Soloing PoE : Sucess so far ( Hard Dificulty Expert Mode )

[AgentElrond]

I would suggest both the gameplay and story are good if you're playing on hard or easier difficulty.  Attempting an optional, insane challenge a developer has implied may be impossible is not a good way to judge a game.

[Ninjerk]

 

 

 

 

I'm saying that you have to kill the entire group.  The one near the right stairwell you can range pull to the stairwell you're shooting from, but you have to keep the stuff on the bottom out of line of sight or they'll aggro together.  Once you've killed that one, you can stealth all the way to the right (provided you've appropriately leveled to stealth to 3 or 4, I forget how high mine usually is because I got a toon to act 2) and from there stealth and then run to the switch.

 

I'm confused.  Are you talking about barbarian?  Because the barbarian build only has 2 stealth (you need 5 mechanics to get in there at all).

 

Are you also talking about the phantom fight with the large black ooze?  Because the entire path on the right side of the pool is filled with small black oozes, a large black ooze, a phantom, some shadow(s), etc.  There's no room to stealth whatsoever.  If you go up the right stairwell, there are skuldr king(s) and so forth.  I can post a screenshot if needed.

 

The person I'm trying to imitate with the barbarian build mentioned they killed Nonton and the woman.  I don't want to kill NPCs, but the funny thing is at level 3 I can't even kill them.  I've died 2-3 times even attempting to kill Nonton with mace and leather armor, or mace and scale armor.  Using a potion, using frenzy, using savage defiance, none of it helps.  His endurance regen just tanks anything I do.  I must be doing something extremely wrong.

 

You don't need 5 mechanics, you can have 3 and 5 lockpicks or 4 if you stay in laborer's rest at the Black Hound (gives +1 Per, +1 Mechanics).  You need enough to stealth to allow you a couple steps towards that corner, and when combat starts just start spam clicking into the next room no matter how many disengagement attacks you get.  Either that or range pull something from that group and bring them all the way back to the locked door.

 

Why get into the next room though?  You'll still have to fight all the enemies, but you'll have taken a bunch of disengage crits by that point.  Are you sure we're talking about the same end-of-temple room?  I mean this one:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ut5iYk6WqqI#t=432

 

The door into that area of the temple also requires 5 mechanics to unlock, not 4.

 

I don't know if I can be any more clear here: the door requires 5 Mechanics to unlock without using lockpicks.  Using lockpicks, it only requires 4 mechanics, which you can achieve if you build your character with 3 mechanics and purchase/loot 5 lockpicks (some NPCs in the prologue have some RNG drops of lockpicks, I think) and sleep in the room called Laborer's Rest in the Black Hound Inn.

 

You get into the next room so you can fight the NPCs one by one and not be flanked, dazed, or stunned all at once.  If you are stunned, you suffer certain defensive penalties that will make you easier to be hit by everything else.  If you are dazed, you suffer certain defensive penalties that will make you easier to hit by everything else.  If you are flanked, you suffer certain defensive penalties that will make you easier to be hit by everything else.  If you get into the secret room, you can use the door as a bottleneck so you cannot be flanked, and only have to deal with either being stunned or being dazed.  After that, it's all creative item usage whether that's using dual axes so you can still DPS with +Deflection or using 1 or 2 maces to do DR bypassing damage or however you want to tackle it at that point.

[Xionanx]

I would suggest both the gameplay and story are good if you're playing on hard or easier difficulty.  Attempting an optional, insane challenge a developer has implied may be impossible is not a good way to judge a game.

 

Yeah, but a full party on easy/hard is not really challenging at all.  And its not like the story "changes" once you beat the game..

[AgentElrond]

 

I would suggest both the gameplay and story are good if you're playing on hard or easier difficulty.  Attempting an optional, insane challenge a developer has implied may be impossible is not a good way to judge a game.

 

Yeah, but a full party on easy/hard is not really challenging at all.  And its not like the story "changes" once you beat the game..

 

There are a variety of endings and a variety of optional stories with companions, guilds, factions, etc.  You may personally dislike the stories or feel there isn't ENOUGH change, but I think that puts you a bit in the minority.  Also, this discussion and bringing up Skyrim is pretty far afield from discussing specific tactics in this game, so we should probably end it.  If you want 100% reliable, this probably just isn't the game for you -- it's FILLED with dice rolls.  Any given enemy could theoretically crit you 10 times in a row.  Will it happen?  Probably not, but it's not 100% guaranteed as far as I know.  Anything you come up with, in a dice-roll DND-ish game, is going to be a probability and not a guarantee.

 

 

 

 

I don't know if I can be any more clear here: the door requires 5 Mechanics to unlock without using lockpicks.  Using lockpicks, it only requires 4 mechanics, which you can achieve if you build your character with 3 mechanics and purchase/loot 5 lockpicks (some NPCs in the prologue have some RNG drops of lockpicks, I think) and sleep in the room called Laborer's Rest in the Black Hound Inn.

 

You get into the next room so you can fight the NPCs one by one and not be flanked, dazed, or stunned all at once.  If you are stunned, you suffer certain defensive penalties that will make you easier to be hit by everything else.  If you are dazed, you suffer certain defensive penalties that will make you easier to hit by everything else.  If you are flanked, you suffer certain defensive penalties that will make you easier to be hit by everything else.  If you get into the secret room, you can use the door as a bottleneck so you cannot be flanked, and only have to deal with either being stunned or being dazed.  After that, it's all creative item usage whether that's using dual axes so you can still DPS with +Deflection or using 1 or 2 maces to do DR bypassing damage or however you want to tackle it at that point.

Thanks, I apologize since I didn't realize you could do 4 with lockpicks.  I might try making it to the doorway and see if I can tank through the stuns.  I'm afraid that once I hit permastun, I won't even be able to use my only regen potions, however, since it seems to be up to luck whether you get a window to use them (every 5-10 seconds a possibility of an attack/item usage).

[Ninjerk]

Do your Carnage attacks splash behind targets?  If so, you might be able to get some work done on the Phantom once he's lined up behind whatever mob steps in the doorway before him.

[Ceranai]

I would suggest both the gameplay and story are good if you're playing on hard or easier difficulty.  Attempting an optional, insane challenge a developer has implied may be impossible is not a good way to judge a game.

 

My first play through i was on hard and I was absolutely destroying anything I came up against so I switched to PoTD where I tried rping 4 godlike chanters but found that too easy so I tried a few custom builds until i realised that really no matter what I chose the fights were never a challenge. Maybe Im not being fair as I havnt yet reached act three but i dont want to be 2/3s through a game before it becomes a challenge.

 

So i thought i would try a solo run and what is annoying is that it isnt challenging because it requires skill so much as it requires luck and exploits. I mean I could keep adjusting until the difficulty is right but at some point ive gotta think its an issue with the game and not just individual difficulty levels.

I personally find the mechanics boring as well.  IMO there are two reason to play a CRPG, Story and Fun Mechanics.  I play/played Skyrim for 1000+ hours, I have logged 300+ hours on Dark Souls 2, 200+ on Dark Souls 1, no idea on Demon Souls, and have been playing Console and CRPG's since 198X..

 

Some, have FUN mechanics that even if the story is pretty much non-existent, it still makes them a joy to play and you keep right on playing, even years later you go back and play them again.  Others have great stories and are worth playing through, even if the mechanics are trash.. those its OK to just "Cheat" and burn through the story IMO since the mechanics aren't why you are there.

 

IMO PoE has neither good mechanics or a great story.  I am actually forcing myself to try to get the triple crown solo achievement legit so i feel like I got my monies worth.  But, it is becoming more and more obvious to me that "exploits" are the only way it's going to be doable.  I have spent well over 20 hours redoing the first part of the game up to Caed Nau and nothing I have tried can reliably make it through, it ultimately comes down to sheer "luck" if I can get past that first room with the shades.

 

I refuse to start a PoTD Expert Ironman where "Luck" is going to be a factor, again, I want 100% no fail success due to TACTICS and PLANNING.. not, "If I get lucky I can squeeze by".

 

Yea, ive tried to avoid exploits but there are just some things that are impossible. Also ive had a lot of frustration with hidden mechanics and mislabelling. For example I absolutely hate that attack speed is hidden. 

 

I would suggest both the gameplay and story are good if you're playing on hard or easier difficulty.  Attempting an optional, insane challenge a developer has implied may be impossible is not a good way to judge a game.

 

Yeah, but a full party on easy/hard is not really challenging at all.  And its not like the story "changes" once you beat the game..

 

Despite this i feel like the game deserves at least me to finish it so at some point im gonna rush through my PoTD trial of iron chanter run, ive remade my party about 10 times but ive now settled on 5 chanters one druid, tbh the druid barely does anything apart from throw out emergency heals. I just find it really funny how easy the game is with my build. I mean i basically wait till my summons are up then switch to ranged, the reason i switch to ranged is because usually my summons swarm them, i cant even imagine how much dps 15 wurms will do, especially given i wont have to worry about melee attacks not being in range

[Lasci]

Ceranai, have you even finished the game? <.<

[Ceranai]

Ceranai, have you even finished the game? <.<

Not yet no i felt like the difficulty was too easy and at this point im just starting to get bored

[Lasci]

 

Ceranai, have you even finished the game? <.<

Not yet no i felt like the difficulty was too easy and at this point im just starting to get bored

 

 

Jesus Christ. Stop trying to solo the game and beat the damn thing first.

[AgentElrond]

If you use fewer than 4 party members, path of the dead should be quite difficult.  Also, try using a mix of classes.  If you use 4-5 of anything, it's probably going to be very strong.

 

Ninjerk, you're right that carnage attacks splash, but ultimately (as seen in the youtube video I linked) the trouble comes if RNG decides that the phantom gets to you before it's dead.

[Ninjerk]

If you use fewer than 4 party members, path of the dead should be quite difficult.  Also, try using a mix of classes.  If you use 4-5 of anything, it's probably going to be very strong.

 

Ninjerk, you're right that carnage attacks splash, but ultimately (as seen in the youtube video I linked) the trouble comes if RNG decides that the phantom gets to you before it's dead.

Sorry, I can't see video links on this forum (probably because I haven't updated chrome in forever).

[AgentElrond]

 

If you use fewer than 4 party members, path of the dead should be quite difficult.  Also, try using a mix of classes.  If you use 4-5 of anything, it's probably going to be very strong.

 

Ninjerk, you're right that carnage attacks splash, but ultimately (as seen in the youtube video I linked) the trouble comes if RNG decides that the phantom gets to you before it's dead.

Sorry, I can't see video links on this forum (probably because I haven't updated chrome in forever).

 

If you go to youtube, you can paste "Ut5iYk6WqqI" as the video ID to see the strategy I was trying to follow.

 

Also I just got confirmation from someone else that the preorder item sells for 1500 gold at the start of the game which could explain how one or two people are getting the horn early enough.  Playing without the preorder item, 1024 gold seems to be pretty close to the maximum I can get without killing NPCs.

[Xionanx]

To "Get Money" murdering NPC's is the way to go.  You can kill Aloth, Edin, Kana, and Durance with NO consequences.. even while villagers watch you do it, no need to hide.  Just murder away.  All of them have 1-2 decent items that you can use and/or sell for cash, and all of them can be gotten to easily.

 

Once you get their gear, you can then kill some enemies on different maps for their drops, but humanoids of course are your best source of money.

 

Still, getting 6k "Post Patch" for the Horn isn't exactly "Easy" without the horn.  It was a stupid change in the patch, and it only hurt solo players as I can't think of any reason why I would ever buy it on a NON solo run.

[Ninjerk]

 

 

If you use fewer than 4 party members, path of the dead should be quite difficult.  Also, try using a mix of classes.  If you use 4-5 of anything, it's probably going to be very strong.

 

Ninjerk, you're right that carnage attacks splash, but ultimately (as seen in the youtube video I linked) the trouble comes if RNG decides that the phantom gets to you before it's dead.

Sorry, I can't see video links on this forum (probably because I haven't updated chrome in forever).

 

If you go to youtube, you can paste "Ut5iYk6WqqI" as the video ID to see the strategy I was trying to follow.

 

Also I just got confirmation from someone else that the preorder item sells for 1500 gold at the start of the game which could explain how one or two people are getting the horn early enough.  Playing without the preorder item, 1024 gold seems to be pretty close to the maximum I can get without killing NPCs.

 

Ha, I thought the cape was applying the Endurance regeneration before DR.  That explains why phantoms in the Great Hall were only chipping away at my health and not my endurance.

 

Anyway, I wouldn't try that strategy if you don't have the preorder item.  Preorder item+Disappointer originally allowed you to get the horn and the blunting belt.  You're going to have to figure out a way to increase your odds of not being stunned or possibly hit at all.

[Ceranai]

 

 

Ceranai, have you even finished the game? <.<

Not yet no i felt like the difficulty was too easy and at this point im just starting to get bored

 

 

Jesus Christ. Stop trying to solo the game and beat the damn thing first.

 

Im as far into the game solo as i am in my group (obviously avoiding encounters that just arent soloable

[Ninjerk]

I wonder how he's leveling up to 4 in the Temple...

[Ninjerk]

 

 

 

Ceranai, have you even finished the game? <.<

Not yet no i felt like the difficulty was too easy and at this point im just starting to get bored

 

 

Jesus Christ. Stop trying to solo the game and beat the damn thing first.

 

Im as far into the game solo as i am in my group (obviously avoiding encounters that just arent soloable

 

You need to play the way he wants you to play dammit! 

[AgentElrond]

I wonder how he's leveling up to 4 in the Temple...

Same here, with 7000+ gold by 1.5 hours in.  When I asked they said the only NPCs they killed were the Nonton couple (which I haven't been able to kill in my attempts with the same or similar build, so I must be screwing something up).

 

They are using the preorder item for the 1500 gold which helps a lot though.

[Ninjerk]

 

I wonder how he's leveling up to 4 in the Temple...

Same here, with 7000+ gold by 1.5 hours in.  When I asked they said the only NPCs they killed were the Nonton couple (which I haven't been able to kill in my attempts with the same or similar build, so I must be screwing something up).

 

They are using the preorder item for the 1500 gold which helps a lot though.

 

Might get xp for killing Nonton and Ingroed as an alternative to killing the bears.  That might award the full xp for it.

[AgentElrond]

Might get xp for killing Nonton and Ingroed as an alternative to killing the bears.  That might award the full xp for it.

 

You don't get any XP for killing NPCs.  I just tried attacking Nonton, and then attacking the rogue in the house waiting for him.  Got no XP, only the ring.  No side quest, no failed quest, nothing.

Edited April 6, 2015 by AgentElrond

[Ninjerk]

 

Might get xp for killing Nonton and Ingroed as an alternative to killing the bears.  That might award the full xp for it.

 

You don't get any XP for killing NPCs.  I just tried attacking Nonton, and then attacking the rogue in the house waiting for him.  Got no XP, only the ring.  No side quest, no failed quest, nothing.

 

Might have to kill the bears, then.

[AgentElrond]

Might have to kill the bears, then.

 

Don't think that's possible with level 3 barbarian.  You take 40-50 or more slash damage crits from a single one of them (let alone 3), through 9 slash DR.

[Lasci]

I've been messing around with strategies and it's hilarious how broken One Stands Alone is.

[AgentElrond]

I've been messing around with strategies and it's hilarious how broken One Stands Alone is.

I'd love to find a way to get to level 4 and try it.  I feel like the game would have a lot of possibilities past Maerwald with barbarian.

 

I found some extra XP and gold I missed in Valewood, but I still can't reliably kill the wolves in the bottom right corner.  I've tried using a fine dagger, no shield.  I've also tried using a mace, no shield.  In both cases I used frenzy, savage defiance, and with the dagger even burned two endurance potions.  I chokepoint the wolves so I fight one or two at a time.  Even with all that, I always end up dying, usually shortly after fighting the big wolf.  I don't know of any way to only pull one wolf, either.

[Ninjerk]

 

Might have to kill the bears, then.

 

Don't think that's possible with level 3 barbarian.  You take 40-50 or more slash damage crits from a single one of them (let alone 3), through 9 slash DR.

 

Did you get the platemail from the backer NPC?