About strategy

[Akumala]

Im always interested in rogue-likes, and the price of ADOM is more than reasonable (although it sucks that a german developer charges Euro for Dollars!).
What i'd like to know, however, is the focus of this game:

Is it a grind-heavy game, where playing a lot will help you succed, or is it a tactical game, where strategic play and clever decisions leads to victory?

[Bug]

Originally posted by Blue_Lotus:

Is it a grind-heavy game, where playing a lot will help you succed, or is it a tactical game, where strategic play and clever decisions leads to victory?

I would say it's definitely the latter, but I'm new at this game so I would wait for someone with more experience before making up my mind.

From what I've heard, you may have to grind a little for potions later on. But it's very strategic and complex, no doubt about that.

You can try the full version for free if you download it from the developers website:
http://www.adom.de/home/index.html

It doesn't have all the functions that the Steam version has, but it can help you to make up your mind.

If you want to try a roguelike with no grinding what so ever, you can try Tales of Maj'Eyal (also for free) at http://te4.org/. However, I like ADOM better than ToME so far.

Have fun!

[Negarretep]

You do not need to grind in ADoM to win. That being said there is grinding that can be done (like with herbs) that can help significantly. It's still a long game and unless you are speed running a successful game will probably take 10 hours or so.

Another thing you can do to reduce even feeling the need to grind at all is getting the treasure hunter talent (Alert and Miser required) which increases the drop rate of all monsters.

[Jipsu]

That said, you will go through a couple hundred characters before you reach endgame. Mostly because you're learning what to anticipate and when to run away. There are several solutions to obstacles though.

[Gref]

Depending on your race you may find yourself visiting all kinds of places to try and level up. If RNG hasn't been kind you might make multiple trips across the map looking for a specific item. Or you may be going for a particular ending and need to generate a certain creature and you're forced to spend a lot of time looking for it.

On average I'd say most games don't require any extensive grinding but if you're not in a rush it doesn't hurt.

[LaserGuy]

Ultra endings require a fair amount of grinding or some significant luck. Regular endings you can finish with fairly minimal grinding depending on your risk tolerance.

Playing a lot will help you succeed though... but it will mostly be in terms of playing a lot of characters and getting them all killed as you figure out the mechanics and the most effective strategies.

[Soirana]

Originally posted by Blue_Lotus:

Is it a grind-heavy game, where playing a lot will help you succed, or is it a tactical game, where strategic play and clever decisions leads to victory?

Actually, neither...

One of typical probelms for starters is not understanding what they full tactical options are. Getting in some sort of proper flow would take some time too.

So unless you are supergenius at roguelikes, it will likely take quite some grind untillyou can enjoy full tactical potential.

Also I am not sure what so grindy about ultras after pots of exchange were changed. (and you walways had ecent chances with pools)

[LaserGuy]

Now you need to grind for xps more than items, I think.

[Soirana]

If xp is a problem... play as assassin they can wrap the ultras at significantly lower level.

[Ostrava of Boletaria]

Hey there. Although I've only gotten somewhat far into the game (i.e. never beaten it) I would have to say it's a combination of both. Technically you don't need to grind at all, but grinding for a few extra scrolls and tools in the wilderness never hurts. Making smart use of the resources you have always seems to be enough to squeeze yourself by tough situations. Stuff like bringing logs to a dungeon or having the frost bolt spell to build bridges over moats and scrounging for piles of rocks to have a basic missile weapon to pelt down tougher enemies goes a long way.

If I were to compare with similarly popular games, this game is similarly strategical to tales of maj'eyal (which emphasizes positioning and escape manuevers) but for different reasons (there is a lot more niche in the stuff you pick up, which can get you out of previously impossible to overcome situations through smart and tactful use of what you have available to you).

In short: grinding is an option, but I wouldn't consider it a necesity. You can't really grind for experience, only for items. This game has a fairly steep learning curve, so it might be beneficial to grind a little bit in the wilderness, to understand the wilderness as a resource in and of itself if nothing else.