Experiencing Arcanum for the First Time

[@Pongsifu]

Fitting this game into one video wasn't easy so there will be a few more hours of this playthrough posted on the second channel eventually.

[@jupiteralt]

Release the Pongsifu cut!!!

[@richardtaillon1616]

No lies, those of us who grew up with this game would probably dig just unedited dumps of your footage. Thanks for all your hard work, as always!

[@naganeen0]

Love this game.... the classic RPGs are why I love this channel so much

[@leninthebeaniesouhacker.2459]

after arcanum, do underrail, it will few both new and old (edit: did not mean undertale)

[@CJFreeza]

Pongsifu!! Good to see you!!

[@Valdishthesecond]

So in case nobody explained it, in arcanum, the fire rate of the bow and magic is only limited by how fast you can mash the attack button, the computer however is not limited by such human weakinesses. If this is a problem for the player, it can be resolved by going to settings and switching to turn based combat.

[@ares395]

This is both insane and hilarious.

[@synphilia4776]

From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of steel. (I installed an autoclicker)

[@CaptainDeathbeard]

According to Tim Cain, the game was originally designed as turn based but the publisher made them add real time at the last minute, that's why it's unbalanced

[@aca347]

@@Valdishthesecond the game is meant to be played in turn-based system anyway

[@Valdishthesecond]

@@aca347 it was made for it, which is why it's weird that real time combat is the default.

[@RockorSomething83]

In the beautiful words of SsethTzeentach when encountering _any_ Gnome in this game, "Gut them, like a fish."

[@Ozzystrayroo]

The only good gnomes is unalived gnome

[@nado1908]

I found out about this game from his video. I tried it, got bored quickly, and mostly forgot about it. Then I saw MandaloreGaming's video and now I get why Sseth hates gnomes so much. Fuck gnomes, so much.

[@ItsRyanHello]

And in real life

[@igorkluev5682]

I read that in his voice

[@TheyCallMeVincenzo]

Gnomes are expelled from every country they infest. Curious, that.

[@r.e.z9428]

I only know of this game because I am a member of the merchant’s guild, lead by a certain lieutenant of the Congo.

[@tinklenipples9103]

Hey hey people

[@MamulengoBR]

Hey hey people

[@prep3544]

@@MamulengoBR Sseth here

[@НиколайЛамберт]

Gnomes - not even once.

[@a.k47-74]

Your member dues are behind, by the way.

[@cereskerrigan]

The term “FANTASY EUGENICS PROGRAM” flashed through my brain when I saw Arcanum. Then I saw Pong, and said, “I want to see how he memes his way outta this one.”

[@zanethezaniest274]

9:23 Interestingly there is a very direct reference to Fallout 1 in Tulla. You get a quest to rid of a guy at the entrance of the place covered in Arcanum’s equivalent of power armor. Talking to him reveals he is a mage that was sent on a quest to find a water gem to help the school but is now being refused entrance for being ‘tainted by technology’. A reference to the Vault Dwellers journey in Fallout 1, which key members of Troika worked on.

[@MrSpartan993]

4:14 well just so you know Pong we REALLY appreciate all the editing jokes and work you put into these videos. Thank you.

[@nieildilsonsouza4747]

Agreed, the memes are the dna of the soul

[@WikkeSchrandt]

I'm insanely impressed by all your visual editing matching the style of the original game!

[@sgtmarcusharris4260]

Arcanum is wild I first learned about it through Sseths video only to then watch mandalore and realize " Wait the gnomes thing wasn't a meme"

[@toolatetothestory]

Nope. Purge all Gnomes.

[@heilmodrhinnheimski]

If you haven’t played it yourself yet, I can highly recommend it!

[@aurictgreatful]

Man, that brought back some memories... did this as a tech guy. the last boss lasted 2 seconds. died before i even knew we were fighting and had no end cut scene. so weird and nothing for me to look up on the internet because it was 300 years ago.

[@eldonhill4840]

When they said “You won’t last 2 seconds playing this game” they were talking about Arcanum

[@keith3761]

"It is no exaggeration, nor hyperbole, that all evils in the world are endorsed, and committed, by gnomes. A gnome feels no empathy, nor remorse. No common humanity that separates us from simple beasts. The only "love" a gnome can feel, if you dare describe it so, is that for money. A gnome would sooner sell his own mother for a pouch of silvers, than do a single good deed in his entire gaping hole an existence."

[@azpont7275]

So the gnomes are the capital owners in this?

[@vampiresbadmoon5084]

Hey Hey people

[@avvc21]

​@azpont7275 kind of but really there close to the little hat people

[@C0wb0yBebop]

@@avvc21okay Adolph. Many of us “Little hat” people serve our country with pride 🇺🇸

[@avvc21]

@C0wb0yBebop obviously not all of you are in on it. But everyone in on it is one of you

[@detaineepyramid]

You 3-waying Fallout Tactics was my introduction to you and yours. I have watched those videos multiple times with the 2 friends I still have as an adult. Your brand of shenanigans makes the days worth suffering through. Abundant goodwill to you and yours.

[@durarada]

YEAHHHHHHH THIS IS THE ONE, FINALLY ALL MY FAVORITE KZbin PERSONAS HAVE COVERED THIS GAME IT IS COMPLETED

[@Snakedude4life.]

Faguette.

[@encarneye6865]

@@Snakedude4life. good one man

[@Snakedude4life.]

@@encarneye6865 Suck me.

[@alenvex8192]

Whooooo else???

[@Rzepik]

Classic jank. It took a self-crit knocking me out, breaking my arm AND scarring my face to make me realize the sword I was using was technically technological.

[@SuperRoxasXIII13]

vergil plastic chair meme is one of my favorite

[@SpaceMissile]

28:46 - "What brings you to my corner of Oblivion?" Haha, such a dumb joke; I love it.

[@GigiBranconi]

Will he understand why we must purge all Gnomes tho Okay yes he did

[@Ozzystrayroo]

Everyone does in the end......

[@luizandrade6900]

If someone finishes this game without at least a severe mistrust of gnomes I'd really question their moral compass.

[@toolatetothestory]

@@luizandrade6900 It COULD be that they miss the quest, but if they didn't... Then, yeah, that's sus

[@luizandrade6900]

@@toolatetothestory There's the gnome kicking the dog companion in one town too. Many such cases of gnomish behavior.

[@toolatetothestory]

@luizandrade6900 To be fair, there is one Gnome you can have as a companion who may be evil, but is actually genuinely horrified at that Island if you bring him along. Also doesn't mind you killing other gnomes if I remember right

[@DungeonDiving]

If you play the soundtrack on repeat as you are falling asleep, it is said you will have fantastical dreams of magick and steamship, orcs and ogres, and gnome conspiracy theories.

[@panwu6602]

Actually, actual conspiracies ;P

[@panwu6602]

It's a wonderful piece of art, this game. Complex but surprisingly easy. With thick atmosphere, very interesting setting, distinct soundtrack - you can't ever mistake it for anything else. I love how coherent the world is and how behavior of it's society makes sense for the time period it's set in. It doesn't insult intelligence of players by inserting modern sensibilities where they don't belong. I know how it sounds but THEY DO NOT MAKES GAMES LIKE THIS ANYMORE. Troika, forever in my heart. Ehh... We could've had Fallout 3 from these geniuses.

[@pandemic0941]

The subtle racism, the not so subtle elitism. It's perfect

[@SpartanRush5th]

the editing work in this video is top notch, the little hands clapping during the conversation with the skull scientist got me good.

[@ryankeith2712]

30:49 of Gnome hatred? Yes please

[@nathan1507]

I love how the message of this game is that racism is justified, even righteous.

[@jimbob4447]

Based.

[@НиколайЛамберт]

Gnomes: the products of polygamy, incestuous breeding and coprophilia. It is no exaggeration or hyperbole that all evils of the world are endorsed and committed by gnomes. A gnome feels no empathy, no remorse, no common humanity that separates us from simple beasts. The only love a gnome can feel, if you dare describe it so, is that for money. A gnome would sooner sell his own mother for a pouch of silvers than do a single good deed in his entire gaping hole of an existence.

[@sirshotty7689]

Especially against gnomes.

[@HellecticMojo]

@@sirshotty7689 except that Gnomes becoming monsters were a reaction to everyone trying to muscle out Gnomes.

[@Burned-Legate]

@@HellecticMojo The Gnome will always tell you what was done to him, but never WHY

[@grinvich.76]

Ah yes, best social-racism steampunk suffer simulator, classical pongsifu❤

[@praetor2997]

Jesus christ when the phrenology shit came up, my jaw dropped. 😅😂

[@panwu6602]

@@praetor2997 It makes sense for the time period it's set in. It doesn't treat player like a baby. Good stuff.

[@praetor2997]

@panwu6602 How so? Phrenology was developed in the 19th century.

[@praetor2997]

@@panwu6602 Or do you just mean poorly supported excuses for racism?

[@panwu6602]

@@praetor2997 Yes, yes, everything is racist, sure. Anyway, I have said what I meant and your lack of literacy isn't my problem.

[@Chinothebad]

Starting off with that exact Key and Peele sketch of steampunk was fitting.

[@dartiranus]

YES YES, THE CIRCLE IS COMPLETE. First Mandalore, then Sseth and finaly our lord and savior played it, i can die happily now 😂

[@admiraltonydawning3847]

Leaving out Warlockracy and Chris Davis. :c

[@FairyRat]

I can't believe you attacked such a good-hearted person!

[@coolbeach18]

Mad Lad played a turn-based game real time!

[@thomasdwyer1690]

The archers having machine guns is not a glitch it IS intended. good luck.

[@robertward2830]

Arronax's story is a play by play of what would have happened to MacArthur if he hadn't had any supervision in Korea

[@tjek12345]

Ah yes wizard fallout

[@lukz169]

You should really play Planescape: Torment one of these days, if you haven't. It's honestly better than I expected.

[@FallDamage312]

It is the best RPG of all time.

[@Andriej69]

When you uploaded Fallout Tactics video I knew "this Man has a fine taste", but now, after witnessing this, It is clear to me I've had the pleasure to find a true connoiseur on this platform

[@Grakox]

Pong I discovered your account thanks to Silent Hill 2 but OG one. And the editing was on diamond level what made me laugh all time. I have a list of games that I think seeing you play would be so entertaining: - Far Cry Primal cause of course. - Far Cry 6 if you like that one. - Just Cause 3 (the best one). - Darkwood (amazing sound design and artwork). - Gears 1-5 - Little Nightmares 1/2 - Maneater. - Outlast 1/2 - Tomb Raider Reboot Trilogy (2013-2018) - Saints Row 3/4 - South Park Stick of Truth. - Serious sam Trilogy - Sleeping Dogs - The Evil Within 1/2 - The Beast Inside - Witcher 3. I hope that you read it and perhaps some of them I will could watch on your channel. (I know its a lot of it but that's some of my favourite games)

[@zolazar6928]

I like how I'm lost 90% of the time cause I don't know the game or what's happening. Some times, being lost makes things funnier to me XD

[@retroicdescent]

"Make it alcoholic, not virgin. If you catch my drift." Such a stupid line but I still laughed. Damn you, Pongsifu.

[@CJFreeza]

"You must find the boy" is giving me diablo 2 intro vibes with Marius

[@davidsoyele7829]

Ah yes the epitome of: Thinking about playing Arcanum 😃 vs playing Arcanum🙁

[@sebitoe]

I can't watch enough of these of crpg videos man. I love them so much.

[@eldonhill4840]

Dude the amount of effort you put into editing each joke always blows me away. It’s so well-done

[@orly444]

3:34 How dare you insult Sogg Mead Mug? Dude is an absolute unit and his strength and constitution will eventually out-scale the players while being an amazing pack mule.

[@captainmurphy4948]

They all lose to doggo though. Doggo best boy.

[@HoochActually]

legit my favorite game of all time, so much fun. If you pick this up for whatever it costs now (prob $1) def use the `arcanum fan patch`, it fixes a lot and adds some better graphical options like widescreen support but doesnt change the foundation of the game.

[@Zand3rsson]

KZbin recommended your channel to me and I am really glad it did.

[@laurentritton3106]

The guy who voices Payne is super prolific voice actor Michael Gough, most famous for voicing Deckard Cain, but here he’s using his voice that he’d recycle for Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodline’s Stanley Gimble

[@thepieguyinthesky2363]

11:02 oh no, he's fallen into the New York tunnel system

[@kaboose384]

You'll always catch me watching these vids ever since the fallout series of videos

[@theeljonss]

7:57 Samurai Jack Ep7 Aah Archers

[@weeblbob233]

That editing for the text input and tracking must have taken days of hard tedious work bud. Respect.

[@GravSh4rk]

couldnt be happier seeing you make a video on arcanum

[@BrainerVideos]

The font is like a cherry on top. The one RPG where being a condescending jackass is all part of the setting, too!

[@janetjane4861]

TL;DR To max out your character in Arcanum without cheats, find a spot on the world map with those hopping about wererat-like monsters and keep farming them, they're glass cannons that give lots of XP. That spot on the map should be Morbihan Plains and around the big cat picture. - Man, nice chunk of my childhood is in this game, just like Fallouts. I remember randomly finding game magazine with discs attached with this game on them and since I read reviews of it like a year or so before I was like "YES!" and got it. Come home, bought dvd edition... disk was scratched in factory, installation failed halfway through repeatedly. I was like "k, fuck it", rushed B right back and bought the 2CD edition. It installed fine, no damage on any discs aaand.. I actually played the game next morning since I spent the rest of the afternoon just reading the manual. I got mobbed by wolves when I just fired the game up and had no idea how to control most of things. I vaguely remember picking pyromaniac backstory and insisting on having both explosives AND necromancy so I definitely had loads of critical failures in that first run. Eventually I progressed pretty far in the game, but kept getting killed in that ghetto location in Tarant(which I probably wouldn't experience if I knew how to use Arcanum's TB mode) so I started thinking on how to get more levels "quickly"... the obvious option which I did was running around in circles on the world map and farming random encounters. Which worked brilliantly but not for a reason one would think: in one spot on the map around where the picture of a large cat is IIRC(or entire Morbihan Plains area, not sure) you can often stumble on packs of huge rats or wererats. They're glass cannons that damage your armor when they hit you but you can kill them extremely quickly. And they give a lot of XP. And so.. about an hour later my character I played at the time got maxed out and after I wiped the Tarant ghetto I figured I start the game over since this character was extremely.. traumatized, I had like permanent curses and scars that messed him up and made it impossible to get certain stats to max level. But yeah, I figured out how to power level in Arcanum and that's what I did in every playthrough since. Although just running to this location from the beginning of the game(after you get over Shrouded Hills) is very painful since those rats hit hard.

[@captainmurphy4948]

There's easier methods. The quest you get from Blackroot to see what's happening with some guy out in the woods messing around, only to find he's somehow made a portal to the void and you've got to shut it. Or not, and instead just stand there murdering everything that comes through. It does eventually end but you'll easily get a ton of xp from it. Or just doing the optional crawls like the sewers in the cities. Even without trying it's very easy to hit the 50 cap, and playing with the cap off I hit 58 just playing through. Also the scars can be removed by yourself if you have the higher level white necro heal spell or expert tech healing. Or go pay a healer. Curses you get for doing something bad, like murdering the priest for the ghost in the starting area instead of talking to him and retrieving his artifact instead, or messing up the offerings of the gods (been so long I can't remember, either offering them the item their opposing god likes or seeking out their blessing while having their opposing god's blessing). Those are permanent. Usually though you can't max a stat because you started too low in it, you have to start with at least 8 in a stat to naturally get it to 20, the game only allows you increasing by 12 in a stat. Beyond that you have to use magic and items to go higher, but even then you'll cap out at 20 unless you started higher than 8 to begin with.

[@elysionlivingdream5709]

Whenever you have time you should give Pillars of Eternity a try. Write it into a list of possible future contents at least, cause both the first and the second game are worth it. They are relatively more recent RPG titles, but still fit into the classical ones library (the first more than the latter).

[@Pongsifu]

Both Pillars games were my GOTY for their respective years, but I wasn't recording playthroughs back then.

[@kias7997]

Playing this game outside of turn based is pure suffering. Though seeing a fresh video on Arcanum in late 2024 brings me joy. Thanks for that!

[@windbuster]

Our Father uploaded, Once in a blue moon activity lads, enjoy it

[@gibsonbrown6878]

29:04 is peak fucking cinema i laughed so hard my sides started hurting

[@tideofmayo3880]

Great video as always. BTW does anyone know what the song is at 22:48?

[@defectiveindustries]

Imagine entering a fortress and seeing 3 archers Archers: BRRRRRRRRRRTTTT

[@schiz0phren1c]

that Rust Cohle montage caught me offguard, you, Sir are a funny fecker, have a Sub. you should do a playthrough as an Engineer, some of the traps and guns you can make are absolutely bonkers.

[@sirsage3311]

"I dont need a guide" and not playing with turn based combat. I shall sit and wait. 7:57 AHAHA DANCE! DANCE! Great vid, Pong

[@iantaran2843]

GOD I LOVE THE MUSIC AND SETTING OF ARCANUM. This game has existed in the back of my mind since i played it as a child

[@eastonf7469]

probably my favorite gaming youtuber nowadays, thank you for your uploads my friend

[@troninshive5888]

My man your timing is perfect as always

[@HellecticMojo]

0:47 Goddamnit Bocchi, can't you even take a zeppelin?

[@taylorlinyard3533]

My first experience with this game was Funhaus playing a few seconds of it before getting bored and moving on. I remember the opening animation with the orc and the bi plane though. Thankfully The Merchants Guild told me of someone who truly appreciated this game despite it’s age, and I got to see steam punk fantasy fallout in all its glory. This is honestly the best step up in experiencing this game. As a coward.

[@Nurrich77]

28:46 why is it always the stupidest joke that makes me laugh the hardest? XD

[@verminlordsoulberry8823]

19:30 the rat was the leader of that group.

[@magicalgirl1296]

This feels like the old Kenshi videos, I like it. Maybe it's the top down perspective.

[@BubbaGumpJr]

That synth bit that plays at 22:48 (during the True Detective segment), what is it?

[@PorthosAmazing]

Your humour and editing skills always exceed my expectations.

[@Christopher-po8pt]

Never been here before before but you cause me off guard with that "Of course I can speak Im not a half ork" LOL

[@Gageeeee]

Pong posted my day actually got 30 times better

[@lolitswakka1115]

A new Pongsifu video? Oblivion Beggar NPC: Thank you kind sir

[@vrien5686]

I REALLY appreciate the effort and detail you put into every silly little meme

[@khamok6916]

I've never been able to get more than 2 hours through a run in this game but god do I love the soundtrack.... I've probably spent more hours listening to it than actually trying to play the game lol.

[@pandamoka381]

Not sure why, but I know some of the tracks from a completely different game, the Hoyle Puzzle game compilation. You can find on KZbin by typing Hoyle Games Music: String Quartet #1. I wonder if it's actually a classical music work, or if it's just a soundtrack that a studio owned and used in a bunch of its games.

[@enricohepner]

5:03 The Rudy x Sylphie jumpscare was a surprise, but a welcome one

[@danielson1463]

omg those archers i think i watched that part 3 or 4 times

[@RoastTurtle22]

Art style of the top down reminds me a lot of a game I played on mobile called Kingdoms of Exile. It was a pretty fun DND like game about you trying to get your inheritance back after being robbed. If I remember correctly, you learn you are the child of a powerful Battle-mage and your inheritance was everything within his tower. That's as far as I got

[@ThealmightyMatt]

Ayo! Funny duck man time! Now I have something to watch while I procrastinate on doing work.

[@FireBeard1911]

I can't tell you how much I needed a good laugh today. Truly blessed, thank you.

[@randomsleepyness]

Memes per minute on this vid is solid

[@wonderduck2345]

Man i have so many good memories of playing the multiplayer mod of this game with my buddy.

[@psychodiver]

Rush Hour moment caught me off guard

[@DrPerryCLE]

15:46 did the dwarf die and he just didn’t matter enough to show ? 😂😂 Also all pongsifu content is PEAK

[@gamingandanime9000]

2:03 My unmatched pers... 🤣🤣🤣

[@Dare4ce]

Superb editing, well done!

[@kitkat5596]

I never grow tired of your videos lol.

[@demipig]

Right when I was diagnosed with a terminal deficiency of Pongsifu you come to my rescue and totally redeem yourself by posting this, thanks bae

[@KarimovPrime]

0:14 FOR ROCK AND STONE

[@douxillyfr]

ROCK AND STONE BROTHA

[@koolkatkeldon]

DID I HEAR A ROCK N STONE!?

[@krillissue-rx2rl]

ROCK and I can't stress this enough AND STONE

[@lordfreezpop8916]

WE’ER RICH MUSHROOM

[@panwu6602]

TO THE BONE

[@Inkoai]

please don't die, you're the best.

[@denizs.9619]

"Of course I can speak, I'm not a half orc" And from the first minute, I know we are on the right track.

[@yeast7485]

8:00 use turn based mode to kill those, had the same issue(?) with them and in turn based mode they can only shoot so many times in a turn, no more machinegun bowmen

[@spacewolves7253]

8:01 And this is why you swap to turn based for any ranged enemy

[@Killy5445]

This was awesome. Thank you 😊

[@Canator06]

Man i'm 2 minutes in and I'm already crying, keep up doing God's work with these videos, Pongsifu.

[@diamondhamster4320]

Finally, my favorite comedic dank-meme old game reviewer Pongsifu reviewed my N1 top favorite game of all time.

[@dunetiger]

What do you use for your captions? I'm just admiring the sheer amount of detail and work you put into them, but I can't imagine you're doing it the crappy way I do (tons of title cards).

[@Pongsifu]

Just essential graphics in adobe premiere.

[@dunetiger]

@@Pongsifu so the hard way. I have no words. Incredible work!

[@federicofrohlich7086]

This game was the reason I started to be a RPG fan, it was a demo on a cheap gaming magazine. Then I played Fallout 2 and I became a post-apocaliptic genre fanatic.

[@RobleViejo]

1:52 WTF does "Advanatarious" mean? Did the Devs misspell "Advantageous" ???? Genuine question because English is not my main language and I couldn't get a translation

[@RobleViejo]

Oh ok, they speak no good because they Ogres, right?

[@Pongsifu]

@@RobleViejo Well, it was the human talking, but yes, he's an idiot trying to sound smart.

[@SophiaAstatine]

​@@PongsifuHe's clearly still smarter than the bald retard you fetched off Romanian fiverr 😂

[@null8fuffzn199]

Thank you for sharing with the class

[@kyori_kyo]

thanks for the video love everything you post