And don't forget Freeze All. Works wonders on any creatures with upto moderate water resistance (low resistance early on, but uptp 75 or so -even higher with luck- later on when you improve, depending on your casting ability). This spell makes the mountain wilderness and the Rapax areas a breeze. I found it the most useful combat spell overall. Allows you to hack away at the monsters at hand without worrying about the out of range spellcasting opponents.

Sometime retreating is the best tactic esp. it you can reteat toward the
town you want to goto. I was watching Nightline once Patson son was than
brigard commander in the Koren War , when the Chiness make their attack against the UN force he didnot want to reteat from the 500,000 chiness force. As his Father told him reteating your army isnot the best tactic.
That night the ghost of his Father came back to him an Said"Son forget what I said abouting not reteating, you are outnumber,outflank,outmanevior, outgun so reteat your force to save your
man and equipnment to fight than other day.

This spreadsheet is now available even if you don't have Excel or in fact any spreadsheet application, all the details can be found here.

For details on spell learning, click here.

[img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 05-30-2002, 11:08 PM: Message edited by: Wolfie ]

Once you can get Hypnotic Lure, if you cast it every time it fades out, or just a few game minutes after a fizzle, your Psi and Fire will accelerate madly. I often stand near a merchant and use mana stones; practising Charm and Mindread make a good combination with this, and using the mana stones eliminates the need to camp while advancing your Artifacts skill. Just sell them and buy them back immediately, they'll be recharged for around 100GP each. Then i camp every time i get bored, enough to restock the merchant's potions-to-mix. Or go kill some stuff...

The pool near Braffit in Arnika cures HP drains.
Now you can really sell all these costly renewal potions you find or make without any regret!

Don't forget superman, if you play a 2 or 3 men party, it's much more useful than haste..and a fighter with superman is really unstopable.
But the best spell is X-Ray, I love it

The most important tip I can think of:

Have fun

Pre-CoMbAt Tip!!!

I haven't seen anyone post this tip before. I might be the first to think of this. Wow! Ok, here goes...

If your party consists of a group of Heavy Melee-ers, then you'd probably want to start the first turn right in front of them. Problem is, Enemies interrupt and combat begins before you're in melee range. Here's how to lure them to you before starting combat.Oh, but this tip only works in-doors.

STEP 1) Save each time you reach a turning(in-doors).Turn towards the wall(where U're turning to) and save.
STEP 2) Clik on the sword icon and start combat. The enemies will be suprised. Press walk. Strafe to the side to the other corridor untill you see your enemies(here's where you start estimating the time they need to reach you)then walk sideways back to the wall to hide from them again, and end turn. Combat won't start. The enemy will now start moving towards your hiding place.
STEP 3) U can repeat the above STEP and each time, they'll still be suprised. Estimate the time needed for them to get close enuff, then press the sword icon, move out from hiding place and get into melee-range and start combat. Provided that they r close enuff, U'll probably start first in melee range. Make sure that they're close enuff though. If your walk/run bar goes beyond half, then maybe you might not start first.

Use it well and you wouldn't even need the X-ray spell.:)

Don't waste a spell pick for Resurrection. Use the powders instead.
Give every party member a couple of them. Yes they are expensive,
but you find several free ones in the early game. Once the money
starts rolling in, you will be able to afford them easily.

Beg, borrow, buy, steal, and find *every* spellbook useful to your
party. Even if you never plan on casting that particular spell, go
ahead and use the book to learn it. You will gain additional spell points.

Helix

Fighters!! Fighters!! Fighters!! Never underestimate the power of a Lizardman Fighter. I say have at least one in your party.(I personnally have three). Yes, perhaps they are boring and don't develope much other than the ability to pound on the enemy. But, you need them to carry the party when facing some stiff opposition. After facing the "Queen", all my fighters were still alive. Perhaps a little bloody but all my magic-users were RIP's.

a utility I have hosted on angelfire.

http://www.angelfire.com/ak5/target/wizfast.exe

IT wont take too many hits till it goes down, but if anyone doesnt have it yet I dont personally know where its hosted for free.

I agree. You know Anna? Anna L'am, the old lady in Arnika? Once we had a fight in her shop with some Savant Troopers. Anna coolly walked up to a Trooper and...INSTANT KILL! After that I never messed with old ladies again.

But she did run away later when we were fighting some rogues.

The best tip i can advise?
HAVE FUN! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Re: the Braffit pool curing HP drains. It definitely does (and all other conditions AFAIK, except death and maybe jonesing for Al Sedexus), but it has only 3 "charges" for the whole game, so use it carefully.

My hint will be about draining and al sexudus both.

If you want to get around it, kill you character. resurect them and the condition is gone. much easier than using those expensive potions.

Dunno how many people know this but, if you have char that uses throwing weapons(ie. darts, stars) you can give them a pair in both hands, and they will get two throws a turn instead of one. I never noticed it till one day then I was like holy heck.

When fighting the bronze beast guarding Al-Sedexus' temple, use a single Summon Elemental potion or spell. He will ignore you for the most part to fight the Elemental and you can wail away at him!

They Gimli, are you having an identity crisis?
Gimli, Drizzt Do'Urden?

I'm unsure if this has already been posted, but after playing this game for some time now the best tip I have found is engaging combat before you get into combat, allowing you to run in and get up close to the monsters without wasting a turn.

I don't think I saw this one.

After building a new party, think carefully what order you put them in.

The first character you add to the party will be the first character to act when you walk or run during combat.

I prefer the magical characters first for buffing or dibilitating spells.

Hi everyone! This is my first post on this board.

My tip: If you don't want to let go a RPC when you reach a region he/she doesn't want to enter, just manage to have him/her unconscious when you make the move. It's particularly easy to do with Saxx when he has a non-combat instrument to exhaust himself. Otherwise, take a long jogging run before entering the region. Alternatively, you can use a portal, but you'll have to enter the region anyway before setting it...

It's funny to hear them complaining about the region they don't like!

getting around can be a PAIN. even if one or two members knows set/return to portal. how ever, there is a t'rang teleporter in martens bluff that can take you to one of 4 places. the umpani base, upper martens bluff, rapax rift and that unenterable house on arnika/trynton road. set a portal at the teleporter. this is great for alternating through missions between the umpani and the t'rang. if somebody else knows set portal, set it at yamir's quarters. I found THAT is also a pain to get to. The t'rang teleporter area is also perfect for storing the giant silver nugget. search lower marten's bluff untill u find a 4 faced idol that shoots arrows. continue across the room and it will dump u down stairs again. the teleporter is not too far but you will need the red and yellow to use it manually. this can be found in martens bluff.

Without spellbook bonuses, bishops can have a hard time keeping all the spellbooks up with their class level. So it pays to know which spells to cast to specifically work on a given spellbook.

Below is a list of spells I've compiled that are spellbook specific. Any omissions or errors are my own.

Note: only spells through level 5 are listed as the early development is often where difficulty lies and because all level 6 and 7 spells are spellbook specific except for Banish, Resurrection, and Turncoat.

Alchemist
(1) Acid Splash, Itching Skin
(2) Blinding Flash, Dracon Breath, Razor Cloak
(3) n/a
(4) Acid Bomb, Fire Bomb, Ring of Fire
(5) Body of Stone, Toxic Cloud

Mage
(1) Energy Blast, Frost
(2) Enchant Blade, Magic Missile, Missile Shield
(3) Fireball, Freeze Flesh, Shadow Hound
(4) Iceball, X-ray
(5) Dehydrate, Freeze All

Psionicist
(1) Mind Stab
(2) Insanity, Slow
(3) Hypnotic Lure, Mindread, Psionic Fire
(4) Ego Whip, Eye for an Eye, Haste
(5) Psionic Blast

Priest
(1) Bless, Make Wounds
(2) Guardian Angel, Holy Water
(3) Armorplate, Magic Screen, Rest All
(4) Superman, Whirlwind
(5) Heal All

From the list, it's easy to see how to initially select two spells from different spellbooks in order to develop a more balanced Bishop.

[ 07-16-2003, 06:38 AM: Message edited by: sultan ]

to add to what Sazerac said, in the first series of tips, about bards, get a female bard. they can use the locket of reflextion and the neklace of endurance. so your bard not only does all these cool spells at the highest level but they are draining less stamina. and both items may appear early in the game (they did for me:) ).
thanx for the tip Sazerac! the bard is very handy in my party.

if u want sum more xp after the savant's bomb is deactivated, ask Braffit about the bomb. he will thank u and give u xp.

have your character studying mage learn enchanted blade and magic missles so they get their divine magic high, early. do the same thing with alchemists only teach them heal wounds. why get up divine magic? to use summon elemental of cource! that is by far my faorite spell.

[img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

do not do the final mission for the umpani or trang before you save drazic and rodan. if you do, they will not join and the alliance is ruined (but is kinda funny what rodan says).

In Rynjin, when you get the Helazoid flag, give Braffit the flag. You don't get to much XP, but hey, every bit helps.

[ 07-21-2003, 11:40 PM: Message edited by: SecretMaster ]

Milano Calzone is very easy to beat, even if you are at a low level. If you kill him, you may recieve a theive's dagger. But it may help to run from Don Barlone after this if you are at a low level (but make sure Don Barlone has the Astral Dominae before doing all this.)

And by the way Secret Master, Sazerac said ONE tip per post. You had better hope he does not find out.

Combat Tip
If you see enemies coming toward you, run to a crevice. Then wait a bit until you know they are near. Initiate combat, cast a fireball and surprise and soulshield and such.

Another good XP place is Ascension for high level character (17 and up). The mountain wilderness right next to that in my opinion is recomended for chars 13 and up. I went there at level 10, very challenging, but in 3-4 fights I leveled up.

Need money in the beginning of the game. Arnika Community bank is your answer (with that priss B*tch Lorac). Just give her either Antone's, He'li or Fisherwomans card, she'll open up the elevator. Head down, use the cards again to open up designated vaults, then head to the community storage (locks). Be careful, one of the doors has a golemn guarding it, so keep an eye out.

Steal from Antone in the beginning, if your good ( or patient) you'll get Mantis gloves. Very useful.

This thread is for tips only so once you find out your answer, plz delete your post.

Mantis gloves are perhaps the best gauntlets you can get, and you get them early on in the game. I forget the AC bonus but you also get +5 or +10 to your dexterity. Get these from Antone as soon as you can or else you'll have to wait all the way till the Rapax Castle to get them :(

When somebody dies, don't waste your money on res. powders, i think it is crock, but somebody sell some amulets of life which let you use resurrection 3x at lv 6!

dont under estemate hybrids. i just got my samuri to level 5 (summon elemental!) spells. if you stick with spells, they will do an excellant job.

plz forgive my spelling...

Gagetter's can make the Lava Lamp (hypnotic lure) very early in the game (as soon as you can make it to Tryton) and it can be a HUGE help. I ignored it for a long time to my regret later. I call it the "bug light" since bugs seem to have no resistance to it at all. Trigger in first round and opponents move to it and stop. This allows you to make ranged attackers move right up to your group caster stop casting and can make melee attackers leave or stop attacking. It can occasionally take out the entire force attacking you by stopping virtually everyone from attacking. There is a bug in it so that every 4th opponent will run away from it for 1 turn instead of toward it. But at least it isn't attacking you and it gives you time to deal with it's friends with repeated area/cone of effect spells.

If you have 1 healer and a few "backup healers" (Valkrie, Ninja, Ranger) use the backups to do all the healing after combat and save main healers spell points for next fight. This also trains up your backups without making them miss combat rounds. Main healer will train enough between combat and finishing healing after backups run out of spell points after combat.

CHEAT:
Pathing Bug in game allows you to fight without monsters fighting back (at least it has done it when I have tried it). When you "zone in" to a new area they can't get to you for some reason until you move. So if stuck lead them back to zone in by running during combat until you zone. Heal up and zone back in. They will be a short ways off but unable to close or run away. I haven't tried this everywhere (as I prefer to play straight up) but found this by accident when swamped by opponents immediately after leaving monastery.

for an editorial of tips try my post here:

http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...;f=15;t=003356

here's a list of ressurection powder drops early in the game:

1. waterfall in lower monestry.

2. emergency safe in lower monestry.

3. behind the phoonzang sign in arnika. just examine it.

4. not really a drop but in lower marten's bluff the merchant dude (dunno his name) he sells them for only 1800 gold.

i actually found that NPCs will respond to "hi" and "die". its kinda funny what some people say.