Game! - Where the stick is mightier than the sword!

So a L7 fighter can clean out the dark alley (L3), earning about 2-3 XP per stamina, at no risk.

Or, in L4, earning 8 xp per 2 HP and 1 stamina (4 xp per hp).

In L5 and L6, you earn 3 XP per HP, but more per stamina.

In L7 (milk -- there are several L7's), it seems to be a little more than 2 XP per HP, but about 45 per stamina.

Leveling pets => really low level.
Losing 5% XP every few fights? It's not (yet) clear whether that's best in the "easy, no risk, but no gain" cheap areas, or the "N-1" (L6 in this case) area. There doesn't seem to be a benefit to being in L5 -- your net XP gain per HP is the same (3 - 5%), and you spend more stamina in the process.

First impressions for people going without healing: Be at N-1 until you've died once or twice, then N-3.

It's interesting, I think you're one of the only people to try playing without use of the Healer. I wonder if there'd be more interest in it if it was made an official mode of play (like hardcore). Or perhaps the more extreme challenge of no vendor usage (Healer, Market, and all Shops (even the Great Gift Shoppe))... now that would be quite tricky (especially for Mages).

Mages are an absolute non-starter when it comes to not healing. There is no other way to regain mana, and you consume mana much faster than hitpoints.

Consider Blaze, which does about 10-12 points of damage. At level appropriate monsters, you're doing 6-11 or so manually, fighting, so for some monsters, blaze is the right action, but you are drained of mana in at most 2 fights.

If you are fighting weaker opponents, blaze still does the same amount, but now your hand damage is more, and the spell is too weak to use.

Unless mana potions are dirt cheap, which would imbalance things too much for the mages which do heal, a non-healing mage is pointless.

Mad Merlin wrote:It's interesting, I think you're one of the only people to try playing without use of the Healer. I wonder if there'd be more interest in it if it was made an official mode of play (like hardcore). Or perhaps the more extreme challenge of no vendor usage (Healer, Market, and all Shops (even the Great Gift Shoppe))... now that would be quite tricky (especially for Mages).

I like this idea, a sort of ultra-hardcore character. No market, No swap, no gifts allowed. No revive is also kind of required (or the option of also playing with no-revive (extreme-ultra-hardcore). No item shop is OK (but then there must be an alternative method of obtaining the two items that are only available in the shop). No healer is also OK, but as keybounce pointed out that makes replenishing MP kind of hard. Perhaps if you add a Tiny MP Potion and have it drop at the lower levels. Also might be nice to have a method of procuring at least an initial stash of healing potions (perhaps a new level 0 quest?, or add a few tiny HP potions to the reward for the spam quest?). Still this would be fun.

My current idea of an extreme challenge (self-imposed) is trying to get to level 50 with a Mage by only using Blaze (up to 43 so far with only 2 deaths)

Two items?

The christmas tree (Forest), and what else?

On level 7, if you are not using the healer, you have to buy healing potions.

The best return of XP for your HP is the level 4 zone, but even there you earn about 330 xp per life refill, and lose most of that to the 5% loss.

Once I make level 8, I can manage to clean out the house, get the key for the basement, and complete the quest (and get a nice item . That will probably do for another few levels.

Tiny healing potions seem to be the cheapest. There is no "Tinier healing potions" like there are shields.

keybounce wrote:Two items?

The christmas tree (Forest), and what else?

I'm thinking the Portable Mini Oven and the Untitled New Age Art #5 would be key losses. Without the former, you'd be unable to cook, and without the latter, you'd be unable to complete one of the nicer quests or access any of the associated areas (and items exclusive to those areas).

Duct Tape can be had via random drops, but in quantities that would be highly limiting compared to the usual infinite supply.

You'd also be unable to procure the Scroll of Wisdom #1, thus forfeiting the chance to trade in the scrolls at the Master Pack Rat. Though, if you're extreme enough to try the vendorless challenge, you probably wouldn't suffer too much here.

If you can't complete a quest, can you possibly get the quests that come after it?

keybounce wrote:If you can't complete a quest, can you possibly get the quests that come after it?

In general, yes, but in this case there's a second quest that depends on the completion of the first quest. So, you'd actually be unable to complete two quests.

I've read this thread three times and I can't figure out where the segue from being non-healing to quests and "two items" is.

Zantac wrote:I've read this thread three times and I can't figure out where the segue from being non-healing to quests and "two items" is.

It was at the suggestion of adding additional challenge modes (similar to "no healer") and the specific implications of a "no vendors" challenge mode. See the second and fourth comments in particular.