SureAI

I have heard of quite a few people stuck at the intro gate, unable to get past some of the awkward quests there. This is a real shame because once you get through the gate the world opens up and you can go wherever you want. And it truly is worth it, because the game is amazing.

SPOILERS FOLLOW:
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Rats:
You need to pick up the bricks on the ground using the "Z" or "Drag" key and put them into the holes. There should be bricks by each hole that correspond.

Soap:
In order to provoke the mages, use a fireball scroll that you picked up in the mine. If you use the bow and arrow from the locked cache, you will get the "Thug" achievement and people will respond negatively to you in the future.

I know I'm digging up an old thread here, but this information doesn't appear to hold true for me on my second playthough. I've tried using a bow and arrow and the fireball scroll and they both result in me getting the "Thug" achievement. This is on the fully-patched English version.

Is it actually possible to progress past this quest without acquiring this achievement?

i think you can climb and jump down to the place ( i did before there were any patches) and i think i did get trought.

I don't think there is much negative response due to the Thug achievement. You will get it sooner or later because several enemies have a broken AI and fail to attack you.

After finally managing to provoke those mages without getting the Thug achievement, it seems to make little difference to how the NPCs perceive you. Back at the Abbey for instance, typical responses still range from "Not interested" to "I don't want any trouble", and that's without assaulting someone. On my initial playthrough I played a half-Aeterna so I perceived these negativities as thinly-veiled racism aimed at my character, but now having played as all three races, it seems that there really is very little difference.

It would appear that it is personality that counts. I would imagine that if my character had a high personality level, she would be better liked regardless of race or Thug achievement.

So how did you manage it?