Questions on Torment[G5]

[Mringasa]

After going over the Ess/HP/SP formulas, I was wondering if a level 20 ST will have the exact same Essence as a Level 20 Shaper?

 

I'm going to start my 7th playthrough, and wanted to give myself a bit of a challenge. I decided playing a berzerker-style character, all melee with only Healing spells used, on Torment should provide me one last round of enjoyment, for now at least, from this fantastic game.

 

How harsh is this going to be with my forsaking mental/battle/blessing magic and turning those points + Spellcraft points into melee oriented skills? No ranged weaponry other than the occasional entangling/lightning/flame AoE.

 

Also, I was hoping for a couple suggestions on how to spend them. I was going to buff str/end heavily (in relation to how little I spend on them normally) but would welcome suggestions to keep me alive easier.

[Randomizer]

Put lots towards endurance since you will need plenty of health to survive the damage you take closing with artilas and taking multi-turn damage from acid.

 

If you are going for melee then put some points into parry for when you get swarmed, and you will since some places don't lend themselves to nice one one one fights. It doesn't do as much as earlier games but parry at 14 level is useful and some items will help you get there.

 

Otherwise whatever is cheaper of strength and melee weapons to increase your damage per round. It's possible to get by, but mental spells to daze opponents really helps especially when the podlings slow you down.

[Mringasa]

Excellent, thanks for the quick assistance.

 

My last one on Torment was too easy, thus the dropping of spells except for healing.

 

Level 51 Shaper with 1200 essence and a group of 3 RotDs and 3 Tralls turned the final portion of the game into a rompathon. Limiting myself to battle creations only for the whole of the game did nothing to increase the difficulty, although I haven't hit the challenge area yet.

 

Debating on going with only fire creations (probably as easy as battle only) or doing the magic creations only, which should be a pretty good challenge.

[Zummi]

Battle creations turning up the difficulty?

 

*snickersnorts*

[Alorael at Large]

Battle creations are the strongest tree in A5, although earlier in the series they were more lackluster.

 

—Alorael, who thinks the consensus now is that fire is the weakest of the bunch. It's not terrible the way battle creations used to be, though.

[Mod.]

Originally Posted By: Divine Prominence

Battle creations are the strongest tree in A5, although earlier in the series they were more lackluster.

—Alorael, who thinks the consensus now is that fire is the weakest of the bunch. It's not terrible the way battle creations used to be, though.

The same happens to be true in G5.

[Slariton]

It isn't that cut-and-dry in G5. Cryoas are still the best cheap creation. Vlish are still good. Clawbugs are also good now, but there is still nothing to recommend the other mid-tier battle creations. War Tralls are probably the best general purpose creation, but Gazers and Wingbolts are right behind them.

[Txgangsta]

Wingbolts are useless unless you have a meatshield to take the damage. Gazers are awesome, but wartralls give damage, take damage, and still have the range attack. My favorite without a doubt.

[Acky]

Originally Posted By: Txgangsta

Wingbolts are useless unless you have a meatshield to take the damage. Gazers are awesome, but wartralls give damage, take damage, and still have the range attack. My favorite without a doubt.

Wingbolts do a lot of damage however, and are much cheaper then Gazers. You can also get them practically right as you enter the Storm Planes.

[Dantius]

Originally Posted By: Acky

Originally Posted By: Txgangsta

Wingbolts are useless unless you have a meatshield to take the damage. Gazers are awesome, but wartralls give damage, take damage, and still have the range attack. My favorite without a doubt.

Wingbolts do a lot of damage however, and are much cheaper then Gazers. You can also get them practically right as you enter the Storm Planes.

Yeah, but you can get Gazers a lot quicker than any other Tier 5 creation while doing Alwan's messenger quest. I don't think you can even get War Tralls until the Dera Reaches.

[Mringasa]

I've been using battle creations for every one but my first playthrough. Once you get past the borers in Hatra, you can ditch all your creations and eat every bit of the exp from quests right up to the canister in G-Uss. Just need a little Leadership.

 

And with the excellent benefits of keeping creations around for as long as possible, it makes for a strong group as you gain essence through the rest of the Chapter and into the final.

 

Decided to go with Fire creations. I really dislike the magic tree for G5, although I fell in love with Wingbolts in 4 and was hoping to wreak havoc once more with them, they just don't cut it this time around though, imho.

 

I figure Cryoas and maybe a Roamer for the DoT acid on occasion should get me into Perikalia, and with all the cash I'll be saving not having to train/buy the 3 spell types. I'll have plenty of cash to pick/choose my training without doing anything special to reduce prices at that point.

 

Just praying the lack of mental doesn't burn me. I've played 2-5 and every one seems to almost require daze/strong daze or some other form of mental manipulation to make Torment smooth.

[A less presumptuous name.]

Originally Posted By: Dantius

Yeah, but you can get Gazers a lot quicker than any other Tier 5 creation while doing Alwan's messenger quest. I don't think you can even get War Tralls until the Dera Reaches.

On my battle only walkthrough, I took the trall canister from Ghaldring as soon as I got to the area (goodness I need to play again, I can't even remember the names. Gazakii-Uss?).

I believe that's the same quest you're talking about for getting gazers. Hmm, seems like the same timing to me.

[Mringasa]

Think so. That's the one that is in the lab you can access once you pass through the power room iirc.

 

I have had 0 luck getting that canister because I am horrible at stealth. The Trall one is at the north end right after you fight/leadership the Drakon, and it's really simple to get if you have enough tools, which you should at that point.

 

Think I tried 10 or 15 times to grab the gazer canister and always got caught by that servile that walks back and forth.