Bloodlust on a Ranger sounds like garbage, considering that their main thing is ranged kills. Fang (+10 Strength) can get the Gadgeteer to 125 Strength, along with her Tinker's Carryall Bracers (+20 Strength). The Bard already has 125 Strength, with her Ring of the Road (+20 Strength), and her Caliban's Cuirass (+10 Strength).
This party is entirely unable to equip Polearms and Axes. Swords, as said before, are limited to the Bard and Gadgeteer (if I could farm Light Swords and Light Shields, that would be better than Fang). Mace and Flail is limited to the Priest, who is guaranteed to get Diamond Eyes (probably the best, since the +Initiative might unlock a third swing per attack).
There is only one good guaranteed Staff and Wand weapon, the Staff of Doom, and the Alchemist is already trained for it (he maxed his Close Combat and Staff and Wand skills).

Except that, for the Ranger build, I'm not aiming for ranged kills.

Rather, the Ranger will have two main modes of fighting:
* Melee combat with the Giant's Sword
* Spells (will get Power Cast at level 12)

(Once she's using the Giant's Sword, I could of course get her a Tripleshot Crossbow. While that does drain Stamina quickly, I note that casting spells does *not*, so she will have an alternative option.)

I am planning on having a polearm user (the Valkyrie), particularly since that particular weapon type gets good weapons earlier than other types. My temporary fighter, I think, is going to be an axe user. (Note that she will be replaced before the lack of good late-game axes becomes an issue; I'm planning on doing so as soon as I rescue Vi, but before the XP reward for doing so.)

There's also:
* Flame Staff, a guaranteed drop from a fixed spawn in the Rift. A bit weaker than the Staff of Doom, and the blind effect can be annoying, but it isn't cursed.
* Zatochi Bow, which is *stronger* than the Staff of Doom and not cursed. However, you get it later (Upper Rapax Castle), and it's only usable by Samurai and Monk, I believe. (So nobody in your party, or in my planned party for that matter.) It also apparently has 100 charges of Blinding Flash PL6.


The Mauler is worth looking into. It has lower initiative, but it does have a bonus to Mace & Flail skill which might give you an extra attack if you're close to the boundary. Just make sure you have the 50 Strength required to equip it (which means conventional Bishop builds can't equip it).

I was thinking more in terms of spell-power. (If resting in the inn caused ageing then cast in dungeon would make a revolving door of priests obnoxious.)

I know FFI. The default party is pretty fun to run through in most version. Even when the thief is dead weight.

Exactly, replacement isn't an issue. Especially early on.

I know one person who really likes both shields fast, which is probably more of an issue with low hp characters.

And the psionic isn't even an apprentice.

Lizardman bishop is still a bishop, even if it starts with such low school skill points, heh. And a str/vit bishop can easily slot into an all iron skin party.

How do you run out of magic so fast? Is that a symptom of power-leveling?

Hey, winterwand has a decent paralyze. Of course, damage is far superior to status, but both is the best. That's the biggest downfall of polearms, the "best" one only does hex, which is just minus two to ac and to-hit on monsters. That's also why a dual-stiletto rogue actually works.

Piety is the best dump stat. Except for iron will parties, of course. I once got into yellow load. Required stamina restoration after long-term buff casting.

Let's see: bushido blade, fang, bloodlust, and ivory blade (if hunting hogars is viable) for one-handed. (estoc De Olivia and Muramasa would be nice for those who could wield them, but grinding and chest manipulation required. Shame.) A few very nice early mid-game swords too. Not as good as bloodlust, but there's only one of those.

Bloodlust is good on everyone who can use it, to be honest. Yes, even a fighter, that extra swing is nice. Assuming, of course, one doesn't need ranged physical damage on the character. But that's often the case. (And, another use for bombs, by the by.) There are obvious reasons why the typical three classes that people seem to like as a bloodluster are bard, rogue, and samurai.

Ranged criticals are nice, but not necessary. It's like how a bow ninja is a viable option. So is a melee ranger.

There's also bonebasher. If one really needs that many melee spellcasters. The ebon staff is also end-game viable. But, the only guaranteed spirit staff is from Shaman Das. And the enemies that drop it randomly aren't exactly common. Rod of sprites is an interesting weapon, but have fun getting one. Nevertheless, staves are like maces. Meh until good. The hayai is about on par with mid-game swords, though. Lose a shield for extended range and a little knock out. I like bo samurai over monks myself. Zatoichi casting blinding flash makes sense, given its namesake.

Zero points for mauler versus twenty points for diamond eyes in the swings formula. That's counting the penalty of mauler's negative initiative. And, the higher one goes over the threshold, the more likely the swing actually occurs, right? Of course, if a dual-wielder, capable of using it, is in the party, they should get the diamond eyes. Unless the party manages to get extra, of course. One interesting mace is the vulcan hammer. Could lead to an extra main-hand swing on a dual wielding fighter, lord, or valkyrie. With less damage and status, of course.

It's no wonder why ranger seems to be the most recommended spell-casting warrior. Monks, valks, and rangers are seen as the hard to make bad compared to the other three, and the former two classes are the oft-recommended RNPCs. And, on top of that, scouting and always searching makes finding hidden garbage easier faster. Even more so when one pumps sens on a character.

FF1's versions can really be divided into two categories.
* In NES, MSX, WSC, PSX, and I believe the old (now likely defunct) Japanese feature phone version, thieves are basically useless. They *might* be good for running away, but that's about it. They get better after class change, but a Red Wizard is almost as good, gets more magic options, and isn't garbage before class change.
* In GBA and later versions, thieves are actually really good. Their equipment options are still poor (before class change), but they actually gain accuracy, and therefore number of attacks, faster than fighters. (Accuracy increases faster than a monk's, though the monk's double attacks when not using weapons still makes them stronger.)


If you have the Winterwand, you almost certainly have the Staff of Doom, as it's in the same place, and you can't have the same character use both. (Staff of Doom is 2-handed and cursed, so you can't easily switch to the Winterwand.)

For polearms, the Stun Rod is quite good and can paralyze.

Also, how did you learn about hex's effect on monsters?

(One other thing I'm wondering: How do enemy spells work? In particular, how is the power level determined, and what determines if the spell fizzles or backfires? (Anyone who's played the game long enough has seen enemy spells backfire.))

I've worked out that, by the time a Lizardman Bishop stops being an apprentice, a str/vit Human Bishop will have better str/vit (especially str), and will not have the same weaknesses that a Lizardman has. And unlike the other races that are tied for lowest stat sum, the Lizardman doesn't even have any special advantages. (They're competing with Dwarf, Dracon, Fairy, and Mook, I believe, although the Mook's special advantage is irrelevant for this class.)

(When you take a class with stringent stat requirements, and choose to focus on stats other than those required, the stat sum advantage of Humans becomes apparent.)

Actually, according to Flamestryke's site, the guaranteed Spirit Staff is from the Guardian of Life. Shaman Das drops the Chieftain's Scepter.

There is a guaranteed spawn of enemies that can drop the Spirit Staff, in Trynton right past the anti-magic room. (One strategy is to use Hypnotic Lure, which a Gadgeteer can cast even in anti-magic, to lure the enemies there so they can't use their magic.) The drop chance isn't that low, so you can just reload the fight until you get at least one, and it isn't that bad. (You can even do this on Ironman, as long as you don't allow the battle to actually end.) In fact, I would compare this to getting the Cane of Corpus, except that it's something that can be done much earlier, and doesn't involve attacking a non-hostile NPC who happens to be a shopkeeper.


On the other hand, The Mauler's skill bonus may get you another attack, which is consistent unlike an extra swing, and the initiative penalty doesn't affect this.

That's what I was impling, you know. Although, I did drop an import term. Original default party. In the pixel remaster there is a cap on max attacks that really hurts masters. And the ninja doesn't get the great gear from the GBA and derived ports. That party still breezes through the game... until Chaos. Nevertheless, I beat the original PR in eight hours with such a party, and faster would be quite doable. However, I don't know what was touched with the patches. I think two knights, a red wizard, and a white wizard would actually be better.

I don't get how outlandish it is to take into account more than one character in the party, outside of speaking on solo games—a completely different can of worms—but, sure. The point, of course, is that one-handed weapons on an alchemist is giving up a lot, for a shield. The stun rod, like the mindblast, falls off end-game compared to the dread spear. Minus six is huge. Great mid-game weapons, though. (Fun fact: monks can't use a stun rod.) (Even more fun, the mindblast guards can glitch into the locked door...) (Also, also. Rangers take the longest to get an upgrade over an awl pike, but all the upgrades are nice. Even the lance has the advantage of being dirt cheap, and the to-hit malus isn't a big deal on a valk.)

That's what biogoo said on the steam forums. "Hex on enemies is just -2 to hit and -2 AC. Better than nothing, but not that spectacular. "

A lizardman bishop is a weaker character, but it's still a bishop. Oh, it has a regen penalty, and that will mean more resting later on, due to, well, bishop. But it won't be a useless character, just one that is not chosen by most, since there are better.

I though Chief Gari dropped the Chieftain's Scepter. But, yes, the Guardian of Life is also a guaranteed one, but at that point, well... (Actually, not too bad to slap it on a caster at that point. If one has enough characters using staves)

There are two guareented spawns of trees. The first group also can drop that staff, and may be better to farm, if one is doing that. And if that's considered fine enough to build around, then why in the world isn't the ivory blade!?

Well, yes attacks are more valuable then swings, but swings are typically easier to get. But that's why the end-goal of warriors is practically always mauler in main-hand. Of course, if one levels a priest high enough, the mauler absolutely wins out. (Forty-something, right? I'd do the math if I cared enough.)

One interesting thing is that paralyze is easier to land than unconscious. That's not a reason to use diamond eyes over mauler, just something I found amusing. (Resistances being the final factor, and mauler has two statuses as opposed to one.)

Looking at swords, and assuming no mook. Then one can have a bloodlust bard, a fang gadgeteer, an ivory blade ranger; fighter; valkyrie; or lord, and a bushido blade samurai or ninja. Just a thought. It's true to say swords fall off in the end, it is plain wrong to say they are bad. (One can get two bushido blades if they scum Raven.)

Axes can get a cleaver, with a to-hit malus, in the monastery and the woodsman's axe on Arnika road. A bipennis is earlier than a lot of comparable two-handed swords. Later on, easily acquired two-handed swords and axes are about even. And, if going two-handed, extended is probably a better deal. So, it makes sense to drop any axe wielder off early. Though, due to the diminishing returns of melee damage, one axe wielder wouldn't make the game that much harder... in a six-man or full party. (The general iniative penalities don't help either.) At least daggers are a good off-hand for rogues.

-6 is not significant unless it lowers your max swings, which it may do at some values but not others. Even then, the difference between 2 max and 3 max is only about 25% on average. On the other hand, the Stun Rod can paralyze, and it's easier to get than the Dread Spear.

Incidentally, in the playthrough I just started, the Ranger is currently using a mace because I found 2 of one that does something like 3-8 or 3-9 damage. My (temporary) Fighter has a decent axe right now.

Don't forget that the dread spear also has ten more points in polearm and a plus two to hit. Statuses aren't actually all that important if you know what you're doing. But I would say that there are stronger weapons than the dread spear. But many are cursed or require a trip to fire world. And, one can use a stun rod for a long time for most polearm classes, as one should. Also, if one know what they're doing—and doesn't get unlucky with spawns—a dread spear can be obtained before a stun rod. I wouldn't, but that's just my personal quirks.

I've slapped a dropped mace on a ranger before. No use in not using whatever drops that is going to help the most for the hell road, as it's been called.

I think I was wrong about PR. It's been a few years, and I rushed that game, so my master was just not high enough level to out-damage a fighter with Masamune, I think.

For a Valkyrie whose base Polearm skill is in the 90s, the extra 10 points of skill may result in the 125 cap being hit, reducing the benefit. At 100 base Polearms, the +10 does nothing.

Actually, given that the Stun Rod is still +10, the difference between that and the Dread Spear, in terms of the skill bonus, gets smaller sooner.

Also, there are a lot of ways to get bonuses to hit, and they stack. There's Strength, Dexterity, Senses (if high enough), Power Strike, and of course the Enchanted Blade spell.

Speaking of which, having Enchanted Blade PL4 and Missile Shield PL2 definitely helps when fighting Gregor at level 3. (Took some practice to get these levels, and failure isn't a problem when I can just rest and try again (after quick save/load so I don't get cheated out of practice here).)


One experiment for this playthrough: I'm going to attempt Arnika Road at level 3. I will probably level up my party before I enter Arnika-Trynton Road, and it looks like I'll be able to advance to at least level 5 at that point.


If you're using the Giant's Gloves as an item, the monk/master will easily outdamage the warrior/knight, simply due to getting extra attacks at twice the rate.

(Note: Does not apply to Famicom/NES, where the SABR spell that the gloves cast when used is broken.)

Valkyrie isn't the only polearm user. Getting weapons close to cap is harder than magic. Sure, the issues can be out-leveled, by a difference of seventeen levels... (as opposed to two levels to make up the difference in attacks.)

(The attack rates don't work the same in the pixel remaster, or at least they didn't. My master was even being out-damaged by a knight with excalibur. That is taking into account stacking temper and saber, too. It made me think the class isn't as good, but apparently, or at least in the console releases, at max level, the master is still absurd. And with the boosts options, that actually matters.)

I've been playing Harvest Moon, and I noticed that there is someone try-hard optimizing the game. And that's what I'm going to be reminded of when people try to over-optimize Wiz8. Both games are far too easy for that to not fall into tedium... but if busywork is fun, then sure, I guess. (I find the theory-crafting much more fun then the practical application. Maybe that's why my master's degree in racism is in a focus in pure and not applied.)

I just figured something out. We were talking about the 4 viable extended ranged, 2-handed staves: Ebon Staff, Flame Staff, Bonebasher Staff, and Staff of Doom.
The Ebon Staff is mediocre, causes blinding 10%, and only one can be made, due to the limitation of there only being one Ebon Gem.
The Flame Staff is also mediocre, also causes blinding 20%, and only one can be gotten, from the Rapax High Priestess.
The Bonebasher Staff is better, 12% KO, +10 to Staff and Wand skill, no blinding, cursed, -1 Stamina drain, two are guaranteed (one in the Rapax Castle Zoo, the other in the Mountain Wilderness Retro Dungeon). Apparently more can be gained from certain monster drops, however...
The Staff of Doom is clearly the best, Paralyze 25%, Kill 15%, Hex 10%, Death Cloud charges, cursed, -1 HP drain. One is guaranteed, in the Mountain Wilderness waterfall. However, according to Flamestryke, Rapax Corpses in the Rapax Rift can drop more Staves of Doom.
According to a Youtube video, there are two set Rapax Corpses near Rafe's cell. In theory, you could farm these for two more Staves of Doom, bringing the total to three. This gives the Alchemist, Psionic, and Mage all Staves of Doom, allowing all three to hit safely from the center formation from extended range, anybody in front of the party, or on the flanks.

The way attacks work in the FF1 versions I'm familiar with is as follows:
* You have a base of 1 attack
* Every 32 accuracy gives you an extra attack
* If the character is an unarmed Monk or Master, double the number of attacks. (But note that Monk/Master has low starting accuracy and doesn't get any accuracy from the weapon.)
* If Hasted, multiply by 2. If slowed, instead multiply by 0 (minimum of 1).

Some version differences to note:
* PSX: No cap on base accuracy (though this doesn't matter unless you're playing Easy mode). The bonus (from stacked Sabers) caps at 255, though it takes 26 uses to reach this point. Maximum possible damage, which can be obtained consistently in a very specific (impractical) situation, is 50,976; note that the RNG doesn't actually affect the damage when you have 255 or more attack and 100% critical rate.
* GBA: Base accuracy is capped at 255. Hence, Thief (who gains 4 per level) will eventually cap out, and Fighter, Monk, and even Red Mage (who gets 3 per level) will eventually catch up. (Note that, in the original, I believe Thief and RM only get 2 per level.) The bonus also caps at 255, so a total of 510 is possible. Max damage is lower than in PSX, but as the game uses a signed 16-bit integer here, it's possible for negative damage to be dealt, which will have a glitched display.

Also worth noting that, in GBA and later, a Monk's unarmed attack power is based on Stamina (and whether the character has been promoted to Master) rather than Level, as it is in PSX and earlier.

From my understanding, the Pixel Remaster is similar to the GBA version mechanically, except for the way MP is handled.



As for an update on my current party:
* Still level 3.
* Have enough XP to reach level 5 or 6 (but haven't actually leveled up).
* I somehow got the fixed Rogue encounter (with a level 6 enemy) to despawn.
* Currently in the Upper Monastery, right by Arnika Road, on the outside side of the door. (In other words, I'm actually out of bounds right now.)

There's also the Zatochi Bo, which fits the dscription as well. It's a really nice weapon, except for the fact that only a Samurai or Monk can equip it, and in neither case will you benefit from the class's primary skill bonus while weilding it.
.

I did that twice, once by accident, and once on purpose (glitched out of bounds, in the Swamp, in the river that splits it in two). It was really glitchy, seeing the bridge and stones above the water, and sometimes nothing below the water (though exploring the map to the edges gave me a slightly more updated map, if I didn't slide off the map and die).
Your level 3 party looks like it might make it if you can glitch like that (or get really lucky with no spawns on Arnika Road). Of course, you will have trouble with set encounters, and in Arnika, where the game expects you to be at least level 5 or 6.
I'm running a challenge MDP, sort of, where I expect everybody to be good at everything (except Locks and Traps and Pickpocket, which were nerfed). The Zatochi Bo doesn't fit into this, as it's for Eastern classes. I can train my Psionic and Mage the same as I did my Alchemist, on Close Combat and Staff and Wand skills, with a Quarterstaff, hitting for pathetic damage, preparing for all three to have the Staff of Doom.
I have made a lot of headway, I cleared out the Mine Tunnels (one of the most annoying areas in the game for quick spawns, similar to the Rapax Castle). I am ready to finish off Marten's Bluff tomorrow night.

I did make it, even getting the Piercing Pipes, which are working better than the breath weapon.

I barely missed average level 6 when entering Arnika. My Bard and Fighter were level 6, but the hybrids were just a few XP shy of it.

I've now replaced my Fighter with a Gadgeteer. (She's level 4 and hasn't seen combat yet, but at least she has a Lightning Rod.)

Ranger is using the Awl Pike, as it's one of the strongest weapons available at this point, though not as strong as the Lance that my Valkyrie is using.

My Bishops both know Magic Missile, so now my Ranger is the only one without a cone attack. It will come in due time, seeing as I am boosting her Alchemy at level up, and she is going to get Power Cast. The Dracon Breath has gottem me through encounters where magic damage is a good strategy, like when there's lots of enemies whose levels (and resistances, but that's not a problem yet) aren't high.

Elf Bishop is aiming for 30 Psionics so she can learn Hypnotic Lure, which should help train Fire Magic since the other Bishop got the Light spellbook.

By the way, in the Monastery and Arnika Road, having a Fighter force locks is a viable strategy. This works with a Dracon Str/Dex Fighter, though the optimal build for that is of course a Lizardman Str/Vit Fighter, as more HP means more survivability from the traps you *will* trigger. Now that I have my Gadgeteer, I'm going to stop doing that (and even without one, there's Knock Knock or I could have raised Locks & Traps with my Bard.)

Yeah, the blind is least annoying on a ranged party, but such a party could also just have slinging casters.

Pixel Remaster displays accuracy as out of two fifty-five, but works like the NES version. So an unarmed monk/master is capped at sixteen attacks, when hasted. That is two for about every eighty-two accuracy. Same as with the NES original, my master was just too low of a level to be stronger than the knight. (I'm playing the default party on NES right now, and am past the class change. So, the hard parts are over.)

I never open the door of the monastery anymore, since walking through it works.

The Mine Tunnels are obnoxious, especially the opening area. Thankfully, the mine controls are logical... once you figure out how to read it.

Awl Pike is the strongest polearm a ranger can use available in Arnika.

The caveat that forcing locks is a pain on expert. Recovering stamina after the attempt gets boring fast. (It can also be a loss of L&T XP, but... one can get as much as one wants as long as there is an easy trap left in the world.)

I've seen people forget to—or were never informed to—level up before Arnika. If one enters at too low of a level, the highest level monsters can spawn. Now that sparks joy.

Technically, locks & traps wasn't nerfed. Only power training the skill via locks has been. power training via traps still works. Pickpocket, yeah, that was bad.

I'm going to take a break from Wizardry for a while. But I think I'm going to go with the dracon idea, but with an alchemist as the support specialist. Sure, a bishop can get to fifty alchemy fast, if one split-stack mixes, but, I just don't feel like it, and hoovering spellbooks early and often is very nice indeed for a party with six "natural" casters. Having a "hybrid" for every school means it's likely that the party will have every spell in the game... not that they'll all be useful.

So... I'm going to do the same as that recent party, but swap the ranger for a lord, and replace the humans and hobbits for dracons. I like heavy armor, and the lesser divinity casting spearman seems like a recipe for more fun. But most importantly it fulfills my affinity for beast-men. And I just don't like the "race fantasy" of mook. Also, lizardman, rawulf, and felpurr can be good for certain niches, but not particularity useful for this party, since we don't care about expert skills and all that. And, Faerie isn't actually a beast race. (Could you imagine if they were butterfly-folk? Although, I'd prefer moth-folk myself.) Also, they aren't much of a good idea in the long run. Might be able to use a faerie early, and then replace them in Arnika or so, but meh. Dracon have fine enough attributes, although the lord will have to deal with low senses and intelligence, but that'll be fun. I've also found that I just don't like the three thieves. I like their class fantasies, but the mechanics are just not for me.

The variety of Wiz8 is great, but I think I've gone a little sour on it. It's like it's too simplistic for its complexity, or something of that ilk. Maybe the reverse? Either way, it's still a fun game that has no place in my top five. Oh well.

[apropos of nothing: I like that the Class of Heroes's dwarf is a canid kemono.]