The final events of White March Part 2 main quest

[Sad Panda]

I got Durance to do it by drawing lots, which was probably super suspicious to him, considering I had asked him and him alone just moments before and my character is a notorious liar. He bit the dust, though, so time for save scumming. >_>

 

Update: Seems the diving helmet is the key to saving whoever is on hammer duty (except Devil, since she doesn't need it), but it needs to be in your inventory, not equipped. Even if you equip it on the one who stays behind, they act like they don't have it.

Edited June 2, 2016 by Sad Panda

[Strange_Trees]

Huh, I had Maneha volunteer herself, which I agreed to, but since she had high enough CON (she was still buffed from the previous fight) she survived and swam back. I don't even remember if I have the diving helmet >_>

[Yria]

So buffed Con is enough, it doesn't have to be your own real Con? You can just go have a good sleep in an inn, chew on some dragon meat or whatever, and all will be fine? Good to know, I really want to show middle finger to Ondra on the next playthrough, and swimming out all on your own seems like the most badass way to do it.

 

Another question I have, though: if you release the souls in WM I, will they come to your aid no matter what? Does it overwrite all other ways of saving yourself? I.e., if I have a diving helmet, or con 19, will the game allow me to use it, or will the dwarves just come and help anyway? 

[house2fly]

I'm not sure how it decides it but there are probably priorities assigned to each possible outcome, so if you have the helmet and 19 Con and released the dwarven souls then whichever one has the highest priority is what you'd see. I'd imagine the souls have the highest priority because if you saved them you'll damn well want to see the result of that choice.

 

There's also an option for Ondra to save you herself, but I don't know how you unlock that.

[tinysalamander]

Helmet has a higher priority than souls, AFAIR.

[Yria]

I just realised that I had a save right before choosing who is to stay and die heroically with the divine hammer in their hands, and I had released the dwarves. So I just went and checked since my Eder had Con 20. And apparently yes, the souls have the highest priority here, they came to save him. Will have to bind them next time, I guess. 

 

By the way, discovered a funny bug while doing this. When the party was escaping the cave and had to clear their way through some rubble I chose to use Frenzy on Maneha. Aloth went frenzy instead of her and cleared the path. Idk maybe it was Iselmyr inside him? He doesn't even have Frenzy ability to begin with.  

Also, I love it how on your way out, you can try to use a spell from a companion you left at the crystal to get trough an obstacle, and the game will tell you 'Oopsie, you just realised that X was the only person able to cast that!'. Ran into that with Kana and his freezing chant. 

Edited June 5, 2016 by Yria

[Jarmo]

I let Zahua do it, felt like the right choice.

Since I wasn't going to continue playing after WM, having finished the main quest on previous playthrough, I didn't strip him of his items.

.. and that came in handy, or the +3 con necklace did. High enough con to survive the experience. Saved by the bell, of my laziness.

 

Now reading this thread, had to go back to see if I had the diving bell and no, had sold it at some point, not that I needed the money.

Also, had bound the souls, killed the ogres.

 

While at it, decided to see how it would go for Maneha. She drowned.

And struggling my way out, got the oh yeah, only Maneha could frenzy clear the blockage, nice touch.

[darqleo]

I had Pallegina do it, not knowing the game was actually going to let her DIE die, ha.

Took 3 of the soul-bound items with her.    

[Barbedbeat]

When the party was escaping the cave and had to clear their way through some rubble I chose to use Frenzy on Maneha. Aloth went frenzy instead of her and cleared the path. Idk maybe it was Iselmyr inside him? He doesn't even have Frenzy ability to begin with.

 

I think he managed to do that thanks to The Power Of Swearing : Iselmyr started yelling and the rocks just crumbled with embarassment.

 

Personally, I adored the whole WM2 ending arc, even though I fully agree with @AndreaColombo on Ondra & Abydon's motives being pretty puzzling. But again, how could a simple mortal like me question (let alone criticize!) the unfathomable ways of the Gods?

 

That said, this is what my Watcher did while deep down Ionni Brathr's rocky bowels:

after furiously chewing out at Ondra, she proceeded to swear in front of her "and all the other gods" she would make them PAY for the tragical nonsense their wicked whims had caused her, her allies and Eora as a whole.

Once they reached the Crystal, as the nihilistic fatalist she is, Watcher decided drawing lots was the best and less guilt-inducing way of sending somebody to certain death and so they did.

Durance was the one to find the white pebble. He took the hammer while a teary-eyed Watcher placed a thick diving helmet on his head, "just in case". A desperate gesture. Then, without a word, Watcher and her remaining companions rushed their way out of the satellite's remains and onto shore, where they stood and watched the moon's crumbling entrails plummet into the lake's depths, dragging the Eyeless and their beloved companion down with them.

Or so they thought.

 

Edér had just started uncorking a celebratory wine bottle when, suddenly, a thin ice crust cracked open, revealing a very shaken, very pissed, very alive Durance.

Watcher couldn't believe her eyes. In a spilt-second there she was, hurling towards him, locking him into the most heartfelt of embraces... only to get overwhelmed by the stench and fainting face-down in the snow. While uncoscious, however, she managed to commune with the shared soul of The Eyeless, and convinced them to rejoin Abydon, if mostly to spite Ondra.

 

 

PS: I'd love to read Devil's narration, but I'd have to redo the whole dungeon, for she wasn't in my party when I entered Ionni Brathr. Ah, shame.

Edited September 10, 2016 by Barbedbeat

[Pus-in-Boots]

So buffed Con is enough, it doesn't have to be your own real Con? You can just go have a good sleep in an inn, chew on some dragon meat or whatever, and all will be fine? Good to know, I really want to show middle finger to Ondra on the next playthrough, and swimming out all on your own seems like the most badass way to do it.

 

Another question I have, though: if you release the souls in WM I, will they come to your aid no matter what? Does it overwrite all other ways of saving yourself? I.e., if I have a diving helmet, or con 19, will the game allow me to use it, or will the dwarves just come and help anyway? 

No, the souls come to your rescue only if you don't have any other means to save yourself. I guess high con overrides the helmet and the helmet overrides the souls.

[Dr <3]

No i just did that with a 19 const barbarian with helmet, he was saved by the dwarven spirits.

 

Edit: you was able to convince Durance to do the job? I thought that was impossibile...

Edited September 21, 2016 by Dr <3

[Yria]

Edit: you was able to convince Durance to do the job? I thought that was impossibile...

You can't convince him if you choose him specifically. However, he will stay if you draw lots and he gets the white pebble.