Tips, Tricks, and Misadventures.

Sometimes the Planes are a dark and sodding depressing place. Hundreds slowly rot away in the Hive, while the Sinkers spread their preaching of doomsday into the streets of the Lady's Ward.

It's enough to send a body to the Gatehouse.

And what chant will the madhouse caretakers, the Bleakers, lann you there berk? They say: you've got to laugh through your tears, or go mad trying.

But this ol' Night Hag likes the darkness. Yes I do my tasties. Good for business. And we've had quite a bit of it too. Business and darkness . So pull up a Gronk skull, and mind the Razorvine! Tell us of your latest misadventures...and we'll share some stories of the Nameless One .

The team's been busting through the game over the past few weeks, and there's some common hints for some easier Torment playing we'd like to share with you so when you pick up the game, you can hit the ground running (if you already read this on the boards, just skip to #2, #3, #4, #13 and #14):

1. Be sure to examine *every* item you get on your inventory screen. Chances are, the description gives clues on how the item can be used effectively -- sometimes, an item's secondary power can be more useful than its primary ability.

2. Be sure to talk to your party members once they are in your party. They can offer advice, be a good source of experience, and even train you in skills and abilities. Often, helping them with their problems can make them stronger. The topics you can ask them about can change over time and based on what you do in the game - especially when you change your class. Chances are, any mage in your party can offer advice to your character when he becomes a mage, and the same holds true for thieves and fighters.

3. Your weapon experience is based on finding on fighting tutors and getting trained. You'll start out with moderate skill in daggers and fist weapons, but any other type of weapon you try and use will carry penalties until you can find a tutor to train you. So before you rip that heavy axe off the Mortuary wall in the hopes of cleaving some zombies, keep in mind that a dagger might help you live longer until you can find someone to train you in the axe.

4. You can RUN. Some critters can't. Use this to give them a bad day... from a distance.

4a. Running is also toggled on the Options screen, so if your thumb is about to fall off, just jump to options screen and toggle running on.

5. Some store inventories change over time depending on what you do in the game, especially the tattoo parlor and some of the weapon stores. Always head back there when you have a life-shattering event.

6. You will NEVER fail to copy a spell scroll if you can cast the spell and your Intelligence is high enough for you to learn that level of spell. This is done just to prevent reloading. However, there are a lot of spells in the game and your Intelligence determines the number of spells you can actually put in your spell book. So make sure you don't pump up your slots filled with spells unless you really want them -- or unless you have plans to raise your Intelligence later, either with stat points or with items.

7. There are plenty of items and people who can give you stat points throughout the game. If a stat seems to be limiting you from doing something, try and accumulate charms and spells to pump up the appropriate stat and try again.

8. Save before talking to important NPCs -- some dialogues are more dangerous than combat, and you might want a second try at some of them.

9. There's a lot of combat in Torment, but you'll inevitably be rewarded a LOT more for not fighting in a number of situations. Don't be surprised if talking someone down or tricking them is worth three or more times what you'd get if you butchered them.

10. Torment favors role-players. Get into your character, play it to the hilt, and you'll find the game has rewards just for your type of character.

11. During initial character creation, you can't raise your stats over 18 (or in the case of strength, 18/00). When you start leveling up however and gaining more stat points, however, this cap is gone.

12. If you get stuck, read your journal -- within the journal entries are usually clues to what you can do next. If that fails, ask one of your companions what you should do next (especially Morte, Annah and Fall-From-Grace). They can help point you in the right direction.

13. Hold down the ALT key when you want to rotate your formations.

14. You can guard an area (like in Baldur’s) just by selecting the shield and then dragging it out into a circle. This prevents your more over-zealous characters from running off the screen chasing a fleeing bad guy.

old tips/observations >>

This area is dedicated to all you Knights of the Crosstrade, who failed to bob 'em, and got scragged before you could give 'em the laugh. That is to say, we want to know more about your personal adventures in Torment.

Tell us how YOU died today! When a dozen Grilligs have just torn you apart for the tenth time, cause all you're packing is a scalpel and a back-talking mimir, you'll need to laugh it off to win the game.

Share your humorous misadventures in Torment, and we'll see to it that the rest of the multiverse laughs with you.

Acerbic, cynical laughter to be sure - but it will keep you sane berk!

Sign in the Deadbook.

When posts arrive in the Deadbook, we will place the best hints, tips, and misadventures here.