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Are the boots of speed overpowered?

Well met and all that.

The boots of speed are a nice pair of shoes, possibly the best item in the game, but they're a little too shiny if you ask me. They overshadow and deminish the monk and barbarian increased movement class abilities.
I think a ballance could be achieved by giving the item a once a day charge and limited duration, similar to how the cloak of algernon was adjusted.
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Comments

  • DelvarianDelvarian Member Posts: 1,232
    I actually don't like them. I like for all my team to move at the same speed.
    bigdogchrisDecrepitDragonFenghoangMeanbunny
  • TJ_HookerTJ_Hooker Member Posts: 2,438
    edited February 2013
    Yeah, I find having one character always way out in front of my party because he's wearing the boots is actually more of a liability than anything (ditto for anything else that increases the movement speed of just one character). The increased mobility can come in handy once you're in combat, but then you're stuck swapping them in and out if you want to avoid what I mentioned in my first sentence. My number 1 use for the boots is to slap them on a stealthed thief to explore maps quickly, which is more a matter of convenience than anything.

    Unless you're talking about getting bonus attacks per round from wearing the boots (they are still doing that, right?), in which case I think that's been confirmed as a bug, and will probably get fixed eventually.

    Edit: I forgot, there is one particular use that makes them arguably overpowered. If you're a thief they pretty much allow you unlimited backstabs if you use the boots to backstab, run away, re-stealth and repeat, as long as you're in an area with sufficient space. But I think that if this bothers someone, they should restrain themselves from abusing it so.
    Post edited by TJ_Hooker on
    WilburDecrepitDragonFenghoang
  • EnterHaerDalisEnterHaerDalis Member Posts: 813
    I say yes.

    Especially if you are using backstab. Pretty sure it still increases APR so that's a definite yes from me.
  • NifftNifft Member Posts: 1,065
    Yeah, for solo runs they are invaluable.

    I do wish it were easier to purchase four pairs of them, so my whole little party could keep up with CHARNAME.
    JTM
  • RnRClownRnRClown Member Posts: 182
    For solo, they are cool. For a party, they are a hindrance.

    I keep them in Charname's backpack to equip in towns, to speed up going between stores and temples. I don't always lead the entire party around the town and through every doorway (when I am sure of what is inside). When it is time to adventure once more, they are placed in the backpack again.
  • WowoWowo Member Posts: 2,064
    Handy for a tank to make sure he's always first into the fight and can establish aggro before the rest of the party arrives.

    Last playthroughs I gave first pair to Kagain and second pair to fighter/ill charname and it worked well.
    JTMFenghoang
  • WowoWowo Member Posts: 2,064
    Btw, I have a feeling apr on boots was fixed in 2013 (though broken elsewhere - probably connected).
  • ZanianZanian Member Posts: 332
    I'd say implement some nice new boots instead. Throughout the entire saga, there really aren't any boots that come close to the power of the boots of speed.
    Rasaad's personal pair was a nice addition though. More of that please.
  • FenghoangFenghoang Member Posts: 160
    I agree with the others, that having em on is a liability in a party unless everyone is wearing a pair. They're great for solo, scouting/finding traps, kiting, and backstabbing however.

    Sometimes I cheat in 6 pairs just cuz I'm too OCD to not explore anything, but too impatient to put up with the slow walk speeds... XD
  • KidCarnivalKidCarnival Member Posts: 3,747
    Wowo said:

    Handy for a tank to make sure he's always first into the fight and can establish aggro before the rest of the party arrives.

    Last playthroughs I gave first pair to Kagain and second pair to fighter/ill charname and it worked well.

    This. I'm dragging around Rasaad this time, and around level 6, he's not too squishy anymore. Boots of speed on the tank, and they arrive in battle in the order I want them to. Other than that, I find it a bit annoying that the party doesn't move at the same speed. But with 2 pairs, or Rasaad and 1 pair, they can help organize the "battle formation" beyond party formation button.
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    I enjoy kiting with my tank with the boot of speed. Especially in area where AI have hard time in path finding. The enemies usually just stand in place confused while my archers mop them up.
    JTM
  • PeccaPecca Member Posts: 2,174
    edited February 2013
    About "adjusting" the cloak of Algernon... unlimited uses were original bug, which they have now fixed.
    Requests of nerfing, not fixing, things should not make it to official release (IMHO), but you can usually mod them fairly easily to what you want (and in this case very easily).
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
    Oxford_Guy
  • O_BruceO_Bruce Member Posts: 2,790
    Those boots are increasing only walking speed, so I don't see how exactly this item is overpowered. Oil of speed is more useful item than those boots, since it grants haste (+1 attack) for few turns.
    Debaser
  • DjimmyDjimmy Member Posts: 749
    Yeah, BoS don't give APR anymore and they don't overshadow the movement rate of monks and barbarians because they stack. I mean monk/barbarian with boots of speed will be faster than a fighter or thief or wtv with boots of speed.
    JTM
  • RedWizardRedWizard Member Posts: 242
    Very useful, and not really overpowered since it only affects movement speed. As soon as I get Haste I find myself casting it every time when revisiting areas just for the faster walking speed, it's quite the blessing.
    JTM
  • Oxford_GuyOxford_Guy Member Posts: 3,729
    Also useful for Dorn to be able to keep up with my Blade under Offensive Spin! :-)
  • KirkorKirkor Member Posts: 700
    They've already been nerfed (they don't give you attack speed anymore).
    If you don't like them - don't use them.
    JTM
  • ajwzajwz Member Posts: 4,122
    For solo runs they rock, for group runs they are annoying as hell to manage.
    TJ_Hooker
  • PawnSlayerPawnSlayer Member Posts: 295
    They only affect movement rate, which is balanced by the fact that until TOB you can't have every character with one, which can cause as many problems as it solves. So no need to change it.
  • GilgalahadGilgalahad Member Posts: 237
    Why oh why do people express a dislike for something and want it changed? Yours isn't the only opinion on it as many others(myself and those who've spoken up in this thread) who like them. Sorry if i'm being grumpy but the solution is and always will be the same.....don't like em? sell em or donate them to charity, just don't use them. Simple elegant solution as kirkor said. Man my 1st post in a long while due to illness and i'm already growling at people lol. sowwy.
    ChowJTM
  • Oxford_GuyOxford_Guy Member Posts: 3,729
    They *were* OP when giving an extra attack, but I think are okay now
  • AnduinAnduin Member Posts: 5,745
    These boots are very useful when you need to catch the ice cream van...

    In answer to your question @vorpal_chicken No.

    You can cast haste on your team many times as a wizard when you find them anyway, you will also probably have lots of potions of speed that are much better than the boots.. I believe they just double movement speed now... Even though I believe if you gave them to a monk THEY should give extra attacks as you can obviously kick ass twice as fast...
  • RhymeRhyme Member Posts: 190

    Well met and all that.

    The boots of speed are a nice pair of shoes, possibly the best item in the game, but they're a little too shiny if you ask me. They overshadow and deminish the monk and barbarian increased movement class abilities.
    I think a ballance could be achieved by giving the item a once a day charge and limited duration, similar to how the cloak of algernon was adjusted.

    Ugh. Stop it. No.

    Leave my boots alone. If you think they're overpowered, don't use them. If you'd like to use them once a day for a limited duration, use them once a day for a limited duration. You don't need them to change the game for the rest of us just so that you can play the game the way you want to play it.
    JTM
  • bigdogchrisbigdogchris Member Posts: 1,336
    I keep them on characters but only wear them when I need to move somewhere quickly.

    The APR bug makes them overpowered.
  • reedmilfamreedmilfam Member Posts: 2,808
    I use them all the time on a tank, but move the party in spurts. They prevent a squishy character from arriving first and getting hit by hobgoblins and the like. So, I use smaller movements as a group and wait. It's a little more work, but it ensures that the armored ones are first to be seen by the enemies.
    lansounet
  • dieterderblaudieterderblau Member Posts: 8
    Um, leave the items the heck alone. Stop changing things because people "want them changed". Welcome to the GAME we all signed on to play. You don't like D&D 2.5, don't play it. Go find something based on 4.5th ed or some crap. This is 2.5, where we veteran players of that and the earlier versions it mostly mirrors expect things to work a certain way.
    Unless you're changing something to mirror the actual way it IS in the REAL paper and dice game. I'm SICK of SLEEP spell haivng a saving throw attached. It certainly didn't in the real game.
  • vorpal_chickenvorpal_chicken Member Posts: 5
    I brought it up as a bit of idle conversation, no evil intent.

    I liked the original BG and enjoy this EE version even more on an iPad. It's amazing a twenty year old computer game can continue to delight new players.

    My point is that rate of movement is a huge tactical advantage in any game.
    In BG an archer, or any ranged character, wearing the boots of speed, can plunk away, retreat, and never risk a melee attack. Nice, but as Spike says "It's gotta be the shoes".
    In EE Monks and Barbarians have been added which is great. Enhanced movement is key to their balance at low levels. The boots give this advantage, with no tactical downside, to the other classes. If you're going to add to the game you have to make sure it all balances out. Hard task but they're doing a great job with it.
    I like how most of the new items have built in negative aspects to help preserve the balance in this classic.
  • agradineagradine Member Posts: 13
    I always get frustrated when I'm exploring regions, trying to fill in maps, having to wait for the rest of my party to catch up. I have to force myself to remember that they were always this slow. They're kind of handy but without the extra attacks not really all that broken at all.

    I used to put them on Imoen, for scouting purposes. But this run I'm doing things a little differently and I have them on Yeslick, for high-speed healbot purposes. "Dwarves are natural sprinters!"
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