Talk:Majang's Caster Walk-Through

Go ahead, make changes!

I have created this walk-through with the idea to provide a start-to-end guide for a first time caster-victory. Once version 0.16 is official, I intend to put a link on the strategic guides page.

Since I am not an English mother-tongue speaker, and also because I may have gotten some things wrong, and even may have given bad advice, I'd appreciate if others are not bashful about improving this guide in any possible way. At least let me know, here on this page, how this guide could be improved, but you are all welcome to do edits yourself. Majang (talk) 07:47, 7 February 2015 (CET)

You're awesome!

I would like to thank you for making this amazingly detailed and complete walkthrough, you are single-handedly responsible for my first 3-rune victory and I finally learnt how to manage my skills well enough to build a decent caster, which I never did before. I also borrowed some advice from your other gargoyle walkthrough, but most of the credit goes to this one. You've done some amazing work and I wanted you to know it.--Fingolfin (talk) 11:03, 18 April 2015 (CEST)

Thanks, I'm glad to hear it works for others, too. Majang (talk) 21:06, 25 April 2015 (CEST)

Majin-Bo

While following this walkthrough I found the +6 Majin-Bo {vamp, Archmagi, MP+6 Int+6} around D:10, rught before Lair. Of course I love it, but the HP cost is really scary, especially considering the Gargoyle's low HP.. So my question (to anyone who might read this) : should I use it? Until when? In terms of firepower it is clearly superior to a staff of earth or fire, since its spellpower bonus is universal, and the huge Int boost... And it also holds its ground as a melee weapon... Decisions, decisions... -- Fingolfin (talk) 13:45, 5 December 2015 (CET)

Many special items (randart and unrandart) have awesome characteristics, paired with really undesirable drawbacks. This is one of them, and personally, I keep my hands off vampiric weapons. The main reason for this is the hunger of cost wielding them, which means you are really tied to this. I have not tried the Majin-Bo, and its HP penalty for casting. But it sounds scary enough to me that I would not use it. Majang (talk) 18:33, 5 December 2015 (CET)

Thanks for the quick answer! Well abandoning the Majin-Bo was probably the best thing to do, but it still didn't save my poor gargoyle... Oh well I'll just start again ! -- Fingolfin (talk) 22:11, 7 December 2015 (CET)

Amulet of Faith

Correct me If I'm wrong, but it seems that an amulet of faith would be really good on this character. You get to max piety really fast, meaning that you get your top-tier destructive spells. When you remove it, you don't lose much because he doesn't take back the spells and you keep your range extension. Also, if you don't have enough levels for bolt of magma or Iron shot, you can remove it to buy more time.

I know I put it on if I find it very early on, because it will help skip all the crap spells, but otherwise I don't think it's much good (but that's just my opinion) However since this walkthrough is intended for beginners, I think it's better to leave the advice as is since amulets of faith are risky : they take up an essential slot that could have been used for an amulet of magic/health regen or shielding which are much better choices IMO -- Fingolfin (talk) 09:43, 20 June 2016 (CEST)

I believe there is a point to this objection. If my goal is to get to the three stars I need to cast LRD or Fireball ASAP, then the Amulet of Faith is a good thing, provided I want to carry it around long enough until all the stars are up. I usually don't, as failure rate is not the only or even the biggest problem with these early high-level spells. The hunger cost is much more debilitating even a long time after the failure rate goes down to 5% or less. Amulet of Gourmand is the only thing that really helps with this. But I still need to consider this, because I remember faintly that now the Amulet of Faith has been tweaked somewhat, so that the punishment for taking it off isn't as bad as before. It will take me a few weeks before I can update the guide to 0.18, and maybe I take the warning out. Thanks for the thought! máɟáŋ (talk) 19:47, 20 June 2016 (CEST)

Scope of the guide

I found this guide when I was starting to play, back in 2015, and it didn't work out too well. I wasn't even able to get to Lair. By that time, I got the advice to play MiBe and, soon after, I got my first win. A week later, after winning a HOFi^Beogh, I came back to GrEE and managed to win a game. However, it was really difficult and it is my slowest win to date (23 hours).

This said, I'd like to suggest a change in the scope of the guide, and focus it towards players who have already won the game and want to get their first caster win.

Cheers!

--quik (talk) 19:08, 26 May 2017 (CEST)