Puzzling and half-hearted

[Fran]

[Darvin]

Okay, I don't get the first gnome puzzle. You can only ever reach level 2. If you choose to kill the warlock, you lose your free death protection but can preserve a layer of stoneskin between rounds. If you choose to kill the nagas, you take 1 points of weakening and will lose your stoneskin.

Best-case scenario is to kill the naga and have 1 point of weakening, which will require 5 hits to kill the boss. Presuming you use GETINDARE for a free hit and your death protection, you need to survive 3 blows. Your options are:

0% stoneskin - 9 damage
20% stoneskin - 8 damage
40% stoneskin - 6 damage
60% stoneskin - 4 damage

Your best option is three hits at 40% stoneskin, which will require 36 mana to pull off, then you can convert ENDISWAL for a potion to fuel your GETINDARE finisher. However, you'd still need seven mana potions just to reach that point. That's impossible, and you can't convert GETINDARE to the very end because you need first strike to finish this. Something is up; this looks impossible.

(note; edited my earlier analysis when I saw an opportunity to shave one attack off of my attack order, still way too far out though)

[Nurator]

its possible

the second one is strange... it is REALLY easy, but i dont think that was intended. You can kill the mage in front of you with dp+weytwut and just dominate everything^^

[Darvin]

I eventually got it when I realized he was exactly 1 HP out of reach that the trick was to attack the snake as a 1st level character, then use the mana potion to GETINDARE twice to kill the nagas flawlessly. Definitely a tricky puzzle, one that would flummox most players quite profoundly.

I agree that #2 can't be intentional; you don't even need to pick up ENDISWAL, much less use a mana potion.

#3 is more daunting than actually difficult. Hint: you need 2 XP from WEYTWUT to reach level 3. There are more than enough resources leftover at the end of you do your opener correctly.

[gjaustin]

I really like the 3rd Halfling puzzle.

The solution is sneaky. I kept getting stuck at 1 HP until I figured it out.

[Darvin]

Got them all. Here are some hints for those having trouble:

Halfling 1 - bonus XP is the name of the game
Halfling 2 - only the beginning and end really matter
Halfling 3 - make the monsters do the work for you

Gnome 1 - maximize the resources you take when you level up
Gnome 2 - kill the warlock
Gnome 3 - spend your mana on WEYTWUT


Solutions (spoilers, obviously. Highlight to reveal)

Halfling 1
1) use GETINDARE to first-strike the goat
2) get the attack powerup and BYSSEPS
3) use BYSSEPS and death protection to kill the gorgon
4) use BYSSEPS to 1-hit two meatmen
5) make a BYSSEPS attack against the snake
6) use BYSSEPS to kill the last meatman and level up
7) attack the snake with BYSSEPS twice
8) use BYSSEPS one last time then convert it
9) drink your healing potion and attack the snake
10) GETINDARE for the finishing blow

Halfling 2
1) convert BYSSEPS
2) fireball the goblin, attack him, drink a potion, then finish him
3) fireball and GETINDARE the warlock
4) tank the meatman and goblin
5) attack the zombine twice then finish with GETINDARE
6) fireball the snake
7) convert your glyphs then attack the snake and use your potion
8) before expending your death protection, convert your shield and drink the potion
9) finish the snake

Halfling 3
1) Attack the Minotaur
2) WITHOUT MOVING from your current position, WEYTWUT the minotaur
3) grab the pendant of health and drink a health potion
4) position yourself DIRECTLY above the minotaur, and attack and kill him
5) attack, WEYTWUT, then attack the naga to kill it
6) tank the meatman
7) convert WEYTWUT, drink one of each potion
8) fireball the snake, then attack and kill the goblin
9) kill the dragonspawn then take the mana potion
10) fireball the snake twice using your mana potion, then convert BURNDAYRAZ
11) use your remaining healing potions to tank the snake

Gnome 1
1) ENDISWAL to break through to the lower area
2) attack the snake
3) convert ENDISWAL and drink the potion
4) use GETINDARE to first-strike the two naga
5) attack the snake three times, then finish with GETINDARE

Gnome 2
1) attack the warlock twice, WEYTWUT to kill
2) kill the remaining monsters; you can just tank them

Gnome 3
1) WEYTWUT the wraith, pick up and use the two mana potions
2) WEYTWUT the snake, pick up the sword and shield
3) kill the wraith by using a health potion
4) attack the zombie, then finish with WEYTWUT
5) drink the mana potions, then fight the meatman and finish with WEYTWUT
6) fight the snake any way you want; he's child's play at this point

[The Avatar]

Okay, here's my thoughts on the puzzles.

Gnome 1: That was WAAAAY harder than Halfling 1.
Gnome 2: Uhh... Was this a joke, or a miscalculation by the devs?
Gnome 3: Cool, I like it.

Halfling 1: Bit tricky, but it's just right.
Halfling 2: Fairly tricky, but I suppose it's okay.
Halfling 3: Easier than it looked, but it took quite a few tries.

[eytanz]

So, the very first puzzle in the very first pack - Starter Pack/Intro to Puzzles - is unsolvable. Killing all three level 1 meat men doesn't give enough XP to level up.

[gjaustin]

[Blovski]

I really liked the first gnome puzzle - the last two don't actually require any conversions, which is weird.