Scroll of acquirement Q

[Aule]

When should I use it? My current character is XL10, and I think it's too early, but I don't really know.

[wizzzargh]

Early in the game is when new items are most likely to boost your power. I would use acquirement as soon as I found it.

[rchandra]

Almost the only time I don't use it immediately is if I'm feeling very strong in Lair, find it there, and want to look at the Orc shops first.

[archaeo]

There are a few circumstances where it's good to wait. If you're a Trog bro and you find an early acquirement, it might be a good idea to ID a few more wands to make it more likely to get Haste or HW. If you're a Vehumet bro it might be a good idea to train spellcasting above your spell schools (if possible) to make it more likely to grab a staff of energy.

But for a lot of characters, you just want to use it ASAP.

[WalkerBoh]

Use it now, and use it on a weapon.

[Sar]

I'm not sure I would call a staff of energy a desirable acquirement result myself.

[Aule]

I'm not sure I would call a staff of energy a desirable acquirement result myself.

I ended up using it on jewelry, got an artefact amulet that had a +Rage and -2 Int. Pfft. Character's dead anyway.

Thanks all for the advice. Next one gets read without question.

[Sar]

Jewellery acquirement is sort of awful. Wands are probably the most popular choice, as it's weighted towards the 3 good ones (haste, heal wounds, tele). Weapon acquirement is great if you don't have a good weapon and don't follow a gifting god. Armour can be okay too (and is great if you're a Naga or a Centaur, as it has something like 50% chance to give you a barding if you don't have one).

But the best acquirement is food acquirement - but only for Fedhas followers!

[Sphara]

Never ever wait reading it. You're XL10! Any immediate boost is welcome.

Wand is usually the best choice at least for a character XL10. "What to acquire" is universally too long topic to me write here. Just check your stuff and think what you MIGHT need at the moment if you happen to have all the top tier wands (not likely).
I cannot remember how many times i have got Wand of Heal Wounds via acquirement.
It can always be a disappointment, everyone knows that. But more often than not you will get a significant boost to your game.

And for you people who save acq-scrolls for POSSIBLE treasure trove.. (i've seen this a number of times) that's not good gameplay.

[crate]

Weapon acquirement probably has the best chance of giving you a good item. However, two good weapons is not more useful than one good weapon, whereas even if wand acquirement gives you something like a second wand of fire it's still useful.

Those are generally the best acquirements. Armour is ok, staff is decent (or very good for Trog chars) if you want something else.

[Bloax]

+Rage is a very good property early on (even at XL10) - unless you're a Troglodyte.
Since XL10 suggests that you haven't even mutilated Lair yet, and lair isn't known for having enemies that Mark you, summon big demons while casting very damaging spells or recall and might other monsters which is just about where the slowness post-berserk might be very undesirable.

[tompliss]

TRoglodyte => staff acquirement => 100% chance get rod => train evoc => win ?

[Snaaty]

As long as they don't change the artefact-acquirement mechanisms Wand sure is the way to go.
This is kind of off topic, but what really prevents the devs from making artefacts... better? On my current character I had one amulet, one ring and one cloak (two of them were acquired, had wand of heal and tele, but no jewelerry), and all of them would have been crippling with my character. What's the point of a "rare" artefact, if you're way better off with some random junk you found on the 50th Orc you just slaughtered? *endofrant*

[intr]

As long as they don't change the artefact-acquirement mechanisms Wand sure is the way to go.
This is kind of off topic, but what really prevents the devs from making artefacts... better? On my current character I had one amulet, one ring and one cloak (two of them were acquired, had wand of heal and tele, but no jewelerry), and all of them would have been crippling with my character. What's the point of a "rare" artefact, if you're way better off with some random junk you found on the 50th Orc you just slaughtered? *endofrant*

http://xkcd.com/1114/ (this has already been posted in some other thread)

[Hopeless]

+Rage is a very good property early on (even at XL10) - unless you're a Troglodyte.
Since XL10 suggests that you haven't even mutilated Lair yet, and lair isn't known for having enemies that Mark you, summon big demons while casting very damaging spells or recall and might other monsters which is just about where the slowness post-berserk might be very undesirable.

I respectfully disagree.

Rage* can lead to situations (if you aren't intending to be "red faced" occasionally by worshiping Trog already) where you end up helpless to stop it and come out of it before your enemies are dead, slowed and exhausted and possibly starving. I am not saying its the worst property to get but it is not a no-brainer when considering what to wear early on. Rage+ on the other hand can be quite useful if you know when and where to activate it.

[XuaXua]

I always do Armour acquirement, but I always end up with either a shield, or something for the only alt slot that I've actually already occupied with the only amazing artefact I'd found so far.

[Bloax]

*Rage can lead to situations (if you aren't intending to be "red faced" occasionally by worshiping Trog already) where you end up helpless to stop it and come out of it before your enemies are dead, slowed and exhausted and possibly starving. I am not saying its the worst property to get but it is not a no-brainer when considering what to wear early on. Rage+ on the other hand can be quite useful if you know when and where to activate it.

got an artefact amulet that had a +Rage and -2 Int. Pfft.

+Rage isn't *Rage, silly; +Rage is evocable berserk, which can be handy at times - *Rage is randomly triggering berserk and is definitely not a good property.

And reading your post you also state that +Rage is good, so why do you respectfully disagree that +Rage is an occasionally good property, again? o _O

[XuaXua]

+Rage isn't *Rage, silly; +Rage is evocable berserk, which can be handy at times

An artefact amulet of +Rage, -2 Int is less useful than the generic Amulet of Rage, which has a greater chance of being (or having already been at XL10) found.

I believe the simple concept of receiving an ARTEFACT amulet that is simply a less useful version of the more common, generic equivalent is where the disappointment resides.

[and into]

Well, the other good thing about wand acquirement is that most wands (even duplicates) will make your character stronger, even if you fail to get the best ones.

Everyone already covered the best options for various situations. I'd only add that one shouldn't forget gold acquirement if you have found some great stuff in a shop that you cannot afford yet.

[MrPlanck]

Best use of scroll of Acq is to hurl it at your foes.

[Hopeless]

*Rage can lead to situations (if you aren't intending to be "red faced" occasionally by worshiping Trog already) where you end up helpless to stop it and come out of it before your enemies are dead, slowed and exhausted and possibly starving. I am not saying its the worst property to get but it is not a no-brainer when considering what to wear early on. Rage+ on the other hand can be quite useful if you know when and where to activate it.

got an artefact amulet that had a +Rage and -2 Int. Pfft.

+Rage isn't *Rage, silly; +Rage is evocable berserk, which can be handy at times - *Rage is randomly triggering berserk and is definitely not a good property.

And reading your post you also state that +Rage is good, so why do you respectfully disagree that +Rage is an occasionally good property, again? o _O

This may be a case of one of us reading the wrong symbol in front of the word. * vs +. The thanks purely accidental.

[Aule]

*Rage can lead to situations (if you aren't intending to be "red faced" occasionally by worshiping Trog already) where you end up helpless to stop it and come out of it before your enemies are dead, slowed and exhausted and possibly starving. I am not saying its the worst property to get but it is not a no-brainer when considering what to wear early on. Rage+ on the other hand can be quite useful if you know when and where to activate it.

got an artefact amulet that had a +Rage and -2 Int. Pfft.

+Rage isn't *Rage, silly; +Rage is evocable berserk, which can be handy at times - *Rage is randomly triggering berserk and is definitely not a good property.

And reading your post you also state that +Rage is good, so why do you respectfully disagree that +Rage is an occasionally good property, again? o _O

This may be a case of one of us reading the wrong symbol in front of the word. * vs +. The thanks purely accidental.

I knew the difference between *Rage and +Rage, but I was just saying that for my wiz, the occasional usefulness of +Rage was not nearly enough to offset the -2 Int. Given that those were the only two mods, it was, for that character, pfft.

Don't really understand the argument, otherwise.

[crate]

personally I'd trade 2 int for +rage on every single character who doesn't worship trog, unless I have 2 int or less (since even though berserk is really good it's not going to outweigh brainlessness).

[dck]

*Rage is randomly triggering berserk and is definitely not a good property.

*Rage is often a neutral or even beneficial property and its only negative facet tends to be that you should remember you have it while you plan your actions, which is a chore.