Descent Into the Depths - Torchlight Dynasty

[hoopsguy]

I've been playing this on my laptop for about a week and have seen enough that I'm now ready to start a dynasty. I'll be playing this game on the "Very Hard" setting and recording progress as SorcerySquid descends deeper and deeper into the mine.

I'm also going to put in a house rule, although not the normal type I would use for a game like this. There are two different ways to progress in this game. The first is Experience (standard RPG fare) and the second is Fame (this is new to me). Every time I hit a new level for Experience I'll do 10*(level) situps and each level of Fame = 5*(level) pushups. Hopefully this helps me justify spending tons of hours on yet another Diablo clone :)

[hoopsguy]

There are three default character classes in Torchlight:
Destroyer - the brawler class
Alchemist - mage class
Vanquisher - archer class

These are oversimplifications, but that is a good starting point in discussing the characters. In my previous game I had gotten up to Level 29 with a Vanquisher, so I'll be looking at a different class this time around. I'll give Alchemist a try this time.

Each character also has a pet that accompanies them. The choices are a dog or cat. SorcerySquid is accompanied by a brave cat named Dola.

The Torchlight world has a mixture of classical RPG swords and sorcery with a few guns mixed into play as well. But I'll explore the items in greater depth as we go.

The game begins in the mining town of Torchlight. There are a number of different merchants found here; I'll interact with most/all of them before this game is done.

- Vasman the Ember Scholar
- Duran the Transmuter, who can combine items together
- Goren, who can imbue items with Ember (enchantment, basically equipment upgrade)
- Triya, gem seller
- Torn the Merchant, general equipment sales person

[hoopsguy]

The game begins with an intro, although it is not clear who is the speaker.

"Ember is the essence of magic, the keystone of my art. For my kind, Torchlight is a beacon, a place of power, the largest cache of Ember ever found. I had heard nothing of the troubles afflicting that place.

I came only to serve my own ends, but I was lost as soon as I set foot in Torchlight. The evil gathering there swallowed me, and I may never break free of it entirely.

The mines are dark, and below that, the darkness is impossible to describe. There is power beyond imagining, but the price is so very high."


OK, Ember is the stuff that is being mined in town. There are all different sorts of Ember, and different sizes. Each type has different magical properties. Ember can be used with equipment that has slots, allowing for players to do a great deal of gear customization beyond what is found in the standard drops.

[hoopsguy]

Vasman gives us our first quest of the game, asking us to find Gleaming Ember in the first level of the mines. He offers some rewards for the task:
Gold: 80
Experience: 2400
Fame: 360

Looking at the Squid's inventory, it is pretty sparse:
2 Health Potions
2 Mana Potions
2 Town Portal scrolls
2 Identify scrolls

The only item equipped is a Moldy Staff, which is a two handed weapon that deals a mix of physical and poison damage. Weapon speed slow, Damage Per Second (DPS) is 28.

The only spell is Ember Bolt. It is at Level 1. All spells can go up to Level 10. At level 1, this spell casts two bolts that seek out the target, doing +10-14 Poison Damage, +5 Knockback, and 10% of Weapon Damage. I'm not sure how this works, as I did not use any ranged magic attacks with my previous character. But I suspect I'll have have answers on this pretty quickly.

[hoopsguy]

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/9348/torchlightl1.jpg
(http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/9348/torchlightl1.jpg)

[hoopsguy]

On the west end of town the Squid finds two townspeople locked in battle with Ratlin Foremen. The Squid wades into the brawl, brandishing his staff, and emerges unscathed. The warrior runs into the mine while the sorcerer stops to speak.

"It's no wonder Master Alric sent for my help, the Ember mines are overrun with these creatures. His letter was urgent, but I had no idea how dire things had become.

I am Syl, and that was my companion Brink. We've only just arrived in Torchlight, and it looks like we are going to need some help. You look capable, and I can pay you well. Please, catch up to Brink before he gets himself killed."

Unlike the Ember quest, there is no offer of a reward for helping out Brink. I'm not amused. The brief battle with the Rat-creatures netted 390 XP, so Squid is on his way to Level 2.

[hoopsguy]

Upon entering the mine, we are treated to a "Remnant from Alric's Journal"

"I've arrived in Torchlight and begun myexploration of the tunnels below. These mines are vast and aglow with Ember; I've never seen so rich a vein. Miners labor to extract it, and take no heed of my warnings.

I cannot blame them; I too could not resist the pull of Ember.

This Ember is the same as that which afflicts me. The taint within it resonates with the corruption in my bones. I can feel it so clearly now, blight springs from the depths and flows up through the veins.

To purge myself of this evil, I must find the source"

[hoopsguy]

The first level of the mine features a number of tight corridors, filled with Ratlins (rat men), a few Skeletons, Azure gels (blue globs that do electrical damage in close quarters), and quite a few Shadow Recluse's (spiders that spit poison damage). I consume my first health potion after knocking off maybe 25-30 of the creatures. Dola the cat is helping out quite a bit in battle, doing nearly as much damage with bites/claws as the Squid delivers with this lousy staff.

There are a bunch of barrels that hold gold, potions, traps, and sometimes a skeleton.

I'm about halfway to Level 2 at this point. So far no sign of any equipment or the lost oaf Brink.

[hoopsguy]

Action starts to heat up pretty quickly after this, as the item drops get a lot more interesting.

Leather Boots - 3 Armor, require STR 2 and Level 2. Wow, I can't even wear boots.

Leather Gloves - 1 Armor. First item I've found that I can use. Sweet.

Spell - Elemental Overload 1. I read the spell and add alongside Ember Bolt in my bag of tricks. This allows +25% Elemental Damage for 6 seconds, can be reused again after 12 seconds. Mana cost of 8.

Frost Scepter - 24 DPS, delivers 13-25 poitns of Ice damage but is the Slowest weapon speed. Still, it is a one-handed weapon and I can use it from range. I'm a big fan of taking out foes from afar, letting Dola take on enemies before I get my hands dirty. I'll take the 4 DPS hit with the trade off of not being exposed to as many attacks myself.

1st Magic Item - Casting Copper Ring. 3% faster casting speed, +21 Health.

The Squid hits Level 2 while acquiring the ring, and equips this plus the boots. Also there are five attribute points to allocate. Three go towards Magic and the other two are added onto Defense. I also pick up the spell Nether Imp, which gives me a summoned creature for the cost of 15 Mana. So now I have the option for two shock troops to run in front of me ... excellent.

[hoopsguy]

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3246/torchlightl2.jpg

[hoopsguy]

Changes from Level 1 to Level 2:
+61 Health
+6 Mana
3% Faster Casting Speed
+2-4 Damage (as listed in character screen on left in above screenshot)
+209 Gold
+3 Magic
+2 Defense
+3-5 Armor (as listed in character screen on left in above screenshot)
+0 Deaths

There is no tracking for how many kills, what is most powerful foe, or anything along those lines. Bummer.

I have yet to gain a single point of fame, but will start in that direction once I head back to town with the Ember to complete that quest.

Twenty situps - easy enough, but my stomach already seems tight. As if dreading the workout that is coming in the days ahead.

[hoopsguy]

The remainder of Level 1 is not much of a challenge. There was one area where we found a plunger. Hitting that opened up a section of wall releasing maybe 8-10 demon-like creatures called Varkolyn. However, the mob was only able to make Squid burn one potion before being vanquished. Inside the room was a chest holding a pair of magical items.

Wealthy Copper Ring - 3% Increased Casting Speed, 3% Increased Gold Find. That is a keeper. There are two rings slots and I've got both filled now.

Virulent Practice Bow - delivers poison damage, same DPS as my non-magical wand. But requires two hands. No thanks. This is the first magical item that the Squid will turn away ... well, sell for profit.

There was also a Leather Mantle, providing another two points of armor. At this point about 50% of the slots are filled on Squid.

Progress-wise, Squid is about 50% of the way to Level 3 as he prepares to descend down to the second level of the mine.

[hoopsguy]

The degree of difficulty went up considerably immediately upon hitting the second level of the mine. The first room had a number of smaller spiders and one massive one named "Swordscratcher the Ageless". That spider did about 50 damage each hit, or something like 4x as much as the other spiders. My Imp died quickly so it was up to Squid and Dola to take care of this behemoth.

Squid continued to run around, disengaging from the battle and firing from afar. It also took two more healing potions to stem the tide. But the victory brought some rewards. About 250 fame, along with a pair of impressive magic items:

Poleaxe of the Tiger: 45 DPS, 2-handed weapon, 21-42 Physical damage. Slowest attack speed. 2 sockets for slotting with ember items. 9% Faster Attack. +1 Critical Hit Chance. Requires 12 Strength.

Squid won't be hitting 12 Strength all that quickly, and this is a close-combat item. So I can't justify switching to it even with the two sockets.

Cooling Charged Scepter: 47 DPS, 1 handed, 24-47 Electrical. Slowest attack speed. +2 Ice, 2 Armor degraded per hit. Level 4 required.

Squid will be using this as soon as he hits Level 4, assuming I have not found something better by then. Squid is about 85% of the way to Level 3.

After finishing this battle it is time to use a Town Portal scroll to return to base. The reward for finding the Ember awaits and Squid may need a couple of extra potions just in case. The battle with Swordscratcher has me a bit spooked; I need more than one healing potion on hand.

[hoopsguy]

The Ember quest does bring SorcerySquid up to Level 3. Most/all of the decisions here are governed by concerns about handling the "boss" monsters similar to Swordscratcher.

1.) Points are distributed - 3 Magic, 1 Strength, 1 Defense
2.) New spell is "Ember Shock". This delivers a jolt that does a bunch of damage and stuns the target for 4 seconds. Additionally, it does less damage to surrounding foes and stuns them for two seconds. That should be a huge help in taking down a tank-like foe going forward.
3.) Time to bust out the credit card for a magic shield. It costs 450 (had 610 or so) but I'm not counting on finding a shield I like before facing the next big beast.

Halfmoon Sheild of the Omniscient
3 Armor
9% Block (the reason I purchased the shield)
+1 Electrical Resist
+5 Mana

4.) The rest of the money goes for 5 Health potions. Chances are that I might have found some in battles, but I wanted them on hand and think that I'll make up the cash.

[hoopsguy]

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/112/torchlightl3.jpg

[hoopsguy]

Changes between levels:
+40 Health
+12 Mana
+632 Fame
-295 Gold
+1 Damage (15-30 went to 16-31)
+3 Magic, +1 Strength, +1 Defense
+2 Electrical Resist
+3% Casting Speed
+3% Find Gold
+9% Chance to Block attack
+3-6 Armor

[hoopsguy]

There are some new merchants in town:

Gorn - destroys items to recover gems
Furl - destroys gems to recover items
Trill - bard who gives quests to hunt down boss creatures
Kolos - blacksmith who sells magic items
Durast Blade - sells unidentified magic items (press your luck!)

Trill is looking to make a name for himself, but needs better stories to tell. So he asks me to hunt down Varkaser, a batlike creature of great power on Level 3 of the mines. He offers 50 gold, 260 experience, 390 fame, and a pretty sweet piece of armor.

Our Ember buddy says that there are a bunch of different types of Ember, each with different properties. He tells me that Deathlake Ember can be found in a Necropolis buried beneath the mines. Offer: 88 gold, 3,000 XP, 450 fame, and some magical armor.

[hoopsguy]

The thirty situps burn - did not really need to do those right after eating. This is going to get painful very quickly. I'm guessing I'll need to start splitting them out into sets by Level 5 or so. My wife rolled her eyes when learning why I was doing situps :)

There is another batch of Varkolyn on this level and I'm learning that my current weapon is just not getting the job done without me using spells. I'm going to need to get to Level 4 quickly so I can trade up. Good thing I grabbed the potions, because I needed them.

New monster - Rock Troll. It is slow, hits hard, and has a bunch of health. It sends Dola fleeing after pounding on him for a few. We do catch up with Brink, who asks us to help him "track down the fiend who attacked Syl". Sure, Squid can use the extra dumb muscle since the kitty is scared of trolls.

[Tellistto]

Interesting, I'll read along. Good luck!

Tell

[hoopsguy]

More Varkolyn, and it seems like every time I find those guys they are in packs. The first set are in a room that yields a very interesting magic item:

Brainy Spiked Chest:
11 Armor
+4 Fire Resist
+4 Poison Resist
+3 Mana
+20 Health
Req: Level 4, 13 Defense

Hmm, that is pretty far out on the Defense (5 away) but I don't have any chest armor at all and I probably need some ASAP.

The next batch of Varkolyn come in a narrow hallway where they come up from a hole in the floor and down from a ledge on the other side. Messy, and Squid has to burn through some potions there while firing a bunch of Ember Bolts. But Level 4 comes at the conclusion of this battle.

I decide that SorcerySquid does need the armor, so all five points go into Defense to allow me to immediately use it. I also arm the Cooling Charged Scepter, and all of a sudden this character is looking a little more potent.

[hoopsguy]

Interesting, I'll read along. Good luck!

Tell

Thanks. At this point in the game I'm more intimidated by the out-of-game workout stuff :) But, in all seriousness, the "Very Hard" is substantially more difficult than the level I played earlier. I was definitely surprised by how hard the boss was and I know that he is the equivalent of a single-A pitcher compared to some of the upcoming guys.

[hoopsguy]

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/4563/torchlightl4.jpg

[hoopsguy]

Changes from L3 to L4:
+60 Health
+10 Mana
+0 Fame
+373 Gold
+15-30 Damage (basically 2x what I was doing at L3)
+7-14 Armor (again, nearly 2x improvement)
+5 Poison Resist
+5 Fire Resist

One recent find that is not equipped is a "Cracked Pure Ember". This is the first ember drop that I've found, and these are the items that can be slotted in items. The benefit is different for weapons vs pretty much anything else (Armor/Trinkets is how the game represents "everything else"). This one offers +4 Damage for weapons or +3 Armor for Trinkets. I'll hold off on it for now, since I don't have anything equipped with slots.

[hoopsguy]

And I've made a decision - next level the situps will be broken into two sets of 25. 40 was not fun just now.

[hoopsguy]

I had not mentioned it yet, but this level of the mines is pretty different than the last one. The initial level felt like pretty standard dungeon-crawl but this one feels like the mines in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I'm pleased by the attention to detail so far in creating the atmosphere.

I'm also pleased by how easily we dismiss a rat-man boss. The new gear made this one a mismatch, as the Squid did not even have to dip into the potions. Night and day difference.

The stairs down to Level 3 beckon.

[hoopsguy]

Some interesting stuff to start Level 3. First, we find a Varkolyn mage. He is not much of a problem, but the treasure chest that turns out to be a Mimic is a little more of a challenge. The Mimic leaves behind some good treasure - I've got three new items equipped:

Lucky Brass Ring - +1 Increased Gold, +1 Increased Magic Items, +4 Electrical Damage

One Sharp Copper ring - 3% Faster Cast, +24 Health, +3 Ice Damage, +3 Poison Resist

Smart Leather Shoulders - 4 Armor, 1 socket, +2 Mana, +20 Health

I'm up to four different items that I could potentially slot, but at the moment I'm pretty comfortable with Squid's ability to manage the mines. If it gets to a point where I feel like I need more firepower I'll take a look at filling the slot.

Another pack of Varkolyn, coupled with mages and a Rock Troll puts the Squid as close as he had been to death since the Spider Boss, but he emerges victorious once again. And picks up Level 5 in the process.

Back to town to pick up some healing potions and move some gear for profit.

[hoopsguy]

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/6056/torchlightl5.jpg

[hoopsguy]

Changes from L4 to L5:
Health: +68
Mana: +10
Fame: +272
Gold: +1128
+1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +3 Magic
+5-11 Damage
+1-2 Armor
+3 Poison Resist
-2% Find Gold
-3% Casting Speed
+1% Find Magic Items

[hoopsguy]

The fifty sit-ups are split up into 30/20 and it is pretty manageable. I expect I'll be able to squeeze of the 60 when it comes tonight, but if I go past that tonight I'm going to be in a world of hurt tomorrow. Level 6 will mark 200 situps in a day, which is probably 150+ more than I've done all year.

Squid and his crew continue to make a mockery out of Level 3. There are a pair of bosses, a spider and a blue gel, and neither of them poses much of a threat. Brink is a capable fighter when he keeps up; he has a habit of falling behind, as it seems like his pathfinding logic is worse than Dola's.

Two new items make their way into the rotation:
Jagged Buckled Sullent (Boots)
2 Armor
+2 Fire Resist
+2 Poison Resist
10% Knockback Resist
+23 Health
+2 Defense
3 Damage Reflected

Wise Leather Gauntlets
2 Armor
+2 Magic
+2 Mana

Both of these replaced non-magic items, as SorcerySquid continues to make rapid upgrades to his equipment.

About halfway to Level 6 ... still no sign of the boss that Trill (the bard) wanted me to find on this level.

[hoopsguy]

Continuing through the 3rd level of the mines, Squid unearths a Troll boss. Brink does a good job of holding him up while Squid bombs away from afar, and the victory yields the first bump in Fame level. That gives another spell, which goes into pushing Ember Bolt up to Level 4. The five pushups are certainly doable, but there is no way that I'm getting the same kind of numbers here as I did with sit-ups. I'm thinking 15 is the most I'm doing in a set.

Also, magic items are coming much more quickly. Squid holds onto a pistol and an axe that do more damage than the wand, but realistically those are not going to be used. Dumping points in magic is going to benefit the wand damage over time.

The Varkaseer is found near the end of Level 3 and dispatched with relative ease. It really feels like the equipment upgrades obtained at Level 4 have tilted the game towards Squid in a pretty big way right now.

Let's see if Level 4 of the mines presents a greater challenge ...

[hoopsguy]

Level 4 is actually listed as the "Dark Chamber". And it is here that we learn that Alric does not want to be rescued. He is not thrilled to see either Brink or SorcerySquid, saying that he sent for Syl ... not the two of us. However, he does think Brink may be useful.

Useful, as in he transforms him into an absolute beast of a boss that hits for 150+ damage up close and fires some kind of cold/electric attack. Squid chews through 6 or so potions before having to flee via Town Portal and re-arm with more potions. No tactics seemed all that effective against Beast-Brink in our first go-around.

Next time in, Beast-Brink hands Squid his first death. Brink was down to about 3% of his health, but landed the last blow and I had to go back to the start of the Dank Chamber and sacrifice 10% of my gold. There are actually three options on death, allowing you to return to the spot of death, start of level, or back in town depending on how much money, XP, and fame you want to surrender.

The final chapter of the Brink saga is very, very brief as he is served an Ember Bolt and falls down dead. Syl teleports in and is dismayed about Brink's fate but quickly moves on.

"You say this is Alric's doing? Then his summons was a trap - but why?

The corruption here must have overwhelmed his mind, I can't believe it's so powerful.

Yes, yes ... I see it's touched you as well. Blight is spreading through you, and if we don't find a way to stop it you'll meet the same fate as Brink. I'm sorry I brought you into this, I'll do my best to cure you. Meet me in Torchlight, and I'll tell you my plan."

There are some nice rewards for this battle:
1. A potion that permanently gives +2 Defense
2. Lucky Leather Hood - 4 Armor, +2 Mana, +2% Increased Magic Find (previously did not have head armor)
3. Steel Handgun - non-magical item that does 62 DPS. Damage is all physical. I'm going to equip it in the short term, since it represents a +15 DPS bump from the scepter I've been using.
4. A monstrously good handgun (102 DPS!) that requires 24 Dex. I'm a long way from that and suspect I'll have much better options than this by the time I could possibly dump enough points in Dex to use this.

Level 6 is so close I can taste it.

[hoopsguy]

Syl has opened up a gateway back to Torchlight, and upon our return we meet a new villager named Hatch. Hatch has the ability to open portals to different dungeons, but does not have the muscle to remove the inhabitants. That is where we come in. He is offering a couple of beefy potions and a spell that summons archers.

Syl is back and has this to say to Squid: "I'm a bit overwhelmed friend. Brink is dead, my mentor is lost, and I feel responsible for your corruption as well. Somehow the blighted Ember is fusing with your flesh, changing it - but at least the progress is slow.

I have some knowledge of the crypts below the mine. The Overseer experimented with methods of purifying the Ember, we may be able to use his knowledge to purge the corruption from you now.

Find the Overseer's Library, his notes should be there."

[hoopsguy]

Another "Remnant from Alric's Journal"

"The miners chip their way down through the rock, unaware of the tombs below. When they finally break through, I hope they are wise enough to flee, collapsing their tunnels behind them.

This vault was rightly sealed; it was an experiment as ill-fated as my own. Their ancestors are filled not with life, but with the same dark energy that flows though the Ember veins. Separating out the vileness is impossible. Immortality lies foever beyond our reach.

I was a fool to think otherwise."

[hoopsguy]

The 5th level is named "Tomb of the Awakened" and it is full of undead. Zombies, Skeletons, Skeletal Warriors, some type of Skeleton archers, and skeletal mages. I take my second death in battle with mages and warriors, but not before dinging Level 6. I decide to teleport back to the town to lick my wounds and consider my next move.

[hoopsguy]

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/1029/torchlightl6.jpg

[hoopsguy]

Changes from L5 to L6:
Two deaths.
+63 Health
+11 Mana
+2066 Fame
+214 Gold
+1 Strength, + 1 Dexterity, +5 Magic, +4 Defense
+3 Poison Resist, +3 Fire Resist
+2% Magic Detect
+3 Damage Reflected
-6-13 Damage (time to ditch the pistol ASAP)
+2-5 Armor

[hoopsguy]

So I decide that the next move is heading into the portal created by Hatch. I end up finding a bunch of the same foes that I was seeing in the crypt - loads and loads of undead. And, in the process, learn that I need to rely even more heavily on my Ember Bolt as a solution to dealing with these foes. The toughest part of the portal is a pair of bosses that are in the form of giant Trolls. They move slowly, so it is not that hard to move around them but the skeletons surrounding them are pretty quick.

I do find a spell that provides higher elemental resists. I decide to give that to Dola, who is frequently getting whipped in close combat. Sadly, our party misses Brink right now. Dola is not remotely an elite close-quarters fighter.

Squid ends up clearing out the level, recovering the Tome for Hatch, and bumping the Fame level up to Level 3. Ten push-ups for me, and Squid is about 2/3 of the way to Level 7. Hopefully I've learned enough to do better in the Tomb of the Awakened.

[hoopsguy]

The return to the Tomb of the Awakened goes better. I'm still feeling underpowered for this area, but leaning on the Ember Bolt is a winning strategy for now. I'll definitely be on the lookout for a new, beefier weapon. Heck, beefier everything as I don't think that my armor is any great shakes right now either.

I find another spell, one that summons undead archers, and give that to Dola as well. Dola will activate spells very aggressively, and I sometimes have spells get lost in the shuffle. So I'll let the CPU make sure that we have a fleet of archers and elemental resists going at all times.

I hit Level 7 after another war with a Troll-based boss; this was the one that Trill sent me to take out on this level. However, I'm dismayed to realize I forgot my sit-ups for Level 6. Which means I'm staring 130 sit-ups in the face. I quickly bang out 40 and will finish the rest of them before pushing ahead with the hunt for the Overseer's Library.

[hoopsguy]

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/6794/torchlightl7.jpg

[hoopsguy]

Changes from L6 to L7:
Health +40
Mana +7
Fame +2317
Gold +866
Strength +1, Dexterity +1, Magic +3
+10-21 Damage (back to Wand)
+1-2 Armor
I've added another level of Ember Bolt, so that spell is at 5/10. I won't be able to bump it to 6 until hitting L10.

[hoopsguy]

Sit-ups: 40/40/25/25. And I'm pretty sure I will intentionally avoid hitting another level tonight because I'm gassed. 270 sit-ups is enough for Day 1 of this dynasty.

Continuing through the Tomb, we find both the Deathlace Ember and the villain that our bard buddy wants dead. Completing both of these quests is enough to send the Fame rank up to Level 3. Fifteen push-ups brings that total to 30, which is a drop in the bucket compared to the sit-ups. Nonetheless, I have not been doing the "Push-up Challenge" that some of the other forum members did months ago and learn that 15 is near the outer boundaries of what I can do these days. Starting next level I'll most likely be splitting these into sets as well.

Actually, a look at the character sheet shows that I've skimped on the push-ups since I'm Level 4 in Fame. I started doing 5 instead of 10, which means I owe 15 more push-ups. That is about all that I've got left in my arms. 270 sit-ups plus 30 push-ups = more non-cardio workout than I've done in all of 2009.

[hoopsguy]

Our buddy the Ember scholar tells us about another type of Ember, the Shimmering Ember, that is found in a vein of water. Also, the bard has another foe for us to take out on Level 6. We find the stairs and descend into the Lair of the Sisters.

The foes are many on this level. There are spectres, as well as other undead casting fireballs. This is in addition to all of the other undead we encountered on the previous level. Prior to heading down to this level I purchased the SorcerySquid a new pigsticker.

Bloody Thunder Ward:
75 DPS
1 handed, slow attack speed
33-66 Electrical Damage
Steals 11 Health per shot

This comes in handy; always nice to increase the DPS by 50% over the old weapon. It cost about 1/3 of Squid's available cash.

I accidently hit Level 8 while I'm checking out the start of this level. I'll do those sit-ups first thing tomorrow morning. Or tonight if I don't have enough discipline to put this game aside. My gut is hoping I have some shred of discipline.

[hoopsguy]

The "just one more turn" syndrome struck, and I paid the price with the sit-ups. First set was 30, then it went downhill from there. Still, 80 in the books and back at it.

Character posted below:
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/4214/torchlightl8.jpg

[hoopsguy]

If you look at the orange bar at the bottom of the screen, it shows that SorcerySquid is almost up to Level 9. So the L7 to L8 comparison is a bit skewed this time around.

Health +20
Mana +11
Fame +3381
Gold +3649
+5 DEX, -2 MAG
+14-27 Damage
+10-20 Armor
+14 Poison, +23 Elec, +11 Fire, +6 Cold
Two levels of "Boost Pet" spells
And I've lost track of all the changes in other items because there have been a bunch of small changes in equipment. But the big change was the addition of this item:

Gunslinger Brim (helm)
10 Armor
1 Slot
+4% to Armor
1% to Block
5% Faster Movement
+2% Increased XP
+3 Fire Resist, +3 Elec Resist, +6 Cold Resist
6% change that target flees for 3 seconds

Also, with the addition of a necklace all of the slots are now filled with magic items of some sort. The necklace is called "Two Jolt Enchanted" and has two slots, as well as +8 Electrical Damage.

[hoopsguy]

90 sit-ups, with a very tight/sore stomach, breaks down to 30/20/20/20. There is zero chance I do more than one level today - my stomach cannot take two straight 300+ sit-up days just yet.

Meanwhile, Squid makes his way to the Overseer's Library and finds the notebook. It makes for a pretty chilling read:

"The council has ordered the necropolis sealed. I could purge the corruption from the awakened with a little more time, but they will not listen! They call the Ember's effect a curse and feign concern for the peaceful rest of our ancestors, but fear alone guides them!

If the council refuses to accept teh blessing of eternal life, we will keep the Ember for ourselves. Woe to any who disturb our sanctuary."

And, upon completing the read the three sisters are revealed. They are boss-type Spectres, each with a different spell/damage type. However, none of them are particularly hardy and it is not as difficult a fight as I would expect for a cut-scene (last cut-scene was with Brink being turned).

There is a bunch of loot, but the prize is the following belt:

Tlaloc's Butress:
10 Armor
1 Socket
+4 Defense
3 Armor degraded per hit
4% Increased gold
+12% Melee Damage
+3 Elec Resist
+5 Ice Resist
Req: STR 12

Looks like I'll be dumping two points into Strength. In fact, I now have dinged the next level so I can take care of this immediately.

[hoopsguy]

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/4311/torchlightl9f.jpg

[Eaglesfan27]

Very interesting read. I'm probably not going to read too much more because your dynasty has raised my interest in the game and I don't want to ruin any surprises, but I'll be sure to eventually catch up on this dynasty. I like the situp/pushup house rule.

[hoopsguy]

EF, it is definitely a "spoiler intensive" read. Hope you have fun playing it. I think it has a lot of bang for its buck at $20.

[hoopsguy]

Changes from L8 to L9:
Health +40
Mana +7
Fame +1864
Gold +1014
+2 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +2 Magic, +4 Defense
-4-7 Damage
+5-9 Armor
-3 Poison, +1 Electric, -3 Fire, +3 Ice

All in all, there is a little more balance on the resists and some more defense, but the offense took a bit of a hit. On the whole, that cool belt really was not a huge net gain on the stuff I'm tracking.

[hoopsguy]

The stairs down to the next level are immediately behind the Overseer's Library. The name of this level is not as creative as the last couple: Tomb of Awakened - Level 7. As the name suggests, the undead motif continued. Squid found a Shrine of Enchantment, which provides a free enchantment for an item. One thing that is a little different in this game - there is a chance that Enchantments either fail or even destroy an item. The chance of losing an item is very low (1% or 2%) but it is out there and may impact a decision on enchanting an item. I choose to look at the shoulder plates and saw an "extra enchantment" which turned out to be "3 damage reflected". I'll take it.

There was a boss monster that was a giant Spectre who teleported right on top of Squid and hit for a ton of damage. The good news is that he did not have a ton of health, but it surprised the heck out of me the first time he did it and it was the closest I've come to death in awhile. That victory also led to a bump in Fame level - up to Level 5. 25 push-ups await.

[hoopsguy]

Push-ups broken into 10/10/5. I'm thinking I should have pushed myself and done 15/10. I was not as sore doing these as I was with the sit-ups.

There is another Shrine of Enchantment and this time I put the Chest Armor to the test. Result - 10% chance to reflect 50% of Missile Damage. These are not game changers but I won't complain about free upgrades.

Squid knocks out yet another one of the Bards target boss monsters and accumulates some more fame. The next one is ten levels deep, so it will be awhile until I find this one.

I'm on the brink of Level 10. I'm just about certain I'll invest another spell point into the Ember Bolt at that point even though new spells come available at that time. That spell has been my go-to option for the last 4-5 levels and I'll welcome doing additional damage with it. Squid is also at Level 4 in the (always active) spell that buffs the pet. As a result, I have not seen Dola fleeing the scene quite as often. Dola actually has some value between his increased fortitude and his summoned archers.

[hoopsguy]

I'm having some issues with Imageshack at the moment, but SorcerySquid dinged Level 10 a couple of minutes ago. SS is still blazing through the last bits of the Tomb of the Awakened (Level 7), lashing away at undead with Ember Bolts.

There was an option to switch out the current wand for a really lethal pistol, but while the pistol does more ranged damage the magic damage dropped by a larger percentage. Considering how much Squid relies on the Ember Bolt, this did not seem like a good play.

Sit-ups. 100 of them ... this just is not a lot of fun right now as I'm damn sore from the first day of this endeavor. But, tonight was a little easier than the 90 the other day. Did them in sets of 40/35/25 spaced across commercial breaks in the NCAA basketball games.

[hoopsguy]

The next level is called the "Overseer's Chamber". Hmm, I wonder what is awaiting me here ...

There are a pair of braziers that need to be lit to open up a gate. Beyond the gate is a Spectre boss, but nothing that SorcerySquid has not seen before.

More undead, another Boss Spectre - ho hum. At last, SorcerySquid sees six more braziers. Once these are lit the Overlord emerges, upset that we have invaded his quarters.

He summons hordes and hordes of undead, and SorcerySquid is overwhelmed once when a healing potion does not go down quickly enough. But on the return engagement, it is taking more mana potions to keep firing Ember Bolts than it is healing potions to sustain health. This guy just is not that dangerous and dying to him initially is a bit embarrassing. He falls, leaving one interesting item behind.

"Overlords Eye" - +25 Health (permanent).

Upon vanquishing the Overlord we encounter Syl. Just in the nick of time, Syl ...

[hoopsguy]

From the mouth of Syl ...

"You've released the Overseer from his madness, now we can investigate his library. Ah, here are his notes ...
He mentions searching for an Ember forge in a Dwarven fortress much deeper in this mountain. He believed it would cleanse the corruption from his awakened ancestors. I will return here another time to learn more, but this Ember forge sounds promising. Come, let's go further down, we may not have much time."


And, after following Syl down the stairs we get another "Remnant from Alric's Journal":

"The beauty of these sunken gardens shines through an age of dusy and decay. Why did they fall to ruin? Could the same corruption that affects me now be responsible for this centuries old destruction?
The thought that this blight could be so ancient unnerves me, but if it consumes me I must go deep enough that I can never escape to do harm.
And, there is still hope. A fool's hope, but I cling to it."

[hoopsguy]

At the bottom of the chamber we see a vastly different landscape. The land seems lush; these are clearly the gardens alluded to by Alric's journal.

Syl has more to say to us:
"These ruins, I've read of them! This is Estheria, their discoveries are the foundation of my art. I wish Brink could see this.
I have reactivated these three rune gates, but it is the fourth that leads deeper. Some thread must have caused the Estherians to disable it, the destination glyphs are missing.
We'll need ot find those missing glyphs to continue, search the active gates while I study this chamber. Hurry, there are many obstacles between us and the Ember forge below."

This part will take awhile to complete. I'm going to try and bang out one of Hatch's missions to pick up Level 11 before calling it an evening.

[hoopsguy]

Hatch's dungeon features more undead; at least I'm familiar with the opponents. However, these ones are a few levels higher that what SorcerySquid has been facing and the terrain is challenging. There were several spots where the foes were coming in waves downhill on a stairway, and the ranged attacks do not do as well in this spot.

Also, I really need to find an item that delivers more damage. I've been scouring shops looking for something but come up empty.

SorcerySquid does bite the dust near the end of the map. These missions do not allow you to use a town portal; you either walk back to the start or push ahead to the end. I choose poorly, ending up in a room where gates closed behind me and with relatively few potions to face down waves of undead in close combat.

Upon death, I choose to return to town and found an item that SorcerySquid immediately equipped.

Gorgon Gloves (set)
9 Armor
+3 Elec Resist
+5 Poison Resist
+6 Strength
Increased fire damage by 3%

This is a big upgrade over the previous gloves. But still no weapons upgrade ... need to find a wand ASAP.

Also, hit Level 11 and am closing on another Fame level. Does anyone have an alternate image site besides Imageshack that I should consider?

[hoopsguy]

Two more deaths before clearing out the level, one of which was embarrassing ... SorcerySquid fell to a freaking Mimic. That tells me that I'm just not as locked in as I need to be, and also that I'm underpowered for what I'm facing.

I find a pretty minor upgrade for the weapon:

Plague Wand of the Savage:
82 DPS (up from 69)
1-handed, slow attack speed
18-36 Poison
18-36 Elec
7 Armor degraded per hit
+1 Critical Hit

Hopefully this helps when moving into the Estherian areas when I resume play tomorrow.

Sit- ups - 40/30/20/20. This is now four straight days of 100+ sit-ups. Shock to system, no doubt about it. Although the gut really has only been sore when I try to do more sit-ups.

Push-ups - I'll do those 30 tomorrow before I start playing again. I'm going to bed.

[hoopsguy]

30 push-ups. I would like to say that I did 15/15 but I was soft and did 15/10/5. I should have pushed myself on the first set and tried to do 18/12.

I take a mission from Hatch to find a "Coral Hairpin", and this leads me to "Detached Estheria" where SorcerySquid encounters a number of small pygmy fighters as well as some large walking tree creatures that hit hard. Mix in some spiders that slow with their webs and do poison damage and this is a challenging area. SorcerySquid falls once early when I just can't heal fast enough.

It (death) happens again pretty quickly. Those pygmies just seem to avoid my spells and get in close and stab ... this level is pretty darn hard. I also feel like I need to upgrade armor.

There are some good drops, as SorcerySquid is able to upgrade both a ring and a necklace. There should be a pretty big jump from level to level in the Electricity resistance.

Normally I just try to push through these levels, but this time I think discretion is the better part of valor. SorcerySquid heads back out the portal to reload on potions before giving this one another run.

[hoopsguy]

This "mini-dungeon" that Hatch sent SorcerySquid to is pretty massive. I would like to think I'm most of the way through it at this point but I honestly have no idea. But it is time to retreat for yet another round of potions and I'll try to finish this tomorrow. The battle against the pygmies goes better, as I've adjusted my tactics to using a wider mixture of spells together to stay alive longer. And I'll have another level to post when I return to this tomorrow.

[hoopsguy]

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/3528/torchlightl12.jpg

[hoopsguy]

Good news - Electricity defense is, relatively speaking, through the roof.
Bad news - nothing else that really jumps out. I need to get SorcerySquid a new wand ASAP.

I said this place was huge, and I had no idea. Just sprawling rooms full of lush vegetation that seemed to go on forever. This is as at least as big as the Lair of the Three Sisters. But eventually SorcerySquid makes his way down to the second level, albeit short on health potions.

That does not end up mattering against a boss spider, but it is costly in battle against about 15 swarming pygmies. Another death in this one; hopefully the main area is not this daunting.

It turns out that the Pygmies were the last inhabitants of the level. Kind of galling to die in that spot, but there were a ton of them. Maybe 25, after further review.

After rolling through that area it is back to the main mission. There are three separate portals that are going to lead to different areas in the Estherian Ruins. The first takes me to "Floor 10" and there are a slew of spider bosses and pygmies here, but they are lower level than the last batch. All in all, this is pretty easy. Sorcery Squid picks up both a standard level and a fame level. I've got some sit-ups and push-ups to get done.

I also added another item with my latest level - Casting chain Shoes of Protection:
7 Armor
+2 vs Electricity
+4 vs Fire and Poison
+10 Defense

The jump in defense is a huge leap.

[hoopsguy]

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/4254/torchlightl13.jpg

[hoopsguy]

Changes from L12 to L13:
+17 Health
+7 Mana
+3565 Fame
-352 Gold (bought the boots)
+1 Dex
+12 Defense (needed to allocate 4 points at level to equip boots)
+5 vs Poison, +8 vs Elec, +4 vs Fire, +2 vs Cold
+7-15 Armor

I absolutely, positively need to enhance the wand ASAP.

[hoopsguy]

Time to pay the piper on the exercise. My wife had a friend over last night and I did not do my exercise while she was downstairs. So I had 250 sit-ups and 35 push-ups staring me in the face. I started them before going to bed last night and knocked off 185 sit-ups in sets of 50/45/50/35. I finished them this morning with 45/20. I'm happy to see that I got past the 40 sit-up barrier from when I had started this dynasty ... figured that was just a matter of time and recovering a bit from my initial soreness.

That brings the sit-up total to 900 since I started this last week. I'm pretty pleased with how this is working out in terms of getting me some exercise. Maybe I need to put some thought into a game condition that gets me on the treadmill as well?

Push-ups: 35 of them, I do 20 on the first set although the form suffered a bit on the last couple. But I was thrilled to do 15 good push-ups for the second set. I will be stunned if I'm not spreading next level's push-ups across three sets.

In game-related matters, I have found enough "pure ember" shards to put together a Discolored Pure Ember. This gives either +14 Damage or +9 Armor. I would slot this in my wand right now, but unfortunately the wand does not slot. I do have two defensive items that could use this, but I'm not hugely motivated to use this for defense right now. This is an area of the game that I do not really take advantage of enough. I sacrifice the short-term gains to assemble the powerful item for the long-term that never arrives.

[hoopsguy]

The first Estheria Rune Gate leads me to a dungeon that is a mirror image of the one that I just completed for Hatch. That is disappointing; first time I have seen the maps repeat like this. But SorcerySquid pretty much dominates while gathering the first of the three glyphs required by Syl to open the fourth gate.

SorcerySquid locates the Shimmering Ember while making his way through the second portal/region. That, coupled with bagging one of the bard's quest monsters, has Squid closing in on both Experience and Fame levels.

Finally, a new item to help out with the defense - Blue Talon Shield:
9 Armor
9% Block
+5 Fire Resist
+2 Mana
+5% Ice Damage
+3 Strength
+30 Health

[hoopsguy]

The Bard in town takes a few liberties with his renditions of our work. Here is his latest effort:

"I can see it now. You weary from battle, your sword wavering in your hands. Spormazar the Accursed, cackling with vile laughter, wielding a giant flaming club. For a moment, you thought all was lost - but then, a rush of inspiration!

You remembered your mother, no, your love! Yes, your far away love, and your promise to return! In a rush of righteous fury, you strike down the field, and return here victorious!

Ha, I will make you the hero of our age!"

Hmm, for starters SorcerySquid uses a wand. Second, the creature was a spider and certainly did not have a flaming club. Third, I don't recall any promise to a far-away love. Oh well, as long as he keeps providing rewards for the battles I'll let him do his thing.

Also, the Ember Scholar hints at more concerns with the quality of the Ember we have recovered. By quality, I mean the characteristics of the Ember, and that it seems to be more than just pretty jewelry. I'll post his next write-up after I complete his next quest.

Level 14 arrives, and Fame Level 8 should arrive when the next boss-monster falls.

[hoopsguy]

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/7066/torchlightl14.jpg

[hoopsguy]

Changes from L13 to L14:
+70 Health
+4 Mana
+5284 Fame
+1324 Gold
+4 Strength
+1 Dexterity
+3 Magic
-1 Elec
+7 Fire
+3-7 Damage
+4-8 Armor

[hoopsguy]

Workouts:
Sit-ups: 50/45/45
Push-ups: 16/14/10

Those are the last ones I'll be doing tonight. 225 sit-ups and 75 push-ups in a day is a lot more than I'm accustomed to doing and I don't feel like testing my limits with another 150 sit-ups tonight. I'll save that for tomorrow or later this week.

[hoopsguy]

The second of the glyph portals/regions is equally expansive as the first. The second level is filled with a number of energy-based creatures that fire from long range. I find them hard to target on the screen and rely on SorcerySquid's range-based attacks to locate them for me. But in the meantime, they chew up quite a few potions - both health and mana.

After the initial barrage of energy creatures the second level of this dungeon is a letdown. There is not anything worth noting guarding the second glyph, and upon gathering it SorcerySquid heads through the portal to return to Syl and the third gate.

I have picked up a couple of items that have substantially improved SorcerySquid's defense.

#1 - Beryl Chain Haubergen (chest armor)
31 Armor (double previous armor)
+18 Fire Resist
+10 Poison Resist
+8% Poison Damage
+1% Increased Gold

#2 Serpent Solleret (Boots)
22 Armor (13 points better than previous)
1 Socket
Increased Elec Damage by 25%
Phy/Elec -2 Damage received
2 Damage Reflected
+3 Poison Resist

I purchased the chest armor, but the boots were a find. Swapping out boots took away the +10 Defense bonus associated with the old pair, but the overall Armor rating still went up enough to justify it.

[gi]

I like the physical fitness requirements. Might have to add these to all my games. Wish this game was multi-player.

[hoopsguy]

Yep, no multi-player is a serious, serious drawback for a game in this day and age. Probably a deal-breaker for a lot of players, especially with as many games as there are out right now.

For me, the $20 price-tag versus $50-60 for Dragon Age: Origins (one example, I could probably think of 5-10 other games that would be appealing right now) was a deciding factor. I know that I've got somewhat limited time to play during the week and I wasn't sure if I wanted to make the 80-100+ hour commitment to a single-player campaign plus whatever I put into multi-player.

[hoopsguy]

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/5132/torchlightl15.jpg

[hoopsguy]

Changes from L14 to L15:
+11 Health
+12 Mana
+8333 Fame
+959 Gold
+1 Strength
+1 Dexterity
+2 Magic
-9 Defense
+6 Poison
-12 Electricity
+25 Fire
-3 Ice
+16-32 Damage
+17-34 Armor

The fireball spell is pretty useless. I may take a look at it again at a higher level, but for now it stinks and I'm looking forward to learning a new spell in its place. Battles now are usually starting with Ember Bolts, with some of the Electric Shock mixed in. If I'm smart, I use the shield power before battles. The heal is too slow to be of great value in battle (potions heal more and faster) but is nice after battle to help save on potions.

Sit-ups: 60/45/45. And it felt like death. At some point very soon I'm going to give in and do four sets. But I'm happy to have gotten up to 60 in that first set. Definitely not something I would have been able to do ten days ago.

[hoopsguy]

Dinged another Fame level, which means 45 push-ups: 20/17/8. Had to go three sets here, not getting to 25 push-ups in a set for a little while yet, based on how hard 20 was both today and over the weekend.

Also, SorcerySquid has now finished the third of the glyph/portal areas and will be ready to push into the mysterious fourth portal. I'll likely get around to posting that content tomorrow.

One last note - the last update showed a pretty big update in damage. That was because I switched out wands, but the replacement wand was non-magical. I haven't had to use a standard weapon since about Level 5 but I can't find a magical wand to save my life. So I ended up picking up a non-magic item off the floor and it delivers about 20 more DPS than the magic one I've been using forever.

I've made a purchase for a new wand that adds about 80 DPS, but won't be able to use it until Level 16. That set me back about 2500, which is roughly 30% of SorcerySquid's wealth. But it should definitely be worth it in terms of standing up to stronger foes. I feel like I'm reaching a point of diminishing returns on this one, instead relying heavily on spells to deliver 80-90% of my damage.

[hoopsguy]

Syl sends us hunting for an Ember Forge.

"You recovered the glyphs so quickly! Your power is growing, my friend.

I will open the last rune gate, but please be cautious. The blighted Ember creates abominations, there is no telling what monstrosities lay on the other side.

I can't bear to stay in these corrupted tunnels much longer, find me in Torchlight when you have finished."

[hoopsguy]

The portal takes SorcerySquid to yet more Estherian ruins. There are some horned devil creatures here that hit pretty darn hard, the most damaging being a charging attack that delivered critical hits in the 300 health range. Ouch - that is a pretty fair percentage of the overall health and it is suicide to get into close combat with more than one at a time. There are also elementals here, which force SorcerySquid to be cognizant of the type of spells used against them since they are highly resistant to one type of damage. Finally, there is a monstrous boss tree creature who falls in an epic battle that drains all of SorcerySquid's primary potions (had a couple of spares in the backpack). The boss yielded a very nice treasure:

Fassia's Band (unique ring)
+8% damage to all four types of elemental damage
2% chance target flees
1 socket

There is a great shaking after I cross a bridge just beyond the boss encounter. Syl teleports in and shares her take on the event:

"If this shaking continues it will destroy the twon and collapse the tunnels! Something massive must be stirring below, but I can't imagine what could do this.

Go, fine the source of these quakes, and put an end to them. Something is trying to slow us down. It feats us. I take heart in that."

Very, very close to getting Level 16. Which is sorely needed, so I can equip the new cattle prod (er, wand).

[hoopsguy]

As SorcerySquid heads down into the next level, we are treated to yet another Remnant from Alric's Journal:

"Water pours from the ruins above and falls down to oblivion. These caverns are lost to time, primal. The Ember veins change as I descend - shifting colors, first hidden, then gleaming and glittering. It fascinates me now as it did when I was young.

Even the blight seems more pure here. My experiment may have succeeded if I had used Ember from deeper in the mountain, closer to the source. There is still corruption of course, but with endless life that becomes a small matter.

Perhaps I will gain more her than I ever imagined."

So it sounds like our buddy Alric has gone the route of the Overseer, but is a little more actively involved. The Overseer seems to have raised a bunch of dead and hunkered down in their homes, but Alric seems to still be actively involved in the affairs of Torchlight. He sent for Syl, he transformed Brink earlier, and we keep finding his journal info.

[hoopsguy]

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/228/torchlightl16.jpg

[hoopsguy]

Changes from L15 to L16:
Health +40
Mana +3
Fame: +7292
Gold: -1019
+2 Strength
+1 Dexterity
+2 Magic
-8 Ice Resist
+33-66 Damage

So the big story here is the leap in damage with the new wand. It is about 66% better than the damage with the old magic wand that SorcerySquid had equipped two levels ago. I've also got a helm stashed away that is a big improvement but SorcerySquid needs quite a bit more Strength to use it. I'll see if it is worth pouring points into Strength for that item at the conclusion of this level.

[hoopsguy]

Sit-ups: 45/45/45/25. I realized fairly early in the first set that wasn't going to go deep enough in that set to allow me to do this in three sets. So I eased into the four sets, and hope that I'll won't stray into five sets for several levels yet.

Also, I'm at a point now where the fitness stuff is starting to significantly curtail my playing time. It takes a pretty decent amount of time for me to bang out this exercise ... it is not just a five minute break anymore. I'm usually doing one set per round of commercials on TV, as opposed to something like a one minute break between sets like I might do at a gym. If I had my sets that close together I would certainly require more sets to complete the effort.

The next level is called Tu'tara Caverns - Floor 17. The landscape is kind of like a group of scenic views from mountains connected by wobbly wood bridges. There are not any new denizens so far, but the demon creatures are fierce. The often come in packs of 3-5 streaming out of huts, and one such group laid SorcerySquid low.

I'm starting to feel a pinch on the cash flow with the cost of potions. The current health/mana potions each run 68 gold, which is pretty close to the cost of a sold magic item. If I'm not able to preserve health/mana a bit more efficiently then it may begin to impact the purchases I've made for SorcerySquid throughout the game. New items are generally costing about 2K apiece ... I may have to live off what I find for a couple of levels.

Speaking of finds, here is a nice item that is equipped immediately:

Tu'taran Venom Shield of Resistance
8 Armor
8% Block
+22 Poison Resist
+16 Ice Resist
+15 Fire Resist
+14 Elec Resist
+10% Knockback Resist

[hoopsguy]

SorcerySquid is finding the going pretty tough in Tu'tara. The deaths are starting to come a bit more frequently, although rarely to the bosses. Instead, it is the rank-and-file members that are able to hit for such a significant portion of the overall health that the margin for error is pretty small. I'm dumping points into a "Damage Absorb" spell but really need a Plan B.

There is a stairway down to Level 18 and SorcerySquid has found more of the same on that level so far:
- majority are demons, with archers, spell-casters (ice, primarily), and charging spearmen.
- some of the tree creatures
- a few pygmies
- lots of pteradactyl-type creatures
- throw in a few spiders for diversity

Fame Level 10 arrives. 50 push-ups, split out into 20/17/13.

So does Level 17, although I'm going to wimp out on doing those sit-ups until my next gaming session. I'll post the screenshot after I've paid my dues, likely post-Thanksgiving.

[hoopsguy]

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/6039/torchlightl17.jpg

[hoopsguy]

Hmm, I did not realize that the ImageShack stuff goes away this quickly - anyone know what the retention time is? Turn of month? A week?

Anyway, I'm guessing that the biggest change between levels is the upwards trend on all of the resists. Ice has been a big pain point for a couple of levels, but it is at 36 now. This means that I won't have to worry as much about ranged spell attacks on SorcerySquid. However, the Health is still very low and probably needs to be addressed at some point, either by spending points on Strength or with items.

Sit-ups: 50/45/40/35. Back to the grind after putting on 2-3 pounds over the Thanksgiving holiday.

[hoopsguy]

The map for Level 18 appears to be very, very similar - if not identical - to the one for Level 17. This is not very much fun for SorcerySquid, as the close quarters don't set up well for any kind of straight-up fighting. Instead, the battle tactics turn into bomb from afar, retreat when the absorb spell is broken (350 damage or so), recast absorb spell, continue bombing from afar on approaching foes. While it is effective, it is not aesthetically pleasing to me.

Level 18 does hold the Rune Ember fragment, which SorcerySquid brings back to the city. Here is the response from the Ember collector:
"Primal Ember? Incredible!
The Ember blight is growing stronger as we obtain samples from deeper in the mountain. I would say something in the depths was influencing the entire Ember vein, but of course that's absurd. Nothing is powerful enough to do that, perhaps its just the spirits of the lost clinging to the veins."

He also mentions that he needs to separate the Ember that we've collected for him. It is pretty clear that there is indeed some kind of malevolent force that is influencing the Ember and that it is capable of corrupting good men who seek it. That does not bode well for our hero.

Level 18 arrives, I'll be doing the sit-ups this afternoon. Still quite a bit of work to get to Fame 11.

[Eilim]

Nice dynasty hoops, will certainly be following along. Just ran across the game myself and was contemplating starting a dynsaty to track my failures..err. progress in attempts at VH/HC runs.

Did put a smile on my face to see the man responsible for my TitanQuest addiction also found this gem of a game. It definitely has its hooks in me, but not too surprising as I was also hooked on the game "Fate", which it shares much with.