How to survive the monster-filled dungeons of Warhammer Quest - hints, tips, and tricks

The dungeons of Warhammer Quest are dangerous places for the uninitiated. Orcs and Goblins lurk around every corner, waiting to maul adventurers before they've even had a chance to draw their swords.

Fear not, though, brave venturer. For while there are terrors and pitfalls waiting in the unexplored places below the Warhammer world, we here at Pocket Gamer aren't the types to let you wander off on your own without a few helpful hints and tips ringing in your ears.

We can't offer you a full walkthrough - mainly because a lot of the game is made up of randomly generated map tiles - and we won't bother telling you to head left into the crypt to save the damsel in distress if there's no left, no crypt, and no distressed damsel.

Instead, then, we'll give you some tools to overcome any obstacle that blocks your path. Oh, and we'll fill you in on what the four main characters in the game can and can't do.

With these tips, plus a bit of luck, you might even make it out alive. Maybe.

The golden rules



Before we go any further, though, we should cover the two most basic survival skills in the game: staying together and shopping smart.

You can be the roughest, toughest band of adventurers the Old World has ever seen, but if you wander into a dungeon without enough equipment, you're going to die.

That's where shopping cleverly comes in. You might have just enough gold to get that new helmet for your Dwarf, but it's going to be no use to you if he's bleeding out all over a flagstone floor. The first thing you should do when you arrive at a town is stock up on healing items.

Don't rely on your Wizard's spells too much for guaranteed healing, either. You should use Healing Mist to maintain healthy heroes; not to fix broken ones.

Check the stats of the items you buy, too - healing items restore a set number of health between x and y hit points. And while a high y value might seem enticing, a high x value is actually much more worthwhile.

Fight together, win together

Now your stash is overflowing with healing items like bandages and food, it's time to set out into the underworld.

This is where the second golden rule (stick together) comes in. You're going to get spread out after a fight because of the different roles of your characters, but make sure you regroup before heading into the next section.

It might sound simple, but it's easy to get a rush of blood to the head and charge into the next brawl without thinking things through. Take a breath, assemble your characters, replenish the healing items they're carrying, and then move on.

If you're being really sneaky, you can even wait a couple of turns to try and get your Wizard a decent pull from the Winds of Magic.

Play your roles



Just to save time and space, we're only going to look at the four characters included in the base game here.

It's always important, however, to understand what your heroes should be doing and where they should be stood.

The tank and the damage dealer: I've grouped the Marauder and the Ironbreaker together here because they're pretty much interchangeable in these two roles. Essentially, these two are your first line of defence and attack, so you should always have them at the front of your party.

They can soak up the most damage and deliver shocking amounts back when you position them correctly. I tend to lead with my Marauder when entering unexplored rooms. As you level-up, you see, he'll gain a power that results in him getting an instant reaction when he's surprised.

You want your Marauder and your Ironbreaker in the thick of the action. Don't worry about them getting surrounded, either. With the Deathblow perk, they'll get another attack on an adjacent enemy every time they strike a killing blow.

While the Marauder can use ranged weapons, you should focus on supplying him and the Ironbreaker with melee weapons and equipment that increase their chances to hit. Make sure you leave a space for some healing items in their slots, though.

The softener: Your Elf is a bit of a Jack of all trades. He's proficient close up, and perfect at softening up the enemy with multiple hits from long range. The best thing about the Elf is he's perfectly capable of looking after himself, gaining healing and hiding powers as he levels-up.

The Elf should act as a sort of a sweeper. Staying back for the initial parts of the combat and then steadily moving forward to mop up whatever your front two have left behind.

Just remember that once you've fired an arrow, you can't move. Don't get stranded in a silly position and don't ever get surrounded - your Elf is squishy.

Mr Wizard: The best advice regarding the Wizard is don't let him get left behind. While other characters are off gobbling up XP for butchering giant rats and spiders, you might find your Wizard languishing at a lower level.

This is bad, because your Wizard does some amazing stuff as he powers up. Early on in the game, then, you need him to be healing as many people as possible - with spells or items - and you need to make sure you leave some stragglers for him to cut down.

It's tempting to just whomp away with your big hitters and leave the Wizard glumly tagging along at the back. Don't. For once he starts to get new powers, he becomes a pretty impressive killing machine himself.

Also, don't waste your reserves of power if you don't need to. Save them for when you're desperate. You want to equip the Wizard with items that increase his power. He'll always be weak when attacked, but you can turn him into a magical powerhouse.

Questions and quest answers



- Dead-ends might stall your questing progress somewhat, but they usually contain some good loot and a load of monsters to kill to up your XP. You're not just adventurers; you're explorers. So, make sure you turn over every stone.

- The same goes for the optional quests. They're optional, sure, but they'll give your stats and your coffers a much-needed boost.

- Don't be afraid to end your turn prematurely. You might have extra movement and attacks left, but sometimes it's worthwhile skipping a turn in order to be in a better position for the next round.

- Finally, remember you can move all of your characters before you attack. This enables you to get all of them into the most advantageous positions.