AlexDeLarge

Were you able to tank the Alpine Dragon with 3 res/con as well?

There must be some mistake in your posts, you wrote that both Priest and Paladin have Accuracy aura. Does the Paladin actually have speed aura instead?

Do you respec these stats vs major bosses so you are more durable?

Is the patch still on track to be released by the end of May?

Yes but you're not taking into account the massive defense buffs you get from having a shield. Also, with how much gold you can accumulate in this game, i would say it's not a stretch to be crafting speed potions for every hard encounter (there's also Angio's Gambeson armor). And that jump from 78% to 100% speed is huge in terms of dps. Also, how does this work with shields that have a bash special?

So now that we established that this strategy is awesome, does anyone have a list of when and where Gauntlets of Swift Action drop according to day of the month? (the POE random drop thread hasn't been updated in awhile) Edit: Also, does Sanguine's Plate Frenzy nullify it's recovery penalty or are attack speed and recovery two separate factors that don't cancel each other out?

Ok, but you advocate using dual weapons for that. According to this video, a 1 hander does the job better. Worth testing imo.

The guy who made the video addresses this as well. By the time you fight the really big threatening guys, they deal 50+ damage, so 15 armor reduction doesn't really do much for you (and you can still get armor sets with around 9-10 DR and 0 recovery). However, you kill them twice as fast, so you suffer much less than you would in a prolonged fight. There's also a 2nd video in which he explains how shields are actually super viable with this strategy. Because you can enchant them with Durgan Steel to virtually nullify Vulnerable Attack penalty, while also giving you a ton of deflection and reflex. Sure, you lose some accuracy but the benefits far outweigh the cost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzaJa4rRlPU Basically, from what i understood, the gist of it is, you stack as much attack speed as possible while also not wearing armor or lowering it's recovery time to 0. At +60% attack speed equipping just a 1 handed weapon, yields as much benefit as having dual weapons. Pretty sick. However, at full 100% attack speed, you actually deal 200% more damage. Very OP stuff if it's legit. Would love to hear some expert opinions on the matter.

You take that back about Edwin!! He's a gem and a sweetheart and doesn't deserve your harsh words..... Viconia.. let's just say the 12 year old me may have fantasized once or a dozen times about her smooth voluptuous midnight blue features.. Helps that she was modeled after a real life actress :D

The 18 might is not for dmg, but for healing (you're also moon godlike, so it affects both lay on hands and the racial). Besides, i didn't even invent that build. NerdCommando, one of the most proficient players, did.

Do you realize what a non-issue we're discussing here? If you're worried specifically about dragons, just respec for max value before the dragon fights.

Yes, for a party run, not in a vacuum.

Why are you talking about solo when OP clearly states he wants to play with a party? Also, i personally don't care for solo runs so that point is moot.

All i can tell you is that, during my Pally playthrough, i was actually concerned that he isn't taking ENOUGH damage, instead my party was hurting more. But that's mostly because of this new AI that targets the squishies. So overall, i don't recommend making a pure tank anymore, but if i were to make one, i would build him just like last time, seems the best way to go about it.

lol 81, are you serious? That's 100(!) points too few for Adra Dragon. :D:D:D Crits all days. I think even my cipher solo potd had more reflex than that without having any ability close to F+C. Look at my TC thread at the Adra Dragon screenshot. I had about same or even less Reflex on my tanks there, see how much dmg i took by the end.

https://imgur.com/L3gIhf2 Does that look like no reflex def at all? I see it as very respectable, and all the other stats are through the roof, and this is without level 14 and any extra buffs. And if you're worried about reflex anyway, you can always equip a Ring of Thorns to solve that issue.

Very nice, i imagine this will go very well with the chanter based shooting strategy, just gonna copy paste it for all to see what i'm talking about: "Chanters - Speed Metal (last time I checked it, arrows were metallic and pretty fast) Role: third-line damage dealer and buffer. Race: Wood Elf. Stats (with the Old Vailia bonus included): M 18 C 10 D 18 P 10 I 19 R 3 The Sure-Handed Ha phrase is pretty decent and so the ranged build around it is quite predictable. Note that you build your entire party around this idea – 2 x rangers, shooting paladin with zealous charge, such chanter, a wizard and a druid. Some control & lots of shooty death & some serious shooting & running potential. Weapon of Choice: eventually, anything ranged without reloads - you play from the speed & running. Talents, ability and spell choices: 1st level: At the Sight of their Comrades, their Hearts Grew Bold – however good Come, Come is, ranged chanter just does not want to stay close enough to his foes to use it. So let's take the defensive phrase for the future. Blessed Was Wengridh, Quickest of His tribe – coupled with zealous charge of the paladin, can make for some nice shoot & run tactics. But Reny Daret's Ghost, He Would not Rest – still a decent summon. Gotta have some early game tools, right? 2nd level: White Worms Writhed in the Bellies of the Dead – the range is huge (a definite plus for us) and it can be rather devastating in early game combats. Fast Runner – this party loves to have some mobility and the ability to lure the monsters away (while the rest of the squad shoots at them). So fast movement speed is a must. 3rd level: Dull the Edge, Blunt the Point – all the remaining phrases need to be aimed at foes (whom you want to avoid) and thus not very useful. So it doesn't matter what you pick here. 4th level: The Thunder Rolled Like Waves on Black Seas – should anyone get close to your gunner stack, they'll definitely regret that. Shot on the Run – I'd call this a run n' gun party setup but guns are horrible here, unfortunately. Reload time just doesn't work well with this stuff - it's too long and anyone catches up to us. That's why we need to use either bows or implements. The chanter himself won't do any major damage so he's more about weapons with some side effect - like the Elawen Ein (-5 to victim's accuracy on the hit) or Cgadob's Hazel (+10 to all allies shooting at the same target). 5th level: Sure-Handed Ha Nocked Her Arrows with Speed – the raison d'etre of this build. 6th level: At the Sound of His Voice, the Killers Froze Stiff. Marksman – you probably won't find your weapons of choice yet so this is a more universal one. 7th level: Rime and Frost Followed the Footfalls of Karth – considering that this party composition is build around kiting, why not take the tool which amplifies that aspect greatly? 8th level: Shatter their Shackles, Cast off their Chains – +25 defense against disengaging looks especially sweet for us. Weapon Focus. Probably Adventurer. 9th level: Aefyllath Ues Myth Fyr – 25% extra damage to our shots is not a bad deal at all. Pretty much a no-brainer. 10th level: Oh, But Knock Not on the Door of Urdel and Gurdel – you'll throw you summons to slow down and distract your foes and ogre duo is better at this. Scion of Flame - improves both of our 3rd level phrases. 11th level: The Dragon Thrashed, The Dragon Wailed – not our main plan, but why not? 12th level: Seven Nights She Waited While the White Winds Wept – with your running speed, it shouldn't be too hard to get in close and finish them up with one potent blast. Secrets of Rime - to make said blast truly potent. 13th level: They Shielded Their Eyes 'Gainst the Fampyr's Gaze. 14th level: Their Champion Braved The Horde Alone – combined with Sure-Handed Ha, that's 60% bonus speed alone. Add the Durgan Steel enhancement and the druid's Nature's Bounty and we're already at 100%. Yay to the triple damage output! Apprentice's Sneak Attack."

The only Paladin i played so far is the one Vorad suggests (also called Anvil of Dawn). He's great for a main character, unlocking the best conversation dialogues. He's probably the strongest tank you can make in the game as well, while providing superb utility, only issue is you deal virtually no damage, until level 13 at least. But personally, i wouldn't play Pally main on TC, unless you know the dialogues by heart, otherwise it's very hard to consistently improve your Faith and Conviction.

It's definitely an option, i want to explore their storylines as well. Heard Durance and GM are really well written.. unfortunately, they're two of the worst built characters in the game.. i mean what the hell am i supposed to do with a low dex 19 res priest or a low might cipher?? Sagani, Eder, Hiravias seem pretty balanced though, i could try them out. Zahua, even though he has 3 attributes less, has them distributed in the right spots as well. Devil of Caroc is simply garbage and you get her very late anyway, so pass. Well i'll think about this.. still don't understand why Obsidian felt the need to include only underpowered story NPC's. I mean, where the hell are Edwin's or Viconia's or Korgan's or Keldorn's equivalents? That's what i want to play, and i think i speak for the majority of us. Not 5 Garricks.

Dedicated most of my last week to just playing PoE, so that might be a factor Gotta figure out what to do now until WM2.. maybe have another go at BG EE Trilogy no reload challenge with Sword Coast Stratagems installed. Made it as far as Beholder Lair in Underdark last time (until an Elder Orb removed all my protections and disintegrated my ass to oblivion). Edit (BG SPOILER AHEAD): Since i broached the subject, would like to point out that, for all it's wonderful features and qualities, i felt like i didn't get the epic fight sensation in PoE like i did with BG2. The memories of defeating Improved Firkraag, Kangaxx or Irenicus in hell, still linger with me. Heck, it took me SIX HOURS to defeat Hell Irenicus (with SCS + Insane difficulty). Just constant reloading and trying out new tactics and hitting lucky rolls. That sh1t was gruelling, but when i finally prevailed, the satisfaction was immense. I think there are 2 main aspects that provoked that feeling in BG2 and not in PoE. First, the build up. Especially in Irenicus, you are way more invested and have a lot of direct contact with him throughout the game. Plus, he affects your main char (and his family) in a lot more serious manner than Thaos. So the emotional investment vis-a-vis Irenicus is huge, in my opinion, whereas i felt detached and sort of uninterested in Thaos' plans and motives. Second reason, and perhaps the most important one, the spell system. In BG2, i was on the edge on my seat in almost every big encounter, fretting whether i still have all my protections up, if my breach went through his and so on. Because there are just so many things that outright kill you (and if it's your main, that's it), your alertness must be very high at all times. Not to mention the E-Boner you get from doing combos such as Time Stop -> Improved Alacrity -> Sequencer-> Triple Horrid Wilting. But maybe we'll get something similar in PoE2, i keep my hopes up. That being said, PoE improves upon a lot of aspects from BG, such as making the non-caster classes a lot more complex and enjoyable to play, removing a lot of the abuse and cheese (if you want to exploit thieves' traps in BG2, it makes most encounters trivial, unfortunately), the reputation system is much more realistic and intriguing, also minor things like needing camping supplies to rest, i find very nice. Ok, end of rant, don't want to derail too much

Yes, i had some trouble with the Aumaua apprentice fight as well, my healing couldn't keep up with the insane dps from those rays. What i did was stand with my party by the door, use Withdraw priest spell whenever one of my chars got very very low, and in the meantime i blasted that room with a ton of AOE dmg. Come to think of it, that battle was harder than Concelhaut himself, my party was at like 25-30% life by the end of it. But i think it was so hard because i did not expect it. I took the apprentice note figuring it would be okay since we struck a deal, and then the whole room turned hostile lol. Had a little panic moment right then and there heh.

Yeah, i'm a huge Jethro Tull (and prog rock in general) fan :D

Ok, so i figured i would help anyone else attempting this challenge, by covering the 4 hardest (in my opinion) encounters in this game. Adra Dragon, Alpine Dragon, Concelhaut, and High Level Thaos. First of all, for every boss encounter, you want to prebuff as much as possible. Personally, i like to rest at Caed Nua for 3 Con, then eat Dragon Food for 3 might, 3 resolve, 45 endurance. After that, make sure you fill up all quick slots with non food items. Most important quick slot items include: all the summonables, Potions of: Barring Death's Door, Flasks of War Paint (for melee damage dealers), Major Endurance(for tank). Then scrolls of Paralysis (amazing vs Adra, useless vs Alpine), Maelstrom, Restore Critical Endurance, Accuracy, Defense and Protection. Ok, now that we established general preparations for big encounters, let's go to specifics: How to defeat Adra Dragon I find him the easiest of the four, if you know what you are doing. You want to trigger his quest from dialogue, so he doesn't immediately attack you. After that, you go to the back of his lair, where the Adragans are, do your prebuffs, then attack the furthest Adragan from the Dragon. This will trigger all his minions aggro. After you deal with them, cast all your big priest buffs (Crowns of the faithful etc), if you have Mage - summon Phantom and so on. Then, what you want to do is cast any random summon from an item and send it to the dragon to eat it's breath attack. Once you got rid of his breath, encounter becomes trivial. Chaining Scrolls of Paralysis from a couple of your NPC's completely ruins him. This was my party after the battle: https://imgur.com/gmg3zlK He barely tickled me... Moving on How to defeat Concelhaut I expected this fight to be insane, especially being the first time i fought him, but it was quite accessible (maybe i got lucky, dunno). So after prebuffing, and setting a trap at the doorway, move all your characters except the tank all the way back around the corner, outside Concelhaut's throne room. Then send the tank in to trigger the dialogue, when he aggro's, run him immediately back to where your party is. Meanwhile, your group has about 10 seconds to cast stuff before the enemy reaches them. So go Minor Avatar -> Crowns of the Faithful, Alacrity -> Substantial Phantom, etc. The actual fight will take quite a while to finish, but if you make sure to keep all the good buffs up with your priest and flood the battle field with summons, you should defeat him without problem. Here's how it looked like for me (start from bottom to the top): https://imgur.com/a/fycxr How to defeat Alpine Dragon. This one was the hardest for me. Make sure you have a dedicated tank with shield, respec him for maximum protection if required. When your enter the cave, send everyone stealthed except your tank to the right, then north. After they reach that spot, send your tank all the way bottom left stealth, then trigger the dragon dialogue. When the fight starts, you want your tank to be isolated to the lower bottom left corner, while your party is busy buffing and killing ice blights on the other side. DO NOT attack the dragon with anything at start, until you kill some of his critters, because he will spawn additional spectres. On your tank, you want to use scrolls of defense, and Llengrath Image/Endurance Potions. Despite doing all this, he still managed to KO my tank, i might have gotten a bit sloppy (but no worries, Priest Resurrect solves). You should be able to prevent this, especially if you run Paladin Tank (i ran a monk tank, not specced for weapon and shield, so he was a bit weaker). After you deal with the Blights, you can start attacking the dragon, and summon some more trash to get in the way of his spectres while you focus him down. Arcane Dampener + Gaze of the Adragan works quite well here. Your Priest will work overtime on this fight, but if you know what you're doing (for me personally, it was the first time i ever encountered him, i'm sure if i had more than 1 try to fight him, i would get a lot more knowledge on how to beat him easily) you will prevail. Pics here (start from bottom to the top): https://imgur.com/a/13dzE How to defeat High Level Thaos This one can be either relatively easy or excruciatingly difficult, depending on how you approach him. If you don't want to make life hard for yourself, i recommend just focusing Thaos, while distracting his Woedica Goons with some summons. Do not, i repeat, DO NOT kill his minions before killing him, otherwise you will restore him entirely each time you do it. Buff yourself as much as you can, as always, with the Priest and from Scrolls. Use Arcane Dampener and Gaze of the Adragan on Thaos at your discretion. You can also summon Concelhaut from his Pet, if you did the quest. He deals a ton of punishment. Concelhaut's Crushing Doom works wonders as well. He should fall quite fast, and then you only have his big boys to deal with, and they're easily dispatched. https://imgur.com/y4zqBYQ That's about it. Enjoy this amazing game.

It's done, lads! https://imgur.com/BsOvfyc Will write a bit later on how I beat the hardest bosses in the game.