Party Make up

[ttomm99]

Just but the game and since I have a choice of 4 different characters to bring with me should I bring the same 2 each time are alternate?

[Dikiyoba]

All four characters get the same experience whether they travel with you or not, so you can take whoever you want and switch them around whenever you want. You'll probably want to take characters that have skills your character lacks or that you find most interesting.

 

Dikiyoba.

[Skwish-E]

Thanks for the clarification. I was worrying that I might need Sev for something later and find him wimpy first level cannon fodder.

[Dintiradan]

Related question: I was playing the demo, and noticed that Sev levelled up a few encounters before my character did. I was playing on Torment. Is this normal?

 

(Unrelated question: Is it normal for the blue bar not to regenerate while you're in a dungeon? It probably is, but it made me very conservative when using powers.)

[Dikiyoba]

Yes (and yes).

 

Dikiyoba.

[AaronC]

This is bothering me so much, in every spidweb game I've always tried to make the 1st PC the "main" guy and try to level him up first. In Exile I always tried to get killing blows with him (which I think gave you more exp).

 

Thought I was doing something wrong, but thanks for the clarification ^.

[A less presumptuous name.]

Originally Posted By: Dintiradan

Related question: I was playing the demo, and noticed that Sev levelled up a few encounters before my character did. I was playing on Torment. Is this normal?

(Unrelated question: Is it normal for the blue bar not to regenerate while you're in a dungeon? It probably is, but it made me very conservative when using powers.)

As has been stated in some other thread, each character joins you with a slightly different amount of exp, so while you all gain the same amount, your levels are slightly staggered.

(Unrelated answer: energy is only regenerated when returning to Avadon or touching a pillar, with a few special exceptions.)

[nikki.]

I think I only ever got the "low vitality" warning once, and I was pretty liberal with my special attacks, so you shouldn't have too much of a problem... a lot of the time your regular attack is going to be fine anyway.

[Randomizer]

Jeff has stated that there are too many vitality potions and elixirs in the game so you can sell off most of them without hurting your game. You really have to intensively using abilities to get a low vitality warning.

[nikki.]

Yeah, I never used vitality potions either - it was only when my sorceress got the skills to reduce ability cooldown that I really started eating away at vitality.

[Dintiradan]

Click to reveal..

Basically, I would open every battle with an ability. So passing through the scrying chambers, my pair would spend a vitality each whenever a rat or two charged. Only realized it wasn't being regenerated once it was half gone.

I still ended doing fine, because I was saving vitality for the expected fourth prisoner.

If the first dungeon is any indication, you also depend a lot more on consumables in this game. Was able to avoid using potions, but my characters were using bandages and munching on food for a lot of the battles.

[A less presumptuous name.]

On what difficulty are you playing? I almost never needed consumables until I started doing quests that were scripted to have helpers without telling the helpers to join in the fight (final quest in the Kva sequence). Then again, I was on Casual. I've been playing through a bit on normal, and it doesn't seem much harder. The auto-life-regen after each battle really helps; I'm less afraid of taking an extra hit, so I kill enemies slower and conserve vitality.

[Dintiradan]

Yeah, I played on Torment.

 

Click to reveal..

Which made fighting prisoner #2 very difficult -- if he ever dazed one of my characters, and both he and his two thugs were in melee, they could potentially bring him from full life to zero without a chance to respond. I ended up retreating and having the blademaster fire arrows each turn, which helped bring down one of the enemies enough in health so that both my shadowwalker and he could kill it quickly.

 

This was with the blademaster; maybe it would be easier with a shadowwalker/sorceress pairing.

[nikki.]

I played on Hard, and rarely had to use any consumables at all, especially in the first half of the game. To be fair, I did exploit the regen after battle by occasionally sacrificing a character (usually Sevillin or Nathalie, if I brought her) if I knew that another character could end the battle.

[ttomm99]

Great info..thanks all

[Vent]

I played on Normal then switch Hard. Then played a long time at Hard but started use few consumables sometimes. Then much later, still using some consumable but not much I realized I found the game too easy for fights and then switch to Torment but using relatively often consumables, but not that much. I felt the game limit, and not really easy, but not a difficulty feeling I would expect for Torment.

 

The point is I played the first part, ie a large part of the first big main mission, by cumulating some consumable. Then at Hard I used some but continue stock more. Now I have switch to Torment I could be close to use a bit too much consumables but not realize it.

 

Now recently I started feel the game a bit more at right difficulty for Torment but not sure if it's just because of the last places/parts I played. But it's also a feeling problem, because clearly I get used to use some consumables for some fights, and more often since Torment but still not that much.

 

Possibly the game would worth one more higher difficulty level but I doubt I would use it myself, perhaps later before end of the game. Also I feel the Hard mode should have been the Normal mode with the last fight in first dungeon a little bit less rude.

[Dintiradan]

I did a quick replay of the first dungeon on Torment, and found things much easier -- I think Sev ate two pieces of food, but that was it. First, I was more careful this time around drawing aggro; no need to use abilities or consumables when you're only fighting a couple of monsters at a time.

 

Click to reveal..

Second, I fought the optional battle against the rats before I fought the third prisoner. This caused Sev to level up before the fight with the third prisoner, instead of after. There was a significant difference in damage output.

 

The third and biggest reason why it was easier this playthrough was sheer dumb luck. I was able to get very close to the third prisoner before she stopped to talk to me. In my previous playthrough, she stopped the party when they were still on the bridge. This meant that I was able to drop her in two rounds, whereas before I had to deal with her minions before getting to her. Not easy as she kept on spawning new ones. The new 'slowed down' effect makes a big difference; in other games, it was usually worth taking the 'attack of opportunity' to close in on the boss right away. Now that isn't an option.

 

The variability when events get triggered could be a huge problem, in my mind. It really could affect the outcome of a battle.

[Dikiyoba]

Movement isn't so much of an issue if you have a shaman or sorceress in your party (since their default attack can hit distant foes) or once you get missile weapons.

 

Dikiyoba.

[Randomizer]

Did you try killing the first escaped prisoner so you don't have to trust him? This fight on torment was always the hardest and most resource intensive.

[Sub zero]

First time i clearing the area on singleton i found no point in it.Game seems to be very easy and simlified than avernum.

[Randomizer]

It gets harder when you reach the boss of the first major quest outside Avadon. I know the hard way when I found out how much of a difference one dexterity point makes.