Of Ash and Steel

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Overall, I really enjoyed this game and had a lot of fun playing through it. The combat felt engaging, especially with my choice to go for a full dexterity build using a rapier. This playstyle suited me well, and for the most part, I didn’t find the game particularly difficult. Most opponents were manageable, and I was able to defeat them without too much trouble, which made the experience feel smooth and rewarding rather than frustrating. The biggest issue for me was the map system. You unlock the map in Chapter 2, which feels quite late considering you’ve already spent a lot of time traveling back and forth across the world by then. It made early exploration feel a bit disorienting and unnecessarily repetitive. I used the endless-running mod, so that's a bit faster to travel around. Without it, I would have spent 5 more hours :D Additionally, the teleporter system is introduced very late in the game—almost near the end. By that point, I had already spent countless hours walking across the same areas multiple times. Unlocking fast travel earlier would have significantly improved the pacing and reduced some of the tedium. I played the full game without any game-breaking bugs. But some quests provide so less information where to go or what to do, that you are almost forced to google for a solution. There are a lot of quests, even in the higher chapter. Comparing to e.g. Gothic, where after chapter 2 you basically only doing the main quests, this is really nice. In summary, the game delivers a fun and enjoyable experience, especially with a dexterity-focused combat style. However, its delayed quality-of-life features, like the map and fast travel system, hold it back from being truly great.