@raviyien: Hmm, Riddle of Reunion always counts (it has its own chest reward = 100k gold).
For Riddle of Recollection: The number of statues you place would be different based on (a) when the Sphinx randomly gave you the Riddle of Recollection, and (b) if there were previous riddles that the player failed to solve.
In my playthrough (separate backup saves), I kept getting Riddle of Recollection last (10th). Since I had solved all previous riddles (including Reunion), I had to place nine statues (which was the correct answer).
@blackquest: ADD: I'm guessing the reason for this is probably because the first few damaging hits (after she finishes talking) don't actually register. It's like how you have to shoot her multiple times just to initiate combat.
@realamerican: So, the thing is, the Sphinx will show you a projection of a character. Two look eerily alike and they're in the same general area. That's why the guide mentions looking at the History -> NPC tab to check.
If the Sphinx showed a projection of a character with wavy hair (Vergil), and a player checked the History tab to see a character with wavy hair (Vergil), then the player has to bring the character with wavy hair (Vergil).
@blackquest: Hmm, so here's what happened in my playthrough:
- I had several backup saves. After Riddle of Reunion, the rest of the riddles were random but I kept getting Riddle of Recollection as my 10th and final one. That meant I had to place the correct number of blocks/statues, initiate combat, and then rush to open the chest to get the Unmaking Arrow.
- Prior to this, I attempted to defeat her without using the Unmaking Arrow (Mystic Spearhand attempt, followed by Thief attempt). While things didn't work out, it was clear that initiating combat kept her in the arena instead of having her fly away after congratulating you.
- In one attempt, I couldn't initiate combat at all even after hitting her a couple of times (normal shots). In another try, I had to unload half a dozen arrows via Tempest Shot to get it to work. For another attempt, I used the "Go" command while I was shooting just to be safe.
- I quickly made a run for the chest, opened it to get the Unmaking Arrow, then shot her with it. I aimed for the Sphinx's torso, and then her head, in two separate attempts. Worked on both occasions, so I'm guessing it should be fine as long as the Unmaking Arrow actually hits her.
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So, yeah, that's how I ended up writing that section that way (after reloading multiple backup saves to see how things would pan out). I had to take several factors into account:
- Players that barely used the Archer = You need to shoot her multiple times to initiate combat--Tempest/Torrent, Loose, Front Kick, Barrage, etc.
- Getting Riddle of Recollection last = Initiating combat is 100% required. It's the only way to prevent the Sphinx from leaving if players still have to open the chest to get Unmaking Arrow (with the assumption that they don't have the one from the hermit).
@stranger-things: Yeah, I didn't think about using the phial before since the carry + ferrystone (carrystone?) action worked well enough. Then again, I found out and tested later that just carrying your main pawn was fine, so there'd have been no need for me to go back to Melve or Vernworth to carry a "beloved" (i.e. max affinity) NPC. Cheers!
@bearman100: I didn't see the strobe effect at all, sadly. I did keep backup saves just to test, though my focus was mainly on whether or not it's safe to recruit pawns with red eyes -if- someone hasn't gotten the first notification/warning yet. As far as I recall, not a single pawn with full red eyes in the Rift had Dragonsplague (no visible strobing/flickering effect either). Also, upon multiple tests (pre-notification), the warning will always pop up the first time you recruit an infected pawn. No way to miss it unless the player skipped reading it.
I do agree the sickness needs a better indicator. I've been lucky since I could just use backup saves to test. Still, it's quite a bummer if people miss out on quests and they'd have to do the whole Sphinx arc to get the Eternal Wakestone.
@eth88: Hmm, looking at their teeth wouldn't really matter because you're supposed to compare the Sphinx's projection with the portraits in the History tab (noted in the guide). The most prominent features are their hairstyles (straight vs. wavy) and scars (straight vs. jagged).
Moreover, both characters have their mouths closed in their portraits in the History tab. There's no need to mention their teeth because players won't even be able to check using the function.
@anillustration: Thanks for the catch. My bad--I was hopping between multiple backup saves to find the quest trigger/point of no return, as well as several sets of screenshots. Fixed now. Cheers!
@blankfaced: @esqueejy@ColdstoneX3@dmblum1799@Barighm@KingsMessenger @sjbarras - Sorry late rep. Super busy, so I'll just tag other peeps that commented and reply in general:
To clarify, it's not necessarily about how "being evil has consequences"--we all know that. However, the consequence doesn't necessarily have to be "missing out on content with no tradeoff." At the end of the day, a fully evil playthrough would just mean not having as much content (in terms of companions, interactions, and quests) compared to a neutral/good campaign.
As such, a better tradeoff would've been to include companions/quests that only become available for the purely evil branch--i.e. recruiting Sazza (someone you can save multiple times), Nere, and/or Disciple Z'rell, fleshing out Minthara's story, etc.
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