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I am only 12 hours into my current solo tactician run but I am certainly having a blast and I will definitely continue. I've had so much fun I sincerely regret not keeping a better log of my character and her exploits.

I really wanted to go dwarf for the 5% dodging bonus (and dome of protection) and then later on I would stack more dodging. But, I ended up choosing Sebille because her special ability "Break the Shackles" seemed like it would prove itself more useful in more difficult encounters that I have yet to experience. Given my characters play style dome of protection would have been less useful (I move, hide, and sneak a lot). Like you, Bokajon, I wanted to choose an origin character to make my adventure more interesting and I am glad I did.

At character creation I chose Huntsman (Pin Down & First Aid) and Pyrokinetic (Haste). I planned ahead that I would be investing into at least Necromancer and Polymorph. I made sure to put at least 1 point into Wits to spot hidden caches because I knew I would be exploring every inch of the world looking for advantageous loot and planning attack strategies. I went with 1 lucky charm at character creation knowing that I would choose 1 in bartering as my next civil ability. I found thieving to be much more challenging (and less rewarding) solo so I decided to role play a different approach. Also, I needed the extra points to invest into Retribution since as a solo character it really adds up quickly. I will definitely get sneaking and thievery later on (the priority being sneaking). So far my Sebille has gotten by comfortably with her silver tongue and in my case her "needle" is for crafting because she primarily uses a bow for combat.


[u][b]Some tips I learned along the way:[/b][/u]
Early on before you expand your repertoire of abilities, try to be the same level or no more than 1 level below your enemies. I accomplish this by saving harder quest objectives for later on, exploring for xp, talking to everyone, and of course snuffing out the occasional innocent.

[b]Crafting[/b]
-Learn it, love it. Crafting junk into profit.
-Learn to craft your own special arrows!
-Do not undervalue Physical and Magical armor potions or any potions for that matter. For example, I haven't needed a single point into Geomancer or Hydrosophist and the only reason I got Milo's ring/Astarte's Tears is so that I can heal foolish neutral NPCs that I choose to "save."
-Grab an ooze barrel (and water and oil if your making arrowheads) and then use waypoint travel (the turquoise anchor looking icon to the left of your minimap) and teleport ability to put it near your favorite vendor. Right click on the ooze barrel and combine it with any weapons you plan to sell. On that note, if you plan to sell a lot to a particular vendor it's a good idea to get on their good side (give them gold or items for free to increase their attitude towards you - it varies for each vendor but I just get their attitude in the "green" zone - their attitude score text will change color).

[b]Bedroll & Food attribute buffs[/b]
-Great to get that extra strength to lift heavy coffins and move items around.
-More importantly, part of my "pre-combat-essentials."

[b]Flesh sacrifice + Elemental arrowheads on the blood[/b]
-Blood arrows add extra physical damage to your attacks.
-If you plan to stand still the blood from enemy attacks and Flesh sacrifice can be scooped up for vitality with Blood Sucker

[b]Clear Mind[/b]
-This buff also gives 20% accuracy which can be very useful for equipping bows (and other weapons? - I haven't checked) above your level which impose an accuracy penalty. Worth it for the initiative from Wits alone.

[b]Shackles of pain[/b]
-Excellent way to control the battlefield flow and if the enemy doesn't mind hurting their friends now you are essentially attacking an extra enemy while its not your turn. So far the animals in the game appear to care more about their friends than both the humans and undead (the undead being the worst offenders for killing their kin with reckless abandon).

[b]Movement in combat[/b]
-Combat abilities that allow you to re-position yourself for a decent AP cost are a game changer! Before I got my first one (tactical retreat) I had to use up to 2AP (and sometimes more) per round to kite enemies. Tactical retreat costs me 1AP to use and has the bonus of being able to re-position to higher or lower ground.

[b]Enemy AP denying[/b]
-Denying your enemy of AP they could have otherwise used to attack you is IMHO essential to a solo tactician run. Use the environment and your abilities to plan a battle carefully. Don't leave yourself exposed to the enemy with 1AP left. Re-position yourself such that the enemy is forced is choose a new target or waste AP walking/climbing.

[b]Ricochet[/b]
-If enemies decide to hide around a corner but there is an attackable object (eg. a barrel or a crate) within attack range, you can Ricochet off of the object and it will still fork and hit the enemies within range.


Since I didn't keep a more detailed log of my character I will detail my current abilities and talents.

[u]Sebille - Level 5 (94% xp to next level)[/u]

[b]Attributes[/b] (including Lone Wolf bonuses and +1 Con from gear)
Strength: 12
Finesse: 16
Intelligence: 10
Constitution: 15
Memory: 18
Wits: 14

[b]Combat Abilities[/b] (including Lone Wolf bonuses and +2 to necromancer from gear)
Retribution: 2
Huntsman: 2
Necromancer: 6
Polymorph: 1
Pyrokinetic: 2

[b]Civil abilities[/b]
Bartering: 1
Lucky charm: 1
Loremaster: 1 (from Elf racial Ancestral knowledge)

[b]Talents[/b]
Ancestral knowledge
Corpse eater
Lone Wolf
Guerrilla

[b]Memorized Abilities:[/b]
Pyrokinetic: Haste, Clear Mind
Necromancer: Blood Sucker, Shackles of Pain, Raise Bloated Corpse
Huntsman: Elemental Arrowheads, Pin Down, Ricochet, First Aid, Tactical Retreat, Barrage, Sky Shot
Summoning: Summon Cat Familier

[b]Abilities granted by items:[/b]
Teleport (Gloves of Teleportation)
Restoration (Astarte's Tears)


I just got done saving Garreth and after re-visiting the Sancuary of Amadia next I plan to attempt to take on the Arena at Fort Joy after Magister Orivand (tip: there is a reinforced crate in the corner tower where Orivand is that you can access from the swamp).

My next level I will probably be getting 1 more into Polymorph so I can use Heart of Steel. Despite my weakness to magic it's enemies with opportunist and high armor that actually give me the most trouble. Mages are easily handled so far with just magic armor potions, shackles of pain after stripping their low physical armor and focus firing. Eventually, I may also get the Phys/Mag armor regeneration buffs from Hydrosophist and Geomancer (Mending Metal and Soothing cold). Pumping Polymorph early on gives extra attribute points so I can quickly inflate my memory score. Also, I made a mistake in my planning and I over-valued Chameleon Cloak. Regardless, Spread your Wings, Medusa head, Chicken claw and more will make Polymorph more than worth it. If I had to do it again, initially I would probably choose Hydrosophist for Armor of Frost.

The adventure continues!

Special thanks to Larian!! I believe as usual you have outdone yourselves and created another work of art.