Frontier Walkthrough

Frontier is everything an online adventure game is all about. Addictive, engrossing and always entertaining, this game far exceeds the expectations set by many of the other adventure games online. You are in control of everything and really decide what your fate will be. This game is definitely far different than the typical adventure games in that you don't have a specific enemy to attack or specific items to collect. There is no specific path to follow. Your goal is pretty simple - stay alive and use all of the resources at your disposal to make something of yourself. You can build an empire in this game should you decide to. It's entirely up to you.

There are fifty cities in Frontier you can visit and learn to trade with. Each new city is located in one of ten unique environments and provides new opportunities for trade. In every city, your base will be the tavern. In the tavern, you'll learn about the city and gather knowledge that will help you determine the best way to do business in that city. The main page of the tavern screen will give you the basic stats of that city - the population, the crime rating, the level of technological advancement, the climate and a list of people you can hire in that city. Take note of the description of the city. That description can offer you insight into the best way to do business in that town. All of this is important information you can use to your advantage.

While you should always visit the tavern first in each city you visit in Frontier, there are several other things you can do using the tabs at the top of the screen. You'll be playing the bulk of the game using these tabs, so if you want to do well in the game, you need to understand what those tabs are and how you'll be using them. The 'travel' tab is important. It not only allows you to any city within your travel radius, but it also allows you to see how much various goods are worth. Look for what goods are worth the most gold and then go to the 'buy' tab. The 'buy' tab allows you to buy goods that you can sell or trade in other cities, but you don't want to waste the gold you have. For that reason, you should use the 'travel' and 'buy' tabs together. Use the 'travel' tab to see what goods are valuable and which ones aren't and only buy the goods that are valuable on the 'goods' tab. Try to look for goods that are worth a lot in all of the cities you can visit to make the most out of the gold you spend. The 'sell' tab works basically the same way as the 'buy' tab. The only real difference is that you're gaining gold instead of losing it.

Arms and weapons are important in Frontier. As you travel from city to city you may encounter buchoneers that will try to steal your goods. You have the option of surrendering, battling or fleeing. Fleeing will often allow you to evade the attack, but it will also set your journey back a certain amount of time. Surrendering is not a great option either. Battling is only a good option if you have the weapons and armor to defend yourself. You can buy weapons using your gold when you visit new cities. The weapon you begin the game with will be enough to get you through the first day, but you'll definitely need to purchase weapons as you progress. The great thing about the 'arms' tab is that you're able to sell weapons through the very same tab. This makes it easier to get the money you need for more advanced weapons. Buy a few less expensive but less effective weapons in the start of the game and then sell them when more advanced weapons become available. Just as arms are important for defending yourself, so to is armor and protection. As with weapons, what you start the game with will be enough to help you survive the first day, but you'll need to spend gold to purchase more advanced armor as you progress. To buy new armor or protection, you'll visit the 'armor' tab. The 'armor' tab is laid out much the same way as the 'arms' tab. As with the 'arms' tab, you can also sell armor through the 'armor' tab. The best strategy with armor is the same as with weapons. Buy the least expensive stuff first and sell it when you need to buy the more advanced armor.

The 'Vessel' tab in Frontier allows you to upgrade your vessel. Upgrading your vessel will increase the amount of room you have for buying and selling goods and will also increase your travel radius. An upgraded vessel will also allow you to hire employees and mercenaries making upgrading well worth the resources. Upgrading your vessel is different from buying goods, weapons and armor in that you'll be using goods instead of gold to purchase your upgrades. You'll need to purchase the good before you can do upgrades. This is where the real strategizing begins. You need to find the balance between buying goods to sell for gold to buy more goods, weapons and armor while reserving enough to spend goods on upgrades. For example, to upgrade to horseback you'll need five iron. The tradeoff is that you'll increase the amount of goods you can carry by ten (from a thirty good capacity to a forty good capacity) and will also allow you to travel faster. That balance between goods for gold and goods for upgrading is important. If you can't find that balance, you won't do well in the game.

The 'Party' tab in Frontier shows you information about your party and your reputation. If you've upgraded your vessel to the point that you've been able to hire workers or mercenaries to join you on your journey, you will see the basic information about those party members on this tab as well as the basic information about your character. Pay attention to the stats. You can see how many kills you've amassed, have many battles you've won, how many times you've surrendered and how many times you've fled. All of that information factors into your reputation which also helps determine what kind of experience you'll have when you travel between cities. Your reputation is important to keep an eye on as well. The decisions you make in the game will have an impact on your reputation. Figure out what kind of reputation you want to have and make decisions in the game that will enforce that reputation. For example, if you want a good reputation, help anyone you find lying in the road as you travel instead of robbing them. Equip yourself with decent weapons and armor so you can attack instead of flee when confronted by the enemy.

The final tab we're going to look at it the 'guild' tab. There are two guilds you can join in Frontier; the 'Enforcers Guild" and the "Buccaneers Guild". You aren't required to join a guild and to be honest, most newcomers to adventure games aren't going to want to do so until they've built up a little experience with the game. In fact, many newcomers may choose to skip the guilds altogether. More experienced adventure game fans, however, are going to love the guilds. You can only join one guild and which one you choose to join will greatly effect your game. You are choosing sides in a very contemptuous war. The Buccaneers and the Enforcers are on very opposite sides of the law with the Enforcers working for the law and trying to keep order while the Buccaneers rob and pillage. Before you join a guild, you need to be aware that joining will increase the number of skirmishes you face. For example, if you join the Enforcers, you will be confronted by the Buccaneers far more often and the same is true the other way around. Make sure you have decent weapons and sturdy armor if you consider this option or you'll be in real trouble. Joining a guild will, however, give you a closer association with the other guild members and will provide you with quests you need to embark on. If you like a more structured game with more clearly laid out goals, joining a guild is a great option as long as you're prepared.

Overall, Frontier is an excellent adventure game that challenges you to make smart decision and find the careful balance between earning old, upgrading with goods and selling goods to earn more gold. If you're careful and take your time to make the right decisions at every turn, you can build a vast empire in this game. This addictive and engrossing game will put your skills to the test but will always remain entertaining and fun. It isn't an easy game by any stretch of the imagination, but that's really what makes it so much fun. Far more involved than the average online adventure game, this one is perfect for anyone who wants to try something a little different without completely abandoning the genre they love. If you're a fan of challenging adventure games, this is definitely a game you need to play.