Wolken3156

Charmed enemies attack other enemies plus its duration is a little longer than Whisper of Treason. Whisper of Treason's advantage is the fact it also inflicts Frightened on top of Confuse and has a shorter casting time. Its more of preference thing really. I personally prefer Charm but I can see why others would prefer Tenuous Grasp.

Or cast it on a summoned Blight. IIRC Wind Blights are immune to Crush damage.

Pain Link is also one of the few powers that can be cast outside of battle, though it may take a while to have enough initial Focus to be able to use it. Everything else I'll say about it will just parrot Boeroer's post, so uhh... look above. Can't say I like the new Focus changes though. I'm finding my Cipher is struggling to even use 2nd-level powers. Granted I'm only at 4th level, having just cleared out Raedric's pad, but I'm not too thrilled at the moment. Charm still works like a... charm though.

The higher focus costs can actually be gotten around somewhat slightly by using the Greater Focus talent, which will raise your starting focus by 10. The only downside is, yeah, this means you need to lose a talent. Which is kinda of a pain since Ciphers are pretty pressed on talent selections unlike a lot of other classes. Even with Greater Focus, the Cipher probably won't be tossing around powers as much, but it does ease things a little. My main complaint with the new Focus costs is that it only strengthens the value of the stronger powers and lessens the value of weaker powers. You would never consider burning 30 Focus for Fractured Volition now when you could get much more powerful benefits from Ectopsychic Echo or Secret Horrors. The 4th-level powers are definitely the ones that got hit the hardest, as other than Pain Block, none of them are worth that hefty 40 focus cost.

4th-level spells cannot be chosen as a mastery. At least not yet, it might be a thing in WM Part 2, but in the current Beta you can select up to 3rd-level. If I were to pick for 4th-level though... hmm... probably: Wizard - Ninagauth's Shadowflame or Confusion Priest - Shining Beacon or Devotions of the Faithful (Probably Shining) Druid - Conjure Blight or Wicked Briars or Calling the World's Maw or Overwhelming Wave (Heck maybe even Moonwell, dang it Druid) I would actually consider debuffs as well. Curse of Blackened Sight, Bewildering Spectacle and Binding Web make excellent alpha strikes. I have no idea why I never listed them in my initial post. They're also much less situational than Infuse with Vital Essence, which really only sees use if the Wizard is actually being attacked or if the Wizard is attempting to go into melee with a summoned weapon (And even then you may not need it anyway). I'll probably still go with Chill Fog for my 1st-level. Eldritch Aim can be good for augmenting your opener but for throwaway fights I like my DoT and blind =/ It can stack with Blessing, though I don't remember if it does stack with Zealous Focus or Devotions for the Faithful.

Eh, Priests actually do have a lot in common with their DnD counterparts. They're just as unkillable with their buffs and they have some good CC spells in their repertoire as well. Its totally possible to build them as tanks or melee attackers. It may not be ideal, but they are possible. Heck, melee Priests are extremely viable since it helps patch up their limited offensive presence during early game. Race isn't really all that big of a deal, I actually make a lot of humans in my party, which is a terrible race anyway. But I don't even care! That said though, Fire Godlike is actually a really good race for a Fighter due to the Retaliation ability and the nice extra DR they get.

Barbarians have good synergy with casters since Threatening Presence and Barbaric Yell/Shout can make spells land much more easily. Barbarians also have much less micromanagement in comparison to Rogue. Typically you can just activate Frenzy and launch the Barbarian at the enemies and never really pay too much heed to him. Rogues will likely want to sneak around before combat, possibly lay traps and of course create flanks to maximize their damage output. Barbarians also make surprisingly excellent tanks if you want to run something other than a Monk, Fighter or Paladin. They have solid DR and One Stands Alone makes them less likely to eat a Deflection penalty from being Flanked. Carnage also works excellently with weapons with on-hit effects. In particular ones that can Stun or lower defenses on hit. These are pretty potent especially with the attack speed bonus Frenzy provides. Ultimately though, both classes are very strong. Just pick the one that you feel suits for play style best. While Rogues do have a slight advantage for reasons KDubya mentioned, it does boil down to whether you prefer a single target DPS or a AoE one.

Never, I just set the spells I want in advance for certain battles instead of swapping around mid-fight. The cooldown penalty is too much for a caster.

It was posted in the updated patch notes. Amplified Wave does indeed now cost a hefty 60 focus now. I wouldn't say it ruins Cipher as a whole, I mean as I said, they have plenty of Focus late game anyway to play around with. But early game is going to be much rougher with them as they'll struggle to use any powers beyond 1st and 2nd level initially. Amplified Wave will however lose its role as being the best battle opener though.

Increased Focus costs would make Ciphers really horrible. Probably won't effect late game too much, since the Cipher usually ends up with a healthy Focus pool to play with anyway. But man, it probably won't even be worth dragging them along until then. As for spell mastery, eh. Probably won't change my playstyle too much since I'm pretty trigger happy with spells anyway but personally I'd run with: Wizard - Chill Fog, Mirrored Image/Combusting Wounds/Concelhaut's Corrosive Siphon/Miasma of Dull Mindness/Fetid Caress, Kalakoth's Minor Blights/Noxious Burst/Expose Vulnerabilities Priest - Divine Terror, Holy Power/Suppress Affliction, Dire Blessing/Despondent Blows Druid - Sunbeam/Tanglefoot, Insect Swarm/Conjure Lesser Blight, Returning Storm The slashed ones are ones I can't decide between, especially with that horrible list with the Wizard's 2nd and 3rd level choices. I only use Alacrity in major battles so I'm willing to eat a per rest use for it. Stag's Horn, Fireball, Fan of Flames, Talon's Reach and Iconic Projection could've been choices as well, but I personally think they'll be less valuable if you're unable to cast them 4 times in a row without any care in the world.

In the run I plan to bring along into WM2, my main character is a Pale Elf Priest of Skaen. I'm a little surprised so few people actually put a vote for Priest! If I'm not playing as a Priest, I'm probably running a Wizard or Cipher instead. My first playthrough was as a Cipher actually. Not real fan of making a martial class my main for some reason.

IMO, stat priority should be Dexterity > Intelligence > Perception > Might > Constitution > Resolve. Dexterity helps with some of the slower casting powers as well as your weapon attack speed. Intelligence gives a boost to the duration of their powers which is extremely important. Perception is really good, since helps your powers graze less and crit more often. Since the duration for a lot of their powers is a tad bit shorter than the other casters, they value crits a lot. That said, I'd still drop Con and Res all the way down. No amount of Con will change the fact your Cipher will die in no time flat if they take any damage. As for talk on powers, in regards to the first post... Level 1: There's no mention of Antipathetic Field, which is insanely damaging. Granted, its a nightmare to use effectively, but the huge amount of damage it can deal is really hard to ignore. Whisper of Treason actually has a few advantages over Puppet Master. For one, it has much lower Focus cost, secondly Whisper of Treason's range is much more ideal for a ranged Cipher. Puppet Master's range is only 5m, which requires the Cipher to be very close to an enemy target to use, which can be dangerous. Level 2: Even with the nerf, I'd still say Mental Binding is a pretty potent power, since attacking a paralyzed target is an excellent way to generate focus. Phantom Foes has very long duration, so its a fairly decent Deflection debuff now plus it adds a short Frightening effect which can help your powers land easier. Plus if you decide to take Apprentice's Sneak Attack, it'll give yourself a decent damage buff as well. Psychovampiric Shield's buff effect isn't really that great unless there's heat on the Cipher. The main reason you would use this though is that its -10 Resolve on a target. That's really strong for a debuff at this point of the game. Its easily one of the most potent and useful powers a Cipher gets since -10 Resolve basically means a massive penalty to Concentration, Deflection and Will, the latter being really important for a Cipher! Recall Agony is the Cipher's answer to Combusting Wounds (Though certainly nowhere near as good). It can be very damaging with the right setup though, so it is worth using to an extent. Level 3: Pain Link can be a very powerful "AoE" attack if you cast it on your tank and can also be used outside of battle. Secret Horrors I feel is a must have since its an AoE Sickened that targets Will, which is very useful for lowering Fort defenses, which also means making Amplified Wave (when you get it) much more potent. Soul Ignition is pretty strong, but I prefer the other powers. Level 4: Wild Leech would be really good if it wasn't for its random nature. Nothing else to add though. I'm not fan of the AoE powers, I'd rather use Secret Horrors, Phantom Foes or Amplified Wave instead when dealing with multiple targets. Usually I just skip one and grab a lower level power I missed. Mind Lance is pretty dang strong though, but if I'm going to go out my way to position for it, I might as well position for Ectopsychic Echo anyway. Level 5: Borrowed Instinct deals damage to an enemy's Intelligence and Perception which is really good on its own but even better it also gives the Cipher a bonus to all their defenses and their accuracy. Far more useful than Detonate IMO, which isn't really worth the Focus cost. Plus if it kills a target, it explodes it into an AoE, which will likely harm your own allies more than the enemies. Ringleader isn't really that great either on a ranged Cipher IMO, since its range is painfully short. If it doesn't work on the intended target you put the Cipher at incredible risk. Level 6: Disintegration is the Cipher's most powerful damage over time power, however its range is painfully short, so its hard to justify its use on a ranged Cipher. Mind Plague is much better than Ringleader, since it has a faster casting time, affects a much wider area and doesn't force the Cipher to be close to enemies. Confuse isn't as good as Dominate or Charm, but I still prefer it over Ringleader. Although it is hard to justify its use over Amplified Wave, which is still the best thing about a Cipher. So yeah, normally for a ranged Cipher I would run: Level 1 - Mind Wave, Antipathetic Field, Whisper of Treason, Eyestrike Level 2 - Mental Binding, Phantom Foes, Psychovampiric Shield, Recall Agony Level 3 - Ectopsychic Echo, Secret Horrors, Pain Link, Soul Ignition Level 4 - Body Attunement, Pain Block, Wild Leech Level 5 - Borrowed Instinct, Tactical Meld Level 6 - Amplified Wave, Mind Plague Level 7 - Time Parasite I suppose I could run Stasis Shell over Wild Leech or Recall Agony. Its not a terrible power, but you can get the same thing from Beetle Shell, which a Druid has access to much earlier. Anyway that's all my opinion. Feel free to disagree.

2/16 is the release date??? Yes, that. I didn't realize a release date was announced when I posted.

Most classes are functionally the same. Chanters probably got hit the hardest with the changes since due to the Perception change, enemies (And your own characters) are much easier to kill which makes battles end much quicker. This puts Invocations in a really terrible place. Chants however are still very potent and require little input from the player. Fighters can deal damage, in fact, Knock Down got a damage buff. You won't get numbers out of them comparable to a Wizard or Rogue, but at least they can contribute. They're ultimately still best at being used as tanks. Paladins also have much higher damage potential with Sacred Immolation, but it is gotten pretty late. Paladins though, can now serve as a Priest replacement, since Exhortations can be used in place buffs, and Lay on Hands and Healing Chain makes their healing capabilities pretty damn strong. Druids are mostly the same, though Spiritshift damage now scales with level and is much more powerful. Ultimately their spells are better overall, but once you've laid down your DoTs and CC, its not a bad idea to change into the beast of choice and lay down some hurt. Sadly, its duration is still pretty crappy. Wizards are completely identical, though some of their new spells are ridiculously good. Shadowflame is Fireball + Paralyze, which is as amazing as it sounds.

AFAIK it'll come out when Part 2 of the expansion is released, which is expected sometime late this month.

Guns do provide a measure of utility when you consider the ones that have special effects on-hit. The Pliambo per Casitàs and Scon Mica's Roar both lower defenses on hit, making them a fantastic weapon to use in an opener. A Fighter could for example,fire a shot in the first second of battle against a dangerous target and then quick switch to their weapon of choice and follow it up with a Knock Down, which will have an increased chance of hitting and critting. You should also add that Pistols and Blunderbusses have noticeably smaller ranges than the other ranged weapons. This makes them difficult to use against targets are considerable distance away from the gunner.

Why would you give a Rogue max mechanics? Isn't it much easier to give it to a front line character so you can search for traps in your usual formation? Also, I read that priests get acc bonuses from mechanics for their seal spells. That's been changed in the recent patches. The Cleric's trap spells are now considered Hazards instead, so Mechanics has no effect on their accuracy.

Just throwing it out there, Wall of Fire and Wall of Force work extremely well with Combusting Wounds due to their rapid hitting nature. They're a nightmare to aim but its so well worth it. Both also have extremely high interrupt rates which compliments the build's interrupt heavy nature (Its funny because he's a nature godlike! I am a comedic genius).

There isn't really much to talk on Druids since they're a strong all-around class and they're relatively simple to use in comparison to even the other casters. They're the king of CC with Returning Storm, Tanglefoot and the likes. Also their damage output is very impressive both in melee with spiritform or in ranged with their myriad of spells. However, their damage isn't as high as a Wizard overall, but a lot of their damage spells have secondary effects attached to them, which lends to their role as a master controller. Druids are also a solid support class as well. Blights are excellent tanks with their only drawbacks being their horrendous movement speed and the inability to choose which type of Blight appears. Moonwell is one of the best healing spells in the game, and having someone who can cast instead of having to make hundreds of scrolls can be quite convenient. Finally we have Nature's Bounty, which comes awfully late, but is one of the strongest "buffs" all-around.

You can always respec to change you auras, I personally do this myself, as well as do it to get Deprive of the Unworthy for specific battles. Early game, Zealous Focus is a boon for any characters (especially casters) you have, since their accuracy is really shaky at the early points of the game. Later on, you might want to change to Zealous Charge to give your party a mobility boost and to make cleaning up random mobs with a melee characters much quicker or maybe even Zealous Endurance to help with your Paladin or your party's overall survival

Wizards can ignore Resolve without any repercussions. You have Arcane Veil if you need Deflection and Spirit Shield for Concentration. Later on you get even more fun toys to help improve your bulk like Llengrath's Displaced Image. Whether you dump Con or not really depends on playstyle. For some strange reason, my Cipher draws more hostility than my Wizard, so I usually dump it as well. At most though, I would recommend you just leave it at its base, I would never invest in it. You always have Infuse with Vital Essence should you need more Endurance. As for weapons, its usually a good idea to pick up talents that augment the summoned weapon of your choice. For the Parasitic Staff or Spirit Lance you'll want Two-Handed Style, Savage Attack and Vulnerable Attack. For Minor Blights you'll want Dangerous Implement, Blast and Marksman. As a result, the weapon you pick should reflect on the summoned weapon you prefer, so they can benefit from the talents you have chosen when you don't have anything summoned. You weapon will become less important though, as eventually 1st to 3rd level spells become per encounter use instead of per rest; which means you can summon a Parasitic Staff or Minor Blights in every fight. Another idea with a Wizardis to use a weapon with a on-hit effect effect you like (For example the Pliambo per Casitas) and then switch to a summoned weapon. As for Priests and Druids, eh. You can give them the Weapon and Shield talent and just equip them with light shields. Druids can use their spiritshift as a defensive tool. Transform into a Bear to get some meaty DR or transform into a Wolf and run away. With a Priest, their buffs will generally make them tough to take down anyway. As for weapons, Druid is even less important than a Wizard since their transformed states are better than any weapon. Should it wear off though you also have Firebrand or Rot Skulls to fall back on. The Priest's weapon will usually reflect on who their deity is. Magran is a good choice since the Arquebus is an excellent ranged weapon. Personally I like Skaen, since it makes Priests into surprisingly good melee attackers.

I wouldn't say Minoletta's is useless, as crush and corrode aren't strongly resisted and sometimes you may want a fast, long range, fire and forget spell. It has fast speed, right? Has been some weeks since I last played. It does. I will concede that the spell does increase in usefulness once 1st-level spells become per encounter instead though. I'm just not a huge fan of it tbh.

Aloth is one of the better companions, although a created Wizard will usually outdo him. His starting spell selection isn't very good either. Minoletta's Minor Missiles and Kalakoth's Sunless Grasp are both useless spells. Try to teach him Chill Fog and Slicken as soon as you can.

If you plan on using a Paladin, it would be best to make your main character one in order to get the highest possible bonuses from Faith and Conviction. Doing so, will restrict your available dialog choices however, as picking choices with disfavored dispositions may penalize you. Also I'd save the bear cave for when you have a few party members. Bears hurt. Druids are pretty lacking until midgame. Even so, they're still feasible in early game. Spritshift is very strong and will do far more damage than your spells at this point. Sunbeam deals solid damage and also inflicts blind, which is one of the most powerful ailments in the game. Even better, you also get Tanglefoot at this level which you can use to lower the Reflex saves of enemies caught in it, allowing Sunbeam to crit more often. You also have Charm Beasts and Hold Beasts. If you're up against lions, bears or tigers (Oh my!), those spells will win the fight for you. Once 3rd-level spells are unlocked is when you'll really start to see the Druid's full power. Returning Storm, Infestation of Maggots and Spreading Plague are all very powerful and useful spells, and it only gets better from there!

Those builds would've been created back in 1.0 where Perception raises Deflection instead of Accuracy, so they're outdated. For a Ranger, I'd recommend dumping Resolve and putting all your points in Dexterity, Might, Perception and Intelligence. You can choose to dump Con as well if you'd like. There's been a recent discussion on Ranger builds btw. Try reading over this: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/83303-advice-for-stormcaller-ranger/