New to wizardry 7

[Pkflute497]

So I am new to this game got it while it was on sale. Any tips about how to fastly roll characters?? I keep getting 9s to 10s. I just want to speed up the process and get going.

[Ithaqua]

2 tank / melee, 1 heals + 3 ranged is my usual team. 2nd melee may be an off heal as well.

[Pkflute497]

alright thanks for the tip :)

[Nuee]

Heh this is a month late. But within the game changing character classes regularly until you get your skills up is a pretty handy dandy thing. As such set your stats with an eye for the classes your going to change to rather than forgoing stats that the current class would be made better by. For every race some stats are hard to level. So if you pick a dumb race to be a warrior and want to be a samurai next... don't forgo intelligence. Or a Fairy mage to samuarai and yes it works don't forgo str.

[bikethor]

1) Get a notebook and write notes .. some things you learn need to be written down.
2) Better than notebook .. open a Text Document for your Game Notes .. keep it saved to your memory stick or back up drive. You'll likely be playing this for years and years.

Yes .. CrossTraining to new professions will make characters very-very powerfull. Warriors with FIREBALL, SLEEP, SLOW spells ... Each party member having been a thief will have "Hide in Shadows" ability.

Once you put "1" point in a skill .. you keep the skill and can add more points to it anytime later regardless of what profession they are currently playing.

Before leaving a profession .. make sure you put 1 point in each skill you want to develope .. else that skill option may not be available in your next chosen profession.

There are 2 martial arts skills .. from playing theif and samurai type toons .. put 1 point in each when you see them available.

You could start everyone as thief .. get hide in shadows skill, then cross over to the profession you really want. Set your stats near the required minimums for the next profession. (GET A NOTEBOOK) and start writing notes on your "Cross Training Plans" for each character ..

You gain Stat points everytime you level up .. so you can save game when you're close to leveling up .. if you don't like the stat increases assigned to you .. just reload last save and try level up again. Everytime, it's a random roll of dice

I've crossed a mage through Alchemy, PSI (Illusionist), and priest spells .. So he has all of the best high level spells in the game. --> Carefull Though .. It really isn't necessary to crosstrain that much.

Also .. you can change "Game Difficulty" setting in the InGame Menu.

Also .. Read the Game Manual (It's fun to see game manual) C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Wizardry7
-game manual can easily be found on the web
-game clues .. on occasion .. I needed a game clue .. some of the puzzles I could not figure out.. so I went to outside help for game hints/clues

The Game INTERFACE works more like Old NINTENDO NES .. which is a good thing .. once you get use to it.

Best level to cross train .. around level 8 or 9 .. when their stats are high enough to allow your desired profession. And by then you learned most of the spells/skills available. Though sometimes you gota level more for the stats needed for your next profession.

[Slooge]

bard/ranger/monk/ninja/thief all have hide (ninjutsu). Monk/Nonja/Samurai have critical hit skill (kirijutsu). Monk/Ninja have hands and feet. Really, don't worry about early low rolls too much. Your stats raise as you play and you can/will change class later. It is completely all right to start close, but not quite the class you want, get some levels/hp/skills and then transitiion. That said, Hiding skill is an extremely useful one, especially for the lighter armored/hp characters. Maxxed out, that skill adds 10 AC across all gear slots. However, being afflicted with a malady of some sort also completely removes that bonus.

[Kilthan2050]

I've played and beaten this game many times on verious difficulty settings, inlcuding a party of one.

Start simple. Fighters, Thiefs, Priests, Mages, and Bards, level the fastest and are the easiest to get. a Fighter, Fighter, Theif, Bard, Priest, Mage group is a reasonable set up, but you can also swap out the second fighter for A Ranger, Valkyrie, Alchemist, or Psionic if you so choose.

Bishops and Ninjas level the slowest and have the highest stat requirements to get. Your basic magic classes are Mage (thaumaturgy), Priest (Theology), Alchemist (alchemy) and Psionic (Theosophy) . Rangers are hybrid Alchemists and Fighters. Lords and Valkyries are hybrid Fighters and priests. Samurai are hybrid Fighter and Mage. Monks are hyrid Fighters and Psionics. Bishops are hybrid Mages and Priests. Bards are combination Rogues and Mages, with the unique Music ability, and are dead useful, especially early game with the Poet's Lute that can put enemies to sleep. Ninjas are the single hardest class to get, and are a combination Thief, Fighter, and Alchemist, they have very limited armor and weapon options, but don't need them, as they can do massive damage unarmed and eventually can become almost untouchable.

Race wise, the standard fare of Humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and hobbits are exactly what you'd expect them to be.

Dracons have a semi-handy acid breath ability that can be useful early game for taking down monsters, but also has some minor utility mid to late game when you have enough HP, Stamina, and stats to do moderate damage with it.
Lizardmen are brutally strong, but dumb as a box of hair. They make great fighters, and can be made AMAZING hybrids if you focus on the combat aspect of Hybrids. Lizardman Ninjas are, IMHO, second only to Faerie Ninjas in their ability to punch things into next week.
Felpurs are cat people and are very quick, good for Thiefs and Bards.
Rawulfs are fairly Pious, and make decent Priests, Lords, or Valkyries.
Mooks are OP. Seirously. Its kinda unfair. They are best in magic roles, however.
And then you have Faeries. Early game they are so very weak and so easily splattered into oblivion... but late game... The power of the Faerie Ninja cannot be over sold. And Faerie magic users make things go boom so wonderfully. They are super limited in what they can wear, but like the ninja, it doesn't matter because eventually they can't be hit.

Someone mentioned above the 'Cosmic Forge' editor. This utility is handy as it can fix a long-standing bug in the game code, that monsters do double damage to fighters. Granted, a high level fighter can take it, but low level it can sometimes be WILDLY unfair.


As for digging into the game itself. oooohhhh boy. you are embarking on one of the hardest games ever made, largely because of the story. You are dropped into the world with almost no information to go on. Talk to EVERYONE that you can, ask about EVERYTHING you can think of, or remember from the intro, the manual, the forums, whatever.

To start, explore the starter dungeon. Its off a side path near the area where you start. If you're having trouble surviving fights or can't get fully healed when resting, try some experience grinding on the first floor, returning to the fountain of healing you find. Another option is for your characters to change class A LOT in the early game, switching ever couple of levels, often betweent theif and something else. They level fastest, and you can build up more HP fairly quickly this way. Once you can take on the boss of the start dungeon and the Phoots in the forest ambush you can try your luck at the Rattkin Ambush.

A more general overview of what you're doing is this: You're hunting for the Astral Dominae. The keys to finding where it lies hidden are the *MAPS* scattered in the various dungeons around the world. The maps are mostly riddles that help you get past other puzzles in the game and point you in the general directtion of the path to the Astral Dominae. NPC groups can beat you to the maps, and those groups can be murdered by OTHER NPC groups. You will want to, eventually, track down each map at least once and copy down what it says. The only map you need in your possession to beat the game is the *LEGEND MAP*. Once you find it, KEEP IT SAFE. If you approach the end of the game and don't have it, track it down via the "Lore" option with NPCS and the "Locate Person" and "Locate Object" spells Once you know who has it, get it from them by any means necessary.

Lastly, if you get stuck on a puzzle, don't be afraid to turn to a guide, as the game is very old school and gives you minimal help or hints.

The game can be very rewarding for those who like challenges, and if you like optional bosses that can be insanely tough (Like the ones you'd see in the Final Fantasy series) then it has those for you in plenty. Hunt down a Godzylli, or try to conquer the six monsters in the Hall of Gorrors. Loot abounds, and don't be afraid to use potions, schools, or artifacts you come across, but hang onto the ressurection items you find, as they come in very handy until you get the spell on your own.

If you've beaten the game and want extra challenge try one these:
#1: Party of One. Any starting race/class combo you want, but one character for the entire game. Its as close to Hardcore mode as you get in game this old.
#2: Start with Prestige/Hybrid class party. My favorite set up for this is Lord, Ninja, Samurai, Monk, Bishop, and the last slot can be any hybrid. The slower leveling up means that you are in danger much longer in the early game. The other challenge is in NOT swapping classes. You make the 'final party' you want at the start.
#3: Lizardmen Bishops. Six of 'em. Lizardmen are bad at magic. Doing this makes the game amazingly challenging. Backfires and fizzles abound.

[Pkflute497]

Thank you very much. That was a lot of info to swallow but it all was helpful. I'll finally dive into the game more with all of that under my belt.

[bikethor]

I remember my first party that I played years ago ..

There was a NPC that I encountered in the wilderness .. Now as a "general rule in RPG games", don't kill NPC characters without good reason to do so.

I decided to break that rule .. and killed the NPC just because I could .. without good reason.

That action did NOT break the game, but there were serious consequences. LOL

It's difficult to find modern games with so much thought, creativity, and humor.