Act 4 too hard on tactician...

[Fitcher]

So i am doing my first play on tactician, so far i had no issues and had a hard fight here and there that i would have to come back to later because of level difference.
But its what i want.

But now in act 3 i got to Arx and i just cant seem to complete any quests because everything i come agains is lvl 20 while i am 18 and pretty much just two shots my guys before the first turn is over.

I did as many quests i could find so far so i dont think i should be too much behind in level but the jump just makes it impossible for me to progress.

I got the best equipment i can find in stores but even that does not feel like enough.

Am i missing something here?

I would appriciate if any help would be spoiler free.

[Chaoslink]

I’ve yet to get there in DE, so the best I can offer is build advice. Just need something to start with. If you want that kind of help, let me know what builds you’re running.

[1000101? 0x45?]

Tacticians mode is more than just fighting. I don't know how you play, but by the sound of it you play "fair". It's in the name really, you have to be more... tactical.

Abuse everything the game offers you. If you know a fight is about to break lose, use skills that cost a lot of AP before the fight even begins (like summoning 2 totems or a Creature, buffing your team, drinking poitions, bloodrain/rain to make the floor wet to use during the fight). Place barrels near enemies, if there is highground put an archer or mage there. Maybe you have the wrong clases, archers are pretty OP and easy to use, since they have an arrow for everything. Crowdcontrol is a necessity, use the elements (water + thunder is pretty OP, you can basically chainstun).

I only really had massive troubles with the last fight. that was because of the decisions I made, the fight could have been easier.

[Fitcher]

Well my problem is just that no matter how much i would abuse things i cant get far enough in a fight for it to make any difference, i cant keep up with the amount of damage i take.

Like lets take the dwarf trap fight.

As soon as the fight starts before i can even do anything i get a grenade in my face that remove all my magic armor on all characters (except fane) and deals some damage, the next one is a grenade the blow up everything around resultin in my warrior dying and activating rebirth idol.
After this if i focus on damage i can barely get one of them down if i split the focus on damage and recover i can keep up the fight a while untill two of the dwarves uses shield throw and a this point every one just die activating rebirth idols... after that i die pretty fast cause i cant recover from the damage fast enough.

i just feel like i need a level or two but i cant find anyway to gain experience like i could in act 1 and 2 when i needed one more level to win a fight

[Firecam]

No idea about Arx in DE, not here yet but good job so far for your first playthrough on tactician. That was the good thing to do.

[Chaoslink]

Originally posted by Firecam:

No idea about Arx in DE, not here yet but good job so far for your first playthrough on tactician. That was the good thing to do.

As far as I'm concerned, the game has only one difficulty. After my first time through, I have never dropped it. Never will either.

[Firecam]

Originally posted by Chaoslink:

Originally posted by Firecam:

No idea about Arx in DE, not here yet but good job so far for your first playthrough on tactician. That was the good thing to do.

As far as I'm concerned, the game has only one difficulty. After my first time through, I have never dropped it. Never will either.

Yeah i'm the same, i knew i could do it on this game. Once you're aware of the difficulty you can only improve.

[Tj Max]

I´m currently in arx as well on tactician. 4 party not easy lonewolf.
Level 18 should be fine, I don´t currently see any way to arrive at a higher level. Maybe early 19 if you kill everybody the act before, but I doubt it.

You generally don´t need to preposition your team or any other cheese. Just make sure your characters have up to date armor (above 1000 for magic and physical armor) and have enough constitution to survive the first impact if enemies start combat (around 15 constitution at least).

Every character should have an idol of rebirth (you can get this in the undertavern in driftwood from the spiderwoman for each character in your party) and every character should have comback kid trait. A must if you want to play this game seriously.

Then you can use mass invis (bless + smoke) or evasive aura to position your team accordingly to counter enemy type and give them hell.

Srsly, in some fights i just pop my storm source skill with Lohse and sit back and watch them all die or get perma stunned :)

[xanraal]

I just hit the beacon at the academy and am back on the boat end of act 3. Also have only ever played this game and DOS EE on tactician.

I'm level 18 atm and i hope i'm going to be alright. I'm slightly optimistic as i've not had any real trouble since the crocodiles although OP's post has got me concerened. I'll keep doing my forward scout routine as that seems to work for me alright in this game and i feel is just pretty much common sense.

I guess i'll soon find out if act 4 is much harder than act 3.

Were you level 18 on the boat after hitting the beacon at the acedemy as well OP? I can sree you're 18 now, i'm just wondering if you were 18 at the end of the academy fight?

*Edited for fail spell*

[xanraal]

Originally posted by DTM:

I´m currently in arx as well on tactician. 4 party not easy lonewolf.
Level 18 should be fine, I don´t currently see any way to arrive at a higher level. Maybe early 19 if you kill everybody the act before, but I doubt it.

You generally don´t need to preposition your team or any other cheese. Just make sure your characters have up to date armor (above 1000 for magic and physical armor) and have enough constitution to survive the first impact if enemies start combat (around 15 constitution at least).

Every character should have an idol of rebirth (you can get this in the undertavern in driftwood from the spiderwoman for each character in your party) and every character should have comback kid trait. A must if you want to play this game seriously.

Then you can use mass invis (bless + smoke) or evasive aura to position your team accordingly to counter enemy type and give them hell.

Srsly, in some fights i just pop my storm source skill with Lohse and sit back and watch them all die or get perma stunned :)

Hmmm.. So far i've been able to scout, then stealth or just run in each team member at a time and just take each battle from there. It's all worked out well for me so far.

That seems pretty decent having comeback kid on each and using mass invisibilty and smoke to position. Is that a skill book combo mass invis? That seems a sensible way to spread and position.

I've not used comeback kid since my 2hander in DOS EE, however i have a glowing idol on each. Loooove those GI's. That'd make your team super difficult plus size to wipe having comeback kid and glowing idol. I like it.

I also have a 4 man. 2/2 phys/magic split. Ranger & Bloodmage / Aero Hydro & Pyro Geo.

[Roamer.GFX]

Originally posted by DTM:

4 party not easy lonewolf.

:) 4 party members are stronger than 1 lonewolf :)
more total AP, more total DMG

[Fitcher]

Well i relized that wrote act 3 instead act 4, my bad there.

But yeah i manage to beat the game on tactician on my first play and as soon as i hit lvl 19 i manage to complete more quests in arx and end up at lvl 20 before i beat the game.

Hell i even did the last fight harder without knowing it... i had the "double fight" if i can say it that way without spoiling it.

Act 4 seems to be scaled better for lvl 19+.

Also to my suprise the other hardest fight that people seem to have issues with, was a actually super easy for me... i am talking about The doctor fight, did it with no cheese tactics.

[Fitcher]

Originally posted by xanraal:

I just hit the beacon at the academy and am back on the boat end of act 3. Also have only ever played this game and DOS EE on tactician.

I'm level 18 atm and i hope i'm going to be alright. I'm slightly optimistic as i've not had any real trouble since the crocodiles although OP's post has got me concerened. I'll keep doing my forward scout routine as that seems to work for me alright in this game and i feel is just pretty much common sense.

I guess i'll soon find out if act 4 is much harder than act 3.

Were you level 18 on the boat after hitting the beacon at the acedemy as well OP? I can sree you're 18 now, i'm just wondering if you were 18 at the end of the academy fight?

*Edited for fail spell*

I cant remember if i was lvl 18 at the academy fight or if i got level 18 there but i do remember that i had no trouble beating it, the hard part was when i got to arx, but like in my previous post, once i hit lvl 19 things got a bit easier.

Act 4 feelt a bit more like the beginning of act 1 where you try to gather level up before some of the fights.

[xanraal]

Originally posted by Fitcher:

Originally posted by xanraal:

I just hit the beacon at the academy and am back on the boat end of act 3. Also have only ever played this game and DOS EE on tactician.

I'm level 18 atm and i hope i'm going to be alright. I'm slightly optimistic as i've not had any real trouble since the crocodiles although OP's post has got me concerened. I'll keep doing my forward scout routine as that seems to work for me alright in this game and i feel is just pretty much common sense.

I guess i'll soon find out if act 4 is much harder than act 3.

Were you level 18 on the boat after hitting the beacon at the acedemy as well OP? I can sree you're 18 now, i'm just wondering if you were 18 at the end of the academy fight?

*Edited for fail spell*

I cant remember if i was lvl 18 at the academy fight or if i got level 18 there but i do remember that i had no trouble beating it, the hard part was when i got to arx, but like in my previous post, once i hit lvl 19 things got a bit easier.

Act 4 feelt a bit more like the beginning of act 1 where you try to gather level up before some of the fights.

Cool mate sweet. Seems i'm pretty on target level wise then. Cheers.

[Tj Max]

Originally posted by Roamer.GFX:

Originally posted by DTM:

4 party not easy lonewolf.

:) 4 party members are stronger than 1 lonewolf :)
more total AP, more total DMG

On paper maybe. In reality... mananging a 4 party effectively in and outside of combat requires much more effort and thinking. You need to get the equipment x 4, making builds x 4, thinking ahead x4 etc.... and don´t forget about the massive armor buff.
And I was talking about 2 man lonewolf. Never played solo lonewolf yet.

[Tj Max]

Originally posted by xanraal:

Originally posted by DTM:

I´m currently in arx as well on tactician. 4 party not easy lonewolf.
Level 18 should be fine, I don´t currently see any way to arrive at a higher level. Maybe early 19 if you kill everybody the act before, but I doubt it.

You generally don´t need to preposition your team or any other cheese. Just make sure your characters have up to date armor (above 1000 for magic and physical armor) and have enough constitution to survive the first impact if enemies start combat (around 15 constitution at least).

Every character should have an idol of rebirth (you can get this in the undertavern in driftwood from the spiderwoman for each character in your party) and every character should have comback kid trait. A must if you want to play this game seriously.

Then you can use mass invis (bless + smoke) or evasive aura to position your team accordingly to counter enemy type and give them hell.

Srsly, in some fights i just pop my storm source skill with Lohse and sit back and watch them all die or get perma stunned :)

Hmmm.. So far i've been able to scout, then stealth or just run in each team member at a time and just take each battle from there. It's all worked out well for me so far.

That seems pretty decent having comeback kid on each and using mass invisibilty and smoke to position. Is that a skill book combo mass invis? That seems a sensible way to spread and position.

I've not used comeback kid since my 2hander in DOS EE, however i have a glowing idol on each. Loooove those GI's. That'd make your team super difficult plus size to wipe having comeback kid and glowing idol. I like it.

I also have a 4 man. 2/2 phys/magic split. Ranger & Bloodmage / Aero Hydro & Pyro Geo.

If you combine rogue and air skillbook you get smoke cover skillbook I believe. Pop that at the beginning of the combat and hit it with bless and everone in that cloud will get invisibillity for 2 turns. But beware, it works on enemies too :)
You can also get a skill that does that for you. But it takes more resources to cast it. It takes 2 source points to cast, while bless only costs 1 source point to cast.

Controlling the battlefield is key. You need armor stripped away asap in fights to CC them. Having one enemy running around the battlefield unchecked can cause Issues already.

I´m currently playing 1 dualwield warrior as main DD, 1 dual dagger rogue as second DD, an Enchanter for CC and Magic DPS and a support Archer.