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? ? ? ? ? \ ? ? ? ? ? \ ? ?
? ? ? ? ? \? ? ? ? ? \? ?
? .------ ? ----- ? ? . ? ? ? ? ? . ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?\ ? ? ? ? ?\ ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? \ ? ? ^ ? ? ? \ ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? \ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? \ ?
? .------ ? ----- ? ? ? \ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? \ ?
? ? ? ? ? ? \ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? \ ?
? ? ? ? ? ? \? ? ? ? ? ? ? \?
=========== =========== === . ==== ==== === .
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Copyright Mister Sinister, 2007
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This guide is dedicated to my best friends Matthew & Peter
==============================================================================
CONAN WALKTHROUGH
==============================================================================
? This walkthrough is copyrighted to Mister Sinister (2007) ?
? I don't mind it being lifted in its entireity, but if you do so, please ?
? make sure you give credit to the author (me) and DON'T pass it off as your ?
? own. Thanks ! ?
==============================================================================
============================================================================
? I N D E X ?
============================================================================
In order to make this guide as quick and easy to navigate (given that many of
the people that read it are going to do so specifically to get over specific
issues that they are experiencing) I have elected to implement a section code
which I originally used for my Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Guide. It's really
quite simple, and I'll give you an example just to make sure we're all on the
same page ;)
If, for example, you want to skip to the "BOSS FIGHT - THE SAND DRAGON"
section, just hold ctrl + F to call up your default find screen, and type in
"0 1 0" and hit enter. This will take you, first to 0 1 0 in this index, and
then to the appropriate section.
0 0 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
0 0 2 OPTIONS AND SETTINGS
0 0 3 CHOOSING YOUR DIFFICULTY
0 0 4 BASIC CONTROLS
0 0 5 GETTING STARTED
0 0 6 ACT ONE - THE BARACHAN ISLES
0 0 7 ACT TWO - THE PIRATE RAID
0 0 8 BOSS FIGHT - BONE CLEAVER
0 0 9 ACT THREE - SAND VAULT
0 1 0 BOSS FIGHT - THE SAND DRAGON
0 1 1 ACT FOUR - TRIBAL WARRIOR
0 1 2 ACT FIVE - ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD
0 1 3 BOSS FIGHT - ELEPHANT GOD (AKA ELEPHANT DEMON)
0 1 4 ACT SIX - MIDNIGHT RAID
0 1 5 ACT SEVEN - OUTPOST
0 1 6 BOSS FIGHT - SORCERESS QUEEN
0 1 7 ACT EIGHT - DEVIL ISLAND
0 1 8 BOSS FIGHT - GIANT SQUID
0 1 9 ACT NINE - FALLEN KINGDOM
0 2 0 BOSS FIGHT - BONE CLEAVER II
0 2 1 ACT TEN - WELL OF DREAMS
0 2 2 ACT ELEVEN - SPIRE
0 2 3 ACT TWELVE - DARK SPIRE
0 2 4 BOSS FIGHT - GRAVEN
0 2 5 MASTER CLASS - COMBAT
0 2 6 MASTER CLASS - FATALITIES
0 2 7 MASTER CLASS - BESTIARY
0 2 8 HINTS AND TIPS
0 2 9 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
============================================================================
? 0 0 1 ?
============================================================================
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Hello and welcome to my Conan (for the X-Box 360) FAQ and Walkthrough !
My name is David, and I will be your guide, so let's get started shall we ?
I should mention that I don't at all mind you getting in touch to ask me
questions or to provide me with helpful critique or suggestions you would like
me to consider incorporating into my guide - my objective at the end of the
day is to produce a piece of work to honour the game, and to try and help as
many of you out there as possible to increase YOUR enjoyment of it - however I
should point out that I don't (DO NOT) like dealing with idiots, so if you
have nothing either interesting or constructive to say, MY advice is to not
bother getting in touch with me - you'll just incur my ire, cheers ;)
So ! Onto the game :)
Conan is a hack-and-slash game. A stand-alone title which can be alikened to
a number of games including Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, God of War (I & II),
the Tombraider Series, Onimusha Warlords and others but which, like so many
decent titles out there, looks to borrow from, and improve upon the best that
many of the other games have to offer, rather than to obviously rip any one
off.
You control (rather unsurprisingly) Conan, a barbarian brute of a man who is
far more interested in pillaging and conquering than tea and biscuits. As
such I expect you to find him THOROUGHLY entertaining to play with ... I
certainly did !!
The main selling point of playing an out-and-out warrior like Conan is that
the game centres heavily around his combat control system, which is very
well-developed. You can attack using one of four different combat styles,
and you can mix-and-match these styles during play. Just quickly, your
combat styles are :-
- One weapon (with optional Shield)
- Two, single-handed weapons
- One, double-handed weapon
- Bare hands (grappling)
There we go - I think that'll do as a brief synopsis of the game.
============================================================================
? 0 0 2 ?
============================================================================
OPTIONS AND SETTINGS
Conan's main menu consists of five options, which break down as follows :-
NEW GAME - start a new Conan campaign
RESUME GAME - continue the last-loaded Conan campaign
LOAD GAME - load a specific Conan save game
EXTRAS - leads to the following options ...
~ Statistics - stats from the current campaign (if one exists)
~ Unlockables - leads to the following options ...
> Videos/Concept Art - hidden artwork (unlocked during play)
> Cheats - leads to the following options ...
-) Master All Moves*
-) Armour Power Mode*
-) Song of Death Mode*
-) Invulnerability Mode*
~ Achievements - lists your X-Box 360 in-game achievements
~ Leaderboard - shows your position on the online leaderboard
~ Credits - plays the game's credits
OPTIONS - leads to the following options ...
~ Gameplay - leads to the following options ...
> Fade HUD
> Vibration
> Gore
~ Audio/Video Settings
> Brightness
> Music Volume**
> Sound Effects Volume
> Voice Volume
> Subtitles
* I will go into more detail about the cheat modes in section 0 2 8 - HINTS
AND TIPS.
** Be wary of turning this down - it has a BIG impact on the cutscenes !!
============================================================================
? 0 0 3 ?
============================================================================
CHOOSING YOUR DIFFICULTY
Since you have absolutely no control over the character you are allocated to
play (it's Conan or nothing), the first consideration you should give to THIS
title is what level of difficulty you want to impose upon yourself.
You might be tempted to just whack it on easy, but I can assure you that there
ARE definite reasons to play it on the higher difficulties (namely that if you
play the game on Normal, Hard or King (which you must play through on Hard in
order to even UNLOCK let alone PLAY), you will be rewarded, upon completion of
each of the difficulties, with certain modes of play being made available to
you anew via the cheats section).
For the purposes of good order, I confirm that THIS guide has been created by
my playing through the game on the NORMAL difficulty setting.
============================================================================
? 0 0 4 ?
============================================================================
BASIC CONTROLS
Here are the basic controls for Conan :-
Left Thumbstick - Moves Conan in any given direction
Right Thumbstick - Rolls Conan in any given direction
X (Blue Button) - Fast/Light Attack
Y (Yellow Button) - Slow/Strong Attack
A (Green Button) - Jump
B (Red Button) - Grab
D-Pad - Selects Conan's current Magic Spell
LB (Left Shoulder Button) - Cast Conan's current Magic Spell
LT (Left Trigger Button) - Block/Parry
RB (Right Shoulder Button) - Activate Item
RT (Right Trigger Button) - Throw Weapon
Back Button - Takes you to the combo purchase screen
Start Button - Pauses the game
During my guide I will be giving you directions and, since the game is fully
three-dimensional, there will be times when I will be unable to give you
simple go left, go right instructions, as the camera pans of its own will.
Therefore whilst I will TRY to keep my directions as simple as possible,
sometimes I will refer to items in rooms or things you can see in the
distance, in order to give you points of reference, ok ?
============================================================================
? 0 0 5 ?
============================================================================
GETTING STARTED
Hokay, so we've chosen our difficulty, and we're IMMEDIATELY treated to a
cutscene, wherein an aged lady (apparently speaking to a child at a campfire)
creates the setting for a tale she is to tell of Conan - the barbarian
warrior of legend, who (in this particular adventure) finds his way to the
lost island of Balmoria, in the Western Sea.
Conan ascends to the highest peak on the island, there to find a long-
forgotten tomb, which he seems bent on exploring.
........................................................... and we're off !!
As soon as you gain control of your character, a spectral warrior (which I
am going to refer to from here on in as a Wraith) manifests itself before
you, telling you that you don't belong here.
WhatEVER dude ... I kinda like it here !! In fact I think we'll move in.
Wraiths are spiritual warriors which are thankfully colour-coded in this
title. The colour of a Wraith determines what type of weaponry it has at
its disposal, as follows :-
- PURPLE Wraiths are armed with a single weapon and shield;
- BLUE Wraiths wield two, single-handed weapons; and
- BROWN Wraiths are equipped with a two-handed weapon.
Move Conan over to the purple Wraith, and attack it with any combination of
moves you wish. Once it has been destroyed, another purple Wraith will come
to life and attack you, and the game will pause to give you the first of a
large number of hints which you cannot turn off, but which are there to help
you (at least for your FIRST run through the game) - this time it's telling
you that X is for your light attacks, and that light attacks are fast but
do less damage than heavy attacks.
There are a number of wraiths for you to despatch in this first section,
which is very obviously a training level designed to help get you into the
swing (no pun intended) of playing the legendary warrior himself.
Slay all the Wraiths in the area, and (if you wish to change the weapon you
have to hand, or adopt a different fighting style), walk up to whatever
weapon you want to pick up, and press the RB (right shoulder button - the one
immediately in front of RT - the right trigger) button, and you Conan will
pick up the weapon. Note that he might drop whatever weapon he currently has
equipped to do so, depending on what you're after and what's already in your
hands.
Once you are ready, head to the back of the room, stand by the door in the
little white ring which is flashing, and the game will give you another hint.
This time it tells you to press RB to open doors, and that some doors need
you to enter a series of commands to open them, which are displayed on-screen.
Press RB to open the door, and then tap the B button repeatedly to force it
open.
In the next room, observe the number of suits of armour lying on the floor.
These are all going to be possessed by Wraiths in the very near future, so
bear that in mind when you wade into the room.
Move forward and onto the red circle, and despatch all the Wraiths that are
created.
Once you are done, head to left of the room and either press RB near one of
the two urns (the ones with the green energy pouring out of the top), or
destroy some of the duller-looking urns, to release little green runes which
will hover about for a second or two, and then enter Conan's body.
The game will confirm that green runes restore Conan's health.
Exit this room via the right (RB by the door, and then tap B repeatedly to
open it).
In the next chamber, destroy the vases (if you need to replenish any health),
and head to the right and back into the chamber - HOWEVER, take care when
you walk past the statues, as energy from the brown Wraiths causes them to
crumble and fall down about your ears.
It is at this point that the game will explain that pressing RB near a fallen
enemy's weapon will cause you to pick it up, and that you can carry different
weapon combinations on this basis ... which YOU already knew 'coz I already
told you ;)
Defeat the Wraiths in the area and, as you reach the steps at the back of
the chamber, one of the giant statues set into the wall by the doorway comes
to life and steps down to attack you !!
"Crom ... the statues live !!" exclaims Conan (which is a bit more tame than
what I said the first time I saw it to be honest, but hey !).
The best technique for defeating these enemies is to focus on hit-and-run,
so I would suggest a strong attack, and then rolling away or blocking. They
do have an unblockable attack which is when they swing at you and the blur
of their blades is RED, but to be honest this is just the training level,
so even that won't do you too much damage.
Kill the Statues and the Wraiths, and then head through the door (RB, tap B).
This next chamber is the final room in this training level. You will see a
green urn and a two-handed weapon just inside the door on the level you enter
and thereafter a drop down to the room below.
Heal up, take the weapon IF you like, and then drop into the room and head
to the centre.
Take out the two giant statues (you don't need to worry about keeping any
health for the next level as this is your last fight here), and a cutscene
will ensue.
--- CUTSCENE ---
Conan destroys the statue in the centre of the room, and the narrator
explains that, whilst Conan had come to the island seeking a jewel, what he
found (and unleashed) was a monster.
Something happens to Conan, and the next thing you know, you awaken adrift
on the open seas, apparently bereft of your armour. There is an island close
by, so Conan swims toward it.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
Congratulations - you have survived the training level !
At the end of each level you are presented with a statistics screen which
shows you a number of pieces of information including :-
- Total Score for the level and the game
- Total Time Played for the level and the game
- Kills for the level and the game
... and also how many objects you destroyed, bodyparts you severed, your
favourite combo and so on and so forth - it's a handy way of keeping tabs
on your performance and to reflect on all the enemies you've despatched to
meet Crom ;)
*shakes his head and chuckles* this game ROCKS !! =)
============================================================================
? 0 0 6 ?
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
? ACT ONE - THE BARACHAN ISLES ?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
--- CUTSCENE ---
Conan swims toward the Barachan Isles - a notorious den of pirates and
cutthroats, and promptly removes a sword from the corpse of a nearby fallen
pirate, before you resume control of him.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
Hokay, since we've now gotten through the tutorial level together and can
start the game proper, I am going to make my instructions considerably more
cut-and-dried, so as to dispense with the drivel and help you on your path to
fame and glory. I will elaborate on sections where I feel it may be of
benefit or interest to you for me to do so ;)
> Run back to the shoreline and on the right-hand side you will find a
treasure chest. Crack it open for some red-rune goodness.
> Run forward, and follow the path around as it curves gently right, until
Conan exclaims "Pirates !".
===================
COMBAT MASTER CLASS
===================
Whilst I will go into further detail in the section 0 2 5 further on, I think
this is an appropriate time to give you a bit of a master class on Conan's
combat system, or at least one major aspect of it - FATALITIES.
Conan has the ability to instantly slay an enemy, and I am going to teach you
how to do this quickly, and easily.
The simple diagram looks like this :-
[Enemy Attacks] + [You Parry] + [You Press the Appropriate Button] = [DEATH]
It's very simple - take the first pirate that comes towards you as a test.
At this level, since these are your first PROPER opponents, they will attack
you slowly, giving you plenty of time to respond. When the pirate attacks
you, LITERALLY as he is about to strike your body with his sword, hold LT -
the left trigger button at the back of the controller, and Conan will block
the attack.
If you simply hold LT the whole time, Conan will block the whole time. What
I need YOU to do, however, is to PARRY the attack, by which I mean you need
to block it just as it is about to strike you.
You will know when you have successfully parried an attack because the game
will call up either the letter X, Y or B above you, indicating that you
should now press that button to counter-attack, and slay your opponent.
Try it ... if neither X, Y or B appears when you defend the strike, it means
you either blocked too soon, or you let yourself be hit (silly billy).
Practice that technique on these enemies and you WON'T be disappointed.
There are different fatalities for each of the different weapon styles in the
game, making a grand total of ... ooh ... LOTS of ways to slay your enemy !!
Once you have slain an enemy with either a valid combo or fatality, the game
will tell you how much of that move you have mastered (text appears in white)
as well as the name of the move you just pulled off (in case you want to
show off to your mates later).
... but for now, back to the plot ...
> Once you have slain the pirate, you should get your first red rune. Red
runes are the equivalent of experience points that you can use to buy new
combos and moves for Conan as the game progresses.
> Slay the 4 Pirates around the campfire, and then open up the chest behind,
to gain enough red runes to buy your first combo.
=================
PURCHASING COMBOS
=================
At around this point you will have amassed enough experience points to be
able to buy your first combo - I'm so proud *clasps his hands together*.
Pressing the BACK button on your controller (that little white button to the
left of the bigass X-Box button in the middle ?) will call up your "Combat
Abilities" screen.
===========================
THE COMBAT ABILITIES SCREEN
===========================
As you can see from this simple screen, there are five pages (denoted by
icons) running along the top, being :-
1) "Ready to Learn" - a picture of Conan's ugly mug;
2) "General Move" - a picture of an open hand;
3) "One-Handed" - a picture of a sword atop a shield;
4) "Dual-Wield" - a picture of two crossed swords; and
5) "Two-Handed" - a picture of two hands gripping a large sword.
Whilst you can check out what's in pages 2-5 at your leisure, page 1 is where
it's at. This page lists all the combos that you have yet to learn, and
which you can purchase (and yes, the list WILL grow in time).
Each combo has certain pieces of information which you MUST pay attention to
or you'll fluff this bit up.
* The image to the left of the combo's name corresponds with one of the icons
for pages 2-5, so for example at the top of the list are two combos with
the same name - "Fast Strike Finisher" - HOWEVER, one is only useable when
you have a sword and/or shield (the FIRST one), and the other is useable
only when you are wielding two single-handed weapons (the SECOND one), got
it ?
* The button combo to the right of the combo's name is (rather obviously) the
combination of buttons you need to press to do the combo (I can't BELIEVE I
just explained that, but there we go).
* A description of the combo is at the bottom of the screen, with two figures
to the right of it. The first figure - that under "Experience Cost" -
shows you how many experience points you have to give up in order to buy
this combo. The second figure - that under "Experience" - shows you how
many experience points you have amassed, and have available to spend.
You don't have to spend all your experience points at once - they will accrue
as time goes on. Therefore you MIGHT want to consider saving up for a bigger
and better combo - it really does pay off in the long-run ;)
... but for now ? Buy a combo if you like the sound of, and then let's get
back to the game !
> Head over to the hanging vines to the right of the campfire and Conan will
tell you that they can come down (hack them to bits to proceed).
> Slay the pirates in the next area (you can use RB to pick up and throw the
heavy rocks nearby if you wish, or slay them with combos and fatalities -
it's your call), but WATCH OUT for the one clad in brown - he is quicker
than the ones in white, and can block some of your attacks.
> From the fork in the road where you fought the pirates, take the road that
leads to the right, slay the 3 pirates by the campfire, and use the green
urn if you need to.
> Hack through the vines that lead to the beach, and open the chest for more
red runes (lovely lovely).
> Double-back on yourself and return to the fork on the road, before this
time heading down the left path.
> Ignore the pirates in the distance and instead hack through the vines that
are directly ahead of you as you come down this road. Inside you will find
a busty maiden shackled to the wall in need of your ... ahem ... attention.
==============
BUXOM BEAUTIES
==============
At various points in the game (you KNEW I would expand upon this bit didn't
you !!) you will find topless women chained to walls, trees and other areas.
You will receive plenty of red runes for rescuing them, not to mention (for
the horny young men of you out there) a stirring in your pants as they say
such charming things as "TAKE me and CRUSH me with your love" or "My clothes !
Where are my clothes ??", before standing and jiggling about a bit for your
bemusement.
*sigh*
Back to the game.
> Head back through the vines you just cut down, and then continue down the
path towards the large pirate gathering in the distance.
> Slay all the pirates in the area (noting that, initially at least, when
you despatch a pirate, another comes from one or t'other of the tents in
the area. That's fine - there IS only a finite supply of them.
> Once you have slain ENOUGH pirates, a pirate boss steps out from the far
tent and tells you you're going to die on this island (fat chance mate).
Beware when fighting the pirate bosses in Conan, as they are MUCH harder
to defeat than their minions. The best technique is to roll and block
initially until you have learned his moves (he has three main attacks -
a thrown explosive which takes a few seconds to detonate; a block-breaking
stab followed by a couple of sword strikes, and a set of four fast
strikes which you CAN block), and then (once you're comfortable taking
him on), hit him with two strong attacks and then roll away; then another
two strong, then roll away again. When his helmet falls off, he's half-
cooked so just keep it up ;)
> Use the green urn in this area if you need to, and then hack through the
vines at the back of the area.
> As soon as you enter this next clearing, an archer will hit you with an
arrow (it cannot be avoided). This is to teach you about blood loss from
leaving projectiles embedded in your manly flesh. If you are hit with an
arrow, press RB to remove it (and try and remember to remove it as fast
as possible to avoid bleed damage).
> Slay the archer (best way to avoid his arrows is to roll away from them),
and then dispose of all the pirates in the area PLUS the three archers
in the distance, taking the time to pick up the green urn if you need it,
AND one of the shields from the stand if you fancy it.
=================================================
NB. SHIELDS CAN BLOCK ARROWS - NOTHING ELSE CAN.
=================================================
> The large gate behind the three archers will open automatically as you
approach it and, as you walk through it, you are treated to a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
Conan bumps (almost literally) into an archer who is fleeing toward the gate,
and slays him in fitting style. The archer was running from the Warrior Queen
A'Kanna (voiced over by Claudia Black of Stargate fame - Vala), who stabs his
comrade-at-arms with an arrow before notching another and taking aim at Conan.
After what can only be described as a "cute" exchange of words between them,
in which Conan offers to knob her off to demonstrate that he IS the man in
this relationship, A'Kanna suggests instead that he follow her to avoid the
black death that has swept the island, to save his own life (and perhaps
prolong the time the two of them spend together), bless her.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> In order to escape the island, A'Kanna needs you to find and release three
members of her crew, to man her ship. From where you start, head over to
the blue stone and press RB to use it - this will allow you to save your
current game (and I would suggest you do). Pick up the green urn IF you
need it, and then head over the nearby wooden bridge, to do battle with 3
pirates, and 1 pirate boss.
Take out the pirates first - it'll make your life easier, and WATCH OUT for
the little sh!t on the upper level that pelts you with arrows during the
fight as he is RATHER irritating.
> Grab the green urn under the balcony (if you need it), and open up the
chest beside it (the one hidden by the small wooden crates) to get plenty
of red runes (yay).
> Slash all three of the chains holding the stand together, and then jump up
(it will take two jumps) to get to the top level, and the bumhead pirate
that was shooting you with arrows beforehand. I'll leave it to you how
best to deal with him *looks away*
> Walk up to the nearby cage and press RB to grab the door, and then tap B
repeatedly to rip the door off its hinges, and free the first of the 3
crewmen.
> Head north (away from the camera) and drop off the ledge into the next
section.
> Head right, and all the way around the spiked central pillar before going
LEFT (ignore the right path for the time being), to slay the pirates there
and free the second of A'Kanna's crewmen (same method on the door again -
RB, Tap B).
> Use the green urn if you need to, and then head back to the right, this
time following the path to the right that leads in front of the waterfall.
Prepare yourself for quite a tough fight as there are no less than 16
pirates that will attack you on this narrow bridge !!!!!
> Keep heading right once you're done, and then around the spikey pillar in
the centre of the area, and finally north (behind the pillar) to the
platform with the level on it. Press RB to activate the lever.
> On this second level, keep leading left (slaying pirates as you go), over
the rope bridge and then up to the last platform, where the third of
A'Kanna's crewmen is being held prisoner. Find and release him (RB, Tap B).
--- CUTSCENE ---
One pirate ascends to your current level on a different platform to the one
you used to get up here.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Return to the south/right (the camera pans automatically), and slay the
pirate. Then take the platform HE used to get up here (it's just past the
rope bridge on the left-hand side), and press RB on the lever to get the
platform to descend, and prepare yourself for your toughest fight yet.
> There are 3 pirate bosses here, so stick and move as best you can (attack
one with two strong attacks, then roll away from all three, rinse and
repeat until one falls and then focus on his mates) paying PARTICULAR
attention to the locations of the other two AT ALL TIMES. Once they are
all dead, you get a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
Having liberated the three of A'Kanna's crewmen that were being held prisoner,
Conan and A'Kanna reach her ship. She says that she needs to free more of
her crewmen in order to ensure she has a full compliment of them available to
her on the open seas (perhaps the poor lass just gets lonely !?!?!). Conan
says that there's no WAY she'd survive long enough to liberate them, and that
he will go in her stead.
She says she'll sail behind him, and bids him use the "war machines" (mounted
turrets along the shoreline) to clear her path of enemy ships so that she can
follow him up the coast.
With that, he sets off.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
============================================================================
? 0 0 7 ?
============================================================================
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
? ACT TWO - THE PIRATE RAID ?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
--- CUTSCENE ---
The camera pans from A'Kanna's ship just off the shore, to Conan who is
standing on the beach.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Head forward and up to the green ring (your first Rune Triumvirate), on
the floor. The camera will pan around and a hint (and Conan himself) will
tell you that you must activate all three in immediate succession to turn
them on.
Walk up to the first one and press RB, then watch as green lines of energy
show you the way to the others. Walk up to the second and then press RB,
and then finally jump up to the next ledge and press RB at the third rune
triumvirate, and watch your health bar increase.
==============================================================================
NB. YOU MUST ACTIVATE ALL THREE CORRESPONDING RUNE TRIUMVIRATES AS QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE, AND WITHOUT ENGAGING IN ANY OTHER ACTIVITY INBETWEEN. THIS
MEANS THAT YOU SHOULD LOCATE AND CLEAR OUT ANY ENEMIES IN THE AREA SO THAT
YOU CAN ENSURE THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO DO A QUICK 1, 2, 3 WITHOUT STOPPING.
FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL MEAN THE TRIUMVIRATE JUST DOESN'T WORK, AND MUST BE
RETRIED AGAIN ... AND AGAIN ... AND AGAIN UNTIL YOU GET IT RIGHT ;)
==============================================================================
> Follow the path northwards and slay the pirates, taking note that A'Kanna's
ship is, true to her word, sailing alongside you as you go.
> Keep following the path and Conan will say (as you enter the next area)
"These Corsairs have made their home in the ruins". Slay the pirates in
this area, taking care to avoid both the archers (they should be among your
first targets).
> Once they have fallen, grab the green urn (if you need it), and then jump
up onto one of the "mantle points" (outcroppings) in the wall at the back.
The game will give you a hint about this just to keep you in the loop ;)
> From here, jump up and then up again and you will get a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
The camera pans around to show a Corsair ship en route to do battle with that
of A'Kanna. A'Kanna's ship pelts the Corsair ship with arrows, but it does
not appear to be doing any appreciable damage.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Conan says "Blasted Corsairs ... I'll sink their ships !" as you take
control over him again. See that mounted turret in the background ? You
need to get control over that in order to sink the Corsair ship, but it
takes a fair while to move and load with bolts, so you need to slay the
pirates in the area first.
Do not dawdle though, since (as you can see at the bottom of the screen),
A'Kanna's ship has a health bar and it is reducing by the minute.
... and watch out for the archers !! ;)
> Once the area has been ... pacified ... move over to the mounted turret,
and press RB to take control over it. Use the left thumbstick to move it
(right turns it left, left turns it right), and then rotate the right
thumbstick to load it with a bolt (you cannot do both at the same time).
Once the turret is ready, press RT (the right trigger button) to fire a bolt
into either the front, back or middle of the Corsair ship. Repeat this
loading and firing process two more times (so that you hit the front, back
and middle once each) and you will sink the Corsair ship.
> Press RB to move away from the turret, and then head left to activate a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
A'Kanna sends a volley of arrows Conan's way to destroy the door that blocks
his path forwards, and he comments that she IS useful ... not that we thought
otherwise :)
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Go through the doorway that A'Kanna has just created for you, and activate
the blue stone to save your progress.
> Slay the pirates in the area whilst avoiding the archers - best way is to :-
a) Slay the pirates on the ground including those that spawn from the first
tent, whilst dodging the 3 archers;
b) Head up top and slay the 2 archers there and open the chest to get the
red runey goodness; and
c) Drop down and use strong attacks to quickly slay (don't bother grabbing
or using fast attacks against) the archer there. Take care when you
attack him, as a pirate boss exits the tent behind him to do battle with
you, and it's easier to despatch the archer before taking out the boss.
For calling A'Kanna a whore, this little MOFO deserves to die BIG stylee,
so I shall leave it to you to exact our bloody revenge upon him. *gets
out his GO TEAM SINISTER Pom-Poms and goes MENTAL whilst you do your thang*.
> Grab the green urn if you need it, and then follow the path to the right,
watching in glee as A'Kanna pelts the pirates (and pirate boss) standing
by the second mounted turret with arrows from her ship, weakening and
potentially killing some in order to aid you.
> Slay all the pirates and the pirate boss before taking control of the
mounted turret and taking out the Corsair ship in the area just as you did
with the first one (fire at the front, middle and back).
> Head to the left (and then forward down the path) and, where the path forks,
take the right-hand fork. Kill the two pirate archers, release the buxom
beauty, opening the treasure chest to get the reddy goodness, and taking the
green urn as your own ... ah, treasure =). There is also a shield stand
here if one of those takes your fancy.
> Return to the fork in the road and this time take the left-hand fork,
killing the pirates as you go, and following the path around to a gigantic
tree root, behind which (on a ledge higher than you, but not by much) two
archers are pelting you from their elevated position.
> Kill the pirates, jump up BEHIND the root and take out the archers, grab
the green urn, activate the blue stone to save your game, and then move over
to the tree to your left - the game will give you a hint that large objects
can often be toppled by repeatedly pressing the B button when you are next
to them (actually you must press RB to use the tree, and then tap B
repeatedly to push it over).
> The fallen tree will destroy a section of stone wall to your left. Climb
the tree trunk and traverse the now-broken wall, and turn and head left.
> Follow the path as it turns and take out the four brown-clad pirates in the
area before dropping down into the clearing.
> "Hmm ... Rats in the Rubble" Conan exclaims as you enter this area. Take
out the pirates and the pirate boss, and keep slaying them as there are,
as you will see, quite a few tents that respawn pirates for a wee while.
However, there is (as always) an end to the respawning process, so just be
patient and you'll do fine here.
Once you have slain enough pirates you get a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
Conan thinks he's on top of the situation, when a door in the distance swings
open and a pirate boss and two pirate archers run through to join the fray.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Once these three idiots have been slain (my advice ? Kill the archers first
AS always, and then focus on the pirate boss), move through the now open
doors they came through.
> There are two green urns to the left of the doors as you come in, but think
VERY carefully before using them, as there are a large number of pirates
atop the slope to your right ... perhaps use one if you really need it, and
keep the other for afterwards ?? ;)
> Slay the pirates, and then head back (if you followed my suggestion above)
and pick up the second urn (or both if you didn't use either).
> Head back up the slope, past the tents, and over to the large stone on the
right. Press RB to use the stone, and then tap B repeatedly to push it
over. This will trigger a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
The camera pans to show you two turrets atop the platform you can now reach,
and then returns to Conan.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Jump and run up the slope to the right, and then turn and head over to the
stationery turret to your south.
> Press RB by the turret to activate it, and then turn it and shoot at both
of the sentry posts on the left and right of the bridge, to destroy them.
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE ARCHERS - THEY CANNOT HIT YOU FROM THERE.
> Once both the sentry posts are destroyed, a section of bridging will fall
into place, allowing the pirate boss on the far side to come across. Take
him and the archer that was standing inbetween the two sentry posts out,
and head over to the door at the far side of the bridge.
> Press RB to activate the door, and then tap B repeatedly. Then press the
left thumbstick forward (when prompted), and then tap B repeatedly again,
to get through (from this point on the doors start to become more
interesting to get through).
> In this next area, run to the right and take out the brown-clothed pirates,
taking care to avoid the archers who's arrows clip through the low wall ;)
Take out the archers once you're done with the pirates, and then follow the
walkway around to the right, taking out another set of brown-shirted
pirate DOGS before turning north and heading along a wooden, root-covered
walkway that leads down and into a clearing STOCKED with pirates and one
pirate boss. Slay them all.
> Walk over to the large, wooden double-doors just away from the clearing,
and go RB (Tap B, LS Forward, Tap B) to get through - please note that from
now on, LS = Left Thumbstick ;). Once through the doors, activate the blue
stone nearby to save your game, and then use one or both of the green urns
to stock up your health if you need to.
> Head right, and run down the slope and into the large cave that is set into
the mountain side. You will, at last, come to a grand arena.
============================================================================
? 0 0 8 ?
============================================================================
BOSS FIGHT - BONE CLEAVER
Hokay, this is your first boss fight and, as with all your boss fights, it
begins with a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
You walk into a fighting arena, and the camera pans to show you a very large
gentleman with a fiersome-looking warhammer standing on the upper level of
the arena along with HORDES of pirates, looking down at you.
The man incites the pirates to attack you, claiming (rightly so) that you have
slain their brothers, and that they should have their revenge against you.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
Another common element to the Conan Boss Fights is that they ALL take place
in multiple stages. Therefore, in order to make it easy for you to work
with, I am going to cite the stages and then go through them one by one :-
BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - White Pirates
BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - Brown Pirates, Pirate Bosses & Archers
BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 - Bone Cleaver himself
Take note of the arena and what is available to you - there are 2 green urns
and a wall full of spikes for starters.
Also BE ADVISED that the archers on the upper level do NOT shoot regular
arrows - they shoot explosive arrows, so be VERY quick in removing them from
your body if you get pegged by one or more or they WILL hurt.
===============================
BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1
===============================
The first stage of this boss fight is SO easy it's unbelievable - Bone
Cleaver sends a couple of waves of white-shirted pirates (the lowest of the
low) into the arena to do battle with you. They will cause you NO problem.
===============================
BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2
===============================
Once you have enraged him by slaying all his white-shirted pirates, Bone
Cleaver moves up to stage 2 - sending in wave after wave of brown-shirted
pirates, and a total of four pirate bosses (1 in 1 wave, 1 in a second wave,
and 2 in the final wave). His archers also start to pelt you with their
arrows, so keep on your toes and avoid the blast radius at all costs. Try
and avoid using either of the green urns during this stage if at all possible
as it is good to keep them for the Bone Cleaver fight proper.
Since the AI of your enemies is NOT generally particularly amazing, you can
lure them into the path of the explosive arrows to cause collateral damage
should you wish. Remember, SMART players get MORE ;)
===============================
BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3
===============================
Once you have slain ALL his pirates (barring the archers on the upper level
and a couple of minions that are standing and watching you), Bone Cleaver
drops down into the arena and tells you that he's going to proudly display
your corpse from his axe (axe ??? It's not really an *axe* dude) before the
day is through, AND, more importantly, that he is the one that brought the
black death to this island.
============
BONE CLEAVER
============
First and foremost, Bone Cleaver CAN take damage from the archers who continue
to shoot their explosive arrows into the arena during the fight, so keep that
in mind.
Secondly, he is DECEPTIVELY nimble for a guy his size, and can attack you in
several different ways, including :-
A) An overhead smash and follow-up shove with his "axe";
B) Calling upon his archers to pelt the arena with explosive arrows;
C) A BEAUTIFUL side flip which, when he lands, sends out an earthquake.
To get around this one, jump ;)
D) A 4-hit combo which is slow but VERY powerful (the blade blur is orange
in colour) - you can easily roll away and, if you gauge his range just
right, you can be ready to strike back with a few strong hits once he
has completed the combo. All four of the hits are block-breakers, so
be aware of that.
The best technique to use against Bone Cleaver is NOT to try and combo him
too much - use strong attacks, hit once, gauge whether you can hit again and,
if you can, do so, and if you can't, roll away. Keep an eye out for when he
looks like he's about to jump and do his earthquake attack (C on the above
list), and jump over it to avoid irritation, and DO try and avoid his 4-hit
combo or you will be lifted into the air by the first hit, and that is ALSO
rather annoying.
Once he has taken about 75% damage, Bone Cleaver goes into a Blood Rage (he
displays a visible red glow, which fades to a white glow as the fight goes on)
and he becomes more aggressive for the last part of his fight, so beef up your
techniques for this last splurge.
=============================================================================
BE PREPARED TO PRESS THE B BUTTON ONCE YOU HAVE TAKEN AWAY ALL HIS HEALTH, AS
THIS TRIGGERS HIS FATALITY CUTSCENE.
=============================================================================
--- CUTSCENE ---
Conan repeatedly slams Bone Cleaver's head into his "axe" until he is well
and truly bested. As Conan is poised to strike the final blow, Bone Cleaver
disappears into nothingness, leaving behind a gauntlet which Conan immediately
recognises as his own.
The gauntlet is a piece of a complete set of armour - the one Conan was
wearing when he went to Balmoria, and which he later lost. As he slips the
gauntlet on, he beholds a vision of a great evil - a Sorcerer named Graven,
who HAD been held prisoner in a stone form until Conan inadvertantly set him
free, mistaking his prison as the vault for a jewel he was seeking.
Graven's reward for Conan was to knock him out, eject him from his tower, and
keep his armour for his own dark purposes. The little buggerhead !!
--- END CUTSCENE ---
Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Two.
============================================================================
? 0 0 9 ?
============================================================================
ACT THREE - SAND VAULT
--- CUTSCENE ---
Conan returns to A'Kanna aboard her ship, and she immediately lashes out at
him upon seeing him wearing the gauntlet. She says she has been looking for
it for some time and, when it appears obvious to her that she cannot overpower
him, she comes clean and explains to him that the black death beset her island
as well, turning good men mad, and filling their minds with bloodlust.
She intimates that the black death is not a disease, but a curse, and that
it is spreading like wildfire.
A'Kanna says that the curse can be broken, but only by the use of powerful
magic (which you now possess a portion of). She begs you to help her people
by returning with her to Parad Isle, and helping to destroy the black death
before it takes over your world.
You agree, but only so you can whoop some ass (and WHO can blame you !!).
--- END CUTSCENE ---
You regain control over Conan at the top of a sandy hill that descends toward
an archway, beyond which is a beautiful castle.
You should take immediate note that you have a new energy bar - it sits just
underneath your health bar. This bar, called the Song of Death Power Bar,
fills up as you slay your enemies and, once it is full enough, unleashes the
Song of Death (an enhanced fighting mode where your blades SING as they call
for the blood of your enemies, and where (visually-speaking) they leave some
BEAUTIFUL energy trails as you dance your ballad of carnage and woe).
You also do more damage ... just in case you were wondering ;)
To keep the Song of Death going, just keep killing things - the more damage
and death you deal out, the more you top up your Song of Death Power Bar.
I should have been a muse you know *sticks his thumbs in his lapels and grins*
> Run down toward, and through, the archway, straight into your first battle
with a NEW type of enemy ... the lion. Lions attack very much as you would
expect, and CAN be despatched really easily if you read my instructions
with care (or they CAN be a real pain in the arse if you don't).
There are two very efficient ways of dealing with lions :-
1) The hit-and-run, where you NEVER get drawn into hand-to-hand combat with
a lion, and instead hit with 1 strong, or 1-3 fast attacks and then
ROLL AWAY. This will trick the beast into counter-attacking, which
gives you a HUGE window of opportunity to do the same. Attack, roll,
attack, roll and keep doing this until the beast has fallen; or
2) Close-quarters, with HEAVY reliance on blocking to prevent you being
ripped into little pieces by the beast. Again, 1 strong or 1-3 fast
attacks and then BLOCK LIKE BUGGERY. Rinse, and repeat !!
Whichever way you choose to take him out, please pay attention to these
suggestions ;)
> Head over to the cart that is blocking the archway in the back of this area,
press RB to use the cart, and then hit Y at the appropriate time to push it
out of the way. The archway WILL collapse behind you, so you cannot go back
after this.
> Move around the cart and into your first encounter with the Stygians. They,
like so many of their kin, are encountered in different levels of power.
THESE boys (the one-handed weapon-wielding type) are the equivalent of the
white-clothed pirates from Act One. They are easily defeated, can be
thrown around and pose little problem - HOWEVER they do have stronger
attacks, including not-quite-unblockables-but-which-can-cause-your-guard-
to-fail-and-leave-you-open-to-further-attack stylee moves, aka block-
breakers, so be warned ;)
> Once you have slain all the Stygians, whom I shall dub the Stygian
Swordsmen, in this area, STOP. There is a green rune triumvirate here to
be activated so we should turn our attention to that now.
> Head over to the large, free-standing pillar on the right of the area (next
to the rubble), and use RB and then tap B repeatedly, to cause it to fall.
Two of the three rune triumvirate symbols are on the ground, but we'll start
with the hardest one to reach ;)
> Head up the newly-created slope, and hack your way through the iron bars
immediately to your RIGHT. Head in and pick up the two-handed weapon IF
you fancy it.
> Come out of that chamber, and head left (picking up the green urn ONLY IF
YOU NEED IT, as you are about to do battle with a concealed lion), past the
green urn (unless you drink it), and to the far left-hand iron gate.
Behind this gate is a treasure chest filled with red runes, and a lion that
is just WAITING to be released so it can claw you to ribbons. Break open
the doorway and slay the lion CAREFULLY, using the techniques I described
to you before. There are two vases to your left that contain green runes
should you need them, PLUS the green urn you probably didn't drink (I hope)
when you were coming to this chamber.
Crack open the treasure chest by where the lion was to get your goodies.
> Head now, at last, to the final chamber (the one to your right, but to the
left of where the green urn was), and hack the door to bits to get in.
THIS is where the third rune triumvirate is.
> Activate this rune triumvirate, then drop immediately down into the arena,
turn and head into the covered chamber just to your left at ground level to
activate the SECOND rune triumvirate, and then run to the right and jump
OVER the pillar you pushed over, to reach the third rune triumvirate.
Thus empowered, we can proceed !!
==============================================================================
NB. I should point out that completing a green triumvirate automatically heals
all your health, as well as extending its maximum level ;)
==============================================================================
> Head back up the slope you created by pushing over the pillar, and then turn
and head to the right, up the stony ledges, and over to the blue stone,
which you should use to save your game.
> Drop down into the courtyard below, and to your first battle with the SECOND
type of Stygian Warrior you will face, which I will dub the Stygian Pikemen.
Stygian Pikemen are NOT to be underestimated. They generally skulk around
letting others engage you ahead of themselves, but are fearsome combatants
who have the ability to fire bolts of green energy that sap your health
from a distance, and who have a number of two-handed combos they can use at
close-quarters. They also give comparatively little warning before they
attack with their melee weapons. Watch them in any group encounter, and
think of them as Pirate Archers on Steroids.
> Once you have felled all the Stygians in this area, head over to the cart
in the back of the courtyard, and use RB and then press Y at the right
moment to push it out of the way (and yes, again, the archway will crumble
behind you, blocking your return this way).
> Move around the cart, slay all the Stygians (Swordsmen and Pikemen), and
head over to the doorway, breaking open the vases for green health if you
need to.
> This is a new type of door by the way. To open it, press RB, then LS
forward, then LS backward, then LS forward (when prompted). Run to the
right once you are through the door, and you will get a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
The camera pans around to show you a massive wall in front of you with a
circular symbol in two halves. Obviously we are to do something with it.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Slay all the Stygians in this area (including the Pikemen that are standing
on the steps to the far left and right) before attempting to do anything
here.
There are 8 urns containing small amounts of green runes dotted around this
area, so use them wisely if need's be, and BE AWARE that once you have slain
the first wave of troops, another will come after you, so it's a slightly
longer fight than you might at first have anticipated ;)
> Once ALL the Stygians are slain, head over to either the left OR right set
of stairs, and use RB to activate the chain, and then tap B repeatedly to
move that half of the circular symbol to the centre of the room.
> Move across to the other side of the chamber as fast as you can and repeat
the process. The reason I asked you to slay all the enemies here first is
because this puzzle is on a timer, and if you take too long to complete it,
the first side will swing back to where it originally was (and that's rather
frustrating after a while).
--- CUTSCENE ---
A swirl of energy moves around the now completed symbol, and the sandpit in
the centre of the room disappears to reveal a hidden staircase leading down.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Head down the newly formed steps, and activate the blue stone to save your
game. Take the green urn here as well, if you need it. Then head through
the archway and you'll get a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
The camera pans around to show you the three cat heads (one MASSIVE one in
the centre of the room, and two smaller ones - one to the left; one to the
right).
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Two lions are released into the room, so strike, roll, strike, roll and
so on or go close-quarters and block, strike, block, strike and so on, until
they are both dead. Keep your cool and have fun with this fight ;)
--- CUTSCENE ---
The door to the RIGHT opens up
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Head through the door to the right, and around the corner to the right and
into the light. To open the door, go RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up.
> In the next room, take out the Stygian Swordsmen AND the Stygian Pikemen,
and then destroy the vases to get some green runes.
> Jump up onto the ledge at the back, and take out the Stygians here, whilst
trying to stop your jaw from dropping at the HUGE shadow of the Dragon from
the introductory cutscene to this level walking past the windows.
> Exit via the door in the left-hand wall (on this upper level - don't drop
back down). The door requires an RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up combo to get
through. Head down the steps once the door is open.
> You will enter a courtyard, where you will have to do battle with 2 lions,
and a few Stygians. Slay them all. There is a green urn up the stairs
to the right (as in diagonally right) of the stairs you took to get DOWN
here, and there are also a few vases in the same area just to bump up your
health that little bit more.
From the bottom of the stairs you took to get into this courtyard, go from
the camera (as in diagonally to the left of your starting point, through
the big archway) and, once you are sure the area is adequately pacified,
we will sort out the little puzzle that lies before us.
> Run to the back wall, and push over the pillar that is beside the crawlspace
there (RB, Tap B) - Conan will say "I need to get on top".
Once that pillar has fallen, head diagonally back across the courtyard, and
push the pillar that stands by the archway back up against the right-hand
wall (RB, Press Y).
Now, go back to the first pillar you pushed over, and use it as a stepping-
stone to get up to the higher ledge.
Destroy the two vases if you need any health, and then push the pillar on
THIS level (RB, Y), so that it falls into the courtyard below.
Drop back into the courtyard, and then jump up onto this last pillar that
you have caused to fall, and use that as the basis for jumping onto the
second pillar you used (the one you pushed back against the wall). BE
AWARE, however, that the clipping and camera angle in this area is quite
frustrating, so if it helps you, try thinking about jumping slightly AWAY
from the wall, so that you don't clip it mid-jump. Works a treat ;)
> As soon as you jump from this pillar up to the ledge slightly above you,
Conan exclaims "I see you dragon" (as the Sand Dragon walks along in the
background, knocking over loads of pillars as it goes). You are about to
be set upon by 2 Stygian Swordsmen and 1 Stygian Pikeman, so be forewarned.
There is a green urn here too, which you might want to use ...
> Head right (down the stairs), across the walkway, and then take the stairs
leading up, over another causeway WELL-STOCKED with Stygians for you to
kill =) and then keep going right as the camera pans, to open another door
(RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up).
> In this next room (you're back in the main chamber with the three cat heads
on the wall, but at a higher level - level, in fact, with the two smaller
heads), turn and head left to take out the 2 Stygian Pikemen. Slay them
and, as Conan approaches the cat's head, he comments that its jaw should
come off. Hmmmmmmmm. Stand under the cat's head in the little white
circle, and press RB, LS Down, B, LS Down and watch the
--- CUTSCENE ---
The cat's head spits out a large quantity of some black powder, causing the
platform that stands in front of it to descend. As the platform goes down,
a set of stairs in the centre of the room partially forms.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Drop back down into the chamber, and head to the left (through the door that
has just opened in that wall).
> Kill the 3 Stygian Pikemen, and then crack open the 2 vases, green urn and
save the game.
> Head towards the cascading sands at the back of the room, and run to the
back wall. Conan will say "Nowhere to go but up".
> This is the first of quite a few sections where you have to jump and move
side-to-side to get through, by grabbing ledges. I shall keep my directions
as brief as possible for you :-
Starting on the lowest ledge (left-hand side of the back wall) :-
Jump (from the ground to the lowest ledge), Up, Right, Up, Up
> Hack through the two flimsy gates to find two treasure chests and a rack
holding 5 axes (in case you want to change styles or weaponry). There is
also a green urn on the main walkway just outside the two rooms.
> Run to the right along the walkway, and the camera will pan again. Conan
says "By Crom !!" (or it could actually be BYE Crom because the number of
times I have watched people die in this very simple area is MOST amusing).
Here are the instructions, but PLEASE BEAR IN MIND the timing :-
From ground level :-
Jump (from the ground to the lowest ledge), *wait for the black sand to
stop falling down the column immediately to your right*, Right, Up, *wait
for the sand to your right to stop*, Right, *wait for the sand to your
right to stop*, Right, Down, *wait for the sand to your right to stop*,
Right, Right, Right, Down to FREEEEEEEEEEEEDOM !!
> Run right, and keep going around and to the right until you get to the slope
which goes down. Conan will say "Spill your guts, cat !" when he gets to
the bottom, and you should block IMMEDIATELY, as there is a lion very close
to you which will attack you imminently. Despatch it after blocking its
first attack.
> With the lion dead, head from the camera (behind where it was standing),
and open up the gate on the left-hand wall (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up).
> Take out the Stygian Pikeman and drop off the ledge (how spectacularly you
choose to do that is entirely up to you of course), but be aware that there
are 2 lions waiting for you down below ;)
> Your objective here is to get the lowered platform along the left wall to
raise up so that you can proceed. To do this, stand on the three circles
in the centre of the room (easy peasy).
> Once the platform has raised, jump back up to the higher ledge, then over
the newly-erected platform, and then over to the far side where a further
Stygian Pikeman awaits you. Slay him, and then use RB on the chain and
tap B repeatedly, to drag the chain down and lock it. This will cause the
sand pouring down in front of the main exit to cease its flow.
Conan will say "This should do the trick".
--- CUTSCENE ---
Hey presto ! The sand that was pouring down in front of the main exit from
this chamber has stopped - we can leave !!
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Drop back down into the main chamber, and then head over to the opposing
wall, and jump up onto the pillar there (the wall adjacent to the black
sand that is still pouring down there).
From this pillar, jump up, and then (when the coast is clear), go Left,
Left, Left and finally Left, out the now cleared exit.
> Turn and head away from the camera, and open up the door on the back wall
(RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up).
> You're back in the central chamber with the cat's heads again (although this
time you're on the other side). Slay the 2 Stygian Pikemen in the room
and then head over to the cat's head, use RB to activate it, then LS Down,
B, LS Down and you will get another
--- CUTSCENE ---
As with the first small cat's head on the other side of the chamber, this one
opens its jaw (or rather YOU opened it), and black sand pours forth, causing
the pedestal in front of it to descend, and the stairs in the centre of the
room to be completed.
The largest cat's head in the room opens to reveal a *shock horror* hidden
passage !!!!! =O
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Didn't see THAT coming did we ;) Drop down and then head up the newly-
created set of stairs, and through the big cat's head (you will have to
jump to get in by the way). Activate the blue stone to save your game,
and then open up the door along the back wall (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up),
and go through.
============================================================================
? 0 1 0 ?
============================================================================
BOSS FIGHT - THE SAND DRAGON
--- CUTSCENE ---
As you go through the door, you see a load of Stygians running around like
headless chickens on the other side of the archway that lies ahead of you. As
one of the hapless warriors heads through the archway towards you, the Sand
Dragon that you have been stalking spots it, lunges its head through the
archway, and gobbles him up, before breathing fire at you !!
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> The Sand Dragon is the second boss in Conan and, like Bone Cleaver, its
fight must be conducted in numerous sections. The sections are :-
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Head through the Wall
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - Chasing over the Rooftops
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 - Open Air Platform Fight
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 - Running the Gauntlet
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 - Pillar Platform Fight
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6 - Scaling the Tower
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7 - Atop the Tower
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1
==============================
Right, here we go. The Sand Dragon (because he is a rather DULL beast) has
stupidly rammed his head into the archway, and so doesn't have a HUGE degree
of room to manoeuvre in.
You are safe during this fight, as long as you stand right up against the
camera, so if you need to take a breather and get your bearings, head here.
The Sand Dragon attacks with a variety of biting attacks ranging from 1 snap,
to 2 snaps, to 3 snaps.
If you are a beginner then the best advice I can give you is to hang back and
watch his attacks to learn what they are, and then to rush forward (rolling
will close the distance reasonably quickly) and start unloading with the
strong hits, taking care to block his responses. If he knocks you back to
the camera, you will have had your block broken, and he will snap at you a
couple of times doing reasonable damage. If he knocks you to the side, you
should find you move that little bit closer to him (as in just inside the
crook of his neck), and can unleash HELL upon him no problem at all.
If you are adept at this game, then heed my advice for CRUSHING him :-
The safest place to do battle with the Sand Dragon from, is the top left-hand
corner of the area, as it is inside the crook of his neck, and he has quite
some difficulty snapping at you from there (but don't forget to block just
to be on the safe side). It is possible to do battle with him in this
position and take absolutely no damage during this stage of the fight.
Once he has taken enough damage, you will get a large health powerup, and he
will flail around for a bit before sinking his head to the ground. Run up
to him and press the button indicated, to begin the end-sequence for this
stage. You MUST hit the buttons in the right order, otherwise he will
throw you against the wall, and regain part of his health (meaning this
stage of his boss fight will become longer and harder than it needs to be).
Once you have correctly entered the commands (which will be Y, Tap B) you
will be HURLED up high into the air, and land on your back.
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2
==============================
WASTING NO TIME, as the Sand Dragon is merely stunned, NOT dead, run to your
left (the camera pans), and keep going left until the ground breaks under your
feet and you slide down (Conan will say "I've GOT to keep moving").
Run to the left (Conan will say "This rooftop won't last", and keep running
to the left, jumping over two gaps as you go, and then having to jump up to
a slightly higher platform.
This leads you to the next actual fight with the Sand Dragon ...
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3
==============================
... the open air platform fight ! (Sorry, I really couldn't think what else
to call it !!).
The Sand Dragon has outpaced you, and must now be battered down again. He
rises up at the back of the platform you are standing on, all snake-like and
... snakey ... and engages you with a couple of nasty attacks, being :-
A) Expanding ring of flame (you will know he is about to do this because
he raises his head to the skies and glows with flaming energy before
breathing fire across the platform). This attack can be jumped over,
but your timing must be good.
B) Tongue Lash. He lashes out at you with his tongue. You CAN counter-
attack this move with the B button, but you must be VERY quick.
C) Bites. If you get too close to him, he will try and take a chunk out
of your manly butt with his snappy teeth - best dodged or blocked, and
I DON'T mean blocked with your arse ;)
As with the first fight with the Sand Dragon, as long as you stay as close to
the camera as possible, he CANNOT bite you. Therefore I would suggest
standing inbetween the two sets of black spiked railings, and jumping over
his flaming rings, and counter-attacking him. I wouldn't bother going in for
strikes unless you're brave, foolhardy, Spider-Man or on a VERY easy setting.
Once he has taken enough damage (from your well-timed counter-attacks or
other tomfoolery), he will once again slump onto the deck. Run up to him
and press the right combination of buttons when prompted (it will be X and
then B), and you will get up onto his head but, unfortunately, before you are
able to strike a killer blow, he comes to and shakes you off, causing you to
fly into a nearby building, smashing through one of the walls.
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4
==============================
From where you land, take out the Stygians and destroy the vases to get a bit
of green health, and then then run to the left and, when the Sand Dragon has
broken enough of this area for you to be ABLE to jump up, jump up the ledges
on the left-hand wall, and onto the platform at the top. DO NOT TRY AND
ENGAGE THE SAND DRAGON - JUST RUN AWAY FROM HIM.
When you reach the top (which puts you on a large wooden set of platforms),
run to the right and keep running until you can drop down the two wooden
platforms, to ultimately land (once again) on an open-air platform, which
leads us to ...
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5
==============================
... the Pillar Platform Fight.
As soon as you land on the platform the Sand Dragon's barbed tail will snake
up at the far end menacingly. Move to the far left corner, nearest the
camera to dodge the spines he shoots out, and he will make his slightly more
grand appearance, snorting at you before destroying the right-hand pillar.
You can do a LOT of damage to him at this point if you strike him from your
left-hand side whilst he's snaking up to do his first smash (of the right-
hand pillar), and if you remain in the top left-hand corner (retreating back
to behind the left-hand pillar when he raises his tail (until the left-hand
pillar is destroyed of course)), and time your rolls to avoid his head-smash
attacks, then you CAN defeat him in this stage without taking any damage
either !
His moves in this stage are :-
A) Rise up and slam his head down into the platform, causing a shockwave
which you can jump (you'll know he's about to do this as he snakes his
head veeeeeeeery slowly upwards before ramming it down);
B) Bites (in a number of different quantities, but as always he cannot
bite you if you hang around the back); and
C) Barbed Tail Spikes. He CANNOT hit you with them if you stay at the
bottom-left, AS LONG AS THE LEFT-HAND PILLAR REMAINS IN TACT. Once
THAT has fallen, try rolling to avoid the spikes as they hit all over
the bloody place.
Rush forward and hammer him with strong attacks, when he slowly raises his
head up get ready to jump away or roll away, as you won't be able to do him
any harm at that particular point in time, and when he drops down and the
tail pops up, get ready to either roll or jump away, unless the left-hand
pillar is up in which case hide in the bottom left-hand corner, nearest the
camera.
Once he has fallen, he chases you off the platform and onto a pillar, which
you cling onto and ascend, his response being to smack it with his tail,
causing it to fall into a set of wooden platforms built around ANOTHER tower
to the right.
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6
==============================
As soon as you are back in control of Conan, have him jump up to the first
ledge on the tower, then Right, Up, Left, Up, Left (if you want to get the
Treasure Chest) BUT DO NOT DAWDLE on that ledge as it crumbles rather quickly.
Assuming you've gone to the left and picked up the Treasure Chest, you will
then need to get back onto one of the central ledges to make the jump to the
pathway on the right. TO DO THIS, DO *NOT* JUMP - just run off the ledge,
aiming right and towards the centre of the pillar, and Conan should grab onto
the nearest ledge. If he fails to grab that one, there are two in line below
it, and he should grab one of those. If you jump then the odds are 95% likely
that you're going to plummet to your death.
Once you're on the central ledge to the left of the pathway that spirals off
to your right, jump to the right to get onto THAT pathway, and then follow it
as it snakes around the pillar upwards.
You will need to jump up onto one wooden ledge, and then over a reasonably-
large gap to another wooden ledge (which is made that little bit more awkward
because the camera is panning around the pillar as you go), before you reach
another section of ledges to jump around.
Jump Up, Right, and finally Up again to reach the highest platform, and set
the scene for ...
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7
==============================
You will, I am sure, be ELATED to learn that this is the last stage of the
Sand Dragon Boss Fight ... WOOHOO !!
It's also one of the easiest, which is nice ... however if you don't know
what you're doing you WILL get battered, which is NOT so nice.
Your objective here is to knock the Sand Dragon back to the extent that he
backs off, giving you a little time to achieve 2 things. HOWEVER, the timing
of this stage of the fight means that you will have to do it like this :-
1) Knock the Sand Dragon back and stun him;
2) Achieve Objective 1;
3) Knock the Sand Dragon back and stun him;
4) Begin Objective 2;
5) Knock the Sand Dragon back and stun him;
6) Achieve Objective 2;
7) Sand Dragon FINALLY Dies.
The Sand Dragon's attacks in this stage are :-
A) Frenzied Tongue Lashing (block it to avoid damage and being drooled
all over, which is NEVER nice);
B) Biting (in various stylees) (block to avoid damage, but be aware that
if he hits you at the right angle he will break your block, and you
will take some damage);
C) Expanding Ring of Flame (as per the last time he used it - jump over
it to avoid it).
Once he has fallen back, smash your way through the wooden planks to the left,
and push over the massive rock (do not grab the green urn unless you need it -
remember you ARE running against the clock in this stage, and you do not
have enough time to pick up the green urn AND push over the rock). To push
over the rock, you need to "use" it with the RB button three times. This
will trigger a mini cutscene where you realise you are actually standing
atop a giant statue, and have just booted off one of its arms - an arm holding
some type of sword, which plummets to the ground below, sharp-end pointing
straight up ... hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Once you are back in control, and have activated this cutscene (by which I
mean if you chose to get the green urn you will have to knock the Sand Dragon
back again and kick off the statue's arm before proceeding), do battle with
the Sand Dragon again to knock him back, and then head over to the LEFT-hand
side of this platform, and use the controls (RB, rotate the right-hand
thumbstick like billio). This will cause a giant ball of stone to be raised
up, and gradually be pulled to the left. Odds are you won't be able to get it
all the way up this time around, and will have to face the Sand Dragon for
another bout.
HOWEVER, once you've knocked him back a FURTHER time, you should have ample
time to complete this, your second objective on this level (just keep rotating
that thumbstick) and, when you're done, you will get your VERY well-deserved
--- CUTSCENE ---
Conan jumps onto the ball he has brought up, and cuts one of the support
cables, causing it to swing around. Using his weight to change its angle, he
brings it SMASHING into the back of the Sand Dragon, who, unable to maintain
his position atop the platform, falls down, becoming impaled upon the sword
below.
Not content with this being the Sand Dragon's end, Conan cuts the ball's
other support, causing it to smash down into the Sand Dragon's stomach, thus
destroying him utterly.
Conan finds another gauntlet lodged around one of the Sand Dragon's teeth, and
claims it as his own.
A'Kanna says that a NEW Power surges through Conan as he sees a glimpse of
the past ... of two brothers - guardians of the most ancient magic on earth,
who had taken a sacred vow to protect this power. She tells of how one of
the brothers broke their vow, and took the power as his own, losing himself
to its darkness and becoming possessed in the process.
He did terrible things as a result of the power he now wielded.
The scene then shifts to Conan coming back to A'Kanna on her ship. She
comments about his new attire, and suggests you sail to Stygia to obtain
the rest of your armour and slay the dread source of the curse, that you
might be free ...
... and then you boink her.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Three.
============================================================================
? 0 1 1 ?
============================================================================
ACT FOUR - TRIBAL WARRIOR
--- CUTSCENE ---
Conan awakens, but A'Kanna is no longer in the bed. She has arisen and
readied herself for the day's toils. As she stands on the ship, bandits
move onto the deck and take her prisoned. Conan asks the crewmen what has
happened to her, and he learns that she has been taken prisoner, and is to
be sacrificed to the local tribe's Elephant God.
Unmoved by the suggestion of the crewman (that they let her die and keep her
share of the bounty for themselves), Conan stabs him in the gut, and then
commands the other crewmen to pilot the ship to land so that he may pursue
his lover of the moment.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
You begin this level in rocky terrain - a beaten path leading off into the
distance behind you.
A noise signals that you have attained a new power - your first of four Magic
Spells that you can utilise during the game - well done !!
Being as you only have the one spell at this point in time, it is depicted as
your active spell (the graphic in the blue circle in the top-left corner of
your status bar). The spell is called "Stone Prison" - a VERY handy little
power which creates a short-range cone of petrifying energy that will turn
any enemies caught within its radius to stone for a short while. Most regular
foes can be smashed to pieces with a few hits whilst in this state.
When you pick up additional spells, use the D-Pad to select which spell to
use. You will see from the graphic depicting the spell that there is a little
blue arrow pointing to the left ? This means LEFT on the D-Pad to select
this spell - it's really quite simple :)
One other consideration when using spells is that, as the astute player will
have already spotted, there is a new energy bar in your status bar at the top
of the screen as well - a BLUE bar that sits beneath the Song of Death Power
Bar.
The blue bar depicts how much magical energy you currently have to spend. You
can pick up extra energy from slaying enemies and smashing blue urns. (You
will find blue energy now forms part of the bounty you receive from certain
kills, so you don't really have to do anything SPECIAL to recharge this bar,
HOWEVER you should be aware that it will NOT recharge itself over time - you
must fill it to use it).
As the levels progress, so too will the level of the bar. At the moment you
have one level of charge, but ultimately you will get two, three and more.
Each spell takes more and more power to use, so whilst the Stone Prison spell
requires but one level of magic to use, the next spell you will learn will
require two, the third three, and so on.
To use the spell (which I wouldn't do until you're in combat, no matter how
much you want to test it out), press the LB button.
Righty-ho ! Ready to continue ? Let's kick some tribal ASS shall we ??? =)
> Run away from the camera (into the background), and a tip will pop up to
confirm (basically) what I've just told you.
> Test your Stone Prison power out on the lion by the campfire if you like -
he will make a handy test (just make sure you're in hand-to-hand range
before you let loose with the spell, or you'll waste it).
> Once the lion is dead, press RB by the campfire to pick up a burning torch
from the flames ... me likey !! =)
> If you want to see something REALLY nice, throw the burning torch into the
fire to see the sparks FLY !!
> Hokay sorry - letting the pyromaniac in me out to play for a sec *blush*,
we need to ascend, so jump up the ledges by the campfire and Conan will say
"This bramble will burn" (and you'll get a tip as well). Press RB by the
vines and they will ignite, allowing you to ascend further.
> Jump Up, and then Up again to reach a new plateau. You will be attacked
by a lion, but keep tapping the fast attack and you'll set him on fire - it
won't slay him but it will make him run around in a circle like a lunatic
which will make you laugh, and you can use fast attacks to snap at him
whilst he does so.
> Once the lion is dead, you should get your first blue rune from him, and
you will receive a further tip telling you that blue runes restore your
special armour (magic) abilities.
> Head to the left and the camera will pan to show you a tribal warrior
walking about beneath you. Drop down and slay him and his friend. Tribal
combatants come in three varieties which I shall quickly itemise for ease
of reference - those that I will call "Tribal Warriors" are bald, wear face
paint, and carry two-handed weapons; those I will refer to as "Witch
Doctors" wear large masks, and carry sword and shield; and those I call
"Tribal Hunters" look just like Tribal Warriors, but they use bow and arrows
to strike you from afar, switching to two-handed weaponry when you get
close enough to do battle with them.
> Once the two Tribal Warriors have fallen, either pick up the large boulder
that was lying on the floor in this area, or push over the large totem and
use its head as a throwing weapon, and lob whichever item you have picked
up at the tusk-gate to the left, to make your way through.
> As soon as you enter this new area (a tribal encampment), the camera will
pan just a touch so that you can see a campfire, a load of straw huts, and
a Witch Doctor exiting the nearest hut to you.
> Take out the Witch Doctor, bearing in mind that he is quick and dangerous,
and that you cannot throw him. Once he has been slain, grab a burning log
from the nearby campfire, and torch the hut the Witch Doctor came out of
to get yourself a green urn, which you should use if you need to.
> We are now going to take out the tribe in this encampment, and burn all
their homes (not very nice, but we ARE barbarians after all)
> As you move further into the encampment, you meet your first Tribal Hunter.
Be aware that if you try and throw the burning log at him, it throws LIKE
a log, so it doesn't just keep going - you must be reasonably close to him
for it to hit him ;). Also, as I've already said, be aware that when you
get close enough to him, he will sheath his bow and arrows, and whip out a
very nice two-handed weapon before trying to carve you into pieces ...
> There are two ways of proceeding in this area - you can either wade on into
the encampment and take out all the tribe in the area, and THEN burn down
their huts once they are finished spawning tribal warriors, archers et al.,
OR you can be more methodical, and take out each hut as you get to it, but
this is going to involve a fair bit of going back and forth to get new
burning logs from the fire ... your call.
In order to try and keep things simple, I am going to tell you that you
will find in the huts :-
[From there you enter this area - i.e. after you've ignited the hut above]
1st hut on the right - Blue Urn
2nd hut on the right - Empty
3rd hut on the right - Treasure Chest
1st hut on the left - Red Rune Triumvirate (1/3)
There is also a green urn hidden behind a large block behind, and inbetween
the 3rd hut on the right, and the 1st (and only) hut on the left.
There is also a buxom beauty to the right of the green urn (she doesn't
really have a lot to say until you free her) ;)
> Disregard the rune triumvirate for now - we cannot complete it yet, but we
WILL come back to it in a few. You can set alight to the brown grass if
you want to - just walk through it with a burning log in your hand.
> You will need to ignite the brambles to the left of the brown grass to get
into the next area of the encampment, but beware the Tribal Hunter that is
trying to pick you off with his arrows from the nearby structure.
> Once you are into this second encampment, you can just repeat your previous
performance, and either take out all the tribe in the area and then focus
on their huts, or take out the tribe and huts one by one. Be aware that
there are three additional structures in this area - two turrets for Tribal
Hunters to stand on and shoot arrows from, and one area which is more like
a drape-covered caravan, with some vases beside it.
When taking out archer turrents on this level, you have two options - you
can either burn them (killing the archer in the process), or you can press
RB and then tap B by them to pull them down, but then you have to do battle
with the Tribal Hunter hand-to-hand.
As with the previous area, here is what you will find in the huts, working
your way around from the first archer turret counter-clockwise around the
encampment :-
1st Archer Turret - Nothing
1st Hut on the right - Treasure Chest
2nd Hut on the right - Red Rune Triumvirate (2/3)
Draped Caravan Thing - Treasure Chest
3rd Hut on the right - Treasure Chest
1st Hut on the left - Treasure Chest
Now that we have uncovered the furthest red rune triumvirate from the two
in the previous section (the one I specifically mentioned to you, and the
one you probably stumbled upon yourself), we can activate this triumvirate
soooooo ... if you would like to activate the red rune triumvirate that you
find in this SECOND encampment first, and then run back to the first rune
triumvirate we found together, and then finally follow the red energy line
that runs from that triumvirate back towards where you started the level,
then you will find and be able to activate the third triumvirate, and obtain
a healthy boost to your Song of Death Power Bar.
> From the third red rune triumvirate, head back to the second tribal camp,
and run all the way to the left, to the far side past the first hut on the
left from my list above, and over to the horizontal tusk gate, you will see
that there are two levers, one on either side of the door. Use RB to call
Conan to use the levers, and then tap B to push them into their locked
position (you will need to lock both sides in order to proceed).
> Follow the path and you will be set upon by 2 lions (1 from in front, 1 from
behind). Perfect opportunity for a Stone Prison Spell non ?? Once they are
dead, head further down the path and you will come to a set of ledges
leading up a rock face, with a couple of Tribal Warriors standing atop it.
You have a choice - you can either go up there (which is what I am going to
do, or you can carry on the way you were going - this area is a loop, so you
will wind up coming back on yourself).
I'm going to (as I said) head up those ledges and take out the Tribal
Warriors ... *does what he said*. Now, carry on on this new plateau, taking
out the Tribesmen (Witch Doctor and some Tribal Warriors) along the way.
> Burn down the two huts to receive a blue urn and a green urn, and then push
over the large totem (RB, Tap B) to cause its head to fall down to the
valley floor below.
> Take out the Witch Doctor and Tribal Warriors (you may as well use your
Stone Prison Spell here), and then burn down their hut to receive a
further blue urn.
> Either burn down or pull down the archer's turret and slay the archer.
> Head back down the path on the valley floor towards where this loop started,
MAKING SURE that you have a burning log in your hand, and you will find that
you come to an area where the camera pans up to show you a higher ledge.
Burn down the bramble to access the ledges that you need to use to get to
the top and, when you get there, you will find a blue urn, a green urn and
a treasure chest.
> Drop back down to the valley floor, and head back to the area you just left
and use the blue stone to save your progress.
> Use either the totem's head that you caused to drop down onto the valley
floor, or the large stone block that is lying by the tusk gate, to smash
the gate so that you can proceed.
> Take out the Witch Doctor and the Archery Turret, and proceed onward to do
battle with another set of Tribesmen (this must be on HELL of a large
tribe !!) - this time a Witch Doctor, a set of Tribal Warriors and 2 Lions.
In the area where you fight the lions (around and to the left), there is
also a buxom beauty and a treasure chest.
> Since the bridge has been taken out of play by the tribesmen, you will have
to use the ledges available to get across. Therefore, if you go to where
you WOULD have been able to get across the bridge and head to your left,
along the edge of the chasm, you will find your first ledge in the wall.
You must jump and then tap B to ascend (a new technique in this setting,
and one you will be using again and again in the future, so try and get it
right) ;). Then, once you are on the ledge, jump to the right and tap B
to ascend again, and then keep jumping up and right (trying your best to
time your jumps so as to avoid the arrows from the two archers' turrets as
you go), and then finally you can drop down behind a large boulder.
*wiggles his eyebrows*
You KNOW what's coming next. That's right boys and girls !! RB on the
boulder to use it, and then press LS Down, Tap X, LS Down, Tap Y and the
boulder will roll down and crush both the archery turrets. BONZA !!
> Drop down and head into the LOVELY archway which looks like a misshapen
mouth (the entrance to ANY evil deity's lair MUST be a scary thing or so
help it).
--- CUTSCENE ---
Conan frees a buxom beauty from her shackles, and she tells him that the
tribe are already killing the women up ahead in the cave. Conan heads off.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Run forward and use the blue stone to save your game. Go forward aways, and
you will be ambushed by a Witch Doctor and a Tribal Warrior. The Witch
Doctor taunts you, saying that you're already too late to save A'Kanna.
> Run forward, ignoring the buxom beauty and the structure she sits upon, and
keep going down the path, and Conan will say "there's the entrance". Keep
going until you reach the large set of three circles, the nearest one to
you having three small circles atop it - one red, one blue, one yellow.
> Stand upon the yellow circle, and you will get a brief ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
The camera pans to show you that the structure you have just run past changes
form, as a windchime structure arises from its top.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Turn and head back to the structure, taking out the newly arrived Tribal
Warriors as you go. Jump up onto the first ledge and save the buxom beauty
from her imprisonment, and then jump up again and finally one more time to
reach the windchimes at the top.
As you can hear, they are out of sync.
Pull both the chains down and lock them in position (RB, tap B), and this
will make the sound considerably more harmonious.
> Drop down to the valley floor and run back to the three circles, and you
will see that the circle closest to the entrance has arisen and cannot be
reached, and furthermore that the blue circle on the first large circular
step has also raised up slightly. Step on this blue circle to get a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
The camera shows you the direction in which you must travel to reach the
second tower.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Follow that path, taking out the Witch Doctor, Archery Turret (and Hunter),
2 huts (one of which spawns Tribal Hunters; the other a Witch Doctor), and
SECOND Archery Turret.
The 2 huts give you a green urn and a treasure chest.
When you are done, ascend the second tower and, when you get to the top,
do a repeat of your performance at the first tower to lock the chains (RB,
tap B) and you will see the second large circular platform raise up in the
distance, and two Witch Doctors come scuttling towards your position to
await their turn to dine at Crom's Table *balls his fist up and slams it
into the desk*
> Drop down, slay the Witch Doctors, and head back to the central area, making
sure to push over the large totem you encounter on the way, and when you get
there, activate the third and final circle - the red circle.
--- CUTSCENE ---
The camera pans to show you the third and final tower, and the windchime
structure arising on its top.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Run back to the now demolished totem, grab its head and use it to smash your
way through the tusk gate that blocks your path to the third windchime
tower.
Head through the demolished gate, taking out the Witch Doctor and two Tribal
Hunters as you go. There is a green urn here should you need to use it.
> Ascend the third and final windchime tower and, when you get to the top,
use and lock both chains (RB, tap B) to align this tower's windchimes as
well. As with the second tower, you will see the column rise in the
distance, and some Tribal Warriors heading over to your area to do battle
with you.
> Run back to the newly-erected tower, and ascend to the top (there are
ledges cut into the side which you might miss at first, but which are
really quite obvious when you stop and look at it). Once you get to the
top, run towards the entrance and a small ARMY of tribesmen will pour out
to do battle with you. Specifically there are 3 Witch Doctors and 4 Tribal
Warriors.
The easiest way to slay them is to wait on the three-circle bridge that you
are currently standing upon, and the Witch Doctors will come forward, but
they will be unable to climb up onto the bridge to do battle with you.
HOWEVER, you can stand at the edge of the bridge, and cast your Stone
Prison spell, which will turn all three of them to stone to be smashed by
your blades.
Once THEY are down, the others will not present too much of a problem for
you, I am sure.
> There is a green urn and three small statues which contain green energy
on these steps.
> Head through the door (RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up), and you complete this
act.
Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Four.
============================================================================
? 0 1 2 ?
============================================================================
ACT FIVE - ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD
--- CUTSCENE ---
A set of tribesmen peg it as far and as fast away from you as they can, crying
"He's come for HER". The camera then pans up to where you are standing.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
=============================================================================
NB. THERE IS A LOT OF BLACK TAR IN THIS ACT, AND YOU SHOULD AVOID STEPPING IN
IT WHEREVER POSSIBLE, AS IT IS ACIDIC, AND WILL DO DAMAGE TO YOU WHILST
YOU ARE IN IT.
=============================================================================
> Follow the path down and through the archway. As you approach, there is a
rockfall from the ceiling above, and the archway is blocked. A large,
lumbering ape-like beast (which I shall call an "Gorilla Man") comes
charging towards you, scraping his knuckles on the ground as he goes ...
These guys are TOUGH to fight, because they have a really annoying close-
quarters attack which replicates a Gorilla's punches somewhat. It can hit
you multiple times and do quite a bit of damage AND annoyance, so be aware
of that. Strong attacks work best, as does stick-and-move play.
If he jumps up, he's about to pound the floor and cause a minor earthquake
so you should jump out of the way or roll away to avoid taking a lot of
damage. He also has a couple of brutal arm swings that can ruin your
afternoon.
> Once he is dead, stay on the path, but follow it like a big U-turn rather
than going over to the archway, and you will run past a green rune
triumvirate (which you can ignore), and up to a rockface with a ledge in
it, which you need to climb. Jump, tap B, then Up again.
> Once you are here, use RB on the boulder to activate it, and then LS Down,
tap X, LS Down, tap Y and the boulder will roll down and smash its way
through the archway for you.
> Activate the green rune triumvirate up here, then drop back down to the
cave floor below, activate the green rune triumvirate there, and then run
back to the archway to activate the third and final green rune triumvirate
and earn yourself a health boost.
> Head through the archway to get a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
Conan enters the chamber to the calls of the Tribesmen who say "the Woman is
OURS" (shyeah RIGHT !!). A'Kanna (GO GIRL !!) boots one of them in the chops
and chides the others, saying they should come closer so that she can kick
their teeth in ... we love her :)
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Take out the Witch Doctor and the 3 Tribal Warriors, and then 2 Gorillamen
enter the fray !! Slay them as well, and then you get another
--- CUTSCENE ---
An extra Gorillaman springs into action, grabs A'Kanna and jumps down a huge
drop with her in his arms ... filthy BEAST.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
> Use the green urn on the ledge to the right if you need to, and take the
sword or shield that are on the same ledge if you like. Then, when you
are ready, drop down in pursuit of A'Kanna and the Gorillaman that took her.
> Take out the 2 Gorillamen in this first area, and smash the small pillars
that glow slightly green and have skulls set into them for some probably
much-needed health.
> There is also a green urn here which you might well want to use.
> When you are ready to proceed, go over to the bright, sparkly chain that
seems to be holding up the wall of skulls, and strike it with your weapon.
Then press RB, and finally tap B to pull a chunk of it away and reveal a
gateway for you to go through.
> You drop off a ledge and into a large chamber, only to realise you have been
pursued by 2 Witch Doctors and 2 Tribal Warriors !! "You've come back for
more ?" Conan asks (and I agree - we've whupped the TAR outta these guys
before - let's show 'em how it's done !! G'wan) :)
> Once they are dead, head around to the left, and take out the Gorillaman
Lobber (a new type of enemy for you - basically a white-furred Gorillaman
that picks up boulders from the earth itself to lob against you) - attack
him with strong attacks and crowd him to try and get him to back off to
give you the edge in combat and beat that mutha DOWN.
> Once he has fallen, run up the slope beside him and take out the Gorillaman,
(preferably by using your magic spell), and then venture into his cave to
free the buxom beauty and use the blue urn to replenish your magic energy.
There is another attack coming your way so be prepared to be ambushed by
another Witch Doctor and a Tribal Warrior. Once they are dead, head to the
right and use the green urn there.
> Save using the blue stone, and then head back down the slope, taking out the
Gorillaman and 2 Tribal Warriors that try and ambush you AGAIN from behind,
and picking up the green urn if you need to.
> Keep heading around to the left, taking out ANOTHER Gorillaman, and you will
at last come to a red-headed buxom beauty, and another chain in the wall.
Save her, then slash and pull the chain (RB, tap B), and go through the
gate you create to do battle with YET ANOTHER Gorillaman (there is a blue
urn in his cave), and then head down the slope, hugging the black river
as there is SO obviously another Gorillaman waiting in ambush there for you
it's UNREAL.
Slay him, and enter his cave to obtain a Treasure Chest and a blue urn.
> Continue further into the area, and just behind the blue rune triumvirate
you will find another Gorillaman lying in ambush. Take him out and then
rescue the buxom beauty here (she's just to the right of his cave). Ignore
the blue rune triumvirate at this time.
> Jump up the ledge beside her (jump, tap B, then Up again) to reach the next
ledge above you. Here, take out the Gorillaman that will try and ambush
you, and then turn and run towards the camera and over the bridge, slaying
the Gorillaman Lobber and picking up the blue urn and the green urn as you
go.
> Head over to the boulder, and take out the additional Gorillaman that tries
to ambush you (FOOLISH beast). Use RB on the boulder, then LS Down, tap X,
LS Down, tap Y to unsettle the boulder, and send it crashing down towards
a structure below you.
> Run down the slope after the boulder and dispose of the Gorillaman Lobber
that comes out of the cave on your left. There is a second blue rune
triumvirate in the building that you just knocked a huge chunk out of with
the boulder, but again we must ignore it at this time.
> Slay the large number of enemies that come at you from the right (including
Witch Doctors, Tribal Warriors and 2 Gorillamen), and then run to the right
and back across the open area, to reach the first blue rune triumvirate,
which I STILL do not want you to activate yet. Grumpy, aren't I ;)
From there, move to the detailed structure immediately to Conan's right, and
the head to the right of it, and the camera will pan. As the camera pans,
head directly towards yourself - i.e. into the camera, and keep coming
down until you reach what looks like a poorly-placed section of tiling on
the floor - it looks almost like a bigass jigsaw piece to be a bit more
elaborate.
From there, head left, and you will find a blue urn, a statue with a bit of
green energy in it, and a shield on the floor. Use whatever you wish, and
then keep heading left, and over into the nearby cave, using both the green
urns if you wish.
Once you have done all the OTHER actions you might want to do here, activate
the blue rune triumvirate (1/3), and then double-back on yourself to the
rune triumvirate we found first in this cave and activate that (2/3), and
then finally head left and into the structure you destroyed, to turn on the
third and final blue rune triumvirate (3/3), and earn another level to your
magic energy bar.
> In this structure you can also avail yourself of a green urn should you wish
to. Once you're ready, use RB on the chain and then tap B repeatedly to
lock it into position, and open up the door to allow you to proceed.
> Be aware that as you approach the door to get through, you are going to be
ambushed by 2 Witch Doctors, 1 Gorillaman, and 1 Gorillaman Lobber, so be
prepared.
> Once they are defeated, pick up and lob as many of the boulders that are
blocking your path through the door as you need to (whilst A'Kanna tells you
that she is in there, and that they are going to sacrifice her to their
Elephant God - TELL US SOMETHING WE *DIDN'T* KNOW LOVE !!!!!), and then head
through - the door is a standard RB, LS Up, LS Down, LS Up combo.
============================================================================
? 0 1 3 ?
============================================================================
BOSS FIGHT - ELEPHANT GOD (AKA ELEPHANT DEMON)
Hokaaaaaaay then ! As you enter this area, drop down from the ledge and you
will get a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
Conan sees A'Kanna shackled across a large expanse of black tarry muck, quite
obviously housing the corpse of a gigantic elephant. She calls out to him,
and he begins to approach, but as he does so the tar magically turns blue,
breathing life to the husk that is the Elephant God.
It arises from its dark slumber, and prepares to do battle with our intrepid
hero.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
As with every boss fight (as you know), the Elephant God Boss Fight is
divided up into multiple sections (only 2 this time around though), being :-
ELEPHANT GOD BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Meet and Greet
ELEPHANT GOD BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - The Puddle Fight
===============================
ELEPHANT GOD BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1
===============================
In this first stage of the Elephant God Boss Fight, he exhibits the following
main attacks :-
A) Tusk Slam (he slams his massive tusks sideways into obstacles, leaving
him vulnerable to counter-strikes during the lag);
B) War Cry (he blasts blue, sonic energy in a narrow cone-shape ahead
of him - you WILL take damage if you are in a direct line from it, so
BE SOMEWHERE ELSE); and
C) Stomp (he rears up and slams his hoofs down causing a shockwave to
emanate from the point at which he lands - jump or roll away to dodge).
Your objective here is to sever both the chains on the upper left and right
platforms. You won't be able to reach them without the help of the Elephant
God, so here's what I would like you to do.
1) Lure the Elephant God to either the left, or right-hand side of the
reasonably small arena in which you are currently combating him;
2) Do enough damage to him for his eyes to turn red, meaning a) he's
p!ssed off, and b) he's about to do a stomp and clear you a pathway
to the ledge on whichever side you are on.
3) Jump or dodge his stomp, and then vault over the now cleared area,
to get to the bottom of the platform.
4) The Elephant God will do a Tusk Slam (which you should avoid,
obviously) and then, when he is lodged against the wall, press the A
button when prompted to vault up onto him, and then press A and
whichever direction you need to, to jump up onto the platform nearby.
5) Destroy the small statue to release some green energy, and then cut
the chain, to cause a burning urn to drop down from above into the
black tar, hurting the Elephant God and causing him to yank himself
free of the rocks, tearing off one of his four massive tusks in the
process (OUCHIES !!).
6) Go back to 1), and do 1-6 for the other side of the arena.
Once he has lost two tusks, he screams and falls (apparently dead) back into
the black tar, forming a rather neat bridge for you to traverse to reach
A'Kanna. Move over him, and you can proceed to ...
===============================
ELEPHANT GOD BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2
===============================
--- CUTSCENE ---
As Conan strides confidently over the Elephant God's Corpse, it arises once
again behind him, ready to do battle with him anew.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
I have named this stage the Puddle Fight because the area in which you are
able to stand is not entirely safe - there are a number of black tar puddles
that you need to locate and avoid stepping in (they are at the back of your
area), and this can make moving to avoid the Elephant God a bit more taxing
than it was in the first stage.
In this stage the Elephant God exhibits the following attacks :-
A) War Cry (as per his attack in stage 1) - dodge it but be wary of
stepping into the black tar;
B) Stomp (same as before, but this time instead of causing a shockwave,
it causes rocks to fall from the ceiling down upon wherever he lands,
so be aware of that); and
C) Head Slam (he rises up and slams his jaw down into the ground, causing
a shockwave to emanate that throws you up into the air if you are hit
by it - jump or roll to avoid).
Go for strong hits on the schnoz (the nose) whenever you have the chance, and
ALWAYS be prepared to roll away if he rises up to do a War Cry or Stomp.
When you have done enough damage to him, his eyes will once again turn red,
and he will drop to the ground, with you being invited to execute the commands
B, A, Y, Y to sever the third of his tusks (poor lad - I actually do feel
really quite sorry for him) from his head.
You then need to do exactly the same thing again, but this time instead of the
previous set of button commands, you need to go B, X, B, B to sever his fourth
and final tusk from his head.
*sniff* *sniff*
This takes you onto the final piece of this stage, where you must do 100%
damage to the Elephant God (which will cause the two last little bits of his
two severed tusks to drop off), ending his undead existence, and trigger a
final cutscene.
============
HELPFUL HINT
============
Marc has been in touch with me to suggest an alternative way of engaging the
Elephant God during this second-stage of the Boss Fight. He says :-
"I did find a useful glitch in the second half of the elephant demon boss
fight. It will let you do that stage of battle taking virtually no damage.
As you know, there are three green flecked stalagmites available during the
second stage of the battle available for you to break and gain health.
Looking over Conan's shoulder, facing the lake and the skeletal pachyderm,
there would be one stalagmite toward your left and two to the very extreme
right. If you break the one on the right closest to the lake, it is possible
for Conan to stand in the space it occupied and be immune from anything the
elephant demon can throw at you; nothing it does can hurt you there. You are
still vulnerable to rocks falling from the ceiling, but you don't get hit
often, and damage is minimal. All you have to do is wait until the elephant
slams it's head down and keeps it there, then you run out and do damage.
When the elephant raises its head, simply retreat back to your safe spot and
wait for the next attack opportunity. This worked like a charm for me and I
took virtually no damage doing this, at least in the second half. Couldn't
find any easy solution to the first part, though"
Thanks Marc !! =)
============
Once the boss fight is complete, as I say, you get a ...
--- CUTSCENE ---
The Elephant God rears up, and a brilliant blue light begins to emanate from
his head. The light gets stronger and brighter, until it results in an
explosion that decimates the Deity, leaving his lifeless husk of a body afloat
in the black tar that spawned him.
Conan frees A'Kanna, and she praises his fearlessness, before spotting his
leggings on the ground nearby.
As Conan reaches out to take his prize (THE LEGGINGS YOU PERV), he gets
another flashback.
This time the scene depicts Graven - the corrupted brother, and by now the
most powerful wizard on Earth, in his quest to become truly immortal.
Graven sired many children, and took to slaying them to preserve his own
lifeforce. However, one child escaped - a little girl, who was spirited
away to safety.
That girl is the Warrior Queen, A'Kanna.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
Congratulations ! You have now completed Act Five.
============================================================================
? 0 1 4 ?
============================================================================
ACT SIX - MIDNIGHT RAID
--- CUTSCENE ---
A'Kanna's ship once again sets sail for Stygia, aware that somebody there is
already looking for Conan's Enchanted Armour. A'Kanna prays that it is the
Sorceror Graven himself, as she wants for nothing more than to put an end to
his miserable existence.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
As you begin this new Act, you are gifted a further spell - this one is called
"Rain of Fire" and, when it is activated, Conan jumps and slams into the
ground, causing meteors to strike the earth in close proximity to him at
random points, doing hefty fire damage to anybody caught in the radius.
The Rain of Fire Spell costs 2 Magic Bars to use (you will spot that you are
given a further magic bar to use from now on which, if you followed my guide
about the blue rune triumvirate in the Elephant Graveyard, means you now have
3 Magic Bars available to you), and can be accessed by pressing Up on the
D-pad.
Before we begin, I would like you to familiarise yourself with changing spells
so if you could please press LEFT on your D-pad to access your Stone Prison
spell ? That's good, thanks - and now press Up on the D-Pad to access your
Rain of Fire Spell ? Thaaaaaaaaaat's great, ta.
You can switch spells as often as you like, but be aware that you cannot cast
a spell unless you have enough magical energy to do so. Therefore with 3 bars
you could cast both spells once each.
... or the Stone Prison spell three times ... ;)
Right ! Onward to victory !! =)
> From where you start, head away from the camera and up the ledges (don't
forget on those close-grip rocks you will need to tap B to ascend), until
you reach the higher plateau.
> When you do, you will come to a craggy area with a steep drop into a chasm
below, and a boulder on the path to your right.
Drop down into the chasm, and go left to get to a treasure chest. There
is a red rune triumvirate here, but you can ignore that for now.
> Climb out of the cave from the right-hand side again (and be prepared to
screw this bit up multiple times, so take a deep breath).
> In order to complete the red rune triumvirate, we need to get across to the
second ledge on the right-hand side, so I'd like you to pick up and throw
away the boulder on the path to the right, and then do a running jump to
get onto the close-grip section (best not to hug the wall here - go from
the left-hand edge of the path on the right into the close-grip rocks, or
you won't make the distance). DON'T FORGET TO TAP THE B BUTTON WHEN YOU
GRAB THE ROCKS, or you'll fall off (much to your irritation).
Once you've ascended the close-grip rocks, jump off and to the left.
> You can see the other 2 red rune triumvirates from here, and these are the
2 we should focus on getting first, so if you would like to jump across the
chasm and onto the ledge on the left (back up to the right wall first to
give yourself a little run-up).
Activate this rune triumvirate, and then head onto the next ledge away from
the camera, before dropping down to activate the second rune triumvirate,
and then doubling-back, dropping into the chasm below, and using the third
and final red rune triumvirate to boost your Song of Death Power Bar.
> Get back to the second red rune triumvirate (ascend from the chasm, back
over the close-grip rocks and ledges and over to the far side), and then
use RB and tap B repeatedly on the chain, to open the doorway, and your
path forward.
> The door slams shut behind you, and a mini-avalanche takes place in front
of you so don't run forward TOO fast. It's actually fortunate, as you need
one of the rocks to smash through the wooden gate to get to the next door
(which, again, is a RB, tap B door).
> Go through THAT door, and you will find an encampment, and head into your
first battle with the enemies on this level, which I shall name "Stygian
Elite Swordsmen", and the Stygian Pikemen you have fought previously. The
Stygian Elite Swordsmen are the ones to watch out for, as they are RUTHLESS.
They are quick, dangerous, have both block-breakers and blocking abilities,
are armed with sword and shield, and can use an irritating magical attack
that they fire from their shields (it looks like green fairy dust) which
befuddles your control method for a few seconds. WATCH OUT FOR THEM AT ALL
TIMES.
The key thing to remember during this fight is CROWD CONTROL. You can hit
the campfire if you need to, to cause the sparks to ignite any nearby
enemies, but you can only do this once - therefore the campfire is a good
place to stage an attack when you begin to become overrun with the
respawning enemies that come from the tents. ALWAYS keep an eye on the
Stygian Pikemen, as they will retreat and pelt you with projectiles no
problem at all.
Once they are all slain, burn down all the tents, and pick up, from the very
far left-hand corner of this encampment (where there is a burning pedestal
and a blue urn) :-
Blue urn (from that location)
1st hut on the north wall - Treasure Chest
Blue Stone (save your game here)
2nd hut on the north wall - Nothing
Green urn
3rd hut on the north wall - Treasure Chest
4th hut on the north wall - Nothing
1st hut on the east wall - Treasure Chest
Green urn
2nd hut on the east wall - Nothing
> Once the camp has been silenced, use the chain (located behind two barrels
in the wooden housing inbetween the tents on the north and east walls (top
right-hand corner of the camp)) - RB, tap B - and head down the pontoon
towards the ship that is docked there.
Conan will say "I must destroy this warship !" (and so we shall).
> First, clear out the pontoon - there is a buxom beauty, together with a
green urn and a blue urn, at the far end of the pontoon.
Once the pontoon is clear, head onto the boat. The way to sink the warship
is by igniting the bundles of cargo (1 on the main deck, 2 in the hold
below) with torches from the wall-brackets, OR by using your Rain of Fire
Spell, although this is a bit of a waste.
Watch out for the Stygian Archers, as they fire flaming arrows at you,
although you will (I am sure) be glad to hear that they don't draw out
different weaponry when you get too close to them - they're just crap
basically.
On the main deck there are also two weapon racks holding axes, which you
MIGHT want to avail yourself of - it's your call.
My advice is to take out all the Stygians on the main deck (and up the
stairs on the right), and then grab a lit torch from the wall and ignite
the ca