Phew. Just finished a pretty epic play through. I finished up all of the quests that interested me (just some kill x amount of y and some escort quests which I refuse to do left) so I decided to go on an adventure.
I set an X on my map in an unexplored region and set off to get there. With my supplies stocked up and my pawns ready to go I set forth from the capital. I then proceeded to attack some nearby bandits whom I knew would be in my way.
That was when the griffin flew down.
I was now combating about 8 bandits and a really pissed off griffin 2 minutes into my journey.
There were some close calls, but luckily I made it out victorious and even got some items I needed to upgrade my pawn's gear. So, off to a good start. I continue my journey battling bandits, goblins, which lead to a cyclops and a chimera kill in some of the more remote places.
Then night falls.
I'm walking towards a camp fire knowing fair well that A. There's probably some good loot there and B. Most likely there will be something horrible waiting for me. Well, I was right on both accounts. I found a large group of bandits who damn near killed me. It was a close battle, but I was rewarded with some great loot. I proceed a bit further into the darkness and hear a howl...
Time for the direwolves. They came at me in a massive pack, larger than anything I've seen before. There had to be 15 of them at least. They were zipping in and out of my lantern light, and they would surround me any chance they could get. My pawns were going wild, I was trying to fight them off, then some snow harpies flew in to add to the chaos - fire arrows were let loose and finally, after 10+ minutes of constant battling it came to an end.
I took a breather and followed the path to a new area which lead me into a windy canyon. There I faced some undead mages and some skeleton warriors. Right after that battle ended, the sun crested the horizon and I was finally able to get a good view of where I was. Everything was narrow but I had a feeling that I was about to face something huge... and so I was.
Meet my new friend:
This was a fun battle, unique from the others I'd fought so far, and I was REALLY not expecting the attacks he was pulling off. I thought I was safe at a distance... I was wrong.
After defeating him and the local bandits I explored the area a bit more and found a smugler's den which contained some unique weapons and a shield (hammer and a pair of really cool looking daggers to be exact). I exited the area and progressed down the end of the path towards a tower in the distance. Upon arriving at the tower I realized where I was... the Blue Moon Tower.
I recognized this place from what I'd seen pre-release and knew I didn't have the quest for it yet, so I admired it, thanked myself for going out and finding it to make it easier for later... and then transported myself back to the capital with all of my loot.
Was an exciting time overall and is definitely something I'm going to do again. Also, here's a pic showing my current party (different armor on me than what I usually use though):
