Darkpockets

Out of curiosity, does the value of One-Handed Style change appreciably if using the Balance Polishing Mod's buff to the skill? I believe that in addition to 20% Hit->Crit, it also adds 20% Graze->Hit and 20% Miss->Graze. My preferred duelist vibe is definitely one-handed instead of dual-wielding, so I'm wondering if the BPM brings them anywhere nearer to parity.

Popping back into this thread to ask a question about how the Community Patch mechanically impacts Forbidden Fist. Per the CP notes, the ability Forbidden Fist has been turned into a "weapon attack," and I'm curious to know whether that's the same as a "primary attack," "full attack," or something else entirely. Asked another way, if I'm playing an FF Monk using a weapon, will the FF ability use that weapon's stats? Or will it use my normal Monk unarmed damage/accuracy/pen?

This topic reminds of a question I've had about Blightheart and the Chanter +1 phrase per kill bonus... would it count kills from spells that happen while you have Blightheart equipped, even if you didn't have the gun equipped when you cast the spell? I'm curious specifically if there could be some potentially fun shenanigans with a Black Jacket / Bellower multiclass. Empowered Eld Nary while holding Sasha's Singing Scimitar w/ Shocking Prelude -> no-recovery weapon switch to Blightheart -> start racking up kills & phrases from the Eld Nary bounces -> no-recovery switch back to Sasha's when you're full on phrases again. Would that work?

Much appreciated. Quite a bit of conflicting info out there.

Actually, two questions about Fighting Spirit, since I'm having a hard time finding clear answers from the Wikis: 1. Does the effect persist if you're healed up to above the 50% mark? 2. How long does Fighting Spirit last once triggered?

That... seems like a very fair point, yeah. Hm. Guess I'll have to consider how deeply I hold to my value of playing a Little Guy. 😅

Just to confirm, is this bug not addressed by the Community Patch or Balance Polishing Mod? Definitely a bummer, since it quite significantly limits one's species choice. Not that I'm too sad about picking Hearth Orlan, but still.

Thanks, Boeroer. Helpful to be redirected towards quarterstaff (I'd forgotten that rods/wands/scepters weren't great outside of Wizards in PoE). Also good to have my impression about priest subclasses' general sameness confirmed, even if it's a bit disappointing compared to Deadfire. What do you think of a 14/10/16/10/16/12 stat spread for a midline staff-whacking Priest?

I should say, I'm aware that consensus points to Priests being perhaps the most powerful class in PoE, so I'm honestly not at all concerned I'll end up underpowered. Much more interested in folks' thoughts on how to capture a Wael-ish vibe in how my Priest plays.

Howdy, all. From Avowed to Deadfire, I now find myself working backwards to a replay of PoE and a character I always wanted to take through the first game: a Priest of Wael. In Deadfire, Wael has its obvious niche as a high-defense caster (and debuffer, esp. with the Priest Rebalance Mod), but it seems to me that its identity isn't quite so clear in the first game. As far as I can tell, the only things that distinguish a Waelite from other Priest subclasses are: 1. A seemingly decent AoE debuff in Lesser Ark's Dazzling Lights... but only 1/rest. 2. Bonus accuracy with rods & quarterstaves. So... what can we do with this, in terms of builds, in terms of either flavor/theme or general efficacy? The Dazzling Lights suggest a debuffer, which, fair enough--but since we aren't choosing spells, that's not something I know how to build around, really. Investing in beefing up Interdiction, perhaps, and just becoming a really nasty crowd controller? How much PER would be recommended for making sure those spells are landing? I've got a lot more Deadfire familiarity than PoE1 at this point, so I'm used to PER being basically required for CC; with PoE1's inherent accuracy bonuses to spells, I'm not sure how much that changes the build math. I'm thinking something like 14/10/16/13/17/8 for stats, but I'm open to feedback. Would the above stats also lead to being halfway decent with rods? Might as well lean into those, since I don't think the front lines would suit the character. Other than that, I'm very curious to hear other mechanical suggestions for a Wael Priest, as well as recs for any gear that feels like it fits the role/theme.

That makes sense! I'll see how 10 in each feels.

If folks will excuse the little bit of thread necro, I'm puttering around with a couple of character ideas, and since one of them is a SC Bellower I thought I'd toss it into this thread instead of starting a new one. I'm curious about how much people tend to invest in a SC Bellower's defensive stats. I’m planning on doing my first PotD run (haven’t played the game in a few years, but I feel comfortable with the systems and with CRPGs broadly), planning on using a party. As I start to spec out a SC Bellower, it feels natural to focus on MIG/PER/INT in order to maximize the big nukes (and occasional status durations, as well as wanting enough INT to stretch out my smallish chant radius)... but then I feel like CON/RES will end up getting the short shrift, which puts me in a tough spot. After all, for a good long while my staple attack's going to be Thrice She Was Wronged, and that's a pretty short-range cone. If I'm a glass cannon, I don't think I'm going to be too happy about it. So, what do people think an ideal balance is? Definitely feels like a tougher needle to thread than the Bellower/Unbroken that's also currently in the running for me.

Makes sense! Thanks for the confirmation.

Simple question, but I can't find an answer for it--and I'm unable to test it at the moment for a handful of reasons. So, does the +5 INT from an inspiration contribute to the duration of the ability that provides the buff? For example, say I have a Fighter with 10 INT. When he uses Tactical Barrage, he gains +5 INT from Acute. Does the ability last for the base 15sec, or for 18.75sec, reflecting his temporarily boosted 15 INT?

Specifically, thinking I'll go with this spread (before Berath's Blessing): MIG: 15 (16, -1 Orlan) CON: 10 DEX: 8 PER: 18 (16, +2 Orlan) INT: 15 (14, +1 Old Vailia) RES: 12 (11, +1 Orlan) I'll report back once I give this variant of your build a try! ... which will be after I finish Avowed. 😅

Cheers, I appreciate the suggestion. If I go with this build, I think I'll likely max PER with a roughly even MIG/INT split below it. That way the focus is on hitting/critting, which will benefit both my Bellower damage and my Psion CC (not to mention, as you say, being able to tank myself up with nicer shields without suffering too much offensively). And the lower-than-max INT probably won't get felt too badly since Bellower really cuts down on my chant radius anyway. (I assume the way to go with Bellower phrases is to think more tactically about which party members and/or enemies are going to realistically be in your radius.) That is, of course, unless I go with Harbinger. The choice paralysis is real... but at least I know I'm going with Chanter. 😅 Actually, a slightly off-topic question on my last point: are there any Chanter multiclasses you feel don't work well? I don't see a lot of discussion out there about Cantors, Loremasters, or Celebrants--particularly the latter.

First things first, I've been delighted by the mini-renaissance of Deadfire builds lately. Very fun to hear Boeroer and Thelee on Aestus's Youtube channel. But, my actual question: if you were building a version of the Ceaseless Siren that leaned a little more into Chanter nukes, how much Might would you want? I'm thinking of going Psion/Bellower for CC/support on the Cipher side and big noisy nukes on the Chanter side--but having not played the game in a while, I'm not sure what kind of split would feel best. Would 15 MIG (after Berath's blessings) feel like enough, do you think?

Hey there! While this board game me some great advice on a Mystic of Wael recently that I definitely still might take out for a spin, I'm also wondering about the viability of an old(-ish?) Herald build that Nerd Commando cooked up on the Steam forums. The basic gist of his idea is that a Herald can dump DEX and still get by as a solid damage dealer & support because of how many instant-ish casts they get -- and with Brisk Recitation on, chants are growing rapidly in a way they obviously wouldn't for, say, a slow Skald. It seems really neat, and I was wondering if I could get input on some very slight tweaks to the original idea. I'm especially curious about these things: 1. Would having the self-buff of Courageous (from Hands of Light) really be frequently available enough in the late game that the long cast of Seven Nights could still be viable? 2. Does Brand Enemy really do decent damage? Does Come, Come Soft Winds? And apart from that, I'm curious about any general reactions to the build. Do the quick casts really obviate the godawful recovery? Would this be boring on a main character? Totally subjective, I know, but I'm curious to hear folks' reactions! Herald (Human) Chanter (Troubadour) / Paladin (Shieldbearer of St. Elcga) MIG - 18 / CON - 8 / DEX - 4 / PER - 18 / INT - 12 / RES - 18 1 - Sworn Enemy / Thrice She Was Wronged / Come, Come Soft Winds of Death 2 - Deep Faith 3 - And Hel-Hyraf Crashed &c. 4 - Zealous Aura / Weapon & Shield Style 5 - Divine Purpose 6 - [not sure what I'd take here!] 7 - Brand Enemy / The Shield Cracks 8 - Her Revenge Swept Across the Land 9 - Hands of Light 10 - Exalted Endurance [or Focus???] / Aefyllath Ues Mith Fyr 11 - Liberating Exhortation 12 - [The Long Night's Drink?] 13 - Practiced Healer / Seven Nights She Waited &c. And so on from there!

I appreciate the tips and tricks RE: Psion! Definitely wouldn’t have known a lot of those angles. Much to consider. On the subjects of both Psions and Beguilers (since neither focuses on weapon damage), do people have a particular “stat stick”-esque weapon they’d advise using? Honestly, now I’m just wondering if I should go single-class Cipher after all. So many good spells. 😅 Gotcha! Thanks.

I'd considered Psion, but I think I prefer the flavor of Beguiler, as well as having a bit more control over when and how I use my Cipher spells. Part of the appeal to me is that flexibility, and the Chanter-esque slow buildup of Psion seems like it loses that. Especially since the Priest abilities seem more like situational casts that I'll want to hang on to for the right moments, as opposed to the Cipher casts which I'll want to be tossing out consistently. I hear you on the Ascendant feelings, yeah. I definitely think I'm leaning Beguiler. As for rolling a separate priest... eh, it's possible. I might run with Vatnir, for instance. For the most part, though, I want to lean on the full story companions. One of the many non-ideal stipulations I'm bringing to this conversation. Gah, you're making this so hard! So many possibilities! 😅 I do plan on running with Swashbuckler Eder and Persistent Distraction, which does mean a lot of Perception debuffs should be getting tosses around -- at least at my melee opponents, and by the early mid-game. Tenuous Grasp... does look pretty decent, now that you mention it. Confused definitely seems less useful than Charmed, but throwing in Shaken is also a pretty good PL debuff, and... yeah, that combo of extremely good range and 20 sec duration is certainly appealing. I guess I could see taking either one as my early-game single-target CC. I like everything about Interdiction except for the crummy duration, really. Kind of ruins it for me. Restore I'll probably pass on just because I'm foisting healing duty on Tekehu, but the versatility of Suppress Affliction does seem nice. I'll probably go with Holy Meditation at some point, yeah. The annoying thing about AL2 is that the passives aren't even that great for this character -- it's almost all just weapon styles, and this Beguiler Waelite doesn't seem to need much weapon damage at all. Though I guess I could always use one of those picks to reach back and nab Lingering Echoes/Penetrating Visions.

I'll certainly consider it, especially as Eyestrike also has that nice Wael-y theme going for it. Hm. Now I'm a bit confused about which Cipher spells benefit from Hammering Thoughts, and which benefit from Penetrating Visions. Does the latter only apply to spells that deal Raw/Elemental damage, or does Hammering Thoughts just uniquely apply to Mind Blades because that spell targets Deflection? Seems like building around one or the other +PEN passive would definitely have an effect on my spell choices, but at the moment I'm not clear on which choices I ought to make. What else would you suggest for a damage spell, Boeroer? It seems that Amplified Wave is incredibly good, but that's an endgame ability for a Mystic. For the lower levels, would you take Soul Shock over Mind Blades? Or one of the weird Antipathetic/Ectopsychic beams, perhaps? Man, AL3 & AL4 have some really good spells! Tough choices, there. Thanks for that Disintegration trick. Definitely appealing. As for Psychovampiric Shield, I'm planning on running with Serafen as a Witch, and giving him those good buff/debuff combo moves: Psychvamp Shield, Body Attunement, Borrowed Instinct, etc.

Thanks for weighing in with some tips, Boeroer! How would you say this looks for the first 10 levels of a Beguiler Mystic? Doesn't include all the free Wael spells, of course. If I'm missing any really rad picks at these levels, I'd love to know. 1 - Blessing & Whispers of Treason 2 - Eyestrike 3 - Iron Will (or Penetrating Visions?) 4 - Spiritual Weapon & Mind Blades 5 - Phantom Foes 6 - Prayer for the Body (not that sure about this one...) 7 - Divine Mark & Secret Horrors 8 - Dire Blessing 9 - Psychic Backlash (or Hammering Thoughts, for when I'm falling back on the Wael-Rod or a gun against a boss?) 10 - Devotions for the Faithful & Pain Block (or Mind Lance...?)

Hey, all. I'm gearing up for a Deadfire playthrough, and I'm really interested in playing a particular class combo from a roleplay perspective: a Mystic (Cipher/Priest) of Wael. Now, from everything I've read this seems to be fairly non-optimal, but I'm okay with that. I do have a few questions, though, and would love input. 1. What's the state of Beguilers at the moment? A while back there was some talk of them being a bit broken, due to regenerating a lot more focus with Deception spells than it maybe seemed like they should. I saw something about that getting fixed, but I haven't been able to locate any specifics on how the subclass ended up. Is it still possible for Beguilers to basically ignore weapon attacks and generate all their focus with their Deceptions? 2. In general, do people think Beguiler/Priest or Ascendant/Priest is a more engaging/rewarding combo? The former certainly has more of that Waelite flavor, but Ascendant makes enough sense to be worth considering -- especially since Salvation of Time seems like it would make for some pretty badass ascensions in the endgame. 3. What are the crucial early-level spell picks for both classes? Especially for that first level choice, I'm unsure of what to go with that will be good for the whole game. Whisper of Treason, or Eyestrike? Holy Power, or Blessing? And for Ascendants in particular, are there any spells that are worth throwing out early in combat before ascending (like a Whisper of Treason on an enemy gunner), or should you always start by DPSing until focus is full? 4. What would the best Priest spells to round out this build be? I imagine mostly just the buffs; Cipher probably has debuffs and damage covered, right? Or does Priest have some spells in those categories that are good enough to still take? Divine Mark does seem solid... 5. Okay, last one. There's a good chance I'll just end up playing on Veteran, but would this Watcher be able to perform someone decently on PotD? I plan on using the story companions, I should note. Thanks, all.

So, how are people building Serafen? I know I've seen murmurs that he's not the most effective little dude, but I'd still like to give him a spot in the party. I'm particularly interested in any mid-to-front-line Witch builds for him. Very curious to hear what people have tried.

Thanks for the input, you two, it's very helpful. I'll probably end up modifying the "Healing Wall" build to be a flanking Skald with the same auras and chants, but who focuses on Killers Froze Stiff (obviously) and dual-wielding when he's not dashing around to Lay on Hands. On that note, what are some other good Offensive Invocations for a multiclass Skald? Thrice She Was Wronged and The Thunder Rolled seem to have such low damage... Does that scale up at all later?