It's a bit mean that you usually enter the library, which has all the rule and guide books, last. But the tome about the self-same trial reads: "A dusty tome advising Sharran initiates on how to please the Nightsinger by succeeding the Self-Same trial. Initiates must ensure they defeat their mirror image. Any violence meted out to others will be penalised."
I usually just have my martial fighters take down their shadow selves in the first/ surprise round and then let them help the casters if needed.
In some of the notoriously unpleasant encounters - such as saving our suicidal Gondian friends - I wonder if the friendly PC AI is really the worst about them or if it's the set-up of the encounter that makes them awkward. When you enter the lower level of the Foundry after cleaning the Iron Throne, I can't find a good way to approach the encounter. If you come from the elevator, you are far away from everyone and are blocked by the group fighting on the ramp. If you enter via the door, you are well positioned to deal with the Steel Watchers but you still have to get around the big boiler to get to the ultimately more dangerous Banites on the ramp, who you can't just blast away either because it is a mixed group of friends and foes. Even though it is very narratively unpleasing, next time I want to try to free everyone before dealing with the Iron Throne and then return to finish of the central unite. I hope that does not set off any alarms.
Similarly the Meazels are fairly quickly dealt with, if you approach them from the lower entrance (the side with the kilns) because this way you can take two of them out before the fight even starts and the rest are conveniently close together. Lady Janath's staircase of cursed objects is worst, if you enter it from the door right next to the room in which you get the quest. Which means that most likely during your first time in the house you will have the worst experience of it because everyone in your group will be affected by Phantasmal Force AND get pushed around on top of it while you still try to figure out what's going on. I feel there would be much fewer complaints about this encounter, if that candelabra right next to the door would be moved to the other side of the room.
