Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos

Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos
Developer: Westwood Studios Publisher: Virgin Games Platform: DOS Released in US: 1993 Released in EU: 1993 This game has unused areas. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused items. This game has unused abilities. This game has unused music. This game has unused sounds. This game has unused text. This game has revisional differences.

To do: This page needs to be corrected!

Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos is a game where you find out that the big guy with four arms is a wizard, the witch that can transform into any shape chooses to stay ugly, and that Captain Picard was king way before Oblivion!

The game served as a successor of sorts to Westwood's first two entries in the Eye of the Beholder series. After the second game, they decided to make Lands of Lore, while a third game was butchered beyond belief by SSI.

Unused Graphics

Unused Item Icons

An unused helm icon. All helms in the final game use a single icon.

A key probably forgotten by the developers of the game.

Possibly the old icon of the Writ of Passage, or a note.

The arrows are not separate items; they are instead automatically used by a bow. Perhaps the arrows were separate items in another version of the game?

A bottle containing an orange liquid.

A bottle containing a yellow liquid.

A bottle containing a green liquid.

Another key not used in the game.

A cloak, possibly the Whisper Cloak, which is given by the beggar.

(Source: Dark Linkaël)

Roland's Manor

In the game, Roland's Manor was already attacked by Scotia's monsters by the time you get to it. However, there is a screen of the Manor that looks intact. In the Lore of the Lands section of the game, there is a part where you see Roland's Manor intact, but it is in sepia tone. The colored version is never shown in-game.

Old Version	Final Version

(Source: Dark Linkaël)

Unused Portraits

Dawn is an important person in Lands of Lore, but she is not playable. However, it was intended that she should join your group at some point in the game, as she has some unused character portraits.

(Source: Dark Linkaël)

The back cover of the box depicts two unused portraits:

• Kieran’s face looks different and more cat-like from the final design with yellow eyes, black nose, whisker spots, and lower protruding teeth.
• Michael’s face is slanted to the right with a wider and more arched smile.

Also of interesting note, that one box shot shows Kieran, Conrad, and Michael together in the gameplay. This is not possible in the finished game as only one main character can be chosen. It’s possible that Westwood intended the player to pick multiple characters before starting the game, or two of the characters would join the player’s party instead of Timothy and the others.

Unused Abilities

Spells

On the first box shot of the game’s are two spells shown:

• Ice Wall - While it's not known the exact effects of the spell, it might have been the equivalent of a Level 4 Freeze spell, and the second box shot shows shards of ice from some serpentine creature breaking free.
• Vortex - Spell effects are completely unknown. It would have been obtainable from the unused Vortex Scroll.

Unused Music

Lands of Lore Main Theme

This unused music is not in the game's data. It likely was intended to be used on the title screen, which is otherwise silent. In the final game data, there is also an empty pointer in the introduction music, showing that a track was omitted, which could have been for this theme. Frank Klepacki's official website gives it the title "Lands of Lore Main Theme", and the filename of the official recording once available on the Westwood FTP is "lol1theme".

The Keep

This unused music, still existing in the game's data, was intended to play at Gladstone Keep after the attack by Scotia. In the final game, its music slot "0x00FE" points to LORE03A, track 03 (shared by music "0x0119"), but it obviously originally pointed to this unused track: LORE01A, track 06. Frank Klepacki's official website gives it the title "The Keep", and the filename of the official recording once available on the Westwood FTP is "keep228m".

(Source: Dark Linkaël)

Unused Text

Invisible Text

With the help of a program to extract the graphics of the game, you can see text on the screen where King Richard is put in stasis after Scotia's attack. The texts describes when the king is there or not.

(Source: Dark Linkaël)

Unused Items

Lands of Lore has an impressive number of unused items.

Special Items

These are special items and can only be used by throwing them. These items mostly represent traps used in the game, or monster attacks. The most surprising thing is that these items are named. It is possible that these items were used by the developers.

Illegal Item

This is the first item by default and is represented by a single mouse cursor. Throwing this item, a broken bottle is shown.

Poison dart

This is one of the arrows used by some enemies. It can do damage by throwing it at enemies.

Arrow

A single arrow shot by enemies.

Arrow

A flaming arrow shot by enemies. Crossbow "Valkyrie" use this kind of arrows.

Quarrel

Another kind of arrow, but bigger.

Shuriken

A projectile in the form of a shuriken.

Shuriken

Same as the previous item.

Muck

Some monsters spit these things.

Spit

Same thing as the previous item.

temp item

Contrary to what some may believe, this thrown item, represented by a large fireball, does no damage. This is the case of other items using traps visible in the game. This is the only item not using a real name.

Ice Bolt

This item is also one of the traps in the game.

Spike

A big ball with spikes, it is one of the many traps visible in the game.

Pain

It is an extremely powerful item. It uses the same projectiles as the ghosts on the third floor of the White Tower. When used on enemies, it deals a large amount of damage.

Dispell

This kind of projectile does not seem to be used in the game.

Poison

As with "Dispell", this projectile does not seem to be used in the game. However, it is as powerful as "Pain" by using it on enemies.

Dispell

Same as the other "Dispell".

(Source: Dark Linkaël)

Other Unused Items

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: There may be more, and it's possible that some of these items are in the game, and merely obscure and/or inaccessible.

• Great Maul "Pillage"
• Long Sword "Ares' Breath"
• Long Sword "Life Taker"
• Axe "Splitter"
• Great Axe "Meister"
• Great Axe "Executioner"
• Great Maul "Thor's Fist"
• Great Maul "Armageddon"
• Great Bow "Tracker"
• Rapier "Coup D' Grace"
• Trident "Pestilence"
• Mesmer's Great Helm
• Aegis Kite Shield
• Bronze key
• Blood key (This opens the "fancy lock" in Castle Cimmeria Level 1. The door is otherwise unopenable. Behind it is a chest containing the otherwise inaccessible Zephyr ring and Bow "Tempest")
• Staff "Gainful"
• Bloody staff
• Talba ring
• Vortex scroll

(Source: List of objects)

(Source: Abandonia thread)

(Source: Abandonia thread)

(Source: Abandonia thread)

Unused Areas in the Maps

Several locations on the maps are inaccessible. Some are even named with a colored square. The most surprising case is located in Yvel Woods.

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(Source: Dark Linkaël)

(Source: Jared Fowler)

There is a walled-off area in Cimmeria Level 2 containing a chest that contains the otherwise inaccessible Cloud ring and Great Bow "Darkness".

Unused Speech

Timothy and Lora speak the same lines as the normal characters when items such as the Vaelan's Cube and the Whole Truth are unsuccessfully used, despite these items being unobtainable until long after they have left the party.

Revisional Differences

Early releases contain a game-breaking bug: Dawn's Key is irretrievable if the player surrenders it to Scotia when she is impersonating Dawn. Later releases fixed this.

Floppy disk versions require a password to enter Gladstone Keep.