Kaylon

There are 4 bows worth mentioning: - Persistance (ch.2) - highest damage bow vs single targets in the game (even vs high DR) - which can be enhanced even more with Combusting Wounds (Ring) and Predator Sense pet - Sabra Marie (ch.2) - casts unresistable confuse (base 9s) on critical hits - becomes VERY VERY strong when durgan enhanced and coupled with twinned arrows and a potion of Merciless Gaze - you can turn impossible battles in easy fights with this bow - but probably impossible to obtain as a solo ranger - Stormcaller (ch.2) - strong vs targets with low shock DR and vs packs of trash mobs which can be tanked by the pet at choke points - Lenas Er (ch.3) - highest perma stunning potential because its defense debuffs stacks (you can lower a target fortitude by 20-30 with it) - strong vs single targets and at choke points

The pet is very fast and you can pull monsters one by one using him and kill them (when you have enough space of course). The pet doesn't have to tank vs tough monsters, you use him just to draw their attention. He pulls let's say 3 monsters and when they see they can't catch him they'll give up and will return to their spot; at this moment the ranger shoots the one left behind and the monster will try to attack the closest enemy to him which is your pet; the pet runs away again, the monster gives up, you shoot him, etc... repeat until death.

The ranger is one of my prefered classes and in open spaces the ranger is really good and can solo indeed most encounters - kill even the adra dragon - however I'm waiting to see a viable method to kill the alpine dragon as a ranger.

This bug happens also with the summoning figurines. This bug is however nothing compared to the perma invisibility bug...

Deprive the unworthy isn't that effective because it just suppresses the active buffs and since Thaos team has unlimited spells/buffs they get buffed back fast. It could help only after killing the Judge to remove his accuracy buff from the others. PS. Tried all the items giving spell defense and they don't work in my game.

Since scaled Thaos can be even more cheap and brutal than the dragons I thought it would be interesting to find a good method to kill him. Tanking him (video 1) is possible but not very reliable (various bugs mostly and sometimes rng can screw you badly if you don't play perfectly). The second method is to run and shoot them to death (video 2) since the map looks like it was designed for that . https://youtu.be/6oGAmsXep34 https://youtu.be/E8jh6m-fO9o PS. In my game the spellward amulet is bugged and I'm losing 10 more defense against spells. With it you could reach 100% protection against Cleansing Flame more easily.

It happens to me alot when I use a potion and if I switch weapons during the drinking animation. Also possibly if I'm charmed/knocked down while drinking potions.

Ok, here's a link with my save game: https://www.dropbox.com/s/td5ai1menkcyj2w/ab52a009b92248229b4de83969256156%2037915891%20SuninShadow.savegame?dl=0 PS. My character has 10defense against missiles (working as intended) and 10 against spells which should both work against Cleansing Flame...

Heart of fury uses all weapons equiped, those from inactive slots included. An aumaua can have up to 8 weapons equiped. If you have 4 targets clustered together then in theory you can hit 4*4*8=128 times other effects not included...

The Spell Defense Bonus (Spellward Amulet, Frigid Claim, etc) isn't working.

Keep in mind that guns are the slowest weapons in the game and their best use is as openers at the beginning of the fight. If you want to use them during all the fight then the best is the (elf) ranger because he's the only class who can reduce their reloading times enough to shoot at acceptable speeds. If you want a big fat opener at the start of the fight then paladins are the best. I recommend the goldpact paladins because of the combo: Flames of Devotion + Intense Flames + Enduring Flames + Scion of Flame + Apprentice Sneak Attack (and later you can add Sacred Immolation to the party). It does the most damage on hit of any class (rogue included) and with very high accuracy. PS. If you want the best damage in the game you'll be however forced to use the arbalests - the only heavy hitter that comes with the superb enchantment (because you don't want to spend 2 of the 3 ingredients you'll find in the game on a weapon that you use once per encounter ) .

Yes, if you want to minimize the risks - for example I can't be petrified at all in the videos. Yes, I finished all the quests, but don't imagine you'll simply walk in the middle of the packs and kill everything. You have to split them to defeat them - especially in the expansion. Wow, awesome videos! I think you may have already answered this, but is Wild Orlan necessary (because of the +10 to defenses)? It looked that way but I wasn't sure. It's recommended because the fear aura continuously attacks your will and you'll have nearly permanent +10 all defenses vs dragons.

Edit: Changed the alpine dragon video and used a more optimized build (no healing potions used) based on the fact that his attacks don't target your deflection. Also I'm showing more details in the logs during combat for people who want to understand what really happens.

Each dragon has different vulnerabilities however Drawn in Spring is the best slash weapon and also the best weapon against high DR enemies (over 15DR), overall good vs everything but Earth Blights. Also it benefits from the Flick of the Wrist talent which gives another +4 accuracy to daggers/stilettos.

Not only that, but the alpine also has Sneak Attack and Death Blows which means even a graze does huge damage when you get flanked or/and prone (that's why I tried to find a spot to avoid flanking)

My biggest issue against the dragons was always to avoid getting petrified by the adds because a single graze means game over (and in PotD adragans have 100 accuracy...). With the ranger I killed all the adds before attacking the adra dragon and used summons as meat shields vs adragans and I suppose a rogue can do it too, however this tactic doesn't work vs the alpine dragon...

Yes, the alpine is immune to any kind of stun, but not to petrify. Maybe you can petrify him using a trap and try to finish him fast enough. And what about the adds, how do you deal with them? How do you avoid to get petrified?

Yes, fast mode + dagger + durgan enchantments + potion of alacrity. Yes, if you want to minimize the risks - for example I can't be petrified at all in the videos. Yes, I finished all the quests, but don't imagine you'll simply walk in the middle of the packs and kill everything. You have to split them to defeat them - especially in the expansion. PotD (you can see it at the beginning of each video). PS. I didn't use Concelhaut's spell because it's bugged and can one shot the dragons.

For people wondering if the dragons can still be soloed in 2.03 here are my new videos: - vs adra https://youtu.be/j5g_bmRfAIk - vs alpine https://youtu.be/TKrA1BvcQDI

Replace Mental Fortress and Unstoppable with Bear's Fortitude and Body Control. Body Control is better because it helps against stuns, paralysis and petrify which are fatal in a solo game since you can't heal/fight. VS other afflictions types you have items or you can use Liberating Exortation to supress them. Mind controlling afflictions aren't a problem because the enemies stop attacking you and fear isn't a problem anymore once you have Righteous Soul. At lvl13+14 you need Sacred Immolation+Scion of Flames which will transform the Endless Paths in a walk in the park. Once you're lv13 you can lower CON to 3 (with +3 from belt, +3 from resting at Caed Nua and+2 from food you'll have plenty of endurance) and increase your INT to 18 to be able to clear big packs of enemies at once.

Scale breaker should be used to lower enough dragon's defenses in order to be able to debuff him with your strongest spells. One of the best CC to use against him is blind - which can be cast by many classes (Sunbeam, Searing Seal, Curse of blackened Sight, Eystrike, Blinding Strike) - not only it will lower his defenses and you'll be able to hit him, but it will also root him in place. From here you can keep all your party out of his breath range and attack him only with long ranged weapons/spells. You could give to anyone in your party scrolls of stag horn and he will drop in a few seconds...

100% quest completion is certainly doable the pacifist way - vs the toughest enemies you can pick the right answers and avoid the fights (all dragons quests and other hard encounters can be completed without a fight). A dragon slayer achievement - where you kill alone a dragon - would make more sense to me.

There's however a quest which allows you to customize a weapon with some unique enchantments.

In Caed Nua you send your pet stealthed alone at the door near the throne (which will open) and you can use him to aggro all the room and pull them inside the hall while the ranger can pick only one to kill (from behind). When the pet is dead and if the ranger is out of sight (once you kill one of them you run back to the entrance) the fight will end, the mobs will return to their place and the pet will be revived (in the hall) and you can repeat the procedure. I believe you can't split the last 3-4 and you'll need a trap and 1-2 fan of flames scrolls to kill them. In general the pet shouldn't tank at all, you just send him forward to split groups and draw them one by one to the ranger who kills them while they try to catch the pet.

For a melee character I would pick crush for a two reasons: - common damage type - it helps in many fights (including tough ones) - there's no better enchantment vs crush - against any other damage type you can find at least one item type giving +5 DR against it For a ranged character I would pick pierce - common ranged damage type (archers) attacking deflection (low on ranged classes)