Useless Stuff

[ChaosTheorist]

We've had a number of threads recently talking about favorite classes, skills, spells, etc. What about the flip side? What do you find *least* useful in the game? What things fall into your "Wow; I completely forgot that that was even there!" list? As a starter, here are a couple of mine:

1) Beastslayer Axe. Does *anyone* ever actually use this? The capabilities just don't seem that great (double damage against Hogars and Pici? Yawn), and also seem to be way out of proportion to the effort it takes to get it built. And the 5 character classes that can use it all have *much* better high-end choices in other weapon classes.
2) Sonic Boom. If you're lucky, make them afraid. If you're *really* lucky, knock them out. In either case, do 0 HP damage but maybe, as the manual puts it, "attract the attention of nearby creatures". Thanks, but I'll wait two levels for Noxious Fumes or Fireball.

[EEWorzelle]

ChaosTheorist, there's the beanie who's only virtue is -10 Intelligence and, at the very beginning of the game, the Tarnished Sword and Tarnished Mail. Those are typically not identified at that point in the game but new players (including I) tended to use them thinking they might be great. They certainly don't help.

Regarding Sonic Boom, I agree, but not all players do. I usually start my Alchemist out with Heal Wounds and Acid Splash, at Level 3 I take Blinding Flash only, then I save the extra spell pick until I can later get either a Level 4 (Crush) or Level 5 (Purify Air) with it. Otherwise I would have to find/buy those spells for the Alchemist or get them after Level 18.

Some players use Sonic Boom strategically to engage (and surprise) enemies at a distance or around a corner, since it's range is so large. I never got the knack of this, however, and my combats kept ending, thereby wasting my spells to that point. Now the spells I go for in a Magic-Heavy party are damage generating attack spells.

Pretty much all axes in this game are not that great, IMO. Too weak (for an axe) and slow...

[Wereboar]

The Beastslayer Axe isn't a great weapon, but its damage against beasts is about as high as the usual high-end stuff. I used it for a long time with my fighter/bishop duo, since i wanted to reach 100 with every skill. It does double damage against scorchers, gazers, and flying serpents, which are plenty at Ascension Peak, and it might be quite useful early in Mountain Wildernesse. But only if you have someone who uses axes, and thats very rare unless you have 3+ fighters.

[ChaosTheorist]

Some players use Sonic Boom strategically to engage (and surprise) enemies at a distance or around a corner, since it's range is so large.

Yeah, I do that all the time, but I use (as levels increase and as appropriate for the opponent) Noxious Fumes, Fireball, Iceball, Fire/Acid Bomb, Toxic Cloud, Firestorm, Draining Cloud, or (rarely) Death Cloud. Acid Bomb through Draining Cloud are nice because you can start dealing damage while the mob is still at "Long" range (or even out of sight, at any range at or less than "Long"), and continue dealing it for the first half-dozen rounds of the combat. At low character levels, you can throw a Stink or Cherry bomb.

The ability to use the "spot" spells to "shoot around the corner" is really handy in a number of situations. One example is when the round-the-corner surprise attack reveals critters that can cast nasty things at you: you can't see them, and they can't see you, but you know what they are and can immediately (as appropriate) cast Silence or Insanity at them, or cast Eye for an Eye or Element/Soul Shield at yourself.

Another use is to start combat when "friendlies" are where you want them to be (which is usually where you *don't* want to be) relative to the monster group. A good example would be the Sprites in the first building in Trynton Upper; they can be pretty tough for a low-level party on Expert. But you can hang out by the fountain or up toward Fuzzfas' place and wait until a group of Trynnie (preferably Champions) comes by, then walk a Noxious Fumes or Stink/Cherry bomb up the path to the Sprites and set it off. They become hostile, the Trynnies go in and clobber them, and you collect the XP and loot.

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

I use very few potions. I like the canned elementals, healing and
some stamina potions (maybe a cherry bomb or such)but the rest I
just don't use. My priest or alchemist does most of the work...superman,
razor cloak etc. who's got the time for it, I'm busy killing! I'm
saving some of these for near the end where I may need them more.

[EEWorzelle]

ChaosTheorist, I agree with your analysis in every respect.

Apparently Sonic Boom goes even farther in range than all of the long range, area effect spells you mentioned and some players are sufficiently skilled in it's use to take advantage of that difference.

One used it as part of a strategy to always surprise enemies so Soul and Element Shield casters can be slow and still get those shields up before the enemy. I never figured out how to do that myself, so, in Expert Mode, I always make a fast Soul Shield caster (Psionic) and a fast Element Shield caster (Mage).