Ironworks Gaming Forum - View Single Post

Dundee Slaytern · 10-24-2005, 11:18 PM

You want to conduct comparison experiments on HoF mode? Man, talk about masochism. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

First off, it is very viable to start off with a new party on HoF. You can easily reach level 3-4 for the whole party without even stepping out of town. This is because HoF mode also affects Quest XP. So start yapping, and start leveling.

Rule number one of HoF. Forget about serious roleplaying. It is going to be all about power, and how much punishment you can take and give. Sure, you can maintain some measure of roleplaying like your Cleric/Ranger never siding with evil, or not screwing over innocents because you are a goody goody, but expect to suspend your sense of disbelief when it comes to resting, fighting, or pre-preparations for boss battles.

A Bard is VERY useful on HoF mode because of his War Chant of Sith, which grants Defensive bonuses such as -2 AC and DAMAGE RESISTANCE. If you thought those Orcs in the caves were tough, wait till you meet the stuff awaiting you in Dorn's Deep, the Burial Isles, and TotL. Orcs are PANSIES once you reach level 12+ and have appropriate gear.

AC is still useful against the higher level monsters, but you will need to heavily depend on your Cleric's buffs if you intend to seriously melee for any length of time. -10 AC is a joke, -15 AC is laughable, you will want something like -20 AC or better.

If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times. A Bard should NEVER be considered as a backup Mage on HoF mode, but is instead, a Mage of last resort, or a Mage to prebuff the party. A Bard casting, is a Bard not singing. It takes an entire round for the song to kick in, even if you see the symbol on your party members. You can at most, afford to cast one or two offensive spells before the opposing sides clash, and the singing becomes more important.

"Good gravy! Why am I hurting so much from his slashing damage? Oh right, the Bard is not singing. Sing, foole! Sing!"

Without any form of damage resistance, enemies will easily slice through 200+HP within 3-4 hits. Less if they critical.

The easiest time will probably be in the Severed Hand, as that is when you are of considerably higher level than the monsters. Take your time to farm the monsters there.

That said, I only have one tank when I play on HoF mode, because it is easier to pump up one person's defence to the gazooks, rather than split the goods between two. Summons make up for the rest of the meat shields. Archery and spells are still the most efficient, and safest way to get through HoF mode.

Speaking of which, summons do benefit from HoF mode, and you will be heavily dependant on them to absorb damage throughout the whole game.

Lastly, about Generalist/Specialist. I already mentioned in the past that on HoF mode, you will be hardpressed to find enough scrolls to fill up your spell slots. [img]tongue.gif[/img] Throw in a few Rings, Robes and whatstuff, and a Generalist Mage will have too many spells to use up. Unless you like pain and constant death a lot, you will be resting a lot on HoF mode, so your Mage can afford to fling everything out for every battle. More so since you have no way of casting more than one spell per round.

10-24-2005, 11:18 PM	#4
Dundee Slaytern Ironworks Moderator Join Date: June 10, 2001 Location: Pasir Ris, Singapore Age: 42 Posts: 11,063	You want to conduct comparison experiments on HoF mode? Man, talk about masochism. [img]tongue.gif[/img] First off, it is very viable to start off with a new party on HoF. You can easily reach level 3-4 for the whole party without even stepping out of town. This is because HoF mode also affects Quest XP. So start yapping, and start leveling. Rule number one of HoF. Forget about serious roleplaying. It is going to be all about power, and how much punishment you can take and give. Sure, you can maintain some measure of roleplaying like your Cleric/Ranger never siding with evil, or not screwing over innocents because you are a goody goody, but expect to suspend your sense of disbelief when it comes to resting, fighting, or pre-preparations for boss battles. A Bard is VERY useful on HoF mode because of his War Chant of Sith, which grants Defensive bonuses such as -2 AC and DAMAGE RESISTANCE. If you thought those Orcs in the caves were tough, wait till you meet the stuff awaiting you in Dorn's Deep, the Burial Isles, and TotL. Orcs are PANSIES once you reach level 12+ and have appropriate gear. AC is still useful against the higher level monsters, but you will need to heavily depend on your Cleric's buffs if you intend to seriously melee for any length of time. -10 AC is a joke, -15 AC is laughable, you will want something like -20 AC or better. If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times. A Bard should NEVER be considered as a backup Mage on HoF mode, but is instead, a Mage of last resort, or a Mage to prebuff the party. A Bard casting, is a Bard not singing. It takes an entire round for the song to kick in, even if you see the symbol on your party members. You can at most, afford to cast one or two offensive spells before the opposing sides clash, and the singing becomes more important. "Good gravy! Why am I hurting so much from his slashing damage? Oh right, the Bard is not singing. Sing, foole! Sing!" Without any form of damage resistance, enemies will easily slice through 200+HP within 3-4 hits. Less if they critical. The easiest time will probably be in the Severed Hand, as that is when you are of considerably higher level than the monsters. Take your time to farm the monsters there. That said, I only have one tank when I play on HoF mode, because it is easier to pump up one person's defence to the gazooks, rather than split the goods between two. Summons make up for the rest of the meat shields. Archery and spells are still the most efficient, and safest way to get through HoF mode. Speaking of which, summons do benefit from HoF mode, and you will be heavily dependant on them to absorb damage throughout the whole game. Lastly, about Generalist/Specialist. I already mentioned in the past that on HoF mode, you will be hardpressed to find enough scrolls to fill up your spell slots. [img]tongue.gif[/img] Throw in a few Rings, Robes and whatstuff, and a Generalist Mage will have too many spells to use up. Unless you like pain and constant death a lot, you will be resting a lot on HoF mode, so your Mage can afford to fling everything out for every battle. More so since you have no way of casting more than one spell per round.