8. The Forgotten City Story Walkthrough: TL 2, part 2 (The Gilding)

Time Loop 2, Part 2 (The Gilding)

Enter the Shrine of Diana.

Updated Lead:

The Gilding

Extinguish the braziers

Next, extinguish the two braziers.

Updated Lead:

The Gilding

Swap out the fake golden bow for the real one

Look up at the Golden Bow and replace it with the Fake.

Updated Lead:

The Gilding

Return to Desius

Take the quiver at Diana's feet, then try to leave the way you came.

• "Yes, I have it."
• "You locked me in here?"
• "How is this not against the Golden Rule? You said you'd split the riches between the two of us."
• "How can I trust you, after you double-crossed me like this?"
• "There's no way I'm giving you this bow. I'll find another way out."

Next, save.

Updated Lead:

The Gilding

Escape the temple

First, make sure God Mode is turned off. Shoot the hornets' next with the Golden Bow, then stand there and let the hornets slowly kill you, unlocking:

• Allergic

  Die from hornet stings

  
  

Reload and shoot the hornets' nest. Go through the hole it creates.

Updated Lead:

The Gilding

Find a way to return to the city

Follow the linear path, dropping down three ledges. Use your beautiful new bow to turn both sets of algae to gold. Shooting the first one unlocks:

• Golden Archer

  Gild your first thing

  
  

Does anyone else wonder why turning the hornets' nest to gold doesn't count towards the achievement? Jump to the second golden algae, then to the ledge, and crouch for a few feet. Read Naevia's Journal Vol. 1 on the left for some backstory before continuing up three ledges, then jump across to the next one. Continue through the linear cave up two more ledges before grabbing arrows, then gilding the vines to get across.

(Man, am I ever gonna gild Desius after I'm done with this... I don't even care if it breaks The Golden Rule or not. I can just count it as one of my 10 Loops. Heh...)

Gild the next vines to cross the gap. Next, gild the vertical vines and climb them. Climb the next two ledges to make it into the palace. This completes Behind Closed Doors. Loot the Old Chest for arrows before continuing through the linear path. Now, we're starting to face peeled golden statues. Try to gather as many of them as you can together.

Raziel+M0RAGLAR pointed out a comment: "When you shoot the curtains to trap bunches of statues behind them, you can still shoot and kick them with less risk of getting attacked and mobbed by them."

Gild one closest to you and press to kick it, hopefully knocking several over. After you've knocked over 10 of them, you should unlock:

• Striker

  Topple 10 peeled statues by kicking others into them

  
  

However, if you don't mind using God Mode for this achievement, here's the code:

Controller:
Console Command (~): god

Quick reminder that the Command Console (~) cheat for more arrows if you run out is give arrow # (replace # with your desired amount).

Run past the first one (kick it if needed) over the fallen door off to the right, then leave to the courtyard. The camera will change on you.

Updated Lead:

The Gilding

Reach the upper floor of the palace

Keep pushing forward to the square on the right back corner and drop through the hole.

Several Peeling Golden Statues incoming! If they trap you, gild one and kick it to get them off you, then continue down through the linear path. Search the Old Chest on the right before the turn for more arrows. Then continue past the peeling statues, gild the ferns, jump on them, and climb the ledge. Search another Old Chest for more arrows, then continue on the path. Straight ahead is another Old Chest. Search it for arrows and denarii, then gild the fern on the left, and climb up two ledges. Head left, and gild the vines to run across, then continue on the path. Crouch and shoot the vase to lure a peeling statue, then gild it. Grab the arrows as you leave through the door. Again, continue along the path forward through the next door. Go to the desk, and pick up the Key To Palace Doors, then read Naevia's Journal Vol. 2 for more of the story. Finally, unlock the door on the left to continue down the path up the stairs.

Updated Lead:

The Gilding

Reach the front of the palace

Again, continue down the path, gilding anything that gets in your way. (Again, you can shoot the curtains to trap the peeling statues, but that requires using some of your extremely limited supply of bullets. Keep in mind if you're playing legit, they're required for a missable achievement). Walk over the fallen board in the back of the room on the right and gild the vines, crouch, and walk across. Then, gild the next vines and walk across. When you gild the last of the vines, you have to shimmy across on the wall. Be careful though, since you can fall. You would have to run all the way back if that were to happen. Crouch, and continue forward through the curtains past the peeling statues. There's another Old Chest around the corner that you can search for arrows if you're running low (you probably are at this point). Keep going from hallway to hallway until you reach a room with Naevia's Journal Vol. 3, which you can read for more of the story. Make a left on the balcony, followed by a left at the door that gets knocked down and probably hits you in the face. Search the Old Chest for arrows before making two rights to get back on the balcony and continue on to the left, then right, and make a left back into the palace.

Make a left up the stairs, then two rights up another flight of stairs. Finally, walk up to the gilded cage.

• "You can talk?"
• "Who are you?"

Naevia (Missing Person 1/4) shows up to talk to you. You must answer correctly.

• "You must be Naevia."
• "This has nothing to do with me."
• "It's not just this statue whispering to me. A lot of them do it. But it's always the same voice."
• "It's like someone else is whispering to me through the statues."
• "No, I swear."
• "I ended up here by accident. All I want to do is leave."
• "I got trapped in tunnels under the city and came up inside the palace."
• "I never had any intention of hurting you."
• "Wait! I can undo all this if you tell me the treatment for rheumatism."
• "I can wind back time, and make it so that I never came here."
• "I'm re-living the same day over and over again."
• "I just need to get back to the shrine of Proserpina."
• "Because you'll never remember this conversation."
• "Goodbye, Naevia."

Credit for posting the correct dialogue options: DiegoTan (Confrontation 1/3).

Turn around and walk past the cage, through the hall, to the left, up the stairs, and to the balcony. This resolves The Gilding. You should unlock:

• Survivor

  Survive the Palace

  
  

Updated Lead:

A Thorn in The Paw

Tell Lucretia how to treat rheumatism

Take the zipline to return to the market. Talk to Lucretia.

• "I figured out how to treat rheumatism..."
• "She's alive, but she just wants to be left alone. And the treatment is willow bark."

Take the Willow Bark.

• "Alright. I can do that."
• "I'll be going now."

Updated Lead:

A Thorn in The Paw

Give some willow bark to Rufius

Return to Malleolus's villa.

Head up the stairs hidden behind a wall, and find the door you need to unlock. You find Claudia.

• "Can we talk?"
• "Do you know anything about Sentilla's disappearance?"
• "Fair enough."
• "Why are you locked in this room?"
• "How would you like some help getting back at Malleolus?"
• "I don't think Malleolus is who he says he is."
• "Just a hunch. I was hoping we could figure out his true identity together."
• ...woman...
• Option 1: "I just hate to see such a beautiful woman treated so poorly." (NOTE: This option is only available if your character is male).
• Option 2: "We women have to stick together." (NOTE: This option is only available if your character is female).
• "What do you want?"
• "Why do you want wine?"
• "That's all the questions I had."
• "I have some wine right here."

Take the Letter From Quinctius.

NOTE: Flirting with Aurelia is not needed if you already have the wine. You can also find a bottle of wine at the lake if you gild algae near the statue that's sitting on a rock by the stairs. Aurelia will sell it to you for 10,000 denarii.

• "According to this bounty letter from Emporer Nero, he's the person who started the fires last year."
• "No, I think I'll hang onto it."
• "I didn't lie to you."
• "I'll be going now."

In case anyone's curious, there are three ways we can get the wine:

1. (Golden Bow required) Return to the lake. Go down the steps into the water and shoot the Algae with an arrow, then jump on it (I struggled with this during my first playthrough for some reason). The bottle of wine is on the ledge with the chest straight in front of you.
2. Go through the Slums down the stairs, and up the flight of stairs on the right (or you can come from the other direction as we did earlier). Make a left at the Golden Statue and search the Old Chest inside the broken-down shack for denarii and a bottle of wine.
3. (10,000+ denarii required) This is the hardest one, and it requires you to have not spoken to Aurelia yet. When she flirts with you, use these responses:
1. "I guess you've never met anyone as fabulously wealthy as I am."
2. "I have more than ten thousand denarii on me."
3. "Choose Malleolus."
4. "I think he'll be more amenable to 'tributes' than Sentius."
5. "Sounds good to me, let me take that off your hands."

Updated Lead:

Democracy In Action

Ask Malleolus/Quinctius to drop out of the election.

Talk to Malle... I mean Quinctius. His run for election ends now.

• "I want you to drop out of the election."
• "Because I know you're Quinctius. Your wife gave me your love letter. And Nero wants you dead."
• "No, I'm not, fortunately for you."
• "Not if you withdraw from the election immediately and release everyone from debt bondage to you."
• "I will."

This resolves Democracy In Action.

Now that Malleolus is out of the way, we can talk to Galerius about running.

• "Ever thought about running for Magistrate yourself?"
• "Mallelous withdrew from the election."
• "I'll be going now."

Talk to Sentius.

• "...we've had this conversation before."
• "I broke it."
• "I was trying to save someone's life."
• "May I have the key to the upper cistern?"
• "Why?"
• "I think you're hiding something."
• "'Fine, I'll let it go.' (Lie)" (10/10)

If this is your tenth lie, you should unlock:

• Fibber

  Lie 10 times

  
  

• "I'd like you to release Duli."
• "What exactly did he do?"
• "I'd better get back to it."

Find Rufius. You can set A Thorn In The Paw to track if you need to. Talk to him.

• "About your rheumatism..."
• "I figured out a treatment. Eat a pinch of this willow bark, and you should feel better in no time."
• "What's your story?"
• "How did you end up here?"
• "Thanks for sharing your story."
• "Do you know a way out of here?"
• "What do you think about The Golden Rule?"
• "I know the feeling. I've lived through a pandemic."
• "What do you think is coming?"
• "I think you're right."
• "Are you the one threatening Vergil?"
• "I know it was you. I found an incomplete letter to him in your quarters."
• "Alright, no problem."

This conversation resolves A Thorn in the Paw.

Updated Lead:

The Sinner

Tell Vergil that Rufius will leave him alone

Talk to him again.

• "Who are you going to vote for?"
• "Anything I can do to change that?"
• "Any idea where I'd find a Roman plaque?"
• "Come on, I helped treat your rheumatism."

Take the Key to Secret Shrine.

• Got it. Thanks."
• I'll be going now."

Return to Vergil at the Forum.

• "Don't worry about the threat, it's just Rufius, and he's never going to hurt you."
• "I found an incomplete note in his house."
• "Yes, and he won't be bothering you anymore."
• "I found a treatment for his rheumatism, which was making him agitated and compounding some other personal issues."
• "Happy to help. I think he wants to clean up his graffiti, too."
• "I'll be going now."

This should unlock:

• Lion Tamer

  Solve Vergil's problem

  
  

This resolves The Sinner.

Next, go to the amphitheater behind the Forum. There are pillars. Behind the closest one to the left statue when you enter from the Slums side are vines. Gild them, then climb them and open the chest for 1,000 denarii and arrows. You should unlock this once you reach the top:

• Treasure Hunter

  Find treasure using the golden bow

  
  

With the setup to the election out of the way, let's commit a crime.

New Main Goal:

Run!

Follow Sentius back to the shrine and use his portal again

Run back to the Shrine of Proserpina and use the portal created by Sentius. That's it for Time Loop 2. Next up is Time Loop 3, where we go after the plaques and hold the election.