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Merudo
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icon Skill analysis (0)  
From what I have seen, all quests can be solved from a character with no cross-class skills. Getting another skill merely provides an extra solution to solve the puzzles. However, sometime that extra solution might be faster, or require a lower skill check.

In fact, for one specific quest of the Rogue, namely the
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quest, not using the Rogue's solution will deprive him of one useful item whose effect cannot be replicated otherwise.

Beside quests, skills can also be used to have an easier time fighting monsters, getting gold and traveling quicker.

Here is a short analysis of each of the skills:

Acrobatics
Native class uses: lodge discovery, getting Snorri’s blackbird, end sequence
Quest uses: Svartalfheim chasm crossing
With Stealth: Supply bag
Non-quest uses: Poison, Landing on Feet against one boss (?), enter Wizard Tower, avoid getting knocking down in battles
Cross-class potential: Fair
Comment: Acrobatics for a non-rogue has only a few uses outside combat, and they are all very disappointing. In combat however, it really helps recover quickly from blows.

Animal Ken
Quest uses: Supply bag, blizzard, lost cat
Non-quest uses: Animal pelt (non-sorceror only), food (fish and rabbit), learn Berserk skill (not usable with dagger or staff)
Cross-class potential: Mediocre
Comment: For non-sorceror, early animal pelt is the best thing about this skill, and it is not much. By the time the animal ken skill is high enough to get food reliably you probably have more than enough supplies for the rest of the game. The Berserk skill is useless for sorcerors, but it may be helpful for the rogue if you like fighting with the repaired Golden Sword.

Climbing
Native class-uses: End sequence
Quest uses: Chasm, lake tower, ice flower, golden apple, Heime in cage
Non-quest uses: city walls, ice wall
Cross-class potential: Good (before Blink) to Mediocre (after Blink)
Comment: Climbing is very helpful to get over city walls (until much later when the sorceror gets Blink). Ice wall is also far easier to climb over than to dispel with Disrupt.

Fast-talk
Quest uses: Bridge toll, lake tower, Eitri escape, frozen man
Non-quest uses: Discount at shops
Cross-class potential: Fair
Comment: Can save a lot of money with fast-talk, but otherwise rarely useful

Herbalism
Quest uses: Slightly easier time getting Mugwort herbs, getting food on day 1
Non-quest uses: Potion making (Stamina, Health and Mana)
Cross-class potential: Mediocre to Good
Comment: The usefulness of this skill depends squarely on how much you want extra potions. A rogue will likely have lot of potions already from stealing and by exchanging them for stolen loot, but a fighter might have some good use from this.

Magic
Native class-uses: Chasm crossing, lake tower, blizzard, wings, valkyrie, siege, bridge toll, faster travel (Blink), end sequence
Quest uses: Frozen man, lodge, workshop cleanup, Heime in cage, cat, invisible treasure, Haugbui
Non-quest uses: Warming up (Flame aura), escaping fights (Shadow), finding treasures (Sixth sense) getting red gemstone, combat magic, getting temple potion
Cross-class potential: Excellent (Dart, Flame Aura, Shadow, Artic Wind, Shield, Sixth Sense)
Comment: Magic helps with tons of quests, and has multiple uses for surviving and for finding items. No other skill has this much versatility.

Parrying
Non-quest uses: Adds the “parry” command to non-staff combat
Cross-class potential: Fair
Comment: Can be sort of useful, but ducking and sidesteps are likely to be more than sufficient. Gets much better if you get the Riposte skill. Note that this will replace the Fire Aura spell when welding a staff.

Stealth
With throwing: Castle rescue
With acrobatics: Supply bag
Non-quest uses: Lower encounter rates
Cross-class potential: Mediocre to Good (when combined with thieving)
Comment: Avoid random encounter through stealth is very slow, takes stamina and is unreliable. Casting Shadow is a much more convenient way to deal with unwanted encounters. Only get this together with Thieving.


Thieving
Quest uses: Helgi
- With throwing: robbing Eitri (Flowers, Cursed Bracelet, Rune staff)
- With stealing: Alviss rescue, steel key, workshop cleanup, chest
Non-quest uses: Breaking into Sigrun’s house
- With stealth: Figurine, breaking into Liff, pickpocketing many treasures and items
Cross-class potential: Near useless to Good (when combined with thieving)
Comment: This skill can get you a lot of loot, free items, and can also help with a few quests. Breaking-in properties at night is probably one of the most fun aspect of the game and should definitely be experienced at least once. Just make sure you also get stealth.

Throwing
Quest uses: thief's lodge, Heime's cage.
- With stealth: Castle rescue
- With acrobatics: Supply bag
- With thieving: Robbing Eitri (Flowers, Cursed Bracelet, Rune staff)
Non-quest uses: dagger combat (Warrior and Rogue only), getting temple potion
Cross-class potential: Near useless
Comment: Almost no uses for the Warrior and the Sorcerer. One of the worst skills to buy. For a Rogue however, throwing daggers is likely their most powerful attack, so training this skill is an excellent idea.


Summary:

Excellent skills: Magic
Decent skills: Acrobatics, Climbing, Fast-talk, Herbalism, Parrying, Stealth/Thieving (together)
Bad skills: Animal Ken, Stealth/Thieving (separate), Throwing

[Last edited by Merudo at 01-17-2014 12:59 AM]
01-03-2014 at 08:59 PM
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Jack Stryker
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icon Re: Skill analysis (0)  
I wouldn't call throwing a bad skill, actually. I've found throwing daggers in combat pretty effective if you have a high enough skill. Plus, it's good for hitting things that can't be reached with your hands, like
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[Last edited by Jack Stryker at 01-05-2014 04:04 AM]
01-05-2014 at 02:54 AM
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Zachski
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icon Re: Skill analysis (0)  
It takes 55 Disrupt to get rid of the ice wall.
It takes 85 Climbing to get over the ice wall.

I'd say Disrupt is actually the easier option.
01-05-2014 at 09:43 AM
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v_k
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icon Re: Skill analysis (0)  
Zachski wrote:
It takes 55 Disrupt to get rid of the ice wall.
It takes 85 Climbing to get over the ice wall.

I'd say Disrupt is actually the easier option.
The thing is, by the time you get there your Climbing would be probably 50 at least, while your Disrupt - 15 at most.
01-05-2014 at 09:50 AM
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Zachski
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v_k wrote:
Zachski wrote:
It takes 55 Disrupt to get rid of the ice wall.
It takes 85 Climbing to get over the ice wall.

I'd say Disrupt is actually the easier option.
The thing is, by the time you get there your Climbing would be probably 50 at least, while your Disrupt - 15 at most.

Not really? My climbing was around 30 - 40 at most. And grinding Disrupt is easier than grinding Climbing (just cast Disrupt at Fornsigtuna's gates, it'll skyrocket quickly) whereas Climbing very quickly hit that temporary grind cap.

Not to mention the higher a skill is, the harder it is to grind, so the grind from 80 - 85 is probably gonna be a lot longer than the grind from 50 - 55. I know it was for my warrior and rogue who were trying to succeed, whereas it didn't take very long at all to get my Disrupt up.

Also, you can train Disrupt just by casting it near a bed before you go to sleep each night. Since you always wake up with all of your attributes refilled, it's pretty easy. And all you have to do is press "P" each time you want to cast it, as long as it was the most recent spell you cast.
01-05-2014 at 09:55 AM
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v_k
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icon Re: Skill analysis (0)  
Well, I don't know about Forsingtuna, but grinding it at the barrier itself is an exercise in tedium.
01-05-2014 at 11:11 AM
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Zachski
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v_k wrote:
Well, I don't know about Forsingtuna, but grinding it at the barrier itself is an exercise in tedium.

Not as tedious as grinding climbing, from personal experience.

You can also make mana potions, too, that'll help with grinding if you're doing it at the ice barrier.
01-05-2014 at 11:13 AM
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PicaLudica
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v_k wrote:
Well, I don't know about Forsingtuna, but grinding it at the barrier itself is an exercise in tedium.
That's exactly why you don't grind it at the Ice Wall. Do try to cast the Fornsigtuna walls, you'll be at the required level in five minutes. ^^
01-05-2014 at 11:15 AM
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Merudo
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Jack Stryker wrote:
I wouldn't call throwing a bad skill, actually. I've found throwing daggers in combat pretty effective if you have a high enough skill. Plus, it's good for hitting things that can't be reached with your hands, like
Click here to view the secret text

I agree throwing is really powerful - for a rogue.

Sorcerers cannot throw anything in combat, and Warriors are much better off with another weapon.
01-05-2014 at 06:08 PM
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Myrddin Starfari
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I was quite surprised by throwing not automatically being given to everybody, how exactly could someone not know how to throw things? it could have been worked in to help with some of the spells, ah well maybe in the sequel.

Bit the same with climbing, though this did make a bit more sense it still seems to me like a skill everybody should start with.
01-16-2014 at 11:18 PM
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Fizzii
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I might be a bit embarrassed to say this (well, not really :P), but I can't throw in real life at all. I don't know how to do overarm shots, and my underarm shots are totally inaccurate (plus I get extremely uncomfortable if people are watching so I end up throwing even worse). I used to be able to throw when I played sport at school, but that was several years ago now.

So yeah, there are people to whom throwing does not come naturally.
01-16-2014 at 11:36 PM
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yariel
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Myrddin Starfari wrote:
I was quite surprised by throwing not automatically being given to everybody, how exactly could someone not know how to throw things? it could have been worked in to help with some of the spells, ah well maybe in the sequel.

Bit the same with climbing, though this did make a bit more sense it still seems to me like a skill everybody should start with.
...
well, most people can throw and climb in real live ...
but HOW GOOD are them is also question ...
I won't says it have to be like HawkEye in Marvel Avenger ...
but it also show how talent for each person is different ...
same for climbing, someone who afraid with height, or certain weakness can't really focus on climbing (even using ladder is hard), and not all person can climb tree, cliff, etc so easily ...
(at QFG, at least the hero without "climb" skill can still climb a ladder ... probably same if being applied in here)
01-19-2014 at 10:27 AM
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Myrddin Starfari
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well you do start off pretty bad at even the things you do know in the game, plus unlike reality you also have the advantage of hero school (at least in QFG).

while I do think they probably wouldn't bother teaching a magic user everything about weapons, if I were at the school or just generally meeting people with swords, I'd at least ask - which end goes in the other guy (got a rather amusing mental image of getting the ends wrong in my head now).
01-19-2014 at 11:29 AM
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Radiant
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Myrddin Starfari wrote:
I was quite surprised by throwing not automatically being given to everybody, how exactly could someone not know how to throw things?
And indeed, every character class can throw things. But just like in real life, actually hitting what you're aiming at is a different matter :P

Fun fact: the first draft of the skill system included a "run" skill.

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= Radiant =
01-19-2014 at 09:32 PM
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Myrddin Starfari
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that would have been funny, could you have tried running away from a monster tripped over and done your back in or worse. or was it just about speed.
01-19-2014 at 09:36 PM
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yariel
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...
err, that would be weird ...
indeed 95% person can run pretty much normally (while the rest get clumsy or not really normal in running), but I don't think "run" skill really applicable for a gameplay ...
01-20-2014 at 02:25 AM
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Myrddin Starfari
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much more dignified than calling it - flee in terror skill though.
01-20-2014 at 04:13 AM
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Aquillion
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Thieving is also useful for cheating at dice in the tavern.

Also, although you mentioned using it with stealth for workshop cleanup, it's also worth mentioning that that gets you the strange tool, which I think can be used as a solution to a few other problems.
01-21-2014 at 10:55 PM
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Lunda
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Training Herbalism early in the game will also train up both Endurance and Willpower. Which means more you can train both magical and physical skills faster.
02-12-2014 at 02:57 PM
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