Arcanum

[dessa14]

this is an arcanum conversation thread so talk about what you most like or what you are currently or have previously done in the game.
remember spoiler tags.

Spoiler Alert! Highlight to read. there are two ways to finish the game for those who haven't already finished the game, either you can side with the evil kerghan and return from the void to arcanum and destroy the world, or you can beat him up until he goes into his regenerative shell and then use the vendigroth device. [/QUOTE]

Spoiler Alert! Highlight to read. you can get lots of experiance if you are of good alignment by killing everyone in Tsen-ang, you get more experiance if you help the imprisoned Half-ogres they will also help you kill everyone. the same works for evil characters except with Qintarra [/QUOTE]

post if you have any trouble with the game here and ill give you tips to help you.

thanks, dessa

[econ21]

What I most liked was the atmosphere, perhaps most strongly conveyed by the mournful, elegiac music and the archaic, courtly dialogue. Even buying a newspaper involved dialogue that made me smile. The whole package made you want to play in character - e.g. bothering to switch your female protagonist's kick-ass kinky dread armour for a fancy dress in order to stroll around Tarrant. NPCs would also react to your appearance - I believe there was even a streaker reputation you could acquire if you ran naked up the main road in Tarrant. Very nice game - I wish there were more like it.

[Efrem Da King]

LOL I was once forced to run around nude in tarant cause I suck with money and was a noob.

[chunkynut]

I just got this cheap and am having a couple of difficulties getting on, looks good fun tho i'll be back to ask for some help if i get too stuck :)

In a non-spoiler way, what characters do you enjoyed playing (race, style maybe , tech/mage etc) ?

[Efrem Da King]

Retards so that the dialogue is funny.

[econ21]

I think fighter/mage makes the game easy and tech makes the game harder. Guns are short range, not that lethal and ammo is an issue. Grenades may be overpowered. I went for fighter/mage and enjoyed it, others have enjoyed the tech route if they were prepared for the challenge. I was an elf, since they have more magic affinity. As far as I can tell, the magic vs tech choice does not really affect the main plot or much NPC interaction.

Arcanum has a really nice character building system that allows you to mix and match different skills. I liked to power up my melee abilities, but also maxed out persuade - IIRC to get more followers and more dialogue options - and acquired a few useful spells (esp. healing). I believe techies need to be more selective and concentrate on a few tech paths. There are big bonuses for maxing out some abilities, so you might want to focus on pumping up one ability - the bonuses are in the manual.

Your choice of followers have a big impact on the difficulty level - having an ogre and the dog seems to allow you to tear through the game.

[dessa14]

Quote[/b] ]In a non-spoiler way, what characters do you enjoyed playing (race, style maybe , tech/mage etc) ?

mages are fun, but are quite repetative.
if you want a fun character put points into explosives, chemical and mechanical trees.
try to have either mechanical or explosive.
they involve machines and kabooms.

Spoiler Alert! Highlight to read. the best mechanical schematic needs smithy tree to the end[/QUOTE]

thanks, dessa

[chunkynut]

Yeah, i see my problem , i started out with a half ogre tech route and then a human tech route. I'll try a mage tonight i think as neither the human nor the half ogre have had much success

[econ21]

The game can have tough moments at the beginning - I remember getting across a bridge was tough, as were parts of Tarrant (e.g. the boil). Ogre NPCs and grenades can go along way, as well as knowing when to retreat to rest and having suitable kit (the weapons in Arcanum are wierd - fast cheap weapons seem way better than some more pricey heavy damage dealing ones). With a mage, don't be afraid to fight - IIRC, there are no penalties for spell-casters wearing armour and wielding a sword. It's not like DnD. Plus your mana is rather limited. I used the magic mainly for healing.

[chunkynut]

Yeah the bridge is a bit of a b*gger, i think i'll start with a mage and not sell the explosive grens or the dynamite for a pitance and use them well

So with higher persuation i should be able to get that orge in the inn on my side??

With tech i made some flintlock pistols but thats all

[econ21]

To get the ogre you need charisma 9. At least, that's what a guide and walkthrough by Steven Carter tells me. (It's a great guide, but try not to read too far into it to avoid spoilers).

Persuasion is more directly useful in solving quests etc ... like clearing a way across the bridge for example.

[Phatose]

Probably one of my favorite bits of Arcanum is how alive the NPCs who join you feel. It's well worth talking to any voiced NPCs you have in any new area, and some of the non-voiced ones, just because what they say can be so amusing.

[dessa14]

persuasion is needed mainly for followers after Mead Mug.
like magnus.

a good mage is an elf or half elf, my mage was a half orc, but remember orcs and ogres get bad reaction, so you have to pump up their beauty.

you just have to make the right choices in unit creation like a dwarf mage is not a particulary good idea, get magic followers if you are a mage and tech followers if you are a techie, since your aptitude will affect creating tech devices and casting magick.

heres a tip, don't go to tarant and take on those guys in the boil on level five, go into the city do the p schyler and sons quest and kill their evil butts.
get a whole heap of Exp and take them on at level 15. right before you go to Spoiler Alert! Highlight to read. black mountain mines[/QUOTE]

thanks, dessa

p.s i just used harm on the bridge guys.
just put the spell on your hotkeys and keep using it.
any tech should put one point into herbology.