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A Beginner's Guide to Sacred 2 for PS3 Users


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# INDEX #

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1. DESCRIPTION

2. SETTINGS

3. CREATING A CHARACTER

4. FAQ

5. DID YOU KNOW

6. KNOWN BUGS

 

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# 1.DESCRIPTION #

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This game was a complete mystery to me when I first purchased it. I spent a long time just reading reviews about the pros and cons when I finally decided that this game would be well worth my hard earned cash despite the many flaws it suffers from. First thing I did was read the manual which left me with more questions then I had before I knew what was revealed to me. There is a lot of confusion circulating around the net about numerous questions the manual seems to leave out in the PS3 version. This is why I spent hours just reading forums before I decided I was ready to play the game and enjoy it. In this thread, I will try to uncover most of the question you may have or information you may not have even known about in order to give you more playing time as opposed to reading time.

 

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# 2. SETTINGS #

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When I first start playing a game, I always check the options that are available to me. Here are some options you may have overlooked:

 

Game Options

 

Camera: I don't know about you guys, but when the camera follows the character, it makes me noxious. I suggest changing it to Static so you can control the camera angle yourself in game.

 

Gore: Some of you may not have realized this but this option is off by default. Turn it on and paint the town red!

 

Display Options

 

Buff Effects: You may get more system stability if you turn these effects off, especially if your playing online. Now they just need to add an option to reduce spell effects like Blazing Tempest which slows down online play considerably.

 

HUD: When it's on dynamic, I find it very annoying because the HUD vanishes after a few seconds of no combat. I suggest putting it on static so it will always be visible.

 

Gameplay Options(visible in game only)

 

Damage Details: By default, you only see your experience show up on screen. I suggest setting it to All so you can see the damage you are dropping on enemies.

 

Collect: This option allows you to control the type of items you pick up. By default, you pick up everything. I suggest switching this to 1 star so your not always filled with useless and practically priceless junk in your trunk. Leave "Collect Misc. Items" at Normal so you can pick up books and what not.

 

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# 3. CREATING A CHARACTER#

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I am thinking on making a few beginners guides for starting new characters. For now i just want to stress that the names, descriptions and appearances can be deceiving so don't choose a hero based on what you see in the "Create Character" screen. Instead think about what kind of character you want to play and read more on what these characters on the Sacred 2 Wiki: Character Class page.

 

Here is a quick guide to a more classic way of looking at these characters:

 

The Tree Hugging Ranger: The Dryad Capricious Hunter/Nature Weaver Aspect would be your best choice for ranged weapon specialization complete with root, tree armor and poison resistance.

 

The Powerful Mage: The High Elf is your best choice for a classic mage which specializes in fire(Arrant Pyromancer), ice(Mystic Stormite) or lightning(Delphic Arcania). Pyromancer is more of an offensive way of playing, Stormite is more defensive while Delphic will compliment them both.

 

The Warrior Tank: The Shadow Warrior specialized in the Death Warrior aspect would be your best bet for taking the front lines. Death Warrior is more defensive while Malevolent Champion is more offensive and most effective while dual wielding.

 

The Holy Paladin: The Seraphim can be a kind of like a paladin with stuns, buffs and healing abilities. She can only be a Light.

 

The Unholy Necromancer: The Shadow Warrior can specialize in the Astral Lord Aspect to become a classic Necro which can summon up to 4 Skeletons to fight for him, raise beaten enemies for a short time and can also become invisible.

 

The Overzealous Battle Mage: The Inquisitor makes an excellent example of a Battle Mage with his distinctive combination between magic and weapon specialization. He can only be Shadow.

 

The Supporting Character: The Temple Guardian is the only character hard to classify. They only have 1 hand and cannot yield 2 handed weapons, Bows or shields. However, they excel at complimenting other players in a group with enemy debuffs and stuns. They can also help with group spells that enhance damage and resistance as well as some healing abilities.

 

Choose your campaign

 

Choosing Light or Shadow is an important decision based on how you plan on playing the game. Some characters are restricted to a certain campaign and you cannot join friends of opposite campaigns. Although, you may join Freeworld servers with the exception that you will not be able to group with opposite factions.

 

Choose your deity

 

It does not really matter which God you choose. It is argued that divine powers are often overlooked and seldom used. There is a skill you can specialize in called Divine Devotion which can unlock some additional attributes, increase the power and reduce the regeneration time of using it. However, there are far better skills to specialize in.

 

Choose Your Build

 

It's important that you get an idea of how you want to start building your character. I suggest checking out some user created builds as a guide and writing down on paper or on a text file so you can follow through with your build. Here is my High Elf Valuable Shopper Build which is perfect for starting or to compliment all other builds.

 

Familiarize Yourself

 

Attributes: Attributes are what drive RPGs and it is important to familiarize yourself with them so that you know how your character will grow. Although you cannot customize your attributes when you start a character, you are given attribute points to spend every time you level up. You can read more on Attributes on the Sacred 2 Wiki: Attributes page.

 

Combat Arts: Combat arts are your abilities you can use throughout the game, the different types of attacks and spells your character has to offer. Combat arts can only be obtained by reading Runes. Each rune you use affiliated with a specific Combat Art will increase the level of that art while offering increased stats for that ability. You can purchase runes at any one of the Runemasters in most towns or they can be dropped by enemies. Don't stress out too much when you first start, you will find many runes throughout your time playing the game and you don't want an overpowered Combat Art that is only usable every 2 minutes.

 

Skills: Skills are how you can focus on specific abilities like Ranged Weapons or Dual Wielding which can also unlock additional attributes on certain items. More information on skills can be found at the Sacred 2 Wiki: Skills page.

 

Survival Bonus: Dying has a downfall but you won't lose items, experience or levels. However, you will lose a huge bonus boost to your attributes which accumulates by staying alive. The Survival Bonus slowly increases to 100% benefit which will drop to 0% if you die, but will slowly raise again (albeit it would be harder or impossible to reach 100% in the end). You can read more on survival bonus on the Sacred 2 Wiki:Survival Bonus page

 

Note: Pay close attention to Runes, Regeneration times over the levels of your Combat Arts as well as Regeneration Penalties on Items. They will make or break your character.

Edited by Terminator
Guide Revisions by Terminator 21/02/2015
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# 4. FAQ #

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What should I do now that I created a character at level 1?

A good way to start is to check out my guide on how to getting your special mount at level 1. :cool:

 

How do I access the inventory?

Pressing R1 will allow you to access the inventory along with other things. Just hold down R1, use your left analogue stick to point at the direction of the menu you want to look at and hold it until the menu appears.

 

How do I equip other potions for quick access?

Highlight a potion you want to make a short cut for, press Triangle followed by the directional button on your D-Pad that you want to assign it to. Note: you can only link 3 different potions at a time.

 

How do I equip a shield or dual wield weapons?

Highlight your shield/weapon, press Triangle and press the button you want to assign it to. Then highlight the other weapon/shield you want, press Triangle and press the same button as before so it's in the same slot.

 

What are Combat Art mods and how can I get them?

Combat Art modifications are ways to increase the effectiveness of your abilities and are attainable by spending points in the specific Aspect Lore or Focus skill that your Combat Art is in. Modifications become available when you spend the following amount of skill points:

 

3, 5, 9, 14, 22, 31, 42, 55, 70, 87, 106, 126, 149, 173, 199.

 

For each point you will see the number of red diamonds shown in the Combat Art screen. Simply highlight which art you want to mod, press X and choose where to put the point after reading the description. More on Combat Art Modifications can be found on the Sacred 2 Wiki: Modifications page.

 

How do I know if an enemy stronger then me?

When you target an enemy, you will see a colored circle, that is if you have that option on. The colors determine the difficulty you will have with said enemy.

 

Gray Circle = Much weaker opponent, 1 hit kills, little to no XP awarded for defeating this enemy.

Green Circle = Low level opponent, usually 1 hit kills, little XP will be awarded for defeating this enemy.

Yellow Circle = Equal level opponent, 2-3 hit kills, Normal XP awarded for defeating this enemy.

Red Circles = Much Greater level opponent, may take a few more hits to take down, I assume you get more XP from killing higher level opponents. However, I did read somewhere that at much higher levels, they reduce the potential XP received.

 

Note: Circles with a Triangle in the center = Elite opponent, can be potentially 1.5 levels higher then regular opponents of the same nature and appears to have 3 triangles stacked on their blips in the mini map. Bosses are also known to have triangles in the circle as well as 4 triangles stacked on their blips in the mini map. You will know it's a boss when you see their health bar in the center of the screen.

 

Can I power level my character effectively with my high level friend(s)?

 

Not really. Although, you can be level 1 while your level 10 friend invites a level 20 friend to join, you will not be able to level up effectively. I have unintentionally experienced this while having my brother, who was 10 levels higher then me, help me defeat a difficult boss. The enemies will be closer to the highest leveled hero on the server while you gain little to no more XP you would get from killing the enemies yourself. Additionally, you will die faster due to lack of hits landed and multiple crits taken.

 

I chose the wrong Skill/Mod, can I undo this change?

No, once you have spent your points you cannot undo the change so choose wisely.

 

What are these circular icons on the map?

These are your quest directions. They tell you where you need to be next.

 

Gold Circles = Story Quests

Blue Circles = Class Quests

White Circles = Side Quests

 

What is this long bar filled with different colors on weapons and armor?

This is just an easier way to look at the percentage of PHYSICAL/ICE/FIRE/MAGIC/POISON Damage/Resistance the item offers.

 

Yellow = Physical

Red = Fire

Light Blue = Ice

Purple = Magic

Green = Poison

 

What about these modifiers I keep seeing on weapons and armor?

Modifiers are skills you can select after you level up in order to specialize to use the items.

 

What are these items like Leather Hat Trophy?

These are special items that are used if you learned one of the General skills called Alchemy. In my opinion, it's not very useful because you can spam potions already and you cannot make shortcuts to the trophies. Therefore, it would be cumbersome to go into your inventory during a fight in order to use them. You can read more on potions and trophies on the Sacred 2 Wiki:Potions and Trophies page.

 

What about things like Parchment, Leaf and Item?

They seem like books, but apparently they are useless and can be sold to vendors without worrying about them. Maybe they are items that the developers didn't finish implementing in the game.

 

What about these books I found? what do they do?

When you use a book, information is added to your book list in the Quest Log screen accessible after you press R2. More information on books can be found on the Sacred 2 Wiki:Books page.

 

What is with these stars on all the items?

The stars are the consoles way of differentiating between the quality of the items. On the PC, they are color coordinated. Here I will explain what the stars mean:

 

# = No star

* = Star

 

#### = Normal Item

*### = Magic Item

**## = Rare Item

***# = Unique/Set Item

**** = Legendary Item

 

Note:Obviously, the more stars the better the item. Although, it is argued that Legendary items do not exist past quest rewarded ones. However, it has been noted that some recognized Legendary items as holding a 3 star ratings.

 

What are these different colored squares on certain Weapons and Armor?

These are sockets where you can place certain items to boost the item or certain stats. There are Grey, Bronze, Silver and Gold sockets which you can forge at any of the Blacksmiths around Ancaria. More on Socketing can be found on the Sacred 2 Wiki: Forging page.

Note: Grey looks a lot like silver and are only found in weapons.

 

I have already played up to level 20 and I have not yet found a 3 star or set Item. What am I doing wrong?

Do not under estimate the power of "Chance to Find Valuables" enhancers on items. At level 20, I had 3 set items for my character Build and about 2 or 3 other set items for other builds all while holding a shield that adds 6.3% chance to find better items.

 

I found an item that increases a skill that I don't have. Do I still get the skill bonus?

No, you must already have a skill to benefit from it. If you don't have the skill, the bonus will be displayed in red.

 

Is there a map of Ancaria I can view online?

yes, you will find an interactive map at the Sacred 2 Wiki site.

 

What are all these acronyms people keep using e.g. CA?

CA means Combat Art but you can read more about Sacred 2 acronyms, here: LINK

Edited by Terminator
Removed signature and fixed some dead links.
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# 5 . DID YOU KNOW #

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  • You cannot pause the game. Be very careful leaving your character unattended, you may die without realizing it.
    __________________
  • The player chest is accessible between all characters on your system.
    __________________
  • You don't have to continual tap the attack button if you are using weapons and some Combat arts. Just hold the button down.
    __________________
  • Alternatively, some spells require you to target an enemy before it will cast.
    __________________
  • You can port to the Resurrection shrine that is active by selecting it with X in your map.
    __________________
  • You can only socket items that are unequipped.
    __________________
  • The host of a multiplayer campaign game is the only one of the group who will receive the credit for completing the quests. If you start a game without your friends, you will not have completed these quests.
    __________________
  • You need to be in visible range of your online group to gain XP from defeating enemies. This also applies to completing quests.
    __________________
  • Restoring games from a USB drive will result in prohibited trades online with other users and have been known to block certain trophies.
    __________________
  • "Sell Price +%" attribute will only affect the item it is attached to. It will not allow you to sell items at higher prices if you equip it.
    __________________
  • +XX% Regeneration Time/Regeneration Penalty is less favourable then -XX% Regeneration Time/Regeneration Penalty
    __________________
  • Damage type +% only affects the type of damage specified.
    __________________
  • For ever 4% of the map revealed you get + 1% to Chance to Find Valuables. This was paraphrased by a mod at CDV's Sacred 2 PS3 exclusive forum.
    __________________
  • Enhanced Perception not only adds higher chance to find more loot from chests, it also increases Chance to Find Valuables.
    __________________
  • You can have up to 10 characters per profile (thanks to Zakhaev for pointing that out)
    __________________
  • Weapon or Armor attributes listed under Modifier requires you to get said modifier before you gain the bonus listed bellow.
    __________________
  • When you equip items and armor, the weight is not factored into your maximum weight you can carry at one time.
    __________________
  • You can use relics to increase your General skills instead of wasting points at earlier levels.
    __________________
  • You will hear chiming of crystals when you are near a Magical Hiding place.
    __________________
  • Pressing :l3: will reveal hidden chests or Magical Hiding places along with a brief description of enemy's attack and defense abilities. The sword indicates what type of attacks they dish out and the shield indicates what kind of resistance they have against. Symbols are self explanatory.
    __________________
  • You can scrap items for a portion of the selling price if your inventory is full.
    __________________

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# 6 . KNOWN BUGS #

##############

 

I will try to help everyone overcome some of the well known bugs that can hinder your game play severely. CDV are the international distributors and they will have information on upcoming patches as well as a community to discuss problems with the console version.

 

Game breaking quest bug stops you from finishing the story.

 

Just stay away from Kral of the Winged Daemons at the temple in The Forgotten City near Ceria Delith until a quest brings you there.

 

Blacksmith Skill does not work as intended.

There is no cure for this until CDV, Ascaron and SOE agree to patch the game. Don't take on this skill, it does not give you the ability to forge items where ever you want nor does it add bonuses to items forged or discounts to forging at a blacksmith like it should.

 

Cannot trade on LAN games.

This is not a bug or a glitch, it was intended to prevent item duplication. Ascaron promises to add this ability in a future patch. However, there a workaround to trade money only which can be found on GameFAQs.com.

 

Screen turns black when playing online.

While online with friends, if screen turns black, open map with select, press :l2: or :r2: and port to your friend or a teleport and you should be fine.

 

The character and enemies have become invincible when playing online(i.e. no one is loosing health)

This is a sync problem between the host PS3 and the player. The only way to fix this is to disconnect from PSN by pressing the :ps: button, moving over to PSN, highlight Account Management, press :triangle: and select Sign Out. If you try to quit the session without signing out, you will be stuck on the loading screen because your PS3 is still trying to sync with the host.

 

Sometimes the character gets stuck in one spot.

if you get stuck, try using different combat arts to move again. If all else fails just port to another location.

 

It is possible to kill quest characters and be unable to finish quests.

Sometimes you need to defeat the NPC and not kill it. The game is supposed to stop you from killing them but it sometimes fails, just reload the game if the quest circle stays where the NPC died and you should be able to respawn him.

 

Occasional freezes/crashes happen.

All I can say is save often.

 

Quest progression is not at the Circle on the map.

If you're at a quest circle and nothing is there, press select, activate the quest circle again by pressing :cross: and it should move to the correct area.

 

Quest circles sometimes disappear and are no longer marked on the map

The game glitches when you take on too many quests. If you go into your quest log, you can highlight the quests that are not completed and activate them. This will return the quest marker to the map.

 

Character's item weight is not correct.

sometimes when you sell an item, it stays in the inventory and when you press :r2: or :l2: it will disappear but the weight remains until you reload the game.

 

Character Killed while watching Blind Guardian video.

The Blind Guardian quest video can leave you vulnerable to roaming enemies. Watch the video on YouTube instead (credit to Moek M):

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fakNlghOJY]Blind Guardian Concert[/ame]

Edited by Terminator
Supplement Revisions by Terminator 21/02/2015.
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EDIT: added some information regarding enemies and items.

 

  • When you target an enemy, you will see a colored circle, that is if you have that option on. The colors determine the difficulty you will have with said enemy.
     
    Gray Circle = Much weaker opponent, 1 hit kills, little to no XP awarded for defeating this enemy.
    Green Circle = Low level opponent, usually 1 hit kills, little XP will be awarded for defeating this enemy.
    Yellow Circle = Equal level opponent, 2-3 hit kills, Normal XP awarded for defeating this enemy.
    Red Circles = Much Greater level opponent, may take a few more hits to take down, I assume you get more XP from killing higher level opponents. However, I did read somewhere that at much higher levels, they reduce the potential XP received.
    __________________
  • You will hear chiming of crystals when you are near a Magical Hiding place.
    __________________
  • Pressing L3 will reveal hidden chests or Magical Hiding places along with a brief description of enemy's attack and defense abilities. The sword indicates what type of attacks they dish out and the shield indicates what kind of resistance they have against. Symbols are self explanatory.
    __________________
  • You can scrap items for a portion of the selling price if your inventory is full.

Edited by MasonIsAJar
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Awesome guide! Great work indeed!

 

One small correction: "you can only have 8 characters on your system" - You can actually have 10 characters per profile. If you run out of slots on your first profile, you can always make another profile on the same system. :)

 

Thanks!

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Another obscure bug that not many people notice is 2-handed magic staffs don't have any weapon skill modifiers in place. Meaning if you have magic staffs skill trained and try to equip a 2H magic staff that is above your level, it will still give you the attack speed penalty as if you didn't have magic staffs trained.

 

This bug is listed as fixed on the PC version 2.40 patch notes. Lots of other bugs on that list that still apply to the console versions too.

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Awesome guide! Great work indeed!

 

One small correction: "you can only have 8 characters on your system" - You can actually have 10 characters per profile. If you run out of slots on your first profile, you can always make another profile on the same system. :)

 

Thanks!

 

lol, another way the book fails. It must be restricted at 8 characters on PC. :eek:

Although, I wouldn't consider changing my profile for more characters, I know what you mean about profiles. So I changed it. ;)

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The book fails in so many ways, its quite sad. Can't imagine what a print strat guide would be like for this game, imagine the manual only longer, lol.

 

This is by far the most well thought out guide I have seen so far. I've been recommending it to people whenever I can. It's a great resource for new players especially, and should probably be stickied. :)

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EDIT: Added some additional information regarding Legendary items, quests, enemies, re-arranged information to fit, corrected some funny written sentences and also added color. :D

 

  • it is argued that Legendary items do not exist past quest rewarded ones. However, it has been noted that some recognized Legendary items as holding a 3 star ratings.
     
  • Quest circles sometimes disappear and are no longer marked on the map.
    The game glitches when you take on too many quests. If you go into your quest log, you can highlight the quests that are not completed and activate them. This will return the quest marker to the map.
     
  • Note: Circles with a Triangle in the center = Elite opponent, can be potentially 1.5 levels higher then regular opponents of the same nature and appears to have 3 triangles stacked on their blips in the mini map. Bosses are also known to have triangles in the circle as well as 4 triangles stacked on their blips in the mini map. You will know it's a boss when you see their health bar in the center of the screen.
     
  • Can I power level my character effectively with my high level friend(s)?
    Not really. Although, you can be level 1 while your level 10 friend invites a level 20 friend to join, you will not be able to level up effectively. I have unintentionally experienced this while having my brother, who was 10 levels higher then me, help me defeat a difficult boss. The enemies will be closer to the highest leveled hero on the server while you gain little to no more XP you would get from killing the enemies yourself. Additionally, you will die faster due to lack of hits landed and multiple crits taken.
     
  • Enhanced Perception not only adds higher chance to find more loot from chests, it also increases Chance to Find Valuables. You can read what the devs have to say about it here and here.

Edited by MasonIsAJar
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  • 4 weeks later...

Apparently you can now trade between accounts on one PS3. My wife and I do. Even got the trophy for it.

 

Edit: Just noticed the first page stated LAN games. not sure if this would be considered different, but I know the manual stated players on one system couldnt trade. Glad that was enabled.

Edited by Antra
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