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DarkFuture's Warrior Guide for Nox Multiplayer version 0.4
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Guide written by DarkFuture (DarkFuture2000@hotmail.com).  E-Mail me
with suggestions, questions, fan letters, whatever ;P.  Keep in mind
that you will not always get a response.

Date current version was written: 6/23/02

This guide Copyright 2002 Brandon Wong (DarkFuture2000@hotmail.com).
This guide may not be replicated or edited in anyway.  It may not be
used or distributed in public without my permission.



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Version History
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=======================================================================
v 0.3: Fixed spacing problems.  Added the "Playing without Armor"
section, as well as the "Basic tips" and "Honor" subsections.  Updated
weapons, skills, and In the Battlefield sections.  REWROTE the Expert
Conjurer subsection.  Accepting suggestions and comments.
=======================================================================
v 0.2: Fixed some grammer problems.  Added Frequently Asked Questions
section.  Added new the new subsections: Blocking, Potions, The "N00b
Staffer", and "N00b Sticks".  Updated weapons, armor, vocabulary, and
skill sections.  Accepting suggestions and comments.
=======================================================================
v 0.1: Started warrior guide.  Accepting suggestions and comments.
=======================================================================



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Table of Contents:
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I. Introduction & Why a Nox guide?
II. Nox Vocabulary
III. Your Job & Goal
IV. Equipment
  a. Armor
  b. Weapons
  c. Blocking
  d. Potions
V. Skills
  a. Tread Lightly
  b. Eye of the Wolf
  c. War Cry
  d. Harpoon
  e. Berserker Charge
VI. In the battlefield
  a. Basic Tips
  b. Honor
  c. (vs.)Conjurer
    1. Entry Conjurer
    2. Mid-level Conjurer
    3. Expert Conjurer
    4. The "Randomer"
    5. The "FoNer"
  d. (vs.)Wizard
    1. Entry Wizard
    2. Mid-level Wizard
    3. Expert Wizard
    4. The "MoMer"
    5. The "FBer"
  e. (vs.)Warrior
    1. Entry Warrior
    2. Mid-level Warrior
    3. Expert Warrior
    4. The "N00b Staffer"
VII. The Playing Without Armor
VIII. Frequently Asked Questions
IX. Conclusion & Special Thanks



/////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
I. Introduction & Why a Nox guide?
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/////////////////

Hello, my name is DarkFuture and this is my Warrior Guide for nox
multiplayer.  Those of you who play Nox may know me better as
DarkStalker or mastawong.  This is my first FAQ so you're going to have
to deal with me... being one of the few multiplayer Nox guides out
there, you don't really have much a choice :).  Which goes to the reason
why I wrote a Nox multiplayer FAQ.  I believe Nox has one of the
greatest multiplayers in the gaming world, but it lacks a large
community to guide the newcomers around the game.  Nox takes a lot more
skill and strategy than, say, Diablo II, so someone has to write about
it.  That will be me!

People laugh and ask me why write a warrior guide, compared to wizards
and conjurers who have most spells to manage.  What those wizards and
conjurers don't know is that a good warrior requires a lot a strategy
and equipment management to survive.  Warriors are the one of the
easiest classes to start with, but definately not the easiest to master.

In this guide you'll find information on the warrior of Nox multiplayer.
I will guide you through which weapons to use, when to use what skills,
how to kill certain classes, and more.  I WILL NOT post how to hack, how
to get out of the "rivers" or about Nox Quest.  This guide assumes that
you have slight knowledge of Nox already and is based on Capture the
Flag mode, as arena is slightly unbalanced (wizards are overpowered
there).  However I hope that everybody will gain from reading this FAQ,
Arena/Elimation player or not.  Enjoy!



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II. Nox Vocabulary
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Throughout this FAQ, I will probably be using a little bit of vocabulary
pulled from Nox.  It won't be too hard to memorize, it shouldn't be too
different from other games.  Plus you'll need to use some of this
vocabulary to understand and speak to those Nox players out there :).

Charge, Ram - Berserker Charge, warrior skill.
Eye - Eye of the Wolf, warrior skill.
GS - Popular weapon for warriors.
Mom - Take me seriously here.  It is Missles of Magic, a wizard spell.
FB - Fireball, wizard spell.
DR - Death Ray, wizard spell.
FF - Force Field, wizard spell.
Momer - Wizard who uses Missles of Magic.  Very annoying.
Fber - Wizard who uses Fireball constantly or exclusively.  Also
annoying.
Fist or FoV - Fist of Vengeance, conjurer spell.
Fon - Force of Nature, conjurer spell.
Xbow - Popular weapon for conjurers.
Randomer - Conjurer who shoots randomly with a crossbow or Force of
Nature.
Newb, n00b, etc. - Someone who is new to the game or doesn't play well*
Rape - When multiple people team up on a single person.
Raper - An individual who rapes (take me seriously!).
Owned - Controversial word, means someone killed someone a lot easily.
CTF - Capture the Flag game mode in Nox
Con - Conjurer
Wiz - Wizard
War - Warrior

*Since the Nox community is very offensive, you'll be called a newb all
the time, and it usually is just an insult from someone who's
frustrated.



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III. Your Job & Goal
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As a warrior in CTF, you should be an attacker.  Defending is too easy
and it gets boring when people don't attack your base.  You are the
warrior who should constantly be in the battlefield.  Conjurers are
defenders and backup fire; most can't protect themselves anyway.
Wizards usually walk around invisable and kill by themselves.  So who
are you?  You grab the flag, and with the support of your teammates,
take it to your base.  If you don't like to get the flag, go out there
and kill people!  People in CTF are more concerned about individual
kills than the flag.  However each map does need to end some day, and
you as the warrior are the best class at doing that.

As a warrior you start off stronger than wizards and conjurers.  You
have 150 health; double the health of a wizard.  You are not as
equipment dependent as a conjurer nor as skill dependent as a wizard.
You will need to learn how to move and chase while dodging MoMs and
Fireballs, as well as using your two main skills, Berserker Charge and
Harpoon, correctly.  A skilled warrior is a killing machine, a skilled
wizard is a covert ops master, and a skilled conjurer is everybody's
worst nightmare (more on this later).



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IV. Equipment
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Although Nox is not as equipment based as Diablo II, you still need
equipment to live through the battle.  All of the armor and weapons for
a warrior have their strengths and weaknesses.  As a warrior you are not
as reliant on equipment as conjurers, but more reliant on equipment than
wizards.  However, in a battle where no one picked up anything, a
warrior usually wins.


--------
a. Armor
--------

I don't use much of it myself.  You can survive using only a few pieces
of armor, since in Nox you dodge all the hits yourself.  Armor modifies
the amount of damage you take from a hit, it has nothing to do with the
chance of being hit (unlike in Diablo II).  Armor saves you from that
Berserker Charge or that xbow shot that came out of nowhere.  It also
keeps you alive in battle, but it can also kill you.  Equip yourself
according to who is in your game; with more warriors, wear plate, with
more wizards, wear avoid the plate.

In duels, you should never use armor.  People consider it cheap and
unnecessary in a duel.  You don't even need armor outside of duels.
Some people will call you a newbie if they see you running around in
full shining armor with a gs and a warhammer on switch.


---Plate Armor---
Probably the most common armor found in Nox.  It is not the best nor the
worst type of armor you find.  Plate armor will greatly decrease the
amount of damage you take from physical attacks, and a full set of plate
armor makes it much easier to fight against warriors and some conjurers.
For example, a gs will normally deal about 78 damage to you without
armor.  With a full set of platemail, you'll only take about 25 damage a
hit!  However, you will take 3x-5x damage from lightning.  That means a
wizard can take you down in a few seconds using Energy Bolt or Shock.
If you use platemail, avoid wizards who use Shock, as you can't even
touch them or else you'll take up to 128 damage.  Plate armor is
recommended for the player who is new to Nox.


---Chain Armor---
The "balanced" armor.  You will still take extra damage from lightning
based attacks, but you will be fairly armored against physical attacks.
Chain armor takes MUCH less damage against lightning compared to plate.
Chain armor gives trouble to all classes, but to a lesser degree to
each.  There is no chain armor that covers the arms or the feet.  Chain
armor is usually the rarest type of armor in Nox, found scattered
instead of all together, and usually in the middle of the battlefield
(or in obvious places in your base).  Chain was usually my choice of
armor before I started playing armorless.


---Leather Armor---
Most games make leather armor weak and useless.  In Nox, leather armor
is actually very powerful.  You take no extra damage from lightning
based attacks, and you still have some armor against physical attacks.
In full leather, you will give pretty much equal trouble to wizards and
warriors, although conjurers will still kill you in one hit with fon,
fist, and xbows.  Sometimes people will mistake you for a conjurer when
you wear leather armor and will play a little more relaxed against you.
Take advantage of this and kill them!


---Shields---
These help a lot.  You can block most things with shields.  A shield
makes you a lot safer after you miss that Berserker Charge as you will
block the xbow shot, the death ray staff, or the Berserker Charge that
may come right after.  Your starting shield breaks quickly to warhammers
and xbows, so get a better one if you use one handed weapons.  The best
shield is a shield with good fire and/or lightning resistance.  With a
shield, you can use the "ducking" tactic (mainly warrior vs warrior).
Use charge on them, if it misses, let them keep hitting your shield
until charge comes back, and then hit them.  It's a simple tactic, but
very useful.


---Cloaks---
These are always useful.  I rarely pick up regeneration or poison
resistance cloaks; I find fire or lightning resistances to be much more
useful.  Cloaks are basically extra modifiers to your resistance and
healing; they do little to protect you against physical attacks.


---Haste Boots---
These boys deserve their own spot in this guide.  They usually come in
the form of leather or armored boots, so they will not give you much
protection against physical attacks.  However, the speed they give you
is _much_ better than the protection of heavier boots.  You can get the
places faster, chase down wizards and conjurers fast, and move in for
the strike faster against warriors.  I use these all the time.  Any
yellow pair of leather boots you find on the ground should be picked up
and used!

----------
b. Weapons
----------

Weapons are the most reliable source of damage.  They come in the form
of one handed and two handed weapons.  Two handed weapons tend to deal
more damage but you cannot use a shield with them.  Every weapon is
unique in the style it should be used; as a warrior, you should learn to
be flexable with the type of weapon you use.

I will review each weapon as follows:

---Name---
Damage: (1-5, higher the number, more damage per swing)
Range: (1-5, the higher the number, the further your swing goes)
Speed: (1-5, the higher the number, the faster you swing with it)
Recovery: (1-5, the higher the number, the faster recovery is)
Rarity: (1-5, higher the number, the more common weapon is)
Description: (Will include other notes about it, such as the best way to
use it)

Damage is how good the damage of one individual hit is.  Range is how
far the weapon strikes.  Speed is how fast each SWING is, and recovery
is how fast you can try swinging again.  In Nox, they're two very
different factors.  Most Nox weapons swing pretty fast, so with a speed
of 1 you won't be THAT slow, but significantly slower than other
weapons.  When I say "everything can block it", I mean it can be blocked
by staves, great swords, and shields.


---Long Sword---
Damage: 2.5
Range: 3
Speed: 4
Recovery: 2
Rarity: 5
Description: You start with this weapon.  One of the worst weapons in
Nox.  It can be blocked by everything.  It is still a viable weapon, as
the swing is very fast and the range is decent, but you won't do much
damage, and recovery time means you'll have to run around your opponent
swinging.  Rarely will you ever find a Long Sword generated by the map.


---Battle Axe---
Damage: 3.25
Range: 2
Speed: 2
Recovery: 2
Rarity: 3.5
Description: I never pick these up.  They aren't much better than long
swords, but they do much better damage.  It can be blocked by
everything.  It is a lot harder to land a hit with a battle axe as it
has slower swing speed and small range.  It is the most damaging one
handed weapon.  You're going to have to run close up after the opponent
and attack constantly, running in unpredictable patterns.  Against a
warrior, make sure they waste their charge first or you're toast.

[Edit] I found Battle Axes to be quite effective against armorless
warriors and any conjurers.  Against conjurers, you'll only need two
hits to kill them if they don't have full armor on; thats the same
number of hits for a gs to kill them.  Against warriors, you'll need
three, which is a great improvement from the Long Sword which takes 5.


---Sword---
Damage: 1
Range: 1.5
Speed: 5
Recovery: 5
Rarity: 1
Description: This is only found in one CTF map, and a few arena maps.
It can be blocked by everything.  This baby is the fastest weapon in the
game.  Use it over the Long Sword (the names are misleading).  Each
individual hit won't do much damage, but you will be able to get 2-3
hits in before your opponent can move out of the way.  Once you get
close enough, a hit is almost guaranteed unless you just can't aim...
Run up and keep hitting, wizards will run, but run after them in
zigzags, hitting them whenever they're open.  Before you attack a
warrior, make him waste his Berserker Charge (more on this later).


---Mace---
Damage: 2
Range: 1
Speed: 4.5
Recovery: 4.5
Rarity: 4
Description: My favorite one handed weapon.  There are 2-4 of these in
all CTF maps and most arena maps.  Although it has the smallest range in
the game, only a shield can block it.  That's right, even a gs cannot
block these.  They deal significantly more damage than swords, are
almost unblockable, and swing only slightly slower.  No one uses these,
so you will be able to surprise a few blockers using this weapon.  Use
it the same way as you would a sword, but if someone tries to block with
a gs, keep on swingin'.


---Staff---
Damage: 3.25
Range: 3.5
Speed: 4.5
Recovery: 4
Rarity: 3
Description: In the early months of Nox, the staff was thought of to be
a useless weapon, but it is actually a very powerful weapon.  You will
deal only slightly less damage than a battle axe a hit, but almost as
fast as a mace.  Staves can be blocked by anything.  Often times staves
will come with _very_ cheap mods on them such as "of stunning" or
something.  People hate usage of these kinds of staves, so don't use
them.  Use these like you would a sword, but take advantage of your
extra range.  After about 4 hits in succession, a staff will hit slower
(the purple circle thing that no one looks at that shows what weapon
you're using), so hit in rounds of 2.  As for a conjurer, just whack
him, he's defenseless to the staff.  Also, you can block some hits with
a staff, so you can counter that long sword with a charge while waiting.
Blocking with a staff breaks it very fast.


---Great Sword---
Damage: 4
Range: 4
Speed: 4
Recovery: 2
Rarity: 4
Description: One of the two popular "big" weapons.  Also known as a gs.
Swings as fast as a long sword, further, and can block.  Everything can
block it.  I consider this to be the best weapon against wizards, as you
can block a lot of their spells with it.  Wait until they run out of
mana, then kill them.  Conjurers are also weak against it, as you can
block xbow and fon with it, so all they'll have is toxic cloud and fist
to use.  If they use either just charge them.  I consider this to be a
poor weapon against warriors who have full armor, although it does good
damage, you don't really need the blocking against a warrior, so you'd
might as well use a warhammer.  Basically, all you need to do with this
weapon is make sure you utilize its blocking ability, and attack like
you would with a long sword, minus the shield.  Run around them and
swing, run, swing, run, in tight circles.

[Edit] Great swords can be considered cheap in duels for their quick
hit; they are very reliant on your ping.


---Warhammer---
Damage: 5!!! >:)
Range: 4
Speed: 2
Recovery: 1
Rarity: 4
Description: One of the two popular "big" weapons.  My favorite weapon.
Swings as fast as the battle axe, but has more range and much more
damage.  You can't block at all using it, but that is a small price to
pay for its destructive power.  Nothing can block it.  You can hit
through those mana stones with the warhammer.  Not a very good weapon
against wizards as their force field will let them keep running and
using whatever they attack with on you, but use it on conjurers for the
one hit kill, and on warriors as it still deals heavy damage on them
even when they wear full plate.  Against wizards and conjurers, try to
run in quick and get the first hit.  Otherwise, try to catch up in
running after them, go slightly right in front of them and slam the
hammer.  Against warriors, run in loose circles and then run in for the
quick hit.  Right after the first hit, use charge on them if you're
right in front of them.  You're going to be wide open for a charge if
you miss using this, so try to make them waste their charge (more on
this later).  Usually I use this with my switch on either a staff or
sword for fighting wizards and finishing off warriors (you need the
quicker swings to catch runners).

[Edit] Conjurers in full armor _do not_ die in one hit to the warhammer,
assuming they're wearing a conjurer helm instead of leather and armored
boots instead of leather.  You will hurt them about 97 damage and
probably get shot, so if you see a fully armored expert conjurer, use a
gs.


---Ogre Axe---
Damage: 3.25
Range: 4
Speed: 1.5
Recovery: 1
Rarity: 2
Desciption: Avoid at all costs.  In my 3 years of playing, I've never
seen anyone actually kill someone, landing the last blow using this
weapon.  It can be blocked by everything.  This weapon cannot block and
swings just like a warhammer, but somewhat slower, and it deals a little
more damage than the battle axe, which is one handed.  Probably the
worst weapon in the game, although it looks killer when you use it.


---Shuriken---
Damage: 1.5
Range: N/A
Speed: 5
Recovery: 5
Rarity: 4
Description: A somewhat useless ranged weapon.  Comes in stacks of 20.
It goes in a straight line, disappearing when it hits something or goes
far enough.  Can be blocked by everything but staves.  If a shield of gs
blocks it, they might bounce back at you!  If you use this, use charge
first then throw.  If that attack fails run back and start throwing
shurikens at your opponent.  If you get skilled in the use of shurikens,
you'd might as well use a conjurer... (or you can act like you some
crazy ninja warrior, whatever)


---Chakram---
Damage: 2.25
Range: N/A
Speed: 5
Recovery: N/A
Rarity: 3.5
Description: Actually very powerful.  If you can time switching between
this and your melee weapon correctly, you can kill whole groups of
people with ease.  Chakrams can be blocked by everything but staves.
Once it is thrown, you only have your fists unless you have a melee
weapon for switch.  On the bounce it goes the direction of your
opponent, and eventually tries to get back to you.  Don't use it as your
normal weapon.  Use it to compliment you while fighting with a melee
weapon.  Sometimes the chakram will kill someone in a few seconds when
someone is near a solid object.


---Bare Hands---
Damage: 0.25
Range: 0.25
Speed: 4
Recovery: 5
Rarity: 5
Description: Cannot be blocked.  Damage and range are pathetic, but you
can keep attacking without slowing down.  No one really tries this, its
only in here for reasons of completeness.  It's _really_ cool when you
charge a wizard who has ff on, then punch for the final strike.


---"N00b Stick"---
Damage: 3.25
Range: 3.5
Speed: 4.5
Recovery: 4
Rarity: 2.5
Description: These are staves that have cheap enchantments on them such
as "of stunning" or "of bewilderment".  Use of these weapons will make
people call you a newbie, a cheap-ass, or any other bad names you can
think of.  These weapons stun/slow down or screw up the movement of
whoever it hits, making them unable to run away.  Conjurers and wizards
really have little defense against these weapons, especially conjurers
who will die in two hits.  Warriors will only get slowed down by the
strike, but since staves hit so fast you'll just get charged to death
anyway.


-----------
c. Blocking
-----------

There are three ways to block in Nox; shields, great swords, and staves.
However these don't all block the same things and can restrict your
actions.  Let's compare the strengths and weaknesses of each blocking
item.


---Shields---
+ Block the most out of all blocking items.
+ Blocks Berserker Charge so you can miss charge and survive
+ Is another source for resistances
+ Generally the most durable blocker
+ Blocks Death Ray
+ Blocks MoM, FB, xbow shots, fon
+ You start with one
+ Blocks all melee attacks

- Takes a while to get in position to block.
- Attacking makes you lose ability to block for a moment.
- If you switch to a two handed weapon, you have to put it back on
manually.

Breakdown: Always use this when you use one handed weapons.  Shields
aren't the best blockers mid-battle, but they work great as a defensive
tool before the battle; that first strike won't hit you.  Its ability to
block Berserker Charge and Death Ray are its main strengths.


---Great Swords---
+ Instantly gets in position to block even after attack
+ Blocks MoM, FB, xbow shots, fon
+ You can put it on secondary slot to block in a pinch
+ Blocks all melee attacks except fists, maces, and warhammers.

- You can still get hit by Death Ray and Berserker Charge
- Damages weapon when you block (usually not a problem)
- Sometimes a fon can go between you and the weapon, making you
constantly block the same fon, making you stand still until it
disappears.

Breakdown: Great swords are good weapons because they deal good damage
and block as well.  Because you can block fb, mom, xbows, and fon with
it, it can be all you need if you can aim your Berserker Charge
correctly.


---Staves---
+ Instantly gets in position even after attack
+ You can put it on secondary slot to block in a pinch
+ All classes can use a staff (doesn't really help you though ;p)
+ Blocks all melee attacks except fists, maces, and warhammers

- You cannot block ANY ranged attacks
- Damages weapon when you block and staves don't have much durability!
- You will be a sitting duck, open to everything if you miss a Berserker
Charge.

Breakdown: Apparently the worst item to block with, but it still gets
the job done.  Since staves are so fast you can easily get hits in while
blocking his attacks unlike Great Swords, which have a longer swing.
Just watch out for conjurers and wizards.


----------
d. Potions
----------

Vital in the battlefield.  If you play armorless like me, they are your
only form of damage "prevention".  You can only hold three of each type
of potion.  Health potions will heal you 50 health each.  Make sure you
carry those at all times or else you'll die easily.  Always use health
potions if you lose more than 50 health.  Cure poison potions are not as
useful as health potions, but since poison is so annoying you'd might as
well pick a couple of those up too.  Potions are what keep you alive in
battle; pick them up as you see them!



/////\\\\\
V. Skills
\\\\\/////

Overall, wizards have 45 skills.  Conjurers have 24.  How many do
warriors have?  Five.  How many do you need?  No more than 5, but you
can live with three or even none at all.  Many wizards argue that the
warrior is the easiest class the play as because you only have to
"manage" 5 skills while wizards have to manage up to 25.  However,
skills are not the warrior's strong point and definately not the only
thing the warrior needs to survive.  The warrior's skills have been
strengthed in an early patch; thank all that is good that they have
been.  Instead of using mana, a warrior's skill will automatically
charge back up after waiting.  Let's take a look at our skills, shall
we?


---Tread Lightly---
Makes you watch where you step, moving slower, but making it so that you
cannot trigger wizard traps in the area.  Pretty much worthless as you
can jump, but in a really heavy trap area, it has its uses.  The best
way to use it is when you walk through a door or go up an elevator.
This skill recharges almost instantly.  In multiplayer, it is mostly
used as a joke of some sort.  I actually take this off my skill slots
when I play, just in case I might accidently click it while fighting.


---Eye of the Wolf---
To the new player it seems useless, but more and more wizards are
starting to play like little thieves now, walking around invisable and
using double death ray to kill defenders in a base.  What this skill
does is makes it so that you can see invisable stuff.  It wears out when
the skill is about half way done recharging.  If you're one of those
people who are always moving, use it when you go in a quiet area of the
enemy base or when you see a wizard's shadow.  If you're a defender, use
it if you hear spells being cast.


---War Cry---
Causes wizards and conjurers to be unable to cast spells, and stuns
weaker conjurer pets.  Also blanks out any spells on the screen
including Shock and monsters being summoned.  When you use this, you see
yourself yell, and you're _wide_ open to all attacks.  If the wizard has
a staff, especially a death ray one, or if the conjurer has an xbow,
you're dead if you use this.  I mainly use it to stop staffless momers
and to stun bombers summoned by conjurers.  And please, don't try this
on warriors, they'll just charge you and laugh for using war cry on
another warrior ;p.  Use it only when you're very sure you're safe; when
you're far from enemy fire and against weaponless casters.


---Harpoon---
Shoots a "harpoon" from what looks to be where your genetalia are and
hits an object or a person, pulling them in toward you.  Recharges
quickly and shoots out fast.  This is one of the most useful skills the
warrior has.  On wizards, try to use it after their force field has been
hit off, or else they'll just live through your hits and cast mom while
running away.  On conjurers, just use it at mid range to pull them in
and hit them with your heaviest attack as conjurers are pretty
vulnurable on the battle field.  At one time you could charge a wizard
with his ff on, and then harpoon him for that last 1 damage to kill him.
However that was patched and wizards will have 2-3 health left when
their ff is destroyed.  Also harpoon used to shoot in a straight line
and have no auto aim - this was patched, as it was almost impossible to
use.


---Berserker Charge---
Makes you run really fast in a straight line to cause huge damage to the
poor sucka in front of you.  If you miss and hit a solid object, you'll
lose 30% of your health and get stunned for a while, leaving you wide
open to everything.  If this is used as your killing blow, you
automatically get it back; otherwise it charges back up pretty slow.
25% of warrior deaths are because of missing this.  Thats why I say you
should use this skill wisely and carefully.  ONLY use it at or very
close to point-blank range, or against stunned people, or you will most
likely miss.  A lot of people use harpoon and charge right after
another, however I feel that is not necessary and only helps aiming in
some situations.  It does work well against slow witted wizards and
conjurers though.



///////////\\\\\\\\\\\
VI. In the battlefield
\\\\\\\\\\\///////////

Now you know your equipment and your skills.  Time to fight!  Nox is a
very fast paced game.  Its going to be a battle of skill, speed, and
ping all over the battle field.  Every server is going to have a couple
of newbies, a lot of mediocre cheap-os, and a couple of those noticable
experts who will hand your ass back to you when they're finished.  After
a while of playing, you'll know who everybody is and how they play.
After you see one guy "DarkStalker" kill you like nothing, you'll
remember when you see his name above his head next time, you it's just a
reaction, you don't have to think.  However, if you totally destroy this
"Jack 3" there, you'll know that he's easy and what he uses.  The way
you play and what equipment you use should depend on that reaction; it
should not depend on what you think is overall better.

I will give directions to killing individual "types" of each of the
three classes you'll face.  There will always be the basic "entry" level
people, then the "mid-level" people, and finally the "expert" players.
There are also some other types of players of certain classes, most of
which just exploit a certain bug or spell.

-------------
a. Basic Tips
-------------

When you start out, you should always go for the equipment that you are
most comfortable with.  Sure, you can win without equipment, but if you
are comfortable with what you are using, you'll be able to kill more and
not get as frustrated.  Here are a couple of pointers for you in battle.

- Use the environment to your advantage.  When you know you're fighting
a fireballing wizard, try to run behind some mana stones or rocks while
he wastes his mana going after you.  Just don't get drayed.

- Grab potions when you see them.  These can decide whether you win or
lose!

- Nox has a "unique" line of sight system where you can't see behind a
large object unless you go to the side of it...  You'll know what I mean
if you play.  Use this to your advantage to fight campers and to ambush
people.  Do not hide behind trees; its cheap.

- If you have a blocking weapon, take advantage of it!  See weapon and
blocking sections.

- Pick your battles.  You know if you see three wizards and a warrior
running down the street it's time to run.  One of the greatest
disadvantages of the warrior is that it is the weakest class against
groups of enemies.

- With a warhammer, axe, or ogre axe, you can still aim after you hit
the attack button.  Use this against tight running opponents.  Don't
overdo it though.

- Solid doors can save your life.  If you're facing a dangerous battle,
run behind a door and wait for the poor sucka(s) to come in.  They will
probably not be expecting a direct attack; take advantage of this.  This
way you can kill several people before taking the big hit.  This can
also work with elevators.

- Don't be an ass!  Nox has one of the most hostile communities out
there.  Try to keep a nice and fair game so that people will enjoy
fighting with you.


--------
b. Honor
--------

Nox has several "unwritten laws" that most experts and veterans play by.
There are several things that are considered cheap in Nox, such as
overuse of the MoM spell, or ganging up on one guy with several people
with you on your team.  If you don't follow these laws, people will not
scream and yell at you.  Luckily, most of these are pressed on to the
wizard, who is the easiest class to be cheap with.

So what is cheap to the warrior?  There is not much to it.  Just don't
use "n00b sticks", don't gang up on people, and in some cases, don't use
armor.  Duels enforce these laws, and there's more to it.  In a duel,
you are expected not to use any armor except for maybe a cloak or haste
boots, and you use the warhammer to fight.  Simple!

It can be frustrating trying to keep with these "laws", but by following
them you are taking your place in helping the Nox community be a better
place (to kill!).  In most cases, it's more fun playing this way anyway.
Instead of people calling you a n00b, an a**hole, or a f***er, people
will sometimes be complimenting you on the fight, saying it was a good
match.


-----------
c. Conjurer
-----------

Most of the time conjurers are relatively easy to defeat.  Although they
sometimes will come with other summoned foes most conjurers don't have
the skill to take full advantage of their summoning abilities.
Conjurers are the most vulnerable class by themselves, since they have
low health and no spell to let them live through that first hit.
Warhammers will almost always kill a conjurer in a single hit; gs will
always take two.  A skilled conjurer can be everybody's worst enemy.


---Entry Conjurer---
Most conjurers are entry to mid level.  Entry conjurers will try to
follow what the mid-level conjurers will do, except they are slower-
witted and have trouble using the conjurer's spells.  They will usually
summon either a mechanical golem or 4 ghosts, or bombers that cast
blink.  You won't have the worry about them; their aim with fist will be
bad, and they tend to cast it in situations where you see it coming a
mile away.  When a conjurer uses fist at such an open time, just use
charge on them.  Use a warhammer to kill entry conjurers.  If you have
haste boots, you can probably catch them offguard if you come from a
hiding place or something.  These guys will like to use fon a lot, so
watch out.  If you see one using a normal bow, laugh at him before you
charge him...  If they run, just use harpoon.  Probably the simplest
battle out there.


---Mid-level Conjurer---
These guys can be much tougher.  They will have much better aiming and
will know how to use fist and fon with much greater accuracy and timing.
They will begin to use things like vampirism and the protection from
element spells (which usually marks that they're mid or expert level).
These guys can have deathly accuracy with their xbows.  Just make sure
you keep moving and make sure that berserker charge hits or you're meat
to that fist of vengeance.  Don't worry too much about the toxic cloud;
it will not deal "fatal" damage if you get out quickly.  These guys will
start using bombers and ember demons instead of mech golems and ghosts.
Use the gs when you first see them to block the fon or xbow that will
probably hit you; then switch to warhammer for the kill.  If they are
smart and run around, use the gs for its faster attack (or a staff).


---Expert Conjurer---
One in a million.  You'll probably never have to face these guys in your
Nox career; people don't have the patience it takes.  These guys will
have low ping and great accuracy.  They will use a bug that allows them
to shoot and run immediately (as well as some mid-level conjurers).
Don't call them cheaters, though, it's all the conjurer has ;).  Anyway,
they will come with all of the protective spells on and vampirism, so if
they shoot someone else, they will basically fully heal.  Expert
conjurers rarely summon, but if they do, they will summon ember demons
or bombers.  These guys rely on their bow or xbow to kill you; rarely
will they cast an attack spell other than slow.  They will only use fon
if weaponless, and fist if you use the "ducking" tactic too much.

How do you defeat an expert conjurer?  You will definately need a gs
because nothing blocks fast enough.  Expert conjurers will usually have
haste boots on, so catching them can be quite difficult.  When you see
him, STOP AND FACE HIM.  If he makes a shot at you and runs, move in.
Some will try to use fist on you.  In that case, just charge them.  You
will need to calculate when he can shoot the xbow again, so you can
block.  Chase him, hitting at every good opportunity you can get, while
stopping to block whenever he can shoot.  Just make sure never to leave
yourself open when he can shoot.


---The "Randomer"---
These are usually entry to mid level players thinking they'll do their
team a big favor by shooting from windows at a high resolution in random
places towards your base.  Most of the time they will be behind a
window.  Just get your warhammer and stand aside until you see a shot go
out.  When that happens, run up and give him a surprise warhammer
milkshake.  Some will try to cast fist; beware.  If he has no window
protecting him, just charge him.


---The "FoNer"---
These are also entry to mid level players.  They will blink until they
get into your base and cast a hopeful FoN in an area that has a lot of
tight boxes and halls.  There's nothing you really can do if it hits you
around a corner, but if you know ones lurking around in your game, carry
a gs at all times.  You can also use war cry to stop the fon, but if he
has an xbow you're dead.  If someone actually tries to use fon as a
normal spell in face-to-face battle, either warcry or charge him; he
can't move while that giant ball is moving.


---------
d. Wizard
---------

Wizards are your worst enemy.  Even a new wizard can deal you over a
hundred damage before being cut down.  A skilled wizard will attack you
from out of nowhere.  Wizards usually carry a staff, so some will block
your weapons.  With spells like haste and shock, they can be a nightmare
to kill.  Also, none of your armor will help against them unless it has
some resistances.  The good thing about wizards is that they tend to
forget to pick up potions which is usually a pretty big mistake for
them...


---Entry Wizards---
About a quarter of the wizards fall here.  They will probably use force
field to protect themselves but no lesser healing for further support.
The most annoying thing these can do is use mom and fb until their mana
burns out.  These guys usually ignore spells like shock, haste, and the
protection from element spells.  As most new players are, they are slow
witted and quite vulnurable.  I'd recommend coming up close, using a
warhammer or berserker charge, and hit them repeatedly, use harpoon if
they run away.  Entry wizards tend to use lightning staves over the
fireball staves.  Also they like to cast lightning over energy bolt,
which is really dumb :).


---Mid-level Wizards---
Most other wizards fall here.  They will use annoying traps that usually
have obliteration or ring of fire in them, so watch out if you're
roaming in enemy territory.  They'll probably stop using mom or use it
to finish you off, but fb will still be used constantly.  They will
start looking for fireball and death ray staves instead of lightning
staves.  These guys like to sneak up behind you with invis and cast
energy bolt along with death ray out of nowhere.  They will start using
haste, but usually not the protection spells (yet).  Also, they will
heal themselves in battle, teleport to target once in a while, and are
quicker to the finger so you'll be chasing a lot.  Use the gs or a
shield + mace against them.  If he starts to block too much switch to
the old hammer and crush the shit out of him.


---Expert Wizards---
Here is where most of my deaths come from.  There are a lot more expert
wizards out there nowadays.  They will pretty much do a the same things
as mid-level wizards but are more avoidant, and cast teleport spells to
move away from you.  Most will stop using mom and fb; against you they
will use shock, energy bolt, and their death ray staff.  They will be
able to calculate how long it will be until you can charge, so if you
use anything but maces or warhammers, they can block a lot of your hits,
then use dray on you just to make up for it.  An expert wizard can be
seemingly impossible to beat.  Also, some have deadly aim with their
dray staff, so good they can hit you while moving.  Most wizards have
their own style, so adapt.


---The "MoMer"---
Good ones use protection spells, ff, and haste, and they will slow you
before using mom.  These guys you should just avoid.  However, most of
them will just run around in circles with triple fb staves and ff on
while casting a barrage of missles and fbs right at you.  They will
usually have fb as a back up spell.  The most common and the most
annoying of all wizzes, they can be somewhat easily stopped once you
learn their patterns and grab the right equipment.  Make sure you have a
gs or else you'd better war cry and run.  Let him run out of mana on
your sword and then use harpoon and charge to destroy him.  From
experience, crying, screaming, and trying to make deals with momers does
not work; they are usually people who don't talk or egomaniacs who
actually think they have skill.


---The "FBer"---
These guys cast exclusively fb.  Just use a gs or shield and block their
fbs until they run out of mana.  Then kill them before they hit a mana
stone using whatever your favorite entry wizard tactic is.  These guys
often come with a fireball or triple fireball staff to add more
fireballs to their attack.  The trick is to stay away from walls and not
to move.  A single fireball can lead to your death, making you flinch
and getting hit by more and more fireballs.  Very annoying, but very
easy to kill.  If you feel lucky, use charge on them after blocking a
couple of fireballs.


----------
e. Warrior
----------

The most fun part of Nox to me is fighting warriors.  It is a battle of
speed, reaction, and ping (and sometimes equipment).  All you need to be
is prepared to kill a warrior, and you'll need to develop an internal
clock for seeing if they recharge their berserker charge.  Beware their
use of the "ducking" tactic.  The way you should counter it is according
to who you're fighting.  To make them miss their charge, make sure you
move away when they harpoon, only attack when they just missed a swing,
and you can also run in confusing loose patterns.


---Entry Warrior---
Sloppy.  Their berserker charge will always miss, and they won't use
harpoon as often as they should.  Sometimes they'll give themselves a
habit of using war cry against a warrior.  Dispose of them any way you
wish if this happens.  These guys with use the "ducking" tactic often;
against them, counter it by using the hammer to hit around them while
they're waiting.  If you don't have a hammer handy, run around and wait
for them to miss their charge, then charge back immediately.  Entry
warriors tend to use charge too much.  Take advantage of this!


---Mid-level Warrior---
These guys will have the all the equipment mapped out in their head, and
usually come with plate armor on and a gs.  They'll just be better a
fighting.  Harpoons will be shot out more often.  Mid-level warriors
will be better at fighting and will avoid your hits while trying to hit
you back.  They will use the dreaded "newb stick," staves with the stun
mod on them.  If they do this, charge then try to hit them; there isn't
much else you can do.  If they use the "ducking" tactic, try to make
them miss their charge by running in loose patterns somewhat far away
from them; they know what they're doing.  A mid-level warrior will have
better aimed charges, but will still overuse it.


---Expert Warrior---
These guys will probably have good ping, quick reflexes, and usually
leather or chain armor.  They dislike those who wear a full set of armor
and know to use charge rarely.  They will usually start off with a gs
and then finish with a warhammer.  Some will have chakrams for tight
areas; don't bother to dodge those.  This is a complete battle of skill
and practice.  That's all I can give you, good luck!


---The "N00b Staffer"---
Most warriors at any level of skill will pick up a "staff of stunning"
and kill people with it once they get frustrated.  However, most people
don't even know how to use these "newb sticks," so these guys are
usually a push-over if you get the first strike.  The key is to avoid
getting hit and getting the first strike in.  I'd recommend giving them
a swift death, charge in their face and whack him.  If he counters with
a charge, you're pretty much toast...  Don't worry, these sticks are
_way_ overpowered.



/////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\
VII. Playing without Armor
\\\\\\\\\\\\\/////////////

At one point in Nox you will feel that armor is too much of a hassle to
get and that it makes the game somewhat too easy.  I play without armor
now because of my relatively good ping and because I feel that I no
longer need it.  All duels usually take place without armor.  Nox
experts hate the use of full plate armor.

So how in the world do you survive without armor?  Fighting wizards will
be pretty much the same except you have no resistances but no extra
damage from plate.  Conjurers will now kill you in one hit with xbows.
Warriors will take two hits to bring you down with charge, but it will
hurt about 148 damage, so you're pretty much dead anyway.  Great swords
will also kill you in two hits, so you will have to be extra careful
against gs swinging warriors.  You're going to have to pay much more
attention to battle and play defensively.  Haste boots will help a lot,
and you should never leave home without potions.

The main problem playing armorless will be against warriors.  If your
opponent is fighting with full plate, you will definately need a
warhammer, as a gs is too slow and deals only about 25 damage against
full armor, opposed to the 75 damage that a warhammer would do.  Staves
are viable if you charge them first and dodge extra carefully.  If you
fight a warrior without armor, do not stop moving.  You're going to have
to be on the move if not attacking your opponent.  Good luck!



/////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
VIII. Frequently Asked Questions
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////

Q: Why a warrior guide?
A: See "Introduction and Why a Nox Guide?" section.

Q: What about single player and Nox quest?
A: I don't plan to write a guide for either of those.

Q: Do you plan on writing a guide for any other class?
A: Maybe.  I want to perfect this guide first.



////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
IX. Conclusion & Special Thanks
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////

I hope that any readers have learned much from my guide.  If you have
any questions, comments, or suggestions, give me an e-mail about it!  My
e-mail address is DarkFuture2000@hotmail.com.  DO NOT e-mail me about
how to cheat or how to hack, you will be ignored if you do.

Special thanks to:

--Westwood for making a unique RPG with a great multiplayer game!

--The Nox Community, especially the following: Zooid, Depth Charge,
blinklikecrazy, Annette, and April (if I didn't list you, sorry, I
forgot, give me an email!)

--CJayC for running www.gamefaqs.com, the greatest gaming site ever!

--YOU for reading my guide and making me have some use in the world.


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Multiplayer Warrior Guide for Nox by DarkFuture
version 0.3 - April 5, 2002
darkfuture2000@hotmail.com
AOL Instant Messenger: Asianglory
Nox handle: mastawong
Copyright 2002 Brandon Wong


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