u/DooWapDooDoo

First off, I don’t have all source points, but I have one from Mordus (two total), and I’m fine getting a third from somewhere besides Hannag. My main interest is getting max XP and also getting her skillbooks. I see lots of comments on the wiki. these include this one which I’ll use as the basis for discussion:

“Max XP for DE:

Option 1: Side with Hannag - 45,000 XP total
+7500 XP for accepting quest from Magisters 
+7500 XP for persuading/convincing Hannag that you are an ally 
+ 22500 XP for killing 3 Magisters (7500 XP each) 
+7500 XP for killing Hannag

Option 2: Side with Magisters (kill Hannag before she can open portals) - 82,325 XP total 
+7500 XP for accepting quest from Magisters 
+7500 XP for persuading/convincing Hannag that you are an ally 
+56100 XP for completing quest with Magisters
+11225 XP for killing Hannag (before she can open portal rifts)

Option 3: Side with Magisters (do not kill Hannag before she can open portals) - 153,900 XP total 
+7500 XP for accepting quest from Magisters 
+7500 XP for persuading/convincing Hannag that you are an ally 
+7500 XP for Hannag dying and opening portal 
+7800 XP for 4 Volatile Voidlings (1950 XP each) 
+37500 for other Voidwoken (4 Necro-Wing, 2 Vampiric, 2 Flayers each worth 3750 XP) 
+7500 XP for killing Hannag Reborn (she drops a uniquely named power framed, large flame rune called 'Hannag's Flame Rune Of Power')
+56100 XP for completing quest with Magisters 
+22500 XP for killing 3 Magisters (7500 XP each).”

My questions start with: what is the quest with the Magisters for 56100 XP?

The quest Hannag gives you after taking out the magisters (about saving her apprentice - On the Ropes, is it?) gives you more than 56100 XP, right? Furthermore, you can kill Hannag after finishing her quest, right? So you could still get the voidwoken XP, no? So I’m confused why there are assertions that siding with the magisters leads to more XP.

My next question revolves around maximizing skillbooks you get from Hannag: do you have to side with her to get these up to some certain point, or can you pickpocket what you need when you stealth in to talk to her upon first seeing her while the magisters are still there waiting for you to handle her? If you wait to do this quest until you’re say, level 14 through 16, do she have more skillbooks available? If you side with Hannag and do her quests and do NOT kill her, does she remain a skill book vendor throughout the completion of Act II? Does this depend on whether you accept the source point from her?

Are any of her skillbooks unique to her, at least in Act II?

I’m not very interested in risking pet pal or killing the polite animals, so I’m fine missing out on her source point, and I’m fine killing her. But I do want to maximize the number of quests I do, XP I receive, and spells I get. I don’t role play, so don’t care about keeping my avatars in character. I don’t care what Hannag or the magisters did or what they deserve. I am just curious about the mechanics of this particular questline and potential corollary quests. I presume I can get the third source point (we can only have 3 total, right? So i only need one more from “the demon’s advocate” or “waking ryker”, correct?) easily enough elsewhere.

So given my preferences, any advice is welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: I add some additional questions here prompted by a partial response below. I’d appreciate any responses on what you know for sure to any of these questions, above or below. Please pick and choose what you’re aware of and willing to share with me!

TLDR for edit section: Can you start Hannag’s quest, go to save Gwyndian or whoever he is, her apprentice, then complete the Ryker mission and get his source point, and then come back and get a free skillbook from Hannag though you started her quest without 3 source points? I‘m thinking to let her live my first playthrough for the real experience, rather than XP. I thought the magisters might have a real quest for you but it’s just killing Hannag - meh.

Regarding getting Jahan’s unique skillbook and not depending on Jahan or Hannag for the third skill point: Is Jahan part of the Demon’s Advocate quest? So it’s safe to say we should have our three source points before beginning that quest? I definitely want that unique skill he offers. Do you need to have all three source points before first talking to him, or just before finishing his quest? I read that he is also in Cloisterwood. Should I then just go along with Hannag’s quest by killing the magisters and going to save her apprentice, and while doing that, complete “waking ryker” to get the third source point?  

That way, I don’t have to rely on Hannag for the third source point, and can then also get the unique spell book from Jahan?

Or should I walk away from Hannag now before meeting her, then doing “waking ryker”, then coming back to do hannag and jahan quests so I can get their spell books? If i can get a free spell book from hannag by meeting her now and going to fetch her apprentice, and then while doing that, finishing “waking ryker” for that source point, so that when I return, Hannag sees I’m full up and gives me the book, I’d prefer that. Because then I could walk over to Jahan with all three source points from the outset.