Deadly Towers/Dungeon maps

Dungeons are probably one of the most frustrating aspect of the game, and the worst part is, a majority of them are entirely unnecessary. The only reason that a player should ever willingly enter a dungeon is to go shopping for basic items. Even so, you should know exactly how to get from the entrance to the shop or shops, and how to get from the shops to the exit, so that you don't end up wandering around the dungeon aimlessly and losing all of your health.

Even with these maps, the dungeons can be a bit quirky and difficult to figure out. Each dungeon can be laid out on a 16 by 16 grid. The edges of the grid do not necessarily mark the edges of the dungeon. It is possible to travel from a room on one edge, to another room on the opposite edge, both horizontally and vertically. A number of features are indicated on the maps to help you navigate through them and ensure that you are not getting lost.

The most obvious points to indicate are the entrances (your starting point) and the exits (the only point from which you can leave the dungeon.) In addition to this, three more things are indicated; the locations of rooms that have circles on the floor which lead to shops (with the specific shop indicated by a number from 1 through 8, see below), the location of rooms that have circles on the floor which don't lead to shops or exits (that is, they are plainly decorative), and the location of rooms that contain Bounder Towers.

The Bounder Towers are indicated for two reasons. The obvious reason is that Bounder Towers are exceptional rooms to collect money and health from. The less obvious reason is because when you travel into a Bounder Tower room through the north door, it is extremely easy to become hit and killed by these towers as they rise. When moving south through a door into a Bounder Tower room, always enter through one of the extreme sides of the doorway, and travel diagonally away from the center as you arrive in the room.

One last note about the dungeon maps: You will notice that some dungeon entrances also contain shops, but when you enter the dungeon, you may not see them. These entrance shops will only appear under certain conditions. First, you must have visited the holy flame at the cliff wall by using an Orange Scroll at least one time, and you must exit the room and reenter in order for the shop to appear.

Shops
Shops are a fairly reliable source for equipment. Unfortunately, some of the best equipment is rather expensive, considering that the most money that you can carry is 250 Ludder. That's why knowing the location of the nearest Bounder Tower rooms is so important, so that you can quickly recoup the money that you spend. Shops will always have a preset list of items available, and that list will only change at two points throughout the game. After three bells have been burned, the shops will change to reflect the increased difficulty of the enemies that you will encounter outside. This happens for a second time after five bells have been burned. Some items are not available for sale until these changes have taken place. Other items, like the Hyper Boots, are only available early on in the game.