Armour Question

[Ordie]

Is armour in the game meant to be "get the best you can affort" or are there any kind of setbacks, for example, armour being more protective but heavier, or weaker but allowing for greater speed?

 

[JohnathanStrange]

Yes, heavier armor increases your encumbrance, which slows you down. This can be offset by increasing your "Athletics" level so that eventually you'll be quite fast on foot as you were without armor.

You can easily check your encumbrance amount on your character's inventory screen which is the total amount of armor, shields, and weapons.

What isn't obvious is the amount of the tradeoff between heavy armor and reduced foot speed. I mean it isn't clear how much slower you'll be wearing Black Armor versus a mail hauberk. So it isn't that easy to tell which is better, "Well the leather armor gives me +8 protection and I keep a foot speed of 12, while the mail hauberk gives me +19 protection and a foot speed of 6." You just have to guess.

If your hero rides horseback, his armor level doesn't appear to have an effect on encumbrance and your combat speed isn't affected while you're mounted, with the effect that the best armor you can afford usually is the rule of thumb.

 

[katank]

In fact, the weight value is displayed with weapons and shields as well.

I personally find that if I'm a mounted knight character, I find the most protective stuff around.

If I'm playing as a foot soldier, I typically like the hardened leather jerkin which is good protection and fairly light. Helmets and greaves don't weigh much so get the best you can afford.

 

[DaLagga]

Yeah, if you're mounted, go full black. If you're on foot, the most practical would be black helm and boots, with a leather jerkin. That does look rather bad though... Keep in mind that all things you're wearing and using add to your weight. So if you have a sword and shield out, but two packs of throwing axes in your other slots, they're still slowing you down. And as of the last patch, if i'm not mistaken, once you use up a projectile, its weight is deducted properly. Personally i try to find a balance between what is practical, and style. Whats the point in owning if your character looks like a misfit bum?

 

[Ilex]

If you're on foot, the most practical would be black helm and boots, with a leather jerkin. That does look rather bad though...

Hardened robes don't look that bad and encumbare you only for 1 point (and have a pretty good defence).

 

[Harr-the-Ruskie]

At maximum Athletics rating of 8, you can wear full Black Armour and still run faster than anyone not on a horse even when carrying a Great Lance, Steel Shield and a Sword of War

 

[katank]

What's the use of a great lance on foot?

Anyhow, I often go with just a great axe. Mounted, I can close the distance fast and even if I get unhorsed, I can go at decent speed.

 

[LB]

Strength also determines how fast you can move in heavy armor. Or perhaps it just sets the dividing line between "walk" and "jog".

 

[Harr-the-Ruskie]

What's the use of a great lance on foot?

Not much. I wasn't suggesting I actually use frequently on foot. If you read waht I wrote I said Great Lance, Steel Sheild and Sword of War. Those are the equipment I carry when mounted. There are many occassions during a battle when I dismount whilst carrying all that stuff on me and did not have the oportunity to get back to the Inventory Box to change equipment, namely :-

1. If I had my horse knocked out by the enemy. It is good to know that you can still outpace most footsoldiers whilst carrying all that equipment if you had your horse knocked from under you.

2. If I had my footsoldiers Hold a Position further away from the Inventory Box and I decide to dismount at their location in the middle of a melee to provide close direct support

3. If I want to interrupt a charging horse from riding down my archers, I sometimes pull out the lance whilst on foot and poke the horse which frequently cause them to rear up giving my archers an opportunity to close in and hack the rider down with melee weapons.

 

[katank]

Actually, with high atheltics, lances can be decent due to range.

Early on, in anticipating of getting enough money to buy a decent horse, I bought a jousting lance.

I got into a scrap with river pirates. I was stuck with the lance as my only melee weapon (carrying bow and arrows). I back pedaled and they came at me in single file. I poked the lance through the first one and kept clicking. The result was twitch, 3 damage, twitch, 4 damage,...

Took a long time for him to die and then another one (I managed to kill all but two with arrows defore).

It was nowhere near as effective as a god sword but it's good for kicks.