Barrow Downs would end up being an area I'd go back to explore a couple of times over. At the start, I did not quite have the ability and level to handle the place that great. It however is a place I kept getting quests for.

The biggest thing I wanted to accomplish for the area for the time being was just finding the city. It turns out there are some massive bridges in this zone and a couple of them lead right to the city.

There would however be some nasty gargoyles and even wraiths wanting to get in my way. All of which fly as well. Making even being on the top of mountains not a safe spot to be.

After a couple of close calls. I found myself in Stone City. The top level of the city was quite a safe place. I even took a moment to allow my group to heal up since we barely made it to the city alive in the first place.

I then went on exploring the city itself. It was quite massive having most of everything I'd want. From a temple to get healing, a bank, level training, and even a shop to buy and sell from. I even noted down a couple of skill masters I'd be needing to visit later once I had enough kill points spent on different skills.

There were also some quests in here. I ended up finding out that some places below the city needed to be cleared out. I was kind of hoping this would lead as a quick and after I cleared it out a safe way to the next zone over. I would later find out that the tunnel network below the city went on for quite some time.

I also had a chat with the king of the city. I was hoping to get some workers for my castle. I should have known it would not be that easy. I could get the help after I saved them.

There were a bunch of dwarfs that were turned into stone in one of their mines. That mine was in a place called Bracada. I was warned the place was filled with slimes and medusas. Things I knew I had little chance at fighting with for the time being. This would end up having to be a quest I'd shelve for a while.

My hopes of repairing my castle and getting things moving forward died a little. It’s not that I won’t get to that point at some point. It just became quite clear Barrow Downs let alone the next zone over to go find the missing dwarfs were not for the level I was at.

I however did not let that stop me from wanting to at least finish exploring the rest of the city before going down below to see how bad things were. I then found an elevator leading down.

I would end up needing to make a few emergency escapes back up the elevator to heal and rest. While some lower-level troglodytes were not the issue. The queens that were down here on the other hand must have some decent health. They soaked up the damage for everything else that was attacking me like a tank. Making it rather hard to thin their numbers till I took them out.

After clearing out the main area around the elevator. I now had enough room to at least kite any further queens I'd run into. That made life so much easier. I must have cleared over 10k in gold while down there.

While opening chests was still quite the struggle. I more than once needed to go back up and head to the temple to bring someone back from the dead. I at least made a decent profit in the little area below the town.

There was however an entire tunnel network under the town. So, after reporting back I had cleared out this first area. I decided to push my luck and venture even deeper. That is where things got a bit more complex as far as dungeon running in this game would go.

Next up I'd be in the Nighon Tunnels. What ended up being both a blessing and a curse is I was not the only “good guy” down there. Many people on my side would keep certain areas clear of anything that moved.

This also meant I had to be careful to not land any arrows or spells into those I was on good terms with. Otherwise, they all would turn red and I'd die quite a quick death. This would end up happening more than once while down there.

After entering these tunnels, you shortly later had to drop down below. There was no clear way to get back either. I was 100% hoping to clear my way through and hoping to pop out at an exit to the next zone over. Along with the hopes I'd end up in a town that had a horse or boat so I could get home if the zone ended up being way too hard.

If my group had to face this area alone, I would have been done quite quickly. Thankfully around most of the turns in the first half of this tunnel. There was help not that far away. Many times, they even had already killed any threats there were.

This place was also quite massive. I ended up getting rather concerned at one point about running out of food and not being able to rest for mana and health. After much exploring around I had not exactly found a way out.

I had found a way back up. There was however a massive gap between the other side and where it put me. I’d later realize I could climb up the walls and walk across the gap by staying on the wall. Kind of a cheese thing to do. I however did not have the jump spell at the time and had no other way of escaping. So, it’s what I did when the time came.

Till that time came I was however loading up my bags. Lots of gold and armor all over the place. I’d end up having so much gold for once that I'd have some left over after going on a massive level, skill, and spell-buying spree.

I was finding upgrades to the gear I had just lying around on the ground. This alone more than made it worth my time.

I even found a quest item while being down in these tunnels. I had no idea even where to turn it in. I’d end up wandering around at least for a little while with a dwarf skull in my bags. Hoping the guards of Stone City never realized this.

I then came to what I was hoping would be an exit to the tunnel I was in. It said Thunderfist tunnels. In there, I was greeted with some rather nasty minotaur and I just did not have the amount of food that would be required to take on a single one of them.

It was also not the exit into the next town I was looking for. From what I could tell I now had to fight through an entire other tunnel. Then I could only guess I'd find myself needing to clear some lower levels before making my way into a city or something along those lines.

Final Thoughts

Knowing the path forward was quite hopeless. It was time to turn around and head back for Stone City. Even having already cleared the tunnel out it was quite a walk back through it with me getting lost at least once.

I then found the ramp back up. At this point, I had worked out the wall walk trick. Allowing me to get to the other side of a gap that would take me to the exit of the tunnel and back into the town.

Information

Screenshots were taken and content was written by @Enjar about Might And Magic VII