The Big Decision

[also aswell]

I've gone back and read many of the posts since this board started and realize that my middle of the road strategy just will not cut it like in GF 2.

 

My question here is at what point do I have to make a final decision on which side to support? If I play the middle as long as possible I can get those small quests from both sides easily. Early in the game they are great point boosters at those times when the points for the monsters have dropped to lower levels.

 

So, how long can I juggle the sides or should I pick a side at the start and go for it.

[Student of Trinity]

You can string along both sides until the end of Dhonal's Isle, when you have to commit yourself in order to leave the island. But then on Gull Island you will be offered a chance to switch sides again, and you can effectively revert back to middle-of-the -road, doing quests for everyone -- for a while.

 

I'm not sure what would happen if you tried to fulfill both sides' final missions on Gull, but there certainly isn't any way to really stay middle of the road: either mission is something unforgivable from the other party's point of view, and you have to do one to get to the next island. So by the time you reach the Isle of Spears, at the latest, you are committed one way or the other.

 

The price you pay for deciding late is that people on either side will be reluctant to train you. So if you want to get the most training possible, pick your side early and stick with it.

[Contra]

Not true, Trinity. You can change sides at Gull. You can play Loyalist and go Rebel there, and i think there is a chance that you can do the other way aswell.

[Harlequin]

Quote:

Originally written by Student of Trinity:
But then on Gull Island you will be offered a chance to switch sides again

[Flake]

Yeah, SoT did say that...

 

And yeah, the main problem is exactly what SoT said, that deciding too late means you won't be able to get high-end training. Which, believe me, sucks when you realize whats happened, and want to go back and change a couple of your answers simply so you can be taught more then a few spells.

 

Don't think you can be middle of the road in this one. A shame cause both sides have ethically dodgy practices that I wouldn't like to be associated with in game, let alone in the real world.

[Skippy the bush kangaroo]

Middle of the road doesn't really cut it in this game. While in previous ones, going middle of the road allowed you to get the best bits of both sides, here it gives you nothing much. Both sides will say, "I won't teach you this or that until you prove yourself".

 

One of the points of MoR in previous games was to become the strongest you could by collecting all the goodies from all sides. The equivalent strategy here is probably to exhibit bipolar disorder. Start out as a 100% committed Shaper until you are ready to leave Dhonal's Isle (because that's where most of their goodies are). After that, if you are so inclined, you can switch sides and go 100% Rebel. However, there is less need to switch sides to the Rebel's because most of their goodies consist of canisters and, given enough living tools or mechanics skill, you can just take them regardless. The training that is offered by the Shapers is less amenable to such larceny.

 

Finally, if your reason for MoR as a strategy was that you wanted to remain ethically pure and rejected both sides, you can't do it in this game - you must choose -- eventually. Given that, you might as well choose as early as possible.

[Contra]

Can always complete the Rebel ending, then kill every major NPC left in the world (including Ghardling, which i believe is fixed now.). This should get you your MoR kind of ending, if power and carnage is what you are after.