Noob Arrow problem
Noob Arrow problem
Hello i just started playing Book I and i love it!
i finally decided to play ranger
i am actually lvl 2 with 33DEX and 9 bowskill, and it still take me sometime over 5-8 arrow to kill a mob, sometime i miss 4 consecutive time (with 75% tohit)
anyway the main problem is mob dont give any loot, and i ran out of ammo and money, this is very annoying ....
what is the secret trick to get money/arrow ? i see so many tree, why i cannot go cut some wood and make mine? or simply recover my arrow on corpse?!?!
i finally decided to play ranger
i am actually lvl 2 with 33DEX and 9 bowskill, and it still take me sometime over 5-8 arrow to kill a mob, sometime i miss 4 consecutive time (with 75% tohit)
anyway the main problem is mob dont give any loot, and i ran out of ammo and money, this is very annoying ....
what is the secret trick to get money/arrow ? i see so many tree, why i cannot go cut some wood and make mine? or simply recover my arrow on corpse?!?!
- King_ov_Death
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Re: Noob Arrow problem
Not all enemies drop treasure, and those who do won't always drop something.
Thugs and hackers drop random loot, archers drop arrows.
The chance you have to get some treasure doesn't depend on any skill or attribute; it's completely random.
Thugs and hackers drop random loot, archers drop arrows.
The chance you have to get some treasure doesn't depend on any skill or attribute; it's completely random.
Re: Noob Arrow problem
This is just one man's opinion, but I think any Bow-using character still needs a backup melee skill (e.g. Swords) to avoid this problem with arrows.zykl0 wrote:anyway the main problem is mob dont give any loot, and i ran out of ammo and money, this is very annoying ....
what is the secret trick to get money/arrow ? i see so many tree, why i cannot go cut some wood and make mine? or simply recover my arrow on corpse?!?!
For example, whenever I play Ranger or Rogue, even with the Bow skill, I always put points at startup into a secondary melee skill.
And, yeah - in Book I, at least, there is no way to recover Arrows (or Thrown Weapons, like Spears) once they've been used. I'm personally hoping this is at least partially changed in Book II...
Re: Noob Arrow problem
in other words i cannot play the game with a ranger with bow.
- King_ov_Death
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Re: Noob Arrow problem
You can, but you have to be smart and choose your skills wisely. Or you'll have to attack and retreat to avoid point-blank shots.zykl0 wrote:in other words i cannot play the game with a ranger with bow.
The same happens with magic: you can't rely completely on it.
- Kreador Freeaxe
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Re: Noob Arrow problem
For role playing reasons, and game reasons, I give my rangers a level of Cleaving weapon to start out. You can usually find a Wolf Amulet early on that adds more levels of cleaving weapon, and axes are very good for opening up locked items.
I find the secret for rangers being making your enemies chase you a lot. Take shots from 3-4 spaces out, then run them around until you put more distance again (running diagonally and strategically using obstacles like trees to make them take an extra step around it). Early on, it can be very difficult to keep enough arrows on hand, but it does get better.
I find the secret for rangers being making your enemies chase you a lot. Take shots from 3-4 spaces out, then run them around until you put more distance again (running diagonally and strategically using obstacles like trees to make them take an extra step around it). Early on, it can be very difficult to keep enough arrows on hand, but it does get better.
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Kill 'em all, let the sysadmin sort 'em out.
Kill 'em all, let the sysadmin sort 'em out.
Re: Noob Arrow problem
I found that early on was rough for my bow using Druid. I didn't put points into any other weapon skills. Instead, I found a Wolves Tooth Amulet (+3 Cleaving Skill) and used an axe 95% of the time while starting out. Early on it's rough affording arrows. I camped a ton early on to avoid spending gold on healing potions. I also looted and sold everything, even skulls and femurs for only a few gp. I bought few arrows at a time and made a lot of trips to town.
Later on I've found (have not yet completed game) that gold isn't the problem with arrows, it's the weight. 250 arrows at 0.1pounds each weighs 25 pounds. And I believe the Steel Arrow, which is +1 damage weighs 0.2pounds. I never use these unless I loot them. (I don't buy them).
I roughed it out early and now I'm doing quite fine near the end of the game. And that's even with me believing that I wasted plenty of skill points (as well as stat points). I didn't know there were NPCs that taught skills, and also have random points wasted.
So I'd say, just stick with your ranger and he'll be fine.
And for the record, I do not have a back-up melee weapon. In the middle of the game, I had demon oil on back-up for mobs and choke points. But now near the end I don't use it as often (sometimes). Demon Oil I-II don't do much damage, and III is expensive (and I don't know the alchemic recipe for Demon Oil III..if there is one). Still, even without the damage it's good for making an impassable boundary between you and the enemy so that you can pick them off at ease.
I'll see in a few days if I am able to complete the game without any melee skills and rest on my bow alone. (And Bless, Stoneskin, Predator Sight, and Air Shield..but those are not offensive)
Just my experiences from having a bow user as my first chracter.
EDIT: I've also found that if you use a bow point-blank (one tile/space away from an enemy), you have a lower percent chance to hit somebody. I have a 98% chance to hit a goblin, but if he's in my face it drops down signifigantly.
Later on I've found (have not yet completed game) that gold isn't the problem with arrows, it's the weight. 250 arrows at 0.1pounds each weighs 25 pounds. And I believe the Steel Arrow, which is +1 damage weighs 0.2pounds. I never use these unless I loot them. (I don't buy them).
I roughed it out early and now I'm doing quite fine near the end of the game. And that's even with me believing that I wasted plenty of skill points (as well as stat points). I didn't know there were NPCs that taught skills, and also have random points wasted.
So I'd say, just stick with your ranger and he'll be fine.
And for the record, I do not have a back-up melee weapon. In the middle of the game, I had demon oil on back-up for mobs and choke points. But now near the end I don't use it as often (sometimes). Demon Oil I-II don't do much damage, and III is expensive (and I don't know the alchemic recipe for Demon Oil III..if there is one). Still, even without the damage it's good for making an impassable boundary between you and the enemy so that you can pick them off at ease.
I'll see in a few days if I am able to complete the game without any melee skills and rest on my bow alone. (And Bless, Stoneskin, Predator Sight, and Air Shield..but those are not offensive)
Just my experiences from having a bow user as my first chracter.
EDIT: I've also found that if you use a bow point-blank (one tile/space away from an enemy), you have a lower percent chance to hit somebody. I have a 98% chance to hit a goblin, but if he's in my face it drops down signifigantly.
- King_ov_Death
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Re: Noob Arrow problem
Look for a "book" called "Sam's Guide to Demon Oil" or such.sillek wrote:(and I don't know the alchemic recipe for Demon Oil III..if there is one)
- MyGameCompany
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Re: Noob Arrow problem
I'm hoping this too. In reality, you should be able to recover an arrow or a spear and reuse it, provided it wasn't broken when used or thrown into a lake or other place where you can't retrieve it.IJBall wrote:And, yeah - in Book I, at least, there is no way to recover Arrows (or Thrown Weapons, like Spears) once they've been used. I'm personally hoping this is at least partially changed in Book II...
That's one reason I don't bother buying spears and darts... you're essentially throwing money away.
And for the record, I'm playing as a Ranger on my laptop, and I've got a backup melee skill. Early on, I had to rely more on the melee skill, but once I completed a couple of quests, I now have arrows and money to spare. The ranger is kinda nice, because I haven't had to spend anything on healing potions or mana potions. I've been able spend more on other items and skills I normally don't get to play with.
Troy
Former indie game developer
Check out my Book III mods: The Mystery of Rockhammer Mine and Expedition into West Mirkland
Former indie game developer
Check out my Book III mods: The Mystery of Rockhammer Mine and Expedition into West Mirkland
Re: Noob Arrow problem
Perhaps there could be a system that randomly decides whether the weapon was broken or not, depending on such factors as the strength of the opponent's armor, the amount of damage the weapon did, etc. It's unrealistic to expect this in book 1 or 2, but perhaps in book three we might see something like this. *hopes*MyGameCompany wrote:In reality, you should be able to recover an arrow or a spear and reuse it, provided it wasn't broken when used or thrown into a lake or other place where you can't retrieve it.
I like using the hit-and-run method, except, of course, with warriors. I take a sardonic joy in shooting a missile (magical or otherwise) at someone (or something), then running away so they can't get me back.
Nothing is something, because it is the state of the absence of everything, as well as being a word in the english language and an idea formulated by mankind to attempt to describe the conception of the lack of everything.
Re: Noob Arrow problem
It depends on how you look at it when you say "cannot play the game".zykl0 wrote:in other words i cannot play the game with a ranger with bow.
I mean, do you consider playing a Fighter with back-up Bows skill as "cheating"?
Eschalon is a game that can be played may different ways.
But, yeah, because of the limitation in the # of arrows, Book I would be very difficult to play with a 'Bows-only' character. Still, you can definitely play a "predominantly-Bows character" in Book I - I know you can, because I've done it on a couple of occasions. But, esp. early on in the game, you really do need some fall-back melee skill, even if it's Unarmed Combat...
(Though, this topic does give me an idea for a new "Challenge" game category - Bows only: You must play Book I using Bows as your only "attack" skill - no other melee-skill or offensive-magic is allowed!

Re: Noob Arrow problem
It's actually pretty easy if you min-max. Considering if you only start with 6 Bow, and 5 Light Armor. Save the skill points, and you can get 26 Bow skill by level 5.IJBall wrote:It depends on how you look at it when you say "cannot play the game".zykl0 wrote:in other words i cannot play the game with a ranger with bow.
...
(Though, this topic does give me an idea for a new "Challenge" game category - Bows only: You must play Book I using Bows as your only "attack" skill - no other melee-skill or offensive-magic is allowed!I think I'll go add this to the Challenge game thread!)
Predator sight is vital for dungeons since it allows you to keep a full effective range.
I ended up with 40 points bow skill,and With Bless Level 6 and the Dexterity booster Level 4, you do a lot more damage and need a lot fewer arrows.
I entered the Goblin Fortress with 300 arrows and Become a Destroyer using nothing but arrows and potions with 100 to spare.
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Re: Noob Arrow problem
-Ranger is so easy to play I pumped my points into bows and just rocked out... This all personally my experience.
Re: Noob Arrow problem
Don't get me wrong - once I finally got the hang of it, pumping all my initial points into DEX and Bows, I also found Ranger to be relatively easy.dare49devil wrote:-Ranger is so easy to play I pumped my points into bows and just rocked out... This all personally my experience.
But, even then, I didn't (couldn't?...) do it using Bows 100% of the time. I had a back-up melee skill that I used some, especially early on.
I think without that back-up melee skill, even with good DEX and Bows, I would have run into the "scarcity of arrows" problem early on in the game. It's this - the "scarcity of arrows" issue - (along with the issues of using ranged-weapons in long-term 'dark' environments) that would make using "Bows only" a 'Challenge'-type game.


- Painted Lady
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Re: Noob Arrow problem
Actually, I think the pure mage is one of the easiest characters to build. The only big downside is that you have to have the patience to rest a lot in order to rebuild your energy. And - potions help keep you going during the final battle.King_ov_Death wrote:Snipzykl0 wrote:in other words i cannot play the game with a ranger with bow.
The same happens with magic: you can't rely completely on it.
Re: playing exclusively as a ranger. How in the world do you manage the early basements? You can't buy Predator Sight until you get to Bordertown. That leaves three basements where you are going to be shooting arrows in the dark......