The blood of the gods runs through you! Well, one god anyways.

[Thadius]

It will never get slow again. That is, so long as you lot actually provide enough responses to bump over the page counter to the next one. I may take an occasional break just to rampage around some lands in a completely different game, but I WILL return to post. Provided that there's another page.

Anyways. Update...within the next two days. Y'know, so that everyone else can come flooding back to give me their replies as well.

[tacticslion]

As always, I'm here to complicate things!

First: can you gain the rewards of a job well done after going the secret way?
Second: is there any special (super ~, or just plain ~) item(s) that you miss by going either the secret way or the front way?
Third: can you re-enter the dungeon reasonably?
Fourth: can you (semi-reasonably) go both ways?
Fifth: will you please not hate us?

If the first three are true, I vote go the secret way, collect the rewards up front and get what's inside (clearing it out).

If the first is not true, but the second two are, I vote going out the front way, but then returning to clear out the back.

If the second is irrelevant, but the first and third are true, then I vote secret way, and re-entering only if you want XP/revenge.

If the third isn't true, but the first two are, then I vote going (almost) all the way out of the secret way, then stopping, and going back out the front, if this is possible (basically to but not beyond the "point of no return", then turning around)

If the second and third are not true, but the first is, then the secret way.

In short: I lean towards the secret way, excepting there is a valuable/viable reason to go out the front.

[Thadius]

Originally Posted by tacticslion

First: can you gain the rewards of a job well done after going the secret way?
Second: is there any special (super ~, or just plain ~) item(s) that you miss by going either the secret way or the front way?
Third: can you re-enter the dungeon reasonably?
Fourth: can you (semi-reasonably) go both ways?
Fifth: will you please not hate us?

First: Yes.
Second: No.
Third: Not from the second way. Once you go out the second way once, it closes. Forever.
Fourth: Either way I plan on exploring everything eventually. This is just really choosing which order I do it in.
Fifth: My hatred of all things will be infinite until we get to Baldur's Gate. Then it will taper back into a positive, non-infinite number that will gradually have the amount of Fun catch up to it. Perhaps even surpass it.

Also, I forgot to say this, but while you weren't looking, Mary and Daynaheir graduated from the High Hedge school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Except for one thing, we never have to go back there again, and that'll cost a lot of gold even then.

And we still don't know Knock. I only know of one pre-Baldur's Gate location where I'm GOING to get it.

[Ravashak]

Go through the secret exit, no reason to wander all the way back through the corpses you left behind.

A question, are you going to keep this party, or are you going to substitute people?

[Grimpond]

I'd vote to keep the party, because any other setup is doomed to fail. DOOMED I SAY

[RobinStarwing]

Not really doomed, just going to be a tad harder.

And hurray for graduation! Baldur's Gate School of the Arcane Class of 2010! Go do Mystra proud!

[Grimpond]

I voted Mary Worth as Most Violent

e: ororor Most Likely to SNAP

[Loyal]

So when exactly do we get to see Mary do any actual Necromancy?

I mean we go through the effort of selecting a LG Necromancer for the ironic jollies and we've yet to see any ensuing substance from that unholy union. What gives?

[Grimpond]

I think the animate dead spell is.....like 6th level? maybe? I need to double check. Summoning was waaaaaaaay scaled down in BG2 so I don't use it anymore

e: by which I mean I don't use it on my main. Viconia goes crazy with it.

[tacticslion]

Originally Posted by Thadius

First: Yes.
Second: No.
Third: Not from the second way. Once you go out the second way once, it closes. Forever.
Fourth: Either way I plan on exploring everything eventually. This is just really choosing which order I do it in.
Fifth: My hatred of all things will be infinite until we get to Baldur's Gate. Then it will taper back into a positive, non-infinite number that will gradually have the amount of Fun catch up to it. Perhaps even surpass it.

So, go the secret way!

Originally Posted by Loyal

So when exactly do we get to see Mary do any actual Necromancy?

I mean we go through the effort of selecting a LG Necromancer for the ironic jollies and we've yet to see any ensuing substance from that unholy union. What gives?

Well, she apparently practiced it at Candle Keep, at least? Also, there was that one time she almost had a good test subject, but it was snatched from her fingers!