Kazordoon area was also massively expand, with the new dwarven mines supplanting the massively popular O land for the first time. You could find six different mines which had stairs leading to the subterranean dungeon below. This very big place provided players with a new meta hunting spot that offered some reasonably good experience and potential for big lootbags.
These mines were a gargantuan seven floors of monsters which got progressively more dangerous the further in you went. You would start with regular Dwarves, Rots, and small creatures and work your way up to Dwarven Guards which were very strong. On the very lowest floors you could find even Giant Spiders, but a cavern of lesser creatures like the Slime could also be found. I believe all the dungeons were connected but four of the tunnels connected to what was known as the Hub. This area, located on the third floor, was locked and required key 3802, the treasure room keey, to open. Pushing a loot bag from deep inside the mine to all the way into Thais was time consuming and dangerous but could be vary rewarding, offering 15k or so per day which was incredibly profitable.
Back on the surface, to the east of the mine entrances, was a huge mountain that hid a secret which would take some time for players to discover. There was also another smaller Mino dungeon which was a hidden dungeon accessible by a loose stonepile just west of the furthest mine. This connected to an underground dungeon which had Minos across two subterranean floors designed as caves with livable rooms. Heading up a rope spot inside took you inside a small mountainous hill which was hidden. There were four floors of Minos in this dungeon which were all accessible by different ladders and styled in the same livable rooms. This whole area was a popular dungeon for players and often was the place you hunted before moving on to the harder deeper sections of the mines. These two big dungeons made Kazordoon very popular, but the city never achieved the same citizen levels as other towns.
To access the hidden secret, you first needed the secret key which could be found at the rope spot to the far north end of the underground tunnel in the Mino area. Heading up there would take you to the north area of the mountain which was a green grass area which you could travel east and find a strange area with dead trees. At the end of this path was a dead tree which if you stood in front of it would deal you instant and heavy poison damage, and poison fields would spread around the tree in a wide area (200 dmg minimum but I think it was originally 500). If you were able to survive the surprise you could open the tree and get key 3899 inside, provided someone else had not gotten to it first.
With this key you could now access the areas other secret, the Paradox Tower quest. This quest was located were Durin's tomb was at the top of the mountain. Though the tomb remained, the coffin was now gone, replaced with a tombstone and an area of three sacrificial stones behind. The skulls around the room were your only indication on how to proceed and you would have to have brought your own as only three spawned in the area. Stepping on the middle magical tile would warp you to the Tower grounds which was a path lined with stones inside the mountain caldera. The massive structure was made entirely in magic walls which gave it a unique appearance.
You would need to have brought a Machete with you to cut through the jungle grass, otherwise you would have to step on the magic tile and return. Once you got through the grass you would find the tower which was had a locked door that you needed key 3899 to enter.
Once inside you had to cut your way around the jungle grass which hid stones that would guide you path, and a switch which you needed to flick to reveal a staircase in the center of the room. You would first likely uncover the whole area to figure out the path as the grass grew back very fast and solving it required that you cut a direct path from switch to stairs before the grass grew back and the stairs disappeared again.
Once up the stairs you would find yourself at the library which had many books though most of them were the ravings of a madman. Further solutions to puzzles you hadn't yet encountered could be found here and it was common that players take the books which prevented others from proceeding with their help. Seven switches could also be found, six in a row and one further down. You had to point the six leavers in the correct directions before flicking the seventh which would let down a ladder if correct. The correct solution could be found in a book in the library which gave the hint "Tfel thgirtfel tfelthgir thgir", but would still require some attempts to solve.
On the next floor was a walled off area with switch tiles and a leaver located on your side. There was no way back down, but a blue portal could be seen which would drop you outside the tower I believe. Pulling the switch dropped a Ghoul onto the tiles which would mill about. This monster would disappear after a while, though if you were patient it would walk onto the far northwest tile which would make a ladder appear. You had to be quick as it would disappear if the Ghoul walked off the tile again before you ascended it.
In the next area was another walled off area with a portal and a leaver, but this one had a locked door. There was no way back like the last area and a sign here ominously proclaimed "Room of Sacrifice". You had to arrange a melon, banana, cherry, apple, grapes, and coconut in order on the counters inside which spawned in a ladder if correct. If you didn't have the fruit you would have to leave and make your way back here again. Leaving and returning was how most people solved quests as few spoiled them and many fan sites discouraged spoiling. Some of the fruit used was difficult to obtain like the Coconut, which was a Demon drop, and you would either need to kill one yourself or find someone else who did. The hint for this was found in the library:
"I will be a better god then the others!
Those who worship me will have to make sacrifies for me! Yes, they will have to!
What will I ask for? Not much, perhaps food. But i'd be a good god so I only accept plants. No! Better fruits! I love fruits! They have to sacrifice a melon for instance. Oh and then a banana!! But I love cherrys too! So they have to bring them too, yes yes!
Then they have to invoke a ritual, involving an apple, and and and ... grapes! Grapes are important! Yes indeed! And for the last sacrifice I demand a coconut from my faithfull. Only then they are allowed to ascend to my throne! Oh, yes what a joy for them!"
The next floor was open and had two signs in the middle with switch tiles leading to two statues. A leaver could be found just below and the familiar blue portal off to the west which you could use to escape the tower. I believe the hint for the solution was written on the statues themselves, but if you placed a white and black horse chess piece below the signs and flipped the switch, you would be able to proceed by ladder to the next area.
Now you would finally reach the last room which was completely open and had a red carpet in the middle. A Ghost NPC called the Riddler milled about the room and would ask you if you would take his test which would break the three seals but warned that failure could mean death. This was a very serious threat and players didn't know how serious he was. Until it was known that he would "only" drop you into Hellgate, players would bring junk characters to try the quest. His first riddle was easy for those who knew the story of the Nightmare Knights, but his next riddle was a stumper. Most knew that Hugo was a bunny, but no one could figure out that it was a demonbunny. I spent an outrageous amount of time trying all combinations I could think of without success (demonbunny as one word was not one of those). It is also interesting to note that as your answer appeared publicly to all players, those who wished their answer to be secret whispered it to the Riddler which others couldn't overhear unless standing beside you.
Only one group of players were able to solve this quest for some time. Imdel, Merotron, Grimhilde, and Pyrtru posted a screenshot on Tibia.de in the treasure room which caused a wave of more players to try to figure out the riddle. Despite the picture they posted, rumor of what they received ran all over the place, with the most common I hear proclaiming that they had gotten the first Warlord Sword. Everyone else who failed blasted the quest in anger, thinking that the quest was broken or a misspelling was responsible for the failed attempts (a German spelling of the answer was what players felt led to Imedel's success was one such rumor).
Once it became clear that demonbunny was the result, players were able to get into the reward room for themselves. This did not occur until I think a year and a half later into the new client so Imedel's team was exclusive holders of this secret for that time.
Taghor recalls struggling with the quest which took him weeks to get the right combination. Knightmare cheekily teleported to him and wisped the solution to the NPC, which was pure evil, showing him that it was solvable but he would have to try harder, refusing to spoil the answer.
This rewards area was a floor above the Riddler and had two sets of switch tiles which would destroy an item on the counter. The familier chests would not appear until the quest system and remember that all rewards was communal at this time so one set of items per save. If you went as a group, you would have to share what was left.
In the beginning the rewards were sitting on the counters and which item would be destroyed was the same switch as today. Imagine seeing your rare item disappear before your eyes when you stepped on that first switch, and how careful your next move would be. It is likely the screenshot we see above took a couple of days to get all the items and careful arrange them after they had positioned themselves on the switches. Though today we can get the desirable Phoenix Egg which allowed for a reduction of the Kazordoon blessing, 10k, 32 Talons, and a Cosmic wand, the reward had changed a couple of times over the years. At introduction the reward was a Red Spell wand, a Time ring, Magician Hat, and Big Amethyst (Violet Gem). With the introduction of the Amulet of Life in Version 7.1 the rewards were changed to AoL, 10k, Wooden Wand, and Phoenix Egg which did nothing (no blessings until 7.2) and I think looked like a regular egg though it couldn't be eaten. These could be found inside chests on top of the counter, so you didn't know what was inside. Activating the switch would make an explosion above the chest, destroying the contents inside but leaving the chest. The Magician Hat and Violet Gem became unobtainable from this point until being loot from the Pharaohs when Ankrahmun was introduced which made them fairly valuable.
The AoL proved to be a total disaster and the rewards were changed again with the AoL removed in 7.2 and replaced with the new AoL (Amulet of Loss). For some reason or another the quest changed again in 7.3 to swap the AoL for 32 Talons. The quest would be changed one final time when the Wooden Wand was replaced with the Cosmic Wand in 7.6 (not the Quagmire Rod that the Wooden Wand turned into).
It is worth noting that in the original form of the quest you didn't need to speak with any other NPCs and could solve the quest if you already had the answers. CIP later changed the quest to force you to visit NPCs to find the answers as players where making new chars and running them through the quest for considerable profit.
Knightmare mentioned in an interview that the Kazordoon area was likely meant to be added to the game much sooner than it was. He remarked that "We have to keep in to let some areas untouched for later improvements such as sources for raw material if ever new skills are included. Some areas were that often delayed ... I think the area left to Kazordoon is missing since 2 or 3 years. Editors came and went. CIPs agendas changed ... One on one the 'unused' spots will be filled. But since people want new monsters too there has to be some space left for those".
The west mine expansion was not the only mine to be expanded. Far below the dwarven city was a rather poor excuse for a mine but after being ridiculed by the player base for so long the emperor decided to hire some help and greatly expand the mine. This mine expanded further west along the main branches before dropping down a floor at five different points into small rooms with small amounts of monsters, mainly Dwarf Guards. From here they dropped down into their own small tunnels with more creatures to hunt. The mines would expand into this new layer which made a significant difference in the growing game which demanded more space to hunt.
There was also one other little tidbit added which could be found in this mine. For those familiar with the story of Snow White and the Sever Dwarves, a similar scene could be seen deep in the mines. Seven Dwarf Guards spawned in a room which also had a Witch. Once you cleared the room of monsters, which was a challenge, you would notice an apple sitting on the table and a locked room to the west which had beds, one of which had A Dark Haired Beauty in the northeast most bed. You might believe this innocent woman was locked away, waiting for a kiss, which you might be so inclined to provide, but the book sitting on the counter (book is below) would tell a different tale. You might instead be inclined to count your luck and quietly walk away from the carnage you just wrought. Subtlety has never been my strong suit as you can see.
Dear diary,
this nice ol' woman brought us some fine beer.
I guess its ok to help her with this apple mailing service she wants to start. If only this human girl would shut up. We all regret to have granted her hospitality. This gal has the appetite of a rotworm and if ye' don't watch her every second she'll drinks all our beer and starts throwing things and demanding for some 'prince'.
Though CIP news indicates that PoH was adjusted some, I can't see any changes by looking at the CIP or WoT maps. This change did occur as we have screenshots were you can see the new dungeon in the Beta 6 styling. The lack of correct maps is not surprising as some of the WoT maps don't have the new dwarf mines area on them until later and we know these arrived with this update. I can't personally recall what all was added to the north PoH dungeon, but it was likely the Cyclops caves and Minotaur spawn that are there today.
Since Demonia was introduced, players were not very keen on making the trip to hunt difficult monsters for lame rewards. To fix this the loot was changed with only a vague announcement that new treasures awaited brave adventurers. Players first learned of these changes not through spoilers but though several mysterious new items which showed up in town as their looters changed themselves into the items and ran around town. The Skull Staff was a good single handed club weapon that players sought, and the Blue Robe was also desired for mages as it was very light. Only their looters knew that Warlocks dropped them, but this would slowly begin to change. For now players only speculated at what might drop these rare and desired artifacts.
Around the map were some other changed areas such as Northport which received some minor renovations. Two new buildings were added to the east most houses which I think were two single story houses with two beds that could be rented. Also, a new guildhall to the west was added, called Northport Clanhall, which had 10 beds and comprised of a basement and two floors. The first floor had a small single bedroom to the west while a larger room with a stove could be found north which also connected to a double bedroom to the west. The entranceway had a ladder leading down and a staircase leading up, and heading to the basement allowed you to access a large room with four beds to the west and a large room to the north. A further smaller room with a stove was east of the ladder which also had a double bedroom to the north. On the second floor was a tiny single bedroom to the north and a large library with a red carpet to the west.
Also added was the Carlin Clanhall which could be found just north of the hostel. This hall had 10 beds and had a basement and spanned two floors. The entrance way connected to a single bedroom to the south which to the west was a room with a ladder leading down. You could access a small single bedroom to the east of this and to the south was a large room with a stove. Heading down, you could access a large four-bedroom area to the west and a small storage room to the south. The second floor could be accessed by ladder at the entrance which would take you to a small room which connected to the west to another small room with a stove. Another small room with a bed was west while to the south was a library with stove and red carpet. From here you could access a small single bedroom to the east.
I think this was also the time were the mana shop in the lower part of Carlin was changed into the Suntower Guildhall and Lea moved her wares to the upper room above Rachel. This hall had 9 beds and was an interesting layout. The first floor had a shop which could be accessed from the entrance to the east and those behind the counter could access a room to the south which had stairs leading down. This room opened to the west, which had access to the entrance to the north, and a staircase leading up. Taking the stairs down led to a huge L shaped hall which had three double bedrooms on the west side and a large room with two casks and a stove to the east which could be accessed to the south by the stairs. On the second floor was a staircase leading up, and a small single bedroom to the north which led to a large balcony to the east which could be accessed also by the stairs. The third floor allowed access to an awkward shaped single bedroom to the north, and a tiny room with a staircase to the west. This led to the final floor which had a bookshelf, single bed, and stove at the top of the tower.
At the northern edge of PoH, a second guildhall could now be found. This hall, the Riverspring Guildhall, was the second guildhall on the outskirts of the once Fair Plaines. Featuring 19 beds, the hall spanned one floor down and four floors up. The first floor was subdivided into rooms with a small room immediately to the east of the entrance. A door to the south took you to a kind of hallway which allowed you to enter three similar shaped rooms to the south with varying amounts of beds. Accessing the east room by the stairs allowed you to take a ladder to the basement or second floor. The basement consisted of two rooms, one of which was a very small room to the south and a much larger one to the west. On the second floor was a massive table area on a black and white checkered floor and you had to access this room to get to the smaller room to the north which was the kitchen. Taking the ladder to the third floor led to a large side room to the east which contained 10 beds and a small room to the south which was empty. A final ladder took you to the fourth floor which connected to a mini hallway to the south. You could access two smaller rooms with a single bed and one larger room with two beds at the end of the hall to the east. There was also a library to the east of the ladder which connected to another small bedroom with two beds.
Interestingly the path to Calcuna in Fibula, more commonly known as Lostboy Isle, had changed sometime in early Beta 6. It used to be a hidden hole that players would lure GS down into the Rot dungeon but was changed to a loose stonepile and I think a dead tree you had to “climb” to get to the surface. By the end of Beta 6 the entire island and path was removed. It is presumed that since Lostboy had long left the game by this point, the headache the GS caused plus its out of place nature in a more newbie friendly dungeon resulted in the decision to remove it.
With the launch of Darama came some new equipment. Warlocks would now drop the new Skull Staff, Blue Robe, and Ring of the Skies. A new one handed weapon, the Dragon Hammer, would find its way into Dragon loot. Also of note was the Mystic Turban, though I can't recall it being dropped by anything, but I think could be seen in inaccessible locations. The Royal Helmet would now be found as GS loot, further adding more income to the already overly wealthy spider's hunters. It also appears that the Red Rose Armor officially changed at this time to become the Noble Armor, thought I don't believe it was obtainable through Skjaar's quest until later.
There was some other items which appeared in the SPR for the first time but players didn't know where they could be found if at all. The Magician Hat could be found in Paradox Tower but only four people would know prior to version 7. It is also possible that the Crusader Helmet may have been found deep underground in the new Kaz mines but if anyone found one it remained a secret. Though the Dwarven Axe shows up for the first time in this SPR, it was rumored to already exist in game so I am not sure what sprite it would have been before. There was also the Red Robe, Elven Hood, and Red Ninja Jacket which were player made names and no one had any idea what they might be. Of these three items the Red Jacket is the only one which hasn't been added to the game.
CIP also made a few changes to equipment with this update, making adjustments to attack and defense of a few items and even weight in some cases which they almost never did. The adjustments that players felt and complained about were two, one to the HotS and the other the Eplate which saw their very good defense dropped by 1. Their complaints would only strengthen CIPs resolve to reduce the power of these artifacts as future updates would see more rares decrease in their defensive capabilities. "The nurfing will continue until moral improves" might have been the unofficial motto of the game.
There was also some new food which could be found in game such as the Pumpkin which couldn't be stacked. You would also be able to purchase the yummy Strawberry which stacked very nicely. Finally the poor Pear received a sprite despite being already in game as an invisible item. The secret fruit no longer appeared (disappeared?) as deco in Falx's Thais house.
One other secret item made its way into the game though this was a bug. For a very brief moment you could loot a piece of tree. Yes, you heard that correctly. There was a goof which let you pick up the piece of tree and carry it in your backpack. I saw the person showing it off and told Pegramon who came to the Thais depot and talked to the player about his discovery. Pegramon agreed to buy the item for a single SD and told CIP about the discovery. This was promptly fixed the next day and none of the rouge tree parts exist today.
Three new monsters were added this update, the Vampire, the Necromancer, and the Ghost. All these new creatures would appear in the new continent exclusively, providing a new experience for players to kill. To help kill them the three strike spells were adjusted to do more damage though it doesn't appear to have improved them greatly enough.
The Vampire was an interesting monster that would add to the undead monsters of Tibia. This bloodsucking monster would do as its namesake suggests and drain life from players in the form of an attack. The attack unfortunately had a programing bug which inflicted the Zombie Bug on players. Though not as fun as the original Zombie Bug, which made you immortal and unkillable, this would instead respawn you on your body with 1 HP. I was a victim of this bug when CIP decided to test the monsters on the live server by creating a raid in Edron. This bug would be corrected before the official launch of the monster, but players would still shy away from encountering them, scared that they would become victim to this bug in a much more dangerous place. Once players overcame their fear the new monster they proved to be one of the best money-making monsters, offering the Ice Rapier, Spike Sword, and rarely the Vampire Shield which were all desirable items. These creatures could only be found deep below the Tibian surface in the darkest crypts and pits of the subterranean world.
Also added was the Necromancer which was a diabolical human monster who tapped the necromantic magics of Tibia to cast spells and summon the undead to aid them. When encountered in the darkest pits of Darashia, they would summon Ghouls, Ghosts, and Mummies to prevent you from getting close to them. A Necromancer would always keep their distance and were annoying to fight in small groups. In the early days they did not drop the great Boots of Haste that they do now as they didn't exist, so players mainly avoided them. Some lucky players would loot the very rare Skull Staff if I recall correctly. The large amount of money they dropped was reasonable, but they ran away at low health which was annoying and potentially dangerous.
The Ghost was an interesting creature as it was the first monster in Tibia to be completely immune to physical attacks. These were very annoying to fight as a knight as we had no real magic abilities available to use against them and rarely carried runes. Fortunately, there was only a few places these could be found, and in all cases, it wasn't too big an issue getting trapped. Their loot was spectacularly poor so players didn't bother killing them if they could avoid it, though I think they did drop the very rare Golden Wand, though you'd unlikely find enough Ghosts to kill to make hunting for one worth it.
