Sacred Gladiator Guide
Version: 1.29
Created by: Gilmore R. Guirao
Date created: Tue. Jun. 12, 2007
Date modified: Sat. Jun. 27, 2009

Table of Contents
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   I) Legal Issues
  II) Contact Info
 III) Acknowledgements
  IV) What Is Sacred?
   V) Who Is the Gladiator?
  VI) Gladiator Pros and Cons
 VII) Attributes
VIII) To Ride or Not to Ride?
  IX) Skills
   X) Combat Arts
  XI) Combos
 XII) Misc. Tips
XIII) Allowed Sites
 XIV) Version History

I) Legal Issues
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*Sacred is copyright 2004 Ascaron Entertainment.

*This guide is copyright 2009 by Gilmore R. Guirao. This may be not be
 reproduced under any circumstances except for personal and free use. It may
 not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without
 advance written permission and must remain unaltered. Unauthorised use of
 this guide is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.

II) Contact Info
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For any questions, comments, or ideas, feel free to e-mail me at
[email protected]. Please be sure the word "Sacred" is included in the
subject line. Flames, spam, or other junk will be promptly deleted.

III) Acknowledgements
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1) God for everything.
2) My friends and family for their love and support throughout my life.
3) Ascaron Entertainment for making this game.
4) Other players who have made my gaming experience most enjoyable.
5) Matt P. ([email protected]) for inspiring me to write this guide
   and providing some minor insights.
6) GameFAQs.com for hosting this guide.
7) You for reading this guide.

IV) What Is Sacred?
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Sacred is a simple point-and-click, hack-and-slash RPG not unlike Diablo and
Titan Quest. You go through the game killing monsters, finding items, and
solving quests. It's simple, yet addictive. One of my favorite games of all
time.

V) Who Is the Gladiator?
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Sold into slavery at a young age, and trained as a show fighter and beast of
battle, the gladiator grew to become a fierce and deadly fighter. He is the
ultimate hand-to-hand warrior and weapon expert. He enjoys nothing more than
crushing the bones of his foes and fighting for gold or glory. In the wake
of the chaos surrounding Ancaria, slave trading has risen to new heights. Not
only are young men and women sold into bondage, but many die in captivity if
they cannot earn or fight for their freedom. Those gladiators who are able to
throw off the shackles of their masters often find themselves the targets of
recruiting efforts by various factions and lords. Some seeking strong soldiers
to fight for the good of the kingdom, and others using the lures of power and
wealth to tempt the gladiators into following their own dark paths...

VI) Gladiator Pros and Cons
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One look at the gladiator and you will know he lives for combat. His brute
strength and incredible stamina means he can take damage as well as he can
deliver it. He can stand against Ancaria's most vile creatures and emerge
victorious. He is capable of excelling with all types of weapons. From swords
and axes to battle gauntlets and even bows and arrows. He is definitely the 
right choice for players seeking raw power and hack-and-slash warfare. For
these reasons, he is my favorite character in this game.

However, the gladiator's strengths also point out his flaws. He has little
specialized offence against ranged foes and no magical prowess at all. His
main form of damage is physical, which is highly resisted, and he must depend
on his gear to provide him with suplemental forms of damage. Also, he has to
rely on his power and toughness to see him through life's battles. While wood
elves fire storms of arrows, and battle mages rain fire and lightning down on
their enemies, the gladiator is best suited for standing toe to toe against
his foes and outlasting them in close combat.

VII) Attributes
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As with other characters, the gladiator has the ability to raise his strength,
endurance, dexterity, physical regeneration, mental regeneration, and charisma
as he gains levels. What's interesting is that, even though you only get one
attribute point to invest per level, your attributes will increase by ten
percent of their starting value automatically.

Strength (33): Strength increases your attack rate, damage with melee
weapons (swords, axes, etc.), and health.

Endurance (19): Endurance increases your defense and reduces the damage you
take from being poisoned.

Dexterity (20): Dexterity increases your defense and damage with ranged
weapons (bows and crossbows).

Physical regeneration (25): Physical regeneration accelerates your natural
rate of healing and the rate at which your non-magical combat arts
regenerate.

Mental regeneration (0): Mental regeneration increases the damage your spells
inflict and the rate at which your spells regenerate.

Charisma (11): Charisma increases the amount of poison damage you do and
reduces vendor prices.

As the gladiator is a melee expert. You'll want to enhance his strength and/or
physical regeneration. You may choose to enhance one attribute or both. I like
to alternate between the two level by level. However, if you choose to create
a ranged gladiator who uses bows or crossbows, you might want to place points
in dexterity rather than strength.

VIII) To Ride or Not to Ride?
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Ah, yes, horses. Everyone wants to know, "Should I ride them or not?". Well,
I've not ridden them since I first played this game nearly three years ago,
but I do think they have some use. Here is my pro/con critique on these
beasts of burden and battle.

Why should I ride a horse?
If you choose to ride a horse, you will get bonuses to hit points, speed,
and resistances. This may sound tempting at the start of your game, since
you may not have ideal equipment yet. Also your steed is able to execute a
charging attack in combat, allowing it to stampede through foes and clear
your path. Equipping your horse with riding equipment further enhances its
restances, and often, it's speed. Characters who favor a hit-and-run battle
plan should not be so quick to pass off these speeding stallions. Your mounts
will also benefit from bridles or saddles placed on them. Simply right-click
on one while in possession of a horse to place it on them.

Why should I not ride a horse?
You don't have to feed or clean up after your mounts, but you will need to
heal them if they're injurded. This can be done by taking them to a stable
master and paying for healing or by drinking a healing potion while on
horseback. Also, don't forget horses are not exactly the smartest animals in
the world. You have to keep them in a protected area when you're not riding
them, or else, they may get killed. You also can't take them into caves or
other underground/indoor areas. The biggest drawback of having one of these
animals is it usually depletes your offense. Even with their charging attack,
you may find yourself unable to use a powerful attack or spell, and combos are
completely out of the question. Your attack rate also drops. On a technical
note, there may also be a glitch in the game where your horse disappears if
you  exit the game while not mounted. Make sure to be on horseback before
saving or exiting your game.

Again, the choice is always yours.

IX) Skills
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Each character in Sacred starts with two default skills. As your character
progresses, he or she will be able to learn new skills. These skills are
passive and do not need to be triggered. When you put a point into a skill,
the enhanced bonuses the skill offers will apply instantly. As with attribute
points, you will gain skill points with each level up. You may invest points
into a skill until the number next to it turns red with each level.

Default Skills
Weapon lore: Weapon lore increases the overall damage you inflict from melee
and ranged weapons. Damage is broken down into physical, fire, magic, and
poison.

Concentration: Concentration increases the rate at which special moves (non-
magical combat arts) regenerate. If your character uses special-move Combat
Arts, you will need this skill. Keep track of how quickly your special moves
regenerate, and spend a point here if you want them to recharge faster.

Level 3 Skills
Axe lore: Axe lore increases your attack rate and attack speed with axe-class
weapons.

Dual wielding: Dual wielding allows you to equip two single-handed weapons at
once. Also, your attack rate and attack speed will increase for both weapons.
Note that dual wielding's bonuses do not stack with sword or axe lore bonuses.
Also, you can't dual wield on horseback. Some people invest only one point in
Dual Wielding just for the ability to hold two weapons and neglect increasing
it any further. 

Unarmed combat: Unarmed combat increases your attack rating and attack speed
while using your bare fists or combat gauntlets.

Ranged combat: Ranged combat improves your attack rate and attack speed with
bows and crossbows. However, this may not sound like much of a good idea
since most characters' combat arts will not work with ranged weaponry, with
the Wood Elf being the only exception.

Sword lore: Sword lore enhances your attack rating and attack speed with
swords.

Constitution: Constitution enhances your maximum health and natural healing
rate.Put points into this skill if you are low on healing potions or are
planning to take on dragons or other bosses. For other enemies, you should
have the stamina to survive. As you play the game on higher difficulty
settings, healing potions will heal less of your overall health, so you should
start investing in Constitution early on, even though it looks as if you don't
need it.

Armor: Armor increases your armor's protective values against physical, fire,
magic, and poison damage. Also your speed penalty is reduced, allowing you to
wear armor with greater ease.

Agility: Agility improves your attack and defense ratings. If you won't be
carrying a shield. Agility may be more helpful than Parrying, since you will
get an increase in attack rate so you can fight more efficiently despite not
having Parrying's greater defense bonuses. Of course, taking both would be
the best idea.

Level 6 Skills
Riding: Riding allows you to have better control over your horse. A skilled
rider will improve the damage and duration of his or her mount's charge as
well as receive an attack rating bonus while on horseback to make up for the
initial decrease in attack rate that comes with horses.

Level 12 Skills
Disarming: Disarming gives you a chance to strip foes of their weapons,
which will weaken them. Gladiators may learn this skill by level 12.
However, like riding, this skill may not be as good as it sounds. As Matt P.
states in his battle mage guide, the weapons this skill causes to drop are
inferior to what you could get by just killing your foes.

Level 20 Skills
Long-handled weapons: Long-handled weapons improves your attack rate and
attack speed with staves and spears.

Level 30 Skills
Parrying: Parrying improves your defense and ability to deflect attacks. Good
if you want to use a shield. Again taking Agility and Parrying will give you a
double bonus to defense, but if you're only going to choose one, and you will
be carrying a shield, take Parrying instead.

Level 50 Skills
Trading: Trading reduces vendor prices and increases the chance of vendors
carrying special items. Gladiators may learn this skill by level 50.
It is almost a must for solo players, since you can't trade with
others. However your level of this skill must be about equal to your
character level to find the best items for sale. Thanks to Matt P. again for
this.

You are able to choose six skills in addition to the two you start with, so
choose well. Gladiators will obviously need Constitution to keep themselves
healthy, Armor to keep themselves protected, and Agility and/or Parrying to
improve their defenses. A weapon-based skill (Sword Lore, Axe Lore, etc.) is
also a good option, since these skills streamline your choices for weapons
since you will only want weapons you have specialized in. Again, trading is
pretty much mandatory if you play solo, Riding and/or Disarming should only
be taken if you can spare extra skills, which I doubt you will be able to do.

X) Combat Arts
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Unlike your normal left-click attack, combat arts can only be used when their
icons are fully colored. Once activated, all combat arts are depleted and may
not be used until they regenerate. There are two types of combat arts: special
moves and spells. The regeneration rate for special moves is based on physical
regeneration, while spells require mental regeneration to increase their rates
of regeneration. Here I will list all the gladiator's combat arts in
alphabetical order as well as each is classified as a special moves or spell,
what type of damage the combat art causes, and whether or not it is usable on
horseback. I will also add a brief description of each combat art and a grade
of its usefullness based on my own experience.

*Attack*
Combat art type: Special move
Damage type: Depends on weapons
Available on horseback: No
The gladiator starts with this combat art. He will unleash a series of blows
against his enemies. If an enemy is killed in the middle of the assault, the
gladiator will continue against another nearby enemy. The number of hits
depends on what type of weapon you are using. Usually, Attack does four hits.
However I've noticed only two hits are executed with two-handed axes. Also
eight hits are performed with dual weapons. Though Attack's damage starts
out less than your normal move, the increased number of hits makes up for
that. For instance, a level 1 Attack does only 81% of your normal damage,
however, even with 2 hits, you will get better overall damage. Unfortunately,
Attack is a little difficult to use against enemies who move around a lot,
like archers and shamans, since the animation stops if your enemy moves. Level
up Attack only when using dual weapons and only use it against non-moving
foes. Hard Hit should be used when not dual wielding or against moving
enemies.
Grade: C

*Awe*
Combat art type: Special move
Damage type: Physical
Available on horseback: Yes
The gladiator unleashes a fearsome war cry that pushes foes back in terror.
This move works on champion and unique enemies, but I still don't like it.
It only lasts for a while and you can just kill your enemies without wasting
a combat art and a few seconds.
Grade: F

*Back-breaker*
Combat art type: Special move
Damage type: Physical
Available on horseback: No
The gladiator grabs an enemy and executes a WWE-style slam, stunning them and
allowing him to get a free hit. It seems to be more of a setup attack than
something that can kill. Surprisingly, you can execute this move on larger
enemies, even if you don't see the slam animation, and your foes won't be
stunned. Could you imagine body slamming a black bear? Not even Hulk Hogan
could do that!;)
Grade: D

*Combat Kick*
Combat art type: Special move
Damage type: Depends on weapon
Available on horseback: No
The gladiator performs a mighty kick to a foe, knocking them back. I used to
use this move in combos to push enemies back in preparation for Fist of the
Gods, but not anymore. Still good crowd control, though.
Grade: C 

*Dagger stare*
Combat art type: Special move
Damage type: Physical
Available on horseback: Yes
The fearsome gaze of the gladiator burns into the souls of his foes, creating
a pulsating aura of damage over time. At first I did not like this skill, as
it was more like you were trying to annoy your foes with a starring contest
than kill them. However, after some research, I've found it to be quite
useful. The regeneration time is usually less than the duration, and most
gladiators will have to get close to their enemies anyway. You can use it to
do some minor leaching while trying to corner your enemies.
Grade: C

*Fist of the Gods*
Combat art type: Special move
Damage type: Depends on weapon
Avialable on horseback: No
The gladiator focuses his power, winds up, and delivers a devastating punch.
capable of crushing multiple enemies. Also, you do not have to punch the enemy
for the move to work. Even if they run away, the will still be hit. Even the
windup time is no problem if you have Heroic Courage active. Finally, being
attacked will not stop your move, and if you cancel it before the punch hits,
your combat arts will not be depleted. However, Fist of Gods does not
offer an increase to attack rate, but again, this is no problem with Heroic
Courage active. Due to the move's massive damage bonus, heavy investment is
not necessary, so you can keep it at a low regeneration time. Hallelujah!
Grade: A

*Hard Hit*
Combat art type: Special move
Damage type: Depends on weapon
Available on horseback: Yes
The gladiator will deal a powerful blow against one enemy. Though the damage
of Hard Hit pales in comparison to that of Fist of the Gods, it has the
advantages of faster execution, faster regeneration by level, a bonus to 
attack rating, and availability while on horseback. Use it to attack
fast-moving targets, like shamans, and archers. Hard Hit is another move that
does not need constant investment.
Grade: A 

*Heroic Courage*
Combat art type: Special move
Damage type: N/A
Available on horseback: Yes
The gladiator lets out a thunderous battle cry that creates an aura to improve
his attack and defense ratings. This skill may also be cast on allies. Keep
Heroic Courage's regeneration time shorter than its duration, so you will
always be able to re-cast it by the time it has worn off. You will definitely
want it maxed by the end of your game, though. Whenever you have four runes,
you should exchange them for a Heroic Courage rune at the nearest combat
master's shop. Remember the first commandment of the Gladiator's Bible, "Thou
shalt max thy Heroic Courage and have it upon thee at all times." So let it
be done.
Grade: A

*Multi-Hit*
Combat art type: Special move
Damage type: Depends on weapon
Availible on horseback: No
The gladiator spins his weapon(s) around and strikes all enemies within melee
range. Though the damage starts out reduced from your normal move, Multi-Hit
is the second best crowd-control skill at the gladiator's disposal. Fist of
the Gods has greater damage, but Multi-Hit has greater range, faster
execution, faster regeneration time, and increased attack rating. However, it
sometimes doesn't hit your foes due to positioning. Use it when you're
cornered.
Grade: B

*Stomping Jump*
Combat art type: Special move
Damage type: Depends on weapon
Availible on horseback: No
The gladiator will leap into combat against a targeted enemy, attack it,
and stun any nearby foes. This is a good way to catch fast-moving targets and
to avoid missiles. The range of the jump is also infinite, as long as there
is a clear path between you and your enemy. Stomping jump also allows you to
leap across terrain to get to other areas. Simply hold Ctrl while you right-
click.  I don't really use this move as an attack, but simply as a mode of
quick transportation. Therefore, you may want to take only one level of
Stomping Jump, to keep its regeneration time as low as possible.
Grade: A

*Throwing Blades*
Combat art type: Special move
Damage type: Depends on weapon
Available on horseback: No
The gladiator hurls his weapon(s) at his enemy, damaging them. The damage
is okay, but you'll have to pick up your gear with every throw. Who wants to
spend their time playing one-man fetch? Not me.
Grade: F

XI) Combos
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Combinations of moves are an easy way to do a lot of damage in one attack.
They also allow you to have a second way to activate a skill if you are
waiting for your special move timers to recharge, since combos run on a
separate timer. You can create up to four combos of up to four moves each. My
favorite combos are:

1) Heroic Courage*1: Putting Heroic Courage in a combo slot allows you to
   cast it without worrying about depleting time for your other combat arts.
2) Dagger Stare*1: Like Heroic Courage, Dagger Stare is a good one-move combo.
   You can cast it from a combo slot without it affecting your combat arts
   timer. By having both Heroic Courage and Dagger Stare available as both
   combat arts and combos, You can run both at the same time and keep them
   running simultaneously.
3) Hard Hit*4: This is a good boss-killing combo. Since Hard Hit comes out
   faster than Fist of the Gods, it is the ideal choice for quickly taking
   out fire-breathing dragons and other deadly foes.
4) Attack*4: This is your boss killer when you are dual wielding.
5) Fist of the Gods*4: Another boss-killing combo here. Insane damage. Just
   make sure you have Heroic Courage active and beware of the windup time for
   each punch.
5) Multi-hit*4: This is your crowd killer when you are surrounded. 

XII) Misc. Tips
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*Always check for and download the latest patches at the Sacred offical site
<http://eng.sacred-game.com/index.php> to ensure your game is up to date and
free of bugs. I would especially suggest downloading the free Sacred Plus
file. This will offer new quests, areas, enemies, and items.

*Certain towns have more than one armory. In this case, each armory changes
its inventory with every visit. So you can travel between them and browse to
find something you'd like.

*Be on the lookout for magical hiding places. If you see a twinkle when you
mouse over a piece of land, click there, and find a treasure.

*Certain items require a certain ammount of points invested into a certain
skill to be used. Take note of these requirements if you plan to use such
items.

*Take every quest presented to you. The experience rewards you get from
solving quests are not dependent on your character's level, unlike experience
from killing monsters. Quests are also the easiest way to get experience,
gold, and items, especially runes. Finally, the more quests you complete, the
quicker you gain the respect of the townspeople.

*Certain quests will require you to escort someone. There are basically two
types of escorts; those who can be killed before they reach their destination,
and those who can't. Those escorts who can be killed should be healed 
frequently and you should quicksave your progress. Those who do not need to
be healed are nothing to worry about. It could possibly help to equip your
escorts, too. Also, the quicksave feature is a good way to keep your client
alive.

*Look for items that allow you to increase the regeneration rate of your
special moves. while there is nothing wrong with using your normal move,
your specials should be your bread and butter, while your normal move just
passes the time between using your specials. Also look for items with +skills
and +combat arts.
 
*When considering upgrading your combat arts, consider the regeneration time
increase. If you can kill enemies with a level 1 combat art with regeneration
time of 3.0s, it is better to wait for your regeneration time to lower before
improving your combat art. The same goes for combos. You can create a combo
with low-level moves and keep it at a low regeneration time so you can use it
more often instead of having a high-level combo that will take longer to
regenerate.

*If you are using your weapon to attack, diversify your damage. Have one
weapon setup for each type of damage. Of course, all weapons do physical
damage, but you need to have high fire, magic, and poison damage as well.
Also examine the resistances of your foes. That way, you won't use your
poison weapons against zombies and liches, where fire damage would be better.
Many rings and skeleton skulls have damage bonuses, so socket these into the
appropriate weapons.

*As with damage, you will want to diversify your resistances. Socketing
resistance jewelry is an easy way to get high resistances.

*The ability to trap flying opponents may come in handy. Look for ways to
augment a setup of your weapons with this power. Remember there are no potions
to do this for you, unlike preventing the undead from being raised again.

*If you are using your weapons for damage, socket life-stealing runes and
jewelry into your armor. That way, you can leech no matter what type of
weapon setup you are using.

*Hold on to mentor potions. They are not sold in stores and can help you get
level ups when you want to get new skills or improve your present
skills.

*The longer you go without dying, the higher your survival bonus becomes. With
a high bonus, you will have a better chance to get special items. Qucksave is
an easy way to keep yourself from dying.

*Don't bother staying in areas with enemies at a much lower level than you.
You will get less experience per kill. Look at the circles beneath your foes'
feet to compare their level to yours. You should only be fighting enemies with
green, yellow, orange, or red circles under them. These enemies are, at most,
a couple levels lower than you, and give a fair amount of experience.

*Start in bronze difficulty, unless you think you can handle the challenge of
starting at silver. At higher difficulty levels, the enemies' levels are
higher relative to yours. Also, healing potions are less effective. The best
thing to do is to play quickly through bronze and export your character into
silver when you notice your character is no longer gaining efficient
experience. Beating the game in bronze is not required for anything, and may
just be used to gain levels and items and improve your character.

*Notice how potions come in different strengths. You should conserve higher-
level potions during lower difficulty levels. This is especially true of
healing potions. If a potion works well enough for where you are, save
stronger potions for later.

*Certain quests will require you to meet quotas. You will have to kill a
certain number of a certain kind of enemy and/or find a certain number of a
certain item. For such quests, the quest indicator may not lead  you to
exactly where you will meet your goal, but you should be able to find what
you need if you keep looking. 

*Activate all transfer portals as soon as you can. Not only does this provide
a quick means of travelling between areas while on a campaign, but any portals
activated during an earlier game are kept for later difficulties.

*Certain quests have a time limit. You should complete these quests as soon as
possible upon accepting them.

XIII) Allowed Sites
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following is a list of sites allowed to host this FAQ. If any other sites
have this FAQ posted. Please inform me at once.

gamefaqs.com (Most up-to-date version.)
gamespot.com
neoseeker.com
supercheats.com

XIV) Version History
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*v1.00 Finished Thu. Jun. 14, 2007 Original version. Everything up to section
 X.
*v1.01 Finished Wed. Jun. 27, 2007 Made some text fixes. Added info on
 skills and some combat arts.
*v1.11 Finished Thu. Jun. 28, 2007 Added "Allowed Sites" section.
*v1.12 Finished Sun. Jul. 1, 2007 More text fixes.
*v1.13 Finished Thu. Jul. 5, 2007 Did some formatting. Added info on Attack
 combat art. Added tips on escort quests, survival bonus, and experience.
*v1.14 Finished Fri. Jul. 13, 2007 Changed my opinion on Multi-Hit combat art
 after some analysis. Also some text fixes.
*v1.15 Finished Fri. Jul 27, 2007 Added some information on Attack combat art,
 some text fixes, and an update to "Allowed Sites".
*v1.16 Finished Sat. Aug. 11, 2007 Added some info on Disarming skill and some
 text fixes. Also updated "Contact Info" with my new e-mail address.
*v1.17 Finished Sat. Mar. 1, 2008 Added info on some skills, and added tips
 on difficulty levels, potions, transfer portals, quota-based quests, and the
 "Bounty Hunt". Edited "Legal Issues" section with some copyright
 information.
*v1.27 Finished Thu. Jan. 1, 2009 Edited tips on enemy levels and flying
 enemies. Added tips on patches, quests with time limits and items with skill
 requirements. Added sections on horses and combos. Also edited information
 on attributes and most skills. Edited information on certain combat arts
 after some research. Made some text fixes.
v1.28 Finished Sat. Feb. 7, 2009 Updated copyright in "Legal Issues" section,
 Added to "Who is the Gladiator?" Section. Added some information about
 gladiator weaknesses in "Gladiator Pros and Cons" section. Edited information
 on Stomping Jump in "Combat Arts" section. Removed Bounty Hunt tip from "Misc.
 Tips" section and specified information about using weapons in combat.
v1.29 Finished Sat. Jun. 27, 2009 One little text fix.