This guide covers a specific area of Temple of Elemental Evil. The map is marked with all the main points of interest, and the guide is accompanied by a description of the location.
Welcome to the first level of this massive mini-adventure, the Temple of Elemental Evil. What you played before was simply a prelude, and here is the main event. This temple is completely controlled by the Earth Temple. What that means is that if every party member is not wearing the Earth Temple robes you found at Temple Interior (#5), you’ll be attacked on-sight by anyone related to the Earth Temple. When you complete one quest for any temple’s high priest (Romag at #24 here), you’re no longer required to wear the robes of that temple to remain peaceful with its inhabitants. Instead, you’re a member. There will be several encounters with monsters that aren’t related to the Temple, and you can always come back and clean it out if and when you decide to reek havoc here.
If you spoke to the Tower Guard at the Tower Ruins Entrance (#2) and told him Rentsch sent you, you’ll be immediately taken to Romag, who is in the room at #24. If you’re not wearing your robes, be prepared for a fight with the temple guards soon after at #25.
If you’ve entered the dungeon the traditional way, you’re most likely at #1 or #3. Your eventual mission, should you choose to accept, is to speak with this Romag, high priest of the Earth Temple at #24, where you’ll (likely) receive three quests from him for initiation into the Greater Temple. See Temple Overview for general details.
For now, if you’re wearing your robes, you’ll only come upon several scattered fights with creatures who attack on-sight, those being mainly undead with a few exceptions.
1) EXIT:
to Temple Interior (#2).
2) EXIT:
to Dungeon Level 2 (#14). When you reach the second level, there is a “magically held” door that you won’t be able to open, even with a knock spell (pre-patch at least). It’s not important, and perhaps was meant to be there by design… hard to say.
3) EXIT:
to Temple Interior (#3).
4) Barrel With Masterwork Maul:
This is one of the four items that’s required if you’re going to weaken the last boss of the game before the fight. All of that is explained on Dungeon Level 3 when you find the main artifact of the game. For now, pick it up and save it. Should you forget about it, the game is still easily won, so no worries.
In the similar area west of this map marker, there are some silver arrows in another container, and other items.
5) Locked Door With Prisoners:
Inside the door (which I was forced to use a Knock spell to open), you’ll find Ted, Ed, another Ed and Morgan, NPC hirelings. Morgan’s a level 2 fighter that talks like a pirate.
6) Ghouls & Ghasts:
Several of them here in this room. Turn Undead (or Greater Turn Undead) can come in very handy on this level. You’ll also find a chest on the east wall of the room.
7) Ogre & Goblins:
Another group of enemies that will attack on-sight, regardless of robes. Several goblins are surrounding a giant ogre. You shouldn’t have too much difficulty with this by now.
8) Giant Snake:
This is the giant snake that Romag at #24 asks you to get rid of for his first Earth Temple initiation quest. Simply kill it and report back to Romag when you’re ready.
9) Undead Skeletons & Gnolls:
Lining this entire corridor you’ll fight many undead. The Turn Undead ability once again comes in very handy here, if your party has it. In the center of the room, there’s a secret door at #10.
10) EXIT:
this is a secret door that leads to the central stairway at Temple Interior (#4).
11) Lots of Earth Temple Creatures:
You’ll find many Earth Temple Bugbears, an Ogre, and Gnolls here in this room. Wearing your Earth Temple Robes will keep them peaceful toward your party.
12) More Earth Temple Creatures:
The Ogre Chief is in this room (not quest related), as well as several more Earth Temple Bugbears and Gnolls. Wear your Earth Temple robes for safe passage unless you want a fight.
13) Harpy’s & Undead:
In the large room here, you’ll encounter three Harpy’s, and in the adjoining rooms will be several undead.
14) Many Stirge:
Thes are low-level bat creatures that are very weak. There’s also a secret passage in the northern part of the room that’s indicated by the line on the map. It simply leads to the room to its north.
15) Earth Temple Bugbears:
More bugbears that will not harm you if you’re wearing the Earth Temple robes.
16) Turnkey & Prisoners:
There’s a man named Turnkey and his bugbear partner who will talk to your party if they’re wearing the Earth Temple robes. On his body is the key to releasing the prisoners in the adjoining rooms. In the south room, you’ll find Pitak and Tuelk, two low level NPC fighters that will join your party as a team, if asked. In the east adjoining cell, there are a couple of female prisoners who could ask your party for 1000gp (though nothing seems to come of it).
17) Ogre Guard & Wonnilon the Gnome:
Wonnilon the NPC hireling is in the 2nd cell from the top. In the two lower cells alinging the right side of the room, you’ll find an undead creature. When you talk to Wonnilon, he’ll ask you to help him find his gear, located conveniently in the cell just to the north of Wonnilon, the top cell. Find that for him, and he’ll ask you to help find his missing Control Plants scroll and crossbow. Those items are in the hands of a Hill Giant (also recruitable) named Scorpp who’s at Dungeon Level 3 (#12). In order to get the items, you’ll need to kill the Hill Giant. If you hire Wonnilon and then let him go, he’ll be at his hideout at #21 on the map, unless you kept his gear.
18) EXIT:
to Dungeon Level 2 (#1). This is the safest way down to level 2. The alternate way, through #10 and the spiral staircase, drops you in the middle of the Air Temple, where, without your Air Robes, you’ll be fighting several elementals to escape, and there’s no way back up unless you find another stairway.
19) Earth Temple Altar:
The altar is surrounded by four priests, and four giant chests. Open the chests and take the magic goods inside them for a nice score, especially if you’re wearing your Earth Temple robes, where the priests will not care. This is also the alter you’re to defile for the Air Temple’s second initiation quest. You may notice a giant door and opening in the south wall of this large room. It’s another “magically held” door that cannot be opened, and does not lead anywhere.
If you decide to attack or provoke the Priests, beware of several large earth elementals that like to help out. They can be tough for a 6th level party or lower, so be ready.
20) Black Widows:
You’ll find several smaller black widows and one larger one in this room. All have a chance of poisoning your party.
21) Wonnilon’s Hideout:
This is where Wonnilon the Gnome will be if you’ve let him go after finding his equipment for him, at area #17.
22) Lots of Ghouls:
Be prepared to fight a bunch of undead in this room.
23) Earth Temple Bugbears:
Like with other Earth Temple inhabitants, they won’t attack if you’re wearing the Earth Temple robes.
24) Romag, High Priest of the Earth Temple:
This is the quest giver on Dungeon Level 1. He’s the leader of the Earth Temple, and if you decide to work for him, he’ll have you perform three quests, at the end of which you’ll be initiated into the Greater Temple by Hedrack on the 4th level dungeon.
Each of the four high priests of the different elemental temples will give you three quests. You can do them in any order (unless one has you killing another high-priest) and even work the temples against one another without repurcussion. The other high priests are all on Dungeon Level 2, in their smaller respective temples.
For Romag, his first quest asks you to kill the giant snake in the “kitchen” area. If you’ve been following the walkthrough, you already have. If not, it’s at #8. Simply do the deed and report back to Romag for your second quest. As far as the robes are concerned now for Earth, you can drop them, as you’re now a member of the Earth Temple.
Romag’s second quest asks you to deliver a sealed letter to Rentsch at the Waterside Hostel (#5) in Nulb. If you happened to have already killed Rentsch, you can tell Romag that he’s dead already, and he’ll want you to kill the two underlings to Alrrem, the Fire Temple’s high priest. There is a pre-patch bug in this game where this quest does not appear completable, or if it is, you cannot report the successful killing to Romag as the option doesn’t come up. I’d suggest not killing Rentsch if that’s still an option for you, if you want to go all the way with the Earth Temple.
The third quest of the Earth Temple, if you manage to reach it, is to kill Belsornig of the Water Temple, located at Dungeon Level 2 (#10). He’s one of the tougher high priests to fight, due to his guards in the same room and the summoned creature that appears. When the task is completed, come back to Romag and he’ll take you to Dungeon Level 4 to meet with Hedrack, who will initiate you into the Greater Temple, after a task of his own. See Dungeon Level 4 (#14) for details.
25) Earth Temple Guards:
Within these two rooms south of Romag’s room, you’ll encounter several guards. It can be a challenging fight if you’re unprepared. They’ll be civil as long as you’re a member of the Earth Temple or wearing your robes.
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