Wheel of Time Single Player Ter'angreal and Enemy FAQ (Ver 1.1)
Last Updated: January 1, 2007
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 and b) don't 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 *
* *
* Update #2: Broke up large chunks of text into paragraphs *
* Minor value corrections based on UnrealED info *
* *
* Update #3: Ishmael -> Ishamael *
* Minor addition to Black Ajah strategy *
* *
* Update #4: Some minor reformatting for easier reading *
* *
**********************************************************************
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
Ishamael 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.
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.
#1:
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.
#2:
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).
#3:
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.
#4:
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.
#5:
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.
#6:
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.
#7:
Healing roots don't carry over into the next level, so don't bother trying to
conserve them.
#8:
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.
#9:
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.
#10:
The game's final bosses (Sephraem, The Whitecloak Leader, and Ishamael 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 Ishamael 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 will even throw a Seeker or Decay at you every couple of minutes. 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. They don't block ALL the time,
however, so feel free to throw a couple of Seekers at them every once
in a while to keep them on their toes.
When dueling a Black Ajah (or any Ter'angreal user for that matter), it's a
good idea to stay as far away as possible to give you enough time to dodge
their shots. Ideally, you should lure them either into a wide open area or a
circular corridor where you can constantly retreat, and let them chase you
around in circles. Black Ajah can run faster than you retreat, but they
tend to hang back rather than try to get in your face, so you usually
won't have to worry about them getting too close as long as you keep
moving.
Black Ajah tend to run at you in a straight line, so hitting them even at long
range shouldn't be too difficult. They also don't have an automatic dodge move
(although they can strafe around), so you can aim directly at them without
worrying about them dodging at the last second.
There's no simple 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 Ishamael. 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 Ishamael 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.
Ishamael (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
Ishamael 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, Ishamael also has the added Ter'angreal weaves of Dart, Decay, and
Reflect to give him an extra edge. Ishamael 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. Ishamael 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. Ishamael'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 Ishamael 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
Ishamael 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 Ishamael 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 Ishamael
into it, which is fairly easy to do thanks to the narrow corridors of his
citadel. Try not to face Ishamael 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 Ishamael is less reliant on seeking attacks than Sephraem or
the Whitecloak Leader, so Reflect will be less useful against him).
Ishamael also can cast Unravel, so status-affecting weaves like Decay or
Soul Barb are less effective against him.
You don't have to fight Ishamael 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 Ishamael can catch up to you. Unlike your final battles with
Legion or the Whitecloak Leader, killing Ishamael 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).
