Tips and Tricks

[ZiZNaK]

I figured I would just post first in here since there hasn't been anything posted yet.  I think this thread should have a list of do's and don'ts in dweller.  If you think of a rule to live by or something that has helped you out a lot while playing post it here so nubs can come here and get some ideas to better their game.  Here's my first idea.

1)  Always Always Always carry at least 2 recall scrolls with you.  If you get in a sticky situation you can always just recall back to the surface to see the doctor and then warp back down to where you were last.  Just make sure you buy another 2 recall scrolls before you warp back down into the fray.

[Arthur]

Dont move too past, cause some trap are hidden. It just appear after you step near them. And always carry antidote for anti poison.

[Mateusz P-G]

Even if you already know how to play the game, entering the Tutorial Dungeon
might be a good idea, as you'll get up to 15 free exp for disarming the traps in
there, while 10 xp is enough to level up.

Stick to lightsource items (Moonstone pendant, Dwarven mining helmet) on Ranger.
Even if they're a bit weaker in bonuses than their counterparts, additional range
will give you a lot more, as you can squeeze in a couple additional attacks before
the enemies get into melee.

When an enemy is one tile away from you, don't move in his direction but instead
pass one turn idly. Otherwise, after your move he'll be in range to hit you and
pretty much gets a free attack.

When fighting Orcs, make sure to stand on a tile that isn't already occupied by any
item! This way, even if you're "disarmed" (drop your weapon), you can just quickly
pick it up and reequip without the risk of having it drop on some neighbour tile.
(This is now redundant, as the weapon gets moved into inventory when dropped
while there's an item on the ground.)

If enemies are driving you insane with constant fleeing, consider using a poisoning
weapon (getting Venomblade asap helps) or zapping them with a wand of poison.

Poison is also a great tool if you're "almost" able to kill that troll. It will reduce his
Attack and Defence by 1 and add some damage over time, tipping the balance in
your favor.

Pesky trolls blocking your way can be easily removed by any form of teleport spell
by the way.

You can use weapons with knockback, Wands of Displacement and Cyclone spell to
push enemies into each other or into walls, and what's most interesting - also into
traps. Enemies which fall thru the trapdoor are instantly killed!

Save your Scrolls of Knowledge, Scrolls of Enchant and Bags of Monsters for later use.
- Scrolls of Knowledge are best used when about to confront the Goblin King. Make
sure to use them just after leveling up, not to waste any exp they might give.
- Scrolls of Enchant are best used once you are comfortable with your current items,
it would be a waste to enchant an ordinary dagger and then find and artifact one.
- Bags of Monsters generate charmed monsters which are based on the current depth.
Using them at the Halls of the Goblin King will most likely summon powerfull allies.

[ZiZNaK]

Like Matty said up above in regards to the bag of monsters producing charmed monsters.  You would want to wait to use it since the monster friend it creates gets his abilities from the level you're on.  Well for wizards the spell charm can be quite a life saver that works on a similar principle.  I'm not sure if there is a wand of charming yet but if there is it's all the same. 

Charm can be used to turn your enemies into allies.  Find yourself surrounded and without any form of teleportation? Just charm the hell out of everybody around you! If you can't beat them make them join you!

I have a feeling charm will be getting a much needed nerfing in the future because as is it's way too reliable and as a result way too powerful.  So, until it gets nerfed, charm away my friends!

[Mateusz P-G]

I'm not sure if there is a wand of charming yet but if there is it's all the same.

Only Books unfortunately.
 

And they sure should be removed and substituted by Wands and Scrolls OR
have the rate of success drasticly reduced to keep things balanced. That has
actually reminded me of some other neat trick:

If you want to get thru the maze levels quickly or move from stairs up to stairs
down after recalling (recall always puts you on the stairs up at the last level
you've visited), spam teleportation! Chances are high you'll get much closer
to your goal in a couple tries.

Using a spell of mapping is a good way to confirm whether you've checked the
whole level. There might be rooms you've missed, behind hidden doors.

Halberds are great weapons for fighting in tight corridors as they hit the first
adjaced target and also one behind it. Axes and Great sword on the other hand
are neat to use when standing at the corridor's end (doors opening into a room),
since it can hit all 3 tiles at once.

[Sewerdweller]

More of a question then a tip but the answer might be a good tip-i play landscape mode on android and when i level up the screen changes to some the level up screen (have to scroll down to see full screen)  -am i making a choice here? if so its not very clear -in fact until reading some recent pasts on HP points i just pressed anywhere to get back to the game - but i think i am cheating myself out of important allocations - can you clarify here and if we are supposed to choose one of the boxes you may want to make it clear in at the top with something like "Choose your reward below" 

[ZiZNaK]

More of a question then a tip but the answer might be a good tip-i play landscape mode on android and when i level up the screen changes to some the level up screen (have to scroll down to see full screen)  -am i making a choice here? if so its not very clear -in fact until reading some recent pasts on HP points i just pressed anywhere to get back to the game - but i think i am cheating myself out of important allocations - can you clarify here and if we are supposed to choose one of the boxes you may want to make it clear in at the top with something like "Choose your reward below" 

ya know what I was wondering the same thing about that screen.  I've been tapping anywhere since I started playing but recently have started to actually try to pay attention to what I'm hitting on the screen.  Initially I always thought you received all of the boosts listed but I honestly haven't really looked into things as much as I should when I play.  Normally when I'm play testing I'm looking to the overall flow and feel of the game. 

So, anybody??

[Mateusz P-G]

Heh, that's funny. I was always playing Dweller on non-touch devices
and Level Up window takes up the entire screen, and even scrolls
down, so it seemed obvious its a "choose an option" screen just like
the character selection one.

But yeah, I guess putting in something like "Choose a stat to uprgade"
would feel more complete in there.

[Dweller admin]

Ah, wow. This is one of those "I know the game inside out and assume everyone else does as well". I will change the title to make it more obvious what is expected.

[Sewerdweller]

1) Now that i am paying attention to this screen i notice choice of rewards offered changes each time you level up, is this supposed to happen -if so is it random? if not  do you have a list the options for each level so we can plan ahead.
2) Also you get more then just  "magic Plus 1" when you pick it - it may be better if all the benefits are shown in each window for each reward. ie
Level up Speed +1 -then all the potential changes to your stats that will occur when if you  choose it. -this would help players make it a more informed choice.

[Dweller admin]

1) Well, it works like this:

Each class has a primary stat. The primary stat is the highest stat at character creation. Attack for Warrior. Magic for Wizard. Speed for Ranger. It's currently 15 when the character is created. The primary stat "at birth" compares to the other stats "at birth" to get a cost for each stat. The higher the cost, the less frequently you get to increase the stat. Here's a spreadsheet to show how it works: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhgDR4JS0YELdEhVb0dPNlFFcDNSQmZoekJkcHJ3Q0E

The spreadsheet shows how the stat increase work for the warrior. It's currently in read-only mode, but I guess you should be able to make a copy and enter the starting stats of the ranger or wizard to see their upgrade paths.

2) You always get an increase in hit points, no matter which stat you chose. It doesn't clearly say this anywhere though...

[Sewerdweller]

thanks this will help -Tip for you wizard players -every time you see magic offered you better take it as it will only show up every fifth level upgrade - Given the new speed system and casting times -you may want to revise -i am not sure you can win with a Wizard if the strength of his magic cannot be upgraded more quickly -once you get surrounded and cast one spell -you can get hit many,many times before you get a second time to react -death is almost automatic. This may explain why after 7 attempts i have not made it past the Lich king. Question does Speed level or Magic level affect casting time if not maybe if should.

[Mateusz P-G]

Tip for you wizard players -every time you see magic offered you better take it

I guess you meant speed?
Besides, the worst thing is not character speed but the fact that
spellcasting currently takes 250% of time used up by other actions.
Since you're another person who has noticed how deadly this has
become, chances are growing that Bjorn will readjust casting
speed to match other actions. I sure pray he will!

EDIT:
Thankfully this casting speed has been changed to 150%, wee!

[jojoUK120]

When an enemy is one tile away from you, don't move in his direction but instead
pass one turn idly. Otherwise, after your move he'll be in range to hit you and
pretty much gets a free attack.

Great tip, helped me finally get the hang of orks with Warrior!
NB: Just doing nothing won't pass a turn in game-time. You have to make a valid move, like pressing 5 to search/interact etc. Make doubly sure you're not standing on anything you don't want to or can't pick up though: if you don't have room in your inventory it won't be a valid move, and the amount of rubbish I've ended up with by accident is unreal!

[Mateusz P-G]

Jojo, here's a different tip for fighting Orcs, reposted from another thread:

Try weapons with knockback! Sure, stun is more universal, but knockback
will work really good against the Orcs too. They never attempt to flee from
a fight, so having them pushed back with every hit makes them waste all
their turns to come back, only to get hit again and again.

Hope this will lessen your trouble with them.