RPG Strategy Guides / Books

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Hello. :)

So, since I stirred up it up about wanting accurate strategy guides for RPGs, I'm wondering which strategy guides are your favorites?

I just picked up Baldur's Gate 2 - Shadows of Amn (Perfect Guide) and it's divine! Lots of maps, a bestiary, all the magical items and lots of tips and hints along the way. Love it.

Also picked up these but they haven't arrived yet:

Arcanum - Prima's Official Guide
Icewind Dale - Official Strategies and Secrets
Pillars of Eternity - Prima Official Guide
Pillars of Eternity - Obsidian Guidebook

And I have a Diablo II - Official Brady Games Guide that is pretty nice as well.

So, what are your favorites? Anyone here collect these guides? o_O
 
If I remember the last time I bought a physical strategy guide was for Lost Odyssey on the Xbox 360 five years ago. Nowadays I just use digital guides on websites.

So I don't really have a favorite anymore so sorry Fluent.:)
 
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Ooh, a Lost Odyssey guide would be cool. That game rocked and had a lot of secrets.

It's easier to just Google search stuff but I like having a physical book for games I like. :)
 
Fluent said:
Ooh, a Lost Odyssey guide would be cool. That game rocked and had a lot of secrets.
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It did especially when you had to find hidden items on every stage of the game. If you missed them you couldn't go back as they vanished after you advance the game.
It's easier to just Google search stuff but I like having a physical book for games I like. :)
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Yes it is and my favorite site to use is called gamepressure.

Link - http://guides.gamepressure.com/

I also used to use another site called GameFAQs.

Link - http://www.gamefaqs.com/
 
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Ah, Gamefaqs brings back a lot of memories. That site is/was amazing for gaming information.
 
I buy hard cover of all my game I really like. I have softcover baldur's gates and icewind dales. The icewind dale one was more like a story book than strategy guide though.

I know it's a waste of money but I like to collect them and see them on my shelf.
 
It's not a waste of money if it makes you happy. :)

Hard cover, hmm, I didn't see any of those on Amazon. The Pillars guide is hardcover, but that's it. Which hardcovers do you have? o_O
 
All DA 1,2&3, Skyrim, POE, DS2, KOA and others. If they had a hardcover version I'd buy it over softcover. Many aren't RPG's.

I bought a lot of the ( older ones) at half priced books for real cheap.
 
Nice! I'm jealous :). And I didn't know KOA had a hardcover guide. That's awesome. :)
 
Yes and it's huge too. Only skyrim is bigger of the guides I own.
 
I stopped buying strategy guides years ago, except for The Elder Scrolls' games. These guides are so beautiful. I have all of them except for Arena and Battlespire, even though I haven't played a single game in the series yet. :biggrin:
 
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I don't buy these things; I much prefer to master a game and discover things myself than have some geezer spoiling and telling me all of the secrets. :)

With a couple of exceptions:
I did purchase the hint book for Bards Tale III in around 1994 from a little store in Melton. But this was long after getting to the final dungeon in Malefia. I also accidentally acquired the hint book for Might and Magic II; which came included in the game box when I bought it secondhand. Ironically, I still haven't completed that game. :) (Tis the only one from the series actually…)
 
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I always thought that strategy guides were for people who couldn't figure out how to play games, so I never bought any. I didn't realize there was any overlap between people who can play a game and those that buy strategy guides.

Also, what Pessimeister said. I would hate to have somebody spoil the experience.
 
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I'm split between enjoying a great guide, no matter if it is a book or on the net, and enjoying the game. I feel as I often destroy some of the joy of the game when I already know how certain things work or what might happen.

Life is difficult!!
 
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I can't speak for everyone but I doubt people buy the guides so the can read it before playing and spoil every secret.

I purchase them because I like to collect them. I don't read them on my first play throughs. I will read the character creation section if it's a game with a new system I haven't played. I will never look at the walk through, monsters, items etc. before a first play through.

I will reference them on subsequent play throughs if I can't find or figure things out. Plus many of them will provide additional lore or fill in gaps I may have missed.

There fun reading material and a compliment to the game. Not something to use to cheat, imo anyway.
 
I was once very happy to be able to buy a KOTOR strat guide - because they were / are so rare and so expensive.
Now I still need to play it … :rolleyes:
 
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sakichop said:
I can't speak for everyone but I doubt people buy the guides so the can read it before playing and spoil every secret.

I purchase them because I like to collect them. I don't read them on my first play throughs. I will read the character creation section if it's a game with a new system I haven't played. I will never look at the walk through, monsters, items etc. before a first play through.

I will reference them on subsequent play throughs if I can't find or figure things out. Plus many of them will provide additional lore or fill in gaps I may have missed.

There fun reading material and a compliment to the game. Not something to use to cheat, imo anyway.
Click to expand...

Same for me. I don't buy them for spoilers or cheats for a first playthrough. It's usually to read when I'm done with the game. And I'm starting to like collecting them as well. :)
 
I used to get guides for the Elder Scroll games but haven't bought one in a long time, only because of things changing alot after release, and the ability to find any information on the internet nowadays
 
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I don't buy them as the discovery process is, literally, half the game to me. If I need information, I have Google ;) I also have an iPad and a Nexus for the bathroom, couch and bed.

I did buy one, once, though. It was for Daggerfall, and I was just an excited kid that wanted everything for the game. It was very big and pretty, but I don't think I ever used it for anything except to simply look at when not playing the game - as I didn't want to read stuff to spoil the experience. I guess I didn't feel it added enough to the experience to warrant the price, since I've never been tempted since.

I threw it out with all my manuals, long ago.
 
I bought them way back in the 1990s when access to the internet was limited (and expensive). I used them either when I got stuck or on the 2nd+ playthrough to find things I had missed.

Now I use the internet exclusively for help but only after a 1st playthrough or if I get stuck and I have started swearing at the game.
 
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