After doing a 386 run, I again tried
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×buying only two offense boosts in the first half of the game, and skipping defense until the third altar. With Blondbeard's optimization of the first area, it worked better this time than on what I had reported before. I could buy more defense in the last two areas, ending up with the HP/ATK/DEF stats they have in the top 10 scores. However, I still ended up with 386 points -- it didn't help at all by the endgame compared to buying two offense + two defense boosts at the second altar and then going from there. Next, I'm going to try buying one defense at the second altar in order to save a couple keys scrounging for life to beat the vampire. (I followed Blondbeard's PM tips for the second area, but I had to buy extra health in L4, for instance, to survive. And maybe use a key to get an elixir in L11 also.)
Regarding 150 attack power:
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×As a variant of the above strategy, I bought two offense at the third altar as well as at the second so that swordsmen become killable. This got me more gold double-fighting the boss swordsmen and saved ~1200 health (3 points). But, I lost 3 points because I had bought 16 attack (8 points) instead of 32 defense (11 points). So I still ended up with a score of 385 or 386. I'm still thinking it's best to never buy offense in the last half of the game.
Regarding L34:
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×I tried skipping the red key here a couple times, but by the end of the game, I always came back for it because I needed the 400+ gold. Still, fighting these monsters with the lucky gold is better than without, so I'd recommend waiting until then to do this part in any event.
For fun, I reached the L25 fairy with more than 40300 life -- more than all the scores on the high score board
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Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.
[Last edited by mrimer at 02-15-2007 04:53 PM]