Let's Play The Elder Scrolls - Arena (7): More Rihad Stuff

[xEriktr0nx]

Not to mention. I think these newer installments of older games like TES are still marketing towards our demographic. I think Bethesda knows that people like you and I have adult lives and therefore do not have time to really deal with all the intricacies of previous TES installments and have thus made the game simpler just for the sake of allowing us to enjoy the games around busier schedules.

[DWTerminator]

Ironically I'm able to play older-style (read: complicated) RPG's within the scope of my busy schedule just fine. They're really dumbing them down to appeal to the console masses, who have absolutely no idea what an RPG really is and just want a game where you whack things in the face. There's a point when you go too far and make the game simply not worth playing though, and Oblivion crossed it.

[xEriktr0nx]

@DWTerminator I see you hating on the newer installments of TES. While I agree that they are easier than the previous installments, I feel they are still great games (Although, having played Skyrim for the last week, the difficulty level is much higher). I've been gaming since '89 and I think you and I both have the same problem of being nostalgic for older games which makes us fault newer games for not being like the older ones.

[shuboy05]

I'm surprised that haggling isn't exactly in Skyrim. Technically you can get perks to reduce store prices but I'm finding Arena's haggling system really interesting.

[DWTerminator]

Haggling was in Oblivion, ironically enough... I find it amusing that they'd just outright remove it from Skyrim. I guess that speaks volumes about the dumbing-down the series has received.

[shuboy05]

@DWTerminator

Just had to double check on the wiki and yep haggling was changed for Skyrim. Now it's part of the Speech perks tree and it changes buying and selling prices by FIXED amounts (from 10%-30%). I have to say the earlier games make haggling a lot more interesting.

[MJTPantherKitten]

@DWTerminator

not to mention the speech.. I loved doing that. Though I do prefer the new lock picking, and sorry to cut in ><" Just wanted to point it out.

[DWTerminator]

The new lockpicking system is painfully easy.

[MJTPantherKitten]

@DWTerminator

Yeah it is, why I get to laugh at my friends when they can't do it :D

[blink182rob88]

@DWTerminator Things like lock picking shouldn't be that hard

[DWTerminator]

Try picking a lock, then tell me that. -_-

[TankmenAreEpic]

Hmmmm nice shield buddy..... what exactly are youu over-compensating for?

[Kookaburra00]

is having negative values in ur armour better?

[DWTerminator]

In this particular game, yes.

[Manny11596]

When you create a character, do you start in the races province? For example: If I am a high elf I will start out in the summerset isles,and I can go where ever I want?

[DWTerminator]

The portal in the dungeon sends you to a city in your character's home province. Yes, you can pretty much go wherever.

[SvenSiegmund]

you can right-click on the door and it's name will be automatically written in your map.

[DWTerminator]

I'll try that out and see what happens.

[LightFykki]

Nice episode, can't wait for the next part.

[DWTerminator]

It'll take a while to get it up. Too busy at the moment to keep going in TES:A. I tried to make another video and it actually ended up not working, so that's 10 minutes of footage you guys won't get to see. Luckily, it was just me wandering around Stonekeep and smashing goblins. Sorry 'bout that.

[thebigtarget1]

uh more please! lol. i want the story... since vista fails at running this game...

[DWTerminator]

I'll get to it when I can. It takes a lot more time to do a let's play than it does to do reviews... time I don't particularly have at the moment.

Didn't help that the recording messed up and I lost about 10 minutes of footage of me in Stonekeep... Not really a huge deal though since it was just me killing some orcs, goblins, and lizardmen.

[thebigtarget1]

ok cool

[pimpsbeep]

@thebigtarget1 did you try speeding up dos box with ctrl and f12 also click and drg the game onto dos box to play

[forbjok]

Another thing - you may already know this - but anyway...

You can get a lot more out of the "counter" feature by going a lot lower or higher (when selling).

For ex., if he suggests 650 for something, try 800 - if he won't take it seriously, go a bit lower, until he starts countering. When he does, just counter decreasing by 1 gold each time. Eventually he will almost match your desired value.

If you counter too many times he will reject, but if he does just repeat without going over the limit.

[DWTerminator]

Actually, the amount you can ask for is dependent on your PER skill, but the general rule of thumb is 1/3 of the offered price will work.

I'll see what I can do later on.

[forbjok]

In addition, having easy access to spells such as Levitate and Light (I believe you even commented on the annoying darkness in a previous video) is a major advantage. They too cost almost no SP to cast.

Combined with the fact that SP refills _a lot_ faster than health when resting, this greatly reduces the frequency of needing rest, as well as the length of rest needed. (8 hours will always completely refill SP - 6 or 7 is usually sufficient, unless you're completely out)

[DWTerminator]

I always found the magic system in Arena pretty annoying, so I never used spellcasters. Mages have the nasty habit of being drained of most of their MP (it's Magicka in TES, remember) from casting a simple Spark spell, thus being totally helpless. Battlemages are much better than pure mages, of course.

[forbjok]

For general damage it is certainly better to use weapons, which is the nice thing about Battlemages - they are as capable with a weapon as they are with magic.

The term "Magicka" was as far as I know introduced in Daggerfall. In Arena it's simply called "Spell Pts" or "Spell Points".

As for running out of SP, that's where "Spell Absorbtion" comes in. Not only does it make you immune to enemy spells, but it absorbs them to refill SP. Very handy.

[DWTerminator]

I still call it Magicka regardless of whatever it was originally named in Arena. Force of habit I guess.

If I ever make a mage character, I'll make sure to get spell absorption.

[forbjok]

A pure mage may be a wuss (haven't played one, so I couldn't say), but a Battlemage certainly is not.

I recently played through the game myself as one, and in the early parts of the game (for the first two staff pieces), I relied completely on melee weapons (swords mostly) for damage.

From what I can tell from your videos, a knight doesn't really do a lot more damage, and even if they are more resistant (I'm not sure), as a Battlemage I could heal myself with a spell that costs almost no SP.

[DWTerminator]

Knights have the advantages of being immune to paralyzation, automatically repairing equipment, and being able to equip plate armor (only the ranger, warrior, and knight classes can equip it). They can't heal themselves but they (like other warrior classes) tend to have high enough endurance that their damage resistance works pretty well. I could send you (via PM) a list of all the classes for different comparisons if you're interested.

[holysab7]

To make money break into houses and go up and down the stairs a lot (the loot gets bigger every time) and take all the gold and magic items. lol.

[DWTerminator]

Nah. I'd do that as a rogue, but not as a knight. Besides, I'm just playing through the main quest in this LP.

[W3zZy95]

is the next 1 coming?

[DWTerminator]

Eventually. I messed up part 8, unfortunately. Lost about 10 minutes of me wandering in Stonekeep and killing random monsters. :(

[Lookitgirl124]

thanks for the upload

[DWTerminator]

No problem.

[o0Kensh1n0o]

I figured because I played a warrior that I just did not have access to most skills in the game other than melee combat. I thought thieves could lockpick, pickpocket and have mercantile. Thanks for pointing out there isn't even a skill system in the game. Man I feel dumb. :o

[DWTerminator]

Don't worry 'bout it. They introduced skills in Daggerfall so you're not *too* far off.

[gondule]

what level are you know in the game?

[gondule]

now*

[o0Kensh1n0o]

Sorry for all the comments, I just think of things after I post. It seems that the amount you can counter by scales with the price of the item. Like Items under 100 gold probably can only be countered by 3-5 gold, versus a 15k gold magic sword that can be countered by a few hundred gold. Of course all these can be affected by mercantile skill.

[DWTerminator]

No problem. Nothing is affected by mercantile since there is no skill system in the game and therefore no mercantile. It's entirely affected by the base cost of the item. ^_^

[o0Kensh1n0o]

Yeah I got mixed up with the older Elder Scrolls. I am pretty sure though some of the classes get bonuses to bartering or something close to that. I may be wrong, but I could of swore I read something like that in the class descriptions.

[DWTerminator]

Nah, the classes have different bonuses depending on what gear you have (and some have prohibited gear), but that's about it.

[o0Kensh1n0o]

One good find in a random dungeon could mean 15k + gold, even at level 5. From my experience, it seems that all monsters and npc's do not drop magic equipment or weapons. Magic items can only be weapons and plate armor, and I only find them in treasure piles and chests.

[DWTerminator]

Yeah, NPC's and monsters don't drop good stuff most of the time. It's good to get them and sell them though. I once found an elven longsword in the starting dungeon, so I know what a good find is. ; )

[o0Kensh1n0o]

Score on the Helmet of Strength. Also I've learned when buying equipment you can counter by a lot more than 2-3 gold. I've successfully countered for 250+ gold and got accepted before, depending on the price of the item. If you have the mercantile skill I'm sure you could counter by way more than that too. Also the trick to any dungeon is to stock up on healing potions at the mages guild. Then you will own stonekeep and fangs lair. Get spare gold at random dungeons in the area outside town. :b

[DWTerminator]

Might work on the extra dungeons later on. In the Let's Play I'm just gonna do the main quest stuff. Also, there are no skills in Arena. There's just stats... so technically nobody has mercantile. ; )

[o0Kensh1n0o]

Finally! Yayyyyy! I can't wait for episode eight. :D

[DWTerminator]

I don't have that recorded yet. *Might* not get to it for a while. Sorry... :S

[br000ly]

it's so easy to get lost in that city

[DWTerminator]

Yes it is.

[gondule]

woot daggerfall is on the elder scrolls website now.