Having a bit of a time with the finale of Chapter One (spoilers!)

NeveroddoreveN

I am at the final battle with Desther in the finale of Chapter One. I am playing a level 9 wizard with Daelan as hired help and a fey as a familiar. Can anyone suggest a good strategy for winning this battle?

OlvynChuru

What enemies are you facing?

This fight, like other undead fights in the game, has different enemies depending on your level. The fight with Desther can actually be harder when you're at higher level because the enemies that appear at higher levels are so much tougher.

BelgarathMTH

Don't go into the room with Desther. Use "Follow Me" and "Stand Your Ground" commands to keep Red Tiger, your familiar, and your dire spider from going in there either. Draw the swarm of undead out into the corridor and then around the corridor to the small room (not the room immediately outside Desther's chamber, the one further away). Use that narrow space as a bottleneck to help crowd control all the undead.

Once Desther has summoned a skeleton warrior, that thing is a priority target. Use your spells, wands, whatever you have to get rid of it.

I think those four undead in the room forming Desther's protection circle can be ignored once you've drawn him out of there. He'll leave the circle to come get to you if you refuse to go in there. If it looks like he's still protected, you may have to run in there and kill them, but they don't fight, so get all the moving and attacking undead out of your way before you worry about them or Desther. A Haste spell or Potion of Speed can really help keep you moving away from him at that point.

You'll need a lot of healing supplies and wand charges to take him down as a wizard. That's probably the hardest class to do this battle.

The whole scenario is made much harder than it should be by the brain-dead companion AI. That's one of the reasons you don't want your companion, familiar, and summoned creature going into the main chamber - they'll run around switching targets like chickens with their heads cut off until they get sliced to ribbons within a couple of rounds. Forcing the battle out into the narrow hallways really helps mitigate the AI problem.

Question2

I did this with a level 6 or 7 fighter and it was pretty easy. Might be harder with a wizard. Buff Daelan as much as you can prefight with haste and bull's strength, the most dangerous thing Desther does is summon a skeleton warrior chieftain. As long as you can clear most of the undead before he does, then kill the chieftain quickly, Desther shouldnt be an issue after that.

Raduziel

If full party control was provided you could use Daelan to spam Knockdowns.

Too bad it isn't.

First I clear the room from all the undeads, except for those casting the spell on Desther. Just after everything is killed and I'm properly buffed I start picking up the spellcaster-undeads.

When Desther charges he becomes priority #1. The main goal is to disrupt his Animate Dead casting - if he can summon it the battle becomes way harder. If the Skeleton lands in the field it automatically should become the main target.

IDK what spells do you have available, but buffing Daelan sounds like a good plan. Too bad you can't switch his weapon to a Dire Mace - it would be way more effective against the skeleton. With FPC that would be possible.

Stay out of the fight and let Daelan absorb the aggro. Spam magic missiles: Desther gives up quite quickly in this fight.

Good luck.

Cerabelus

I've played Wizard many times, it's not easy but can be done Solo.

If i remember correctly when you reach Fenthick prepare AOE spells, Stoneskins and i use Lvl 2 spells for Bull Strength, Bears Endurance, Flame Weapon and even Cats Grace to boost AC and ranged attack if you prefer
(i like playing as an Elf for Longsword & Bow proficiency), than open the main door where Desther is and lure over the Mob but don't move from the door so only 2 or 3 enemies can attack you than smash them with AOE (but aim far enough away to not hit yourself) Lvl 4 Ice Storm is good and Lvl 3 Fireball but some enemies are resistant or immune to fire (Revenants) and most Undead are resistant to other damage types but Acid damage isn't common and the 3 Lvl Mestil's Acid Bread is a cone attack so no risk of hurting yourself and i find very useful against enemies that are massed in front of you, i always end up fighting a Skeleton Chieftain and he is a serious threat and it can take a few attempts, once the Undead & Golems surrounding Desther are dead just wack him with anything you have left and he'll give up.

Oh and make sure you search the rooms as there is a couple of chests (one of them has a very serious fire trap on it)