Best equipment in G4? And other questions.

[Triumph]

I'm playing through G4 as a melee servile with a heavy investment in mental magic for crowd control. I'm into Burwood Province now. What equipment should I aim to use? Since G4 doesn't let one forge all the artifacts, which are the best? Does the acid damage from Oozing Sword trump Guardian Claymore's strength boost? Any good times to use the Flaming Sword? Are there are any really enchantments that are really great that I should make sure to save for my best equipment?

 

Also, I've noticed my mental magic being less effective lately (like, since I entered Burwood); is that because I haven't invested enough in it, or does it kind of peter out in effectiveness later in the game?

 

Thanks!

[Randomizer]

Mental magic starts to encounter higher mental resistance unless you use the better (higher level) spells. Also you do need to keep investing in at least spellcraft.

 

If you aren't using creations than oozing sword and flaming sword are better with the flaming sword better versus cold creations and ones that are immune to acid damage like rothgoroth.

 

Artifact choice depends upon whether you are going heavy combat and spells or creations to assist. Pick things like Gloves of Savagery that give high armor and help with strength and/or melee.

 

Golden crystals to increase armor are usually recommended as an enhancement.

[Trenton.]

Can't you just carry multiple swords with different enchantments for quick use?

 

I mean, That's what I do. I usually carry around an Acid Baton, A flaming sword, a Specter Falchion, and a Reaper baton in my quick draw spots. That leaves room for another sword in the hand, so you can just switch quickly between weapons.

[Triumph]

Is G4 harder than earlier games? I've always played on normal, and I don't ever remember feeling like I was running into walls this much in G1 / G2 / G3 (nor N:R, A6, or A:EftP). I'm still in Burwood, constantly needing items to help me survive (and key consumables like essence pods and healing pods and living tools seem to be in much shorter supply, too, compared to earlier games). For the first time in one of Jeff's games, I'm serious contemplating dropping the difficulty below normal. LOL. Just curious if the game is harder relative to the others, or if I've just messed up my build or failed to use the right equipment or enhancements or done quests in the wrong order or something. It started out okay, but somewhere things got more difficult and / or went wrong.

[Randomizer]

You are starting to hit the tier 4 and 5 creations and they are a step up in difficulty from the early part except for the worst boss fights. Jeff added more essence pods at the end because I burned through them during beta testing.

 

It depends what you are playing because there are a few places with infinitely spawn swarms that make it harder for a single character and you need to sneak around instead of going straight into a zone.

[Mosquito---Slayer]

Randomizer is probably right, I found the game rather tough with a single character as well, It's much easier with creations.

[Triumph]

Hmm...make the Sunstone Belt now, or hold off for the Girdle of Succor? They give comparable defense bonuses...SB gives hefty bonus to Fire and Energy resistance (is that worthwhile in the latter part of the game) and helps against undead (many of those later in the game?), while GofS gives the more straightforward boosts to Blessing / Healing magic (are those worthwhile in the way that boosting Battle or Healing magic makes those spells more effective?). Advice?

 

On a related note, how do the bonuses of the Agent or Guardian Cloaks stack up against that one artifact cloak that gives an extra AP? Looking over Synergy's item list, I was thinking that cloak plus those AP-boosting sandles were the way to go (always having two full turns is just too good to ignore). Is that sound reasoning?

[Mosquito---Slayer]

With G4's haste you can have two turns each round in any case, I'd say go for the agent's clock.

There aren't too many undead in the late game, if you are going the shaper side you will be fighting a good number of fire-damage monsters, so fire resistance is probably pretty good.

[Death Knight]

Triumph, make the legs of the tyrant. It has a decent armor rating, gives 5 to melee, and has vampiric touch. The vampiric tough alone makes it one of the better items to use for a solo character. I used it on my warrior for g4 and it was awesome. Gotta love running through the fens while normally hard monsters fall to each swipe of my blade. It was hard to make but you can make it before the fens if you spend some time.