[An old but endless discussion...the Backer Achievement]

Knowing how much time and ressources are spent by developers on getting achievements "right", I'd love to see them vanish once and for all.

 

Same goes for Steam trading cards. There are people boycotting games because there are no trading cards for them. Seriously, **** off. 

[Turn off helmet]

IE Mod includes a console command that disables the display of helmets.

[Ranger should get an overhaul]

 

In case of rangers, their passives are often conditional.

Merciless Companion - enemy needs to be somehow disabled

 

 

It's enough to flank enemies with your pet. When playing solo, a melee ranger can easily tank enemies while the pet shreds them to pieces from the side.

[Ranger should get an overhaul]

We just don't like the pet.

 

That's quite alright. I don't like milk, for instance.

[Gift from the Machine (spoiler warning)]

You can add this talent to your character retroactively by using IE mod. 

 

I decided against feeding Aldhelm in my first playthrough, not knowing what I'd miss. When I found out, I just did it differently in my next plathrough.

[Ranger should get an overhaul]

I find them to be relatively flexible, especially due to the way they are dependent on their pets in order to work. 

 

- Want to play a ranged style? Use your pet as a roadblock/disabler

- Want to go tanky melee? Get merciless companion and have your pet flank your enemies (the damage is really good - try it out).

- Want to go DPS on your PC? Let the bear/antilope tank for you. 

- Need aoe damage? Take the Stag.

 

The concept of a "tag team class" is kind of interesting in general and it plays out much differently than other classes (which is the point). If you only consider playing the ranger as a pure ranged DPS class with the pet being just cannonfodder, then of course it will feel lackluster, because the class isn't designed that way.

[How do you guys bring yourself to read?]

If you have to get yourself to read, there's no point in doing it. Video games should be a positive experience, so if they become a chore, it's the wrong game.

[Wish there were an option to remove resting restrictions]

 

There should be a switch to turn this off for those who do not want to play this.   

There is a console command to force a rest.

 

 

Yup, just install IE Mod and type "rest" -> Problem solved.

[Feargus Urquhart quote on addressing hate in games]

There are a plethora of real world concepts that are being explored in the game.

[Why people say constitution is useless ?]

I love how people keep talking down wizard tanks when they obviously haven't tried them out themselves. 

 

They work even on PotD after you've bridged the hard early game part. There are people who have actually made it work and some people still insist that it doesn't.

 

It's quite hilarious, really. 

[Melee ranger on Normal]

It's definitely possible, especially on Normal mode. I went for a tanky build (lots of deflection) and hatchet+shield with all the according talents. I also kitted out my wolf companion to deal more damage in general, to enemies who suffer a dot (wounding shot ftw) and be able to perform sneak attacks. My rogue would tank enemies and use wounding shot/marked prey on them, while my wolf flanked them for sneak attack. 

[I'm calling it quits]

 

 

 

I could have quoted the first post and answered point by point all your complaints and suggestions but I feel this one sums it up: Arrogance.

 

 

 

I posted all these message to understand what contributions kickstarters give to a software project, to understand the dynamic they bring to software development. And I can see quite clearly the dynamic.

 

What I would like to note is that I have changed my mind -  my suggestion to include sieges and siege craft might not be a good idea, because it might make the game too static, not dynamic enough, perhaps only assault ladders during a siege.

 

I feel a little more danger is needs to be added to gameplay, for example the lions in the wild is exciting and fearful but the game pauses, so the danger element is lost somewhat.

The fear of being surprised or overwhelmed by an enemy.

 

Perhaps the "pause option" can be one of the skills chozen by the player - that will allow battles in the game to be more dynamic. Then those that love that skill of pausing and arranging troops, can pick that skill if they want to, they can pause the game to arrange their troops and tactics, to arrange and plan battles.

 

 

Auto-Pause is entirely optional.

[Learn Penetrating Shot, never turn it off...]

 

You ... you do know that bows continued to be used in serious warfare well into the 16th century, right? Around the same point in time that PoE's technology is based.

 

 

Also: this is a magic world where people use their magic soul powers to do things with magic. One imagines that might be a factor in the endurance of the bow. 

 

I guess he'd rather scrap bows altogether because they "suck", just like "bow fans" do. 

Probably got shot in the buttocks when he was a kid or something.

[X has arrived seeking employment]

Where exactly can I find the people that are seeking employment?

 

Are they just being added to the list of hireable people or are they actually standing around somewhere in keep?

[I'm not enjoying this game]

Sorry to hear that. 

 

As a fellow German, however, I can't say that I'm as disappointed with the writing as you appear to be. I think it's solid and the characters are well fleshed out.

 

Then again, I am no backer and maybe my expectations were lower to begin with.

 

Good luck with selling your Collector's Edition. Hopefully the next iteration will suit you better

[Best party for easy run]

Just go with the premade companions. This way you can enjoy their dialogues and questlines as well as their banter. If you play on easy or normal, you should be able to complete the game just fine.

[Too much whining about gameplay?]

 

 

 

There is no such thing as "objective dislike".

 

Of course there's not such thing, a dislike will always be subjective, but a critic must be based on objective, proven arguments, not on subjective feelings. For example, I'd never make a thread in the techsupport subforum based on what I subjectively dislike, but only when I observe a dissonance between how a system is intended to work and how's working (aka bugs); and people are making those threads.

 

About the number of posts thing, I agree, it's not a fair measure to determine the amount of time somebody has invested in learning the game systems (I myself only have 50-ish posts but I have dedicated several evenings to read wiki+forums+combat log).

 

 

I agree to an extent, but not everything can be put into objective arguments. A good example would be the discussion about Voice Overs. Some people want more of it, others want to get rid of it completely. How do you find objective arguments for either side? It's just a matter of preference.

 

Same goes for other things like combat. Obsidian went and created a new combat mechanic with the engagement system which, again, some people like and others don't. It's very hard, however, to break a complex thing like combat down and figure out exactly what causes one's dislike with it, let alone making an objective statement about it.

 

As a consequence, there will be people screaming "COMBAT SUXX PLZ FIX OR REFUND" and others will try and explain why the combat is flawed. Both are allowed to post their concerns, but only one of them will be taken seriously in the end.

[Whats up with all the quest bugs? Game is NOT playable like this!]

You're right. Hopefully all those major bugs will be rooted out soon and the next release will be better in terms of QA.

[Too much whining about gameplay?]

Does somebody else feel a bit infuriated by the amount of people (specially people with less than 20 posts or so) who makes threads and posts just to complain about their subjective dislike of game systems?

 

 

No and, frankly, it is quite silly. 

 

There is no such thing as "objective dislike". If you like/dislike a certain feature or mechanic, then that's because of your subjective tastes. While your taste might be in line with what the developers intended, other people might see it differently and it's unreasonable to be mad about that. 

 

I also don't see how the postcount is relevant to this matter in any way. If somebody bought this game, he has the same right to provide criticism as anyone else - backer or not. 

It doesn't matter for how long he has been following the development of the game and posting at the forums. 

 

 

The reality of things is that people who are invested in this game because they backed it and waited for a long time to eventually see it finished, feel that they are in a way superior customers whose opinions are more important than that of the guy who picked the game up on Steam two weeks after release. 

 

Everybody should be able to criticize this game, the developers will determine how valid each critique is and draw their conclusions from that. 

 

If that makes you angry, don't visit the forums.

[Learn Penetrating Shot, never turn it off...]

PoE should have embraced the firearms/arbalests/crossbows that helps make their world more distinct from usual fantasy drek and just ditched the stupid bows. But no of course thats not possible because of the hard-on a lot of geeks have for bows

 

This would have made the whole world much less believable. 

[Path of the damned should be the default, and only difficulty setting]

 

Thing is, many (if not most) customers aren't as much of a nerd as some of us are, so the difficulty is tailored towars those people.

Aah yes. The lowest common denominator. Funny. Why, then, did they name drop Baldur's Gate? Why didn't they just...you know... name drop a bigger selling Bioware game.... Like Dragon Age or something?

 

Silly Obsidian.

 

 

Because it is much closer to Baldur's Gate than to Dragon Age, of course. It's not silly in any way. They went and remade a classig RPG, reminiscent of the old IE games in terms of looks and design. How does difficulty have anything to do with that? Are you suggesting that everyone who played and loved Baldur's Gate back in the day will steamroll PoE in PotD during their first playthrough? 

[Path of the damned should be the default, and only difficulty setting]

Of course you will plow through the game after having played it several times before and figuring out the "best" party synergies. Thing is, many (if not most) customers aren't as much of a nerd as some of us are, so the difficulty is tailored towars those people. Someone who just picked up PoE as his first game of this kind will get horribly murdered even on Normal difficulty.

 

If you want to try something challenging, go for solo runs. This way, overpowered party synergies are suddenly not the way to go anymore and you'll have to find new ways to cheese the game. 

[Companion Attribute changes in 1.03?]

 

For those who want to avoid losing xp: 

 

Just install IEMod and set the newly recruited companion to the right level.

 

Losing xp? How so? 

Are you referring to starting a new game to get the new stats or is there some change in the patch bumps their xp down?

 

 

If one of your selfmade companions is rendered uselsess due to one of the bugs and you are forced to make a new one, the new one will probably be up to one level lower than the old one.

[Close Combat Wizard]

@ Lasci:

 

Did you read the op? 

 

You will be using the summoned staff all the time, hence the quarterstaff specialization. It's easily the best weapon you can get in the whole game for a very very long time.

It has inbuilt reach, so that's covered. Getting a spear + shield takes away all your damage - there is no point in doing that.

 

As I described, you don't want to be tanking by default. Since you do have range on your melee weapon, you can safely sit behind your tank hitting stuff. You can, of course get fan of flames or any other spell to supplement your build, I just didnt include them in this guide because everyone knows these spells and how to use them. 

 

The point of this build is to be flexible: You can tank as well (in early levels even better) than dedicated tanks due to 100+ deflection on demand while still putting out ridiculous damage with your summoned staff. You can't do it all the time, becuase you're on a time and spell limit, but you don't have to do it all the time. You can sit behind and hit things, or use spells and Arcane Assault, if necessary. Your tank is in trouble? Get him out of there and put a 110 deflection wizard in his place for 14 seconds. Your tank is in a chokepoint? Sit behind him and deal out damage that is comparable to a specialized fighter. Your Wizard is low? Use Arcane Assault and other spells from a distance to support your crew. There is a myriad ways of approaching each fight, which can be subtly adjusted according to which spells you get (and buy from other grimoires).

 

You can fulfill multiple roles depending on the situation, which is what makes this build so much fun. It works on Hard mode, I've done it, and comfortably.

 

@ Dongom: 

 

It shouldn't be this way, since the summoned staff is essentially a quarterstaff. Why wouldn't you be able to cast with a quarterstaff? There is something wrong with your character.

Resting in the beginning is hardly a chore because, as I explained, the early maps are full of lootable camp materials. You won't need to rest more than 2 times per map anyway, but if you do for some reason, there is free supply on the streets.

[Close Combat Wizard]

I've tried it. It's not bad, quite doable. But theres some major issues:

 

1. You can't cast while the Staff us summoned (Which looks amazing btw). You're betting off using a real weapon.

 

2. Per Rest Spells. This means you aren't even going to be able to play as Melee Wizard every encounter, unless you like to back track A LOT. This issue actually limits all 3 caster's potential builds.

 

1. What do you mean exactly? Of course you can cast spells just as well as with any other weapon. You just want to be hitting stuff instead.

2. That's a misconception. You never need more than two camps for each of the initial instances and if you do, there is free camp material everywhere. In later stages you have plenty of spell uses available, so that's not going to be an issue anymore.