Monsters' Den Chronicles
Monsters' Den Chronicles has come to save you from the grips of boredom and misfortune! Go, worthy knave, and crawl through some dungeon! The adventurous at heart will be thrilled to see Monstrum Games has released the sequel to their very popular Monsters' Den: Book of Dread, and this installment leads the dungeon crawler RPG turn-based strategy pack. If you're looking for a brief respite from your own waiting, for whatever it may be, I'd recommend taking a jaunt into this enchanting tale of heroes.
Starting a campaign requires you to choose four out of ten characters. There are five different classes and two separate specializations of that class. However you set up your party, navigation and adventuring is still a snap. Just click around on the various rooms to advance. If there is a room connected to the one you're, in it will be revealed and you'll discover some villainous group, gold, a treasure chest, or a much needed restoration shrine. But... probably monsters. It's not like the game is called "Accountant's Den" or "Bunny Rabbit Chronicles".
During battle you'll choose the placement of your four fighters, range being more proficient when in the back and melee being effective toward the front. Each player starts with three basic moves. Some are actual attacks, and others are defensive boosts to different powers. If your attack requires mana, you'll be glad to know it regenerates over time... faster depending on what you have equipped. Each character gets three different auras to choose from and the aura is available to be changed with each new turn. Pick wisely based on how many foes are on the field, what their health is, and which move you plan to use to defeat them. You can choose between four levels of difficulty and you even have the choice of choosing the penalty for losing a battle. Word to the wise, it's more convenient in the long run to lose items than it is to lose experience... especially when playing in any mode higher than beginner.
As you gain experience and level up, at the bottom right of your screen your characters will have small up arrows on their portraits. Click on these to bring up the three different spells you can choose from to add to their repertoire as well as adding points to talents like intellect or dexterity. At the bottom left of your screen you have character, inventory, emporium, achievement, and options buttons. Use the character button to view your players' armor and switch it out with that which you've acquired and stored in your inventory. In the emporium you can buy and sell items, though once you run out you have to spend your gold on research to restock items. This is especially necessary with potions.
Chronicles is refreshing in the fact that it's one of those sequels that doesn't conform to the idea that being exactly the same as the original is a good decision. While the game carries over many of the good qualities of the first game, it also improves itself with new features like fully viewed characters, more character options, sleeker dungeons, new spells and abilities, and even a more efficient inventory and store. If you're a good strategist and you've built your team with precision then you will have less issues defeating the enemy as you delve further into the dungeons, but it still won't be some simple task.
This game isn't a stroll in the forest where you're the monsters you encounter are little blobs to be knocked over in one hit. That's part of the greatest appeal of the game. You actually need to think and pay attention to the abilities your four champions bring to the table. Should you choose a cleric, a mage, a warrior, and a ranger? And if you do, which specializations of those should you pick to benefit your battle plans? Whether you're supposed to be doing something or you've got time to spare, you'll find yourself glued to your computer screen battling skeletal guards and trying to get proof of cultist activities. Go forth and, to put it simply, destroy!
Walkthrough Guide
(Please allow page to fully load for spoiler tags to be functional.)
Monster's Den Chronicles Strategy Guide
General Tips
The game difficulty scales to your party level, so if you have a level 15 party, the monsters will spawn around level 15. However, monster level is based on the average level of your party, rather than the highest leveled member. So including a low level character with your group can counter-intuitively make the game easier.
Several different party combinations can be effective - there's no 'best' party. but you do need some strategy - a team of high damage, low armor, ranged characters will struggle in later dungeons. One effective combination is to have a highly armored, high endurance Warrior on the front-line, with a damage (intellect) focused Mage behind him and a Ranger either side.
Changing fighting style doesn't take up a turn so if you need to change strategy during battle, you can do so instantly.
Any 'on attack' effects apply with every attack. So a character with 20 health steal on his weapon will regain 20 health if he attacks an enemy on his turn - but if he has an attack that affects all enemies, he can regain up to 120 health that turn.
Secret rooms are accessed through green doors. These only appear when you're next to them, so check each room carefully.
You can mouse-over the enemy and room completion percentages to see unexplored rooms marked for you, as well as a counter showing how many secrets have been found and how many remain.
Character Guide
Warrior Class
Warriors are best used with heavy armor, a strong shield, and a ton of endurance. They are able to stand on the front line, taking punishment without falling and dealing damage out in return. Both Warrior subclasses have the Guard fighting style, which lowers damage to the backline, and this can be useful if your other party members are ranged attackers.
Captain
Styles
Adrenaline: +100 stun evade, +10% damage.
Guard: Decrease damage to the back line.
Sweeping Strikes: Attacks negate evade, +2 quickness, +10 accuracy.
Skills
Weapon attack: Basic attack with equipped weapon.
Power Attack: Strong melee attack.
Resolve: Recover some health; remove negative mental / wound status effects.
Cleave: Attack all enemies within melee range (1 tile radius).
Kick: low damage attack that can push an enemy to the back line. Useful against strong melee enemies.
Hold the Line: Heal all front-line characters, and increase damage protection by 20%.
Push Harder: Deal 20% damage to target ally, but increase power. Also adds +50 stun evasion and +50 mental resistance.
Shield Wall: Enemies forced to target character; +25% damage protection for the duration of this.
Bloodlust: Melee attack. If it kills the target, casting character gains +10 power regen and -20% skill power cost.
Charge: Ranged melee attack - jump the front row to inflict melee damage on a back line target. Also reduces their action value.
Champion
Styles
Adrenaline: +100 stun evade, +10% damage.
Guard: Decrease damage to the back line.
Inspiring: When character deals damage, adjacent allies receive +15 damage modifier.
Skills
Weapon attack: Basic attack with equipped weapon.
Power Attack: Strong melee attack.
Resolve: Recover some health; remove negative mental / wound status effects.
Hold the Line: Heal all front-line characters, and increase damage protection by 20%.
Cleave: Attack all enemies within melee range (1 tile radius).
Kick: Low damage attack that can push an enemy to the back line. Useful against strong melee enemies.
Shrug It Off: Heal ally and remove negative mental / wound conditions.
Keep Up: Target ally gains a half action.
Change Formation: Rearrange party formation during battle.
Push Harder: Deal 20% damage to target ally, but increase power. Also adds +50 stun evasion and +50 mental resistance.
Cleric
Clerics are the healers of the group, and so you may find them lacking when it comes to damage dealing. A strong, well armored party that rarely needs the services of a dedicated healer is preferable, in which case the cleric can be skipped altogether. If you do take one with you, possibly the best use of them is in the center of your party with Radiance active, as it will boost the health and power regen of all adjacent allies. The effect improves with the cleric's maximum health, so put points into endurance to get the most out of the skill.
Inquisitor
Styles
Judgement: +20% stun chance; applies Mark of Judgement on attack (-25 stun evasion, -25 stun recovery, +25 skill cost).
Zeal: +5 quickness, +10% critical chance.
Radiance: +10 evasion, adjacent allies get improved health and power regen (scales with Cleric's max health).
Skills
Weapon attack: Basic attack with equipped weapon.
Heal: Heals target ally and removes poison and wound conditions.
Smite: Magic attack with 100% hit chance.
Resurrect: Revive an ally and give a +75% damage increase on their next turn.
Retribution: Transfer any harmful conditions to an enemy, and deal damage equal to the amount of health the Cleric has lost. Never misses.
Litany of Pain: Magic attack on all enemies.
Purify: Cure all negative conditions on target ally and give +25% all resists.
Holy Light: Lower accuracy or all enemies. Undead also receive -10% damage modifier and -3 quickness.
Anoint: Target ally gains +75% damage on their next attack
Fervor: Melee attack for double damage.
Confessor
Styles
Benediction: +100% all resists, chance to remove negative status effects with heals.
Judgement: +20% stun chance; applies Mark of Judgement on attack (-25 stun evasion, -25 stun recovery, +25 skill cost).
Radiance: +10 evasion, adjacent allies get improved health and power regen (scales with Cleric's max health).
Skills
Weapon attack: Basic attack with equipped weapon.
Heal: Heals target ally and removes poison and wound conditions
Smite: Magic attack with 100% hit chance.
Heal All: Heal the whole party.
Healing Flash: Quick heal on an ally. Ally loses up to 0.2 action, but the heal only takes half an action from the cleric.
Resurrect: Revive an ally and give a +75% damage increase on their next turn.
Purify: Cure all negative conditions on target ally and give +25% all resists.
Holy Light: Lower accuracy or all enemies. Undead also receive -10% damage modifier and -3 quickness.
Anoint: Target ally gains +75% damage on their next attack
Intercession: Converts ally action clock into healing.
Mage
Hide the Mage away on your back line, and put as many points into his intellect as possible. Mages have high powered spells along with the ability to summon additional units to fight alongside your party in battle. A Mage with 'Disintegrate' is also exceptionally useful in boss battles where more than one enemy character is able to revive comrades.
Sorcerer
Styles
Spell Mastery: +20% free skill use chance, +5 accuracy.
Channeling: +10 stun evade, +10 quickness, -4 power regen.
Empowered: +10 skill power cost, +20% damage.
Skills
Weapon attack: Basic attack with equipped weapon.
Freeze: Magic attack that deals damage and inflicts -10 quickness on target.
Mage Missiles: Use half an action to hit a quick magic attack on a target. Consecutive attacks with Mage Missiles do more damage.
Fireball: Attack an enemy with a fireball. 100% chance to hit main target; adjacent enemies take splash damage.
Incinerate: Short range magic attack for extreme damage.
Electrocute: Magic attack that deals more damage the more of the target's action clock is filled.
Cold Front: Attack two enemies and lower their current action.
Power Siphon: Drain up to 25 power from each enemy.
Lightning Storm: Magic attack on all enemies.
Animate Shadow: Summon a weaker clone to fight alongside you. Summoning character takes heavy damage if the clone is destroyed.
Conjuror
Styles
Spell Mastery: +20% free skill use chance, +5 accuracy.
Channeling: +10 stun evade, +10 quickness, -4 power regen.
Arcane Armor: +20 damage protection, +100% resist arcane.
Skills
Weapon attack: Basic attack with equipped weapon.
Freeze: Magic attack that deals damage and inflicts -10 quickness on target.
Mage Missiles: Use half an action to hit a quick magic attack on a target. Consecutive attacks with Mage Missiles do more damage.
Electrocute: Magic attack that deals more damage the more of the target's action clock is filled.
Fireball: Attack an enemy with a fireball. 100% chance to hit main target; adjacent enemies take splash damage.
Animate Shadow: Summon a weaker clone to fight alongside you. Summoning character takes heavy damage if the clone is destroyed.
Power Siphon: Drain up to 25 power from each enemy.
Time Warp: Resets the action clock of every character. No power regen for caster for a short while afterwards.
Disintegrate: Destroys an enemy with 30% or less health. Enemies killed this way cannot be revived.
Summon War Golem: Summon a War Golem to fight with your party.
Rogue
Rogues thrive on fast, dangerous melee attacks - but their speed comes at the cost of not being able to wear heavy armor, meaning accurate enemies can quickly take them out. Assassins rely on killing their target as quickly as possibly, while the Thief is able to misdirect and avoid direct confrontation with opponents.
Assassin
Styles
Elusive: Reduce cost of Sneak Attack power, +20 evasion.
Poisoncraft: Attacks apply poison.
Deadly: +15% critical hit chance, +100% critical hit damage.
Skills
Weapon attack: Basic attack with equipped weapon.
Sneak Attack: Melee attack to any enemy, even on the back line.
Flash Powder: -50 target accuracy, 25% chance to stun.
Pierce Defenses: Attack ignores a large portion of damage protection.
Cripple: Deals half weapon damage but applies -30 quickness and -30 stun recovery.
Hide: Enemy cannot target character. Next attack hit for double damage.
Sap Strength: Target takes damage to power as well as health.
Sneak Assault: Melee attack to all back line enemies.
Insidious Poison: Target takes weapon damage, loses health regen, and suffers -25% poison resist. When status wears off, target takes an additional 20 damage.
Coup de Grace: Instantly kill a stunned enemy. Some bosses are immune.
Thief
Styles
Elusive: Reduce cost of Sneak Attack power, +20 evasion.
Poisoncraft: Attacks apply poison.
Opportunist: Auto attacks low health enemies when action bar is half full. -10 quickness.
Skills
Weapon attack: Basic attack with equipped weapon.
Sneak Attack: Melee attack to any enemy, even on the back line.
Flash Powder: -50 target accuracy, 25% chance to stun.
Pierce Defenses: Attack ignores a large portion of damage protection.
Hide: Enemy cannot target character. Next attack for double damage.
Sap Strength: Target takes damage to power as well as health.
Even the Odds: Remove terrain effect.
Thief's Luck: Entire party gains +5% critical chance and +30 accuracy.
Shadow Shift: Jump to a different tile, leaving a decoy behind.
Ranger
Although Rangers can be given melee weapons, they work best as fast, deadly snipers. Rangers come with basic healing abilities, and while they don't have the power of the Cleric, a Warden using Healing Lore can work as an effective healer when needed. Wardens are also able to revive allies, and it's a good idea to have at least one character in your party who is able to do this.
Marksman
Styles
Marksman: -5 quickness, +10% damage, +25 accuracy.
Healing Lore: Reduce cost of Nature's Balm, increase health regen and healing powers (increases with level).
Hunter's Focus: +3 power regen, -10% skill cost, +100% resist mental.
Skills
Weapon attack: Basic attack with equipped weapon.
Pierce: Ranged attack that strikes two characters in a line.
Nature's Balm: Cures poison and gives +28 health regen.
Swiftness: +15 quickness to one ally.
Hail of Arrows: Ranged attack on all enemies. Accuracy is reduced.
Pin: Deals damage and stuns the target.
Herbal Remedy: Heal target and cure any wound conditions.
Point Blank: Ranged attack that can only be used within melee distance. Deals damage with a high chance of a critical hit, and reduces targets action.
Envenomed Arrow: Deals damage and poisons the target.
Eagle Eye: Next attack is a critical hit. Also gives +2 power regen.
Warden
Styles
Healing Lore: Reduce cost of Nature's Balm, increase health regen and healing powers (increases with level).
Force of Nature: Remove an enemy buff on hit, +15 armor piercing, +20% all resists, +25% magical protection.
Marksman: -5 quickness, +10% damage, +25 accuracy.
Skills
Weapon attack: Basic attack with equipped weapon.
Pierce: Ranged attack that strikes two characters in a line.
Nature's Balm: Cures posion and gives +28 health regen.
Second Wind: Revives target ally and casts Nature's Balm on them.
Envenomed Arrow: Deals damage and poisons the target.
Swiftness: +15 quickness to one ally.
Pin: Deals damage and stuns the target.
Herbal Remedy: Heal target and cure any wound coniditions.
Thorns: Targeted characters deal extra retaliation damage.
Snare: Targeted allies have a 50% chance to stun attackers.
Achievements
Deceiver: Use a Scroll of Deception.
Victor: Win a battle.
Enchanter: Use an enhancement item.
Organized: Customize a bag's loot settings.
Makeover: Customize a character's aspect.
Connoisseur: Buy an item from Special Orders.
Adviser: Gain a level with any character.
Flawless Victory: Win a battle against 3 or more enemies without taking damage.
Fashion Conscious: Equip a full item set.
Investor: Invest in store category.
Hide and Seek: Find a secret door.
Great Wall: Use the shield wall skill and survive 4+ hits in one turn.
No Stragglers: Use the Keep Up skill on an ally slowed by a condition.
Share the Love: Use the Retribution skill to finish an enemy.
Intermediary: Use the Intercession skill twice in one turn.
Cheap Shot: Use the Coup de Grace skill to finish an enemy.
Jumping at Shadows: Use the Shadow Shift skill to misdirect an enemy attack.
Can't Miss: Use the Point Blank skill to score a lethal critical hit.
Third Wind: Use the Second Wind skill to revive allies twice in one battle.
Stay Grounded: Use the Lightning Storm skill to finish 3+ enemies at once.
No Messy Residue: Use the Disintergrate skill to destroy 3+ enemies in one battle.
Mighty Blow: Kill a full-health enemy with a single attack.
Two for One: Finish two enemies with a single attack.
Wholesaler: Sell 75+ items at once using the Sell Bag Contents button (located on the right of the bag's name bar in the Emporium).
Pilgrim: Use a special shrine.
Something For Nothing: Finish an enemy after triggering 'Free Skill'.
Ghost: Complete a dungeon floor without fighting.
Spendthrift: Amass 20,000 gold at once.
Atheist: Complete a campaign without using Restoration Shrines.
Teetotaler: Complete a campaign without using consumables.
Hoarder: Unlock all inventory bags.
Exterminator: Kill all enemies on one floor of a dungeon.
Cartographer: Completely explore one floor of a dungeon.
Survivor: Play Act IV and pass wave 10.
Silent Partner: Take a store category to the maximum level.
Terrible Trio: Complete a campaign with a party of three.
Hardcore Campaign: Complete a camapign with the Hardcore penalty.
Veteran Campgainer: Complete a campaign on Veteran Difficulty.
Dynamic Duo: Complete a campaign with a party of two.
Mentor: Reach level 10 with any character.
Retail Mogul: Take all store categories to the maximum level.
Complete Act I: Complete Act I.
Complete Act II: Complete Act II.
Complete Act III: Complete Act III.
Extreme Campaigner: Complete a campaign on Extreme Difficulty.
Complete Act V: Complete Act IV.
Guerrilla: Play Act IV and pass wave 30 (above Beginner Difficulty).
Commander: Reach level ten with ten different characters.
Posted by: Ben
|
May 26, 2012 2:23 PM