Overview
The third game in the
Quest for Glory series,
Wages of War is often described as the "black sheep" of the franchise because it was not part of the original story arc conceived by creators Lori and Corey Cole. The very end of
Trial By Fire actually lists the next game as "Quest for Glory III: Shadows of Darkness", but the Coles thought it was too soon to take the hero on the darker and more mature adventure, so
Wages of War was made, and
Shadows of Darkness became the fourth game in the series.
Story
Wages of War takes place in Fricana, Gloriana's alternate Africa. Over the course of the game, the hero travels from Tarna, home of the liontaur people and Rakeesh's residence, into the savanna-like West Fricana to the village of the Simbani--home of Uhura--and eventually into the jungles of East Fricana, encountering the leopardmen and the Lost City. The story begins mere weeks after the ending of
Trial By Fire, when the Hero decides to travel with Rakeesh to Tarna. There he finds yet another country in need of a hero. Throughout the game, the player must stop an impending war between the SImbani and the leopardmen by returning their respective stolen treasures. Eventually the hero discovers that demons from another world were actually instigating the war and that he must prevent the demons from entering this world and destroying it.
New Class
With a high enough Honor stat, a Fighter or Magic User could become a Paladin at the end of Trial By Fire. When importing to Wages of War, the player is given the opportunity to change classes, and it is recommended Wizards change back to their respective class unless they want to continue as a Paladin, which is in most ways just like the Fighter class. Paladins sometimes have their own side-quests, and gain extra skills as their honor increases. Otherwise, the class plays almost the same as the Fighter. Roleplay-wise, the greatest difference between the Fighter and the Paladin is that the Paladin puts honor above all else.
This is the only game that has very little for the Thief to do. There are no houses to steal from, there is no Thieves' Guild, and it is difficult for the Thief to avoid combat encounters in the story. Also, the Thief is the only character with no class-specific side-quest (whereas the Fighter and Paladin have the Simbani initiation, and the Wizard has the staff-making quest and the wizard duel).
New Spells
Lightning Ball: Creates a ball of electrical energy and hurtles it at the enemy. An attack spell much like Flame Dart in effect, though it costs more magic power, it is useful against monsters that are immune to Flame Dart.
Juggling Lights: A spell that creates a circle of light balls in order to light up dark areas. Obtained as a gift from Keapon Laffin when leaving Shapier.
Summon Staff: This spell summons your magic staff, to use as long as you stand still or until it runs out of mana. When casting with the staff, mana is drained from the staff rather than the wizard, and all spells become more powerful. In order to learn this spell, you must first make a staff using special materials and a magic ritual. Ask Kreesha about it.
Easter Eggs
Like the previous games, Wages of War features a variety of amusing easter eggs that might not be encountered in normal play. For example, walking in the wilderness for a while without any rations and the hero will encounter the Awful Waffle Walker, who can be eaten. The player can also encounter Arne the Aardvark, who will give the player helpful hints. If the player leaves a campsite without putting out the fire, a fake death message pops up about preventing forest fires.
Log in to comment