Classic Games Revisited
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands Walkthrough
33. Gem Fields
The gem fields are populated by thri-kreens, very easy creatures at our level. Look carefully at the spots marked 2-8 and pick up the camouflaged rocks. They go into the corresponding geysers also labeled 2-8 around the large geyser at the northwest.
The game’s overhead map doesn’t correctly display all seven geysers, it only shows six.
Note: inserting the last rock will cause around 25-30 damage to everyone (no matter where you stand) because it will cause the central geyser to erupt, but each party member gets 2,000xp for their trouble. The eruption causes a chunk of Meteor Metal to be expelled to 9. Take it, we can use it to forge a weapon later.
33.1. Hard Labor
Finally, there are lava domes all around. As much as your patience allows, you can use the stone pick we have been carrying all along once on each lava dome (hold the pick on the mouse pointer and click the dome), then examine each lava dome to retrieve a random gem. There is no quick way to do this. You can, at best, shave off a few seconds by first hacking all the domes in a group, dropping the pick, then examining the domes for gems, then picking up all the gems. Oh, and you have to transfer the gems one by one into containers too! And then you have to sell them one at a time.
The blue markers indicate how many lava domes (and thus, how many gems) are at each spot.
Note however, that there is a problem with this. Subsequent gems spawn in a diagonal line from the first gem. If you extract too many gems, some of them could be lost (maybe because it gets spawned in lava and sinks, or it gets spawned under rocks). If you see the line of gems reaching terrain that would be not good for its survival, pick up all the gems off the ground before continuing. When walking, don’t return the pick to your backpack. Hold it on your mouse pointer as you go around the map.
Some domes don’t need to be hit; they’ll yield a gem anyway upon examination.
The domes marked T in red are trapped. When you use the pick on them, you will have the option to disarm the trap. Failing to do so will spawn eight thri-kreen all around the party. Success earns the thief 500xp. Both domes are bugged—you can disarm them as many times as you like for 500xp each time, albeit with a chance of failure each time. Both domes are bugged in yet another way: you can actually examine and use them to retrieve a gem from each.
I found 71 gems across the map. It’s possible I may have missed some. Whenever you feel you’ve had enough of this area, teleport to the Elvish Caravan to sell the bounty and check if anyone has spawned near the campfire.
33.2. Ylakez and Ketzia
They didn’t spawn for me when I teleported into the camp, but they did so (at 1) as soon as I rested. I waited for them to reach the campfire (6) and spoke to them. Ylakez and Ketzia are refugees from a village that was burned down. Giving them ceramics earns the speaker as much XP as ceramics. At most you can give them 500cp.
33.3. We Axed For It
Teleport to Teaquetzl and head over to the armorer at 8. In his workshop is an anvil, a forge and bellows. Use the bellows on the forge to heat it up, then use the meteor metal on the anvil to turn it into a metal rod. Place the metal rod on the forge to soften it, and back on the anvil to shape it into an Axe +1. We could have sold the meteor metal for 200cp, but the axe can fetch 18,300cp instead.
33.4. Makhlad
Back at the Elvish Caravan, I find Makhlad waiting at 6. Makhlad is scared at first, but you can choose responses to calm him down. His dialogue yields nothing useful, but it’s one more thing out of the way. At the end of the chat he says he’s leaving, but doesn’t, so I left the caravan and returned to spawn the next visitor.
33.5. Hesutu of Rukdrahch
Hesutu is our last tete-a-tete here, and an opportunity to earn some XP. Don’t be nice to him. Be fierce, give him your name, say that his only chance is to fight back, inquire about why he is angry and learn about his backstory. If you ask him if his tribe’s weapons are of good quality, he’ll give you a mundane obsidian long sword to prove they are. When you ask him if he will supply weapons to Teaquetzl, it will give him a new purpose in life and each party member will get 1,000xp.
The official cluebook claims that a refugee named Alhena is supposed to turn up after the final battle at the campfire for some chitchat, but she has never spawned for me, even after days of waiting, leaving and returning to the caravan.
With bags empty and all the loose ends out of the way, teleport to Gedron to continue that adventure. Exit Gedron at 9 to reach Silt Sea South.