Selecting the best crew [SPOILERS]

[Og-the-Trog]

Is there any mechanical difference between the different companions?
Is it wise to bring a 'balanced' crew?

So far I've got:

Aegidia
-crackshot with a bow
-decent survivalism/sneak
-magic user
-has a boat
-might have been in a relationship with Asterion
Bandit
-supposedly skillful knife-user
-good sneak/survivalism
-can he be trusted?
Dalit
-professional monsterhunter
-top-notch survivalism
-gambling buddy
-knew asterion
Efram
-professional smallgame hunter
-decent survivalism
-winning personality
-lucky
Navica
-professional sailor
-has been to high island and knows which waterfall to go to
-gives you a choice of equipment
-doesn't accompany you onto the island
-you have to buy the boat
Pyrrhos
-crafty
-jumpy
-kinda weird
-greedy thief
Quintus
-big, courageous
-meathead
-not good at archery/survival
Thyrsus
-Bonafide Swamp Druid
-controls plants!
-A bit headstrong
-doesn't actually know many survival skills
Tulia
-decent combat experience, a survivor
-good lieutenant
-knows Asterion
-questionable foraging/trapping skills
-[s]trauma?[/s] back in the saddle bb
Tzvi
-decent survivalism
-good sneak
-seems competent, if quiet
-good forager
-actually gets screechy when stressed


TL:DR
Aegidia, Dalit, and Tulia have the most frequent & strongest uses, (and personal ties to the mission), but honestly...if you're well-prepared & make good choices navica & 3 companions is 100% feasible, even for a low-supplies start.
Even Solo is 100% feasible if you have good supplies & equipment.

[A Hoonter of Hoonters]

You can also recruit Navica, who's been there before. She knows where to go (which waterfall to pick & gives you a selection of equipment (torches, lantern, climbing spikes) but won't accompany you into the woods.

It does seem like there's some kind of 'companion stamina' mechanic: you'd want to bring a diverse set so you don't rely on anyone in particular. I relied on Dalit to fight a lot and she was "so exhausted she could barely stand up" by the unicorn encounter.

[Og-the-Trog]

Ah! Good to know!
Is it mostly combat, or do you need a fair amount of sneaking/magic/survival as well??
Brute strength? (Quintus' time to shine)

[A Hoonter of Hoonters]

I suspect that the ordeals change depending on the team comp: for example, I expected there to be a "guess the waterfall" challenge before Navica was like "it's over here."

There's enough combat that Dalit's crossbow got a workout and I ran out of quarrels. There's also athletic and conditioning challenges (mounting broken ruins, climbing cliffsides, etc.) and wildlife encounters. And combat, of course. And monkeys.

I would bet that it's one of the most complicated parts of the game, code-wise. I used tools to help teammates get through them without spending too much energy (especially the grappling hook) but I ran out well before the end.

[Silly Clown]

I was a Scholar Roadwarden and took Navica, Aegidia, Quintus, and Dalit.

Fully prepared Scholar allows you to skip a lot of challenges in exchange for items/potions and finding the hidden statue map.

Navica - extra items, Ocean challenge bonus
Quintus - Climbing challenge, Fatigue challenge
Dalit - Monster Combat/knowledge challenge, extra bow hits
Aegidia - Extra bow, magic knowledge

[Fringehunter7719]

*MANY SPOILERS AHEAD*

I made some guesses about how the journey goes and it seems to be that you face a sequential series of challenges and each companion, bit of knowledge or equipment item provides special options that give a hidden point total towards completion of that challenge.

If you reach the total you move on with no penalty, if you don't you suffer some consequence like fatigue, losing nourishment or losing vitality. Some options seem to provide more progress on a challenge than others, but without looking at the code it's not really viable to work out the values.

There are also bits of monster knowledge in your journal which will accurately describe a monster's diet and the best way to approach it, most of this comes from purchasing it from Dalit and exploring all the conversations that unlocks and is not dependent on bringing her with you. A lot of this comes in handy on the central road encounters as well.

I took: Aegidia, Dalit, Thrysus and Tulia. In order of encounter the events I met and the beneficial options I had were:


*SPOILERS*

• Harpies: Aegidia, Dalit, Magic, My crossbow.
  
• Waterfall: Option available after talking to various people before setting off, druid, green mountain tribe etc.
  
• Waterfall climb: Thrysus, Tulia, Bone Hook.
  
• Unicorn: Friendly disposition, walk around. No idea if this depends on who you take.
  
• Lose the trail: Viewed giant statue map. Tulia's advice is correct.
  
• Darkness: Lantern, Magic
  
• Howler Monkeys: Ear Plugs, Dragon Horn, Aegidia, Dalit, My crossbow.
  
• Insects: Sting Ointment.
  
• Saurians: Wild Plants (I think, I didn't have enough to completely clear the event and it seems to take multiple). Move Slowly around them, may depend on group's overall stealth in some way.
  
• Rest: Nothing.
  
• Overgrown Trail: Withering dust (completely lose item, or just use), Golem Glove, Thrysus, Tulia.
  
• Widened Trail: Giant Statue Map. Dalit's advice is right.
  
• Beastfolk: Can overcome by sacrificing enough food items or go around for Tower Climbing challenge.
  
• Tower Climbing: Tool of Destruction, Bone Hook, ask crew for help (maybe causes/depends on fatigue)

Taking the best options with this party and the equipment/knowledge I had acquired I lost 1 point of nourishment on the waterfall climb, 1 crossbow bolt on the harpies and consumed no other resource.

[Og-the-Trog]

So you *can* bring thyrsus? Dang! How'd you manage that?
-e
nevermind, I didn't get the option after passing on the old druid's message & completing white oaks for some reason, now on the return trip I do

[carandiro]

Oh come on, beaten to the comment disclaiming all the possible party members by 7 minutes!

One thing to add: one of the better endings for Thrysus simply requires to take him with you. Since he's handy for two different obstacles, he's not just dead weight.

As for things as listed already:
Unicorn can be "threatened" (one of two times I find that option viable in the whole game) if you have the dragon horn - rather than being some hardass line, your character simply blows the horn if you have it and the unicorn runs away
If you still have it, beastfolk can be given the root of the Beholder, giving an unique reaction (and counting as quite a lot of rations)

[Fringehunter7719]

I had completed White Marsh by talking down Orentius and spoke with Thrysus a couple more times over the following days. The option just appeared at some point when I was more or less ready to go.

I had not given him the barrel of mead, though I've seen people refer to that as possibly affecting his disposition or ending.

[Og-the-Trog]

Escrito originalmente por carandiro:

Oh come on, beaten to the comment disclaiming all the possible party members by 7 minutes!

hehe, 2 slow!

[carandiro]

You can also talk with the Forest Speaker, then Thrysus, then Forest Speaker, and finally pass the "sorry" message to Thrysus. Not necessary, but helps to get him on your side and then you can simply ask him to join you if you both removed the undead and passed the message from the druid.

[Fringehunter7719]

Updating the list having loaded my save and gone through a second time with The Bandit, Efren, Quintus and Tzvi:

*SPOILERS*

• Harpies: Aegidia, Dalit, Magic, My crossbow.
  
• Waterfall: Option available after talking to various people before setting off, druid, green mountain tribe etc.
  
• Waterfall climb: Thrysus, Tulia, Bone Hook, Tzvi, Quintus.
  
• Unicorn: Friendly disposition, walk around. No idea if this depends on who you take.
  
• Lose the trail: Viewed giant statue map. Tulia's advice is correct. Efren will find the way if you can't.
  
• Darkness: Lantern, Magic
  
• Howler Monkeys: Ear Plugs, Efren can provide Ear Plugs, Dragon Horn, Aegidia, Dalit, My crossbow, Shield and Light source seem to help.
  
• Insects: Sting Ointment.
  
• Saurians: Wild Plants (I think, I didn't have enough to completely clear the event and it seems to take multiple). Move Slowly around them, may depend on group's overall stealth in some way. Efren's advice is correct.
  
• Rest: Tzvi +2 Wild Plants, Quintus +2 Quarrels.
  
• Overgrown Trail: Withering dust (completely lose item, or just use), Golem Glove, Thrysus, Tulia, Quintus.
  
• Widened Trail: Giant Statue Map. Dalit's and Efren's advice is right.
  
• Beastfolk: Can overcome by sacrificing enough food items or go around for Tower Climbing challenge.
  
• Tower Climbing: Tool of Destruction, Bone Hook, ask crew for help (maybe causes/depends on fatigue).

Edit: Typo.

[A Hoonter of Hoonters]

> Rest: Nothing.

The bandit asked me for food here, which seemed to mean rations, as Tzvi had given me some wild plants and they didn't count.

[Fringehunter7719]

Escrito originalmente por Korol the Bard:

> Rest: Nothing.

The bandit asked me for food here, which seemed to mean rations, as Tzvi had given me some wild plants and they didn't count.

That might be connected to them being tired from an earlier unsuccessful event, as it didn't happen to me.

[A Hoonter of Hoonters]

Also, for Waterfall climb, Darkness, and Tower climbing events, the items that Navica gave me came in handy. Particularly the climbing spikes.

[Og-the-Trog]

*MANY SPOILERS AHEAD*

Here's some more info.
Difficulty: Casual (♥♥♥♥ time limits)

Tools:
Strongly useful and worthwhile
Useful and worthwhile
Maybe worthwhile
Probably not worthwhile

Companions:
Useful option AND does well in the dice roll +3
Useful advice/option OR Does well in the dice roll +2
Decent advice/option OR -holds their own- in the dice roll +1
Advice is wrong/not useful/not present AND they seem to struggle in the roll +0

*SPOILERS*
Harpies:
Tools: Spear, Crossbow, Blinding Powder
Companions: Aegidia, Dalit, Quintus, Bandit, Thyrsus, Tulia, Tzvi, Efren

Waterfall:
Tools: Knowing which waterfall is the right one. Northern
Companions: Navica

Waterfall climb:
Tools: Bone Hook, Pebbler Claw Hook
Companions: Thyrsus, Quintus, Tzvi, Tulia

Unicorn:
This is mostly a disposition choice.
Tools: Dragon Horn
Companions: Efren, Aegidia, Dalit, Thyrsus, Quintus, Tulia, Tzvi, Bandit

Pathfinding:
Tools: Viewed the Giant Map
Companions: Efren, Bandit, Dalit, Tulia, Aegidia, Quintus, Thyrsus, Tzvi

Darkness:
Tools: Lamp, Navica's Lamp
Companions: N/A

Howler Monkeys:
Tools: Ear Plugs, Dragon Horn, Crossbow
Companions: Dalit, Aegidia, Quintus, Efren, Tulia, Thyrsus, Bandit, Tsvi

Insects:
Tools: Sting Ointment, Navica's Torches
Companions: N/A

Saurians:
Tools: Food Rations, Wild Fruits & Vegetables, Roast Chicken
Companions: Tsvi, Dalit, Efren, Tulia, Aegidia, Thyrsus, Quintus, Bandit

Rest:
Tools: N/A
Companions: Quintus, Tulia, Tzvi, Aegidia, Dalit, Thyrsus, Efren, Bandit

Brambles:
Tools: Backup Axe, Golem Glove, Withering Dust, Withering Dust
Companions: Thyrsus, Quintus, Tulia, Aegidia, Dalit, Efren, Bandit, Tzvi

Trampled Path:
Tools: Viewed the Giant map, Lamp
Companions: Dalit, Efren, Bandit, Thyrsus, Aegidia, Tulia, Quintus, Tzvi

Option 1: Beastfolk:
Tools: Weird Root, Roast Chicken, Food Ration, Wild Plants
Companions: Tzvi, Aegidia, Dalit, Quintus, Bandit, Tulia, Thyrsus, Efren

Option 2: Tower Climbing:
Tools: Tool of Destruction, Bone Hook, Iron Scraps, Navica's Spikes
Companions: N/A, fatigue-check

Meaningful Encounter & Aftermath: (sentimentality)
Tools: N/A
Companions: Aegidia, Tulia, Thyrsus, Dalit, Efren, Quintus, Tzvi, Bandit


Companion Value Totals:
Dalit - 15
Tulia - 15
Aegidia - 13
Quintus - 11
Efren - 10
Thyrsus - 9
Tzvi - 8
Bandit - 8
Navica - 3 (9 with tools points)

Honestly, their sentimental value is probably the most important stat if you're well-prepared & make good choices.
Navica & 3 companions is 100% feasible, even for a low-supplies start.


Solo Alchemist Supplies:
ALL THE SUPPLIES
Spear: Yes
Repair Kit: Yes (but it can't be used due to darkness..)
Crossbow: Yes
Earplugs: Yes
Giant's Map: Yes
Dragon Horn: Yes
Bone Hook: Yes
Pebblerclaw Hook: Yes
Lamp: Yes
Golem Glove: Yes
Backup Axe: Yes
Tool of Destruction: Yes
Crossbow bolts: 3
Blinding Powder: 1
Wild Plants: 1
Food Rations: 1
Roasted Chicken: 1
Withering Powder: 1
Iron Scraps: 1

Total cost:
Hunger: 3 (restored with food)

NONE OF THE SUPPLIES (but high combat stats, and 5/5vit 4/4arm, and badges for wildlife encounters/exploration)
AND THE WORST IDEAS (trying to fail)
Spear: No
Lamp: No
Repair kits: No
Crossbow: No
Earplugs: No
Giant's Map: No
Dragon Horn: No
Bone Hook: No
Pebblerclaw Hook: No
Golem Glove: No
Backup Axe: No
Tool of Destruction: No
N O T H I N G

Total cost:
Vitality: 5
Armor: 4
Hunger: 6

D E A T H
It seems you need a minimum amount of armor/vitality to make it back alive.
Eating 2 rations at the end couldn't save this worst-choices-only/no-supplies/no-preparation/no-regrets attempt. (there is a message stating you'll never make it back in this state, and the only option of "try anyway" puts you directly into the epilogue)
Still, after exploring so much of the map, I had to *try* to fail to do so, (including deleting useful items I couldn't otherwise trash/ignore).


LOW BUDGET/SPEEDRUN SOLO RECOMMENDATIONS
Crossbow & bolts: 3 (Alternatively, the armor reinforcement)
Lamp
Candlewax Earplugs
Pebblerclaw hook
Bone Hook
Bronze Axe
Weird root + Roast Chicken + 1 food ration OR Iron scraps
Food rations: 2


Need info on Pyrrhos and any other companions I didn't recruit...