Gothic III: am I doing something wrong ?

[Aothan]

I gather that means the game is just very hard if particular playstyles are eschewed. No problem, simple as the mechanics may be every now and then I enjoy the opportunity to play with a Archer/Ranger type character.

what I have noticed about Fire Arrows and other special ammunition types is their high sale value, and thus the out of reach purchase costs for (at least) low level characters. So as a rule I have always reserved any quantities found for more challenging encounters, or situations that escalate beyond my general encounter strategies (i.e., as a long term Archer player one learns to assess the environment at all times).

however their effect seems quite limited so far, having used both Fire and Knockback types against Ogres the impact damage and duration based damage appears quite negligible. Knockback does not even appear to stumble Ogres...which I guess makes partial sense. It may be that special arrow damage and effect properties are also determined by the level of Archery skill and possibly the bow type. Over the course of development my character will gradually learn to craft arrows, with the specific intent of preparing Lighting Arrows.

I did not even know about Spears or Halberds having a radius attack, having only just learnt the input for thrust attacks, so I will have to practise some more

 

[Michael Ellis]

Followup to my spear/halberd suggestion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK-jmUO3kh0

At 51 seconds. This 360 attack will allow you to keep multiple enemies at bay. It quickly drains stamina/endurance however.

Spells to look forward to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVajI-0AGpM

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

having heard that Gothic III was a reasonably enjoyable game

I heard this too. Don't believe anyone who tells you this.