Wizardry 8 Hints

Overview of Character Classes

• Each class in Wizardry 8 has its own particular advantages and weaknesses. Unlike the classes in many role-playing games, the classes in Wizardry 8 are very well balanced, with no particular class being extremely overpowered. Below you'll find a summary of the classes, and what roles they are best suited for, followed by an idea of the most important statistics for that class (listed in order of importance). For each class, I have included my own opinion of the effectiveness of that class in a typical party, represented by a number of stars from 1 to 5 (5 being the best). Bear in mind that my opinion is just that. Your mileage may vary.
  
  Basic Classes:
  
  Fighter: Got some skulls that need cracking? Get yourself a Fighter, then. With their Berzerk ability allowing them to dish out double damage with every attack, the Fighter is second to none when it comes to melee. Unfortunately, this is all they excel at. A fighter is useful in a party that is short on offensive power, and because he has relatively few skills to concentrate on, you may wish to have him study the secondary skills such as Communication, Mythology, or Artifacts. Rating: *** Stats: STR, DEX, SPD.
  
  Mage: Mages are sorcerers of destruction. Their spellbook contains some of the most devastating direct-damage spells in Wizardry. They are also extremely fragile, and virtually defenseless once they run out of spell points. I consider the Mage to be the most effective offensive spellcaster by far in the early to mid-game. After that, they are overtaken by Alchemists in terms of effectiveness against higher-level monsters. Rating: **** Stats: INT, PIE, SPD, VIT.
  
  Priest: The Priest is primarily a healer. While this is a necessary role, it really means that he is only needed when someone in the party is hurt (and at that time, he becomes invaluable). For the rest of the combat, your Priest is likely to stand around looking silly. The ability to Pray during combat can be very helpful, but again only at times when there is a dire need for it. Personally, I never use Priests. An Alchemist, Lord, or Valkyrie can heal your party's wounds almost as effectively, while providing many more useful skills in addition. However, with a lot of practice, a Priest can hold his own with a mace or cudgel. Rating: ** Stats: PIE, INT, SPD, VIT
  
  Rogue: Sneaky little bugger, the Rogue is. Almost equal to the Fighter in combat ability, the Rogue is able to backstab opponents for up to quadruple damage. Their bonus to Locks&Traps skill means you will never have to worry about a treasure chest exploding in your face. Beyond that, Rogues lack magical skills. However, since they have few skills to study, it can be useful to train them in Throwing or Artifacts in order to make use of the various bombs, powders, and magical items found within the game. Rating: **** Stats: DEX, STR, SPD.
  
  Bishop: The Bishop is the ultimate spellcaster in Wizardry, capable of learning every spell in the game. However, they require much more effort to develop, as they must concentrate on a wide range of skills. Generally, a Bishop will become more effective if he concentrates on only two spellbooks, rather than trying to learn from all four. While they take longer to develop, Bishops become extremely powerful toward the end of the game. Rating: **** Stats: INT, PIE, SPD.
  
  Bard: Despite the overall balance among Wizardry 8's classes, the Bard comes close to being the most powerful class in the game. They combine Lockpicking skills with decent combat capabilities, plus the ability to cast many high-level spells using instruments found within the game. Although Bards are limited in what spells they can cast, they require only Music skill in order to cast them, rather than having to study several spell realms like the pure spellcasters. Use a Bard wherever you see a gap in your party: they fill the roles of thief, fighter, or offensive spellcaster equally well. Rating:***** Stats: DEX, SPD, STR, VIT.
  
  Gadgeteer: Like the Bard, the Gadgeteer has the ability to cast powerful spells using only one skill, in this case Engineering. However, the Gadgeteer must find and assemble his gadgets from various parts scattered around Dominus. Additionally, his Omnigun makes him the most effective ranged combatant in the game, but it must be upgraded as he gains levels. For these two reasons, the Gadgeteer only becomes really powerful later in the game, after he's collected a fair arsenal of spell-casting toys, and improved his Omnigun. Rating: **** Stats: DEX, SEN, SPD.
  
  Alchemist: The Alchemist combines some of the Priest's healing powers with a Mage's appetite for destruction. His offensive spells are generally not as damaging as the Mage's, but many of them are capable of inflicting various status ailments on the opponents, which is often much more effective. Additionally, many Alchemist spells are of the "cloud" type, meaning they last for several round of battle. Alchemists may also wear slightly more protective armor than either Mages or Psionics. Their most useful ability is that they can combine potions and powders to create more powerful substances, a great way to supply any Throwing characters with ammunition, or to generate revenue for the impoverished party. Rating: **** Stats: INT, PIE, DEX,  SPD.
  
  Psionic: Psionics focus on the power of the mind. Many of their spells have the ability to drive the opponents insane. They possess some healing powers as well. Most of their spells fall under the Mental realm, which few monsters have resistance to until late in the game, while Psionics possess an inherent resistance Mental-type spells. Despite this, they are second-rate spellcasters, unable to match the Alchemist or Mage for effectiveness in combat. Rating: ** Stats: INT, PIE, SEN.
  
  Hybrid Classes:
  
  Note: The hybrid classes combine qualities of two or more classes into a single character. For this reason, they have a wider range of skills available to them. Trying to master every skill available takes much effort, and it is often more effective to choose a few skills in which to specialize. Additionally, although the hybrid classes are capable of learning spells, they don't begin learning them until they've reached level 5. So don't expect a hybrid to ever match a pure spellcaster in terms of magical prowess.
  
  Ranger: Rangers are great for any party that uses a lot of ranged attacks during combat. Their bonus to Ranged Combat and the ability to score an instant kill with bows makes them deadly from afar. However, the Ranger's damage output can't keep up with the damage inflicted by close-range weapons such as swords and spears, and the selection of close combat weapons which they can use is somewhat limited.. With practice, a Ranger can become a decent Alchemy spellcaster. With the Ranger's Scout skill, you will never fail to discover hidden items, which make this class invaluable for your first time through Wizardry 8. Rating: *** Stats: SEN, DEX, STR.
  
  Monk: The Monk is designed for one thing, unarmed combat, and at this he excels. Unarmed attacks don't do a lot of damage, but they have the advantage of being very fast, allowing your Monk to strike many times within one round. With the Critical Strike skill, the Monk has a chance to score an instant kill with each attack. Additionally, the Monk can become a decent Psionic spellcaster, since most Psionic spells fall under the Mental realm, reducing the number of spell realms the Monk is required to study. Rating: **** Stats: SPD, DEX, STR, SEN.
  
  Ninja: Ninja combine some of the abilities of the Monk with thieving skills, Alchemy spells, and a few special bonuses of their own. This makes the Ninja a very versatile class. It's best to focus your Ninja on only a few skills rather than trying to master all of them. For weapons, Ninja do best with dual swords or bare hands (although they don't receive the Monk's bonus to this skill). Additionally, Ninja have the ability to score a critical hit with thrown weapons such as darts and shurikens, and possess the auto-penetrate ability, which means that as long as they are able to hit their target with a thrown weapon, the weapon will penetrate the opponent's armor and do damage. This makes them ideal ranged attackers. Unfortunately, thrown weapons are few and far between on Dominus. The Alchemy spells which the Ninja learns are of limited use, since it takes so long to master his magic skills. Rating: *** Stats: STR, DEX, SPD, SEN.
  
  Valkyrie: The Valkyrie is a top-notch fighter, and is particularly effective when placed on the flanks with a spear or polearm to protect your weak spellcasters. They learn Priest spells, which makes them decent healers, and possess the Cheat Death trait, which can often save your party from being completely wiped out during tough fights. They make a decent replacement for a pure Fighter, being able to use most of the same weapons and armor. Rating: **** Stats: STR, SPD, DEX.
  
  Lord: What's the difference between a Lord and a Valkyrie? Both learn Priest spells and can use almost all of the same weapons and armor. However, the Lord's bonus to hit point regeneration doesn't compare to the Valkyrie's Cheat Death ability. The Lord does receive a bonus to Dual Weapons skill, which makes him slightly more proficient when wielding two weapons at once. Lords are particularly effective when equipped with two maces, but in my opinion they are never as useful as a Valkyrie. Rating: *** Stats: STR, DEX, SPD.
  
  Samurai: Samurai are the master swordsmen of Wizardry 8. They are able to use most swords, including several that are unusable by the main fighting classes. Their Critical Strike skill gives them a chance to score an instant kill with each attack. Additionally, the Lightning Strike ability allows them to swing several times in one attack, but it happens too infrequently to be much of an advantage. Building up a Samurai's Wizardry skills takes a lot of time and practice, and generally they are more effective swinging swords than slinging spells. Rating: *** Stats: STR, DEX, SPD.
  

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