Message-ID: <1994Jan27.095358.61341@magic-bbs.corp.apple.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
From: David_Reevely@magic-bbs.corp.apple.com
Distribution: na
Organization: M A G I C
Date: Thu, 27 Jan 1994 09:53:58 EST
Subject: PiD FAQ
Lines: 772


Following several recent requests, and a profusion of FAQ-style questions in
c.s.m.g, here is a slightly updated version of the PiD FAQ.  I've added
some combat tips at the end, which are primarily for the rookie, and
modified some of the hints that are relevant to the later stages of the
game.            

         Pathways into Darkness FAQ Sheet/Walkthrough

                          Last Update: January 24, 1994


This is by no means intended as a complete FAQ list.  These

are questions I've seen in comp.sys.mac.games and other

places online and that probably belong here to avoid being

asked repeatedly.  There are undoubtedly lots of things I've

left out.  Send me suggestions at

david_reevely@magic-bbs.corp.apple.com, and they'll be

included in a more complete version, should it be warranted.



These follow a rough chronological order within the game. 

Of course, because there are several different ways of

working your way through, some might not apply to you or may

be out of order.



This list is packed with spoilers, which is, after all, the

point.  Read it at your own risk.



1.  The manual talks about talking to dead people.  Why

can't I talk to the German soldier?

 You don't have the yellow crystal yet.  It's behind a

locked door on the level above, "Never Stop Firing."  When

you find it, double-click on it to activate it, then press

TAB while standing on the body.



2.  What's the point of that blue rune?  Why can't I open

the doors at each side of the hall?

 You need to play the Alien Pipes while standing on the blue

rune in order for the doors to open.  The Alien Pipes are

found on the Ascension level.



3.  What do the chains do?

 They open doors in other parts of the pyramid.  Pull each

chain you run across once, then forget about them.  Check

the map of the level you're on before and after you pull it,

paying special attention to the doors that are closed before

you pull.



4.  The manual makes such a big deal about conserving

ammunition, but I haven't had any problems.  Why should I

pay attention to that?

 In the earlier levels, you're fighting the easiest monsters

in the game.  Use the survival knife whenever you're dealing

with two or fewer zombies or headlesses.  It'll force you

into learning some battle tactics that will prove useful

when you move up in weaponry.  Furthermore, there's a very

limited supply of Walther ammuntion, and there are two

occasions when you'll need a lot of it; on the Ascension

level, fighting your way to the Alien Pipes; and after

you've used the Pipes on the ground floor and monsters are

revealed beyond the doors.



5.  I keep getting killed on that level where I come down

the ladder and am immediately surrounded by  zombies. 

What's the best way to get past them?

 Once you've killed one zombie, start moving.  Get out of

the starting chamber as soon as you can, and move down into

one of the corners of the hallway surrounding that room, so

you've got walls on two sides.  The zombies can only come

after you two at a time and from one-fourth of your viewing

area, instead of four at a time from all sides.  Use the

Walther here, picking your shots carefully.



6.  How do I kill those black spirits that don't seem to get

damaged by weapons?

 Use the blue crystal, in the same way you'd use the yellow

crystal.



7.  Where's the blue crystal?

 There's a two-square hidden chamber just to the south of

one of the dead German soldiers on They May be Slow.  He'll

direct you to it, if you question him closely enough.  Enter

the chamber by walking south from the soldier's body and

through the wall.  Pick up the blue crystal by stepping on

it, just like any other item.



8.  After I've used the crystal a few times, it recharges

more and more slowly.  How come?

 All crystals but the yellow one will run out of power

eventually.  After you've used them a few times, they'll

slow down.  Eventually, they shatter.  There is no way of

preventing this, besides not using the crystal unless you

absolutely have to.  Don't use the blue crystal on regular

creatures, if you can possibly help it.



9.  Can I do anything useful with the silver bowl?

  No.  Its only purpose is as treasure.  There are several

such items in the game, and they should all be kept, since

they increase your point totals at the end of the game. 

They're heavy, but they don't affect your performance in any

significant way, besides cluttering your inventory.



10.  What's the best way of dealing with the roomfuls of

monsters on Ascension?

 Tackle them one room at a time.  Use the knife whenever

possible, and try to keep headlesses and zombies in rows so

they can only attack you one at a time.  Another neat aspect

of this strategy is that the headlesses with fire their goo

at you but will hit one another in the back instead, causing

damage to one another.  Have the blue crystal ready when you

enter the northwestern room; there's a banshee that's going

to come after you.



11.  What do I do with the Alien Pipes?

 Use them on the first level while standing on the blue

rune.  The doors to the east and west will open, releasing

some monsters.  You'll want the Walther for this one.



12.  How do I best deal with the grey things?

 They're ghouls.  If there are only one or two of them and

your vitality is relatively high, you can attack with the

survival knife.  It will take about five hits, but the blows

will keep the ghouls off-balance and unable to retaliate.



13.  Which ladder down should I take   the one to the west

or the one to the east?

  It doesn't *really* matter.  The western ladder will take

you down to Wrong Way, which it isn't.  The entry chamber in

that level is packed with ghouls, but nothing more serious

than that.  The eastern ladder will take you down to Feel

the Power, which is filled with marauding packs of three

oozes, which are nasty.  With your firepower, you're

probably better off taking the western ladder, since ghouls

are much easier to deal with than oozes.  Come back to Feel

the Power later, when your weaponry is more impressive.



14.  How should I deal with all the ghouls in Wrong Way? 

 It'll probably take a few tries to get past them.  Use

similar tactics to those given in question #5, and never

stop moving, except to shoot.



15.  Why can't I get those doors to open?

 They're locked.  You need the Silver Key, found on the

level below, Welcome Tasty Primate.  It's near the northeast

corner of that level.



16.  What can the orange crystal do?

 It's basically a more powerful version of the blue crystal.

 It takes only one blast from the orange crystal to kill a

banshee, instead of two.  Of course, the same use

limitations apply   use it too often, and it'll shatter. 

That is definitely something to avoid.



17.  Where should I go from here?

 It would probably be a good idea to go back up to the

Ground Floor and then take the other ladder down.  Fight

your way past the oozes up to the northwest corner, then

take the ladder down to A Plague of Demons.



18.  What keeps hitting me?

 There are invisible wraiths that will do you damage, if

only slightly.  The major danger here is when more than two

set upon you, and you have trouble finding one or more of

them.  Regular weapons are effective against them.  Around

the north-center section of the level, you'll find a dead

American soldier.  A search will reveal a pair of infra-red

goggles.  Put them on and you'll be able to see the wraiths

just fine.  Don't forget to turn off your flashlight to

conserve the batteries.



19.  What's the point of this level?

 In the southeastern section, there's a silver door (you

have to pass another door that will open to reveal a small

horde of creatures, so make sure you're fully rested). 

Beyond the door, there's a cedar box, the inside of which is

"slightly warm to the touch."



20.  What does the cedar box do?

 It will duplicate any ammunition you put into it.  It will

work once per minute, assuming you remember to remove the

second clip or magazine.  It is probably the most useful

item in the game.



21.  Now what?

 Go back up through the Ground Floor and down through

Welcome Tasty Primate.  Take a ladder down from near the

north center to We Can See in the Dark, Can You?  Turn out

your flashlight to make the bugs go away.  Use your

infra-red goggles to see well.  Find your way down to Happy

Happy Carnage Carnage.



22.  What do I do on Happy Happy Carnage Carnage?

 Use your Walther and all the ammunition you've generate

using the cedar box to fight your way up to either the

northeast or northwest corners.  Go through the door just to

the east or the west, depending on which corner you're in. 

You've found the remains of the German expedition.



23.  How do I deal with all the monsters?

 Maneuver yourself so that you're facing parallel to the

wall with the three doors, with your back to the rune.  Back

over it and go until your back hits the wall.  Never stop

shooting once the monsters start to come through.  Use the

red potion to speed yourself up so you can dodge missile

attacks, and a blue potion if you need one.  Be prepared to

try this level a few times.



24.  What does the Red Cloak do?

 It slows down your metabolism.  The world around you passes

more quickly than your body moves, so wearing the red cloak

*except at particular moments* is something to be avoided.



25.  What does the brown potion do?

 It's a poison.  Don't discard it   you'll need it later.



26.  Why can't I open the gold door on Beware of Low-Flying

Nightmares?

 You don't have the gold key.  You won't run across it for

several levels, so don't worry about it now.



27.  How can I navigate the Labyrinth?

 Although its exact layout changes every time you enter it,

the essential features remain the same.  There is a ladder

in each corner.  The one in the northwest corner leads up to

Happy Happy Carnage Carnage, the northeast corner leads up

to Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares, the southwest corner

leads to Need a Light, and the southeast corner leads to

Lasciate Ogne Speranza, Voi Ch'Intrate, which isn't a typo. 

Most importantly, there's a violet crystal in the

approximate center of the maze, which you absolutely *must*

get. Take the ladder in the southwest corner to Need a

Light.



28.  What was it that killed all those soldiers?

 A very nasty flamethrowing monster.  Have the orange

crystal and a lot of ammunition ready, because it'll start

moving towards you as soon as the door shuts behind you. 

Fire at it continuously with your machine gun, and when it

gets ready to fire, run around a corner so that its missile

attack hits a wall instead of you.  As always, be ready to

try this level several times.  Make sure you question all of

the soldiers about the bomb and search them.



29.  Why can't I get past the little cross-legged guys?

 They're generating force fields that prevent you from

passing or firing through them.  You need to use the green

crystal (located a level below, on Watch Your Steps) to

quake down their barriers.



30.  What are the jumping lizards?

 Just what they seem   unshootable annoyances.  If you walk

over enough exploding purple pods, you'll kill them all.



31.  How do I get out of the chamber that locks me in?

 Put on the red cloak and wait for three hours until the

doors open again.  As long as you're there, make sure you

use the cedar box to mass-produce munitions of all kinds.



32.  How can I get past the green oozes?

 They'll leave you alone if you're already poisoned, which

is where that brown potion comes in.  Make sure you use it

in a place where they won't be trapping you when they stop

moving   they won't move, but you can't walk through them.



33.  How do I kill the purple monster?

 You can't.  Put on the gas mask and it can't hurt you, but

it will block your path.  You just have to maneuver around

it.



34.  Why don't my shots harm the blue greater nightmares? 

 They're resistant to regular ammunition, including HE (High

Explosive).  Use armour-piercing (SABOT) rounds for the

AK-47 (ideal) or projectile grenades (wasteful and

inefficient due to the long reloading time).



35.  How do I get through all those teleporters on Don't Get

Poisoned, Please Excuse Our Dust and But Wait!   That's Not

All!

 Patience.  On Don't Get Poisoned, take the south teleporter

in the first room, the east teleporter in the following

room, and then the teleporter in the southern section of

that area to get to Please Excuse Our Dust.  On PEOD, take

the south-center teleporter in the first room, then the

northernmost teleporter you find there, then the easternmost

teleporter, then a teleporter in the southwest corner to

move onto BW TNA.  On this level, you have to use every

teleporter before you can move on.



36.  What about the teleporter rooms on Where Only Fools

Dare Tread?

 You have to use every single teleporter in those rooms

before you get teleported out, and you should wear the red

robe while you do it, but don't forget to take it off when

you get teleported out.  It's a very good idea to mark the

teleporters you've used by dropping debris that you've

accumulated along the way such as Colt magazines, surplus

AK-47s, bent M-16s and dead soldiers' dead flashlights just

before you walk through.  You'll get very used to this maze

before you finish the game.  (Apparently this is untrue.  It seems that

you only need to use all the teleporters *in one room*.  Which room this

is, I don't know.  Trying to use every teleporter works nearly as well, and

takes a negligible amount of game time, so it's safe.  If anyone develops a

plain-English explanation of the route, please let me know.)



37.  Is there any quick way of getting rid of all those

monsters?

 No.  Shoot them, fire grenades at them...generally deal

with them like any regular monsters.  On the up side, this

is the last army of monsters of any consequence you have to

fight, so you can deplete your entire arsenal, if you feel

the need.  Crystals may be used indiscriminately once you've

eliminated the banshees (the violet crystal is especially

good for this, since it has an area effect).  Save a few

clips of ammunition, since you'll have to work your way back

up to ground level and will undoubtedly face a few monsters

in the process.  There are also some ghasts to get past just

before you leave.



38.  What's that red floating thing in the middle of the

room?

 A manifestation of the alien god.  You can't get rid of any

of them until you've faced the roomful of Greater

Nightmares, at which point a couple of MP-41 shots will do

in the last one.  This is the place to deposit the nuclear

device.



39.  How do I stop the Alien Gemstone from hurting me?

 Put it in the lead box from Warning:Earthquake Zone.  It's

radioactive, and the box will shield you from its effects. 

You need it to escape the pyramid.



40.  Anything else I should know?

 That should about cover it.  Don't forget to revisit the

gold door on Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares to retrieve the

gold ingots, now that you have the key.


Some combat tips:



 Never put yourself in a position where you have to fight more than two

monsters at a time, especially when you're dealing with skitters and

nightmares.  If you can, back yourself into a one-square alcove or short

passage, so only one can attack you at a time.  Failing that, back into a

corner, so you at least don't have to worry about your back.  If no corners

are available, at least put your back to a wall.



 If you can do so safely, back up as you shoot nightmares.  Their energy

attacks will take longer to reach you and you won't be hurt by their acidic

juices when they explode.  This may seem like a good idea with oozes, but

it's not.  There's more advantage to getting an ooze dead quickly than

there is in trying to run away from it, and the best way to do this is to

shoot from up close.



 There has been some debate on whether grenades or bullets are more

efficient in terms of damage per second.  I prefer even MP-41 bullets to

grenades, but I don't think that it really matters, except to the extent

that you're likely to have more clips of ammunition than you are to have

grenades.  To speed up grenade reloading, particularly when facing large

groups of monsters (and most particularly when you're dealing with

skitters, who can shoot "through" each other to get to you), do it manually

by clicking on the inventory window, moving a grenade into the launcher,

then clicking back on the game window.  This is a good two to three seconds

faster than waiting for it to happen automatically.

 Don't wast ammunition, even once you've got the cedar box.  Keep in mind
that when you're firing bullets into the air, you're not firing them into a
creature, and you're just wasting time.  Changing clips takes precious
seconds, which you might not have in the middle of a combat.  It's also
easy to synthesize a lot of things like grenades, then use them up without
realizing it.  If you can't find any more of them lying around (and there
IS a limited supply of everything), you've lost that particular weapon for
good.  Finally, when your score is being calculated at the end of the game,
you get points for accurate shooting.  Your percentage will be very high
with the survival knife, most likely perfect with grenades, and will
decrease with the advancing quality of your guns, particularly when you've
gotten the cedar box.  (I should mention that despite the fact that it says
that you get a point for every 10% accuracy over 40, and mine was 59%, I
didn't get any points.  This may be a bug, and possibly a "selective" one,
like the number of times you have to pass the copy protection at the
beginning, which seems to be different from user to user.)  



On the subject of secret rooms, you can get through the game having found

only the one with the blue crystal in it.  Other rooms, however, contain

things like potions and teleporters that make it easier and quicker.  It's

generally fairly obvious where a room would be, particularly to those who
have played games like Ultima and the Bard's Tale series, and you should
also look

for pillars that you can see with your eyes but not on your map.  If you

find one, try walking "through" it.



Good luck!



A great deal of credit for this walkthrough/FAQ sheet

belongs to whoever is behind the e-mail address of

st2c9@jetson.uh.edu at the University of Houston, the author

of  a more basic "PiD Survival Guide" that helped me get

through PiD myself and provided a little of the source

material, though all errors are, of course, entirely mine. 

Also useful is "Pathways into Cheating," a little app

written by Alain Roy that lets you modify your character

considerably.  Both files are available via anonymous FTP

from mac.archive.umich.edu, in the game utilities

subdirectory.