Rune Consumption Discussion

[Knuckles 904]

hello <(^.^)>,

 

ok so im obviously new to the forum, aswell as being quite new to the game.

I was having abit of trouble with finding what level I should try and get my Combat Arts too, and if I should be just pumping runes or not.

 

ok so my charachter is about level 30 and I have pretty much followed ryanrocker1217's guide upto now as this is my first charachter on the game and I wanted to be sure I didnt ruin her and at the moment I am reluctant to add any more runes untill I know generally how using the runes could effect my toon.

 

as im at work now I cant check how many runes iv used, but at the most I think iv used about 2-3 on each skill.

 

so I was just wondering if there was a cutoff point for using runes?

 

 

Peace!

 

Welcome to DarkMatters...

 

OK.. The long and short of it goes something like this:

 

Eating runes (using them to enhance your CA skills) will make your CAs stronger, BUT (there's always a BUT), it also increases the regeneration time for that CA. In the CA skill page, you'll note when you hover your mouse over a particular Combat Arts icon, it will tell you what the current regen time for it is as well as the regen time for the next level. You'll notice that it will be higher than the current level's.

 

Now then... There ARE things you can do to reduce the regen penalty.. The first being taking the Aspect's FOCUS skill. Example:

 

You're playing the High Elf. She has the Delphic Arcana aspect - so to cut the regen times of Delphic Arcana CAs, you will want to take the Delphic Arcana Focus skill.

 

Speaking of the High Elf, there is one exception to all of this - that's the Grand Invigoration buff combat art. GI is the only combat art that can actually reduce regen times depending on how you modify it. One of the mods will give you a boost to either the Arrant Pyromancer or Mystic Stormite aspects.

 

But I digress...

 

You generally want to keep the regen times - especially for frequently used CAs as low as possible. Some CAs don't matter quite as much since they have a long duration while others - such as the High Elf's Blazing Tempest, Cobalt Strike, Ancestral Fireball, Frost Flare and Glacial Thorns - it matters quite a bit because you want to be able to spam those CAs as often and quickly as possible. (Spam, in this case doesn't refer to junk email nor lunch meat, it means being able to send out wave after wave of destructive goodness against your enemies.) For such skills, it's generally best to keep the regen times to somewhere around 2-3 seconds - tops.

 

Other things you can do: Find amulets, rings and other gear that have a "Chance to Halve Regen Time" modifier. Get them, wear them, they may save your character's life.

 

You can socket (meaning have a blacksmith forge a ring, amulet or rune into your armor) runes into your armor to give you higher CAs. One favorite technique to gain bonus life leech - socket Inquisitor Nefarious Netherworld runes into your armor. If you're playing an Inquistor, you not only get the bonus for the life leech, but you also get a bonus for the rune itself. The regen nerf (meaning penalty) is lower when you socket a rune instead of eating it.

 

As an added bonus, all combat arts have a primary skill they're associated with as well as a secondary effect when socketed instead of being eaten. The Dragon Mage's Dragon Form CA, for instance, gives you a +1 to Dragon Form AND gives you a "Chance to Burn" secondary bonus effect. If you're playing a Pyro High Elf - those runes could come in useful. You may not be able to change into a dragon, but you'll get the Chance to Burn bonus. And that means an increased amount of damage against your enemies.

 

At any rate, don't be afraid to experiment a bit. Sacred 2 is a very large and complex game. Don't expect to get it perfect on your first try. Mistakes can and will be made and that's OK. If you don't like how a character is turning out - you can always start over and try something different.

 

Edit: One more thing - beware of the armor you wear! Check each piece to see what, if any, regeneration penalties come with it. Some armor might come with some really good sounding benefits - such as Damage over Time (DoT) bonus, but have a 19% regen penalty. Suddenly that bit of armor no longer looks quite so appealing. +1 or 2% is one thing but 19% is borderline insanity. It's best to keep those penalties to a bare minimum. Preferably find armor with good bonuses and a NEGATIVE regen penalty..

[Knuckles 904]

The above post was from Wolfie and it opened up a discussion on Rune Consumption. I figured the subject was better served here and have also set up a section in the wiki for it. Here is my post from that thread about it.

 

for right now I've added a page on the References and Strategy Guides

 

http://www.sacredwik...ide&action=edit

 

It's a blank page right now, we can worry about formatting later. All I ask that for everyone that contributes, please don't overwrite anyone else's comments unless it's a factual error. Rune Consumption really has no right or wrong answer. Just leave your comments and name and we'll figure out how to maintain it (or gogo and Schot will anyways )

 

Edit: I've moved my post over to the wiki...in a separate thread so we can discuss it there

[wolfie2kX 528]

The above post was from Wolfie and it opened up a discussion on Rune Consumption. I figured the subject was better served here and have also set up a section in the wiki for it. Here is my post from that thread about it.

 

for right now I've added a page on the References and Strategy Guides

 

http://www.sacredwik...ide&action=edit

 

It's a blank page right now, we can worry about formatting later. All I ask that for everyone that contributes, please don't overwrite anyone else's comments unless it's a factual error. Rune Consumption really has no right or wrong answer. Just leave your comments and name and we'll figure out how to maintain it (or gogo and Schot will anyways )

 

Edit: I've moved my post over to the wiki...in a separate thread so we can discuss it there

 

As I posted on the other thread - It ain't a blank page any more. I posted the stuff in the post above - rewritten a bit to make it flow better and so it includes the stuff I left out and remembered to add later on. Hopefully it's complete now.

 

You can read it directly here:

 

http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred:Rune_Consumption_Guide

Edited December 19, 2010 by wolfie2kX

[BleachFan 3]

It seems fairly complete, but reorganization might make it easier to read.

 

The question most people will have when looking for the guide is:

When should I eat combat art runes, and what are the alteratives?

 

While the guide seems fairly complete and well-written, it barely touches the first part and then jumps directly into the second part.

 

IMO you should start the guide with something like this:

 

 

(Sorry, this is just an example and my writing is crude. It needs rewriting and there are many incomplete places. It's just a summary, intended to provide a "quick start" from which the player can branch off into all the specific topics (e.g. armor regen malus, blacksmithing, bargaining, etc.) already covered in the guide.)

 

 

Sacred 2 official loading screen tips mention a rule of thumb. IIRC, it says that combat art levels should be kept at around 1/4 the character level to remain useful. Obviously there are exceptions and this advice does not apply to every build.

 

 

Types of Combat Arts

 

Each character has 15 combat arts with different base statistics, cooldowns, animation speeds, damage progression, etc. The forum has a general consensus about each of these combat arts, but how do new players get a handle on this stuff?

 

Let's break them down into basic categories.

 

 

Quick Moves

 

Examples include fireballs, sweeping weapon attacks, waves of ice shards, etc. Compared to other combat arts, the quick attacks have low regeneration times and relatively fast cast animations. These spells are meant to be repeatedly cast to take down many enemies.

 

Rule of thumb: Keep regeneration time at or below the animation speed.

 

The animation speed is the time it takes your character to use the combat art. This will vary because there are items, skills, and even some buffs that can improve the animation speed. But, whatever the speed happens to be on your character, try to keep the quick attack combat arts below their animation speed.

 

 

Special Moves

 

Examples include ice storms, meteor strikes, spell expulsion fields. These attacks are slower, more devasting techniques intended for use against larger groups of enemies (or bosses). They typically have special properties that make them unique. Some have cooldowns; some stun enemies; some have long durations, etc. and their mods can add even more special properties.

 

Rule of thumb: Keep regeneration time at or below the duration.

 

Duration and cooldown vary wildly between these combat arts, and so will the recommended regeneration time. For example, a meteor strike may only last a few seconds whereas a speed-boosting buff may last 30 seconds or more. These combat arts require special treatment. On the plus side, they have the potential to make difficult areas of the game incredibly fun.

 

 

Temporary Buffs

 

Examples include attack/defense boosts, speed boosts, invisibility, etc. These combat arts are meant to give the character a temporary advantage in difficult battles, but they typically have long cooldowns. Most cooldowns cannot be reduced except by some special mods.

 

Rule of thumb: Read as many runes as possible.

 

With proper character equipment and skills, the cooldowns are typically many times longer than the regeneration times. For example, on a combat art with a 60s cooldown, there is little practical difference between a regeneration time of 2s and a regeneration time of 6s. (60s + 2s = 62s, which is very similar to 60s + 6s = 66s.) You will appreciate these combat arts when their level is high.

 

 

Buffs

 

These are special combat arts ... (show graphic of buff in CA list, with red arrow showing it in a buff slot) When activated, they remain on indefinitely and provide certain bonuses ... however the buff also has a regeneration penalty ...

 

Rule of thumb: Try to keep the regeneration penalty of each buff below 30%.

 

...

 

 

Do Not Worry

 

Early in the game, this will be difficult. Many buffs start with a 50% regeneration penalty and this decreases slowly at first. For a while it will seem like there is never a good opportunity to read buff runes. Later, this will change and you may find yourself reading a buff rune every few levels.

[Dragon Brother 619]

As long as there is a summary in there saying something like keep it simple. If you feel that your regens are low enough, eat more runes, if not, wait a few levels and up your damage other ways. There doesnt really need to be any specific rules, I dont follow the 1/3 or 1/4 rule the game mentions on the loading screen, I just stick with the basics.