Fig455 on 11/11/2005 at 19:16

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Thanks sting. BTW, noticed you around GameFAQs lately. We peruse the same boards there.

piln....wow! Great post. It's posts like that and some of the others in the thread, that make me glad there isn't a topic purge like in GameFAQs. There is some great info/advice/opinions starting to form here. Great stuff. I haven't posted for a few days, as I just can't tear myslef away from Invisible War. Yeah, I know.....I don't want to hear it. I like it a lot, and that's all that matters to me. I have heard all the complaints, but I think in the end, the good outweigh the bad. I think games like DX and Thief have fans that are just resistent to change. I guess if they stuck to the original plan, they'd complain it was a rehash. :rolleyes: So, I am on 3 rd playthrough in as many weeks, and I am going for a start to finish w/all endings, and trying several different play styles, and siding w/different factions.


Anyway, WAY off topic there......point is I am on Antarctica, so I'll be done w/#3 tonight and plan to jump right back into ARX. I don't want to get so far away, I forget what was going on, and what my immediate goals are.

ARX is cool >IMHO< mostly because in the build I am playing (Garrett clone) it reminds me of 3 of my favorite games mixed together and spun into a fantasy setting....Thief, DX, and System Shock 2. Some complain about the controls, but the inventory is instantly familiar to anyone who has played SS2, the magic is like Drakan, and the sneaking/combat reminiscent of Thief/Morrowind.

How long is ARX? Just curious, I really don't read many reviews and write-ups of story-driven games (like RPG's, adventure, etc....) before I play it. Inevitably, there will be a spoiler or 2 lurking within. Consequently, I know very little about ARX, and what I DO know is from the few hours I have invested in it, and this thread!!! I don't even know if it's considered short, avg., or long. Also, when can I expect to be able to level up a bit? I have only earned enough XP to raise one level so far, and I am 1/2-2/3 to the next. I have fought everything from the prison to the trolls to ARX and back again. ALso, is it true you can only grow to level 10?

I need some help on a few things as well, assuming someone feels like helping, (*sigh* mean people suck). Basically, what armor should I be trying to get for my Garrett? Someone told me I should have a rune that permits casting of a Fireball spell. I seem to have missed it. Could someone help me on this? I feel I have SCOURED the places I have been so far, and am at a loss. Also, having several pickaxes, I have accumulated quite a nice little gem collection. However, the gem dealer in ARX is always in his fucking house, and tells me to go see him at his gem store. Well, it is always locked up tighter than a drum, he won't leave his house to go there, and he won't buy gems when he's anywhere but the shop. I don't get it.

I someone could help on these questions, thanks in advance/

piln on 12/11/2005 at 03:12

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Same as Qaladar, I never saw 10. I figured the way to get the most experience in the game (because it uses that silly old RPG convention of giving you specific experience rewards for killing stuff) was to acheive non-violent sneaky or diplomatic solutions wherever possible and receive the exp awards for those, then go back later and murder the people you just helped, their enemies, their children, their chickens, noone gets out alive (obviously this was for experimental purposes only). Lockpicking attempts give you exp too (not sure if there's a limit, or if it's only successful picks that count); not sure if summoned critters are worth anything. Basically, you'll have to work like a dog to reach level 10, and even then I'm not sure it's possible.

So you've probably guessed it's kind of a short game. Certainly compared to most RPGs. I actually liked that, since it kept me coming back (I rarely go back to huge games, even brilliant ones with interesting replay value; tried Planescape:Torment for the second time recently and absolutely loved it again, but got "distracted" for too long about halfway thorugh and totally lost the thread. Abortive attempt. But I will play through that game again one day :mad: ). However, some of the puzzles and challenges are quite puzzling and challenging, so your first play-through should keep you occupied for a while.

Can't help with the fire rune, I'm afraid. My brain retained much of the number-crunching and none of the item placement. Waaait a second... if you don't have a fire rune, that means you can't cast the spell that puts out torch-flames? If so, you need that rune - I remember now, it was on a corpse right after you jump through that trapdoor in the cellblock right at the start of the game. That might have been only in the demo and different in the full game, but I'm pretty sure you're supposed to have this from the off (the "put out flames" spell, whatever it's called, being the first one you're taught). And everyone should really have fireball as soon as they can. Go back there if you can and poke some cadavers (it's literally a few steps away from the underside of the trapdoor). If you really, really can't find it, there will be more in the game, but I'm not sure how long it'll be before you find them.

[edit: the reason I say you need the put-out-torch spell is not for any specific puzzle, it's just that it's an essential stealth tool]

Armour: there's a set that is tailor-made for your character type (believe me, you'll know it when you see it). I find many RPGs enable or even expect players to pile on the "best" armour they can find, regardless of whether it makes sense for their character type (Morrowind's skill-based take on this was an interesting way around it) - but I found you could stick to what was appropriate in Arx and not suffer. You can strap the plate and mail onto your thief if you want, but it'll knock your stealth skill down; the lighter stuff really will benefit you more.

That gem dealer is a pain. I don't think I dealt with him even once in my first play through. In later games, he was there almost every time. There's hardly a day/night cycle to go by (for obvious reasons), so god knows what timetable he's using. You'll find some more traders a bit deeper, and I think they'll buy pretty much anything. iirc, you can chuck all your gear on the floor in the middle of the town and none of the honest, upstanding citizens will touch it. I'm pretty sure everything stays where you leave it.

A general hint: wonderful as it is, Arx is one of the most rough-edged games I've played for a while, and it's buggy. If you find anything that you really want to keep, or that looks odd or unique and you think it might be an essential quest item, be very careful when putting it down or throwing it in the gameworld. Hit the wrong spot and it might fall through the floor into the nth dimension, alongside all those AWOL dungeon treasures from Daggerfall. I'd also suggest another essential Daggerfall tactic: use more than one save slot.

Hmmm... I'm upgrading my PC at the end of this month. Might have to find time for another go at Arx. But who to play? I'm actually tempted to repeat the sneaksie method.

For what it's worth, I pretty much agree on the IW score. That whole thing around release time was such an unbelievable bullshit storm, I just stayed out of it and played the game; a real silly period in PC gaming history. Taken on its own, I thought the game had some serious flaws but was pretty good overall; not a patch on the original (what is?), but a damn sight better than most PC titles nowadays and a fun game, which is nothing to complain about.

piln on 12/11/2005 at 20:58

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Gah... I should learn to read and write properly. You said you need the fireball spell, not that you're missing the fire rune. And I somehow made the ignite and douse spells one and the same in my mind. Oops. Right... do you have the negate rune? I think it might be called "Nhi" or something like that? And I believe the trader lady in Arx might have one for sale? "Negate fire" is fantastic for thieves, as you can create darkness as you go. As for the fireball spell, I'm not sure... what is "Aam"? I'm sure that's part of it... "Yok" is fire, Aam Yok Spacium makes the floor burst into flames (excellent ambush spell for high-level mages), I guess fireball must be Aam Yok something...

Is there a 'range' or 'distance' rune?

Stingm on 14/11/2005 at 16:51

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I have been noticing you on other boards too Fig455. I think we have alot of the same interests. Look at your guide to see how long Arx is. It can take a while.

Also make sure you check out the easter egg ending in Deus Ex 2. In the unatco headquarters, get the flag and drop it in Manderelys bathroom and flush the toilet. The new level ending will load.

Sting

piln on 15/11/2005 at 02:44

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That's a shitty deal, Fig. It could be worse... you could get to the end and realise you're two character levels lower than you should be, and get spanked by the bad people every time. I urge you not to do that. Does Arx have a quicksave key?

Thanks also for the IW egg, Stingm, I hadn't heard of that one either.

Well, Fig, I discovered today that I still have RPGDot's PDF Arx guide on my PC, so I can give you a little advice on your fire-throwing issues...
[SPOILER]The fireball spell is Aam (create) Yok (fire) Taar (missile), and it's a level 3 spell so I think you have to have a casting skill of at least 30. I'm guessing you definitely already have Aam and Yok, so in case you don't have Taar, the next spoiler box will tell you where it can be found.[/SPOILER]
[SPOILER]There are two in the game: one is in the castle, in Felnor's lab (which also contains a handy distillery!), probably in a locked chest, I'm not sure; the other is on level 2, in the goblin prison's armoury (downstairs, at the back of the torture chamber). If you can't get into the armoury, the key can be found on this same level, in the room where there was a sleeping goblin lord (I presume he's dead now) - it's in a secret area at the back of this room (search the walls for a switch).[/SPOILER]
Do you have the RPGDot guide already? It's pretty comprehensive... and it's one of the few PDFs I've seen that is properly bookmarked, so you can easily look up game mechanics or general hints without risking major spoilage.