Beyond Zork FAQ

Beyond Zork FAQ

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FAQ TITLE:

The Optimized Straightforward Walkthru for Beyond Zork

COPYRIGHT INFO:

This FAQ is copyright (c) 2008 by Stanley E. Dunigan (dunigase@wmconnect.com).

This FAQ may be posted and used anywhere by anyone as long as it's unaltered,
but always check GameFAQS.com or Supercheats.com for the latest version.

FAQ DESCRIPTION:

Like all of my optimized straightforward walkthrus, this FAQ is a complete
walkthru for the game that has been optimized and organized to make it as fast
and easy as possible to complete the game. I don't give any reference-style
information, like a list of all treasures, or encourage you to do unnecessary
things. In true walkthru fashion, I just tell you the answers without explaining
or rationalizing them. If you want non-spoiler-ish hints, see the Beyond Zork
hint file on the Universal Hint System (UHS) website at: www.uhs-hints.com.

VERSION 1.0 (3/9/2008) NOTES AND CREDITS:

This is the original release of this FAQ, so I have no special notes or credits
to report yet.

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NOTE: This FAQ was written while playing the Beyond Zork version that came with
the Lost Treasures of Infocom package that was released in 1991 by Activision.
As far as I know, everything will be the same for other game versions.


*** STEP 1: Get the Eversion and Protection items. ***

When you start a new game, choose to create your own character, then give him an
Endurance of 30%, a Strength of 18%, and a Dexterity of 15%, leaving the other
three stats at 1% each. This is because it's important to be able to survive
hits by tough monsters right from the beginning.

From the starting hilltop area, go east twice to the wharf. Wait for some
driftwood to appear, then take it and wield it. (Note that you can refer to it
as a club.) Go west and south, take the rusty lantern, then go north, northeast,
and northwest. Get the salt from the brine patch, then go northwest again to
reach the babbling brook area.

Save your game, then go west to the forest area. Its seven locations are
randomized, so use the the game's map to help you see what all exits each
location has. Your goal here is to pick up one random scroll-like object
(scroll, parchment, etc.) and one random wand-like object (wand, cane, etc.).

There's a cruel puppet that you'll have to avoid while moving around and looking
for the two items. If he manages to kill you before you can leave the forest
with both items, restore your save and try again. If he injures you, you can go
to a safe area just outside the forest and wait until your Endurance is fully
restored before you go back in.

When you leave the forest, you'll need to leave it to the south. When you do,
you'll end up in an outskirts area. If you're forced to leave in another
direction, save your game, then re-enter the forest and see if you can make it
to the outskirts.

Once there, go southwest, open the door, and go west into the "magick shoppe."
Show your two items to the old woman (as in SHOW CANE TO WOMAN) to get them both
identified. If you didn't get either the Eversion wand or the Protection scroll,
restore your save from before you entered the forest and try again until you get
one of those two items.

Go east and south from the shop to reach the south market. When you try to go
south from it, you'll bump into a hawker. Pick up and eat the fish cake he drops
for an Intelligence increase (which will kick in after a few moves), then go
south again.

Go southeast and east to reach the bluffs area, then put all of your loose
inventory items into your pack (PUT ALL IN PACK). Save again before going
northeast, since you'll be entering the moors, which is another randomized area.

There's another random wand item and another random scroll item in the moor.
However, you don't need to get both of them now. If you got the Eversion wand
item from the forest, you only need to get the scroll now. Likewise, if you got
the Protection scroll from the forest, you only need the wand item now.

Explore the moors, either avoiding the eldritch vapor or killing it, until you
find the item you're after. As soon as you do, get back to the bluffs area. If
the vapor steals your item, you'll have to find out where he took it. Once you
escape with it, return to the magic shop and have the old woman identify it. If
it's not what you need, restore your save and try again. (This can get tedious,
but it'll pay off soon.)


*** STEP 2: Get the jewel of the jungle. ***

From the magic shop, go east, south twice, southeast, and west to get to the
skyway entrance. Wait until a gondola is boarding, then get on (BOARD GONDOLA).
Wait until the gondola is within a few feet of the first support tower. Jump to
the tower, then save your game. You're about to enter your third randomized
area.

Go down from the support tower to enter the jungle, then explore around. Your
first goal is to visit every one of the jungle's eight areas so you can see
exactly where the quicksand and idol areas are. If they're close to each other
(only one or two moves apart), then make your way to a safe area, like the base
of one of the three support towers or the waterfall. Otherwise, restore your
save and repeat the exploration phase.

Once you've got that done, get all of your items out of your pack (GET ALL FROM
PACK), then wait if necessary to get your Endurance back up to full. Save your
game, then return to the quicksand room. (If you're blocked from getting there
by the crocodile or bloodworm, go back to a safe area and wait a bit before
trying again.)

Attack the baby hungus, then go to the idol area and type CLIMB MAW to climb
partway up the idol's maw. Wait until the mother hungus clambers up onto the
idol's maw, then repeat the CLIMB MAW command to climb up to the top. You can
now take the jewel, though you'll drop it and get trapped inside the idol.

Turn the lantern on, then squeeze the moss you see. Point the object of
Eversion at the idol to get yourself out of it, then look at your finger (it
should be itching at this point) for a Dexterity increase. Turn the lantern off
and go to the nearest safe area. Wait until your Strength and Endurance are
fully restored, then save again.

Return to the quicksand area and point the object of Eversion at mother hungus.
Take the jewel, then go to the neareast support tower. Climb it, wait for a
gondola to come close, then jump to the gondola. You're out safe with the jewel!


*** STEP 3: Get into fighting shape. ***

Wait until the gondola returns to the skyway entrance, then get off of it (EXIT
GONDOLA). Go east, open the door, and go north to enter the "swank" boutique.
Sell the jungle jewel to the old woman (SELL JEWEL) to get 1,000 zorkmids. Since
you're done with your Eversion item, sell it to get 10 more zorkmids.

Buy the plate mail and the cloak (BUY PLATE MAIL. BUY CLOAK.). Pick up the plate
mail and cloak, then wear them both (using the WEAR command with each one). Read
the scroll of Protection to see what its invocation word is, then type that word
in as a command. That'll get your AC all the way up to 97%! With that huge AC,
you'll take very little damage per attack from any enemy.

NOTE: You could also afford to buy the longsword from the weapon shop in
Accardi-by-the-Sea, but that thing is way bigger and heavier than the dagger
you'll be getting soon, and isn't that much more useful in combat. This walkthru
will assume you stuck with the dagger to avoid the inventory management problems
that the longsword would cause.


*** STEP 4: Raid the pub's cellar. ***

Go south, east, and northeast to get back to the moors, then move north through
them to get back to the pub. Open its door and go west to enter it, then try
going west again. Take the dagger, then go west to reach the kitchen. Open the
cellar door and go down twice to enter the wine cellar.

Pick up the crinkly scroll, read it to find out what its magic word is, then
type in that word as a command. That'll "renew" the rusty old lantern, making it
last a lot longer. It'll also improve the dagger you just got, so wield the
dagger.

Wait where you are until a rat-ant shows up, then attack it until you win. Put
everything except the lantern into your pack (PUT ALL BUT LANTERN IN PACK), then
turn the lantern on and start exploring the dark parts of the cellar.

The other things you need to do in the cellar are kill the discipline crab and
get its tiny crown, squeeze the moss (then look at your finger when it itches to
get a Dexterity increase), get the amulet from the skeleton (hit the skeleton
when it attacks you, then get the amulet), pick up a random wand item, and get a
wine bottle (go up from the "bottom of stack" area to find it).

Return to the starting wine cellar area and go up. The cellar door will be
closed and locked. Look at the amulet using the wine bottle as a filter (LOOK AT
AMULET THROUGH WINE BOTTLE) to learn the amulet's magic word. Wear the amulet,
then type in its magic word as a command. That'll make you strong enough to
smash the cellar door by hitting it.


*** STEP 5: Raid the lighthouse. ***

Turn the lantern off, then go up to return to the cellar's kitchen. Give the
wine bottle to the cook, then roll the giant onion east. Put all your loose
items in your pack using the usual PUT ALL IN PACK command, then pick up the
bearskin rug. Roll the onion east, then north, then northeast to get it and
yourself to the ledge near the lighthouse.

Type in the word LIGHTNING as a command, then roll the giant onion west and up
to get it and yourself into the lighthouse's first-level area. Explore the first
level, killing the giant spider and getting the random wand item when you come
across them. Get the salt out of your pack, then roll the giant onion up to the
second level.

Explore the second level, killing the slug (by putting the salt on it as soon as
it appears) and getting the bubble gum card, then roll the onion on up to the
third level. Look around until you find the dust bunny, then drop the rug. Rub
your feet on the rug, then touch the dust bunny to zap it. Take the ring it
leaves behind, then continue exploring until you find a random scroll.

Roll the onion up to the lamp room, then search the debris to find a platinum
sextant. Pick it up, then put everything into your pack. Try to take the sea
chest in order to get the dornbeast to show up, then cut the onion with the
dagger. Attack the dornbeast three times, then cut the onion again. Keep this up
until the dornbeast is dead, after which you can take the sea chest.


*** STEP 6: Put the sea chest to good use. ***

Go all the way back down to the lighthouse's exit, then go east to the ledge. Go
northwest and northeast, then open the door and go west to enter the weapon
shop. Drop the sea chest, then get the club, crown, sextant, and card from your
pack and sell them.

Go east twice to reach the outside of the Guild of Enchanters, then try to go
north. Wait until the monkey grinder shows up, then wait some more until he
crushes the guild hall's warning nymph. Give him the sea chest to dispose of
him, then go north and get the random wand item.

Go back south and get the palimpsest and vague outline from the sea chest, then
close the sea chest. Get the hurdy-gurdy, put everything you're carrying into
your pack, then pick up the sea chest. Go west, southwest, southeast, southwest,
and then south until you enter the moor area. Make your way quickly through it
and to the bluffs, then go west, northeast, and north to reach the unicorn's
prison.

Kiss the unicorn's horn for luck, then put the sea chest into the stall. That
will free the unicorn, but it won't get you the chest back or the saddle that's
inside the stall. Say your amulet's magic word again, then hit the stall to
break it open.

Enter the stall and get the sea chest (after closing it), then exit the stall
and go south, southwest, and north to the boutique. Sell the sea chest to the
old woman, then return to the stall and get the saddle out of it, plus the
horseshoe that's lying around outside the stall.


*** STEP 7: Finish raiding the forest, moors, and jungle. ***

Go back south to Mizniaport, then east to the moors. Kill the eldritch vapor and
guttersnipe, then finish picking up the area's random items. Ignore the
pterodactyl for now, and go north to the pub area. From there, go north,
northeast, northwest twice, and west to the forest.

Kill the cruel puppet and hellhound, then find the forest area with the boulder
that has an inscription on it. Type in YOUTH like a command, and a "pool of
radiance" will appear nearby. It'll come in handy later. Exit the forest to the
south and go to the nearby magic shop.

Pull all of your unidentified magic items out of your pack and ask the old woman
about them to get them identified. You can then sell her the wands with the
properties of Sayonara, Annihilation, and Anesthesia; the scrolls of Fireworks,
Recall, and Mischief; and the potions of Death and Forgetfulness -- whichever of
those items you happen to have.

Look in her display case and ask her about the three potions in it to see if any
of them are the potions of Might, Enlightenment, or Healing. If so, buy them,
pick them up, shake them, and then drink them. (The same goes for if you found
those potions somewhere, except you won't have to buy them.) If you have the
scroll of Honing, read it to learn its magic word, then type it in to empower
your dagger.

Go east from the shop, then south twice, southeast, and west to the skyway
entrance. Return to the jungle by riding a gondola to a support tower just like
you did before. In the jungle, kill off the crocodile and bloodworm, then look
around for the random wand and scroll. Leave the ivory tusk alone for now.

Since you have all of the wands now, you'll definitely have the Levitation wand.
If you don't appear to, then it must be the one you picked up here in the
jungle. Go to the quicksand area and point the wand of Levitation at the baby
hungus to rescue it and get a compassion increase. Then put all your loose items
into your pack and go get the ivory tusk.


*** STEP 8: Visit the Ethereal Plane of Atrii. ***

Get the scroll of Gating out of your pack and read it to learn its magic word.
Type in the word as a command to get teleported to Atrii. Go east, northwest,
and north, then go through the curtain to enter the magic shop.

Sell the ivory tusk and the wand of Levitation to the old woman, then have her
identify the wand and scroll that you got in the jungle. (See the selling
guidelines in the third paragraph of Step 7 to see if you should sell or use
either of them.) When you're done, type in the scroll of Gating's word again to
re-enter Atrii.

Try going southeast to get a vague outline to appear, then get the phase blade
out of your pack (it's what the vague outline is transformed into while you're
in Atrii). Hit the vague outline with the phase blade to get rid of it (HIT
OUTLINE WITH PHASE BLADE), then drop the phase blade since you no longer need
it.

Now you can go southeast to get to the fat, lazy Implementors' area. Wait there
until the ur-grue steals the Coconut of Quendor and the Implementors task you to
get it back. When one of them holds a goblet out to you, take it. You'll be
teleported down to the "edge of storms" area.


*** STEP 9: Explore the Fields of Frotzen. ***

Get the weed that's next to the billboard, then go west to enter the Fields of
Frotzen. It's another randomized area, so explore around until you find a random
scroll, a four-leaf clover, and a butterfly. (When you find the butterfly, just
stand and wait until it lands on your goblet.)

You'll also find an area where you can't go north due to the corbies stopping
you. Get the hurdy-gurdy out of your pack and go to the area where a scarecrow
is presiding over a flourishing patch of corn. Turn the hurdy-gurdy's crank to
the right (TURN CRANK TO RIGHT), then check the area's description to see what
color the successful scarecrow's rags are. Be sure to remember it!

Put the hurdy-gurdy back in your pack, then wait until you see a small farm
house fall from the sky. Move around until you find the area that it's in.
Enter the farm house, then wait until it's carried away by a tornado and
crash-lands somewhere. Open the door and go north to find yourself in Froon.

Look at the flowers, then wait until the mayor opens up a jewel box and offers
you a key. Be sure to take the key that's the same color as the successful
scarecrow's rags (EXAMPLE: TAKE MAUVE KEY if the scarecrow's rags were mauve-
colored).

You'll be returned to the Fields of Frotzen right after you take the key, so go
to the area with the path-blocking corbies, then go north. They won't be able to
stop you now! In the grotto, take the rose from the rosebush and drop the now-
useless key.


*** STEP 10: Raid the castle. ***

Exit the fields to the east, then go down south to the moors area. Find the
pterodactyl, and take the hurdy-gurdy out of your pack. Turn its dial to the ear
symbol, then turn its crank to the right. That'll put the ptero to sleep. Put
the hurdy-gurdy back in your pack, then remove the arrow from the ptero's wing
(GET ARROW).

Apply the weed you got from near the billboard to the wound (PUT WEED ON WING),
then take the ptero's whistle and put the saddle on him. He's now ready to ride,
so get on him (MOUNT PTERODACTYL) and take off (FLY).

To get to the castle, point the rose to the northeast (POINT ROSE NE), then go
southwest. Point the rose to the east, then go west. Point the rose to the
northeast, then go southwest. Then point the rose to the southeast and go
northwest. Now you can LAND and GET OFF the pterodactyl.

Hide in the morgia bush, then take a morgia root and eat it for a Strength
increase. Drop the now-useless root, then wait until a weird platypus princess
does her dumb "mirror, mirror" routine and vanishes. Exit the bush, then open
the statue's secret comparment (OPEN STATUE).

Take the crystal jar, then blow the whistle to summon the pterodactyl. Mount it
and take off like before. Point the rose southwest and go northeast, then land
and get off the pterodactyl.


*** STEP 11: Clear out your inventory a bit. ***

Go north twice and enter the magic shop. Ask the old woman about the scroll you
got in the Fields of Frotzen, then sell it (or use it if it's the Honing scroll)
and the arrow from the pterodactyl's wing to her.

Now take the hurdy-gurdy out of your pack and set its dial to the clock symbol.
Open the hurdy-gurdy, put the goblet into it, then close it. Turn the crank to
the left, then open the hurdy-gurdy and take the goblet. Get the caterpillar
from the goblet, then sell the goblet and hurdy-gurdy to the old woman.


*** STEP 12: Help out the thrifty town of Thriff. ***

Put everything in your pack to keep things tidy, then go east, south twice,
southeast, and west to get to the skyway entrance. Hitch a ride to the jungle
like before, then head south to the waterfall area. Going southwest from there
will get you to Thriff.

Go south to a snowy clearing, then try to go west. Pick up the silver ornament.
Show the caterpillar to the Christmas Tree monsters, then go west. Open the
mailbox, get the leaflet, then read the leaflet to get it to transform into a
parcel. Open the parcel to get a burin.

Go south into the cabin, get the book and black hemisphere, then go back north.
Try to go west in order to get the snow wight to appear, then attack it until
it's defeated. Pick up the snowflake that it drops, then go west to the peak.

Get the Dispel wand out of your pack and point it at the dome to dispel it. Go
east twice and then north to escape the deadly lava flow. Put on the Ring of
Shielding and read the book from the cabin, then go back south. Inscribe the
glyph from the book in the dull red lava with the burin (USE BURIN), and the
town will be saved!

Ask the cardinal for the reliquary to get it, then open it to find a white
hemisphere. Join that with the black hemisphere (JOIN WHITE HEMISPHERE TO BLACK
HEMISPHERE) to create a gray sphere. Go north and west to enter the chapel, then
sit down on one of the pews (SIT). Look under the pew and take the vial that you
find there.


*** STEP 13: Get ready for the ruins area. ***

Put the reliquary and gray sphere in your pack, then get up and go east to leave
the chapel. Go northwest to the mountain pasture, and wait until the minx hides
behind a nearby tree. Obliterate all traces of its tracks (ERASE TRACKS), then
wait until the hunter gives up and storms off.

Keep waiting until the minx digs up a truffle, then take the truffle and put it
in your pack. Pick up the minx, then get the scroll of Gating out of your pack.
Type in its magic word to get to Atrii, then go northeast, east, northwest, and
north. Go through the curtain to get to the magic shop, then get the truffle and
sell it to the old woman.

Also sell her the wand of Dispel, small diamond, silver ornament, little black
book, burin, reliquary, and caterpillar. (Believe it or not, you'll get 5
zorkmids for the caterpillar!) Also, take off your Ring of shielding and sell
it. You'll now have way more than enough money to buy the 1,000-zorkmid
hourglass and the lucky rabbit's foot, so buy and take them both.

Go east, northeast, and north to get to the forest, then find the forest area
that has an oak tree in it. (It's the area called "twilight.") Wait there for
the minx to dig up another truffle. Take the truffle, then go to the area with
the pool of radiance. Enter the pool to make the truffle last forever, then put
it in your pack and exit the pool.


*** STEP 14: Raid the ruins. ***

Get the rose and the whistle from your pack, then blow the whistle to summon the
pterodactyl. Pick up the minx, then mount mount the pterodactyl and take off.
Point the rose southwest, then go northeast. Do the same thing again, then land
and get off the pterodactyl.

Wait if necessary for a ghoul to show up, then attack it until you defeat it.
Pick up the spade it dropped, then wait for an undead warrior to appear. When it
does, throw the vial at it to destroy it.

The ruins are safe to explore now, so look around until you find a random potion
and a plaza area. (You can also get more spenseweed from the area with the dry
weeds, but it's not useful to do so.)

Go to the plaza and stand under the arch, then turn the hourglass to enter a
narrow corridor of light. Go south twice to reach the battlefield era, then wait
until Prince Foo gets beheaded. Get the ever-fresh truffle out of your pack and
throw it into the trench, then turn the hourglass again.

Go north four times, then turn the hourglass and go north twice more to reach
the desolation era. Wait for the minx to dig up the truffle and helmet, then get
the helmet and wear it to raise your AC and Intelligence.

Turn the hourglass and go south four times to return to the plaza area, then
move out from under the arch. Now you can use the scroll of Gating's magic word
to travel to Atrii, thereby escaping the ruins. (You can pick up the minx first,
or you can just leave it at the ruins.)


*** STEP 15: Enter the ur-grue's lair. ***

In Atrii, go southwest twice and then south. Enter the curtain to be taken to
the magic shop. Show the potion from the ruins to the old woman to get it
identified, then shake it and drink it if it's the Enlightenment, Might, or
Healing potion (and sell it if it isn't).

Sell the hourglass, spade, whistle, and rose to help clear out your inventory,
then leave the magic shop and go south twice, southeast, and west to get to the
skyway entrance. Ride another gondola into the jungle, then head south to get
back to Thriff.

From the main Thriff area, go northwest and west to reach the rock wall area.
Get the gray sphere out of your pack, then look into it to learn the grue lair
password. (You'll have to have drunk the Potion of Enlightenment and be wearing
the helmet for this to work.)

Type in the lair password like a command, then open the door that appears. Get
the four-leaf clover and horseshoe out of your pack, then go northwest to the
first underground area. Wait there until the lucksucker appears in one of its
unlucky-item forms.

Throw the clover at it, then wait for it to come back in some other screwy form.
Throw the rabbit's foot at it, then wait for it to make its third and final
appearance. Throw the horseshoe at it to finish it off for good.

Move on to the next area, which will be totally dark. Wait there until you sense
a presence lurking in the darkness. Attack the presence until you defeat it,
then wait for the next one to appear. Keep this up until all three dark
presences (grues, presumably) have been defeated.


*** STEP 16: Defeat the ur-grue and finish the game. ***

Return to the first underground room and save your game. Get the crystal jar out
of your pack. Open the jar and get the circlet, then blow a mirror with it (BLOW
INTO CIRCLET). Now's when things get *really* tedious.

This is another random area (hate that randomness!), and you're going to need to
set up a chain of mirrors to reflect the light from the first underground room
all the way to the ur-grue's lair. Since the lucksucker has been dealt with, the
only danger is taking too long in blowing and adjusting the mirrors, since they
will eventually wear out and pop.

In the first underground room, turn the mirror so that it reflects the light
down the passage that leads to the first dark area. EXAMPLE: If light is coming
into a room from the southeast, and you need to redirect it to the southwest,
turn the mirror so that it's facing south (TURN MIRROR SOUTH).

Go to the room you just tried to redirect light into to make sure it actually is
lit. If so, then dip the circlet in the jar and blow into the circlet to get
another mirror. Adjust it to reflect light down the next dark passage, and so
on.

NOTE: If you enter a room whose only exit (or the exit you choose to take) is
in-line with the light that's shining into the room, you can skip putting a
mirror into that room. EXAMPLE: You go northwest into a new room, which has
exits to the northeast and northwest. If you want to go northwest, you can do so
immediately since the light is already shining that way. If you want to go
northeast instead, you'll first need to blow a mirror and turn it to face east.

Keep this up until you reach the treasure chamber. If you're too slow and your
first mirror pops, restore your save and try again. Since you saved after you
entered the lair, the layout should be the same on your second attempt, and you
can use that knowledge to more quickly reach the treasure chamber.

Once inside the treasure chamber, blow another mirror and notice what corner of
the room the "curious shadow" is in. That's the ur-grue, and you'll need to turn
your mirror to reflect the light straight at him. Think of him as the next
passage you need to shine light down, and turn your mirror accordingly. Since
you've made it this far, you should be able to figure it out easily.

After the ur-grue drains your compassion and gives up, search the treasure to
find the Coconut of Quendor. Pick it up, then wait around until the game ends.
(Note that if your mirrors pop and leave you in darkness at any point, you can
get the lantern out of your pack and turn it on.)