New player - too early to dabble in scary beast forms?

[Zabimaru]

Hello all!

So im loving this game and one of the coolest things about it IMO are the random beast forms. They are so whacky and cool but I really want to "main" them.

I am specifically talking about the giant bat form, it seems really cool to play as one, but I have a couple questions because I know it is a commitment (i would consider spider but... lets just say i have an insanely bad arachnophobia problem... just ask the megaspider in serbule crypts...)

1. how limited does the game become as a bat? should i wait until im maxed out in another combat skill before attempting? im at fire magic 33 as of right now and shield 24

2. Is giant bat viable? like can i actually do some decent damage?

3. I read giant bat was a halloween thing... is it just a gimmick? will the skill be wiped at launch? (hate investing in skills i am scared to lose)

4. Can i still level up my other skills? foraging, cooking gardening etc etc (i know i cant use my hands for chopping wood etc)

5. can i use a secondary combat skill like necromancy? i think bat + necromancy sounds really cool!

6. any other advice and tips are appreciated, just looking to experience what i consider one of the cooler parts of project gorgon

cheers and thanks for any help!

[Vish]

as long u can spend 4,5k for unbat potion (harry the wolf sell it) just try it :)

[ShieldBreaker]

1) A lot of NPCs don't like animals, in particular they don't like scary animals like Bats. You will want to get and complete their quests and build favor with them, before going bat permanently. A higher level combat skill is nice to have to help with leveling the animal form skill, but I think most people don't wait until a different skill is maxed.

2) It should be viable. Combat is still being balanced, so it might change, but it's end state should be viable. All my bat skills are only in the 30s so can't really give opinions on high level giant bat gameplay.

3) It is super unlikely that Giant Bat would be removed from the game. The level of skill you build up in it should be safe from the wipe as well. Boilerplate disclaimer: if for some unforeseen reason something needs to be changed to insure that the game works properly going forward, then those changes are unavoidable and will be made.

Some bat abilities are only currently available during Halloween event. They are loot drops at that time. In the future there might be other ways to get the abilities more normally, like by training with NPCs(who aren't in game yet).

4) Yes you can still level up Trade and Other skills. You are somewhat limited in what combat skills you can use. See 5

5) Yes necromancy is usable by bats. To actually make use of it you need to have the skill unlocked and be wearing a necromancy gem (any equipment that says enables necromancy)

here is a link to the wiki chat showing what can and can't be used with Bat
http://wiki.projectgorgon.com/wiki/Skill_Compatibility_Chart

6) If you are planning on going for necro, you should probably build it up a bit using an existing skill. Then have it help when building up Bat. Other then that build favor and complete quests with NPCs as much as you can before making the switch. You might also want to play around with and get use to the Word of Power system, at the 3 and 4 levels you stand a chance to get words for Illusions, you can use those to trick NPCs into talking to you. Just remember to write down the words you get, and that if you don't use them someone else can stumble upon them and use them up, if you sit on them too long.

[Tagamogi]

1. I'd go with Vish - try it out, see if you like it. As long as you can afford the unbat potion, it's all good. I wouldn't worry about maxing factions with all NPCs before going bat if you want to be a bat - you can always be a bat for a while, become a biped again for a while to level up favor with those NPCs and then be batty again. Just be aware of the unbat potion cost and if you feel uncomfortable spending that amount of money right now, don't do it yet.

Also, since you are still fairly low level, be aware that a LOT of useful NPCs in Serbule, Eltibule and Kur will not talk to you in bat form. NPCs in Serbule Hills, Rahu and Ilmari are happily less xenophobic, plus you'll get a few animal-only NPCs in Sun Vale.

For specific NPCs, off the top of my head:

Joeh, Marna, Ivyn, Jara and Sir Coth in Serbule will no longer talk to you. You can still access Marna's and Joeh's storage via the book shelf, but losing them as vendors really hurts.Likewise, losing Yetta and Helena in Eltibule as vendors is pretty painful, especially since as a bat the Suspicious Cow won't talk to you.

Fainor and Hulon will talk to you after you complete a quest for them.

The endurance trainer is rudely biped-only, so once you reach level 50 endurance, you will need to be a non-animal to progress in endurance.


At higher levels, I actually find animal form pretty handy because of the easy port to Sun Vale.

2. I think so, although ShieldBreaker had a good point about some abilities being available during Halloween only. I've only played to the 30s myself, with at least one Halloween ability

Bat seems the least commonly played animal form to me - I suspect part of it may be just that it's somewhat difficult to switch into and out of since you need to be bitten by a bat and then wait out the incubation period.I don't think it's a super-overpowered skill but I don't think it's bad, either.

3. I very much doubt the skill will be wiped. I just got bat-diseased yesterday in the brand-new level 50 content, so I'm pretty sure bat is here to stay. :) It may get better in the future - maybe some new abilities or the abilities become easier to find, so if you wait to become a bat you might have an easier time of it. Or you can play it now and see if you like it and give feedback on how to improve the skill.


4. Most skills yes. You cannot use sigil crafting or armor patching as an animal and you cannot play musical instruments - those are the only exceptions I can think of right now.

Some skill trainers will not talk to you, so you can level the skill but not learn new recipes. If I recall correctly, that is carpentry and blacksmithing below level 50.

5. ShieldBreaker's chart link is great but I'd emphasize that you really wouldn't want to play battle chemistry with an animal form since you can't use 90% of its abilities. I've done necro/bat to 37ish myself and it was pretty fun.

6. I'm still a bit torn between telling you "just have fun and be a bat" and "be careful, it's an animal-hating world out there". Both are correct. :D

Animals get a very useful animal-only skill that is learned in the Kur mountains, so it could be worth waiting to bat up until you feel you know your way around that zone.

[Zabimaru]

thank you all for your answers,

I have decided to Yolo and turn into a bat, even if it makes the game harder its already so much more fun to try and explore the world as a giant bat! the combat skills are powerful and im having so much fun, which in a sense is what the game is about

Thanks so much yall!

[Kalicu]

Consider /join NEWBIE for any questions that you may have in game!

[Vish]

and don't forget that Bat can fly :)