Item List: Most Used, Less Useful etc etc

[Cohen]

After a not very well gone post about the Wish for New Items, dunno if Devs have read, now I believe it's time to list the item we use more often, and the other we find useless, or however we see most used/useless.

Spellcasting enhancing items are fine I believe, perhaps someone unique more to add somo colour, like more book +1x+1y ^^
Many unique items aren't so strong, not only since you cannot industrialize your SC by that way, but there're more useful items in non unique Category. I'm for improving the effect (not lowering the cost) of many of then, and some are dangerous too for the wielder (see the stone sword, unquenced sword, many horror mark, curses, effect that attract strange being and that the item isn't worthing so often)

I often see Blood Thorn and Wraith sword, for SC survival.
Elemental Armor or Jade armor are almost always used.
Characoal Shield, or Lucky Coin used too.

Staff of Storms too is used.
Lucky Amulet, Antimagic Amulet, Regeneration Ring.
Boots of Quickness.

Well I can open the magic item list and wrote down an entire post telling what's useful/less for me.

Or at least you should consider ... a wraith sword is almost always useful, another item is so specific that isn't done at all if not in very determinate circumstance. But usually that item isn't so powerful to save you in such circumstance, even if highly specialized. (ie: Elf Bane ... useful against magical being, but if enemy hasn't magical beings, you are wasting gems to a less powerful weapon compared to a one without enhanced damage against the magical being ... so on if the enemy has an horde of magical being, with my Elf Bane the things really change since I can equip only few commanders with them against an horde of magical summons. In that case an anti-magic 3 area splash damage should be nice, as the axe releases a wave of energy when meeting the essence of a magical being)

[PvK]

An example of using Elf Bane (Dominions I, but same deal):

I was Vanheim against many AI's, and had been beaten back to one or two provinces from a very large empire, especially because my major field armies were devastated by a sudden attack of many seasonal spirits (like 20 Spring Hawks in one, and 30 Summer Lions in another).

So my Allfather and a hero equipped up with various magic items and each carrying an Elf Bane. The two of them single-handedly wiped out the 30 Summer Lions in one battle.

I don't think Elf Bane needs splash damage. Just give it to someone sufficiently formidable to stay alive and keep swinging. It's not a bad weapon compared to other cheap magic items, either (12 armor-piercing damage is good).

PvK

[Gandalf Parker]

Its not really worthwhile for me to make such a list. Let me know which items you find worthless.

[LintMan]

Some of my Favorites:

- Sceptre of Authority/Longbow of Accuracy/Rod of the Phoenix: I try to give one of these to all my priests and any "stay behind troops" commanders I have. The Rod is the best, but is pricey and longer to research. I like the Longbow because I'm thinking it minimizes friendly fire, but I wonder if another bow choice might be better.

- Dwarven Hammer: I gotta have a few of these laying around to save on forging costs

- Fire Brand/Frost Brand: I like both of these, depending on who I expect to fight soon.

- Shield of Gleaming Gold: I often give these to my Strategos', which I send out to battle rather than stay behind troops. Awe works well, but you have to watch out for missile fire.

- Crystal Shield: the +1 to all magic paths in combat makes this shield seem like it'd be a quite prime choice, but the crazy 4 encumberance means you boosted mage won't be casting very many spells, so I haven't found a good use for it yet. (Perhaps if you load the mage up with reinvig items...?)

- Black Steel Helmet: a cheap prot boost, 0 enc., available early, I sometimes make these when I have spare earth gems and give them to anybody who will be in combat (and perhaps later in the game will replace them with better helms).

- Spirit Helms: I love 'em! It's like having a free low level air mage.

- Wraith Crown: pricey, but great for building an SC.

- Stymphalian Armor: fly, trample, fear, all in one!

- Bracers of Prot: like the Black Steel Helmet, these are cheap prot (& def) and available early, so I make a number of them early on.

- Endless Bag of Wine: indispensable. I wish there were more +supply options so that I could use my nature gems for some of the other nifty stuff there besides making so many of these damn things.

- Enormous Cauldron of Broth: It's just too expensive in precious nature gems compared to the Endless Bag of Wine. It's available earlier (Const 2) than the EBoW (Const 4), but early on the supply situation isn't so harsh and I'm willing to rush the construction school research to Const 4, so I never build these.

- Bottle of Living Water: I just love these and make a ton of them, but I suspect they're overpriced for the value you get from them.

[Arralen]

supply items:
The cauldron gives 50 supply, while the bag only nets 25 points - and both add up, so it does make sense to forge one or two of them for your biggest armies.
Don't forget the Summer Sword (N-2, E-1), 50 supply for 10 gems.

'worthless' items:
Hunter's Knife
Berseker Pelt
Slave Collar
Ring of the Warrior
Flesh Eater


.. that's not much from a list of .. what .. 500 items ?
Some of the other may have only very special uses, but they do have them. Only those above are (IMHO) easily replaced by better ones from the same research level or have simply next to no effect.

[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by Arralen:
supply items:
The cauldron gives 50 supply, while the bag only nets 25 points - and both add up, so it does make sense to forge one or two of them for your biggest armies.

The cauldron costs more gems per supply unit, and you can use two wineskins on two scouts, so there is no reason to build them.

[Cohen]

Pvk do you really believe it was the Elf Bane the difference?

A fully equipped Allfather can take out much more than 30 seasonal spirit, even with a magic trinket sword

[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by Cohen:
A fully equipped Allfather can take out much more than 30 seasonal spirit, even with a magic trinket sword

The dominions I allfather was a human sized rainbow type pretender IIRC, not the giant combat type we have now.

[rabelais]

Originally posted by Arralen:
supply items:
The cauldron gives 50 supply, while the bag only nets 25 points - and both add up, so it does make sense to forge one or two of them for your biggest armies.
Don't forget the Summer Sword (N-2, E-1), 50 supply for 10 gems.

'worthless' items:
Hunter's Knife
Berseker Pelt
Slave Collar
Ring of the Warrior
Flesh Eater


.. that's not much from a list of .. what .. 500 items ?
Some of the other may have only very special uses, but they do have them. Only those above are (IMHO) easily replaced by better ones from the same research level or have simply next to no effect.

I agree about the hunters knife, since the serpent kyrss is better.

The flesh eater and ring of the warrior items are *FAR* from useless. This is because they cost blood slaves rather than gems. And yet let you hit ethereal.

I found them most helpful as a basic loadout for my Jarls when fighting SG ermor. The ring increases your repel ability, and gives you a much better shot at hitting enemy SC's.

I think more blood weapons would be great. particularly one that caused fear.

The slave collar IMHO should make the owner NEVER rout, so it is at least potentially useful.

And I still like my proposed equipable resource item, so that cap only bless strategies can max out, if they wish.


Rabe... Blood Armorer in Extremis

[ May 25, 2004, 22:50: Message edited by: rabelais ]

[Norfleet]

The Elf Bane has an effectiveness on a rather narrow range of targets, though: Lifeless, magical beings. If it's not lifeless, a Wraith or Blood Thorn works better, as to get an equivalent effect out of the Elf Bane, you'll have to give up at least 1 other equipment slot: Something to take care of either fatigue or regeneration....or both, costing you potentially two slots.

There's a few other items which appear to be rather useless, unless you count loading them onto sacrificial lambs so that they can die and have the items possibly be picked up by an enemy you wish to curse. Seems to be a rather lame and artificial use, but hey, it's there, it works, you deal.