3rdID

With 5 out of the top 10 being Paladin multi-classes and no way to factor in any synergy with-in a party, it would seem that the main criteria is the ability to solo the game. I would wager that a lot of the votes are from people's "perception" of the class and not having actually played it.

I found this interesting site that uses a chess like ELO rating based off of user opinions to rank the classes in Deadfire: http://charactercompare.com/pillars-of-eternity-ii-best-class/ It does not break down by sub class so I don't know how accurate it is.

Does anyone have a mod that adds 10% of the appropriate damage type to the elemental passives (Scion of Flame, Heart of the Storm etc...) in addition to the +1 Pen bonus? OR instructions on how to make one myself? Thank you!

---------------------------- Combining that all together, plus how many there are boss/hard fights vs easy/medium ones, I'd overall place classes in following tiers of power: (for PotD 6-man party), (taking into account their overall contribution over the whole play-through) tier 1.0: cipher, wizard tier 2.0: priest, druid tier 2.3: paladin, barbarian tier 3.0: chanter, ranger, monk tier 3.4: fighter tier 4.0: rogue Thanks, this is great information! I would also like to see Boeroer's tier rankings for a 6 person POTD party for overall contribution during an entire play-through.

I thought "flanked" status was achieved by engaging an enemy with one more than their engagement limit and not positioning (attacking from both front and back). Has this changed?

Nice!! This would be interesting for an all evil play through. Would have to be careful not to have Gandalf and Balrog in the active 6 person party at the same time or they will auto-attack each other constantly

@DreamWayfarer, good points about Aragorn. The only animal affinity he had was to his horse and that is not an option in POE. He does show a lot of Paladin like qualities including the ability to "turn undead" (at the end of Return of The King), also not an option in POE. Looks like I will make Aragorn a Paladin which will give me some healing capabilities and Gandalf a melee Wizard. Thanks for your input!

Boeroer's melee Ranger build had me thinking of a LOTR party I had in IWD2 and what a blast it was to play (even though melee parties usually did not fare well in that game). I found the old portraits and will try to convert them to POE format but wanted some ideas on how to build this party. 1. Aragorn human Ranger using 2H Sword 2. Legolas elf Ranger or Rogue using Bow 3. Gimli dwarf Fighter using Axe 4. Gandalf human Wizard using Staff 5. Frodo halfling Rogue? using Dagger 6A. Boromir human fighter using Sword/Shield OR 6B. Arwen elf Cipher? using ??? (she did have some telepathic powers) I would like to find a balance between being true to the LOTR story characters and optimal POE talents & abilities. Any suggestions?

I just tested this as you suggested and can confirm that mechanics skill does not affect priest seal spell accuracy. Time to re-spec Durance and allocate those skill points to Lore. Thanks Boeroer!

I am wondering if anyone has tested if the mechanics skill affects the priest's seal spells. I have read on this forum that it might have been removed in recent updates but the 2 guides listed below (which have been updated after 2.0 patch) indicate that it does. "Repulsing Seal: one of the most overpowered spells in the game atm. Seals have huge basic accuracy (not mentioned in the description) and they seem to gain bonuses from your mechanics. Meaning that you'll have something like +40/+50 extra accuracy over your average spell." http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=416939844 "The second quirk is that a priest has several "trap" spells. More than just an aesthetic similarity to "real" traps, the priest's Mechanics skill will actually contribute a bonus to the accuracy of these trap spells." http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/687020-pillars-of-eternity/faqs/72035

Assassin Build Advantages: Extremely High Damage Output, Fast Attacks, Escape Options Disadvantages: Low Health/Endurance, Low Deflection, Moderate Micro Strategy The Assassin Rogue build is capable of some of the highest single-target damage values. Opening with a Backstab (if possible) and then following with Blinding Strike and Crippling Strike in every encounter is key. If you need to get away, use Shadowing Beyond. Alternatively, you can use Shadowing Beyond to land another easy Backstab on your opponent. This build doesn’t have a lot of survivability, so running into position after your tank has the attention of the enemy is necessary for staying alive. Equipment Maces, Stilettos, Battle Axes, and Spears serve as great weapons. Though any one-handed weapon that is enchanted is a great option. Light or Medium armor is recommended for damage output. Though heavier armors still work well with the build and the added protection helps reduce the need for micro management. Races Hearth Orlan, Death Godlike or Wood Elf Culture Deadfire Archipelago, The White that Wends or Living Lands Attributes Might 18 - Constitution 8 - Dexterity 18 - Perception 14 - Intellect 14 - Resolve 5 Abilities Blinding Strike, Reckless Assault, Deep Wounds, Dirty Fighting, Crippling Strike, Deathblows Talents Backstab, Shadowing Beyond, Two Weapon Style, Vicious Fighting, Vulnerable Attack, Bloody Slaughterdy Slaughter