Chapter/level progression

[Nyktouros]

I remember in Diablo 2 LoD there was an optimal levelling-up progression from chapter to chapter developed by experienced players.
I.e., it was recommended to finish the first chapter with 18th character level, the second - with 30th, the third - with 40th and so on (I don't remember this schedule furhter hereafter :) ). So if your character was finishing a chapter with lower level than it was recommended, you could meet difficulties in next chapter, and you were advised to stay awhile and grind a couple of levels more.

Is there some kind of such a schedule for TQAE?

Thanks in advance.

[NORgrunt]

Dont mention Diablo 2. It makes me cry of how Blizzard has messed up Diablo.

[Apocal_Failed]

Originally posted by Nyktouros:

I remember in Diablo 2 LoD there was an optimal levelling-up progression from chapter to chapter developed by experienced players.
I.e., it was recommended to finish the first chapter with 18th character level, the second - with 30th, the third - with 40th and so on (I don't remember this schedule furhter hereafter :) ). So if your character was finishing a chapter with lower level than it was recommended, you could meet difficulties in next chapter, and you were advised to stay awhile and grind a couple of levels more.

Is there some kind of such a schedule for TQAE?

Thanks in advance.

Nah, there is none. Still, you will hit about the same levels after each Act. For example, my Summoner (Earth+Nature) finished Normal Difficulty with level 38, my Conqueror (Warfare+Defense) ended with level 40.

[Nyktouros]

Originally posted by Apocal_Failed:

Nah, there is none. Still, you will hit about the same levels after each Act. For example, my Summoner (Earth+Nature) finished Normal Difficulty with level 38, my Conqueror (Warfare+Defense) ended with level 40.

So, do you wanna say that there's no use in grinding levels with Save/Load -> cleaning up the monster-rich location again and again? But there should be "farming zones" a-la D2LoD Travincal or Mephisto's dungeon (don't remember its name correctly)...
Well, if you hit more or less the same level in each act with various characters, it should mean kinda good balance of the game, I think... Or - the dominant gear-dependence (read - pray to the Gods of RNG!).

[Apocal_Failed]

Originally posted by Nyktouros:

Originally posted by Apocal_Failed:

Nah, there is none. Still, you will hit about the same levels after each Act. For example, my Summoner (Earth+Nature) finished Normal Difficulty with level 38, my Conqueror (Warfare+Defense) ended with level 40.

So, do you wanna say that there's no use in grinding levels with Save/Load -> cleaning up the monster-rich location again and again? But there should be "farming zones" a-la D2LoD Travincal or Mephisto's dungeon (don't remember its name correctly)...
Well, if you hit more or less the same level in each act with various characters, it should mean kinda good balance of the game, I think... Or - the dominant gear-dependence (read - pray to the Gods of RNG!).

There are zones for farming gear indeed, it is just that, when you do all sidequests, you hit about the same levels each time.

[Nyktouros]

Originally posted by Apocal_Failed:

There are zones for farming gear indeed, it is just that, when you do all sidequests, you hit about the same levels each time.

And you'll never meet the situation (location, quest, boss) you can't beat without additional level-grinding/gear-farming? Well, it could be boring as much as excessive grinding/farming :)

In D2LoD it was a part of its charm for me - a kind of challenge like this.

[Apocal_Failed]

Originally posted by Nyktouros:

Originally posted by Apocal_Failed:

There are zones for farming gear indeed, it is just that, when you do all sidequests, you hit about the same levels each time.

And you'll never meet the situation (location, quest, boss) you can't beat without additional level-grinding/gear-farming? Well, it could be boring as much as excessive grinding/farming :)

In D2LoD it was a part of its charm for me - a kind of challenge like this.

That is not true, there are mastery combinations which have a harder time against certain enemies/ bosses, so they need some sort of help, which can either be some extra levels or sick loot.

For example, the Rogue mastery works with a lot of poison, which seems to be ineffective against undead and constructs.

[Nyktouros]

"Sick loot", yeah! :) That's our ultimate goal! :)

By the way, you meant Conqueror class. Any recommendations/observations/caveats maybe? Any kind of feedback would be welcome!
I played that OLD version of Titan Quest with add-on long ago (I think, 10 years ago, when Immortal Throne was released) and didn't do much progress (IIRC, I never played further than Babylon and China locations on Normal) - so, I'm a bit rusty and ignorant now about new twists in Anniversary Edition.

[Apocal_Failed]

Originally posted by Nyktouros:

"Sick loot", yeah! :) That's our ultimate goal! :)

By the way, you meant Conqueror class. Any recommendations/observations/caveats maybe? Any kind of feedback would be welcome!
I played that OLD version of Titan Quest with add-on long ago (I think, 10 years ago, when Immortal Throne was released) and didn't do much progress (IIRC, I never played further than Babylon and China locations on Normal) - so, I'm a bit rusty and ignorant now about new twists in Anniversary Edition.

Well... Start with defense mastery, grab yourself either Batter or Shield Charge, then go rushing for Colossus Form.
Then, once you have Colossus Form and Batter/Shield Charge,go into Warfare, grab Weapon Training, Onslaught, War Wind and Battle Standard.
Make sure you level one or two, at most 3 skills/skill modifiers at a given time. Once you maxed out a skill, go for the next one. TQ still punishes those with few points in many skills and welcomes those with many points in few skills.
Once you hit Epic, max out every skill you are currently leveling, then head into Adrenaline and Battle Awareness of the Defense tree. Max them out, you need them. Once you have these maxed, you can go put points into offensive skills again.

If you encounter a boss or a hero monster, all you have to do is the following:
Check if Battle Awareness is active. If not, activate.
Use your Battle Standard.
Use Colossus Form.
Smack their faces with whatever shield skill you got.
Remove nasty bystanders with War Wind.
Some Onslaught.
Done.

[Lothic]

Originally posted by Sultan_Bender:

Dont mention Diablo 2. It makes me cry of how Blizzard has messed up Diablo.

hold on! behind diablo 3 is basically activision blizzard, not the old blizzard we'll keep in our hearts
diablo 2 is still timeless and modable :P

[Apocal_Failed]

Originally posted by Nyktouros:

"Sick loot", yeah! :) That's our ultimate goal! :)

I can give ya some sick loot. Not all of it, some stuff is going be in the hands of an old friend of mine, but I still have some to spare.

[Nyktouros]

Originally posted by Apocal_Failed:

I can give ya some sick loot. Not all of it, some stuff is going be in the hands of an old friend of mine, but I still have some to spare.

No-no, I have no habit in such things as "item trading" in PC games :) I play singleplayer only, just for my enjoy and fun, and I have GOG version of TQAT, and I play it on my secret secondary old PC that even has no Net connection :D

And I have a habit to get things and goals by myself :)

Anyway, thanks for your generous offer, and for your Conqueror advises. TBH, I never liked active skills in action-RPGs :) Due to my extra-lazy nature maybe, I always prefer passive skills, auras and other similar things :) But it seems that I inevitably will need some active skills nevertheless, like e.g. Colossus (it is in each and every Conqueror guide, it seems).

[Apocal_Failed]

Originally posted by Nyktouros:

Originally posted by Apocal_Failed:

I can give ya some sick loot. Not all of it, some stuff is going be in the hands of an old friend of mine, but I still have some to spare.

No-no, I have no habit in such things as "item trading" in PC games :) I play singleplayer only, just for my enjoy and fun, and I have GOG version of TQAT, and I play it on my secret secondary old PC that even has no Net connection :D

And I have a habit to get things and goals by myself :)

Anyway, thanks for your generous offer, and for your Conqueror advises. TBH, I never liked active skills in action-RPGs :) Due to my extra-lazy nature maybe, I always prefer passive skills, auras and other similar things :) But it seems that I inevitably will need some active skills nevertheless, like e.g. Colossus (it is in each and every Conqueror guide, it seems).

Conqueror has some passive skills.
Battle Awareness is, while not a passive, very close: an aura, you activate it once to gain extra defense, you have it until you cancel it, the only downside is that mana is reserved (the mana cap is reduced until you switch it off). Its modifiers grant more block chance and some resistance against stuns and similar effects.
Adrenaline is a passive skill, which has a chance to procc everytime you are hit. You get extra health regen then for a short time. Its modifiers increase the number of times it will procc and even extra damage while its active.
Onslaught is used by replacing your standard attack with it. You still do standard attacks, but they now cost 1 mana and for each time you hit stuff, you get a buff to your damage for some time, which will stack. Its modifiers grant some defense, but even more damage.
All Skill modifiers are passive skills, so if you get, lets say, Ignore Pain, it will always be active as long as Onslaught is active.

[NavFamG]

If you do all the side quests and kill every single mob you find on each map it puts you at the level you need for the next one.

As to farming; sure if you're looking for that special armor / weapon / loot drop then it works, but for leveling ....... I had finished the original TQ right before the AE version came out, so I went back with my character and redid that portion for the Steam Achievements. All in all it hurt me when I got back to do the TQ:IT portion as I was overleveled. Not my much, but enough that the challenge was gone. Finished normal at lvl 42.

Once in a awhile you'll find one of the random monsters you can't beat, but all you do is skip it, continue on and come back to kill him a couple of levels later.