-Guidebook for Dungeon Exploration - Practicum-



written by Zackeus


Contents : Practicum

6. Dungeon Exploration Tip
7. Things You Need for Dungeon Exploration
8. Advice for an Ideal Party
9. Conclusion

Contents : Theory

1. Introduction
2. What is a Dungeon?
3. Dungeon's Structure
4. Traps Inside the Dungeon
5. Dungeon Boss Room

6. Dungeon Exploration Tip

You should have a general idea about the dungeon's structure from the last volume of the book. Now, how will you explore the dungeon safely, especially when you encounter monsters? In this volume of the Dungeon Exploration Guide, we will focus on practical skills that will help you successfully manuever your way through the dungeon. Before we fully dive into it, let me briefly mention some useful tips.

Recovering HP

So many people make the mistake of resting inside the dungeon to recover their HP. In the cold dungeon, resting alone will not help you recover your health. You'll need sit next to a campfire, instead. To make a campfire, you'll need the Campfire skill and firewood.

Recovering Stamina

The best way to recover Stamina is by maintaining a proper diet at all times. However, I understand that this is not realistic, especially when you're inside the dungeon. The mindset you must have is saving Stamina, rather than recovering it, because there aren't any wild berries or other foods inside the dungeon. Having said this, be mindful not to engage in useless activity inside the dungeon.

Utilize the space between the stone rooms.

All the monsters in the dungeon are controlled by the power of Mana power within the dungeon. This means that although they are protecting the dungeon from intruders, they are generally summoned to protect specific areas. If you are having trouble with the monsters, simply run out of the room. Most of the monsters will not chase you outside the room.

Take out one monster at a time

As it applies to any combat, when fighting in a small, cramped space like the dungeon, it is best to isolate the monsters that you are fighting. Instead of fighting them all at once, take one down at a time and keep your distance from the others. You must fight with patience and take your time in the dungeon. Also make sure that you have completely defeated the monster before moving on.

Make sure the enemy is dead before moving onto the next one.

If you don't make sure the monster you just knocked out is dead and move on to another one, you might find yourself with more than you can handle.

7. Things You Need for Dungeon Exploration

Just because you think you're ready doesn't mean you can enter the dungeon. In order to enter the dungeon, you need to sacrifice an item at the altar of the goddess' statue. However, make sure you are READY to enter the dungeon before you decide to do so. A dungeon is full of exciting challenges, sure, but it is also a very dangerous place. If you aren't fully prepared to face these dangers head on, you will reap disastrous consequences. The following is a checklist of things you should have when you enter a dungeon.

An item to offer on the altar
You will need an item to sacrifice on the goddess statue altar. Where you will be transported to depends on the item you place on the altar.

Proper weapon and armor
Do not mistake the monsters in the dungeon with the field animals. The Mana-filled dungeon has turned the animals into wild beasts, and there are also other heinous monsters that are not seen in the outside world. Your confidence alone will not be enough to take out these monsters. Also, make sure to check the DEX of your weapons and armor.

Emergency food
Any food will do. Just make sure you carry something to eat. If you are low on Stamina in the dungeon, you'll get tired easily and have a hard time fighting monsters. You can't fight monsters on an empty stomach.

Firewood
Make sure you learn the Campfire skill and take some firewood with you before you go inside the dungeon. It is impossible not to lose Stamina in a dungeon full of wild beasts and monsters. Simply resting would recover your health outside, but inside the dungeon, this is not effective due to the cold temperature. Instead, make a campfire and rest next to it and it will help you recover.

Potion
When you are running low on HP, you can recover it either through resting or potions. However, resting is not an option in the middle of a battle, let alone starting a fire. In these kind of emergency situations, you can quickly use potions to recover your health. The more potions you carry, the safer you will be. But taking too many potions can lead to addiction, and it could also cause side effects.

MP Potion
If you can, take a wizard with you. Mana is always good to have, and there's hardly ever enough.

Holy Water of Lymilark
You will find that this happens often in dungeons: Getting mauled by a group of monsters and getting knocked out. When you resurrect, you might be missing some of your items. However, if you apply Holy Water of Lymilark on your items, you can prevent this from happening.

Phoenix Feather
If one of your friends gets knocked out, use the Phoenix Feather. The Phoenix Feather contains magic that can resurrect people who are knocked out. The more feathers you have. the more chances your team will have to succeed. However, raising someone with the feather will not recover their HP all the way.

Bandages
When you are severely injured, what you need is an emergency treatment. However, as you know, recovering your health is not an easy task inside the dungeon. If you know the First-Aid skill, you can use bandages to quickly heal wounds. If you have the time and money, this is a great skill to know.

8. Advice for an Ideal Party.

Although you can enter the dungeon on your own, forming a good Party is definitely helpful. These are some of the things a good Party should have.

The list below is for an "ideal" Party. It's okay if you cannot meet all the criteria. As long as you have several of them, it will increase your chances to be successful.

The more, the better

The most basic element that helps a Party is the number of members it has. The lesser the people there are, the larger the burden each person has to carry. The more people there are, the load is divided and becomes easier.

It's always good to have at least one wizard

Whether for healing, long-range attacks, or magic, a wizard is key to an ideal Party. Having at least one wizard can help other warriors significantly. Remember that every time warriors use their sword, their Stamina decreases.

Have someone who can engage in long-range attacks

In a place where multiple enemies are rushing, having a person capable of long-range attacks will help you stay on top of the battle. For those who do not follow this advice; you will regret it when you open the boss room door.

Have someone who knows First Aid.

You can take a lot of potions to keep your HP up, but without First-Aid, it can be useless. Again, the Rest skill is ineffective inside dungeons. When you are wounded, the First Aid skill can prevent you from any more injuries or loss of Hp. Have someone who knows the Campfire skill.

The dungeon is filled with cold air. To successfully use the Rest skill here, you need to be able to maintain a high temperature. In order to do this, you can make a fire using the Campfire skill. Make sure one person in your party has this skill, and prepare some firewood.

Warriors should know the Windmill skill.

In an unpredictable battle scene, you can't always rely on wizards and archers to bail warriors out. Sometimes, warriors must learn how to fight through a group of monsters. The best skill to use in this situation is the Windmill. Although it uses a bit of your HP, the Windmill skill can effectively attack more than one monster at a time.

9. Conclusion

I hope that those of you who had the chance to read both volumes have changed some of your misconceptions and negative images you had about dungeons. I'm sure some of you are even thinking about exploring a dungeon. I believe that this book has served its purpose then.

One more thing. Let me give one last word of advice to those thinking of exploring dungeons.

The dungeon is extremely large. It's just that we don't recognize it because of the goddess statue's help.

People assume that the place they are transported to is the entire dungeon, but this is not true. The size of the dungeon is larger than what we imagine. It's just that the transport system of the goddess statue keeps us from seeing its actual size.

All the dungeons are actually interconnected as one large structure. Some say that we just label them as different dungeons by the entrances we find. Don't forget that the actual size of the dungeon is quite enormous.

When you explore the dungeon, don't see it as a competition amongst your friends. However, enter it with reverence for ancient history and a passion to discover the unknown.
What are you waiting for? Pack all your gear, and head out to the dungeon!