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GUIDE TO WIZARDRY IV -- THE RETURN OF WERDNA
Version 3 (July 11, 2001)
Author: Stephen S. Lee (ssjlee@shell.rawbw.com)
INTRODUCTION TO THIS GUIDE
--------------------------
As with Version 2, you are free to distribute this guide wherever you
please, and amend it as you see fit, so long as you give me proper
attribution.
I recently replayed Wizardry IV for the third time, and felt that an
update was in order. Version 1 of this guide was written in 1990, way
back when I was in high school, and bored. It was written only to amuse
myself, and wasn't intended for general consumption (especially with the
lack of Internet access back then, and the note at the end of the
Grandmaster ending telling you not to help others).
Several years later, I was reading comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg and noted
a cry for help for Wizardry IV. No written widely available walkthrough
existed, so I hastily trimmed mine down for general consumption, and
unleashed Version 2 onto Usenet. (I got rid of about 85% of the material.
Other than the list of guardians, there was nothing important there.)
Another half-decade passed, and the walkthrough is now to be found in many
locales all over the Web, amended in many cases. It is still missing many
things, however, so here is this update, which adds:
* Updated contact information (the old e-mail address, being an *.edu one,
is long dead). Feel free to contact me with any requests, questions, or
corrections.
* Some commentary on just what this game is, anyway.
* Collector's information -- I am an avid collector of old game packages,
so I just have to get this in somehow, heh.
* Information about the Wizardry Archives version, which plays somewhat
differently from the original floppy-based version.
* A little more information on the game endings.
* Explanations for some of the more obscure puzzles.
* Some more information on combat strategy.
* Elimination of some irrelevant things that I didn't scrap when stripping
down for Version 2.
SO WHAT IS WIZARDRY IV, ANYWAY?
-------------------------------
The original Wizardry I was a classic adored by many (although I believe
IV, V, VI, and VII are all superior games). Unlike the Ultima series,
however, the Wizardry creators chose a different tack in sequels: writing
for veterans. This had the unfortunate side-effect of making II, III, and
especially IV accessible to but a narrow audience. Nevertheless, they are
still good games even today if you are a veteran player (though II and III
are heavily reliant on combat and maze-mapping). When David Bradley
assumed creative control of the series, the beginner was thought of once
again (though his games are by no means easy!)
Wizardry IV places you in the role of Werdna, the evil wizard who was
defeated at the end of the original Wizardry. You were researching a
powerful, mysterious magical amulet; this research was cut short by a
rudely interrupting party of do-gooder adventurers. You were killed and
your body imprisoned in a great ten-level underground fortress. Well, now
you have revived, and seek revenge on your captors, recovery of your
drained powers and the amulet, and naturally, world domination. (In my
world, you were also a bad former starting pitcher for the Flagstaff
Foozles -- the less said of your 8-ish career ERA, the better.)
Wizardry IV was the first CRPG I know of to explicitly pit you as the bad
guy fighting an array of do-gooders. It was also written to be extremely
difficult -- it is widely regarded by veterans as the most difficult CRPG
ever written. Few are the people who can solve the game entirely without
help. (When it existed, Sir-Tech's helpline was very helpful in a couple
of tight spots.) You'll fight with the aid of monsters summoned from
pentagrams; you can only control in that you can choose which monsters.
You'll deal with an incredibly intricate maze: the dungeon rapidly becomes
difficult to map, and mapping is absolutely essential to success (unless
you steal someone else's, or use this guide). You'll deal with puzzles,
many of which are maddeningly difficult or obscure. You'll also find much
more text than in the first three Wizardry games, which is definitely a
plus. There are also five endings to the game (not counting just getting
killed outright), one of which is the Grandmaster Ending that is meant to a
test of the truly elite.
If you want to play the game (without a walkthrough), experience with
Wizardry I is absolutely essential (though you cannot transfer characters
either to or from Wizardry IV). This is not just for the experience; you
need to be familiar with the game mechanics, and there is also a puzzle
late in the game that requires intimate knowledge of the original game.
GAME PACKAGE INFORMATION
------------------------
You can legally obtain Wizardry IV in three different packages: the
Ultimate Wizardry Archives compilation on CD, and an early and a late
version of the original floppy-based version.
The Ultimate Wizardry Archives is still not too hard to find in stores both
brick-and-mortar and dot-com, and on eBay or GameTZ. It's non-trivial to
get, but it's far easier to get than many other adventure or RPG packages.
A fair price for a new package is $10-15 or so, although you might be able
to get it for less on eBay or GameTZ.
It comes in a large black box with the familiar logos in red and gold on
it. Its contents are:
* 1 CD in a jewel case. On it are all seven Wizardry games, including both
the original and Gold versions of Wizardry VII.
* Manual (256 pages, covering all seven games).
* Manual addendum (orange 20-page booklet; not relevant to Wizardry IV).
* Reference card (white 8-page small square booklet).
* The standard Interplay Reference and Troubleshooting Guide.
* An ad for Interplay's RPG's (for all the game collection completists like
me!) Interplay, not Sir-Tech, distributed the package. (Sir-Tech's
distribution arm is out of business, though the actual game-writing part
still lives.)
This is the package you're most likely to get Wizardry IV in if you just
want to play. (Any attempt to ask me for or give me information on how to
get it not-so-legally will be at best blissfully ignored. I don't exist
for the purpose of being a distributor of old games, thank you very much.)
The old original Wizardry IV package has a LOT of parts, and is not easy to
find with all the parts. There are two similar package types. Both of
them have the following in common (this assumes you have the PC version):
* Small two-piece box (black front, white back), the same size as the other
original Wizardry packages.
* One floppy disk (both 5.25" and 3.5" versions exist).
* Manual (14 pages).
* Mordor Charge Valid Card List. This is the copy protection, and is
printed in that irritating black-on-dark-red-paper fashion. This copy
protection doesn't exist in the Archives version. (As bad as it is, it
doesn't hold a candle to the Wizardry VI protection scheme, which was
THE most awful scheme EVER, and was additionally robust enough that it
was to the best of the knowledge never properly cracked by the pirate
community; only the Archives version is properly cracked.) The booklet
does have a slight gameplay hint or two on it. Also, the correct copy
protection number is calculated from the other numbers, not stored as
game data.
* Technical reference card ("The Special Effects Department"). This is
the same card found in the late version of Wizardry I, and in Wizardry
II and III.
* Spell reference card. This is the same card found in the other Wizardry
games above. Sort of a pity, as you can't cast Priest spells, and
a few spells work differently anyway.
* "Importantant Notice for People who have never played Wizardry before"
(yellow sheet of paper). This is in case you couldn't figure out by
looking at the game package that this is for experts only.
* A pad of graph paper (same as in other Wizardry games of the era).
* A pink tournament registration card. You fill this in in you finish the
game (you wlil get three numbers to put on the card -- these tell, or
told, Sir-Tech how well you did). I never sent in mine -- pity, I'd love
to own that certificate they sent you now.
* "Has the first problem got you groping in the dark?" A solution to the
first puzzle in the game, sealed with a sticker bearing the dragon logo.
* The Mordor Charge Card. This isn't necessary to actually play the
game. Before, it functioned to get you cool promotional items from
Sir-Tech. Now, it's of interest to game collectors. It's the piece
that's most likely to be missing from the package, so whether it is
present or not has a significant impact on how much the package overall
is worth. The number on the front of the card is unique (yes, it *is*
different for every card).
* Black cardboard holder for the Mordor Charge Card. It's sealed with the
sticker bearing the dragon logo, and folds open to reveal the card and
some information on what material benefits it used to grant.
* Warranty registration card (for you completists out there).
In the case of the earlier package, that's all you get. The later package
has a few differences:
* Stickers on the front of the package reading "Hint Book BEGINNER LEVEL
Enclosed" and "Suggested Retail Price $19.95", plus a sticker boasting of
a couple of rewards.
* Yes, the hint book is enclosed. Far too many people had too much trouble
without it, apparently. It's eight pages long, and has only the barest
essentials needed for solving one of the four regular endings. (If you
want the Grandmaster Ending, there's little help to be found here.)
Though it's not all that easy to find, demand for it isn't particularly
high either, so $40-50 is a rough estimate of how much a complete package
in good shape is worth (after all this time, packages will tend to be
damaged or incomplete, however). IBM versions are worth more than non-IBM
versions (this is generally true in collecting old games).
RUNNING WIZARDRY IV
-------------------
Running the Archives version of Wizardry IV on a modern computer is (unlike
many older computer games) relatively straightforward. It's perfectly
happy either in pure DOS or in a Windows DOS box, and runs fine for the
most part. However, a few messages will appear too quickly for you to
read. You may need to use a program like Mo'Slo to slow down the game
enough for you to read them.
WALKTHROUGH
-----------
So, you're stuck, eh? Well, here is a complete detailed walkthrough to
this game. It assumes that you are aiming for all three major classes of
endings -- I've tried to add some comments on items that are not essential
to other endings, but haven't tried to be thorough about this. It's
slanted towards doing things as soon as possible -- in some cases, it's
easier to do things later, but for purposes of game flow, I won't change
what I originally wrote much. (OK, so I'm being a bit lazy.)
Since this is an ASCII-text-only guide, and I don't feel like rendering
complicated maps into ASCII, this guide gives explicit directions which I
have never double-checked. They therefore may not be wholly accurate,
though they should be close, and in any event all major puzzle solutions
should be accurate. I wrote the directions from my maps, which I found to
be inaccurate in a few places for 4 Down (so that is the most likely level
to have incorrect directions).
There is still some information in the walkthrough I'm not quite certain
about, but unless I know it is wrong, I didn't remove it. Let me know if
something is not quite right. There is also some irrelevant information
that has survived two rounds of cuts; in particular, many of the things
below should be obvious. I might eventually abridge the text in a future
version.
GENERAL NOTES
-------------
* Unlike other adventure games and RPG's, you should not save your game
left and right, as doing so revives all the guardians on the current
level. It's better to save only when you have reached a major
milestone. And don't save far from a pentagram if you don't have decent
monster support left; otherwise, you may find yourself surrounded by
guardians you cannot defeat.
However, saving does move Trebor's ghost (see below) far away from you.
If he starts to get uncomfortably close, you can escape him by saving
the game and reloading from the same spot.
* For regular guardians, there are 24 different pictures (3 for each
class). The picture often is an indication the strength of the enemy.
Here are the classifications:
FIGHTERS -- I. Multi-colored, with weapon held low
II. White, looks like he has a mustache
Version 3 (July 11, 2001)
Author: Stephen S. Lee (ssjlee@shell.rawbw.com)
INTRODUCTION TO THIS GUIDE
--------------------------
As with Version 2, you are free to distribute this guide wherever you
please, and amend it as you see fit, so long as you give me proper
attribution.
I recently replayed Wizardry IV for the third time, and felt that an
update was in order. Version 1 of this guide was written in 1990, way
back when I was in high school, and bored. It was written only to amuse
myself, and wasn't intended for general consumption (especially with the
lack of Internet access back then, and the note at the end of the
Grandmaster ending telling you not to help others).
Several years later, I was reading comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg and noted
a cry for help for Wizardry IV. No written widely available walkthrough
existed, so I hastily trimmed mine down for general consumption, and
unleashed Version 2 onto Usenet. (I got rid of about 85% of the material.
Other than the list of guardians, there was nothing important there.)
Another half-decade passed, and the walkthrough is now to be found in many
locales all over the Web, amended in many cases. It is still missing many
things, however, so here is this update, which adds:
* Updated contact information (the old e-mail address, being an *.edu one,
is long dead). Feel free to contact me with any requests, questions, or
corrections.
* Some commentary on just what this game is, anyway.
* Collector's information -- I am an avid collector of old game packages,
so I just have to get this in somehow, heh.
* Information about the Wizardry Archives version, which plays somewhat
differently from the original floppy-based version.
* A little more information on the game endings.
* Explanations for some of the more obscure puzzles.
* Some more information on combat strategy.
* Elimination of some irrelevant things that I didn't scrap when stripping
down for Version 2.
SO WHAT IS WIZARDRY IV, ANYWAY?
-------------------------------
The original Wizardry I was a classic adored by many (although I believe
IV, V, VI, and VII are all superior games). Unlike the Ultima series,
however, the Wizardry creators chose a different tack in sequels: writing
for veterans. This had the unfortunate side-effect of making II, III, and
especially IV accessible to but a narrow audience. Nevertheless, they are
still good games even today if you are a veteran player (though II and III
are heavily reliant on combat and maze-mapping). When David Bradley
assumed creative control of the series, the beginner was thought of once
again (though his games are by no means easy!)
Wizardry IV places you in the role of Werdna, the evil wizard who was
defeated at the end of the original Wizardry. You were researching a
powerful, mysterious magical amulet; this research was cut short by a
rudely interrupting party of do-gooder adventurers. You were killed and
your body imprisoned in a great ten-level underground fortress. Well, now
you have revived, and seek revenge on your captors, recovery of your
drained powers and the amulet, and naturally, world domination. (In my
world, you were also a bad former starting pitcher for the Flagstaff
Foozles -- the less said of your 8-ish career ERA, the better.)
Wizardry IV was the first CRPG I know of to explicitly pit you as the bad
guy fighting an array of do-gooders. It was also written to be extremely
difficult -- it is widely regarded by veterans as the most difficult CRPG
ever written. Few are the people who can solve the game entirely without
help. (When it existed, Sir-Tech's helpline was very helpful in a couple
of tight spots.) You'll fight with the aid of monsters summoned from
pentagrams; you can only control in that you can choose which monsters.
You'll deal with an incredibly intricate maze: the dungeon rapidly becomes
difficult to map, and mapping is absolutely essential to success (unless
you steal someone else's, or use this guide). You'll deal with puzzles,
many of which are maddeningly difficult or obscure. You'll also find much
more text than in the first three Wizardry games, which is definitely a
plus. There are also five endings to the game (not counting just getting
killed outright), one of which is the Grandmaster Ending that is meant to a
test of the truly elite.
If you want to play the game (without a walkthrough), experience with
Wizardry I is absolutely essential (though you cannot transfer characters
either to or from Wizardry IV). This is not just for the experience; you
need to be familiar with the game mechanics, and there is also a puzzle
late in the game that requires intimate knowledge of the original game.
GAME PACKAGE INFORMATION
------------------------
You can legally obtain Wizardry IV in three different packages: the
Ultimate Wizardry Archives compilation on CD, and an early and a late
version of the original floppy-based version.
The Ultimate Wizardry Archives is still not too hard to find in stores both
brick-and-mortar and dot-com, and on eBay or GameTZ. It's non-trivial to
get, but it's far easier to get than many other adventure or RPG packages.
A fair price for a new package is $10-15 or so, although you might be able
to get it for less on eBay or GameTZ.
It comes in a large black box with the familiar logos in red and gold on
it. Its contents are:
* 1 CD in a jewel case. On it are all seven Wizardry games, including both
the original and Gold versions of Wizardry VII.
* Manual (256 pages, covering all seven games).
* Manual addendum (orange 20-page booklet; not relevant to Wizardry IV).
* Reference card (white 8-page small square booklet).
* The standard Interplay Reference and Troubleshooting Guide.
* An ad for Interplay's RPG's (for all the game collection completists like
me!) Interplay, not Sir-Tech, distributed the package. (Sir-Tech's
distribution arm is out of business, though the actual game-writing part
still lives.)
This is the package you're most likely to get Wizardry IV in if you just
want to play. (Any attempt to ask me for or give me information on how to
get it not-so-legally will be at best blissfully ignored. I don't exist
for the purpose of being a distributor of old games, thank you very much.)
The old original Wizardry IV package has a LOT of parts, and is not easy to
find with all the parts. There are two similar package types. Both of
them have the following in common (this assumes you have the PC version):
* Small two-piece box (black front, white back), the same size as the other
original Wizardry packages.
* One floppy disk (both 5.25" and 3.5" versions exist).
* Manual (14 pages).
* Mordor Charge Valid Card List. This is the copy protection, and is
printed in that irritating black-on-dark-red-paper fashion. This copy
protection doesn't exist in the Archives version. (As bad as it is, it
doesn't hold a candle to the Wizardry VI protection scheme, which was
THE most awful scheme EVER, and was additionally robust enough that it
was to the best of the knowledge never properly cracked by the pirate
community; only the Archives version is properly cracked.) The booklet
does have a slight gameplay hint or two on it. Also, the correct copy
protection number is calculated from the other numbers, not stored as
game data.
* Technical reference card ("The Special Effects Department"). This is
the same card found in the late version of Wizardry I, and in Wizardry
II and III.
* Spell reference card. This is the same card found in the other Wizardry
games above. Sort of a pity, as you can't cast Priest spells, and
a few spells work differently anyway.
* "Importantant Notice for People who have never played Wizardry before"
(yellow sheet of paper). This is in case you couldn't figure out by
looking at the game package that this is for experts only.
* A pad of graph paper (same as in other Wizardry games of the era).
* A pink tournament registration card. You fill this in in you finish the
game (you wlil get three numbers to put on the card -- these tell, or
told, Sir-Tech how well you did). I never sent in mine -- pity, I'd love
to own that certificate they sent you now.
* "Has the first problem got you groping in the dark?" A solution to the
first puzzle in the game, sealed with a sticker bearing the dragon logo.
* The Mordor Charge Card. This isn't necessary to actually play the
game. Before, it functioned to get you cool promotional items from
Sir-Tech. Now, it's of interest to game collectors. It's the piece
that's most likely to be missing from the package, so whether it is
present or not has a significant impact on how much the package overall
is worth. The number on the front of the card is unique (yes, it *is*
different for every card).
* Black cardboard holder for the Mordor Charge Card. It's sealed with the
sticker bearing the dragon logo, and folds open to reveal the card and
some information on what material benefits it used to grant.
* Warranty registration card (for you completists out there).
In the case of the earlier package, that's all you get. The later package
has a few differences:
* Stickers on the front of the package reading "Hint Book BEGINNER LEVEL
Enclosed" and "Suggested Retail Price $19.95", plus a sticker boasting of
a couple of rewards.
* Yes, the hint book is enclosed. Far too many people had too much trouble
without it, apparently. It's eight pages long, and has only the barest
essentials needed for solving one of the four regular endings. (If you
want the Grandmaster Ending, there's little help to be found here.)
Though it's not all that easy to find, demand for it isn't particularly
high either, so $40-50 is a rough estimate of how much a complete package
in good shape is worth (after all this time, packages will tend to be
damaged or incomplete, however). IBM versions are worth more than non-IBM
versions (this is generally true in collecting old games).
RUNNING WIZARDRY IV
-------------------
Running the Archives version of Wizardry IV on a modern computer is (unlike
many older computer games) relatively straightforward. It's perfectly
happy either in pure DOS or in a Windows DOS box, and runs fine for the
most part. However, a few messages will appear too quickly for you to
read. You may need to use a program like Mo'Slo to slow down the game
enough for you to read them.
WALKTHROUGH
-----------
So, you're stuck, eh? Well, here is a complete detailed walkthrough to
this game. It assumes that you are aiming for all three major classes of
endings -- I've tried to add some comments on items that are not essential
to other endings, but haven't tried to be thorough about this. It's
slanted towards doing things as soon as possible -- in some cases, it's
easier to do things later, but for purposes of game flow, I won't change
what I originally wrote much. (OK, so I'm being a bit lazy.)
Since this is an ASCII-text-only guide, and I don't feel like rendering
complicated maps into ASCII, this guide gives explicit directions which I
have never double-checked. They therefore may not be wholly accurate,
though they should be close, and in any event all major puzzle solutions
should be accurate. I wrote the directions from my maps, which I found to
be inaccurate in a few places for 4 Down (so that is the most likely level
to have incorrect directions).
There is still some information in the walkthrough I'm not quite certain
about, but unless I know it is wrong, I didn't remove it. Let me know if
something is not quite right. There is also some irrelevant information
that has survived two rounds of cuts; in particular, many of the things
below should be obvious. I might eventually abridge the text in a future
version.
GENERAL NOTES
-------------
* Unlike other adventure games and RPG's, you should not save your game
left and right, as doing so revives all the guardians on the current
level. It's better to save only when you have reached a major
milestone. And don't save far from a pentagram if you don't have decent
monster support left; otherwise, you may find yourself surrounded by
guardians you cannot defeat.
However, saving does move Trebor's ghost (see below) far away from you.
If he starts to get uncomfortably close, you can escape him by saving
the game and reloading from the same spot.
* For regular guardians, there are 24 different pictures (3 for each
class). The picture often is an indication the strength of the enemy.
Here are the classifications:
FIGHTERS -- I. Multi-colored, with weapon held low
II. White, looks like he has a mustache
Jump to page:
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Other files from this game:
- Wizardry - The Return of Werdna solution by System on 09/03/2006, 09:50