The Great Hall is the heart of the Caed Nua keep in Pillars of Eternity. To repair it the Main Keep upgrade must be purchased.
Description[ | ]
Upgrading the Main Keep will repair your Great Hall, allowing visitors and adventures to be available to you and your companions.
Background[ | ]
The heart of all commerce and activity in the keep (once, at any rate), the Great Hall fell into disrepair under Maerwald's care.
Points of interest[ | ]
- When you first enter, it's in a state of ruin, like most of Caed Nua. Restoring it with an upgrade allows you to receive adventures and get visitors
- When upgraded with Merchant Stalls, you can purchase weapons and armor from a merchant in a room on the east side.
- In the same room as the merchant there is a chest on the northeastern wall. This is where the following appear:
- Treasure from adventures
- Plant ingredients from the Botanical Gardens
- Purchases from visitors
- Just north of the main entrance are the stairs up to the Barracks.
- The door to the Library is located just east of the main entrance.
- The stairs down to the Dungeons are just north of the Steward. The keep was built directly over the Endless Paths of Od Nua, which can be accessed through the Dungeons.
Characters[ | ]
- Steward: On the northeastern wall is a statue of a woman with antlers. In the main quest The Old Watcher you discover that she is the castle Steward.
- General Goods Merchant: Next to the treasury after completion of the Merchant Stalls Upgrade.
Companion reactions[ | ]
Some companions have a special comment upon entering the hall:
- Edér: "Do you think he'd be mad if we sat in his chair? He doesn't have to know."
- Aloth: "Well, that's... unusual."
- Kana Rua: "Clearly of Aedyran make... They like their archways."
- Hiravias: "This place reeks of mildew and rotting wood. They don't build things to last anymore... not like the Engwithans did..."
- Pallegina: "Such an ominous throne for so humble a keep..."
- Sagani: "I wouldn't sit there if I were you."
Loot[ | ]
- Whispers of Yenwood: In a vase in the main keep.
Behind the scenes[ | ]
- This area contains developer commentary, describing the various uses of the hall during gameplay.
This is the great hall of the stronghold. There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes here. Much like the exterior of the stronghold, all the content of this area had to serve multiple purposes, and be conditionalized by various stages this area can be experienced in.
When the player enters this scene, it is supposed to look like it is in complete shambles and haunted. There is combat in this level and the scene with the Steward of Caed Nua. Once the player unlocks the stronghold and upgrades this area however, it becomes a warm, grand, and inviting area where visitors will appear. On top of all of this, the level also had to serve the purpose of a battle arena, and instances where the player stronghold has been infiltrated by the monsters of the Endless Paths.
All this was accomplished by making the great hall a rather long hall with a great lane in the middle that serves combat tactically. Coincidentally it makes the great all that much more great once it has been fully upgraded.