Davies

Also, since this is a new game to you, you might want to consider playing on Casual until you get used to it.

You get additional vials for free if you build enough apothecaries, in addition to finding them in various places, and adding more apothecaries also allows you to upgrade the basic health potion to a more powerful one or to other types of potion as well.

Yes you can. Each vial takes up one inventory slot, but you can have more than one at a time.

Yes, because the people they suggest that to are fairly invested in the existence of the empire, and, as someone who has benefited from it for their entire life up to the start of QW1, so are they. Well, there's your problem, then.

So my complete lack of tactical competence means that playing on any difficulty level other than "Casual" is a nightmare, so I generally don't. Nevertheless, during a recent run I decided to take a run at Solara's Jaws just to be able to say that I'd visited every dungeon or town in the game. I managed to defeat the dragon ... and this is where things get strange, for I received a medal for "The Most Dangerous Game" despite that supposedly being awarded only to those who defeat a dragon on Veteran difficulty. I'm not complaining about having it, but I don't think I deserve it ...

Things that will happen in the next game: 1) You (and probably Sutter) will be leading an invasion of a new vassal. 2) After a central, tutorial area, there will be three regions to explore, plus an underground area. 3) Actually entering each of those regions will be a challenge. 4) Rather than persuading the local authorities to renew their vassalage, you will be persuading them to accept it ... 5) ... which will mean that this time you can't build your forts until you obtain permission from the locals. 6) You will return to Haven several times over the course of your exploits. (First game, it only happens at the end. Second game, it happens a couple of times. This time, it happens more.) 7) You will have the choice to fight a duel in the throne room, because who among us does not like duels in the throne room? For sad heathens who do not like duels in the throne room, there will also be the choice to avoid this.

Did you talk to Shella after killing the mercenaries?

Queen's Reputation This score has the least impact on the game, but has a major impact on its finale, almost certainly reflected in the code you receive to carry over into Queen's Wish 3: The Final Conflict (or whatever it ends up being subtitled.) It determines what judgement you receive from Queen Sharyn, which is in turn reflected in the end text. 35 or greater: "I have been very pleased by your words and actions. Haven shall count itself very lucky to have you as its servant." 20 to 34: "I have been pleased by your words and actions. You still have things to learn, of course, but Haven is very lucky to have you as its servant." 10 to 19: "You have improved, but ... Your words and actions have shown you to need correction. You don't understand Haven's ways, and I have not approved of some of your actions. You will still be a favored servant, my child, but you still have things to learn." 9 or less: "I am sorry to have to say. Your words and actions have shown you to need much correction. You don't understand Haven's ways, and I have greatly disapproved of your words and actions. You will still be a favored servant, my child, but you have so much to learn. We will not forget it." It is possible to get the highest result and replace both governors, but you will need to utterly toe the Haven line otherwise.

Updated to include these notes.

Yep.

For which read, is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder in a world that has never even heard of it. And is a jerk on top of that, but his worst behavior comes from a serious mental health issue. When you ask him to come help you at Prova Krug, though, he states that he would if he were permitted. He's the only person in the whole game who says he wants to help you, there. I make allowances in consideration for that.

As I understand it, every two game days, the system adds up the resources you have collected in each region, then subtracts a certain amount that has been stolen, based on your current reputation, and then subtracts an amount based on what you have purchased. If you then have a negative number in any area, you have a deficit, and a penalty will be applied. (I have not been able to get this to happen in the early stages of the game, so I don't know how the penalty works.) Regardless, after this is done, the difference is available for you to use to purchase buildings. If you gain more resources, they are added to your collection. You immediately have access to them, and can spend them how you like. The subtraction for theft seems to be only applied on the two day mark, after which whatever penalty you might have would probably come into effect.

From experience, I know that getting to 0 in a resource is not a problem, and that if you are at 0 the system won't LET you build another building that would require that resource. (At the start of the game, you only have enough quicksilver to build an apothecary, and so can't build anything else that requires quicksilver until you get some more.) So you can only go into deficit if your reputation causes a lot of thievery ... and your supply of most materials (not quicksilver) is much higher than you will probably need. It's also worth noting that most buildings cost only a small amount of resources -- a smithy costs 1 wood, 2 stone and 2 iron, for example. So making one for all 7 of your forts will only cost 7 wood, 14 stone and 14 iron, and if you add up all your income from just the Gentle Coast, you can afford that -- and by that time your supplies will be much greater!

Thank you. Tomorrow, I hope to discuss what all this means in practical terms.