A few Q's if thats okay

[parky73]

Okay, it seems i've reached the level cap on the demo (lvl 10) once i moved up to silver.

After a bit of playing today it seems like some of the game mechanics (those that differed to s1) have finally started to make some sense to me.

I've figured out how the skills now relate to the combat arts and the the different skills now affect the other areas of the build. I've also figured out how to finally use the buffs i have acquired as i couldn't figure where to slot them before. I do however have a few things that i havent figured out yet....

I have a couple of orbs (magic/cold) in my inventory, they are automatically slotted in the left hand bottm area where my gods power is, how do i use them though, i've clicked on them but nothing happens?

2nd Q: Is it better to only keep 1 point into a combat art and let +skill items do the rest or should i pump them up?

3rd Q: wandering around i occassionally get a message come up "POI Discovered" and something sparkles, yet when i go to the place where the sparkle is, nothing is there..am i missing something (i'm assuming POI means point of interest)?

4th Q: Regen Penalty, i see this all the time on armour etc, what does it refer to exactly: is it CA, hitpoint regen or something else?

Last question ( for now) In S1 and Underworld) i used to find hiding places all the time that gave items etc. With completing the demo on both normal and silver, i cant recall finding a single one. Are they in the game or have they been taken out for S2?

Sorry, i know this is kinda long-winded, and i know some of these MAY be answered in the manual..but i have 4 days to go until i get hold of the full version...if/when santa delivers it ;D

[kcwong]

Dec 21, 2008 6:18:17 GMT -5 parky73 said:

I have a couple of orbs (magic/cold) in my inventory, they are automatically slotted in the left hand bottm area where my gods power is, how do i use them though, i've clicked on them but nothing happens?

Those are relic slots. You have 4 in total, linked to hotkeys F5 to F8. Relics give you bonus to elemental resistances (fire, poison, cold, magic) and general skills (riding, bargaining, etc.). Only the larger one (upper right) is active. You can rearrange them as needed.

Dec 21, 2008 6:18:17 GMT -5 parky73 said:

2nd Q: Is it better to only keep 1 point into a combat art and let +skill items do the rest or should i pump them up?

When you pump up a CA, the regen time goes up. If you pump it too high, you will only be able to use it once in a long while. Buffs will impose a constant penalty on all your CAs' regen when active.

So before you have the respective focus skills, stamina and concentration to match, it's best to keep most CAs at a low level.

Socketing runes will have a lessened effect on regen time.

A few CAs have no downsides... like High Elf's Grand Invigoration. Those CAs, as well as some you use as a powerful one-shot attack, can be pumped as high as you want.

Note that a CA's Focus skill will determine the max. CA level you can have... reading runes beyond that level will not give you a full CA level. Instead you will have something like 20.2.

Dec 21, 2008 6:18:17 GMT -5 parky73 said:

3rd Q: wandering around i occassionally get a message come up "POI Discovered" and something sparkles, yet when i go to the place where the sparkle is, nothing is there..am i missing something (i'm assuming POI means point of interest)?

You have Enhanced Perception skill? That's what it does... notifying you of hidden treasures and boosting the quality of loot from containers.

Dec 21, 2008 6:18:17 GMT -5 parky73 said:

4th Q: Regen Penalty, i see this all the time on armour etc, what does it refer to exactly: is it CA, hitpoint regen or something else?

CA regen. Some armor will have a negative number... that will actually makes your CAs regen faster. Those armors are usually less protective.

Dec 21, 2008 6:18:17 GMT -5 parky73 said:

Last question ( for now) In S1 and Underworld) i used to find hiding places all the time that gave items etc. With completing the demo on both normal and silver, i cant recall finding a single one. Are they in the game or have they been taken out for S2?

I haven't played the demo, so I'll let someone else answer this...

Dec 21, 2008 6:18:17 GMT -5 parky73 said:

Sorry, i know this is kinda long-winded, and i know some of these MAY be answered in the manual..but i have 4 days to go until i get hold of the full version...if/when santa delivers it ;D

There're still lots of question marks in S2's mechanics... some item properties we still don't know even what they're supposed to do.

[parky73]

Thankyou for the prompt reply, it seems like enhanced perception is a must, especially in SP.
I'm hoping once i get the full version in 4 days (and after a bit of SP action ) i'll go online and get to play with some of you folks

Just a quickie about the relics....the larger ones are used first, but can be re-arranged as needed.. so they are like a passive ability in as much as i dont really need to do anything with them, just alternate them according to the boss/enemy?

[celtickyrie]

Yes they can be arranged as per bosses and enemies. I have mine set up for 3 of each relic (they do go higher in levels so you may change them out frequently as they help with your armour resistances in each element). As the elemental damage changes I change over to the relics that will help me out the most in that area.

[kcwong]

Dec 21, 2008 11:18:00 GMT -5 parky73 said:

it seems like enhanced perception is a must, especially in SP.

I beg to differ... after a ton of guesses and experiments (with no conclusion drawn) in the official forum, one of the developer finally came forth and tell people Enhanced Perception only works for drops from chests and hidden treasures.

The majority of your loot comes from slain monsters (critters and champions, not bosses)... of course, it could come in handy, e.g. I once got a set item from a chest inside town without Enhanced Perception, but I think it is not the most efficient way to get better items. Magic Find would be the way to go.

Dec 21, 2008 11:18:00 GMT -5 parky73 said:

Just a quickie about the relics....the larger ones are used first, but can be re-arranged as needed.. so they are like a passive ability in as much as i dont really need to do anything with them, just alternate them according to the boss/enemy?

Correct... at the early stages you pretty much only need poison... physical and poison are what most of the enemies are dealing. Later chapters you might need a mix of them.