DAGGERFALL - In Hindsight - Part 3 From Brian Burke I've pondered on the subject of replaying Daggerfall, although I have some way to go yet, having not started the main plot quests even though I'm up to Level 28 as I write this (mid-Feb `97). How different the set up would be, I think to myself, if I started all over. I've examined this in some detail now and offer the following as an 'Aunt Sally' for an optimum character to maximise Levelling opportunities. Such a character will find life tough at first but come shining through once past Level 4.5 or so. There's also some experienced advice (this is in addition to my earlier hints and tips and, hopefully, complements those) that I've learned myself or derived from `the WWW' - THE CHARACTER Custom Character Type - High Elf with built in Paralysis resistance, very useful when dealing with Spiders early in the game and with Wraiths, Vampires & Lich at higher levels. x3 Spell points to Intelligence Reduced spell points in Light No Round or Kite shield/bucklers No iron No leather armour No axe Fast regenerate spell points Immune to poison This should allow easier levelling and the `dagger' should remain at a halfway point. Promotions are achieved by obtaining an increase of 15 points, these being calculated from the sum of all three Primary skills + the top two Major + the top Minor. For the Major & Minor it's not the two, or one skill that's increased the most, but literally the leading ones. PRIMARY SKILLS Destruction Long Blade Alteration All easy to increase at a selected pace of your choosing. All count towards levelling and you don't need to increase all 3 at once if you don't want to. For example you can use Destruction as the maximum skill in the Mage Guild: Arkay Temple: Stendarr Temple and Knightly orders so increase these at a rate that satisfies both the levelling criteria and the Guild promotion requirements. Long Blade can be used as a balancing statistic to achieve the 15 point mix between the skills and could be used as the lead skill in the Fighters Guild. MAJOR SKILLS Mysticism Short Blade Running Again all easy to control. Short Blade to be the maximum skill in Dibella. Mysticism the maximum in Fighters Guild. You can control the Running skill to ensure the other two remain as the levelling and Guild promotion skills. Remember, the TOP 2 major skills count towards levelling whereas any mix of the Primaries count. MINOR SKILLS Thaumaturgy Blunt Weapon Illusion Jumping Restoration Mercantile All but Mercantile easy to control. I chose Mercantile as all that trading can help raise it a little over the 51 point training ceiling. Only the TOP minor skill counts towards levelling. Thaumaturgy can thus be used as the maximum skill in Zenithar, or you may select Blunt Weapon instead. MISC SKILLS - All MISC skills, except Stealth, can be trained by being a member of the following Temples - Arkay Dibella Stendarr Zen Mage Guild Fighters Guild Knights of the Dragon - join for free board at Daggerfall inns, once done you don't have to do quests for them. Unless you want to earn a house there's little other reward other than earning bits of armour at Level 2 - Gallant. At Level 4 - Keeper, you can stay at an Inn for free anywhere in Tamriel. At Level 6 - Commander, ship travel is free. Finally at Level 9 - Paladin, you earn a free house. `Stealth' is a skill that rises relentlessly, at higher levels it becomes a pain as you can't control it. Hence the reason for keeping it in the Misc skills area and not worrying about training it. I have it as a Minor skill currently and have to balance my levelling around it. A real pain. What earthly use are the Monster Language skills like Daedra, Orcish, Impish, Spriggen, Nymph, Dragonish and Centurian. Good question! According to the manual increased skill in these areas increases your chances of pacifying them. To converse be in Dialogue mode, put your weapon away and click on them. Who cares - give `em some steel. ALLOCATING CHARACTER SKILL POINTS. Once in control of your levelling you can `save' a game just prior to a promotion. You need attain an increase of 15 points. Once you level there are two random elements that you need to watch - 1. Health points. 2. Character skill allocation points. These are the ones you'll assign to Intelligence, Strength etc. You need to maximise these as you can't increase them once you've stopped levelling except by succeeding in obtaining the Oghma Infinium quest which gives you 30 (thirty not fifty) points to allocate. If you don't gain at least 6 points when you level then restore and try again. It may be boring waiting for the game to reload but the point gain is worth the pain. My own choice of priorities is - INTELLIGENCE & STRENGTH - a balanced increase on each. Extra Intelligence increases the spellpoints available and Strength effects your Fatigue (stamina) & Encumbrance and thus how much treasure & gold you can carry. Take these two skills all way to 100 apiece. WILL & ENDURANCE - High Willpower gives a better chance of preventing your character from being zapped by spells. Endurance means you can train longer in Temples when using the - Train, Loiter (3 hours), Loiter, Loiter trick. Take these skills up to 90 each. LUCK - Increases the chances of success in anything you do, from hitting an enemy to casting spells. AGILITY & SPEED - Take these up to the nearest `ten' number. So if your opening point level is 58, increase by 2 to 60. PERSONALITY - Unless you really need to be loved leave this alone. Just try to roll 50 at the outset. Cast a `Charisma' spell instead. SPELLS - a matter of individual choice but I'd spend money on just these - DESTRUCTION Fireball Hand of Decay Lighting Sleep Wizard Fire - use this to practise for your skill increase*. It's not as damaging as Fireball. ALTERATION Free Action Paralysis Resist Fire Resist Cold Resist Shock Shield Sleep Slowfalling Water Breathing - use this for skill increase practice* Water Walking ILLUSION Chameleon Invisibility Shadow Form - use this for skill increase* RESTORATION Balyna's Antidote Balyna's Balm Cure Disease Free Action Heal Orc Strength Recall - essential. Cast at the entrance to each dungeon for a speedy return. Spell Absorption Stamina - use this for skill increase* Troll's Blood MYSTICISM Banish Daedra Far Silence Open - use this for skill increase* Silence Soul Trap Spell Reflection THAUMATURGY Levitate - use this for skill increase* Shalidor's Mirror Spell Reflection Water Walking * By far the best way to increase magic skills and minimise spellpoint consumption is to go to the `Spellmaker' in the Mage Guild (when suitably qualified and rich enough) and create your own spell in each of the six magic disciplines. Keep the casting cost down to 5 points per and use these to increase each skill. You give each of these spells the name of the appropriate magic discipline. When you first buy spells you'll wonder how on earth you're going to be able to ever cast them. Patience is the key and you need to do the following - a) Training in a magic skill lowers the spellcasting cost. Higher equals lower! b) Increasing the `Intelligence' stat gives you more spellpoints. c) Use the Item Maker (once at the appropriate level) to add (via Enchantment) spellpoints. Don't forget to sort your spellbook, using the Up and Down keys, with the most used spells at the top and bottom. The action will stop whilst you select a spell to cast or use the `U' key to select a Potion or Magic Item. Once you've used Recall you need to recast the Anchor for it to work again. If you forget once it'll be a long time till you forget again. Retracing your steps to the entrance can be a long, long haul. THE SPELLMAKER As described above here's where you create your own concoctions. For example create a Fireball spell with Low Damage but Long Duration. Cast these, aim it at a door and rest. When you wake the residue can still be seen and there may be a body or two to search. One guy on the `net' made a Spell Absorption/ Fireball spell. His trick was to run up to monsters and cast the spell at his feet, the baddie got barbecued and he recovered his spellpoints. @~More help next issue - o -