Food & Stuff

[Agent]

Since you can't pre-buff with food or ale or potions, it seems like it's virtually never useful apart from the obvious healing potions. Like how could eating a ham which heals me for 10 hp and gives 5 hp/turn but takes my action in combat possibly be the best action I take that turn when I could use a skill or attack or drink a healing potion... and that's not even taking into account that it uses a belt slot where you could stick said healing potion instead. Ditto with a lot of the potion buffs. Am I really going to use an action in combat and a belt slot for something that maybe gives me 5 protection? How could that be the best option available for a turn?

What am I missing? Isn't food and most potions just straight-up pointless?

Note: I'm really loving the game, this isn't meant to imply it's not great. Making consumables useful is something that many, many RPGs seem to struggle with.

[JC]

Well the early game buffs aren't all that great, but later some of the food gets worth using. The Ham is really good after the ogre gets the upgrade.

Remember you can always use the buffs on other people, So the secondary effects can really help at times, but over all they are very situational, and selling most of um is something you would do. Sometimes i use beer on the dwarf, wine on the barb, brocoli in the elfs belt seeing she can really move to cure poison, then maybe a sausage on the theif as he runs out of action a lot. Beyond that outside of some random potions most gets sold.

For example, a boss fight, use the dwarfs taunt then protection, he can tank while the rest of the team takes down the other enemies to thin the herd. A few fights with the trolls it works well. It is situational like most everything in the game. At the start of combat you can mix and match for the situation, though it does help knowing what your facing. So if you fail a fight, don't be afraid to change your buffs.

[Agent]

The ogre upgrade applies to food he eats but not food he uses on other people I assume? Like if he keeps a ham on his belt but uses it on somebody else they don't get the upgraded effect? I suppose I could just try it...

[JC]

I think it does effect others, but test it anyway. I kinda assumed it did but maybe not. :)

[Disil]

Yes, the ogre food buff also works on others - it says it explicitly in the skill tree as well.