To keep or not to keep.

[Opalias]

While I like the Avernum series, I also realize that they're huge games, and very time consuming.

I don't have that much free-time, so I'll probably only be going through A4 once.

That said, I of course would also like to maximize what to get of the game.

I'm still in the beginning of the game, and I've all ready seen so many things, it's difficult to know, what to sell, and what to keep for later.

I drop iron at the blacksmith, no big deal. How about herbs? Keep'em for later or sell?

By browsing the forums I've picked up, that keeping fine leathers and emeralds is a good idea. But what about all the other stuff?

I've found some gold-bars, other precious stones and focusing crystals.

Going through the game only once, and then finding out in the end that I could have made +5000 gold on selling all meal to a merchant needing it is kinda boring. Stuff like that.

Could any of you please tell me what I'm going to encounter that is of use for later?

[Lilith]

Gold bars aren't important -- there's one place where you can make some armour with them, but the armour isn't that great anyway. You should keep focusing crystals, and also keep at least a little fine steel (although again, most of the stuff you can make with fine steel isn't great, and can be found elsewhere anyway).

 

Definitely keep all herbs -- you can eventually find someone who will use them to make Knowledge Brews, which give you skill points. Until you do, hang on to them.

 

Also, store 20 bags of meal and 20 bottles of wine somewhere that you'll be able to easily access later. You'll need them for a quest, and you really don't want to have to scrounge that many items. (There are a few other quests that you have to find some mundane items for, but most of them are pretty easy so there's no real need to save up items for them in advance.)

[Student of Trinity]

I don't believe emeralds or rubies really need to be saved, either. There are a couple of things you can do with them late in the game, but nothing very important, IIRC. If you want to save time later, you might consider picking up one of every mundane non-perishable item you come across, and stacking them up near some pylon. You only need a few of them for quests, of course, so perhaps you'd prefer a spoiler for these. I mean, how badly can a quest for towels and tongs really be 'spoiled'?

[Opalias]

Quote:

Originally written by Student of Trinity:
You only need a few of them for quests, of course, so perhaps you'd prefer a spoiler for these. I mean, how badly can a quest for towels and tongs really be 'spoiled'?

Not that bad I think.
Try me.

[Synergy]

Some items I can remembere which fulfill quests:

 

Tongs, Pliers, Hammer, Fine Steel, 3 Fine Leather, 3 Curing Elixirs, Graymold, Shackles, Mortar & Pestle, Towel, two Vahnatai Cloaks, one Fine Waveblade, 20 bags of meal, 20 bottles of wine, 4 bottles of Gremlin wine.

 

If you want to set aside about 2 each emeralds, rubies, and gold, just in case you want to make one or two items later in the game with them, it would be sufficient.

 

I start setting this stuff aside from the beginning of a game at this point, especially the meal, which I can have 20 of from the Fort Monastery/Grindstone area alone. If you stick things by the pylon in any city, it will be easy to get to later.

[Opalias]

Ah. That's very useful to know. Thanks.

[Lilith]

One omission from Synergy's list: two Eyestalks. There are two people who will send you on quests for eyestalks, and both give pretty good rewards. (Fortunately, there are eyebeasts relatively close to both of the people who give you those quests.)

[Student of Trinity]

Surely Eyebeast eyestalks don't count as mundane items even in Avernum. "Dang, out of toothpicks again. Honey, can you remember on your way home from work ..."

[Lilith]

If you want to nitpick, I'm not so sure that graymold counts as mundane either.

[Istara]

Stuff to keep in bulk:

 

Fine leather

Fine steel

Gold bars

Focus crystals

Mandrake

Graymold

Emeralds

Wine

Bags of meal

Chitrach claws

Icy geodes

Swamp nodules

Molten lava lumps

 

I would also horde potions - you really can get by without them for much of the game, but Energy potions become much more useful later on.

[Opalias]

Which herbs are used for the skill potions?

I've got tons of healing and spiritual ones, and don't need making standard potions. Can I just sell them?

[Sicadastra]

Quote:

Originally written by Thuryl:
One omission from Synergy's list: two Eyestalks. There are two people who will send you on quests for eyestalks, and both give pretty good rewards. (Fortunately, there are eyebeasts relatively close to both of the people who give you those quests.)

I got some eyestalks from the gazer under Camp Samuels, but I've met no one asking for them... if I'll likely run into them after Almaria don't worry about it, but If they're before that then a subtle pointer would be appreciated.

[Ephesos]

You get two eyestalk quests in the game, as far as I know:

 

(SPOILER)

 

-One from the mage in East Cotra (if you kill the gazer under West Cotra, question it first, then go tell the mayor that it wasn't helpful, then go kill it, and the mayor never gets angry)

-One from the potion-maker in Fort Remote, but only after you do the quests fetching Graymold and Mandrake. All of that person's quests show up on the job board in Fort Remote.

[Istara]

Opalias: some of the more basic herbs are used for complicated potion recipes later on. I'd hang on to them for now.

[Contra]

Quote:

Originally written by Ephesos:
You get two eyestalk quests in the game, as far as I know:

(SPOILER)

-One from the mage in East Cotra (if you kill the gazer under West Cotra, question it first, then go tell the mayor that it wasn't helpful, then go kill it, and the mayor never gets angry)
-One from the potion-maker in Fort Remote, but only after you do the quests fetching Graymold and Mandrake. All of that person's quests show up on the job board in Fort Remote.

- One from the Gazer in the tunnels west of Fort Remote, waiting for you among the final pylons that you encounter before you climb underground.

[Ephesos]

Just for clarification, I meant places where you get quests for finding eyestalks, not places where you can get eyestalks.

[Sicadastra]

Gotcha... I am in possession of surplus eyestalks then.

Wonderful.

[Contra]

This is another time I wish Jeff could have added something from Geneforge; The abillity to make your own stuff.

 

You could make Potions in previouse Avernum games, and in Generforge you can make wands, crystals, artifacts, etc.

He allready added so much from Geneforge, so why not this?

Then we would have something to do wth the ultra-rare items like Eyestalks,

[Lattan]

The various armorsmiths and potionmakers in the game serve the same purpose as the anvil in G3, at least from what I know (I didn't buy G3). It's simply a text-based interface instead of a visual one.

[Lilith]

Quote:

Originally written by Opalias:
Which herbs are used for the skill potions?

All five: Healing, Energetic, Spiritual, Graymold and Mandrake. One dose of each per skill potion. Energetic Herbs and Mandrake are generally the rarest, so if you have more of the other types than you do of those, you can sell a few extras.

[Dikiyoba]

So the toadstools went extinct?

 

Dikiyoba.

[Contra]

Quote:

Originally written by SNM:
The various armorsmiths and potionmakers in the game serve the same purpose as the anvil in G3, at least from what I know (I didn't buy G3). It's simply a text-based interface instead of a visual one.

Not quite. While you can have smiths make you wands and alchemists make you potions, you can not create artifacts or customise your inventory with enchanted items.

Edit: And where can I buy some Energetic Herbs?

[Lilith]

There are a few places where you can buy herbs, but not many. You can find them here and there in caves and caches.

[Contra]

Yes, I know, but I wanted to know a specific place where I could buy them.