[ACT I] Should I not use Aard?

[mardana]

I think the biggest factor on the beast fight is just using the spectre oil blade coating. I hadn't worried about leveling up--just did all quests and moved on. I also hadn't distributed hardly any points on magic. My first few attempts (I had forgotten about spectre oil) and had a hell of a time at it :dead: Then remembered spectre oil discussion with Abigail earlier in game and took out the beast in a few swipes.

 

[voylodion]

I think the biggest factor on the beast fight is just using the spectre oil blade coating.

I'm with Edirr on this one:

I never play anything but hard difficulty. The Beast is ridiculously easy if you go and do the Ritual of Magic at a Place of Power at around 20:30 in the evening, then hit the Salamandra hideout. If you have the stun talent and 2nd level Aard with Student and Novice, it's an almost guaranteed instant stun against the Beast, even on hard.Killing it with just potions and sword is much harder but doable even without retreating into the gap between the buildings.

I've never used Spectre Oil and always stunned the Beast first attempt. Last few times I used Blizzard just to take the Barghests out first to keep Abigail alive.

 

[lordofsol]

I've done all the quests before fighting the Beast (well, all that I could have done) and was around the middle of the ninth level, had no problems in fighting it even without aard or blizzard. Spectre oil was enough to send it back to hell in a few strikes. So i'm with mardana on this one

 

[voylodion]

Spectre oil was enough to send it back to hell in a few strikes. So i'm with mardana on this one

Ah, but Aard lets you kill it in one strike, a lot cooler and classier

 

[mardana]

Definitely kool. I just didn't spend any points on magic and thus didn't work too well for me at this point. Maybe I will next go.

 

[voylodion]

Maybe I will next go.

Excellent, now you have an excuse (not that you really need one) to play the game again

 

[lordofsol]

Yeah, cooler, but some kind of humiliating for such great adversaries to be killed in a matter of seconds Show some respect! Personally I prefer to enjoy such battles a little bit longer. Especially when most battles with ordinary enemies are so short to not even have the chance to see the complete attack series.

 

[Eldariel]

I personally fought it out fair and square and didn't need to load. Swallow+Blizzard+Specter Oil was plenty. So unless playing on some difficulty mod, I personally suggest duking that one out without Aard - at least I find it much more rewarding to win a tough fight. If you feel Aard is broken, download the difficulty mod (available in the Community Mods-forum). Aard is still useful, but reined in (just like Igni, which gets really busted towards the end of the game without mod).