Umar Hills glitch?

FredN

I am doing the Umar Hills quest. I have both Mazzy's map and Merella's journal, but still can't find the entry to the quest area. So I googled it, and apparently I have to speak to a wolf also for the area to be accessible. Seriously? Talk to a wolf? OK, so I scoured every inch of the area around the Ranger cabin, and there is no wolf to be found. Where did it go? Did it run off somewhere? What the heck is going on here?

atcDave

Sounds like a glitch? I don’t know anything about a wolf? There is Madulf the ogre mage, I don’t think you need to talk to him to get to the ruined temple. You also talk to a werewolf as soon as you get there.

But I think you should have what you need.

jmerry

Oh, I'm sure there's some nonsense out there on the internet. Especially now in the age of "AI" making stuff up.
You do have to discover the shade temple area before you can travel there; the area script in Merella's cabin reveals it to you, if you're carrying both the journal and the note. Along with giving you XP.

FredN

I have the journal and the note. I have also told the Mayor about wolves being responsible for the problem. There is no entrance shown on the map. I have gone to every corner of the map, and tried all the edges, and nothing is revealed.

FredN

OK never mind; I found it. I had to go to the upper edge of the map and try to exit it; then Temple Ruins appears on the world map. I can go anywhere on the world map apparently, in case I want to do something else first. Also, it's the werewolf leader I have to talk to once I get there, not some random normal wolf. Mystery solved.

jmerry

Yes, it's world map travel. From any of the map's edges.

The BG1 campaign extensively uses world map travel links that require you to go to a specific map edge. At least the first time; once you've unlocked a path to an area, you can go there from anywhere and any edge.

This directional mechanic is almost entirely unused in BG2. The exceptions:
- In order to leave Athkatla, you must actually go through the city gates; the north/east side of that map is the only way out of the city.
- In the slums, where you first unlock open travel within the city, going to the Bridge District requires that you exit on the north or south sides of the map. Exiting the east side unlocks all of the areas in the city except the bridge. Including the areas on the other side of the bridge. (This one looks like an error. No significant gameplay impact, of course.)