The Ten Golden Rules of NeoQuest II

…WILL YOU SURVIVE? Can you take the action, the adventure, and the attackers? If you answered no to more than one question, then you might need a crash course on what you need, what you must do, and what you must avoid. Don’t worry; because once you finish the game it’ll be easier on your second try. That is, if you’re actually going to go for another go…

1. STAY ALIVE. These two crucial words may not say much, but in the world of NeoQuest II, this is perhaps the most important phrase you must paste into your brain, no matter what mode you may be on. For one thing, losing to a fight would mean going back to the last inn you stayed in, and sometimes that can be a really, really far distance to walk. Oh, the grueling journey will be repeated all over again!!! Plus, you lose half your gold. That shiny yellow stuff is VITAL in getting upgrades and potions for your fights! If you don’t have enough, you won’t be able to improve your damage and defense against those monsters out there. Don’t get me started on INSANE MODE, where dying would mean starting the whole game ALL OVER AGAIN. As in, you will be spirited back to the village of Trestin and clawing your way to the top would be for naught.

2. STRATEGIZE. You can’t just keep hitting and hitting without going nowhere. For one thing, you have to decide which enemy to kill first (when you face more than one monster), or your initial move in a boss fight. And you also have to think of when to heal and when not to, so you conserve potions and keep yourself alive as well. This whole strategizing thing comes in handy best when you have a complete party – you have to plan who attacks, defends, and buys the team double fudge cake after the fight.

3. REST. Always remember that (almost) every inn is important. In case you die (knock on wood, please!), know that you will be spirited to the last place you stayed in, and this would be really hard if you are dropped in a particularly far place…it will be a major setback. However, if the first inn is quite close to the location you will begin a new act in, you may want to save gold, like Shadow Gulch in the Haunted Woods.

4. SKILL POINTS. For goodness’s sake, what’s the point if you can’t spend them! If you want your characters to deal more damage and gain the upper hand in just about every fight you get your sorry behinds into, it’s not just the weapons and defense you have to consider. Here are some skills to invest in (the must-haves; the rest is up to you, O great NQII player!):

Rohane: Damage Increase, Critical Attacks

Mipsy: Group Direct Damage OR Direct Damage (you can’t have both, because you’ll end up using just one and ignoring the fact that you have the other), Innate Casting Haste

Talinia: Increased Bow Damage, Multiple Targets

Velm: Healing OR Group Healing (see reasons above), Innate Casting Haste

5. POTIONS. There are 5 types of crazy bottled concoctions you will encounter in the game – namely Healing, Haste, Slow, Damage and Resurrection. Healing potions keep you alive (especially while you don’t have a healer yet; then you can save on these), damage potions can be hurled at an enemy (best saved for major monsters) to knock HP off, slow potions can decrease the amount of turns a villain can get in a round, resurrection potions can bring to life unconscious party members (that is, if at least one last character is still standing and can raise them up again) and haste potions increase the amount of turns a character gets in a round of a fight. As you can see, all of them are quite useful, most especially in boss battles. Yeah, this is why you should conserve that gold – and some of those extra potions. You never know when they could come in handy.

~NOTE: Resurrection potions can only be used out of battles, and only when at least one character is left standing. If they all die, you are taken back to the last inn you stayed in, and lose half your hard-earned gold.

~LAST NOTE: Healing potions can be gotten from defeating monsters and bosses, while you don’t have a lot of cash to spare.

6. UPGRADE. Weapons also play a role in dealing more damage, so you have to grab a new weapon every now and then for every party member. As monsters get progressively difficult, you have to take as much damage off as possible. Also, defense weapons can help you stay alive by fending off their counterattacks, and as THESE get stronger, you have to be protected as much as possible too. This is another reason why you have to carry lots of gold all the time.

7. LEVEL UP. Ever wonder why sometimes the baddies are too much for you? Maybe you haven’t been leveling up a bit, or racking up experience points. When you gain a certain level of EP, you garner a new level, adding to the HP (and possibly a bit to the damage) of your character. Remember that in NQII, monsters get progressively harder, so you also have to get progressively stronger.

8. WATCH YOUR MODES. Note that the difference between Normal and Hunting is that in the latter, monsters are given a bigger chance of jumping all over you. If you’re headed for a town due to an unconscious party member or a need for healing potions, switch to Normal, or else find yourself in fights you didn’t even want to start. But in case that happens, get ready to flee.

9. PATIENCE. NQII is one of the longest games in the Games Room. Don’t give up just because the landscape is too long for you to navigate…in fact, the length is what adds to the challenge and fun! Besides, when you defeat a major boss or finish an act, all that patience will all be worth it. Especially when you finish the entire thing and get your trophy, NP and prize. Cool, huh?

10. RELAX. Come now, this is just a game, not your life! Unless of course, a villain prods you to finish the game with a ray gun pointed at your head – but that’s a different story. Anyway, you should enjoy the game, the walking and the fighting. If you stress yourself out and push yourself to like it even if NQII isn’t your style…well, that can lead to panic and more mistakes committed. Don’t hesitate to take a short break to cool yourself down if you feel as if you’re going to explode, because the calmer you are, the more chances you have of getting out of that game alive.

Now then, I think you’re ready to face the game! Just bear all 10 rules in your mind and this will be a breeze! What? Shoving ten measly statements in your mind isn’t THAT hard, right? Oh, never mind. Good luck, and this is Kat, the NQII-addicted writer, signing off and going back to her game.