normal = too easy?

[e☆zy t@rget]

played for about 6 hours and like the game very much, but mostly the battles were pretty much too easy, just lost my warrior once. usually i play the most games on hard but restrained myself from hard here, because i was afraid of the battles being too hard which ruins the fun for me. does it make sense setting up a save-point and changing the difficulty to hard? or is the gap between normal and hard too big? or can i stay on normal because the battles will get harder later?

[.//slayer]

You can change the difficulty options at any point of the game, so there's absolutely no reason not to try hard or even torment. Don't be afraid of battles, the most obvious effect from cranking up the difficulty setting is the amount of health the enemies have. It means the battles will take longer time, but will mostly require the same strategy from you - using your buffs in the right way, protecting spellcasters, utilising the consumables etc. Remember one thing - this game can be beaten by a single character on the torment difficulty level without dying once. So, doing the same with 4-characters party is a completely viable thing.

[e☆zy t@rget]

Originally posted by .//slayer:

Remember one thing - this game can be beaten by a single character on the torment difficulty level without dying once.

lol?!

thanks for your answer! will start a new game on hard. which are the most important skills i should try to get high with the regular starting party? makes it sense to bring up my sorceress in archery? until now she makes more damage with a good bow than with her regular fire spell...

[ephemeraltoast]

The way that stats work in this game doesn't really reward trying to mix magic and physical damage on one character. Just wait a few levels, learn some better magic spells, and your sorceress will start obliterating enemies much better with magic than she could with a bow. You can let her use a bow when she's low on mana or whatever but spending skill points in it should not be necessary.

Of course, you can build your character any way you like, but if you're going to play on Hard, it is wise to make them as strong as possible, and the way to do that is to make them really good at just one thing.

[e☆zy t@rget]

thanks for the advice! so best way is: sorceress = magic, priest = healer, warrior = pole and thief = sword?

[Berahlen]

Originally posted by .//slayer:

Don't be afraid of battles, the most obvious effect from cranking up the difficulty setting is the amount of health the enemies have.

Actually, the most obvious effect is that harder difficulties penalize you more aggressively for fighting things even slightly above your level. It's not too horrible between Normal and Hard, but by the time you get up to Torment the multipliers from level discrepancy are by far the tightest and most dominant factor in what you can plausibly take on at any given time.

[Antura]

Ekhem... it can't be beaten at torment by one character. You even tried it .//slayer? Cause right now, last boss always have chance of around 90% at highest diff to hit you by some of his spell. Then good bye, you're dead. :)

Check official forum and posts of one of the godlike player if you don't believe me. He's called Randomizer.

[Berahlen]

There have been Torment solo runs.

http://spiderwebforums.ipbhost.com/index.php?/topic/16965-singleton-on-torment-finished-some-silly-complains/

Funny you should mention Randomizer, because he outright says in that thread that he did it with only one particularly questionable fight along the way. It's grindy as hell and there's a lot of abusing respawning herb patches and overworld enemies, but it's possible enough that people have done it.

[Antura]

Heh, he even mentioned, what I said:
"On Torment it's possible to complete the game with the Adze-Haakai fight being the only questionable one because of failing a mental effect save and getting death cursed without being able to do anything about it."

My previous text:
" Cause right now, last boss always have chance of around 90% at highest diff to hit you by some of his spell. Then good bye, you're dead. :)"

[Berahlen]

The Adze-Haakai isn't the last boss. I'm not sure he's even required, just the flag for training from Solberg and X. Neither of the grand quest last bosses have a death curse, they just hit really hard and you're going to be using invulnerability potions anyway.

[Horagen81]

Too be honest this games difficulty is easier then I remember from the Avernum 1. Most of this seems to be the redesign of the skill system and a overflood of cosumble. however it does not effect the joyabillity of the game :)

[Yro Dragon]

I wouldn't recommend Torment your first time through the game. It is a lot of trial and error and very easy to build your party in a way that you have to restart. Hard is more forgiving from what I hear.

[Xyphratl]

Normal game difficulty is intended to start out pretty easy and then toughen up as you progress. Starts about the same as the Casual/Easy mode. Except Casual stays at that level.

You can always start on hard. Solo torment runs are technically possible but only for very skilled players through trial and error, exploiting game mechanic, getting good luck, etc. I don't recommend trying.

[e☆zy t@rget]

started on hard, now the fights are more challenging, which i enjoy! great game! :-)