http://users.bart.nl/~jamin Heretic 2 Written by Neil Mohr INTRO WEAPONS You get quite a big range of weapons to play with so make good use of all of them. As the hell staff and bows use their own ammo make sure you swap between using Mana eating spells and these ammo based weapons so you never run out of either ammo or Mana. STAFFS You can use your main staff pritty much all the way through the game, just make sure you don't miss the power up shrines marked in the walkthrough. Otherwise it will be almost useless on the later levels. Spinning blows to the head seems to do a lot more damage than body shots. So, aim high! DEFENSIVE SPELLS Try to remember to use your defensive spells, I kept forgetting. The Tome of Power is great when you come up against the end of level monsters. I generally stick to the meteor shower as it doesn't use too much power, you have a certain amount of control over it and it packs a punch. SPELLS You will pick spells up as you travel. As these use up your Mana, try to pick the best one for the current situation. Remember if a spell hits a projectile on the way they will cancel each other out. I personally feel the firewall is the best all round weapon. Use it on crowds or individuals; they keep on cooking afterwards. BOWS The storm bow is great. If you have a bunch of people trapped in an area, fire a couple of storm arrows into them. A few seconds later and they all could be dead or very unhealthy. You can also fire a trail of arrows forcing oncoming enemies to take damage as they approach. The pheonix bow is very powerful and dangerous. Be careful not to blow yourself up! INHABITANTS OF PARTHORIS SIDHE AND SSITHRA The opening two worlds don't offer any really challenge. The nasties inhabiting them are quite easy to kill. You can stick pretty much to your staff if you like. Wounded creatures will run off. Leave them unless you deliberately want to hack them to bits in top psychopathic manner. T'CHEKRIK All but the smallest T'chekrik have ranged weapons and are pretty hard. Usually attacking in number you are best avoiding hand to hand combat until the last moment. Soften them up with your storm bow and firewall spells. They are very vulnerable to head blows, so if you can get close without getting shot at this is a good choice of attack against single opponents. PLAGUE MONSTERS You meet the poison-throwing monster early on, you can take them down with a couple of strikes to the head. The cloud fortress introduces the very hard axe and whip wielding grunts. I suggest softening these guys up with a firewall spell or phoenix arrow, the finishing them off with your staff or thunderblast. Also four meteors and a staff blow usually dispatches them. CAURTHORIANS The most annoying enemy in the entire game, these guys can teleport at will (generally behind you), and can also turn almost invisible. You find (especially on hard) that if you fire a projectile or attack them head on they just teleport out the way so how do youkill them? I found this technique worked wonders: Use your firewall spell and meteor shower together. Firstly setting them on fire makes them much easier to spot and, if you get close enough, the meteors will jump into action. Even with a couple of the buggers jumping around, keep pumping out the meteors/firewalls and they will soon die. WALKTHROUGH SILVERSPRING DOCKS Here's where the game begins and this section is very straightforward. Follow the natural forced route through the streets of Silverspring. When you get to the part with two Sidhe throwing green bolts at you with the switch next to them, you can pole-vault to a secret in the opposite wall. A discoloured texture gives this away. Once you reach the dead-end with the key, smash the grate to drop down into the sewers. Try to go through the open door, it closes and you are attacked. A switch where the attackers came from opens the now closed door. When you come out, head left and find the pub; the key you retrieved opens this. Find your way out of the back of the pub and get upstairs. Fight your way to a lift and smash through a grate you find in the top area. After the cut sequence run past the plague monsters and jump down the rope. SILVERSPRING WAREHOUSE Make your way round to the far left and find the crates to climb up over the rubble. At the top grab the hellstaff. Jump out of the window. Follow the only route around to the main warehouse entrance but watch for the big swing trap on the right of the door. Work around to the back of the warehouse and activate the right hand switch to lower a crate; jump on this to get to the upper level. In the back room leap onto the raised platform and activate the switch there, go out the window and through the new doorway you've just made. In this next room ignore all the monsters and jump straight down the hole, you'll find you can run past lots of monsters in this game. At the bottom find the room with the big slope and activate the switch at the top, again you could ignore the monsters but the cut sequence jumps in and you will carry on being attacked, which is a bit daft. Into the water filled room and exit to the right hand side of the room. Get out of the water and use the crates to avoid the rats. Quickly onto the lift and use the switch upstairs to make a new exit. THE TOWN OF SILVERSPRING Follow the only route possible; you end up in a room where you collect the Thunder blast spell. Activate the switch in the back room to make a new exit. Back out of the room and through this new doorway. Follow this passage, ignore the side steps for now and carry on till you find a room with a key, turn around and head up those steps you passed. Go through the previously locked door, head down the side of the large steps and go under them. Find the hole in the floor to exit the level, quick eh? SILVERSPRING PALACE Use the switch twice to smash the door and carry on through. At the room behind the closed door just run through to the lift. Ignore the monsters, unless you want to get value for money. At the top the next large room has lots of guards so get ready for a big fight. When you get to the top of the stairs that lead away from the room go right and pole-vault across the broken walkway and get some health and a gear. The simplest route is to carry on and go around to the left. You come to a room with three doorways at the end, one of which has no floor, use the gear in the right side to make a way through. Before carrying on you can collect some gold armour from above the statue room plus a secret can be collected by going right from the dining room. Climb halfnay down the rope and swing to the gap. Cross the bridge to clear the green barrier and go to the dead-end room and hit the side wall, this reveals a secret room. In here press all the switches to open the barrier. In the observatory room simply find the two switches to open the exit door. Exit but don't miss the meteor defence spell. That's it but for the final boss. DRAKINI SWAMP Not too much to say here, just jump from log to log and try to avoid fighting as you can polevault over a lot of the monsters or simply run by them. Carry on till you find the steps down to the next city. You can quite easily finish this on the hardest level wnkout having to kill a single thing. ANDORIA HEALER'S TOWER Kill everything you find and stand on the raised platform, when it drops press the switch. Get the shield from the Gorgon guarded area down below. Go back up and use the shield on the statue, grab the bow and drop it into the water, now press the switch under the door to open it. Make your way through the winding passage, at the end are two switches, walk into the revealed wheel to flood the passage. Get out through the hole above. The pipe takes you outside. Stand on the two pressure pads and pull both switches, this lets you into the tower. Carry on and roll under the two flame throwing traps. You then get to watch the healer movie scene. ANDORIA PLAZA You can quickly get to Andoria Plaza by going up the healer's lift and by jumping out the window and going round to the right, run up the stairs and through the door. Grab the ovum spell and follow the only path until you get to the area with the second fountain in a shallow pool of water. As you enter you take the left passage to head off on the Earthblood quest. ANOORIA SLUMS - EARTHBLOOD QUEST Taking the left passage, you come to a water lift style thing. Swim up and jump over. Again follow the path around (you are backtracking where you have just come from, but this time on the upper walkways). After travelling down another water lift you come to a largish room with a locked door. Spot the high up blue Mana and climb up the blocks to activate the switch. This gets you the pot to carry the Earthblood plus another switch to open the locked door. Carry on through the next section to enter the slums. At the start of the slums you get your first lungs shrine; these let you hold your breath longer underwater, it sort of super charges your normal breathing abilities until it's discharged. Jump in the water and take the first right, get ready with your defensive spells as a big fight ensues when you jump out the water. Head for the ramshackle building but don't miss the armour shrine over to the left. At the back of the building you get the get the fire wall spell and this opens the way through the next area after which you come up against a sub-game boss. Use the blocks as a shield and take the monster down with your storm bow. Carry on past where the monster died and jump up to the high passage where the roof caves in, follow the underwater passage and get the Earthblood. To do this use the pot you picked up, don't miss the pot that reappears over the Earthblood. Swim up and drop down the other water tunnel you find. Pull the switch and off to the to left and go straight ahead to exit back to the plaza. ANDORIA ACADEMIC QUARTERS - SEA CRYSRAL QUEST Retrace your path along the top walkways to the end water lift, swim right to the bottom and along the tunnel to enter the academic quarters. Get out of the water and go down the slopes. Jump In the dark pool. On easy at the next area you can just climb up the pillars and walk out of the area. On hard you need to jump from pillar to pillar. In the room afterwards drop in the pool for switch one, plus press the large shell button on the wall. Stand on the floor switch to get through the door. Repeat the process for the room after. Go back out the door and into the new area. You need to get through the far black double doors and uptairs to activate the switch. This gives you the phoenix bow plus when you get on the bow's stand it opens next set of doors. This next section takes you to the sea crystal room, climb up and get the shard that sits behind it. On your way out don't miss the spear shrine that powers it up. Then all you need do is make you way back the way you came in. ANDORIA - THE FINAL STRETCH Climb out the top of the water lift and drop to the floor, through the tunnel and round to the right, keep following this path all the way back to the entrance of the Plaza. Back at the tower you need to get back to the healer so head left and keep going round the outside until you get back to him. Watch the cut sequence and go up the lift, then use the two items on the two open containers on the right. Grab the vial, go back to the healer and give it to him. Another cut sequence later you can finish the level via the new exit. KELL CAVES Another easy section coming up for you. Follow the natural path keeping to the left after the first set of Gorgons; duck under the two spike traps (ignore the collapsing tunnel area). The room after has loads of Gorgons having a feast, get your Storm bow out and a few bolts will dispatch them with ease. Jump down into the water and swim right to the end then get on the slope in the right corner. From here you can pole-vault to the switch ledge. Exit through the now open door and follow the only way through. You finally arrive in a large green cave with a troop of Gorgons. You can simply pole-vault over them and leg it to the end cliffs and climb to safety and the exit. KATLIT'K CANYON Up next is a rather nice, if short lived, canyon level. From the start you can either dive in the water or climb up the right cliff (you end in the same place either way, but the easier option is to swim). Once through you need to climb up the left cliff and pole-vault to the cave on the other side. Lots of Harpies patrol this area, so watch carefully for them. An assassin is waiting on this side and past him you get another cut sequence. Leap over the broken bridges and follow the path all the way to a pool cavern, the exit is an underwater cave, so jump in and swim out. When you get to the waterfall jump out to avoid the machinery below. At the end of the path is the entrance to the K'chekrik hive, it's well guarded so don't just run into the open area. Once dealt with get the key in the corner and go through the entrance to finish. K'CHEKRIK HIVE Take the left exit to find door switch in the final room, but you need to jump and duck the two flame-throwers in the room before. After you activate the switch the middle exit opens; remember this room as you need to return to it much later on. Through here you need to go through the right doorway and follow the passage to the left, drop into the water and swim down to the bottom of the central shaft. The area you come out in has a switch at the end of the corridors. Once you have triggered that you need to swim back up the shaft to the top. Three insects are waiting for you to trigger a switch so be ready for them, otherwise exit to the next section. K'CHEKRIK HIVE 2 Your goal on this level is to fight your way through and get a red heart gem and a shield. The opening section is particularly gruelling with plenty of fights. Grin and bear it and get to the second level, find the room with three switches and activate the last one to get the gem, the second gets you a health potion. Head back, ignore the rope, and spot the crack in the wall when you stand over the little waterfall, get there for a secret. You can now go down the rope. Follow the path and head straight for the doors ahead. Four fire traps are inside roll under the first, jump the second and roll under the last two. Wait for the lift and go up it. Roll again and trigger the mitch. Grab all the goodies and drop down. A new door has opened but first get the gold armour. In the next circular room you can claim the spear, walk up the step and grab it. Doing so releases loads of K'Chekrik. Facing the steps the exits on the left lead to the lift out of here, a few Phoenix arrows are around so they would be handy to use. Get back to the room with the two statues holding a coffin. Use the gem on the right one then the spear inside the coffin to claim the shield. Drop through the hole and get back to the previous hive level and fight your way back to the room right at the start of the Hive level. It pays to take your time and use a combination of your Mana and bows to best effect. THE GAUNTLET A long series of traps and puzzles wait for you here. Just jump, duck and time dashes past swinging obstacles. At the first lift get your weapons ready as a fight is waiting upstairs. You quite simply make your way through. Once you get to the trial pit, on easy and normal you can probably kill the monster, on hard matters are more difficult. However, if you get the monster to charge the pillars it can break them. Get it to break both and the walkway will collapse on top of it and kill the monster for you. LAIR OF THE MOTHERS This is a bit of a toughie. Tight corridors make close up fighting the name of the game, try to take as many out from a distance but if you do have to get up close and personal remember head blows work a treat. With group attacks a good technique is to throw a couple of fire wall spells at them, leave them to burn then run in with your staff to polish off anyone left. Follow the only path ignoring the large green mother insect. In the part where you go up the ramp under a few arches jump over the end wall to claim the key. Travel over the little bridge and flnd the black floor panel, drop through and go back to the green mother insect room. Open the locked door and fight your way to the room full of insect mothers. Grab the idol and head back to the key room, over that little bridge and past the floor panel onto the end of the level. About ten Tome of Power phoenix arrows should knock the silly bird to her senses on hard level. OGLE MINES Let's save the Ogles. In the first cave you need to leap over to the high exit, carry on all the way through ignoring the lefthand branch to cross. When you get to the seemingly dead-end cavern, roll under a low walkway to carry on, then blow the support of the pipe in the next room. Climb up here and get up to the control room, the switch here lets you get the cog. Go back to the thre&way junction, turn right and hop over to the cart. Use the cart. OGLE MINES 2 Make your way through to the area split by the green river. Go under the platform and power up, you could pull the switch. Go back to the conveyor room, follow through and as you approach the end of the track over looking the grinder spin round to get the assassin. Take the left branch and in the lava room get the ore from the right alcove over the lava island, then go back out and take the right passage to the ore machine. Drop in the ore and get the power source, take the other route out and up the lift back to the river. Cross over in the cart, where you should make sure to charge your staff before travelling up to the next level. MORCALAVIN'S DUNGEON In the first well-guarded jump up through one of the side holes and take a right to get to a lift. At the top the lift on the right takes you to a room with a switch at the back, this opens the door you need to get through in the room below. Watch out for the flame traps. Go up the lift at the back of the next area and activate the switch you find, jump onto the top of the cage and jump into the next room. The two switches in here open the locked doors in the room way below. So get back down there, but first use the chain to swing over to the goodies. Take the left room to get the skeleton key and roll through the hole in the wall, you may want to soften up the resistance by shooting through the locked doorway. Climb up and dive past the crushers, guards are on the other side so have a weapon ready. CLOUD FORTRESS Time to fight our way into the Cloud Fortress then, don't miss the pick-ups hidden in the rafters of the first well-defended room. Not much to tell you for this level, use the skeleton key to get into the inner sanctum. MORCALAVIN'S INNER SANCTUM When climbing the steps jump over the start of the second flight as ot trickers a trap. Enter the first door on the right to update the plot, opposite the door is a secret panel. Open it to get some health. Fight your way to the end of the level. CLOUD FORTRESS LABS Time to turn off those Tomes. I'll describe where each Tome switch is in the order you'll come across them: 1 . At the top of the roof lift, activate the lift from the switch off to the side. 2. Up the left-hand spiral staircase; pull a lever to uncover the Tome switch. 3. To get the Tome switch in the furnace found off to the right of the gold armour shrine turn off the waterwheel with the switch in the same room. Go back to the start of the level and out the newly opened door. Plod around this upper area till you arrive at the living quarters. Take the left doorway first and when you get to the dinning hall through the right door. 4. In the kitchen find the switch, this opens the dinning hall door and the Tome switch. 5. Head back and you pass a window, jump through and follow the passages to get the fortress key. Return all the way along this passage and use the key. At some point you come to a stretch of red carpet and a little lift, activate the Tome switch at the top of the next stairs you come to. 6. Get to the library and climb up to activate a switch. Out the new door and carry on till you find a lift, go up this for the last Tome switch, That's all of them, go back to the cloud fortress, drop straight down and back to Morcalavin's inner sanctum. Run right to the back of the level. Use each altar and then pull both the switches. Jump in the teleport for the final battle. FALSE TOME OF POWER To win the game you have to replace the false tome of power with yours. Easier said than done. To remove the shield protecting the Tome you have to weaken Morcalavin by pommelling him into submission, the shield goes down and theoretically you run up to it and press your use key, and that's the end of the game. In practice the timing on this is so tight it all gets rather frustrating and a bit tedious. I suggest you stand on the slope to the shield and just before you weaken Morcalavin enough save a game and try to replace the Tome using this as your start point, you can run through the centre green stuff. Before I forget, you need to hit him a couple of times to get this whole process off to a start. And... that's it!