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Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning |OT| An Enemy-Pounding Funfest

I absolutely love the Plains of Erathell and especially the Forsaken Plains. The amount of diversity in comparison with the previous area's of Dalentarth and Detyre is much better. I do find it a rather strange level system that the enemies scale to your level the minute you first enter a region, and it stays there no matter what level you are after that. Never seen that kind of leveling in other RPG's.

I am Level 27 now. Still have not managed to get a full armor set for my finesse character. I currently got 2 pieces of the Wanderer armor that I obtained in the Forsaken Plains so I am hoping that that will be my first complete set. I still got 5 quests in that region and they all need me to go into a dungeon or cave so I am hoping that the chests and loot drops in there actually give them to me or else I am going mental.
 

Victrix

*beard*
The set items are useless in this game.

Set items are a bad piece of game design in general, but they're downright stupid in a game like this where you quickly outlevel the pieces before you have any chance of finding them all.

If the set pieces generated magnetism on more pieces of the same set, or if you were flat out guaranteed to find more of a set while wearing it, or if you could turn in quest rewards for a set, or, or, or, you get the idea.

Basically don't worry about set items and you'll find better stuff anyway ;P
 
The set items are useless in this game.

Set items are a bad piece of game design in general, but they're downright stupid in a game like this where you quickly outlevel the pieces before you have any chance of finding them all.

If the set pieces generated magnetism on more pieces of the same set, or if you were flat out guaranteed to find more of a set while wearing it, or if you could turn in quest rewards for a set, or, or, or, you get the idea.

Basically don't worry about set items and you'll find better stuff anyway ;P

While I agree that there are better purple pieces I do find the aesthetics of the orange sets a whole lot better. While we can all blacksmith our way to overpowered armor I actually like the feeling of wearing a set of armor that took me some fights to get where I want to be.

The one thing they should have done with the leveling of set pieces is that they should not just drop in two specific regions but in the entire world. I do not want to travel back to a region I have already done and where enemies are seriously underleveled just to get a complete set. It is a very dumb system.
 

Aaron

Member
I'd say the whole loot system in the game is pretty dumb. 1-2 hours into the game all white items are useless, but you get tons of them, and either waste time picking chests that end up worthless or keep having to divest yourself of this garbage. Then it's not long before you can just make stuff that's better than anything you'll pick up.
 

Sophuis

Neo Member
I regret buying this. Even though the game is a blast to actually play.

Why?

Because I hate elves. All of them, whatever their color or creed, or bullshit fantasy name. I hate them, and their stupid ears and their fucking trees and their uppity attitude, and how horribly "perfect" they are. They make me sick.

I should have known. This was written by R.A. Salvatore, the guy who made... Drizt. Or however many fucking z's or apostrophes there are in that abomination's fucking name.

The setting, background, writing and dialog of this game annoy me to no end. I've put in over thirty hours only by merit of how fun the actual game is.

But these fucking elves... Their constant harping on mortals or "children of dust", that sense of entitlement, that superior tone and that insultingly surprised reaction whenever you do anything moderately more impressive than wiping your ass.

And this world is so boring. Fuck's sake, the stereotypes in this setting. Uppity elves and tech-savvy gnomes, Jack-of-all-Trades humans carving out a living. But even these things are dull. Elves know their place in the scheme of things from beginning to end, acting out ballads again and again. Even the gnomes have a caste system.
The only reason I'd even consider finishing this game is because the character, being fateless, can throw all that shit into disarray.

That, and I can murder elves. Repeatedly.
 

Apeboy

Member
I regret buying this. Even though the game is a blast to actually play.

Why?

Because I hate elves. All of them, whatever their color or creed, or bullshit fantasy name. I hate them, and their stupid ears and their fucking trees and their uppity attitude, and how horribly "perfect" they are. They make me sick.

I should have known. This was written by R.A. Salvatore, the guy who made... Drizt. Or however many fucking z's or apostrophes there are in that abomination's fucking name.

The setting, background, writing and dialog of this game annoy me to no end. I've put in over thirty hours only by merit of how fun the actual game is.

But these fucking elves... Their constant harping on mortals or "children of dust", that sense of entitlement, that superior tone and that insultingly surprised reaction whenever you do anything moderately more impressive than wiping your ass.

And this world is so boring. Fuck's sake, the stereotypes in this setting. Uppity elves and tech-savvy gnomes, Jack-of-all-Trades humans carving out a living. But even these things are dull. Elves know their place in the scheme of things from beginning to end, acting out ballads again and again. Even the gnomes have a caste system.
The only reason I'd even consider finishing this game is because the character, being fateless, can throw all that shit into disarray.

That, and I can murder elves. Repeatedly.


Point to the spot on the doll where the bad elves touched you.
 

ParityBit

Member
So far (I am level 30) I would say my biggest issue with this game is balancing. As a designer and developer I know this is by far the hardest thing to do in games. Especially ones which are this dynamic (ARPG's)

But there are signs that some more time should (I hope for Amalur 2!)

  • The fact that you can out level parts of the game. I just walked into the plains after completing the starting woods and the desert, and everything is gray. The xp you earn on fights should have been lowered at least!
  • Crafted items are way too powerful. I just ignore crafting and run around with the items I find and I still destroy everything.
  • Obvious game difficulty.

It almost feels like a handful of people sitting down to play the game would have come up with this list. Maybe the people testing the game enjoy (told?) that you should feel overpowered, but in all honesty, that's how boredom sets in! As gamers we are competitors just like any athlete!

Anyways, just a random little vent. I really enjoy this game and I want to see it successful going forward! The combat is so refreshing. Add to that loot and you have a grand old time. Maybe add some co-op in the second one!
 

Ricker

Member
Am I going to fast for the House of Ballads quest line...? the second Boss fight(or Story thing) is impossible for me right now on normal(I'm level 13,with all Sorcery skills,no might and no Finesse)...so after dying 3 times,I just ran out of there and continued some sidequests.
 
Are daggers unambiguously superior to faeblades? I've used daggers for the majority of the game and got this sweet looking pair of faeblades called Doves Wings or some such. Anyway in using them I noticed that they caused absolutely no hitstun despite hitting a million times in the space 2 seconds. That and there are so many intermediate hits that my criticals are wasted on hits that only do 100 damage compared to criticals at the start of my dagger chain doing 250-300 damage and up to 900 on the last hit. This is with a pair of daggers that does a combined 96 damage compared to the faeblades that I mentioned that do 150 or so.

The only way I could see it being a useful weapon is for a Might build with Relentless Assault and Battle Frenzy.
 

jonhuz

Member
Yeah, Detect Hidden is maxed, there's no way to get to them.

As best as I can guess, it's a bug; the one in Gorhart looks to be under/in a big rock to the right of the chapel, you can see where if you stand up where the Fae chick meditates all the time. The one in Klurikon is out in the blackness of the Northeast of the map, above the hunter's camp, it's the region North of Seawatch and South of the drowned forest.

At first, I thought the one in Gorhart became available after completing the story, but it didn't; and that the one in Klurikon was accessed by a path that doesn't show on the map until you walk it (like the one that led to a set piece of armor earlier), but it wasn't.

Had this same problem and one other so far, in Blackenhall. A chest lodged behind the first wall. The other walls open and close, but this one stays shut.
 
Am I going to fast for the House of Ballads quest line...? the second Boss fight(or Story thing) is impossible for me right now on normal(I'm level 13,with all Sorcery skills,no might and no Finesse)...so after dying 3 times,I just ran out of there and continued some sidequests.
Is that the one with the threshers? Your level sounds about right. To dodge their underground magic attack thing, roll like a half second after they slam the ground, not before or as they're hitting it. Can be tricky when there's multiple guys on the screen at the same time though. Also, I'd recommend not extending your melee combos to the final hit (I'm assuming you're using chakrams and/or staves), because they take too long to recover. Since you're a mage, try to keep one stunned with lightning bolt while you whittle them down.

If all else fails, wreck their shit with reckoning mode.
 

Ricker

Member
Is that the one with the threshers? Your level sounds about right. To dodge their underground magic attack thing, roll like a half second after they slam the ground, not before or as they're hitting it. Can be tricky when there's multiple guys on the screen at the same time though. Also, I'd recommend not extending your melee combos to the final hit (I'm assuming you're using chakrams and/or staves), because they take too long to recover. Since you're a mage, try to keep one stunned with lightning bolt while you whittle them down.

If all else fails, wreck their shit with reckoning mode.

I don't think that'S the place...it's in Guarduath or something(my game is in french) and I'ts the story about kidnapped people...there is a lot of Neocrims around the guy and he shoots every elemental spell at me(whirlwind,fireballs etc etc,Torosa I think he is called)) I even tried Reckoning mode and was doing no damage to him)
 

Naeblish

Member
So far (I am level 30) I would say my biggest issue with this game is balancing. As a designer and developer I know this is by far the hardest thing to do in games. Especially ones which are this dynamic (ARPG's)

But there are signs that some more time should (I hope for Amalur 2!)

  • The fact that you can out level parts of the game. I just walked into the plains after completing the starting woods and the desert, and everything is gray. The xp you earn on fights should have been lowered at least!
  • Crafted items are way too powerful. I just ignore crafting and run around with the items I find and I still destroy everything.
  • Obvious game difficulty.

It almost feels like a handful of people sitting down to play the game would have come up with this list. Maybe the people testing the game enjoy (told?) that you should feel overpowered, but in all honesty, that's how boredom sets in! As gamers we are competitors just like any athlete!

Anyways, just a random little vent. I really enjoy this game and I want to see it successful going forward! The combat is so refreshing. Add to that loot and you have a grand old time. Maybe add some co-op in the second one!
I don't get this either, i don't even have to play the game to realize that having 6hp regen per sec (which you can easily obtain with sagecrafting) with a total hp of about 150, is extremely overpowered. It's like you said, it almost seems like they want you to be an untouchable god, completely ignoring the consequences of that.
 

LiK

Member
tried out the demo,thought it was fun, but was immediately put off by the dungeon defenders-ish art pallet. It's so ugly it's offensive. Beast Wars offensive.
the beginning cave is nothing like the rest of the open world areas in the game. look up screens or gameplay videos of the other sections. so pretty.
 

Wallach

Member
So what is the highest level weapon you guys have found? I'm not quite at level cap still (almost 37) and the highest one I've come across requires level 22 (a 150-ish damage longsword). Haven't actually swapped over to Universalist like I planned yet, but I just found that one and it made me a little salty that I didn't since my main weapons are a fair bit weaker than that find.
 

LiK

Member
So what is the highest level weapon you guys have found? I'm not quite at level cap still (almost 37) and the highest one I've come across requires level 22 (a 150-ish damage longsword). Haven't actually swapped over to Universalist like I planned yet, but I just found that one and it made me a little salty that I didn't since my main weapons are a fair bit weaker than that find.
I found a unique (purple) ice hammer (forgot the name atm) and it has 206 dmg.
 

Wallach

Member
I found a unique (purple) ice hammer (forgot the name atm) and it has 206 dmg.

Yeah, the hammers are definitely the highest damage weapons. I have a 250-ish damage one in my stash, though I think that one only requires level 18 or something. Wonder what the highest level ones deal.
 

Risible

Member
I regret buying this. Even though the game is a blast to actually play.

Why?

Because I hate elves. All of them, whatever their color or creed, or bullshit fantasy name. I hate them, and their stupid ears and their fucking trees and their uppity attitude, and how horribly "perfect" they are. They make me sick.

I should have known. This was written by R.A. Salvatore, the guy who made... Drizt. Or however many fucking z's or apostrophes there are in that abomination's fucking name.

The setting, background, writing and dialog of this game annoy me to no end. I've put in over thirty hours only by merit of how fun the actual game is.

But these fucking elves... Their constant harping on mortals or "children of dust", that sense of entitlement, that superior tone and that insultingly surprised reaction whenever you do anything moderately more impressive than wiping your ass.

And this world is so boring. Fuck's sake, the stereotypes in this setting. Uppity elves and tech-savvy gnomes, Jack-of-all-Trades humans carving out a living. But even these things are dull. Elves know their place in the scheme of things from beginning to end, acting out ballads again and again. Even the gnomes have a caste system.
The only reason I'd even consider finishing this game is because the character, being fateless, can throw all that shit into disarray.

That, and I can murder elves. Repeatedly.

I can dig where you're coming from.

I detest how when I'm fighting with Alyn and there's a huge battle where I wreck everyone's shit and afterwards she says something like "Well that was easy." NO SHIT IT WAS EASY I'm stabbing faces left and right, what the fuck are you doing?

And I really hate how at the end of the game she implies I better not say anything to anyone or she'll come take care of me. Bitch, I just killed the unkillable god that was causing you to shit your pants, what on earth makes you think you could even come close to touching me?!
 
I thought that too, but I started flying though the game when everything turned gray on me!
Yeah, I saw where you mentioned that. I wonder how likely it is for the same thing to happen to me? I think I'm level 24 or 25 right now but I'm purposefully avoiding using Reckoning mode or anything else that increases my XP so I don't over-level myself too early. It's kind of a weird feeling for this type of game, actually...

HAHA, you haven't even reached Klurikon yet. :)
Does it take forever to get through Klurikon or something?
 

ParityBit

Member
Yeah, I saw where you mentioned that. I wonder how likely it is for the same thing to happen to me? I think I'm level 24 or 25 right now but I'm purposefully avoiding using Reckoning mode or anything else that increases my XP so I don't over-level myself too early. It's kind of a weird feeling for this type of game, actually...

I have used Reckoning mode twice I think and I never use an XP potion or weapon XP bonus. I am hoping once I get through the plains and across the water things will be colored again, but I may be level 35+ at that point at this rate! Granted sometimes caves have Yellows for me which is nice, but I plow though them like butter and I don't even have crafted items!

Game is still fun though. :)
 

LiK

Member
Yeah, I saw where you mentioned that. I wonder how likely it is for the same thing to happen to me? I think I'm level 24 or 25 right now but I'm purposefully avoiding using Reckoning mode or anything else that increases my XP so I don't over-level myself too early. It's kind of a weird feeling for this type of game, actually...


Does it take forever to get through Klurikon or something?
It's a different continent so yea ^^
 
I have used Reckoning mode twice I think and I never use an XP potion or weapon XP bonus. I am hoping once I get through the plains and across the water things will be colored again, but I may be level 35+ at that point at this rate! Granted sometimes caves have Yellows for me which is nice, but I plow though them like butter and I don't even have crafted items!

Game is still fun though. :)
Yeah, it really seems like very little consideration was given to balancing the game for players who made it a point to finish all the side-quests (much less those who take full advantage of sagecrafting, blacksmithing, alchemy, etc.). I'm limiting myself to no blacksmithing or alchemy as well, only sagecrafting, but the game hasn't been even remotely difficult in ages.

I'm still loving it, I just hope some good balance tweaks make their way out sometime soon (preferably before I finish the game).

It's a different continent so yea ^^
It's weird because usually I finish games in an average amount of time, but for some reason this game really brings out the completionist in me. I'm even taking the time to talk to every NPC and listen to all their dialog.
 

LiK

Member
^ same here, I love the lore and the NPCs are interesting. I dunno how many hours of dialogue they recorded but its amazing.

btw, you'll meet tougher enemies in newer areas later. I was pleasantly surprised how tough they were even on Normal. the battles are fun again.
 

Kelegacy

XBOX - RECORD ME LOVING DOWN MY WOMAN GOOD
I am about 12 hours into the game and like it a lot, though I think it has many flaws. I'd rather have a true open world RPG like Skyrim that has a sandbox element about it, but this type of game can be lots of fun too.

Most encounters feel the same, where you are mobbed by 5 enemies and usually you can predict when they will happen. The game is too easy on Normal mode I think. Also, I've changed my armor for a Might-speccing character 3 times in a row and it looks exactly the same. Would like a bit more diversity, but perhaps it will change as I progress? Conversations are irreleveant, as you always know what dialogue option to pick to start a quest (and who exactly to talk to in town to get quests). You can skip most NPCs in the game entirely, and I have stopped asking all questions to characters I do speak with because they are not relevant to the story. In games like Skyrim, you never know who will give you a quest until you speak eith them. It compells you to speak with almost everyone, whereas in Amalur it's so streamlined you can skip talking to most everyone.

I'm in Ettinmire right now, just doing side jobs. Once I explore each area on foot I'll start relying on fast travel more probably. Exploring the world the first time is fairly fun, but it's too empty and devoid of "Oh snap" moments to keep trudging through.

I think that's one thing I miss, is those "Oh snap" moments, where anything can happen. Just wandering through Skyrim you can encounter many of those, but again, that game is more of a sandbox. Amalur is more of a streamlined, consolized RPG with the fluff stripped away. Much like Fable tried to be. Amalur does it 10x better I think.

I'm having a ton of fun, something I didn't think would happen after the demo failed to impress me much. But I picked it up cheap and I'm glad I did.

I like it for what it is, but hope they change a lot of things around for a sequel if it happens.
 

Kem0sabe

Member
I can dig where you're coming from.

I detest how when I'm fighting with Alyn and there's a huge battle where I wreck everyone's shit and afterwards she says something like "Well that was easy." NO SHIT IT WAS EASY I'm stabbing faces left and right, what the fuck are you doing?

And I really hate how at the end of the game she implies I better not say anything to anyone or she'll come take care of me. Bitch, I just killed the unkillable god that was causing you to shit your pants, what on earth makes you think you could even come close to touching me?!

Yeah... in fact
she threatens you again in the final cut scene letter. Silly piece of writing that has no place in the game, the entire "secret order" thing is a mess story wise.
 
Him and everyone else who can't sit back and learn about the world are more wrong. Sure, it's a bit dry at times but it's optional.
Yeah, I feel like the game would be so much less enjoyable if I was just rushing from story quest to story quest. I love how every region in the game has its own unique feel to it and I feel like a lot of that would be missed if you didn't take the time to explore and talk to everyone (or at least most of the NPC's).
 

LiK

Member
Yeah, I feel like the game would be so much less enjoyable if I was just rushing from story quest to story quest. I love how every region in the game has its own unique feel to it and I feel like a lot of that would be missed if you didn't take the time to explore and talk to everyone (or at least most of the NPC's).
it still boggles my mind that every named NPC has a backstory you can ask them about. really cool.
 

scy

Member
Yeah... in fact
she threatens you again in the final cut scene letter. Silly piece of writing that has no place in the game, the entire "secret order" thing is a mess story wise.

I actually liked the
letter itself, though the threat was hard to take seriously. And the order is kind of a joke. I do like that her appearance in Dellach is to silence a Tuatha beforehe says Tirnoch though, a nice touch. Even if they spout Tirnoch in their combat lines and everyone knows the name Tirnoch anyway. I guess the PC and her were shitty at their day jobs
.
 

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
Him and everyone else who can't sit back and learn about the world are more wrong. Sure, it's a bit dry at times but it's optional.

I attempted to learn about the world for hours. It's dull as hell. Any of the cool concepts are explained in 2 seconds and immediately forgotten about

'Hey Fae die then come back. That's it'
'Hey we have a Fae city for 5 quests. Ok that's it. You'll never see one again'
'Hey here's a Winter Fae. He's just here to tell you to go kill Tuatha like the rest of them are.'

The game is absolutely tedious past the first couple of hours.
 

neojubei

Will drop pants for Sony.
I found a unique (purple) ice hammer (forgot the name atm) and it has 206 dmg.

I have that same ice hammer. I think some the Jotten guys have the same hammer too.


I wish this game had a Karma system, so when you choose the evil choices in the faction quests it will reflect on the entire game.
 
So when will I start making money? I ended up getting some purple faeblades from the first house of ballads quest, and I don't even have enough money to repair them. It's like 6k to repair them. I've also seen all the trainers for skills starting at 15k.

I'm not buying any weapons, I'm not doing anything but repairing gear and selling the crap I find. I've only played about maybe 8 hours or so but I didn't think I'd run into an issue with money so early in the game.

Suggestions? Or is this how it is?
 

LiK

Member
I attempted to learn about the world for hours. It's dull as hell. Any of the cool concepts are explained in 2 seconds and immediately forgotten about

'Hey Fae die then come back. That's it'
'Hey we have a Fae city for 5 quests. Ok that's it. You'll never see one again'
'Hey here's a Winter Fae. He's just here to tell you to go kill Tuatha like the rest of them are.'

The game is absolutely tedious past the first couple of hours.
Have you done the Faction quests? They prolly do the best job at explaining the lore without being too dry. House of Ballads was pretty great at explaining what the Fae are.

I think most people get burnt out over the sidequests which I haven't done much of. But the ones I have done have been entertaining and explained other aspects of the world that I thought were interesting. The politcal stuff is really boring tho.
 

sneaky77

Member
So when will I start making money? I ended up getting some purple faeblades from the first house of ballads quest, and I don't even have enough money to repair them. It's like 6k to repair them. I've also seen all the trainers for skills starting at 15k.

I'm not buying any weapons, I'm not doing anything but repairing gear and selling the crap I find. I've only played about maybe 8 hours or so but I didn't think I'd run into an issue with money so early in the game.

Suggestions? Or is this how it is?

you can use repair kits to repair stuff, also much cheaper to buy those
 

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
Have you done the Faction quests? They prolly do the best job at explaining the lore without being too dry. House of Ballads was pretty great at explaining what the Fae are.

I think most people get burnt out over the sidequests which I haven't done much of. But the ones I have done have been entertaining and explained other aspects of the world that I thought were interesting. The politcal stuff is really boring tho.

I did all the quests. The House of Ballads is the only set of non-main quests in the whole game that is even remotely interesting. Travelers goes on for far longer than it should just to prolong what you've figured out by the first 3 quests. I don't even remember the name of the Warriors faction that's how unmemorable it was.

I would consider the House of Ballads part of that interesting first couple of hours. It's the first faction set you can complete.
 
Can someone give a rough estimate of how much content there is on the eastern side of the map? I just left Rathir last night and have 77 hours logged so far. Reckoning has easily become one of my favorite games this generation.
 

LiK

Member
I did all the quests. The House of Ballads is the only set of non-main quests in the whole game that is even remotely interesting. Travelers goes on for far longer than it should just to prolong what you've figured out by the first 3 quests. I don't even remember the name of the Warriors faction that's how unmemorable it was.

I would consider the House of Ballads part of that interesting first couple of hours. It's the first faction set you can complete.
I just finished House of Sorrows last night. I loved that quest. I couldn't quite grasp the concept but it was a fun questline.
 

Wallach

Member
Can someone give a rough estimate of how much content there is on the eastern side of the map? I just left Rathir last night and have 77 hours logged so far. Reckoning has easily become one of my favorite games this generation.

Klurikon seems about as dense as Detyre, which I thought went a bit quicker than Dalentarth or Erathell. That said, I still haven't been to two of the zones there still and I think I've been in Klurikon for around ten hours. It's also a lot more engaging in terms of difficulty in my opinion, with a regular supply of the more interesting enemies in the game.
 

Hobbun

Member
you can use repair kits to repair stuff, also much cheaper to buy those

Speaking of repair kits, do they max out at a durability number that they can repair? I’ve used one a few times now and it’s always repaired up to full.

It’s so much more expensive to have your armor/weapons repaired compared to using the repair kits. Don’t see why you would ever have them repaired by a blacksmith. The only downside of the kits is using up inventory space, but that is such a minor downside. The inventory space is not enough of a deterrent to have your things repaired by a blacksmith, IMO.
 

daedalius

Member
Well Celerity doesn't seem to really affect the swing speed of greatswords much at all.

Might be time to switch back to Finesse/Magic build.
 
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