heldred
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Posts posted by heldred
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Yeah, I respectfully disagree.
1) Any class can own Nerisc with fire... um. just craft 5x scrolls of any of the following: Holy Fire, Meteor Shower, Great Maelstrom, etc. (super weak to fire). The only difference is, a Wizard could face tank it with 3 buffs and not need to leap around... or bother with Revku's gear.
2) Any class can own Nerisc... in a variety of fun and creative ways (without scrolls or consumables), it doesn't make the class design any better or worse, it is just tactically making use of the right gear and skills.
3) A SC Wiz can own Nerisc faster I think, especially with the right PL spec gear, buffs, skills, and grimoire picks... possibly stun-locking him with the right roll to prevent Llengths going off.
4) A SC Druid, dropping 2 Maelstroms and the right gear/spec shifted might be able to do it as fast as the Wiz, but might need to drop some healing.
To my earlier point, I think the priest class has a lot of junk... super slow buffs (recovery) and few signature spells, that everyone takes. Again, any class in the game can solo anything with some thought, including Priests, but it definitely wasn't a well developed class.
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1) Priests are nowhere near what they were in POE1... to be fair, besides Monks, what is a "clear" standout for performance? (opinion, moving forward)
2) Priests are perceived to be "fine" because of a few spells (BDD, SOT, T8/9 Signature spells, some summoned weapons, etc.)
3) Priests (without mods) are mediocre due to horrific cast and recovery times for a lot of spells, combined with multiple substandard spells littering every level
4) There are a handful of good spells and you ultimately end up with homogenized shi-te (that is French, for bad...) each play-through, regardless of deity
5) In addition, the Druid is in many ways a better healer... so that title is gone
6) Damage dealer? Well, my money is on a PL-ed Wiz, but that is just me... and let's not forget grimoires.
7) So what is a Priest good for? Besides being a trick build for Monks and other nacho-cheese fun (see point #2), I find myself hardly ever picking it since a Druid or Wiz does it better (and often faster). I guess role-play...
In short, nothing is going to change at this point in the dev cycle, but Priests were poorly constructed from the start and were probably overlooked due to a few standout spells or the stigma of being true deities in POE1. Can you play them and be effective? Absolutely, but that doesn't excuse the noticeable flaws in their design and implementation...
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Enjoy the game, but feedback is a gift:
HIT: Graphical and sound upgrades, definitely added to the combat experience.
HIT: Multi-classing choices definitely pushed me to play a few more runs.
HIT: Large selection of spells and abilities.
MISS: I miss the endurance and health system from POE1 - it was truly a brilliant idea. While we are at it, I'm not a fan of PEN and Armor system.
MISS: Main storyline was rubbish... as were the companions... too many sidekicks and not enough depth.
MISS: Consumables that replicate signature abilities... cheapens certain classes/spells.
MISS: Large number of useless (situational) spells and abilities.
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I agree with many of the points above... some random thoughts
Monk (Hel) / Rogue (Tricks) - I like trading the imperceptible reduction in DPS for added survivability (Offense Single 10 / Offense AOE 5 / Defense 7 / Utility 5)
Monk (Hel) - T8/T9 abilities makes this a difficult DPS class to overlook (Offense Single 10 / Offense AOE 7 / Defense 6 / Utility 4)
Barb (Zerk) - T8/T9 and carnage make for a potent melee combatant (Offense Single 8 / Offense AOE 9 / Defense 5 / Utility 4)
Druid (Shift) / Rogue (Street or Tricks) - Storms + shifted melee is potent... plus Druid offers great utility (Offense Single 8 / Offense AOE 7 / Defense 7 / Utility 9)
Pali (Bleak) / Rogue (Tricks) - Good DPS, decent support, and high defenses (Offense Single 7 / Offense AOE 4 / Defense 9 / Utility 6)
Fighter (Devoted - 2HS or Estoc) / Cipher (SB) - Good AP & ACC, flexible build, good defenses (Offense Single 8 / Offense AOE 7 / Defense 8 / Utility 7)
Fighter (Devoted -Pike) / Wiz (Blood) - Great defense, great AOE (Citzals), good accuracy, etc. (Offense Single 6 / Offense AOE 10 / Defense 10 / Utility
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If there weren't so many things completely resistant to Pierce (fully resistant is a stupid mechanic to any game), I still like Stalker's Patience.
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I would consider the following party (with the understanding you want all ciphers):
Cipher (sb) / Fighter (tact) - Primary Tank / Secondary CC / Secondary Damage / Buffs
Cipher (ascendant) / Mage (blood) - Secondary Tank (self buffs) / Secondary CC / Primary Spell Damage
Cipher (beguiler) / Priest (wael) - Secondary Tank (self buffs) / Main CC / Secondary Spell Damage / Secondary Healer
Cipher (ascendant) / Druid (lifegiver) - Primary Healer / Secondary Spell Damage / Support CC
Cipher (sb) / Monk (hel) - Primary CC / Melee and Spell Damage / Buffs
The group has lots of CC, buffs, self-buffs, regenerating resources, and some tankiness... For stats use Mig: 16-18, Con 8-10, Dex 8-10, Per 16-18, Int 16-18, Res 8-10... I would suggest weapon and shield until after level 10ish, then use what you want, but I like the extra deflection. For armor, go as heavy as you can until after level 10ish, then use what you want, but I like heavier.
For Fighter, take, Knockdown, Fighter Stance, Rapid Recovery, Focus, Tactical Barrage, Vigorous Defense, Conquerer, Armored Grace...
For Wiz take a couple buffs, like Spirit Shield, Mirror, and Veil., then take a Grimoire with Damage/CC...
For Priest you have good self buffs and some CC (wael), then supplement some damage spells Pillar of Faith, Shining, Pillar Fire... and 1 or 2 heals... maybe a debuff, but not necessary with CC
For Druid you have good heals (lifegiver), then grab some damage (insects, storms, and some frost/ice)
For Monk take swift furry, thunderous, duality, turning wheel, iron wheel, enervating, heartbeat
Key Cipher spells... mix and match, but helpful for everyone to have at least one buff, two cc, and two damage
CC: eyestrike, whispers, mental, phantom, secret, puppet, mind plague, ring leader
Damage: mind blades, silent scream, detonate, amplified, disintegrate
Buffs: pain block, borrowed, ancestors
Go forth, CC, cast damage spells, and have fun. By level 10ish, you should be unloading 1-2 CC, and 3-4 Damage Spells... later on (level 16+) just go all damage, since CC just slows you down.
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General conclusions are based upon three parameters:
1) Renewable resources: Monk, Cipher, Chanter, Wiz-Blood, and Fighter-Tact
2) Tankiness: Combination of inherent defenses (Fighter-Tact), buffs (Wiz), debuff-buffs (Cipher), passive heals (Chanter, Fighter), CC (Cipher,Wiz)
3) Damage output: Which needs to be in two forms... a) Efficiently doing damage for regular battles (Wiz), and b) High Pen and DPS for megabosses (Monk)
After playing multiple POTD runs, my thoughts drift towards:1) Monk-Hel (best option, due to upper-tier powers handling bosses, but weakness is you still need to manually build tankiness)
2) Wiz-Blood / Fighter-Tact (best versatility, good buffs, good defensive options, but need to build PL/AR-pen for mega bosses)
3) Fighter-Tact / Chanter-Troub (safe, but slower, with great passive healing and consistent resources)
4) Wiz-Blood / Cipher-SB (Wiz buffs + Cipher buffs/debuffs... this one has great potential, but blossoms level 10+... SB is for Megabosses)
5) Fighter-Tact / Cipher-Ascended (good overall option, could be swayed to make it SB for megabosses)
6) Cipher (would need to manually build tankiness, but T8/T9 skills would be great for bosses)
7) Wiz (buffs cover tankiness, but arcane dampeners can be rough... the T8/T9 spells are nice, but not needed for bosses, which is why multi option is better)
8)) Wiz-blood / Monk-Hel (This combo rocks most battles and without access to T8s/T9s its potential falls short on megabosses)
This is what comes to mind if we are talking Solo, POTD, and Megabosses. If you drop the megabosses, then anything is viable with thoughtful tactics and minimal cheese.
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1 hour ago, Franknstein said:
1. Skip the fight, I say.
Or bring along an assassin/bleak walker MC (max Might and Perception) with an arquebus. From stealth, weapon modal on, that one can one-shot most mobs on the street and re-stealth.
Skip the fight... what fun is that? The next thing you are going to tell me is you spare the lives of the Bardattos and the Valeros...
Gorecci Street is an entertaining, challenging fight that offers multiple ways to win (solo, party, from stealth, overlapping debuffs, etc.). I tend to always use a group and the easiest way I've learned to clear it at lvl 4 is with the "bow-salvo" approach to even the odds. Head-to-head, without any trickery or tactics is a rough fight, especially from the northern approach (a few bad rolls will end your adventure).
I can't fathom paying money to avoid a brawl
That should be a challenge: Pugilist or A Glutton for Giving Punishment (never talk your way out of any fight and settle all interactions with combat... maybe for POE3).
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Gorecci Street 101...
1. Level 4 Group (min)
2. Take 5 people (main + 4 mercs or main + eder + xoti + 2 mercs)
3. Come from the South (significantly easier than northern approach)
4. Enter in stealth
5. Move to South-West corner of the main screen (near the corner of the southern most house)
6. Primary weapon is (Weapon + Shield) / Secondary weapon is (Bow)
7. Start with BOWs... From stealth, target the nearest looter from maximum range. Everyone fire on first guy... he will only last for 2 salvos
8. Everything will aggro, but you have one less looter to deal with. At this point, if you have a tank, switch him/her to Weapon + Shield and position a little ahead of party.
9. If you have Slicken or Chill Fog (preference), NOW would be a good time to cast right in front of your tank or most forward character - Everyone else fire on the next approaching looter with Bow (should be 2 that are close and another 4-5 approaching). Take two shots max, and switch to Weapon + Shield
10. Spells... Damaging or CC are ideal to spam since most of the mobs are going to move closer to you (in a nice clump), especially if your Chill Fog has ruined their ranged casters/guns
11. Wolfpack tactics are a must, right until the last looter falls. Which means focus your weapons/spells on closing down targets, then moving to another target.
12. Stand in the middle of the square and savor the smell of blood, gunpowder, and low tide... better known as the smell of victory.
Honestly, it is one of the hardest battles in the game if you are unprepared or don't take it seriously.
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1) Main character: Wizard
>>> A great choice and some suggestions: 1) Use a shield, at least until level 10ish, 2) Use heavier armor, at least until level 10ish, 3) grab key buffs at level-up, like Spirit Shield, Infuse, and Llengs Image (low level defenses), 4) grab a damaging grimoire, that has all offensive (damage, dot, cc) spells, and 5) think about a specialization for keyword (Ice, Fire, Poison/Decay, etc., but usually Fire or Ice) and select the appropriate weapons (e.g., Magran's Ax = fire), and regarding specialization, 6) go Blood if megabosses in your future, or Vanilla for broader spell access, or Evoker for chance to double-cast.
2) Tank: Shieldbearer-Troubadour (found this on the forum)
>>>Another solid choice, that can still provide some offensive options. This combo's power ranking starts to subside slightly in the outer levels, due to slower DPS/Casting. However, renewable resources are great for longer battles (megabosses) and the survivability, coupled with renewing chants/spells is ideal.
3) Ranged dps: ??? Thinking bow ranger I have read mixed reviews on this class
>>>There is nothing wrong with any class (I like Ranger-Arcane / Wizard), but for pure Ranged DPS power... I would take a pure Druid or Fire Priest (since you already have a pure Wizard for main)
4) Healer: Any guidance would help
>>>You really don't need a dedicated healer, especially with your Shield/Troub in the mix. If you did want a dedicated healer, a Lifegiver Druid is quite possibly the best option... To give your Druid some additional firepower, a multi-class Lifegiver/Monk might be interesting, since it give you renewable resources for outer levels... especially if you have another pure caster for your #3 spot.
Just remember, there are no bad decisions and often times the "most uber" class may not be the most fun to actually play. Any of the choices above (made by everyone) will be fun. Enjoy!
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1 hour ago, Boeroer said:
But no matter how hard I try: I can't see a violin when looking at Riposte.
For Riposte... maybe
1) Two Foils or maybe one Foil and one Sabre facing each other, but one foil tip down and the other foil on target (pointed straight)
2) A foil extended out, facing the left side of the icon, pointed at around 45 degrees. Below the foil image is the gradually decreasing opacity at 90 degrees and 135 degrees it is barely seen.
Not great options, but maybe triggers a better idea. Thanks for the effort!
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35 minutes ago, Woopee said:
WoW only has like 3 stats on the character screen now. It's kinda sad.
Yeah, I dislike games with lots of hidden math or unavailable calculations.
I do realize each mob/target will have different impacts, but we should have a baseline available for everything.
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I am still waiting for a cup of coffee, so go easy if I miss the obvious... my question to the community: "What calculations do you wish were on your character screen (inventory or character)?"
I wish we had:
Chance-to-Crit (I feel like I have all sorts of stacking +% chance to crit, but I never really know how effective this is, unless I take the time to literally breakout a spreadsheet and hope Thelee or MaxQuest gave me the right math in an old thread. I would really like one place that shows +% chance to crit on melee and spells... I know it won't cover everything perfectly, but it would be helpful)
Chance-to-Parry (Again, it would be great to know how hard a character is to hit, even if it is a fair estimate)
Chance-to-Resist Melee (maybe we don't need these...)
Chance-to-ReflectSpell (we could combine Reflect/Resist into one category, but it would be helpful)
Chance-to-Resist Spell (see above)
Chance-to-Resist All (like Uncanny Luck skill... I can't recall if anything else is like this in game- maybe the least important)
Resistance to (Fire, Ice, Poison, etc. - e.g, Paladins are immune to Poison with Righteous Soul skill, is that an automatic 100% resistance to Poison?)
Category Resistance Ratings: (e,g,, Dexterity Afflictions = Weakness, Resolve Afflictions = Normal, etc.)
Category Resistance Bonuses: (e.g., Paladins receive +20 Defenses to Resolve, Might, and Dex afflictions)
By the time I reach mid-game, between stacking items and skills, I find it hard to tell what is impactful or what has lame diminishing returns. Ok, so if this information is sitting somewhere on my character sheet already, I apologize and blame it on a lack of caffeine. However, I swear I find myself asking these questions every time I play.
Cheers!-
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On 4/29/2019 at 3:02 AM, Boeroer said:
I think the base dmg of Delayed Fireball is quite ok.
I use the delay (which of course is a downside in general) for:
- moving party members out of the AoE. I don't have to wait with the cast.
- I can cast Delayed Fireball first and Pull of Eora after (instead of the other way round) which gives me a somewhat longer use of PoE.
- timing attack rolls from one wizard so that the rolls happen at the same time (or close). What I mean is: if I fight some enemies with healing it's better to have attack rolls with not too much pause in between. So I can cast a delayed and a normal fireball and they go off at the same time, making healing in between impossible (and possibly killing the targets).
- what I didn't test but which might be a good use of the delay: if not the casting but instead the explosion breaks stealth (?) you maybe could first cast two delayed fireballs and another dmg spell right from stealth (remember the 85% recover bonus you get from stealth).
I think the damage of Delayed Fireball (DF) is substandard, for a couple of reasons...
1) I think 4.5 sec cast time is crazy for spell that has an inherent delay (should be 3.0 secs like standard Fireball, but just an opinion)
2) Same old Penetration of 7 (compared to standard Fireball) - yeah I know, every spell is basically Pen 7, but it could use a bump here, if no increase in damage
3) It does do higher base damage (compared to standard Fireball), but you need to consider a player can spam 2-3 spells (with 2-3x the chance to hit or crit) in the same time it takes to cast and wait for this spell. It feels like this spell has a 5-6 second delayed explosion (or maybe I am impatient... scratch-that, I'm impatient), but I couldn't find a tooltip or online reference to the precise delay... more hidden Obsidian math
Anyway, I suppose the use of DF comes down to play-style. For me, the edge-cases of casting from stealth or timing with Pull of Eora are interesting considerations, but become less important in a game where most battle are settled in under 10 seconds (post level 10ish, when these spells become available).
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I know this topic has evolved, but returning to the original questions and considering the valuable insight as the string progressed, I find myself thinking about:
1) Delayed Fireball is rubbish, due to its absurd delay and the number of options that hit as hard with no delay. This should do higher damage or enable the timer to be set with Spell Shaping mechanic (no AOE, just long or short timer - even then should do more damage). It really is pointless in a game that moves relatively quickly and dynamically. In turn-based, it would be like the spell going off 4 rounds later. I know Delayed Fireball doesn't work this way in turn-based, but it shows how stupid this spell truly is. I can't think of a situation where I would want my damage to be delayed, since I can always wait and buff, de-buff, cc, etc., until mobs align better.
2) Focusing on a specific type of damage is fine (Fire Caster, Ice Caster, etc.), but it should be a bit more efficient. Last night I was starting a new party and I was thinking of designing a decay/poison Wizard. There are spells for levels 2, 3, 5, 6, and 9... which is very limited (gaps in a third of the levels). In addition, the level 9 (Concelhaut's) option is an inferior spell (higher level than Cipher Disintegrate, which basically does the same thing... this doesn't compare well with other T8/T9 options). In short, a caster should have a key specialization option at every level, even if CC or Debuff... huge gaps are not fun, but more of a quality-of-life fix that could be adjusted with a Mod at this point.
3) Penetration on spells is fine for most of the game, but with the introduction of Megabosses, casters fall silent because: 1) Incredible defenses, with Fortitude, Reflex, Will, etc. being very high to hit... not impossible, but difficult with finite resources, 2) some insane Armor ratings to overcome for one boss, and 3) the enormous amount of hit points these bosses have, when combined with the other factors, make finite spell casting vastly inferior to melee in this setting.
As I go through the game, picking off god challenges on POTD, I find myself going back to multiclass-melee-casters, with a focus on renewable resources (pair with: cipher, monk, chanter, tactician, blood mage), since a pure caster really has a tough time reliably contributing to megabosses. I have yet to see a video with a solo or group of casters take down Owhe or Doru, without degenerating into buffing up and melee. To be clear, casters are top-tier in 98% of the game, but with the emergence of megabosses, casters need to fall back on a secondary class for melee survivability (fighter, paladin), or spec to have access to defensive buffs (trickster-rogue, wael-priest, wiz-martial-grimoire, etc.), and bring reliable, consistent weapon damage (mythic weapons, helpful weapon specializations, accuracy/penetration buffs, raw-damage weapons, DOT-raw weapons, unique weapon setups, damage/type options, etc.).
In summary, there really is no fix for megabosses, other than relying on melee. However, I think 1) Delayed Fireball needs to be adjusted in patch, and 2) there should be more damage options for every class and damage type (probably a mod).
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Single Class
Druid (fury or vanilla) - Lightning/Storms focus (Godlike Nature) - Lord Daryns / Deltros Cage (Weapon and Shield whatever you want)
Priest (wael) - Ice or Fire (Orlan) - Blackened Plate (looks evil) - Griffin Blade or whatever you want + shield
Wiz (evoker) - FIre focus (Dwarf) - Devil or Crimson Panoply (looks fiery) late game - Magrans Ax + shield
Wiz (blood) - Ice/Decay focus (Elf) - Casita, or Guardian Plate (look icy) late game - Sun and Moon + shield
Cipher (soulblade) - (Aumaua) - Patinated Plate (looks, um Cipher-like... yeah, I'm reaching) - Watcher's blade or whatever you want + shield - later game, possibly ranged weapon to quickly gain focus
Notes: All members use weapon and shield (primary), with shield skill to help with early level survivability Self buffs for wiz is helpful, turning it into your tank until level 11. At level 11+ your tactic becomes, 5x spells no buffs... everything is locked down from crowd control/debuffs or straight damage. When you hit level 16+, nothing short of a major boss will be left after 4-5 seconds. Max level, nothing slows a CPU more than casting: Maelstrom, Holy Fire/Symbol of, Meteor Storm, Kalkoths/Ninagauths, and Silent Scream/Disintegrate simultaneously... you can rinse and repeat and adjust spell selection based on range (but everyone should have farcasting and rapid casting skills). You can use heavy armor, since most fights are over in one-round and your casting time isn't too bad. Your Wizards can move to lighter armor faster, once you have core buffs of Spirit Shield, Arcane Veil, Displaced, etc. and you pick up Tough (a requirement). I don't like to dump stats too much, I would focus: STR 16-18, CON 7-8, DEX 10-14, INT 16-18, PER 16-18, RES 7-8 - The key is to have good damage bonus (STR), decent AOE radius and buff time (INT), and accuracy (PER). Some people might ask, where is the Chanter? My response... too slow. While waiting for chanter-phrases the battles are over. To be fair, recycling resources are very important for Megaboss fights... see multiclass party suggestion below. In summary, this party will eagerly fill your bounty-hunter, evil-doer roles will glee. This party, with a little patience past level 7ish (which can be hit rapidly with some online tips), will destroy all chapter and DLCs on POTD. Megabosses, will require some advanced tactics, but with some precision and expendable resources (potions, scrolls, etc.), anything is possible.
Multiclass - focus on replenishing resources
Pali (bleak or gold) / Chanter (troub)
Fighter (tact) / Wiz (blood) - Ice/Decay Focus
Cipher (soul blade) / Rogue (trickster)
Monk (helwalker) / Wiz (evoker) - Fire
Priest (wael) / Druid (vanilla or lifegiver) - Lightning/Storms
Follow similar guidelines above. All of these classes can cast, but the Pali becomes main tank (with slower casting/summon abilities with Chanter). Everyone has regenerating resources, except for your Priest/Druid, but this combo has LOTS of spells. Everyone has defensive buffs (Wiz, Priest) or they are inherently tough (Fighter, Pali), plus, you have good group passive buffs (Pali, Chanter) and healing options (Druid, Priest). For armor, you can go lighter than "plate" since everyone has defensive buffs. This group will have similar casting potential as the single-class group above, but it won't melt mobs at the same pace (Level 10+). However, this group will A) have an easier time below level 10, and B) when you want to tackle Megabosses, this group has the edge (for me - since on Megabosses I tend to move into melee/buff mode with overlapping heals). Final note, at least two party members should have Arcane 15 (added firepower) and my preference is on the Cipher and Pali (since they have less DPS casting potential).
While I'm pondering custom part compositions... what would be a great Megaboss slaying group (no repeat classes)...
Monk -- (renewable resources and access to skills: Resonant, Razers, Inner)
Fighter (tact) / Wiz (blood) -- (renewable resources and tanky)
Pali (gold) / Chanter (troub) -- (renewable resources and tanky)
Cipher --(renewable resources and access to skills: Time, Driving, 1000 cuts, Mindweb)
Priest (wael) -- (defensive buffs, but not renewable resources ... if we can repeat classes, I would swap this choice entirely or pair with Monk)
Just a thought... but there are endless options that are great, which is why I continue to replay the game, until POE3 arrives (/nudge).
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As I play this game more and more, my favorite groups have identical primary attacks. For example, I currently have 4 powerful casters and a Cipher(SB)/Fighter. The 4 casters unload death in 3-6 seconds and nothing is left standing (regular battles). My Cipher just stands there (melee-heavy build), since moving into the mobs would mean enduring 4-8 spells of AOE-damage from my own party. You could go with a ranged weapon, but for me, it never matches the potency of spell damage at higher levels.
What does this have to do with Trickster synergy? Well, I share Enoch's suggestions for a melee-focused party. If you have a caster heavy party, I would go Trickster/Wiz, Trickster/Druid, or Trickster/Priest, this way they can contribute to the primary spell-assault. I like Trickster/Wiz since you can focus on an all-offensive grimoire, because your defense can be managed by Trickster side. For thematic reasons, you could go with a decay/poison caster with Trickster, but generalist or elementalist work fine as well.
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Got it, helpful. I group all damage-over-times as a DOT, but to your point, it only works with Pulsing-damage (Chillfog).
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Combusting + DOT is the shining star of the Fire Wiz.
Question: If two different Wizards cast Wall of Flame and Combusting Wounds, would it really be 4x the fun?
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I find most enemy mages open with it. Just waiting a tic before buffing up can often minimize any damage it does.
You can also recast your buffs. WRT HoTs, Ancient Memories and Exalted Endurance will just get reapplied and ignore it.
This is exactly why, for everything outside of mega-bosses, I simply nuke first and skip buffing.
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Very helpful, thank you.
If I had to look at the Wizard alone, I suddenly realize being a Fire specialist (PL gear) is helpful, but not overwhelmingly great (non turn based). Am I missing something for the Fire Wiz... For a max-level Wiz, with the exception of Meteor Shower, most Fire spells are mediocre (I still like Combusting Wounds), slow, or don't have cool disabling effects (slow, paralyze, etc.).
As I reflect upon POE 2 (which I enjoy), I find the game would have been better if the player could choose "Types of Spells," like Blasts, CC, Rays, DOTs, Cones, AOE, etc. and then you choose a specialization (Fire Wiz, Ice Wiz, Decay Wiz, etc.) or be a Generalist (with no bonus to PEN and PL).
Seems odd there are gaps by spell level and type (no Level 9 Ice Spell, Not Fire CC, etc.). For example, if I am an Ice Wiz, I am missing spells for levels 2, 3, 7, and 9 (memory, don't hold me to that, but there are genuine gaps, like 30% of your spell levels).
I guess the game is more focused on Evocation, Illusion, etc., but even then I don't see are real difference between the damage spells for evocation (Fireball and Meteor Storm), transmutation (Ninangauth's), illusion (Kalakoth's), conjuration (Malignant or Death Ring), and transmutation (Noxious Burst or Concelhaut's Corrosive). They all do damage... /shrug.
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If you had to rank fire spells (defined as description includes "Fire" keyword), by effectiveness (defined as damage cast at Level 20, single or multi), what would you choose?
Positive thoughts:
My thoughts initially drift to the big-nukes of Great Maelstrom and Meteor Shower.
Second level blasting goes to Storm of Holy Fire or Pillar of Holy Fire.
Persistent damage I like Hand of Wael and Ray of Fire, but not stellar for me.
I like the simplicity of Fireball or the utility of Combusting Wounds (paired with a DOT).
Negative thoughts:
However, I find Delayed Fireball absolute rubbish. That spell should hit 2x as hard for the absurd delay.
I never use the Rolling Flame, since slower and doesn't seem to hit hard.
I find the freeze/ice spells are slightly better, especially Ninagauth's spells or some Druid ice spells in general (also Great Maelstrom has Ice keyword as well).
What are your thoughts?
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As a single vote of confidence, it all works for me, great work!
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Great work everyone! I am partial to skulls, so I am a fan of many of the martial icons.
My one suggestion... dirty fighting should be a kick/attack below the belt.
Dislike my party
in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Characters Builds, Strategies & the Unity Engine (Spoiler Warning!)
Posted
Hi there... it appears you like single classes, so my recommendations will revolve around that requirement. My single-class recommendation is:
1) Monk - this is arguably the most powerful single-class in the game. It hits hard from the start, has incredible T8/T9 abilities, and some of the best passives in the game.
2) Paladin - swap this instead of fighter, since it can tank just as well, buff, off-heal, and provide one of the best passive heals in the game. Won't be flashy, but can stop oncoming traffic.
3) Wiz - make this a blood mage, since recycling abilities/spells are important for some megaboss strategies
4) Druid - great healer, great speedcaster (shifted), consistent damage, great synergy with stacking PL gear (Lord Darryn's and Deltro's) and access to one of the best T9 damage spells in the game (Maelstrom)
5) Priest - becoming a cheddar prerequisite for some megabosses (Salvation and Barring), but still can add some buffing (slow) and healing (ok), while laying down spells that are replicated by scrolls. Access to T8/T9 powers are great ways to end standard battles in 10 seconds...
I know you mentioned a dislike for Cipher, but as a single-class, it has some of the most powerful skills in the game, especially in a party... Ancestor's Memory and Defensive Web are borderline broken in parties. Scratch that... broken if you build around this skills. Cipher is a consistent contributor start to finish, especially if spamming Mind Blades, Whispers of Treason, and later Ringleader... add in Disintegrate and Death from 1000 Cuts (boss killer), and you have a great contributor to any team setting. I just played through on POTD Deadly Deadfire+ and without my CIpher, the megabosses would never have fallen... (side note of Salvation of Time, Barring Deaths, and Ancestors is crazy in group play). If you have no interest in megabosses, I would dump the priest. However, if you are completionist, I would chuck the Paladin for the Cipher (makes lower levels slightly more challenging, but in the end game, the Paladin offers nothing compared to the Cipher).
Hope this helps... and never be afraid to start over, you would be shocked how quickly you catch-up because you already know the game.