Shaper Help

[MrRoivas]

Could people please give me some advice for how to play as a shaper, as I seem to be doing it wrong and dieing horribly. Also, I have heard people say that you can get create drayk early on. When can you first get it?

[Dolphin]

The canister of Create Drayk is in the Inner Keep on Dhonal's Island, northeast of Lord Rahul's quarters.

 

Do you have creations? And what are your stats?

[Contra]

Pump Intelligence, ONE shaping skill, either mental, blessing or battle magic or neither. Remember to use Daze. Keep a few creations at Torment and only one or two at lower difficulties.

 

Not really much to it.

 

First Create Drayk canister can be found in Dhonald's Keep, in Lord Rahul's private chambers.

[MrRoivas]

Thank you for your advice. But I would be very grateful if someone could give me advice on which creations are worth and what to have. And I don't like deadweight shapers.

[Dolphin]

I like Fyora/Cryoa for low levels because you can make them very early on, and they are relatively powerful and inexpensive; Drayk/Cryodrayk works well for higher levels.

[Contra]

All creations have their worth, really. Basicly, stick with one type as soona s you get it, then upgrade to the stronger type when you can, within the same school of shaping.

 

For example: First Fyora, then Cryoa, then Drayk.

First Artilla, then Searing Artilla, then Vlish, then Ghlaak, then Gazer.

Thad, Thad Shade, Battle Alpha, Rothgroth.

 

Just remember to stick to one school of shaping, since it gives focus on the specific area where you spent your skillponts, and thus gives maximum bonus.

[Arrian]

Creation specific groups are a bad idea. Vary your creation types. You'll find that using several of the same type will get you caught in some stick situations. Mix it up, and usually include one or two battle creations that can take the brunt of the hits.

[Hume]

Yep, focusing on battle or magic creations will get you in great trouble.

However, fire creations are more versatile.

They can do fire, cold, magic, acid and physical damage.

Still, it is better to mix creations of different types.

Gazers+ drakons+ rotghroths make a perfect army.

[Hume]

Great early creations:

Cryoa and vlish both at the 2nd island.

Drayk at the 3rd island.

Rotgroth at the 4th island.

[Zeviz]

Thahds and Thahd Shades are also pretty useful to deal with enemies that get too close. (Or to prevent enemies from getting to your fragile Fyoras and Cryoras.)

 

My favorite strategy is to get high Mechanics (10+) and Leadership (8-10), enough Blessing Magic to cast your best blessing spell, enough Creation Skill to create your favorite creatures and dump the rest into Intelligence.

 

PS Don't forget to pick up the two NPCs - Alwan and Greta. The best thing about them is that they don't cost any essence to get or to upgrade, so you'll always have an equivalent of your top creations for free.

[Student of Trinity]

I've never had the slightest trouble from focusing entirely on Magic creations. I make as many as I can, instead of evolving. As I gain skills and essence, I gradually replace all Artilas with Vlish, then add a couple of Glaahks to the Vlish, then upgrade them both to Ur-Glahhks, then go for as many Gazers as possible. In principle my army is vulnerable to physical attacks, but nothing gets close enough to attack. The only exception is late in the middle game, when my Vlish are beginning to fade; but Glaahks are quite good tanks, and they work fine as blockers.

 

That said, I'm beginning to think that there are also other ways to skin the cat.

[Walter]

I haven't tried it, but I hear an alternate strategy is using one thaad shade, with dex maxed out then whatever you can spare to other stats, which due to its creation type and high dex almost nothing in the game has a significant chance to hit it at all.

[Contra]

Yeah, it is. I have pointed it out several times. On Normal a Thad Shade can carry ou all the way to Gull, on Torment it will make Harmony seem like a walk in the park.

[neophyte]

With me I usually get some leadership, and mechanic skill fist along with intelligence and either strength or endurance, I don't get magic until later.

[Contra]

Endurance is pointless. If you get hit, you are not playing right.

 

As I always said: Mech 6 before you enter the mines on Greenwood, Leadership 7 before speaking with the commander in Fort Kentia.

Leadership 8 before speaking with the Shaper in San Ru, Mech 8 before entering Purification plant.

 

Add Infiltrator Vest+Cloak and Tinker Gloves and you got Mech 10 and Leadership 10, which is all you ever need in the game, enough to score you all that good Xp and special items.

[neophyte]

True, but if you're gonna do that you have to be guardian, 'cause with shapers and agents you have to concentrate on getting high magic/shaping/strength, with guardians they really only needto worry about fighting skills, normal skills, leadership, and mechanics, and healing craft, at least I only needed that, oh and use javelins as a primary weapon as soon as you get them, they are very good! At least you should use them as a guardian, the batons are weak compared to them, unless you have either a lot of venom/acid thorns/batons you should use javelins, and javelins may not be useful when the enemy is too close, but you move back one and pow they take a beating! Watch out though because javelins weigh 1 lb per javelin so don't carry a lot of them.

[Detteh Mehkej]

Healing craft? My Shaper increased that just once, books, canisters and other sources carried it to 10 already ... and he just eneterd Dhonal's Keep.