advice for shaper progression
| Author | Topic: advice for shaper progression |
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Apprentice
Member # 5796
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written Friday, May 13 2005 01:45
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I'm new to G3 and spiderweb games in general, so I'm after advice for where to put my points as I level up as a shaper. currently I'm spreading them evenly around, is this a valid tactic or am I much better off focusing on one or two creation (like magic and healing) abilties? same goes for magic? at present I'm using a single creation (thahd or artila, then I use Greta and Alwin (sp?) and my shaper throws battle magic and heals with the remaining essence I have left over. some tips for effective play would be most welcome! -sm Posts: 7 | Registered: Monday, May 9 2005 07:00 |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Friday, May 13 2005 02:21
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It's best to concentrate mainly on one or two types of shaping skill, although there's nothing wrong with putting a couple of points into all of them. Focusing on Fire Shaping early on and Magic Shaping toward the endgame works fairly well. Don't invest too heavily in Battle Magic; you're not likely to ever be great magically-speaking, especially with creations limiting your essence supply, so you'll get more bang for your buck out of some Blessing Magic to help your creations along. If you really want to pump a lot of skill points into magic, you'll probably have to focus mostly on one type of shaping to save skill points -- something has to give somewhere. Armed combat skills aren't much use for a shaper, although missile weapons are feasible if you really want to send a few points that way. You'll need lots of points in Intelligence for essence; you can afford to neglect the other primary stats, since your creations should be doing most of the fighting for you anyway. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Friday, May 13 2005 03:04
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A lot of it's a matter of taste. I generally focus exclusively on Magic Shaping because all four Magic creations are good, but a few points in Fire Shaping are worthwhile so that you can add a couple of Drayks when you're at the Glaahk level, since Glaahks have no ranged attack. Leadership and Mechanics are good for everyone. Nobody bothers much with Luck -- a few points seem to be enough. There are reports that higher Luck let you find more dropped items from slain monsters, but it's not clear how important this is. You need to pump Int really high for a Shaper, because the better creations start to cost huge amounts of Essence. By the time you finish you should have Int around 20 (although several points of this will be from items), while your other three attributes may be around 2. I finished with Endurance a big 0, giving me only 20 Health throughout most of the game. (There are good items that lower your abilities in exchange for buffing your creations.)I I did add a couple of points of strength just so I could carry more junk. For some reason G3 is chock full of boosts to Healing Craft, so you don't need to put points into it much. A Shaper definitely needs high Blessing Magic -- Mass Energize makes an enormous difference, and even War Blessing and Protection can easily turn battles. You'll want to get Mental Magic at least up to Unlock, but it can be well worth going a bit higher. Strong Daze is a killer. Battle Magic is not worth pumping high, but a few points won't hurt. Missile Weapons may well be worthwhile, but none of the other combat skills. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 5566
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written Friday, May 13 2005 08:42
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i recommend only in the beginning at least only investing in one intelligence (for essence) two your favorite shaping skill (fire for me) and three strength (so you can carry more junk) use the rest on Endurance (to stay alive) that is how i do it and how i have from GF1 GF2 and GF3 it always works for me and it might work for you if you use it but you probably wont because i didn't type as much as the others [ Friday, May 13, 2005 08:47: Message edited by: hawk king ] Posts: 507 | Registered: Tuesday, March 1 2005 08:00 |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
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written Friday, May 13 2005 09:12
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My Shaper usually walks around with zero endurance. All the time. In Torment no less. If you play a Shaper properly, as one would an Agent, you simply do not need endurance. It is wasted skill points best spent elsewhere. Between Daze, buffed creations, and staying away from the thick of battle, nothing should hurt you. If you need hit points, like say, in a damaging area, cast Augmentation. If you are getting pummeled, you are doing something wrong. Mechanics and leadership are good skills for a shaper, especially starting out. I like to push both to ten ASAP and then add a few more points later if they are needed or use items to boost them. I make sure to get a point in Spellcraft, and a few points in Mental Magic. For Daze and Unlock. Later comes Blessing Magic. Battle Magic can be completely ignored till much later. Just make sure your Shaping skills are good enough to be able to make Cryoas, Roamers, and Vlish when you get to Harmony. In general, especially at the start, you have a good built in indicator of whether or not you are in danger. If you can target something with your firebolt spell, you are to damn close to battle. At any time, something could break off from your creations, run up, and paste you into a little greasy spot on the ground. And for ranged monsters, if you can target them, they can target you. RUN AWAY!! And live to fight another day. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Friday, May 13 2005 10:06
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DV is exactly right about Endurance and Health. Augmentation is serious: at high levels, it can add 70+ Health, which is plenty to keep you from suddenly freezing to death on the Isle of Spears, or even to let you walk around the Geneforge without bursting into flames. I don't think it's so crucial to stay out of range of everything, though. I only found a few creatures that targeted my Shaper if I didn't antagonize them by attacking them directly first. And I don't think any of those nasties had ranged attacks, so they never actually got me, just ran up close enough to give me a fright before my loyal creations beat them into mush. Since I never put anything into Dex or Quick Action either, my Shaper always acted last in the round. This had a lot of advantages, actually. I could cure bad effects on my creations before they had a chance to do anything. And since my best creations always struck first, I could act with my Shaper without fear of retaliation -- anything I wounded would be finished off by my guys before it could hit me back. I got just enough Battle Magic to use Ice Lances, and not infrequently I could finish off a nearly-dead rogue, letting my mighty creations save their attacks for the foes that were still healthy. Doing this occasionally made me feel better about always telling my creations that I was 'right behind them' ... -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 5785
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written Friday, May 13 2005 12:01
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As said before by these guys: Leadership, Mech, take them both up to 6 untill you reach Dhonald's Isle, then get em up to 8 (leadership is worth getting up to 8 allready at Harmony Isle). Pump one Shapeing Skill, pump Int, pump Mental and Blessing magic, and that is all you need. -------------------- "..The seventh wave of Thrall stumbled and climbed over the slippery, piled dead and Mazzarin saw The Watcher with them and at last knew the number of his days." Posts: 522 | Registered: Wednesday, May 4 2005 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 2245
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written Saturday, May 14 2005 02:52
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quote:Combine that with Essence Armour. ;) -------------------- VIVE LA TAKERS! VIVE LA REBELLION! VIVE LA GHALDRING! Posts: 522 | Registered: Friday, November 15 2002 08:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 5796
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written Monday, May 16 2005 03:15
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thanks for all the advice! I've been focusing my lvl-up points on int, magic shaping, blessing magic and throwing a few points to ldrship, mechanical, mental magic (I want dominate!) seems to be going ok. <spoilers coming up?> . . . . I'm on Dhonal's Isle at the moment, taking on spheron's hordes of armed serviles (the ones with glyphs on their heads). I have Greta and a leveled up Searing Artila with me. Alwan left me ages ago, cause I'm a pathetic rebel sympathiser. I've found that I can take on a whole horde (lets say 6-8 of em) of these serviles without much trouble at all. A little use of the quicksave/load keys perhaps. Normally, I cast speed on the artila and he spits 2 gobs of acid every round at every servile he can see, which often stuns them into inaction. Greta follows up with her firebolt spell, which seems to attract their 'aggro'. My shaper just casts the odd blessing, heal, or throws a crystal or casts the acid-spike spell. This seems to work. There is a 'spray' crystal that affects many enemies at once, and that seems handy for killing several (in one go) low-health serviles that have closed to melee range with my guys. Often they drop dead all at once from the continued acid damage. Now, I do have a question - in Dhonal's Keep, there is a person named Fanjul who will teach me how to create a Battle Alpha or a Glaahk - are they worth getting at all (since I've specialsed in magic), or should I stick with my little searing artila and save the thousands of coin for later? -sm Posts: 7 | Registered: Monday, May 9 2005 07:00 |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
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written Monday, May 16 2005 03:48
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Glaahks rock. Ur Glaahks even better. Get Gretta upgraded to her Searer Attack. Talk to one of the mages in the keep. It'll cost you some coin. Vlish are good creatures to use against Serviles. They are suceptable to Vlish attacks. [ Monday, May 16, 2005 05:25: Message edited by: Delicious Vlish ] -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 5796
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written Monday, May 16 2005 05:18
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quote:Ahh, I wondered about that - Greta's firebolt spell wasn't packing as much punch as I wanted - do you know which mage and where, in particular? I've been wondering about destroying/re-summoning creations vs keeping and upgrading the same guy - it seems like it makes no real difference, cause when I re-summon (provided I have full essence), I can pump it up anyway? Or is that more expensive than levelling the creation up? Posts: 7 | Registered: Monday, May 9 2005 07:00 |
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His Mighty Tentacle
Member # 627
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written Monday, May 16 2005 05:24
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I forget the name, but it's the mage in the South East Corner of the Keep. The school area. Can't miss it. And pay for her upgrade. If you demand it for free, it causes Greta some discomfort. -------------------- If I could make just one wish, I would want a tasty vlish. Geneforge IV. Still no tasty vlish. Posts: 1104 | Registered: Tuesday, February 12 2002 08:00 |
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Shaper
Member # 5437
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written Monday, May 16 2005 07:16
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Gretchen in the southeast corner of the keep will train Greta. Posts: 2032 | Registered: Wednesday, January 26 2005 08:00 |