Larian Studios Forums Divine Divinity (English) General charms and skill books

hi everyone
i'm new on this board
i started playing this wonderful dd game lately (now i reached the wastelands) and i have some questions:

1. golden charms - how many of them (average) is it possible to gather (find, buy) during one game? (until wastelands i found only one...) - i have some items not charmed yet (i.e. 5-slot helm of the dragon) - and wonder if to stuff it with silver or wait for golden...
2. skill books - i managed to buy/find some of them (about 15) - but all of them were way of the mage skills (i play as a survivor) - is it possible to find/buy survivor or warrior skills books?
3. i specialize in ranged attacks (elemental arrows rocks...) - i was given bow of hifin as a reward for a quest... is there a better bow in the game?
4. i noticed that items in dd give a huge boost to stats (especially health and mana...) - and i think that only agility deserves putting points in... strenght only to be able to wear a decent armor - constitution and intelligence - few or no points... for now this strategy works fine (i'm playing normal difficulty and don't have to buy potions at all) - i wonder if the game will turn more difficult in the wastelands?

and finally - a remark... i found a funny thing in dd - don't know is it a bug or intended feature... you have 4 primary stats in dd - just like in diablo - but with different names... dexterity (in diablo) is agility (in dd) - but when you find charms that add to this stat - the description says "adds a DEXTERITY bonus" - not agility...:)

greeting to all of you
thanks in advance for the replies
i begin the slaughter of the black ring...:)

Hi Archer

1 Golden charms are like cereal prizes in the Wastelands. You can buy them or find them. I would wait and fill your items with gold charms.

2. Don't know for sure but I thing only mage spells come in book form.

3. Not an expert on bows in the game, but I don't remember finding a better bow than the Hilfin bow. I still had it at the end of the game.

4. The game is dead easy in the Wastelands. I didn't find the bosses at the end very hard either.

Welcome to the Forum! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />

You can buy them in the Wlands from Kroxy--as many as u want.

Only mage books. Some equipment comes with survivor or warrior skills on it as u no doubt already know.

It is the only unique bow. You can find or buy a bow you might like better particularly at the elven village, but you never know. I don't know about the bows in the wlands for sale--I already had a bow I liked and stopped paying att'n to the stats on bows for sale.

No it will not get harder except for Josephine. Imo once u get your offense to 94% & defense to 19% you don't need any more points in agility--check offense & defense every time you lvl up and assign stat pts. Strength boosts your dmg and how much u can carry. Intel is probably useless (AMD is better anyway.) If u have a skill that is heavy on mana then put a gold charm in later for mana. Constitution? Can't hurt.

Welcome to the forum. Enjoy.

Before going to the wastelands I had 6 gold charms, and found or bought another 60 after that (I was collecting charms).


Welcome to the forum. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />

Like I said, this game is quite ripoff diablo... and they forget to change names of some attributes...

And by the way: Strength gives you extra damage and extra carry weight.

Constitution gives you nice stamina (useful for warrior) and some hit points too. My char has over 1000 hp...

Intelligence is neede for wizard... can't have too much mana...

Why rip off? Why not enhancement? Or another in the genre? Is Unreal Tournament 2003 a rip off of Doom multiplayer? Perhaps Diablo is a rip off of Nethack, or even Dungeons and Dragons?

Don't worry. If you feel it's a rip off, that's fine by me. I just seems a bit harsh to me. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Well, what are they suppose to call the attributes cause I don't know any other name for them....

Wait a minute...

Strength..
Dexterity...
Constitution...

Those were all in the game D&D and in the computer game Avatar 20 + years before
Diablo 2. That means D2 is a rip of those games. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />

D2 has Agility and Vitality, instead of dex and con...

Has everyone else failed to see the similarities between Diablo (1&2) and Divinity?

Interface is almost identically:
-Red bar indicates life, and it's on left.
-Blue bar indicates mana, and it's on right
-In the middle there are buttons for inventory, skills, etc.
-There's also stamina and exp bar between mana and life
-Four attributes, physical strength, agility/dexterity, Intelligency and endurance/vitality. Each of these attributes grants bonuses for same things in both games.
-When leveling up, you get skill point
-Attribute, level and item requirement scale is somewhat identical to D1
-Main plot is almost identical with D1
-Paper doll (equipment interface) is almost identical to D2, excluding leggins
-Character classes are identical to D1
-Enemy's health bar is identical to D2
-Some items have sockets
-Resistances are almost identical

Just a chain of coincidences...? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I've seen most of those similarities. Those ideas get re-used because they're good! Why should each game have to reinvent the RPG system? Personally, I much prefer Divine Divinity over Diablo 2 because it has more depth. I think Diablo 2 is a great game as well, and the similarities are blindingly obvious, but those ideas helped make both games great.

I think I see what's happening here. This is a guess, so tell me if I'm wrong. You have a tendancy to use stronger words than necessary, giving a different impression. (I do that too. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shame.gif" alt="" />) By "rip-off", you mean that it's similar, but you don't mean that Larian deliberately tried to remake Diablo under a different name or produce no original content. Is that right?

The point I was trying to make is that all these dungeon/adventure games are variations on a theme. Some games are simply smash and grab ( Diablo 1 and 2, Demise, Dungeon Hack) Quests are simple and mandatory. Bring back a black mushroom and so on. Others are more about plots and stories. Games like DD that have more quwst and optional stories. You can play DD very quickly by bypassing some of the quests but that would lose some of the flavor of the game.

All the things you are talking about are interface. How else are you going to display the information you need? It's kind of like complaining that all the driving games have steering wheels and gear shifts.

Don't view my comments as negative about any of the Diablo games. I have played them all for years. I have been playin games like these on computers for 25 years. Ever since Avatar and Oubliette came out on the Plato network. I stiil enjoy them very much.

But why to copy all the ideas from one game? And by the way, Diablo series has quite a depth if you just read the manual's story and books scattered around Diablo 1. Did you know that Diablo isn't the only super unique that you're fighting in both games? Warlord of Blood (D1) and Bartuc the Bloody are the same person/demon...




I'm just wondering that why Divinity looks and feels quite much like Diablo...

I don't agree <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Divinity's artwork is much more detailed than either of the Diablos so I don't think the general look is comparable. The interface does bare a resemblance but Diablo's interface was great, very easy to use. I wish that all RPGs used that type of interface. It makes going from one game to the next that much easier. Kinda like FPSs. W,A,S,D or arrow keys to move, mouse to look and shoot. If you played one, you can play them all.

As to the feeling, again, can't agree. The Diablos world felt kinda lifeless, whereas Rivellon seems to be teeming with life. Its all the inumerable little things that make the atmosphere of Divinity thrive.

I've played both Divinity and the Diablos many times and like them both. However, to me, they are completely different types of experiences.

Just my 2.5 cents <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

"I'm just wondering that why Divinity looks..."

Because Diablo is popular. The same thing happens with MS Office, etc. To expand on what LordMalis said, if there are a large number of people used to doing/seeing something a particular way, then that becomes the default 'intuitive' method. Programs in a similar category that try to do something too differently (even if it is 'better') risk support issues from people not being able figure something out, and poor reviews due to 'un-intuitive' controls. Sometimes the benefits outweigh the potential problems, but there are a limited number of ways to display menu buttons and health/mana status, with little practical difference between them. For the changes shown in the Beyond Divinity screenshots, there are many other games that have used health/mana bars beneath a character's icon.


"...and feels quite much like Diablo"

I didn't find that, except for much of the catacombs and wastelands. Even then, the mood was a little different.

I can see that <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> might resemble diablo but imho it doesn't resemble diablo at all.

A few thoughts from my side :

- Some gaming mags positioned or compared <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> with D2 - therefore such thoughts arirse. I don't think if the comparison hadn't been taken place, the thougghts abbout similarities would've arisen.

- Strength..
Dexterity...
Constitution...

They are in ALL RPGs. They are kind of international basic standard, comparing rule-sets of RPGs. They are everywhere, for example in The Dark Eye.

Well put and I might add that as a player, I have certain expectations when I buy an RPG. It's impossible to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, therefore many aspects of a lot of games will coincide with one another. It's an expectation of the targeted audience.

Look at all the fiction novels that have been published. It's said (and I don't know for a fact) that there are approximately 21 original plots. Everything written after that are 're-telling' of those plots through another person's point of view.

I'm a fan of fantasy novels. Therefore, when I look for a new book, I automatically have certain expectations. I know that whatever book I buy it will probably be about an unlikely character who is thrown into a world of chaos. That's it - that's the basic premise of most stories. That's what I expect and what I want. So, if another game appears to be like Divine Destiny or Diablo, so do another 100 that are out there. Developers design games to meet an audience's expectations which is exactly what Larian Studios did. (And did it quite well, I might add.)

Another 2 farthings for the pot. *g* <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />


Faralas

That's a thing I find terribly sad. It is *very* easy nowadays to call an author "to be unoriginal", and that's like a whip in the face to me.

I'm since last year developing my own fantasy universe (from which some friuts you can see in the story "The Adorant" in this board), and I try to keep away from any clichés. That is, however, extremely difficult, nowadays.

I which there was more than 21 plots, but I simply cannot say. It would be better for creativity, I think.

Oh dear, I didn't mean to step on toes. I'm terribly sorry. And I don't even know if the that saying about 21 plots is actually correct. But as a writer, you know how hard it is to develop your own voice and avoid those cliches. It's very difficult but for me, that's the 'fun' and challenge of writing.

I'm creating my own world too. I've been working on it for almost a year and trying to be 'original' is the most difficult challenge of all. Just when I think I've found a new angle, I pick up an author I haven't read before and find something similar to my idea. LOL It's rather frustrating at times. But always remember, no one can tell a story in your own voice - from your own point of view because it is unique. And that's what keeps me going.

Good luck and I'll take a look at "The Adorant". Thanks!

thanks for all the replies

omg i didn't want to start this "dd being a rip-off of diablo" thing...:) personally i find both this games superb. i just noticed those "dexterity" charms because i played diablo games before... someone said that all rpg games are variations on the same theme and this is true. but there are things in games that make me play some of them for months while uninstall others after a week...

actually i was looking for a game after a long period of playing diablo (i was a real diabloholic - i.e. playing on single mode till 99 level... of corse - archer <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> - i tried several games (dungeon siege, neverwinter nights) but it just wasn't it - until i started dd

most of my questions were a result of diablo habits (best possible weapon, best items...) - but now (i already finished dd) i see this is not that important. the game is very easy indeed (i ended with about 100 both health and mana super potions in the chest, maybe it's time to play again on hard) - and i think that if i had no enchant skill at all it wouldn't be harder (all the time i'm talking about the hack'n'slash part)

yes you can buy as many golden charms at kroxy's as you want - i was a little bit irritated having silver charms enchanted already...:) but - as i said - no problem - you play the plot with your character only once and don't have to build him/her "uber-divine" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

someone stated that strenght increase damage... with ranged weapon as well? and yes - i noticed no matter how high my agility was - the offence against enemies was always 94% and defence 19%... another thing - "augment damage" - i sunk 5 points in it - does it work with a bow?

by the way - i found bows better than the bow of hifin (my bow of hifin had only 2 slots anyway) - finished the game with a green hunting bow (damage 60-194)

phew - my post grows a little bit long...:) but the game is great and it makes me write about it... i'm just looking forward to beyond divinity!

PS raze: 60 golden charms? man, you were WEALTHY to buy so many... you must have took all those poor rivellon folks possessions...:)))

greetings