The Ultimate NetHack Wish Guide: What to Wish For?
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So you’ve stumbled upon a wish in the unforgiving depths of NetHack? This is a pivotal moment that can drastically change your run for better or worse! The power to summon almost any item in the game is at your fingertips, but choosing unwisely can be a tragic waste. So, the burning question: What is the best item to wish for in NetHack?
The answer, while seemingly simple, depends on your current game state and your character’s class, but generally, the absolute best item to wish for is a blessed, greased, +3 gray dragon scale mail. For Monks, you’re better off with speed boots. This is the most universally useful item, offering robust protection and essential resistances, as well as making your armor less likely to get stuck on you.
Why Gray Dragon Scale Mail?
The advantages of gray dragon scale mail are numerous:
- High AC: It provides a significant boost to your Armor Class (AC), reducing the chance of being hit by enemy attacks.
- Magic Resistance: Perhaps the most critical attribute for survival in the late game, it drastically lowers the damage you take from spell attacks. This effect also makes it harder to be affected by other annoying magic effects.
- Greased: This property makes the armor easier to put on and take off, helping to mitigate the frustration of stuck armor.
- Blessed: This enchantment improves the armor’s overall reliability and ensures you don’t accidentally ruin it.
- +3 Enchantment: A +3 enchantment significantly increases the armor’s protective capabilities.
- Universality: While some classes benefit more from other armors, gray dragon scale mail is beneficial to almost any character build.
While it may seem like a waste to wish for armor, remember that the game is designed to provide all other items much more readily than armor with all of these key attributes. So, a single wish is the easiest way to obtain the most critical defensive item.
The Monk Exception: Speed Boots
For the Monk class, speed boots are the preferred wish. Here’s why:
- Monk’s AC: Monks have their own unique AC calculation based on their dexterity and experience, making heavy armor less impactful.
- Mobility: Speed boots grant extra movement, allowing them to better position themselves in combat, kite enemies, and escape dangerous situations.
- Offensive Power: Monks rely on quick, agile strikes, and speed boots directly complement this style of combat.
- Synergy: When the boots are combined with the other key items for a monk, they provide a character with amazing speed, and when properly maneuvered can give them the speed necessary to overpower enemies that would otherwise prove a significant challenge.
Specific Considerations
- Early Game: If you’re fortunate enough to get an early wish, the gray dragon scale mail is still a solid option, allowing you to be much safer from the very beginning. You might also consider a bag of holding to help manage the loot that you will find.
- Late Game: In the late game, artifacts can outstrip even well-enchanted dragon scale mail, but you cannot wish for them and they are very difficult to obtain otherwise. Therefore, using your wishes for gray dragon scale mail or speed boots for monks is never a bad decision. You should still hope to find artifacts, but wishes are better reserved for more dependable and accessible upgrades.
15 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Wishing in NetHack
1. What is a wish in NetHack?
In NetHack, a wish is a powerful effect that allows you to summon almost any item, with some notable exceptions (like artifacts). It’s typically granted by using a wand of wishing, rubbing a magic lamp, or via certain divine interventions. It is easily one of the strongest tools at your disposal.
2. Can I wish for artifacts?
No, you cannot wish for artifacts. This is a key restriction that ensures these unique items retain their special status. This limitation also means that the best items to wish for aren’t necessarily the strongest items in the game.
3. How many wishes can I get in a game?
The number of wishes varies. A single newly-generated wand of wishing has 1-3 charges, can be recharged with a blessed scroll of charging to get an additional 3, and can then be used again after that to use one final wish. Magic Lamps can provide a varying number of wishes depending on luck, and other wishes are rare. So, you can expect to find between 5 and 10 total wishes over a good game.
4. What does “blessed” and “greased” mean?
Blessed items are more reliable. Armor with this property will not rust, and weapons will not break. Greased armor is easier to put on and take off, a boon in the frustrating world of NetHack.
5. What are some other good things to wish for besides armor?
Besides speed boots for monks and gray dragon scale mail for others, consider a bag of holding for increased inventory space, or a magic marker for identifying the many types of scrolls and potions. The amulet of life saving can also provide an additional layer of safety.
6. What are some bad things to wish for?
Wishing for too many potions of gain level or scrolls of enchant armor can be detrimental due to the risk of cursed items or the chance of encountering more dangerous enemies that would be too high-level to reasonably handle. Also, avoid wishing for too much money as the game isn’t as focused on having to buy items as you might expect, and you’ll want to keep item drops.
7. Should I always wish for a +3 item?
In most cases, yes. A +3 is the maximum enchantment you can reliably wish for. There is a chance of rolling a +4, but this isn’t reliable enough to base any strategy around. +3 is a good balance between power and risk avoidance.
8. How do I ensure my wishes come true?
Wishing in NetHack is straightforward. Use a wand of wishing or rub a magic lamp. Your wish is granted instantly. The game will prompt you to type what you want.
9. How does wishing interact with alignment?
Alignment does not generally affect the outcome of a wish, though your gods might be upset if you are acting against their will. The major consideration is that the items will sometimes be cursed or uncursed depending on your alignment.
10. Is wishing for “health” a good idea?
No, you can’t wish for “health” or “healing”. Instead, you can obtain potions of full healing. But these potions aren’t ideal to wish for because they are relatively common.
11. Can I wish for a specific spellbook?
Yes, you can wish for specific spellbooks. However, these are easier to obtain in other ways, so a wish for something more vital to your survival like gray dragon scale mail is better.
12. What if I’m playing a character that doesn’t use armor?
If your class doesn’t rely heavily on armor, consider speed boots, amulet of life saving, a bag of holding, or gauntlets of power. A few more obscure items, like a cloak of invisibility, can also be good if you understand how they work.
13. Should I use my wishes immediately?
Not necessarily. It’s often beneficial to save your wishes until you know what you truly need. Assess your situation and understand the challenges ahead.
14. Can I wish for a pet?
While you can wish for a saddle, you cannot directly wish for a specific pet. Use the taming spell or a pet-summoning item instead.
15. What happens if I fail to use the wish correctly?
If you type something the game does not recognize, you’ll be given a random item that is much less useful. Be sure to type out the exact name of the items that you want, including enchantments, to maximize the effect of your wish.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the best item to wish for in NetHack is the one that best addresses your character’s immediate needs. However, a blessed, greased, +3 gray dragon scale mail or speed boots for monks provide the most universally applicable benefits. Armed with this knowledge, you are now better prepared to face the challenges of the dungeon and harness the power of wishes effectively. Good luck, adventurer!