Skip to content

Party Construction

When organizing your party in Wizardry, proper formation plays a crucial role in survival and efficiency during combat. Below are examples of party formations, each with its strengths and ideal scenarios for use.

Note that these are just suggestions—feel free to experiment and adapt to find strategies that suit your team!

Formation 1: Balanced Setup

Front Row: Main Character, Knight, Fighter
Back Row: Priest, Thief, Mage

Overview:

This formation offers a balanced approach, suitable for early to mid-game. The front row absorbs damage, while the back row provides support and deals consistent but manageable damage.

Key Advantages:

  • Durable Frontline:
  • The Knight and Fighter provide a solid defense, soaking up damage effectively.
  • Supportive Backline:
  • The Priest ensures the team’s survival with healing and status ailment removal.
  • The Thief can deal early damage and delay enemy actions.
  • The Mage contributes manageable magic damage without exhausting their mana pool too quickly.

Best Use:

Ideal for early-game content or when you need a reliable and straightforward approach to combat. This setup focuses on sustainability rather than overwhelming damage output.

Formation 2: Offensive Nuking Strategy

Front Row: Thief, Main Character, Fighter or Knight
Back Row: Priest, Mage, Mage

Overview:

This formation prioritizes offensive capabilities and is most effective in late-game scenarios when resources, like mana, are abundant. The Thief in the frontline doubles as an evasive off-tank, enabling an aggressive backline setup.

Key Advantages:

  • Evasion Tank:
  • The Thief, equipped with a dagger or one-handed sword, can stack evasion to avoid damage while contributing to frontline attacks.
  • Flexible Main Character:
  • Depending on your build, the main character can act as a hybrid fighter.
  • High-Damage Backline:
  • Two Mages provide devastating AOE spells for quick enemy elimination.
  • For bosses, they can assist in faster debuffing, increasing your party’s damage and survivability.
  • The Priest provides backup healing and utility, ensuring the team recovers from unexpected damage.

Best Use:

This setup shines in late-game scenarios where mana is plentiful, allowing Mages to unleash powerful AOE or specialty spells. In early-game (levels 1-30), limited mana reserves make it less viable.

Tips for Choosing the Right Formation

  • Adapt to Resource Availability:
  • Early-game: Focus on balance and sustainability.
  • Late-game: Leverage offensive capabilities with strong AOE magic.
  • Equip Strategically:
  • Prioritize evasion for Thieves in Formation 2.
  • Stack action speed for Mages to maximize early spellcasting impact.
  • Understand Enemy Patterns:
  • Use Formation 1 for prolonged battles where endurance matters.
  • Opt for Formation 2 when quick eliminations are needed.

Formation 3: Snooze Grind Setup for Farming (Den of Earth/Fire)

Front Row: Fighter, Knight, Thief
Back Row: Thief, Fighter, Priest or Mage

Overview:

This composition emphasizes auto-attacks for efficient grinding, minimizing reliance on spells or resources.

Key Advantages:

  • Auto-Attack Focus:
  • Front-row Fighters and Knights wield swords and shields for durability and consistent damage.
  • Back-row Thieves or Fighters use spears (for full back-row damage) or bows for ranged flexibility.
  • Class Flexibility:
  • If your main character has a Priest subclass, they can handle healing during grinding.
  • A Mage can AOE nuke bosses or multi-row enemies to speed up tough encounters.

How It Works:

  1. Use auto-attacks to clear mobs efficiently.
  2. Spears allow back-row Fighters or Thieves to deal full damage without repositioning.
  3. For bosses, switch to AOE spells or special abilities to handle tougher fights.

Challenges:

  • Gear Dependency:
  • High-quality weapons like spears or bows are crucial for optimal performance.
  • Limited Magic:
  • Heavy reliance on auto-attacks may reduce effectiveness against magic-dependent enemies.

Best Use:

Ideal for grinding in zones like the Den of Earth or Den of Fire at levels 40-50, where efficient resource use is critical.

Formation 4: Defensive Knight Strategy - Revolving Around Openings

Front Row: Knight, Fighter, Fighter
Back Row: Priest, Mage, Thief

Alternative Setup: Replace one Fighter with a Thief in the front row, and run two Mages in the back row.

Overview:

This formation revolves around the Knight drawing enemy aggression and creating openings while the rest of the party exploits these opportunities for high damage.

Key Advantages:

  • Aggro Control:
  • The Knight uses Defensive Taunt and Defense Stance to attract enemy attacks and create openings.
  • Against larger enemies, Attract Hit focuses all attacks on the Knight, allowing the Priest to keep them healed.
  • Exploiting Openings:
  • Fighters follow up with powerful attacks to capitalize on openings.
  • The Mage adds AOE or burst damage, while the Thief can use Delay Attack or land critical hits.

Challenges:

  • Knight Durability:
  • The Knight must have high defense stats and self-healing abilities to endure consistent attacks.
  • Taunt Reliability:
  • Taunt abilities aren’t always 100% effective, requiring flexibility in healing and crowd control.

Best Use:

Effective for challenging encounters where managing enemy aggression and leveraging openings give your party an edge.