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Anyone play like me? (also... Arnika mystery?)
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RPGDot Forums > Wizardry 8

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jaxon121
Village Dweller
Village Dweller




Joined: 18 Sep 2003
Posts: 13
Anyone play like me? (also... Arnika mystery?)
   

Hi all... I'm very new to these forums (and the Wiz8 game). I've read a lot about the various strategies, parties, skill point & stat emphasis, etc... but I haven't really seen much about how I've been playing.

Keep in mind I'm a total newbie, and also I apologize in advance if this is already a well-known style.

What I did the first time around was level way too much in the Monastery, and then I started getting my ass kicked up and down the halls by stuff like Metallic Slimes (or whatever they were called... silver, high AC/AP, eat newbies for lunch.. you know the type). So I barely scraped by in getting to Arnika. Then I realized, in reading forums like this, that monsters lvl up as you do in this game! DOH!

So I started over. I got to Arnika at lvl3 after cleaning out the Monastery and such. (I had enough exp for lvl5/6, but never clicked the plus thingie.) My guys are now lvl5 (plus the rogue guy and Vi), but have over 180,000 exp... enough for lvl9 in all cases, I believe. But I don't actually upgrade their levels... I just run around Arnika and the Arnika Road whipping the hell outta stuff and increasing my skills!

My plan is to get all my guys' skills to ridiculous levels. If figure that way, when i finally DO click that level-up button (bringing me to, say, a whopping 6!) my guys will be like, abusively powerful for that level, and able to whip the similarly-leveled mobs I run into.

My Valk for instance... 71 in Polearms and 52 in Close Combat (and mid 30's in ranged and bow), all at level 5! Samurai... 62 in Swords, and all low 50's in Close Combat, Dual Weapons, and Crit Strike, also at lvl5!

Obviously, there are some fights that occur with "fixed" monsters, but all the spawns in the game seem to depend on 1) your level; 2) min/max mob lvls for each zone. But outside of those exceptions, I should kick ass. (With proper tactics I easily whip lvl 8-9 monsters in most cases.) Is there any hitch to this plan? Surely others have done this?'

ALSO... slight mystery I ran into. When I first went to Arnika at lvl3 (three), I got the Rogue dude, and saved Vi. Then the city started randomly spawning LEVEL 21 (Twenty-One) Savant androids, plus lvl8 Savant Gunner androids! The lvl21's always came in packs of 2-3 and were melee MONSTERS, and were always escorted by exactly 3 Gunners. I managed, by getting all 8 guards to aggro these damn things, to wipe them all out... the 21's netted a whopping 20,000 exp to EACH guy, with 2 RPC's! But they also killed 4 guards. =( After running from these damn things incessantly, I finally clicked the level-up button while hiding in one of the buildings. I brought all my guys to lvl5, and voila!! The 21's stopped spawning, and now all I find are lvl6 Savant Guards, which are a piece of cake.

Any explanation? Is it possible that Sirtech made it so that if your level is too LOW, then much crazier mobs will spawn? This might have been a way to "balance" the game or "encourage" players to be in certain zones within certain level ranges?
Post Thu Sep 18, 2003 10:56 am
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Benedikt
Eager Tradesman
Eager Tradesman




Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 31
Re: Anyone play like me? (also... Arnika mystery?)
   

Arnika: i think it is just big range of random repops and stronger androids maybe have longer time between repops

leveling: imho u can level as much as possible after u get into arnika, just now i play on normal (finished game on expert already) and after i got into arnika (on lev 1 ) i leveled all way out and only problem i had so far was just now when i entered secret dungeon near cemetary - and dont think even this is cause i am too high level, actually it is i am too low level imho

ben
Post Thu Sep 18, 2003 11:44 am
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dteowner
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Joined: 21 Mar 2002
Posts: 7570
Location: Third Hero of Erathia
   

The designers planned for you to hit level 7 while running around Arnika. I'd be willing to guess that your extremely low level caused a wrap-around error on the autoleveller (the monster table didn't go low enough, so it wrapped back up to the top).
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Post Thu Sep 18, 2003 10:27 pm
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jaxon121
Village Dweller
Village Dweller




Joined: 18 Sep 2003
Posts: 13
   

dteowner, I think you're probably right about that one... some kinda bug with the monster generation tables.

Any comments on my play style, though? I think I'm gonna keep doing this till most of my crucial skills are at/near 100, even with lvl5 chars... heh
Post Fri Sep 19, 2003 10:38 pm
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dteowner
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Joined: 21 Mar 2002
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Location: Third Hero of Erathia
   

Well, it's certainly valid. We used to have three supposed "gurus" here- otter, Bilbo, and some goof with a dog for an avatar. Otter doesn't visit the Dot anymore and Bilbo has had some real-life issues dramatically reduce his online time, so you're stuck with me. Perhaps _gator will weigh in if he swings by. That would at least give you a second opinion.

Otter had 20+ wins and he would sometimes stockpile levels like you are doing. He was also into practicing skills an incredible amount (such as, repeatedly casting a low level knock-knock at a complex lock to boost earth and wizard skills). I'd say that makes your approach both valid and viable.

For my part, I never did any stockpiling. I was too anxious to develop my characters to be that patient. I wanted the stat increases that you get from levelling just as much as the skill increases that don't require levelling.

The beauty of Wiz8 is that there's no "right way" to play it. Any party combo can work (if you're willing to stick with it) as can any playing style (stockpiling, powergaming, skill practicing, etc). If you're having fun, then you're doing it right.
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Post Fri Sep 19, 2003 11:00 pm
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jaxon121
Village Dweller
Village Dweller




Joined: 18 Sep 2003
Posts: 13
   

Well dteowner, you seem to be the ranking "guru" on deck, so I'm gonna go ahead and milk you for answers! =)

1) There's no time limit in this game, is there? i.e., only 500 days or something? And no aging for characters (as in Might and Magic)?

2) I just found a Diamond... are these needed for anything in particular, or can I go ahead and sell it? 9600 gold is a hefty chunk of change at this point in the game...
Post Sun Sep 21, 2003 7:08 am
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the mighty stamar
High Emperor
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Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 602
Location: arcata ca, humboldt county
   

There is no time limit and the diamond is a quest item.

From arnika you are meant to either go north to the mt gigas, or south to trynton.

Both are cool parts of the game. The treck through the wilderness is tough though.

Actually I think trynton is the best part of the game, a tree city maze.
Post Sun Sep 21, 2003 10:43 am
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dteowner
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Joined: 21 Mar 2002
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Location: Third Hero of Erathia
   

You're probably better off getting help from my faithful minions, such as Stamar and stanthony. I'm into cryptic, non-spoiler hints.

Oh, by the way (where are my manners ), welcome to the boards!
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Post Sun Sep 21, 2003 3:50 pm
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the mighty stamar
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 602
Location: arcata ca, humboldt county
   

Heres a hint about all of the odds and ends you find:

If you cant drop it, its a quest item. Not necessarily an important item, but its a quest item.

If its a super important item such as one of the three cosmic things, you cant sell it either.

So in the case of your diamond, try to drop it. If you cant, figure out what it does before you sell it I would say. You might be able to buy it back later, but its possible you cannot also your merchant can be full of stuff when you sell it and its gone forever.
Post Sun Sep 21, 2003 11:12 pm
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dteowner
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Joined: 21 Mar 2002
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Location: Third Hero of Erathia
   

Excellent advice.
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Sorry. No pearls of wisdom in this oyster.
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Post Sun Sep 21, 2003 11:31 pm
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John373
Keeper of the Gates
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Joined: 04 Jul 2002
Posts: 117
Location: Retardid Los Angeles, CA
   

quote:
Originally posted by jaxon121
dteowner, I think you're probably right about that one... some kinda bug with the monster generation tables.....


This comment reminds me of a time when I was playing with only four characters on normal difficulty, and while traveling through the Monestery I came across about 12 rats in one room and 7 rats behind me. In other words, I was trapped -- and certainly dead! I wonder if this "bug" was somehow punishing me for being too high up in level so early in the game. However, I couldn't help it -- with so few characters, I advanced up in level quickly and yet the computer continued to through a large crowd at me even beyond the Monestery. Ouch!
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Post Mon Sep 22, 2003 8:43 am
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jaxon121
Village Dweller
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Joined: 18 Sep 2003
Posts: 13
   

lol John... that's exactly what happened to me on my first trial. But then... level 21 pops in Arnika, when you're lvl3?? Something pretty screwy about that!!
Post Mon Sep 22, 2003 10:51 pm
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_gator
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 28 May 2003
Posts: 530
Location: Kentucky
   

jaxon121,

IRT your playing style: I have held back on levels for some of the games I have played. I usually play multiple Bishops, so I am always trying to increase their magic skills so that I can learn new spells as soon as possible. So I hold back on levels until I have the appropriate skills. It also adds a certain amount of challenge trying to take on an area at the lowest possible level that you can.

In my last game, I almost always had a level that I had not taken yet. When I would encounter something that was beyond me, I would take a level and try again. By the time I got to the Rapax Rift, I had six levels banked! Someone else suggested that I just take all the levels at that point and I did, but I must admit that the "challenge" part of the game went away at that point.

So I like to control the level my party is at because then I control how challenging the game is. Let us know what areas you take on at what level. I at least would like to hear about that.

BTW, to avoid the wraparound bug at Arnika, everyone should be at least level 5 before entering Arnika.
Post Thu Sep 25, 2003 1:05 pm
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jaxon121
Village Dweller
Village Dweller




Joined: 18 Sep 2003
Posts: 13
   

I'm now level 6... just cleared out Rattkin Tree and the Swamp. Only things I couldn't take out in the Swamp were the high-lvl Rynjins (seven or eight lvl 15's). The only reason I upgraded to lvl6 was that Vi starts at 6, so I figured my other guys might as well be 6 too, since spawns are based on your highest level char.

I find that many high-lvl mobs, especially melee mobs, become pussycats when I use Siren's Wail (Bard insanity instrument) on them. So using that every 2-3 rounds, plus a Stamina boost from my Priest when necessary, I've been able to take out some pretty nasty stuff without incident.

Now... not sure where I'm gonna head. Maybe Marten's Bluff? I gotta drop the stupid rogue guy, but he's almost entire useless to me anyways. (My Bard is currently raping a trapped chest for all it's worth... more on that in the other thread.)
Post Thu Sep 25, 2003 11:34 pm
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_gator
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 28 May 2003
Posts: 530
Location: Kentucky
   

Marten's Bluff or the Umpani areas (Mt Gigas) would be good places to go next at your current level.
Post Fri Sep 26, 2003 12:45 pm
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