Playing Torment: Tides of Numenera (SPOILERS WELCOME!)

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Having picked up the hit Torment: Tides of Numenera on Steam sale, I had a couple of questions for those who've already played it. Please note that I do not mind spoilers for the game, and in fact encourage them!

1. The version of the game I purchased comes with a digital Strategy Guide, but I have no clue how to access it. It doesn't seem to be accessible from the game menu itself. How do I find my strategy guide?

2. I'm aware of the basic stats and classes of the game, but I'm not sure how to build a character capable of basics succeeding at every skill check. I'm a bit of an obsessive-completionist, and I don't want to miss or fail a quest because my stats or skills aren't high enough. How do I build such a character?

[Drascin]

If you're a completionist, I would recommend keeping your int pool high and getting some int edge. There are A LOT of Int rolls in this game. A lot.

I played an Intelligent Jack and did pretty good.

[factotum]

I don't think it's actually possible to build a character who can pass every single check by themselves, though--you really need to specialise some of your party members to handle the stuff you can't.

[Landis963]

A few words of warning:

1. Don't ask Rhin to leave the party. If you do so when she has nowhere else to go, she will run off crying and you will never see her again. If you complete her personal quest, however, you will find a way for her to be reunited with her parents, at which point it is optimal for her to leave. She'll come back as a valuable ally in the climactic encounter.
2. Sometimes failure is better than success. A good example of this is a tree of hands in the opening junkyard. Gain the check, you get a weapon. Fail the check, you get a wound (which can be healed away easily) and a boost to your max health stat.
3. Most combats are skippable via the social perks and a good-sized Int pool. A good face goes a long way.
4. The Tides are basically MTG's colors. Indigo is basically White, Blue is Blue, Silver is basically Black, Red is Red, and Gold is basically Green. Oom will tell you which dialogue option equates to which Tide.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Why would I have Rhin leave before her quest's done?! She's just a kid! I'm not going to make a kid cry!

[Landis963]

Why would I have Rhin leave before her quest's done?! She's just a kid! I'm not going to make a kid cry!

Because a) the Last Castoff takes her into some highly dangerous areas, e.g. into combat with a cannibalistic cult on their own demiplane, or into a sapient fungal colony which is known to eat its inhabitants. Tybir, of all people, calls you on it. Also b) she takes up a party slot, which means if you don't plan out your moves correctly you'll be down a party member every combat. (Luckily she's very good at carrying cyphers, so she can pull her weight that way)

[Archpaladin Zousha]

That's one reason I'm trying here for advice. I want to complete EVERY quest, including companion ones, in a "Neutral Good" way, and I'm worried that since some companions are mutually exclusive, I'd end up unable to reach 100% completion, so I want to know how to plan all this stuff out so the pieces kind of "fall into place" as I complete the game.

[Landis963]

That's one reason I'm trying here for advice. I want to complete EVERY quest, including companion ones, in a "Neutral Good" way, and I'm worried that since some companions are mutually exclusive, I'd end up unable to reach 100% completion, so I want to know how to plan all this stuff out so the pieces kind of "fall into place" as I complete the game.

Don't worry about characters being mutually exclusive: Once you reach the Changing God's workshop in Sagus Cliffs, you can find a Bronze Sphere. This will allow you to swap out your party at any point (with the exception of Rhin, for aforementioned reasons). Actually, if you haven't brought Callistege along to that workshop, that would be a good test of its capabilities, as she has a plot point in there.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Heh, a Bronze Sphere? Déjà vu!

I'm debating whether to play a Jack or a Nano. From what I understand, a well-built Jack can coast through the game without fighting at all, but I worry I might miss some sort of Nano-exclusive dialogue or something, since Jacks presumably can't "cast spells" like a Nano can, and Nanos CAN do charisma pretty well due to their high Intellect, right?

[Landis963]

Heh, a Bronze Sphere? Déjà vu!

I'm debating whether to play a Jack or a Nano. From what I understand, a well-built Jack can coast through the game without fighting at all, but I worry I might miss some sort of Nano-exclusive dialogue or something, since Jacks presumably can't "cast spells" like a Nano can, and Nanos CAN do charisma pretty well due to their high Intellect, right?

There's more than one of those easter eggs in there. Tell me what you think when you learn your former name.

My current playthrough, which I'm thinking of scrapping and starting over because I've already missed so much, is a Graceful Nano with a Silver Tongue. I've gotten that Castoff all the way to the Bloom, and only needed to fight... 6 times? The Peerless drones, an encounter in the Changing God's workshop, killing Rhin's former master, the thing in that bar with the psionic entity, two fights against Endless Gate cultists in the Valley of Dead Heroes, and the thing in Miel Avast. 7 times. Across 3 hubs. EDIT: 9 times, including the two encounters in the Labyrinth.

[Yanecky]

I've finished the game twice: once with a silver tongue and once with the "Silence, I'll kill you" approach. Very different games, but I feel with optimized char, combat is too easy and the game is designed for talking etc. I also feel that cyphers are not as necessary as they should be (and are in the p&p game).

[Jackalias]

My personal experience was building for skill checks was wits>speed>strength as far as importance goes, a fair amount of checks happen in your mind so wits are very important, strength checks can usually be passed by an ally.

Also don't leave Rhin, her best ending requires holding into her until the maw, you'll know her quest when you see it. Give her numenera if you don't want her to be useless.