The Grieving Mother

[Genghis Cunn]

I had two advanced PoE games which I abandoned long ago. In one, I'd done everything I could without crossing Stormwater Gorge, which wouldn't go down. In the other, I couldn't overcome opposition en route to the lowest levels below Caed Nua and couldn't strengthen my squad further. But I backed PoE2 so started again. I met the GM, decided not to immediately recruit her, went into the nearby house then the mill then changed my mind - and she'd gone. Have I lost the chance, or can she be found elsewhere? I don't have a save game from before I talked to her, nor auto-saves as I've gone in and out of buildings (yes, I should have kept a fallback game).

[Briggs]

Wow, that sucks. I sure hope you can recruit her. Is there a pointer to her on your map still?

[Genghis Cunn]

No.

[Briggs]

Oh... >_>

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Stormwall Gorge opens up only after the animancer hearing at the Duc's palace. That's when the heavy rain ends that has caused the flood.

Endless Paths of Od Nua level 7 is a key point where blindly fighting everyone can be difficult, if you don't know your party well enough yet. If you've made it down to level 7, be sure to turn off the four machines before the last fight on that level.

Grieving Mother : Have you talked to her yet? If not, she remains at her original location forever. If you've talked to her, check the party management interface at the next inn or the stronghold. She may be available for you there.

[Genghis Cunn]

Thanks, I'll do that. I talked to her, thought of dropping Sagani but decided to wait until I'd done more in the area, then collect her. Off to the inn!

[Genghis Cunn]

Not at the inn, alas.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Any inn or the stronghold. Open the party management interface. Have you tried that?

Edit: I've had a look. Even if one rejects her during conversation ("Get away ..."), she doesn't stop talking, and one still gets the option to let her join. If one doesn't add her to the party, she will be available at the party management interface as pointed out.

[Genghis Cunn]

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the options re the party management interface, but I can't access the party and friends menu except at Caed Nua. I asked GM if she wanted to come with me, and the PI opened. Perhaps I could have switched her in then out again to pick up later, but I didn't - I thought, perhaps mistakenly, that I'd need to be back at CN to change the party. If I can't sort it out, I'll carry on th game, but my recollection is that she was an important component of it. Thanks for your advice.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

At any inn when you talk to the inn keeper and ask for a room, shopping options or hirelings, you get the menu at the left side. There you can access the party management interface and the retrain option, too.

GM is unimportant. She adds a tiny little bit due to her personal story, but nothing earth shattering.

And yes, when talking to her, eventually the party manager opens, and it is completely fine to ignore her then as she will be available via the party manager later anyway. When you say she's gone, nobody can verify that. It's not reproducible.

[Icedfate]

wow, that sucks, a bug like that would upset me.

on a side note, but it seems that, there's no reason not to recruit the companions as soon as you find them.

if you have the stronghold(and I don't think there's any way to get the grieving mother before that), then whoever you kick out to make room for her, will immediately go back there and then you can freely switch party members in and out.

I don't think the quests have time limits.

so yeah, just take the party members as soon as you see them and save yourself the headache, no?

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Except when you accept a new companion for the first time, he/she gets the same XP than you, but while not within the party, waiting companions only receive less XP than your party and need to be sent on stronghold adventures for some extra XP. And even then they advance more slowly than the party.