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  • Locked thread
JamieTheD
Nov 4, 2011

LPer, Reviewer, Mad Welshman

(Yes, that's a self portrait)
It is a blessing in disguise that we forget, for a cloying muzziness accompanies me when I remember, healed only by the equally numbing Laudanum that I now consume daily to forget. I awake, screaming, and I remember her crimson coat, vanishing into the misty darkness, a darkness that resolves itself into... No, I cannot... Dare not remember. But in those moments before I reach for the medicine bottle, hands shaking, I ask myself the question that consumes my every lucid moment.

Where In... Or Off... The World Is Carmen Sandiego?

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Highwang
Nov 7, 2013

No Pineapple?
No Thank You!
A cosmic horror approaches these lands. These fiends feed on the very essence of life, slaying all who stand in its way. Our corrupt government doesn't even seek to stop these creatures, but instead seeks to capture and exploit them for their own use! Good hunter, it is up to you to stop these astral parasites and once again bring peace to these lands. Can you stop the looming threat that is...the Metroids?

JT Jag
Aug 30, 2009

#1 Jaguars Sunk Cost Fallacy-Haver
It is through these haunted halls that you shall reclaim your birthright. Strike down these foul specters, unearth horrible secrets and track down the wretched form of your wastrel brother. Let the world know that this truly is... Luigi's Mansion.

FrankZP
Nov 11, 2015

AIGHT SHITBIRDS, IT'S EXPLOSION TIME!
And it came to pass that the great king, drunken and terrible, deprived us of the stars, and sent his silent progeny to take all that we have built and all that we are to make them anew, so that they will shine unseen again as they did in the great eons before. My mind grasps and reaches for divine succor that I know I will not receive, but piety is a meager relief in the face of this unwholesome knowledge that reverberates in my skull like notes from a strange melody. Oh, I feel it. Someone, anyone, I beg of you, help me. I feel the cosmos.

FrankZP fucked around with this message at 05:37 on Aug 9, 2016

Gridlocked
Aug 2, 2014

MR. STUPID MORON
WITH AN UGLY FACE
AND A BIG BUTT
AND HIS BUTT SMELLS
AND HE LIKES TO KISS
HIS OWN BUTT
by Roger Hargreaves

Highwang
Nov 7, 2013

No Pineapple?
No Thank You!

:coffeepal:

Gridlocked
Aug 2, 2014

MR. STUPID MORON
WITH AN UGLY FACE
AND A BIG BUTT
AND HIS BUTT SMELLS
AND HE LIKES TO KISS
HIS OWN BUTT
by Roger Hargreaves

I got your back buddy. I have been talking about doing an LP of this for the last 12 months but never got around to doing so. I'm glad someone is doing it and I'm glad it's you cause you're doing a good job.

If you ever want a guest commentator let me know; I love gushing over the art, atmosphere and music pieces in this game

my dad
Oct 17, 2012

this shall be humorous

:drat:

Fat Samurai
Feb 16, 2011

To go quickly is foolish. To go slowly is prudent. Not to go; that is wisdom.

I'm trying to find classes that match the characters better because I'm an rear end in a top hat like that, but this is :perfect:

KozmoNaut
Apr 23, 2008

Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle



This is now my headcanon.

"We're doing all we can. but I'm not Jesus Christ. I've come to accept that now."

Sjonkel
Jan 31, 2012

Highwang posted:

New update: Episode 4: Innsmouth this is not

You asked for it, we're going to the Cove! Complete with pain incarnate and one hell of a graverobber!

Not sure what I should detail next: Team composition & Preparation, or detailing The Ruins?

I vote for team composition and preparation, at least for me as a new player I think this would be the most helpful. Loving the updates!

double nine
Aug 8, 2013

Actually a quick question about stress - in the weald video, you made certain to stress-heal someone because they were at 50 stress; does stress become self-re-enforcing or was that just simply about "she's at high stress beter heal it"

RickVoid
Oct 21, 2010

Highwang posted:

New update: Episode 4: Innsmouth this is not

You asked for it, we're going to the Cove! Complete with pain incarnate and one hell of a graverobber!

Not sure what I should detail next: Team composition & Preparation, or detailing The Ruins?

I vote for Team Composition and Preparation but I would appreciate it if when you do go over each area in its own discussion if you could add a section detailing what specific abilities (blight/bleed healing, protection removal, along with which classes provide these) and items you should bring, as certain areas provide great rewards if you remember to bring certain things with you.

I actually have a list I use for each area (I have it up in notepad in the background while running the game), but I want to wait to post it until you've had a chance to get through stuff yourself.

FrankZP
Nov 11, 2015

AIGHT SHITBIRDS, IT'S EXPLOSION TIME!
I kickstarted the game (was one of the early-bird level contributors in fact, I was on the Red Hook mailing list before they even had their kickstarter), but when the game released I didn't have the requirements to run it on account of still being on XP. When I finally upgraded my OS and was able to play it in early access a while back, everything was so drat brutal that I wasn't having any fun and I stopped playing (though it was around the time I started my Nocturne LP so I had a lot on my plate too). I don't quite recall what it was exactly that made me quit but that stuff about 80% prot sounds familiar. Man what were they even thinking, wow.

That said, I started playing again in honor of this LP and man it's so much more fun than it was back then. I mean the game still kicks my rear end but I feel like I have a shot now, and that counts for a lot.

FrankZP fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Aug 9, 2016

Eddy Rasta
Mar 9, 2008
If I could make a request for an infopost (and a general line of discussion), I'd be very interested in knowing what Highwang and other thread posters feel are good positive quirks to prioritize when locking things down, and bad negative quirks that need to go, vs ones that you don't have to worry about too much. I have a vague idea already, after poking around on the wiki and playing the game a little bit, but the severity of quirks (aside from Kleptomania, which very quickly becomes apparent as a horrible quirk) is one of those things that feels a bit overwhelming at first.

Highwang
Nov 7, 2013

No Pineapple?
No Thank You!

Eddy Rasta posted:

If I could make a request for an infopost (and a general line of discussion), I'd be very interested in knowing what Highwang and other thread posters feel are good positive quirks to prioritize when locking things down, and bad negative quirks that need to go, vs ones that you don't have to worry about too much. I have a vague idea already, after poking around on the wiki and playing the game a little bit, but the severity of quirks (aside from Kleptomania, which very quickly becomes apparent as a horrible quirk) is one of those things that feels a bit overwhelming at first.

Quick post since I'm being a lazy rear end in a top hat:

Always seal: +2 Speed, +10% prot.
Seal if you want but not necessary: +crit, +hp, -Stress, Attack+ if Torch @ 75%
Dont even bother: Location-specific traits, race-specific traits
The one exception: Occultist with Eldritch Hater/Slayer

Always remove: Kleptomania, -Virtue %, -speed, -acc, -dodge, -death blow resist
Annoying but not necessary to remove: -hp, -crit, Addicted to [x]
Don't even bother: Location/race specific traits
Keep these bad behaviors: Obsession with curios barring hylomania. Basically an auto-examine, rarely 100% fucks you over and takes a bad trait out of the cycle

Priority diseases to remove: Black/Red Plague, Tetanus, Rabies, Tapeworm, Lethargy, The Ague, Syphilis(poo poo gently caress THANKS ORCUS FOR REMINDING ME OF THIS AWFUL THING)

Highwang fucked around with this message at 01:43 on Aug 10, 2016

Rocket Baby Dolls
Mar 3, 2006

Normally I don't make aesthetic criticisms in other peoples' homes, but that rug looks like a beaver exploded. If meat is murder, then that rug is at least a severe beating.

Eddy Rasta posted:

If I could make a request for an infopost (and a general line of discussion), I'd be very interested in knowing what Highwang and other thread posters feel are good positive quirks to prioritize when locking things down, and bad negative quirks that need to go, vs ones that you don't have to worry about too much. I have a vague idea already, after poking around on the wiki and playing the game a little bit, but the severity of quirks (aside from Kleptomania, which very quickly becomes apparent as a horrible quirk) is one of those things that feels a bit overwhelming at first.

The quirks are a very mixed bag, some of them you can work around like people who have phobia's\benefits with specific places or specific types of monsters. Even the negative quirks with some of the stress release options aren't a major issue unless the NPC dude (forgot his official name) decides he's shacking up there for the night, but in the later game it's not such a problem as you unlock more slots for stress relief in the hamlet. Personally, I've never removed a positive quirk, the negative ones have much higher odds of happening and it's better to focus on removing things that nerf them.

I can't speak for others but for myself, when it came to negative quirks there were some that I specifically tried to remove more than others which usually were the ones that made characters automatically search and/or keep the items for themselves and the quirks which added stress to themselves and others during battle. Even though the negative quirks can be managed somewhat there are whole other levels of detriment in which I won't spoil for this LP.. A lot of games start out easy and give you more of a challenge as you progress, this game throws you into the deep end and tries to push your head further and further into the water.

Gridlocked
Aug 2, 2014

MR. STUPID MORON
WITH AN UGLY FACE
AND A BIG BUTT
AND HIS BUTT SMELLS
AND HE LIKES TO KISS
HIS OWN BUTT
by Roger Hargreaves

Highwang posted:

Quick post since I'm being a lazy rear end in a top hat:

Always seal: +2 Speed, +10% prot.
Seal if you want but not necessary: +crit, +hp, -Stress, Attack+ if Torch @ 75%
Dont even bother: Location-specific traits, race-specific traits
The one exception: Occultist with Eldritch Hater/Slayer

Always remove: Kleptomania, -Virtue %, -speed, -acc, -dodge, -death blow resist
Annoying but not necessary to remove: -hp, -crit, Addicted to [x]
Don't even bother: Location/race specific traits
Keep these bad behaviors: Obsession with curios barring hylomania. Basically an auto-examine, rarely 100% fucks you over and takes a bad trait out of the cycle

Priority diseases to remove: Black/Red Plague, Tetanus, Rabies, Tapeworm, Lethargy, The Ague

What is the disease that gives you a huge damage buff? I like that one to the point of keeping it on dudes.

Anyway what would be great is if with each episode you posted a bigger blurb a single class and discussed builds and team comps you can do; if this is going to be the definitive SA LP and go up onto the LP archives for all sorts to read let's make it as good as we can to teach people. Like those "How to CK2' LPs.

Gridlocked fucked around with this message at 00:58 on Aug 10, 2016

Veloxyll
May 3, 2011

Fuck you say?!

Gridlocked posted:

What is the disease that gives you a huge damage buff? I like that one to the point of keeping it on dudes.

Rabies. They nerfed the damage buff because you weren't the only person who did that.

Highwang
Nov 7, 2013

No Pineapple?
No Thank You!

Gridlocked posted:

What is the disease that gives you a huge damage buff? I like that one to the point of keeping it on dudes.

Rabies

Used to be serviceable until they quite recently doubled the acc penalty[-5 to -10], so you would need to wear double accessories to offset that penalty. Not worth taking now imo.

Just take Dismas' head.

Gridlocked
Aug 2, 2014

MR. STUPID MORON
WITH AN UGLY FACE
AND A BIG BUTT
AND HIS BUTT SMELLS
AND HE LIKES TO KISS
HIS OWN BUTT
by Roger Hargreaves

Highwang posted:

Rabies

Used to be serviceable until they quite recently doubled the acc penalty[-5 to -10], so you would need to wear double accessories to offset that penalty. Not worth taking now imo.

Just take Dismas' head.

I only ever got the head once from a secret room in the first non-tutorial dungeon I did.

I'd love to hear you talk about Trinket Builds and the Antiquarian class.


Edit: I was looking at the Rank 4 Man-At-Arms build with Guard and the two buff abilities combined with the Guardian's Shield for example.

Gridlocked fucked around with this message at 01:39 on Aug 10, 2016

Prince Orcus
Mar 1, 2016

Highwang posted:

Priority diseases to remove: Black/Red Plague, Tetanus, Rabies, Tapeworm, Lethargy, The Ague

Syphilis is another disease with a lot of bad effects I always make a priority to remove.

Fat Samurai
Feb 16, 2011

To go quickly is foolish. To go slowly is prudent. Not to go; that is wisdom.
I like the accuracy quirk (Natural Swing?) enough to seal it, specially on a Leper. Whiffing an attack is infuriating.

Kaboom Dragoon
May 7, 2010

The greatest of feasts

Prince Orcus posted:

Syphilis is another disease with a lot of bad effects I always make a priority to remove.

Always funny when a Vestal gets it from spending too much time at the brothel though.

Pvt.Scott
Feb 16, 2007

What God wants, God gets, God help us all

Kaboom Dragoon posted:

Always funny when a Vestal gets it from spending too much time at the brothel though.

I figure vestals just like to watch. Sometimes fluids get everywhere, which is, I assume, how they would contract the clap.

Lord_Magmar
Feb 24, 2015

"Welcome to pound town, Slifer slacker!"


Maybe she just preaches to them, and touches them with her hands to cleanse them of sins. I'd be far more worried about the Leper going there, or the Abomination for that matter.

Fat Samurai
Feb 16, 2011

To go quickly is foolish. To go slowly is prudent. Not to go; that is wisdom.
I worry more about the people with "Deviant Tastes" quirks. According to the description they are not allowed in the Brothel for... reasons.

Kaboom Dragoon
May 7, 2010

The greatest of feasts

Some people enjoy using a feather, others, they prefer the whole chicken.

RickVoid
Oct 21, 2010

Kaboom Dragoon posted:

Some people enjoy using a feather, others, they prefer the whole chicken.

I'm going to hear this in the narrators voice all day. Thanks for that. :allears:

In my current game I have a Vestal with that Quirk, it's very funny.

Night10194
Feb 13, 2012

We'll start,
like many good things,
with a bear.

My original Plague Doc had Love Interest and Nymphomania. As well as an obsession with killing. She was basically some kind of ridiculous larger than life conqueror type who would go out to battle, slaughter her foes, then return to her many concubines at the brothel.

Until she ate 3 crits in a row in one turn. RIP Plague Doc, you were a total badass.

RareAcumen
Dec 28, 2012




Aww man, I was hoping the Darkest Dungeon joke narration would never stop.

IMJack
Apr 16, 2003

Royalty is a continuous ripping and tearing motion.


Fun Shoe
In case you don't already have enough bodies to feed into the maw of madness, may I be added to the roster? As a Leper, a Hound Master, or a Plague Doctor. If I get an HM, name us Jack & Crunchy, because I like the man & dog naming scheme.

Sylphosaurus
Sep 6, 2007
I'd also like to add myself to the roster. I'm really fine with whatever class that's available but the Abomination is close to my heart if I may humbly suggest it?

gbuchold
Oct 7, 2007

We feel free because we lack the very language to articulate our unfreedom.
Pillbug

RareAcumen posted:

Aww man, I was hoping the Darkest Dungeon joke narration would never stop.
I would pay cashmoney for a set of high-quality narrator ringtones.

Dazed. Reeling. About to break.

RickVoid
Oct 21, 2010
An incessant tone. A soul, reaching out, awaiting response. Unfamiliar runes herald the seeker, and creeping anxiety sours your tongue. Your hand trembles. Will you accept the call?

Pavlov
Oct 21, 2012

I've long been fascinated with how the alt-right develops elaborate and obscure dog whistles to try to communicate their meaning without having to say it out loud
Stepan Andreyevich Bandera being the most prominent example of that

gbuchold posted:

I would pay cashmoney for a set of high-quality narrator ringtones.

Dazed. Reeling. About to break.

I ripped one of those for a ringtone for a friend once. I remember it was a pain to unpackage them but it's doable.

KozmoNaut
Apr 23, 2008

Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle


gbuchold posted:

I would pay cashmoney for a set of high-quality narrator ringtones.

Dazed. Reeling. About to break.

Here you go, on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy1RoYlej6xWqRRci7K_OuQWa-7UgG0uo

There are more here: https://soundcloud.com/powerupaudio

I particularly like this one: https://soundcloud.com/powerupaudio/darkest-tip-bonus-b?in=powerupaudio/sets/darkest-dungeon-the-ancestral :v:

ousire
Dec 11, 2013

Now, Red! Seal the deal with a catchy one-liner!

oh those are fantastic. Now I just need to think of some good excuses to use them

Highwang
Nov 7, 2013

No Pineapple?
No Thank You!
Team Composition & Preparation
"The cost of preparedness - measured now in gold, later in blood."

Darkest Dungeon is a game that has a fair amount of RNG, namely with what heroes you get and what afflictions will send them for a week in the Sanitarium. However, the game also gives you a good amount of control over what you can do, and a lot of that comes down to preparation. Everything you do before town reflects how much you can respond to the bum hands the game can deal you when you go on missions. Today we're gonna discuss a little bit on what you can do as a player to reduce the element of risk that comes with each expedition.

Team Composition



The big factor in surviving a dungeon, naturally, is who you choose to bring along. A team of four Hellions is probably not going to go very far due to a lack of good healing, and if they do it's probably going to take loving eons. While the game has a lot of flexibility, there is a predictable formula on who to take and where to put someone in a party when determining your party, and knowing this formula is one of the key things to learn for this game. There are a lot of team compositions that I default to in general, however that would take up a huge glut of text and my time so for now I will cover a basic overview of each position, the risks that come with each position, and what I usually put in each spot.

A bit of a notice, a lot of my mindset is based on 200+ years of pattern recognition in regard to AI logic and enemy priorities, and its mostly theory bullshit. I can't say my tips in this regard can be considered fact, however its a good assumption.



Rank 1: The Fist-Puncher
-Rank 1 is the classic tank spot, the place where you set your high HP characters and let them soak up all the damage while dishing out damage. In Darkest Dungeon, that's sort of the case still. There's no guarantee that an enemy will hit your rank 1 units even if you use the mark mechanic, however many enemies in the front line will focus on your front line in general so its smart to keep your beefy units up there. Said beefy units will also only be able to attack from the front line so they will be at home here anyway. Interestingly enough, there are a few accessories that favor dealing damage from rank 1 so the developers clearly wanted Rank 1 to be reserved for the chufty brawler type. Make sure your support units are never up here, mainly because a lot of healing & support spells cannot be casted at rank 1.

Usual Suspects: Crusader, Man-at-Arms, Hellion, Leper
Alternative Characters: Point-blank Highwayman, Blink Graverobber, Finale Jester, Transformed Abomination



Rank 2: The Every-man
-Rank 2 is the best slot in this game because drat near anything can go here. In general you put a wide-range damage dealer here to damage nearly every range, however with alternate builds you can also get crowd control and healing done from this slot as well. Its hard to cover the wide gamete of things to do here because of how versatile the 2nd slot can be. A thing to note: Anyone that is usually in rank 1 can also be put in rank 2, so if you want to double-up on tanky front-line offense then that option's there. Make sure that you configure your heroes to operate for the 2nd row, it'd be really awkward if you put your vestal here and not give her any of her rank 2 attacks.

Usual Suspects: Bounty Hunter, Highwayman, Graverobber, Houndmaster, Abomination, any Rank 1 dude
Alternate Characters: Offensive Vestal, Stun Occultist



Rank 3: Offensive Support
-This is where you start going into more support/control territories. Enemy AI is odd to where only enemies in rank 3/4 will try to attack your rank 3/4 characters, and there are only a select few enemies that can damage HP to a threatening degree. Your squishier characters are going to wind up here because of this, alongside the fact that most of their abilities only operate from this position. Another thing to note: many of your offensive options in this slot don't do a lot of damage but rather exist to supplement your front line with things like hexes, stuns and marks. Sadly this game doesn't have the traditional nuker so you won't be seeing a strong dedicated attacker in this slot. Instead you get off-attackers and the like. A common alternative set of heroes to put here are the "railgun" users: Heroes that have attacks that not only move them up one and can attack nearly any row, but also require to be in the back ranks to work.

Usual Suspects: Vestal, Occultist, Arbalest, Jester
Alternate Characters: Plague Doctor equipped with her knife, Cry Havoc Houndmaster, Pure-gun Highwayman, Dart Graverobber, Crowd-control Bounty Hunter "Railgun" classes (Crusader, Graverobber, Jester, Highwayman)



Rank 4: Primary Support
-Much like with Rank 1/2, you'll be seeing a lot of the same classes from rank 3 in rank 4 as well. A thing to note however, if you put someone in rank 4 they will not have a lot of their offensive options available to them. The only real exceptions to this is the Arbalest (who is built for this) and really situational builds such as the railgun crusaders.

Usual Suspects: Plague Doctor, Vestal, Arbalest, Antiquarian, Occultist
Alternate Characters: Support Man-at-Arms/Houndmaster, Crowd-Control Bounty Hunter, "Railgun" classes




Provisions



Provisions are the second half of preparing for a dungeon, and they're just as important in various ways. In order to get provisions, you need gold; I haven't been calculating exactly how much I typically spend on provisions, however if I had to ballpark it I would say Reserve at least 3-6k gold purely for getting provisions depending on mission length. Each item has a distinct use in a dungeon, along with an alternative use. Being the greedy rear end in a top hat I am, I often use most of my supplies for the express purpose of getting more loot, however new players can use these items when they're in a bind in order to turn the tides of battle. I will be listing these items from left to right for spacing purposes.

One thing to note: Various classes will bring a supply with them into the dungeon, either for their own use or just as an in-general thing. You can save a small bit of coin like this, but I find it a waste of space in some outside-cases. Amusingly enough, this was added after a small houndmaster buff since the developers thought it odd that the houndmaster was the only one actually preparing for things to go wrong.

Food, Importance: Maximum
-Food is the life-blood of your team, since your heroes are human afterall. The primary use of food is staving off the starvation mechanic: If you don't have enough food to feed your team, whether on the road or while camping, everyone suffers 20% hp damage and ~20 stress damage. The starvation encounter usually appears anywhere between 2-4 times a mission, so I typically bring 8-12 food on a short mission, 20 on a medium mission, and I buy out the store for a long mission. Food also has the side benefit of providing a little bit of healing should you be unlucky enough to not have a vestal or occultist. If you are ever in a dire enough spot rely on this, buy out the store period.

On an aside, Food is often in abundance in the Warrens and the Cove depending on what curios you interact with and how. Its up to your discretion on how to act on this however. I often stick with my normal ration load-out and use any I pick up as a healing item.

Shovels, Importance: High
-Shovels, much like food, are a deterrence against a debilitating encounter in a dungeon. Should you ever run into a wall and not have a shovel, you will take 20% HP damage, 20 stress damage, and go down a tier on your torch. Each dungeon, in my observations, have a varying amount of wall spawns however which can influence how many shovels you can carry with you. Outside of that, shovels interact with various curios in order to give you a bunch of loot or ruin your life, mostly the former. From my experience, I typically bring Three shovels to the Ruins, Two to the Warrens, and Four to the Weald and Cove.

Positive curio effects: Locked Strongbox/Sarcophagus/Display Cabinet, Shallow Grave, Barnacle-covered Chest (All treasure)
Negative curio effects: Bas-Relief (100 Stress damage)
Note: Grave-robbers will start a mission with one shovel.


Torches, Importance: Variable
-Torches primarily exist to increase your light meter, which can determine survivability or profitability. For a standard run, I typically bring 6 torches on a short mission and 8 for Medium/Long missions, relying on campfires to restore my torch in the later bits. Torches also interact with assorted curios in a variety of ways. A simple tool, but very helpful.

Positive curio effects: Alchemy Workbench (Maximum Torch); Pile of Scrolls (Random negative quirk removal)
Negative curio effect: Pile of Books (100 stress damage)
????: Shambler's Altar (summons a unique fight)


Skeleton Keys, Importance: High/Medium
-Skeleton Keys do exactly what you think they do: Unlock things. There really isn't a bad outcome with using keys, so the only bad part of taking a key is the occupied inventory slot. Keys, to me however, are important early on because they are the key to getting a set of trinkets that can offer extra damage and, more importantly, extra healing. Once you get those accessories, the sole purpose of bringing keys is with the intent of making big money. I usually bring One key to every dungeon, and 2-3 to the Ruins mainly to gamble on secret rooms.

Positive curio effects: Anything with "Locked" in the name (Money)


Antivenom, Importance: Medium
-Antivenom isn't complicated, its primary use is to remove blight from a hero. However, it can also interact with various curios to make them "safe" and get you riches. I have a weird mindset with the curative items: I usually rely on either self-restoratives, plague doctors or camping skills to remove things such as blight, however using items such as this is a free-action so its no real waste to bring one aside from the used inventory slot.

I mainly bring Antivenoms to the Weald since there's both a wealth of blight enemies alongside curios that are affected by it. Antivenom can also be useful against a boss in the Warrens, and it has a middling use in the Cover for one curio. I never really bring it to the Cove however due to how little I encounter said curio. My usual logic is Bring 2-3 Antivenom to the Weald and Warrens, depending on mission length.

Positive curio effects: Left Luggage, Old Tree (Treasure); Brackish Tide Pool (Restore 5 HP & Stress)
Note: Plague Doctor starts a mission with one Antivenom


Bandages, Importance: Medium
-Bandages are primarily used to stop bleeding, and its a free-action in combat. Much like the other restoratives, it can also be used to interact with curios for cash.

I mainly bring bandages to the Cove, for their exact purpose! Cove is really bad with bleeding so I take band-aids there even if I have a plague doctor or any skills to remove bleed. The Warrens also has a boss that can consistently cause bleed, so its useful for that instance. As for curio effects, the weald and warrens both have curio effects that give you cash for them so it has some good worth. My mindset is usually bring 2-3 bandages to the Weald and Warrens, 4-6 to the Cove depending on mission length.

Positive curio effects: Mummified Remains, Eerie Spiderweb, Rack of Blades (Treasure)
Note: The Arbalest starts a mission with one bandage


Medicinal Herbs, Importance: Low or High
-Medicinal Herbs are primarily used to remove debuffs, and using one is a free action in combat. Much like other restoratives, it can also be used on curios for varying results.

I have a odd relationship with the medicinal herbs. I rarely use them since a debuff is never really crippling enough to ruin a run. It can be used on curios, but I'm usually not a huge fan of the interactions since they are so rare to see. However, with the arrival of the Cove came a curio that removes a negative quirk at random, so if I ever go to the cove I bring those for the sheer purpose of saving cash. A common thing people do in combat however is use the herbs when hit with a self-induced debuff, such as the hellion's moves or the jester's finale. This would make said skills more viable, but I'm not a huge fan of wasting inventory space just to make a skill viable. My usual mindset is bring 2 medicinal herbs to the Warrens and Cove purely for curio interactions.

Positive curio effects: Alchemy Table, Iron Maiden, Dinner Cart, Makeshift Dining Table, Beast Carcass, Fish Carcass (Treasure); Moonshine Barrel (Damage Buff); Eerie Coral (Remove Negative Quirk)
Note: The Leper starts a mission with one Medicinal Herb


Holy Water, Importance: Low to medium
-Holy water is an item used to buff all your resistances (barring stun) by 30% for 4 turns, and using it is also a free action in combat. Much like other provisions, Holy Water can also be used on curios to gain varying effects

Holy Water is an item I rarely use for treasure hunting, and almost never use for its intended purpose. The curios it interacts with are so rare and some appear in all dungeons, and often times the results are temporary so I rarely bother with it. One rare curio however, the Eldritch Altar, will remove a negative quirk with holy water; however said curio also appears in every dungeon and rarely so its never a guarantee like Scrolls or Coral. In terms of combat, I almost never use it for combat purposes, however Iron Chitlin clued me into a neat facet of info: certain boss gimmicks are coded to rely on debuff resist to resolve, so bringing four holy bottles to certain boss fights can increase your rate of survival. My usual mindset is Bring 2 holy bottles to the Ruins, and maybe one to the weald or cove if you're daring purely for curio effects.

Positive curio effects: Decorative Urn, Pile of Bones (Treasure); Fish Idol, Altar of Light (Buffs); Confession Booth, Holy Fountain, Pristine Foutnain (Restoration); Eldritch Altar (Negative Quirk Removal); Troubling Effigy (Random Positive Quirk)
Negative curio effects: Occult Scrawlings (-20 Dodge Debuff)
Note: The Crusader starts a mission with one Holy Water


Dog Biscuit, Importance: zoinks!
-The Dog Biscuit is the unique item for the Houndmaster, boosting their accuracy, and damage for 3 turns on use.

The biscuit has a sort of Elixir-mindset to me, to where I never really use them because I think I'll need them later. To wit, they often wind up wasting space for me. With this LP though I've been committing to using it whenever I feel threatened in a fight, and the difference is pretty noticeable. You can also use it on one specific curio for a goofy effect: Feeding it to a giant oyster will give you a huge dodge buff, so its fun in the Cove as well. Each Houndmaster starts with 2 dog treats.


Firewood, Importance: Cozy~
-Firewood is used in a medium or long mission to consume food for HP/Stress heal, along with activating camping skills. When you camp, there's a chance that you will be ambushed with an encounter afterwards unless you use a skill that prevents this. You get firewood for free when you start a medium-length mission, and two for a long mission.

Firewood's nice, but its not vital. If you're low on food, this can also be a detriment since camping without food will actively damage you. Interesting trivia: Once upon a time, you used to be able to throw away your firewood at a Sacrificial Altar in the Warrens for a Damage/Accuracy/Crit buff, but that got removed at some point I am unaware of. Sad really, it was a good risk-reward mindset.

Highwang fucked around with this message at 08:51 on Aug 11, 2016

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Scribbleykins
Apr 29, 2010

Any scientist with the right background can brew his own booze.

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What do you mean electrolytes aren't used for brewing booze? That's silly!

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Well when all you have are chunks of TNE and an overly large water ration, all the world looks like a still!
Grimey Drawer

Highwang posted:

Firewood, Importance: Cozy~
-Firewood is used in a medium or long mission to consume food for HP/Stress heal, along with activating camping skills. When you camp, there's a chance that you will be ambushed with an encounter afterwards unless you use a skill that prevents this. You get firewood for free when you start a medium-length mission, and two for a long mission.

Firewood's nice, but its not vital. If you're low on food, this can also be a detriment since camping without food will actively damage you. Interesting trivia: Once upon a time, you used to be able to throw away your firewood at a Sacrificial Altar in the Warrens for a Damage/Accuracy/Crit buff, but that got removed at some point I am unaware of. Sad really, it was a good risk-reward mindset.

Correction/opinion: Firewood is vital if you don't have strong healing in your team and you take one too many hits/crits on the way to the end. Being able to heal up from food and camping skills can be a godsend in some healer-less runs.

As for why you'd want to make medium and long runs without healers... bringing more dps makes the run go faster. :colbert:

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