Just started this game

[Baby Shark]

Pretty cool so far. combat dosent feel too good at first but i got used to it. Kinda trying to build an archer / Necromancer so any tips?

[RamMack]

Quick save often

[Raze_Larian]

You may have gotten your build figured out by now, but the links below have some general advice and do go into ranger builds a little bit.

Is Ranger viable? Also, how 'specialized' does a build have to be?

Anyone help a newb with Warrior build ... ???[www.larian.com]

class question![www.larian.com] (mage advice and links to related topics)

Stat Point Distribution: What's the best way?[www.larian.com] (for a mage)


Charm would also be useful for a summoner type build. If you charm an opponent, you only get a fraction of the normal experience, depending on how much you or a summon do compared to damage opponents do while it is charmed. The extra help more than compensates for the 'lost' experience, though. Also, since summoned opponents don't give experience, in general, you don't loose anything by charming them.


I'll quote myself from another topic below, to avoid spoilers.

[Playing a ranger that started the game falling back on unarmed combat] I started boosting strength more than dexterity, simply because a ranger starts with an extra 3 dexterity. I varied what I boosted based on what I most needed each level though, which depended on the equipment I found, etc.
Someone recently mentioned just going all vitality with a warrior build at the start, and that it worked very well. I think playing again I would try that for the first couple levels, anyway, since the damage/resistance/etc of strength and dexterity are not that great at the start. The first bow you are given does 1-3 damage, so whether you have 4 in dexterity or 10, that doesn't make much difference in damage (102 vs 105%); heightened reflexes gets a direct boost from dex (x -> x%), but it's still not a huge difference early.
Of course once you replace the bow, etc, those percentage bonuses will start being more significant.


Depending on how boosting all vitality worked for a couple levels, I would then start putting a point or two into strength and dexterity each level. [advice for a warrior/ranger combo]

Dexterity is the main stat, so you'd boost this until it is maxed or the opponents start getting easy.

Vitality is next. I got it up to a base of 14 before equipment bonuses and Life Line enchantments were enough to provide sufficient hit points. Basically, boost it until you don't need more, up to the max (100), if needed or desired.

Strength: a moderate boost would help. I got my strength up to 21 for my archer, but a higher vitality may be better than the slight regeneration and resistance boost strength would give. It does help with Conditioned Body, though, which reduces the duration of poison and other spell effects (I didn't find that much of an issue after about level 10). Starting around level 10-12 healing auras will start to appear on jewellery, which will eventually add up and help regeneration more than the boost from strength.

Spirit / Intelligence: these can be ignored (equipment bonuses, Increased Mana enchantments and Mana Efficiency should provide enough mana, and there are always potions). If you have spare stat points you don't know what to do with, a minor boost could help, if you wish.


On level 4 I purchased a piece of jewellery with a Stun Arrow bonus, which helped quite a bit, especially if there were more than one ranged opponent.

I started off using unarmed combat the first couple levels, but after about level 3 I mostly switched to just ranged. I found it more effective if there were too many melee opponents to handle unarmed, to stop trying to jump backwards or dodge, and just run past them a few steps, possibly pause, turn, and fire.
You can not use a normal attack to come out of pause, so I found a level of Stun or Poison Arrows handy even late in the game. I didn't boost either early in the game, though, except from equipment bonuses.

After getting Splitting Arrows up a few levels, there is much less need to run away from melee opponents, and when I learned that skill (just before taking over the battle tower) I removed the melee attack hotkey (Xbox version), which I hadn't used for awhile, anyway.

~

Once you get to level 2 (using the Farglow skill book for Lockpick), I'd just hang onto the skill point unless you want to use the ghost summon (can heal you or attack opponents with a fireball; it is most useful for healing, in which case you should summon it behind you, so the character remains between the ghost and opponents).

BTW, if you train as a warrior and mage in Farglow you can sell the weapons you are given (once each), which should help you buy a better bow, or other equipment.

Level 3 I'd suggest Ranger Strength and Stun Arrows. If you put another skill point in Lockpick first, you'll be able to get the skill book in the Black Boar tavern.
If you are using much melee, and you get surrounded a lot, you may want to put a point into Whirlwind, but you'd probably do better sticking to a pure ranger build.


Level 4 I'd probably go with Lockpick, but that depends on whether you are encountering any chests that require level 3 or not yet.
Mana Efficiency is a possibility, but isn't a high priority until you start running out of mana frequently with special attacks. It isn't really significant until you can put 4 or 5 skill points into it anyway. The first few levels can involve a bit of running away for healing, so that would help with mana regeneration, as well.
Hide in Shadows is another option, if you want to try saving and check it out. It can be used to approach unseen to attack (closer than you could get with Ranger Stealth) or to escape. You can also find this on a piece of jewellery.

Boost Lockpick as you encounter things you don't have the level for. Poison Arrow and Stun Arrow you can just raise with jewellery bonuses, unless you really like one or both.

Level 7 boost Ranger Stealth and Ranger Strength

Level 9 Ranger Strength
Level 10 Splitting Arrows and Evade (level 1 is all you need, unless you've got spare points you don't know what to do with)
Level 11 Ranger Stealth
Level 13 Ranger Strength, Splitting Arrows

Level 15 Exploding Arrows, Ranger Stealth, Ranger Strength, Healing, Regenerate (again, for the last two, level 1 is all you really need)
If you have not saved up enough skill points to learn all, Healing and Exploding Arrows would probably be the priorety.

Level 16 Splitting Arrows
...

[Baby Shark]

wow thanks for all the info Raze

[madgamer2]

Raze is a low key kind of guy and has helprd us all at some point. As I started the game I was a ranger and the first 2 levels all exp. pts. went to VIT. You will notice that exp pts will go down as you approach the level of the NPC's.
Keep as many stat pts. & exp. pts. un used and only use them as needed. I was level 8 in the game I am playing now when I went into the main part of the valley
with 20 stat. pts & 8 skill pts in reserve.
After the encounter with the dieing dragoon knight head across the bridge and work to your right and find the road to the derilect caves up the mountainside. Find the 3 amulets and your on the way. with a ranger move using the A & D keys and keep shooting. User your stat pts. in VIT & DEX with a couple in strength.

If you get stuck Raze is always hewre to help. Don't be afraid to ask a stupid question because he believes like an old drill sargent I knew who said " the only
stupid question is one that is not asked"

GOPOD LUCK

[Russ]

I just finished playing through the base game on nightmare. Min maxed my xp to hit just below level 38 as well! Anyhow, in my opinion the great thing about the game is that almost anything seems pretty viable.

The one thing you might want to keep in mind with rangers is that most of their skills do not scale in damage. Intelligence scales magic damage up and +magic damage items also increase the damage of spells. And similarly for fighters with strength and +mellee damage. However, for rangers +ranged damage and dexterity bonus is not applied to things like poison or explosive arrow. To my knowledge the only skill there that does scale with your stats/equipment is split arrow.

Another thing about the game mechanics that you might want to know. Enemies, except in a tiny handful of locations, never respawn. And the XP you get for killing lower level enemies decreases eventually to 0. So if you'd like to maximize the level of your character you generally want to kill everything you can find that's at or below your level before moving onto stronger things. If you really want to go crazy you can even delay turning in quests until the last possible moment. A fun consequence of this all is that it's also optimal to mindread everybody as quickly as possible so as to minimize your level (and thus maximize xp gained) when you're working to regain the mindread xp.

[madgamer2]

I am not going to go into a discussion about scaling because the game does not scale in the true sense. A game like Skyrim has scaling which is why I stopped playing that series all together.
If you use all your stat and skill ppts each level you will reach the point where the NPC's will give you now exp. pts. One factor you seem to be missing is when you get extra skill and stat bonus's depending on the number of points your equiped items added together.
There iis a great online stratigy guide that I can't recall the name of at the moment but if you do a search for Divinity 2 DC you should find it. The way the stat pts. and skill pts affect character development is very important to understanding this game.
This game has a combat victory for you character to obtain with NPC's of higher level than you characters level. By keeping skill and stat pts. inreserve and using the combat system to get victories of NPC's of higher level is one of the best ways to win the game.
This is my 4th. plauying of this game and incomparing the abilities of my four characters my current character has many more slill pts and stat pts because of not using all of your stat and skill pts tioll nessasary.
You can believe what you want and believe what you want and play the way you want which is one of the best things about this game.