You can head to the fjords now, if you wish, though there are also a couple things left outside on Sentinel Island. For now those are your only options from the teleporter shrine in the battle tower master's chamber (speaking of which, check the battle chest contents, if you have not done so already. You should have dragon equipment with a +40% offence bonus and another piece with +40% hit points.
In the fjords, when you reach the harbour a person on top of the building will tell you what is needed to get to Aleroth. If you explore in dragon form on your way there, and transform to check out ledges and other things of interest, you may find what you need by then.
You need at least 1 of each of the 3 types of zeppelin parts (most of which are in or near wyvern nests throughout the fjords) to be able to go to Aleroth, where there are a couple good merchants. Here is a
map of the fjords, showing the rough locations for the zeppelin parts (marked with an
S ). Alternately, from the
walkthrough,
[spoiler]-Crystal 1: on the tiny island just south of the entrance to the fjords; climb
up the ladder and retrieve it from on top of Yggdrasil
-Crystal 2: on a low cliff east of Camp Sentinel View, across the water from
Camp David
-Crystal 3: on a cliff in the middle of the bend just before the entrance to
Rivertown Gorge [EDIT on the same ledge as a boarded-up cave door]
-Rudder 1: a short ways east of the Camp Freedom teleporter
-Rudder 2: halfway between the Imps' Lair and Camp David
-Rudder 3: on a low southwest cliff near the exit to Rivertown Gorge
-Compass 1: on the cliff directly opposite Rudder 1
-Compass 2: high up above Moor's shack, just northeast of the entrance to
Keara's Flying Fortress
-Compass 3: on a cliff just before the bend on the way to Rivertown Gorge
[/spoiler] Despite Zandalor's urgent request for help, you can delay doing the associated quest in Aleroth as long as you wish (even talking to him you can say you need more time). When you get there, there is a teleporter shrine past the market, for easier access to the couple good merchants there.
On Sentinel Island you can teleport to the shrine outside, jump up the rocks and run over to where there are no overhanging tree branches in order to change into a dragon (IIRC you may also be able to find a spot on the path down to transform, or jump off and turn into a dragon before you get too deep into the poison gas). There are probably a few remaining attackers, left when you automatically returned to the battle tower, as well as a few places you can now reach as a dragon (including the ship in the tree, though you may want to use the treasure yourself, rather than complete the quest to bring it to Turgoyn, who moved up by the teleporter).
There are several chests and other loot in wyvern nests (in trees), though the only thing you need to worry about getting is a dragon skill book.
From the ship in the tree, look at the left side of the battle tower and the nest with the skill book is along that path.
If you fly in the direction of the fjords you should be able to find
the raft Michael was building on the beach, now caught on a rock. There is no poison gas there, so you can transform over the raft or rock and find/read his diary.
When you teleport to the fjords, you will be on a mountain path. If it is your first time there (you can enter earlier from a path to the far south west in Broken Valley), head up first, clear a few opponents and talk to the person in a camp at the top (either beside the fire or in the nearby small cave). After that, clear down the mountain path, swim over to the other beach, then swim or fly over to a path that leads to the depleted ore mine, and another beach behind some anti-dragon shields and defences.
There is a barrier blocking access to the rest of the fjords, which can be disabled inside the bunker in the cliff face (surrounded by anti-dragon shields).
You can either use a teleporter to get to the bunker (the Camp Sentinel View teleporter, on the west side of the island in the middle of the channel, will bring you to Camp Eagle's Nest, where you can access the bunker) or it is also possible to fly above the anti-dragon shield and drop down in human form, if you find the right spot.
Once you get the barrier down, the easiest opponents would be found continuing down the path from the depleted ore mine to High Hall and the harbour building. There is a travelling merchant along that path who you only meet once, so make sure you have lots of loot to trade with. He has
gold (50k in DKS) and a 2k malachite gem, in addition to pre-set and random stuff that may or may not be worth getting. I reloaded 3 times in DKS and got an upgrade for my belt and bracelet, and a couple weapons (bought for their enchantment formula). I forget what I bought off him in the original release of D2:ED, but I think it was more than just the malachite gem.
There are a couple caves in the starting section of the fjords, as well (one near the start of the waterfall across from the teleporter shrine, and another in the cliff a little left of where the anti-dragon shields are/were around the bunker), though another couple levels wouldn't hurt before you tackle them.
In the fjords, Stone's flying fortress is the easiest one (teleporter on the north east end of the island across from the dragon cliff castle), followed by Raze (mountain across from the harbour), Broken Valley, Keara and then Kali (Rivertown Gorge).
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