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Bad time for AMD to have gone back to their 5000 style product line. You'd think they'd have some x2/ chiplet designs despite the teething troubles 7000 series had with them that they could trot out if they had to. Very unfortunate for all the nVidia fans who were hoping for AMD to be competitive so they could buy a cheaper nVidia card.

please make pillars of eternity 3 start kickstarter maybe? -Anıl Erdem Sarak

I'm enjoying it so far a few improvements with patches might be nice not just bug fixes, but additional content, such as •fog of war clearing when you complete Sanza's map quest or if you purchased maps •more varieties in loot specifically wands • improved visuals in relation to magic, specifically fire magic Like I said I'm enjoying it so far and only in the emerald stair, hopefully we'll see some Dlc content and a sequel, good job Obsidian.

For a brief intro: Weapons and armor have quality tiers, going from Common +0 all the way to Legendary +3. Each tier improves the item's stats, and if the "tier difference" between you and your opponent is large enough (4), the one with the better equipment gets an additional 35% bonus. As in, my weapon is so much better than your armor that on top of the impressive damage my upgraded weapon is doing against your weak armor, I get an extra 35%. So, having upgraded gear makes the game a lot easier. And, to go between tiers, say from Fine +3 to Exceptional +0, you need Adra or its upgrades (Awakened Adra etc). This is a bottleneck. Update: Only applies to uniques. Since uniques are pretty much objectively better than plain equipment however, we still want to do this. On my first playthrough I tried to upgrade my starting gear... I spent all of Dawnshore struggling to reach Fine (while a lot of monsters have Fine equipment). Then I spent all of Emerald Stair struggling to reach Exceptional (which monsters tend to have there). Then I just started buying upgraded equipment as soon as I got into a new zone instead, and started preaching this method too. People discovered that uniques you loot will scale up to whatever you currently have equipped (or maybe in your possession). You have Exceptional armor; you loot Exceptional unique armor. Someone on Reddit galaxy brained how to best take advantage of this. Inspired by this post, I started a PotD run. I avoided all uniques until I was able to buy a Fine armor and weapon (Update: If anyone wants to follow in my footsteps, I've been informed it's cheaper to upgrade plain items to Fine, and that requires no Adra). Then I selected one weapon and one armor that would be my equipment for Dawnshore and broke down all other uniques. Since I looted them as Fine, breaking them down gave me Adra, which I turned into Awakened Adra, which eventually allowed me to (combined with buying Adra from merchants and looting it here and there) upgrade my weapon and armor to Exceptional before even leaving Dawnshore. Had I played normally, I would have had Common equipment when looting these uniques and not received any Adra for scrapping them. I also would have probably saved some of them because hey, maybe I'll want to use them, or I want to keep them for transmog. And this is where you say, hey that's what I'm doing and experiencing. I feel you. You're struggling to upgrade because you didn't metagame. Anyway, it gets a little worse. What I'd done in Dawnshore wasn't even fully optimal. Even better would be to pick one slot to focus on (I choose armor because I'm very passionate about not getting oneshot), looting my desired armor, then looting all the uniques for the other slot (weapon). Not until I had upgraded my armor to Exceptional would I loot all the other unique armor, which would then, you guess it, drop as Exceptional. What's it matter? Well, Exceptional armor breaks down into Awakened Adra directly - if I loot it as fine I only get 1/3 of that since it takes 3 Adra to make 1 Awakened Adra. That would make it a lot easier to upgrade my weapon and I'd finish the zone with more [Awakened] Adra. I'm even thinking about starting over and doing this. I will, either way, play Emerald Stair like that. I expect to finish Emerald Stair with Superb +1 or +2 equipment. I expect anyone who is playing Emerald Stair right now without research or metagaming is struggling to reach Exceptional (unless they bought it). Which I am about to waltz in there already sporting. The light at the end of the tunnel here is that playing like this doesn't actually get you something you cannot get with a sane playstyle, but you get there sooner and you have a more pleasant journey except for the starting ritual of avoiding uniques. "There" meaning Legendary +3 equipment. I'm not looking to start a riot here. I don't believe Obsidian are happy with this either. Let this post inform your decisions, and feel free to post ideas for how to solve this mess. I can think of an easy one - let transmogs just be a catalog of appearances you've looted rather than requiring you to keep the item around. I like how my armor looks right now, but I will be replacing it in Emerald Stair, and keeping the old one afterwards means I'm not getting Awakened Adra out of it. P.S. You want to get even more degenerate? Loot no uniques in Dawnshore at all, buy Exceptional equipment in Emerald Stair, then loot Dawnshore

Yeah, at this point I'm thinking Dawnshore uniques should always drop as Fine, Emerald Stair always as Exceptional, etc. For most part this would buff players, but the system becomes way harder to mess up or exploit - the exploit being something particularly degenerate like not looting Dawnshore uniques until you have Exceptional gear.

I absolutely LOVE both PoE1 and PoE2. I supported their crowdfunding and everything about them. But I would have zero interest in a Pillars Tactics game (or any "Tactics" game). In (C)RPGs, it is precisely everything other than combat that I love and value about the game, and the combat part is something to be tolerated so as to get to enjoy all of those other things. As such, if the game is all (or mostly all) about the combat, there isn't anything there for me.

Hi Obsidian Folks, Big fan of your work and enjoying Avowed so far. Having said that, I'm really struggling with the audio settings. Your ambient sounds - things like wind, waves, crowds, etc. - are all way too loud, but because they're rolled into the same slider as Effects, it's really hard to turn them down without losing out on most of the important game noises (besides voice), especially the shimmering sound that you need to be able to hear to help find all the hidden chests/bags in the game. If it isn't too much of a pain to create a new sound category in FMOD or Wwise (idk which one you're using), it'd make the gameplay experience much better for me.

@Hurlshort My teacher made us read Gatsby and I thought it one of those required readings (well, back then, no clue today). I was always placed in AP English most of my life tho, for some reason (it definitely wasn't for my grammatical ability, haha) so maybe a different routine. That teacher also made us watch the Redford movie. -- Not reading but I saw this video re: Aphantasia (inability to visualize). Which made me wonder again "so not everyone sees a movie in their head when reading?" I probably was aware of this already on some level - hubby is likely someone who doesn't visualize much, if at all (he also doesn't vicariously attach/emote re: films) but it was interesting learning a label for ppl like hubby. The reason I used to read non-stop as a kid (finish novels in one 5-16 hour sitting barely ever looking up) was because after one or two chapters I no longer saw the text, just a movie, and I couldn't "turn off" the movie because too much disruption. It would've been like trying to watch a film in 10 minute chunks over several days. I find the text to visualizing has lessened somewhat for me as I've aged tho. It's still there but less immediate or affecting. Perhaps another reason I don't get as into books as I used to.

Watched Elevation (Netflix). Decent cast. Felt like a long pilot for a cheap sci-fi cable series. Hubby kept making me laugh with some sarcastic "logic" comments. Watched 1 episode of Zero Hour (Netflix). Mostly because DeNiro, curious. Hubby's more the political drama/thriller type then myself. The premise itself is kind of intriguing but by the end of that episode I was wondering if DeNiro's chr was insane. It's all quite over-dramatic, reminded of the dramatic pacing of something like that old 24 series, except without bomb threats. --The best moment was when there was this brief bit of DeNiro/other going into a room, sat down, and walls moved up to surround them and glowed, indicating uber anti-tech privacy. Hubby hollered "CONE OF SILENCE!" I laughed for a minute. (Get Smart reference/joke). I haven't seen hubby watch a 2nd episode of it, if that says anything. Watching TV with hubby is always better than by myself.

To be fair to poster guy, the movies all look the same as well, and from what I've gathered, they're also all a bit samey. Like I mentioned before I watched Weathering With You a while back, and it left me not wanting to watch a whole lot more of his films.

TL;DW: RTX 5000 cards will randomly be missing rendering pipelines. Kills ~5% performance (or maybe more), so if you happen to get an affected 5070 TI, it's basically a 4070 TI Super in terms of performance. Good job nVidia. Ey, Intel, where's the B770/780? Hurry up.

Making spiritshifting work like a modal and removing healing is something I was also thinking about and for me it is perfectly fine. Of course keep the melee oriented specifics and prevent casting while shifted (being able to shift back and forth can alleviate some of the drawbacks anyway). In the case of the infinite spiritshift having short buffs doesn't make much sense and it would be preferable to replace them with some weaker passives maybe. Specific items would be the icing on the cake.

It seems you need to have looted one already in order to be able to craft it.

I don't know, didn't try - even if it does might be tricky to use. Breaks grated just fine though. Edit. @Hurlshort I tried it and it works great actually. You can just walk on water while swinging the axe in front of you.

In Avowed, a little too much was left undone during development. I feel like I'm back in a part of Eora, Avowed also makes an effort not to write the world around the plot, but to let the plot breathe in the world as well as its inhabitants. Please don't leave the game in this state dear developers. Remember, fix the crown and move on. I love that Avowed seems to be paying attention to details like giving the game character 1 point in resolve as befits Aedyr. By moving on I don't mean leaving Avowed standing now. There are criticisms that can be resolved through patches. - Give godlike-playercharacters still bonus attributes for his race, like other godlike have in the rulebook. As I said, the 1 point in resolve is already quite good, now complete the step, please. - Revitalise the cities. There is a day and night change, but the world is static. It is large and inanimate, apart from the few relevant events in the main storyline that are happening. Day and night, NPCs stand in Paradis and sweep soullessly. The murdered Aumaur with the note for the couple from Aedyr is still lying there, but it looks as if it has been cleaned up. There are now guards from Aedyr in the Pearl District. This pair of Paradis Militia and Aedyr Guard stand in front of 2 murdered people for days. The militia man babbles something to himself and in the end the 2 corpses are still lying there. Both are gone suddenly. It's lucky they don't rot. Otherwise Paradis would have even more problems pretty quickly. If you want to make a game in first-person perspective, please pay attention to these details in 2024/2025. PoE was in isoperspective, it was okay there. Not pretty but okay. But not in Avowed. - Re-introduces a ‘theft’ system, please. There's far too much looting in houses, sometimes it feels like it's right under the residents' noses. - Also, please reconsider the distribution of treasure chests and similar containers. In a servant's quarter with the poor, it's absurd if a beggar or an impoverished person is sitting in the dirt, but barely 5 steps away there's a chest with stuff you can sell. For money that should be enough for this beggar.

Hey everyone, look at the bright side: in another election cycle, maybe the U.S., Germany, and Russia will all be on the same side, and by this time in four years, we'll all be enjoying the perks of jolly old global cooperation between powerful states with militaristic ambitions. Of course, it is sometimes the case that seemingly similar nationalistic authoritarian regimes do not always get along with one another...but bah, I'm sure it'll be fine.

Impressive. Anyway, a druid with spiritshift can beat any (in the right order) in act 1 from level 1 with less equipment. The same some other martial classes (unless rogue and ranger). A wizard need to be level 3 (or more) to start working. But I admit wiz can outclass a priest.

Yes, Skaen with its Baby Sneak Attack + Apprentice's Sneak Attack is like having a Fighter's base accuracy (with Stiletto, Club or any summoned or soulbound weapon that can be bound to a Priest) plus a Rogue's Sneak Attack basically. Firebrand works very well with a Priest of Skaen because of its high base damage and being a "universal" weapon (all weapon focus talents and also all of the Priests' weapon talents apply - but of course multiple weapon focuses won't stack). The resulting dmg per strike on average is pretty much the highest you can get with a Priest of Skaen. Although a huge flaming great sword is not really a subtle weapon - but on the other hand: great concealment. "But Mr. guard sir... Which weapon do you mean?" *poof*

Hi, I'm very excited about Avowed. Could you please confirm if there will be keyboard and mouse support for the game on Xbox?

Joining US, Israel votes against UN motion condemning Russian invasion of Ukraine | The Times of Israel smh

I played for about 8 hours yesterday and was running single or dual pistols a majority of the time. I noticed this intermittently throughout playing maybe 6-8 times or so in battles. Where one or both of my guns just started shooting blanks for like 30 seconds then somehow fixed itself. Maybe I also did a weapon switch after realizing I couldn't damage anything, but I don't recall for certain how I got it to stop.

For me... Remove carry weight, encumbrance is stupid, they got it right with the Pillars games Make respec free or cut the cost by like 90% Wouldn't mind some extra curricular way of additional skill points, maybe a collectable skill book or something, atm can feel quite starved for points Some way of more hotbar allocations, 6 options + Grimoire possibly is a bit slim especially since companions have activatable abilities The quality system is a bit too drastic I think, the gap between Fine and Exceptional for example is playing on baby mode or ultra nightmare mode Give out more crafting materials Some way of ascertaining more details about the actual numbers and mechanics. I want to know the AOE Radius, Damage, Stun, Attack Speed, Stamina Cost, etc etc

I'm chalking this (and a number of other issues) down to not having enough buttons on the gamepad, so parry cannot be a separate bind even for people with a keyboard and dozens of spare binds. Yeah, it bothers me too. Though parrying doesn't feel that great to me in Avowed.

There are classes that are more dependent on scrolls, yes, they are the ones I don't usually use I assure you that wizard can handle everything in the first act, but there is a key to this, and it is called Belt of the Royal Deadfire Cannoneer, you can easily get enough money to buy that belt and the Bronze Horn Figurine, the fire shield and the fire area magic of that belt when you upgrade them (very easy to upgrade to the maximum in 5 minutes, little more) are key, added to “Chill Fog” (Chill Fog stacked is something very beastly, it's the best thing the wizard has the first 2 acts, almost the best xD), plus the talent that makes you more tanky (can't remember the name) that you get early and some more magic make the wizard, in my opinion, the easiest class to upgrade in the first act, above even the chanter tanky (for me the second easiest to upgrade the first 5 levels, all of act 1). Raedric at level 5, the wizard is the most beastly thing there is, it turns POTD into a walk, obviously you have to use some consumables, at those levels you depend on some healing and evasion:

Well, any class level easily if you can die how many times you want That's why I said druid is easier: they can manage cave bear more easily due to Charm Beast and Hold Beasts, Cipher and Priest can come close with some charm and block, but Druids are the best in that and until Caed Nua XP are restricted also in SOLO, so cave bear XP can make the difference. I don't know if something has changed, but a Wizard PotD SOLO TCS has to go stealth many times till Caed Nua. Yes you can gather XP points quicly that way, but I've never seen a wizard doing all fights before he reached level 5 or similar. Yes I like playing that way too. Three or foru runs, then it begins to be boring You know, it's TCS, if you die you have to restart form the begin... it's normal they play that way Yes, house rules, you can use them. But depending on the class and the fight, you need consumable spamming. A last level wizard or priest (maybe also Cipher) can manage almost any encounter without consumables, but I don't think a rogue or fighter can beat Brynlod or Llengrath without extensive use of scrolls...

I've recently fallen in love with Tim Cain "don't make me says acelips one more time"

One of the reasons I am so disappointed with this game is a lack of the sense of history. Neketaka and the Deadfire oozed with history. But Paradis? I can't find any lore about who founded it. I know the Pargrunen built parts of it, but who the are statues of? Why and when was it founded? Am I missing something?

I was out of town, so I have to be twice as fast downloading to catch up.

That's a lot of downloading for a demo.

I am going to make a second character to beat the game again, but I would love to be able to explore every inch of the map with the character I made. I feel like I could explore this world forever.

Im having the same issue as well. Downloaded through xbox app pc. About 18ish hours in. Sometimes i can play for a 2-3 hours sometimes less. It seems completely random. Ran the repair several tines. Just unistalled and reinstalled it. Great game, really enjoying it. Hope they figure it out soon

I have been mulling over that for a while - if PoE3 were to happen, would it be a Watcher game? Really none of the PoEs were about the Watcher, and while his unique skills were used as a crutch as to why we are a chosen one (more so in the sequel), narratively he is irrelevant to the games main narrative. the main story best I would want to be followed through on is dealing with the consequences of Eothas’ actions in the finale of the Deadfire - and that could take place generations after the events of those games. You could be “reborn” watcher or something like that - though without the wheel it should be possible anymore, though I am sure one can write around it.

I've got a pretty long thread on this issue here: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/134168-unplayable-constant-graphics-glitches-and-regular-fatal-errors/#comment-2387671 And also on Reddit here: https://www.reddit.com/r/avowed/comments/1istru9/fatal_error_a_rant/ You're not alone, but I'm also not seeing many options for relief right now. Seems like we just have to wait for Obsidian to eventually diagnose and patch the issues. I hate to say it, but best thing is probably to refund the game, wait a few months, and pick it up again on sale after they've fixed the bugs.

I can't complete the main quest because even though I have found the Watcher and spoken to them something must have happened because I can finish the quest at any time I talk to them I get generic responses not an actual talk

So, Avowed doesn’t have helmets, masks, or hoods as equipable items, and there's a few of us that think it's a missed opportunity. Some players just want to wear cool helmets, even if they don’t add any extra stats. If you're playing a godlike character, your face has fungal growths that prevent you from wearing headgear. But here’s the thing: there’s an option to turn those features off, yet NPCs still act like they can see them. If the game already allows that inconsistency, why not just let players wear helmets? Whether you want to look intimidating, mysterious, or just complete your armor set, they add to the overall vibe of a character. Even if helmets don’t boost stats, they’d still be a great cosmetic addition. Instead of having we have our character’s head awkwardly exposed while everyone else in the game gets to wear head gear. The whole “godlike features prevent helmets” rule doesn’t make much sense when you can choose to have no visible godlike traits, yet NPCs still react as if you do. If the game is already inconsistent in how it handles this, then there’s no reason helmets couldn’t be included. Even if the devs really want to stick to the lore, they could just say some helmets are specially designed to accommodate godlike features. Problem solved. Adding helmets doesn’t have to impact gameplay balance. If stats are an issue, helmets could be purely cosmetic, like transmog systems that is already present. That way, players who want them for style can have them, without affecting armor balancing. Everybody wins. It'll give players more customization options, look awesome, and wouldn’t mess with the game’s balance. Plus, the current lore explanation doesn’t really hold up, so there’s no real reason not to include them. It’s a simple way to improve the game and give players more of what they love. I'm still loving the game but it was a bit of a disappointment that could have just been added.

https://archive.ph/968bf So deal signed, no security guarantees though. Seems kind of meh, guess will have to wait for the text, but doesn't seem like a huge win for Trump

I also have this issue. On Xbox, took the attack conversation tree, died, respawned with my companions in the locked room without Ygwulf or the other NPCs. Can't fast-travel out, can't unlock the doors. My most recent save was 4 hours prior, so I'd prefer to salvage this run if possible. I've tried a manual save and reload to see if that might cause the NPCs to spawn but it does not. Some response to this 6 day old thread would be appreciated.

Texas measles outbreak reaches 90 cases; 9 cases in New Mexico - Ars Technica Darwin always finds a way.