Inspired by the time-honored thread at Wizards & Warriors, here is the thread for all those strategies and tips that you, the players, wish to offer for getting through Wizardry 8! (Acknowledgements to Wyvern for starting the first one at W&W). [img]smile.gif[/img]

<h3>Rules of the Road</h3>
<ul>[*]All posts in here must be tip-related. No off-topic posts allowed...those will be deleted.[*]Only one tip per post.[*]If a tip exists already, don't repost it! Read through the thread to see if it has already been posted.[*]If you have an alternate strategy that works to what has been already posted, then that is an acceptable post.[*]If a tip contains a game spoiler, please put the standard spoiling space (20 blank lines or more) between the SPOILER ALERT message and the "spoil" so that readers can back out if they don't want to be spoiled.[/list]

Thanks,

I just HAVE to post this "classic" tip:

Save often.

SHOPPING:

Save before you shop!

If you don't like the selection the merchant has to offer, reload the game. While the differences aren't significant sometimes that one special item you do want will show up! At the very least you will have some other items from which to choose.

Wyv

RANGED WEAPONS

A big MUST! Because of the way combat works in Wiz 8, combat begins when your party and the enemy have officially spotted one another. This almost always means that you are some distance away and RANGED WEAPONS bow/sling/spells are the only weapons you'll be able to use right away.
The combat system does include a "walk/run" option which will allow you to move closer to the enemy - plan your attack for the end of that walk/run before you click the "check" button!

Wyv

On the "Save before you Shop" option...the same holds true for treasure chests with random items. Save before you open them, and if you don't like what you get, reload! Sometimes some items are "planned" and others are random; in that case, the "planned" item (generally a key or an artifact) will always be there, and the rest of the items will reload. Quite often it's just more of the same, but every so often a "goodie" will pop in! ;)

-Sazerac

A question for Saz:

Do bug exploits count as tips?

Neb: if it's a legitimate one, yes, it does. However, I haven't seen any exploitable bugs in the game yet.

Battle strategy tip: When fighting large groups of monsters (esp. raiders and the Savant troopers in and around Arnika), get up against a wall or other obstacle so they can't surround you! That's what saved my butt when I was fighting "the horde" yesterday...otherwise my characters would all be goners.

-Sazerac

Never underestimate anything green. If there are monsters around, lure them towards the greenie so that they can help out. Exceptions for NPCs that can join. Examples of such green friends include the Higardi Patrol.

Weapon Skills -

For your main warrior types, get their skills in your weapon of choice up ASAP. Once you hit 50 (without any weapon mods), you will gain a second attack. For Fighters and others with powerful hits, this little difference can make or break you in a big fight! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Scronan

Building Divine and Fire spell power:

After battle, rest to heal, save, then cast Light(Fire) and Enchant Blade (Divine) at highest power available in orange. If successful, save again and rest only until your mage regains spell points. You will still have turns left in each spell and your skill levels will pump up speedily. By level 7, my mage had full power in both light and enchant weapon. The same applies to minor healing in your psionic, ranger, etc. The spell must be productive, ie. necessary, but even if it fizzles, it will be a count toward that skill. When your priest gets magic screen, do the same. Makes a *big* difference in combat, because you don't waste the spell points on protection so you get to be more *offensive*, if you know what I mean. ;)

Elara

<H3>NPC's</H3>

Talk to them! Not just about the obvious, but click on the available options in your choice of topics...you can learn a lot when they are willing to give the information away...or sell it. ;)

k, i'm posting this here as Sazerac suggested...
it's off the official wiz 8 boards, but i'm posting it here cuz these boards are better ; ) and you all might find it useful.


"I don't think this is exactly a spoiler, but if you'd rather not know, then stop reading, NOW! I'm not out to give away all the secrets, just trying to ease the confusion about this.
To become eligible to learn new higher level spells for your class, you have to meet 2 requirements: 1) minimum level in *THAT* class (not overall), and 2) minimum skill, for *THAT* spell's spellbook & realm.

1) Minimum Level requirement:

Pure Caster Classes: Mage, Priest, Psionic, Alchemist, Bishop
Hybrid Caster Classes: Monk, Ninja, Ranger, Samurai, Lord, Valkyrie

Spell Level .... Min. Class Level
................. PURE .. HYBRID
1 ................ 1 ....... 5
2 ................ 3 ....... 7
3 ................ 5 ....... 9
4 ................ 8 ...... 12
5 ............... 11 ...... 15
6 ............... 14 ...... 18
7 ............... 18 ...... 22


2) Minimum Skill Requirement

To calculate your effective skill level for a given spell:
* Take your highest spellbook skill (Wizardry, Divinity, Psionics, Alchemy) that the spell in question appears in. Important for bishops or class-changed characters, since many spells appear in multiple books.
* Add 10% of your *natural* skill in that spell's realm. This doesn't include temporary skill bonuses such as those from iems.

Spell Level ..... Min. Effective Skill Level
1 .................. 0
2 .................. 15
3 .................. 30
4 .................. 45
5 .................. 60
6 .................. 75
7 .................. 90

It's not as complicated as it sounds. Example: A mage, a pure caster, must be level 5 AND have an effective skill of 30 to learn Fireball, a third level Fire realm Mage spell. If he has 30+ skill in Wizardry, he's all set. He could also qualify if he has, say 28 in Wizardry and 20+ in Fire skill (10% rule).

Hope this helps...

-----signature-----

Alex Meduna
Wizardry 8 Lead Gameplay Programmer/Designer "

Increasing various magic skills

If you have a spell such as KNOCK KNOCK or DEVINE TRAP - cast it in the appropriate place - such as at a lock - at the lowest level possible and then exit the special screen. The spell won't work, but you should get an increase in that particular magic.

REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT

7th Bough rooms in Trynton

When you get into this complex you will notice 4 trees in the center of the room with 4 floating braziers nearby.
Buy incense from Fuzzfas and use one incense in each of the braziers and you will have no more encounters in the main room.

Wyv

You don't need to create a rogue in your party. When you get to Arnika, which you will do early in the game, the first NPC you meet is a rogue and he will join you. There are only a few locked or trapped items in the Monastery, and they can be forced open with minor damage to the forcer.

Which Spells to Try on Monsters


When you come upon monsters that you have not fought before right click on them to learn something about them . This will tell you what resistances they have so choose spells that are of other types.

No point trying WEB if they have a high Earth resistance - it isn't going to work! ;)

Wyv

For those just beginning (or even imports), get a bard! They make all the difference in the beginning of the game.

You can do without a rogue with a bard: they can learn lockpicking early on (not as fast as the rogue, but still...), level up very quickly, and they are invaluable to use the many instruments you come across in the game. In particular, the Piercing Pipes (found just west of the Monastery on the Arnika Road; casts unlimited Shrill Sound spells) and the Siren's Horn (found in the Graveyard Crypt just east of Trynton, casts unlimited Insanity) make the bard one of the most powerful PC's in the game. The impressive thing is that instruments always cast the spell at the highest level possible! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Bards are also very good at ranged weapons (bow and sling), which is a great must in this game.

Just to let you know, upon checking the stats of my characters, my mage and my bard have the greatest number of kills, with the fighter coming in a very close third behind the bard. So don't think a bard is useless like in Wizards & Warriors. I can assure you they aren't. ;)

Cheers,
-Sazerac

I don't know whether it is a tip, but you can get some nice items early in the game through pickpocketing (not shoplifting).

Unless you're looking to fight as many battles as possible, don't camp too casually after every encounter.

While you rest, monsters are still walking about, and new ones enter the region (i.e. they 'spawn')...

When and where you camp is very strategic in this game.

To add to what Ian said: there's also no reason to camp the full 8 hours. Watch your character's stats...as soon as they're up to full level, click the screen and "wake them up." Sometimes a 1-2 hour catnap (especially for the felpurrs [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img] ) is all your characters need.

Cheers,
-Saz

Terrain is important in this game when it comes to fighting. especially when you're out doors. Try luring your monsters into one of the mountain crevices where no more than two of them can hit you in melee. I took on a gang of about 30 monsters that way and ended up with 18,000 in experience points in the early game. As a bonus to using the crevices, I have found a lot of stuff for the taking.

Do not change classes, period. Plan a basic/elite mixed party (Fig-Mon-Ran-Bar-Pri-Mag would be a good build, using Knock Knock) and stick with them. The game is designed to balance out previous installments where you could make uber characters by switching classes. When you change here your experience and total level stay the same, so for example a level 20 priest changing to a bishop will essentially need the same amount of experience needed to go from 20-21 to become a level 2 bishop.

- John
http://www.tk421.net/wizardry/

Get a Rogue or Bard in your party and pickpocket and shoplift as much as possible! It will save you money. Expect to be able to easily shoplift items worth 100 times your skill. Only shoplift 1 to 3 items at a time and save often. Getting caught will bring some company you don't want. Also be aware that selling magical items and high priced items back to the same shop keeper will get them angry (hey they know its their stuff [img]tongue.gif[/img] ) and summon the guards. Again always save before attempting to pickpocket or shoplift an important NPC as you can screw up your faction with them if you get caught.

alright, when you pickpocket and it says that there's no more items on the target, just ignore it and continue pickpocketing, you'll see that there's much more stuff to get. I always pickpocket until it says there's no more items for 5 straight times. Just my 2 cents

Another note on "green" creatures.Creatures that are friendly to the party if close enough when a positive enchantment is cast gain it as well.This actually can be quite exploitable.I realized this around the huge tree,the hunters don't move.Get behind them,your back is covered by the tree and rest.As soon as you are attacked cast bless,enchant blade,and whatever else you have(that's all I have now but armorplate ect.)and they all get it as well.Now you have an extra 3 or 4 guys with you all powered up.It's clobberin time.Rinse lather repeat.Power-ups to the people.

Look out for the Ants [img]smile.gif[/img] Boy was I surprised when they surrounded me even though I had my back to a mountain crevice...the bugs can climb walls [img]smile.gif[/img]

~~character creation~~

did you spend umpteen bazillion hours making your party? only to get in the game and slap yourself silly, wondering what the heck was i thinking when i gave my rawulf that flaky swedish accent??

well here ya go.

go into your main inventory screen, and left click your character's name (below their portrait). it highlights in green and then opens your character creation window! now you can change the voice, their name or nickname, picture, etc.

perfect for ninnies like me who give 3 people the same voice! LOL!

V***V


ps: i'm not calling you a ninny! ::shakes her head, smiling:: unh uh. no way!!

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by analander:
Do not change classes, period. Plan a basic/elite mixed party (Fig-Mon-Ran-Bar-Pri-Mag would be a good build, using Knock Knock) and stick with them. The game is designed to balance out previous installments where you could make uber characters by switching classes. When you change here your experience and total level stay the same, so for example a level 20 priest changing to a bishop will essentially need the same amount of experience needed to go from 20-21 to become a level 2 bishop.

- John
http://www.tk421.net/wizardry/<hr></blockquote>

Remember, the character you change classes with is keeping all their old knowledge and abilities while learning new ones...it ain't so bad! :D

[QUOTE]Originally posted by vesselle:
[QB]~~character creation~~

did you spend umpteen bazillion hours making your party? only to get in the game and slap yourself silly, wondering what the heck was i thinking when i gave my rawulf that flaky swedish accent??


LOL
I gave my human priest a gruff German accent and it sounded horrible. I realized it before I advanced one level and went back to character creation.

I accidently got into that creation screen one time and thought it was a bug. Good to hear it is there on purpose. I'm thinking of upgrading some of my character names

SWEET SPOT:

Alot of CRPG'S have a place in the game where it's easy to get a whole bunch of experience points. I think I found that spot in Wiz 8.

Just past the swamps is a T'rng base, deserted camp site and I believe a mine. At the beginning of this place are some Savant guards. But the place is also filed with wasp and bloodsuckers. You can find a nice little cubby in the abandoned tent and take on all comers one or two at a time. Each battle is giving me between 15 - 22 thousand exp points and that is with 8 characters. My people have went up two levels (12 and 13) in this place. Not to mention all the practice they got with all their various skills.

The only bad thing is that since all the battles are with insects you're not going to be getting much gold.

Trying to build up a bishop? Make sure you toss *ALL* skill points into three of the four parent spell categories (wizardry, divinity, alchemy, psionics) every time you level up, or you'll be gaining spell levels slower than a hybrid. Nothing like hitting level 9 or 10 with your bishop and realizing he still can't cast anything higher than level 2.

Also, cast noncombat spells at the highest power level you can to raise the other magic skills. For example, cast light at power level 7 every time you regain 7 spell points, your fire skill will rise fairly quickly.

Do everything efficiently and your bishop will become your most powerful caster, waste points and he will drag you down.

-FF

At level up.....


For fighter types put points into strength, dex and speed for more attacks and powerful attacks. Put points into a weapon first as this makes the biggest single difference over things like close combat, dual wield etc.

For spellcasters put them into int, piety and speed. Always put points into the main field (Wizardry, Psionics etc) and then into the specifics like fire, etc. Specilaiztion helps a ton.

Could be partial spoiler maybe..
.

.

.

Too much stuff? Party dragging their packs around on the ground, your mage can barely lift her spellbook and everyone goes slo-mo in combat? Try storing your stuff in Arnika..

Since no one on Dominus *ever* sleeps, I use the chest in Antone's bedroom. My mage set a portal there, so whenever my load gets too heavy I have my priest make a temp portal in my current location and return to Arnika. That way I can rest safely, sell all the heavy stuff I don't need to Tony, get a few more spike stones and shrike arrows from the shops, and put the good stuff I *might* need later plus all the gadgets into the chest. So far it's taken mounds of items (almost as good as the weightless scroll inventory in Stonekeep!) heh heh. Also, since Arnika seems to be the center on Dominus, and the portals to both the Umpani Base Camp (24 hour duty, Sir!) and the T'Rang base are just up and down the road, it's mighty convenient too.

(Thanks, Dan [img]smile.gif[/img] )

Elara

You can save your spell selections at level up. Many of the lower level spells are available in books, which can only be used if you don't already have the spell. When you level up, you gain only one additional spell. If you click the right arrow without selecting a spell, this spell selection will be saved. This way, you can have additional spell selections at higher levels, and you can make use of more spell books.

Regarding fighters - ALWAYS go berserk. You will not notice any difference in the number of times you get hit or the damage you take, but the damage you deal out will significantly higher. Your stamina will drain a little faster so keep on eye on that

ELABORATING ON ELARA'S STORAGE THEME
~~~ How To Use a Chest ~~~

i know i am a bit flaky, but i couldn't figger out just how to store things in chests. i finally did it, by accident!

keep the chest lid closed.
go into your inventory and pull out ONE item, letting it hang on your cursor.
leave inventory. (it will still stick to you)
left click the chest lid.

that's all there is to it! it's safely stashed away now. but you can go ahead and peep inside if you don't believe me!

btw: if you only put in ONE item, then it will pull out on your cursor the same way you hid it. BUT if you do this with more than one item, you will get the standard inventory menu, allowing you to pick which thing you want.

V***V


*pppppbbbbbh!!!*
its okay to make fun of me! in my world, simple things are really not so simple!

Hello All,
This is my first post to this board and i just want to say i love game got questions as we do all,and this board is excellent.
1)My tip is to leave the auto save on....i turned it off thinking the quick saves were enough and regretted it.
2) Read the manual(I.ve read mine 2 or 3 times through and always finding something out(.
Excellent game and excellent board

qwert

If you are outpowered,outnumbered,and surronded i usually kick out a blind spell effect(after checking their resist) and if those who get blinded usually end up running.

Many people should know it, but I just write again....
To train your bard's music skill, take the viola in Arnika inn and charm npcs as much as possible (not the rapax as it may attack you if you fail).When you are out of stamina, rest and disturb quickly and your stamina is back! About 2-3 rest to gain a skill point.With about 2days of game time my lv 1 bard (previous rogue) has a music skill of 65.....

hummmmmmm nameless........good tip...........I have never played a bard before but the demo of wiz 8 has shown me they may be of some worth...the bag pipes have not let me down yet.