To Kill the Red Dragon

 

 

A Study of Strategy

 

This site is dedicated to my friend & Swordmate, Animal; a good friend and a valiant Warrior, who is now in a different realm.May his spirit roam free and fiercely.  As he would often say:

"Dragon rescued, Virgins slain... or something like that..."

 

CONTENTS

(I) BEFORE THE DRAGON:                                                    (II) PLAYING WITH IGMs

1) Calculating the Odds;                                                                                    11) Bettering your Chances (with many subsections)

2) Stashing the Gold.

3) Flirting with Seth and Violet;                                                                         (III) AFTER THE DRAGON

4) Flirting with other Players;                                                                            12) Getting the Most Out of Your Gems;

5) Changing your Class;                                                                                   13) Buying and Selling;

6) Using "Lost" Resources;                                                                              14) More on Flirting

7) Researching future Opponents;                                                                   (IV) CONTACT INFORMATION

8) To Fight or Not to Fight in the Forest;                                                            Email link to Author.

9) Last Minute Changes;                                                                                   LORD RING Link

10) When all else Fails.                                                                                     Counter

 

TO KILL A DRAGON

(Planning hints for before and after you kill the Dragon in LORD)

So... you’ve made Level 12, now it's time to kill the Red Dragon - after all, that IS the name of the Game, right? There’s been many excellent treatise’s written on various aspects of LORD strategy, but one area that seems to have received little exploration so far is how best to plan for what happens AFTER you’ve killed the Dragon, or how best to prepare yourself FOR the kill!

In over 1600 Dragon kills since I started keeping track many years ago, I know all too well the sinking feeling of "damn - why didn’t I do that BEFORE killing the Dragon!?!" Thus, I present these tips on what to do, in order to put you in the best possible position before and after the Kill.

This work assumes the common factor of LORD versions of 3.26 or higher. In older versions, (without Fairies, and with Dragons having fewer hit points, many strategies remain the same, but there will of course be some differences - use your imagination).

Finally, I realize that both miracles, and crap happen... I’ve killed the Dragon against all odds, (for example, with level 10 equipment, and no Fairy in a Non-IGM game); and in turn, have BEEN killed when I should have had no problem. These suggestions are based on an overall averages, not the exceptions. 

 

 

(I) BEFORE THE DRAGON (Regular Play - with or without IGMs)

This section deals with things you should do in any realm/game, whether it has IGMs or not. This is particularly important in Tournament games where there ARE no IGMs to help out. Obviously, each game will differ somewhat in the particular Sysop choices that have been chosen in the realms configuration.

1. CALCULATING YOUR ODDS:

There are 3 main factors that determine your possible success against the Dragon. They are:

  1. Your Armour and Weapon - preferably both Level 12 or higher;
  2. Your Special Skills/Spells - if you have at least enough Magic User Points for the Light Shield, (12 spell points), and Five or more Special Attacks from Thief or Death Knight Attacks; and
  3. If you have either a Fairy, (or to a less degree, a Horse), OR enough magic Skill points to do both the Light Shield (12 points) AND Magic Heal, (20 points).

IF you have at least 2 of the 3 above, you stand a better chance at killing the Dragon then it does of killing you. On the other hand, your mileage may vary…

 

2. STASHING GOLD:

If the realm allows transfers of gold between players, you will want to transfer the maximum allowed to a trusted friend. This sometimes requires guessing how good your chances are of a kill, if there’s a choice between buying better armour or weapons vs. sending the gold away for safekeeping. I’ve found some of the following criteria helpful in making that kind of calculations:

  1. IF you have 2 or more of the 3 criteria discussed above in Number 1, your chances are good that you'll kill the Dragon, so go for the transfer before saving for better equipment.
  2. If you don’t qualify in two of the three above, then spend the gold on equipment before transferring it, I will often upgrade my equipment in such cases, and see what gold I have left over AFTER the Forest fights before transferring any gold that remains.
  3. While a transfer can make your next reincarnation much more comfortable, it's better to get the kill than to keep losing to the Dragon because of transferring instead of upgrading. If you’ve been killed more than 3 attempts in a row, then go for the next level in Weapons before spending all your gold in transfers. Besides, you can always transfer some smaller amount that will still help.

 

3. FLIRTING WITH SETH/VIOLET:

Generally, you’re much better off to save both the Flirting, and Hearing Seth Sing for AFTER the kill - the XP's from flirting, and the possible benefits from Hearing Seth are much more needed and valuable when level 1 then level 12.

The exception to this is when you really need the possible Doubling of your gold from having Magic Happen with Seth. (See Tip #1 About helping Magic Happening).

 

4. FLIRTING WITH OTHER PLAYERS:

Unlike flirting with Violet/Seth, you can do this before and after the kill! So always flirt before trying the Dragon, if you’re not successful, you’ve lost nothing. If you DO kill the Dragon, then the next time the person who flirted with comes on line, you'll get TWICE the possible points. At low levels, this often means the difference of 1 or 2 days of play in terms of XP's gained!

The only caveat is to try to flirt with people that you feel sure of positively returning your flirt, and that log on daily. It does you little good to flirt with people that may not log in for days after your Dragon kill!

 

5. CHANGING YOUR CLASS:

Depending on many factors, you may be at Level 12 for some time; and once you've killed the Dragon, you'll be going up in levels at a faster clip than you do at the higher levels. For this reason, it's important to consider what class (Thief, Magic User, or Death Knight) you are while Level 12, and what you’ll be once you’re level 1 again.

In terms of possible Skill advancement in random forest encounters, your best chances are as a Thief.

All it takes is a random encounter, and always keeping at least one Gem on you, and you’ve got another Thief Skill point! On the other hand, your chance of gaining Death Knight skills through a random encounter are 50/50 (guessing which one of the two choices is correct); and the odds of guessing the correct number between 1 and 100 for Magic Users is aproximetly one in four.

Another advantage of being a Thief at this point is that if you get a Fairy, and it survives the Dragon - or you get a Fairy after killing the Dragon, you can choose to sell it for badly needed gold when starting over. Don’t count on having your horse around after fighting the Dragon in order to change classes as Horses don’t always survive Forest or Dragon fights.

Finally, I like being a Thief at this point because it gives you an extra Special Attack, which can be vital when facing the Dragon. Being a Death Knight will also do this, but doesn’t have the other advantages that Thieves have.

You may also wish to consider changing your Class AFTER killing the Dragon, when possible, in order to gain points in a Skill you haven't Mastered yet. (See Tip #2 About Changing Classes).

 

6. USE ALL "LOST" RESOURCES:

Without IGMs to store gold or gems in, you might as well use up all resources that will be gone after a Dragon kill - once you've killed the Dragon, any Gold or Gems you had will be gone! So there's no sense in having 20 gems or lots of gold when you meet the Dragon if you get killed, and if you succeed, they've done you no good, so you might as well use them!

 

7. RESEARCHING FUTURE OPPONENTS:

At level 12, the benefit gained by 1 or 2 extra Defense or Attack points is minor compared to knowing more about your "future" opponents if you succeed. This is especially true with level 1 or 2 players that are in the field, since they cost nothing to challenge. Before killing the Dragon, take a good look at the lower level players that are alive - and keep some gems around for research if you happen on to the Dark Cloak Tavern by random chance. If you have a horse, go research them immediately, since you never know when your horse may suddenly be killed in Forest Fights.

By doing so, you have a much better idea which players might be successfully attacked once you’re back to Level 1, when gems are more valuable, and you might not be able to reach the Tavern as easily (especially if your Horse is killed during the Dragon fight).

This research is especially valuable against low level players staying in the field. Since no gold is needed for Bribes, and you can attack them even when Level 1, (remembering that you have to be Level 2 or higher to Bribe the Innkeeper in order to attack someone staying at the Inn).

This research might also help guide you to players who are not only in the field, but have foolishly kept gold or gems on them! Do this research at Level 12, when you can easily afford the couple of gems. (See Tip #3 about The Dark Cloak Tavern if you’re not familiar with Research).

 

8. TO FIGHT OR NOT TO FIGHT IN THE FOREST:

There’s several "random happenings" that may occur during your Forest Fights. In deciding when to go for the Dragon vs. doing more fights, look at your current chances of killing the Dragon vs. what you might get in those random happenings. If you’re weak in your Equipment, and especially if you don't have a Fairy or Horse, you’re better off doing as many Forest Fights as possible in hopes of getting a Fairy; getting more gold; or many gems from a successful meeting with Olivia.

(See Tip #4 About Olivia).

The problem is, in not getting killed, or using up all your Skill points/Special Attacks in the meanwhile. For this reason, follow the old saying that "discretion is the better part of valor". In other words, better to run away from a fight at then to get killed or use up all your Special Attacks before meeting the Dragon.

  1. MONSTERS: At Level 12, the Forest fights to generally avoid are: Mutated Black Widow, Corinthian Giant, and Cyclops Warrior. While the gold is good, you’ll get further ahead if you simply run, rather then take the strong chance of getting killed, or using up too many of your special attacks in order to keep alive.
  2. Depending your Defensive and Attack scores, it's also good to be careful about the Black Unicorn. If any of these four monsters score a surprise attack or a power move, it’s usually best to simply cut your loses and run. Remember also, that if things look particularly ugly during any fight, you can always use 4 Magic Skill points and disappear!

    Level 12 monsters you WANT to see are Humungous Black Wyre, Kal Torak, and the Wizard of Darkness. They pose relatively little attack danger, and have a lot of gold - especially the first two.

  3. RANDOM HAPPENINGS: If given the choice between going for a Fairy and trying for a Horse, well gee… I wonder... GO FOR THE FAIRY! However, you should also remember that your chances for getting a Fairy are increased if you have a Horse!
  4. GETTING GREEDY: one of the worst mistakes you can make is to have a Fairy, and thus be in a relatively strong position for a Dragon kill, but then lose the Fairy in a Forest fight. If you’ve gotten a Fairy, and are more than 2-3 million gold from upgrading your equipment, go for the Dragon - don’t lose the Fairy in the Forest for a little more gold or gems.

The most important consideration in how many forest fights to use, or when to use Special Attacks, is balancing your immediate survival with your chances against the Dragon. If you get killed in the Forest, than hoarding your Attacks has done no good - BUT, once you've reach the point where you’ve used up so many Special Attacks and Magic Skill points that you have little chance against the Dragon, than you might as well use them all to keep yourself alive as long as possible and die gloriously as later discussed in Chapter 10.

 

9. LAST MINUTE CHANGES:

Personally, I keep track of my Dragon kills by Roman numerals - so before I get ready to go for a kill, I change my name to reflect what number that next kill will be. If for whatever reason you may want to change your name at any point, this is the time to do it - the 6,000 gold it cost at Level 12 is very little compared to the cost at Level 1. This is also the time you might wish to make any "final" statements at the Inn or in the Daily Announcements.

In terms of any final Player Challenges you might be tempted to make while still Level 12, just remember that you’ll soon be a low level player again yourself. Also, once you’re Level 12, you really have no real need of more Experience, so don’t sacrifice needed skill points, Fairies, or other resources just for one more Player Challenge unless it offers real advantageous, like gems, gold, or righteous revenge.

Finally, for Multi-line Boards, be aware that you may have other players on-line with you after killing the Dragon. There’s nothing more irritating than to have carefully planned a good Dragon kill, succeed at it, and then be killed in an on-line Challenge by some craven coward who wouldn’t attack you at Level 12, but would gladly kill you once you’re a vulnerable Level 1 player again!!! (A special place in LORD hell is reserved for such scum...)

(See Tip #5 About Challenges)

 

10. WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS:

Finally, when planning your attack on the attack on the Dragon, there are times when you realize that you'll probably be killed. Generally speaking, I suggest you still go for it!!! This is especially true if in a Tournament game, or in realms where positions are hotly contested.

Once you’re Level 12, it doesn’t matter what your Experience points are; you’ll always be Level 12 and can try the Dragon another day. On the other hand, you may luck out and kill the Dragon, - if not, you won't be alive for another player to challenge and kill you, gaining XP's at your expense!

There have been reports on some LORD sites that you can try challenging the Dragon, and run away if it looks bad - and then try again that same day! This is not true - you can only try the Dragon once a Day once you've chosen to Attack it!

 

11. BETTERING YOUR CHANCES: (before and after the kill!)

First of all, NOTHING in this section is meant as a "cheat" or to imply the use of ANY IGM beyond it's stated, openly programmed options - don't look here for Cheats as I detest them! Moreover, there's so many IGMs around that I’m not going to try to discuss all of them.

What’s important to consider is the general theory of which IGMs to use before the kill, versus which ones to save for after the kill. This assumes you’re in relatively good shape for a Dragon kill and don’t desperately need more help in gold or equipment. Generally, you should do all the Forest fights you plan on doing before the IGMs. I usually use the following guidelines:

  1. Use IGMs or features within them that increase your Hit Points just before the kill; examples of these are Barak's House, and Using the Bathroom in LORD Life;
  2. Store extra gold, gems, or Fairies when possible, such as in LORD Life, or older versions of Dragons Breath Mountain before you try to kill the Dragon;
  3. If there are IGM sources for Fairies, and you’re fairly strong, do your Forest fights before using an IGM to get a Fairy. This way, you may get a Fairy in a random Forest encounter and be able to save the IGM Fairy for after the kill.
  4. Save IGMs that give XP's, Gold, or increase scores (such as the Free World, the Graveyard, Alladins, Warriors Graveyard, etc.) for after the kill whenever possible. IGMs that only increase scores by 5 or 10 points are important when level 1 or 2, but basically meaningless at level 12.
  5. After the kill, if there are IGMs where you can LOSE XP's, (such as the Graveyard) do them before you go beyond the starting point of 10 points of XP's at Level 1.
  6. Don’t forget flirting with other Players, and the IGM's that have flirting! At level 1, the available XP's found in IGMs such as The Warriors Graveyard, Aladdins, and Violets, etc) are very valuable!

(III) AFTER THE DRAGON:

OK, you’ve killed the Dragon, brought home the meat, and added another notch to your belt - congratulations! Now, here’s a few things to do to make your NEW life easier:

12. GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR NEW GEMS:

You can’t use them with the Bartender until you reach Level 2, so get more mileage out of now when possible. If there are IGMs that allow you to sell gems, then do so - the extra gold is usually much more valuable at this point then keeping the gems until Level 2 to get a few more strength or defense points.

If for some reason you didn’t those research low level opponents in the fields before killing the Dragon, then at least try to do so afterwards! There's nothing like killing the Dragon and then getting wiped out by a level 1 or 2 player that you didn’t expect to be so strong!

 

13. BUYING AND SELLING:

As with gems, if there are IGMs that allow the selling of other items, like horses, children, or even attack/defense points, consider doing so in moderation. This is especially the case if there are other IGMs where these items can be easily replaced later on.

Don’t get greedy, but at level 1 or 2, the careful selling of certain items can gain enough gold to quickly be able to buy the weapons/armour needed to challenge and kill other players, and hence advance in levels more quickly.

 

14. MORE ON FLIRTING:

As mentioned earlier, flirting is crucial for XP's at low levels; the question is, when best to flirt? First of all, remember to do any IGMs that may lose you XP's before doing these steps, while you still have only 10 XP's to lose! Also, don’t forget to check your Charm score before flirting - you take damage if you flirt too heavily with a low charm score!

In realms with no or limited IGMs, I flirt with other players as soon as possible, since the bonus points won't take effect until after they log on, and I want to guarantee the points in case I get killed in the Forest! Then, I flirt with Seth or Violet (depending on gender:) if I haven't already done so; those extra XP's go a long way in reaching the 100 XP points needed for Level 2. I also try to save Hearing Seth Sing until after the Dragon, since the possible benefits don’t change by level, and the possible benefit is much larger at level 1 then at level 12.

Flirting with Seth/Violet and Hearing Seth Sing is much more beneficial to the new Level 1 Dragon killer than the Level 12 Warrior. Unless you really need the possible gold gained by Hearing Seth Sing, (and the flirting XP's), it's best to save this for AFTER the Dragon kill.

In realms with IGMs that might give more than 100 XP's, or significant amounts of gold, save the flirting and singing for after you do those IGMs. That way, you can possibly double a much larger amount of gold if Magic Happens, and get more XP's if you flirt at a higher level.

 

I hope these tips will make your Dragon kills both more frequent, and more enjoyable! Please let me know about any further ideas or constructive criticism. Happy Hunting!

If you have any constructive ideas or comments, please feel free to email at: mallard500@hotmail.com

  

 

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