Couple random questions:
- Early game (ch1 in Silbach); what are the most lucrative trophy skills to take? I have skinning and claws, but since I'm always out of money I don't want to take skills that apply to animals I'll be killing in chapter 3/4, but right now or soon.
- Related to the above, I know the hunter Markus buys claw trophies, but what does the other Silbach hunter buy? I think his name is Cadmus or Caledorn, something with a C.
- I'm aiming for a 1h STR sword user who takes trophies, picks locks, and can mine / blacksmith. Am I going to be short on LP to do this? I have the Lovkar book on alchemy lvl 1 and I'm also tempted to read it to make basic potions, but if I'm already going to be short on LP it makes no sense.
I'll share my experience:
Can make some money by selling dishes and trophies early on, steal shit. If you get fined just pay it to Silbachs head honcho then beat him and take your money back. When you become stronger you can just provoke people everywhere, lead them someplace without witnesses and beat the shit out of them for xp and profit lolz.
Take all the trophy skills because it's extra money. All of them. And as early as possible. Avoid killing monsters (that you dont have trophy skills for) too until you learn the right trophy skills. You do things right and you can wipe out most of the wildlife in chapter 2 already and rake in cash. Safe for wargs (maybe), shadowbeasts, trolls, dragonsneppers and other high level nasty shit.
I was hesitant to join as butcher's apprentice at first, but he is very profitable, buys meat, seeds and fat, sells you some rare herbs, teaches the recepy of bear stew +5 hp permanent health and you can make a lot of that stew, its better than boar meat stew with wine which you can make as well anyway.
I'd take alchemy early on if you have no plans of becoming an alchemist apprentice and learn it for free. Alchemy is a must have skill and you can learn all levels from bodowin, it cost a sum but worth it. For whatever retarded reason the devs made restore full hp potion the easiest potion to make compared to weaker potions, since it only takes 1 of each healing herb to make. You can make those from seeds too.
Lockpicking is shit and waste of LPs. You can buy magic item that shortens the lock combinations but they are always randomized. But all of this doesn't matter because traders sell so much lockpicks you can use them to pick your teeth with. 0 point of making them yourself too. They cost like 5 gold each. Basic lockpicking is all you need.
I wouldn't bother about lps. I was like level 22 before chapter 3, i think im already 35 and still in chapter 3 lmao.
If you want to become a blacksmith don't forget that forging weapons needs animal trophies for whatever reason. If you don't plan on becoming apprentice you'll be better off not learning smithing at all. I don't know how much blacksmiths apprenticeship pays and whether it's worth taking over Frida's or Butcher dude's.
Do permasnacks work like in Gothic 2 (apples for strength, mushrooms for mana)? Are there more, aside from potions?
They really overdone it with permanent bonuses. You get stat bonuses from reading book sets. You get perma life bonuses from just eating different dishes. You get +1 and +5 perma hp from eating boar and bear stew etc. You can find hundreds of apples to increase strength. You can find numerous permanent health potions and make tons of permanent potions yourself.