History VideoGame / BetrayalAtKrondor

''Betrayal at Krondor'' is a computer WesternRPG created in 1993 by Dynamix and published by Creator/{{Sierra}}. It takes place in Midkemia, Raymond E. Feist's ''[[Literature/TheRiftwarCycle Riftwar]]'' world. [[note]]However, despite the misconception, Feist did not write any of the plot or the in-game text (having been busy with one of his books at the time), and the story and original characters are entirely the brainchildren of Neal Hallford, lead writer and developer.[[/note]]

* StrategyGuide: Though it's online and not a hard copy, the [[http://web.archive.org/web/20180617142836/http://notendur.hi.is/eybjorn/krondor/krondor.html BAK Help Web]] goes way beyond a normal [[WalkThrough FAQ or Walkthrough]].[[note]]Its webhost has expired, but you can download the whole thing [[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0Bwx_8AHu8jvpYTNmNDM2MWItOTkxOS00NjljLTk4ODYtY2NlYTZhMGIwNTFl here]] and open "krondor.html" to explore it.[[/note]] Featuring detailed maps, stats on every weapon and item, every single bit of text, and even a screenshot and stats for ''every combat in the game'', it's one of the most comprehensive resources on a single game out there.

* [[spoiler: TheUnfought]]: Delekhan, who is built up as the BigBad for most of the game, [[spoiler: ends up getting killed via cutscene after the game is technically over. At least you get to fight Makala, the actual BigBad.]]

* GridInventory: Your inventory space is very limited. Stackables only stack up to a maximum of two dozen or much less, depending on the kind of item, armour is huge, and there's VendorTrash.

* VendorTrash: Of the myriads of jewels and shells you can collect, only two can be used in any game-affecting way; the rest are just there to be sold. PlayedWith a little in that three diamonds you get as part of your quest can be sold, and the gold you get from them can be used to further another quest that requires you to spend a large amount of gold.

* DifficultySpike: The beginning of Chapter V is a great example of this. You're suddenly using a party with characters you haven't used in a while (or ever), two of which have nearly empty inventories aside from weapons and armor, and must fight through at least three extremely difficult combats (in which the enemies are wearing and wielding magically enhanced armor and weapons, which hadn't been seen before in the game) before making it to the nearest town.

''Betrayal at Krondor'' was a unique CRPG. Instead of levels and XP, characters gain percentage points in over a dozen skills, but only if they practice that particular skill. For example, a character can only improve his crossbow accuracy skill if he uses a crossbow during combat. Mages do not have any MP; instead, any spells cast use an amount of their [[CastFromHitPoints health/stamina points]]. In addition, the game utilizes some unorthodox RPG elements, such as day/night cycles, riddle-based puzzle lockchests, and even a food system.

* OrphanedSeries: The ''actual'' sequel, (titled ''Thief of Dreams'' and supposedly set in Kesh) the one thought up by the big brains behind ''this'' game and the one meant to expand on the loose ends left dangling here, never saw the light of day, thanks to ExecutiveMeddling. To elaborate, the studio closed up and the team went their separate ways because BaK didn't sell so good at first. ''Then'' it became wildly successful, and the meddling executives tried to backpedal and get the sequel going again, but the original team and concept were no longer there.

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: The game starts with Owyn patching up an apparently badly injured Locklear and warning that he isn't sure how good the healing was, yet every character starts with full health, better than is possible without visiting an Inn.

* NotSoDifferent: Pug and [[spoiler:Makala. Both Tsurani Great Ones, both willing to step over bodies to make a point or uphold what they perceive to be their duties, both having done so in the past.]]

* AllSwordsAreTheSame: Averted. Some swords are intended to be swung, and some are intended to be thrusted. Using a sword in the manner it is not intended to causes it to suffer a stat penalty.

** Pick a fight with any creature programmed to never retreat and kill all but one opponent, then get it to near death without killing it. Reset all your characters to focus only on training defense and spend the next 30 minutes just defending. Because stats drop with health the weakend foe's melee skills will be too low to sucessfully land a blow, but you can still raise your defense skill from these feable attacks. With 30 minutes of effort your team can have their defense skill maxed out, rendering them nearly immune to enemy attacks for the next few chapters.

* DummiedOut: Possibly an accidental example: there was a spell called Mind Melt that was meant to result from a quest where you get a (wrong) password from one house, go to another house where there's a secret meeting, then go back to the first house to get the correct password, ''then'' go back to the meeting-house, and then they give your party a magic scroll to help deal with trolls. In most versions of the game, that first house's NPC won't give you the correct password when you revisit.

** If you pick all treasures and kill all enemies in the first area and finish all sidequests that don't require to leave it, you should get enough money to buy two Greatswords. But even with Greatswords the northeastern route (Tyr-Sog — Highcastle) is hard for untrained party. Though if you manage to [[TrainingFromHell make your way through this road]], chapters 1-3 are a breeze.

* PointOfNoReturn: After Chapter VI, you won't be able to travel Midkemia again with those particular characters, as their next adventures take them to a different world and then to the final boss battle. Meanwhile, the B team in Chapter VII are [[spoiler: limited to the Dimwood and never used again afterward]].