This thread is intended to assist the intrepid D:OS player in achieving the highest enjoyment of D:OS while avoiding many of the pitfalls that can contribute to its more frustrating aspects. All are welcome to participate.
This thread is NOT intended to:
- Rehash any of the information contained within the other, D:OS megathread
- Contain any spoilers on the game's plot
- Ruin any of the surprise factor that is so enjoyable while playing the game and discovering on your own how to go about unlocking many of its gameplay mechanisms and tactical features unless they should be apparent immediately
- Upset anyone
There are enough things that can only be realized after playing the game long enough that qualify as "if only I'd known that earlier!" to justify a thread like this. I'd like to round up these kinds of insights in one easy-to-digest format without detracting in any way from the value contained in discovering the bits and pieces of creativity that Larian threw in that are part-and-parcel of the typical Larian RPG experience.
To that end, here are some of the things I've noticed and/or learned:
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OBSERVATION: Playing on Hard as opposed to Normal is an exercise in frustration. It merely reduces your HP and bloats your enemies'; forget about your pride and for sake of your sanity (unless you're a masochist) turn down the difficulty to Normal. Easy, however -- well, don't show your face around here if you play on Easy.
TIP: Once you're able to repair your own gear (and any weapon or piece of armor is subject to wear), you don't have to pass every item to that character. Just right-click on the repair hammer, select Use, then switch to any other characters' inventory screen with the left/right arrows at the top. The repair icon will still be active. Click on the damaged item, repeat as needed. Easy!
HINT: Not all quests are meant to be solved immediately. In typical Larian fashion, much is left for later, so to speak. If one quest has you stumped, move on, and it may become more obvious how to go about solving it later. Exploration -- sometimes excruciatingly detailed exploration -- is paramount in D:OS.
TIP: In combat, it is often very wise to save action points at the end of a turn. These points will be added on to the character's next turn's action point pool, which can then potentially be used to get off an extra attack that round, fire off an extra spell, or move a little closer to (or farther from) your foes. This can often make the difference between victory and defeat.
TIP: If you think you don't have enough room in your character's inventory and/or pack screens, you're wrong. They expand downwards, and, as far as I can tell, do so infinitely. Once the screen fills up enough with all your crap, you'll notice you can scroll down. Useful for storing all those ingredients or quest-related items.
OBSERVATION: Often your characters will enter combat while standing in shallow water. This is not always apparent. For reasons you'll discover soon enough, try to avoid this. If the patch of ground you're all standing in appears to be somewhat darker, you might be in water. Move out of it asap if the situation demands.
TIP: If you're having trouble making money, don't be such a goody-two-shoes. As long as no NPC can see you, there's no down side to stealing. Certain objects are worth a lot of gold, and there are quite a few vendors in Cyseal that are happy to pay you money, sometimes for their own property! And on that note, B&E (breaking and entering) is actually a requirement in this game. Don't be shy.
---
There are plenty more I could offer but I don't want to hog the spotlight. Share whatever hints you can think of but please, again, don't give anything away that should be discovered naturally. Half the fun of this game, IMO, is to treat it more in the vein of older games where instant online gratification wasn't existent; it really does have a lot of that old-school, Ultima-like flavor to it, best enjoyed while having your modem unplugged, if you can stand it.
This thread is NOT intended to:
- Rehash any of the information contained within the other, D:OS megathread
- Contain any spoilers on the game's plot
- Ruin any of the surprise factor that is so enjoyable while playing the game and discovering on your own how to go about unlocking many of its gameplay mechanisms and tactical features unless they should be apparent immediately
- Upset anyone
There are enough things that can only be realized after playing the game long enough that qualify as "if only I'd known that earlier!" to justify a thread like this. I'd like to round up these kinds of insights in one easy-to-digest format without detracting in any way from the value contained in discovering the bits and pieces of creativity that Larian threw in that are part-and-parcel of the typical Larian RPG experience.
To that end, here are some of the things I've noticed and/or learned:
---
OBSERVATION: Playing on Hard as opposed to Normal is an exercise in frustration. It merely reduces your HP and bloats your enemies'; forget about your pride and for sake of your sanity (unless you're a masochist) turn down the difficulty to Normal. Easy, however -- well, don't show your face around here if you play on Easy.
TIP: Once you're able to repair your own gear (and any weapon or piece of armor is subject to wear), you don't have to pass every item to that character. Just right-click on the repair hammer, select Use, then switch to any other characters' inventory screen with the left/right arrows at the top. The repair icon will still be active. Click on the damaged item, repeat as needed. Easy!
HINT: Not all quests are meant to be solved immediately. In typical Larian fashion, much is left for later, so to speak. If one quest has you stumped, move on, and it may become more obvious how to go about solving it later. Exploration -- sometimes excruciatingly detailed exploration -- is paramount in D:OS.
TIP: In combat, it is often very wise to save action points at the end of a turn. These points will be added on to the character's next turn's action point pool, which can then potentially be used to get off an extra attack that round, fire off an extra spell, or move a little closer to (or farther from) your foes. This can often make the difference between victory and defeat.
TIP: If you think you don't have enough room in your character's inventory and/or pack screens, you're wrong. They expand downwards, and, as far as I can tell, do so infinitely. Once the screen fills up enough with all your crap, you'll notice you can scroll down. Useful for storing all those ingredients or quest-related items.
OBSERVATION: Often your characters will enter combat while standing in shallow water. This is not always apparent. For reasons you'll discover soon enough, try to avoid this. If the patch of ground you're all standing in appears to be somewhat darker, you might be in water. Move out of it asap if the situation demands.
TIP: If you're having trouble making money, don't be such a goody-two-shoes. As long as no NPC can see you, there's no down side to stealing. Certain objects are worth a lot of gold, and there are quite a few vendors in Cyseal that are happy to pay you money, sometimes for their own property! And on that note, B&E (breaking and entering) is actually a requirement in this game. Don't be shy.
---
There are plenty more I could offer but I don't want to hog the spotlight. Share whatever hints you can think of but please, again, don't give anything away that should be discovered naturally. Half the fun of this game, IMO, is to treat it more in the vein of older games where instant online gratification wasn't existent; it really does have a lot of that old-school, Ultima-like flavor to it, best enjoyed while having your modem unplugged, if you can stand it.
)
