Hi!

I've progressed to level 14, but I have this nagging feeling that I've missed some quest items or maybe accidentally sold them.

I read elsewhere that the game doesn't "protect" quest items, and with the general amount of bugs, this kind of makes me nervous. I wouldn't want to invest, say, 20+ hours to a game, and then find out that I've failed early on (like in early Sierra games).

I have a similar feeling about character development. I've put points into bow expertise a couple of times, as a test, but the bow doesn't gain any speed benefits from it! And supposedly stuff like True Shot is somehow broken?

I could just read a guide, but those things really spoil story content etc.

Are any of these worries justified in your opinion?

Thanks!

I played the original release of the disk version without a walkthrough. I did check the Larian forum for a couple things, careful to avoid spoilers. Mostly I just saved periodically, reloaded to try quests or conversations different ways, etc. I didn't do everything perfectly on my first playthrough, but I didn't miss very much, either.

I had a chest to store quest items (some remain or can be bought back after a quest) and anything unique that looked like it might be a quest item (though usually it is obvious). There is a way outside the game to get back Lost Items, which I never needed to use.

True Shot and the damage portion of Crossbow Expertise are broken. Warriors tend to have plenty of skill points, and should be able to easily max a couple different expertise skills. You can purchase mage skill books randomly, so that also helps.
I'm not sure if the speed boost from expertise skills, or a speed bonus on a weapon, effects the animation speed enough to notice. More of each is better (your recuperation time can not get lower than zero), but a skill or weapon upgrade also comes with a damage boost, etc, not just speed. You'd have to use DAD's item editor to test a weapon with and without a speed boost, in order to isolate that effect.

Don't be silly. I played the game when walkthroughs were rare, I didn't have the internet, and certainly not a walkthrough. You might not *see* everything, but for a first play though I'd recommend avoiding a cheat sheet / walkthrough. Just enjoy it. I don't think you can actually prevent your ability to complete it by going to quick, and the way the levelling works means that you'll not be massively disadvantaged by not finding all the side quests.

I'm not sure there's even any way to make the game unwinnable short of a couple of rare bugs. The quest tracking system is also good at making sure you don't get stuck, though there were a couple of times that I went to the wrong place and was confused for a while. Even if you don't go everywhere, or you miss some quests or even screw up some stuff you should be alright. I even kept the cursed sword in the Dark Forest one time just to see what would happen, but even THAT didn't break the game.

So unless you put all your skill points into terrible things and throw away your best equipment, I don't think you'll have any trouble finishing the game. Walkthroughs are optional. The only time I'd recommend a walkthrough for a first-timer would be if he had no intention of ever playing the game more than once. I'd give them a long speech about the virtues of DD, though, and try to talk them out of it. :D

Also, True Shot and Crossbow Expertise DO give damage bonuses, but only in the GOG version. In the other versions they don't... but crossbows are kinda sucky compared to bows even WITH the functioning skills. For the bow expertise skill, if you put a bunch of points into bow expertise or find a bow that has a speed bonus, you'll definitely notice the difference. In terms of melee weapons, axe expertise is the best if you like two-handers, mace expertise is best if you like weapon+shield, and sword expertise is best if you want to use both. Of course, there's nothing stopping you from picking more than one skill, which will give you more options for your equipment.

If you sold an important item to a vendor, they generally will keep it forever. The only problem then becomes tracking down whoever you sold it to.

I never got any help until the next to last battle, except for that Imp bug thing.

I did miss quests, but that doesn't bother me. There is no way short of a walk through you are going to do every quest.