The West (as of 3/09, Bat Country will be on World 8)

[Nebu]

Maybe.  I figure the quests later on are also spaced out more, so maybe I'll be able to grind up those skills in between.  I should also have access to gear to jack those skills up.  If not, I'll have plenty of time to grind cash and respec.

Your logic may be best.  Do what it takes to level fast then respec for the better quests later.  I appreciate the input. 

[Reg]

I used Samwise' method. It seemed to work well enough although I had pathetically low building skills for a builder until just recently because none of my quests needed high Construction until now.

[LK]

So next level of residents is going to be ready soon?

Trying but construction eats up a lot of cash. Tailor and Residences have 75 difficulty and 600 Construction Points. I'm assuming that's why we're eating up a lot of cash to construct it. Town Hall, by comparison, has 60 / 500, so we're going to build that first to make things easier and then hit up Residences.

So, soon!

[Hawkbit]

Any adventurers here that can recommend the spending of my attribute points?  I realize that dex and cha are my primary, but it seems that horsemanship is going to be necessary down the road as well.  Do I just dump my points in CHA (going trader) and then augment Dex/mobility with skill points? 

The forums and the skill site outline quests, but don't help much with builds.   

This is what I've gathered, after asking on the West forums: 

As a pure trapper Adventurer (all AP into Dex and all SP into traps) with halfways decent +traps gear, somewhere between 25-35 you'll get the option to hunt grizzlies.  Once you're able to hunt grizzlies, then you have two choices:  start dumping SP into Shooting so you can defend yourself *or* start dumping AP into Charisma and SP into leadership until you can build a fort and trade with indians.  Once that's completed, start dumping into shooting.  The upside for putting points into Charisma is that you'll get tactics and appearance for dueling.  Even though I'm a pure trapper, I want to at least be able to stand up to them. 

It was also advised to get this gear, although some of it hasn't even been unlocked in our world yet and it's waaaaay over my level.
grey coat
grey boots
fancy felt hat

That's what I'm shooting for. 

[Hawkbit]

Also, lol.  I can't believe how much XP you get for dueling.  Just defending myself on this one made me ding.  I wish I would have rolled dueler. 

[Nebu]

Thanks Hawk.  While I'm going trader, I think I can adapt to your strategy. 

[Righ]

If you try and hit all the quests (or even just follow the adventurer quest to its conclusion) you'll have to put points all over the place and have a non-specialist build at first. This isn't a short game though, and you can respec one point a day later for just $50 a day. Getting the attribute points right is more important but simultaneously simpler.

If you don't initially care about the quests and want to make a specialist build, you should make sure that your build includes a high XP job fairly early on because you'll be missing all the quest XP early in the game.

[LK]

Popped Bizzaro for another 127. I thought I was immune to low level duelers but it doesn't seem to be the case. Alright, I'll defend myself against someone 10 levels my junior.

[LK]

Now those are some good dueling drops.

Health Points, Aim and Swimming? REALLY?

[Samwise]

Health Points, Aim and Swimming? REALLY?

Yeah, the brown felt hat is like a peanut butter and anchovy sandwich.

[Hawkbit]

Fancy Felt hat makes me swoon.  That's pretty much end-game hat for me. 

[sidereal]

Also, it's fancy.

[Aez]

Woot.

Edit : was able to buy it. Sold all my stuff, only 2$ left.

Can't wait for the next 1800$ Black waistcoat here I come.

[Kageru]

Some of the new tailor stuff is awesome... but also a whole heap of $. Oh well, good motivation to go out and work.

[LK]

Let's not get too deep into a Fancy Hat meme. The eye patch one is doing us pretty well so far.

[grebo]

How are you gentlemen?

Can I get an invite at some point tomorrow AM?  Or whenever?  I need to get the badonk a donkey and some other random Indian beads or somesuch.  I'll toss the rest of my cash in the kitty and leave town thereafter. 

In game name is Grebong.

[DirtyBirdy]

My "strategy", if you can call it that, has been to put points wherever they need to be to let me complete upcoming quests.  Right now, for example, I'm madly dumping points into Repair so I can fix a covered wagon for the "Wild Horses" quest.

On occasions where I haven't had any tough quests on the horizon, I'll put points into the next high XP/luck job, or into a combat skill.

Honestly that is the worst possible thing to do.  Specializing in a few skills and 1 attribute is a much more effecient way to build a character.  The rewards you receive from questing usually pale in comparison to what you can gain from working jobs.  You are better served figuring out which skills will be required to work the highest jobs and strive towards that.  

Honestly there are always tough quests ahead of you.  Even the character specific quests force you to 'waste' skill points, I think anyway.  For those of you striving to be pure builders you should ignore all quests, at least for a long time.  Staying true to your character build is important.  Once you are able to work the best jobs for your class(ie-for builders drilling oil), you will be able to diversify much easier.

Regardless of what you think of me, that is the best advice.

Hope that helps.

 

[DirtyBirdy]

It was also advised to get this gear, although some of it hasn't even been unlocked in our world yet and it's waaaaay over my level.
grey coat
grey boots
fancy felt hat

That's what I'm shooting for. 

The grey gear gives you the most bang for your buck, in terms of gained skill points vs cost.  That being said, there are better clothing for those specific jobs you mentioned.  Search best job items - hunting grizzly bears(for example).  The items that are best for one job won't necessarily be the best for another, so choose what you spend your money on wisely.

[DirtyBirdy]

This isn't a short game though, and you can respec one point a day later for just $50 a day. Getting the attribute points right is more important but simultaneously simpler.

If you don't initially care about the quests and want to make a specialist build, you should make sure that your build includes a high XP job fairly early on because you'll be missing all the quest XP early in the game.

I think 10 skill points costs you $960 to move around at 1 time.

Specific character builds tend to open better jobs much earlier then mixed characters or questers, IMO.  Trader/trapper hybrids are the build I favour, aside from builder/worker.  Are you aware that increasing your horseback riding skill also increases the speed at which your character travels across the map, so that is something to consider when spending skill points.

[Reg]

Ah well, maybe I'll have time to ungimp myself before we all lose interest. Or maybe another world will open and I'll make something more interesting than a builder.

[Kageru]

You can go quite a way using clothing to make up for skill point deficits, or just levelling some more. I have a wardrobe full of costume change items required before I do different jobs.

Pretty much any stat you put points into gives you an equal number of duelling skills, though strength favors melee and dexterity firearms. The main question is how many points you want to put into the remaining skills (aim, dodge, tactics, reflex probably in that order for a builder). The more you are biased towards duelling skills the less money you'll probably earn though which is an interesting balance. Focusing on construction seems to open up some nice jobs for example.

[Hawkbit]

It was also advised to get this gear, although some of it hasn't even been unlocked in our world yet and it's waaaaay over my level.
grey coat
grey boots
fancy felt hat

That's what I'm shooting for. 

The grey gear gives you the most bang for your buck, in terms of gained skill points vs cost.  That being said, there are better clothing for those specific jobs you mentioned.  Search best job items - hunting grizzly bears(for example).  The items that are best for one job won't necessarily be the best for another, so choose what you spend your money on wisely.

Oh, you misunderstand.  There's definitely better gear for being a trapper, but not for giving your people a little back of what they give to me on a daily basis.  I've initiated 0 duels as an adventurer yet I get attacked at least five times a day.  At some point, you little pissant Coppers will get a taste back.  It just might take six months. 

[DirtyBirdy]

You can go quite a way using clothing to make up for skill point deficits, or just levelling some more. I have a wardrobe full of costume change items required before I do different jobs.

Pretty much any stat you put points into gives you an equal number of duelling skills, though strength favors melee and dexterity firearms. The main question is how many points you want to put into the remaining skills (aim, dodge, tactics, reflex probably in that order for a builder). The more you are biased towards duelling skills the less money you'll probably earn though which is an interesting balance. Focusing on construction seems to open up some nice jobs for example.

Pure builders tend to be able to access  higher experience giving jobs much faster than other classes (ie- constructing ranch houses, iron mining, etc). 

Generally speaking duelers/soldiers don't access 'good' jobs until much later, compared to other classes, due to the fact that aim and dodging aren't counted in calculations for labour points for any jobs.

It was also advised to get this gear, although some of it hasn't even been unlocked in our world yet and it's waaaaay over my level.
grey coat
grey boots
fancy felt hat

That's what I'm shooting for. 

The grey gear gives you the most bang for your buck, in terms of gained skill points vs cost.  That being said, there are better clothing for those specific jobs you mentioned.  Search best job items - hunting grizzly bears(for example).  The items that are best for one job won't necessarily be the best for another, so choose what you spend your money on wisely.

Oh, you misunderstand.  There's definitely better gear for being a trapper, but not for giving your people a little back of what they give to me on a daily basis.  I've initiated 0 duels as an adventurer yet I get attacked at least five times a day.  At some point, you little pissant Coppers will get a taste back.  It just might take six months. 

Understand that we'll continue to level up and gear up ahead of you, so your payback might not come at all.  As a builder I haven't initiated any duels either, yet I am attacked consistently as well.

[Xanthippe]

I'm immune for the next 2 days, have 268 points toward construction, and at 100% motivation.  Ready for building.

Need money in town!

[grebo]

I've got a couple hundred I can toss in after I buy my donkey and stuff if someone wants to toss me a quick invite.  I can quit right back out again.

[Hawkbit]

Understand that we'll continue to level up and gear up ahead of you, so your payback might not come at all.  As a builder I haven't initiated any duels either, yet I am attacked consistently as well.

It will level out at some point, even if in the late levels.

[Righ]

That's the wonderful thing about soft caps - once you're mired in the Korean-influenced levels, everybody is on more even ground. That said, the Coppers seem to have an even shorter attention span than we do, so they'll probably be focused on World 10 by that point.

[Phildo]

So I could use some tips on how to play my Soldier since I'm in some kind of sweet spot where I'm too high to duel low level people for any sort of real experience but too low to dual any of the people that are actively fighting us?

[sidereal]

Grind cash jobs for better gear

[Prospero]

That's pretty much the same place I'm at Phildo. I'm just doing quests for now, carefully only increasing skills that improve mu dueling. You can be a pretty mean quester with only dueling skills, and the free gear and skill points are nice.

[Phildo]

I've been dropping most of my attribute points into Charisma, seems like a good idea to me.  The skill system in this game is so incredibly vague.

[LK]

Not sure what all this World 10 talk is about. :P I like World 8 and want to do it for the long haul. But if everyone wants to migrate to there, alright.

[Xanthippe]

World 8 isn't so taxing for me that I couldn't play two worlds at once.

[schild]

Not sure what all this World 10 talk is about. :P I like World 8 and want to do it for the long haul. But if everyone wants to migrate to there, alright.

We're not moving.

[Aez]

That's pretty much the same place I'm at Phildo. I'm just doing quests for now, carefully only increasing skills that improve mu dueling. You can be a pretty mean quester with only dueling skills, and the free gear and skill points are nice.

I'm in a strange spot where I can't attack a pure dueler/soldier and they can't attack me.  You get a huge defense bonus has a soldier and I see more loot for defense then offense.  It's weird.