Hello all. I'm new to the game and the forum. A bunch of my friends and I are planning on starting a multiplayer game, and I was hoping some of you could help us out in determining strategies for making a good party.
I've only played a little bit on single player mode. How do mages, archers, and fighters compare at the begining/middle/end of the game?
Is it better to focus on one of the skills or to spread your character out on two or more?
Does nature magic get some hard hitting attack spells or other useful spells at high level that make it competitive with combat magic?
I'd appreciate any help you can give.
Dragon-Rider
Melee, Magic, or Marksmanship???
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Dragon-Rider
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AngusThermopole
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Last question first: Nature magic does have some high level spells (I could not use them) that looked promising, but I assure you that that is the hardest skill to level up in. Experience is meted out by damage done by a character and the lower level nature spells just do not do enough damage. It is highly usefull, and I can't stress this point enough, to have at least one character level in nature magic to use the Healing Wind spell. It is well worth the effort.
Obviously, to get the most out of the game, it is nice to have at least one character each level in the four skills: that way, you don't miss out on any special items dropped. Also, the basic fighting strategy of melee fighters up front and range fighters flanking and in the rear is applicable to this game. You will need your mages to do a little melee fighting to level up their strength so they can at least use some light armor.
Melee fighters get the coolest armor, mages the coolest effects.
Obviously, to get the most out of the game, it is nice to have at least one character each level in the four skills: that way, you don't miss out on any special items dropped. Also, the basic fighting strategy of melee fighters up front and range fighters flanking and in the rear is applicable to this game. You will need your mages to do a little melee fighting to level up their strength so they can at least use some light armor.
Melee fighters get the coolest armor, mages the coolest effects.
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Sirius_Sam
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Archers need help...
Of all the 'character builds' within DS, the archer is the most outclassed...by everyone else.
I started playing DS the week it came out. I first levelled a Ranger (Ranged & Nature Magic) on the MP map before I even attempted the SP game...devoted about 2-3 weeks to him. I got my DEX to a very high level in order to use the best crossbows in the game (top-of-the-line Punisher X-bow I found 'chicken farming'). It would take FOREVER to kill things with the best bows in the game (incl. the elite seck bow) while my melee and pure spellcaster buddies would toast enemies in a few seconds. DEX does not add to the damage done with ranged weapons (DEX only affects the character's ability 'to hit') so it's kind of a waste to create a 'pure' archer.
The way DS rewards skill and attribute usage, my advice would be to create hybrids, perhaps with each player using different skills at different times (eg. 2 chars are bowmen until the level a bit while 2 characters are front line shock meleers and 2 rear-guard Nature Magic spellcasters...then switch after each has gained a few levels). Try to keep your SKILLS (not stats) relatively equal for any attribute you will eventually need (like STR for armor and weapons and INT for mana...you will always be starved for mana even for spells you CAN cast).
It is possible, but difficult, to build a pure spellcaster. You will NEED either friends online and/or a good summoned tank. My advice is to go with Nature until you have a good mana pool and then use the Convert spell in conjunction with a high damage Combat magic spell to increase skill quickly (it's very easy to dual-class wizards FROM Nature TO Combat, but not vice-versa).
In summary, try to level your character(s) equally in their skills. If you decide to primarily be a fighter then concentrate on melee (STR) and supplement your arsenal with ranged (DEX). If you want to go with a hybrid of any kind, I wouldn't recommend making Ranged skill primary for ANY class...use DEX to bolster existing skills (incl AC) or use the bow as a 'very large amulet' for it's magical passive bonuses.
If you DO decide to use a Ranger-type as a primary character, then I would suggest you, your friends and especially the host(s) of the MP games download one or more of the Archer mods made by the community (ie. 'MasterArcher', 'Ranger's Anger', etc.). I have used these two mods...both are based on Skill/DEX level and are not imbalancing to the other (archer or non-archer) players in the game. Some mods ('multishot' and the like) are kind of neat to use for a time, but ultimately are a bit too powerful for CoOp multiplayer...Have fun and good luck
S_S
Of all the 'character builds' within DS, the archer is the most outclassed...by everyone else.
I started playing DS the week it came out. I first levelled a Ranger (Ranged & Nature Magic) on the MP map before I even attempted the SP game...devoted about 2-3 weeks to him. I got my DEX to a very high level in order to use the best crossbows in the game (top-of-the-line Punisher X-bow I found 'chicken farming'). It would take FOREVER to kill things with the best bows in the game (incl. the elite seck bow) while my melee and pure spellcaster buddies would toast enemies in a few seconds. DEX does not add to the damage done with ranged weapons (DEX only affects the character's ability 'to hit') so it's kind of a waste to create a 'pure' archer.
The way DS rewards skill and attribute usage, my advice would be to create hybrids, perhaps with each player using different skills at different times (eg. 2 chars are bowmen until the level a bit while 2 characters are front line shock meleers and 2 rear-guard Nature Magic spellcasters...then switch after each has gained a few levels). Try to keep your SKILLS (not stats) relatively equal for any attribute you will eventually need (like STR for armor and weapons and INT for mana...you will always be starved for mana even for spells you CAN cast).
It is possible, but difficult, to build a pure spellcaster. You will NEED either friends online and/or a good summoned tank. My advice is to go with Nature until you have a good mana pool and then use the Convert spell in conjunction with a high damage Combat magic spell to increase skill quickly (it's very easy to dual-class wizards FROM Nature TO Combat, but not vice-versa).
In summary, try to level your character(s) equally in their skills. If you decide to primarily be a fighter then concentrate on melee (STR) and supplement your arsenal with ranged (DEX). If you want to go with a hybrid of any kind, I wouldn't recommend making Ranged skill primary for ANY class...use DEX to bolster existing skills (incl AC) or use the bow as a 'very large amulet' for it's magical passive bonuses.
If you DO decide to use a Ranger-type as a primary character, then I would suggest you, your friends and especially the host(s) of the MP games download one or more of the Archer mods made by the community (ie. 'MasterArcher', 'Ranger's Anger', etc.). I have used these two mods...both are based on Skill/DEX level and are not imbalancing to the other (archer or non-archer) players in the game. Some mods ('multishot' and the like) are kind of neat to use for a time, but ultimately are a bit too powerful for CoOp multiplayer...Have fun and good luck
S_S