Crossbow and end game.

[Atom.Little]

How useful is the crossbow in endgame combat - say after lvl 25, after lvl 30, and between lvl 20 and 30? Is it worth focusing on putting points into crossbow related skills?

Also, another question: Which combat elements become more powerful the higher level you are, signs (magic) or sword skilled fighting? Or are the two equally important throughout the game, including the later levels and during the end game combats and quests? Are the endgame monsters generally more vulnerable to sign casting or to sword combat, or is it mostly the same for both combat styles?

Thanks in advance for responding.

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P.S. I expect it's probably mostly a question of personal play style and preference, but I think hearing other people's thoughts always are potentially helpful and can be just what you needed to hear in order to find the right approach for your own play style.

[Gohenko]

The crossbow is really quite useless, you're better off putting your points into other skills.

As for that second question, I would advise to just stop worrying about stuff like that. Enemies are varied throughout the game and they all have different strengths and weaknesses.

[GarnetFire17]

It depends what what ablilties and buffs you want to invest your skill points in. In my opinion, early in the game, it best to invest in both "signs" and "combat" and stay away from alchemy because you don't have enough potions and decoctions and skill points. arount level 26 or so, I think it best to start over with a potion of clearence and start with the Green branch than build a red and blue aswell. and have the last branch for your general abilities or left overs from other branches.

[Atom.Little]

Thanks guys, you confirmed what I suspected to be the case about the bow. And yeah, it Is actually surprisingly useful underwater.

The biggest problem about skill points once you get past halfway into the game or there about, is that you'll tend to have more good skills than you have room for in the "activity-skill-tree" at the right part of the screen.

I think one will probably have to get used to being prepared and look through which skills are in "activity mode" before you go into a fight, because if you plan on using f.x. Alternate Axii (the second mode called Puppet) and it happens to not have been placed in activity mode, no length of pressing the Q key will make an opponent react any differently than by standing motionless and inactive (until you hit him).

My concerns about the skill points stemmed basically from some disputes and guides I've read where people claim f.ex. Fast Attack (with the sword) is of immense importance while another 'expert' felt the exact opposite way about it and adviced that you put your points into the Strong Attck and forgot everything about the Fast Attack; and if that wasn't enough to make you confused, there was also someone who felt you ought to fill up both Fast and Strong Attcks in order to be able to do well in battle.

Personally I'll say the Fast Attack became useful when I was around lvl 17 or so while up until then I felt no different than I did when I played to the same level the first time and placed all my points in the red tree's Fast and Strong Attacks.

I still think that if you DO put points into the red tree, you'll do well in spending some on the Adrenaline skill as well because both Fast and Strong Attacks cost a lot of Adrenaline, and cuting the diminishment down by 100% (that's all 5 points) will allow for a lot more activity on your part (and I believe that activity can be both signs and melee combat since nothing is mentioned to the contrary).

Thanks again, I appreciate your responses.

[Gohenko]

Originally posted by AmaDraque:

My concerns about the skill points stemmed basically from some disputes and guides I've read where people claim f.ex. Fast Attack (with the sword) is of immense importance while another 'expert' felt the exact opposite way about it and adviced that you put your points into the Strong Attck and forgot everything about the Fast Attack; and if that wasn't enough to make you confused, there was also someone who felt you ought to fill up both Fast and Strong Attcks in order to be able to do well in battle.

And that is why you should just go with a build that suits your own playstyle.

[Exarch_Alpha]

In normal anything goes, anyway.

When you have effects like % freeze/poison etc light attacks are clearly the superior choice. If you have trouble with high level, high armor enemies, you should probably not be there yet ;) But in those cases strong attacks are better.

[Atom.Little]

Originally posted by BuzzardBee:

The good and rather useful thing about those active skill trees though is that you can swap out skills as you need them. So when prepping for a fight with a boss, along with checking the Beastiary to learn their weaknesses, taking your potions or decoctions, setting up which signs you'll be using, you can also stock up on which skills you want active that will give you the most benefit, then swap them out for others when you're done.

This is a great description of what I think is the best way to do things.

During the first long part of my game I didn't have to do this because I had few enough skill points from the Dkill Trees for there to be room for them all, but now I've hit level 30 it's different, and it'll be even more different still as I continue to level.

I'll probably do one more respec, remove two points that I won't need and thereby be able to pur all but one skill point where I want it, I'm not sure if you can level up beyond level 42, but that is what I've been calculating with.

Originally posted by Exarch_Alpha:

In normal anything goes, anyway.

Yesah, but I've realized that the two normal modes (I'm playing the Bloof & Bones mode), while neither easy nor hard, are still different to some degree when it comes to difficulty.

I can't really say much about it for sure since I haven't played all the different modes, but Death March may be very different from any of the two normal modes (and obviously from the easy mode, ofc).

What I can say for sure is that everything does NOT go on the Blood & Bones - or 2nd Normal mode. I remember when I played on the 1st Normal mode, you didn't have to think very deeply about what potions, bombs, and other tactics to use, but on 2nd Normal mode, Blood & Bones, you very much have to think about what to do, especially once you get beyond level 20. And that's what you see reflected in the post replies people have made to my OP here.

Maybe you simply need to try out the different modes yourself so you can see with your own eyes that everything does not go just because you happen to be playing on one of the Normal modes. - I'm guessing from this statement of yours about "everything pretty much goes" that you're playing on the 1st Normal mode. You should try the 2nd mode for already on that mode you'll find it's necessary to finetune some skill, at least post level 20.

Death March is a different discussion, and I can't say much about it because I haven't played it (not yet anyway), but I'm fairly certain that you have to be on yout toes almost from the get go if not exactly from the get go.

Originally posted by Exarch_Alpha:

When you have effects like % freeze/poison etc light attacks are clearly the superior choice. If you have trouble with high level, high armor enemies, you should probably not be there yet ;) But in those cases strong attacks are better.

First: What do you mean by light attacks clearly being the superior choice when you have effects like ...% freeze or poison, etc.? It sounds like you know your stuff here, but I'd like to understand so I can learn too. Would you explain to me/us why light attacks are the superior choce in this type of situation?
Second: This is true....sometimes. But I generally know when I should be able to defeat somebody and when I should wait a little longer instead. I wouldn't place a post asking for advice if this was such a case. Believe me when I say I'm not that bad at determining a situationof battle or fight. So when I get into these situations the advice shouldn't be for me to leave and wait until later when I can beat the monster without using paticular strategies, use potions or oils, etc. It should be advice about how I can specifically get a better chance at completing the quest (by downing this beast - or adversary if it's a humanoid).
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I got some good ideas as well as some nice confirmations of thoughts I'd already had about this and other situations myself. I appreciate all the input and thank everybody for your time.