Steve Jabs of all Trades Berserker

[Vroqren]

Making a portmanteau of Steve Jobs and Jack of all Trades didn't turn out so well. Whatever though. I am well on my way through my Mercantile expert, Steve Jobs. It's an extremely fun playthrough, and as it turns out, money CAN buy you most of the things you want, just in unexpected forms.

Experience? No problem, just buy health potions and good weapons/armor!
Extra Skills Points? Not quite. You can buy a number of different skills though!
A great story line? Yeah, but that requires real money.

It's coming along great though. I've been doing so much pacifistyness that it's weird to walk into heavily guarded area's and fight. I'm attempting a lot of new things here though:

Jack of All Trades. Never done it before. I am here though. I'm buying all the skills that I can, just up to 5 for the challenge. Combat skills are being brought to 8, and then I read the book for the feat. Unfortunately, that doesn't cover all 20 skills. That's where my next challenge comes in:

Maximum level. I'm going for level 30 in order to get the most possible skill points. I put them into skills that can't necessarily be trained, but I can start with a book. All of my attribute points go into 4 of the 5 needed for maximum damage (STR, DEX, END, and SPD, skipping CON).

Truly Wealthy Lord. I've gotten the challenge before, but always with the crutch of equipment. This time, the goal is to get all 80,000 purely in coins (and hopefully much, much more).

True Hellbringer. I'm so sick of playing as a pacifist, I'm taking out all my rage on the citizen's of Eschalon. As I did once in Book I, I am planning on killing every store owner, every passive NPC, and every monster that appears naturally in the game, with my own hand if possible. I try to fight through the camp encounters, but don't always succeed. I'll avoid them if possible.

Collection of Named Weapons. I usually collect all of the Named weapons at some point or another in my playthroughs, and simply sell them, the exceptions usually being Warmoth and the Doom Stars. But not this time. Once again, I will collect every named weapon, but they will stay with me, and be used with my numerous skill feats until the end game.

and finally,
Killing Korren. I've never done it before, and until recently, didn't even know that one could do it. Obviously one would think that a mercantile/Jack of all trades expert is NOT the best way to do this. Jack of all trades could help if used correctly, but I'm obviously spreading myself way to thin.
But hey, as I said: With enough invisibility potions, haste potions, and skill feats, almost anything is possible!


As I mentioned, I'm pretty far into the game now. I just finished the Theives Arcadia, and have yet to do Hammerlorne. While in the Arcadia I reached the point that I can buy an item for less than I can sell it. So, naturally, I just completely emptied every store owner's pockets.
Anyways, I'm having fun, and just thought I would keep you updated in this topic.

[Randomizer]

The is a game bug that allows using the plasma wand with a feat to do massive damage to Korren. I haven't tried another way, but I guess with enough buffing spells/potions you can do it too.

[Vroqren]

Well, it's coming along great. I'm pretty far into the game, and decided to put an update here. I just finished Fathamurk, and I once again got all the loot. It took potions this time though. I am level 20. I'm finding it really hard to get the experience needed to get the full 30 levels.

I'm really close on Jack of All Trades. When you have unlimited money, it's not to hard.

As I mentioned, max level is hard. I'll probably spend a long time camping next to Talushorn, just to camp Taurax. I have still only killed the one on the way to Edon so far. It'll get easier as I go, and it's not like I have a problem with patiently waiting. I wouldn't be so rich if I did.

My version of 'True Wealthy Lord' wasn't even hard. As you can see in my screenshots of before and after selling the loot from Fathamurk.

True Hellbringer isn't too hard either. Everything that every lived near Eastwillow and Everdale is dead, and Port K. Is next. I brought all of the snow pups back to Durnore, and frankly, was disappointed. I killed everything in Lorewitch in my one and only trip through it.

Collecting the named weapons isn't too bad either. I've got 4 of them in my possession, and already used all of the Doom Stars. I only have to get Bael's Delight, Gloomwrought, and Hellrime now. I've practically only been using named weapons, and it's been going pretty well. They're good weapons, while not necessarily the 'best' (at least as far as damage goes).

I don't know how killing Korren will go, but I do plan on trying it multiple ways. I killed the Stone Golem completely with potions and my weapons, not using the Plasm Wand or a singe powder keg. I'll try Korren with the wand and nothing but, the wand and every skill feat (perhaps using the glitch with Skill Feat Fury and the wand), and I'll try to fight him with just hand weapons.

Anyway, these are the pictures of before and after selling the loot from Fathamurk.


As you can see, I got a huge amount of money, but it barely affected my total.

[Kreador Freeaxe]

Wow. Nice work.

I don't think you got all of the gems out of Fathamurk, though.

[Vroqren]

Maybe not. There were two lava slags that wouldn't come off the lava, so I didn't end up killing. I thought I opened every chest though. Perhaps not. It's not like I needed the extra money though.

[Kreador Freeaxe]

Maybe not. There were two lava slags that wouldn't come off the lava, so I didn't end up killing. I thought I opened every chest though. Perhaps not. It's not like I needed the extra money though.

There's an area near the Golem where there are gems to find among the rocks. That's what I was thinking of.

[Vroqren]

Ah - I see now. I did go in there and kill the spiders, but you're right: I didn't find (or bring out) any gems from that cave opening.

[Vroqren]

(Sorry in advance, my 'a' key is broken, it takes about 15 tries just to get it once. I'll just replace them all with ' when they don't work.)
Just keeping you updated:

I just hit 23 hours playing. It's a good thing that the one doesn't actually progress, because it haas been almost a year and half since I walked out of my cottage for the first time. Getting to the max level takes quite a while.

Jack of All Trades is going great. I've need to put 6 more points into skills before I've got it. Th't's not too h'rd, 'nd then I c'n fin'lly put point into my fe'ts regener'ting f'ster. Won't th't be nice...

M'ximum level is difficult! I'm only 'bout level 24 or so, 'nd I've killed 'll n'tur'l sp'wns. I even killed the version of Korren in Crius Vindic', 'long with Eur'bor. Fr'nkly, I w's little diss'pointed at how easy they were. Store owners 're not 'll dead yet though. I'm currently c'mping in the Fors'ken Co'st for exp. 're there 'ny pl'ces th't 're signific'ntly better?

True We'lthy Lord, 's I 'lready mentioned, w's e'sy. I've got 200,000 coins just sitting 'round. Good thing they don't weight 'nything.

True Hellbringer is getting closer. 's I s'id, 'll n'tur'lly 'ggressive NPC's 're de'd. I h'ven't killed 'll the p'ssive ones yet though.

I h've l'id h'nds on every n'med we'pon except Hellrime. I sold the lower qu'lity 'xe 'nd spe'r. (Hexedge 'nd Wr'ithbiter)

I'm getting sick of typing ' 's, so I'll end it here.

[Kreador Freeaxe]

I think some folks have said that camping the harpies is slightly better in terms of XP grinding. Your mileage may vary.

[Randomizer]

Harpies provide more experience per kill, but they are more likely to hurt you.

[Vroqren]

(I'm using my new keyboard again, so 'a' works again)

Alright, thank you. I had recalled someone saying they were good for camping, but I didn't see them on the camp encounters list. I do now though, I must have just missed it on my first run through of the list. I will at least give Rift Harpies a shot, as I just killed 8 Mire Trolls at once, which brings me to my next question:

Do the camp encounters increase in difficulty (numbers) based off your character level?
I know that until this playthrough I never saw more than 5 enemies during a camp encounter, and suddenly everywhere I camp I find groups of 7-8. Do they increase in numbers, and if so, what determines the increase?

Regardless of whether I camp at Harpies or Mire Trolls, Devilmanders will be there to taunt me. I killed every Taurax outside of Talushorn, and still cannot fight off a huge group of Devilmanders...

[Kreador Freeaxe]

I never had too much trouble with devilmanders. I just kite them around. Not the most exciting style, but functional.