Gamestyle

[Loudhy]

Greetings to all of you,

I am very interested in your ways playing Wizardry 8.
After I created a party, I build them up cautiouly. I prefer to stay in the
monastary up to Lvl. 10. O.K. it sounds a little bit boring, but after the
party reached Lvl 8, there are hordes of Metallic Slimes, sometimes Greater
Seekers, Vampire Bats and rarely Flesheater Slimes ( these red guys looked great in the green water of the Lower Monastery), so I reach Lvl 10 quickly.

After I left the Monastery it was very easy cleaning up the surface ( Arnika Road, Arnika-Trynton-Road and the Northern Wilderness) and I first entered Arnika with Lvl 11.

I do so because I do not reload a game after my party was destroyed by my mistake ( I only reload if a computer crash happens ).I always start from the beginning.

I managed it to finish the game this way two times now. My next try will be
Expert level with a non-magic party (Thief, Fighter, 2 Gadgeteers, 2 Bards no
NPC's ). I hope it's possible.

From your posts I found out, that many of you leave the Monastery with Lvl 6 or lower and some of you reach Trynton with Lvl. 9. From my experience I think that playing this way may force you to reload or run away often.

Is anyone out there playing Wizardry 8 in the same style as I do and solved it or am I the only one ( and you think I'm a little bit crazy ?? )

I'm looking forward to your comments. Thank you.

[HolyWarrior]

Are you playing with a full party? If you are, I cannot possibly see how you can reach 10th level just in the monastery. My party cleans EVERYTHING out of the monastery and they're only level 6. I see no point in walking around empty corridors waiting for random monsters.

hw - wandering around looking for encounters is a bit dull because the monastary reloads so infrequently (compared to, say ascension peak). but camp for 8 hours in a safe spot and go for another wander and you can pick up exp pretty quick.

loudhy - i only tried once to hang about the monastary beyond the standard clean out. it was a three-man party (monk, alchemist, rogue) and they ran into a triple encounter of slimes they couldnt even identify (lvl 13+). considering they were level 8, i thought this was a bit unfair. after multiple reloads i went back to a previous save, left the monastary, and have never tried it again!

personally, i just do what needs to be done and keep going. i take every level up i earn as soon as i earn it (except for some experimentation with dual-classing low-level spell casters - a near failure). occasionally, i have to reload my initial entrance to the road (5 crusher crabs is a bit much for a 4-man level 7 party), and very rarely run away while walking to arnika (usually only if there's been a dozen encounters!).

but that's just what works for me. i like the sounds of what you're doing, though. how long does it take to get to level 10? how big are your parties?

[Scatter]

I did laps in LM with my 2nd party 'til they were L10, too, but they were imports and started at L5 (party of 5). Metallic Slimes are great, they drop stuff like Ankh of Speed and Locket of Reflection, which you don't otherwise get anywhere that early in the game. I played in Ironmode a couple times (with 6 and 4, not imported), just to see if i could finish, so i guess that's like what you describe, not reloading if you die...those parties left the Monastery around L8 (but saving some of the levels until crossing the zone, to keep the initial spawns down a bit).
If i play with solo or duet, they usually hit the road at L10 or more; trios get out around L8. But i reload those if they die, which almost never happens anymore anyway.

[Loudhy]

Hi,

thank you for your comments. I never thought there would so many answers in such a short time.

For Sultan:
I always have a party of six. I need about 9 hours to reach Lvl. 10.
In my games I have a mage who got the X-Ray spell at Lvl 8. From that point
the game speeds up, because you can find the enemies easily . I never discovered
a problem with the respawning o monsters.

For all:
I usually managed to train the magic skills nearly to max because I learned all protection spells early and use them all the time around and i kill most monsters with magic and missiles.
My alchemist have an alchemy skill of 90 and my priest has a divinty skill of
88. Like I agree it is a bit boring, but if you have the patience, you can blow all the monsters on the surface to hell. There were times I have to return three times to Burz because i got encumbered by all the drops of dozends of Highwaymen and Brigands. Needless to say that higher monster spend more Exp-Points to my party.
So reaching Arnika with Lvl 11 is easy. ( You must know, the combats last long
for me because I always tried to maximize the effectivity of the area spells and drag several monster groups to one point. ( I yesterday had luck and faced 7 Juggernauts, 12 Twilight Bats , 10 Shrieker Bats, 1 Rank Weed a 4 Crimson Poppies on the Arnika-Trynton-Road with my Lvl 10 Party with no NPC's(I got more than 25.000 Exp Points).

Greetings

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

Howdy Loudhy!
(somebody had to do it)
There is a lot more excitement to be had outside of the monestary. I always get out of there at around lvl 6-7. I'm in no hurry to leave but there's no reason to stay around. I always go to the Umpami camp, do my "private" training, buy everything I need from Kunar and either steal his fake pass or just kill him. Then I use his pass to get into Mt Gigas where I find good items and good combats. Then I take the Teleporter to house on the Monestary road, head to Arnika and do everything there. Then I take the telep. back to Mt Gigas and head to the Northern Wilderness for the waterfall items and Diamond Eyes (I usually enter the hill, cast Det. Sec. and enter combat. Then I go to run mode, grab everything I can see and run out ...and keep running.

As far as the reloads I think that's a bit much. They would not have designed three easy quick saves if they didn't think you needed them. There is nothing in the game to tell you where to go, so if you find yourself in an area that's too tough or you did something you regret, reload, you wil not be rated a cheater for doing this!

[Kakero]

Hi,

I always play with 6 character party. I usually train my characters stealth up to 100 before I left the monastery. My party levels is about 5 or 6 at that time. I notice I have no trouble dispatching every enemy I meet. of course I hug along the cliff as I don't take any chances.

My first prioty is to go straight to Trynton Magical Fountain ( the one that can heal your mp in every click ). because of the 100 in stealth it was easy to go there. when I was there I train all my characters magic skill as fast as possible.

after that, only then I play the game normally, ie go to arnika like everybody else.

[little_yamir]

Greetings to everyone

In the beginning, when I was a really little chicken
After taking some serious beatdowns (only finds the shift-run recently) going level 6 novice mode on Arnika Road, I was afraid of leaving the relative security of monastery with a full 6-party (fighter/ninja/bard/ranger/bishop/priest), and did only a short trek to brigand camp for some item, planning to wait level 11 circling through slimes and pestilent rats and going back on the road with a security portal by Burz, but found it too boring.

With time and forum reading and some flamestryking site, even chicken are growing up.

Problem with monastery circling is that you've only poor equipment to deal swiftly with metallic/emerald slimes. Good weapons, good ammo, spell books are in Arnika and Umpani Base Camp. You have just to sign with the Umpani to access to Kunar's stock. No need to fulfill even the first mission (remember : chicken are very clumsy).

So I play now on the safe side going Arnika level 5, leveling-up just before entering Trynton-Arnika road (usually 6-7), getting some stuff legally and some the other way, then back to monastery to get you probably know what, circling if I need some points for bishop to level-up.

Now Umpani Base Camp, taking care not to hurt the guardian of the road. Sign on, pickpocket Kunar for the fake pass (I'm still chicken but usually get it without reload) mapping the Umpani caves complexe with some treks through the unexplored area to get lvl 11 - put a portal in the Base Camp barrack, empty all the chest so I can organize neatly my stuff.

Time now to get to Trynton's fountains, one for the second portal, the other so my spellcasters are now clever chicken.

The rest is usual story I suppose.

Side comment with some spoiler
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You'll find better bows than monastery's special one but do not sell this one. When you eventually encounter some demons, much more later, you'll fully appreciate it. Last night, my ranger scored instant kill first round against a djinn of the lamp plus instant kill first round against a greater demon.

[Wereboar]

Loudhy:
Some words about my early playing style. I'm playing expert ironman nowadays, so your plan could be possible. However, if its your first game in expert difficulty, don't be afraid to reload.

To your planed party: In expert without reload, they will be toast in Trynton (from Sprites), or in swamp/martens bluff (from monsters with ranged attacks). IMO in expert without reloading, you need missile shield, and you want to have elemental shield.

My start: Since i'm playing ironman, i want to be level 2 before i fight the noxious slimes, so i often have to search some monsters. Then it's easy to get for the king crab. Then with weak parties, i again scum for monsters to be level 4 against Gregor (visit Burz via the elevator before this fights, for healing stuff).
Somewhere in the monastary i reach level 5. Sometimes i have the experience to go to 6 before leaving, but i don't level at this point. IMO the first part of the arnika road is the most dangerous point. Once i reach the area with the house, i take my level 6, and level normally after this.
I proceed to arnika, doing all the stuff. Then to Mt.Gigas, for the flag and some books. And then the normal road to trynton. I'm usually level 10 when i'm finished with trynton; with small parties, i scum some monsters to be level 11 when entering the swamp, to be able to go straight to Crock for books.

Sultan - in my experience, it is easy to drag the crusher crabs around at the monastary entry, and then run around them to reach the road without fight. It's only bad if there is another dangerous encounter before the thieves hideout.

To little_yamir: the demon sting bow does double damage against demons. AFAIK he doesn't affect criticals; you could have got these kills with any other bow as well.

[EEWorzelle]

Welcome Loudhy and little_yamir.

Regarding staying in the lower Monestary, it is no less valid a style than those who do not take any level-ups past Level 5 before the first major city or camp.

Generally higher in level, with the same equipment, is tougher, but you, Loudhy, carry it to the point, I think, where the maximum foes in certain areas begins to work for you. It sounds like you are very experienced at RPGs, too.

It is not necessary to do anything boring or tedious in this game. You can succeed every time, in Expert and Ironman Modes (or simulated IM mode), without the use of any tricks or in-game training. You can also do it by choosing your party and characters well, and then developing them wisely and applying good battle strategies and techniques. There's a lot of fun in that.

It is also more fun, IMO, to move through the game and take on fixed battles while they are still a significant challenge.

[Wereboar, just saw your post. My experiences are very similar, regarding levels, IM and simulated IM, Trynton, Base Camp, etc. Regarding that tough stretch before the house, I recently discovered (perhaps you already knew about it) an excellent fighting position using one of the stone pillars, that I had "underappreciated" the strategic possibilities of before.]

Loudhy, there is nothing superior about doing it one way or the other but I would suggest you experiment, especially now that you have completed the game a couple times. Like you say, it's more a matter of style.

[ 09-08-2003, 01:24 PM: Message edited by: EEWorzelle ]