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Finally got around to playing these, and starting with Avernum 1.

 

Three questions I've run into so far:

 

1. Can you learn spells from scrolls? From what I can tell, the answer is no. Scrolls seem to basically be one-shot spells. Just wanted to make sure I'm not missing out.

 

2. How do you create potions? I've learned some alchemy recipes, found some herbs, and have a sorcerer with the potion making skill. But I'm not sure how to actually go about creating potions.

 

3. Since it's my first Avernum game, I figured I'd start on Normal difficulty, though normally I play games on the hardest setting. So far it's been a cakewalk, but I've only done the newbie quests (clearing out the bandits and the goblin cave, plus some random outdoor encounters). The hints on the site talk about going to the dungeon, killing a few guys, and then leaving and coming back, but I've found I don't need to do that (except to haul out the massive amounts of loot). Makes me wonder if Normal mode is a little on the easy side, or if the game just goes extra easy on you in the early zones. I'm probably still just going to go through this on Normal mode and then up the difficulty when I get to Avernum 2, but I'm kind of curious to hear some perspectives on game difficulty and how much of a jump the next two difficulty levels would be. And if any games in the series differ dramatically from the others in terms of difficulty.

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1. no, only books and spell sellers.

 

2. pick character who has potion making skill and then click ability-icon (hand with some kind of fole or something like that) on toolbar where is attack and mage- and priest-spell icons and at there choose potion making.

 

3. quests at start are easy but they will get harder as you progress.

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3. The demo area is intentionally easy to sucker players into buying the rest. The main quest path is easier than the optional areas which are usually much harder to give some players a challenge.

 

Avernum 5 has a reputation for having a sharp increase in difficulty just past the halfway point. Jeff changed the game to eliminate several player exploits including summoning a horde of monster to fight for you. So some things that you can do in earlier games will no work here.

 

Avernum games don't repopulate dungeons like the earlier Exile version where all the monsters and the loot they drop would reappear. So there was no longer the need to clear places in one visit to avoid replaying the fights unless you wanted extra experience.

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Originally Posted By: Sterno
1. Can you learn spells from scrolls? From what I can tell, the answer is no. Scrolls seem to basically be one-shot spells. Just wanted to make sure I'm not missing out.
Scrolls are one-shot spells. To learn spells, you either read books or learn them from someone who will teach them. When reading books, however, you need to have a high enough level of Rune Reading ability in your party. Also, regardless of how you learn a spell at level 3, you first must learn it at level 1 or 2.

Quote:
2. How do you create potions? I've learned some alchemy recipes, found some herbs, and have a sorcerer with the potion making skill. But I'm not sure how to actually go about creating potions.
To make a potion, you need:
  • the recipe,
  • the right ingredients, and
  • a character with high enough Potion Making skill.
When you make the potion, click on "Use" (the thing that looks like a hand), or type "u". On the menu that pops up, click "Make a Potion" (option "a"); then, click on the potion you want to make. Some of each ingredient will disappear from your inventory; and if the process was successful (higher skill = better chance of succeeding), a potion will appear.

Tedious, I know, but that's how it's done.

Quote:
3. Since it's my first Avernum game, I figured I'd start on Normal difficulty, though normally I play games on the hardest setting. So far it's been a cakewalk, but I've only done the newbie quests (clearing out the bandits and the goblin cave, plus some random outdoor encounters).
As Randomizer said, the demo area tends to be rather easy. However (in Avernum 1, anyway), things do tend to get more difficult the farther you get outside the demo, and the overall curve isn't too steep until you start the game-winning quests or the major side quests.

If you think the game is too easy, you can always increase the difficulty, and then turn it back down again if things get too hard.
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I just started a replay of Avernum 1, and all my characters have divinely touched, and either elite warrior, fast on feet, or natural mage.

I'm playing on "Really hard"-- Torment as it's later called.

 

After taking out the goblins, a few outdoor encounters, and the bandits... My party is level 2.

 

I wouldn't recommend the higher difficulties until you KNOW what you're doing, and wont waste skill points.

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The free action tiny heal has saved my bacon numerous times already.

 

I wanted to see how useful, if at all, the free skills become.

 

Powergaming would probably see fast on feet on all of the characters, because there's just no substitute for free AP, and the combat order without bumping dex so high is really handy.

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You may need a better party line-up. There have been discussions of this in the past.

Better tactics may be in order too. Melee will be need to be emphasized as well as magic use, Bless and Haste are the ticket here. A1 is not that hard. It is possible to get in over your head by rushing off into tough areas before you are strong enough to face them.

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  • 2 months later...

Just in case any other newbies are curious, I finally finished Avernum 1 on Normal mode. The first level or two was difficult, and then things got easier as I learned which spells are useful (haste, and attack buff/defense buff priest spells early on). Melee would kill everything while my priest kept them healed and my mage kept them buffed.

 

Thing started getting hard again once I finished the initial nephilim quests. Mainly because it became less clear exactly where I should go next, and I started getting in over my head on a few fights. Demons and gremlins in particular were tough, as they'd do nonstop summons, slow spells, and take control of my party members.

 

Then I started poking around Silver's maps/walkthrough and found where I could learn Haste level 3 and Unshackle Mind. And after that the game pretty much became a cakewalk on normal mode. Had I known exactly where to look for those spells earlier, I think the whole game would have been pretty easy on Normal. Haste level 3 alone is a huge game-changer in terms of your party's power.

 

Just started Avernum 2 on Tough. Started out a little rough but once I got my footing, I've been doing okay (I'm only level 3 atm, though). Until my melee guys get leveled up a bit more, defensive buff spells and "Slow" are hugely helpful. And I have a better idea of how to build characters now, so I'm thinking this will definitely be doable. If so, I'll try Torment for Avernum 3.

 

Anyway, my recommendation to newbies would be to keep the setting on Normal if you're going to explore the game on your own. But if you're going to use FAQs, Silver's maps, etc so that you can run to all the most useful spells/weapons/armor as early as possible, then I recommend setting it to Tough. Otherwise I think you'll have too easy a time.

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Until my melee guys get leveled up a bit more, defensive buff spells and "Slow" are hugely helpful.

 

In the beginning, even the most skilled fighter has problems. I think a lot of the problem is that the equipment you get early on is as much a disadvantage as anything.

 

I found that by starting my fighters out with enough Priest skill points so they can cast Smite (Repel Spirit is useful too). This low level spell is actually quite effective against most of the foes you meet early in the game. It also useful for your fighters being able to cast Heal, since you have probably not gotten enough healing potions, and your priests don't have a lot of spell points.

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I found slow pretty useless with my high level party in Avernum 1, but I'm finding it useful during the low-levels of Avernum 2, particularly since I upped the difficulty and some of the scarier things can 2-shot me. Cutting down their attacks really helps with survivability, and my mage doesn't have any decent nuke spells yet.

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The early games had the wait command where you could delay your actions. This allowed you to cast haste on your party and slow on your enemies as the last actions in a round. It was very useful against demons and others that usually summoned more monsters and cast slow against you.

 

Avernum 1 allowed a mage to start with lightning, but by Avernum 2 the best mage area attack was ice lances.

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  • 2 months later...

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