Age of Decadence Reviews

[Red Rogue]

Thanks everyone. I'm interested in the genre but I'm also incredibly new to it. But I mean there's only one way to learn right? I'll get AOD and browse the top to see which classics to pick up during the GoG sale.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Thanks everyone. I'm interested in the genre but I'm also incredibly new to it. But I mean there's only one way to learn right? I'll get AOD and browse the top to see which classics to pick up during the GoG sale.

Since you're new to the genre, try the demo first, just be sure it's what you want.

 

[Infinitron]

PoE was hated here indeed, people who supported it were banned and shit.

Self-ejection isn't the same thing as being banned

 

[Darth Roxor]

PoE was hated here indeed, people who supported it were banned and shit.

if only that was true

 

[Irenaeus II]

It was a joke, you twit.

 

[Red Rogue]

Thanks everyone. I'm interested in the genre but I'm also incredibly new to it. But I mean there's only one way to learn right? I'll get AOD and browse the top to see which classics to pick up during the GoG sale.

Since you're new to the genre, try the demo first, just be sure it's what you want.

Oh true, I wasn't aware there was a demo until now. Appreciate the tip.

 

[Red Rogue]

I'm playing the demo right now. Decided to go join up with the Imperial guard. It's certainly not quite what I expected, what with a lot of the questing being teleported. But it's still a pretty interesting game.

It seems I'm a big ol noob though and I'm getting rekt by these caravan guards in the first Imperial quest. Is it better to just keep making new characters until I find something that works or should I savescum battles and try to level up?

 

[Esquilax]

I'm playing the demo right now. Decided to go join up with the Imperial guard. It's certainly not quite what I expected, what with a lot of the questing being teleported. But it's still a pretty interesting game.

It seems I'm a big ol noob though and I'm getting rekt by these caravan guards in the first Imperial quest. Is it better to just keep making new characters until I find something that works or should I savescum battles and try to level up?

Depends, what are your stats and skills? The rule of thumb is that if you're fighting, you should have one weapon skill, one defensive skill, with the focus being on defense (so, let's say, your defensive skill should be at least one point higher than your weapon skill), particularly in the beginning. For civil skills, crafting is an excellent investment, as is alchemy, but focus on only one.* The caravan fight is tough, and it's meant to be that way - they want to see if you've got what it takes to be a Guardsman, so that means that you are expendable for now.

Regarding the fight itself, a decent strategy is to throw a net at the lightly-armored guard wielding the two-handed battleaxe. He hits hard, can strike diagonally and is quite nimble, so taking him out fast makes the fight a lot easier. Focus on him, then the others. If you have crafting at 4, buy a whetstone and sharpen your weapon.

And yes, if it's tough, do other quests prior to becoming a guard. Feng's quest is a nice starter.

* I've made builds with high skill in crafting and alchemy in the late-game, but I know the game very well and had an extremely intelligent character that could take advantage of bonuses.

 

[Red Rogue]

I'm playing the demo right now. Decided to go join up with the Imperial guard. It's certainly not quite what I expected, what with a lot of the questing being teleported. But it's still a pretty interesting game.

It seems I'm a big ol noob though and I'm getting rekt by these caravan guards in the first Imperial quest. Is it better to just keep making new characters until I find something that works or should I savescum battles and try to level up?

Depends, what are your stats and skills? The rule of thumb is that if you're fighting, you should have one weapon skill, one defensive skill, with the focus being on defense (so, let's say, your defensive skill should be at least one point higher than your weapon skill), particularly in the beginning. For civil skills, crafting is an excellent investment, as is alchemy, but focus on only one.* The caravan fight is tough, and it's meant to be that way - they want to see if you've got what it takes to be a Guardsman, so that means that you are expendable for now.

Regarding the fight itself, a decent strategy is to throw a net at the lightly-armored guard wielding the two-handed battleaxe. He hits hard, can strike diagonally and is quite nimble, so taking him out fast makes the fight a lot easier. Focus on him, then the others. If you have crafting at 4, buy a whetstone and sharpen your weapon.

And yes, if it's tough, do other quests prior to becoming a guard. Feng's quest is a nice starter.

* I've made builds with high skill in crafting and alchemy in the late-game, but I know the game very well and had an extremely intelligent character that could take advantage of bonuses.

It seems I already made a mistake. I put 3 points into axe when I built my character and then the rest of my combat points were split between critical strike and block.
The review here on RPG codex highlighted the importance of specialization, but also mentioned how the combat is done well enough that sometimes different forms of attack will work better against different opponents. Because of this, I was a fool and on my first level up I put a few points into dagger. Next character I make will probably have Axe and Block entirely.

As for civil skills, I just dumped like 4 or 5 into lore because the person doing the review stressed it SO much. Next time around, I'll start with crafting because I feel like it would be more useful for a mercenary character (that's what I tried to do this time around).

 

[Ninjerk]

Typically if you feel like you're the victim of RNG then your build isn't very good. One of the things you will find with Age of Decadence is that you have to learn to "think like Age of Decadence" to succeed. It's frustrating at first, but once you kind of get the feeling of it (and this goes for dialogue checks as much as it goes for combat) the game opens up to you a bit more.

EDIT: Also, saw a fun little review on metacritic with this nugget:

I enjoyed the fact that this game encourages the player to think deeply about their character build. Those skill points at creation really do matter as does your skill allocation. However this is no where near as deep as Neverwinter Nights.

 

[Ellef]

I'm looking for an RPG to plow through because for the following month I won't have any classes. I was looking at Pillars of Eternity but it doesn't seem to be very well received around these parts. Age of Decadence is a decent bit cheaper and looks pretty interesting.

Is Pillars of Eternity worth a playthrough or should I stick with this? I'd really prefer to only sink my teeth into one at first.

I'm playing the demo right now. Decided to go join up with the Imperial guard. It's certainly not quite what I expected, what with a lot of the questing being teleported. But it's still a pretty interesting game.

It seems I'm a big ol noob though and I'm getting rekt by these caravan guards in the first Imperial quest. Is it better to just keep making new characters until I find something that works or should I savescum battles and try to level up?

Depends, what are your stats and skills? The rule of thumb is that if you're fighting, you should have one weapon skill, one defensive skill, with the focus being on defense (so, let's say, your defensive skill should be at least one point higher than your weapon skill), particularly in the beginning. For civil skills, crafting is an excellent investment, as is alchemy, but focus on only one.* The caravan fight is tough, and it's meant to be that way - they want to see if you've got what it takes to be a Guardsman, so that means that you are expendable for now.

Regarding the fight itself, a decent strategy is to throw a net at the lightly-armored guard wielding the two-handed battleaxe. He hits hard, can strike diagonally and is quite nimble, so taking him out fast makes the fight a lot easier. Focus on him, then the others. If you have crafting at 4, buy a whetstone and sharpen your weapon.

And yes, if it's tough, do other quests prior to becoming a guard. Feng's quest is a nice starter.

* I've made builds with high skill in crafting and alchemy in the late-game, but I know the game very well and had an extremely intelligent character that could take advantage of bonuses.

It seems I already made a mistake. I put 3 points into axe when I built my character and then the rest of my combat points were split between critical strike and block.
The review here on RPG codex highlighted the importance of specialization, but also mentioned how the combat is done well enough that sometimes different forms of attack will work better against different opponents. Because of this, I was a fool and on my first level up I put a few points into dagger. Next character I make will probably have Axe and Block entirely.

As for civil skills, I just dumped like 4 or 5 into lore because the person doing the review stressed it SO much. Next time around, I'll start with crafting because I feel like it would be more useful for a mercenary character (that's what I tried to do this time around).

Keep you dodge or block (pick one only) at least equal or one point higher than your weapon skill. Crafting does indeed pair very well with a merc, and critical strike isn't worth it early for a brute force build like axe, when weapon skill and defensive skill are so vital.

Specialise hard to learn the ropes of this game. Start with max Str, get a 2handed axe and put everything into axe dodge and crafting. Wear light (max 11 ap) or so armor.

I'll qualify that with me being fairly new as well.

 

[Ninjerk]

I'm looking for an RPG to plow through because for the following month I won't have any classes. I was looking at Pillars of Eternity but it doesn't seem to be very well received around these parts. Age of Decadence is a decent bit cheaper and looks pretty interesting.

Is Pillars of Eternity worth a playthrough or should I stick with this? I'd really prefer to only sink my teeth into one at first.

I'm playing the demo right now. Decided to go join up with the Imperial guard. It's certainly not quite what I expected, what with a lot of the questing being teleported. But it's still a pretty interesting game.

It seems I'm a big ol noob though and I'm getting rekt by these caravan guards in the first Imperial quest. Is it better to just keep making new characters until I find something that works or should I savescum battles and try to level up?

Depends, what are your stats and skills? The rule of thumb is that if you're fighting, you should have one weapon skill, one defensive skill, with the focus being on defense (so, let's say, your defensive skill should be at least one point higher than your weapon skill), particularly in the beginning. For civil skills, crafting is an excellent investment, as is alchemy, but focus on only one.* The caravan fight is tough, and it's meant to be that way - they want to see if you've got what it takes to be a Guardsman, so that means that you are expendable for now.

Regarding the fight itself, a decent strategy is to throw a net at the lightly-armored guard wielding the two-handed battleaxe. He hits hard, can strike diagonally and is quite nimble, so taking him out fast makes the fight a lot easier. Focus on him, then the others. If you have crafting at 4, buy a whetstone and sharpen your weapon.

And yes, if it's tough, do other quests prior to becoming a guard. Feng's quest is a nice starter.

* I've made builds with high skill in crafting and alchemy in the late-game, but I know the game very well and had an extremely intelligent character that could take advantage of bonuses.

It seems I already made a mistake. I put 3 points into axe when I built my character and then the rest of my combat points were split between critical strike and block.
The review here on RPG codex highlighted the importance of specialization, but also mentioned how the combat is done well enough that sometimes different forms of attack will work better against different opponents. Because of this, I was a fool and on my first level up I put a few points into dagger. Next character I make will probably have Axe and Block entirely.

As for civil skills, I just dumped like 4 or 5 into lore because the person doing the review stressed it SO much. Next time around, I'll start with crafting because I feel like it would be more useful for a mercenary character (that's what I tried to do this time around).

Keep you dodge or block (pick one only) at least equal or one point higher than your weapon skill. Crafting does indeed pair very well with a merc, and critical strike isn't worth it early for a brute force build like axe, when weapon skill and defensive skill are so vital.

Specialise hard to learn the ropes of this game. Start with max Str, get a 2handed axe and put everything into axe dodge and crafting. Wear light (max 11 ap) or so armor.

I'll qualify that with me being fairly new as well.

Spoiler

 

[Esquilax]

It seems I already made a mistake. I put 3 points into axe when I built my character and then the rest of my combat points were split between critical strike and block.
The review here on RPG codex highlighted the importance of specialization, but also mentioned how the combat is done well enough that sometimes different forms of attack will work better against different opponents. Because of this, I was a fool and on my first level up I put a few points into dagger. Next character I make will probably have Axe and Block entirely.

As for civil skills, I just dumped like 4 or 5 into lore because the person doing the review stressed it SO much. Next time around, I'll start with crafting because I feel like it would be more useful for a mercenary character (that's what I tried to do this time around).

You might still be able to make it work and survive the caravan fight. I was just talking about what's optimal/ideal. A fighter with very good stats (fast/tough/strong) can make up for skill allocation that isn't ideal. Also, doing some other fights and quests in the world could give you enough SP to level up your skills in block. There are small mini-quests scattered throughout town that will give you SP as well.

Lore is an extremely valuable skill, and one of my favourite builds are smart loremaster-fighter types, but it really starts paying off once you get to Maadoran. There are plenty of uses for lore in Teron, but it really begins to shine later on.

 

[Ellef]

Specialise hard to learn the ropes of this game. Start with max Str, get a 2handed axe and put everything into axe dodge and crafting. Wear light (max 11 ap) or so armor.

I'll qualify that with me being fairly new as well.

Spoiler

What the fuggg. I will say that my advice still fits in a newbie build though.

 

[Ninjerk]

Yeah, that isn't mine. IDK how it worked out.

 

[Red Rogue]

Just got back from work, I had some free time and I did some more reading on how the game works so I'm pretty excited to jump back into it.
I appreciate the replies everyone. I know it can be frustrating dealing with a newfag.

 

[Cadmus]

Just got back from work, I had some free time and I did some more reading on how the game works so I'm pretty excited to jump back into it.
I appreciate the replies everyone. I know it can be frustrating dealing with a newfag.

newfags who aren't edgy are like unexpected angels carrying tiny baskets of trannylove

By the way, don't be afraid to start over a few times, once you get to know the first area, everything goes really fast and you can get to where you were before in a few minutes, especially thanks to that teleporting which is probably designed with this in mind.

Also consider if your weapon of choice benefits from lots of STR or not. Consider how many AP you want and don't put more into DEX because your armor will cut it off anyway, etc.etc. I did 2 completely blind playthroughs and never needed to restart the character so it's not that hard, you just gotta learn how to think about the game as somebody said a few posts above. Good luck and keep us updated!

EDIT: About the lore - you don't really need that much of it, first make sure you survive and fight well and then when the opportunity presents itself, slowly start investing into one extra skill you think you'll like - lore, alchemy, crafting, etc.

 

[Red Rogue]

Just got back from work, I had some free time and I did some more reading on how the game works so I'm pretty excited to jump back into it.
I appreciate the replies everyone. I know it can be frustrating dealing with a newfag.

newfags who aren't edgy are like unexpected angels carrying tiny baskets of trannylove

By the way, don't be afraid to start over a few times, once you get to know the first area, everything goes really fast and you can get to where you were before in a few minutes, especially thanks to that teleporting which is probably designed with this in mind.

Also consider if your weapon of choice benefits from lots of STR or not. Consider how many AP you want and don't put more into DEX because your armor will cut it off anyway, etc.etc. I did 2 completely blind playthroughs and never needed to restart the character so it's not that hard, you just gotta learn how to think about the game as somebody said a few posts above. Good luck and keep us updated!

EDIT: About the lore - you don't really need that much of it, first make sure you survive and fight well and then when the opportunity presents itself, slowly start investing into one extra skill you think you'll like - lore, alchemy, crafting, etc.

Starting over is exactly what I did brother. Sure enough, as you mentioned, I was able to zoom right up to where I was rather quickly.
I decided to let the assasin kill the merchant without trouble, because, well, he's a god damn assasin.
I did kill the thugs and take the money from Vardanis, however.
Then, instead of immediately going to the caravan quest, I went to kill the other lore master for Feng.

And it was here I found out that this game does not fuck around. Like a fool I paid Feng to read the map, then I paid for the necklace, then I paid for that stupid ring of Galbo or whatever which was just a scam. I really should have paid attention to the overview the game gave me when it said "hucksters sell worthless artifacts in the streets". They weren't kidding, people DO lie to you.


As for the technical parts, I did find out that different weapon types will benefit from STR and daggers, in my first character, is not one of them. This time around, I went with hammer. It felt like an easy weapon to go with so I could deal with armored enemies. Because of this, I focused on STR and at least a respectable perception.

One question I did have is: Can I repair broken armor with my crafting skill? I haven't found a way to do so yet, but I also haven't even begun to explore crafting. These are the types of things I'd prefer to google and not bother you guys with but there isn't a very extensive wiki for AoD yet unfortunately

 

[Cadmus]

One question I did have is: Can I repair broken armor with my crafting skill? I haven't found a way to do so yet, but I also haven't even begun to explore crafting.

Yes, but you need the appropriate materials. The game will show which and the appropriate ammount.
Personally I prefer to pay for repairs so I can use the materials to craft stuff for selling.

WHAT???? HOW THE FUCK

Just got back from work, I had some free time and I did some more reading on how the game works so I'm pretty excited to jump back into it.
I appreciate the replies everyone. I know it can be frustrating dealing with a newfag.

newfags who aren't edgy are like unexpected angels carrying tiny baskets of trannylove

By the way, don't be afraid to start over a few times, once you get to know the first area, everything goes really fast and you can get to where you were before in a few minutes, especially thanks to that teleporting which is probably designed with this in mind.

Also consider if your weapon of choice benefits from lots of STR or not. Consider how many AP you want and don't put more into DEX because your armor will cut it off anyway, etc.etc. I did 2 completely blind playthroughs and never needed to restart the character so it's not that hard, you just gotta learn how to think about the game as somebody said a few posts above. Good luck and keep us updated!

EDIT: About the lore - you don't really need that much of it, first make sure you survive and fight well and then when the opportunity presents itself, slowly start investing into one extra skill you think you'll like - lore, alchemy, crafting, etc.

Starting over is exactly what I did brother. Sure enough, as you mentioned, I was able to zoom right up to where I was rather quickly.
I decided to let the assasin kill the merchant without trouble, because, well, he's a god damn assasin.
I did kill the thugs and take the money from Vardanis, however.
Then, instead of immediately going to the caravan quest, I went to kill the other lore master for Feng.

And it was here I found out that this game does not fuck around. Like a fool I paid Feng to read the map, then I paid for the necklace, then I paid for that stupid ring of Galbo or whatever which was just a scam. I really should have paid attention to the overview the game gave me when it said "hucksters sell worthless artifacts in the streets". They weren't kidding, people DO lie to you.


As for the technical parts, I did find out that different weapon types will benefit from STR and daggers, in my first character, is not one of them. This time around, I went with hammer. It felt like an easy weapon to go with so I could deal with armored enemies. Because of this, I focused on STR and at least a respectable perception.

One question I did have is: Can I repair broken armor with my crafting skill? I haven't found a way to do so yet, but I also haven't even begun to explore crafting. These are the types of things I'd prefer to google and not bother you guys with but there isn't a very extensive wiki for AoD yet unfortunately

At the same time, if you spend some time running around and trying stuff, you'll find out there's plenty of content in the town to allow you to get out of the rut. If you feel stuck, try everything and anything and you just might push through by the skin of your teeth, so don't go : new character -> fail skillcheck -> restart -> fail combat -> restart etc.

I thought I was stuck many times but then I realized a) I don't actually have to do this quest to proceed in the game b) I can find a way to get more SP or better gear first

 

[Vault Dweller]

http://www.eurogamer.de/articles/20...ener-aussieht-vergesst-nicht-age-of-decadence

 

[Irenaeus II]

Translation? I can't read arabic

 

[Shin]

And so I got still my first fight: as me a windy dealers with attached laughter lured into his house and my skill was too low to the from behind the daggers looking for colleagues to escape. They did not need four trains for me. In death screen was something like: "You followed the dealer and was killed because of the little that you had. The universe remains unchanged."
With a winning rigor, almost indifference, Age of Decadence forms in this kind of sets from the course of events in his wild lands. Inquisitor, sorcerers and dragons blood tear after her death all the worlds in the sinking. Here it's just a soul less. In a hard, honest to the Painful World.

It is not a game for everyone, not at least because of the skills. Inside, however, it is closer to the game for everyone off than a caliber like Fallout 4 - the not unimportant in this viewing surface, accessibility and operation excluded times - thanks to its broad base of game styles. You can bite you through fighting or as a mixture of strong and wise, it even (by -?) Playing, having to deny without a fight. I did not know at first, about how many role playing one can say otherwise.

very insightful

 

[Irenaeus II]

What is this gibberish?

 

[Goral]

Most recent Steam "review"

I don't normally write reviews, but this game has made me so heated...so...annoyed...and so enraged I just can't help myself. I bought into the hype and bought the game. Put plenty of hours into it, and can finally put into words why it drives me insane.

At first I was very impressed with this game, but now the shine has fallen off and I hate it. I hate it a lot, because it has potential but the devs are so smug and proud of the garbage they've created that it will never ever be fixed.

Let me describe a typical scenario in the game to you. You find a library (from another quest) and go there on your first playthrough (at about the 10 hour mark). In the library is a generator, and your current character doesn't have the stats to fix it. "Alright, I'll just make a guy with those stats on the next play through and find out what this is all about," you think. So you make that guy. You play through mostly the same ♥♥♥♥ again, for 10 hours with your new guy, and get to the library. You pass the skill check, and find out the generator lets you open a secret door.

So you go through the door and find...nothing. Jack ♥♥♥♥. See there WOULD be something here, but your perception is too low. Perception is decided at character creation, and you can NEVER RAISE IT THROUGH GAMEPLAY. OH, and the only way to know what level you need it at is to read a guide or check online, because the game doesn't tell you...so the surprise is ruined anyways. So now you can either remake AGAIN to try to see this crap, or do what I did and right click -> uninstall.

The game is FULL of multi-level hard gated skill challenges like this, and sometimes it's totally arbitrary. Combat is very RNG and swingy, which makes save scumming a necessity. Basically it's everything that was terrible about old school RPGs coupled with game devs reveling in the "difficulty" of their game. News flash, that's not difficulty. Trial and error requiring hours of investment between each trial isn't difficulty, and it's sure as ♥♥♥♥ not fun.

I wish I could have figured this out before spending the time on the game I did so I could refund it. Don't fall for the Steam reviews and the hype. Game is ♥♥♥♥, but it shows at least some twinkling of potential...which is why I'm so upset over it. It should have everything I like, but because of the way it's designed it's hot garbage.

I doubt AoD will go back to 85% positive reviews. I'm afraid it will get to 80% though with more and more retards like the one above buying the game without checking the demo out first. Also, using the word hype with AoD is just...

 

[Irenaeus II]

Is there a way of downvoting Steam reviews? I want to downvote this.