Catacombs lvl 4 was actually normal finaly. Some tips though:
- you can't pass through certain stuff. I mean containers. The monsters can though, so don't try to build a barricade.
- a lot of the game is randomized, even ALL the attributes on unique items (aside what comes from being that item type, like AC). For this you might want to save&reload at certain points. Until this the four tombs on catacombs lvl 3 provided a chance to this as they drop good quality but random item type. Also, on lvl 4 there is a "Shoes of the Scorpion" - most people go for 5 charm slots here and more, I got on 2nd try a +1 sight +1 traders tongue, poison resist (the level has some poison damage).
- look at EVERYTHING. Just because it is broken to dust, doesn't mean itdoes not contain items! (most fresh food, but whatever)
Catacombs lvl 5:
- kill all undead outside the inner complex, else you loose that exp
- here are some locked chests, and seems lockpick WILL fall. That signs you should probably put 1 into lockpick here
- the map is kinda ok, except the floor tiles. Inside them you can find free good l00t, except there are miniboss guardians, and no room to manouver, fo they are a big middlefinger. Still worth hope the boss won't be in the vicinity immediately, so save&reload here for something good. I got amace with 4 charm slot, and 3 in stun, also faster than the usual maces. The stun is actually annoying as dead enemies tend to linger, making you not switch enemy right there
Well, at least I know how that skill works, and won't invest into it myself.
EDIT: the rooms are: top left: has an archer/caster miniboss aka. bad news but also has a green hammer aka. good quality to grab. Enemies do not follow you to other eras, so you might go for it. The bottom left has a spider of ginormous level and ranged attack but no good stuff. The cellars on the right have a guardian skeleton and a summoner which can summon other summoners too at random, but managable if you save regularly. They drop item too just in case.
EDIT2: the archer/caster can be disposed too, at the price of ca. 30 potions, which sounds a waste as the miniboss don't drop anything of quality. The spider deals oneshot damage for me at this state, so can't even try.
- sleep, pack 2 bread (that amount of food is allowed between resting or something), visit the shopkeer who had the shady visitor + produces drugs, and then hire the zombie npc on catacombs lvl 1 before entering the lvl 5 compex. Also bring all healing/mana potions you have as you won't be able to come up w/o loss of exp. When you leave the complex all remaining enemy inside will die, also the mentioned shopkeeper, and also the zombie hireling (it is an ok company, but has no chance against the archer/caster minibioss or the spider, and also gets instant death if he leaves the underground, not to mention any kill it does is lost exp to you, but there'll be MANY enemy for the final fight, so why not bring him).
EDIT: actualy, the zombie-guy is either useless, or mandatory at the final confrontation, which you'll NOT be able to empty, as it is like Uber Tristram. It isa limited area with all four miniboss in it, and zounds of minions of them. During the speech of cutsceen the zombie-guy got eaten - so either it was useless to bring it, or it got eaten instead of me (not tested)!
- The village has some chests locked, one that requires lvl 2 lockpick (or more. Turned out there isa randomfactor here too?). There are 2 locked chests too in this level. But do NOT have ANY points in lockpick, else you'll loose a free point!
Good to know: chests can not be broken. This means if they are locked, you must lockpick them to open. This is not true for potsand such though, so switch to weapon mode there and crush'em. Before you know the repair skill/have not-broken weapon, this should be done with a spare-weapon ("minion knife") preventing your stronger weapon from breaking.
Weapons loose durability by using them, not when you get hit. So bows must be repaired too, fairly regularly too.
In theory warriors invest in strength and use melee weapons, mages in intelligence and cast spells, while survivors rise their agility thus have a very good chance to hit, which means by intention they are bow-users. this doesn't function all-too-well in the game itself though.
Next thing is, to put the teleport stone to the head-mage as he heals free from now on, and thatdoes not take time. Why is that important? Because there comes a timed quest, that's why! (Timed quests are very rare, this being the only one aside another which must be done in1 day. This has a 10 ingame day limit.)
Leave the village and follow the road.
Slowly. Have sound on and if you hear or see anything, wait/search&destroy.
Beware, as at a point, not even too far from the village is a MASS of orcs. Also, 1-2 orc is manageable, 3 already likely results in drinking potions. The warrior's special attack comes in VERY handy during this. After EVERY fight port back to the town and get healed! Mana is not recharged though, so watch out for that.
On the road to the barracks you'll find a mark-line on the road. Save here, then get closer to initiate a cutsceen. The result is, a high level enemy drops the bucket, and with a chance drops a random item. Or ca. 240 gold, or nothing. I said I do deserve an item here, especially as I had slots yet not filled with anything. The first semi-useful stuff was a +40 HP ring, settled for that. Hoped for a sword, but I won't reload just for that who-know-how-many-times.
Passing you'll reach a bridge. You should attack the trolls there (ye, those thingies attacking the soldiers are supposedly trolls) soyou get the exp for them. They are pushover anyway.
What are NOT pushover are the orcs in mobs (approach slowly), the orc drummers (area heal which applies to them too, has no attack if there is no other unit on screen - otherwise they can onehit you!), and Heavy Orcs which are orc minibosses (I seen only 1 but assume there can be more). Oh, the orcs hunt for boars, which hunt for you, so attack the pigs first for the exp, then port for healing as needed.
Anyway, right after the bridge. Go a bit north to bump into a traveling salesman. He isn't really special, but sells 100 AC armors if you need it, and maybe other things to fill upyour slots, so maybe save before and pack up some of your stuff stored in the village. I actually brought there containers from the catacombs to separate the various stuff. If you follow the vendor's instructions you should stumble into a farm. They'll entrust you to kill some trolls (always get the quest for clearing certain area before you comit the massacre else you may fail the quest-exp), also sending you to the barracks you're heading.
They also mention related to the troll-quest some Reginald (who they say in the end givesno reward at all) who is standing with Tom who'llsend you to find some thief, Dorian. He's actualy a good guy and siding him worth 3 reputation point which means cheaper shops when it'll come to that.
When you reach into a village-or-what you'll be approached by a drunk. BEFORE this cutsceen you should dropp all your gold except 10. The guy is a thief. When done go a bit further for the warning of a thief. Great. Now when you'll have levels, abilities, stats and decent equipment come back and be all bloody with the thief. He's high level and worth exp, and any other approach to this otherwise inconsequential ~quest result you keeping all your gold and that's it.
Oh, in the meantime when you teleport back to healing (btw, it is not a fullheal, just a healing spell, so repeat the ask of healing as many times you need that to fill maximum), go to the lizard-guy and ask for his teleportation-waypoint-activating-scroll.
Oh, and don't forget to enter the DrawvenInn - one character gives you 3 free reputation (refuse the gem), and the dwarven activation scroll. Even if you don't need the scroll, the reputation is precious (gives better prices at shops if you have a lot). I went there pretty late in the game, and never evenseen the dwarf!
When you reach the barracks the guy who the loveletter was sent sends you on a quest behind the Cursed Abbey. I cponfused some information, so this was the way I wanted to go, and I still had
time. Time is of the essence now, don't forget that. Be cautious while hurrying as going along the Abbey's walls (do NOT enter, yet) the monesters are planted in the ground, and they WILL grow out of it. And yes, at places they could come in groups (do not try that, if you can't avoid use bow).
If you want the full experience do NOT enter the cursed church either (yet), but it worth to visit the farm nearby as it gives a green item with guaranteed charm slots. I got a bloody good one for the first try (5 charms, 20 HP, 10% poison resist).
I went to Verdistis, to the Thief Guild. Here you NEED 1 pickpocket and 1 lockpick to pass the initiation, and for that you get a free point in either evade traps, pickpocket or lockpick. Traps are really not frequent, and you only need 2 pickpocket which means barely any clvl requirement. The most influential skill is lockpick, and AFTER the initiation here you can get another point in it (for the price of 5,000 gold. If you don't want it, you can instead gain 5,000 gold and ca. 25,000 exp, IF your lockpick skill is already 5).
As I realised here I was only lvl 10, I went back to the barracks, to the general, whose behaviour started my whole sidetrack. You know if you enter her eoom w/o completing a work for her, she acts upset. This does not have consequences though.
Watch out, that before talking her first, and asking permission to grab stuff in the barracks, you should not pick up anything, or else.
When talking to her an orc attack will happen, but the attackers are highly overwhelmed. You might mother trying to steal kill-exps, or you can stay and put everything in your pockets. What you can do anyway as long as you have permission for equipment (but you'll get scolded every time you enter her room). The locked chest in her room is lvl 3, or was when I first tried,and I wanted to open it right away, but - oh whatever.