4 ms·

Any recommended guides for newbies?

e12e 5y ago
Good question. I think part of the joy is exploration, actually. I recall looking through some spoiler-files in the 90s - but I recommend just diving in. There should be some rudimentary help in-game (bound to "?" I think?). If you don't have a num-pad you might want "rogue" keybindings - and remember to wear/wield armor and weapons, bring food (and eat it) and a source of light...
ashton314 5y ago
Dive deep and fast. (Obviously, there’s a balance to strike here.) The deeper you go, the better the treasures are. The Word of Recall scroll is your friend: always have at least two on you. You can read it, and get transported back up to the village after a few turns. I like taking multiple with me down into the dungeon, just in case one gets destroyed by, say, an acid trap. If you read this scroll from the village, it will transport you to the lowest level you have visited. Rest frequently. There’s nothing wrong with running away from a fight.
- richardwhiuk 5y ago
  > There’s nothing wrong with running away from a fight. Definitely that. The trick is recognising when you are utterly outnumbered, and the level is lost. Damm white louse replicating like crazy have killed me too many times.
pianoben 5y ago
Someone else covered diving deep and fast and WoR scrolls. The other major notion is to learn and remember what monsters can do. What they're weak to, what they can do to you. Part of the thrill (and the agony, honestly) is when you're deeper than you've ever been, and something you've never seen before just one-shots you. The game has an interesting memory mechanic. When you first start, your character's "monster knowledge" is nil. As you meet and fight monsters, it gradually fills in. When you die and start a new character, you retain this "ancestral knowledge". It's absolutely vital to your survival. Same goes for items and artifacts. You can always look stuff up online if you want. It makes the game more predictable, certainly.

e12e 5y ago

Good question. I think part of the joy is exploration, actually. I recall looking through some spoiler-files in the 90s - but I recommend just diving in. There should be some rudimentary help in-game (bound to "?" I think?). If you don't have a num-pad you might want "rogue" keybindings - and remember to wear/wield armor and weapons, bring food (and eat it) and a source of light...

ashton314 5y ago

Dive deep and fast. (Obviously, there’s a balance to strike here.) The deeper you go, the better the treasures are. The Word of Recall scroll is your friend: always have at least two on you. You can read it, and get transported back up to the village after a few turns. I like taking multiple with me down into the dungeon, just in case one gets destroyed by, say, an acid trap. If you read this scroll from the village, it will transport you to the lowest level you have visited. Rest frequently. There’s nothing wrong with running away from a fight.

richardwhiuk 5y ago
> There’s nothing wrong with running away from a fight. Definitely that. The trick is recognising when you are utterly outnumbered, and the level is lost. Damm white louse replicating like crazy have killed me too many times.

pianoben 5y ago

Someone else covered diving deep and fast and WoR scrolls. The other major notion is to learn and remember what monsters can do. What they're weak to, what they can do to you. Part of the thrill (and the agony, honestly) is when you're deeper than you've ever been, and something you've never seen before just one-shots you. The game has an interesting memory mechanic. When you first start, your character's "monster knowledge" is nil. As you meet and fight monsters, it gradually fills in. When you die and start a new character, you retain this "ancestral knowledge". It's absolutely vital to your survival. Same goes for items and artifacts. You can always look stuff up online if you want. It makes the game more predictable, certainly.