Blackguards is set in the Wild South of the Horasian Empire and the Emirate of Mengbilla, in the land of Aventuria. As a player, you take control of an amnesiac prisoner and guide him on a thrilling quest for answers. Before the game starts you will be taken to the Character Creation screen.

Character Creation in Blackguards can be a convoluted endeavor if it's your first time, so I recommend you either go with Basic Mode to leap right in with a preset character, or read the “Character Creation” section of this guide and then use Expert Mode to customize your own character from scratch.

Be aware that all challenges are not made equal in Blackguards, and many battles will turn into long, trudging messes without the right builds or skill coverage, and some might even be almost unbeatable, particularly on Hard.

With your character named, built, and equipped, it's time to jump right in.

Trust no one, they say. Especially not yourself.


After a dark and menacing cutscene, you'll be thrust right into the action. A woman lies at your feet, dead, and a snarling Wolf looms over her.

Map: Urias' Country Estate - Gazebo
Enemies: Wolf x1
Strategy: This is the Tutorial mission, so it's a good moment to familiarize yourself with the Controls for the game. The Wolf is not a difficult enemy, with your basic equipment and abilities you should be able to easily dispatch it in a couple of blows. If you took any Special Abilities, drag them onto the Action Bar for convenience; you're going to use them a lot.
After the Wolf is dead, a group of Guards come upon your character, and the screen fades to black.
Rewards: None.

Main Quest: Elanor's Death Completed. 50AP.

One day after Elanor's death, you are being held in the Prison of Neetha. Two men, Lysander and Muratori, torture you in a vain attempt to extract a Name from you, but to no avail. They accuse you of murder and, from this point on, you are known as the Cutthroat of Neetha, guilty of the slaying of Princess Elanor ay Kalamal.

One question still haunts me. By the Nameless One, what happened to me?
You are released from your cell by a Dwarf and, unarmed and unarmored save for a pair of Torches and some Leather Chausses, you are accosted by a Guard. This battle is simple, even if you didn't invest in Axes and Maces (the Weapon Talent for the Torch), since the Dwarf has your back. The stocky Angrosho comes fully ready for this fight, with levels in Axes and Maces as well as the Special Ability Power Blow.

Map: Prison of Neetha – Torture Chamber
Enemies: Guard x1.
Strategy: The Guard is a weak enemy, with 20HP on normal. Let him come to you to deny him his first strike, then wail on him with the Torches. Don't actually try to hit someone with a Torch in real life, though, Torches are brittle and make for dreadful weapons, trust me.
Rewards: 25AP. 2g, 9s.

After the beat down, you have a nice chat with the Dwarf, who introduces himself as Naurim, a Dwarf from the Anvil Mountains come to the Wild South to continue the eternal fight against a dragon known as the Golden One. While he's clearly insane, he just got you out of jail, so might as well run with it. Just as the conversation devolves into awkwardness, another prisoner speaks up in a mellifluous voice. He introduces himself as Zurbaran of House Florios, and Al-Anfan mage from the far South, here in spite of the war between Al-Anfa and the Horasian Empire. Releasing him from the cell, he joins your motley crew.

The Prison of Neetha is a Dungeon that has a very simple layout. Before moving on, take a moment to look over the Character Sheets for Naurim and Zurbaran. To the North West, you'll come upon a locked door, so head East to the Guard Room.

Map: Prison of Neetha – Guard Room
Enemies: Guard x3
Strategy: The two central Guards are conveniently standing below a chandelier. It would be a shame if something were to happen to it. After arranging an isolated accident, you can proceed to gang up on the last remaining guard. Don't feel bad, he'd do it to you if he could. Zurbaran, even with a Torch, won't be hitting too often, though.
Rewards: 25 AP. 2g, 1s.

With the battle done, you get the Key to the door and the one to Zurbaran's collar. He can once more cast his magic spells, and he no longer looks like he escaped from a fetish club. Head to the previously inaccessible door, and run right into the Cells.

Map: Cells
Enemies: Guard x2 + Reinforcements
Strategy: Zurbaran is given a one-time Initiative +1000 buff so he can cast Fortifex Arcane Wall and confine the 2 Guards in their starting Hexes. Regardless of whether you do or don't, the battle will end once you free the 5 Prisoners being held in cells on the Northern part of the map. To free them simply interact with the levers on the wall next to each door.
Rewards: 25AP.

Using the unarmed prisoners as a decoy, you escape the Prison of Neetha as they are mercilessly cut down by infuriated Guards. In the wilderness, huddled around a campfire, the Blackguards talk and you share some more of your story. Elanor was the daughter of the highly recognized Count Urias ay Kalamal, a great mage and explorer.

Main Quest: The Prison of Neetha Completes. 50AP.

As you reminisce, you are cast into a flashback of five weeks ago, in the Count's very own estate. A jocular Lysander taunts you into a mock duel with Wooden Swords, as Elanor and the raven-haired Aurelia watch on, wearily and eagerly, respectively. If you so wish, however, you can decline the duel.

Map: The Duel
Enemies: Lysander x1
Strategy: Lysander is an alchemist and has no business in melee combat. If you rolled a Mage, don't worry, you can do this. The puddle will trip Lysander most of the time, simply kite him into it and watch him go belly up. Once he's down, do the noble thing and beat him around the head and shoulders with your sword-shaped stick. It's a shame you can only hit him 5 times.
Rewards: Satisfaction.

Main Quest: A Harmless Duel Completes.

After some conversation, you all agree to head into Neetha to take stock of your situation. In town, you can talk with Teacher Drego to get some lore-friendly explanations of game mechanics. I recommend that you do not do this, since the man gets on my nerves. Whether or not you talk to the boomer, head over to the Innkeeper, Donna Missanti, to have a chat. It looks like Lysander has skipped town to go South, and Urias has disappeared altogether. Head over to Merchant Alricio to learn that Aurelia has also left this sinking ship of a town, and that Elanor has been buried in her family's traditional resting place. After that, you might as well have a gander at his stocks. Honestly, the only thing worth buying from him is a stack of Provisions or two, since they can come in handy in Dungeons. Ignore the gear, since you can handle most of the basic stuff with what you have, supplemented by drops, and there will be a decent guaranteed drop soon.

Main Quest: Neetha Completes. 50AP.

However, as much as Alricio is a waste of space, the Smith does have a very interesting piece of weaponry: the Neethan Axe (20g). Ruinously expensive right now, you should save all the money you can, as fast as you can, and get this if you intend to run the Cutthroat or Naurim as a Two-Handed Bashing Weapons Warrior, and I do recommend you run at least one of them so. This is an Infantry damage weapon, and will carry that Warrior well into Chapter 3 with no need to upgrade. I love this weapon.

That said, head into the Cemetery for some totally legal grave-robbing. The Cemetery is another small Dungeon, so just go straight ahead into the Crossroads.

Map: Cemetery – Crossroads
Enemies: Thieves x3
Strategy: Two of them will rush you, while the third stays back and takes pot shots. At this point in the game, a Hunter can really ruin your day but, fortunately, all you have to do is run a character up to him and he'll swap into his second weapon set. After that, focus down one of the melee Thieves, then the other, then gang up on the last one. Zurbaran can heal if they get any lucky shots in.
Rewards: 25AP. 3g, 6s.

Now, Elanor's Grave is in the Southern Crypt, but you really want all the AP you can get, so I recommend you head to the Northern Crypt first.

Map: Cemetery – Crypt (North)
Enemies: Skeleton x3
Strategy: In spite of their spookiness, Skeletons aren't really a threat. The Fire damage from your Torches will do quite nicely against them. They are, however, immune to Piercing and Poison damage, and resistant to Slashing. Draw them in, and then focus them down one by one.
Rewards: 25AP. 1g, 5s.

In for a penny, in for a pound. Head to the Eastern Crypt.

Map: Cemetery – Crypt (East)
Enemies: Wolf x2
Strategy: This is a straightforward slug-fest. Beware, however, that Wolves are harder to hit, and Naurim's Power Blow might miss more. Furthermore, they can cause Knock Down with their attacks, which is not a fun-time experience.
Rewards: 25AP.

Ok, now that we've culled the local Wolf population, might as well get on with doing what we actually came here to do. Head on down to the last Crypt.

Map: Cemetery – Crypt (South)
Enemies: Crypt Louse x3
Strategy: “I hate Crypt Lice.” Never have truer words been spoken. On their own, these disgusting little critter pose little threat. However, there are 5 Spawns around the map that will constantly spit out fresh Crypt Lice. To stop this, send 1 of the characters around to shut the openings by interacting with the lids while the other 2 tank the Crypt Lice.
Rewards: 25AP.

It looks like you got here too late, even Elanor has disappeared without a trace, and the only thing left is a shiny bauble: Elanor's Stone. What is wrong with these people? Even the dead are leaving town. Well, heal up with some Provisions before moving out to Neetha, because you're about to be ambushed in the Graves node.

Map: Cemetery – Graves
Enemies: Bounty Hunter x3
Strategy: Bailiff Lasca, enter stage left. Fortunately, he doesn't take the field as he needs to adjust his wig. Instead, you're facing 2 Bounty Hunter Warriors and 1 Hunter. Stay back and use cover to avoid the Hunter until you get an opening to rush him. Be wary of the Bounty Hunter with the Shield, since he has a high Parry score.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 8s.

Main Quest: Elanor's Grave Completes. 75AP.

After escaping the Bailiff's dogs, the Blackguards converse and you decide to make due South, towards the Emirate of Mengbilla in pursuit of Lysander. Zurbaran agrees, but requires a favor from you first; he wishes to be reunited with the Baroness Belarita of Drôl. You're appointed leader of the Dragonslayer Team, as well, because Naurim likes things by the book.

If you head back to Neetha to rest, you'll find that Donna Missanti has joined the disappearing act. However, this would be an excellent time to get that Neethan Axe, you know, if you wanted to. On the world map, head into Wobran. It's time to get some gear.

You arrive in Wobran only to find that your faces are stamped all over town in convenient Wanted posters. This will make getting into Drôl difficult; however, Naurim has friends in low places. Meanwhile, talk to the Beggar and give him some alms, since he'll give you the Quest: The Battlefield of Wobran. He'll also give you some thoughts on Merchant Prosperi. Talk to Prosperi, and agree to assist him with his troubles to get the Quest: The Mascaron Staff. Curiously, if you return to the Beggar, he'll never have heard about the Master Ioreas name-dropped by Prosperi, and Prosperi is really cagey when asked. Hm.

Other than the Beggar and Prosperi, you also have access to an Inn, a Healer, and Elissa, the very first Teacher. Look over what she offers. Dodge would be good on both Zurbaran and Naurim, regardless of how you build them. I also recommend picking up Survival on all characters that don't have it, since that +1 Speed in wilderness is well worth 40AP.

Time to do some Sidequests, then. Head to the Battlefield of Wobran first.

Map: Battlefield of Wobran
Enemies: Thief x4
Strategy: The goal is to gently murder these Thieves so you can loot the dead yourself, but not before you open the 4 Chests in the map. Kill the two advancing Thieves first, then go tie up the two in the back with the bows while someone opens all the Chests. More Chests mean more rewards, so don't end it prematurely. If the Hunters are getting you down, Fortifex Arcane Wall can stop arrows.
Rewards: 25AP. 3G. Wooden Shield, Spear, Bastard Sword, Leather Cuirass, Woodcutter's Axe, Short Sword, Broadsword, Buckler, Brabak Coat, Small Belt.

I'm pretty sure those are guaranteed drops, but I do recall getting a Rapier once, so your mileage may vary. Anyway, if you're a Two-Handed Sword user, that's the only one you're getting until Chapter 3 almost, so make the best of it. The Brabak Coat is great for a Tank, as well. This completes Quest: The Battle of Wobran.

Now let's go find that Cousin of Prosperi who had the Mascaron Staff. Make your way to the Strange Footprints to find the Cousin but not the Staff. Naurim has the right idea here, so make your way to the Wood Troll, but don't forget to equip your team with Torches.

Map: Sicklethorn Forest
Enemies: Wood Troll x1
Strategy: Now, the Wood Troll is unbeatable at this time by any means other than using the environment, or having a really, really cheese build. See the bubbles? That's Swamp Gas. Now, a lot of people find Gas distressing or embarrassing, but here it is your friend. Move Naurim and your Cutthroat to the edge of one of the Gas deposits, but not into it. This will draw the Wood Troll onto it. If you didn't equip them with Torches, you can use Zurbaran's Ignifaxius Burst of Flame to ignite them, causing terrible, terrible damage. The more Hexes the Wood Troll is on, the better; if he's centered over all seven of them, he can potentially be one-shotted with good RNG. Beware of getting hit, he can easily inflict Wounds and Knock Down, killing a character in two turns. Beware of pathing, as well, as this game loves nothing more than to run your Torch-bearer into the Gas, resulting in instant barbecue.
Rewards: 25AP. Mascaron Staff.

Now that you have your hands on the ugly thing, Zurbaran makes a convincing argument. For now, hold onto the thing, and avoid talking to Prosperi, as that will force you to complete the Quest by either handing it over, or lying to him. Just heal up at the Inn, and head over to Drôlsash.

Once there, talk to the brothers Bal and Cadalman, sons of Cadrim. Accept their game, and choose Even (but only if you want to win). Bal is a very literal person, it seems. Inquire about the dragon hunt to get Quest: The Dragon Hunt. After some back and forth, these completely above-board acquaintances of Naurim agree to help you get into Drôl if you help them retrieve some Legitimate Merchandise. Look around the traders, then leave town and head to the Dragon Hunt, it's time to kick some scaly tail.

Map: Naurim's Hiding Spot
Enemies: Swamp Ape x6
Strategy: The water puddles all have a Trap in the center, a Bog Hole into which a character will plunge. While there, they take 1 damage per turn, take penalties to Dodge, and can't Move for 2-3 turns. Fun. Avoid them and try to lure the Swamp Apes into them. This battle is straightforward enough, just beat on them.
Rewards: 50AP.

“Map” in hand, make your way to the Dragon Cave, and get ready; there's a tough fight ahead.

Map: Dragon Cave
Enemies: Crypt Louse x22
Strategy: Sike! Ok, so get ready for a long, drawn-out battle. Advance slowly, activating only one pod of Crypt Lice, then drawing them back into a bottleneck. This is a long, long battle, but you have all the time in the world to regenerate your Astral Points and Hit Points, so slow and steady wins the race. Avoid the water pools at all times, those are where Stalactites fall, and they will kill you in one hit. Don't become a statistic.
Rewards: 50AP. Naurim's Axe.

Naurim's Axe is a decent Axes and Maces Weapon, if you're running a Weapon and Shield, or Dual Wielding build. Ah, well, so much for that Dragon. Now, with sidequests done, let's get back on track. Or almost. If you want to stop by Vhelwan, there's something interesting there: the Merchant carries the Power of Shadows, a rare, 250G book that will teach Ecliptifactus Shadow Force to a mage. This is one of only two ways of learning the spell in the game, and the second one is nearly at the end, so keep it in mind.

Head to Thenesh to get some Herbal Remedies for the Dwarf brothers. The Merchant here carries Thrown Axes, which are a very nice weapon on someone with Throwing Weapons. They're also limited in the game. Head into the 'Dear Friend's' House and get ready to fight. Spoiler: they weren't actually friends.

Map: 'Dear Friend's' House
Enemies: Thief x4
Strategy: Be mindful of the stacked crates and barrels, since having them dropped on you means being knocked prone and quickly being curb-stomped. If you can knock them over on them, though, you're golden. These guys have good Parry and Dodge, so try to double-team them as much as possible.
Rewards: 25AP. 2g, 7s.

Now that you have your Prescription Medication, take it back to the eagerly waiting Dwarf brothers so they can human traffic you into Drôl.

In Drôl, speak to them again to access Quest: Dwarf Games. Now that we have this sidequest, we'll proceed to ignore it for as long as possible because it is one hell of a ride. The Innkeeper has interesting things to say about young, beautiful people disappearing. He also mentions how Baroness Belarita's husband was poisoned. Hm. The vendors have an assortment of goods, but nothing stands out. The smith does have some Fencing Weapons, the only type absent so far in the game.

Once you're done in the main area, head into the Hanging Gardens where Zurbaran's paramour awaits and talk to the Master Gardener. You can helpfully point out spots where she can lay her traps to deal with rats; this is a secret tool that will help us later. Alborn is a Teacher, and has quite a few Special Abilities and Talents on display, if you want them. That done, head over to the Bodyguard and twist his breeches a bit to get into a scuffle. Beware, this is a battle in two parts with no rest between them, so conserve HP and ASP!

Map: Hanging Gardens of Drôl
Enemies: Bodyguard x3
Strategy: Draw them into the traps them pound them into the ground one by one. My man Zurbaran is getting some.
Rewards: 25AP. 2g, 2s, 5c. Zurbaran's Staff.

Now, while Zurbaran is out, Naurim and your Cutthroat will enjoy some wholesome conversation around the fire. This doesn't last long, as your favorite Mage comes running back with pursuit hot on his heels. He's back, the Sheriff of Nottingham! I mean, the Bailiff of Neetha!

Map: Road to Belarita's Country Estate
Enemies: Bounty Hunter x6
Strategy: Regroup as fast as you can so Zurbaran doesn't get flattened, then hold the line and pick them off one by one. Use the Omrais Mine by the fire as a roadblock, if possible. Don't concern yourself with the Hunter, at first, because getting surrounded is a much greater threat, and after a couple of pot-shots he'll run into the melee. A well cast Fortifex Arcane Wall will funnel them nicely onto the Mine.
Rewards: 25AP. 1g, 8s, 3c.

Lasca is out on patrol, it seems, so the Blackguards are going to have to mount a rescue operation, for Zurbaran's sake.

Map: Belarita's Country Estate
Enemies: Bounty Hunter x7
Strategy: This is the first timed battle of the game; there'll be a couple of these further on as well, but I consider this one to be particularly annoying because of how early in the game it is. The goal is to get across the second bridge before Lasca can execute Belarita, that is to say, before 5 turns pass. The six Warrior Bounty Hunters are dangerous, particularly the ones with the Sledgehammers, but the real problem is the Hunter with the Crossbow in back, sniping your guys. The Bounty Hunters will endeavor to block your path with crates and bodies, so you have to make a hole and send Naurim (or a tanky Cutthroat) running for that touchdown. Be prepared to chug Potions at the other side, and beeline the Hunter. There are Bear Traps along the center of the first bridge, and along the edges of the second one, so choose your pathing to avoid them. Zurbaran's Ignisphaero Fireball can quickly remove the first barricade, if you're loved by RNGesus. Otherwise break it, or move it. Move your Tank 2 Hexes away from the second bridge first, to bait the Bounty Hunters off of it and leave yourself enough space to circle around and past them.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 8s. Wingman of the Year Award.

Main Quest: Drôl's Most Beautiful Rose Completes. 150AP.

Now that Belarita's safe, it's time to keep heading towards Mengbilla. First stop on the way is Mikram, but you will be waylaid on the road by some strangers.

Map: Road to Mikram
Enemies: Henchman x4
Strategy: Ah, yes, Poison. Poison is pretty good in this game, especially when used against the player, as you're about to find out. Best course of action is to rush the two Hunter Henchmen to force them to change gear, then attack the Warrior Henchmen.
Rewards: 25AP. 1g, 4s.

Turns out Lysander is also after you, and after some Half-Elf he means to dose and drag away. So make your way to Mikram, and talk to the charming Telemache, who'll tell you about the Half-Elf Salva's affliction, her sister Niam, and the Hesinde Temple's efforts to stop this spreading affliction in Mengbilla. If you dig into her reason for being here, she'll reveal that she's investigating a Hesinde Shrine and, if you offer to help, will give the Quest: Pilgrim Paths. This is a very long sidequest that will complete by itself as you explore locations throughout the playthrough; I'll make notes of them when they show up so you don't miss them. Telemache is also a Teacher, and I'd recommend getting Clarum Purum on Zurbaran since, as mentioned, Poison is everywhere in this game.

Speak to Joldan the Healer to learn more about this Niam character. Turns out the Half-Elf has a habit, and is hiding in Dennderim Forest, another small Dungeon, so heal up and head over there. Start by visiting the vaunted Shrine of Hesinde to get the first location on Quest: Pilgrim Paths.

Map: Dennderim Forest – Shrine of Hesinde
Enemies: Goblin x4
Strategy: Goblins are weak, but they're slippery little beasts, so use Feint to lock down their Parries and Dodges before beating on them. If you can bait one onto the Campfire, it'll knock out over half their HP.
Rewards: 25AP. 1g, 9s, 3c.

Head for the Clearing next. Make sure to wear boots.

Map: Dennderim Forest – Clearing
Enemies: Goblin x4
Strategy: Pretty straightforward, no dirty tricks available. Tag the Hunter Goblin and then focus the Warrior Goblins. The one with the Shield can Dodge and Parry quite well.
Rewards: 25AP. 1g, 2s. Bone Mace.

You came for the Half-Elf, but stayed for the Goblins, so head on in to the Goblin Camp to take care of business.

Map: Dennderim Forest – Goblin Camp
Enemies: Goblin Shaman x1, Goblin x4 + Reinforcements
Strategy: This is a Leader battle, the goal is the beat up the Shaman, otherwise Goblins will keep spawning and overwhelm you through sheer body odor. Make for the Shaman as quick as you can, and try to deal all your damage in bulk, since she will heal herself whenever her HP gets too low. The Shaman is wearing Mage gear, so has a decent resistance to Magic and Fire. She uses a Bone Mace as a weapon and can cast Ignisphaero Fireball, Ignifaxius Burst of Flame, and Balm of Healing.
Once you've brutalized her, she'll offer Woodworms in exchange for her life. Might as well take them, since killing her grants nothing interesting.
Rewards: 25AP. Woodworms (If spared).

Right, now that you've established the pecking order, head to the last remaining clearing and meet up with Niam the Half-Elf. She's well out of it, but I'm sure she has a prescription, so it's ok. We need her, though, so head over to the Lake and get ready for a big chungus.

Map: Dennderim Forest – Lake
Enemies: Wood Troll x1
Strategy: Ok, there's 2 ways to go about this. The smart way is to kite the Wood Troll around and collect 5 of the Mushrooms. That ends the battle, it's all you need. However, if there're Woodworms burning a whole in your pocket, you might as well just chuck them at the thing and stab, slash, and pound it into submission. The result is the same, but you wrecked a Wood Troll.
Rewards: 50AP.

Since the only way to bring Niam out of her high is with more drugs, feed her the 'shrooms to sober her up. Once she's out of it, she'll tell you about seeing Muratori (Lysander's torturer) doing something to Salva, and will offer to lead you to his estate.

Main Quest: Further South completes. 75AP.

However, now that we have Niam, it's time to do some Sidequests. Unless you built the Cutthroat as a Staff Mage, it's high time we gave the Mascaron Staff to Merchant Prosperi in Wobran, so head on over and turn it in to complete Quest: The Mascaron Staff, for 50AP. After that, head South from Mikram to talk with the Tramp, and agree to pass on his message to get Quest: Brotherly Love. Head to Chaleba and tell the Merchant Sarino that Onaris says hello. He'll freak, and ask you to kill Onaris in exchange for a rare magic book, so head back out there to find the Tramp, but only after talking to the Beggar for some curious dialogue. The Tramp claims that he is actually Sarino, and that the Sarino in town is Onaris masquerading as him. He points you to some bandits to get more proof.

At this point, there's a number of ways to resolve this. There are three potential fights: one with the bandits, one with the Merchant (Sarino, but actually Onaris in disguise), and one with the Tramp (Onaris, but actually Sarino in disguise). Whoever you choose to aid, I recommend you go after the bandits first, since they'll give some juicy AP. The questions are amusing in their ambiguity, but asking about their palace will lead to a fight.

Map: Bandit Camp
Enemies: Bandit x3
Strategy: Now that you have Niam it's a 4 on 3 fight. You got this, just wreck the losers.
Rewards: 25AP. 2g, 4s, 5c.

Decision time. Either kill the Tramp for the Merchant, or the Merchant for the Tramp. The only difference is that the Merchant will give you the Convocatio Glacium, a book you can use to learn Cold Shock. The spell can be learned later on, but the book can be sold for 50g if unused, and 33% less for every time it is read. By the end of the game you should be rolling in hundreds of Ducats, but now, money is tight. Honestly, whom you kill has no bearing on the game, so follow your heart; unless you're somehow out of money, then follow your wallet.

Map: Shrine of Praios
Enemies: Sarino x1. Bodyguard x2.
Strategy: Another fight in your favor, straightforward and easy.
Rewards: 25AP. 1s, 7c.

Map: Tramp Camp
Enemies: Onaris x1, Thief x1
Strategy: This fight is embarrasing. 4 on 2, they don't stand a chance.
Rewards: 25AP. 2c.

Regardless, Quest: Brotherly Love will complete, and you'll get 100AP. It's time to visit Muratori, so head over to the Torturer's Country Estate. Muratori's Country Estate is a bit larger than previous Dungeons, but still very manageable. Head over to the Gate to the Villa.

Map: Muratori's Country Estate – Gate to the Villa
Enemies: Guard x3
Strategy: There are a few Traps lying about, fortunately very visibly. One of the enemy guards is a crossbowman on high ground, who you'll need to take out using ranged attacks or magic, while the other will barricade himself. The last one is a dangerous Warrior, armed with a Halberd that does Infantry damage, and quite a bit of it. He also has Attack of Opportunity (AOO), so be mindful of moving around him. Take the Warrior down, then deal with the crossbowmen.
Rewards: 25AP. 1g, 5s.

Next, head into the Forecourt just ahead.

Map: Muratori's Country Estate – Forecourt
Enemies: Guard x3
Strategy: There's an interesting thing here, the Guard in the back will attempt to ring the Bell behind him. If he does, the next battle will be harder, so stop him if you can. Fortifex Arcane Wall can block off the the bell, or alpha strike him if you have enough Ranged Damage dealers. The other two are dangerous, since they can hit hard, and the Halberd one has AOO and Power Blow.
Rewards: 25AP. 1g, 8s, 8c.

Map: Muratori's Country Estate – Courtyard (Warned)
Enemies: Guard x6
Strategy: The two Hunters in the back are going to be a pain, but you can block off their shots with some application of Fortifex Arcane Wall. Funnel the enemies down the bottom path by pushing the crate to block the upper path and take them down one by one before moving forward. The Star Guard is hard to hit, has AOO and Feint.
Rewards: 25AP. 3g, 3c.

Map: Muratori's Country Estate – Courtyard (Unaware)
Enemies: Guard x4
Strategy: Very similar to the Warned fight, except there's only 1 Hunter now, 2 enemies less, and no barricades. Make use of your nummeric superiority and take out the Star Guard first.
Rewards: 25AP. 3g, 3c.

Duck into Storage real quick, since freeing the Goblin in there will start the Quest: Sulaak's Greatest Treasure.

Map: Muratori's Country Estate – Storage
Enemies: Guard x2
Strategy: These guys are dead meat walking, you can easily take them out in a turn.
Rewards: 25AP. 1g, 8s.

There's a Boss fight coming up, so get ready and head into the Torturer's Study.

Map: Muratori's Country Estate – Torturer's Study
Enemies: Muratori x1, Swamp Ape x6
Strategy: Muratori always acts first and always releases the Swamp Apes. If you rolled high for initiative, you can use your characters and Fortifex Arcane Wall to block off the cages so they can only come out one at a time. Regardless, Muratori is dangerous even by himself. He has high Stats, uses Potions to cure himself and replenish his ASP, and can cast Corpofesso Aching Limbs, Ignisphaero Fireball, and Ignifaxius Burst of Flame.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 8s. The Major Book of Abjurations.

I always lose it when he calls him “baldy”. Childish, I know, and yet... So it turns out this was all some kind of misunderstanding, I wonder what Grangorian tarts are. Kill the torturer, or let him go, it has no relevance to what comes next. The Thirteen Encomia of the Nameless One sits on a table, along with a mysterious Crimson Tincture, and all of these items are added to your pack. A note hints at progress in some scheme, and the answers to questions seem to be more questions. A brief note about the Major Book of Abjurations: this teaches Magica Infracta, an absolutely essential bit of late game magic, but it wont get much use in the first couple of chapters, and you can learn it later on, so I'd recommend selling the book for those 50 Ducats you can use for gear.

Main Quest: The Torturer completes. 150AP.

Anyhow, now it's time to cross the border, so go to Mikram for a planning scene, and then on to Morbal. You won't actually get there, as you will be waylaid and forced into a battle.

Map: Road to Morbal
Enemies: Achaz x5
Strategy: Ah, the Achaz. Every single one of them has a couple of Poisoned Javelins, a Distance weapon, and high Dodge. The game's “hint” is actually the mission objective; if the Commander dies, you lose, so keep her topped off with Zurbaran. Take the Achaz on 1 at a time, and allow the Wounded Guards to take the brunt of the assault, unless you have Balm of Healing 3, in which case heal them up and they can actually wreck face.
Rewards: 25AP. 2g.

After the battle, Commander Rallia Carralire will recognize your merry band, and offer to let you through on your way to Mengbilla on the condition that you go to Morbal to assist in its defense against the sudden Lizard Man uprising. Well, it's not like you have an option, but don't go just yet. We still have one Sidequest left before we go to Morbal; it's time to go meet the Dwarves in Cadrim's Valley. They'll give you a sleeping draft, so put yourself in the hands of this extremely shady couple of Dwarves.

You wake up, which is a surprise, in a room with none of your gear, just some basic trash. Equip yourself as best you are able and drink the water from the Caraf. Don't open the box, you'll die. Move into the next room, and loot all the Chests before moving into the next room for a fight.

Map: Cadrim's Trap Room
Enemies: Crypt Louse x4, Swamp Ape x2, Wolf x1
Strategy: Bunker up in your starting area and take on the waves of enemies. Don't worry about expending your ASP, since this battle won't end until you want it to. Focus down the Crypt Lice first, then the Apes, then the Wolf. The Wolf is dangerous, but he's easy to outmaneuver. Be wary of hidden traps, but remember that the visible ones only activate from the levers, so stepping on them is ok. Once you've cleared all the enemies, get off the traps, activate all 4 levers, then just stand by the exit and cast Balm of Healing until everyone is at max HP, and then skip turns until everyone is at max ASP. It's cheese, but you don't get to use an Inn or Provisions before the next fight, so you have to make due. Once you're topped off, hit the central lever and make your way out of the map.
Rewards: You get nothing. Good day, sir.

The Merchant here doesn't sell anything great, under normal circumstances, but I recommend getting a couple of Potions since the next fight is bitter. If you have great faith in your builds you can skip them for the extra gold, but...

Map: Cadrim's Arena
Enemies: Bal x1, Cadalman x1
Strategy: Bal is incredibly tanky, has high Parry and Dodge, a Shield, a Poisoned Mace, at least 3 Potions, and male pattern baldness. Cadalman has a Crossbow with Blunt Arrows, so expect your Blackguards to get Knocked Down a lot, even if you invested in Body Control; he does become much more of a wimp if you force him into melee, but he can still hurt you and heal himself. Focus down Bal, try to avoid leaving him at low HP since he'll just heal. Be mindful of the Bal's Morningstar spinning traps, they affect a radius of 2 hexes.
Rewards: 50AP. 15g.

Well, now that they've learned, we can go back to Morbal for more Achaz attacks. The city is a lovely shade of burning when you get there, so talk to the Commander, who'll take pitty on you and give you an allowance so you can buy some better gear. Between this and what you got from the Dwarves you should be able to purchase a full Brigantine set for Naurim, and a second one for your Cutthroat if you didn't make a Mage.

In the Side Street, Marmotte the Smith has some interesting facts to share about Naurim, as well as some decent stock. The Longbow is also a good pick for Niam.

Once you go back to the Commander you'll be greeted by your old chum, Bailiff Alricio Lasca of Neetha. Fortunately, the Commander is based and knows what priorities are, so you can take this occasion to mouth off to Lasca to your heart's content before going out there to fight the good fight against the unwashed, scaly hordes. Next is a two-part battle.

Map: Morbal – Fishemern's Huts
Enemies: Achaz x5 + Reinforcements
Strategy: The “hint” is right. Your priority is protecting that breach in the wall for 10 turns. Don't let any Achaz step onto it, or you lose. The Fishermen aren't a priority, and I can understand why. Any time they run into contact with an Achaz they'll freeze and stand still as they are murdered; they go down in two hits; they are slow as slow can be. Honestly, focus on keeping yourself alive and well-supplied, since this is a two part battle. Don't bother killing off all the Achaz, they just keep spawning. The Hunters on the wall seem nifty, but they'll get one-shotted in a couple of turns by Flying Lizards. Flying Lizards appear (for now) as shadows over the battlefield; on the next turn a rock falls where they where flying over, killing anything it falls on and dealing damage and Knock Down to the 6 hexes around it. You will get more AP for more Fishermen evacuated, so don't just skip turns.
Rewards: 10-80AP. 6g.

Map: Morbal – Inner Wall
Enemies: Achaz x6 + Reinforcements
Strategy: Keep them away from the hole in the wall, don't bother trying to wipe them as more keep coming and they don't stop coming. All the dry grasses are flammable, so some creative use of Ignifaxius Burst of Flame can do a lot of damage. Don't set the Civilians on fire, but otherwise ignore them, the battle will end after 6 turns regardless of how many of them get warcrimed by the Achaz. It will affect your AP, but keep in mind Morbal has no Inn and therefore no way to recover Astral Points other than Potions.
Rewards: 10-60AP. 3g.

Go over to the Commander and she'll inform you that the Achaz seem to be setting up some kind of New Age hippie crystals, so you have to wreck those. Get ready to take on the one at the City Gate.

Map: Morbal – City Gate
Enemies: Achaz x4, Achaz Priest x1, Crystal x1
Strategy: This is the first of the Crystal battles, another repeating type. The Crystal will heal all enemies by 15HP at the start of every turn, so either focus down enemies to kill them in 1 turn, or beeline the Crystal. The Achaz Priest will also make things difficult for you, since he can cast Balm of Healing and Wrath of the Elements. Step away from the Rock Trap behind you, since he can instantly kill half your party with a spell. Conversely, you can move Niam to the South and bring down their Rock Trap, instantly killing 1 of the Achaz.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 2s.

Heal up, recover some Astral Points if you have some Potions, and head into the Side Street and the Sewers.

Map: Morbal – Lakeside
Enemies: Achaz x5, Achaz Priest x1, Crystal x1
Strategy:The river is a Knock Down hazard, so keep your low Body Control people off of it. Otherwise, the battle is pretty much the same. Draw them in and kill them one by one, or rush the Crystal. I recommend drawing them in, since even though the Achaz Priest can give you a black eye from range, they do outnumber you by quite a bit at first. This Priest has Thunderbolt, one of my favorite spells. The Star Achaz has Knock Down, and high Body Control.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 2s.

And, just like that, the Achaz army is defeated. Talk to the Commander to get your reward, and get ready for the journey into the Emirate of Mengbilla.

Main Quest: Morbal Completes. 200AP.

Make your way to Winneb. You will be ambushed yet again by Bailiff Lasca since, apparently, you're the only criminal in the entire Wild South.

Map: Road to Winneb
Enemies: Bounty Hunter x8
Strategy: Watch out for the Swamp Holes in the swamp, but use them to your advantage. Move Niam back first and use Perception to find them, then use them as traps for the enemies. Try to prioritize the Bounty Hunters with the Sledgehammers, as they can Wound your characters easily, even with high Willpower.
Rewards: 50AP. 2g, 8s.

Main Quest: Over the Border Complete. 200AP.

It's time for another flashback, this time to three weeks ago in Count Urias' Country Estate. After a brief interview with the Count, you'll be tasked with guarding his excavation. While lazing around on the job you converse with the lovely Aurelia. Here comes a critical point in the game: there are two branching paths down the road and the choice whether you go down one on the other hinges on a number of factors. One of those is your attitude toward Aurelia. Trusting her and agreeing with her will lead to one of them, mistrusting and demeaning her down another. Whichever you choose, be consistent. Regardless, you'll hear a noise and head into battle.

Map: Urias' Country Estate – Excavation
Enemies: Thief x2
Strategy: This is your starting character, so he's weaker than your current Cutthroat. Aurelia is a Mage with Witch's Bile, Witch's Spit, and Ecliptifactus Shadow Force. The quickest way to end this battle is to place your Cutthroat under the Rock Trap, bait the Thieves next to him, then move back and collapse it on them for terrible, terrible damage.
Rewards: None.

Main Quest: Aurelia Completes.

The Emirate of Mengbilla. A land that banished Praios, the god of Justice.

Welcome to Mengbilla! You've barely taken a step upon its sands and Niam is already hurting for a fix, while some random woman screamingly accuses you all of being murderers (true), criminals (also true), and slavers (not true... yet). She is very rapidly convinced that you aren't cronies of the Montereys, Marwan's Manhunters, however, and entrusts the rescue of her son Usim to you. Usim, like Salva, is a young, bright individual that's gone missing. Heroes that you are, head out into the map and get ready to raid the Slave Caravan.

Map: Slave Caravan
Enemies: Patrol x3
Strategy: You start in Stealth, so take a turn to look around, then rush the Hunter. The Warrior Patrol in the Gambeson has decent Attack and Parry, so leave him to last as he can tank. Regardless, it's an easy fight.
Rewards: 25AP.

Well, that didn't go as planned. Diego and Helia Monterey, the husband and wife slaver power couple, have gotten you in their hands. Listen in on their conversation to overhear some marital troubles, and then talk to Khabla, a Rastullahn Dervish who will inform you about all the cruelties of the camp, such as eating gruel from a bowl touched by an Indifel. Diego and Helia will then pit you all in battle against other slaves.

Map: Montereys' Slave Pits
Enemies: Slave x5
Strategy: There are 2 Rock Traps around the Northern edge of the map, so luring them there is always an option. You'll also have the upper hand in this battle because you have at least 2 Mages and 1 thick dwarf against 4 Slaves with Clubs and 1 favored Slave with a Pickaxe. Focus down the Pickaxe Slave as fast as possible, since he can really lay down the hurt.
Rewards: 25AP.

Main Quest: Let's Win it All Back! Completes. 200AP.

After proving your worth by beating on malnourished slaves, you are taken to El-Halem to learn under the famed lanista Diamantos, who doesn't care who or what you are, as long as you kill people on demand. He will at least show you a wide variety of Special Abilities, given he's a Teacher. For now, he expects you to go talk to the Smith Stranzo to get some equipment, since all of yours has been taken. You can also talk with Clarizia, the Rahja priestess who will restore your HP and ASP for a small fee. Looming in the back is Takate, the best gladiator trained by Diamantos, who you can talk with for some philosophical debate. Return to Diamantos to get your next assignment: a pair of 2vs2 battles. On the one hand you'll face Elgor, a Warrior who uses Two-Handed Weapons, and Liviasabu, a Hunter who uses a Bow. On the other hand you'll face Nesro, a Mage, and Jesabella, a dangerous Warrior with a Shield and a Poisoned Mace. Choose which two of your Blackguards will face each enemy team. I recommend that Zurbaran be present for the Jesabella fight, since she can quickly overwhelm one of your characters with Poison.

Map: El-Halem Arena – Elgor and Liviasabu
Enemies: Elgor x1, Liviasabu x1
Strategy: Elgor is slow but powerful, kite him while you run up to Liviasabu and pound on her until she stops twitching. If you ignore her she can deal a lot of damage with her Shortbow. This is the easier of the two fights by far, however.
Rewards: 50AP. 5g.

Map: El-Halem Arena – Nesro and Jesabella
Enemies: Nesro x1, Jesabella x1
Strategy: Be lucky. Seriously. Jesabella is a tank with high Attack, Parry, and Dodge. As if that weren't enough, she has a Poisoned Mace and Potions to heal when she gets low on HP. By contrast, Nesro is little more than a nuisance, since he won't take too long to run out of ASP. Something you can do is bait Nesro into casting Ignisphaero Fireball onto Jesabella along with your characters.
Rewards: 50AP. 5g.

Now that you've gotten through that, you get Quest: Jesabella's Legacy, which you'll get to eventually. For now, go talk to Diamantos so he can praise you for killing the gladiators he's taken months to train. Takate is fighting today, and you're the opening act, so get ready to fight some critters.

Map: El-Halem Arena – Wolves
Enemies: Wolf x4
Strategy: Straightforward fight, Wolves are the same as always. Beware their Knock Down and focus them down one at a time.
Rewards: 50AP. 5g.

Simple, easy, onto the next one. It seems that the Kyrios of Mengbilla's Slavehunters' Guild, Marwan al'Ahmad ibn Chadims is hosting the Battle of the Nine Hordes once more, where gladiators are pitted against beasts and men in a desperate struggle to save a captive maiden; a captive maiden named Aurelia, in this case. Heal up, and talk to Diamantos to start your next fight, the one that will prove your worth

Map: El-Halem Arena – Takate the Forest Man
Enemies: Gladiator x3, Takate x1
Strategy: Takate is a dangerous Warrior, he has Feint and Targeted Stab, so he will often hit what he's aiming at and deal damage. He also has a couple of Throwing Axes which he can use to knock your characters down, and a couple of Potions to heal himself. The other 3 gladiators are a Two-Handed Weapon Warrior, a Shield Warrior, and a Mage. The Two-Hander drops easily, and the Mage is paper thin, so take them out before focusing down the tank. Finally, surround Takate and pound on him.
Rewards: 50AP. 10g.

Main Quest: You are Gladiators! Completes. 300AP.

Main Quest: The “Nine Hordes”

After your victory, Diego intervenes so that Takate is spared, and he joins you as you're all sent to Mengbilla. There, in its glorious arena, you meet Tulefa al'Kira, master gladiator; she will prepare you for the Nine Hordes. The reward for triumph in this three-day massacre is, among other things, a night with the maiden, which perks Zurbaran up, in spite of the fact that the witch Aurelia is forced to wear a Mask of Shame. For now, you've gotten all your gear back, and some cash on top, so look at the Merchant's stock and get ready. Each day is three consecutive battles with no rests between them. The Healer is a Teacher as well, and has some valuable Special Abilities. You can also talk to Diego Monterey for some insight into Aurelia, the Nine Hordes, and Niam's habit. There's also the Old Gladiator, who's good for some banter. Gird your loins and head off to sleep, tomorrow you will be reunited with the dark-eyed Aurelia.

Map: Battle of the Nine Hordes – The First Horde
Enemies: Goblin x7, Goblin Shaman x1
Strategy: First, avoid the Traps. Second, avoid the Traps. Takate and Niam both have Perception, and it is well worth using to spare yourself the pain. The Shaman will cast Ignifaxius Burst of Flame and Balm of Healing. The Goblins, individually, are little threat, although they are slippery. Kill a couple, then advance on the Shaman. Leave 1 of the Hunter Goblins alive, though, since you really want to recover your ASP between fights to make life easier.
Rewards: 100AP. 5g.

Surprised witch aside, that wasn't so bad, was it? Straight into the second fight.

Map: Battle of the Nine Hordes – The Second Horde
Enemies: Thief x6
Strategy: This is probably the easiest of all the Nine Hordes. The Healing Water is a godsend, the Braziers will set the whole darkened ground area they are resting on aflame. Don't be surprised if a Thief knocks one over then dies in the flames, the AI does that kind of thing. Very easy fight, just kill the Warrior Thieves, who have Feint and AOO, and ignore the Hunters, since they'll hang back taking 5% shots until they run out of Arrows. Leave one alive for ASP regen, though.
Rewards: 100AP. 5g.

The charitable Marwan al'Ahmad ibn Chadims is possitively quivering with joy. Is it bad that I remember his full name? Anyway, next battle.

Map: Battle of the Nine Hordes – The Third Horde
Enemies: Gladiator x5
Strategy: This fight can be a bit finicky, but it isn't hard. The Hunter and the Mage, who has Ignifaxius Burst of Flame and Gardianum Magic Shield, will stay back, so stay on your side of the map and use the central pillar to deny them Line of Sight. The Two-Hander, tank, and Dwarf will all rush you. These are all enemies you've faced before, actually. Just break them one by one, but be wary of the Traps and of Bal's Morningstars; the Morningstars in particular have no set pattern, I'm pretty sure it's a dice roll to determine if it moves, then successive diminishing dice rolls to see if it keeps moving. I've had fights where only a couple of them have moved, and fights where they moved 2-3 Hexes each. As to the Traps, make sure to select your character's path Hex by Hex, since this games pathing seems to favor walking into all hazards possible. If you feel the need, each starting area has a Healing Water basin to recover. However, this is the last fight of the day, so go ham.
Rewards: 100AP. 10g.

That's the First Day done. Extremely easy, barely an inconvenience. And you get 300AP out of it, so upgrade your characters a bit. Talk to the Beast Master, who's very forthcoming about the Louse Queen, a gigantic Crypt Louse kept by Marwan for the Third Day of the Battle of the Nine Hordes. Fortunately, with Takate, you now have a 5-man A-Team that can take on all comers. Head off to the Dormitorium next, tomorrow is a new day.

Map: Battle of the Nine Hordes – The Fourth Horde
Enemies: Jungle Tiger x5
Strategy: This battle starts off all kinds of wrong. Your characters are scattered, you can't see the enemy, and there is no terrain to take advantage off. This is a straight up slug-fest between you and an endangered species, so roll up your sleeves, regroup, and poach some wildlife. The Jungle Tigers are very dangerous, with high Dodge and Attack, as well as a tendency to inflict Wounds and Knock Down. I hope you have Balm of Healing 3 on Zurbaran, because you're going to need it. Use Takate's Death Blow or Targeted Stab to get Wounds on them, since you really need to bring their stats down. Debuffs and buffs are also welcome if your Cutthroat is a Mage, or if Zurbaran isn't busy healing. The bushes in the arena can be set on fire, which can deal substantial damage to the tigers if maneuvered correctly.
Rewards: 150AP. 5g.

Hopefully you got through that without getting too beaten up, because it's right off to the next battle.

Map: Battle of the Nine Hordes – The Fifth Horde
Enemies: Utulu x4
Strategy: This map is all about using cover to deny the Hunters their shots. It's a shame that the Hunters have legs and can just move and shoot you anyway. So don't do that; pick an Utulu and rush him. Then the next, then the next. Let the last linger a bit if you have someone who can tank him, so as to recover a bit of HP and ASP.
Rewards: 150AP. 5g.

On to the last battle of the day, I promise it isn't as bad as it looks.

Map: Battle of the Nine Hordes – The Sixth Horde
Enemies: Black Ogre x3
Strategy: Look at the absolute size of these lads. For all that they are massive, they aren't that hard to deal with. They take up 7 Hexes, so they are quite easy to block off. Take them one at a time and you can steamroll them with little difficulty. They do have some damage resistances, but if you got the Neethan Axe it'll help quite a bit since it deals the hallowed Infantry damage type.
Rewards: 150AP. 10g.

The Second Day done, then. So far it's been easy, next comes the real deal. Now, time to shake things up a bit. Talk to the Master Tamer, who's losing it, and he'll give you the Quest: The Lice Queen. To sedate the beast, you're going to need some Sleeping Poison, so go over to Diomaris, the Old Gladiator, and smack him around a bit to get it.

Map: Mengbilla Arena Changing Rooms
Enemies: Diomaris x1
Strategy: He's a tough customer, with access to Power Blow and Knock Down. Send in someone who's good in close quarters, so Naurim, Takate, or your Cutthroat if he's melee oriented.
Rewards: 100AP. Sleeping Poison.

Return to the Master Tamer and give him the Sleeping Poison to complete Quest: The Louse Queen and receive 200AP. Finally, it's time to face the last day. It's going to be tough, so get ready.

Map: Battle of the Nine Hordes – The Seventh Horde
Enemies: Outcast x6
Strategy: Now, the game has changed. For starters, Niam is stoned out of her mind, and you'll lose control of her for all these battles. Aurelia is no longer protected, she can suffer damage and it will carry over between battles. If she dies, you lose. The Outcasts are dangerous enemies, with high Stats all around, Feint, and Poison Weapons. Furthermore, the Death Wheels of Belhalhar can easily take you out of the game. They follow a set pattern: they'll activate, rotate twice, then fire a gout of flame in a cone. That burst will easily do 20HP damage and is deceptively long and wide, so avoid it or lure enemies into it. You can change the Death Wheel's direction of spin by pulling on the lever but, honestly, don't bother. The first spin will have one wheel target Aurelia, and she'll take 20HP, but she can take it and you can just heal her right up. After that, it'll be a long time before it lands on her again, so you can just concentrate on beating on the Outcasts. There are Healing Water Basins in this map, so leave 1 Outcast alive to replenish your HP and ASP.
Rewards: 150AP. 5g.

Now that you've beaten up some socially disenfranchised pariahs for the amusement of the masses, it's time to get your feet wet.

Map: Battle of the Nine Hordes – The Eighth Horde
Enemies: Giant Caiman x6
Strategy: So these guys are big, they have a Strength and Attack buff, deal Infantry damage with their bites, and have a metric tonne of HP. If they eat the meat on the platters a trap activates and deals damage to Aurelia, so kite them as fast as possible and take them out. Using Fortifex Arcane wall and 1 character to block off 1 of the plates while the other 2 block the second plate is recommended, then slowly chip away at them. Heal Aurelia, as she receives damage, but if a platter is emptied she might get one-shotted. Beware the Spikes on the ground, they deal damage for every Hex you cross. They deal massive damage to the Giant Caimans, since they ocupy several Hexes at once. There are also Healing Water Basins available. Giant Caiman's have high Willpower, so Wounding them is difficult, but Death Blow and Targeted Stab are useful for penetrating their Armor. This is a hard battle, but it seems that every Giant Caiman will only eat 1 piece of meat, so block off at least 1 of the 3 accesses to the platters and beat on the Giant Caimains that get there last.
Rewards: 150AP. 5g.

Time for the last battle. This one's a doozy, for more than one reason. In different circumstances I'd say tactical know-how is all you need but, for this one, I wish you good luck.

Map: Battle of the Nine Hordes – The Ninth Horde
Enemies: Crypt Louse x5 + Reinforcements, Louse Queen x1
Strategy: I hate Crypt Lice. The liquid streams won't trip you, but they'll make the Crypt Lice emit steam and, after 2 turns, they will explode, dying and dealing damage around them. There are 5 Lice spawns. At the start of the second turn the Louse Queen will spawn, so I recommend you shut 3 of the spawns simultaneously, then run back to defend Aurelia, since the Crypt Lice will prioritise her if no one is in range, while 2 characters close the remaining 2 Lice spawns. Heal Aurelia up, use Potions for ASP and HP, block access to her as much as possible. Once the Louse Queen takes the field, try to kite Steaming Crypt Lice towards it, so they detonate against it dealing damage.
Rewards: 150AP. 10g.

She's dead. Evil can be overcome. But victory is never without sacrifice. Well, if this is your first playthrough, and you didn't know Niam died: yep, this is as intended. No, there is no way to prevent it. I hope you didn't buy a 250g spellbook to teach her a spell or anything, but I didn't want to spoil it. Now, back to business. Congratulations! You've defeated the Nine Hordes, you're free, and the sultry Aurelia awaits you in your chambers. So, go talk to her.

Turns out Aurelia was sent by Count Urias to follow Lysander after he went off the deep end. Also turns out she has a rather ascerbic sense of humor. Regardless, the Mask has to come off, so it's time to have a chat with Diego Monterey, but only after you get some healing and you check your inventory. Niam's gone, but you got her gear back; the problem is that her Strength is gone as well, so your party might be Encumbered. Get rid of any excess weight, then head to Diego's Room for a friendly tête-a-tête. Whatever you say results in a fight, so I usually go with Naurim. Vengeance for Niam!

Map: Diego's Chambers
Enemies: Slavehunter x3, Diego Monterey x1
Strategy: Time for some wholesome murder. All of these guys have good Stats, but Diego takes the cake. Block off the lower entry with someone, while 2 of your characters face the Slavehunter with the Shield. Get Zurbaran into the little nook with a lever to the East. That lever drops the chandelier above on the entrance, so get your character clear and drop it on 1 or both of the other Slavehunters. Finish the Shield Slavehunter, then gang up on Diego for some Mob Justice. Alternatively, you can try to rush him early, since the battle ends once he dies, but this is risky since he has Potions he'll use to heal when low on HP; he's very tanky, and you might get swarmed by the Slavehunters.
Rewards: 100AP. 23g, 2s, 3c. 1st Piece of Black Metal.

Well, that was satisfying. That Piece of Black Metal is part of Quest: The Kor Spear, which you'll get soon enough. Now go get that Mask off of Aurelia and get ready for some reminiscing, it's flashback time.

Main Quest: The “Nine Hordes” Completes. 450AP.

Three days before Elanor's death, Lysander is being a shut-in and that has the Princess worried, so Aurelia and your soon-to-be Cutthroat head off to Neetha to check up on him. In Neetha you can meet a rather familiar Dwarf having an argument with the City Guard, but your goal is Lysander's Laboratory, where you'll find the man himself toiling over a cauldron. Friends being friends, he'll immediately send you on a fetch-quest with little to no explanation. You need to get the exoskeletons of 5 Crypt Lice. I hate Crypt Lice. You can check the Smith on your way to the Cemetery, but it's a look-don't-touch situation, since you won't have a lot of money. Head to the Cemetery, you know the way.

Map: Neethan Cemetery
Enemies: Crypt Louse x5 + Reinforcements
Strategy: Disregard the “hint”. Seriously, do the exact opposite. Press “V” to see where the exit location is, then move towards it and let the Crypt Lice come to you. Every single mound to the North of your starting location is a Crypt Lice Spawn and, if you kill the Crypt Lice where you are, you will get overwhelmed by reinforcements when you try to escape. Aurelia is very much the same as in the last flashback, so mostly use her to stab the Crypt Lice with her Dagger and provide some minor healing with Witch's Spit.
Rewards: A sense of Pride and Accomplishment.

With that out of the way, head back to see Lysander, who is just chilling, having passed on the actual work to his bone-head friends. Give him the chitin, and he'll produce Elanor's Stone.

Main Quest: Lysander Completes.

Boron, the god of the dead, watches over the city. They call him the Prince of the Gods here.

Main Quest: Welcome to Mengbilla!

Time for the Blackguards to catch up as they are joined by their newest member, Aurelia of Neetha. She came to Mengbilla following Lysander on Count Urias' orders, but Lysander used his connections with the Mengbillan Alchemists' Guild to have the Black Cohorts set upon her. Marwan's Manhunters, Helia and the late Diego, were faster and captured her for the Kyrios' spectacle. However, she did track Lysander to the Temple of Hesinde in the city, so there might be a lead there. But there'll be time for that, you are no longer slaves so you can go wherever you want, and that means it's time for some sidequests.

First off, go talk to the Beggars at the back of the City Center; this will start the Quest: The Beggar Girl. Both Takate and Aurelia can “convince” them to back off. Naurim, on the other hand, will spiral things into a fight, clearly the best option.

Map: Mengbilla City Center – Alley
Enemies: Outcast x4
Strategy: A bunch of men surrounding a girl in a dark alley. Ok. So the Outcasts are as tough as usual, with Poison Weapons, Feint/Power Blow, and decent Dodge. The first to act will target the Girl, but don't worry even if she's incapacitated, since it doesn't affect the quest. Beware, since they do have AOO.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g.

After you've dealt with the impoverished citizens of Mengbilla, you can talk to Lelia, and she'll express her adamant desire to jump ship from the Beggars' Guild to the Courtesans' Guild, and ask that you speak to Keidre dei Tarif, the Kyria of the Guild, on her behalf. I love this city. Before heading to the Courtesans' Quarter, duck into the Dreamweed Quarter, where you'll find Ossip, the Inkeeper of the “Thousand and Two Daze” Tavern. Heal up, ignore the Main Plot for now, and go to the Courtesans' Quarter.

Talk to Keidre, and she'll agree to take on Lelia as long as you help her with a problem of her own. The wizard Imaculo complained about one of Keidre's girls, so you have to go check in on him to see what's wrong. Before you leave, talk to Master Torturer Ghorio, who's a very affable guy looking to court Keidre, and wants to enlist your help in delivering a token of his appreciation to her, starting the Quest: The Old Box. The catch is that the box is with his cousin in Theniran.

Next up, head to the Alchemists' Quarter, where Katalinya the Dyer is waiting to give you the Quest: The Color of Kings. She's been waiting for some snails from Aldenia, but they aren't forthcoming, and she's willing to pay for your trip there on Captain Daragossa's ship to check it out.

For now, it's time to go back to an old haunt: the Arena Quarter. Talk to the Smith and he'll recognize the Black Piece of Metal you're carrying as a blade from a legendary nine-bladed spear known as Bloodletter, starting the Quest: The Kor Spear. He also has a sizeable stock, which includes the Brabak Lad, one of the best Axes and Maces Weapon in the game, and the Arbalest, an upgrade to the normal Light Crossbow. Here, as well, you can find the Teacher Daria, who gives the Quest: Crossed Blades, a fight to prove you're worthy to learn from her.

Map: Daria's Gladiator School
Enemies: Apprentice x5, Daria x1
Strategy: These guys are no slouches; with Shields and One-Handed Weapons they hit and evade often, so focus them down 1 at a time as best you can, healing all the while. If you can take out Daria early, it'll be a breeze.
Rewards: 50AP. 3g.

This fight completes Quest: Crossed Blades for 100AP. Now, head into the Arena and talk with the gelatinous Marwan al'Ahmad ibn Chadims to receive the Quest: Slave Hunt. Yeah, remember that conversation in Winneb? He'll also ask you about the mysterious death of Diego Monterey, and reveal the location of Helia Monterey, in a slave camp outside of Cuoris, starting the Quest: Avenging Niam. Then talk to Tulefa al'Kira to get the Quest: Arena Fights. In case the tournament arc wasn't enough for you, you get to have five more Arena Fights! Fair warning, these run the gamut from simple and easygoing, to obnoxious and soul crushing. The last one, in particular is a pet peeve of mine, and one of my Top 5 Worst Battles in the game. Anyway, time to fight!

Map: Arena Fight – Plateful of Greed
Enemies: Wolf x10
Strategy: This fight is easy to win, but actually completing it as intended can be rather hard. You start to the West of an enclosure with 4 gates. Each gate has a lever that opens or closes it. There are 10 Wolves on the other side that are trying to get in to eat the pieces of meat laid out on 4 platters. Each platter holds 3 pieces. This looks like an algebra problem but it isn't, I promise. The challenge here is stopping and killing the Wolves before they eat all the meat. The North and South gates are easy to shut in time, the East gate is harder. Each piece of meat has 3 Hexes from where it can be eaten, and a Wolf won't eat the meat if it's being attacked. You have to use all your tricks: Karnifilo Frenzy from Aurelia will make a Wolf attack instead of eat; she can also use Ecliptifacturs Shadow Force to create a Shadow Clone of herself to deny an area or to rush forward and close a gate; Zurbaran can use Fortifex Arcane Wall to impede passage in certain areas; your Cutthroat, if a mage, can also contribute with his own spells; finally, if you're really struggling to complete it to your satisfaction, you can skip ahead to resolving Quest: The Beggar Girl, since that will give you access to a Teacher that can give the Move as the Lightning spell, level 3 of which grants 2 actions in one turn. Once you've closed all the gates, any Wolves on the outside can be freely attacked with Spells, Ranged Weapons, and Distance Weapons.
Rewards: 50AP. 0g, or 8g, or 16g, or 25g, depending on amount of platters full.

That's one down, on to the next fight!

Map: Arena Fight – Cages and Levers
Enemies: Giant Ape x4, Swamp Ape x4
Strategy: Ah, another puzzle fight. Your Blackguards start off split up; it's always Naurim and Zurbaran to the West, with your Cutthroat, Aurelia, and Takate to the East. There are 4 large cages containing Giant Apes, and another 4 small ones containing Swamp Apes. In the center there are 4 levers; each lever opens/closes a gate on one large and one small cage. There are two ways to approach this battle. The first is by cunning, planning, and calculation; you lure the Giant Apes into the cages with Warrior characters, while Zurbaran and Aurelia heal and use the levers to shut them in. As soon as you capture a Giant Ape, you'll free a Swamp Ape, however. The second option is to stop thinking, because that's how they get you, things like “thinking”, “reasoning”, “talking”, and just straight up massacre the Giant Apes. Have Zurbaran use Fortifex Arcane Wall to narrow down the access so only one Giant Ape can approach, then have Naurim tank and butcher it. On the other side, Takate and your Cutthroat can gang up on one Giant Ape while Aurelia heals and debuffs. Both solutions yield the same reward.
Rewards: 100AP. Kuslikian Armor Set.

That was well worth it, the Kuslikian Armor Set is one of the best in the game, and the only one of its kind. On to the next battle.

Map: Arena Fight – The Bridge Over the River Suck
Enemies: Giant Caiman x8, Goblin x4
Strategy: Now this is one heck of a battle. The Goblins are an inconvenience, constantly sniping you; the Giant Caimans are a major threat, with loads of HP, Infantry damage, and Armor; the water is full of Bog Holes, just because. You could chance going down a side, taking on 4 Giant Caimans while somehow slowing the rest, but know the water gives a -4 to Attack, Parry, and Speed, or you could lower the bridge, run inside, and turtle while you kill the Giant Caimans. I prefer the conservative approach here, since you're going to have to kill them to realistically get to the other side.
Rewards: 100AP. 5g.

Another day, another fight. Those Bog Holes sure are the worst. Next one!

Map: Arena Fight – Heavy Weather
Enemies: Morfu x5
Strategy: Welcome to Slug City. Morfus are big, lumbering, but not too threatening. They're easy to hit, easy to evade, and their most dangerous ability is a Poison area attack that can be negated by some Clarum Purum. Just focus them down 1 at a time, this is a straightforward fight.
Rewards: 100AP. 5g.

Poor Morfus, they never stood a chance. Now there's only one battle left. At this time, your party can beat it, but expect a 200+ turn battle of attrition and constant soul-crushing grind, unless you cheese it, and I'm going to tell you how to cheese it, because I've played this battle every which way, and the reward is the same: 25 measly AP. So, get ready.

Map: Arena Fight – Gotta Go Fast
Enemies: Crypt Lice
Strategy: I. Hate. Crypt. Lice. So, this is a sprawling maze at the center of which there is a lever which opens a gate behind your start area. The objective is to get your entire party into the area beyond the gate. To get to the central lever you need to use 1 of 2 other levers. There are 20 or so Pressure Plates distributed over the map. Every time any of those are activated, the gate closes. There are 4 Crypt Lice spawns, and they will spawn 2-3 Crypt Lice every turn. If there are less Crypt Lice on the field they will often spawn 3; if more, 2. Ordinarily you'd approach this by advancing and closing the spawns, but at this point in the game it'd take forever; even with a Chapter 5 team, it'll still take over half an hour of actual game time, since the Crypt Lice's turns take forever. So, you cheese it like this: run up to the first Spawn; kill the lice there; close the Spawn; rush to block the intersection with your Warriors; send Aurelia up to the central lever's gate, she doesn't have to be against it, seeing it is enough; have Aurelia cast Ecliptifactus Shadow Clone, ideally Level 2 or 3 inside the enclosure since the gate doesn't block Line of Sight; run Aurelia back, chasing her with all the Warriors; set them all against the gate in initiative order, then Wait with all of them until all of the Crypt Lice have acted for the turn; activate the gate with the Shadow Clone, you'll need to practice a couple of times to get the timing right, but you'll get it; run them all through; if the Shadow Clone hasn't dissipated, re-summon it on the outside with you. And that's how you win this is 7 turns flat.
Rewards: 25AP. 15g.

This completes the Quest: Arena Fights, grants 300AP, and lets you fight freely in the Arena. You'll get nothing from these fights, but it's a good place to test things. For now, you should head to the Dreamweed Quarter and talk to the napping Captain Daragossa, who will take you to Aldenia.

Aldenia's Smith and Merchant don't really have anything noteworthy, barring the Invocatio of Fire II, but there are other ways of learning Ignisphaero Fireball. The Fishermen are waiting for you to chew them out and have their excuses lined up. They claim that a couple of bandits named Yvonia and Ramón have taken the snails, and other stolen goods, to a nearby grotto. Head on over, you need those snails.

Map: Yvonia's Hideout
Enemies: Bandit x7
Strategy: Poison is everywhere here; a lot on the Warriors but, more importantly, on both the Hunters. The Poison is not of the damage kind, but rather a debuff. Take it slow and steady, other than the Poison it's a straightforward enough fight.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 5s. Efferd's Beard.

It was worth it just for Efferd's Beard, a Magic Spear that means Takate can now easily fight Undead. You can talk to the Fishermen again and they'll ask for some of the loot from the cave. You can give it or withhold it, it makes no difference. After this head North to Imaculo's House, but prepare for battle, because the wizard is rather unsubtle and quick to anger.

Map: Imaculo's House
Enemies: Imaculo x1
Strategy: Imaculo is quite dangerous and has some of the best spells in the game at his disposal. He'll always start by casting Move as the Lightning 3 on himself to get an extra Action every turn. After that it's a toss up between Karnifilo Frenzy or Petrify to take some of your characters out of the fight. Once you close the distance with him, it's a 5 on 1. He's the nerd, you're the jocks. Imaculo is all but immune to Magic damage, and has absurd Resistance to Magic.
Rewards: 100AP.

Turns out he hired a housemaid from the wrong Guild. For now continue on the road North until you come to Bilhén, where an Old Woman is waiting to scream at you and give you the Quest: The Sinister Druid. Phrosina's granddaughter, Sina, has been taken by a magic hippie, and you have to get her back, so head into the Llanego Forest.

Map: Llanego Forest
Enemies: Wolf x7
Strategy: They have the numbers, but you have magic, weapons, and probably some magic weapons, so circle the wagons and take them apart piecemeal.
Rewards: 50AP.

Little Sina will tell you that she actually left of her own volition to learn from Marbis the Druid, but something went terribly wrong when they went to the Heart of the Forest to cultivate. Some corrupting influence has taken hold of Marbis, and Sina needs help. However, what awaits is a very tough battle, so agree to help her, then go on your way North to Theniran. Here you can talk to the Innkeeper about Master Torturer Ghorio's Old Box, but he's already sold it to some Merchant from Winneb! Well, off you go again, but after checking the stocks, since the Merchant holds the rare Invocatio of Fire I, teaching Ignifaxius Burst of Flame, the most common Spell in the game.

Before heading off to Winneb, notice the location marked “?” that has just turned up. Swing by to locate the Shrine of Rahja, the second one of the Quest: Pilgrim Paths you picked up in Chapter 1. Continue on to Winneb. Remember when you were enslaved and forced to fight for your life? Good times. Now talk to the Merchant and find out she already sold the Old Box to a Smith in Lorfas. Before you leave, talk to the Teacher to meet Madavar the Elf. This dagger-eared pansy is pining after a woman named Ninivé with such aplomb it starts the Quest: Zurbaran's Kind Heart. Now off to Lorfas.

In Lorfas you'll see a Smith with several Crossbows pointed at his head; that's our man, but first go to the Merchant because she has the Hunting Belt, a 3-slot belt that's a flat upgrade to your Small Belts. He also has Druidism and Witch Cult, a book that teaches the Witch's Bile spell, in case you wanted to waste both money and AP at the same time. Grab the belt, take a hard pass on the New Age propaganda, and talk to the Smith. He's getting harassed by the Beadle, so either pay up or get ready to smack some guards.

Map: Lorfas Smithy
Enemies: Guard x4, Beadle x1
Strategy: These guys are pretty easy to beat; they can intimidate some poor Smith, but it turns out they're not so tough when getting styled on by gladiators. You're close enough to the Beadle you can rush and crush him before he even gets support; the Guards are nothing special, but they do have Power Blow.
Rewards: 50AP. 10g, 4s, 9c.

Now that you've taken a stand against law and order, you can finally get that blasted box from the Smith. Next head out to meet Ninivé, the focus of Madavar's obsession. Zurbaran is getting more interested in the matter, but remember: around Elves, watch yourselves. For now keep going, only making a pit-stop in Festina to listen to some gossip about a woman named Lamea, before heading South to meet Juan Greedo. What a guy, that Juan. He wants you to run over to his Lead Mines and put down a slave revolt, so head on over there and get ready to rumble. There're two options here, either side with the Moha, or with the Slavers.

Map: Lead Mines - Slavers
Enemies: Forst Man x8 + Reinforcements, Shaman x1
Strategy: You start on a bridge in between the 2 forces. Forest Men are equipped with Spears and Javelins, so they will attack you even as they are closing in. They also have AOO that, with the Spear, is very inconvenient. They are unarmored, though, so you'll deal a lot of damage to them if you can handle their Dodge. The Slavers will hang back and take potshots, quite ineffectively. On turn 3 the Shaman will join the fight at the back of the field; Forest Men will continue to spawn until you kill him. Break through the Forest Men and rush him, as he can use Witch's Spit, Corpofesso Aching Limbs, and Witch's Bile, then wipe out the rest of the Forest Men.
Rewards: 100 AP. 15g.

Returning to Juan Gredo will complete Quest: Slave Hunt, granting 200AP. Now, option two.

Map: Lead Mines - Moha
Enemies: Mercenary x8 + Reinforcements, Captain x1
Strategy: Like the previous battle, you start on the bridge. The Mercenaries are all armed with Crossbows, so rush them to get them to change into their melee equipment. Unlike the Moha, they are all decked out in full Brigantine gear, so they have quite a bit of Armor. Unlike the other battle, however, your allies will actually help. The Moha will rush in and spear the Mercenaries to death ruthlessly, so make sure to not block their way. Turn 3 will spawn the Captain in the back, so make a beeline for him and take him out to stop the reinforcements. Then just clean up the remaining Mercenaries and you're done.
Rewards: 100AP. 40g+ in Poisons.

Returning to Juan Gredo will complete Quest: Slave Hunt, granting the exact same 200AP and, additionally, a warm, fuzzy feeling. With that done, head over to Cuoris, where you can purchase the freedom of Khabla, the Dervish of Rastullah that was enslaved by the Montereys, for 50 gold Ducats. Optionally, you can decline the offer and fight. This both starts and completes the Quest: The Unfortunate Dervish, granting 100AP. He immediately hits on Aurelia, so he must be doing ok. Time to head back out and pay Helia Monterey a visit; be ready, because she's ready for you.

Map: Helia's Camp
Enemies: Slavehunter x6, Helia Monterey x1
Strategy: Lots of barricades here. To start, 2 of the Slavehunters and Helia will hang back sniping your characters, while the remaining 4 rush you with bad intent. There's several Traps laid out, so be careful. Similarly, don't stand too close to the piles of barrels, since they can be toppled onto you and the only way to know what direction they fall in is to topple them, so you might just end up dropping them on your own head. When she gets into melee Helia is no pushover either, so gang up on her. She does have a couple of Master Healing Potions, so if you can't take her out fast consider tanking her while clearing the rest out first.
Rewards: 50AP. 9g, 2c. Rondacromb, 2nd Piece of Black Metal.

Well, that was a productive fight. The Rondacromb is a unique Two-Handed Sword, and the only one that doesn't deal Slashing damage, by virtue of dealing Magic damage. You now have two out of nine Pieces of Black Metal. This also completes the Quest: Avenging Niam, and grants 100AP. Now, head over to Istina and talk to the Merchant there about Jesabella's Legacy. She'll point you the village Oirina to the East, but warn you against stepping foot there. Naturally, that's your next stop. Don't bring any piercing weapons to this fight.

Map: Oirina
Enemies: Skeleton x12
Strategy: Bunker up, let them come to you, and wreck them. The Skeletons are immune to Piercing and Poison, and resistant to Slashing. Bashing, Infantry, Fire, and Magic all work, however, so take your time taking them apart, since they're quite ineffective.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 2s. Karima's Helmet.

Karima's Helmet is a unique version of the Bosparan Bronze Helmet that gives 10 more Resistance to Piercing damage, +1 Armor, +1 Agility, and +1 Intuition. It also completes the Bosparan Set as though it were the normal helmet, so it's great for a Warrior. This also completes Quest: Jesabella's Legacy, and nets you 50AP. Next, head to Benivilla to reunite with your old friend, Telemache, who is in need of your help again. Apparently, one of her little monkeys has gotten loose, so she gives you the Quest: Telemache's Latest Creation. Get ready, and step into her home.

Map: Benivilla – Telemache's Courtyard
Enemies: Giant Ape x1
Strategy: There's 2 ways to do this. The first is to simply kill the Giant Ape; it isn't difficult, it's 5 on 1. The second is to capture it by luring it to the cage, lifting it by using the lever, luring it under it (exactly, under it, otherwise it will be killed by the dropping cage), and caging it.
Rewards: 10AP for killing it, 50AP for capturing it.

Telemache will be overjoyed or distraught, depending on whether you captured or killed her abomination, and will complete Quest: Telemache's Latest Creation, giving 100AP regardless of the outcome. Ok, it's time to head to that tough fight in the Heart of the Forest. Equip all your characters with Ranged Weapons, then head in.

Map: Heart of the Forest
Enemies: Iribaar Lily x1, Marbis x1, Rasper Muzzle
Strategy: This is 1 of 3 Iribaar Lily fights in the game, but I think it's the easiest. The Iribaar Lily is a 7 Hex monster with an innate 60% dodge chance, as if under the effects of Duplicatus Double Vision 2, on top of your 60% to hit; so really it's a 36% hit chance. It also has a different ability called Magic Compulsion. Magic Compulsion forces the affected character to rush towards the Lily, for a duration of 2-3 turns. As far as I can tell, passing the Willpower save does nothing, since I've seen Successes with a 100% Success rate and the character still mindlessly runs towards the Lily. Rushing the Lily in melee is unadvisable, since stepping in the water will spawn Rasper Tentacles that will perform Knock Down attacks on your characters, on top of the -4 to Attack, Parry, and Speed you get from being in the water. The safest bet is to pepper the Lily from afar with Ranged Weapons, since they always have the 60% to hit, before the Dodge. With 4 characters (since one is always Magically Compelled), you can expect to get in at least 1 hit per turn, and that should take the Lily down in around 10 turns. Aurelia's Ecliptifactus Shadow Force can give you an additional Hunter, and the Shadow Clone can be Magically Compelled, freeing up your other characters. Marbis the Druid, now in the shape of a Wood Troll, must also be contended with. Move most of your characters North East while firing, and have 1 character (preferably Zurbaran) kite him to the North West so he can't interfere. If you find this fight too challenging, you can come back to it after unlocking the Triple Shot or Arrow Storm Special Abilities.
Rewards: 50AP. Obsidian Dagger.

The Obsidian Dagger is a useful little unique Dagger that provides a whopping +3 Astral Regeneration. It is critical for a Blaster Mage build.

Marbis, now free from being a tree, will thank you and offer to teach you Druidic magic and Special Abilities. You then have the choice of leaving Sina in the woods with the dodgy old man, or taking her to the backwater town with the dodgy old woman. Whatever you choose, the Quest: That Sinister Druid completes, and you get 100AP. Now head to Winneb, to visit that knife-eared healer, Madavar. Zurbaran takes pity on the creature and offers to help him, in spite of Naurim's objections. So, head South to the nearest Hunting Trophy, and prepare for a fight.

Map: Hunting Trophy – Pelts
Enemies: Giant Caiman x4
Strategy: The Giant Caimans aren't anything you haven't faced before. Stay out of the water to avoid the penalties and the Bog Holes, and draw them to your battle line. This is easy and straightforward.
Rewards: 50AP

That was very easy, but the next one isn't quite so. Equip Ranged Weapons on all of your characters. Can you guess what's coming?

Map: Hunting Trophy – Blooms
Enemies: Iribaar Lily x1, Wisp x2, Rasper Muzzle
Strategy: This battle is pretty much the same as the previous Iribaar Lily one, with the exception that there is no Wood Troll in this one, instead having Wisps. The Wisps are immune to most types of damage, so ignore them, since they deal marginal damage once or twice, then float off for some reason. Focus all your attacks on the Lily, and bring it down through sheer force of statistics.
Rewards: 50AP. Pailos.

At last, the Pailos! The Pailos is a Two-Handed Bashing Weapon, and it deals Infantry damage. It's the perfect upgrade to the Neethan Axe, having better Damage, Attack, and Parry, although 1 less Initiative.

With this done, head over to Ninivé and give her the trophies. She will be unimpressed with Madavar's simping, and give you Ninive's Elven Bow to take to him as a farewell. Ninive's Elven Bow is an impressive weapon, with good Damage and Range, but resist the urge to keep it. Take it to Winneb and give the heart-broken dandelion-eater the weapon, and he will reward you with a better one, Madavar's Bow, and complete the Quest: Zurbaran's Kind Heart, giving 100AP. Now, duck out of town and into the nearby location with the “?” symbol, to discover a Shrine to Peraine, goddess of agriculture, thus obtaining the third shrine of six for the Quest: Pilgrim Paths.

Then make your way to Heroes' Hedge on the Easternmost part of the map. There, you can talk to Alchemist Bunsenhold and offer your help to get the Quest: I Need Water! Your goal will be to defend the well from the entitled poor people who want to drink water. If you let anyone, even the Midwife at the end, get any, you fail the quest. One of the parties will not take kindly to being refused drinking water, and will attack. You can Bribe Hadjin's men for 5 gold Ducats, or fight them, but Bribing them only yields 100 AP, while fighting them...

Map: Heroes' Hedge
Enemies: Stormskull x1, Cordovan x1, Hadjin x1, Jorgenson x1, Rahjane x1, Satorin x1
Strategy: Why does a town in the middle of nowhere have a highly dangerous crew of seasoned adventurers dead-set on getting to the well? Your guess is as good as mine, but these 6 do not play around. Cordovan is a massive threat, with a high-damage Crossbow and a penchant for spamming Marksman, inflicting Wound after Wound. Jorgenson is a tanky Dwarf that can dish out a lot of damage with the Power Blow tree as well as take it. Hadjin is a Warrior with high Dodge, Parry, and Attack who will rarely miss with Feint and Targeted Stab. Stormskull is another Feint Warrior, using a Dagger to inflict Wounds. Rahja is a Mage that uses debuffs and Witch's Bile. Satorin is a Mage that uses Balm of Healing and buffs. There's no perfect strategy here, adapt to your initiative order and take advantage of opportunities as they arise. Cordovan shouldn't be ignored, but then again, none of them should. One thing that's never a bad idea, though: geek the Mage first.
Rewards: 150AP. 3s, 5c. Magician's Staff, Crossbow 'Iron Claw'.

Two uniques from one fight. The Magician's Staff is a flat upgrade to Zurbaran, with +1 Cleverness, +2 Astral Regeneration, and +20% Resistance to Fire. The Crossbow 'Iron Claw' is a short-ranged Crossbow that packs a wallop. Inform Bunsenhold about your success in denying access to a basic necessity, and that will complete the Quest: I Need Water!, granting 100AP.

Now that you're done out here, don't leave before checking out the Merchant to pick up the War Belt, a 4-slot belt. Then head back to Mengbilla; there're some quests to turn in. Head straight to the Courtesans' Quarter and go over to Keidre and give the Old Box to her, before informing her about Imaculo's predicament, then go to Ghorio and tell her of Keidre's, somewhat tepid, reaction to complete the Quest: The Old Box, giving 100AP. Do not take the “[Naurim] Keep a close eye!” option just yet, as that's a bug. Go to the Alchemists' Quarter and speak to Katalinya to hand over her shipment of purple snails to complete the Quest: The Color of Kings, and get another 100AP. She has more work for you, since someone has been stealing her body parts. This starts the Quest: Corpse Stealers, so head into her warehouse.

Map: Alchemists' Quarter – Katalinya's Warehouse
Enemies: Thief x7
Strategy: You have to prevent them from escaping, and that's easy enough. Simply collapse the crates to block the exit and stab them in the back as they try to scurry away to safety. Straightforward and simple.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 5s.

Now that you've patrolled these Thieves, you find a note leading you to a camp close to Benivilla. Before heading out, duck into the Arena once more, to talk to the affable Marwan al'Ahmad ibn Chadims, who will give you the Quest: The New Maiden, requiring a second visit to old Juan Gredo. For now, head out to the Corpsesnatcher Camp near Benivilla.

Map: Corpsesnatcher Camp
Enemies: Thief x4, Wolf x2
Strategy: This is a pretty easy fight, the Thieves are nothing special and the Wolves are barely a threat at this point. You can easily steamroll them with minimal effort.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 9s, 7c.

It seems they were guarding something. Head down into the Crypt, and pack gear to face Undead.

Map: Corpsesnatcher Crypt
Enemies: Skeleton x5, Zombie x4, Necromancer x1
Strategy: All the doors will spring open as soon as the Necromancer spots you, but blocking them with the barrels can earn you an extra turn. The Necromancer gets to act in a surprise turn once his door is opened. Any killed Undead will get back up at the start of a turn as a Skeleton, whether it originally was one or not. The Necromancer is immune to Magic damage, but he'll go down in a few hits, so focus him to end the battle.
Rewards: 50AP. Almanac of Transformation. 3rd Piece of Black Metal.

With this, you have one third of the Pieces of Black Metal. The Almanac of Transformation teaches Petrify, one of the most costly spells in the game. Speaking of spells, head over to Imaculo's House to finish Quest: The Beggar Girl, gain 250AP, and unlock Imaculo as a Teacher. Now, head over to see Juan Gredo again, who'll point you in the direction of Anhe, the young slave girl. Prepare for a tough fight ahead.

Map: Ritual Site
Enemies: Utulu x3, Shaman x1
Strategy: This is a hard fight because of the timer. You have 7 turns to bring down 4 very dangerous enemies. If you manage to get Karnifilo Frenzy on the Shaman it'll make your life much easier, as he uses Witch's Spit to heal the others, Witch's Bile to incapacitate you, and Corpofesso Aching Limbs just to spite you. All their weapons are poisoned with Kelmon, which means a hit will inflict Knock Down, and you'll never get up. They have Potions, as well. There are also Tripwires all over the place, and a couple of Thousand Bites Traps, which will deal area Posion damage when approached. This is one hell of a fight, so cheese it all you can: Poison, Karnifilo Frenzy, Petrify, the works. You can set Anhe free or take her back to Juan Gredo, but it doesn't change the outcome.
Rewards: 50AP. Belt of Kamaluq. 4th Piece of Black Metal.

Another Piece of Black Metal, nearly half-way there. The Belt of Kamaluq is a unique War Belt, so 4 slots. Return to Gredo to give him the bad, or good, news, and complete Quest: The New Maiden. Then head back to Katalinya in the Alchemists's Quarter of Mengbilla to turn in Quest: Corpse Stealers for 200AP.

Now that we're done with all those sidequests, it's time to head back to the Dreamweed Quarter and talk with the priest of Hesinde's Temple to learn that they are treating the afflicted of the strange disease, and that a man calling himself “Mercator”, but fitting Lysander's description, has been asking questions and lurking around the Temple. He also mentions another alchemist, a white-haired woman named Miramis, and directs you to Menchal ak'Taran of the Poisoners' Guild for further inquiries. Menchal is a gripey old man who is ready and willing to smell unknown Poisons, and is somehow still alive. He'll identify the Crimson Tincture as containing Assula-venom, the Poison of those big, Morfu slugs you fought in an Arena Fight. Menchal will propose a deal, wherein you bring him Morfu venom and he analyzes your sample. Agree, and he'll arrange for Captain Daragossa to transport you to a location with plenty of Morfus. Make sure to buy a couple of Provisions, then go find that layabout Daragossa.

Main Quest: Welcome to Mengbilla! Completes. 50AP

Daragossa will drop you off on a beach and straight into a fight with some Morfus.

Map: Morfu Island – Beach
Enemies: Morfu x2
Strategy: You've already killed 5 of these things by this point; this is a milk run.
Rewards: 50AP.

An Achaz will confront you for killing his flock; turns out he's a Morfu Herder since the Achaz use the poison. He offers up that Miramis came to the island for Morfu poison, but he refused her and she sent pirates to get it in her stead; they are still on the island, camped out in an old fort. He asks that you leave his Morfus alone, and that you tell the pirates to do so, as well.

The Island of the Morfus is a small, and pretty linear Dungeon. Advance to a fork in the road, and now you must choose: will you follow Aurelia's suggestion to question the pirates, or Naurim's suggestion to hunt the Morfus? In truth you can do both but, for the ending's sake, I'd recommend you don't hunt the Morfus. So proceed to the second fork in the road. Now, leaving an encampment full of Crossbow-wielding pirates to the rear seems like a bad idea, so it's time to commit some arson. Head to the Fortress.

Map: Morfu Island – Fortress
Enemies: Pirate x8
Strategy: The goal here is to set the 3 buildings on fire by destroying the oil barrels under them and setting them aflame with the Torches. The Pirates will take affront at this, so you should humanely dispose of them before doing so. They'll come at you from several directions, but use them as shields against their own Hunters, cut them down, then rush the backliners.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 5s.

Now that your back is secure head down to the Pirate Bay for a puzzle battle.

Map: Morfu Island – Pirate Bay
Enemies: Pirate x7
Strategy: One Pirate is operating a crane that can cut off access to areas of the quay. If a character is caught under it they will die instantly, so be mindful of it. The Pirates themselves are not impressive, and Ranged Weapons are very useful in this map for picking them off. Before you kill the last pirate, do open the Chest on the other end of the pier. There are numerous bridges you can use to cross the gaps, but lowering each takes 3 turns. Those turns could be better put to use killing pirates.
Rewards: 75AP. 13g, 9s, 5c.

The pirates will rat out Miramis without barely a second's hesitation: she lives in Ohzara. You also get the Morfu venom the pirates had collected but, in case you want to slaughter some innocent poison cows...

Map: Morfu Island – Morfu Herd
Enemies: Lizard Man x1, Morfu x3
Strategy: No need for any, really. Take out the Achaz, then focus down the Morfus one by one. Beware the Bog Holes, as in all water maps.
Rewards: 50AP. Saurian Axe.

Now, whether you killed the Morfus or not, head back to Captain Daragossa, who'll take you back to Mengbilla. Once back in the capital, head over to talk to Menchal, who'll reveal that one of the active ingredients of the Crimson Tincture is atakuma, a poison from the rain forests that robs people of their minds. On the subject of Miramis he'll be of assistance, pinpointing the location of her lab in Ozhara.

Main Quest: Poison and Slugs Completes. 200AP.

It's time to hit the road again, and Ozhara is the destination. Two Guards keep interlopers away from Miramis' door, but you can easily negotiate them. And by “negotiate”, I mean “publicly murder”.

Map: Ozhara – Miramis' Front Door
Enemies: Guard x2
Strategy: This is 5 on 2. They're dead meat, but you can topple barrels on one of them for laughs. You'll be sent straight into the next battle, so don't waste any AP.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 2s.

Once inside, Miramis doesn't seem pleased to see you, and sicks her minions on you.

Map: Ozhara – Miramis' Lab
Enemies: Henchm an x3, Miramis x1
Strategy: Everything can be broken, everything is poisonous. Be mindful of Traps, as well, but don't think twice about breaking some alembics to shower some poor Henchman in liquid yuck. You've got the numbers and they aren't very tough, it should be easy.
Rewards: 100AP. 6s.

The only one left alive is a female Assistant, whom your Blackguards put up against a wall and intimidate. She tells all she knows: that they're making medicine, not poison; that she's never seen Lysander Euridion; that there is a shipment of the atakuma coming in on a caravan from Al'Anfa, led by a man named Theseo Kugres, who Zurbaran recognizes as an exiled son of an Al'Anfan grandee family.

Main Quest: The Alchemist Completes. 100AP.

Main Quest: Among Flying Foxes

Raiding a caravan of Al'Anfan mercenaries isn't going to be easy. Fortunately, Naurim is acquainted with another criminal element: the troupe of bandits known as the Flying Foxes, who have been in hiding for over a decade. Their leader, Iside, is in hiding in Duyar. Before you run off anywhere, though, just North of Ozhara you'll notice an area with a “?” sign, so head over there to visit the Shrine of Travia, the goddess of housewives, and the fourth shrine for the Quest: Pilgrim Paths. Now you can head to Duyar to meet Iside, and to hear some pretty meta dialogue. Regardless, she'll task you with tracking down her companions: Ralman in Istina, Oralia in Aldenia, and Manolo, off in some tower; this gives the Quest: Fearless Ralman, Quest: Beautiful Oralia, and Quest: Masterful Manolo.

Head to Manolo's Tower first thing, it'll be to the Southeast of Mengbilla. You'll be greeted by some Goblins acting funny. Talk to the Goblin Hangman, and he'll ask for tribute in order to enter the Princedom of Suulak, under the control of the Grand Princess Unzols. You have a number of options: pay 50 Ducats up front, cheat them with Aurelia to pay 1 Taler, or massacre them to pay not one red Farthing. Any of the peaceful options, here and in the rest of the Tower, will not yield AP.

Map: Manolo's Tower – Gate
Enemies: Goblin x5
Strategy: They're buff for Goblins, but they're still Goblins; once you hit them a couple of times they shatter like glass. Beware the Spike Traps and Tripwires.
Rewards: 50AP. 2g.

If you choose to fight the little twerps, upon entering the tower you'll have another battle.

Map: Manolo's Tower – First Floor
Enemies: Goblin x6
Strategy: As above, Goblins aren't that great of a threat. The Explosive Barrels can be used to all but wipe out the Hunters in the backline with but one Ignisphaero Fireball, though.
Rewards: 50AP. 9s.

In this chamber you can interact with Suulak's Greatest Treasure to obtain the Shell Belt, another 4-slotted belt, and complete Quest: Suulak's Greatest Treasure. Turns out that Goblin wasn't lying and the Bone really was a key. Afterwards, proceed down into the cellar. Grand Princess Unzols is an uppity Goblin who will demand to see your Proof of Citizenship. If you have it, you can ask it about Manolo, and get the Smoke Key for the Second Floor from it, for a price of 50 ducats. Alternatively, you can just take the Key from the greedy little creature's corpse.

Map: Manolo's Tower – Cellar
Enemies: Goblin x2, Goblin Shaman x2, Summoned Wolf x3
Strategy: As the battle progresses, the black Glyphs on the ground will turn into Wolves. Other than that, this is an uneventful battle. Don't huddle up since the Shamans can use Ignisphaero Fireball and, on that note, geek the Mages first. The Shamans, as most Mages, are immune to Magic damage. Any character blocking a Glyph, or one of the surrounding Hexes, will be displaced by the Wolf as it emerges, if it requires any of the occupied Hexes.
Rewards: 100AP. 21g, 9s, 6c.

With that done, you can proceed to the Second Floor, and confront a delusional Manolo who is convinced he's banished Reality to a magical disc and that everything else, including you, is part of an illusory world. To be fair, he is right. Regardless, no matter how you try to convince him he won't budge, so it's up to you to use violence to persuade him of the truth.

Map: Manolo's Tower – Second Floor
Enemies: Stone Golem x1
Strategy: The Stone Golem is a powerful enemy, but nothing you can't handle easily. Don't bunch up since it has Liberating Blow. Destroying a mirror will break the Stone Golem into 2 smaller Stone Golems, on top of inflicting 20 damage. Each subsequent mirror inflicts a further 20 damage on both the little guys, so smash away and the fight will be done in no time at all.
Rewards: 100 AP. 5th Piece of Black Metal.

Another Piece of Black Metal; that's over half of them. With Manolo again convinced about what is real and what is not, you're ready to move on. Don't tell him that you killed his Goblin slaves, though. This completes the Quest: Masterful Manolo and awards 350AP. Outside Manolo's Tower, interact with the cute little piglet to obtain Frenkel, and start the Quest: Cursed Swine! Now head to Istina to find Ralman, who's lazing about in the street protecting some Chests. He won't abandon them until a roaming Jungle Tiger is dealt with, and demands that you bring its tooth before he leaves his post. Head over to the Jungle Tiger's hideout to find a young Moha, who turns out to be the Jungle Tiger. You can bribe him, charm him, or fight him for the tooth, but only one of those gives AP.

Map: Jungle Tiger's Hideout
Enemies: Jungle Tiger x1
Strategy: This is a 5 on 1 butchery. Beware Traps, however.
Rewards: 50AP. Spear of the Jungle Tiger.

The Spear of the Jungle Tiger is a unique Spear with the Wounds 1 special effect, allowing you to pile on Wounds extremely quick. Return to Istinia, hand the tooth to Ralman, and send him on his merry way to Duyar to meet up with Istine, completing Quest: Fearless Ralman. Now go to Aldenia to chat up Oralia, who will refuse to return to the Flying Foxes, in spite of Ralman, unless you do a favor for her. She wants you to smuggle some Goldglue to the Drunken Novadi, a tavern in Bilhén. The owner, Signore Grimani, is waiting for it along with the code-phrase “Five is nine and three is seven”. The problem is that black line you see on the map: the border. Goldglue is illegal in the Horasian Empire, so you're going to get stopped along the way.

Map: The Border
Enemies: Patrol x3 + Reinforcements
Strategy: Ah, the first Stealth mission. Stealth is one of those things in Blackguards that kind of fell through the cracks. The rules are the following, more or less: do not enter a Patrol's surrounding 6 Hexes, you can literally run a ring around them and they won't see you; do not enter a Torch's surrounding 6 Hexes; do not attack a Patrol; do not cast “noisy” spells. Exactly what constitutes a “noisy” spell is unclear, but Move as the Lightning is a “noisy” spell, and Fortifex Arcane Wall is not. However, casting Fortifex Arcane Wall within a Patrol's 6 Hexes does alert the Patrol. Lastly, beware your own AOO triggering and alarming a Patrol. Armed with this knowledge you can now sneak over the border, or try to since, in practice, sometimes they randomly see you from across the map. Or kill them all, since it makes no difference. If you want to fight, cast Fortifex Arcane Wall on the two Hexes to the West of the map, under the arch, since it will prevent reinforcements from spawning.
Rewards: 50AP.

After that's done, it's time to become a full-fledged drug mule. Head over to Bilhén and give Signore Grimani his Goldglue. The correct pass-phrase is Naurim's option, unsurprising for a career criminal like the Dwarf. As soon as you leave town you'll get jumped by some goons looking to get their hands on Oralia's goods.

Map: Bilhén
Enemies: Bandit x6
Strategy: You have to fight while protecting the Barrel, which starts off surrounded by your party. The Bandits themselves aren't too dangerous, and bring nothing new to the table. Just focus them down as always.
Rewards: 50AP. 9s. 6th Piece of Black Metal.

How very fortunate that these brigands happen to be carrying that Piece of Black Metal. Only three of them are left now! With Barrel in tow, make your way to Aldenia and hand it over to Oralia, completing Quest: Beautiful Oralia. Now head over to Duyar to meet Iside and set up a caravan heist.

Main Quest: Among Flying Foxes Completes. 50AP.

Before you head over to Festina to sink deeper into a life of crime and lawlessness, notice the location with the “?” sign just to the Northwest of Duyar, and go there to visit the Shrine of Tsa, the fifth out of six shrines for the Quest: Pilgrim Paths. Now go rob a caravan. This will entail three battles, back to back, so remember to conserve ASP if possible.

Map: Caravan Assault
Enemies: Guard x10
Strategy: Seriously, Manolo, what's your problem? So, the game here is to prevent the Guards from reaching the Bell on the Caravan. If they ring it you lose, so you have to quickly block off access to it with crates, Fortifex Arcane Wall, and bodies. The Guards themselves are quite beefy, taking it as well as dishing it out, but you have “reinforcements” in the Flying Foxes. Why the quotation marks? Because the Foxes are almost worse than useless. From Best to Worst: Iside is a decent off-Hunter with Targeted Shot and Mage support spells; Oralia is a Crossbow Hunter with decent Ranged Attack, and the Targeted Shot and Marksman special abilities, which she can use to pile on damage or Wounds; Ralman is a Two-Handed Weapon warrior with the worst stats in the game and horrible chance to hit on anything that isn't Knocked Down, Poisoned, Wounded, or otherwise gift-wrapped for him; and then there's Manolo. Ah, yes, Manolo. You don't control Manolo, and he spams Ignifaxius Burst of Flame 4 every turn he can. This means that, more often than not, Manolo will kill more than a few members of your team. I've had Manolo manage to hit 3 of them at once. They should call it Ignifaxius Burst of Salt.
Rewards: 50AP. 4g.

Map: Caravan Infiltration
Enemies: Guard x5
Strategy: Stealth again; the same rules apply. Bring a decent Warrior and Iside the Healer, in case things go awry. The idea here is to use the Prisoners in cages as a distraction for the Guards while you run past them to a ladder in the back. The Prisoners are unarmed and unarmored, and will typically go down in 1 or 2 hits from the Guards. The moment you release the Prisoners, Stealth breaks, so they're less a distraction and more “cannon fodder”. The Guards are tough for 2 characters, but you can run past them easily enough. As a note for Hunters, you can shoot through the cages.
Rewards: 50AP. 10g.

The Flying Foxes will stay behind for this next fight, with one exception: Manolo.

Map: Caravan Raid
Enemies: Guard x6, Gladiator x1
Strategy: First things first; Manolo stands on a rock and spams Ignifaxius Burst of Flame at the enemy and your characters, indistinctly. The Gladiator isn't any different from the Guards, but the Guard in the back wearing the dress is extremely dangerous. She's a mage that will always start off by casting Move as the Lightning 3, then will use double Actions to overwhelm you with Cold Shock, while using Balm of Healing on the others; kill her as fast as possible. There's another mechanic in this battle, as well; after 4 Guards are down, Theseo Kugres will run out of the big tent and make for one of the exits located to the Northeast or the East. He's very weak, however, so a couple of hits will take him down.
Rewards: 100AP. 12g. 7th Piece of Black Metal. Mage's Rapier. Thus Far and No Farther!

As to the rewards from that fight: another Piece of Black Metal means you're just missing two; the Mage's Rapier is slightly weaker than a normal Rapier in damage, but provides +2 Charisma, invaluable for certain mage builds; and Thus Far and No Farther! teaches Fortifex Arcane Wall, a useful spell, but you already have it on Zurbaran.

Once Theseo is grovelling on the floor, you can get some answers from him. Lysander is hiding beneath the old Alchemists' Quarter of Areimanios, the haunted district of Mengbilla whence the Outcasts come from. He claims the entrance is marked with a Scarab, and urges you to decide his fate. Whether you let him go or kill him makes no difference, however.

Main Quest: The Foxes Fly Again! Completes. 300AP.

There are some new sidequests now that the plot has advanced. Make a quick stop in Festina to talk to some citizens and get some more background on Lamea, one of the abducted who was returned. Now head to Duyar, and you will run into a battle along the way.

Map: Road to Duyar
Enemies: Assassin x3
Strategy: These guys have it all; they're fast, have high Dodge, Parry, Attack, Poisoned Weapons, decent HP... They don't have a lot of Armor but it isn't like they need it. Fortunately for you, there's only 3 of them, so take them out as quickly as you possibly can. Their weapons are poisoned with Wurara, so Mages beware.
Rewards: 50AP.

The victim is Keidre dei Tarif, the beautiful Kyria of the Courtesans' Guild, and saving her starts the Quest: Rescue the Beauty! So take her to Duyar, where Iside will quickly take care of the wound, but inform you that the poison needs an antidote from the Alchemists in Mengbilla. Talk to Iside again to watch her frantically lie with a straight face to a Mercenary Captain who's band is closing in on the Flying Foxes, sans Iside, not far from here; this gives the Quest: Fox Hunting. Head over to the Forest of Istina and choose, because there's two ways this fight can go: save the Flying Foxes, or kill them. Looking at you, Manolo.

Map: Forest of Istina – Flight of Foxes
Enemies: Bounty Hunter x9
Strategy: The Bounty Hunters are nothing special, and you get to take them apart piecemeal since they're separated in 2 groups. Furthermore, you control the Flying Foxes; yes, even Manolo. Turns out that, when not being a team-killing failure, Manolo is very powerful.
Rewards: 100AP. 5g.

Map: Forest of Istina – Fox Hunt
Enemies: Manolo x1, Oralia x1, Ralman x1
Strategy: This is a massacre. You could literally sit back and let the Bounty Hunters kill them unassisted.
Rewards: 100AP. 5g. So much joy.

And that concludes Quest: Fox Hunt. Next, head to Benivilla and talk to the guard; this will start Quest: Charyb'Yzz. Bribe the guard with 10 ducats, and go in to see the sick man. Merchant Harm greets you by pointing a Crossbow at your face. He'll tell you that he acquired a Kraken Newt Statuette five years previously from a Lizard Man, and ever since then he's been afflicted with a strange disease; he now searches for a book called Al'Emazin, a work about the Achaz by Omar ben Kasim. So, agree to help him and head over to the Alchemists' Quarter in Mengbilla, to talk to that old coot Menchal ak'Taran. He will sell you the book for the ridiculous price of 300 gold ducats, the leech. However, if you refuse him, you can break into his home and acquire it for free.

Map: Alchemists' Quarter – Menchal's Lab
Enemies: Alchemis x1, Golem x1
Strategy: The Golem is like the one you faced before, but no tricks this time. Use Bashing weapons to focus it down into rubble; meanwhile, have someone pincushion that pesky alchemist.
Rewards: 50AP, Defensive Magic

And that's how you get Al'Emazin on the cheap! Gardianum Magic Shield is well worth learning, as it can be very helpful against Mages later on.

Returning to Menchal, he will agree to prepare the antidote for Keidre, as long as you can get him some cinnabar and some tulmadron, the ingredients. Furthermore, Menchal has a favor to ask of you: a carpenter by the name of Ciliego has been slandering him, so he wants you to plant some illegal substances in Ciliego's shop, starting the Quest: The Gossip. Go to Katalinya and pick up the cinnabar from her, then to the Carpenter's Shop in the City Center, to fight Ciliego.

Map: Mengbilla City Center – Ciliego's Carpentry
Enemies: Apprentice x3, Ciliego x1
Strategy: Traps, Traps, Traps. Traps everywhere. On the outside there're 3 Bolt Traps, 3 Omrais Mines, 2 Fire Traps, and the Pressure Plates next to the doors activate a flamethrower, but only once. Try to push barrels on to the Pressure Plates to avoid the ~20 damage, and get someone buffed with Clarum Purum and Move as the Lightning to run through the room entirely filled with Poison Gas yonder. That character has to run up and open the North door, so that the others can rush in. Once that's done, Ciliego is a powerful Feint Warrior, but his Apprentices are quite weak. Once Ciliego goes down, the battle is over.
Rewards: 50AP. 4g.

Return to Menchal to complete the Quest: The Gossip and get 50AP. Then head to the Courtesans' Quarter and talk to Ghorio, because now you can follow that dialogue option to start the Quest: Ciliego's Innocence. Ghorio doesn't think that Ciliego is a gossip, and he's a man that's used to hearing people sing, so go talk to Ciliego, handily available in the cage nearby. He'll claim to have been falsely accused by Menchal, hardly a leap of logic, given how the alchemist does business. Talk to the guard and secure Ciliego's release by gold or gore; he'll meet you in the City Center or outside the city, depending on how you release him, and ask you to rendezvous with him in Ozhara.

Map: Mengbilla Prison
Enemies: Guard x3 + Reinforcements
Strategy: There's a Bell behind you that will summon more Guards, so keep them away from it. The cells along the wall contain Prisoners who will fight for you if you pull the lever to let them out; the last cell also contains Ciliego who, unlike the others, has his weapons. Otherwise it's an easy fight, the 3 Guards are helpless against you.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g.

Head to Benivilla and visit a dying Merchant Harm, who has become listless, to receive some compensation for the Al'Emazin, and talk with him to delve deeper into the mystery of Charyb'Yzz. So take the Kraken Newt Statuette, and head to Ohzara to meet with Ciliego; he's in the Lake District, calmly fishing in a pond. He has no idea why they wanted him gone, but it turns out he used to be an assassin, and is willing to instruct you, unlocking him as a Teacher. As a note, Ciliego teaches the Streetwise talent, which is well worth learning even at level 1. There is still the matter of his innocence, however, so he asks you to check on his workshop to see what the Alchemists' Guild is up to there.

Before that, you still have a beauty to save, so head over to Lorfas and talk to Fessir, a Novadi trader who will offer to sell you some tulmadron on the sly if you escort his caravan to Mengbilla. On the way you'll be ambushed twice by Lizard Men, so plan accordingly.

Map: Road to Mengbilla – Forest Trail
Enemies: Maru x5, Achaz x4
Strategy: Maru are Achaz's beefier cousins, with more HP, Armor, and access to the Power Blow tree. The battle, however, is pretty straightforward; they run up, and you knock them down. You also have Fessir on your side, but he's a mediocre Warrior; remember to keep him safe.
Rewards: 50AP.

Map: Road to Mengbilla – Caravan Stop
Enemies: Maru x3, Achaz x3, Achaz Priest x1
Strategy: If you can, focus fire the Achaz Priest to bring him down as soon as possible, otherwise he'll be a constant pain. The rest are pushovers. Beware the Flying Lizards dropping stones on your characters.
Rewards: 50AP.

Now that you're back in Mengbilla with the tulmadron bulb in your hands, head to the City Centre and go to Ciliego's Shop again. You're in for a sequence of fights, so remember to conserve ASP.

Map: Mengbilla City Center – Ciliego's Shop Revisited
Enemies: Guard x5
Strategy: This time the Traps are on your side, so wait for the Guards to come to you, then funnel them into a beating using the doorways.
Rewards: 50AP. 4g.

Map: Mengbilla – Caverns
Enemies: Ghoul x3 + 5 Reinforcements
Strategy: Ghouls are a new type of enemy;their attacks deal Slashing damage, and they inflict Poison with them. Hold your tiny patch of land against the Ghouls. More will spawn each turn, and you must kill 8 of them to win the battle. Beware, they can climb onto the map from the sides. Fun fact: you can use Liberating Blow to knock them over the side and kill them instantly.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 8s.

Map: Mengbilla – Caverns
Enemies: Ghoul x3 + 5 Reinforcements
Strategy: Ghouls are a new type of enemy;their attacks deal Slashing damage, and they inflict Poison with them. Hold your tiny patch of land against the Ghouls. More will spawn each turn, and you must kill 8 of them to win the battle. Beware, they can climb onto the map from the sides. Fun fact: you can use Liberating Blow to knock them over the side and kill them instantly.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 8s.

Map: Mengbilla – Crypt
Enemies: Ghoul x3, Skeleton x4, Crystal x1
Strategy: The Crystal will heal 15 HP on all enemies every turn, and resurrect dead Skeletons until it is destroyed. A gate blocks access to the Crystal and, to open it, one must pull on a lever surrounded by Pressure Plates; the Pressure Plates activate the Flamethrower Statues in the Southwest and Southeast, so avoid standing on the middle one, as it will get hit by both. Once the gate is open, the Skeletons inside will rush out, but they're barely a threat. Destroy all enemies to win.
Rewards: 50AP. 3g. 8th Piece of Black Metal. Old Achfawar.

Only one Piece of Black Metal left to have the whole set. The Old Achfawar is a powerful Spear with decent damage and a +5% to Critical Hit Chance; it's only failing is the damage type, since Piercing is by far the most maligned damage type in the game.

Head over to Menchal, give him the cinnabar and tulmadron, and he'll hand you the antidote he already had. You can chew him out about Ciliego's innocence if you so wish, but it has no impact. Head to Ozhara to inform the same Ciliego that this whole thing was a misunderstanding about ancient Achaz catacombs, and that they should settle it over some Grangorian tarts. This settles Quest: Ciliego's Innocence, and gives 50AP. Now off to Duyar to give Keidre her antidote, completing the Quest: Rescue the Beauty, that grants 100AP, and starting the Quest: Counting Crows. On Keidre's suggestion, go talk to Ossip, the Innkeeper in the Dreamweed Quarter of Mengbilla. Ask him about Crows, and he'll forget that you're the Conquerors of the 'Nine Hordes' and attack you.

Map: Dreamweed Quarter – The Thousand and Two Daze
Enemies: Foe x8
Strategy: For this fight, your Blackguards are spread all over the map, with the Foes spread out between them. Curiously, one of them is barefoot. They aren't anything special, Stat-wise, so just regroup, then crush them.
Rewards: 50AP. 2g, 5s.

Ossip will sing like a canary: Crows work in threes, two Wings and one Head. Soon enough, we'll have a KFC bucket. He doesn't know who the Head is, but the Wings are called Leomar and Rayadés; the first is a teacher at the Ravensbeak warrior school in the Arena Quarter; the second is a Rahja cleric in El-Halem. So head over to to the Arena Quarter and go into the Ravensbeak school to school a wannabee assassin. He'll try to hide behind his students, but he doesn't know that you don't mind killing innocents.

Map: Arena Quarter – Ravensbeak Warrior School
Enemies: Apprentice x7, Leomar x1
Strategy: Leomar himself is no pushover, and has a Poisoned Sword. The Apprentices are your run-of-the-mill ♥♥♥♥♥ by now, so you shouldn't have any issues with them.
Rewards: 50AP. 3g.

Leomar doesn't actually know who the Head is, but he does know he lives somewher near Benivilla, so that's something to go on. For now, head over to El-Halem and talk to Clarizia. She knows Rayadés, and will let you into Rahja's Temple to see her.

Map: Rahja Temple of El-Halem
Enemies: Foe x9, Rayadés x1
Strategy: So, that's a lot of naked people. Fortunately, they're nearly all unarmed and die from a stiff breeze, what with having no clothes; Rayadés is another matter. In spite of her nudity, she operates on anime logic: the less clothes, the better protected. She has high Parry and Dodge, Poisoned Daggers, and a mean streak a mile wide, so take her down quickly.
Rewards: 100AP. Basilisk's Tongue.

The Basilisk's Tongue is an excellent Dagger with the Wounds 1 special effect, good as an offhand weapon for a Dual Weapon specialist.

Rayadés will talk after being thoroughly beaten, and reveal that the Head is masquerading as a priest of one of the Twelve. Now that you have that information, head out to Benivilla and talk with the Merchant, who'll put two and two together and point you towards Ta'ir, a cleric of Peraine that lives on the Benisira estate.

Map: Road to Benisira Estate
Enemies: Assassin x6
Strategy: Remember how bad 3 of these were? Now it's double that number, so you can't play defensively; you need to start dropping Assassins as fast as possible, since they can lay down the hurt really fast between Poison and Wounds. Beware Bear Traps all over.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 9s.

Now heal up and get ready, because it doesn't get any easier for the next one.

Map: Benisira Estate
Enemies: Assassin x5, Ta'ir x1
Strategy: This fight is very much like the last, except one of the Assassins is even more powerful. Ta'ir has insanely high Dodge and Parry; combined with Poison, hitting him is very difficult. Make them come to you, since there are Omrais Mines, Tripwires, and Spikes all over. Funnel them and use Fortifex Arcane Wall to block the Hunter's arrows. Beware Ta'ir's Grey Lotos, since it will instantly incapacitate a character for several turns.
Rewards: 50AP. 4g, 5s. 9th Piece of Black Metal. Mengbilar. Boron's Sickle.

At last, the final piece! This is all worth it, though. The Mengbilar is another fantastic unique Dagger, the perfect complement to the Basilisk's Tongue and an excellent accessory for Spring or Summer, it comes with a permanent Poison effect. Boron's Sickle is a unique Two-Handed Sword and the best one in the game so far; it's only downside compared to the Rondacromb is that it deals Slashing damage, like most Two-Handed Swords.

Once Ta'ir is vanquished he'll praise you, then reveal who hired him to kill Keidre dei Tarif. It was none other than Clarizia, the cleric of Rahja from El-Halem. All those times she sponged the backs of your Blackguards to relieve their weariness, and it turns out she hires assassins. Go talk to her and she'll tell you that she took out the hit on Keidre because the Kyria had been corrupting the Temple of Rahja with her influence. This completes the Quest: The Head of the Crows, and grants 100AP. Now, duck into Mengbilla and go to the Arena Quarter to present the Nine Pieces of Black Metal to the Smith, and receive Bloodletter, a unique Spear that deals Infantry damage and has the Wounds 1 special effect; this completes the Quest: The Kor Spear, granting 100AP.

Now head off to the Temple of Charyb'Yzz, to the East of the map. You'll be fighting two battles in quick succession, and the second one is in my Top 5 Worst Battles of the game.

Map: Temple of Charyb'Yzz – Exterior
Enemies: Achaz x5, Achaz x1
Strategy: This place is full of Bog Holes. Other than that, this is pretty straightforward since normal Achaz aren't than much of a threat anymore. The Achaz Priest shouldn't be ignored, however. There are a number of 7-Hex pools of Swamp Gas, so be mindful of your Fire Spells.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 5s.

Map: Temple of Charyb'Yzz – Interior
Enemies: Tentacle x13
Strategy: The Tentacles will appear and leave whenever they please, so just try to kill them one at a time. Some time into the battle you'll get a “hint” saying “Kill 13 Tentacles to Win”. That's not a hint, it's a mission objective: Kill 13 of the things to win. Each of their attacks inflicts Knock Back and, in this game, if you can't be Knocked Back you get Knocked Down, so try not to position yourself between a Tentacle and anything else. It won't matter when the Tentacles spawn on diametrically opposite sides of a character, however, as they tend to do. Fun.
Rewards: 50AP. Shell Shield.

The Shell Shield, a very good option for a One-Handed Warrior, a unique Shield with high Parry and Initiative.

Before heading back, there's another “?” area just North, so visit the Shrine of Rondra, goddess of War, and with that you'll have visited all six Shrines of the goddesses. Head back to Benivilla now, and go talk to Merchant Harm. He won't be doing much talking, because he just about hit room temperature, but at least you get to keep the Al'Emazin, and you complete the Quest: Charyb'Yzz, and get 100AP. Talk to Telemache, who's just outside, and inform her that you've found all the shrines. She'll be duly impressed, but the riddle of the shrines is still unresolved. Head out and go to the Clearing to the North, where you'll find the Euliks' ritual site, so head back to Benivilla to inform Telemache, completing Quest: Pilgrim Paths and granting 200AP, as well as the Magic in Combat book, used to learn Culminatio Ball of Lightning.

Talk with Telemache immediately and she'll start explaining the utter perfection required in any man who wished to court her, and then blast her actual husband, Azulo. She'll share a plot to transform Azulo into the perfect man by performing a ritual at the Euliks' clearing, and asks for your assistance, starting Quest: Telemache's Masterpiece. You need to retrieve a book from the Eulik Crypt, so get ready for Undead.

Map: Eulik Crypt
Enemies: Skeleton x6
Strategy: This is a puzzle battle. The grate at the end will open as long as all 6 Pressure Plates on the outside have someone on them, whether a Skeleton or a character. The Skeletons will resurrect continuously until the end of the battle. Ignore the external levers, they serve no purpose other than to waste your time. Once inside the sanctum, use the 5 levers there to make the Euliks' Book appear, and interact with it to win the battle.
Rewards: 50AP. Reaper.

The Reaper is a rare Two-Handed Bashing Weapon that could be called a Halberd with none of the penalties. Sadly, unlike the Halberd, it deals Slashing damage instead of Infantry, but it's still a decent weapon.

Now, book in hand, head back to Benivilla and talk to Telemache. She now has all she needs for the Eulik Ritual so it's time to leave.Gear up, get ready, and set out for the Clearing, this is going to turn out horribly, horribly wrong.

Or not. Go figure, it actually worked. After the ritual, go back to Benivilla and talk to Telemache to learn that you have to be careful what you wish for. This gives the option for Zurbaran to go and get laid, although this doesn't impact the story. For now, it's time to explore Areimanios, at least a bit, so head back to Mengbilla, to the Dreamweed Quarter, and then to Areimanios beyond that. You'll find an Outcast called Kalas Drimeter, who is not creepy at all, and wants you to retrieve a portrait of a woman named Myrtale from a crypt infested with Undead, since the Outcasts are terrified of them. You can also fight Drimeter right now, but the portrait opens up a sidequest, even if the battle to get the portrait is one of my Top 5 Worst Battles in the game.

Map: Areimanios – Surface
Enemies: Outcast x7
Strategy: As always with Outcasts they like using Poison and have decent Dodge and Parry. There are quite a few Tripwires to halt your progress, and they will attempt to barricade themselves to stop your advance. However, by this point you should be able to outshoot and outfight them.
Rewards: 50AP. 9s.

If you don't want to fight Kalas Drimeter, then accept his terms and head into Myrtale's Tomb.

Map: Areimanios – Myrtale's Tomb
Enemies: Zombies x27
Strategy: This fight isn't difficult, it's just very, very long and boring. Every time a Zombie's turn comes up, I die a little inside. You have to kill 27 zombies to win. I, however, die every time I play this battle. Zombies are Undead immune to Piercing and Poison damage, and have resistance to Slashing. Blunt, Magic, and Fire are the way to go here. Keep your Blackguards together, and just hack away at them.
Rewards: 50AP.

Well, that's done. Now you can go give the portrait of Myrtale to Drimeter. Or, optionally, you could fight Drimeter. Either option allows you passage into the Catacombs and unlocks a sidequest, but fighting gets it sooner, and there are no downsides. Refer to Map: Areimanios for the fight, it's the same one. Killing him now will grant Quest: Myrtale, otherwise you'll get it after clearing the Catacombs.

Main Quest: Areimanios completes. 10AP.

Head to Manolo's Tower where you'll find a painting called “Eodil's Refuge” on the wall. Interact with it to be drawn in. Inside you'll meet Eodil, who painted the portrait of Myrtale and fell in love with the image on the canvas. Takate and Naurim will not join you, but your Mage friends will. Eodil will tell you his sorry tale, and explain how he has been trapped here for so very long and, now, so are you.

Map: Eodil's Refuge
Enemies: Broodmother x1, Wolf x1, Wood Troll x1
Strategy: Of these enemies, the Broodmother is by far the most dangerous. It also has the highest Resistance to Magic. Using Karnifilo Frenzy on the Wood Troll and luring it towards the Broodmother is a good way to deal with it. The Wood Troll is annoying to take down because of it's high HP and Armor, but it's achievable. The Wolf is absolute fodder and can be taken out in 2 hits at the most.
Rewards: 100AP.

Now that Eodil is free you've completed Quest: Myrtale, and obtain 200AP. Time to visit the Catacombs of Areimanios. The Catacombs aren't vast, in fact they're a fairly straightforward Dungeon. Head to the first Cave.

Map: Catacombs of Areimanios – Cave (Northwest)
Enemies: Zombies x7
Strategy: Remember when you had to take down 27 Zombies, in the dark? Now it's 5, joined by another 2 after a turn. I won't blame you if you want to do this blindfolded.
Rewards: 50AP.

Map: Catacombs of Areimanios – Cave (Southwest)
Enemies: Ghoul x4
Strategy: Another familiar enemy, also in much smaller numbers than what's been faced before. Barely a threat; you can take them down in 2 turns.
Rewards: 50AP.

Map: Catacombs of Areimanios – Cave (North)
Enemies: Skeleton x5, Crystal x1
Strategy: This should also be familiar; the Skeletons will keep resurrecting until the Crystal is destroyed. They themselves are hardly a threat.
Rewards: 50AP. 1g, 7s.

Now right across into the Northeastern Cave. Make sure to rest before this if you didn't rest before the last one.

Map: Catacombs of Areimanios – Cave (Northeast)
Enemies: Tentacles
Strategy: This is an Escape battle; the goal is to make it to the other end of the map while, at the same time, opening the chests along the way. Having Move as the Lightning really helps here. The Tentacles are like the ones in Charyb'Yzz; if they can't knock you back they'll knock you down, so position as loosely as you can.
Rewards: 50AP. 56g.

The horrible reputation of the Catacombs falls somewhat short, after the punishment the Blackguards have endured elsewhere. Get ready for the battle against Lysander. Heal up, and prepare for two battles, back to back, one of which will be a duel, so remember to keep your Cutthroat in good shape.

Map: Catacombs of Areimanios – Cave (Southeast)
Enemies: Henchman x1, Kraken Newt x1, Tentacles
Strategy: The Kraken Newt itself will rarely intervene; the Tentacles can Knock Back, or Knock Down, your characters; the Henchman will take potshots with his Poisoned Crossbow. Simply rush over and feed the Henchman his own teeth, while taking potshots of your own at the Kraken Newt, the battle will be over before you know it. Seriously, it ends after 4 turns regardless of what you do.
Rewards: You get dragged under water by overgrown calamari.

Map: Catacombs of Aremanios – Lysander's Laboratory
Enemies: Lysander x1, Tentacles
Strategy: Remember that time when you beat Lysander senseless with a stick? This is rather like that, except you kill him. Unless you're a Hunter or a Mage, make sure to make your way over to him as soon as possible, as the Tentacles can smash the bridges. He does have Healing Potions he can use, so try to deal bulk damage
Rewards: 200AP.

Lysander, as he asks you to end it and kill him, will finally realize that you don't actually know what's going on. It turns out he isn't a servant of the Nameless One, not any more than your Cutthroat, and that you've both been played by Count Urias ay Kalamal. Urias is the High Priest of the Cult of the Nameless One, to which Aurelia belongs. The Crimson Tincture was a remedy against the effects of Urias' influence. Even as you're finally getting some answers, Lysander reveals that the Cutthroat is the only one, other than Urias, to discover the Name, the Word of Banishment needed to stop Urias; he then sacrifices himself to distract the Kraken Newt as you escape.

Main Quest: Nearing the End completes. 500AP.


Weeks earlier, in Urias' estate, the Cutthroat, Lysander, Aurelia, Elanor, and Luciano chat together in the sun. The Cutthroat is summoned by Urias who, after some discourse, decides whether to take him deeper into his confidence or not. They are interrupted by Luciano, and the Cutthroat leaves to speak with Aurelia about the Count's mood.

Main Quest: Urias completes.

On the contrary, I might be the world's last optimist. But one must observe this world with impartial eyes.


Your Cutthroat awakes in Aurelia's company, who explains that Urias called down a Nameless Madness on them, a Miracle of the Nameless One, to force the memory of the Name away. Urias' power stems from the Nameless Whisper, that can be summoned or banished with the Name. But there is a way to reverse the effects of the Nameless Madness: by using a moonstone employed in the original spell. However, the stone is hidden back in Urias' estate. It looks like it's time to go back to Neetha but, before that, head to the Arena Quarter; you need your Blackguards and they're up to no good.

Inspect the Crowd to come across a rather comical scene. Zurbaran, left rudderless by your departure, has attempted to sell Takate back into slavery with Naurim's tacit consent, and the situation has quickly devolved into a standoff, as Takate is non too pleased with his new, prospective owner, Kyrios Gerblestone. You can Bribe him for 135g ducats to avoid the fight, but Intimidation and confrontation end in a fight.

Map: Arena Quarter – Slave Market
Enemies: Bodyguard x1, Merchant x1, Bounty Hunter x4
Strategy: The 2 Bounty Hunters will join the fray during Turn 2, and then another 2 during Turn 3. The Kyrios and his Bodyguard are a paltry threat, and you should be able to easily handle the assailants, even in one on one fights.
Rewards: None.

The Blackguards in general, and Naurim in particular, are not happy with Aurelia, who will confess to her service, and the nature of her service, in Urias' Cult to the Nameless One. The affliction that's spreading throughout the Wild South and the Emirate of Mengbila is connected in some way to the Nameless Whisper. Urias has set out to an ancient Achaz city, now in ruins under the shadow of the Rain Mountains. Takate recognizes it as the legendary Mok Pan Tohal, the Eternal Valley. And now comes another Aurelia choice; you can either trust her or not, and it makes a difference; I recommend that you trust her. It is followed by another, since the Blackguards want to force her into the Mask of Shame once more; you can agree or refuse, and I recommend the latter. Regardless, the Mask will be forced on her, for now, by the rest of the characters. The Mask will replace Aurelia's currently equipped helmet, and leave it in your inventory.; don't sell it, since you might need it later on.

Speak to Captain Daragossa, who'll refuse to take you to Neetha, given that there is unrest there born from the rise of a Prophetess, a phenomenon repeated in Ozhara and Festina, but will set you down in Drôl. Gear up for a big fight, and make a beeline for Neetha.

Map: Road to Neetha – Bailiff's Court
Enemies: Bounty Hunter x8, Bailiff Lasca x1
Strategy: At last you get to fight Alricio Lasca, it's been a long wait. He's a beast, however, with a Distance Weapon, high Attack, Dodge, Parry, and Armor, Potions, AOO, and access to the Power Blow tree. The Bounty Hunters, by comparison, are much weaker; the 4 with Crossbows will hang back and take potshots, while they other 4 will charge you. Take on the Warriors first while someone tanks Lasca, then hit the Bailiff, then clear out what remains.
Rewards: 250AP. 9g, 3c. Andergaster.

The Andergaster, what a great unique Two-Handed Sword; the only one of the lot to have Distance, on top of already good Stats.

After the Bailiff of Neetha breathes his last, a would-be victim explains that he didn't understand the New Era ushered in by the Prophetess Salva. Zurbaran puts two and two together and realizes Salva is Niam's sister, and the rebel girl informs him that she's holding court from within the Prison of Neetha. After the sequence, you are given the option of removing Aurelia's Mask or moving on; I recommend the former, since this is another choice that matters. Afterwards, trust Aurelia, and let her pull on Naurim's beard before defending her. Remember to equip her helmet, now that's she's free of the Mask. You can always keep it on, but that will have consequences and deprive you of a good caster.

For now, head to El-Halem; there's some cleaning up to do in the South. Your old master, Diamantos, need your help; the Cult of the Nameless One has taken root in El-Halem, and he needs you to confront them, giving you Quest: Prophet of El-Halem.

Map: El-Halem Arena – Rebellion
Enemies: Servant x7, Prophet x1
Strategy: The Servants are all buffed by the Nameless Whisper; this cannot be removed by Magica Infracta, and gives them Attack +8, Parry and Dodge +1, and Resistance to Magic +2. The Prophet is a Mage that will cast map-wide buffs to his allies, and use Wrath of the Elements to deal area damage.
Rewards: 50AP. 7g, 1c. Executioner's Sword.

And there it is, the Executioner's Sword. The penalties for using it are severe, but it is the hardest hitting weapon in the game. The fight completes the Quest: Prophet of El-Halem, granting 100AP. Next up go to Festina, there's a lot of mischief to put down. Talk to the Captain, and he'll inform you that the Lamea we head of on other visits has revealed herself as a Prophetess, and is gathering her followers around an old pyramid. Agreeing to help him starts the Quest: Prophet of Festina. Head into the pyramid, it's time to put the “cull” back in “cultist”. I know, shut up.

Map: Pyramid of Festina
Enemies: Servant x7, Prophet x1, Crystal x1
Strategy: The Servants are identical to the ones in El-Halem. The Prophet, on the other hand, will use Cold Shock and Paralyze to mess with your party. This mission also has a Crystal but, by this point, it's just easier to focus down and kill 1-2 Servants per turn than it is to lower the bridge over 3 turns, rush over there, and break it.
Rewards: 50AP. 6g. Smith's Hammer.

The Smith's Hammer, a unique Axes and Maces Weapon with the second to best stats, but with Fire damage and a Strength +1 bonus stacked on top, like the cherry on a pie. With Festina safe, the Quest: Prophet of Festina completes, awarding 100AP, and it's time to move on to Ozhara.
Here you'll find a distressed worker, who will tell you that the Alchemist is actually a Prophet of the Nameless One and has taken control of the town in secret; this starts the Quest: Prophetess of Ozhara. Get ready for another fight.

Map: Ozhara – Dark Prophet
Enemies: Servant x6, Prophet x1
Strategy: These fights will all follow the same fundamental pattern; the Servants are the main damage dealers, but the Prophet will either buff them or debuff you. In this case, she uses Corpofesso Aching Limbs.
Rewards: 50AP. 6g. Cavalry Helmet (visor).

This is the visor version of the Cavalry Helmet, the headpiece for the Cavalry Armor, the heaviest set in the game. It provides a +10% Resistance to Piercing damage and +1 Armor rating, as compared to the baseline. With the cultists defeated, Quest: Prophetess of Ozhara is completed and you receive 100AP. Next, head to Theniran, where you'll see some Suspicious Figures down below.
A Prophet is trying to charter passage to the Cyclops Islands to preach the word of Urias, and you arrived just in time to stop him; this starts the Quest: I have a Message to spread!

Map: Theniran – Docks
Enemies: Dark Servant x4, Ship Captain x1, Prophet x1
Strategy: All Dark Servants are equipped with Ranged Weapons, and the Nameless One doesn't seem to be picky with his Blessing, as the Ship Captain is also buffed. The Prophet will use Cold Shock and Paralyze to halt your progress.
Rewards: 100AP. 3g. Mageblade.

The Mageblade. A Sword that makes a Blaster Mage playable; although unimpressive as a damage dealer, the +2 to ASP regeneration, when combined with the +3 of the Obsidian Dagger, and the +3 of Regeneration Mastery, makes for +8 ASP per turn, enough to fuel a true murder Mage. Shame it arrives only in Chapter 4. This ends Quest: I have a Message to spread! Head over to the Ritual Grounds for a tough battle; Ranged Weapons will be your friends for this one, as will be Wurara.

Map: Ritual Grounds
Enemies: Black Ogre x2, Prophet x3
Strategy: Alpha strike is your friend here. A Triple Shot with Wurara will drop a Prophet in 1 (lucky) hit; and you need to drop them, fast. Karnifilo Frenzy, Wrath of the Elements, Corpofesso Aching Limbs, Lightning find you!, Petrify... They'll rain down on you a storm of debuffs if you don't drop them quick. By comparison the Black Ogres aren't as dangerous, but don't ignore them; with the Nameless Will buff they can and will one-shot anything but your melee heavy hitters. This isn't a battle of attrition, it's quick and dirty, kill or be killed. To top it all off, there's a timer: the fire will spread to the victims in 5 turns. However, if you haven't wiped them in 5 turns, they'll wipe you.
Rewards: 100AP. 3g.

The battle starts and ends Quest: Dark Rituals. With that done, head to Winneb, where you'll meet a familiar face. Usim's mother is positively gushing about the return of her son, especially now that he's an enlightened prophet and has followers. Turns out he's leading a mob of converts to invade Morbal, so you get Quest: Prophet of Winneb, and a sudden itch to visit old haunts. You have the option whether to save Morbal or not but, are you really going to let these bumpkins burn it down after you defend it from the Achaz? Exactly, time to kill Usim.

Map: Morbal – Nameless Siege
Enemies: Servant x5, Prophet x1
Strategy: It's not a hint, it's the objective; don't let Commander Rallia Carralire get hurt. This is one of the easier Prophet fights, as you have the high ground and can snipe him with ease while blocking the way of the Servants. The Prophet has Lightning find You!, as well as Petrify, and will use the mass version of both. Zurbaran, what the heck does “based” mean?
Rewards: 50AP. 3g. Storm Cap, Light Plate Cuirass, Light Plate Greaves, Light Plate Gauntlets, Light Plate Boots.

The Light Plate set is the second heaviest armor in the game, with massive damage reduction; despite its name, it is the armor with the greatest Encumbrance in the game. Still, it's good to have. Saving Morbal completes the Quest: Prophet of Winneb, and grants 100 AP. Now head to Drôlsash, where an old obsession will flare up. Speak to the Merchant, who seems to be out of “good swords”. Inquiring will reveal that Baldur the swordsmith was attacked... By a dragon! In spite of the Merchant's assurances that the renowned knight Sir Eglamur was already handling the matter, Naurim will insist on going, and start Quest: Dragon Hunt 2. Get ready for two battles back to back, and head for Fornunfur's Cave.

Map: Fornunfur's Cave
Enemies: Crypt Louse x6 + Reinforcements
Strategy: Crypt Lice! Again! You know the drill by know, advance and close the Spawns as you do. There are 5 Spawns separated by a small stream full of Bog Holes, so don't rush across. There are also clouds of Stinging Flies which will deal damage per Hex crossed, as well as Stalactites which will drop at random intervals. The reinforcements are constant and annoying; as many as 5 Crypt Lice will emerge from the the same Spawn simultaneously, and 8 of them can spawn across several. Once you've dealt with them all, skip a couple of turns to recover HP and ASP.
Rewards: 100AP.

Map: Fornunfur's Hoard
Enemies: Fornunfur x1
Strategy: Fornunfur is the largest enemy in the game, he's also the toughest, all things considered. He has an area attack that deals Fire damage to any characters around him; he also has a lunging claw attack that causes Knock Back and hits 3 Hexes; finally, he has a tail smash attack that brings rocks falling down one turn, and the whole ceiling down the next, instantly killing any characters trapped under. If your characters are well built, they should be able to chip away at Fornunfur's life steadily; if not, you should use Naurim and another as rotating tanks, while Takate uses his Spear to deal damage; if you can cast Karnifilo Frenzy on Takate, it will make things easier.
Rewards: 200AP. 30g. The Flying Kraken.

The Flying Kraken is an excellent unique Crossbow that adds a flat 6 Fire damage to any shot. As for the Dragon Eggs, whatever you choose to do with them has no relevance, so go nuts. This completes the Quest: Dragon Hunt 2. Head to Wobran next, which you will find completely deserted save for the old Beggar you met so long ago. From him you can learn that all the people of Wobran have followed a Prophet of the Nameless One to the old Battlefield, where they are setting about burning the Clerics of the other Twelve Gods. This starts the Quest: Wobran's Battlefield, so head over there, you already know the way.

Map: Battlefield of Wobran – Rebellion
Enemies: Servant x7, Prophet x1
Strategy: This Prophet is another buff one, so he'll use Move as the Lightning on the Servants to speed them towards their death at your hands, then Ignifaxius Burst of Flame to deal damage. The Servants are exactly like all the others you've met: fodder.
Rewards: 50AP. 3g. Winched Crossbow.

The longest ranged Crossbow in the game, the Winched Crossbow does suffer from the correspondingly high minimum range. Saving the Cleric of Boron, paradoxically the only survivor, will complete the Quest: Battlefield of Wobran, granting 100AP. With all of that done, head to Neetha to start a conversation with Aurelia along the road. You can dig deeper, or you can move on, but I recommend you move on. Regardless, you'll run into a mob of peasants lynching a nobleman, and they want you for an encore.

Map: Road to Neetha – Lynchmob
Enemies: Servant x7
Strategy: The Servants, who twenty battles ago were novel and dangerous, have already fallen behind. With no support from a Prophet, you'll cut through them like a knife through butter or, more accurately, like a knife through a peasant.
Rewards: 100AP. 2g, 1s, 3c.

Main Quest: The Nameless Whisper Completes. 300AP.

It looks like the Blackguards are heading back to the place they all met: the Prison of Neetha. But, before that, duck into Neetha proper to see that Donna Missanti has been replaced and to visit the Cemetery. As soon as you step inside, Frenkel will run off on his little piggy limbs, and the chase will lead you to the tomb of Mad Priest Honorhall.

Map: Cemetery – Honorhall's Tomb
Enemies: Ghould x5 + Reinforcements
Strategy: This is very much a cheese mission. You can't keep up with the Ghoul reinforcements, especially not once they start Poisoning your characters, and you're supposed to go over to the Scepter, grab it, then come back. Nah. If you have it, use Move as the Lightning 3 on Aureila; wait for the Ghouls to act; run her as far as possible to a place with good line of sight; cast Ecliptifactus Shadow Force; use the Shadow Clone to grab the Honorhall Scepter; regroup at exit; finally, summon Shadow Clone to exit as well. Beware, the Shadow Clone cannot move beyond its original casting range.
Rewards: 100AP. Honorhall's Scepter.

Honorhall's Scepter is a Unique Axe and Maces Weapon that comes with a whole slew of bonuses: Courage +2, Resistance to Magic and Poison damage +50%, 5 ASP drained per hit, and it deals Fire damage. What a find.

Before returning to Neetha, you will be ambushed by a few more Ghouls.

Map: Cemetery – Frenkel's Hiding Spot
Enemies: Ghoul x7
Strategy: Well, at least there aren't any reinforcements. Give them a bully beatdown so they leave the dead in peace, not pieces.
Rewards: 25AP. 5g.

With this, Quest: Cursed Swine! completes, an you receive 100AP. Now, just one last thing: head towards Ozhara. Along the way, just after Drôl, you will be stopped by a gang of Cultists, who'll demand you reveal which god you serve, starting the Quest: Over the Cliff.

Map: Cliffs of Drôl
Enemies: Servant x5, Knight x3, Prophet x1
Strategy: Although called “Servants” as well, in the game, I'm labeling the heavily armored kind “Knights” for simplification. These are a cut above ordinary Servants, with very high Armor values, and better overall Attack and Parry. The Prophet is a mixed one, and has Corpofesso Aching Limbs as well as Standfast Catlike and Balm of Healing; take him out as soon as possible.
Rewards: 100AP. 3g.

This completes the Quest: Over the Cliff. Now head to Neetha, grab some Provisions, and make for the Prison. This should be a familiar Dungeon, and the first stop is the Prophetess of Neetha herself, Salva, who'll ask you who the object of your devotion is. Anything other than Aurelia's option will result in a fight.

Map: Prison of Neetha – Gates
Enemies: Servant x7
Strategy: Your average Servants that can't really hold a candle up to your Blackguards. Crush them mercilessly.
Rewards: 100AP. 5s, 5c.

If you let Aurelia talk you through the Gates, you'll be stopped by some suspicious Guards nonetheless.

Map: Prison of Neetha – Guard Post
Enemies: Servant x7, Knight x1
Strategy: The Knight can be an inconvenience, especially given the amount of Hunters on this map, but with some decent backliners you'll plow right through them.
Rewards: 100AP. 5s, 5c.

Attempt to access the Sanctuary of the Prophetess, but you'll find it locked by a mechanism requiring a bronze Sun Disc, so double back and head for the Cells.

Map: Prison of Neetha – Cells Revisited
Enemies: Spider x6
Strategy: These critters are annoying, since their attacks are Poisoned, but go down easily enough.
Rewards: 100AP

Take a brief detour here into the Guard Room before going to the Torture Chamber.

Map: Prison of Neetha – Guard Room Revisited
Enemies: Servant x6
Strategy: Shame the devs didn't account for people not following the tutorial and not dropping the chandelier, I purposefully avoided to see if it could be used in this fight, but no dice. Speaking of dice, these are just Servants, so slice and dice them.
Rewards: 100AP. 2g, 1s, 3c

Now that the old memories are flowing, head into the Torture Chamber.

Map: Prison of Neetha – Torture Chamber Revisited
Enemies: Skeleton x6
Strategy: As spooky as they are, even with the Nameless Will buff, these Skeletons are harmless. Unless your Blackguards are armed purely with Piercing weapons, or something.
Rewards: 100AP. 3g. Roglima's Last Sword.

Roglima's Last Sword is one of the very few unique Swords, and a really good one at that. No flashy specials; just good Stats and good damage. Now that you have the Sun Disc of Praios, you can unlock the way to the Prophetess, but only after cutting your way through her minions.

Map: Prison of Neetha – Courtyard
Enemies: Servant x6, Knight x1
Strategy: Knocking people into the well is always fun. Explosive barrels offer a quick and dirty solution to Servant overcrowding, as well.
Rewards: 100AP. 3g.

Now, use some Provisions and get ready. If you have a Triple Shot character, put some Wurara on them, if you have it, but other Poisons will do as well. Head to the Sanctuary of the Prophetess.

Map: Prison of Neetha – Sanctuary of the Prophetess
Enemies: Wolf x6, Salva x1
Strategy: Ignore the Wolves at first, they have a suped-up version of the Nameless Will buff which grants them +50% Resistance to Slashing, Piercing, Bashing and Fire, and a +90% Resistance to Poison and Magic. I guess Half-Elves like dogs. So focus fire Salva and bring her down, then put the Wolves to sleep. Don't drop the barrels since you need to get in range of Salva.
Rewards: 100AP. 6g. Magician's Staff.

The Magician's Staff is a unique Staff that provides what could well be the best bonuses in the weapon category: +1 Charisma, +2 ASP, and +20% Resistance to Magic damage.

Main Quest: Insurrection of the Lambs completes. 400AP.

With Salva dead, and the revolts quietened over great swathes of the region, it's time to head on home to Urias' Country Estate. It's another Dungeon, so head to the first stop: the Villa. You'll be presented with two options regarding how you approach this; you can fight your way through, or you can sneak in. Regardless of which one you choose, you will fight the exact same succession of three battles. However, sneaking in is the recommended choice.

Map: Urias' Country Estate – Path
Enemies: Wolf x4, Servant x2, Knight x1
Strategy: The Wolves will rush ahead, so your Warriors can crush them while your backliners target the Knight.
Rewards: 100AP. 3g, 2s, 5c.

Map: Urias' Country Estate – Main Hall
Enemies: Servant x6, Wolf x2
Strategy: Beware the columns, they will fall. The area on which they fall will be marked by falling debris first, and then by a darker shadow. Anything within that shadow will be killed when the column collapses 2 turns later. As to the enemies themselves, they're nothing special.
Rewards: 100AP. 1g, 5s.

Map: Urias' Country Estate – Patio
Enemies: Servant x6, Wolf x2
Strategy: The Servants' penchant for Infantry damage Weapons is annoying, but you'll steamroll over them nonetheless.
Rewards: 100AP. 2g ,5s.

Proceed to the Park, from which you'll be able to observe Luciano holding court in the Amphitheater. You have the option of heading down to the Kennels first, to deal with the Wolves he has around him, so do so.

Map: Urias' Country Estate – Kennels
Enemies: Knight x1, Servant x2, Wolf x3 + Reinforcements
Strategy: This is a battle where you can do such a thing as winning too quickly; ideally, you want to string the fight along to kill as many Wolves as possible. The more you kill, the less you'll face in the Amphitheater fight. Wiping the enemies will end the battle, sometimes prematurely. On turn 3 you'll get the option to blow a whistle to summon the Wolves; so don't end the battle until then, at least.
Rewards: 100AP. 1g, 4s.

After removing the four-legged menace, head to the Amphitheater. Luciano is every bit as greasy and unpleasant as he was in the flashbacks; unsurprising, as it's only been a month or two. You can dig deeper into Urias' orders, if you so wish, or simply attack.

Map: Urias' Country Estate – Amphitheater
Enemies: Servant x6, Wolf x4
Strategy: If you cleared the Kennels and blew the whistle the Wolves will not be there. With or without them, it's an easy enough fight. There are 6 prisoners, divided equally among 2 cells in the Northwestern and Northeastern corners of the map, who will join you if freed by using the lever. I find it's a greater hassle getting to them than it is simply wiping the enemy. If you do free them, they'll wisely run to the Weapon Racks to pick up pointy implements first.
Rewards: 100AP. 4g,

Luciano, wormy person that he is, will flee back into the Villa. Give chase, after resting up a bit, and get ready for a two-part battle.

Map: Urias' Country Estate – Library
Enemies: Knight x4, Servant x4
Strategy: This is a two-part battle within a two-part battle, since the Servants won't react until the separating door is opened. The Bookshelves here can be toppled, instantly taking down anyone caught under them. Unlike barrel or crate stacks, the Bookshelves do not have predefined fall patterns, and will instead fall in the opposite direction of where they are pushed from. Earth-shattering design, I know. Pushing them from the side, naturally, has no effect. The Knights will go down through sheer numbers after half of them get buried in literature before they can act, and the Servants can be funneled into the doorway. Make sure to finish the battle well rested.
Rewards: 100AP. 3g, 5s.

Map: Urias' Country Estate – Cellar
Enemies: Servant x4, Knight x3, Luciano x1
Strategy: The Servants are pushovers, but take them out quick to avoid them interrupting when dealing with Luciano; he's fast, with high Attack, Parry, and Dodge, as well as access to the Feint tree; he's also a Mage and will spam Cold Shock. Using Fortifex Arcane Wall to close the path as you deal with the Servants is a good way to give yourself a couple of turns.
Rewards: 100AP. Sword Cane, Cavalry Helmet, Horasian Cavalry Cuirass, Horasian Cavalry Greaves, Horasian Cavalry Gloves, Horasian Cavalry Sabatons.

That's a lot of gear from one fight. The Sword Cane is an excellent addition to a wounding Fencing Weapons build, as it gives a +5% Critical Hit Chance. The Horasian Cavalry Set is the heaviest armor in the game, and provides the most protection, although it has enormous encumbrance.

After the battle, the way to the Old Oath Tree will be clear, so you can go pick up that Moonstone. At this point, you once more have the chance to inquire into Aurelia's actions and motivations; however, for the best ending, it is wise to not do so. She will propose placing your Cutthroat under a trance to recover the memories, and you'll have the option to trust her, or threaten her; once more, the trusting option is recommended.

Main Quest: The Moonstone completes. 500Ap.

Time for another flashback. Aurelia, Elanor, and the Cutthroat sit around a fire, discussing Lysander's gift when the man himself arrives and unceremoniously sends the Princess off so he can speak privately. Lysander insists that they delve into the tomb, since he has discovered that it contains the key to release something terrible. Fearing what Urias will do with such power, he insists that they be the first to obtain this key, the Name. Before they can go in the Count arrives ready to enter the tomb, but is convinced to take them along. They delved deep, and were attacked before the gate of the main burial chamber.

Map: Ancient Tomb – Hall
Enemies: Skeleton x4
Strategy: You have control of Urias for this battle, and he's a beast. None of his spells, of which he has many and all at levels 3 or 4, will be under 99% success rate. The best way to clear this is to cast Move as the Lightning 3 on both Urias and your Cutthroat, then cast Ecliptifactus Shadow Force, then cast Move as the Lightning 3 on the Shadow Clone. The battle will be a breeze.
Rewards: None

In the confusion of the tomb, it appears Aurelia and Lysander have split off while Urias and the Cutthroat proceed to the main tomb, wherein a priest of the Lizard Men lies. Urias reveals that he is here for a Name, a tool he will use to banish all evil from the world and usher in the future.

Map: Ancient Tomb – Main Burial Chamber
Enemies: Skeleton x4, Crystal x4, Mummy x1
Strategy: The rotating Flamethrower Traps are not easy to predict, as sometimes 1 will move, sometimes 2. However, they will always move before shooting so, paradoxically, the safest place to be is right where they are pointing; furthermore, they will always move clockwise, so you can always be safe by assuming they'll all move and staying out of the firing line, which is a deceptively large cone. The Crystals will heal the Skeletons and even resurrect them, so use Ecliptifactus Shadow Force to send a Shadow Clone over to destroy them. Once they're in pieces, the sarcophagus will open, releasing an Achaz Mummy. The Mummy has crate-loads of HP as well as high Armor, being resistant to most types of damage and outright immune to Ordinary.
Rewards: None.

After the fight, both Urias and your Cutthroat will learn the Name, and Aurelia will insist that you wake up. You're presented with a choice: to wake up, or to continue the memory. Ending-wise, the best choice is to snap out of it and get back to work. If, however, you continue the memory you'll find the Cutthroat back on the surface with Urias and Aurelia. Lysander, ever paranoid, suspected Aurelia and escaped in the tomb. Urias is unwilling to let the Cutthroat live, as he wishes to be the only one to know the Name, and instructs Aurelia to kill the Cutthroat, to her shock. The choice is presented once more to delve deeper, or wake up; it will not be given again. If you delve even further, you will witness Aurelia bringing down the Nameless Madness on your character to avoid resorting to murder, but leaving the Cutthroat in a fugue state that only ends with the murder of Princes Elanor.

Naurim, distrustful as ever, insists that Aurelia must be killed or, at least, sent away. There are a number of options here, but trusting Aurelia will secure a better path. Once the argument is over, the Blackguards realize that only they have the knowledge and means to stop Urias, but they don't know how to find the Eternal Valley; all save for Takate, who knows someone who is capable, the Spirit Woman of his tribe.

Main Quest: The Name completes. 450AP.

Well, the end is near now, but there are still one sidequest to get done. Head to the Screams for another of my Top 5 Worst Battles in the game.

Map: Green Hell – Swamps
Enemies: Flying Lizards
Strategy: This map is dreadful. The objective is to help Kolman reach the safe zone, but the Flying Lizards will constantly be attacking him; if he drops to 0HP, that's it. To compound matters, the swamp is full of Bog Hole. Furthermore, the Flying Lizards will spawn whenever they please, and immediately get a turn, making this one of the most luck-based battles in the entire game. Kolman will run into every single Bog Hole he possibly can, and the only way to prevent it is to use Fortifex Arcane Wall on the Bog Holes, or to put one of your own characters in it. Flying Lizards will fly off if enough damage is dealt to them in one attack, so Triple Shot is your friend. In fact, Arrow Storm can one-shot the Flying Lizards. There are also multiple areas of Swamp Gas, but they are very hard to see, for some reason. This battle has more Flying Lizards than you will see in the entire rest of the game.
Rewards: 100AP. 1g, 3s, 5c.

Saving Kolman starts the Quest: Takate's Revenge, since Takate will recognize the man as the slaver who took him from his home many years prior. You can placate or encourage him but, regardless, you can still choose whether to kill or spare Kolman at your next destination: Kolman's Settlement. Upon arriving, Kolman will explain how they were all slave traders, but are now old and retired. You can walk away, or you can pursue vengeance.

Map: Kolman's Settlement
Enemies: Old Slave Trader x10, Kolman x1
Strategy: They're not much of a threat, being old, frail, and, in Kolman's case, Wounded. Furthermore, they'll all divided in little rooms and are unaware of the battle until the door to the room they're in is opened, so it's an easy fight.
Rewards: 100AP. 10g.

After the slavers are wiped out, the Quest: Takate's Revenge will complete and you can head over to the Jungle Clearing.

Look into the future, child. Everything I do is for the benefit of the people. For posterity.
Map: Green Hell – Clearing
Enemies: Giant Ape x3, Swamp Ape x4
Strategy: All of the Apes are affected by the Nameless Will buff, so watch out. The Swamp Apes aren't too dangerous, but they can hurt your backliners. The Giant Apes can give your Warriors a black eye, so focus them down fast. Be mindful of the stream, as it will force a Body Control check.
Rewards: 100AP.

After that warm welcome, set a course for the Moha Village, but know that you'll be ambushed along the way.

Map: Green Hell – Jungle Path
Enemies: Utulu x6, Shaman x1
Strategy: The Utulu all use Poisoned Spears and, combined with their use of AOO and Feint, be ready to use Clarum Purum a lot. There are also a large amount of Traps in the area, including several Thousand Bites, that spew Poison in an area when approached. The Shaman will use Wrath of the Elements, Witch's Spit, and Witch's Bile to support his allies.
Rewards: 100AP.

After the battle, a concerned Takate will urge you forward, to the Moha Village. Prepare for two consecutive battles.

Map: Moha Village
Enemies: Maru x2, Achaz x1
Strategy: You have to find the Shaman, who is hidden in a randomized hut, and escort her out of the map. The Maru and Achaz are barely an annoyance, but beware the Flying Lizards dropping rocks on you.
Rewards: 100AP.

Map: Green Hell – Moha Village Outskirts
Enemies: Maru x3, Achaz x2, Flying Lizard x5
Strategy: The Flying Lizards will land into the battle pretty much when they feel like it, and almost immediately get a turn, so don't leave the Shaman unprotected. She can fight, but she's not very good at it, so run her into a corner as soon as you clear some space while you deal with the lizards. Watch out for Thousand Bites Traps, as well.
Rewards: 100AP. The Ripper.

And there it is: The Ripper. The crowning glory of the Two-Handed Bashing Weapons list, the Ripper is a (nearly) unique variant with large penalties but obscene damage, as well as the Wounds 1 special.

Around a campfire, Takate and the Spirit Woman converse; she knows where the Eternal Valley is, but the Moha may not enter, for it is taboo. To enter is to forfeit the “tapam” or soul. The main way into the Eternal Valley is perilous and well guarded, but there is another way. The Nameless Whisper's influence is strong there, seeping out far enough to entrance Takate's tribesmen and drive them to madness and servitude to the Nameless One. The Spirit Woman has maintained herself free of this influence by consuming a Root, taken from the Garden of the Ancestors. It's clear where you need to go next, but equip Ranged Weapons on every one before you do.

Main Quest: The Shaman completes. 600AP.

Map: Garden of the Ancestors
Enemies: Iribaar Lily x1, Wisp x5
Strategy: The third, and final, Iribaar Lily fight; by now it should be almost trivial. If you have Arrow Storm you can very probably one-shot it before it even acts. If not, just pelt it from afar as usual, it'll go down from the numbers game. Ignore the Wisps.
Rewards: 200AP.

Return to the Moha Village, where the Spirit Woman will commune with the Moha Ancestors and command the Blackguards to eat the Ancestor Root, before revealing that the path to the secret cave entry is through the Bleak Lake.

Main Quest: The Garden of the Ancestors completes. 300AP.

This is the point of no return. If you've skipped out on any sidequests, or want to stock up on anything, now's the time. I recommend taking along Master versions of both Potions, as well as Wurara, Sleep Venom, Mandragora, or Kelmon. Before diving into the Bleak Lake, Aurelia will mention that only your Cutthroat knows the Word of Banishment, and recommends he tell someone else, just in case. You have the option to tell any one of the Blackguards, or none of them, but I recommend you tell Aurelia. Whatever you choose, you will enter the Caves of Mok Pan Tohal. There will be eight battles, so budget your Provisions carefully to avoid running out. To start off, move East then South into the first Cave.

Map: Caves of Mok Pan Tohal – Cave (Southwest)
Enemies: Ghoul x6, Skeleton x4, Crystal x1
Strategy: Beware the Rubble, as it forces a Body Control check. The Ghouls are as friendly as usual, with good Dodge and Poison Attacks. The Skeletons are as useless as usual, save for the fact that they will resurrect until the Crystal is destroyed.
Rewards: 100AP.

Now, go North into the next Cave.

Map: Caves of Mok Pan Tohal – Cave (Northwest)
Enemies: Spider x6 + Reinforcements
Strategy: There are many, many Spiderwebs between the stone pillars, don't move and remain in the center. Draw them in as they appear, since 5-10 more will drop in, and kill them.
Rewards: 100AP.

Move forward to the next cave, where Aurelia and your Cutthroat will talk about the nature of the Eternal Valley. It seems Urias' discovered it some time ago, converted the Achaz there to the Cult of the Nameless One, and has been using it as a base ever since. That is where Prophets are made, by breaking them and filling them with the Nameless Whisper.

Map: Caves of Mok Pan Tohal – Cave (West)
Enemies: Spider x6 + Reinforcements
Strategy: This is an Escape battle, and there are Spiderwebs between every pair of pillars along your advance, so clear them before getting trapped. Cutting down the Web Bridges will allow you to advance faster, as Spider reinforcements will have to move further; destroying a Web Bridge with a Spider on it will make the Spider plummet, killing it. Both the Webs and the Bridges are immune to Piercing, however. The path is narrow, so plan your turns to avoid blocking yourself in.
Rewards: 100AP.

Map: Caves of Mok Pan Tohal – Cave (Center)
Enemies: Ghoul x4
Strategy: Easy peasy battle; by this point Ghouls are barely a speedbump.
Rewards: 100AP.

Head North on a small detour.

Map: Caves of Mok Pan Tohal – Cave (Northeast)
Enemies: Spiders x5
Strategy: Spiders again, and pretty much the same strategy. Stand your ground to avoid running into the Spiderweb snares, and just kill them as they approach. Pop, pop, pop.
Rewards: 100AP.

Now is a good time to rest and use some Provisions, because up next is another of my Top 5 Worst Battle in the game.

Map: Caves of Mok Pan Tohal – Cave (East)
Enemies: Spider x12, Zombie x14
Strategy: In my mind I call this map “The Long Walk”. There's a Poisonous Fog following you; every step through the Poisonous Fog deals damage, every turn spent in the Poisonous Fog deals damage, the Poisonous Fog will Poison you on contact and you will receive additional Poison damage every turn. Hint: Avoid the Poisonous Fog. There are 6 clusters of enemies ahead of you, 1 of which is hidden. The goal here is to activate a cluster, kill them as fast as possible, then move on to the next. The terrain is winding and straggly, so make good use of positioning to avoid blocking yourself in. All of the enemies here can Poison you, so make sure to have Clarum Purum ready, because the Poison will slow down your clearance rate, and will get you caught by the Poisonous Fog. Move as Lightning 3 is probably the best spell in the game, and battles like this are the reason why. The hidden cluster of enemies consists of 6 Spiders that will drop down once you destroy the eggsacks blocking your path half-way through.
Rewards: 100AP.

Almost there now. Head South and East, into the last sidebranch cave.

Map: Caves of Mok Pan Tohal – Cave (Southeast)
Enemies: Broodmother x1, Spider x8
Strategy: If you have Arrow Storm, you can one-shot the Broodmother, but where's the fun in that? Like the one you faced in Eodil's Refuge, it's a tough old thing, but it can be beat. The little Spiders around it are barely noteworthy.
Rewards: 200AP.

Now it's time to use some Provisions and rest up. Only then, move to the next Cave.

Map: Caves of Mok Pan Tohal – Cave (South)
Enemies: Fornunfur x1
Strategy: If you're surprised, I'll admit I was too. It's Fornunfur, and he's back. The battle is almost exactly the same as before, down to Naurim flipping out at the end. No eggs this time, though.
Rewards: 300AP

It appears Aurelia has gotten separated in the falling rubble, so give chase and head into the Eternal Valley.

Main Quest: The Eternal City completes. 500AP.

After all that pain and suffering, you finally arrive at the Eternal City. A Lizard Man waits ahead to greet you. Once he was the keeper of the spring of Zzah, but now he is a follower of Chl'Ffar. From him you will learn that Aurelia has been past here, and has entered the Temple of the Nameless One with servants of Chl'Ffar; you also learn that, if you wish to follow, you must complete the Thirteen Tests. Make your way to the Entrance of the Temple to receive a message from Urias. The tests will measure your devotion to the gods, and there is a reward for completing them in a pious way, so keep that in mind. Proceed East; you will face three battles consecutively.

Map: Test of Firun
Enemies: Achaz Sorcerer x3, Wolf
Strategy: Ignore the Pressure Plate; there's no need to use traps. The Achaz Sorcerers are annoying beyond all measure; they'll cast mass versions of Coprofesso Aching Limbs, Cold Shock, and Wrath of the Elements, so cast the mass version of Magica Infracta. Ignore the Wolves until you deal with the Sorcerors, then kill them fast to stop more from arriving. Ideally kill them all on the same turn.
Rewards: 100AP. 6g, 5s.

Map: Test of Tsa
Enemies: Black Ogre x2
Strategy: There are a number of friendly Swamp Apes in cages that will swarm the Black Ogres if released, but do not do so; you can handle the Black Ogres by yourself pretty easily. Beware Bear Traps scattered about the map.
Rewards: 100AP.

Map: Test of Ingerimm
Enemies: Black Ogre x3
Strategy: There are two ways to win this. One is to reach the end by extinguishing the fires and running past the Black Ogres. The other is running over the Black Ogres as you beat them into mush. This second path is the correct one to take, so don't touch the fires. A Cannon will shoot Ignisphaero Fireballs at the center of your party, so spread out and it won't hit too many people.
Rewards: 100AP.

That completes the first battery of tests, next up head straight across to the West, for another three consecutive battles.

Map: Test of Efferd
Enemies: Giant Caiman x3
Strategy: Urias wants you to poison the water but, unless you actually want to spite the gods, killing the Giant Caimans seems like a lot less effort. You've faced their like before, they're pushovers.
Rewards: 100AP

Map: Test of Travia
Enemies: Knight x5
Strategy: To please Travia, heal each of the 3 Prisoners lying on the ground and keep them alive. The best way is to kill off most of the Knights, then have Zurbaran cast Balm of Healing 1 on them.
Rewards: 100AP

Map: Test of Boron
Enemies: Maru x3 + Reinforcements
Strategy: There are 12 Glyphs, each of which can spawn a Maru. You can spurn Boron by touching the crystals to bring fort Undead to fight for you, but the best way is to just kill the Maru, they aren't that much of a threat and, if you kill them fast, you won't have to deal with many.
Rewards: 100AP. 5g, 8s, 8c.

With that you're halfway done with the tests, next move to the Northwestern one.

Map: Test of Phex
Enemies: Patrol x3
Strategy: This is a Stealth battle. The mechanics are the same as in Map: The Border. Don't come within 1 Hex of the Patrols; don't cast any noisy spells. The easiest way to do this is to use Takate's Perception to find the many, many Spiderwebs on the map, and then use Zurbaran's Fortifex Arcane Wall to lead the Patrols into them. Cutting a Spiderweb breaks Stealth, so don't get caught! This map is tricky until you get the hang of it, but don't be disheartened. It's worth having Fortifex Arcane Wall 3 for how easy it makes this battle.
Rewards: 100AP.

Map: Test of Rhaja
Enemies: Maru x6, Achaz x3
Strategy: Kill all the Maru and Achaz, free the Prisoner to please Rhaja, and run her into the escape area before all of your characters are in it, otherwise it completes as having left her behind. The 2 Maru and the Achaz at the top won't activate until you move far enough towards them.
Rewards: 100AP

Map: Test of Praios
Enemies: Maru x4 + Reinforcements
Strategy: Urias wants you to destroy the Crystals of Praios, but there isn't any need. Try to kill all the Maru in the same turn to avoid Reinforcements from arriving; you can easily win this in 3 turns. At the end of every turn there will be a flash, and everyone will be shuffled around the room, so protect Zurbaran.
Rewards: 100AP.

That's another battery done, only one left.

Map: Test of Rondra
Enemies: Black Ogre x1
Strategy: Pick your beefiest figter, usually Naurim unless you made a very tanky Cutthroat, and send him off to fight the Black Ogre 1 on 1. No one else move, cast, or even say anything. This is a battle of honor. Be sure to move him in-between the two pillars, even if it means he can't attack the first turn. Don't use any magic; don't use Poison.
Rewards: 100AP.

Map: Test of Peraine
Enemies: Jungle Tiger x4
Strategy: The blasphemous way to complete this is to burn the fields. Like with the Test of Efferd, it really is simpler to just shoot at the Jungle Tigers until they reach you, and then clobber them to death with normal weapons.
Rewards: 100AP.

Map: Test of Hesinde
Enemies: Crystal x6
Strategy: It had to be Hesinde. I call this map “The Reason I Always Take Magica Infracta”. There are 6 Crystals arrayed in a hexagonal pattern around the characters, and they all have a Fortifex Arcane Wall cage around them, save for 1. Each Crystal will cast spells: Ignisphaero Fireball will target the area in front of 3 Crystals in a reversed triangle; Wrath of the Elements will target the area in front of 3 Crystals in a triangle; Thunderbolt will target one of the characters; Cold Shock will target the entire map; and Culminatio Ball of Lightning will appear just South of the center. Activating the pool of blood will help, but it will anger Hesinde. If you have Magica Infracta 4 you can just destroy all the Walls at once.
Rewards: 100AP.

Now that you've completed all of the Tests, hopefully pleasing the Gods, head to the Hall of the Prophets. Depending on how much you trusted Aurelia, you will face one of two enemies. If you trusted her, you will find her tied to a rock and will face an Achaz Prophet; if, on the other hand, you didn't trust her, it will be Aurelia herself you face.

Map: Hall of the Prophets
Enemies: Achaz Prophet x1, Morfu x5
Strategy: If you completed all Tests to the satisfaction of the Twelve Gods, they grant you their blessing and all of your characters obtain Dodge and Initiative +8, as well as Parry and Armor +4. This is huge, and well worth the effort. The Achaz Prophet is a nightmare enemy, a caster with a wide repertoire of spells, and all nasty. Expect Karnifilo Frenzy, Petrify, and many other debuffs, so space out your characters since it'll use the mass versions. It'll also encase itself in a Gardianum Magic Shield to avoid Spells. The Morfus themselves aren't much of a threat, but their Poison will make you less effective. As the battle progresses, patches of Venom will appear on the ground, inflicting HP and ASP damage every time you step on a Hex, as well as at the beginning of a turn if you're standing in it; fortunately, this is Ordinary damage, so it's easy to negate with Armor. Kill the Prophet and end this fast.
Rewards: 200AP

Map: Hall of the Prophets
Enemies: Aurelia x1, Morfu x5
Strategy: Same as above, but it's Aurelia instead of a Lizard.
Rewards: 200AP

After this, if you faced the achaz Prophet, you regain Aurelia as a character, with her gear intact.If not, she dies. It is now time to spend all of your AP, and gear up as much as possible. Next comes the final battle; a battle in three phases, and it can get pretty hard. Arrive at the Temple of the Nameless to see a self-mutilated Urias, coursing with the power of the Nameless One.

Map: Temple of the Nameless – Phase One
Enemies: Urias x1, Ghoul x2,, Zombie x2, Skeleton x4
Strategy: Your characters are placed at the centre of an impromptu maze made of Fortifex Arcane Wall panels, and surrounded by a stone wall. It is full of Undead, and Urias will teleport between the three openings on the stone wall while casting spell after spell in your direction. He has a particular fondness for Wrath of the Elements 4, a wide area spell that can cause knock down. Every time you hit him, 1 of the openings will close and, after 3 hits, it will all collapse, the Undead will die, and Phase Two will begin.

Map: Temple of the Nameless – Phase Two
Enemies: Urias x1, Golem x2, Crystal x 5
Strategy: This is your rest phase, especially if you have Gardianum Magic Shield. The Golems look impressive, but a couple of buffed characters will take them down very quick. Then either hide under the Guardianum Magic Shield recovering while someone breaks the Crystals, or spread out around Urias to prevent him targeting your characters all at once. Urias himself is surrounded by a Fortifex Arcane Wall cage, and can't be targeted. Once you're feeling good about HP and ASP, break the last Crystal to entre Phase Three.

Map: Temple of the Nameless – Phase Three
Enemies: Urias x1, Achaz Prophet x2, Maru x3
Strategy: The Achaz Prophets will appear and immediately act, most likely casting Lightning find you! to cripple your party and Ignifaxius Burst of Flame to lay down the hurt. The Maru will appear on the next turn of the fight. But Urias is now open, so rush him and kill him. No fancy strategy here, kill him before he kills you.

Main Quest: The Final Test completes.

“No more secrets?” “No more secrets.”
“In this hot and humid season, called 'Days of the Basilisk', hundreds of false prophets had risen and spread chaos across the lands. Priests and noblemen were slain. Families were shattered and divided by feuds. A blight of distrust and fear had befallen the South. As the Nameless Whisper fell silent, though, the prophets withered like fallen leaves. The great riot ebbed away just as fast as it erupted. The companions returned to Mengbilla. No songs were sung. There was no hero's welcome and no praise for them to bask in. And the poisoners keep cooking. Soon the slavers will be on the hunt again. Maybe this will never change. For this is the Wild South. And who dwells here will stay a blackguard.”

And so ends Blackguards; belying the name. At the last, the Cutthroat of Neetha performs the ultimate sacrifice, and succeeds in stopping the Nameless Whisper. As the Epilogue says, no one ever knew, and no one ever recognized what had happened, or what role the Blackguards played. And can you blame them?

The System in Blackguards is based on The Dark Eye (Das Schwarze Auge) pen and paper RPG system, with a number of adaptations. I attempt to explain how the game system works in the following sections

There are eight basic attributes in the game which give an indication of your Character's capabilities in different areas. Each of them is used when calculating a number of actions in the game, such as Attacking, using Talents, casting Spells, and so forth. Attributes start at a value of 8 and can be increased by the use of AP to 18. The Attributes are the following:

• Courage (CO)
  
• Cleverness (CL)
  
• Intuition (IN)
  
• Charisma (CH)
  
• Dexterity (DE)
  
• Agility (AG)
  
• Constitution (CN)
  
• Strength (ST)

Base Values are derived from a combination of attributes or, in some cases a single attribute. They are used to calculate combat statistics, as well as HP and ASP. The dependencies are as follow.


The Maximum Value column represents the highest whole unmodified value. The game also includes three other “Attributes”: Vitality, Astral Points, and Resistance to Magic. They can each be upgraded to 18 and add 1 point per level to the appropriate Base Value. Hence, the actual Max for Vitality would be 59, the Max for Astral Points would be 61, and the Max for Resistance to Magic would be 26.

Weapon Talents measure a Characters competence with each one of the 11 Weapon Types in the game. As with Attributes, they can be raised to 18 but, unlike them, Weapon Talents start at 0. These are separated into melee and ranged weapons and are as follows:

• Melee: Daggers, Swords, Axes and Maces, Fencing Weapons, Staves, Spears, Two-Handed Swords, Two-Handed Bashing.
  
• Ranged: Bows, Crossbows, Throwing Weapons.

Melee weapons display a slider that indicates the emphasis on Attack (right, red) or Parry (left, blue). The resulting Attack and Parry values are displayed under the Sword and the Shield, respectively, and are added to the appropriate Base Value. The difference between the two values can never be greater than 5, so at the maximum of 18, there would be 11 in one value and 7 in the other.
Ranged weapons lack the slider as they do not allow the user to Parry.

Talents are a set of nine abilities at the disposal of the Character that provide some mechanical or contextual benefit. As with Weapon Talents they start at 0 and can be raised to 18; they also have an initial fee to unlock, of 40AP each. Each Talent has 4 levels, each of which is unlocked progressively at ranks 0, 8, 13 and 18.
Each Talent can be rolled to determine whether its use in-game succeeds or fails, and is dependent on 3 Attributes for that roll. To succeed at a Talent check, a roll is made against each Attribute using a single d20. Each roll succeeds if the number rolled is less than the value of the Attribute. Talent points can be expended to adjust the rolled value. Example:

• Character with all Attributes at 10 rolls Body Control (CO, IN, AG). The Character has a Body Control of 8. He rolls CO 11 (Fail), IN 2 (Pass), AG 13 (Fail). As he has 8 points he can use 1 to adjust the CO roll down to 10 and Pass, after which he has 7 points remaining. He can then use 3 points to adjust the AG roll down to 10 and Pass, after which he has 4 points remaining. The Character passes the Body Control Check.

The Talents, their dependencies, and their benefits are the following:


Body Control is used to resist Knock Down effects from Attacks (such as the Knock Down Special Ability), Traps (such as the Tripwire), or Hazards (such as Streams), as well as to resist being trapped by Hazards (such as the Bog Hole). Unlike the other Talents, higher levels of Body Control do not provide any additional benefit. Body Control is an indispensable Talent, as Knocked Down characters are automatically hit by Attacks and must employ an Action to regain their feet.


Willpower is used to resist Wounds inflicted by Attacks (such as the Targeted Stab or Marksman Special Abilities). Willpower is another indispensable Talent, as Wounds are crippling.


Perception is, mostly, an active Talent that you must use in battle as you would a Special Ability or Spell to gain its effects. I use the word “may” in the description because, in my experience, the Talent very rarely reveals all Hidden Objects and Traps. The Passive bonus to Ranged Combat at Levels 3 and 4 make it very attractive for ranged builds.


Required for using and disabling Traps, but contributes nothing else. Unless intending to run a very specific build can be ignored, as most Traps in the game can be circumvented or tanked.


Streetwise is a Talent that only provides Passive benefits, no matter what the in-game description says. Streetwise is worth taking on any build purely for the Speed boost at Level 1.


Survival is a Talent that only provides Passive benefits, no matter what the in-game description says. Survival is worth taking on any build purely for the Speed boost at Level 1. The Agility and Cleverness boost at Level 4 might only apply in Wilderness, as well.


Animal Lore is a passive Talent that provides information on Beast enemies, as well as conferring mechanical advantages against them. Level 2 is useful for most Warrior or Hunter builds, as is Level 3. Level 4 is never worth the AP investment.


Warcraft is a passive Talent that provides information on Humanoid enemies, as well as conferring mechanical advantages against them. This Talent is useful for all builds, but critical for Warrior builds.


Treat Wounds is an Active Talent used like a Special Ability or a Spell that expends Bandages in order to restore HP and remove Wounds from Characters.

Spells are the magical abilities at the disposal of your Mage Characters, and can be cast by expending Astral Points. There are 24 spells in the game that can be divided into four, rough categories: Offensive, Support, Buff, and Debuff. All Spells depend on a combination of three Attributes and are used exactly like Talents; a d20 is rolled and compared against each Attribute and corrected by using the Talent points invested into the Spell. Additionally, each Spell has 4 Levels, and each Level has a Talent Checlk Modifier, for example:

• A Character wishes to cast Ignifaxius Burst of Flame Level 1 with 13 points invested into the Spell. The amount of points Character has to modify his roll is 13 plus the Talent Check Modifier. For a Level 1 Ignifaxius Burst of Flame, that is +2, so he has 15 points to correct his rolls.
  
• A Character now wishes to cast Ignifaxius Burst of Flame Level 3 wit the same 13 points invested in the Spell. As the Spell is Level 3, in this case, the Talent Check Modifier is -5, so Charater only has 8 points to correct his rolls.

Furthermore, iron is anathema to Magic and Spells in general, so wearing Metallic armor inflicts a series of penalties on Mages. Any Mage clad in Metallic armor is incapable of regenerating Astral Points, from any source; this includes the Special Abilities Astral Regeneration 1, 2, and 3, as well as any Equipment, such as the Mage's Staff, the Obsidian Dagger, and so on.
While clad in Metallic armor, the Encumbrance value of each piece of armor is substracted from each of the Attributes used to cast the Spell, as well as from the Talent points used to correct the roll. For example:

• A Character with 10 in all Attributes wishes to cast Thunderbolt Level 1 with 10 points invested into the Spell. The Character is wearing a Brabak Coat, a Metallic armor with an Encumbrance value of 2. For his roll his Attributes would be considered to be 8, and his Talent points would be 10+2(Talent Check Modifier)-2(Metallic Encumbrance), so 10.

As a curious note, there exist a number of Metallic boots in the game which have -1 Encumbrance; these boots increase the Attributes by 1 and the Talent point pool by 1, since they have negative Encumbrance.

Spells cast upon an Enemy may or may not take into consideration the Resistance to Magic of the Enemy. Resistance to Magic is a Base Value calculated as seen above. The Resistance to Magic of an Enemy is substracted from the Talent point pool of a Spell. For example:

• A Charater wishes to cast Cold Shock Level 1 with 10 Talent points invested against an Enemy with a Resistance to Magic of 4. He'll have 10+3(TCM)-4(RM), so 9 Talent points available.

The AP cost for upgrading Spells isn't equal across the board, nor is the cost of learning the Spell. There are three Base Costs for Spells: 20AP, 40AP, and 100AP; the costlier the Spell, the more powerful it is, and the more AP you require to upgrade it. What follows is a list of Spells sorted into their appropriate categories:

• Offensive: Cold Shock, Thunderbolt, Witch's Bile, Ignifaxius Burst of Flame, Wrath of the Elements, Ignisphaero Fireball, Culminatio Ball of Lightning.
  
• Support: Clarum Purum, Fastness of Body, Witch's Spit, Magica Infracta, Balm of Healing, Gardianum Magic Shield, Duplicatus Double Vision, Fortifex Arcane Wall.
  
• Buff: Hawkeye Marksmanship, Move as the Lightning, Standfast Catlike, Ecliptifactus Shadow Force, Sensattacco Masterstroke.
  
• Debuff: Lightning Find You!, Corpofesso Aching Limbs, Karnifilo Frenzy, Paralyze.

Special Abilities are Active and Passive skills at the disposal of the Character; they confer alternative means of combat and mechanical bonuses to specialize into one playstyle or another. Most of them can be divided into a series of skill trees, in which more advanced Abilities require the more basic Abilities in order to be unlocked. Abilities are taught by Teachers and have Requirements that can be Attributes, Basic Values, Weapon Talents, or other Special Abilities. The Special Abilities are as follows:


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Combat is based on Base Values discussed above: Attack, Parry, Dodge, Ranged Combat and Initiative. Each of them derived from a combination of Attributes.

There are two types of Attack rolls: Melee and Ranged. Base hit chance for Melee is 60% (a d20 rolled against a 12) while for Ranged it's 50% (a d20 rolled against a 10). Each of these Attack rolls can be modified by the following elements:

• Weapon Talent Attack Value
  
• Weapon bonus or penalty
  
• Ability bonus or penalty (i.e: Power Blow Attack -5 or Weaponmaster Melee Attack +2)
  
• Encumbrance penalty
  
• Environmental penalty (i.e: Standing in Water Attack-4)
  
• Magic bonus or penalty (i.e: Standfast Catlike 1 Attack +2)
  
• Enemy Parry/Dodge
  
• Wound penalty
  
• Unnamed Bonus (discussed below)

As an example:

• A Character with Base Attack 10, Weapon Talent (Swords) 6 set to 5 Attack Value, using Power Blow while unencumbered against an enemy with a Parry of 4 would roll as follows:
  
  • d20 < 12+5-5-4; d20 < 8

So he would have to roll under an 8 on the d20 to hit, which represents a Hit Chance of 40%.
A roll of 1 on the d20 is always a Critical Success, regardless of modifiers, and a roll of 20 is always an automatic failure.
A note on Dual Wielding: only the Initiative Bonus from the Offhand weapon is applied.

Parrying and Dodging are defensive mechanics; the Dodge Value is applied as a penalty to Ranged Attacks, and to Melee Attacks if no Parry is available. Parries can only be performed once per turn, unless using the Defensive Stance Special Ability. Dodges can be performed any number of times per turn, but every subsequent Dodge to the first imposes a -2 penalty to the the Dodge Value. For Example:

• A Character is surrounded by four Enemies. The Character has a Parry Value of 10 (the Base Value plus the Weapon Talent Parry Value plus the Weapon Bonus) and a Dodge Value of 6 (the Base Value plus Special Ability bonuses). The first Enemy Attack recieves the -10 penalty from the Parry and misses, the second Enemy Attack recieves the -6 penalty from the Dodge and misses, the third Attack only receives a -4 penalty from the Dodge but misses, and the fourth Attack recieves a -2 penalty from the Dodge and hits.

When an attacker rolls a 20 on their Attack roll against a Parry or Dodge, the defender is said to have Parried or Dodged Masterfully; in this case the Parry is not expended, and the Dodge is not reduced by 2.

Initiative is rolled at the beginning of combat and is obtained by adding the Base Initiative Value, any bonuses from Special Abilities, and any penalties from Encumbrance to a roll of d6. After the initial roll, the Character's Initiative may be modified by Spells, active Talents such as Perception, Enemy Special Abilities, Poisons, or environmental Hazards such as standing in Water.

Wounds are a game mechanic that represents serious injury while in battle. When receiving a Critical Hit or being the target of specific Special Abilities, a Character can suffer a Wound. When a Wound is inflicted the Character makes a Willpower (CO, CN, ST) check; if successful, the Wound is negated; if failed the Character suffers a Wound. A Character can receive up to 3 Wounds, and each of them confers a penalty of: Attack -2, Parry -2, Dodge -2, Speed -2. Hence, having 3 Wounds simultaneously would incur a -6 penalty to all of those values.

Every Character in Blackguards can carry an array of Equipment to customize playstyle and fill one role or another in combat. Each Character has 5 Armor slots, 1 Belt slot, and 3 sets of 2 Weapon slots, each for a specific type of equipment as described below.

Armor refers to any apparel with defensive purpose that the Character wears. There are 5 Armor slots: Head, Chest, Legs, Hands, and Feet. Armor can be Metallic or non-Metallic; Metallic armor imposes penalties on Spellcasting as discussed previously. Furthermore, some Armor pieces are organised into Sets; wearing all the pieces in a specific Set will confer additional bonuses, for example:

• The Brabak Set, composed by the Brabak Coat and Brabak Coat Chausses, confers Armor Rating +1 and Encumbrance -1 when both pieces are equipped.

Armor provides Resistance to Damage to one or more of the Damage Types in the game, these are:

• Ordinary (associated with some Beast Attacks, Thrown Weapons, Traps, and Unarmed)
  
• Blunt (associated with Staves, Maces, etc.)
  
• Slashing (associated with Swords)
  
• Piercing (associated with Daggers, Arrows, Spears, etc.)
  
• Infantry (associated with Two-Handed Bashing Weapons, and Giant Caimans )
  
• Fire (associated with Spells, fire arrows, some specific unique Weapons)
  
• Magic (associated with Spells, some specific unique Weapons)
  
• Poison (associated with some Beasts, Poisons, some Spells, etc.)

Furthermore Armor also possesses Armor Rating, a value that directly modifies Damage received. When Damage is received Armor Rating is applied first, then the Resistance to Damage is applied after that; what is left is the resulting damage, for example:

• A Character wearing the Brabak Set (RtS 40% and AR 1) is hit with a Greatsword that hits for 11 Slashing damage. The damage is reduced by 1 because of the Armor Rating, then by 40% because of the RtS, for a resulting 6 damage received.

Some rare variants of Armor have unique effects, such as the Cavalry Helmet (Visor), that differ from the baseline version. Finally, all Armor pieces have an associated Weight that is counted against the Party Load.

Belts are pieces of equipment that confer an additional 1 to 4 slots for a Character to fill with Items. These can be Potions, Poisons, Ranged Weapons, or Traps. Belts, like all other pieces of Equipment, have a Weight that is counted against the Party Load.

Each Character has 3 sets of Weapons, representing different loadouts that can be carried simultaneously to provide tactical options. Each of these sets of Weapons have 2 slots that can be filled either by a single Two-Handed Weapon, a Ranged Weapon and its Ammunition, two One-Handed Weapons, a One-Handed Weapon and a Shield, or a single One-Handed Weapon.

All Melee Weapons, be they One-Handed or Two-Handed, possess the following Stats:

• Damage and Damage type (i.e: Broadsword 1d6+4 Slashing)
  
• Attack Bonus (i.e: Broadsword +0)
  
• Parry Bonus (i.e: Broadsword -1)
  
• Initiative Bonus (i.e: Broadsword -1)
  
• Shields posses the following Stats:
  
• Attack Bonus (i.e: Wooden Shield -1)
  
• Parry Bonus (i.e: Wooden Shield +2)
  
• Initiative Bonus (i.e: Wooden Shield -1)

Ranged Weapons, with the exception of Throwing Weapons, posses the following Stats:

• Damage (i.e: Shortbow 1d6+2)
  
• Ranged Attack Bonus (i.e: Shortbow +0)
  
• Initiative Bonus (i.e: Shortbow +0)
  
• Effects (i.e: Shortbow -10 Ranged Attack when enemy within radius of 4 hexes or further than 12 hexes)

Throwing Weapons posses the following Stats:

• Damage and Damage Type(i.e: Throwing Dagger 1d6+2 Ordinary)
  
• Ranged Attack (i.e: Throwing Dagger Ranged Attack 15 when enemy is within radius of 1 hex or further than 10 hexes)

Ammunition possesses the following Stats:

• Damage Type (i.e: Chainbreaker Bolt Piercing)
  
• Effect (i.e: Chainbreaker Bolt Ignores Armor)

All Melee Weapons have a Damage bonus derived from Strength; in some cases the bonus is minor, but in others it can make a significant difference, particularly at higher values. Some Weapons offer unique Effects, such as Attribute bonuses. All Weapons have an associated Weight, counted against the Party Load.

Items are consumable pieces of Equipment that may be used either during battle, on the World Map, or both. Most Items can be carried into battle by equiping them in a Character's Belt slots, although there are some exceptions. The Stats of Items are as follows:

Potions, which include Healing, Astral, and many others, are weightless and have:

• Effects (i.e: Weak Healing Potion 15HP Healing)

Poisons, which are applied to Weapons and last for a number of attacks, are weightless and have:

• Level (i.e: Omrais 1)
  
• Duration (i.e: Omrais 2 Turns)
  
• Effects (i.e: Omrais 0-5 points of Poison Damage)

Traps, which require the Traps talent to deploy, have:

• Level (i.e: Thorn Mat 2)
  
• Duration (i.e: Thorn Mat Whole Battle)
  
• Weight (i.e: Thorn Mat 0.05 greatpounds)
  
• Effects (i.e: Thorn Mat 6-11 points of Piercing Damage)

Books, which teach Spells, are weightless and have:

• Spell (i.e: The Major Book of Abjurations Magica Infracta)
  
• Activation Cost (i.e: The Major Book of Abjurations 100)

Supplies, of which there are only two, includes Bandages and Provisions. The former is used in conjunction with the Trear Wounds Talent, while the latter is used to recover the Party's HP and ASP while on the World Map. Bandages are weightless, but Provisions do have weight.

Encumbrance measures how much the weight a Character is carrying interferes with their Actions. There are two sources of Encumbrance: Armor and Load. The heavier Armors all have Encumbrance values on one or more pieces in the set. Load refers to the sum weight of all Equipment worn by the Characters, as well as that carried in the Inventory. Maximum Load is equal to the sum of all Characters' Strength Attributes multiplied by 2. So, for example:
A Party of 5 Characters with Strength Attributes of 10, 11, 9, 13, and 17 could carry 120 greatpounds worth of Equipment [(10+11+9+13+17)*2=120] before being Encumbered by their Load.
Encumbrance from Armor and from Load is cumulative, so if a Character has Encumbrance 1 from Armor and Encumbrance 1 from Load, it will have a total of Encumbrance 2.
The effects of Encumbrance on Stats are as follows:

There exist a number of Environmental Hazards which can be exploited by or suffered by the player. They are a random assortment of elements, so I've tried to sort them as accessibly as possible. Some of them will feature many times, across many battles, while others are a one-off.

• Bog Holes: pits found in deep water that force a Body Control check at a -20. If failed, the Character is trapped in the Bog Hole for 2-3 turns, suffering Ordinary Damage every turn, and receives a massive penalty to Parry and Dodge.
  
• Streams/Loose Rocks: hexes with running water or crumbled rock force a Body Control check and inflict Knock Down if it is failed.
  
• Water: entering deep water inflicts a penalty of -4 to Attack, Parry, and Speed.
  
• Stalactites: present in caves, stalactites will drop at random intervals instantly killing anything underneath.
  
• Spiderwebs: present in battles with Spiders, usually, any Character that wanders into one is Trapped until released by another Character destroying the web.
  
• Falls: many battles will have sheer drops at the edges or into wells; a Character who suffers Knock Back can fall off the map and die instantly.
  
• Poison Fog: venomous fog that covers an area and deals Poison damage per hex traveled, as well as at the beginning of a turn; it also inflicts a Poison effect.
  
• Poison Ground: as the Poison Fog, but deals Ordinary damage.
  
• Flying Lizards: displayed as a shadow on the battlefield, after one turn they'll drop a stone in the center of the shadow, killing anything caught under it, and inflicting Damage and Knock Down to the surrounding 6 hexes.
  
• Dry Grass: can be set on fire by Ignifaxius Burst of Flame or Ignisphaero Fireball.
  
• Swamp Gas: appears in 7 hex clusters and can be ignited by Fire Spells or Weapons.

• Stacked Crates/Barrels: can be pushed over with the Use Action to form impromptu barricades or to bury Characters. Characters under a crate/barrel are Knocked Down, cannot get up, and require another Character to free them. The Stacks fall in predetermined directions, so there's no way of knowing until you use it.
  
• Rock Traps: large amounts of rocks placed on a scaffold, one blow brings them toppling down inflicting massive damage and creating an unpassable area.
  
• Poison/Oil Barrels: when destroyed create a 7 hex area of Poison or Oil. The Poison deals Poison Damage, while the Oil can be ignited by Fire Spells or Weapons. If hit with a Fire Spell or Weapon, an Oil Barrel will explode as an Ignisphaero Fireball.
  
• Pressure Plates: typically trigger other Hazards like Flamethrowers.
  
• Flamethrowers: include stationary statues that spout a cone of flame, rotating statues, the Death Wheels of Belharhar, and so on.
  
• Bal's Morningstar: stationary or mobile traps that gyrate and strike Characters in a 2 hex radius, dealing Damage and Knock Down.
  
• Poison Spears: A floor grating that stabs a Character with Poisoned Spears when stepping on it.
  
• Columns: collapsing columns that instantly kill any Character that's standing in their shadow before they fall.
  
• Bookshelves: 2 hex long bookshelves that fall in the opposite direction from which they are pushed, an act Stacked Crates/Barrels.

There are two Unnamed Bonuses in the game, one exclusive to Enemies, and one to the Player. The Enemy has access to, what I call, the Nameless Will, which confers Attack +8, Parry +1, Dodge +1, and Resistance to Magic +2 . The Player has access to, what I call, the Blessing of the Twelve Gods, which grants Parry +4, Dodge +8, Initiative +8, and Armor Rating +4. There's also a version of the Nameless Will unique to Salva's Wolves, which confers additional Resistance to Damage.

The Wild South is full of people who will help or hinder you throughout your playthrough. Outside of battle you may interact with them to exchange goods, purchase services, receive Quests, or simply talk about goings on. You never know when a beggar might drop a hot tip. In battle, all Characters follow the same basic guidelines applied to the Player, down to the Special Abilities.

Companions are those Characters who will be directly under Player control in battle, at one point or another, while accompanying the Main Character. They are:

The Cutthroat of Neetha: the Main Character of the game, the of a great injustice who is seeking answers. Completely customizable, the Cutthroat can be made into any build the Player wants.

Naurim the Dwarf: an Angrosho from the Anvil Mountains, Naurim is a Warrior who starts with a proficiency for Axes and Maces, as well as for Two-Handed Bashing Weapons. He will typically end up as a Hammer Blow frontliner.

Zurbaran of House Florios: claiming to be an Al-Anfan grandee, Zurbaran is a womanizing Mage who starts with a spread of Spells that can allow him to develop as a good Support Mage.

Niam the Half-Elf: a poacher from Mikram, Niam is a Dreamweed addict who starts well on the way of a Triple Shot Mage build, the best Ranged Damage build by far.

Takate the Forest Man: an enslaved Moha utulu, Takate is a nimble Warrior who starts with a proficiency in Spears and an almost complete Feint Tree. Although he can complete the Feint Warrior build, he should also develop along the Power Warrior build.

Aurelia of Neetha: a witch from Neetha, Aurelia is a Mage who starts with access to a range of Spells best suited for a Debuff Mage build, although she's versatile enough to assume many other Mage builds. Aurelia has special relevance througout the Story, as the Player's actions towards her will influence the game's ending; a trusted Aurelia will lead to a bitter ending, while a distrusted one will lead to an even more bitter ending. The main choices are as follows:

[Flashback] Aurelia: And that's enough for you?

• Yes → Best option
  
• No
  
• Philosophize

[Flashback] Aurelia: What do you think?

• Praise Aurelia → Best option
  
• Admonish Aurelia

[Morfu Island] What should we do?

• [Naurim] Hunt Morfus
  
• [Aurelia] Question Pirates → Best option

[End of Chapter 3] Naurim: You can't possibly trust her!

• I must trust her! → Best option
  
• No, but I need her help.

[End of Chapter 3] Zurbaran: The Mask of Shame solves both problems.

• Out of the question. → Best option
  
• Agree

[After Bailiff Lasca Fight] Remove the Mask?

• Remove Aurelia's Mask → Best option
  
• Move on

[After Removing the Mask] Naurim: Why did you do that?

• I trust her → Best option
  
• The Mask is ugly

[After Removing the Mask] Naurim: We can't trust her!

• Point out Aurelia's battle prowess
  
• [Aurelia] Pull Naurim's beard → Best option
  
• Defend Aurelia

[Road to Prison of Neetha] Aurelia: I don't know.

• Move on → Best option
  
• How can you not know?

[Prison of Neetha Gates] Prophetes: Which God do you serve?

• Twelve Gods → Best option
  
• [Naurim] Angrosh
  
• [Aurelia] Nameless One
  
• No god
  
• [Takate] Their words are poison!

[Urias' Country Estate]

• Fight Luciano
  
• Sneak in → Best option

[Aurelia's Moonstone Pendant]

• Go on → Best option
  
• Dig deeper: Aurelia's pendant
  
• Dig deeper: Aurelia's task

[Trance] Aurelia: Are you ready?

• Ready → Best option
  
• Ready (threaten Aurelia)

[Trance] Aurelia: You have to wake up now.

• Continue memory
  
• Wake up → Best option

[Trance] Aurelia: You need to stop!

• Continue memory
  
• Wake up → Best option

[After Trance]

• [Naurim] Why did you lie?
  
  • [Takate] We kill her!
• [Aurelia] The Nameless Whisper is embracing us!
  
• Go on! (Trust Aurelia) → Best option
  
• Go on! (Threaten Aurelia)

[Eternal City] Aurelia: You should share the Word of Banishment with someone else.

• Tell Naurim the word of banishment
  
• Tell Zurbaran the word of banishment
  
• Tell Takate the word of banishment
  
• Tell Aurelia the word of banishment → Best option
  
• Tell no one the word of banishment

Teachers are NPCs that will allow your Characters to learn Talents, Spells, and Special Abilities they didn't know, as long as they have the available AP to acquire them. All Teachers are exclusive to a Chapter or set of Chapters.

Elissa:

• Wobran (Chapters 1 and 4)
  
• Talents: Survival, Traps, Animal Lore, Perception
  
• Special Abilities: Targeted Shot, Vigilance, Dodge 1

Alborn:

• Drôl – Hanging Gardens (Chapters 1 and 4)
  
• Talents: Warcraft
  
• Special Abilities: Power Blow, Feint, Armor Use 1, Armor Use 2, Shield Fighting 1, Dual Wielding 1

Telemache:

• Mikram (Chapter 1) and Benivilla (Chapters 3 and 4)
  
• Talents: Treat Wounds
  
• Spells: Witch's Spit, Clarum Purum, Balm of Healing
  
• Special Abilities: Steady Casting, Ranged Spell 1, Ranged Spell 2, Astral Regeneration 1, Astral Regeneration 2

Diamantos:

• El-Halem (Chapter 2)
  
• Talents: Perception
  
• Special Abilities: Power Blow, Knock Down, Defensive Stance, Feint, Armor Use 1, Armor Use 2, Shield Fighting 1, Shield Fighting 2, Targeted Shot

Healer:

• Mengbilla – Arena (Chapters 2, 3, and 4)
  
• Spells: Thunderbolt, Ignifaxius Burst of Flame, Hawkeye Marksmanship, Standfast Catlike, Clarum Purum, Magica Infracta, Balm of Healing, Lightning Find You!, Fastness of Body
  
• Special Abilities: Ranged Spell 1, Ranged Spell 2, Astral Regeneration 2, Regeneration Mastery, Steady Casting

Tulefa al'Kira:

• Mengbilla – Arena (Chapters 2, 3, and 4)
  
• Talents: Animal Lore, Perception, Warcraft
  
• Special Abilities: Power Blow, Knock Down, Feint, Targeted Stab, Armor Use 1, Armor Use 2, Shield Fighting 1, Targeted Shot, Marksman, Vigilance, Battle Intuition, Attack of Opportunity, Dodge 1, Dodge 2, Dual Wielding, Weaponmaster Melee

Ciliego:

• Ozhara – Lake Shore (Chapters 3 and 4)
  
• Talents: Streetwise
  
• Special Abilities: Feint, Targeted Stab, Death Blow, Blade Storm, Vigilance, Battle Intuition, Blade Dancer, Dodge 1, Dodge 2, Dodge 3, Dual Wielding 1, Dual Wielding 2

Ninivé:

• Ninivé (Chapters 3 and 4)
  
• Talents: Perception, Traps
  
• Special Abilities: Targeted Shot, Marsman, Triple Shot, Arrow Storm, Master Archer

Daria:

• Mengbilla – Arena Quarter (Chapters 3 and 4)
  
• Talents: Perception, Warcraft
  
• Special Abilities: Power Blow, Knock Down, Hammer Blow, Liberating Blow, Defensive Stance, Armor Use 1, Armor Use 2, Armor Use 3, Shield Fighting 1, Shield Fighting 2, Attack of Opportunity, Battle Reflexes, Weaponmaster Melee

Marbis:

• Heart of the Forest (Chapters 3 and 4)
  
• Talents: Perception, Survival, Animal Lore
  
• Spells: Cold Shock, Wrath of the Elements, Witch's Spit
  
• Special Abilities: Ranged Spell 1, Ranged Spell 2, Astral Regeneration 1, Astral Regeneration 2, Astral Mastery

Madavar:

• Winneb (Chapters 3 and 4)
  
• Talents: Perception, Treat Wounds
  
• Spells: Clarum Purum, Balm of Healing, Fastness of Body
  
• Special Abilities: Aura Shield, Astral Regeneration 1, Astral Regeneration 2, Regeneration Mastery

Imaculo:

• Imaculo's House (Chapters 3 and 4)
  
• Talents: Perception
  
• Spells: Cold Shock, Move as the Lightning, Sensattacco Masterstroke, Lightning Find You!, Duplicatus Double Vision, Karnifilo Frenzy
  
• Special Abilities: Ranged Spell 1, Ranged Spell 2, Ranged Spell 3, Astral Mastery, Astral Regeneration 1, Astral Regeneration 2, Steady Casting

Lizard Man:

• Lizard Man – Mok Pan Tohal (Chapter 5)
  
• Talents: All
  
• Spells: All
  
• Special Abilities: All

Before you can start your adventure, you'll have to create your Main Character. Blackguards offers two possibilities: Basic Mode will allow you to choose from a selection of three presets, while Expert Mode will allow you to fully customize your character from scratch.

In Basic Mode all the decisions are premade for you, and you'll start off with a balanced character that you can then specialize during play into a couple of playstyles. The characters are:

• Warrior: focused on Damage and Armor, a tanky Character that can take it and dish it out. Possible Builds are a One-Handed Weapon and Shield Warrior, a Two-Handed Weapon Warrior, or a Dual Wielding Warrior.
  
• Hunter: focused on Damage and Dodge, a more fragile Character but with potential to deal large amounts of Damage or inflict Wounds. Possible Builds are a Triple Shot Bow Warrior, a Marksman Crossbow Warrior, or a Feint Tree Warrior.
  
• Mage: a versatile caster Character with a good selection of starting Spells and Special Abilities, the Mage can be shaped into a Support Mage, a Debuff Mage, a Blaster Mage, or a freeform combination.

Expert Mode allows for the full customization of every aspect of your Character, this can be overwhelming at first, so I'll break it down into sections to highlight good options and pitfalls. You'll have 10000AP to create your Character, and your first choice is whether or not you spend 500AP to be a Mage. Unless you plan to use Metallic Armor, this is almost always worth it for the sheer versatility.

Attributes will affect four main things: your Base Values, your Talent checks, your Spell checks, and they are used as Prerequisites for Special Abilities. During creation you want to set Attributes to values that complement these; Attributes by themselves are of little use. During Character Creation Attributes cannot exceed a Value of 14.

You cannot directly modify your Base Values, but you can increase them by modifying your Attributes. With the exception of Astral Energy, which increases by 0,5 for every point in CO, IN or CH; Vitality, which increases by 1 point per point in CN and 0,5 per point in ST; and Initiative, which increases by 0,4 per point in CO and 0,2 per point in AG or IN; the rest of the Base Values all increase only 0,2 per point in relevant Attribute.
Any Rational number is rounded down to the nearest Integer so, for example, a 4,6 Attack Value would round down to 4 Attack Value. Therefore, in order to optimize AP expenditure, avoid overpurchasing in Attributes. The difference between 4,2 Attack and 4,8 Attack is roughly 1000AP, and both yield only 4 Attack Value.

Body Control and Willpower are absolutely essential Talents, not having them is a crippling disadvantage as Knock Down is common and Wounds are constant. During Character Creation Talents may not exceed a Value of 8, but I recommend you set both of these to 8; they're that good. As you build your Character, frontliners will want these both at 18 so they can go anywhere and resist anything, but even backliners will want them at 13, as protection.
Streetwise and Survival are excellent Talents for a Level 1 dip; taking them both at Value 0 costs only 80AP, and has the effect of granting +1 Speed in Urban and Wilderness, so +1 Speed everywhere. This is much, much cheaper than increasing 5 Attributes for the equivalent Base Value increase. Warrior builds that have excess AP can upgrade these to 13 to get a further +1 Speed, down the line.

Warcraft is an indispensable Warrior Talent, although it isn't a priority during Character Creation. A Warcraft of 18 allows to change Weapon Sets by expending 4 Speed, which is an excellent trade-off for versatility. The mechanical bonuses conferred along the way are also good, so it is highly recommended on most Characters, because of the +2 Dodge/Parry at 13.

Survival is similar to Warcraft in that it provides mechanical benefits, but investing in this Talent is harder to justify in builds where AP is tight.

Perception is a useful Talent, but it becomes excellent on Ranged Combat builds, as it gives a Passive bonus to Ranged Combat. At least one Character in the Party, though not necessarily the Main Character, should increase Perception to 18 in order to be able to detect all Traps and Hidden Objects.

Traps and Treat Wounds are absolute trash Talents. Traps is useful only for a very specific, very niche playstyle that affords very little advantage. Treat Wounds has Attribute dependencies (CL, CH, DE) that make it only really suitable for Mages, who have 2 Spells that can Heal HP/Wounds at a distance, and with 100% success rate, since Treat Wounds doesn't always, paradoxically, remove Wounds.

Each Weapon type in Blackguards has advantages and disadvantages, and no single type is better than all the rest. However, not all types suit all builds.


Daggers:

• Access to Feint, Targeted Stab, Death Blow, Blade Storm
  
• Decent Attack and High Initiative make them passable for aggressive Dual Wielding builds, especially with Poison.
  
• Piercing damage on all (save one) makes them useless against Undead.

Swords/Sabers:

• Access to Power Blow, Knock Down, Liberating Blow, Feint, Targeted Stab, Death Blow, Blade Storm
  
• Very versatile, middle-of-the-road bonuses. Good for balanced Weapon and Shield builds.
  
• Slashing damage on all makes them slightly less effective against Undead.

Axes and Maces:

• Access to Power Blow, Knock Down, Liberating Blow, Hammer Blow
  
• Good damage output, good for Dual Wielding builds or aggressive Weapon and Shield builds.
  
• Bashing damage makes them effective in most situations. Two have Fire damage, and a further two have Magic damage.

Fencing Weapon:

• Access to Feint, Targeted Stab, Death Blow, Blade Storm
  
• High Attack bonus and Initiative make for excellent aggressive Wounding Warrior builds; at 18 it will hit nearly every high-level enemy at 95%.
  
• Piercing damage on all of them makes them ineffective against Undead.

Staves:

• Access to Power Blow, Knock Down, Liberating Blow
  
• Unimpressive Bonuses, but most have Astral Regeneration, supplementing normal Mage builds.
  
• Blunt damage is good, but they'll rarely be used for attack.

Spears:

• Access to Feint, Targeted Stab, Death Blow
  
• Low bonuses all around are somewhat made up by Distance, since all Spears can Attack over a distance of 2 hexes, making them suitable for Wounding Warrior builds.
  
• Piercing damage on all save a unique with large penalties, but Infantry damage.

Two-Handed Swords:

• Access to Power Blow, Knock Down, Liberating Blow, Hammer Blow, Feint
  
• Low Bonuses, but good Damage, versatile Special Abilities, and several uniques make it an attractive category for Aggressive Warrior builds.
  
• Slashing damage on all, with the exception of one Magic unique.

Two-Handed Bashing Weapons:

• Access to Power Blow, Knock Down, Liberating Blow, Hammer Blow
  
• Very low Bonuses, good Damage, excellent for very Aggressive Warrior builds, but may require some buffing.
  
• Bashing or Infantry damage, making them excellent.

Bows:

• Access to Targeted Shot, Marksman, Triple Shot, Arrow Storm
  
• Good Damage, good Range, required for the Triple Shot Mage, one of the most broken builds in the game.
  
• Damage type depends on Ammunition, but mostly Piercing, since Bashing, Slashing, and Fire Ammunition is very restricted.

Crossbows:

• Access to Targeted Shot, Marksman
  
• High Damage, decent Range, they're good backup weapons to put on Warrior Builds
  
• Damage type mostly restricted to Piercing, as Bows, but with the same options for Bashing, Slashing, and Fire.

Throwing Weapons:

• No Special Ability access. Can be used from Belt, with no need to change Weapon Set.
  
• Situational use, requires large investment into Talent to have decent Hit Chance. Good as a backup on a very Aggressive Warrior build.
  
• High variety of Damage, Damage Types, Effects, even Area damage. Very versatile.

There are a limited number of Spells available to a new Character, preventing you from accessing some of the most powerful right off the bat, understandably. As with Talents, you can only raise them to Value 8, so just enough to unlock Level 2. The Spells available are:

• Offensive: Cold Shock, Thunderbolt, Ignifaxius Burst of Fire, Ignisphaero Fireball
  
• Support: Clarum Purum, Magica Infracta, Balm of Healing, Fastness of Body, Duplicatus Double Vision
  
• Buff: Hawkeye Marksmanship, Standfast Catlike
  
• Debuff: Lightning Find You!, Corpofesso Aching Limbs

What follows are notes on all Spells, so you can better plan out your progression. As a reminder, not all Spells have the same purchase and upgrade price; some start at 20, some at 40, and some at 100.

Offensive:

• Cold Shock: Magic Damage and Debuff, Mass version at Level 4.
  
• Thunderbolt: Magic Damage, Cone version at Level 4.
  
• Witch's Bile: Poison Damage, forces a Willpower check and Traps Enemis if failed.
  
• Ignifaxius Burst of Flame: Fire Damage, Cone version at Level 4.
  
• Ignisphaero Fireball: Fire Damage in Area, Large Area at Level 4.
  
• Culminatio Ball of Lightning: Summons “turret” to deal Magic Damage to nearest enemy over several turns.
  
• Wrath of the Elements: Bashing Damage and Knock Down, Area at Level 2, Large Area at Level 4.

Support:

• Witch's Spit: Mixed Healing and Buff spell, Heals wounds at Level 4.
  
• Clarum Purum: Essential Spell on at least 1 Charater to remove Poison, Mass version at Level 4.
  
• Magica Infracta: removes enchantments, Mass version at Level 4 very useful in Late Game.
  
• Balm of Healing: Essential Healing Spell, removes Wounds at Level 3, confers Regeneration at Level 4.
  
• Fortifex Arcane Wall: great utility Spell for battlefield control, each Level increases wall length by 1 hex.
  
• Gardianum Magic Shield: good defensive Spell to thwart enemy Mages, late availability, however.
  
• Fastness of Body: rarely used, since your Mages will often have a slew of better things to do. Contrast with buffing Dodge, Healing HP, or dealing Damage.
  
• Duplicatus Double Vision: good on vulnerable frontliners but, as with FoB, the Action could be better spent.

Buff:

• Move as the Lighting: one of the best spells in the game, the Level 3 version gives an additional Action each turn.
  
• Hawkeye Marksmanship: the premium buff for Hunters, makes Triple Shot builds not only viable, but optimal.
  
• Ecliptifactus Shadow Force: a force multiplier, literally, when taken on a hybrid Warrior/Mage build.
  
• Sensattacco Masterstroke: a powerful buff for Warriors, but suffers from a lack of a Mass version.
  
• Standfast Catlike: excellent melee buff, providing Attack and Dodge, and it has a Mass version at Level 4.

Debuff:

• Paralyze: a versatile Spell; Level 1 disables an Enemy; Level 2 protects a tank in exchange for its actions; Level 3 disables Enemies in an Area; Level 4 is the best defensive buff in the game. ASP intensive.
  
• Lightning Find You!: the premium melee debuff, lowering Attack and Parry, with a Mass version at Level 4.
  
• Corpofesso Aching Limbs: the premium ranged debuff, lowering ST and AG, making enemies more vulnerable to Wounds as well, with a Mass version at Level 4.
  
• Karnifilo Frenzy: another buff/debuff, the targeted Character Attacks nearest Character, but gets ST buff, Attack buff, and Parry debuff.

Special Abilities are the Active and Passive skills that can be purchased at Character Creation, as well as further on by using Teachers. The Special Abilities that can be purchased during Character Creation are the following: Power Blow, Feint, Targeted Shot, Ranged Spell 1, Astral Regeneration 1, Astral Mastery, Vigilance, Armor Use 1, Shield Fighting 1, Dodge 1, Dual Wielding 1.
What follows are notes on all available Special Abilities, so you can better plan out your builds:

• Power Blow: Bread and butter for Warriors, Attack -5 for Damage +5 is excellent.
  
• Knock Down: An Enemy that is Knocked Down will be hit with 100% accuracy, even if they pass their Body Control check, it still inflicts normal damage, albeit with Attack -6. Good Sword Warriors setting up Hammer Blows for others.
  
• Hammer Blow: In exchange for Attack -12 multiplies Damage by 3; the dispersion on this is huge since, for example, a 1d6+4 weapon with a typical damage bracket of [5,10] (average 7,5) would have a damage bracket of [15-30] (average 22,5). Main Damage dealer in late game. Expends the Character's Parry.
  
• Liberating Blow: Frequently overlooked but, with right positioning, does the same Damage per turn as Hammer Blow (Damage x1 but on 3 targets), with the advantage of Knock Back (which becomes unavoidable Knock Down if Knock Back is impeded), and only Attack -8. Expends the Character's Parry. The Knock Back also triggers AOO.
  
• Defensive Fighting: Save in very specific tanking circumstances, it's always better to Attack than to be attacked.
  
• Feint: Applies a penalty to enemy Parry and Dodge, and expends the Parry of the opponent. Essential for setting up Hammer Blows.
  
• Targeted Stab: Essential for Daggers, Fencing Weapons, and Spears used in Wounding Warrior builds. Ignores Armor is essential for Piercing Weapons, and Wounds 1 on top is great. The Attack -6 will be offset by the Bonuses on the Weapons, mostly.
  
• Death Blow: A riskier but more powerful Targeted Stab, it has Wounds 2, Ignores Armor, but applies Attack -8.
  
• Blade Storm: I struggle to see the use for Blade Storm other than rapidly applying endgame Poisons to Enemies. Attack -8 isn't as severe for Daggers, Swords, and Fencing Weapons, but without Ignores Armor, the resulting Damage will be very low.
  
• Targeted Shot: Excellent on Ranged Combat builds, since Ranged Combat -5 is well worth Ranged Damage +5.
  
• Marksman: Easy to underestimate, but Wounds 1 and Ignores Armor in exchange for Ranged Combat -5 gives Marksman the edge over Targeted Shot in the late game.
  
• Triple Shot: Restricted to Bows and Ammunition intensive, this Special Ability has the highest Damage potential against any Large or smaller Enemy in the game. Three Poisoned shots can reach three figures of damage under the right conditions. Combine with Hawkeye Marksmanship and delete one enemy with every Attack, since it'll mitigate the Ranged Attack -12 and add even more Damage.
  
• Arrow Storm: Restricted to Bows and ruinously costly to Ammunition, expending 7 Arrows per Attack, Arrow Storm can instantly delete most Huge Enemies in the game, especially with the use of Poison. Seven Attacks at once is more than enough to kill Giant Caimans, Giant Apes, Iribaar Lilies, Flying Lizards, etc. Other than that it becomes only situationally useful, and with Ranged Combat -14 it requires Hawkeye Marksmanship to be viable.
  
• Ranged Spell Tree: Each one of these increases Spell range by 1 hex, useful for backliner Mage builds, but not for hybrid builds.
  
• Astral Regeneration Tree: Essential for Mage builds; ASP is scarce and depending on Potions is a waste of Action economy.
  
• Astral Mastery: Essential for Mage builds; casting every turn is equivalent to ASP regeneration +1.
  
• Aura Shield: Potentially useful, but the Prerequisites make it hugely overcosted.
  
• Steady Casting: While the mechanics behind it are unclear I believe it is equivalent to getting a reroll on the Spell check. Regardless, it provides a massive increase in success chance and is highly useful for Mages.
  
• Vigilance: The exact penalty to Enemy AOO is still unclear, but it's useful on frontliners to move through formations to rush a Mage or Hunter, and on backliners to avoid being surrounded by Warriors.
  
• Battle Intuition: Excellent on any Character, Initiative +2 is never a bad thing.
  
• Blade Dancer: A further Initiative Bonues, and a reduced Parry/Dodge penalty from performing Special Attacks; useful for frontliners.
  
• Armor Use Tree: Essential on tanky Warriors intending to use heavier Armor.
  
• Shield Fighting Tree: A total of Attack +2 at the end of it gives Weapon and Shield Warriors a small, but significant edge.
  
• Attack of Opportunity: Good on Warriors for extra Damage, non-essential on Mages or Hunters.
  
• Master Archer: Expensive, but a decent talent for Hunters, especially Triple Shot Hunters.
  
• Dodge Tree: Dodge +2 for every one of these is excellent and should go on everyone from Warriors to Mages to increase survivability.
  
• Battle Reflexes: A flat Initiative +4, essential to avoid being alpha stricken by the Enemy.
  
• Dual Wield Tree: Only required for Dual Wield builds, naturally.
  
• Weaponmaster Melee: Incredibly expensive, but worth it in the lategame for Warriors, since they should have at least 2 Weapon Talents at high level, anyway. The third one is a tax.

Equipment
The very last step in Character Creation, and one often overlooked, is Equipment. You can choose from a wide selection of Armor, Weapons, and Items to equip your Character. Naturally, you should choose Equipment that fits your Character's intended playstyle. A couple of notes on selection:

• Armor: You have three complete Sets available; the Brigantine Set is Metallic and, even with Armor Use 1, puts you at Encumbrance 1, so it's suitable for Warriors only; the Leather Set and Gambeson Set are both non-Metallic, and have no Encumbrance, so they suit Hunters and Mages better.
  
• Weapons: If you want to use Piercing Weapons for your build, take a secondary Bashing Weapon, as you will have to deal with Undead and Crystals, both immune to Piercing.
  
• Items: Since you can take a Small Belt, you can fit two Items into its sockets; you'll get the most mileage out of Healing and Astral Potions.

And with that, your Character is ready to go!

Tank Warrior: a well-rounded build that can take the pain and share it. Naurim is a good pick to develop this way.

• Armor: Bigger is better; your endgame goal is the Horasian Cavalry Armor, with Visor.
  
• Weapons: A Shield will help survivability and increase Attack, while an Axes and Maces Weapon will allow you to keep up in Damage with Hammer Blow. Alternatively, Swords/Sabers will lower total Damage output, but will make it more reliable.
  
• Uniques: Roglima's Last Sword, Honnorhall's Scepter, Naurim's Battleaxe
  
• Items: Healing Potions, Strength Potions, Javelins
  
• Attributes and Base Values: Prioritize Attack, Parry, Dodge, and Vitality.
  
• Talents: Body Control (18), Willpower (18), Streetwise (13), Survival (13), Warcraft (18).
  
• Weapon Talents: 3 Melee Weapon Talents (18, 16, 16), Throwing Weapons (18)
  
• Special Abilities: Hammer Blow, Liberating Blow, Feint, Armor Use 3, Blade Dancer, Shield Fighting 2, Attack of Opportunity, Dodge 3, Weaponmaster Melee, Master Archer.
  
• Buffs: Move as the Lightning 3, Petrify 4, Standfast Catlike, Balm of Healing 4, Fastness of Body, Duplicatus Double Vision, Sensattacco Masterstroke

Wounding Warrior: an aggressive build that stacks as many Wounds as possible on Enemies to soften them up. Takate is a good pick to develop this way.

• Armor: Kuskilian Set
  
• Weapons: three options here; Fencing Weapons and Shield will have insane Attack and can spam Death Blow with high Hit Chance; Dual Wield Daggers with Poison has high Damage at the start of combat; Spear has Distance, very useful with AOO.
  
• Uniques: Sword Cane, Basilisk's Tongue (Main hand) + Mengbillar (Off hand), Jungle Tiger's Spear, Bloodletter.
  
• Items: Healing Potions, Thrown Axes
  
• Attributes and Base Values: Prioritize Attack, Parry, Dodge, and Initiative
  
• Talents: Body Control (18), Willpower (18), Streetwise (13), Survival (13), Warcraft (18).
  
• Weapon Talents: 3 Melee Weapon Talents (18, 16, 16), Throwing Weapons (18)
  
• Special Abilities: Feint, Targeted Stab, Death Blow, Blade Storm (Basilisk's Tongue only), Armor Use 2, Blade Dancer, Attack of Opportunity, Shield Fighting 2 (Fencing Weapons only), Dodge 3, Dual Wield 2 (Daggers only) Weaponmaster Melee, Master Archer
  
• Buffs: Move as the Lightning 3, Standfast Catlike, Sensattacco Masterstroke

Hammer Blow Warrior: a very aggressive build, focused exclusively on dealing the largest amount of Damage possible. Naurim and Takate are good picks to develop this way.

• Armor: Bosparan Set with Karima's Helmet
  
• Weapons: Two-Handed Bashing Weapons or Dual Wield Axes and Maces
  
• Uniques: Palios, The Ripper, Smith's Hammer + Naurim's Battleaxe
  
• Items: Healing Potions, Strength Potion, Berserk Potion, Pomegranate
  
• Attributes and Base Values: Prioritize Attack, Initiative, and Vitality
  
• Talents: Body Control (18), Willpower (18), Streetwise (13), Survival (13), Warcraft (18).
  
• Weapon Talents: 3 Melee Weapon Talents (18, 16, 16), Throwing Weapons (18)
  
• Special Abilities: Hammer Blow, Liberating Blow, Armor Use 2, Blade Dancer, Attack of Opportunity, Dodge 3, Dual Wield 2 (Axes and Maces only), Weaponmaster Melee, Master Archer.
  
• Buffs: Move as the Lightning 3, Standfast Catlike, Sensattacco Masterstroke, Karnifilo Frenzy

Bow Hunter: a Damage oriented build, limited by the availability of Ammunition in the game.

• Armor: Brigantine Set
  
• Weapons: Bows, backup melee Weapon with decent Attack Bonuses, preferably a Sword in case of Undead enemies, and Poisoned with Kelmon or similar to get away from flankers.
  
• Unique: Madavar's Bow, Roglima's Last Sword
  
• Items: Healing Potions, Intuition Potions
  
• Attributes and Base Values: Prioritize Ranged Combat, Dodge, and Initiative
  
• Talents: Body Control (18), Willpower (18), Perception (18), Streetwise (13), Survival (13), Warcraft (18).
  
• Weapon Talents: Bows (18), 1 Melee Weapon Talent (18)
  
• Special Abilities: Feint, Targeted Shot, Triple Shot, Arrow Storm, Blade Dancer, Armor Use 2, Master Archer, Dodge 3
  
• Buffs: Move as Lighting 3, Hawkeye Marksmanship

Crossbow Hunter: a Wounding build with plenty of AP freedom to expand into Supporting roles.

• Armor: Brigantine Set
  
• Weapons: Crossbows, backup melee Weapon with decent Attack Bonuses, preferably a Sword in case of Undead enemies, and Poisoned with Kelmon or similar to get away from flankers.
  
• Uniques: Winched Crossbow, Roglima's Last Sword
  
• Items: Healing Potions, Intuition Potions
  
• Attributes and Base Values: Prioritize Ranged Combat, Dodge, and Initiative
  
• Talents: Body Control (18), Willpower (18), Perception (18), Streetwise (13), Survival (13), Warcraft (18).
  
• Weapon Talents: Crossbows (18), 1 Melee Weapon Talent (18)
  
• Special Abilities: Feint, Targeted Shot, Marksman, Blade Dancer, Armor Use 2, Master Archer, Dodge 3
  
• Buffs: Move as Lighting 3, Hawkeye Marksmanship

Support Mage: a caster Character focused on battlefield control and shutting down Enemy advantages. Zurbaran is a good pick to develop this way.

• Armor: Iryan Set
  
• Weapons: Staves, Bows/Crossbows as backup
  
• Uniques: Magician's Staff
  
• Items: Astral Potions, Healing Potions
  
• Attributes and Base Values: Prioritize Initiative, Parry, Astral Energy and Speed
  
• Talents: Body Control (18), Willpower (18), Streetwise (13), Survival (13).
  
• Weapon Talents: Staves (18), 1 Ranged Weapon Talent (9)
  
• Spells: Move as the Lightning 3, Clarum Purum 4, Balm of Healing 4, Magica Infracta 4, Gardianum Magic Shield 4, Fortifex Arcane Wall 3, Ignifaxius Burst of Flame 3
  
• Special Abilities: Ranged Spell 3, Regeneration Mastery, Astral Mastery, Steady Casting, Battle Intuition, Dodge 3
  
• Buffs: N/A

Buff Mage: a caster Character that becomes a force multiplier by bolstering the rest of the Party with buffs. Zurbaran is a good pick to develop this way.

• Armor: Iryan Set
  
• Weapons: Staves, Bows/Crossbows as backup
  
• Uniques: Magician's Staff
  
• Items: Astral Potions, Healing Potions
  
• Attributes and Base Values: Prioritize Initiative, Parry, Astral Energy and Speed
  
• Talents: Body Control (18), Willpower (18), Streetwise (13), Survival (13).
  
• Weapon Talents: Staves (18), 1 Ranged Weapon Talent (9)
  
• Spells: Move as the Lightning 3, Standfast Catlike 4, Hawkeye Marksmanship 3, Sensattacco Masterstroke, Clarum Purum 3, Balm of Healing 3, Ignifaxius Burst of Flame 1
  
• Special Abilities: Ranged Spell 3, Regeneration Mastery, Astral Mastery, Steady Casting, Battle Intuition, Dodge 3
  
• Buffs: N/A

Debuff Mage: a caster Character designed to cripple the Enemy with Mass or single target debuffs. Aurelia is a good pick to develop this way.

• Armor: Iryan Set
  
• Weapons: Staves, Bows/Crossbows as backup
  
• Uniques: Magician's Staff
  
• Items: Astral Potions, Healing Potions
  
• Attributes and Base Values: Prioritize Initiative, Parry, Astral Energy and Speed
  
• Talents: Body Control (18), Willpower (18), Streetwise (13), Survival (13).
  
• Weapon Talents: Staves (18), 1 Ranged Weapon Talent (9)
  
• Spells: Move as the Lightning 3, Lightning Find You! 4, Witch's Spit 4, Witch's Bile 3, Cold Shock 4, Karnifilo Frenzy 3, Petrify 3
  
• Special Abilities: Ranged Spell 3, Regeneration Mastery, Astral Mastery, Steady Casting, Battle Intuition, Dodge 3
  
• Buffs: N/A

Blaster Mage: a caster Character that is completely unsubtle in its goal of killing grouped enemies. The Blaster Mage shouldn't ever hit a single target, but focus on spreading the Damage as much as possible. Extremely ASP intensive

• Armor: Iryan Set
  
• Weapons: Swords; this build depends on two specific uniques to work. The Mageblade is a Sword that provides Astral Regeneration +2, and the Obsidian Dagger is a Dagger that provides Astral Regeneration +3.
  
• Uniques: Mageblade, Obsidian Dagger
  
• Items: Astral Potions
  
• Attributes and Base Values: Prioritize Initiative and Astral Energy
  
• Talents: Body Control (18), Willpower (18), Streetwise (13), Survival (13).
  
• Weapon Talents: Swords (18)
  
• Spells: Move as the Lighting 3, Ignifaxius Burst of Flame 4, Witch's Bile 4, Wrath of the Elements 4, Thunderbolt 4, Ignisphaero Fireball 4, Balm of Healing 3
  
• Special Abilities: Feint, Ranged Spell 3, Regeneration Mastery, Astral Mastery, Steady Casting, Battle Intuition, Dodge 3
  
• Buffs: N/A

Warrior/Mage: this is a hybrid Character who's main purpose is to deal Damage while self-buffing and providing support to other members of the Party. The Character requires careful positioning, as most of the time it'll be on the frontline in light Armor.

• Armor: Iryan Set
  
• Weapons: Swords/Sabers and a Shield give versatility and staying power, Poison is recommended
  
• Uniques: Roglima's Last Sword
  
• Items: Healing Potions, Strength Potions
  
• Attributes and Base Values: Prioritize Attack, Parry, Dodge, and Initiative
  
• Talents: Body Control (18), Willpower (18), Streetwise (13), Survival (13), Warcraft (18).
  
• Weapon Talents: Swords (18), Axes and Maces (16), 1 Melee Weapon Talent (16)
  
• Spells: Move as the Lightning 3, Ecliptifactus Shadow Force 1, Balm of Healing 2, Thunderbolt 2, Fastness of Body 1
  
• Special Abilities: Liberating Blow, Feint, Astral Regeneration 2, Astral Mastery, Blade Dancer, Shield Fighting 2, Dodge 3, Weaponmaster Melee
  
• Buffs: Move as the Lightning 3, Standfast Catlike, Fastness of Body

Hunter/Mage: this is a self-sufficient Character who's purpose is to deal very high Damage from the backline with next to no support. Aurelia is a good pick to develop this way.

• Armor: Iryan Set
  
• Weapons: Bows, Dagger as a back-up, with Poison on both
  
• Uniques: Madavar's Bow, Mengbillar
  
• Items: Healing Potions, Intuition Potions
  
• Attributes and Base Values: Prioritize Ranged Combat, Dodge, and Initiative
  
• Talents: Body Control (18), Willpower (18), Perception (18), Streetwise (13), Survival (13), Warcraft (18).
  
• Weapon Talents: Bows (18), Daggers (18)
  
• Spells: Move as the Lightning 3, Hawkeye Marksmanship 4, Ecliptifactus Shadow Force 1, Balm of Healing 2
  
• Special Abilities: Feint, Targeted Shot, Triple Shot, Arrow Storm, Astral Regeneration 2, Astral Mastery, Blade Dancer, Master Archer, Dodge 3
  
• Buffs: Move as the Lightning 3, Hawkeye Marksmanship

Iron Caster: this is a build made for fun, to see how far the system can be pushed; the result is a hybrid Character, an effective self-buffer in Metallic Armor that can take a hit and give it back. It only depends on Astral Potions. Will require a lot of AP.

• Armor: Gladiator Set + Bosparan Bronze Sandals + Hood
  
• Weapons: Two-Handed Swords or Two-Handed Bashing Weapons
  
• Uniques: Rondacromb, Executioner's Sword (against Mages), The Ripper
  
• Items: Astral Potions, Healing Potions
  
• Attributes and Base Values: CO (16), CL (15), IN (15), CH (14), DE (8), AG (14), CN (14), ST (16)
  
• Talents: Body Control (13), Willpower (13), Streetwise (13), Survival (13), Warcraft (18).
  
• Weapon Talents: Two-Handed Swords (18), 2 Weapon Talents (16, 16)
  
• Spells: Move as the Lightning 3, Standfast Catlike 3
  
• Special Abilities: Hammer Blow, Liberating Blow, Feint, Astral Mastery, Battle Intuition, Attack of Opportunity, Dodge 2, Battle Reflexes, Weaponmaster Melee
  
• Buffs: Move as the Lightning 3, Standfast Catlike 3, Healing Balm 4, Sensattacco Masterstroke

Acknowledgements

BloodyFire, who produced the analytical formula for Spellcasting success single-handedly; bacal_ov, who provided spot translations for Das Schwarze Auge source material as a reference; and Khalael for proofreading and sitting through me playing my Top 5 Worst Battles of the game at least 3 times.

I would also like to thank peddroelm and Syad for their tests of the effects of Strength progression on Weapon Damage in the game, which allowed me to better grasp Weapon potential; and felipepe, goumingdong, sam.a.inc, Io, albert.brady12, vigomiller, and Raylan13 for their guides, walkthroughs, forum posts, and the wiki, all of which helped me learn the ropes of this game, and were very useful in cross-checking my data. Credit to alation13 for providing corrections.

Further thanks to Pompan, chezwizard, and What You Need for their input on the published guide.