Wizardry 8 Hints

Combat

• Much of the challenge in Wizardry 8 lies in combat. Each encounter is unique, and requires you to tailor your strategy to the situation and to the abilities of your party members. Some notes on combat and tips on how to survive encounters are detailed below.
  
  The vast majority of encounters in Wizardry 8 are randomly spawned as game time progresses. This means that the longer you spend in one area, the more monsters you will face. Frequent resting will cause many more enemies to spawn. Additionally, there is a chance that a group of enemies will come upon your party while they sleep, surprising them out their slumber. It's safest to rest inside small closed rooms while in towns and dungeons, or well off of the main road while out in the wilderness.
  
  Two spells can make it easier for you to anticipate or avoid encounters. The X-ray spell will reveal any enemies in the area as red dots on your radar screen. By watching the radar, you can see the monsters approaching, and often maneuver into position or find a place to hide before they've spotted your party. The Chameleon spell makes it more difficult for enemies to see your party, which means you can sneak past them more easily, or sneak up on them from behind to gain an advantage in combat.
  
  Often, combat is inevitable, and sometimes the monsters will take you by surprise. Always make sure you have all of your "buff" spells (such as Enchanted Blade and Magic Screen) cast while you are adventuring. This saves you from having to cast these spells during combat.
  
  Use the party formation to your advantage. There are all sorts of configurations you can use, and often different combat situations will call for a different formation. In general, you want to keep your spellcasters protected by your stronger characters, and you want your close-ranged attackers up front where they can do some damage. Characters using extended-range weapons such as spears can be placed on the flanks to further protect the spellcasters in the center of the formation. Thrown- and long-range attackers can be placed in the rear. However, you may find it necessary to change formation during combat. Let's say you have three close-range attackers up front and three spellcasters in the center quadrant, but the enemy is behind you. Rather than wasting a turn just to rotate your party to face the enemy, you can simply click the formation display during the combat round, move your close-range attackers to the rear, and they will be in range of the enemy for the next round of combat.
  
  The Mythology skill allows you to get more detailed information about your foes. It's only necessary to have one character study this skill. With a higher level of skill, you will be able to determine the true identity of the opponents, as well as their maximum attack range, hit points, spells or special abilities, and resistances they may have to certain magical attacks. This last is particularly important. Knowing what type of spells a creature is resistant to will help you determine the most effective spells to use against them (throwing fireballs at a fire elemental isn't likely to have much effect; snowballs probably will).
  
  Often, the most effective spells are those which disable the opponents in some way, rather than trying to kill them through sheer damage. Spells like Insanity will cause the monsters to turn on each other, doing half of the work for you, while Freeze Flesh will paralyze the opponents and make them easier to hit and damage. Disable as many monsters as you can in the first few rounds of combat, then take them out with weapons and offensive spells.
  
  Don't be ashamed to run from tougher encounters. Inevitably, your party will find themselves in over their heads, and it's generally better to run at the first sign of trouble than to wait until your party has been decimated.
  
  Generally, combat will ensue while your attackers are still out of close range. For this reason, it's helpful to have all of your fighting characters equipped with a ranged weapon. This allows you to damage opponents before they get in range of your party, and to take out long-range attackers without having to get close.
  
  Finally, bear in mind that "the best offense is a good defense." Keep your characters well armored to protect them from damage, and don't neglect the protective spells in favor of more damaging spells. Spells like Element Shield and Armorplate can reduce your party's vulnerability, while spells like Haste and Superman will increase their effectiveness in combat.
  

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