Wheel of Time Single Player Ter'angreal and Enemy FAQ (Ver 1.1) July 2, 2004 by Alan Chan (joylock@hotmail.com) The Usual: This document is mine. Please don't rip it off or take credit for it. That being said, feel free to post it on any site you want, provided you a) don't make any changes to it or b) charge money for it. You don't even have to get my permission to post it, but it would be nice if you emailed me and let me know. Why?: There's a nice walkthrough for this game, but it really doesn't go into detail about the Ter'angreal or Enemies in the game. So I decided to write this more in-depth look. It contains spoilers, or course, so keep that in mind. Note: I've never read any of the Wheel of Time books, and all the information about the WoT universe included in this guide I got from the game itself. There are probably a whole bunch of story-related inaccuracies, but that really doesn't matter for gameplay purposes. Version History ********************************************************************** * * * Update #1: Added more information to the Ter'angreal section * * Corrected health value for the Questioner * * Minor additions to enemy-defeating strategies * * Broke up large chunks of text into paragraphs * * Minor value corrections based on UnrealED info * * * ********************************************************************** the latest version of this FAQ can be found at www.gamefaqs.com Contents: - Ter'angreal: - General Combat Tactics: - Creatures: - The White Tower: - Children of the Light: - Shadar Logoth: - The Forsaken: - Bosses: ************** *Ter'angreal:* ************** Figures explained: Max Ammo: The maximum number of charges you can carry for that ter'angreal NOTE: A (?) indicates I have no idea how much you can carry, because there isn't enough of this ter'angreal in the game to fill up your inventory Damage: How much damage the ter'angreal does to the target Speed: How fast the ter'angreal projectile travels Effect: How long the ter'angreal effect lasts Rarity: How common is the ter'angreal NOTE: I've given the 'official' rarities of each ter'angreal, but these are not all that accurate. If I disagree with them, I've put in the real rarity of the ter'angreal in brackets. Element: What elements the ter'angreal is woven from Direct Projectile (Spell Group 1): Balefire: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: 200 to 400 (based on charge time) Speed: Instant Effect: Instant Rarity: Rare Element: Fire, Spirit The most powerful weave in the game, Balefire is the 'railgun' of the game, a thin beam traveling instantly in a straight line and capable of passing through walls and multiple enemies. Balefire becomes more powerful the longer you charge it, with a single fully-charged Balefire blast doing a whooping 400 damage, sufficient to obliterate any enemy (even the Black Ajah) with the exception of Champions and boss characters. Most bosses including Ishmael will fall before two Balefire shots, and Legion succumbs to three. Balefire hits instantly and cannot be dodged, nor can it be defended against by any form of protection. Balefire's only disadvantages are its rarity, the fact it takes a few seconds to charge a blast, and how the narrow beam makes it easy to miss a shot if you aim is less than perfect and your opponent is moving very quickly. Fireball: Max Ammo: 35 Damage: 40 Speed: Fast Effect: Instant Rarity: Common (Very Common) Element: Fire The most common offensive weave you'll find (even more common than Dart), Fireball will be your staple attack spell throughout the game. This Ter'angreal hurls a flaming hot boulder that explodes on contact. Fireballs increase in speed as they travel further from you. Despite the spell's impressive bang, it's not incredibly powerful. Although a couple fireballs can kill Minions and Weak Trollocs, most grunt-level enemies require more than 4 or 5 direct hits to kill. Don't use Fireball against enemies who are in your face, as the splash damage will do considerable damage to you as well. Fireball's greatest weakness is the fact that almost all of the game's enemies have the ability to side-step it almost flawlessly if you shoot it directly at them. Instead, try to fire at their feet to harm them with the spell's splash damage. Earth Tremor: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: 30 + 5 per second Speed: Fast Effect: Instant Rarity: Uncommon Element: Earth Earth Tremor fires an energy pulse that arches upward than falls in an arc, and explodes upon hitting the ground. The resulting explosion does a reasonable amount of damage, but the spell's real power lies in the fact it also creates an expanding area of seismic disturbance where it lands, which will constantly damage and shake any enemies standing in the area. Earth Tremor does a goodly amount of damage, but since it can be difficult to aim properly and enemies often run outside of the damage zone before taking much damage, you might not find much use for it. Dart: Max Ammo: 100 Damage: 10 Speed: Very Fast Effect: Instant Rarity: Common Element: Fire, Air The very common Dart Ter'angreal rapidly fires small bolts of light that travel at high speed and damage enemies upon contact. Since Dart has no splash damage, you can use it freely against enemies at close range. Enemies cannot dodge your attacks at close range, so Dart can be quite useful if you become annoyed at Trollocs and Minions always sidestepping your Fireballs. Although each individual Dart doesn't do much damage, the damage from several Darts really does add up... in fact many of the game's enemies can be felled with just a dozen shots from this weave. Dart can also 'stun' enemies by repeatedly forcing them into their pain animation, and this can prevent them from attacking or at least reduce their rate of fire. Don't underestimate it just because it's not as rare or fancy as some of the other Ter'angreal, you'll find Dart very useful even in the last few levels of the game. Air Pulse: Max Ammo: Infinite Damage: 15 Speed: Fast Effect: Instant Rarity: Common (Permanent) Element: Air You start out with only this most basic Ter'angreal, which fires a burst of air a few feet in front of you. Any enemies that gets hit by the burst will take damage, but unlike other Ter'angreal attacks Air Pulse will not stun any enemies who get hit by it. Coupled with its short range and weak damage, you'll be best off switching to Dart as your standard Ter'angreal as soon as possible. Air Pulse's sole advantage, beside its infinite usage, is the fact it can bypass normal anti-weave defenses such as Whitecloak shields or the Reflect spell. It's decent for busting open crates to look for supplies, but should only be used as a last resort for combat. Seeking (Spell Group 2): Seeker: Max Ammo: 20 Damage: 60 Speed: Slow Effect: Instant Rarity: Uncommon (Fairly Common) Element: Fire, Air The most basic seeking attack, Seeker fires off a large green energy ball that moves at walking speed, but which will almost flawlessly pursue an enemy until it hits them. Seeker shots are stronger than Fireballs and also have decent splash damage, making them great against almost all enemies. They are also reasonably common, although not nearly as common as Fireball or Dart. Be aware that the splash damage from Seekers will also harm you or your allies, so don't use it on enemies which are too close to you. You can fire several Seekers at the same time. Also note that really quick enemies (most notably Minions) can run around the Seeker if there's enough space, so it's best used in narrow areas where the enemy doesn't have much room to dodge. Chain Lightning: Max Ammo: 30 Damage: 25 per charge (maximum) Speed: Instant Effect: Instant Rarity: Uncommon Element: Water, Fire, Air Chain Lightning creates an aura of electricity around your character for as long as you cast the spell. When an enemy gets close enough to this aura, a stream of lightning will shoot out at that enemy and will do constant damage to them for as long as that enemy is within range. Chain Lightning can affect multiple enemies as long as they're close to each other, and does greater damage the closer the enemy is to you. The only problem with Chain Lightning is that it doesn't stun enemies and takes several seconds to kill them, giving them lots of opportunities to whack you. The good news about Chain Lightning is that enemies cannot dodge it, but this is somewhat nullified by the fact that it has a pretty short attack range. NOTE: The damage Chain Lightning does seems to vary slightly based on what type of enemy you're using it on. Soul Barb: Max Ammo: 5 Damage: 5 (common spells), 10 (uncommon spells), 20 (rare spells) Speed: Fast Effect: 15 seconds Rarity: Common (Rare) Element: Spirit Soul Barb is the fastest moving seeking weave, a black hole sun traveling somewhat faster than a character's running speed. Ter'angreal or One Power users hit with Soul Barb will sustain damage every time they cast a spell or use a Ter'angreal for as long as the Soul Barb is in effect (although most such enemies can neutralize it with Unravel). Greater damage is caused by using more powerful weaves. Common spells like Dart only cause 5 damage, uncommon spells like Seeker cause 10 damage, and rare spells like Decay cause 20 damage. Soul Barb lasts for a decent period of time. You acquire this Ter'angreal for a brief period of time during the siege of the White Tower, but you will quickly lose it after being captured by the Whitecloaks, after which you will never see it again (except when your enemies use it against you). Decay: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: 150 Speed: Very Slow Effect: 15 seconds Rarity: Rare Element: Water, Spirit Decay is the slowest moving weave, traveling at a crawl towards its intended target. However, when it hits, Decay will burrow into your enemy and cause constant damage for a set duration of time. The total amount of damage caused by a single decay is extremely high, much more than the damage from a Fireball or Seeker. Decay also slowly saps the charges from any Ter'angreal your opponent is carrying. Unfortunately, due to its slow speed, most enemies are agile enough to dodge it unless you shoot them with it up close. A good use for Decay is to fire a couple at an enemy, that run away and wait for the spell to slowly kill your opponent. Decay is uncommon, but you'll find at least some of it on most of the game's levels. NOTE: Decay does 150 damage to enemies, but can only do a maximum of 75 damage when used on you. Thus, a single Decay is enough to kill any grunt-level enemy (Warders, Soldiers, Minions, or Trollocs) if you give it time to do the maximum amount of damage. Taint: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: 5 (common spells), 10 (uncommon spells), 20 (rare spells) Speed: Average Effect: Permanent Rarity: Rare (Nonexistent) Element: Spirit, Earth, Water, Fire, Air A victim of Taint will find all their Ter'angreal permanently tainted (duh), and every time they use a Ter'angreal they will sustain damage relative to the strength of that Ter'angreal. Taint is permanent, the only way to remove it is through Unraveling. Taint travels faster than Seeker but not as fast as Soul Barb. You will not acquire this potent Ter'angreal yourself in the single player game, although a few of the game's One Power using bosses will cast it against you. Shields (Spell Group 3): Personal Shield: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: Until Broken or Unraveled Rarity: Common Element: Air Personal Shield creates a physical barrier that halves all damage you sustain as long as it is in effect. Unlike other shields, which slowly vanish over time, Personal Shield acts like armor and breaks apart as you take more and more damage. Personal Shield is fairly common, and you should use it as much as possible to increase your durability. This spell is vital to Elena's survival, because without protection she can take much less damage than the enemies she faces. It is essential for use against One Power using enemies, since most Ter'angreal attacks like Fireball or Seeker will kill you in 2 or 3 hits without protection. Fire Shield: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 20 seconds Rarity: Rare Element: Fire Fire Shield protects against flames both natural and magical. Besides protecting you from the Fireballs of hostile One Power users, it will also allow you to walk through magical fire unharmed. The most common of the magic shields, and the only one with any real combat usefulness. Like all magic shields (except for Personal Shield) Fire Shield only lasts for a short, set period of time. Air Shield: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 20 seconds Rarity: Rare Element: Air Air Shield protects against air-based weaves such as Dart and Whirlwind. In the single player game you will only encounter it once, for preventing high speed winds from affecting you in the cliffs near the Aes Sedai Excavation Site. Earth Shield: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 20 seconds Rarity: Rare Element: Earth Earth Shield defends against Earth-based attacks such as Earth Tremor. You will not find it in the single player game. Water Shield: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 20 seconds Rarity: Rare Element: Water Water Shield protects against Water-based weaves, i.e. Freeze. In the single player game it allows you to remain underwater without having to breathe, and also prevents you from being affected by water currents. Spirit Shield: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 20 seconds Rarity: Rare Element: Spirit Spirit Shield grants protection against attacks and enemies of a spiritual nature. It grants immunity against Legion's seeking ghosts and Mashadar's tendrils, and slows down the life-draining effects of Machin Shin. Defensive (Spell Group 4): Absorb: Max Ammo: 5 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 8 seconds Rarity: Rare (Nonexistent) Element: Air, Water, Spirit, Fire, Earth While Absorb is in effect, any Ter'angreal that hit you will be instantly stolen from your enemy's inventory and placed in your own. Thus if you shoot a Fireball at an enemy with Absorb active, all your Fireball Ter'angreal will be lost as they transfer to your opponent. You will not get the opportunity to receive this Ter'angreal in the single player game. Fortunately only one of your enemies, the Whitecloak Leader, will use it against you. Reflect: Max Ammo: 5 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 5 seconds Rarity: Rare Element: Air, Fire, Earth, Water, Spirit Reflect is the best defensive weave you'll ever get, and is THE Ter'angreal of choice when battling enemies using the One Power. Not only does Reflect completely protect you from One Power attacks, but any attacks that do hit you will be bounced right back at their caster. Reflect's only disadvantage is that is lasts for an extremely short period of time. It's too bad this protective Ter'angreal is pretty rare, so save it for major battles and be sure to re-cast it as needed. Swap Places: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: N/A Speed: Fast Effect: Instant Rarity: Uncommon (Rare) Element: Spirit Swap places fires a trail of seeking sparkles that, if they hit an enemy, will cause you and that enemy to exchange positions. All seeking weaves that previously targeted you will now target the victim of this spell, and vice versa. Although this feature gives Swap Places a tactical use, you only receive this Ter'angreal for use in puzzles, and never are allowed to stock up enough to use in combat. Shift: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: Instant Rarity: Uncommon (Rare) Element: Spirit, Air Shift displaces you a couple meters forward in space, allowing you to pass through thin portcullises. Additionally, any active seeking weaves will no longer target you once you teleport. Although it has a tactical purpose in combat, in the single-player game you will only receive Shift Ter'angreal for the purposes of solving puzzles. Fork: Max Ammo: 5 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 10 seconds Rarity: Rare (Very Rare) Element: Air, Spirit, Water, Earth, Fire Fork is a weaker version of Reflect... although it bounces hostile weaves back at the caster, they only do 50% damage to your enemy. Additionally, you will still suffer the full damage from the attack. An uncommon Ter'angreal, Fork is surprisingly not much easier to find than its stronger cousin, Reflect. It's not all that useful, since you still take the damage from the enemy attack, and 2 or 3 hits from most Ter'angreal like Fireball or Seeker are sufficient to kill you. Defensive II (Spell Group 5): Aura of Unraveling: Max Ammo: 5 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 10 seconds Rarity: Uncommon (Rare) Element: Earth, Fire, Water, Air, Spirit This Ter'angreal creates a small white box which, when stepped on by you or an enemy, will create a large bubble within which the One Power does not function. All One Power projectiles or effects within the bubble will vanish (include status effects such as shields or defensive weaves), and all One Power users caught within the bubble will be unable to use the One Power as long as they remain inside it. Extremely rare, this spell is best saved for encounters with the toughest One Power users. NOTE: Casting Aura of Unraveling will not harm you, even if you are Soul Barbed or Tainted. Unravel: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 2 seconds Rarity: Rare Element: Earth, Fire, Water, Air, Spirit Unravel will briefly surround your character with a mystic bubble which neutralizes all spells that enter it, effectively protecting you from any attacks involving the One Power (with the exception of Balefire itself). Unravel also neutralizes negative Ter'angreal effects such as Decay or Taint. However be aware that it also neutralizes beneficial weaves such as Personal Shield or Reflect. Also be aware that while your character is protected from spells in the bubble, she cannot cast any spells herself either. Like Reflect, Unravel is a very short-lived spell. Fairly rare, it should be saved for encounters with particularly difficult One Power users. Be aware that even touching a character's Unravel bubble will cause your Ter'angreal defenses to be neutralized, so you should keep your distance from Black Ajah if you're defending against their Fireballs with a Fire Shield. Alternatively, you can destroy the magical protections of enemy One Power users by touching them while you're surrounded by an Unravel bubble. Note: Casting Unraveling will not harm you, even if you are Soul Barbed or Tainted. Sever: Max Ammo: 20 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: Instant Rarity: Uncommon (Rare) Element: Air, Spirit, Earth, Fire, Water Sever erects a mystical barrier between yourself and the spell's target. Any attack weaves fired at you by the target will be harmlessly absorbed by the barrier. Unlike Unravel, which is active for a set period of time, Sever will stay up as long as you continue to cast it, although a charge will be used up every second. The advantage of Sever over Unravel is that it does not neutralize your beneficial weaves, the disadvantage is that it does not protect against spell attacks from multiple spellcasters. Sever isn't as useful as it might be due to its relative scarcity throughout the game, and the fact it burns up pretty quickly when you cast it. The Sever barrier can also be neutralized if your enemy touches it with an Unravel bubble. Traps (Spell Group 6): Freeze: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: N/A Speed: Fast Effect: 5 seconds Rarity: Uncommon Element: Water Freeze will encase its target in ice for a few seconds, during which the target will be unable to move or attack but will still be vulnerable to your own attacks. Freeze travels quickly but is only a semi-seeking weave... it will curve its path based on the movements of the target, but it can still be dodged as it cannot turn more than 90 degrees. Freeze is quite rare, and should be saved for Black Ajah, boss encounters, and other particularly tough enemies. Explosive Ward: Max Ammo: 25 Damage: 50 Speed: Instant Effect: Instant Rarity: Common Element: Earth, Fire Explosive Ward places a glowing red circle upon any surface. The circle will explode when stepped on or shot, causing an amount of damage approximately equal to that of a Fireball. You can clump multiple wards together to create a more powerful explosion. Explosive Wards make nice traps, but since each individual ward doesn't do all that much damage you're probably best off saving them up and using a whole bunch of them to weaken a particularly powerful enemy. Find Target: Max Ammo: 5 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 15 seconds Rarity: Rare (Very Rare) Element: Air, Spirit As long as Find Target is active, your seeking weaves will be able to target enemies even if they are not in your line of sight. You only receive this Ter'angreal once in the course of the single player game, as a means of solving a particular puzzle involving a Trolloc on the other side of an un-openable door. Whirlwind: Max Ammo: 40 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: Instant Rarity: Uncommon Element: Air Like Chain Lightning, Whirlwind uses up charges for as long as you cast it continuously. Whirlwind encases the targeted enemy is a swirling tornado, lifting him into the air spinning and making it impossible for him to move. By slowly moving your mouse left or right, you can guide the whirlwind to move your enemy. The best use of Whirlwind is to move enemies over cliffs, large lakes, or acid pools, after which you can let go of them and smile as they plummet to their doom. Be warned that enemies caught in a Whirlwind can still shoot at you. Summoning (Spell Group 7): Champion: Max Ammo: 5 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: Permanent until Death Rarity: Rare (Nonexistent) Element: Spirit Summons a Champion-level character (Aes Sedai Sitter, Trolloc Clan Leader, Questioner, or Legion) to aid you in battle. Not available in the single player game. Guardian: Max Ammo: 5 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: Permanent until Death Rarity: Rare (Nonexistent) Element: Spirit Summons a Guardian-level character (Aes Sedai Sister, Myddraal, Whitecloak Archer, or Mashadar Tendril) to aid you in battle. Not available in the single player game. Minion: Max Ammo: 5 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: Permanent until Death Rarity: Rare (Nonexistent) Element: Spirit Summons a Minion-level character (Aes Sedai Warder, Trolloc, Whitecloak Soldier, or Minion) to aid you in battle. Not available in the single player game. Personal Illusion: Max Ammo: 5 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 20 seconds Rarity: Common (Uncommon) Element: Air, Spirit Personal Illusion creates a phantom likeness of you that floats in one place for a period of time. The duplicate can confuse seeking weaves and Mashadar into targeting it instead of you. Be aware that the duplicate can also confuse your own seeking weaves, so be careful not to aim at it when firing your attacks. This spell is fairly rare, so it doesn't see much use in the single-player game. You do receive a decent supply of it in Shadar Logoth for faking out Mashadar, and it can help divert some of the seeking attacks of Legion. Effect (Spell Group 8): Healing: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: Heals 10 health per charge Speed: Instant Effect: Instant Rarity: Rare (Common) Element: Water, Air, Spirit Heal restores 10 health points to you for each charge used. A fairly common spell, Heal is the usual means through which you regain your health after taking damage from enemies. There's a decent amount of it scattered throughout all the levels, but try to conserve as much of it as possible because it is easy to run out if you're too careless with your health. Levitate: Max Ammo: 50 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: Instant Rarity: Uncommon Element: Air Levitate doesn't allow you to float, instead it simply slows down the rate at which you fall, thus allowing you to considerably extend the range of your jumps. It uses up charges for as long as you continue to cast the spell, but charges for it are fairly common and always available nearby when you need it to get past an obstacle. Disguise: Max Ammo: 60 (only 17 charges in the game) Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: Instant Rarity: Rare (Very Rare) Element: Spirit Disguise will cause you to assume the form of the nearest enemy to you, allowing you to walk past all members of that creature's faction without being attacked by them. Disguise does NOT work if you attempt to disguise yourself while you are in an enemy's line of sight. You'll only find one Disguise artifact in the normal course of the single player game, in the Inner Sanctum of the Forsaken. There really isn't enough of it to be of much use, although you can use the limited amount you're given to skip fights with a few enemies. Seal Seeking (Spell Group 9): Tracer: Max Ammo: 10 Damage: N/A Speed: Fast Effect: Instant Rarity: Rare Element: Fire, Air When cast, Tracer creates a line of sparkles that lead in the direction of the nearest Seal. You'll only use this spell for two of game's levels, the puzzle level and the final battle. It's much more useful in multiplayer Citadel mode. Detect Traps: Max Ammo: 20 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: 15 seconds Rarity: Common Element: Water, Air, Earth As long as this spell is in effect, a glowing symbol will float over all traps. Different traps will display different symbols. Mostly useful in the puzzle level, but can be of use later in the game. Distant Eye: Max Ammo: 5 Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: Permanent Rarity: Common (Nonexistent) Element: Air, Earth Creates a magical eye which stays in one place. You can see through the eye's point of view at any time by recasting the spell. For multiplayer use only. Light Sphere(*): Max Ammo: * Damage: N/A Speed: Instant Effect: Permanent until Deactivated Rarity: Rare (Permanent) Element: Fire, Air When activated, a sphere of light floats over your head, illuminating the nearby area. Very useful for seeing in dark places, and due to its infinite charge you don't have to worry about ever running out of it. You'll take this off the body of your first Black Ajah enemy. ************************* *General Combat Tactics:* ************************* Here are some general combat tips for the game. Bear in mind that Wheel of Time's combat is heavily influenced by Unreal, so combat will be somewhat different from most usual FPS games. Don't waste Ter'angreal by picking up spells even when your current stock of that spell is full. Keep track of how many Ter'angreal you currently have and how much you're allowed to carry, and leave any extra Ter'angreal lying around in case you ever need to go back for more. At medium or long range, all enemies except for One Power users and Legion can side-step your shots almost flawlessly. This is most apparent when using either Fireball or Dart. To get around this problem you can either shoot Fireballs at your opponent's feet to harm them with the splash damage, or shoot them during their reloading animation during which they cannot dodge. One Power users do not have a 'dodge' move, so it is easier to hit them with your attacks (although they can still sometimes strafe around your shots). When an enemy is right next to you, they can't dodge your shots. This doesn't help much for the Fireball weave, since the splash damage would seriously hurt you at close range. However, the Dart weave has no splash damage, so you can rapidly blast an enemy with it and hit them almost 100% of the time if they're very close to you. Enemies with ranged attacks (i.e. Trollocs, Whitecloak Archers, Myrddraal, Trolloc Leaders, and the Whitecloak Questioner) can 'lead' their shots based on the direction you're moving. This means you can't simply strafe around them and hope to avoid their attacks. You can either hide behind cover and duck out to attack between shots, or change the direction you're moving as soon as they open fire. The projectiles of Trollocs and Myrddraal are slow enough for you to avoid simply by strafing in the open, but the shots fired by Archers, Trolloc Leaders, and the Questioner simply travel too fast for you to reliable dodge. Your character moves slightly slower when backing up than when running forward. Keep this in mind when being pursued by an enemy with a melee attack. Even though many enemies can outrun you if you back up in a straight line, you can often confuse them by circle-strafing around them. Seeking attacks will gradually build in speed after they are cast. An enemy Decay spell may start out slow and easy to outrun, but if you don't lose it soon it will start to get faster until it eventually ends up moving as fast as you. Healing roots don't carry over into the next level, so don't bother trying to conserve them. There are a few levels in the game in which you will be assisted by your White Tower allies. Although they can be helpful, they are usually injured and outnumbered and tend to die quickly while dueling Trollocs or Minions. Note that whenever an enemy is given a choice of either attack you or one of your NPC allies, that enemy will almost always focus their attacks on you and ignore your allies completely. One way to extend the lifespan of your allies is to get the attention of the enemy by running up to them and getting them to chase you. While they're chasing you, your allies can stab/shoot them in the back without taking any damage. The exception to this is Escape From Shadar Logoth, as Mashadar will wipe out your allies no matter what you do. Your seeking attacks can and will target your computer-controlled allies, so it's a good idea to be careful throwing those Seekers when friendlies are nearby. The game's final bosses (Sephraem, The Whitecloak Leader, and Ishmael himself) are skilled users of the One Power and can be quite challenging even for a seasoned WoT player. An easier alternative to a straight-on deathmatch with them is to shoot them with a fully charged Balefire as soon as they appear, quickly stop them with Freeze, then charge and shoot another Balefire while they're frozen to disintegrate them. Most bosses like to fire Soul Barb or Taint before you can freeze them, so it's a good idea to have a Reflect up to guard against this. ****************************** *Guardians of the White Tower* ****************************** The Aes Sedai sisterhood of magic users and their Warder bodyguards will serve as your allies for the single player game. They'll only make a few minor appearances in a small number of levels, but they can be helpful in a fight when they do show up. Unlike the books which treats the secretive and manipulative organization in shades of grey, here they're clearly presented as the good guys. Warder (WARDER): Appearance: Robin Hood-like warrior in studded brown leather with long, green cloak Weapon: Broadsword Special Ability: Cloak of invisibility (only works when standing still) Attacks: Sword Stab = 15 damage Sword Slash = 20 damage Sword Combo = 20 + 20 damage HP = 150 Warders have the ability to turn invisible when standing still, only materializing when approached by an enemy. This special ability is of little consequence in the single player game, and otherwise they are limited to melee attacks with their swords. Warders are fairly quick, moving slightly faster than Trollocs (although not as fast as Minions). Their melee skills are also better than that of Whitecloak soldiers or Trollocs, doing more damage per hit (In a one-on-one fight, Warders always win against any of the other grunt level enemies). Warders also have a special sword combo attack where the Warder impales their enemy on his sword, immobilizing them, and then extracting the sword by pulling it upward through the enemy's body. This sword combo attack hits twice for 20 damage each time (once going in and once coming out), but only works when the target is standing still. Aes Sedai Sister (SISTER): Appearance: Young woman in Renaissance Fair robes (comes in seven different colors) Weaves: Air Pulse, Dart, Seeker, Shift, Personal Shield Special Ability: Channeling the One Power Attacks: Air Pulse = 15 damage Dart = 10 damage Seeker = 60 damage HP = 350 Your Aes Sedai allies have a very limited selection of weaves they can cast. They fire Seeker at long range, Dart at medium range, and Air Pulse for close combat. If targeted by seeking weaves or attacked by melee combatants, the Sister can also Shift herself a few meters to a new location. They can also cast a Personal Shield to reduce damage to themselves. Aes Sedai Sisters are surprisingly durable, and their Personal Shield only adds to the amount of damage they can sustain (note that many of the Aes Sedai allies you encounter in the single player game will be injured and thus not as powerful as they should be). Not exceptionally bright, Aes Sedai will often charge their enemies and as a result get caught in the splash damage of their own Seeker attacks, which is the leading cause of death for them. Aes Sedai Sitter (SITTER): Appearance: Woman in Brown Ajah robes with Sitter's Stool ribbon hanging from her shoulders Weaves: Air Pulse, Fireball, Earth Tremor, Seeker, Soul Barb, Unravel, Earth Shield, Fire Shield Special Ability: Channeling the One Power Attacks: Air Pulse = 15 damage Fireball = 40 damage Earth Tremor = 30 damage + 5 damage per second Seeker = 60 damage HP = 425 The Aes Sedai Sitter is a master of the One Power, with a choice selection of both offensive and defensive weaves. Offensively the Sitter has access to Soul Barb, Fireball, Earth Tremor, Seeker, and Air Pulse. Defensively, she can neutralize hostile weaves with Unravel. The Aes Sedai Sitter's greatest advantage is her ability to cast both Fire Shield and Earth Shield at the same time, allowing her to defend against practically any weave you can throw at her (with the special exceptions of Air Pulse, Freeze and Balefire). A ribbon of green sparkles swirling around the Sitter indicates the shields are in effect, at which point almost all magical attacks against her become futile. This more than compensates for the fact that she has the least hit points out of all the champion-level characters, and makes her by far the strongest champion (in a one-on-one fight, she can easily kill any enemy or boss except for Ishmael and occasionally the Trolloc Clan Leader). You'll only encounter an Aes Sedai Sitter once in the entire game, and when you do she will be injured and not as powerful an ally as you might hope. *********************** *Children of the Light* *********************** The Children of the Light (called Whitecloaks by the Aes Sedai for their distinct garments) are Inquisition-style fanatics who claim to serve the forces of Light but whose paranoid fanaticism often leads them to target the innocent as well as the guilty. They regard all magic as evil, and thus are understandably unfriendly towards Aes Sedai. The Children of the Light presented in the game are a splinter cell of the organization, consisting of a remote garrison under the command of a charismatic leader with a particular personal vendetta against the Aes Sedai. Whitecloak Soldier (SOLDIER): Appearance: Crusader-like, thin-looking soldier in full chainmail suit and metal cap, wearing white robes and cloak. Weapon: Broadsword Special Ability: Shield which reflects One Power projectiles Attacks: Sword Stab = 10 damage Sword Slash = 15 damage Sword Lunge = 15 damage HP = 150 Whitecloaks are slightly slower than Trollocs or Minions, and you can actually outrun them much of the time even when backing up. They can withstand a bit more damage than Minions or Medium Trollocs, but they're still pretty easy to kill individually. Also unlike Trollocs or Minions, Whitecloaks are limited entirely to close range melee attacks. The Whitecloaks' advantage lies in the special sunburst emblem shields many of them carry. These shields are resistant to the One Power and can reflect direct projectile Ter'angreal attacks such as Dart or Fireball straight back at the caster. Whitecloaks block attacks almost flawlessly, however their shields are damaged by each attack and will break after reflecting several spells (once they lose their shields Whitecloaks will attempt to dodge your shots just like Trollocs). Whitecloak are also vulnerable in that their shields cannot reflect seeking Ter'angreal such as Seeker or Decay, or direct effect Ter'angreal such as Chain Lightning or Air Pulse. Whitecloaks also cannot block Balefire, but you really should save this extremely rare spell for more powerful opponents. Another useful tactic is to throw Fireballs at their feet, as they will still be hurt by the splash damage. Whitecloak soldiers can't block your spells at close range, but it's hard to take advantage of this fact since you'll end up taking damage from their melee attacks and the splash damage from your own spells. If a Whitecloak does get in your face and starts whacking you, you can try blasting them with Dart (the rapid Dart bombardment should stun them and reduce their attack rate). Note: Some of the first few Whitecloak soldiers you encounter will lack shields, these guys are particularly easy to kill, not only because they cannot deflect your attacks, but also because they only have 50% health. They can still dodge your shots by leaping sideways, though. Whitecloak Archer (ARCHER): Appearance: Tall, thin soldier in metal plate armor wearing a white cloak Weapon: Longbow Special Ability: Master Archer Attacks: Sword Stab = 30 damage Sword Slash = 30 damage Arrow Shot = 10 damage HP = 350 Whitecloak Archers have no shields, but instead wield a set of bow and arrows with which they are exceptionally skilled. The Whitecloak Archer has the most effective ranged attack in the game, his arrows travel almost instantly and are much more difficult to dodge (even at long range) than the crossbow bolts of the Myrddraal, the thrown axes of the Trollocs, or even the hurled weapons of the Trolloc Leader or the Questioner. The Archer can also absorb more damage than the regular Whitecloaks, but lacks the protection of a weave-deflecting shield. Like the other Whitecloaks the Archer also carries a sword for close combat, and does more damage with it than the regular soldiers. The Whitecloak Archer's weakness is his slow reload time... in the time it takes him to load and fire one arrow, a Myrddraal can fire off three crossbow shots. This leaves him vulnerable to your Fireballs since he can't dodge while loading and firing. Unlike other enemies who have to follow through with their shot as soon as they begin their attack animation, the Archer can patiently lay prone in firing position waiting for you to come into view, at which point he will instantly let fly with his arrow. Your best strategy to avoid the Archer's shots is to quickly dodge in and out of cover to tempt the Archer into firing. Once you hear the Archer shoot his arrow, immediately jump out and fire off a couple of Fireballs/Darts/Seekers. Repeat as soon as the Archer manages to load another arrow into his bow. Questioner of the Light (QUESTIONER): Appearance: Bearded Whitecloak with red-trimmed white robes and gold chain mail Weapon: Broadsword Special Ability: Shielding throwing, Shield reflects both direct and seeking One Power weaves Attacks: Sword Stab = 10 damage Sword Slash = 15 damage Sword Lunge = 15 damage Shield Throw = 25 damage HP = 700 (500 when summoned) This bearded Whitecloak elite can be distinguished by the red trim on his cloak and the round gold shield he carries. Like the lesser Whitecloaks, the Questioner's shield deflects your Ter'angreal attacks back at the you. However in addition to this the Questioner's shield is also indestructible, and has the added attribute of flawlessly reflecting seeking Ter'angreal attacks such as Seeker or Decay. The Questioner can also hurl his shield at you at high speed, and this attack is very difficult to dodge due to both the speed of his projectile and his ability to lead his shot based on the direction you're moving. The Questioner's single weakness is that after tossing his shield he will be vulnerable to your attacks for a few seconds while he waits for his shield to regenerate (note that the Questioner can still dodge your direct projectile attacks just like every other enemy in the game). Like all Whitecloaks the Questioner also likes to charge you while swinging his sword, but unlike the other Whitecloaks the Questioner actually runs faster than you making it difficult to avoid his melee attack. Similar to the Whitecloak soldiers, the Questioner has difficulty blocking your shots and swinging his sword at the same time, so feel free to try hitting him with a few Decays if he starts whacking you. The Questioner is perhaps the most annoying of the champion-level boss characters, but fortunately you'll only have to face him once in the single player game, and when you do you should have a Balefire Ter'angreal in your possession which should helpfully cut his health in half. The Questioner is also unable to defend against Chain Lightning, so you should use it against him if you've got enough of it. *************************** *Servants of Shadar Logoth* *************************** The ancient city of Shadar Logoth is an evil that exists separate from the great evil of the Dark One. This evil is most often manifested in the life-sucking mist known as Mashadar, but it can also attack you through its twisted servants, wanderers like yourself who entered the city and were corrupted rather than killed by the evil inside. Shadar Logoth's creatures are the first enemies you'll encounter and thus the weakest, but they can still pose a challenge for you even later in the game. Minion (MINION): Appearance: Stooped, emancipated brown ghoul with glowing red eyes and a pair of Kerrigan-like tentacles on its back Weapon: Claws Special Ability: Grappling tentacles Attacks: Running Claw Slash = 15 damage Standing Claw Slash = 25 damage Bite Attack = 30 damage Tentacle Strike = 10 damage Running Tentacle Strike = 15 damage HP = 50 Minions are the fastest, but also the least durable of the grunt-level enemies. Although they run slightly faster than any other creature in the game (including you), it only takes a single Seeker or a couple of Fireball blasts to defeat them. Minions are not limited to melee attacks with their clawed hands, they can also lash at you with the two long hooked tentacles coming out of their back. These tentacles have surprising reach and can even be used by the Minions to pull you towards them off ledges or from a distance. Unlike most enemies who attack you on sight, Minions will often lurk in the shadows and wait to spring upon you when you get close. Although they like to hide in dark corners, they can still be spotted by their glowing red eyes. They will readily dodge your Fireballs if you shoot directly at them, but you can still hit them with reasonable accuracy if you shoot Fireballs at their feet. Other strategies for defeating them include either shoot a Seeker in their direction, or to wait until they get up close before rapidly firing Dart into them. If you use Seeker, make sure to keep the Seeker between you and the Minion to prevent it from moving around the Seeker. Mashadar (MASHADAR): Appearance: Tentacles of white mist that emerge from holes in the city walls Special Ability: Life draining touch HP = 150 The great evil that inhabits Shadar Logoth, Mashadar takes the form of slow moving tendrils of white mist which reach out of holes in the walls of the cursed city to pursue you. Upon touching you Mashadar will quickly drain your health for as long as you are in contact with it. The tendrils are semi-solid and can be attacked. Inflicting enough damage on the tendril will cause it to retreat back into the hole from which it originated. However Mashadar cannot be destroyed permanently, the tendril will re-emerge after a few seconds. Don't bother fighting Mashadar, instead just flee from it until it stops pursuing you. Mashadar tendrils will retreat if you run out of their range of influence. The Spirit Shield Ter'angreal grants immunity to Mashadar for as long as the shield is in place. Legion (LEGION): Appearance: Massive, elephant-sized gestalt of naked corpses merged into a dog-like shape Weapon: Volcano stomp, Spitting ghost heads Special Ability: Insanely Durable Attacks: Foot Stomp = 10 damage Homing Ghost = 25 damage HP = 1000 At first glance, Legion appears to be a skinless dog the size of an elephant. On closer inspection you realize this physical embodiment of Mashadar is really a collection of dozens of naked corpses intertwined with each other and animated by the power of Shadar Logoth. The largest creature in the game, Legion is a tank, capable of withstanding considerably more damage than any other character. Legion's extreme durability is offset by the fact his massive bulk prevents him from dodging your projectiles. Legion has two attacks... at long range he spits out ghostly skulls which travel quickly and flawlessly home in on you. These skulls do considerable damage and are impossible to avoid (although you can protect against them with Spirit Shield or destroy them by shooting them with three Darts). At close range Legion uses a stomp attack which causes a volcano to erupt underneath your feet. Although this physical attack doesn't do as much damage as the flying skulls, it is still difficult to avoid. You'll encounter Legion about four times throughout the game, but the only times you actually have to fight it are your first and last encounters with this creature (the second time you meet it an Aes Sedai Sister and her Warder will destroy it for you, and the third time it's invincible). For your first encounter Legion will take several seconds to pull itself together, and during this period you should get some free hits in with Decay and Seeker. Put your Spirit Shield up to defend against Legion's skulls, and keep your distance to avoid it's stomp attack. Blast it with Seekers or Fireballs until it screams and collapses. Your final battle against Legion is trickier since you probably won't have Spirit Shield (Unravel or Reflect also work, but their short duration can be problematic), but if you want you can simply Freeze it and blast it with Balefire until it disappears from the time stream (three fully-charged shots should do the trick). An alternative strategy to use against the final Legion is to blast him with Seeker or Decay, and quickly switch to Dart to shoot down Legion's ghost attack whenever he fires it (A single Fireball can also destroy Legion's ghosts, but you'll get hit with the splash damage if they detonate too close to you). ************************ *Forces of the Forsaken* ************************ The creatures in thrall to the Dark One serve as your main enemies in the game, and are also some of the toughest units you'll ever face. Be especially weary of the Black Ajah sisters, who use the same One Power attacks as you do. Trolloc (TROLLOCWEAK, TROLLOCMED, TROLLOCSTRONG, TROLLOCUBER): Appearance: Ugly, 7-foot tall animal-man in scale mail armor Weapon: Small Axe Special Ability: Axe throwing Attacks: Weak Axe Slash = 10 damage Strong Axe Slash = 15 damage Axe Throw = 10 damage HP = 50, 100, 150, 200 These foot soldiers of the Dark One are the most common enemies you'll face in the game. Trollocs prefer to charge you and slash with their axes, but at long range they can also throw their axes at you quite accurately. Fortunately, their axes are the slowest moving projectiles in the game and are fairly easy to dodge. Trollocs run slightly faster than you do when backing up, so you can't simply fight them by backing away while firing at them. At medium range Trollocs are best dispatched with fireballs, although since they can dodge a direct attack you'll have to aim your shots at their feet in order to get them with the splash damage. At close range your best Ter'angreal should be Dart, since it has no splash damage and enemies tend to not dodge your shots at close range. Trollocs are also unable to dodge your attacks during the split second when they pull a new axe from over their shoulder after tossing their current one, but this moment of vulnerability is very short and it's hard to reliably get the timing right on your attacks. Trollocs come in four different species with different levels of size, health, and tenacity. The black armored, purple-pig Trollocs are the weakest, as frail as a Minion and unable to throw their axes. The orange Trollocs with beaks are medium-strength and can withstand about twice as much damage as the weak ones. The green armored, dog-faced trollocs are stronger and can withstand quite a bit of damage. The large Uber Trollocs have cat-like faces and can withstand almost as much damage as a captain-level enemy. Myrddraal (MYRDDRAAL): Appearance: Pale man with no eyeballs wearing steel armor and black hood and cloak Weapon: Blacksword, Crossbow Special Ability: Fade into smoke Attacks: Sword Swipe = 20 damage Sword Skewer = 30 damage Black Poison = 3 damage per sword hit Crossbow Shot = 10 damage HP = 350 Myrddraal are generally ranged attackers, firing at you with magic crossbows. Their crossbow bolts travel faster than Trolloc axes, but still move slow enough for you to dodge at long range. If you get close to them, however, they will draw their black swords and attack. Provoking a Myrddraal into melee combat is usually a very bad idea, their swords are poisonous and will do continuous damage to you for several seconds after the initial strike. The Myrddraal have a fairly long loading/firing animation for their crossbow attack, during which they cannot dodge your attacks. Thus the best time to blast them with Fireball or Dart is immediately before they shoot at you. If you engage a Myrddraal at medium range and can get them to stand still and fire several shots at you, you can manage to land multiple direct hits on them with Fireball. Besides their powerful attacks the Myrddraal also have the ability to fade into smoke and reappear a few seconds later in a different location. Besides confusing you, they will also use this ability to avoid your seeking weaves. They also almost always fade as soon as you try to shoot seeking weaves at them. These guys are the most durable of the captain-level enemies, as their ability to fade and reappear allows them to avoid your most damaging attacks. One way to get around their fading ability is to run right up to them and cast a couple Decays. The close proximity will allow you to hit them before they manage to fade. If you do this while they're firing their crossbows and back away quickly, you can even do it without getting stabbed. Trolloc Clan Leader (BATROLLOC): Appearance: Huge, red-furred, ten foot tall boar-man Weapon: Halberd, Claws Special Ability: Halberd throwing, Ramming with horn Attacks: Halberd Jab = 10 damage Long Halberd Jab = 20 damage Double Halberd Slash = 30 damage + 30 damage Double Punch = 20 damage + 20 damage Horn Ram = 30 damage Halberd Throw = 10 damage HP = 700 More than twice as tall as a regular Trolloc and with the girth to match, the Trolloc Clan Leader is second only to Legion itself in size and durability. Don't be fooled by his large bulk, however, the Trolloc Clan Leader (Big Ass Trolloc to his buddies) is even more nimble than a regular Trolloc and can quickly rush at you for melee combat. The BA Trolloc's primary weapon is a massive halberd which he either slashes you with at close range or hurls at you at medium-long distance. He's a powerful thrower, the halberd flies quickly and can be difficult to dodge. It takes several seconds between throws for the Trolloc Leader's halberd to regenerate, and during this period he will charge you and rapidly punch at you with his claws. The BA Trolloc can also ram you with his horn, this powerful attack with often send you flying through the air. Because he moves faster than you, it can be difficult to avoid the Trolloc Leader's melee attacks, as he relentlessly chases you down. Fortunately, the BA Trolloc's berserker approach also means he often won't dodge your attacks since he's so occupied with charging straight at you. This lets you hit him with fireball or dart consistently without worrying about him leaping out of the way (although he can dodge occasionally). You'll encounter this beast on four separate occasions throughout the game. Don't be ashamed to run away if he's not directly in your path, or use Whirlwind to toss him off a cliff if you're given the opportunity. You can even Freeze him and bombard him with your best attack while he's immobilized. One cheap but useful tactic is to try and find a doorway the BA Trolloc is too big to fit through, hide through it, and blast him from the other side while he futilely tries to get at you. Going toe to toe with the BA Trolloc in a wide open space is highly ill advised, his superior speed and relentless melee attacks give him a serious advantage. If you must face him in a straight fight, try hurling 3 or 4 Decays at him, then laying into him with Dart (the constant Dart hits will stun him and reduce his rate of attack). Don't bother with splash damage spells like Fireball or Seeker, the Trolloc Leader's in-your-face approach means you'll just kill yourself with the splash damage. Black Ajah Sister (BLACKAJAH): Appearance: Corrupted Aes Sedai sister with black hair and black robes cut to expose her cleavage. Weaves: Air Pulse, Dart, Fireball, Seeker, Decay, Unravel Special Ability: Channeling the One Power Attacks: Air Pulse = 15 damage Dart = 10 damage Fireball = 40 damage Seeker = 60 damage Decay = 75 damage HP = 350 Black Ajah have a much wider selection of weaves than their Aes Sedai counterparts, and are also surprisingly durable. The oh-so-deadly Fireball is by far the Black Ajah's weave of choice, but they also occasionally cast Dart and even Seeker or Decay if you really piss them off. Black Ajah also can cast Unravel to defend themselves from your Ter'angreal attacks, and they especially like to cast it to neutralize your seeking weaves such as Decay or Soul Barb. The Black Ajahs' rapid and devastating magic attacks make them some of the most challenging opponents you'll face, so it's fully justifiable to use one of your rare Balefires to disintegrate them whenever you face one. A single fully charged shot will suffice. If Balefire is unavailable, defend yourself from their Fireballs with Fire Shield or Reflect while laying into them with the best Ter'angreal you have available. Freeze is great, and Dart sometimes can stun them if fired rapidly enough. Fireball also works, but you'll need to keep on your toes to constantly dodge their own fireball attacks. Seeking weaves are not as effective, since Black Ajah usually block them with Unravel. There's no simply way to beat a Black Ajah (other than vaporizing them with Balefire or Freezing them and blasting them while they're frozen), so just rely on the skills with Ter'angreal you've been developing up to the point where you finally face them. **************** *Unique Enemies* **************** The Bosses. These enemy faction leaders also use Ter'angreal, and behave much more like Deathmatch Bots than regular enemies. Your Ter'angreal vs. Ter'angreal duels against them should prepare you for multiplayer battles against real opponents. The Hound (HOUNDBOT): Appearance: Thin, hawk-faced man wearing a padded leather tunic Ter'angreal: Fireball, Dart, Fork, Shift, Personal Shield Special Ability: Use Ter'angreal Attacks: Dart = 10 damage Fireball = 40 damage HP = 150 Although the assassin will serve as your nemesis and the game's main antagonist throughout the story, the only time you actually fight him is in one of the game's first few missions. The Hound will attack you at the end of the Bowels of Shadar Logoth, after your first encounter with Legion. The Hound's Ter'angreal attacks are pretty simple, consisting mostly of charging at you while rapidly hurling fireballs in your direction (The Hound can also cast Dart for close combat). Not particularly durable, it takes less than half a dozen fireballs of your own to defeat him. If you have trouble with a head-on confrontation, a good strategy is to fire a couple of Decays at him, then hide from him in the side corridors until he collapses. Be aware that the Hound can Shift to avoid your seeking weaves, although he doesn't always do so. The Hound can also cast Fork, so if he starts glowing green be prepared to dodge your own projectiles as they're bounced back at you (don't worry, the Hound will still take damage from them). He also can use a Personal Shield Ter'angreal to reduce the damage of your attacks, but this shouldn't significantly alter your strategy to defeat him. There should be plenty of Heal Ter'angreal scattered about the arena, so you should be able to hide and recover if you lost a lot of health fighting Legion. Elayne's Reflection (AESSEDAIBOT): Appearance: It's you. Only evil. Ter'angreal: Soul Barb, Dart, Seeker, Unravel, Personal Shield, Shift Special Ability: Use Ter'angreal Attacks: Dart = 10 damage Seeker = 60 damage HP = 400 Elayne's dark half is a fairly skilled One Power user, her spells are a potent mix of Aes Sedai and Black Ajah and she has about as much health as an Aes Sedai Sitter. The evil reflection starts the battle by hurling a Soul Barb at you as soon as she emerges from the magic mirror, after which she proceeds to lay into you with Dart and the occasional Seeker. As the battle continues she will re-cast Soul Barb soon after her previous Soul Barb wears off. Evil Elayne can also cast Unravel to neutralize your spells, or decrease their damage with Personal Shield. She may also Shift to avoid your seeking weaves. If you get hit by Soul Barb you'll take damage every time you cast a spell, so it's a good idea to run upstairs and hide until the spell wears off. A good strategy to defeating your reflection is to cast Reflect as soon as the battle begins to bounce her attacks right back at her, then switch to Dart, rush right up to her, and blast away until she collapses. If you've got good aim your Dart bombardment should stun her, preventing her from launching a counter-attack. Alternatively you can back away from her while tossing Fireballs, but this takes longer and leaves you more vulnerable to her attacks. Another strategy is to fire Seeker at her until she hits you with Soul Barb, run upstairs and wait for it to wear off, then run back downstairs and continue firing Seekers at her. If you're really having trouble with her, you can weaken her a bit by bobby-trapping the spot in front of the mirror where she appears with Explosive Wards. NOTE: One major challenge you'll have when facing this boss is the fact you won't have very much Ter'angreal, so be sure to grab as much as you can by breaking the crates in the room before walking up to the mirror and initiating the battle. Machin Shin: Appearance: Huge swirling cloud of ghostly screaming faces Special Ability: Swallow your soul! The great evil that patrols the Ways searching for unwary souls to absorb, the Black Wind appears as a massive swirling cloud of tortured faces. When you hear the sound of the wind while in the Ways, it's a sign that Machin Shin is coming and you should run for the nearest Waygate. If caught within Machin Shin, your health will be drained at a rapid rate until the Black Wind claims your soul. Spirit Shield will slow down the life-draining effect, but it will not protect you completely. Machin Shin is not so much an enemy as a force of nature. You cannot defeat it or even fight it, you can only run from it. Sitter Sephraem (BLACKAJAHBOSS): Appearance: Sultry Aes Sedai Sitter wearing a tight and flimsy little black gown that reveals more than it conceals Weaves: Soul Barb, Seeker, Decay, Taint, Air Pulse, Freeze, Fire Shield, Reflect, Shift Special Ability: Channel the One Power Attacks: Air Pulse = 15 damage Seeker = 60 damage Decay = 75 damage HP = 650 Sephraem's specialty are seeking weaves, which she loves to hurl at you in rapid succession. Opening up with Soul Barb, she'll proceed to toss Seeker, Decay, more Soul Barb, and even the very annoying Taint at you. Fortunately, Sephraem limits herself to seeking weaves and won't use direct projectile attacks on you (She can cast Freeze and Air Pulse, but only at close range). With the exception of Soul Barb most of her attacks are fairly slow moving and can be avoided if you keep constantly circling around the arena. Defensively, Sephraem can protect herself with both Reflect or Fire Shield if she feels threatened by your attacks. Your best defensive strategy is to use your own Reflect to bounce her seeking attacks right back at her. Since Reflect doesn't last very long and her attacks don't travel very fast, you can actually speed the process along by running into them instead of waiting for them to come to you. Sephraem cannot cast Unravel, so if you manage to hit her with her own Taint spell she will be unable to cure it and will continue to take damage from her own spells for the rest of the battle until she kills herself. Sephraem's own Decays are also a potent weapon against her, since her inability to cast Unravel will cause her to take the full 150 damage whenever she's hit by one. 4 or 5 decays are sufficient to kill her. Unfortunately, Sephraem's pretty good at defending against seeking weaves with Reflect, so it can be difficult to land a successful Taint or Decay on her. To maximize your results, try to wait until there are several seeking weaves floating around the arena before activating Reflect and running into them all to send them at Sephraem. If she manages to hit you with Taint, Decay, or Soul Barb, be sure to cast Unravel on yourself to cure the problem. Otherwise, blast away at her with your Ter'angreal attack of choice. Sephraem always appears out of the corridor to the left of where you enter the arena, so if you're feeling sneaky you can always booby-trap the passage with Explosive Wards and wait for her to walk into them. There are plenty of healing roots lying around the arena, so be sure to grab one if you do happen to take some damage. NOTE: When reflecting Seekers back at Sephraem, try to keep some distance away from her. You'll still be harmed by the splash damage if you're standing next to Sephraem when a Seeker blows up in her face. The Leader of the Children of The Light (WHITECLOAKBOT): Appearance: Roman Centurion-looking buff blonde wearing a shiny metal breastplate and (you guessed it) a white cloak. Ter'angreal: Air Pulse, Dart, Fireball, Seeker, Decay, Taint, Absorb, Air Shield, Shift, Heal Special Ability: Use Ter'angreal Attacks: Air Pulse = 15 damage Dart = 10 damage Fireball = 40 damage Seeker = 60 damage Decay = 75 damage HP = 800 One of the game's 3 final bosses, along with Legion and Ishmael. The Whitecloak Leader is a big fan of seeking Ter'angreal, often spamming the arena with Seeker, Decay, and Taint. He also enjoys perforating you with Dart, although he can also switch to Fireball for variety. The Whitecloak Leader can also cast Air Shield to briefly defend against Air elemental attacks. His real ace in the hole is his ability to cast Absorb, which allows the sneaky bugger to steal one of your Ter'angreal if you use it against him while the spell is in effect. Be sure to watch for the tell-tale green energy pulse which indicates that he's cast Absorb, and avoid using any offensive Ter'angreal for a few moments until the spell wears off. Fortunately he tends to stop using Absorb once he's acquired one of your Ter'angreal, so if you find it annoying you can always sacrifice a Ter'angreal you don't use a lot. The Whitecloak Leader can also cast Heal on himself, so it's a good idea not to waste time and give him the opportunity to do so. On the whole, his mix of direct projectile attacks and seeking weaves make him a little more difficult than Sephraem, but his lack of defensive Ter'angreal is a definite weakness, and unlike Ishmael he prefers to hang back a little rather than being constantly in your face. One BIG weakness of the Whitecloak Leader is that he cannot cast Unravel, so if you manage to hit him with his own Taint, he'll take damage from his own spells for the rest of the battle and will eventually kill himself. Unlike Sephraem, he cannot deflect Taint with Reflect, so it's pretty easy to hit him with his own spells. His inability to cast Unravel also means he'll take full damage from the Decay spell whenever it hits him. Unfortunately you can't skip this battle since his death is required to trigger the opening of the exit door. The good news is that the cathedral you fight him in is large enough so that you have enough room to dodge his attacks (although it's not as large as the arena you fought Sephraem in, and since it's one big room there's no place to hide or take cover). Overall the same strategy you used against Sephraem should work fine against the Whitecloak Leader... unleash 2 or 3 Decays on him as soon as he appears, use Reflect to bounce his own seeking attacks back at him (particularly Taint, which he cannot cure), and blast away at him with either Fireball or Dart. He should fall sooner than you expect. Ishmael (FORSAKENBOT): Appearance: Lordly-looking dark-haired man with trim beard and glowing eyes, dressed entirely in black finery Ter'angreal: Air Pulse, Dart, Fireball, Earth Tremor, Seeker, Decay, Soul Barb, Unravel, Reflect, Swap Places, Earth Shield, Fire Shield, Summon Minion Special Ability: Use Ter'angreal Attacks: Air Pulse = 15 damage Dart = 10 damage Fireball = 40 damage Earth Tremor = 30 damage + 5 damage per second Seeker = 60 damage Decay = 75 damage HP = 800 Ishmael is perhaps the most skilled user of the One Power in the game and truly worthy of the title Nab'lis. Even though his Dark One-granted One Power abilities are currently sealed, his skill in the use of Ter'angreal makes him your most difficult opponent. Besides having all the powers of a Aes Sedai Sitter, Ishmael also has the added Ter'angreal weaves of Dart, Decay, and Reflect to give him an extra edge. Ishmael enjoys weakening you with Soul Barb, at which point he will proceed to mercilessly blast away at you with Fireball and Earth Tremor at medium range, as well as Dart up close. Ishmael can also fire off Seekers, and he can cast Decay if you really annoy him (but fortunately, he usually doesn't). He can even fire off a few Swap Places just to bug you. Ishmael's real strength lies in his expert use of defensive Ter'Angreal, as he is capable of defending himself against your attacks with Unravel, Reflect, and even the all-mighty Fire Shield/Earth Shield combo which defends against almost any attack. Fighting Ishmael can often feel like you're up against a brick wall, as he's immune to your attacks more than 50% of the time. Another added challenge is the fact that the series of chambers you fight him in are so small it's difficult to successfully avoid his spells or their splash damage. This makes Ishmael almost impossible to defeat in a 'fair' fight, so your best bet is to destroy him with an overwhelming attack before he can begin to move (the Balefire/Freeze/Balefire combo is strongly recommended). If you really want to beat Ishmael in a straight fight, at least lure him back to the wide open arena where you fought Sephraem so you'll have more room to maneuver. Keep far away from him at all times and spam the arena with your Ter'angreal of choice. Decay or Seeker are best since they do decent damage and you don't have to aim or get close to him, and you can even target him with seeking weaves through the destroyable wood wall. Make sure to stop firing once he puts up his shield. If the shield really annoys you, you can either flee until it wears off or disable it with an Aura of Unraveling. Another helpful strategy is to lay down a trap with all your Explosive Wards and lure Ishmael into it, which is fairly easy to do thanks to the narrow corridors of his citadel. Try not to face Ishmael head-on, his flurry of Fireballs will tears you to pieces in seconds. Like the battle with Sephraem, a good defense can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Unravel is essential if you get hit with Soul Barb or Decay, and Reflect can be used to bounce his seeking attacks back at him (although Ishmael is less reliant on seeking attacks than Sephraem or the Whitecloak Leader, so Reflect will be less useful against him). Ishmael also can cast Unravel, so status-affecting weaves like Decay or Soul Barb are less effective against him. You don't have to fight Ishmael if you don't want to, in fact you can simply run into his chamber, grab the seal, and run back the way you came to the Portal Stone. With luck you should be able to escape from the Forsaken's citadel before Ishmael can catch up to you. Unlike your final battles with Legion or the Whitecloak Leader, killing Ishmael isn't necessary to escape from his realm, so the only real reason to duke it out with him is purely satisfactory (the warm fuzzy feeling you get from blowing up Mr. Big Bad Evil One long before the hotshot Dragon Reborn came along). Copyright 2003 Alan Chan