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[1.3] Tips to Get You Started
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This is an expanded version of the 10 Tips that first appeared in the
original DS2 guide.
Explore the whole map
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There are lots of little cul-de-sacs branching off from the main path. These
cul-de-sacs usually contain a reagent or reagent recipe, so it's worth the
time to make sure you're clearing the whole map to the edges.
Pay attention to creature stats
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The developers have mixed things up a little more in Broken World. Right off
the bat you'll encounter creatures that shield themselves, becoming
completely invulnerable, when their health gets low. Wasting attacks on them
at that point is a bad idea, especially if there are other mobs around. Stay
on your toes; if your party is diverse (as it should be) you won't have much
of a problem.
Use Mirror party orders and take out enemies one at a time
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The most effective combat tactic is to focus all your party's attacks on one
enemy at a time using the Mirror party orders. Rampage only works if you're
being swarmed by very weak creatures, which doesn't really happen that often.
Rather than disperse your attacks, and possibly end up with one character
being ineffectual (such as your fighter running after a melee resistant mob),
keep all characters on one mob until it's dead (which shouldn't take more
than a few seconds) and then move on to the next.
Use Powers to take out swarms or boss mobs
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Use area-of-effect (AoE) powers (such as Whirling Strike, Corrosive Eruption
or Aether Blast) to handle swarms of enemies. When you encounter a boss-level
mob (distinguished by the glowing ring surrounding them), use a high-damage
single-target power (such as Brutal Strike or Take Aim) to quickly down the
boss mob.
If you encounter orange-colored mobs, back off
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Enemy stats in DS2 are color-coded based on your active character's level:
* Green--the mob is five or more levels lower
* Blue--the mob is two to four levels lower
* Yellow--the mob is from one level lower to one level higher
* Orange--the mob is two to four levels higher
* Red--the mob is five or more levels higher
Red mobs, while not unbeatable, will give you heaps of problems individually.
If you encounter red mobs, you're in way over your head. Orange mobs mean
you're in a little deep. While you might be able to fight your way through;
in large numbers, orange mobs will be the death of you.
Anytime the mobs start getting into orange, back off and find an area where
the mobs are blue or yellow and keep coming back (the monsters respawn) until
you've gained some levels. Green level mobs don't provide enough experience
for power leveling.
Learn to calculate your Damage Per Second (DPS)
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In order to truly understand how much damage you are doing, you must learn to
calculate DPS (damage per second). Since weapon damage is dependant on your
ability stats and class levels, it will vary from person to person. However,
you can compare two different weapons for your character by equipping each
and calculating DPS for each.
DPS can be calculated with this formula:
(MAX DMG + MIN DMG) / (2 * SPEED)
Where
MAX DMG = Maximum damage of the weapon
MIN DMG = Minimum damage of the weapon
SPEED = Speed factor of the weapon according to the following table:
Speed Factor
------ ------
Slow 0.9
Normal 0.73
Fast 0.67
Faster 0.625
For example, you want to calculate DPS between a bow and crossbow. Bows are
Faster weapons while crossbows are Slow; but crossbows do more damage. Your
34th level ranger has a crossbow with a damage range of 97 to 165 and a bow
with a damage range of 78 - 134 (damage ranges are from equipped weapons).
The speed factor of the bow is 0.625 and the crossbow is 0.9. The DPS of each
weapon is:
Crossbow: (165 + 97) / (2 * 0.9) = 145.5
Bow: (134 + 78) / (2 * 0.625) = 169.6
As you can see, the bow in this case is clearly superior under normal
circumstances.
Now let's consider a 34th level fighter choosing between a one-handed and
two-handed weapon. The 2h weapon has a damage range of 90 to 143, the 1h is
67 to 105. Two-handed weapons have a speed factor of 0.9 and 1h is 0.67:
2h: (143 + 90) / (2 * 0.9) = 129.4
1h: (105 + 67) / (2 * 0.67) = 128.6
The DPS of the weapons are almost identical. However, the 1h weapon allows
the fighter to use a shield, thus drastically increasing armor ratings. On
the other hand, the 2h weapon can stun enemies and would be greatly superior
used with Brutal Strike.
The upshot of all this: when choosing among several weapons, equip each one
and run the formula. Take the one with the higher DPS or one with only
slightly less DPS but more bonus enhancements. In the long run, the faster
your enemies die, the better off you'll be.
Pause the game. Frequently.
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Don't try to play this as an action/combat game, relying on the twitchiness
of your trigger finger to win the day. The combat in DS2 is very tactical,
and pausing regularly during combat will help you assess your characters'
positions, their health and mana status and the best available targets.
You should also pause every time you stop to manage inventory or add skill
points--especially if you are in hostile territory where a monster could
wander up and start beating on you while you're absorbed in whether or not
you should equip the Sword of Uberness or the Axe of Leetness.
Don't be afraid to use potions. And carry plenty around with you
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Whether you choose to invest in Natural Bond and Survival so you can harvest
potions, or you just buy some from the friendly neighborhood potion pusher
whenever you're in town; always keep plenty of health and mana potions in
your Inventory.
Versatility is a good thing
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Monsters are resistant--or flat out invulnerable--to different types of
damage, especially as you get deeper into the game. You must have a variety
of damage types available to you. If you've got a party of two fighters and a
ranger and you run into a mob that's resistant to melee and ranged damage,
you're in trouble.
The best way to handle versatility is to have one of each class in your party:
fighter, ranger, combat mage and nature mage. Of the four, the combat mage is
inherently the most versatile as she can fling death, fire or lightning
damage as needed; and, she can curse enemies to make them weak to her favored
attacks. Add a shield tank or mythrilhorn pet to Provoke mobs away from the
caster and you've got all you really need. You can then add in ranged or
healing/buffing/summoning support as suits your playing style.
Don't forget the Summon Teleporter spell
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Summon Teleporter is a level-0 nature magic spell. Level 0 means any
character can cast it to open a town portal for a quick rest and refit. The
standard teleporters are rather thick throughout Aranna, but it never hurts
to have a quick escape method at hand. Make sure every one of your characters
has a spell book with Summon Teleporter in it, even if they never cast any
other spell throughout the entire game. Just remember that town portals do
not last through a save/reload and are single-use only.
You've got to know when to walk away, know when to run
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Sometimes, when you're being overwhelmed, a "tactical realignment" is in
order. In other words: run away, run away! This is especially important if
you have casters. If they get surrounded by brutish thugs, they'll end up
unconscious pretty quickly. Since your mages are generally your highest-
damage dealers, any time mobs gang up on them, running to a clear area and
regrouping your party is a good idea.
Backup your saves
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By default, your save games are stored in
My Documents\My Games\Dungeon Siege 2 Broken World\Save\SinglePlayer
The game keeps your most recent save and five backups. This doesn’t allow a
lot of leeway if you get stuck, hit a glitch, etc. Every time you start a new
chapter, ALT-TAB out of the game, ZIP up your character's save game folder
and archive it somewhere. If you hit a showstopper bug, replace your current
save folder with the most recent archived save folder.
The toughest enemy isn't always the biggest enemy
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When in combat, try to identify the mobs that are hurting you the most. It
might be the boss, or it might be the boss' minions. You can even get
seriously injured by green-level mobs if you are especially vulnerable to
their attack. In boss fights, it is generally advisable to draw minions away
from the boss and destroy them piecemeal before confronting the boss party-a-
mano.
You also need to be aware of any mobs that are hanging back casting nasty
spells or summoning critters. Destroying a summoner also rids you of their
summons, which is a good thing. Again, use the PAUSE key a lot to keep an eye
on the ebb and flow of battle. Figure out which mobs pose the gravest danger
to your health and focus your attacks on them.
Use the map
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If, for some strange reason, this guide alone isn't helping you find your way,
keep an eye on your map. It is full of helpful icons:
* Green dots point out friendly NPCs
* Blue dots point out interactive items (buttons, levers, doors, etc.) or
treasure that's lying on the ground (including reagents and recipes)
* Gold stars mark primary quest objectives
* White stars mark secondary quest objectives
* The compass map always shows a gold arrow pointing you in the direction you
need to go to complete your current primary quest task
You can zoom the maps (both small and large) using the slider under the
compass map. Use it to search for secret switches and get your bearings.
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