Gauntlet II (Arcade Version) Mini FAQ This FAQ was written with the intention of helping players in the game of Gauntlet II (Arcade version ONLY). It should be noted that this FAQ applies ONLY to the arcade version of Gauntlet II, and not the home, or NES version, as there are quite a few differences. Firing - By pressing "Button 1" or the "Fire" button, your character will fire a projectile. Every character has one, and it causes damage to enemies. They range in speed from slow to fast, and from powerful to weak in terms of damaging potential. Magic - By pressing "Button 2" or the "Magic" button, your character will use up magic potions that you have collected. This damages, and sometimes completely destroys some (though not all) of the enemies on the screen. For Super Sorcerers, Acid Puddles and Dragons, a magic potion will stun them momentarily. Magic is the only way to kill Death, and all Death enemies on the screen will be killed by using magic, no matter which character you've chosen. How many enemies are killed or damaged depends on your characters magic skill. Fighting, or Hand-to-Hand Combat - Press towards the enemy to engage them in hand to hand combat. Not all enemies can be engaged in Hand-to-Hand Combat. Some characters can engage monster generators in Hand-to-Hand Combat. Characters range from powerful to weak in Hand-to-Hand Combat. Armor - The damage your character takes from attacks from enemies. Armor ranges from good to poor depending on the character you choose. Some enemies ignore armor IE - Death. Property changing potions - Potions that appear in the game with small symbols on them change character stats, allowing you to improve in the areas where certain characters are poor in. These should not be treated like normal potions whatsoever. Unless there is a word in front of the word "potion" notating that its special, assume that I'm talking about regular magic potions that are used to destroy enemies and kill death by pressing the "Magic" button throughout this FAQ. Characters can only upgrade their status once - you MAY NOT pick up the same type of special potion twice to gain a better ability, you will just pick up a regular magic potion instead. In a game with 2 or more players you should ALWAYS give a special potion to a character that needs it - IE - it will help him rid his weakness. Extra Shot Speed (Feather like icon) - This will adjust the speed of your projectile to that of the Elfs. If the Elf picks up this potion, his projectiles will travel even faster. A must for the Warrior. Extra Shot Power (Orb like icon) - This will increase the damage of your projectiles of that of the Warrior or Wizard. A must for the Elf. Increasing the power of the Warrior or Wizard, will make the projectiles quite lethal. Extra Magic Power (Green potion like icon) - This will increase the damage done by magic by 1. If the Warrior were to obtain this potion, he would have the magic power of the Valkyrie. The Valkyries magic power becomes increased to that of the Elf. The Elfs magic power is increased to the of the Wizards. The Wizards magic power is increased, but it only effects potions that he shoots, since he already normally destroys all low-lever monsters, and all generators on the screen. This ability is best used on the Elf. Extra Fight Power (Sword icon) - This increases the damage done in Hand-to-Hand Combat. I'm not sure exactly how much it increase fight power, as it works strangely on different characters. The Wizard needs this special potion. The Warrior becomes incredibly lethal in close range battles with this potion. Extra Speed (Arrow icon) - Increases the speed of a character to that the of the Elf. If the Elf picks up this special potion, he moves INSANELY fast. The Warrior and Wizard need this one. Extra speed also seems to make characters better in Hand-to-Hand Combat. Extra Armor (Shield icon) - Reduces the damage taken in enemy attacks. The Wizard needs this special potion the most. The Valkyrie will take little damage with this special potion. Character Ratings - Compare the characters you can choose with this chart. One (1) is the worst value to have. The top value (usually 3 or 4) is the best value. Shot Speed - SS Between 1 and 3 Shot Power - SP Between 1 and 3 Magic Power - MP Between 1 and 4 Fight Power - FP Between 1 and 4 Speed - S Between 1 and 3 Armor -A Between 1 and 4 SS SP MP FP S A Warrior 1 3 1 4 1 3 = 13 Valkyrie 2 2 2 3 2 4 = 15 Wizard 2 3 4 1 1 1 = 12 Elf 3 1 3 2 3 2 = 14 Valkyrie has the highest overall stats, Wizard has the lowest. If a character has all potions - SS SP MP FP S A Warrior 3 4 2 5 3 4 = 21 - power is increased by 8. Valkyrie 3 3 3 4 3 5 = 21 - power is increased by 6. Wizard 3 4 5 3 3 2 = 20 - power is increased by 8. Elf 4 2 4 3 4 3 = 20 - Power is increased by 6. Warrior gains the most, and has the highest stats. Elf gains the least, and has the lowest stats. Warrior - I've heard that most beginning players should start off by choosing the Warrior. I personally disagree, but you can choose whomever you want. The Warrior has the highest fighting power of all the other characters, so he can be good for leading the way down very narrow corridors, hacking down monsters and monster generators. Since his magic power is so poor, I suggest that you have him pick up any and all keys, and leave the potions behind. Since the Warrior has the slowest shot speed, he should pick up the potion that gives Extra Shot Speed. His projectiles will travel as fast as the Elfs after picking up that potion. The Warrior should also pick up Extra speed as well, which will transfer him from a slogging speed to the Elfs speed. The Warrior is a poor choice for a one player game, because of his poor magic rating. He is also the only character that can't shoot diagonally between walls. Valkyrie - The Valkyrie is a good all-round character. Her high armor and high Hand-to-Hand Combat skills make her good for leading down narrow hallways, just like the Warrior. She may take slightly longer than the Warrior going down a narrow hallway, but she will take less damage. Since the none of the Valkyries ratings are 1, she takes the least priority when picking up specialty potions. Wizard - The Wizard makes a good addition to any party. His biggest asset is his magic ability, so if you're in a game with 2 or more players, the Wizard should avoid keys and pick up every potion. When the wizard uses a potion, every enemy that can be destroyed with a potion is. If you see a potion for extra fight power, give it to the Wizard, as he needs it the most, and has the most trouble when surrounded by enemies. The Wizard is also slow, so he should pick up Extra Speed potions. The Wizard has the lowest armor, and should pick up potions for extra armor. You may also consider giving the Wizard extra magic power, in case he needs to shoot a potion rather than pick it up, since shooting a potion has a lesser effect. The Wizard cannot destroy monster generators in Hand-to-Hand Combat. Elf - The Elf has very fast attributes. He starts off running the fastest, and has starts off with the fastest shot speed. Since the Elfs magic power is second best when compared to the wizards, he should get the Extra Magic Power potion, that will make him powerful enough to destroy all the enemies on the screen. The Elf should also get extra shot power, since he has the weakest projectiles. The Elf cannot destroy monster generators in Hand-to-Hand Combat The best teams - One player (ok, one person isn't a team...) - The best character to go with the Valkyrie. None of her stats are 1, and she can shoot diagonally between walls. Two Players, choice 1 - The Wizard and Warrior. The Warrior should pick up all the keys, lead the way through swarms of enemies, and be the leader of the group. The Wizard should pick up all the magic potions and focus his attention on shooting as many enemies as he can before they get close. They both travel at the same speed, so you won't have problems with one person outrunning the other. The Valkyrie could also be good as a substitute for the Warrior. Two Players, choice 2 - The Elf and the Valkyrie are less recommended. The Valkyrie should pick up all the keys, lead the way down narrow halls, and be the leader of the group. The Elf should pick up all the potions, and shoot enemies from afar, while avoiding them when he can with his great speed. The Elf is faster than the Valkyrie, but you won't have as many problems as you would with an Elf and a Warrior or Wizard, as he'll outrun them more than he would the with Valkyrie. Three or Four Players - This one is up to you, but I definitely suggest that one person be the Wizard and one the Warrior. Adding a Valkyrie or an extra Warrior will help you cut down enemies in narrow, 2 block wide hallways. Only the Wizard should pick up Potions, unless he is full, then the next most powerful magic user should get potions. Everyone else should be focused on getting keys. As long as you have one Wizard and at least one Hand-to-Hand Combat master (the Valkyrie or the Warrior), it will be easy to dedicate jobs. Weirder combinations can add more confusion as to who should get what, but if everyone can work together well as a team, than any combination can be easy to do, no matter how strange. Monster Chart This is a simple chart that tells you how you can kill a monster, or if a monster can be created by a monster generator. Monster Type - Fight - Shoot - Magic - Monster Generator Ghost No Yes Yes Yes Grunt Yes Yes Yes Yes Demon Yes Yes Yes Yes Lobber Yes Yes Yes Yes Sorcerer Yes Yes Yes Yes Death No No Yes No Acid Puddle No No Stun No Super Sorcerer Yes Yes Stun No It No Stun No No Dragon No Yes Stun No What might appear in the next FAQ? - Descrpitions of monsters, and the best way to deal with them. - Levels that some people have problems dealing with. This FAQ was written by Serial Gauntlet II name and likeness used without permission If you have any questions or would like to contribute, send e-mail to andersen@mnsi.net