Scouting.....use it all the time?

[crine]

I just started the game but am curious about scouting. I know it says it allows you to sneak and also to detect traps and hidden objects. I am not that concerned with sneaking at this point but it seems to me that I would always want to be checking for traps and hidden treasure right? The movement speed decrease when scouting seems like it will get really frustrating if I try to spend the majority of the game in that mode. Any advice or insight on the value of constantly scouting versus the annoyance of it taking longer?

[Blades of Vanatar]

Yes, scouting is very helpful. Change to Fast Speed.

[Luma Akasha]

I always use fast scouting unless I am backtracking over an area I have thoroughly explored.

[Nobear]

I just started the game but am curious about scouting. I know it says it allows you to sneak and also to detect traps and hidden objects. I am not that concerned with sneaking at this point but it seems to me that I would always want to be checking for traps and hidden treasure right? The movement speed decrease when scouting seems like it will get really frustrating if I try to spend the majority of the game in that mode. Any advice or insight on the value of constantly scouting versus the annoyance of it taking longer?

 

 

Do you know how to toggle double speed on and off? I use the 'D' key to do it, but I forget if that's default or not.

 

Another thing totally not obvious and unique to this game (and kind of strange) is that Mechanics is what affects not only which traps you can detect, but which treasures. That's right, not Perception, not Stealth, but Mechanics. When you add that to its other benefits, Mechanics is highly useful in this game. Fortunately, only one character needs to focus on it. There are no party-wide skills in this game that sum the points of all party members, it's all individual. 10 is a good endgame value for Mechanics, as well as for Lore, which is a good skill for your other characters so they can use scrolls. Other than that, it's good to have 3 Athletics for everyone. More than that has diminishing returns.

 

One funny thing you'll find about Mechanics is that the classes and companions with a Mechanics bonus are not tanks, yet your party can easily trigger traps by the time they are detected if your mechanic is not in front. This creates a strategic dilemma: do you use a formation with tanks in front, or one with your mechanic in front? Maybe you create two custom formations, the latter to use for scouting in dungeons, which is where traps are most commonly found. Or you might find it annoying to keep switching formations and choose to save frequently instead, so you can reload when your party triggers a trap. Up to you.

Edited July 20, 2015 by Nobear

[wanderon]

I like having a formation with my mechanic in front - he/she is also likely to be my highest stealth character as well altho so far (chap 1 & 2 only) I have not gone beyond 3 stealth and generally everyone has that.

 

So hopefully when the mechanic finds a trap they can disarm it without being seen by nearby enemies.

 

4   3

          1 >>>

5   2

[VahnXIII]

I like having a formation with my mechanic in front - he/she is also likely to be my highest stealth character as well altho so far (chap 1 & 2 only) I have not gone beyond 3 stealth and generally everyone has that.

 

So hopefully when the mechanic finds a trap they can disarm it without being seen by nearby enemies.

 

4   3

          1 >>>

5   2

Very interesting. I use a similar set up:

 

7     4

       3   2    1 

6     5  

 

1 = Eder

2 = Vahn (main character - rogue with mechanics)

3 = Sagani

4 = Sagani's fox companion

5 = Kana

6 = Durance

7 = Aloth

 

My rogue picks up on any hidden items. If we engage enemies in a tight space, Eder pulls and my rogue peels left or right to get into flanking position while the rest of the characters use ranged abilities.

 

For dungeons, I always scout with my rogue first, then send in the Calvary based on what I find.

 

To answer OP, right now it makes sense to go stealth and play in fast mode if you're exploring. Once 2.0 hits, I would imagine you can keep you party out of stealth while your mechanics character remains in stealth mode with perhaps boots of speed to keep up?

[Sidney]

I tend not to have it on due to the speed thing so far but there seems to usually be an indicator that there is a trap - blood on the floor, that little shield on the wall -- so I look for that. I also then flip it on when I'm near chests and such things gag might be trapped.

[Nobear]

I tend not to have it on due to the speed thing so far but there seems to usually be an indicator that there is a trap - blood on the floor, that little shield on the wall -- so I look for that. I also then flip it on when I'm near chests and such things gag might be trapped.

 

That's certainly a valid way to play, with maybe the excitement of having to be alert all the time to avoid doom, although the double speed I find makes scouting not too slow.

 

You are also likely to miss a good number of hidden items, some of which are uniques or rare items like the good gems for some of the best enchants in the game. Sometimes something looks obviously suspicious and like something you should check under, but other times there is no easily identifiable giveaway.