Skills, Gold, and Travel Requirements

[CobraEye]

After scrutinizing the many helpful suggestions and hints in these forums, I decided to try to create an effective character by using the minimum skill points. For example, I had the archery instructor in Bordertown teach my character Level One Bow skill for 100 gold rather than select that skill and expend 3 skill points during character generation or level up, saving 3 skill points for "better use."

It didn't take long to figure out a weakness in this approach, or perhaps a strategy which I've overlooked.

At roll up I selected Unarmed Combat and Light Armor for attack and defense. After a mad dash from Aridell to Bordertown (where I set the Quick Travel feature), I spent 100 gold each to learn Level One of Bow and Alchemy. So far, so good.

To follow the many suggestions to their logical conclusions, I need to spend another 1,400 gold (2,800 total) to achieve Level Five in these skills, which is a tremendous amount of gold for a low-level character. Other than arrows, I have bought nothing, and sell everything I find other than some light armor and +HP rings to stay alive. I have also saved some Alchemy ingredients for health potions. Right now I have about 700 GP total for a Level Three character, so have a LONG way to go to get the remaining 2,800 I need.

To complicate matters, I haven't managed to survive a wild run from Bordertown to Blackwater (don't forget the 100 GP admission price) to pick up either Divination or Elemental magic skills, plus a weapon (say, Swords or Cleaving), which will add collectively another 3,000 GP to the total.

Grand total in GP to save 12 skill points across 4 skills: 6,100 GP (not to mention the need to be lucky enough to have a low level character get to Blackwater).

I guess I am missing something. If at Level Three I have ~700GP, then I need 8 times that (arguably achievable by Level Six, all other factors being equal) to start using my character in an even remotely effective way.

1) How and where do other players as low level characters acquire gold in sufficient quantity to pay 6,000 GP for training?

2) Is there a "better mousetrap" solution to this challenge?

Thanks!

[acoustibop]

Nobody said it would be easy, CobraEye.

But the point is that there are only a limited number of skill points you can earn in the game, whereas you can continue earning gold indefinitely. So it makes sense to substitute gold for skill points wherever possible.

[Dr. G]

I am one of the guys who suggested this kind of stategy, so here is how I do it.

I tried twice and worked pretty well with two types of characters, a more fighter oriented class with no magik at all, and a more magic oriented call with some decent fighting skills.

Fot the Fighter at the beggining I chose:

Alchemy (At least one level)
Sword (As a free skill for my character type)
Heavy / Light Armor (yes both of them, you cant learn them unless trough book that are difficult to find)
Survival



For the magic mix fighter

Alchemy
Sword (I like swords, and they are easy to find, and pretty cheap)
Heavy / Light Armor
Elemental (Got it free with free Fire Dart)

For the money issue, I had to quicksave everytime I was before a chest a barrel or a drop bag, and opened, if I didn't find anything worthy rolled back, and so, and so, at the beggining it is very dull, but you do get some good stuff which is pretty expensive.

Finally If you have enough money invest on levels as soon as posible, don't wait until you get a lot of money, this way the game becomes easier, the other option is working for everybody, most quests will give you between 300 to 400 gold. thus you can purchase fighting skills, as for bow, it is very useful against Noximanders cause they are pretty hard to hit at the beggining and can poison you. That is why you have alchemy skill, you can mix demon Oil (I had the recipe from a previous game) which is very efective if you are a fighter and don't have the bow skill yet, or if you a mage you can fire dart as much as you like, cause noximanders are slow.

Try this out I'm sure you will have more fun

[krisklef]

What acoustibop said. After the first or second time playing the game, Cartography becomes optional, but even with that, you need about 6000 gold to get archery, alchemy, mapping and div/elem (whichever you didn't invest in.)

If you have spell attack and melee/armor skills, then you can just wait until you get to Bordertown to buy the others. Easily, by 5th-6th level, I have ~2400 gold saved up, rerolling loot is not needed. Of course, I have only the armor/weapons/spells I have found! Everything I can't use gets sold except for: spells I can learn later, potions (heal, mana esp.) and rings and amulets that I want. You get quite a bit of gold from quests, so I just stay patient and wait until 5th or 6th level to buy the archery and alchemy, possibly fulfilling some quests to get up to 3000 gold. Typically, I can invest a decent number of skill points in Mercantile, which means after visiting Gamfari, now I can even make and sell potions for profit.

Meanwhile, I don't get to Bordertown until after 7th level, so I suffer without the "other" magick, but saving up 1500 for that moment is never a problem.

I say the bows and alchemy are worth putting off in order to gain Mercantile or Meditation or Hide in Shadows instead. Just be sure and hold off reading the Alchemy book until you get to Gamfari . . . .

[acoustibop]

Something you can do to carry over something from your cartography skills in a previous game is to copy off all the map files from a save.

In fact, although you'll probably keep the dungeon files separately, you can make up your own overworld map from the separate overworld files. Someone in fact did this, produced a pretty nice map and posted it here some time ago - you'll have to search for it if you want it, though; I can't remember where it was.

The map graphics are not the ones with the .map extension, BTW; they're the ones with the .oqt extension and should show as thumbnail icons in a system that displays graphics files like this. They're shown on my system as .png images.

[Dragonlady]

To complicate matters, I haven't managed to survive a wild run from Bordertown to Blackwater (don't forget the 100 GP admission price) to pick up either Divination or Elemental magic skills, plus a weapon (say, Swords or Cleaving), which will add collectively another 3,000 GP to the total.

1) How and where do other players as low level characters acquire gold in sufficient quantity to pay 6,000 GP for training?

2) Is there a "better mousetrap" solution to this challenge?

Thanks!

Hint for Blackwater: There is a spot, at night, you can try something and get in free.
Also, there are a number of places in Blackwater that have nice things you can 'steal'/loot if your so inclined and sell them for a decent price. (in some spots you can even loot when a person is nearbye, but be careful which drawer/chest you pick.

[Kreador Freeaxe]

Hint for Blackwater: There is a spot, at night, you can try something and get in free.
Also, there are a number of places in Blackwater that have nice things you can 'steal'/loot if your so inclined and sell them for a decent price. (in some spots you can even loot when a person is nearbye, but be careful which drawer/chest you pick.

I hadn't ever found the way in at night, but the other things you mention... Stealthy people rule in those circumstances. I really like the

helm

you can poach from the

weapons mistress

.