Betrayal at Krondor - A complete player's guide.
                            Part 1

Introduction

General tips

You will get your marching orders from the start, that is to say,
you will be told where to go and what to do - but take time to
explore secondary roads, visit shops and so on and, above all, visit
Inns. In these, talking to people will uncover secondary tasks which
will bring in some cash, something absolutely necessary to get
anywhere; but also you will find clues to the main quests. Also, if
you have cheated (and have top marks for all attributes), you can
click on the lute (Bard) and you will get some extra cash.

Note that Stamina, which is all-important, can only be recovered by
staying at an Inn, unless you can find some restoratives. Camping
won't restore it. Herbal packs can help recover it, but slowly.

Look at the main map to see where you are going, but use Main to get
the 3-D view of the landscape. Keep your eyes peeled, there are all
sorts of things to discover, not to mention enemies, which you can
only spot this way. If you come to a secondary road, using the first
map option will show up if there are any buildings worth visiting
along that particular road.

You could always get off the beaten track in search of chests,
hollow trunks, mounds of disturbed earth, herbs, dead people, etc.,
but this would prolong the game more than it is necessary.
Nevertheless it is up to you. One thing I should mention is that
pretty soon you will get a spyglass which will allow you to spot
hidden objects if you have a mind to go after them. Alternatively,
there is always the spell Eyes of Ishap - when you get it. In these
tips, I have stuck mainly to the tasks that have to be accomplished.

You will meet friends (note carefully what they have to say) and
foes. Combat, with the cheat, is a doddle. Go first for the
magicians (as opposed to warriors) if there are any. Don't use the
automatic option - just click at the feet of the guy you are after
and when the yellow square appears, click again.  They will fall
like flies! After a battle, search the bodies of the defeated (I am
counting on you to defeat all opposition, you see), but don't
overburden yourself - the most common armour and weapons won't bring
in much cash (though you can improve their value if you have the
tools to repair them) and they just take up too much room.

Essential things to carry with you, apart from sword and armour:
food, restoratives, anti-venom, hammer to mend armour, whetstone to
mend weapons, ropes, picklocks and some means of making light.
Weapons and armour you pick up as you go along and substitute for
better ones when you find them. If you are cheating you probably
won't need crossbows and arrows, since you simply step forward and
flatten the opposition with one blow. Always leave room for messages
and vital items.

There are two types of puzzle - one is the pesky chests and the
other some contraption which comes up from the ground. I have not
mastered either, and all I can do is give you the words I have
discovered for the chests (only the most obvious ones, I am afraid -
I soon got heartily sick of them, and anyway they don't contain
anything vital) and tell you the little I know about the traps.

First, press G so that a grid appears on the ground. The exit is
usually at the top of the screen, away from you. Avoid passing
between posts of the same colour. Usually there is a block which can
be moved, preferably in front of those horrid "cannons", so that you
effectively block them and can get past them. The solid blocks act
as shields and the hollow ones can be positioned so that one of the
"cannons" blows one of the posts, thus disabling them. Have the
first character manoeuver these blocks in the best position and have
the other two follow him exactly. For my part, and since my
characters were so strong, I did not bother too much. As soon as one
made it through, at whatever cost, the trap had been cleared.

Do NOT go opening chests without casting Scent of Sarig first!

Check all the food you find - some can be poisoned or spoiled and it
will do your characters no good at all.

Finally, note that there are teleport machines at some temples - it
is useful to check where they take you. You never know when you will
need a shortcut.

The "Solution" (Guide)

CHAPTER ONE: INTO A DARK NIGHT (Escort Gorath to Krondor)

After Gorath slaughters the would-be assasin, search the body. Get
on the road and click on the road symbol to stick to it. Head for
Krondor. You will soon spot a chest (answer: DIE) and disturbed
earth; naturally, you must explore.  Keep going and you will meet a
squire. Take note of the information he will give you. By the way,
you don't have to take up every challenge you are offered, it really
is up to you how many diversions you take from the main task.

When you get to LaMut, check it out. You find out about Mac Mordain
Cadal. Between LaMut and Zut you will see a secondary road which
will take you to it. This will be your first experience underground.
As soon as you come in you will meet a dwarf who will tell you about
Brak Nurr.  Explore this area by hugging the left wall; apart from
meeting up with Brak Nurr (and it should be a doddle if you are
cheating), you will find a number of chests. The answers are:  the
one that mentions a cow, DRUM; sea, SIEVE; legs, BARROW. When you
get to the exit you will be paid for doing Brak Nurr in.

Proceeding to Krondor you will meet a farmer who offers you shelter
in his barn and gives you detailed instructions on how to get there.
Follow them and you will fall into an ambush.  However, if you can
beat the opposition, there are some good things to get for your
trouble. Chests: Empty hands...GLOVES; Feel no pain...THE DEAD.

Soon, you will reach Krondor. Check out the shops and the Inn. A
bloke called Nivek will ask you to come back to him. Try to enter
the Palace and you will find you can't. Look instead for the word
SEWER on the screen and go in. Again, hug the wall to the left.

Pretty soon you meet up with a guy who can sell you lockpicks.  Buy
them but don't get too excited; they won't open the trapdoors here.
Look out for gaps on the floor - click on them and, if you have a
rope, you can swing across. If you don't, you'll just fall through
and get killed.

When you come to ladders going up, don't bother with them.  First
you must find James - he will give you a key and then, in a room to
the east from where you met him, you will find a ladder with a lock
you can open (with that key). Remember you are facing south, because
you will be coming down the self- same ladder later on and you
should continue to explore the sewers, hugging the left wall, until
you have collected all the goodies.

At any rate, once you are up the ladder and into the Palace, you
will get the lowdown of what is going on and you will be given your
next instructions.

@~We'll go to the next chapter next issue



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