Post by ashantor on Jun 15, 2006 12:00:23 GMT -5
Intro:
I found any Seraphim capable of offensive spells ridiculously overpowered. They kill thousands of enemies, dozens of dragons and never need a healing potion. The combination of CL and RBoL is way too deadly for the local Ancarian monster population. So, I left my Hybrid and my Caster Sera on the platinum level and tried a pure melee sword sister. Pure means without using offensive “spells” (including BeeEffGee), it does not mean absolutely no magic. What can I say, the fun came back.
To put it in words probably more appropriate to Ancaria:
After the dismaying news about their true origin had spread out, the last of the Seraphim met at a secret location. It is rumoured that they passed the following resolution:
Heavenly Magic is impure.
No creature on Ancaria may be killed directly by Heavenly Magic. Even a demon deserves a death unstained by lies of false gods.
Only in cases of utmost emergency the power of the false gods may be used. It is expected to limit it to Strength of Faith.
We all know what this means. But it is our firm conviction that it is better to struggle than to rely on lies.
We will prevail.
The following is based on my experience with a 112 level and a 108 level Seraphim (SP), Niobium, Ancaria Campaign. Starting level is always silver, resurrection not an option.
Skills:
I strongly recommend changing the default skills. You won’t need Magic Lore at all, it is just a dead end. You’re not playing the kind of Seraphim the developers had in mind originally.
It’s your choice. I got this build to Niobium without any changes. However, passing on one of this precious slots didn’t make life easier.
Level 1: Weapon Lore & Constitution
Level 3: Concentration
Level 6: Parrying
Level 12: Armor
Level 20: Dual Wield
Level 30: Agility
Level 50: Sword or Axe Lore
Forget Weapon Lore until you get some decent life leech values. Focus on Constitution and Concentration, then on your defensive skills. If you can deal with a horde of goblins between Silver Creek and Porto Vallum start to improve your offensive skills.
Attributes:
Put the additional points in Strength and Physical Regeneration (1:3/1:4 ratio). They don’t do much, but using them otherwise would mean wasting them.
Items:
Well, this game is all about items and so is this build:
The provided sets are quite useless for this kind of Sera. The Sereish Steel of Thunder is great, though. Its high life leech value helps a lot.
Fadalmar’s Counsel could be an option if you had chosen Axe Lore.
Some set pieces have a limited usability if they come with life leech or allow shortening reg times.
My priority list:
Go for items with high physical regeneration abilities, everything that helps shorten reg times is worth considering.
Look out for high Attack values, items with the + x% to Attack modifier, anything which will improve your to-hit-chance. You have to hit your enemies to make your life leech working. If you play with SoF permanently “on”, Attack values won’t matter so much. So you can focus on your defense. This will make your life much more easier but much less exciting as well.
Improve your Defense (High Defense values, + x% to Defense modifier etc.) .
Without Life Leech you won’t last long. I recommend at least 15% per difficulty level (15 in silver, 30 in gold, ...).
Try to get maximum movement speed as soon as possible. (Sometimes retreat might be your only option…)
Cherish everything which improves SoF or Hard Hit. Don’t underestimate potions of concentration and recon. Far sight can save your life.
So much for the theory. Unfortunately reality looks a little bit different. Most of the stuff I got favour the magic side of a Seraphim. So many items enhance mental regeneration, improve casting times and Meditation. Normally very decent things are just dead freight for this build.
In platinum I still (had to) use a belt and bracers I found in silver due to their immense additions to physical regeneration. Sometimes it’s quite frustrating to throw away all those shining set pieces or items full of sockets...
Weapons:
Jacquaire`s sword with its fantastic reduction of reg time and a very decent chance for a critical hit is a must have.
If you feel it hard hitting enemies, use daggers. Some of them have extremely high Attack values. In combination with a sword which dishes out lots of damage they’re quite useful.
One of my weapon slots is used for speed gear (if the other equipment doesn’t provide it). Another for trapping flying opponents (Enlightened Iron and Thorwyn’s Club) .
If you like diversity, use a weapon slot for fire, another for poison weaponry. I personally prefer a high chance of a critical hit above everything else. You need a decent Attack value though.
IMO the Sereish Steel of Thunder and Jacquaire’s Sword are the best dual wield combination you can get. Lots of life leech, a fair chance to land a critical hit and an immense reduction of reg times. That’s what I'm looking for...
Socketing:
Completely depending on the droppings or your findings. Well, that’s a surprise….
Without the Steel of Thunder or other life leeching items you have to socket Vampire runes, no choice at all. If you got something useful, you can try different ways. Personally I use a lot blacksmith arts to improve Attack and Defense values. The additional damage coming from rings is nice but you have to hit your enemies first to apply it at all.
Combat Arts:
Combos:
I never used any of the other CAs or spells. I read the runes for them, though. Don’t do that, exchange them.
Foes:
Dragons:You cannot outgun them, so outrun them. Stay as close as possible, hit hard (SoF boosted if you’re not suicidal), move, hit, move, hit….The closer you are to them the safer it is. If you like (it’s quite an exploit though) you can lure them to bushes or rocks, sooner or later most of them will get stuck. Completely stuck, not even breathing fire. Absolutely defenseless. IMO one of the major glitches of the game. A tempting one...
But you need no exploits. Dragons are slow and sooner or later you will get to their back and be able to hit them unpunished.
The animations indicate their next kind of attack, if they “draw breath”, begin to move to their back. While they burning down the local flora, punish them for doing so. They will turn to you and the sequence restarts. It will take some time and several potions of concentration to bring them down but you will prevail. Oh yes, before facing any dragon wipe out any resistance in the surrounding area. You don’t want to get disturbed, it’s just between you and the dragon.
The biggest problem for my Sera are the Ice Elves and their cowardly use of impure Heavenly Magic. Now I know how all those meleeing monsters felt when CL and/or RBoL burnt/cut them to pieces. Again, it’s a question of movement and speed. Make your stand until they cast these spells (sometimes they don’t or don’t get a chance), retreat if necessary, face them again. (That’s when “far sight” becomes really handy, you don’t want to run into the next bloodthirsty group).
If you’ve found items with decent magic resistance values, Tyr-Nasul would be a good place to use them. Keep several healing potions ready. Potions of Concentration for the Hard Hit Combo help a lot, too.
The rest of the Ancarian bestiary is cannon fodder.
All right. To be honest, in Niobium hordes of undead can be quite a problem especially when being stunned and watching your life drain away (well, in Niob it’s being washed away)...
Extro:
This build cannot compete with a Seraphim using her offensive spells, no way. The fight would be over in a minute. She isn’t a gladiator either...
You will need a lot of patience and caution. (Well, you must be patient if you're still with me).
This is my favourite Seraphim, because she demands attention at any moment of the game. She isn’t omnipotent but to lead her through the levels is never boring.
Thanks for reading.
R.
Addendum in special consideration of Niobium:
I lost both of my above mentioned Seras (one to the last Ice Elf captain and his bunch of cowards, the other to ONE lousy cavefish and 4 tarantulas thingamabob (the really huge ones) in the swamp area). 100s of hours of playing down the drain. So much for a nice weekend. Insert a very rude expression here.
Desperately trying to find something positive in this mess it came down to the following lessons (aka my list of errors, failures and conclusions):
I’m still convinced that this build can survive and finish Niob despite all its self-imposed limitations. So, I think I know what I will do for the next days (well, weeks probably)...
R.
I found any Seraphim capable of offensive spells ridiculously overpowered. They kill thousands of enemies, dozens of dragons and never need a healing potion. The combination of CL and RBoL is way too deadly for the local Ancarian monster population. So, I left my Hybrid and my Caster Sera on the platinum level and tried a pure melee sword sister. Pure means without using offensive “spells” (including BeeEffGee), it does not mean absolutely no magic. What can I say, the fun came back.
To put it in words probably more appropriate to Ancaria:
After the dismaying news about their true origin had spread out, the last of the Seraphim met at a secret location. It is rumoured that they passed the following resolution:
Heavenly Magic is impure.
No creature on Ancaria may be killed directly by Heavenly Magic. Even a demon deserves a death unstained by lies of false gods.
Only in cases of utmost emergency the power of the false gods may be used. It is expected to limit it to Strength of Faith.
We all know what this means. But it is our firm conviction that it is better to struggle than to rely on lies.
We will prevail.
The following is based on my experience with a 112 level and a 108 level Seraphim (SP), Niobium, Ancaria Campaign. Starting level is always silver, resurrection not an option.
Skills:
I strongly recommend changing the default skills. You won’t need Magic Lore at all, it is just a dead end. You’re not playing the kind of Seraphim the developers had in mind originally.
It’s your choice. I got this build to Niobium without any changes. However, passing on one of this precious slots didn’t make life easier.
Level 1: Weapon Lore & Constitution
Level 3: Concentration
Level 6: Parrying
Level 12: Armor
Level 20: Dual Wield
Level 30: Agility
Level 50: Sword or Axe Lore
Forget Weapon Lore until you get some decent life leech values. Focus on Constitution and Concentration, then on your defensive skills. If you can deal with a horde of goblins between Silver Creek and Porto Vallum start to improve your offensive skills.
Attributes:
Put the additional points in Strength and Physical Regeneration (1:3/1:4 ratio). They don’t do much, but using them otherwise would mean wasting them.
Items:
Well, this game is all about items and so is this build:
The provided sets are quite useless for this kind of Sera. The Sereish Steel of Thunder is great, though. Its high life leech value helps a lot.
Fadalmar’s Counsel could be an option if you had chosen Axe Lore.
Some set pieces have a limited usability if they come with life leech or allow shortening reg times.
My priority list:
Go for items with high physical regeneration abilities, everything that helps shorten reg times is worth considering.
Look out for high Attack values, items with the + x% to Attack modifier, anything which will improve your to-hit-chance. You have to hit your enemies to make your life leech working. If you play with SoF permanently “on”, Attack values won’t matter so much. So you can focus on your defense. This will make your life much more easier but much less exciting as well.
Improve your Defense (High Defense values, + x% to Defense modifier etc.) .
Without Life Leech you won’t last long. I recommend at least 15% per difficulty level (15 in silver, 30 in gold, ...).
Try to get maximum movement speed as soon as possible. (Sometimes retreat might be your only option…)
Cherish everything which improves SoF or Hard Hit. Don’t underestimate potions of concentration and recon. Far sight can save your life.
So much for the theory. Unfortunately reality looks a little bit different. Most of the stuff I got favour the magic side of a Seraphim. So many items enhance mental regeneration, improve casting times and Meditation. Normally very decent things are just dead freight for this build.
In platinum I still (had to) use a belt and bracers I found in silver due to their immense additions to physical regeneration. Sometimes it’s quite frustrating to throw away all those shining set pieces or items full of sockets...
Weapons:
Jacquaire`s sword with its fantastic reduction of reg time and a very decent chance for a critical hit is a must have.
If you feel it hard hitting enemies, use daggers. Some of them have extremely high Attack values. In combination with a sword which dishes out lots of damage they’re quite useful.
One of my weapon slots is used for speed gear (if the other equipment doesn’t provide it). Another for trapping flying opponents (Enlightened Iron and Thorwyn’s Club) .
If you like diversity, use a weapon slot for fire, another for poison weaponry. I personally prefer a high chance of a critical hit above everything else. You need a decent Attack value though.
IMO the Sereish Steel of Thunder and Jacquaire’s Sword are the best dual wield combination you can get. Lots of life leech, a fair chance to land a critical hit and an immense reduction of reg times. That’s what I'm looking for...
Socketing:
Completely depending on the droppings or your findings. Well, that’s a surprise….
Without the Steel of Thunder or other life leeching items you have to socket Vampire runes, no choice at all. If you got something useful, you can try different ways. Personally I use a lot blacksmith arts to improve Attack and Defense values. The additional damage coming from rings is nice but you have to hit your enemies first to apply it at all.
Combat Arts:
- Attack (as high as possible while limiting the reg time to max 1.4 sec (attack speed 220)).
At first I tried to keep it at a low level to get some more flexibility for my item choices. I had to change my mind, in mid-gold and later it took her too long to kill enemies, I needed the additional “power” coming from higher “Attack” levels. - Hard Hit ( I recommend at least level 20 per difficulty level (20 in silver, 40 gold…))
- Strength of Faith (15 per difficulty level).
- Combat Jump
Combos:
- Attack at level 1 (if the reg time of your CA is too long, this will help somewhat)
- 4x Hard Hit (if possible boost it by items before visiting your favourite Combo Master)
- SoF (boosted if possible)
I never used any of the other CAs or spells. I read the runes for them, though. Don’t do that, exchange them.
Foes:
Dragons:You cannot outgun them, so outrun them. Stay as close as possible, hit hard (SoF boosted if you’re not suicidal), move, hit, move, hit….The closer you are to them the safer it is. If you like (it’s quite an exploit though) you can lure them to bushes or rocks, sooner or later most of them will get stuck. Completely stuck, not even breathing fire. Absolutely defenseless. IMO one of the major glitches of the game. A tempting one...
But you need no exploits. Dragons are slow and sooner or later you will get to their back and be able to hit them unpunished.
The animations indicate their next kind of attack, if they “draw breath”, begin to move to their back. While they burning down the local flora, punish them for doing so. They will turn to you and the sequence restarts. It will take some time and several potions of concentration to bring them down but you will prevail. Oh yes, before facing any dragon wipe out any resistance in the surrounding area. You don’t want to get disturbed, it’s just between you and the dragon.
The biggest problem for my Sera are the Ice Elves and their cowardly use of impure Heavenly Magic. Now I know how all those meleeing monsters felt when CL and/or RBoL burnt/cut them to pieces. Again, it’s a question of movement and speed. Make your stand until they cast these spells (sometimes they don’t or don’t get a chance), retreat if necessary, face them again. (That’s when “far sight” becomes really handy, you don’t want to run into the next bloodthirsty group).
If you’ve found items with decent magic resistance values, Tyr-Nasul would be a good place to use them. Keep several healing potions ready. Potions of Concentration for the Hard Hit Combo help a lot, too.
The rest of the Ancarian bestiary is cannon fodder.
All right. To be honest, in Niobium hordes of undead can be quite a problem especially when being stunned and watching your life drain away (well, in Niob it’s being washed away)...
Extro:
This build cannot compete with a Seraphim using her offensive spells, no way. The fight would be over in a minute. She isn’t a gladiator either...
You will need a lot of patience and caution. (Well, you must be patient if you're still with me).
This is my favourite Seraphim, because she demands attention at any moment of the game. She isn’t omnipotent but to lead her through the levels is never boring.
Thanks for reading.
R.
Addendum in special consideration of Niobium:
I lost both of my above mentioned Seras (one to the last Ice Elf captain and his bunch of cowards, the other to ONE lousy cavefish and 4 tarantulas thingamabob (the really huge ones) in the swamp area). 100s of hours of playing down the drain. So much for a nice weekend. Insert a very rude expression here.
Desperately trying to find something positive in this mess it came down to the following lessons (aka my list of errors, failures and conclusions):
- Niobium is VERY different. Mostly all of the items you will find/the monsters will drop are unusable except you play forever to fulfill their amazing minimum level requirements. (E.g. I got the Niob Enlightened Iron at level 114, requirement was level 128. A nasty surprise after a very nasty fight against an extremely nasty undead. Several healing potions wasted for nothing).
- Never ever throw away a valuable item in Platinum. You won’t get something better unless you’re very very lucky (s. No.1). You’ll have to fight Niob monsters using your platinum stuff. Have fun and lots of healing potions ready.
- Oh yes, potions. You will learn to cherish each of them, disregarding will be your undoing. For a very long time I questioned the usefulness of merchants (for a character without the Trade skill that is), now I know better.
- Don’t go for Axe or Sword Lore if you had chosen Dual Wield already. You will waste your precious skill points only to make some set stuff working. It’s not worth it. Choose Heavenly Magic or Meditation. In Niob you don’t want to be without SoF, not for a second... .
- At least the vital necessity of SoF has one positive result. Your item choices will become somewhat easier. Go for anything that shortens reg times, go for life leech. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat ad infinitum. The other stuff (defense, far sight, speed) is very nice but not really important if you’re dead already.
- Do not overlook any kind of monster which is capable of stunning you. One is enough to ruin your day or your last weeks of happy playing. So much for the cannon fodder.....
I’m still convinced that this build can survive and finish Niob despite all its self-imposed limitations. So, I think I know what I will do for the next days (well, weeks probably)...
R.