Dark Forest

From HoAWiki

The Dark Forest can be accessed through the Wizard Tower in the Fertile Plains once the clientele of the Blaze of Glory Tavern in East Cheswick mention it to you. This area is filled with an abundance of special items, making it one of the most important places to explore in terms of item searching. Some of the encounters here are difficult and since it's generally not possible to exit this area freely, heroes should be prepared before entering the Dark Forest.

In-game description: In these dark woods are found some of the most powerful magics in Ardania, being the home of the Witch King, the Lich Queen, as well as the ruined sites that housed the seven pieces of Brashnard's Sphere of Ultimate Power.

Contents 1 Creature Inhabitants 2 Events and Encounters 2.1 Common Events (No requirements) 2.2 Special Events (Have Requirements) 3 Exit

[edit] Creature Inhabitants

• Daemonwood
• Elderwood
• Tanglewood
• Dryad
• Giant Spider
• Huge Spider
• Evil Oculus
• Minotaur
• Harpy
• Medusa
• Flowering Strangleweed
• Flowering Sporeweed
• Flowering Deathweed
• Shadow Thief
• Dark Knight
• Lesser Soul Imp

[edit] Events and Encounters

[edit] Common Events (No requirements)

• Bridge to the Hellfire Mountains South. Protected by Barbarian Guardians who let you pass without fight each time you find the bridge there-after.
• Daemonwood Grove: Guarded by Daemonwoods and Tanglewoods. Items include: Potions (Total Restoration Tincture), Accessories (Holsters, Scabbards, Sheaths, Ancient Belts). There are numerous opponents there as well.
• Witch King Ruins: Explorable sublocation.
• Brashnard Ruins: Can either feature many weak foes or a moderate amount of very strong foes. Only location where one can find the 7 shards/splinters of Brashnard's Sphere, used in many schematics. Number of opponents depend on your hero's level. Possible combinations of foes: Hellbears, Trolls, Flowering Strangleweeds (for the easier variation) and Evil Oculi, Rock Golems, and Daemonwood (for the more difficult variation which yields two items).
• Abandoned Altar: Guarded by Evil Oculus, the number of which depends on your level. Similar to the one found in HFM East, while also dropping some unique items like the Shadow Gem, Mithril Breastplate +4, and Sterling Ribcage.
• Ruins resembling an old Magical Chalice site. Protected by Flesh Hunters. Contains a portal to the Sunken City.

[edit] Special Events (Have Requirements)

• Paladin's Keep: In this Special Event, Heroes can choose to either fight off many waves of Paladin and Monks or fight against waves of Warriors of Discord as well as Priestesses (with their supporting monsters) to gain a beneficial Aura with a permanent effect. Heroes who have predominately prayed at or donated to Agrela and Dauros temples can only fight against the Warriors of Discord and Priestesses. Heroes who have predominately prayed at or donated to Fervus and Krypta temples can only fight against the Paladins and Monks. Heroes can choose either side only if they have equally prayed at or donated to both sides, or if they have not yet prayed at any temple. The reward for the successful completion of either fight is the same: ONE of five Auras that will greatly improve any Hero's attributes. This Special Event can be completed only once, so choose wisely. The five Auras available are:

Aura of Fear: All opponents receive an automatic -10 to their combat stats.

Aura of Victory: +10 to all four combat stats: H2H, Ranged, Dodge and Parry.

Aura of Enchantment: Your Hero will get a permanent +1 enchantment to any weapon and armor used, above and beyond any current enchantment that such items may already have.

Aura of Health: Poison immunity and a +16 boost to Vitality!

Aura of Might: +8 Strength, +8 Willpower and +4 Intelligence.

• Merlan's Quests: Events connected with Merlan's Quests only appear when a quest for Merlan is active. This includes access to Lycanthria which appears only if Merlan requires you to go there, as well as other certain quest-related encounters in the Dark Forest.
• Adept encounter. This event only appears when in possession of the Circlet of Lycanthropy schematic and needs a Gate Key for successful completion. Player rewarded with the Lunas Staff.
• Wild Gardens. This is another explorable location inside the Dark Forest and contains the Sorcerer's Abode and the Abandoned Library. To find it, one must first obtain the correct rumor from the Blaze of Glory Tavern at East Cheswick.

[edit] Exit

• In order to exit the Dark Forest, every class must find an exit event, even Rangers. These exits can eventually be found once the Hero does a little exploring.
• The bridge to Hellfire Mountains South also allows Heroes to exit the Dark Forest area. However, the bridge is only accessible after defeating the Barbarian Guardians in an encounter (see "Bridge" in "Common Events" section, above).
• Going into the portal to the Sunken City will also allow you to exit the Dark Forest, but the portal is only accessible after successfully defeating a group of Flesh Hunters (see "Ruins" in "Common Events" section, above).
• Characters with the Gate Key may exit the Dark Forest at any time by using its gate feature. The Gate Key is available only after assembling it from the Gate Key schematic (see Schematics).