BenS

Once again, I'm only half-right. LOL. Ah well, nothing wrong w/ humility.

Did Alonzo by any chance (I doubt it, b/c it was a special item he gives to you per the quest line) drop a key? It might be the only way to enter the Barrens Bunker to the north, where 2 related quest lines end in spectacular fashion. I would hate to think you can't get in there at all b/c he's dead. Check your Special Items for a key (don't remember the exact name but it might be as simple as Barrens Bunker key), as well as the area you fought him (not likely to be there but...). If by some chance you can get in there now, you might not be prepared for the 3rd & last Ascended--assuming you can even get to her (there's a combat path, and a non-combat path). If you do get there, don't worry for now about the empty underground area. That will be the culmination of the Servant Mind's quest line, and one of the most memorable fights of the game later on, IMO. I really hope you're not cut off from that area, as I too hate missing things.

I can't explain the enemies going before your creations, but your creations definitely seem to go after you do. I could be wrong about this, but I thought I discovered by chance if you change where your creations show up in the queue below you, that changes their action timeline. Like, if you have your PC, followed by a Fyora, followed by a Roamer, I *think* they act in that order. But if you were to switch the Roamer & Fyora, then I think the Roamer would act sooner than the Fyora. Don't quote me, but test it.

Um, do you have a save before entering that area? Ascended Alonzo is part of an interesting quest line, that starts w/ a different Ascended in an area just to the E of the Inutile Village near Ellhrah's Keep. Once you get the item Randomizer noted above in that area, the serviles won't be hostile to you any longer. The Servant Mind has his own somewhat related quest line.

Now that you mention it, yes, there were a few shocks in the 1st game, but I was too stupid to think about a pattern.

Ok, final damage records for me: 20th level, used the GF to get my gear-augmented STR up to 23, laid waste to a certain Shaper's minions before I smashed him up real good. Probably averaged around 480-500 points of damage, prior to Armor resistance. Poor Tomato got, um, mashed w/ 576 points, and a particular Cryodrayk took...drum roll...760 points of damage. Final analysis: the FSG allows for a great Guardian build, and I was almost optimized for it (too many points in Melee Weapons). It was also fun & hilarious to the end, so kudos for its inclusion.

He should have left that in this version. It's at least some sort of clue in-game.

I managed to get into the temple, nail the achievement, learn some interesting backstory, and pick up a nice piece of armor. But I must say, this hidden quest is a little silly, in the sense that short of a walkthrough/spoiler, how would you ever know to touch those pylons in that order, beginning w/ the 1 in the Drayk's Vale? As I had pointed out earlier in the month, it seems like once you touch them out of order, that's it, you can't reset them. Maybe there is a way to reset them but the issue remains, how you'd think to start w/ that particular order...

Just hit another outlier in raw damage; 18th level w/ 12 total STR. Still averaging probably 260-280 points of damage, but I must have nailed a critical hit that was also a deathblow (what is the damage multiplier on a critical anyway? 150%??), as I nailed a Crypt Guardian in the Ancient Crypt for 405 points. It took a...nap... EDIT: In the same fight in the Shaper Crypt, I hit an Ur-Glaahk for 411 points, but a nearby Glaahk for "only" 257. Quite the swingy RNG! EDIT 2: 18th level, 15 STR, hit the Ornk Lord in The Sentinels for 466 points. This little piggy went ouch ouch ouch.

Well, as I learned from someone here, at least the rough crystals stay there w/out being sold, so you can stack those until you're ready to take them out and cash them in. Though I can't say I've had a real use for them so far, given the rewards.

@Noman: That about sums it up for me. I might have a tiny advantage in that I've been playing these SW games for about 20 years, and have a general feel for them. I've also played the original of this game (though that was a very long time ago). And I always start a GF game on Normal, w/ a Shaper. Take lots of notes for each map, including stuff I need to come back to. And like I said, I try to have both a good combat PC as well as someone w/ high Mechanics--and what's new to this remake, Leadership. You can get a lot of xp, especially early game when the foes aren't too bad, just from these 2 non-combat skills. I also get them moderately high quite early, and then focus on my class skills. My last game was a Shaper, and I did quite well specializing mainly in the Fire group, w/ late Magic (Ur-Glaahk for Dominate!) additions. Granted I was only on Normal, but I was solidly built (I think), and when I I became like rolling thunder. A Shaper is also a pretty decent mage as a backup. Sadly, my Guardian is a pitiful mage and it seems like weak in shaping, but pretty great in combat; along w/ high Leadership & Mechanics. This game on Veteran. (There will be no Torment for me.) And as you can see from OmegaNecros' post, there is no single strategy to win the game. I just think you might want to consider getting some easy xp from those 2 overlooked skills in your repertoire. You can always (usually) chip away at a map and retreat to a friendly town to restore yourself, and then head back, if the pure combat route is giving you grief. But I think you should experience all the game has, and I suspect as of now, you're not getting to some fun things; whether we're talking gear or canisters. Also, opening locked things is great xp in many instances.

I can't answer why a Guardian doesn't have riposte in G1, but I saw Jeff noted in a Steam thread that Guardians in the future remakes would get more options, so maybe it'll come back.

Mechanics 4?! You're braver than I am. I always get high Mechanics on my characters b/c the completist in me wants to open/bypass every locked X that the game throws at me. It also opens up parts of maps that would otherwise be dealt w/ through combat; this way I see most everything, and can maximize xp by doing both the combat and the non-combat areas (and Leadership is quite helpful too). Not trying to tell you how to play your game, just surprised you're rolling w/ low Mechanics. Anyway, on topic, it looks like these particular power spirals have unfortunate results when a PC tries to shut them down, as they require quite high Mechanics to do it w/out them exploding. Probably a hint that we shouldn't be powering them down (unlike the power spirals that might be affecting something nasty in the nearby vicinity). But like I said, you didn't miss out on anything important, I don't think.

That makes sense. I wondered why they exploded when clicked on a 2nd time w/ high Mechanics.

Wow, I was lucky to find him, then, for my Guardian. I used his ring all the way up until 15th level, when I got Zavor's to replace it. A related question: for the half-dozen or so of these rare monsters, is it really only around 5% chance to spawn one? I spent a while endlessly returning to a few areas but don't think I met more than 1 other in the game. I eventually gave up and moved on, literally and figuratively.

I think I figured it out. When you power them down, they actually explode for dmg, and then look like...blue piles of junk. You must have powered them down by mistake, unless your game has a super weird bug wherein they were destroyed before you even got there. EDIT: FWIW, you didn't miss out on much from that particular dispenser. The other 2 are better, but require more rough crystals.

Yeah, it was a lot! I seem to be averaging in the 250-280 point range, before armor resistances are taken into account. With hindsight, I wasted too many points in Melee Weapons (this build doesn't need more than whatever it takes for Tek's Spectral Dirk, and I have 8 natural points in M.W.). EDIT: I'm guessing since that was well beyond my normal range, that it was indeed a critical hit, but the game doesn't show that b/c it was already a death blow. Either that or the RNG maxed out what my STR could do; I have hit ~300 points on rare occasions.

I'm just keeping track of large damage output, and think I nailed a Sholai mage w/ a critical hit (though the text window didn't display it as such), b/c I hit him/her for 354 points of damage. I'm 17th level w/ a total of 12 points of STR and a fully-charged FSG. Anyway, granted it's an unshielded/no armor opponent, but that's a record so far 🙂

If you can take a screen shot and post it here, I'd be very interested to see what shows up for you in that room. If I'm understanding you, you don't even see the power spirals at all (e.g., deactivated). As for the screen shot, I'm on a Mac and always forget how to do 1 in Steam, but you're likely on a PC so it's probably easier.

I just went there. To be clear: Eastern Mines. The dispenser is at the north/central part of the map. There are 2 power spirals in the same small room w/ the machine, which takes 5 rough crystals at a go. You move slightly to the right, hit the switch...and you should end up w/ a Blast Crystal at your feet. If you don't "see" it on the map, just hit "g" for "get", and you'll see it. You can keep doing this. If the 2 power spirals in a span of 10 seconds don't produce a "hummm" type sound, then you might have powered them off by mistake.

I can't explain the dispenser problem. As for you running the gauntlet...keep in mind there's often a less, ah, action-oriented approach on a map. Which is to say, if you have decent Mechanics, you might not need to worry about too many pylons to begin w/. Though you'll have to figure out where to go...

Maybe it's slightly confusing that the switch and the machine are in different rooms? You have to pull the switch and then go back to the machine chamber (granted, about 10' away but still...).

Good lord, I wish I had known you were heading to the mines in the other thread about pylons you posted in! I would have told you something similar, which was, you did not need to destroy every pylon. Not even close. I don't know what class you're playing (or your level), but w/ a little experimentation and Essence Shield(s) and moving in combat mode, you can get through the Eastern Mines w/ only experiencing a handful (at most) of those pylons. The ones in the core are even easier to deal w/, as you can get to the Servant Mind and...let's see if I know how to do spoilers here... . As for the crystal dispensers, is there a chest nearby wherein your "prize" is deposited? I'm a little fuzzy on that, but each (there are 3 total) dispenser tells you (I think) how many rough crystals it needs for a transaction. They also deliver different items, so, common sense, do a quick save and see if you like what it gives.

Ok, Jeff confirmed that damage comes from wearing the FSG, and not from any melee weapon you might be wielding. However, buffs from said melee weapon are conferred on you. I cannot explain why my example of the Shielding Knife vs. Purifying Blade gave me the exact same Armor rating. I no longer have the P/Blade, and the Shielding Knife gives noticeable buffs (and of course not as much as Tek's Spectral Dirk). So there you have it.

Airshock the spell will become more and more powerful based on the caster; whereas those crystals are capped at modest damage (but can still be good to stun members of a group). That said, if you stay (mostly) in combat mode, and certainly if you have Essence Shield, you can bypass or survive a few blasts in your way through the N, to get to the power spiral that shuts down the pylons. The big room w/ the pylons has a nice middle section that's shielded from their "view". Once in there, next get through the door to the SE and then head N. Healing + Essence Shield will get you through just fine once you figure out the route through a little experimentation.