Titan Quest dynasty - slow ride through "Legendary" play

[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.