Favorite areas in the game.

[Eternalspirit 0]

Hey guys. Ancaria is such a vast and expansive world, with so much stuff to discover and enjoy, and I was wondering which areas you guys feel are the best areas in the game.

 

For me, the Artamark is my number one favorite area. A massive amount of quests, great landscape and terrain design, and a healthy variety of monsters makes this my most looked forward to area to play in with my characters as I progress through the game.

 

The Crystal Plane is a very easy second. Absolutely stunning visuals, and a healthy amount of quests in the region considering its' size makes this one of the best areas in the game. This and the Artamark are really interchangeable for my favorite area.

 

Third is kind of tough, but I have to go with the Swamp. Although it is a fairly flat place without much variety in monsters to kill, there is a good deal of things to do and I generally enjoy the landscape, even though it is quite murky and depressing. It also has probably the single most awesome main quest boss in the entire game.

 

The Seraphim Island/Dragon Sea Islands are fourth (I consider it a single area, even though they are split up in the quest book.. really not sure why). Not a whole lot of stuff to do, but the Seraphim Island is pretty and the caves of the Dragon Sea Islands are pretty interesting to go through. I really hated the caves at first because I felt they were pretty confusing to navigate, but as I learned how to traverse it, my enjoyment of the area increased as well. Moreover, boat travel makes it pretty convenient to quickly get to where you want to go. The Carnach is also a pretty cool boss.

 

This area doesn't have it's own chapter, but Christmas Island is fifth. I consider this an area of it's own because it has not only one, but two very long quest chains involving many boss fights and lots of phat lewtz to plunder. It also looks really awesome. I've always loved coming here.

 

Sixth has to be the Bengaresh Desert. The landscape is kind of boring, but the good deal of things to do and a wide variety of monsters to fight make it pretty enjoyable to go through it. However, the completely obscene amounts of HP and damage that the scorpions have that is ridiculously disproportional relative to the rest of the monsters in the area sort of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm also not too fond of the main quest boss.. very uninteresting design choice there.

 

Seventh is really hard to decide, but I have to go with the Jungle. A really beautiful place to look at, which does a lot to make up for the small size of the area and relatively few quests. Not much more to say here.

 

Dyr Lain is eighth for me. Even though the island is fairly big, there isn't much in it. That said, it is still another gorgeous area with one of the coolest designs for a quest boss in the game. I never would have imagined that I'd have to fight a giant, floating crystal thingy. However, I find the quests particularly tedious with a whole ton of excessive running around (relative to the amount of quests and size of the area), and really boring monster designs, perhaps the most boring in the game (re-used everything except the plants, which were.. uninteresting to say the least).

 

Gotta go with Nor Plat for ninth. Although the area is very healthy in size and content, I find it has some of the most boring landscape in the entire game. It is an incredibly flat place without many features to it, other than a few hills, and no awesome weather effects to help mitigate that (like the Swamp). I also found the pretty much every monster felt the same. Orcs, Trolls (which feel just like Orcs), more Kobolds, Orcs.. blech.

 

Tyr Lysia for tenth. I absolutely detest this place. I'm not a fan of the design of Thylysium (so much walking around.. I find only getting to the castle of Griffinborough to be more tedious), and doing this place so many times with failed character designs has driven me to the point of near insanity. I really wish they made this place like 1/4th of the size, but I understand why it's as big as it is.

 

Finally, the Wasteland for eleventh. How can a place with practically nothing in it be ranked anything other than last? Just a linear trek to the final boss with no distractions in between.. not even a side quest or two. It's too bad, really.

 

I don't have the Blood Forest ranked yet because I haven't been there yet, but if it's anywhere near as good as the Crystal Plane, then I expect it to be quite high on my list.

 

So, what do you guys think of Ancaria?

[essjayehm 58]

Epic post, Eternal one! Mine will be somewhat shorter

 

I, too, adore Atamark. #1, IMO. It is huge, and a decent variety of enemies. I'm not a quest-lover but the Ghost Village quest chain is one that I enjoy when I choose to do some. Also, one of the toughest minibosses in the game resides here, and even I think twice before I ever go near him (Banshee).

 

I gotta say I love the wasteland. Maybe not #2 on my list, but this area is tough, and a real test for weaker builds. No place to get side-tracked also moves it up on my list. The great machine is the 'only' place to get Mechanical Parts and Accumulator trophies, for shield toons, so I have farmed here some.

 

Swamp and Orc regions tie for their "difficulty". Nor Plat will test your Physical resistances, and the Swamp covers every damage type (although light on Fire damage, as you just came from the Carnach/'fire' area).

Of course, the "SE swamp" and Orc Cave for their "experience per minuite" farming uses as well.

 

Desert - hard, yes. Varied, no. Only the scorpions are any challenge (sometimes a stone dude will get in a good hit) but they can be a good one. Admittedly, I have spent too much time "walking" around this place to truly like it anymore.

 

All the other areas I don't spent too much time in. Beeline the main quest for Tyr Lysia, Seraphim Isle/Dragon caves, Jungle and Dryad Island thankyouverymuch. Sadly, the Empty Office quest isn't worth doing and I do enjoy the walk there, but the reason to do it just isn't, so I don't get there often. Having only played the console verion for Sacred 2, I haven't been to Xmas isle, Crystal Plane or Blood Forest. If I 'had' to rank them, it would be

Atamark, Swamp, Nor Plat, Wasteland, Desert, Jungle, Seraphim/Dragon Caves, Dyr Lain, Tyr Lysia.

[Eternalspirit 0]

Epic post, Eternal one! Mine will be somewhat shorter

 

I, too, adore Atamark. #1, IMO. It is huge, and a decent variety of enemies. I'm not a quest-lover but the Ghost Village quest chain is one that I enjoy when I choose to do some. Also, one of the toughest minibosses in the game resides here, and even I think twice before I ever go near him (Banshee).

 

I gotta say I love the wasteland. Maybe not #2 on my list, but this area is tough, and a real test for weaker builds. No place to get side-tracked also moves it up on my list. The great machine is the 'only' place to get Mechanical Parts and Accumulator trophies, for shield toons, so I have farmed here some.

 

Swamp and Orc regions tie for their "difficulty". Nor Plat will test your Physical resistances, and the Swamp covers every damage type (although light on Fire damage, as you just came from the Carnach/'fire' area).

Of course, the "SE swamp" and Orc Cave for their "experience per minuite" farming uses as well.

 

Desert - hard, yes. Varied, no. Only the scorpions are any challenge (sometimes a stone dude will get in a good hit) but they can be a good one. Admittedly, I have spent too much time "walking" around this place to truly like it anymore.

 

All the other areas I don't spent too much time in. Beeline the main quest for Tyr Lysia, Seraphim Isle/Dragon caves, Jungle and Dryad Island thankyouverymuch. Sadly, the Empty Office quest isn't worth doing and I do enjoy the walk there, but the reason to do it just isn't, so I don't get there often. Having only played the console verion for Sacred 2, I haven't been to Xmas isle, Crystal Plane or Blood Forest. If I 'had' to rank them, it would be

Atamark, Swamp, Nor Plat, Wasteland, Desert, Jungle, Seraphim/Dragon Caves, Dyr Lain, Tyr Lysia.

 

I'm so glad that we agree about Artamark. I thought that might have been a minority opinion.. and it still may be, but we're 2/2 for now.

 

I also feel really bad for you about the Crystal Plane. The developers obviously spent a lot of time on the place, and it really shows.. it's probably the prettiest place in the entire game. I hope that one day you will be able to experience it yourself.

 

Also curious about you saying that the desert isn't very varied for monsters. Humans, human spellcasters, human riders, beetles, harpies, lions, griffons, scorpions, stone guardians.. there are a ton of different enemies here. I think this place and Artamark are tops for monster variety in the game, but I could be wrong.

Edited October 20, 2011 by Eternalspirit

[lujate 578]

I have to disagree about the Crystal Plane. That is the one region I have not been able to explore yet. I keep getting bored and going somewhere else.

 

The Banshee the toughest console mini boss? You think? I would have given that title to either the White Griffin or the Forest Guardian (depending on which one I fought last).

[Eternalspirit 0]

I have to disagree about the Crystal Plane. That is the one region I have not been able to explore yet. I keep getting bored and going somewhere else.

 

The Banshee the toughest console mini boss? You think? I would have given that title to either the White Griffin or the Forest Guardian (depending on which one I fought last).

 

Fair enough. You are welcome to share your opinions but I was actually hoping to see what other peoples' lists look like.

[DaveO 88]

I have to go with Artamark, simply because that's where you can earn your special mount. The amount of quests there is about on par with Tyr Lysia. I'd say that the Swamp is a nice place for the unique boss as well as some of the more memorable quests.

[gogoblender 3,070]

Hey guys. Ancaria is such a vast and expansive world, with so much stuff to discover and enjoy, and I was wondering which areas you guys feel are the best areas in the game.

 

For me, the Artamark is my number one favorite area. A massive amount of quests, great landscape and terrain design, and a healthy variety of monsters makes this my most looked forward to area to play in with my characters as I progress through the game.

 

The Crystal Plane is a very easy second. Absolutely stunning visuals, and a healthy amount of quests in the region considering its' size makes this one of the best areas in the game. This and the Artamark are really interchangeable for my favorite area.

 

Third is kind of tough, but I have to go with the Swamp. Although it is a fairly flat place without much variety in monsters to kill, there is a good deal of things to do and I generally enjoy the landscape, even though it is quite murky and depressing. It also has probably the single most awesome main quest boss in the entire game.

 

The Seraphim Island/Dragon Sea Islands are fourth (I consider it a single area, even though they are split up in the quest book.. really not sure why). Not a whole lot of stuff to do, but the Seraphim Island is pretty and the caves of the Dragon Sea Islands are pretty interesting to go through. I really hated the caves at first because I felt they were pretty confusing to navigate, but as I learned how to traverse it, my enjoyment of the area increased as well. Moreover, boat travel makes it pretty convenient to quickly get to where you want to go. The Carnach is also a pretty cool boss.

 

This area doesn't have it's own chapter, but Christmas Island is fifth. I consider this an area of it's own because it has not only one, but two very long quest chains involving many boss fights and lots of phat lewtz to plunder. It also looks really awesome. I've always loved coming here.

 

Sixth has to be the Bengaresh Desert. The landscape is kind of boring, but the good deal of things to do and a wide variety of monsters to fight make it pretty enjoyable to go through it. However, the completely obscene amounts of HP and damage that the scorpions have that is ridiculously disproportional relative to the rest of the monsters in the area sort of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm also not too fond of the main quest boss.. very uninteresting design choice there.

 

Seventh is really hard to decide, but I have to go with the Jungle. A really beautiful place to look at, which does a lot to make up for the small size of the area and relatively few quests. Not much more to say here.

 

Dyr Lain is eighth for me. Even though the island is fairly big, there isn't much in it. That said, it is still another gorgeous area with one of the coolest designs for a quest boss in the game. I never would have imagined that I'd have to fight a giant, floating crystal thingy. However, I find the quests particularly tedious with a whole ton of excessive running around (relative to the amount of quests and size of the area), and really boring monster designs, perhaps the most boring in the game (re-used everything except the plants, which were.. uninteresting to say the least).

 

Gotta go with Nor Plat for ninth. Although the area is very healthy in size and content, I find it has some of the most boring landscape in the entire game. It is an incredibly flat place without many features to it, other than a few hills, and no awesome weather effects to help mitigate that (like the Swamp). I also found the pretty much every monster felt the same. Orcs, Trolls (which feel just like Orcs), more Kobolds, Orcs.. blech.

 

Tyr Lysia for tenth. I absolutely detest this place. I'm not a fan of the design of Thylysium (so much walking around.. I find only getting to the castle of Griffinborough to be more tedious), and doing this place so many times with failed character designs has driven me to the point of near insanity. I really wish they made this place like 1/4th of the size, but I understand why it's as big as it is.

 

Finally, the Wasteland for eleventh. How can a place with practically nothing in it be ranked anything other than last? Just a linear trek to the final boss with no distractions in between.. not even a side quest or two. It's too bad, really.

 

I don't have the Blood Forest ranked yet because I haven't been there yet, but if it's anywhere near as good as the Crystal Plane, then I expect it to be quite high on my list.

 

So, what do you guys think of Ancaria?

 

 

Nice writeup there Eternal. I've really only played HC in servers for the game, so I was really addicted to builds and leveling. Because of that, I fell in love with the swamps from the get go, and for almost a year, almost every build I made had to be able to be successful in that area first, just because I could level so quickly there. When Ice and blood came out, a lot of us were terrified, as the devs, for parting gift, made the tiks from pretty much all DoT's unbelievably powerful which almost made me lost interest in the swamp.

 

Course gaming being gaming, eventually people figgered out anti dot gear, and when all the bargaining networks matured up in the high levels, it was possible to consolidate larger and larger percentages of anti dot from fewer socktet... and with that the return to the swamps!

 

I'm kind of a love craft fan here, and I still think the Olms one of the best done races in the game. A lot of different types, all with their own attacks, those cool wiggly tentacle beards, and they're hard. ^^

 

I think after the swamps, it's the jungle, lol. Again, this is for me almost purely a leveling thing. Those jungle denizens mob superbly, no dots, and experience is like Christmas time if you're able to hit them nicely.

 

 

gogo

[Dragon Brother 619]

Hmmm...I like the city of thylisium. Detailed buildings, t-energy flowing, the glass effects and all that, looks great

 

Otherwise, some parts of the desert are nice, mainly around the edges where you wander in amongst cliffs and valleys to find things.

[Flix 5,116]

1. Artamark. It reminds me of the first Sacred. The right shade of green everywhere (not bright like Tyr-Lysia, not drab like Nor-Plat, not mucous like the Swamp), a big and varied landscape. Few T-Energy pipelines, humans everywhere. Castles and mountains and werewolves and haunted forests.

 

2. Tyr-Lysia. I happen to hate the layout of Thylysium as well, but I love the rest of the elven region. I love all the quests and the little discrete mini-regions, the Blind Guardian Quest and the epic Undead Legion quests.

 

3. Nor-Plat. I like the Orc cultures, they are crude and gross and barbaric, and a lot of fun to muck around in. I like the bleak, grassy mountain ranges and the quests that are all about fighting big monsters.

 

4. Christmas Island/Northland. I giggled quite a lot the first time here, just listening to the music. It's such a delightful section of the game with the Christmas Ogre and the Grinch and all. I love the Christmas quest and the Northland expedition quest that you can run concurrently. Some challenges here too, with your buffs getting stripped and the possibility of fighting two boss yeti at one time (Haenir and Walther).

 

5. Blood Forest. Eternalspirit, you left this off your list! This place is just damn cool. It's gruesome and macabre while still being a bit lighthearted in places and has an interesting story and quests. It's got big mobs of enemies that give good XP, and some deadly bosses (the Abishai is hands down the most dangerous foe I've faced in Sacred 2).

 

6.Dyr-Lain. The Dryad Island is fairly interesting with its jungle cats and Blood Dryads and other quests. It doesn't overstay its welcome.

 

7. Crystal Plains. Very beautiful section of the game, dense with enemies, and a tough boss. Very much caters to the combat lover in me.

 

8.Bengaresh Desert. I like this section alright, but there's too much bland empty space, and too many trash enemies like scarabs filling that space. It has good quests and you can move through it fairly quickly if you only stick to the main quest. Storyline-wise, it has got to be the most utterly pointless section of the game though. You already know full well that your goal is the jungle, why waste time in the desert?

 

9. Seraphim/Dragon Islands. I hate navigating these tunnels and islands. I love all the dragon fights however. And story-wise, it's very interesting.

 

10. The Jungle. I liked the area quite a bit, but I feel like this area had more potential, and it's just too small and too short. A two-part main quest, and about 4 side-quests, 1 village and a few narrow pathways through the brush.

 

11. The Swamp. AH GOD I HATE THE SWAMP. I can't stand the lizards and their weird beliefs and quests, the mists of miasma, the stomping sound that thunders every time I visit merchants. I can't stand the environment itself, and trying to walk along the little wooden bridges and around fences just to travel what should be a few steps through town. The spitting spiders that kill all my escorts in two seconds. The Olms that always root me in place no matter how much chance to block or reflect root effects I have. Bleh!

 

12. The Wasteland. Well, the finale within the machine is very good, but it's a very uneventful trek through some boring canyons and tunnels to get there. I was expecting something like Sacred 1's grueling grind through Hell's Ridge and the Valley of Tears before I reached the final bosses, but it's a pretty tame walk here since there are few enemies and they're mostly fighting other soldiers.