dreamrider

Darkest Rauatai Cookies, REDUX: This is rapidly becoming my favorite food ! Lesson from a recent 24-hrs of play (with a few experiments thrown in): If your Health is beaten down a bit when you snack, Darkest Rauatai Cookies will restore it … persistently ! Even after the temporary boost to Health cap goes down after 150+s ! What's more, although the Cookies will only raise the Health max cap once (1 cookie = 1 max cap bump; 2 cookies = 1 max cap boost; etc), if your Health is still below max after one Cookie, you can keep snarfing Cookies and your Health will keep going up, until you get to the current cap. AND... The description says Cookie only raises HLH +5, … but that is the base number, for a Lvl 1 character, with no attribute or other mods. Right now, at Lvl 10, with about CON 14-15 (depending on buffs), each Cookie raises my Health pool by ~40+ points. This is even better than Potion of Vital Essence, because a) you don't have to find a moment in combat to take the slug without being creamed, and b) Cookies are cheap ! Who knew? I've started buying / making Cookies at every opportunity. PS - my wife's comment: "They are chocolate. What did you expect?"

Re "Ground" attacks: Somewhere within the game there is a roll-over / mouse-over explanation / definition of "Ground spells". Probably in the pop-up description of blacsonn, where the word "Ground" is grey-toned.

Try this, at least for the type of thinking: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/83491-class-build-the-drakes-ambassador-searing-mesmerizing-chanter-tank/ or this https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/83775-class-build-batsht-crazy-disabling-druid-tank/ or this, a more conventional choice http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/83612-class-build-the-engineer-shocking-dps-fighter-artillery-tank/ or my own personal favorite (because its a Monk) http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/91276-class-build-the-anvil-the-most-tough-monk-around/ BTW, the 2nd pinned item on this forum is an index of links to all the solid builds in the forum.

Does anyone know if the Tarnished Locket found in Heilig's chamber has any use, beyound just selling it. It is rather a unique item, but it isn't a quest item, nor apparently a powered item.

Thanks, Kaylon. I had some of that from recent experience. I take it from your phrasing that if one is trying for a true solo, that will be 'counted for the achievement list', one should never recruit them, not even if the partnership is only long enough to move them to Brighthollow, with no fighting.

Hmm. I just today ran through several fights, including in particular Neydn and her several wizard friends that Grimda exiled from the Hall of Mysteries, which had just about convinced me that the necklace was working. Including against wand shots. Those guys couldn't seem to hit me worth a darn. I proceeded to stand there and cut them all down with The Long Pain, while they were just whizzing stuff by me. BTW, thanks so much for the replies. I had the impression that if the item worked as it seemed it should from the description, it would be fabulous. And I found it in a cache in the Valewood at Lvl 2 no less. I'll keep an eye on it to see if I can determine if it is working in v.3.07. (Is it possible it would have been fixed with the DF DLC? ) What was the last version you tried it in, Torm? Do you recall?

Oh my gosh. With TLP and TR, Whispers of Yenwood & Ilfan Byrngar's Solace & Bartender's ring, and that ugly Valian breastplate Hand & Key (and a couple of vials of Restore Vital Essence), my 8th level young monk lass just went through the Wailing Banshee lighthouse like grass through a goose ! Oh. Also full food buffs. No drugs.

Wow. NO ONE has experience / Words of Wisdom / game mechanics insight on the SpellWard Amulets ?

The wizards often arrive first in a chase. Shoot them / pound them down first, if there are only 2-3 chasers. Otherwise, wizards need line of sight for attack spells, except for spells they got locked on before you pulled back. They have a hard time getting that past the choke point. Pound down the guys in the doorway, possibly while a shooter is trying to interrupt the wizard. Then immediately go to slaughter the caster. He can't cast while being pounded. Believe me, it works. Even with one level 4 (or 5? can't remember) monk. Of course, it goes without saying (I hope) that you update your Save immediately before you reveal yourself near the bedroom door and pull the chasers. The exact actions you take from that point may be a 'learning experience'...or several successive learning experiences.

I've been "invited" to Yenwood Fields. Not going until I can line up every possible smidge of help, do every other Act II quest (at least), and get enough money to hire many thugs. I mean, loyal friends are good...many, many well-paid 'friends' are better. Besides, the longer I can put the battle off, the longer before the Erl starts tapping into my revenue.

You know that you have to set your folks up BEHIND the door arch, a little bit? So that it's the bad guys who are constrained to come through the door 1 or 2 at a time. It can be tricky to do, until you get it right the first 1 or 2 times, and have a sense of just how far back to set your tanks and pounders. If she can, Sagani should be shooting PAST the line of contact, trying to repeatedly interrupt any back row casters. If you set up back at the door exiting the bedroom to the south, or even back at the study door, off that southern corridor, fewer of the bodyguards should pursue that far.

@jtbenke, Ingredients for food are cheap. Buy the ones you are missing, and make up the dishes. Carry the dishes around with you, preferably in Inventory, and buff before any dicey situation. Usually, made up dishes are slightly cheaper than the sum of all the components, especially in towns that kinda like you. So only buy the additional ingredients to finish off dishes that you already have some parts of. Fill out your stock of 'buff me up' foods by buying a selection of complete dishes. Think of them as Meals Ready to Eat (MREs, in U.S. military parlance.) However, the very nice buffing Farmer's Spread is not available in a lot of inns, etc. So you may have to buy eggs, milk, and oil and make that one yourself. The inn near the entrance to Defiance Bay DOES offer Farmer's Spread. Dishes give you better total buffs that the separate components.

!@$%. I had a nice long, dish by dish explanation. Then I brushed the wrong key, backed up a page and blew away 30+ minutes work. Short version: Keep the following in inventory, use them before known tough encounters, and risky situations. (Note: I am leaving out the benefits that are suppressed by other dishes.) 600s (10 min): Cheese (+10% END) 300s (5 min): Farmer's Spread, alternatively Duc's Beefloaf (+2 MIG, +1 Move for FS) Pearlwood Chicken (+2 CON) Rauatai Sweet Pie (+2 DEX) Cassita Casserole (+2 INT) Beer / Mead (+1 DR) Wyrthoneg (when you can get it) (+3 Will, +15 fear Defenses) 200s (~3+ min): Wit Dyr Jerky (when you can get it) (+3 ACC, +5 FORT Def) 150s (2.5 min): Darkest Rauatai Cookies (+1 PER, +5 HLH) Ale (+2 DR) Stalwart Rabbit Stew (when you can get it) (+2 PER, +0.5 Move - may be suppressed by Farmer's Spread) 120s (2 min): White Ynefer (debatable if worth the trouble compared to Ale, for +1 more DR but 30s less time; but if you can do both...) (+3 DR) (Gotta love that moonshine!) All the benefits of Ixamitl Ricepan, Savory Pie, & Stew are exceeded and/or suppressed by other items above. Don't bother with them if you can get the others. Speckleback Jerky will give you +1 PER for 50s longer than Darkest Rauatai Cookies will, but no HLH benefit. If you've got some, eat it along with, I guess. You can't get it until White March, anyway. Dragon dishes are so much more expensive, they are almost in a different category. Keep a couple of each in Stash (only if you can afford it), but only use them for the most critical boss fights. Note that Dragon dishes are the only food that buffs RES. (Meat dish: +3 MIG, +3 RES, +45% END - 150s; Egg dish: +3 RES, +30% END - 300s.) Mind Grubs - The negatives of the Sickened affliction are pretty severe. Only use these for very special situations, or if you have immunity to Sickened. There is 1 item that gives this, or you could take Whiteleaf. Drugs: Goldrot Chew can often be worth the loss of a couple PER, and the shakes afterward (-4 Dex) are manageable, in my opinion; especially if you have another chaw to take right away. (+3 MIG, -2 PER, +1 Move, 600s. Crash = -4 DEX) (Soloing, I have kited / cleaned out the rest of a level, after the big fight, while suffering GC shakes, and that's with a slightly better than middle DEX character.) Blacsonn may have its uses, since it is one of the few consumables that buffs PER, and it buffs a lot. Hard to predict the usefulness of the +25 vs Ground. The simultaneous -2 Dex is not too bad for many characters. The Crash is pretty bad though, so be prepared to either get to a Rest, or dose again. (+3 PER, -2 DEX, +25 Def vs Ground spells, 600s. Crash = -2 DEX, -3 MIG, 50 Fatigue) Whiteleaf can be used effectively with Mind Grubs. Take the Whiteleaf first. (Immune to Frightened, Sickened; +25 Def vs Terrified, Weakened; -10% Atk Spd. Crash = -15% Max END) The other drugs are too risky, dangerous, or specialized for common use, in my opinion. Special situations only. Carow Golan might could be OK, especially for ciphers, but the Crash effects are murder (-5 MIG). BIG NOTE: !!! : If you are "in town" you do not need to keep your food / drug items in Inventory. You can drag / feed them to your character's central (full-length) picture on your Inventory Page directly from your Stash! However, this does NOT work in catacombs, caves, etc, beneath a town. Smaller Note: A character fully buffed with the above foods is the equivalent of having ~10+ additional attribute points.

Yup. That was my entrance also. However, the Throne Room / Raedric fight itself can be controlled better if you stealth your guy / party (one at a time if necessary) across the bottom of the throne room to the bedroom and study complex. That area has no guards, if you keep all the main corridor doors shut.

So, even if you are soloing, there are some courses of action & decisions about Companions. 1st off, it depends on if you are going for a true Solo, TCS, Ultimate, austere run... ...or just using solo-running on the early-mid maps to build xp's quickly. (… Which is my usual preference. You've gotta do it until Gilded Vale, in any case, so WtH.) After that decision, if you are going to have some, eventual, interaction with Companions (and their quests/stories) you've got some other decisions about how to treat them. I have been gathering the Companions at Caed Nua. I guess there are two ways to play that. 1) If I leave them in original locations, without even the brief joining necessary to move them to Caed Nua, the "free" xp's when I eventually go back for them at a high level are greater (100% of MC xp if I don't invite them until I really mean to use them vs initial time before joining at 100% + Caed Nua residence time at 75%.) 2) On the other hand, if they are in residence at Caed Nua, they are all available for independent Adventures, and the xp and rewards available that way. I do not know if any resident Companions participate in defending the Stronghold. From the example of a single raid, which I overlooked and did not set a defense option for, it appears not. But as I said, I did not prepare for it well. (There were no hirelings yet. No Barracks.) Have you any relevant advice / experience / observations?

Made 7th Lvl, doing various minor / mid quests & tasks around Defiance Bay. The Long Pain is COOL, especially with a decent INT to prolong its activity. Takes some practice to use most effectively, though. It would be a big mistake to get it for the first time and immediately jump on the Adra Dragon !

Tends to happen with seriously involving, not total mayhem oriented games. On well policed forums.

According to my experience, and all on-line resources I could find, food (consumable) bonuses stack with all other bonuses, except other consumables. (Not 100% sure about potions, but they are "consumables", so probably don't stack.) Food bonuses certainly DO STACK with weapon and equipment permanent bonuses. You can easily demo this to yourself. Don an item of +CON gear, then take a bite of Cheese, then check you Character page. On Items vs Drug Crashes. From experience/observation (and the logic of the system): Drug crashes are just "consumable bonuses", except they are 'negative bonuses'. So, your - 4 Dex drug crash stacks with your + 3 Dex gloves and your + 2 Dex boots for an effective +1 Dex. What I am NOT sure of, and was already looking to check in my current run (thanks for reminding me), is what happens when you hit your drug crash, and then you take a food buff. A repeated same drug buff will cancel the crash. But I am not sure if a food buff will balance against the crash effects, or be suppressed. The latter, I think, via the logic of the system, but I want to verify. So far, in my observation of drugs: those drugs for which the crash effects primarily defenses are not worth the risk / after effects, unless you KNOW that you are going to Rest before any further encounters. Likewise those where you take a negative to a defensive value for the sake of the buffs while the drug is in effect. Svef = bad. Drugs that take their negative effects on primarily offensive traits, like Dex, appear to offer significant critical moment help, for acceptable risk during and afterward. Goldrot Chew is a prime example of those.

Really liking the idea of early enchanted clothing more and more. With just regular clothing, and consequent 0 recovery, many kinds of opponents only ever get in 1 - 3 strikes. The pummeling and the interrupts act as the main defenses. I used to have a military instructor who made the point that the "best defense" is to try to arrange events so you never get hit.

where did you enter the throne room from? If you can base the attack out of the bedroom (by entering on that side, or by stealthing across the bottom of the throne room just in front of the closed doors) , almost all of the Raedric crew members become kiteable at the south-leading corridor door in the bedroom, or in the bedroom itself, or even in the area of the throne room just before the bedroom door. What this means is that by choosing how far to lead back the chasing Raedric bodyguards, you can tailor the portion of the boss crew that you have to fight at one time. Be warned however. One of the Raedric mages WILL follow all the way into the south corridor, and I think one or two of the champions.

Speaking of the Spellward Amulet, relative to the standard combat mechanics, how does it WORK? Does it add on to Deflection, Fortitude, Reflex, or Will, according to what the spell is targeting? Does it help AT ALL with AoE spells, or just direct attacks? All I can find in game, on line, wiki, etc, just says +10 to "Spell Defenses".

So, my 'even stats build' monk is now up to 6th Level. Recently been soloing the first few levels of Caed Nua, for the xps. I hate ogre druids. They are doable, if I can pull them, but it takes tanking by the brass horn animat, lots of food buffs, and a flank attack by the monk. Then I have to rest, 'cause you better be fresh when you start the next on (and have the figurine charge up.) The other ogres are not a big deal, just a lot of kiting, shooting, and running. Somewhat tedious, yet too dangerous from just a few hits to afford to lose attention. CON & MIG levels seem OK. Especially with food buffs. Sometimes feel the need for more DEX & RES. Action Speed is king! Next time around I may play with shaving single points from selected Attribs, and small bumps to others. I also may play with early enchantment of +0 recovery Clothing as a way to reliably boost Action Speed in this early going, before appropriate Uniques begin to show up.

My even-stats Long Pain Ranged Monk is at 6 Lvl, working on accumulating for 7, right now in EPON L2. Looking forward to trying out Long Pain. I've discovered that with most cannon fodder enemies, a quick contact > disengage with your fast-moving monk is a good way to get those first 1-3 Wounds you nee to become Mr. Ugly. Like the Hulk. What do you do re armor on the early levels, especially when you are soloing a monk? Do the additional items available at Anslog's Compass, from the Deadfire Pack, change your armor choices at all for the Witch Doctor build (or derivatives)? There are a lot of Might buffs among that stuff. (I am particularly fond one soulbound level-up for the Belt of the Royal Deadfire Cannoneer that I have read of, where you have to go drink in every available pub in the Eastern Reach.)

Umm...dump all my accumulated books. Arrange the narratives in order to read through. To truly own the place. I don't really know all of the background that well yet. In truth, in part to get the xp from the 1-2 spirits I expected to be in there. (sheepish grin) Of course, I suppose once the Steward rebuilds the place later, the spirits really woul be gone. Oops.

I think you mean v.3.07.0.1318.