Sacred:World Discovered Guide

World Discovered by Knuckles and masteff

The High Level Stuff:

ZERO EFFECT FROM MODS/ATTRIBS/SKILLS

This is the most common suggestion so let's start right off with it... No mods/attributes/skills will directly influence WD%. I have tested any that might matter, including Farsight, Increased Light Radius and the Sera's Light CA. Also it doesn't matter whether it is day or night. FoW is affected by night/day cycle but, as explained below, has no bearing on WD%.

Also having a high WD% appears to have no effect on other mods/attributes/skills like Exp and dmg caused

WHAT HAS AN EFFECT?

One word: thoroughness. Cover the whole map. Walk very close to all edges.

The Details:

GRIDS

Sacred WD is based on a grid format. Each time a grid is entered, your WD% will increase. It is not neccessary to uncover the entire grid, simply entering any portion of it will give full WD%. Each grid is 64 x 64 (in X/Y coordinate points). See the note below about edges and proximity as you can get credit for exploring a boundary grid without actually entering it!

ACCESSIBLE GRIDS

This is a grid you can enter (your X/Y coords are inside the grid's X/Y coords), such as in the middle of an open space or one that overlaps an edge. You only get credit for this type of grid by actually entering it.

BOUNDARY GRIDS

This is a grid you cannot enter but its X/Y coordinates are within several points of your own. You can get credit for a boundary grid if you can get close enough (approx. 3-7 coordinate points). The amount of WD credit for a boundary grid is less than for an accessible grid.

GOOB's (GRIDS OUT OF BOUNDS)

This is a grid that is beyond the normal reach of any class and cannot be explored by normal means. Only the Dark Elf, using the Mongoose trick below, can access GOOB's. Thus making the Dark Elf a GOOBer (and Knuckles, having the best DE WD%, the self-proclaimed Uber GOOBer).

X/Y COORDINATES

Pressing 'Ctrl + F' will bring up X/Y coordinates. Each grid border is a multiple of 64. So for instance you have an X/Y of 1600/3200. You would be at the exact corner of a grid box. While it's easier to locate grid borders via the Main Map, coords can be useful in caves and at map edges.

MAIN MAP

This is the best indicator of in-game progress. When you first enter the game, press 'M' before moving. You'll notice that your character (indicated by an 'x') is inside a box made of red dots. The red dots equal one grid section. As you move about you'll see the grid lines expand. Note: The grid lines reset each time you leave the game, so it's a good idea to thoroughly search an entire area before exiting. Sometimes the grids will be 'open-ended' meaning that one side of the grid box has no red dots. This means you reached a boundary grid and no further WD will be awarded in the direction of the open side. Note: Some areas of the Dryad Forest and Valley of Tears do not display grids on Main Map correctly.

MAP EDGES AND PROXIMITY

We tested near edges and determined that boundary grids are activated by proximity (approx. 3-7 coord points). This is why walking very close to walls and edges is very important. In Closed, WD credit for boundary grids can only be seen by exiting and re-entering.

CAVES

You won't be able to see grid lines for caves on the main map. This is where the x/y coordinates come in handy. You'll be able to tell as you explore cave edges whether or not you're near a grid edge. If you are, take some time and go back and forth along the edge. Most are uneven and sometimes you'll find a spot where you can move just a little more in the desired direction.

CAVE ICONS ON MINI-MAP

Cave icons will appear on the mini-map (Tab button) if you have removed the FoW from that spot. These cave icons only appear in the original Sacred area. ALL UW caves do not have an icon on mini-map. It's real easy to miss a cave or two in UW area. Again thorough exploration is your friend here.

FOG OF WAR

While FoW is nice to track overall exploration, don't use it as an indication of actual WD progress. I use it mainly as a visual reminder of where I have explored already. When in game I try to explore an entire area before leaving (as main map grid lines reset when you exit). Turning off "mini-map fog of war" in the option screen is useful as it lets you see map features(i.e. cave entrances) you might otherwise miss.

JUMPING CA'S AND FOG OF WAR

As just stated, fog of war is no indication of WD progress. Therefore, the fact that jumping clears more fog than walking means nothing for WD progress too. The only jumping that has an effect is the DE's Mongoose Trick explained below.

WD% RECALCULATION ON EXIT/RE-ENTRY

This one took awhile to figure out. In both Closed and Open, if you have activated boundary grids, you will not see the credit until you exit/re-enter. In Closed, if you've activated GOOB's, you will lose that credit when you exit/re-enter. This loss of GOOB credit is why the Mongoose Trick (see below) will only work in Open/LAN/SP.

DOS (DIE ON SIGHT) SUITS

For those mainly interested in WD and not character development, I would suggest making a DOS character. DOS (enemies die on sight mod) will significantly alleviate the hassle of having to fight while exploring. I will level a character normally until about lvl 50-55. Don't try to make an uber toon. Just one strong enough to make it to lvl 50. Try to save as many runes as you can. When he is level 50, I'll bring in my lvl 60 Dwarf Trader and go shopping for DOS rings/ammies and max socket gear. You need to shop in Gold since this is where +5 DOS rings first appear. If you get DOS high enough, you will kill enemies higher than you Kills about 75% of all creatures. There are some that are immune,examples are Sakkara Daemons, Cerebropods, Dragons and almost all Champions/Bosses.

QUESTS

Some quests need to be done in order to maximize WD%. The Unknown Warrior, The Eye of Hell, Tomb Raiders:Treasure Hunters Inc. and the UW Main Quest story line for example.

AN INVESTMENT OF TIME

The biggest thing is to take your time. Expect to invest over 50 hours while searching the entire map. Be really careful along edges and make sure you have explored all the caves in an area. It's so easy to miss 1 or 2. I will typically walk the edges and then use a 220 speed horse to uncover the middle area.

CLOSED VS OPEN

Due to how characters are saved, WD% in Closed is less for all classes than in Open/LAN/SP (by about 2.5% based on normal exploring). Don't ask us why, we're just here to report the facts. This difference in how characters are saved is most noticable on the DE using the Mongoose Trick since credit for GOOB's in Closed is lost on exit/re-entry.

WHICH CLASS DOES BEST?

In Closed servers the Daemon will have the highest WD totals. Next will be the Dark Elf. In Open, the DE is easily the best. With a distant 2nd going to the Daemon. All other classes are basically equal to each other in terms of WD%.

SOARING DAEMONS

By flying, the demon can access areas that other classes cannot normally reach. This includes several areas of water and the black sky patches in Hells Ridge. Some areas are too big to fly back to solid ground before the timer runs out(unless your Soaring lvl is over 150+). This is where being in a multiplayer game is helpful as a party member can stand in a safe place and the daemon can teleport back before time expires.

THE DARK ELF AND THE MONGOOSE TRICK

In SP/LAN/Open, the DE has a huge advantage. This is due to a bug with Mongoose. The game thinks you jumped and calculates distance and fog cleared before deciding whether or not the jump is allowable. The trick is to 'jump' into inaccessible areas like forests, water and cliffs. What you need to do is move the DE close to an edge (for example, say Khorad shoreline facing the water) Have Mongoose as your active CA and place the cursor in the direction you want to make jump. For best results make sure the cursor is between your character and outside edge of it's life circle. Then press down the middle mouse button/wheel (the mini-map will display) and right click. You should see some Fog of War clear in the direction you were aiming. You can click multiple times while the middle mouse button is depressed while slowly moving mouse back and forth. You should see the fog being removed as you move/right click.

The level of Mongoose is very very important. If you want to get over 90% you'll need to go over each area at least twice. 1st time thru I set up combos of lvl 20, 40 ,60 and 80 Mongoose with last slot being the regular CA at lvl 100. 2nd time thu I increased combo lvls to 120, 140, 160, 180 with normal CA at lvl 200. But even then you won't clear everything. You'll need to increase combo's/CA yet again to clear some tough spots. But with Mongoose up to lvl 200 you'll clear over 90%. As the distance increases it get more difficult to 'jump' in the direction you want. Just the slighest mouse movement can mean a big difference in direction at the other end. All I can say is be very patient, just take your time. I usually 'jumped' during the day as it's easier to see fog being removed. Jumping also applies in caves and the black area surrounding them. You can use this trick there too. In fact if you don't, I doubt you'll get to 80-85%.

* NOTE 1* Once Mongoose is over lvl 100, you won't be able to see the FOW being cleared on the Mini-Map while jumping (at this point you'll need to look at Main Map often after jumping to see how you did). It's best to master the 'Click and Sweep' method while Mongoose is still at low levels. Use the jumping trick described above and slowly move cursor while right clicking and you'll see the FoW being cleared in the direction the cursor is going. This is the best way for you to get a feel of how clearing fog works in OOB (OOB=Out of Bounds) areas.

* NOTE 2* Once Mongoose is very high you might find that your DE actually starts jumping. Usually just into whatever OOB edge you're facing. Most likely cause is the end destination is an actual valid spot. For instance I could be on the river trail west of Mascarell (the trail with the dragon at end) If you're jumping to the north, you could actually be hitting one of the trails or side trails leading to Tyr-Fasul.

* NOTE 3* When clearing FOW, start with lowest lvl Mongoose and 'jump' until all accessible FOW is gone from where you're standing. Then go to next lvl Mongoose and jump again . Rinse and repeat for each lvl Mongoose. Then move a bit and do the whole procedure all over again. This applies to caves/dungeons too. While you won't see any FOW being cleared while in caves, you need to 'jump' at all outside edges.

* NOTE 4* Be careful of where you are jumping from. Don't move as close to an edge as possible. Leave a few feet between you and a cliff/wall/forest edge etc or any other spot that is considered OOB. What happens is when you try to 'jump', a part of your life circle will be OOB and any clicks in that area won't register. Also any objects like trees/rocks/chests are considered OOB in regards to 'jumping'. Some regular in-bounds areas act the same way. Usually it's a darker (or lighter) patch of ground or floor as compared with rest of immediate area. One way to see if you're in an OOB non-clickable area is to watch and see if your DE moves when clicking a different spot. Say you're pointing north and click on the right of your DE. If he isn't facing east after clicking, you've hit a dead spot and need to move a little bit. Found this happened often in underground areas. You should notice this when above ground and Mongoose is still under lvl 100. You'll find an area where the FOW won't clear or seems to be erratic. This is the best time to observe both your DE direction and FOW uncovered and how moving a few feet in a particular direction either helps or hinders his progress.

* NOTE 5* I know we've been saying that FOW is not a direct indication of WD progess but if you plan on making an Open/LAN/SP DE then only by clearing FOW in the OOB areas will you know that you have jumped successfully in that particular direction.

* Note 6* With a high lvl Mongoose try 'jumping' into the black areas above the northern edge of the Valley of Tears. You might be surprised at what is hiding up there.

* Note 7* It is possible to see FoW in while in caves and in the 'black sky' in Hell's Ridge. You will need to set Map Transparency in the Options Menu for about 50%. You will be able to see FoW beyond cave edges and see the actual cave map borders. Most caves are laid out in a square or rectangular grid pattern, but not all. Also FoW in these areas can be hard to see. Make sure you're fully zoomed in and postioned in a well lighted section of cave. If you're in a darkened spot, it's almost impossible to see FoW along outside edges. Also by having transparency at 50% you'll be able to see DE and mini-map at same time. This helps a lot in seeing if your DE is following the mouse clicks. If he isn't, it's a dead spot (as described in note 4) and you need to move a little.

If you can get yourself a full Ethan Rhys set, it's even easier. With the Water Form mod (invisibility) you don't have to worry about fighting unless you're actively jumping. (note: for some reason (can anyone say bug?) Undead will notice you if you're on a horse). Enemies will notice you when jumping. Simply stop and/or do what I do and 'fake jump'. Fake jumping means to right click Mongoose then quickly left click. You basically cancel jump and don't reset regen timer but the enemies will see you for a split second and come after you. Do this a few times to lead them away from where you want to jump.

CREDIT

We'd like to give credit to Harper for mentioning how the red lines are visible on the main map. This fit with our earlier theories and really made things fall into place on how WD is credited. We'd also like to give general credit to the WD Hall of Fame thread on the German forum which contained tidbits about how the Mongoose trick works; we didn't discover the trick but Knuckles did refine the technique.

Also big thanks to Masteff with helping me thru weeks of testing. Bouncing ideas back and forth and assisting me with a couple tricky aspects of figuring this all out. Without his help in game and with this guide, this would have never been written Knuckles