Titan Quest dynasty - slow ride through "Legendary" play

[hoopsguy]

I'm sure that someone has done a dynasty for a Diablo-style game in the past, but I have not seen one in my time reading the boards. So I'm going to undertake to do this with Titan Quest and the expansion pack Immortal Throne that was released earlier this month.

I'll follow the trials and tribulations of our main character for as long as I feel like writing. I'll detail the plot in broad strokes, as well as review the equipment collected, skills selected, and give looks at the character as he grows.

If there are other people out there who have played this game and would like to join our hero on his quest I'll be happy to incorporate them into our story as well. I've played multi-player with one person on this forum and have talked about doing so with others.

So, without further ado, I bring you the hero of our story, "Colossal Squid"!

[hoopsguy]

There are no aquatic animation choices for our hero (don't think the expansion will help with this, planning to pick it up later this week), so I'll stick with the default male character. There are five choices for his tunic - the pale blue color seems the best fit for CS. And that pretty much covers the initial character creation.

[hoopsguy]

Level 1:
Health: 300
Energy: 300
Strength: 50
Intelligence: 50
Dexterity: 50

The only equipment is a copper dagger:
4-8 damage
15% Piercing
Speed: Very Fast

All resistances (Fire, Cold, Lightning, Poison, Piercing) are zero.

Offense:
Average Damage: 10
Attack Speed: 106%
Damage Per Second (DPS): 10

Defense:
Combined Armor: 0
Block: 0%
Damage Blocked: 0

I have 500 gold to my name.

All starting characters match this profile. The information here is mostly to provide some level of context for future discussions about the character. For those who have played the game before, I'm open to feedback on what kind of direction to take the character in as he travels across the globe.

[hoopsguy]

The game begins in the small Greek town of Helos. It in under attack by Satyrs and other assorted beasts. The village is asking for my help clearing them out so the farmers can farm and whatever else it is that people do in Helos.

I get my first quest - Save Timaeus' horse. Quests are divided between main quests and side quests. This one is considered a main quest since it falls on the major story arc. The side quests do not need to be completed to advance the plot.

The horse is under attack from a Ravenous Boar and a pair of Satyrs. Both are too busy attacking, but failing to kill the horse, to take notice of me gutting them with my tiny dagger. And I now have some new goods, thanks to this battle.

Leather Harness:
7 Armor

Copper Hand Axe:
7-13 Damage
Speed Average

My attack speed dips to 93%, but with an Average Damage of 13 I'm now at a DPS rating of 12. Since that moves upwards, I'll use the new weapon. And my combined armor is 7. Let the good times roll.

Timaeus doesn't have any reward for me. Hopefully the other people asking me to help them are a little more grateful. I've now been tasked with cleaning up Helos, since I've shown the ability to stand up to the invaders.

[hoopsguy]

The leader of the town, Diomedes, officially enlists me to take the battle to the powerful Satyr shaman who is leading the forces against this town. He is described as a "terrible sorcerer", which I don't believe is intended as an insult to his sorcering abilities. Diomedes is offering to pay me for my services, so I'm a little more interested in taking on this quest.

There is a trader in town who has goods for sale. I'll come back to him a little later, if my trusty copper axe doesn't look tough enough to chop down my foes.

There is also a Storyteller in town, who shares with me the tales of Herakles. Definitely nice for establishing the Greek vibe.

[hoopsguy]

Just outside of town I run into Satyrs, Boars, and Crows. Unlike my earlier opponents, these ones are actually fighting back. I'm reminded that I'm pretty physically weak when I see my health fall quickly with each hit. My basic tactics are to try and only fight one opponent at a time - approach close enough that a straggler charges at me, rinse, repeat. I look forward to being able to wade through my foes, but right now I'll bide my time until I get better equipment or at least healing potions to erase some mistakes.

It is nice to see that the Satyr's holding torches actually hit me with a fire attack and drop the torches when I kill them. In no time I've accumulated six of them along with some spare armor and three lesser health potions from a chest.

I hit an encounter with a flurry of Satyrs, which force me to burn my first potion. But at the conclusion, I've reached enough experience to move up to Level 2. Time to make a decision on what kind of character I want to play.

[hoopsguy]

In Titan Quest there are 8 skill sets - upon achieving Level 2 you get to choose your primary skill. Later in the game (level 8, I believe) a second one becomes available.

Storm - big time lightning and cold attacks, limited defense
Earth - FIRE! FIRE! And an earth elemental to act as a meat shield
Warfare - all physical attack all the time
Spirit - think necromancer, taking life from foes to augment own. Also have a pet lich
Defense - survives by absorbing and minimizing attacks, many revolve around shield
Nature - call on denizens of forest to attack/defend. Healing and defensive auras as well
Hunting - bow and spear combat specialist, relies on speed, range, and critical hits
Rogue - hit and run fighter, uses poison and bleeding attacks, not a one-on-many fighter natively

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm reading along. :)

[hoopsguy]

Nature is the choice for the first skill group, mainly because I've never played it before. And I wanted to take a group that allowed for some sort of summoning because I have not played a very high level character with those abilities.

Each level gives you three points for your skills and two points to add to your attributes (health, energy, strength, intelligence, dexterity). Usually I just bank some of the points early in the game to spend them later when I find a challenging area, but since this is a dynasty I'll spend them as I go. I pick up the "Call of the Wild" ability, which allows me to summon a wolf companion. It takes 40% of my total energy total to summon him, and he doesn't have a ton of health, so I'll need to invest points in this ability along the way for him to remain relevant.

The level also grants me five points for Intelligence and three points for Dexterity. I'm at 340 health and 332 energy, both of which represent 10+ % jumps from last level. I put my two points into strength and dexterity, which add several points to each.

Health: 340
Energy: 332
Strength: 54
Intelligence: 55
Dexterity: 57

I'm also strong enough to use an Iron Hand Axe now, so I dump most of my money to purchase this item (532 of 561 gold). I know that I would likely find something like this in the wild eventually, but I want to deliver more damage now with my lack of direct attack or healing spells at this level. And I believe in spending the money when I have the choice, rather than saving up for a rainy day.

Iron Hand Axe:
11-18 Damage
Speed: Average:
Requirements: 54 Strength, 40 Dexterity

This boosts my Average Damage up to 18 and my DPS to 16. A 33% upgrade here. Clearly this version of Colossal Squid would crush the Level 1 guy, especially with the pet wolf along for the ride. I'm ready to hunt Satyr shaman.

[hoopsguy]

The first lesson I learn with my pet is that he tends to seek out combat. So I'll find myself gaining experience more quickly, but also taking damage more quickly. I'll need to invest in potions or else in points that allow him to gain in health so he can go kill things without my help. Actively taking control of the pet to drag him away from fights is also possible, but I see that getting old really quickly.

However, when the two of us attack Satyr's together it is a pretty big mismatch. We find the shaman and, with the help of a nearby Regeneration shrine and a 2nd wolf summoning, escape without using a single potion. All too easy. And he drops a number of magical items, as we are suddenly in business with equipment.

All of the magical items require at least Level 3, which I should reach shortly. But for now I've added a shield (Pine Crude Buckler, 8% to block 26 damage) and upgraded my armor to Leather Breastplate (9 Armor).

I make use of my Portal Stone ability, which allows me to teleport back to the town. This was gained at Level 2 and is a huge time-saver in this game, cutting down on unnecessary walking time.

[hoopsguy]

Diomedes is fired up that we defeated the monsters. He gives us 1,000 gold and 150XP, which is enough to bump me up to Level 3. He also asks me to find General Leonidas of Sparta, who commands the armies fighting the monsters. That falls under the primary quests, so that will be my next destination once I'm done collecting the loot from the last battle.

[hoopsguy]

So I actually am faced with somewhat interesting challenges this time around, as I have three different weapon options.

The first one eliminated is the Pupil's Withered Staff. It does 7 base Fire damage, with a speed of Slow. However, it gives a bonus of 49 Energy (about 13% on top of what I already have) and gives 1.0 Enery Regen per second. Too slow, not enough damage, not enough bonus, this is sold for 130 gold.

Option #2 is a Static Withered Staff of Insight. Same base fire damage, speed, and energy regen, but also 1-8 Lightning damage and +5 to my Intelligence score. Average Damage is 15, Attack Speed is 79%, and DPS is 11.

Option #3 is a Handaxe of Brawn, coupled with a Pine Crude Buckler. The handaxe does 11-18 damage with a Speed rating of Average. It also bumps up my Strength by 6. Much better Average Damage (18), Attack Speed (93%), and DPS (16). I'll go with this for now.

Other new items:
Leather Helm of Agility: 9 Armor, +6 Dexterity
Protective Leather Armbands of Endurance: 9 Armor, +10% Cold Resistance, +74 Health (a whopping 20% boost)
Wool Simple Wraps: 10 Armor, +20% Energy Regeneration
Simple Sash of Energy: 8 Armor, +21 Energy, +48% Energy Regeneration

Both of my attribute points go into Intelligence, as it is lagging behind Strength and Dexterity thanks to item bonuses. My skill points go to Wolf, Regrowth (new healing spell), and towards my overall mastery of Nature magic, which is required to make new spells available.

Health: 434
Energy: 369
Strength: 60
Intelligence: 65
Dexterity: 64

10% Cold Resistance

Average Damage: 18
Attack Speed: 93%
DPS: 16

Combined Armor: 36
Block: 8%
Damage Blocked: 26

Gold: 1615

Offensive Ability: 64
Defensive Ability: 64
Energy Regeneration: 2.33

[hoopsguy]

So I have enough cash to afford non-magical equipment, but not magical stuff. I spend a few hundred to upgrade my shield; the new Ash Crude Buckler has an 8% chance of blocking 31 damage. I bank the other 1200 gold for later, since I can't afford any rings, amulets, or upgrades to other equipment. And with that I leave Helos in search of General Leonidas.

[hoopsguy]

On the way out of town, I pick up my first side quest. It appears that a pack of Satyr's captured a shepherd and dragged him off to a cave. His male lover (welcome to ancient Greece!) wants him back and will give me magical jewelry and 300 experience to complete this request. Since I'm lacking in magical jewelry, I'm all for helping reunite this pair.

There is a Frostbite shrine just outside of Helos, on the road to Sparta, that allows us to deal cold damage on top of our ordinary damage. We go on a killing spree of Satyrs, Boars, and Crows while the spell lasts.

Just before we find a cave, we come across Leather Greaves of Brawn. 12 Armor, +5 Strength. We take the attribute jump and better armor over the +20% Energy Regeneration offered by the Wool Simple Wraps. At this point in the game, I'm not spending a ton of energy as my health is staying up and the wolf is staying alive. Easy decision now, although at higher levels I would likely value the energy regeneration more.

[hoopsguy]

The cave is a pretty tiny two-level model, where we find the lost shepherd. He is excited to see a human face, but intent on returning to Nicostratus, as they are "close like brothers".

A chest near the back offers up a Knife of Destruction. 7-11 Damage, 15% Piercing, Very Fast. That would drop my Average Damage from 18 to 16, but the Attack Speed would move to 106% and the DPS would remain at 16. I like the knife better because it delivers some piercing damage as well, but I sacrifice 6 points of Strength in the process. I'll keep the Axe along in case I have an item that requires higher base strength in the short term. Long term, I'm still looking for a staff that provides more value than these hand-to-hand weapons.

The "magical jewelry" was a Pupil's Band, a ring that gives a +39 boost to Energy.

I'm closing in on Level 4 as I continue my journey towards Sparta.

[hoopsguy]

The road to Sparta leads us to Laconia Woods, where we encounter Harpies for the first time. I also have to use my healing spell on my pet wolf - another first. He does just fine against a lone Satyr or two without me, but put him one-on-one versus a boar and he takes a good amount of damage.

We meet Lycos, a laborer, who is in a tiny village. After saving him from Satyr's we have apparently completed another side quest. He gives us 1500 gold and enough experience to push me up to Level 4. Time to head back to town and see if I can afford any low-level magic items to increase my character.

When I get there, I see that the Smoldering Crude Spear I picked up earlier offers a pretty nice upgrade over my Knife of Destruction. It is Slow, but does 13-22 Damage + 2-5 Fire Damage. Add the 25% Piercing and the 22 DPS and I'm sold on this weapon for now. Plus the Knife of Destruction fetches 805 gold when I sell it, bringing me close to 5000 gold total.

I spend all but 1000 gold upgrading my armor to a Pupil's Simple Mantle. It offers 13 Armor (jump of 5), as well as +45 Energy and +37% Energy Regeneration.

A review of the available equipment shows that I'll need higher intelligence to get worthwhile staffs, so I put one point towards Intelligence and one towards Strength.

I boost my Nature Mastery up to 4, which opens up four new spells:
- Heart of Oak: bolsters the lifeforce of yourself and nearby allies
- Accelerated Growth: allows Regrowth to be cast more frequently
- Maul: add-on for Call of the Wild, gnawing attack that causes bleeding damage
- Plague: affects nearby enemies with a debilitating ailment that reduces health and quickly spreads to other nearby creatures

I love the concept of a multi-attack ability (Plague) but the damage starts off pretty low. For now, I'm going to invest in my wolf, bringing Call of the Wild up to Level 3 and Maul to Level 1. My wolf now has 244 health and a 17% chance to dodge attacks and avoid projectiles. Hopefully he is able to match up better with boars ...

[hoopsguy]

Level 4 snap-shot:
Health: 454
Energy: 448
Strength: 63
Intelligence: 72
Dexterity: 66

10% Cold Resistance

DPS: 22
Combined Armor: 43

Offensive/Defensive Ability: both 66
Energy Regeneration: 2.09

Gold: 1284

[hoopsguy]

Moving through the remainder of Laconia Woods, a couple of tidbits:
- Shrine of Mastery is really fun. It is basically an invitation to whale on the competition for 30-60 seconds.
- the spear really helps with damage, and I'm finishing off boars with 2-3 hits. I expect that the Piercing damage, on top of the DPS, makes this a 50% upgrade from the axe I used for most of Level 3.

We get a new quest from Euphadimus, whose medicines are being held by a Satyr champion ahead. I need to use a potion to take down the big Satyr and his band of archers, but all in all a pretty routine day at the office. I'm given a Health Potion and some experience for my troubles. It looks like the next town will be Tegea, based on what Euphadimus said in our conversations.

We move into Laconia Hills and we see a Satyr Magi - pretty similar to the head bad guy when we were Level 2. No threat at all at this point, not that those creatures were all that scary back then either.

New item - Alleviating Garland. 14 Armor (jump of 5), +8% Poison Resistance, +23% Energy Regeneration. I have to give up +6 Dexterity from the old Helm. But it is an easy enough tradeoff, bringing my Combined Armor rating up to 48.

[hoopsguy]

It is in Laconia Hills that I encounter my first "monster charm". A harpy leaves behind a Pristine Plumage, which can be combined with any armor to give a +4% Poison Resistance bonus. These items can be combined (5 for this charm) to grant an additional bonus. They tend to litter my inventory until I merge the set; I'm a packrat who always holds onto these items in hopes of making better items later.

Thegeas asks me to recover a necklace from some demons - it is to be the dowry for his daughter's wedding. This is a side quest, not a main one. The demons are holed up in a nearby cave. They are new creatures for us, but not terribly difficult. There was a bat champion that was a little tougher, but we still escape relatively unscathed with the necklace. We are rewarded with an Essence of Hecate's Crescent, another relic like the monster charms. This one grants +4% Energy and +20% Energy Regeneration and comes in sets of three.

I meet a random guy near a bridge who tells me that the Spartan army is ahead in their war camp. Before crossing the bridge I wipe out a Satyr camp located near a Shrine of Mastery and ding Level 5.

New item - Alleviating Simple Mantle. Similar to my current gear, but offers +1 Armor (14) and +7% Poison Resistance and +41% Energy Regeneration (+4% gain) while losing the +45 Energy. Hmm, losing the energy would drop my total by about 10% for bonuses that don't have much value at this stage in the game. I'm not going to pull the trigger just to move my Combined Armor by one point.

[hoopsguy]

Level 5 notes: one point to Intelligence and one point to Dexterity. Two points to my overall Nature Mastery (at 6, next batch of spells come at 10) and one more to Call of the Wild (now 4 of a possible 16).

Health: 494
Energy: 480
Strength: 63
Intelligence: 81
Dexterity: 67

Cold Resist: 10, Poison Resist 8

DPS: 22
Combined Armor: 48

Energy Regeneration: 2.41
Offensive/Defensive Ability: 67 each

Gold: 1563

[Peregrine]

How do you like the game overall, if you don't mind giving a little review? I thought about picking it up when it came out but it seemed like there were some annoying quirks. I don't know if those have been addressed in the expansion or not.

[PiemasterUK]

Interesting.

I play World of Warcraft, but have never heard of Titan Quest. I will be keeping tabs on this thread.

[hoopsguy]

So as we closed in on the Spartan camp, we came across a graveyard stocked with undead archers and spellcasters. Would have been nice for the Spartan's to clean up this mess in their backyard, but I'm on it. It's the first time this game I've had to use multiple potions (lots of archers just suck away health) but the experience was good and they dropped a number of items.

Protective Band: 8% fire resistance
Band of Energy: +20 Energy, +6% Energy
Loop of Insight: +8 Intelligence
Draining Stout Staff: 7-24 base Lightning Damage, 24 Energy Leech over 3 seconds, +1.0 Energy Regeneration. Requires 88 Intelligence, which means I would need to equip the Loop of Insight to use it now.

For the first time, my inventory is full of magic items and I'll need to make some selling decisions to create space.

The Draining Staff moves my DPS down to 21, but I should be able to attack from range with Lightning so it is probably worth it even with sacrificing the shield blocks. I'll give it a try and see how it works out.

Beads of Ability: +14 Defensive Ability (and the last open slot that I could equip something is now filled)

Reinforced Bracers of Energy: 16 Armor (boost of 7), +23 Energy, +7% Energy Regeneration. Need 66 Strength to use these, plus would be giving up 74 health and 10% cold resist. Don't need to make this decision until I get my next level or find something to boost my strength.

Boar Hide: another monster relic/charm, +2 Armor

[hoopsguy]

How do you like the game overall, if you don't mind giving a little review? I thought about picking it up when it came out but it seemed like there were some annoying quirks. I don't know if those have been addressed in the expansion or not.

I have had a lot of fun with it, all in all. It wasn't quite as linear as games like Icewind Dale, although you are still steered on a fairly narrow path through the game. I liked the mythological atmosphere around the game and the overall plot that unfolds - felt like it had good pacing. I got plenty of play out of the game the first time through, somewhere around 50-60 hours including all the side quests. And the expansion pack promises to clean up what has been the most tedious aspect of the game - inventory management. Hopefully as this progresses I'll be able to talk about the expansion pack, which picks up where the game "ends" - with three levels of difficulty like Diablo the game doesn't really end.

Also, I think there is a very different game experience depending on what type of character you choose. This is my first time with a nature guy, and only the second "summoner" class I've played, so I'm getting to sample that with this dynasty.

[hoopsguy]

Interesting.

I play World of Warcraft, but have never heard of Titan Quest. I will be keeping tabs on this thread.

Much more Diablo than WoW, but a fun single player game. There is a multi-player mode, but not in the massive multi-player sense.

Hope you enjoy the read and for anyone who does pick up the game I would love to have you join Colossal Squid on his adventures.

[hoopsguy]

Upon reaching Spartan camp, I'm informed that General Leonidas doesn't meet with uninvited commoners. Perfect. However, if I'm able to eliminate a "particularly savage centaur" I'll be granted an audience. Since this is a "main quest" it sounds like I'm going hunting.

In talking with the Spartans, they seem pretty worried about the invaders. Considering this is the warrior culture of Greece, this is a cause for some concern.

The town blacksmith has the first "green" magic item that I've seen in the game. Of course, it costs 25,000 and I'm not nearly strong enough to use it. But nice to see that those items are at least available now. Here is a review of item colors/significance:
Yellow - magical
Green - rare, usually combines multiple benefits
Blue - epic, but these items can't be augmented with charms like green items
Purple - legendary, won't see these type of items anytime soon

[hoopsguy]

Before heading out to find the centaur, we are asked to locate Hippias, an old warrior who has wandered off into the valley. This is a side quest, but seems like an easy one to complete.

I find Hippias fairly deep in the valley, sitting on a rock with a few dead centaurs and boars in front of him. It is pretty clear he was in no danger, but is happy to hear that his troops asked after him. He warns me to look out for centaurs.

The battles are very different with a staff, as I now bomb away from long range while my wolf runs ahead attacking anything that moves. I'm not having to potions very often, although I am using heal spells on the wolf a little more regularly.

I hit Level 6, which is a good thing because if memory serves correctly the upcoming battle with the centaur leader is at least a little challenging. He has a lot of health and is pretty fast to boot.

I spend my points on Strength and Dexterity, as my Intelligence is pretty high right now. I also invest in Heart of Oak (increase party speed and health) while putting another two points into my Nature Mastery. If I do the same thing next level I'll have three new spells available.

Health: 534
Energy: 512
Strength: 67
Intelligence: 94
Dexterity: 74

10% cold resist, 8% poison resist

DPS: 22
Combined Armor: 48

Energy Regeneration: 4.14
Offensive Ability: 74
Defensive Ability: 88

Gold: 6931

[hoopsguy]

Nessus, the centaur chief, is a load. It takes about eight health potions (there are also energy potions, but I haven't needed to use one yet this game) for me to withstand his onslaught, but the Colossal Squid cannot be repressed! And to the victor belong the spoils.

Centaur Cuirass - 18 armor (upgrade of 5), +6 Intelligence. Losing 45 energy and +37% energy regeneration, but I've already got a number of items helping in this area. I'll take it for now.

Essence of Promotheus' Flame - relic shard, 12 burn damage over 3 seconds, +3% fire damage

And a majestic chest (holds tons of items) - first one I've seen this game.

Essence of Dionysus' Wineskin - relic shard, 2% damage resist, +15 health

Pupil's Loop - +55 energy (upgrade of 16 from the one I was using)

Hardened Reinforced Buckler of Agility - 9% chance to block 47 damage, 10% pierce resist, +5 Dexterity. Requires 90 strength, so I won't be able to use this anytime soon.

Chilling Stout Staff - very similar to what I have equipped, but does 2-5 cold damage instead of energy leech

Garland of Insight - not quite as good as the Garland I'm using, as it has 2 less armor, same energy regen, and tradeoff is +5 Intelligence for 8% Poison Resist. 5% Intelligence and I swap, +5 is not happening.

Ball Mace of Brawn - not something I'm likely to use, but listed to give insight into hand-to-hand weapons at this level. 13-28 damage, speed slow, +7 strength

Pupil's Garland of Ability - +15 Defensive Ability, +47 Energy, +22% Energy Regeneration. I'll take the defensive ability and energy in exchange for the 8% Poison Resist at this stage in the game.


Time to go meet with General Leonidas.

[hoopsguy]

Leonidas is a pretty imposing character - he is bulkier than the other characters I've interacted with so far.

He is proud of his Spartan army and expects victory against the army of creatures. While he presses the battle, he wants me to visit the Oracle in Delphi to help determine the source of the monsters. I'll need to stop in Megara first to find Timon, a friend of Leonidas. Timon will give me the offering needed for a meeting with the Oracle.

[hoopsguy]

I get a bonus point for completing the quest to meet Leonidas. It goes directly into Nature Mastery. Since I'm not having too hard a time with the current creatures, I may as well expand my spell selection for later in the game.

I'm also up to 16K in gold, which should be enough to buy most of the available items in the Spartan camp. Unfortunately, the items that I would actually equip are all 20K and above. So I'll have to keep acquiring items the old fashioned way - off the corpses of my foes.

My wolf doesn't seem to be doing a very good job against the hags I'm finding right now - will have to invest another level in his attack when I hit Level 7, I think.

As I work my way across the Spartan Highlands, I stumble across a big Satyr camp. After mauling about two dozen opponents, I notice that one of them dropped a green item! Unfortunately, it is not very well suited for my character.

Stone Hammer
21-36 Damage
Speed Slow
5% chance of +97% Damage
2-5 Fire Damage
+9 Strength
Required Strength: 82

Near the end of the carnage in the highlands, I hit level 7.

[hoopsguy]

Level 7 - points go towards Strength (still a bunch of items I can't use, Stone Hammer as Exhibit A) and Intelligence. Skill points go towards Nature Magic x2 and Maul.

Here are the new spells available:
Briar Ward: protectice grove of briars grow around you that enemy can not penetrate. Gives bonus health and piercing retaliation.

Survival Instinct: stacking on Call of the Wild, instinctual will to live is triggered whenever health is low. Damage absorbtion, deliver extra damage

Fatigue: stacking on Plague, saps the strength from diseased enemies, slows and reduces damage

Health: 520
Energy: 601
Strength: 71
Intelligence: 111
Dexterity: 78

No resistances

DPS: 22
Combined Armor: 60

Energy Regeneration: 3.69
Offensive Ability: 78
Defensive Ability: 107

Gold: 21494

[hoopsguy]

Time to use some of our warchest on gear.

We spend 11K, or almost 50% of our funds, on a new helmet.

Tough Reinforced Great Helm of Endurance
20 Armor
+4 Armor
+48 Health

I'm sacrificing 47 Energy, +15 Defensive Ability, and 22% Energy Regen for a 10 point upgrade in armor and the health. Combined armor is now 70, which I think is a very good number for this type of character at Level 7. The next area of need is on the DPS, which hasn't moved since Level 4.

I'm forced to flee a fight for the first time, as I stumble into Mycenean ruins without sufficient potions to back up a battle against undead spellcasters, archers, and warriors. Too many in too concentrated an area - guess it is time for me to actually buy potions. I'll start with 11 potions and see how that works out ...

It works out pretty well, as I only need two of them to finish off the guardians of an ancient tomb. I make my way in, along with my faithful wolf companion. Sepulchers line the walls, many of them loaded with magical items and potions. A few hold traps, but they are not deadly.

I've got a pretty nice item that I'll have to hold onto until I hit Level 8:
Protective Bracelet of Dexterity
18 Armor (upgrade of 2)
11% Cold Resistance
+12 Dexterity
+20% Energy Regeneration (13% upgrade)

I'll only be giving up +23 Energy, but the other abilities made this a pretty easy tradeoff. I haven't run close to being out of energy yet and the 13% upgrade in Energy Regeneration makes this an overall upgrade for Energy in terms of maintaining enough for my spells.

I've also got a new close-combat weapon in the event I feel like switching away from my staff.

Smoldering Sudis of Destruction:
13-27 Damage
30% Piercing
Speed: Very Slow
+11% Damage
2-5 Fire Damage
DPS moves to 28

[Peregrine]

I went ahead and picked up the game and the expansion for $45 on Direct2Drive, I'll let you know how I do!

[hoopsguy]

Hope you enjoy it. I got the original a couple of months after it came out for $25. I expect I'll be paying near full price for the expansion so I'm going to probably be a little over your pricetag.

[Peregrine]

So far it's been great, I'm using a Dream character, they have some neat options, I think you could play them as a caster or a fighter, I'm going the fighter route, with some heavy energy boosts to my weapons. Going to hit level 8 soon, I might take defense as my secondary. I can already see there's a lot of replayability here with the different abilities.

[hoopsguy]

I'm pretty sure that I'll add Dream as my second class. I picked up the expansion this afternoon and just finished importing my characters. The graphics are just slightly different than the earlier version, I think ... possibly my mind playing tricks on me, but the colors seem a little more vibrant as I trudge through Spartan Woods.

I agree with what you said about playing the character as a fighter or as a caster. How they play out depends, to a large extent, on where you put your attribute points across Strength, Intelligence, and Dexterity.

The last character I played was a Defense/Storm guy. I had a lot of fun with him, although I'm stuck at a point in the game that is a fair amount further along than where I am in this dynasty. Perhaps a story for another day ...

My collection of relic shards continues to grow as I add a Diseased Plumage to the mix. This item grants a +2% poison damage bonus to armor. I now have six unique relics in my inventory - given that I only have a total of 60 slots, I would like to start seeing some of them pair up.

[hoopsguy]

I should have mentioned the unique relic items earlier. My very next encounter grants me my 2nd Boad Hide, so I now have two of the five for the complete set there.

I also pick up Beads of Agility. This offers a +7 bonus to Dexterity, as compared to my Beads of Ability which granted +14 Defensive Ability. Dexterity impacts both Offensive and Defensive Ability, as well as Piercing Damage (not in play with a staff). I was 78/92 with the Defensive Bonus and 85/85 with the Dex bonus. A wash, but I'll take the balanced option.

I make my way into Tegea and immediate receive a side quest to clean a poisoned spring. The town storyteller shares a story about the goddess Artemis. The town trader has a number of items that I can't use, due to missing the requirements. I also see scrolls for the first time (did not see them in Sparta - don't think I missed them in my one visit since applying the expansion pack).

There is a town graveyard to the southeast. A number of undead fall before the Colossal Squid here. But all in all, this is a podunk town. Still no caravan, so I'm carrying a pretty full load. Perhaps in Megara?

[hoopsguy]

In a battle just outside of Tegea, I score my first epic item from a group of Arachnids! It is a very cool looking sword.

Fell Blade
23-27 Damage
10% Piercing
Speed: Fast
+21% Poison Resistance
+22 Offensive Ability
+16% Attack Speed
+60% Damage to Demons
+2 to Lethal Strike (skill I do not possess)
Required Level: 10 (ugh)
Required Strength: 105 (double ugh)
Required Dexterity: 94 (not there, but could be in 3 levels)

So, this is where I need a merchant. I can't use this for at least three levels and I don't know for sure if it will be an optimal weapon selection at that time. But it is cool to at least be on the board with getting a blue item.

[hoopsguy]

Pegaea, a water nymph, clues me in on the poisoned spring. It appears that her cave is now overrun with poisonous spiders. Makes sense, as there are an awful lot of them around here. I'm to receive a health point boost and experience bonus for clearing out the cave and restoring the spring. Done.

I find an upgrade for one of my current rings - go from +54 Energy to +73 Energy. Always nice.

After fighting through a bunch of spiders in this large cave, I come across a Majestic Chest. Ah, my favorite. And the items are good:

- Essence of Herakles' Might: +4 strength, armor enchantment. Another unique relic shard.
- Simple Wraps of the Pegasus (rare): 15% Elemental (Fire, Cold, Electric) resistance, +13% Elemental Damage, +21% Energy Regeneration, +15% Movement. Huge get!!!!

So that trashes the other leg armor that I was saving for Level 8. I think I can deal with that.

[hoopsguy]

The Arcanist (trader specializing in spellcaster items) has an item that I snap up - Beastcaller's Necklace. It gives a bonus to all pets: 10 Damage, +5% Damage. Yep, I'll take that over +7 Dexterity, since I have a wolf with me just about 24x7.

Also, I've got a problem with my new Pegasus gear - I needed the strength bonus with the old leggings (+5) to allow me to use my helm. I'm going to tough it out for the remainder of this level and then drop a point on strength to rectify this issue, unless I find a better helmet between now and then that doesn't have strength requirements. But if I take a head shot (physical attacks randomly fall on one area, high % for torso, low % for arms, legs, and head) then I'm going to take all the damage rather than having armor absorb it. On second thought, I'll use the Alleviating Garland that I have in my inventory for a little while to cover my head.

[hoopsguy]

The spiders in this cave are dropping a ton of items that I'm not strong enough to use. Which is fine in terms of building a bankroll (up about 25K since buying the Necklace), but the constant teleporting back to town to sell goods is making it hard to get a flow in the game at the moment.


At last I complete the quest. There is still a lot of cave left to explore; it is definitely the biggest "dungeon" that I've run across so far in the game. I'll forge ahead in here until hitting Level 8, then head out to explore new areas.

That takes just a couple of more minutes. After leaving the cave the Nymph gives me an extra 75 health. The two attributes go to Strenght (can now wear the helmet again) and Intelligence.

I have a new mastery available, and Dream is the choice. But I'm going to forego any points in it for the time being. I'm still getting used to Nature and want to continue exploring that for the time being. Two points go into Nature (13 of 32 now) and the last remaining point goes to Survival Instinct. I'm definitely watching out for my pet wolf.

Health: 683
Energy: 604
Strength: 70
Intelligence: 120
Dexterity: 81

15% Fire, Cold, and Electric resist.

DPS: 24
Combined Armor: 68

Energy Regeneration: 3.76
Offensive/Defensive Ability: 81
Run Speed: 115%

Gold: 51,183

[hoopsguy]

Time to spend some of that money. For the bargain price of $18,539 I buy:

Pupil's Padded Mantle of Endurance:
18 Armor (same as current item)
+60 Health
+41 Energy
+39% Energy Regeneration

I lose out on +6 Intelligence in the wash.

I parlay the gain in Energy here to trade in my Pupil's Loop for a Beastcaller's Loop. -73 Energy, but my pet gets to deliver more damage. I'm a big fan of him ripping my foes in half, so I'm pleased to give him the means to do so, even if it means that I don't have as much energy to summon him. I don't need to do it as often if he isn't dying, right? Point of fact, I can count on one hand the number of times my wolf has died so far. Energy consumption has yet to be a problem.

So, I'm down to 20K in gold at this point, but we've seen that acquiring gold is not a problem.

[hoopsguy]

Naturally, as soon as I brag about the lifespan of my wolves, he dies. It is in ruins outside of Tegea, to a ton of undead. I burn through most of my potions in this fight, but finish them off with the help of Wolf #2. There is an ancient tomb nestled up against the coast. Recalling the treasure trove of the last tomb, I barrel ahead.

This one is considerably less friendly. Just about every sarcophagus is trapped, costing me my 2nd wolf in the last ten minutes.

I've begun stockpiling rings that offer elemental resistances. I've got at least 9% for fire, cold, and electricity on hand in the event that I encounter some creature who could exploit a weakness in this area.

I found three different staffs (staves?) in the tomb, with the third one actually boosting my DPS up to 25.

Smoldering Stout Staff of Agility
11-20 Base Cold Damage
Speed: Slow
3-6 Fire Damage
+5 Dexterity
+1.0 Energy Regen per second

So my damage type switches from electricity to Cold with a hint of Fire. Ideally, when I have a bigger inventory I would like to retain multiple weapons that deal different damage types. But for now I can only hold one.

[hoopsguy]

In the forest of Arcadia I find my third Boars Hide - two to go before I will look to add this to some piece of armor. At that point, it will grant an additional 10 points of armor, plus whatever the set bonus comes in at. That is pretty significant when you consider that my armor now falls in the 15-20 range for each piece and the Combined Armor rating is 68.

Another interesting purchasing decision comes about - for 12,931 I can buy a Hardened Reinforced Great Helm of Ability. That will give 4 less armor overall and -48 Health, but gives +16 Defensive Ability (less likely to take critical hits) and 7% Pierce Resistance. My understanding is that the armor only comes into play when that area of the body is attacked, but the resistances come into play no matter what part is attacked. Given how many physical attacks I see, I'm guessing I would be coming out ahead with 7% pierce resist for all attacks versus the -4 penalty on head shots. For others familiar with the game, do you concur with this thought process?

I splurge for the Helmet, but will keep both around for a couple of hours to see if anyone has thoughts on this.

[Peregrine]

In a battle just outside of Tegea, I score my first epic item from a group of Arachnids! It is a very cool looking sword.

Fell Blade
23-27 Damage
10% Piercing
Speed: Fast
+21% Poison Resistance
+22 Offensive Ability
+16% Attack Speed
+60% Damage to Demons
+2 to Lethal Strike (skill I do not possess)
Required Level: 10 (ugh)
Required Strength: 105 (double ugh)
Required Dexterity: 94 (not there, but could be in 3 levels)

So, this is where I need a merchant. I can't use this for at least three levels and I don't know for sure if it will be an optimal weapon selection at that time. But it is cool to at least be on the board with getting a blue item.



That's funny, my character found the same item, but in a different place, off a skeleton leader in the Ruins of Mycenae.

[hoopsguy]

I'm guessing there is a pretty small sample set of epic items that are available for lower level characters.

[hoopsguy]

And on to the Megara Coast, which is a beach setting. There are lizard men (Ichthians) and giant turtles here, both are new opponents for Colossal Squid. Strangely, the Squid cannot head out to sea ...

New item - Reinforced Bracers of Endurance.
Armor 20 (upgrade of 4)
+76 Health
Lose out on +23 Energy and +7% Energy Regen

I'm really looking forward to getting to the next town with a teleportation portal. Sparta no longer has items that meet my needs (for the most part) and Tegea does not have a portal, which means unacceptably long walks back. I'm having to teleport frequently because I my inventory is largely full of stuff I'm saving for that rainy day ...

[hoopsguy]

Level 9 is achieved while battling on the coast. I'm finding the creatures here are hitting me and the wolf too hard, so that is a point I would like to address with my skills this time around if I see good options to do so. I figure I'm not likely to be seeing lesser foes going forward ...

Points go towards Strength and Dexterity this time around, as I want to continue to increase the equipment options available.

Heart of Oak gives 10% Health and 10% Total Speed to me and my nearby allies (wolf) so that seems like a compelling option. Another point goes into Call of the Wild (5/16 now) and the last point brings my overall Nature Mastery to 14. I'll need to put two points in next level to get four additional spell options.

Health: 791
Energy: 565
Strength: 74
Intelligence: 117
Dexterity: 92

15% Resist Fire, Cold, and Lightning. 7% Resist Piercing

DPS: 25
Combined Armor: 68

Energy Regeneration: 4.37
Offensive Ability: 92
Defensive Ability: 108
Run Speed: 115%

Gold: 33,010

[hoopsguy]

A natural cave along the coast reveals another pair of relic pieces:
- Essence of the Valor of Achilles: 5 Damage, +4% attack speed for any weapon (I want to complete this one, as I'm a big proponent of attack speed). 3 required for set.

- Turtle Shell: +1% Shield Block, -5% Sheild Recovery Time. Enhance Shields only. Not at the top of my list for this character ...

And I end up dying in here for the first time this game - really stupid death where an Ichthian shaman runs away into a trio of turtles, who swamp me with their attacks before I can click for a potion to bail me out. Disappointing.

[hoopsguy]

It takes all of three minutes to walk back and just thrash the opponents who killed me, and there is some gratification upon completing the encounter when I see an epic item just waiting to be used.

Glowing Rod
24 Base Fire Damage
Speed: Slow
+11% Fire Damage
20% Chance of 24-45 Burn Retaliation over 3 seconds
1.0 Energy Regeneration per second
+2 to Volcanic Orb (skill I don't have)

The high base damage on this one brings my DPS up to 32, a pretty significant jump. Back to doing fire damage to foes for awhile ...


I'm still a little miffed about dying there - I had twelve potions left to use! And a healing spell!

[hoopsguy]

The very next encounter, we run into an Ichthian hero. This is the first time this has happened since applying the patch, as I see a pop-up at the conclusion of the battle showing the experience for defeating him (1443). Glad to have the new staff for that battle, as he had a ton of health, moved fast, and had a cold ranged attack.

All in all, a fun cave if you get past the whole dying thing ...

From the cave, it is a short walk to Megara. What are the chances they will have a caravan here? I now have 10 unique relic/charm types and another seven slots taken up by rings and beads - over 25% of my total inventory. Mission accomplished, as the Caravan is indeed here. There are 40 slots available for storage initially with more available for the cost of 10,000 gold. I don't need it yet, but won't hesitate to pay for it later.

New side quest in Megara - seek out the Skeleton Raiders.

Hmm, pretty darn good ring available in town for 85K - 30 more than I have. 31% Fire Resist and +12 Dexterity. That is definite improvement over the stuff I've seen earlier.

What I will pop for is a the best armor I've had yet.

Sturdy Bracelet:
22 Armor
+10 Armor (all in all, a 14 Armor upgrade!)
+20% Energy Regeneration
I lose out on +12 Dexterity and 11% Cold Resistance. I'll keep that item on the caravan for potential later use.

There was a really terrific rare Circlet here, but it runs 110K and requires Level 11. I expect to start seeing some equipment upgrades in the next couple of levels based on what is in stock in this town.

[hoopsguy]

I meet Timon, who tells me to take a branch from the sacred olive tree located in a nearby grove. This will be my offering to the Oracle. Timon seems concerned that Leonidas had to send me to address this matter. He also gave us extra inventory space - basically doubling what I can carry around in the field!

I also get a little more detail on the Skeleton. There is a ruined Mycanean city named Old Eleusis. The Raiders come from there. There are three undead princes who rule the ruins.

One more side quest - find the wreckage from a ship wreck on a beach along the Halcyon Coast.

[Peregrine]

I'm enjoying this game, though I need to figure some things out. The inventory system is really annoying me, it's constantly filled up and I have to dump a ton of loot because I don't want to have to walk way, way back to the last town.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm enjoying this game, though I need to figure some things out. The inventory system is really annoying me, it's constantly filled up and I have to dump a ton of loot because I don't want to have to walk way, way back to the last town.


Very early in the game, you can create teleport gates to towns that you have been to. You can teleport to the town, dump loot, and then teleport back to exactly where you were (as long as you don't create another teleport gate before going back.)

[Peregrine]

Hmm, okay. I knew about the portals but I thought they were only good from going from town to town, which I haven't needed to do. I'll try that.

[hoopsguy]

Also, that is why I have been harping on the caravan for the last day - I wanted to clear inventory space so I wouldn't have to teleport back so often.

The first time I played through, I didn't see the teleport option on the character, so I was walking back to town for 30+ levels. Ugh.

[hoopsguy]

And the road to Athens is out. It appears that a bridge over a large river was the only path, and a Cyclops destroyed it just recently. I'm pretty sure I'm not ready yet to battle a Cyclops ... and I could see the entrance to Athens across the river. Drat.

Old Elysius is near the riverbed as well. As expected, there is a ton of undead on the grounds. We (well, me and the wolf) storm the gates and make our way into the ancient ruins. More undead and spiders, and a ton of sarcophagi. I find three more staffs, and I'm too dumb to use each of them. Time to double down on intelligence next level, I suppose. I'm also seeing a number of items with multiple bonuses on them, which sell for more and provide significantly greater value. Nice to see ...

New Armor - Pupil's Padded Mantle of Spirit
22 Armor (4 better than old set)
+59 Energy (18 better than old set)
+50% Energy Regen (+11% better)
I lose out on +60 Health.

I'm just about to ding level 10. I think I would like to have that level in hand before taking on the Skeleton Princes.

[Peregrine]

It looks like we're in about the same place. I'm dealing with the skeleton princes now, particularly one nasty one who has killed me twice now.

[hoopsguy]

Level 10 is in the books, and we celebrate with a new item! Well, until seeing the Level requirement. The Colossal Squid is displeased!

Stately Circlet:
20 Armor (same as current helmet)
+6% Strength
+7% Intelligence
+7% Dexterity
+18% Energy Regeneration
Required Level: 18

I put two points into Nature Mastery, opening up another four spells:
- Tranquility of Water: builds on Heart of Oak, chance to reduce energy costs by 50% while using skills
- Dissemination: builds on Regrowth, helps heal multiple people
- Stinging Nettle: builds on Briar Ward, adds poison retaliation
- Sylvan Nymph: another pet, ranged attacks with bow. Two pets, wow!

Last point goes towards the Nymph. I expect I'll be devoting the majority of my points between familiars for a few levels.

Both attribute points go into Intelligence.

Health: 695
Energy: 655
Strength: 74
Intelligence: 130
Dexterity: 90

15% Fire, Cold, Electricity Resist. 7% Pierce Resist

DPS: 33
Combined Armor: 84

Energy Regeneration: 5.12
Offensive Ability: 90
Defensive Ability: 106
Run Speed: 115%

Gold: 59,917

[hoopsguy]

Colossal Squid and party (now with nymph!) rip Menon, the Bow Prince, in half.

Next, we see our first trap - it is a fire trap that sits in the middle of the room and spits fire in all directions. They are easy to deal with on their own, but harder when you have enemies attacking in all directions.

I'm finding tons of relic shards here - four of them between the time arrived and taking on the second Skeleton Prince. And that prince is Artemis, Prince of the Storm. Again, easy pickings. I've had to use three potions combined to take out these two. I believe Peregrine has been struggling with the third of the princes ...

Another sweet item dropped that I can't use. This one has a cap at Level 15 and doesn't scale benefits like the last one. Bah.

The third skeleton warrior doesn't hold up well either. One more potion needed - definitely helps to have three people on the attack. And that side quest is wrapped up.

[hoopsguy]

So another minor annoyance - the last Green item I found will only sell for 10K. That is the cap for item value at this point in the game. As the game goes forward that value continues to rise. So I'm contemplating stashing it so I can get full value.

I did find a new Helmet that I can use - Sturdy Circlet of Proficiency:
20 Armor
+9 Armor (jump of 9 from current)
+19% Energy Regeneration
+27 Defensive Ability (jump of 11 from current)
I lose out on 7% Pierce Resist, which I'm willing to trade gladly for the Defensive bonus

I'm now up to eight partially completed relics (2+ components) with four more single shards in the collection.

By the way, that Cyclops? Yeah, he was right by here. And he is an enormous pain for most of my builds. But with this one he basically chased me while my two pets nipped at him. Only needed one or two potions to finish him off. He is by far the toughest opponent I've faced yet (says so on the character profile) and I believe he remains the toughest for a few levels to come.

[Peregrine]

It's the Storm Prince that's beating me down, my character doesn't have any ranged attacks or pets, so trying to survive against his magic spells and the trap is just brutal, I almost killed him last time. But then I'm dying a lot more than you in general, I've died probably eight or nine times up till now.

[hoopsguy]

Shortly after leaving the Cyclops behind, the trail leads down to the beaches of Halycon Coast. It didn't take long to find the shipwreck and the treasure, taking it away from undead sailors. Inside was another magical staff for my collection (green one).

Sanguine Stout Staff of Thunder:
5-22 Base Lightning Damage
Speed: Slow
+10% Lightning Damage
18 Life Leech over 3 seconds
7 Lightning Damage
+1.0 Energy Regen per second

The DPS stays the same as my current weapon, but rare items can be slotted with relics while epic ones cannot. Looks like I have a new weapon. I'll keep the old one in storage for creatures susceptible to fire for a couple of levels.

Incidentally, I'm over the 100K mark for gold for the first time ever after hawking the cyclops and shipwreck items.

[hoopsguy]

It's the Storm Prince that's beating me down, my character doesn't have any ranged attacks or pets, so trying to survive against his magic spells and the trap is just brutal, I almost killed him last time. But then I'm dying a lot more than you in general, I've died probably eight or nine times up till now.

Keep in mind this is my fourth character I've played, so I know what kind of encounters I'm going to be facing and have a ton of hours playing the game - good for knowing how to run away more efficiently when I'm overmatched.

[hoopsguy]

Level 11 comes fairly quickly. One more point to the Nymph and another two into Nature (18/32 now). I want to have a full assortment of spells - even if I don't have a ton of points in them - by Level 20 so I can then focus on which ones to buff. The attribute points go to strength and intelligence, as I'm too weak to use a ton of weapons.

Health: 735
Energy: 687
Strength: 78
Intelligence: 139
Dexterity: 93

Resist: 15% Fire, Cold, Lightning

DPS: 34
Combined Armor: 93

Energy Regeneration: 5.59
Offensive Ability: 93
Defensive Ability: 120
Running Speed: 115%

Gold: 137,847

[hoopsguy]

So despite having had Heart of Oak for a couple of levels, I had not moved it into my quick slot lists and thus had not been casting it. It is now a fixture and our party is that much stronger with the speed and health bonuses.

I die for the second time as I'm quickly routed by a centaur who plants a battle standard. I think it is the first time this game I've seen that. He came from the south, over an area I thought was already explored, and attacked when I was short health. Again, two really worthless deaths so far this game. Guess it is good to keep from getting cocky. Or something.

OK, upon further review maybe it wasn't the dumbest death ever. The damn centaur almost got me again. He threw down the flag and the damage was really insane - I'm definitely going to need better defense against those type of attacks later in my adventuring career. My sidekicks took him out while I fled.

I complete my first relic - Boar Hide:
10 Armor
Bonus: 4 Armor

So, a +14 Armor bonus is pretty helpful. I can enhance any armor type. Since torso is the most likely area to be attacked I would look to improve that, all things being equal. But that item is begging to be replaced in my mind, and I would prefer to keep this item around for awhile. I know the invokers can separate them later, but I think the highest value add is on my greaves. I'm stuck with only 10 Armor there and want to keep them for the Elemental Resist, Elemental Damage, and Movement. So moving from 10 to 24 armor makes them valuable for a few more levels, I expect.

[hoopsguy]

So as I continued to make my way across the Ambrossos Farmland, I encountered Chiron, a centaur who spoke to us. It appears that he is not bloodthirsty like the rest of the centaurs we have encountered. He has asked me to retrieve his bow from a cave. The reward is two attribute points, plus some experience. I'm fired up about this quest.

Inside the cave I find Maenads, which are blue cat-like creatures. They are fast and aggressive, but fall quickly to our forces. The leader of their troop falls pretty easily, allowing herself to be distracted by the wolf while the nymph and I bombed away from long range. I spend the attribute points on Strength (up over 80 now, which should open a few items up) and Intelligence.

The village of Ambrossos is just ahead. No teleportation chamber here but a chance to unload some loot. I learn of a skilled blacksmith in the forest ahead (side quest) who has good prices for quality wares. Another side quest is available, as a merchant has lost his goods when he fled robbers. The goods are mine if I can find them.


I cross Helicos Pass and meet Eurytimus, whose grove is burning. There is a fearsome spider beast that has taken up residence in the grove. The Spider Queen throws poison clouds that are a load for a solo fighter, but fleeing and letting the wolf and nymph take their shots, while closing for attacks of opportunity, worked pretty well here. And now I have my proper offering.

And I find a better Padded Wraps of the Pegasus than the ones I just upgraded. 18 Armor to 10, 6% better Elemental Resist, 5% better Elemental Damage, 3% better movement. Killer, but I'm going to have to pay them to remove the Boar Hide from the old one. And that will destroy the old item. Oh well. Yikes! The cost is 102,209!!! I have 189,078, so it isn't the end of the world but I did not expect it to be THAT expensive!

I also picked up a nice ring, Protective Loop of Reasoning. 17% Fire Resist, +13 Intelligence. That will replace the +8 Intelligence ring in a hurry.

Time to find the next life stone, an area where you are restored after loading a new game, and call it a night.

[Peregrine]

Another question, hoops - sorry to keep interrupting your dynasty. What's the best way to see all the items that have been dropped? Up till now I've just been using the z button to display all the names, but I wonder if there's an easier way to do this.

[hoopsguy]

Yes, the ALT button is the shows everything on the ground.

No problem with the questions/comments. I'm glad that you are enjoying the game.

Also, if you have any feedback that would make the dynasty a more interesting read let me know.

[gi]

Finished my MBA, sounds like a fun multiplayer game...hmm.....might have to pick this up.

[Peregrine]

I think it would be fun to make some characters for a FOFC group, we could just play them occasionally when we could all be on at the same time.

[hoopsguy]

Congrats on the MBA, gi.

I would be all for a FOFC group, whether we start from Level 1 or with existing characters. But the multi-player here is not as rich as games like WoW, so I want to make sure expectations are set accordingly.

[gi]

Congrats on the MBA, gi.

I would be all for a FOFC group, whether we start from Level 1 or with existing characters. But the multi-player here is not as rich as games like WoW, so I want to make sure expectations are set accordingly.

If it is like Diablo, I'd be satisfied.

Thanks, took me a long time. Started when we were playing City of Heroes.

[damnMikeBrown]

I'm reading, and becoming pulled in to buying. . .

[hoopsguy]

I'm reading, and becoming pulled in to buying. . .

To give you some idea, I'm about 1/3 of the way through the first "chapter" of the game. There are four chapters (expansion pack adds the 4th, which will be brand new for me as I write it) per difficulty level. So you get a lot of game play for the price.

And, like Diablo there are three difficulty levels. Unlike Diablo, I think there are a TON of ways to play characters, even if you are going with the exact same mastery combinations. I usually do not linger very long with a new character after beating the game, but I've really enjoyed that aspect of this one.

OK, Titan Quest sales pitch over. Colossal Squid will return later this afternoon to find the Oracle and start to unravel the mystery behind the creatures marauding Greece.

[Peregrine]

Well, I decided to re-start with a different character, I realized that I wanted to play sort of a melee, running into the center of everything guy, and my Dream guy wasn't cutting it. I'm now playing a Warfare character and it's much more fun and effective for that playstyle.

[hoopsguy]

I've done the same thing with a Defense guy - although that is the only one of my four characters who has been a hardcore melee type.

[hoopsguy]

It didn't take long to find the abandoned goods. There were a lot of undead guarding them, but not particularly tough undead - nothing like the Princes.

Just after that I hit Level 12. Two more points in Nature Mastery (20/32) and one more for the Nymph (3/16, closing in on my 5/16 wolf). One point for strength, one for intelligence.

Health: 775
Energy: 719
Strength: 86
Intelligence: 157
Dexterity: 96

Resistances: 38% Fire, 21% Cold and Electricity

DPS: 35
Combined Armor: 115

Energy Regeneration: 5.77
Offensive Ability: 96
Defensive Ability: 123
Run Speed: 118%

Gold: 87,483

[hoopsguy]

White crossing the Phocian Swamps, I complete my second relic - Turtle Shell:
+5% Shield Block
-5% Shield Recovery Time
Bonus: +60 Health
Enhance shields only

Since I don't use a shield this is not very exciting news.

[hoopsguy]

After finishing with the swamps I find myself in lower Delphi. Hopefully it isn't too much further now ... I've been pointed towards the Oracle for quite awhile now and I'm eager to see what else there is to learn. Not that mindlessly killing forest creatures and undead doesn't have an allure all its own, but I'm looking for some kind of explanation eventually.

Nestled deep in a forest, just past the bridge that leads towards Delphi, I find the master blacksmith. Another side quest completed, now lets see if there is anything here that will cut into the bulk of my 112,000 gold.

Nope - there is some nice stuff. And a couple of items that are almost buys, but I don't pull the trigger on anything. Too bad.

The next region is Crisaeos Falls - many Satyrs here, including the big fat Ravegers that have more hit points. But these creatures have never given us much trouble and still don't.

On to the Delphi Highlands. I'm continuing to see a number of enemy camps, and I'm clearing them out as quickly as I can.

Just a few moments ago I was complaining that I don't use shields - well, I have one now to use if I'm so inclined.

Outrider's Buckler (rare)
10% chance to block 55 damage
23 Damage
10.0 Chance of 96% Damage Resistance
16% Pierce Resistance
7% Lightning Resistance
+7 Strength
+9 Dexterity
+8% Attack Speed

And I could enchant it with the turtle shell - if I want to go hand-to-hand at some point I've got better options. Might do it on a lark at some point when I'm feeling particularly cocky and funny.

[hoopsguy]

We make our way up a hillside and see the outskirts of Delphi! It appears to be under attack from some aggressive Maenads who have a nasty poison attack. But nothing that we can't handle.

I meet the captain of the guard at Delphi and he seems to be an odd combination of proud and bitter.

I encounter a grieving widow, who tells me how her husband went to battle the beasts. His ghost now visits the wife, asking for someone to kill the beast responsible for his demise.

The town has all the shops that you would expect of a center of commerce, but first things first. I present my gift to gain entry to see the Oracle.

And she has a vision! Her voice changes, as she rattles off a poem. It speaks of powerful foes that threaten both man and the gods. There appear to be three battles to be fought, in distant lands. I'm told to travel through the caves of Parnassus to find the answer of what sent the beasts.

[hoopsguy]

One new game option that becomes available in this town is the Mystic. This person can allow you to re-distribute skill points for a fee. So if I didn't like how I've allocated my points in pets instead of other spells, I could change them with his help. I'll keep him in mind, but no major changes at this time.

Now seems like a decent time to give a recap on my spells. I've devoted all of my points to Nature Magic so far.

Nature Magic: 20/32
Regrowth: 1/16 (Heal)
Call of the Wild: 5/16 (Wolf)
Heart of Oak: 1/12 (Extra Speed/Health for party)
Maul: 3/12 (Wolf attack)
Survival Instinct: 1/16 (Wolf power)
Sylvan Nymph: 3/16

[hoopsguy]

The Squid has a new walking stick! For the bargain price of 90,821 (have 46K left) I'm able to upgrade my DPS from 39 to 48 with this item:

Smoldering Carved Staff of Thunder (rare)
10-29 Base Lightning Damage (up 5-7)
Speed: Slow
+9% Lightning Damage (down 1%)
2-5 Fire Damage
6 Lightning Damage (down 1)
+1.) Energy Regeneration
Losing out on 18 Life Leech over 3 seconds

I'm pretty excited about making significant gains in both DPS and Combined Armor over the last two levels.

And off to the Parnassus Foothills. Lots of spiders at the outset. The extra damage is pretty apparent, as I'm just mowing stuff down right now. One of the spiders drops a fun little epic item - not really my cup of tea but could go with that shield I found earlier ...

Patroclus' Shortblade
22-26 Damage
10% Piercing
Speed: Fast
15 Reduced Armor for 3 seconds
7% Cold Resistance
8% Energy Leech Resistance
+14 Strength
+18 Dexterity
+14% Attack Speed
Required Strength: 105 (darn)

With the strength requirement I would not be able to use this for a couple of levels. Oh well.

And for my next trick - my first ever Arcane Formula! This is a new addition with the expansion pack, so I've never had these. This is a recipe with three ingrediants - three completed relics. Of course, I have one part of one of the three completed relics, so this will take awhile (Essence of Zeus' Thunderbolt - 1/3, Mechanical Parts - 0/5, Spectral Matter - 0/5). The Pendant isn't bad - +7% Lightning damage will scale along with some other damage and a +4% Speed jump. But I've got a ton of work to get to the point where I can build it.

And shortly thereafter I enter the Parnassus Caves.

[hoopsguy]

We encounter a new foe here - Ratmen. They are one of the weaker foes in the game, based on past experience. But who knows, maybe they match up particularly well with Nature Mages ...

The next new monster was a lot tougher - Limos, Demons that steal health. They are tough at this level in the game. They were accompanied by fire breathing dogs who also deal out a bunch of damage.

After having to fall back against the Limos, we just flat overwhelm the creature who murdered the husband of the grieving widow. Weird, we seem to maul the purple (denotes higher level, I believe) creatures but sometimes struggle with the less powerful ones.

[hoopsguy]

I increase my efforts to spend my fortune, depositing nearly 60,000 to upgrade my armor.

Sturdy Padded Mantle of Reprisal
18 Armor
+10 Armor (upgrade of six points)
15% chance of 7-11 Life Leech Retaliation per Second
+42% Energy Regeneration (down 8%)
I also lose +99 Energy

I figure I haven't had any issues with running out of energy. Right now I have 26 Energy Potions and can count on one hand the number of times where I have even felt like my energy was low. Not a problem yet in the game. That leaves me with 35K, or an amount low enough that I won't be able to afford something cool next time I hit the stores.

It isn't long after the return to the caves that I hit Level 13. I've been neglecting my wolf since getting the Nymph, so I spend a point on Maul (10 more damage per attack) and the other two points on Nature Magic - next level I'll have four new spells available. Attributes go to Strength and Intelligence.

Health: 896
Energy: 652
Strength: 90
Intelligence: 166
Dexterity: 99

Resistances: 38% Fire, 21% Cold and Lightning

DPS: 49
Combined Armor: 121

Energy Regeneration: 5.70
Offensive Ability: 99
Defensive Ability: 126
Cast Speed: 110%
Run Speed: 128%

Gold: 36,082

OK, I have no idea what bumped my speed ratings by 10% - maybe something with hitting level 13? I don't see an item that should be doing this.

[hoopsguy]

And after fighting through a few more Limos and assorted demons, I emerge in the Parnassus Hinterlands. To be continued over the weekend.

[PiemasterUK]

After reading this thread, I've decided I'm buying this game, probably going to order from Amazon tomorrow. As a result I have stopped reading the thread, so as not to get too many spoilers.

Sorry :)

[hoopsguy]

Hope you enjoy the game, Piemaster. And play it quickly so you are ahead of me and can resume reading :)

[Brillig]

I just picked this up a few days ago. Definitely fills the Diablo-shaped void.

One thing, anyone considering buying this should definitely get the expansion. Inventory management without it is a nightmare.

Hoops, that +10% you're wondering about comes from Heart of Oak - that has a generic +10% to all speed. Also, sounds like you haven't found any artifact formulas yet. You'll be happy soon, I expect. And even happier once you collect the oddiments to make it.

Oh, and I hate Limos. Hate, hate, hate.

[hoopsguy]

Thanks for the update on Heart of Oak - forgot I had it turned on when looking at the character. Although I've had it for a few levels I had forgotten to slot it and really have only started activating it over the last couple of levels.

"Artifact formulas" - are those different than the "arcane formula" that I mentioned in Post #83? If so, then I haven't seen those yet and will definitely be looking forward to another new expansion pack goody. If not, then I'm just now on my way to seeing how this feature plays out.

In my past characters I've found Limos scary early in the game, but not as much later on. I would comment further on this, but I don't want to drop spoiler-ish stuff that is well ahead of where Colossal Squid is in his adventures.

[Brillig]

Woops! I somehow missed that post. Yeah, that's the one. There seem to be quite a few - I've gotten three formulas, but only managed to build one. (Spectral Matter seems to be a common requirement, but one you can't get early.)

About the purple mobs - I think purple is just a 'quest mob' tag that gets put on when the quest mobs are normally white (or yellow)? Remember even the early quest mobs like the shepherd's cave one are tagged purple even though they're no harder than ordinary grunts. I think only the oranges and reds keep their colors when they're quest mobs.

Oh, and I forgot to add when you complete an artifact, you get a completion bonus, just like you do for a relic or charm. So every artifact has the potential to be unique.

[hoopsguy]

Nice use of the spoiler tag :)

[hoopsguy]

As I work my way across Parnassus I encounter our newest teleportation location - right across from an enterprising Satyr who is hawking goods! He is not much of a conversationalist, but he does have a reasonable selection.

I hope he didn't have strong feelings for the dozens of Satyr's in camps behind him, as they were mowed down by our troop. We cross a bridge and find a massive, massive war camp - there are just a slew of camps holding different types of creatures here.

It starts off with Satyrs again - in bigger packs, with more Ravagers and Shamans. Doesn't really slow us down, although I have to dip into my stock of 40+ healing potions every now and again. From there, we find a cave loaded up with demons, including a couple of Limos - they don't mob, so we take each one out from range before it can close and start sucking away life.

After that, it is a mixture of demons and undead. They swarm and force a momentary retreat, but we push through them after imbibing potions and summoning replacement pets. The reward? The third and final piece for the Essence of the Valor of Achilles.

5 Damage
+12% Attack Speed
33% Slower Attack for 3 seconds
Can enchant all weapons

This is a really nice relic! Increased attack speed translates directly to DPS, and slowing down opponents I hit is just a super added bonus. I think I'll add it to my staff right away and detach it when (not if) I find a better weapon.

Wow, DPS jumps up by 10 points! Or by 20%, depending on how you measure.

[hoopsguy]

At the east edge of the "Lower War-Camp" we find what appear to be ruins - I'm guessing we'll get more undead here. And we do, but happen across a man hiding in a nook. He warns us of an army of monsters, with the worst of the monsters ahead in a cave. The biggest concern is that it sounds like some of these monsters can turn you to stone? Yikes - medusa ahead?

For starters, there are a ton of undead and bats ahead. And Level 14 arrives as well. Time to head back to camp, sell some gear, and take care of the level points.

Two more points to nature magic open another four spells:
- Permanence of Stone: builds on Heart of Oak, provides Elemental Resistance
- Strength of the Pack: builds on Call of the Wild, increases damage, speed, and armor
- Overgrowth: builds on Sylvan Nymph, absorbs damage and retaliation strike
- Susceptibility: builds on Plague, opponents take more damage and elemental damage

Some neat stuff. I put one point into Strength of the Pack. So I now have two buffs to help out with our group attacks. Attribute points go to strength (will keep doing that up to 100, I think) and Intelligence.

Health: 940
Energy: 684
Strength: 94
Intelligence: 175
Dexterity: 102

Resistances: 38% Fire, 21% Cold and Electricity

DPS: 60
Combined Armor: 121

Energy Regeneration: 5.79
Offensive Ability: 102
Defensive Ability: 129
Cast Speed: 110%
Run Speed: 128%

Gold: 94,144

[hoopsguy]

Finished another Monster Charm.

Bat Fang:
30 Life Leech over 3 seconds
Bonsu: 24 Energy Leech over 3 seconds
Can enhance all weapons

Not nearly as good as what I have at the moment, in my opinion. I'll hold onto it for awhile in case I change my mind or need it for some kind of arcane formulas.

We make our way into the courtyard in front of the cave and slaughter pack after pack of ratmen. It isn't very fair, their heavy hitters can't get shots off as we are killing them too fast. The loot is falling fast and furious, but nothing noteworthy until we head back to the trader.

Diogenes' Loop
+12% Intelligence
+6% Energy
Required Level: 15

Can't use it yet, but the 12% Int would be worth about 20 points right now - better than the 13 I'm getting from my current ring. The fact that it, and the energy scale, are more than enough to give up 17% Fire Resist. It cost 75K, leaving me with just over 50K on hand.

[hoopsguy]

The stairs leading into the cave include a number of very life-like statues - should we be worried? I'm cautious enough to save the game ...

There are a total of three Gorgon Queens behind a heavy door. Their attacks are not all that powerful, but they are ranged. It helps to have a ton of potions, a healing spell, and two companions to draw fire. We systematically take down our opponents - not quickly, but effectively. There are a number of "Gorgon" magic items left in their wake. Near the back of the room is a woman named Feiyan.

Feiyan is upset that she was bested by the gorgons. She asks if I'm familiar with a Telkein - it is a great sorcerous beast who leads the armies. It is headed towards Athens, and she means to slay it for destroying her village. She storms out of the room. Thanks for the info and the attitude. I'll just help myself to this Majestic Chest ...

We find an epic bow - I'm sure this would be a good item for someone that is not me. Like, perhaps, my nymph, but that isn't an option.

Telliam's Will
18-35 Damage
Speed: Very Slow
+30% Damage
+30% Pierce Damage
+10 Dexterity
+2 to Marksmanship (skill I don't have)
Required Level: 6
Required Dexterity: 96

If anyone reading along is playing a character who can use this, let me know. I'll stash it for now, but it looks like a really solid weapon for an early level character.

[hoopsguy]

After defeating the Gorgon Queens we encounter a number of Gorgons while making our way through a back passage of the caves. We emerge in a new land and are greeted by another merchant. Athens is fairly close to here - we will want to make progress to see how we measure up against this great sorcerer. I expect that a few hundred Satyrs and Ratmen would consider me a great sorcerer, but I'm looking for a better measuring stick.

On an amusing note, I'm now on the other side of the river where the Cyclops had destroyed the bridge.

This land is littered by centaurs, including one particularly tough leader who had a flame attack that wiped out a nymph. He also had a pack of other centaurs with him. Normally I like to try and wipe out the minions first so I don't have others cherry-picking at us while fighting the boss, but this bad guy didn't have a ton of health and dealt mucho damage, so he went down first.

I'm pretty sure I have not mentioned yet just how much I hate Maenad traps. They aren't the only creatures out there to use them (only ones we have seen so far, but I digress) however the traps just whale away at our group until we take down the creature who set it.

There is a tomb on the road to Athens; we are greeted by Ratmen. Huh? I thought only undead hung out in places like this. Sure enough, we find skeletons and bats hanging out here as well. Throw in a couple of demons, as we have a nice cross-section of evil.

While selling goods, I pick up a new Necklace for 31,842. Beastcaller's Necklace of Insight. Same as my current necklace, but adds +7 Intelligence. Kind of a steep price to pay, but I have 145K right now and no immediate cash needs. I'm sure once I do this I'll find something that makes me regret spending the money but I do it anyway.

[hoopsguy]

I think "tomb" must be a codeword for "Colossal Squid Vault" as there is so much loot in just about every one of these. I quickly replentish the gold spent on the necklace upgrade as I complete the cleansing of the tomb.

However, I actually die in here to a particularly nasty poision trap. I hit it by accident when trying to attack an opponent and wasn't able to move away quickly enough. OK, that is three times I've died now with each being more stupid than the next. I make my way back to the tomb, find my tombstone (you recover some of the experience you lose on death by doing this) and then make my way to the next saving spot. Back at this again later in the morning. Level 15 is in site, along with Athens and hopefully an epic battle. Historically, I do better in those than I do against the rank and file creatures - or traps, in this case.

[hoopsguy]

The swamps of the Kephisos Valley are loaded with Harpies, Crows, Turtles, and Ichthians. One of the birds drops the last piece of a Pristine Plumage.

Pristine Plumage:
20% Poison Resistance
Charm Bonus: +15 Defensive Ability
Can enhance all armor

Poison Resistance is one of the harder Resistances to find, since it isn't included with the Elemental Restistance group. So this is a significant bonus. But I'm not excited about any of my armor - torso, helmet, bracers - that doesn't currently include a slot. So I'm going to sit on this one for a little while. It would be really nice to find a rare armor sometime soon ...

Level 15 comes in after slaughtering boars and centaurs. Two more points in nature magic (should have capped at 32 points by Level 18) and one point into Regrowth to jump my healing spell. With increasing health, and damage dealt by foes, this needs to be addressed. Attributes - Strength and Dexterity this time. I'm not seeing items that I'm too dumb to use, so I'll focus on the physical attributes until I start seeing that issue. Finally, I swap out the rings to bump up my Intelligence while giving up the 17% Fire Resist.

Health: 984
Energy: 758
Strength: 98
Intelligence: 194
Dexterity: 109

Resistances: 21% Fire, Cold, Electric. 5% Poison

DPS: 63
Combined Armor: 121 (has been stuck in this range for a couple of levels now)

Energy Regeneration: 5.99
Offensive Ability: 109
Defensive Ability: 136
Cast Speed: 110%
Run Speed: 128%

Gold: 145,969

[hoopsguy]

A Maenad dropped an epic spear.

Shadowstring:
30-46 Damage
50% Piercing (WOW)
Speed: Very Slow

16 Energy Leech per Second
6-10 Vitality Damage
13% Life Leech Resistance
+10 Dexterity
+13 Offensive Ability
Required Dexterity: 116 (would need to spend two points on Dexterity next level to use)

This thing deals an awful lot of damage. I'm curious what my DPS would be with this, since it is Very Slow. I'm still guessing at least as much as my current tweaked-out staff.

Another completed relic, and this one looks immediately useful.
Essence of Dionysus' Wineskin:
6% Damage Resistance
+45 Health
Completed Relic Bonus: 10% Cold Restistance
Can enchant rings and amulets

I don't have any killer rings or amulets at the moment - the Diogenes ring is rare, but probably not a long-term keeper - but I do have three of them to choose from. And if I have to upgrade the item, I probably would not pay 100K to retain this relic - I'm expecting to see better stuff emerge over time. But for right here and right now, I like this and want to use it. It goes onto my necklace - a very rare usage of a charm on a non-rare item for me.

[hoopsguy]

I meet a group of Spartans around a small ruins in the swamps. One of the leaders asks me to help recover a scouting party that is lost in the swamps. The second request is more interesting - it seems that there is a giant limos that they have trapped, but cannot dispose of with their current manpower. Time to see how we measure up.

The answer is pretty well when I run around to avoid his poision bombs, suck down potions to offset his life stealing, and basically let my companions fire at him during that process. The Limos rips apart my wolf, but the nymph and I survive. Definitely the hardest encounter since the Cyclops for us - tougher than the Skeleton Princes or the Gorgon Queens. Although the character sheet - where it lists the toughest foe slain - disagrees with my assessment.

The Spartan Captain is stunned that we proved victorious. But he gives me a magic item as a reward (that I won't use) and I'm on my way. We cross a bridge, leaving behind the Valley and entering an area labeled "Monster Encampment".

And the Spartan scout group is not too far away - lost in swamps, behind giant turtles and Ichthians. Of course, we have to walk back to the other Spartan who sent us to claim our reward. But on the way back, we uncover a new set of armor that we can use - an epic item!

Archon's Chiton:
30 Armor (upgrade of 2 points)
+13 Intelligence
+70 Energy
+1.0 Energy Regeneration per second
+43% Energy Regeneration (up 1%)
+11 Defensive Ability
And I lose out on 15% chance of 7-11 Life Leech retaliation per second

That armor pushes the Squid's intelligence over 200. It isn't a game-changing item, but it is a nice upgrade over the old set. This would have been a fabulous find 3-4 levels ago.

After re-visiting the Spartan to get our XP reward, the battles start to get intense. Well, at least fast and furious. We bring the assault to a number of Satyr camps that are really densely packed, which means there are enemies coming in every direction. Wimpy enemies, but there are a lot of them. One of the Satyr's is a leader who launches fireballs, taking out my wolf and nymph. Further back, we see new foes - Boarmen Veteran Enforcers, who are tougher version of Satyr Ravagers. Followed by Boarmen Mountaineers, who launch an earthquake-type power against us. They get an "A" for effort, but we still mow them down.

More centaurs, more satyrs, same results. I'm hoping we are going to find the Telkein here - if this isn't his army, then I'm a little worried about just how big the actual army is going to be. I'm also approaching the 200K mark for gold, thanks to the sheer number of items dropped.

To the west of the camp is a large cemetary. And, as expected, many of the inhabitants are up and walking around. Sure enough, at the back end of the cemetary is an ancient tomb. Time to score some more treasure and avoid poison traps. Mission accomplished, as the small tomb yields up a number of uninteresting magical items that are sold for profit.

[hoopsguy]

The battle shifts to the outskirts of Athens, which is overrun by Satyrs and Centaurs. There are no signed of the Greeks so far, just burning homes and looting creatures. One satyr sorcerer drops a Staff of the Magi (rare) - didn't I have this item about seven levels ago? It doesn't stack up well with my current staff, even without considering the slotted relic. Two encounters later, another sorceror drops a Staff of the Magi. Hope these fetch a decent selling price (still capped at 10K, bet these are less).

A Boarman hero is the next interesting encounter, but he doesn't hold up very well against our combined forces. We pick up the final piece to yet another relic.

Essence of Herakles' Might:
+12 Strength
Completion Bonus: +10% Damage
Can enchant all armor

Hmm, I like the damage bonus quite a bit but generally like to have my armor slotted with stuff that helps resistances. But I would like to find a short-term use for it. Torso armor is out, since epic's can't be slotted. And I've been looking for replacements for my headband and bracelet for several levels. It sits for now, along with the Pristine Plumage.

With the city of Athens in view, we find one more epic item.

Brain Cleave
28-36 Damage
Speed: Average
10% Chance for one of the following
- 3 seconds of Confusion
- 3 seconds of Skill Disruption
3-20 Lightning Damage
3-7% Energy Drained (50% Energy drained causes damage)
+8 Dexterity
Required Strenght: 127

Won't be able to use that one.

Just inside Athens is General Leonidas. He seems very down on himself, realizing that Sparta cannot stand alone against the monsters. He knows that he needs to temper his pride and unite the Greek people if they are to stand against the common foe.

He has heard of our deeds and thinks highly of our efforts. He wants us to lead the battle to the Telkien. Meanwhile, there are rumors of monsters inside the walls of Athens. He asks for help investigating this as his men are already stretched too thin. We're on it.

It doesn't take long to find the enemy - there are undead lurking on the outskirts of the town. The Squid jumps to level 16 while dismissing this group of foes. Two more points of Nature Magic and another point into Heart of Oak to increase the Health benefits by 5% since I always have this spell on these days. Two points go into strength as I'm desperate to upgrade some of my armor and tired of waiting strictly for "mage items" to do it.

Health: 1127
Energy: 867
Strength: 106
Intelligence: 215
Dexterity: 112

Resistances: Fire 21%, Cold 31%, Electricity 28%, Poison 5%

DPS: 65
Combined Armor: 123

Energy Regeneration: 8.24 (wow)
Offensive Ability: 112
Defensive Ability: 150

Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Gold: 267,931

[hoopsguy]

A religious man asks us to save their leader, who is beseiged by monsters beneath the Parthenon. This is a main quest item, so I guess it is important.

Before heading in, I review the inventory in the caravan. There are a number of items that have been sitting there too long and realistically will never be used. Selling those off nets another 50K, bringing the gold count well north of 300K. Time to check out the Parthenon catecombs.

We face down the first set of guards, a few Ratman packs, and make our way to the Acropolis. There are Gorgons guarding the grounds here, but they can barely slow our ascent. We enter the Parthenon and head down to the catacombs.

The first room is rough, with a fire trap, a Gorgon Hero, and another tougher gorgon accompanied by some shock troops. We lose a wolf before finishing it off. If this is what every room is like here then this will be a tough, tough challenge. As it turns out, that is not the case but there are many rooms with either traps + monsters or multiple spell-casting monsters.

We get hit hard by another poison trap on Level 2 of the catacombs. But I was in better shape this time around and was able to avert disaster by using one of my 57 healing potions to duck out of the battle and stem off the quick-acting poison. Seriously, I'm annoyed to have put myself in that position again.

Another new relic completed.
Essence of the Golden Fleece:
-15% Energy Cost
Completed Bonus: -8% Recharge
I do use a number of spells that would benefit from this, but up to this point in the game the Energy Regeneration skill is so high that I'm not ever having to use potions. I may stash this one for a little while, but probably won't end up using it. I wish some of these unneeded relics actually fit into an arcane formula.

Shortly after that, we encounter two of Brillig's favorites - Limos! Along with a pack of skeletons to surround me and cut off escape routes. A couple of potions help avert any real trouble here and they give the final piece to complete a relic.
Essence of Prometheus' Flame:
36 Burn Damage over 3 seconds
+9% Fire Damage
Completion Bonus: 1-4 Damage
Can enchant all weapons

OK, the completion bonus pretty much stinks but the +9% Fire damage is very good. My current staff is Lightning-based, but I'll hold onto this until I get a fire-based staff and plug it in right away.

[hoopsguy]

The close of Level 2 of the catacombs has the toughest stretch of undead I've seen yet. An undead hero with a fire aura around him engages us, followed by a string of Zombie Captain, Assassins, and other physically tougher foes. Normally the undead send a bunch of low-HP skeletons charging while having a bunch of archers in the background. Maybe a zombie or two slowly coming after you and a spellcaster in the back. All of these guys took hits like Zombies (or the Captains) while moving at a decent clip. Again, nothing that we couldn't handle but clearly we are seeing a tougher group of monsters here than previous areas across Greece.

We head back to sell off some goods. And time for me to make a decision. My current bracelet provides 32 Armor, while the item I'm considering as a replacement only has 20 Armor. But it provides 10% attack speed. That would lower my Combined Armor by 12, but end up raising my DPS by 5. Given that an attack on me has a pretty low chance of being against the arms (defended by the bracelet) I'm willing to concede this point to get 5 extra damage for all attacks. And, to take it a step further, if I'm going this route then I'll go ahead and slot the bracelet with the Essence of Herakles' Might for 10% additional damage. Hmm, that only translates into an additional two points on the DPS. And it will cost 100K to remove it if I want to do that later. Drat.

There are a number of traps on Level 3. And, after destroying a Frost Trap we finally get our first Mechanical Parts. Great, now I'm 2/13 of the way to my arcane formula. I have a feeling that is going to take awhile ...

Level 3 is actually the easiest level yet, despite the traps. Until Level 5 - not sure why this started off hard and has eased up. Level 5 is sparsely filled until I come across a closed door. And the background music picks up - guess there is excitement ahead. The map icon also indicates that there is a special encounter on the other side of the door.

And the dude is a load. Alastor - Scourge of Archeron. He fires a cold attack that (like all cold attacks) slows you down. He also summons a serious of ghosts with cold attacks, meaning that you are constantly being attacked by 2-6 people. That also took away from our pets, who could not concentrate on Alastor. I went through about 15 health potions and a couple of energy potions in order to outlast our opponent. There are a slew of chests in the room and a man waiting to talk with me after I'm done managing the loot.

[hoopsguy]

So now that I went and combined the relic with the speed bracelet, a rare bracelet is available for sale - 140K is doable, as I have just over 400K now.

Alleviating Bracelet of the Glade
20 Armor
9% Poison Resistance
+24% Pierce Damage (don't do pierce damage)
+62% Health Regeneration
+20% Energy Regeneration (1% better than current)
+8% Chance to Avoid Projectiles
+35% Less Damage from Beasts

It would also cost me an extra 100K or so to remove the relic if I felt the need. Although I'm a sucker for rare items, I don't think this one brings me what I'm looking for - the health regeneration and less damage from beasts would be great, but I'm a sucker for speed and I'm not prepared to spend 250K for those benefits.

Phaedrus is the man in the back of the room. He is the leader of the Order of Prometheus in Athens - they are changed with the safe keeping of the moral realm. The Telkine is a lesser Titan - the Titans are the group responsible for creating the gods. The Titans were cruel, and eventually the gods and their greatest creation, man, rose up to overthrow them. All Titans were banished, along with the Telkines but clearly one of them is walking among us now.

The Telkine is headed for Knossos - they suspect he is going to destroy an artifact that keeps man in touch with the godly realm. The Order is very concerned about this and tasks me with stopping this from happening. They will transport me to Knossos by ship; the docks are nearby. "The fate of the world is in your hands" - yep, no surprise.

[hoopsguy]

Remember Feiyan? The woman that was beaten around by the Gorgon Queen's before we arrived? She is at the docks and is revealed as an agent of the Order of Prometheus. She is not happy that Phaedrus has sent me to get the Telkine, as she believes it is her right to take him down. Woman, you couldn't handle gorgons, why would he send you to take out a mini-Titan?

The ship drops me off at the village of Herakleion on Knossos. We learn that something passed through the town last night, unleashing chaos upon the town. Yep, sounds like the Telkine. Many of the people are ill and the healer has disappeared into the hills.

We also pick up a secondary quest - there is an undead tyrant who walks the hills of Knossos, in a cave on Tritons Ridge. Seek him for fabulous experience rewards.

I've picked up a new helmet that I'm reluctantly going to use.
Light Crest of Needles:
Armor: 30 (upgrade of 1)
15% chance of 9-16 Piercing Retaliation
+19% Energy Regeneration (same)
-8% Reduction to all Requirements
Lose 27 Defensive Ability

The lowered requirements should allow me to potentially upgrade some of my other armor. Of course, if it my bracelet then I'll probably need to transfer the Herakles' Might to keep the 12 strength bonus.

[hoopsguy]

Just to give some perspective of where we are at in the storyline - there are a total of seven teleportation points across Greece. The one in this town is the last of them. We've just gotten some answers about what is going on across the lands and a resolution will be coming in the fairly near future.

[hoopsguy]

As we wind through the hills of Knossos we find a new monster - the Minotaur. They are basically a big brother to the Boarmen we saw outside of Athens - good amount of hits and pretty fast, but nothing we can't handle. I expect to see more and tougher minotaurs, as there was a reference by the storyteller in town to King Midas and a maze ...

And another decision to make - there are bracelets in town for sale that would bump my armor up by 17 from where it is right now and also tack on 20 points of intelligence. But it would mean sacrificing the +10% Attack Speed, which translated into a decent DPS jump. The armor bonus would only be applied if the arms are attacked, but the Intelligence jump would probably help with my elemental damage enough to compensate some ... time to buy the item and compare.

You can purchase an item and re-sell it to the merchant at the same price (instead of 10% value) if you take that action during the same visit. This is something I do every once in awhile when I want to see how the DPS for a particular weapon compares to the current one. In this case, I only drop 4 points on DPS - I'll take that. I'll need to extract the relic first, but all in all I'm pretty happy with this item.

Sturdy Coil of Acuity:
28 Armor
+9 Armor (jump of 17)
+20 Intelligence
+20% Energy Regeneration (1% gain)
Lose 10% attack speed

This time it only costs 65K to remove the charm, so a total of 150K spent to make this upgrade. That leaves me with 275K - enough to purchase just about anything I see that intrigues me.

[hoopsguy]

I meet the village healer Xanthippus outside of a cave in Triton's Ridge. He has an issue - his staff was left in a cave guarded by a monstrous spider. Without his staff, he won't be able to heal the village. He is offering potions for our help - hmm, we have 30+ healing and energy potions but whatever.

Level 17 arrives in the middle of a battle with spiders. I put two points into Nature Magic (only have to do it one more time) and one point to Dissemination, which will allow my healing spell to partially add allies. Attribute points are split across Strength and Dexterity.

Health: 1173
Energy: 901
Strength: 122
Intelligence: 246
Dexterity: 119

Resistances: Fire 21, Cold 31, Lightning 28, Poison 5

DPS: 70
Combined Armor: 129

Energy Regeneration: 8.55
Offensive Ability: 119
Defensive Ability: 130

Cast Speed: 110%
Run Speed: 128%

Gold: 276,276

[hoopsguy]

The big bad spider was very weak. Xanthippus has his staff back, but didn't seem all that excited about heading back into town. Whatever, not my problem.

In the northernmost part of Triton's Ridge I come across an entrance to a tomb. I'm guessing our undead tyrant calls this place home. I find an interesting staff in a chest near the front of the tomb.

Beastcaller's Runed Staff of Fire (rare)
23 Base Fire Damage
Speed: Slow
+6% Fire Damage
5 Fire Damage
+1.0 Energy Regeneration per second
Bonus to All Pets:
- +5% Elemental Damage
- 8 Elemental Damage

I know it will not raise my DPS, as the current staff has higher bonuses for Lightning and a smidge of fire damage. But is the gain for the "pets" worth foregoing some of my own damage? I determine that it is not, since my pets do not do much Elemental Damage. The nymph can pick up elemental damage sometime, but that time is not now.

However, I am able to find a staff in town that upgrades my staff just a little bit.

Chilling Runed Staff of Thunder:
12-33 Base Lightning Damage (increase of 2-4)
+8% Lightning Damage (decrease of 1%)
3-6 Cold Damage (up 1, Cold instead of fire)
6 Lightning Damage
+1.0 Energy Regeneration per second

Is it worth 107500, plus the cost to move my slot? Not quite - would probably pull the trigger if it was 10% Lightning instead of 8%.

If at first you don't succeed, go back to the merchant again. This staff is a keeper.

Grim Runed Staff of Fire (rare)
23 Base Fire Damage
+6% Fire Damage
7 Fire Damage
11 Vitality Damage
+1.0 Energy Regeneration per second

Even without moving the relic, the DPS goes up 3 points with this one. A steal for 121,348 gold. Although the 130K cost to extract the relic from the old staff is higher than expected. Yeesh, I'm down to 60K. But my DPS is up to 85 and I'll make the money back.

[hoopsguy]

It took one potion to take down the Tyrant in a ho-hum battle. He had a decent amount of hit points and archers backing him up, but nothing close to the Scourge of Archeron that we recently faced. We cross a stone bridge over to Kairatos Bluff as we continue to make our way towards the Palace of Knossos - home of the artifact and destination of the Telkine.

[Peregrine]

I'm having a lot of fun with my Warfare/Earth character, he's using almost all Warfare and just a dab of Earth so far. About to enter the Gorgon cave, and he is wreaking havoc with his two weapons, a really nice green one boosted with the Achilles relic, and a nasty blue one that just came active for him at level 14.

[hoopsguy]

Glad to hear that the new build is working out for you. And I'm jealous of the two-handed fighting style - not much of an option for my current character who can barely lift cool weapons.

[hoopsguy]

Passing on a rare item we found - Diogenes' Circlet. It gives a +11% Intelligence bonus and +5% Energy, both of which I would like to have, but I'm not looking to yield the 10 points of Armor and the -8% on requirements. I've really struggled to find the level of armor I would like to see and this feels like too much of a backslide. Plus I'm not hurting for Intelligence, given that I'm sitting at 246 right now. I'll stick it in storage in the event that I change my mind later.

The store is starting to sell some higher-resistance items - I saw a pair of rings with Fire Resist 27%. If I had a little more income I would probably pick those up to keep in the inventory or storage for some later encounters. But I'm poor right now ...

Yet I can't pass up a deal offered by a random merchant in the wild. He has a bracelet that is a dramatic upgrade from my current one.

Coil of the Gryphon (rare):
30 Armor (down 9 from current)
+25% Elemental Damage (since I do elemental damage, this is enormous)
4 Elemental Damage
+21% Energy Regeneration (up 1%)
+8% Attack Speed
Lose 20 Intelligence
Lose - for now - my Herakles' Might +12 Strength and +10% Damage.

With the new bracelet, my DPS jumps up 19 points to 104! And with 10% damage on top of it later, that will move even higher. Now I just need to get some more coin to switch the relic around. My attributes are not as pretty right now, but for 19 points in DPS and only a 7 point hit on Combined Armor this seems like a no-brainer.

[hoopsguy]

We've finally made our way to Knossos Palace - or at least the courtyard outside of it. Which is littered with undead. Rare items are coming much more frequently right now - I've seen both a helmet and a ring that aren't going into the mix. The ring is another Diogenes Loop, matching the one that is already equipped. And while it is clearly better than the Beastcaller Ring that I'm currently using, I want to keep their damage as high as possible to assist with my battles.

We meet a new foe here - Automatoi. They are statues that attack us, in two classes. Warriors have far fewer hit points and don't hit as hard as champions. Neither one gives us much trouble. Also, although we have not seen it yet, these guys will drop Mechanical Parts once in awhile, which we need for our arcane formula.

We defeated maybe one hundred foes, including an Automatoi Champion, winding through the expansive courtyard of the castle before gaining entry into the Minoan Labyrinth.

We find a very cool pair of armbands that have little value for us - 40 Armor (would be nice, upgrade of 10), +22% Pierce Damage (we don't pierce), +1 to all skills in Hunting Mastery (we don't hunt). Maybe when I get a little higher level I'll take advantage of the transfer options available with the expansion pack. Basically, if you find an item that another one of your characters can use you can store it for them to pick up later. But at Level 17 the only other character I have near this level is a spirit mage.

[hoopsguy]

The early parts of the Labyrinth reveal traps, Automatoi, and gorgons. And lots and lots of twisting passages. This area is much, much bigger than anything I've had to explore up to this point.

As we dig further in, bats and demons join the mix. Still no minotaur, though. I have to believe that we are going to find one of those here, right? And within two minutes of typing those words, minotaurs arrive. In a room with twin fire traps. Despite the tight quarters, it is an easy victory.

The next encounter, with five of them charging, is not as easy. It helped to have hit a Frostbite shrine, which meant that our hits slowed them down as they approached. But they still gang-tackled and hit hard - the Labyrinth inhabitants are finally showing some teeth.

Deeper in, there is a room with six minotaurs and a pair of blade traps. Deadly, but there is enough separation between them to stay healthy. I can guess what the next batch of encounters will bring ...

[hoopsguy]

Level 18 arrives in the middle of all the close combat. Two more points into Nature Mastery and the Colossal Squid has achieved total mastery. This opens upthree new spells.

Refresh - recharge time for skills is shortened
Sanctuary - builds on Stinging Nettle, provides health and energy regeneration, along with damage absorbtion
Nature's Wrath - builds on Overgrowth for the Nymph, deals out Elemental Damage

The wolf is struggling to stay alive against groups, so he gets another level, bringing him to 6/16.

Attribute points go into Strength and Intelligence.

Health: 1219
Energy: 934
Strength: 114
Intelligence: 234
Dexterity: 122

Resistances: Fire 21, Cold 31, Electricity 28, Poison 5

DPS: 105
Combined Armor: 122

Energy Regeneration: 8.46
Offensive Ability: 122
Defensive Ability: 133
Cast Speed: 110
Cast Speed: 128

Gold: 79,981

Best Item (new entry, very subjective): Coil of the Gryphon
Worst Item (same as above): Light Crest of Needles

[hoopsguy]

Another fairly useless relic.

Bat Fang:
30 Life Leech over 3 seconds
Completion Bonus: 2-5 Fire Damage
Can enhance all weapons

I don't see using this anytime soon.

However, I do see something to buy at the shop in Knossos.
Durable Runed Mantle:
32 Armor
+15 Armor (jump of 17)
+40% Energy Regeneration (-3%)
Lose out on 7% Lightning Resist, +13 Int, +70 Energy, +1.0 Energy/second, +11 Defensive

That is a lot to give away, but I want to reduce the damage I'm taking and a jump of 17 in the area targeted most often (torso) is pretty significant. As with all decisions that I struggle with a bit, I'll store the item in case I change my mind. And then, five levels from now, sell the item that has been sitting in storage unused.

And now back to liberating the island from the evil Telkine ...

[hoopsguy]

We are closing in on the area on the map denoting a special encounter. The guardians for this area are mostly demons, including quite a few Limos. The nice thing at this point is that we now do enough damage to just punch through their life-sucking attacks without having to be very concerned. What is a little more worrisome is the traps, which do a lot of damage when you are in the line of fire.

And the door is in front of us. Time to face the Telkine. Only it isn't the Telkine, but a really serious minotaur. Who has a group of four traps around the room that are firing at a rapid rate. And we fall before even being able to elimininate the first of the traps. Not good.

The minotaur took out the pets pretty quickly and ran after us very quickly. The death blow was from a trap, but the minotaur is a load on his own. I'm going to have my hands full with him. I hope that I put some decent damage on him while he was blocking his trap that I was trying to eliminate. I really need the pets to draw some fire while I take out two traps and give myself room to maneuver.

And on the second encounter we quickly take out the one fire trap, giving some breathing room to run around, letting the pets take his health down. He is fixated on me, so this works particularly well. Once his health is down to about 30% I close in for the kill. But he is standing tough, so I need to move again. That was the plan, but the mouse does not cooperate. How incredibly annoying. If I was doing an Ironman campaign right now and died like that I would be screaming at the monitor. As is, I'm only muttering as I trudge back to apply the coup de grace.

The minotaur doesn't even manage to run up to us before we slay him this time. Very lame ending to what was a tough battle. The Minotaur Lord does drop some rare Bracers that do much of what our current ones do, but with 20 more armor and a strength requirement that we won't be reaching anytime soon.

There is a room beyond the Minotaur chamber that is called the "Room of the Conduit". And it is here that we see our foe, the Telkine.

[hoopsguy]

The Telkine begins the battle by animating four statues. These have a lot more health than the Automatoi we have faced, but move slowly and we are able to overwhelm them with ranged attacks.

He then fires a long range attack at me repeatedly, mixing it up by summoning in a pair of limos every once in awhile. He has a massive amount of hit points, but isn't able to take health away from me quickly enough to really put us in jeopardy. It takes about fifteen potions, along with a few healing spells in between, but the Telkine falls to the Colossal Squid! Among his remnants is a glowing blue ball - when we touch it a trove of magical items emerge.

The best of the items is an epic ring.

Blood Stone:
9% Pierce Resistance
12% Life Leech Resistance
15-36 Life Leech over 3 seconds
+19% Life Leech with +49% Improved Duration
+39 Health

I like the Life Leech capabilities, but I don't have a Life Leech attack for this to enhance. So that is a little limited.

We also manage to put the pieces together for another Herakles' Might artifact. The completion bonus is different, however. 15 Armor instead of 10% Damage. I liked the first one better, but 15 Armor is pretty useful as well and I don't have to pay 120K to extract the other one. Or, alternately, I can use both since this item works with all armor. I slot the Coil of the Gryphon with the +15 Armor Herakles item.

[hoopsguy]

Kyros, of the Order of Prometheus, is waiting to speak with me. He is amazed that I was able to slay the Telkine - no mortal should have been able to do this. However, he had already destroyed the conduit, thus cutting off communication with the godly realm. Kyros wants me to head to Rhakotis, in Egypt, to seek out a man named Imhotep who may be able to resolve this issue.

Thus ends one major storyline and begins Act II of the game. Well, technically it ends when I board the ship headed to Egypt.

[hoopsguy]

Imhotep is not hard to find - he is the first person we see after getting off the boat. He has an annoying voice.

Imhotep tells us that Egypt has the same issues with monsters that were seen in Greece. Their armies are powerless against the creatures, so they are depending upon the gods to deliver them. He asks us to help with an invocation ceremony to summon the gods. There is a scroll in the Great Library that is required for this. Of course, the library is overrun. Once we secure the scroll Imhotep will perform the ceremony.

Easy enough.

The merchant here has a new ring that would help with our pets. The bonus is 10 Armor and +40 Health. Given that the pets have health in the 200-400 range, this is pretty significant. But I like damage, so for now I'll pass on this.

On my way to the library a man asks me to recover his sword - it is a family heirloom and it has been taken by the enemy. He promises to give me a relic shard for helping with this task.

Our first Egypt foes? Jackelmen. At first glance, they seem to be level-scaled versions of Satyrs. Next up - scorpions. Nothing scary yet, as they mimic the spiders from Greece. We do run into a Colossal Scorpion, which seems at least a little scary given the fact that it is about 3x the size of the other scorpions. But still nothing that has pushed us that hard.

The family sword is located near the entrance to the library. If all we have to fight through in there are Jackalmen then I like our chances of recovering this item and reestablishing communications with the gods before the night is over.

[hoopsguy]

Another charm completed, and this one can dish out some damage.

Venom Sac:
90 Poison Damage over 6 seconds
Completion Bonus: 33 Poison Damage over 6 seconds
Can enhance all weapons.

Not bad. But I'm not going to be equiping my staff with this.

Also, there are a bunch of new relics and monster charms in Egypt that are unique from the ones we had in Greece. The first new one that I've found is the Essence of Amun-Ra's Glory, which bestows 20 Health and 20 Energy to all armor. Three to a set.

[hoopsguy]

We rescue the Head Librarian near the entrance from a pair of Jackalmen. The monsters are ripping through the library and burning texts. He is hoping we can stop them.

We faced our first tough encounter in Egypt, as a Tigerman Champion came after me when I was short on health. It was close mostly because of poor play rather than being a terribly tough challenge, but that still qualifies as noteworthy compared to the other stuff we found in the library.

Soon after that we face Shades for the first time. These creatures product Spectral Matter, another component for the arcane formula. Unfortunately, none of them release it upon their death.

Something I forgot to mention earlier: the inventory expanded by 50% upon moving to Egypt. I'm enjoying the benefits of this as I don't have to port out to sell items for quite awhile as I work through the archives. Also, the cap for item selling cost has gone up - I've had a few items priced at over 10K. Haven't found out what the cap is yet ...

We clear out the Archives and move down a level to the Vault. Here we find scarabs, including a large nasty one that throws a poison bomb at us. Behind them is a "Mysterious Door". This usually means trouble ...

In this case it is Scarabaerus the Desert King, who shows up as a tougher foe than either the Minotaur Lord or the Telkine, according to my character sheet. He was challenging, as he lobs a poison that slowed and really hurt along with summoning a pack of scarabs to run us down. I had to go through about 8 potions and a few pets to finish him off. That was accomplished by drawing his fire while the pets attacked, and then pounding him from range when he turned to face the pets. His poison attack was pretty slow, so easy enough to dodge when I wasn't stubborn about forcing my own assault.

Here is a nice little trinket.
Electrum Charm (epic)
10% Pierce Resistance
10% Elemental Resistance
10% Poison Resistance
10% chance of 57 Reduced Resistance for 4 seconds

I am still a sucker for my Beastcaller stuff. But this will definitely stick around in the event that I'm finding creatures who are causing resistance issues for me later.

[hoopsguy]

We recover the Scroll of Invocation from a chamber behind the giant dead scarab. And a door opens to the desert. I'm supposed to meet Imhotep at the Temple of Ptah, near Sais. So I've got some desert to cross to meet him.

In no time, the Squid hits Level 19. So I've been wanting some kind of multi-attack spell and I think now is a good time to do it. Three levels of Plague, which does 9 damage and reduces enemy health by 5-9%, should do the trick. Points to strength and intelligence.

Health: 1219
Energy: 860
Strength: 130
Intelligence: 231
Dexterity: 122

Resistances: Fire 21, Cold 31, Electricity 21, Poison 5

DPS: 105
Combined Armor: 154

Energy Regeneration: 6.34
Offensive Ability: 122
Defensive Ability: 122
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Gold: 270,669

Best Item: Coil of the Gryphon w/Essence of Herakles' Might
Worst Item: Light Crest of Needles (hoping to not have same worst item for multiple levels like this)

[hoopsguy]

We come across an oasis that is loaded with Reptillians. These guys are tanks, but they don't stack up well against our long-range attacks.

A man in the desert states that a huge scorpion lives in a cave here in Wadjet Canyons. Whoever kills this beast gets a magical blessing - in this case, two extra skill points. I'm fired up about this one. And it doesn't take long to track him down - he is a giant wimp. One potion and that scorpion is toast. I drop the extra points into Heart of Oak to increase the health for our party. It is now at 4/12.

This desert is overrun with Dune Raiders, which seem to be a new and unique type of creature. They most closely resemble the Maenad's, but their attacks are a little different.

Our adventure ends for the evening when we find the save point at the Nile Floodplain. We'll catch up with Imhotep sometime soon with his scroll.

[hoopsguy]

In for a quick hit of Titan Quest before work. The merchant in Rhakotis helps resolve the "weakest item" listing by selling us a better crown.

Durable Crest of Reasoning:
30 Armor
+15 Armor (better by 15)
+11 Intelligence
+19% Energy Regeneration
We lose out on 15% chance of 9-16 Retaliation/Piercing and -8% Reduction to Requirements. No problems because none of the items are outside of our strength limits without the reduction.

After picking up 15 points of combined armor with the last item, I'm willing to give away a point with the next one, new torso armor.

Durable Embroidered Mantle of Reasoning:
30 Armor
+16 Armor (-1 from current)
+11 Intelligence
+47% Energy Regeneration (+7% from current)

I've seen our Intelligence drop as we've shed items, along with our Energy Regeneration. This allows us to shore up that area, which is important as I'm starting to mix in some new spells.

The Floodplain is loaded with Reptillians and a cave of Jackalmen. But it is easy to navigate and we make our way into the town (collection of huts) of Sais.

One of the Farmers here asks for help removing the Reptillians that have been picking on their village. He, like the guard in the city, offers a partial charm for a reward. Apparently those Reptillians have been feeding very well, as I find four rare items in their possession! Now where is that Temple around here?

[hoopsguy]

The temple is smoking and another man waits for us. He tells us that the Telkine (another one?) beat us here and destroyed the temple. He doesn't know what he was looking for, but Imhotep probably took it. He headed to Memphis with many of the Order's most secret texts. I'm now to travel on to Memphis to meet up with Imhotep - hopefully beating the Telkine there.

A quick review of the four rare items shows that they are all unusable to me right now. I hold onto a pair of them to see if I can grow into their use, as they look pretty attractive.

Memphis awaits.

[hoopsguy]

There is a set of ruins in the Nile region that we find littered with undead archers, sorcerors, and a staircase down into a tomb. Here we find some tougher wolves and a number of maggots.

All in all, a small and uninteresting tomb, but it did serve to bring Colossal Squid up to Level 20. Time for an in-depth look at our hero.

[hoopsguy]

Health: 1378
Energy: 860
Strength: 134
Intelligence: 260
Dexterity: 122

Resistances: Fire 21, Cold 31, Electricity 21, Poison 5

DPS: 110
Combined Armor: 168

Energy Regeneration: 6.77
Offensive/Defensive Ability: 122
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Monsters Killed: 3746
Greatest Damage Dealt: 120
Total Deaths: 5

Gold: 287,030

Nature Magic (32/32)
Call of the Wild (7/16): allows two wolf companions with 338 health, 21% dodge attacks, +21% chance avoid projectiles
- Maul (4/12): wolves do 43 bleeding damage over 3 seconds, 9 piercing damage, 8% reduction of enemy health
- Survival Instinct (1/16): activates when wolf health drops below 33%, 6 second duration, 15% damage absorption, +15% damage
- Strength of the Pack (1/12): 15 second duration, +15% damage, +15% total speed, 4 armor

Sylvan Nympth (4/16): 287 health, delivers 18-31 piercing damage through bow attack, 3% reduction of enemy health. 24% chance to dodge attacks, +24% chance to avoid projectiles

Plague (3/8): 4 second duration, 9 poison damage, 5-9% reduction to enemy's health (spreads to multiple creatures)

Regrowth (2/16): +300 health restored
- Dissemination (1/12): Regrowth disseminates to allies, +180 health

Heart of Oak (5/12): +30% health, +10% total speed, +100 Energy Reserved

Equipment:
Durable Crest of Needles
30 Armor
+15 Armor
+11 Intelligence
+19% Energy Regeneration

Beastcaller's Ring of Reasoning:
+10 Intelligence
Pets: 10 Damage, +5% Damage

Diogenes' Loop (rare):
+12% Intelligence
+6% Energy

Grim Runed Staff of Fire (rare) w/Valor of Achilles
23 Base Fire Damage
Speed: Slow
+6% Fire Damage
7 Fire Damage
11 Vitality Damage
+1.0 Energy Regeneration per second
5 Damage
+12% Attack Speed
33% Slower Attack for 3 seconds

Durable Embroidered Mantle of Reasoning:
30 Armor
+16 Armor
+11 Intelligence
+47% Energy Regeneration

Coil of the Gryphon (rare) w/ Herakles' Might
30 Armor
+25% Elemental Damage
4 Elemental Damage
+21% Energy Regeneration
+8% Attack Speed
+12 Strength
+15 Armor

Beastcaller's Necklace of Insight w/ Dionysus' Wineskin
+7 Intelligence
Pets: 10 Damage, +5% Damage
6% Damage Resistance
+45 Health
+10% Cold Resistance

Padded Wraps of the Pegasus (rare) w/Boar Hide
18 Armor
21% Elemental Resistance
+18% Elemental Damage
+21% Energy Regeneration
+18% Movement
10 Armor
4 Armor

[hoopsguy]

There is an additional set of Old Kingdom Ruins that contain stones that summon undead spirits continuously to battle us until they are destroyed. Although that may be a good way to collect experience, it isn't all that interesting so I destroy them with all due haste.

The Lower Nile is filled with Jackalmen, but they fall quickly before our growing party. Our travels for this session end on the Memphis Outskirts, where we camp to take in the Florida/Ohio State basketball game.

[hoopsguy]

We find our first spectral matter in an underground chamber near the Mmphis Outskirts. The room contained a nasty mix of spirits and traps that created a flurry of long range attacks against our party.

Back at the merchant, we have an opportunity to pick up an item that would wipe out our 400K in gold.

Spellbound Coronal of Dexterity:
32 Armor (-13 from current)
+28 Energy Leech Resistance
+11% Elemental Damage
+11 Dexterity
+5% Energy
+23% Energy Regeneration (+4 from current)
+37% Energy Absorbtion from attacks
Lose 11 Intelligence

The Elemental Damage does not bring much of an increase in DPS (3 points) for the 13 point armor trade-off. I would like the Energy benefits, but not at this price.

The city of Memphis appears to be under attack, as we face a pack of hyenas at the gate. They are joined by Dune Raiders, including a hero who swats away a wolf before we can set him down. However, the city does appear to be intact after finishing off the remainder of the invaders.

And the arcanist here is ready to help our cause for the low, low price of 140K. That is the cost for our new staff.

Totemic Staff of Lightning
16-50 Base Lightning Damage (current is 23 Fire)
Speed: Slow
+15% Lightning Damage (current is +6% Fire)
13 Lightning Damage (current is 7 Fire)
+1.1 Energy Regeneration per second (current is 1.0)
Lose 11 Vitality Damage

I'll pay the fee to transfer the Valor of Achilles. But even without it our DPS moves up one point. 161K - ouch. The new DPS is 128 - a nice jump but at 300K an expensive one.

We find Imhotep and give him the scroll. He saws that the Telkine basically wiped out the Egyptian forces and that it is critical to establish communication with the gods. After a review of the scroll, he determines that we need two items. The Eye of Chaos and Hand of Balance are scattered across the desert, with the Eye beyond the Fayum Oasis and the Hand is in Giza.

Meanwhile, Zazamankh, the High Priest of Memphis (2nd in power to the Pharaoh) wants some help. The people are losing faith in the priests in the midst of being slaughtered. He wants us to retrieve a staff to help them demonstrate their power to the people. The staff is in a pyramid in Giza, secured in a sarcophagus.

[hoopsguy]

The Desert Waste region contains another new monster - upright giant scorpions named Scorpos, who deal a lot of damage. A Scorpos hero is an absolute load, forcing the Squid into a full retreat with about 20 health. Chugging potions, casting heal spells, and relying on pets is a good way to live in those situations.

We clear out another underground tomb and ding Level 21. I put my first point into Tranquility of Water (chance to lower energy cost for skills) and two points into the Nymph. Points go towards Stength and Dexterity - I've been letting Dexterity lag a little too much.

Health: 1378
Energy: 860
Strength: 138
Intelligence: 260
Dexterity: 126

Resistances: Fire + Electricity 21, Cold 31, Poison 5

DPS: 128
Combined Armor: 168

Energy Regeneration: 6.98
Offensive/Defensive Ability: 126
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Gold: 190,057

Best Item: Coil of the Gryphon w/Herakles' Might
Worst Item: Beastcaller's Ring of Reasoning

[hoopsguy]

Back in Memphis, I find another side quest. A woman is looking for her brother Unas. He left for Giza to defend his family honor and defeat a creature. This won't end well.

Another interesting equipment decision with the following helmet:
Light Coronal of Glory (rare):
34 Armor (-11 from current)
5% Elemental Resistance
+18% Energy Resistance (-1% from current)
-9% Reduction of Requirements
+3% Increased Experience
Lose 11 Intelligence from old item.

The experience gain is what pushes me over the top. I'll trade the points in Combined Armor for the resistances and not complain too much, I suppose. It also results in a two point loss in DPS.

In the Sobek Plateau we are surprised by two giant beetles that emerge from the sand in the middle of a battle. The good news is that these beasts look tougher than they fight. We cross the Canyon of Isis on the way to the Fayum Desert, closing in on the Eye of Chaos. We finda temple in ruins, along with another member of the Order of Prometheus waiting to tell his tale. The Telkine beat us here, but it isn't clear if he found what he was looking for.

In the distance we see a desert outpost known as the Fayum Oasis. One of the villagers tell of stairs in the sand, along with treasure and beasts in shadows. Sounds like a hidden tomb and an opportunity to claim the treasure.

We also hear that Raiders are attacking local caravans and discouraging trade. So our plate is pretty full now. If we take out the Dune Raider chieftain we should be able to stop the raids.

With the reduced requirements for items we can equip a new item.

Dune Raider's Harness:
39 Armor
+21 Armor (up 14 from current)
+20 Strength
Lose +11 Intelligence and +47% Energy Regeneration.

The dip in Energy Regeneration is by about 1.15 - manageable for the other benefits.

What is not manageable is the Dune Raider's Greaves, which would bump our leg armor up over 20 points - 35 points if I transferred the monster charm. But I would be surrendering movement, elemental resistances, and elemental damage. Can't do it here.

[hoopsguy]

Near the village is a simple looking cave that goes deep - eight levels deep. It is inhabited by a variety of Scorpos, Scorpions,and Maggots. The eighth level is expansive and loaded with more of the same creatures.

We continue to grind through the creatures, eventually collecting Level 22. I put three points into Maul for the wolves to allow them to rip my foes apart a little quicker - 29 more points of damage each, and some extra piercing damage. I'm pretty sure I would not like to be bitten by one of those two.

Attribute points go to Intelligence and Dexterity. The last item bumped Strength up quite a bit, to the point where I'm able to use a good portion of the items I'm finding.

Health: 1378
Energy: 860
Strength: 158
Intelligence: 240
Dexterity: 130

Resistances: Fire and Electricity 26, Cold 36, Poison 5

DPS: 125
Combined Armor: 171

Energy Regeneration: 5.77
Offensive/Defensive Ability: 130

Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Gold: 211,796

Best Item: Coil of the Gryphon w/Herakles' Might (ready for a new best item)
Worst Item: Beastcaller's Ring of Reasoning

[hoopsguy]

So there is no payoff in the sandswept cavern - eight levels, no quests, no bosses, just loads and loads of scorpions and their ilk. The best news is that we find an Essence of Zeus' Thunderbolt, the second one of that set. 4 of 13 for the arcane formula.

So, just how much is 3% experience, 5% elemental resistance, and -9% Requirement Reduction worth? Well, if I was going to give up that new helmet I wish I had done it prior to the last level. But 31 points of Combined Armor is compelling.

Stout Diadem:
40 Armor
+25 Armor (31 point jump from current)
+19% Energy Regeneration (1% jump)

I pull the trigger. Didn't get 160K of use of out that last helm ... but the Combined Armor ranking is over 200 for the first time.

We absolutely rout the Dune Raider chief - just not even competitive.

Next stop - finding the hidden treasure. It looks like the obelisks are responsible for the creatures emerging from the dark. There is a ton of loot here, as promised. But nothing that makes the cut for our gear.

Final stop for the night - the Temple of Atum to find the Eye of Chaos. And we have a new toughest foe, at least according to the character sheet. Nehabkau - Scorpion King. He had a lot of hit points and summoned scorpions, but didn't hit all that hard and was systematically eliminated in straight up combat by my mage and about five potions. Weak.

So, I passed up 3% Experience but can I do the same with 7%?

Ceremonial Phrygian Helm of Inertia
45 Armor (20 less than current)
35% Energy Leech Resistance
23% Slow Resistance
+10% Intelligence
+1.0 Energy Regeneration per second
+7% Increased Experience

Nope - and the Intelligence bonus is the clincher. The Energy Regeneration goes up over 7, a gain of about 1.25. Three more points of DPS. I'm pleased with this. Also, the max sell value is 25,000 - this new helm would cost that amount if I moved it. On the down side, the Combined Armor is back under 200.

[hoopsguy]

So we head back to Rhakotis to seek the passage to the other parts of the desert and once again have to clear the city out. I stumble across a very fortunate item - a new Arcane Formula!

Arcane Formula - Amber Flask
Required Reagants
Essence of Artemis' Bowstring - Completed Relic
Pristine Plumage - Completed Charm
Turtle Shell - Completed Charm

Amber Flask (Lesser Artifact)
10 Piercing Damage
12% Poison Resistance
+10 Defensive Ability
+7% Attack Speed

And we have all three of those items sitting in storage! The completion bonus for this one is 8% Poison Resistance. There is an equipment slot explicitly for the artifacts, so I'm in business. DPS jumps up 18 points due to the attack speed. Resistances are looking better, and life is good.

[hoopsguy]

I pretty quickly I was mistaken on the point of departure for Giza - it is from Memphis, not from Rhakotis. Very lucky break to be dumb about this and find the arcane formula. We quickly make our way to the Great Sphinx and begin exploring the underground passages.

Here we encounter a new form of demon called a Shadowstalker. It is hidden in a black smoke before emerging and unleashing a mediocre attack. Behind him are a pair of obelisks, summoning legions of spirits to battle our troop. Another new foe - the Embalmed Priest, a floating mummy who transforms into a spirit upon death. None of them are all that effective in slowing us down, although the priest supplies spectral matter upon his death.

Yet another new foe - an Embalmed Guardian, who transfers from a mummy upon "death" into a blood red version with a sleeker look.

Level 23 is upon us. I invest heavily in my wolves again - 3 more points, bringing the skill level up to 10/16. I'm wondering if I'll get a third wolf as I approach 16. Meanwhile, I put points into Intelligence and Dexterity.

Health: 1378
Energy: 860
Strength: 158
Intelligence: 267
Dexterity: 134

Resistances: Fire and Electricity 21, Cold 31, Poison 25, Energy 35

DPS: 147
Combined Armor: 182

Energy Regeneration: 7.07
Offensive Ability: 134
Defensive Ability: 144
Cast Speed: 110%
Run Speed: 128%

Gold: 369,907

Best Item: Coil of the Gryphon w/Herakles' Might (but it is much closer than it used to be with multiple items)
Worst Item: Beastcaller's Ring of Reasoning (really would like to upgrade rings)

[hoopsguy]

We come across the chamber for the Hand of Balance and meet the first wave of guardians. There are a lot of them. It starts with a slew of undead adepts who are surrounding obelisks to summon spirits. When we succeed in destroying the obelisks (which must be destroyed in order) we get to face the next foe - a giant statue who really doesn't do that much damage, but takes time to defeat. All in all, there are four obelisks. We lose a few wolves along the way, but rarely find ourselves in real jeopardy. And we seize the Hand of Balance, giving us both components for Imhotep.

We do find another Arcane Formula, although we don't have all the components this time.

Arcane Formula - Molten Orb
Required Reagents:
Essence of Prometheus' Flame - Completed Relic (have 2 of 3)
Boar Hide - Completed Charm (believe we have one of these, definitely have one slotted in my greaves at moment)
Rigid Carapace - Completed Charm (have 4 of 5)

[hoopsguy]

Imhotep is fired up that we brought him the items, as he crafts the Scepter of Eternity - a powerful item that will enable him to complete the ceremony to contact the gods.

But all is not well. He failed! Imhotep is sure that the gods have abandoned us. He wants us to continue battling the Telkine, who has been ravaging sites associated with the Order of Prometheus. There is only one site remaining in all of Egypt - the Tomb of Ramses. We have to find the item he is looking for before it falls into his hands. Egypt is now counting on heroes (us) for deliverance instead of the gods.

[hoopsguy]

As we travel to the Upper Nile, we learn that there are some very big and tough Reptillians out there. The Overlords cast spells from range and the Centurions hit hard in close quarters. It takes a few hits to finish these guys off and they are now travelling in bigger packs, which makes for one or two scary fights when I fail to respect their authority.

We find a dark cavern near the north end of the Upper Nile and begin exploring. Nothing to see here - a few slime creatures. Next stop - Thebes Outskirts. We complete our Rigid Carapace Monster Charm after defeating a big beetle and now have a decision to face on the Boar Hide. I have two of three components for the next Arcane Formula, which looks like it would be perfect if I was doing fire-based damage. But I'm not - I'm primarily lightning. So, for now, I'll hold off on it although I'm very curious to see what the completion bonus would be ...

[hoopsguy]

Thebes is a full-service town - they have all the shops you could ask for.

On the edge of town we found the third and final piece for a Relic that could be useful.

Essence of the Ankh of Isis:
+90 Health
+90% Health Regeneration
Completion Bonus: +95 Health
Can be used with Rings and Amulets

I could use this in conjunction with either one of my rings. Neither is particularly good and I would like to have some health regeneration - it has been flat-lined at zero from the start of the game. I decide to tag it onto my Diogenes' Ring, since I think I'll have that in use longer than the Beastmaster Ring (I hope).

Additionally, I realize that I gained two attribute points for completing an earlier quest that have gone unspent. I split them across Strength and Dexterity. I'm in a little bit of a trap with Strength, as that value is not nearly as high as it looks. Twenty points come from my armor, and I rely on those points to allow me to use the helmet. So I need to strengthen this attribute if I want to shed my armor at some point.

A priest in town tells us that the head priest in town stood up to the Telkine, but it didn't end well. The Telkine turned the priests spells back upon him, transforming him into some kind of servant creature. Hmm - I don't recall the Telkine I took down having any abilities like this.

[hoopsguy]

Outside of Thebes, we learn that Magma Beetles hit hard. The Highland Pass is the route to the Valley of the Kings, where we will find the Telkine. It is a winding road through desert hills. After completing that path we emerge in the Place of Truth, a desert valley at the base of the hills. We face a Scorpos hero who falls almost instantly.

Level 24 comes just before we reach the final teleportation spot in Egypt. I decide to buff my Plague spell by one and add on two levels of Fatigue on top of it. Attribute points go to Strength and Dexterity again.

Health: 1618
Energy: 860
Strength: 166
Intelligence: 267
Dexterity: 142

Resistances: Fire and Electricity 21, Cold 31, Poison 25, Energy 35

DPS: 147
Combined Armor: 182

Health Regeneration: 1.90
Energy Regeneration: 7.07
Offensive Ability: 142
Defensive Ability: 152
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Gold: 587,542

Best Item: Coil of the Gryphon w/Herakles' Might
Worst Item: Beastcaller's Ring of Reasoning

I may put in a rule that says I have to buy an item to replace the worst item if it stays the worst for five levels. I don't know if I want to enforce that, but I am getting sick of looking at the same items for best/worst.

[hoopsguy]

And we have now made our way into the Valley of the Kings. There are a series of tombs here, starting with the Tomb of Amenhetep I. It is loaded with traps, undead, and lupine claws falling from every wolf we meet. Next up on our tour of scenic tombs is the Tomb of Amenmeses. Demons, skeleton archers, and a couple of obelisks. All too easy.

We find a slight upgrade to our existing staff for about 270K. But with 700K on hand I'm prepared to dish out money for items that address my DPS.

Charged Totemic Staff of Lightning:
15-48 Base Lightning Damage (down 2 from current)
Speed: Slow
+15% Lightning Damage (same)
13 Lightning Damage (same)
2-13 Lightning Damage
+1.1 Energy Regeneration per second (same)

So I'll need to transfer the Valor of Achilles over, but even without it the DPS is up two points. I expect another dozen or so points when I move the relic.

Back to the tombs. Next up is the Tomb of Merenptah, where we are under assault from the moment we enter. Skeletons, demons, and spirits all take their best shots and come up lacking. At the bottom of this tomb is a room with three obelisks close together and we are swarmed by spirits. A few potions are consumed en route to finishing off this area.

Finally, we enter the Tomb of Ramses - showtime. There are Shadowstalkers all over the place here, as well as a number of traps. The stone statues crumble quickly under lightning strikes. Obelisks? Not close enough together to really threaten us with their summoned spirits.

Down to the next level, and it is more statues and zombies. This is clearly not a winning formula against us. A few demons stand between us and an Ornate Stone Door. Not for long. And we have found Telkine #2.

This Telkine does have a few new tricks. For starters, he summons in duplicates of himself that deliver damage and take some damage to dispell. Second, he summons in wolves of his own. Add that to his fireball spell, and he does have options. Unfortunately, none of them measure up very well to our consistent lightning damage and collection of spells. We burn through a few pets along the way, along with maybe 6-7 healing potions, but the Telkine falls. He leaves a Cuneiform Tablet and an orb chock full of magical items.

However, not a single one of them is either epic or rare - I haven't found one of those type of items for several levels now and it is getting a little frustrating.

Time to go see Imhotep with the tablet.

[hoopsguy]

Imhotep seems very pleased that we defeated the Telkine. He is sending us off to Babylon to rescue the city from yet another Telkine.

The tablet reveals that the Sickle of Kronos is hidden in the Temple of Marduk near Babylon. This item has the power to kill even a god. He wants me to take a portal to Babylon right away.

We pick up two bonus skill points, which go on top of the level 25 attained in battle with the Egypt Telkine. Two points each to wolves and nymph. Finally, one point to start working on the Overgrowth skill for the nymph. Attribute bonuses go to Strength and Dexterity.

Health: 1618
Energy: 860
Strength: 170
Intelligence: 267
Dexterity: 146

Resistances: Fire and Electricity 21, Cold 31, Poison 25, Energy 35

DPS: 149
Combined Armor: 182

Health Regeneration: 1.90
Energy Regeneration: 7.07

Offensive Ability: 146
Defensive Ability: 156
Cast Speed: 110%
Run Speed: 128%

Gold: 702,445

Items - still the same

Very boring last level in terms of character growth and items.

[hoopsguy]

We put the warchest to work, separating out the Achilles item from the old staff and bonding it with the new one. DPS goes up 20 points to 169. Better.

[hoopsguy]

The run of non-special items ends quickly tonight, although I would need another 40 points of strength to be able to use a Baculus (must be one heavy club).

We encounter token resistance on our way to the Temple of Hatshepsut - the location containing our portal to Babylon. Some undead archers, obelisks, and a couple of sand demons - nothing new or interesting. Inside the temple we immediately see a "Massive Stone Door" - looks like there is going to be some portal guardian to best ...

Not right away. We get a number of undead spellcasters, some muscle, and traps + obelisks. At least this encounter was well crafted, but we only lose one wolf out of the ordeal. An underground passageway leads us to the Hall of Prometheus, along with a group of maggots. We find an epic axe but that isn't going to help us all that much - it is one of a set of five items. It goes into storage in the event that I find another part or want to transfer it.

The Hall is a large, multi-level structure. Each of the levels is relatively short, but it is beginning to feel like that desert cave in that I have no idea when we will reach our destination. Finally, after our fifth or sixth level in the Hall of Prometheus we reach a Massive Stone Door. Here is a Sand Wraithlord - a self-styled Nightmare of the Desert. More like a bad Telkine knock-off who summons in sand demons to extend his short life.

I've got three side quests left to complete in Egypt, which I may come back to later but for now it is on to Babylon! This ends Act II of the game.

[hoopsguy]

Zakir, an agent with the Order of Prometheus, greets me upon my arrival. It doesn't appear he was expecting me, as he considered the portals a myth. However, he quickly brings us up to speed. The Telkine is in the Temple looking to seize the sickle right now. So we have that going for us - hope we can stop him in time.

[PiemasterUK]

Just posting to let you know that I bought the game at the weekend and am enjoying it. I spent most of the first day creating lots of characters and playing them up to Sparta to see what the different masteries have to offer. I had a lot of fun with the Hunter, so I have decided to take her onwards for the time being (although I tend to get altitis with games like this so I will probably change my mind).

[hoopsguy]

Piemaster, this is a pretty good game to get "altitis" with as there really is a lot of variety in playing styles even within the alts. I've played a couple of alts into the 32-35 level range, one of which is a rogue/hunter and would frequently switch up between spears and bows, depending on what cool items I found and a desire to mix up my fighting style from time to time. Of course, devoting points to both skills meant that I didn't drive to the highest levels in either.

[hoopsguy]

So I goofed on saving in Babylon and had not encountered a save point that allowed me to start again in the new land. So back to the Hall of Prometheus for me.

I dinged Level 26 before finishing that area out again. Time to start putting some points in Dream mastery. I'm going to basically invest points in the skill set itself, as I don't believe I can move points in and out of there when I see a mystic. There is coming a point in the game (at the end of Babylon) where I think the mystic may come into play more than it has up to this stage. The options look pretty cool, but I'll spend a point every two levels on spells while the other five points go towards the mastery to build it up very quickly. Both attribute points go into Intelligence this level as I want to continue to build my elemental damage.

Health: 1755
Energy: 886
Strength: 176
Intelligence: 283
Dexterity: 146

Resistances: Fire and Electricity 21, Cold 31, Poison 25, Energy 35

DPS: 173
Combined Armor: 182

Health Regeneration: 1.90
Energy Regeneration: 7.23
Offensive Ability: 146
Defensive Ability: 156
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Gold: 773,493

Best Item: Coil of the Gryphon w/Herakles' Might
Worst Item: Beastcaller's Ring of Reasoning (hoping that Babylon will FINALLY shore this up)

[hoopsguy]

Since I'm back in Egypt I decide to clean out the remaining quests before moving on to Babylon. I had some misgivings about leaving the stuff behind earlier and decided to correct a wrong here.

Along the way I find an amulet that is just terrific.

Spellbound Amulet of Reasoning (rare):
+18% Elemental Damage (#1 item type I'm looking to acquire)
+13 Intelligence
+8% Energy
-23% Energy Cost

Out with the old amulet in a heartbeat. DPS jumps by 16 points, while the Pets suffer a little on their damage. They will live, given an option that scales damage and energy for me, along with reduced energy costs.

The treasury goes over 1,000,000 gold while completing these remaining quests. Which really means I need to find some items worthy of purchasing, or else start swapping some of my monster charms out of old items. Or something - the gold itself does not provide much value. Again, hopes are high for Babylon to address this "issue".

[hoopsguy]

We pick up a very nice ring for completing one of the quests.

Insulated Engraved Ring of Frost:
24% Lightning Resistance
+11% Cold Damage
8 Cold Damage

If I was using a cold-based staff I would definitely look to equip this. But since I'm lightning-based right now I'll just stick this in the inventory for later. At the very least it is nice to see that there are worthwhile rings out there, even if it isn't a good fit at the moment.

I'm not able to find a quest location near in the Valley of Kings. There are tombs all over the place here, but I can't find the converted Thebes leader anywhere. So it is off to Babylon.

While searching the desert I did bump the level up to 27. Two more points of Dream Mastery and my first spell from this discipline. Lucid Dream, which deals extra damage, electrical burn, and vitality damage seems like a nice choice. I add points to Intelligence and Dexterity - Dexterity because it is lagging behind my other attributes.

Health: 1787
Energy: 971
Strength: 180
Intelligence: 300 (moving up quickly right now)
Dexterity: 150

Resistances: Fire/Cold/Electricity 21, Poison 25, Energy 35

DPS: 191
Combined Armor: 182

Health Regeneration: 1.90
Energy Regeneration: 7.40

Offensive Ability: 150
Defensive Ability: 160
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Gold: 1,285,470

Best Item: Coil of the Gryphon w/Herakles' Might
Worst Item: Beastcaller's Ring of Reasoning

[hoopsguy]

The Gardens of Babylon are the first area in the new land and they are overrun by Ichthians, spiders, and a new foe (Mantid) that resembles a praying mantis. The creatures don't seem to have a ton more health, relatively speaking, but they are hitting us harder. In particular, the poison from the spiders is running through health more rapidly than the Egyptian variants.

Soon we encounter Jungle Creep's, which are huge mounds of vegetatian that spit a poison bomb doing massive damage. The attack is slow and easy to avoid, but deadly if it does land. There are also vines that attack, although they are the least worrisome foe we have encountered in this land.

We battle through many foes before finally reaching the courtyard for the Temple of Marduk. Up to now, my hopes of a brave new world of treasures in Babylon have yet to be realized. The merchant in town had a sparse collection of items and our foes have not yielded much loot.

Inside the temple we find a collection of spirits and Ratmen. The toughest of the Ratmen are Diseased Kings, who have a bunch of hit points and deliver poison damage to the party. Poison seems to be big over here so far.

The sell value has gone up again - I found a rare mace (that I'm 100 points of strenth away from being able to use) that sells for 39,842. That price tag is higher than any item I'm currently using, with my new amulet being the closest at 38K. And there is a new class of staff - the Battle Staff - that will likely be the next weapon for us. It requires 262 Intelligence and I found one doing base damage of 19-66, up from 15-48 that my Totemic Staff delivers.

[hoopsguy]

On Level 3 of the Temple we enounter both demons and traps, in tight quarters. Level 4 begins with an encounter with a chimera, who has both a fire blast and an electrical field in his bag of tricks. This monster is new to the expansion pack, unless my memory is utterly failing me. But it was not all that daunting, as the damage delivered was not steep and he didn't have additional allies to distract us, other than a pair of traps that the pets dismantled quickly.

The gold is flowing freely here. We get a 3,000 gold drop from a Majestic chest beyond the chimera, the largest that I have seen yet.

We meet Feiyan here, who appears to have failed to stop the Telkine from alighting with the Sickle of Kronos. She tells us she fell on the first blow. It is good to see her a little more humble than in the past, as she recognizes our power now that she has measured up so poorly to the Telkine. But that doesn't help much, as the Telkine now has a deadly artifact and is on the move across the countryside. His goal is unknown, but we can expect him to create the same kinds of problems for the natives as the other two before him.

[hoopsguy]

The Telkine appears to have carved out the back of the Temple, up through the earth. We follow this trail and emerge on the outskirts of Babylon. Here we find an arcanist, who will hopefully have better items available for taking the battle to this 3rd Telkine. No such luck.

On another inventory note, I now have a fourth area for carrying gear.

We rescue a farmer from Ichthians, who pleads for help liberating his livestock from the monsters. No problem, and we take out an Ichthian hero for good measure. The next group of foes we face are Neanderthals, who have saberlion pets and shamans among their group. Chitinous Mantids, a hardier form than the ones we saw in Babylon, are the final trial before moving on to the Parthian Highlands.

Here we find more neanderthals and spiders, who remain our toughest opponents so far in the Orient. Their poison, especially in numbers, really seems to sneak up on me despite having it as my highest resistance. We run into spider-men, Arachnos, that we haven't seen since Greece. They are not as much of a challenge, as their damage is primarily physical. And the spiders finally overwhelm me - it was a matter of time as I was continually having to withdraw to let me pets damage them as I healed.

I have mixed feelings about dying here. I dind't pass once in all of Egypt, so I guess I was due to have something dumb happen at some point. And it is instructive to learn that I'm as weak against poison as I must be to be troubled by these creatures. But with it as my highest resistance, just how much will I need to build up here to mitigate this risk? 25% isn't all that high, but is 50% going to make a meaningful difference?

[hoopsguy]

Level 28 comes shortly after the death, and I do have a spell in Nature that would build up my resistances to elemental damage. However, poison is not elemental. So the three points go into Dream Mastery, as originally planned. Attribute points once again go towards Intelligence and Dexterity.

Health: 1924
Energy: 998
Strength: 186
Intelligence: 311
Dexterity: 154

Resistances: Fire/Cold/Electricity 21, Poison 25, Energy 35

DPS: 195
Combined Armor: 182 (need to improve this, has been stagnant for awhile)

Health Regeneration: 1.90
Energy Regeneration: 7.51

Offensive Ability: 154
Defensive Ability: 164
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Gold: 1,804,850

Best Item/Worst Item - still the same, very distressing.

When I see the same items listed as best/worst items for as long as they have, what that tells me is that the game is catching up to my characters. At different points, I feel like I'm ahead of the curve or behind the curve relative to the game. At the moment, I think I'm maybe a smidge ahead, but throughout most of Egypt I felt like I was significantly more powerful than the foes I faced. The biggest edge I have right now is being Level 28, which is probably 1-2 levels higher than I have been in the past when at a similar point in the game.

[hoopsguy]

The Parthian Highlands give way to the Silk Road. Here we meet a wanderer who tells us that the Telkine has passed through. Just follow the treacherous Silk Road, they tell us. Naturally, we wander off the road to see what else is to be found in these lands.

And it is more neanderthals. They, like the Ichthians, have a habit of bailing on a fight when they lose half of their hit points. It is very satisfying, after playing a melee guy last time around, to have a ranged attack to smite them in their cowardly backs when they pull that maneuver.

There is another foe here, the Yeti. These guys hit really hard and travel in packs. It is important not to get toe-to-toe with a group of them; that is what my pets are here to do. Even worse is the Hulking Yeti, which have at least twice as many hit points.

Although we are still following the Road, the map now shows us in the Bactrian Woods. What this means is that we are moving higher into the mountains and seeing more Yeti. And Peng, which are weak flying demons who attack in big packs.

I head back to the Arcanist to sell my loot. Once again he has no items of value for us. I wonder sometimes if I overvalue the items I have at the expense of good new items, but I don't think that is happening. If there is something interesting I buy it and compare how it measures up against my current stats. But the lack of turnover in my inventory is depressing right now.

[hoopsguy]

We move into the Amdo region, even further north and higher in the mountains, where we come across the Shangshung village. Here we learn of a mammoth Yeti lurking in a nearby cave. Another villager tells us of the angry neanderthals who are attacking the village. In the past, the neanderthals were peaceful. This man fears for the life of his son, who is out in the wild.

This village is the first in this region to have a Caravan, so we move goods around here.

Across an icy bridge is the land known as Natu La Pass. More neanderthals, more peng. Just past a group of yeti is the entrance to a cave. Perhaps the great Yeti is in here? Not initially, as we encounter some ice demons. As we descend deeper there is a very close call with a group of demons and a few Djinni - yikes, the cold resistance isn't stacking up all that well either. It might be time to make resistances a higher priority with the armor selections.

There are no yeti to be found in that cave. Better luck next time. Natu La Pass yields to Natu La Ridge. More Djinni, and I confirm that they have an ability to encase me in stone for a time.

We find a caravan trader under assault from ice demons. We rescue him and he rewards us with a magical ring. There is also a large cave near the trader. Perhaps this is the cave we are seeking. And again we are disappointed.

The Chumbi Valley is further east and we finally see some changes in both the competition and the wintery scenery. We do begin our descent from the peaks and gradually find signs of green again. And a stream - definitely a change from the last few areas.

The creatures are raptors, and they come in both small and large sizes.

We meet a village elder (very small village) who tells us that three sacred weapons have been taken and the spirits of their ancestors now torment them. We quickly dispatch of the ancestors, but find no weapons on the pedastals. They must have been stolen - the elder is very afraid of what sorrow awaits him and his people. He asks us to find the weapons and his lost son.

We are headed back up into the hills, back up to the ice, to Tsongmo Peak. Here we find the son, who reveals that he took the weapons to battle the neanderthals. But like everyone else in these lands, he mismanaged them and armed his enemy. The neanderthals are holed up inside an ice cave ahead.

It is here that we defeat a pair of Neantherthal heroes. But still no weapons, and we head deeper into the cave. There is a neanderthal warlord here who I believe is the second most dangerous encounter in the game (pre-expansion pack). He has an attack that just destroys health - there is enough warning to avoid it, but he also has a stun attack so if you are stunned and then get the special attack it is lights out.

However, I did have the luxury of my own private army. So I engaged him initially from range to get his attention. From that point on, I circled while allowing the pets to continue attacking him. Somehow they did not fall in range of his massive attack (stones falling from sky) and chipped away at his health. The battle took about three minutes to complete, the longest one since at least the Minotaur Lord.

Of course, the character sheet still lists the last Telkine as the toughest foe. Yawn.

I found a pretty interesting set of armor.

Primitive Girdle:
59 Armor
+15 Armor (14 better than current)
+11 Strength
+11 Dexterity
+10 Damage to Demons
Required Strength: 191

And there is the rub. I'm at 186 strength right now, but 20 points of that come from the current armor. So I'm actually much more than one level away from being able to equip this. Still, I'll keep it around for a little while. I'm gaining strength with my Dream Mastery points so it won't be too many levels before I can use this. And at the rate that I'm finding new items, I suspect this will still be my best armor option.

[hoopsguy]

The Squid has accumulated well over 2 million in gold at this point.

Another lone man in the wilderness tells us of the passing of the Telkine through the caves ahead. We get the whole assortment of winter wonderland creatures - ice demons, ice raptors, ice peng, etc. They eventually give way to neanderthals, who are able to live in any conditions.

This is the deepest cave we've seen yet in these lands. We descent to the third level after traversing two large levels. Andour reward on the third level is getting to face the gigantic yeti. He has a ranged freezing attack, as well as a second immobilizing attack. In addition he has a lot of health, but doesn't hit as hard as some other foes. I have to retreat a few times and summon 4-5 additional pets, while downing a handful of potions, but the battle is won. And he gives up yeti fur to complete that monster charm.

Here is another completed relic that I intend to equip.

Essence of the Udjat of Horus
12 Armor
+6% Armor Protection (I don't know what this does)
Completion Bonus: 16% Poison Resistance
Can enchant all armor

Since I'm fearful of poison damage, this is getting equipped now. I would prefer not to use it on my torso armor as there are some items that can only be slotted there, but my arm and leg armor are already slotted. So it goes with the helmet.

I also find my first 4,000 gold drop in the majestic chest that sat behind the yeti. Along with a fairly well known set of armor from the Titan Quest forums.

Lazarus Bracers (epic)
96 Armor
10% chance of 1-22 Lightning Retaliation
+20 Strength
+25 Defensive Ability
+10% Attack Speed
Required strength: 223 (not very close right now)
There are four items in the Lazarus armor set.

So, I'm planning to stow these items for several levels and see if I ever grow into them. They don't help with my elemental damage, and they can't be slotted, but the armor rating is exceptionally high (current armor yields 45 with slotted item).

[hoopsguy]

I finally located an upgraded staff, although I now need an arcanist to retrieve my Valor of Achilles to complete the transition.

Grim Battle Staff of Feasting (rare)
43 Base Fire Damage (compared to 15-48)
Speed: Slow
+23% Life Leech
15 Vitality Damage
9 Vitality Damage (24 Vitality compared to 15-26 Lightning)
7% of attack damage converte to health
+1.2 Energy Regeneration per second (up .1%)
Lose out on +15% Lightning Damage

The DPS dips from 195 to 186 when I change items, but that will be addressed by moving the relic. I anticipate a jump to 205-210 when the relic moves. The separation costs 308K, so the total cost of the new staff is about 800K. That is an enormous amount of money for a small jump in DPS, but I have the money lying around so why not use it? The new DPS, with the charm, is 211. So I paid 50K per point of DPS.

[hoopsguy]

Level 29 arrives and I'm really looking to address our healing capabilities. The Squid now has almost 2000 health and a healing spell of 300 really isn't as significant, especially with our foes doing more damage. But I also want to continue to build my mastery in Dream magics. Two points for dreams, one point for the healing this time. The healing spell now recovers 370, so it still needs to be addressed along with the additional health for party members. Attribute points again go to Intelligence and Dexterity.

Health: 2015
Energy: 1016
Strength: 190
Intelligence: 319
Dexterity: 158

Resistances: Fire/Cold/Electricity 21, Poison 41, Energy 35

DPS: 212
Combined Armor: 205

Health Regeneration: 1.90
Energy Regeneration: 7.74
Offensive Ability: 158
Defensive Ability: 168
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Gold: 1,447,121

Best Item: Ceremonial Phrygian Helm of Inertia w/Udjat of Horus (was close before without the relic)
Worst Item: that crappy ring

[hoopsguy]

Since I'm tired of looking at the Beastcaller's Ring, and I now have a Life Leech option on my staff, I decide to pull out an epic ring from many levels earlier.

Blood Stone:
9% Pierce Resistance
12% Life Leech Resistance
15-36 Life Leech over 3 seconds
19% Life Leech w/+49% improved duration
+39 Health

The DPS goes up another 10 points with this switch. Hopefully my pets understand ...

[hoopsguy]

We exit the ice caverns and are greeted by a large party of Yeti and Saberlions. Welcome to the Khantai Mountains. There is an interesting item here - Amulet of Augury. +18% Intelligence and +19% Energy. Wish that was a ring, but I'm pretty attached to my current amulet and its elemental damage bonuses.

This area is warmer than the land we left behind. Yetis give way to neanderthals. The Orkhan Valley is loaded with neanderthals tucked away in caves with raptors roaming the woods. We cut through both groups. Next stop: Outer Mongolia. This is the first time we meet the larger Peng. They hit pretty hard and mix in with a large group, so they pose a bit of a threat for me. I'm not able to mow them all down from range, as they fly in quickly enough to discourage this approach.

The Mongolian Plateau is the next land area to cross. We still have not seen any sign of the Telkine. Tigermen are the consolation prize, as we see these guys for the first time in the Orient. First impressions - their sorcerors are much improved, calling down lightning strikes on the wolves. The Pack Leaders use the "Battle Standard" which makes all the troops much tougher to fight. So Tigermen don't go down as easily here as they did in Egypt.

New Arcane Formula - Sunstone:
Required: Domain of Dragon Kings (have 2/3), Monkey King's Trickery (not sure), and Raptor Tooth (have completed).
+10% Damage
+10% Fire Damage
+10% Vitality Damage
25% Fire Resistance
25% Skill Disruption Protection

I want it - it goes very well with my current staff (fire + vitality).

As we head east we find the Village of Guanzhong. The natives, the Yerren, have little interest in meeting us. They are basically bigger neanderthals.

We discover yet another Arcane Formula

Crystal Tear
Required: Jade Emperor's Serenity (not sure), Saber Claw (not sure), Yeti Fur (complete)
75 Bleeding Damage over 3 seconds
+18% Cold Damage
+133% Lightning Damage
+18% Vitality Damage
50% Bleeding Resistance

Another good one. Will be interesting to see where we are at in terms of the items. But our current formula is set to be retired soon, I think.

[hoopsguy]

The Yerren warlords are pretty tough in terms of damage and health and the hero is even tougher, as he plants a battle standard. It is hard work clearing out the village and we are forced into a mini-retreat two times before rallying with potions.

We meet a woman who wails that her daughter is trapped in the village. Turns out she was trapped behind one raptor. Seriously - isn't there anyone else out there who can take care of stuff like this? Next stop - the Great Wall.

We find Yerren assaulting troops manning the Great Wall and come to their aid. The Captain informs us that it fell yesterday before teh Telkine's army, passing into the mainland. They are still struggling to clear the remnants of the beast army from the shattered wall. Another captain relates that they are unable to dislodge a giant peng up ahead.

We defeat the Colossal Peng and his minions, using three potions in the process. Nothing too scary, although I'm below 25 potions for the first time since Greece.

Another Arcane Formula - Deathrattle:
Valor of Achilles (have it equipped with my current staff), Spectral Matter (have it), Scroll of Arcane Power (think I can buy it?)
10 Damage
30 Poison Damage over 3 seconds
+30 Health
+30 Energy
+15% Attack Speed
The trick is the Achilles item - I would have to destroy my current staff to recover it. But after that, I could keep this item equipped while being free to change out items. The 15% attack speed is very attractive.

As an aside, this is my favorite scenery in the whole game. The sense of moving up and down the wall, with mountain scenery in the background, is really pretty neat.

[hoopsguy]

The wall is "All Peng, all the time" until the end, where we see Tigermen. We exit the wall near the Shaanxi Province. The commander is is pleased that we were able tohelp with clearing out the wall.

There is a new creature type in these lands - Dragonians. And they are a load for us. The grunts have enough health, and move quickly enough, to engage us while the sorcerors in the back fire away. The first couple of encounters were very tough and we are going to have to work on better strategies for dealing with them as they are pretty much everywhere the rest of the way in China.

We come across the village of Zhidan. I would expect these people to be hardy warriors to live in the middle of foes like the Dragonians. One of the villagers tells us that the Telkine, with the sickle, has disappeared into the woods heading towards a city named Chang'an.

One of the peasants warns not to stray from the road when heading to Chang'an, due to the presence of a terrible beast. That is an invitation if I've ever heard one.

[hoopsguy]

We need to cross the Jingyang Woods on the road to Chang'an. As we wander off the beaten path we encounter a foe that hasn't been around for awhile - Ichthians. It is Raptor central on the main road. As we continue making our way through the forest we stumble across Arachnoids. Let me reiterate a point from earlier - I have zero interest in fighting spiders.

So naturally the very next encounter is spiders. Even with the enhanced poision resistances they still do a lot of damage to the Squid.

We meet a warrior who is angry at us for saving him. He is seeking a noble death - at the hands of wimpy Ichthians? However, he comes to realize that he needs to act in a noble and selfless way, protecting others instead of wallowing in his own despair. Sure - now please get out of the way.

The terrifying beast in the woods was a large, slow moving spider who was dead before he reached us. Hold me.

We find a quest item - a Jade Figurine - in a cave in the Jingyang Woods. I have found this with three of my characters now and never been able to associate it with a quest so I can get rid of this item

[hoopsguy]

And I've purchased yet another new staff.

Grim Orb Staff of Rime:
38-47 Base Cold Damage
Speed: Slow
+18% Cold Damage
21 Cold Damage
11 Vitality Damage (other one did 24 Vitality)
+1.1 Energy Regeneration (down 0.1%)
Lose the 7% attack damage converted to health, lose 23% Life Leech. But the DPS goes up ten points before transferring over the relic. Now that is a keeper.

Cash flow is down to 1.35 million gold. And I'll need some to extract the Achilles item, although I may save it for the artifact.

Level 30 comes while clearing out Tigermen in the Shaanxi Fields. Two more points into Dream Mastery (now at 12/32) and one point into Premonition, which at level 1 increases both offensive and defensive ability by 5%. Points to Intelligence and Dexterity.

Health: 2156
Energy: 1035
Strength: 194
Intelligence: 317
Dexterity: 162

Resistances: Fire/Cold/Electricity 21, Poison 41, Piercing 9, Energy 35, Vitality 12

DPS: 234
Combined Armor:205

Health Regeneration: 1.90
Energy Regeneration: 7.57

Offensive Ability: 170
Defensive Ability: 180
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Gold: 1,358.539

Best item: Ceremonial Phrygian Helm of Inertia w/Udjat of Horus
Worst item: Padded Wraps of the Pegasus w/Boar Hide (have had it for 20+ levels but can't replace elemental damage/resist)

[hoopsguy]

We power our way into Changan, where a woman tells us there is a woman asking for us at the center of the city. I'm pretty sure I know who this is. In other news, the emperor's terra cotta soldiers have come to life and are terrorizing the populace.

The Captain of the guard is worried about the clay soldiers more than he is the monsters invading his town. His deputy explains why - the men fear them since they are supposed to be possessed by the spirit of the emperor.

Our old friend Feiyan is the woman in town. She shares that the Telkine was in town but has vanished. The Order of Prometheus have not found him yet. It seems that the Telkine is after the last Titan, who was imprisoned here on earth by the gods. If the Telkine frees him then life will get really lousy for all of us.

We have to head to the Jade Palace and speak with the Yellow Emperor, who can tell us where teh Telkine is held. An old poem descibes the Emperor as being in a jade palace at the top of Mount Qiyun. So that is our next destination.

[condors]

just picked up the game due to this dynasty-and proceded to get overrun and killed twice before i finished the first quest, i am not thrilled with the combat interface i tend to run by things instead of shooting them. The game looks like alot of fun if i can get the controls down. Dinged level 2 and took warfare hopefully that works out.

[hoopsguy]

We launch an assault on the Chang'an Palace, working through a host of terra cotta statues in the courtyard. There are basically two classes of statues, the rank-and-file warriors and generals who have more health and do more damage. Neither one is very challenging, but they attack in numbers which creates a challenge when they gang up on me instead of attacking the pets.

Once inside the palace we learn that there is a leader named Bandari who is animating the terra cotta soldiers. He isn't that tough once we get to a showdown with him, but we have to go through an army first. Until we eliminate the enemy he just teleports further back into the palace. The captain is very pleased that we overthrew the sorceror.

However, there are more soldiers in the city to be eliminated. It doesn't take long to find them and we make short work of the soldiers.

We die a bloody death outside the city to a pack of Tigermen. One of the leaders put up the standard and we took a ton of damage really quickly. That is #7, and the second one in Asia.

The rematch is also pretty hotly contested. There are a pair of leaders and they take awhile to kill. Both of them are pretty hot to come after me, ignoring the pets and my defense is not all that great. But some strategic retreats + potions adds up to a victory in the second encounter.

We make our way outside of the city and encounter a disgraced general in the wilderness. He is in a state of reflection, which seems to have involved discarding his worldly good in a nearby cave.

Earlier I had mentioned that I needed a strategy to deal with Dragonians. So far, it basically involves using potions. As a result, I'm down to 11 potions as I head into a cave in the Quinta Bamboo Forest looking for the general's gear. It has been forever since I had to actually spend gold on potions ...

The cave is full of Ratmen and a few shades. But no equipment cache. We emerge outside of the cave, from another entrance, and encounter a mixture of raptors and dragonians. Tough combo.

[hoopsguy]

just picked up the game due to this dynasty-and proceded to get overrun and killed twice before i finished the first quest, i am not thrilled with the combat interface i tend to run by things instead of shooting them. The game looks like alot of fun if i can get the controls down. Dinged level 2 and took warfare hopefully that works out.

I still have some problems with running past stuff every once in awhile, and it is definitely frustrating to misclick and put yourself into a bad position. The good news is that the penalty for dying is very light. You should have plenty of time to work through the initial learning curve. Also, in the early stages of the game I would strongly recommend trying to pick up potions as it takes awhile for damage to heal naturally.

Let me know if you have any questions or want some company while figuring it out. I'm always looking for an excuse to create a new alt.

[hoopsguy]

Also, a general question - would screenshots help make this more engaging? I'm running the game on my desktop and typing on my laptop. I'm sure I can get the screenshots, but it would take a little work to transfer them over (have to find the USB key, etc) ...

[hoopsguy]

We find a new remote village in the midst of the wilderness named Binxan. Tigermen are attacking but we repel them and find some basic services here such as a teleportation portal and a merchant. The Tigermen are even more fierce across the bridge, taking out a pair of our wolves and costing me three potions.

A farmer shares a story about an ancient cave hidden behind the falls. The spirits here have turned against him in recent days - the Telkine really seems to mess that kind of thing up royally.

Death #8 comes at the hands of a pack of Dragonians - they are pretty good at running with me when I retreat if it isn't a full-out run.

Upon further review, one of their spellcasters has a sleep spell. Yeah, that is going to hurt in close combat with five other Dragonians.

We find the cave that is beneath the falls and it is littered with shades and undead. The quest culminates with a battle with five shades. The farmer has a rare item that he provides us upon completion of the quest.

Dreadful Talisman of Servitude:
+39% Bleeding Damage
+22% Cold Damage
+58% Vitality Damage
Bonus for Pets: 10 Armor, +40 Health

That amulet actually brings our DPS up 9 points over the previous amulet, which included +18% elemental damage. I'm a little surprised, but will go with what works. The tradeoff is less energy (-8%) and losing the energy efficiency bonus (-25%) but I'm rarely having energy issues so I'll take it.

[hoopsguy]

And another death to Dragonians. I really need to invest in more potions, as I'm down to two of them now. The bigger challenge is that they are just mauling my pets and I don't have the advantage of distractions while fighting the bigger groups. So - spend more points on pets next level? I'm pretty close to hitting it, but would prefer to keep dumping my points into mastery levels as they help build attributes as well. Maybe I need to see a mystic? Lots of ways to attack this problem ...

After the rematch with the remaining dragonians who killed me we run into a dragonian hero. However, much like we normally do with our best competition, we come through with flying colors.

Moving east, we enter the region known as the Qiyun Ascent. More dragonians reinforce the idea that I just can't go toe-to-toe with them. Very frustrating. On the positive side, I hit level 31.

I decide that more health would be a good approach, so I bump my Heart of Oak up three points. That raises it from 30% to 45% health bonus. Since this is always on, it acts as a 300 health bonus, bringing the Squid to 2405 health. It also might be a good idea to not play with a few beers in me, but that would mean calling it a night early. Not happening (yet). Attribute points go to Intelligence and Dexterity.

Health: 2405
Energy: 962
Strength: 194
Intelligence: 306
Dexterity: 166

Resistances: Fire/Cold/Electricity 21, Poison 41, Piercing 9, Energy 35, Vitality 12

DPS: 244
Combined Armor: 205

Health Regeneration: 1.90
Energy Regeneration: 7.46
Offensive Ability: 174
Defensive Ability: 184
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Gold: 1,800,124

Best item: Ceremonial Phrygian Helm of Inertia w/Udjat of Horus
Worst item: Padded Wraps of the Pegasus w/Boar Hide

[hoopsguy]

We meet a young woman who tells us that we are in an unsafe area. A side quest is updated named "Three Sisters" so it appears there will be more to this tale.

I'm still searching for a better Dragonian strategy, as they bum rushed me yet again. If they have two casters I'm pretty much meat right now. The best approach is to walk very cautiously, so that I don't trigger a group of 5+ to come after us. In groups of 2-3 I'm fine, but when it is a whole crew of them I'm forced to retreat in a best-case scenario.

We continue to make our way up the mountainous passes. No ice yet, but we are definitely on elevated ground. In fact, the region is now listed as Moutn Qiyun. We find a group of Peng greeting us to the mountain.

There is a mystical bull that we encounter next who also summons shadow demons. He has a load of hit points and just eats my pets for lunch. But he won't follow us across the nearby bridge and that is a huge edge. I can summon new pets there and swat away his demons without his interference. That makes it pretty easy to finish him off, although I still go through about seven spells along the way. If there wan't the bridge trick he would have been much, much harder.

The character sheet actually recognizes him as my toughest foe, replacing Bandari the sorceror who summoned the terra cotta warriors. Good, this guy was considerably more difficult than the magician.

We cross one last bridge and enter the Jade Palace.

[hoopsguy]

The Yellow Emperor is flanked by four spirit warriors, but they do not attack us. The Emperor welcomes us to his chambers - it appears that he is lonely as he gets few visitors. He is concerns about the invaders, as the third Telkine is far more deadly than the first two. If he succeeds in freeing Typhos (the name of the Titan) then we are all doomed. The Titan is chained under Wasao Mountain, which is close to Chang'an. He hopes that we can beat the Telkine there by taking a chamber here in the palace. He then gives us a pep talk.

It would have been nice if he could have kept the terra cotta warriors in the chamber from attacking us, but I guess that is too much to ask. The passageways dump us into a natural cave as we are now underground taking the shortcut back to Chang'an. Ratmen owned these chamber prior to our arrival, but they are not able to hold their ground.

After cleaning out the rats we get spiders and a pack of Djinn. Getting tougher, no doubt about it. We emerge in the Jinghe Wetlands - yep, looks like the area outside of Chang'an, no doubt about it.

[hoopsguy]

Now I could cheat and just teleport back to Chang'an at this point, but I'll avoid doing so. Also, I had neglected to mention that there were a couple of areas in Chang'an that were locked for quests - I'm guessing I'll be able to access those areas fairly soon after I get back in town.

And we are battling through a ton of raptors in the wetlands here. And then, just like that the raptors are gone and replaced by hordes of Tigermen. The Ichthians are the next group to get their shot at the title belt, but they come up just as lacking as the others before them.

We meet the 2nd sister, who tells us that her sister is in trouble. She had a charm that prevented monsters from attacking, but it appears to have been broken. The third sister is guarded by Tigermen. Upon release, she reveals that she broke the enchantment while defending a deer from one of the invading creatures. That broke the conditions of her training from an ancient sage - long story short, when she attacked a creature she was open to be attacked.

[hoopsguy]

Yerren are the next to try and stop us from reaching Chang'an once again. But they fail and we breach the gates, coming in an area that was previously closed off to us. Interestingly enough, the "quest door" still won't open for us. That's enough - I'm porting into the city.

I finally decide to take the plunge and shed the Dune Raider's Harness with the +20 Strength boost.

Stout Jeweled Mantle
48 Armor
+23 Armor (jump of 11 from current)
+45% Energy Regeneration

Feiyan is just amazed that we found the Jade Palace. She tells us the location of Wusao Mountain. We should find the gate that leads to the Forest of the Ancients. Finally, she apologizes for treating us poorly earlier and reminds us that all the hopes of humanity rest on our shoulders. Do Colossal Squid's have shoulders?

[hoopsguy]

A guard who was unwilling to open a door is now willing to do so, but he warns me that there are a TON of monsters behind the gate and asks if I know what I'm getting into? He isn't kidding, as there are four Tigermen Leaders out there, who swarm us as we enter. Some strategic retreating helps make the odds more manageable.

There are a ton of spiders in the Forest of the Ancients. I feel a little like Indiana Jones upon seeing this. "Spiders, why did it have to be spiders?" And there is one other type of monster that live here - Dragonians. We are going to have to earn our way across this patch of land.

So far, so good. We come to a log that runs across a stream granting us passage to the north end of the Forest of Ancients. We continue north into the Wusao Barrens and know that the entrance to the mountain is near. We seem to have a better rhythm fighting the Dragonians. A couple of shrines near the teleportation spot help us launch our final thrust northward to the entrance. It is at the end of a thin passage that is chock full of undead archers and sorcerors. We lose a few wolves claiming the territory, but move on to Wusao Mountain.

[hoopsguy]

There are very tough Dragonians at the start of Wusao. They have a charging attack that levels a lot of damage on the initial strike and they come in a wave of three. After getting past those guys, there is another group of about six lancers (guys who charge) and spellcasters. Very tough, need to be taken methodically. After clearing them out are a bevy of archers. Not good for my pet wolves, but we survive and advance.

The second level starts off easier with a troop of Ratmen. It moves to undead archers, who drop an interesting item that I won't be able to use.

Spearman's Silk (epic):
81 Armor
29% Pierce Resistance
100% Bleeding Resistance
+19% Pierce Damage
+21 Strength
+2 to Take Down
Required Dexterity: 212

Levels 3 and 4 are more of the same. Undead archers are the rage right now, particularly in tiny levels like these. Although Level 5 doesn't head down, but out onto a wide ledge similar to the Mines of Moira feel in FOTR. But the wimpy fire demons are no Balrogs.

Level 32 arrives. This is likely my last level before facing the Telkine, so I would like to make good decisions now more than ever. More damage seems like a good route - I dump all three points into Lucid Dream, taking my damage numbers up.

Damage: from 10% to 18%
Electrical Burn: from 15% to 27%
Vitality: from 15% to 27%

Attribute points go to Intelligence and Dexterity.

Health: 2405
Energy: 962
Strength: 174
Intelligence: 311
Dexterity: 170

Resistances: Fire/Cold/Electricity 21, Poison 41, Piercing 9, Vitality 12, Energy 35

DPS: 248
Combined Armor: 217

Health Regeneration: 1.90
Energy Regeneration: 8.91

Offensive Ability: 178
Defensive Ability: 188
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Gold: 2,714,816

Best item: Ceremonial Phrygian Helm of Inertia w/Udjat of Horus
Worst item: Padded Wraps of the Pegasus w/Boar Hide

[hoopsguy]

We move into an area called the Obsidian Halls. Home stretch here ...

The floors are pitch black, with volcanic areas and smoke emerging periodically. We make our way through a number of demons, undead, and Dragonians before stepping a little too far and attracting four of the Lancers. Boom - dead.

It takes a couple of minutes to walk back to the scene of lucky #13. I basically tip-toe when I get near the site to make sure that I don't pull all four at the same time again. And we are in luck, as they come in groups of one/one/two, which is much more manageable.

We find a new monster who is a load - Sepuchural Wyrm, which resemble red dragons and breathe fire on us. Bad for us, bad for pets, lots of health. Not fun. We make it to the next rebirth fountain - we are close.

There are a few packs of Dragonian archers that we beat down before heading back to trade in loot. I'm down to 15 potions again so it would make some sense to get some reserves.

I swap out the Blood Stone for an Insulated Ring of Frost - should have done this awhile back when I moved to a Cold-based staff. It bumps DPS up 18 points.

Insulated Signet Ring of Frost:
25% Cold Resistance
+8% Cold Damage
5 Cold Damage

[hoopsguy]

The Wyrms are hot and heavy near the back half of the Obsidian Hills. Their fire breath just lays my pets to waste. We pass through a shattered gate and can hear the sounds of a great creature straining against his chains. This is going to come down to the wire.

We are up on a ledge looking down on the Telkine, who is in the process of cutting out Typhos. And he is really big - he absolutely dwarfs the Telkine. We do not want to fight him - period, end of story. As we make our way down, we see that the Titan is free! And striding towards a portal! Time for a last ditch piece of heroism and suicidal tendencies. But we are too late to stop the Titan. The Telkine turns to face us.

He is the toughest of the Telkines, as he summons fire demons and his attacks actually do damage. He also is adept at swatting away our pets. I alternate between summoning more pets, running around, and taking my shots at him. Although the Telkine has a lot of health, we actually manage to hit him pretty hard with our attacks - I can see them depleting his health each time I'm able to line up shots on him. I'm left with three potions at the end of the battle (used about 8-10 during it) but emerge alive and ready to hunt the Titan. After, of course, claiming the spoils from this battle.

We pick up a better version of our bracelet at the store for a little over 400K.

Insulated Armlet of the Gryphon:
48 Armor (18 better than item not including relic)
27% Cold Resistance
+22% Elemental Damage (down 3%)
5 Elemental Damage (up 1)
+23% Energy Regeneration (up 2%)
10% Attack Speed (up 2%)

DPS goes up four points, armor is up three points even without the relic.

While on my buying spree, I upgrade the torso armor by a point while bringing in +42% Health Regeneration. That cost another 240K.


We return to the chamber, collect the rest of the remaining loot, and set foot into the portal. Next stop? Olympus.

[hoopsguy]

Olympus starts with Limos (them again!) and undead casters + archers. The Limos are pretty tame at this point - they can't suck out the health as fast as I deal damage. But the archers and casters fire quickly and hurt us.

The next wave is some tougher Automatoi. As before, there are two classes with one being bigger, stronger, and with more hit points. And they yield no treasure or mechanical parts, just like the others :(

The third batch are Minotaurs and Minotaur Lords. I do not want to fight these guys up close, as they cut right through me. There were about five that rushed us ... too many for close quarters without a doubt. Both sizes have attacks that stun/sleep which makes for a more difficult hit-and-run strategy.

Behind the Minotaurs are Cyclops. These guys were the bane of my existance with a close-range fighter but are significantly easier with ranged attacks and pets. They have a skill disruption attack that does massive damage but beyond that are not too difficult. They move with pretty good speed for larger creatures, but don't have overwhelming hit points.

After finishing off about eight cyclops, I hear a booming, sinister laugh in the background. Hmm, I bet I know who that is. We move into the Olympus Summit section and prepare for battle. It is worth noting that I have died 14 times in this game leading up to this conflict.

[hoopsguy]

Upon further review, I'm going to gear up for this battle a little more. I have a number of unslotted items and that really isn't acceptable when I know I need to deliver a lot of damage to win this fight.

We pull the Achilles item out of the old staff for 550K and slot it in the current one. Up to 301 DPS, from 270. The price for DPS is going down, apparently.

Another ring swap generates 12 more points of DPS - heading in the right direction.

So, we are going into battle with the following ratings:
DPS: 316
Combined Armor: 237

I don't think it is nearly enough, but lets see where we stand. I also load up 60 healing potions and 40 energy potions.

[hoopsguy]

The pets can't do anything more than take one shot. And I don't recover them quickly enough for it to be interesting. My best bet here is to bring a few scrolls (have not used these all game) and see if they help, I think.

Death #1 comes after making about seven passes, where he destroys the pets and I retreat. This time I wasn't able to retreat quicly enough. I think I've taken about 5% of his overall health so far.

Death #2 comes when I abandon the pet strategy and go after him myself. I used the Frostbite shrine and was able to immobilize him with some strikes and do OK damage - 15% at best, I think. Time to see the Mystic and move some stuff around ...

I pull a couple of points off my wolves and everything away from my poison attack to max out Lucid Dream and Premonition. Premonition bumps Offensive and Defensive Ability up 18% each, while Lucid Dream now does +28% Damage and +45% Electrical Burn and Vitality. While I see my O/D abilities reflecting the change, I don't see an impact on my DPS ... well, technically it went up four points. Not what I was shooting for ... but it's a start.

[hoopsguy]

Death #3 was a pretty decent fight, if I do say so myself. I went in the ring with him and traded blows for awhile. I used the Battle Marker to help deliver some extra damage and tried to be extra aggressive while it was in play. I believe I got his health down as much as 30%.

Death #4 was our best showing yet, as I put him down to around 30% health. I'm ecstatic about how this is working at the moment. There is time to land shots on him when he brings the hail of lava and also when he shoots fire - those are his slowest attacks. But I'm now down to 15 potions (from 60) so I can't stretch this out very long without needing more healing.

I battle him down to four potions and decide it is time to hit the road. Back to Binxan, where I left a shrine earlier for this moment. I'm going to load up on potions, hit the shrine on the way out the door, and hope to ride for a minute or so with the bonus where I wouldn't normally have it against Typhos.

It is a Shrine of Mastery - very good. Hopefully a slow PC doesn't eat away all the time; it was very sluggish heading to the village.

Death #5 - very disappointing, as Typhos had all his health back. Ugh - I'm not sure how many more shots I'm going to take tonight at this point. I was happy to be chipping away at him, but not starting over. There is no value in doing this. I'll see how far I get on my next shot, but I'll have to put a serious dent in him to persist.

Death #6 - not a serious dent. Good night.

[hoopsguy]

So, one of the challenges that I'm facing with Typhos is that the set of skills that got me to him isn't applicable in this battle. The Colossal Squid has been successful largely by distributing the load across the pets - they draw attacks and deliver additional damage. But against Typhos, the pets are just annihilated before they bring any value to the equation.

The solution? I'm not sure, as I've already attempted to redistribute some of my spells and maximize my equipment. I do not have the ability to reallocate my attributes or to transfer points between masteries (from nature to dream) so that isn't an option.

One alternative is to move to a higher level. I'm about 40% of the way to Level 33 and that might help with taking out Typhos. That isn't a very good long-term strategy; what if I'm not good enough to defeat him at Level 33 or 34?

Another alternative is to look for a cold-based weapon to see if that has any impact of slowing down Typhos when he attacks. But I don't want to give away a ton of DPS, as I'm already struggling to hurt him sufficiently.

Since I've restarted the game - shut down last night instead of pausing it - I had to clean out Olympus again to gain access to Typhos. Nothing noteworthy along the way, no deaths and no items. But I'm resigned to the fact that I can't beat him at the moment. So I'm going to ramp up to Level 33 and then make my way back here for Round 2 (well, technically Typhos won the first six rounds last night, but that isn't important right now).

[hoopsguy]

Level 33 arrives. Attribute points to Strength and Intelligence. Spells - that is a little more tricky. I can buff health further with Heart of Oak, which seems like a decent approach ... being able to survive a little more damage would be helpful. But I want to see if Trance of Empathy works - damage reflection, some attack damage converted to health. Three levels of that mean that I'm reflecting 21% of damage. Hope this works the way I think it should ...

Health: 2349
Energy: 962
Strength: 183
Intelligence: 315
Dexterity: 170

Reistances: Fire 21, Cold 48, Electricity 45, Poison 41, Energy 35, Vitality 12

DPS: 322
Combined Armor: 237

Health Regeneration: 2.32
Energy Regeneration: 8.89
Offensive Ability: 200
Defensive Ability: 212
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 128

Deaths: 21 (and about to go up?)

Gold: 2,135,012

Best Item: Grim Orb Staff of Rime w/Valor of Achilles (can't find anything close to it right now)
Worst Item: Padded Wraps of the Pegasus w/Boars Hide (can't find anything with elemental damage bonus to replace it)

[hoopsguy]

Next part of the strategy - I purchase three scrolls for 740K.

Scroll of the Sky's Rage:
Calls on the power of the skies to rain fury upon nearby enemies.

Lightning Storm Attributes:
Life Time 15.0 seconds
200,000 Health
5000 Energy

Lightning Storm Abilities:
Lightning Bolt
0.5 Meter Radius
75-125 Lightning Damage
1.0 second(s) of Stun


I'm hoping that these storms will inflict a ton of damage on the Titan in a short period of time. But I'm a little worried that the damage isn't high enough here to really dent him.

I wanted to get two Sky Rage, but there are availability issues so instead I pick up two Crushing Vortex (45 second duration, 10 meter radius, 70 damage, 30 elemental damage).

[hoopsguy]

Just posting to let you know that I bought the game at the weekend and am enjoying it. I spent most of the first day creating lots of characters and playing them up to Sparta to see what the different masteries have to offer. I had a lot of fun with the Hunter, so I have decided to take her onwards for the time being (although I tend to get altitis with games like this so I will probably change my mind).

Not sure if you are still reading along, but were you posting over on the Diablo forums last week? Saw a name that looked like yours who was going to start playing. If so, would love to hear how it is going either in here or by PM.

[nilodor]

good luck against the big guy, hopefully your strategy pans out.

[hoopsguy]

Wow, the last fight with the Titan was very, very close. I had him down inside of 5% health. I really don't think the scrolls were a massive difference maker, but I fought well and was patient until the very end. Time to go finish him off. I went for broke that fight, using all three scrolls and all the shrines, as well as summoning pets frequently as a distraction. Bummer to die at the very end with victory in my grasp - if he has all his health back I may put my fist through the monitor.

And the 2nd try doesn't work - I fight like crap. But he goes down hard on the third time. Zeus speaks to us, thanking us for our help - even the gods are shocked that I defeated a Titan. He tells us that the mortal world is not yet safe, but that I am responsible for protecting the world going forward.

Typhon's essence spits out a bunch of magic items. Hopefully there is some kind of serious payoff here ...

One green, one relic. A 6,000 gold drop, and a slew of yellow items. Of course the relic is the only Chineese one that would not complete an item for me (sigh).

There is a new portal to step through - wonder where this leads?

[hoopsguy]

good luck against the big guy, hopefully your strategy pans out.

It did, kind of. Truth be told the scrolls weren't that useful in delivering damage to him. I had never used them before and it changed the way I fought a little bit. But the fight was basically won, until I looked and said "Wow, he is almost dead!!!" and then got smashed like a mosquito on the windshield.

Still, very happy to be past him and moving on to what is new content for me in this game.

[hoopsguy]

We are teleported to the temple of Apollo. A blind man summons us to speak with him. Apparently our deeds above have created strife below. We must journey "to where all men are destined" and "seek the sorceress of the Ixian Wood". Sure.

From the temple of Apollo we move into the City of Rhodes. It is battered, all of this has happened today! Apparently there was a Kraken that attacked the city, but the statue of the Colossus fell atop it right as we felled the Titan.

Apparently the sorceress was jilted by Jason of the Argonauts and hates heroes? This is shaping up nicely. Her name is Medea - may need to bone up on my mythology ...

Time for bed - was up a little past my bedtime last night on this fool's errand :)

[hoopsguy]

We meet a woman whose son has fallen ill. She asked Medea for help, but was told that she would need to bring the Tome of - some ancient queeen. One of Medea's students wanted to help, but did not cross Medea. Perhaps she knows of the ancient tome?

A great shelled monster has arrived at Damatria, blocking boats from entering the city. We can still access the city via the Cave of Orthea, but the road is dangerous.

So, lots to do here in Rhodes ...

As we leave the city we wind up on the Coastal Asomata. Our initial foes are smallish crabs named Karkinos. Next up are Anouran, which appear to be frog-men. Soon after this we find an entrance into the Cave of Orthea. Let's see how dangerous this is - the crabs and frogs haven't exactly terrified me up to this point.

I'm a little worried about the pets - they don't seem capable of staying alive in a fight at all right now. I may need to re-allocate some points to them if I don't want to continuously have their back.

The cave was a cakewalk, and we emerge in Damatria. Perhaps these people don't understand that I braved a Titan in Olympus before arriving in their little villa?

[hoopsguy]

The head fisherman in the city is complaining aboutthe crabs coming after his people. There is a giant one - sounds like the same one we heard about in Rhodes.

The giant crab has a lot of health and "teleports" by disappering in the sand and emerging nearby. But nothing that a couple of potions can't handle. We are rewarded with our first relic piece from this land.

The items in this land are different than the ones I have seen up to this point. And they appear to be better, which is nice. But I have yet to find one that makes the cut for being equipped, although I'm expecting that to happen whenever I start finding some rare items ...

We encounter a man on the beach who is asking for help lighting a fire to signal ships. Every time they try to light the flame they are swarmed by undead. Hmm, I'm got some experience with undead, I could probably help. Particularly for an arcane formula.

I need to lead him to the top of Camirus Bluff, which is just NE of our current location. We find ourselves under a slow assault from a number of wraiths. They move slowly and in small packs, and we mow them down from distance. They are obsessed with attacking the torchbearer, making it all the easier to finish them off. Once we ascend to the top of the bluff we have to hold the area for awhile, but nothing too challenging. Naturally, the formula that we receive is one that we already have.

[hoopsguy]

Nextstop is the Ixia Woods. We encounter demons named Nightstalkers who seem to be pretty successful at dealing out damage against us - they cut through all three pets with a routine encounter. There are some large beasts called Anteoks here as well - again, we are taking a lot of damage here compared to what we faced last night.

We meet a scout in the forest, who is looking for reinforcements for his outpost. Looks like we are the reinforcements.

We pick up a pretty cool Arcane Formula from a group of Nightstalkers.

Shadow Veil:
Reagents: Deathrattle, Chaos Cube, Scroll of Frailty (this has been available)

15 Damage
45 Poison Damage over 3 seconds
20 Dexterity
+30 Health
+18% Attack Speed
Grant Skill: Shadow Surge - wave of darkness blasts outward from player's feet to wound all enemies in vicinity. 5.0 meter radius, 399-453 damage, 97 vitality damage, 1.5 seconds of stun
Required Level: 30
Cost: 300K

I want it.

[hoopsguy]

So we head to the camp and learn that the attacks are spearheaded by a particularly fierce Anteok. Time to go remove him.

And we have our first tombstone of the new area - got charged and mauled by a group of demons and I think an Anteok, but it was over too quickly. The foe was a demon lord, who had an aura that hurt us all. He had company last time, but we thinned it out before he could overwhelm us the second time around.

We move into the Den of the Anteok - seems likely that we will find our target here. And I have my second mouse-related death of the game here when faced with a pair of demons with the auras. I'm very frustrated by this, as it has been a persistent problem for the past few weeks. I'm lucky not to have another half-dozen deaths at least along these lines. I went from my crappy old mouse to a new Logitech and they both suck.

We take down the Anteok hero with a fair amount of running and potions - we just don't seem all that well equipped in terms of hit points and armor to deal with the creatures we are seeing right now in a straight-up combat scenario, so potions are assuming a greater emphasis.

Turns out that we didn't take down the head bad guy - he is a real load up close as he hits hard and stuns. He takes out pets quickly. But he does not pursue well and he doesn't do quite enough damage to kill me before I can retreat. We bomb away at him from long range and prevail.

I'm clearly going to need to see a mystic, get some levels, or change up my strategies at this level. The stuff I'm running into tonight is too unforgiving when I don't immediatly retreat.

[hoopsguy]

The main quest is updated letting me know that I should "defeat the sorceress' sentinels". That means beating two giant plant-creatures who are looking to mix it up at close range. No thanks - retreat and fire. And victory is ours.

We make our way into Medea's Grove. Medea is not pleased that we killed the sentinels. Medea tells us that we are supposed to head to Hades. If we bring the eye of the Gray Sisters - which they won't part with willingly - then she wil help us with this quest. The Sisters are filled with rage and power. Good times.


The headmistress appears to have lost a Sigil of the First Apoktisis when she was ambushed by formicids. She is afraid that Medea will be ... displeased.

Another acolyte promises to make a potion if we fetch the ingrediants. A third acolyte gives me a stone to summon the lich so we can retrieve the book for the woman in Rhodes. Man, the good deeds I'm doing sure seem to put me in harm's way 24x7.

[hoopsguy]

The Formicids seem a fair amount easier than what I've been facing earlier in the evening. They don't have too many hit points and don't hit that hard, although they do try to mob us. But we push them aside, with the only real challenge coming from their queen. She fires electricity and stands up to a lot of abuse before falling to our attack and yielding the quest item.

We have our new leggings - close enough to the current item with real protection included.

Priestess's Leggings:
52 Armor (upgrade of 20 without moving artifact)
18% Elemental Resistance (-3%)
+15% Elemental Damage (-3%)
+20% Energy Regeneration (-1%)
12% Movement (-6%)
-9% Reduction to all Requirements

Once we slot this with something nice I'll feel much better about our overall armor even though it involves a series of small give-backs. 4 points of DPS for 21 points of armor (yes, more complex than that) seems like a decent trade.

Top sale value here appears to be 60K.

[hoopsguy]

Level 34 arrives, and not a moment too soon.

Spells - two points into dream mastery and one point into my wolves. If I'm going to keep the pets around I feel like I'll need to commit to them in terms of health/energy/attack. Because right now they are getting slapped around.

Attributes - one to strength, one to intelligence.

Health: 2450
Energy: 979
Strength: 191
Intelligence: 324
Dexterity: 170

Resistances: Fire 18, Cold 45, Electricity 42, Poision 41, Piercing 0 (would like to address this), Energy 35

DPS: 322
Combined Armor: 258

Health Regeneration: 2.32
Energy Regeneration: 8.95
Offensive Ability: 200
Defensive Ability: 212
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 122

Total Deaths: 28
Gold: 2,161,582

Best Item: Grim Orb Staff of Rime w/Valor of Achilles
Worst Item: Amber Flask (relative to other artifacts this is pretty lousy)

[hoopsguy]

As we emerge from the formicid hole we come across a group of pseudo-centaurs called Lamia. They move quickly in very narrow confines, which makes retreating a bit of a challenge. But they are not that physically overpowering so slugging down potions seems like a reasonable plan of attack. The Anteoks that travel with them are a little more of a problem when it becomes a hand-to-hand battle.

We find a recessed chamber called the Great Hall of Propontis back in the swamps. We are successful taking down the first hero here but learn - much to our dismay - that there is a second one back behind him as he fries us with his lightning strikes. He has a number of spiders and undead with him and it requires some patience to work through all of them so we can bring the attack against him without distractions. All in all, lots of loot in here and we stack up pretty well against the undead.

Further back in the swamps we find the tree that is one of the potion ingrediants. This area is just swarming with frog-men who are relentless in their attack. It takes a sustained push to finally dislodge them so I can collect the ingrediant.

I stop for the night upon finding the ruins - another quest lies here. Just a ton of stuff to do right now but I need sleep.

[nilodor]

Are your pets weaker now then before you battled the titan, or have you put enough points back into them to make up for the ones you redistributed?

[hoopsguy]

The pets are weaker - I have not yet revisited the mystic. I was just getting crushed in the one region, at a rate of about one death every third fight, but that settled down after popping my last level and moving on to fighting the frogs and undead. So I didn't pull the trigger on reallocating the points just yet.

In general, I like to give stuff a decent trial run, which usually means I stick with an idea too long before making a change. But I think I probably need to buff the pet health a little more at the expense of one of my Dreams spells. That would bring about 6-8 points back to re-allocate for the health of the pets. Then next level put a couple of points into their attacks, maybe swapping a couple of more points off other spells I don't use much (Pets and Heart of Oak are the keepers, everything else is negotiable), and see how that works.

The alternate is to really change gears and make more of a warrior/mage build where I invest in multi-attack spells. I never got to that point while fighting Typhos, but that would have been the next step in the progression. But I really think that build makes more sense when I get further along with my Dream magics - I'm expecting this to be a more viable option by Level 40 or so.

Somewhere in the early/mid 40s I should max out Dream magic at 32/32 and from that point on all levels will be going directly into spells instead of building mastery. When building mastery I'm also helping my attributes and making new spells available. I think that has a greater value than any individual spell in just about all cases.

[Peregrine]

Well I'm having fun with my melee guy, but I've hit a stone wall. There's this Neanderthal Warlord guy in the mountains, I don't know what the deal is, but I'm fighting him then suddenly from off screen these ice things fly in and kill me. I can't figure out if he has a partner or what, but I don't think I can beat him, that thing just murders me.

[hoopsguy]

Peregrine, I talked about that guy - he is an absolute load. The good news is that you don't have to kill him to move on with the plot.

He makes a motion when the ice attack is coming - move away from him when this happens and re-engage afterwards. The good news is that this is practice for Typhos, who employs a similar attack.

I don't think it matters a whole heck of a lot how good your armor is in terms of surviving this attack. And if he has stunned you before launching this attack (another of his abilities) then you are just going to die, nothing much you can do about this. But if you have items that help with stun I would equip them prior to the battle to try and reduce the likelihood of this happening.

[hoopsguy]

Post #159 is where I recount the battle with him, although not in great detail because he didn't kill me this time around. I don't recall having too hard a time with my defender going against him, but since that was my 2nd alt to face him (first was a hunter/rogue) I knew what to expect. Hopefully the advice above helps.

[TonyR]

You make this game really tempting to buy. I'm seriously considering getting it.

[PiemasterUK]

Hey there, I'm still enjoying this game and am constantly reading this thread up to the parts I have completed. I have just got to Athens myself.

One thing weird I found. The Ancient Tomb near Athens (that you found in post 101) was filled with very under-levelled monsters and loot for me. Lots of skelletons between levels 2 and 5, where most monsters at this stage in the game are more like 8-15. The loot was similarly unexciting. Not sure if this is a bug or just something quirky.

[hoopsguy]

I'm expecting to get back to detailing the adventures of the Colossal Squid over the weekend.

TonyR - I've had a lot of fun with it and found the replay value to be pretty high as you switch between alts. I'm guessing the pricetag is pretty reasonable right now as well, since the original has been out for awhile. If you tack on the expansion pack the two together will probably cost about the same as a new game. The game is very playable without the expansion, but you lose out on the caravans (huge for inventory management), arcane formulas (additional item that can be equipped), a mastery (Dreams), and some additional content post-Olympus.

[hoopsguy]

Hey there, I'm still enjoying this game and am constantly reading this thread up to the parts I have completed. I have just got to Athens myself.

One thing weird I found. The Ancient Tomb near Athens (that you found in post 101) was filled with very under-levelled monsters and loot for me. Lots of skelletons between levels 2 and 5, where most monsters at this stage in the game are more like 8-15. The loot was similarly unexciting. Not sure if this is a bug or just something quirky.

Interesting - going back to that post I don't recall the creatures being underleveled. I had just started getting to a point in the game where my item turnover was slowing down a little bit, which is what made the loot uninteresting. But I do recall there being a really high amount of item drops there, to the point where I had to "town portal" a couple of times to unload everything.

[hoopsguy]

We pick up the adventures of the Colossal Squid in the jungles of Soronis ...

Across the bridge lie teh Tsakonian Ruins. The "Wealth of Ancient Kings" treasure is reported to be here. What is clearly here are Anourans, aka frog-men. And Hydradon's, the fire-breathing raptors who wipe out my pets pretty quickly if they unleash the breath attack. Throw in a couple of plant-creatures and you've got a party.

We fall quickly to a Frog-man hero, despite drinking a potion. He stuns, making a retreat tough. That was a pretty wasted death :(

What wasn't nearly as disheartening was the death at the hands of the Lich Queen. That alter is in the back of one of the former buildings in the ruins. She is a load, and we learn the hard way that she rains lightning in a manner like Typhos or the Neanderthal Warlord. I may save her for a rainy day after that initial encounter. Or, maybe one more level as there is still a ton to explore here in these ruins.

[hoopsguy]

The Anourans always come in big groups, and there are many groups crawling around the ruins.

We make our way into the Great Tomb of Aegmius and learn that some of the skeletal sorcerors can summon a spell equivalent of "Battle Standard". We take that as a mandate to blow it away before returning fire on the undead. The undead are actually Tsakonians and some of the items show up as Tsakonian - pretty cool to infuse a sense of history.

Upon further review, the "Battle Standard" equivalent is called a "Spirit Siphon". I'm guessing that sucks away energy when in range. That doesn't happen much for us as I attack from long range. But I would expect it to be troubling for close-combat types looking to use energy.

We find a girl trapped by some of the undead. She tells us that her brother is also trapped in these ruins and asks us to help. There is a ton of loot in this room, so time to sell.

The merchant has an intriguing item at a bargain price of 227,914. I say bargain because I'm around 3 million gold when making the purchase.

Medallion of the Lynx:
+17% Total Speed

With that alone, my DPS only goes down 4% compared to my Dreadful Talisman of Servitude w/Raptor Tooth that is tweaked for damage. Color me impressed. I'll look for the appropriate item to slot this with and equip it in the near future.

King Aegimius isn't much of a threat, and we dispatch him without a second thought. However, the brother is not in these ruins - must be elsewhere.

[hoopsguy]

We rescue the boy and gain some experience for our troubles - 25K is the going rate at this point.

We have now cleared out the ruins except for the Lich Queen. I'm going to take another shot here because I'm intrigued. And probably dumb. But it doesn't prove to be that big a deal as there is a low rumbling noise to indicate that the lightning storm is coming. We dodge about fifteen of them over the course of the battle and quaff a few potions, but the fight is pretty by-the-numbers. Another win for the Squid.

The lich speaks to us, and is bitter that we have condemned her to another thousand years of undeath for a book of recipes. She says the contents are very dangerous to "dabblers" and hopes that we are condemned to Hades. Pleasant chick.

The person who hired me seemed to think that the lich would age me with her attacks - hmm, would have been good to know prior to the fight. She gives me an arcane formula and tells me to take the potion back to Rhodes for the mother. The formula isn't a killer as far as I'm concerned, unless I'm looking to deal fire damage. It requires two artifacts to create it, so I guess I expected more.

The mother is very grateful for the potion, calling us a gift from the gods. All in a days work, ma'am.

[PiemasterUK]

How on earth did you kill Alastor? I am also playing a nature-based character and I got abused by him all day. The wolves went down faster than regrowth could heal them. I could just about stay alive by running in circles casting Regrowth on myself, but by doing that I could barely keep up with killing the skeletons, let alone the boss himself.

Eventually I descended to dirty cheating tactics. I found that if you open the door and stand in the doorway, he won't attack you, but you can wand him to death. I'm intrigued that you managed to kill him legitimately and am interested how you did it.

[hoopsguy]

He was tough for me. I ran around in circles and let my pets attack him while he focused on me. But I couldn't let his summoned creatures really get a foothold, because then there were too many people firing ice bolts that slowed me, which meant I would take hits. Basically I chewed through a few potions while evading, keeping the skeletons from backing up, and spinning off new summoned creatures when available.

It doesn't sound like my formula was too different than yours - maybe I had more levels at the time I fought him? Or better equipment? Or just a little better execution, based on having played against this boss and all the others in the first three acts multiple times with different alts.

It was the first hard fight in the game - well, 2nd as the Cyclops is not a walk in the park either.

[PiemasterUK]

Actually I didn't find the Cyclops too hard with this character.

Step 1 - Get in a few cheap shots while he is focussing on the Spartan soldiers.

Step 2 - Once all the spartans are dead, kite him over the bridge to the point just before he would turn back.

Step 3 - Wait for him to do his big hammer attack, dodge out the way, get in a couple of quick wand shots.

Step 4 - Run away until he turn back and starts to go back over the bridge.

Step 5 - Get in a couple more cheap wand shots. He will turn around and come back to you.

Then go back to step 3 and repeat. All the time, let your wolves chip away at him and recast them when necessary. In fact, I have actually done him with 4 characters now, using approximately the same method each time. The nature build had the advantage of having the dogs speed things up.

You may be right about having more levels than me on Alastor. I was only level 15.

[hoopsguy]

Interesting - I didn't use the bridge at all on the Cyclops, but ran him around the hill a little to the left of the bridge.

I didn't think he was all that hard, but he was the first boss in the game that I had run into that was overpowered compared to my character at the time - where I couldn't go in swinging and rely on potions to keep me alive while tanking him.

[hoopsguy]

We found another Tomb in the ruins, the Great Tomb of Dorus. There are a number of undead in here, mostly archers and spellcasters. We find a locked cell bearing the "Ancient Lock - Moon Sign" ... nope, don't have that.

And there is another "Ancient Wooden Door" that is locked (sealed by quest). So it looks like I'm not going to be clearing out this Tomb just yet ...

As we make our way around the tomb we find more demons - the ones from earlier that laid heavy damage on us. Not ideal, but we make our way through. And Lamia's, the tougher Satyr's who don't represent as much of a threat. So, we now have seen basically every monster type roaming the ruins here.

Further back is the Temple of the Gray. I'm guessing this is where we will find the Greay ones, who hold the Eye that Medea has requested.

[hoopsguy]

So the fight was pretty winnable, if only I had more potions. The three Gray's are all crowded in a pretty tight room, and they fire different long-range spells. The spells chew through the pets pretty quickly, so I just need to stick and move, summon pets, and heal when I decide to take a stand and fire down on a Gray. I get through one of them and about halfway through the second before running out of potions and health.

The best attack for the Grays was an area attack that quickly took away health if you hung around. So it is key to keep moving against them, even when you decide to commit to attacking them.

Medea takes the eye and provides us a vision. Pain, suffereing, loss, folly. The underworld is "writhing in turmoil" with war engulfing the living world. We must enter Hades to stop this from unfolding. We should seek Tiresias in Hades.

I want to finish up a couple of the side quests before doing this - I'm finally starting to find my groove with this and would like to see if I can bulk up a little more before heading down there.

[hoopsguy]

Ding Level 35. Two points on Dream Mastery bring me to the halfway point (16/32) and open up four new spells. Not yet, the other point is going into helping out the wolves by putting a point into Howl (2/12) for more armor and damage. Attribute points to Intelligence and Dexterity.

Health: 2552
Energy: 996
Strength: 195
Intelligence: 334
Dexterity: 174


Resistances: Fire 18, Cold 45, Electricity 42, Poison 41, Piercing 0 (should address this at some point), Energy 35

DPS: 325
Combined Armor: 258

Health Regeneration: 2.32
Energy Regeneration: 9.05
Offensive Ability: 205
Defensive Ability: 217
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 122

Deaths: 36
Gold: 3,296,761

Best Item: Grim Orb Staff of Rime w/Valor of Achilles
Worst Item: Amber Flask (better artifacts are close, I think)

Interesting note - the best monster killed is still listed as the Ancient Demon Bull from Act III.

[hoopsguy]

For those who don't read Werewolf, this is breaking news (posted in wrong thread, damned tabbed browsing):

And we have our first completed Monster Charm from Act IV.

Hydradon Hide:
+75 Health
+20% Less Damage from Beasts
Completion Bonus: 21 Armor
Can enhance all amor

Nice - I like the armor bonus a lot. It is going onto the Pristess's Leggings to bring the armor up to 73. That should distance it a great deal from the other items I'm seeing in shops.

[hoopsguy]

So we find the Tomb of Tsakonian Queens while wandering through the wilderness looking for the potion items. Here we meet Queen Alkiste, who delivers us the Moon Key when she falls. We now have the Sun and Moon keys, which means we can head back to Dorus' hangout and move a little further. Hopefully we can find the mondo treasure that is promised here ...

Next target - the Cybe Mushroom, which is the 2nd of three ingredients for the potion. I don't think I've mentioned it, but the potion gives +6 Strength and +80 Health. I want that before heading to Hades, and I also want Duros' treasure.

The last ingedient is a night blossom petal. This is guarded by a special plant creature who throws numerous barbs that really just cut through our defenses. The attacks are fast as well, meaning it is in-and-out with a new set of pets and heavy potion usage. But I have all three parts for the potion now.

Or apparently I don't, as Lampido tells me to come back with all three ingredients. So I go back to the tree that I visited earlier - I've now been to all three locations in the past ten minutes - and see if that takes care of the issue. Nope - and I've got all kinds of room in the inventory, so that isn't the problem. Looking in the inventory the only item I see is the Nightblossom petal. Man, this is aggrevating.

[hoopsguy]

And it isn't that hard, once I realized that an item is dropped when I touch the tree/root/whatever. Had to do extra walking to retrieve the items, but all is well. Player error, not game error, which is the better option all things considered.

The potion brings Squid's strength up to 201. Very nice.

[Eilim]

Just wanted to pop in and say I've really enjoyed reading your dynasty, and let you know you've inspired another purchase of the game+expansion. :) Been looking for a "diablo" type game for a while for the PC, as my normal diablo fix "Fate" has been loosing its replay value recently for me.

[hoopsguy]

I haven't played "Fate" at all - is it fun?

Work has been nightmarish this last week - may try to sneak in a little gameplay this weekend, but will definitely be moving onto Hades next week in full force.

[TonyR]

I too purchased the game and expansion, just waiting for it to arrive after being shipped on the 17th.

[Eilim]

I liked it a lot, but has started to get stale, but then again I've been playing it almost regularly for almost 2 years now. I'd describe it as a "diablo-lite". With random loot/dungeons/quests(albeit simple ones), its basically designed for loot/level whores like I sometimes can be. :)

You can download and check out the demo here: Fate (http://www.playfate.com/?gclid=CIKC2sz904sCFQYMZQod-1gyaA)

[Eilim]

Dola

Now for a little more thread derailment.. (We should create a "FOFC Titan Adventurers Tavern" dynasty thread for all the people your dynasty has caused to pick up the game to share their experiences. ;) ) I just had to show off my new helm to somebody. Here's my level 16 defender sporting his new headwear:

http://www.uafasach.net/stuff/Eilim.jpg

I *so* want a full set of Obsidian armor now, don't even care about the stats :)

[hoopsguy]

Hmm, my character is 19 levels higher and looks about 10% as cool :) I'll see if I can get a screenshot up sometime soon.

I'm saving for items in the Imperial set (have the Greaves, which is one of the six components for Imperial Raiment) and the four-piece Lazarus Armor (have the bracers). Of course, neither of those are for this character.

If you want the Obsidian Cresecent I've got that item - we can get a multi-player game going and you will have two of the five items at that point.

Obsidian Crescent:
36-45 Damage
Speed: Average
2% Damage Resistance
+26 Offensive Ability
+50% Damage to Beastmen
Required Level: 13
Strenght: 155, Dexterity: 80

[hoopsguy]

It takes forever and a day to make our way back to the Great Tomb of Dorus with the correct items in hand, but we finally manage to back-track across the ruins and find it. We use the Moon Key to gain entry into the room, where we find an Ancient Lever. Well that is just begging to be pulled, right?

This opens a few new chambers, all stocked with the same kind of undead we plowed through earlier. And, the man himself, King Dorus. He is pretty routine, with his only trick being an attack that puts us to sleep. Still, nothing that registers even mild concern as we dispatch him with ease.

Next is the Sun lock, which we open with the Sun key. And another lever - which we again feel compelled to pull. This opens up another chamber, which upon entering we learn that we have completed the quest for "Wealth of Ancient Kings". +40K experience and a series of chests to open. Nothing earth-shattering here, with the best item probably being a 3rd part of a relic from the Orient. Nice to finish those off, in the event it is needed for an artifact later ...

[hoopsguy]

Level 36 came in right at the start of the Tomb. So time to add the points for that before heading into Hades.

Two more points towards Dream Mastery bring that skill up to 18/32. The last point goes into Dissemination, which is the group heal spell. Attribute points head to Intelligence and Dexterity.

Health: 2878
Energy: 1013
Strength: 205
Intelligence: 342
Dexterity: 178

Resistances: Fire 18, Cold 45, Electricity 42, Poison 41, Energy 35 (will need to increase these at some point)

DPS: 327
Combined Armor: 280

Health Regeneration: 2.32
Energy Regeneration: 9.13
Offensive Ability: 210
Defensive Ability: 221
Cast Speed: 110%
Run Speed: 122%

Gold: 3,986,926
Deaths: 39

Best Item: Grim Orb Staff of Rime w/Valor of Achilles (haven't found a staff that touches this, although there have been a couple of hand-to-hand weapons that are in same ballpark)
Worst Item: Amber Flask (better artifacts, just need a little work to get them)

Greatest Monster Killed: still the damn bull from the Orient. Go figure.

[hoopsguy]

Hmm, Hades is not as scary as I thought it would be. In fact, Epirus - the refugee camp where we begin - looks just like any other village.

We learn that a pack of well-coordinated monsters laid an assault on the city of Paseron. The Storyteller here tells a tale of an unnamed hero who overthrew Typhon at Mount Olympus. Good story :)

Epigenes, a guard, asks us to help find survivors from the attack in the ruins of Paseron. Magical Jewelry and 32K experience are ours if we complete this task.

The town healer asks me to help find Admetus, who went to gather supplies for him.

The people here fear the gods have left them. The monsters are like none they have ever encountered before, led by a fierce captain named Proseia. If we were to defeat this one perhaps their ranks would dissolve?

Our first look at these fierce new monsters reveals foes we faced before - Lamia. The new-breed centaurs. Color me less than impressed. Throw in some standard undead, and I really don't get why this is so terrifying. Of course, not everyone in the land has defeated Telkines and Titans, so maybe a little understanding for the common man is needed here ...

Just a little bit into the wilderness we stumble across the Ossuary of the Thesproti. I think this means "tomb with lots of fog".

New arcane formula, this one is a long way off:
Eye of Heavens
Skyfire Pendant (artifact)
Song of the Serpent (artifact)
Tortured Soul (completed charm)

I don't have any of that stuff, although I want it as this looks like a pretty cool artifact. It grants a Tidal Wave power as well as damage bonuses for Cold and Lightning, along with a couple of other powers.

[hoopsguy]

We make our way to Paseron and get a little more info. There are monsters everywhere in the streets, and survivors are hiding from them. We are to go into town and extract all the survivors, while dealing with the monsters in whatever way we see fit. Ideally, they hope we see fit to deal out a lot of pain ...

The new enemy is named Keres, and they have a mixture of archers and warriors in our initial encounters. Nothing all that intimidating so far.

We see dead people - there are spirits that appear to be watching the action. Not undead, like we have been putting down since the start of our journey, but passive shades.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this in the past, but when you find foes who are purple (quest-related) they seem to drop just a sick amount of loot.

The guard thanks us for his help and says that he will see the survivors are safe. Yep, you do that.

[hoopsguy]

The Keres fall under the classification of demon, as do our next foes - Empusas. They are winged creatures that throw poison or fire from afar, depending on the variant.

Within the city of Paseron we find a group of guards who join us in our battle. Nice to see some others taking up arms against these foes.

Proeseia was a more challenging foe than most we have faced recently. She had a life-stealing power as well as a lot of health that prolonged the battle. It seemed like the pets were able to do decent damage while I retreated and quaffed potions.

The adventure ends, for now, at the outskirts of Paseron.

[hoopsguy]

The spirits lead us towards Pindos Mountains, where we enter a passage called the Passage of Souls. Looks like we are moving on to Hades ...

The scenery here is reminiscent of the intro scene - where you pick your character - with the Immortal Throne expansion. Lots of flickering green lights amidst a rocky landscape. And we emerge in Hades - Dark Grove.

We find more Keres here, including spellcasters, along with Empusas. The scenery is dark, but littered with bright purple flowers. Not quite how I pictured Hades.

I find a bizarre item after an encounter with a Keres hero:

Form W-900 (unique):
Grievances and Tribulations, Underworld division
Please remove bottom copy for your records

Please describe the nature of your complaint:
Sword in belly.

Please describe what wean do to help:
Remove sword from belly.

Additional comments/concerns:
Ouch.


It appears someone has a sense of humor ... note that this is a unique item, not a quest item.

[hoopsguy]

We meet a shade who speaks - he seems unsure of what to do, but fears the creatures. Perhaps he doesn't realize he is dead? It seems he does eventually, but doesn't see the Ferryman to take him to his final resting place.

We seem to have come across something resembling a village here at Charon's Dock. One of the shades warns of a great beast lurking in the waters of the Stygian Marsh.

One shade appears to have attempted to man the boat but he was taken by daemons.

It appears no one is going anywhere until I find Charon the boatmaster. So off I go on another errand. There is a temple here named the Shrine of the Golden Bough. Hmm, maybe I need to study up on my mythology as this is not familiar to me. In the middle of the shrine is a glowing blue statue, although I don't see any way to act on this object.

I make the switch on my armor, which has no impact on my Combined Armor.

Priestess's Vestment w/Hydradon Hide
52 Armor
+16% Intelligence
+58% Helath Regeneration (up 16%)
+40% Energy Regeneration (down 1%)
+5% Energy
+75 Health
+20% Less Damage from Beasts
+16% Armor Protection
Lose out on +6% Pierce Damage (we don't pierce) and 33% chance of 36 Piercing Retaliation. DPS goes up 18 points with the Intelligence boost - should see some differences in stats between levels when comparing 37 with 36.

[hoopsguy]

We pick up another Arcane Formula that requires a pair of artifacts. Interesting, but we are a long way from having these. The good news is that the third item with this one is a scroll we already own. So one out of three isn't bad ...

There are some new Formicids in Hades - not any tougher than the earlier ones, based on early reviews. But Formicid Captains - different matter, although I'm not sure why just yet. I do know that the one hurt me pretty badly, but I wasn't able to identify the attack type. We also meet a special monster - a Troglodyte Hero - who was guarding the captured shade.

He will run the ferry but cannot move Charon's boat without the oar, which Charon appears to have discarded. So my sidequests are now merging together ...

I've now encountered four Captains and each of them has hurt me pretty badly. They don't have a ton of health, but they just deliver sick damage.

We also encounter our first "trap" in quite some time while investigating a Formacid dwelling. Somewhat similar to the temple earlier, I find a glowing pink fire in a camp, but it is not a device that I can impact.

As we venture further "south" (does direction really make sense in this land?) we meet Troglodytes. They are big meathead creatures, similar to the Neanderthals we saw in Asia. I believe this is the first time I've encountered a hero before meeting the regular creatures.

[hoopsguy]

As we move into a territory called "Unfinished Bridge" we hear a voice telling us to "Stay back!". The main quest updates, telling us that we must defeat Charon. O-kay.

It is a dreadfully unfair fight, as he summons spirits and drops a hurricane on top of us. Game/set/match. I'm not sure what I do for an encore here.

We dodge his water spouts for a little longer in the sequel, and learn that he doesn't have all that many hit points. Maybe the third time is the charm, but I still don't have a real battle plan yet.

OK, I killed him but he didn't die - what the heck? I need a ruling here ... it looks like he took on a new form? This is pretty sick - I'm positive the damn bull is not my toughest foe after this crap.

He has a hitch in his motion when he summons the water attack, which is his toughest in terms of damage. He swats away pets like nothing since Typhos. I've died something like 6-7 times and have his second form down to about 40% health before I ran out of potions in that battle. There are times where he engages hand-to-hand and he is pretty weak in that area. But there have been two times where he dropped back-to-back hits on me that we 2 second battles, with the Squid being the loser both times. And he has a stun attack as well, which is lights out most of the time when he lands it.

OK, a quick check on the forums makes it pretty clear on some strategy I was missing out on ... the water attack only comes through certain areas which are easy enough to avoid. With that in mind, his other attacks don't do enough damage to really make him all that tough. I feel a little dumb, but I'm past him.

[hoopsguy]

Charon's essence is similar to the Telkines - a big pile of items emerge. The important one, in terms of plot, is his oar.

Tiresius is beyond Charon, and he gives us a vision.

Great heroes die a second time, but never a third.
Gods who should go, stay.
Gods who should intervene have departed.
The living must take their place beside the dead.
Sve the dead from dying.
Come to Elysium.
Come soon.
Come now.
Come.

Well, that is pretty clear.

We travel down the road until making our way to the Stygian Marsh, which is reputed to be home to the great beast. We do find a number of crabs here. And wander into a cavern loaded with Formacids, including what must have been one Captain as they chewed through us quickly. Man, lots of deaths on this level after a couple of pleasant levels leading up to 36.

[hoopsguy]

The cavern is named "Daemon Storeroom" and it is indeed loaded with Formacids. In addition to the Captain there are a pair of Priestesses and a slew of grunts. There are also Troglodytes here, along with an "Otherworldly Chest" in the back that has very wordly (mundane) items.

We defeat a Trog listed as the "Jailor" and behind him see a Soul Cage. Opening these release trapped shades. Beyond these cages we find some of our old friends the Anourans (pygmies). It is in battle with these guys that I find a unique staff.

Delysid (unique)
32-86 Lightning Damage (current is 38-47)
Speed: Very Slow (current is slow)
+29% Electrical Burn Damage
+19 Intelligence
+20 Dexterity
+200 Health
+1.3 Energy Regeneration per second
+2 to Lucid Dream
+2 to Summon Nightmare

The staff is a train wreck in terms of DPS and I'm not far enough along in my dream masteries to really think twice about this.

[hoopsguy]

Ding Level 37. Two more points on Dream Mastery put it at 20/32 - on pace for maxing out at level 43. I also pop Heart of Oak up to 9/12, giving an extra 5% health. Attribute spending goes to Intelligence and Dexterity again.

Health: 3195
Energy: 1078
Strength: 209
Intelligence: 398
Dexterity: 182

Resistances: Fire 18, Cold 45, Electricity 42, Poison 41, Energy 35

DPS: 348
Combined Armor: 280

Health Regeneration: 2.48
Energy Regeneration: 9.66
Offensive Ability: 214
Defensive Ability: 226
Cast Speed: 110
Run Speed: 122

Gold: 5,467,044
Deaths: 50

Toughest Foe: Charon - Ferryman of the Styx (good)

Best Item: Grim Orb Staff of Rime w/Valor of Achilles (really like my new armor as well)
Worst Item: Amber Flask

[hoopsguy]

We free more shades from soul cages. The Stygian Marsh is a big territory and there are a number of paths through here.

Another cave, this one is the Den of Tantalus. We find a very cool spear here - perhaps this will go to my hunter. It is one of the six items making up the Panoply of the Moirae.

This looked like it might be a big cavern, but the second level is contained by water we can not traverse. So out we head.

The Stygian Lurker was a big Hydradon who didn't breathe. That made him a lot easier. The reward for defeating him was a +4 bonus to Strength, Intelligence, and Dexterity. Way too good for what was involved, but I'll take it.

We emerge in the City of Lost Souls after battling our way through a ton of Anouran and crabs. There are a bunch of shades here at first glance. None of whom are interested in talking. So we head into the building set into the mountain and find Keres who are interested in fighting.

This area seems to be some kind of a jail cell - or at least that is what I perceive based on all the barred rooms I'm unable to access. We push on to the Upper City of Lost Souls.

Here we encounter a mixture of Formacids and Trogs. And it is going OK until one of their Captains shows up when we are in the middle of battle with 5-6 others. I hate those guys; time to go claim tombstone #51.

There are a series of stone staircases both up and down here, and opponents come from all directions. Not tough opponents, except for the Captains, but a lot of them. Still, this is the most consistently challenging combat I've seen since early in Act IV.

[hoopsguy]

The City of Lost Souls is big. We are now in our third region here, the Lower City of Lost Souls. This is Trog country, as they surge us with more numbers than we have seen in the past (5 or more). Demons try the same tactics, but we are able to hold them off with stategic retreats and ample potion usage.

That doesn't work quite as well as we come across 10+ demons, with spellcasters who sleep us. Death #52, special delivery. The return battle is more satisfying - just need to be a little more cautious in these areas where the enemy is bunched together.

We find a shade who wants to talk. He tells us that Hades owns all the wealth of earth and that miners on earth take it from him bit by bit. This shade is eager to raid Hades' vault in the middle of the city. He doesn't actually know there is treasure there, but he plans to heist it and become a legend. 100K experience is our if we can find a way into the treasury.

In another room we find glowing symbols on the ground, but have no key to help us understand them. What we do have is a new form of demon, who look a little like flying octopi. They poison from range and on death.

We meet more shades, who tell of Charon missing, judges not judging, and an uprising in Elysium. Apparently Hades and Persephone are also in the middle of a domestic issue.

We also learn that the first humans were created by Prometheus from the ashes of a Titan slain by Zeus. Some of the ashes of that Titan still remain in an urn here in the Underworld. If we are able to defeat the guardian, we'll get an extra two skill points for our efforts.

The way to the Elysian Fields has been blocked, as no judgements are being rendered by the three judges. This appears to be part of our main quest now.

We learn of a caravan that is arming the daemon army and are asked to sabotage it.

The daemons captured the Necromanteion, the Oracle here where the dead communicate with the living. We have been asked to cleanse this area of daemons.

This is a good place to call it a night. It is the first full-service town we have found in Act IV.

[damnMikeBrown]

I can't beat the neanderthol nor can I even come close to Typhon. Typhon just blows some electricity at me and 1 shots me. I'm level 35 or so with the earth fire/spirit summoner masteries. The fire is fun...I just go in, wave my hands, and hoards die.

Problem for me is I'm playing on a laptop that is below system specs. Even with everything turned down/off, I'm slow. Reacting to mobs is just very difficult to do.

[hoopsguy]

I'm short on memory in my system - only 512MB - and I share your pain on the mobs. In many of my deaths I'm a step slow retreating when I come around a corner too aggressively and get jumped.

With both the Neanderthal and Typhon they give you warnings with their motion that they are going to unleash the super-damage attacks. If you take that away from the Neanderthal - which isn't too hard to do if you aren't unlucky with a stun first. See if you can equip items to increase Stun Resistance to minimize this.

With Typhon - that is a different animal. But you can't extend the battle long enough to do damage if you can't avoid his meteor shower attack. That took me a few tries before I got better at avoiding it - he just has enough other tricks in his arsenal that it is still an uphill battle.

[hoopsguy]

The next area is the Salt Flats and the landscape is unique compared to what I've seen so far. It looks like there are green pools of water interspersed with the flat terrain. The inhabitants are new as well, as we encounter a weak winged demon and a slow dinosaur (Odontotyrannus) type. This is some of the easiest combat we've encountered since Asia.

However, the daemon caravans are not as weak. We destroy one and are ambushed by a group of guardians. There are four of them and they move fast and hit hard. They are named Machae, specifically the Warden sub-class (yellow foes).

The guy who hired us to take down the caravan wants to introduce my to a friend. I'm to seek out the shade Pylades, who will determine if I'm ready to meet their friend Keuthonymos. Pylades tells me he can be found in the lower daemon camp, and should be identified by his ... skin condition.

I'm also solicited to bring the Mirror of Psyche to the wife of Orpheus, so she might gave upon him. It appears that he spurned Erato, a muse who sought his love

[hoopsguy]

There is another shrine we find, this one named the Hecatean Agora. It has similar glowing floor markings as the ones I found earlier, only larger. In combat here I win the Lazarus Helm, the second of four items in the Lazarus set. And I'm strong enough to use this item, although there is sacrifice involved.

Lazarus Helm (unique)
96 Armor (jump of 51)
22% Stun Resistance
15% Chance of 1-14 Lightning Retaliation
+18 Intelligence (compared to +10% - loss of about 20 points)
+57 Energy
+28 Defensive Ability

Lose out on 35% Energy Leech Resist, 23% Slow Resist, +1.0 Energy Regen per second and +7% Increased Experience (a killer). The slotted item (which can be moved) offers 12 Armor, 6% Armor Protection, and 16% Poison Resistance.

Hmm, I'll have to make a decision on this one. DPS only shows a dip of one point and Intelligence goes down 6. So this looks like it is pretty clearly better with the possible exception of the experience bonus. I'll switch for now - the armor will really go up with moving the slotted Udjat of Horus.

The inhabitants of this temple are challenging, including a Keres hero who summons ice demons and a pack of casters who accompany him. They drop a pair of interesting staves (staffs?), each of which has Dream spells associated with it. Maybe when I start investing more points in the actual spells instead of the masteries ...

We decide to call it a night upon finding the next save point.

[TonyR]

Just got into playing this game in what free time I get, so I don't want to spoil the gameplay. I'm enjoying myself so far.
I'd be interested in doing multi-player maybe even a multi-player fofc dynasty.