Part 80: Bonus Update 43.5: Great Northern Tower, Equipment Rundown

Bonus Update 43.5: Great Northern Tower, Equipment Rundown

Next update, by universal request, we'll be seeing the sights in scenic Lakeside. For now, let's look back at the Great Northern Tower.



You could make a case for the Great Northern Tower being the hardest of the four, depending on your party's equipment and your tolerance for puzzles. High AC (preferably well in excess of 100 after buffs) and good physical damage output will make your life a lot easier. If you can manage to get a couple of heavy physical hitters above 100 Speed so you can take out the Doom Knight before he attacks, so much the better.



The layout of the tower itself is very straightforward and open. On one hand that makes exploration easy, but on the other it means there's nowhere to hide from the big group of enemies in the middle of every floor. Once you've dealt with them, make sure to check the wall alcoves thoroughly for treasure.

Also, someone requested a quick rundown of the party's current equipment as part of a bonus update, so for those who are interested, here you go!



Fubar's got a solid equipment setup going on, although he still has room for upgrades since most of his stuff isn't quite top-tier -- apart from his melee weapon, which is the most important thing. The Power Cloak gives a decent bonus to Energy resistance, while all the rest of his armour gives good AC boosts. As far as accessories go, the Warrior equipment gives him Might boosts, the Gamblers (sic) Amulet gives him a substantial Luck bonus to help him resist status conditions, the Power Ring is another Energy resistance boost, the Mystic Scarab is a small bonus to Magic resistance and the True Ring increases Accuracy.



Ms Swallow is generally doing well, but wants an upgrade to an Obsidian melee weapon at some point. The Radiating Boots carry a substantial bonus to Energy resistance. The Leadership Medal boosts Personality, the Force Amulet boosts Might, the Scorching Cameo and Cryo Ring improve Fire and Cold resistance respectively, and the Stealth Ring gives a bonus to AC. (Material-based boosts to AC don't work on accessories, but bonuses that specifically raise AC do.)



Flench was the obvious pick to use the Obsidian Battle Axe we got from Ector, because it's a two-handed weapon and as an Archer he can't use shields anyway. The Kinetic Helm is a top-tier Energy resistance boost, and most of his other armour gives top-tier AC boosts, so he's doing well on that front too. Accessory-wise, the Intellect Broach (sic, again), Knowledge Ring and Knowledge Cameo are all Intellect boosts, the Precision Pendant is an Accuracy boost and the Magical Ring is a moderate Magic resistance boost.



Trish's bow is nearly useless for actually doing damage, but missile weapons are long since obsolete anyway, and it gives a nice Luck boost; more importantly, she's a member of the Obsidian Melee Weapon Club. Her armour is all just AC boosts, some of which are better than others. Her accessory situation is a little more interesitng: the Ectoplasmic Scarab is a top-tier Magic resistance boost, the Seething Ring is a Fire resistance boost, and the Thunder Pendant is actually a Might boost. The Burgler (sic, yet again) Ring and Cameo and the Mugger Ring are all good for minor Thievery boosts; she doesn't wear the Mugger Ring routinely, but can switch over to it when I need that little extra edge to pick a stubborn lock.



Anleisa can't use missile weapons at all, and her melee weapon is lagging behind the heavy hitters: she was using a Gold Flail until I decided to burn a bunch of gems at the gemsmiths to try and get something better for her. Her Flaming Cloak gives Fire resistance, of course, and her Electric Belt gives Electricity resistance. The Charisma Ring and Cameo are Personality boosters, the Rapid Ring gives a small Speed boost, and the Velocity Amulet is a much larger Speed boost (top-tier, in fact: a +30 bonus).



Vandesloof's melee weapon is by far the weakest in the party, although he'll be able to inherit Anleisa's club if and when she finds a diamond or obsidian weapon she can use. His armour is all AC boosts, and mostly pretty good ones, although the gauntlets could use an upgrade. Most of his accessories improve Energy resistance to varying degrees, apart from the Dyna Cameo (which boosts Electricity resistance) and the Wisdom Ring (which boosts Intellect).

See you in Lakeside!