Author Topic: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)  (Read 187163 times)

Omnivorous

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #45 on: October 16, 2009, 03:42:16 AM »
Speaking of the Swamp, I broke my promise to only play Mountain Dwarf Fighters, just this once, and started another Minotaur Berserker.

Have you tried Deep Dwarf Berserker? :o Berserker with some staffs and the ability to trade off 1mp for recharging a staff/wand! Pretty interesting along with berserker.


Well my Merfolk Enchanter died after almoast clearing out Orc Mines.. :/ I was tumbling around on a floor I thought I had under control, when summoned creatures started appearing. Kept chasing some confused Orc Sorceror so I didn't really pay attention to the two Zombie Orcs that were chasing me.. Some kind of summoned demon appeared right on their tail, and something started smiting me out of nowhere. Unbelievably enough, I got time to use a scroll of teleportation with 10hp left. (I didn't have time to put on ring of invisiblity now, and my invisibility skill is far too unreliable to try and cast in a situation like that) Anyway.. The wonderful scroll of damned teleportation moved me one square up and 2 to the left. (No it was not blinking)

"4. 5893 PerKiller MfEn-10 blasted by a smoke demon (Orc:3)

PerKiller the Infuser (level 10, -2/69 HPs)
Began as a Merfolk Enchanter.
Was an Elder of Okawaru. (Didn't use this god at all :/)
Killed from afar by a smoke demon (12 damage)
... with a ball of steam
... on Level 3 of the Orcish Mines.
The game lasted 01:50:22 (15793 turns)."

Ahwell, time to sleep now! *Sob*
         

Rabiat

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #46 on: October 16, 2009, 09:27:03 AM »
You stash your stuff somewhere? I ran into trouble (EDIT: Well, not "trouble", but it was a bit frustrating) because I was running out of space in my pack, but I didn't know what to leave behind. Keeping a stash sounds like a good idea, at least for things that you don't usually need immediately, like rings.

Sooner or later you'll run out of carrying capacity, either because you're lugging around too many items or because they're too heavy. It's also frustrating to be near the bottom of a branch and have to leave valuable items behind for other, even more valuable items. So it's a good idea to stash items you're not planning on using soon, but want to keep for later. In earlier versions of Crawl, it was important to keep track of where you left your stuff; in Stone Soup you can use Ctrl-F to find it and autotravel to reach it. The Eucumenical Temple is a good place for stashing items since there are no monsters there that can wander off with them. Lair:2 is a good place because only unintelligent, non-corroding animals are generated there, so no-one's going to steal or destroy your stuff.

You should of done lair.  You were too weak to go so deep in the dungeon.  Poison resist is not that important in lair for a MiBe.  I have cleaned snake with a MiBe without poison resist.  If you had a flaming weapon or a mace you could also of attempted swamp.  Any axe wielder should be carrying a mace or flaming weapon anyway.

You're right, and I probably shouldn't have said poison resistance is needed for the Lair. It can be done without, as long as you're not exploring at 25% health. I've never survived the Swamp or the Snake Pit without it though. I often investigate the upper levels of a branch, but if I'm having trouble clearing them, I'll leave and come back later.

In general I think it's good to set intermediate goals. The early goals are usually the same. Find the Temple first, and pick a deity if you don't have one. Find the Lair, and clear it. Go back up to the Orcish Mines, and clear them. Then take on the Hive and the Swamp, in any order, maybe clearing the upper levels of both to gain experience. Get the Decaying Rune from the Swamp. Clear he Snake Pit, and get the Serpentine Rune. Clear the Slime Pits if you have corrosion resistance.

I usually don't make it that far, but if I do, I'm inexperienced and undecided. Clear the upper levels of the Vault and the Elven Halls. Don't go for the runes just yet. Visit the Hall of Blades if you're strong enough to survive the Abyss for a while. Visit the crypt if you have warding and some means to handle undead. Depending on your resistances, you may even need to start exploring branches of Hell before finally being able to get the runes from the Elven Halls and the Vault. After that, I have nothing to contribute. You can probably dive into the Realm of Zot and go for the Orb, and survive. If you do, don't expect to visit the remaining branches afterwards.

Something strange happened with this char.. On D:4 pretty heavy monsters appeared at the staircase. (Orc Priest with some friends) I managed to fend off and started exploring and I found a weird glowing room with a staircase that looked like a shop, saying "A staircase covered with sand.." I didn't dare to enter and kept clearing out the floor. I returned after levling up twice, and the staircase was gone.. :/ I have seen the Labyrinth before, but then the staircase was named "The Labyrinth". I guess I should've went in.

Occasionally some side levels pop up, and I think their entrances have been made temporary in Stone Soup. They're meant to be high-risk, now-or-never challenges. Labyrinths are mazes guarded by a minotaur with some very good items at exit near the center. If you're carrying enough food, and you can take a beating in melee, it's worth trying. I've visited several Labyrinths and never died there. I've also seen Tombs or Crypts (other than the branch) populated with undead; I haven't explored these since I always lacked the experience I think they require. I've also heard there are bazaars, with lots of shops, where you can go on a shopping spree just once; I've never actually found one.

Have you tried Deep Dwarf Berserker? :o Berserker with some staffs and the ability to trade off 1mp for recharging a staff/wand! Pretty interesting along with berserker.

I haven't played any of the new races, but I'll give the Deep Dwarf a shot. Not being able to regenerate doesn't sound too appealing, but perhaps with Trog's regeneration it isn't as bad as it sounds.

Anvilfolk

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #47 on: October 16, 2009, 01:41:31 PM »
You'll need to keep a full belly, as that regeneration takes food. And piety too... Dunno!

I'm currently with a pretty interesting Mountain Dwarf Berserker. Lvl 11, DLvl 11, seen entrances to Hive and Mines, but haven't gone there yet. I'm a prized avatar of Trog who uses axes, and he just gave me a short sword of defence. Humpf. Totally don't need it.
"Get it hot! Hit it harder!!!"
 - The tutor warcry

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Omnivorous

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #48 on: October 16, 2009, 03:30:47 PM »
You'll need to keep a full belly, as that regeneration takes food. And piety too... Dunno!

I'm currently with a pretty interesting Mountain Dwarf Berserker. Lvl 11, DLvl 11, seen entrances to Hive and Mines, but haven't gone there yet. I'm a prized avatar of Trog who uses axes, and he just gave me a short sword of defence. Humpf. Totally don't need it.

Don't worry, you'll get LOTS of gifts from Trog if you keep sacrificing all corpses you find. (Except those you can eat)

You should find the Lair soon. When you do, I'd reccomend visiting it right away, because the Dungeon will most likely get harder pretty quickly. If you want a challenge, test your strenght in the mines right away. After the Hive it will probably be so easy, you'll quickly get bored there but clear it out easily.

Rabiat

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #49 on: October 17, 2009, 08:51:50 PM »

...NOOOO! :o


306433 Moocow the Skullcrusher (level 21, -6/176 (188) HPs)
             Began as a Minotaur Berserker on Oct 13, 2009.
             Was the Champion of Trog.
             Killed from afar by an acid blob (9 damage)
             ... with a splash of acid
             ... on Level 6 of the Pits of Slime on Oct 17, 2009.
             The game lasted 12:23:57 (84540 turns).

Moocow the Skullcrusher (MiBe)         Turns: 84540, Time: 12:23:58

HP  -6/176 (188) AC 28     Str 37      Exp: 21/571441 (3), need: 17258
MP  15/15        EV  6     Int  6      God: Trog ******
Gold 2857        SH  6     Dex 10      Spells:  0 memorised, 22 levels left

Res.Fire  : + . .   See Invis. : .   B - +3,+5 spiked flail of Death's Door {god gi
Res.Cold  : + + .   Warding    : .   H - +1 plate mail "Kheokes" {Stlth--}
Life Prot.: + . .   Conserve   : .   b - -2 shield of the Untouchables {rC+ Dam+4}
Res.Poison: .       Res.Corr.  : .   (helmet restricted)
Res.Elec. : .       Clarity    : .   G - +2 cloak of Conservation {rC+ Str+2}
                                     R - +1 pair of gloves of Guejit {Str+2}
Sust.Abil.: +       Rnd.Telep. : .   (no boots)
Res.Mut.  : +       Ctrl.Telep.: +   p - amulet of resist mutation
Res.Slow  : .       Levitation : .   O - ring of teleport control
Saprovore : . . .   Ctrl.Flight: .   j - ring of sustain abilities

@: regenerating (expires), exhausted, extremely resistant to magic,
extremely unstealthy
A: fire resistance 1, sense surroundings 1, horns 2, AC +1, Str +2,
Dex +1
a: Sense Surroundings, Burn Spellbooks, Berserk, Trog's Hand,
Brothers in Arms, Renounce Religion, Evoke Blink, Evoke Sense
Surroundings, Evoke Teleportation

You were on level 6 of the Pits of Slime.
You worshipped Trog.
Trog was exalted by your worship.
You were not hungry.

You visited 10 branches of the dungeon, and saw 64 of its levels.

...

   Skills:
 + Level 16 Fighting
 + Level 7 Axes
 * Level 27 Maces & Flails
 + Level 10 Darts
 + Level 6 Throwing
 + Level 14 Armour
 + Level 4 Dodging
 + Level 13 Shields
 + Level 8 Traps & Doors
 + Level 13 Unarmed Combat
 + Level 1 Spellcasting
 + Level 4 Evocations

...

Grand Total: 2613 creatures vanquished



...And that's the end of Moocow the Minotaur Berserker, L21 Champion of Trog.

He cleared the Lair, the Swamp, the Hive, the Orcish Mines, the Snake Pit, and the Vault. He also cleared the main dungeon up until D:21, the two top levels of the Elven Halls, and all but the bottom level of the Slime Pits. He collected the Decaying Rune from the Swamp, the Serpentine Rune from the Snake Pit, and the Silver Rune form the Vault. At the bottom level of the Slime Pit, he managed to make the Royal Jelly flee from a melee fight, but was eventually taken down by the spit attack of three acid blobs.

Conclusion: Don't try to clear the Slime Pits without corrosion resistance, even if your armour and weapons are all artefacts. And remember, teleport control doesn't work on the bottom level of the Slime Pits...

Moocow would like offer his most sincere condolences to the friends and relatives of Yjib (D:2), Sigmund (D:2), Josephine (Swamp:3), Norris (Swamp:5), Prince Ribbit (D:10), Eustachio (D:11), Urug (D:11), Donald (D:12), Jozef (D:12), Rupert (Snake:3), Nessos (Snake:3), Nergalle (Snake:4), Michael (D:16), Wayne (Vault:7), Duane (Vault:7), and Saint Roka (D:18). He also asked for the Royal Jelly (Slime:6) to be sent a get well soon card.

Omnivorous

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #50 on: October 17, 2009, 10:29:17 PM »
Oooh.. :o Close one! Were you in slime pits just for the XP at this point?

Rabiat

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #51 on: October 17, 2009, 11:59:57 PM »
No, I was trying to get the Rune. I'd never cleared the Slime Pits before, and this seemed like an opportunity to do so. Normally I don't enter the Slime Pits because corrosion reduces weapon and armour stats like crazy. This time I was lucky to have an almost complete set of artefact armour and several artefact weapons (they're immune to corrosion and destruction). I could also buy an amulet of resist mutation, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I should've taken a hint when I was having trouble with acid blobs in the levels above the Royal Jelly, and get out of there until I found corrosion resistance.

I could've taken my three runes and head for the Vestibule of Hell. If I'd made it, I'm sure Geryon wouldn't have been too hard, and I could've made it into Dis to build up XP. If I'd survived that, I might've made it into the Zot Realm. Hypothetically speaking. ;)

Omnivorous

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #52 on: October 18, 2009, 02:01:15 AM »
I know I more or less can easily get far with a MiBe.. but meh, I got pretty bored of it. I don't think it's very fun.. Now my problem is, I have a very hard time understanding how, and making it long with any caster classes.. Anyone with success with a caster/hybrid that can reccomend something and maybe share some tactics with that combination? :-)

Archaalen

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #53 on: October 18, 2009, 04:55:48 AM »
Crawl is all I've been playing recently, but I never get very far.  My best characters have usually been Merfolk Crusaders, but my other favorite race/class combos are a bit eclectic.  I like hybrid characters, so my typical classes are Crusader, Death Knight, Transmuter, and Stalker.  The other races that I play most are Ogre (gets an extra strength increase), Kobold (levels quick, great with ranged weapons), and Draconian (randomness of type adds to interest, plus good at all weapon types).  Occasionally I will play a Troll Berserker for my own amusement.

If you want to make a fighter-type into a mage, you have to practice spellcasting skill by reading scrolls until you hit level 1 in it, and then you start getting spell slots when you level.  After that, you may memorize spells and go from there.  I've never had the patience to do it on a regular basis, so I stick to hybrids and the occasional mage.  I have 2 characters in the works at the moment, an Ogre Transmuter and a Draconian Death Knight.  I'll be sure to let you all know when and how they die.

Archaalen

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #54 on: October 18, 2009, 06:25:15 AM »
And, the draconian bites it!  Made it to 3rd (character) level, but I was killed by a kobold with some frost darts.

Rabiat

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #55 on: October 18, 2009, 09:45:42 AM »
I know I more or less can easily get far with a MiBe.. but meh, I got pretty bored of it. I don't think it's very fun.. Now my problem is, I have a very hard time understanding how, and making it long with any caster classes.. Anyone with success with a caster/hybrid that can reccomend something and maybe share some tactics with that combination? :-)

The early game is boring for melee fighters. They become more fun to play after the Lair and the Orc Mines, i.e. when need to rely on resistances and tactics. The bottom of the Swamp is usually the place where things start to get more interesting. For conjurers and elementalists it's the exact opposite. The early game can be very challenging, but once you've cleared the Swamp, you're pretty much unstoppable for anything that doesn't have a ranged attack.

If you want to get the hang of playing spellcasters, I'd recommend conjurers or elementalists. The first thing you'll want to do is get to the Temple and worship Vehumet. On the way to the Temple, rest for full HP and MP whenever you get a chance. Retreat into the explored area after a fight to reduce chances of an encounter. Learn all spells you can, but try to cast only your cheapest spell to avoid spell hunger and miscast effects; the power of your cheapest spells will grow with your Int and casting skills. Collect missiles and daggers to do ranged damage in case you're out of MP. Don't disarm traps, but lure monsters over them; you'll be surprised how effective they can be even against strong melee fighters like gnolls and orcs. Don't forget to use early sources of damage/obstruction, such as poison, confusion, paralysis, or throwing nets. And if you come across an item that would be hazardous if someone used it a aginst you, take it with you, or move it to the level above. Also, look out for early sources of speed, blinking and teleportation; you'll probably need those early and often.

EDIT: one trick I use often but forgot to mention, is to explore the edges of the map first, then explore inward. It'll take longer than auto-explore, but it's much safer. You won't attract as many crowds, and you'll probably train stealth, which gives you the option of avoiding strong opponents if they fail to notice you.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2009, 11:33:58 AM by Rabiat »

Archaalen

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #56 on: October 19, 2009, 07:12:05 AM »
The Ogre has died.  He ran into an ice beast, fought a little and tried to run away and encountered a snake.  The ice beast got the final hit in.

Omnivorous

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #57 on: October 19, 2009, 03:04:52 PM »
The Ogre has died.  He ran into an ice beast, fought a little and tried to run away and encountered a snake.  The ice beast got the final hit in.
[/quote

Hehe, what level did he become and what level of the dungeon did you reach? Any lessons learned with this situation, looking at it in hindsight? :)

Numeron

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #58 on: October 19, 2009, 11:14:41 PM »
I regularly roll MiBe, and have been doing pretty well, I've made it to the bottom of snake once, and cleared the orc mines a couple of times, and I have a question about praying.

Does it carry any negative effects at all, like mild loss of piety? Currently Ill do it if there are 3 or more inedible corpses around that i can sacrifice but is it worth praying just to sac one corpse? apparently things you do while praying that your god like help with piety, does that include killing for Trog? should I pray, for example when beserking in the orc mines, and downing lots of orcs at once, or leave it for saccing their corpses?

Omnivorous

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Re: Never beat Crawl? Enter here! :-)
« Reply #59 on: October 20, 2009, 06:34:31 AM »
Use it whenever you sac corpses. I think it is mentioned especially in the god's description if there are extra benefits from 'p'raying on its own. Trog usually showers my berserkers with gifts when I get around level 10.