-Punkoinyc already covered the canon ending; originally it seemed that Dark was canon, but with the Conflux subbing in for Force, none of the other games ever does anything with it again, so that's up in the air.
ZFR: Could anyone tell me:
_How does putting skill points into Identify Monster help? I know how the skill works, but how different is say a Master with 10 skill points from a Master with 20? How is the Hunter hireling (+ to ID Monster skill) useful?
_ Is there an instructor hireling (+15% XP) like in MM6? I'm in Harmondale, must have reloaded plenty of times but still haven't found one.
Thanks.
-I think each monster has a minimum threshold for being identified (might be a random roll with each right click, but that doesn't seem right); more skill points allows for more monsters to be identified. As I recall, anyone can id a peasant (if they have the skill), but a goblin requires more points. As the skill states, higher mastery allows you to get more information for a given monster. Note that the character that is the active is the one that will be identifying monsters. If your knight is active, he'll be the one saying "I don't know what that is" instead of using your sorcerer's skill level. The +ID Monster hireling gives you bonus skill points (while he's with you) at the cost of one of your two hireling slots and his percent fee; I can't see any reason to take that hireling since you can only have 2.
-There is an Instructor hireling. Some of the "low level" towns (ex. Harmondale) won't spawn the stronger hirelings. Erathia or Tularean Forest should have a chance to spawn any of them. If you can't find the one you want, just reload to get a new spawn. I like to find an area where I can see a whole bunch of potential hirelings, save, then scan them and reload if I don't see what I'm looking for. You can also reset them by going to a different map (ex. entering a castle) and then coming back. Reloading is, of course, faster.
-I like grabbing an Instructor as one of my two hirelings. In the past, I also would grab a Banker (stronger version of Factor), but gold is plentiful enough that I prefer to grab a teacher instead now (or a scholar). While two of the same hireling don't stack (ex. two instructors), two different hirelings that provide the same kind of bonus do seem to stack (ex. instructor + teacher). Right click on your skills to see which ones are getting a boost, and by how much. Note that the Instructor, Teacher, and Scholar's exp boost function by adding skill points to your Learning skill; I don't think they help a particular character any if that character doesn't have the Learning skill (which everyone can at least learn).
-Once you get it, Castle Harmondale is yours for the rest of the game. I can't remember if it resets; I seem to think it is on the 2 year timer as well (though its timer isn't the same as for outdoor Harmondale's), but I haven't had to deal with that potential issue in many years (I usually finish the game within 2 game years). I would clear it out (the first main quest after you finish Emerald Isle) before storing anything, but after that it should be safe. Just make sure you put anything you want to keep in one of the chests; I think anything on the floor might be removed. There are several chests throughout the castle that you can use, with the two in the main hall being the most easily accessible. Your stuff will be fine even when your castle is upgraded.
-If you lose track of any quest items, the Arbiter (in a hut in the Harmondale outdoor area map) should be able to return it to you, just like the Seer in MM6. I wouldn't count on it (for obvious reasons), but it can be handy if you just can't recall where you left something. The Arbiter does give you a new copy, so you might run across the original again later (I like to throw the extras in the lake outside his hut).
