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Geneforge 5 - Warrior vs. Sorceress as shaper?


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I've just completed Normal-mode playthroughs of G1-G4 with solo melee characters minoring in blessing magic and using virtually no shaping (I had a Guardian in 1-3, and a Servile in 4), and am now planning a Normal-mode playthrough of G5. My two main reasons for the solo melee play style are 1) I'm not a fan of micromanaging a large party of creations, and 2) I don't like my creations "stealing" my main PC's XP bonuses. But I've read that even more so than in G2-G4, a melee build is less optimal than a strictly shaper-type build from a powergaming perspective in the endgame - specifically, the recommendation seems to be a Sorceress with mental magic supporting an army of 7 war tralls.

 

That said, since I'm still leaning toward a Warrior (for the two reasons above), but would like the option to shape a good team for endgame battles that are tough on solo builds, exactly how weak is a high-level Warrior compared to a Sorceress when it comes to late-game creations? From what I can see, the above argument for a Sorceress over a Warrior boils down to two stats (I'm ignoring the Shaping stats, since the Warrior and Sorceress are identical there):

 

1) Mental Magic: The Sorceress can obviously pump this stat higher than the Warrior, but does anyone ever really get this stat above 9 anyway? With purchased training (to level 3), 5 invested skill points (to level 4), and the Firesteel Gauntlets (to level 9), my Warrior's already there in the endgame, so I don't see the difference.

 

2) Essence/Spell Energy: Here's where I'm sure the Sorceress is stronger than the Warrior, and thus able to more easily support a larger creation army. But what exactly are the differences between the Warrior's and Sorceress's essence and spell energy pools in the endgame, assuming the same Intelligence?

 

 

Unless the whole issue is the fact that a Sorceress gets more essence, I get the feeling I'm missing something major here - especially as I'd like my main character to be at least somewhat durable to avoid having to micromanage player/creation positioning etc., and the Sorceress definitely fails in that department. On the other hand, the issue might be simply that the "optimal" Sorceress build ignores player attack stats altogether, thus freeing up more skill points for Intelligence (and therefore lots of Essence for creations). But I submit the manner to the forum experts - thanks in advance for the tips!

 

 

P.S. Does anyone bother raising shaping stats above 7 (i.e. just enough to get all upgraded creations)? If so, is there a huge difference in creation strength for each level above 7 (e.g. for a War Trall with each additional level of Battle Shaping)?

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But I've read that even more so than in G2-G4, a melee build is less optimal than a strictly shaper-type build from a powergaming perspective in the endgame - specifically, the recommendation seems to be a Sorceress with mental magic supporting an army of 7 War Tralls.
Powergaming is not necessary in GF5 unless you're playing on Hard or Torment.

 

1) Mental Magic: The Sorceress can obviously pump this stat higher than the Warrior, but does anyone ever really get this stat above 9 anyway? With purchased training (to level 3), 5 invested skill points (to level 4), and the Firesteel Gauntlets (to level 9), my Warrior's already there in the endgame, so I don't see the difference.
I've never used Mental Magic extensively in any Geneforge game, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong: I do believe that Mental Magic actually gets better if you raise it as high as you are able to.

 

2) Essence/Spell Energy: Here's where I'm sure the Sorceress is stronger than the Warrior, and thus able to more easily support a larger creation army. But what exactly are the differences between the Warrior's and Sorceress's essence and spell energy pools in the endgame, assuming the same Intelligence?
A Warrior and a Sorceress has the same amount of Essence at the same amount of Intelligence. The Sorceress has more Spell Energy though. But the Warrior isn't going to cast that many spells, just buffs before combat and healing during the fights.

 

On the other hand, the issue might be simply that the "optimal" Sorceress build ignores player attack stats altogether, thus freeing up more skill points for Intelligence (and therefore lots of Essence for creations).
Yes, if you're going to play a Sorceress, I'd recommend you put most of your points into Intelligence.

 

P.S. Does anyone bother raising shaping stats above 7 (i.e. just enough to get all upgraded creations)? If so, is there a huge difference in creation strength for each level above 7 (e.g. for a War Trall with each additional level of Battle Shaping)?

If you're using Disposable Creations (e.g. absorbing them after clearing a zone) then having high Shaping skills are good, to compensate for the levels that the creations won't gain through experience.
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Mental magic improves at higher levels and the primary use at the start is daze to keep from being attacked by swarms. At higher levels where daze doesn't work, then you use dominate and later charm to get one creation to shield you from attacks.

 

If you are playing solo most of the game then disposable creations help you as shields when you need them. If you tend to rely on creations to fight, then having higher shaper stats than bought and items is helpful so your creations can hit.

 

Although making 7 glaahks and letting them stun an opponent into no actions is a viable strategy with lesser creations.

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