Help - Newbie get's his ass kicked

Hello,

I just purchased Arcanum from EBAY, being a big fan of the fallout and bg series I thought this should become my next "project".

Anyway I got some serious problems ingame

I'm playing a tech oriented human. Currently wandering around in Dernholm being Level 5, Sogg and Stiles are my followers (I've dumped Virgil and replaced him with Stiles). I have 2 Points and Apprentice for Firearms, 2 Points and Apprentice for Dodge, 2 Points for Lockpicking. I use the Pistol I got from Doc. Other important stats 9 Dex, 8 STR, 9 Perception.

So where to go from here. I have nearly no money (around 200 gold) and only around 60 Bullets for my gun. Despite having two points in Lockpicking nearly every Lock jamms. When I travel over the worldmap and have a special encounter with some wolves my party get's wiped .... (I'm fighting turn based, trying to get Sogg to the front but there is no Option to position party members like in BGII).

Where can I find the incredients for the charged Rings? I've put 2 Points in Electricity, I found two copper rings, but I do not seem to be able to find the other ingredient.

*Edit*
Oh yes, and if I give my groupmembers potions is there any way i can convine them to consume them during fighting when the HP of them is low??
AND :roll: according to my log i got a crippled leg, where the hell can I heal that ...

Thanks for your help
:thumbup:

 

Honestly 2 points doesn't really do much. Most locks will require around 4 + points in lockpick. I recommend you just bash locks open ( go into combat mode and hold alt and click on what you want to break open ) untill you get a higher lockpicking skill.

The pistol's you get from the bank robery suck pretty bad. You can buy or make much better in Tarant.

The other part of the charged rings you can buy in Tarant from the inventors shop. Thats the earliest you can get it.

Followers don't seem to use potions much, but they do use the healing salves that Styles can make.

 

Thanks for the answer, what about the healing (the thing with the crippled leg), do I have to search for a specific doctor?

 

Shrouded Hills locks get picked at 3 skill after 2-3 trys usually can pick before they jam.

when a techie I generally get 3 to firearms and 1 to pick pocket and then 3 to pick lock as soon as posable. 3 firearm makes you wast less bullets 1 pick pocket is enough to pick pocket keys while the shopkeeps sleeping 1 store is 100% open to you with it's owners key.

 

Have you found Tarant? If not, that's what you should be doing. Also, flip through your journal. There's a LOT of useful information in there, provided your INT is above 5. I'm afraid that's my best advice I can give without spoilers.

 

have you spent points on technological discipline? it looks like you have or intend to have some in electrical. I'd put some in gunsmithy for sure, as most of the weapons that can be bought are generally much less powerful than the ones you can make.

As for the herbology 'potions,' I'd give jayna herbs but be selective about when you actually have her make anything. She'll automatically use them in combat, but she can use them up pretty quick. Make sure you have the ingredients to make more if you're planning to go into a dungeon. Since you're technologically oriented, you're probably not going to want to use regular potions, and your followers will probably be smart enough to use them on you.

 

Thanks for all the answers,

I've put 2 points into building weapons and made myself a fine revolver, things are working better by now.

Housedog

 

Not true, there is a capacitor in the locked room with the rat in it behind Doc's house. A copper ring can be obtained from Gurloes (or from the starter shop), so you can have one charged ring created for the bridge fight if you so desire.

 

If I remember correctly, I 'sometimes' (if not 'always') find one in the Betty Toone mine as well.

 

Sometimes is the correct term, I think. Depends on the names, you know.

 

Ok I scrapped my char and started over again. By now he is lvl 8, I got 2 points in weaponsmithing getting myself a fine revolver. I raised perception to 12, next step is Firearms 3, trying to get mastery as quick as possible.

I've put one point into lockpicking but cannot find a lockpick anywhere.

Pickpocketing makes live much easier ;-9 so I've put 2 points in there.

Now my question, where to go next in character progression, raising Electrical skills to build the DEX Rings? More social skills? Any hints, tipps, suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

Housedog

 

Dodge is good for avoiding damage.

 

if you plan to make some really nice items, and eventually max out your intelligence (well, 19), then you might think about putting even more points in gunsmithy. if you are going to go for 19 int, though, you should most definitely go for mechanical arachnid.

 

And from there to the automaton. I once created an army of those badass bastards. Goddamn hilarious.

 

I like the

Spoiler

medical arachnid

, myself. It's great in it's

Spoiler

ability to do damage, and patch your character back together.

 

Ok I've made my progression decision for the next few levels

- 2 Points in Electricity to build the two DEX Rings
- 1 Extrapoint into Dodge (makes 2 then)
- 4 Points in Charisma to get some more followers

This will take my char to level 15, from there on i will decide if i will go into weaponsmithing or if i want to get the arachnaids. Depends on the fact if I'm able to steal or buy a decent gun.

Housedog

 

3 point and expert Haggle can get you a good gun or you can pick pocket for it, maybe 3 pick pocket and saving and reloading before stealing.

check stuff store keeps have on them not just inventory. got 1 gun better than Fine Revolver on a shopkeep.

 

Yeah, same though from me. It would be cool if we didn't knew the ingredients, but via schamatic boulding we know exactly how they are made. It could seem that large gears have an unexplained power of adding intelligence to nonliving steam engines. It's one of those things in the game which are pretty cool, but it's better not to think to much about it because there isn't any rational explaination.