Question about Order of FR, Blacksmith, & Sigfried

[Jabberwocky]

I'm still slodging my way through chapter 2 because of my limited playing time. After helping Sigfried in the sewers at the beginning of the chapter, he acted like my best friend, and the Order's blacksmith and his assistant were the same way. I re-forged my sword there, among other things. Much later on in chapter 2 I returned to them to try and sell another weapon I acquired and they won't deal with me - citing that they only deal with "friends of the Order." What is more, is that upon approaching Sigfried at his post, he acts cold and aloof. I can't think of anything I could have done to change their perception of me. It's almost as if the first things I did to get on their good side are not registering anymore.

Is this just something that happens to everyone and it's part of the design that's not quite refined, or is it a bug, or is this the AI's reaction to something I did elsewhere?

[Acleacius]

I can't think of anything I could have done to change their perception of me.
Lies! We know who you are and you freed that nasty stinking dwarf! :p

It's how they get their "sides" when you help one, the other automatically knows. You can sell your stuff to the dwarf blacksmith near Vavali's house.
Sounds like you played the best way, possible without knowing your other derisions, afaik.

[Prime Junta]

Is this just something that happens to everyone and it's part of the design that's not quite refined, or is it a bug, or is this the AI's reaction to something I did elsewhere?

Word gets around about some things you do. You got some brownie points with the Order for teaming with Siegfried in the sewers, but you must've lost them doing something else. The Order are, essentially, Nazis, and getting pally with the non-humans will piss them off -- even if you don't go anywhere near aiding and abetting the rebels. For all I know, just being seen drinking with Zoltan might do it.

I got into a situation in my second play-through where neither the non-humans nor the Order trusted me enough to deal with me. Fortunately it didn't last long -- I ended up doing some stuff that softened up one side enough that I could buy my armor.

Incidentally, if you are in that situation and want to get rid of extra weapons,

just sell them to Thaler the fence.

[Jabberwocky]

Ok, thanks guys. That makes sense. I'm not sure what it could have been, I don't remember freeing any dwarf that 'cius is talking about?? Maybe I'm just forgetful? Or maybe it was something else, who knows, but at least I know it's not a bug. :)

[Corwin]

It happened to me as well, so it's a common event. I did free the dwarf!! :)

[Jabberwocky]

Maybe I haven't got to that part yet, cuz I just don't remember freeing any dwarf other than helping out Zoltan in Chapter 1.

You aren't talking about the blacksmith are you? He mentioned he got all of his equipment confiscated...

Anyway, if I haven't got to that point yet it means that this issue can occur even before that event. Good thing to file away for future play-throughs. Glad I got my sword re-forged right away!

Speaking of play-throughs, I will probably only get through this game once, so I want to see as much of it as possible. Without giving too much away, is there any particular event in chapter 2 that is a 'no turning back' point, where you can't complete other outstanding quests?

I ask because this happened in Chapter 1, once you talk to the Reverend about a certain item. I had a lot of unfinished business, so I had to re-load to a point before that. I don't want to go through the same thing in the rest of the game.

[Acleacius]

I meant Vavaldi, you are mostly forced to deal with him in some way to get the books, I don't think you can skip that bit, as once you get the books it activates The Tower stuff, which is essential to completing chapter 2. It maybe possible to skip but I haven't even tried to be honest.
I hope Prime Junta is wrong about, drinking with Zoltan, think he is mostly being hypothetical, as I have personally noticed there are specific reasons, not random for the shifts.
I guess it could have been something else other than freeing Vavaldi, though in chapter 2 it's hard to think of something else, unless you just went around accusing everyone in the Investigation, pissing off Vincent could do it since he is aligned with the city, which the Order protects, but not sure if that would do it. :)

[Acleacius]

There is a major battle at the Tower in the Swamp which ends the chapter, but it takes a lot of work to get there, so don't let that keep you from going to the Swamp, I personally try to finish up most everything in the city before I go to the Swamp.

[Jabberwocky]

Oh.......... Vivaldi! Well, I didn't have to free him from anything because I just ponied up the Orens and paid him for both books right then and there in his house. That's why I didn't get what you were saying.

As for the swamp, that's exactly where I was headed next. But are you saying you can't come back to the city or what? I've pretty much exhausted all leads in the city other than Luudvarden or whatever,... and I wanted to do his job (in the swamp) before accusing him. Right now I'm at a dead-end with Ramsmeat, Kalkstein, Thaler, and Vincent. I haven't done the autopsy ( I know about it from reading these forums but don't know what triggers it or what it leads to).

[Corwin]

You can go back and forth between the swamp and the city. The swamp is a challenge early on!! :)

[Jabberwocky]

Well I've only leveled up once in the city. It's like Gothic, the levels are farther between as you advance. I'm still getting only bronze talents, with one silver from making the concoction retrieved from the hellhound.

[Acleacius]

Ahh, you made a different decision in chapter 1, if he wasn't arrested, hehe there are so many possibilities and deviations it's hard to remember.
Yes there is much more exp in the Swamp, I didn't mean you couldn't come back, only personally I tried to complete everything I could in the city first but I still needed to come back.
I had trouble with bugs in The Investigation, forcing me to restart, I ended up staying there to make sure was able to complete it before moving on.

[Corwin]

I did at least 80% of the city before going to the swamp and found the difficulty level there reasonable, while still,at times, challenging. You start to get silvers at level 15!!

[Jabberwocky]

Well I found some more stuff to do in the city last night so I still haven't made it to the swamp. What amazes me about this game is just how many different branches the plot can take (albeit minor ones, they're still branches) just based on decisions you make and have no idea you've made them! If I were to play through again, I still wouldn't know half the time what I was doing at instant would have what effect.... That's cool.

[Acleacius]

Slight spoiler about the city quest which can be done, in chapter 2, this only lets you know of an area you Can get into, you might not know about.
Cemetary

[Jabberwocky]

I have a key to the area you referenced, received from the gravedigger, but haven't had a compelling reason to go in there yet. That is to say no quests that would earn me money, or related to the story. I can't find anyone to talk to that would offer such a quest. (?)

[Corwin]

I'd strongly suggest a visit; you will eventually get a quest, but you don't necessarily need one to make a visit worthwhile. Just be sure to have some light for the crypt!! :)

[Acleacius]

It might be best to go to the graveyard after the autopsy, by doing this it will allow you to get more potential xp. Yes, also remember to hang on to many dropped trophy items, especially things you will see AT night, when you should go, ooops, muwhahahaaa!

Bounty quests will continue bring 10 of these and 5 of those into chapter 3 for sure and it's nice to have that extra cash and xp. :)


Sight spoiler, there are 2 quests in chapter 2 which you can only get at a certain time of night/day, iirc, just listing the area, not who or which quest.
The location where you start chapter 2 in the city, near the sewer entrance at 5am or 6am, can't recall atm and secondly at outside the graveyard entrance at 12 noon

[Jabberwocky]

Interesting you should mention those quests - I just finished the one outside the entrance of the place you start chapter 2 in. But now I can't find the guy. He was supposed to be waiting right there in the morning and I waited the whole morning and he never showed up. Now what?

[magerette]

That one's very time specific, JW--as Acleasius says, 5 or 6 am I think. Go at just before dawn and wait and he should show up.
I'm assuming since the guy's a shady character, he's ending his shift about then ;)

[Jabberwocky]

Will do, thanks.

[Acleacius]

Oops, guess I should have been more clear the "turn in" is also on the same strict time limits as "initiation" on both quests.

Ohh, crap I almost forgot, (damn two weeks off from playing really effects the memory) there is one specific quest that does NOT carry over to chapter three, which you could reasonably suspect it would. Just the name spoiler Spider Cult , the actual location spoiler sewers and quest initiation body of a Knight in the sewers in a nook, available the first time in the sewers till the end of chapter two, iirc .

[Prime Junta]

Really? I'm pretty sure I did that quest in ch. 3.

[Acleacius]

I think so, as my last attempt was to intentionally test this since I read, there was new info given in Chapter 3, but once I got to chapter 3 the quest disappeared. However I didn't test to see if I could still go inside, so maybe that could be the difference. I was trying to work out the lack of quest objective as the many attempts I tried to get the quest to update inside that area like killing everything, looting everything and trying to report the info to the FR had no effect on the quest, update.
I sort decided it was just bugged and gave up, I hope you had better luck. :)

[crpgnut]

Okay, I gave in and read this thread. I found the decayed knight that leads to a certain area in a certain place. I just went ahead and cleared the area while I was down there after dropping Sigfried off. Was that a no-no? It was kind of a pain because I only had a rusty sword and no potions, but I was able to win all the fights with group tactics and Aard. I really didn't find anything except a hoard of good alchemy stuff....

[Acleacius]

No it's perfectly fine afaik, Gratz on the fight wins. :)
Most wait till they get their good sword back from the Jailer which I do first, before I do anything, especially the Investigation. I wait till 11pm before I go to the Investigation, since it auto kicks you out at midnight and I emerge from the sewers after the Cocktrice early in the morning, I hated losing the whole day.

[crpgnut]

I wasn't wasting the money upgrading until I started finding fights I couldn't win without upgrading :) I still haven't upgraded but I did at least go grab my witcher sword instead of good ol' rusty for the Investigator's Surprise fight. My human strategy is to Aard the tough fighters and then coup de grace. I then switch to group mode and fight the lighter armored dudes. If a toughie gets close I Aard again as soon as possible. My toughest fights were always with Echinops till I learned that Igni has a greater range than the thorns :cm:

[Jabberwocky]

Again, good to know 'Cius... I found said person in said nook and recieved said quest, but haven't pursued yet. Figured it would be a tough fight just guessing. Will do that now before leaving the city...

[crpgnut]

I'm loving Witcher. This game is really well done. Once I've finished it the first time, I plan on going back through with the extended dialogue patch. I bought a second copy of the game so that I have both the NA and UK editions of the game.

[Acleacius]

So far, sadly you have to install the Polish dialogs to be able to have enough time to read the full dialogs, there seems no way to even pause and read. I am using the Optimized version and I am still losing much dialog cause I can't read it fast enough. Not to mention being force to Speed read like that takes you out of the gameworld, well it does for me anyway. Oh iirc you might have to add the Polish Voice Animations as well so the Lip Syncronation works.