Gothic 2 Dex fighter viability? Also:What's with this chest?

[deuxhero]

For my next playthrough (whenever I decide to do one), what is the viability of using dex based weapons for a fire mage before I get magic? They seem to have low dex requirements for decent damage, and it would net me easy access to acrobatics (well, once I got all the dex potions and tablets then a single point of training). How viable is it?


Also: What is with the chest in the cave in the north east? It is in a glowing pentagon and it needs a key. Where is the key and what is in it?

Also also: There is another chest I never could open under the bridge with the bandits (by the guy missing some stone tablets). What's with it?

 

[Nim]

Also: What is with the chest in the cave in the north east? It is in a glowing pentagon and it needs a key. Where is the key and what is in it?

Part of the trials to become fire mage.

Also also: There is another chest I never could open under the bridge with the bandits (by the guy missing some stone tablets). What's with it?

Quest reward for fire mages for Lutheros snapper claws quest.

Both contain a runestone.

Dex weapons are perfectly viable.

 

[Metro]

Funny, I was about to start a G2 playthrough today. Originally I was going to do a pure Dex based character/ranged but then I figured none of the guild choices really lend itself to that. Already did Dragon Hunter/Merc as melee and it would be pretty silly doing a ranged paladin so I figured I would just do Dex until I finished the mage trials and got some good runes/skills. But yes, from what I've read it's certainly viable. Use bows and grab that a bandit's rapier and you should be fine.

Side question: for min/max purposes is their any optimal time to wait to eat dark mushrooms/use permanent mana increase potions, etc? That is, is there a diminishing return cap on mana points like there is with Dex, Strength, weapon skill, etc? I assume the answer is yes.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Generally you'll want to keep all shrooms and tablets (except health) for as long as possible before using them. When AP costs are like like 5 or 6 per 1 stat you'll get more bang for your tablets.
One of the biggest flaws of Gothic 2: NotR IMO.

 

[deuxhero]

If you are a paladin though, be free to eat all the shorms when you need HP, you're not using magic till chapter 3/4 at earlist, and rasiing mana for them is a waste.


Thanks for the help on the other subjects

 

[Metro]

Generally you'll want to keep all shrooms and tablets (except health) for as long as possible before using them. When AP costs are like like 5 or 6 per 1 stat you'll get more bang for your tablets.
One of the biggest flaws of Gothic 2: NotR IMO.

On the one hand I like the limiting feature in that it forces you to choose an area of stat specialization (and that you can't be a mage who can wield a powerful melee two hander) but on the other I agree that it sort of screws up the addition of the tablets and such as you are sort of forced to min max.

 

[Zomg]

You can use them right away and the game doesn't get any harder overall (you can grind orcs to some ungodly level if you really want to). It will just offend your sperg instincts to know numbers could be higherrrr

 

[Unkillable Cat]

When I first read this thread, I was relieved to know that I don't remember most of the finer details of the game. That means I can enjoy it whenever I actually replay it.

Then I read zomg's post, and I recall my attempts to max-level my character. I believe 60 is the level cap in G2: NOTR, and I just barely got to 58. To do that I not only butchered almost everyone I could reach (after they'd outlived their usefulness) I also butchered everyone I couldn't reach - I used a moderate amount of cheating on my last playthrough, and found the "Dead men's rooms" that each map has, where they store the characters that are whisked away by the game as you complete quests or enter new chapters.

And now I'm remembering the last dungeon of the game, and I just want the pain to end...

 

[Metro]

Just finished the Add-on content on my mage but somehow the 'Priests' amulet/ring set fucked up my mana points and 'stole' some from me. That is, the game is only showing me with 44 points sans items when I know I spent more (proven by the fact that when I go to the trainer I have to spend 3 LP to get 1 mana -- so I should be past 60 base). Thus I am raging and putting the playthrough on hold. Anyone playing as a mage be warned! Not sure how the bug occurred but, again, I'm pretty certain it had to do with the Priest set or a combination of it and the +20 mana weapon from the monastery.

 

[Kraszu]

Just finished the Add-on content on my mage but somehow the 'Priests' amulet/ring set fucked up my mana points and 'stole' some from me. That is, the game is only showing me with 44 points sans items when I know I spent more (proven by the fact that when I go to the trainer I have to spend 3 LP to get 1 mana -- so I should be past 60 base). Thus I am raging and putting the playthrough on hold. Anyone playing as a mage be warned! Not sure how the bug occurred but, again, I'm pretty certain it had to do with the Priest set or a combination of it and the +20 mana weapon from the monastery.

http://www.worldofgothic.com/gothic2/?go=g2cheats

"edit abilities Edit the abilities of the hero (strength, mana etc)"

 

[Ammar]

Just finished the Add-on content on my mage but somehow the 'Priests' amulet/ring set fucked up my mana points and 'stole' some from me. That is, the game is only showing me with 44 points sans items when I know I spent more (proven by the fact that when I go to the trainer I have to spend 3 LP to get 1 mana -- so I should be past 60 base). Thus I am raging and putting the playthrough on hold. Anyone playing as a mage be warned! Not sure how the bug occurred but, again, I'm pretty certain it had to do with the Priest set or a combination of it and the +20 mana weapon from the monastery.

Did you use a shape-change scroll? IIRC when you turn back you automatically equip a weapon based on highest damage and if that's a +mana weapon and you did not have it equipped before changing you end up permanently losing mana.

 

[Metro]

Just finished the Add-on content on my mage but somehow the 'Priests' amulet/ring set fucked up my mana points and 'stole' some from me. That is, the game is only showing me with 44 points sans items when I know I spent more (proven by the fact that when I go to the trainer I have to spend 3 LP to get 1 mana -- so I should be past 60 base). Thus I am raging and putting the playthrough on hold. Anyone playing as a mage be warned! Not sure how the bug occurred but, again, I'm pretty certain it had to do with the Priest set or a combination of it and the +20 mana weapon from the monastery.

Did you use a shape-change scroll? IIRC when you turn back you automatically equip a weapon based on highest damage and if that's a +mana weapon and you did not have it equipped before changing you end up permanently losing mana.

That's what it was!

And thanks for the link to the editor.

 

[Murk]

That happens with skills and other stats too (even with the bonus from belt + armor sets).

Dex weapons are way doable, just as long as you eventually get magic for the more powerful enemies near the end where a paltry 150 damage per swing won't even cut through armor.

To get mana back I suggest using marvin mode and the console to give yourself the stats back.

 

[Hobo Elf]

You'll need magic for end game anyway. Dragons are impossible with melee weapons, but a single Demon summon scroll will fuck their shit up.

 

[Nim]

Dragons are impossible with melee weapons

Black ore + melee = one dead dragon and there are like 6 black ores in the game, not that the dragons are tough anyway in vanilla NotR.

 

[Metro]

Well, I put the playthrough aside because: 1) I got New Vegas for $10 (I know, derp) and 2) I just got annoyed with the mana cost of runes. When you're better off using scrolls you know you have some questionable design mechanics. That and summons are basically instant wins against most everything in the game.

And, yeah, I managed to kill the dragons with melee in a prior playthrough using the ore dragonslayer (or whatever that crafted Dragon Hunter 2H is) -- the range of the weapon combined with the black ore makes it doable.

I'll get back to it eventually because I like seeing the subtle differences in plot development as the different paths.