Fighters: Serious imbalance at level 12

[keybounce]

Alright, I'm at level 12, and it's boring.

I don't think I'm off base anywhere. Attack 160, def 105. 151 HP.

There are only two creatures on this zone, and neither manage to do more than 33% without criting me. I fight, heal (it's just as cheap to heal each battle), and go back. There's no risk, no need to watch mana, no need to do any thinking or planning. No item usage, just fight, fight, fight.

Most levels I've had close battles as the rule if I'm in the top zone for the level. Normally staying "easy" means staying one zone weaker than my level; this isn't.

[Mad Merlin]

Hmm, the difficulty ramps up pretty smoothly, I wonder what changed for you... Did you just get some fancy new equipment, perhaps?

[keybounce]

"Standard" level 12 stuff.

At level 13, the jr. samurai set, and again, same thing.

[keybounce]

Lets see if I can express it this way:

Jr. Samurai set (L13), scary mask, +15 crit charm.

L15 typical ghost.

At stamina -13, with attack 122, def 64, 47 MP and using gruntier swing every attack, I am doing more damage to the red dragon (L16) than it does to me, until I ran out of mana. For the first time in the entire game, I'm using a healing potion because I need to. And if I hadn't gotten a miss, or if my ghost had gotten a crit, or if I had gotten one of my own 32% chance crit's, I probably wouldn't even need that.

This is what I have to do to get a challenge -- stamina -12 was easy.

Oh:

* You have been healed for 30 hit points.
* The Red Dragon breathes fire at you...
* You were hit for 29 damage!

Yea, I think the health effects of a healing potion just don't cut it.

[Mad Merlin]

So I think what you're trying to say here is that you're pining for some Bravery enhancing items available at earlier levels, right?

As for the healing potion... That's why you have significantly more potent healing potions available at your level!

[keybounce]

If the monsters are getting harder as intended, and the players are getting harder fasterer, then yea, the players need to challenge something that can challenge them.

Right now I'd go for a +3 ring of stupidity .
Or better: A +3 rope of self hanging.

[keybounce]

Alright, an accessory item that gives a bravery bonus. Equipping it costs you your other accessory bonus, but lets you go into nastier areas. Tiny (+1), small (+2), etc.

[keybounce]

Bump

Level 18, and I haven't had a challenge yet. Looking for bravery before level 22.

[keybounce]

Alright, so a new character:
Who needs a healer_F is a fighter. Collected 4 spam by level 1, got the 5th and the poverty set quickly. Moved over to the level 1 zone, got plain toast right as he got to level 2. Has just made level 3.

Has never needed to visit the healer. At all. Other than the "stay around for the spam", has always been in the level-appropriate zone.

I think it's too easy for fighters.

[keybounce]

(and in comparison, Who needs a healer_M died while level 1 fighting a hyena. Perfectly able to heal if I had wanted to, but, as the name says...)

[keybounce]

For the fighter: Level 3 gave problems in both level 3 zones. All of level 4 was no problem for the dark alley, nor was half of level 5.

Can you please up the drop rate of greasy confectionaries just a tad

Oh -- Level 5 zone was a problem, but level 4 zone (at 5th level) seems a breeze.

EDIT: Probably not, level 4 zone for 5th level, non-healing fighter is probably too tough.

[Rick]

Have you tried playing a hardcore character?

Admittedly that does not make it harder, but it does ratchet up the tension level a little bit!

[keybounce]

Naah, something about being one stupid mistake away from death, oh wait, I can't be one stupid mistake away from death, someone else already is :-)

Seriously, I somehow manage to get one death on all my serious characters.

But I do play nethack, and that's got perma death :-).

(And every case of death after level 5 is a stupid mistake :-).

[keybounce]

Ok, so around level 3-6, the level-appropriate zone is really difficult for a fighter. After that, only the "house boss" seems really difficult. If you visit the healer, there is no reason not to be in the level appropriate zone, and given that the worse shape you are in, the more the healer charges, you may as well heal once you get around 50%.

Without using the healer, it's much worse. Being 1 or two levels less than "normal" really helps; trying to be level appropriate actually drops my experience point total at times. Having a quest "completed", and on standby, is useful -- the quest generally gives a level when you turn it in, which gives a free healing.

I had forgotten to check the skill shop, and had missed two important passive skills; that may have affected things. Also, at level 7, I spent the time in the level 7 zone to get that first pet (no spoiler there, right? . That cost some XP; with hindsight, I took a healing potion in, so that if that particular monster was the last one I fought I could survive it. (Three times in a row it was the one that killed me). Naturally, with the potion, it was the first.

So, back in level 5 zone, with my pet, to level it up.

EDIT: FYI, in the level 3 underwater zone, a level 7 fighter can single-shot everything except the tarantula, and a nearly dead tarantula can still poison you.

[Mad Merlin]

I like the idea of a lower level bravery item (especially if it's called something like the Rope of Self Hanging). It could even give negative bonuses if the bravery boost isn't enough.