The one glaring problem I see in this game.

[Abloec]

First off this game is definately challenging, my main issue tho is the fact that the challenge comes from the fact that a lot of enemies have the ability to stun lock which really annoys the hell out of me. Wolves in the beginning can stun lock, Phantoms can stunlock, Zolla can stunlock. Theres no diminishing returns nor does it seem like theres really a cooldown or a limit to how many times they can use these abilities unlike the players abilities. This is only in the first section of the game so far.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Abloec

[Dongom]

The normal setting is like BG2's hardest setting lol.  Actually it's probably harder considering you could easily solo that.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Dongom

[PrimeJunta]

It's not an ability. It's the way the combat works. When you hit, you have a chance of Interrupting the enemy's action. The defense is Concentration. So, if you have low Concentration and low Interrupt and using a slow weapon, you're kind of useless in a toe-to-toe fight because you won't ever be able to get an attack in.

 

I.e., if you want a front-line character, pump the stats that boost Concentration and/or Interrupt and/or use fast, high-Interrupt weapons.

Edited March 27, 2015 by PrimeJunta

[Abloec]

It's not an ability. It's the way the combat works. When you hit, you have a chance of Interrupting the enemy's action. The defense is Concentration. So, if you have low Concentration and low Interrupt and using a slow weapon, you're kind of useless in a toe-to-toe fight because you won't ever be able to get an attack in.

 

I.e., if you want a front-line character, pump the stats that boost Concentration and/or Interrupt and/or use fast, high-Interrupt weapons.

Nah, those 3 mobs are abilities. The Wolves have a knock down that if theres multiple of them can just rotate the knockdown and keep you on the ground until your dead. The Phantoms melee attack can freeze you, and the Ogre queen fight has her who does a knockdown swing and a Ogre druid that does a knockdown spell so it can totally **** you over.

[PrimeJunta]

Ah OK, you were referring to knockdown and freeze. Yeah sure, those are abilities. But... um, isn't it kind of the point to have monsters with various ways to punch you in the nuts, so you can then figure out ways to beat them?

[Sedrefilos]

Try different strategies and abilities out. Maybe use scout mode when in dangerous environments so you know what you're facing before combat starts.

[Abloec]

The only way to do that is to recruit more people, but if its your first time playing through the game if you don't save your money you might not figure out where you can recruit a new person.

[TomTinari]

My biggest problem thus far is I can't find enough time to play due to real life.  

Edited March 27, 2015 by TomTinari

[Gairnulf]

Interesting, and I thought it felt too easy on Hard/Expert mode

 

Then again, the BB must have been harder and set the mark too high.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Gairnulf

[Gairnulf]

OP, try these videos, there are many of them, by the same guy, and they are very in-depth:

 

[Luckmann]

How.. how do you get stunlocked in the beginning?

I'm running a ridiculously underoptimized Paladin on Hard (...I still haven't managed to fix the Attributes, either, I think modding this game is going to be a bitch), and during the entirety of the prologue, I didn't have any problems whatsoever, to the point where I started questioning the difficulty.

 

Since Interrupt was fixed after BBv435, stunlock due to interrupt is almost a theoretical impossibility.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Luckmann

[teknoman2]

except for 1 enemy so far, i did not meet anyone who could stunlock my characters... and that one became a problem only when eder went down

[Sedrefilos]

How.. how do you get stunlocked in the beginning?

 

I'm running a ridiculously underoptimized Paladin on Hard (...I still haven't managed to fix the Attributes, either, I think modding this game is going to be a bitch), and during the entirety of the prologue, I didn't have any problems whatsoever, to the point where I started questioning the difficulty.

 

Since Interrupt was fixed after BBv435, stunlock due to interrupt is almost a theoretical impossibility.

There are places that are quite hard in the biggining, like that bear cave were you first encounter it alone. The 2nd level of Eothas temple (there's were I've left the game last night) has a phantom at the begining that is a bit hard to take down, compared to the other monsters of the preveous dungeons.

If someone has not played a combat like this in a while or didn't tried the beta out, could have difficaulties.

Also, one may think that an entire region is designed for the level you currently are, but this is not true so this must be explained also.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Sedrefilos

[Zwiebelchen]

Remember that stuns and knockdowns do a (fortitude? reflexes?) defense check. So if you are getting constantly knocked down, chances are your tank needs more con or might. That's why a RES/PER/CON build is strong for tanks; it has an even distribution of defenses against all CC types.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Zwiebelchen

[talharbash]

I'm doing pretty well as a Paladin. Tanky McTankson.

[Ohioastro]

People who played the backer beta, and who therefore have spent a lot of time working with the game system, should not be telling fresh players how easy the game is.

 

In addition to being utterly unhelpful, those players don't have the benefit of extensive experience in the game.  If you have actual advice, by contrast, that would be useful.

 

My recommendation?  Some encounters, like the starting bear cave, are rough if you take them at too low a level or with too few companions.  The game is designed that way - you're not supposed to be able to plow through everything the first time you encounter it.  If something is too tough, level up; get a larger party; try it again.  And try to use scout mode etc. to see what tactics you need.

 

Note also that you can lower difficulty for individual encounters if you want to (change it before the map that you want to reach), and you can then raise it right back.

[TrueMenace]

This may seem condescending, but get good.

 

(pro-tip watch Sensuki's videos and read Cyclopedia)

 

Learn to scout ahead, alpha strike, CRAFT SCROLLS AND POTIONS AND USE THEM INSTEAD OF HOARDING, learn how to synergize your abilities with party members, etc etc.

[sparklecat]

 

How.. how do you get stunlocked in the beginning?

 

I'm running a ridiculously underoptimized Paladin on Hard (...I still haven't managed to fix the Attributes, either, I think modding this game is going to be a bitch), and during the entirety of the prologue, I didn't have any problems whatsoever, to the point where I started questioning the difficulty.

 

Since Interrupt was fixed after BBv435, stunlock due to interrupt is almost a theoretical impossibility.

There are places that are quite hard in the biggining, like that bear cave were you first encounter it alone. The 2nd level of Eothas temple (there's were I've left the game last night) has a phantom at the begining that is a bit hard to take down, compared to the other monsters of the preveous dungeons.

If someone has not played a combat like this in a while or didn't tried the beta out, could have difficaulties.

Also, one may think that an entire region is designed for the level you currently are, but this is not true so this must be explained also.

 

Yeah, personally I heard bear cave and went "screw that, I'll come back later."  No shame in leaving a fight for a higher level/more people.

Edited March 27, 2015 by sparklecat

[Gairnulf]

How.. how do you get stunlocked in the beginning?

I'm running a ridiculously underoptimized Paladin on Hard (...I still haven't managed to fix the Attributes, either, I think modding this game is going to be a bitch), and during the entirety of the prologue, I didn't have any problems whatsoever, to the point where I started questioning the difficulty.

 

Since Interrupt was fixed after BBv435, stunlock due to interrupt is almost a theoretical impossibility.

  

People who played the backer beta, and who therefore have spent a lot of time working with the game system, should not be telling fresh players how easy the game is.

 

In addition to being utterly unhelpful, those players don't have the benefit of extensive experience in the game.  If you have actual advice, by contrast, that would be useful.

 

My recommendation?  Some encounters, like the starting bear cave, are rough if you take them at too low a level or with too few companions.  The game is designed that way - you're not supposed to be able to plow through everything the first time you encounter it.  If something is too tough, level up; get a larger party; try it again.  And try to use scout mode etc. to see what tactics you need.

 

Note also that you can lower difficulty for individual encounters if you want to (change it before the map that you want to reach), and you can then raise it right back.

I will look for tough fights because I've just reached the area where gameplay can branch off, but I am pretty confident that, as long as someone understands the basics of combat, he can't be in trouble even on hard diffciulty.

 

The basics.

 

And I gave you a link. Now I'm off slaughtering the bear population of the Dyrwood.

[Eurhetemec]

This may seem condescending, but get good.

 

(pro-tip watch Sensuki's videos and read Cyclopedia)

 

Learn to scout ahead, alpha strike, CRAFT SCROLLS AND POTIONS AND USE THEM INSTEAD OF HOARDING, learn how to synergize your abilities with party members, etc etc.

 

The problem he's explaining is pretty specific, and doesn't have to do with anything you're suggesting, so that actually is condescending and unhelpful, sadly.

 

I mean, I think he's messing up, but not in any of those ways.

 

The big problem I had when I started playing Eternity was engagement/disengagement - specifically, I forgot that it existed. So I kept doing things like trying to reposition guys who were engaged, and BLAM, they're getting slapped around (or even insta-downed) and I'm wondering why the hell it's happening. This despite having DM'd tons of 3E and 4E D&D!

 

Once I realized that, though, everything became a lot more sane.

 

Also remember SLOW MODE for combat! It doesn't have to be a pause-fest! You can just have it go slow.

 

 

Yeah, personally I heard bear cave and went "screw that, I'll come back later."  No shame in leaving a fight for a higher level/more people.

 

Indeed - I went into the cave, saw the bear before it saw me (I love scouting mode, btw, and that it isn't class-specific), and though "This is a CRPG, in those, and indeed in most computer games, bears are total and utter terrifying bastards, so I will return later!".

Edited March 27, 2015 by Eurhetemec

[kat7ra]

I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to "do everything" in all the areas just because you're in said area.
Remember Firkraag? Remember how fast you could get to Firkraag? Yeah, no reason not to come back later.

 

Killing 2 bears alone at level 2... Now that would be a joke.

[Bazy]

Eothas temple is a bit overtuned for the level 1's and 2's that can go strolling in there. 

[Karkarov]

I.e., if you want a front-line character, pump the stats that boost Concentration and/or Interrupt and/or use fast, high-Interrupt weapons.

Correction.... if you are a tank this comes into play a lot.  I play a melee cipher who uses a slow weapon and only has 10 perception and 10 resolve bog standard stuff.  However my cipher never gets hit cause I know how to properly set up choke points/wait for Eder to get aggro.

[Abloec]

Ok let me explain my thought process on this. My issue is the fact that the difficulty stems from spamable abilities. I just got to the point in delving under your fortress where you come up against Fampyres and in one instance my character was the last guy alive and the Fampyre used his charm attack on me 6 times in a row. That is my problem with this game, difficulty because enemies have no cooldowns or drastically lower cooldowns compared to the Player. Thats just an easy way to make things more difficult and I find it lazy.

[Lephys]

@Abloec:

 

If you aren't still running with a single character, you should have multiple people to tackle any given situation. If a fampyre is freely casting the same spell/ability over and over without a care in the world, you should probably give him other things to care about.

 

And if wolves are tag-teaming you and consta-knocking you down, you should use another character or two to give the wolves other targets to either attack, or ignore and get freely clobbered by. Etc.

 

That, and you can do things like boost the given defense (Probably Will versus that fampyre charm?) of the character who keeps having problems, and/or any combination of these and many other tactics.

 

Like some people said, though, sometimes there's just a place you can't really tackle without either:

 

A) becoming an UBER-BAMF, or

B) leaving and leveling up a bit first. *shrug*