Grimoire gameplay and hints thread

[Cleveland Mark Blakemore]

it doesnt matter what classes you pick, because:
skills are meaningless,
and all classes can learn all spells.

to not choose wolfen or barrower is to intentionally select sub-optimally, as there is no downside to picking those races.

same also to not gain 4 or 5 extra levels in a few extra classes for each char (this will be one or two combats worth of exp) is to intentionally gimp yourself.

game is an adventure LARP of combining inventory objects to make “keys”

Only saw this post before I signed in. Why play at all, Boddler? You're like mini-me of Zep Zeppo.

 

[Cleveland Mark Blakemore]

Alright, heard your recommendations and onwards I went. Played only for a little while but am already having lots of fun, love the amount of detail and secrets everywhere.

Asking because it has happened that other games wouldn't: does steam sync Grimoire saves? Wanna know if I can fire it up from another pc and continue my playthrough Cleveland Mark Blakemore

No, but its an idea. If I wasn't so busy on other games I'd have put achievements in by now.

 

[Darth Canoli]

No, but its an idea. If I wasn't so busy on other games I'd have put achievements in by now.

Do you plan to become the one-man SSI of the 21st century or is it all a big misunderstanding and you're actually busy playing other games?

I'm calling Zep Zepo as our first witness...

 

[Boddler]

it doesnt matter what classes you pick, because:
skills are meaningless,
and all classes can learn all spells.

to not choose wolfen or barrower is to intentionally select sub-optimally, as there is no downside to picking those races.

same also to not gain 4 or 5 extra levels in a few extra classes for each char (this will be one or two combats worth of exp) is to intentionally gimp yourself.

game is an adventure LARP of combining inventory objects to make “keys”

Only saw this post before I signed in. Why play at all, Boddler? You're like mini-me of Zep Zeppo.

Eliciting your reaction here is a win condition, with constraints and challenges. Something Grimoire is missing.

 

[Nixheb]

How to use the honey baited wick in fissure ? I suppose it is used to catch the king of cockroaches but "using" it doesn't work.

 

[Dorateen]

How to use the honey baited wick in fissure ? I suppose it is used to catch the king of cockroaches but "using" it doesn't work.

If I remember correctly, you want to click the honey baited wick from the inventory bar, and then hold it over the center of the screen where the fissure is located. You might have to take a step back and then walk forward onto the tile, with the wick kind of like where your mouse indictater would be. That should trigger the event.

 

[Nixheb]

How to use the honey baited wick in fissure ? I suppose it is used to catch the king of cockroaches but "using" it doesn't work.

If I remember correctly, you want to click the honey baited wick from the inventory bar, and then hold it over the center of the screen where the fissure is located. You might have to take a step back and then walk forward onto the tile, with the wick kind of like where your mouse indictater would be. That should trigger the event.

Thanks for the tip ; alas, it seems the mecanic have changed. Anywat, I found the correct way to trigger it... i was simply facing the wrong direction.... :D

 

[Piotrovitz]

Ok, I have more spare time now and decided to give it another try - here's couple of questions (some of them I've probably asked already like year ago):

1. On my first playthrough I managed to reach Samhain. I think the moment I've dropped my run was reporting back to captain in Crowl and getting access to treasury. Can't remember lvl of my party, but it was
- two saurians berserkers (multi to warriors around lvl 7)
- drake metalsmith (multi to warrior around lvl 7)
- wolfin ranger
- naga assassin
- aeorb sage (probably multi to something else at that moment)
- wolfin cleric
- barrower thaumaturge (multi to wizard I think)

I've played on hard difficulty, and tbh almost every fight was a breeze - saurians had some low level axes with lethal property, ranger had starting poisoned dagger from naga, which is also lethal, naga was unarmed but still was dishing out pretty nice dmg. Casters had nice variety of CC/AoE DD spells - like said, most of the fights could go on on autopilot. Comparing this to early stages of Wiz 7, where every battle with savant guards groups in New City could end up with total party wipe, the difference was night and day.

Does the game gets gradually harder, or should I just crank up the difficulty?
Back then, it seemed like lethal blow on high SPD/AGI/STR characters was the king. Are there any mobs later on who are resistant to insta kills?

2. Is the excessive multiclassing necessary, given the above rant about early stages of the game too easy?

In Wiz 7 the main point was to grab as many skill points and spells as possible. Here it doesn't seem to be that necessary, since the skill point gains, at least in the favoured classes are pretty high, and it's easy to max out i.e weapon or casting skills.

I'm running with same party as previously, so for five melees I plan just to cycle through berserkers>warrior>thief/metalsmith/whatever fighting class and not delve into the casting classes at all. For pure magic users I plan to go through few different caster classess, just to get as many spells as possible. Is this reasonable approach, or do I have to resort to comical Wiz 7 type of multiclassing where everyone knows every skill and every spell?

3. Are the elite classes worth it? Do they have any special skills?
What's the dmg potential difference between pirate and, say, saurian berserker with maxed out weapon skill and lethal blow?

4. Spells - how does the access to higher level spells works like? Is it dependent on char lvl, or rather the relevant skill?
Is it worth staying in Wizard class after maxing out sorcery, or should I immediately change him to, say, thaumaturge?

5. Metalsmith - is crafting system working as intended? I remember it was said somewhere that it was not implemented at all.

6. Unarmed combat - seems there are three skills governing this (HtH, iron hands, ninjitsu for Naga assasin) - HtH I understand is the equivalent of weapon skill, but what about iron hands and ninjitsu? Also, I think I've read somewhere that lethal blow works for unarmed combat, but it has to be on certain level (80?) - is that true?

Thanks y'all

 

[Lady_Error]

Does the game gets gradually harder, or should I just crank up the difficulty?

It's only easy if you know what you are doing, eg. unequipping the stick weapons in the beginning. But yeah, increase the difficulty if you want more challenge.

2. Is the excessive multiclassing necessary, given the above rant about early stages of the game too easy?

Of course it's not necessary, but it's fun and makes life easier. The main advantage of multiclassing is getting more hitpoints and mana, as well as getting the elite classes like the Jester.

3. Are the elite classes worth it? Do they have any special skills?

Yes, they are. Skills that only prestige classes have are for example:

• Ninjitsu (Assassin,Jester)

• Iron Hands (Assassin,Jester)

http://grimoire.wiki/index.php/Skills

What's the dmg potential difference between pirate and, say, saurian berserker with maxed out weapon skill and lethal blow?

Pirates are good, but not the best. Jesters and Assassins outdo them. Templars are not bad either. Saurian Berserkers are close to those.

4. Spells - how does the access to higher level spells works like? Is it dependent on char lvl, or rather the relevant skill?

Char Level - http://grimoire.wiki/index.php/Spells#All_Spells_by_Class_.28complete.29

Is it worth staying in Wizard class after maxing out sorcery, or should I immediately change him to, say, thaumaturge?

Up to you. And maxing out sorcery does not mean that you got access to the high level Wizard spells yet.

5. Metalsmith - is crafting system working as intended? I remember it was said somewhere that it was not implemented at all.

It basically gives just temporary bonuses to existing armor and weapons. Not really worth it.

6. Unarmed combat - seems there are three skills governing this (HtH, iron hands, ninjitsu for Naga assasin) - HtH I understand is the equivalent of weapon skill, but what about iron hands and ninjitsu? Also, I think I've read somewhere that lethal blow works for unarmed combat, but it has to be on certain level (80?) - is that true?

Don't remember exactly, but yes, unarmed combat can be very effective for certain classes. At least until you get the absolute high-end weapons.

 

[Gunnar]

Once you figure it all out, there won't be any difficulty, so if you care about that you might want to just go play the game.

If you are running a melee character, he needs to kill enemies fast with lethal blow or be able to do massive amounts of damage quickly. The damage route has you using things like Berserking, Sneak attacks and unarmed damage multipliers. The Pirate as I recall gets sneak attack which he can use with his big weapons to get nice critical hits. However-

Are there any mobs later on who are resistant to insta kills?

No.

Is it worth staying in Wizard class after maxing out sorcery, or should I immediately change him to, say, thaumaturge?

Check out the mage classes, thaumaturge gets to wear heavy plate, making them a nice ending caster class. Necromancer gets nice high level spells that can take a long time to get, you might want to keep him single classed to get at them sooner. Check out the wiki and plan out a character if you like that, or just wing it you will be fine either way.

 

[Contagium]

Some Cuck gave Cleve another negative review on Steam, and approval is back to "mixed". Thinking about gifting a copy to someone who can appreciate incline.

 

[Testownia]

Some Cuck gave Cleve another negative review on Steam, and approval is back to "mixed". Thinking about gifting a copy to someone who can appreciate incline.

As soon as he changes the character portraits. I'm not joking or being dishonest when I say this is the first game I've ever played where the portraits are so revolting I had to quit.

 

[Piotrovitz]

3. Are the elite classes worth it? Do they have any special skills?

Yes, they are. Skills that only prestige classes have are for example:

• Ninjitsu (Assassin,Jester)

• Iron Hands (Assassin,Jester)

Iron hands is accessible for everyone, if you pick Sanctuary as starting location. Also, it seems to be working (not really sure how) only when you fight unarmed. Does it increase dmg/penetration? Does anyone know this?

Ninjitsu I have on my Naga assassin and I never used it - not sure what it does and don't really care at this moment, since the dmg he's dishing out is more than enough.

The only skill I see that's available exclusively to Jester is trickery - whatever it does, is it worth to go through dozens of class changes just to get this? Considering that you have melees with lethal blow, who can one shot everything?

Anyway, I love this game - Wiz 7 was too much a chore for me. This I one I can roll through leisurely.

 

[Gunnar]

Iron Hands and Ninjitsu are passives that basically increase damage, you want them on unarmed guy. Trickery lets you use Jester items that give cool spell effects. It's a great skill but

is it worth to go through dozens of class changes just to get this? Considering that you have melees with lethal blow, who can one shot everything?

No, not really.

 

[Lady_Error]

The prestige of having a Jester alone is worth it. Or simply recruit Chuckles.

 

[Lady_Error]

Ninjitsu I have on my Naga assassin and I never used it - not sure what it does and don't really care at this moment, since the dmg he's dishing out is more than enough.

Ninjitsu is just like in Wizardry 7: you hide for one round and attack "from the shadows" in the next, increasing damage (and probably accuracy as well). In Wizardry 7, it was useful to "hide" your weaker characters in large fights and let them cast spells while staying hidden. It is kind of similar in Grimoire, though I used it much less often.

 

[Piotrovitz]

Okay, two more:

1. Is lethal blow working for unarmed attack at higher levels?
2. When doing excessive multiclassing for melee types, isn't it more beneficial to end on some basic class with low xp requirements, i.e warrior, and not pirate or assassin?

I've started with my Naga as assassin to build up skill points quickly, since the race incentive, but for other classess is it really worth it? What's the benefit of having pirate or templar as a final class? Do they get some class specific items etc?

Anyway, I'm thinking about restarting the game with 7 party members only, to have room for NPC. OTOH, I've heard that NPCs are mostly OPd and I'm not really sure if there's any benefit for taking them (special quests, interactions at certain locations etc etc). 8 man party was already OPd as fuck (at least at the point which I've reach on my first run, i.e Samhain/Uluk Mining company).

 

[Butter]

As a general rule, you want to multiclass from low attribute requirements to high attribute requirements, so that you're steadily accumulating points across all your level-ups. Including a prestige class in your multi progression and not ending on it results in a lot of lost attribute points after you change from say Assassin (265 total req) to Warrior (90 total req).

 

[Piotrovitz]

Yeah, that makes sense - so actually starting as naga assassin is a bit counterproductive - better to build her as a warrior/berserker>ranger>thief and finally land on assassin.

The large skill points incentive that naga assassin is receiving had got me to create one, but it's true that in the long run it will be crippling - like you said, huge stat loss when changing to basic class. The only downside of not starting as an assassin would be the lack of lethal poisoned dagger, which my ranger uses, but I guess I can live with that, given the game is not that hard.

That settles it I think - I'm starting again. The only question is whether I should left the 8th slot open for NPCs and the only question is whether it's worth it.
While being OPd, I heard that they cannot multiclass. Is it gimping or not - it purely depends on their OPdness.

 

[Lady_Error]

NPC's can be stronger than your chars when you recruit them, but they cannot multiclass. Which means that your multiclassing chars can become stronger than them. And there are many average or even shitty NPC's as well.

 

[Lady_Error]

Ninjitsu I have on my Naga assassin and I never used it - not sure what it does and don't really care at this moment, since the dmg he's dishing out is more than enough.

Ninjitsu is just like in Wizardry 7: you hide for one round and attack "from the shadows" in the next, increasing damage (and probably accuracy as well). In Wizardry 7, it was useful to "hide" your weaker characters in large fights and let them cast spells while staying hidden. It is kind of similar in Grimoire, though I used it much less often.

Actually, I just saw that this skill is called "Stealth" in Grimoire. Many classes can get it. Ninjitsu is an elite class skill for Jesters and Assassins for more unarmed damage.

 

[Gunnar]

NPCs tend to have high stats across the board, which is useful if you need someone with a high oddball stat that none of your characters are developing.

 

[Contagium]

NPC's can be stronger than your chars when you recruit them, but they cannot multiclass. Which means that your multiclassing chars can become stronger than them. And there are many average or even shitty NPC's as well.

Getting the Fairie Ninja early on was paramount to my success.

 

[Piotrovitz]

NPC's can be stronger than your chars when you recruit them, but they cannot multiclass. Which means that your multiclassing chars can become stronger than them. And there are many average or even shitty NPC's as well.

Yeah, the question really is are they adding something to the game (banters, specific interactions at certain locations etc etc), or are they just party fillers.

Do they at least have unique portraits?
The original ones are atrocious tbh.

Again - it would be great if someone could confirm if lethal blow is working with unarmed.
I vaguely remember that some dozens or so pages ago Lady said that it works, but it has to be >80, but my memory may be hazy.

 

[Gunnar]

Again - it would be great if someone could confirm if lethal blow is working with unarmed.
I vaguely remember that some dozens or so pages ago Lady said that it works, but it has to be >80, but my memory may be hazy.

When Assassins and Jesters are fighting open hands now (HAND2HAND skill) if they have LETHAL BLOW above or equal to 75 they begin to attempt to do a lethal blow upon penetration. This only applies to Assassins and Jesters, no other classes can do Lethal Blows to opponents with open hand combat. IRON HANDS still applies to double/triple/quandruple damage upon penetration.