Eyestabber's in-depth guide to DR/AoD mechanics

[Whisper]

Bleeding is 4 dmg, 2 dmg per 2 turns. Not much when you fight 60 hp enemies (like 5-6 of them). Why you think its so useful?

How you finish with Dodge build? I have 10 dodge (think around 125-130 in dodge) and 10 Dex and still archer and constructs hit like 60% + of time.


And about Axe, if you crit, shouldnt it also multiply damage? Also extra +25% more dmg is better then 2 dmg dot bleed? Or not?

 

[Whisper]

Also Yngvar sucks, he comes with 8 in defence skill, same as Roxanna at start of game. Also 6 in Per (Roxanna has 9) means he miss a lot, because +15% chance do matter.

 

[Zanzoken]

Can anyone explain how the Mobility Bonus works? Even after completing multiple combat runs in AoD I never could figure out exactly how it calculates.

Also what is ADC?

 

[AndreGAS]

Bleeding is 4 dmg, 2 dmg per 2 turns. Not much when you fight 60 hp enemies (like 5-6 of them). Why you think its so useful?

How you finish with Dodge build? I have 10 dodge (think around 125-130 in dodge) and 10 Dex and still archer and constructs hit like 60% + of time.


And about Axe, if you crit, shouldnt it also multiply damage? Also extra +25% more dmg is better then 2 dmg dot bleed? Or not?

As Eyestaber stated - axe either crit or score passive, they can't score passive crit.

About swords:

1. against humans you should not battle without poison
2. if you see some tough enemies you should apply wetstone during plan phase
3. when your weapon skill is 10 and your Per 8+ - always use berserk
4. when solo, you need ALL available damage, and bleed provide it: bleed stacks (up to -6 hp per turn); you can apply bleed on your counterattack; unlike axes, you can score bleed and crit at the same time - when it happens, you apply not -2 hp DOT, but -4 hp.

Trying axe and hammer dodgers for MP solo - they suck from the very beginning in comparison with sword.

 

[AndreGAS]

How you finish with Dodge build? I have 10 dodge (think around 125-130 in dodge) and 10 Dex and still archer and constructs hit like 60% + of time

 

[Absinthe]

The value of a sword is inversely proportional to your strength score and alchemy skill. The other perk of swords is that you start with an actual sword with +5% THC and some hardness on top for denting. Since it does flat damage it also benefits more from spamming fast attacks, which conveniently are most likely to hit. On the other hand they fall behind on slower hits.

Axes do more damage than swords as long as your axe does at least 16 damage on the swing, where the axe passive adds 4 damage total. Early on swords are better, but later on you build a fast steel axe and start slapping whetstones on it and it will do 10-13 damage pre-strength, so with 10 str and 6 crafting you will have a 14-18 damage swing, which means you will do +4 damage on average, non-berserker. But those aren't fast attacks. The fast attacks do 11-15 damage. It's not until you have a blue steel axe with a 8 crafting whetstone that it will do 14-18 damage on fast attacks (which averages to 4 damage from special effect). You can get the damage higher sooner by using berserker potions. Also as far as I can tell you don't get multiple bleeds from a single attack, so just in case you had the bright idea to stack crit and use a sword for arterial strikes in the hopes of obtaining up to 3 bleeds on one strike, let me just warn you that you will be disappointed. If you love arterial strikes and crits, just go daggers.

Basically swords are ideal damage boosters for characters with strength below 10, no critical strike skill, no whetstones+berserker potions, and a lot of fast attack spam. So in the end axes hit harder than swords but for most of the game swords are better. This goes back to Quintus from the three guys you can recruit for ants. If you give him the sword you looted last fight, he puts that weapon to good use.

 

[Whisper]

Axes do more damage than swords as long as your axe does at least 16 damage on the swing, since the axe does 4 damage total. Early on swords are better, but later on you build a fast steel axe and start slapping whetstones on it and it will do 10-13 damage pre-strength, so with 10 str and 6 crafting you will have a 14-18 damage swing, which means you will do +4 damage on average, non-crit, non-berserker. But those aren't fast attacks. The fast attacks do 11-15 damage. It's not until you have a blue steel axe with a 8 crafting whetstone that it will do 14-18 damage on fast attacks (which averages to 4 damage from special effect). You can get the damage higher sooner by using berserker potions. Also as far as I can tell you don't get multiple bleeds from a single attack, so just in case you had the bright idea to stack crit and use a sword for arterial strikes in the hopes of obtaining up to 3 bleeds on one strike, let me just warn you that you will be disappointed. This also means that a high crit skill makes a sword's special effect less potent and an arterial strike less significant. If you love arterial strikes and crits, just go daggers.

Notice that you cant crit bleed proc to do more dmg, its always 2 bleed per turn. But you can crit damage extra +25% from axe.

So suddenly its not extra 4 from proc from 16 dmg swing but more from proc from crit (non-crit =16) dmg swing.

 

[Absinthe]

It doesn't work that way. If you crit, you don't get your weapon mastery, unless I have been phenomenally unlucky in my testing with 10 axe skill and 10 crit. The same appears to hold true when I tested hammers and swords. If you crit on a non-aimed strike you can still get a bleed from the crit itself though. Ultimately if you like melee crits you're probably better off with daggers or spears.

If you use axes, it's in your best interests to use regular and heavy attacks though. In that case, the passive is plenty powerful, especially if you are swinging a slower weapon.

 

[Absinthe]

Wait, so the Hasta schematic is in the game? I stand corrected. Well, just edited the posts.

 

[Eyestabber]

Thanks for the great guide Eyestabber but I'd like to ask if the stat and skill checks in this game use your main character or your currently selected character?

Depends on the check. Crafting checks are all on the selected character (thus there is zero benefits to having crafting on the main character on a non-solo run). Stat checks OTOH are all MC only AFAIK. Except for the boulder thing.

 

[Fenix]

Yup. One of the 3 stooges you can recruit in the beginning has one and that's where I think I got it from.

I have found bronse Hasta in one of Roxana fights I believe, or was it Reinard?

 

[Elhoim]

Can anyone explain how the Mobility Bonus works? Even after completing multiple combat runs in AoD I never could figure out exactly how it calculates.

Also what is ADC?

Mobility bonus is 2 points for each free tile around the character.

ADC: Armor Damage Chance.

 

[agris]

the max AP stat on armor- does that include after neurostims? so an 11 AP character wearing a max 12 AP armor takes a neurostim- does he get 12 or 13?

 

[Elhoim]

13 AP, neurostims ignore max AP.

 

[Eyestabber]

Can anyone explain how the Mobility Bonus works? Even after completing multiple combat runs in AoD I never could figure out exactly how it calculates.

Also what is ADC?

Mobility bonus is 2 points for each free tile around the character.

ADC: Armor Damage Chance.

I always thought it was a bonus given when the character moves during the turn. Good thing I didn't write that on the guide! :D

 

[Fenix]

Btw Eyestabber is ther any sense to carry shield on dodger character?
It won't block, but vs CS actually work?

 

[Trash Player]

Btw Eyestabber is ther any sense to carry shield on dodger character?
It won't block, but vs CS actually work?

vs Ranged applies to dodge too. curious about the CS too.

 

[Eyestabber]

I don't know. It's p. gamey, but I remember some people saying it worked in AoD.

Elhoim?

 

[Fenix]

I just think about two shields, because now you can use daggers from belt. ))

Also Eyestabber - can you explain this moment - if you stand near someone, and this someone tried to walk away from you, e.g. alchemist type to throw bomb, sometimes you strike such disingaging person, and it is not the damage that great, but if you hit, that person won't do anything in their turn, which is PRETTY invaluable in case of alchemist.
Sorry for my bad Engrish.

 

[Absinthe]

If a dodge build can obtain a shield's defense bonuses, dodge might actually be viable for a solo run.

 

[AndreGAS]

The value of a sword is inversely proportional to your strength score and alchemy skill. The other perk of swords is that you start with an actual sword with +5% THC and some hardness on top for denting. Since it does flat damage it also benefits more from spamming fast attacks, which conveniently are most likely to hit. On the other hand they fall behind on slower hits.

Axes do more damage than swords as long as your axe does at least 16 damage on the swing, since the axe does 4 damage total. Early on swords are better, but later on you build a fast steel axe and start slapping whetstones on it and it will do 10-13 damage pre-strength, so with 10 str and 6 crafting you will have a 14-18 damage swing, which means you will do +4 damage on average, non-berserker. But those aren't fast attacks. The fast attacks do 11-15 damage. It's not until you have a blue steel axe with a 8 crafting whetstone that it will do 14-18 damage on fast attacks (which averages to 4 damage from special effect). You can get the damage higher sooner by using berserker potions. Also as far as I can tell you don't get multiple bleeds from a single attack, so just in case you had the bright idea to stack crit and use a sword for arterial strikes in the hopes of obtaining up to 3 bleeds on one strike, let me just warn you that you will be disappointed. If you love arterial strikes and crits, just go daggers.

Basically swords are ideal damage boosters for characters with strength below 10, no critical strike skill, no whetstones+berserker potions, and a lot of fast attack spam. So in the end axes hit harder than swords but for most of the game swords are better. This goes back to Quintus from the three guys you can recruit for ants. If you give him the sword you looted last fight, he puts that weapon to good use.

Would you, please, share your Str 10 axe build from the very beginning for MP solo run in DR? Maybe, I do smth wrong, because with axe I cannot kill those three 120 hp total ants guarding way to the queen...

 

[Eyestabber]

Wait, so the Hasta schematic is in the game? I stand corrected. Well, just edited the posts.

Hasta is on the 2nd Dredger fight. Just got it on my new CHA 10 xbowman game.

 

[Trash Player]

The value of a sword is inversely proportional to your strength score and alchemy skill. The other perk of swords is that you start with an actual sword with +5% THC and some hardness on top for denting. Since it does flat damage it also benefits more from spamming fast attacks, which conveniently are most likely to hit. On the other hand they fall behind on slower hits.

Axes do more damage than swords as long as your axe does at least 16 damage on the swing, since the axe does 4 damage total. Early on swords are better, but later on you build a fast steel axe and start slapping whetstones on it and it will do 10-13 damage pre-strength, so with 10 str and 6 crafting you will have a 14-18 damage swing, which means you will do +4 damage on average, non-berserker. But those aren't fast attacks. The fast attacks do 11-15 damage. It's not until you have a blue steel axe with a 8 crafting whetstone that it will do 14-18 damage on fast attacks (which averages to 4 damage from special effect). You can get the damage higher sooner by using berserker potions. Also as far as I can tell you don't get multiple bleeds from a single attack, so just in case you had the bright idea to stack crit and use a sword for arterial strikes in the hopes of obtaining up to 3 bleeds on one strike, let me just warn you that you will be disappointed. If you love arterial strikes and crits, just go daggers.

Basically swords are ideal damage boosters for characters with strength below 10, no critical strike skill, no whetstones+berserker potions, and a lot of fast attack spam. So in the end axes hit harder than swords but for most of the game swords are better. This goes back to Quintus from the three guys you can recruit for ants. If you give him the sword you looted last fight, he puts that weapon to good use.

Would you, please, share your Str 10 axe build from the very beginning for MP solo run in DR? Maybe, I do smth wrong, because with axe I cannot kill those three 120 hp total ants guarding way to the queen...

I really had to use up all the nets this fight and that took tons of reloads.
It is by far the most RNG intensive fight in a solo run.
Btw, how do I use the stat boosting machine? I get all 3 jars, 10 in all physical stats as a solo psycho.

 

[Fenix]

10 in all physical stats as a solo psycho

Add Perception.

 

[Whisper]

Would you, please, share your Str 10 axe build from the very beginning for MP solo run in DR? Maybe, I do smth wrong, because with axe I cannot kill those three 120 hp total ants guarding way to the queen...

Try killing them with dagger, with axe its easier

You have low attack skill (since you go for defence) so aimed attacks miss a lot for dagger, but for axe you do Ok dmg with just fast strikes, which are viable (dagger fast attacks are not vs their armor).