I thought that id be handy since i never beat any of 1 or 2, to start from the beginning. I am a little proficient in these games but still not a pro, yet so any advice on what weapon would work. Keep in mind i played 2 more than 1 so there are no abilities for weapons in 1. I thought of making a dagger build but read on here that daggers are useless compared to swords. I dont see any difference between cleave weapons, maces, and swords, and even unarmed. Throwing is an idea though.

Basically, i was thinking of making a hide/stealth melee build but that doesnt work in either games unless its night time. I am with the notion and idea that ranged weapons are really more reliable to sneak attack type battles. I just cant see melee being worth it for the sneak type characters. I definitely dont want to use magic, at least not in 1, maybe in 2 when ive mastered the game a bit more.

If anyone has any advice on the difference between weapons, they all seem too similar in 1. And any other advice for 4 main skills. I was thinking hide, silent, (insert weapon?) and survival. I wanted to use survival because it was always an interesting skill that i always wanted to try out even if its not the greatest.

In Book 1 any of the three main weapon types works, but for some perverse reason I rarely find in loot the type I picked. Bludgeoning is sometimes picked because you can use it for opening containers and door much quicker although unarmed combat with an item to give you that skill works as well.

Hide in Shadows was somewhat overpowered in Book 1. A small investment of 3 or 4 levels allowed you to stand near a wall or tree and just wait for the monster to stroll by and get hit. You were rarely ever detected. Then wait for daylight or use a torch to collect the loot.

So is there any reason to pick swords over cleave, or daggers over swords? Im trying to understand how a machete isnt a sword and it is a cleaving weapon. Do daggers get different attributes that make it more nimble?

I tried it as a mage, and failed, tried it as an archer, and failed, but finally, I tried Book I with a Paladin, it he rocked. I really just got 5 cartography (use that, it helps), and Swords. At the end of the game I had all the best armor, and I had too much money to use. It was still fun though. So, I would suggest swords, though I think bows would be right after that. Another method you could use 9It's kinda cheap) is to get a decent bow, and a ton of arrows in your Paladin. Then, have the bow in your primary weapon, and sword in your secondary. Fire arrows at enemies, and right before it hits them, hit "Enter" to swap to the sword. Then you deal the damage of the sword from long range. This only works in Book I though.

Whatever you choose, have fun playing through them!

Thanks for your reply. Still though is there a difference in damage between each? I would like to use daggers/s swords but dont know if slashing damage is better than piercing. Is there a difference?

I can tell you this - there is no reason to pick Daggers/'Short Bladed' (called "Piercing" in Book II) Weapons (and, also, Thrown Weapons) in Book I. This was actually discussed once in some detail in this thread (and also, by me, here).

In Book I, you definitely want to go with either Swords, Bludgeoning or Cleaving Weapons, as your 'melee weapon of choice'.

Ok, Ive been reading some of your walkthroughs and think im going to go with either bows or a melee weapon mixed with buffing magic. I read one of the faqs on buffing and its kinda cool. A few questions on that-

-Does the bless spell go up in damage boost and chance to hit every point in divine magic?

-Does bless work with ranged weapons?

-Does wisdom affect bless and make it better or last longer?

Bless goes up with the level you cast it at. You need higher Divination to cast it at the higher levels, but after getting to level 5 having more doesn't help.

Wisdom is needed to get Bless, but after that it doesn't make a difference.

Ok, a few more questions. Element resistance affects the damage spells but the question is which one affects getting confused/controlled by spells?

Is that magic resistance? I checked the manual and im not sure if its clear on that.

Just a quick question, are there any weapons or items in game that give a bonus to causing a critical hit?

I find swords to be the best melee weapon in Book I because some quest rewards are swords. For any other melee weapon you'll have to rely more on luck to find what you need.

Bow specialist is the easiest build, with the option to expand into magic later in the game. Relying on magic as your sole source of damage is very challenging due to the MP regeneration cap.

Thats actually the weapon i chose-swords. So do you know if and which items add to your characters chance of getting a critical hit, or is it just your weapon skill that determines it?

If I recall correctly, the ability to get a critical hit is based solely on the ability to hit, so whatever improves the one will improve the other. I can't think of anything in the game that solely raises the likelihood of a critical hit.