pure combatfag RPGs

[Darth Canoli]

Another "free" game i overlooked for years, i'm not sure why but it's very good : ToME (Tales of Maj'Eyal )

It can be played in a rogue-like mode but it can also be played with an infinite lives mode and in the middle, for us not-rogue-like players but no birds of the year either, an adventure mode where you gain a couple of extra lives every now and then.

Difficulty modes as well, i suggest nightmare over normal, because unless you're alchemist, you get no gold on normal mode and you can't buy shit and have to rely on good drops (there is a lot of good unique and legendy but still)

Spoiler

I played a berserker on normal until i unlocked an archimage but finally, i played an alchemist on nightmare (because he has a "permanent" golem, i guess i'm not a solo RPG player ), it's far easier on nightmare so far, maybe because i know the ropes but money flows, i've gathered 10 times more gold in nightmare in half my berserker level from normal ...

The system is very good, quest and lore are amazing, re-playability is optimal (you unlock a lot of classes and even skill trees for some classes, races, super-"feat" ), the itemization seems very shitty at first but it's not so bad, you can deal with the game without meta-gaming.

The battle system seems simple but isn't and even the warrior type gets CC Aoe, very well made and addictive, there's even a lot of mods, along them some improvements for the auto mode (for early dungeons if you're restarting a new char, afterward, i'm not sure it's wise )

https://te4.org/

It's based on donation and the expansions are sold, the whole thing is also on GOG and steam.

 

[Major Seven]

ToME is a fantastic game. Also the paid DLCs are worth the money in my opinion and a guy like DarkGod should get support!

Difficulty modes as well, i suggest nightmare over normal, because unless you're alchemist, you get no gold on normal mode and you can't buy shit and have to rely on good drops (there is a lot of good unique and legendy but still)

If you're new to roguelikes, I would suggest to play on normal until you finished it for the first time. If you don't know what to expect, it'll be hard enought (especially the endgame/endboss).
On the other hand, it's absolute doable on nightmare if you like that kind of challenge ^^
Gold isn't really a problem, even on normal.

[...] there's even a lot of mods [...]

Better Item Description is my alltime favourite (it works with 1.5.10).

 

[Serus]

Another "free" game i overlooked for years, i'm not sure why but it's very good : ToME (Tales of Maj'Eyal )

It can be played in a rogue-like mode but it can also be played with an infinite lives mode and in the middle, for us not-rogue-like players but no birds of the year either, an adventure mode where you gain a couple of extra lives every now and then.

Difficulty modes as well, i suggest nightmare over normal, because unless you're alchemist, you get no gold on normal mode and you can't buy shit and have to rely on good drops (there is a lot of good unique and legendy but still)

Spoiler

I played a berserker on normal until i unlocked an archimage but finally, i played an alchemist on nightmare (because he has a "permanent" golem, i guess i'm not a solo RPG player ), it's far easier on nightmare so far, maybe because i know the ropes but money flows, i've gathered 10 times more gold in nightmare in half my berserker level from normal ...

The system is very good, quest and lore are amazing, re-playability is optimal (you unlock a lot of classes and even skill trees for some classes, races, super-"feat" ), the itemization seems very shitty at first but it's not so bad, you can deal with the game without meta-gaming.

The battle system seems simple but isn't and even the warrior type gets CC Aoe, very well made and addictive, there's even a lot of mods, along them some improvements for the auto mode (for early dungeons if you're restarting a new char, afterward, i'm not sure it's wise )

https://te4.org/

It's based on donation and the expansions are sold, the whole thing is also on GOG and steam.

What's nice about TOME is that it's designed as a roguelike in the sense that you get a lot of tools to survive (teleport skills and such) as in any decent RL but on the other hand there are other settings available as you mentioned. The middle one with "lives" is a good compromise imo as well between pure RLs play and having infinite reloads. It makes it a good introductory game for people who are not into roguelikes but would like to try (but are afraid of). Also the amount of classes and possible builds is really impressive.
Btw, it's one of the few roguelikes i have ever beaten - but only on normal/roguelike setting at most.

 

[Morm]

I'm currently playing Knights of the Chalice and I'm loving it, the combats are probably the best that i've seen in a rpg (but i'm still relatively new to the gendra).

What are your top5/10 combat focus rpg ?

Mine would be something like :
1. KotC
2. Underrail
3. DoS1
4. PoE 1
5. Shin Megami Tensei 3

 

[Martyr]

Morm
my top 5 combat RPGs:

1. Pools of Darkness
imo the best of the Gold Box games (which are all pretty good and also easy to learn (but hard to master) despite their old age)

2. Jagged Alliance 2
never played with the 1.13 mod, imo it's good enough as it is, but supposedly it's even better with 1.13. also note that JA: Deadly Games is indeed more combat focused than JA2 - the whole strategy part of JA1/2 is gone. for that reason I might even prefer JA: DG to JA2, but not sure since I've not finished JA: DG yet.

3. Temple of Elemental Evil
an absolutely awesome game, if you're not easily scared by bugs

Spoiler

and Bugbears, lul

. supposedly better with mods and patches, but again, only played vanilla. if you like KotC that much, be sure to check out ToEE and also Dark Sun 1 and 2 !

4. Elminage Gothic
for bringing back that Wiz1-magic.

5. Wizardry 8
imo a step back from Wiz7 but still an amazing game. you'll spend most of your time fighting (thanks to constant respawning enemies). there's also a mod that speeds up enemy animations, because they often take such a long time, especially when fighting hordes of enemies or some of them are in the distance and are slowly approaching.

 

[octavius]

Might&Magic 2
Dark Queen of Krynn
Pools of Darkness
Disciples of Steel
Nahlakh
Natuk
OpenXcom
Jagged Alliance 2
Icewind Dale

 

[Darth Canoli]

Let's play the list game :

• Temple of Elemental Evil (vanilla + Temple+), I would recommend playing without Co8 at first and also to overlook Hommlet (main village) quests, except those from the tavern, the church and the tower, the rest would drive you mad.
• Wizardry 8 (+ the two speed mods set to maximum )
  
• Fantasy General (great classic, still very playable, management/research + great tactics game + hidden heroes + spells and you got to play dragons or phoenixes ...)
  
• X-COM UFO Defense (and openxcom)
• Heroes II (best Heroes game, before the wait button era)
  
• Heroes V (initiative system and a compilation of the best mechanisms from the whole series)
  
• Knights of the Chalice
• Hearkenwold (got the better of the gold box system in a reasonably modern package)
• Original Sin 1 (didn't play it for a long time though, my memory could play me tricks )

 

[IncendiaryDevice]

What are your top5/10 combat focus rpg ?

Mine would be something like :
1. KotC
2. Underrail
3. DoS1
4. PoE 1
5. Shin Megami Tensei 3

If you haven't already, then Hordes of the Underdark is a must, core rules required in the settings (but allow the cheat of companions getting up after battle as they never allowed companion control, they're there mostly for their other features). I recommend this not because it's the best, but because it's one of my favourites & no-one else here is going to list it, even though it's one of the best D&D dungeon crawling adventures out there/ever made.

 

[Lilura]

Mine would be something like :
1. KotC
2. Underrail
3. DoS1
4. PoE 1
5. Shin Megami Tensei 3

Awful taste symptomatic of a Joined 2017.

though it's one of the best D&D dungeon crawling adventures out there/ever made.

You'd probably think pretty highly of Swordflight.

 

[Morm]

Well, I said that I was relatively new to the gendra, that's why I'm here...

But if you want to add something meaningfull to the conversation, you're welcome.

 

[ST'Ranger]

The sheer quantity of prestige in this thread summoned me directly back to the codex.

While Wizardry 8 is a fantastic game with arguably the best character system in any dungeon crawler, it does not compare to the refined slaughter that is possible in Wizardry VII. As you (like so many others in this thread) are a prestigious individual and have already played through the game before, I just thought I would heartily recommend another playthrough. Some of the advantages of Wizardry VII over its predecessor (regarding the combat):

a) No ground-pixel hunting to maximize spell effectiveness - all spells are either untargeted or target one of the enemy ranks.
b) The spells in Wizardry VII are more powerful, more fantastical. And the casters can eventually be brought up to the point where a word can slay an entire army of enemies (reliably).
c) Wizardry 8 foes tend to be bloated rather than dangerous. Wizardry VII has a larger web of more complex and deadly enemies which will mercilessly abuse status effects, powerful items, and the stronger spells available.
d) Even the most broad and complex fights are lightning-fast (just be sure your menu settings and DOSBOX setup are in good order).
e) With patience and insight into the character system, your party members can ascend to near immortality - dealing ever higher damage and causing ever more devastation, as God intended.

Pardon the contractual shilling of Wizardry VII.

If your spirits are in a more exotic agitation, I find the combat in Underrail to be very satisfying. It strikes me as a turn-based Deus Ex

Spoiler

with the distinction between "in combat" and "out of combat" to be very blurred. When you master the character system, the feeling of dominating an area full of enemies with your specialized killing machine simply cannot be found in other games. In the past, I have heretically referred to Underrail as "Wizardry 7.5: Fallout Edition" and feel that it captures not only the essence of the game but also the proper Prestigious(TM) approach to it.

Spoiler

But these days I much prefer restarting after reaching Deep Caverns.

 

[Martyr]

ST'Ranger agree with everything you're saying. Wiz7 is a top 3 RPG while Wiz8 is somewhere around places 5-8.
and Deep Caverns are an absolute pain in the ass, this section keeps me from replaying the entire game. but your approach of restarting after that point is indeed more intelligent.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Funny how Wiz7- fans seems to forgive every clumsy aspect of Wiz1-7.
Like drowning instantly after putting one foot in a fountain/river with a swimming skill of 40, the horrible sound effects, the hordes of monsters constantly assaulting you and popping out from nowhere.

Wiz 8 is better in almost every single aspect, the only thing wiz7 has for himself is probably the other adventuring parties.

d) Even the most broad and complex fights are lightning-fast

You must be mistaking with M&M 3 > 7
There's nothing lightning fast about wizardry 7 combat, except if you take high level char already but that would be true for every single crpg out there ...
Sure, you can kill peasants at an average pace (while it's lightning fast in Might & Magic)

 

[Martyr]

Like drowning instantly after putting one foot in a fountain/river with a swimming skill of 40, the horrible sound effects

when I first entered Aquavia in Grimoire I wanted to see what would happen if I step on a water tile and I instantly drowned - reminded me of Wiz7, nostalgia overload :D
the sound in Wiz7 is too damn loud, other than that it's pretty similar to other games of the time, for example Darklands. but yeah, Wiz8 certainly has better music than Wiz7.

 

[Comte]

Does Knights of the Chalice work on Windows 10? Also how long is the game? Is it as long as a gold box game?

 

[Morm]

It works fine on my Win10 PC, and I think it is about 20 hours long.

 

[Serus]

Does Knights of the Chalice work on Windows 10? Also how long is the game? Is it as long as a gold box game?

It isn't very long to finish but one of the reasons is that there aren't many things in the engine that waste your time that most games have. No lengthy animations, no cut scenes, not much text to read in general. It's almost pure combat game and the combat plays rather fast. Gold Box games were in my opinion slower in that regard mostly because of general interface clunkiness and that makes direct comparison hard to make.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Does Knights of the Chalice work on Windows 10? Also how long is the game? Is it as long as a gold box game?

On a first playthru, if you do everything, you might finish the game in around 35-40 hours.