Best time to use those Tormented Souls?

[mainer]

So I just turned level 16, and my thought is to wait until at least level 19 if not 20 to modify some weapons with my Tormented Souls (currently have 4). Seems like a waste to use them too early and have the weapon become out-dated later on. Also holding onto other rarities like the Firey Salts, Telescope, the Black Dye (forget it's specific name), also semi-rare things like rubies (for armor). Do you think it's better to wait?

[bunny de fluff]

Best time to me is the time you got it. Only save one for a single end game weapon if you must, but that didn't happen to me.

[Dragon]

IMO there isn't a definitive/sure/perfect answer to the question in OP. Any time you choose has pros and cons to it, so no one answer is any better than the other IMO.

If you wait to level 19 or 20, then you are excluding yourself from getting the benefits of using them vs. all the enemies you fight before that point. Plus, there aren't all that many enemies left in the world at level 19 or 20.

Then again, if you use them at level 16, they will indeed become obsolete at the end game.

[mainer]

Originally posted by Dragon:

IMO there isn't a definitive/sure/perfect answer to the question in OP. Any time you choose has pros and cons to it, so no one answer is any better than the other IMO.

If you wait to level 19 or 20, then you are excluding yourself from getting the benefits of using them vs. all the enemies you fight before that point. Plus, there aren't all that many enemies left in the world at level 19 or 20.

Then again, if you use them at level 16, they will indeed become obsolete at the end game.

That's pretty much what I was thinking, use them now & they become obsolete, use them late game (19-20) and I miss the advantages with all those other enemies. Like you said, there's no one specific correct answer.

I'm almost @ level 17 now, so I think I'll start using at least some of them at that point. I've always been a hoarder in games like this, often holding on to rare items too long. I did that in Pillars of Eternity 1, and by the time I got near the end game, I was so powerful that I didn't really need all that stuff I'd been saving.

[FrauBlake]

Some background:

The internal "Tormented Boost" is +2 for both STR and DEX.

An internal boost of +2 translates to
- +1 up to item level 13
- +2 between item level 14 and 21
- +3 from level 22 to level 29
- +4 from item level 30 on (which is only theoretical because it's basically impossible to reach level 30+).

Personally, I'd consider using the souls on items below level 14 a waste, and above, it's hard to give a recommendation.
It depends a lot on how many you found.
... or bought from traders, because some of them carry souls which is one reason why I regularly visit some traders ....

[mainer]

Originally posted by FrauBlake:

Some background:

The internal "Tormented Boost" is +2 for both STR and DEX.

An internal boost of +2 translates to
- +1 up to item level 13
- +2 between item level 14 and 21
- +3 from level 22 to level 29
- +4 from item level 30 on (which is only theoretical because it's basically impossible to reach level 30+).

Personally, I'd consider using the souls on items below level 14 a waste, and above, it's hard to give a recommendation.
It depends a lot on how many you found.
... or bought from traders, because some of them carry souls which is one reason why I regularly visit some traders ....

That's interesting, I wasn't aware that there was a variable in the boost depending upon level. I currently have 4 (bought 1, found 3).

How far above level 20 is it reasonably possible to go? I was assuming that I'd be level 20 @ end game.

[Atmus81]

1) Create a crafting mule, level crafting, bench mule until its time to craft. (helps to put barter on this mule as well)
2) shops restock every hour, buy materials for crafting
3) craft expensive ♥♥♥♥ with cheap materials you purchased.
4) sell expensive ♥♥♥♥ you crafted (you can read a crafting for money guide)

You can buy tormented souls from vendors, since vendors restock, you have access to infinite tormented souls, use them how ever and when ever you want because theoretically, there is an infinite source of money and infinite source of tormented souls

[v0]

Originally posted by Atmus81:

because theoretically, there is an infinite source of money and infinite source of tormented souls

that's assuming infinitely long playtime :p :)

[Rev]

Originally posted by Atmus81:

1) Create a crafting mule, level crafting, bench mule until its time to craft. (helps to put barter on this mule as well)
2) shops restock every hour, buy materials for crafting
3) craft expensive ♥♥♥♥ with cheap materials you purchased.
4) sell expensive ♥♥♥♥ you crafted (you can read a crafting for money guide)

You can buy tormented souls from vendors, since vendors restock, you have access to infinite tormented souls, use them how ever and when ever you want because theoretically, there is an infinite source of money and infinite source of tormented souls

This is all great points. Ive never found a good money making guide... but with the good amount of iron veins between Cyceal and luculla forest. my tactic that I discovered for myself, is I usually get iron > turn into metal scraps > craft metal plate chest armour, which takes 1 metal scrap each. So each iron ore = 1 iron ingot = 2 metal scraps - then I use a spare NPC, with barter 5, crafting 7 and blacksmithing 6 to essentially make a hundred or more chest pieces at once. Which usually sell for 800-100 a piece... yielding 200-400,000 gold per crafting run.
The armour sells more in Luculla forest, than cyceal... I add about 10 armour pieces to baskets, for easy transportation, then sell the baskets for about 11-15K each to vendors with 1000 rep.

Anyone found a better way of making more money than this for the free resources?

To OP: Couple this with shops respawning every hour, tormented souls should be easy to acquire and use whenever you need.

[FrauBlake]

Originally posted by dransaw:

Originally posted by FrauBlake:

Some background:

The internal "Tormented Boost" is +2 for both STR and DEX.

An internal boost of +2 translates to
- +1 up to item level 13
- +2 between item level 14 and 21
- +3 from level 22 to level 29
- +4 from item level 30 on (which is only theoretical because it's basically impossible to reach level 30+).

Personally, I'd consider using the souls on items below level 14 a waste, and above, it's hard to give a recommendation.
It depends a lot on how many you found.
... or bought from traders, because some of them carry souls which is one reason why I regularly visit some traders ....

That's interesting, I wasn't aware that there was a variable in the boost depending upon level. I currently have 4 (bought 1, found 3).

How far above level 20 is it reasonably possible to go? I was assuming that I'd be level 20 @ end game.

I'd say that achievable level is 22 if you do every sidequest, maybe level 23 but everything above would require huge to ridiculous effort, definitely not "reasonable".

Even in the Epic Encounters mod with its additional content and higher average enemy level the required level 30 for the +4 boost seems unreachable. Level 22 is not unlikely in this mod though.
(Someone who played the mod or the mod's authors would have to answer that.)


Level 20 is called the 'soft cap' for a reason:
All pre-built stats are capped at level 20 and you will never find drops or trader gear with levels above 20 (unless a mod extends the cap, which is technically possible).

The crafting engine is independent of the soft cap and crafted weapons *can* go above item level 20.

[v0]

i def hope after such extensive answers question no longer torments op's soul ;)

[Rev]

Originally posted by v0:

i def hope after such extensive answers question no longer torments op's soul ;)

Good one!

[FrauBlake]

Originally posted by Revel:

Originally posted by Atmus81:

1) Create a crafting mule, level crafting, bench mule until its time to craft. (helps to put barter on this mule as well)
2) shops restock every hour, buy materials for crafting
3) craft expensive ♥♥♥♥ with cheap materials you purchased.
4) sell expensive ♥♥♥♥ you crafted (you can read a crafting for money guide)

You can buy tormented souls from vendors, since vendors restock, you have access to infinite tormented souls, use them how ever and when ever you want because theoretically, there is an infinite source of money and infinite source of tormented souls

This is all great points. Ive never found a good money making guide... but with the good amount of iron veins between Cyceal and luculla forest. my tactic that I discovered for myself, is I usually get iron > turn into metal scraps > craft metal plate chest armour, which takes 1 metal scrap each. So each iron ore = 1 iron ingot = 2 metal scraps - then I use a spare NPC, with barter 5, crafting 7 and blacksmithing 6 to essentially make a hundred or more chest pieces at once. Which usually sell for 800-100 a piece... yielding 200-400,000 gold per crafting run.
The armour sells more in Luculla forest, than cyceal... I add about 10 armour pieces to baskets, for easy transportation, then sell the baskets for about 11-15K each to vendors with 1000 rep.

Anyone found a better way of making more money than this for the free resources?

To OP: Couple this with shops respawning every hour, tormented souls should be easy to acquire and use whenever you need.

You should add a note which mod you play because there is no recipe to create metal scraps in the unmodded game (or I'm too stupid to find the crafting recipe in the game data ;-)

*If* harvesting iron mines is your tactics, *and if* you do that more than once, it's very likely that you either play with the XC_Encounters or XC_Bags mod because there is no mine respawn in the vanilla game and these are the only mods I know that have mine respawn.

Besides being kinda time intensive, there is a technical limit to how much money one can possibly make. Search Google (or the Duck or your other favorite search engine) or the Steam forums for the 'out-of-handles' crash if your interested in this (quite unexpected) limit.


Axes and swords can be melted down to bars at an oven and new swords and axes can be created from them which a lot of times sell for more than the original weapons, especially when the level of the crafted weapon is higher than the original one's.
There are also many simple knives around which can be turned into crafted daggers which actually have a real price while the simple knives sell for 1 gold.
Some of the knives in the homestead can actually be turned into daggers too.

Selling price depends on both barter *and* reputation, so the person you might sell your stuff to in Luculla could be Bjorn, you usually have max. reputation with him after the escort quest.

[Rev]

Originally posted by FrauBlake:

Originally posted by Revel:

This is all great points.

You should add a note which mod you play

OH! Diddnt I? crap. I thought I did... Uh. Im playing 6 man Epic Encounters. So that will explain some things.

[mainer]

Thanks for the multitude of answers. Just turned level 17 and crafting a bunch of new weapons/armor, used 2 of my Souls. They seem to be appearing in drops & stores more frequently now.

Since we're also talking about crafting & making money, in addition to mining ore for crafting, I also make a lot of superior leather armor & robes from leather scraps, cloth scraps & enchanted needle/thread. They sell for quite a bit and don't weigh as much, and the leather & cloth are everywhere.