Getting Murdered on Arnika-Trynton Road

[Lady Avalon]

My characters are at levels 8 and 9 and I am having a really hard time trying to make my way to Trynton. I keep getting attacked by greater seekers, juggernauts, acid vines, etc. My characters do ok for awhile, but I am using many many bottles of healing stuff. Anyone have any good suggestions? Thanks.

[Sazerac]

That's one of the hardest trips, Lady Avalon, I agree. A good strategy is to first, keep to the cliffside rather than walk in the middle of the road. Sometimes you can "hide" in a nook and they'll pass by you without noticing. If they do notice you, when you're in the nook, only one or two may attack at a time without all of them surrounding you.

Secondly: you may wish to consider bumping down the level of game play to "Novice" until you get past the problem area. Believe me, there is no shame in doing so in this game.

There's also no shame in running away. Put your game in Continuous mode, hold down the SHIFT key, and start sprinting. Be careful, though, that you don't run into another group of baddies while doing so!

If cornered, use all your defensive resources first, then your offensive ones. If you have a Psionic, have him/her cast "Insanity" on the group, or if you have a bard (and have visited the Cemetery), play the Siren's Wail (also casts Insanity). It's hilarious to see acid vines and Higardi Roustabouts attacking each other! [img]graemlins/laugh2.gif[/img] Cast higher levels of "Web" to freeze them in their position (Web has been much improved in this game, and is more like "Hold Monster" used to be). Also, get the area affect spells for your mage ASAP (Fireball, Iceball), because you can cast them in an area rather than on a target. This is great for when you are facing monsters that close in on you rapidly...cast Fireball immediately in front of you and they'll have themselves a surprise after they start closing in on your ranks!

Hope this helps you somewhat. Good luck!

Cheers,
-Sazerac

[Lady Avalon]

Thanks Saz. Actually, I have changed the game to novice to see if it would possibly be any easier and I'm still getting killed. The juggernauts have over 200 points and there are at least 7 of them, along with poisonous seekers and acid vines. Fireball would be great, but I don't have that. I don't have a mage and my alchemist doesn't get fireball. Have not made it to the cemetery either, although the piercing bagpipes that my bard has work to some extent.

I will give it another try and hopefully be able to survive. I am trying not to walk on the road, but off to the side too.

Thanks again Saz.

Wow, Lady Avalon!
Those sure are some of the toughest monsters I've seen on that road! I always hide from them or run LOL...those juggernauts are just too much for my party, not to mention the seekers they hang out with! I beat them once, using all magic items and spells I had available, including a canned elemental...luckily we terrorized most of the seekers into running away but even then we were nearly all dead by the time it was done! Best of luck to you avoiding them!

I've been having a lot of trouble here as well, I found myself running to find Arnika with my heart pounding after loading my game twice because of groups of monsters that were at least 2 levels higher than me. I usually take them on fine, even if they have over 100HP and there are 6 of them, but after I start running to the next area I see *another* group of monsters waiting to make me their new slippers.

I'm just leaving Arnika now and I wanted to get back to the Monastery to get some items I forgot to pick up, and is *that* a challenge. Even with my 8 characters who average around level 8 I am finding myself overwhelmed. Here's what I found out works so far: I cast cameleon on myself and just run on the edges of the walls, if I see a group of monsters I try to stay out of their view until they pass me or if they want to do combat I just run away.

It's good to hear that it's not just me having problems here, that area overwhelmed me compared to the Monastery where I had everything under control.

[Lumieres]

First things first! I don't know how to include the emoticons in my message so I have to use the non-graphical method !! Yes, I have tried to read the FAQ, but I only get a blank page when I try to look at it! Perhaps, someday, I will be allowed the into the mystical circle (or is that Cosmic Circle?), but for now... LOL.

Road trips are a strange and wonderful thing in Wizardry 8. I made the trip from the Monastery to Arnika with 3 different parties. I made the trip from Arnika to Trynton with 2 different parties. I should point out that parties 2 and 3 had the same classes and races, but that I understood the growing (leveling) process better...LOL. Here are my traveling rules :

1) I found that traveling quickly but cautiously worked out the best. By this I mean camp only if you really need the rest.

2) I watch my radar constantly.

3) I use every piece of terrain I can find to hide my party and peek about... and yes, I really DO sneak along the edge of some piece of landscape and slowly peek (using radar and compass for orientation) around it. Just call me chicken... LOL.

4) Do NOT walk on the road.... I found this out the hard way... I know it is only commonsense, but apparently my sense was uncommon on that first trip .

5) If something/someone comes my way which I cannot or do not wish to fight, I just back up before I am seen. This works AMAZINGLY well for me . I don't run.... I only seem to run in to more trouble when I do that .

6) If I am constantly meeting unbeatable enemies or there are just too many fights, I will go back to a "known safe(relatively )" spot and camp.... sometimes 2 or 3 camp cycles in a row. The enemies groups have either disappeared or become something more manageable. Please note, I tried moving back just a little way and camping..... that usually didn't help. It seems that as time passes, the groups change composition too.

I was getting creamed by a group of Rogues (no problem) and 2 Sorceresses (BIG problem). Yikes! It was very ugly........ I was very dead...... over and over again.... I couldn't sneak past, I couldn't hide, so finally I went a good ways back (to one of those "cabins" near the road) and camped (in a nice tight site)... for 3 cycles. Came back to the road and there were no Sorceresses! Weeeeeeeee! I made it to Arnika with only 1 minor fight. This is also how I got rid of the Piercer Modais (hope that is what they were called LOL).

7) And for whatever reason, I have had much better luck traveling during broad daylight than at night... go figure.

8) Oh! And I use Quick Save frequently. Another lesson learned the hard way. You don't want to know.............

I don't know if this list is useful to you, but it has worked for me.

Have a safe and fruitful road trip!!