Looking for a basic Legacy of the Ancients walkthrough guide?  If that is the case, then this post will be for you.

This for Legacy of the Ancients walkthrough guide is based on a current C64 gameplay session I am playing, recording, and posting to my YouTube channel found here.  I played this game long ago back in 1987 on my Commodore 128 in C64 mode.  Recently I decided to play it again.

Legacy Of The Ancients Walkthrough Guide

This Legacy of the Ancients gameplay guide will lead you along through the various steps of the game.  When you read it you will find it easy to follow and know where to go next and get some tips along the way.  It’s not a 100% step by step, “do this this exactly like I tell you” walkthrough guide.  It will explain where you need to go and what you have to do, but not hold your hand too much.

Character Level Advancement

Legacy of the Ancients does not award the player level advancement for defeating monsters.  You gain no ‘experience’ for killing creatures at all.  Your character will advance levels by completing steps/events towards the overall completion of the game.  Depending on how you complete tasks and examine the museum exhibits will determine how your character advances.

Legacy of the Ancients Play Guide: Quest Steps

Get Robbed!

When you start the game you have in your possession the Magic Compendium.  In this phase of the game you are instructed to explore the museum and the outside world.  Somewhere around 200 days of in game time the Magic Compendium will be stolen from you.  Go back to the Museum and talk to the Caretaker when that happens

Game Tip:  At level one you will possibly get killed a handful of times, don’t let that discourage you!

Explore the Continent of Tarmalon!

After the Compendium is stolen and you have talked to the Caretaker you should now be level 2.

Work on building up your gold.  Explore the continent, make notes of where the towns are and what their names are.  Be sure to put into the bank any gold you don’t need.  Your gold earns interest quickly in the bank.  The more you save the more interest you make and it can grow quickly.  If you are good at blackjack you can earn gold quickly playing it, just don’t earn more than 1,500 gold per visit to town otherwise you could ‘break the bank’ and the guards will attack you.

Game Tip:  Always try and keep a couple hundred gold on you so you can buy Museum Coins when offered.

Crossbow and Shield Training!

While exploring the continent, make sure you complete training with the crossbow and shield, doing so will raise your character’s dexterity and endurance.  Only a handful of towns offer such training.  It will cost you 50 gold pieces per mini game play session.

The Galactic Museum Exhibits!

Examine as many museum exhibits as you can, especially the Herb of Life (Juton Bush), Weaponry, Fountain, Thornberry, Native Currency, and the Pirate Treasure.  Just by using those displays you ‘should’ earn a level advancement for your character from the Caretaker at the Museum.

Game Tip:  Visit the Caretake in the Museum often, even when he doesn’t summon you, he may have some information for you.  Usually he will just tell you to do more, explore and use the the exhibits, other times he may be ‘closed’ and not available to talk.

Once you have a couple hundred days of food and around 500 gold pieces you can activate the Pirate Treasure exhibit with a Topaz coin.

When you travel to the pirate isles buy a boat in the town Eagle Point along with climbing gear, then sail west until you find an island with a structure on it.  That structure is a Dungeon… just stepping foot inside the dungeon and then immediately leaving will be enough to earn you another level.  Don’t attempt to run the dungeon, just enter it and leave, then travel back to the museum… the Caretaker will advance you another level then ask you to help him with a quest.

At this point you will likely be level 3 or 4.

Legacy of the Ancients Crown and Scepter Quest!

Crown and Scepter Quest!  Before you can earnestly set out to complete this quest you need to build up your gold if you have not already.  Once you get 6000 to 7000 gold pieces saved, go to the town of Mazelton and buy MAGIC FLAME and FIRE BOLTS, you can have a maximum of 100 of each.  It might be a good idea to buy a few healing herbs as well.

Then head to Keflor Castle on an island north of Alanville towards the center of the continent.  You can buy a boat in Alanville and sail it to the island the castle is on.  You will also want your Hit Points to be as high as possible.

Raid Kelfor Castle!

Be ready to fight the guards with your magic.  Keep an eye on your health  Try to engage the guards when they are two steps away from you with your magic.  Open all chests, look for secret passages, open all the doors with the keys you have and the key you find.

Game Tip:  Take CHARM over GOLD, you will be glad you did in the long run.

Game Tip:  Look for missing ‘lines’ in the walls, that means there is a secret passage.

If you thoroughly explore every door and open every chest, you should have the scepter.  You may also have collected enough gold to replace close to what you spend on magic.

Crown and Scepter Quest: Part 2!

After you have cleared the castle, opened all the doors, found two secret passages, fond the tulip, the magic seeds, and the scepter, you can now return to the Galactic Museum.  You may want to find a bank on your way there and deposit the gold you looted to earn interest on it.

At the Museum talk to the Caretaker and he will hint to you where to go next (pirate isle dungeon you were at earlier).  Also, if you can, return the Tulip to the fountain exhibit (jade coin required).

Leave the Museum and go restock up on magic.  Maybe buy a couple dungeon spells too, and buy a dozen healing herbs as well.  You may need another 7000 to 9000 gold to make those purchases.

Suggested you have:  2-3 pieces of armor, 2-3 weapons, 100 Fire Bolt, 100 Magic Flame, 10-15 healing herbs, 8-10 Kill Flash spells.  You will also need 400 to 600 food, just to be safe.

Crown and Scepter Quest: Part 3!

After you stock up on spells and healing supplies listed above, head back to the Galactic Museum (you will need a topaz coin) and head back to the Pirate Isles via the Pirate Treasure Exhibit.  Buy a boat and climbing gear in Eagle Point if you need to, and then head back to the Dungeon on the island to the west.

The Crown is at the bottom of the pirate isle dungeon.  This dungeon is 8 levels deep.  Have fun!  Once you find the Crown and a Sapphire Coin (they should be in treasure chest right next to each other) you can backtrack your way out of the dungeon… don’t get killed!

Game Tip:  When exploring the dungeon make sure you use the ‘examine’ ability often to search for hidden traps.  Use your magic to fight monsters.

Game Tip:  Magic is important to surviving this dungeon, your melee weapons are going to require a few hits to kill monsters, magic spells can do it in one shot.  Kill Flash spells are handy on the way back out… yep, you have to go back the way you came to escape the dungeon.

Dungeon Mapping is usually not needed for Legacy of the Ancients, the dungeons are all basically on a 16 x 16 grid.

When you make it out of the Dungeon you are rewarded with a Strength stat increase!  Head back to the the Galactic Museum and talk to the Caretaker to return the Crown and Spear.

When I completed this quest I did not get a level advancement, but the Caretake did give me some Magic Ice, and said that it worked best indoors.

Sapphire Coin:  Use the Sapphire Coin you found in the Dungeon to open the LOST DISPLAYS exhibit right away.  Once you use this particular Sapphire Coin you will need buy another one as soon as it is offered by a merchant, but I think you can only have one Sapphire Coin in your possession at a time, so use it ASAP to open the Lost Displays, and buy another as soon as it is offered, you will need it later.

Stones Of Wisdom, Legacy of the Ancients Mini Game!

If you have an amethyst coin you can use it to access the Museum Exhibit Stones of Wisdom.  Playing this game against the computer and winning will cause your intelligence to go up by 2 points per win if your intelligence is below 30.  It will go up by 1 point when your intelligence is above 30.  Whenever you lose a game your intelligence will drop by one point.

You want to try and have an intelligence of 30.  It will make a huge difference when you cast spells.  The higher your intelligence the less likely your spells will fail.

Stone of Wisdom game play strategy:  You need to anticipate what dice your opponent has versus what you have, and learn to call their bluff if you think they are lying.  Take your highest hand (I count one one, then one six, then two ones, etc. from lowest to highest, as the game does) and add a quantity of one to it. So if you have two threes you can bid three threes. The computer does the same thing.  And when the computer is loosing the game, has less dice than you do, it starts to lie a lot and throw yo off… so keep that in mind.

To access the Stones of Wisdom exhibit you need an amethyst coin, in order to play the game you need to have 50 pieces of gold per game play.  So bring plenty of gold to keep playing as much as you need to get to intelligence of 30.

Kelfor Castle Level 2!

It’s a good point to go back to Mazelton and buy up as much offensive magic as you can.  Then head to Keflor Castle!

At Kelfor Castle head to the top of the game map until you see the river, stand next to it, and use the Magic Ice the Museum Caretake gave you.  The Magic Ice will create an instant frozen bridge across the water.  Head across and you will soon be at level 2 of Kelfor Castle.

The guards will instantly attack, so be ready for that.  Have you magic and healing ready.  There are a few doors to open, lots of chests with gold and some other items, a room with a swirling floor, and a room with a ‘gas trap’.

Swirling Floor Room Tip:  Stay on the path.  Look at the pattern and determine were you need to walk to get to the center of the room.

Gas Trap Room Tip:  Look for secret passages around it.

Wizard of Potions Tip:  Pay him, it will be worth it.  He will increase your dexterity to 36 if it is not already that high, and add =5 to your endurance.

There is one door in Kelfor Castle level 2 that you will not be able to open… that comes later.

Once have you explored everything except that one locked door, you should have in your possession a Turquoise Museum Coin.

Head back to level 1 of the castle.  Once you are on level one, if you don’t want to fight the castle guards, use one of your magic seeds to make you invisible, and then you can just walk out.

Sapphire Coin & The Knight’s Test

Before heading back to the Museum check your inventory.  Do you have a Sapphire coin?  The first one you received you should have used opening the LOST DISPLAYS exhibit in the Museum.  If you didn’t do that already, you need to do it now.  Then, once the Lost Displays part of the Museum is open you need to go out into the world of Tarmalon and talk to Merchants and Friendly travelers and try and buy a Sapphire Coin.

(always check in with the Caretaker when you enter the Museum and before leaving… just in case he has some information for you and/or wants to advance your level).

The second Sapphire Coin you need is for the exhibit called THE TEST, which is the Knight’s Test… the Catacombs of Armak!

Game Tip: Don’t use this exhibit until you read the section below!

The Catacombs Of Armak! (The Test Exhibit)

Stock up on spells and healing herbs again.  You will want to have 100 each of the main offensive spells, and 10-15 Kill Flash spells, and 10-15 healing herbs.  Once you have all that head to the Museum and use your second Sapphire Coin to activate The Test Exhibit.

Doing so will send you to the bottom of a dungeon and you have to escape the dungeon alive.  That’s it.  Don’t die, escape alive by climbing from level 8 all the way to the surface.  The monsters in this dungeon look the same as those you faced in the previous dungeon, but harder to kill.  Magic works best, as handheld weapons will take 5-8 good hits to kill an creature.  Magic can do it in 1-2 hits.

Your strength will be increased +10 when you escape the dungeon, which does a lot to help you deal physical damage moving forward in the game.

Once back in the Museum go and talk to the Caretaker to see if he will advance your level.  Once that is done it’s time to use your Turquoise Museum Coin!

Legacy of the Ancients Turquoise Coin!

Use the Turquoise Coin on the Guardians Exhibit that is found in the Lost Displays section of the Museum.

You will be given a special ‘word’ to speak…  yep, you need to now go back to Kelfor Castle and ‘speak’ the word at that door you couldn’t open on level 2.

Back To Kelfor Castle Level 2!

Use the Magic Ice like you did before to access Kelfor Castle level 2.  Head straight to the door you couldn’t open on your first raid of level 2, located towards the left side of the game map.

Once at the door, us the Speak command by pressing “S” on your keyboard.  The door opens, go in and talk to the dude that is there, and he will give you a ‘mark’ and give you a hint on your next step of your quest.

Legacy of the Ancients, The Guardians!

With the secret ‘mark’ given to you by the mage, head back to the Museum and check in with the Caretaker yet again.  He may have news for your, he may not.

Either way, if you have a Topaz coin you need to use it to head back to the Pirate Isles using the Pirate Treasure exhibit in the Museum.

Once you get back to the Pirate Isles head to the town Eagle Hollow and seek out the healer there… He will give you a Ruby Coin at the same time telling you a little about a secret society and how you need to find four guard jewels to help you in keeping the Magic Compendium safe and secure.

Legacy of the Ancients Four Jewel Dungeon!

With the Ruby Coin you can now access the ‘Four Jewel‘ exhibit in the Museum.  The Four Jewel dungeon is the last dungeon in the game, it’s also the most deadly and the hardest to navigate.

So back at the Museum talk to the Caretaker again and see if he advances you or provides any news about the Compendium.  At this point in the game you are likely level 6 or 7.

Before heading straight for the Four Jewel dungeon you should go and stock up on magic and healing herbs.  Max out on the two main offensive spells as well as the Kill Flash spell… you are going to need them.  Also, make sure you have at least 20 healing herbs.

Once you have all that stuff, head back to the Museum and use the Ruby Coin on the Four Jewel exhibit.

Four Jewel Dungeon – Get In And Out!

This dungeon like all the others is 8 levels deep.  The monsters are tough.  Physical attacks do very little damage.  Magic attacks do by far the most.  Keep an eye on your magic spells.

Game Tip: Don’t use the blue healing boxes you find unless you really need them.  Leave some behind for your return trip out of the dungeon.

The four jewels you need to recover from this dungeon are all on level 8.  But in order to reach them you need to go down from level 7 into 4 areas of level 8 that are not connected.  This is what makes this dungeon tricky.  You will have to go down, then back up, only to go back down, a handful of times.

There are also lots of traps in this dungeon, so make sure you ‘examine’ often.

Once you find all four jewels you need to fight your way back out of the dungeon.

Legacy of the Ancients Diamond Coin!

Once you find all four Guard Jewels and escape the Four Jewel Dungeon, head back to the Caretaker and check in.  You should be at least level 7 at this point of the game.

The next thing you need to do is find a Diamond Coin.  That means going out into the world and talking to merchants and friendly creatures until one of them sells you a Diamond Coin.  This could take a while, or it could go pretty quick.

While you are searching for someone to sell you a Diamond Coin, make sure buy lots of healing herbs, 30 healing herbs should be more than enough.

Don’t worry about buying any offensive magic or dungeon spells, you will not need them.

One you are able to buy a Diamond Coin put all your gold in the bank you may have left, and head back to the Museum.

The Pegasus Exhibit!

With the Diamond Coin, maxed out offensive magic and 25 to 30 healing herbs, head to the Pegasus Exhibit in the Museum and activate it.  You will want to climb on the Pegasus when asked.

From there you will see your character flying to the east atop the Pegasus.  You will fly over a couple small islands and eventually land on a larger island.  The only structure on the island is the Warlord’s Castle.

Legacy of the Ancients – The Warlord’s Castle

Shortly after entering the Warlord’s Castle you will get captured and all your armor and weapons taken away.  Oddly enough you keep all your magic and other possessions.

Here is a list of a few things to keep in mind while in the Warlord’s Castle:

  • Speak to the guard.
  • Use your magic ice.
  • Take the armor out of the chest.
  • Magic does hardly any damage to the guards, use your melee weapon for max damage in combat.
  • Use your healing herbs when your HPs are below half.
  • The Guards when they attack maintain formation, so beware of taking fast damage.
  • Use the Guard Jewels when next to the Compendium.
  • Escape the fortress!

Once you escape the Warlord’s Castle, fly the Pegasus back to the Museum.

Legacy of the Ancients Game Won!

Once back at the Museum go talk to the Caretaker.  He will advance you to level 10 and give you 50 thousand pieces of gold.  Then he will tell you to go look at the Compendium Exhibit in the Musuem, and when done come back and talk to him.

Talk To The Caretaker Or Leave The Museum?

After you examine the Magical Compendium exhibit you have a choice to make.  Either go back and talk to the Caretaker as he instructed or leave the museum.

Talking to the Caretaker:  If you talk to the caretaker you will see the end game and read about how you overcame impossible odds to succeed.  It is a pretty cool ending, and worth watching.  But when its over you don’t get back control of your character.

Leave the Museum:  If you leave the Museum without talking to the Caretaker a second time, you are free to wander Tarmalon as a level 10 character with a lot of gold.  The game is effectively over, but you can still wander around and fight monsters, spend your gold, or watch it grow fast on the crazy interest if in the bank.

Legacy Of the Ancients YouTube Walkthrough

All of the information above in my Legacy of the Ancients Walkthrough Guide can be watched on my YouTube channel.  The LotA walkthrough as you see above is pretty much the same as my YouTube Walkthrough of the game.

You can see the entire Legacy of the Ancients gameplay walkthrough here.