Concrete Monster

Something I’ve been meaning to ask for a while (and this is probably as good a place as any to get an answer): does anyone have a copy of TheTodWilkinson’s run from before he pulled it down? I deliberately never watched the whole way through to avoid spoilers, but once I’d finished the game and wanted to try a solo Wizard run (inspired by this guide, that video, and a little splash of Jon Irenicus) it was gone. BTW, Grausch, thanks very much for the guide. Very we written, and like I said, helped me greatly in my own solo attempt. Cheers.

Very impressive! I love the use of stealth and the clearly very well-planned routes and options. Down to the very point of stealth for intimidation etc. Can't wait to see how she goes! BTW, Serg. Thanks for the advice regarding scrolls. I have actually finished Elanna's run, and her and Eder will shortly be parting ways, but it's good advice for Kana who will replace him and just in general. In that group I didn't focus on lore with any of my spell casters really, figuring that they had enough of their own stuff to throw without resorting to scrolls. I'd be interested in everyone's general scroll(/consumables) thoughts and strategies. Cheers, CM

Elanna: Party update Eder Aloth Elanna Grieving Mother

Elanna Part V; Having been foiled in their pursuit, next up for Elanna and her friends was a swathe of questing through Defiance Bay. The team completed A Call to Court, Supply and Demand, At All Costs, The Man Who Waits, His Old Self, Built to Last, A Return to Court; and began The Hermit of Hadret House; all with fairly little incident. The only point the team was given pause was against the thugs threatening the Salty Mast. Poor positioning on the engagement there resulted in two knockouts early on, but the two Eothosian devotees carried the team to victory. After this was done it was finally time to deal with Readric. With an extra level or two and a fairly standard choke-point there were no issues grinding the priest-killer into the dust. Osrya was also given a taste of justice for her part in harming innocents. Following this Elanna decided it was time to discover what was happening in Heritage Hill. Once again the area was cleared with no significant issues, even completing Missing Sentries. In this fight both the newly acquired Adra Beetle figurine and the Shades were put to good use buying time for the team. After discovering the mystery of the Engwithan machine Elanna decided to switch it off, hoping to preserve as much of the city as possible while preventing the interruption to the Wheel. With this done the party has garnered sufficient reputation to gain entry to the archives in order to help Eder find out the truth about what happened to his brother. Before leaving the city the party completed a few more tasks. Taking care of The Forgotten on behalf of the Vailian Embassy, investigating the Banshee at the Lighthouse, and clearing out Crucible Keep of its malfunctioning Animat soldiers. These battles took a heavier toll on Elanna and her team with Grieving Mother often bearing the brunt of the hurt. Finally, on their way to investigate Eder’s past and hopefully gain entry to the Engwithan ruins north of Dyrford village the Elanna and co successfully talked down a dangerous Ogre and convinced him to join them at Caed Nua.

Hey Serg, I really love the way you've formatted your team updates, both within your text and with the edited images. I'll certainly be trying to steal some of your ideas in the future! Good luck with the rest of the play-through! Cheers, CM

Thanks Alesia. It’s quite hard for me to post or play with my work, but I have to say that putting in the extra effort to engage with the community rather than just playing alone is well worth it.

Elanna: Party Update So this is where I felt the party was really complete. I started this run with the intention of playing a party similar to what I would have called the 'standard' from when I was first introduced to DND3.5 Edition: Fighter, Mage, Cleric, Rouge. Partly due to mechanics and partly due to style I intended to modify this trope a little, I really wanted to include a Cipher instead of Rogue given the setting, and the plan was to cycle through Chanter and Paladin for the Fighter slot as I progressed. Compared to BG, I think solos, and especially smaller parties gain much less advantage as the experience gain isn't as noticeable compared to a full party, but I liked the idea of slightly more powerful characters, and less micro than having to look after all six (or seven with a ranger) party members. A mistake? Maybe. But a fun one.

Elanna Part IV In the morning, their search for Woedica led them to the ruins of a temple in the center of the city where a long-lost spirit provided the next clue on an increasingly difficult trail to follow. Following this trail took them to the catacombs, where the newly-departed soul of a Woedican acolyte led them through the winding tunnels with very little incident on their way to the hidden Temple of Woedica far below ground. Once inside the temple the party met a new initiate rehearsing their lines for the upcoming ceremony. Having seem how well-armed the mercenaries guarding the temple were Elanna decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and took the initiate’s hood, along with her well-rehearsed catechisms. Elanna’s fiery temper proved useful once again in securing both the hood, and the silence of their unwilling accomplice. Elanna’s disguise was a resounding success and infiltrating the ceremony was as smooth as could be hoped for. From her meeting with the mysterious Woedican cypher Elanna managed to find three promising leads, but the foremost of them looked to take the trio out of the city to the nearby township of Dyrford. On their way out of the city the band chased up a lead on an old family heirloom that they had been asked to retrieve from the Knights Crucible, however their inquiries stopped at a dead-end requiring a visit to Hadret House, which could be ill afforded with their journey to Dyrford such a priority. In Dyrford the group quickly discovered the temple of Berath, and between the kinship of clergy, and Elanna’s growing reputation for complete honesty, they were able to convince the Priest there to provide them with the information they needed. The information was less than ideal, however; the group they were following had headed to Engwithan ruins, which would be dangerous enough on their own, but completely untenable with their ferocious Glanfalthan guardians. The pursuit would have to wait. Fortunately, the journey was not for naught. While in Dyrford Elanna and company happened upon a very particular woman who, as it happened, was a cypher of some skill and who held a great interest for the new watcher. Her assistance was freely offered and greatly appreciated and so the three became four.

Well done Alesia! What great achievement, and trying for the POTD solo as well. I think once I’ve done with Elanna’s story I’ll be following you for the same. It will be great to watch a pro do it before / while I make my attempt. P.S. 1000 comments, what a great thread and a great community.

So excited to have a few active runs going again! Good luck to you both, and hopefully (work allowing) I'll be joining you with a new run soon! P.S. Astrid looks especially cool. Looking forward to seeing another solo run.

Party Update:

Elanna Part III Note: This is where my coverage goes out-of-sync with my game-play, and as such it's even lighter on in the detail than before. I've found screenshotting and writing much more difficult than I expected, but I look forward to improving in the future. Having resolved most of the immediate issues plaguing Gilded Vale, Elanna decided it was high time to seek out what information she could from the mysterious Maerwald, the one who could hopefully help cure her of her disturbing visions. The party headed off to his castle, and after a mishap with some blights outside, managed to make it into the keep. I totally missed my chance for screenshots in this fight, but you can see my positioning. A well-documented spot by now, but it meant that only Eder could be targeted. A huge mass of spirits filled the main hall, but with Eder holding fast the two magic users were able to hurl enough firepower across the great hall that the spirits never stood a chance. Descending into the first level below ground, Elanna and her companions were able to quickly find Maerwald. What they found was not what they expected, however. The old man had lost his mind from time and isolation and tried his best to kill them. Once again, with Eder holding the strong point, Elanna and Aloth were able to bring their full might to bear and the fight was won with little issue. Despite Maerwald’s madness, their search was not in vain. Before his death Maerwald gave them one clue to continue. The City of Defiance, searching for the Queen. Elanna and her friends set off. Having made an uneventful journey to the city, the party took a well-deserved rest. Their search would commence again in earnest in the morning.

Thanks Alesia! It's no trouble at all, it's great to finally meet you and become part of the team with you all after lurking for so long. Full disclosure, Ellana's run is over. I work away a lot and have quite intermittent internet access, so for most of the run I wasn't able to post at all, but I tried to keep up with my drafted posts as best as I could. I would still like to post the run, since it was my first honest attempt and I learned a lot from it. Hopefully there's something to learn for others as well. Can't wait to see your solo run, it will be great to see things keep rolling here!

Is anyone else having problems seeing my images? I followed the instructions posted by Serg back a ways in the thread and it worked fine for the first post, but my last two don't seem to have worked for some reason... Edit: Fixed!

Team update: