Madhava

The worst group is noble, I'd say: No 2H option. No bow or firearm ranged-option. Redundancy; dagger & rapier are very nearly the same weapon. That said... maces are pretty decent. Also, accurate is very good, as weapon bonuses go. But I'd definitly prefer a club, over a dagger or rapier.

Pretty easy. Except for Nalrend the Wise. There is no room to kite inside that cave. I finished them all at levels 6 through 8, with a party of four (watcher = chanter, Eder, Pallengina, & Grieving Mother), on hard difficulty. In most cases, you can safely parade all of the opponents around the entire zone with a paladin or chanter speed-buff. Then just pick off stragglers using ranged weapons + figurine abuse + the occasional sacrificial phantom. Enemies will haphazardly lose interest during the chase (except the Dweller, he's always the fun one). After you've got a diminished parade, just turn around and focus-fire one of the persistant guys + use summons to block any extras, if needed. ^ Does not work with Nalrend the Wise. I had to reload that one a few times. Thankfully, stupid orge druids are happy to waste their spells on summoned wood beetles.

You can get one Effigy's Resentment talent during Blood Legacy. There's the Defiance Bay faction-specific talent... again, only one. +Perception from Song of Heavens (getting songbirds for Delem). One of two talents, depending on how you resolve At the Mercy of the Tribes. And a minor DR boost from saving Alwah from Noonfrost.

...ella, ella, ay, ay, ay... Come on, Adam.

I voted Aloth, although truthfully, it's a close call between Aloth, Kana, & Hiravias. Aloth('s primary personality) seemed rather weak to me, and also, I dislike managing a large number of back-row NPC casters. Kana was likable but bland, i.e. forgettable... although I do love me some chanters. Hiravias, I honestly never gave a chance. His voice was like nails-on-chalkboard to me. He basically ate a colon, and then got sidelined forever. And it was never quite clear to me, exactly why Hiravias wanted to join the party in the first place. As for whom I liked... Durance was fantastic, with great dialog & a great backstory, although it's understandable that his attitude makes him unpalatable to some. Grieving Mother was rather unique; she had me suspecting her to be a Tyler-Durden-figure, what with how the rest of the team couldn't quite see her. And the dialog with sacrificing Grieving Mother to the Skaen pit/blood ritual is just pure gold (although I reloaded after doing this, because GM was consistently a key member on my team). Eder is everyone's drinking buddy (also, second chance armor = very helpful). And Pallegina is not nearly as arrogant as her portrait looks. Sagani is the only one whom I've no opinion on. Like Hiravias, I didn't give her much of a chance. But I didn't find her annoying; I just didn't need/want a ranger on my roster.