courtesy of diachun@autarch.acsu.buffalo.edu
Article: 11968 of rec.games.misc
From: Wyvern@cup.portal.com (Jeanne Wyvern Harlan-Marriott)
--
DRAGON WARS by Interplay, IBM version 9/18/90
Dragon Wars from Interplay is a fun game! It is a large computer
fantasy game of similar scale as Magic Candle <Mindcraft> and the Ultima
series <Origin>. Nice graphics, ease of play, good documentation all play
their parts in making this an enjoyable game. Of particular delight to me,
given the games I have been playing of late, was the fact that Dragon Wars
is bug free! Frankly I admire a game company that takes the time to give
their market a quality product and Interplay has certainly done so with
Dragon Wars!
Installing the game is a simple process. I played on a PC 386 clone
with VGA and harddisk. After making a directory for the game, I just copied
the files and ran a quick install to set the game for my graphic
capabilities. That done, you fire up the game. The game provides pre-built
characters but also supports characters from Bard's Tale I, II, and III.
Since I had saved characters from a Bard's Tale game, I decided to use them
to play Dragon Wars. Word of advise on using Bard's Tale characters: first
examine the pre-built characters that come with Dragon Wars and write down
their stats and skills, create characters from your Bard's Tale game and do
the same. Compare the two sets of characters closely paying particular
attention to Magic skill/knowledge. There are five types of magic in Dragon
Wars: Low, High, Sun, Druid and Misc. Ideally you will want your party to
have knowledge of low, high, sun and druid magic types or as many as
possible. Choose which ever character group has the best representation of
knowledge in magic.
AUTOMAPPING:
Dragon Wars includes an automapping feature which can be viewed by
pressing "?". While this is intended to remove the need of the players to
map the game areas on graph paper and is wonderfully useful, I still mapped
the game out on paper. The deficiency of automaps is that you can take no
notes on them, nor mark spots that have a particular importance. While it
was time consuming for me to draw out the maps it was time well spent. I
advise you to do the same. If nothing else, the automap feature will ensure
that your drawn maps are accurate.
NOTES ON THIS FILE:
Except for the beginning of the game, where you go and when is
completely up to you. My notes are arranged after discussion of PURGATORY
<start game area> and the MAGAN UNDERWORLD <great place> in alphabetical
order and ending with SALVATION and DEPTHS OF NISIR which are the end game
areas. The notes listed in alphabetical order are by NO means a
recommendation of when you should do what. It is merely an effort on my
part to make this file easier for you to use.
SAVING YOUR GAME:
Dragon Wars has a simple and fast save feature. To protect yourself,
though, you should exit the game from time to time and copy the file data1
to another <save1 or Lansk or whatever name reminds you of the point of
save>. These files are HUGE being close to 300K in size but potentially
worth their weight in gold!
PURGATORY - start game
Upon starting the game, you find your characters in the city of
Purgatory <catchy name, wonder how they thought of it> with absolutely no
equipment, money or clothes. Fortunately this sad condition is easily
remedied. In the middle of the north end of Purgatory there is an arena
anxious for new victims for their gladiators. "Fight gladiators barefisted
and barebottomed" you think.... not to worry, the arena will offer to equip
your characters. They offer a range of low end equipment, leather armor,
maces, swords and all of it free for the fighting. You're going to lose the
fight, I might as well tell you that now, but in most cases you are not
going to die so while you'll get thrown out of the arena a little worse for
the wear, you will have equipment. <I recommend that you save your game
before entering the arena just in case one of your characters should bite
the dust>
Now that your characters have basic equipment, its time to explore
your new prison, I mean home. There are such lovely things to do in
Purgatory. You can sell yourself as a slave in the slave market, join the
thieves guild, listen for rumors in the tavern and even ask for a
volunteer! Seriously, do ask for a volunteer in the tavern which is in the
north-east portion of the city. You'll pick up a volunteer named Ulrik who
has skills in Cave Lore and Axes. He's not a great character, but he's nice
to have along. Don't join the thieves' guild which is located in the south-
west portion of the city. Here you should stoutly maintain your honor.
Doing so will give you a mini-quest to defeat the Humbaba monster in the
north-east corner of the city. When you do defeat the Humbaba, return to
the guild and you will be given 1000 gold pieces for your efforts! The
slave market is one way out of Purgatory but there are others and there is
nothing of great importance to find there.
There is a magic shop in the west side of Purgatory. For any
characters who have Low Magic, this is a great place to pick up the spells
for that magic and they are FREE. Along the north wall <west of the arena>
is the Black Market, a good place to buy some better equipment with the
1000 gold you obtained from the thieves. Probably the best use of your
money at this stage is in better armor. <Do not buy dragon stones at this
point. They are expensive and within Purgatory, unnecessary. On the south
side of the city there is a magic pool which will restore magic energy.>
BLACK MARKET OF PURGATORY:
Hand Axe 60g Bow 60g
Small Pick 50g Long Bow 90g
Pick 60g Crossbow 60g
Battle Axe 70g Arrow <20> 50g
Flail 40g Bolt<20> 60g
Mace 40g Javelin 40g
Dagger 30g
Short Sword 50g Cloth 25g
Broadsword 60g Leather 50g
Greatsword 80g Brigadine 80g
Scale 250g
Dragon Stone 250g restores 20 magic
There is a secret passage in the northwest corner of the city that
will gain you access to the outer wall. There are many encounters in this
wall area with guards which can generate additional cash slowly. In the
southeast corner of the outer wall there is a gap in the stones leading to
the waters below. Try using SWIM if you decide to use this exit from
Purgatory, but I recommend using the Magan Underworld instead. You can also
exit Purgatory in the the southwest corner of the outer wall. Again, I
suggest the Magan Underworld as the best choice.
SKILLS, POWER REGENERATION and INVENTORY in DRAGON WARS:
Logic might dictate that this paragraph belongs before actually
getting into the game itself. I choose to include it after basic notes
about Purgatory because you need to have a rudimentary understanding of how
the game works to appreciate/understand the advise I will give here. Dragon
Wars is a skill based system which means that any time your characters
advance a level you have to decide from three menu pages where you're going
to put your "two cents worth". The documentation that comes with the game
advises that you spread the knowledge/skills around among your characters.
This is good advise. There are so many options, there is no way within this
game that you can make one character completely skilled so DON'T TRY.
Decide which character will specialize in what skills. You might want to
make one concentrate on Lore <arcane, mountain, forest, etc> and another on
the thiefly skills <pickpocket, lockpick, etc.>. Get all the skills covered
one way or another, but spread the "workload" over all your characters.
Perhaps my only great complaint with Dragon Wars concerns the skill
based system. When a character advances a level you only get 2 points to
apply to the skills/attributes. It is very difficult to know how to spend
these 2 points wisely. Many skills and attributes cost 2 points to increase
1 point. Obtaining a new magic knowledge costs 10 points! To give you an
example of the significant cost that reflects, my characters at end game
were around 14th level and they did not begin the game at 1st level
<because I transferred characters from Bard's Tale>. That represents a lot
of level advancements in which I could make no improvements on characters I
wished or needed to obtain a new magic knowledge.
To cast spells you have to have magic power. Every time you cast a
spell some magic power is drained. There are two ways to regenerate magic
power. One is the use of Dragon Stones or Eyes and the other is to find a
magic pool that restores energy. Dragon Stones restore 20 points of power
and Dragon Eyes restore 30 points. Magic pools restore all magic points and
have the added advantage of being free! Dragon Stones can be purchased in
many locations throughout Dragon Wars for 250 gold. Dragon Eyes can only be
found as treasure. Magic pools are far and few between, but fortunately
there are a few in some excellent locations that you can take full
advantage of during the game. There is a magic pool in PURGATORY in the
south-east corner <there are actually two corners in Purgatory that you
could call south-east, the magic pool is located in the southern most one
of the two>. Make good use of this pool to restore your magician's power
and allow you to heal your characters as you explore this city.
Inventory is the other area where I experienced frustration with
Dragon Wars. Your characters can only carry so much which in and of itself
is acceptable. The problem arises when you run out of space. Dragon Wars
does not provide any means of storing items in a location for use later. To
further complicate matters some treasure chests that you find will
disappear after you have opened them so if you were unable to take all the
treasure, it will not be there when you return. This is not true of ALL
treasure chests, but being true at all can cause problems. Some treasures
are unique and needed to solve the game. It is not always clear which items
are important and which are not. Some locations have numerous treasures
available and your characters are soon out of space. I managed to avoid
problem related to inventory in my own game, but it is worth noting so that
you manage your own character's inventory with care. You will find lots of
weapons in this game. Examination of an item tells you what strength or
dexterity or skill is needed to use it. Examination does not tell you the
kind of damage the weapon is capable of inflicting. To get a rough idea of
the power of a weapon, look at its value on the SELL menu. The more
valuable an item is the better it is. Some weapons/items have spells on
them. Some of these are worth keeping in your inventory, but in general
don't carry around a lot of items for which you have no real use. Sell them
for the money. Now back to the game!
STILL IN PURGATORY:
Paragraph notes to be found in Purgatory: 14, 5, 9, 10, 67, 3, 94, 77
MAGAN UNDERWORLD:
There is on the west side of the city an entrance to the Magan
Underworld. The Magan Underworld represents one of the largest single areas
in the game excluding the above ground world. Its a wonderful place and
accessable to many of the other locations in Dragon Wars. The Magan
Underworld is a very important place within the game. There is so much to
be found here that it is difficult to know where to begin telling you of
its wonders. Since this area "wraps" upon itself, it is almost impossible
to tell you where you will find what in this area. If we use your point of
entrance from Purgatory into the Magan Underworld for reference, we can get
a general sense of direction. <note: place this point in the center of your
graph paper if you do decide to commit areas to hard copies>
To the north of your point of entrance you will find two buildings.
The smaller of the two contains stairs that will lead you to the Lansk
Undercity <a tough place for beginning characters, but has an armory,
healer and weapons shop not far from the stairs>. The larger building of
the two, while located here, is only accessable from Necropolis and
contains the only means of resurrecting your characters within the game.
Also to the north is a small river and lake. On the southern side of the
lake there is a magic pool that restores magic power. This particular pool
provided me with endless use so its handy to know exactly where it is
located. In the center of the lake there is a small island called the ISLE
OF WOE. You will not be able to reach this island until later in the game,
when you get the Golden Boots from Mud Toad's Priests, but it is a very
important location.
There is a doorway that leads by <on the north side> of the larger of
the two buildings to the area where you can see the location of the ISLE OF
WOE. This are is bounded by water and pits. IMPORTANT: The first pit area
to the west of the water in this area is safe to walk upon. Doing so will
result in 5 points that can be spent upon character skill/attribute
development. Don't miss this!! You cannot fall into the pits in THIS area
<not true everywhere else> so check around until you locate this square. 5
points is too much to pass by.
To the west of point of entry there are stairs leading up to the
MYSTIC WOODS. To avoid any confusion the means of returning to the Magan
Underworld from the Mystic Woods is to use the ability CLIMB. I didn't
realize this when I was first playing the game and it caused me to restore
the game to an earlier point. You can avoid my difficulty. 3 squares south
and 3 squares west of the entrance to the Mystic Woods is the first of two
treasures that can be found in the Magan Underworld.
TREASURE 1: Rusty Axe <str 18> a great axe!
Speed Wand <casts Zak's Speed>
Bomb <3 quantity> <casts Zak's Speed>
Dragon Stones <10 quantity>
To the east of point of entry are stairs leading to Tar's Ruins
Underground. This is a relatively small area map that wraps upon itself.
There are secret passages that reveal treasures which I will detail later.
To re-enter the Magan Underworld, you must again use the ability CLIMB.
To the south our point of entry to the Magan Underworld is an area
with many fires. Each of these fires causes damage to your characters.
There is in the north area of the fires the 2nd treasure to be found in the
Magan Underworld.
TREASURE 2: Slicer <sword> <str 17> a wonderful weapon!
Dragon Stones <10 quantity>
Also in the fire are is the entrance to the Dwarf Clan Hall. Early in
the game you do not need to access this area.
To the east of the fire area is a large pit and an path leading south.
This path forms a cross shaped area with an entrance to SALVATION. Along
the path you will encounter fairies that will ask if you are willing to
sacrifice a life to continue. Replying "yes" will reduce you party to
minimun life force. While there is reason to use this path near the end of
the game, you need not explore it before hand.
Paragraph notes to be found in Magan Underworld: , 137, 138, 127
OTHER AREAS LISTED ALPHABETICALLY:
BRIDGE between Isle of the Sun and Forlorn:
You need Citizen papers to cross this bridge.
BRIDGE between Lansk and Isle of the Sun:
Pikemen here will ask to search your packs and if allowed to do so
will ask a percentage in gold of what you are carrying to cross the bridge.
Refusal to pay results in an encounter with 3 pikemen. This is not a
difficult encounter and better than paying the fee. Of note on this bridge
is the building containing the Armory. Enter the building once and you just
get thrown out. Enter twice and you can fight it out with the guards. If
successful you can reach the armory <there is a pit in the room before it
which will cause damage to your party> and reap the following:
ARMORY: Axe of Kalah str 18 <excellent weapon>
Holy Mace Exorcism spell
Gem Helm
Gauntlets
Archers' Bow dex 18
Boomerang
Dragon Stones<10>
BRIDGE between Lansk and Quag:
See QUAG BRIDGE.
BYZAN DUNGEON:
Accessable from Byzanople <see notes>. This small area will be filled
with a number of encounters until you reach the northwest area of where you
will encounter the Princess. She will ask you to surrender, do so. You will
meet Prince Jordan and given freedom to roam the dungeon area until it is
time to defeat the forces in the Siege Camp. Do not take the stairs
leading up until you have explored the rest of this area. You will find in
a room on the northeast a treasure:
TREASURE 1: Magic Chain
Magic Shield
Big Chill <high magic>
Dazzle <high magic>
Long Bolt<20>
Dragon Stone<7>
On the west side there is a door leading into the ancient crypt. There are
many encounters here with zombies. in the furthest southwest corner is a
treasure:
TREASURE 2: Magic Axe
After exploring this area, take the stairs up. Jordan will tell you that it
is now time to attack the Siege Camp and you will be moved to an area
outside the Siege Camp walls. <see Siege Camp notes>
Paragraph notes for Byzan Dungeon: 108, 110
BYZANOPLE:
Located on King's Island, Byzanople is only accessable from the Siege
Camp. As you enter this area for the first time, you will be on the outside
of the walls and if you get too close will be hit by a lot of arrow fire.
Directly north and 1 square to the east of where you enter are stairs
leading down. Alternately, there is also an entrance in the southeastern
area. Here you will need to move a rock <strength> to reveal an opening.
Both lead you to the Byzan Dungeon. You will not obtain access to Byzanople
proper until after you have completed Byzan Dungeon. In the city there is a
healer, an Armorer:
ARMORER: Scale 250g
Chain 310
Plate 3100
Lr. Shield 1000
Dragon Stone 250
and a Weaponsmith:
WEAPONS: War Flail 500g Bow 60g
Bladed Flail 1000 Long Bow 90
Mace 50 Crossbow 60
Dagger 30 Bolt<20> 60
Short Sword 50 Arrow<20> 50
Broad Sword 60 Javelin 40
Polearm 90 Barbed Spear 4000
Long Mace 2000
Paragraph notes for Byzanople: 33, 34
DECAYING CITY:
See SNAKE PIT
DILMUN:
Dilmun refers to all the islands above ground, King's Island, Rustic,
Isle of the Sun, Forlorn, and Quag, as well as some areas that are not
shown on the map in the documentation. See appropriate notes for more
information.
DRAGON VALLEY:
Accessable only from Eastern Isles <Sunken Ruins> with the ship from
Smuggler's Cove. This is a dangerous place and you need to have the Dragon
Gem from the Lansk Dragon before you can complete this entire area. In the
south you will find a Dragons Tooth <considered a sword>. On the southwest
you will find a Dragons Nest:
DRAGONS NEST: Dragon Tears
Holy Lance
Dragon Helm
Dragon Shield
Dragon Eye restores 30 points magic power
In the northeast corner you will find a treasure:
TREASURE 1: Sala's Swift <high magic>
Vorn's Guard <high magic>
Cowardice <high magic>
In the northwest are of Dragon Valley there is an encounter with the Queen
Dragon. Use the DRAGON GEM <from the Lansk Dragon> to escape death.
Paragraph notes for Dragon Valley: 134, 120
DWARF CLAN HALL:
The western most part of this area can be reached from the Magan
Underworld. In the western portion if the dwarf forge which will be needed
to create the Sword of Freedom once you have found Roba's Skull in the
Sunken Ruins. After giving the skull to the master dwarf smith, you will
be told that the sword will appear on the Isle of Woe which is located in
the Magan Underworld. There is a crystal barrier blocking your path to the
east. You can by pass this barrier with the use of Soften Stone. The
eastern portion of this area is also accessable from King's Island if you
have the Jade Eyes <to be found in the treasure chest on Smuggler's Cove
only after the defeat of the pirates>. Exploring this area will reveal that
the dwarves have been turned to stone. Use of Soften Stone will restore
them to normal. There are 3 treasures to be found in the Dwarf Clan home.
The treasures are guarded by Automans which are fairly difficult to defeat.
TREASURE 1: Dragon Helm
Bomb <8> Zak's Speed <Misc Magic>
Spike Flail
Mystic Might <high magic>
TREASURE 2: Crush Mace
Spell Staff
Healing Potion
TREASURE 3: Gold <1000>
Dragon Horn Rage of Mithras <sun magic>
Paragraphs notes for Dwarf Clan Hall: 118, 119, 38
DWARF RUINS:
Located in the central area of King's Island there is little here
except a statue and a small building. Use the JADE EYES <obtained from the
encounter with the pirates in Smuggler's Cove> on the statue to open the
small building. This will give you access to stairs leading down to the
eastern side of the Dwarf Clan Hall.
No paragraph notes for Dwarf Ruins.
EASTERN ISLES:
This small area accessable with the ship from Smuggler's Cove contains
the entrances to the Sunken Ruins and Dragon Valley.
Paragraph note for Eastern Isle: 46
FORLORN:
This are of Dilmun contains Purgatory, Slave Estate, Tars Ruins, the
Slave Camp and a treasure. The treasure is located almost due south of the
Slave Estate. The southern most section of this land mass has a magical
pool which will restore heal and magic to maximum.
TREASURE 1: Chain Armor
Broad Sword<2>
Hand Axe
Brigadine<2>
Bow
Arrow<2 of 20quantity>
Mage Fire <low magic>
Charm <low magic>
Luck <low magic>
Lesser Heal <low magic>
Mage Lite <low magic>
Dragon Stone<4>
FREEPORT:
Accessable only with the pirates ship from Smuggler's Cove. This city
features numerous shops.
RYAN'S ARMOR: Scale 250g
Chain 310
Heavy Plate 4000
Lg. Shield 100
MAGIC INC: Dazzle 1000 <high magic>
Mystic Might 1000 <high magic>
Rev. Glamour 1000 <high magic>
Sala's Swift 1000 <high magic>
Vorn's Guard 1000 <high magic>
Cowardice 1000 <high magic>
Soften Stone 1000 <druid magic>
FREEPORT ARMS: Bladed Flail 1000
Hammer 40
Long Mace 200
BEWITCHING POTIONS & ELIXERS: Dragon Stones 250g
On the east side of the city you will find the Order of the Sword. An
encounter here will allow you access to the following treasure:
ORDER OF THE SWORD: Stone Hand Needed in Mud Toad
Soften Stone <druid magic>
Spell Staff
Charger <sun magic, USEFUL!>
At the Brew Brother's you will find the volunteer Halifax who is a better
addition to your group than Louie <found in the Slave Camp>. In the
southwest portion of the city is an island which you can reach using the
Golden Boots obtained in Mud Toad. Upon the island is the "freedom sword".
Don't you believe it. Cast REVEAL GLAMOUR to show that this is really a
trap set by Namtar. Not doing so will kill one of your characters.
Paragraph notes for Freeport: 51, 52, 56, 57, 27
GAME PRESERVE:
Accessable from Rustic, the Game Preserve is located on the northwest
section of Rustic. There are many snare traps set about here which are
easily removed <should you get caught> with the use of any weapon. On the
southwest near the river is the home of the Game Keeper. Use the Signet
Ring and he will give you a MAGIC BOW. On the southeast is a treasure:
TREASURE 1: Magic Arrow<20>
Battle Power <sun magic>
Fire Column <sun magic>
Paragraph notes for the Games Preserve: 96, 91, 74
ISLE OF THE SUN:
This area of Dilmun includes the city of Phoebus and an entrance to
the Mystic Woods. Bridges connect this area with Forlorn and the portion of
Dilmun that holds the city of Lansk.
KINGS ISLAND:
This portion of Dilmun <see map in documentation> contains Kingshome,
Byzanople, Siege Camp, Nexus to Mystic Forest, Old Dock, Old Bridge, Ruins
and a Decaying City <see related notes>. Encounters on this island are too
rough for beginning characters. There is also on this island an Ambush area
on the northeast coast which will result in you being thrown into the
dungeon under Kingshome <see related notes>.
KINGSHOME CASTLE:
Accessable from the Kingshome Dungeon <once only> and from King's
Island <if you have the Signet Ring, see Decaying City>. If you came up
from the dungeon you will have a peaceful encounter with Namtar in the
north central area of the castle. Exiting his room will cause the door to
disappear forever. Doors in the north will lead you into the wall area. On
the west side is a gallery and a closet full of Pilgrim's Garb <needed to
take Pilgrim's ferry to Nisir>. On the east side is a treasure and a
library of rare books.
TREASURE 1: Polearm
Royal Robe
Rare Books
Boomerang dex 12
Lucky Boots
Magic Chain
Rusty Axe <good weapon inspite of it's name>
This treasure chest will disappear when you leave whether you took
everything or not. The exit to King's Island is in the center of the south
wall.
Paragraph notes for Kingshome Castle: 131, 130
KINGSHOME DUNGEON:
Accessable by being ambushed in the northeast of King's Island. Not
for beginning characters, be prepared to do everything at one time. You
will not be able to return here once you leave. You will find your group in
a prison cell which is not locked. To the south are guards just waiting to
beat you up. If you survive that, to the east is a door that leads to
stairs going up. Don't take them until you have continued all the east and
north to the last door in the hallway. There are some big encounters here,
but this last room contains the King's armory:
KINGS ARMORY: Black Helm Zak's Speed
FireShield
Grey Arrow<20>
Gatlin Bow 10 dex <rather like a machine gun>
Throw Mace
Mage Ring low magic 3 needed to use
Magic Axe
Dragon Stones<20>
After collecting this treasure, return to the stairs which will take you up
to Kingshome Castle.
Paragraph notes for Kingshome Dungeon: 53, 65
LANAC'TOOR'S LABORATORY:
Accessable only after restoring Lanac's statue in Mud Toad. You will
need the spell SOFTEN STONE to successfully complete this area. The map
wraps upon itself both north to south and east to west. To the northeast of
your point of entry, through several walls is a large room in which three
treasures will be found:
TREASURE 1: Healing Potion
Battle Wand Battle Power spell
Dragon Shield
TREASURE 2: Fire Storm <sun magic>
Zak's Speed <misc magic>
Kill Ray <misc magic>
Mage Fire <low magic>
Dazzle <high magic>
Sun Stroke <sun magic>
TREASURE 3: Lanac's Spectacles <needed to gain access into Magic
College>
To the northwest of point of entry is an entrance to the Magan Underworld.
It is a one way trip.
Paragraph note for Lanac's Lab: 107
LANSK:
Accessable from Dilmun <outdoors> or the Lansk Undercity <no way back
to undercity though>, this is a bureaucratic nightmare. The officials here
will have you running all over the city to get paper work done. This is
easily avoided by making use of EZ Paperwork in the Lansk Undercity. There
is one treasure to be found on the west side of the city.
TREASURE 1:
Druids Mace Cure All spell
In the northeast area of the city, you will learn in the Quarter
Masters Office the Mog the Slave Owner has left his estate, which is to be
found on Forlorn, to you. The Quarter Master doesn't know why Mog did this
and neither do I! ;)
Encounters in this city are nasty for beginning characters if not
impossible. They can and should be avoided until later in the game.
Paragraph notes for Lansk: 64, 35
LANSK UNDERCITY:
Accessable to the Magan Underworld, this place was very useful to me.
Encounters here are rough for new and middle characters, but you can do a
lot of exploring here if you are careful.
There are four shops and a healer in this area that are all useful.
The armorer, weapon and healer are all on the east side of this area. EZ
paperwork and the Magic shop are on the west. The magic shop is located
through a secret passage which is easily found.
Exeter's Armor Dr. Death's Weapons
Cloth 25g Broadsword 60g
Leather 50g Greatsword 80g
Brigadine 80g Bow 60g
Scale 250g Longbow 90g
Chain 310g Crossbow 60g
Plate 3100g Arrow<20> 50g
Shield 1000g Bolt<20> 60g
Large Shield 1000g str 12 Javelin 40g
EZ Paperwork Magic Shop
Governors Pass 200g Create Wall 100g <druid magic>
Kings Ticket 50g Wood Spirit 100g <druid magic>
Citizen Papers 100g Cure All 100g <druid magic>
Dragon Stones 250g
Paperwork: The Governors Pass is needed to cross a bridge between Quag and
Lansk. The Kings Ticket is needed to take the ferry. The Citizen Papers are
needed to cross the bridge between the Isle of the Sun and Forlorn.
On the north of this area is a ferry to Kings Island. Use the Kings
Ticket for passage <not recommended for early characters>. In the center of
this area is a dragon <he won't kill you>. To access the dragon's area, you
must use a secret passage on the east side of the center building. Rumors
you will hear elsewhere will hint that the Lansk Dragon conceals a gem. To
get the gem you will need to use an anhk which can be purchase in Mud Toad.
On the west side of this center building are stairs leading up to the city
of Lansk. They go up, but they do NOT come back down. Go this way only if
you have saved your game and are certain that you wish to.
Paragraph notes for Lansk Undercity: 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126
MAGIC COLLEGE:
Located on the island of Rustic. You will need the Spectacles from
Lanc'toor's Laboratory located under Mud Toad before you will be able to
enter the college. The college consists of a number of tests. In the first
room, use any ICE spell. In the second room use REV GLAMOUR and then any
FIRE spell. In the third room use CLOKE ARCANE. In the fourth room use no
magic, just fight it out with the philistine. In the fifth room use DISARM
TRAP. In the sixth room, walk north ignoring the comments <paragraph note
145> in the next room. Utnapishtim will reward you with the choice of the
Soul Bowl, the Laugh Staff or the Sing Ring, choose the SOUL BOWL which you
will need at Zaton's marker in the Mystic Woods.
UTNAPISHTIM: Soul Bowl use at Zaton's Marker in Mystic Woods
Poog's Vortex <high magic>
Fire Summon <high magic>
Fire Light <high magic>
Elvars Fire <high magic>
Ice Chill <high magic>
Big Chill <high magic>
Dazzle <high magic>
Group Heal <high magic>
Paragraph notes for Magic College: 141, 142, 143, 144, 145
MUD TOAD:
Located on Quag, this city is sinking into the swampy lands upon which
it was built. You will probably be making many visits to this city during
the course of your game. Almost in the center of the city is a broken
statue the parts of which you will find scattered through out other areas
in the game. You will need to bring each part back to this location and
"use item" to restore the statue. Doing so will reveal a latch that will
allow you access to Lanac'toor's Lab <see appropriate notes>. Of other
interest in this city is the temple in the northwest corner of the city.
Talking to the priests there will indicate that you need to seal up the
source of the water ruining the city <create wall will accomplish this
nicely>. After doing so, the priests will give you a pair of Golden Boots
which will allow you to access areas that you could not previously <such as
the Isle of Woe in the Magan Underworld>. Also of importance here is the
shop in the southeastern portion of town:
Lantern 10g
Ankh 50g Use on Dragon in Lansk
Dragon Stone 250
Short Sword 70
Broad Sword 80
Great Sword 100
Bow 60
Arrow<20> 50
Bolt<20> 60
There is a tavern in the northeastern corner of town in which you will meet
Berengaria after you have had your confrontation with Mystalvision in
Phoebus and have been thrown into and escaped from the Phoeban Dungeon.
Berengaria will give you the following spells:
Rage of Mithras <sun magic>
Holy Aim <sun magic>
Armor of Lite <sun magic>
Major Heal <sun magic>
Summon Salamander <sun magic>
Within the city walls which you can access by using climb you will find a
treasure beyond an encounter with the city militia.
TREASURE 1: Water Summon <high magic>
Reveal Glamour <high magic>
Barbed Flail str 16
Lucky Boots
Mountain Sword mountain lore 1 <2handed>
Paragraph notes for Mud Toad: 29, 20, 17, 113, 30, 32
MYSTIC FOREST:
Located on the west side of the Isle of the Sun near Phoebus. From the
Mystic Forest you can gain entry to the Magan Underworld, Kings Island,
Quag, as well as the Isle of the Sun. There are a number of interesting and
important things to find and do here. In the northwest corner there is a
statue of Enkidu at the foot of which you will find a Beast Horn which is
powered with a summoning spell. In the northeast side you will locate
Mushrooms that will be needed in the Necropolis later <only 1 is needed
though you can get as many as you like> On the east side is a shrine on an
island. You can try to reach the shrine by swimming but that will result in
encounters with some very nasty water creatures. An easier way to access
this island is to use the Golden Boots which you can get in Mud Toad <see
Mud Toad for explaination>. On the island you can get the Totem of Enkidu
which you will need to cross Scorpion Bridge. To get the Totem, you must
use one of your weapons. I used a Ruby Dagger and cannot say if using any
weapon will work. In the southwest corner there is a treasure<1>. In the
south area of Mystic Forest there is a marker for Master Zaton. Use the
Soul Bowl that you can get after successfully doing the Magic College in
this location and you will get treasure 2.
TREASURE 1: Death Curse <druid magic>
Fire Blast <druid magic>
Insect Plague <druid magic>
Scare <druid magic>
TREASURE 2: Brambles <druid magic>
Greater Heal <druid magic>
Cure All <druid magic>
Invoke Spirit <druid magic>
Beast Call <druid magic>
Wood Spirit <druid magic>
Paragraph notes to be found in Mystic Woods: 70, 6, 72, 79
NECROPOLIS:
This island to the northeast of Quag is accessable from Smuggler's
Cove. The entrance into the large building that is this city is on the
northwest. You will experience many encounters with undead here so come
prepared. In the middle of the first room you will find a treasure:
TREASURE 1: Stone Trunk use on statue in Mud Toad
Black Helm Zak's Speed
Magic Chain
Dead Bolt<20>
On the west side of the city are stairs the lead down to the large building
in the Magan Underworld that you could not access from there. In this
building is the well that will allow you to resurrect dead characters. On
the east side of the city you will find a door leading to an area described
as being covered with webs. There is an encounter with a giant spider for
every square in this room but the reward at the end is a teleporter that
will get you off of the island. In the center of the city is a large
building. On the south side there is a secret passage leading inside.
Following this passage will lead you to an encounter with the god Nergal.
Defeat his undead minions and use MUSHROOMS that you obtained from the
Mystic Forest to get the following items:
FROM NERGAL: Silver Key used to free Irkalla on Isle of Woe
Holy Spear
Fire Lite <high magic>
Insect Plague <druid magic>
Scare <druid magic>
Inferno <sun magic>
Big Chill <high magic>
Paragraph notes for Necropolis: 114, 115, 93, 12
OLD BRIDGE:
Located on King's Island this bridge is a one way route to the
Decaying City also known as the Snake Pit. There is nothing of importance
on the bridge itself, only the note that the gate, once you pass through,
disappears forever. Don't worry about that, there is another exit within
the city.
Paragraph note for Old Bridge: 50
OLD DOCK:
Located on King's Island and accessable from the island and from the
ferry <with a Kings Ticket> in the Lansk Undercity. Passage to Lansk
Undercity costs 500g. Wearing Pilgrim's garb <obtainable in Kingshome
Castle> will allow you passage to Nisir. In the southwest corner is a
statue that can be moved if you have a character strong enough <24>.
STATUE TREASURE: Earth Summon <high magic>
Ice Wand
IBM PS/2
Dragon Stones<7>
This treasure will disappear after you leave the dock.
No paragraph notes for Old Dock.
PHOEBAN DUNGEON:
Accessable only by confronting and loosing to Mystalvision in the
north section of Phoebus. This is one of those areas where you need to be
prepared to do everything at one time or not at all. There is no way back
here once you exit. You will find yourself in a locked cell that your thief
character will not be able to unlock. Patience <10 days worth> will result
in Berengaria leaving the door unlocked so that you can begin your escape.
Exploration of the other prison cells will reveal that the "druid is being
tortured". At the location where you see message 102, use the abilility
Hiding to get past the guard. You may go either north or south once past
the guard. The southern route is through a secret door. Follow the passage
until you see the message that you hear voices to the north. Go north
through another secret passage. One square further to the west of where you
hear the voices is a cave in that you can pass with the climb ability and
will lead you to stairs back to Phoebus. Save these for last. Go north and
explore the rest of the Phoeban Dungeon. In the northeast section you will
find a hunchback trying to feed a prisoner to a dragon. West of that you
will find torture chambers and the druid. Use bandage on the druid and he
will tell you that the pass word is "HALIFAX". To the north of the druid is
another encounter with Mystalvision. Its a toughy and Mystal will slip
through your fingers but leave you the following treasure:
MYSTALVISION: Armor of Lite <sun magic>
Major Heal <sun magic>
Disarm Trap <sun magic>
Wood Spirit <druid magic>
Holy Aim <sun magic>
To the northwest of the area where you heard the voices you will find two
treasures, one of which requires knowing the password to reach.
TREASURE 1: Shovel
Mace
Dagger<3>
Battle Axe
Leather Armor
Scale Armor
Chain Armor
TREASURE 2: Blow Horn Whirl Wind spell
Magic Ring Whirl Wind spell
Magic Quiver* ENDLESS ARROWS & Mage Fire spell
Dragon Stones<5>
* combine this with the Gatlin Bow and you have a deadly combination!
Having searched the rest of this level, it is time to exit back to Phoebus.
Paragraph notes for Phoeban Dungeon: 101, 102, 104, 106
PHOEBUS:
This city on the west side of the Isle of the Sun is not easy for
beginning characters. You may be able to get through some of the encounters
to access treasure but there is an big encounter in this city <located in
the north end of town> that should not be attempted until later in the
game.
There is a tavern in the northwest portion of the city where you can
find the volunteer Valar. Valar has knowledge of both Low and Sun magic.
He's a good addition to your party, but keep him at the back as he is
rather weak and vulnerable to attack.
On the southeast side of town there are parade grounds. Within the
parade grounds is a building. Entering here will get you drafted into the
army and removed to the siege camp south of the city of Byzanople. I
recommend avoiding this automatic draft until later in the game.
There are 3 treasures to be found in Phoebus, two on the west side and
one on the north.
TREASURE 1: Poog's Vortex <high magic>
Sun Stroke <sun magic>
Death Curse <druid magic>
Create Wall <druid magic>
Mithra's Bless <sun magic>
TREASURE 2: Plate Mail
Tri-cross <crossbow>
Bolt <1 group of 30 bolts>
Magic Shield
Dragon Stones <7 quantity>
TREASURE 3:
Mage Cloth <= cloth armor, need low magic 1 to use,
has spell Mage Light. sell it>
Fire Spear <dex 14>
Magic Plate
Paragraph notes to be found in Phoebus: 26, 25, 28, 66
PILGRIM DOCK:
Located on Nisir, this dock is accessable from the Old Dock on King's
Island providing you are wearing Pilgrim's Garb <available in Kingshome>.
Passing through the door in the south of this small area results in a nasty
encounter which is beyond the ability of beginning characters. Once
successfully defeating these monsters, you will find a prisoner and a
secret passage that leads you to the mountain Salvation.
Paragraph notes for Pilgrim Dock: 82, 84, 83, 98
QUAG:
This area of Dilmun includes a Nexus in the north to Mystic Woods, the
city of Yellow Mud Toad and Smuggler's Cove. Murk trees live on this area
and are dangerous monsters capable of killing party members without much
difficulty. Proceed with caution. Northest, but not connected to Quag is
Necropolis. A bridge also leads to the area of Dilmun that includes Lansk.
QUAG BRIDGE:
You need the Governor's Pass to cross. The pass is obtainable in
either Lansk or Lansk Undercity <easier>.
Paragraph notes for Quag Bridge: 47
RUINS:
See TAR'S RUINS <above ground>
RUSTIC:
Accessable with the ship from Smuggler's Cove. This Island to the west
of King's Island contains the Game Preserve, Scorpion Bridge and a Strange
Building <Magic College>.
SALT MINES:
If you sell yourself into slavery in Purgatory you end up here. There
is nothing of great importance to be found here. You can skip this area
entirely with no ill effect upon your game. What you can gain here is
experience and eventually freedom. I recommend using the Magan Underworld.
When you are brought here all your equipment is removed and you are in
chains. Wandering around this area you will find a cup, a pool <fill the
cup>, a handle, a treasure of rocks and Dragon Stones <9 quantity>. You
will find a man to which you give the water. He will give you his shoes.
Using the laces <use item> you manage to make a hammer with which you can
break the chains. Your gear can be found in a pile of rubbage. Thus re-
equipped you can challenge the guards and escape.
Paragraph notes for Salt Mines: 60, 61, 49
SCORPION BRIDGE:
Located on the island of Rustic. Scorpion men will bar your way until
you use the ENKIDU TOTEM <obtainable in Mystic Woods>. Within the bridge
building there are several nasty encounters. In the north of this building
is a treasure:
TREASURE 1: Bones
Barbed Flail
Magic Shield
Gold<1500>
Paragraph notes for Scorpion Bridge: 48
SIEGE CAMP:
Accessable from King's Island or by being drafted into the army in
Phoebus. Don't worry about joining the wrong side, your stay in the Seige
camp is temporary. Near the southern entrance to the Siege Camp is a
healer. In the north of this area is a Black Market.
BLACK MARKET: Bladed Flail 1000g
Mace 70
Dagger 30
Short Sword 50
Broad Sword 60
Polearm 90
Bow 60
Long Bow 90
Crossbow 60
Arrow<20> 50
Bolt<20> 60
Chain 310
Shield 1000
Large Shield 1000
There are two treasures to be found in the siege camp, one in the northern
and one in the southern section of this area.
TREASURE 1: Lance Sword str 12
Silver Gloves
TREASURE 2: Silver Arrow
Exiting the Siege Camp to the north will allow you to enter Byzanople.
After some encounters in Byzanople <see appropriate notes> you will return
to the Siege Camp through a secret underground passage. There will be a
sizable battle which is definitely too difficult for beginning characters.
Paragraph notes for Siege Camp: 87, 59, 90
SLAVE CAMP:
Located southwest of Purgatory, use Bureaucracy to gain the escaped
slaves trust. There are six small buildings located in the Slave Camp and
three treasures, a campfire that will heal all wounds and the volunteer
Louie can be found here. Use one of your magic skills when you locate the
wizard watching you from his doorway otherwise he will not allow you into
his hut to gather one of the treasures.
TREASURE 1: Greater Heal <druid magic>
Sun Stroke <sun magic>
TREASURE 2: Healing <high magic>
Cloak Arcane <high magic>
Sense Traps <high magic>
Scare <druid magic>
Leather Armor<2>
Brigadine<2>
Chain
TREASURE 3: Citizen Papers
Ruby Dagger str 3
War Axe
War Flail
Hammer
Polearm
White Arrow
Spear
Chain
Fire Lite <high magic>
Dragon Stone<5>
Paragraph notes for Slave Camp: 88, 63, 68, 19
SLAVE ESTATE:
Located on Forlorn. You can learn in Lansk that Mog left this estate
to you. There are two buildings on the estate, one large and one small.
Surrounding the estate are gardens with numerous statues. Enter the large
building through either of the entrances on the EAST side <there is an
entrance on the west side, but do avoid it>. There are four treasures to be
found in the large building:
TREASURE 1: Hammer
Ruby Dagger str 3
Short sword
Dragon Stones<6 quantity>
TREASURE 2: Mirror
TREASURE 3: Gauntlets
Helm
Arrow
Magic Lamp <20 charges of light spell>
Shield
Gold <1500>
TREASURE 4: Hand axe
Gold <100>
In the southwest corner of the large building you will find the artisan of
the statues you have seen in the gardens. He is really a Gaze Monster. Use
the MIRROR to avoid being turned to stone.
Paragraph notes for Slave Estate: 1, 105, 99, 103, 117
SMUGGLER'S COVE:
Located north of Mud Toad on Quag, this is the pirate hang out of Long
John Ugly. On the northeast you wlil find a statue to Irkalla at which you
can pray. On the west you will find Long John's hang out. Use Bureaucracy
and pay at least 50g to enter. Inside you will find two doors, one to the
west and the other to the south. Taking the southern door, Long John will
ferry you over to Necropolis, but he will not bring you back <there is a
way, but it isn't easy for beginning characters>. The west door reveals the
pirates most precious possession, a ship! The pirates will fight you to the
death for this ship and they are a nasty bunch! They can be defeated, but
it is not easy. Defeating them gets you not only unlimited use of the ship,
but also a treasure. This treasure chest will disappear even if you do not
remove all its contents. Take the gold and the Jade Eyes and the plate.
TREASURE 1: Gold<3000>
Pilgrim Garb <available also in Kingshome>
Old Peg Leg
Hook
Parrot
Heavy Plate
Jade Eyes <needed in ruins on King's Island>
Paragraph notes for Smuggler's Cove: 39, 3, 41, 43, 24
SNAKE PIT:
This city is located on the southwest corner of King's Island and is
accessable from the Old Bridge. On the north you will find the King's
boathouse. Leave the lad who is guarding this building alone until you
locate the secret rooms in the center of the large cluster of buildings in
the center of the city. In the wooded area in the north you will find
Branches. Use the Branches at the old man in the tree on the south side of
this area will get you the BEAST CALL spell <druid magic>. The STONE HEAD
needed for the statue in Mud Toad is found on the west shore of this area.
There is a large cluster of buildings in the center of the Snake Pit. A
secret passage from the room with the jester leads north into the room
where you will find two treasures:
TREASURE 1: Signet Ring <use to gain access to Kingshome>
Jewels <worth 4000g>
TREASURE 2: Luck Wand
Crush Mace
Mega Bolt
Grand Sword
Magic Bow dex 10
Use the signet ring where the boy guards the boat house and you have access
through a secret door to a boat that will take you out of this area and
left near Kingshome.
Paragraph notes for Snake Pit: 75, 76, 80, 81
STRANGE BUILDING:
See MAGIC COLLEGE
SUNKEN RUINS:
Accessable from the Eastern Isles <with the ship from Smuggler's
Cove>, you need to have accomplished freeing Irkalla from the Isle of Woe
prior to fully exploring this area. Irkalla would have given you a breath
water potion that will be needed to enter the lower level of this area. The
upper level features a locked door that take a skill of lockpick 4 to open
and two secret passages. In the center area there is a treasure:
TREASURE 1: Driftwood
Flotsam
Spiked Flail
Driftwood
Using the breath water potion you can enter the lower area. The map wraps
upon itself here and is relatively small in size. In one large room you
will fing a clam containing the SKULL OF ROBA. Do not attempt to take the
skull from the clam, just take the clam <skull and all>. There is a locker
to be found in this area <must be Davy Jone's> in which is the following:
LOCKER: Trident
Dragon Plate
Dragon Sword
The locker is guarded by some pretty nasty creatures, so throw everything
you've got at them or be prepared to take a trip through the Necropolis to
the well of resurrection.
No paragraph notes for the Sunken Ruins.
TAR'S RUINS <above ground>:
This area is accessable from Forlorn or from the Tar's Ruins
underground. To reveal the entrance to the underground use strength on a
rock on the northeast side. On the west side you will find the body of a
dead hero:
DEAD HERO: Firesword
Lg Shield
Dragon Stones <6>
On the southwest, you will find a cache of scrolls:
CACHE: Air Summon <high magic>
Elvar's Fire <high magic>
Exorcism <sun magic>
Guidance <sun magic>
In the center of the ruins is a 3X3 square building upon whose walls you
will see mural. These murals are an important hint on how to deal with the
Lansk Dragon.
Paragraph notes for Tar's Ruins<above ground>: 23
TAR'S RUINS <underground>:
Accessable from the Magan Underworld and from the Ruins on Forlorn.
The entrance from the Magan Underworld leaves you in a small enclosed room.
To return to MUnderworld, use the ability climb, to explore this area exit
through the secret passage to the north. Immediately west of the square
just described is another secret room containing STONE ARMS which are
needed in Mud Toad. This area wraps north to south, east to west. It
doesn't take too much exploration to locate the other two secret passages
that contain treasures:
TREASURE 1: Healing Potion
Dragon Stone<5>
TREASURE 2: Gold <2500>
Fire Light <high magic>
Death Curse <druid magic>
Sun Stroke <sun magic>
Gold <1000>
No paragraph notes for Tar's Ruins.
YELLOW MUD TOAD:
See MUD TOAD.
END GAME AREAS & STRATEGY:
Prior to visiting Salvation it is a good idea to spend some time in
the Magan Underworld near the energy pool that restores magic power
CHARGEing up magic items with spells upon them. Of particular use are
HEALING POTIONS, BATTLE WAND <battle power spell>, DRAGON HORN <rage of
mithras spell>, and the SPEED WAND <zak's speed>. You may choose to carry
others at this point, but the above will make your life in this end game
period much easier. The maximum charges you can boost in any item is 49. It
will take some time to charge all the items, but setting up a macro will
make this easier and is certainly worth the time and effort. If you have
already visited Salvation and taken the treasure that is to be found there,
be certain to stock up on DRAGON STONES before entering into the end game
period. Clear out of your inventory anything that you do not need so that
you can carry more dragon stones.
SALVATION:
Accessable from Nisir or Magan Underworld. The exit to Nisir is in the
north and the stairs to the Magan Underworld are in the southwestern
portion of this area. On the west side there is a treasure guarded by a
rather nasty group of monsters.
TREASURE 1: Mage Staff worth 10,000g
Dragon Helm
Dragon Plate
Spiked Mace
Heavy Sword
Dragon Eye<28> restores 30 points of magic power
On the east side of Salvation is a shrine to the universal god <note 97>,
use the Freedom Sword at this area. Doing so will allow you to cast INFERNO
SPELLS using the Freedom Sword. Not far from the stairs to Magan Underworld
and treasure 1 is a door. Avoid it. Close to this door is an area where you
will get a message about an intelligent man could figure out a way through
this wall. Use intelligence then use the ability climb. You will now be in
an area where <3 squares south and 2 squares east> you over look a chasm.
Use the Golden Boots to jump the chasm. Entering through the doors here,
you will begin to explore a large room when you will suddenly find yourself
falling into the Depths of Nisir.
Paragraph notes for Salvation: 97, 100, 55
DEPTHS OF NISIR:
Accessable only from Salvation, this area represents the most complex
area to map. The map wraps east to west and north to south and include
teleportals and turning floors. Use GUIDANCE to maintain your sense of
direction and look at the automap often. Because the map wraps, it is
difficult to give precise directions on where you need to go. From your
beginning location you need to go 17 squares north and 14 squares east to
reach an area that will teleport you to an otherwise unaccessable area
where Namtar is hiding out with his army. Using SOFTEN STONE is your best
means of getting there. Exploration of the entire area results in lots of
encounters which can rapidly drain your supply of Dragon Eyes and Dragon
Stones. Use CLOAK ARCANE for added protection against those encounters you
cannot avoid. Once you have reached the teleportal that will take you to
Namtar, walk south. Before you enter the larger area <you are in a one
square wide hallway> use the DRAGON GEM. The Queen Dragon will answer and
rout Namtar's army <thank heavens> and Namtar, well sort of. Namtar will
spring back to life and you will fight him over and over again before you
finally can pick up his ashes. Once you have you will be teleported to the
Magan Underworld near the energy restore pool the location of which you
should by now be most familiar. You will have time to restore your energy
before Namtar springs to life again. Kill him and head as fast as you can
to the cross shaped area surrounded by pits <chasms> in the extreme south
<see Magan Underworld notes> of the Magan Underworld. Namtar will spring to
life yet again. Defeat him and use his ashes<body>. THis will result in his
being thrown into the chasm that spawned him and his destruction!
YOU'VE WON THE GAME!!!!!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I may have missed a few things here and there, but the above should
prove accurate and useful. I am currently in the process of compiling a
list of the items in Dragon Wars with the "examination" information. This
will identify any special use of these items and restrictions <strength,
dexterity, or other>. I may choose to add in the statistical information on
the characters that come with the game and the volunteers that are
available to join the group. While potentially useful information, the lack
of that information here does not diminish the usefulness of this file.
I hope that you do find it helpful!
This walkthru copyrighted 1990 by Wyvern. All rights reserved.