Elric of Grans

I have just returned to Sacred 2 Gold (PC) after a while away and decided to just delete most of my old characters and start again. I have a lvl27 Dryad up to Octamagalus and I do not remember him being this hard. I lead him onto the land and he does not do much damage to me, or very often, but I am having serious trouble doing damage to him. I have repeatedly brought him to half health only to have my attacks wiff non-stop for several minutes, giving him the luxury to regens most/all of his life without getting hit. I sat there holding both mouse buttons for about 30 minutes before I just gave up. My Dryad is lvl27 with the usual blue mish-mash of gear for this early on. I have a couple of rings with `Opponents chance to evade -%' and a `Regen on hit' ring. Using a blowpipe modded for Fire damage. Skills: * Tactics Lore: 27. * Combat Reflexes: 5. * Ranged Weapons: 1. * Armour Lore: 21. * Nature Weaver Lore: 17. * Concentration: 1. * Capricious Hunter Focus: 1. Combat Arts (all one rune): * Darting Assault (not used against Octa): Reload, Throwback, Rotate. * Ravaged Impact: Perforate, Breach. * Forest Flight: unmodified. * Sinister Predator: unmodified. * Tangled Vine (stopped using against Octa as it did not seem to help yet): Sprawl. * Goldenglade Touch: Flow. * Ancient Bark: Rugged, Divert. What should I do here? I had been rather enjoying the Dryad up to this point, but that was really, really boring.

After trying out a Seraphim, a High Elf, a Dryad, a Shadow Warrior and an Inquisitor, I decided to focus more on the Seraphim. I finished Silver at 49, then entered Gold. Currently, my Seraphim is lvl72 and progress since lvl50 has been very slow and grindy. 15 levels with no change before I picked up a final skill at lvl65, then 7 more levels (so far) without feeling any progress. +1% damage or whatever is not noticable, especially when enemies gain +0.5% life. The grind from lvl50 to lvl75 has felt extremely dull and unrewarding compared to the first 50 levels (where I regularly felt my character was growing). I have also not upgraded my gear since around lvl55-60, as nothing better has dropped (almost complete Niokaste's Blade Dance). The lack of new loot has exasperated the sense of non-progression. Currently, I have 45% map completion, 81% survival bonus and lvl20 Enhanced Perception, so drop quality is not bad, but nothing seems to compare to the quality of the aspect-based Sets. Combat is beginning to get quite dull too. Every enemy (includng bosses) varies wildly. Either they crumble in a single attack, or they are so chunky I just hold the button and read a book while waiting for them to die. Either they do so little damage I heal faster than they damage me, or they do so much damage I lose 1/2 my life in an instant. There does not seem to be any middle-ground. Have I done something wrong for this to happen, or is that just how the balance pans out at higher levels? Does the sense of progression feel smoother later on, or have I passed the point where the game does enter an endless grind? Can I expect the loot to get more interesting later on, or does each class/build simply have one or two sets that eclipse everything else so badly that all other loot is trash loot?

Yeah, I have seen them drop. Lucky Clover, or something like that. They seem to be a lot less common than other trophies, however (at least in my experience).

I started over in Bronze. I took my time to get a few levels, some runes and some basic gear. I then tried Silver again and this time it was far smoother. Challenging, but not plain absurd. I have just reached Thylysium at level 14 (much higher than normal) and have even taken on the Kobald Chief. The small groups of undead you find fighting Kobalds on the way to Thylysium were indeed challenging (I will need a few more levels before I consider taking on more than three at a time), but again not insurmountable. I can see this being slower progress than the others, but I am gradually making headway.

Thank you for the advice. I have been mucking about in Bronze, to get a feel for the class. CM+LA is a whole lot of fun, but I was horrified how long the regen was on it. Clearly, I do need to put a little more priority into the Focus skill. Concentration also seems more important than Combat Discipline for the same reason. Taking that, I guess PC as a second buff will make up for the lost damage and Inure sounds like a useful benefit to survivability. I will also try boosting the priority on Bargaining. I am now thinking: 02) Astute Supremecy Lore (critical for Mods and damage) 03) Tactics Lore (good for mods and damage, but less critical) 05) Bargaining (will balance with combat Skills) 08) Pole Arm Lore (critical to benefit from Life Leech/Regen on Hit; probably more important than TL) 12) Concentration (for dual-buff and better regen) 18) Astute Supremecy Focus (get to 21 for regen; maybe more later) 25) Gruesome Inquisition Focus (get to 21 for regen) 35) Armour Lore (regen and survivability) 50) Constitution (survivability) 65) Toughness (survivability) I will then mod (in order): 1) Purifying Chastisement: Mystic, Eradicate, Inure 2) Ruthless Mutilation: Ire, Petrify, Frenzy 3) Callous Execution: Bleed, Lacerate, Judgement 1) Reverse Polarity: Rebound, Counterblow, Evade 2) Clustering Maelstrom: Chaos, Vortex, Vortex (possibly leave Gold until after LA Bronze) 3) Levin Array: Disperse, Hesitation, Dynamic EDIT: Holy Hannah!? I have started this character in Silver and already died four times. I have still not even reached the first town! I cannot hit anything with melee, and Levin Array is too weak/long regen to take them out. I meleed the first five levels with my High Elf and did not have any trouble!

I think I understand. The Dual Wield Seraphim is a melee fighter who has a little support magic, while the Inquisitor is a caster who has a little support melee. To be honest, I did not see that; little wonder it is considered a more complex character. This is what I am thinking: * Reverse Polarity as the primary buff. Perhaps later mod Purifying Chastisement for defense (Merciless/Inure) as a little bonus, but not central as in a high-risk/high-damage build. *Perhaps* make Zealous Doppelganger into a buff too (I can make that decission after I get a feel for the character). * Clustering Maelstrom + Levin Array for dealing with regular mobs. Mop-up with melee. * Astute Supremecy does not seem terribly good against bosses or lone Champions, so perhaps Ruthless Mutilation + Callous Execution is the best bet? I could use some clarification on Inquisitor vs bosses. EDIT: (revised my thoughts) * Perhaps Skills something like this: 02) Tactics Lore (to 5 for PAL, then 9 to Gold-mod RM; master fourth or fifth) 03) Astute Supremecy Lore (master at 75) 05) Pole Arm Lore (master at 75) 08) Combat Discipline [enhance combos rather than double buffs] 12) Armour Lore (master at 75) 18) Gruesome Inquisition Focus (just to 21) 25) Astute Supremecy Focus (just to 21) 35) Constitution (master fourth or fifth) 50) Toughness 65) Bargaining * Combat Arts: Ruthless Mutilation: Ire, Petrify, Frenzy (first priority; done early) Callous Execution: Bleed, Lacerate, Judgement (second priority; done mid-to-late Silver) Frenetic Fervor: Faith?, Resolve, Relentless (left until later) Reverse Polarity: Rebound, Counterblow, Evade (first priority; done very early) Clustering Maelstrom: Chaos, Vortex, Vortex (second priority; done early) Levin Array: (decide later), Hesitation, Dynamic (third priority; done over Silver)

I am currently trying out all of the classes in Sacred 2 (PC). I have completed Silver with a Seraphim (Dual Wield+Celestial), meanwhile I have a High Elf (Pyro), a Dryad (Bow+Nature) and a Shadow Warrior (Two-Handed Hafted Pure Melee) all just past the Seraphim Isle. I was looking to start an Inquisitor next, but am no so sure how to build him. Since I do not have a character using them yet, I was thinking Pole-Arms, and I was interested in doing a Hybrid (similar to my Seraphim). I am confident I can sort out the Skills for the build, but I am less sure on Combat Arts. Almost every guide for the Inquisitor starts with the disclaimer that it needs specific gear or high-level shopper/smithing support. I want to be self-supporting. Most guides also seem to be triple-aspect, which I would prefer not to do unless absolutely necessary (just my personal taste). Gruesome Inquisition: Callous Execution and Ruthless Mutilation seem as though they would be at the core of a melee build. Morifying Pillory does not seem terribly interesting (on paper), though Frenetic Fervour seems useful. I am really concerned about Purifying Chastisement, however, as I am not a fan of high-risk/high-reward. Astute Supremecy: Levin Array just seems fun, while Clustering Maelstrom seems as though it would have the Area of Effect the build would need. Raving Thrust does not strike me as terribly exciting. Zealous Doppelganger seems useful, but probably not critical, while Reverse Polarity seems almost a no-brainer. Nefarious Netherworld: Dislodged Spirit seems like it would be a fantastic debuff. Paralysing Dread in a combo with Frenetic Fervour sounds like it could be interesting. Inexorable Subjugations seems better suited to a pure caster build; possibly Eruptive Desecration too, though perhaps the Area of Effect could be good for a hybrid? Soul Reaver sounds fun, but probably too many issues (ie situations where you cannot get souls) for my liking. Would a Pole-Arm hybrid build work fine with little-to-no outside support? If so, could I have a little advice on Aspects and Combat Arts. I can work out Modifications, but I cannot make a decission on the selection of CAs. Since the Inquisitor has higher Dexterity than Strength, is it work my while using Dex-based Pole-Arms over Str-based ones? People often state that the Inquisitor is harder to play, but not so much clarification as to why: are there any pitfalls I need to be wary of? Should I start on Bronze rather than Silver if he is harder?

Thank you. I have installed the CM patch then spent a bit of time grinding levels before I continued. That made a surprising difference, to be honest! I have finished Silver with this Serpahim, but I think I will try the other classes out before I go into Gold.

Thank you for the link. That is exactly what I needed to see. *installing*

I was wondering about the specifics of this patch. I understand it fixes bugs, restores (and completes) unreleased content and adds new items. Fair enough, I will take that that as-is without worrying about the details. Does the patch do anything else, however? Balance changes or anything more dramatic like that? If so, is there anywhere I can see a summary of these kinds of changes? I just like to know these kinds of things before I dive in.

Thank you for the replies. Yup, scorpions, blood dryads, fen fires, alien guys, and temple guardians are some of the hardest hitting PITAs that I have ever encountered. Oh, good to know that these are simply tough enemies. They did not *look* tough (like a dragon that breathes demons) so I thought it was just me. Also, on a side note I think that maybe you should grind to 50ish before facing the scorpions as 38 seems a tad bit low to me, but I haven't played in awhile so I may completely wrong I did not think the game had a concept of too low/high, since enemy levels are based on your level. I doubt you would beat the final bosses at level one, but within reason. Is it a little more complex than face value? Regarding the two buffs: sink as many runes as you can into Cleansing Brilliance before the cap kicks in (IE: you get level 3.2 combat art instead of level 4 or just keeping it equal to your level). The reason I say this is because Cleansing Brilliance is really only used in the swamp, because with such a high CA level it can literally 1-2 shot the zombies without you even attacking once. For Battle Stance, try and keep it as low as you can and use a +CA set that you make to boost up it's level. As soon as one of your activated CAs feels like the animation time is about equal to the regen time, feel free to eat a rune. Just as long as it feels good to you playing the character, as that's how I base my rune eating choices. Good general advice. Thank you! My first question is, what color are the target circles you see around mobs? If they are orange, red or (God forbid) purple, then you are most likely under leveled for that zone. I had no idea what you meant when I read this. I Googled it, then turned on the circles in the options menu I jumped around the world and every enemy everywhere is yellow (except at the starting zone, where they are green). This *is* after losing my Survival Bonus, however; perhaps it may have looked different when enemies had higher levels. I will keep this option on and keep an eye on it in future. As far as armor goes - by all means - go with whatever set items you can get. In addition to gaining whatever bonuses they might have, grouping at least three items together also gives you a SET bonus which will vary depending on the set(s) you're wearing. Is there a good way to farm these, or simply `random is random'? I have one item of Niokaste's that dropped in the Swamps, but I have not seen others (yet). I'd also consider grabbing something that will give you life leech. Either one will do - the fixed variety or the % LL. One of my weapons has a fixed value life leech. I am surprised how much such a small number helps! In addition... You didn't mention it but I would recommend getting the CM Patch if you haven't already done so. It fixes numerous issues and adds new content including new gear. I do not have the patch. Is it safe to install over an existing game, or so you need to start a new game with it (I am used to modding Elder Scrolls game where you often need to start new games).

I recently picked up Sacred 2 Gold up from Steam and played a few characters as far as the Orc lands (on Silver). I have then decided to continue forward with a dual wield Seraphim that mostly follows the Azrael build. For the most part, things have gone well. The typical issues (underestimating opponents, getting caught by an unexpected attack, etc), but nothing out of the ordinary. Until the Desert. I have just finished the Desert and had a pretty ugly time there. I had a solid survival bonus going in, but found myself repeatedly killed by Scorpions. Only Scorpions were a threat, and two non-Champion Scorpions could be enough to kill me faster than I could believe. I died repeatedly to the Scorpion Boss. Not to the attacks of the boss itself --- they were easy --- but every time he summoned the two adds, they would kill me almost instantly! Just a summary of my build. I finished the Desert at level 38. Every attribute point so far as gone into Stamina. Skills (Base/with gear): 38/53 Tactics Lore 38/42 Armour Lore 2/14 Dual Wield 38/43 Celestial Magic Lore 1/1 Combat Discipline 1/2 Celestial Magic Focus 1/2 Exhalted Warrior Focus 1/5 Constitution I will pick up Toughness at 50 and Enhanced Perception at 65. My accuracy is beginning to feel a little iffy, so I will be putting my spare Skill points per level into Dual Wield from now on (to Master fourth). My Combat Arts are all at level one. I will list their level after gear modifiers along with the most I have chosen: 4 Pelting Strikes: Succession, Enfeeble (will take Precission) 1 Dashing Alacrity: Bloodlust (will take Delay and Impatience) 1 Battle Stance: Premonition, Flexibility, Retaliation 3 Radiant Pillar: Hypnosis, Brightness, Ordeal 3 Hallowed Restoration: Recuperation (will take Prevention and Antidote) 5 Cleansing Brilliance: Distract, Purify (currently considering Eagerness) My gear is hodge-podge, as you would likely guess, but as good as I can manage. I have socketed Anneal into Bronze sockets, +skills into Silver and +attributes (mostly Vitality) into Gold slots. My current weapons are Physical+Fire and Physical+Magic+Ice. I have prioritised modifiers over raw armour (eg +1 Armour Lore > +10 armour), but damage over modifiers for weapons (eg +20 damage > +10% attack), realistic exceptions taken of cause (eg +1 Combat Discipline <<<<<<< +100000 armour). The Scorpions seemed to cut me like paper, while I could hapily stand in a group of any other Desert mobs and carve them up. A lone Champion Scorpion required the kind of approach I would normally save for Bosses. I was switching to three Poison relics before facing Scopions, so I faced them with the strongest defence I felt I could have. I was using Battle Stance and a combo of Hallowed Restoration + Pelting Strikes + Soul Hammer to attack them. As a separate question, could I have a little advice on eating Runes? Regen times are currently close to equal to animation times. Should I consider eating Runes soon, or wait until much later (eg Gold or Platinum)? With this build, would it be best to focus on Battle Stance/Cleansing Brilliance, spread runes across the other CAs, or try and balance both the Buffs and the other CAs? Alternatively, would eating Runes probably not be a brilliant idea and I could instead focus on +CA gear (eg from Sets)?