About This File
>> Skip, if you like, until 'Here': <<
I played Sacred 2 for about half a year and found it entertaining as well as flawed. The world is huge, contains a little humor here and there. There is a good effort in this game. But 'pacing' is a big issue. If you are unfamiliar with the term, it comes from movies and basically means the speed at which the movie unfolds. At times it felt like playing the extendended cut with bloopers I.e. you do not need 5 difficulty levels.
Character developement ist also troublesome. They often are uninteresting. But there's a remedy, that is why I post this: I reworked some of the skills for my enjoyment and maybe yours too!
To get it out right now. I started out as an Inquisitor and the champ is just useless. Sorry mate. I also had a look at the dragon mage just recently and found him uninteresting too. His skill where a dragon flys over you and spits a fireball that leaves a burning ground effect often ends up in the surrounding terrain and not where you want it. Which brings me to my second character, which I played all the way in the vanilla version of the game (before ranged weapons got castrated). The Shadow Warrior. Why? For people familiar with the game the reasons are simple: Ranged weapons were fantastic because they worked well with melee skills (maybe too well). Ready access to the skill 'Blacksmithing'. Well rounded buffs and short-termed powerful powerups. Utility in addition to prowess with a stealthbuff (and movespeed) which allowed to skip forward at a good pace. Basically he was the best version of all the other characters combined. So lets start there with suggestions for builds:
All the descriptions for the skills ingame are not accurate anymore where my builds are concerned. Also it doesnt matter how you improve the skills only that you improve them.
All Divination-Powers are doing the same thing now. Tesla was the best in the vanilla version. It basically killed everything and kept you alive every other Boss-fight. All the other powers are just defensive or strange. So the new divination powers do just what Tesla did: a complete wipeout every 450 seconds (I halfed the duration in favour of one of my builds).
The Difficulty-Level 'Bronze' was never necessary. I changed it a little so that it goes to level 200 but the mobs are still bronze (general stats are low).
Start with difficulty 'Silver' if you are familiar with the game, which should now be equivalent to niobium and also goes to level 200. Please note, that melee characters will have trouble in silver due to the much much higher defense values of mobs.
The Fog-Boss at the south-western end of the swamp now spawns several bosses to farm items.
>> Contents of the .zip <<
Before that: There's a .zip-file with the content that has to go into the gamefolder. I use the full game with extension + the CM-Patch.
Balance.txt is slightly modified for 2x more xp in Solo-play and only champions or bosses drop loot. The right kind too.
creatureinfo.txt is slightly modified for more movespeed of all the champs and their pets. The information on how to do that I got in this forum.
spells.txt contains most of the modifications.
creatures.txt and questscripts.txt have possibly been altered by me. I think because I could link some gamecrashes to missing or incomplete skills. So I include them just to be on the safe side. Also all the portals are now accessible which improves the pacing.
>> 'Here': Summary <<
You need the files in the zip-file in the right gamefolders. Start with difficulty 'Silver' if you are familiar with the game, else bronze. Champions and Bosses grant loot. The ingame description for skills is in many cases not accurate anymore.
>> Builds <<
Shadow Warrior: "Returned from the dead, the shadow warrior is not only a formible fighter but also borrows some powers from the cold place beyond the living realms. Woe to the one who make him their enemy."
! Careful: the starting zone for the shadow warrior is a little buggy. You can use the portal - after you had a chat to start the campaign, killed the first enemy, and the quest-pointer marks the exit !
> 'Lich'
Strong magic user. I thought the lich-theme fits a champ back from the dead. The signature 'Kohort'-buff is slightly stronger and we have some utility. All the champs profit immensly from +skill and +combat art gear, this applies also to the Lich.
- Spectral Hand: (read: warrior cry) Cone Effekt, Main Damage
- Skeletal Fortification + Rallied Souls: Defensive and offensive utility
- Reflective Emanation: Buff (add 'Grim Resilience' later)
Start 'Astral Lord Lore', just 1 point in 'Combat Discipline' for a 10% cooldown-reduction. Blacksmithing 3rd. Ancient Magic 4th. All the skill runes you find go into 'Spectral Hand' and 'Rallied Souls'. What you can spare into 'Kohort'.
! Careful: the starting zone for the shadow warrior is a little buggy. You can use the portal - after you had a chat to start the campaign, killed the first enemy, and the quest-pointer marks the exit !
> 'Old School Warja'
Strong melee fighter. I would recommend the 'Kohort'-buff, because now it still deals actual damage beyond level 150, even to bosses. You can skip them though and win another slot for a skill but I consider it a signature skill. 'Ruinous Onslaught' is my take on a taunt-skill, though the mechanics of the game do not really have something that does that (there are relics in there that suggests that the developers at some point thought about it).
- Scything Sweep + Demonic Blow: Good clear (add Frenzied Rampage, when you added the skill 'Combat Discipline')
- Skeletal Fortification: Utility
- Kohort: Buff (add 'Grim Resilience' and 'Reflective Emanation' later)
Start 'Astral Lord Focus', just 1 point in 'Combat Discipline' for a 10% cooldown-reduction. 'Tactics Lore', 'Death Warrior Focus' and 'Malevolent Champion Focus' next. Put all the extra skill runes into 'kohort' and 'skeletal fortification', keep 'Astral Lord Focus' on your level and this champ mows through the game. Even in vanilla almost every skill fitted the bill of a warrior, and there is plenty of utility skills ('Shadow Veil' for extra movement speed and invisibility). This was my most fun character in the game.
Dryad: "Dryads are famous for their skill with the bow and their familiarity and use of nature itself to delay and kill enemies. Poisons won from plants and animals make even a small injurie life-threatening. It is also rumoured that they use pagan rituals and black magic to overcome their adversaries."
> 'Controller'
Coming from a pvp-game I found this game lacked the need for a champ with control-skills and also the champ to do it. Short-timed 'Roots' and 'Stuns' and 'Fears' that this champ now has help mitigate damage. I didnt yet mess with mob density but if you want the game to be more challenging (and maybe play in a party too) this champ provides good support, damage and damage mitigation. There are entries in this forum on how to make things more challenging.
- Edaphic Lances + Tangled Vine: Point blank area of effect with crowd control, dps
- Viperish desease: with a lot of investment can wipe maps (but very much later in the game)
- Twisted Torment: Boss
- Acute Mind: Utility
- Ancient Bark + Moribund Animus: Buffs
Start 'Nature Weaver Lore', just 1 point in 'Combat Discipline' for a 10% cooldown-reduction. Concentration for the 2nd buff. 'Cabalistic Vodoo Lore' 4th. After that the respective -focus. Combine 'Edaphic Lances' with 'Viperish desease' in a combo and 'Tangled Vine' with 'Viperish Desease' - There are immunity timers on mobs and they cannot be controlled by a type for a bit. 'Black Curse' is now a fear, because fear suited the skill line 'Cabalistic Vodoo' better. It is also pretty deadly to the undead. 'Malicious Totem' confuses all mobs to attack each other. All the skills are useful, maybe you need to switch them up a bit.
> 'Undying Treehugger'
Playing a tanky champ and also do damage to crowds and bosses? Well, you do not have to look any further because all you need is here in a neat, compostable package.
- Viperish Desease + Ravaged Impact: clear, dps
- Twisted Torment + Ravaged Impact: bosses, dps
- Sinister Predator: Buff
Start 'Capricious Hunter Focus', 'Cabalistic Vodoo Focus' 2nd. Sword Mastery 3rd as you need to be able to hit stuff. The way it works is that you equip a 'Ouroboros' Advent' (set item - a ring - that came with the cm patch), but really any item that reduces cooldown per hit works, and apply several instances of the spells to enemies. Then something funny happens: The 'Viperish Desease'-spell starts to apply to monsters in a huge radius. All the rest of the skills can be defensive (you need to watch your spell resist though).
Seraphim: "The enforcers of good utilize melee skills and cleansing magic. The most devout ones are said to have the ability to borrow divine powers. Seraphims actively seek out sources of evil - sometimes even draw them in - in order to eradicate them."
> 'Gabriel'
Many times I chose 1 skill to make up the whole character. In the vanilla version of the game I never knew where to put skill runes because that also interfered with the cooldown rates of the skill. With this build the choice is clear:
- Radiant Pillar: Main dps, the dazzling light pulls evil in
- Hallowed Restoration: Utility
- Instill Belief, Cleansing Brilliance: Buff (Later on also Battle Stance)
Start 'Celestial Magic Lore', just 1 point in 'Combat Discipline' for a 10% cooldown-reduction. Ancient Magic 3rd. 'Celestial Magic Focus' 4th. I recommend Battle stance as buff later on - for that it makes also sense to pick up 'Exalted Warrior Focus'.
> 'Holy Maiden'
I messed around with this skilltree when I played vanilla. I found the 'Doom'-Reference in the beeefgee-buff funny. But ultimately it is a boring skilltree so ... enter the holy maiden:
- Archangels Wrath: Big Clear, dot
- Flaring Nova: for bosses
- Hallowed Restoration: Utility
- Divine Protection, Warding Energy, BeeEffGee: Buffs
Start 'Revered Technology Lore', just 1 point in 'Combat Discipline' for a 10% cooldown-reduction. Concentration for the 2nd buff. Ancient Magic 3rd. 'Revered Technology Focus' 4th. All buffs reduce the cooldown of this skilltree, the most important being 'BeeEffGee'. 'Divination' 5th - because it fits thematically. With enough investment (and the cut-in-half on the cooldown) you can use a screenwide wipe like every 30 seconds.
The Holy Maiden has a slow build up, do not put more skill runes than 1 in the damaging skills until your cooldowns are agreeable (also watch your gear with + skills).
> 'Winona Earp'
A fun build using a one-handed ranged weapon, 'Sand Eagle' if you can find it. To avoid running from mob to mob, you let the champ do the targetting and with some investment you pretty much execute everything. Also: girls and guns, guys.
- Assailing Sommersault + Pelting Strike + Soul Hammer: dps
- Hallowed Restoration: Utility
- Battle Stance: Buff (Later also Instill Belief, Cleansing Brilliance)
Start 'Exalted Warrior Focus', just 1 point in 'Combat Discipline' for a 10% cooldown-reduction. 'Ranged Weapons' and 'Tactics Lore' next. 'Celestial Magic Focus' for the buffs and utility along with concentration. Stay physical damage and slot and/or blacksmith a few 'Silala's Rings' into your gear. The chance to 'disregard armor' and the 'critical chance' on it are fantastic.
Temple Guardian: "Guardians of the old are familiar with all forms of combat, but are most feared for their ability to control and manipulate the powers of elements. This ability and their hardy bodies make them formidable opponents an the battlefield."
> 'Dog of the elements'
What a weird champ this was, right after the Inquisitor. Some skills had an immense windup. The complete 2nd skill tree is useless but for the laser. Well now he is not a weird one anymore. This dog has elemental powers galore.
- Fiery Ember + Icy Evanescene + Charged Grid: Main Dps
- Primal Mutation: Archimedes-Beam - a laser, additional dps
- Combat Alert: Utility
- Untouchable Force + T-Energy Shroud: Buff
Start 'Source Warden Lore'. Concentration 2nd. 'Devout Guardian Focus' 3rd (and skillups in Combat Alert!). 'Source Warden Focus' 4th. 'Combat Discipline' to 75 so you can, with enough cooldown run all three dps spells. You can convert the damage of combat abilities with your battery and for damage I recommend fire (socket a 'chunk of lava'). It has a laser (Rocket Raccoon who?!)!
High Elf: "Manipulators of fire and ice the high elf are undoubtly tuned in to their chosen elements. The party to a battle which calls itself allied to such a powerful mage is usual the side which wins. Strange tales one hears also of powerful deviant magicians, capable in combat and magic."
> 'Firestarter' + 'Snowflake'
These champs are pretty much their original versions, only that I have updated their skills a bit. The 'Mystic Stormite Arts' has been my choice after the cm-patch and the 'ranged weapons'-nerf. It had (and has) good clear and good single target. Since this skilltree does not lack I added something fun: now 'Frost Flare' has become a huge area of effect on a high cooldown which I would call 'Ice Age' - a complete freeze of everything, with temperatures so low that life ceases to exist. The 'Arrant Pyromancer Lore' received some more attention, the vanilla fireball is now a dot comparable to the dryads 'desease'-spell and can wipe maps with a lot of investment (and/or combination with 'Delphic Arts', see build 'Quicksilver' below). The rest of the skills in this line feel also like they are more impactful now.
- pick a skilltree, Arrant Pyromancer (fire) or Mystic Stormite (ice)
Do not forget the 'Grand Invigoration'-buff and 'Delphic Arts Focus' to improve it.
> 'Deviant'
The Delphic Arcania was always somewhat overlooked. I updated it with a pretty unique mechanic - you will have to attack as a caster to do damage. So you need to be able to land a hit on an enemy. 'Expulse Magic' is a area of effect spell with a high cooldown, whereas 'Magic Coup' is an attack that reduces the cooldown. Put them in a combo in that order and you can pretty much spam it.
- Expulse Magic + Magic Coup: Main Dps
- Cobalt Strike: additional Dps (or just use this and you will be a straight caster)
- Expulse Magic: Utility
- Grand Invigoration: Buff
Start 'Delphic Arts Lore'. 'Magic Staff' 2nd (!). 'Delphic Arts Focus' 3rd and 'Ancient Magic' 4th. 'Combat Discipline' and 'Concentration' (just the one buff) are not really required but make sure to get some defensive skills and maybe also put some points in dexterity. 'Magic Coup' has no cooldown but does not do a lot of damage either (unless it is a champion or a boss), its main function is to bring the cooldowns of other skills down.
You can also play the 'Deviant' as tank/support as 'expulse magic' benefits also teammembers and make everyone very tanky.
> 'Quicksilver'
I kind of liked the idea of combining attacks and magic, so I made a variant to the 'Deviant'. Take the magic staff 'the Lost' and add a few rings named 'Ouroboros' Advent' (both set items that came with the cm patch). With those and using 'magic coup' you can get the 'Ice Age' (my name for it - in the game it will still be under 'Frost Flare') to a very low cooldown... great experience.
- Frost Flare: Huge clear
- Magic Coup: Cooldown Reduction, bosses
- Expulse Magic: Utility
- Crystal Skin + Grand Invigoration: Buffs
Start 'Mystic Stormite Lore'. 'Magic Staff' 2nd (!). 'Mystic Stormite Focus' 3rd. 'Delphic Arts Lore' and 'Concentration' 4th and 5th. Armor, Shield, Combat Discipline and two other skills of your choosing.
Inquisitor + Dragon mage: "These puny worms are not worth any attention at all."
Both champs are a disjointed mess. Combat arts are a mishmash, look bad and dont feel impactful. I mentioned that my first champ in vanilla was the Inquisitor but I found out early on, that melee skills could be used with a ranged weapon and turned to the far more powerful shadow warrior.
The Dragonmage received a ludicrous buff named 'Familiar' which gives a huge amount of willpower and intelligence which amounts to 'Ancient Magic' and 'Spell Resistance' in one buff. Plus he can take those skills too! This is a cheap way to make the otherwise unattractive champ seem to be less unattractive. Without a lot of explanation on the character developement (and no respec in vanilla) I find a clear champ very much more helpful, thank you!
- Shadow Warrior suggests melee prowess, and delivers it (I did almost a 500.000 crit in niobium with the original skills, the cm-patch and the gear you can drop in the game - and you can propably do more)
- High Elf could have been named better 'Mage', but once you start the character it becomes clear enough
- Dryad is the usual Archer, but two thirds of the skills were already funny.
- Seraphim is melee, but also funny.
- The rest of the champs are just all over the map.
Items: There are two items who again and again have been highly useful to me. The 'Nlovae's Mystery'-magic staff and the 'Kira's Protection'-shield. For melee characters take 'Eugene's Axe', it is superior to the prior 'Officer's Saber'. Also each class has now an item set providing good base stats but also has 4 crafting slots per item, ranging from bronze-gold. With the 'blacksmithing' skill you can make some really powerful gear. My shadow warrior has a 100% 'chance to disregard armor' with 4 rings crafted into gold-slots (where its stats are slightly improved upon) making a niobium-boss as resilient as a bronze-kobold. Also I never invest more than 100 skillpoints into a single skill because with crafted gear I get every skill over 200 and at that point your returns will diminuish. I stop investing skill-runes at about the same number.
Version 2, Last Version 3
Hej hej,
I have smoothed out the start of some of the builds I suggested. Take the whole thing not as coming from an accomplshed modder but coming from someone who likes playing the game. Here is hoping that you might enjoy it.
Have anice week,
Thilenium
Edited by thilenium
new Version
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