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John Candy - I Like Me, via Prime Biography film, lot of interview and film snippets, of Candy and his friends/co-stars/family etc. Well done. Tries hard to hit the feels, mostly works. John Candy is still missed.

Having played both they're pretty much entirely unconnected, except for having a similar establishing concept/ mechanism. They're both also better Star Trek than most of the recent TV shows despite lacking the licence.

The first one: https://www.gog.com/en/game/starcomnexus

Just annoyance and having to do stuff that I don't think is necessary, really. Give them an inch and then we end up needing to have our toasters authenticate with the cloud to enable the bagel toasting setting.

Depends on game mode and/or custom settings. One of those games where there's the default pre-set modes, but there's like 3 screens of difficulty game settings and you can mix/match as you wish It's a giant sandbox - once you figure out what you like, you can do it almost exclusively if you wish. There are predator type fauna that will attack - but not all fauna will. Or you can set them to be defensive only so they only attack if you attack/hit them first. Or never at all. You can turn on-foot and ship combat off/minimal/standard/hostile, which has affects on planet/space sentinel hostility conditions and certain system warp random encounter stuff. That said, outside of very early game, most of isn't really much threat. As to base building - if you don't want to ever build a base, you don't really have to, outside of any quest, or a weather/temperature shelter. Some ppl go super all out on bases ofc. It can be fun but is has no purpose (don't need to defend etc). Most of the time I just build 1-2 prefab room shelters with a few crafting/storage tools in them and that's about it. You could also disable the ability to alter difficulty settings entirely (can't change on the fly). Very wide, not very deep.

I have no idea, sorry. I only did the one playthrough with the mage. The game has a whole bunch of options to tune combat, in addition to several presets. You can just drop enemy health to low and turn off death if you don't want to bother with the combat too much.

made chicken soup. we don't have a recipe for chicken soup but we do have a process with multi variations/options. however, we did learn that skimp on carrot is an auto fail. only had three mediumish carrots and we used 1.5 for the stock, which were a mistake. am recognizing, belated, that more carrot is essential for our chicken soup regardless o' customization. unlike many folks, we break down the chicken before boiling. is so much easier to work with smaller pieces as 'posed to a whole chicken carcass, particularly once the chicken is cooked and falling apart, so we always break down the chicken as a first step. also, we often put the chicken pieces in an oven set for convection or in an air fryer for ~20 minutes just to create a bit o' browning o' the bird. am not trying to cook the chicken with the 20 minutes o' browning, but a little color adds depth o' flavour to our soup and am preferring to do the chicken browning in the oven as 'posed to browning in the dutch oven/stock pot we will be boiling the chicken. try and brown the pieces o' a whole chicken in a dutch oven involves avoiding overcrowding, occasional flipping o' pieces and potential greasy splatter. 'course as often as not, we simply cover the the chicken pieces with a few litres o' cold water and then boil for a couple hours to produce the stock for our soup as well as to cook the chicken. to the water and chicken am adding... whatever. couple bay leaves, a bunch o' pepper corns, crushed garlic cloves, carrots, onion, and celery is the most common additions, but no salt. we ordinary make salt free stock nowadays and then add salt later in the cooking process. the thing is, what genuine goes into the stock is gonna be determined by the sad looking veggies in our fridge am trying to use before they become compost material... sans stuff such as bell pepper. ick. am also typical avoiding adding older mushrooms to a stock but not 'cause o' flavour concerns but rather for aesthetic reasons: old mushrooms will make for a kinda fugly grey-brown stock which tastes ok but appears less appealing. curious, our recent soup used only those ingredients we earlier identified as "common additions." while am making stock/cooking chicken, we do periodic skimming with a slotted spoon to remove scum, but am suspecting doing so is unnecessary save for if you want a prettier stock. meh. am no longer so precious as to worry overmuch about whether or not our stock is the ideal hue or perfect clear, which is why after 1.5-2 hours o' simmering, we pull our chicken pieces outta the cooking pot and then strain the stock with a fine mesh colander, but we don't go to any extreme effort to make our stock a clear and perfect amber. ... can make this a two-day thing where you chill the resulting stock and cooked chicken in the fridge and then finish day two, but am old and lazy so... because our chicken is already broken down, am able to make quick work o' separating the meat from the carcass and skin. we give the chicken meat a rough chop, and we save the bones and skin, which am typically throwing in the air fryer and browning once more before we then freeze. the frozen bones and skin is utilized when we eventual need make stock sans chicken soup. to our strained stock, which we return to the dutch oven/stock pot in which we made the stock, we add veggies and salt. chances are we don't need much pepper as we used a fair amount o' peppercorns when making the stock. for our most recent soup we had on hand a couple smallish turnips, a couple largeish parsnips, onion, celery and not enough carrot. boil and simmer the vegetables (this is also when we add pasta if am making a chicken "noodle" soup. we were gonna add datteri baresi pasta 'cause we were gifted excellent datteri pasta a few months back, but we decided at the last minute that we would skip the carbs,) until they is tender and then return the cooked chicken back to the pot as well as the chosen chopped herbage, which for Gromnir were italian parsley and dill. when returning the chicken and adding herbs, you might consider stirring in as little as a quarter teaspoon of tumeric as this will give you the vibrant yellow hue often associated with deli-style or canned chicken soup. *shrug* regardless, simmer until the chicken is warmed through. salt-to-taste and then plate and serve. one decent sized chicken and an equal weight o' veggies is gonna result in a rather copious amount o' chicken soup that refrigerates for days but freezes for months. 'course if you don't have enough carrot for the soup, that means you will potential need suffer the same minor disappointment... for months. good soup, but just shy o' greatness for want o' one large carrot? le sigh. HA! Good Fun!

So there's no bloodlines in bloodlines. That's pretty underwhelming.

(This was posted on another forum for Deadfire but thought I would share it here as well) Alvesa was born to minor Vailian nobility who've spent generations wandering Eora in hopes of restoring the prestige and wealth lost in the fall of Grand Vailia. A genteel disdain for any labor or trade seen as beneath their former station, however, has made it difficult for the family to improve their lot in life. While other expatriates from Old Vailia found success in profitable business ventures with the Republics or blighting the trade lanes with the Príncipi sen Patrena, Alvesa's family continued to drift from port to port, clinging to their faded pedigree and dwindling family fortune. Young Alvesa did not inherit her family's delusions for a bygone past and instead took this lesson to heart: “Accept no truth but your own.” Eschewing materialistic concerns, Alvesa turned towards the spiritual and became initiated in the mysteries of Wael whose domain of revelation appealed to a poor, itinerant child unmoored by the earthly attachments of her family. Not content to scour only libraries or temples for knowledge, Alvesa would also explore the back alleys and slum of the cities where her quick wit granted her access to the kind of illicit and disreputable dealings that her family never would've deigned to dirty their hands with. Undeterred by even the revelation of her patron god's true origins, Alvesa continues to seek out truth by uncovering the many mysteries of Eora. As someone who loves making a lot of crit-focused builds, I really appreciate Priests as an invaluable source of accuracy with their party-wide buffing spells. Because of that particular emphasis, I also tend to not want to multiclass them too often as I don't want to delay their access to these crucial spells. By a similar token, I also find action economy an issue with Priest multiclasses as they need to devote a lot of their time getting out their buffing spells before they can perform any other function. One of my personal white whales for a Priest multiclass has been finding a combination that not only justifies their slower ability progression from multiclassing but also overcomes the possible dilution of effectiveness by tacking on an ill-suited role to the Priest's kit. I believe this rather unorthodox Priest of Wael/Trickster build solves these issues by using several techniques and pieces of gear that allows them to not only get out their buffing spells in a timely manner but also lets them serve as a capable frontline fighter, profiting directly from their own buffs, and a disabler par excellence who can become a veritable gorgon able to turn their enemies to stone and keep them locked down for much of the encounter. Character Creation Class: Zealot (Priest of Wael + Rogue Trickster) Race: Ocean Folk | Culture: Old Vailia | Background: Dissident Other than the multiclass selection, these elements can change depending on your roleplaying preferences. Besides the thematic considerations, the Intellect and Stealth bonuses from my character creation choices also happen to suit the build mechanically. Attributes 10 Might | 3 Constitution | 18 Dexterity | 18 Perception | 19 Intellect | 10 Resolve This attribute distribution is fairly unusual and will probably seem controversial for a build that will also function as a frontline melee striker. The low Might is slightly counteracted by spells and supplementary damage buffs, though it should be accepted that this build won't be much of a healer unfortunately. The low Resolve score is similarly mitigated by the plethora of defensive spells available to this build. However, there is simply no getting around the liability of the low Constitution score, and some care and compromises must be taken with this build due to their low health. (If you play with the Berath's Blessings attributes bonus, I would definitely sink the extra points into repairing the Constitution score and slightly raising Might or Resolve for an overall smoother experience). The high Dexterity, Perception, and Intellect is in service of efficiently getting out spells and maximizing action economy and the efficacy of their crowd control ability. Skills Active: Stealth Passive: Bluff Stealth should be pumped exclusively because it will help action economy, which I will get into later, and also increase melee damage. You have more leeway with the passive skill choice. Keep in mind that Priests of Wael have Shady as one of their favored dispositions, and Bluff often acts as a corresponding skillcheck for a lot of Shady dialogue options in the game. However, you don't necessarily need a high Bluff in order to max out the Shady disposition, and disposition bonuses for Priests in Deadfire only affects the healing potency of Holy Radiance spell (and this build won't be doing a lot of healing) and the damage potency of your summoned spirit weapon, which this build won't be using at all. In short, feel free to let roleplay dictate your passive skill choice – I actually chose a mix of Streetwise and Bluff for this playthrough because it matched my character's background. Weapon Sets 1. Stalker's Patience + The Eye of Wael 2. Variable Equipment Devil of Caroc Breastplate, Whitewitch Mask, Charm of Bones, Cloak of the Theocrat, Gauntlets of Accuracy, Ring of Overseeing, Ring of Prosperity's Fortune, Girdle of Eoten Constitution, Footprints of Ahu Taka Abilities – (bolded are auto-learned abilities) 1: Arcane Veil, Arkemyr's Dazzling Lights | Suppress Affliction, Interdiction, Escape, Defensive Roll, Fast Runner 2: Ionic Projection, Mirrored Image | Two Weapon Style, Weapon and Shield Style, Dirty Fighting 3: Mirrored Image, Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage | Dire Blessing, Combat Focus, Riposte, Bear's Fortitude, Snake's Reflex, Bull's Will 4: Llengrath's Displaced Image | Devotions for the Faithful, Adept Evasion, Persistent Distraction 5: Confusion | Champion's Boon, Tough, Farcasting, Rapid Casting, Uncanny Luck, Deep Wounds 6: Arkemyr's Wonderous Torment | Salvation of Time, Improved Critical, Spell Resistance 7: Gaze of the Adragan | Deathblows Strategy You may be wondering why this multiclass chooses Priest of Wael and Trickster as their subclasses, given that they offer seemingly redundant access to automatically learned Illusion-keyworded abilities at every ability tier. This is a deliberate choice as it enables the build to A) not have to invest in active abilities as much and instead put those ability points into passives that amplify their strengths and fortify their weaknesses and B) have two resource pools to draw from to use these powerful, cross-class abilities. The endgame, centerpiece ability is Gaze of the Adragan which this build will be able to cast multiple times as both a spell and as a Rogue ability that costs 2 Guile per use. With bonuses that give additional points to the Rogue resource pool such as The Devil of Caroc Breastplate and the Adratic Glow bonus you get from paying for a dip into the Luminous Bathhouse's pool, this build is able to cast Gaze of the Adragan a whopping total of SEVEN times every encounter when using up all its Guile and AT7 Priest spellcast. This build also maximizes the duration of every cast of Gaze of the Adragan by every means possible, including A) power level bonus from the Illusion-keyworded gear Whitewitch Mask and the The Eye of Wael, B) high accuracy enabling crits which gives a bonus to duration on debuff spells, and C) high native Intellect further boosted by items such as the Charm of Bones and Cloak of the Theocrat. Furthermore, Gaze of the Adragan when used as a Rogue ability is technically an AT6 ability (though Tricksters still only get access to it at AT7) which means that it gets additional, native PL scaling for a slightly longer duration compared to the Priest version – this is actually very beneficial as the bulk of this build's Gaze of the Adragan usage will be from its Rogue side (though this does mean that they don't benefit from Rapid Casting, which is a small downside). Before going any further, I should explain why Gaze of the Adragan is such a good ability/spell that's worth specializing a build around. It's most noteworthy feature is that it applies Petrified, a Dexterity Affliction that is functionally identical to Paralyzed but technically counts as a tier higher than Paralyzed which is already at the highest Tier 3. This means that even enemies who have Dexterity Resistance (such as the common Wood Elf among kith enemies) will only be able to downgrade Petrified to Paralyzed, thereby still suffering the identical effects of being completely locked down. This doesn't make Gaze of the Adragan's Petrified effect the be-all and end-all of all crowd control abilities because there are still enemies with outright Dexterity Immunity or Body Immunity who can nullify it, but it does make it just a little more effective among the other hard crowd control Afflictions. Petrified/Paralyzed also grants a hefty hit-to-crit conversion against afflicted enemies, a feature that this build will also exploit to maximum effect. The way this build manages action economy issues as a spellcaster hybrid that needs to get out several lengthy buffs before moving onto any other action is mainly through Stealth. While in Stealth mode, actions get a -85% recovery reduction bonus which allows for a speedy follow up action. What might be unclear is that non-hostile abilities do not break stealth mode, meaning classes such as Priests with multiple non-hostile, party buffing spells can cast several in a row while benefiting from the drastically reduced recovery time. By investing heavily into Stealth and placing them further back into the formation so that enemies don't inadvertently bump into them, this build will be able to cast the requisite Devotions for the Faithful and Dire Blessing spells at the start of combat to boost their overall accuracy without being slowed down too much (do note that Devotions for the Faithful has a hostile, enemy debuffing component to it so you should be careful not to also hit any enemies with it lest it break you out of Stealth mode). After casting these spells, this build still has an AT3 and AT4 spellcast to use on Mirrored Image or Llengrath's Displaced Image, which should be used separately as the other wears off since their deflection bonus won't stack concurrently; this is both an action and resource economy save as it uses Priest spellcasts to activate defenses, saving Guile to be used for Gaze of the Adragan, and they are instant cast spells. The build also has double castings of Salvation of Time to further extend any of its buffs as needed. While it's not an Illusion-keyworded spell, the PL1 Arcane Veil eventually gets up to a decent duration with power level scaling, giving the build yet another fallback defensive spell to have in a pinch. Once accuracy has been pumped up, defenses boosted, and enemies locked down, this build is able to join the fray to great effect thanks to their dual-wielded Stalker's Patience and The Eye of Wael loadout. While a dual-wielded ranged and melee configuration may be suboptimal on a class like Rogue with Full Attack abilities in normal circumstances, this is less of a concern on this build where all Guile is being spent on Gaze of the Adragan anyway. In fact, the split weapon types is actually ideal in this situation as it means only the spear will attack when in melee distance and the scepter will only attack while at range. Dual-wielding a melee and ranged weapon at the same time like this is a useful technique when you want to profit from the Two Weapon Style passive and have a weapon with an effect that you want to maximize the chance of proccing, and this is true with both weapons. In the case of Stalker's Patience, it has an incredible enchantment that gives it a chance to instantly recover on crits, which means this build's high accuracy and crit conversion turns into a high volume of potentially chainable, instant-recovered attacks. With Rogue bonus damage modifiers like Sneak Attack, Deep Wounds, Deathblows, and the spear's enchantment that grants a damage bonus that scales to the build's synergistically high Stealth score, this weapon is optimized to dish out a lot punishment in a small window of time, delivering devastating coup de graces against their helpless foes before Gaze of the Adragan wears off, whereupon they will cast it again and continue preying on their enemies. The same principle applies to The Eye of Wael, which isn't just an inert statstick that amplifies spells for this build but a decent ranged weapon in its own right. If the Priest of Wael/Trickster is out of spells, or their defensive and accuracy buffs wear off, or they're facing pierce-immune enemies, or it's just too dangerous to go toe-to-toe with a boss, they can fade back to range and blast things with their scepter. The Eye of Wael delivers slash/blunt damage to diversify the spear's pierce damage and will benefit from the increased action speed of Two Weapon Style while attacking solely with the scepter at range. Like Stalker's Patience, The Eye of Wael has a chance to proc effects including debuffing Illusion spells and random Afflictions, making it so that build can still profit from Deathblows/Sneak Attack and debuff enemies even after they've run out of spells. It even has a chance to make you semi-invisible – though it's not a true invisibility that works with effects like Assassinate or Backstab, it does prevent enemies from attacking you and serves as a nice defensive effect. In tandem, I think this weapon set is a neat package that fits the craftiness and ingenuity of a Priest of Wael/Trickster character. This build so far has focused mainly on the endgame with a setup that doesn't come online until AT7/Level 19 for a multiclass, which may seem shortsighted. The cool thing about this build though is that its access to free spells and abilities at different ability tiers and via different resource pools allows it to continually take on different iterations and change up its configuration as it levels up. So for the early game at AT1, you will notice that I place a lot of stock in abilities that apply Dazed or allows you to break free of engagement; this build was played on POTD difficulty with all upscaling, and I developed a healthy respect for being able to displace and get out of danger in the early game when this build is at its weakest. However, as soon as AT2 is reached, this build can start to more comfortably stand on the frontlines as it will be able to use its Guile to cast Mirrored Image for a hefty, repeatable deflection bonus. I also take Weapon and Shield Style and opt to wear a small shield like the Outworn Buckler which doesn't come with an accuracy penalty. You can wear a medium or large shield if you find you need even more deflection, however I wouldn't take any bashing shield as it will take away attacks from Stalker's Patience and be an overall reduction in DPS (and you can of course respec out of Weapon and Shield Style later in the final form of this build). AT3 is where it gets interesting because you then get access to Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage, an aura that Terrifies foes. This gives you a short-range hard CC effect where your high accuracy now becomes part of your defense, disabling enemies all around you and making it a very decent stand-in Rogue ability to spend your Guile on until you unlock Gaze of the Adragan later. The spear's modal ability and shield setup actually remains a relevant loadout with Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage as it provides additional engagement to help you farm disengagement attacks when enemies try to flee from your aura. You can supplement this later on with Persistent Distraction and Champion's Boon (though do note that the later's Might Inspiration doesn't stack with the Might coming from Devotions for the Faithful) for even more engagement slots. Another school of thought is to equip a morning star for its modal effect that drops enemies Fortitude by -25 since the Terrify aura targets Fortitude. This is more if you want to go all-in on with using Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage as your main form of defense, but I think it makes your more vulnerable against ranged/backline enemies since the Terrify aura will only reach immediately surrounding enemies and I actually think Stalker's Patience and its instant-recover will end up out DPSing even the two-handed morning star, especially when it has its negative damage modal active. Another setup that you can use before the endgame is going ranged with a rod weapon; I really like Rod of the Deep Hunter on a Rogue multiclass, especially one with high Intellect, because the AoE effect added by the Blast modal and its stacking deflection debuff can lead to some juicy hits. With a more dedicated ranged setup, you can wear lighter armor, respec into Two-Handed Style, and use your Guile more for active Rogue attack abilities rather than frontline defenses. Yet another option available to this build is going with the previous suggestion but using the Spiritual Weapon spell to summon Priests of Wael's unique scaling Rod weapon, which also has Blast and a scaling Shock lash – if you've maxed out your Shady and Clever dispositions at that point, it could be a very effective delivery system for AoE damage. As you can see, you have a lot of interesting ways of transforming yourself to tackle challenges at different stages of the game, sort of mimicking the shifting visage of this build's patron god, which I think is very thematically fitting for a Priest of Wael/Trickster.

Unconventional Wildrhymer based on summons and ranged damage Hi all! Eventually, my second long-awaited build for PoeII Deadfire is finally here. I don't remember exactly how this build was born in my head, but I thought about a young little woman pale elf with a lovely pet as a friend and a cute family in the White that Wends. I don't know why, who, when and how, at some time her nice pet and her beatiful family were massacred by only gods know. She became eager to help all the weak people in difficulty, she began to not tolerate the abuses of the strong and her spirit of revenge, together with the bond she had with her loved ones, became so strong that she learned to evoke the souls of her deceased loved ones and of her pet bear (Oëdenläff) to help her in her battles. (Now follows a series of reasons for my choices) Pale Elf Wildrhymer (Beckoner / Ghost Heart) - The "Summoner with Warm Heart and Cold Gaze" "Be careful: I'm not as alone as I seem..." - Laerne's warning to ill-intentioned people Name: Laerne PoTD/SOLO/ULTIMATE: YES - You can beat all contents, also all Mega Bosses ( and without too much cheese ) Game Version: ver. 5.0.0.0040 with all FREE DLCs and all DLCs ("Beast of Winter", "Seeker, Slayer, Survivor" and "The Forgotten Sanctum" plus "Mega Boss Battles") Race: Elf (+1 DEX, +1 PER) Subrace: Pale Elf (Elemental Endurance: +4 Burn Armor Rating, +4 Freeze Armor Rating). Almost any other choice would have been better, made only for RPG purposes Classes: Wildrhymer - Beckoner (+1 Bluff, History, Arcana, Sleight of Hand and Diplomacy) / Ghost Heart (+1 Diplomacy, Survival, Alchemy, Stealth and Bluff) Culture: The White that Wends (+1 PER). It's my RPG culture and besides, +1 PER is perfect. Background: Mystic (+1 Arcana, Metaphysics and Religion). A summoner of ancient spirits seems good as a mystic, and bonus to Arcana and Metaphysics is good for us Pose: Pious (To connect more with the spirits and pray for them to manifest ;P) Berath's Blessing: NONE --- Attributes: base (with permanent effects collected through the run) Mig: 10 (10) Con: 6 (6) Dex: 18 (20, +1 as Elf, +1 Cauldron Brew) Per: 18 (20, +1 as Elf, +1 The White that Wends) Int: 18 (18) Res: 5 I like to MAX INT, DEX and PER attributes often for my characters, but in this case there are also valid reasons to do that. INT is essential for the range of phrases, for the duration and range of skills and especially summons; PER is always important in SOLO (to discover hidden objects) but as a Ranger it can be lowered a little; DEX as a Chanter is not important if it is maxed out but as a Ranger it increases DPS a lot and is still good for speeding up spells and summons. MIG is less important for DPS (I use PER and DEX for that and summons do a lot of damage) but I don't want to dump it, also because it is needed for STR and healing (even if this can be increased quite easily). I don't want to dump CON and RES either, with low scores as you play easily, wanting to bring the skills to 7 or 8 you can take away some points from PER and DEX if you want. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Skills score There are no particular reasons to use one or the other of the skills, during the game I MAXED Arcana a few times because with high PER certain scrolls are devastating - see for instance these "Storm of Holy Fire" damages against Hauani O Whe: Alchemy to be able to increase the effect of drugs and potions to a great extent and Metaphysics for the effects of certain objects (Essence Interrupter ); the latter, in addition to being very useful, is also perfectly relevant to the character For hard battles (i.e. Megabosses) you need often specific skills: see the videos below. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abilities I respeced and experimented many times through the run, so I'll do a resume of how I'd do the build now, after my run: which skills have I used most often and which have been the most useful. For hard battles (i.e. Megabosses) you need specific build: see the videos below. Level 1 Beckoner (free) Invocations summon twice the number of creatures. The chanter's summons are smaller and have half their normal health. Summon Invocations cost +1 Phrases. Nothing special here, half health is not a great problem with healing, +1 Phrases is a heavy drawback but we can use more times early level summons but DOUBLE creatures is insane sometimes Ghost Heart (free) Immune to Bonded Grief. Animal Companion is immune to Engagement. Must actively summon Animal Companion during battle (costs Bond and has a duration of 30.0 sec). Companion is considered a Spirit and is affected by Spirit-targeting powers. Animal Companion cannot be healed (Unable to learn both Heal Pet and Revive Pet abilities). As I said, I pick GH above all for charcater history and because I like playing LITERALLY SOLO, but for the sake of analysis my considerations follow. No Bonded Grief is pleasant, nothing disatrous but nice to have. Immune to Engagement: also said before, it is good having the AC run to one foe and keep him busy with no time wasted - underrated ability. You must summon your AC: bad thing because you waste bonds for it, but this build doesn't need many bonds, summon is very fast and with high INT it lasts a very long time. Companion is a Spirit: I never noticed it, not actually a drawback. AC cannot be healed: ROTFL, we heal as a Chanter: not a drawback. Bear Companion: picked above all for RPG purpose (I like the idea of a little Pale Elf Woman friend of a White Bear) but Bear is tanky with +2 AR and is larger than other AC, thus he can block better the foes in some situations. If their Bones Still Slept Under that Hill, None Can Say I picked up "The Thunder Rolled Like Waves on Black Seas" to keep foes away, but if I started again I'd choose "If their Bones Still Slept Under that Hill, None Can Say" because 6 skeletons help a lot and its upgrade is useful late game, too. Come, Come Soft Winds of Death Not so much to choose here, but you need a Phrase and "Come, Come Soft Winds of Death" at least is a healing source early levels, but it is not so effective and it losts value late game. Marked Prey No brain. +10 ACC versus a foe is huge late, mid and end game. Weapon Proficiencies Dagger (Parrying Blade some defense when we are forced in melee. Hunting Bow (Rapid Shot we have high ACC so we can increase DPS a lot with more speed. Level 2 Arms Bearer More choices, more chances of damage, more fun! Level 3 The Thunder Rolled Like Waves on Black Seas Ok, eventually I pick this one. Not much else better and a source of Stunned in AoE with few bonds is always appreciated and it can save your back also late game. Alternative: Fast Runner, but you can increase stride also with equip. Level 4 Two-Handed Style I used ah huge amount of tow-handed ranged weapons, so this is obvious. Marksman +5 ACC almost always. Nothing else to say. WP: Pistol (Rushed Reload) Same speech made with the hunting bow AND it is important for Eccea's Arcane Blaster Level 5 Shot on the Run Gunner can be better, but we are often using also bows, so Shot on the Run seems a better choice. Level 6 Gernisc Slew the Beast, but Soon Faced Its Kin Six ranged wurms with fire attack can do the difference in many situations. Level 7 Ancient Brittle Bones Six skeletons who died and splits in twelve, and the latter don't count as summon total? Oh yeah - tanky funky And if they don't make huge damage, 12 or more little skeletons who hit a foe, count for "on hit" effects Evasive Roll Cheap cost, great panic button and on the top, a source of Quick… believe me, you'll always miss it if you've tried it at least once. Alternative: Marked for the Hunt, but not always you face many foes at once and you can choose the following target… Level 8 Sure-Handed Ila Nocked Her Arrows with Speed Less reload and revovery time, more speed, more DPS. And it is good with your ranged summons. Do you remember the wurm from before? WP: Crossbow (Interrupting Shot) A never ending source of interrupts. Why not? Level 9 Ancient Memory Wonderful infinite source of AoE (for summons and companion) healing. Also with mid MIG we can exploit it. Level 10 ...and Their Screams Reached The Heavens Why have wurms if we don't use their Screaming Breath? Alternative: The Lover Cried out to the Beloved, "I am Yours!" - An AoE Charme, if you are satisfied with "regular" wurms. Hunter's Claw Not for itself but rather for its upgrade Alternative: a passive like Gunner or Two Weapons Style or Weapons and Shield Style. Level 11 The Brideman Slew Thirty 'Fore They Crossed Half the Hall Strong and Steadfast for you and yours summons/companion. Not bad. Alternative: ...Its Crash Could Not Be Denied, if you enjoy stunning people, +15 ACC is always welcomed Level 12 At the Sound of His Voice, the Killers Froze Stiff It is a no brain choice, more with high ACC and INT. And it is an alternative to Stunned and/or enemies with high Reflex. Companion, Skeletons and Wurms are enough for us and alternatives chanter summons are not so good or important to pick up. Alternative: The Long Night's Drink Birthed the Revenge of Morning - a source of Weakened and a -14 debuff to Fortitude, I didn't think so but it is an underrated Phrase. WP: Medium Shield (Block) 30% complete resistance to attacks is huge when we are in trouble somentimes. Alternative: you can experiment with Magical implements modals, such as Scepters (Destructive Channeling) or Rods (Blast). Level 13 Rapid Casting Speed can make the difference between life and death. Always picked up in my runs. Practiced Healer Wait! Why not Driving Flight?!?! Well, like Marked for the Hunt not always we are facing more foes at once and we need to compensate mid MIG for healing capability, besides it synergies with chanter healing abilities and everyone benefits from it (summons and AC). And if we stack Healing buffs, we can heal like no one. Level 14 The Bride Caught their Ruse and Set to Make them Pay AoE lasting Quick and Insightful - no brain. Alternative: Gernisc's Beast Lit the Night with his Breath - ok, you can have fun with it, but Dragons are not as good as you can hope Level 15 Tough We have not a large reserve of health and we often need it - trust me. Alternative: Together They Slew Forth a River of Red or ...And Their Fear Followed Them into the Foothills - improve previous Invocations with nasty effects. Level 16 Quick Summoning Mandatory for a summon-based build. Hunter's Fang Balnce out for our mid MIG. It does wonder with Boss and megaboss (se the videos below). WP: Large Shield (The Wall) Useful when you search refuge versus projectiles and/or need more REF. And I have used two unique large shields extensively during my run, and of ot them has a enchantment that works with this WP. Level 17 Survival of the Fittest More ACC is Always welcomed, even if we have already high ACC. With high defense values of some foes it is envaluable. Level 18 Improved Critical Plenty of choices here. I'd prefer this one because with our ACC we score many Crits thus we are improving our DPS, and a passive ability is more advisable than active one usually. But you can go for an alternative with no worries. Alternative: pick an upgrade of a previuos Invocation, i.e. ...Each Kill Fed His Fury because +5 CON helps us a lot; or have fun with So Singt thy Biting Winds o' Eld Nary but Tornado is quite clumsy in my opinion. Their Champion Braved The Horde Alone is good for PEN buff, but you have already The Brideman Slew Thirty 'Fore They Crossed Half the Hall who give more MIG. With our excellent DPS Old Siec Would Not Rest 'til His Hunger Was Sated works very weel, instead. Level 19 Called to His Bidding, the Ancient Instruments of Death And finally, our SIX animated weapons full of self healing and their own abilities! Superior Camouflage +8 DEF against ranged attacks when we are almost always far from the fight, is our bread. Alternative: ok, you can pick Driving Flight because is a great DPS enhancer all in all Level 20 Many Lives Pass By, Each Leaving Footprints Sometimes, without it, you wouldn't be able to win certain battles. A free skeleton invocation. Alternative: Mercy and Kindness Followed Where'er She Walked if you want a more healing-oriented build; Set to Their Purpose, They All Knew Their Part because more INT more the summons last. Or have fun with Boil Their Flesh From Skin to Bone seeing enemies explode when they are almost dead WP: War Bow (Overdraw) Most because to be considered a ranged weapon specialist. Or follow advices of level 12. Watcher's Abilities Wit of Death's Herald Taking always sassy responses to Gods, you have a source of "Brilliant". And Laerne has a bold personality No Time for the Lost More duration to Beneficial Effects, Less duration of hostile effects - it's the best choice, but it doesn't make so much difference,RPG-wise you can also go for Mercy for the Lost. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equipments Weapons There are three weapons I've used in my run more than the others: Frostseeker, Essence Interrupter and Eccea's Arcane Blaster. Frostseeker comes relatively early and it has three properies that make it vry good for us: it is multi-shot, it has 2 different damages and it has an AoE effects. The best choice early/mid game versus groups of foe. And it is perfect from RPG point of view! Essence Interrupter can be bought almost immediately, it has 2 (or three) different damages, DPS can be improves by skill maxing and as a hunting bow it is very fast. Extensively used through all my run. Eccea's Arcane Blaster is maybe the best ranged weapon for us when pierce, frost and shock damage are failing or we need corrode/crush damage. Imbued Ammunition deal a lot of damage and we are so fast that 35% more recovery doens't worry. On top of that Fractured Bullet furthermore enhance DPS and helps delivering one of the other enchantments. And it is a lot of fun to use it! Other weapons used frequently Scourge of Bezzello: useful for canceling enemies concentration with multi-shot and its modal. Kitchen Stove: needed for stacking Hunter's Fang buffs with multishot and Wild Barrage. Blightheart: a soulbound arquebuse we can wield early game as a healing source and to build phrases faster. A dagger for parry when I were using a defensive slot with a shield. There are some other weapons used but just for fun or occasionally. Shields Somentimes I've used The Best Defense when I needed a weapon slot for defensive purpose as well as Nerian's Ward, Lethandria's Devotion (the latter benefits also of our healing buffs) or Wintertide Bulwark. Armor Miscreant's Leathers: my favourite dress early game. -10% Recovery, +8 REF, -10% Crit Damage taken and +5% Misses converted to Grazes. What else do we need? Fleshmender: +5 Health Restored per 12.0 sec which become superhigh with our healing buff, +3 AR bonus at combat start, on top of that +1 Quick Item Slots and 5% of incoming Hits converted to Grazes. It is like a god mode with this character I has ended up wearing it all mid/late game. RPG-wise you can use also Sharpshooter's Garb, but it is less effective than Fleshmender, I warn you Clothing Head: Acina's Tricorn (more DPS) Neck: Baubles of the Fin (more DPS for summons) / Bone Setter's Torc (healing buff and more self DPS) - Charm of Bones against vessels, with also its +2 INT Hands: Aegor's Swift Touch (more DPS) / Finger 1: Ring of the Marksman (+1 PEN is fundamental) / Ring of Prosperity's Fortune (increase DPS) Finger 2: Ring of Greater Regeneration (with our healing buffs is a huge boost in healing) / Kuaru's Prize (+1 INT is always more summons time and it increase also our scrolls DPS) Waist: Physicker's Belt (healing buff) / Sash of Judgment (improve DPS) / The Undying Burden (defensive choice and +2 CON) Feet: Footprints of Ahu Taka (DEX and healing buff) / Boots of Stone (DEX and resistance to stunned, moreover looks better than sandals ;P) / Fenan's Finery (the best fitting RPG shoes) Cape: The Giftbearer's Cloth (one more quick item, one more weapon and more defence that we lack) / Cloak of the Theocrat (more INT more summons time) Pet: Harley (+10% ranged damage is better than all the rest) / Animancy Cat (improves summons a lot and Arcana and Metaphysics is just our skill!) Trinket: Muātu's Head or Crucible Token Quick slot items With high Alchemy I've found these potions very useful in my run: - Potion of Spatial Alacrity, Potion of Deftness and Potion of Perfect Aim to increase DPS; - Potion of Impediment for interrupts; - All healing potion cause of our high healing buff. Any drug is good for us, especially Mouth Char, Deadeye (in this case Potion of Impediment and Potion of Deftness are unnecessary), Taru Turu Chew for our low/mid MIG and CON and occasionally Whiteleaf for its healing effect upgraded by our healing buffs. With high Arcana Scroll of Avenging Storm is awesome when we shot with a multi-projectile weapons (i.e. Frostseeker); Scroll of Moonwell is wonderful for us and our summons because of healing; Scroll of Withdraw lasts a lot and can save us many times; all powerful scrolls deal much damage with our high PER (i.e. Scroll of Storm of Holy Fire, Scroll of Great Maelstrom and so on...) Unfortunately, the Scroll of Kalakoth's Minor Blights could have been a beautiful and appropriate weapon for Laerne, but they are less effective than other "normal weapons" because the damage type changes randomly with each hit (this is not suitable for almost any creature) and it would be better if it were a rod or a scepter; the wand is a bit "meh", but you can use it just for fun every now and then. Food and Drink Laerne is especially fond of Mohorā Wraps: it gives us a lot of strength (which we lack) and speed, which increases our DPS. Apart from that, Glazed Chops are also great for strength and the healing buff as well as Honey Wine Hen for even more defensive fights. ===================================================================================================================================================== How to play the build The way to play the build is not very difficult to understand: summon allies with the chanter's invocations, make them tank and shoot as much as you can with the throwing weapons that are most suitable for the enemy you are facing. Use as many buffs as you can with the Phrases and/or the ranger's abilities, in case of danger use "Evasive Roll" and/or "The Thunder Rolled Like Waves on Black Seas" and if you can't use the chanter's summons, spend a bond on your beautiful badass bear VIDEOS Laerne in action: all megabosses, Nemnok - a very difficult fight! - and Changeling's Dance as bonus track Nemnok Changeling's Dance Sigilmaster Auranic Belranga Dorudugan Hauani O Whe Guardian of Ukaizo

[Class Build] The Mutineer - Scordeo's Edge/Trophy Build Concept: A swashbuckling, gunslinging, sabre-swinging pirate out to conquer the Deadfire Seas. Always out for fortune and gold, loyal to the Principi but even more loyal to themself. Build based around Scordeo’s Edge and Scordeo’s Trophy. Build: Class - Hunter (Tactician/Sharpshooter) Note: Unbroken fighter subclass works too Attributes - Prioritise MIG, DEX, INT (minimal PER because Sharpshooter gains many Accuracy bonuses) Abilities: Ranger (Key Abilities in bold) Tier I: Marked Prey (->Marked for the Hunt) Tier II: Marksman, Gunner, Two Weapon Style, Protective Companion (->Stalker's Link), Takedown (->Takedown Combo) Tier III: Evasive Roll (->Evasive Fire), Defensive Bond (->Strengthened Bond) Tier IV: Concussive Shot (->Concussive Tranquilliser), Stalker's Link, Strengthened Bond Tier V: Evasive Fire, Driving Flight, Uncanny Luck Tier VI: Concussive Tranquilliser, Survival of the Fittest, Play Dead (-> Deadly Surprise) Tier VII: Deadly Surprise, Superior Camouflage Fighter Tier I: Disciplined Barrage (->Disciplined Strikes) Tier II: Fighter Stances (->Mob Stance), Confident Aim Tier III: Disciplined Strikes, Hold The Line Tier IV: Weapon Specialization Tier V: Mob Stance Tier VI: Clear Out, Overbearing Guard, Reaping the Whirlwind Tier VII: Unbreakable Key Equipment: Scordeos Edge and Scordeo’s Trophy Miscreant's Leathers Fair Favour Party: Eder (Swashbuckler) Serafen (Barbarian) Aloth (Battlemage) Xoti (Priest) or Vatnir (Celebrant) Gameplay: The idea was to create a build that can best utilize the Scordeo weapon set. After much research and brainstorming, I concluded that the Hunter multiclass offers us the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the unique sabre and pistol. Let's have a look at the items in question: Scordeo's Trophy: Opening Shot - Scoring Hits (includes Grazes and Crits) with this weapon grants a stacking -5% Recovery time with Melee weapons for 30.0 sec // Critical Shot: +15% Crit damage Scordeo's Edge: Highwayman: +2 Accuracy with Ranged weapons for 30.0 sec on scoring Hit (includes Graze and Crit) (stacks 10 times) // Double Strike: 5% chance to Recover instantly on scoring Hit (includes Graze and Crit) The whole concept of the set is to gain bonuses to melee recovery by shooting the pistol, while also gaining bonuses to pistol recovery when slashing away in melee. This is where the Hunter multi class comes in: At start of combat activate Disciplined Strikes for some bonuses to perception and hit-chance before blasting away at the enemy of your choice. Thanks to Driving Flight passive of the ranger, every pistol shot aimed at the opponent will also hit an opponent behind, proc'ing Opening Shot as well, allowing us to gain faster stacks. After firing off our opening shots, we jump into the fray with Evasive Fire, which can place us perfectly close to the mob while also firing at a random opponent for more Opening Shot stacks. It will also grant us the Quick inspiration, making us act faster. Once in melee range, we slash away with our sabre at lightning speed, activating Highwayman's stacks (and if lucky Blade Cascade upgrade), and upon killing an opponent, we will finish off with a devastating Full Attack on the nearest enemy using both the pistol and the sabre thanks to Mob Stance. These attacks will likewise trigger the enchantments of the Scordeo Set. For the tougher opponents, we have Clear Out, which will also trigger a Full Attack, as well as knock back the opponent. When running low on discipline resources, we can also use Concussive Tranquilliser to interrupt an opponent and gain resources back thanks to the Tactician subclass. When things get too hot, spring out of reach with Evasive Fire once more and then begin the process from the beginning. And there you have it - a fun build that uses the Scordeo set to its fullest potential. Hope you enjoyed reading! Cheers, Morrowindnostalgia

Yeah, I feel good about skipping this one after all.

Such a stupid production, apparently from the start. If this went the right way, they may have had a real success on their hands, released in the times of BG3, KCDII et all (unless Warhorse bust the launch, they may be the next in line for larger success after Larian and FromSoftware). What's more depressing is that Bloodlines turns 20 in a month. TWENTY. That's also twenty years since the last major horror-themed RPG. You gotta be kidding me.