Help with designing a fighter

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Azvael
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Help with designing a fighter

Post by Azvael »

Greetings!

I'd like some help with my fighter build, please. Here are my criteria:

1. High-damage tank: This I've got figured out. High endurance and strength, high melee weapon skill, and good armor.

After this, I run into some problems.

This fighter is something of a lazy bastard. He just doesn’t want to have to march all over Crakamir, in that blistering, dry heat, in full armour, carrying his loot back and forth from the Goblin Citadel to his Base of Self-Righteous Violence. So, portal.

This is no problem. Level 20 Elemental gets me three portal slots, and that's all I need. I'll get the gear to boost that skill (grand wizard's hat, rings, whatever). So...

2. Portal Capable: Elemental level 20 (not including gear bonuses).

No problem. I've got plenty of points. However, this decision to learn enough elemental to cast portal has resulted in my stalwart fighter having the mother of all identity crisises. I mean, he likes to swing his sword, but he's got elemental of freaking 20!

So, this leads me to the problem of a ranged weapon. Because acid grubs.

Bow or spells?

This is where I'd like your help. Should I spend the points to take bows high enough to take out the grubs (I've got enough points to do it), or should i rely on fire dart or compress atmosphere since I can already do that anyway, and use those extra points for something else?

The problem with spells is my mana pool isn't going to be very high, but that's what I spent all that gold on mana potions for, and I'm only going to be doing this with the grubs and bomb thugs anyway. The rest of the time, it'll be swords.

But bows are lethal as all hell in the lategame, especially with all of the buffs cast at the same time. That's right. All Of Them, because screw those taurax bastards!

Second question: if you think I should just use the spells (ignoring the deepening of my fighter’s identity crisis: screaming "I'm a fighter! Really!" as he portals in and out of the bar while wearing a wizard's hat), then what would you suggest I do with the remaining points? I'm leaning towards meditation, because mana, and this guy seriously needs to calm the F#$% down.

Thank you very much.
Azvael
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Re: Help with designing a fighter

Post by Azvael »

C'mon, help a fighter out. You know you want too. :lol:
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SpottedShroom
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Re: Help with designing a fighter

Post by SpottedShroom »

Hahaha, I'm not sure this is a fighter build, but I'll play along. I don't think there's any reason not to take some spellcasting ability in Book I unless you're trying to make the game more challenging for yourself. I think the "best" build is archer + magic support: all stat points in Per to raise MP regen, split skill points between bows and elemental/divine.

For a melee character, I'd do something similar. I still say Per over End for stat points, plus the odd Str to be able to carry your armor. Who cares about high max HP when you can heal yourself?

I absolutely wouldn't specialize in ANOTHER skill to deal with acid grubs. Just take the damage like a true tank!
Azvael
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Re: Help with designing a fighter

Post by Azvael »

Thank you, Shroom. I appreciate your input. :)
SpottedShroom wrote:Hahaha, I'm not sure this is a fighter build, but I'll play along. I don't think there's any reason not to take some spellcasting ability in Book I unless you're trying to make the game more challenging for yourself. I think the "best" build is archer + magic support: all stat points in Per to raise MP regen, split skill points between bows and elemental/divine.
How would you deal with a pure archer's handicap in the earlygame? Specificlly, firing a bow in dark conditions?
SpottedShroom wrote:For a melee character, I'd do something similar. I still say Per over End for stat points, plus the odd Str to be able to carry your armor. Who cares about high max HP when you can heal yourself?
Huh. Good point about max HP vs the ability to cast heal. Didn't think about that. :oops:
SpottedShroom wrote:I absolutely wouldn't specialize in ANOTHER skill to deal with acid grubs. Just take the damage like a true tank!
What about the acid grub's habit of destroying weapons or armor?

Again, thanks for responding.
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SpottedShroom
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Re: Help with designing a fighter

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Azvael wrote: How would you deal with a pure archer's handicap in the earlygame? Specificlly, firing a bow in dark conditions?
It's been a while since I've run this build, so I'm not 100% sure on this. Certainly I favor a stronger late game over an easy start, though. With this character I leave dark areas and locked items for a later pass once I know the appropriate spells to deal with them. Also, with a high enough Bow skill you can hit things in the dark, and you're going to have a very, very high Bow skill.
What about the acid grub's habit of destroying weapons or armor?
Um, take it off first? Or maybe, yeah, invest in an offensive spell, since if you can already cast Portal it'll just be the cost of the scroll. You can even do most of the damage in melee and then switch to ranged for the coup de grace.
Azvael
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Re: Help with designing a fighter

Post by Azvael »

This gives me some food for thought; I'd have never considered some of the points you made. Thank you.

Acid grubs can destroy weapons as well as armor, so the only way to avoid the possibility of my epic sword being destroyed is to use a ranged attack or saving prior to the attack. I'd have to remove weapons as well as armor, which isn't practical. This is less of an issue in Book Ii (I haven't played Book III yet).

Not a big deal. I think you've given me the answer. I just need to work out the numbers.

Thanks again, Shroom, for taking the time to help.

P.S.

Played Book I and II numerous times, but not III. I want to go though the whole series, using the "most optimized" build(s) I can come up with. I'll probably post a similar post for Book III in about six months. :)
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SpottedShroom
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Re: Help with designing a fighter

Post by SpottedShroom »

Each game has slightly different "best" builds in my opinion.

The biggest changes in Book II are lifting the MP regeneration limit and the addition of the weapon feat. I still favor an archer, but the build looks a little different since you can keep dumping points into Per until you get to 5 MP/turn. The feat mainly helps with the early game, and lets you hit enemies in the dark easier.

In Book III the feat damages weapons, which means you can't use it reliably until the late game. For that reason, I feel that the best builds are pure mage and unarmed fighter/mage. Pure mage still has the same problem as in all the other games, though: your damage output per MP is capped once you have the most efficient spell, and even at 5 MP/turn, you'll run out in big battles.
Azvael
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Re: Help with designing a fighter

Post by Azvael »

SpottedShroom wrote:Each game has slightly different "best" builds in my opinion.

The biggest changes in Book II are lifting the MP regeneration limit and the addition of the weapon feat. I still favor an archer, but the build looks a little different since you can keep dumping points into Per until you get to 5 MP/turn. The feat mainly helps with the early game, and lets you hit enemies in the dark easier.
I remember archers and pure mages were pretty awesome in Book II when I last played them. In Book I, archers seem to start off weak (hindered by no-light conditions until predator sight) but become strong lategame. I rank my character builds by how many giants I can keep alive during the attack on the Goblin Citidel. A ranger was the only one to keep all four alive. Mages, however, seem to be the opposite. They're near unstoppable until taurax. The problem was casting compress atmosphere enough to kill them. More than one tended to drain my mana, but I guess that's what mana potions are for. :)
SpottedShroom wrote:In Book III the feat damages weapons, which means you can't use it reliably until the late game. For that reason, I feel that the best builds are pure mage and unarmed fighter/mage. Pure mage still has the same problem as in all the other games, though: your damage output per MP is capped once you have the most efficient spell, and even at 5 MP/turn, you'll run out in big battles.
Didn't know that about the weapon damage. Thanks for telling me. Your suggestions seem like the best option given that fact.

Thanks again.
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