Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant (1992)
Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant is a 1992 role-playing (rpg) video game made by Sir-tech Software and Nightdive Studios.
Your party arrives on the planet Guardia in pursuit of an ancient artifact, and they are not alone. Crusaders of the Dark Savant puts several competing factions on the same world, all chasing the same goal, and asks you to navigate the politics while managing a party through deep, unforgiving dungeon crawls. Characters imported from Bane of the Cosmic Forge arrive with their full history; new parties start cold. The game's world is expansive and largely silent, which makes every piece of lore you uncover feel earned.
Quick answers
What is Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant about?
Your party arrives on the planet Guardia in pursuit of an ancient artifact, and they are not alone. Crusaders of the Dark Savant puts several competing factions on the same world, all chasing the same goal, and asks you to navigate the politics while managing a party through deep, unforgiving dungeon crawls. Characters imported from Bane of the Cosmic Forge arrive with their full history; new parties start cold. The game's world is expansive and largely silent, which makes every piece of lore you uncover feel earned.
When was Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant released?
Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant was released on 21 September 1992.
Who made Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant?
Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant was made by Sir-tech Software and Nightdive Studios.
Similar games
Explore Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant guides
Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant in our writing
- Companion guide: The CRPG: The Complete Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games
- Companion guide: The Golden Age of the CRPG: 1981 to 1999
- Companion guide: The Dungeon Crawler: Grid by Grid Through Gaming's Oldest Genre
- Companion guide: Sir-Tech: Wizardry, Jagged Alliance and the Roots of the RPG
A few thoughts on Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant
For the feeling of small figures on a very large board pursuing something cosmically important, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves captures a similar party-driven adventure energy, though with considerably more humor. The Last Thane offers the same dense, traditional fantasy world-building in novel form for when the dungeon needs a rest.
Party-based fantasy quests with deep character growth
Crusaders of the Dark Savant lets you import a party's entire history from Bane of the Cosmic Forge, so every choice already carries weight. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves puts that same tabletop-born party dynamic on screen, while The Witcher 3 and Skyrim build sprawling worlds around characters who grow stronger with every dungeon cleared. Renegade Immortal takes the idea further, turning cultivation and rank into the entire plot.
Rival factions racing for the same prize
Crusaders of the Dark Savant puts several factions on the same planet, all chasing the same artifact. Vikings turns raiding clans into rivals fighting over the same land and glory, while Avatar: The Last Airbender pits four nations against each other for control of a war-torn world. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and The Walking Dead trade kingdoms for gangs and survivor camps, but keep the same turf-war logic.