Wild time guess, is that it is probably 5 hours worth of resource grind to fully max out the hidden blade in this. I am about 2/3 of the way, mine is purple.
So guys, just assume that enemy level is their level of body fat, you gotta have better weapons to cut deep enough! :p
I could, and I probably would.
I’m level 15 and have yet to encounter an enemy the blade doesn’t instakill, but I am making a point to upgrade it. Unless the upgrades get super grindy, I don’t see it being a major issue the way I play the game, which is to alternate a story mission with 2 or 3 side missions and a bit of hunting.
Made it to Alexandria, although haven’t made any kills with the hidden blade yet as I just got it. Still, been a fun ride so far.
I do find it interesting that, in the past year, two major franchises have decided to ditch their previous gameplay styles, and go for more of an open world feel. Now, personally, I liked ME:A, but even I can admit that - at least based on my experiences thus far - AC:O is definitely the better game. Taking the year off did it some good. And maybe EA should have let ME:A cook a little bit more.
If the game is ‘grindy’, I don’t notice it - because I always play games like this by doing everything I can to be as overpowered as I can by the time I do the next main mission. So this pretty much fits right into my wheelhouse. Also, the horse riding is about as well done as I’ve seen in a game.
Also also - I’m not sure why my picture from Facebook is showing up now as my avatar or whatever. Ah well.
There would be no point in having swords and upgradable weapons and levels if you could always instantly kill someone with your hidden blade.
I dunno, I love this game but I feel like I shouldn’t be playing it for too many hours a day, in case I get tired of it. I am one of the people who likes to finish all side quests and question marks, but if I’d do that for like… 8 hours a day, I’d probably be annoyed by it in the end.
So I try to mix it up with something else, when I start thinking “MAN another god damn crocodile??”
But still, I love it.
And the patch: did anyone else have trouble with the brightness? When I installed the game, I actually had to crank up the brightness to max to even faintly see the symbol, so I thought something was wrong with my TV and had to adjust the settings there as well to see anything at all.
I just installed the patch and started the game, and it was so bright I couldn’t see the ground around me. Checked the brightness setting, and it was completely different.
(I play on PS4)
I guess it’s back to “normal” now.
No one is saying that. In the older games (as you should be aware since you just finished a couple of them) the hidden blade is an insta-kill when you strike an unaware target. For example, in Syndicate, as a level 5 Evie, you might have a hard go of it in open combat against a group of level 9 baddies, but you could methodically and patiently assassinate your way through higher-level areas with the hidden blade. This game is the first in the series to change that mechanic. Striking an unaware guard a few levels above you results in a protracted fight.
That, to me, is a much more significant change than the more freeform combat.
And literally every other AC game has managed to handle upgradeable weapons and an insta-kill hidden blade. They work together just fine.
Have you played divinity 2? It’s not uncommon in any way, to have a main quest that is simply too high level if you just do the main quest. Witcher 3 would be eager difficult to complete as well without doing side quests.
Hmm, you’re right, I didn’t even think about the upgradable weapons in Syndicate (I haven’t really finished any of the other games, just played like 1-2 hours of AC1 and Black Flag).
I guess I don’t think too much about it since in Syndicate, I always keep to my own level, or one higher, since I really enjoy throwing hidden blades at people. I might be wrong now - but I don’t think they instant kill enemies that are higher level than you.
I can understand the frustration over this, but since I’m more used to the combat type they changed Origins too, this isn’t too disturbing to me.
Divinity 2 (and the first one) are a much more linear experience than an open world game, so I’m not sure that translates. I mean, you don’t end up much higher level than the developers want you to be when doing side content in something like Baldur’s Gate, either.
The Witcher 3 I was always way over leveled for the main story stuff, and the main story quests gave out just a shit ton more XP than side content did anyway, it was the fastest way to level up. They way @Knightsaber is describing it, he’s not staying on top of where the developers wanted him to be for the story stuff by only doing story stuff and a few side quests. At least not at the part of the game he is at around level 30 or so. I suspect if one were to be enjoying the moment to moment gameplay so much that wandering around, clearing out forts, finding and completing little side quests, looting and selling and buying and upgrading and all that stuff after 20+ hours is as much fun as they had in the first few hours, this isn’t really a problem. But it sounds to me like he’s getting burned out and is unable to simply pull up stakes and wrap the game on his own time table. Which is unusual for an open world game in some ways. Hell, Skyrim let’s you just follow the main story all by itself and never touch side content.
I think what makes this design a little more egregious is the idea you can indeed buy XP with real world money. If that wasn’t the case, this wouldn’t feel quite so insidious to me.
The Eurogamer article I linked above covered it pretty well.
If you do 3-4 side quests at your current level and you will level up. I believe I recall reading there are like 127 quests in game, so 40 levels into that is at least 3 side missions per player level.
Okay, this is getting into argumentative, since it seems you either don’t want to understand, or I am not explaining well enough, or its just another stupid internet argument, but - The fact that in Witcher 3, if you ONLY play the main mission, you will be severely underlevelled, and can’t complete the game, much less the add-ons, isn’t something that is open to discussion - it just is.
Whether you enjoy the games sidequests or not, is of course debately, but thats not what I argued. I argue that all rpgs, which is what AC:O tries to make itself into, has sidequests to make the world come alive - those are neccesary to be able to complete the main quest.
Skyrim is different, and a great example of HOW to do things, I’d say, but thats not what we have here. All I am saying is, its not that outlandish to have an rpg where you can’t just beeline the main quest, and expect to be able to do it.
That sounds right - I did notice that some quests give quite a lot of xp, and some dont, but I haven’t checked if the needed xp for next level increases as you level?
Sad this wasn’t in the game from the start.
I guess I’m remembering it wrong - I remember thinking every main story mission was trivial and I never felt like I was grinding. Maybe The Witcher 3 is a bad example, because the side content in that game is as strong (or stronger) than the main story, where as it sounds like AC:O is mostly about doing the uplay open world stuff like clearing out forts and rescuing prisoners over and over. That’s not a knock, I haven’t played AC:O yet and I’m only going with what I read here and heard on podcasts, but it sounds like the problem is “grinding” (and let’s just not even use that word, maybe it’s better to just say “playing”) AC:O isn’t as much fun as it is in other games.
My point about the ability to purchase XP stands, regardless. I know other games have that, but I usually attribute buying XP to sports games or shooters, not open world RPGs.
Well, you can’t purchase levels though in Ac:o , so there is that.
That’s good to hear, honestly. I was told you could buy XP packs with real world money.
Tom’s review is up:
That looks fantastic. I’m glad that will be in the game by the time I get to it. I’m only a few games behind. (7 games).
:D
Well its something to work towards!