Chapter Five
The next morning, within the subterranean Barrow Deeps of Mount Hyjal...
Mission Objectives
- Main Quest - Awaken Druids
- Discover the location of the Barrow Deeps
- Tyrande Whisperwind must survive
- Furion Stormrage must survive
- Optional Quest - Bear Necessities
- Get water from the Fountain of Life
- Return the filled vial to the Furbolgs
Strategy
You start out with Furion, Tyrande, 3 Dryads, 2 Druids of the Talon, 2 Huntresses, and 2 Archers. The enemies in the cave are easy enough, but there are a few groups that are capable of taking out one or more of your units if you aren't careful. Save often; load if you lose a unit.
Take your starting group south, making sure to keep the Huntresses and your heroes in the front, and when you get to a big stalagmite in the middle, you have three options. You can go either west or east first, it doesn't matter. West, you'll find a group of Kobolds and a Kobold Tunneler. He drops a Potion of Healing. East, you'll find a Wendigo and an Elder Wendigo. The big guy drops a Scroll of Healing. Go south, take out the two Spiders and the Brood Mother here, then continue on.
Go west between the obelisks. Here you'll meet a few Skeletons and a Frost Revenant. The Blizzard spell he casts causes a good deal of damage if left ignored, so move your units before they get pummeled. Continue west, take out Skeleton Archers and more Frost Revenants. One of them drops a Wand of Lightning Shield. Slightly to the north there is a Potion of Greater Healing sitting on the ground.
With the Revenants and Skeletons dispatched, head east. There will be plenty of little Spiders found throughout the dungeon; I won't mention every one of them. They're easy to take care of. Continue east until you hit a pool with a toadstool growing in the center of it. Go north, take care of the Giant Spider, and claim a Spider Ring. Go east again, but hug the northern wall until you're actually going north. Kill the Spitting Spider and its hatchlings, then destroy the eggs on the left. You'll get some more spiders and a Scroll of Healing. Head south until you hit a Defiled Fountain of Life.
Here is the first real challenge to keep all your units alive. You'll be attacked by 2 Brood Mothers and a bunch of little Spiders. It's easy to get overwhelmed, so keep on your toes; pull back units that are getting overly bombarded. Eggs to the SW of the Fountain contain Spitting Spiders, a Giant Spider, and a little Spider. Heal up after all the fighting, if you are able, then head south to pick up your first Optional Quest (Bear Necessities) from a Furbolg Ursa Warrior.
The Furbolg tasks you with saving his tribe's Shaman, and gives you a vial with which to retrieve a life-saving dosage of healing water. This quest is quick and easy. Go west. You can choose to kill the Skeleton Archers and the Skeletal Marksman if you wish. Past them, to the NW, is a trio of Ghosts. As you saw from the previous mission, they have the ability to possess your units. But not your heroes. Quickly dispatch them with Tyrande and Furion. (Or avoid them entirely.)
Go due west, and fight through the pack of Lightning Lizards guarding the Fountain of Life. You can heal up your units here for free, so do it. Fill the vial and promptly return it to save the Shaman's life. You'll be rewarded with a Talisman of the Wild, which summons a Furbolg to fight for you for 3 minutes. Buttonhook around the icecaps and head south along the path. When you reach fork in the path, you'll be given a cinematic where Tyrande splits from Furion's group in search of the enigmatic Illidan. Furion will be left with 3 Dryads and 2 Druids of the Talon. As he cannot get through the door, you must take your units down the only available path.
Here the level takes a decidedly creepy turn. Past the corrupted ground, to the east, you'll hit a Sludge Monstrosity. Dispatch it. But remember: You have fewer units now, so be careful not to let any one of them take too much damage (You can always use Furion's Tranquility spell or any remaining Scrolls of Healing, however). Continue along the path. You'll encounter a pair of Skeleton Archers and a Wraith in front of a mausoleum. When you get to the Circle of Power, go north and kill a pack of Kobolds and Kobold Geomancers.
Secret Path: Before you step on the Circle of Power, head south. Nowhere to go, right? Use Furion's Force of Nature spell to clear away the toadstools. (If you didn't know already, these toadstools serve as the underground equivalent of trees.) You'll come upon a rather large ground of Skeleton Archers and Skeletal Marksmen. Use your newly formed Treants as tanks, and you shouldn't have any trouble keeping your regular units alive. A Skeleton drops a Scroll of Healing for you. But that's not all!
- Go back east, as if you're about to head north to the Circle of Power. Instead, go south and use Furion's Force of Nature spell on the toadstools here and you'll reveal a second, smaller Circle of Power. Step on it, and you'll be transported to a vault, where an Ice Revenant and a pack of Skeleton Archers are guarding a Waygate. Again, use your Treants as tanks while your regular units deal damage from afar. This would be a very useful time to summon a handy Furbolg (if, of course, Furion is holding the Talisman). It's very easy to lose units here, so pay close attention if you don't want to lose anyone. The Ice Revenant drops a Robe of the Magi +6.