|
My 2 cent to the original postings:
1) The Battering Hogar in the Northern Wilderness.
Leave him alone with you type of play style. No items can be that good that you risk loosing the game for getting them. I'm playing expert ironman, so i know.
My usualy route is to go to the umpani camp after Arnika, just to pick up some good items. But i don't do any fights on the route there except the fix rogue group.
At that early stage, even normal hogars are dangerous (although less with a strong party like your). Avoid battering ones until later.
2) The Oak Saplings off of the anti-magic area in Trynton.
Again the option to let them alive for some time. Or, as others wrote, lure them into the ant-magic area. I usually initiate combat not by moving into their sight in combat mode, but by casting a fireball on them from out of sight.
3) Any encounters with Leaf Sprites in Trynton.
Try to avoid them. Or be prepared for the fight. Use x-ray with your mage to see if there is someting hostile ahead. Then you can often start combat from out of their sight. Cast elemental shield with your mage, and use another ball spell (some potion or dust maybe) to engage combat. Let your priest cast a guardian angel on the mage in the initial round.
4) Cultists/ Highwaymen on the Arnika Road.
In expert/ironman, i only level up in the monastary to level 5. There you already have decent atack power, but the enemies aren't that tough yet.
5) The Rattkin. Not the breeders -- those are beatable.
Either attack and kill the goons before you take on the breeders.
Or just leave them for a while. I do this often if a have a weaker party. I then wait for level 11 before i kill them, so i can portal out of the area if necessary (i consider your party a very strong one).
6) Moraxes in the Cemetary Dungeon.
I don't do the cemetary dungeon at this low level.
Bonus: How high a Locks/Traps should you have before trying the chest with Don Barlone?
I have managed to set it off even with a skill of ~135 (rogue with items after high level devine trap). Well, what bad things can happen?
Death spell / curse - usually not lethal (at least not for several party members).
Lifesteal - can be very annoying if set off several times, but then its bach to Braffit's pool.
Heatwave - drop your potions and scrolls before opening. Not lethal.
Philosophers bane - at this stage, i rarely have spare money.
Guarding - IMO the only really dangerous trap at this chest. I walk into the corner and turn around as much as possible before opening the chest. This way, an elemental is between and Barlone/Calzone, which can help the fight(s). And the elemental cant't attack in the back.
Your party: IMO one of the strongest parties (except things like several fighters). Before you've finished the game once, i'd stay with full party.
Mage/priest are far better than bishop that early in the game. If you go for bishop, make sure your wizardry is at 30 before levelling up to level 5.
Fighter and thief are the two classes with the highest raw damage. Give Bloodlust to your thief, not the fighter, and use powders for ranged attacks.
Bard is a very good character, especially for beginners. The unlimited insanity spells make a big advantage.
The character i'd replace is the valkurie. There's always Vi, one of the best RPCs. But as long as you don't know them all, i'd rather not stich with her for the whole game. Once you've finished the game once, you might opt not to use RPCs again, so try them in your 'early' games.
I'd replace the valkyrie with either ranger or monk. Ranger is very useful due to his automatic searching (like you had a detect secrets spell active all the time). And his ranged abilities are very good for balanced parties (not too specialized in melee or spells).
The other option is monk. Another very nice front liner, and you gain access to another scool of magic.
|