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Swords & Sorcery
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Neal Hallford, World Builder
A born storyteller, Hallford grew up in Oklahoma and eventually made his way to California to work for New World Computing, where he worked on the games Planet’s Edge and Tunnels & Trolls: Crusaders of Khazan, among others. He later scored a major success with the award-winning Betrayal at Kondor, which he designed while working at Dynamix. Today he works for Rapid Eye Entertainment, where he creates materials for a real-time strategy game based on Sony Online Entertainment’s massively multiplayer online role-playing game EverQuest.  “The first thing that Chris [Taylor] and I did was sit down and talk about what Dungeon Siege was intended to be,” Hallford says. “I think initially Chris was a little worried about using me. Until that point I had established a reputation in the industry as a heavy hitter in the big, epic, traditional role-playing genre. He was very certain that wasn’t what he wanted Dungeon Siege to be. He was shooting for an action title that would keep the player moving, exploring, and doing things all the time, and that meant that we were going to have to approach the storyline and the dialogue in a very distributive, streamlined way.
“The next step for me was to go through their story with a writer’s eye, fix underpinnings that I felt didn’t work, and generally reinforce the vision they’d already established. I might find something in their outline that said, ‘...and then the player goes to Glacern to get the vibrating blue squirrel because they need it to open the door to the Crypt of Zhul,’ and I had to back up and figure out all the whys and wherefores behind that. Why does the player need that specific object? How does the person who’s telling me about it know the player needs it? Does anyone else know about it, and why aren’t they going after it? If they are going after it, how can I use that to create further conflict for the player? “The next phase for me was professional world building. Eventually all this backstory material turned into a 70-some odd page bible that became the back history of the world, which I then gave back to GPG to use as a tool to help them develop further games.  “The last big thing I did was write the actual dialogue itself. Once we had a solid story, and I had a back history to the world, getting words out of the characters’ mouths was much easier. I knew where they came from, and why they’d be doing the things they were being asked to do. From that point it just became a matter of mixing art with game mechanics. You create an interesting character, establish what their functional message and functions are going to be, and then you use that personality to get the information to the player. It’s always a challenge, but it was especially fun while working on Dungeon Siege.”
Asked about the game’s theme, Hallford replies: “Pretty soon after I first read over GPG’s initial outline, I realized this was going to end up being a ‘sins of the fathers’ storyline. I felt that all the nasty things going on in the kingdom weren’t just accidental, they weren’t random violence, and they weren’t just conquest for conquest’s sake. Something had happened a long time ago that set these events in motion. That became the major thematic thread that I used while reworking the storyline. “In turn, that theme blossomed in the backstory in a big way, and led to the creation of about 3,000 years of history that precede the foundation of the Kingdom of Ehb. There’s a lot of stuff that players haven’t been shown yet, but hopefully may be revealed in future sequels. “Another theme that plays a major role in the game is the idea that losing connection with your roots can be dangerous. You can choose to forget certain things because you don’t like them, or try to hide things about yourself that you don’t feel that other people need to know, but ultimately there are penalties that are going to be paid for that kind of secrecy. Sometimes the people paying are going to be the people you most care about.” |
 Can I Help You? Shop owners may have items to sell or quests to offer.  If I Only Had a Magical Two-Handed Sword. It’s easy to rearrange your character’s equipment.  Vertigo. Explore high towers in addition to deep dungeons.  Everything’s So Blue. You don’t spend all your time in dank dungeons. |
It’s Good to Have Friends
You’ll meet many NPCs during your adventures in Ehb, but some will be more useful to you than others, depending on the difficulty level you’re using and your personal preferences. (Some players recommend playing solo with seven pack mules, or seven mages who cast nothing but healing spells, if you want a real challenge.)
Here’s an overview of most of the NPCs you can recruit. (Some of them require a payment of gold for their services, but we haven’t given the exact amount because it varies depending on the difficulty setting.)
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Ulora:
She shows up in the Crypt of the Sacred Blood, which is the first dungeon you explore. She possesses basic skills when you meet her, so you can develop her any way you want, although many believe she makes a solid archer or nature mage. Gyorn:
Rusk: Look for him sleeping in a second-floor room in the Stonebridge inn. He requires gold for his services (he also says he has a bar tab to pay off), but he’s worth it if you want a good fighter. He’s one of three NPCs you can hire while you wander around Stonebridge (you should explore the town completely before moving on). Naidi: You’ll find her recovering from an arrow wound at the temple in Stonebridge. For a fee, she’ll pay off her healing bill and join you. Like Ulora, she has the skills to become a solid archer. Zed: He’s bored and looking for adventure, but he won’t leave Stonebridge unless you pay him. He’ll make a good nature mage. Gloern: You’ll meet this dwarf right before you enter the Glitterdelve Mines. He wants you to help him find his brother; in exchange, he offers his solid fighting skills. Kroduk: You meet him at the Lucky Hurggis Inn in Glacern, where’s talking to another NPC named Lorun. He makes an excellent fighter. Lorun: He’s the perfect combat mage. He and Kroduk both require a reasonable fee for their services. Merik: He won’t be able to talk when you first meet him, as he’s encased in ice at the end of the dungeon in the Alpine Caverns. Goblins have stolen his magical warding staff, so he’ll join you in his quest to find it. He makes a very good nature mage. |
Phaedriel:
She waits in a camp of travelers at the end of a dark forest. She requires a lot of gold for her services, but she possesses top-notch archer skills. Sell some of your loot to pay her, if you need to. Andiemus: For a big pile of gold, you can purchase the services of this powerful nature mage while slogging your way through the swamps after leaving the travelers’ camp. Boryev: You can recruit him into the group — for a fee, of course — right after you leave a short dungeon that lies beyond Bonepicker’s Post. He’s a strong fighter, but he also costs a lot of gold, so the question is: Do you have at least two strong fighters by now? If so, pass him by. Rhut: He shows up at Fortress Kroth. He’s an excellent fighter, but he costs more than Boryev and by this point you may already have two or more excellent fighters in your group, so it’s your call. Sikra: After you leave Fortress Kroth, head down the stairs to the right and walk along the path. When you see a skull on the wall, press the button to the left of it and you’ll enter the Hall of Skulls. Sikra waits in a room that’s behind a statue you must turn. She’s a very good combat/nature mage, so she’s worth finding. She also doesn’t require a fee, which means you can save your gold to buy supplies and weapons. Ulfgrim: After you leave the Hall of Skulls, you’ll find this fighter, who, like many of the others, costs a lot. If you’ve lost a fighter or two, though, you may have no choice but to purchase his services, especially because the end of the game is close and some very tough monsters lie ahead. If you can hold out, though, Lord Bolivar won’t cost you anything and he has better combat skills. Lord Bolivar: After you kill the Ancient Dragon (whoops, hope we didn’t give too much away there) but before you enter Castle Ehb, you’ll find this strong fighter. He’s the last NPC you can recruit, so keep that in mind if you decide to pass him up. He’s free, which is a plus. |
If you’re looking for more information about the game, including in-depth walkthroughs, visit the Dungeon Siege FAQs and Guides page at GameFAQs.com. You’ll find plenty to read there, including the secret of the mysterious chicken level.
System Requirements
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