Zenicetus

But, but.... what about Rogues (melee, not ranged)? My melee Rogue needs a balance between attack speed and protection, to dance around the edges of the battle for sneak attacks. It's impossible to avoid getting directly engaged now and then, and there is also ranged attack damage to consider. And, er... the occasional trap I didn't notice in time, where a bit of armor has saved me from having to reload. I started my Rogue in leather armor in the early game before better was available. I'm currently in high-end padded armor (one of the unique Exceptional ones) and that's working well. On a related note, I have my tank in full plate, but the offtank (Pallegina) is in fancy scale armor for faster attacks. I actually want her doing some damage, compared to the tank who just sits there and absorbs damage without causing much in return. I'm no expert at this game, but it seems to me that mid-range armor is still useful for this kind of thing.

I'm using this, very narrow, just two spaces horizontally: X Rogue (main) XX Eder - Pallegina X Durance XX Aloth - Hirvais My Rogue main is always ready to scout ahead, and then drop back behind the front line when necessary. The melee characters aren't spread out too wide, so they can support each other, Durance is close for support, and there's a slot for my Rogue to drop back into, if necessary. I keep Hirvais in the back most of the time for casting, and he's ready to shapeshift for melee to pull aggro off Aloth if the rear is infiltrated. There may be better arrangements, and of course a plan doesn't always survive first contact with the enemy. But I like this for now. It's tight enough to be very easy moving through dungeons and interior doors, and still works well outside with the Rogue running around to help keep attention off the back line. P.S. just wrap the text in the code command and it shows like this.

It's not that hard to have one weapon set enchanted with corrode for general-purpose, and another with fire for ghosts, plants, and other fire-vulnerable things. More fun that way. "Okay everyone, get out your ghost-buster gear!" Of course, half the time I forget to switch. But it usually isn't fatal, since both are pretty good. I use spells when I need cold damage.

For some players that could be an asset in this game, because it reduces the micro during combat. All you have to do is make sure they're always hitting the target you want, and you can spend your time managing the spell casters. But yeah.... Sagani wasn't doing enough damage, and by the time I found Hiravias I really wanted his offensive spells more than her arrows. I'll go back at some point and finish her companion quest before the game ends.

I'm also playing a Rogue main, on a first play-through so I'm no expert. But if you've just reached the Stronghold and pining for a Paladin, I'd recommend continuing with Kana the chanter as an off-tank until you get just a little further into the game. if you continue into the next obvious location you end up in, you'll pick up a scripted Paladin companion. Just make sure to explore all the areas there, and you'll find it. That character has a side quest and more conversation than you'll get from a hired-from-scratch Paladin, and it's a good opportunity to learn how to use the different abilities. Kana does okay as an off-tank until then. That's how I learned what a Paladin does in this game, and I wouldn't have had a clue where to start otherwise. At least, not without a lot of offline research, and it's more fun if you figure it out in-game. None of the scripted companions you get are min-maxed, but they're all good learning opportunities for a first play-through of the game.

For me, it's one of things that would be nice to have, but I can see how difficult it would be to program in this game, with the huge number of spells Priests and Druids have, and all the conditional variables you'd want. I could see spending hours just trying to find the right settings, so my casters didn't run out of spells and my other classes didn't run out of abilities just when I needed them. I remember doing this in other games, and it's frustrating when the AI settings don't do what you want them to. So far, every class seems useful in this game, so it's easy to tailor a group based on how much micro you want with spell and ability selection. When every fight starts to seem too long because I'm mulling through all the spell and ability options, I just swap out a companion from the ones at the Stronghold, and go back to a more melee focused party. Right now I'm trying to decide between having two heavy casters in the party or three, because three (Wiz + Priest + Druid) is a lot of work. On the other hand, it's fun when the fireworks go off...

Can we get a confirmation of how that works? Anyone know? I'm also at that point where I have access to all the special faction merchants but haven't done the final commitment yet. There are still some things I'd like to buy from all of them, when I get a little more cash. It makes thematic sense that I won't have access after the final quest that locks me into a faction choice, but it would be nice to know for sure. Regarding the dialogs, I agree that it probably should have been a little more clear that accepting the second quest would be a lock-out for the other factions. I had read a little about it ahead of time -- don't remember if it was here, or on the Wiki -- so I knew it was coming and could watch for it. But it's easy to miss on a first play-through, if you're getting into the habit of accepting every quest you're offered. And yes, people should read carefully, but it's also still supposed to be a fun game. A break point into branching paths like this should be more heavily flagged. Not just an off-hand comment that the other factions may not like it. In most RPG's, a choice like this would be followed by a second dialog window saying "Are you sure? Because this means you won't be able to work with the other factions," or something similar. Maybe the devs and beta testers have played through this sequence so often that they didn't realize how easy it was to miss. It's also not entirely clear, by the time you can reach this decision, that all these factions are actually in direct opposition to each other. That may be another case of "assumed knowledge" that doesn't apply to those playing the game for the first time.

Well, it does give a Wizard something to do during the minor trash mob fights, instead of having to save all their spells for boss battles (or the larger mobs, at lower levels). That's especially true for a first-time play-through, when you don't know in advance what's coming up next, and how many higher level spells will be needed. A few "free" spells that are tactically useful in every encounter are better than just standing there and going pew pew with the wand, because you're scared to use up too many spells. It doesn't matter that you have so many available to choose from at higher levels. The lower levels should be fun to play too. I do agree that the system needs tweaking. That sudden jump at level 9 doesn't sound good.

Closer zoom would certainly help, and it sounds like the easiest way to improve things. Is that mod-able? Another idea would be to just highlight the 3D model of a character when you click on their portrait in the UI. Either an outline around the edge, or just a brighter glow so it would stand out from the group. That should probably be an optional setting, since some players might prefer not to see that. Or add a key binding to modify the mouse click, like Alt-click to highlight, or something. I agree about debuffs being hard to see next to the portraits. Separating icons on each side might work, but it would require spacing out the portraits horizontally to make more room. Another way to do it, would be to have debuffs appear lined up inside the portraits, along that same edge. Buffs on the outside, debuffs over the portrait edge, probably with a black background so they could be clearly seen. You'd really notice that, I think, and there would be an incentive to "clean up" the portrait.

For dual wielding, isn't there at least some advantage in alternating between two weapons with different damage enchantments and debuff effects? Or is that just armchair theory? I haven't tested it. Aside from that, I admit that I'm using a dw Rogue just because it fits my preconceived idea of the class, compared to running around with a pike or other 2h weapon. Works fine so far, but I'm only playing on Hard.

I think stealth is fine in this game, even playing as a main character Rogue. It just takes a leap of faith; accepting that this isn't a D&D/Baldur's Gate-style Rogue, and working within the game mechanics. Yeah, I miss backstab openers.... sneaking up behind the most dangerous Wizard in a room. But this is just different. I use stealth for scouting ahead of the party, to get the enemy positions and numbers. And for setting up an opening ranged shot, so it isn't just pulling the first enemy I see, but maybe a more dangerous one in the enemy group. After the fight starts, it's all positioning for the sneak attack bonus, and trying to stay out of engagement. It's just a different challenge.

Hmmm.... I'm in a bind on my PC Rogue, because I want both high stealth (for scouting) and high mechanics for role-playing reasons. I know I could have another "mechanic" in the party, but it doesn't feel right to have anyone but a Rogue picking locks and disarming traps. Oh well, I guess I'll just balance it between those two as I level up, with just enough in Athletics not to tire out too often.

Resting in dungeons may not feel realistic, but it allows players of different experience levels and difficulty settings to enjoy the game. It also avoids the need for cheesy exit doors and elevators at every dungeon level for the less-experienced players, which would seem just as unrealistic to me. At least with resting, there is some tension in managing your dwindling camping supplies as you go deeper. I just assume the party is resting in shifts, with one member always on watch.

I agree here and there with your other points, but this one I think I disagree with. Yes, there is overlap in the Priest spells, but they're spread among different spell levels, so you still have access to a similar function once a spell level depletes. I think that's the main point of the redundant spells. I like the scattering of offensive spells too, so the Priest isn't just a one-trick-pony throwing buffs, debuffs and heals. So I wouldn't want to see the other classes gaining more abilities at the expense of reducing and consolidating the Priest spells. With the current design, I only have to heavily micro (and learn) big spell lists for two classes -- Priest and Wizard. It keeps the other classes fairly easy to manage in combat.

I wouldn't say stealth is pointless, because it's still useful for scouting. My companions all have at least 2 in stealth so we avoid too many close surprises in dungeons, but my Rogue has much higher stealth. That lets me move him forward after initial contact with an enemy, and do a little scouting to see if it's just one, or a larger group. I like knowing what we're about to deal with, and just seeing a single enemy (with auto-pause on) can lead to nasty surprises. Fairly high stealth also gives me a little more freedom in positioning my Rogue ahead of the main party for an opening shot with a ranged weapon. Then I run back like a madman behind the tank, and wait for a flanking opportunity. Regarding Lore, that seems to be mainly for using scrolls in this game. I only put points into Lore for the casters, as a backup when they run out of spells. They're also at the rear of the party, where they're better protected against interrupts. It sucks to be a melee class trying to read a scroll in close proximity to the enemy, where you can be constantly interrupted. A melee Rogue is better off constantly stabbing or re-positioning.

I'm having fun with my melee Rogue main character. Stats are similar to yours, except you don't need that much INT: MGT 18 CON 10 DEX 19 PER 10 INT 6 RES 15 As the others mentioned above, I had to ditch my Rogue concept from other games like Baldur's Gate, where he acts more independently of the rest of the party. Stealth doesn't work the same way here. It's party-based instead of individual, and you can't get close enough to anyone for a classic back-stab opener unless you use Invisibility, which isn't always ideal. The Rogue in this game is more of a team player, working in synergy with the other party members while they set up your targets for sneak attacks with blinding, knck-down, stuns, etc. Make those spells and abilities a priority for the other party members when you level them up, and your Rogue can clean house. From what I've heard, it's even more effective to play your Rogue with ranged weapons, but I like moving my melee Rogue into position and avoiding engagement, even if it does require more micro-management. Just feels more like playing a Rogue that way. If it's a trash mob battle, I'll switch to a ranged weapon so it's a little less work.