about archery...

[Djin]

hello people,

i'm new to the game and have yet to figure out some of the basics.
atm, i can't seem to use my archery skill/shortbow in combats against monsters by clicking "use" next to the skill. the wiki says:
"Though the actual combat in Sryth tends to be too close . . . it can still be a pretty handy skill. Often, the game will allow you to try to wound or kill an oncoming target with your arrows before you close with it. . .".
so, am i doing something wrong or is archery only to be used in certain situations/quests, and NOT as a standard way of making the first hit in any combat? that would be disappointing, since i've invested a great deal of my starting xp into the skill...

~djin

[shadowblack]

Archery can be used only at certain points in the game, BEFORE you get to the "Start Combat" screen. Once you get to such a screen you're already within melee range, so ranged weapons are of no use.

You ALWAYS get the first hit in combat, and if you manage to kill the enemy with a single hit he never gets to attack you (though such situations are rare).

And yes, there are some cases where using Archery (or a suitable power) directly kills one or more enemies. Most of the times, however, you just wound the enemy, reducing his Stamina and/or Melee Rating.

[Joddelle]

Also, if you picked archery as one of your starting skills, you might want to consider restarting the character and picking different skills (check the Hints, tips and strategies (http://srythforum.com/showthread.php?t=99) thread), as you can learn archery for a piddling amount of gold in-game. If you didn't start with archery, then no worries, your investment isn't wasted because there are situations and even an adventure and an upcoming challenge based on archery.

Note: where you can get the skill in-game is in the linked thread.

[Djin]

thanks for the quick answers.

i'm going to delete my characters and start over, since i wasn't too patient with rolling for the starting stats either...

~djin

[thingirl]

Try to get 19s and 20s and no more that one 18. (Although Alanne had 18s in Might and Body until she used a certain Item.) The Elixir of Torrent, which raises one of your stats that's 18 or lower by 2 OR one of your stats at 19 by 1.