ChaunceyK: It certainly seems my kind of game (rpg with turn-based combat), but there's definitely a learning curve. I'll likely use their official website for help on building my character, but I'd rather not metagame or munchkin my way through it. I created what I thought would be a fun character to play, personality-wise (which turned out to be a Therish Agnostic Ranger), and pumped up my Rangery/Roguey skills. I don't think I made very good choices, though, because I pretty much suck with the combat so far (HP keep running out, I'm running out of arrows, and if it has a day/night cycle then where's my option to sleep or rest?).

Believe me, I'm far from giving up on this game, I just barely started it. I think I'll just need time to acclimate myself to it's whole gaming system...just really hope I can still enjoy it without having to follow a very specific "character build." Oh, and that's another complaint I've got: Is there no difficulty setting?

ChaunceyK: Well, here's what I got from the official site (as posted by another user)...

I've nearly completed the game with my Ranger, and I've had very little difficulty. I've focused on the following:

Primary Attributes: Dexterity, Speed, and Concentration

Secondary Attributes (only one point added here and there): Strength and Endurance

Skills: Light Armor, Dodge, Sword, Bow, and Survival

Basically, I started off concentrating on upgrading Dodge, Sword, and Light Armor until I got Sword up to 10. So, the character was more or less a fighter at the beginning. Then I started dumping points into Dodge, Bow, and Light Armor. By the time I had to head into the forest to find Lilith, I was able to whittle down most opponents with arrows, then finish them off with a blade when they caught up with me.

For tougher fights, like with the mercenaries, I tend to use hit-and-run tactics to wear them down. Put some arrows into them, then retreat steadily to the edge of a map. Re-enter the map area from a different spot, and hit them from behind. It can be a little boring, sometimes, but it is a very Ranger-like tactic in my mind.

Once I got Bow up to about 20, things became pretty smooth. I was able to whomp the Hive Queen using only one health potion, and I could take on three or four thugs with no real issues. I don't use any magic at all, but I bought a few training levels in Alchemy and Cartography along the way. Survival, I assign a point to here and there, but I try to find armor and cloaks that augment the skill so that I can concentrate on weapon skills.

Dodge, coupled with a lot of points in Speed, lends a great benefit in melee. I still use lighter swords, but the high damage potential from Speed with the regular attack bonus from a successful Dodge means that I can deal out the hurt at close range very quickly with only a little luck.

ChaunceyK: That wasn't what I've done so far, that was a copy and paste from someone else's game. I've only gotten to the first town (after a little killing and looting). And it only occurred to me after finding this build info and restarting last night...I don't *have* to kill every creature I come across. I ran when the going got tough and I deemed the encounter to be unwise.

ChaunceyK: Any advice on fighting in dungeons (or outdoors at night)? Seems like the only choice to not incur penalties is to hold a torch & fight with a one-handed weapon. I even tried a potion of Cat's Eyes so I could see, but I still get penalties because my enemies are in the dark (I'm trying to be a Ranger).