StoppedInTracks
Member
Yeah so I love this game and just wanted to share my experience with this little "challenge".
I am doing a SL1 (Soul Level 1) run of PoE on Hard with Expert Mode - first playthrough as well. Yeah you read that right - no levelling up, just like in Souls games. I think I am near an impenetrable barrier - the Forge Knights riots in Crucible Keep (just can't manage it on SL1) but we will see.
Just now I have finally beaten the hardest battle encountered so far - the Aedalwan's Bridge Party battle. I must have tried it at least 25 times... but finally they are dead with no casualties on my side. The two mages dropped Mage Tomes with LVL4 spells - highest I have seen so far.
The rules of my gameplay are simple:
- no levelling up - you can see Endurace points on the Party pic above. Almost every LVL9 mob kills my whole party in one hit. LVL4 mob kills one character in 1-2 hits.
- no buying stuff in stores with the exception of Stronghold Unique Items and that one ring that gave me Second Chance
- no crafting
- no potions
My equipment - all found thorough the game (Od Nua, Quests) or bought (Uniques) in Stronghold:
And my main char. Note the Experience Points Gained/ Required to Level Up. I can level up 8 levels now
This game is so fucking awesome that I am just having great fun with this challenge. I've cleared full 6 levels of Od Nua so far, almost all overworld maps excluding 2 Drakes in Pearlwood Bluffs and killed that bastard Banshee in Heritage Hill's NE house. Almost all side quests done that can be done at this point excluding Bounty Hunts. Also cleared the whole Raedric's Keep except the Raedric King himself!
Still to do:
- kill the Searing Falls Drake Boss (hard as nails)
- continue the Main Quest - Forge Knights attacking Crucible Keep. Now this is, I think, a major difficulty spike that is simply unbeatable at SL1
There were major breakthroughs in my strategies:
a) Second Chance. Lifesaver for Eder and my main.
b) learning that Firing Squad means Death. So I equipped all of my mages with Pistols/ Arquebuses.
c) finding a Ring with Combusting Wounds (a LVL2 Wizard spell) - helped me A TON
d) finding the usefulness of the spell that makes you invisible for 20 seconds - you can block passages this way (could not beat the Sanitarium battle without this)
e) finding the usefulness of Halt Priest spell - to stop motherfuckers in their tracks for 8 seconds etc.
f) finding Adra Beetle Summon figure. It has 10x the health than my main tank Eder, lol.
On SL1 every single ability counts, EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Stuff that you normally don't even think about on SL4 or SL10 on SL1 is gamechanging.
Hardest battles so far:
- Temple of Woedica ending. Had to reload at least 15 times.
- Heritage Hill's Banshee and 4 Justicars encounter
- that fucking Bridge Battle posted above
- 2 Drakes at the same time - manged to kill them only once!
I am pretty sure the game cannot be beaten on SL1 as this is an "Excel RPG" where math rules - not skill like in Souls games - but I just want to see how far can I push it. Last boss would probably kill me by sneezing, heh. Still, I can buy some Exceptional Armors and Weapons to help me. Or Potions. There are options to push this on - that I did not use yet. Or I can snatch that 3 Shades Summon lLmp from the Embassy in First Fires - but I cannot now due to too low Mechanics, heh. Gotta use that one last +3 Mechanics scroll I have - first one used to push Raedrics Quest ahead.
I am doing a SL1 (Soul Level 1) run of PoE on Hard with Expert Mode - first playthrough as well. Yeah you read that right - no levelling up, just like in Souls games. I think I am near an impenetrable barrier - the Forge Knights riots in Crucible Keep (just can't manage it on SL1) but we will see.
Just now I have finally beaten the hardest battle encountered so far - the Aedalwan's Bridge Party battle. I must have tried it at least 25 times... but finally they are dead with no casualties on my side. The two mages dropped Mage Tomes with LVL4 spells - highest I have seen so far.
The rules of my gameplay are simple:
- no levelling up - you can see Endurace points on the Party pic above. Almost every LVL9 mob kills my whole party in one hit. LVL4 mob kills one character in 1-2 hits.
- no buying stuff in stores with the exception of Stronghold Unique Items and that one ring that gave me Second Chance
- no crafting
- no potions
My equipment - all found thorough the game (Od Nua, Quests) or bought (Uniques) in Stronghold:
And my main char. Note the Experience Points Gained/ Required to Level Up. I can level up 8 levels now
This game is so fucking awesome that I am just having great fun with this challenge. I've cleared full 6 levels of Od Nua so far, almost all overworld maps excluding 2 Drakes in Pearlwood Bluffs and killed that bastard Banshee in Heritage Hill's NE house. Almost all side quests done that can be done at this point excluding Bounty Hunts. Also cleared the whole Raedric's Keep except the Raedric King himself!
Still to do:
- kill the Searing Falls Drake Boss (hard as nails)
- continue the Main Quest - Forge Knights attacking Crucible Keep. Now this is, I think, a major difficulty spike that is simply unbeatable at SL1
There were major breakthroughs in my strategies:
a) Second Chance. Lifesaver for Eder and my main.
b) learning that Firing Squad means Death. So I equipped all of my mages with Pistols/ Arquebuses.
c) finding a Ring with Combusting Wounds (a LVL2 Wizard spell) - helped me A TON
d) finding the usefulness of the spell that makes you invisible for 20 seconds - you can block passages this way (could not beat the Sanitarium battle without this)
e) finding the usefulness of Halt Priest spell - to stop motherfuckers in their tracks for 8 seconds etc.
f) finding Adra Beetle Summon figure. It has 10x the health than my main tank Eder, lol.
On SL1 every single ability counts, EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Stuff that you normally don't even think about on SL4 or SL10 on SL1 is gamechanging.
Hardest battles so far:
- Temple of Woedica ending. Had to reload at least 15 times.
- Heritage Hill's Banshee and 4 Justicars encounter
- that fucking Bridge Battle posted above
- 2 Drakes at the same time - manged to kill them only once!
I am pretty sure the game cannot be beaten on SL1 as this is an "Excel RPG" where math rules - not skill like in Souls games - but I just want to see how far can I push it. Last boss would probably kill me by sneezing, heh. Still, I can buy some Exceptional Armors and Weapons to help me. Or Potions. There are options to push this on - that I did not use yet. Or I can snatch that 3 Shades Summon lLmp from the Embassy in First Fires - but I cannot now due to too low Mechanics, heh. Gotta use that one last +3 Mechanics scroll I have - first one used to push Raedrics Quest ahead.