The Official Bad Advice Thread

[steeg1234321]

I figured we need a thread on here for all the bad advice, bad ideas, and words of "wisdom" we've accumulated over our adventures.

Here's mine; "Always read unidentified scrolls right before going into battle, you never know when you'll find a scroll of blessing that might have gone to waste otherwise."

[Djabanete]

Your character becomes immortal at midnight.

[Rizwan]

I figured we need a thread on here for all the bad advice, bad ideas, and words of "wisdom" we've accumulated over our adventures.

Here's mine; "Always read unidentified scrolls right before going into battle, you never know when you'll find a scroll of blessing that might have gone to waste otherwise."

Corollary: Always drink unidentified potions, eat unidentified mushrooms when low on HP. You might get lucky and find an OOD !of *Healing*, !ofStat Gain, or mushroom of restoring etc.

[Dragonboneman]

Fight drolems! They give lots of XP!

[ekolis]

Corollary: Always drink unidentified potions, eat unidentified mushrooms when low on HP. You might get lucky and find an OOD !of *Healing*, !ofStat Gain, or mushroom of restoring etc.

Hey, that's not all that bad advice... in my experience at least most of the potions I've found are good ones; the bad ones are few and far between! Of course I rarely get a character past clvl/dlvl 10, so maybe the bad potions don't show up until deeper... :P If so, maybe a rebalance is in order to make the game a bit less predictable?

But here's some REAL bad advice: Always put on the first un-ID'd ring you find! (Rings, as you may have noticed, are the opposite of potions - the GOOD ones don't show up until deeper; the first few always seem to be weakness and aggravation! :P Rebalance?)

[Cardinal Rob]

If you can't see the Drakolisk hiding around the corner, he can't see you.

http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=7622

[roustk]

Corollary: Always drink unidentified potions, eat unidentified mushrooms when low on HP. You might get lucky and find an OOD !of *Healing*, !ofStat Gain, or mushroom of restoring etc.

That's bad advice? I *always* try unID'd potions while wounded, and preferably when poisoned -- otherwise you won't be able to learn most of the potions. The same tends to be true of mushrooms, although the reward is less.

Other fun things to try with unID'd stuff:
* Shoot unID'd wands at interesting monsters. Fast uniques are particularly fun targets, but I can't remember whether you can learn Confuse, Sleep, or Scare with them.
* Use unID'd staffs and scrolls on new levels (not cleared levels). This is the best way to identify Detect Invisible, Evil, and Traps. The occasional summon whatsit isn't that dangerous, even with disconnected stairs. With staffs, it helps to be wounded, too.

Kevin

[Big Al]

I normally try to quaff potions with I'm very very slightly injured or poisoned, etc. You don't want to quaff a potion of poison when you're at 2 HP though.

[Paffa]

always melee mystics, especially grand master mystics

I killed my promising Half-troll priest by drinking an un-id'd potion.. of death

[protomech]

If you've reduced a unique to fleeing through your superior Mage-tastic firepower, you should definitely hit him with a Meteor Swarm to make sure he dies. Nothing says overkill like the sounds of drop destruction.

If you are forced to flee battle by teleporting away at low hp, you should definitely cast 'Light Area' before healing up. The chances of porting into line of sight of a Great Wyrm, Dracolich, Dracolisk, Death Drake, Drolem, Greater Basilisk, big breathing unique, fire-breathing major demons, a pack of nasty hounds, pack of nether-bolt-slinging undead, giants that throw boulders, or some mixture thereof.. are frankly too small to even mention.

You should continue to haul all manner of heavy gear back to town to sell through the mid-game. After all, you're almost certain to see some kind of awesome end-game gear like boots of speed (+3) for sale in town. Then won't you be glad you spent all that extra time wandering the dungeon at speed (-2).

You should continue to stay in the fight with a big melee'ing monster like a Great Wyrm as long as you're winning. You'll probably kill it next round, and in the unlikely event that you don't, there's basically no chance it'll hit with *all* of its melee attacks. Or something else will join the fray. After all, this is your last chance to kill a Great Wyrm - and you know it's carrying a tasty Ring of Speed (+18).

// guilty of all of the above

[Pete Mack]

All right, this

You should continue to haul all manner of heavy gear back to town to sell through the mid-game. After all, you're almost certain to see some kind of awesome end-game gear like boots of speed (+3) for sale in town. Then won't you be glad you spent all that extra time wandering the dungeon at speed (-2).

is funny as hell. lol!

[Triskaidecapod]

Remember, the best kind of wyrm to clone if you're looking for a good RoS is a Great Storm Wyrm!

[PowerDiver]

You don't get maximum utility from your scroll of dispel undead unless you read it inside an undead pit. Be sure to haste and use stone-to-mud to get inside before too many get out.

[Nick]

While we're on things we're guilty of...

• As a warrior, activating your armour is the safest method of healing or banishing if failure would cause you to die next turn.
• If you see a sleeping Hummerhorn, walk up to it and hit it - it is less likely to wake up than if you shoot it.
• Don't be afraid of Gravity Hounds. They won't all breathe at once.
• Kavlax is unlikely to breathe the thing you don't resist, or at least not the first turn he can see you.
• If there is a ghost in the wall of the room you're in, just wait until it comes out and cast Dispel Undead.
• Running is too many keystrokes - just hold down the arrow key.
• A monster you've never seen before is unlikely to instakill you.
• If you're surrounded by things that have just been summoned, the best means of escape is to kill the weakest one, and then run away through the resulting gap, especially if you are a mage with 0% fail teleport.

[Cardinal Rob]

If your low Str character finds a Lance 2d8, you should equip it instead of your dagger. Although you won't hit as often, it'll be worth it because you'll do so much more damage and critical a lot more frequently. The monsters won't stand a chance! Make sure you wear no armour at all so you are light enough not to have a speed penalty!


You should try to get your girlfriend interested in the game. It will be good for your relationship, and her emotive input will keep you morally in check, preventing you from brutalising those innocent Scruffy Looking Hobbits, Shrieking Mushrooms, Angels, Trolls (because they are small and have poofie hair), Faerie Dragons, Purple Jellies and poor defenseless Farmer Maggot!


Only carry one Word of Recall scroll to exit the dungeon, that way when you use it you will have another slot to carry a piece of equipment. The chances of that Fire Hound incinerating that one scroll is very remote indeed, and even if the scroll does get burned, you will find another one lying around the dungeon. They're everywhere!


Pick up those Hallucination Mushrooms, the black market should be interested in them right?


Just another hour play... you can still get plenty of sleep until morning and you'll be fresh for that exam.