Stuck in Unforgiven Kikimore Queen escape

[gmaharriet]

Stuck in Unforgiven Kikimore Queen escape

Like many other folks, I'm stuck at the end of Act III with escaping the Kickimore Queen. I have 2 saves, each of which I've replayed many times.

From one of the saves I can get to the end of the tunnel and drop the ceiling on the Queen, but Geralt dies too even though he's standing well back from the cave-in.

From the other save Geralt just cannot get beyond the kikimore workers and either dies when the Queen catches him, or he dies when he dumps the first support on himself (not even touching the Queen) right after the small cut scene after he's run across the first room.

I'm embarrassed to say that I'm doing the game on easy mode. My only excuse for that (and still having trouble) is that I'm 70 years old and my reactions are slow and I have arthritis in my hands. But I'm loving the game and really, really want to play on.

I've watched the videos, and nothing is as clear when I do it as it looks in the videos. I'm using swallow and tawny owl. Help please!

 

[Corylea.723]

There are 19 pages of tips, tricks, discussion --and complaints! -- in this thread.

I have lousy hand-eye coordination, and I manage to do this, so I think you'll be able to do it, too, even with arthritis. But if you try and just can't manage it -- or if you get tired of trying -- upload your saved game somewhere (zip it first, please!) and post the URL. One of us will download your game, play you past the kickimore queen, and upload it, and you can continue on from there.

Here's my own advice:

As I said, I have lousy hand-eye coordination, so I'm a really bad gamer, for all that I love them, and I usually have to figure out how to do stuff in a way that great gamers don't have to. While this is frustrating for me, it means I'm ideally placed to give advice to people who are having trouble. (I actually feel sorry for poor Geralt that a fighter of his magnificence is controlled by somebody as spastic as me. ) Many players complain that the game is way too easy, which certainly hasn't been my experience, but I also haven't found it too hard. At least, not once I found out that you're supposed to RUN from the Queen.

I've found that the mass of kikimore workers is sometimes blocking the end of the corridor, but the crowd is thin enough that I can jump over them. Sometimes they're blocking the end of the corridor in such large numbers that Geralt has nowhere to jump. Other times, they haven't quite gotten to the end of the corridor yet, and I can run straight for the other side of the room. I make Geralt do exactly the same thing every time, as soon as the cut-scene with the Queen is over, and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

Three things were crucial for me:

1) I only Aarded two supports -- the one that leads from the room where you kill the Professor into the corridor, and the one that leads from the big room where all the little kikimores are into the corridor that leads out. If I try to Aard the supports in the corridor that leads from the Professor room to the little kikimore room, I just kill myself.

2) If I can just run through all the little kikimores, well and good. Usually I can't, though. If I hack my way through them in such a way that there is at least one little kikimore BEHIND me, between the Queen and me, she doesn't attack. So even if you can't jump over ALL of the little kikimores, if you can jump over ONE of them, that helps more than you might think.

3) If I take a Full Moon potion right before all of the kikimore stuff starts, that usually gives me enough hit points to survive one blow from the Queen, which gives me a one-screwup cushion. (You can make any potion in the game, even if you haven't gotten a scroll with the recipe -- Kalkstein encouraged you to experiment. So even if you haven't found a scroll with the recipe, you can still make Full Moon.)

 

[gmaharriet]

Wow! Thank you for replying so quickly!!!

Question about your suggestion #1, aarding only 2 supports: Is the first one you mention the one right there after the short cut scene which occurs after you run from the queen and across a large hall? I've tried aarding right there after the cut scene and it always falls on my head.

I don't know if I need to move further away after the cut scene ends, or if something else entirely is wrong. Is there a support right there where the queen dives down? I don't see one there.

For suggestion #2, after jumping over just one or two, can Gerald cut his way through to the final support? I confess that I give up after a few minutes of trying to fight the little ones when jumping over them isn't working for me. If that can be done, I'll wait until I'm fresh and try again.

For #3, I'd have to go clear back to before entering the New Narrakort (sp?) Inn to make the Full Moon potion, but if that will get me through, it may be worth doing that. Does that have much toxicity? I'd tried adding Blizzard to Swallow and Tawny Owl, but it made Geralt's vision so blurry that he couldn't see what was around him. (actually, it's my monitor that becomes unreadable, so I thought I'd ask before redoing things.)

I am getting awfully tired of redoing and, if I can't get it in a few more tries, I may zip the file and ask for help.

BTW, I did read all 19 of those pages previously, and I just haven't been able to apply the knowledge there. That was a few months ago and, after being completely stuck back then, I started the game over again about a month ago, hoping a fresh start would do the trick. I'll read those pages again and see if they help now that I've tried a few dozen more times.

Thank you.

 

[GuyNwah]

Here's how I play it. Even though I've played this many times, it still isn't foolproof.

Get past the first arch and Aard it. You must be a few steps past it; otherwise it will fall on you.

Before the second arch, there's a corpse on the left with good loot. Loot it ONLY IF YOU CAN DO SO VERY QUICKLY. If you take time to loot this corpse and later have to face a swarm of kikimore workers, you are taking too much time.

Get past the second arch and Aard it. Again, you must go past it, then turn around and Aard it.

If you got this far quickly, you will not have to deal with too many kikimore workers, and you can run and jump past them. Otherwise you will have to fight your way through them. Aard, group silver style, and press forward all the time.

Once you are past the workers and into the tunnel after their room, wait for the queen to enter the room, then cast Aard. This should bring the room down on her head. Don't forget to loot the queen and the chest in the tunnel before you exit.

 

[Corylea.723]

Wow! Thank you for replying so quickly!!!

*smile* You're welcome!

Question about your suggestion #1, aarding only 2 supports: Is the first one you mention the one right there after the short cut scene which occurs after you run from the queen and across a large hall? I've tried aarding right there after the cut scene and it always falls on my head.

It's the first support you come to, the one that makes Geralt say aloud that if he pulled that down, it might help. There's the big room you're in when the Queen comes up out of the ground, which I've been calling the Professor room. Then there's a corridor. At the end of the corridor, there's another big room. This is the first support as you exit the Professor room and go into the corridor. You stand in the corridor, turn around, and aard the support, then run further down the corridor, so the thing you aarded is behind you.

For suggestion #2, after jumping over just one or two, can Gerald cut his way through to the final support? I confess that I give up after a few minutes of trying to fight the little ones when jumping over them isn't working for me. If that can be done, I'll wait until I'm fresh and try again.

Oh, yes, that can be done. Again, you need to keep at least one little kikimore BEHIND you, between you and the Queen. But I often have to fight my way through the little kikimores, so it definitely can be done.

For #3, I'd have to go clear back to before entering the New Narrakort (sp?) Inn to make the Full Moon potion, but if that will get me through, it may be worth doing that.

I could make you a tiny mod to simply add the potion to your inventory in about 5 minutes. Or you can add anything you want to your own inventory, with the Saved Game Editor.

Does that have much toxicity? I'd tried adding Blizzard to Swallow and Tawny Owl, but it made Geralt's vision so blurry that he couldn't see what was around him. (actually, it's my monitor that becomes unreadable, so I thought I'd ask before redoing things.)

Sadly, Full Moon does have a lot of toxicity (as you'd expect for such a powerful potion). If you don't aard everything in sight, you might not need the Tawny Owl, though. And there's a mod to remove some of the bluriness from Blizzard here.

If you begin this area with some toxicity already, remember that the White Honey potion removes toxicity. (It also removes all potion effects, so it's only useful if you have toxicity from potions whose effects have worn off or whose effects you no longer need.) Also, remember that making a potion Albedo reduces the toxicity of potions consumed after it, so if you drink both Tawny Owl and Swallow, you can make the Tawny Owl albedo, and that will make the potions you drink after it less toxic.

I am getting awfully tired of redoing and, if I can't get it in a few more tries, I may zip the file and ask for help.

You should feel free to do that, but I think it'll be more satisfying if you manage to do it yourself, so after you've had a bit of a rest, I encourage you to try again. Knowing you have that out -- of getting someone else to play you past the Queen -- might be all you need to reduce your frustration enough to keep trying.

BTW, I did read all 19 of those pages previously, and I just haven't been able to apply the knowledge there.

Wow. That's impressive. I hope it works for you next time!

 

[gmaharriet]

Thank you for your additional help and for offering to make the small mods for me. I'm afraid I don't understand adding mods or other files to an existing game, and I get confused. I'll try your more basic ideas first (but not until tomorrow or maybe over the next several days).

In rereading that 19-page thread, I picked up on something Gamer Widow posted about using pause to stop and aim the camera just right before aarding or before running to the next area. I don't know if it will improve my aim, but it should give me time to look around and study the whole series of rooms and corridors and posts. Anything to slow down a bit and understand what I'm dealing with. Then I can put your ideas together with that and try some more.

I'll be back when I've tried some more.

 

[Guest 2081505]

I've watched the videos, and nothing is as clear when I do it as it looks in the videos.

And with some hints?

Before the cutscene:

1. Forget the pillars, forget the drinks. Forget oils.
2. It's a question of speed. The kikimores emerge from the ground, so Geralt shouldn't wait too long. Draw the sword (any sword you want), choose fast style (Geralt is able to run very fast).

Immediately after the cutscene:

3. Run into the tunnel.
4. When the first kikimore workers appear: Jump over them (double click on "W").
5. After the first tunnel: Stay on the right side; ignore the kikimore warriors.
6. You should proceed to the opposite tunnel.

Geralt is looking for a narrow escape

Before the entrance of tunnel 2 (look at Geralt's position in the video): turn around, 1 x Aard.

Good luck!

Or you may send your (compressed) savegame to me (max.strauss@web.de), but you should give me an email-address to send it back.

 

[gmaharriet]

I did it, I did it, I DID IT!!! Whee, hooray, !!!!!

I used a combination of suggestions. I pulled a sword and chose fast style, then saved before heading down the tunnel.

I passed the first support, turned around and pressed , looked around, then aimed at 1st support, unpressed and fired aard, turned and ran very fast.

After that I tried several things that didn't work, several things that did work and got me to the end, but I died several times after Geralt says "I must look for a way out"...obviously I had a bug.

So I went back to a save where the professor and I drop through the roof, saved, and started from the first part I just typed above, and this time I got to the end and didn't die.


I did notice that every time I'd aard a support, most of the kikis would disappear as some folks mentioned in that long thread, so I ended up aarding all the supports, because I had trouble flipping over the kikis.

I also noticed that, at the end when I made it but died, I'd run to the right of the rocks behind the chest. The last time I ran to the left. I've no idea if that made the difference or if it was using a new save after falling through into the queen's lair, but....

I made it, I made it, I MADE IT!!!!! Wheeeeee....

Thank you ALL so much for your help!!!

 

[Corylea.723]

I did it, I did it, I DID IT!!! Whee, hooray, !!!!!

Congratulations! I knew you could do it! It feels good, doesn't it?

 

[gmaharriet]

Oh yes, indeed it does!

Some folks have said it's easy, and once you figure out what to do, it seems so in looking back. I think you have to either be very lucky or take a few or even many tries to figure out what works. If you don't figure it out after only a few tries, it becomes increasing maddeningly frustrating, and I think the more frustrated you get, the harder it is to think clearly or use coordination well.

The hitting pause to look around gives you a moment to calm down and clear your mind.

Thanks again for your help, because I was so close to just giving up.

 

[sepulchre10]

I'm having the same problem here. But after reading all this I'll give another stab . . . or 10. I didn't even see the chest. I get all rushed and.. maybe I should try pausing like A.C. did.

(later)

Whew! Man, that was weird. I did pretty much the same thing over and over and finally it worked. I have no clue what I did the last time but the cave didn't fall on my head. I was amazed that it didn't!

Anyway, on to chapter IV. And thanks to all for the help and description of your experiences. Also, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one whose few remaining hairs are gray. Bravo A.C.!!

 

[Corylea.723]

Whew! Man, that was weird. I did pretty much the same thing over and over and finally it worked. I have no clue what I did the last time but the cave didn't fall on my head. I was amazed that it didn't!

Glad you finally made it!

Also, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one whose few remaining hairs are gray. Bravo A.C.!!

I'm 54, so you're definitely not the only older gamer in the forum! (Though I did inherit my father's freakish genes, which give me maybe a dozen grey hairs in total at that age.)

 

[helaskoski]

I know this thread is, ehm, a few years old, but is there someone still available to kill the kikimore queen for me if I send over a zip file?

Am beyond frustrated and registered on this forum just to ask for help on this godforsaken quest...

 

[hiuuz]

Just aard the pillars, run through and don't stop to fight small kikimores. There are some youtube video too if you have problem what to do.

 

[Riven-Twain]

I actually just completed this one again last night. The best policy is indeed to aard the first supports, grab the loot from the corpse in the passage, dodge, leap, and twirl your way through the main chamber, aard the supports, and withdraw to a safe distance to watch the cave-in. Got to be rather fast, though.