Looking for Arena tips

[Wyrmlord]

What is the quickest and easiest way of making money that does not involve mundane chores?

eg. Before I entered the first big dungeon in the game, Stonekeep, I did a couple of fetch quests in Rihad in order to get the equipment and spells I need to be completely ready. This is a long, boring one hour of walking around a city before the player character even has a full set of Plate Armour or a complete list of adequate spells. Plus, there is a limited number of jobs a day, so you are forced to squander a small portion of the day's wages on just sleeping in an inn until the next day. There has to be a way to speed up this process, because there will be more dungeons requiring better equipment/spells later in the game.

Also, the dungeons are really dark. You can't even see from where enemies arrive (they seem to spontaneously appear on the spot). Is there a way to illuminate everything you see?

 

[abnaxus]

Create a light spell or buy a magic item with light spell.

There's enough magic loot in the starting dungeon that you should be able to afford a plate armour right away. Though IIRC can't only pure warriors -who are otherwise unable to cast magic outside of magic items- wear plate armour? Better to play as a spellsword (can wear chain) and make an overpowered custom Shield spell for protection. Custom spells are important otherwise you'll need to waste money on tons of potions of resist fire/cold, etc.

There's not really any need for grinding random dungeons or sidequests (sole exception is perhaps the Daedric artifacts, but those are tedious) anyway, if you just advance through each story dungeon naturally you'll find enough leftover magic junk to sell.

 

[Wyrmlord]

1) I don't like to spend too much time on the starting dungeon. Ria Silmane tells you to head straight west then south, and warns you that getting greedy could mean the end of the player character i.e. you are exploring the starting dungeon at extreme risk, because rest there too long and a Nightblade or a Mage may appear and kill you. (Jagar Tharn is apparently watching you and sending people your way.)

2) Yes, only pure warriors can wear plate armour. I actually did multiple saves until Stonekeep - one with Nightblade, one with Battlemage, one with pure Warrior, to compare which one is best.

3) Isn't loot random and dependent on Luck? Either way, I'll take your advice and advance naturally through the game and not do any sidequests.

 

[abnaxus]

Only after finding a piece of the Staff of Chaos Jagar Tharn will send someone to kill you, IIRC. Last time I played I found a Longsword of Firestorm in the starting dungeon. Ridiculously overpowered that early and enough to breeze through the rest of the game.

Using a True Invisibility spell lets you nuke almost everything with impunity, only ghosts/wraiths, vampires, liches and daedra can see through it. For these enemies, a Reflect spell is necessary. Basically the same story as in Daggerfall.

There's at least one dungeon in the game where a pure warrior is completely defenseless unless he has a Daedric artifact like Spellbreaker.

 

[Wyrmlord]

If it is the same as Daggerfall, fine. A pure mage certainly could nuke through Daggerfall, using Invisibility, Recall, Levitation, and any AOE Destruction spell that gets absorbed back with Spell Absorption.

 

[eric__s]

If I recall, the money you get from quests is based on your level. You could get the same quest at level 1 and level 30 and the level 30 quest might pay 5,000 while the level 1 quest will pay 15. Money was always a lot harder to come by in Arena than Daggerfall though. Also, rangers are definitely the best class. Every level they get +1 damage to their attacks, so at level 30 they do a bonus 30 damage to everyone. Reguards also get +1 to damage every 3 levels, so a Redguard ranger is a real steamroller. There's no real reason to play a warrior over a ranger.

 

[Wyrmlord]

Yeah, doing town quests seems really pointless in Arena, then. I can't believe I wasted the time.

The manual says certain classes level faster than others. However, you seem to level very quickly in this game, irrespective of the class played. Even a Nightblade could gain five levels in the starting sewers. If that's a linear rise, one could probably reach level 30 after six dungeons. Does it matter how fast a class levels?

 

[eric__s]

Yeah, experience doesn't matter. It's not even something you're aware of most of the time. I think I was level 10 or something before I even went to Stonekeep.

 

[ScottishMartialArts]

Yeah, doing town quests seems really pointless in Arena, then. I can't believe I wasted the time.

The manual says certain classes level faster than others. However, you seem to level very quickly in this game, irrespective of the class played. Even a Nightblade could gain five levels in the starting sewers. If that's a linear rise, one could probably reach level 30 after six dungeons. Does it matter how fast a class levels?

Leveling gets much slower as you get further into the game. I think I was level 23 or so by the time I killed Jagar Tharn.

 

[eric__s]

The leveling sound effect is the worst. It's loud as hell and totally abrupt. It scares the shit out of me every single time.

 

[Wyrmlord]

It looks like Cure Disease is absolutely essential in this game. To not take it would make all your progress in a dungeon go to waste, as you may finish the dungeon diseased and return back dead.

I just don't recall contracting diseases in Daggerfall nearly as often as this game.

The combat and encounters in this game are easy. Everything else is difficult. The game leaves the player with a very hard time of managing things.

 

[Luzur]

the disease system is actually kinda bugged.

 

[Wyrmlord]

Why do enemies in this game appear out of thin air? It just doesn't make any sense. With a full Light spell and an Invisibility spell, I can be walking down a corridor and I can see Lizardmen and Minotaurs spawn in front of me.

I feel like I am playing a first person action version of The Bard's Tale.

 

[abnaxus]

Enemies respawn all the time, that's why you should focus on finishing dungeons as quickly as possible or it's going to get very tedious.

 

[Luzur]

yeah staying around in dungeons isnt adviceable, since they spawn even if you stay still/cover in some hole.

 

[Wyrmlord]

I figure the easiest solution is to do every artifact quest. Assuming that the artifacts are the same as in Daggerfall, a collection of Ring of Khajit, Spellbreaker, Ebony Armour, and so on will make for a really powerful character.

I was playing an Altmer Battlemage earlier, but he's just too damn weak. Somehow, I am more comfortable with a Redguard Ranger. Maybe with enough magic items, he can do whatever magic he needs to do.

 

[Black Angel]

Oh wow, nearly half a year since my last post in this site, and the first thing I do is necroing a thread from a decade ago?

Anyway, yeah, I'm trying to get into Arena. I had the Steam copy, and I'm looking for some tips. The controls are a bit too awkward, even for me who's proud of being able to master Gothic's controls. Any tips on it? I saw this video on how to alter the controls, do you think his suggestion is good enough? Or is there a better arrangement?

Also, his tips on changing the lines in the config file, I tried it but I couldn't really notice the difference. Is there something wrong here that I did, or perhaps it's because I'm playing on a secondhand laptop...

 

[LarryTyphoid]

Anyway, yeah, I'm trying to get into Arena. I had the Steam copy, and I'm looking for some tips. The controls are a bit too awkward, even for me who's proud of being able to master Gothic's controls. Any tips on it? I saw this video on how to alter the controls, do you think his suggestion is good enough? Or is there a better arrangement?

I beat this game a few months ago with the default controls. If a zoomer like me can do it then you can do it too. You'll get used to them. It's not worth it trying to remap them because you'll inevitably overwrite some sort of hotkey.

 

[CootKeeper]

Black Angel

I use this mod to remap keys: TES Arena Remapped

while you're at it, download this mod as well which updates the font (made by the same modder): TES Arena ReFonted

And this mod made by a Kodexer which increases view distance: Eye of Nocturnal

 

[Black Angel]

Anyway, yeah, I'm trying to get into Arena. I had the Steam copy, and I'm looking for some tips. The controls are a bit too awkward, even for me who's proud of being able to master Gothic's controls. Any tips on it? I saw this video on how to alter the controls, do you think his suggestion is good enough? Or is there a better arrangement?

I beat this game a few months ago with the default controls. If a zoomer like me can do it then you can do it too. You'll get used to them. It's not worth it trying to remap them because you'll inevitably overwrite some sort of hotkey.

Thank you for saying this! I shall try enduring the default controls for now. I've played a bit more, and I think I'm getting a hang of it. It's nowhere near as elaborate as Gothic's controls, too, so I should get used to it in no time.

Black Angel

I use this mod to remap keys: TES Arena Remapped

while you're at it, download this mod as well which updates the font (made by the same modder): TES Arena ReFonted

And this mod made by a Kodexer which increases view distance: Eye of Nocturnal

Thanks, bro, I'll consider installing those when I finally lose the battle against the default controls. The fonts I'll hold off for now since they're still readable, though perhaps the view distance would be nice, so I'll be getting that first.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

The leveling sound effect is the worst. It's loud as hell and totally abrupt. It scares the shit out of me every single time.

I loved it. Kim Kommando used it in her show for some announcement.

Need a vid with just the level up clip.

And objective completed:

 

[unseeingeye]

A few weeks ago I was replaying Arena with... an Xbox controller, lol. And it was awesome. It was just with Joy2Key and it worked very well. And of course Eye of Nocturnal.

KeighnMcDeath, I also love the level up sound!​

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Joytokey is pretty cool. I use it in conjuction with a special ubs controller adapter to use old controllers (9-pin) with games. I played Hellgate london with a fairchild controller, genesis gamepad, intellivision, colecovision and more. I'm on the fence about getting a new atari jaguar pro controller and its adapter. Kind of spendy. I should try arena with controllers.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

What is the quickest and easiest way of making money that does not involve mundane chores?

Selling loot.


Also a few tips:

There is Passwall spell in TES 1. It can remove almost any wall tile. So you can make your own way to the quest goal. It's awesome but highly unbalanced feature.

If anyone wants to give me some advice on decent spells they've created, I'm all ears.

Spell Absorption + Spell Reflection + Create Shield = Ultimate IMBA Spell

EDIT: And only then did I see the start date of the thread.

 

[mondblut]

I loved it. Kim Kommando used it in her show for some announcement.

Need a vid with just the level up clip.

Damn, that game felt so claustrophobic in the first dungeon. And then the thrill of ending up in a real big city! They don't do shit like that anymore. WIsh I were young and easily impressed again