An Unexpected Threat – Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard

This is a guide for An Unexpected Threat, Chapter 5 of the Order of the Flame campaign in Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard. It includes a detailed walkthrough, a handy map, and a table listing all the points you can earn throughout the mission.

An Unexpected Threat Map

Legend

1. Nexus
2. Scorpion Folk
3. Umbragen Nexus
4. Elderly Wizard and Phoenix
5. Green Thri-kreen
6. Expansion Well
7. Battle
8. Tortured Spirit
9. Scorpion Folk
10. Storeroom
11. Alchemy Lab
12. Red Thri-Kreen
13. Beholder Lord
14. Treasury
15. Torches
16. Graveyard
17. Elder Brain
18. Door
19. Seal of Light

Exits:

• A: Teleporter circles. You should know the drill by now. You won’t be able to use the teleporter circles until you’ve defeated the bloodroot attacking the eastern instance. And to get to the bloodroot, you’ll need to deal with a large group of Lizardfolk, including the champion Wowen.
• B: Tunnel.
• C: Tunnel.
• D: Tunnel.

Description

In search of the third and final Seal of Light, the Order of the Flame ventures into the arid wastelands, where a new ruthless enemy awaits.

New Units

• Phoenix

Walkthrough

You’ll start out in the southwestern corner of the map, next to an unclaimed nexus (#1) and a few small dragonshard fields. While you’re waiting for the nexus to build up, harvest the dragonshards and then explore the immediate surroundings. You’ll discover a scorpion folk to the north (#2), which you should leave alone since it’ll distract the Umbragen units (for a while) as they venture away from their nexus in the northwestern corner (#3), and, when you move to the east, you’ll once again meet up with the elderly wizard (#4). The wizard will tell you how you can resurrect the dead phoenix next to him. Once you’ve done that (which will require you to explore the underworld), the phoenix will join your cause, and you’ll be able to recruit phoenixes from your keep.

The most difficult thing to do in this chapter is to destroy the Umbragen nexus. From what we can tell, the Umbragen cheat, and so they won’t have any trouble building up an army (including a juggernaut and a champion) or repairing any damage that you do to their nexus. Fortunately, attacking the Umbragen nexus is optional, but if you decide to do it — for the green thri-kreen (#5) if for no other reason — then the best strategy is to only attack the nexus briefly, and then to draw the Umbragen defenders back to your nexus, where your towers can help you defeat them. Then when you return to the enemy nexus, you’ll be able to attack it in relative peace. You might need to attack and retreat a few times if you’re interested in conserving your forces. Having a phoenix with you for the attack is also a good idea.

The required part of the chapter is pretty straightforward. You’ll just need to enter the underworld at Exit B, make your way through the underworld to Exit C, fight some Lizardfolk (including the champion Wowen) at the plateau around Exit A, and then re-enter the underworld at Exit D and fight some mindflayers. Since none of the required enemies belong to an active faction, no troop that you kill will be replaced, and so even if you can’t kill them all in one sweep, you should eventually be able to wear them down. Once you’ve defeated the mindlfayers and approached the final Seal of Light (#19), the chapter will end.

1 – Nexus

2 – Scorpion Folk

This scorpion folk will do a nice job of blocking the Umbragen as they venture south from their nexus (#3). However, eventually the Umbragen will kill it, so you might want to keep an eye on it and step in if the Umbragen wound it enough.

3 – Umbragen Nexus

4 – Elderly Wizard and Phoenix

When you talk to the elderly wizard, he’ll describe how you can resurrect the fallen phoenix. What you’ll need to do is explore the underworld and find the torch of honor, the torch of justice, and the torch of righteousness (all at #15). Once you’ve done that, using the torches on the phoenix will wake it up, and then it’ll join your side. You’ll also then be able to recruit more phoenixes from your keep, should you get the first one killed.

5 – Green Thri-kreen

The green thri-kreen are the enemies of the red thri-kreen (#12). If you’ve helped the red thri-kreen, then the green thri-kreen will attack you on sight, and vice versa. So you’ll have to pick which thri-kreen you’d like to help.

The green thri-kreen will ask you to destroy the Umbragen nexus (#3) and kill the Umbragen champion Satros. If you can do that, then the green thri-kreen will give you an artifact.

6 – Expansion Well

7 – Battle

You’ll find the Lizardfolk and Umbragen engaged in a battle here. Since the two factions will be distracted by each other, you might be able to charge in, pick up a lot of experience, and not take too much in the way of losses.

8 – Tortured Spirit

The spirit will tell you how it was unjustly accused of a crime, and how a jailmaster now torments its soul for all eternity. You’ll find the jailmaster just to the west. If you can kill the jailmaster, then the tortured spirit will tell you the code phrase “sentinel” that will open a storeroom to the east (#10).

9 – Scorpion Folk

The scorpion folk will drop a scorpion stinger when it dies. On the ground next to it, you can pick up the right half of warden’s key. Once you’ve acquired both halves (the left half is at #13), you’ll be able to use the complete key to open up the treasury to the north (#14).

10 – Storeroom

You’ll be allowed to enter this storeroom after helping the tortured spirit to the west (#8). Inside, you’ll find a ring of the elements, a masterwork breastplate, and some gold.

11 – Alchemy Lab

If you read the plaque next to the lab, you’ll receive some lore information about the lab, including the only three formulas that work with it. If you number the levers from left to right, then pulling the levers “112” will create a potion of rage, pulling the levers “132” will create a potion of cure moderate wounds, and pulling the levers “223” will create a potion of alchemist’s fire.

Note: As of version 1.1.4, the lab is slightly broken, and the first time you pull a lever, the lab will create a fizzled potion. That means it’s currently impossible to receive the “meticulous alchemist” bonus at the end of the chapter.

12 – Red Thri-Kreen

The red thri-kreen are the enemies of the green thri-kreen (#5). If you’ve helped the green thri-kreen, then the red thri-kreen will attack you on sight, and vice versa. So you’ll have to pick which thri-kreen you’d like to help.

The red thri-kreen will ask you to kill the beholder lord to the northeast (#13). If you do that and return the thri-kreen gold that it drops, then you’ll gain 500 gold.

13 – Beholder Lord

When the beholder lord dies, it will drop some thri-kreen gold and a beholder’s eye. Also, on the ground next to the beholder, you can pick up the left half of warden’s key. Once you’ve acquired both halves of the key (the right half is at #9), you can use the complete key to open up the treasury to the north (#14).

14 – Treasury

You’ll need the left half of warden’s key (#13) and the right half of the warden’s key (#9) to open the door to the treasury. Inside, you’ll find a masterwork breastplate, a masterwork sword, a qabalrin priest robe, and some gold.

15 – Torches

In these three places, you’ll find the torch of honor, the torch of justice, and the torch of righteousness. You can use the torches to awaken the phoenix on the surface (#4).

16 – Graveyard

The two entrances to the graveyard will start out blocked by forcefields, but to the south of the graveyard you’ll find a plaque and a gong. If you read the plaque, you’ll learn that the graveyard is the final resting place of Taen’cradus the Ruthless, former captain of the elite guard and elder tribunal of the Qabalrin. If you hit the gong, you’ll wake Taen’cradus up, and he’ll attack you.

For all that buildup, Taen’cradus shouldn’t be all that difficult to kill, and when he dies he’ll drop a helm of willpower and Taen’cradus’s breastplate.

17 – Elder Brain

When you kill the elder brain, it will drop an elder brain fragment.

18 – Door

This door appears to be linked to the mindflayers outside of it. That is, you’ll need to kill the mindflayers to go through.

19 – Seal of Light

Points Chart