EE NPC Quests: Rasaad & Neera

[Centurion]

Unlike most posts here, this is neither a question nor a complaint. I mean this as a caution/warning to players like me new to EE, although I am sure it will get its own comments.

I have now done both of the "good" NPC quests that are new for EE and all I can say is: BE CAREFUL! Both Rasaad's and Neera's quests are, as you might expect, mostly a lot of insipid run-n-fetch quests. Neera's is especially bad. Aside from some rather nasty traps, you spend the first part crossing an area where you are facing Kobolds and wild animals. And squirrels that become Ogres, like Ogres are at all a thing in BG2! This is followed by the usual busy work of find my favorite beer, locate my hairband (for real!), etc. Most of Rasaad's are not even combat-oriented. About what you expect from these two, right?

The warning is this (and this is why it's here and not new players, spoiler alert): Both end with massive, SoD style battles that are insanely tough. And no warning that maybe you should level up (a lot) before trying these. And while I am sure there are ways to cheese these, I am pretty cheesy and I still had to re-load both, twice, to avoid losing NPCs. It's like you are sucked in by the lousy NPCs and idiotic tasks, and suddenly you are fighting late game battle royales!

And here is another hint they don't tell you: Do Rasaad's first, as it can help you get full XP in Neera's!

I have not done Hexxat's or Dorn's yet, but I am guessing they will be more of the same!

[Default]

Haha - you're not wrong about Rasaad. The difficulty spike from "wander around and talk to a bear" to "30 high level monks" was... significant.

If it makes you feel better though, I'm playing as an Archer and just hit a bug that's apparently been in the game since release, and Beamdog didn't bother to fix... so... actually, I can't complain... having to enable the console and search for and follow instructions about console commands reminded me of 90's gaming. They were definitely some of the days of all time.

[AlexMBrennan]

Do Rasaad's first, as it can help you get full XP in Neera's!

This is bad advice because you lose access to a spoiler companion if you do that. You should do Neera's quest until you are told to find a bear, and then do Rasaad's quest.

[Default]

Originally posted by AlexMBrennan:

This is bad advice because you lose access to a spoiler companion if you do that. You should do Neera's quest until you are told to find a bear, and then do Rasaad's quest.

This is incorrect advice. I did Rasaad's quest first, and assumed I'd missed out on Wilson once I found out enough to try and Google what that required (absent any other information) and when I re-entered the relevant location Wilson was standing there, perfectly recruitable.

I think it likely depends on how you treat Wilson when you're on the map... of course, it would be more obvious why you should care if you'd done the start of Neera's.

[Centurion]

Originally posted by Default:

Haha - you're not wrong about Rasaad. The difficulty spike from "wander around and talk to a bear" to "30 high level monks" was... significant.

If it makes you feel better though, I'm playing as an Archer and just hit a bug that's apparently been in the game since release, and Beamdog didn't bother to fix... so... actually, I can't complain... having to enable the console and search for and follow instructions about console commands reminded me of 90's gaming. They were definitely some of the days of all time.

Also an archer. What's the bug?

[Default]

Originally posted by Centurion:

Also an archer. What's the bug?

The second quest for the Ranger Stronghold in the Umar Hills can fail to trigger correctly.

The NPC meant to give you the quest can spawn too far away, or not be noticed, and you can easily transition the map before they speak to you. They never respawn. On spawning, they trigger a timer which you are unaware of, because you never saw them. From the start of that timer you have four in-game days to return to the Umar Hills and talk to the mayor, or you automatically fail the second Stronghold quest and the quest line and Stronghold are then locked to you.

The NPC may also spawn *while* you're in the Umar Hills, having done the first quest for the Stronghold. If that occurs, a flag in the code misreads a tag for the *first* quest as something for the *second quest* and then you automatically fail the second Stronghold quest, and the quest line and Stronghold are then locked to you.

That's the gist of it.

You can tell if this state has been hit by speaking to the Mayor. If he's mumbling something about you having let them down, and you don't have any reason why that would have occurred, you've probably hit one of the versions of the bug.

[Centurion]

Thanks. I actually posted a detailed workaround for this a few weeks ago. The trigger failed for me too.

[Default]

Originally posted by Centurion:

Thanks. I actually posted a detailed workaround for this a few weeks ago. The trigger failed for me too.

I used a console hack from a few years ago... so the answers are out there... I just don't think I should have had to find them for a 20+ year old bug with an apparently easy fix haha.

[red255]

Ok. First issue. Challenge/difficulty of EE quests.

In BG1 we had these companion quests, Neeras were pretty difficult facing down cowled wizard ambushes, not really good loot, aside from neera's gem bag. Rasaad weren't too bad but you had Raasad being the dead weight that he is, good set strength to 19 belt for BG1

Dorn had a quest by the time you actually get around to it, its not that difficult. and I never tried the drow mage

SoD the quests for Neera continue. I don't recall if Dorn or Raasad or baeloth have any. Neera's takes you to a hard area, but that area is done regardless if neera's quest is active.

SoA. Hexxat's quest first one gets you a bag of holding and is about as challenging as most tomb walkings are, level drain and hold person are issues but yeah. good loot in terms of XP and scrolls. the bag of holding, and a +3 dagger and some other +3 weapons. but yeah some of the mobs here drop 19000 XP a kill and can be easily dispatched with traps. takes 1 week between each quest so unless you sit on your hands the second or thing have a vastly increased party and shouldn't be an issue, usually finish around level 15.

Dorn's quest has you killing the temple of Helm priest so I normally do the unseeing eye quest first. most of the notable loot is non-good only equip. you can have Jahiera wear the helm. otherwise if you are not using Dorn its mostly just XP and money and I usually skip it.

Neera's quest is hard sure with a bit of notable loot. apparently you are supposed to start it and then ignore it, because first time I took it I went to the bridge district got the necklace and then did the blue elf and couldn't turn in the necklace bit.

Barad din's cats are from hell. Luckily its optional. Notable loot as I recall is the +2 amulet of protection, a Potion of healing with 3 uses per day, and the mage conclave on the promenade has a bunch of scrolls and potions so a guarenteed source of level 7 scrolls like mordenkains sword. there are ways to make things easier in the conclave but they are either buggy as hell or require things I couldn't get to work, so I usually just do cheese with doors.

numbers wise the fight might be as hard as the twisted rune.

Raasad's quest line which you do while neera's is active to get Wilson. few random pieces of loot that you can either sell or use that aren't better than stuff in the base game. and a gem of seeing.

the fight at the end is sorta hard. but mainly again because Raasad is such a limp noodle that brings nothing to the party. I mean its an upper tier fight sure. bring level 15 guys.

reminds me alot of the cult fight at the end of BG1 tales of the sword cost in uthgardt's beard with guys fighting you and assasins trying to backstab you.

pretty much a level check, made harder/higher by the fact rasaad isn't good.

--

Throne of bhaal. Dorn has you go to the high heavens where you fight 2 dragons. would say its hard, but probably not as hard as neera's going to the cowled wizard enclave where I had to be really careful to not trigger too much. Dorn's rewards you with the ability to severely weaken two NPC by putting their names in the book of punishment so they recieve god's punishment. also some armor that counts as light armor with a really low AC score. and I tihnk magic resistance from the dragon scales.

also alot of loot from the bodies of the high level angelic guards you slaughter.

Neera's again has you going and getting wizard loot and I think an extra ring of regeneration. might have a bag of holding but at this point I have my pocket plane so its not really relevant. but yeah again cowled wizard shop with all sorts of loot to purchase and some fights

and raasaad has you go to some dwarven stronghold and fight a shade dragon of some sort of darkness monster. fight is one of those forced run away sequences, and you gotta pass a charisma check or it keeps looping or something. which is irritating as the place is falling apart and monsters are constantly spawning and such. some monk only gear drops as I recall.

hexxat has you go into a final tomb and recover L's body for him. wouldn't say its difficult just figuring out the traps took some doing. I don't recall any of the loot and I allow hexxat to recieve her final reward.