Game Progression questions

[[KPD]Fidel]

So I don't really understand this game tbh. Fourt major issues popped up:

Number one:

I wasn't able to access the Dawning Spire without using a walkthrough because for some odd reason I was not able to find the last missing sketch to access it. I checked every location, I looted every body and container but I was not able to collect it. Does anybody have a clue how or where to get it?

Number two:

How do I get to the burning library? It seems I get one chance to either go to Lethian's crossing or to the burning library. If I do not choose the burning library it remains inaccessible. Is that a bug? A "feature"? What is it and why? Do I need to go there first? If I do, will the crossing become inaccessible? Not trying to be too critical but from a story perspective and from a gameplay perspective this game is already mighty short for something along the lines of 40-50 bucks so it would be a major oversight if they actually lock you out of a region.

Number three:

I don't get the neutral path. In the first major area, Vendrien's well, where is the point when you can actually side with the rebels? The same goes for all other areas. There seem to be several incredibly stupid points at which you can turn sides or break an alliance but no meaningful one. I can't find any point in Vendrian's well other than at the end when taking the first Spire. Is there another one without pissing off the rebels beforehand by killing nearly everyone? In Lethian's Crossing it seems to be the same. I can kill the boss of the forgebound but why? She hasn't done anything to me, she seems to be loyal to whoever is in command and she doesn't wield any military power. Yet the only chance to break with my alliance is to kill her. What is that all about? The same goes for the stone sea. For some odd reason I can break my alliance and kill right at the beginning but there is no chance to either side with the beastman once I come across them the first time nor later prevent the destruction of the whole land. These story points lend themselves to be good point to break my alliance:

- There are children with the beastman so I should be able to side with them or at least spare them in some way
- If I don't agree with blighting a whole area I should be able to sabotage it or prevent it no?

The same goes for Stallwart. When the hell would I be able to side with them? There is no proper point to break off the alliance besides when you enter the junkyard which is sort of stupid point in my mind. Is there an earlier point?

I mean this all feeds into one another. If I have to wipe out the rebels in the first area before I can break the alliance how would that make sense? I haven't conquered any spires yet, I have no military might so to speak and no support from anyone. The same goes for Stallwart... I slaughter them and then turn? How silly is that? So could someone please map that out for me?

Number Four:

What is up with research? I mean if I could actually conquer the Spires back to back I guess this system would work but since I supposedly have to do quests do advance the meter it means that even if I build a library and forge straight away I could never actually get the most important stuff researched. Or do I understand the system wrong and I simply needed to camp somewhere away from the towers? That would be even weirder. So how does it work?

 

[[KPD]Fidel]

Anyone?

 

[TorquemadaStark]

1. Dude, I figured out 3 of the markings with 2 scratches and one with one. (But just because for the final spire, they literally hand you the markings on a silver plate if you loot everything. Just walk around with tab, pressed down.) They're all symmetrical. You can do it pretty easily. Not having a scratching doesn't stop you from entering the symbol. And then I re-read the question. Dawning spire's symbol is two crescent moons, crossing over, with a full circle on the intersection. You can figure that much out form the first scratching.

2. From a story perspective - someone in Chorus must've won the game. IDK, I went there first, and everything was completely ok. NEVER go to the damn crossing as your first thing, it's buggy then - even though the game clearly tells you (at least, in my case) to go to the library before anywhere else.

3. I played on completely neutral, because the rebels are idiots. Then, you can spare the beastmen, by killing the earthshakers. The V Guard is hard to join though - in the story, you have to pick tower in year 2, negotiate surrender and then in act 1, save both of their leaders AND tell Eb about how Kyros's edict works. Then you'll get a letter, inviting you to a sevret meeting. After that, you only get to be neutral, afaik. And skip a lot of quests, by murdering everyone. EVERYONE.)

4. Research works like this: start research, earn some xp - even a single point will do - then just wait for a while. It just needs XP to start, after that, it's just time + faster the more xp you get. Learned this in act 3, when I had literally no other way of getting xp except murdering archons, and wanted to prepare for that.

Seriously, I wanted to play a super mean killing machine of evil - and you know, next playthrough, full disfavored, even gonna let Ashe be on top.

 

[[KPD]Fidel]

Okay, slow down. Thanks for answering first of all.

1. That wasn't the question. I know how to do it but I wanted to know if there is an area in Azure where you can find the missing sketches since before that I was able to find every symbol. Not that it matters though. I think in my next playthrough I simply use the symbols without looking for the clues so I can acess the Spires straight away and have them research like a mofo because the game is far too short for research to really be done.

2. Why someone in the Chorus? Anyway so I should go to the library first? Okay that makes it clear then. I will go there and then do the crossing before going to Azure. Well it didn't tell me in my game to go there first. I went with the Disfavoured in my first game and Graven Ashe gave me a choice.

3. Well the rebels aren't idiots tbh compared to Ashe and his ilk. What do you mean by pick Tower in year 2? You mean go to V in year two, meet with the queen and negotiate her surrender? Okay good to know. How do you actually save both of their leaders or is that just possible if you didn't kill their queen in year 2? Well tbh I don't mind skipping quests. I did most of them in my first walkthrough and none of them were anything to write home about and I refuse to blight the land, kill children or whatever it takes. That's not the way to rule. I don't mind doing necessary evil but I refuse to be stupid about it.

4. Okay so basically the best way to go about it would be to start research, kill someone then wait until research is complete and go back and pick a new research? Good to know.

 

[TorquemadaStark]

I actually just found one scratching for those ruins. Just one. But that one was my last ruin, it was very late game and I couldn't be arsed anymore so I figured this out. I actually thought this was intentional, from what I read on the incomplete scratching.

 

[[KPD]Fidel]

I actually just found one scratching for those ruins. Just one. But that one was my last ruin, it was very late game and I couldn't be arsed anymore so I figured this out. I actually thought this was intentional, from what I read on the incomplete scratching.

Nope you can find a complete set for the other Spire in Azure so that is why I was asking. I found two for the Dawning Spire but couldn't find the third. But please feel free to adress the other issues I raised in the post as well. Thank you.