Guildless

[Princess Vaalac]

Hello !

I finally let myself tempted and bought the game (after a few years of temptation, these last days before the release were too much ;)).

I began my first playthrough and I'm kind of roleplaying a wanderer, a drifter who never get attached too long anywhere.
The thing is, I can't see any guild which would attrack this character. He can't stand the imperial legion, and doesn't want to be a part of any shady operation no matter if this is for the Thief/Assassin's guild or the commercium. His only motivation is travelling and discovering more about the history of the lands, the old empire technology.

Am I missing a lot by going guildless in my first playthrough ? Should I put this character aside for now and make one who's more than just "passing by" ?

Just seeking a bit of advice :)

[Vince]

While you can play a guildless character (drifter or loremaster, for example) or a "hybrid" (fighter/talker), I wouldn't recommend such a character for your first playthrough when you're just getting to know the game and learning the systems.

So, if you want to fight, play as a mercenary and join the Imperial Guards. If you want to talk, play as a merchant. Then try praetors, assassins, or thieves. Then you'll be ready to play a guildless character.

Since the game is very replayable and has a lot of choices and paths, these playthroughs won't ruin your overall experience.

[Princess Vaalac]

Thanks for your answer Vince :), I thought you might say something like that. I'll put "Ecledius" away for a while and try another way.

I see you didn't recommand praetors, assassins, and thieves for a first playthrough either, is there a particular reason for that ?

[MHC]

Having played through as a mercenary/imperial guard character and now being relatively (Entering Ganezzar) far along as an assassin I'd guess because they're a fair bit more difficult. Imperial guard can get by on just hitting things if you fail skillchecks so they're really straightforward to play and build. Assassin has a lot more skill checks and still has to be decent at combat, so you have to tread a finer line on character building and soaking up skillpoints. Works out better with some previous knowledge of the game.

I'd also add that other playthroughs not only don't ruin your overall experience, they actually improve it. The game is content to have NPCs lie and/or manipulate you without you ever knowing (Sometimes without them knowing it either), but playing from other perspectives gives you a better sense of the full picture which retroactively makes your previous playthroughs more enjoyable. Especially the dialog heavy characters, but even combat heavy characters get a lot of unique interactions.

[Princess Vaalac]

Thanks for your input :). I was really tempted to make an assassin, but I'll wait a bit then, I'm not really into "combat characters", I'm more of a talker, so I guess I'll try with a merchant first and completly let out the combat for now.

[Vince]

Originally posted by Soldier The Grey:

Thanks for your answer Vince :), I thought you might say something like that. I'll put "Ecledius" away for a while and try another way.

I see you didn't recommand praetors, assassins, and thieves for a first playthrough either, is there a particular reason for that ?

They are a bit more difficult to play as they can tempt you with a wider skillset.