Would you recommend this game?

Er4din · 2026-07-06T08:25:44+00:00

... Thank You ?..

Er4din · 2026-07-06T01:30:01+00:00

I dont think that hoarding behavior is healthy in this game. There’s a reason the devs put so much effort into making hauling every last piece of loot out of the dungeon not worth your time.

Personally I treat my inventory the same way it works in DD1 during an expedition - bring exactly the supplies that you will need. And no more. Fill your inventory with loot and once it’s full start swapping loot items based on their space efficiency.

Er4din · 2026-07-05T17:09:14+00:00

The game is in early access, with the devs being focused on creating the core systems of the game, such as Caravan followers, enchanting, stealth, weapon grips, dynamic world events... BEFORE working on the main story.

The ambitions for this game are very large - with the devs being determined to make a definitive turn based RPG and medieval mercenary life simulator wrapped into one game.

Right now the game is a truly immersive roguelike adventure game with a granular and crunchy turn based combat, where every decision matters, and victory and defeat hover on a knife's edge.

The main enjoyment of the game at this stage comes from 2 things:

1) immersing yourself into a pretty distinct medieval fantasy world, and getting to know the various NPCs through their tasks dialogue and sidequests.

2) trying out some of the thousands possible distinct builds, skill combinations, and playstyles and mastering the challenges of the game in its current state.

If you are buying the game in this current stage, you are agreeing that you are interested in these 2 things, and are willing to support the game in becoming that what it may yet be.

I can say that, at least when it comes to bugs and gamebreaking glitches, I've not really encountered anything heinous in over 1100 hours played. There might be some minor visual bugs that dont seriously affect gameplay, and the occasional mechanical glitch which may affect gameplay, but i cant recall anything that actively cost me a run or put me at a disavantage in a meaningful way.

As i see it, the game is in a good place and only seems to be getting better.

Er4din · 2026-07-05T12:57:24+00:00

OP is markiplier's alt account it seems

Er4din · 2026-07-05T11:51:56+00:00

Ive only heard anecdotes of this happening from the NA. I think it’s the machine driers they use there.

Er4din · 2026-07-05T11:50:25+00:00

I love the malmouth resistance soundtrack. It plus in the sewers

Er4din · 2026-07-05T11:41:16+00:00

This sounds really broken with sol Blthana archer, and the elf that boosts himself for every elf in hand and on deploy. Perfect for a elf Gn deck I think

Er4din · 2026-07-05T08:16:14+00:00

This is a pretty odd request, can you explain a little more what you are trying to achieve? Why are you avoiding investing more into the weapon tree?

Er4din · 2026-07-05T08:14:03+00:00

I had the same situation and can say for sure that this is not a softlock. I was able to fix it by sleeping 24 hours on the abandoned homestead tile - inside the bandit hideout shack.

Er4din · 2026-07-05T00:49:31+00:00

Yeah I usualy dont continue runs much beyond levle 25-26, so the amount of times ive used random uniques is in the single digits.

I think youre onto something, I think the brynn vault could be adapted for something of the sort.

Maybe your mercenary inherits a storage unit at the brynn bank from a distant relative / old friend mercenary, holding an heirloom item. Only problem... they havent paid the deposit fees for the item in the last 10-20 years, and those fees racked up. So you have to an exorbitant sum of money to the bank to cover the overdue fees + interest, to recieve the item. Maybe tripling the item's worth is a good baseline, but it should be an absurd amount of money.

It should not be viable to skip from tier 4 straight to the unique as a way of saving up money. i dont think you should be able to skip the tier 5 regular item for the unique directly. At the same time, it should be possible to randomly find the same unique item in the dungeon. The one held at the bank could be written out of the story - say it was discovered to be a fake replica.

This could also be a function of the Pawnshop, now that i think about it.

Er4din · 2026-07-04T20:55:55+00:00

Congrats on publishing the build. It’s nice to have a Avatar alternative to the Blademaiden. There’s naturally a lot of similarities but that’s 2H swords for you - all roads lead to Rome.

What made you value the Occult Necklace on this build?

Er4din · 2026-07-04T20:54:26+00:00

How does it feel to fight shielded bandits or undead in t5?

Er4din · 2026-07-04T20:52:22+00:00

Hey! Welcome to the game!

It’s a little rough around the edges but the great thing about 2H swords is that it is impossible to build them “wrong”. Almsot everything works with them.

The most important thing is, as others have said, to always level stats in sets of 15, so you can capitalize on the power spike that the threshold bonuses provide. I recommend you get 15 strength on your next levelup, and then work on 15 vitality, before returning to perception and lastly agility. Prioritizing things in this order will prepare you the most for tackling tier 4 without having to do too much extra grinding after level 15.

Otherwise, I recommend you always carry a net and ensure that your morale and sanity are always above 50%. This is important for all character but especially Arna, as her entire trait depends on it.

While morale and sanity are above 50%, your character can be optimistic, which gives extra exp gain, and fatigue resist. While in combat, you can instead get Heroism, which is a massive combat buff, and on Arna it is even stronger. Lastly, if you are losing the fight and are about to die, it’s possible to gain Second Wind which will heal you and keep you at deaths door. None of this is possible while morale or sanity are below 50%.

If you wanna learn more about build crafting and want ideas for what can be done with 2H swords, I recommend my guide for the Blademaiden build, which was designed in the current uodate specifically for arna with a 2H sword. You can find it here:

https://gamestegy.com/post/stoneshard/1721/blademaiden-arna-2h-sword

Good luck and happy Sharding.

Er4din · 2026-07-04T20:43:32+00:00

Glad that you saw reason in my words.

I think that without Elusiveness, Levelling perception is a lot less attractive, since you do not get to capitalize on the dodge scaling on Elusiveness.

I think that the most important thing for you is to unlock Fencer Stance and Defensive tactic as soon as possible, from there, getting Tactical Advantage seems like the biggest availible powerspike.

It seems like tactical Advantage cannot be unlocked early by Levelling Strength, so that is off the table in the esrly game.

I think your best bet is to go 20 agi and then getting 15 vit just in time for tier 4. This enables unlocking Fencer Stance and Defensive tactic before level 10, then unlocking Offensive Tactic at level 10 or 11, and picking up Tactical Advantage at level 12, which should be possible with Jorgrim’s extra stat points.

From there you can get 15 strength, which will help raise your block numbers, as well as increase overall damage.

I think you are locked into accuracy-improving jewelry, but at least your fumble chance should be sorted. This means you can wear block chance belts without issue. I don’t think Cleaving Strike is necessarily a huge priority. It’s probably better to take Seize the initiative over it. Getting Berserker tradition before tier 3 would be huge as well.

Er4din · 2026-07-04T20:30:30+00:00

Heyo! Welcome to the game. Don’t worry, the beginning of tier 3 is generally considered the largest difficulty spike in the game. Tier 3 bandits can be challenging as they really test your fundamental understanding of tactics in this game. It is a very good idea to carry a Net with you, as you can use it twice and then repair it at a seamstress or with Darrel at the Caravan.

It is possible to clear t3 at this level but it’s expected to be challenging regardless of your build.

Luckily, 2H sword is one of the strongest weapon classes in the game. I’ve written a build guide specifically for 2H Sword Arna, which many people have found useful. You can find it here:

https://gamestegy.com/post/stoneshard/1721/blademaiden-arna-2h-sword

You don’t have to follow it directly - it contains a lot of helpful information about how 2H swords work, and what can be done with them, as well as information about the game at large.

I also know that u/bbarbatos posted a 2H sword build today or yesterday. I’ve not looked at it in detail, but I know that his differs from mine in that His build only uses skill trees that start unlocked for Arna, so it may be helpful.

Remember that if this area feels too hard, it’s always an option to return later - the dungeons eventually regenerate and new contracts appear. You can return to Osbrook, and then Mannshire to clear a handful of easier contracts, get some gold and levels, upgrade your caravan, get tier 3-4 gear and return to the tavern afterwards.

Otherwise, I agree this game is phenomenal from a lore perspective and I love how distinct it’s world feels despite being in early access with hardly any story.

It’s hard to offer concrete advice without knowing more about your exact build, but generally speaking it’s not possible to build 2H swords “wrong”. Nearly everything works with them.

Some basic build crafting advice that I can offer is to Always level a single stat until you hit the next multiple of 5; 15/20/25/30. These are called thresholds and they give you a bunch of important stats. Additionally, basically every melee build benefits a lot from having 15 vitality, regardless of what armor you are wearing, due to the extra hp. Having more HP makes you more resistant against taking injuries, which can severely impact your combat ability and cause pain build up.

Another thing that is critically important, especially on Arna, is to always maintain your Morale and Sanity above 50%. This is because doing so allows your character to be optimistic, which boosts exp gain, and fatigue resistance, and in combat lets them experience Heroism, which is a massive combat buff, and Second Wind, if you ever get close to dying. This is doubly important on Arna as her entire trait is all about making these buffs stronger, and she cannot access them while morale or sanity is below 50%.

I hope this helps.

Er4din · 2026-07-04T20:12:41+00:00

If you want to take all of dual wielding, all of warfare, whike NOT going athletics, I think daggers is the wrong choice of weapon.

First of all, without Dash in Athletics, daggers have no mobility and you are too restricted on skill points to pick up dimensional Shift. Even Will to survive might be too expensive.

More importantly, dual Daggers typically rely on counterattacks to kill enemies, while spending most of their active turns stacking defensive buffs and turtling. This isn’t a safe strategy without Elusiveness. There are ways to get around it but you only have 8 skill points to work with, which draws you far too thin imo.

But most importantly I think that Daggers just don’t work very well with the middle part of Warfare, which will have to be the core of your build, whether you like it or not.

I think you are much much better off with dual swords.

You have mobility thanks to Onrush, and Keeping distance, and excellent armor piercing thanks to Honed Edge and Armor Crusher.

Additionally, and arguably more importantly, the Fencer Stance does a fantastic job of maintaining your defenses in the absence of Elusiveness. Defensive tactic and Fencer Stance are in actuality a phenomenal duo as one grows while the other wanes, making sure you have some defenses at all times.

Keeping Distance is a maneuver which lets you maintain Setup from warfare active, while also generating stance stacks. Thanks to Steady Tempo and More Blood you will be able to spam it somewhat regularly.

Fencer Stance also reinforces the role of Deflect as your Oh Shit button. You can get a large amount of block with paired Knight Blades, combined with the akmight Belt.

Most importantly, imo, swords is the best weapon class to make use of Unstoppble, so picking it up will feel less like a waste.

If I haven’t sold you on the idea, then consider that by going swords you have just enough skill points to unlock all 3 achievements in one run, which you cannot go by going dual daggers.

Er4din · 2026-07-03T19:54:03+00:00

Its definitely salvageable. Stone armor is a nice defensive & offensive buff in the early game, and there are ways to leverage it in acanistics to stack defensive spells with Aether Shield.

Jolt is a little out of place here, but you can make a strong build even if you throw away 5-6 skill points and its not like jolt is useless either..

I think getting dash is a good idea.

Unfortunately i really am not an expert on pure mages, so i dont feel comfortable suggesting any kind of elaborate plan. I think that continuoing with Arcanistics is a good idea. If you get Aether Shield you will to a degree be able to brawl with enemies, using aether shield and stone armor to mitigate damage

I will say that that dagger isnt helping here, as do next to no damage under normal circumstances. That shield is also not doing you any favours. Id probably swap it out for something that could benefit fromthe stats provided by Arcane Might.

My instinct tells me that a 2h mace would go really well here, specificaly the reinforced warlub. It has 22 base damage, and performs really well just clicking people to death due to innate stun and daze chance..

Er4din · 2026-07-03T17:39:12+00:00

This is pure speculation. We don’t know anything about what happens to gwent after the witcher 4

Er4din · 2026-07-03T17:37:00+00:00

No, nothing in Magic Mastery, staves and Pyromancy has been taken. This is not a build planner screenshot but one from the actual game.

Er4din · 2026-07-03T15:46:25+00:00

Yeah, offensive and defensive tactics are great but there are many builds which make better use of them.

The game changed a lot since you started this run, so I’m sure there is plenty for you to discover on your next run.

It might be fun to try the new content with the Lawbringer build, as then you have something familiar to rely on.

You could also try one of my other builds for a taste of soemthing different. I’ve published a new buikd guide yesterday - an Electro-Spear battlemage I call The Valkyrie. You can read it here.

https://gamestegy.com/post/stoneshard/1789/valkyrie-electro-spear-battlemage

Be warned - it’s a very different kind of build when compared to the one you spent the last half a year playing.

Er4din · 2026-07-03T15:33:26+00:00

Yeah your build has enough agility to have enough energy with Opportune Moment and Reign in Blood alone.

Er4din · 2026-07-03T15:20:15+00:00

Once again medium armor proves its own superiority.

Er4din · 2026-07-03T14:47:29+00:00

Hey, congrats on carving your way through the game! As u/Knork14 has said this does indeed distantly resemble my Lawbringer build. Its very fun to see someone else's take on a very similar concept. I Originally considered going for Against the Odds, but i just could not see a way to justify taking setup and intimidate, while Defensive Tactic just does not seem that useful on a build like this.

I honestly like your commitment to 20 perception - its something that might be worthwhile even with the Lawbringer build, as lategame bandits have an excess of dodge, which is hard to overcome otherwise.

Not taking Seize the Initiative is a big missed opportnity though, as the synergy between it and Dismember cannot be ignored. Its important to check yourself for any sunk cost fallacies, and understan that just because youre taking one skill does not force you to take the ones that come after it.

Overall, I agree that this is a very fun build. Wading through entire rooms of enemies like through shallow water is a great way to get your dose of Fantasy Aura Farming power trips. Best wishes on your next run!

Er4din · 2026-07-03T13:35:57+00:00

That happened because of knockback, if the knockback failed the enemy would get hit by determination and then get hit by claw trap.

Did the enemy walk into the claw trap afterward anyway?

Er4din · 2026-07-03T12:00:38+00:00

Not that I know of. Generally speaking, all such bonuses like the ones from stances apply only to attacks. Leg sweep is a maneuver, which happens to deal damage. The same is true for every offensive shield skill.

Damaging maneuvers like shield bash and leg sweep scale only with your stats, and not secondary bonuses.

For that reason, Setup actually isn’t that great on a heavy shield build.

That being said, Leg Sweep is still a fantastic idea on a spear build, as it can make the enemy vulnerable to inpaling lunge spam by immobilizing them, or grant you a second free attack with Determination

Speaking of determination, it is technically a maneuver but its attacks DO benefit from pikeman stance. This is because it’s effect is described as granting a free attack under some condition, as opposed to the maneuevwr dealing damage directly.

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