The Fire Shadow is an Undead creature that appears as a bearded man whose head and hands are engulfed in flames. The Fire Shadow seems only to inhabit areas where other undead roam, being found only in two locations in Thief Gold.
Background[]
The Fire Shadows' nature and predilection are unknown, but they seem to share a lot of traits with the undead. It is possible that they are the reanimated spirits of people that have died by fire, given their connection to it, and that Garrett mentions "raging fires" occurred in the Sealed Section.[1] An other theory is that they are the resurrected souls of Fire Mages, because they have the appearance of bearded old men, but this seems unlikely. They are only seen in the Bonehoard and in the Sealed Section of the Old Quarter district.
Behavior[]
Fire Shadows will usually patrol the area they inhabit. When a Fire Shadow is damaged enough, it begins fleeing at superhuman speeds until it leaves Garrett's line of sight and vanishes, leaving a Fire Crystal behind. If trapped in a location from which there is no escape, a defeated Fire Shadow will either wander aimlessly at an ever increasing "walking pace" or become frozen in place. After a few seconds, it will disappear. Note, however, that the Fire Shadow will return to the place it once patrolled after about twenty seconds. It always reappears in the same location and does so only when Garrett is not nearby.
Strategy[]
The Fire Shadow is an extremely rare opponent, encountered only in Thief Gold. Its appearance is grim and it looks intimidating, but it is actually quite easy to defeat. Sneak behind it to Backstab it, as this is the fastest way to make one flee. Also, be careful not to touch them, since they have an area of fire damage.
Since they are fire creatures, another option is Water Arrows, which is the most effective ranged method. Despite the fact that Fire Shadows are undead creatures, Holy Water Arrows do not cause any more damage than regular Water Arrows, so using holy water is useless.
Since gas extinguishes fire, Gas Arrows also deal some damage, but this is considered impractical due to their high price and rarity. Gas Arrows are also not encountered until The Mage Towers mission, while Fire Shadows are only encountered in previous missions (Down in the Bonehoard and The Haunted Cathedral), meaning that Gas Arrows cannot be used against them (unless when playing fan missions).
It is also possible to "drown" them where deep water is easily accessible. Due to its swiftness, the Fire Shadow can easily slip over the edge of a massive well chamber in the Halls of Echoing Repose.
Fire Shadows are immune to any form of fire damage (Fire Arrows or Mines), and cannot be knocked out.
- Backstab – routs a Fire Shadow with one swing (be careful not to touch it)
- Water Arrows – takes two or three to finish a Fire Shadow
- Flash Bombs – as a back up, it takes three to finish it
Appearances[]
A Fire Shadow patrolling in the Bonehoard
Thief Gold[]
- Down in the Bonehoard (on Hard and Expert difficulty)
- The Haunted Cathedral
Tips[]
Fire Shadows can be used as an endless supply of Fire Crystals, since they return after they have been "scared away".
Trivia[]
- Fire Shadows do not die like regular creatures, but instead temporarily disappear after they have been defeated; they are also the only enemy that is "resurrected" after it is firmly disposed of.
- Fire Shadows are bound together with Fire Crystals, as they release one every time they run off.
- They are seen only twice in Thief Gold, and usually near door puzzles requiring Fire Arrows to be solved.
Behind the Scenes[]
Developers[]
It was confirmed by the developers around the time of the launch of Thief Gold that the Fire Shadow was invented in order to avoid a non-winnable game state in which the player had consumed too many Fire Arrows and did not have enough left to solve certain puzzles. Hence, a renewable supply of Fire Crystals was required, and the Fire Shadow was born.
IGN[]
The websites on the IGN network sometimes refer to Fire Shadows as "Flaming Spirits" for unknown reasons. The name Fire Shadow - which, like most of the monster names usually only appears in DromEd, and there only as a contracted, intracapped word: "FireShadow" - bears some resemblance to an AD&D monster that first appeared in the Dragonlance module DL4 Dragons of Desolation, under the name "Fireshadow". This might or might not be an inspiration for the name, but as monsters, the two have little in common.