Hebruixe

It takes a lot of time and balancing, almost every encounter in Deadfire would need to be redesigned to allow for spellcasters having access to all potential spells. This is in addition to Deadfire already needing to fix broken or weak options and make PotD more difficult. That removes all but 6 grimoires from the game, which means that they would have to design many new spells to make a reason to use grimoires in the first place. Limited in what way? Giving them all their spells would be equivalent to over doubling the amount of ability points they have available to them if they didn't get passive abilities, with 1 passive ability poer power level in addition to knowing every spell single class casters would become superior to any other class in terms of versatility and power. Why do they deserve them and why only those three classes? As it is, Priests and Druids already get 1 more active ability per level while Wizards get 2 per level they can change at any time. 1. You're making this up. Nothing needs to be rebalanced in reaction to what I suggested. The fights have already been designed with the knowledge that all possible spells, and any combination of them, can be used by the player. Because players can already do this in the current state of the game. The balancing factor (which is unaffected by my suggestion) is the fact that you only get 2 casts per level per encounter. Your claim that giving casters access to all their spells would somehow unbalalance things is false. 2. If that means that only 6 grimoires remain in the game, then that's just fine. Grimoires will become highly coveted loot drops. They'll be special for once because they offer wizards unique spells that can't be learned upon levelup. I can see this only as a vast improvement over the current system where the grimoire is essentially just a crutch needed by a crippled class. Furthermore, I think it would be a good outcome if, as you implied, Obsidian had to develop more new unique spells to put in more grimoires. 3. Halve the number of ability points that Druids/Wizards/Priests get upon levelup. Or quarter it. I'm not sure what the exact "balanced" percentage should be, but I'm sure Obsidian can figure it out. Since Druids/Wizards/Priests will only get passives, they won't need as many ability points to spend. So they won't get as many. Simple. 4. I'm not opposed to the idea of giving all single-class characters, regardless of class, automatic access to all their abilities. I just felt that requesting that was a little too ambitious for this thread. If it was up to be I'd let single-class Rogues/Ciphers/Barbarians/Paladins/Fighters/Chanters/Monks/Rangers automatically gain all their active abilities instead of just Druids/Wizards/Priests. Because to me it seems that only multiclass characters should be required to choose a limited selection of abilities. Multiclass combinations need to be carefully balanced. But single-class characters shouldn't have to suffer the same penalties, restrictions, and limitations.

It doesn't take a lot of brainpower to come up with solutions to these problems. 1. Grimoires can change function. For example, put only unique spells (like Nannasin's Cobra Strike) in them. Wizards now have have a meaningful choice when it comes to grimoire selection, as it determines which unique spell(s) they gain access to. 2. Limit the number of passives that can be chosen by Druid/Wizard/Priest so that their options fall in line with other classes. Problems solved. Let's give single-class casters access to their entire spell trees, like they deserve.

Thanks, Antman.

Single-class characters shouldn't suffer the same restrictions and limitations as multiclass characters. Single-class druids, wizards and priests should not have to choose which spells they get upon levelup. They should gain access to all spells (just like in Pillars 1). The "limited spell selections" penalty should apply to multiclass characters only. This makes the best sense both mechanically and lorewise. Single-class characters should be allowed to truly master their chosen class, since they forfeit the advantages of multiclassing. And it's not like permitting this will ruin class balance. It worked just fine in Pillars 1.

Yeah, that's pretty lame. Obsidian is going through this dumb design phase where fun bonuses have to be accompanied by fun-killing penalties. Because LOL, THAT'S BALANCE! /facepalm

1. Make pet enter stealth 2. Send pet to edge of map far away from battle 3. Kill enemies 4. Let pet join you again

I want to see a Sci-Fi spinoff that takes place thousands of years in the future...a time when electromagnetic technology is sophisticated enough to rival magic powerwise. I want to see an "Arcanum style" conflict between the magic of the old world and the technology of the new world. In Eora. They could call it Pillars of Infinity.

Yes, it's friendly-fire capable. It will hurt your allies. But it's still totally worth buying.

These are the only places Adra Ban can be found, according to the deadfire wiki: Flooded Cave (Ofecchia Channel) Engwithan Titan (Poko Kohara Ruins) Xakoras' Tomb (Poko Kohara Ruins, Engwithan Waystation Level Two) Collapsed Coal Mine (7° 49' S 57° 16' E - left of Motare o Kozi) Vailian Embassy, Luca's room, hidden stash (seen with 17 perception, might be less required) [x1] Engwith ruins on Maje island, hidden burial room of the architect, unlocked with a medalion [x2] Old City, Neketaka, Ondra's Temple, room with giant worm [x1]

I don't think Deadfire is a bad game. I've had a lot of fun playing it. But I do think it's a bad sequel. There are a number of glaring problems. It fails to deliver a proper in-game transition between the end of Pillars 1 and the beginning of Pillars 2. It stupidly discards progression continuity between the two games, without any kind of serious or logically consistent explanation. (Why is the Watcher reverted to level 1? "Because...uhhh...his soul was drained by Eothas...!" Why were Eder, Aloth, and Pallegina reverted to level 1? "Because...uh...um...gee, we didn't expect anyone to notice that...well, just because.") /facepalm The main story ("Hunt a god and save your soul!") is short, shallow, and badly written. Honestly, Deadfire should have been a spinoff rather than a sequel. The protagonist should NOT have been the Watcher of Caed Nua. It should have been a brand new character. Because Pillars 2 sure feels and plays like a spinoff. Too bad they never realized this. I'm still a fan of the game. Which is why I care about its flaws.

I'M SO MAD ABOUT THIS THREAD

Done right, sex can add a lot to story and drama. The problem with sex in Pillars 2 is that it's presented rather artlessly and vulgarly. It's like the writers were trying to prove a point ("We're not afraid to talk about ****ING!") rather than add depth and intrigue to romances.

I usually mute voiceover so it wouldn't bother me at all.

I really miss the old system.

It may be common but that doesn't make it good. An example of good is the progression continuity between Baldur's Gate 1 and Baldur's Gate 2.

It's been explained that the reason the Watcher reverts to level 1 is that Eothas drained his/her soul. But Eothas didn't drain the souls of the 3 companions that return in Deadfire. They weren't even in or near Caed Nua when Eothas emerged! So why don't our old buddies Aloth, Eder, and Pallegina get to stay at max level? Is there any logical lore-friendly explanation for why they have to start over at level ~1? Or did the developers simply assume that nobody would notice or care?

Actually, there are paintings of nude people upstairs in the Wild Mare. I couldn't believe it when I saw the tiny nipples.

I haven't really played WoW since MoP ended, years ago. I played a lot of Pillars 1 (steam says I have 792 hours on record) and have played my fair share of Pillars 2 since it came out (199 hours on record). I've never played on a difficulty lower than PotD, so maybe I've never seen a situation where having my tanks deal damage instead of take damage is viable. To me it seems that having a tank with high survivability is extremely important. Sacrificing DPS for that is usually the smart tradeoff. I just wish the Unbroken subclass had been designed with that in mind.

Let's talk about some of these bizarre tradeoffs that are offered by the various subclasses. To start out, let's examine some GOOD subclass, ones with tradeoffs that are balanced and desirable. First the Assassin (Rogue). The Assassin gets bonuses to penetration, accuracy, and critical damage when attacking from stealth. The tradeoff is a +15% penalty to all damage sustained. This is a classic "glass cannon" design, which gains DPS at the cost of survivability. It's fair and balanced and desirable. Another example of a good subclass is Fury (Druid). They sacrifice their healing spells for bonus penetration, range, and a superior shapeshift form. You can debate whether or not this sacrifice is worth it, but that's up to you. The fundamental design is good. Trading healing/survivability for DPS is conceptually fair and balanced. Now to examine a BAD subclass. First off, the Lifegiver (Druid). Normally a well-designed healer specialization is the inverse of a glass cannon. They sacrifice DPS for an increase to healing/survivability. The Lifegiver has 2 penalties, one of which satisfies this criteria: (1) Lifegivers can't summon minions. That's fine. If this was the only penalty, then Lifegiver would be an excellent subclass. (2) After shapeshift ends, Lifegivers suffer a -5 penalty to the power level of all healing spells (permanently, until the end of combat). This is insane. What kind of healing specialization is this, that's able to cripple its own healing abilities? A terrible one. Another example of a badly designed subclass is the Unbroken (Fighter). This is supposed to be a "tank" specialization, meaning they sacrifice DPS for defense/survivability. Unbroken gets some modest tanking bonuses: +1 engagement and Shield Mastery (+1 armor). But they also get a mediocre DPS ability, increasing penetration on disengagement attacks. This is fairly pointless, as most tanks deal very little damage. And the tradeoffs for these mediocre bonuses? Unbroken take penalties not to DPS but to defense (!) and mobility, which are two essential tanking traits. What the hell. Who came up with this terrible decision? The -15 penalty to Reflex seriously outweighs +1 engagement and Shield mastery combined. Thus choosing Unbroken for your subclass essentially makes you a inferior tank. What terrible class design. Sharpshooter (Ranger) is another subclass that is supposed to be a glass cannon, but suffers a needless penalty to its DPS: slowed recovery time. It may not be a huge, game-breaking problem, but it is another symptom of the fundamentally flawed reasoning behind Pillars 2's subclass design. These are just a few examples, to illustrate my grievances. But it doesn't end there. To me it seems that virtually all subclasses have serious design problems. Sometimes the bonuses are too weak and the penalties are too severe (e.g., Black Jacket Fighter). Sometimes the tradeoff exists only to support a single multiclass combination (Beguiler Cipher), instead of being an independently viable subclass. Sometimes they take away half your spells just for sh!ts and giggles (see all Wizard subclasses). The list goes on. The bottom line is that it's usually a bad idea to choose a subclass. Not always, but often. Because instead of offering intelligent tradeoffs that allow you to specialize effectively in a given role, the subclasses tend to punish and handicap you for no good reason. I hope class design will be reevaluated in the coming months. Thanks for reading. Despite my complaints, I am a big fan of Pillars 2. I care about the game because I love it and I want it to be the best. -A fan

One of my biggest disappointments was that I had to leave my favorite soulbound weapon behind. Since Berath's Blessings already exist to make early game easier, why not do everyone a favor and give us the option to start with our choice of POE1 gear? Those who want it can take it, those who don't want it can leave it. No damage done. Please consider it.

I think it's extremely likely they're create another sequel. The real question is whether or not the franchise will continue after that. It depends heavily on how good Pillars 3 turns out, which is uncertain at this point. They might push out a crappy game to get some easy money. Or they might invest in a bigger and better title than ever before. It's up to them, and the long term health of the franchise depends on their decision.

Yes, they are still powerful. With the right build, they actually surpass their former glory in POE1. Single-class Ascendant Cipher is the way to go. This subclass is totally broken and awesome. Crowd control is still very effective. When you get Time Parasite, it's Game Over for all your enemies. You basically become Neo from The Matrix. You can spam all your spells with no cost and almost no cast/recover time. Put Disintegrate + Recall Agony on all enemies around the battlefield. Relax and watch them melt into oblivion. Or spam Amplified Wave for massive AoE damage and knock downs. I recommend the following build: Race: Hearth Orlan (10% of hits converted to crits, as long as you're targeting the same enemy as an ally is targeting) Origin: White that Wends Weapon: one pistol in main hand, with offhand empty. (Thundercrack is a great pistol, especially with Overload enchantment. Google it!) Proficiency: Pistol. (Greatly increases reload speed, at the cost of accuracy. Only use this modal if your chance to hit is 86% or greater after activating it. Use Borrowed Instinct to get above 86% if possible.) Battlefield Position: Ranged (hiding behind entire party). Never melee. Might: 15 (-1 due to Hearth Orlan) Constitution: 3 Dexterity: 18 Perception: 18 (+1 due to White that Wends) Intelligence: 18 Resolve: 3 (+1 due to Hearth Orlan) Must-have spells: Whispers of Treason (cheapest single-target crowd control available) Draining Whip passive (makes it much easier to reach Ascended status) Recall Agony (30% increase to all damage taken by target) Pain Link (25% of damage taken by target ally is reflected back to ALL ENEMIES around him -- perfect thing to cast on your tank at the start of battle!) Borrowed Instinct (+20 to accuracy, increasing success rate of your spells, and helping you generate focus faster and more reliably) Ringleader (AoE charm that can turn the tide of battle when enemies are grouped in a cluster) Amplified Wave (massive AoE damage + knock downs) Disintegration (massive single target damage-over-time) Stasis Shell (long-term stun that can remove deadly enemies from battle until their friends are dealt with) Time Parasite (vastly improves action speed and recovery speed...it's most effective when cast on groups of enemies, and can be spammed during Ascended for stacking bonuses) Shared Nightmare passive (vastly increases the size of all AoE's, especially when you have Ascended status) Death of 1000 cuts (strong damage-over-time spell that adds even more damage to all attacks inflicted on the target) There are plenty more spells and passives to consider, but I leave those choices to your discretion. Play around with the various abilities...you can always respec if you don't like something, or want to try new spells. Hope you enjoy Ciphering. I certainly did!

And this justifies the damage done to wizards' class design? That's like amputating a person's leg...and then telling them, "Hey, you may be a cripple now, but on the other hand it you finally have a reason to use a cane! At last, canes are relevant to you! (Something they never were before we chopped off your leg!)"

I like a lot of the weapon proficiencies. The tradeoffs are mostly very fair and desirable. But it sucks that they're tied exclusively to specific weapon types. For example, the dagger proficiency (+10 deflection, -25% damage) is excellent for tanks, but most tanks don't want to use daggers. Why force this dorky weapon selection on our tanks? Why not let us choose freely which weapon type we want to pair with these great tank stats? My suggestion is to rework all weapon proficiencies into generalized weapon techniques. Using my example above, I propose changing "Parrying Blade" (=daggers get +10 deflection and -25% damage) to something like "Riposte Technique" (=ANY 1-handed melee weapon gets +10 deflection and -25% damage). Using this logic, rework the entire system. Let us mix and match our preferred weapon proficiencies with our preferred weapon types. Allow us to stick with our favorite weapons and train to use them exactly as we desire! Obviously there are limits to how far this mixing and matching business can go. Bow proficiencies can't be applied to melee weapons, and shield proficiencies can't be applied to firearms. Lol. So there still need to be the 6 independent categories of weapons (bow, firearm, 1-handers, 2-handers, magical implements, and shields), each with its own unique list of generalized weapon techniques. Obsidian, I hope you will take this into consideration! Thanks! -A fan

While I don't find combat to be a boring chore, I do agree with some of your complaints. The removal of long-term health was definitely a bad change. I hope they reconsider it in upcoming months. If anything they should have made long-term health a more serious issue...requiring something more complex than a single night's rest to heal the damage/injuries. For example, knockout injuries should have required specific medical treatments to heal them. A splint for broken limbs...stitches for lacerations...skin grafts for burns...etc. The ship's surgeon could've played a role in this. It could've been a lot more interesting than backpeddling to generic RPG health mechanics. Sigh.