I believe if you specialize correctly, you should be able to get it. I'm not entirely sure how, as the character development system in this game still doesn't quite make sense to me, but it should be trainable.

Rowan, I found several references on the net to using either Gladys or Dranor (party members I assume you will pick up) for lockpicking, as well as putting a hairpin on your action bar and clicking on that to open locked chests.

I'll bet someone who has more experience with this game will be better able to answer your question

There are lockpicks that can be found or bought, as well as hairpins, and you need the lockpicking skill. You have to get trained in skills by finding people to train you. So, you should talk to everyone you can and if they can train you there will be an option to learn. You also have to have adventure points (I think that's what it's called) to learn the skill.

The rogue you meet in the first town, (I think his name is dranor) will have the skills as well as Gladys. These two will be available later in the game after some side quests.

You can find a partial list of trainers at Gamebanshee

Once you get into the game you have a party of 4 so you should select those with the skills you desire.

Thanks everyone. I will wait until I find Dranor to see if he can teach me. If I start a new game with a different character I will lose this game and can't come back to it.

You need to do a quest to find Dranor, though. It involves a gypsy princess (or queen) and a trip to a very high mountain.

I've made it to level 5. I'm deep under Ferduc. For the last 3 days I've been rat queen food. If dying were a skill I would be a master expert at it by now. Does anyone know at which level I should be to kill Ratinsky?

Off to do some other quests.

On the other boards I've read recommendations of level 8 before you face the Rat guy.

Thanks, I've left the Big Rat til later and am now in the swamps. I've found a treasure "map" which is a series of clues but they are not that clear to me. Does anyone know where the treasure is? There is no question mark on my map to point the way.

Rowan, This Thread from GameSpot talks about a treasure being

I'm not sure if this is the same one though.

Looney, the treasure map I mean is found in the Moorbridge Marshes. There is no mention of it in the few walkthroughs that I have found. If I leave Moorbridge I will not be able to come back.

Awwww, sorry, I was hoping that would not be the case.

Row here is the complete solution to the treasure map in case you need it.

I didn't do that quest myself but probably will on the second go around. I plan on using a different set of characters once I finish and try to find all the quests.

Thanks Oldman, I was just home from the vet and sitting down to google. You are the best

Thanks, Oldman. That is the best site yet for this game. The others that I had found were fairly incomplete.

Hi everyone. Is anyone still playing this game? Did anyone ever defeat the big rat in Ferdoc? The last time I tried I was level 5 and couldn't do it. Now my party is at level 10 and I'm just as dead as before. Is there a way to adjust the difficulty level? The other hard quest to do is the one where you have to fight with Rhulana against the Amazons. I don't see how these quests are winnable.

Rowan, there is Thread here talking about various techniques. Will any of those help?

Thanks, Looney, but nothing seems to help. I just wondered if anyone actually got through it. I can't even imagine the end boss fight if the game has such impossible obstacles throughout the game.

Looks like I could very well be searching for cheats as soon as I install this !!!!

It's a good game, I just found the character development system more of a hassle than a help and (for me) the only way to pass fights was to use a save game editor. I've finally uninstalled it. It might be a little while before I put it back on.

I found the fights very hard, but do-able without editors if you visit sites where you can get tips and hints on strategy.

I had progressed to the end of the Grimtooth Castle level, before I got a bit tired of the game. I definitely plan to come back to it soon though. I just needed a bit of a break in order to catch up with some Adventure games.

How far did you go before you got tired of it, H4XXORZ?

I got to the area after Moonbridge Marshes, before I gave up and uninstalled it, I sort of regret it now(deleted my Save Game. I found it rather frustrating with the combat and charater development, which would of been too bad but it was the only game I was playing and I do tend to get bored especially with long games. I have change my gamming habits playing two games instead of one.

I enjoyed what I played of it, but it lacked something it did'nt help with not knowing the gameset and difficult combat. But I have completed most other PC RPG's though. Just started King's Bounty as my RPG/RTS game seems pretty good of what I have played of it, but playing more action based games as well as adventure games, to try and stop me getting bored of long titles

I assume that you know how to add points to your statistics when you level up. It took me a long time to figure that out and I had a whole bunch of exp points unused when I finally did.

There is a save game editor that allows you to change the inventory items (in particular weapons) as well as statistics. If you increase a weapon to 10/20 for all your characters then you will fell Mother rat pretty quick. That's the easiest way I know plus you can then edit again and return the weapons to their original strength (or not).

Hi Rowan

I was able to defeat the giant rat at low level - This was the first thing I did in Ferdok. It took me a number of attempts but this is how I did it.
Use sneak and entice the rats to you and take them out.
Use an archer and sneak to hit one of teh rats in the distance behind the giant rat (down the path to the right of GR). Make these rats come to you without the giant rat coming as well.
I did this by leaving the party by the entrance and running back to them. Take out these rats.
When the Giant rat attacks I had the amazon lady whacking her with an axe and the dwarf and saber lady whacking from behind (these are good hits) with my character (an archer) constantly giving bandages to the Amazon woman.
When the GR is at three quarters/half and a quarter health more rats attck - I used the dwarf to attack these - as they arrive I had the saber lady cast the 'harder to hit' spell on my main character and then she also attacks the rats. I did go through a few bandages

You guys rock!

To answer the question that was asked, I got through with Moorbridge. It was a fun game, just couldn't hold my attention for long enough I guess.

I'm glad other people have had the patience to do it, though. Hopefully I'll muster up the whatever it is and try to finish it.