Introduction

Welcome to Neoseeker's Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep walkthrough and guide. Bard's Tale IV is the first release in the CRPG series in 14 years, and the first in 30 years to feature first person gameplay. What began in the 80s as a first person dungeon crawler, the series now finally boasts modern graphics and design, making it more accessible than ever, but without sacrificing the depth it's known for.

Large portions of this walkthrough and guide have been reprinted and/or lightly edited from the official strategy guide, with permission. Some screenshots and maps have also been used with permission.

This comprehensive walkthrough and guide will help you through the various dungeons, provide puzzle solutions, offer tips to help you on your way, show you how to find rare weapons, and more.

If we've missed anything in this guide or if you have any tips or improvements, please either comment on a page or help edit the guide to make it better for other Bard's Tale IV players!

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Getting Started

Below is a sampling of tips that will give you a headstart on understanding the various inner workings of the game for your first playthrough. For a full list, see Tips and Tricks.

There is no quick save option, although you can quit and save at any time, or use luck stones at designated locations to save.

If the game is running poorly for you, lower the settings (all the way down to low may be necessary, though keep Resolution Downscale at 100% if you can help it as it makes a big difference in clarity). Effects and Shadow Resolution are the biggest performance hogs.

There is no "confirm" button when learning new skills, so make sure you really want what you choose.

Constitution determines maximum HP; Strength determines damage; Armor Class determines incoming damage (does not affect mental damage or true damage); Intelligence determines your Focus while channeling or using stances (so they are less easily canceled by enemies), the power of some spells, and how well you can hold your liquor.

The Arcane keyword means the ability's damage is determined by Intelligence; Battle Ready means the ability can be used when combat begins; Channel means the ability requires preparation for X turns and can be interrupted prematurely by mental damage; Drunk means when you hit X drunk stacks, your song's secondary effects kick in; Stance refers to a channeled ability that allows the combatant to keep participating in combat.

Areas

Main Quests