
Ishar 3




Here is the ISHAR 3 solution: Note that I played this game on an Amiga,
but I don't think there are any major differences to the IBM PC version.
Cheers, Russell Robinson

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General Hints:

0) Your task is to kill a dragon before the evil wizard Shandar can enter
his body and take over the world. This must be done before "the 
conjunction". When this is I don't know: I finsihed the game about day 87.
You advance in this game by completing subtasks in a more-or-less fixed
order. While you can (usually) wander about anyplace you have already 
been, certain things must be done to open the next time portal, etc.
Sometime when you do the right things somebody will tell you what to 
do next, sometimes you just have to find it out yourself. The clues are
mostly there, but often very obscure. Take careful note of everything and
if stuck think hard about what people have said, etc. Remember: TIME is
very important in this game!

1) I suggest you start with a sucessful party from ISHAR II, else make or
recruit a party with 3 fighters, at least one a Paladin (has healing 
spell). Put these in the front row. Behind, you should have a magician
and a cleric (called a clerk for some reason). Set the fighters' displays
so you can see when they are getting weak, and the others so that 
spells can be cast quickly (including the paladin). During the course of
the game some characters will have to be dismissed. If the party refuses 
to dismiss someone you will have to kill him outright (this is dangerous)
or strip him of armour and put him in the front before a battle.

2) After talking to the man you meet at the immediate start of the game,
begin by exploring all of poor town so that the shops/inns become marked 
on the map. The city is divided by a wall into poor (outer) and rich 
(inner) sections: there is only one way into rich town. Shops are open 
from 6 hours through 21 hours. Inns are always open. You may need to buy
some food/weapons to survive since theives will attack in some places. 
You will probably loose some or all characters, so save often. Eat to 
rebuild strength (buy food from shops or eat in an inn); sleep (in an inn)
to restore spell points and heal. It is sometimes best to heal people
with spells before sleeping since sleeping doesn't heal very much but 
always restores 50 spell points. It seems that the thieves' power 
increases in proportion to your own so it is always possible for someone 
to die no matter how experienced you are. Don't forget to keep an eye on
your strengths during battles since if you becone too weak your blows are 
of no use. You can stop and eat (keep up your stocks of bread!) without 
being hit.

Always "listen" in an inn and take careful notes of what anybody says 
and the name of the inn and who can be recruited there. It is also useful
to note what items each shop sells so you don't waste time looking for
something later. In shops you can sell unwanted items by giving them to 
the shop keeper.

Killing theives gets you $$$ (don't forget to pick it up!) and experience
points. There are also some treasure chests but you have to kill thieves
to get to them. You can get some $$$ for delivering a package from The
Hearth Inn to The Noisy Lyra Inn. Theives tend to reappear in the same 
places so you can learn when to expect them. The more experience you have
the more spells are available and the power of old ones goes up too.

NOTE: DON'T HAVE MALTUS (AT THE SILVER WOLF INN, FAR SOUTHEAST PART OF 
TOWN) TAKE YOU TO SEE THE MAGICIAN IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE
ASTRONOMER!! THE MAGICIAN WON'T TALK TO YOU AND YOU WILL NEVER 
GET BACK IN AGAIN!!

3) After exploring Poor Town, enter rich town: you will need $4000 for a 
pass which you should wear; it lasts forever. Explore to find the shops 
and inns, bank, library, theatre, and palace. Signs are opposite shops,
not above the door as in poor town. There are no theives in rich town, 
probably because of all the guards (don't attack them!). You won't be 
allowed far into the palace yet; the theatre will be empty (and is open 
only at night). The bank and library are only open during the day. The 
bank has a safe where you can deposite items.

(I'm told there is one shop that gives away free magic shields early on,
but charges later. If so, you could get lots, store them in the bank
safe, and sell them later??)


Specific Hints in Order of Play:

(Note: I don't give "turn right then left" details or maps of dungeons, 
etc. You have to make maps if you want to succeed. Also, it may take 
one or more trips back to town to get healed, etc, before you can complete
some of the steps below: others must be done in one go. Generally it is
best to just accept the fact that you are going to get killed and go on
to explore as far as you can. Then reload a saved game and do it right.
In some places monsters regenerate if you leave and then come back again.)

1) Buy a jug of wine from a shop. 

2) Go see the astronomer (Typhus Mernith) in rich town (marked on the map by 
a green arrow). He is always open but ill tempered until you give him 
some wine. He then gives you a deck of cards to take to the magician 
(Mather Fudius) in the far southeast of poor town. Go there and pick up
and read the scroll by his door. You can't go in yet.

3) Go to the Silver Wolf inn, listen, buy Maltus some food, then follow him
into the magician's place. Refuse to leave until the conversation comes 
to an end. Then pull out your deck of cards (you can get at them even if 
the portraits are covered up) and give them to him. He then points out
the first time portal which you can use anytime from now on if you keep
the key to his place.

4) Your trip through portal 1 takes you to a large forest; the time
is -73 years. The forest is inhabited by wasps and dragon-flies which 
you must fight off. Find the racoon in the far southeast part of the 
forest. This may take a while as the forest is a bit complex - three 
major areas connected by narrow bits (make a map). Its not the ususal
dungeon type thing with corridors but has large open areas instead. The
racoon will tell you he is a magician whose spell has failed and he is 
stuck as a racoon. He gives you a scroll. 

5) Go back to portal 1 and exit. Show the scroll to the magician. He will
tell you where to get a flask for mixing potions (it will be marked on
the map) and what ingredients you need to buy. You will also need
Keldonia Powder which no shop sells. A man in the Big Troffer inn gives 
this to you if you "listen" (I think you may need the flash first).

6) Go back to the racoon; mix the ingredients in the flask and give it to 
him to drink. He turns into a man and gives you a medallion. His name
is Greem Dahilin (same surname as the theatre owner).

7) Exit back to town again and go to the theatre in rich town. It opens at
20 hours. The owner will recognize you as the heros that helped his
grandfather (the racoon) once you show him the medallion. He will point
out portal 2, open only from 2 to 4 am (from this side - all hours from 
the other).

8) Do whatever you need re food, rest, arms, etc. Then enter portal 2. It
takes you to a swamp, -4322 years. Explore this and kill any tiger that
attacks - keep the skins as you can sell them for $$$$ later. You must
find and kill an indian chief and also find a large jewel. Then exit back
to town.

9) When you exit the theatre the man you met at the very beginning of the 
game (Astar) appears again. He tells you that you did well to kill the 
chief and that the town is in consequence a bit different then it was. 
He also tells you to go to the library where you can get some rather 
cryptic clues. You will also find that there is a new park in the south 
of rich town. In the park is a meteor on display, but its top is missing. 

10) Go back through portal 2 and you are in the same swamp but at +3725 years
this time (as the library clues hinted). There are some changes. Explore
and you will find the missing part of the meteor. If you find the Chaos
Sword beware of using it (in fact I think anything with the word "chaos" in
it might be dangerous). Go back to town and place the missing piece on 
the meteor - time portal 3 appears.

11) Before entering portal 3 buy everyone a fur coat and rope. Put coats and
ropes on, else you will freeze to death or maybe fall off the icy paths
you find on entering the portal. The time is -1432 years. Explore and 
find 3 flowers plus a crazy looking machine (referred to in the library's
clues). Place the jewel on the left of the machine and exit back to town.
Beware of wolves: after they attack once they are behind you! It may pay 
to put someone heavily armoured or with lots of hit points at the rear of
your party so the weaker members don't get killed.

12) On re-entering town you meet Maltus again. He says his master wants to 
inform you that a new time portal (4) has appeared in the NW of town. 
Exchange fur coats for armour; you can leave the ropes on. Then go find 
portal 4. This is easy to find and lightly guarded. But where it takes
you depends on the time you enter: 12 to 23 hours takes you back -9230 
years, 0 - 11 forward to +580 years. Go forward; if you go back you 
immediately find a locked door for which you won't yet have the key.

13) You are now in a large dungeon with basically six sections (there are
steps up or down but really everything is on the same level (things don't
overlap). The first section is the "entry" area: dodge the fire balls and
find a stairway south and down to the second section (the other doors will
all be closed anyway). Fight skeletons and explore until you have found 
a switch (toggle it), and 2 keys (you need to use one in this same 
section). There are also various other treasures ($$$$, food, daggers). 

14) Go back up to the entry area and find a now open doorway leading north 
(the switch opened it). Before entering a room with bright lights you 
should find and kill a strong magician (use the "protect from fire" spell
if you have it) so that you can toggle another switch. Once that is done
go into the room with the lights and quickly find the passage out the 
north side, else you will be blinded (temporary). Don't worry about the 
door to the right. 

15) You then go down (through a door opened by the last switch) to another
distinct dungeon section: kill spiders and find treasures (including 
another key). Beware in case one of your swords becomes cursed so that 
when you swing it you hit someone in your own party: cure this with the 
exorcism spell. I'm not sure where the curse is put on you - could have
been earlier and I just didn't notice. Find the long corridor with large 
rock balls rolling down it. Make your way along the corridor, dodging 
the rolling rocks, and along the way find a switch and toggle it. This 
opens a door near the end of the corridor. Pass through and open another
door using a key. Pass quickly through another room of blinding lights and
you then come to a maze of many doors that open only at certain times 
(twice a day, for 3 hours). Beyond the first door (opens at 0 and 12 
hours) the halls are filled with poison gas! There are a few clocks in 
the maze which you can advance so that certain doors open (or close). The
exit from the gas area is "north" but will take some experimentation to 
find. You can also find some money. It is important to exit with as 
many hit and spell points as possible: you will need them!

16) Leave the gas area and come to a large room filled with fire balls. Cross
this using a protect from fire spell, fight a guard and go north then west
(use another key on a door). Take steps down and enter a large room filled
with lava. You can safely walk on the stepping stones: note that some are
marked with circles. You find that each time you step on a stone with a 
circle on it that a woman (Thina) in a suspended cage is lowered a bit: 
if you step on too many she falls into the lava. Find the correct path 
that lowers her just to your level and immediately adjacent to you. She 
then escapes and wants to join your party, which you must let her do by 
dismissing someone else. She is a fairly powerful cleric so dismiss the 
one you have already, remembering to strip him/her first of all possesions
and money. Equip Thina and put her in the back rank. She asks that you 
help her find Zoltar. Exit back towards the fire ball room but go south 
instead of re-entering it. Find more $$$$ and a dagger until it looks 
like a dead end. Pass south through an invisible door and make your way 
south and west. There are lots of tough guards. Pass SW through another 
invisible door, dodge fire balls again, heading south. Fight the final 
lot of guards if you are able enough, else dodge them and run south until
you come to the original fire ball corridor (through a one way door). 
Exit through the time portal back to town.

17) Turn right and you meet Astar again who tells you a bit more about what 
to do: "Find Thina's boyfriend (Zoltar) at the palace and take them both 
to a forest". When you sleep at an inn Jon appears in a dream and tells 
you where to find guard's uniforms suitable for entering the palace. Go 
there. The house is locked: the key is in the fountain behind you. 

18) Put on the uniforms and go to the palace. Be sure all women in your party
are wearing helmets else the guard still won't let you in (No Single Women
Allowed!). Since Zoltar will want to join you, strip and dismiss one of
your fighters before entering. You find Zoltar (Thina's boy friend) but
he tells you to leave. Take the helmet off Thina and he recognizes her and
offers to join your party. Take him in. Exit and put armour back on.

19) Go back to portal 1 but before entering take all possesions from Thina
and Zoltar. Enter and wander around until Thina and Zoltar annouce that
they are leaving the party to set up housekeeping here. Then exit back 
through the portal. Fudius gives you the second jewel needed for the 
crazy machine. He says somebody must have dropped it.

20) Recruit a new cleric and fighter, equip them, and head for portal 3 in
the park. Put your coats back on, enter, and fight your way back to the 
machine. Put the jewel on the right hand side. Exit back to town, but
leave your coats on.

21) Re-enter portal 3 back to the icy mountains. This time the date is +XXXX
(I don't have the exact date on hand). Things have changed a little. 
Explore and find two more flowers (you should have 5 now), and a magic 
belt. If you run across the crazy machine you will see that the two 
jewels are now missing: don't worry about it. Exit back to town. Put on
the belt.

22) Put your armour back on and go back to portal 1 (Fudius). Enter and you 
find the date is +50. Explore and fight black knights and a magician.
Find the grandson of Thina & Zoltar, and his wife, outside a hut. He
will tell you a story and give you a gold key. His wife is a witch and 
will put a protection spell on you if you stand in front of her for a 
few moments. Exit back to town.

23) Head for portal 4 (northwest part of town) and enter between 12 and 23
hours. Use the gold key on the door. Explore and find food, daggers,
money, and keys. There are blue poison splots on the floor that are hard
to evade (sometimes stepping sideways, if possible, helps): use "cure 
poison" spells. Before passing down another fire-ball corridor, go to the 
far south-east corner of the dungeon. To get there requires toggling a 
series of switches (4 total) and using one key: don't worry if doors close 
behind you. You will find there a square room with a central pillar with 
6 open windows. There is a passage out to the north but it is deadly to 
enter until you first unload ALL your possesions into the windows (except
the flask which for some reason isn't accepted). Each window takes only 
11 items so be sure to lump together arrows, food, etc instead of putting
them in one by one (click on the number not the item). Don't worry - you 
can get things back again later.

24) Enter the passage leading north (it is safe now). Beware of a magician 
who you will have to kill with spells since you have no weapons. (Or
maybe you could have mixed a potion before hand??) Find a switch and 
toggle it. Also find money, food. Go back and collect your belongings,
then exit back and along the south boundary until you can head north 
again to the fire-ball corridor.

25) Go along the corridor to an exit south (expect to be hit at least once).
Use a key and enter a small maze filled with vampire bats. Find the exit
north and a magician who keeps conjuring up super strong bats as fast as
you can kill them (you can't attack the magician). Eventually he runs 
out of steam and disappears.

26) Enter a long room and head north. Suddenly herds of devils appear in 
front of and behind you. Fight if you can/wish else dodge them and exit 
through a door to the north. If you choose to fight it is best to do
it in bits: there are invisible doors to the left and right as you first
enter this room. If you go in one of these then you fight 3 devils only 
in each. Then they don't sneak up behind you later.

27) You are in another lava room with stepping stones but the path doesn't
go far before you find gaps. By stepping on the stones marked with rings
you cause a missing stone to appear somewhere else. Eventually you can
complete a path leading north to the dragon. 

28) Kill the dragon if you can!!! He has 2000 hit points. I managed it after
2 trips back to town to sleep/eat: the dragon doesn't heal himself while 
you are away. It is best to use attack spells (especially "cold") 3 steps
away (or 4 - I forget) so he can't reach you with his fire balls. He
doesn't advance. Then use the "protect from fire" spell and rush in and 
hack away a while, then back away again quickly. Exit back to town when 
your healing spells run out. You will have to dodge the devils, fight two
bats, and survive the fire-ball corridor so don't leave it too late. It
doesn't seem to make much difference if the witch's protection spell goes
away. Don't expect any fancy ending ceremony.

I never found out what use the flowers (collected in the icy mountains)
are: they were important in Ishar 2. Also there was a small part of the 
city whose entry roads seemed to disappear about half way through the 
game - maybe there is some way in?





