Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade Character FAQ V.1.1 23 March 2006 =============================================================================== - 0 - Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------ =============================================================================== UL: BotB, released by Sony Online Entertainment back in March 2005, is the first Hack-and-Slash RPG to come out for the PSP. If you are familiar with any game from either the Champions of Norrath Series or the Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance Series, then you will notice the first time you start this up that the gameplay is very similar if not identical to these PS2 games (the former moreso than the latter). There are some major differences though. Following is a rundown of the more releveant ones: * There are only four characters to choose from: the Knight (which can be played either as the standard tank or, surprisingly, as an archer), the Berserker (a melee character that sacrifices defense for offense), the Alchemist (your standard spellcaster), and the Druid (a more kind of mixed melee and spellcaster class). This is not a major deal breaker though since with numerous playthroughs I found that each class can be played in very different ways through a different mix of skills. * Aside from the starting town, every dungeon map is random. This means that the location of treasures and monsters change with every play through. The quests remain the same though and the monsters and bosses you encounter for every map is pretty much the same. * Lastly, given the design choices Sony has made on the PSP, the developers had to make some compromises on the control scheme. It takes time to get used to blocking because of the unorthodox button combination for example. All in all, this is a great game and is a nice addition to every PSP owner's collection. =============================================================================== - 1 - Thoughts on Stats ------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== For this section, note that I won't repeat anything from the manual as I tend to believe that stuff like that only makes it hard for those non-DSL readers to get this FAQ so don't expect anything of that nature here. I will provide my own personal opinion on skills and stats based on my own playing experience. Let me then begin with some explanation on the stats: All characters have the same basic attributes: Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Intelligence (INT), and Stamina (STA). This in turn affects the character's stats (i.e., Health, Power, Damage, carry capacity, etc). The basic effects of each attribute is as follows: +3 STR will net you +1 melee damage +1 STR will up your carry capacity by some amount (I will need to get the exact value though) +3 DEX will net you +1 bow damage +3 DEX will increase your spell damage by 1 (both direct spell damage or per second damage depending on spell selection) +1 STA will net you +1 Health +1 INT will net you +1 Power I may get flamed for this but please hear me out first. From the table above, you will see that the additional increase is quite minimal. As you level up, you also receive additional health and power (the value of which depends on your class selection), and the increase in amount is most likely more than enough to survive. Take this example: A Druid receives +14 health per level up (if I'm not mistaken). At level ten this gives you 126 health points. At this level, enemieS do around 30 to 50 damage so you will be hit 4 to 6 times before you die. Now if you put one of your three points per level to STA, you will get an additional 9 health. That won't do jack for you... If you then put all your points to STA, you should have an additional 27 points which may increase your survivability by another hit which is noticable but again is not much. Taking the same druid, at each level you should receive +17 power per level up. At level 15, when you get "Thunder Strike", you will have around 600 power. Thunder Strike, at level 1, uses around 350 power! so you can't cast it more than once. Even if you put all your points in INT, the power increase would only be around 60 points. This won't even give you enough for another casting. That's not to say that it's no big help but don't expect much. The damage increase from increased STR, though welcome, is also not that much. At base STR, a level 15 druid, can do around 60 or so damage depending on your weapon and mods. With this, you need to hit your standard skeleton about three times before his hit points are depleted. If you choose to maximize strength, your damage goes up by 15. This improves your damage by 25% but that is still not enough to usually lower the number of times you need to hit the enemy. Not maxing strength would be much worse as the increase won't be noticable. This would be more noticable for a Knight or Berserker, but still that is not significant enough to have any impact. For most cases, you will increase STR only to improve your carry capacity. For spellcasters, maxing DEX may be a good option though, since while it doesn't affect your direct damage much, it does improve your damage over time spells (like the lowly "Sting"). At level 15, your 9 to 11 base damage per second for sting at base damage is improved in that it is now 24 to 26 per second! This doesn't compare to increasing skill points to sting but at least it helps a bit. To summarize, I would recommend that you choose one stat and max it so that the effect, however minimal, is at least noticable. For casters, it's either max your power (INT) or your damage (DEX) (I tend to pick DEX). For melee, maximize health (STA) or damage (STR) (I tend to pick STR). =============================================================================== - 3 - Thoughts on Skills ------------------------------------------------------ =============================================================================== Skills can be categorized as Active or Passive Skills. Active Skills can then be further sub categorized as offensive (direct damage, area damage, area damage over time, damage over time, or combination of the above) and defensive (restoration and buffs). - 3.1 - Thoughts on Passive Skills -------------------------------------------- At first glance, players will view passive skills as being much better than active skills in that you don't need to expend power to utilize it. I must note however that the improvement provided by passive skills are too low in that you will not see any benefit unless you put more than a few points into it. For the most passives, I would recommend putting off placing points until you have maxed your other skills. Of course if your chosen skills are either maxed for that level already or are still unavailable and the necessary prerequisite skills have been selected already, it may be better to put in those spare points into the passives already. That said, there are a few passive skills that are worth the early point allocation (Druid's "Nature's Medicine", and Knight's "Dual-Wield comes to mind"). - 3.2 - Thoughts on Active Skills --------------------------------------------- One thing I noted is for some classes, there are some Active Skills that require a lot of Power to cast. There are some skills that, at the time that you first get it and even with maxed INT, require more than half of your Power to cast! For these skills, try to hold off putting skills points as (1) they are impossible to cast constantly anyway so you won't be using them and (2) if you do use them, the increase in skill points might actually make them uncastable as their Power utilization is above your existing pool. - 3.3 - Thoughts on Skill Selection ------------------------------------------- This part is more personal preference so your opinion may vary. Active skills does damage based on either a fixed amount depending on skill allocation (i.e., 15-20 damage per hit +10 points damage per level) or applies a percent multiplier to your base damage. In my experience, the latter is better than the former in that it does not have any damage cap. As long as you can increase your STR and get better weapons, your damage will increase. That's not to say that the former is not that good. Some have some good effects (i.e., chance to stun, etc) that might be worthwhile. But in that case, you don't need much points in it. Even one might be sufficient if you only need it for the effect. For spells, damage is improved by allocating stat points into DEX. For most players, it might be best to just put one point in skills that you won't be using in the long run and rely on the damage increase provided by DEX. "Sting", for example, is good at skill level 1 until you get "Stone Storm" because your DEX is not only applied on the initial hit but also on the damage over time. By the time you get "Stone Storm" the DEX allocation will also benefit it. As I've said, there's no point in putting INT since the benefit is minimal at best so focus on damage instead. =============================================================================== - 4 - Build Recommendations --------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== From the above, you should be able to create your own builds. I suggest that you put one point in one skill, and observe the following: (1) is it power intensive? (2) does it scale well with levels (this can be noted by checking the next level stats in the skill tree)? (3) is the skill improved by putting in ponits into STR/DEX (you need to test this out by saving, allocating stats, and reloading if needed)? (4) most importantly, is it fun and easy to use and does it mix well with other skills? Note that for the most part, you will only be using two active skills at a time so it might be prudent to max those that you use often (and only those that you use often) first. That said, here are a few combinations that I liked: Melee Knight: Aura of Valor - for increased XP! Flurry - your main attack, supplement with gems in weapons Dual-Wield - best if you can remove the penalty soon Melee Attack Aura of Wounds - your main crowd control skill Aura of Might - your only buff Alternatively, you can use block instead of Aura of Wounds but I think the latter is better. Ranged Knight: Aura of Valor - for increased XP! Archery Multishot - your main attack, supplement with gems in weapons Recover Arrows- when everything else is maxxed You can also make a sort of hybrid melee ranged knight. With this, just use the same skill selection as in the above but of course splitting the stat points prioritizing either melee or ranged first, whichever you use more or often. Since improvement is very low per point investment, there's no point splitting the points equally. I recommend putting points in STR and not in DEX due to the weight of Knight Armour. Berserker: Ravage - your main attack Scent of the Pack Dual-Wield - at least one point when it becomes available and add points later. Melee Attack Savage Strike - your best buff (be sure to check power usage before increasing points). Due to cost of using, this won't be viable until much later on when the duration is high enough. Infect with Madness - a very good crowd control skill. Prioritize the stronger enemies in bigger crowds. You may also want to put points into Thrown Weapon and Recover Weapon if you want a ranged attack but I wouldn't bother. Druid: Nature's Medicine - definitely a life saver. At later levels, the regen rate is great. Tempest - your best crowd control skill. I tend to go melee and I with this cast, you won't be mobbed. Just make sure that it attacks enemies first. It is superior to Golem because both this and you can stay in the same spot so it can act as a sort of shield. Both you and the Tempest can damage enemies at the same time and you will benefit from the knockback effect it provides. Tranquil Thoughts - same as above except for Power. Some of your spells will be free to cast with this maxed. Cleanse the Land - your attack spell. Pretty good casting cost as well. Stone Storm - Nice spell, max it later though since the +5 damage per level is negligible and you need Nature's Medicine maxed first. Breath of the North - another life saver. One point is enough early on. Add points later either before or after Stone Storm is maxed. With Druids I tend to put all my points into DEX. Survivability is still average to high. Just keep your minion cast at all times. There will be tough spots (those rhino mobs come to mind) but it is very feasible if you take your time. Alchemist: Chain Lightning - your main attack skill. Build Golem - your main crowd control spell. And it attacks too! Pity its not as good as Tempest. Detonate Golem - cast your golem, let it attack and before it dies detonate it! Quagmire - assist your golem with this spell, One point is ok at early levels. Stone Gaze - assist your golem with this spell, One point is ok at early levels. =============================================================================== - 6 - Contact Info ------------------------------------------------------------ =============================================================================== For any questions, clarications or God-forbid violent reactions, please contact e-mail me at techie.pinoy@yahoo.com. Please write the nature of your e-mail in the Subject line. =============================================================================== - 7 - Version Info ------------------------------------------------------------ =============================================================================== 27 January 2006 1.0 First release of the FAQ. 23 March 2006 1.1 Minor revisions and change in e-mail address. =============================================================================== - 8 - Legal Info -------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. Copyright 2006 Michael Madriñan