E2M2: The Lava Pits (Heretic)

E2M2: The Lava Pits is the second level in the Hell's Maw episode of Heretic.

Walkthrough
Step forward and the wall will open revealing another vast field of volcanic rock. You will get your first look at your next new enemy: the Sabreclaw. Take him out before proceeding further. They will drop lesser runes. What you have to do is cross the field by hopping from island to island. Unfortunately the volcanic rock is unstable and some of the islands will sink when you step on them. There are four larger ones that are a lighter texture than the others that are the stable ones, located at roughly the 11 o'clock, 2 o'clock, 5 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions when viewed on the map. Anyway, your objective is the cavern on the east side, so just make a run for the southeast opening. Take out the beasties, including the Undead Warriors you can see through the barred window to the north. At the east end of the cavern you can see a pit at the base of the cascade with some goodies. Drop down and take out the Sabreclaw. As soon as you grab any of the goodies the wall sections open containing gargoyles. The only way to get back up is to use the Wings of Wrath. Get the yellow key, ride the fork-like sections up to get the goodies on top of the cascade. Use the wings to your advantage and head for the yellow doors which are to the north of the cavern with the sinking islands. Both doors lead to the same place and have the same monsters behind them. Proceed up the stairs. Press the switch to raise the stairs. When you head up the stairs, the wall ahead will open. Also, the wall behind you, the one the switch was on, will lower containing a nest of gargoyles. Get the Dragon Claw and the Chaos Device. Proceed up the stairs again. Start by going left. You will come to a large building with barred windows. Take out the Undead Warriors through the windows before proceeding inside. Get the Map Scroll. The inner part is inaccessible for now. Go back outside and get the Ring of Invulnerability behind the lava pool. That's all you can do here for now. Go back past the stairs and the big door (opened with the green key) and proceed down the stairs to the east. Before proceeding down the next set of stairs to the east there's a few things to do here. There's a shield in the room behind the south door and a switch in the room behind the east door. The switch opens the center section of the prison building. Proceed down the east stairs. This leads to the room where you saw the imprisoned undead warrior earlier. Take him out if you hadn't already done so. Head back to the prison. Take out the golems. When you step inside, platforms will raise up containing ethereal undead warriors. Take them out, get the gauntlets and the green key. Head for the green door. Take out the gargoyles inside and press the switch in the southwest corner. This will raise a pillar revealing the exit.

Secrets

 * 1) In the room halfway down the stairs, the wall section with the bird motif in the northwest corner containss a sorcerer and the Hellstaff.
 * 2) In the northeast corner of the room overlooking the lava falls is a wall section with a blue banner. Open this to find a Tome of Power. When you grab it the wall section ahead will open containing a sorcerer. Proceed forward and another wall section will open containing another sorcerer and a Morph Ovum.
 * 3) When you press the switch to reveal the exit, it will also raise a wall section in the southeast corner of the same room providing access a secret area. When you head for the south corner of the room, pillars will raise up releasing three Weredragons. Get the Bag of Holding then proceed through the south door. The teleporter will take you back to the top of the lava waterfall.
 * 4) Once you've been to the top of the lava waterfall, you can now get into the section between the north and south openings into this area. Get the Shadowsphere. A niche to the south will open containing a sorcerer.
 * 5) Once you've found secret 3, a wall section past the lava pool will be open. Take out the iron lich (use the powered-up hellstaff) then get the mystic urn and the enchanted shield.