Wolken3156

Just have your Cipher use Psychovampiric Shield or Tenuous Grasp and have Aloth use Arcane Veil if the enemy get past Eder. In an ideal situation though, you would have at least two front liners, its near impossible for one person to hold off every single enemy that comes your way in open areas. Also watch out, since some abilities will break your engagement. I know this is the case with the Paladin's exhortations and the Chanter's invocations. As for how I do it? Early game I actually don't really try. If they stick to my tanks, well yay, but usually they don't. In such cases, I actually have my casters built for melee anyway. Priest is Skaenite stabbing them in the back. Wizard has Arcane Veil and the ever powerful Parasitic Staff spell. Druid just transforms into a giant bear and mauls everything. Its probably the ideal way to play them early on anyway, since it requires much less resting. Chill Fog and Tanglefoot are generally the first spells I toss out in most skirmishes at any rate. Slowing down their movement does help to a degree. As an added bonus, both spells inflict ailments that will allow your followup attacks to have a much easier time landing.

Wizards are the damage dealing kings among the casters and have some very solid crowd control options. Druids are strictly crowd control and support, since their damage options really pale in comparison to a Wizard until they get their glorious 5th-level spells. Priests have the strongest support options in the game, and they're quite good at dealing damage once Shining Beacon and Spark the Souls of the Righteous become available. Finally, Ciphers have some of the best crowd control tools in the game. In terms of dealing damage though, they're mostly reliant on Ectopsychic Echo, which requires careful party positioning. It is very strong though and well worth it, but if you're not using it, don't expect your Cipher's damage output to be particularly impressive. Just pick the one that appeals to your playstyle the most. I personally like running all 4, but does make battles very micromanagement heavy.

Personally I ran with: 1 - Marked Prey (Free bonus damage once per encounter on one enemy is quite nice, its also a good way to have a Ranger and their pet burst down one dangerous target) 2 - Resilient Companion (Extremely important to help the pet survive the front lines) 3 - Predator's Sense (Vicious Aim or Swift Aim is better if you're not at level 13. Just respec for it) 4 - Vicious Companion 5 - Stalker's Link (Free accuracy bonus plus it becomes fantastic if you can find a Stalker's Torc) 6 - Merciless Companion (With this and the other pet damage buffs, your pet should now be damage dealing king) 7 - Driving Flight 8 - Weapon Focus: Noble (I used to go Peasant and just smack things with a Quarterstaff for Pierce immunes, looking at it though, the Rod/Scepter thing definitely seems like a better idea) 9 - Wounding Shot (Defensive Bond is also a good option, especially for Cragholdt) 10 - Apprentice's Sneak Attack 11 - Stunning Shots 12 - Marksman (You could take it earlier if you wanted, I just prefer boosting the pet early on rather than the Ranger) 13 - Twinned Arrows 14 - Faithful Companion (You could take it earlier if you wanted, the pet is dangerous when dominated)

Disagree, other casters have tools to lower Deflection and Fort saves. Heck, the Priest themselves have Shining Beacon which is the best spell ever. Why do you not talk about it? Its so amazing. The damage over time is so insane with scion of flame and -10 to all defenses is so good and it targets will and *foams at the mouth* But anyway, there's a ton of tools that can make your casters overcome say for example, Fort. Weapons with -5 defenses on hit, the Priest's Shining Beacon and Devotions for the Faithful, the Paladin's Zealous Focus, the Cipher's Secret Horrors and Fractured Volition... tons of ways. With them you should be able to crit a dragon with Plague of Insects, which is both hilarious and highly effective. On another note, nah, I still think Wizards win in CC. Slicken spam is pretty pathetic compared to Ninagauth's Shadowflame (Though Slicken is a great opener for it) and the ridiculous amounts of Interrupts that Wall of Flames can cause.

Wizards can really get away with anything for Talents, personal recommendations though: Arcane Veil and Hardened Veil - Gives a crazy high Deflection score, a great move to pop when there's heat on the Wizard or even if you plan on having your Wizard duke it out in melee. I feel this one is always a must have. Interrupting Blows - Wizards are the best source of interruption, so bonuses to it are nice to have. Scion of Flame - Wall of Flame is IMO, one of the best Wizard spells in the game. This will help it overcome an enemy's DR. Its also a nice boost to Fireball and Delayed Fireball if you use them. Secrets of Rime - If its ice elemental, chances are its one of the Wizard's best spells. I feel this one is a must have. Shadowflame, Freezing Pillar and Chill Fog are all amazing, and welcome the damage boost. Bloody Slaughter - Makes your DoTs really nasty when an enemy reaches low endurance. Dangerous Implement - This works with Kalakoth's Minor Blights so if you plan on being a ranged Wizard you'll want this. Careful that you don't kill yourself with it though, which is very easy to do with Deleterious Alacrity of Motion. Two-Handed Style - If you prefer Citzal's Spirit Lance or Concelhaut's Parasitic Staff, you'll probably want this talent instead. Ghost Hunter - Spirits are annoying and common enough to actually justify taking this talent. Beast Slayer - Very specialized, but this can help when trying to take down any of the big three dragons. Weapon Focus - Any will do since summoned weapons are universal. Its nice accuracy boost to them. Wands, though your weapon is ultimately irrelevant since you'll probably use a summoned weapon for most serious skirmishes anyway. As for armor, I prefer light armor, but you can really go with anything here. If you prefer sticking to the back lines, Light Armor or just clothing are probably the best choices. If you plan on going into melee, heavy armor is probably more ideal. Dangerous Implement boosts damage by 25%. I'm not sure if Blast affects Blights or not, since Blights already come with the effect. I'll need to check >_> EDIT: Blast does work with Minor Blights. Have fun!

I prefer Skaen, since it helps out the most during early game. Prey on the Weak + Initiate's Sneak Attack + Dual Stilettos is really nice way to patch up their limited offense during early game. Also its the closest thing you get to a Rogue that can fling spells around. Though personally I think the deity choice isn't anything to think too deeply on. They're all viable in their own ways, plus since you'll be falling back on spells more often at level 9+, the deity specific talents will ultimately take a backseat to them, as none of them directly affect any of your spells.

Animats are not immune to Piercing. Here's a mostly complete list - Adra Dragon: Burn, Shock Algul: Corrode Alpine Dragon: Freeze, Crush Animated Weapon: Freeze Earth Blight: Corrode Flame Blight: Pierce, Burn Frost Ooze: Freeze Greater Earth Blight: Corrode Greater Flame Blight: Pierce, Burn Greater Ice Blight: Crush, Freeze Greater Rain Blight: Pierce, Shock Greater Wind Blight: Crush, Freeze Ice Blight: Crush, Freeze Lich: Freeze, Shock Rain Blight: Pierce, Shock Sky Dragon: Shock, Corrode Steelspine Magus: Freeze, Shock Wind Blight: Crush, Freeze Only enemy missing is Ancient Death Guards (The ones in Cragholdt, not the regular breed). IIRC they're immune to Burn and Freeze. I may have missed the Slashing immunes too since, my codex won't have them. I don't really use any slashing weapons =/ Ailments immunities are going to be headache to list, but for most part only Blights, Ghosts and Undead have them. The big three dragons have them too. Sky Dragon is immune to Blind, Adra Dragon is immune to petrify and the Alpine Dragon is immune to Stun and Paralyse (Eugh!). All three dragons are also immune to fear effects and prone.

You don't have to make the main character a Paladin, its just optimal. A non-main character Paladin can perform just as well in PotD, I do it myself since I don't like having my main be a Paladin for RP reasons. Play styles differ from person to person. I personally think Res is a complete waste on most ranged classes. Wizards certainly don't need it since Arcane Veil and some of their buffs gives them all the Deflection they'll need plus Spirit Shield will give them a Concentration bonus. Rangers don't usually need it either since their pet should be drawing attention away from the ranger, and the pet itself is a fantastic off-tank with the right talents. Druids can shapeshift if forced to melee and really lay waste to them, or use the wolf form's mobility bonus to play keep away with the enemies. Priests though, benefit from Res to an extent, since a lot of their spells require them to very close to melee. Weapon and Shield style, Cautious Attack, Superior Deflection, and casting Shields for the Faithful is usually more than enough though, even with low Res. Ciphers are generally in the same area as Priests as well, though a lot of their powers stun, charm or confuse enemies which allows them to break engagement. Alternatively, what I normally do, is have characters cover each other. If my Cipher is looking pretty swarmed, I'll have my Wizard cast Call to Slumber on the enemies around her. If my Chanter defenses don't seem up to par, I can have my Paladin use Reinforcing Exhortation. Con though, is somewhat useful. The big ranged killer is the cold attack from Shades (Which is almost always aimed at ranged characters), having a decent Con makes dealing with those much less of a headache, especially in early game. Other ranged attackers generally tend to focus on your ranged as well, but they're usually much easier to deal with than Shades. In my case, sic the Ranger's Wolf on them and watch them panic. Fights end pretty quick on my end (Especially during late game), but I tend to have my Wizard nova everything in sight. I'm so reckless.

The hardest part of the fight is definitely getting a good starting momentum, though using the doorway helps immensely. Overall, I actually found this easier than the Adra Dragon, its much easier to prepare against spells than a giant dragon. The Animated Wands should be your first priority to eliminate, since Bitter Mooring deals a ton of damage, and you definitely don't want that. Scrolls of Defense and Scrolls of Moonwell help immensely. If you have a Priest: Minor Avatar, Crowns for the Faithful, Devotions for the Faithful, and Prayer against Fear should go up ASAP. Spark the Souls of the Righteous is also a good spell to put up as it eats through the Death Guards quite nicely. A Paladin is extremely useful in this fight too. Liberating Extortion can help with Crushing Doom, while Deprive the Unworthy is the best way to deal with Concelhaut's buffs.

Forgemaster's Gloves no longer work with Substantial Phantom or Essential Phantom as of 2.03. Biggest disappointment ever.

A vast majority of the immunities are towards sickened, poison, frightened, terrified, charmed, confused and dominated. The ones that do have them are mostly undead, constructs, ghosts, blights, oozes and vithrack. The big three dragons have them too, with each dragon being immune to one of the big three ailments. Sky is immune to blind, Adra is immune to petrify, Alpine is immune to paralyze (Uh oh!).

The only real problem with the pet now is that unless its an antelope, its defenses are fairly low when it comes to eating spells or ailments. The Wolf is pretty badass, but if he gets dominated he can be more dangerous than even the enemies you're fighting! Melee Rogues still do more damage but compared to a Ranger they require a lot more micromanagement, though it is very rewarding seeing a Rogue kickass so I wouldn't dismiss them for that. Ranged Rogues though are completely outclassed since Rangers have better ranged damage overall and also even provide more utility thanks to the pet. Hell, Ranged Rogues even pale to a Cipher, who doesn't deal as much damage as the Rogue (Against a single target anyway), but has a wide assortment of powers to help support their group. Also, that post said Rangers had the highest sustained damage not spike damage. Which is very true since a Rangers damage is going to consistently the same throughout an entire fight, as they don't need to readjust based on certain situations like other classes, they just stand back and go pew pew! The Rogue's DPS deviates frequently due to movement and positioning requirements.

Might is actually very important for a Wizard since their best spells are damage-over-time, and you need a good Might score to allow them to bypass damage reduction. Unless you're more focused on crowd control instead of damage in which case you could leave Might at its base (Or maybe even dump it). Resolve can always be dumped without any repercussions which will give you extra points to play around with. Wizards have both Spirit Shield and Arcane Veil to get around the Concentration and Deflection loss from having low Resolve. As for Chanter, I actually really love them as they make excellent support characters. I often run with one as one of my primary tanks, just need to be careful with Invocations though, since they break engagement. As a damage dealer though, they have a really rough competition, as every other class boasts much better damage dealing tools than the Chanter. Saving spells is actually a bad habit IMO. Against a single enemy, sure you probably don't need to cast anything. But if there's at least 4 or more enemies, casting at least 1 spell to ease and quicken a fight is often a good idea. If there's 6 enemies or more, you may even want to go nova on them since massive groups generally equate to a rough fight anyway. Otherwise you're just under-utilizing your caster and might be better off bringing a Barbarian or something. If you're resting to recover health and your caster haven't used most of their spells yet (At least before they become per encounter), you're doing it wrong.

Strike Hard gets my vote as my favorite tank weapon. -5 to all defenses means my party can their debuffs on easier (Or outright kill them), which also means my tanks can live longer since enemies are less of a threat when crippled. The Vile Loner's Lance is pretty much an earlier acquired version of it without the attack speed bonus, so it gets my vote as well. Both weapons are just superb on a Barbarian.

The best party is all casters. Who needs puny weapons when you have magic. ... If you're looking into a low maintenance and management party though. What you posted in the OP sounds about right. I'd probably swap one of the Rangers with a Priest since the Protection from ailmentnamehere spells can pretty much make certain fights very trivial. The Wizard's burst damage spells are pretty terrible compared to a Druid. You'll want to look at their damage over time spells, buffs and/or summoned weapons for their most optimal use. They are very micromanagement heavy depending on how you approach it. I'll post a quick blurb of my personal recommended spells here. I won't go into too much detail though, since I've done it quite a lot by now =/ 1st - Concelhaut's Parasitic Staff, Chill Fog, Spirit Shield, Slicken Parasitic Staff + Chill Fog will do far more damage overall than two Fan of Flames. Chill Fog also has a blinding effect which has perfect synergy with the staff. 2nd - Concelhaut's Corrosive Siphon, Miasma of Dull Mindness, Infuse with Vital Essence, Combusting Wounds Corrosive Siphon is the most damaging spell this level. The rest are just spells to help support the Wizard or party. Ray of Fire and Fetid Caress are also very good too. 3rd - Expose Vulnerabilities, Kalakoth's Minor Blights, Deleterious Alacrity of Motion, Arduous Delay of Motion Frankly, every spell here is good except Fireball, and even that becomes a lot better once 3rd-level spells become per encounter instead. But the ones listed are just my personal preference. Alacrity of Motion is the glue spell though. Its the key to a lot of the Wizard's overall power. 4th - Wall of Flame, Dimensional Shift, Essential Phantom, Ninagauth's Death Ray This is the big level as Wall of Flame is one of the best spells in the game, though its range will take a lot of getting used to. If you can get the enemy to stay in it, the spell hits almost constantly, with each hit having a chance to interrupt as well! This spell is even better when paired up with Combusting Wounds and Scion of Flame. Death Ray is solid spell all around, but its a hidden one so you may not even find it, Confusion is a good alternative. The other hidden spell, Shadowflame is also worth considering for its ability to AoE paralyze. 5th - Citzal's Spirit Lance, Malignant Cloud, Ninagauth's Bitter Mooring, Call to Slumber First three spells are pretty self-explanatory. Call to Slumber is a nice extra source of prone, but it can be replaced with other spells on this level. Wall of Force can act as a weaker but extra casting of Wall of Fire. 6th - Ninagauth's Freezing Pillar, Gaze of the Adragan, Citzal's Martial Power, Minoletta's Precisely Piercing Burst Even though I scoffed at the Wizard's burst damage earlier, Piercing Burst is a special exception IMO. Its damage is just so high, plus most of the spells on this level you'll probably only really throw out once per battle, so you can afford to cast it multiple times. 7th - Substantial Phantom, Concelhaut's Crushing Doom, Delayed Fireball This level is just... bad overall. You could really run anything it honestly wouldn't matter too much. Substantial Phantom is the only real stand out, and allows you to replace Essential Phantom with a different 4th-level spell of your choice. Crushing Doom is very solid, but its gotten extremely late. It'll probably become much more useful when Part 2 of the expansion comes out.

Iconic Projection is the real winner at 2nd-level, dealing solid damage and also healing allies caught in its AoE for the same amount as Restore Light Endurance... which on the same level! Its just a wonderful spell, and is the bread and butter of a Priest once 2nd-level becomes per encounter. The next one would be Consecrated Ground, which is an amazing healing over time spell, and is very useful to cast in fights where your meat shields are taking some serious punishment. Finally there's Repulsing Seal which as mentioned, has an insane accuracy modifier and has very nice duration to boot. The only downside this spell has is its agonizingly slow casting time. If your Priest is lacking in Dex, you probably won't want to cast this. Priest's 1st-level spells are pretty solid though. Armor of Faith is garbage midgame but its very nice to have during early game. Blessing is very nice, since accuracy boosts are always very welcome. Something people don't seem to talk about much is Divine Terror though. Frightened is a very nice effect, and if you don't have a Barbarian or Cipher, this is your earliest source of it. Its also nice to toss around once 1st-level spells become per encounter. EDIT: I forgot Holy Meditation. Concentration buffs are very nice, plus its your earliest counter against Will O Wisps and Spores.

Really depends on the type of spells you're using. If you're focusing more on crowd control or high burst damage, Might probably is less important. If you plan on swinging around melee weapons or using damage over time spells, Might becomes a lot more important since the extra oomph will help in overcoming DR. Dex affects casting speeds, the faster you cast the faster you flay your enemies with all kinds of destructive mayhem Also Wizards are not strictly a back line class. Wizards are perfectly viable even on the front lines. Their summoned weapons are extremely powerful and their self-buffs can potentially make them more sturdier than even your tanks. In such cases, Dex becomes even more important so you can swing around that Spirit Lance even quicker.

Wizards are the most reliable source Interrupts though. A maxed Perception Wizard with the Blast talent and using Wall of Flame can generate a crazy amount of Interrupts. Also, Deleterious Alacrity of Motion affects Action Speed, so personally I think Per > Dex. Both stats are important either way though.

That's what the Arquebus is for ^o^ I personally like to stick a Shield and Hatchet on my Priest though. Most of their better spells require them to be reasonably close to enemies. The Deflection can help out if some enemies do pay notice to them. As for ice immunes, if you only had to use per encounter spells, I think its better to buff with Blessing and Dire Blessing and debuff with Despondent Blows rather than attempt to attack. Warding Seal and Repulsing Seal as mentioned is also an option. Most battles in White March though are large-scale enough to justify the use of high level spells though, at least in my experience. Generally I just use Minor Avatar anyway and then blast them with Shining Beacon or Pillar of Holy Fire or well... anything fire related.

I disagree with that! Priests can deal some impressive damage actually! For early game, a Skaen Priest is Rogue lite-edition. You have a minor sneak attack talent which also stacks with the multiclass talent, along with an accuracy bonus to Stilettos. What you have over a Rogue though is the ability to inflict Daze in every encounter and powerful support magic. It really solid, though yes, not as good as an actual melee damage dealer. Mid to endgame, the Priest will look to their spells for raw power. For starters, Minor Avatar is an incredible self-buff for the Priest. It will transform them into a deity among the casting classes, with massive bonuses to all attributes. Combine this with their damage over time spells (Storm of Holy Fire and Shining Beacon) and they capable of dealing a colossal amount of damage. Spark the Souls of the Righteous is especially notable. If you're running a melee heavy party, this spell rips through enemies like nothing else. Also Iconic Projection is one of the best spells you could have as a per encounter. It deals a solid amount of damage, has good range and also provides healing for all allies caught in the area of effect. Of course, ultimately the Priest should be buffing the rest of the party before unleash divine righteousness upon their enemies. But, I would never underestimate their offensive potential. After all, the deadliest enemies in the game are in fact Priests!

Probably being too greedy there. I would avoid dumping Con since archers and enemy spell casters will often target your Wizard. Ultimately though, in PotD your Wizard will end up taking damage, so dumping Con will hurt you in the long run. I suggested this in another thread, but dumping Resolve on the other hand is a pretty safe option. Unlike other classes, Wizards can offset the penalties from doing so. Arcane Veil and Spirit Shield will make up for the penalties you get in Concentration and Deflection.

For melee Wizard, I just dump Resolve and put everything to Might, Perception and Intelligence. Deleterious Alacrity of Motion will offset your average Dexterity, while Arcane Veil and Spirit Shield with offset the Deflection and Concentration penalties. Be sure to grab Hardened Veil as well, with it you won't even notice the Deflection loss. Since the Wizard's melee weapons which are Spirit Lance and Parasitic Staff (Warding Staff sucks and needs a buff) are both reach weapons though, don't pop veil unless your Wizard is actually under attack. Melee Priest is much harder. I went with a spread of 16/10/14/11/16/10 for my Skaenite until I respec'd her for ranged at level 9. Probably not the most optimal spread, but I think it works. You have accuracy buffs to help boost your average Perception. Resolve is a bit trickier since you don't get your Deflection buff until a bit later. I used potions but, some may not be a fan of that.

Sickened reduces all attributes by 1 and lowers Fortitude and Will by 10.

Shields for the Faithful is +25 to Deflection. The rest of his defenses are at their base value.

... leveled-scaled Thaos on PotD. Just look at those beastly defenses (He has a Deflection buff but eh) he has: His statues also have similarly high defense stats... before he soul jumps into them ._. I actually found him harder than the Alpine Dragon (Confuse and Dominate are just horrible), but how about everyone else? Whats your experience with him? ^^