Climhazzard
-
Posts
869 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Posts posted by Climhazzard
-
-
I'd be interested in knowing the answer to this myself.
-
This is my monk. This run was on hard so I had more enemies to destroy than you. The custom portrait was inappropriate so I removed that part. She basically solo kited the adra dragon to death yet it lists some other enemy as the strongest opponent defeated. I have no idea how or when Hiravias hit something for 191 damage, lol. The highest damage hit she did was with Torment's reach, I tested this a bit with dual wielding sabers and the crits jumped up into the 70-80 range.
Comparing the total damage to my other party members.
2nd place- Grieving mother -46379
3rd place- Hiravias -45154
4th place- Kana -28546
5th place- Eder -27434
Durance didn't do much damage and I switched him out a few times to do companion quests. Should be noted I was micromanaging my main character a bit more than the others.
-
The robes should only prevent the enemies on the upper floor from attacking you. It works if you just equip them on your PC because that's what I usually do. You should then be able to just walk by the priests and paladins, though sometimes they will stop you for questioning and if you give them an unsatisfactory answer they will attack you.
-
Just complete every quest for the faction, if you've already done so you probably have the talent and don't know it. Took me awhile to figure out why I had 2 extra damage resistance on my monk the first time.
-
1
-
-
At level 11 on hard I kited it around in circles for an hour with my monk after killing the adds. There were actually 5 standing party members after finishing the adds but all but my monk got caught in a breath attack. I just plinked at it with a crappy hunting bow for the entire time, for like 3 damage a hit, plus a proc my bow had. Between his 140 something defense, fear aura, and the fact my bow had no accuracy buff, I had around a 12% chance to hit, so it was time consuming and a bit nerve wracking.
If you wanted to bow kite with a build for it, I think Paladin would work the best, the fear aura would be less of an issue and your accuracy would be good with sworn enemy, 140 defense is still pretty high though.
-
I sort of thought that 20% hits to crits would make rogue a no brainer for a crit class, he has a much bigger crit range than other classes. Reckless assault is a permanent accuracy buff, not a temporary ones like wizards or ciphers are using. Rogues also get sneak attack, meaning they'll have the best crits. Just my 2cents.
-
Do the wounds build up pretty fast?
-
Get vulnerable attack on your monk, it helps a lot.
-
can you explain why do you prefer to give more points in resolve vs p? Doesn't that extra + to interrupt keep you from getting pummeled from groups of baddies, and the extra reflex and deflection assist you? I'm currently experimenting on my monk, but maybe one of my issues with mine was I couldn't find a happy medium for gaining wounds. I either wasn't getting wounds, or i didn't have enough health and i'd get killed in 2 hits. But I'm currently playing with 3 monks trying them out. I didn't know which talents to get so I missed a the 2 hand style since it didn't clarify fists fit into that, but I'm only level 4. I'll give this a try. You said you completed the game on hard right? I'm going to try this on my orlan who gain's extra crits to some hits when attacking same target as a buddy. That should also add more dps.
Orlan is a good offensive option.
I use resolve instead of perception for more balanced defenses, for will resistance + deflection.
High reflexes are good for many area of effect spells and breath attacks, so perception isn't a bad option, especially if you go with the pale elf option for team synergy. There are a lot of will saves you have to make in this game though, there are plenty of stuns and charms, among other things, so I prefer the balanced defense approach.
I did complete the game on hard, and with 3 melee, but it would have been hard without Eder tanking, there are monk tank builds, but mine isn't really viable for that, so keep that in mind. I used Kana debuffing with his fear aura as my 3rd melee.
-
Vulnerable attack is very good for dual wielding and fast weapons in general, not just for fists. Your damage range is around 20 anyways and most opponents have around 5 to 15 DR. Top this off with the two weapon style talent which negates the negative for vulnerable attack and you're golden.
-
1
-
-
Sweet, that's good to know! Thank you.
-
So, I have played monk an awful lot in this game, restarting my game many times to tweak my build, and since it seems like some players are having trouble figuring out monks, I decided to discuss the build I enjoy the most.
First of all, a bit about the viability of fists as your only weapon. I've done a bit of testing.
Running the game on slow mode, and using a stopwatch to approximate the amount of time it takes to finish 20 attacks. Numbers are with 10 dexterity and 10 might, using superb weapons and transcendent suffering rank 4. Dual wielding without the two handed style talent.
Fast weapons- 37.3 seconds -- 13-19 damage displayed -- x20 attacks = 260-380
Average weapons- 55 seconds -- 16-23 damage displayed -- x20 attacks = 320-460
Sabers- 55 seconds -- 19-28 damage displayed -- x20 attacks = 380-560
Fists- 37.3 seconds -- 18-23 damage displayed -- x20 attacks = 360-460
Accuracy will be equal as long as you are using superb weapons, though keep in mind a fists monk doesn't even need to find a weapon.
Assuming normal hits only and no armor, your dps ranges on slow mode are.
Fast weapons- ((260-380) / 2 ) / 37.3 = 8.85
Average weapons- ((320-460) / 2 ) / 55 = 7.08
Sabers- ((380-560 / 2 ) / 55 = 8.54
Fists- ((360-460 / 2 ) / 37.3 = 10.96
Note, these attack times are all while dual wielding, without the two weapon style talent. For giggles I decided to do one with the greatsword, without the two handed style talent.
Greatsword- 79.25 seconds -- 20-29 displayed damage
Greatsword- ((400 + 580) / 2 ) / 79.25 = 6.18
There is a lot more stuff to figure out obviously, armor and weapon bonuses, etc. But assuming I haven't made any big mistakes yet, in exchange for being unable to use additional enchantments, fists do, against unarmored targets...
28% more dps than Sabers
54% more dps than average speed weapons
23% more dps than fast speed weapons
77% more dps than greatswords
In conclusion, a monk martial artist using only his fists is quite viable. He'll miss out on some cool bonuses like endurance drain on certain weapons, but if you want to destroy with nothing but your fists, you can. I finished the game on hard using my fists and they work great. I would love to know the math for various armor ranges, like 5 10 and 15, but I don't know if I can do it, and it would take a lot of time anyways. Take vulnerable attack to counter the armor of opponents.
Ok, so on to my build.
Starting with stat scores.
16s-12c-16d-10p-8i-16r
Balanced offensive and defensive stats, enough intelligence that the range on torment's reach isn't gimped. I don't use swift strikes, I prefer using torments reach, force of anguish, and flaggelant's path for a more active playstyle. As you can see, I haven't min/maxed the stats, this is a dps build but you don't do any dps while dirtnapping, and it is my opinion that min/maxing creates weaknesses that are hard to deal with as melee dps. This also makes it a little more newbie friendly. Preferred race is human, as a monk your endurance will often drop below 50% and you'll become even more of a killing machine when it does.
Certain builds might prefer higher reflexes, for example a pale elf monk with wizard companions using fan of flames on you and your opponents, there is some synergy here because your wizard will be helping you get additional wounds in a controlled fashion while deep frying your opponents. For this try the following, and note that you will have low will saves.
16s-10c-16d-18p-8i-10r
On my next playthrough, I am going to make a sword dancer monk who uses sabers to maximize the damage on torment's reach. This build will be a bit squishier, but, with superb sabers, torment's reach starts to crit in the 70+ range on targets with 10 DR. My stats will probably look like so.
18s-10c-16d-10p-10i-14r
Up next is my preferred abilities.
Torment's reach- Monk area of effect damage. You can hit 3 or 4 targets at a time with this, the best way to line up damage with torment's reach is to attack enemies that have gathered around your tank. If you attack from the side you can hit several targets quite easily. Don't be afraid to take a disengagement attack in order to get the best use out of this ability, disengagement attacks will provide you with additional woulds to spend for blowing up more enemies.
Force of anguish- Very fun ability to use, strong crowd control you can use to protect yourself or party members. Get this or lesser wounds first.
Flaggelant's path- Teleport to any mob and do aoe damage, great for taking out pesky mages, or getting to team members in danger, I love this one. You get it at level 11.
Rooting pain- If you get mobbed, this kills weaker enemies by itself. Is probably pretty strong in combination with retaliation armor too, but I haven't tried that.
Turning wheel- Your auto attack damage goes up as you accumulate wounds. This ability is optional for this build, because you will be spending your wounds, but it can help with single target damage if you have a lot of wounds and are just spamming torments reach at the same rate you are receiving additional wounds.
Preferred talents
Weapon focus: Peasant- If you want to be a martial artist. If not, use the weapon focus of your choice, consider sabers for maximum torments reach output. I tend to pick this up at level 2, but some people prefer to hold off until the end of the game to pick the one that matches with the coolest weapons they've found.
Lesser wounds- Essential for monk dps, you really need to be able to spam your abilities. Get this as soon as you can.
Two weapon style- For the highest Full attack damage you can get for torment's reach, and the best dps in general, two weapon style is the way to go. I tested it a bit with fists, and have confirmed that it does increase their attack speed.
Vulnerable attack- Most opponents have enough armor to make this worth it. It is especially good for dual wielding.
Duality of mortal presence- Monk can't be played as glass canon, this talent helps you control incoming damage, turn it off if the mobs are weaker than you. Use deflection against enemies with more physic attacks, and "other defenses" against enemies that like to use spells. I tend to just keep it set on "other defenses", to protect against status effects.
Superior deflection- Again, I don't believe monk should be played as a glass canon. You need to have control over the rate you receive wounds.
Fast runner- Entirely optional, I just like running faster to high priority targets. And the deflection bonus helps a bit when I force engagement attacks to accumulate wounds, or when I purposely disengage from my opponent in order to help a squishier team member.
Second skin- Talent received for doing the crucible knights quest line, it adds +2 to damage resistance, which is helpful since I stick with relatively light armor. For example my monk can often be found in enchanted clothes or enchanted berathian priest robes. I also recommend using the blunting belt.
Tips
-You can purposely use disengagement attacks to acquire wounds faster.
-If you carry multiple sets of armor, you can equip the level of armor that helps you best control your wound accumulation rate and endurance. You don't usually need to wear heavy armor, but it's good to have the option readily available.
-There is no proper cone display for torment's reach like there is other aoe abilities, but be aware that when properly lined up it can hit several targets.
-Use force of anguish to prevent being overwhelmed by multiple opponents.
This build is an offensive build, so let your tank or tanks engage first, I prefer to run 3 melee when I have a melee dps class so that he or she is less likely to be overwhelmed. Try to get at least one guy to engage your monk so you can start accumulating wounds, if you are fighting weaker opponents, try to engage more than one. Monk is an active class that requires a lot of management to be successful, but once you get the hang of it, monk becomes very strong.
Anyways, there you have it. If anyone knows where and how to find some awesome sabers for my next playthrough, let me know! On my last playthrough I found a saber called resolution that is pretty badass, I am hoping to find it again but I'm not sure where I got it from, lol. 0.5 additional crit damage modifier and 20% of grazes converted to hits.
-
2
-
-
About the viability of fists, I just did some testing.
Running the game on slow mode, and using a stopwatch to approximate the amount of time it takes to finish 20 attacks. Numbers are with 10 dexterity and 10 might, using superb weapons and transcendent suffering rank 4.
Fast weapons- 37.3 seconds -- 13-19 damage displayed
Average weapons- 55 seconds -- 16-23 damage displayed
Sabers- 55 seconds -- 19-28 damage displayed
Fists- 37.3 seconds -- 18-23 damage displayed
Accuracy will be equal as long as you are using superb weapons, though keep in mind a fists monk doesn't even need to find a weapon.
Assuming normal hits only and no armor, your dps ranges on slow mode are.
Fast weapons- 260-380 / 37.3 = 6.9 - 10.8 6.9 + 10.8 / 2 = 8.85
Average weapons- 320-460 / 55 = 5.81 - 8.36 5.81 + 8.36 / 2 = 7.085
Sabers- 380-560 / 55 = 6.9 - 10.18 6.9 + 10.18 / 2 = 8.54
Fists- 360-460 / 37.3 = 9.6 - 12.33 9.6 + 12.33 / 2 = 10.96
Note, these attack times are all while dual wielding. For giggles I decided to do one with the greatsword.
Greatsword- 79.25 seconds -- 20-29 displayed damage
Greatsword- ((400 + 580) / 2 ) / 79.25 = 6.18
There is a lot more stuff to figure out obviously, armor and weapon bonuses, etc. But assuming I haven't made any big mistakes yet, in exchange for being unable to use additional enchantments, fists do, against unarmored targets...
28% more dps than Sabers
54% more dps than average speed weapons
23% more dps than fast speed weapons
77% more dps than greatswords
In conclusion, while I haven't done all the figuring yet, I think I've done enough to conclude that fists are quite viable. Also, for anyone wondering, testing speed in a similar fashion, I have confirmed that two weapon style affects the attack speed of a monks fists attacks.
-
1
-
-
You could probably make a pale elf reflexes monk and use fan of flames to accumulate wounds while deep frying enemies.
-
1
-
-
For a good monk build try.
16s-12c-16d-10p-8i-16r or 16-10-16-10-10-16 for better range on torments reach.
Balanced offensive and defensive stats, enough intelligence that the range on torment's reach isn't gimped. I don't use swift strikes, I prefer torments reach, force of anguish, and flaggelant's path. Play a human for best offensive results.
Preferred abilities
Torment's reach- Monk aoe damage, and you can spam it on single targets for good dps too.
Force of anguish- Very fun ability to use, strong crowd control you can use to protect yourself or party members.
Flaggelant's path- Teleport to any mob, great for taking out pesky mages, or getting to team members in danger, I love this one.
Rooting pain- If you get mobbed, this kills weaker enemies by itself.
Turning wheel- your auto attack damage goes up as you accumulate wounds
Preferred talents
Weapon focus: Peasant- Fists actually do great damage, I think sabers have the highest potential for damage with Torments reach though, so I'm going to try Ruffian on my next playthrough.
Lesser wounds- Essential for monk dps, you really need to be able to spam your abilities.
Two weapon style- Two weapons for highest full attack damage on torment's reach, it works with fists too, I tested it quite a bit to make sure.
Vulnerable attack- Most opponents have enough armor to make this worth it.
Duality of mortal presence- Monk can't be played as glass canon, this talent helps you control incoming damage, turn it off if the mobs are weaker than you.
Superior deflection- Same as above, except you can't turn it off.
Fast runner- Entirely optional, I just like running faster to high priority targets. And the deflection bonus helps a bit when I force engagement attacks to accumulate wounds.
Second skin- Talent received for doing the crucible knights quest line, it adds +2 to damage resistance, which is helpful since I like to wear enchanted clothes or enchanted berathian priest robes, and the blunting belt.
Tips
-In a 1v1 situation, move to force a disengagement attack if you want to accumulate wounds faster.
-If you carry multiple sets of armor, you can equip the level of armor that helps you best control your wound accumulation rate and endurance. You don't usually need to wear heavy armor, but it's good to have the option readily available.
-There is no proper cone display for torment's reach like their is other aoe abilities, but be aware that when properly lined up it can hit several targets.
-Use force of anguish to prevent being overwhelmed by multiple opponents.
This build is an offensive build, so let your tank or tanks engage first, I prefer to run 3 melee when I have a melee dps class so that he or she is less likely to be overwhelmed. Try to get at least one guy to engage your monk so you can start accumulating wounds, if you are fighting weaker opponents, try to engage more than one.
-
Offensive monk and barbarian are very viable for hard difficulty and below, haven't tried rogue. I try not to min max to much because it imo creates weaknesses that a melee dps can't handle.
Anyways if you are wondering about a monk build try
16s-12c-16d-10p-8i-16r or 16-10-16-10-10-16 for better range on torments reach.
Balanced offensive and defensive stats, enough intelligence that the range on torment's reach isn't gimped. I don't use swift strikes, I prefer torments reach, force of anguish, and flaggelant's path.
Preferred abilities
Torment's reach- Monk aoe damage, and you can spam it on single targets for good dps too.
Force of anguish- Very fun ability to use, strong crowd control you can use to protect yourself or party members.
Flaggelant's path- Teleport to any mob, great for taking out pesky mages, or getting to team members in danger, I love this one.
Rooting pain- If you get mobbed, this kills weaker enemies by itself.
Turning wheel- your auto attack damage goes up as you accumulate wounds
Preferred talents
Weapon focus: Peasant- Fists actually do great damage, I think sabers have the highest potential for damage with Torments reach though, so I'm going to try Ruffian on my next playthrough.
Lesser wounds- Essential for monk dps, you really need to be able to spam your abilities.
Two weapon style- Two weapons for highest full attack damage on torment's reach, it works with fists too, I tested it quite a bit to make sure.
Vulnerable attack- Most opponents have enough armor to make this worth it.
Duality of mortal presence- Monk can't be played as glass canon, this talent helps you control incoming damage, turn it off if the mobs are weaker than you.
Superior deflection- Same as above, except you can't turn it off.
Fast runner- Entirely optional, I just like running faster to high priority targets. And the deflection bonus helps a bit when I force engagement attacks to accumulate wounds.
Second skin- Talent received for doing the crucible knights quest line, it adds +2 to damage resistance, which is helpful since I like to wear enchanted clothes or enchanted berathian priest robes, plus the blunting belt.
Tips
-In a 1v1 situation, move to force a disengagement attack if you want to accumulate wounds faster.
-If you carry multiple sets of armor, you can equip the level of armor that helps you best control your wound accumulation rate and endurance. You don't usually need to wear heavy armor, but it's good to have the option readily available.
-There is no proper cone display for torment's reach like their is other aoe abilities, but be aware that when properly lined up it can hit several targets.
-Use force of anguish to prevent being overwhelmed by multiple opponents.
Anyways, I can assure you that, at least on hard, melee dps is quite viable. I generally have 3 melee in my parties, at least one is dps. My monk outdamages the casters by a fair margin, because of their rest limitations, I don't use cipher to much for damage though, mostly for CC. Barbarians also do quite well, but I don't like them quite as much so I don't know a good build.
-
Monk is definitely getting heavily underestimated, monk has enough base defense and crowd control that he/she can easily fight on the front line with an offensive spec while accumulating wounds for unlimited ability use. Maybe it's different on PotD but on hard my monk accumulated far more damage in my playthrough than my other characters, without excessive knockouts. More than double the damage out put of both the druid and cipher. Maybe I just hit on a great spec for monk, it's probably my favorite class right now.
-
Both Eder and Pallegina already have their own weapon focus picked.
So Eder for example, Mace/shield isn't ideal because he has the ruffian focus. There is an endurance draining stilleto you can find fairly early on that works pretty good for a sword/board combo on Eder though, it's just as good as a mace.
Pallegina has the soldier weapon focus, you'll be using a greatsword or pike instead of a an estoc. My preferred setup for Pallegina though is warhammer/shield (warhammer being the only one handed soldier focus weapon), then get that little paladin buckler that adds +5 to all defenses, the reason is that the buff from this shield applies to the whole team. There is a decent warhammer for sale from one of the copperlane merchants.
As for the other characters...
Durance, you need a priest but he does well without any specific setup, have him stand in the middle and cast that level 2 regen aoe spell, lol.
Grieving mother can spec for good ranged dps, say a crossbow with the reload trait and knight weapon focus, plus soul whip traits.
Hiravias has the peasant weapon focus i think? I'm pretty sure you can find a good hatchet with DR piercing, that and a buckler + druid form, will let him melee in a pinch. Otherwise you don't really need any specific traits to rain havoc with your druid spells.
I haven't messed around to much with the other 3 yet.
Berathian Robes (Raedric's Hold)
in Pillars of Eternity: Characters Builds, Strategies & the Unity Engine (Spoiler Warning!)
Posted · Edited by Climhazzard
Well, just kill them, it's no big deal unless you are having a hard time with them (if you are then Raedric's group will wipe the floor with you), the head priest through the locked door should be friendly to you.