Which starting traits are the most worthwhile?

[sqeecoo]

It seems to me that a party of 4 lizardmen is hands-down the best party you can get: you lose a bit of damage you would get from headhunter, and your mage will have a bit less mana (not a big deal), but you are practically immune to elemental attacks, which are the most dangerous in the game since they affect all members of your party.

Even having just two lizardmen is pretty good, since you can then stack the relevant resistance items on the remaining two characters. But again, it seems to me that there really isn't a compelling reason to pick anything else but lizardmen, unless perhaps going with a single minotaur in the mix. This seems doubly true on hard.

Do you disagree?

[steelsoldier]

Lizardman are great in general, but if you force yourself to use any other races you need to pick traits that are the best for those specific classes that you want and the ones that will help you the most to accomplish what you want.

[Alaric]

It only makes sense to pick traits, which will scale well. Sure, 20 health might sound mighty good when you are level 1, but will you be happy with your choice when you are level 15? To that end, you will benefit the most if you select something that increases in strength as time progresses, or at least stays the same.

Example 1: if you play with a strength-based minotaur character, the Headhunter perk is good because it will grow as you play.

Example 2: a resistance perk is somewhat good because it remains the same as you play and is meaningful enough to be useful towards the end

Example 3: if you play with a human character, the +10% experience perk is excellent because you will level 20% faster (it combines with your racial +10% experience boost.) It's like getting a bonus level every 5 levels. So by the time everyone else is level 10, you are already 12.

[minmay]

Example 3: if you play with a human character, the +10% experience perk is excellent because you will level 20% faster (it combines with your racial +10% experience boost.) It's like getting a bonus level every 5 levels. So by the time everyone else is level 10, you are already 12.

This isn't true. Each level costs more experience than the previous one, so 20% more experience doesn't translate into 20% more levels.

[sqeecoo]

Lizardman are great in general, but if you force yourself to use any other races you need to pick traits that are the best for those specific classes that you want and the ones that will help you the most to accomplish what you want.

Well sure, but you have to force yourself to play anything but lizardmen, right? I mean, minotaurs have better damage (like, 15 damage more? out of 100/200+? wow.), and ratlings get many random stat points, but they will die like crazy to late game enemies that apply elemental damage to your whole party. Whereas lizardmen are only a bit weaker, but near-impervious to the elements. Any other race and trait combination is self-imposed hard mode, I think.

I would actually love to be convinced otherwise I'm a powergamer by nature, so I have trouble forcing myself to play in a way I see as less-than-optimal

(I have a similar issue with heavy weapons being way better than anything - missile, light, magic, you name it- and plentiful enough to comfortably equip 4 (!) characters)

[steelsoldier]

10% Experience Bonus is useless in my opinion.

[Saice]

I would actually love to be convinced otherwise I'm a powergamer by nature

Then you can never be convinced. Power gamers only see the numbers and math of a game as such it is all black and white. It is either mechanically the most optimal or it is utter trash.

If that is how you have "fun" then that is how it is enjoy that.

I'll go back to my party of all rats and the interesting challenges and rewards that party gives me in my play time.

[steelsoldier]

Ya honestly, if I wanted an easy time, I would run straight up 3 barbarians with 1 Alchemist specced into magic and called it a day, I guarantee that at no stage in the game you would have problems.

But like I said its all about choosing what you want to do.

[minmay]

Well sure, but you have to force yourself to play anything but lizardmen, right? I mean, minotaurs have better damage (like, 15 damage more? out of 100/200+? wow.), and ratlings get many random stat points, but they will die like crazy to late game enemies that apply elemental damage to your whole party. Whereas lizardmen are only a bit weaker, but near-impervious to the elements. Any other race and trait combination is self-imposed hard mode, I think.

I would actually love to be convinced otherwise I'm a powergamer by nature, so I have trouble forcing myself to play in a way I see as less-than-optimal

When a monster shoots a fireball at you, move to the side so the fireball doesn't hit you. That's optimal play; problem solved. I don't think extra resistances are a no-brainer compared to killing monsters faster with extra damage/skills/speed - elemental attacks from monsters may hit the whole party but they are also the slowest attacks in the game, so if you can't dodge them, what do you plan to do against, say, archers?

[Alaric]

Example 3: if you play with a human character, the +10% experience perk is excellent because you will level 20% faster (it combines with your racial +10% experience boost.) It's like getting a bonus level every 5 levels. So by the time everyone else is level 10, you are already 12.

This isn't true. Each level costs more experience than the previous one, so 20% more experience doesn't translate into 20% more levels.

The curve of increasing xp requirements per level is not very steep. You may not be 20% ahead, but you will still be ahead.