Combat being a joke

[Niclas Hennig]

Hello lads,

I am at the point where I dont really feel the fun in the game anymore. I am the blacksmith of our little group and make decent armour for my mates with the intention to protect them properly. But everytime they go out they are being oneshot by almost anything. Once you go into a cave or make a mine yourself you end up with a horde of tainted drifters and even if you are able to survive that, you encounter the bell that spawns about 20 to 30 enemies till you manage to kill it. I accept that the game is supposed to be difficult at some point and it is understandable at some point, but combat just dosent make sense at all. You deal not much damage unless you are the only class with combat in mind (which is useless about everywhere else)  and even then you gain nothing. I am actually not just here to complain, I am just very very frustrated that my mates come back with totaled armor sets which incredible tedious to repair and next to no loot. I would like to know if you guys have any helpful advice to combat so we can actually fight without it feeling like we are taking in intercourse without consent?

 

*We use lamellar armor 1 Set copper and 1 set tin bronze, also bronze swords and one got a bow 

[gilt-kutabe]

@Niclas Hennig

Make sure to use shields, they’re very helpful even if you aren’t actively crouching, and can negate a lot of damage. You’re going to want armor with better protection tiers, as well, for higher tier enemies (the handbook can tell you all the enemy and armor/weapons stats). Different armor types within the tier/material give different levels of protection/drawbacks (like scale vs. plate). Tainted drifters deal tier 2 damage, copper armor is tier 1, bronze is tier 2. If you’re hit by a creature with higher tier attack than your armor, it only gives a fraction of the protection (and I think it deals a ton of damage to the durability as well). Regardless of your armor, don’t let yourself get surrounded. You are much more mobile and intelligent than the AI, use that to your advantage. You’ll be overwhelmed by the chip damage quickly. Use ranged weapons as well as melee, either spears or bows, whatever you prefer. They deal a lot of damage, and will give you a much better chance once the enemies get close enough to melee. Healing poultices help a lot despite the low HP restoration for the early ones. 
 

Personally, I’ve found tailored gambeson (tier 2) to be sufficient for overworld enemies (like bears, surface drifters), and iron mostly alright for deep caves. I use the Forlorn Hope treasure armor, which is iron tier but has a special bonus that decreases the extra damage from higher tier attacks (the Blackguard set and other plate armors do the same). You can still get smacked around with iron/steel, so make sure you’re well equipped with heals, building blocks, etc. Also, avoid going too deep for your tier. Bells (and the enemies that they summon) are not easy to handle. I’d run for it if I saw one of them with only bronze armor, they’re scary enough with iron. If you’re seeing bells, you’re probably facing other enemies that are too strong for your current equipment.

Edited March 29, 2025 by gilt-kutabe

[Maelstrom]

Not all armor is the same.  Copper chain is not as good as iron chain.  Additionally, lamellar isn't as good as scale.  Take some time to look over the different armors in the handbook to find armors that fit everyone's needs.  The most important stat in the armor is the tier.  A tier 2 armor against a tier 3 or 4 monster (corrupt or nightmare drifters) isn't much defense.  You'll likely want to outfit your friends with at least iron chain if they're encountering bells and sawblades.

[LadyWYT]

5 hours ago, Maelstrom said:

You'll likely want to outfit your friends with at least iron chain if they're encountering bells and sawblades.

Or brigandine. It's got worse stats than chain, sure, but it's also cheaper to make. Not that iron is a problem, mind you, but if there are multiple players to outfit with arms and armor, resources might be a concern. Brigandine will still hold up well against tougher monsters too, so it shouldn't feel like too much of a downgrade, unless one is sticking to ranged combat.

[Thorfinn]

I'd add that if you are going into combat with the idea of giving yourself every tactical edge, you can often get by with no armor at all. (Not necessarily true in story locations.) Bells and saws are not great ideas to just try to tank. Not even the mid-tiers, for that matter. But if you control the direction they can approach you from, you get to decide what tactics they will be able to employ against you. Like King Arthur said, "That rabbit's dynamite."

And it's true that fighting doesn't get much loot. Combat is largely a dead loss. I mean, if you are good at it, you can come out ahead on the deal, but particularly now in 1.20, the new enemies mean you have to be quite good indeed to come out in the black. You are almost always better off figuring out how you could avoid the battle.

And, let's face it, until your friends get some understanding how tedious it all is to keep repairing all their stuff, they have no reason to do anything differently.

How to Lose All Your Gear