Incline Age of Decadence - Tips, Tricks and Spoilers

[hivemind]

Not that I'm aware of

 

[Geckabor]

I was wondering: Is playing an uncharismatic thief viable/possible? So basically a thief that doesn't focus on talking his way out of things as the kind of secondary option?

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Geckabor]

no combat, non charismatic thief is viable and the one I had most fun with. You can even ascend.

Sweet, might as well do some non-combat runs while waiting for the combat update.

 

[Jason Liang]

I was wondering: Is playing an uncharismatic thief viable/possible? So basically a thief that doesn't focus on talking his way out of things as the kind of secondary option?

You'll miss out on Lucius' critical strike training if you don't have CHA 7+. On the flip side, Thieves don't get the full benefit of CHA 7 either, since you start with a Daratan reputation penalty. So you wont be able to get both Feng and Cassius training like an Assassin can- even if you get every Daratan rep point available, you still wont get to 10 so that Cassius will speak to you.
Still, as a Thief, if you want both get both Slayer and Killer of Men, AND get Aemolas' quest, then you'll need 7 CHA if you want to get training too.

To get Aemolas' quest, you must get +1 Word of Honor.
To get Slayer, you can't get +1 Word of Honor from Esbenus.
So you must get Word of Honor from Feng by killing Cassius (unless you drop your Perception is below like 6 or something), so the only training you can get is Feng's training which requires CHA 7.

On the other hand, getting Slayer also costs a Thief some extra SP from Cado's goblet mission, so Manipulator is a more natural fit for Thief anyway.

On the flip side, ugly thief is one of the best paths for a STR melee/ xbow/ shield -> power armor build. Start 7/8/4/9/8/4 or 7/8/4/8/9/4 and then you can use healing machine twice to get to 9/8/4/9/8/4 or 7/10/4/9/8/4. Then, if you want, betray Levir in act 2 to switch to whatever faction you want to end in. You get Aziz's melee training and you don't miss Dellar's training one bit.

Your Teron sequence should be something like this:

Spoiler

TG Prelude - +10 sp (Cado's lockpicks) +3 sp (using stealth/lockpick/ steal)
Aziz training
Loot - Inn, Feng, Blacksmith and Noble houses
Livia training +15 sp
TG Quest 1 - infiltrate Palace for extra sp +2 sp (iirc)
Show map to Feng, pass streetwise check +1 sp
get quests from Dellar
Kill the Outpost supplier for +1 body count
Kill the tower bums for +4 body count
Infiltrate Compound, CS tower gem guard and roof guard, +2 body count, +3 sp: Infiltrator title
Meet Esbenus
Speak with Cado/ goblet mission +3 sp (iirc)
Persuade Dellar on Manipulator plan
Manipulator plan to solve both Raiders and Outpost at the same time: Manipulator title, +1 WoH
Get Aemolas quest
Betray Feng for Cassius training +15 sp
Finish Teron side quests
TG Quest 2 and 3: Killer of Men title
Finish Teron

 

[Parabalus]

You'll miss out on Lucius' critical strike training if you don't have CHA 7+. On the flip side, Thieves don't get the full benefit of CHA 7 either, since you start with a Daratan reputation penalty. So you wont be able to get both Feng and Cassius training like an Assassin can- even if you get every Daratan rep point available, you still wont get to 10 so that Cassius will speak to you.
Still, as a Thief, if you want both get both Slayer and Killer of Men, AND get Aemolas' quest, then you'll need 7 CHA if you want to get training too.

To get Aemolas' quest, you must get +1 Word of Honor.
To get Slayer, you can't get +1 Word of Honor from Esbenus.
So you must get Word of Honor from Feng by killing Cassius (unless you drop your Perception is below like 6 or something), so the only training you can get is Feng's training which requires CHA 7.

On the other hand, getting Slayer also costs a Thief some extra SP from Cado's goblet mission, so Manipulator is a more natural fit for Thief anyway.

On the flip side, ugly thief is one of the best paths for a STR melee/ shield build. Start 7/8/4/9/8/4 or 7/8/4/8/9/4 and then you can use healing machine twice to get to 9/8/4/9/8/4 or 7/10/4/9/8/4. Then, if you want, betray Levir in act 2 to switch to whatever faction you want to end in. You get Aziz's melee training and you don't miss Dellar's training one bit.

Your Teron sequence should be something like this:

Spoiler

TG Prelude - +10 sp (Cado's lockpicks) +3 sp (using stealth/lockpick/ steal)
Aziz training
Loot - Inn, Feng, Blacksmith and Noble houses
Livia training +15 sp
TG Quest 1 - infiltrate Palace for extra sp +2 sp (iirc)
Show map to Feng, pass streetwise check +1 sp
get quests from Dellar
Kill the Outpost supplier for +1 body count
Kill the tower bums for +4 body count
Infiltrate Compound, CS tower gem guard and roof guard, +2 body count, +3 sp: Infiltrator title
Meet Esbenus
Speak with Cado/ goblet mission +3 sp (iirc)
Persuade Dellar on Manipulator plan
Manipulator plan to solve both Raiders and Outpost at the same time: Manipulator title, +1 WoH
Get Aemolas quest
Betray Feng for Cassius training +15 sp
Finish Teron side quests
TG Quest 2 and 3: Killer of Men title
Finish Teron

Really good, comprehensive post. I recently played through Teron (485887 Thief) identically - you can also

Spoiler

get the scroll from Antidas' display for +5SP / +2 bc /+1 etiq. during infiltrate

, dunno if that was implied.

Does anyone get more faction-specific training than thieves? As commerce I think you can get

Spoiler

15/10(15?)/15 from Zenon/Linos/Cado + 15 Cassius/Feng since you have rep

, which is almost there except Azis' reward "scales".

 

[Jason Liang]

Really good, comprehensive post. I recently played through Teron (485887 Thief) identically - you can also

Spoiler

get the scroll from Antidas' display for +5SP / +2 bc /+1 etiq. during infiltrate

, dunno if that was implied.

I forgot to add +5 sp for the ettiquette scroll, but yeah I meant the complete infiltration including that and the mantra scroll sp. If you don't get the scroll, you can infiltrate bloodlessly, but afaik the only way to get into the bedroom is to DFA the guard.

Does anyone get more faction-specific training than thieves? As commerce I think you can get

Spoiler

15/10(15?)/15 from Zenon/Linos/Cado + 15 Cassius/Feng since you have rep

, which is almost there except Azis' reward "scales".

Thief gets the most, especially if you count the extra sp from using thief skills in the TG quests, but Assassin is close, depending on whether you betray AG for IG in Assassin Quest 2 or not, or join Aurelian start of act 2, and depending on how you want to count +1 CS points. Assassin can also maximize the freebie points in Teron while Thief can't. Thief should also spend at least 15 sp to bump steal to 3 for the Thief prelude, while Assassins should leave steal at 1 (I haven't found anything amazing fo steal, although steal 3 almost pays for itself as a Thief). But the best benefits of the Thief path is a) Killer of Men title and b) Levir's jar in act 2.

Here is the head to head (assuming Thief Cha 7 vs Asassin Cha 7):
Thief prelude +10 (Cado's Locks), +3 skill use / Assassin prelude +1 cs, +2 body count / Mercenary prelude +2 cp, +3 body count
Aziz +10 melee / Fulvio +15 ranged
Livia +15 / Coltan +5 (alchemy)
Lucius +10 CS (Cha 7) / Agatai +10 CS* +15 cp to cs if cs < 6, otherwise +10 cs
TG Quest 1 +2 skill use / AG Quest 1 +1 cp, +1 Word of Honor, +2 body count
Cado's goblet mission +3 skill use / Shanty town thief +1 cs, +1 body count
Feng OR Cassius +15 (+1 cp or +1 cs for killing Cassius) / Feng AND Cassius +30, +1 skill use for Gelbo's Ring (requires betraying Feng. Let Cassius live, get the ring from Feng, then use Persuasion or Lore to get Antidas to accept the ring despite Cassius' snitching)
TG Quest 2-3 +3 cp, +3 skill use, +1 cs, Killer of Men title / AG Quest 2-3 +3 cp, +1 skill use, +1 cs

Instead of AG Quest 2-3, Assassins can betray to IG. Assuming you choose to kill Antidas, you get +3 cp, +2 cs, and the Imperial Guard training +10 melee, +10 block and +10 dodge

Solving Aurelian Outpost + Raider Camp by Terminator path gives +5 cp, +2 cs and a lot of body count.
Solving Aurelian Outpost + Raider Camp by Manipulator path gives Cado's goblet mission for Thief and +1 Word of Honor.
A thief could also forfeit getting either title and solve the Outpost by combat and Raider Camp by Thief method, giving + 3 cp, +3 skill use, +1 cs (no Word of Honor)

Assassins can dump the Steal skill, while Thieves should either raise Steal to 3 to get all the prelude points, or forfeit the bonus prelude points (but you can still get +10 lockpick from Cado by looting the merchant's body after he's been assassinated). Thieves also need to raise steal to 4 if they want to get the Commercium ring in TG Quest 2. I haven't found a good use for high Steal so I recommend Assassins dump it.

Steal 3 costs 15 sp and earns back 7 sp (3 from the full Thief prelude, 4 total from Teron inn) so the net is -8.

So in summary:

Teron thief path, no steal, no title: +55 sp, +12 cs (including Lucius training), +10 melee skill
Teron thief path, Manipulator: +55 sp, +11 cs (including Lucius training), +10 melee skill
Teron thief path, Terminator: +57 sp, +13 cs (including Lucius training), +10 melee skill
Teron assassin path, Terminator: +46 sp, +13 cs, +15 range skill
Teron assassin -> Imperial Guard path, Terminator: +45 sp, +14 cs, +10 melee skill, +15 range skill, +10 dodge, +10 block

So an Assassin dumping Steal comes just a few points shy of a Thief with Steal 3 in terms of benefit points. Thieves that dump Steal come out ahead the most.

In Maadoran, TG can get Levir's canister AND TG Q5 before betraying Levir, while AG can get Darius' Tomb quest by switching to Aurelian praetor.

 

[makiavelli747]

You don't have to kill to get the scroll.

 

[Jason Liang]

You don't have to kill to get the scroll.

Not the mantra. The etiquette scroll in Antidas' bedroom.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Jason Liang]

Yes, any character can during the Palace infiltration (except Daratagan praetor? idk, never tried praetor).

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Parabalus]

im lost. you can get this eti scroll as thief?

Yes, you have to CS the roof guard on Daratan compound and drop down to the bedroom. Then afterwards you get the mantra( another scroll) from display room.

..

Does killer of man give anything or? I was sure it was just very cool fluff.

 

[Jason Liang]

When you are on the roof, you must DFA the guard. Afterwards, you can choose to enter Antidas' budoir.

 

[TheScarecrow]

So... How do you advance in Gaelius' quests? It's the first time I have chosen this path, I have done it with a guildless loremaster and I don't know how to continue after I swear to serve him. Do I need to be in a guild to advance?

 

[Jason Liang]

If he doesn't give you one of the Aurelian praetor quests (either Darius' Tomb or going to The Pass) I'm pretty sure you are still stuck in one of the Guilds.

 

[Jarpie]

What kind of build would be good for praetor?

 

[Lurker King]

So... How do you advance in Gaelius' quests? It's the first time I have chosen this path, I have done it with a guildless loremaster and I don't know how to continue after I swear to serve him. Do I need to be in a guild to advance?

If you are not playing as a praetor, he will ask you to talk with Senas on the palace district and then go to the pass.

If he doesn't give you one of the Aurelian praetor quests (either Darius' Tomb or going to The Pass) I'm pretty sure you are still stuck in one of the Guilds.

That’s only if you are playing as a praetor and killed the spies in his palace.

What kind of build would be good for praetor?

A talkie build, but you can also succeed with a hybrid build if you know the ins and outs of the game.

 

[Goral]

What kind of build would be good for praetor?

The default build is good, or you can go with 4-4-4-9-10-9 Streetwise+Persuasion+Lore or a stupid brute. But for the first play I would go with default 7-7-6-6-7-7 (or 7-7-6-6-10-4) going 4 daggers 3 dodge, 3 persuasion, 3 streetwise, 2 alchemy, 2 lore. But it also depends how well you fare in combat, if you don't know most of the tricks you might want to go with my first proposition.

 

[Parabalus]

The default build is good, or you can go with 4-4-4-9-10-9 Streetwise+Persuasion+Lore or a stupid brute. But for the first play I would go with default 7-7-6-6-7-7 (or 7-7-6-6-10-4) going 4 daggers 3 dodge, 3 persuasion, 3 streetwise, 2 alchemy, 2 lore. But it also depends how well you fare in combat, if you don't know most of the tricks you might want to go with my first proposition.

These are very good suggestions. If you want something tighter that can do "more" you can go 456889 xbow->space marine or 486877 sword. Praetor actually has few talk checks that need CHA, mostly just skills, so you can safely put that into STR/DEX for easier combat.

 

[redfarm]

Hi
I have a couple of questions on my first playthrough:
At the Library of Saross, I have found the switch for the secret chamber, but when I push the switch, it says nothing happens probably needs power, what am I missing?
I´m playing the merchant questline and I´m stuck at the miracle worker quest, after performing the two miracles I fail in convincing Meru, what skills are neccessary? My skills are persuation 7, streetwise 6 and charisma 7
I hope you can help

 

[Skittles]

Is it possible to regain access to the Abyss once it's been blocked off due to riots? I forgot to do it before the cut-off, but I used to think there was a method.

 

[Goral]

Is it possible to regain access to the Abyss once it's been blocked off due to riots? I forgot to do it before the cut-off, but I used to think there was a method.

No AFAIK.

 

[Skittles]

Thanks. I guess I'll just have to do another playthrough. Life is so hard.