Basic builds & gameplay tips

[Kakost]

... And yet, you managed to put far more detail into it than I could possibly put into a condensed guide. ..

I'll need something more similar to what i laid out in my "stabby archer" sample if I'm going to add it to main page. I can try and condense what you have done, but it may not be quite what you are looking for. If i havent heard from you before I have time to do so, I'll give it a whirl.

I'm terrible at NOT being pedantic...

I guess the most important part is to balance the traits early on, between physical and Mana-based traits (Int and Per), with Int up to 4 BEFORE dumping into Per (Int 2, Per 2, Int 3 (for wolf), Per 3, Int 4, then Per up to 5, then everything on physical - preferably Str).

Then it's the matter of the prereqs - Int 3 for Wolf, Nivarian's Barrier 2 and Per 5 for B.Prayer and finally Sacred Fire 3 for FoF, so that's the important thing to keep in mind, and the order upon which you'll get those skills.

Early on, the first skill I advice is Sacred Fire 1, it will make life very easy with a massive damage for a lvl 1.

Afterwards, Cure 1, Intervention 1 and Arbenos' Might 1, all very useful.

Getting the Wolf is trick, you need to "rescue" Hirge in a not trivial Tolassian Tomb. If you don't have Awa 2, you'll need Adaon, so that complicates things, which is why the Wolf won't be coming that early on.

But, pick the Wolf as soon as possible. Afterwards, the priority is to take Summoner on Icemist - which is another hard prospect by itself.

In the meantime, you can improve anyone between Cure, Sacred Fire, Intervention or Nivarian's Barrier as you're pleased, but besides Intervention, I would stick to lvl 2 with anyone of those. But as soon as you get the Wolf, take it to lvl 2 ASAP; likewise, as soon as you get Summoner, get it to lvl 3. It's VITAL to get Summoner 3 BEFORE Wolf 3, due to mana consumption; once you get Summoner 3, take Wolf 3 immediately after.

Once you have Summoner 3 and Wolf 3, get B.Prayer; that's the order >> Wolf 2, Summoner 3, Wolf 3, B. Prayer 3. For that reason, you'll have plenty of time to prepare all the necessary prerequisites for those (Int 3, Nivarian's Barrier 2, Per 5), because B.Prayer will take some time to come.

After those, you'll already be at the mid to late game, and it's time to get FoF, thus if you haven't Sacred Fire 3 yet, now it's the time (it is the prereq of FoF).

If I have time I'll try to organize this mess in a more elegant matter that you could publish, I'm sorry for being so confused, I'm trying to do things from memory in a rush matter (my clock already told me I have only 7 hours to sleep today lol)

 

[Neponde]

I'm terrible at NOT being pedantic...

*snipped*

I can work with this.
What difficulty did you play at?
Did you end peacefully or violently?

 

[Shadow blade]

I'm terrible at NOT being pedantic...

I guess the most important part is to balance the traits early on, between physical and Mana-based traits (Int and Per), with Int up to 4 BEFORE dumping into Per (Int 2, Per 2, Int 3 (for wolf), Per 3, Int 4, then Per up to 5, then everything on physical - preferably Str).

Then it's the matter of the prereqs - Int 3 for Wolf, Nivarian's Barrier 2 and Per 5 for B.Prayer and finally Sacred Fire 3 for FoF, so that's the important thing to keep in mind, and the order upon which you'll get those skills.

Early on, the first skill I advice is Sacred Fire 1, it will make life very easy with a massive damage for a lvl 1.

Afterwards, Cure 1, Intervention 1 and Arbenos' Might 1, all very useful.

Getting the Wolf is trick, you need to "rescue" Hirge in a not trivial Tolassian Tomb. If you don't have Awa 2, you'll need Adaon, so that complicates things, which is why the Wolf won't be coming that early on.

But, pick the Wolf as soon as possible. Afterwards, the priority is to take Summoner on Icemist - which is another hard prospect by itself.

In the meantime, you can improve anyone between Cure, Sacred Fire, Intervention or Nivarian's Barrier as you're pleased, but besides Intervention, I would stick to lvl 2 with anyone of those. But as soon as you get the Wolf, take it to lvl 2 ASAP; likewise, as soon as you get Summoner, get it to lvl 3. It's VITAL to get Summoner 3 BEFORE Wolf 3, due to mana consumption; once you get Summoner 3, take Wolf 3 immediately after.

Once you have Summoner 3 and Wolf 3, get B.Prayer; that's the order >> Wolf 2, Summoner 3, Wolf 3, B. Prayer 3. For that reason, you'll have plenty of time to prepare all the necessary prerequisites for those (Int 3, Nivarian's Barrier 2, Per 5), because B.Prayer will take some time to come.

After those, you'll already be at the mid to late game, and it's time to get FoF, thus if you haven't Sacred Fire 3 yet, now it's the time (it is the prereq of FoF).

If I have time I'll try to organize this mess in a more elegant matter that you could publish, I'm sorry for being so confused, I'm trying to do things from memory in a rush matter (my clock already told me I have only 7 hours to sleep today lol)

I know its been a while, you might not even answer me. however I would still like to know the gear setup you use for this build. do you 2 handed weapons to maximise arbenos might efficiency and griss as a tank with shield or do use normal shield one handed builed or shield agility build?

 

[Neponde]

Do you 2 handed weapons to maximise arbenos might efficiency and griss as a tank with shield or do use normal shield one handed builed or shield agility build?

He mentioned in a post on the previous page that he used 2H weapons with this build. I'm pretty sure he uses griss with shield as well.

Post automatically merged:    01/11/2023

Okay @Kakost , please copy and paste this format, and edit/add/remove what you like. Try to stay somewhat concise . Once you have your edits in, I'll add it to the OP (assuming I don't need to edit it down).

"Shaman" (Summoner)
Playstyle: Support, Active Skills, Melee Caster
Game completion: ????? (Peaceful? Non peaceful? Difficulty?)
Originator: Kakost

Spoiler

Companion Used
Grissenda. Either shield build (give her aggro) or 2H build (faster take-downs).

Basic Skills
Heal Wounds
Nivaria's Barrier
Intervention
Arbenos's might
Sacred Flame

Advanced skills
Battle Prayer
Flames of Faith
Guardian Wolf
Summoner

Trait priority
Balanced

Helpful tips
1) This is a 'support' style build. Your companion and summon become integral to your damage output.
2) One rank in Arbenos' might is strongly recommended. Very high damage boost for minimal mana and 1 skill point.
3) Guardian wolf does spirit damage, very few enemies are resistant to him/her.
4) Clerics excel against undead. For farming and leveling, dungeons crawling with undead are your go-to.
5) This build can be mana intensive. Keep well stocked with mana potions

An extended guide written by Kakost can be found on page 11 and 12 of this thread.

Combat
This build is unique in that your team becomes as important as you. Your companion, your wolf, and yourself become a trifecta of pain when your skills are used well in conjunction. You will want to use 2 Handed weapons with this build.

Try to minimize damage to your wolf where possible, giving aggro to Griss or taking it yourself. Heal wounds will heal yourself to max first, then leftovers to your companion / summon. Its cheaper to heal your summon this way (mana wise) than to re-summon.

Try to save your active combat skills (battle prayer, flames of faith, Sacred Flame) for tough enemies, groups, or bosses. Most common enemies will go down easy enough. If you leave Arbenos' might at level 1, it is a fairly significant damage boost for a tiny mana cost, easily offset with minor mana potions.

Beginnings (Level 1-5ish)
Your first skill is Sacred Fire 1. The rest of the basic skills listed can be raised up in a balanced way as you prefer up to 2.

Str, Per, End, and Int should be kept roughly equal early game. The first trait you want raised to 3 will be Int, in order to get the Guardian Wolf.

Early Mid (Level 5-10ish)
Guardian Wolf will be your first advance skill, and Summoner will be the next. Obtain all prerequisites in skills and traits if you haven't already by this point. Keep your main four traits balanced.

Late Mid (Level 10-15ish)
Battle Prayer is your focus skill at this level range. Obtain all pre-reqs (skills and traits) if you have not already. Finish maxing out your wolf if he is not already.

Dex and Awa can be upped to 2 if they are not already. After Per is at 5 (Battle Prayer), Int should be left at 4.

Late (Level 15-20+ish)
Flames of Faith finishes off your build. Obtain all prerequisites if you have not already. You can choose whether to max it off, or Heal Wounds first.

At this stage, Strength and Endurance are your priorities.

Once all your other skills are where they need to be, Body development will have a great payoff. But the world is your playground now. The full build is extremely potent, and you will flatten most of your foes quickly.

 

[Kakost]

I can work with this.
What difficulty did you play at?
Did you end peacefully or violently?

I always play on IM, and I always end peacefully... For all of my big talk, I still haven't managed to muster the courage to try to taste parasite cuisine on IM... Going all the way on IM to risk it all at the end...

Well, my next game I will end it with a bang, that will be my goal. But for the Summoner Cleric, I did it on IM.

Post automatically merged:    11/11/2023

I know its been a while, you might not even answer me. however I would still like to know the gear setup you use for this build. do you 2 handed weapons to maximise arbenos might efficiency and griss as a tank with shield or do use normal shield one handed builed or shield agility build?

I used 2H Hammer yes, for Arbenos' Might. I figured out quite early that, although the survivability of this build is incredible and that you are pretty much immortal, your damage output is awful. There is, besides Sacred Fire, but if you try to Sacred Fire nuke everything in your way, this will not work since you would spend all your mana in seconds.

2H Griss could theoretically work, but I always prefer to have her with 1H/Shield, since Griss' purpose is to be my meat shield.

Thus, I use 1H/Shield Griss to take the brunt of damage, sometimes pushing her in front of me to Aggro enemies, and for my Cleric it's 2H hammer. And using Cure + potions as needed to keep Griss awake (and at higher levels also using FoF)

Post automatically merged:    11/11/2023

Mmm

He mentioned in a post on the previous page that he used 2H weapons with this build. I'm pretty sure he uses griss with shield as well.

Post automatically merged:    01/11/2023

Okay @Kakost , please copy and paste this format, and edit/add/remove what you like. Try to stay somewhat concise . Once you have your edits in, I'll add it to the OP (assuming I don't need to edit it down).

"Shaman" (Summoner)
Playstyle: Support, Active Skills, Melee Caster
Game completion: ????? (Peaceful? Non peaceful? Difficulty?)
Originator: Kakost

Spoiler

Companion Used
Grissenda. Either shield build (give her aggro) or 2H build (faster take-downs).

Basic Skills
Heal Wounds
Nivaria's Barrier
Intervention
Arbenos's might
Sacred Flame

Advanced skills
Battle Prayer
Flames of Faith
Guardian Wolf
Summoner

Trait priority
Balanced

Helpful tips
1) This is a 'support' style build. Your companion and summon become integral to your damage output.
2) One rank in Arbenos' might is strongly recommended. Very high damage boost for minimal mana and 1 skill point.
3) Guardian wolf does spirit damage, very few enemies are resistant to him/her.
4) Clerics excel against undead. For farming and leveling, dungeons crawling with undead are your go-to.
5) This build can be mana intensive. Keep well stocked with mana potions

An extended guide written by Kakost can be found on page 11 and 12 of this thread.

Combat
This build is unique in that your team becomes as important as you. Your companion, your wolf, and yourself become a trifecta of pain when your skills are used well in conjunction. You will want to use 2 Handed weapons with this build.

Try to minimize damage to your wolf where possible, giving aggro to Griss or taking it yourself. Heal wounds will heal yourself to max first, then leftovers to your companion / summon. Its cheaper to heal your summon this way (mana wise) than to re-summon.

Try to save your active combat skills (battle prayer, flames of faith, Sacred Flame) for tough enemies, groups, or bosses. Most common enemies will go down easy enough. If you leave Arbenos' might at level 1, it is a fairly significant damage boost for a tiny mana cost, easily offset with minor mana potions.

Beginnings (Level 1-5ish)
Your first skill is Sacred Fire 1. The rest of the basic skills listed can be raised up in a balanced way as you prefer up to 2.

Str, Per, End, and Int should be kept roughly equal early game. The first trait you want raised to 3 will be Int, in order to get the Guardian Wolf.

Early Mid (Level 5-10ish)
Guardian Wolf will be your first advance skill, and Summoner will be the next. Obtain all prerequisites in skills and traits if you haven't already by this point. Keep your main four traits balanced.

Late Mid (Level 10-15ish)
Battle Prayer is your focus skill at this level range. Obtain all pre-reqs (skills and traits) if you have not already. Finish maxing out your wolf if he is not already.

Dex and Awa can be upped to 2 if they are not already. After Per is at 5 (Battle Prayer), Int should be left at 4.

Late (Level 15-20+ish)
Flames of Faith finishes off your build. Obtain all prerequisites if you have not already. You can choose whether to max it off, or Heal Wounds first.

At this stage, Strength and Endurance are your priorities.

Once all your other skills are where they need to be, Body development will have a great payoff. But the world is your playground now. The full build is extremely potent, and you will flatten most of your foes quickly.

That's pretty good, I have nothing further to add.

Oh yes, the only thing I would add is that 2H hammer is favored over 1H/Light Hammer + Shield because this build have low damage output. It already has too much survivability - with Cure, FoF, Intervention and Nivarian's Barrier, it's a ton of defense, not to mention Companion + Wolf as meat shields, so you truly do not need any extra defensiveness in the form of a Shield.

Regardless, you can still situationally switch between 2H and 1H/Shield (mostly when you need those shields with strong resistances), but most of the time, 2H is preferable

 

[Xarios]

C I play an archer, I'm level 14, I just got a bow from the Lamth labyrinth, and I have a question about Griss, I use her as a shield, she's level 12, what's the best weapon for her?

 

[VDX_360]

The Wiki has a list of all the weapons in the game. So pretty much go with which one works for your situation.

 

[Neponde]

I have a question about Griss, I use her as a shield, she's level 12, what's the best weapon for her?

Best is often relative to the situation. But some of my go-to weapons for shield Griss are the icicle, and the Sonnet. They get outclassed by late game, but are very solid light weapons for her that are straightforward to obtain, and versatile.

 

[Kakost]

Damn, I should make a complete build for the Elementalist Mage, but Im afraid that I don't quite remember it as indepth as the Shaman; also, I realize now that it could've been a little bit more efficient (considering that I took both Gate AND Arcanist - which has Mana Fountain as prereq, so a lot of skill points just to save some mana...)

Also, since it was my first play (and on IM), I was cautious to the point of paranoia, literally consulting the Wiki every 3 steps I took, so I wouldn't consider it a "normal" play. I'd have to try it out again as a real veteran this time, instead of a bookworm nerdy noob.

What I can say is that Griss is your meat shield, whenever anything happens just go hide behind mommy as quick as possible, staves are better than wands, Int is your friend, when in doubt, just increase your Int a bit more, and Elemental magica kick ass.

I'll play it once more (someday... When I'm 90 years old perhaps, because I don't see myself having the time any time sooner), and I'll add the intro to it.

Or perhaps... Yes... YES! Maybe it's time to try the Mage Barrier build up! Yes, that will be my very next playthrough. Mage Barrier, lots of End and Body Development, let's see how that goes. Perhaps I could even throw a few Summons here and there too (Fire Golem perhaps), we'll see.

 

[Hermes Tremadan]

someone here know how many points of Fire resistance i need to receive 0 damage on the elemental plane of Fire?