i use Strat Guides mostly for the Maps, Side Quests, and Bestiary other than that i tend to find that guides strategys on fighting bosses almost always never work for me and i always end up doing it my way with greater success then when i try someone elses way... as for Mr. Birlew i tend to like the guides he writes but we can't expect the authors to get everything right, especialy when they assume the player is doing the minimal amount of leveling necessary to progress the story...