The Drunken Lizard Pub

I am a newbie with a level 6 pure ranger(a ton in bow). I have no desire to get magical skills... unfortunately, in the game, most of the dungeons are in complete darkness.. so I end up sparring with the enemies in complete darkness, wasting tons of arrows and my time because I have no way to keep out the torch while shooting the enemy.. do you need magic to get a light source or is this the norm for this kind of character for the rest of the game?

Shadow9d9,

You need magic. Potions or spells of Predator Sight work best for what you seem to want to do, with occasional Cat's Eyes or just a torch to find your way around obstacles. A little bit of Elemental magic is a very helpful thing for a Ranger.

I'd argue that you can play the game without magic.

Rangers should always have a melee weapon as a backup plan because in tight situations, you can't always rely on a bow. Put just a few points in a Swords and keep a blade as an alternate weapon so that you can swap when needed. You can hold a torch when using a blade, so you're not blind in the dark.

When using bows in dungeons, try to lead creatures into lit areas keeping as much distance between you and the enemy as possible. When they are well lit, back off into the darkness- you'll be hidden but your enemies will be in the lit area and you'll get several non-penalized shots in before they follow you into the darkness. Repeat if necessary. It's a cat-and-mouse game, but it works.

BasiliskWrangler wrote:I'd argue that you can play the game without magic.

Rangers should always have a melee weapon as a backup plan because in tight situations, you can't always rely on a bow. Put just a few points in a Swords and keep a blade as an alternate weapon so that you can swap when needed. You can hold a torch when using a blade, so you're not blind in the dark.

When using bows in dungeons, try to lead creatures into lit areas keeping as much distance between you and the enemy as possible. When they are well lit, back off into the darkness- you'll be hidden but your enemies will be in the lit area and you'll get several non-penalized shots in before they follow you into the darkness. Repeat if necessary. It's a cat-and-mouse game, but it works.

Aye, unfortunately, 99% of the dungeons are a huge distance away from light sources. It doesn't make sense to me to put a few points into a sword and hold a light.. because the enemy would have full stats in their attack and I would be using an inferior attack of mine...

If I were to go elementalist(which I really do not want to be forced into), how would I get the light spell? Would it be learned as soon as I get the magic?

Thanks.

It's easier to use potions, especially early on. However, you learn spells by either finding or buying the scrolls containing them. Elemental scrolls are the fancier looking ones.

I have gone through large sections without using either predator sight or cat's eyes, or any light source at all, and it can be done but it's a real slog, I think.

There is the Gravedigger's Amulet: this is probably the best illumination of any spell or portable item (except, I suppose, Gravedigger's Flame) and will provide you with constant light while you wear it.

There are downsides to it, though: you can't, obviously, wear any other amulets while you're wearing it, and while the light it casts is good and illuminates a fair area, this also means enemies can see you coming and hit you successfully. You won't be able to Hide in Shadows while wearing it!

I've never found the Gravedigger's Amulet until pretty far through the game, though, and that little problem of not being able to hide in shadows can be a pretty big problem when that's your primary battle tactic.

It is amusing to wear the amulet when you camp, though. The glowing red light stays on over your tent. It's like a beacon for those wandering creatures.

I was looking through the spell list, and the cat's eye spell is divination.. which spell on the elementalist side gives light? Thanks for the help...

Also, do stats give diminishing bonuses after a while? I have put almost 100% into bow and dex...

Yes, sorry, Cat's Eyes is Divination. On the elemental side there's Gravedigger's Flame, but I've found it just as good to use a torch to find my way around obstacles when enemies aren't right next to me, and to keep Predator Sight active to know where the enemies are. I'm not fond of Gravedigger's Flame because it only goes out when it expires; there's no way to turn it off.

I think you want to put some points into concentration and speed to help with your to hit and damage. I tend to like playing as a generalist, getting everything up around 20, with my primary stuff higher.