Augustus

Are there any extra choices carried over from importing a PoE1 save, compared to creating a new history in Deadfire? I would like to use my PoE1 save, but due to Eder's ending currently being bugged, I would prefer making a new history provided I don't lose out on any hidden decisions that aren't in the new history editor.

I didn't think erasing Thaos' memories would be the most popular option. I thought it would be better to leave him with his soul and memories intact so he could have a chance at possibly redeeming himself in the future.

I was looking to see if someone had actually figured out a way to do this before starting my next play through of the game. I already had IE mod installed and it worked just fine. It's not too immersion breaking besides the thing with Calisca's sister and it's nice to have some extra voiced companions around. Nicely done!

I thought Durance had one of the most satisfying conclusions out of the companions, if you manage to convince him of Magran's deception. The fact that you turn his convictions and belief system completely upside down at the end had a really powerful effect on his story. It also made me a lot more sympathetic to his cause, after finding out that he had been lied throughout his whole journey.

I wish there was a way to slow it down even further, maybe something like 30% speed.

The lack of romance didn't really bother me in this game, I never really noticed it during a full playthrough. I find romances to be a really tricky thing in most RPGs, they have to be done well or they end up being a major detriment to the quality of the story. I prefer not having romance options at all rather than one that is half-baked or forced into the game.

No. In the IE games, the tradeoff was that if you pre-buff, you have fewer spells to use for combat. In PoE, this tradeoff is still there, but now there's an additional opportunity cost tradeoff: combat is really fast so by the time you've managed to cast a few buffs, it's basically over anyway. This makes most buffs which only affect the caster utterly worthless while the party-wide buffs are a mixed bag. I understand their reasoning behind getting rid of the pre-buffs, but the system they used as a replacement is at least as problematic and possibly even more so. I feel the same way too, combat is too fast for what it is, even on slow speed.

I'd like for this too, even if the second slot was only cosmetic.

I have to agree with OP on this, the Paladin felt very lacking compared to most of the other classes in this game. They're decent tanks, but I found the Fighter to be much better with their Defender ability and knockdown skills. I feel like a Priest with heavy armor would actually be a more fun and versatile Paladin than the actual Paladin class.

I just finished playing through the game, doing most of the quests available to me. Yes, the companions are relevant for a lot of story and flavor, they also have their own unique quests and their dialogue adds a lot to the game's lore and background. I was also thinking about using my own custom characters but decided against it for my fist time through, and I think it was much more enjoyable as a result. However, companions don't really intervene as directly as you would expect, mostly just adding dialogue before you make certain decisions. The vast majority of quests don't require their presence and the game is certainly playable without them if you choose to do so.

Once you reach Twin Elms, Defiance Bay will be reopened. I'm not sure about the status of some specific quests, but certain areas such as the Brackenbury Santiarium will be closed off after the riots. Most of the NPCs in the city resume their normal activities though.

Maybe a mod to do so eventually, same with Heodan too. I wish there was another Rogue companion with dialogue that doesn't die in the first 30 minutes of the game.

From what I've seen it's just occasional visitors to your Main Hall that you don't really get to interact with. Definitely would have liked to see some more visitors or a few settlers in the stronghold.

I just finished my first playthrough of the game, I took my time and did most of the quests barring a few towards the end of Act III. Is there anything that I may have missed that expands on Waidwen's background in the Saint's War? Since it is said at the end that the gods are not actually real, then Waidwen would not really be the living form of Eothas as he claimed. Was Waidwen just an exceptionally powerful mortal or is there anything else that further explains his background?