0
Excalibur Hint Book:
Table Of Contents:
Introduction: Page 1
Strategies:
General Strategies Page 2
Combat Strategies Page 3
Episode Hints:
Episode 1 Page 4
Episode 2 Page 4
Episode 3 Page 5
Episode 4 Page 6
Episode 5 Page 7
Items:
Potions Page 8
Money Page 9
Trage vs. Bribe Page 9
Magical Items Page 10
Spells:
Nineve Page 11
Merlin Page 12
Lancelot Page 13
Episode Walkthroughs:
Episode 1 Page 14
Episode 2 Page 15
Episode 3 Page 22
Episode 4 Page 25
Episode 5 Page 29
INTRODUCTION:
Spirit of Excalibur is Virgin Mastertronic's Fantasy Role Playing Adventure,
based on Arthurian Legend, primarily after the death of King Arthur. It is
the first of a two- part series in which Sir Constantine, the rightful
successor to Arthur's throne, must use his power and forces to gain overall
control of the land of Britain and defend his lands against the many enemies
who seek to remove him and the Round Table from power.
In Spirit of Excalibur you, the player, are the controller or mediator of
all actions made by the characters represented. You command all of the
troops and knights that have allegiance to the Round Table. When the Round
Table is presented with a problem or an advancing enemy force, it is up to
you to coordinate the actions and movements of the Round Table troops to
successfully vanquish the foes.
The game is divided into five major episodes . Each episode has one primary
mission goal and a number of smaller additional quests to complete. Not all
of the smaller sub-quests must be finished to successfully complete the game.
However, by completing the smaller quests you will often gain the support of
kingdoms that are not part of the Round Table allegiance. These newly
acquired allies will then reward you by lending troops to you and giving you
helpful information or items that will aid you in completing your overall
mission goal.
Throughout the five episodes, your overall goal is to rule the entire land
of Britain. After each episode is completed, you will see a map that displays
all of the lands that are under the rule of Constantine. If, at the end of
the game you have successfully gained control of the British domain, then
you truly are worthy to be the King. Good Luck!
GENERAL STRATEGIES:
At the beginning of the game, and at the beginning of each episode, you will
be shown the Round Table and all of the knights that are present at the Table,
along with some text that will inform you of problems that are currently
facing the Round Table. This text gives you a general idea of what type of
problem you are faced with. This text is rather vague and will not give
you a detailed description of your task. To obtain the knowledge needed to
complete the episode, you must talk to the inhabitants of the land. Many of
these people will offer an interesting piece of information, while others may
know little or nothing of the happenings in the realm. Be wary, though, as som
e
of the people you encounter will attempt to mislead you with their tales and
others may require a few bits of coin to aid their memory.
If, due to your meager circumstances, you are unable to bribe an honest answer
out of someone, using a charm spell cast by one of the magic users would
certainly guarantee truthful answers. Use magic with discretion, however, as
you have a limited number of spells you can cast before needing to replenish
your magical abilities. More powerful spells require ingredients to perform,
such as the shield spell. Many of the spells are very useful, while others
will serve little purpose for you in your quests.
In episodes where you are faced with a large number of enemy forces moving on
Camelot, look throughout the map for characters whose troops you can use.
Some will not help you at all, while others will lend you themselves and their
troops if you can aid them in some way (for example, by rescuing a kidnapped
maiden for them). Still, others will not rally behind you until you have gaine
d
the support of others whom they respect. Once you have a sizable number of
troops to command, join them together and send them to intercept an oncoming
force before they reach Camelot, for without Camelot, you cannot succeed.
Take heed, if a character is killed in a particular episode, you still may be a
ble to
complete that episode, but you may not be able to complete later episodes
without him/her. A few of the very important characters whom you should
never allow to die are: Lancelot, Merlin, Nineve, Bedivere and, of course, Sir
Constantine. If other leaders are killed, you will still be able to complete t
he
game, but not without some difficulties. For instance, if Sir Ector was killed
in
an early episode, the troops that he would have commanded in a later episode
would no longer be a part of the Round Table's numerous armies. With a
limited number of troops to work with, your chances of success against a
formidable foe are reduced.
When a normally armed character is to battle a magical foe, use caution. The
best character to handle a magical beast is a magic user. Only if a character
is
very well shielded, with magical armor and a magical sword, will they be able
to stand against an evil creature of Satan. Take note, many helpful and
important items can be found by searching a vanquished enemy's person. Look
for what the deceased foe has dropped upon the site of his death.
COMBAT STRATEGIES:
Single combat:
There are two modes of single combat: Automatic and Manual. The game will
automatically default to Automatic mode. Your character will fight the foe
without any interference from you. To Select Manual mode combat, you must
press the space bar or click on the automatic icon on the left side of the
combat screen. This will switch you to Manual mode. In Manual mode, the
commands are different for each type of input device, as follows: MOUSE:
Left mouse button is a an overhead blow. Right mouse button is a low thrust.
KEYBOARD: key is an overhead blow, and the key is a low thrust.
JOYSTICK: -- Due to the variations in button placement from two-button to
two-button joysticks, you will need to experiment to find out which button
activates which maneuver. One button will produce an overhead blow and the
other button will provide a thrusting blow.
When in manual mode, the default position is the parry position. You will not
be wounded in this position. When attempting to attack, your chances of being
hit are increased. You increase your chances of being hit when you attempt to
strike your opponent. An overhead blow produces more damage to the
opponent but leaves you more susceptible to opposing attacks. A thrust is less
effective, but leaves you in a better position to fend off further attacks. The
most effective way to defeat an attacker is to go immediately into Manual Mode.
When your opponent tries to use an overhead blow, immediately give him a
couple of quick thrusts. If you are not able to defeat a foe with this strateg
y
after few attempts, you are probably fighting someone who is impossible for yo
u
to defeat with the character you are currently controlling.
Large scale combat:
There are a few strategies to work with in large scale combat. The basic
commands of large combat simulation are quite easy to manipulate. Simply
click on the character you want to move. This will highlight the action option
s
available for that particular character. After selecting one of the available
actions, the force you selected will carry out the action you commanded.
If at all possible, it is best to have your troops awaiting an oncoming force i
n
a castle or city that has a surrounding wall. It is much easier to defend a
city from an advancing foe than to do battle with one in the rural areas of
the kingdom. Two good examples of cities which are best to defend are London an
d
Camelot. If you are defending against a larger force than your own, you will
have a better kill ratio if you stay in the battle for more than a single melee
round. Unless your troops are suffering severe losses, it is recommended that
you remain in combat for at least two melee rounds.
Another good tactic to utilize during a longer term battle is to have a number
of your knights flank your opponent. This will reduce your kill ratio during
the flanking procedure, but should greatly increase your kill ratio when your
knights fall on the enemies from the rear. Although this maneuver may help to
sway the outcome in your favor, it is best to only use the flanking procedure
during a very large battle when you have extra knights to spare.
Although it may seem wise to have your troops divided into two or more groups
when attacking a large foe, do not use this tactic. Because of the system
design, you can only control one battle at one time. If you have two groups
trying to attack a single foe, only one of those troops will actually attack at
one time, this will leave you will a greatly reduced number of troops and you
will be defeated rather quickly. Mass all of your men into one singular
fighting entity, then go and do battle with your enemy.
EPISODE ONE HINTS:
This first episode is mainly a training episode. It allows you, the user, to
see how each icon works, how to go between the Scene Level and the Map Level an
d
how individual and group battles take place. In Episode One, you are told that
Sir Constantine is to be the king. However, many knights do not feel he has th
e
ability to be a great leader and will not follow his commands. Constantine is
in York when a messenger tells him that he must go at once to Camelot to answer
the challenges to his sovereignty.
You will then automatically be brought to Camelot. Along the way, you should
stop to talk to the travelers, holy men, and townspeople as they will help
inform you of events taking place in the episode. On your journey to Camelot,
you will be faced with two major challenges: first, you will confront an evil
Saxon knight and second, you will have to defend yourself against a small
Saxon force. By making noble and skilled decisions, you should easily be
able to finish this episode. Remember to gather as much information as
possible while you travel towards Camelot.
EPISODE TWO HINTS:
This Episode becomes a bit more difficult. You learn of a massive gathering
of troops in the north. These troops, led by the evil Melehan, will soon
march towards Camelot. Before too long, you will also learn that there is
another large army of Saxon invaders moving towards Camelot. You are faced
with a difficult task.
When selecting the characters for this quest, it is advised to bring two
knights, the leader of which should be one of the strongest knights at the tabl
e.
Bring along the holy man and all of the items that you can. Also, bring along
the magic user and all of the potions that she has available. Don't forget to
stop by Camelot's treasury upstairs where you can collect several items. It
is very important that the leader bring an extra shield and extra helm. The
leader is the best character to wield the powerful Runic Blade.
At the beginning of the episode, you simply do not have enough man power to
stop the advancing armies. At the Map Level, send the troops that you
command to London. There, with the aid of Sir Lionel, you can hold off the
Saxon forces. There are two other armies at Dover and Arundel. Send two more
Knights from the Round Table to each of these cities. These knights should be
well selected. You will need a fast knight to go to Arundel and a knight with
a special potion to go to Dover. These cities each have problems of their own
and cannot lend any aid to Camelot. If you can solve their problems, you will
gain the use of the leaders and their troops. When you gain their fealty, send
the troops to London. With these troops you should be able to defeat Arcus and
the Saxon invaders.
Even with their aid, you will find that you cannot defeat Melehan and his huge
army. There are just too many troops there to defeat. While Constantine is a
good leader of knights, you need a leader of Armies. You must find Lancelot
Du Lac! Talk to the people and the clergy of Britain, as they will lead you to
Lancelot. But, be wary when traveling west of Camelot, for there are evil
leaders who will kill you upon your arrival. Even if you survive an initial
attack, there are still more evil beasts to face. There is even a Maiden who
desperately needs your help and you must help her or you will suffer a great
loss of nobility. However, in order to help her you will lose valuable time.
Therefore, you must find a way to aid her but still continue on with your
quest for Lancelot.
After finding find Lancelot and defeating his powerful captors, many more
troops will come under your control. Send them to fight against Melehan. If
you have found Lancelot in a reasonable amount of time, you should be able to
stop Melehan and defeat his troops and win the episode; if not, you must find
Lancelot faster. It is a good practice to save the game often in this episode
just before each of the major confrontations.
EPISODE THREE HINTS:
In Episode Three, you are faced with a giant who is protected by magical armor
who no ordinary knight stands a chance of defeating. Not even the powerful
Lancelot can defeat the giant. You must find items that will give Lancelot the
power to vanquish this magical giant. While the giant is in Camelot, Melehan ,
thought to have been killed in the previous episode, is gathering a great
army. Along with his blood brother Morgolon, Melehan and his troops plan to
again march on Camelot. At about this time, King Andred of Cornwall will learn
of the giant and Melehan's advances, and he too will begin to attempt an
invasion of the lands of Camelot.
Because the giant has challenged the knights of the Round Table, you must
select a knight to go and face him. Select only one knight from the Round
Table. When the battle begins, you must withdraw that knight or he will most
certainly be killed. As time passes throughout the episode, other knights will
go out to battle the giant and they too must be withdrawn or will suffer a
horrible defeat. Do not allow your knights to be killed by the giant.
If any of the following characters have been killed in the previous episode, it
is strongly recommended that you replay the previous episode and be sure to
spare the lives of these nobles: Lancelot, Dinas, Bedivere, and Nineve.
Meanwhile, Sir Lancelot and Nineve will be traveling towards Camelot. Do not
allow them to reach Camelot or they will be killed. Intercept them and send
them to the cities of the land to gather information. Lancelot can kill the
giant, but he needs magical items to do so. Sir Lancelot and Nineve must find
EXCALIBUR! Only with this mighty sword will Sir Lancelot have any chance of
defeating the giant. The sword has been lost for years now and only a few
have clues regarding its whereabouts. Seek the help of the clergy.
Also at the beginning of the episode, Sir Bedivere and Sir Dinas should be
returning from the treasury at Tintagel. These two have access to powerful
armor that can aid Lancelot in slaying the giant. Send them back to Tintagel,
and get the goods found there. Then, send Sir Bedivere and Sir Dinas to look
for other clues that could help aid Lancelot in defeating the giant. Again
use care, some folk you may question are sly and deceitful.
As Lancelot and Nineve are traveling the lands, word will spread to rival King
Andred of Exeter that Camelot is besieged by the giant, and he and his army wil
l
begin marching through the lands. King Andred is very powerful and he carries
the Gauntlets of Power. His weaponry, combined with his unshakeable faith in
his abilities as a warrior, make him a tough adversary. However, if you can
send one of your knights to defeat him in a fight to the death, his army will
cease in its march against Camelot. Be warned, he truly is a very admirable
fighter, and your knight will need powerful weapons and armor to defeat him.
Only Lancelot can use Excalibur, but even with this sword he may not be able t
o
defeat the giant. If you can aid him by supplying additional armor, then he
will certainly be able to kill the giant. After the giant has been killed, you
r
leaders will move out of Camelot to gather their armies and then return. Be
sure that all of the commandable forces are at Camelot. If you can get enough
forces to Camelot in time, you should be able to defeat Morgolon and Melehan.
EPISODE FOUR HINTS:
In Episode Four, fear is spreading throughout the land and you are told of many
folk simply disappearing in the night. You must send Knights to find out just
what is causing these disappearances before you can even find a solution to it.
Among these Knights include Sir Lancelot, Nineve, and Baudwin.
During your travels, you will find some townspeople have been turned to stone
by an enchanted being. Discover how to return them to life and they will tell
you of a creature who is roaming the lands. You must then seek the help of the
clergy. There is only one holyman who has the right resources to tell you of
this creature. Be sure to get the book that he used to find his information,
as you will need it. He will then direct you to a scholar who knows of
these creatures and of a man who can defeat them.
As your travelers seek information, you will learn that the last great Saxon
chief is planning to move against Camelot. Again, send all of your troops to
Camelot to defend it against the Saxon hordes. Be wary, many of the roads are
filled with evil creatures and knights. If Sir Lancelot is not available, you
will have to gather a small army to kill them. The road from Lincoln to
Camelot is heavily plagued with these evil beings, so it is a good idea to have
Lancelot clear the way before sending your troops down from Lincoln. With the
support of the Round Table troops, you should have no problem defeating the
last of the Saxon chiefs, thereby gaining control of the last of the lands of
Anglia.
The scholar will tell of an old magician who, in times gone by, was seen in the
lands of Cornwall. Go to the capital of Cornwall and there, with a bit of
persuasion, you will learn of Merlin's dwelling and that it is he who can kill
the Demons.
Many evils are lurking on the paths to Merlin
s cave. Be sure to have Lancelot
lead your group as it finds its way to the coast where Merlin is. When you fin
d
Merlin, he won
t be of much help; he has unfortunately fallen prey to a magical
prison of sorts. Nineve will speak of a Fascinum which can be used to free
Merlin. For Nineve to use this item she will, however, require a number of
ingredients. Search the map for these items and you will be able to free
Merlin from his bonds.
Once Merlin is free, he will tell you that it was Morgan who cast the spell
which imprisoned him. Only Merlin can find the point of evil where Morgan's
evil is based. The resource that you took from the clergyman has the informati
on
needed for Merlin to defeat the evil. Make sure Merlin has the items required
to cast the necessary spell.
Send your party of Sir Lancelot, Nineve, Merlin and Baudwin to the point of
evil. Sir Lancelot must defeat various beasts and knights before you can reach
the evil being there. After each screen, be sure the Sir Lancelot has his full
hit
points before continuing on. You can replenish his health, along with the
health of all the others by the following means: administering a healing
balm or holy water will regenerate good health as will a healing spell cast fro
m
a magic user.
When you reach the evil spawn of hell in the upper level of the point of evil,
have Merlin cast one of the spells that he has learned from the book on the
creature and you will complete the episode.
EPISODE FIVE HINTS:
Once again, in this level, you will find that there are evil forces working in
the land. Be sure to bring only the most powerful of all of your people to
battle the Demons that are plaguing the countryside. Have Lancelot lead with
Merlin, Nineve and Baudwin following. Be prepared to meet with many difficult
foes.
There is a rogue Priest running freely in the lands whom you should pay no
attention to. There are many in the land who have been taken away by the
Demons who are roaming about the land. You must assist the people who are in
need and lead them to their kin. By helping the distressed people you will gai
n
their loyalty to the crown and gather information about the other locations
where evil dwells. After you have defeated a large number of your foes, you
will have to recharge your magic users. It is wise to gather as many flasks of
Holy Water as you can as these will make defeating the Demons much easier.
Be sure you talk to the leaders after you have rescued their kin. This is the
only way to ensure their loyalty.
Once you have located the origin of the evil, you will be only halfway through
your quest. The evil Morgan is far too powerful to defeat without the help God
.
You must find the holiest relic in the realm. There are few in the realm who
know anything about this relic. Look to the wise and old woman as she may be
able to aid you. With her help and Merlin's abilities combined you should be
able to find the location of the Holy Grail. Once you have found the Holy
Grail you now must find the key that will remove it from it's bonds.
With the Grail in hand, you now have the ability to defeat the powerful Morgan.
She is very well guarded by many Demons and beasts. It is best to save your
leader
s magic powers and defeat the beasts without the use of magic as you will
need your magic when you face the powerful Morgan.
When you have reached Morgan, you cannot just use the Holy Grail alone to
defeat her. You must first Negate all of her power. Only then, can you rely
on the power of the Grail to help you defeat Morgan Le Fay.
POTIONS:
Elixir of Loftus:
A rather rare item to be found in the game. Only one is absolutely necessary
for completion. It would be very wise to save one and have Merlin carry it.
The other, when used, will allow any character to convince any person that he
or she is that person
s absolute best friend, thus allowing a player to request
any item from a character and receive it without the need of money or the aid o
f
a magic user.
Vitality Potion:
Also a rather rare item, by using this potion a character
s total number of hit
points will be increased by one. It is good practice to give these potions to
your lead character which should primarily be Sir Lancelot. Give these potions
to him and have him use it each time.
Healing Balm:
An abundantly found and very useful item. Give these to the lead character of
each group. When this he/she is fighting a formidable foe (i.e. Sir Lancelot
fighting the giant or Sir Bedivere fighting King Andred). You can select for
the character to use a Healing Balm while in the midst of battle. To do this
when at the single combat screen, select Use Item with your cursor and then
select Healing Balm from the pop-up menu. Note: you can only select the Use
Item command when you are fighting in Automatic mode! Using this balm, in some
instances, can effectively double the character's hit points. Each one of
these potions differs in its actual balm quantity. Some may only be used once,
while other may be used as many as five times.
Prowess Potions:
By using this potion, you increase a character's combat skills. This can
become very important when fighting a difficult foe. Give one of these to
Bedivere early in the game, and all others to Lancelot when you can do so.
Holy Water:
This is a multiple-use item. Each flask can be used up to four times. By
using this item on oneself or on a non-clerical magic user character, you will
heal one hit point to that character. By using Holy Water on an evil or
clerical magic user with low faith, you will reduce that character's health by
one point, which can be very useful when battling evil characters such as
Demons or Morgan Le Fay. This item can only be found in holy places. Sometimes
a very noble person can simply request this item, while at other times it
requires a charm spell from a magic user to convince the clergy to part with
this item. Any character can use this potion but a magic user should never use
this on themselves. Only allow a magic user to use holy water on an evil
creature or another character.
MONEY:
You will soon learn that each character starts each episode with a certain
amount of gold. Regardless of how much gold a character finds or seizes in
an episode, he will start the next episode with only his default amount of
gold. It would be very wise if, when you take gold from your treasury, you
take only what you think you will need so that you don't waste any gold when
switching from one episode to another. If you find a large quantity of gold
and you would like to be able to access this gold in the future episodes, you
can hide it behind any locked door and the gold will remain safe there until
you unlock and retake the gold.
TRADE VS. BRIBE
In this section you will learn how to get the most bang for your buck.
Depending on the number of items you wish to acquire from a non-player
character, you will want to either bribe or trade with the holder. If the
character has only one item, it is normally cheaper for you to trade gold for i
t.
However, if you are going to request a number of items, it would be much wiser
to bribe the character for all of the items rather than trade for each
individual item. Most items in the game can be traded for two or three gold
pieces. However, if you are going to trade for four different items, this can
become rather expensive. If you bribe the character, you can receive all of th
e
items and information available from that character for about 5 gold pieces.
Using this alternative is wise if you are looking for a larger purchase.
How do you tell if a character has more than one item available? Just select
Action and then select a character. If there is more than one character
present, select the non-player character. This will show you a list of items
that the character is holding, then simply and conclude which method of
transaction you will to use.
MAGICAL ITEMS:
Gauntlets of Power:
These are carried by King Andred of Cornwall in Episode Three and, when
used, will double the force a blow carries when striking a foe. The only way
to get these items would be to defeat King Andred in single combat. This is no
t
an easy task, although still possible, for King Andred is rather weak without
the aid of the Gauntlets of Power. Be sure to save the game before challenging
him to combat.
Crown of Command:
Two of these can be found throughout the game both in Episode Two. One is
very difficult to acquire; the other is easier to obtain, but still deadly to
the characters involved. The Crowns of Command are used at a large scale
battle. To utilize the Crown of Command, simply select the character who is
Table Of Contents:
Introduction: Page 1
Strategies:
General Strategies Page 2
Combat Strategies Page 3
Episode Hints:
Episode 1 Page 4
Episode 2 Page 4
Episode 3 Page 5
Episode 4 Page 6
Episode 5 Page 7
Items:
Potions Page 8
Money Page 9
Trage vs. Bribe Page 9
Magical Items Page 10
Spells:
Nineve Page 11
Merlin Page 12
Lancelot Page 13
Episode Walkthroughs:
Episode 1 Page 14
Episode 2 Page 15
Episode 3 Page 22
Episode 4 Page 25
Episode 5 Page 29
INTRODUCTION:
Spirit of Excalibur is Virgin Mastertronic's Fantasy Role Playing Adventure,
based on Arthurian Legend, primarily after the death of King Arthur. It is
the first of a two- part series in which Sir Constantine, the rightful
successor to Arthur's throne, must use his power and forces to gain overall
control of the land of Britain and defend his lands against the many enemies
who seek to remove him and the Round Table from power.
In Spirit of Excalibur you, the player, are the controller or mediator of
all actions made by the characters represented. You command all of the
troops and knights that have allegiance to the Round Table. When the Round
Table is presented with a problem or an advancing enemy force, it is up to
you to coordinate the actions and movements of the Round Table troops to
successfully vanquish the foes.
The game is divided into five major episodes . Each episode has one primary
mission goal and a number of smaller additional quests to complete. Not all
of the smaller sub-quests must be finished to successfully complete the game.
However, by completing the smaller quests you will often gain the support of
kingdoms that are not part of the Round Table allegiance. These newly
acquired allies will then reward you by lending troops to you and giving you
helpful information or items that will aid you in completing your overall
mission goal.
Throughout the five episodes, your overall goal is to rule the entire land
of Britain. After each episode is completed, you will see a map that displays
all of the lands that are under the rule of Constantine. If, at the end of
the game you have successfully gained control of the British domain, then
you truly are worthy to be the King. Good Luck!
GENERAL STRATEGIES:
At the beginning of the game, and at the beginning of each episode, you will
be shown the Round Table and all of the knights that are present at the Table,
along with some text that will inform you of problems that are currently
facing the Round Table. This text gives you a general idea of what type of
problem you are faced with. This text is rather vague and will not give
you a detailed description of your task. To obtain the knowledge needed to
complete the episode, you must talk to the inhabitants of the land. Many of
these people will offer an interesting piece of information, while others may
know little or nothing of the happenings in the realm. Be wary, though, as som
e
of the people you encounter will attempt to mislead you with their tales and
others may require a few bits of coin to aid their memory.
If, due to your meager circumstances, you are unable to bribe an honest answer
out of someone, using a charm spell cast by one of the magic users would
certainly guarantee truthful answers. Use magic with discretion, however, as
you have a limited number of spells you can cast before needing to replenish
your magical abilities. More powerful spells require ingredients to perform,
such as the shield spell. Many of the spells are very useful, while others
will serve little purpose for you in your quests.
In episodes where you are faced with a large number of enemy forces moving on
Camelot, look throughout the map for characters whose troops you can use.
Some will not help you at all, while others will lend you themselves and their
troops if you can aid them in some way (for example, by rescuing a kidnapped
maiden for them). Still, others will not rally behind you until you have gaine
d
the support of others whom they respect. Once you have a sizable number of
troops to command, join them together and send them to intercept an oncoming
force before they reach Camelot, for without Camelot, you cannot succeed.
Take heed, if a character is killed in a particular episode, you still may be a
ble to
complete that episode, but you may not be able to complete later episodes
without him/her. A few of the very important characters whom you should
never allow to die are: Lancelot, Merlin, Nineve, Bedivere and, of course, Sir
Constantine. If other leaders are killed, you will still be able to complete t
he
game, but not without some difficulties. For instance, if Sir Ector was killed
in
an early episode, the troops that he would have commanded in a later episode
would no longer be a part of the Round Table's numerous armies. With a
limited number of troops to work with, your chances of success against a
formidable foe are reduced.
When a normally armed character is to battle a magical foe, use caution. The
best character to handle a magical beast is a magic user. Only if a character
is
very well shielded, with magical armor and a magical sword, will they be able
to stand against an evil creature of Satan. Take note, many helpful and
important items can be found by searching a vanquished enemy's person. Look
for what the deceased foe has dropped upon the site of his death.
COMBAT STRATEGIES:
Single combat:
There are two modes of single combat: Automatic and Manual. The game will
automatically default to Automatic mode. Your character will fight the foe
without any interference from you. To Select Manual mode combat, you must
press the space bar or click on the automatic icon on the left side of the
combat screen. This will switch you to Manual mode. In Manual mode, the
commands are different for each type of input device, as follows: MOUSE:
Left mouse button is a an overhead blow. Right mouse button is a low thrust.
KEYBOARD: key is an overhead blow, and the key is a low thrust.
JOYSTICK: -- Due to the variations in button placement from two-button to
two-button joysticks, you will need to experiment to find out which button
activates which maneuver. One button will produce an overhead blow and the
other button will provide a thrusting blow.
When in manual mode, the default position is the parry position. You will not
be wounded in this position. When attempting to attack, your chances of being
hit are increased. You increase your chances of being hit when you attempt to
strike your opponent. An overhead blow produces more damage to the
opponent but leaves you more susceptible to opposing attacks. A thrust is less
effective, but leaves you in a better position to fend off further attacks. The
most effective way to defeat an attacker is to go immediately into Manual Mode.
When your opponent tries to use an overhead blow, immediately give him a
couple of quick thrusts. If you are not able to defeat a foe with this strateg
y
after few attempts, you are probably fighting someone who is impossible for yo
u
to defeat with the character you are currently controlling.
Large scale combat:
There are a few strategies to work with in large scale combat. The basic
commands of large combat simulation are quite easy to manipulate. Simply
click on the character you want to move. This will highlight the action option
s
available for that particular character. After selecting one of the available
actions, the force you selected will carry out the action you commanded.
If at all possible, it is best to have your troops awaiting an oncoming force i
n
a castle or city that has a surrounding wall. It is much easier to defend a
city from an advancing foe than to do battle with one in the rural areas of
the kingdom. Two good examples of cities which are best to defend are London an
d
Camelot. If you are defending against a larger force than your own, you will
have a better kill ratio if you stay in the battle for more than a single melee
round. Unless your troops are suffering severe losses, it is recommended that
you remain in combat for at least two melee rounds.
Another good tactic to utilize during a longer term battle is to have a number
of your knights flank your opponent. This will reduce your kill ratio during
the flanking procedure, but should greatly increase your kill ratio when your
knights fall on the enemies from the rear. Although this maneuver may help to
sway the outcome in your favor, it is best to only use the flanking procedure
during a very large battle when you have extra knights to spare.
Although it may seem wise to have your troops divided into two or more groups
when attacking a large foe, do not use this tactic. Because of the system
design, you can only control one battle at one time. If you have two groups
trying to attack a single foe, only one of those troops will actually attack at
one time, this will leave you will a greatly reduced number of troops and you
will be defeated rather quickly. Mass all of your men into one singular
fighting entity, then go and do battle with your enemy.
EPISODE ONE HINTS:
This first episode is mainly a training episode. It allows you, the user, to
see how each icon works, how to go between the Scene Level and the Map Level an
d
how individual and group battles take place. In Episode One, you are told that
Sir Constantine is to be the king. However, many knights do not feel he has th
e
ability to be a great leader and will not follow his commands. Constantine is
in York when a messenger tells him that he must go at once to Camelot to answer
the challenges to his sovereignty.
You will then automatically be brought to Camelot. Along the way, you should
stop to talk to the travelers, holy men, and townspeople as they will help
inform you of events taking place in the episode. On your journey to Camelot,
you will be faced with two major challenges: first, you will confront an evil
Saxon knight and second, you will have to defend yourself against a small
Saxon force. By making noble and skilled decisions, you should easily be
able to finish this episode. Remember to gather as much information as
possible while you travel towards Camelot.
EPISODE TWO HINTS:
This Episode becomes a bit more difficult. You learn of a massive gathering
of troops in the north. These troops, led by the evil Melehan, will soon
march towards Camelot. Before too long, you will also learn that there is
another large army of Saxon invaders moving towards Camelot. You are faced
with a difficult task.
When selecting the characters for this quest, it is advised to bring two
knights, the leader of which should be one of the strongest knights at the tabl
e.
Bring along the holy man and all of the items that you can. Also, bring along
the magic user and all of the potions that she has available. Don't forget to
stop by Camelot's treasury upstairs where you can collect several items. It
is very important that the leader bring an extra shield and extra helm. The
leader is the best character to wield the powerful Runic Blade.
At the beginning of the episode, you simply do not have enough man power to
stop the advancing armies. At the Map Level, send the troops that you
command to London. There, with the aid of Sir Lionel, you can hold off the
Saxon forces. There are two other armies at Dover and Arundel. Send two more
Knights from the Round Table to each of these cities. These knights should be
well selected. You will need a fast knight to go to Arundel and a knight with
a special potion to go to Dover. These cities each have problems of their own
and cannot lend any aid to Camelot. If you can solve their problems, you will
gain the use of the leaders and their troops. When you gain their fealty, send
the troops to London. With these troops you should be able to defeat Arcus and
the Saxon invaders.
Even with their aid, you will find that you cannot defeat Melehan and his huge
army. There are just too many troops there to defeat. While Constantine is a
good leader of knights, you need a leader of Armies. You must find Lancelot
Du Lac! Talk to the people and the clergy of Britain, as they will lead you to
Lancelot. But, be wary when traveling west of Camelot, for there are evil
leaders who will kill you upon your arrival. Even if you survive an initial
attack, there are still more evil beasts to face. There is even a Maiden who
desperately needs your help and you must help her or you will suffer a great
loss of nobility. However, in order to help her you will lose valuable time.
Therefore, you must find a way to aid her but still continue on with your
quest for Lancelot.
After finding find Lancelot and defeating his powerful captors, many more
troops will come under your control. Send them to fight against Melehan. If
you have found Lancelot in a reasonable amount of time, you should be able to
stop Melehan and defeat his troops and win the episode; if not, you must find
Lancelot faster. It is a good practice to save the game often in this episode
just before each of the major confrontations.
EPISODE THREE HINTS:
In Episode Three, you are faced with a giant who is protected by magical armor
who no ordinary knight stands a chance of defeating. Not even the powerful
Lancelot can defeat the giant. You must find items that will give Lancelot the
power to vanquish this magical giant. While the giant is in Camelot, Melehan ,
thought to have been killed in the previous episode, is gathering a great
army. Along with his blood brother Morgolon, Melehan and his troops plan to
again march on Camelot. At about this time, King Andred of Cornwall will learn
of the giant and Melehan's advances, and he too will begin to attempt an
invasion of the lands of Camelot.
Because the giant has challenged the knights of the Round Table, you must
select a knight to go and face him. Select only one knight from the Round
Table. When the battle begins, you must withdraw that knight or he will most
certainly be killed. As time passes throughout the episode, other knights will
go out to battle the giant and they too must be withdrawn or will suffer a
horrible defeat. Do not allow your knights to be killed by the giant.
If any of the following characters have been killed in the previous episode, it
is strongly recommended that you replay the previous episode and be sure to
spare the lives of these nobles: Lancelot, Dinas, Bedivere, and Nineve.
Meanwhile, Sir Lancelot and Nineve will be traveling towards Camelot. Do not
allow them to reach Camelot or they will be killed. Intercept them and send
them to the cities of the land to gather information. Lancelot can kill the
giant, but he needs magical items to do so. Sir Lancelot and Nineve must find
EXCALIBUR! Only with this mighty sword will Sir Lancelot have any chance of
defeating the giant. The sword has been lost for years now and only a few
have clues regarding its whereabouts. Seek the help of the clergy.
Also at the beginning of the episode, Sir Bedivere and Sir Dinas should be
returning from the treasury at Tintagel. These two have access to powerful
armor that can aid Lancelot in slaying the giant. Send them back to Tintagel,
and get the goods found there. Then, send Sir Bedivere and Sir Dinas to look
for other clues that could help aid Lancelot in defeating the giant. Again
use care, some folk you may question are sly and deceitful.
As Lancelot and Nineve are traveling the lands, word will spread to rival King
Andred of Exeter that Camelot is besieged by the giant, and he and his army wil
l
begin marching through the lands. King Andred is very powerful and he carries
the Gauntlets of Power. His weaponry, combined with his unshakeable faith in
his abilities as a warrior, make him a tough adversary. However, if you can
send one of your knights to defeat him in a fight to the death, his army will
cease in its march against Camelot. Be warned, he truly is a very admirable
fighter, and your knight will need powerful weapons and armor to defeat him.
Only Lancelot can use Excalibur, but even with this sword he may not be able t
o
defeat the giant. If you can aid him by supplying additional armor, then he
will certainly be able to kill the giant. After the giant has been killed, you
r
leaders will move out of Camelot to gather their armies and then return. Be
sure that all of the commandable forces are at Camelot. If you can get enough
forces to Camelot in time, you should be able to defeat Morgolon and Melehan.
EPISODE FOUR HINTS:
In Episode Four, fear is spreading throughout the land and you are told of many
folk simply disappearing in the night. You must send Knights to find out just
what is causing these disappearances before you can even find a solution to it.
Among these Knights include Sir Lancelot, Nineve, and Baudwin.
During your travels, you will find some townspeople have been turned to stone
by an enchanted being. Discover how to return them to life and they will tell
you of a creature who is roaming the lands. You must then seek the help of the
clergy. There is only one holyman who has the right resources to tell you of
this creature. Be sure to get the book that he used to find his information,
as you will need it. He will then direct you to a scholar who knows of
these creatures and of a man who can defeat them.
As your travelers seek information, you will learn that the last great Saxon
chief is planning to move against Camelot. Again, send all of your troops to
Camelot to defend it against the Saxon hordes. Be wary, many of the roads are
filled with evil creatures and knights. If Sir Lancelot is not available, you
will have to gather a small army to kill them. The road from Lincoln to
Camelot is heavily plagued with these evil beings, so it is a good idea to have
Lancelot clear the way before sending your troops down from Lincoln. With the
support of the Round Table troops, you should have no problem defeating the
last of the Saxon chiefs, thereby gaining control of the last of the lands of
Anglia.
The scholar will tell of an old magician who, in times gone by, was seen in the
lands of Cornwall. Go to the capital of Cornwall and there, with a bit of
persuasion, you will learn of Merlin's dwelling and that it is he who can kill
the Demons.
Many evils are lurking on the paths to Merlin
s cave. Be sure to have Lancelot
lead your group as it finds its way to the coast where Merlin is. When you fin
d
Merlin, he won
t be of much help; he has unfortunately fallen prey to a magical
prison of sorts. Nineve will speak of a Fascinum which can be used to free
Merlin. For Nineve to use this item she will, however, require a number of
ingredients. Search the map for these items and you will be able to free
Merlin from his bonds.
Once Merlin is free, he will tell you that it was Morgan who cast the spell
which imprisoned him. Only Merlin can find the point of evil where Morgan's
evil is based. The resource that you took from the clergyman has the informati
on
needed for Merlin to defeat the evil. Make sure Merlin has the items required
to cast the necessary spell.
Send your party of Sir Lancelot, Nineve, Merlin and Baudwin to the point of
evil. Sir Lancelot must defeat various beasts and knights before you can reach
the evil being there. After each screen, be sure the Sir Lancelot has his full
hit
points before continuing on. You can replenish his health, along with the
health of all the others by the following means: administering a healing
balm or holy water will regenerate good health as will a healing spell cast fro
m
a magic user.
When you reach the evil spawn of hell in the upper level of the point of evil,
have Merlin cast one of the spells that he has learned from the book on the
creature and you will complete the episode.
EPISODE FIVE HINTS:
Once again, in this level, you will find that there are evil forces working in
the land. Be sure to bring only the most powerful of all of your people to
battle the Demons that are plaguing the countryside. Have Lancelot lead with
Merlin, Nineve and Baudwin following. Be prepared to meet with many difficult
foes.
There is a rogue Priest running freely in the lands whom you should pay no
attention to. There are many in the land who have been taken away by the
Demons who are roaming about the land. You must assist the people who are in
need and lead them to their kin. By helping the distressed people you will gai
n
their loyalty to the crown and gather information about the other locations
where evil dwells. After you have defeated a large number of your foes, you
will have to recharge your magic users. It is wise to gather as many flasks of
Holy Water as you can as these will make defeating the Demons much easier.
Be sure you talk to the leaders after you have rescued their kin. This is the
only way to ensure their loyalty.
Once you have located the origin of the evil, you will be only halfway through
your quest. The evil Morgan is far too powerful to defeat without the help God
.
You must find the holiest relic in the realm. There are few in the realm who
know anything about this relic. Look to the wise and old woman as she may be
able to aid you. With her help and Merlin's abilities combined you should be
able to find the location of the Holy Grail. Once you have found the Holy
Grail you now must find the key that will remove it from it's bonds.
With the Grail in hand, you now have the ability to defeat the powerful Morgan.
She is very well guarded by many Demons and beasts. It is best to save your
leader
s magic powers and defeat the beasts without the use of magic as you will
need your magic when you face the powerful Morgan.
When you have reached Morgan, you cannot just use the Holy Grail alone to
defeat her. You must first Negate all of her power. Only then, can you rely
on the power of the Grail to help you defeat Morgan Le Fay.
POTIONS:
Elixir of Loftus:
A rather rare item to be found in the game. Only one is absolutely necessary
for completion. It would be very wise to save one and have Merlin carry it.
The other, when used, will allow any character to convince any person that he
or she is that person
s absolute best friend, thus allowing a player to request
any item from a character and receive it without the need of money or the aid o
f
a magic user.
Vitality Potion:
Also a rather rare item, by using this potion a character
s total number of hit
points will be increased by one. It is good practice to give these potions to
your lead character which should primarily be Sir Lancelot. Give these potions
to him and have him use it each time.
Healing Balm:
An abundantly found and very useful item. Give these to the lead character of
each group. When this he/she is fighting a formidable foe (i.e. Sir Lancelot
fighting the giant or Sir Bedivere fighting King Andred). You can select for
the character to use a Healing Balm while in the midst of battle. To do this
when at the single combat screen, select Use Item with your cursor and then
select Healing Balm from the pop-up menu. Note: you can only select the Use
Item command when you are fighting in Automatic mode! Using this balm, in some
instances, can effectively double the character's hit points. Each one of
these potions differs in its actual balm quantity. Some may only be used once,
while other may be used as many as five times.
Prowess Potions:
By using this potion, you increase a character's combat skills. This can
become very important when fighting a difficult foe. Give one of these to
Bedivere early in the game, and all others to Lancelot when you can do so.
Holy Water:
This is a multiple-use item. Each flask can be used up to four times. By
using this item on oneself or on a non-clerical magic user character, you will
heal one hit point to that character. By using Holy Water on an evil or
clerical magic user with low faith, you will reduce that character's health by
one point, which can be very useful when battling evil characters such as
Demons or Morgan Le Fay. This item can only be found in holy places. Sometimes
a very noble person can simply request this item, while at other times it
requires a charm spell from a magic user to convince the clergy to part with
this item. Any character can use this potion but a magic user should never use
this on themselves. Only allow a magic user to use holy water on an evil
creature or another character.
MONEY:
You will soon learn that each character starts each episode with a certain
amount of gold. Regardless of how much gold a character finds or seizes in
an episode, he will start the next episode with only his default amount of
gold. It would be very wise if, when you take gold from your treasury, you
take only what you think you will need so that you don't waste any gold when
switching from one episode to another. If you find a large quantity of gold
and you would like to be able to access this gold in the future episodes, you
can hide it behind any locked door and the gold will remain safe there until
you unlock and retake the gold.
TRADE VS. BRIBE
In this section you will learn how to get the most bang for your buck.
Depending on the number of items you wish to acquire from a non-player
character, you will want to either bribe or trade with the holder. If the
character has only one item, it is normally cheaper for you to trade gold for i
t.
However, if you are going to request a number of items, it would be much wiser
to bribe the character for all of the items rather than trade for each
individual item. Most items in the game can be traded for two or three gold
pieces. However, if you are going to trade for four different items, this can
become rather expensive. If you bribe the character, you can receive all of th
e
items and information available from that character for about 5 gold pieces.
Using this alternative is wise if you are looking for a larger purchase.
How do you tell if a character has more than one item available? Just select
Action and then select a character. If there is more than one character
present, select the non-player character. This will show you a list of items
that the character is holding, then simply and conclude which method of
transaction you will to use.
MAGICAL ITEMS:
Gauntlets of Power:
These are carried by King Andred of Cornwall in Episode Three and, when
used, will double the force a blow carries when striking a foe. The only way
to get these items would be to defeat King Andred in single combat. This is no
t
an easy task, although still possible, for King Andred is rather weak without
the aid of the Gauntlets of Power. Be sure to save the game before challenging
him to combat.
Crown of Command:
Two of these can be found throughout the game both in Episode Two. One is
very difficult to acquire; the other is easier to obtain, but still deadly to
the characters involved. The Crowns of Command are used at a large scale
battle. To utilize the Crown of Command, simply select the character who is