alhoon

WOW! I can get an Awakened Tulda-forged mage that is itching for a fight instead of placidly waiting for Litalia to kill him!? Is Xander an NPC I can get with me? Does he talk and offer opinions etc if I do? EDIT: Oh well... I should have expected that Tuldaric would have been completely unhinged from Tuldaforging himself. While he keeps his convictions towards the Servile liberation*, he's power-lust led him to be quite detached. Every Tuldaforged servile seems completely unaffected by canister madness. But Tuldaric? He is on the verge of forgetting to speak like a person, let alone remember what "being human" is. I am not 100% sure it's an effect of too much self-Shaping as some Serviles suggest as... pure narcissism and megalomania that self-Shaping brought to the surface. Some people are mad to begin with, no canisters or platforms involved. The Drakons would approve, I am sure. Perhaps they would even "cure" him from his interest to helping Serviles* and help him redirect his talent to truly "noble" cause like ReShaping Drakons. Perhaps the Ritual affects only humans and leaves Serviles sane? Is he using a different one on Serviles than on himself? I will have to find out sooner or later, cause Tuldaforging seems interesting but if it leads humans to be unhinged... we'll see. * Nope. He has "cured" himself from that. By his own admission, he hasn't thought about that for a long time and he remembers that it used to be of interest of him till his "line of work" led him elsewhere (Sounds like "Shape to Godhood" Drakon complex). He even admits "I joined with the Awakened. Or that's what I remember." Both funny and very sad. To see such a champion of the Serviles, of equality in magic, of everything that's good in the Awakened faction after he lost his mind... I so much wish I have met the early Tuldaric as he was trying to help Serviles like Raeche.

I was on my way... then a random evil servile from the Takers, that couldn't even speak properly, told me to go kill a guard "to the West". I am trying to find that servile guard to the "West" of his position to warn her. THIS HAPPENED! And on top of that, I can't cut and run cause there's a poor ornk trapped nearby that I got to save. EDIT: Aside of the whole area being a huge fest of exploding roamers, enough to put to shame a major city's 4th-of-July firework show + some ghosts that I can't deal with ... Twini was not there. She was even further west. As such, the whole zone seems pretty useless. I didn't even get proper XP! 1xp/roamer... A tedius area with little to no rewards. In any case, I found Twini to the West. No dialogue for me to warn her about the Taker spy. Meh. A lot of wasted effort. EDIT2: Went to the mage complex instead. I learned that there's another Shaper there, teaching serviles magic. Tuldaric. Tuldaric, bless his or her soul, Shaped out the evil magic-block Shapers put on the Serviles that was driving Servile spellcasters mad. So, I know now, who I have to thank in every game that I speak with Servile casters that are not tattoo-scarred cultists and mad. I don't know why the serviles keep practicing the pre-Tuldaric magic that drives them mad. I assume because poor Tuldaric didn't have the time to Shape out the blocks for all serviles, so we have the Tuldaric-mages and the mad, scarred-tattooed ones. We're growing in strength. I assume the Shapers would made an example of any Shapers working with the Awakened (or any rebel) but perhaps some will escape and become Lifecrafters. Frankly, I think Tuldaric is one of the unsang heroes of the Rebellion for this since magic to serviles is very, very important and the non-Tuldaric ones are... uncontrollable and insane. I hope he survives Litalia's purge and I hope the Tuldaric-version of Servile Magic makes its way out of the Drypeaks. After all, Ghaldring told me in GF5 that Gazaki-Uss is near where the Drakons were first made. I like how GF2 is full of characters. It's combat zones are tedious and seem redundant compared to other games (After the big roamer explosive fest there was a zone with Twini and lots of vlish leading clawbugs. Nothing interesting there except a cloak of deadeye) but there are many people to talk with, colorful and interesting. GF5 was full of merchants and people that while having nice discussion didn't made any impact. EDIT3: In the library of the Magus complex I found a book on languages. For the few places nearby not under Shaper control O_O There were places in the continent outside of Shaper control in GF2 era? From Litalia's tales, GF2 seems to have happened some years before GF3 which happened about 10-11 years before GF5. So... would that be 25-30 years before GF5? Does that mean that about a generation before GF5 there were still free lands? Does the book speak about the Dera Reaches and other wastelands that are nominally under Shaper control but they control the cities and the surrounding area and the nomads go about their business? (Or at least Taygen seems to think he's just nominally their boss and doesn't pay them a second thought). Is it perhaps something that the creator of the game changed his mind about through the years between making GF2 and GF4-5? PS. It's not about the language of the Sholai, since ... Sharon's book language is not there. Good Grief, I have to go aaaaall the way to Rising for that. EDIT4: Ahh... too good to last. Apparently my buddy Tuldaric is hoarding power for his side and he or she shapes humans too. I wonder what type of magic requires one to be Shaped to be able to cast it. But it can't be good for one's sanity. Still, Teaching only the sworn allies and acting as a Tuldaric-forge is not that bad. Tuldaric still is good in my book. As for Litalia's memory: There's no way one (or 5 or 10 Shapers for that matter) would be able to take on the Drypeaks whatever her talent. The Awakened alone have 4 Shapers I've met or heard about. The Lying deceiving coward (Zakary) has two that I've met and Shanti will probably be dead (by my hand if it has to be that way) by the time Litalia and the rest come to resubjugate the Serviles. Even if the Shapers plan to camp on Drypeak colony and send armies of battle Alphas and Vlish to kill everything in the valley, the Rebels have enough Shapers to just out-Shape them. Not to mention that everyone expects and prepares* for the Shapers to come and there are enough mages and trained warriors there to kill some Shapers even in their Drypeak base if it comes to that. *Well, not everyone prepares since the Awakened seem to think that the Shapers would consider speaking with them, when they will probably open fire the moment they see a servile in the distance. Some of the Awaken prepare. Others seem lax. EDIT5: Raeche... totally a lifecrafter. I doubt that very nice fellow will make it though. He seems determined to defend what they've been building there and realizes that Shapers would kill him for the audacity of considering serviles respectable creatures. One of the problems with war is that the wrong people die on it... opportunist buttholes survive at great rate than people with morals and conviction. You don't see many like Raeche in GF4-5. They've been killed, joined the Rebellion or hide their views. In GF3, there are some but since the world is burning they don't dwell much in philosophy. EDIT6: The more I learn about that place, Pentil, the more I pity the Serviles there. The Shapers are atrocious. I cannot begin to imagine why on earth in GF5 the good serviles would choose to name their place "Penta" in honor of the place of the worst Shaper betrayal to their kind?

Nah, 30 mechanics and leadership seems cheaty. I slowly raise them spending hard-earned skill points (and I have cheated to get tinker gloves without looking from them in places I don't want to go). I play the game at easy and it's not very easy; it's fairly easy. Since I don't plan to micromanage items or seek good equipment unless it falls on my hands (like the bracelet Sharon gave me) I expect that to change later. Is there a Graphics mod for GF2?! That's awesome news. I have already changed the Thands, the unarmed Serviles, and Shapers to GF4 graphics and I am on the process of changing the warrior serviles. Can I get a link for the Graphics mod for GF2? As for battle Shaping, my nice and trusty clawbug is good tanking at the moment. I am lvl 9 and I have 23 hp... (endurance 3) so I need someone to get the turret attacks. And now: Just when you think you have seen the end of Zakary's lies. Brodus Blade (a real shame he will die ) told me that the Serviles in Sucia started learning magic. And once in here, they sped up their studies thanks to Zakary. How nice of Zakary to "forget" to mention that while horrified with what was happening, he taught serviles how to use magic. I mean, that's the guy that was angry with me for not agreeing that serviles need to be flogged from time to time (have you seen the whips they use on the poor creatures?) to remain obedient. In GF3-5 there are few things I found as annoying as the Servile Icecasters and Mindcasters. Yes, they are necessary. Yes, they helped the Drakons and were worth like 5 servile warriors each. But when you had to face them, they were annoying with the debuff-and-run-away strategy. As for the Awakened: They're kinda too pro-Shaper. Brodus Blade, one of their respected high-ranks even told me that painting people with a broad brush is something the Shapers do, so he won't blame me for the crimes other Shapers did. I'm not saying he's wrong. I'm saying that I play the 1% of the Shapers that would talk with him.

Never managed to make an Eyebeast in 3 games. Haven't even SEEN one. I don't know how they look like. Except if they're so close to Gazers in color that I couldn't tell them apart if I met one. Magic shaping eh? Well, that's the one Shaping skill I have a 1 at... I've been going battle and fire Shaping to make my early-game creations powerful (I have a Cryora and a clawbug. Planning to add a Vlish, but I need skill points to boost other stuff than intelligence and magic. Mind magic to cast unlock. Blessing magic to cast blessings that don't go away nearly instantly, that kind of thing. )

Thanks. I plan to use 1 for Gazers, 1 for Drakons, 2 for Vlish (if they're as good as GF3 ones) +2 more that give good\useful abilities like blessing magic or Shaping or intelligence. With 6 canisters would I be on the good endings? Or go to the crazy size?

Carnelian didn't tell me to go to their university...

Could have happened. But they didn't canonically. And I was wrong, Litalia didn't say she went alone in GF4. She says she was part of a group. Also Barzahl and Litalia were both said to be very talented. Barzahl was placed under Zakary because of their age and experience difference but (and now I am serious) I don't believe anything Zakary says so I'll go meet Barzahl and see what he has to say. In any case, young and talented Shapers were not (for good reason) allowed to do such stuff themselves even if their "handlers" are weaker than them. Astoria is open that she's not as powerful as Quothe or some of the Shapers she leads. [Story / game segregation here? Or she lies? Cause in the final battle she does tons of damage and she's harder to kill than most of her Shapers] As for Litalia's memory... in GF5 we play a person that lost all his or her memories because of canister abuse. You're well within your rights to say "Yeah, that Litalia remembers it that way, doesn't mean it was that way". But from both GF4 and GF5 Litalia's story was that she was an important player in the genocide of my friends. Both such genocides actually cause she killed a lot of my Shaper friends in GF3-5 too. Or, well, ahem... ordered me to do it and I did. But I was following caniste orders! Didn't help me feel better though. I feel very bad about causing Rockfall to fall. The most likeable loyalists were there. Speaking of endings: Without too many spoilers please, where would I be "locked" in an ending-cycle? Or it's more like GF4 that you could do whatever and just push the switch in the end and choose who wins? If I swear loyalty to someone (Lying Zakary the Deceiver was bullied by my level 6 or 7 apprentice to offer me the chance to swear loyalty), would I be able to break out? So far I am... very early in the game. Spoke with the Awakened, lots of them. Haven't spoken with the Takers or Rising's serviles. Haven't done any quests for them (I think), although I'm definitely going to try and relieve the disease that plagues them. My first instinct was Zakary's people but frankly they're not skilled enough or ... illegal enough to unleash a disease. Probably some of the other serviles. Canisters: Is 6 the magic number? Is it 8? Is there any nice fellow like GF3-5 that can tell me when I am approaching doom?

I know I extrapolate in a big way and Litalia is free to sue me. (I hope it's clear I'm not entirely serious about this. I consider it of adding depth to them both but frankly I believe the creator of the game never thought about it.)

I wI have been told that the links are not working for everyone, so I upload my copy of the zone simulator. I was not the one that made it, this great honor goes to the original poster. I also include an "Empty" zone for those that want to create their own. That's my only contribution to this. So, here's the link: https://www.file-upload.com/q6bj9uwxdfqb And here's an alternative link (That will be open till 15/6/2017): https://ufile.io/y4b6m And a third and final link: https://gamefront.online/files/30000760/G5Editor.rar

I told you all, the gossipy whisperer I am! " "Did you try to convince the drakons to take a different path?"; "Are you mad? Of course! Ghaldring was my ... Friend is too weak a word. He is the one that set me free. And yet, the power of Shaping took his mind away."; Here you are. As open an admission as a more-interested-in-the-gossip-than-facts person would ever need. From Litalia's own words...

Not how I remember what she said in GF4 and GF5... she was quite open on incinerating Serviles and how she had nearly completed the job when Ghaldring turned her to the Rebellion. So even if she wasn't the top purger, she was certainly more than a mere apprentice. In any case, I don't know the rest of the people that will kill my friends in the "official" ending, I know Litalia. Here: That's the "final" version of Litalia's story. That's my friends she speaks of. Poor Awakened... From what she says, she was alone or nearly alone. And note "this was the first time I had killed for the Shapers". If that's true then when later (or earlier) Litalia speaks about incinerating Serviles begging for their lives... it was my friends. Cause my friends are kinda weak and include several people that lack backbone. Including that young servile kid that was ready to bow and obey me despite being in an Awakened city.

Playing that much of the game together gave me a short-of-nightmare. I went to bed thinking of the nice people I met beyond the Deceiver's tomb-wannabe (Drypeak). And in the half-asleep state replayed in my mind some of the discussions and all, even "filling the gaps" of shorts as I imagined\dreamed how they would act and react etc. And how Litalia will kill most of them. How Carnelian, Learned Piner, that 12-years-old servile kid that was too young to be put to work but Shapers would put to work anyways, the blacksmith, the merchants would die before Litalia would suddenly decide to change sides. I fell in the trap and got invested with many of them. GF2 may be clunky but it has a lot of likeable and interesting NPCs. Even Lying Zakary the shaking Deceiver is interesting in his way, for the contempt and hate he provokes in me. It's painful to suddenly realize they will die in flames, torn to pieces by Litalia's creations. From All the rebel factions there, why did Litalia had to choose the mad shapers-should-die-whatever-the-cost ones?! OK, the awakened were hilariously doomed anyway (which makes it all the more painful since I like all of them that I've met so far). I mean, really?! That's what you went for Litalia? Really? ************** GF5 spoilers **************** Litalia has a history of picking the "what?!" faction. The Takers. Great name by the way. But ... and then leaving the Rebellion for the Trakovites. Who, Litalia. "My convictions are pure, but I am not clean... so here's a Trakovite lair brimming to the tip with turrets and tier 5 creations." Sure, that would kinda work. Nobody would expect to fight shocktralls and Burning Kyshaaks in a Trakovite safehouse.

Finally abandoned my efforts to fill up the amulet and went to confront the source of all lies, Zakary. The text once I got to his throne room: "He is terrified, he can barely stop shaking" "Though you're still only an apprentice, he looks at you with fear". He's frankly worse than Diwanya. At least that guy was young and had some dignity. That's the best the Shapers have in the area? I want to see what he'll say when I charge in his castle with a bunch of gazers and Drakons to incinerate everything. I expect I'll find him hidden behind his throne, begging for mercy. Wait, the first thing I am given as a question is "do you know what happened to Shanti?" First, it's Agent Shanti. Second... isn't she out scouting the tunnel? And if Zakary found the courage to whimper an order for someone to kill her, shouldn't he just... include me, the person finding the tunnel and the valley, in the request for elimination? And why do I learn something happened to Agent Shanti while surrounded by Turrets and 772 hp guards of the man that had the most cause to order her assassination? And the answer to the other thread: (although coming from a lying, shaking piece of deceiving poop I can't speak about it's veracity) Guardian Barzahl "could have been a fantastic Agent" And they were sent to Sucia island. I can see where this discussion is going... EDIT: Oh... You... Old... Fool! Wait till I have gazers, and you'll pay for your crimes. Barzahl is next (unless he convinces me that he did that to overthrow the corrupt Shaper Empire that produces Zakaries, Taygens and Monarchs). Sure, I'll go with the rebellion, but that amount of idiocy is astounding. Those "few dozen" that include "smart serviles from Sucia" will burn down the world! (sure, the world needs a to be burned down but ... ) Hintsight is 20/20, I know, but how on earth couldn't that old, lying moron see the problem of fetching serviles that according to him had access to power he didn't understand because of lack of talent !? I remember, and I am appauled, his first speech when telling me that Serviles must suffer and that Shaper Law should be followed because one Shaper can do a terrible damage by releasing the wrong creation at the wrong time. And Zakary and Barzahl brought dozens of creations that had "powers". It's like being told all your life to not press the red button cause it launches a nuke which could lead to nuclear war. And then deciding that perhaps a nuke attack wouldn't lead to widespread nuclear war and then you decide to push it a couple dozen times... And people all around the world say the Shapers are the reliable people to use Shaping? All they do is proving Trakovites right! No, most of the rebellion are more responsible than Shapers. At least, when they designed the Shredbugs they knew what they were doing. They were not pressing the red button and hoped for poweeerz + the best EDIT2: (after calming out somewhat) Agent Shanti's reluctance to use creations seems to have been her downfall. Now it falls to her poor apprentice to locate her... But hey! I found what I was looking for. A place that according to a very welcome pillar says that everyone ahead of there is Free from Shaper Tyranny forever*! *forever being short for "Until Litalia comes in and kills mostly everyone and then deciding to wipe out the other side instead" EDIT3: Starting to miss the 2-sides of the GF3-4 already or the "mostly 2 sides, but with sects" of GF5. Meet some free serviles. The very people I am trying to fight for. They tell me "You're a loyal Shaper, you have to die" Oh, well, has happened at other times too. Then more Serviles come in. They attack the others to help me. Apparently, Free Serviles have as much problem with their own kind as humans. And then I learn that Barzahl of all people is leading... the Serviles that attacked me. EDIT4: The intro text for Medab suggests that all people in the town were smuggled in or created by the Lifecrafters Rebel Shapers. So it appears that they did, at first, Shape Serviles. Seems such a nice, idyllic place... I can't bear the thought that Litalia will blast them apart just because they want to live free. In one of the most pointless slaughters in the history of Terrestia since a couple months later she will take their side. Or well, the side that Ghaldring is in. Although I assume (and hope) in the end Litalia's ruthless purge united all the serviles together. EDIT5: Ahh... too good to last. The Awakened think the Shapers will honor their word to them. And deal with them. I think they have not met many Shapers. From what I was told Barzahl is more militant... wants to fight the Shapers to gain their independence. And there's a mad bunch of Serviles that are militant Trakovite-types wanting to end all Shapers. Why they don't follow the other militants that want to fight the Shapers, I guess I'll have to ask them to learn. And then, the much beloved gossip: Barzahl is using illegal Shaping to become "more strong and more mad". That's a fitting description for a Drakon. I have to go find Drakons. I really wish the game extended to the time the Shapers arrived in force, to see if they would work together or go down sect by sect... EDIT6: AHA! More lies of lying Zakary the Deceiver unveiled. While he pretended it was all Barzahl's idea and the Lifecrafters rebel Shapers were followers of Barzahl when he came here, Carnelian tells me (and I believe her) that she was a follower of Zakary and that it was his idea to build these settlements here. And Carnelian seems to be one of the most sane and measured Shapers I've met in 4 games (along with the Lethia pass turret Shaper and the wannabe Lifecrafer Shaper in Dhonal Island). Certainly a worthy game so far. Alhoon is pleased. Thank you Slarty for finally convincing me to try it. Yes, it has severe problems in how clunky it feels, but the plot is certainly interesting.

Which part was boring deja-vu? Early GF3? Nah, it was nice IMO. The "mystery" part of GF2 is at least up to now to "what happened to Barzahl? What are the Shapers hiding? What's in the valley?" (which I haven't gone to yet, since I try desperately, and failing to charge the amulet I was given by Sharon)

Oh, apologies. I was joking, that was not an accusation. As I explained in the first post, I didn't want to break the game, I didn't want to have a starting character that can walk into the hard places and wreck everything. It was my tongue-in-cheek way to say "I think I found a good balance between ease-of-game and not running ahead in the story". None of the places I cleared would have stopped me in normal. They would have taken me more time, use of tactics, perhaps some items or a reload.

Still on my way to Zakary. Still fuming about the whole charade and using my little authority to shower Shanti-like levels of abuse to Outsiders accusing each and every one for lying to us. At least that explains why every last soldier Zakary had in his command is a flaming idiot that makes Serviles look smart. I can't understand why Zakary lied!? He could well have been open to everyone, saying "You know what? We're doing our experiments further in the valley. We have a guarded tunnel so that if needed we can shut the whole place down." Why hiding behind a failed colony? Why even let the colony fail and remain a dustblown ruin? (No spoilers please, just letting off steam for Zakary wasting my time in a barren, sandy wasteland chasing away rogues) Another thing that irked me. We were told Barzahl was "killed and eaten" by a "thand". Why would he be Shaping a thand in the first place? How could a Thand be so powerful as to kill Barzahl and take him away before Zakary could wipe it out? What kind of idiots does Zakary thinks he deals with?! The amount of smelling BS he spews rivals only the amount of non-smelling BS he fed us about the failed colony. Agent Shanti is probably right that Barzahl is alive and hiding. Probably everything Zakary told us is not just a lie, it's the opposite of truth. At first I thought that Zakary murdered Barzahl or something. EDIT: In my rounds of "Shaper Zakary is a pathetic liar!" \ "What did you know about that?!" before I go confront that lying piece of Ornk poop, Zakary, I went to the other "nice" Shaper, Sharon, that apparently tells me "Well, there was tons of materials and books and resources going through that tunnel. I figured something was happening." So nice that nobody in town told me or Shanti about that. And that she believes Barzahl went North with "all the others". So apparently not everyone from the apprentice horde that Deceiving Zakary the liar brought with him finished their rounds and returned. Many Shapers hiding, illegally, outside the system, for 5 years, in a valley that should not exist. And Sharon has the audacity to tell me about Shaper Law and the ways of the council. What kind of inept system the Council uses to miss something like that!? Reminds me of Greenwood island (GF3) that Litalia pushed 5 Spawners and Mad Creator in mine, made a whole lab, and for months nobody noticed while the mine was operational. At least in Harmony, the Rebels put up the Spawners in a far-away place and the expanding ring of rogues eventually reached the Shapers. At least, she gave me a bracelet. On another note, I can see the appeal of the game. It is indeed different than GF4-5 in the part that it's more mystery than desperate fight for survival \ changing the world. Early GF3 was somewhat like that.

Howdy! That was a major slip I found in GF2: There's a farmer that tries to teach himself some magic. Not shaping magic. And the game tells me that "since it's not Shaping, that is legal". That goes in the face of what I was told in the beginning of this very game and practically everything else about mages in GF. This tidbit contradicts the same game. Of course, I got Searer for free, so I don't complain too much. QUESTION: I have already found a ton of books. Since training is so expensive (and since I don't bother too much with pick up stuff that may or may not be sellable) can I go along most of the game using just 3-4 canisters and mainly books? Avoiding the training costs*? PS. If I use a book, it closes a training slot for me. Which is kinda understandable. But does training first and then getting to books gives me an extra +1? *Without making the game too hard. You all told me that on easy with Shaper it would be peace of cake. Well, it isn't. When I get the messages "don't go there" and I do, I get my butt handed to me. When I go to areas that people say "You threatened there? A shaper? pffft, you'll be fine!" it is that way. EDIT: Agent Shanti, finally, admitted my worth as I found the secret tunnel. Strangely, I could not tell her about a force of armed serviles guarding it. Just that it was well guarded. Shaper's Zakary dialogue didn't change. EDIT: And a nice lush valley is DIRECTLY BEHIND the cruel and unforgiving wasteland of the Drypeaks... Either Zakary is blind or something really weird goes on there. EDIT2: And Agent Shanti chose that particular time to go Tunnel-hunting or whatever. Now that I got a message that the whole town is looking at me tensely because I found out that the "Failing" colony was in front of a nice lush successful hidden, secret, guarded and large valley. I'll go talk to Zakary and if he gives me the same I'll ... do nothing actually since he has 600hp, two turrents and 4 guards.

From what I saw, GF2 doesn't help their cause either. While they do seem very powerful (compared to GF3-5) with tons of powerful creations and text like "seriously?! There's just thands and Fyoras there, don't be a coward" while in GF3 thands and Fyoras in Greenwood island were treated as the heralds of the apocalypse by the people... the "this is a failed colony" part irks me. I've seen in GF3-5, especially GF5, the unsang wonders of Shaping, with the trees and all in Rawal's lands and the Zephyr Oasis that while a bleak place, it's leaps and bounds above the failed colony. Since... it's not a failed colony. Drypeak so far serves as a poster-example for the Trakovite cause "Shaping creates much more problems than it solves! Look at the mess in Drypeak!", while not all Shaper world is like that. In fact most of the Shaper world is not like that. Sure, there are countless "Locked because experiments went wrong" places, but there's life in Whitespires, there's life in the deserts, there's life in swamps. And if that Shaper a bit above the town managed to start a farm, since Sharon's grove is explained as having a far-better-performing garden and field, then Zakary, the other Shaper-in-the-lab and the apprentices have few excuses for the state of the colony. It was not that hard apparently, since Sharon made it. But all this talk made me ache to go bash some of those fyoras and show to Shanti that I'm not a weakling coward, and in the process find those Rebels hiding elsewhere. POST-Tunnel edit: HEAVY SPOILERS

Tried that. Doesn't work. And the manual doesn't help either. And then I figured that an iron mining town has a quest for... iron bars! After I've sold like 12 of them... Love that. I love surprises. Haven't even found the rebels though aside of a guy that told me "Hi, we don't like Shanti but you show promise! Keep in mind there are Shaper enemies here. We have plans. See you around. We're in tough monsters place. " If you guys are so happy to see me, why not give me a baton or something to let me cross?! Also, if you talk about the Shaper deserter, it's not that I don't like her. It's just that... she was lost in the paperwork. If I haven't seen Alwan's towns (GF4-5) and Dhonal's island (GF3) I would have a very bad image about Shaper efficiency from Monarch \ Taygen \ Rawal \ Harmony island.

Unfortunately, many mages and the Lifecrafter have the same model I think. GF2 is indeed, very clunky, so I go at it for the story and ignore micromanagement. I hate the equipment screens most: No selling price showed! I have to -guess- which items are more expensive than others if I need to lighten up my character. As for the "no male agents \ female guardians is a bit odd" well, the Shapers are more than a bit odd. GF2 I think shows them at their worst: Incompetent. The colony in Drypeak is over-run by weed-like trees that grow fast and damage the walls because the Shapers were too fast to say "OK, they work. Plant them". The food production is abysmal. There is a Shaper deserter that just "walked off" and nobody really looked where she was. There's a Shaper officially "dead' for a year and no Shaper spy or Zakary's colony turncoat or just someone fed up with Zakary and wanted to suck up to other Shapers informed the Shapers. About the story-mechanics segregation, you can see my arguments over why that was not necessarily the case but then someone rightly pointed out "If we go by that logic, serviles are more powerful than men because they're 'better' in magic as a class while in the game world it takes great effort for a servile to become mage"

Thanks. And thanks for not spoiling the factions. They have been mentioned in GF3-5 but I don't know how accurate the descriptions were.

thanks EDIT: I am irked that people in that backwater hovel are done with the honorifics. Shapers are referred to as "Zakary" and "Shanti" not "Shaper Zakary" or "Agent Shanti". QUESTION2: Doesn't XP for killing monsters gets reduced by number of Creations in GF2? I got 3 creations with me (I grabbed a Thand that is "level 3" and punches as hard as my 12lvl Cryora) and I have no XP penalty. From some monsters I get negligible XP but often I get 50, whatever level I am. EDIT2: Making cunning rogues is as far from Shaper Law as anything you can do? LoL. I would like the see the text for this protagonist if he saw a Spawner (which in my opinion are about as bad as the Unbound; You're shaping Shapers that Shape rogues. Alwan's Shapers put up Spawners in GF5 but at least, controlled. ) EDIT3: I met a retired Shaper Hermit, Sharon. At first, I liked her as much as the Lethia Pass Turret Shaping Shaper (forget his name) in GF5. She seems... placid, happy and without something to prove. She welcomed me there even though she wants her privacy (and she wasn't allowed to retire, i.e. is a deserter) without wanting something from me. A refreshing change. Of course, she does dangerous experiments, cause there can't be a good, near-sane Shaper. There's a place with dead things, creations she tried to fuse with objects. Why she would do that, and not just read how doors, golems, the usual part-machine shaper equipment is made is beyond me. I am glad that in later years the council is more lax in that no-retirement rule. Yes, retired Shapers are still rare but they can do other stuff like become smiths (Fitz) or tend a small farm or something (there's one in GF4 that has been re-conscripted to fight the Monarch; and she Shapes the player character to give Spellcraft of all things...). EDIT4: A -foreigner's- book on Shaping?! Do I see the origins of Fyoras in a random deserter\retired Shaper's home in the middle of nowhere? Questions, questions...

I'm mainly in the game to locate and talk with a person called Carnelian. The rest are footnotes in my book. EDIT: Captain Takena (a captain in Drypeak colony) warned us to not try any treachery while we're there for Shaper business. It seems he has the same feeling about Shanti not being above plunging a dagger on his boss. EDIT2: Ahhh, Zakary... "The other Shaper is dead. [no word how]. The colony is failing [big news!]. But I believe we can turn it around with a lot of work. That's all. You can leave now, that's the completion of your mission." And he's surrounded by guards. Why is he so scared that Shanti would kill him? After all, he's also a Shaper. Even if Shanti is allowed to just waltz in and kill a Shaper without trial or anything, he's also powerful I would assume. [Rhetorical questions, thinking out loud here, don't answer please] EDIT3: Zakary tries to sell us that a full Shaper, Bazhral, was killed by a thand, away from the base (and is angered when I asked why he didn't do it here that was safer) and his body was eaten. Sure buddy. Totally believable. Your shifty attitude and nervousness adds to the mantle of innocence you wear. EDIT4: There's an air of mystery around this place. Rogues showing up and practically besieging the town but not strong enough to do any harm to it. A dead Shaper. Zakary sitting on his butt holding what seems to be a battalion of troops around him without taking out the rogues. And nobody has informed the council, probably by order of Zakary. And another thing: Zakary and Bazhral arrived with twenty apprentices 5 years ago. I haven't met any apprentices, just a Shaper that was there and she was clear to make it known, before Zakary. So, either the apprentices finished their apprentiship (which is, I think 3-4 years) and never looked back or they're somewhere else. QUESTION: Should I keep Shaper Equipment for quests or sell it?

Shanti keeps being hilarious. She tells to my character's face that she left some Fyoras to see if I would survive + "Scared? Of Creations? We are the absolute masters of the life we create. Heaven help us all if it's ever otherwise." + "Shapers are respected in part because we hoard magic and kill those that try to get it" I plan to work for the "Otherwise" Tyrant!

There are rebels in GF1?! But there are no Shapers in the island I assumed for generations since it has been abandoned for centuries... Do you mean those types that say "Once upon a time, centuries ago, there are some big mages that created us. They were treating us horribly. We hate them \ we want them to consider us as equals" ? So far, I've met a careless, bossy agent. She's less obnoxious than Hoge for the time though and despite her demeaning, snide remarks she did care enough for her apprentice to teach him how to make an artilla. In minutes. Obviously the "explanation" for Shapers trained to learn fast holds true even back here. A lazy approach IMO. The text could easily say "it takes you a few hours" or "she fills you in to missing crucial elements that have been purposefully omitted from your training." But the first shock was about there. Sure, I understand it's game balance thing but to hear a Shaper say "Hmm... Rogues are here. Strange. Anyway, I left some books for magic for you, unattended, in a place that has rogues and I told you that there is a chance you would die, hence those books may be stolen by rebels outsiders." That's too careless... Also, Agent Shanti is... blue. I assume that if she has used canisters illegally or the Geneforge I would have been told that she has a strange color and glow. Also, she seems a bit... rebel material even if she's (so far) very anti-rogue ("erase them or there'll be chaos!" pfffft. Tyrant. From chaos, there'll be peace. Your days are numbered. We will prevail). I hope I can convince her to join the Rebellion faction I'll choose (No spoilers please) Yet something doesn't feel right about her (no spoilers please). Perhaps she knows more than she seems to know. And her demeanor of "I will go in, interview them and we'll leave fast" + "Agent" makes me think that she plans to assassinate the two Shapers (or at least the thought is not alien to her). I may be wrong though... Looking for the quicksave button, I actually found this in the manual: "Shanti is highly experienced. She is also annoyed to have to watch an apprentice. Fortunately for her, she has an outlet for her frustration in the constant abuse and menial tasks she heaps upon you." Oh great... another Shaper to go to my list of "why the Rebellion was inevitable and the right thing to do" She didn't seem so bad in the tutorial though. Bossy, but not abusive.