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HeavensGate 2: Islands of the Undead Legion
Prologue:
You are the sibling of the Hero that discovered the "Kingdom of Crystals". With your Father gone missing, and a huge invasion by an undead army on a neighboring island known as St. Lorion, you will soon embark on a life changing mission to save the world. Will you have what it takes to lead your people to victory? Will you have the wit, intelligence and will to solve the multitude of puzzles, defeat the unique monsters, and discover the hidden treasures along the way? Your life-changing journey awaits you...
Game Play:
This game is desinged and fitted around a fighter class (Fighter, Fighter/Rogue Combo, Paladin, Barbarian, etc.) and all the gear and upgrades will support these classes. It is considered Hack-N-Slash but uses unique encounters throughout the game that hack-n-slash alone will not solve. There are a multitude of original puzzles to solve (kind of like the old Zelda games). Each of these challenges or puzzles helps you in your progression throughout the game. This game is a serious game and will take 60+ hours to complete if not using the complete walk-through. It is broken down into two parts.
The first half: Takes place in the city of HeavensGate where you will begin a mission to improve your fighting skills and self-defense. This allows you to learn your character and define their skills before taking on the harder, second half. You embark on a multitude of quests that you must solve for the Prince and citizens of HeavensGate. You will build up to 6 or 7 levels of experience before you take the trip over to the island of St. Lorion to start the investigations of the Undead invasion. The first half ends with a mind blowing and challenging event that you must enter, known as The Great Arena Challenge. You will have to win each trial in order to move on to the next one. You will have to win twelve different and unique events in total in order to pass the trials. It ends with a twisting, plot driven scenario that leads to the second half of the game. This challenge is meant to be tough and is the climax to the first half of the game.
The second half: Starts when you sail over to the island of St. Lorion to investigate the Undead Invasion that took place. The Undead Army stole 12 ancient scrolls that you will enventually need to get back for the people of St. Lorion. You will also be driven to find out what happened to your Father who went missing. You will dive deeper and deeper into the hidden world of the Undead Legion until you and your eventual army take on their top leaders. The second half will allow you to build resources and eventually purchase god-like gear which you will need in order to defeat the end-game. So keep your eyes out at the weapon shops, armor shops, and magic shops to get your shopping list going. You will also gain valuable items throughout the game by doing the vast amounts of quests and mini-quests. Expect to be level 19 or 20 when the game is over.
Game Info:
This game comes with a 31 page walk-through that takes the player step-by-step on how to complete every zone in order to win the game. I recommend that you ONLY use this if you are absolutely stuck and do not know what to do. I also offer my email to answer any other questions you may have about the game. I know there are not a lot of NWN original players left out there, but for those that are, I hope you find this game fun and challenging.
Built with Diamond Edition v1.69 (SoU and HotU and KM) - No Custom HaKs
STARTING TIP: If you want in easier on your first attempt, It is highly recommended that you start the game as level 4 or 5. When you log into the game in your Master Bedroom, turn around to the mirror and walk toward it. You will gain experience and will be level 4. This will make your first trip in this game much easier and more enjoyable.
About the Author:
My name is Brad Bartram and this is my third serious NWN module that I have built. I knew nothing about scripting in 2008 when I started my first NWN module, and still remember the frustrations and late nights getting one simple thing to work. I was determined to complete my story and finally completed my first HeavensGate, Kingdom of Crystals. I was nominated by NWN Vault for Debut Author of the Year in 2008 which I found rewarding for my efforts.
HeavensGate 2 is the result of all the learning I put forth in my first and second Mods. This is a much more organized and polished example of my work. It has a solid story-line and a very linear progression which makes it very easy to know what to do next. I also threw in a multitude of unique creatures, puzzles and quests to keep things exciting. It will challenge the best gamer if you do not use the Official Walk-through... It is 100% original (except for Citadel of Anguish which I threw in because I missed my old EverQuest days)
It is hard to please everyone, I just hope I bring joy to some people out there that appreciate my creativity and work. Feel free to shoot me an email if there is any other info you seek. Enjoy your journey and Good Luck!
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 heavensgate_2_official_walk-through.doc | 192 KB |
 heavensgate2_the_islands_of_the_undead_legion_-_bonus_pk_2.zip (2003) | 3.55 MB |
Well I finally finished and I must say, I gave this a 10 based on fun factor! I am literally going to play this again as a Warrior / Rogue multi-class.
Since this game is so large, I figured I would highlight the pros and cons: (trust me, mostly Pros in my book)
Pros-
1. Creativity and original mob creation. I really enjoyed that there was so much original content. I can tell you put a LOT of thought into this.
2. Puzzles and dungeon design. I absolutely love the creative puzzles that had to be solved and the way you layed out the dungeons. Very similar to HG1 however, I think this module was even better. The great arena challenge and the great war, wow!!! Wilks is my new best friend!
3. Flow of the game was well controlled for such a large world. The game design and direction did not leave the character wondering what to do next. Compared to HG1, this game ran a lot smoother and to your point, much more polished. The "no henchmen" to this mod eliminated a lot of frustrations that HG1 sometimes had because of them.
4. Good blanace of cash flow and resources at the right times... I like how you can afford all the good stuff near the end of the game as that really helps! Some games struggle to bring enough resources where you feel deprived and some games give you way to much, too often. If you do not upgrade in this game, I can see how it would be a lot tougher.
5. Replayability: Definitley... About to play it again. There are many parts to this game I would like to experience again.
6. Nice use of the recall stone where you had to build it to use it... Nice touch and nice use of scripting to pull this off!
7. Nice job on the scroll collection and they way the get sealed back. That was really neat. Final ceremony was also a very nice touch!
8. And I agree, Temple of Forlorn was one of my favorites. The scripting, layout, and puzzles in that one were top notch...
9. A GREAT walk-through guide that aids the player with this game. It would be very tough without this, and it really helped me keep going.
Cons-
1. Major glitch at the final battle where the army did not spawn. Not sure why the trigger did not work for me but I was wondering what I was doing wrong. We were able to export my character into a new mod file into the final room. It then worked just fine after this...
2.. Not a lot of options fo skill-ups in this module but I know this followed the original NWN game where a lot of the new skills are not used. This did not bother me at all but might bother others...
3. There were a lot of locked doors in some areas that probably should have just been left as "open" spaces. This caused some uncessary time checking when I did not have to...
4. Final boss in Crypt of Nightmare was dam near impossible to beat. I finally just got lucky and pulled it off. Was there a tip not mentioned in walk-through on him?
5. I hear no mention of a HG3 module. And this is a definite CON. Any word on a 3rd one? :)
Overall, and this is no put down to your abilities, but I wish a gaming company could get a hold of this story and design and put in some cut-in scenes, voice overs, extra scripting fluff to make this game what it deserves. For only the second addition to your debut game in HG1, it amazes me still how you pulled this off... This game deserves many props!!
KV
KV-
Thanks for the positive feedback and I am really glad you are enjoying the game. I am not sure about a 3rd release and will surely depend on support I get. It does seem much slower these days because it is such an old game.
As far as the Cons go-
1. Glad to help you on the final battle, not sure why that did not trigger for you as that never happened in all the beta tests we did.
2. Yes I was not familiar at all how to incorporate all the trade skills in the module. And since the game was built around the fighter classes, I was able to keep that limited.
3. Doors I can leave off for sure, especially if they are never planned to be used. I read this recently in the "how to improve modules" as well.
4. Final Boss in Crypt of Nightmares is a pita. He uses many spells that require teamwork to counter and since this is a solo game, he can cause difficulty. I just save right before the fight and load up on ALL possible potions. Save the game again so I can keep coming back to this part until I beat him. Best solution is to go all out on the boss and forget the adds.
Once again, reach out for me if you need anything else and I DO appreciate all the feedback on my module. It is the only way I know how to keep things right or make things better.
BradleyB
Can this be played multiplayer?
It was built for solo play....
Hi there, you should repair the link above for HeavensGate 1 since it still leads to the old nwvault.
Thanks for your efforts, I am trying your modules out right now. Seems very good so far.
You are right, I've updated both entries to link to each other.
Hey Skild...
Looking back, HG1 was a rough trip for me being how huge it is and henchmen etc... It was also my first scripting attempt. HG2: Islands of the Undead Legion is much better imo so I highly recommend you play HG2 no matter what.
When you do play HG2, make sure to grab recent file, updated last night... I highly recommend you start a fighter (like suggested) and level 4 to start. If you create a fresh level 1 character, when you first enter game in the master bedroom, turn and walk toward mirror and it will level you to 4. There is a 31 page walk-thru that can keep you on track if you get stuck...
Hi Brad,
thanks for the hint. I just downloaded the updated version of HG2. Had not much time playing, though, because real life issues were more important right now (my son beeing sick for several days). But I will get to it.
Greetings
Skildron
The arena fights bored the story of the game, but great overall.
The captain doesn't take me to Windcrest Island, the ship's door is locked, ideas?
After you talk to Karl at the magic shop, you are instructed to go talk with the Cargo ship Captain, who is standing on the ship. After the conversation with him, he approves you to use the ship and the door should be available to transport you to Windcrest island.
That doesn't work, i'll try emptying the override and the usual bugfix routines :D thanks, anyway.
I really like how it starts, though!
This has never been a bug thus far after all the testing etc... So something is off on your end?
Since it is early on, I would just start over (sewers don't take long), make sure you use a new character. Use the trick suggested on the walk-through and level them to 4 right off the bat. (when you first log into the game, turn and walk toward the floor mirror and you will level)
Then you should be good to go....
Did start again, does work fine now :D
Nice puzzle/HnS module :)
Some QA:
- typos(in conversation, if not prompted otherwise): "lords.powerful" - ring of the titans (item description); "XVIi" - scroll number; "ashes of sarrow"(ain't it "sorrow"?) - critters; "recal portal tablet" - item name(should be "recall"); "than I possess"(should be "that") - lothor's note (item description); "killing your first"(should be "you") - Lord Lothor; "decendent"&"phontom scrolls"&"malitia" - module description in game; "lefendary" - statue of vynndrake(placeable description); "Valian;s" - Prince's sealed note(item description); "you.are" - Faldo the fun;
- magelov or magetov's longsword of the sky? Description and name differs.
- lots of creatures ain't evil(i.e. vampiric savage, termantis, undead bowman, angry armorsmith) or undead(i.e. insane undead rogue, undead bowman, angry armorsmith) when they should. This stops my special paladin abilities :|
- blank journal entry "Finding_Scrolls" when or before I had five left to turn
- bodfly has no portrait
- why undead have kitchen, butchers, chefs and barracks with beds?
- sibling or son/daughter?
- some loose earth yields nothing, i.e 3X in flooded caverns or in the "digging" mini-quest
- several secret chests do not yield XP, i.e. dark alley, great arena
- prince and commander wilks share portraits!
- during 11th trial the shadow lord does not disappear nor stops his attacks as walkthrough suggests. I found a way around it: lure him away and kill him. Then jug potion down and kill others.
- mobs and NPCs usually don't have desc and when they do it is erroneous(i.e. Blighted Cliff dweller, soulstone warriors have wrong description)
- Scroll numbers.. they are in that weird numerical system, right? They are numbered i.e. XIIV..
- many NPCs are mutes, i.e. market vendors, citiziens etc.
- inn owner does not mark Terrace on map
- map pins in St Lorion are generally missing
- Aldon conv mentions both 200 and 500 GP
- herb doctor shop can be exploited for infinite gold, but since there is those respawning weed as well.. those might be intentional..
- your father placeable is not plot, it can be destroyed :p
A good example on how far you can go with the toolset even without using hakpacks!
Enjoyed this part even more than the first.
Some dialogs still could need some work. I remember that when I didn't fetch an item from a room, but still progressed in the game, what that king/city ruler guy said didn't make much sense anymore.
Again, personally, I would have added more map notes. And some feedback for doors/chests.
Really great work on the guy securing the scrolls. It was fun watching the animations.
There was some trial-and-error jumping again, but this time it wasn't that many invisible ground triggers, so I am fine.
Good job on music, sounds and area building. I got the feeling that I am in an unique fantasy world, no longer in the Forgotten Realms.
9/10 for part 2.
Still looking forward to part 3.
I've been instructed to met Mokkar at the docks but there is no one at the docks. Where is he exactly?
EDIT: I've found out that he will show up only if I drink dark ale. :D
I like it so far, but there is a glitch:
When I go to the Magic Shop to help Karl, he is not there! I cannot find him or any secret door or other trip in the room. I have now emptied my Override folder and will try this game again, also with an appropriately level character! Hope this works...
By clearing my Override folder I am now seeing things that I did not see before, like the rats in the sewers, and of course Karl in his Mage's Tower! There should be a note with this module that the folder should be purged. I do not believe that I have had this problem before, and I have now played over one hundred modules recently. Sorry for the posting.
Okay. Next Item: Spoilers
I am stuck trying to go down the Dark Alley as I cannot detect the traps and they are killing me...Literally! I found a way to jump from one raised area to another, across the alley and also a shield of some sort on the side wall, but it didn't seem to do anything. Is there a trick to this, or does one need to be an upper level Thief? If so, I am screwed! Thanks for anything.
After reading the excellent Walk Through I was able to negotiate the Dark Alley! Yikes, it was tough and virtually impossible to do without the document. That would be my biggest gripe with these epic Modules, many require that you closely read and use the walk through, whereas I prefer to play the module until I get stuck, then I would refer to the guide. In this and others I have played recently you are screwed if you do not follow the correct conversation options, find obscure items tucked away and similar minutiae.
I will give this an 8 star review due to the complexities and now the insurmountable enemies and such that I am running into in the Dark Tower or whatever it is called. Thet General just kills my custom fighter with ease, and virtually no action or even spell on his part. It just occurs and all of a sudden I am down 200 HP! Then I am dead. I hate that. So instead of more stars, I will stick with 8 for the frustration factor! Good work, just a bit much for me to take over the long haul.
Hello @nails I am back from the dead! I have not checked back here in quite awhile as my life turned in so many different directions. I should be back for a bit and JUST MAY finish HG3 mod pack.
Sorry about any frustration you may have had, most of the challenges either have puzzles that make things easier, or resources you HAVE to save or earn before entering into battle. The General for example, he is a MAJOR boss, and therefore should be fairly difficult. I try and put signs in place where the player should save the game, which I did in this fight. The General is a beast of a boss, hits hard and fast, so loading up on all defensive and offensive potions is a must. Heal potions are a must as well, and if you did your side quest with the Shady dealer Horbe in St. Lorion, you can get heal potions much cheaper. When I fight that boss, I probably go through a stack of heals.
Any way, I am by no means a professional programmer, but my ideas are always flowing and get very creative. That is why I love to build mod packs. I would love to partner with someone that knew programming, I think we could make a real hit together.
Hopefully you did not give up because after the General, there are some awesome zones, including my favorite one called Temple of the Forlorn. Thanks for trying the mod pack out!
To be fair, clearing your override folder is something you should do before playing any module. True, some modules force you to install overrides, but it's bad practice, so they should be removed before playing the next.
Under Related Projects it does list a third Chapter, but when you click on the link you go back to Chapter 1, which I do not want to attempt again! Too frustrating and complex. I'm just sayin'...
Just tested the link and it works fine. Make sure you are hovering over the correct link before clicking.
Confirming that the link works. To make it more obvious I've made a teeny, tiny edit adding a comma to separate the 2 links.
TR
It worked this time but there was no module file to download, correct? Thanks for making this link work.
Not completely dead in the water just yet, I might push to finish it or partner with someone who knows really good programming to make it top notch. what I have so far is quite enjoyable though. I plan to tone it down quite a bit so it is not as punishing and can be replayable for years to come. Let's see how it goes!
Just responding here too, HeavensGate 3: Pirates of the Gold Coast should be released by Dec. 15th, 2022. So this is good news. I finally got my life together enough to find time to program again. I have always wanted to finish this one, I feel it is my favorite one I have built.
With this being said, I already have a great idea for a 4th one, which will tie directly into the ending of HG3.
I really enjoyed the module, and the sheer creativity of the puzzles. Almost everything ran very smoothly. Good balance on the fighting, tough monsters but not unbeatable. I am greatly lookiing forward to HG3 ...
I started this with some trepidation because HeavensGate 1 was so unbalanced. I only gave it a whirl because it kept popping up on the Vault's rotating list of best modules - and I'm glad I gave it a chance. Not much story and zero chance for role playing, but a lot of fun hacking and slashing, some clever puzzles, and consistent rewards for the observant who can grab lots of extra goodies hiding in corners.
Two notable bugs: first, one area transition simply would not work for me. After I opened the door to the Crypt of Nightmares, I could not enter the area at all. I could see the transition highlighted, I could hover on it and get the "enter the door" cursor, but I could not enter. I had to open the debugging console and find the first waypoint in the crypt of nightmares so I could bypass the door and beam myself in. Not ideal, but at least I could continue.
Second, in my first attempt at the big battle on Darkmoore Plains, my top ally seemed to switch sides. Instead of ganging up on the big bad, my troops were ganging up on their own commander because he kept attacking them instead of the undead. I have no idea what happened, but after I reloaded and tried again, he remembered whose side he was on (mine!) and helped me win the battle as intended. Very weird faction glitch, but at least it wasn't a recurring glitch.
But aside from those two problems, the module played cleanly. Areas were well designed and the dungeons were a lot of fun. None of the areas were too large (a problem in HG 1), there was very limited backtracking (a problem in HG 1), the combat was tough but fair (a problem in HG 1), none of the puzzles were too obscure (a problem in HG 1), and all the important triggers could be highlighted or spotted on the map (a MAJOR problem in HG 1). The author clearly learned a lot from the first module and produced something really fun to play with this one.
One wish: more caster-friendly gear. The best gear was VERY melee focused. By the end, I maxed out my Str bonus and nearly maxed out my Con bonus, and could have maxed out my Dex bonus if I had wanted to. Lots of goodies to bump the physical stats. But there was no way to really boost Int, Wis, or Cha with the gear on sale - and my divine might / shield loving paladin needed some Cha boosters. But the gear I could buy was cool, and helped my paladin become pretty overpowered by the end, and I did get more than decent Cha boosts from Eagle's Splendor and Aura of Glory. But there is really no good gear for casters, so pick your build accordingly.
Ultimately, this was some really good hacky, slashy fun for a melee character. I'm looking forward to HG 3 now!