Beginner questions

[Hecate]

So, I've just started and it seems to be going quite well. Though "normal" difficulty seems a bit too easy, compared to the Geneforge and Avernum games that I've played.

 

My main sorta-not-very spoilery question is: what loot should I save for later use, and what should I just sell? Are iron bars any use? Do I just sell all the gems?

 

A few other questions:

Should I bother with the character that's the same class as my main? (I'm running a sorceress.) Will she be necessary later? Or does the game story vary with your character class?

 

Does it matter who has the lockpicks? Do they need to stay with the highest skill locksmith?

[Lilith]

Originally Posted By: Hecate

My main sorta-not-very spoilery question is: what loot should I save for later use, and what should I just sell? Are iron bars any use? Do I just sell all the gems?

The only items you should keep, apart from the ones you actually want to equip or use, are the ones that specifically have a description saying something like "Somebody will probably pay for this" or "Somebody can probably make something out of this" when you mouse over them in your inventory. I think that's just Drake Skins and Arcane Scrolls, pretty much.

Oh, and runestones. You can use runestones to upgrade your equipment, in case you haven't gotten the tutorial on those already.

Quote:

Should I bother with the character that's the same class as my main? (I'm running a sorceress.) Will she be necessary later? Or does the game story vary with your character class?

Each character has one optional sidequest specific to them, and you'll have to use them for that quest if you want to complete it. Also, once a character's quest becomes available, you won't be able to use that character for anything else until you finish their quest. Fortunately, characters in Avadon level up even if you never use them, so all you really need to worry about is keeping some half-decent equipment for them to use.

The game's plot is the same regardless of the main character's class.

Quote:

Does it matter who has the lockpicks? Do they need to stay with the highest skill locksmith?

Nope! The game automatically has the best lockpicker pick the lock, using lockpicks from whoever is carrying them.

[Randomizer]

You should keep the lockpicks on your character because when exploring the upper floors of Avadon you may need them and don't want to hunt down the Hand that has them.

[Hecate]

Great, thanks. I haven't got the runestone tutorial, but I had guessed that they were useful.

 

On to find Zhethron!

[eaintree]

Originally Posted By: Lilith

The game's plot is the same regardless of the main character's class.

Unfortunately. By my third playthrough it began to feel rather 2-dimensional that, for instance, Shima and the other Shadowalkers in the game can't acknowledge if you're also a Shadowalker, or it doesn't mean anything to Nathalie if you're also a Kellem Sorceress.

[Alorael at Large]

That said, your party members do have their own bits of dialogue to contribute. Various people like the characters more or less, but Nathalie's arrogance and cheerful use of magical violence as a first resort makes her popular. You don't need her, but it can be fun to have her in the party sometimes.

 

And for other classes, you may find you want to have two at once. That's most likely to be true with shadowwalkers and blademasters, but playing with two sorceresses or two shamans shouldn't be terribly problematic.

 

—Alorael, who wouldn't want to try it on torment. Other than that you can probably get away with it, except maybe if you're up against a lot of enemies with fire immunity when you've got low-dexterity sorceresses.