Sacred 2 - Trouble reaching high levels

[gogoblender 3,068]

A great topic Banshee, and of course, I'm in love with how much the community's been able to help with your gaming. Events like your arrival here on site, and the life you put into your convos is the stuff of Sacred!

I'll back out now, just wanted to inject my happiness, as just catching this topic, and loving the read

 

 

gogo

[Ysne58 236]

This is giving me food for thought as well. My seraphim is level 46, almost 47 now.

[wolfie2kX 528]

Hi again

The skills I have selected are as follows

Full gear Stripped

Sword weapons 35 26

Exalted Warrior Focus 21 19

Celestial Magic Lore 13 11

Dual Wield 31 26

Revered Technology Lore 28 23

Armour Lore 26 24

Combat Reflexes 16 14

Tactics Lore 9 7

There are two empty slots left. I currently have 4 points to give the skills but haven’t decided where to put them or even to hold them over for a new skill such as Toughness or Constitution.

You’ll see from them that I settled on Dual Wield, Sword Weapons and Exalted Warrior Focus fairly early on then I started reading other peoples Dual Wield Seraphim skills and tried to apply them and I think this is where my problem starts.

My Attributes are

Strength 157 152

Stamina 156 156

Vitality 161 156

Dexterity 157 157

Intelligence 159 152

Willpower 159 159

She has full set of Endijian’s and Niokaste and some Sofia things and quite a few Justice Pieces. I have tried the sets on her but they are nowhere near the sort of protection a mix and match set gives so she has a number of different ‘makes’ of items on.

My mount is Level 51 and is the Celestial Magic Sabertooth.

My favoured buff is Warding Energy which has 42 memorised runes and is level 19.8 with three modifications, two gold and one silver. I do use Battle Stance which has memorised runes 28, level 24.3. I also use Cleansing Brilliance when in dark areas which has memorised runes 19 and is level 15.4.

My favoured CA’s are Pelting Strikes, Radiant Pillar, Assailing Summersault and Archangels Wrath. I starting applying runes to Flaring Nova on some advice I read but I found it to be a very weak CA even though it has 34 memorised runes and is at level 18.8.

I hope I haven’t swamped you with too much info it’s just I am so grateful of your offer of help I thought I would give as much as I could so you have a overview of my Seraphim and her way of staying alive.

Many thanks.

 

I see a MAJOR problem..

 

It's not only your Buff CAs that are overfed, it's your other ones as well...

 

First off, you can only get your CA to just so high (level 19 IIRC) without feeding points to the FOCUS skill that CA belongs to. If you look at the focus skill description (any one of them) it will give you the highest level you can have your CA without penalties. Looking at what you've said - you've got 34 runes eaten and your skill level is only 18.8...

 

Keep in mind, without penalties - each rune in Bronze or Silver should give you 1 full point for that CA. In Gold, it should give you 2 points per rune eaten, in Platinum, it should be 4 pts per rune and in Niobium, it's 6 points per rune.

 

But that's ONLY going to work if you have the right Focus skill and are pumping points into it regularly.

 

At this point, eating more runes is pretty much going to be a futile exercise until you get the focus skill AND put points into that. You've got one focus already - and if you notice - the Battle Stance nerf isn't quite as bad as the other buffs/skills. Keep adding points to that focus as well.

[Banshee 7]

Hi all,

I've just finished gaming for tonight and will get back to you tomorrow. Thanks for the new messages they mean a lot and I will look closely at what you say in your post Wolfie.

Cheers

[Aegis 256]

Hm... not much else to add to this. I see that you switch between buffs at certain times, however, I am of the mindset that you are best to keep battle stance on at all times and not concern yourself so much with using the other buffs like warding energy and cleansing brilliance, especially cleansing brilliance when you don't use any skills from celestial magic to enhance that aspect, be it lore or focus. Battle Stance is pretty much the 'go to' buff for the seraphim at all times, especially since your build is a close combat one. Increases your attack value and defence value by insane amounts, and has some nice modifications to enhance said buff, like the addition of reflecting close combat attacks, evasion, or lower the regeneration nerf. Warding Energy is really only so good if you pick Warding Energy Lore as one of your skills, plus while you may get some defence going, you miss out on some serious offence. Majority of undead and t-energy creatures can be dealt with by sheer overwhelming force, something a duel wielding seraphim has in abundance, plus by sticking with the one buff, it simplifies your game. Should you decide to still want to use one of the other buffs, concentration will have to be one of your skill choices to pick.

[lujate 575]

In order to survive in Niob, you really need either an uber energy shield or Spell Resistance. That means either taking WEL or SR. Then either Constitution or Toughness.

 

And BTW the bonuses from SWL and DW do not stack.

[Flix 5,116]

I see a MAJOR problem..

 

It's not only your Buff CAs that are overfed, it's your other ones as well...

 

First off, you can only get your CA to just so high (level 19 IIRC) without feeding points to the FOCUS skill that CA belongs to. If you look at the focus skill description (any one of them) it will give you the highest level you can have your CA without penalties. Looking at what you've said - you've got 34 runes eaten and your skill level is only 18.8...

 

Keep in mind, without penalties - each rune in Bronze or Silver should give you 1 full point for that CA. In Gold, it should give you 2 points per rune eaten, in Platinum, it should be 4 pts per rune and in Niobium, it's 6 points per rune.

 

But that's ONLY going to work if you have the right Focus skill and are pumping points into it regularly.

 

At this point, eating more runes is pretty much going to be a futile exercise until you get the focus skill AND put points into that. You've got one focus already - and if you notice - the Battle Stance nerf isn't quite as bad as the other buffs/skills. Keep adding points to that focus as well.

Yeah I've got to agree with Wolfie, and I think I may have been concerned with putting it so gently that it didn't really come across in my post. When it comes to reading CA runes, you've got to think about balancing regen time against power. When you start seeing your CA levels having decimal points in them, that's a sign you're reading too many runes. That means you're getting full regen penalties with only a fraction of the power the rune should give you. The "Focus" skills will help you get the full benefit out of your Combat Arts and keep the penalties low.

 

Another thought: as Lujate mentioned, Sword Lore and Dual Wield don't stack or combine their powers. As long as you're using two weapons, Dual Wield will be the controlling skill. This doesn't mean Sword Lore was a wasted skill, though, since it can unlock powerful modifiers on your swords. However, you can probably stop adding points to it for a while and focus on other skills.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Flix

[Aegis 256]

I forget you're playing Ice and Blood, so yeah, if you wish to survive in the highest difficulty, spell resistance or WEL are a must and they have to be brought to mastery before going to niobium. Pre-Ice and Blood wouldn't have been necessary.

 

I also had that same thought in regards to duel wield and sword lore, but didn't address it. There are modifiers that are only unlocked when at mastery, so I didn't want to say anything. In general, though, if you were not intending to switch between wielding two weapons and a sword, sword lore could have been kept to even 1 point to unlock modifiers and the rest would go to duel wield as your main attack. So, yeah, as lujate and Flix said.

[Banshee 7]

Hi,

I’ve read your replies and I’m a little overwhelmed. I get it that you all agree from my info that I should be using Battle Stance as my buff because of the lack of difference in memorised runes and the level it’s at and I should put more runes into the CAs in Exalted Warrior Focus.

My next skill is a tossup between Concentration, Constitution and Toughness. That is unless Revered Technology Focus would be a good choice to make the most of the CAs in that which has the most modifications of all of them.

I have 8 skill points waiting to be put into one of my skills and I am now of the opinion 2 should go into Exalted Warrior Focus to strengthen my Exalted Warrior CAs as any more than 21 is the highest level without penalties and it is currently 19. That leaves 6 points. I am tempted to leave them and use them in 4 levels time when I hit level 50 and get to choose a new skill. That will be on top of the 4 points I get for each level up to level 50 so I could start my new skill off with 20 points which isn’t to be sniffed at.

Also, the runes I get, and in Ice and Blood on the Chrystal Plane there are plenty to be found, I should put into the CAs that are level to the memorised runes like my Dashing Alacrity is level 17 with memorised runes at 17, Soul Hammer with memorised 20 and 20 and Assailing Summersault also 17 with memorised 17. Basically, look after the Exalted Warrior side and CA’s and I should be alright. Looking at it from your point of view I can see it now. In fact, the Exalted Warrior CAs are the only CAs that haven’t got a stupid number of memorised runes compared to their level.

Thanks for your continued help and support and if I take my time to reply to you all it’s because I want to understand what you are saying before answering. I hope I’ve got you all right with what I have written above but any more help you can give will again be gratefully received.

[Flix 5,116]

Hi,

I’ve read your replies and I’m a little overwhelmed.

Sorry about that. At least we're all saying pretty much the same thing and not arguing though.

 

I gave many options in my other post, maybe it was too many....Here's what I would do if I were you, plain and simple:

I think you should take Concentration as your next skill choice. That way you can use Battle Stance and Warding Energy at the same time. This will increase your regen times a lot at first, since you read so many Warding Energy runes and you won't have Revered Tech Focus. But, don't worry, eventually this will balance out as your character levels up and you increase Concentration (just don't read any more Warding Energy runes, like ever, and you should be fine)

 

Then for the final skill, take Warding Energy Lore. This is a great defensive skill that will boost your Shield (since you'll be using it all the time) and help keep you safe.

[Banshee 7]

Hi Flix,

Thanks for replying so quickly.

I didn’t mean anything when I said I was overwhelmed I was really glad there where so many brains out there to help me. I just hope I am understanding what you are all saying.

Ok, so I take Concentration next then Warding Energy Lore for the last one to utilise the runes I’ve put in the buff is that right?

Do you agree with me when I said I was going to keep my skill points for my new skill at level 50 or should I put them in a skill I already have? I thought by keeping the points it would give the new skill, Concentration, a good boost?

Thanks again.

[Flix 5,116]

Yeah, I think you're understanding what we've said. Memorize runes for Exalted Warrior and focus on using those Combat Arts. Hover the mouse over the Exalted Warrior Focus skill to see how many runes you can read without getting a penalty. And if you want to use Combat Arts from the other two aspects, put skill points into their Lore skills instead of reading more runes. That should be a good plan for managing your CA levels.

 

Skills:

I almost never save up skill points, but in your case, yeah I think it could be a big help to set aside 10 or even 20 points for when you hit level 50 and take Concentration.

 

And yes, later on at level 65 when you take Warding Energy Lore, it will increase the power of your energy shields (Both Warding Energy and Divine Protection). Plus, the level of your Warding Energy buff will actually slowly increase naturally as your character levels up because you got the level of Warding Energy "ahead" of you character: the more you level up, the higher CA level you are allowed to have without a penalty.

 

Take a look at this page if you want to understand more about the concept of Highest CA Levels Without Penalties.

 

Hope this helps!

Edited September 18, 2013 by Flix

[Ysne58 236]

I think what Flix says makes a lot of sense.

[Aegis 256]

We tend to have a bit of that mob mentality when it comes to giving people help. Good thing or bad thing? o.O

 

As for eating runes, if I may do a little more overwhelming, CAs like soul hammer and pelting strikes really don't need a lot of runes memorized to get the full benefits. One or two runes in the beginning would typically be enough in the early going. In fact, until exalted warrior focus reaches mastery (75 hard points), I would advise against eating any more runes even if you are under the regeneration penalty gap for the fact that you typically will want to be able to use those CAs over and over. Soul Hammer in particular is a quick, one hit blow (two hits duel wielding), so waiting 45 to 60 seconds is a long wait before you could land another big blow. Pelting Strikes is not as bad given it hits multiple times, so as long as something is around for it to hit, it will do so until the duration of the move is up or there is nothing else in the area to kill. Still, you don't want a regeneration of 45 to 60 seconds as it is a long wait. Both Soul Hammer and Pelting Strikes I would typically aim to keep them no higher than five seconds, with one or two seconds being the most ideal especially for soul hammer. That way, I don't need to wait long for those CAs to run their course, I don't need to rely on other CAs in a different aspects which may or may not give me the same benefits I want, and it simplifies my game.

[Ysne58 236]

I try to keep my regeneration rate down to 3 seconds or less so I can spam Pelting Strikes. I haven't really tried pairing it up with anything, but now that I'm seeing it discussed, soul hammer does sound like an option.

[Banshee 7]

Hi again,

Yes I agree Ysne58.

My game is going to be quite different from now on. I've taken most of what everyone said and will re-read it until I get it right. The nice thing is every game is different, but I am looking forward to giving my Seraphim the weapons and armour for her to be as protected as she can be. If I hadn't joined this forum I would have carried on getting it wrong. I’ll let you know how it goes if you want me to.

Thanks again everyone.

A little side issue. I notice no one says “Hi” or “thanks” or “Cheers” in their posts. Is it a given that all posts are appreciated so there’s no need to say anything. It’s just I find it difficult not to say Hi or Thanks so I am interested in what you have to say about it.

Cheers

[Banshee 7]

_{Hi Aegis}

_{I didn't see your post before I posted my last one. I think the way in which you all help is great and as I've said before I'm very grateful.}

_{Can I ask another question though? What should I do with all the runes I get if I don't put them in my CAs? I know they can be put in armour or weapons but there are only so many you can do that with. Any suggestions?}

_Thanks

[Ysne58 236]

I sell all but 4. I hang on to 4 so when I'm ready to read/memorize a rune I can trade in 4 runes plus 500 gold for the one I want to read if I don't have it in my inventory.

If I get tired of having all that gold, I'll go to a rune master and trade 1 rune in for another at a cost of 25,000 gold until I get it down to whatever smaller amount of gold I actually want to carry, but that's just me.

[Banshee 7]

Hi,

I've just finished the game for tonight and we went into the Phoenix Nest and my Mount , Saber, has been killed. I don't know how I managed to get my Seraphim out of there but I did. We ended the game and I went back in to see if Saber was at the Start Island but no she's not. I can't just go to the Mount Island and buy another one either if that is the case because I started Ice and Blood in Silver after playing 42 levels of Bronze so to get to the Mount Island I would have to complete all the quests to get there, that would be terrible. Does anyone have any quick fix answer for me?

Thanks

[wolfie2kX 528]

I try to keep my regeneration rate down to 3 seconds or less so I can spam Pelting Strikes. I haven't really tried pairing it up with anything, but now that I'm seeing it discussed, soul hammer does sound like an option.

 

Good! Be sure to socket some Regen Per Hit jewelry too.. It will keep Pelting Strikes spammable.. It doesn't really NEED to be paired with any other CA - it does it's job well enough on it's own - provided you've got a good sharp sword (or swords or hammer(s) or whatever if you're dual wielding). The key is to keep the regen low so you can hit the enemy repeatedly until they are DEAD and there's no one left in the area to fight.

[Ysne58 236]

Hi,

I've just finished the game for tonight and we went into the Phoenix Nest and my Mount , Saber, has been killed. I don't know how I managed to get my Seraphim out of there but I did. We ended the game and I went back in to see if Saber was at the Start Island but no she's not. I can't just go to the Mount Island and buy another one either if that is the case because I started Ice and Blood in Silver after playing 42 levels of Bronze so to get to the Mount Island I would have to complete all the quests to get there, that would be terrible. Does anyone have any quick fix answer for me?

Thanks

Go back into Bronze, get the mount, then return to silver to play with it. That's what I have done when I've lost a mount at a higher level and not been to mount island yet.

[Ysne58 236]

 

I try to keep my regeneration rate down to 3 seconds or less so I can spam Pelting Strikes. I haven't really tried pairing it up with anything, but now that I'm seeing it discussed, soul hammer does sound like an option.

 

Good! Be sure to socket some Regen Per Hit jewelry too.. It will keep Pelting Strikes spammable.. It doesn't really NEED to be paired with any other CA - it does it's job well enough on it's own - provided you've got a good sharp sword (or swords or hammer(s) or whatever if you're dual wielding). The key is to keep the regen low so you can hit the enemy repeatedly until they are DEAD and there's no one left in the area to fight.

I'm thinking about trying dual wielding one handed staffs once I reach 50. It'll be interesting to see how sacred handles that and if it's any different than other weapons. My current weapons are Staffs and Tactics.

[Aegis 256]

_{Hi Aegis}

_{I didn't see your post before I posted my last one. I think the way in which you all help is great and as I've said before I'm very grateful.}

_{Can I ask another question though? What should I do with all the runes I get if I don't put them in my CAs? I know they can be put in armour or weapons but there are only so many you can do that with. Any suggestions?}

_Thanks

Then it is our pleasure to continually mob you with helpfulness. =3

 

You certainly may choose to socket your runes to armor or weapons, but I wouldn't recommend that either, since socketing them would still add to your regeneration. Honestly, unless I find a rune that includes modifiers that I think would be helpful, and it can be from ANY class, I typically do little to nothing with them other than hang onto them 'just in case', dump them into the players' chest, trade them with the rune master for new runes more suitable for my build, trade them to another player (when it even works), or even flat out sell/trash them to make room in my inventory. There is no obligation to use them or even keep them, so I'd say in your case to just hang onto them if you have room to spare or toss it in the player chest. Who knows, you might consider making another character, including a new seraphim, so those runes would give your new character a leg up.

[Aegis 256]

A little side issue. I notice no one says “Hi” or “thanks” or “Cheers” in their posts. Is it a given that all posts are appreciated so there’s no need to say anything. It’s just I find it difficult not to say Hi or Thanks so I am interested in what you have to say about it.

Cheers

I just realized this is your first forum, am I right? Well, forums by nature tend to be informal, so unless it is a thread where saying 'hi' would be called for (like any thread in the introductions part of the forum), most will just treat it like a big ongoing conversation with text and not bother with the 'hi's' and 'thanks' and 'cheers'. Now, if I were writing an Email, that's different.

[Flix 5,116]

Glad someone mentioned Regen per Hit rings. Hopefully Banshee there will come a time when your regen time is so low that your character is able to use CA's almost constantly.

 

A little side issue. I notice no one says “Hi” or “thanks” or “Cheers” in their posts. Is it a given that all posts are appreciated so there’s no need to say anything. It’s just I find it difficult not to say Hi or Thanks so I am interested in what you have to say about it.

Yes, it's like Aegis said. Think of forum threads as conversations, with slight delays between things being said. If we were sitting around a table and discussing something over lunch, we wouldn't say "Hello" and "Cheers" after every single thing we said. We'd say "Hello" when we first met (first post in the thread) and of course "thank you" whenever someone helps. With an email or private message it would be a different story, since those are more like letters and you'd have a greeting and a closing.