Easiest Starting Party: for Initiates

[Skrewloose]

Bear in mind that this is the EASIEST starting party, not the coolest, or most well rounded. I've gotten 3 parties up to about 20th level, and my current party is about level 22-23 (taking it slow, I've got all the artifacts, and am headed towards Ascension peak now. Again.)

1) Lizardman Fighter - Sword
2) Lizardman Fighter - Sword
3) Felpurr Rogue - Daggers
4) Mook Ranger
5) Mook Psionicist
6) Elf Mage

1 + 2 ---> Max out STR and VIT right off the bat. You'll have your expert skills (Power Strike + Iron Skin) by about level 7-8. Swords are, bar none, the best weapons in the game, and there are plenty of good ones to go around. Max out Sword and Shield first then your Expert Skills. Don't worry about Close Combat (except early on, before you get your expert skills), let it build up on it's own. Don't be tempted in this slot with a Samaurai or Lord, the extra levels you get as a 'vanilla' class make you more powerful. Plus the EXTREME damage meted out by a maxed Sword/Shield/Power Strike fighter.

With the Maxed Vit, you'll have 200 hps by level 12-13, and won't die unless you...oh, I don't know, jump into lava or drown yourself or something.

3---> Yes, Ninjas are cooler than rogues, and Bards are more fun! BUT we're talking the easiest here, and rogues are IT. Max Dex and Speed right in character creation, and put all your points into it. You'll have Reflexion by level 6!!! Max pickpocket, Dagger, Dual Weapons and Stealth (until you get Reflexion). Pickpocket EVERYONE. They're holding out on you, and you're trying to save the universe!!

4---> Ranger. Max Dex and SENSES (yes SENSES) from the start. It will still take a while to get Eagle Eye, but by level 10, he should be dishing out a critical every 10 arrows or so. Don't give him a melee weapon at all. Put skill points in Bow, Ranged Combat and Search(until you get Eagle Eye). Don't even bother with Alchemy until you have Eagle Eye at 75 (should be by level 16-18).

5---> Psionicist. Max out Speed and Intel out of the gate. You'll Powercast by level 8, and have Snake Speed shortly thereafter. Obviously focus on Mental, Psionics, and Fire until you get powercast. Insanity is your bread and butter until you get your level 6 and 7 spells. Give him 2 amulets of Health (heal all) and he's nearly as good as a priest at healing. Rely on potions and rest to get rid of status effects (except insanity and such, which he can heal).

6---> Mage. Go with an elf, so he can take a bit of damage, instead of a fairy. Max Intel and Speed off the bat, you'll be Powercasting in no time flat! Max Mage, Fire and AIR (that's right!) until you get power cast. Pump up your Earth to about 80 by casting Knock Knock on the bank vault (boring, but worth it). Your main target here is Asphyxiation. Nothing like taking out 1500 hps of monsters with a 20 point spell.


All of these guys level pretty fast, but don't forget to practice, practice, practice your skills, otherwise you'll be running into monsters you can't compete with too soon.

Remember, this isn't the coolest party, the most well rounded party, or the most fun party (well, to me it is, cause I'm lazy), but it's the easiest to get through everything. I killed Nessie on my first try at level 13-14 without much of a problem, and Bayjin was a joke...

It's pretty cheap, I know, but I don't like having to screw around with the minutia!

[Werdna]

Hmm.. good, analytical post there, Skrewloose.
I suppose the HARDEST party would be, oh, something like 6 fairy bishops or something?

[Skrewloose]

LOL... 6 fairy bishops would be truly difficult... I'm thinking 6 Lizardmen Bishops would be worse, though.

Why not go ahead and start them in the hole for stat points and nail them with a Spell Point regen penalty as well! Sure they'd be harder to kill than the fairies, but I don't think they can do ANY damage!!

[stillwater]

What's with all the badmouthing of Bishops? I chose to specialize mine, and she's got the second most kills of all my characters (second to my mage....gotta love that fireball spell!!)

I'd have to say the ideal party consists of:

-fighter
-fighter
-bard (these guys kick ass!), and can aid with chests 'til your mage has his/her knock-knock skills down
-ranger
-bishop (specialized in two and later three areas)
-mage

The non-fighter melee guys are way-outclassed by true fighters, and thier magic ability never really pays off
Bards are great in W8, as opposed to the previous Wizardry games


Anyway, that's my take on the ideal party. Of course, I learned this the hard way and am still hauling around a near-useless 18th level samurai. Oh well.........

[Sazerac]

Nothing wrong with Bishops, just depends on how you manage them. DON'T overload a bishop with too many spell areas...concentrate on two (the ones you're lacking). If you tote along a Mage and a Priest, if you have a Bishop, have him/her get Alchemy and Psionics to round out. If you have a Mage and an Alchemist, have the Bishop learn Divine and Psionics.

There are no "bad" classes in this game...everything is very well balanced out. It all depends on how you manage them.

-Sazerac

[Werdna]

We aren't badmouthing Bishops, truly! I was just saying that a party with 6 Bishops in it would be very weak, at least initialy, and such a party would be extremely hard to get through the game with. Try going through the monastary and down the road to Arnika with a party of 6 Bishops. It's pretty much impossible. This shows the advantages of a good, balanced party. [img]graemlins/kittynow.gif[/img]

[Virgil]

Skrewloose, why do you pick a psionicist over a priest? I think a balanced easy party should have an offensive caster and a healing caster. You have two offensive casters. I would think either a priest/psionicist or priest/mage would be the better starting party casters.

There have been a number of encounters where people would have died without the ability to cast cure poison. Sure, you can buy potions, but I let my supply run low, and first Breckek and then Don Carlone poisoned my guys pretty badly.

Also, do the psionicist/mage casters have the ability to cast armorplate, magic screen and soul shield? I understand these spells are vital later in the game, and have been using the first two ever since I got them.

[Skrewloose]

The psionicist can cast heal right off the bat, but he'll never get heal all. However by the time you need it, if you've been pickpocketing like you should, you'll have 7-8 heal all amulets that can substitute. Between the ranger searching and thief stealing in this party, and a bit of shopping, you should find enough potions to cure everything fairly quick.

After about level 10 poison is just no longer an issue. Your guys should have enough hps to where the minute amount done by poison isn't bothersome. After level 10 I really never cured poison, I just let it run it's course.

The Psi can cast Soul Shield and the mage can cast Element Shield, and that's been enough for me so far. I had Vi in my party and up to where she could cast Magic Screen, but I never used it, and never really noticed the lack of it...

[Ravashack]

The most balanced party would simply be Fighter/Fighter/Priest/Mage/Bard/Ranger. After your fighters have gained the Power Strike ability and such, decide you want to switch classes to Valkyrie or Lord real soon after. Mage can be class-changed to a Bishop before he's level 10 to provide backup healing.

The party I like so far is almost all higher end classes.

Valkyrie/Ninja/Samurai/Ranger/Bard/Bishop

You will progress slower, but as I am mostly a magic freak, it works out for me. [img]smile.gif[/img] This way, if my Bishop needs to cast something other than Element Shield or Soul Shield, one of the others can take that spot while he does his duty (and Death Cloud away). Also (and a really NICE advantage) is that I have 5 portal spots available, making travelling much easier. The thing is, you have to get used to having the hybrids casting things, because your Bishop will be getting MORE than enough practice with spells anyway.

[madmarcos]

ok my party is now lvl 12 consisting of lord,samurai,monk,ranger, and bishop. also have gotten rid of previous felpurr ninja and swapped with faerie ninja since i was able to get the cane of corpus. but the faerie ninja is 5 or so levels behind rest of party so she isnt doing anything except leeching xp for awhile. i have not had a fight i couldnt manage. still havent found sorceress queen fight but im looking forward to it. the bishop has finally started looking good. i spent maybe 2 real-life hrs practice casting him, though. highest spell realm is divinity at 70. lowest is alchemy at 30. wiz and psi are in the 40s. all of the books (fire, etc.) are 40 to 50. this was a hard party to start out with but it they kill everything now on medium difficulty. i am going to switch to expert and see how that goes. if and when the faerie ninja moves to front rank for some cane of corpus action, i will probably give bloodlust to lord and move samurai to flank for extended duty.