Overview: (2)

Discover Alora's unique strengths and weaknesses in Sword of the Sea. Learn how to leverage her exceptional Dexterity and pickpocketing skills, even late-game, to your advantage.

Hey there! So, you've stumbled upon Alora in Sword of the Sea, huh? Let's talk about her. Her biggest asset is definitely her Dexterity. For a Thief, that's pretty much the name of the game, right? While her Dexterity might not be sky-high compared to others with an 18, it's enough to give her a nice Armor Class bonus and make her decent with Short Bows.

The thing is, by the time you can even recruit Alora, you've probably already got your Thief needs covered. She's a prime example of why late-game allies can be a bit tricky. In my game, she was already level six when I found her, and the computer had given her only 19 Hit Points out of a possible 36. Most of her Thief skill points went into Pick Pockets and Open Locks. Now, a level six Thief with only 19 HP and a Find Traps score of 50... is that really going to help much when characters like Imoen, Safana, Montaron, or Coran are likely way stronger by then?

Honestly, if you're trying to get through areas like Cloakwood Forest, the Bandit Camp, and Nashkel Mines without leveling up too much, you'd be hard-pressed to do so and still be under level three or four by the time you reach Alora. The damage is usually done by then. Plus, the average HP for a level six Thief is around 23, so Alora's 19 HP means she's a bit below average, and definitely not rolling with the kind of stats we'd hope for.

But, here's a different take from Misty Mouse that might change how you see her. Apparently, Alora has 100% pickpocketing success when you recruit her later on. The strategy? Recruit her temporarily, go on a world tour, pickpocket everyone worth stealing from, and then send her on her way. This way, you don't have to waste your own Thief's valuable skill points on pickpocketing. And yeah, she's not exactly built for fighting, so this makes sense.

When you put it like that, it totally changes things! Sure, why not recruit Alora late-game just to snag all the goodies you couldn't get earlier? It's way easier than using Knock on every single stubborn chest, right? So, I'll admit it, she's not entirely useless... as long as you don't expect her to be a permanent party member. She's got a specific job, and if you use her for that, she can be pretty handy!