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Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession Walkthrough

By Daniel D'Agostino, 2024-09-15

Getting Started
Barovia and Environs
Strahd's Quest
The Old Church
The Cemetery
Assault on Castle Ravenloft
The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind
Return to Elturel
- Castle Ravenloft, Dungeons (Symbol)
- 🎥 Cutscene: Return to Elturel

About Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession

An Advanced Dungeons & Dragons computer product

Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession is a computer role-playing game (RPG) developed by DreamForge Intertainment and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1994. It uses the same game engine as Menzoberranzan and Ravenloft: Stone Prophet and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) 2nd Edition rules.

Mist surrounds the unwary adventurers. It becomes a fog, and by its embrace transports them into the dread-worn realm that is Barovia and its surroundings. Dark, gloomy landscapes, abandoned huts, the unburied dead, and terrors the like of which could freeze a traveler’s soul are but hints of what lies ahead, shrouded in mystery.

-- Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession Cluebook, page 1

Although the game begins in the familiar Forgotten Realms, the two main characters find themselves transported to an unfamiliar land after pursuing an assassin who stole an amulet from Lord Dhelt of Elturel and almost killed him. This land is in fact Barovia, one of the Domains of Dread within the AD&D Ravenloft campaign setting. Enshrouded in a poison mist, Barovia is ruled by Strahd Von Zarovich from Castle Ravenloft, and is a prison for all who live there.

There is undoubtedly some cause for confusion, since "Barovia" refers to both the village and the Domain of Dread, whereas "Ravenloft" refers to both the castle and campaign setting. For this reason, in this walkthrough I always refer to "Barovia" as the village and "Ravenloft" as the land (unless specifically qualified as "Castle Ravenloft"). When I say that the party wants to "leave Ravenloft", it is still technically correct though; the party does in fact want to return to the land of Elturel within the Forgotten Realms.

Box art
**Source**: Benjamin Wimmer & Big Box Collection (used with permission)

Box contents
**Source**: Benjamin Wimmer & Big Box Collection (used with permission)

Box rear
**Source**: Benjamin Wimmer & Big Box Collection (used with permission)

Despite its contemporary technical limitations and widely criticised clunky controls, the game does a splendid job in conveying its Transylvanian gothic horror atmosphere by means of top-notch music, ambient sounds, hordes of undead, observations from party members, traumatised NPCs, level drainers, and even a ghost possessing a party member.

While not as linear as Menzoberranzan and not as open-world as Ravenloft: Stone Prophet, Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession sits somewhere in between, gating most levels but at times offering choices of what to do next and in what order. The level design is very nicely done, although some of the puzzles can be annoying at times. Overall, Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession is a brutal dungeon crawler, not for the faint of heart, but experiencing this often-overlooked gem is a must for the old-school RPG enthusiast.

Strategic Simulations' Ravenloft (developed by DreamForge) manages to blend the elements of a first-person 3-D environment, with sound and story into a work replete with just such an insidiously credible atmosphere.

[...]

Aside from a few technical problems and a somewhat cumbersome interface, Ravenloft is a solid, thoughtfully designed and enjoyable game. While the music varied in effectiveness, the graphics and sound effects (many of which will be recognizable to those who have played other SSI games) added greatly to the feeling of suspense and discovery. The animation sequences are entertaining and the narration is superb.

-- "Exorcising The Madness of Strahd's Possession" by Petra Schlunk. In Computer Gaming World, Issue 119, pages 74,76,78 (June 1994).

You can buy Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession together with its sequel Ravenloft: Stone Prophet at either GOG or Steam. Although I haven't tried the Steam version, I recommend the GOG release because it's DRM-free and also does not seem to have a nasty bug that is reportedly in the Steam release.

Controls

Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession is a first-person RPG and while it is newer than Ultima Underworld (which pioneered this kind of game engine), it predates standard WASD and mouse look controls, so it can take a little adjustment for newer players.

There are different ways to move around, including the following (consult the manual, pages 10-12, for more details):

Left-clicking on the directional arrows under the compass.
Left-clicking in the main view.
Free mouse movement (press Space).
The Numpad on your keyboard.

If you really, really don't like the movement controls, you can try using the DOSBox key mapper to map the Numpad controls elsewhere (e.g. at and around the WASD keys).

If you prefer the grid-style movement in early "blobber" RPGs like the Eye of the Beholder trilogy, you can toggle step movement by either clicking on the compass or toggling it in the Options menu.

I generally prefer to use the Numpad for movement as it leaves the mouse free to interact with objects, monsters and NPCs. You can then use the mouse in the adventure screen as follows:

Left-click an NPC to talk to them.
Left-click a monster or your characters' equipped weapons to attack.
Left-click an item in a character's hand (e.g. a potion) to use it.
Left-click an item on the floor to pick it up.
Left-click an item you're already holding to drop/throw it.

You can access your characters' inventory by clicking on any of their portraits in the adventure screen. If you picked up an item, you can also double-right-click on a character's portrait to place it directly into their inventory (without opening the inventory screen), or double-right-click an equipped weapon to swap it.

Once in the inventory screen, you can:

Click on an item to place it on the cursor, in an inventory slot, or equip it on a character's mannequin.
Left-click character names to swap their positions.
Left-click the arrow next to a character portrait to see their attributes.
Right-click the arrow next to a character portrait to see all characters' attributes.
Place a container in a character's left hand to open it.
Place a mage scroll onto a mage character's spellbook to scribe it.
Once an item is on the cursor, press D to drop it.
Right-click anywhere (except on the aforementioned arrows) to go back to the adventure screen.

Outside of the adventure screen, right-clicking generally closes the current view (e.g. Load/Save screen, inventory, dialogue, etc.).

To cast spells, click on the spellbook, holy symbol, or combination thereof on top of a character's portrait in the adventure screen. Spells are listed under numbers from 1 to 6 representing their level. There are no abilities in this game, except for Turn Undead and Lay on Hands which are listed as Level 1 spells.

To access the main menu, move your cursor to the top of the adventure screen. This is where you can save, load or quit your game, pray for or memorise spells, rest, and access the automap and Options screen.

There is also a quick-save and quick-load facility via the S and Shift+R keys, respectively, though you won't find the quick-save slot in the Save/Load screens.

The automap, accessed via the main menu, is invaluable to find your way, especially through the larger levels. Read more about it in either the manual (pages 23-25) or my article about the Ravenloft Engine Trilogy's Automaps.

General Tips

A few things to keep in mind while you play:

Your mage won't reach Level 12 by the end of the game, so don't scribe any sixth-level mage scrolls.
Consider keeping any extra mage scrolls for a secondary mage.
The two characters on the right are considered to be in the rear rank. They can only reach enemies via long (e.g. halberds, two-handed swords, etc.), ranged (slings only... don't bother using bows, since arrows don't work) or thrown weapons, except in outdoor situations.
A multi-class character cannot cast Mage spells while wearing armour, except for an Elf wearing Elven Chain Mail or Elven Plate Mail.
If you have any extra fire-based weapons or spells (e.g. Wands of Fireball, Oils of Fiery Burning, extra Mage or Cleric Scrolls) that you don't immediately need, save them for the Undead Forest.
Creatures tend to spawn in outdoor areas at night, so you can take advantage of this for a little extra experience.

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About this Walkthrough

This walkthrough is a tribute to Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession, and an attempt at producing a better walkthrough for it than any other in existence. Released in 1994, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the game, which is as good a time as any to celebrate it being a part of CRPG history - a history that I hope we get to preserve and not simply forget.

A number of walkthroughs for this game exist, including the official cluebook, and some of them come with maps. However, their directions tend to be superficial and hard to follow, as are their maps. Even the cluebook is not that detailed, requires cross-referencing across many pages between maps and text, and has many mistakes and omissions (most notably the fourth button in the Elven Warrior's Crypt, Lower Level 2).

This walkthrough is a sort of tourist guide to the game, guiding you through every step of the way, warning you of dangers to come, and pointing out oddities or trivia that are worth checking out or knowing about. It comes with over 900 screenshots (selected from almost 3,200 taken while playing) and 44 maps to help give you the best possible experience of this game, whether you're planning to play it or not.

Using the Maps

The maps are custom-made and annotated diligently to mark locations of interest, convey the layout of the various levels, and illustrate the recommended path to take.

Locations on each map are numbered, and explained on either side of the map, depending on whether they're on the left or right half of the map.
Locations are colour-coded to highlight vital quest items, magical items, NPCs, exits, and teleporters.
Solid white arrows show the recommended path to take through each level.
Dashed grey arrows connect teleporters to their destinations.
Red arrows indicate the direction of fire of Fireball or Lightning Bolt traps.
Solid orange lines enclose areas of levels that are not immediately accessible.
Dashed coloured lines enclose either areas that require a key, or areas that should be avoided until later.

While you'll quickly get used to the colour-coding used in the maps, the following is a brief explanation of what they mean:

Green circles indicate something really important. Most of the time this would be a critical quest item or a button required to progress further in the game, but less important items are also occasionally marked this way (e.g. items required for the optional Werewolf's Quest).
Cyan circles indicate magical items. This includes magical weapons, armour, shields, all Mage Scrolls, and Cleric Scrolls that are fifth-level and above. There are exceptions, for instance Cleric Scrolls of Raise Dead are fifth-level but considered not interesting due to their abundance; a similar argument goes for potions.
Magenta circles lead to another level; they are either exits or teleporters.
Dark blue circles lead to a different location on the same level; they are either stairs or teleporters.
Red circles are either traps (Fireball or Lightning Bolt) or monsters. While monsters are not usually indicated on these maps, their presence is noted when they are either unique, or are inside a building (to avoid unpleasant surprises when you're just looking for a place to rest).
Purple circles indicate NPCs that can join the party.
Peach circles indicate NPCs that cannot join the party.
Off-white circles are used for any other item or location that is not particularly important.
When a combination of the above are at the same spot, the most important colour wins. For instance, if a critical quest item and a monster are in the same location, then a green circle is used.

The Making of this Walkthrough

This walkthrough (including its maps and map generation tools) was developed in about six months (on and off) between February and August 2024, plus a little more for review and final editing. It's based on the GOG release of Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession, which uses the CD-ROM version 1.2A.

You can certainly try following along with some other version of the game, but your experience may be different. There's a well-known bug at the portal in the Caverns West of Barovia that afflicts the Steam release of the game, and seems to have also affected the GOG release several years ago. I'm not sure what version the Steam one is, but presumably older versions are buggier. Furthermore, differences between the CD-ROM and floppy disk versions of the game are listed on page 113 of the official cluebook.

Like the Day of the Tentacle walkthrough and the Menzoberranzan walkthrough before it, this walkthrough is written in a custom Markdown-like format and then processed, along with all the raw screenshots and maps, using custom software to produce the final result that you see here.

In-game map of the Old Church, Lower Level 2

Exported map of the Old Church, Lower Level 2

Annotated map of the Old Church, Lower Level 2

The custom-made map generation tools were initially based on those made for the Menzoberranzan walkthrough, but gradually developed into a much more sophisticated system. The following describes the process to generate each map:

First, a base map (without annotations) and an annotated map are exported from the in-game automap.
A tool extracts the in-map notes from the annotated map into a JSON file that includes the text and location on the map. Since the extracted locations are buggy and erratic, manual intervention is necessary to correct them, as well as to update the text and apply a tag that will result in the appropriate highlighted colour for the location.
Other overlays such as arrows and border lines or polygons are defined in another JSON file.
In rare cases when the export results in wrong grid cells (it sometimes happens when e.g. there's furniture in a niche, since the export has limited resolution), the map is manually patched using yet another JSON file.
Another tool generates an image from the base map and applies all the overlays (annotations, arrows, lines and polygons). It auto-numbers the annotations based on which half of the map they're in, and in order from top to bottom and left to right. Some maps are also made by merging two different maps (e.g. Barovia interior and exterior maps).
The above three steps are repeated until the generated map is faithful to the in-game automap and all overlays look good.
Whenever cosmetic changes are necessary, all the input data for the map is already available, so the maps can easily be regenerated with the necessary adjustments.

Acknowledgements

I would like to extend a heartfelt "thank you" to the following people for their much-appreciated contribution to this walkthrough:

gibberishh, for early review and feedback
Benjamin Wimmer of Big Box Collection, for the game box pictures

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🎥 Cutscene: Introduction

Lord Dhelt's comrades approach his chambers

"Forces [...] plot against good Lord Dhelt"

The door to Lord Dhelt's room blasts into pieces

Amidst rumours of forces plotting against Lord Dhelt, ruler of Elturel, his comrades return from patrol to see him. Sure enough, as they approach his chambers, the doors are blown apart by a magical explosion.

Dhelt and the mage Baranta Chansil are injured

The assassin stole the Holy Symbol of Helm

He headed "toward the forest beyond the castle"

The quest for the Holy Symbol of Helm begins

In Lord Dhelt's chamber, the party finds signs of a struggle, an open balcony, and two figures on the ground. Lord Dhelt and the mage Baranta Chansil are both injured but alive. The assassin has however made off with Lord Dhelt's Holy Symbol of Helm. The party vows to retrieve it and heads towards a nearby forest in pursuit of the assassin.

"[...] the assassin's trail leads into an autumn wood"

"The apparent peace and beauty of the setting belies its danger"

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Character Creation

In Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession, you start the game with two characters. You can either create your own, or use the quick start party.

The Quick Start Party

Select "Continue Game" from the main menu

From the main menu, select "Continue Game". The first save slot you can load is called "Quick Start Party: Elven F/M - Dwarven F/C". You can use this to bypass character creation and start playing right away.

The quick start party is a reasonable build, consisting of an Elven Fighter/Mage and a Dwarven Fighter/Cleric. Personally, I prefer single-class characters with maxed out attributes, so I tend to create my own characters, especially since the process is quick and easy in this game.

The Dwarven Fighter/Cleric is called "Anvil Dawn", most likely a reference to DreamForge Intertainment's game "Anvil of Dawn", which came out the following year (1995).

Character Creation

A gypsy lays tarot cards on a table while her cat wags its tail

To create your own characters, select "Create Characters" from the main menu. You are shown a brief animation of a gypsy laying tarot cards down on a table, similar to the character creation of some earlier Ultima titles, and then the character creation process begins.

This sequence is documented in detail in the manual, in the section called "Creating Your Party of Characters", between pages 29-44. Basically, you select which character you want to "foresee", and then for each of these two characters, you select their sex, race, class, alignment, face, attributes, and name. When you are done with a character, you select whether you want to keep them, or delete them and start over. When you are done with both characters, you can then "watch the future", i.e. start the game.

Non-human races allow you to select multiple classes. To do this, select more than one card, then click "Done".
Evil alignments are not supported in this game.
There are a total of 17 faces per gender to choose from. Click "More" to cycle through them.
When you get to the attribute card, click "Reroll" to regenerate the character's attributes randomly, or "Edit" to edit the six primary attributes as well as the character's Hit Points (HP). Click the attribute card when you're done.
To edit a character's attributes, click each attribute and then left-click on the "+" or "-" cards to adjust them. Alternatively, right-click on the "+" or "-" cards, or press the "+" or "-" keys on your Numpad, to set the selected attribute to its maximum or minimum allowed value, respectively. Click "Done" when you're done editing.

Given that you can only choose two characters, many people go for multi-class characters to achieve a better balance of abilities. That is a reasonable thing to do, especially as augmenting a spellcaster with a Fighter (or similar) class will make them more effective in combat. On the other hand, multi-class characters level up more slowly (even single-class characters will likely not exceed experience level 11 by the end of the game), and there are also severe limitations on certain combinations of multi-class characters in this game, restricting their usefulness.

Any Cleric (even a Figher/Cleric, Ranger/Cleric or Cleric/Mage) cannot use edged weapons (such as swords), but, strangely, can use bows and arrows, the Dagger of Throwing +2, and the Axe of Hurling +1.
A Cleric/Mage cannot use edged weapons (due to the Cleric part), nor heavy blunt weapons (due to the Mage part), restricting them to using just a staff.
Any Mage (Fighter/Mage, Cleric/Mage, etc.) cannot cast Mage spells while wearing armour, except for an Elf wearing Elven Chain Mail or Elven Plate Mail.

For this walkthrough, I will be using single-class characters: a Dwarven Cleric and an Elven Mage.

This helps level up faster and can access more powerful spells.
There are several powerful weapons in this game, including ones usable by front-rank Clerics and Mages.
Cleric spells and abilities such as Turn Undead and Negative Plane Protection are essential against the scores of undead in Ravenloft. Unfortunately though, Spiritual Hammer is not available in this game, and True Seeing is not available to Clerics.
There is a good selection of Fighter and Mage NPCs available, but cleric NPCs are very limited.
There is no use at all for thieves in this game - they can't pick any locks and don't have any abilities (e.g. backstab) either.
Dwarves and pure Elves passively detect illusionary walls and hidden buttons, which are both prevalent and annoying in this game.
Pure Elves can't be resurrected with a Raise Dead spell. Reload if your Elf dies.
Feel free to max out your attributes, despite what purists say. The game is tough enough as it is already. Having at least 18 Strength also helps make up for the broken additional damage of enchanted weapons by providing a +2 damage bonus (see the manual, page 89, for the Strength chart).

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The Forgotten Realms Forest

The assassin is to the south, where the forest is quiet

A paladin delivers different opening remarks

From your starting point in the Forgotten Realms forest, you can already see the assassin to the south, and you can hear a disturbing laughter in the air. The assassin doesn't move from his spot and engages in melee combat as you approach. Although you could in theory take him down from a distance, the options to do that are very limited:

You don't start with any spells memorised, and can't rest to gain them while the assassin still lives
Due to a bug, arrows don't do any damage
Some character classes may have a Scroll of Magic Missile, but it's not worth wasting them on this guy

The party trades blows with the assassin

So, don't think about it too much. Equip your party with any useful gear available in their inventory, head towards the assassin, and kill him. When this is done, a party member comments about some "foul artifacts".

The assassin drops some items when killed

Mareva tries to wield the Finger of Commanding, but nothing happens

I am beset by madness, perhaps insane. I commit these few words to paper that others might better judge my fate. Born to this land, my life's yearning focused on but one event, to escape Ravenloft! This I accomplished. How I managed it, what secrets I acquired and what I stole from an undead lich, is unimportant. Know this, that in delving into arcane lore and ancient manuscripts, I came upon knowledge of the one article which might destroy Strahd.

Further, in the land beyond Ravenloft I may have found it! Through deceitful and tortuous sources, many of which I only half believe, I have come to the conclusion that a charm worn by Lord Dhelt of Elturel is the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind!

What is my madness? That after escaping Ravenloft, my heart tells me I must steal Dhelt's amulet, even if it means the death of that good lord. And with a charm I only half believe might be Strahd's doom, I must return to Ravenloft. Only I, it seems, might free my people from their eternal fate.

-- The Assassin's Parchment

The assassin, in fact, drops four items:

The Assassin's Parchment, in which the assassin explains his motivations. Believing Lord Dhelt's amulet to be the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, the assassin hoped to use it to destroy Strahd (with whose name the party is so far unfamiliar) and free his people.
The Finger of Commanding, an evil artifact that appears to originate in Ravenloft literature; Ravenloft Renaissance has some info about it.
The Withered Heart of Mortal Ardor, another evil artifact of which nothing is known.
Lord Dhelt's Holy Symbol, the item we've been looking for!

Before picking up these items, take the time to pray for and memorise spells, and rest, as you will find yourself in danger immediately afterwards.

"Look there! A fog rolls in as though it would devour us."

Great, our quest is complete... why don't we take Lord Dhelt's Holy Symbol and just go home? But no, our main character wants to take the evil artifacts as well. And when you pick up all four items, something sinister happens. Darkness falls, and a fog envelopes the party...

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Svalich Woods

Notice how the game interface changes colour between areas.

"This is not where we stood a moment ago."

"Lord Dhelt's amulet and those foul objects [...] are gone."

An abandoned hut lies a few paces ahead of the starting location

The party learns quickly to stay away from the poison mist

The party finds itself in an unfamiliar place called Svalich Woods, bordered on three sides by a poison mist that is impassable and deals damage to the party whenever they approach it. The area is crawling with Worg wolves, and also Goblyns to the south, who can at this point quite easily overwhelm the party.

Cast a Light spell to see better when it's dark.

Straight ahead of the starting location (location 13) is an abandoned hut. Head there, as it can provide shelter from the monsters in the area, and has some useful equipment hidden away.

The Abandoned Hut and Hidden Underground Chamber

A skeleton in a chair, waiting for Star Citizen to be released

Strahd Von Zarovich, master of Barovia. If the heart of this dark land has a name, it is Strahd,-- my lord and my destroyer. As I die, let me write what I could never freely say: that the very air about us bears the stench of Strahd's foul will. Let it be my epitaph, that if I had the strength of youth, no assassin of the Ba'al Verzi would more willingly devote himself to Strahd's destruction. With my last breath, I curse his name!

-- The Skeleton's Parchment

Inside the abandoned hut is a skeleton rotting in a chair. A nearby parchment indicates that this person was an assassin of a group called the Ba'al Verzi, and curses Strahd, the lord of this land.

Meanwhile, a party member notices a trap door on the ground (location 14). Press the button on the south wall to open it, and enter.

The button on the right opens the two doors

A Quiver, which includes four Arrows of Slay Undead +3

Once underground, press the button on the wall to your right to open the two closed doors. You'll find plenty of equipment and potions in both rooms, but of particular note are the Ba'al Verzi Dagger +2 and a quiver containing four Arrows of Slay Undead +3 (unfortunately, arrows don't work, due to a bug).

Cast Detect Magic to highlight magical items in blue, then Improved Identify to learn their enchantments (e.g. +2). The latter spell works on any object in your Mage's inventory except those inside containers.

Based on experimentation and reverse engineering by gibberishh, it seems that enchanted weapons are somewhat broken in this game. The extra damage (e.g. +2) is not applied to most weapons, and where they are applied (e.g. in the case of the Ba'al Verzi Dagger +2), they are shown as cumulative damage stats when you pick the weapon up in the inventory screen. This is not the case in the other two games using the same engine, adding to the confusion. Enchanted weapons are still important though, as they are required to harm certain monsters.

Combat

Once you head back out of the Hidden Underground Chamber and start exploring Svalich Woods, you will inevitably have to fight with hordes of Worgs and Goblyns. New players are often unprepared to deal with such dangers at an early stage, especially after a tough battle with the Assassin in the Forgotten Realms Forest. However, this is a hostile land, and you'll need to adapt or perish. The following are a few tips to help you survive the battles in this area.

Monsters attack faster than you. Whenever you need, retreat to the Hidden Underground Chamber to rest, replenishing your health and spells.
Don't try resting above ground in this area. Worgs will typically interrupt your sleep.
Monsters also move faster than you. Step backwards slowly while fighting, especially if monsters suddenly disappear; they have probably moved beside or behind you.
Offensive Mage spells work very well against the monsters in this area.
You can cast spells in quick succession by closing and reopening the spell interface, bypassing the cooldown period.

The Woodsman

"In the forest beyond the woods, [...] my son is lost to me."

The Woodsman knows nothing about the abandoned hut

Strahd is everywhere, and "freed the land from old Dorian"

At location 4 in the Svalich Woods you'll meet the Woodsman, distraught at the loss of his son. He directs you to a nearby road from which you can reach the village of Barovia, and also gives a bit of background about Strahd, who apparently replaced the previous tyrant, Dorian.

The cluebook singles out a pile of bones in the northwestern part of the map to be those of the Woodsman's lost son. However, there's no evidence of this in the game. In fact, the Woodsman says that his son was lost "in the forest beyond the woods", which might indicate one of the areas shrouded in mist, such as the Undead Forest encountered later in the game.

Once the conversation is over, the Woodsman leaves the area and can later be found in Barovia.

Fhalken

At least half a dozen Goblyns engage the party at once

Fhalken was "doing some trading" when the Goblyns captured him

Mareva passes a stupid comment and Fhalken reacts

The party frees Fhalken, who offers help in return

The southeastern part of the map is beset by Goblyns, and you'll have to fight many of them as you approach. At location 16, you'll meet Fhalken, who the Goblyns are holding captive near a campfire. His gear is also nearby.

Once freed, Fhalken can join the party. He's a decent 5th-level fighter and will grow with the party, so it's a good idea to take him along. He isn't carrying anything but you can equip him with his gear lying nearby at location 15.

In your party, the two characters on the left are considered front-rank, and the two on the right are considered to be in the back or rear rank. Front-rank characters are usually the first to be hit by monsters in front of you. Also, although any character can attack in outdoors where there's more space, back rank characters can't reach monsters when fighting indoors, except with long weapons (e.g. halberds), ranged weapons, or thrown weapons.

Other Locations of Interest

Equipment in the northwest part of the woods (location 1)

Equipment in the southwest part of the woods (location 10)

One of the exits leading to Old Svalich Road South

There is some more equipment you can collect at locations 1 and 10 if you want, including a handy Ring of Protection at the latter.

When you're done, leave the area via one of the exits to the west (locations 2 and 6).

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Old Svalich Road South

Old Svalich Road South consists of two separate maps, with the lower one leading to the upper one and overlapping a little.

Old Svalich Road South (Lower)

A skeleton signpost before joining the road

You start at either location 6 or 11, depending on which exit you took from Svalich Woods. Along the road, you'll see two types of signpost: those marking the road itself, and those made of skeletons bearing a threatening message from Strahd:

If you walk my land, then heed my laws.

A WARNING to those who defy my will!

STRAHD VON ZAROVICH

-- Skeleton signposts

A Svalich Road signpost and a skeleton signpost

Between these signposts, the eerie music, the gloomy weather and the laughs of brigands in the background, this game does its best to convey a foreboding atmosphere.

Mareva feels the presence of bandits while moving north

There isn't much of note in this map. You'll fight brigands along the road. At the south end there's a gate that cannot be opened, and along the east wall between the two entrances from Svalich Woods there's an illusionary wall (which a party member might call out) leading to an abandoned camp (location 9). Make your way north (location 5).

Old Svalich Road South (Upper)

"Blades! It's a trap: here they come,-- their eyes glazed for a fight!"

This bandit got punched in the face by a Magic Missile

The bandit reveals the location of the bandit camp

As you set foot into the upper portion of Old Svalich Road, three bandits attack. When you dispatch the last of them, he surrenders. If you spare him, he reveals the location of a bandit camp, marked by "a large stone with an arrow carved upon it".

Worgs await along some exits from the road

Along the sides of the road you'll run into Worgs, but little else.

Fifteen coins for the potion, at the Blood o' the Vine Tavern

Strahd "rules from the shadows" and "is the Lord, the Land, and the Law"

As you walk north along the road, you'll meet a Vistani (gypsy) at location 5. He will tell you that the village of Barovia lies to the north, that Strahd is a good ruler (contradicting the clues you've found thus far), and that he can give you a potion to counteract the fog in exchange for fifteen coins, which you'll need to obtain later.

Dagar spots the stone marker, which "points directly to the wall"

The lever opens the way to the bandit camp

Darklings live in the bandit camp and can poison party members

A chest and other things obtained from the bandit camp

A short distance northeast is the stone marker (location 13) that the brigand spoke of, pointing towards the east wall. That wall is opened by a lever (location 14) beside it. In the bandit camp (location 12) you'll find Darklings, who, unlike regular bandits, can poison your party members. At this early stage in the game your cleric can't cast Neutralize Poison yet, so your only options to cure poison are a Keightom's Ointment (e.g. the one found at Svalich Woods) or a Cleric Scroll of Neutralize Poison (available among the loot here). Try to take down the Darklings at a distance using spells to avoid getting poisoned. You can also skip this for now and come back later.

There is plenty of equipment (locations 9, 10 and 11) for the taking at the bandit camp. Among other things you'll find Mage Scrolls of Fireball and Flame Arrow and a Short Sword +1.

Velika likes coin and wants to find a house in Barovia

If Velika doesn't join, she can be found in Barovia later

"Blade, book and sleight-of-hand": Velika the Fighter/Mage/Thief joins the party

Near the end of the road, you'll find Velika (location 3), a Fighter/Mage/Thief willing to join the party. She has some decent equipment and is versatile as an extra Fighter and Mage, although her Thief part is frankly a waste of experience. It's worth taking her on at this point, whether you plan to keep her or replace her with someone else later.

Consult the cluebook, pages 20-24, for information on all the NPCs in the game, which will help you plan what kind of party you want. If you want another secondary mage (e.g. Glorianna or Ryszard) to replace Velika, then don't scribe any Mage Scrolls into Velika's spellbook. At the same time, don't give too much thought to party formation at this early stage; you will need to reconfigure it soon anyway when heading west of Barovia.

Velika's inventory includes:

A Long Sword +1
A Cloak +2
Lock picks
A Dagger
2 Throwing Knives
A Mage Scroll of Improved Identify

NPCs in the Ravenloft engine have hands that match the colour of their face. This is particularly noticeable with Velika but also applies to characters created during the character creation process. It's a small thing but shows attention to detail.

One of the signs outside the Village of Barovia

Head north and enter the gate to Barovia (location 8).

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The Village of Barovia

"[...] mountains the like of which I have never seen!"

"[...] it might be best to find its first citizen, a mayor, burgomaster, or such."

The entrance, and more signposts bearing Strahd's Law

Empty streets, mountains in the distance

As you step into Barovia at the southern edge (location 20), a party member remarks about the unfamiliar scenery, and suggests seeking guidance from whoever is in charge. If you are in a hurry, you can go directly to the Burgomaster's Mansion (location 5), which is the large building surrounded by a wall in the northwest part of town. Otherwise, take the time to explore the town.

"The air lies heavy with the scent of unburied dead."

"Barovia is a haven for all the collected gloom of the world."

Livestock is virtually absent in Barovia

As you walk around, you will notice a number of things that emphasise the state of Barovia as a dying village:

More skeleton signposts about Strahd's Law all over the place
Various observations by party members
Most people aren't willing to talk
The background music
Sounds in the distance, such as wolves howling, babies crying, wild animals growling, the wind howling, and Brigands/Darklings laughing

One of the party members' remarks states that there's a three-storey in Barovia, but in fact the tallest buildings are two storeys high (the Burgomaster's Mansion and the Blood on the Vine Tavern).

Monsters

Fighting Brigands and a Darkling at night

Speaking of which, Brigands and Darklings roam freely at night and wait in ambush inside some buildings. Be especially careful of Darklings who can poison party members; take them down at a distance using Mage spells if you can.

In some of the abandoned warehouses in the southeast part of town, you'll be attacked by Broken Ones. They hit fast and hard.

When you're fighting indoors, remember that your rear rank characters (i.e. the two on the right) will only be able to fight with long-reaching, ranged, or thrown weapons.

Operating doors inside Barovian buildings can be confusing. Click on interior doors to open them, but walk right through exterior doors.

If you're getting overwhelmed, seek shelter in a house that doesn't have monsters in it, or at the circle of stones (see below), and rest until daylight.

The Circle of Stones

"An influence radiates about these stones."

The circle of stones allows resting despite nearby monsters

Near the northwest corner of Barovia there's a circle of stones. While standing in it, the party can rest even when monsters are nearby (e.g. within the circle itself). Use it to recharge your health and spells freely when you need, especially while fighting Brigands and Darklings at night.

A circle of magical stones to the north of the mansion. Standing within the circle allowed our party to REST, even when creatures roamed nearby and awaited us outside the circle.

-- Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession Cluebook, page 35

Equipment

Arrows +1... has someone been playing Darts?

Various equipment is scattered across the various buildings in Barovia, which you'll find marked on the map. Below are a few items worthy of note:

A Warhammer +2 (location 48) can be found at one of the warehouses. It's a good weapon for your Cleric.
A Wand of Fireballs (location 51) is in another warehouse. If you can, save it for the Undead Forest (later).
Oil of Fiery Burning (locations 4, 19, 65) is also best saved for the Undead Forest (later).
A Broad Sword +1 (location 9) can be found with some armour in a house southwest of the tavern.
A Mage Scroll of Fireball (location 16) is in a southwestern house.
3 Arrows +1 (locations 27, 28) are in a northeastern house with other archery equipment, but they don't work.

It's a good idea to pick an empty house or other convenient location and use it to stash all the extra equipment you don't need, because you're likely already pretty loaded at this point and will be finding a lot more items very soon. Be sure to mark it in the in-game automap so that you can easily find it later.

People

Most people won't talk to the party. However, there are a few exceptions.

A mad woman hiding something in her hand

A reference to the location of the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind

A reference to Trimia's Catalogue and Lord Dhelt's Holy Symbol

A reference to the Elven statues at the entrance to the Elven Warrior's Crypt

A mad woman (location 18) lives in a small house in the southwest part of town, and holds a strange creature or doll in her hand. When addressed, she responds in riddles. These seem nonsensical, but are in fact references to future events in the game.

The Woodsman, whom you likely met at Svalich Woods, can be found at location 6, due east of the Burgomaster's Mansion. He mentions that in his dreams he has seen his son, who then disappears when "lightning strikes in the forest", a reference to an event that happens later in the game (at the Undead Forest).

Tatian believes herself to be of humble origins

Tatian would rather join the party than stay home

Tatian's starting attributes, and Fhalken's for comparison

In the southwest part of town, you'll find a young lady called Tatian (location 12), who is willing to join the party. However, she isn't particularly good (level 4 fighter, low strength and dexterity) and doesn't have any good equipment either (just a regular long sword and a useless blue robe), so it's better to keep Fhalken unless you want a second single-class fighter.

Tatian's existence is, however, interesting because the game mentions a woman called Tatyana several times as part of the backstory. Could there be a connection between the two? As Tatyana has a habit of being reincarnated in Ravenloft lore, some speculate that Tatian may in fact be Tatyana reincarnated, with no memory of her previous life/lives. Unfortunately, the game leaves it at that and, other than a couple of remarks from Vladislav in the Caverns West of Barovia and her potential disappearance at the portal there, doesn't develop this reference further, not even if Tatian is with the party when confronting Strahd at the end.

Fhalken in his home (once dropped from the party)

The background changed to match the new setting

Velika in her home (once dropped from the party)

If you drop Fhalken and/or Velika later, you will find them in their respective homes at locations 52 and 46, respectively, and you can ask them to rejoin you.

Quests for Later

Some areas on the map have been marked with coloured borders because it's either necessary or recommended to visit them at a later stage in the game.

The Merchant's Pride Warehouse (location 66) has nothing of interest right now, but will need visiting later in the game.
The Old Paladin (location 41), his shed (location 45), the tree stump (location 23) and the Lesser Catacombs Beneath Barovia (location 13) are all part of the Paladin's Quest. It can be done at any time, but is easier to do later when you have returning throwing weapons with which to take down the Living Walls.
The red lock (location 33) is part of the Werewolf's Quest, which requires a few things that we'll get later.
The Jeweller's House (location 26) is part of the Jeweller's Quest and is best avoided for the time being. When you enter this house, one of your main characters will be possessed by the Jeweller's ghost, and the party will not have the means to remedy this situation until much later.

The Jeweller's ghost threatens to kill the possessed party member, and reminds the party of his/her impending doom whenever the party moves between areas. This has caused some players to panic and revert to an earlier save. In practice however, things are not as tragic as they seem, and the possessed party member suffers only a minor handicap. See the later subsection concerning the Jeweller's House for more details.

Exits

Barovia is a hub from where you can reach the following locations:

Old Svalich Road South (location 20), at the south edge of town, which is where we came from.
The Wooded Area West of Barovia (location 2) via the northwest exit.
Old Svalich Road North (location 21), at the north edge of town.
The Old Church Grounds (location 22) via the northeast exit.
The Lesser Catacombs Beneath Barovia (location 13), part of the Paladin's Quest.
The Greater Catacombs Beneath Barovia (location 34) will be reachable later in the game.
The Burgomaster's Mansion (location 5) is the current priority.
The Blood on the Vine Tavern (location 42), roughly in the centre of town, which we'll visit next.

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Optional: Blood on the Vine Tavern

The Blood on the Vine Tavern is the two-storey building near the village centre (location 42 on the map of Barovia). You can click on the sign close to the entrance to see a close-up view, as with other signs in the game.

Bray Martikova and the Vistani at the bar

While there is no real need to visit the tavern at this point, you can meet a few characters whom you will need later: Irmgarde (location 2), Bray Martikova (the innkeeper, location 4), and the Vistani (whom you've already met, location 3). Other generic NPCs won't talk to you. There's nothing of interest upstairs, but if you later pick up Glorianna from the Burgomaster's Mansion and then drop her from the party, you'll find her there, at location 6.

Irmgarde is a mysterious and solitary character, hiding her face behind a mask for unknown reasons, and intent on leaving Ravenloft. One of your party members remarks that she "should be one of us"; although Irmgarde at this point wants nothing to do with the party, her attitude will change once encountered again in the Wooded Area West of Barovia.

Strahd lives in Castle Ravenloft to the north

Bray Martikova is the innkeeper and can be found behind the bar. He has a heavy Eastern European accent that fits nicely with the setting, and is very welcoming. He has a few things to say about Strahd, the local laws, and the Vistani. He considers the latter to be Strahd's spies, although he recommends talking with the Vistani at the bar who "seems regular enough". Bray will have a role to play later in the game.

The Vistani at the bar is the same one you likely met earlier at Old Svalich Road South (Upper). He is still willing to sell you a Vistani potion, capable of counteracting the venomous fog surrounding most outdoor areas, and promises to keep it for you until you have the fifteen coins required.

You can also ask him to escort you to the Vistani Camp, to which he hesitantly agrees on condition that you be blindfolded. Visiting the camp is entirely optional, but adds some depth to both the backstory and future events in the game.

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🎥 Cutscene: The Vistani Camp

This brief trip to the Vistani Camp provides a glimpse of Vistani culture. More background is provided by the manual.

Vistani Life: The gypsies of the RAVENLOFT™ game world live the lives of wandering vagabonds, rarely pausing more than a week in any one place. Progress on the road is languid and unhurried. Children scamper beside the wagons, gleefully engulfed in their own clouds of dust. The gypsy home is called a vardo, a small well-crafted caravan with tall wooden walls, an arched roof and a door at the back. Painted in vivid colors such as turquoise, or black with gold and magenta highlights, the finest vardos are carefully decorated with gilded carvings. Each night the Vistani gather round a fire, dipping into a single great cooking pot for their dinners. Often tea and a thick, muddy coffee are served through the night while young women dance to the fervent music of fiddles, guitars, and tambourines.

-- Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession manual, page 5

"After hours of hard travel, the dark uncertainty of the blindfold is taken away."

"Safe escort has been provided to the Vistani camp."

"And, as promised, the vardo of a seer is pointed out. Madame Eva awaits."

The party arrives at the Vistani camp. Once the blindfold is removed, the party sees a group of gypsies around a campfire, one young lady dancing, and several vardos all around. The one on the left belongs to Madame Eva, the fortune teller who introduces every section of the manual.

Vistani Magic: Scrying, or gazing upon an object, is the most powerful technique by which gypsies foretell the future; predicting the outcome of events is a Vistani specialty. In addition to using the crystal ball, the gypsies often employ a small crystal that fits in the palm of the hand or watch the embers of a fire to divine the future. Cartomancy, or the reading of Tarroka cards, is another hallmark of Vistani fortune telling. Examples from the Tarroka deck, along with readings from the most famous of all Vistani fortune tellers, Madame Eva, begin several sections in this book. They reveal a challenging and enjoyable STRAHD'S POSSESSION adventure.

-- Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession manual, page 8

"Secluded within, the seer practices her ancient art."

"The cards [...] are reluctant to reveal the fate of outsiders."

Madame Eva is unable to tell the party's fortune, explaining that her Tarokka cards "are reluctant to reveal the fate of outsiders".

"Hesitantly, Madame Eva admits to a missing card"

"Madame Eva suspects Lord Strahd himself of acquiring the card"

Madame Eva and the party part ways, with return escort arranged

Madame Eva also mentions that one of her Tarokka cards has been stolen, probably by Strahd himself. This card has an important part to play, much later in the game.

The party is provided with safe escort back to Barovia.

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The Burgomaster's Mansion

The most important thing to do in Barovia is visit the Burgomaster's Mansion (location 5 on the map of Barovia). You can't miss it; it is the large two-storey building surrounded by a wall in the northwest part of town. You will probably enter it on the east side of the building, although there is also a second entrance from the north leading directly into the dining room.

The Burgomaster keeps his Oils (of Fiery Burning) in the pantry

Careless staff leaving cobwebs on the shelves

The contents of Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts

Unlike the other buildings in Barovia, the Burgomaster's Mansion is richly decorated, although it does show signs of wear and age in places. There isn't much of interest in the northern part, except for 3 Oils of Fiery Burning (location 2) in the northwesternmost room.

The four southern rooms are a lot more rewarding.

The study contains a Cleric Scroll of Raise Dead (location 4) as well as Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts (location 5), which provides directions for the optional Werewolf's Quest later.
The library contains Mage Scrolls of Ice Knife, Burning Hands, and Chill Touch (locations 3, 6, and 11, respectively), as well as Count Strahd's Writ (location 10). The latter contains some hints to the backstory, with mentions of Strahd's pact with death, his brother, the Ba'al Verzi dagger, and Tatyana.
In the bedroom, you will find a Cloak, a Dagger, and a Wand of Paralyzation (location 7) beside the bed.
Glorianna and the Burgomaster are in the southeastern room (locations 8 and 12, respectively).

The Burning Hands spell is an excellent area-of-effect spell that grows with your Mage as s/he levels up. It is extremely useful against many of the monsters you will encounter.

By the authority of our Lord, Strahd Von Zarovich, the following rumors are to be stamped out of the minds of the burgomasters, boyars, and peasants of the villages of Ravenloft. Anyone repeating them is to be put to death immediately, without trial and before making any public statement. They are:

1. That our Lord is involved in any way in the arts of necromancy.

2. That Strahd has made a pact with death to obtain his heart's desire, or has therefore been transformed in any way.

3. That the Ba'al Verzi dagger used to kill Strahd's brother was last known to be in Strahd's possession.

4. That the woman Tatyana plunged to her death while attempting to escape the embrace of Strahd Von Zarovich.

By Order of Count Strahd Von Zarovich

-- Count Strahd's Writ

Glorianna comfortably drinking in her chair

"Books are the forest a Mage journeys through"

The party can recruit Glorianna later...

The Burgomaster tries to get her to stay

Glorianna is a Mage from Sithicus, another Ravenloft domain. A guest of the Burgomaster, who is interested in her due to her unusual (for Barovia) Elven origin, she spends her time reading books and drinking Tuika, a local alcoholic beverage. She distrusts the Burgomaster and would rather join the party.

Glorianna is a Level 5 Elven Mage, and could make a good second Mage (Ryszard, encountered soon, is another option). However, since events in the game will shortly force you to drop your two secondary party members, there is little point in recruiting people right now. Keep her in mind for later if you like.

Her level of experience is decent but less than your primary single-class Mage would have.
Glorianna carries a Cloak, a Quarterstaff, a Dagger +1, and a Potion of Extra Healing.
She comes with Burning Hands and Stoneskin (the latter, a fourth-level Mage spell, is not otherwise found until much later).
If you drop her from the party, she can be found again at the Blood on the Vine Tavern (location 6).

The Burgomaster enjoys a position of power and a luxurious lifestyle thanks to his ties with Strahd. He cordially invites you to stay at the mansion and, if you want, talk to Glorianna, his other guest.

Surprisingly, the Burgomaster gives you an invitation from Strahd himself, beckoning you to meet him at Castle Ravenloft. You can choose to go right away or at any point later. This trip is required for further progression in the game.

Unto the Visitors in my Land,

Count Strahd Von Zarovich, Lord of Barovia, sends greetings.

Gentle Travelers, I pray you accede in my humble wish, and meet with me tonight in Castle Ravenloft. Your activities have brought many Questions to my mind. As you in turn must possess certain curiosities about me, I feel a friendly interview to be in order.

My carriage shall bear you to the Castle in both comfort and safety. It is therefore in pleasurable anticipation of our conference that I await your arrival.

Count Strahd Von Zarovich

-- Strahd's Invitation

Although the invitation is for "tonight" and the Burgomaster urges you to accept it "before much more of the day has passed", there is in fact no consequence even if you wait several days. Just talk to the Burgomaster again when you're ready to go.

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🎥 Cutscene: Strahd's Carriage

When you accept Strahd's invitation to Castle Ravenloft, the Burgomaster directs you to a carriage that takes you there.

A carriage with no driver and intelligent steeds

The carriage is beautiful but has no driver. The horses appear to be intelligent and eager to take you to the castle. The castle itself is imposing, as you first see it amidst the hills in the distance, but you are filled with dread as the carriage approaches the castle gates.

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Castle Ravenloft By Invitation

Map of Castle Ravenloft: Main Floor (By Invitation)

They won't let you through this staircase

This first visit to Castle Ravenloft is rather controlled. You are not allowed to leave via the entrance until you've met Strahd, and Doom Guards block every other door or staircase leading to other parts of the castle. Your only option is to head south and then west into the dining room (location 6), where you'll meet Strahd.

Just as you step into the room, the door closes behind you, and a cutscene narrates your first encounter with Strahd.

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🎥 Cutscene: Dinner with Strahd

"The doors open upon a scene of warmth and invitation."

The party enters the dining room to a warm welcome from Strahd von Zarovich himself. The table is set for dinner, with a fireplace roaring on one side, and a portrait of Strahd hanging on the wall at the other.

All who come to Ravenloft "arrive in answer to a call", and cannot leave

Strahd is also trapped here, and has an interest in portals

Strahd explains that those who arrive in Ravenloft do not do so by chance. They are brought to this place by a will stronger than any other, and are then unable to leave. Strahd himself is no exception, and as a result, he has taken an interest in portals, or "dimensional gateways", hoping to discover a way out.

A portal is in the Caverns West of Barovia, and Strahd provides a key

Strahd wants the party to look for the portal on his behalf

He believes that a portal exists in the Caverns West of Barovia, near the river Ivlis. Hoping that this might allow escape from this land, he gives the party a key to the caverns and asks them to investigate on his behalf.

Strahd says that you are probably the first to hear of the portal aside from himself, but as we'll see soon, Irmgarde also knows about it.

Strahd's carriage takes the party back to Barovia

That's all the business Strahd had to discuss. He invites the party to enjoy the dinner, and afterwards, his carriage escorts the party back to the village of Barovia.

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The Wooded Area West of Barovia

Revisiting Barovia

Back in Barovia after dinner with Strahd

After having dinner with Strahd, you find yourself back in the village of Barovia, close to the north gate (location 21). You are now equipped with a new quest from the lord of this land, as well as the Ivlis Seal of Entrance, that should help you fulfill it. Make your way west, past the circle of stones (location 1), and leave via the northwest gate (location 2).

The Wooded Area West of Barovia

You arrive at the eastern edge (location 8) of a new area with a few scattered trees, and just as gloomy as any other you've seen so far. The poison mist borders this region at the northern and southern ends, and you'll be attacked by skeletal bats which are relatively harmless but annoying. Turn Undead and Burning Hands work particularly well against them. If you linger outside at night, you may also encounter the occasional Werewolf.

Irmgarde and the entrance to the Caverns West of Barovia

There are a few interesting encounters in this region:

The Werewolf's Cave (location 1) is in the northwestern region, but we currently don't have the necessary items to solve this quest, so we'll come back later.
The Wizard's Dwelling (location 10) is a house in the southern region, home to an NPC called Ryszard. But since we're going to have to switch NPCs shortly, there is no point in recruiting him now. We'll visit him after our next trip underground.
Along the western cavern walls you'll find Irmgarde (location 2) and the entrance to the Caverns West of Barovia (location 3).

Irmgarde really wants to get into those caverns

She wants to reach the portal to leave Ravenloft

Irmgarde thinks she was watched by an agent of the Burgomaster

The party can only reach the portal with Irmgarde alive and well

You might have met Irmgarde at the Blood on the Vine Tavern in Barovia. She is just as unfriendly here, but is desperate enough to get into the caverns that she'll change her tune and join your party, in the hope that you can locate the portal together. The dialogue makes it very clear that she's required to reach it. Let Irmgarde join you, dropping another NPC if necessary.

Unfortunately, at this point you will need to drop both of your NPCs and take on Irmgarde and another NPC temporarily, as they are both required to reach the portal in the Caverns West of Barovia. This is annoying and leads to some messy inventory management, but it also means that you don't need to give too much thought to who you're going to drop. You'll be able to find your current NPCs again in Barovia later.

Irmgarde leaves the party if you go to Barovia with her

Irmgarde is a Level 6 Cleric. She carries a Quarterstaff, a Sling, 2 Keoghtom's Ointments, and a Cleric Scroll of Cure Light Wounds.

She will leave the party if you return to Barovia with her. This is somewhat convenient because otherwise she'd be able to meet herself at the Blood on the Vine Tavern. If she leaves, you'll be able to pick her up again at the same location outside the Caverns West of Barovia.
She's with the party only temporarily until you reach the portal in the Caverns West of Barovia. After that, she'll leave permanently.
She needs to be in the party and alive in order to reach the portal. If she dies or is not in the party, you can still progress in the game, but will have to skip the portal.
She was way ahead of her time, already prepared for COVID19.

What's up next is a long trip underground, so drop any items you don't really need, in order to make space for things you'll pick up along the way.

With Irmgarde in the party, enter the Caverns West of Barovia (location 3).

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The Caverns West of Barovia

The Caverns West of Barovia are large and complex. In order to reach the portal, you have to get through the locked entrance (using the key that Strahd gave you), several other locked doors (using four Jade Cavern Keys you find throughout this area), and another door that only Irmgarde can open. You're supposed to keep her alive until then. In reality though, the point of this area is to find the Church Vestibule Key, which provides access to the Old Church later. Reaching the portal is in fact not strictly required, although it is a convenient way to return to the Wooded Area West of Barovia without having to backtrack all the way.

There are several invisible teleporters that will throw you around the area. However, if you follow my map below, you'll find that they not only provide access to otherwise sealed-off areas, but they are also a convenient means to get through the level quickly if taken in the right order.

Doors in this area are not marked as such on the automap, adding to the difficulty of navigating this level. Most of the time, they are opened either by a nearby pull cord, or by simply walking into them (presumably there are pressure plates), sometimes from one side only. However, there are exceptions: a couple of doors (locations 55 and 56) to a mysterious room in the southeast that don't seem to open at all, two doors (locations 13 and 16) in the northwest region that are opened by pull cords a little farther away than usual, and that one final door (location 32) that Irmgarde will take care of.

Skeletons are more of a nuisance than a danger

Bone golems, on the other hand, are tough

You'll find two kinds of monsters here: Skeletons and Bone Golems. The former are relatively harmless - they do little damage, can be dispatched easily with blunt or enchanted weapons, or spells, and can be disabled entirely en masse using a Cleric's Turn Undead spell (which causes them to flee or start spinning - taking the "Turn" part quite literally). Bone Golems, on the other hand, stalk some of the key areas (where Jade Cavern Keys are, or near the portal), and are very dangerous. They do a lot of damage and can also paralyse party members (so having a Cleric pray for a Remove Paralysis spell is a good idea), but are vulberable to Turn Undead as well as offensive Mage spells such as Fireball.

The Entrance and Vladislav

The door unlocked by the Ivlis Seal of Entrance

The entrance (location 46) to the Caverns West of Barovia opens into an initial room with a locked door up ahead. Use this opportunity to rest, ideally after having Irmgarde pray for spells (she doesn't come with any already available when she joins the party). Then, use the Ivlis Seal of Entrance to unlock the door (location 45). Go west past a spinner (location 47) and talk to Vladislav (location 48), the towering figure blocking your path.

To unlock a locked door: select the corresponding key in your Inventory, right-click to close the Inventory screen, hold the key up to the lock, and left-click to use the key. You need to be rather close, otherwise you'll drop or throw the key instead. Later, when you've found a Keyring, you can use it directly on a lock; if the correct key is inside the Keyring, the door will be unlocked.

The 180° spinner at location 47 turns you around so that you head east instead of west, effectively going back to the entrance. To get past it, walk into it and then walk backwards (or else walk backwards into it and then move forwards). This is easier to do if you use stepping mode (click on the compass).

Fhalken leaves to make room for Vladislav

Vladislav introduces himself as an agent of the Burgomaster. He believes that there is a portal in these caverns that connects Ravenloft to Elturel, and that thieves use it to "bring untaxed wealth into the land". He expects to join the party to ensure that you aren't up to anything of the sort. You don't have a choice, so let Vladislav join the party and drop your other NPC (not Irmgarde) for the time being.

As it turns out, that's not entirely correct! As gibberishh discovered, you can actually squeeze past Vladislav by walking up to him and then switching to step movement.

Vladislav recognises Tatian if she is in the party

Vladislav speaks of "feminine charms" if Tatian is in the party

If Tatian is in the party, Vladislav changes his tune, recognising in her "an old flame of mine, once my bethroted. She was as far beyond ordinary women as the beauty of white silk is beyond coarser cloth." These words are very similar to those found later in the book "I, Strahd", hinting at Vladislav's true identity. It's interesting to note that Tatian has a high Charisma of 18, but Vladislav's attention to her is tied to game lore as he does not reserve the same treatment to a female main character with the same Charisma.

Vladislav leaves if the party exits the caverns

Vladislav blocks the way, so it's not normally possible to proceed without him in the party (except by means of the trick described earlier).
He is a level 7 fighter, easily the toughest NPC in the game.
His starting gear consists of a Broad Sword +1 and a regular Plate Mail.
Vladislav cannot be killed; he simply stops taking any damage that would bring him below around 10 hit points. Put him at the front rank to absorb damage.
It is revealed later in the game that Vladislav is in fact Strahd himself, joining the party to spy on it.
Vladislav leaves the party if you leave the Caverns West of Barovia, and can be found again in the same place.
Vladislav leaves the party permanently after going through the portal.

Reaching the Portal

The pull cord opens the door to the north

From where you met Vladislav (location 48), use the pull cord to open the door to the north and head in that direction, but beware the Lightning Bolts fired south from location 39. Take the first Jade Cavern Key from location 42. In the northeastern part of the level, use another pull cord (location 38) to open two nearby doors. Behind one of them, at location 40, you'll find some useful gear including the Dagger of Throwing +2 and a Mage's Journal. The latter discusses options to leave Ravenloft, and mentions Trimia's Catalogue (which we'll encounter later) among other things.

Ah, Ravenloft, she who clutches her children so tightly none may ever leave the dread shadow of her skies! No, allow me to take back those words, for seeing them in writing I know they are but bitter reminders of my own failures.

To be sure, Ravenloft is difficult to escape. A few portals exist, of that I remain convinced,-- exits as uncommon as the one-way gates which sometimes lure newcomers to our land.

I once slew a wereraven beneath the full moon of a certain month, but the shining, hollow circle which appeared lay above me, at the pinnacle of a rocky crag. By the time I climbed the distance it had vanished. It opened once, then disappeared forever. Many another ritual, including gifts of blood, have sputtered and failed in the same manner, leaving me bitter but with enough heart to continue my fevered search.

Lifting the curse of Alabain, acquiring Trimia's Catalogue of Outer Plane Artifacts, finding the date of the Great Alignment of Southern Stars, which of these --my future schemes-- holds the most promise?

-- Mage's Journal

The Dagger of Throwing +2 is handy because it returns to your hand when thrown. That means no need to constantly pick it up again, as with Arrows or Sling Bullets. However, it does occasionally land on the floor, so be careful not to lose it.

Fighting Skeletons near the gear at location 40

Unlock the door at location 43 using the Jade Cavern Key, and step through the teleporter at location 44 to reach location 24 near the centre of the level. From there, head west then southwest. Unlock the door at location 25 with the same Jade Cavern Key, and collect the second Jade Cavern Key and a Wand of Fireballs at location 29. Backtrack a bit and take the teleporter from location 22 to the southeast at location 59.

Just northeast of location 59 is a room with two doors, but no apparent means to open them or get inside. This room has been a mystery for 30 years until gibberishh and I were finally able to shed some light on it.

The second Jade Cavern Key and a Wand of Fireballs

Dagar comments about the teleporters, at location 24

A Wand of Enemy Detection and other items

From location 59, the door immediately west is opened by a pull cord a few paces northwest (location 57). Head west, past a Wand of Magic Missiles (location 58), unlocking the door at location 28 with the second Jade Cavern Key. Pick up the third Jade Cavern Key (location 30) and take the nearby teleporter (location 27) to location 9, in the northern part of the level.

If you head southwest from location 9, you can take the teleporter at location 19 to the northwestern part of the level that is otherwise sealed off. While there is no need to explore this region, it's worth it particularly for the Mage Scroll of Haste (location 15, behind an illusionary wall), which allows a character to attack twice as fast. Other goodies nearby include Mage Scrolls of Hold Person and Dispel Magic, a Mace +1, and a Wand of Enemy Detection.

There is more gear in the vicinity of location 9, including at locations 14, 18, 41, and 50, of which the only thing worthy of note is the Bronze Plate Mail (AC 6 bonus, location 41). The Cleric Holy Symbol at location 18 does not seem to have any use.

A Short Sword, Potion of Speed, and empty Pouch

Fighting Skeletons with gear in the background

Enough gear for an entire party, but nothing magical

From location 9, unlock the door immediately north (location 7) using the third Jade Cavern Key. Pick up the fourth Jade Cavern Key (location 3) and then use the nearby teleporter (location 1) to reach location 69 in the southeast portion of the level. There's an illusionary wall leading right through the north wall (it doesn't show properly on the automap), and in this room you'll find Mage Scrolls of Wizard Lock and Knock (location 63).

Knock is supposed to be a useful spell, capable of opening any door. However, it doesn't work on any of the doors in this game. It's nonetheless worth collecting if you plan to transfer your party to Ravenloft: Stone Prophet, where starting the game with this spell provides an early advantage.

2 Cleric Scrolls of Cure Disease and a Wand of Fireballs

Irmgarde's door and the Church Vestibule Key

Irmgarde's potential death is not a showstopper

From location 69, head west, unlocking the door at locations 68 and 37 with the third and fourth Jade Cavern Keys, respectively, and grabbing a second Wand of Fireballs at location 61 along the way (use the pull cord at location 64 to open the nearby wall at location 65). Make sure to take the Church Vestibule Key (location 31), and also take the chest at location 36 to increase your carrying capacity.

Irmgarde opens the door leading to the portal

A Skeleton might sometimes be stuck in the portal

Irmgarde will open the door at location 32, leading into a diamond-shaped room in the southwestern part of the level. After passing two illusionary walls and a rotating spinner, go through the portal.

It's not possible to reach the portal if Irmgarde is dead or not in the party. In that case, it's not the end of the world. Make sure you have the Church Vestibule Key, backtrack all the way back to the entrance, and leave the caverns the same way you came in.

I've read reports about the game crashing when going through the portal (at least two recently with the Steam release, and others on older versions of the GOG release). In a July 2024 review, blogger Kimimi suggests a workaround: "Make sure your characters have absolutely no spell effects active as they walk through the portal. In my case it was a Cause Minor Wounds spell that was causing the issue—as soon as I got rid of that (by casting the unspent spell on thin air, turning my cleric’s hands back to normal) the game let me through and I didn’t encounter a single bug from that moment on."

Beyond the Portal

Map of the Wooded Area West of Barovia (after portal)

Another remark if Vladislav and Tatian were both in the party

Usually, when the party goes through the portal at this point, Vladislav and Irmgarde are in the party. What happens then is that the party's two main characters find themselves back at the Woods West of Barovia at location 9, whereas Vladislav and Irmgarde are gone (permanently). It's not clear exactly what happened and why. Did Irmgarde make it out of Ravenloft? Or did Vladislav take her away?

However, it is also possible for other things to happen.

It is possible to go through the portal multiple times (i.e. you can do it again later without Vladislav or Irmgarde in the party).
If Tatian is in the party when you go through the portal, she will also disappear permanently (whether she's alive or dead). There's no in-game explanation for this (except for a vague party member's comment if Vladislav and Tatian were both in the party) but the implicit connection with Tatyana from game lore means it's not unwise to speculate that she may have been taken by Strahd.
If Irmgarde is dead when you go through the portal, she'll remain in the party. You can then use a Raise Dead scroll to bring her back to life. However, she'll still leave the party every time you visit Barovia, so you'll need to kill and raise her every time you pass through town, if you want to keep her.
You can also keep Irmgarde by leaving via the Caverns' entrance instead of going through the portal.

Anyhow, chances are that you're down to two characters, and your former companions' equipment is in a big pile on the ground. You probably want to build up your party again before moving on.

Ryszard's house, surrounded by large stones

Apparently a quip at Glorianna and Velika

One option is to visit the nearby house (location 10) inside the circle of stones and have the mad Mage Ryszard join you. He's a little bit weak overall, but he's also the highest-level Mage that can join you, and comes with Ice Storm in his repertoire (although he can't cast it yet). His equipment includes a White Robe, a Wand of Fireballs, a Dagger, 2 Oils of Fiery Burning, and Bracers of Protection. Since we have a lot of tough battles ahead, I personally find having a second mage very useful. You can also have him scribe any extra Mage Scrolls. Remember to have him memorise spells and then rest.

Other than Ryszard, your other options include:

Fhalken, in Barovia (location 52) assuming he was already in the party; otherwise in the Svalich Woods (location 16)
Velika, in Barovia (location 46) assuming she was already in the party; otherwise in Old Svalich Road South (Upper) (location 3)
Glorianna, at the Burgomaster's Mansion (location 8) if she wasn't in the party before, or the Blood on the Vine Tavern (location 6) if she was

Once you have a full party again, you can go back to the Wooded Area West of Barovia and pick up all the gear that Vladislav and Irmgarde dropped. Take the opportunity to reorganise your inventory, and leave behind anything you won't need (e.g. the four Jade Cavern Keys).

Some players prefer not to take on any NPCs at all, in order to maximise experience for their two main characters, since characters will typically end the game at around level 8-11 depending on their class. If you want to do that, this is the right time, because you normally cannot drop NPCs (only swap them). Personally, I prefer a full party because you get to tap into the abilities and inventory capacity of two more characters, which is useful.

Leave the Woods to the east (location 8) and go back to Barovia.

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Optional: The Paladin's Quest

This might be a good time to do the Old Paladin's optional side quest. You can do it anytime, but the fact that you now have the Dagger of Throwing +2 makes it much easier to take down the Living Walls in the Lesser Catacombs Beneath Barovia. You could also do it later when you also have the Axe of Hurling +1 from the Cemetery Grounds. But, you'll get some pretty good weapons from this quest, so it's good to do it as early as possible so they can help you in the battles to come.

Visiting the Old Paladin

The Old Paladin huddled in front of his fireplace

The Old Paladin lost his faith, and it's your problem

Being trapped in Ravenloft made him cynical

The Old Paladin wants his Holy Symbol back

The Old Paladin lives in a house in the eastern part of Barovia, at location 41. He's pretty depressed. Once a devout Paladin, his years trapped in Ravenloft have made him lose his faith, and cast aside his Holy Symbol. He'd like you to find it and bring it back to him, hoping to redeem himself before the end.

Before you part ways, he takes off his eye-patch and gives it to you (it has a map drawn underneath it) along with instructions to access the Lesser Catacombs Beneath Barovia.

The button and stairs down to the Lesser Catacombs

Take the Footman's Pick (location 45) from the shack east of the Old Paladin's house, and use it (put it in your hand and click on it, as if to fight) while standing just west of the stump (location 23) near the northeast corner of Barovia to get the Paladin's Key.

If you use the eye-patch, you'll see that the map indicates a small house in the southwest of Barovia. There, at location 14, you'll find a hidden button which, when pressed, reveals the stairs down to the Lesser Catacombs Beneath Barovia (location 13).

This house defies the laws of Physics. It's bigger on the inside than on the outside!

The Lesser Catacombs Beneath Barovia

A fireball approaches a Short Sword +2 and 2 Throwing Knives

You start in the southeast corner of the Lesser Catacombs Beneath Barovia (location 24), and immediately face a couple of obstacles. The first of these is a locked door (location 25); use the Paladin's Key to get past it. The second is a Living Wall - an abomination that blocks the passage and attacks as you approach it. Fortunately, Living Walls can't move, so take it down using the Dagger of Throwing +2 or other ranged weapons. You'll encounter many more on this level; deal with them the same way.

Once the passage is clear, shift to the right to avoid Fireballs coming in your direction from a trap ahead. Continue west until location 12, where you can help yourself to a Short Sword +2 and a couple of Throwing Knives.

A Living Wall tries to punch but can't reach

A Wand of Frost and a Mage Scroll of Dragon Scales among other things

Two doors are opened by the Silver Star Key

From there, head north, take a right turn and shortly thereafter go south through an illusionary wall to claim the Silver Star Key at location 11. Then, you need to get to the northern part of the level and use this key at location 3 to get the Silver Moon Key (location 4). There are a few different ways to get there (e.g. via the northwestern or northeastern corners), but in any case you'll have to dodge Fireballs and fight more Living Walls and Wererats along the way. Be sure to also pick up the Mage Scrolls of Dragon Scales, Freezing Sphere, and Cone of Cold (locations 17 and 18) on the way.

When you use the Silver Star Key on the lock at location 3, it opens both doors on either side. Alternatively, as gibberishh found out, you can just click on the door to the right (i.e. north of the lock) to open it and get to the Silver Moon Key without needing the Silver Star Key. You still need the latter at location 8 though.

Cone of Cold is a fifth-level Mage spell, whereas the other two are sixth-level spells. Generally, you should avoid scribing Mage Scrolls of spells you can't cast yet. This is especially important for the sixth-level spells, since you need to be Level 12 to cast them, and chances are that your Mage will not exceed Level 11 in this game. You may want to use these scrolls directly in dire situations (although it's fairly typical for items saved up to never get used). Note that if you scribe these spells and transfer your main characters to Ravenloft: Stone Prophet, then you'll have plenty of opportunities to gain additional experience and then be able to cast them.

Unlocking the outer door with the Silver Star Key

Unlocking the eastern inner door with the Silver Moon Key

The Winged Holy Symbol that the Old Paladin wanted

With the Silver Moon Key in your possession, make your way back towards the centre of the level. Use the Silver Star and Silver Moon keys to open the locked doors at locations 8 and 5, respectively, and take the Winged Holy Symbol at location 20.

The party is hit by a Fireball just as it reaches the stairs

Now that you have what you came for, make your way back to the entrance (location 24) and leave the way you came, being careful to dodge the fireballs that can now go all the way to the stairs.

Returning the Paladin's Holy Symbol

The Winged Holy Symbol makes the Old Paladin happy

The Old Paladin opens a new passage in his house

Go back to the Old Paladin (location 41) in the eastern part of Barovia. Grateful for the return of the Winged Holy Symbol, he opens the way to a hidden chamber in his house so that you can help yourself to its treasures as a reward.

Fhalken is impressed by the Paladin's Sword

It includes:

A Chain Coif
An Adamantite Chain Helm
An Arrow of Slay Undead +3
The Paladin's Dagger +2
The Paladin's Sword +3

The Paladin's Dagger +2 is inferior to the Ba'al Verzi Dagger and the Dagger of Throwing +2; however the Paladin's Sword +3 is one of the better weapons in the game, and can also be dual-wielded with the Short Sword +2.

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The Old Church Grounds

Dagar is still grumbling about Vladislav

Whether you did the Paladin's Quest or not, you should be in Barovia at this point. Head for the northeast exit (location 22 on the map of Barovia), and you'll find yourself in the Old Church Grounds.

One of your party members will pass a comment about "that black hearted knight we met beneath the Ivlis". Presumably the game expects you to go straight to the Old Church Grounds after the Caverns West of Barovia. But that's not necessarily the case, and it appears funny for the party to still be grumbling about Vladislav a week later.

A path of trees leading to the Old Church

The locked doors to the Cemetery Grounds

The trees ahead of you curve in a path that leads to the Old Church (location 3), which is where you should go next. There is literally nothing else in this area other than locked doors (location 1) to the northeast, which you can't access yet.

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The Old Church, Main Floor

Ahead of the entrance is a door, a lock, and some writing on a wall

Stepping into the entrance (location 10) on the east side of the Old Church, you can see a locked door ahead. On one side there's something written on the wall that appears to be a warning from Strahd (it has similar language to the skeleton signposts encountered earlier). Use the Church Vestibule Key on the lock on the other side of the door to open it.

Next, open any of the five doors in the next chamber to get to the main area of the Old Church. You'll be attacked by Hell Hounds here. You'll meet the Old Priest (location 6) behind the altar, but he doesn't react.

The room with the Writ of Instruction to the Catalogue

Looks like there may be another way out of Ravenloft!

In the room north of the Old Priest, you'll find the Writ of Instruction to the Catalogue. This is a list of five items which are needed to activate a soon-to-be-found book called Trimia's Catalogue, which is vital to finish the game.

If you would open the gates of Trimia's Catalogue and travel safely where the magical tome may choose, recognize that possession of the book itself is but a single step. No less than five offerings, gathered together, are necessary to bring the forces this great work to bear. Find these:

1. One gem whose blush is deeper than the setting sun's; a stone of red and fiery cut whose value outweighs a fortune in precious gold.

2. A finely crafted elven piece, into the encircling beauty of which have been worked the purest ores of white gold, gold, or platinum.

3. The feather of a wereraven.

4. "The Mists," a card from a Vistani seer's Tarokka deck.

5. A symbol of truth, honor, and religious devotion, but one stolen from its rightful owner, then set free from evil hands. Only then will this item --when combined with the other four-- release its holy power and awaken the forces of the Catalogue.

-- Writ of Instruction to the Catalogue

An Elf in the party is useful to detect hidden buttons

The hidden button that opens the south door

More items on the other side of the room

West of this room, after fighting more Hell Hounds, press the hidden button on the west wall (location 2), near the table, to open the door to the south. In that room (location 3) are some Skeletal Bats as well as several items, the most important of which is the Special Scroll of Cure Disease. This is needed for the optional Werewolf's Quest later.

Some book holds the secret to the mirror

After backtracking to the Old Priest, head south. Talk to the mirror (location 8). There appears to be someone trapped inside, who talks with a ghostly voice. It seems to be the spirit of the Old Priest, who mentions something about a book that holds the secret to the mirror.

Fighting Skeletal Bats in the Old Church halls

This hidden button opens the door to the north

The Tome of Evil Artifacts and Cursed Items, and stairs down

The contents of the Tome of Evil Artifacts and Cursed Items

Of the Mirror of Life Trapping

Reflections do trap the soul. They lure in mirrored brilliance that faithful part, until the grip of life trapping stills the heart. He who has fallen victim to this fateful art shall wait within the surface of the looking glass through all eternity. He may be freed neither by innocence nor by blood. Alas, reflection's grip may be broken only by certain words of power, boldly spoken in the presence of the mirror! These words are inscribed herein, but one page past.

-- Tome of Evil Artifacts and Cursed Items

Proceed through the west door, and open the northwest door using the nearby hidden button (location 7). In the final room, you'll find a useless Cleric Holy Symbol as well as the crucial Tome of Evil Artifacts and Cursed Items (location 4). Go down the stairs at location 5 to the lower level.

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The Old Church, Lower Level 1 (Catalogue)

Zombies stalk a room with the Gold Church Key

From the stairs (location 6), follow the corridor as it bends south and then east, opening onto a long hallway, killing any Zombies you encounter along the way. Enter the first room to the south and take the Gold Church Key (location 10).

A Ring of Protection can be found in this Chest

Two hidden buttons that trigger the fireball trap

"This is a private place, a personal chapel for the Head Priest of this Church."

The first Parchment Fragment lies in front of an altar

The Parchment Fragment is related to the Tome of Evil Artifacts and Cursed Items

The party needs all four Parchment Fragments to make sense of them

In a room to the southwest, you'll find a Chest which, among other things, has a Pouch containing a Ring of Protection at location 12. Head east through an illusionary wall, then south and west to the southwest part of the level. There are four hidden buttons along the south wall; the second one from east (location 16) opens the door to the west and north, whereas the other three (locations 15, 17) trigger the fireball trap at location 14. Head through the aforementioned door and collect the first of four Parchment Fragments (location 9). These are later used with the Tome of Evil Artifacts and Cursed Items to free the spirit of the Old Priest.

A Mace, Cloak, and Van Richten's Tale of Strahd

The contents of Van Richten's Tale of Strahd

Backtrack a little, and then either head northeast through two illusionary walls, or head back to the long hallway and enter the second room to the south. In this area you'll find (among other things) Van Richten's Tale of Strahd (location 11), a tragic tale of how Sergei (Strahd's brother) was murdered by a Ba'al Verzi dagger on the day of his wedding to Tatyana. This resulted in Tatyana's suicide as well as a failed uprising against Strahd.

Let history record that so many died in the treachery of that fateful day that we have no witness beyond the words of our Lord Strahd as to what truly happened. And none more is required.

On the day of the wedding between our Lord's brother Sergei and the woman Tatyana, the blade of a Ba'al Verzi assassin was driven into Sergei's heart. Though it is recorded that Strahd did all that was possible to comfort Tatyana, investing his whole soul and being in the effort, the loss of her betrothed proved more than she could bear. Seeking to join Sergei in the world beyond, Tatyana leapt from the overlook of Castle Ravenloft in a fit of grief.

On that same day a full and bloody struggle for power erupted within the castle, the true agents of treachery revealing themselves as they made their attempt to bring our Lord down to ignonimous defeat. They failed.

Since that rueful day, Strahd Von Zarovich has ruled in silence, wielding uncontested power and justice from Castle Ravenloft. To say otherwise is treason.

-- Van Richten's Tale of Strahd

In this area you'll also come across an inconspicuous pile of bones (location 8). There is nothing in the game that indicates that they are important at this point, and it's easy to overlook some bones on the ground in a game filled with undead. However, the party does take note of them, and in fact asks the Old Priest about them a little later. These are in fact the bones of Mischa, the Old Priest's aide, who will need to be resurrected later.

A Cleric Holy Symbol, Blue Robe, and Keyring

A dining room, with a pull chain in the east wall

More zombies pour through the door after unlocking it

Back in the long hallway, head east. If you like, you can visit the third door to the south and collect a Keyring (location 33). In the eastern chamber, unlock the door at location 34 with the Gold Church Key. You can also use the pull chain at location 32 to open the door at location 39, leading to a handful of Cleric Scrolls (including one of Flame Strike, a fifth-level spell) at location 13.

The second Parchment Fragment in the southeast room

The Rod of Smiting +3 and Special Scroll of Atonement

The Rod of Smiting +3 is weightless, deals plenty of damage, and seems to have charges

The Rod of Smiting +3 is a blunt weapon perfect for a Cleric

Trimia's Catalogue doesn't work until the required items have been gathered

The southeastern room (the one you just unlocked) is vital.

Pick up the second Parchment Fragment at location 36.
Press the hidden button at location 38 to open the doors at the west end of the room.
Collect Trimia's Catalogue (essential to finish the game) at location 35.
Take the Special Scroll of Atonement (needed for the optional Werewolf's Quest) and Rod of Smiting +3 from location 37.

The Rod of Smiting +3 is a formidable blunt weapon which is particularly useful if you have a Cleric in the front rank. It seems to have "12 charges", but it's not clear what these are. Do not be shy about using the Rod; it never ceases to work. It is capable of dealing damage to creatures that normally don't take damage from weapons, such as Pyre Elementals, the Banshee, and Strahd himself (although it still can't destroy the last two).

Hold Undead makes a sitting duck out of this Zombie

The locked door to the Old Church, Lower Level 2

You might be smirking if you played Ultima 9

"Guard's chambers, that's what we have here."

Backtrack again to the long hallway, and this time, from west to east, take the second door to the north through a room with pillars and statues, and you'll reach a room with four pillars. There are doors to the west and east. To the north, there are two illusionary walls leading to a door you can't open yet (location 1). The east door leads to a corridor lined with guards' chambers that can be unlocked with the Gold Church Key and are crawling with Skeletons; there is a Paladin's Holy Symbol that seems to be useless, as well as plenty of equipment that you probably don't need at this point, except for perhaps a Plate Mail (location 19) and a Chest (location 18) for additional storage. A door to the south leads to the third Parchment Fragment (location 7).

The pull chain that opens the Zombie Lord's room

The Zombie Lord with the fourth Parchment Fragment behind him

In the room with the four pillars, use the pull chain on the southeast pillar (location 4) to open one of the two rooms (location 5) through the west door. There, you'll find a Special Scroll of Remove Curse (needed for the optional Werewolf's Quest), and another pull chain that opens the north room (location 3). In this room you'll find the fourth and last Parchment Fragment, guarded by the Zombie Lord, who is easily dispatched.

With the four Parchment Fragments as well as Trimia's Catalogue in your possession, and the remaining two Special Scrolls needed for the Werewolf's Quest, you can now leave this level the way you came (i.e. via the stairs at location 6).

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Freeing The Old Priest

At dusk,

the cock crows.

At midnight,

the mirrored sun!

-- The four Parchment Fragments

The book must be used near the Mirror of Life Trapping

Using the Tome of Evil Artifacts and Cursed Items near the mirror

The Old Priest's soul escapes the Mirror of Life Trapping

You should now be back in the main floor of the Old Church. To free the Old Priest:

Place all four Parchment Fragments into the Tome of Evil Artifacts and Cursed Items as if it were a container.
Stand near the Mirror of Life Trapping.
Place the Tome of Evil Artifacts and Cursed Items into a character's hand and use it.

Due to a bug, this still works if you leave out the last Parchment Fragment. The first three are actually enough.

The Old Priest provides the key to the Cemetery

You will see an animation as the mirror shatters and the Old Priest's soul escapes it. You can now talk to the Old Priest in the middle of the Old Church. He will give you the Iron Cemetery Gate Key and tell you about Strahd's assault on the Old Church, which resulted in the entrapment of the Old Priest and the death of his novitiate (the bones you saw in the lower level).

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Optional: The Werewolf's Quest

Map of the Wooded Area West of Barovia (to Werewolf's Cave)

If you collected all three Special Scrolls from the Old Church, you can now do the optional Werewolf's Quest if you like. Go to the Wooded Area West of Barovia and enter the cave to the northwest (location 1 on the map of the Wooded Area West of Barovia). Straight ahead, you'll meet a Werewolf (location 1 on the map of the Werewolf's Cave) struggling to retain control over himself. There is nothing else of interest in the cave.

He will wait here while you destroy the progenitor

The Werewolf struggles to retain his self-control

Recalling Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts

Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts, which we found back in the Burgomaster's Mansion, explained the steps needed to cure lycanthropy:

The progenitor (the werewolf who originally caused the infection) needs to be destroyed. The Werewolf here tells us that the progenitor is a large Albino Werewolf.
Spells of Atonement, Cure Disease, and Remove Curse must be cast on the infected creature. Special Scrolls of each of these were located in the Old Church (Cure Disease on the main level, and the other two in the lower level).
After being cured, "the infected creature must atone for his deeds with acts of constant good." That's up to him though.

A long and rigorous examination of the facts leads to but one conclusion: that curing the infected lycanthrope is a difficult enterprise. No shortcuts have been found, and it remains our learned opinion that none exist.

First, the primary werebeast causing the infection must be located and destroyed. Often, painstaking research is required to locate this beast (known as the progenitor), especially when a chain of lycanthropic infection is involved.

Once you are certain that the progenitor has been destroyed, the next stage of the cure may take place. To begin, the subject must assume his secondary form, whatever difficulties that may involve. Then three spells must be cast upon the beast in quick succession: atonement, cure disease, and remove curse. Finally, once restored to human form, the infected creature must atone for his deeds with acts of constant good.

-- Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts

A regular Cleric spell/scroll of Cure Disease won't work.

The Special Scrolls can't be used before the progenitor is killed

The Albino Werewolf and another Werewolf

After casting the three spells, the Werewolf begins to change...

The Werewolf gradually returns to human form...

He's cured, but "innocent" is a bit of a stretch

Leave the cave at nighttime, because that is when Werewolves roam the Wooded Area West of Barovia. You'll find the Albino Werewolf near the southern wall of fog, behind Ryszard's house, and you might also run into other Werewolves and Skeletal Bats. Slay the Albino Werewolf and return to the cave. Use the three Special Scrolls (Atonement, Cure Disease, and Remove Curse) in any order to return the Werewolf in the cave to his human form.

He gives you a key, providing access to everything he has

He resolves to "make amends" for his crimes

Opening the Werewolf's treasure room with the Blood Key

In return, the Werewolf gives you the Blood Key, which opens the red lock (location 33 on the map of Barovia) inside a house just northeast of the centre of Barovia. Inside there, you'll find lots of equipment (location 31 on the map of Barovia). The most useful are the Gauntlets of Dexterity (+1 Dexterity for the wearer) and the Ring of Regeneration (gradually heals the wearer) in a Pouch.

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The Cemetery Grounds and Jeweller's Quest (Ruby)

We can now access the Cemetery thanks to the Iron Cemetery Gate Key given by the Old Priest. Before we go there, though, we need to trigger a quest in Barovia.

The Jeweller's House in Barovia

A cold sensation warns of the danger inside

The Jeweller's ghost wants you to kill Victor Grymig, the Ghoul Lord

Victor Grymig slew the Jeweller and his family

The Jeweller's ghost will release and reward the party in return

The Jeweller's ghost possesses a party member

It's time to visit the Jeweller's House in Barovia (location 26). As soon as you enter, you are addressed by a ghost in a fearsome and threatening voice. Once a humble jeweller named Strobel, he and his family were slain by Victor Grymig, who now resides in the Cemetery as the Ghoul Lord.

The Jeweller's ghost wants you to destroy Victor Grymig on his behalf, and to ensure you do, he possesses one of your two main party members, and gives you Victor Grymig's Bone Vault Key. The effects of possession are the following:

A ghostly face appears over the possessed character's portrait. The spellbook or holy symbol above it also changes colour indoors.
The possessed character is unable to attack, pray for spells, or memorise spells anywhere except the Village of Barovia (interior and exterior), the Old Church Grounds (exterior only), and the Cemetery Grounds (interior and exterior). They can still cast spells though.
Each time you move between areas, except in the direction of the Cemetery, the Jeweller's ghost appears and threatens to kill the party member. He never does.
The possessed character cannot be dropped, even if dead.

This is annoying, especially if done early in the game when you still have no access to the Cemetery, but is otherwise harmless. In fact, going through this sequence is necessary to finish the game.

Inside the Jeweller's House; Dagar is possessed

Another of the Jeweller's ghost's threats

Yet another threat by the Jeweller's ghost

Old Church Grounds: Accessing the Cemetery

From Barovia, leave via the northeast exit (location 22) to reach the Old Church Grounds, and then head northeast again to reach the Cemetery gates. Use the Iron Cemetery Gate Key (from the Old Priest) to open them, and then you can access the Cemetery.

The Cemetery

Several Ghouls and a Vampire shuffle around an arrangement of tombstones

Stay away from this building to the southeast, for now

The Cemetery Grounds is an area crawling with undead, but also packed with rewards. The outdoor area is filled with Ghouls (can paralyse) and Vampires (can permanently drain levels), and indoors you will also encounter a Skeletal Bat, more Vampires, Skeletons, the Ghoul Lord, and a Banshee. Below are a few tips that help deal with these undead:

Do not enter the building at the southeast corner, and if you do, do not save your game inside! The Banshee guarding the stairs down is indestructible and can wipe out your party simply by wailing.

While outdoors, take down Ghouls and Vampires from a safe distance whenever possible, using spells (e.g. Burning Hands, which can destroy several creatures at once) or ranged weapons (e.g. the Dagger of Throwing +2 obtained earlier, and the Axe of Hurling +1 at location 18).
While outdoors, keep moving to avoid monsters surprising you from behind.
Protect your front rank characters from level draining with the Negative Plane Protection spell (third level Cleric spell).
Retreat to a safe building or the Old Church Grounds whenever you need to rest.

Negative Plane Protection

RANGE: TOUCH

DURATION: LONG OR UNTIL THE CHARACTER IS HIT

AREA OF EFFECT: ONE CHARACTER

This spell gives the affected character partial protection from undead attacks that drain levels, as those of the wights roaming the catacombs of Barovia are known to do. However, the character still takes any physical damage done by the attack. Undead creatures that attack characters protected by this spell take 2-12 points of damage from the spell’s positive energy.

-- Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession manual, page 50

When a character protected by Negative Plane Protection is hit by a level-draining attack, the character takes the damage but does not suffer the level drain. The spell is removed when the character is hit by any undead creature, whether of the level-draining kind or not, meaning the next level-draining attack will succeed in draining a level (unless the spell is cast again). Otherwise, the spell remains active even after resting, so it's convenient to cast it, rest, and have fresh spells available to cast when a character is hit. You can check whether a character is protected by Negative Plane Protection from the Inventory screen by clicking on the icon (spellbook near portrait) that displays spell effects.

Victor Grymig's epitaph is a terrible poem

Plenty of loot including the Rod of Rebirth

A hint that the Rod of Rebirth has something to do with bones

Head northeast of the entrance, and use Victor Grymig's Bone Vault Key, given to you by the Jeweller's ghost, to enter the tomb. Slay the Ghoul Lord (aka Victor Grymig; he can paralyse and/or disease party members), and help yourself to the loot, which includes (among other things):

Chain Mail +2 (as good as Plate Mail)
The Rod of Rebirth (required for Mischa's Resurrection)
A Potion of Giant Strength
A Ring of Fire Resistance
A Pouch of Unusual Golden Dust (needed to access the southeast building later)

He leaves the possessed character's body and provides a key

Once you leave Victor Grymig's tomb, the Jeweller's ghost makes an apparition. He frees your possessed character and gives you the Jeweller's Key, giving access to a reward in his house.

The text and speech of the Jeweller's ghost don't match, and his indications (in the text version) of "a secret door in the floor of the abandoned house" leading to "the cellar" are wrong, as we will see when we revisit his house.

The Sling of Seeking, a Cloak and a Dagger

A Mage Scroll of Ice Storm, a Cloak, and a Quarterstaff +1

A Vampire guards a Ring of Wizardry and other items

A cache of Cleric Scrolls behind an illusionary wall

There is a lot more useful equipment scattered across the Cemetery; below is a list of some of the most noteworthy items (for the rest, check the map):

Another Pouch of Unusual Dust (location 15) which will be needed to access the southeast building later
A Mage Scroll of Claws of the Umber Hulk (sixth level Mage spell, don't scribe), together with a second Keyring, at location 1
A Sling of Seeking (effectively a +2 weapon, although the game doesn't acknowledge it) at location 11
A Mage Scroll of Ice Storm (fourth level Mage spell) and a Quarterstaff +1 at location 12
An Axe of Hurling +1 which, like the Dagger of Throwing +2, returns to the thrower's hand (location 18)
A Cleric Scroll of Flame Strike (fifth level Cleric spell) at location 14, behind a Vampire and an illusionary wall
A Mage Scroll of Lightning Bolt (third level Mage spell) and a Ring of Wizardry at location 17

The Ring of Wizardry is extremely useful, as it doubles the number of third-level spells that a Mage can memorise. This means more spells like Haste, Fireball, and Lightning Bolt.

The party can also decline to recruit him

In the southern part of the Cemetery, you'll find an NPC called Vuko who is robbing graves, but will stop his activity and join your party if asked. At level 7, he's one of the highest-level NPCs (along with Vladislav) in the game. But as a Thief, he's limited in equipment he can use, and unfortunately, there is no opportunity in this game for Thieves to flex their abilities (there are no locks that can be picked, and Thief abilities such as Backstab are absent). Vuko's equipment includes:

A Cloak
A Long Sword +1
Lock Picks
A Dagger
2 Throwing Knives

When recruited and then dismissed, Vuko says he can be found at the Blood o' the Vine tavern. However, in reality he resumes graverobbing at the same location where you found him.

The Jeweller's Reward

The Priceless Fire Ruby is needed for Trimia's Catalogue

When you're finished exploring the Cemetery (except for the southeast building), head back to Barovia. Use the Jeweller's Key on the lock at location 25 inside the Jeweller's House. You can then collect the Priceless Fire Ruby from location 24, which is one of the items required to activate Trimia's Catalogue and leave Ravenloft.

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Mischa's Resurrection

Using the Rod of Rebirth near Mischa's bones

Map of the Old Church, Lower Level 1 (Resurrecting Mischa)

Mischa suddenly seems to be in better shape

We have more business to do at the Cemetery, but we'll make a brief detour to revisit the Old Church. From Barovia, take the northeast exit, and make your way back to the Old Church, Lower Level 1, via the Old Church Grounds and the main floor of the Old Church.

Grateful Mischa says he escaped Castle Ravenloft

Mischa recounts what happened in Castle Ravenloft and the Church

Use the Rod of Rebirth near the bones (location 8) to resurrect Mischa, the Old Priest's novitiate. Talking to him, you will learn about the events that led to his untimely demise. Suspecting Strahd to be a Vampire, he sneaked into Castle Ravenloft in daylight. But he was outnumbered by Strahd's minions and forced to escape. By the time he was back at the Church, dusk had fallen and Strahd was there.

Mischa offers to join the party, and whether you accept or not, he provides the Sharp Iron Svalich Road Key, which opens the gate to Castle Ravenloft.

A Level 4 Cleric, Mischa is one of the weakest NPCs in the game.
I don't normally take him with me, but he's the only Cleric NPC (aside from the short-lived Irmgarde), so you might want to have him if you don't have another Cleric already.
You only get one chance to recruit him. If you talk to him again after exhausting his dialogue, the option to have him join you is no longer available.
If you recruit him and drop him later, he permanently disappears and cannot rejoin the party.
After resurrecting Mischa, the Old Priest's dialogue is also truncated and you can no longer ask about Mischa's bones.

Mischa's inventory includes:

A Mace +1
A Chain Coif
Chain Mail
2 Potions of Extra Healing
A Cleric Scroll of Invisible to Undead
A Cleric Scroll of Negative Plane Protection
A Cleric Scroll of Cure Disease

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The Elven Warrior's Crypt, Lower Level 1

We now have two places we can visit: Castle Ravenloft, and the southeast building at the Cemetery. There's no required order in which to do these, but since we're in the area, we might as well do the latter first, so we don't have to come back later, and afterwards focus on Castle Ravenloft.

The Banshee

Map of the Cemetery Grounds (to Elven Warrior's Crypt)

The Banshee kills half my party with a scream

After returning to the Cemetery Grounds, make your way to the southeast building (location 23), but do not enter yet. You'll see a poem inscribed on the wall beside the door, as well as a statue on either side.

In death our sister wards below.

Secure in this, her lover's tomb.

Her voice an angry, grieving shadow raised

To avenge her lover's doom.

Her cry, a wail through all eternity

Doth shriek, doth slay the intruding foe.

At this place where evil jealousy

Did deal the evil blow!

In death, elves to Avernaith must go.

But this our prince denied.

So here, with faith, through darkest fate

We stand watch in immortal pride.

Dust to dust, our blessing gains

A magic to calm our sister's soul.

And then below, seek out the sign

That to Avernaith will release us all!

-- The Elven poem

The Banshee inside this building blocks the stairs down. She's easily the most powerful creature in the game: she can't be destroyed by normal means, and her cries will instantly kill multiple members of your party.

The left statue is one of three sisters guarding this tomb

The right statue: "a Prince of our land slew a warrior"

The right statue refers us back to the left one

The poem warns against the Banshee inside, and at the same time hints at the solution (as does the Mad Woman in Barovia). During your previous visit to the Cemetery, you should have picked up two Pouches of Unusual Golden Dust (one at location 3, part of Victor Grymig's stash, and the other at location 15). Use them on the statues to learn more about their background (more on this in the level below), gain their blessing and remove the Banshee.

Do this on the statue to the right (location 24) first, then the one on the left (location 20).
If you apply the golden dust to the left then right statues, you'll need to talk to the left statue again to clear the Banshee.
If you apply the golden dust from a distance with both statues in sight, you'll trigger the dialogue of both statues with a single Pouch of Unusual Golden Dust, but still need to talk to the left statue again to receive its blessing.

The Banshee is gone, and the way down is clear

You can then enter the building and descend into the level below.

The Elven Warrior's Crypt, Lower Level 1

First steps into the Elven Warrior's Crypt

A button opens two doors with grim reaper art

Aside from the Elven Warrior, who we'll meet shortly, this level is inhabited by Wights, Werebats, and Pyre Elementals. Wights, like Vampires, can drain levels, so protect your front rank characters with Negative Plane Protection, and cast it again whenever they are hit. Pyre Elementals don't take damage from most weapons, so take them down with spells (like Magic Missile or Lightning Bolt) and the Rod of Smiting +3.

If a character is level-drained down to level 0, they will die and cannot be raised again with a Raise Dead spell.

The Elven Warrior and the Prince fell in love with the same woman

He gave up his love for the Prince, but she followed

The Prince slew both the Elven Warrior and his love

Going straight ahead from the entrance, past a pair of doors, you'll meet the ghost of the Elven Warrior in front of a suit of armour. He tells you his story and requests your help to find his signet. Basically:

He used to be "a swordsman of great skill", and was adopted into the royal family, the Prince becoming his brother.
The Elven Warrior and the Prince fell in love with the same woman, who is now the Banshee. Her sisters are the statues outside.
The Elven Warrior chickened out and left, moving to Barovia with Strahd's army, so that the Prince could be with the woman.
The woman loved the Elven Warrior more, and followed him to Barovia.
The ungrateful Prince slew both the Elven Warrior and the woman, using a Ba'al Verzi Dagger. As a result, the woman was trapped in this place as a Banshee.
The Elven Warrior needs you to return his signet to make things right and allow him and the three sisters to find peace in Avernaith (Elven Heaven).

2 of each: Javelins of Lightning, Spears, and Shields

A Werebat next to a Mage Scroll of Wizard Eye and a Potion of Healing

Head northwest. In a couple of rooms you'll find some gear including four Arrows of Slay Undead +3 (location 2) and two Javelins of Lightning (location 1), among other things. Make your way through a zigzagging passage along the north end of the level to reach location 16. This large area is a teleportation hub, and here you'll also find Mage Scrolls of Wizard Eye (location 20, fourth level spell) and True Seeing (location 19, sixth level spell, so don't scribe).

A Pouch containing a Ring of Free Action

To the south, there's a locked door at location 21 and another four doors (locations 22-25), each with a teleporter leading to different parts of the southern half of the level. The first door (location 25) is entirely optional and opened by a nearby button (location 17); its teleporter leads to the southwestern area, the only reward being a Ring of Free Action (location 14).

Pyre Elementals hit hard and have a characteristic shotgun sound

A Chest containing Keightom's Ointment and a Potion of Fire Resist

To gain access to the lower level, you need to work your way through the other three doors as follows:

Press the button at location 6 to open the second door (location 22).
Go through the teleporter at location 22 (second door) to reach location 12, right in front of a Pyre Elemental. Press the button at location 10 to open the third teleporter door (location 23). Go through the teleporter at location 13 to return to the teleportation hub at location 16.
Go through the teleporter at location 23 (third door) to reach location 30. Press the button at location 33 to open the fourth teleporter door (location 24). Go through the teleporter at location 29 to return to the teleportation hub at location 16.
Go through the teleporter at location 24 (fourth door) to reach location 31. Take the Iron Elven Tomb Key (location 32) and then go through the teleporter at location 34 to return to the teleportation hub at location 16.

You can now use the Iron Elven Tomb Key to open the locked door at location 21, fight through the remaining Wights, and head downstairs.

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The Elven Warrior's Crypt, Lower Level 2 (Crown)

When all else fails, go on with the game. Your characters need not open every door, fight every monster, and obtain every item to win.

-- Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession manual, page 27

Whoever wrote the above must have been kidding. This level is essentially a hunt for seven buttons (and a key) that open a series of doors leading to the Elven Signet. They are all over the place and it's very easy to miss one (more on this shortly), so refer to the map for key locations and directions. The area is also infested with Pyre Elementals and Spectres. The latter drain levels, so keep your Negative Plane Protection up.

Map of the Elven Warrior's Crypt, Lower Level 2

Starting at location 33, you can already see the first in the series of doors around the corner (location 32), with a fireball trap (location 35) shooting straight at them. Taking the east door in this room, you'll already find two of the seven buttons (locations 31 and 26) which open the first and third doors, respectively.

Fighting Spectres near the Elven Chain Mail

Elven Chain Mail, a Chain Coif, and a Wand of Fireballs

Mareva, as an Elf, recognises the usefulness of the Elven Chain Mail

At location 36 you'll also find an Elven Chain Mail and a Wand of Fireballs.

A multiclass Mage, such as a Fighter/Mage, cannot normally cast Mage spells while wearing armour. However, Elves have the special advantage that they can do so while wearing Elven Chain Mail. This is still inferior to wearing a Cloak +2 and Bracers of Protection, which still allow spellcasting and are available much earlier in the game.

Back at the central chamber near the entrance, a button at location 34 opens the door to the west, leading to a number of labyrinthine passages running through the western half of the level. Heading northwest, past a couple of fireball traps and spinners, you'll find a couple more important buttons at locations 28 and 4, which open the second and fifth doors, respectively. Also in the area are:

A Battle Axe +1 and a Shield +1 at location 3
A Bag of Holding containing 8 Stones at location 30
A Sling Pouch containing 8 Sling Bullets and a Stone of Good Luck at location 8

The Bag of Holding is like a black hole. You can put big and heavy objects into it, and they won't count towards your character's carrying capacity. Put your heavy chests into it.

It's not clear what the Stone of Good Luck is for, but it's actually breaking the game's rules by being in a Sling Pouch, which normally can only hold Sling Bullets. In fact, once you remove it, you can't put it back inside.

A Cloak +2, a Short Sword, and Lock Picks beneath another button

Three scrolls including a Mage Scroll of Ice Storm

Backtracking a little and heading southeast from the western part of the level, you'll find a Cloak +2 (location 14) right next to another button which opens the fourth door.

Before writing this walkthrough, I had only played the game twice - in December 2014 and December 2023. Both times, I followed the official cluebook, but struggled to find this button opening the fourth door, as it's not marked on the cluebook's map. My second time, however, was not nearly as painful as the first: a kind soul back in 2014 had posted a Q&A with the fourth button's location. I realised not much later that, in a curious case of karma, that person was me!

For the last two buttons, you'll need to head to the southwestern part of the level. The button opening the sixth door is easily accessible at location 15, and at location 42 there are a few scrolls including a Mage Scroll of Ice Storm.

There's an illusionary wall behind each of those banners

This Spectre must have heard someone mention "AI" one time too many

A teleporter at location 16 will take you to location 44, in a sealed off area to the east (southeastern part of the level) with six illusionary walls. The final button (location 37) is behind one of them, and behind another you'll find the Green Elven Tomb Key (location 41). Use one of the teleporters to the west (locations 43, 45) to return to the main level.

At this point, if you've pressed all seven buttons, you can head back to the central chamber and head north through the seven now-open doors (locations 32, 29, 27, 25, 24, 22, 21).

The fireball trap (location 35) shooting at your back is annoying. However, because buttons work on both sides of the wall, you can use any of the first three buttons (locations 31, 28, 26) from the now-open rooms to close the respective doors behind you, blocking the fireballs.

The button on the north wall opens the east door

Use the Green Elven Tomb Key to open this door

At the other end, a button on the north wall (location 20) opens a door to the east, and the Green Elven Tomb Key opens another (location 18). After fighting a few last Spectres and Pyre Elementals, you can finally help yourself to the Elven Signet (location 23).

The Elven Warrior's Reward

You can now make your way back upstairs, and then to the Elven Warrior's ghost near the entrance to the Elven Warrior's Crypt.

The Elven Warrior rewards you with everything he once had

The Elven Warrior and the three sisters can now find peace

The suit of armour in the background undergoes a transformation

The Elven Warrior's equipment is restored to its former glory

Ancient Elven equipment can now be taken

Mareva recognises the quality of the Ancient Elven Plate Mail

With the Elven Signet, the Elven Warrior and the three sisters can now find their way to Avernaith and rest in peace. As a reward, he gives you his equipment, which includes:

An Ancient Elven Sword +2, about as good as the Paladin's Sword +3
An Ancient Elven Shield (AC 2 bonus, as good as a Shield +1)
Ancient Elven Plate Mail +2 (AC 9 bonus)
An Ancient Elven Plate Helm +1 (AC 1 bonus)
The Ancient Elven Crown, one of the items required by Trimia's Catalogue

A multiclass Elven Mage capable of wearing heavy armour may cast spells while wearing the Ancient Elven Plate Mail, just like Elven Chain Mail.

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Old Svalich Road North

With the Elven Warrior's quest complete, it's time to revisit Castle Ravenloft. To reach it, you first need to return to Barovia, and then take the north exit to reach the Old Svalich Road North.

Old Svalich Road North is similar to Old Svalich Road South, but it's a single, straightforward map instead of two. There are forested areas on either side of the winding road, where Worgs wait in ambush, and there's nothing really interesting.

The Sharp Iron Svalich Road Key opens the gate

At the end of the road, you'll see a huge gate, with a sign that says "Castle Ravenloft". Open the gate with the Sharp Iron Svalich Road Key, obtained after Mischa's Resurrection. You can then go through and reach the castle.

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🎥 Cutscene: Return to Castle Ravenloft

Lightning strikes in the distance behind the castle

The view closes in on the castle's entrance

Someone from the balcony seems to be watching

The party reaches Castle Ravenloft on foot and uninvited, unlike the first time. The castle looks more dangerous and imposing this time around. As the party crosses the drawbridge, it feels like it's being watched from above.

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Castle Ravenloft, Main Floor

Welcome back to Castle Ravenloft! As the cutscene warned, this time you're trespassing, and that comes with consequences: all creatures in the castle will attack on sight, but at the same time, you're free to explore without restriction.

The castle itself is huge and very confusing, due to a multi-level layout consisting of numerous interconnecting staircases. This means that there are several possible paths through. However, to minimise frustration, it's worth discussing the overall layout before going further:

The Dungeons are presumably at the lowest level of the castle, accessed by a deep-running staircase from the Rooms of Weeping. Strahd awaits here, but because the means to defeat him is still as yet beyond reach, this is the only level we will skip during this visit.
The Larders of Ill Omen are the castle's basement, beneath the Main Floor. There is nothing of interest in this level, but it provides an easy way to reach different parts of the Main Floor.
The Main Floor is familiar; you have already visited the entrance hall and the dining room here. There is a chapel to the east as well as a staircase leading to the secondary tower. There are also two sealed off areas each containing an essential key, that need to be accessed from either the Larders of Ill Omen or the Court of the Count.
The Court of the Count is above the Main Floor. Here are Strahd's throne room, study, and bedroom. To the east, above the chapel, is a balcony overlooking the village of Barovia.
The Rooms of Weeping are above the Court of the Count and include another bedroom, another dining room, and a large library. The stairs down to the Dungeons, as well as a key to the Secondary Tower, are also on this level.
The Main and Secondary Towers extend four levels above the Rooms of Weeping, and are used to hold prisoners. These four levels exist on a single map for both towers.
The Main Tower is in the northeastern part of the castle. It begins at the Larders of Ill Omen and can be accessed from there, the Court of the Count, or the Rooms of Weeping. A Wereraven is being interrogated at the top.
The Secondary or Silver Tower is in the southeastern part of the castle. It begins at the Main Floor, next to the chapel, and needs to be accessed from there. At the top is an NPC called Anshelm.

Some doors are opened by a nearby button

The castle is home to Doom Guards, Gargoyles, Zombie Golems, Vampires, Wights, Skeletons, the Inquisitor, and Strahd himself. In this part of the Main Floor, we will only be dealing with the first two. They are tough and often attack in groups, and the Doom Guards do not seem to take damage from spells, so all you can do is fight your way through them.

The area is full of stairs going up to the Court of the Count or down to the Larders of Ill Omen; the easiest thing to do at this point is head downstairs via the nearest staircase (location 14) just southeast of the entrance (location 12). However, if you like, you can continue to explore the level before you do that. You can also take a different route if you prefer.

The book "I, Strahd", and an inscription on the wall

East of the entrance is the chapel, which appears to have been ravaged. There is a book called "I, Strahd" at location 31, explaining how Strahd fell in love with his brother's fiancée, Tatyana. There is also an inscription in blood behind the altar that says: "Behold my heart's desire - a pact with death" (location 30).

One morning in the second half of the year 350, my brother Sergei entered my study in a mood too cheerful to bear, too bright and youthful to tolerate. He'd met a girl from the village of such virtue and beauty he planned to marry her. I was furious.

Sergei, destined to embark on a life of service to the church, was to be our Most High Priest. He had already been given the Priest's Pendant to wear as a symbol of the approaching ceremony and here he was bubbling over with ludicrous devotion to a peasant! Less than a week later he brought this wretched embarrassment of his (named Tatyana) to my castle and I... I fell in love!

I say it simply because it happened simply. At the first sight of her, I knew she was as far beyond ordinary beauty as the luster of a jewel is beyond that of polished glass. From that moment on my brother became no more than a cold obstacle to me, and Tatyana became my life.

Strahd

-- I, Strahd

Among the real-world Ravenloft novels are I, Strahd: Memoirs of a Vampire and I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin. The above note may be a reference to one of them.

The words about Tatyana's beauty are very similar to those spoken by Vladislav if Tatian was in the party when they met him. This is probably the main clue that Vladislav was in fact Strahd in disguise, which is confirmed at the end of the game when confronting Strahd.

From the chapel you can also find the base of the Secondary Tower (location 32), which we'll visit later, and secret doors at the north and south ends containing potions and scrolls. Among them is a Mage Scroll of True Seeing (location 23, sixth level Mage spell, so don't scribe).

A True Seeing spell is useful to see illusionary walls for what they really are, and the castle has lots of them. Unfortunately, Clerics do not get a fifth-level True Seeing spell in this game. There are only two sixth-level Mage Scrolls of True Seeing in this game, and your Mages will never reach a high enough level to cast them once scribed. As a result, these scrolls are usually never used for fear of being wasted.

The dining room where you had dinner with Strahd earlier has a secret door leading to the southwestern part of the level. It is trapped and quite frankly not worth the effort, as it leads only to a couple of potions and a couple of staircases, and both are more conveniently available elsewhere.

The northern part of this level has two areas that aren't directly accessible from here. We'll visit them soon via other levels to collect a couple of keys.

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Optional: Castle Ravenloft, Larders of Ill Omen

The Larders have more of a dungeon feeling

Map of Castle Ravenloft: Larders of Ill Omen

In all I believe the exercise of entering this level similar to walking into a dead end. Little of interest awaited us. Had we better known our way through Strahd’s labyrinth, I might have insisted we go directly from the Court of the Count to the Rooms of Weeping.

[...]

A cleric’s scroll proved our only reward for braving the dangers of this level, and it was not worth the effort. Had we known how ill stocked these larders were, we would never have ventured into them. Our best course would have been to go directly from the Court of the Count to the Rooms of Weeping [...]

-- Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession Cluebook, pages 76-77

The Larders of Ill Omen are home to Skeletons, Wights and Vampires (remember that the latter two drain levels, so use Negative Plane Protection). As the cluebook says, the only reward is a Cleric Scroll of Raise Dead (location 1), of which you probably have many by now.

The main usefulness of this level is that it provides a quick route to the segregated parts of the Main Level that contain the keys we need. As the cluebook suggests, it is also possible to do this from the Court of the Count, and skip this level entirely.

Coming straight from the Main Floor, you will likely reach the Larders of Ill Omen at either location 2 or 3. Using the staircases at 4 and 5, you will be able to reach the separate areas of the Main Floor where two keys can be found (see next section).

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Keys on the Main Floor

The sealed off areas in the northern part of the Main Floor can be reached either from the Larders of Ill Omen or the Court of the Count.

Map of Castle Ravenloft: Main Floor (Keys)

Taking the stairs at location 5 in the Larders of Ill Omen or location 19 in the Court of the Count will take you to the Main Floor at location 27 or 22, respectively. Here you'll find the Ravenloft Tower Key (location 24) in a small room guarded by a Zombie Golem. The key is required to reach the Wereraven at the top of the Main Tower.

Zombie Golems are among the toughest creatures in the game. They hit very hard and very fast, and can easily take out your best characters with two or three blows. Cast Turn Undead on them, which turns them into sitting ducks, and then you can hack away at them at your leisure.

Retrace your steps, and use the stairs at either location 4 in the Larders of Ill Omen or location 22 in the Court of the Count to reach location 26 or 25 on the Main Floor, respectively, within the Main Tower.

A Zombie Golem can quickly tear the party apart

A Lightning Bolt comes from a room with a few potions

Four buttons; the third from left opens the south wall

Remember to cast Turn Undead against Zombie Golems

From here, fight through Gargoyles and Doom Guards, and walk west along the middle of the corridor to avoid lightning bolts coming from both directions. Along the north wall you'll find four buttons (location 1). The second one from where you're coming (or third from west) opens a wall at location 6 to the south, from where a couple of tough Zombie Golems emerge. Through an illusionary wall further south, you'll find the Blood Bat Key (location 9), which will be essential in the Rooms of Weeping.

Other than a few potions, there isn't much else of interest here, so head back east and take the stairs up to the Court of the Count (location 25).

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Castle Ravenloft, Court of the Count

The Court of the Count is all connected, so it doesn't really matter where on the Main Floor you came from. But if you just grabbed the two keys, then chances are you will reach the Court of the Count at locations 19 or 22 (conversely, if you skipped the Larders of Ill Omen, use these staircases to reach the keys below), with merely an illusionary wall separating them. Other illusionary walls will allow you to reach other parts of the level. Doom Guards, Gargoyles, and Vampires will be waiting for you.

Several of these skeletal walls are illusionary

Scrolls and parchment on the floor of Strahd's study

On the west side of the level, you'll find Strahd's throne room, study, and bedroom. In the study you'll find Mage Scrolls of Stoneskin, Lich Touch, and Claws of the Lumber Hulk (fourth-, sixth- and sixth-level spells, respectively, so don't scribe the latter two) at location 9, as well as Strahd's Notes (location 10), which shed some light on the assassin encountered at the beginning of the game.

These notes are to be added to my folios when a final disposition in the matter of Azalin, the Lord of Darkon, is achieved. When I contemplate that lich, the fashion by which withered flesh clings to his bones, his stench of mold and decay, and when I think of his great power, I despair.

It has come to my attention that a brazen female, an assassin by trade, stole from Azalin two objects of necromancy. Further, my agents among the Vistani say this woman escaped Ravenloft entirely with these objects! How she escaped and the exact nature of the items remain a mystery. In any event, were these necromantic pieces in my possession they may provide a long awaited advantage over the Lord of Darkon. I must have them!

Today, the faithful Vistani have informed me of new travelers through the land, along with a curious note from a gypsy seer about objects of power returning to Ravenloft. Are they the same? Will a few lost fools at last deliver Azalin's power into my hands?

-- Strahd's Notes

This is probably the only source in the game that identifies the assassin who stole Lord Dhelt's amulet as a female, contradicting the introduction and endgame.

A Chain Mail +2 and other items in the northwest tower

A button on the right provides passage past the southwest tower teleporter

The two corner towers on the west side of the map offer some items but aren't really worthwhile, especially given that you need to get through some annoying puzzles to reach them. The northwestern one requires you to go through three spinners (of different types, location 2), and rewards you with a Chain Mail +2 (which you probably don't need at this point), a Potion of Giant Strength, and a few other items (locations 1, 4).

The southwestern tower is protected by a teleporter (location 17) which sends you backwards (location 18). To get past it, you need to press a series of buttons (locations 14, 15) to open a path in the north wall, and hug it to bypass the teleporter. The loot here is even less worthwhile than that in the northwest tower.

On the east side, there's a balcony (location 23) from which you can enjoy the view over the village of Barovia by means of a cutscene (see next section). Another level of the secondary tower is also in this area, but not directly accessible from here.

When you're done exploring, go upstairs to the Rooms of Weeping, using one of several staircases available (locations 13, 11, 3, or 20), the latter being the most convenient.

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🎥 Cutscene: The Balcony

There's a stunning mountain view from the balcony

The balcony reveals a steep precipice dropping off into the valley below. A harsh wind threatens those who brave the sight, while in the distance, Barovia appears as a small grouping of homes, helpless and exposed. How insignificant it must seem to he who makes Castle Ravenloft his home.

-- Balcony cutscene

The balcony may offer beautiful views of Barovia and the surrounding mountains, but it is also of historical significance. The cluebook in fact confirms that this is where Tatyana "leapt to her fate". Furthermore, it is hard to tell whether the swirling shapes around the village are rivers or mists.

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Castle Ravenloft, Rooms of Weeping (Card)

Doom Guards, Gargoyles, Vampires, and Zombie Golems guard this level.

Map of Castle Ravenloft: Rooms of Weeping

A banner displaying an eagle, among neatly stacked shelves

A reading space with Strahd's portrait watching

Strahd's Letter to the Vistani on the floor

The contents of Strahd's Letter to the Vistani

The most important part of the Rooms of Weeping is the library which, if you arrived from the Main Tower at location 16, you can access simply by heading in a southwestern direction. Along with a Cleric Scroll of Raise Dead (location 8), you'll find Strahd's Letter to the Vistani (location 7), which is another reference to the party's arrival from Elturel and the Vistani's allegiance to Strahd.

Dear Madame, though I think of you often, it is with regret I manage to write so infrequently. It is also true that securing reliable delivery for my correspondence has become difficult.

On more than one occasion your talents have proven of value to me, as have your readings of the mystical Tarokka cards. I believe your ability to see into our future remains unparalleled in the present age.

Without your people --the venerable Vistani-- as my allies, I would find my grasp on the land falling away in bits and pieces, like autumn leaves.

Your information on the intruders from beyond our borders has aroused my curiosity unlike any event in recent times. Thus, when this message is at last presented into your hands, a bonus of great measure beyond our regular agreement will accompany it.

My Undying Regards,

Strahd

-- Strahd's Letter to the Vistani

Pressing the button reveals the Blood Bat lock

The Blood Bat lock, Vistani Tarokka Card, and stairs down to the Dungeons

The Vistani Tarokka Card is needed for Trimia's Catalogue

"Those stairs must go down level after level."

On the north side of the library, there's a button that opens the adjacent bookshelf unit. Inside, you can use the Blood Bat Key (location 4) to remove the west wall, revealing the Vistani Tarokka Card (location 5) and a stairway leading down to the Dungeons (location 6) several levels below.

The Vistani Tarokka Card is one of the essential items needed to activate Trimia's Catalogue.
The Vistani Tarokka Card is also the missing card that Madame Eva mentioned during the visit to The Vistani Camp.
Check the official cluebook, page 103, to see a picture of the "Gypsy Tarokka Card: The Mists", which is this same card (according to the Writ of Instruction to the Catalogue).
Although it's possible to reach Strahd already, we don't yet have the means to defeat him. To minimise unnecessary back-and-forth, we'll use this staircase later. However, if you want, feel free to explore the Dungeons for loot (including a second Ring of Wizardry) even at this early stage, as long as you stay away from Strahd.
It's fine to skip the Rooms of Weeping altogether for now and head straight up to the Main Tower. We'll need to come back to the library later anyway.

We see the rear end of a Zombie Golem thanks to Turn Undead

The Ravenloft Silver Tower Key is in the middle of this room

Along the east wall of the library are a series of illusionary walls leading to another fight with Zombie Golems, as well as a Wand of Fireballs and the Ravenloft Silver Tower Key (locations 15 and 14, respectively). The latter is optional, but provides access to the secondary tower. Bring the key along if you plan to explore that tower.

A wedding painting of Tatyana and Sergei, the latter defaced

A painting of a couple, whoever they are

The other rooms near the library are another dining room and another bedroom. The dining room has what seem to be family photos (paintings) on the walls. One of them is a wedding picture where someone destroyed the groom's face. Presumably it's Sergei, Strahd's brother, although he didn't actually get to the wedding alive.

Remember to cast Turn Undead on Zombie Golems

If you use the corridor along the west side of the level, be careful of the multiple Lightning Bolts fired from both directions. There isn't much point in going there anyway, unless you need to use the stairs at location 11.

When you're done exploring, use the stairs at location 13 to go further up the Main Tower.

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Castle Ravenloft, Main Tower (Feather)

Unlocking the door with the Ravenloft Tower Key

A well-concealed button on the third level

Fighting the Inquisitor and more Doom Guards

"The inquisitor attacks by wielding a red-hot branding iron." -- Cluebook, page 11

Going up from the Rooms of Weeping, the Main Tower extends for another four levels.

There are Doom Guards throughout the tower.
On the first level, you need to use the Ravenloft Tower Key (location 3) to access the next staircase.
On the third level, there's an illusionary wall to the west, and beyond that, another one to the south. A button there (location 11) will remove the wall at location 10, opening the way upstairs.
On the fourth level, aside from Doom Guards, you'll also fight the Inquisitor (can paralyse; easily dispatched with a Fireball), who is busy torturing a prisoner.

He tells us how to contact the Brotherhood

The Wereraven offers a feather and departs

Talking to the prisoner (location 9), you'll find that he is actually a Wereraven. He gives you a Wereraven Feather (another of the items needed for Trimia's Catalogue) as well as a way to contact his Brotherhood (by speaking a phrase to Bray Martikova).

You can now return to the castle's Main Floor, to either visit the Secondary Tower, or leave.

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Optional: Castle Ravenloft, Secondary Tower

Unlocking one of the doors with the Ravenloft Silver Tower Key

Map of Castle Ravenloft: Secondary Tower

If you want to also explore the Secondary Tower, you'll need to access it from location 32 on the Main Floor of the castle, through the chapel. Going up through isolated sections of the Court of the Count and the Rooms of Weeping, you'll then find another four levels populated by Doom Guards.

If not taken, Anshelm can be found in the Wooded Area West of Barovia

The first three of these levels all have doors that you'll need to unlock using the Ravenloft Silver Tower Key, obtained from the Rooms of Weeping. On the top floor, use the button at location 10 to open the door. Inside, you'll find another prisoner called Anshelm (location 8), who would be happy to join the party.

Anshelm is a Level 6 Fighter. Although that puts him significantly behind Fhalken in my case (almost 200k experience and two levels), he has a Strength of 18/00, the best in the game. He could, for instance, replace a secondary mage if you aren't finding him useful.
Anshelm wears Leather Armour and has nothing else in his inventory.
If you don't recruit Anshelm, or if you do and then drop him later, you can find him again in the Wooded Area West of Barovia, at location 7 near the entrance.

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Contacting the Society of Ravenkind

The entrance to the Blood on the Vine Tavern

Leave the castle, and go back to the Village of Barovia via the Old Svalich Road North. Then, head for the Blood on the Vine Tavern (location 42 on the village map), the two-storey building roughly in the centre of town (you may have been there already).

Bray Martikova is the guy behind the bar

Bray directs the party to the Merchant's Pride warehouse

Talk to Bray Martikova, the innkeeper (location 4 on the tavern map). After a veiled exchange of code words and phrases, Bray will direct you to the Merchant's Pride Warehouse to meet somebody else.

For some strange technical reason, the party's intervention to correct Bray's phrase with that provided by the Wereraven is displayed within the area reserved for Bray's dialogue.

A close-up view of the Merchant's Pride sign

Meeting the members of the Society of Ravenkind

The party must drink a sleeping potion to meet the Society's leader

The party may hesitate, but needs to drink the potion eventually

The party agrees to drink the potion, and their safety is assured

The Merchant's Pride is an abandoned warehouse in the southeast corner of town, at location 66, and has its own sign. Inside, you'll find what seem to be a band of brigands (location 63). Talk to them, and agree to be drugged so that they can safely take you to meet their leader.

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The Greater Catacombs Beneath Barovia

The Ravenlord has been watching you sleep

The Agent tells you to talk to his leader

Pyoor confirms that Strahd is a Vampire Lord

The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind can hold Strahd at bay

Sasha's manuscripts hint at the Holy Symbol's location

Pyoor provides a key and a special reading device

Sasha's manuscripts are beneath the Old Church

Sasha's manuscripts only provide vague directions

You'll have to fight your way out of this place

When you come to your senses, you'll see Pyoor Twohundredsummers (also known as the Ravenlord) as well as the Agent of the Keepers of the Black Feather, whom you met at the Merchant's Pride and who escorted you to this place. The Agent has little to say. On the other hand, Pyoor explains a lot about Strahd as well as the fabled Holy Symbol of Ravenkind which has the power to defeat him.

On page 28, the manual briefly introduces Pyoor Twohundredsummers, the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, and the Society of Ravenkind. In the game, the latter is called the Keepers of the Black Feather.

At the end of the conversation, both Pyoor and the Agent teleport away, leaving you to fight your way out of the Greater Catacombs Beneath Barovia, which is the place you are in now. Before leaving, Pyoor gives you the following items:

The Forgotten Gold Church Key, which opens the door leading down to the Old Church, Lower Level 2
The Ruby Catacomb Key, which opens the two doors near where you're standing
Sasha's Reading Glass, which you will need in the Old Church, Lower Level 2

These catacombs are huge, and crawling with Revenants (can paralyse), Hell Hounds, and Wraiths (can drain levels). Keep your front rank protected with Negative Plane Protection, and have a good rest before beginning your journey. There's also a chest near your starting location (location 22) which is good to carry along since you'll need a lot of space. There are 15 Barovian Coins you need to find in this dungeon (not to mention keys), and they don't stack, so each one takes up an inventory slot.

If you can, consider casting Stoneskin on your front rank characters too. Not only will it absorb a few blows before it wears out, but it also adds a second layer of protection on top of Negative Plane Protection. In other words, before a monster can drain levels from one of your characters, they will first have to breach both Stoneskin and Negative Plane Protection. Both spells also remain active after you rest, so you can cast them, rest, and have more ready for when you need them.

This button is a little further from the door than usual

When you're ready, you can unlock the doors at locations 21 and 25 with the Ruby Catacomb Key. Beware as this opens the way to a fireball trap from the north and Revenants to the east. Head north first, then turn in a northeastern direction. You'll find your first Barovian Coin and the Sapphire Catacomb Key at locations 18 and 12, respectively.

A handful of these coins can also be found in the sibling game Menzoberranzan, although they do not have a purpose there.

A Sack is useful to carry Barovian Coins

Backtracking to the entrance and heading through the east door, take a north turning to reach the second and third Barovian Coins (locations 14 and 20, respectively). There's also a Sack with some supplies (location 16) which is useful if you need the extra inventory space.

The locked door requiring the Sapphire Catacomb Key

At location 44, you'll need to use the Sapphire Catacomb Key to get through the locked door. In this room are several Hell Hounds and Wraiths, as well as a Chest with a Ring of Fire Resistance (location 42). A button on the northwest wall (location 11) opens a wall directly south of it (location 15), through which you'll find the fourth Barovian Coin (location 17).

A fireball zips past a fifth Barovian Coin

A Wand of Frost, a Cloak, and a couple of Mage Scrolls

The Emerald Catacomb Key and a seventh Barovian Coin

Heading west then north from the central room, there are two westward passages along the line of fire of two fireball traps (locations 10 and 35). These lead to more loot, listed below. Don't miss the hidden switch (location 4) that opens the door next to it.

Three more Barovian Coins (locations 9, 1 and 3)
The Emerald Catacomb Key (location 3)
A Wand of Frost as well as Mage Scrolls of Vampiric Touch and Wizard Eye (location 5)

The Emerald Catacomb Key unlocks this door

A handy Shield of Lightning Protection +1

After going back to the central chamber (location 42), you can now use the Emerald Catacomb Key to unlock the east door (location 40). You'll find two buttons (locations 46 and 47) that open new passages nearby (locations 43 and 45, respectively). There's also a Shield of Lightning Protection +1 at the end of the corridor (location 55).

Push the button at an angle to avoid the Fireball trap

Another Barovian Coin... who's counting?

Taking the north passage (location 43) and going through an illusionary wall, you'll reach a room with two Barovian Coins (locations 53 and 51). Take care when pressing the button to open the door, as a Fireball trap (location 54) will fire from behind you.

The Onyx Catacomb Key is behind this equipment

Taking the south passage (location 45), go through an illusionary wall and then flip the hidden switch at location 49 to open a new passage behind you (location 52). This leads to another Barovian Coin (location 50) that is easy to miss, as well as the Onyx Catacomb Key accompanied by some gear (location 56).

Fireball spouts look -- and feel -- like cannons

The same two Barovian Coins within reach

Another Barovian Coin for the collection

Backtracking again to the central chamber (location 42), head north this time, and follow the passage as it winds to the northeast. You'll come across a locked door (location 31) that we'll return to soon, but keep going for now. You'll emerge into a room with three Fireball traps. Taking care not to get hit, you can help yourself to another three Barovian Coins (locations 38 and 39), a few potions, and a Ring of Protection (location 41).

You can now go back to the locked door (location 31) and open it with the Onyx Catacomb Key. Watching out for the Fireball trap, use a hidden switch (location 28) to open the wall right next to it, and take the Barovian Coin at location 27.

A Chest containing a Mage Scroll of Death Spell

Continue west, avoiding the Fireball trap and fighting Hell Hounds. At location 2 you'll find a Chest with, among other things, a Mage Scroll of Death Spell (sixth level Mage spell, don't scribe). At location 6, use the button on the wall a step back to open the door, and either walk through the spinner or use the hidden switch behind you (location 7) to turn it off. You'll find the last Barovian Coin at location 36.

Assuming you have managed to collect all 15 Barovian Coins, you can now make your way back to the northeast corner of the level, where the Fireball trap (location 29) is. Right next to it there's a spinner (you can walk through it or turn it off using the hidden switch at location 26) and exit the Catacombs (location 30).

The Vistani Potion

The Catacombs exit inside a Barovian home

Map of Barovia (after Greater Catacombs)

Reminds me of a scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

You emerge in a house in Barovia (location 34), through the same trapdoor that could not be opened earlier in the game. An old couple is sitting nearby and looks on, either incredulously, or simply too frightened to react.

Dagar suggests revisiting the Old Church

As you leave the house, a party member remembers the door in the Old Church, Lower Level 1, that could not be opened, and realises that one of the keys given by Pyoor in the Greater Catacombs should be able to open it. Sure, we'll go there, but first let's get rid of those Barovian Coins that are taking so much space in our inventory.

Fifteen coins? Oh look, what a coincidence...

The Vistani Potion counteracts the poisonous fog

Head to the Blood on the Vine Tavern, and this time talk to the Vistani by the bar. Although the dialogue is pretty much the same as when you first met him at the Old Svalich Road South, you can now buy the Vistani Potion using the 15 Barovian Coins that you found in the Greater Catacombs. We'll use it soon. But first, let's revisit the Old Church.

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Optional: The Old Church, Lower Level 2

You can complete the game without visiting the Old Church's Lower Level 2, but to follow the story, this is where you learn how to locate the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind.

Opening the door leading to Lower Level 2

Map of the Old Church, Lower Level 1 (to Lower Level 2)

To reach Lower Level 2 of the Old Church, first make your way back to Lower Level 1. At the north end, there was a door (location 1) to which you had no key, but now you do. Use the Forgotten Church Key to open this door, and then go downstairs (location 2).

The entrance to Lower Level 2, with a sign on the left

The sign reads: "Incunabula: The Vault of Attainment"

The Old Church's Lower Level 2 is home to Shadows and Shadow Fiends. Compared to the horrors you've faced so far, these are pretty harmless. Feel free to relax a little here.

Dagar remarks about the abundance of tomes

The first of Sasha's Lost Manuscript pages

We are here to find Sasha's three lost manuscripts, as Pyoor Twohundredsummers suggested back in the Greater Catacombs, in the hope of discovering the location of the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. Sure enough, the first page (location 5) is but a short distance ahead of the entrance. It is the only one that is not encrypted, and merely hints at the presence of the other two pages.

If you know nothing of Strahd: if you know everything, know this: today a piece of the sun has dealt a great blow to that beast of night. From crystal, leaping forth, a beam of brilliant, golden light sent Strahd to hiding, perhaps into long hibernation. Yet beware. When he wakes, Strahd too will seek the medallion whose power all but destroyed him: the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. But I've hidden it, magically secreted it away with this note and two others the only clues to its whereabouts. Further, I have magically encrypted the text, keeping it safe from all,-- save those equipped with a piece of special note, a device enabling them to read my words.

Sasha

-- Sasha's Lost Manuscript Page (1)

All that is left of this ancient library is cobwebs and Shadows

The kind of cleanliness you get in expensive hotels nowadays

Not sure whether the Shadow is trying to kill me or get me to follow him

A Cleric Scroll of Harm behind yet another Shadow

Two pull chains, a hidden button in between, and two doors to the east

Closeup of the hidden button between the pull chains

From Sasha's first manuscript (location 5), you need to go northeast, where you'll find two pull chains in the north wall and a hidden button in between (location 9).

The left pull chain opens the two doors immediately to the east.
The hidden button opens the door at location 19, where we'll go next.
The right pull chain opens another door at location 7.

Go back to the central chamber (location 5). You can optionally go through two illusionary walls to the southeast, where you'll find a Cleric Scroll of Harm (location 15, sixth-level Cleric spell) and a couple of potions (location 14). Other than that, still from location 5, head south, east then south again through an illusionary wall, to reach location 19. If you pressed the hidden button at location 9 earlier, you should be able to go east through the open door and grab the Gold Teardrop Church Key (location 18).

Opening a locked door with the Gold Teardrop Church Key

Hold the manuscript in one hand and Sasha's Reading Glass in the other to decrypt the text

Use Sasha's Reading Glass to read the decrypted text bit by bit

With this key, you can access the locked regions of this level:

To the southwest, unlock the door at location 6. The second door (location 7) should already be open if you pulled the east pull chain at location 9. At location 8 you'll find a pair of Gauntlets of Dexterity.
To the northwest, unlock the door at location 4, head through an illusionary wall to the north, and you'll find the second Sasha's Lost Manuscript Page (location 3).
To the east you'll find the third Sasha's Lost Manuscript Page (location 13). You can get there either by unlocking the door at location 12, or else the longer route via two locked doors (locations 17, 16) and two illusionary walls.

The second and third manuscripts are magically encrypted. To read them, you need to hold the manuscript in one hand and Sasha's Reading Glass in the other, and click on either. You'll be able to move Sasha's Reading Glass around the manuscript, and it will decrypt the encrypted text on the fly as you move over it.

Where azure dome yields to constant gray, where sky and cloud are one and light is but a flash among the clouds, where death lashes brightly to the ground, go you there! Search below the thundering heavens for the prize. Amid the twisted wildwood, its guardian stands. One good, straight heart of oak waits proud and true, a beauty beneath the dread sky.

Go then to the gypsies, for from the Vistani alone may you acquire a certain potion, an elixir known to be the only passport through what mists shield the place. For only those guarded thus and true of heart may challenge the fog, that wall of poison which awaits between you, the forest of the undead, and the prize.

Sasha

-- Sasha's Lost Manuscript Page (2)

Once twined around in stone, then twice, then thrice, then twice more in circumflexion, each circle of four waits within the greater ring,-- waits for the planting of the seeds. Aye, for only the seeds of divine light, of Lathander Morninglord, when placed to rest within the inner circles may free the prize. Planted within that shady circumference, one to each circle of stones, these four symbols will bring down the light, rending beauty to release the prize. Then behold! There the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind awaits.

Sasha

-- Sasha's Lost Manuscript Page (3)

In a nutshell, Sasha's manuscripts say we need to get the Vistani Potion (already done), head into the fog, and plant seeds around a great oak. This might not make a lot of sense right now, but it will, very, very soon.

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The Undead Forest

Not sure what he means about it serving badly

Armed with the knowledge of Sasha's manuscript, it's now time to enter the fog surrounding Barovia, which has been an impassable barrier until now. Go ahead and drink the Vistani Potion (if you missed it, refer back to The Vistani Potion subsection), and head for any outdoor area with a fog border (i.e. any of the Old Svalich Road segments, Svalich Woods, the Wooded Area West of Barovia, or the Old Church Grounds).

The effects of the Vistani Potion last forever, so you don't have to worry about losing its effects when resting.

Hold on a minute before entering the fog. On the other side is the Undead Forest, one of the toughest regions in the game. It's split into two levels that look almost identical in the automap, so it's quite easy to get confused and wonder why you can't find the big oak mentioned in Sasha's manuscripts.

A barren patch of forest after clearing enemies

Both Undead Forest levels are wide open space where you can get around either directly on foot or using several teleporters. Incidentally, these two levels are the only ones where teleporters are visible (both in the adventure screen and the automap). On the first level, there's a teleporter at the eastern border that takes you to the second level. And on the second level, there are a few teleporters that take you back to the first. Anytime you need to leave the Undead Forest, head for one of the fog borders, and you'll find yourself back at the Old Svalich Road North.

Quite a bit of lightning activity in the Undead Forest

Most importantly, the Undead Forest is a dangerous place. There are hordes of Evil Treants who swarm around you in large numbers and deal heavy damage with each blow. There are also Lightning Bolts hurtling around. So, here are a few tips to help you survive:

Fire-based attacks work best against Evil Treants. Pray for and memorise spells such as Burning Hands, Agannazer's Scorcher, Fireball, and Flame Strike. Bring with you plenty of Oil of Fiery Burning (it leaves a fire field that does continuous damage to creatures passing through it), Wands of Fireball, and any extra scrolls you haven't scribed or otherwise used.
Counterintuitively, Wands of Frost and the Cone of Cold spell also work very well against Evil Treants, possibly even better than fire.
Bring also plenty of potions so that you can heal injured characters quickly while on the move, before they are killed.
Rest before entering the fog.
The Stoneskin spell provides effective protection against enemy blows, especially for your front rank characters. Like Negative Plane Protection, it survives resting, so you can cast it, rest, and have more Stoneskin to cast.
Keep moving. Be careful not to get surrounded. It's very easy to get caught among the trees or to inadvertently hit a teleporter or a fog border, for instance, when walking backwards. At the same time, going too far can alert more Evil Treants to your presence.
It's possible to use teleporters to take shortcuts around the levels, but I don't recommend this. It's way too easy to get stuck in the trees and mobbed by Evil Treants.
The cluebook recommends staying in the circle of stones, which acts as a bottleneck and limits how many Evil Treants can get through at any given time. I did not find this very effective, as even two or three coming in from different directions can tear your party apart, but your mileage may vary.
It's up to you how best to deal with the Evil Treants. You can make a run for it and avoid them, or you can fight them and try to clear the area. For the latter approach, I've found it very effective to cast multiple rounds of Burning Hands (due to its area of effect), use Wands of Fireball (for stragglers), and toss the occasional Oil of Fiery Burning (again, its fire field does repeated damage).
If you feel overwhelmed, remember you can leave the Undead Forest via the nearest fog border, rest, and come back. This will allow you to heal your characters and replenish your spells.

Treant, Evil

The Undead Forest serves as home to many of these evil beings. In other lands treants are known as peaceful creatures; however, some dark element in the water here has twisted them to the point where no traveler walks safely in their domain. Treants look much like normal trees, at least until they attack with powerful, swift strokes of their branches. Their thick bark acts as a natural armor plating and provides a good defense against physical attack. From 2-24 points of damage can be inflicted in a single blow from a treant, depending upon the evil flora’s age, with the eldest creatures delivering the most powerful blows.

Fire-based attacks receive a +4 bonus to hit and +1 point per die of damage. Additionally, the Treant makes all saving throws against fire-based attacks with a -4 penalty.

-- Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession Cluebook, page 16

So, now that you know what you're headed into, let's do this.

The Undead Forest, Map 1

The raven goes, and hopefully didn't drop anything

The view opens up a little into the forest

The view changes and the player regains control

When you enter the fog, an animation plays, showing a raven swooping over the party. The view moves some distance into a forest, with several scattered trees, many of them dead, before giving control back to the player.

When this happens, you'll find many Evil Treants immediately rushing towards you, so get moving, whether you're into fight or flight. You need to collect two Seeds of Morninglord in this level before moving on to the next.

The first Seed of Morninglord in the circle of stones

The second Seed of Morninglord, a Wand of Frost, and a Dagger

The eastern teleporter leading to the second part of the Undead Forest

You start at location 21, and the first Seed of Morninglord (location 6) is a short distance to the west, inside the circle of stones. Fetch also the second Seed of Morninglord (location 12) to the southwest. Once you have both Seeds of Morninglord, you can use the teleporter at the eastern fog border (location 24) to reach the second part of the Undead Forest.

Two Oils of Fiery Burning and other items

A Short Sword +2 and a couple of Throwing Knives

Before leaving, you might want to check out some of the items scattered around, including a Wand of Frost (location 12, with the second Seed of Morninglord) and a Short Sword +2 (location 25).

The Undead Forest, Map 2

Burning Hands is great against Evil Treants

The fourth Seed of Morninglord and other items

From your starting position (location 27), go a short distance southwest and take the third Seed of Morninglord (location 11), then get moving quickly before the Evil Treants overwhelm you. Go far to the northeast and collect the fourth Seed of Morninglord (location 17).

The great oak inside the circle of stones

Lightning Bolts run in the background as we get closer

Placing the Seeds of Morninglord into the smaller circles of stones

Once you have all four Seeds of Morninglord, you need to get to the great oak (location 4) inside the circle of stones. Place each Seed of Morninglord inside the smaller circles of stones within the larger circle of stones. Placing the fourth one triggers a cutscene.

A White Robe and two Mage Scrolls of Fireball

If you like, there are a few other items of interest in this area, including three Magic Stones (location 14), Cleric Scrolls of Heal (2x) and Flame Strike (locations 3 and 5; sixth- and fifth-level Cleric spells, respectively), a Cleric Scroll of Harm (location 17 with the fourth Seed of Morninglord; sixth-level Cleric spell), and two Mage Scrolls of Fireball (location 25).

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🎥 Cutscene: The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind

The "oak radiates an aura of power, of grace and blessing"

The land grows still; four hands rise, grasping the seeds

The "Holy Symbol of Ravenkind is at last revealed"

With the four Seeds of Morninglord in place, the oak is surrounded by a glow of holy light. Four hands rise from the ground, each holding one of the Seeds of Morninglord.

Then, lightning erupts from each Seed of Morninglord, striking the oak. The latter splits into two, revealing the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind.

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Castle Ravenloft, Dungeons (Symbol)

Testing the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind on Zombies

After the cutscene, you should now have the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. You can now leave the Undead Forest via any of the fog borders. You'll find yourself conveniently back at the Old Svalich Road North, not far from the gate to Castle Ravenloft. While you're here, you will probably be attacked by Zombies, so it's a good opportunity to test the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind before we get into more intense combat situations.

The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind looks like a necklace, but it's actually a weapon. Like a wand, hold it in a character's hand and click to use it (it doesn't run out of charges). It unleashes a beam of holy light that damages undead, and while it's not that devastating in general, it's a good supporting weapon and also brings down Strahd himself after a few hits.

You can use it repeatedly in quick succession, bypassing your characters' attack cooldowns, by passing it from hand to hand. In the adventure screen, double-right-click the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind after using it, then double-right-click some other hand to swap the ready weapon with the Holy Symbol, then left-click to use again.

Go to Castle Ravenloft (again), and make your way back up to the Rooms of Weeping. Take the stairs down to the Dungeons on the north side of the library. In case you skipped this part earlier, refer back to the Rooms of Weeping section to gain access.

Stepping into the dungeons of Castle Ravenloft

Fighting Zombies in some of the dungeon cells

Some doors are opened by these skull pull chains

Cleric Scrolls of Negative Plane Protection and Heal

In case you didn't notice how the user interface changes colour between levels thus far, you probably will now. The user interface becomes dark at this point, making the contrast with earlier levels quite obvious.

Down in the dungeons (starting at location 2), you'll emerge into another throne room. On this level there are Zombies, Zombie Golems, Vampires, and of course, Strahd himself. You can optionally explore the east corridor, leading to a number of cells. There's a Battle Axe +2 (location 5) and Cleric Scrolls of Negative Plane Protection and Heal (location 3; the latter is a sixth-level Cleric spell) in this area.

A Zombie Golem charges down the corridor

From the throne room, take the north corridor and follow it east. After a Zombie Golem, you'll come to a door with a sign next to it (location 1). Use the skull pull chain on the right to open the door and access a large area containing the Von Zarovich family remains.

Blasting a Zombie Golem with the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind

As you enter this area, beware of Lightning Bolts zipping around, and Zombie Golems that wait in ambush (use Turn Undead on them). Take the northern stairs (location 7) to a separate crypt, and press the hidden button (location 6) in the north wall. This enables the hidden button at location 13, where we're going next.

Next, take the stairs at location 14, to another separate crypt. Use the hidden button (location 13) on the east wall to open the door at location 16, where a teleporter can take you to Strahd.

The southern stairs are blocked by a teleporter

Mage Scrolls of Stoneskin and Wizard Eye

Before paying Strahd a visit, you might want to explore the area, which is full of little crypts, some with loot and/or monsters. Although loot is superfluous at this point, you can get Mage Scrolls of Stoneskin and Wizard Eye (location 20) a Ring of Wizardry (location 18), and a Shield +1 (location 12) among other things. On the west side of the area is a small alcove with a sign (location 4) exactly like the one at location 1, but otherwise there's nothing special.

The Final Battle

The stairs to the south (location 28) is blocked by a teleporter (location 25) which takes you to different places (locations 22, 21, 23) depending on the direction from which you approach it. To get around it, you have to use the teleporter at location 16 (accessible after pressing both of the hidden buttons encountered earlier), which takes you just past the teleporter and before the stairs (location 28).

Do not try to reach Strahd without the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. You won't survive the encounter.

Strahd materialises from the smoke and wants to "simply crush you"

Strahd wants the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind

Strahd turns blue and lunges at the party

Heading south through a series of doors, you'll notice the game stutter a little, as if you're entering a new area, and the doors will close behind you until you've defeated Strahd. At location 29, you'll meet Strahd. During the brief conversation, the party recognises him as Vladislav, the NPC who joined the party in the Caverns West of Barovia. Strahd admits this as well as the fact that he has Lord Dhelt's Holy Symbol.

The dialogue option about the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind occurs only if you have it with you. If you don't, well, you're screwed.

Strahd takes out half the party with Fireballs

When the conversation ends, Strahd attacks. He tends to teleport around the place, throwing Fireballs from a distance or doing melee attacks that drain levels. The Fireballs are more devastating, although you may want to avoid the level drains on your two main characters if you plan to transfer them to Ravenloft: Stone Prophet.

Strahd's cloak, indicates a successful hit

The party may be defeated while trying to kill Strahd

A beam from the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind overwhelms Strahd

Is Strahd going to respond with Kamehameha?

Watch for Fireballs as he teleports around

One more beam from the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind...

Don't bother trying to attack Strahd with any weapons. Instead, equip the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind and use its beam a few times on Strahd to defeat him (remember you can quickly pass it from hand to hand by double-right-clicking, bypassing the cooldown).

Optional: Preparing to Transfer Characters

If you want to transfer your characters to Ravenloft: Stone Prophet, there are a few things you need to do now before going straight for the endgame.

Save the game, now, after defeating Strahd. That way your characters have the maximum possible experience.
If your main characters got level drained, replay the final battle to keep their experience intact.
Note that only your two main characters get transferred. Put any items you want to keep in their inventory.
Containers don't get transferred, so take out any items you want to keep.
Some other items don't get transferred either, e.g. Rod of Smiting +3, Ancient Elven Crown.
If you want to try the Slaying Anhktepot trick, be sure to keep one or more Arrows of Slay Undead +3 in your main inventory slots (not in a quiver or other container).
If you drink your Potion(s) of Giant Strength before transferring your main characters, you'll find that the Strength boost becomes permanent in Ravenloft: Stone Prophet and the effect never wears off.
Scribe any scrolls you have left. This includes sixth-level Mage spells, which you'll be able to cast in Ravenloft: Stone Prophet.

Leaving Ravenloft

Strahd leaves behind Lord Dhelt's amulet

Lord Dhelt's amulet is the final piece for Trimia's Catalogue

The party now has Lord Dhelt's Holy Symbol

Mareva holds both amulets; strange that they can't be worn around the neck

After defeating Strahd, pick up Lord Dhelt's Holy Symbol. The party recognises it as both the goal of their quest and the final item needed to activate Trimia's Catalogue.

Trimia's Catalogue and the five artifacts

All that's left at this point is to equip Trimia's Catalogue in a character's hand and use it, assuming the party has all five items required:

Priceless Fire Ruby
Ancient Elven Crown
Vistani Tarokka Card
Wereraven Feather
Lord Dhelt's Holy Symbol

If not, the doors to leave Strahd's crypt have at this point reopened, and you can leave and pursue the missing pieces.

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🎥 Cutscene: Return to Elturel

Worlds and landscapes appear as the book drifts

Trimia's Catalogue appears to be floating in space amidst hundreds of lights shining in the distance (one could imagine they are stars, but they're too regularly placed). As it opens, the party already feels relief at the knowledge that they're finally going to leave Ravenloft.

Coloured orbs float out of the book, and as the latter continues to drift in space, one can see worlds, landscapes and weird objects flying past. These seem to be a choice of destinations where Trimia's Catalogue could take the party.

He's the god Helm, and he's proud of you

A blinding light bursts from Helm's eyes

The party appears on a plain, upon which sits an empty throne. As you approach it, the god Helm appears. After introducing himself, he explains that "you have performed a valiant service for one of his most devout followers: Lord Dhelt of Elturel." Shortly after, a beam of blinding light bursts from the eyes of the armoured figure.

The staircase leads to a familiar corridor

There's a nice dining table on the right

Lord Dhelt stands to the left of the bed

When you open your eyes again, you're at the bottom of a staircase in a familiar place. Climbing the staircase, you find yourself in a corridor like the one shown in the Introduction. Walking down the corridor, you open a pair of doors to the left into a bedroom, and find Lord Dhelt watching the sunset from the balcony.

It's not clear whether the setting is the same as in the introduction. The room seems to be the same, but it's on the left side of the corridor this time, and there's no window at the end of the corridor.

Lord Dhelt is grateful and pleased to see you

Lord Dhelt welcomes you back to Elturel, and thanks you for the recovery of his Holy Symbol. Both he and the mage Baranta Chansil are well and have recovered from the assassination attempt seen in the introduction.

If the main characters are dead, Lord Dhelt acknowledges their loss...

...and rewards the survivor(s) as he would have rewarded them

If your two main characters are both dead at the endgame, Lord Dhelt's dialogue changes accordingly.

A pattern of smoke makes its way into the coffin

The figure's eyes narrow, and "The End" appears

The view shifts to a system of caves, where a coffin lies atop a mound. Some smoke channels itself into the coffin and gathers there, after which the coffin closes. A dark figure appears. Its eyes narrow, and the words "The End" appear at the bottom.

Sasha's manuscripts never said that the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind could kill Strahd; only that it "dealt a great blow" after which he could later awaken. Presumably, you did not kill Strahd, but only sent him licking his wounds someplace else underground.

Congratulations on completing Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession! Enjoy the endgame credits.

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Swords and Software

Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession Walkthrough

Contents

About Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession

Controls

General Tips

About this Walkthrough

Using the Maps

The Making of this Walkthrough

Acknowledgements

🎥 Cutscene: Introduction

Character Creation

The Quick Start Party

Character Creation

The Forgotten Realms Forest

Svalich Woods

The Abandoned Hut and Hidden Underground Chamber

Combat

The Woodsman

Fhalken

Other Locations of Interest

Old Svalich Road South

Old Svalich Road South (Lower)

Old Svalich Road South (Upper)

The Village of Barovia

Monsters

The Circle of Stones

Equipment

People

Quests for Later

Exits

Optional: Blood on the Vine Tavern

🎥 Cutscene: The Vistani Camp

The Burgomaster's Mansion

🎥 Cutscene: Strahd's Carriage

Castle Ravenloft By Invitation

🎥 Cutscene: Dinner with Strahd

The Wooded Area West of Barovia

Revisiting Barovia

The Wooded Area West of Barovia

The Caverns West of Barovia

The Entrance and Vladislav

Reaching the Portal

Beyond the Portal

Optional: The Paladin's Quest

Visiting the Old Paladin

The Lesser Catacombs Beneath Barovia

Returning the Paladin's Holy Symbol

The Old Church Grounds

The Old Church, Main Floor

The Old Church, Lower Level 1 (Catalogue)

Freeing The Old Priest

Optional: The Werewolf's Quest

The Cemetery Grounds and Jeweller's Quest (Ruby)

The Jeweller's House in Barovia

Old Church Grounds: Accessing the Cemetery

The Cemetery

The Jeweller's Reward

Mischa's Resurrection

The Elven Warrior's Crypt, Lower Level 1

The Banshee

The Elven Warrior's Crypt, Lower Level 1

The Elven Warrior's Crypt, Lower Level 2 (Crown)

The Elven Warrior's Reward

Old Svalich Road North

🎥 Cutscene: Return to Castle Ravenloft

Castle Ravenloft, Main Floor

Optional: Castle Ravenloft, Larders of Ill Omen

Keys on the Main Floor

Castle Ravenloft, Court of the Count

🎥 Cutscene: The Balcony

Castle Ravenloft, Rooms of Weeping (Card)

Castle Ravenloft, Main Tower (Feather)

Optional: Castle Ravenloft, Secondary Tower

Contacting the Society of Ravenkind

The Greater Catacombs Beneath Barovia

The Vistani Potion

Optional: The Old Church, Lower Level 2

The Undead Forest

The Undead Forest, Map 1