The Ferryman death is a cheap shot

[.//slayer]

I feel like instant unavoidable deaths through dialogue options are a cheap blow to the players. Nowhere before the Act 2 it was a possibility, so I didn't expect it to happen there as well - you talk to the Ferryman, he tells you he won't betray you and takes your money, and then, as soon as you cross to the other side, your party instantly dies, the game is saved and you lose your Honour playthrough - not due to your own mistake in a battle, not due to an unoptimal build but because of a game behaviour that was neither present not in any way hinted or indicated anywhere before.

I don't mind losing the save, however I don't see how it was my mistake in this particular situation - the game doesn't make itself very clear on a possible outcome and doesn't offer you a second chance once the deed is done. Late into Act 2 this means losing 60 hours of progress because of a wrong dialogue choice - the very definition of frustration in an otherwise amazing game.

At the very least you could've given players the achievement (Over to the Farther Coast) for crossing and dying - cause now it just feels like I died for nothing at all.

[CrazyOdd]

I had 1 of those resurect totems before doing this and ended up with 2 after, so maybe its suppose to give you one? Another alternative is having Fane in the party, as he is immune to it.

But yeah, its kind of a cheap shot. Maybe having a out of body spirit moment to pay the ferryman to resurect you, would be correct lore wise?

[.//slayer]

Originally posted by Chiobe:

I had 1 of those resurect totems before doing this and ended up with 2 after, so maybe its suppose to give you one? Another alternative is having Fane in the party, as he is immune to it.

But yeah, its kind of a cheap shot. Maybe having a out of body spirit moment to pay the ferryman to resurect you, would be correct lore wise?

I like your suggestiong about the out of body experience - in fact, as I was desperately staring at my save being deleted, I entertained a thought that maybe it's just a ruse and I was supposed to die at that point to be resurrected later... Alas, no such luck.

Could you please tell me about the resurrect totems? It's the third Honour run I lost so far, so having something like a resurrect at hand would definitely help.

[CrazyOdd]

Originally posted by .//slayer:

Could you please tell me about the resurrect totems? It's the third Honour run I lost so far, so having something like a resurrect at hand would definitely help.

Ashen Idol of Rebirth, can be found on one of the characters in the arena under Driftwood in Act 2. So you need to survive that long, before you have some safety.

[.//slayer]

Originally posted by Chiobe:

Originally posted by .//slayer:

Could you please tell me about the resurrect totems? It's the third Honour run I lost so far, so having something like a resurrect at hand would definitely help.

Ashen Idol of Rebirth, can be found on one of the characters in the arena under Driftwood in Act 2. So you need to survive that long, before you have some safety.

Thank you! I probably forgot to loot them after the fight. I'll keep an eye out for the idol next time I get there.

[CrazyOdd]

Originally posted by .//slayer:

Originally posted by Chiobe:

Ashen Idol of Rebirth, can be found on one of the characters in the arena under Driftwood in Act 2. So you need to survive that long, before you have some safety.

Thank you! I probably forgot to loot them after the fight. I'll keep an eye out for the idol next time I get there.

Its not part of the arena fight, but more a side quest with one of the fighters.

[DefofChaos]

Originally posted by .//slayer:

I feel like instant unavoidable deaths through dialogue options are a cheap blow to the players. Nowhere before the Act 2 it was a possibility, so I didn't expect it to happen there as well - you talk to the Ferryman, he tells you he won't betray you and takes your money, and then, as soon as you cross to the other side, your party instantly dies, the game is saved and you lose your Honour playthrough - not due to your own mistake in a battle, not due to an unoptimal build but because of a game behaviour that was neither present not in any way hinted or indicated anywhere before.

I don't mind losing the save, however I don't see how it was my mistake in this particular situation - the game doesn't make itself very clear on a possible outcome and doesn't offer you a second chance once the deed is done. Late into Act 2 this means losing 60 hours of progress because of a wrong dialogue choice - the very definition of frustration in an otherwise amazing game.

At the very least you could've given players the achievement (Over to the Farther Coast) for crossing and dying - cause now it just feels like I died for nothing at all.

Just saying, you trusted an undead to go across on a small boat through a GIANT AMOUNT of Death Fog. What did you think was going to happen? If you were in that position at time, would you really get on that boat? It seems that you are upset that you made a poor decision in the game without really thinking through on your actions rather than the game not hinting for you to not go through there.

[.//slayer]

@F.DefofChaos, like I said, it's not a situation that either DOS1 or DOS2 ever put you through. There was no preparation for it and, indeed, not enough hinting. There's death fog, there's a ferry and there are no other immediately obvious ways across - it's only natural to go and try to cross the lake the most conventional way. The character being undead has nothing to do with it, because some other undead in the game are perfectly friendly to you. Besides, he takes your fee for the crossing and literally says "If I wanted to kill you, I'd do it right now". I tend to trust people, so there was no doubt left in me after these words.

This is not a Sierra quest from mid-90-s, where death was expected to happen to you at every encounter. Things like the Ferryman episode are not justifiable in DOS.

[SerraShaar]

keep hearing about this ferrymen , anyone wanna clue me in ?

[.//slayer]

@SerraShaar, it's an NPC that you encounter in Act 2. He offers to take you across the Deathfog lake for a small fee. The decision is yours =P.

[SerraShaar]

Originally posted by .//slayer:

@SerraShaar, it's an NPC that you encounter in Act 2. He offers to take you across the Deathfog lake for a small fee. The decision is yours =P.

take you where though ? To the Island filled with treaaaasure ? Nah I wish haha

[.//slayer]

Originally posted by SerraShaar:

Originally posted by .//slayer:

@SerraShaar, it's an NPC that you encounter in Act 2. He offers to take you across the Deathfog lake for a small fee. The decision is yours =P.

take you where though ? To the Island filled with treaaaasure ? Nah I wish haha

Yeah, forgot to mention - the destination is Bloodmoon Isle, and it's a pretty huge location with enemies and quests. You don't have to absolutely go there, but from what I know, it's quite a chunk of the game and the main story quest can also lead you there (although there are alternatives).

[SerraShaar]

Originally posted by .//slayer:

Originally posted by SerraShaar:

take you where though ? To the Island filled with treaaaasure ? Nah I wish haha

Yeah, forgot to mention - the destination is Bloodmoon Isle, and it's a pretty huge location with enemies and quests. You don't have to go absolutely there, but from what I know, it's quite a chunk of the game and the main story quest can also lead you there (although there are alternatives).

oh..actually I finished the game . But went trough the normal route , didn't know you could get a ferrymen to take you there . Never trust the ferrymen! :P wasn't there something about a ferrymen in the Greek story...........

[.//slayer]

Ah, I see. Yeah, there was a ferryman in Greek mythology, his name was Charon and he took you across the Styx, however he was a capital dude and knew his business well - I never heard of him actually betraying his clients, especially after they paid.

There was a similar episode in one of Terry Pratchett's books, where Death himself takes the main characters across the deadly river and otherwise helps them. So you see, for me to trust a similar character in the game was a non-issue. Apparently, I was wrong.

[SerraShaar]

Originally posted by .//slayer:

Ah, I see. Yeah, there was a ferryman in Greek mythology, his name was Charon and he took you across the Styx, however he was a capital dude and knew his business well - I never heard of him actually betraying his clients, especially after they paid.

There was a similar episode in one of Terry Pratchett's books, where Death himself takes the main characters across the deadly river and otherwise helps them. So you see, for me to trust a similar character in the game was a non-issue. Apparently, I was wrong.

Aw , well he is taking over the deathfog . I wouldn't trust anyone over deathfog . Just take the other route , it's easier and get you the right entrance .

[Default Dwight]

^^ Yes, *Spoiler* if you head to the north of driftwood fields you will find a broken bridge. If you use Spirit Vision there a hidden set of platforms will be revealed that you can teleport across to the island instead. *Spoiler*