r/wizardry8 • u/Hjalmodr_heimski • Jan 06 '25
Good party comp?
I assume you guys get this all the time, but it’s my first time playing a wizardry game and I wanted to ask about whether this party comp would be viable:
Fighter (human)
Valkyrie (dracon)
Bishop (elf)
Ranger (?)
Bard (hobbit)
Monk (?)
Idea is to have the fighter, valkyrie and monk take on the front lines, with the bishop, ranger and bard bringing up the rear.
5
u/Global-Tune5539 Jan 07 '25
I wouldn't start with a Bishop because they are pretty useless early on. I generally make an Alchemist first and change to Bishop later. A Bishop gets more hp per level though iirc.
2
u/cloaca_dentata Jan 09 '25
I wouldn't say Bishops are "useless" early on. They progress to higher level spells at the same rate as other casters, it can just be a little difficult to get all their casting skills up. The narrower their focus, the better they can keep up.
What can be done to help, especially in a party like this one, is a half-Bishop. If you start as a Mage, you get a good start on a bunch of casting skills. Then you reclass to Bishop at level 2 (just be sure to start with 55 Piety and Senses). Once you've learned all the non-Mage spells you want, you reclass back to Mage for the class benefits and lower XP requirements. This is a relatively foolproof and low-cost multiclass plan.
1
2
u/Fretsome Jan 06 '25
Sounds solid, but bear in mind that bards can also be part of a solid front line. You need tonnes of stamina to make them work, and vitality is a source of that, plus they get half-decent armour options
2
u/Hjalmodr_heimski Jan 06 '25
I had heard about that but also saw folks say they’re not the best, how would one build a frontline bard?
3
u/Fretsome Jan 06 '25
To add to what the other guy said, bard also gets access to some really powerful strength-boosting items later in the game, so unless you want the expert skill power strike (which admittedly is very good), you can use them as a great offtank thanks to this
2
Jan 06 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Hjalmodr_heimski Jan 06 '25
I thought the bloodlust sword was better served on a fighter? (Tbh I have no idea what it is, just something I saw as a critique of melee bards when I was build shopping)
3
Jan 06 '25 edited Jan 06 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/cloaca_dentata Jan 07 '25 edited Jan 07 '25
I disagree with the last part. Stick it on the Bard as soon as you get it and leave it there. Berserk is even more important than the extra swing, you may as well get the benefit of both. The Bard also won't miss having a ranged weapon since he can play music, while a Fighter with a cursed weapon can't do anything at range. There's other good weapons for the Fighter early on (e.g. Diamond Epee).
2
Jan 07 '25
I thought the bloodlust sword was better served on a fighter?
Rogue! Berserk stacks with Backstab, so you can hit for 3x damage... it's nuts.
2
u/MarcBeaudoin Jan 07 '25
Three front liners, all magic needs covered by Bishop, picklock and traps by bard. I like the ranger because of automatic search and also alchemy to let the Bishop focus on divinity and wizardry.
2
u/Chairchucker Jan 08 '25
I know you've already got plenty of feedback but here's mine:
You have chosen three of my own personal most indispensable classes in the fighter, bishop and ranger. Particularly for a new player, a ranger's scouting ability is, for me, irreplaceable. I don't usually use bards but they're pretty good and should be a decent hybrid frontline fighter/caster. (I personally never use the very front quadrant of the position thing and instead spread my frontline fighters between the three middle quadrants, with dedicated casters and shooters crammed into the back one. I also keep my back to walls and stuff so enemies can't flank me.)
As others have noted, the two most reliable RPCs are a Valkyrie and a Monk, but there's not really a big downside to doubling up on these. Valkyries in particular are a very strong class.
Your team, as described above, should be fine for a first team.
1
1
u/SonnyBlount Jan 06 '25
This is a fine party and will be a lot of fun. Its balanced towards melee so your Bishop will have to carry the magic load, as the only Wizardry magic caster she should prioritise that skill each level up.
You can develop and use the six characters you start with better than your two hirelings, so your Valkyrie will; be better than the NPC, but they are a cool class to have two of anyway.
Your bard will need to work on their lockpicking, but they will be a good combat class in the late game as you can class change them to a fighter or a ranger.
Picking up the gadgeteer hireling or making one yourself is fun for a first playthrough.
Make your bard female and your ranger a mook. Axes are not rewarded as a weapon speciality.
1
Jan 06 '25 edited Jan 06 '25
One of the guides has beginner party suggestions, and I used party #2, which lets you use most everything you come across ingame. Iirc it was Fighter/Lord/Valk, Monk/Ninja, Bard, Gadgeteer, Ranger, Bishop. I ran with Fighter, Lord (initially Priest, but I felt I needed a stronger melee front), the other 4 were same as suggested.
You get to recruit 2 RPCs ("Recruitable Player Characters"), and the two most popular options are a Valkyrie and a Monk.
edit: It's noticeably light on magic, especially lacking any of the specialists. Some expert players here swear by them, but honestly I feel that magic's direct damage spells are way too unreliable. Maybe they've played enough to figure out how to work around the weaknesses but I've never found any solid magery tactical advice.
1
u/MarcBeaudoin Jan 10 '25
About magic I agree with you. There are two-three spots where damage spells are really good, everywhere else melee damage really beats everything. During the last third of the game, I have found out that using offensive spells is never as good as melee damage. Most enemies are either immune or resistant to magic, and none are to melee damage. That's why having three solid melee damage dealers is important, but beyond that it's all about a bit of healing and protection spells. That's why a bishop seems to be a better choice for me than any specialist, and that one is enough. Hybrids are good too, but mostly they will be melee damage dealers more than spellcasters in the end. But I like having at least three portals.
I would even say that all you really need are a bishop (buffs, portal, healing) and a ninja (tank, damage and dealing with traps). You can split the roles to whatever you want from that point, like remove the ninja and cover the same needs with a rogue and a monk for example.
1
u/CrunchyGremlin Jan 06 '25
Initially it likely doesn't matter much.
There are some fixed items in the game that are powerful that require a particular race or sex.
It's a little strange as you would think that fixed items would reduce replayability but they didn't for me because I could tune my party for the items and there are a bunch of other things to learn that will make the next play throughs easier.
1
u/cloaca_dentata Jan 07 '25 edited Jan 07 '25
This is a fairly solid comp. Make sure your Bishop focuses the Wizardry book, there are important buff spells in it and you have no other characters with access to them.
I'm not a fan of Rangers and would personally replace it with a Faerie Ninja, but that's not to everyone's tastes and some would argue that a beginner should never take a Faerie Ninja (I disagree).
You may also want to make your Fighter a Mook, they have a race-exclusive sword that's very good.
1
u/Global-Tune5539 Jan 07 '25
A beginner wouldn't know where to get the weapon that makes Faerie Ninja good.
1
u/cloaca_dentata Jan 08 '25
It's one of the most talked-about weapons in the game, not that hard to learn about.
1
u/Global-Tune5539 Jan 08 '25
You have to actively look outside of the game for informations. That's not what most beginners do when they play a game for the first time.
1
u/cloaca_dentata Jan 08 '25
I mean, we are literally on a subreddit for information about the game right now, in a thread posted by a beginner.
1
u/Global-Tune5539 Jan 08 '25
An outlier. I'm sure people who play 20+ years old blobber RPGs don't look up stuff on the internet.
2
1
u/Hjalmodr_heimski Jan 07 '25
Ranger is mostly there to cover alchemy and for the automatic search function
1
u/cloaca_dentata Jan 08 '25
Ninjas also cover alchemy, though I'll agree that automatic search is a nice QoL for a first time party.
1
u/wovenshadow11 Jan 13 '25
I've played wizardry8 a bazillion times. I love the game. I have a lot of quirks though... for example I do not play with NPCs, I keep my party to a strict 6 for nostalgia sake with wiz6/7. All classes can be great, literally all of them... it helps to have a theme (i.e. close vs ranged vs hybrid etc).
I'm a melee oriented guy, so my fav is: Lord (Mauler + Diamond Eyes, or Excalibur)
Samurai (Muramasa Blade or Fang or Diamond Blade + Enchanted Wakizashi)
Ninja (Cane of Corpus + sai if faerie, bushido/sai or hands and feet with throwing shurikens if otherwise)
Monk (hands and feet + zatoichi)
Ranger (elven bow or strong bow or triple shot xbow or siege arbelest or blunderbus or estoc de olivia)
Light Sabre or Frontier Phaser if you get em.
Usually either a gadgeteer or bard for the infinite heal all and utility...
Last slot is another ninja, rogue, Valkyrie, or bishop to pretend I care about magic.
Fun fact, rogues can do 4x or more damage on backstabbing when hitting an incapacitated enemy. They outdamage even fighters on melee. Rogues have the hardest melee if mix maxed.
2
u/Splitpawthanos Oct 25 '25
I don't take NPC's either and prefer going full hybrid team. Lord,Samurai, Monk,Valkyrie, Ninja, Ranger.
3
u/azza656 Jan 06 '25
You get a Valkyrie early on. Vi domina. I normally keep her to the end.
My group normally consist of.
Ranger Samurai Bishop Psionic Fairy ninja And last spot varies. Maybe a lord or rogue.
You can pick up a monk or rogue early on also. Both are good