[CIP] MuVM

[torrenera]

Hi everybody,

I'm having hard times with this combination, but I want so hard to succeed!
Apparently I cannot make it through the very first part of game (cannot reach level 8 nor have the cloud up and running).
Usually I just keep increasing Venom Magic or I try to attain 3 in VM, Conj and Air in order to have stinking could working.
I'm like at the 20th mummy and I keep dying.
Any hint from you expert guys ?
Thank you in advance,

t.

[radinms]

worship trog and burn your books.

[torrenera]

mummy can't berserk what a waste!

[Sprucery]

What kills you typically? Only poison-resistant monsters should be problematic (in addition to the usual fire threats for mummies). In the early game I would leave undead alone, for example.

[Sphara]

Don't try to fight orc wizards or Sigmund unless there is absolutely no other chance. They have confuse and throw flame which makes them deadliest monsters in early game for a mummy. This cannot be overstated. Fixing fire resistance and getting magic resistance are your top defensive priorities.

If you do find an attack wand, identify its charges, since those are real lifesavers when potions are not available. So you do not want to waste charges.

Don't train air magic. Meph can be castable pretty quick without it, if that is your early goal.

If you find any branded weapon, use it. You do not want Sting spell to be your top attack for very long.

Other help is hard to give because things you will find on the floor affect very heavily on this combo's playstyle.

[torrenera]

thanks guys.
just wondering: shall I train the first good weapon I found or shall I keep raising the conj/venom magic even after my three main spells (sting/cloud/mass venom) are up and running?
Thanks again,
t.

[Sprucery]

Venom Bolt is very good and useful throughout a 3-rune game.

How to develop your character depends a lot on what you find. If you find a good weapon, go ahead and train for it. All my mages train some weapon skill at some point.

[Sphara]

Well, I do not know how other people here play venom mages but my first priority is not getting Venom Bolt doable. With a mummy this is true even more so because of it's crappy aptitudes. It would mean you would rely on Sting longer than it is healthy to do so.

And this especially if I do find a good weapon early. ANY branded weapon is good for MuVM and worth considering starting training. Even protection branded weapons.

The thing is that if you start mummy venom mage, you are not necessarily relying on poison damage for very long if you do find a good weapon. Or a better conjurer spellbook than the one you're starting with. Getting Meph castable is a good goal but while knowing it is very loud and doing minimal damage, you do need melee or other spells to hurt monsters more. So if you find that elec dagger, pick it up and start swinging it, and demote sting as a softening attack.

Again, this is a very hard combo to give advice on just from a get-go.

EDIT: and oh yes, cast mephitic cloud even with high spell failure, if needed. I do use it regularly by the time it is about 20% fail rate. If you don't mind the noise: killer bees, orc wizards and priest are excellent targets even with 20% fail rare. 30% if you really wanna put your mana/luck at the test

[Sar]

You can also grab Kiku and do the usual Kiku things!

[torrenera]

really lot of love to you all

[nago]

Without more info from op I don't dare to give other advices, but only to underline one thing: don't over-use meph cloud. Actually, use it only when it is absolutely necessary to disable and escape\kill an enemy you can't deal without it -e.g. orc wizards, killer bees and so on. That because being very loud, it will wake up nearby monsters, bringing closer to you in bad moment and usually making more difficult to explore\clear the level due the wandering monsters.
So, as counter-example, I suggest to not kill orcs' pack by blasting meph cloud - that is a quick and cheap way to dispatch them, but can also create unpredictably dangerous situations. Instead use the always good tactics like separating them and kill one at time (early on sting is excellent for that, it's quite and let you kite things until are dead)

[Sphara]

What Sar said.

Finding early Kiku altar will enormously reduce early game difficulty once you get to the first star piety. Receive corpses + animate = good. Just remember to train Necromancy if you go that route. You get stronger corpses with higher skill and most of his spells are better with higher spellpower. If you get to a point where you can pain brand your weapon, you're golden. Not to mention the scenario where you find a pain weapon while starting with Kiku.

[argonaut]

Olgreb's toxic radiance is surprisingly effective on packs and it's single school so it is easier for a Mu to get on line than venom bolt. Orc is easier than lair once you get there. As others have said Kiku synergies nicely with mummy apts and poision.

[Sprucery]

Yes, OTR is great in Orc and it's good against packs later on too. My VMs use all the attack spells in the book.

Kiku is good, yes. Shooting bolts of draining (if you get it) through undead allies is very effective (and you've already trained Conjurations).