ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

Hi, I have been playing Tome for only a few weeks, but I understand what type of game it is and don't expect it to be easy or forgiving.

I have been having a lot of trouble getting past level 20 or so. Basically, around the early 20's, I will die a horrible death. So this time I am posting my still living level 21.

-=RidingWood=- the level 21 Halfling Archer -> http://te4.org/characters/7470/tome/308 ... 25900d6212

I think this one is going pretty well because of little deaths and some good artifacts. I would like some of you more experienced people to look at my character and tell me what should be improved in it. I did the starter dungeons and the 4 next dungeons. I managed not to die in Daikara, which is the hardest dungeon for me. Also saved the merchant and killed the cursed dude at the woodcutters village.

In my previous game I thought I had a really decent level 20 rogue when after losing all but one life in Daikara I go to the Maze, and the first skeleton archer I found pops 2 criticals on me, leaving me with 30 hp. I pop a shielding and a regeneration and he shoots another critical, blowing the 200 something shield away. I try to walk a single step to where I would be in cover and he pops another critical and ends me.

Level 20 is my bane and I have little experience with the game after that level.

Thanks for any advice. I love this game. Such a nice job!

This is essentially the same issue I faced, when I asked the same thing over here.

It doesn't sound like the cttw has the same problem greycat had. In my experience Daikara hits after level 20 if you do a loop of all the beginner dungeons and the old forest, maze, and sand hole first.

It would help to know what dungeons you're having trouble with.

I feel like any dungeon becomes really hard after level 20. For example, I used to do the Maze second, after the Old Forest, and Daikara last. That soon became impossible for I would arrive at Daikara with lvl 20 and would be crushed. So I started doing old forest, sandworm (because the heart is an extra free level), daikara (to get there before level 20), and maze last. So now I get crushed on maze.

I think the problem is in the scaling. After level 20 it gets harder, so my question is, how can I improve this level 20 character, or what should have been done different with it, to go further in the game.

How/what are you dying to?

Play more defensive.
Back yourself into hallways when bad guys are closing in.
Acquire mobility skills/runes so you can get away.

Choose characters with more survivability naturally.
Like a Dwarf Berserker.
Or a Fighter.
Or a Sun Paladin. (Your online profile says you have it unlocked)


I have never noticed a big jump in difficulty at any point because of my own level. But sometimes I overestimate my character's ability to handle a certain situation.

Good luck

I usually die to stuff that does a ludicrous amount of damage. Like a random Maze skeleton archer with 4 critical hits in a row.

I know the basic tactics described. Play defensively, fight them one by one in corridors, etc.

What I would like is some comment on my posted char as to what should have been made differently up to this point.

Well, as a Slinger, I would recommend getting armor training up to level 3 so you could hold a shield in the offhand. That'll help with physical attacks some. Wearing heavier armor would help too. The trick there is getting your strength high enough without neglecting your base damage.

Well there you go I had no idea you could hold a shield with a sling. I thought that slings and bows were two handed weapons.

Sundance wrote:Play more defensive.
Back yourself into hallways when bad guys are closing in.
Acquire mobility skills/runes so you can get away.

Choose characters with more survivability naturally.
Like a Dwarf Berserker.
Or a Fighter.
Or a Sun Paladin. (Your online profile says you have it unlocked)

Wait, how does he have Sun Paladin unlocked if he never got past level 20?

I looked in the source code for how to enable all unlocks, and edited the relevant text file to get them.

I haven't played many pure range characters, but for melee and hybrid mobility is king. Prioritize Rush and Step Up if you can. Dimensional Step also works if you're a chronomancer. Phase Door doesn't have enough accuracy to substitute for rush so it's pretty much a useless speedbump on the way to teleport, displacement shield, and probability travel. Probability Travel can be good but it's a very expensive sustain. Movement infusions would work, but there never seem to be enough infusion slots to go around.

I'm beginning to think that every character should pump will and con by at least one point per two levels. Will is two saves and all your non-HP resources. Con is the other save and HP. Saves seem an all around good way to not die when hit by status effects.