GuyNice

I'm ashamed to admit I didn't replay the game enough to catch this (I played several playthroughs simultaneously, but only finished 1). So thank you for posting it. Makes me appreciate Obsidian's craft that much more, and as an aside a good reminder to bloody pay more attention (and play to completion sooner) in Deadfire.

It works. You can clear the Confusion with the upgraded Clarity of Agony ability, though as a multiclass you'll get that relatively late. However note that the Monk's Thunderous Blows ability won't stack with the Berserker's Frenzy, since they both bestow the same Inspiration. Right,thanks.How about the attributes?Other than might,what would be the other two attributes I should invest my points in? I would max might (I believe you can get as high as 21 with race/background bonuses) and have int as the 2nd highest stat for Carnage AoE and self buff duration. Then a few extra points in con and lower than average resolve. Leave dex/per at 10.

biting whip is 30% additive damage to the base roll (it got nerfed from 40%) Sneak attacks is extra 30% on top of all the damage eg two handed style, lashes ect so sneak is far more powerful Where are you getting this? I was under the impression that Sneak Attack has always been an additive bonus. IIRC only Might and lashes are multiplicative bonuses in Deadfire.

Yeah that's another reason why I really like the Fanatic. However you get that skill at level 9 I think so you'll still have to go for a good while with the confusion on berserk. I'm planning to have Xoti in my party as a single class Priest. From level 5 he can give a smart inspiration to cancel out confused. Until then I'll have to position carefully and maybe use potions of Infuse with Vital Essence (also gives smart) to get rid of confused. I'm finally sold on Fanatic with Berserker. Just have to decide between Goldpact and Bleak Walker, mostly from an RP standpoint.

What I'm wondering about confused is, will your group buffs affect enemies instead of allies as well? Or is it just about your foe-only AoE affecting allies too? If your buffs still affect allies you could take Kind Wayfarer to heal them with Flames of Devotion to make up for the Carnage damage (and heal yourself of the raw damage you take). Of course once you reach Mental Fortress the point is moot.

Rangers are also perfectly capable of being melee combatants themselves. Especially if you take Stalker as your subclass. And as Yosharian said multiclass is a thing. Imagine a Stalker/Kind Wayfarer fighting side by side with their pet, buffing and healing it, along with with the rest of the party. Seems like a great frontline tank/support/striker. A formidable duo indeed.

Right now I'm thinking of making a Goldpact Knight (mainly from an RP perspective) but I'm torn on whether to make him a Berserker or Fighter multiclass. I like that Paladins can offset the confuse affliction eventually but it feels like it might be a hassle until I reach that level. Will his auras help enemies instead of allies? I'm not sure how it works yet. Then for Fighter I'm conflicted between regular Fighter and Devoted, simply because I want the flexibility to try out all the cool new weapons out there in the Deadfire. But on the other hand those Devoted bonuses seem really enticing. I'm not sure how much of that you can offset by switching weapons based on enemy armor ratings.

I wouldn't presume too much based on the beta evidence. Enemy armor ratings and unique weapon powers in the full game will determine which weapon types are 'best'. Also judging by Pillars 1 veteran difficulty, you should have no issue with a 'squishy' melee class. Just bring some good support (KW Pallegina, single class Priest/Druid, Chanter etc.) and you should be fine. If you feel too squishy just wear heavier armor. Cipher also gets some nice defensive powers (Body Attunement, Borrowed Instinct) as well as good disables, which should help.

I don't have the beta either but based on my pillars 1 experience and everything I've learned from reading up about Deadfire, if you want to be able to stand the front line and offtank, pick a Fighter (constant recovery, better deflection). If you want better AoE potential pick a Fighter (Cleave stance). If you want better single target dps potential, more micromanagement (going invisible, repositioning to take out soft enemy targets and cloaking out), pick a Rogue. I don't think either one is strictly "better", and fun is subjective. Just think about what you want to do. I for one enjoy micromanaging my entire party so I won't pick a MC with too much micromanagement involved. I also plan on playing PotD so I won't pick any squishy melee classes in my party.

apparently paladins dont have negative drawbacks anymore so gold pact can have auras Whoa that's big news for my planned MC. Is this confirmed? Do you have a source?

If you download IE Mod you can turn down the difficulty from PotD without disabling achievements. Google Pillars Nexus IE Mod. There is a text file that comes with the mod that details all the console commands. I think that would be the best course of action if you just want to get through the story without relearning the ins and outs of the ruleset.

I believe the Sicken affliction should trigger sneak attacks (I don't have the beta to test). However you won't be able to multi class 3 different classes (barbarian+paladin+rogue). Bleak Walker/Rogue should be a fun and interesting character however.

My main character that intend I to port over from PoE is a Barbarian, and I'm thinking of making a Berserker/Bleak Walker. RP wise, I find it an interesting direction to take given the big revelation at the end of PoE (I won't elaborate to avoid spoiling anyone, but if you finished the game you can imagine the mental implications). He would be a ruthless and aggressive leader, but not a sadist. Mechanically, Mental Fortress will counter the confuse affliction that Berserkers are saddled with when they Frenzy. Attribute allocation should also be synergistic, given that both classes can greatly benefit from high intelligence and might. A strong FoD is also nice for an offensive dual wielder. And good defenses from abilities like Deep Faith should be very useful for any dedicated front liner.

For general advice about Rogues you can search the forum, there are quite a few topic about it. Here is a recent one. As for the story companions, they are all useful and viable on PotD. They also start with more experience than the adventurers you can hire, so feel free to bring them along. They're also beautifully written and provide a lot of insight into the world. I do recommend always taking Durance with you, as Priests are extremely valuable party members. Grab as many of the story companions as early as you can before attempting any challenging content (like the temple of Eothas in Gilded Vale). I would focus on getting as many buffs (accuracy especially) for the party and debuffing enemies, which is especially important on PotD. Grab talents like Inspiring Radiance (+10 accuracy, stacks) for Priest, Zealous Focus and the Outworn Buckler for Paladin (+6 accuracy and +5 all defenses, respectively). Have 3 sturdy frontliners (they don't have to be fully defensive tanks, but instead bring a balance of defense and damage/utility) at least to grab attention away from your squishies, who should be buffing, debuffing, CCing and nuking as needed. If you're having a hard time after the early game use summons from items with Spell Holding. Remember that the beginning is the hardest part of the game, excepting a few particularly difficult (optional) encounters. So don't get too discouraged, as things tend to go more smoothly by the time you start act 2.

Is there any chance this could be fixed via modding? This weird interaction always irked me. Would be nice to have an interesting Staff build. It also annoys me that Durance doesn't get an accuracy bonus for Staves via the deity talent. It really doesn't match the lore very well.

I really like idea. It fits thematically. The only thing to consider against it is that your chanter may that be ver limited by what he finds. There might be a way to buy those though. I also like this idea. It could work exactly like Wizard spells - you pick some on level up, and find others from books (instead of grimoires). Or perhaps instead it could modify/buff phrases you already know - especially lower level ones, to keep them competitive with higher level chants (since IIRC in Deadfire chants will no longer be tiered based on duration). Could even add a few unique chants tied to powerful enemies, like the unique spells found in Cragholdt.

I feel like Resolve could use some more utility. Maybe if concentration was more important. What if it also increased casting speed (reduced recovery for spells and abilities)? Or if enemies had higher interrupt scores on average. The latter could be rather annoying, however.

Can't go wrong with Tidefall....ever. I used it last playthrough, so in this one Pallegina will be rocking St. Rumbaldt. Obsidian designed some delicious weapons

Yeah that talent always felt like a trap to me. I hope we see less of those in Deadfire.

It's true that fast attack weapons struggle against high DR targets, and gain less from damage buffs than slower, higher base damage weapons do. That said, they are not too far behind. Stack as much DR bypass/reduction as you can - Vulnerable Attack modal, Ryona's Vambraces, Expose Vulnerabilities (Wizard spell and/or Golden Gaze proc). You can also sacrifice the Devil of Caroc for 1 DR bypass. With those you can get 9-15 DR bypass (Bleak Fang comes with 6 DR bypass) and 5 DR reduction. The latter is even more important as DR reduction will help your lashes penetrate armor, while DR bypass does not. There are also several unique fast weapons with properties that elevate them closer to their slower cousins. Drawn In Spring with high Might score is one of the best 1handers in the game, and it's fast (wounding enchant double dips Might buff and deals Raw damage which bypasses DR). Vent Pick has DR bypass, a free Durgan Steel enchant, and 15% chance to proc Flames of Devotion. The Unlabored Blade has Speed, Mythic enchantment and a chance to proc a very powerful AoE (Firebug). Spelltongue gives insane speed to any weapon you have equipped via Time Siphon.

I know what you mean. I usually skip Barbaric Blow on my Barbarian, especially if I don't have her use two weapons (or a 1H + Bash shield). Aye, me too. But now this fancy-looking "Heart of Fury" has started poppin' up each level-up, haha. Definitely do not skip out on Heart of Fury. Dual-wielding or not, the way it interacts with Carnage leads to INSANE results. A must-have if anything is in the Barbarian arsenal.

I know what you mean. I usually skip Barbaric Blow on my Barbarian, especially if I don't have her use two weapons (or a 1H + Bash shield).

Even better, if you charm Ogre Druids they will often use Plague of Insects on their former allies

Seems solid overall. I do question the choice of Larder Door, the bashing actually lowers your dps since it's quite weak and replaces a weapon attack, especially if you don't utilize full attacks via FoD. Early on I would always prefer Outworn Buckler as a Paladin on PotD. Later I would go for Redfield or Little Savior. If you still want to bash you could go for Badgradr's Barricade, but that might be best saved for your Rogue, which would be nice to capitalize on all the Full Attacks they have. For maximum party support you can use Outworn Buckler on your Paladin and Little Savior on your Rogue (or any other shield user, preferably with high int).

You don't have to play 100% optimally to beat the game on PotD. Keep in mind there are people who play it solo or without 6 party members. I feel like going completely cookie cutter eliminates much of the challenge in the game, making many fights less engaging and thrilling than they would be otherwise. However I do understand the temptation to min-max especially if it's your first playthrough, or first time playing PotD. There is a ton of variety of builds and itemization in this game, and the balance is great considering how many variables they have to account for. It's a shame to disregard so much of the variety in favor of dual wielding sabres on every melee character. Although I understand the temptation. And like Torm51 mentioned, many scenarios still favor 2handers, especially before you reach very high levels and have all the "OP" pieces come together. Firebrand for example is tremendously powerful for how early you can get it. Tidefall and BotEP are superb and can be centerpieces for builds (wounding and draining is great for a melee Ranger, BotEP for a marking specialist, etc.). TL;DR: Dual wielding is better against low DR and towards the end of the game, but until then two-handers are just as viable and often better, plus variety is cool.