I don't like to sell unique or nearly unique items, as I don't like having an item be gone for good. In particular, I never sell instruments (though one could argue that the Poet's Lute would qualify as non-unique since it's buyable), even if I happen not to have a Bard in the party, or if it's the second pf an instrument there's 2 of. If I can't make use of the instrument, I just store it inside a container and never retrieve it.

Tying up loose ends in the Mountain Wilderness. I came in from the Northern Wilderness, and I had to kill a lot of high-experience enemies (that stretch near Bela is very annoying, the way it twists and turns, and how you can have to fight multiple enemy groups that you can see, who may or may not get involved in the battle). It's a mess sometimes.
Anyways, Bela had nothing new to say, but he did buy my spent Mana Stones, and I can buy them back, fully charged. I then re-checked Ascension Peak. The pathway is still blocked by the Rapax landslide (though I did kill those ignorant Rapax a long time ago, for causing such a landslide).
I portaled out, then back in, this time coming from the Rapax Rift. I had a few nice, high experience battles with Molten Scorchers, giving high experience, but also draining my mana, forcing me to use Mana Stones (sometimes getting Artifacts skill increases, though this is trivial at this point in the game, with everybody above 80 Artifacts skill, and Identify Item spell available from two casters).
Anselm and the two Lay Brothers had nothing new to say.
What is important is that I farmed two Gowns of Divinemail (Upper body armor), from a Rapax harassment squad. They have a 100% drop rate, so it didn't take too long, maybe a half hour for both total. My Bard and Gadgeteer both already had Gowns of Divinemail (Lower body armor), from sheer luck.
Both the Bard and Gadgeteer now have both Upper and Lower Gowns of Divinemail body armor. This gives them +10 AC to both the upper and lower body, +15 Vitality each (for a total of 30 Vitality), and +1 HP regeneration each (for a total of +3, from the upper and lower armor, and Amulet of Healing). They also have a Ring of the Road and Tinker's Carryall Bracers, each giving +20 Strength.
I now have a Bard and Gadgeteer with 120 Strength (100 base plus 20 from Ring of the Road/Tinker's Carryall Bracers). Also, they have 96 Vitality (66 base, plus 15 to both upper and lower body, for a total bonus of 30).
This makes both the Bard and Gadgeteer total workhorses, able to carry around a lot of weight, not to mention, greatly increased hit points and stamina. Not too bad huh? It's certainly better than the Robes of Rejuvenation, which are more suited to casters.

There is only one way to go now, with every other map having been cleared. I made my way into the Rapax Rift. I talked to Rafe, he mentioned that he is cursed with the mark of death. My party has to do something about that.
This map is unique, in that at least 3/4 of the battles are with set enemies, which never return after you kill them. It was a slow night, fighting everyone hostile, until I came to one of the sanctums, after all the bridges. I cleared out all 4 rooms (I'm getting encumbered like crazy, sometimes after just a few battles.). I set a portal there, in one of the rooms, for safety, so I could portal in and out.
I got a few key items, namely, the Flamequencher Wand, so I can dissolve the flames around the Staff of Ash, and the Sanctum Key, for unlocking the way to the Rapax High Priestess, and get the Beckoning Stone.
I will call this run about halfway done.

The next map, the Rapax Courtyard, actually has *no* random spawns at all. Once you kill the enemies there, this place becomes completely safe.

One strategy is to engage the Samurai early and kill him as soon as possible, before the big fight starts. If you do this, then you don't need to worry about spells at all in the big fight.

Edit: Then again, at this level you probably don't need this advice, since I believe these enemies' levels are all fixed.

I portaled back in, and saved the 3 random NPCs (Rapax Prisoners). I talked to them, and grabbed the items near them, after lowering the drawbridges, and opening their cages. You would think that, after talking to them, and opening their cages, and lowering their drawbridges, that they would make their escape, but no. Just like with the Rapax Queen, I have to pretend that they made their escape, and not fight near them.
I cleared a lot of the map, both set and random battles.
There are 3 important "boss" battles in this area.
The first is the Rapax High Priestess. I killed her and her friends, gaining the Beckoning Stone.
The next is the Lava Lord (needed for the Staff of Ash to save Rafe), and El-Dorado, (needed for access to Al-Sedexus's chamber.
I will give myself a 90% clear.
Edit: The Magic Screen users weren't Rapax Samurai, they were Rapax Warlocks. Kill them as quickly as possible, or suffer attrition.

Or, if possible, leave the area, rest the full 8 hours, then come back.

If you're higher in level than them and have good Power Cast, damage spells might cut through anyway at least some of the time. You might want to use high level spells at high power levels; in this situation, the risk of a backfire might be worth it, especially since healing damage is easy in this game (assuming the damage doesn't kill you).

I have managed to completely clear the map (Rapax Rift, that is).
Ignoring the infinitely spawning Rapax, (they breed faster than the T'Rang, constantly forcing me to fight them, and constantly forcing me to pick up their litter, further encumbering me).
I have been to Antone constantly, to sell weapons and armor, only to portal back.

Moving on, I managed to fight 19 enemies on the way to the Lava Lord (a lot of enemies spawn in this area). In preparation, I made my Bard, Gadgeteer, and Priest up front, with the other 3 casters behind). When the Lava Lord attacked, I made sure to paralyze him in round 1, so he couldn't summon reinforcements. It was an easy kill, when being hit from 2 Light Swords, a Diamond Eyes, and 3 Staves of Doom from extended range.

There was a lot of nonsense, and Rafe was given the Staff of Ash, to cure his condition. I also unlocked his cell, so he could escape. I set a portal in his cell, and grabbed the Prisoner's Chain as a possible future reward.

He was actually smart enough to escape, good for him!

Portaling back, it was a lot of nonsense. Rafe was smart enough to escape, and a lot of Rapax deaths to come. I killed a lot of Rapax, then the 2 Rapax Archers near the exit.

I used the Beckoning Stone, then had to fight El-Dorado. He is very resistant to both magic, and physical attacks. What did him in was the Alchemist's attack with his Staff of Doom (I guess he isn't immune to instant death)?

Anyways, after doing in El-Dorado, I talked to Al-Seduxus, who says that she is "waiting for me" in a sultry voice. I wonder what this could mean?

Some things:
* I watched a VOD of a recent Wizardry 8 stream, and the streamer said that Magic Screen doesn't really do anything for enemies. If true, that means you don't need to worry about it.
* Also from that stream, a Ninja can improve their Critical Strike skill by using slings or bows, even though the skill doesn't allow criticals with them.
* Elsewhere. I read someone describing the 8-14 level range is awkward. But really, what I see happening here is that characters are really growing into their primary role, with focused builds getting that extra attack or expert skill early in this range. 1-7 are low levels where everyone is weak, 15-19 is a range where characters start to become good in their secondary role (and where melee combat reigns supreme, more so than in any other level range), and 20+ is when offensive magic becomes good again, at least for full casters. Around mid-upper 20s is when you can start to see the 3rd attac/swing on fighter-types with suitable stats, though past 24 is.the point where the only improvement for casters is resistance penitration.


She's referring to the NSFW portion of the game. Thing is, the game actually shows female nudity here.

I suspect a modern remake of the game might end up censoring her somehow, perhaps by giving her a shirt, or at least a bra.

(Things can also get a little queer if you have no male party members. Whenever I decide to do this part of the game, I'm probably going to see if I can offer up a Valkyrie.)

I did the Rapax Courtyard area. Nothing special, 18 Rapax deaths (I counted), never to return. This is a safe area to camp, as no Rapax will ever spawn there again.
I did have an interesting battle there where a Rapax Samurai charged the front lines, and hit my Bard for small damage. The Bard said "You call that a sword? I'll show you a sword!". She proceeded to slay him in one round with her *Light Sword*. Enemy AI is strange, in that a caster, out of sight range, will run in to melee you.
Anyways, with a solid rest area done, I entered the Rapax Castle.
This was the only time that I ignored dropped items and hidden items, and focused on not becoming encumbered.
It only took 4 battles to completely clear the area. Two were in the Throne Room, Battle 1 was to obliterate the obvious enemies, Battle 2 to obliterate the enemies coming in from the upper areas.
Battle 3 was to the west, grabbing a Nuclear Blast instrument for the Bard, and ending their picnic.
Battle 4 was with the Concubines, having teamed up with a southern wandering Rapax party.
I entirely cleaned out the Rapax Castle Main Area, before becoming templar. In any other party, this would have taken a lot longer.
I did the progression, becoming a templar, until every Rapax was suddenly friendly to me (new spawns).
The "stud" in my party was my Male Alchemist (take a walk on the wild side; As opposed to my Male Priest (holy man), and Male Psionic (math nerd).
Of course, after doing "the deed", the Alchemist was a bit worried. The party then teleported back to Al-Sedexus's lair, where we quickly killed that b!tch.
Ding dong, the wicked witch is dead! The Rapax don't care that I killed her, as she is a demoness, and I can safely explore the Rapax Castle. Win-win.

It might actually fit better thematically to have the Priest be the "stud".

A night with Ferro! After all that fighting, the party and I are tired, and we want to spend our time with the last (and best) vendor in the game, making sure that we are maxed out on everything.
Note that he has a great disposition, unlike his prick brother Antone, a sub-par Armorer, having to hang out with Higardi in Arnika (no wonder he's angry).
Down to business: A Fighter, Lord, or Valkyrie would love him the most, as well as a Ranger or Samurai for Infinity Helms.
I did manage to get my Bard, Gadgeteer, Priest, and Alchemist Snakeskin Boots (these are arguably the most unimportant, unnesessary items in the game, as everybody has maxed Speed and Senses, and unlocked and maxed Snakespeed expert skill as well). Everybody in my party will always go first, case closed.
As mentioned before, my Bard and Gadgeteer got both upper and lower Divinemail, gaining good AC and Vitality. The 4 casters got Robes of Rejuvenation, increasing their HP, Stamina, and SP regeneration (not that casters usually care about stamina, but SP regeneration is godly, something hard to get in this game).
Giving Ferro the Pickled Trynnie jar rewards you with a key to get a few other hidden items, which may or may not benefit your party (it didn't help me much), just to sell items for money).
I managed to get Lightning Bolts for my Bard and Gadgeteer, along with their Tripleshot Crossbows (not that I'm ever going to use them, as this is a Magic Damage Party).
Extra headgear forced me into re-positioning. The Mage got the best headgear, the Canezou Helm (Vitality +10), the Psionic and Priest got the Brilliant Helm, and the Alchemist got the Helm of Serenity and Destinae Dominus to hold.

This leaves the dilemma for the Priest, the only one in my party to be able to use Mace and Flail weapons. Diamond Eyes, The Mauler, or Vampire Chain?
Diamond Eyes was quickly eliminated, as it's short range, is best as an off-hand weapon, and does mediocre damage.
This leaves The Mauler vs The Vampire Chain. The Mauler does more raw damage, but suffers from initiative maluses, reducing the maximum number of swings per attack.
The Vampire Chain, I worked very hard to create. I farmed Vampire Bats in the Lower Monastery for this privilege. It's time now that the Priest can hit from extended range, draining what (hit points or stamina) from enemies? He enjoys +3 To Hit and +3 To Initiative from this.

The Mauler is also short range.

Diamond Eyes's damage is not "mediocre". In fact, I consider it to be a high-end weapon, even when The Mauler is available and you can't dual-wield. It can paralyze (which, unlike KO, undead are not immune to), and it provides an initiative bonus. (You should check to see if it gives you an extra possible swing.)

The Mauler is quite strong, and it boosts Mace & Flail skill, which could give you an extra attack. You also get a small Kill chance. It also allows for the use of Crush, which can be nice on a Priest whose only long-range damage spell is Falling Stars (and I usually reach Ferro before I get access to that spell). Just be aware that you need 50 Strength to equip it; if you do not have at least 70 Strength, being hexed will force you to unequip it, which could be bad.

The Vampire Chain is decent, particularly with range and the small heal when you hit an enemy with it, but:
* It doesn't inflict KO, Paralyze, or Kill. (Does do Drain Stamina, but that's not going to disable an enemy unless it gets hit repeatedly.)
* It only gets half your Strength bonus (or penalty, for that matter). Hence, Diamond Eyes in the main hand will do more damage than the Vampire Chain, if you have decent Strength.
* You can't dual wield it. (Though you can use it as a shield.)

In practice, I find that whips work best on Bishops who are not trained with a focus on melee combat, as such characters generally have more use for a shield and are not usually in the front. For Battle Priests, I'd probably go with either Diamond Eyes if it will give the extra swing or I want Paralyze more than KO, or The Mauler otherwise. (Then again, the battle Bishop in my current party is actually using the Staff of Doom.)

Really wrapping things up here. As a Rapax Templar, I portaled back to the Rapax Away Camp. I could safely explore the area, and I missed nothing. The Rapax Queen is still there (let's assume that she makes her getaway sometime).
I re-checked the Rapax Rift. Rafe was smart enough to leave. The 3 unnamed Rapax Prisoners are alive and well, with their cells open, and drawbridges lowered. They can make their escape anytime. The evil demoness, Al-Sedexus, is dead at last (her chamber is empty). The Rapax can rest safely now.
The Rapax Courtyard is empty, as no new Rapax will spawn there. It's a safe place to rest.
I re-checked the Rapax Castle Main Level, especially since I broke my rule of always picking up items. It's completely cleared out.
I did the Rapax Castle Cellar tonight (short and sweet area). I grabbed both chests, and helped my Drunken Rapax allies fight against my Intoxicated Rapax enemies (killed 7, and saved 5). What a weird battle. What a compassionate party so far, right?
Well, I talked to the wasted Rapax Constable. I couldn't pickpocket his key, no matter how many times I tried. That skill is severely nerfed in this game, and my Bard had low skill in it.
The only way to get the Constable's Key was to kill him. However, I did it with compassion, killing him quickly with an instant death spell. He was drunk, didn't see it coming, and didn't feel any pain. Also, I suffered no faction rating loss with the Rapax (similar to how I paralyzed Al-Sedexus with weapons in round 1, and managed to kill her with double damage from melee weapons, due to being paralyzed, and she died before round 1 was over, so she couldn't summon reinforcements, and ruin my Rapax faction rating).

I misspoke. Diamond Eyes does above average damage, but its damage is lower than The Mauler, which also gives a bonus to the Mace and Flail skill. Diamond Eyes strikes me as a weapon best used in the off hand. The Priest (and Bishop) can also dual wield both The Mauler and Diamond Eyes, but have no Dual Weapons skill. This would severely cripple the Priest's (or Bishop's) chance to hit, making it entirely pointless (especially without a shield for protection).
I checked. The Mauler made my Priest revert back to a maximum of 2 swings per attack, due to the heavy weight, and initiative malus.
The Vampire Chain gives a maximum of 3 swings per attack, and is obviously the best weapon for a Priest not built for melee combat (maxed Intelligence, Piety, Speed, and Senses). Strength, Vitality, and Dexterity are mediocre, in the 60s, as Humans.
I created a party of casters, basically (tier 3 characters). They will never max out the number of attacks per round until level 50, without help from spells. This is not a melee party, nor a ranged party, nor a mix of both.
This is a Magic Damage Party. I made the casters good at what they are best at: Magic Damage and Mass-kill spells. Their melee and ranged skills will always be third-rate, only used in emergencies, such as against bosses. Therefore, giving the Priest the Vampire Chain allows versatility, allowing him to hit from range, and draining stamina from enemies.
Let's be honest though. After clearing the Rapax Castle entirely, there is only one area left (after disarming the bomb). The enemies in Ascension Peak like to focus on magic, usually.

I re-checked the Rapax Castle Cellar. It's a short, simple area. The only Rapax remaining were the 5 Drunken Rapax from the bar fight, the Rapax Jailor, and a Drunken Rapax locked up. I did open his cell, so he can escape when he sobers up. Also, there is a dead Rapax in the cell next to him (nothing I can do about that). The wasted Rapax Constable was killed quickly, with compassion, with an instant death spell, so he is gone (I got his key).

I made my way to the Rapax Castle Upper Level, which is a huge area, and the map is unhelpful at times. It's like a maze. I made my way around, using the Constable's Key to get 3 receipts, and a fourth from the Rapax Queen's room. I used them on the strange device, to get nothing really helpful to my party. I did open all 3 treasure chests.
I got 2 late-game instruments and gadgets from the Rapax areas. The Bard can stamina-cast Cerebral Hemorrhage and Nuclear Blast. The Gadgeteer can stamina-cast Tsunami and Earthquake. Note that these gadgets, along with the Asphyxiation gadget completed in the Sea Caves, put my Gadgeteer into blue encumbrance. I had to drop quite a few Lightning Bolts to get her back to white encumbrance. Those late-game gadgets are heavy.
All the instruments and gadgets that are possible to get, I picked up.
I did clear out the Rapax Zoo as well, as you have to pull the lever to open the cages to get to the Swallower that ate the key. This forces a bunch of battles, as now all the enemies can leave their cages. I had to time it carefully, as I didn't want the Rapax's "help", to make the battle last longer.

Thoughts for my next party (which would be an MDP).

Previous idea is one of each specialist caster, one Bishop, and one Valkyrie.

However, I'm thinking of making a change, replacing the Mage with a melee Bishop. Some reasons:
* Mage doesn't really seem to have anything to offer long-term. Alchemist and Priest get more HP than Bishop, and Psionic gets that mental status immunity (plus that class works well for an Int/Sen build, which is really good for many skills), but the only thing we really see with Mage is the skill bonus and minor resist bonus (on a character who doesn't get any of the status removal spells). Mages have an early advantage, but that doesn't last to the late game, and the level difference is less than 1 until then. They can get X-Ray more easily, but some spell practice can make up for that (what people call "training", but to me the term "practice" fits better).
* There isn't really a good secondary skill for Mages. Priest and Bishop can do well with Mace & Shield, Alchemist gets good Throwing & Sling, while Psionic stats lend themselves to Artifacts, Mythology, and many other skills. (And the Psionic's limited non-Mental spell selection is mitigated by the option to use artifacts and bombs.)
* There's the problem of finding a good front line. Problem with Alchemists is that they don't get good short ranged weapons, while Psionic and Mage additionally have low HP and no shields. This leaves just the Priest and the Valkyrie (with the Bishop being an Int/Spd Bishop, hence not suited for the front line).
* My current game has a front line bishop, but she's using the Staff of Doom, and I'd like to try the Mace & Shield setup. (One drawback is that I'll still have a weak front line attacker in the Rapax Rift, as there's only one reliable Diamond Eyes; there's infinitely many The Maulers, however.) Also, while I tried Dwarf, I want to try another race. (Maybe Human?)