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| Release date | 22 April 2014 (Update) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Members | No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Voice Over | No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Official difficulty | Novice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quest series | None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age | Sixth Age | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A Shadow over Ashdale is a free-to-play quest featuring the island of Ashdale. The quest has no requirements but the combat is scaled like in The Death of Chivalry. The quest features puzzles and unlike most of the quests it presents story by environment rather than by dialogues. It was first announced in Behind the Scenes for April 2014.
Official description
| “ | Recently, ships ferrying supplies to Ashdale have returned with their cargo still aboard, reporting that the island has apparently been deserted. Gudrik is eager to investigate the mystery, but he is too old to do so himself – he needs someone to travel the island and find out what is wrong. | ” |
Walkthrough
| Start point |   |
|---|---|
| Member requirement |  Free to play |
| Official difficulty |  Novice |
| Official length | Short |
| Requirements | Skill requirements are not boostable unless marked with a [B] for boostable.
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| Items required | Items from the tool belt are not listed unless they do not work or are not automatically added. Advised: Decent armour and some food. |
| Enemies to defeat |
• Several Crassian scouts (scale with your stats) • Agoroth (scales with your stats) |
Return to Ashdale
Speak to Gudrik just southwest of Taverley bank. He says that the supply ships that are regularly sent to Ashdale, an island located near the Feldip Hills, have started returning with their cargo still aboard. The island is apparently deserted and an evil aura hangs over it. He asks you to travel to Ashdale to investigate.
Lucy, one of the residents of Ashdale, too frightened to leave alone.
Board the ship docked to the west. When you arrive in Ashdale, walk through the town until you meet Lucy, who is cowering in her house. She says that the town was attacked by horrible creatures, and although she avoided them by hiding in her attic, the townspeople were taken away. She doesn't know where they are now, but guesses they may be under the island somewhere. You say that you need to get to the other side of the island and she suggests using the sewers.
Sewer raider
Fighting a Crassian scout.
Enter the sewer from the entrance out the back door. The sewer is populated by a few non-aggressive level 4 sewer rats. When you reach the first chamber, a cut scene will introduce the Crassian scout. Kill it (it drops a Minnow, which doesn't need to be kept) and continue down the sewer to the second chamber, with a second Crassian scout. Kill it and climb the ladder to leave the sewers.
Climb the steps and after a brief cutscene you will be in an area with two more Crassian scouts. Although they are aggressive, killing them appears to be optional. Go through the gate to the south and enter the house at the top. Search the table to find a page from an old journal. This is the journal of Ogden Plainview, who was planning the construction of the house above some caves. Inspect the bust to open a stairway leading downwards.
The smuggler's cavern
Descend the stairs. You will now be in the Smuggler's Cove with another Crassian scout and a dead smuggler. Search the body to find a Smuggler's journal. A band of smugglers had discovered the caves and planned to make it their hideout. They had installed a security system and a few booby traps, but eventually stirred up a nest of creatures.
Advance down the cave, which contains one more scout. Enter a cavern containing barrels and pipes. After a brief cutscene, you will need to open the door by channelling water to it.
The water-barrel puzzle.
Collect the Valve outer wheel, Valve inner wheel and some Pitch. Repair the leak in the pipe, combine the wheel parts into a Valve wheel and repair the socket on the central barrel. The barrel at the end of the pipe is already full of water, and you will need to turn the valve wheel on that barrel to move the water to the next barrel. Repeat until the last barrel is flushed to open the door.
Go through the door and enter a chamber where you will find three more Crassian scouts. This chamber contains Crassian pods, which appear to play some part in the Crassian reproductive process. Kill the scouts and a cutscene will show the door to the next area opening. Optionally search the chest to find 125 coins and an uncut sapphire (the gems found in chests are not required during the quest).
Pulling a lever impales a Crassian warrior.
Enter the next tunnel, where a cutscene will show the approach of a Crassian warrior. If you approach the creature, you will immediately die, but respawn at the same place without losing any items. However if you pull the lever on the wall, the spike trap will activate, killing the warrior and opening the door to the next area.
The next area has another Crassian warrior moving around a circular trap. Dispatch it in the same way by pulling the lever on the wall while avoiding contact with the creature.
Advance to the next area, where there are two separate warriors on two different traps. Dodge the first and find the lever on the wall at the second warrior and pull it to dispatch the two warriors.
Through the next door, after the body of another dead smuggler, optionally search a chest to find 500 coins and three more uncut sapphires.
In the next area, there are two traps, each with two warriors patrolling. The lever can be found on the north side of the wall at the second circuit.
The next area contains two scouts. Optionally search the chest to find 132 coins and an uncut emerald.
Release the Kraken
Climb on to the ship. Four tentacles will appear from underneath, and the first will attack you. Kill each of the four in turn. They have 201 LP and attacks on the tentacles are capped to 40 damage. Though they are easy to kill some food might be useful. After they are defeated, a cutscene will then show a giant Crassian known as Agoroth emerging from below. You will need to kill it to complete the quest.
Agoroth bursts forth from the depths of the sea.
Standing close to Agoroth during the fight will result in being hit by him a constant 100% hitting attack which deals a constant amount of damage. Standing further will result in tentacles riding from your side of the ship, similar to the previously encountered ones but not attackable. From the moment you are at their range they will start whirling and then will hit the ground dealing a constant amount of damage if you did not get out of their range, which is wider than how it actually looks.
Once a few attacks Agoroth will release another attack, a flow of water that will knock you back if hit and damage you as well. This attack covers half of the ship's width and it's range is bigger than Agoroth's normal attack. On Agoroth's health bar, you will notice marks at 3/4, 1/2 and 1/4. when he is under 50% of his life points, Agoroth will start using another heavily damaging special attack in the form of green material falling in patterns on the floor. He will become shielded than and you will not be able to harm him, and dark marks will appear on two opposite quarters of the floor. Quickly run to one of the other quarters, or you will be dealt heavy damage! When under 25% LP, he will upgrade his special attack and it will cover 5/9 of the floor, spread diagonally.
If you find defeating Agoroth hard, you can use some kind of hit and run technique. When standing on top of the ship's stairs you are protected from any kind of attack, and you could use a long-range weapon (range or magic) to attack. In order to attack you must get closer, but you can easily attack once or even twice and run back to the safe spot before being hit by the tentacles. Using this method will take some time but will help you win if you cannot manage to win easily.
You can exit the battle at any time, and return to the battle by going on the same ship again, with no need to play through the quest again!
Peace restored
The town is safe once more.
A final cutscene will show the townsfolk cheering their rescue. You will appear back in the town where Lucy will congratulate you. Speak to her to be transported back to Gudrik in Taverley.
Rewards
- 1 quest point
- Attack XP Lamp worth 300 XP
- Strength XP Lamp worth 300 XP
- Defence XP Lamp worth 300 XP
- Constitution XP Lamp worth 300 XP
- 3 Black pearls
- May break one per day to receive bonus experience in any skill equal to that of a large fallen star.
- 2 Treasure Hunter keys and 2 Hearts of Ice
- 125 gp and an uncut sapphire, for searching the chest in the dungeon
Trivia
- This was the first new quest released to free players that did not replace an existing quest since The Blood Pact, in 2010.
- The quest's name is very likely a reference to "The Shadow over Innsmouth", a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. The story's plot revolves around a seaside town in Massachusetts known as Innsmouth, which is inhabited by a race of beings known as the Deep Ones.
- The music heard while fighting Agoroth is the same music heard when fighting Vorago.
- Upon completion of the quest the Adventurer's Log states: I defeated Agoroth, the crassians' leader, and freed the people of Ashdale.
