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[charlequin]

Play with whatever config you want, I'm using a pretty unconventional skill distribution on my characters and am sailing through the final floors. Feel free to be flexible.

QFT.

I also recommend just not reading anyone's extremely long and intricate screeds about which classes are awesome and which builds are the OMG one true character setup, etc. until you've played enough to have your own opinions. Outside of a few very specific endgame bosses with precise requirements (who you'll be able to custom-power-level characters to deal with, if need be) everything in the game can be taken on by any balanced party, and almost every distinct build for each class can be strong in conjunction with complementary builds from your other characters.

 

[Chris Michael]

It's a good little traditional RPG/dungeon crawler, but I really think they should have given the monsters more EXP to give.

 

[Pureauthor]

QFT.

I also recommend just not reading anyone's extremely long and intricate screeds about which classes are awesome and which builds are the OMG one true character setup, etc. until you've played enough to have your own opinions. Outside of a few very specific endgame bosses with precise requirements (who you'll be able to custom-power-level characters to deal with, if need be) everything in the game can be taken on by any balanced party, and almost every distinct build for each class can be strong in conjunction with complementary builds from your other characters.

Sure, you can play with almost any party setup, and as long as you're not retarded, you'll be able to do fine. That, however, doesn't change the simple fact that certain builds on certain characters are better than others. And that's something worth debating, in my opinion.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Sure, you can play with almost any party setup, and as long as you're not retarded, you'll be able to do fine. That, however, doesn't change the simple fact that certain builds on certain characters are better than others. And that's something worth debating, in my opinion.

True, but it's more fun discovering that on your own than it is to be told. If you're told *the* way to do things, you might never try the other ways of doing things, which would nullify one of this game's most fun aspects: the customizability and varying ways of approaching the challenges laid before you.

 

[Yaweee]

Are the Etrian Odysseys different enough to justify getting both, or is 2 just hands down better in every conceivable way?

 

[Pureauthor]

True, but it's more fun discovering that on your own than it is to be told. If you're told *the* way to do things, you might never try the other ways of doing things, which would nullify one of this game's most fun aspects: the customizability and varying ways of approaching the challenges laid before you.

Sure. But if someone asks my advice on how to play, I'm going to give him what I consider to be the best and most efficient builds for the characters. Just telling him 'Oh, go discover it yourself' doesn't seem a good way to go about things.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Sure. But if someone asks my advice on how to play, I'm going to give him what I consider to be the best and most efficient builds for the characters. Just telling him 'Oh, go discover it yourself' doesn't seem a good way to go about things.

Depends on the person I guess. I much prefer being told to "go discover it yourself". If people tell me a precise way of doing things, I tend to get frustrated by the game and quit. It was awful close with EO until I realized I didn't have to.

 

[Pureauthor]

Depends on the person I guess. I much prefer being told to "go discover it yourself". If people tell me a precise way of doing things, I tend to get frustrated by the game and quit. It was awful close with EO until I realized I didn't have to.

Yeah, well, just as long as you ensured that your Medic got LVL3 Immunize at LVL 17 before s/he crossed the 3rd step of the 2nd Stratum.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Yeah, well, just as long as you ensured that your Medic got LVL3 Immunize at LVL 17 before s/he crossed the 3rd step of the 2nd Stratum.

I decided an extra Poison Alchemist was more important than a Medic.

 

[charlequin]

That, however, doesn't change the simple fact that certain builds on certain characters are better than others. And that's something worth debating, in my opinion.

Again absent the endgame bosses, I pretty firmly hold that the difference between a party with synergistically chosen abilities and one without is much greater than that between the best and worst builds of any given class. If you select some of the suboptimal builds and integrate them into a party with other builds that line up well with their intended purposes, you'll do better than building people's "optimal" builds without understanding what's good about them or how they can work together.

Since the game doesn't really punish you much at all for misbuilding initially (it's easy to respec and you're more or less expected to do so anyway) I think it's quite beneficial to play for a while and get one's own sense of how the abilities work before starting to take advice, especially from anyone who's convinced there's one very specific way you have to play.

 

[Saitou]

I decided an extra Poison Alchemist was more important than a Medic.

You are now officially batshit insane.

I guess the new SEGA was going to catch up to you sooner or later.

 

[GasMan]

Yeah, well, just as long as you ensured that your Medic got LVL3 Immunize at LVL 17 before s/he crossed the 3rd step of the 2nd Stratum.

What?! Explain please.

Spent a few hours last night mapping out a mass of rooms and corridors in B8F and B9F. Moving onto B10F tonight and I'm still loving every minute of it.

 

[jman2050]

Okay, I just finished the first stratum, and this game is officially awesome. Took quite a bit of grinding to get Fenrir down (as well as an extra trip to get rid of those stupid Skolls in front of him). I already can see how some of my character builds are suboptimal, though I imagine that's because I was experimenting to see how to unlock the various skills. I imagine if I had dome things "correctly" the first time I wouldn't have needed to get lucky with Parry to take Fenrir down

Anyway, now that I can go to the 2nd stratum at will and have tons of monet, I guess I should start experimenting with character building some more Great game though, a dungeon crawler that manages to be fun. Haven't seen too many of those

 

[GasMan]

Down to B14F now.

Don't know about anyone else but I've got to set myself limits otherwise I'll end up forgetting to go back to town or the Geomagnetic Field to save. First game in a long time where I keep saying 'Just a little further'. Characters are around level 38-39 now and I've got a slight feeling that I'm a little over powered for the current enemies. Strangely I've not been grinding, just exploring and trying to complete the missions and quests assigned.

Awesome game.

 

[Althane]

I'm finally strong enough to start farming...

On the second floor.

This game will bend you over if you aren't ready, first time I got into a battle with a FOE, I got slaughtered, and that was around level 8. I've decided that I'm gonna stop playing this game until the summer, when I'll actually have time to play it... but that makes me sad. Such a fun game... (L, P in front, A, M, S in back. Working well!)