Climhazzard

I feel like skills that spend resource probably won't generate it, or shouldn't. Which would rule out Torment's Reach, though not Turning Wheel. Sounds kind of broken though if Turning Wheel can generate resource. Couldn't retaliation builds originally generate focus in PoE which was nerfed out of existance? My guess is it won't work. TBH I have the sinking feeling the balance in this game will be broken in a hundred different ways on release, lol.

I was thinking about using a Troubadin with a Beckoner/ranger, the Troubadin would provide defensive buffs to keep all the summons alive and the Beckoner/ranger would provide offensive buffs for himself, his pet, and his summons. There are probably a lot of combinations that might work well, kind of hard to know without getting in game though. Using monk as an example, let's just say that transcendent suffering upgrades with power level. Multi class goes up to 7, while pure goes up to 9, so something like a 23% loss in damage. What kind of combinations could make up for the loss? Monk-Barbarian: A fistful of carnage? Maybe this guy would go with an AoE focused build. The base damage from a multi classed monk's fists might be worse than using regular weapons on a pure barbarian though. Still you'd have access to monk options like force of anguish and iron wheel, not to mention regular weapons. Monk-Devoted: You'll no longer be relying on transcendent suffering unless Devoted can specialize in unarmed. However you'll become weapon based and gain constant recovery which would be great for monks as well as access to other fighter talents like disciplined barrage, Unbending, armored grace, unbroken, etc.. Monk-Troubadour: With 3rd Tier fire phrases you could be a fearsome fire monk, you need enough intelligence to run both Dragon Thrashed and Mith Fyr. Monk-Soul Blade: Soul whip should make up for the loss of transcendent suffering power level, but now you can do cool cipher things, like amplified wave and apparently a soul annihilation attack... Monk-Shifter: hard to say if any monk talents would work in animal form. Ironwheel could be helpful if it did, you could dump your wounds on high cost abilities between shifts while Ironwheel keeps you alive longer in animal form. All depends on what does or doesn't work with animal form. Monk-Priest: Spells like Devotions for the Faithful and Spark the souls of the righteous might make up your own damage loss for multi classing, and you can share them. Shattered Pillar-Trickster: Sneak attacks should make up for your damage loss, Illusion spells make you harder to hit. A true "shadowdancer". Monk-Wizard: Probably a lot of options here, whether effective or not is hard to say yet. You'd be able to use martial power and defensive spells with shattered pillar... or pick a focus to play a more survivable wizard with stuff like iron wheel and force of anguish. Some of these combos will surely have a rougher start than just using a regular monk, with chanter you'd be waiting for your fire abilities, with priest you'd really want 4th level spells. Some of them would be great right out of the box though, like a devoted-monk.

It's very likely that a multi class rogue will have lower sneak attack than a pure rogue. TBH I feel there's a chance a trickster will be exactly the same as a rogue/illusionist, but a Trickster will be able to multi class to something else while a rogue/illusionist is already multi classed.

There's a big enough fanbase for this kind of game that it will be a success, but I doubt it will be a huge success. It's too niche. People always have complaints like "The combat is to slow", "I hate pausing all the time", "There's so much dialog to read". I guess they prefer simpler more mind numbing games. PoE 2 isn't exactly going to be faster paced, if anything it'll be slower since they're trying to slow down combat to give you better tactical control. Pausing might not be an issue for people playing lower difficulties if AI is improved enough though and it looks like it might be. Dialog will always be a big thing in CRPGs. In other words, the people who didn't like it before are probably still not going to like it. I am just thankful enough people out there do love this sort of game that PoE 2 will be a reality.

I could see Troubadour being a good multi class combination with Paladin for some kind of passive Aura tank. Would need high intelligence though which might limit you from using Pallegina for such a combination, going by her PoE stats.

Depending on how their magic resistance works I could see a Pale Elf Mage Slayer being a good front line pick if you don't want to care to much about friendly fire from your own spell casters.

I don't like that the Paladins all have downsides. I wonder if Paladins were made stronger for PoE 2. If not hopefully Pallegina has a good Paladin subclass.

In b4 minumum stat level for PoE 2 is set to 8 to prevent you from making yourself non viable.... Joking aside. The new multi class system is clearly less flexible but I think it will be better in the long run, being easier to balance and having less cheesiness like a monk with a single barbarian level for carnage. I'm very interested in making a Devoted monk for my first character, hope for her sake immunities don't make a comeback. If immunities do make a comeback I wonder if Devoted accuracy malus will effect unarmed for those times I need to use something different. I'm also dying to know what will be special about each class of weapon. Most likely I would either go something monk themed, like dual wielding kama (we need these) or using a quarterstaff. But that could change depending on the differences between various weapon types. If single weapon spec becomes viable then I'd also be interested in going for a single sword devoted monk. If the game had a Katana of some kind I would also consider some kind of Samurai build, lol. Interesting to know that Wizards will still have grimoires. For the sake of multi classing with Wizard in mind I hope there is a large variety of well balanced grimoires in game or a way to make your own. Or at the least some themed grimoires, like a melee focused transmuter's grimoire.

Why would they do that when they removed such synergies from PoE on purpose (Novice's Suffering not working when shifted)? I guess barbarian with carnage would be more fun anyways if that worked... though I suppose neither one would work, in which case shifter might not be the best choice for multi classing.

DoS and DoS 2 are both great games. DoS 2 gives you a lot to think about tactically, though most battles for me devolve into fire... everywhere. They both have some problems that Pillars doesn't have though. Like initiative problems and a lack of body blocking. Namely, in Pillars it's 10x easier to use positioning tactics that involve choke points (would be even easier with a proper stand your ground button... hint hint). I feel like the combat pacing in Pillars is better, nothing is going to come along and two shot you, while in DoS getting 2 shot was common. DoS 2 isn't as bad but there are still a few offenders. They both have ironman modes but in DoS party wipes from traps or any number of things was a pretty common occurrence so you'd have had to have been a real masochist to enjoy that. DoS 2 tones down the number of ways to instantly party wipe but they're still there. In the original DoS melee also felt like an exercise in masochism, but DoS 2 improved that aspect a lot. DoS 1 and 2 both are kings in the area of environmental effects. I don't expect PoE 2 will topple that. Both pillars and divinity have depth when it comes to building your characters, though I'm biased towards Pillars in that regard (I like it better). Neither Divinity takes itself seriously, between pet pal and all the humor wrote into the games. I prefer the serious tone of Pillars but that's just my taste. Anyways, mechanically (combat and character building) I prefer Pillars of Eternity over both DoS and DoS 2, DoS 2 certainly has it's moments though. I can't really see PoE 2 not really being an improvement over the original what with multi classing and sub classes, so most likely PoE 2 will be my favorite of the lot. EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention, which may be the biggest point of all, is itemization. Pillars is mostly about hand placed items while Divinity is all about randomly generated. DoS 2 is actually really bad in the itemization department though because items stats inflate so fast that you only ever get to enjoy a good unique or whatever for a single level and you can't wear whatever armor looks the coolest on your character. In this regard I like Pillars far more than Divinity.

Hopefully the developers are looking in here so they get an idea of what needs nerfed before the game is released, lol. Anyways the monk will always be my favorite class, but I'd have nothing against multi-classing one if I could think up some good combinations, so on that note... Barbarian any + Shattered Pillar = Will carnage generate wounds? Cipher (probably soul blade) + Standard monk = Generate resource from attacking or being attacked. If cipher spell list isn't revamped I'm not sure I would like it before getting amplified wave. Ectopsychic echo might be fun on a class that can move around the battlefield at will though. Shifter + any monk = Will monk abilities be usable in animal form? Will unarmed damage bonuses effect animal form? Devoted + any monk = Multi class monks will probably do less unarmed damage than pure monks, but this combination would be weapon focused, and now you have constant recovery on a monk. I'm praying that one handed weapon spec will become worth it in PoE 2 specifically for this combination. If it looks good it'll be my first playthrough. 2 handed with a staff might be good too if there are any good ones. I'll probably avoid any faith based monk multi classing, even if there are strong possibilities. I'm sure Rogue, Wizard, Chanter, and maybe stalker will all make decent combinations, but multi classes will probably suffer without decent synergies so I'm not ready to speculate on them.

https://eternity.obsidian.net/news/pillars-of-eternity-ii-deadfire-update-40---multiclassing-part-ii Helwalker - Begin all combats with Wounds, gain Might for every Wound. Wounds require more damage to acquire.I feel like Helwalker like this would be the go to multi class option for passive builds, retaliation, chanter burning, whatever, if it stays like this. With all these options for sub classes and multi classing I'll probably never be able to finish this game because I'll be stuck in an infinite rerolling loop to try out different combinations.

There's a few places in the game that have traps right in the middle of the battlefield. One of the worst is a floor in Odd Nua that just has a bunch of giant spores and tree druids. The traps there have a very large area of effect and also have a chance to instant kill party members. Of course you want to have the game set to pause once you discover traps, but that's not going to stop your guys from running into them in the middle of the battle, and if you use Aloth to disarm traps like I do he honestly has better things to be doing at that time than running up into the front line to disarm some traps so that my melee guys don't wipe out the entire team by accident.

I meant to mention this too but forgot... there's a few places in the game with active traps in the middle of the battlefield. It's nice the game will pause when they're detected, but it'd be great if you could get your guys to stand still long enough for someone to disarm said traps.

Something I always thought was missing from PoE that would have been really helpful was a stand your ground button. Maybe it wasn't to important when the game was first released since there was no real AI, but AI was added in and then the only way to get your guys to stand their ground was to turn it off and have them stand around like idiots while you micro manage each one, exactly how the game was without AI in the first place. Ideally you could have a chosen AI setting picked and toggle on stand your ground when you want to create a defensive formation or whatever. Your guys would stay in place but still use abilities or target new enemies after killing the current one. You can't really properly use friendly fire AoE spells without either a stand your ground ability button or heavy micromanagement, imo. It's been awhile since I played them but I'm pretty sure both the Icewind Dale games as well as the Baldur's Gate games had stand your ground buttons. I've seen some videos of the new UI for PoE 2 and I'm not seeing anything different that suggests to me one was added in so I decided to express my desire for one before game development progresses to far for one to be considered. I did a quick search before posting this and I couldn't find any mention of a stand your ground function. If it's already been confirmed or talked about let me know.

Just fyi the damage from Sacred Immolation works with Aegis of Loyalty, it's a very nice ability combination. I usually use the hand and key breastplate and take righteous soul as well. The rest of that stuff is sort of preference. I hate per/rest stuff for example. Abilities I always have... Lay on hands Reviving exhortation Liberating exhortation Sacred immolation Aegis of loyalty Righteous soul Ignore guides that say to dump constitution for tanks... it kills your fortitude defense which is the number one status effect defense for your frontline. Talents I'll always have... Weapon and shield style Veteran's recovery (definitely squeeze that in somewhere) Scion of flame Hold the line Deep Faith Greater lay on hands Even on PotD I don't tend to stack deflection talents as long as I'm not soloing. That's my personal preference though. I use the Outworn Buckler so I have good defenses and accuracy, which helps melt everything with sacred immolation. For defensive talents I'll grab deep faith then maybe bear's fortitude or snake reflexes. I don't use tank and spank tactics against the dragon bosses, usually I have my monk run decoy with high movement speed. You'll need that deflection if you want to tank them I think. Other's probably know more about that, but I would still take superior deflection before bothering with cautious attack.

Most combinations will probably be able to get you through normal or easy (some are probably hard though like all rogues). If you sell the ring you have at the beginning of the game to Heodan you'll get about 4x it's worth which will help you create additional companions at the Tavern in Gilded Vale so you can begin your Theme. Personally my favorite MC classes are... For melee: Monk and Barbarian, particularly monk. For caster: Druid and Wizard. Both powerhouses that have a ton of options. My favorite party composition for PotD is something like... Monk, Paladin, Chanter, Priest, Wizard, and Druid. Your order of knights might be better off with more than 1 paladin and priest. Ranged fighters are doable I guess but their abilities aren't really suited to it after weapon specializations. Most D@D themes you could think of would fit well right into Pillars of Eternity. There are orders of knights, bandits, cults, pirates (seemingly half the bounties are one or the other...), and many more. Something slightly balanced would probably be best for your first playthrough. You can mix up the classes yet still give them all similar armor to fit a theme. Something like... Knights = Paladins, Priests, Fighters Monks = Monks, Priests, Chanters Bandits = Rogues, Fighters, Chanters, Ciphers Druid Cult = All druids would wreck.... Wizard Cult = All wizards would wreck too, but might have a high reliance on resting. Well, I don't really know what classes would fit various themes I guess. If you look at the examples in game you'll find that many organizations or groups have a wide variety of classes. Racial themes might be interesting as well. A group of Wood Elves, Dwarves, etc. If you were to ask me which was my least favorite to drag along, I'd probably have to say rogue.

You're going to get a fairly biased result for completion status. Most of the people that would answer the first, second, third, and fifth options, probably don't bother to check these forums.

To my knowledge the issue with Torments Reach is just that is has a goofy int scale ratio? Am I missing something? - Sking That is incorrect... Each time it hits an enemy it retriggers from that enemy. If enemies are lined up it starts a chain reaction that will obliterate entire hordes of enemies. Many enemies will get hit multiple times. I only run 10 intelligence on my monk, but if enemies are lined up I purposely avoid using it as it's way to strong. It's far stronger than it was when the game was released (It worked like it should then). It hardly seems to me like it's working as intended. I wouldn't mind if it had a better base range or intelligence modifier.. . But hitting every enemy in the room if they're lined up right, multiple times, seems a bit broken. Edit: The video posted above is a good enough example. It clearly shows the enemies in the back being hit multiple times when they should only get hit once per animation even with high intelligence (it would normally never reach that far even with super high intelligence though). By endgame Torment's reach can hit upwards of 80+ dmg a hit even on pure fist builds (and it hits twice if you're dual wielding), the enemies in the back of that pack would easily get hit for 200 or 300 damage (maybe not the big one as they have high DR) per use if apprentice sneak attack were able to be triggered and even more with higher intelligence since all the cones getting triggered would have longer range and retrigger off of more enemies (an exponential effect from intelligence).

From an immersion standpoint taunt is completely ridiculous. Just because the guy hunkering down behind a tower shield is making bad mom jokes (or whatever), doesn't mean you would attack him instead of the wizard next to him chanting the ultimate spell of doom. The engagement mechanic is more than enough, even that was a bit ridiculous when it was so effective that you could min max all your party members. It took away from tactical depth, made every encounter tank and spank. As it is now it's actually pretty good, melee enemies will engage with your front line, but it's not guaranteed that it will stay that way. Every class does have a way to escape or deal with engagement, unless you build them as defenseless glass cannons. Your back line has many options for dealing with attention and controlling the battle. Wizards have massive amounts of CC options, as well as extremely impressive defensive buffs. Druids can shape shift, have defensive buffs, and can use some great CC. Priests have powerful defensive buffs. Also don't forget every class can carry defensive consumables as well, many are quite strong. My point is that, no taunt = tactically complex, taunt = tactically shallow. The current design is pretty good, tactics will include body blocking + engagement, CC, buffing, and much more, but never just tank and spank everything. This is why my first reply just said the engagement mechanic. Combined with body blocking it is similar to taunt but not as powerful, which forces you to use more meaningful tactics (though doorway tank and spank is still quite effective if you can find a doorway...). Also don't forget that some melee classes have their own ways of using CC, which has the same effect as using a single target taunt to save a party member. Some dude beating on your ranger? Force of anguish, knock down, clear out, stunning blow, etc.

I liked NWN 1 Bards too. Epic buffs + Slow / Haste...really helpful. Now let's get technical: Winds of Death are 1 dps. Ok. How much dps is the best Pistol(say Forgiveness upgraded to Legendary)? Are there any dps charts anyhow? Winds of Death dps is by no means impressive. Personally I don't recommend using it, but in early levels it's fine. Something like the will and fortitude buff scales a lot better into later levels though than winds of death, imo. I've seen a few charts, there are a lot of variables concerned but I don't think guns are near the top for any chart, they're best for burst. If I had to guess, there aren't to many builds going over 100 dps against single targets. Rogues and monks can get fairly high, and shapeshifter druids. A firing line supported by "Sure handed Ila knocked her arrows with speed" is an interesting thought, but my parties are always melee heavy so I have no idea if it works.

I think a lot of people just don't like how passive they are, definitely not a MC class if you want to control your MC quite a bit during battles, but a powerful class nonetheless.

Hoping the OP is still an as of yet incomplete list of problems that will be fixed. Didn't see anything about Torment's Reach on there, and I'm hoping to do a monk playthrough at some point with it not being op. Also, it looks like wall of draining is being looked at, but there was no mention of the main issue with it. Which is that you can't walk out of it's effect once you've been hit by it. If many characters get hit by it then it drains them nonstop until it goes away, no matter how far out of it they walk. Not only does this mean you can no longer buff these characters at all, it also usually tends to completely kill FPS. It is nice they may fix the fact that this can lead to 300 second duration arcane veils on enemy wizards though....

Which is why I always avoid using heavy shields on my Chanter, so that Dragon thrashed has a good chance to hit. But I usually use a buckler instead of going 1hand, in late game Little Saviour is a lot better to use than having a bit more accuracy, imo. That said, this topic is about soloing. No matter what you do, you'll never kill stuff fast enough on an offensive style spec to solo PotD Toi, that's why they're stacking as much defense as they can, to live as long as possible while stuff slowly dies to Dragon Thrashed.

The first time I beat the Adra Dragon, back when the game was released, I kited him for about an hour while plucking away at him with some crappy hunting bow on a monk. Now it only takes me like 15 seconds to beat him... lol.