DAGGERFALL - In Hindsight - Part 3 From Brian Burke Continued from Issue 49 TRAINING As you rise in levels so the cost of training rises. To obtain money you can do the following - 1. Raid `The Copperston Crypt' till your Wagon is full. 2. How do I save enough to buy a wagon? - Go to the Odd Blades in Daggerfall town in the evening. Loiter until midnight then help yourself to Dwarven (gold coloured)/ Daedric (Red)/ Ebony (Blue)/ Orc (Green)/ Adamantium (Dark Blue) stuff. Loiter till 9.00am then go to Daggerfall Mail and sell it all. Repeat till bored stiff. 3. Go north of Daggerfall town. Face north, cast spells and rest. Enemies will appear. Take them out. Pinch their stuff and fill your Wagon. You can sell everything you find bar Potions, Recipes and bits of Parchment. Don't sell or dump your letters though. With you controlling your levelling you can train those skills you wish to at a low cost. All skills can be trained up to 51, after that you need to employ the skill for it to rise. As your skill becomes higher so you need to train longer to achieve a rise. So first one train will achieve a rise, then 2 and 3 etc. This seems to peak at 5 trains per at the higher (30+) skill levels. The following two paragraphs suggest training methods that are more than a little tedious, but well worth the effort to build up a competent character. So get out your headphones and listen to a little music as you train! The top floor of The Fighters Guild is an ideal magic training area as you can cast spells and immediately rest without the threat of being disturbed by enemies, as you are in the wilderness. You can nip downstairs and train in other skills while you're at it if you wish. In other Temples/Guilds use the Train, Loiter x3 for three hours trick - casting the Stamina spell to elongate the time spent training. Don't worry if you overdo it, your character picks themselves up again after a little nap. You can train in a Guild where you're not a member but it costs. It costs a lot, 7000 Gold plus the normal cost for your level. So if you're Level 10 be prepared to spend 8000 per train. At higher skill levels each point rise is going to cost 40,000 Gold - ouch! If you tarry a long time training in a Temple, save and then restore you may find all the staff have gone on their holidays. This is a strong hint for you to go on yours too! I don't know why it happens, maybe it's just a programmer's jolly jape. Beyond the 51 limit you need to employ the skill to increase it. So Dungeon Crawls are inevitable if you want to increase Weapon, Stealth, Backstabbing and Critical Strike skills. Restoration and Medical will increase as you rest and Heal. This can be done in the Wilderness but you're as well earning Reputation points whilst you do it. A similar principle applies to Maps that you pick up from various characters during Dungeon Crawls. Non-expense related training can be done too - 1. Archery: Axe: Backstabbing: Blunt Weapon: Dodging: Long Blade: Short Blade: (Critical Strike): Obviously using weapons by killing baddies, as opposed to just waving them around, is one way. Dungeon crawls or the wilderness are the places to do this. Cast a `Chameleon, Shadow Form or Invisible' spell to sneak up behind your foe and succeed in Backstab, you need to be at a slight angle, not directly behind. If you're determined to be a member of the Dark Brotherhood then slay a pile of citizens followed by the guards who'll surely follow. Do this in a `foreign' province so as to protect your Legal Rep as best you can. 2. Climbing: Etiquette: Running: Jumping: Mercantile: All these can be done in town. Climb the city walls or even up the sides of houses. Run around everywhere you go, you can also Jump as you run or walk, bit difficult direction wise but it's fun! Talk politely to everyone, be careful you watch the response as you may need to revert to `Normal' mode if they perceive you're talking `down' to them. Sell items one at a time instead of in bulk to improve Mercantile. Don't be afraid to refuse the first offer. You sometimes do get a better price. Apparently if you go to a guy who `Repairs' items and repeatedly offer `0' gold, then this also improves Mercantile. Not done it myself. 3. Pickpocket: Lockpicking For Lockpicking select the `Steal' option when taking treasure off defeated baddies. Click on doors in this mode both in Dungeons and in a town at night. Go to a foreign province and hone up your pickpocket skill, if you're caught your Legal Rep will still be intact back in your home town. 4. Swimming Do this in Dungeons but be sure to have a `Water Breathing' spell handy. The more unscrupulous can save a game when the bar hits red, then restore to find your air supply restored. 5. Hand-to-hand (cannot buy Training in this skill). Again in a foreign province just kick doors in. When fighting put your sword away, cast a `Paralysis' spell on your foe, then kick `em into oblivion - these may take some time. Pick the right angle from behind and you'll also improve Backstabbing. THE BADDIES Initially all baddies are difficult. You don't have to kill them all, try sneaking past if they're too tough. One basic rule is to acquire Ebony, Adamantium, Orc or preferably Daedric weapons at the earliest opportunity, Silver will do for Wereboars until you can. Here's some of the more painful ones and tips on how to minimise the damage. WEREBOARS - In the early days Wereboars are a real threat. Use the `Shield' spell and lots of dodging to avoid catching Lycanthropy. If you are hit rest as soon as you can to see if you get the dreaded dream. If you do then restore. If you do decide to run with Lycanthropy then do it at a low level. Your hit points reduce to just 4, but other skills increase giving you an edge in combat, you can't use weapons. You can switch back to human form to trade in the daytime, look in your Spellbook. Use this to sneak up on your victims as you need to feed your new found hunger once a day by killing an innocent. Do this outside of towns (and preferably in a completely different Province so as not to rubbish your Legal Reputation in Daggerfall or another main province) and try to catch a citizen on their own so you're not spotted. Eventually you'll be given the opportunity to cure yourself. Once you've been through this pain then, should you obtain the artifact, Hircine's Ring, it will have no effect. ZOMBIES - lots of dodging, have a clear passage behind you to back off into. Try casting Paralysis. The Holy Word/Touch spells cost a fortune to cast. VAMPIRES - Again use the `Shield' spell, or use a `Protector' Magic Item. Cast Spell Reflection, Resist Shock or Shalidor's Mirror spells. Dodge a lot when fighting using the Up and Down arrow keys to avoid catching Vampirism. It takes a year to rid oneself of the disease although I've read that casting a Purification or Cure Disease spell within the first 3 days may effect a cure. Vampire Ancients are tougher versions. To my mind these are the worst creatures of all because of the threat of Vampirism. Once caught this lasts for a year until you can be cured. As with Wereboars rest as soon as you can and restore if the dream occurs. Your affiliations with Guilds & Temples are suspended until the cure is complete, but then they are restored. LICH - Cast Spell Reflection or Shalidor's Mirror and they'll kill themselves - heh heh. As with their elder brothers, Ancient Lich, don't let them get too close as they pack a mean punch. At higher levels with a good Willpower & Luck stat you'll `save' against their spells more often than not. I found Shadow Form, rather than Invisible, a good way of sneaking past them in the early days. DAEDRA - These come in various guises - Fire: Frost: Seducers and Daedra Lords. The latter are the tougher with Lords having good Long Blade skills. Use Shield and Spell Reflection. Human enemies rise in Level as you do. At first Mages are tough but then become easy, only to be replaced by Battlemages and Spellswords. Use Spell Reflection against them. Sorcerers and Thieves are cannon fodder. Giants, Antronachs (of various types), Spriggens, Orcs (beware, they, together with Rats, can give you disease), Spiders, Bats, Ghosts, Wraiths, Centurians & Imps can all be dealt with by hitting and dodging. Dragonlings & Gargoyles can cast spells but are relatively easy. As a High Elf you are immune to Paralysis. In my current game I'm an Argonian so Spiders and Wraiths trapped me regularly. Find or buy an `Unrestrainable' item to cast Free Action and so escape from their clutches. Buy `Restore Power' potions to replace lost spellpoints. For interest - the Treasure, gold etc., that you find on defeated foes will increase as your character moves up the Levels. Frost & Fire Daedra usually only have gold. Lich and Vampires mainly have potion ingredients. ROYAL QUESTS There are 5 Royal quests that can be done without triggering off the main plot quest. These should be done in the order shown below, as if you do Elysana's Robe before Blackmail you can't do the Blackmail quest. ROYAL QUEST OBTAINED FROM WHOM GIVEN BY Concern for Nulfaga Castle Daggerfall Queen Aubk-i Mynisera's Letters follows on from Nulfaga Queen Aubk-i Blackmail Wayrest Palace Prince Helseth - sitting on a table in back room. Barenziah's Book follows on from Queen Barenziah Blackmail Elysana's Robe Wayrest Palace Princess Elysana - in front room You have to wait awhile for a letter to arrive to start any sub- quests. Just go off and do quests for Temples & Guilds in the meantime. MAIN PLOT QUESTS There are three kick-off points, which all interlink at the Totem quest after which there are 6 possible endings. Bethesda recommend that you must be at least Level 3 to start and Level 14 to finish. I'd suggest that this is extremely stretching and should only be done at these levels if you're exceptionally impatient. The start points are - MAIN PLOT QUEST OBTAINED FROM GIVEN BY The Missing Prince Sentinel Palace Prince Lhotun - sitting on right near stairs Morgiah's Wedding ? Princess Morgiah The Beast ? Cyndassa Other quests are then triggered off by these to the finale. You get plenty of time to complete them, but complete them you must in order to finish the game. MISCELLANEOUS TIPS Can't spot secret doors easily? Press the `M' key for map mode (vertical view), and look for those little brown spurs off, or at the end of, corridors (non-functioning red doors also show). You need to have passed by a door for it to show. Red Doors - some dungeons have these as Teleports.. and some (most) don't. On one occasion pressing into one killed me off. Some Red Doors can be located halfway up a wall or even, on one occasion, on the rafters above. There's one dungeon layout where there's a Red Door behind a tapestry and you can't get at it. I failed my quest both times I've come across this. So if I see it again - I restore. Late item - I've just read a note (14/2/97) on the web that if you stand on a chair in this room, the tapestry moves and you have to run like mad to get into the Red Door before it moves back. Red Door behind a bookcase - look round the room and click on `a lamp/torch. Cage blocking a doorway - as above. Click on the torch, BUT you must be the door side of the cage. Opening in a wall, sort of half-height window. Use `D' key to crouch and `climb' up and through. Sometimes jumping works or Levitating through in crouch mode. Floating Skulls - use these to teleport but save the game before you do as sometimes they'll take all your Health points. Skull in a wall by a pit. Cast `Levitate' to access, will open a trapdoor, wall somewhere or other! The manual says there's a rope to facilitate climbing down - there isn't. Banks in major cities sell ships and houses. Money banked in Daggerfall cannot be accessed in other provinces. Ships - these are vast. Go below deck to the hold and just dump your stuff on the floor. You can access your ship from the middle of a town and Rest unhindered. When you re-select Foot mode you're back in the town where you left it! Teleportation is available at Mage Guild - Level 8 = Master Wizard, and very time-saving it is. Use `Slowfalling' to go down pits - uses less spellpoints than Levitate and the walls of the pit will show on your map. Use `Levitate' to find corridors in between floors. Just twist round as you fall/climb so you can spot them. Beware of using the Right Mouse Button when viewing in map mode. It removes the map section and won't re-appear until you enter that room/passage again. Try using `Steal' mode to open doors, this improves your Lockpicking skill. Remember to turn it off when going into a town though or you'll end-up in jail and lose Reputation if you fail at a Pickpocket attempt. THE BLACK VOID Falling into the `Black Void' is a pain and a result of Bethesda's X-Engine. As soon as you either climb or fall you have four choices - a) Cast the Recall Spell and start again from the entrance (remember to recast Recall once there) b) Cast Levitate and have a look at the dungeon from the outside. It may help you to see areas you've not yet visited. Then cast Recall. c) Restore the game. On some occasions you may have to do this even when strategy a) is followed. d) You may be able to find a place where a passage meets a room and (D key) duck back into the dungeon. I've only managed this once however, but it proves it can be done. Apparently you can kill monsters, collect treasure and exit the dungeon (via the `Skull door') from the void. - o -