So, you want to take over Waterdeep, huh? It will be no easy task. After aligning with a secret mentor, your agents will comb the city for adventurers to carry out quests, sabotage your opponents with subterfuge and intrigue. Lords of Waterdeep is a fun game, and if you need a little help getting the better of your opponent, these tips should help you up your game.

First, remember that every game of Lords of Waterdeep plays out differently.

There is no one perfect strategy. You'll want to make up your mind on which direction you want to go within the first few rounds. And whether you are playing a friend in pass-and-play or online, always pay attention to your opponents.

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Lords of Waterdeep Tips:

1. The game starts with the unveiling of your lord, which usually means a bonus for quests of two different types. These are the type of quests you will want to concentrate on during the game. It can be a good strategy to focus most of your attention on just one type of quest. So if you get Durnan the Wanderer, who gives a bonus for Commerce and Warfare, you might concentrate on Warfare, which will mostly use fighters to carry out the quests.
2. Buy a building early on in the game. You get more out of buildings the earlier you buy them, so they are most valuable in the first few rounds of the game. If there is a building that grants adventurers of the same type you'll need completing quests for your Lord, buying it in the early rounds can mean more quests completed by the end of the game.

1. Some quests are best done quickly. Similar to the buying a building early in the game tip, if you have a quest that grants a recurring bonus each round, such as the ability to play your agent in a spot even if another agent has used that space, the quest can be quite valuable early on, and almost useless later in the game.
2. Always calculate victory points. Ultimately, victory points are the key to winning. Adventurers are worth one point, and you get one point for every two coins. You can use this formula to calculate which quest gives the best bang for the buck. If a quest requires 4 adventurers and 4 coins, it has a cost of 6 victory points. If it only gives 8 victory points, you only gain 2 points for completing the quest. If it grants 8 victory points and 2 fighters, you effectively gain 4 points for the quest.
3. Sometimes, doing a quest outside of your Lord bonus is worth it. This goes hand-in-hand with calculating victory points. Some quests have a low cost with just a few adventurers needed and grant a fair amount of victory points, so if you see a quest that requires a wizard, a thief and a fighter and grants 8 points, don't worry about your Lord bonus, just go for it.
4. Selling adventurers can be a good deal, but watch out for the hidden catch. Sometimes, you'll have the opportunity to sell an adventurer or some coin to a fellow player for victory points, based on a particular Intrigue card being played. This can be well worth it for the right offer. For example, one adventurer equates to one victory point, so being offered 5 victory points for a priest is a no-brainer even if you need that priest for a quest. However, 4 victory points for four coin isn't so great when you consider an opponent is getting those coins. You may be gaining 2 extra victory points, but you are giving 2 victory points to an opponent.
5. Always pay attention to your opponents. That deal of 4 victory points for 4 coins may be worth it towards the end of the game if the person giving you the deal is way behind in overall victory points. You'll also be asked to give resources to an opponent after playing certain Intrigue cards. Knowing which type of quests your opponents are going after can help you pick the best player to receive those resources. For example, if an opponent is completing Arcana quests, you don't want to give him a wizard!
6. Focus on the big payout in the last few rounds. The first rounds of the game are great for completing quests with non-victory-point rewards, such as a plot quest that grants extra victory points upon completing more quests of that type. But at the end of the game, you want to go for those 20 and 25 point rewards.
7. Cascading quests is the fastest path to victory. Not all quests give just victory points, some give you back adventurers. Completing a quest that gives you four warriors and using those warriors to complete a second quest is a great way to rack up a lot of victory points. This is much better than completing that first quest and not knowing what to do with all those warriors.
8. Don't forget about Waterdeep Harbor! Playing Intrigue cards is a great way to get "free" resources. Remember, you get to reassign that agent at the end of the round, so you are not giving up resources to play the card. You might not get the resource you are after, since another player might go for it after you play your Intrigue card, but you will get something out of it. If you need to complete a quest, go for those resources at the start of the round, otherwise, playing a Intrigue card might be the better move.
9. Quests, quests, quests. It is a game of quests, and the player with the best quests will often win. The "Reset Quests" option in Cliffwatch Inn can be a powerful move if you don't see a good quest on the board and don't like those you have in your hand. Remember to calculate those victory points to locate the best quest, and remember to count your Lord bonus in the calculation.

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