If you dodge, block, or otherwise avoid damage from a hit, can you still counter it, or can you only counter hits that damage you?
Wrong. Counter does it's own check. You don't need a single point in block or dodge to counter. Counter is totally awesome for 2 reasons 1. When counter triggers, you DON"T TAKE DAMAGE!!! That's right, it's an offensive and defensive skill all in one package. 2. You can even counter a counter, and not take damage. Too bad dual wield is bugged, or it's 10 counter will make it the best direct defense skill in the game. However, you can still buff you counter by the really powerful Ring of Iron Thorn (way better than overclock power-limbs imo). Best of all they can even be crafted. Every warrior with smithing should be wearing 2 of these. Despite how awesome counter is, I still would not recommend the use of sword.
I'm sorry, you don't recommend the use of sword? Why? Swords are awesome. And holy crap! Dual-wield gives 10 counter!??! Not Dritz gives 5. But what do the other skills give? Surely not a total of 5?
Yeah a total of 10, but it's not working atm, so it's really just 0 until fixed. As for swords, just try getting to dungeon 10 on rogue difficulty, and see what options you have against a group of arch diggles. It simply doesn't have the stuns or the magic power to survive against things that can go through your armor. Once enemy outpace your means of direct defense, which starts at dungeon 7, a dual sword build kinna just gets stuck. I didn't count the Doul's Possible Sword because I have never seen it in all my run through. Relying on that as an strategy would be like buying a lottery ticket to pay your bill next month. This can change of course depending on rather dual wield gets fix and rather new items are introduced with counters. Currently a character max out at roughly 60 if optimum items/skills are used and anvil with +2 counter rate. Bug fix will change this to 70. If new items allow it to reach 80, it will be pretty good, but if it hits 90 it would be OP.
@123stw Perhaps, you shouldn't suggest not using swords if your experience is only on Going Rogue. While I haven't played beyond Elvish Easy, which is a real misnomer of a name, if the RNG hates you, I would imagine Going Rogue is not your friend. Ever. Although, finding a Cranky Crossbow in the first room was awesome that one time. As for using swords, I've never had problems, however I usually give up and start a new character by floor 7. Restartitis. Doul's possible sword + anything = ubercheese. It does 30 base damage, and I think you can only get it in shops. As for Arch Diggles, considering the damage is the same on all difficulties, I don't look forward to them. Maybe my mace char will beat them good. Vampirism for the win. I also had good luck getting Sir Arcum, or something's helm, which has a base 6 Armor absorption, the best in the game for a helm, and an artifact ring that came with 2 armor absorption. The Arch Diggles may do piercing, but the other things on the floor will be easy.
I was never quite sure why Rogue is harder aside from enemy having more HP and more traps. I only been playing rogue now cuz it has a nice red tag so I was never quite sure. It's probably that rogue prevent fast kill, and tanking that 20 piercing a few times can be quite inconvenient. So maybe it's not "that" different after all.
Possibly. One question about the more hitpoints, how much damage do magick golems take on Rogue before they die, on Dwarven and Elvish, they take around 26-28 before they die. So, if it's about the same, even the HP bonus isn't a problem. Then again, maybe I'm just crazy. also, according to the difficulty wiki page, Going Rogue and Dwarvish have the same hitpoint boosts
Well, you can try going rouge. You should notice the HP difference from elvish immediately just from level 1. It also seem like monsters dodge/counter/block a lot more in rogue, but I can't find that in tweakDP so it's probably just my imagination.
I was interested in this myself. Just FYI: As difficulty increases: 1) Monsters on a floor get additional HP as the level of the floor is scaled 2) Monsters get more HP per level 3) Monsters you encounter will be a higher level 4) The prices of store items will increase 5) Your items sell to the shopkeeper for less 6) HP and SP regenerate slower 7) Monsters spawn more often 8) Vending machines will get more expensive 9) Monsters drop less gold 10) You will find less food 11) You will encounter more traps 12) Named monsters will become more frequent and more powerful
Well, needless to say I'm only my first playthrough of GR, but when it comes to #10 and #12, I haven't noticed. Maybe it's good luck/confirmation bias on my part, but I've found the same amount of food (or I just store it as well as I did on DM and don't notice that it's been toned down) and I haven't found many named monsters spare from quests. Hell, I rarely even find them in zoos. Probably RNG love, but it works. I have found more "boss groups" with the off color leaders that run when you kill the leaders, however.
