Game:

Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum (1986)

Duration: 4:59

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This is the only part of the game that has unavoidable encounters while following the main questline... the square at the southwest corner of sector A-1, and the encounter after using the Gold Key to get the Eye of Goros. Both encounters are escaped using the 'retreat' command.
---NOTES---
High baseline stats and gains are for insurance purposes to help defeat some random encounters. The +4 might, speed, and accuracy bonuses have been taken before this point. High baseline endurance yields more starting HP (and larger potential HP bonuses if leveling). I still don't know what the Luck stat does and didn't prioritize the stat while creating this character (or pick up the bonus in Castle Dragdune).
All gear bought in Dusk.
LANTERN - Helps navigate sector A-1. Could replace with another Sun Scroll. Bought in Erliquin.
ROPE & HOOKS - Propels the party forward 2 squares and works some places the Jump spell doesn't (Sorcerer 2-4). Used to avoid the 3 trap tiles that move your party 1 square through the wall towards the outside of The Endless Spiral. Bought in Sorpigal and Erliquin.
GOLD KEY - Prevents being repelled by the door at the end of The Endless Spiral. It also casts the Invisibility spell (Sorcerer 3-3).
RETURN SCROLL - Casts the Town Portal (Cleric 6-5) spell. Convenient to use after completing a main objective. Bought in Dusk for 2000g.
SUN SCROLL - Casts the Sun Ray (Cleric 7-5) spell. Useful on some sector A-1 enemies if forced into combat. Bought in Dusk for 3000g.
DIAMOND KEY - Casts the Teleport (Sorcerer 5-5) spell, and unlocks the Diamond Door northeast of Algary to get to the Astral Plane if your Eye of Goros runs out of charges (Sorcerer 7-1). Useful to avoid forced encounters and necessary to get into some areas before and after this point in the game. Found in sector B-2 off the main road between Erliquin and Portsmouth. Sells for 1000g (making it a decent gold farm).
My gold and gem farming to buy gear and scrolls is done in Erliquin using the Town Treasure square in the back of the training facility. Rope & Hooks (or the Diamond Key) can be used to avoid the guards. Saving at the inn resets treasure and guards. Repeat until you have what you need.
---BRIEF MAIN QUEST WALKTHOUGH---
START - Walk to Erliquin and save. Get the Diamond Key in sector B-2.
ERLIQUIN - Sell the Diamond key. Buy Rope & Hooks (Lantern is also useful) and starting gear. Farm gold (and gems) for funds to upgrade in Dusk, using the hooks to bypass town guards, save, reset, and repeat. Gems are useful to access the leprechaun's town portals in Sorpigal for easy travel. Make sure to pick up another Diamond Key.
SORPIGAL - Use the Diamond Key to bypass the fixed encounters in the dungeon and get the Vellum Scroll. Deliver it to Agar (+XP) in Erliquin.
DUSK - Use the leprechaun in Sorpigal to get there. Visit Telogran (+XP/Gold) and upgrade your gear (Return Scrolls are useful). Use the portals in the dungeon to get to Portsmouth (5th door on the right). Use the Diamond Key to get to the Sorpigal portal (1 east from stairs) as well as the speed and accuracy bonuses (and the Shrine of Okzar to farm gear if you like).
PORTSMOUTH - Male character's HP drain at intersections. Use the Diamond Key to bypass the fixed encounter to get to Zam. Use the Diamond Key in the dungeon to get the might bonus. There is a gear farm in one of pools as well.
ALGARY - Use the Rope & Hooks or Diamond Key to bypass the fixed encounter to get to Zom. There is a portal to the Sorpigal Jail behind the training facility. The Swaze pit is behind the inn for endless random encounters, useful for training/testing/farming.
RUBY WHISTLE - Sector C-1 @ 1-15. It can be equipped (+2 luck).
MINOTAUR'S STRONGHOLD - Use the Diamond Key to bypass Strangling Vines, trapped doors, and Exploding Spores to get the Gold Key and XP.
CASTLE DOOM - Buy scrolls in Dusk to make the journey easier. If you have a sorcerer with access to the Etherealize (6-3) spell, you can go north from the sector A-1 entrance and bypass a long walk with the fixed encounter. Use Rope & Hooks to bypass the trap tiles in The Endless Spiral.
MERCHANTS PASS - Search the appropriate wagon in sector C-1.
KINGS PASS - Long walk through sector A-2 but doable. Buy scrolls in Dusk to make the journey easier. The Valley of Fire does not reduce HP below 1.
ALAMAR'S CASTLE - Horatio gives the password to gain access. The passes get past the castle guards. The Soul Maze answer is SHELTEM.
CORAL KEY - Discover your sign via the Gypsy outside Sorpigal. Town clerics donation blessing (Today Spells!) includes the Walk on Water spell. Use this to get the Coral Key in sector A-4.
KEY CARD - Use the Diamond Key to teleport to the Volcano (C-4).
ASTRAL PLANE - Use the Eye of Goros or Diamond Door (E-3) to get here.
---CLOSING THOUGHTS---
Finishing the game past this point is a matter of going through the motions. I plan to upload pre and post footage when I have time.

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