Expeditions: Rome - the final Expeditions game from Logic Artists

[Xunwael]

I remember that someone earlier in the thread talked about the mandatory fight, where you have to get ambushed and "die for the glory of Rome", and then you get rescued in a scripted cutscene. Anyway, I never got that.

I remember reading about that in one of the pre-release reviews, but I don't remember where it was meant to be. Was it at the end of the game or at the end of the first act?
I'm trying to think of instances where they might've changed that part but the only one I can come up with is

Spoiler

when you get ambushed by some street thugs in Rome alongside Syneros after meeting with Lurco

but I'm not sure how well it'd fit within that context

It's in act 3. That readheaded viking king who just wants to be your friend but, oh, one of his subjects is preparing to attack you and he doesn't approve of that, but don't worry, he's set the guy up so that you can come ambush him and the two of you can kill his subject together. Yeah, big surprise, that turns out to actually be an ambush for you. Then you kill like 400 gauls but they never stop coming so you light your own men on fire and sit there and just die, then the guy who killed your dad shows up and kills 10 gauls to "break their spirit" and saves you. Then when asked by his underlings why the FUCK he doesn't just let you die like the retard you clearly are, he just handwaves it away with 'muh optics'.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

That riddle side quest with Syrenos is annoying tbh.

 

[notpl]

How in the god damn hell do I craft tactical items? I've got a bunch of recipes (throwing knives, caltrops, a couple others I think) but the only things I can make are javelins, torches and bandages still. Except I can't actually make torches, because I haven't found any oil in ten hours.

 

[Sensuki]

I think you need the tools. I only just figured out how to craft and now I realize that I could have been making my own Pilums for the whole game if I'd bought the tools from that merchant at the Temple of Appolon.

When I picked up my first Legendary item recipe I was like oh yeah this is one of those won't be able to finish the item until near the end of the game type things but turns out nope, just needed to get the Blacksmith at the camp.

 

[Luka-boy]

So I started up the game for the first time and less than five minutes later I knew I had to open GIMP and meme it up.

 

[Spectacle]

Whenever the villain in this game appears I can't help be reminded of his namesake the xenarite tech-priestess in Warhammer 40000 Mechanicus. Strange to have 2 major characters sharing such an unusual name.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

So did you guys side with Zenobia or Theophilus?

 

[notpl]

So did you guys side with Zenobia or Theophilus?

Are you seriously asking whether I chose to simp for some random woman or murder her when given the chance?

 

[whocares]

I will not eat the bugs. I will not live in a pod. I will not use 2FA.

 

[Lyre Mors]

That was an option? I talked to the guy, he told me to fuck off basically, so I did. On my way out, the old lady offerred me to shank him, so again, I did. It felt so straightforward, I didn't even realize there was c&c there. I got a golden amulet out of this. But that's because I chose to push his mistress around instead of poisoning him. I was sure that was the big choice of the quest.

Pretty sure one of the rhetorical style choices gives you the option to negotiate directly with him. Beyond that,

Spoiler

you have an option to provoke him into a fight through manipulating a priestess he's been fucking and killing him in front of everyone, acquire some poison and convince an underling to feed it to him, or trick him into having a "secret meeting" with an envoy of Mithriditates. I did this last one, where you have the choice to murder him outright or to take him prisoner and use him as a bargaining chip in a later scenario. I took him prisoner.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

I did this last one, where you have the choice to murder him outright or to take him prisoner and use him as a bargaining chip in a later scenario. I took him prisoner.

Did the same one, but let him rule instead and took Zenobia as prisoner. Guy seemed like the more reasonable choice since the people were loyal to him. And he only betrayed Rome when faced with annihilation from Mithridates' army, so I doubt that he'd do the same thing again once Asia Minor gets pacified.

 

[Lyre Mors]

Did the same one, but let him rule instead and took Zenobia as prisoner. Guy seemed like the more reasonable choice since the people were loyal to him.

Yeah, I was tempted. Felt like Zenobia would be easier to manipulate in the future if I needed to (or if it's even an option). I didn't dislike the guy or his motivations. His hatred of Rome as a whole just seemed too dangerous to go unchecked.

So yeah, a good amount of c&c going on in the quest.

 

[Larianshill]

I killed him. He already plotted against Rome once, and no matter how noble his motives were, he would probably do so again. It was a shame, he was a good guy, but I could not justify letting him live to myself.

 

[The_Mask]

I liked Zenobia more too. I negotiate and give in good faith. Rome is generous to her allies. Traitors get rekt.

 

[Saduj]

I'm only a few missions in but it seems to me like sword and board is by far the best melee class. Much tankier and seems to do as much damage as the DPS class. Rangers have their use and I'm assuming I'll need a dedicated healer as the game goes on. But is there any reason to take the dual wielding class? Abilities all seem meh too.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

It was a shame, he was a good guy, but I could not justify letting him live to myself.

That's how I'll feel about Mithridates once I get to defeating him. Reasonable guy:

 

[Sensuki]

I'm only a few missions in but it seems to me like sword and board is by far the best melee class. Much tankier and seems to do as much damage as the DPS class. Rangers have their use and I'm assuming I'll need a dedicated healer as the game goes on. But is there any reason to take the dual wielding class? Abilities all seem meh too.

Movement speed and later on apparently number of attacks per turn. I've found the Veles class good in the Pacification missions for being able to get to a torch or pilum dispenser and throw it in the first turn etc and then even have some MP to move somewhere else. There's some skills later on that are crazy apparently such as unlimited movement.

I've also found the sword to generally be better than the spear so far.

 

[Tyranicon]

Probably way too early, but I hope someone gets a custom companion mod going.

Even if all the current companions are top-tier character writing (lol), I'd still prefer to have a bunch of career military men as companions.

 

[Lyre Mors]

All the companions have been likeable enough so far. Don't really get what the problem is besides maybe Julia. Also, I think you could conceivably do just that by recruiting praetorians at the barracks and using them instead of your companions the majority of the time. Might just take an hour of two into the game before you're able to.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

I'm only a few missions in but it seems to me like sword and board is by far the best melee class. Much tankier and seems to do as much damage as the DPS class. Rangers have their use and I'm assuming I'll need a dedicated healer as the game goes on. But is there any reason to take the dual wielding class? Abilities all seem meh too.

Movement speed and later on apparently number of attacks per turn. I've found the Veles class good in the Pacification missions for being able to get to a torch or pilum dispenser and throw it in the first turn etc and then even have some MP to move somewhere else. There's some skills later on that are crazy apparently such as unlimited movement.

I've also found the sword to generally be better than the spear so far.

I personally go for 3 Principes + 3 Triarii. Principes with spear and shield, making the enemies bleed and tanking them; triarii with pikes hitting the enemies from the backline and healing the principes.

 

[Tyranicon]

All the companions have been likeable enough so far. Don't get what the problem is.

Besides being able to mix and match class composition how I want, the five companions I know about include only one with real military experience. The others include an old dude, a gladiator, a spy lady, and a beefy-armed Amazonian.

I understand that gamedevs want interesting characters, but I just want a bodyguard squad, not people with questionable loyalties and immersion-breaking dialogue.

 

[Sensuki]

That's what the Praetorian guard is for right ?

 

[Lyre Mors]

Yeah, like I said in that post, you should be able to do that with the praetorian guards that you can recruit in the barracks. You just might have to play with the default companions for a couple hours before you get to that point in the gameplay.

The reason I would encourage seeing this as an option is that I kind of doubt someone is going to make a mod for full party creation.

 

[notpl]

Besides being able to mix and match class composition how I want, the five companions I know about include only one with real military experience. The others include an old dude, a gladiator, a spy lady, and a beefy-armed Amazonian.

I understand that gamedevs want interesting characters, but I just want a bodyguard squad, not people with questionable loyalties and immersion-breaking dialogue.

You literally can almost immediately recruit a no-dialogue bodyguard squad.

 

[notpl]

Agreed that the shield class seems a bit OP, but mostly just because shields themselves are great. Everyone without a shield gets shredded by archers on the very first round on higher difficulties.

The Veles is at least capable of dishing out damage, though. My MC mastered the assassin talent tree and can just delete any one enemy on the map on turn 1, often ending the mission instantly.