I do not mean "break" as in "render the game unplayable/unwinnable", but as in "play through the game in a way the designers did not intend". I've been messing around in the game trying to figure out how to sequence break as much as possible, and I figured I'd share my findings here. Hopefully this will be entertaining to someone. I openly admit my debt to [url]www.it-he.org[/url] here.

First, when starting the game pump all your points into mental, dexterity and technical skill. We want to have the last one as high as possible early on. For the first two, it's best to put more into mental since spellcasting is also helpful.

After you've cleared out the goblin base spend some time repeatedly lockpicking the armory. You can use the key found in the room with the sleeping goblin lord to lock it. Every successful picked lock gives you 150 points of experience. Save before every attempt so you don't break your picks before you gain a few levels. The first couple of levels are at 2000 experience intervals, and the next after 4000 more experience, which you should be able to get with just a few minutes of grinding. Raise your technical skill to around 90, and then you can focus on other things. Stealth can be fun, once you can pickpocket people.

Keep going until you get to the city of Arx. With your skill you should be able to pick the front door to the crypt. After opening the lock, double-click on it to open the portcullis. On the first level of the crypt there is an exit to other parts of the caves just north of you. You'll need a pickaxe to reach a lever inside a tomb and a stick to insert into an empty lever slot. Congratulations, you've gotten past the trolls to deeper caves without even talking to Lord Lunshire!

One of your first priorities from now on should be to gain spellcasting gestures. Breaking into the laboratory beyond the library in Arx castle helps, as none of the people present actually care that you pick locks and grab stuff. The general store in Arx and the twin traders have some good ones to sell as well.

The paralyze spell is very handy in making it past guard NPCs, as it keeps them from turning hostile during the duration of the spell. You can use this to get to the upper level in the Arx throne room: Paralyze one of the guards, then run past him. As long as you keep your distance on the upper level, he won't turn hostile. Another spot where this is handy is entering the goblin settlement before you should: Paralyze the gate guard, then pull the lever next to him using telekinesis spell.

One thing you can do with the help of levitation spell is to get a birthday present to Greu before you are allowed into the troll camp. Down the river there is an opening high up that will get you near Burwaka. The trolls won't turn hostile as long as you don't go near the gate guard. You will need to levitate at a very specific height so you don't get stuck on the ceiling yet will be high enough to get into the opening. I've found casting levitate at the middle of the rope bridge will get you there. Just don't go over the edge of the bridge, or bumping into the ropes will lift you higher.

Just wanted to step by and say that this is amazing. If you find more, you could check if someone over at speeddemosarchive is interested in using these kind of bugs to do a speed run.

DOUG the Eagle of Ultima 7 fame has made an anti-walkthrough on this game, I'd suggest you guys give it a read.

You do know what's the best use of the levitation scroll right?

You can use it to get to the dragon (and therefore to get to two runes) before you can even uses the spells! It's a bit silly though (you need to hump a stalagmite when levitating so you can pass the chasm and keep going into the dragon area.

My definition of game break in this one...

1) Be a two faced, greedy bastard (for example, help both goblins, and trolls, and then eliminate all goblin city in righteous self-defense). After that, march into troll territory, kill them all, no one cares.
2) Rob the bank. Side quest and very ludicrous in both loot and xp.
3) Let your would to be victim, such as Garry the bank owner, see you enter their private areas; they attack, you can kill on self-defense, guards won't trouble you later if done correctly, even his own, damn fiancee, does not notice him being dead... And he even reappears in the working-npc-time-patterns in his bank, in his place, but simply dead (corpse); bank, guards and co operate as normally!
4) Summon the woman Ylside once to kill her to get her armor and sword (this sword is good against Akbaa or serious enemies such as the lich). And like 10 to 20 more times to kill her afterwards (after hitting level 9) to get max xp and hit level 10 (you cannot max your character with only quests).
5) Just before assaulting the final fortress with the temple of Akbaa, after finishing all quests and cutscenes, cruise through ALL levels, and slaughter magnificently EVERYONE, and EVERYTHING! To the last man/woman/child/chicken/pig/lover/king. There are no consequences, you still saved the world, Yay! Yet, in an additional, different definition/interpretation/meaning, but oh, well...

Hilarious! :D :D :D