Solo, HoF, EL1 Ironman Runs - Druid
iwdee_fmc_solo
Member Posts: 60
While the F/M/C may be the poster child for solo, HoF, EL1, Ironman runs, veteran players will recognize the Druid as another powerhouse. With their fast progression at low levels the Druid is able to leave Easthaven with access to SL4 (Spell Level 4) Druid Spells like Animal Summoning I, along with other powerful spells like Call Lightning, and Static Charge.
Between these powerful spells they are able to clear Orc Cave and Goblin Pass with reliability and practicality, making them one of the best classes for this challenge as they can reach Kuldahar with relative ease, and go immediately into Heart of Winter where powerful items are to be had, and the massive amounts of quest XP in Lonelywood and the Barbarian Camp will accelerate them through their midgame slump.
As part of an ambitious project to create a comprehensive guide for solo, Heart of Fury, EL1, Ironman challenge runs I will be doing them with every single class. The basic thread is here:
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/88835/solo-heart-of-fury-el1-ironman-runs-every-single-class-and-comprehensive-guide#latest
A few notes:
(1) Rolls are done with the console + subtraction. I cannot find an autoroller for Linux that I can make work. Disdain me if you must, but these will only increase the consistency, not the reliability, and practicality of a run. Yes, it is not as great an expression of skill. Yes, I'm okay with that.
(2) Double quest XP is on. It's a part of the game mode, and classes need to hit certain benchmarks at specific times for a reliable and practical run. This helps with that.
Between these powerful spells they are able to clear Orc Cave and Goblin Pass with reliability and practicality, making them one of the best classes for this challenge as they can reach Kuldahar with relative ease, and go immediately into Heart of Winter where powerful items are to be had, and the massive amounts of quest XP in Lonelywood and the Barbarian Camp will accelerate them through their midgame slump.
As part of an ambitious project to create a comprehensive guide for solo, Heart of Fury, EL1, Ironman challenge runs I will be doing them with every single class. The basic thread is here:
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/88835/solo-heart-of-fury-el1-ironman-runs-every-single-class-and-comprehensive-guide#latest
A few notes:
(1) Rolls are done with the console + subtraction. I cannot find an autoroller for Linux that I can make work. Disdain me if you must, but these will only increase the consistency, not the reliability, and practicality of a run. Yes, it is not as great an expression of skill. Yes, I'm okay with that.
(2) Double quest XP is on. It's a part of the game mode, and classes need to hit certain benchmarks at specific times for a reliable and practical run. This helps with that.
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Comments
Sure, I played with a solo Totemic Druid on HoF both in IWD and HoW. Forgetting about big bosses, it's just an easy run. 😎
I don't use area transitions so often. IWD Druids have many useful indoor spells: Produce Fire, Smashing Wave, Spike Growth, Static Charge, Thorn Spray, Wall of Moonlight and others.
Also, personally, I don't care at all about that no-reload BS, it's counter-productive vs training and improvement. 😎
That is impressive. Your point about Beetles makes sense, and at times while clearing the Orc Cave I wondered about switching. ASI is just too inconsistent tbqh. If it was always Black Bears, and not 6 of them, then I think the situation would be different, but the difference between 1 Black Bear and 5 Wolves, versus 5 Black Bears is just enormous. Call Woodland Beings is absolutely critical to have up in key fights, and when 4+/6 Wolves answer your call it's a huge decrease in capacity.
Judging from the 2 AC Barkskin she gives you, the Nymph casts spells as somewhere between a 16th to 19th level Druid. Her Call Lightning can do close to 100 damage in a single bolt. This absolutely shreds through enemies in Orc Cave, and Goblin Pass, making the route to Kuldahar, and HoW, very reliable and practical for a Solo, HoF, EL1, Ironman (SHEL1I = "shelly") Druid.
However, they still have fundamental issues with safety compared to the Cleric. Their cast times are long, and the durations are short. When pulling the Ogre Party and The Picnic in the Orc Cave it is very possible for a stray arrow to catch them in the middle of ASI. Fortunately, you can reliably reset the area and get the space to squeeze off the spell on return to Wolf Valley because the game groups them together in the middle, just around the bend.
What do you think about the Avenger? -2 Str and Con is pretty negligible, and the arcane spells are pretty useful ones. Personally, I think this might be the strongest Druid kit for a SHEL1I run. Totemic seems redundant lategame, although earlygame I understand that it helps with having to not squeeze off Hold Animal or Call Lightning.
Ironskins + Entropy Shield + Regen + ISoM is the best prep they have that I can think of. I know it might elicit frowns, and is out-of-bounds for a base game only run, but the safest route is to get to Heart of Winter ASAP and bask in the XP the game showers upon you just for doing the LW + BC dialogue.
After that you can go as far as reasonable for whatever magical items make reliable and practical sense, then return to Kuldahar, and proceed through the rest of the game. From a routing perspective, going to HoW also opens up a lot of interesting possibilities. Not just for the Druid, who probably can't justify ToTL like the Mage can (no Wind of Heaven
Well, we can't exactly forget about big bosses
Play the game how you want
Yes, it hurts to lose a character permanently and have to go back to the beginning of a run, but to me that also makes them more meaningful. Of course, you won't be able to lab or study the game in the same way as if you can freely reload and walk around areas with a max-level, max-attribute, EEKeepered character, quick-saving and quick-reloading while you cast Fingers of Death to check for XP values, or under Sanctuary in order to count the number of foes awaiting you.
As far as "training vs. improvement" goes, I think there aren't that many basic strategies you can implement, so getting better at the game is really about your knowledge of things like enemy data, trap data, quests, item locations, etc.. Sure, there is strictly-speaking an infinitude of variations when it comes to actually playing the game, but the basic things you can do to succeed in a SHEL1I / SHEL1 run are:
(1) Kite
(2) Ultra-buff
(3) Summon
(4) Cast Scaling Damage Spells
As a solo martial class, you are forced to kite the enemies. You cannot cast spells so (3) and (4) are completely closed off to you except if there is an item you can use. (2) is partially available to you, but in a limited form because it's dependent on what potions you can use, which are a finite resource, and what magic items you have. Kiting is not always reliable, or practical. In a solo run, it is a death sentence to become surrounded, or cornered. Therefore, some cramped areas, like Wolf Valley, cannot practically be kited through.
I was writing about this last night in the Guide, but there is technically enough space for you in the middle to squeeze past the Wolves. However, if you have all three Wolves up, then you'll need to do some juking on the ends first, and there are lots of corners for you to get stuck in during this process, which are insta-death in a shelly run, meaning your character is at a high-risk of dying while kiting through here, and you'll need to do a LOT of kiting, an impractical amount, to squeeze off enough shots to finish the Wolves.
One idea is to juke into the Orc Cave, because it's free, but then you've also pulled the three Orcs inside into your kiting action, and you can't do the same on the east end of the screen because the units will all heal back to full if you transition to Easthaven, so here you still have to find a way past whoever is now in the Valley without leaving it. The only way past enemies in such a cramped area is to kill them which requires (2) - (4) on HoF.
All that is to say that kiting, while absolutely powerful in its own right, is a strategy that cannot stand on its own, and classes that do not have sustainable access to (2) - (4) (or even access to begin with), like martial classes, are trying to scale a cliff face with their bare hands if they want to play SHEL1I / SHEL1 in the first place.
@Yigor, it’s far more efficient to use a 4th level spot on beetles outside, then pull 5-10 enemies outside and destroy them with a couple casts of Call Lightning. Respectfully, Thorn Spray and Smashing Wave can’t compete, and an argument for Static Charge is basically an argument for Call Lightning. One can also cast Static Charge outside with Call Lightning going.
Avenger would be my second choice for a kit (Improved Invisibility is very handy for a Druid for AC, positioning, and anti-targeting reasons) but Totemic is still the first. Spirit Animals are useful all the way through and their immunity to normal weapons at lvl 10 trivializes a couple of non-trivial areas.
As a SHEL1I Druid, he does not care as much about the expansion as arcane casters do, but there is still much XP to be had there for little risk, and if Icasaracht is slain, then her White Dragon Scales make a fantastic suit of armor for a Druid. Also, as a Druid, he probably does not have the power to make a consistent no-reload run through the entire expansion. For one, he does not have access to Spell Immunity, meaning his strategy for dealing with Dispel Magic is basically Invis Pot + Rebuff.
Enough of that, let's walk through the last stage of his adventure
With Beast Claw, and a slew of buffs + Beetle debuffs, this became a much different story.
With all the Beetles dead (they all died I just am still getting better at taking pictures of my playthroughs), it was time for the Wolf
More like time for Call Lightning
Like @Aerich has said, one of the most critical skills for a Druid solo is the ability to kite away from enemies and get Call Lightning off. A small amount of luck is required as the long casting time and requirement for line of sight before it starts casting means the foe will probably get a chance to hit you. Still, the damage is very reliable, AND practical
With the wolf dead, we have to take care of Goblin Bridge next, and get Damien his fish back. Blah blah blah Call Lightning. What's cool about this point is the spell will actually strike Goblin's in the Fog of War near your target without aggroing them. This caused a few Goblins to die without my Druid having to interact with them at all. VERY reliable, and practical (I love Call Lightning).
So, with Easthaven clear, now it's time for Wolf Valley and Orc Cave. The Wolves are easily handled with Hold Animal, albeit putting you in a bit of a stressful situation while you wait for the first to be held. Orc Cave is straightforward as a Druid. At this point you have Animal Summoning I, so just pull Orcs outside, and Call Lightning. It looks like I'm outmatched at first, but, Call Lightning. There's a pattern here..
The Ogre Party is a little scary, but at that point you will have Animal Summoning II. Cave Bears and Dire Wolves are much stronger than Black Bears and plain Wolves. Success here largely hinges on three things:
(1) Getting ASII off
(2) Getting a Nymph out
(3) Call Lightning
Without Call Lightning this battle would be an hours-long slog. With it you will be surprised how quickly the Ogre Party falls. Don't forget the Call Lightning spell the Nymph has. She casts it at somewhere between 16th to 19th level, and it can do close to 100 damage at a time. Ogres will evaporate.
With the Orc Cave clear (don't forget to take care of all the small parties strewn about in between The Picnic and Ogre Party!) it's time to turn these quests in to Hrothgar, and Gaspar, and move onto Kuldahar Pass.
The first party of goblins is a Must Win, in a cramped space, with your back against the wall. You can always try to slip past them, but you will only run into more goblins. And more goblins. And More Goblins. There are dozens of goblins in this Pass, and on HoF they are accurate and hit hard. Get your animals out, get a Nymph up, and Call Lightning. Weave Bless and Curse in to help your friends with their martial task.
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First Party
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Second Party
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The second party of goblins will probably leak into your battle with the first. Be cognizant of the timer your animals are on. The time between when your animals unsummon, and new animals are summoned is when you are most vulnerable. Ironskins, the 5th-level Druid spell, helps a lot with reliability here as it will protect you from Spell Casting: Failure while it's up.
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Third Party
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Heading through the center will lead you to another party of goblins. Be aware that your spells are running low at this point, and that trying to rest is probably not going to be reliable. Defeating this party put me over 200k XP and gave me EL11, and sixth-level Druid spells.
All I need at this point is to rest, but instead I get a Goblin Marshal on my tail! Wait a minute, what's that I hear in the distance...
RUN. Run and you'll make it to Kuldahar
What items do you recommend? I'm trying to figure out what I want my route through HoW to be. After the initial windfall of XP I can probably deal with the Burial Isle topside, (except for maybe the Polar Bear Spirit
Thinking what I'll do is summon my best army, and send them in to deal with banshees while I wait offscreen, or kite back to the surface for Call Lightning, and some of the anti-Undead spells if Barrow Wights and Drowned Dead show up.
The good news is that's the last major party of goblins left in the main area of the Pass. I head north towards the Broken Tower and clear out a few stragglers. Inside the Tower I find an Ogre, Ghereg, who is suffering from a pounding headache. I don't want to fight Ghereg so I give him a remedy and he leaves. The Tower is my base of operations for clearing the rest of this area. The biggest challenge is the clearing to the north. Over a dozen goblins are going to be on me in short order after the transition so I prep Ironskins, and Barkskin. I'd love to have Entropy Shield up as well for the -6 AC and missile immunity, but I don't have enough spell slots
Madness greets me. Animal Summoning III, II, Call Lightning, and Call Woodland Beings makes short order of these green stooges, and gives me EL12. An Invis potion had to be popped. Curiously, Call Woodland Beings breaks invisibility. Good to know.
There is a cave at the back of the clearing. It is full of Beetles, but not the docile kind found in Grisella's cellar. With rest, and two Animal Summoning III's, they are quickly dealt with
The last place to clear is the Ruined Mill in the northeast. The top floor is dominated by an Orc Elite named Uligar. He wants us to pay tribute to him, and we are not strong enough to impress him with our ferocity, so we give him 50 gold, and inch towards the door so that we have an escape route if things go south. Then we start casting spells. When the smoke clears, the top floor has been as well, and we loot A Merry Shorthorn from Uligar. Cool! 1,000 gold!
The bottom floor of the Ruined Mill is obnoxious. It is a cramped space, and you don't have enough room to dump aggro. It is a screen transition so you also can't bring summons with you. You could kite the goblins up a floor to waiting summons, but that might get you surrounded. Entropy Shield does not have the duration to make that a comfortable spot, Ironskins will eventually slough off from enough blows, and on HoF they come fast and accurate. We prep, and then summon Beetles.
The goblins fall before our Beetles, we help Jermsy out of the closet for 4800 XP, and the Pass is clear!
However, I recommend just clearing the top, getting the insignia, and going. Easier xp for a druid is Gloomfrost, because Stalker was made for killing Remorhaz. Further, you may want to clear out BI’s containers after you get Kaylessa’s speed boots and other items from the Severed Hand. Druids can use the Sanctuary Ring from SH, so speed boots and sanctuary, which isn’t broken by looting, is far safer.
The thing about druids is that they aren’t reliant on items. If they need a club, Star Metal Cudgel is much easier than BI’s club. Anyway, a pure Druid isn’t a melee killer, so risking much for a melee item isn’t wise. I believe the blind dwarf sells a Frostbrand.
Ogre girdle, bone ring, ring of holiness, ring of protection, wailing of virgins, and weapons. You also need the best headwear you can get.