shades could be tuned a bit.

[nakoda]

The only enemy in the game that is actually broken.

No matter where you are, what level you are playing on, the moment combat starts in every fight with a shade they teleport to your wizard or priest and instantly kill them because you cant run away until after your disengage recovery period.

Then you get to spend up to 10 minutes watching your melee try to slash and pierce them to death.

If you group your party so your tanks have less diatance to cover, the broken pathing screws you because your party cannot reposition themselves, and if you spread the party out you are too far away to get there in time.

The maps with shades tend to be confining in space anyway, that being said.

It would seem to me that their DR needs to be reduced slightly vs melee characters (one or two points would make the world of difference). Reason being that shades ignore the engagement rules, so having good tanks is irrelevant during fights with shades, so damage becomes the aggro meter, with no other recourse.

The shades themselves aren't too powerful, so to speak, but the way the combat plays out always comes off as frustrating rather then challenging for me. This is not a QQ shades OP post, but a "there's something amiss with the way the mechanics coalesc during shade fights"

"Oh boy, another shade fight, /le sigh"

[Balzaphon]

banshees summoning shades summoning shadows licking your tears

they need to add delay to their teleport or something or maybe lower their concentration

[Matthew]

My priest has a chainmail coat, shield, and sword, and rushes into battle :/

[nakoda]

Originally posted by Balzaphon:

banshees summoning shades summoning shadows licking your tears

they need to add delay to their teleport or something or maybe lower their concentration

lol, oh god, why did you have to bring this up. I was trying not to QQ much.

now I am just /le cry, i HATE when that happens. Although, after level 6 it's kind of funny because Eder is invincible and his end recovery is so high that it takes 6 shades flanking him to take him down.

but then that's also the problem, they just need lower DR vs melee weapons, and slightly higher dr vs spells that way agro won't just jump to your casters every fight since they ignore engagement.

[AlexMBrennan]

Then you get to spend up to 10 minutes watching your melee try to slash and pierce them to death.

Huh, I found them to go down pretty quick (I had Eder hold the line against any spectres whilst my barbarian, the paladin tank and the rest killed the shades). Unless you are doing the temple of Eothas quest right away, you shouldn't have too much trouble killing the shades.

Unless, of course, you meant Cean Gŵla, which can be tricky when encountered en masse - but that doesn't happen until about lvl 10 of the Endless Paths

[feralgal]

IIRC fire kills them quickly. If you are at a high enough level and have Arcane Veil, you can cast that. You can also put your casters in heavy armor and othewise buff deflection if you need to.

[Grumple Stiltskin]

Screw shades, Fampyrs always starting a fight by charming my wizard (EVERY TIME) are what I think are broken. I'll take shades any day over Fampyrs.

[Matthew]

Nah, you want Fampyr to cast charm on your Wizard. Throw up Minor Arcane Reflection and it will bounce right off, and wasted charms on your Wizard means it isn't being casted on anyone else. AI is kind of dumb that way, they'll still try to charm a Wizard with that spell up.

[Grumple Stiltskin]

Originally posted by Lilith:

Nah, you want Fampyr to cast charm on your Wizard. Throw up Minor Arcane Reflection and it will bounce right off, and wasted charms on your Wizard means it isn't being casted on anyone else. AI is kind of dumb that way, they'll still try to charm a Wizard with that spell up.

Good info to have!

[Skyfall]

Tactics. If the shades can't see your wizard when combat starts they won't rush him. A simple formation with the tank 1 row in front is not tactiics. If they are rushing your caster hide them behind walls, or in another room with the door closed and then ambush them once the tank has engaged them in Melee.

[nakoda]

jbend

yes, but the moment he comes in to view and damages them, they all start to teleport.

My suggestion above that maybe higher resist to spells and lower resist to melee would help with the aggro since they completely ignore engagement rules otherwise

And I am suprised youve never had shades teleport between rooms, it happens to me all the time.

A good exampl is in the eothas temple, first litte room with two trapped chests, two doors, and three shades (on hard). Even if you leave the casters out of the room and pull with your tanks in the room, they will teleport out of the room after your caster the moment he casts something.

[Balzaphon]

they do that even if he doesnt cast something, in defiance bay shade fights i locked aloth in another room and away from combat before it even began i didint cast any spells yet a shade teleported to him

[MunchieDog]

They are in no way broken, what the heck!? There's a huge difference between broken and you not understanding the mob. This post is cringe worthy.

[katzenkrimis]

On hard, stay in a very tight formation, bowling pin is okay, but circular is better.

Leave NO gaps.

Wait for them to teleport to you.

Then slaughter the b-------s.

[General Malaise]

I'm very near the end on Hard. All characters level 12, Just finished Endless Paths, and my most hated enemy's are Shades and Spectres. When I can, I enchant weapons that do them extra damage.

I believe what lilith says is true. Wear heavy armour, even on your Wizards, and you'll survive them far better. As Feralgal says, Fire kills them quickly, so might as well positon your wizard to do Fan of Flames on them, since they'll get to him, even if you try to protect him.

[OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO]

Or, you could stop running yuur guys into combat without consitution/armor. It's amazing how much more survivable your team is when you treat everyone like your tank.