Skip to content

Pillars of Eternity Minimal and No Reload Thread (spoilers)

15791011

Comments

  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    edited October 2019
    Interesting enough, I've been getting Pillars of Eternity vives recently and might try again!

    A paladin is a very good choice (my first documented fail in this thread is with a paladin). During character creation, you can read about each of their orders. Kind Wayfarers sound like good types (their favoured disposition is Benevolent and Passionate, disfavoured - Deceptive and Cruel).

    Till many later levels, I recommend going with a sword and board for any melee character. A hatchet can provide additional +5 to deflection even while it's a weapon.

    You can pick disarming traps for any character (just as any other skill) - no need to save it for a "rogue" type. Usually, disarming traps takes about 8/10 of your skill distribution, so think about a suitable character.

    The Temple of Eothas is a bane of no-reload runs, it's recommended to go and explore a few outside areas first. Don't hesitate to retreat from the area if a battle which you have just won seemed too hard for you, enemies looked scary, etc. I recommend finding at least one other companion.
    Arvia
  • xzar_montyxzar_monty Member Posts: 631
    Arvia wrote: »
    The game looks interesting (if a bit creepy), it's just totally different rules that need some practice.

    Why creepy? I'd be really interested to hear more on this.

    And yes, if you're coming from an angle that has anything to do with D&D, paladin is going to be different this time. I wasn't interested in paladins in PoE, but I wouldn't discourage you from trying.
    Arvia
  • ArviaArvia Member Posts: 2,101
    "Creepy" as in "there's a wind that eats your soul" like the Mashin Shin that scared me when I was 14 and reading The Wheel of Time, then you enter a village where people around behave like it's completely normal to have 18 corpses hanging from a tree, and there are children born without souls.
    I'm a very immersive player with vivid imagination. I find that a bit creepy :).

    I tried again with another paladin and avoided the Temple of Eothas for the moment. I solved the windmill issue, got the "cure" from Ranga (avoided the supposedly undead-infested part of the map for now), went to the Black Meadow, fought the bandits who had stolen the shipment, successfully killed some trolls, but then my party was wiped out by two... what was the name again?
    "Forest Lurker" I think.
    Aloth had used his best spells before, Durance didn't have much on the offensive side and stuck to buffing us and throwing his rod from a distance, and Eder and me tried to tank them. He had a Fine greatsword and died (not enough deflection with a two-hander) and I had a flail (for the extra chance to convert graze to hit) enchanted with accuracy 1, and a large shield. I died, too, because their blows dealt damage like taking a third of my endurance on a single hit.
    I couldn't disengage, either, it said "Stuck" when I tried, same happened with Eder earlier, although there were only two opponents. We weren't physically stuck, must be some game mechanic.

    Anyway, I've come to two conclusions: First, if every second map contains potentially lethal enemies to a noob like me, even on "normal" difficulty and with "maim before death" enabled, I won't try to no-reload. I will reload on party death only, of course, and keep a counter for knockdowns, too. I can't spam rest after every fight, especially considering the limited camping supplies.

    Second, I need to read about cleric spells, because Durance can certainly do better.

    Third, I've decided to build a barbarian with high health and endurance who can hit hard. She can try to do damage more quickly while Eder can be the tank. Someone must be able to kill the guys who hit too hard for tanking.

    She's a Coastal Aumaua (the blue ones), her name is Zarafil, she's currently in the starting "dungeon" with Heodan, dual-wielding a mace (for the bypass of DR) and a hatchet for the extra deflection. I'm undecided what will be her weapons in the future, but since she lacks accuracy, that will certainly be a priority.

    I'm going to introduce her properly once I see she gets further than my poor paladins.

    She will be roleplayed as a good-aligned character, of course.
    JuliusBorisovSerg_BlackStrider
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    edited October 2019
    Forest Lurkers are tough hitters in melee and hard to crowd-control. Don't be shy to change "natural" armor and weapons on your characters. For starters, I recommend giving the heaviest available armour to your main character, Eder and Durance (Durance can cast his spells when needed even standing right in the heat of the battle). Give all of them shields and hatchets. This way you get the best possible Deflection which should help tanking enemies. Always try to flank enemies (let one of your characters attack from behind the target). Never be afraid or shy using spells - while you will need to camp, you won't need to reload. Lurkers are hard to CC, but they are not immune to Prone. Aloth can learn Slicken when you meet him - use this spell a lot.

    Don't worry about any talents involving this or that weapon - to decide on which weapons to use you'd need to progress in the game to get good unique items first.

    I found impossible to play the game with only 1 tank, so I try to make as many characters tanks as possible. Now when your main is a barbarian she should be a damage-dealer, of course. You still can give her a good armor and equip shields on Eder and Durance.

    Cleric spells - use all the spells affecting your party and impoving them. Increasing Deflection and Damage Reduction is always a plus. CC with Aloth. 2nd level spells include a spell to paralyze your enemy and another to confuse them (these won't work on Lurkers but Slicken will). Also, have a Fan of Flames ready - Aloth can inflict good damage. Later you will find another character - I recommend giving him Durance's Staff (especially since weapons and armor can be upgraded in this game) - the staff has a long reach and he can stand right behind your tanks inflicting huge damage. But that requires tanks in the first place.

    About no-reloading with the first attempt - yes, I won't recommend that, even on Normal. My feedback to the game (and its main criticism) still stands: there are difficulty peaks in the game, which you can't know about in advance and which lead to situations like with these Lurkers.

    Increase Accuracy with other options: Durance's aura upgrade & flanking enemies is a good start.
    ArviaSerg_BlackStrider
  • ArviaArvia Member Posts: 2,101
    Thank you for the good advice. I've noticed already that it's not a good idea to focus on a certain type of weapon this early in the game. I don't even know if it's worth enchanting them, or if I'd rather hoard ingredients to upgrade an already good weapon in the future.

    The problem with the CC and AoE spells is that it's difficult to see which of them are party friendly (it seems like most aren't).

    Resting more frequently is certainly better than dying, true.
    Also, I've seen that food greatly boosts Endurance, but for a very limited time. And since I can't eat it once a battle has started, it means I'd either need to know in advance what expects me (and scouting is a lot worse than in BG), or to eat all the time, just in case.
    JuliusBorisov
  • xzar_montyxzar_monty Member Posts: 631
    @Arvia: Ok, thanks for the explanation for "creepy". I agree that the environment you describe is decidedly dark and unfriendly. Could be called creepy, too.

    As for the forest lurkers: as JuliusBorisov intimates, they are definitely a notch above what you've encountered so far, in terms of difficulty.

    I wouldn't try no-reload in PoE, to be quite honest with you. I agree that completing it would feel like an achievement, but given the likelihood of early death, I wouldn't take the chance.
    JuliusBorisovArvia
  • xzar_montyxzar_monty Member Posts: 631
    Arvia wrote: »
    I've noticed already that it's not a good idea to focus on a certain type of weapon this early in the game. I don't even know if it's worth enchanting them, or if I'd rather hoard ingredients to upgrade an already good weapon in the future.

    This is a question of temperament, of course, but from where I'm coming from, I would say this: don't Google this (or ask around). You are almost certain to find out, via trial and error if nothing else, and that's more rewarding than having someone spell it out for you.
    JuliusBorisovArvia
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    While it's indeed good to upgrade later weapons and armour, feel free to upgrade anything you want to Fine at least. This makes a lot of difference (and it's the cheapest upgrade, available at level 4). Eg. you have Durance's staff which has a wider reach and inflicts Fire damage. This makes the item a good candidate. Another good candidate is Aloth's armour which has a unique property, +10% larger AoE.

    Even if you later sell the item, consider upgrading its quality to Fine if you like the item.

    You can aim CC spells the way they won't harm your party members - the game provides good AoE markers.
    Arvia
  • ArviaArvia Member Posts: 2,101
    The AoE and range markers are really helpful.

    This game doesn't have a difficulty curve, it's rather a difficulty staircase.

    I'm in the Endless Paths of Od Nua and have 11 reloads. I think I'm going to stop counting and continue to play for fun only.

    One reload was stupid, because I foolishly went solo into the bear cave at level 2. Then, one reload because I walked into the main entrance of Raedric's keep, two reloads fighting Raedric (found out then that I'd better agree to help him, position my party and then attack. It's out of character, but since he triggers the dialogue, I had no way to talk to him and position my boys to avoid being mobbed to death), one reload because of a horde of little creatures, don't remember what, probably Xaurip, who were blocking our access to the damage shooting wurm things behind them.
    Tactical positioning or drawing enemies out is very difficult with the combat mechanics of this game.

    And then, of course, the ogres. Sigh.
    It took me several attempts and then I solved them by creeping forward, letting one see me, then run like hell until I'm sure there's only two following me, then fight them, rest, and go back for the next pair. If three attacked and one of them was a druid, we were lost.
    I did the same in the ogre queen's room. Unfortunately, sometimes you become visible to just one person at the edge of the fog, and then still the whole room comes after you.
    That's more like real life, of course, but it's really, really difficult.

    Durance is dead and gone. He got maimed in one fight, we went back upstairs to rest, the pathfinding took us through a little piece that we had forgotten to clear, and of course there was a trap.
    Can't say that I miss him, but it won't be easier without him. But I've heard that I can find a paladin and a druid later.

    As I said, I still like the game and will still reload on party death only, but I'm going to stop counting or it will get too frustrating.

    Serg_BlackStriderJuliusBorisovxzar_monty
  • xzar_montyxzar_monty Member Posts: 631
    When it comes to pathfinding, by the way, I found out on my last playthrough that the most dangerous opponent in the game, by far, is pathfinding. Outside combat it's fine, but in combat it causes you no end of trouble. In Deadfire, luckily enough, the problem has disappeared.
    JuliusBorisovArvia
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    edited October 2019
    @Arvia Just don't spend all your time in that dungeon. Try reaching the city at least and do some city quests. ;)

    The ogres are very difficult. Better to return to them later - since there will be a boss fight there as well.

    Check out this table:

    http://orcz.com/Pillars_of_Eternity:_Monster_Strengths_and_Weaknesses

    It lists monsters' level. Trying to fight them at lower levels - if you're doing it for the first time - can lead to reloads quickly.

    Ogre druids are lvl 8. Your party is not there yet. A few levels make A LOT of difference since you get new spells and abilities.

    And btw, from the table I've learned that the boss that ended 2 my no-reload attemps IS the hardest monster in the list. My gripe now is much smaller.



    Me, - I've returned to PoE and reached lvl 8 not long ago. Have only 1 knockout so far, with Cail the Silent one-shotting my cipher (I was lvl 6 then, wanted to challenge it), - just like he one-shotted one of the party members of @Serg_BlackStrider . I actually liked that challenge, it was nice to kill that drake while still being so low-level (not even lvl 4 spells). I more or less repeat party characters and abilities from the last run, but with certain exclusions: Eder now is wielding Tidefall and I didn't pick Defender for him - instead, I took Guardian Stance and +2 INT item + the Ring of Overseeing - this way Deflection of my cipher, Durance, Kana and Pallegina go up!
    Serg_BlackStriderArvia
  • Serg_BlackStriderSerg_BlackStrider Member Posts: 210
    Eder now is wielding Tidefall and I didn't pick Defender for him - instead, I took Guardian Stance and +2 INT item + the Ring of Overseeing - this way Deflection of my cipher, Durance, Kana and Pallegina go up!

    Powergaming wise it is better for a Tidefall's wielder to have a low INT. If you have a high INT then this will extend the 'over time period' the wounding effect is applying: Wounding: 25% Damage inflicted over time (5 seconds) - i.e. with high INT the very same 25% damage inflicted lash will apply over more than 5 seconds. In my opinion for high INT fighter The Hours of St. Rumbalt is better - high INT will extend the Prone duration. Anyway, since the only two-hander of my Crew is Pallegina I'm always torn between this two great weapons.
    JuliusBorisov
  • ArviaArvia Member Posts: 2,101
    @JuliusBorisov , I've finished the ogre level already, but I'm probably really leaving this dungeon soon. "Endless", really.

    It just seemed to make sense to continue there, because it's under my stronghold. I wouldn't go traveling if I had monsters in the basement.

    My party is level 5. That table you linked is a huge help, thank you!

    I thought I could use the dungeon to gain a few levels, until I noticed that killing doesn't give XP as in other games.

    @xzar_monty , the pathfinding is the enemy outside of combat, too.
    I only used it to get back upstairs, but it led me through black area that I hadn't explored yet. I did *not* expect that!
    JuliusBorisov
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    Eder now is wielding Tidefall and I didn't pick Defender for him - instead, I took Guardian Stance and +2 INT item + the Ring of Overseeing - this way Deflection of my cipher, Durance, Kana and Pallegina go up!

    Powergaming wise it is better for a Tidefall's wielder to have a low INT. If you have a high INT then this will extend the 'over time period' the wounding effect is applying: Wounding: 25% Damage inflicted over time (5 seconds) - i.e. with high INT the very same 25% damage inflicted lash will apply over more than 5 seconds. In my opinion for high INT fighter The Hours of St. Rumbalt is better - high INT will extend the Prone duration. Anyway, since the only two-hander of my Crew is Pallegina I'm always torn between this two great weapons.

    INT is for Guardian Stance AOE. And really, that hat giving +2 INT is essential on my main fighter as it also provides immunity to Confusion. So can't do otherwise. ;)

    I don't think about powergaming, more about surviving. I also haven't visited Dyrford yet. Prone won't help against bosses, though. ;)
    Arvia wrote: »
    @JuliusBorisov , I've finished the ogre level already, but I'm probably really leaving this dungeon soon. "Endless", really.

    It just seemed to make sense to continue there, because it's under my stronghold. I wouldn't go traveling if I had monsters in the basement.

    I won't spoil, and you probably shouldn't spoil it for yourself, but the dungeon is much, much deeper than the level with ogres.

    Killing doesn't give XP per se, but killing new monsters and filling the bestiary does. However, usual quests bring much more XP.
    Serg_BlackStriderArvia
  • Alesia_BHAlesia_BH Member Posts: 759
    Congrats on your take down of the Adra Dragon, @JuliusBorisov. Impressive! I definitely intend to study that post if and when I get there!
    JuliusBorisovBelgarathMTH
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    edited January 2020
    I remember when PoE was released, I played a thief, it was my first character. I got a lot of questions on how playing a thief can be fun in that game. Well, I definitely had fun, but eventually (since I prefer parties) I switched to first a paladin and then a cipher. But you are showing how a thief can be a solution for a solo play! ;) You know, for me the Temple of Eothas and Caed Nua are associated with dangerous spirits and phantoms (which are a real threat to a no-reload run, and I rarely attempt going against them without gathering all possible party members). You just breezed through without fighting.

    Also, I see you're really killing it with food. Even on the PotD difficulty, I still haven't managed myself to use food. The reasons, I guess, are a few, from not feeling ok to meta (as food can only be used before fights) to actual laziness: in PoE I just prefer to rely on skills/abilities and scrolls/per-rest/per-battle items maximum - all of them can be used in battle.
    Post edited by JuliusBorisov on
    Alesia_BHBelgarathMTHArvia
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    edited January 2020
    @Arvia , It just occurred to me that you might enjoy this game if you're looking for any new D&D style games besides BG and NWN. I can't remember if we ever mentioned it before.

    It's got a really good paladin class with lots of chances to roleplay appropriately. Paladins in the PoE setting serve more of a cause than a god, and what gods there are in the setting wind up being, ... well, it could be a massive spoiler if I say any more about that, so I won't.

    The gameplay is very similar to BG. The rules are different from D&D, but anybody who knows D&D will usually master the differences pretty quickly.

    Anyway, just a thought.

    EDIT: Oh, never mind, then; I reviewed older posts after I wrote this one, and I see you already tried it. My bad.
    ArviaJuliusBorisov
  • ArviaArvia Member Posts: 2,101
    @BelgarathMTH , I haven't given up on the game yet, although my first attempts have been frustrating, to say the least. Character building is very different from the games I know, and the combat system (especially the engagement mechanics and the fact that you quickly aggro a whole mob of enemies who will gang up on you) is a bit unforgiving for beginners.

    My latest attempt was with a barbarian, but I didn't even make it to Defiance Bay, and I think I'm going to restart with a paladin again. I made too many mistakes, and it's not fun if I can't identify with my character and tried to build it just for strength. (Besides, I chose Aumaua for the Might bonus, and she's blue-skinned)

    I have another undead hunter on a no-reload run in BG:EE right now, but I was playing PoE occasionally when I didn't feel focused enough for an all-or-nothing game.
    JuliusBorisovSerg_BlackStriderBelgarathMTH
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    edited January 2020
    Lucia, Moon Godlike Cipher, an Elmshore update

    After completing Act I main quests for the first time (yay, only 5 years later...), my cipher reached Elmshore. I found the end of Act I really refreshing and probably for the first time since the start of the game's story, I found it intriguing and interesting.

    Here we faced the ogres @BelgarathMTH mentioned once as a difficulty spike. I upscaled the content, so the enemies here were 5 levels higher than they can be (+2 from the PotD, +3 from upscaling).

    I can say that yes, the fights in Elmshore felt a lot more challenging than anything before (except for the Adra Dragon, of course). I can imagine how parties could be obliterated by Elmshore groups of druids or adragans.

    And I - really enjoyed them. I was looking for fights which made me use spells and not only rely on per-battle abilities. I got them.

    I approached the group of druids outside the cave without any preparation, and my party members were a bit exhausted after the end of Act I events and groups from the Stormwall Gorge. I wouldn't have done that if I targeted a no-knockout run, but hey, I'm playing all this content for the first time and just go with the flow.

    It was far from optimal, I guess I wanted to test how my party could cope even in case of using not the best of approaches towards the fight. This was the first time where I tried using Infuse With Vital Essense potions.

    The druids killed Aloth (Durance raised him), Kana and Durance reached 1 hp and thus I didn't raise them. Confusion, Domination, Tentacles, and buffs - this is how we dealt with them.
    rfcqlw1ljaof.jpg
    q1bhh7ae3tpu.jpg
    7u0fedenvex0.jpg
    qpj2jx02i15r.jpg
    ub363t4czmd6.jpg

    Inside the cave, I found Nalrend the Wise (one of the bounty quests). I decided to approach these druids by a completely different way and see if I could beat them safely.

    Spamming Confusion by Aloth and making the druids fight each other. Killing the lone druids when we got the chance. Beating the group of these high-level enemies without risks was possible.
    wy76tomk76se.jpg
    2ea6t3mt2vjv.jpg
    dkmfqz7b3urj.jpg
    za3d13sxwi51.jpg
    hqxjvsgasd8d.jpg

    I enjoyed both approaches. The rest of the fights in that area were fun too. When we reported to Warden Fyrgen and brought him Nalrend's head, our party reached lvl 12.

    I heard players should do the White March I content before going to Elmshore but I guess for my first real shot at beating PoE I won't do the DLC as I don't want to be over-levelled.

    Difficulty: Path of the Damned, Upscaled

    Settings: Maim Before Death: On; Injuries: On; Expert Mode: OFF; AoE Highlighting: On; Show Personality/Reputation: On

    Reloads: 0
    Knockouts: 5 Lucia, 3 Aloth & Kana, 2 Eder & Durance, 0 Pallegina
    Serg_BlackStriderAlesia_BHBelgarathMTH
  • Alesia_BHAlesia_BH Member Posts: 759
    edited January 2020
    Astrid, Pale Elf Rogue (Solo)- Entry 3: Defiance Bay- Part 1

    1g6z0ku4njfj.jpg

    Defiance Bay is great. It's a super easy place to accumulate experience. It's fetch quests and cakewalks galore.

    First we did all the fetch quests then we did the rest, starting with Helig.

    We began with beetles and a salvo from Forgiveness.

    26nf283xrb4n.jpg

    And that was all it took. After that we just had to stab some dead people in the kidneys.

    42mzzg1qfx9a.jpg

    (Oh. I almost forgot: we got to Helig by steathing and we reached the Temple of Woedica through stealth, too. But you probably guessed that, right? We got our hood from the practice guy. Scored a rugged wilderness cap from the catacombs altar and something useless from the other.)

    By now we had enough coppers to buy a very important item: the Rotfinger Gloves. These things are stupid- seriously overpowered when you find them. They let you cast Touch of Rot three times per rest and Touch of Rot three times per rest basically wins all the kith fights in Defiance Bay. Here's an example: Supply and Demand.

    First, we dropped our beetles.

    34pa8s0ff7rz.jpg

    Next, Combusting Wounds via Ring of Searing Flames followed by Touch of Rot, via the Rotfinger Gloves.

    xpu7q2cnzbsu.jpg

    Not much left to do other than accelerate the thugs' demise with a Jolting Touch. Astrid uses melee mostly for the procs. In my head I'm singing "I Wanna Proc" because I'm team dork for life and the 80's were hilarious.

    x5qewg2kp1s6.jpg

    All Hands on Deck was basically the same.

    ge1uqioyqplh.jpg

    If you're wondering what Astrid's been doing with her coin these days, the answer is not much, although somehow she's broke most the time anyways (Sound familiar anybody? I mean in real life...). She buys lots of crafting bits because she likes to keep a spread of single use items available at all times. She prefers Fan of Flames scrolls, Jolting Touch scrolls, potions of Infuse With Vital Essence, potions of Deleterious Alacrity of Motion and potions of Merciless Gaze (mostly because the animation looks cool). She's been upgrading her items, too. I'll give you a rundown in the next post.

    It was time for some new armor, so we got the Crucible Knights their stolen-soul, mechanical-monster death squadron.

    Standard start here: Beetles->Combusting Wounds->Touch of Rot

    14y1m2qamlte.jpg

    We took some early damage from Barbs of Condemnation. That was quickly healed with Second Wind, acquired via resting bonus.

    We finished up the fight by shooting this guy in the face.

    t5jpw8kpekhd.jpg

    The Parable of Wael was a familiar tale. We started over on the right side so the casters and ranged fighters would see the beetles first, targeting them instead of Astrid.

    rjsjt4r9ffl4.jpg

    And done.

    tmrljjk3y5fo.jpg

    Astrid's physical weapon strikes are almost always Azureith Jolting Touch crits or Forgiveness Finish Blows. The logic being that if it's just a regular strike, she can get more done with a scroll or an item charge. Why poke someone with a needle when you can burn them to a crisp?

    By now Astrid was at level 6. And that means new friends. I'm talking shades. We put a pip in mechanics to bring us to 4 and selected Deep Pockets as our talent. We then took a snoozy-woozy in the Fletcher's Stay room of the Goose and Fox for the mechanics bonus. Base 4 + Fletcher's Stay + Gloves of Manipulation yields 7, which means we can open that chest over at the Valian Embassy, granting us the Obsidian Lamp. Here's the new inventory. It's shaping up. We need Shod in Faith and the Ring of Wonder, but we're pretty much where we intend to be from here to Twin Elms.

    ay70spcxqba5.jpg

    The shades made their first showing at Purnisc's place. We had fun here.

    Forced to trigger the encounter in a disadvantageous position, Astrid opened with Shadowing Beyond.

    k0nr18seakqg.jpg

    She headed south, and the shades joined the party.

    glhtt9jvweyx.jpg

    With the shades in place, we had no trouble dropping the rot.

    wus3dsmx2tdy.jpg

    Nyrid was ended with an 80hp shot from Forgiveness and we moved on.

    jbnewb6dtizq.jpg

    We had to kill a couple of straggler mercenaries before heading upstairs. These were fun and roguey. The first guy took two swings. We opened with a crit our of stealth from Azureith's, triggering Jolting Touch. We followed with a Finishing Blow.

    u5d1kbdsgyg5.jpg

    Same start for mercenary 2. These Jolting Touch strikes out of stealth almost feel like backstabs.

    jdo3rjp7cz8l.jpg

    With Jolting Touch spent, we switched to scrolls. An un-proc-able weapon can't compare at this stage of the game. All it took was a nudge after that.

    5416rjmllfxe.jpg

    On the second floor we used stealth- which will work, even with the locked door, sans Shadowing Beyond.

    hkj6jfkyiozn.jpg

    Ok. Let's stop there for now. In our next post we'll cover the Doemenal questline. After that, it's time to face Irenicus in Spellhold Thaos in the Sanitarium.

    Best,

    A.
    Post edited by Alesia_BH on
    EnuhalSerg_BlackStriderJuliusBorisov
  • Alesia_BHAlesia_BH Member Posts: 759
    edited January 2020
    Astrid, Pale Elf Rogue (Solo)- Entry 4: Defiance Bay- Part 2

    By now Astrid had completed all the Defiance Bay side quests she intends to- with the exception of the Final Act. It was time to secure her place at the Duchal Palace. The easiest and best route for her is the Doemenel path.

    We entered the quest by killing the goons. This was a standard summons/Touch of Rot based kill. The only real drama here was the size of the Finishing Blow. She got a pretty good one.

    fz9po8sp1so5.jpg

    The Wenfeld assassination went well. Wenfeld uses Shinning Beacon so it's a good idea to maintain distance. We started off with a Forgiveness Crippling Strike.

    bvngpjz6vqqm.jpg

    We followed with shades. Wenfeld went with Barbs of Condemnation, which triggered our new item, Shod in Faith.

    kj1cvaatqftc.jpg

    All we had to do then was dump our spells on him while he dumped his spells on the shades.

    zetlzi0v3bo5.jpg

    Solid Finishing Blow

    7nxlasa5oc1a.jpg

    Best,

    A.

    Post edited by Alesia_BH on
    EnuhalSerg_BlackStriderJuliusBorisov
  • Alesia_BHAlesia_BH Member Posts: 759
    edited January 2020
    Astrid, Pale Elf Rogue (Solo)- Entry 5: Defiance Bay Part 3 and Cliaban Rilag

    Is there Instagram in Eora? If so, Astrid's feed would be all:

    r5uf5u0kyhra.jpg
    #estramore #elmlife #glanfabulous

    So: How did she get there? Through stealth, mostly.

    This post will cover The Man Who Waits, Undying Heritage and Through Death's Gate. And it will cover, I don't know one battle? No two, actually. There were two. We slinked by everything else. Let's start with The Man Who Waits.

    This one is super easy- no risk at all. If you activate Shadowing Beyond immediately, all the baddies will walk away.

    r9a8xkxbygpz.jpg

    They go far enough away to end combat and far enough away to let you activate stealth here: in the corner of Uscgrim's cell

    5xvdwr63iznf.jpg

    So that was easy. And there are no difficult moves on the way out. It's clear sailing. This is the closest anyone gets, and that's not near close enough, if you've invested heavily in stealth.

    e5zu5pjqsnk4.jpg

    Undying Heritage is easy, too. Unlike Undying Gate, there are no challenging moves. There are a couple of patrolling critters that can cause difficulty, but they're easy enough to avoid. Here's Astrid entering the tower.

    j69juo5p339s.jpg

    And here she is fighting her one fight of the quest. Shocky-Shocky.

    rxszcdjkbt10.jpg

    Hardest move of the quest was this one. And that one was easy-peasy:

    j1hses1wdfgq.jpg

    Astrid completed Through Death's Gate just like Undying Heritage: with stealth and a single minor fight. There were, however, two tough moves, one of which was dangerous.

    Astrid prepped by taking Hedge Maze and Iquali bonuses, bringing her stealth score to fourteen. The quest can be completed with a smaller number, but it's good to have extra.

    The early moves are simple. You walk around some trolls and oozes and then you go straight down the middle.

    mdvmpucx1rqg.jpg

    Things don't get tricky till the shroom room. The top half of the room is fine. It's the exit that's a problem. Do you see those sporelings at the bottom of the screenie? They move back and forth really, really quick, east to west. The best practice is to pass them to the east just as they start running west. What happened here, though, is that Astrid pulled a sporeling from the top of the room.

    d4qnselugayj.jpg

    That forced her to pass to the west of the sporeling while they were to the east. Not good. Fortunately, Astrid made it. Shadowing Beyond is a great fail-safe, but it's less dependable when disablers are in play. You don't want to be seen in this room at all although, yes, the Hermit Hat helps and Astrid was wearing it.

    yf9709x9ifzb.jpg

    Onto level two. Astrid walked into the central chamber, went through the western door, and picked up the exit key. The only tricky part was the room with the key. There are a lot of spirits there and some are in awkward positions. A use of Shadowing Beyond is required here, in my experience.

    You go up the middle, through the will o' wisps.

    0aftfjzuxaez.jpg

    Then you pick up the key. Believe it or not, this guy won't notice you if your stealth score is high enough.

    2h8j0k8fynkf.jpg

    He will, however, soft detect and follow. And when the wisps soft detect, you're pinned: enemies approaching from both sides. Eventually you get seen. Just use Shadowing Beyond, though and you're good. Note that there is a risk of pulling an animat.

    2sd4a8ph8gru.jpg

    And that brings us to the battle. Astrid chose to fight the blights at the upper end of the central chamber- mostly because she wanted some primal wind for DoAM potions. With shades at her side and Fan of Flames scrolls in hand, it was a breeze (pun intended).

    2ox1aeilkyci.jpg

    I'll cover the Dyrford sidequests next, then we're off to Twin Elms.

    Best,

    A.
    Post edited by Alesia_BH on
    Serg_BlackStriderJuliusBorisovEnuhal
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    What impresses me the most is the speed with which you go through the game. I still haven't reached Teir Evron. Hell, getting through the dialogues in Twin Elms, talking about tribes, animals, and culture is a challenge!

    I understand, though, that on your Xth playthrough you just follow the path. "This is the way", Astrid. Your run can be a great illustration of a stealthy way. If I ever try soloing the game, I'd most likely pick someone who would still fight here and there. Your story is very entertaining and full of tips.
    Alesia_BH
  • Jaheiras_WitnessJaheiras_Witness Member Posts: 614
    Tbf playing solo is so much quicker than managing a party. Only 1 set of routine to master rather than 6.

    You've taken the mastery of Stealth to a new level Alesia. Great to see you back.
    Alesia_BH
Sign In or Register to comment.