The Courtyard
As you approach the Dark Castle, you’ll notice that the main gate is open. If you go through here, however, you’ll likely get ambushed and sniped to death by skeletons.
Instead, head to the pathway leading to the east. You’ll find the ghost of a dwarf here, and he’ll even ask you to look for his bones. You’ll find these in containers in the area: a sack near the ghost’s location, a barrel at the northwestern section of the castle’s courtyard, and another at the western path where a Ranger resides.
Note: As far as I know, both the Ranger and the dwarf won’t attack on sight, so it’s better to just talk to them. They’ll even give you information about the castle itself.
Oh, and if you need to reach the courtyard, you can use the passageway near where the dwarf spirit is. It leads to the garden where you’ll fight a few ghouls. This section also lets you switch to sneak stance so you can reach a vantage point on the ramparts. You should be able to snipe the distant skeletons while shoving away the ones that do get close.
When you’re done, the Undead guard captain will introduce himself, though he’s not automatically hostile. You should be able to pass a Persuasion check to negotiate with him and his cohorts.
If you wish to enter the keep immediately without fighting in the courtyard, you can interact with the well at the secret passageway in the east (where you fought the ghouls). This will lead to the inner sanctum of the Dark Castle. In fact, every other well that you spot above ground will always lead to the same underground area in the keep. Just be forewarned that ghouls will spawn and beeline for your party, so try to shoot them first to gain a surprise attack advantage.
All right, let’s talk about the Dark Castle’s keep and a couple of boss fights in the next part of our guide.
