that it is a problem. :steamfacepalm:

I'm wondering what people mean when they say "I can't go back later". How much later is that? As memory serves well, once you're passed a certain point (in the main quest) you can not access most quests or area's anymore. You get a warning for that (at least, with the original).

If one is just talking "a bit" later, however, then it probably is a bug.

I was locked out the first time I came back to it. Waaaaayyyy before I got the the Hungering Blade which triggers end game.

Is there any reason to lock players out of that dungeon? I cleared it my first time through the game. Don't remember anything game breaking in there ...
Last edited by Astral Projection; Sep 19, 2019 @ 9:06pm
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Date Posted: Sep 7, 2019 @ 4:30am
Posts: 24