How are you guys using food?

[Mangamina]

Good to see this old thread dragged out of the "archives."  For those struggling to win the important battles in this game, they may have overlooked food to tweak their players' stats which can make all the difference.  My answer is YES I use food a lot, especially before the tough battles.  Contributor dreamrider gives the best info in this thread on how to use it, not just the post directly above on this page but also near the very beginning of the thread on page one, dated 11 July 2015 - 03:57 PM.

Edited July 21, 2018 by Mangamina

[Carlos.]

I0 only use food when i'm in a sticky situation. And funny enough its usually 50/50 if it actually helps or not. 

[dreamrider]

Thanks for the pat-on-back, Mangamina.

 

I would like to reiterate from that earlier post of mine:

 

It cannot be overstated how much easier it becomes to use food smoothly if you know that you can just drag from Inventory over to the character picture.

[Mangamina]

I'm playing on the PS4, you can pick up and drag food but not over character picture to consume it.  Instead use green triangle on food and it gives you 4 choices:  Examine, Use, Split, Destroy.  Simply select "Use" for that character and you may "Use" as many food items as you want as long as there's no collisions of attributes otherwise the lesser one will be suppressed.  Note that attributes from food stack with any attributes you're getting from equipment and weapons.

[dreamrider]

I'm just beginning to study the drug effects more.  Then I may do a brief guide to using / stacking those as well.  Trickier though, since there is almost always a penalty attribute.  Some attribute penalties are far worse than others, however, especially in the initial hot battle you took the drug for in the first place.

 

Interestingly, I have already discovered that the drug crash effects, after 10 minutes of significant benefit (to include the creation of significant running / kiting room) are often quite tolerable, for a long time.  And of course you can always dope up again if you really need to.

 

I've already decided that a ready pouch of Goldrot Chew is the adventurer's as well as the farmer's friend

[Mangamina]

I've kept Goldrot Chew in my stash but have never used it, I'll give it a try.  Blacsonn has been useful to my tanks.  Gravestep is another one I want to try.

[claudius]

dreamrider I wonder if you have analyzed the interaction of gear and food/drugs?  It seems that bonuses do not stack so if a character has an item with a significant bonus then they should be careful not to waste the food for that attribute.  Also this affects how to appraise the value of items.  Your best in slot item may change if you like to eat lots of foods.  Finally I wonder how items affect drug crashes.  If I have a -1 to stat from a crash and then I equip an item  with +2 what would happen?  Would it not affect at all ie still -1 stat?  Would it stack?  ie -1 plus 2 = net value of +1?  Would it over write?  ie -1 is overwritten to net of +2?

[dreamrider]

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.

[jtbehnke]

Honestly, I'm not certain what to do with the food I've got.  I am making meals when I can, but I tend to have too many of one ingredient and too few of another.  What ARE the best meals to have on hand anyway?

[Mangamina]

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.

 

I was going to say but waited for you to concur.

[Mangamina]

Honestly, I'm not certain what to do with the food I've got.  I am making meals when I can, but I tend to have too many of one ingredient and too few of another.  What ARE the best meals to have on hand anyway?

 

This all depends on you party make-up and what you want to do with them.  Plus I do a little role-playing given that people in real life have their own food preferences too.  I have a little cheat sheet that shows what I feed each character before battle, here's an example:  

  

Jinxton Causeway (my Ranger PC):  Pearlwood Chicken,  Casita Casserole, Rauatai Sweet Pie  

Aloth:  Pearlwood Chicken, Casita Casserole  

Guallentia (rogue hireling):  Farmer's Spread, Darkest Rauatai Cookies  

Durance:  his favorite is Stalwart Rabbit Stew, Rauatai Sweet Pie, Wyrthoneg  

Grieving Mother:  Pearlwood Chicken and she likes the jerky Speckleback Jerky, Wit Dir Jerky  

Maneha:  Darkest Rauatai Cookies, Rauatai Sweet Pie, Farmer's Spread, Blacsonn  

 

There are some collisions but overall, with rest at Cad Nua (I use the Forum rest for +3 Intelligence) and a camp rest (DR II):  This makes a pretty powerful party when all fed and rested!  Use your own combinations and have fun doing what's best for your party with food, there's so many different combinations you can try.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Mangamina

[dreamrider]

!@$%.  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.

Edited July 26, 2018 by dreamrider

[dreamrider]

@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.

[jtbehnke]

I understand that part, I'm just not sure WHAT to eat WHEN.  Like, I have a Duc's Own Beefloaf, a Farmer's Spread and a Pearlwood Chicken that have just been sitting in my Stash since Gilded Vale because I keep forgetting to eat them before a fight and then when I'm not in one I want to save them for something difficult, but then forget again.

[Mangamina]

I understand that part, I'm just not sure WHAT to eat WHEN.  Like, I have a Duc's Own Beefloaf, a Farmer's Spread and a Pearlwood Chicken that have just been sitting in my Stash since Gilded Vale because I keep forgetting to eat them before a fight and then when I'm not in one I want to save them for something difficult, but then forget again.

 

Figure that out for your party, you've got ALL the information you need in this thread.  If you're forgetting:  there's no solution anybody can give here for that.

Edited July 27, 2018 by Mangamina

[Mangamina]

 

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)

 

 

 

The description of Blacsonn says "+25 Defense against Ground attacks for 600 sec" so I took that to mean melee attacks.  However you said "Ground spells," what exactly does "ground attacks" mean?

[BelgarathMTH]

I have a big problem with the food mechanic from a roleplaying perspective. "Hey, it looks like there's terrible danger around this next corner - let's gobble down a piece of pie and and a chicken leg each before we proceed." 

 

Magic potions I get. Eating a snack or a meal before each encounter on an adventure, I don't get at all. I think that's just kind of silly.

[jtbehnke]

 

I understand that part, I'm just not sure WHAT to eat WHEN.  Like, I have a Duc's Own Beefloaf, a Farmer's Spread and a Pearlwood Chicken that have just been sitting in my Stash since Gilded Vale because I keep forgetting to eat them before a fight and then when I'm not in one I want to save them for something difficult, but then forget again.

 

Figure that out for your party, you've got ALL the information you need in this thread.  If you're forgetting:  there's no solution anybody can give here for that.

 

Thank you.  I didn't realize someone had posted a list in here!

[claudius]

I perhaps wrongly thought GROUND ATTACKS where either attacks that cause you to be 'prone' or else maybe Ground Attacks are any attack made on you when you are prone?

[dreamrider]

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.

Edited July 31, 2018 by dreamrider

[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?"

Edited July 31, 2018 by dreamrider

[Mangamina]

 

 

I understand that part, I'm just not sure WHAT to eat WHEN.  Like, I have a Duc's Own Beefloaf, a Farmer's Spread and a Pearlwood Chicken that have just been sitting in my Stash since Gilded Vale because I keep forgetting to eat them before a fight and then when I'm not in one I want to save them for something difficult, but then forget again.

 

Figure that out for your party, you've got ALL the information you need in this thread.  If you're forgetting:  there's no solution anybody can give here for that.

 

Thank you.  I didn't realize someone had posted a list in here!

 

 

I was thinking maybe you were forgetting because you're probably too good and really don't need to gobble food down before a battle.

Edited August 4, 2018 by Mangamina

[Mangamina]

I have a big problem with the food mechanic from a roleplaying perspective. "Hey, it looks like there's terrible danger around this next corner - let's gobble down a piece of pie and and a chicken leg each before we proceed." 

 

Magic potions I get. Eating a snack or a meal before each encounter on an adventure, I don't get at all. I think that's just kind of silly.

 

You use potions DURING a battle, food is consumed BEFORE a battle.  I actually like the way they worked in food to the game.  Other games could never quite know what to do with food, with PoE it makes sense to me that you would camp (get rest) and eat (get replenishment) before a battle.  They could have worked in food to the camping process because that's when people normally eat, but anytime before a battle works for me.   You have to plan ahead, think about who eats what and who your opponents are.

Edited August 4, 2018 by Mangamina