Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is the latest addition to Dungeons & Dragons franchise's many video games. In the land of Icewind Dale, players take up the mantle of Ten-Town's greatest heroes to fight the Dark Alliance. It provides a fun and fantastical experience; however, without consideration for important elements of the gameplay, players will surely find themselves frustrated.
The game itself is simple enough, yet many players will make frequent and grievous errors. These common mistakes may have prolonged effects on one's playthrough, or make combat needlessly more challenging. It is paramount to recognize these recurrent faults in order to have a more pleasant experience.
10 Rushing/Skipping The Tutorial
In the beginning, players can undergo a tutorial mission, The Trials of Tempus. In this optional quest, players will learn the basics of combat and other necessary elements. Despite being an opportune time to practice, many players rush it – or even skip it – in favor of starting the campaign.
This is common in most video games, yet it is an especially punishing choice in Dark Alliance. While the combat is simple, it takes time for players to accustom themselves to its mechanics. Without adequate practice, players will make numerous mistakes in battle and struggle needlessly on the first mission.
9 Choosing One Hero & Ignoring The Rest
Icewind Dale boasts four great heroes: Drizzt Do'Urden, Bruenor Battlehammer, Cattie-brie, and Wulfgar. Each of these characters bears unique features and caters to certain playstyles. Even so, players often do not consider these elements, and choose a hero aimlessly. They decide before starting the game and do not give their decision a second thought.
While it is tempting to play one's favorite character, players find that they may prefer another. Rather than choosing a hero and sticking to them, players should test each one first. Doing so allows the players to make an informed decision and will overall improve their experience. Instead of picking Drizzt Do'Urden without a second thought, give other characters a try too.
8 Keeping Default FOV/Locking On
There are many vital elements to consider in Dark Alliance's combat system. While it is simple, players can easily make mistakes and subsequently die. Of these faults, by far the most fatal is being unaware of one's surroundings. Having an expansive field of view is important, yet the game itself hinders this.
The game's default FOV does not provide adequate perception to players. It keeps many things out of sight, leaving players susceptible to flanking enemies. To fix this, simply increase the FOV in the graphic settings. Additionally, players should ignore the lock-on mechanic when battling swarms of enemies, as it limits vision as well.
7 Not Reserving Stamina
By far the most important resource during combat is a character's stamina. It fuels many of a character's actions and if it depletes, players become vulnerable. Moreover, as they use a great deal of stamina, the amount they recover decreases significantly. Even so, players will attack mindlessly, allowing their stamina gauge to dwindle.
This is the worst possible mistake players can make in combat. While it is tempting to unleash a flurry of attacks, players should always reserve stamina while fighting. The best way to do this is by attacking, then allowing a moment to recover by parrying or dashing away. This is especially important when playing stamina-reliant characters such as Bruenor or Wulfgar.
6 Button Mashing
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance's combat system rewards players that use it effectively. Proper use of its many features grants players a fun and smooth experience, especially with combos. By following a pattern of attacks, players can unleash devastating blows upon enemies. However, some prefer to button mash and hope for the best.
While button mashing may work against lesser enemies, it fails against powerful foes. Randomly attacking challenging enemies will ensure a player's downfall. Instead of leaving encounters up to chance, players should learn at least three reliable combos. Applying three patterns to memory allows gamers to be more confident and effective in their attacks.
5 Forgetting To Use Empowered Strikes
During the tutorial, players learn many of the basics of combat. Yet, they often forget one important element: Empowered Strikes. It is an understandable mistake, as Empowered Strikes do not seem all that impressive. Many argue that they are a waste of the ultimate meter; however, that is far from true.
Empowered Strikes deal a great amount of damage and stagger most foes. While this mechanic alone is basic in combat, it provides a great deal of utility. If players are facing overwhelming numbers or need to recoup, they may use Empowered Strike to do so. Though it does use the ultimate meter, players can easily refill the gauge within seconds of use.
4 Ignoring The Threat Ring
As stated before, a player's field of vision is an important element in combat. However, no matter how high a player's FOV is, they will never be able to account for all the dangers surrounding them. Fortunately, a compass-like circle beneath characters reveals the enemy's position and if they are attacking.
This is the Threat Ring, and while it is a useful tool, players often overlook it. In the heat of combat, gamers must carefully monitor enemies, their surroundings, and their own condition. This makes the Threat Ring the least of their concerns. Even so, the utility it offers makes it well worth it. Players can use the Threat Ring to easily counter, dodge, or attack oncoming foes.
3 Sticking To The Main Path
The locations in Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance are expansive and puzzling. Every map has numerous areas to explore and paths to follow. Despite this, players may choose to adhere to the main path and ignore all else. While it provides an easy and simple way to complete missions, players will miss out on many rewards this way.
The alternate paths players can take are brimming with gold, gear, and even attribute points for players. While there is likely to be danger, the benefits are well worth the risks. Additionally, if players often take Short Rests rather than gaining higher rarity loot, this can be an easy way to make up for it.
2 Upgrading Low-Level Gear
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance provides players with a variety of gear. Every item provides unique effects that grant buffs or resistances to characters. Players can obtain loot of varying rarities: common, uncommon, rare, epic, and legendary. Additionally, the gear they acquire can be upgraded to boost their effects, even low rarity items.
Often, players will use their gold and material to upgrade lower-tier loot to support their character. While this makes combat more manageable in the short term, it ultimately wastes player's valuable resources. Characters benefit far greater from conserving gold and material to upgrade higher rarity loot.
1 Using Mixed Gear
While the expansive armory of gear available provides players with many options, it also leaves them susceptible to making a dire mistake. Typically, players will mix and match armor in order to equip the highest rarity/stat gear, despite obtaining high-stats characters who benefit far more from set bonuses.
Having a matching gear set grants players exceptional effects that can aid them in combat. By far the most effective sets are those unique to a player's character. For instance, while a Necrotic set offers immense necrotic resistance, Cattie-brie would fare better with the Battlehammer Princess set. This grants her decreases in cooldowns and prolongs her abilities.