The Dark Eye Realms of Arkania Trilogy (classic) virgin run

[Darth Canoli]

So, after some time poking around, trying to get the hang of the character creation system of the original, which is quite obtuse, trying out the remakes instead, quitting after a taste of the new combat grid and animations, i'm ready for the real deal.

If anyone else wants to try it, some hints :
- Attributes range on character creation is 8 - 13
- Saving throws during character creation 2 - 8 (phobias, etc., 2 being better)
- Open the manual, you'll find archetypes prerequisites in the appendices.
- There's also a couple of good steam guides explaining in details what does what (attributes, spells, saving throws) and what is useless.

You don't have to roll 20 times, i only created 3 characters so far but i only had to re-roll once for two of them (might have to re-create the warrior though, low agi)

Party planned :
- Warrior
- Dwarf (will be frontline and thief)
- Magician
- Wood Elf (mage/archer)
- Green Elf (idem)

I'm not sure about the last one, probably another dwarf, usually i don't have redundancies but the combat isn't exactly on ToEE/KotC level so i don't want to add to the struggle.

If anyone has a documented suggestion about the 6th party member, i'm all ears, it'll probably take me 2 more days to roll the 3 other ones and re-roll the warrior.

Also, if anyone has some insights and hints not covered in the steam guides (how to start the main quest, char creation and spells effects are covered) or think these guides are garbage: speak now or forever hold your peace!

 

[CryptRat]

I don't know about the Steam guide, from my experience :
- keep more than one save, you won't do things which will prove wrong 10 hours later, or so I think, but once inside a dungeon things can happen.
- Don't forget to take notes of the dudes who have parts of the map you're looking for.
- I think you mostly don't have to visit every house in a town, except for the pirate town and some very big towns like the beginning one and the one in the north. However visit inns.

 

[Lord_Potato]

Pick a Thorvalian for flavor, it's a race specific for the setting (especially Blade of Destiny, which is located in the coastal region) and you may use another frontline fighter. Dwarf will propably have lots of other abilities to develop outside combat.

 

[Darth Canoli]

I was ogling at the Thorvalian, can you decrease his superstition saves later on or is he going to be the weak link all along ? Is there something specific he can do ?

But i think i'm leaning toward a second dwarf or an ice elf ...

 

[Darth Canoli]

Wow, it's a little rough around the edges, one fight and my 3 mages are out of MP, i thought the MP regen would be way higher, had to sleep 3 days to replenish it roughly to the max, maybe i should stick to lightning to blind them for now.
And the archers/mages only shooting in a straight line ...



Is MP regen going to be better later or am i going to have to rest after every other fight ?

Also, i took the main quest as well as the thieves quest in the starting city, besides this first dungeon, i tried to travel but i only have the option to get to a neighbouring city and i kind of lost track of the main quest, am i going to have to write everything down ? How to travel anywhere else ?

 

[CryptRat]

Wow, it's a little rough around the edges, one fight and my 3 mages are out of MP, i thought the MP regen would be way higher, had to sleep 3 days to replenish it roughly to the max, maybe i should stick to lightning to blind them for now.
And the archers/mages only shooting in a straight line ...

Lightning is very strong indeed, it's a legit option to focus on it. You'll eventuallly get bored with the combat in this game, it's better in Star Trail, you can shoot in diagonal, your warriors hit more frequently and many more enemies are a real threat.

Is MP regen going to be better later or am i going to have to rest after every other fight ?

I don't know if there's another way but I know I simply used spells with parcimony.

i kind of lost track of the main quest, am i going to have to write everything down ?

Yes, but that's really not a lot, a couple of names and locations mostly.

i tried to travel but i only have the option to get to a neighbouring city[...]How to travel anywhere else ?

You can only travel from one city to another. You choose a road to another city, but there can be locations such as dungeons between two cities you'll come across. Sorry I can't remember for sure if which cities are available depends on which exit you choose, I think it does.

 

[RPK]

you want to learn to do mediation, which turns HP into MP. then you can have your medic (or whatever it's called) treat your wounds. it's been a really long time, but if I remember right, you have to do one of of the wand rituals to be able to do meditation.

 

[RPK]

there's MP potions in the game too, but I remember them being exorbitantly expensive.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Yes, i meditated once, then, i couldn't use it anymore but i didn't really pay attention to the text, i thought i was needing some ingredients.

Also, one of my healers hurt his patient and of course, you can't use the skill multiple times in a row on a single target ...
And for now, the healing skill is rather weak.

One really annoying thing is the limited inventory combined to all the trash you have to keep, food, ropes, alchemy ingredients, tools, potions ...

Well, it's not so bad, so far, i guess i'll just camp 2/3 days instead of the standard 8 hours, i'm not sure having 3 ranged mages is such a good thing though.

 

[RPK]

meditation and healing are both once per day.

and yes, you suck at everything at low levels

 

[vonAchdorf]

Wow, it's a little rough around the edges, one fight and my 3 mages are out of MP, i thought the MP regen would be way higher, had to sleep 3 days to replenish it roughly to the max, maybe i should stick to lightning to blind them for now.
...
Is MP regen going to be better later or am i going to have to rest after every other fight ?

The TDE ruleset was very stingy with MP regen - later you can make/buy mana potions to alleviate the problem. A herbalist can make you good money.

And the archers/mages only shooting in a straight line ...

This will change in RoA 2.

Also, i took the main quest as well as the thieves quest in the starting city, besides this first dungeon, i tried to travel but i only have the option to get to a neighbouring city and i kind of lost track of the main quest, am i going to have to write everything down ? How to travel anywhere else ?

To travel to different destinations, you need to find another waypoint in the city (if there's one) - you can't freedom - only follow pre-determined routes.

 

[Gord]

Indeed, magic users in RoA/TDE are not really effective as pure damage dealers in particular.
Use them more for (de)buffing. In particular the blinding spell can be useful. Direct damage spells are better used to finish off dangerous enemies, or against enemies that are immune to normal weapons (e.g. demons).

If you are interested, here's a bit of advice I had some time after I had last played through the trilogy a couple of years ago:
Realms of Arkania - Blade of Destiny

 

[coldcrow]

Do your ears a favor and try to track down the (german) Star Trail CD version, the soundtrack is gorgeous. There is a 5% chance it was issued in English too.

 

[Dorateen]

If I'm not misremembering, I think there is an herb that your magic-users can eat at camp, and it will increase the regeneration of Astral Points when you rest.

Star Trail is the best game of the trilogy.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Learn to enjoy death by common cold and general illness. Other than that, enjoy the ride. I was never able to complete the game, though I did spent a good many hours playing. I have fond memories.

 

[RPK]

Learn to enjoy death by common cold and general illness. Other than that, enjoy the ride. I was never able to complete the game, though I did spent a good many hours playing. I have fond memories.

me too. i beat the game once... probably 20 years ago. i cursed my damn shoes when the wore out. bitched about my characters getting numbskull and watched too many character shuffle off to boron's realm. But it obviously made an impression for me to remember it after that long.

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

General tips for the series:


- Horriphobus (spell) solves. Raise that as high as possible throughout the campaign. It's the single most effective thing, as terrifying enemies is akin to killing them -- they won't return for battle
- Have your mages complete their Stabzauber rituals (no idea what that is called in the international release) immediately. It will take a few days of resting, but greatly reduce the cost of spells
- Check the manual. All spells are also linked to attributes (as are skills).
- Learn to treat Dumpfschädel (numbskull) and what herbs are needed
- Have at least one char who can treat diseases and be able to find herbs during resting
- Have at least one char who can treat wounds
- Have a spare drinking tube for a character each
- Have all your characters equipped with clothes and a blanket
- Optionally, have a char who is really good at pickpocketing / dancing / playing an instrument to make some money (and remember that skills are linked to attributes, see above). Unlike level-gated games like DOS all the best armor and weapons are available straight out of the gate -- you just need the money to buy them
- Dead characters can also be revived at a temple (donations help, see making money)

After that, it's fairly straight Forward, in particular the 1st and 3rd game. The first is basically a scavenger hunt, where you hunt several pieces of a map. The third is a fairly linear romp. The second is a bit more tricky...

And remember that spell.

HORRIPHOBUS.

 

[Ysaye]

So, after some time poking around, trying to get the hang of the character creation system of the original, which is quite obtuse, trying out the remakes instead, quitting after a taste of the new combat grid and animations, i'm ready for the real deal.

If anyone else wants to try it, some hints :
- Attributes range on character creation is 8 - 13
- Saving throws during character creation 2 - 8 (phobias, etc., 2 being better)
- Open the manual, you'll find archetypes prerequisites in the appendices.
- There's also a couple of good steam guides explaining in details what does what (attributes, spells, saving throws) and what is useless.

You don't have to roll 20 times, i only created 3 characters so far but i only had to re-roll once for two of them (might have to re-create the warrior though, low agi)

Party planned :
- Warrior
- Dwarf (will be frontline and thief)
- Magician
- Wood Elf (mage/archer)
- Green Elf (idem)

I'm not sure about the last one, probably another dwarf, usually i don't have redundancies but the combat isn't exactly on ToEE/KotC level so i don't want to add to the struggle.

If anyone has a documented suggestion about the 6th party member, i'm all ears, it'll probably take me 2 more days to roll the 3 other ones and re-roll the warrior.

Also, if anyone has some insights and hints not covered in the steam guides (how to start the main quest, char creation and spells effects are covered) or think these guides are garbage: speak now or forever hold your peace!

I would have gone three green elves as jack of all trades, with magic to heal or finish off an enemy; normally get one or two to have decent points in the ignifaxus spells <?> or the one which is basically like magic missile in D&D for finishing off enemies, because often it can come down to the wire with the amount of attacks missing each other. Or some disarming spells like lightning, horriphobus or the friends one. Then(If you are playing through the series), I would want the magician to invest in getting the teleport spell (Transversalis?) which is particularly useful in some circumstances.

Thorwalians have limits on equipment that sort of make them less favourable than warriors and dwarfs. As I said above, get another elf.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Do your ears a favor and try to track down the (german) Star Trail CD version, the soundtrack is gorgeous. There is a 5% chance it was issued in English too.

Well, the music could get to you at some point, i suppose, fortunately, i launched the settings and exit it right away, it turned off music and SE.
Also, i think i've read some people explaining how to replace and rename sound files from the german version, looks like a lot of work, some even had trouble with the game afterward, i think i'll pass.

- Have all your characters equipped with clothes and a blanket

Do you have to equip the blankets ?
I went back to get rid of the useless stuff, grab lock-picks and some blankets but i put one in everyone's inventory, i'll have to check that.

Also, the warrior broke his 2H sword already, does attacking aggressively cause weapons to break more easily ?

- Have your mages complete their Stabzauber rituals (no idea what that is called in the international release) immediately. It will take a few days of resting, but greatly reduce the cost of spells

I didn't see it while hoovering on the camping options, is there a ritual skill prerequisite ?

Unlike level-gated games like DOS all the best armor and weapons are available straight out of the gate -- you just need the money to buy them

Seriously ?
Looks boring as hell, is there no vorpal sword +5 to be found in some dark dungeon ?

 

[CryptRat]

You can find a sword which won't break, a shield that mages can use and some more cool items.

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

6 silvan elves with heavy crossbows, swords and defensive/disabling spells ftw

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Also buy a whetstone and sharpen your weapons often

 

[Robber Baron]

Can anyone direct me to a comprehensive guide(or explain here) on how to hex edit save files for Shadows over Riva? I want to recreate the party I'm playing through the remakes in SoR.