I liked that video. So this game has legs? That is great!
I am very glad Coldsteel twisted my arm and forced me to buy the game, very cool game, Battle Brothers on steroids. I started on easy just to get my feet wet and learn the basics (12 or so areas cleared). Once that was complete I start on normal. Wow that’s a jump on difficulty, I am getting beat up pretty good. I might have to go back to easy :)
I opted to get a refund but only because of backlog including games that appeared on the Best Games of the Decade poll that I’ve owned and not played much.
So now I have refunder’s remorse.
At around 9 hours in, still loving it.
Unlike @Coldsteel I have not found love for the Priest. Without mutations I found that I could use the very helpful aegis (reduce damage to 0 on next hit) too rarely for it to be helpful and it effectively reduced my combat-ready team to max 5 instead of max 6. This however is almost definitely a flaw in my play.
I really wanted to make a go with the War Monk. He can make leap movement which gives him terrific mobility both around terrain and through enemy zones of control. I had the idea to equip him with some amazing mutators that relied on critical hits (applied for all backstabs) and this kinda sorta works but he just isn’t hardy enough to withstand the beating he takes by effectively being within the enemy lines. Of course if I was using a Priest and applied Aegis to him first . . .
I am however finding great success and having fun playing with a combat team made of 2 Javelineers, 2 Hunters (ranged units) and 2 tanky characters, a Spearman and a Footman, although a Guardian might be even better. The Javelineers both have a “Support” mutator that gives them a free hit whenever any melee unit hits. I position them so that each melee hit will trigger both of them, and the enemy units just melt away.
With time to prep the Javelineers can also raise terrain. I use that to let the Hunters stand on high ground which often enables them to have a 100% chance to hit. With these guys safely behind my front line I have developed them to be damage heavy, and one has picked up a perk that gives an auto-critical following a rest / no action turn. Wow, this guy hits hard. At the early game and with a glowy silver crossbow I am seeing 300 damage on a hit compared to less than 100 from most units.
I reckon there are a good many alternative viable strategies!
Yes! It’s one of the best things about this game. I have turned my berserker into a walking machine of death. He’s maxed out the siphon life relic and so now has about 1800 HP making it viable to take on just about anything in the game face to face. He has mutators and equipment that heals on an enemy death and I have a duelyst focus mutator on him. Duelyst allows him to trade 3 blows with an enemy after his initial attack. So, he gets up to 4 attacks per turn using that. With his massive health pool, he comes up the survivor of a duel every time. And then he heals up any damage when the health traits kick in. His axe attacks crush armor so he’s always the point man for taking on the armored hulks. My javelinier has an acid mutator which causes his attacks to destroy 33% of an enemy’s armor so I use him as ranged support fire for the berserker. Between the two, armor just melts away.
I like to use mine when defending in fortresses to raise terrain at the beginning of the battle to close off one side and build a single choke point the enemy has to come through. Very handy when fighting against vastly superior numbers.
I wish could find another hunter or javelinier. I just have 1 of each. I’m swimming in assassins though. I have 3 of those. I just got a bloodknight and they are very cool with their charge attack, health leech and mansplitter attack.
That is another class I have not quite found a niche for yet. I find them a bit too squishy to risk having exposed to more than a couple hits. Their Mark ability is powerful but only if a battle allows for channelling of enemies into it. Are you getting value from them?
They are indeed squishy, like all the pure dps classes. I think you need to set them up with the right mutators and equipment and they can become monsters. I haven’t found exactly what I need yet for mine but I’m working on it.
Right now I have one with a rare steel sword that has Blood Curse (50% life steal when striking an enemy). Without armor and Hp, this is needed to keep him alive. He gets plenty of extra attacks from traits so that helps. I also have a Masochist mutator on him. That one causes him to do up to 100% more damage based on his amount of missing HP. Combined with Last Stand that means he can double his damage on attacks. I also have a Bleeding Criticals on him for even more damage. I still need something else good for that 3rd mutator slot.
Duelyst?
Yeah. It’s a focus ability that assassins have by default. But, I have a duelyst mutator that can give the ability to anyone and overwrite their normal focus ability with it. I gave it to my berserker since he does the most damage with it. His normal focus ability is 3X armor shatter.
Ah, so they have it already. Was thinking of your last slot.
I just learned that my footman may have a chance to absorb his mutator. I did not know that could happen. I guess that means it would open a slot for a different mutator. I wonder if you absorb one would that stop the additional of the same type of mutator? Anyway it has not happened yet.
Make sure you upgrade that mutator before it’s absorbed so that you don’t end up with a permanent HP penalty. They start with a -10% HP penalty but each time you upgrade it, there’s a reduction (from -10% to -6% to -3% to no penalty at level 4). Every upgrade past level 4 gives you bonus HP. I’ve been able to absorb 3 light foot mutators and was able to get them all upgraded to level 4 before it happened. And yes, it does free up a slot.
Traits don’t stack so it would not help to equip him with one of the same type after absorbing it.
Edit: You upgrade mutators by putting them in your inventory and then dragging and dropping one (of the same type) on top of the other.
I did not know you could upgrade them!
There is so much wonderful stuff going on in this game.
The game is on GOG now. If I knew it would show up there, I would have waited to buy it from there instead of Steam. Oh well.
Ditto. GOG is so picky these days I didn’t expect this. It must have impressed them. Oh, well. Maybe I can get it on GOG too one day through GOG Connect.
On the flipside, I haven’t caved and bought the game yet. So maybe I can balance things out in the future by buying it on GOG.
I started my latest campaign on the beta version per @Coldsteel write-up located above. It is a challenge (at least for me) to keep everyone healed. I thought that if I put someone on reserve they would heal slowly but it looks like you always need medicine.
How do you use and build priests?
They seem like dead weight to me, as the cost of their ability usually forces me to keep them away from the fight.
I really like the one that makes everyone in Merle range have a go at the target, but it doesn’t combo well with self removing 40% of your hp.
I use my Urtuk priest completely as support. No fighting. He has 1 strength, 17 vitality (576 HP) and 57 concentration.
He has one mutator equipped, ‘fast thinker’, that makes his focus ability available twice at the beginning of battle. Since his focus ability is aegis, and he can also cast 2 aegis on full health in addition, this means he provides 4 aegis at the start of every battle. This goes a long way. I almost never get anyone injured. I have 11 spare medicines stockpiled and I’ve never bought or made any.
At 57 concentration he has over 190% focus gain. So after casting 3 aegis and a lifesteal he hits full focus and earns another aegis and casts aegis on himself automatically at no cost. once things start dying he gains health fast due to ‘feast’ so he can cast aegis and lifesteal often, keeping my troops alive.
His mutation provides these traits: ‘mind of a genius’ (+25 concentration), ‘improvisor’ (when max focus reached, apply focus effect to self), ‘fast recovery’ (on taking normal damage, recover 40% health in 2 turns). Those all support his role as defined above.
After playing some more I am growing to like it more and more. Previously I compared it to Battle Brothers and while the games have lots in common the differences become more apparent. I would describe BB as more of a slow burn, the upgrades are important but subtle. In Urtuk the upgrades come faster and the affects are much more pronounced, characters can really change and get much more powerful. I also think there are more options in Urtuk on how you to want to handle a fight. Some battles are tight formations and others a free for all. It depends on the map and who you are fighting.