Posted July 10, 2018
I noticed some people in this forum had trouble with this infamous bug, but I worked out a solution that consistently solved the issue for me once I got the order right.
Unfortunately, it requires two important things:
1. You have a save intact before entering Teaquetzl Village for the last time (which would be after you get the support of the other two villages, triggering the endgame). Hopefully, like any good fan of DOS games, you've been keeping multiple saves the entire time.
2. You have the note available that you found in the area south of Teaquetzl Village (the area north of the crop fields). It's the message about the army you found on the dead body. It's fine if you haven't even picked it up yet, as long as it's available to you without reentering Teaquetzl Village for the last time (since it's a point of no return).
Here is the solution:
[STEP ONE] Once you've got the note safely in your inventory, get the support of the other two villages to trigger the endgame. Then head to the area south of Teaquetzl (the area north of the crop fields) and go to the area near the hermit. Make a save here.
[STEP TWO] Try any combination of repeatedly inspecting the body, dropping and picking up the note, reading it, inspecting the body again, then talking to the hermit over and over. Eventually you'll hit the right permutation, and it will trigger the flag for the final battle. There is a correct order, but I don't have a save available to doublecheck.
[STEP THREE] After you've done the above, make a *second save* then head north to the village to trigger the endgame sequence.
[STEP FOUR] To hurry up and test whether you've successfully triggered the final battle, you can skip past the village battle (by running out the front) and the underground sections (if you end up going there at all) to skip to final confrontation. If the final battle triggers, then the flag is set, and you can go to step five. If the final battle doesn't trigger, go back to step two and try another combo (it shouldn't take more than a few tries).
[STEP FIVE] Revert back to your post-hermit/body/note save (from step three) and go back to properly enjoy the village battle and underground section. The flag should be triggered in this save, so you can take your time and have fun.
Sorry about the vague details, but it's been years since I played the game. Someone enterprising can probably go back and figure out the exact order for step two, and if you do figure it out, please post it here.
Anyway, this is what solved the issue for me. I hope it works for any of you who encounter this nasty bug.
Unfortunately, it requires two important things:
1. You have a save intact before entering Teaquetzl Village for the last time (which would be after you get the support of the other two villages, triggering the endgame). Hopefully, like any good fan of DOS games, you've been keeping multiple saves the entire time.
2. You have the note available that you found in the area south of Teaquetzl Village (the area north of the crop fields). It's the message about the army you found on the dead body. It's fine if you haven't even picked it up yet, as long as it's available to you without reentering Teaquetzl Village for the last time (since it's a point of no return).
Here is the solution:
[STEP ONE] Once you've got the note safely in your inventory, get the support of the other two villages to trigger the endgame. Then head to the area south of Teaquetzl (the area north of the crop fields) and go to the area near the hermit. Make a save here.
[STEP TWO] Try any combination of repeatedly inspecting the body, dropping and picking up the note, reading it, inspecting the body again, then talking to the hermit over and over. Eventually you'll hit the right permutation, and it will trigger the flag for the final battle. There is a correct order, but I don't have a save available to doublecheck.
[STEP THREE] After you've done the above, make a *second save* then head north to the village to trigger the endgame sequence.
[STEP FOUR] To hurry up and test whether you've successfully triggered the final battle, you can skip past the village battle (by running out the front) and the underground sections (if you end up going there at all) to skip to final confrontation. If the final battle triggers, then the flag is set, and you can go to step five. If the final battle doesn't trigger, go back to step two and try another combo (it shouldn't take more than a few tries).
[STEP FIVE] Revert back to your post-hermit/body/note save (from step three) and go back to properly enjoy the village battle and underground section. The flag should be triggered in this save, so you can take your time and have fun.
Sorry about the vague details, but it's been years since I played the game. Someone enterprising can probably go back and figure out the exact order for step two, and if you do figure it out, please post it here.
Anyway, this is what solved the issue for me. I hope it works for any of you who encounter this nasty bug.
