Wolken3156

Someone posted something like this for a Ghost Heart/Ascendant combo: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/102168-build-concept-puppet-master-ghost-heart-ascendant/ I'm actually running a similar build in my current playthrough myself. It works very well, dual pistols when paired with draining whip allows you to reach max focus very quickly especially when factoring in Gunner and Two Weapon Style. Having a disposable summon to keep the heat off you also works wonders.

Symbol of Skaen is actually pretty terrible. Piercing isn't the best damage type around the time you acquire it and there's better sources of Hobbled out there; majority of them being early game options too. Also I'm surprised at the lack of mention for Pillar of Holy Fire. Priests have the buffs and talents to easily make it into the most damaging burst spell in the game. It can decimate enemy back liners once you put up Reflex lowering CC on the enemies. But yeah, Priest is pretty OP. I'd even go as far as to say they're the best class in the game. The other vancian casters aren't much better though; both Wizard and Druid are equally ridiculous. PotD is not too bad even without a Priest. Paladins and Chanters make excellent substitutes, and you can always fall back on scrolls when you need buffs.

Swap the RES for DEX. DEX is far too important for a Druid regardless of build since it directly affects casting speed as well as the attack speed of Spiritshift. A Druid's Deflection isn't going to be winning any awards regardless and Concentration can be fixed with a Spirit Shield potion in the times its actually needed. 18 PER is also overkill; unless you're trying to to do an Interrupt build, which then begs why even run such low DEX in the first place. 10 PER is fine for the entire game, even on PotD. Those 8 points can then be used for CON which will help your Druid's bulk.

Spiritshift Cat also has an innately higher attack speed than the other Spiritshift forms. Its actually the more powerful option against enemies with low DR. Boars shine best against enemies with higher DR values.

Oh, if you're talking about the hidden gun in the starting area, 1 point in Mechanics is enough to find it.

The game checks the character highest Mechanics score in the party when determining if you detect a hidden item or not. Having more characters with Mechanics won't have any effect; so its better just to stack it all on one character. Ciphers, Rogues and Wizards are the "best" choices due to having bonus starting points in it.

They do not; it only affects the Watcher.

This what I'm running at the moment. Race: Hearth Orlan Attributes: Mig 18 Con 9 Dex 18 Per 9 Int 18 Res 5 Skills: Athletics 5 Lore 4 Survival 9 Abilities: Spiritshift Cat (Bear form during early game) Talents: Weapon Focus: Peasant Wildstrike Shock Heart of the Storm Greater Wildstrike Shock Savage Attack Two Weapon Style Outlander's Frenzy Noteworthy Gear: Tempered Helm (+3 Mig per kill, +5 Corrode, Burn, Freeze Shock DR on kill, +10 Defence against Dominated, +25 Defence against Hobbled, Stuck, Paralysed, Charmed and Confused) Ruphec's Watchful Cloak (+2 enemies needed to Flank, +2 Perception) Wildstrike Belt (Grants Wildstrike Burn) Shod-in-Faith (Casts Consecrated Ground when hit by a crit) Spell Mastery: Tanglefoot Autumn's Decay Returning Storm Form of the Delemgan This is a little biased towards Spiritshift, but its also potent spell caster regardless. Wildstrike Shock is chosen mostly because of their best spells are also Shock; and thus will have good synergy with Heart of the Storm. Corrode or Burn are pretty good alternatives later on since Rot Skulls is an excellent ranged attack and they have a lot of really great burn spells during late game such as Firebug and Boiling Spray. Early game, its best to stick to being ranged with a Hunting Bow until the better gear is available. Hatchet and Shield are ideal when you're not shapeshifted or if you're casting constantly and don't need to use your bow. This build is very vulnerable to Interrupts, so Spirit Shield potions are very important; in-case you get swarmed.

Talutain's Staff is fun for throwing around fireballs. If you run out you can also swap to the Flames of Fair Rhian for more fireballs. And if you don't have enough fireballs in your life for some reason and you're Wizard you also have 4 extra casts of fireball at the ready. Potentially more with Talents and Spell Mastery because you can never have enough fireballs. But otherwise, yeah it say a lot that the most interesting quarterstaff in the game is Durance's since it has a permanent burning lash on it... which could be fun on a barbarian... EDIT: Even though I was joking around about the fireballs thing... I think I've come up with a build idea... dang.

For most part, its really only for roleplay unless your Watcher is a Priest or Paladin. Nearly every quest and their best rewards can be gotten even without them. Dispositions also allow you to finish quests in different ways; usually by avoiding combat. Some notable ones though: During The Parable of Wael quest, if you have a Deceptive score of 2 or greater and choose to hide the scroll you won't get a reward for finishing the quest. This can be avoided by having an Honest disposition of 1 or higher. In the quest A Return to Court you can use either Benevolent 3 or Cruel 3 options to avoid combat with Emery. In Lle a Rhemen, Nridrak will automatically attack after dialog if you have a Cruel 2 disposition. You must have at least 1 Cruel disposition to sacrifice someone into the blood pit in the Temple of Skaen.

This was written during the beta before WM2 so most of whats there should still be viable. The main differences are that Amplified Thrust no longer generates focus and of course the addition of Reaping Knives and Defensive Mindweb, which are both extremely powerful and highly recommended powers. Tactical Meld and Pain Link can no longer be used outside of battle either. I would avoid taking Pain Link. You don't really need to aim for a specific build with Psychic Backlash, any Cipher build can utilise it. So long as a Will-based attack is hitting the Cipher it should go off. As mentioned though, it is very situational. Against enemy casters or enemies with fear auras it'll be very useful, but against anything else its a wasted talent slot.

Bleak Walkers. One of my favourite things to do with a Pally is to set up Flame of Devotions on a ranged attack (Usually an Arquebus) and burst down a squishy enemy caster with it. Remember Rakhan Field fits this role perfectly and seeing my Pally one-shot enemy casters with this is both common and extremely satisfying. It can also sets up that frightened effect, but generally I skip that talent since that's usually the only time in a fight where the Paladin gets a kill. Kind Wayfarer is my other favourite because, extra healing is always welcomed of course.

I only see guns as a utility weapon, much like someone above mentioned. The reload speed generally delegates it either being an sniping tool for Paladins with Flames of Devotion or for building focus with Ciphers or for getting some massive DoT damage with a Ranger's Wounding Shot. I usually take Gunner anyway though since even though I recommend it often, I find myself too lazy to swap around my Cipher's weapons anyway, so I do stick with a gun a lot. Reload speed being affected by other speed boosts would be more than enough to balance them. Upping their damage might be a bit overkill, FoD with an Arquebus shot already one-shots or close to one-shots most enemies in-game anyway!

I'd go with Gyrd Haewanes Stenes; its a soulbound weapon so you'll still get the benefits of Incomprehensible Revelation's weapon bonuses. It also has an amazing defensive synergy with the Raiment of Wael's Eyes; how's that RP bonuses? Rod of Pale Shades is also really nice, but is gotten in the Endless Paths, so it'll be a while 'till you're able to make use of it. I think its a fine support weapon, especially on a Priest.

Unfortunately this save was created after 3.03 came out. I was also to reproduce this on a brand new save file. EDIT: Save File and Output Log

That attribution spread should be fine. Since they buffed its returns, Constitution is actually a pretty important attribute now. I usually leave my Paladin's at its base and put more into Might though, since it affects the damage of Flames of Devotion and Sacred Immolation as well as the healing from Lay on Hands and Healing Chain. What you have should be fine tbh. Personally though I run with this, though keep in mind this is Bleak Walker so some talents are quite different. 1 - Flames of Devotion 2 - Weapon and Shield Style 3 - Zealous Focus 4 - Weapon Focus: Soldier 5 - Lay on Hands 6 - Remember Rakhan Field (This is a Bleak Walker only talent, probably go for a different order exclusive talent instead) 7 - Sworn Enemy 8 - Intense Flames 9 - Liberating Exhortation 10 - Deep Faith 11 - Reviving Exhortation 12 - Scion of Flame 13 - Sacred Immolation 14 - Quick Switch 15 - Coordinated Attacks 16 - Spirit of Decay Quick Switch and Sworn Enemy are for taking out distant mages with an Arquebus shot, since the Paladin usually doesn't care if they get swarmed. I probably could've done without Reviving Exhortation, I only grabbed it because my Chanter had an addiction with dying... a lot. I was pretty sloppy this playthrough I'll admit. I've never been a fan of Hastening Exhortation since it doesn't stack with the majority of attack speed boosts, and many classes have their own sources anyway. AFAIK the only ones that do not are the Priest, Druid, Rogue and Fighter... oh and I guess Paladin too kinda. Never been a fan of Cautious Attack either since the attack speed penalty can interfere with Exhortations, Lay on Hands or even consumables. Its a huge hindrance, so I find it never helps at all, especially since my Paladin's DEX is on the lower end of the spectrum. If you want your Paladin to soak damage and nothing else though, you probably want to use it, but I usually want my Paladin to do more than just be a damage sponge. Aegis of Loyalty is ridiculously good, especially with Sacred Immolation. Only reason I didn't take it was because I had Priest to worry about those status effects for me. It works with Disengagement attacks as well, which Confuse does cause a lot of. Also, Swamp Spores are encountered way before you have Prayer against Treason; Dominated is an evil affliction, being able to remove it with minimal effort is a godsend. Deprive the Unworthy is situational. Its especially powerful for a majority of endgame fights, especially the final boss in the main quest line. I run a Wizard and Priest though so I generally skip over it. Arcane Dampener, Wall of Draining and Cleansing Flames all achieve the same thing. Behold the Martyr is actually pretty nice, but yeah I prefer Reviving Exhortation instead. In hindsight though, I probably should've used this on my Chanter anyway, since he did get knocked out a lot T_T Superior Deflection is given, I didn't have any free talent slots for it, but I would've taken it if I could. I usually put 5 points in Athletics, its a good self-heal, especially if my Priest is tied up with other matters. Survival is a given since the healing bonus is very useful for tanking purposes, as KDubya said, 14 Survival will get you a great +60% bonus to healing. Lore is also nice to have as scrolls are very useful through out the entire game. You need 8 points to use a majority of scrolls in the game, 10 if you want every scroll available. I would only invest in Mechanics if you have no one else able to do it. Aloth should be your main man for those, especially since he is gotten very early in the game. Lastly, oddly enough, I actually have 5 points of Stealth in my Paladin. Its actually quite handy, since it allows him to scout ahead and initiate fights by taking out a caster before they notice him with his Arquebus. Also, as a Paladin, he doesn't even care if he gets caught anyway, since he has the bulk to survive on his own for a bit.

For my favorite class it would be Priest for me; whether its supporting the party with buffs, keeping them alive with healing spells or going full on-offense with deity preferred weapons or all kinds of fiery spells. Wizards, Druids and Ciphers would probably be my next closest choices. Fighter is my least favorite class and is also my least used class; they're mostly auto-attacking and are pretty boring.

Bumping this, as the issue still seems to occur in 3.03. Also this seems to also occur not just with armor effects, but buff spells as well. It happened on my Priest when she used Dire Blessing on my Cipher.

Druid would be a good substitute since they have excellent synergy with the Wizard. Wizard can lay down some crowd control spells and the Druid can exploit them with some powerful crit burst damage spells; which as an added bonus always has deadly afflictions attached! Or you could keep the other Priest. As Boeroer mentioned, Priests have very high damage potential once 4th-level spells are unlocked, and it only gets better from there. You could also try fun builds like a Skaenite melee Priest.

I wrote a whole guide on this, though its filled with typos and is slightly outdated (Amplified Thrust no longer generates Focus so its use is questionable). Also for some dumb reason I didn't put any mention of Arms Master. I hate myself forever. http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/84139-class-build-cipher-a-beginners-guide-to-gunmage/ If you don't want read all that though: - Get gun - Use gun to shoot enemy's face for massive focus generation (Ideally on a target affected by Mental Binding) - Swap to other guns rather than reload them. If all guns have been fired swap to a bow instead - Shoot arrows in enemy's faces (Pew pew pew) while using any powers based on the current situation - Or just Soul Shock spam

There is actually a detailed guide outlining the kind of build you had in mind; a Fighter wielding around a great sword, dealing good damage while also being difficult to take down. http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/80748-class-build-lady-of-pain-high-speed-heavy-armored-dps-fighter/?p=1777363 The main selling points of Fighters though are their Deflection score, solid single target DPS and their very high accuracy. They're easy to play and have minimal micromanaging compared to other classes. http://www.gamebanshee.com/pillarsofeternity/talents/whitemarch.php Those are the only cross class talents in the game. Page is a little outdated though, all of them are per encounter now; none of them are per rest anymore.

I prefer using guns on the alpha strike and then quick-switching over to a warbow for the rest of the encounter. During early game when accuracy is an issue I find its better to stick to bows as well. In really late battles, where my Cipher is almost exclusively only using powers though, I just equip two guns instead. Fire an opening shot, and then if I run out of Focus mid-fight, swap over to my other gun to fire a secondary shot to regain focus. This works really great with an Island Aumua. Never tried crossbows personally. Guns are more stylish IMO B)

Nah. Usually when I run both, I find I prefer the Druid for CC duty, since a majority of their CC spells also have damage attached. Druids have plenty of excellent tools outside of the storm spells. Tanglefoot - Excellent tool for lowering enemy Reflex defenses and also a nice tool for keeping enemies away from your group, very large range as well. Generally my first pick for spell mastery. Only real downside is that it can affect your allies. Sunbeam - Not as good as Chill Fog, but it deals solid early game damage and Blind is always incredible. The big thing with this spell though is that it synergies perfectly with Tanglefoot. Nature's Mark - This has stacking issues with a lot of other defense lowering sources. That said though, its a great way to lower Deflection and Reflex. Charm Beast/Hold Beast - Makes battles against Beast type enemies considerably easier. These also work on dragons, making Druids very valuable against them. Insect Swarm - Very useful if you run a Barbarian or Wizard, since they can take full advantage of the lowered concentration, pretty good damage too. Spreading Plague - Early source of Weakened, which is a very powerful debilitation if you're running casters or a Rogue. Calling the World's Maw - AoE Prone (IMO, the best source of it too) plus it deals some pretty decent damage too. A personal favorite of mine. Overwhelming Wave - Incredible effect as well as damage. Nightmare to aim and use effectively though if you're using your Druid in the back lines. If he's in the front though, this spell is incredible. Cleansing Wind - An incredible keep away tool. Very useful if you're running a ranged heavy group. Lots of fun if you combine this with Pull of Eora. Embrace the Earth-Talon - Earliest source of petrify. Unlike Gaze of the Adragan, this spell also deals a decent amount of damage too. Plague of Insects - You're mainly using this for its sheer damage, but Sickened and that Concentration debuff can be handy at times. Conjure Blight - You don't have much control over which appears, but Blights are very useful due to their immunities and that they have an unlimited duration (At least when I last played). Annoyingly slow move speed though. Fire Stag - Fire everywhere! WOOOOOO

I didn't mention it because you get it so late ^^ It is an amazing spell make no mistake, I only put Chill Fog because of how long you have it. Though in hindsight I probably should've put Confusion or Shadowflame... though I did make mention of Wizard 4th spells being the best of the best >_>

I'd probably say: Chanter (Invocation) - At the Sound of His Voice, the Killers Froze Stiff or The Lover Cried out to the Beloved, "I am Yours!" Both are switchable depending on whether you need AoE Charm or Paralyze. Both see a lot of use though and are quite strong for when you first get them, and they'll last up until endgame easily. Chanter (Phrase) - The Dragon Thrashed, The Dragon Wailed Just fire and forget and deals amazing damage. I will give honorable mention to Aefyllath Ues Mith Fyr though, as its an amazing damage buff with the right parties. Cipher - Whisper of Treason or Defensive Mindweb Whisper of Treason is useful from start to end, so that would probably be my primary choice. Defensive Mindweb once you have it though is extremely defining, so it is an easy candidate. Druid - Relentless Storm I could cop out and say all their 4th and 5th level spells since they're all incredible. Priest - Devotions for the the Faithful Best buff in the game for a lot of people. The debuff effect is nice too, but I find this spell is more effective when used as a buff. Cleaning Flame and Shining Beacon would be the honorable mentions here though as both spells are incredible damage dealers and have powerful secondary effects as well. Wizard - Chill Fog Chill Fog much like Whisper of Treason is a very useful spell from start to end so I guess it would be the "best". However, the Wizard in general though would be the hardest to write for since they have so many powerful spells. Like Druids, I could cop out and just say all their 3rd and 4th level spells. If we're talking in just raw power and damage though then probably... Recall Agony, Plague of Insects, Combusting Wounds, Cleansing Flame and The Dragon Thrashed, The Dragon Wailed Mix them all together for stupid high damage over time.