[Andrewww]

OK so I started a fresh G3 playthrough with Community Patch 1.75, Alternative Balancing On and Alternative AI on Medium.

I know that there are some major changes with AB On vs Gothic 3 vanilla and I wanted to know if anyone has some tips and tricks on the most efficient way to play as a pure mage, expecially early on (first 30 levels).

Step 1: I killed the orcs and Ardea and looted everything
Step 2: I arrived in Reddock at level 5 and I invested all my LP in Ancient Knowledge (+50 AK)
Step 3: Once I hit level 6 and enough gold I went back to Reddock and purchased the Learn Quickly perk (which required 50 AK)
Step 4: Finished almost all the quests in Reddock, Ardea and Cape Dun except those involving liberating cities (killed Ortega and his gang, avoided killing any orcs or rebels) and hit level 11. Meanwhile, invested another 30 LP in AK (80 AK + another 6 that I got from tablets = 86 total) and purchased Fireball spell.
Step 5: Reached Faring at level 11, 23 LP available, decent amount of gold (can't afford anything expensive though).

I didn't open any Metal Chests since I don't have the skill.

My questions are:

Where can I find a decent armor and staff ?
Where can I find a good ring or amulet in early game ?

The Hashishin in Cape Dun sells a quarterstaff but it requires 110 strenght which I don't have (need 5 more) and it doesn't offer any mana bonuses. Also, I didn't find anything useful in terms of armor, rings or amulets.

Should I start spending LPs on thieving skills ?

Pick difficult locks requires 6 LP + 30 thieving skill (which i have only around 15 or so) so that's 2 levels wasted if I want to do that (21 LP). I know there is a pick locks spell in the game, should I wait and learn that instead ?
Plus I'll need Make excuses for another 5 LP if I wanna loot Reddock, Cape Dun and Faring. It will certainly bring in more gold but maybe there's an easier way to get a bunch of decent items (maybe a ring that gives +10 to thieving ?).

My objective is to get 200 AK as soon as possible and then purchase Regenerate Mana (I should be able to do that before level 26 or so) but I'm not sure if it's feasible. Any suggestions ? Maybe there's a mage robe that offers Regenerate Mana ?

[CrashMorraKan]

i ALWAYS get "learn quickly" in level 2. you seriously want someone to write a whole guide for you how to play a pure mage? try and experience yourself, like i did. reached lvl 93 as dark mage. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcNDZL0Fpk4) a tip: don't learn any thieving skills. if you need STR go fight in the arenas and focus ONLY on mana and AK

[Kraszu]

You get free light Armour in Braga for a quest, there is also normal Armour in Hammer Clan for 100 ore but that is much harder to get.

I don't recall + thief rings or amulets but that would be useless since you can only learn perks based on your own stat bonus doesn't count into that.

Learn how to make mana potions, you will want to learn how to make potions that add stats later on, there is no need to spend LP to learn alchemy you will learn enough from reading books, you only need to learn how to brew potions using LP.

For cash, and for doing some quests, hunting skills are better then thief skills. Bow is pretty decent help as well to save on mana use early on, and rapier is decent weapon for start because of its speed. You can also get allot of cash from crafting but to craft you also need hunting skills since the recipes need skins, and you will not find enough. Maybe you could not make the Cape Dun quest, and not give the wolf skins, that would allow you to craft plenty of bastard swords but it is too late for that now.

Battle mage is definitely and option you just need about 5 levels to get to 180 str (+bonus str from fighting on arenas) get El•Bastardo•that adds master swordsman as a bonus. (but I am not sure if you can buy it or only craft it).

You will be very powerful at high level. I was 60 lvl near the end of the game. I used some LP for thief skills (but I advice against that, hunting skills are better), and crafting skills, and some fighting skills, and I was semi god any way, army of darkness + Summon lightning even at lowest 275 AK is very strong so you don't need to be perfect just make sure that you will have enough LP for those. On hard I did go to Rhobar throne room summoned army of darkens, and killed everybody I had to back to tower, and cast second army of darkness but still try to start a fight like that with a warrior even on medium. It makes you feel pretty powerful, with warrior I did summon golem from scroll outside of his throne room, his guards had run out I had killed him fast looted what I needed, and teleported out :P. I could just kill them all slowly by backing into the city but I had just gone through allot of big fights like that so I wanted to try doing that in a different way.

Learn Bloodlust you can make NPC fight each other with that spell, use it either to not fight them all at once yourself, or to loot NPC that gets knocked down.

Tame animal, and summon skeleton are good for a start, you can fight with they help, and save some mana.

You can save LP or protection from heat, cold, poison, and disease better, you have potions for the later two, for heat you will have that bonus from the Armour, for cold either get Armour there or just don't travel at night or in a bad weather.

[KeeperUTX]

I'm currently playing G3 with a battle mage, but I can tell you that there's not much difference in a pure and battle magician. It's pretty fun to experience the whole thing yourself, and see which type of spells you like the most (My char has varying spells from each of the categories.), and then pick the category that they're in. Example : You see that you like the animal basis spells, and choose to become a druid, or you see that summoning skellies is kickass, and you become a black mage.

Also, if you time it right, the Fog spell is an excellent getaway spell in melee to magic situations!


@CrashMorraKan : Wait a second, that was YOU in that vid?! Holy Rhobar!

[Andrewww]

i ALWAYS get "learn quickly" in level 2. you seriously want someone to write a whole guide for you how to play a pure mage? try and experience yourself, like i did. reached lvl 93 as dark mage. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcNDZL0Fpk4) a tip: don't learn any thieving skills. if you need STR go fight in the arenas and focus ONLY on mana and AK

Well that's what I'm trying to do...I'm not looking for a guide, just some pointers in the right direction. Because this game is so huge and I don't have a lot of spare time I can't just experiment by reloading 5 hours after I invested my LP in something that isn't useful.

I already played this game a few years ago as a swordfighter and it was very boring, that's why now I'm going for a pure mage build. I want to rely solely on spells and maybe a staff if anything gets close. I did the same thing in Gothic 1 and NOTR but I knew those games inside out so I could maximize my skills in the first 2 chapters and became super powerful in the third one.

@Kraszu, does the Open Locks spell work on every chest in the game ? Even those with impossible locks ?
I definitely don't wanna play as a battle mage, I'd rather have more mana than more strenght. I'll go to Braga once I complete most of the easy quests in Myrtana. I'll need to make a decision between hunting and thieving. I'll probably go for hunting but don't you need recipes and the smithing perk to craft swords ? The problem with hunting is that I don't have enough mana regeneration plants or potions to kill many creatures. I can rely on the bow I guess but it takes a lot of time to do anything. So I'd rather do quests and thieving would be more convenient because I could "clean up" all the villages in one night, sell everything and make some cash without much effort. Hunting would definitely help more in the long run. Decisions, decisions...I'll see what happens, maybe I can get by without getting either :P before level 25.

By the way, using fireball in arena fights really helps. That wasn't possible in Risen but they don't seem to care in Gothic 3.

[KeeperUTX]

Hm? They ignore fireballs in arenas? Well, shame that I've become the champion of every arena already, I could have used that... Unless there's an arena in Ishtar Though I always considered the use of spells in arenas cheating.

[Andrewww]

Yea, it's a matter of timing. I usually cast a fully charged fireball so they go on fire and then I push them back with normal ones until my mana is gone. By the time I take out my quarterstaff to finish them off they're at less than half HP.

You could say it's cheating but since the melee combat system is frustrating I call it evening the odds. If this game was like Gothic 1 or 2, I could've won 90% of fights without using magic.

Step 6: I'm almost done with Faring, I don't think I'll get access to the Castle but that's OK because I easily gained 4 levels just by doing quests. I also bought a +5 strenght ring from a slave as you enter the town (250 gold). Then I learned staff fighting and I equipped the quarterstaff which is way better than the orc slayer. I also got another 20 AK and now I'm well over 100 AK. Next step is to get summon skeletron so I can make my life easier while I move on. I hope it's available at the Beliar shrine near Cape Dun.

[Kraszu]

@Kraszu, does the Open Locks spell work on every chest in the game ? Even those with impossible locks ?

It should, the scroll works like that, but I didn't even learn that spell since it was so late into the game when I had found the teacher for it, download interactive map if you want to see, but for the first play through with a mage that seems a bit like cheating. Well you will get it very late anyway.

I definitely don't wanna play as a battle mage, I'd rather have more mana than more strenght. I'll go to Braga once I complete most of the easy quests in Myrtana. I'll need to make a decision between hunting and thieving. I'll probably go for hunting but don't you need recipes and the smithing perk to craft swords ?

Yes but it doesn't cost allot because you only need to learn to craft from ore, but you need wolf skins to make bastard swords, they will give you big monetary boost at start. And learn better mining unless you had mined already, then I guess it isn't worth it to get smith skills at all. You might get only hunting skills, that is tone of money sell skins to hunters because they pay more for them.

The problem with hunting is that I don't have enough mana regeneration plants or potions to kill many creatures.

Don't eat plants, make potions from them.
It cost only 3LP to make mana potions, and "Potions•with•permanent•effects" are well worth the LP so you will have to learn making mana potions anyway.

I can rely on the bow I guess but it takes a lot of time to do anything. So I'd rather do quests and thieving would be more convenient because I could "clean up" all the villages in one night, sell everything and make some cash without much effort. Hunting would definitely help more in the long run. Decisions, decisions...I'll see what happens, maybe I can get by without getting either :P before level 25.

Even with making excuses you can't steal all, but you can steal allot, heck you can steal a very decent amount even without learning any thief skills, just see what is worth to steal first since they will get suspicious after some number of stolen items [no idea how the game calculates money that you loot is taking one coin counted the same as taking a treasure (both one item) does the game base it on overall cost of looted items (don't seem to be case but hard to say)].

You might only learn to open hard locks, in hard locked chest there is plenty of open locks spells so you will should be able to open allot of impossible locks with just them.

You could say it's cheating but since the melee combat system is frustrating I call it evening the odds. If this game was like Gothic 1 or 2, I could've won 90% of fights without using magic.

The way to fight G3 in melee is to relay at block as little as you can, move back + strife left/right wait for a good opportunity to attack (usually after they try some fancy heavy attack) attack after 1-2 blows move back, and wait for another opportunity, gets pretty hard on hard when 3 NPC try to attack you at once, but it is doable. The other thing is using special attacks yourself stabbing has long range, and ignores any block other then shield, spinning attacks should be started at right distance as well.

[CrashMorraKan]

@CrashMorraKan : Wait a second, that was YOU in that vid?! Holy Rhobar!

@KeeperUTX yes my friend, it's me there.

[Andrewww]

Yes but it doesn't cost allot because you only need to learn to craft from ore, but you need wolf skins to make bastard swords, they will give you big monetary boost at start. And learn better mining unless you had mined already, then I guess it isn't worth it to get smith skills at all. You might get only hunting skills, that is tone of money sell skins to hunters because they pay more for them.

I'm not interested in smithing. I used it last time and I wasn't impressed. The best recipes were in Nordmar if I can recall and by the time I get there I'll have enough gold to buy anything (hopefully).

Don't eat plants, make potions from them.
It cost only 3LP to make mana potions, and "Potions•with•permanent•effects" are well worth the LP so you will have to learn making mana potions anyway.

You're right but the recipes cost a lot of money. It's 1000 gold to learn the mana potions skill and 500 to buy the recipe that uses mana plants (which are rare compared to mushrooms). The one that uses mushrooms costs something like 2000 gold

Even with making excuses you can't steal all, but you can steal allot, heck you can steal a very decent amount even without learning any thief skills, just see what is worth to steal first since they will get suspicious after some number of stolen items [no idea how the game calculates money that you loot is taking one coin counted the same as taking a treasure (both one item) does the game base it on overall cost of looted items (don't seem to be case but hard to say)].

Basically you can steal 1/3 of the items or something like that before they start getting suspicious. The first time you get away with it. The second time (when you steal like 2/3) you have to bribe them (and that may not work) if you don't have "make excuses". What I can do (at least it worked in 1.6) is that I can steal every single thing at night (when there's less movement) and avoid the guards until I'm done. After that if I bump into a guard, I can "make excuses" and get away with it. Otherwise I'm screwed. Plus the most valuable items are usually in chests that cannot be opened without the pick locks skill. So if I decide to invest in thieving I'll spend the extra 5 LP for make excuses.

You might only learn to open hard locks, in hard locked chest there is plenty of open locks spells so you will should be able to open allot of impossible locks with just them.

The problem is that I need to invest 2 full levels (20+ LP) in this skill which will hurt me later on. I might have to do so if things don't work out.

The way to fight G3 in melee is to relay at block as little as you can, move back + strife left/right wait for a good opportunity to attack (usually after they try some fancy heavy attack) attack after 1-2 blows move back, and wait for another opportunity, gets pretty hard on hard when 3 NPC try to attack you at once, but it is doable. The other thing is using special attacks yourself stabbing has long range, and ignores any block other then shield, spinning attacks should be started at right distance as well.

I find it easier to fight humans in this game vs beasts. With humans I can just dance around them and time my attacks but against beasts I always get hit even though I maintain my distance. That's why I'm gonna rely on my trusty skeletron from now on.

So it's done, i'm officialy broke...less than 100 gold.

I learned the summon skeletron spell which cost me 5000 gold or something close to that because of 2 other useless spells that were required.

I made a savegame right before this big decision and I'll see if I can get to Montera with 10 mana potions and no gold. I sold all my useless weapons and pretty much everything of value (that I didn't need) to do this.

Seeing how massive this game is I think that mana regen should've been included right from the start.

[Kraszu]

I'm not interested in smithing. I used it last time and I wasn't impressed. The best recipes were in Nordmar if I can recall and by the time I get there I'll have enough gold to buy anything (hopefully).

Just for the record broad sword recipe is in Myrtana, and one costs 8k, you can make allot of those.

You're right but the recipes cost a lot of money. It's 1000 gold to learn the mana potions skill and 500 to buy the recipe that uses mana plants (which are rare compared to mushrooms). The one that uses mushrooms costs something like 2000 gold

1.5k isn't much. Save before buying the mushroom recipe it can be 5 to make one potion (some for healing require 5 plants per potion) but I never had to use it since I was battle mage.

Basically you can steal 1/3 of the items or something like that before they start getting suspicious. The first time you get away with it. The second time (when you steal like 2/3) you have to bribe them (and that may not work) if you don't have "make excuses". What I can do (at least it worked in 1.6) is that I can steal every single thing at night (when there's less movement) and avoid the guards until I'm done. After that if I bump into a guard, I can "make excuses" and get away with it. Otherwise I'm screwed. Plus the most valuable items are usually in chests that cannot be opened without the pick locks skill. So if I decide to invest in thieving I'll spend the extra 5 LP for make excuses.



The problem is that I need to invest 2 full levels (20+ LP) in this skill which will hurt me later on. I might have to do so if things don't work out.

Sure make excuses is worth it when you invest in open locks anyway. I wouldn't be so scared about 20LP, that will be 10AK difference later on when it cost 2LP per one, or 80 mana but above some point getting more mana isn't that important anyway.

I find it easier to fight humans in this game vs beasts. With humans I can just dance around them and time my attacks but against beasts I always get hit even though I maintain my distance.

With beasts it depends I could never time wolf very good, but for most strafing, and going back is enough, strafing is important since even if they have big reach it is only in straight line so you avoid it.

Seeing how massive this game is I think that mana regen should've been included right from the start.

I disagree, that would simplify the game too much, you are just too scared to spend even few point on skills that makes you potions, and money, that is the problem. Just calculate about 60lvl is the minimum that you will have near the end I tend to not do every quest, and I don't fight with everything that is near me so I tend to be under leveled, and I was 60lvl. Calculate how many LP that, and you will get plenty of AK from tablets, and from choosing God later on +25AK +50 mana. You don't need to put every point into mage skills you can be much more liberal with them.

Just the skill that makes you mana would likely be enough, but you really don't need to save that much LP, unless you want to reach 254 AK as fast as you can, and read stone tablets later on then wasting as little LP is important, otherwise it is fine to get some other skills as well.

[Andrewww]

I see what you mean. I was trying to reach 200 AK as soon as possible and then save another 30 to learn mana regen. That's 23 levels + another level wasted on quick learning. But since I'm level 15 already and I did only 1 quest in Montera I'll take it slow from here. By the time I reach Varant I think I'll be well over level 24. I already know that one of the water mages teaches mana regen but I'll have to find out who. As for open locks I have no idea.
The skeletron really helps, he doesn't do much damage but he's resilient.

I'll save up some gold and spend it on learning how to skin animals, teeth and such because there are some quests that require it and I can make some money. I already killed a lot of wolves and it's too late now to invest in forging weapons.

If I were to restart from the beginning I would probably do that first but this is not a walkthrough so I'm playing for fun even if I make mistakes.

I will complete all the quests that's for sure. I'm the completionist type, I listen to all the dialogues, do all the necessary steps. I never got to finish it so I'm hoping that I can do that even if it takes a couple of months lol. Once I get mana regeneration everything will become much easier. 200 AK should be enough, I don't think I'll spend more LPs once i reach that. I'll focus on mana and i'll learn to make permanent potions but I still have a long way to go.

[CrashMorraKan]

i want to see if you can surpass me, make to level 85 at least.

[Andrewww]

It depends if i'm patient enough to kill everything on the map. There are tons of hidden caves in this game.

Last night while I was going to Montera I found 2 goblins sitting around a campfire in front of a cave. I kill the goblins and I enter the cave which initially was full of meatbugs. There were dozens of them. I kill the meatbugs and then when I look right there's a shadowbeast sleeping among meatbugs. There's blood everywhere and I'm like: OK, i'm gonna see if I can take him out. So I shoot an arrow and guess what...2 other shadowbeasts wake up further in the back where you couldn't see them because it was dark. It's safe to say that I used my running skill to its full potential. That's why I love these Gothic games.

[CrashMorraKan]

Hehehehe

[Andrewww]

I've been busy lately so I couldn't play much.

Today I finished pretty much all the quests in Montera (except killing an army of bandits), got 100 reputation in Okara (it took me a while to find all those people scattered around) and I'm heading to Silden followed by Geldern.

The good thing is that I used the NPCs to clear a lot of creatures, especially that fire mage who helped me kill 5-6 ripperbeasts, 3 shadowbeasts and a troll :P
I arrived with less than 100 gold in Montera, now I have about 14,000. I learned how to skin animals and to brew mana potions (also bought the cheap recipe to make them with mana plants). I also found a ring for +10 mana but otherwise I'm still using the armor from the beginning of the game and the quaterstaff. No new spells either but AK is at 150+ and I saved up a lot of LPs.

So what other spells should I learn before mana regeneration ? Is the firesword any good ?

[C-Hawk]

Andrew, there are some Magic Chests scattered across the world, they contain all sorts of valuable stuff.
From the 20th or so they become interesting and contain pretty neat stuff..
There is a map of them somewhere - on the forum?

[Andrewww]

Will check them out, I actually installed G3iMap now that I learned the open locks spell.

I read that all the interesting staffs are in those chests which sucks because it would be more logical to find them at vendors. Many of the vendors carry junk.

Anyway, quick update:

1. Found a Mage's Staff in Geldern on a table in the shaman quarters, gives +40 mana but it does very little damage (only 25). I use that when I cast spells and a Blade Staff (which I bought from the Hashishin in Silden for 1000 gold) when I run out of mana (it does 95 damage + 15 protection against blades). You also need to learn Magic Staves and Staff Fighting II to use them.

2. I leaned the Improve Robes perk and I bought the cheap Leather Garb (which counts as a robe if you check out the AB manual) so you basically get double stats (makes it as powerful as the armor you get in Braga much later on) immediately after I finished with Okara.

3. I also found a +20 mana amulet somewhere and I'm done with 90% of quests in Sildern, Geldern, Trelis and Nemora.

4. I also finished most quests in Braga, Lago and Bagaresh (only those involving liberating cities or killing nomads are left). I still have some work in Ben Erai and Ben Sala (which I pretty much avoided because I wanted to learn mana regeneration first). There's also Mora Sul and the surroundings ofc.

5. I learned Mana Regeneration from Bakaresh (you need 75 reputation first to access the temple and a mage there will teach it for 10,000 gold and 30 LP).

6. Right now I'm level 41 with 25 LP left, 302 AK, 270 mana (without items), Summon Demon learned (as soon as I got to Trelis), Ice Lance (around the same time as Demon) and finally Open Locks in Braga from the water mage you meet in the ruins.
I didn't spend anything on thieving so for 10 LP the Open Locks spell is a much better investment. The downside is that I didn't open any metal chests until I got to Varant. Now I have to backtrack from the beginning of the game.

I'm also pretty low on gold (about 11K) but I have a ton of junk to sell (and animal skins).

Next objective is to learn Flame Wave and Ice Wave (good for groups of enemies), Banish Evil (for the undead in Varant), Staff Fighting III (not sure if it's gonna make any difference) and Make Excuses (need 25 thieving skill and I have around 23 just from quests) so I can finally rob every city in Myrthana :P Oh and Make Permanent Potions is also critical.

So far it's been a pretty good experience. Not as frustrating as I thought. I made a few savegames and tried a few spells. Tame animals was decent but pretty useless overall (if you have the demon), Bloodlust only worked in certain situations. Sometimes I would have to cast it 2-3 times before they would start attacking each other so it's not a spell I would recommend. Healing is useless since healing potions and meat is plentiful.

It sucks that the most powerful spells (Time Lock, Rain of Fire, Army of Darkness etc) will only be available towards the end of the game but I must say that Ice Wave + Flame Wave is a killer combination. You can end the game with those two.

Also, i don't think I'll be able to afford better armor anytime soon. The Dark Mage armor is crazy expensive, the Druid one is cheaper but I don't like how it looks (plus it still costs a lot of gold). We'll see what happens but I might have to learn how to smith weapons and Prospector, those are the money makers in this game but hopefully I'll make a good fortune cleaning the cities as a thief.

[fragonard]

Thanks for the update, I learned a few things from it which is good since I'm about to start a pure mage playthrough.
About better armor, you'll get Adanos robes for free which has 55 base, pretty good for a robe.

[Andrewww]

Yea as soon as I finish with Ben Sala I'm going to Mora Sul to search the temple.

Oh and btw, don't sell the First Paladin Helmet, it has good stats and you get it for free.

So today I learned the 2 spells (ice wave and flame wave) + banish evil. Also, some traders give double gold for skins notably one of the hunters in Faring and outside Silden, also the thief in Reddock and the guy who sits on a bench in Nemora pay double gold for chalices, caskets and other such items.

After selling my stuff and buying the spells I'm now left with about 43,000 gold and 1 LP at level 41.

Banish Evil is definitely better at killing undead. A full charged fireball won't kill a zombie and a full charged ice lance does even less damage but Banish Evil kills them in one shot.

Ice wave takes 135 mana to cast and you need to cast it at least twice when facing a lot of monsters (like for example the sandcrawlers near Ben Erai) so there goes 270 mana and you need another 90 to cast flame wave. Even after all that some of them will survive. Best thing is to have at least 450 mana so as soon as I hit next level I'm gonna get some more mana.