Bluemoon tower sorcerer quest advice?

[Flambeau200061]

I'm at Bluemoon tower on the quest to retrieve the stolen duke's ring from the sorcerer Salomet and can't progress because of the bandit archers inside the tower.
My main character is a level 40 sorcerer (1300 hp) with fire and lightning magic, my main pawn a lvl 40 mage with High Anodyne and fire support and two hired pawns strider/warrior. Trouble is my sorcerer has inferior range to the bandit archers and get's constantly killed, because there are way too many archers doing too much damage. And of course my sorcerer has to stand still to cast - making her a sitting duck. Any ideas how to better protect my main character?

[Elenoe]

There are two ways up (decided in small room downstairs, the one with bars door). You may try the other way.

You don't need to kill everything. You can always just try to run through.

Or use obstacles to make them loose LOS, peak only to see one at most. And use precast speels. Then just peak, release the spell or basic attack and hide again before they shoot. You can move all around the place, using ledges for example. You don't need to go directly in the middle of them.

For long term solution: as two mages you miss a fighter (ideally the one that only has shield drum as defensive skills and maw/strike as offensive). They are great at getting attention. Warriors are slow but big damage dealers, something like you are (at least they need warcry to draw attention or they are useless). Not complementing you well.

There are defense peripiats and augments reducing casters damage, but tactics where you get hit is always bad. That's never a way for casters.

So I suggest try the second passing (if you have problem on roundy stairs). Or use outer ledges and LOS if you have problem still in the lower part (where harpies try to abduct you).

[Striker]

You have a few options:

1) Leave the Wyrmking ring quest alone until you have leveled up more.
2) Use spells that inflict Topor on the archers
3) Swallow group potions that increase defense or at least use 4 peri things that do so on yourself.
4) Swap the rented Warrior for a Fighter with Challenger and Scather inclinations and dragons maw for a skill
5) Give the rented Strider a rusted bow that has at least 3 stars or has been dragon forged AND also has Challenger for an inclination.
6) Blind your foes.
7) All of the above

Very few bad guys are resistant to Topor. Make it your lead attack. Then your mage hits them with Blind. The rusted bow for the Strider because it inflicts topor and poison. The Challenger inclination encourages your rented pawns to go after the archers and spell casters first. That should give you enough time to deliver the sorc wallop.

[Flambeau200061]

Originally posted by Elenoe:

There are two ways up (decided in small room downstairs, the one with bars door). You may try the other way.

You don't need to kill everything. You can always just try to run through.

Or use obstacles to make them loose LOS, peak only to see one at most. And use precast speels. Then just peak, release the spell or basic attack and hide again before they shoot. You can move all around the place, using ledges for example. You don't need to go directly in the middle of them.

For long term solution: as two mages you miss a fighter (ideally the one that only has shield drum as defensive skills and maw/strike as offensive). They are great at getting attention. Warriors are slow but big damage dealers, something like you are (at least they need warcry to draw attention or they are useless). Not complementing you well.

There are defense peripiats and augments reducing casters damage, but tactics where you get hit is always bad. That's never a way for casters.

So I suggest try the second passing (if you have problem on roundy stairs). Or use outer ledges and LOS if you have problem still in the lower part (where harpies try to abduct you).

Thanks for the advice. I haven't encountered harpies so far - only during my first attempt at the Bluemoon tower which was the Griffin hunt quest and I don't have problems with harpies with two fire casters in the party.
I had my main pawn as a fighter to begin with, but changed her vocation as soon as I dismissed Rook, as I couldn't find any decent healer mages among the pawns for hire and I have come to appreciate Anodyne and it's stronger variants, otherwise you have to carry loads of healing potions or herbs.
I never get to the waypoint inside the tower where the road up splits, I always get stuck with the third bandit group on the way up. The archers are too far away to precast anything and just walk out of cover and hit them, there's a straight stairs leading upwards and they have a free killing zone. I got some others with a meteor shower from behind cover but can't get close to this group. And as I said a mage is pretty lame against heavy archers. Low piercing resistance and armor doesn't help either. I think archers in this game really are a magicians pain in the ....

[capricorn1971ad ® ٿ]

Originally posted by Flambeau200061:

Originally posted by Elenoe:

There are two ways up (decided in small room downstairs, the one with bars door). You may try the other way.

You don't need to kill everything. You can always just try to run through.

Or use obstacles to make them loose LOS, peak only to see one at most. And use precast speels. Then just peak, release the spell or basic attack and hide again before they shoot. You can move all around the place, using ledges for example. You don't need to go directly in the middle of them.

For long term solution: as two mages you miss a fighter (ideally the one that only has shield drum as defensive skills and maw/strike as offensive). They are great at getting attention. Warriors are slow but big damage dealers, something like you are (at least they need warcry to draw attention or they are useless). Not complementing you well.

There are defense peripiats and augments reducing casters damage, but tactics where you get hit is always bad. That's never a way for casters.

So I suggest try the second passing (if you have problem on roundy stairs). Or use outer ledges and LOS if you have problem still in the lower part (where harpies try to abduct you).

Thanks for the advice. I haven't encountered harpies so far - only during my first attempt at the Bluemoon tower which was the Griffin hunt quest and I don't have problems with harpies with two fire casters in the party.
I had my main pawn as a fighter to begin with, but changed her vocation as soon as I dismissed Rook, as I couldn't find any decent healer mages among the pawns for hire and I have come to appreciate Anodyne and it's stronger variants, otherwise you have to carry loads of healing potions or herbs.
I never get to the waypoint inside the tower where the road up splits, I always get stuck with the third bandit group on the way up. The archers are too far away to precast anything and just walk out of cover and hit them, there's a straight stairs leading upwards and they have a free killing zone. I got some others with a meteor shower from behind cover but can't get close to this group. And as I said a mage is pretty lame against heavy archers. Low piercing resistance and armor doesn't help either. I think archers in this game really are a magicians pain in the ....

I have 2 support mages your level, and a sorceress just a little higher that is a major damage dealer for her level if you need some OP pawns.

for the support mages I have one named "Faith" who is auraless, designed for a MK arisen really but she is good even if you aren't a MK, she just has no boons as to not interfere with MKs. The other on is called "Sophia" and she does light and dark boons. both of these have armor that heals the party (except themselves, which is negated if both are present, but with legions might (which both have) it isn't necessary).

the sorceress I mentioned is level 51 and called "Lilith".
I will send you an invite from her account.

[Flambeau200061]

Originally posted by capricorn1971ad ® ٿ:

I have 2 support mages your level, and a sorceress just a little higher that is a major damage dealer for her level if you need some OP pawns.

for the support mages I have one named "Faith" who is auraless, designed for a MK arisen really but she is good even if you aren't a MK, she just has no boons as to not interfere with MKs. The other on is called "Sophia" and she does light and dark boons. both of these have armor that heals the party (except themselves, which is negated if both are present, but with legions might (which both have) it isn't necessary).

the sorceress I mentioned is level 51 and called "Lilith".
I will send you an invite from her account.

Thanks, pretty cool characters by their outfit. I'd love to hire them but I'm not sure if I should as my main character is a sorcerer and my main pawn a mage so that would make three casters in the party. Have you tried that party composition?

By the way I just managed to defeat Salomet, turns out the problem was I attacked the tower by night, by daylight the archers were still a nuisance but I managed and once I reached the back staircase (the one that opens after the Griffin quest) it was easy. Salomet himself is a joke - went down after one cast of high bolide. The bandits were actually more dangerous than the sorcerer ... kind of a dissapointment.

[zadymek]

Originally posted by Flambeau200061:

By the way I just managed to defeat Salomet, turns out the problem was I attacked the tower by night, by daylight the archers were still a nuisance but I managed and once I reached the back staircase (the one that opens after the Griffin quest) it was easy. Salomet himself is a joke - went down after one cast of high bolide. The bandits were actually more dangerous than the sorcerer ... kind of a dissapointment.

Like you didn't have Ingle or sumthn and couldn't snipe them? You could always just pass them ;)

[Flambeau200061]

Originally posted by zadymek:

Originally posted by Flambeau200061:

By the way I just managed to defeat Salomet, turns out the problem was I attacked the tower by night, by daylight the archers were still a nuisance but I managed and once I reached the back staircase (the one that opens after the Griffin quest) it was easy. Salomet himself is a joke - went down after one cast of high bolide. The bandits were actually more dangerous than the sorcerer ... kind of a dissapointment.

Like you didn't have Ingle or sumthn and couldn't snipe them? You could always just pass them ;)

Don't like runnin' away ;-) And sure my sorcerer has high ingle but it takes time to cast and those bloody archers have the longer range, so as a mage you always have to get inside their range to do damage unless you can hide behind a pillar or something and cast bolide, which is nice but doesn't work when there's no cover. I also switched my hired pawns, the two I had before didn't have a very agressive inclination - a fighter banging his shield isn't very good against archers.

[zadymek]

Originally posted by Flambeau200061:

Don't like runnin' away ;-) And sure my sorcerer has high ingle but it takes time to cast and those bloody archers have the longer range, so as a mage you always have to get inside their range to do damage unless you can hide behind a pillar or something and cast bolide, which is nice but doesn't work when there's no cover. I also switched my hired pawns, the two I had before didn't have a very agressive inclination - a fighter banging his shield isn't very good against archers.

1. Ingle has 100m range, and pinpoint accuracy. It's enough to snipe any enemy out of their aggro range, just has to aim manually. And you can move while aiming so you can pre-cast behind cover and go out to shoot.
2. If Salomet was a piece of cake you can do Bluemoon alone ;)

[Flambeau200061]

Originally posted by zadymek:

Originally posted by Flambeau200061:

Don't like runnin' away ;-) And sure my sorcerer has high ingle but it takes time to cast and those bloody archers have the longer range, so as a mage you always have to get inside their range to do damage unless you can hide behind a pillar or something and cast bolide, which is nice but doesn't work when there's no cover. I also switched my hired pawns, the two I had before didn't have a very agressive inclination - a fighter banging his shield isn't very good against archers.

1. Ingle has 100m range, and pinpoint accuracy. It's enough to snipe any enemy out of their aggro range, just has to aim manually. And you can move while aiming so you can pre-cast behind cover and go out to shoot.
2. If Salomet was a piece of cake you can do Bluemoon alone ;)

Hm, strange, these archers always hit me but my sorcerer never gets a target circle on any of them unless I close in ... and yes I can move but quite slow. I almost did Salomet alone, but a group of bandits lurking around the corner, maybe in Skyrim, but here the buggers also have some fighters you don't want to get too near to your mage. I'd take on a group of lizards or zombies with my mage alone ;-)

[zadymek]

Originally posted by Flambeau200061:

Hm, strange, these archers always hit me but my sorcerer never gets a target circle on any of them unless I close in ... and yes I can move but quite slow. I almost did Salomet alone, but a group of bandits lurking around the corner, maybe in Skyrim, but here the buggers also have some fighters you don't want to get too near to your mage. I'd take on a group of lizards or zombies with my mage alone ;-)

No, no, you don't understand. I said manual aiming, like manual mode. It's turned on with Left Shift by default. With it you aim like with a bow, and yes you only walk, but it's still better than with other Spells - those allow aiming arround corners instead, but their camera is terrible.

[Flambeau200061]

Originally posted by zadymek:

Originally posted by Flambeau200061:

Hm, strange, these archers always hit me but my sorcerer never gets a target circle on any of them unless I close in ... and yes I can move but quite slow. I almost did Salomet alone, but a group of bandits lurking around the corner, maybe in Skyrim, but here the buggers also have some fighters you don't want to get too near to your mage. I'd take on a group of lizards or zombies with my mage alone ;-)

No, no, you don't understand. I said manual aiming, like manual mode. It's turned on with Left Shift by default. With it you aim like with a bow, and yes you only walk, but it's still better than with other Spells - those allow aiming arround corners instead, but their camera is terrible.

Alright, thanks! That's VERY helpfull! I had no idea that worked. So Alt/Strg-mouse to activate, left shift to aim manually - great! The tutorial isn't too great on that and neither is keybinding info in the options menu. Only found out about levitation (double space) by experiment too. You're a hero :-)

[zadymek]

Originally posted by Flambeau200061:

Alright, thanks! That's VERY helpfull! I had no idea that worked. So Alt/Strg-mouse to activate, left shift to aim manually - great! The tutorial isn't too great on that and neither is keybinding info in the options menu. Only found out about levitation (double space) by experiment too. You're a hero :-)

Yeah, manual isn't very good with Mage stuff.
And you won't even find bind for "Manual Amiaming" in Options, to change it you have to edit config file. This manual says how
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=602657515&searchtext=keyboard

I use the same bind as for Dash cause ...you can't dash when casting anyway ;)