Yes, but how does that work? Irmgarde and Stanislav are obligatory in the caverns and you can't dismiss your starting characters, unless they're dead. Is that what you have to do? Kill off one of your starting characters and replace him with Tatian, so that she vanishes together with Stainslav at the end of the caverns?

All right, these may be minor spoilers, but what the hell. They have absolutely no bearing in the story apart from an early dungeon in the game. If anyone doesn't like any sort of spoilers whatsoever, don't read any further.

I don't remember all the particulars exactly, but yes, you do have to have Tatian in your party when you enter the Caverns beneath the Ivlis.

I think you only need Irmgarde to open one door either at the beginning or at the end of the dungeon. That's what I don't remember exactly. I'm gonna have to play through the game again, it seems. Oh, woe is me. ;)

I *think* what I did was pick up Tatian & Stanislav with my two other characters, cleared the dungeon, went back for Irmgarde to open the one door that she is required to open, then went back again for Tatian. I don't remember killing of any of my characters to do it, though that would probably have been a lot simpler.

But it's pretty underwhelming. Apart from a couple of changed lines when Stanislav meets Tatian & at the end of the dungeon when he runs away with her, nothing else changes. It's pretty much what you said: they vanish together.

I don't remember any other mention of Tatian afterwards.

It's not worth the effort, unless you're a completionist who loves the game just a little too much.

You need her at the end.

I'm gonna try that. :-)

Oh cool, can you post screenshots or do a video of that conversation? I'd love to see it!

Can do.

I believe I finished the game after Strahd captured Tatian, but after this conversation, I'm having doubts now if I didn't plan to do it & then forgot.

If you have the time & feel inclined to finish the game afterwards, please confirm or deny my statement that Tatian is never mentioned again.

It might take a while, though. I'm just in the lower catacombs beneath Barovia.

Thank you! I'm so excited.

I have finished the game. Vladislav vanished together with Tatian after stepping through the portal in the caverns beneath the Ivlis and I've seen no sign of Tatian for the rest of the game. It might just be that the two characters that are not your main characters always vanish after using the portal. If you replace Tatian with Irmgarde, she vanishes as well, the text message is just a little different.

You can watch the whole affair here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FQs2MIestQ

Thanks for verifying that.

So I guess I remembered correctly - the only thing that happens is a couple of different lines in the dialogue.

Like I said, pretty underwhelming. But it's there, for those who know about the whole story, at least.

I agree. (For me there's something about unnaturally lowered jaws/opened mouths that is pretty freaky.) I believe it was panned by the press though, which I found really strange as, I thought, it was a very effective horror/thriller (with an incredible theme song to boot, by the incredible Charlie Clouser). Has anybody else here heard "Out of the Fire" via Clouser from "The Collection" soundtrack? I actually found the end scene to that movie + that song really powerful and effective.

Personally, though, I usually don't go for truly "scary" content like (belive it or not) high-quality creepypastas or Junji Ito's work. I prefer stuff like '80s cheese or movies that combine cool action with horror monsters. ;)

I watched that a year or two ago (on YouTube) and it was generally entertaining. ;-)

Indeed, I was hoping for more! But at least we got to see that, thanks for the upload!