LadyCrimson

I wouldn't mind more portraits that look kind of Asian-ish, both female and male, that are also class/trope-neutral. So basically, I'd like more portraits where they could be interpreted to be any class.

...he'll be the Priest, of course. ...working on the others but PITA to screencap pics that edit/work well in-game.

I would look like me and would probably be lounging on a couch reading books, since adventuring, politics, and violence are not my bag and there are no computers in PoE. Statswise, I would be average (10-12) all across the board, except Might would probably be something like 4. Dex would've been high in my youth but not so much now. Class: I don't know, nothing really fits me. Ranger could work (loner, animals), except again, I don't adventure plus I'm not "spiritual" in any way. A lazy wizard, perhaps?

^ So I guess that missile spell will seem more powerful when I'm lvl 12. It's still really lackluster at lvl9, however. I haven't been impressed with most of the non-AoE wizard offensive dmg. spells.

At level 8/9 tho, he finally gets a couple nice spells that can really make a difference in a tough fight.

Is it? The one that bounces a bit to a couple other enemies? I've tried it in many fights and it rarely seemed to do much of anything. Maybe you mean another one that I haven't access to yet.

Hehe....me too. Although I've kept him in my 1st-started party, but I refuse to talk to him again, except when he occasionally has initiated it. Plus he's glitched, for me anyway, since I asked about his staff before I had a dream/his quest updated, or something. Other player chr. games I've made, I've made my own Priest when I want one. I have the feeling the ... paladin? Pellgina? wouldn't appeal to me either. I don't tend to like chrs. with that type of mindset. But can't say for sure since she's sitting in my Stronghold and escorting troublemakers. Someone has to. May as well be her.

I loved BG's magic missile too, but it's very strength was also sort of a "problem." Because I could play the entire game using nothing but that one spell. I had no serious need for any other spells, I'd just fill all memorize slots with MM. Now, of course one didn't have to actually use it/there were other tactics. I'm just saying when a lvl1 (or a single) spell is that good, it doesn't encourage diversity. My main issue with mages spells in PoE is still FF - just a personal dislike because it doesn't fit the way I like to play. So I have to wait until level 8 or 9 to get those nice defense spells and then it becomes a game of just using those. Same sort of issue (for me at least), only delayed. Anyway...I'm aware PoE wizards can be awesome dps dudes. Just doesn't fit my playstyle in this game, is all.

This is apparently a bug and should be fixed in 1.05, according to a dev. post a bit earlier today.

Since question and answers may be a little spoilery, moved to another forum. When responding, please try to keep in mind the OP didn't want major spoilers, however.

*chants Tides of Grey Shall March Endlessly Across The Strands of Time ... * Sidenote: the chant names in PoE are pretty redonkulous.

It's not that they can't ... it's that if you build them with all defense in mind (talents, skills, gear) then their dps can be fairly limited compared to non-defense oriented builds. eg, it's hard to be both very defensive and very dps. Do that and they're just middle-of-the-road. Which can be fine, of course, depending on one's playstyle and goals. A poleaxe etc. is not generally a defensive build weapon choice.

I don't know about all of them, but it was a little weird when I found a "dandy" unique hat that in inventory, looked like the brown striped cap helmet, but when you put it on, it turns into a slightly altered version of the wide brimmed feathered hat.

There's a little "+" sign on the character portraits in the left corner area that appears when chrs. level up. It can be hard to notice, but it should be there. Clicking it takes you to the level-up choices screen.

Priests get their spells automatically at certain level ups. It's by design.

Never heard of it. What genre? Strategy? Edit: ah, space game.

You don't learn spells from spell scrolls. That is just an indicator of how much lore you need to be able to cast that scroll from a quickslot. (Fighters with no Lore, for example, can't use scrolls at all). ...that number seems to always be red when in your inventory. I'm not sure why. If put in a quickslot of a chr. who has enough Lore, however, they can use it, no worries. P.S. Wizards can learn spells when you find other Grimores (sp?), and if there are spells in it that the mage doesn't know, you can click a + sign over the spell to learn it. Costs a little copper to do so.

^ My guess would be the whole Cipher-tank build stuff. But I think as a tank that can just soak damage forever (vs. dealing damage) and engage many enemies the fighter may still beat in that regard. Other "tank" builds may be almost as good at tanking but can dish out dmg. as well, however (eg, better for solo runs maybe?). At least, that's my impression. I could be totally wrong.

Thing is, overall the game is a lot of fun, imo. There's some gems in there and it definitely gives me the old game feeling a lot of the time. But by Act3 the combat issues and some other niggling things start to wear you down.

^ I'm 3.5 years away from being 50. I try very very hard not to dwell on this... ...but inside a part of me already starting to freak out a little.

I think that Wil Wheaton painting would count as an easter egg (humorous), even tho I have no idea what the joke actually is. I also don't know where it's located...there was just a thread about it a bit ago, that I saw.

This, so much this.

Come to think of it, I think when I dropped in a custom portrait, the game did start chunking out a little more for me, saving/transitioning wise. I figured it was just coincidence, tho. Can't imagine why that would be an issue but... I have 4 character save folders in the game, 3 of which only have a few saves each. The main chr. folder is the one that starts to drag, if I don't keep it down to about 15 saves. I've largely been ignoring it (currently have maybe 40 saves in there) since for me, like someone else said above, it's nothing major (5-10 seconds vs. the 30+ seconds some are getting) - it's mostly just annoying when you're trying to go through a series of auto-save transitions all at once, like you do in the city/Stronghold.

Very true. And while you're trying to babysit one errant member, the others are all being dorks/taking damage as well. I love RTW pause and there's always micromanagement/bad AI with it, but the (tougher) fights in PoE are a serious chore at times. I don't recall ever being this annoyed re: it in BG1. Possibly the level/area designs and what feels like a large collision area around each chr.

I've been using the "standard" format of 2 fighters - well, 3, because of my Monk, who is still semi-useless because I really don't know what to do with her - and the ranged in back casting spells or wands. Definitely do not have an optimum or min/maxed sort of style going at all, and I'm largely going defensive with little in the way of "big" damage tactics. The combat is kinda fun/difficult at first but then gets really easy for the most part after clvl5 or 6, with a full party. There are occasional special fights/enemies (ghosts, ogres, bounties, and the dungeon) that are difficult or take a long time but most of the main quest path and side quests are a lot of rinse and repeat. I think it would be more fun with a not-full party. 4 max, 3 probably more preferable. Also...I always found most items in the IE games "boring." It's not like Diablo's Uniques system...Swords +2 or Boots of endurance are nice and useful and all but they've never been exciting. My problem is I found two end. "draining" weapons very early, that my fighters use in their off-hands (they're both dual-wield), and there has been nothing worth replacing them with. The suppression system also makes it so even most good items you come across have no purpose for you by that point.