optimal Party number and experience allocation???

[Sleipnir]

Hi all,

How does the experience allocation work.
I only ever have a Party of 6 (so far) and get the message after killing... that each party member recieves - like 100 eperience points.
Do i still get 100 exp each if i have 5 or 7 in my party, or is total exerience/fight divided by number of party members.
If so is it divided equally, or does the one doing the kill get's more etc...
Are there times where exp is not divided?

Basicly what i am trying to ask is:
Is it worth (roughly how much, if you dare to guess) to stick to a less then max number of party members.
What would be in your opinion the optimal number of part members based on let's say:
- highest end levels
- difficulty of fights
- fun to play
etc.

Sleipnir

[Pyrates]

Hi Sleipnir!

After a fight, the total number of experience points is distributed over your party, i.e. if you have less members, everybody will receive more of them. This is not true for solved quests, where everybody gets a fixed number of exp, no matter how many you are...

Optimal party: For me, I just need the full 6 members + 2 NPC's, I couldn't miss the comments and all the different abilities. I play on normal, expert feels quite unfair, and easy is... well, just the other way round, right? I will finish the game soon, at around level 25 or so...

Never forget your towel, cheers
Philipp

[Nightowl2]

My parties are always the full six, and sometimes I add RFS to fill it out. Sometimes I don't. Wouldn't want eight people...that eats up too much exp over time. Wouldn't want a small party, cause I love the comments, too.

Nightowl2

[Ziggurat]

A party of six (with extra NPCs) is the most fun for interactions, and the game was designed that way. I find using a party of 4 with Vi tagging along ocasionally still wins all (ok, most of) the battles because you get your abilities up faster. It's a matter of taste, parties of 4 or less are more challenging and you have to be more resourceful. I like this strategy to make the game harder rather than choosing difficult vs. easy levels. I do recommend starting out with the full complement.

[DraconisRex]

"How does the experience allocation work...."

Each monster has a number of experience points. All surviving party members get their pro-rata share of the experience points. If you're killed during the fight and ressurected, you get your share. If you die 1 second before the fight is over, you don't.

There are some exceptions, mainly involving quest and semi-quest scenarios, like rescue Vitalia Dominia.

You next subject was regarding optimal party size. This depends. You cannot have less than one (obviously). At times, you cannot have less than two. Your miminum would be one PC and one RPC. There is an additional problem that only a couple of RPCs go most everywhere.

If you wish to solo, you have to solo with RPCs because they have to get the experience necessary to "rescue" your "missing" character. I've soloed through a substantial portion of the game. I don't like it because you have to rely on RPCs.

This morning, I started a party of two. A lord & ranger. It has a lot of advantages.

1. I get the Alchemist & Priest spell books (good fit).
2. My party goes single file, with the Ranger in back.
3. I don't have to take RPCs which are XP suckers.
4. I have most protective/enhancement spells.
5. I can make stuff for fun & profit.
6. I can use a heck of a lot of good stuff (Armour, etc.).
7. I level up faster with two than with one + two RPCs.
8. Chests, etc, are handled through knock-knock picks & spells plus the Posuer's hat and theives buckler will get you through a lot, too.