Help with Lagoth Zanta fight (Spoilers Inside)

[Imarion]

Hello,
I'm stuck at this fight.

Tried different thing to no avail.
Once I could kill the boss, then the game bugged as invisible skeletons were attacking me.
Anyway I did not have enough firepower to kill them.

In the video I link below, I see the player can destroy the armor in the 1st turn, which does not work in my game (I suppose this was a bug, maybe one they should not have solved, compared to other ones ...).

Alos, the tooltip on the reliquary mentions that I must attack him with this weapon to "transform" him (not sure the appropriate word). Well, I tried that and I do not see the difference than with any other weapon.

My comp is: 2 fighters, the dwarf and the barbarian, the bard girl who joins the party at some point, Crux, the assassin companion and myself, also a practioner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qecXKsOqCAg

[svdp]

It's imperative you kill Zanta first; you can leave the skeletons for later. Well, except maybe for the archers, because those were a pain in the azz. Practitioners are actually pretty good attackers for the fight with Zanta, so protect Crux and yourself (if you're a practitioner as you said), and focus on dealing mental damage. Those kind of attacks bypass the bosses' armor.

Also, a wortwhile skill for your warriors if there up against opponents with much armor/defences the "armor rend" one; that allows destroying the armor far more easily. If you don't have that, or a weapon that does the same - I believe there are some Elven puzzle weapons for that - you won't be able to make much headway in tearing down armor. Though headknocker can come in handy as well, if you don't have a rend armor skill.

As for the rest, brewing a lot of healing (and other) potions to use in combat helps a lot too, maybe coupled with the healing skill of a bard. It's a battle of attrition with Zanta, but, with steady focussing on whittling him down, in fact, it's quite do-able.

I mean, compared to the high-level bosses of Haernhold, he poses no real problem, really.

[Imarion]

Thanks for the answer.
Yes I try to focus on Zanta using mostly mental spells.

For armor rend, my 2 warriors have it.
The fact is, it does not work as in the video any more. You can't destroy its armor with armor rend.
By definition his bone armor is x points (I think 3) / live skeleton. But the skeleton revive each turn.

The most deadly part is the poison.
On turn 1 I get 2 characters poisoned.
On turn 2 it is the whole team.
I can't compensate with healings.

[svdp]

Originally posted by Imarion:

Thanks for the answer.
Yes I try to focus on Zanta using mostly mental spells.

For armor rend, my 2 warriors have it.
The fact is, it does not work as in the video any more. You can't destroy its armor with armor rend.
By definition his bone armor is x points (I think 3) / live skeleton. But the skeleton revive each turn.

The most deadly part is the poison.
On turn 1 I get 2 characters poisoned.
On turn 2 it is the whole team.
I can't compensate with healings.

What level do you have? It could be your level is, overall, too weak. In which case, I would suggest doing some side-quests first, before going up against Zanta again.

If you're really sure armor rend doesn't work anymore, you might file it as a bug report in the post 20th november bug reporting thread. But... you'll have to be sure. ;-) It worked after the first patch, but didn't use that skill much after that. In fact, not much at all.

I think I even beat Zanta without it as well. Just using headknocker - good to break the opponents' focus - and especially mangars mallet and arcane barrage (though the latter becomes far more usefull if you also have an item or skill which makes you have a decent chance of getting one spell point back, because then, with a bit of luck, you can really keep pounding him for a long time).

But you have to dwindle Zanta down as fast as possible. As said, don't bother with the skeletons, apart maybe from the archers. As for the best way to approach the skeletons after you defeated Zanta, it's best not to over-focus on one skeleton at a time until it dies, because, indeed, he will respawn (albeit a bit weaker) the next turn. So you better dwindle down as much skeletons as possible (for instance, with using taunt to lure them if necessary) but make sure you don't *actually* destroy them. Then, when the whole bunch is practically on life-support, you wait on a good turn for you, and destroy them all - needs to be all - in one go. Then none will respawn. ;-)

Of course, this is more easily said than done, because it means you will need to sing it out a bit longer at the start - you can't lose TOO many in your party - but it's a sure way to win if you manage that. Otherwise, it's going to become a REAL long battle of attrition.

Indeed, the poison is annoying, but I'm wondering what you're going to say when you encounter Redcap in the Haernhold dungeon, then. Now, THAT was a difficult battle. I suggest you leave that dungeon alone for quite some while - there's no use going there if you're not above level 20-25. :-) But keep up trying with Zanta, it may take a while, but it's quite do-able, and if you really feel you don't make a chance, try some side-quests to level up a bit.

Or: use some new tactics. I'm not sure how you're fighting right now, but, for instance, you could make a bunch of healing potions and put them with 2-3 party-members, so everytime a party member get's beaten up too much, you can restore his health with a potion (optionally, you can become a cleric as well, and have a healing spell). Thus, you can keep it up longer and dwindle Zanta bit by bit, until he succumbs. And, as said, taunt is often a much underestimated skill as well; it doesn't do direct damage (at least, not in normal mode), but it's good for keeping the attention focussed on your fighters by the head honcho. This means your tank(s) can keep Zanta focused on him/them, AND since you know that, you can buff your tanks/fighters for the next turn as well, with the shield spell of the bard, or a stance that fortifies your armor, for instance.

I think for defeating Zanta the first time, in the original game, I had to redo it 2-3 times, but, to give an idea, for defeating the king and redcap in Haernhold, I had to (re)try 28 times, and on "easy" mode at that, while all the rest I did on normal. Zanta may seem unsurmountable, but by levelling up, or changing tactics, you'll get there for sure.

[Imarion]

Hello,
thanks for taking the time to write all those explanations.

My characters are at level 23.
Should I go to Haernold and do the beginning to level up a bit ?

In terms of subquests I only have 5 remaining, and 2 of them I could not solve before this question (savin Klara and the Logistician dinner)

I posted the question in the "Post november 20 patch" thread, just below you trying to help someone else :)

I already tried different tactics (spells, skills, weapons, accessories, ...).
I did not try yet to equip my char with healing potions, will try that at once.

Leaving this fort from there is a bit cumbersome as you have to go throug traps. I would rather avoid that if possible.

[svdp]

Originally posted by Imarion:

Hello,
thanks for taking the time to write all those explanations.

My characters are at level 23.
Should I go to Haernold and do the beginning to level up a bit ?

In terms of subquests I only have 5 remaining, and 2 of them I could not solve before this question (savin Klara and the Logistician dinner)

I posted the question in the "Post november 20 patch" thread, just below you trying to help someone else :)

I already tried different tactics (spells, skills, weapons, accessories, ...).
I did not try yet to equip my char with healing potions, will try that at once.

Leaving this fort from there is a bit cumbersome as you have to go throug traps. I would rather avoid that if possible.

Hmm, that's actually pretty high already. One is maxed out at level 27-28.

So, apart of those you mention (and you can't finish the Klara-quest but at the very end anyway), you already did all these?:

A Stabbing Headache
The Review Board
Take the Highroad
Tortuga's Swim
Dark Mirror
The Holy Path
(The Logician's Dinner Party)
A Snare of Shadows
Song of the Sentry
The Wand of Peace

?

Also: you have a dwarven ruin close at the sea/shore, with the hexagonal stones: did you go there as well? It doesn't have a related quest, but there are enemies there that are tough and can aid in levelling, but not as tough as Haernhold.

If you really did all the quests and slayed all the findable opponents, I guess you'll have to go to Haernholf to level up, yes. It should be possible to beat the first giant you encounter in the hallway, and maybe a few of the weaker generals as well (you have 4 in total). As a bonus, you'll get good weaponary from (beating the) the generals as well. But avoid the king and redcap, at level 23; if you didn't manage Zanta, you won't beat them neither. If you manage to level up to 24 or 25, try Zanta anew, and after that, the main quest continues and you can level up a bit more - you'll have to beat Tarjan, after all.

And then Yadis, BUT! I strongly suggest, if you come at the point of the hungering-blade in the game, to stuff yourself full of things you might need (healingpotions, booze, or the things you make those with), and optimise your party and skills for the last time (for instance, choosing outlanders when you confront recap). Because afterwards, you can't do it anymore; it's a point of no return, as it were (well, except for Haernhold). If you're already level 27-28 or more, try to clean out Haernhold *just* before you kill Yadis, because then the game ends, and the king/redcap is actually more difficult to beat than yadis. ;-) But the game stops, apart from a story-epilogue, and you can't play further after Yadis died.

As for other tactics: you could use bilebombs as well; they're particulary good against skeletons. Alternatively, if you have it diffcult to keep your mages alive long enough, you can use shadow powder bombs, so you can hide them away when it gets dangerous. You'll need good timing, though, because you can't keep using them on every turn each time.

[Imarion]

Hello,
as per quests, save for Klara and Logistician dinner I have:
The burning man
The drunk guy at the port
(and maybe another 1 or 2, I do not remember).

If the dwarven area is the one close to the barbarian village you reach by going down on a path, I did not do it yet.
I entered it once at the time I reached the village but the ennemies there where quite red, and I quickly got out :)

As for the bombs I do not have the receipt yet and have no more available (used them to open the "secret" areas).
I tried the elven weapon that has 33% chance to create one kind of trap, but it is closer to 5 or 10% than 33%.
For example the barbarian girl has the retaliation skill, which should qualify as an attack.
When a skeleton attacks her 3 times, nothing is generated.
And her own attack has a seemlessly less probability than those 33%.

Well, I will wait for the next patch and try again, with some healing potions equipped where I can.

Thanks again for all the advices :)

[svdp]

Originally posted by Imarion:

Hello,
as per quests, save for Klara and Logistician dinner I have:
The burning man
The drunk guy at the port
(and maybe another 1 or 2, I do not remember).

If the dwarven area is the one close to the barbarian village you reach by going down on a path, I did not do it yet.
I entered it once at the time I reached the village but the ennemies there where quite red, and I quickly got out :)

As for the bombs I do not have the receipt yet and have no more available (used them to open the "secret" areas).
I tried the elven weapon that has 33% chance to create one kind of trap, but it is closer to 5 or 10% than 33%.
For example the barbarian girl has the retaliation skill, which should qualify as an attack.
When a skeleton attacks her 3 times, nothing is generated.
And her own attack has a seemlessly less probability than those 33%.

Well, I will wait for the next patch and try again, with some healing potions equipped where I can.

Thanks again for all the advices :)

Haha... barbarians... but yes, I suspect it's that one. If you're going to level up, it's better to go there than to Haernhold. Haernhold is best not tried before level 25-26, and for the king and redcap, best be 27-28.

Burning man... don't remember exactly, but isn't that from the Scorcherer in Skara Brae Below, who will ask you to banish him? If I remember correctly, for that one you have to go to the Necromancer's Spire, located somewhere at the Isles, to the right of Castle Langskaal. But I don't know if you went to that already? It's not part of the main quest, so if you didn't enter the Spire yet, you could do that as well. With the spire and/or the dwarven ruin, you should be able to at least level up once or maybe twice, and maybe get you some new or better gear/armor/items as well.

As for bile bombs and the drunk guy (tortuga's swim), don't forget to check the merchants AND the innkeepers of every inn/pub/area you encounter (including on the Isles) for the necessary things you'll need.