[+] Inflict more damage than Damage Increase
[-] Occurs randomly

Comments:

Very important BUT increase this skill gradually. I'd spend on a point on critical attack before a point for damage increase so that CA skill is slightly higher than DI. Initially, Rohane gives poor attack. Spending a point on CA will give a more significant damage (10hp) than a DI (average of 6 hp damage).

In later chapters, when Rohane is at a high level, it can give 150hps damage depending on damage increase and the damage of the weapon equipped.

Conclusion: A basic 11 points or more should be spent. How much more depends on the additional boost from the weapons that would max it.

Comments:

Very important. Rohane's attacks are tied to this skill BUT increase this skill gradually.

Conclusion: A basic 11 points or more should be spent. How much more depends on the additional boost from the weapons that would max it.

[+] Increased defense
(Less damage can be inflicted on you. Likewise, if enemies have this ability, they take more turns to kill even though they do not cause much damage, how irritating...)
[-] Have to be activated
[-] At lower levels, depressingly low damage given to your enemy after focusing for so looonngg!

Comments:

It seriously decreases both the damage that Rohane does to the enemy and the damage done to him. This is more significant & more observable at the lower levels. But when maxed, the difference is almost minimal. CF is a defensive attack; it could lessen the damage inflicted on Rohane but with Velm around, this skill is redundant.

Conclusion: Do not spend any points on this skill. Let Rohane to dish out higher damage instead!

Note: It is observed that when an enemy has combat focus, Mipsy's DD/GD and Velm's CH are more effective. Attacks from Rohane and Talinia are more likely to be resisted.

[+] Delay enemies' attack & gives you more time to finish them off before they attack
[-] May not always work, especially NOT on Terask.

Comments:

Spend a few points on this skill in the earlier chapters. Spending on stun would complement Mipsy who is the main attacker for Chapter 1 & 2. In early stages, Rohane performs poorly even when many points are spent on damage increase so why not spend on stun? With enemies stunned, Mipsy can dispatch them quickly. Less turns for enemy > more time for us, less damage on our side > less heal.

[+] Draws enemies' attacks away from weakened companions

[-] Not always successful
[-] Rohane is more liable to be killed
(he is a braw lad but that doesn't mean he is Punchbag Bob!)

Comments:

There are proponents for this skill but I don't use battle taunt, except for the first time I played NQ2. It didn't make much of an impression on me so I can't say much. Check NQ2 guides for more details on Battle taunt

Conclusion: Don't spend any points on this in earlier chapters. Wait till Rohane has more hitpoints to while and there is Velm around. Velm's skill- Heal is a better complement to this skill than Group Heal.

[+] Protects against magical attacks.
Help reduce enemies attacks hence the chances of being killed quickly
[-] Effects with each increase in level are not observable (Doesn't mean it is useless!!!)

Comments:

must have but increase it gradually. Can consider having 1 or 2 points before meeting Zombom.

Conclusion: A basic 10 points should be spent. Additional boost from the Rohane's armour that would make it 12-14.

[+] More turns to hit the enemy per unit time.
Effects with an increase in skill level are recorded in data analysis

Comments:

Let me emphasize that innate haste is VERY important. Having innate haste helps speed things up. You get more turns before your enemy; you kill that enemy earlier. While it may not be obvious, the time between your character's turn is shortened as your haste level increases (See Data Analysis for more details).

Spellcasting (e.g. Group Damage, Direct Damage, Heal, Group Heal, Mesmerization, Group Shield) requires more effort than the usual 'attack'. This means the characters like Velm would take a longer time till their next turn after a particularly exhausting spell. Innate haste cuts that time down. Mipsy is the most vulnerable in the group with the lowest ultimate hitpoints of 250 as compared to Rohane's 386, Talinia's 320 & Velm's 285 and is usually the first to die if not for Velm's timely heal.

Innate Haste should be increased gradually but at the initial stage, having at least 3 melee haste will speed things up a little when you meet Zombom. Having nearly same amount of innate haste for each team member would ensure that they are on par with each other during a fight.

Conclusion: A basic 11 points or more should be spent for innate haste as this would increase the damage dealt out by Rohane. I did not max any innates as additional boost from the armours would max it before you fight Terask II. Points should reach 11 haste before the four faeries.

[+] Doles out high damage; better when fighting single boss/monster
[+] Damage shields do not return damage on this skill as it is a magical attack
[+] ~ Two times faster than Group Direct Damage

[-] Might be totally resisted or reduced
[-] Group Shielding may negate this magical attack

Comments:

Group Damage vs Direct Damage

When I just started out on normal mode, I loved group direct damage so much that I maxed it, after all it attacks your enemies simultaneously!

My thought: wouldn't that mean that the multiple enemies get polished off earlier? Cool! If one resisted, there are still the others receiving damage. I was one of those people who swore that group damage was better than direct damage. It is a good 'defensive' attack. However, when faced with the bosses or single enemies, the lower attack power (Astral Maelstrom-64dmg as compared to Obliterate-100dmg) made me wish that I had spent more skill points on Direct damage as it would take a shorter time to kill 'em off.

So in evil, I tried a different approach. Instead of the All-at-once approach, I choose to max direct damage early in the game. The One-by-one approach, as its name implies, concentrates on removing your enemies, one at a time. BUT before spending the skill point on direct damage, you should check the amount of damage given out for that skill level. For example, if mipsy has a maximum of 80 hitpoints, you don't splurge 14 points on DD (which gives 93 hps damage) because the maximum damage Mipsy can eke out is only 80. Make sure that it doesn't exceed the max hitpoints that Mipsy have at the point of time or you will be wasting the skill point.

The casting time for direct damage is approximately half of group direct. For more details see Data Analysis. This means that Mipsy's next turn comes earlier when DD is used (if Mipsy has dangerously low health, she could save herself before it is too late). It also leaves less time for the enemies to target her. However, direct damage have a higher chance of being resisted.

Conclusion: Direct damage is better. Why? Fewer attackers=> less damage, faster fight, chances of winning=higher. Max it, don't spend on GD.

[+] Good when faced with multiple enemies as chances of it being resisted is less
[+] Total damage/turn higher than Direct Damage
[+] Can be used every turn (unlike Talinia's Multiple Target)
[+] Damage shields do not return damage on this skill as it is a magical attack

[-] Slower than Direct Damage; Mipsy has a higher chance of being killed because she has to wait longer for her turn.
[-] Group Shielding may negate this magical attack
[-] Talinia's Multiple Target is a similar skill that can shell out higher damage

Comments: Please refer to Direct damage section

[+] Hastes everyone in the group.
[+] Counters your enemies' slowing spells
[+] Good when you aren't successful in slowing your enemy
 (when the enemy casts group shield, haste your group!)
[-] Needs to be renewed as it lasts only for a while

Comments:

Must have. Good to have 1 or 2 points before meeting Leximp. Useful against bosses when you can't slow them down. Crucial in later chapters.

Conclusion: A basic 11 points or more should be spent. Maxing this skill would depend on the additional boost from the Mipsy's wand.

[+] Slows down one of your enemy
[+] Adds on to Talinia's slowing strike
[-] May be resisted
[-] Needs to be renewed
[-] Does not accumulate with each casting
[-] Not advisable to be used when the enemy is under the influence of a slowing potion! It will replace the effect of slowing potion or get resisted by the enemy

Comments:

Not useful. True, maxing slowing (62%) in earlier chapters would be an advantage when better slow potions are not available. However, you would find yourself at a disadvantage when you run out of points for other skills. Not advisable to spend on this when you have group haste.

Conclusion: Recommend using slow potions to slow the bosses.

[+] Returns a portion of physical damage
[-] Does not reflect enemies' magical attacks
[-] Small potion of damage returned

Comments:

Passive attack. It waits for enemies to attack. On casting, it would take longer for Mipsy's next turn. Useful for four faeries and Terask but I'm uncertain about this skill.

Conclusion: spend some since mipsy would have a few extra points

Comments:

Conclusion: A basic 10 points should suffice. Mipsy's robes would give additional boost to 12-14.

[+] Enhance spellcasting speed! Effects with an increase in skill level are recorded in data analysis
 
[-] Small increments in haste/ level increase.

Comments:

See Rohane's Innate Melee Haste. Points should reach 11 haste before the four faeries.

[+] Enhances attack power

Comments:

Very important BUT it isn't efficient to max it out at the start. Increase this skill gradually. When Talinia joins your party, you should spread out your points among Bow damage, multiple target, haste, shockwave, range attack and magic resistance. Division of points is up to you.

Conclusion: A basic 11 points or more should be spent. How much more depends on the additional boost from the weapons that would max it.

[+] Good when faced with multiple enemies

[-] Does not occur consecutively during Talinia's turn.~15s

Comments:

Multiple Target is more fickle than Mipsy's Group Direct. It doesn't appear as frequently. When fighting ordinary monsters it appears once or twice. Like GD, it is useless when fighting most bosses. At Level 6 of this skill, Talinia can hit up to 3 enemies. Subsequent increase in skill would mean MT takes a shorter time to reappear. Being able to handle 3 monsters is good enough. At Level 11, she is capable of handling 4 enemies and further increase in skill would mean MT takes a shorter time to reappear.

Conclusion: The maximum I'd advise anyone to spend is 11.

Comments:

This is a passive skill. Like damage shield, it waits for enemies to attack. This is useful for fighting King Terask II. Every time KT2 tries to attack Talinia, it will take him a longer time (1.5x?) till his next move> more turns for you. Less turn, less chances of him renewing his health or shields, less hitpoints to take off, more success with damage potions. If you have extra points left, spend on this skill.

Comments:

Good to spend a few points on this in the later chapters as it lessens the turns of the enemy groups. Speeds up the battle. Rarely work for Terask.

[+] Adds on to effect of previous slowing strike & Mipsy's slowing spell
[-] Too small increment for every level
[-] The add-on to Mipsy's slowing spell lasts only for one turn

Comments:

Blah, this skill is useless! At the maximum level, which gives 5% slowing, it is insignificant. It lasts only about 15 seconds even though each successful strike adds on to the percentage. It is not likely to make much difference to the battle as compared to Shockwave which can keep the enemies from having a few turns.

[+] Protects against magical attacks like slowing, stunning and mesmerization
[-] Effects with each increase in level are not observable (Doesn't mean it is useless!!!)

Comments:

must have

Conclusion: A basic 10 points spent should be enough. It is not necessary to max it. Any additional boost that comes from the Talinia's armour would make it 12-14.

[+] More turns to hit the enemy per unit time
Effects with an increase in skill level are recorded in data analysis

Comments:

See Rohane's Innate Melee Haste. When Talinia joins the party, have the same amount of innate haste as the others. Points should reach 11 haste before the four faeries.

[+] Raise hitpoints with higher increment per level as compared to Group Heal
[+] Heals & un-mesmerize an ally at the same time
[-] Only one character can be healed each time

Comments:

Heal vs Group Heal

Choose one, not both. It would be a waste of points. If you are using Heal, consider investing a few points on battle taunt. That way, you'll just heal Rohane who has the highest hps. I don't know much about Heal since I have never bothered spending any points of it.

Overall, I feel Group Heal better for fighting groups of monsters. You cut down time by saving the need or turn to use healing potions during a fight and let others concentrate on attacking. Near the end of a fight, you can use GH to heal everyone to full health. No potions needed.

GH is inefficient when only one teammate needs some serious healing and it heals them all. This slows Velm down. Should one player need more healing than GH can give, a swallow of healing potion would do the trick. When your entire team is perilously close to dying, Group Heal saves the day. Then again, if you have GH, you probably won't reach that stage.

Conclusion: The moment you get Velm, spend 13 points on GH. May not be necessary to max it. It all depends on the boost you get from Velm's staff when facing the four faeries and King Terask II.

Comments: Please refer to the Heal section above

[+] Protects against magical attacks (resists slowing potions, slowing spells & mesmerization)
[+] Reduces damage from Critical Hit
[+] Can nullify part of enemy's group shielding
[+] Lasts very long on each casting
[-] Doesn't give 100% protection

Comments:

This skill is not useful till later chapters.*hint*

Terask has this skill & I find that when he casts this, your chances of success using slow potions/damage potions is close to zero and your attack power gets reduced. I'm not sure if you observed this: he has a habit of casting petrification on a particular group member. If it doesn't work the first time, he will try again on the next & next turn.

Casting your own group shield reduces the chances of him succeeding but it is more effective at higher levels. GS will reduce the amount of damage/turn on the party. Maintain a Group Shield at all times! On the event that Velm gets killed (touch wood!), the group shield, which lasts for a long time after his death, would be your protection.

Conclusion: A basic 11 points should be enough. It is not necessary to max it. Additional boost from Velm's staff will bring it up to 13-15.

Comments:

Mixed opinions on this one. It delays enemies for a period of time. The amount of time varies but the range increases with your skill level. In that period of time, you should not use Talinia's Multiple Target or Mipsy's Group Direct or the enemy may break out of the spell. You may not be successful in casting all the time and sometimes, the enemy is mesmerized for such a short while that you'll wonder why you even bother to mesmerize it in the first place!

After a successful casting, Velm is drained of his energy so the time to Velm's next turn would be longer than when you are using Celestial Hammer. Time till the next turn is also affected by the length of time the enemy mesmerized. Longer freeze>more tiring>longer time to next turn. Make sense right?

If you want every point to be useful in the final battle, this is not the skill for you.

On the positive side, it is:

i) Good against groups of enemies

You can concentrate on killing your selected enemy without the mesmerized enemy interfering. For example, a group consisting of water faerie (group heal) + fire faerie (obliterate). I would usually freeze the water & finish off the fire so that the time taken is shorter as water can't heal & the damage sustained is lesser once the fire is dead. Another one of my favourite combination to use mesmerization on would be the Obliterators(4x). When I was playing in Insane mode, Mipsy nearly died under the Hands of Nox. Two consecutive Obliterates brought her this close to death if it weren't for Velm. From that time onwards, I would mesmerize 1 or 2 of them if such a group was encountered. Many would say it interferes with MT but I disagree. MT occurs once or twice (average) in an ordinary fight and usually appears at the start of a fight when there is an entire bunch of monsters to kill. After using it, MT won't appear for a while. So, why not mesmerize those pesky things? After all, by the time the second MT appears, most of the monsters are dead and simple attack can do the job.

ii) Good against enemies that casts combat focus or group shield.

Fighting groups of enemies gets rather tedious especially in Chapter 5. Add a group healer and you will never see an end to the bionic cybunnies and techo blademasters. Freezing either one (healer or combat focusers) would give me the pleasure of finishing off the rest of the cohort before enemies can cast the annoying GS or CF.

To spend or not to spend is entirely up to you. If you intend to spend on mesmerization, around 2 points would be sufficient. With a +3 or +4 boost from Velm's staff, it is sufficient to keep most enemies out of the picture for 10-20 seconds.

[+] May stun your enemy for 1-3s; giving you just enough time to finish it off (Does not work well on Terask!)
[-] Small amount of damage inflicted
[-] Enemy may resist being stunned

Comments:

Velm's regular attack is terrible! Celestial hammer doesn't fare much better at low skill level. However, CH is useful when you are willing to spend more. It is a dual attack. It does damage and stuns the enemy, increasing the time till its next turn. This is VALUABLE if you have used haste potions and have slow casted. With 2 or 3 seconds of stun, you can make the enemy wait an extra 3 or 4 rounds. It works on normal enemies & some bosses but rarely for the final boss.

Conclusion: You either spend 7 points+ or none.

Comments:

must have

Conclusion: A basic 10 points should be enough. It is not necessary to max it. Additional boost from Velm's holy chains will bring it up to 12-14.
 

Comments:

See Rohane's Innate Melee Haste. When Velm joins your party, have him spend more skill points on haste than the rest of the team but do not to exceed 11 points. The more people he heals, the longer he takes for the next turn so he needs more haste. His main use is to keep the team in good health at all times. The ability to reach the team in time and at the onset of a damage. Points should reach 11 haste before the four faeries.

Conclusion: A basic 11 points or more should be spent for innate haste. I did not max any innates as additional boost from Velm's Holy chains would max it.