New here, and first impressions of the game after beating it

[December Mourning]

Just wanted to say hello, Im new here (but have been lurking quite a while)

I just beat Wizardry 8 for the first time and wanted to just post my observations on it. I did it with a full party consisting of mage, priest, valkyrie, fighter, lord and bard and I picked up RFS-81 and Vi Domina along the way. At first I was reloading A LOT because simply, this game is just plain hard at early levels IMO. After about level 15 or so, (and after I found the dulcimer of mending) fighting almost got trivial. Im assuming that has to be because of the makeup of the party since it seems pretty well balanced to me.

The second I beat the game with that party, I started up a new game with the following- bishop, bard, ranger and fighter. I dont plan on picking up any NPCs along the way. So far its more challenging Id say.

The biggest complaint I have are the following: some fights are just too hard early on and they are seemingly unavoidable. Like if you camp several times or reload an older game, huge packs of mobs will be in the same spot impeding your progress. Great example would be on Arnika Road on the way back to the monestary after picking up the wheel key. With both parties Ive played in this spot Ive encountered like 8 plants and 7 higardi badguys at a time. So yeah, in a nutshell the biggest complaint I have is how it seems like some fights that are completely irrelevant to the storyline the game "makes" you fight them whether you like it or not. I guess the other complaint I have is the fights take too long and with all the fights you get into it can often take hours to get from one place to another

I have too many praises to list them all here but I will say this game kept me glued to it and anxious to get home from work to play it like no other game in recent memory. The replay value seems enormous, even more than morrowind. The leveling system is great, and the mobs increase in level with you...so you arent annoyed with fighting trivial mobs worth 0 xp at high levels (caugh...everquest)

Sorry that was long

welcome, December Mourn!

great observations about your experiences. i dont think you'll find many people here who would disagree much.

fortunately, the pros grossly outweigh the cons with wiz 8 (imnsho).

looking forward to hearing more of your tales.

[dplax]

Welcome December Mourning!

Llots of other people have also remarked, that the Arnika Road is one of the hardest areas in the game, but if you get through it, then it is OK.

[Rawhide]

I found that although monsters level up with you, they stop at a certain stage. My level 24 party still occasionally wanders the Arnika/Arnika-Trynton roads, and encounters level 3 or 4 monsters, or perhaps some Higardi rogues. This started at about level 19 (I think). The same applies to Marten's Bluff; I encounter the same old apuses time after time, and have become fed up with them.
Of course, I meet Savant androids almost anywhere, but if it's not them, then it's creatures I kill in one round or perhaps two.
I though that this was to stop players wasting time on long, pointless combats while travelling. Am I the only one who gets this?

[Nightowl2]

Each area in the game has its maximum-level monsters, and you'll never see any thing tougher in those sections. For instance, you wouldn't run into any dreadmares on the Arnika road.

If you want a workout, the best places are probably the mountain wilderness and Ascension Peak. You can go to the Peak anytime (just be sure NOT to have any two of the three doodads with you).

NIghtowl2

[petertmorgan]

After beating the game with a well-balanced and full party like yours, I started a few games with smaller parties. I found this to be challenging, but later have shifted back to full parties but using different character classes (there are so many to try!) and playing on Expert mode. Expert mode makes things more interesting but its not overwhelmingly difficult once you've played a few parties and gotten the hang of a few combat strategies. I believe that it will also help with reducing the triviality of combat that sets in at the higher levels in normal mode.

[Holywhippet]

Both Bard and Gadgeteer are very strong characters - eventually. You need to find the instruments/gadgets for them but once you have them they tend to cast "spells" at very high levels. The gadgeteer with the regeneration stone makes combat a lot easier. At the same point in the game as when I got the regenerating stone my Bishop could cast heal all at about power 3 with 100% success. The only problem with them is they tire very quickly, I can generally get around 3 uses out of them before the go unconcious. However if you give them robes of regeneration they generally wake up again at the end of the round.