IwubCheeze: Alrighty then, I've almost cleared my backlog and got into the mood for some more Gothic so I started Gothic 2 and have found it quite punishing compared to the first game.

When I started the game for the first time, I screwed up royally. I initially boosted STR but then I found a decent sword with a DEX requirement. I put a little into DEX but then I found I neither had the STR to do decent damage, the DEX to hit anything with a ranged weapon or the LP's to boost my weapon skills. Back to the drawing board with a new character.

This time, I decided to go with STR and kept going with it until I had enough to use the pirates cutlass Sarah gave me which has a STR requirement of 60. When I got my STR to 30, i was surprised to see the LP cost to increase STR double. Still, I went along with it and tried to get more out of my skill points by instead of going to 60, took the skill to 59 and then to 64. I did the same with my one handed skill, took it to 29 and then 34. This is probably cheating but I'm trying to get as much out of my LPs as I can. In Gothic 1, a ranged weapon was important and I want to do the same in Gothic 2 (I'm looking to go with crossbows as I thought they were better in Gothic 1) but I've needed to spend the LP's the way I did just to survive. I still can't take down orcs or worgs, just started chapter 2 and about the head in the valley of mines. So regarding LP's I have the following questions.

LP cost for STR is 3LP for 1 STR now which is 9 levels ups to take STR to 90. This seems very steep and if I go with it, it doesn't seem like I'll have LP's for anything else. Should I be forking over the LP's for this? I'm already seeing weapons that require upward of 100 STR and I just wanna barf.

If I do, am I going to have to skip crossbow entirely? Some places in Gothic 1 required a ranged weapon to thin out some of the critters before they closed to melee distance. When they did close in, they were much more manageable than if I just meleed them. In the free mine, I'd have been a piun cushion if I didn't have a crossbow (and skills) to fight back. Because of these situations, I don't want to just rely on a melee weapon.

Hunting skills were important in Gothic 1 but they seem to have a lot less importance in Gothic 2. I got the skinning skill and the field raider claws from Gorn but the latter seems to have been a waste as gold isn't a problem (currently have over 7000) and the claws can only be sold for 2 gold each. Should the rest of the hunting skills be skipped?

I originally wanted to use two handed weapons but only 1 handed weapons were available. The ability to chain attacks improved survivability considerably but I'm now wondering if I've locked myself into using one handers the rest of the game. So, have I?

I've attached my stats to this post. As you can see, I decided to join the mercs, LPs were mostly spent in STR and 1 handed weapons. Mana only increased from that special beer, eating a bunch of shrooms and a piece of equipment that's granting +10 mana. I'm using the merc armour and belt (but I also have a +5 str belt just in case). I'm wearing an amulet that's giving me +10 STR. I've also been giving 10 gold to Innos shrines each day for a perm 1HP increase (though I wasn't doing this in the beginning of the game). I've also just started chapter 2 (I hope to Innos there was nothing I still had to do in Chapter 1 but I still have an old save just in case), ran an errand for Vatras, took the King's Sorrel as a reward, delivered Lee's message and reported back to him and am just about to deal with some militia dudes on Bengar's farm. I'm hoping I'm not underlevelled at this part of the game.

Lastly, I'm really open to suggestions on how to spend my future LPs because right now, it seems I'm screwed no matter what I spend them on. Also, are there any screw ups I've made I should be aware of?

Looking forward to hearing you guy's advice here.

helpo1: *snip*

lordhoff: Played this game a crap load of times and i never can see how people say there's plenty of money. I was short every single time until the late game when i didn't need it. Any way, because of that, I did learn every hunting skill every game because it is the best way to bring in steady cash. What I stayed away from was pick pocketing and such - no need to be evil to win :) . I think a melee fighter is the hardest way to go in this game although many of the magician skills are useless late game and take a huge amount of mana - better to save up as many scrolls as possible.

IwubCheeze: Except for one, does giving Vatras 100 gold donations do anything?

IwubCheeze: However, in your thread about saving LPs, you mentioned if you want your STR at +200, you recommend training to 90 but using 78LP's to get to 90STR from 64 seems like a waste of LPs. When you can get over 100 STR from items and such, is 26 extra STR really going to make that much difference?

IwubCheeze: Something else to consider, roughly what level am I going to be at near the end of the game?

IwubCheeze: Also, with 39 STR coming from brewed potions, I guess that means I should learn alchemy then.

IwubCheeze: As for hunting skills, should I really only be looking at dragon blood and dragon scale trophies then considering I won't be using runes?

IwubCheeze: I have 15LPs at the moment and really want to improve dex and 1-h weapons but now it looks like I'll need LP's for alchemy to brew STR potions (which is going to take how many LPs BTW?).

IwubCheeze: Not only that, but it looks like I'm going to need to consider forge weapons and those two hunting skills (though these look like late game choices).

IwubCheeze: Speaking of scrolls, is there a scroll merchant anywhere? I don't recall seeing anyone in Khorinis selling scrolls and the monastery is closed to me now that I've chosen to be a merc.

IwubCheeze: Thanks for the tips there. So I've already joined a faction and missed out on the +20MP from praying at Innos shrines. Meh, no big deal. I've only been using the scrolls I find for really tough flights anyways and usually my reserve MP is high enough. Nice to know I still have the STR and DEX bonuses when I'm ready for them. Okay, that answers the question I had about praying.

Except for one, does giving Vatras 100 gold donations do anything?

However, in your thread about saving LPs, you mentioned if you want your STR at +200, you recommend training to 90 but using 78LP's to get to 90STR from 64 seems like a waste of LPs. When you can get over 100 STR from items and such, is 26 extra STR really going to make that much difference? Something else to consider, roughly what level am I going to be at near the end of the game?

Also, with 39 STR coming from brewed potions, I guess that means I should learn alchemy then.

As for hunting skills, should I really only be looking at dragon blood and dragon scale trophies then considering I won't be using runes?

I have 15LPs at the moment and really want to improve dex and 1-h weapons but now it looks like I'll need LP's for alchemy to brew STR potions (which is going to take how many LPs BTW?). Not only that, but it looks like I'm going to need to consider forge weapons and those two hunting skills (though these look like late game choices).IwubCheeze: Notice in my first post this is my first time playing Gothic 2? If you had money problems and I don't, that probably means you know where to use your gold and I don't :P Well, at least not beyond better equipment and shrine donations anyways. :P

Speaking of scrolls, is there a scroll merchant anywhere? I don't recall seeing anyone in Khorinis selling scrolls and the monastery is closed to me now that I've chosen to be a merc.

IwubCheeze:

IwubCheeze: However, I was wondering if it would be possible to ignore STR and 1H/2H and start off with DEX and bow instead?

helpo1: I know quite a few people who say that archer is probably the easiest G2NotR build. Many players go for DEX in the beginning, because of the Master Sword from Martin (2400 gold), which they use through most of the game (sometimes even to the very end), so they don't have to rely on STR that much. Plus, with a good bow, arrows and a bit of DEX and proficiency you can make a pincushion out of virtually anything - except trolls and people you don't want to kill.
Though, I'd still put a few points into 1H as well. At least for the Master, 60-64%. Another advantage of the Master Sword - +10% bonus.