Is archer good ?

[arokhfan]

I would go with meleemagic 1:8:4. My concern is the close fighting, can it be done iwth a bow ?

[Arokhs Twin]

I tried to go as an archer / mage with most skill points in the archery skills and found the close combat difficult. I played as a pure warrior first time and warrior / mage second. There are lots of weapons with low skill requirements to make the warrior mage a cakewalk.

[arokhfan]

If I play meleemage 1:8:5 so I can use fear/clone/time slow so I can use the bow up close. Not sure it will work though ? And I still can have Mournbringer at the end.

Actually it is not much different from my current play 1:5:8.

[Arokhs Twin]

Yes, you will need the mournbringer

[shoprat]

I played at 3:8:3 last time. If you are careful of your surroundings you can have a lot of fun picking off the enemy. Be sure you have a object you can use to keep between you and the npc. A small box or a couple of rocks will usually provide enough breathing room. If you can climb a stack of crates and shoot down that works well in most cases. I shoot at the npc until he gets close then run for my cover spot. Then lock on, shoot, strafe if needed, repeat until death occurs. Hopefully not yours.

I'll set up my inventory for a quick sword pull in case of surprise attacks. I go into the inventory and press 'square' to select and use bow xxx. Then I'll move the cursor to the sword/axe/club I want for a backup weapon. Then close the inventory. Now when you hit the R1 button you'll put the bow away, when you hit the R1 button the second time you'll get the weapon you left the cursor on. This way two quick presses on the R1 button gets you in melee mode quickly.

Try to take a long range bow and use the manual aim (circle) to get in some free shots at npcs to soften them up for a later encounter. Get used to side strafing in this mode (using the right stick) to avoid the incoming fireball attacks from the npc mages. It may take a little more planning than just run, hack, slash, but it's a blast to use some of the high level bows.

If you collect all the elemental swords and sell them in sardania, you'll be able to get mornbringer. Using timeslow before using the bow is also a good way of taking care of multiple targets before they surround you. I didn't like using fear though, just made it too easy. After a while it felt like I was just chopping wood.

[shoprat]

Here's something to try as an archer. Start a new game. After you get the bow run away from the orcs at the start to conserve ammo. Go to the scavenger cave and rescue the farmers wife just using your shortbow. (Don't forget to say hi to gramma at her flowers. She cracks me up for some reason.) Go back and kill the orcs at the start that you missed and it should give you a level increase. Kill the spiders in the basement and get some cash. Sell your potions at the alchemist shop. Go into the blacksmith shop and pick up a long bow, short battle bow (level 2) and reload the short bow. Then go into the cave under the waterfall and kill the assassin mummy mage, The Inquisitor. There's another long bow and short bow in the level so you'll have enough ammo. See if that doesn't give you a thrill. I haven't jumped on so many mushrooms since mario bros.

Just for something completely different, I swam over to Jade's and bought the fireball spell before going after the spiders. Thought I'd kill them a new way for a change. It's the only time I've used any magic in the game. Now I'm after the charts at Andrellian Isles and haven't used or bought a sword yet. The only really rough spot is getting the earth blade. Locked in with 4 skellies is a real gut check!! Had to use an invisible potion to kill off two skeletons before I was able to get thru. Damn. Didn't want to use ANY magic but I couldn't make it without the potion.

[Outlaw Wyvern]

You could EASILY beat the game with just Fireball. Heck, don't you even get level 3 at only 5 magic skill? it's been a while, but I think it's ridiculously early for such power. Mage is cool, because as you put points into Magic skill, your mana replenishes faster and faster. It really is cool.

[shoprat]

Was gonna try a run thru as mage when I finished the archer run. Never got the skill higher than 5. Didn't know that the mana rate went up faster as the skill level increased, good to know. Are you able to to lock on to a target at a greater distance too? I think it'll be hairy trying to complete the earth blade quest with just magic.

Right now just having a ball trying out the bows from the different areas. You gotta learn how to use the terrain to create an advantage or you're toast.

[shoprat]

Went thru the Valley of the Fallen Desert to hunt some dragons as a 'pure' archer (1-8-1). Had Arokh drop me off just short of the gap in the mountains and made my way on foot across the desert. Here's how the bows compare in terms of hits to kill.

Dragon Strike - 8 hits : true to it's name, this is the best bow in terms of raw power. Great for sniping.

Fire Talon - 9 hits : the secondary flame damage is more powerful than I expected. Good sniper bow too.

Bow of the Order - 10 hits : with its homing arrows, this is the best (only?) bow to use on a moving target.

Demise - 11 hits : it was suprising to see a bow with such a large hit point value come out last.

All the bows lock on range are quite short against dragons, so it's best to snipe at them if possible. Dragons have to get VERY close in order to get the lock on ring. (Maybe because they're not on the same plane? 3D bug?) It's usually taken me a life potion to kill an attacking dragon, most of the damage taken while trying to get a weapon lock. Just had to kill 3 of them that were triggered by either me or Arohk, the others were sniped.

Leave your dragon far enough away so he doesn't fire at YOUR target. But, if you leave him too far away he'll follow and pop up and rat out your stealthy approach. So... park carefully, go find some cover, and enjoy the hunt out there in the desert.