Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord/Walkthrough

Overview
Introduction: Welcome to the computer game that started it all. Proving Grounds broke the ground for all fantasy role-playing games that have followed. We have come a long way from the text messages and simple white (or green)-lined mazes of the 80's to the incredibly intricate stories and graphics we have today. Despite all that, there comes just a bit of nostalgia when playing this game, and the fun and challenge of leading characters through the maze has not lessened for the lack of modern technology. In brief, both the PC and NES versions have a maze of 10 floors, with the monsters on each floor getting correspondingly tougher the farther down you go. Of course, as a reward, you get more EP, more gold pieces, and better items for your party. The goal of the scenario is to reach the evil mage Werdna on Floor 10, defeat him and take the Amulet he wears, then return to the castle in victory.

When referring to a specific spot in the maze, the position is given as it would be indicated by using Dumapic. For example, 0-0 is the starting point for Floor 1, where the stairs leading to and from the castle are located, and all coordinates in the maze are figured from this point: 12N-4E on Floor 1 would be 12 squares North and 4 squares East of the castle stairs. So 0-0 on FL2 is directly underneath the location of the castle stairs on FL1. The maze is also designed with "wrap- around" floors. This means that when you reach one end of the Floor, if you venture any further, you are actually taken back to the other side of the floor. Simply, if you are at 5N-19E and take one more step East, you are back at 5N-0E.

NES/PC differences: Not only is the NES version a bit better graphically speaking, (brick walled maze with wooden doors), three of the floors are mapped out differently from the PC version, so you will need those specific maps to get through those floors. You also have to "kick" doors in order to go through them in the NES game whereas you can just walk through them as normal in the PC (the IBM) version - I believe this harkens back to the original Apple releases.

When encountering a monster, if you haven't cast the Latumapic spell, you might not know the specific kind of monster you may be facing. In the PC version, the picture of the monster remains the same whether it is identified or not. In the NES version, the pic of the unidentified monster is a shaded brown color, although the pic still relates to the actual monster you are facing for the most part (a rogue or priest is still represented by a humanoid figure). The pic changes to the colored representation once the monster is identified.

There also appears to be a change from the PC version which allows characters to enter the Dark Zone on FL1 without the aid of the Gold Key found on FL2. In the NES version, a character needs to have the Gold Key in possession in order for your party to enter the DZ from the warning sign entryway. Also unique to the NES is a one way door right next to the entryway. This door is only accessible from inside the DZ and leads to the spot next to the warning sign. Presumably this was done because the NES requires the Gold Key to access that area and without it, your party would not be able to get out of the DZ. This spot is indicated on the map of FL1 for clarity.

Final Notes: As you encounter and battle monsters, you will find that many of them will run from the battle. You get no experience for monsters that run (or for ones that are defeated using the Priest/Bishop Dispel option), so to maximize your potential EP reward for each battle, you want to go after those kinds of monsters as soon as possible so they can be killed before they can escape.

You'll get a feel for inspecting and disarming treasure chests as you spend more time exploring, and when in doubt, having your Priest and Cleric cast their Calfo spells will aid in preventing accidents. But neither these nor a high level Thief/Ninja are foolproof. When there are doubts about a chest, and disagreements among the three inspectors, it's usually a safe bet to go with the trap that two out of the three agree on, especially if the third determines the trap to be of a nastier version than is common for the floor you happen to be on. If your Thief attempts to disarm a chest and fails, but doesn't activate any trap, then it's a certainty that it's the right trap and you can continue to try and disarm it. That still doesn't mean your Thief is guaranteed to be successful, and sometimes it's just better to leave the chest alone.

Alignment is only a minor part of game play. If you're familiar with the games, you already know that even though Good characters aren't designed to adventure with Evil characters, there is a programming loophole that allows you to form such a mixed party. However, as the manual states, your characters will change alignment if they act outside of the parameters designed for them (even those of professions that do not allow for that type of alignment, such as an Evil Lord) - i.e. Good characters will eventually become Evil if they continually attack friendly monsters, and vice versa if Evil characters do not attack all monsters encountered in the maze. Hence if you are looking to gain as much EP as quickly as possible, it is better to form an Evil party where you can attack every monster you come across. A general rule of thumb should be to always allow your characters to follow their alignment, especially when they have items equipped that only allow a specific kind of alignment, otherwise they will end up becoming cursed items and will need to be removed by Boltac.

Special Note: the Critical Hit. You will notice that several monsters are adept at this kind of attack - the monster list notes which ones use the CH. There is no real defense from this kind of attack, no matter how low a character's AC or high their HP, once a monster connects with the CH, your character is sent to the great beyond. However, as your characters gain EL and Attributes, they will get better at avoiding the CH and be able to attack monsters faster and sooner in the early rounds of combat. In the early stages of the game, do not hesitate to run and save your party at all costs when encountering monsters who use the CH, it's better to stay alive and strengthen your characters until they have the ability to wipe out the enemy in the first round or two of battle.

The Quest
It is the heroes' task to retrieve the amulet. To achieve this, they obviously have to face Werdna on his maze's lowest level.

The Castle
The Castle is basically the game's starting menu. The player can choose to enter several locations - once he has picked up at least one character at Gilgamesh's Tavern:


 * Temple of Cant
 * Boltac's Trading Post
 * Adventurer's Inn

Edge of Town
This is also a menu. From here, the player may choose either to let his characters enter The Maze, where the real, 3D action starts, or he may choose one of the following options:


 * Training Grounds
 * Utilities
 * Leave the game (rather self-explanatory)

The Maze
Each of the maze's ten levels measures 20x20 squares. Coordinates are given by going east and north from the level's lower left corner (0E/0N). However, space is not always fully used. There are many areas of solid rock. Teleporting into such an area results in a party being immediately lost forever!

The first four levels are in fact the "proving grounds of the Mad Overlord" Trebor, as the player will discover in Level 4. They were created to train heroes until they are found worthy to descend deeper into the maze in order to slay Werdna and retrieve Trebor's amulet.

Level 1
Two special items, the Key of Silver and the Key of Bronze, have to be collected in this level. The allow access to areas in Level 2. They can be found when the corresponding statues are searched by the party.

Places of interest:


 * Bronze Statue (13E/3N): Searching results in gaining Key of Bronze
 * Silver Statue (13E/18N): Searching results in gaining Key of Silver
 * Gem encrusted statue (13E/5N): Searching results in being attacked by Murphy's Ghost
 * Entrance stairs (0E/0N)
 * Stairs leading to Level 2 (0E/10N)
 * "Area out of Bounds" with Teleport back to the Castle (9E/19N)
 * Lift leading to Levels 2-4 (10E/8N)

Level 2
Places of interest:


 * Stairs leading to Level 1 (12E/7N)
 * Silver Smog (8E/12N): Can only be passed with the Key of Silver
 * Bronze Smog (8E/7N): Can only be passed with the Key of Bronze
 * Statue of Bear (9E/18N): Searching results in gaining Statue of Bear
 * Statue of Frog (12E/4N): Searching results in gaining Statue of Frog
 * Indestructible Door (4E/11N): Can only be passed with the Statue of Bear
 * Indestructible Door (4E/12N): Can only be passed with the Statue of Frog
 * Bronze Statue (4E/16N): Searching results in party getting the Key of Gold

Level 3
This is truly a training ground. No vital information or special items can be gained in this level. Only the monsters have become slightly tougher. For the first time, the party will be confronted with monsters that can decapitate - instantly kill - a character, such as Capybaras and Lvl 3 Ninjas. Also, the heroes might become familiar the hard way with level-draining Shades.

Places of interest:


 * Stairs leading to Level 4 (1E/8N)

Level 4
This level is divided into three areas. One of them is an ordinary dungeon part. It can be reached by stairs from Level 3. To proceed to Level 5 in this area, the party needs the Statue of Bear.

Places of interest:

The second area cannot be reached by stairs, but by the elevator from the Area out of Bounds in Level 1. This is the heart of the training grounds, where the characters will find the key to access the lower levels by using another elevator.
 * Stairs leading to Level 3 (10E/18N)
 * The image of a bear (17E/12N): prevents access unless the party has got the Statue of Bear.
 * Stairs leading to Level 5 (17E/7N)

Places of interest:

There is also the "area between the areas". This consists of two vast spaces, where nothing is really happening. There are two one-way doors through which the party can re-enter the ordinary dungeon. Why does this area exist when there is no normal access to it? Its very existence, including the one-way doors, is a nicety, of which there are few in Wizardry I. In case the characters unleash a teleport trap, they don't die horribly in solid rock. This way, they have got a chance to return to the maze proper.
 * Private Express Elevator (10E/2N)
 * Testing Ground Control Center (10E/14N)
 * Monster Allocation Center (12E/15N)
 * Treasure Depository (8E/15N)