End of E2A2 - what's your level?

[fallen]

Quick survey time! If you've completed all the E2A2 content your group cares to complete, and are waiting on E3, what is your level? With the volume of optional content available, it will help us to know where everyone is at!

Also, which characters do you have? Just listing - "V,K,K,T" or something is clear enough

[bobc]

Completed everything with V, K, K, T.

I've levelled them up fairly evenly so they are all sat on level 27, approximately 800 xp shy of level 28.

[crimsonking]

27, with between 400 and 1400 XP to go until 28.

Kincaid, Kyera, Vincent, Selen

[fallen]

Great info! Please keep sharing everyone.

[vdx]

Standard party (V,K,K,T): Level 27, just shy of Level 28 at each party member in the 82k range.
V2.2.41

Notes:
Entered Cult Temple: 55k (Level 24)
--> Completed all known side quests and explored every available map, including reaching Gholla Outlook and Granthorn prior to entering the Cult Temple

Beat Big V: 79k (Level 27)
--> Every fights on all 7 Cult Temple Maps
--> 24k xp in temple a lone!

After meeting Druid: 82k (Level 27)
--Just shy of level 28. Option didn't open until after beating Cult Temple (maybe just didn't go to Inn enough before?)

I'm noticing parties at different difficulty settings are having very similar, if not the same, XP distribution. Does difficulty level alter XP gains in anyway?

[fallen]

vdx - difficulty does not modify XP gains.

[hobiecat]

Vraes, Kjartan, Kyera and Selen - Everybody is Level 28 except for Selen who is just 81xp away from leveling up.

[fallen]

hobiecat - nice work!

Thanks to everyone for sharing!

[vdx]

Oct 27, 2014 15:30:32 GMT -5 hobiecat said:

Vraes, Kjartan, Kyera and Selen - Everybody is Level 28 except for Selen who is just 81xp away from leveling up.

I'm impressed. Kudos.  First person I know to have more than one at Lvl. 28 by EP 3 Standby. I have a party with 1 person at Lv. 28, but that's because she got Killing Blow XP from a few bosses. Three at Lv. 28 is impressive.

Also, curious how this was done.

Is there more XP from taken on the areas in a different order (from higher monster levels?)? 

I speculated that if one party member gets a level or two higher it will bump up enemy level, and this (in theory) enemy XP resulting in slight but measurable overall XP gains.

Also, did you take the Kill or No Kill option with the Koda kid? I'm curious about the XP difference between the two options. 

It's only a few hundred XP difference so it comes out in the wash, but sooner or later there will be a max amount of XP and being just shy of leveling up will be frustrating before the final EP 4 boss. 

[matthaeus]

KKFT party, I'm at level 27 and they are all close to level 28.

[hobiecat]

Thanks fallen and vdx! Here're some of the things that I believe contributed:

[WARNING: Some spoilers if you haven't actually worked your way to the end of E2A2]

1. Choosing to kill Vlotgar - He and his bodyguards seem to give out a LOT of XP when killed and this party did so. I have another (earlier) party that chose to let him go and I don't remember them coming out of this battle with nearly the same amount of XP gained. I didn't write down any numbers, but I think the XP difference is pretty significant. If I were to speculate, in the long run, this will probably be a wash because if you didn't kill him now, he's bound to show up in a later episode and we'll get new XP opportunities that wouldn't be available by killing him early. But, in the meantime, there definitely seems to be a big disparity.

2. I am a bit of a completionist-type player so I try to find and fight through every monster encounter and never take a shortcut to just get to the end. This is important in a couple of key areas:
- Orcin Caverns looking for Valent: I will clear out both the Icy Caves and the Frozen Lake even though only one is required to progress.
- Underforge: I will clear out EVERY level, which includes going up and doubling back down through the various routes (e.g., Construct Depths AND Underforge Pits) to the Temple of the Aracnid
- Frozen Underroad: I made sure to clear out all of the camped Orcin when first approaching Gholla Outlook so that I can clear them out again when I come back after the battle. Also, in the final approach to GO when you have the option for making a hard dash to the gates to end the battle... yeah, I didn't take it. I fell back and made sure to kill every Orcin before leisurely strolling through the gates.

3. I also made sure to find (what I believe are) all of the story points where you get free XP (e.g., revisiting the burned bridge in Red Hill, quieting the spirits of the Silver Cohort, looking over the outlook in Gholla Outlook). These all seem to give a fixed amount of XP regardless of level.

4. I really made a point to try and rotate who got the killing blow on the bosses, especially the big bosses. I'll monitor the boss' HP and, usually, when it get under 100 or so, I'll exclusively attack him with the person that has the lowest XP until they kill him. This will occasionally backfire. Sometimes, I'll get a critical when I least want it and someone else prematurely claims the extra XP or, more embarrassingly, the person that I want to make the kill gets inept all of a sudden and then the boss winds ups and gets in a kill blow of their own. And then it's *deep sigh* and then restore. LOL!

Beyond that, I don't think the order of what I did made any difference. If it helps, in Act 2, I cleared out the Riven Field Trading Outpost first and then did all of the Braeys quests through their completion (i.e., taking care of Vlotgar). I then circled back and tackled Brunehorn, the Underforge, Talia Village and Prospector's Path. Then, it was on to Granthorn and their half of Bone Pass. I then fast traveled all the way back to Riven Field, went back up through Braeys lands and took on Gholla Outlook. I then finished up E2 by clearing out their path to Ember Lake and their half of Bone Pass. Needless to say, I wouldn't replicate my order if you want a good score on the leaderboards as travel efficiency was NOT the name of my game.

I hope that helps?

[vdx]

We are talking about a few hundred XP (less than a standard fight) but I think it comes down to No. 1 on your list as you and I take the same approach to the battle field and map clearing. I'm also OCD about disarming traps (even through that possible 1 XP/trap because statistically insignificant.

I am interested in knowing if anyone does a XP comparison between the Kill and No Kill option. Not that I would base such an important plot choice on a few hundred XP... I would never do that. Tamlin might, but I wouldn't...

[fallen]

vdx - around your level, Vlotgar and his guards might have provided 1,000 XP in total. At that level, you need 8,000 XP to gain a level. Hope that helps inform the decision.

I would imagine the real differntiaters are #2 and #3.

[slayernz]

I had THOUGHT I had finished E2, but clearly not - because I'm a level short of everyone else

[Cory Trese]

Is there more XP from taken on the areas in a different order (from higher monster levels?)?

Yes, this is possible.