What
Mortmal said. But on the upside, EotB3 stuck to its guns and tries to be a game similar to its predecessors, meaning that players get a decent trilogy where all three games play the same. You'd be surprised how many other game series had the third game be some kind of mutant that doesn't fit in with the other two.
But EotB3 still has a lot of problems, and I've mentioned many of these before:
# An optional dungeon that doesn't need to be entered to beat the game.
# Said optional dungeon being placed at the start of the game.
# Optional dungeon turns out to be the hardest dungeon of the game. In terms of scaling difficulty the rest of the game is almost smooth sailing compared to the Mausoleum.
# While interesting loot can be found in the Mausoleum, the walk-away prize is an item that restores lost levels... except the only monster which drains levels is only found in the Mausoleum. So if you don't go in there, you don't ever need the Rod of Restoration.
# The Mausoleum has puzzles which require a Thief to be solved - yet the only Thief NPC in the game can be only be found and recruited if the aforementioned puzzles are solved.
# The game is based in an iconic location in the Forgotten Realms - yet at least one monster in the game hails from Dragonlance, a completely different world.
# Enemies with powerful abilities don't ever use them. Why be a grotesque monster with a spitting attack, if you don't ever use it (Ogre Slugs)? Why be a spellcaster if you don't ever cast any spells (Shade Wizards)? Why be a legendary undead figure with a renowned form of attack, if you never ever use it (Banshees)?
# The game has mechanics for covering paralysis, yet only the two boss creatures can cause paralysis, and they only do so if you let them.
# The game has mechanics for covering petrification, yet there isn't a single creature, trap, or other situation in the game which can petrify your party members.
# Having a super-tough and powerful enemy occupy the final level of the game, yet have the game give you the most powerful weapon in the entire trilogy (Dhauzimmer), which instakills aforementioned enemy with a mere touch, making said enemy a mere irrelevance. (Try killing an Undead Knight in Dungeon Hack, for comparison.)
# Deliberate soft-lock circumstances. EotB1 had none of them, EotB2 unintentionally had a couple of them, but EotB3 has intentional ones?
EotB3 needed another month or two in the oven where they went over the game balance, before being released.
I haven't played Dungeon Hack in decades, but I do remember a few pointers which may be obvious:
# Barring the final endboss, IIRC all the monsters from EotB3 can appear in Dungeon Hack. Yes, even Acwellan. And yes, also the Living Muck...
# Dungeon Hack has a lot of D&D-mainstay monsters which may have a surprise up their sleeve. Wererats, Gargoyles and Cockatrices are early examples.
# Speaking of the monsters, the only monster in the Dungeon Hack-bestiary I never encountered is the Blue Dragon. I did encounter a couple which aren't in the Bestiary though, like the critter on the front of the game box (Anyone know what monster that is BTW?).
# Every floor has (up to) two monsters assigned to it, plus a singular third, more powerful monster. 9 times out of 10 this third monster is guarding the exit to the floor below.
# To beat the game, this third monster must be slain on the bottom floor of the dungeon. Whether that's 10 floors or 25 floors, the goal is always the same.
# The most common monster I encountered is the Tlincalli (scorpion people). The game seems to love them to the point that I'm likely to encounter them on multiple levels.
# Every map is always filled out. If you have an empty space on your map, you haven't explored hard enough.
# The most innocuous-looking weapon may be your salvation.
# The Scrying Glass identifies objects in your hand. Perfect for when you can't cast the Identify-spell.
# Hunger will be a factor. Plan accordingly.
