Found some notes I made about the game and this seems like the kind of thread to share them in. :)
However, the last time I played he game was over half a year ago and my laptop is below the mimimum requirements to run the game (though it was playable for me all the same and thank to the developers for looking into it at the time, though for now I'll return to the game once I get a better computer), so some of it might be outdated or due to my potato laptop.
I've also only made to it to the third area of the game (Howling something in the name) before getting distracted by another game, so I haven't found any spells yet.
Take it "as is" and I hope it helps. :)
- If you die - killed by enemies or falling from a too high place - your stats will get a penalty, but you can get rid of those if you sleep at a camp. So far I think those penalties don't do anything except prevent you from sprinting and the character will cluth her stomch and walk slower - I don't think it has any actual bearing on damage you deal or anything like that. You'll also lose some EXP every time you die, but it's a fairly small amount.
- When you level up there are no stats to invest it, but you do get more health and stamina, IIRC.
I'd actually advise the opposite of what the OP says: beating lots of weaker enemies will make your character stronger (I got lost at first in the first area because I refused to leave beofre I could free an NPC from a cage, but the levels I got as a result made the first boss encounter easy).
If it's a soulslike game, so grinding is always encouraged and beneficial.
However, also need to know know how to pick your battles - you can always come back to an area or enemy later when you're stronger, have a new ability or have unlocked a route you couldn't acess previously.
- Bows are very useful - I had a bone to pick with the armored knight in the swamp even though he'd kill me in 2 hits, but I was stubborn and killed enough of the crawling mud enemies for 50 arrows to bring him down.
- Speaking of the swamp, make use of the walk key if you're using the keyboard and mouse, it'll save you from falling from tight spaced ledges or in spots on the swamp caves a lot.
- As the OP said, there's no tourch to find for said caves, you'll light a stick at brazier and in my experience you don't have to worry about it going out in the middle of exploring.
- The elk: I'm sorry to say, but he's useless aside from being cute and having more room to store items (you can acess his inventory with the left Alt key). XD
You can feed him berries and cuddle with him to evtually have him allow you to ride him, but the riding controls are weird and riding him is too (it's very difficult to get him to turn and you're less likely to make him go faster and bump into things than to make him slow down and his walking speed is low and his size cumbersome compared to your chracter). He can go pretty fast while running, but refuses to jump from most locations, it's honestly less of a hassle to go on foot - to dismount hold E.
Oh yeah, a platform required both the elk and the character to stand on it, so you'll need him for some puzzles.
I don't recall being able to attack withle riding the elk.
- You can read tips at face shaped rocks, but there's no classic tutorial to tell you how to play or explicitly explain the contorls, though you can take a look at what button does what in the options menu.
I personally like the keyboard and mouse, but you can also play with a controller - I haven't tested one yet.
- You can also collect "lore" in the form of memories placed in what look like 2 bug cacoons on a short tree/stick - you'll know it when you see it.
Basically a collectable of sorts, but the sticks are scatered and not always guarded by enemies or anything or the sort. Find it, collect it with E, and check it out in the last section of your inventory screen.
- Your weapons can break - even if you accidently hit a stone (that will happen quite a lot when you'll be looking for potions or armor in crates or berrals) - and you can get replacements in chests, but there's something the game doesn't tell you.
Your fists are an unbreakable weapon that deals little damage on paper, but it's awesome for dealing with the wooden cretures - a few strikes and they're out + you don't need much stamina per strike.
All other weapns: once their orange bar is gone they are useless and you can't damage enemies with the weapon, best drop it or replace it with another weapon via your inventory screen (acessable via the I key).
- I found combat immensly easier to have the autolock enabled: you might need to retreat a bit from the giant boss to have a good view of him, but the wooden creatures are a piece of cake, you can practically kill them if you just keep swinging with ight attacks regardless of what weapon you're using.
- Keep an eye on your health bar (red) and the stamina bar (blue) - everything you do minus walking costs stamina: attacking, doging, jumping, sprinting.
- Things you can pick up will glow: yellow for potions, orange for armor, light blue for weapons and elk berries - you can feed him those to improve your bond and destress him after riding or to gain his trust for first time riding.
- Take your time and figure out the patterns of what enemies do what, once you know how they behave and what attacks they have, you can plan how to counter them, though some grining will be a good idea here and there.
- Your own inventory is limited: 5 potins, 1 spare weapons or armor piece, one weapon in the shield solt (it can be a melee weapon or a bow, I've yet to find any shields), 1 main weapon and currently eqiped armor pieces - make use of the elk's extra space, especially for potions since you can run away from enemies and lead the elk to a safe area or just far away enough to grab a few potions from him - even in the middle of a boss fight.
- Resting at a camp or preying at a shrine will respawn enemies, but Decay of Logos isn't hard, it's even easier and faster paced than Pharaonic is.
Though Decay of Logos has enviromental puzzles: where to go, what lever open what door, navigating laders and runis; while Pharaonic ha no real puzzles outside of remembering what path leads where and trying to dogde traps in time, but it makes sense given it's a 2.5D game, while Decay of Logos is in full 3D.
- However, I can't recommed either of the above games if you have bad reflexes.
Posting via Galaxy, so sorry for any typos.
Post edited January 10, 2021 by Wolfy777
