Money and upgrades?

[Kargor]

Well, every map that you've played gets locked up, which means there's a certain maximum amount of exp and money to be had -- most likely, I'm not even getting that. And I'm certainly not using "idols", even though they give bonuses -- unfortunately, they also give bonuses to the monsters, which makes it a bad idea :-)

Early on I upgraded weapons when I could, but I'm no longer doing that (even though I don't know which weapon is good, so what I'm upgrading could still be the wrong thing). I haven't even looked at that item shop thingy since I'd have no idea what to buy. Of course, that also means I'll never be able to complete all proving grounds.

So, the question is: how is the money-supply in the game? Upgrades seem to be getting more expensive as the tier goes up, so it seems rather risky to do them. And I still have material for several "certain weapon", which means there's even more weapons to come...

I have no idea how many more maps I'll get before having to fight whatever endboss there is, or how much money will be in these maps. Do I have to continue "not spending" anything, or is it really not that much of a problem to upgrade all weapons and possibly get an item or two from the shop as well?

[cearn]

At some point you'll have access to dream areas (you can find them at the bottom-left of the bastion). They're a bit grindy, but you can run those multiple times to get additional XP and money.

And although the idols give bonuses to the enemies, there are a couple that don't help them out too much, so those can be a good way to get additional loot as well.

[Kargor]

Originally posted by cearn:

At some point you'll have access to dream areas (you can find them at the bottom-left of the bastion). They're a bit grindy, but you can run those multiple times to get additional XP and money.

Are these the "pipe" and "cooking pot" (or whatever they are called, don't remember)? They seemed unlike the other areas since it was just an arena fight, and it was definitely a 'dream' caused by the kid getting knocked out.

Grindy isn't quite the word I'd use at this stage; I wasn't able to get to the end of either one. They seemed optional, though, so I just ignored them for now. Maybe I should go back to the first one (I've only recently unlocked the 2nd one).

Of course, if these don't lock up when completed they can be used to farm stuff. Provided I can actually complete them :-)

And although the idols give bonuses to the enemies, there are a couple that don't help them out too much, so those can be a good way to get additional loot as well.

Ok, maybe I should take a look at the ones that I have available. Still, "not too much" is more than "not at all", and since I have no idea what's coming next... and when I do I either fail which means I don't want an "idol" anyway, or I succeed and cannot play it again. Oh well. I guess I'll remain idol-less.

[cearn]

Originally posted by Kargor:

Originally posted by cearn:

At some point you'll have access to dream areas (you can find them at the bottom-left of the bastion). They're a bit grindy, but you can run those multiple times to get additional XP and money.

Are these the "pipe" and "cooking pot" (or whatever they are called, don't remember)? They seemed unlike the other areas since it was just an arena fight, and it was definitely a 'dream' caused by the kid getting knocked out.

Yes, those are the things I was talking about. They're usually called 'Who Knows Where', I now see. With 20 waves of monsters they can be tricky, though, so make sure you have the decent weapons and spirits.

Originally posted by Kargor:

And although the idols give bonuses to the enemies, there are a couple that don't help them out too much, so those can be a good way to get additional loot as well.

Ok, maybe I should take a look at the ones that I have available. Still, "not too much" is more than "not at all", and since I have no idea what's coming next... and when I do I either fail which means I don't want an "idol" anyway, or I succeed and cannot play it again. Oh well. I guess I'll remain idol-less.

Fair enough. I tend to play with Acobi and Hense (and Roathus once I get Leechade. (Oh, and get leechade. No, really, get it.)) switched on for an extra 15-25%. But if you don't know what you're getting yourself into, starting clean is probably best.

[bvguthrie]

Kargor, I was pretty terrible at the game when I started playing, so I understand your desire to avoid idols. But there are a couple of them that don't make things much harder. Yudrig is pretty easy to deal with, as is Acobi, assuming you remember to run or roll away after killing an enemy. Roathus is a good one to turn on in regular levels, since you will still find tonics at set locations--just not as loot drops. Don't turn it on in Who Knows Where, however, unless you want to die.
As far as money--use it to upgrade whatever weapons you like best (and to buy good spirits at the Lost and Found, which my guide to spirits can help you with), then use the better weapons to successfully complete Who Knows Where, thus getting more money and xp. Then buy more upgrades. Then do them again for more money if you like.

Spoilers, though not big ones: If you want to know, there are twenty main levels in the game, and there is no endgame boss per se, though there are some challenging fights. There are 11 weapons, each with five levels of upgrades. You will not upgrade everything on your first playthrough--that's why there's new game plus.

[Kargor]

Originally posted by bvguthrie:

Yudrig is pretty easy to deal with, as is Acobi, assuming
you remember to run or roll away after killing an enemy.

Ok, I should at least read through the descriptions :-) Run or roll away shouldn't a problem since I prefer ranged attacks anyway, although I have recently replaced the machete with the flamethrower since it is far more effective in cases where I get swarmed... assuming that idol makes things explode or something like that, that could turn into a massacre... for me.

Roathus is a good one to turn on in regular levels, since you will still find tonics at set locations--just not as loot drops.

Ah yeah... regulr levels are a bit of a mixed bag. Some of them went through rather easily, while I died in others and was glad when I made it on the second try.

Don't turn it on in Who Knows Where, however, unless you want to die.

:-) I did try the Pipe again, and even made it -- with no tonics left and deep in the red on the last wave, but I made it. And that wasn't the only wave where I ran out of drugs... so yes, right now, I have zero intention to make that even harder. Might need to play a bit with the secret skills, though. And probably more upgrades :-)

As far as money--use it to upgrade whatever weapons you like best (and to buy good spirits at the Lost and Found, which my guide to spirits can help you with),

Ah yeah, the spirits. Haven't experimented much with them yet either, as most "damage improvers" seem to have conditions attached that I don't like (low health) or can't maintain in a fight where more damage is actually useful (100% health). I shall try to find your guide to see what it says.

then use the better weapons to successfully complete Who Knows Where, thus getting more money and xp. Then buy more upgrades. Then do them again for more money if you like.

That has been the plan since I learned that I can replay these maps, and since I managed to actually complete the Pipe. It still felt rather hard and tedious, so I haven't done it again since...

But even Captain Hunt has stated at some point: "nothing worth doing is easy". He wasn't referring to games, though. Saving the universe kind of stuff.

There are 11 weapons,

Well, I simply assumed I get one weapon for each box in the Forge :-)

each with five levels of upgrades.

Yeah... at first I was like "oh, two levels per weapon, doesn't seem too bad". That was before I learned that I didn't build "true" things :-)

[AshisFall]

I'm glad I came across this thread...not for the reason you might think though. I'm just relived to find an answer to my question as to whether or not the use of Idols is required to beat the game.

This is going to sound funny, but I wasn't going to buy the game if I was forced to use the idols.