[So, no such thing as fun melee? (Subjective)]

As I ranted in the other thread, combat just isn't for me.

 

Most talents are unappealing (to me), damage seldom stacks, items suppress each other (which isn't bad per se, but it I can't raise stats with level ups so Role-playing gets pretty stuck in one way), path finding is "amusing", loot is meagre, experience is capped, resting is limited by your camping supplies (that's why I don't like to use per rest abilities) and buffing spells don't work outside combat. I feel ham-stringed and underwhelmed by combat and try to avoid it whenever possible.

 

Oh and there is no retreat, you fight to the death, always. Win or reload are your only options, If I want to play a ****ty coward with boots of speed and bow and arrow I'm out of luck.

But this is just my personal experience.

[Questions about combat, strategy, micromanagement]

Thanks for the replies thus far.

I do understand that my tactic isn't the one the game devs had in mind. I realise that each time I find I useless weapon that just sits in my backpack, beatifully crafted with a proud backstory but I'm not inclined to use it, ever - not even in the next playthrough.

I realise that each time I win a combat by outmanoeuvring the path finding A.I. or exploiting my boots of speed running like benny hill, away from the danger.

Anyway, who wants to wield a soulbound quarterstaff and kill beetles with it when you have a Scepter and an Arquebus.

 

I'm using Minolettas Missles, not (only) because they reminded of the infamous AD&Ds magic missles but because they are the only spell (apart from rolling flame) that have adequate range.

Melf's Acid Arrow and Fireballs were my main attack in AD&D games, and magic missiles only got interesting after there  are 5 of them per spell.

Thanks for the tip with the keybinding, I will try that immediately.
Oh and I will try to use better buffs and Durances spells, but I still feel the combat is not rewarding.

 

What is the reward of the combat? What am I missing? I don't feel good after killing 15 Ogres, I feel exhausted and unfulfilled. Maybe it's better with a magic quickslot keybind or something.
But anyway, there is a rather harsh XP cap, I get junky ingredients (awakened wood, yeah, I have a whole forest of that now) and apart from some kith opponents the loot is junk. If I want to enchant things I need extraordinary ingredients that are so rare and hard to get that by the time you get them unique version of the weapon are already piling up in your backpack.

 

Why do I find loads of Unique Implements, swords and pistols, but not a single unique Arquebus. (I know they are in the game, but why do I need to wait for them until ACT III to get close to them?)
Why does the Alpine Dragon rely on mobs? The units protecting him are my problem. He doesn't even dare to face you alone? The Adra Dragon wasn't much better, at least his cave wasn't encroaching so I could snipe out the obnoxious pests trying to protect him.
Why does a dragon need Xaurip bodyguards? You are one of the most powerful beast in the game world but you send in your Xaurips to die for you.

But look at me rambling, I know what my problem is...

What motivates you to pick a fight in this game?
I have zero motivation to kill anything other than a unique or quest related kith not because I'm generous or kind, but because it's not giving me any satisfaction.

I remember games where a single mage could clear out the whole room with a well placed high level spell, but if one survived he was dead, hopelessly so, thus he need backup, a priest to buff him, a tank to draw attention away from him, a sneaky rogue to backstab unlucky survivors. I am not able to use any character well in this game. They have so many strategies and options and none is appealing to me because I don't find them useful.

 

Edèr alone defeated the dark spores. The rest of the party hid away, while he took his trusty arqebus shooting at the spore, getting dominated, reloaded, getting dominated again, shooting at the spore again, rinse and repeat. I had time to have lunch and afterwards the spores where no more.

Fampyrs actually are quite susceptible to knock downs and interuptions but normally a volley of 4 arquebus shots stop them dead in their tracks.

 

Stunning, buffing and lowering resistances is not my playstyle, I want damage and destruction. I yearn for long range attacks and I want to prepare for battle and get buffed before the combat starts.

[Questions about combat, strategy, micromanagement]

"If doubts and curiosity plague you, your skinning your knuckles on the wrong door."

- Durance

 

 

This is a good game and I enjoy the enthralling story, the interesting quests and the gorgeous art but the combat just doesn't work for me.

So I must be doing something completely wrong.

 

Why is the combat such a chore?

 

I have two wizard in the party and they just do the same thing all over again in every fight.

Lure the enemy close to the rest of the group with Rolling Flame, spam Minoletta's Missles at their leisure while retreating and wait for Edér and the rest of the group to fire their arquebuses and charge into melee.

 

But I have to micromanage every step, every time I'll find a group of enemies. As far as I can tell, there is no quickslot for magic, there is no command for "switch weapon and attack after firing arquebus".

Oh and as an added bonus the whole strategy is completely useless in tight corners because retreat isn't possible once I engaged in combat.

Most of the spells I find rather underwhelming, I never seem to grasp which damage type is best for which enemy, and which resistance make the whole debuffing thing useless. I probably just have to cheat to beat the Alpine Dragon. He is the reason I took the time to write this rant.

I never seem to resist any spell effect but I'm trying to maximize damage so I don't know what to look for.

 

If I mouse-hover over an enemy I see different numbers and resistances but as soon as I want to click and check the spells the information doesn't remain there.

 

Having only four available spells in the grimoire limits my strategies further. Additional grimoires would be interesting, but the have a very long cooldown, should I sent both Aloth and my main character running around like Benny Hill hoping for the spells to reset?

And I don't get more than four uses (or six with talents and/or artefacts)

 

It seems that most AoE spells can't be locked on a target, meaning that I just guess which route the path finding algorithm randomly chose this time.

 

Durance is my second tank, just because the range of his priest spells feel shorter than I wanted them to be.

He basically uses only two abilities: Consacrated Ground and Holy Radiance

 

If there is a door or bottleneck where the enemy can't pass, things get easier. With Boots of Speed and Fast Runner I can outrun even the craziest monks in Crägholdt Bluffs.

 

I can't buff my mages or my priest beforehand because most spells need active combat to be cast. Additionally, directly after combat all positive spells vanish instantly which is especially upsetting if you have a second group of enemies close by.

 

I've beaten the Adra Dragon by casting a vertical Force barrier, hobbling the dragon for over a minute and staying out of his munching attack radius while chipping away his health with long range arquebus fire. It took about 6 Force barriers and felt like hours - probably just 10 minutes in real time.

 

I wouldn't mind any of this if the combat would be more rewarding.

After all I don't get XP after a while and once you found gear you like, they enemies just drop useless garbage.

Things are made worse by the fact that kith (or humanoid) foes are susceptible to most spells and drop far better loot, so I took out most of the mecenaries in Crägholdt Bluffs at Level 11. Monster have far higher resistances but drop less interesting stuff.

 

In my opinion combat talents seem to be far too restricted, I want all members of the team to have an Arquebus. So I can pick "Weapon Focus: Soldier" and get +6 on Accuracy... yay...

In order to get most of that rather underwhelming talent I have to equip Great Swords and War Hammers.

Unique Estocs? Nope, a pike maybe. Most equipment just looks nice but I will never have any reason to use it. I haven't even started about Soulbound weapons.

And there isn't a class for mage's implements, no, wands, rods and sceptres are split into different categories. I'm seriously thinking of giving Aloth an arquebus too.

 

This is the first game where I desperately want to avoid fights and look for a peaceful solution just because fighting feels underwhelming.

 

There must be something I'm missing.

Please enlighten me or give me a cheat code so I can mindlessly stomp the dragon and any further combat until I reach the end of the game.

[A Farmer's Plight Quest bugged]

I just found out the following (don't know if it's important - but it seems related):
I continued (slaying the Ogre) and butchering my way through Skaen's lot, ending up at the Tyrgil's Curriery, after disposing of Tyrgil it said that "A Farmer's Plight" has been updated, probably because the recently deceased Tyrgil (good riddance) was meant as a pointer towards the cave. Can't make out what changed in the mission log, though.

[A Farmer's Plight Quest bugged]

Hello everyone, I have the same problem as Clashfan.
The quest double-updates.

Steam Version with White March I Installed, I remember not having that problem before though.

 

I have a save just entering the cave, a couple of steps inside it double updates incorrectly.

Is there any console command to update the quest manually, to avoid this?
I would really like the ogre at my stronghold.

 

Cheers