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Post by hampton on Feb 10, 2014 12:12:59 GMT -5
Additional thoughts on nm. One of the coolest things about nm that ive played on various other games is that its the only way to get the ultimate drops. There should be kick-ass magic items in nm even if you have to make monsters harder to compensate. Looking through inventory and drooling over all your cool stuff is the big win ;-)
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Post by Cory Trese on Feb 10, 2014 12:39:13 GMT -5
I beat the baron, but with a couple deaths in norm mode. My nm game is now in riven field with no deaths. I use standard attacks 75% of the time. Sometimes I need to boost in order to hit. I can't imagine how I could get past the guardhouse without dying though. Well, I never (and I mean never) use the no-SP attacks, unless I'm out of SP, out of potions and out of Sacrifice. Totally possible that you're much better at the fighting, or the building, than I am -- but I have not been able to get past any of the bosses using standard attacks (testing it this morning.) Definitely a sign that the design is working -- so many ways to play!
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Post by hampton on Feb 10, 2014 18:37:57 GMT -5
No, certainly not any of the big battles. I throw it all out there when necessary. The 75% is the smaller fights in between, and not all of those. As long as I can get 2 digit hits with standard, I stick with those. My archer has killed twice as much as any member, i used aimed shot a lot early on but now she is a beast without it. :-)
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Post by algesan on Feb 11, 2014 1:58:45 GMT -5
The biggest kicker for pure Mastery Talent builds with Vraes is how it ramps him up for just loosing through stuff. It may have cost me right before the big shaman fight, but rolling average 10+ successes with normal hit seems to plow through stuff. The extra defensive dice are just a bonus and within 1-2 average successes of the offends (less the +accuracy from Mastery). Blades are a must for Vraes given the drops I've seen in my games. I've only gotten 2 that were better than store bought and IIRC the sword was a Keen Arming Blade that you now get when the weapons upgrade in Oskahold. Otherwise, Lukai's sword rules for now.
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Post by Cory Trese on Feb 12, 2014 18:59:03 GMT -5
The biggest kicker for pure Mastery Talent builds with Vraes is how it ramps him up for just loosing through stuff. It may have cost me right before the big shaman fight, but rolling average 10+ successes with normal hit seems to plow through stuff. The extra defensive dice are just a bonus and within 1-2 average successes of the offends (less the +accuracy from Mastery). Blades are a must for Vraes given the drops I've seen in my games. I've only gotten 2 that were better than store bought and IIRC the sword was a Keen Arming Blade that you now get when the weapons upgrade in Oskahold. Otherwise, Lukai's sword rules for now. Lukai's sword definitely puts an emphasis on blades in Episode 1.
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Post by algesan on Feb 12, 2014 19:33:05 GMT -5
Which is why some of us asked for an alternate. IMO, maybe an event at the smith to reforge it...heck just give us the "shards" of his sword or, to avoid being too copycat, make it a relic too damaged from the final battles and then when Vraes is talking to the smith about sharpening up all the weapons, then give a dialogue to convert it.
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Post by Cory Trese on Feb 12, 2014 20:30:12 GMT -5
Which is why some of us asked for an alternate. IMO, maybe an event at the smith to reforge it...heck just give us the "shards" of his sword or, to avoid being too copycat, make it a relic too damaged from the final battles and then when Vraes is talking to the smith about sharpening up all the weapons, then give a dialogue to convert it. Yeah, trust us that we're doing the right thing here. Don't worry too much about that particular sword. It is useful, if you aren't building a blades Vraes maybe Vincent or Selen will carry it. Just as the hammer outlanders hew and cry about the blades in Episode 1, the blade users will be jealous in Episode 2.
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Post by algesan on Feb 12, 2014 21:39:35 GMT -5
Actually, it was in core parties that it was an issue or parties with nuking Vincent & shooting Selen. My current Conquered Keep party has zero use for it....and from your comment, I get the feeling that the next bit of content releases won't do that party's Vraes any good either....
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Post by contributor on Feb 15, 2014 2:44:22 GMT -5
So I just started a first game on NM. I've done the prologue, northvault and both farmhalls. So far I'm not finding it that big of a step up from Brutal. My party is not even cutting edge, because I decided to try a Selen archery build. Which is actually nicer than I first imagined, but still not nearly as good as her melee build.
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Post by algesan on Feb 15, 2014 7:39:27 GMT -5
Given the way archery works (only deals with Dodge & Evasion), I find that melee Selen, while not the DPS machine that Tamil is, has a nontrivial ranged attack. Conversely, you should be able to give your ranged Selen at least enough Blade skill & enhanced attacks to at least use her to hit & run in melee.
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Post by fallen on Feb 15, 2014 7:42:07 GMT -5
I think you'd find that Tamilin's Torrent of Steel is non-trivial as well. Definitely the design purpose. If they were trap-Talents, we would not have included them
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Post by algesan on Feb 15, 2014 8:01:27 GMT -5
Agreed, especially since the rebalance of Light Blades put them more in line with Blades. My point is that melee is attacker vs. weapon skill, dodge & parry; but archery only deals with dodge. Easier to hit with it.
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Post by contributor on Feb 15, 2014 8:09:20 GMT -5
One thing that playing Impossible on ST taught me is that creating really extreme builds is the way to survive and thrive. So my initial tendency is to really push a character in one direction. HoS is fun because you can close the weaknesses that you create in one character with another character. When I'm being extremely successful with one thing then I have space to add in some other skills. I will be doing some of that with Selen now because her Pinning Shot is getting too expensive so I've got points that will need to go elsewhere. Though I'll also be saving some for Dance of Shadows as that will make her a ranged monster. Crit + AoE is pure magic.
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Post by fallen on Feb 15, 2014 8:29:20 GMT -5
contributor - can't wait to have you try out the expansive new range of challenges in Episode 2. Absolute game changers at every turn that will put your part on the ropes.
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