I've just finished this great game. Dark Cloud67: There is NO need to train a hero. I tried to use them but they consume far too much money (I can hire four base characters of them, and four of them were often more useful). The key part is to place warriors to the central points with consecrate and upgrade them to archers and with speed. If you do this, and place mages in the early game (for flying ones, before you'd have an archer) and warriors, who you will upgrade to archers later, you won.
I have retribution finally! My warrior has 135 % damage reflection. What more, because of my rogue's elusiveness, enemies will hit warrior more time! My barbarian and rogue have 60-60 % reflection, too.
My warrior has 75 % damage reduction, so if he uses shield wall he has 99 % (not 100 %, as ot should to be), but it's easy to get with Stalwart Guardian's armour and armor profiency.
Try a four-rogue party. Three to the first row (dagger), and one to the back with bow. Get hide and sneak attack (something else for the bowman). In bigger battles, hide with all of them. Then enemies will not be able to attack, and your rogues will attack for 2x damage! So 4 enemies out without damage. Most-damage weapons and stats are also the best for them, I have killed the corruptor with that party.
A well-equipped party doesn't need anoint, or even points spent on endurance. Using good timing (eliminate always the monster what will attack next or the most dangerous), spend all points on stats what will increase damage, and get the biggest-damage weapons and use the right skills, and you will be able to kill all enemies before you could take damage (or wih minimal damage).
Cleric is the most useless, and conjurer is the second, I think. Rogues are very useful in boss fights and legendaries (I couldn't kill gorgon without sap strength). The ideal party, I think is a warrior (meat shield+good fighter), barbarian (a little vulnerable but incredible damage), rogue (invincible poison - poisoncraft - 50 % of damage is added as poison :) ), ranger (auxiliary ranged attacker (and mass)). I used once mage instead of ranger, and was effective, too.
Contravente: I can't use clerics because I simply DO NOT NEED healing :). They take anything out in 1 or maximum 2 rounds. They're unstoppable.
I did not find useful clerics at all. I don't use healing because I don't need to, and to increase their damage both strength and intellect should be raised- That isn't good for me. I planned a mage to a party, but instead ranger, not rogue. Rogue is also very important (ensures that I begin the battle all the time, can eliminate the quickest, allowing rogue to unleash hail of arrows without taking damage bedore it. Also very useful sap strength, what prevents bosses and legendary creatures to use their main powers (Corruptor couldn't cast Dark Mirror because my rogue sapped his strength and he didn't have enough power).
However, items what increase both strength and dexterity are good for rogues mainly - who I like for very high damage (my rogue with an ordinary dagger has a lot bigger damage than my golden axe-user barbarian!), and bloodsoaked berserker's armour is very good for barbarian (gives also health, barbarians need that). I don't use robes, because I don't have mage (warrior, barbarian, rogue, ranger - in the Den of endless evil, they become invincible because their passive skills allow them to eliminate anything - except legendary creatures - in one round, maximum two). I don't use replenishment items, too - I use attribute-raising items only (strength to warrior-barbarian, dexterity to ranger, strength or dexterity or both to rogue).
What items are the best?
I think those what raise both strength and dexterity (bone ring, swashbuckler's pantaloons, facemask of the bandit chieftain...), and golden axe, minotaur axe, hydra's tooth, cloak of flames, retribution. I had once a warrior with retribution (60 % reflection) and cloak of flames (75 % reflection). Both of these gave many strength so his damage became enormous and any enemy what attacked him died right after its attack. :)
Very good game, however too easy with a good party. A warrior-barbarian-ranger-rogue and all for damage. No enemy stands for much. Clerics are weak I think (I would have to divide statistics - strength for base attack and intelligence for mass attacks. Barbarian's whirlwind attack, ranger's hail of arrows, rogue's sneak attack and warrior's shield wall are awesome!
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