Started my first real game on hard as a Moon-Godlike(Aumaua) Chanter, and the class is both strange and fantastic. I decided to focus on Int and Con for my Chanter, which are conveniently the recommended stats(well, some of them).
I later made an offensive Monk(focusing on Dex/Might>Con>Rest) in town to join me before recruiting any future people. She has done the most damage on the team by almost double, and definitely killed the most enemies, but also been knocked out more than anybody else. Even the Wizard getting jumped by damned teleporting enemies. Enemies love to focus her. Probably because her Deflection is lower than my main tank in that game.

I said 'real game', since I started a different game earlier for a friend that was visiting, and let him make a bunch of decisions. That being said, my Uber-tank Monk(19 Con, 19 Dex) main character in that game almost managed to solo-kill the death-bear at level 2.(got it to 1 star) Having around 315 HP at level 1 was interesting. Almost 540 by level 3.

 

Spoiler

Kolsc. For the mentioned reasons. First tried to enter via the sewers, found Osyra and decided to refuse her offer (my stance on animancers has since changed a bit, but at that point... hell no!). Then climbed the vines, found the hoods, talked my way through the paladins (high intellect ftw) and found Nedmar. I then had the confrontation with Raedric in the throne room (which I lost the first time, but won on round 2 after equipping my own armor beforehand again).

Pushing for Kolsc, you indeed have to work yourself into the good graces of Defiance Bay reputation-wise afterwards for certain quests to proceed.

I am playing on hard. While I am a veteran in terms of having played the predecessors, I am certainly not a veteran in terms of skill. I love these games for the stories they tell, not because I am particularly good at them... will likely go even harder for the next playthrough, though (yes, already thinking of that one!).

 

Spoiler

Jon, there is more than 1 animancer working on it.

Also, this is the first crpg I've ever played and I fucking love it.

 

I could answer that question for you (in terms of outcomes) but it would definitely be too much of a spoiler. Just roll with what you feel is right.

Spoiler

If your character's goal at this point is predominantly to stop the Hollowborn plague, Raedric definitely appears at that point to be the best option. That also already rules out one of the factions for your character in Defiance Bay (as you will soon notice).

I have just finished Act II after about 30 hours. And am more and more in awe of the writing and storytelling in the main plotline (not even to mention the well-crafted sidequests).

 

Just downloaded it an am about to start, is there any big difference on the beast companion you choose as a Ranger? I already read the stats so I guess what I am mostly asking is if there is a better one out of them all.

 

Just finished getting the stronghold. I have flashbacks to first Baldur's Gate and its iritaiting first levels with basic creatures owning your ass - fucking phantoms.

Started playing as a wizard, but did not feel the class. Then I checked cipher, which was fun. And then I played as a druid and fell in love - werestag owns Currently I'm playing bow wielding rouge and now I'm wondering what to do - go to Raedric Keep or Defiance Bay?

 

Spoiler

Eh, at that point I really just did not care about the plague. Elias is a cipher who used to be a revolutionary back in the Vailian Republics, who was forced to flee the heat after revealing his talents to escape a betrayal-induced sting that landed his cell in jail. So he succumbs to optimism (and also the fear of the law in his former home), makes his way to Dyrwood and Gilded Vale, and what does he find? The same shit. Tyrannical rulers and a beaten down, intransigent populace. The Hollowborn Plague? Yeah, it sucks, but it's a local problem, and Raedric has nothing but holy rhetoric and a basement full of corpses to show for it. Oppressive rulers? Those, he knows how to deal with.

 

So, in my fumbling around, I've managed to get Aloth, Eder, and Durance killed and am relying so much on OG companions.

I want to reroll so bad lol.

 

40 hours and the first playthrough is completed. I didn't fulfill every single possible quest, but would still think it was relatively completionist. I do admit to frequently using the Fast Speed option, especially for scouting new areas in stealth mode.

In terms of the story... all I can say is "WOW!" The last three hours of gameplay were some of the most intense I have encountered: a truly amazing story which was told in a way that captivated me entirely and actually made me think about the (various) options I had available. I also liked that the companions had meaningful comments on the issue(s) at hand.

The epilogue nicely covered the effects of quite a few choices I made along my journey, and in particular also the companions (where with some it was obvious how I had affected their future, while for others I am in doubt).

All in all I stand by my earlier recommendation: This is a game that everyone who is not deeply repulsed by reading and listening to long texts to delve into a setting should own and play. Several times.

Matter of fact, my next playthrough will likely commence soon. I will probably try out the classes for which companions are unavailable and then also make different choices regarding my main party (maybe 1 or 2 characters from scratch and the three NPC companions I didn't use this time around).

 

You cleared it in 40 hours? Wow. I'm at 22 hours and I've only just started exploring the depths of the village out east. I'm playing it on the hardest difficulty though - it makes fights drag out pretty long. I can hardly see myself finishing this thing in 18 hours, unless content rapidly dries up.

My biggest complaint with this game is - besides Durance, nobody has stood out to me as being a fun character. Everyone is pretty "normal" acting - but maybe they were trying to distance themselves from cartoony Minsc-ness of BG.

 

So i tried the game...

I quit after ten seconds.

It was bloody boring...

 

They've got pills for ADD you know.

I'll get this game if it goes on sale over the summer, probably.

 

Are you telling me there are no miniature giant space hamsters? Geeze, now I'm not sure if I will ever get this

 

It's a nice game so far, beautiful aesthetic, but I think I basically have no idea what I'm doing. The last game of this sort I played must have been Fallout 2 and I'm a little rusty on the mechanics of it all and the micro-managing etc. I'm playing as a Ranger (figured I would go full-cliché and have a wolf companion and all that shit) but I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be building towards/what are the best stats to level etc.

 

Who cares about hamsters? We have a giant miniature space piglet!

 

Times limited due to work, but I...

Spoiler

Said nuts to sneaking around in Raedric's castle and just bulldozed my way through EVERYTHING.

My guy is a Darcozzi Paladini, lvl 5, that's from Old Valia who's a mercenary after he came out of a war where all his friends died. Haven't gotten to Defiance yet because I got SO much money from all the crap I've sold that I've been dicking around in the Endless Paths and building up my stronghold.

That, is the definition of judging a book by it's cover. Except the cover in this case is awesome as well, so you have no excuse.

 

I rerolled as a Wizard, and I'm loving it. The spells are fun, and I like learning new spells from the spellbooks of wizards I killed. I'm reading that the class is apparently way underpowered compared to properly specced ciphers and druids, but meh, I'm having too much fun shooting lightning and fireballs that reflect off of people into other people, then walls into more people.

Spoiler

I just finished killing the people in the catacomb Woedican temple to get the next 3 destinations

I had been building up my stronghold and doing the initial bounties, and my god "The Dweller" was a pain in the ass with insect swarm. Though I can imagine what the fight is like on harder levels. On easy it's just the boss with a troll, on hard he's accompanied by 3 trolls and 3 earth blights.

 

So how far are you folks, the ones who haven't beat the game yet, down on the Endless Paths? 5th level here.

 

I have a physical gamebox sitting on my desk, waiting for the end of April when I'm finally done with exams. Can't fuckin' wait.