mikeprichard

Thanks, Ardent - that was what I was guessing from my own results.

I've just completed the game, and so am done with the list of typos in the first post, as already mentioned to Jeff above and over email. Thanks to Jeff/Spiderweb for a fantastic remake - it really brought back the old nostalgia in a fresh way with many appreciated improvements. Already looking forward to wasting more time (in a very good way) on Queen's Wish 2!

Not sure if this is a bug or intended (and if intended, it should probably be explained better in game), but with 16 points in Melee Weapons and 12 points in Quick Action, I had assumed from the tooltips that I'd have a (16x3%) + (12x4%) = 96% chance for Quick Action to proc with every basic melee attack. However, while it does happen quite often, after about 200 attacks I can say it's not 96% - maybe more like 70-80%. Do these separate chances maybe combine multiplicatively instead of additively? Anyone have any insight on this? Adding the confirmed information to Strategy Central would also be helpful.

Since Jeff has said he'll be checking the forums for bugs for a few more days, and I'd rather not keep spamming his email for a few minor bugs that affect the quest journal only: 1) Even if you use the Leadership option to convince Ellhrah you don't need to kill Control Four in order to join the Awakened, the "Destroy Control Four" quest remains in your journal. Telling Ellhrah you've met the mind and don't want to kill it still doesn't clear the quest. 2) If you give Trajkov the Fake Shaping Gloves (from Goettsch) and he uses them on the Geneforge and dies, the "Recover Shaping Gloves" quest remains in your journal. Similarly, the quest will remain in your journal if you kill Trajkov in battle. However, if you instead "fix" the Damaged Shaping Gloves and convince Trajkov to use them, with the same result, the quest will be cleared from your journal. 3) If you destroy the Geneforge, the quest "Use the Geneforge" - no longer practically possible to complete - remains in your journal. There are probably other similar quest journal issues, but these are the ones I've confirmed.

Ha, I do the same thing - never used a single baton in the game. Played as a solo Guardian, Essence Shield up, walked over the things (one at a time for the bigger ones).

Thanks.

This is probably another unusable door Jeff added just to troll us, but is there any way to open this one?

I agree that it'd be nice to at least optionally remove this "helpful" new timer.

This is something I think (?) was a change from prior games that I really don't like - I wish the mine antennae would simply stop moving after they're deactivated. You just have to look for the sparklies, but I also still take great care around them either way.

I really abhorred the second Avernum trilogy's approach to the world map - having everything occur in such a small "real space" had the effect of shrinking the game world into a tiny area of about only one-two miles across, rather than giving a true immersive sense of the vastness of the caves (i.e. in the original trilogy/remakes, the distance between Silvar and Cotra really was the 50 or whatever miles it said on the signs in-game, not... 200 feet). This treatment of the world maps is actually a major pet peeve of mine with some RPGs, also seen to their great detriment in the later Elder Scrolls games, for example. (A "continent" the size of a few football fields? No, thanks.) I very much hope Jeff doesn't revert to that in future games. But I didn't mean to go off on a rant/tangent here - glad you enjoyed the game overall! I think he did a really nice job with the remake, and loved the changes to creation mechanics - really brought what was previously a somewhat one-dimensional aspect of the game to life.

Cure Affliction is excellent bang for the essence buck - cures all hostile effects on any ally for the low, low price of 1 essence a pop. Of course every point of essence is needed early on, but it's really essential, both for solo characters and those with a couple cryoa bros.

Ha, not cool. No lizard snacks for them.

If you're on Normal difficulty and below, you should be able to do plenty of stuff around Pentil and continue on the level raising curve that way without many problems. Sorry I can't remember very specific areas that might be good for you right now, but that general plan worked fine for me.

The very basic "recommended" area progression is to move east through the southern half of the island, scouting the areas in and around Vakkir, Pentil, and Kazg in turn, then later start exploring the northeast and northwest sectors of the isle. There are still going to be a couple areas that you'll need to come back to when you're stronger (Ascended Labs is one notable example). I don't remember for sure, but the Spiral Burrow (area west of Crag Valley you're referring to) might be another that's a bit tough for level 4.

Mechanics of 2 is quite low, but for that particular door there's a key received from Brea for completing the bandits quest - so that would explain it. https://spiderwebforums.ipbhost.com/topic/26318-barren-research-how-to-get-inside-the-facility/?tab=comments#comment-315242

RedBeard, please at least let the ornks live. Something needs to survive to tell others what you did here, so it can never happen again.

Oh right, I'm apparently more of a diplomat in-game than some folks on the forums - forgot there's a second entrance to the village that requires fisticuffs.

Yes, I've never seen anything remotely like 33 living tools required!

I'm not sure where you are in the process, but you need to: 1) Gain access to the Inutile Village (through a Leadership 6+ dialogue option with Swan in Ellhrah's Keep, I believe after talking with Ellhrah about the inutile first) 2) Complete the bandits quest for Brea in the Inutile Village to get the key to the Ascended Labs

Initiate combat, then attack her.

I'm surprised you of all people didn't guess this - kill 'er. That's the only other way.

That's where they're hiding the other twelve canisters of Create Ornk! Thanks for confirming.

I'm an extremely thorough completionist, so I hear you. But especially in the early game, before you've had a chance to pump up Mechanics and start collecting some free living tools (i.e. in and around Vakkiri), there are just going to be a few areas you'll have to note down and return to later. Good luck, and have fun.

Very important point Randomizer made re: keys for some locks. If you have 8-10 points later on in Mechanics and are finding levers/containers etc. that still require 5+ living tools, chances are there's a key or other way to open the thing.

Raising both Leadership (slightly more important) and Mechanics up to about 5-6 over the first 3-4 levels is pretty essential. Not sparing those points for combat/magic/shaping skills may seem like it hurts or is a waste at first, but trust me - you'll thank me later. With those levels (eventually skilling up to at least 7 Mechanics before training/canister boosts), you'll still be using living tools fairly regularly, but you'll be getting more on practically every map lying around on the ground and in containers for free. I haven't bought a single living tool the entire game, and have a stockpile of 50 unused in my inventory by doing this, with only 5 maps left to complete.