Elric Galad

Against ghost you might just have your rogue use fan of flames scrolls, he is one of the better class at it. You might even go Sword & Board & Armor, he will still do Okay damages. As he is one of the rare class that can make good use of fast weapon, you can even give him a hatchet. +25 Def from Escape for 10s does not hurt either. His def would be more than warrior league for a while. Anyway as you said, ranged rogue is top tier early game. Ranger does not already have all his goodies at this point, so...

I was thinking about optimal weapons for rogue DPS, and I suddenly became interested in Spelltongue. The best damage mod for weapon is said to be Wounding. So basically Drawn in Spring is the best 1Hander. Then, leaving Lash apart (as any weapon might be applied a lash), the second best is known to be +20% Speed. Spelltongue does not have +20% Speed, but gives +15% Speed on hit. But these +15% appl to both hands. So if you're dual wielding with Drawn in Spring and another weapon, both get +15%. Spelltongue contribution while dual wielding is more or less equivalent to +30% speed for a single weapon. Stacking Spelltongue, Gauntlets of swift action and Durgan Steel, you'll be permanently at 0 Recovery for both hands (assuming dual wield style compensate for vulnerable attack, and no armor outside of durganized robe) Furthermore Spelltongue is a Noble weapon as Drawn in Spring, brings some utility to the table (like extending Escape bonus Def or buffs from teammates), and Rogue are very good with Fast weapons due to their damages bonus. So what would you think of Spelltongue & Drawn in Spring as Rogue's ultimate DPS weapon combination (leaving apart double Drawn in Spring from Helwax Mold) ?

I never respec on purpose. I always respec when I need (which might happen a couple of time per playthrough for the whole party). But the most important rule is : I never ever ever respec with a Wizard ! (one would loose her/his spells).

Durgan Steel is the real winner. It turned almost all soulbound items into subpar ones. If not my favorite is Little Savior. +5 all defenses party wide, only take left hand of a random backrow caster for basically no opportunity cost. You cannot go wrong with Little Savior. And stacks with helwaxed one.

Based on my experience, having a lots of casters is the easiest way to powergame, especially endgame, so : A - 2 chanters (dragon trashed specialized, sword & board) : enough for tanking. A bit of tanking makes life more confortable. Chanter + Paladin perform the same role with more defenses/healing and less AoE DPS. B - Triplet of vancian casters (Wizz, Druid, Priest), so you can access al the buffs, crazy CC, crazy everything. Druid is the least essential of the trio but Druid's buff over pirest's ones are awesome, and storm spells are too convenient to ignore. C - "bonus slot" : I used ranger for her single target DPS and pet's infinite healthpool. A good early game Martial character might be good, or maybe cipher for even more spells. Ciphers are especially convenient early game, but I didn't feel there were so powerful for endgame even if Mindweb deserves a powergaming mention. Other stupid ideas : A party with a lots of priests. Priest is arguably th best class, and playing a lots of them will free them from their buffing machine fate. Rising skyhigh defense quickly, then burning everything sounds good. Something like 3 chanters frontline + 3 priests backrow, maybe good enough to ignore Crwd Control. 6 Druids. Druids have probably the most well-rounded early game. Then the storm spells come into play and you can mindlessly steamroll everything. Maybe not very fun to play.

This game isn't that difficult, but to be honnest, the rules need a bit of pratice for something like first act. Understanding how the game works is basically the only not-so-easy task for a beginning. Then, for a good gamer you won't have any difficulty until : - a couple of endgame bosses - Path of the Damned. So you can freely raise difficulty up to hard, even if you started as Easy. And even Path of the Damned is not so difficult if you build your characters properly and understand the skills.

Now, I have officially retired from videogames (untill I'm able to play PoE2 in Polish, this is the pact I - freely- made with my wife )) But I will remember the threads on this forum as one of my best gaming experience. It was fun to discuss here between gentlemen (maybe a couple of girls too, he ?), exchanging technical arguments and (not so) stupid jokes. I wish the best to all of you )

Godlikes basically trade stronger racial ability (especially for Moon and Fire ones) against possibility to wear a helmet. SHIFTED DRUID looses all their item abilities when SHIFTED but not their racial ones. That's why I would say Moon and Fire Godlikes are probably an optimal choice for druids.

Now, THAT is called strategy. It's not like the "I'm doing everything at the same time and fail" of a certain Tormented game.

No big changelog. Just small changerogue.

Done

Icewind Dale 1&2 were 2 great competitors for the best music. Could be the best epic fantasy music piece ever.

The single most powerful build of the game is most likely Fire Priest indeed. I would argue that a support oriented (very high Int) fire priest with fire damages as backup is probably optimal: priest buffs are ridicuously powerful and Int is also nice for AoE and Duration of damage spells. Priest isn't less versatile than wizzard. It's just Party Buffs and Damages vs Crowd Control and Damages. Eothas priest is my favorite. Weapon talent is crap but weapons are unnecessary for priest anyway. Symbol of Eothas is one the best spell of the game and it does fire damages which combines nicely with Scion of Flames. Wizzard, preferrably with high accuracy and decent might, is also incredibly good. Then comes the Thunder Cat.

At high level, priest won't be swinging any attack most of the time anyway. So I think the best option is Sword and Board style. Small shield is nice to avoid Acc malus: high level priests get very strong damage spells. You should pick up a defensive one-hander such as Steadfast, captain Viccilor Anger (the best hatchet) or Yenwood sword (for this +2 Con). There are many priest builds that actually uses weapons. They might not be optimal but they are efficient and fun for sure !

So now, my own answers : World and Story : Best Story : Well... Planescape : Torment. I don't think I have to explain this one. Best Lore : I would propose Pillars of Eternity. Because it's original (not D&D), mature, deep, complex. Because they made glanfathan language. Because Nature feels like a force to be reckoned. I'm pretty sure Pillars of Eternity 2 will prove I'm right to believe in Eora. Best Protagonist(s) : Planescape : Torment. The Nameless One was great, complex, and all his companions were memorable to some extant. Because Dak'kon and his blade, because Annah was sexy and because Morte was so fun. Best Antagonist(s) : Icewind Dale 2. This one may be harder to justify, but I really thought Isair and Madae were awesome. The whole Legion of the Chimera motives and reasons to fight were pretty cool. They have a cause while you're just another random adventurer. They were an evil force which was not a caricature. The good guys started the war, but the bad guys were slavers. Dilemna. Sherincal was such a good secondary villain that she could have been the main villain of her own game. The twins also have very good lines. Irenicus is great, and especially well depicted, but I still prefer the twins. Mechanics : Best overall Battle Gameplay : Pillars of Eternity. This is a more balanced BG2. What to ask more ? Best Boss Battles : Baldur's Gate 2. The Dragons. The Five. A lot of challenges with epic music. Really superior encounter design. Nothing ever equalled this level of epicness. Best Character/Party Building Design : Pillars of Eternity. One could just read Boeroer multiple builds to get convinced. Best Itemization : Baldur's Gate 2. This game managed to create extremelly powerful artifacts which didn't brake the game while being very unique. Robe of Vecna, Flail of Eternity, and a crapload of rings and necklaces. Other stuff that contributes to one experience : Best musics : Planescape : Torment. Great themes, original and epic. Battle music is the best part of battle in this game. Best Visual Design : Morrowind. Because, after all, 3D matters. And from classical buildings to giant mushroom and chitinous armor, it was just perfect. More original than its successors. Best Interface : Pillars of Eternity. Just a more modern version of the BG one. Baldur's Gate 1 woud deserve this one by the way... Best Content : Skyrim. Because it filled just that huge. Because of freedom. You can get married, have children and a lots of house. You can hunt dragon priests. and there were 2 add-ons, just in case.

The topic about the 3 best CRPG was very interesting, so I thought it could be fun to debate about which were the best CRPG for various categories. Putting apart the "very best of the best" question because it has already been debated on the other topic, I propose following categories : World and Story : Best Story : The main story, the way it is conveyed, the ideas behind it as well as their development. Best Lore : The Universe itself, its consistency, with its people, legends, artifacts and cosmology. I would give to bonus to original worlds (Fallout or PoE) compared to License (D&D and friends) Best Protagonist (including companions for party based game) : because it's funnier to play heroes with personal link to the main story, or good character development with relevent choices. Best Antagonist(s) : Who would be Batman without the Joker ? Because "An ancient and evil force who seeks to destroy the world" is not that fun, it's good to have an interesting and deep villain. Or, at least, "An ancient and evil force" with good lines ! Mechanics : Best overall Battle Gameplay : Because, let's face it, most RPG are often about battles, preferrably tactical ones. Best Boss Battle : Because RPG is about epic battles. This is more linked to encounter design than the previous category which is more about regular tactics and mechanics. Best Character/Party Building Design : Because RPG is about getting stronger. Are you able to make unique Builds ? Are you able to get interesting abilities ? Are your commitment to a certain path rewarded ? Do abilities get good synergies ? This is what make character progression interesting IMHO. Best Itemization : The materialist cousin of character builds. From consumables to golden armor, from talking swords to cursed necklass, your strategy often rely on them. And it is also so much fun to get Also includes possibility to craft, and bind artifact to oneself. Other stuff that contributes to one experience : Best musics : Without music, RPG would be a mistake. Best Visual Design : Let's not say "graphics" to avoid gimping the elders. Which game do you think had the best visual direction ? The best buildings, nature, environment, creatures and effects. Best Interface : A good interface is like good slippers. It makes you feel home. Best Content : Because Hardcore players want big adventures. Replayability, hidden secrets, lots of companions, lots of children and a big manor. --------------------- Template for Lazy Copy-Paster: Best Story : Best Lore : Best Protagonist : Best Antagonist : Best overall battle gameplay : Best boss battle : Best Character Build Design : Best Itemization : Best music : Best Art Direction : Best Interface : Best Content : Best dialogues : Best "choose-your-own-adventure" factor :

I don't know whether this is sarcasm, but in case... We're not saying they are all craps and don't work. They are indeed good weapon and their abilities come on top of melee damages. But the thread is about discussing the most overpowered classes and build. And they are not. This is simple as that.

On crit effect (3s stun) are just weaker version of what Druids and Wizz do for breakfast on an AoE. Barbarian can apply it on an AoE. Not to mention that ranger can apply Stun twice per attack and on Hit rather than Crit. Rogue is the least versatile class. And what he can do arguably best (single target DPS), he can do marginally better than other class such as Ranger, Druid, Fighter and Monk. And it's not even easy to demonstrate that Rogue do better damages than Druid and Ranger ! As Boeroer says, it has been debatted many times, and no evidence were ever found that Rogues were superior. He's still weaker at everything less. He's not even as good as Fighter at taking out priority targets... (Ah, Charge !!) You should know that Rogue is consistently seen as #11 class by the community. https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/88395-what-are-the-most-powerful-classes-in-303/page-3 Furthermore, I suspect your judgement to be totally subejctive. You list monks as number #11 in your list saying they does not fit your playstyle. I don't like playing monks either. I don't like having to take damages to use abilities. But I can see why people love them and think they are very powerful. Maybe Rogue fits your playstyle. Rogue has a good early game and is not far below other classes. You may feel it good, and that's because the game is rather well balanced. But if you are trying to argue about the strongest class about experienced (and math-loving ^^) players, it is not likely that you'll convince them.

Why choosing between offensive and support priest when you can cast symbol of Eothas ?

I put my own fighter on this forum, but I admit it didn't get a ton of success : https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/91836-class-build-the-unstoppable-wave-siege-breaker-fighter/ From this experience however, and whatever build you choose, I strongly recommand the following combo : Disciplined barrage + charge + knockdown (preferrably dual wielding) This + general DPS passive (Confident aim, Weapon Focus / Mastery / Specialization, Armored Grace) will make your fighter fantastic at taking down any priority target. Sidenote : even with 10 Res, 10 Con and no shield Fighter, a fighter with a good armor almost never get down. Don't waste his/her DPS potential at making him defensive. A couple of high level defensive abilities (Unbroken, Unbending, Triggered Immunity) will do the job. I have no experience with teammate protection abilities such as overbearing guard. Maybe they worth considering...

TBH my expectations for that game have gone downhill throughout this path month. I'll probably play it once to check out MCA's character and George Ziets' work on the Bloom, then I'll shelve it (metaphorically) and never look back. Well, I'm currently playing it and I agree it is a bit disappointing. Not a bad game, an overall good experience, but not great either and a lot of flaws. And not close from Planescape, except from times to times for a couple of nice encounters. It seems the game was too ambitious. Console version, totally new game system, the tide concept, tons of promises... Stating "Torment" in the title might have been a bit over-confident. Pillars of Eternity seems to have been much more under control. They reached their purpose, and maybe a bit beyond. I have just watched "Road to Eternity" and it was really enjoyable to watch this bunch of passionate and talented people working together with a (rather) limited budget. Making a worthy spiritual successor of some of the greatest PC games ever was a true challenge. Even with crowdfunding, planning it is not enough to succeed. InXile did fail at it, even if Tides of Numenera is NOT a bad game IMHO. But congrats, Obsidian, because you did it !

https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/88395-what-are-the-most-powerful-classes-in-303/ So basically, Wizz or Priest are consistently seen as best class, with druid #3. I thought priest was 1st. Then I discovered priest damage spells. And now I am even more convinced. Special mention to Symbol of Eothas which is basically strong support spell mied with strong friendly AoE damage spell. And Rogue weakest.

I made a party where 2 chanters with shield (and dragon trashed) were the only tanks, they had only 10 Res and 12 Con and were only supported in this task by a Wolf Pet. To be honnest, you don't even need a REAL tank. Several "not too squishy" characters are better than a single uber tank. Still, a paladin fills the "Tank and AoE DPS" about as well. Immolation does about half damages as Dragon Trashed, also heals your teamates. Their support abilities are great. They tank a bit better, and can deliver huge damage with Alpha and Beta Strikes. Pallegina is especially suited in this role due to Wrath of the Five Suns. Auras, instant revive, lay on hand, coordinated attacks (especially when used with a marking weapon for an instant stacking Accuracy Bonus) are nothing to look down at. I think they gain as support what they loose as DPS. The only difference is that 1 Paladin is enough for any party while several chanters stack better. I would take Kana and Pallegina over Eder. Eder has way too much defensive stats. Fighters never die anyway, even with 10Res/10Con... In my experience, fighters are far more suited to take the offensive and smash priority targets while not caring about retaliations. Because, like the honey badger, Fighter doesn't care.

+20% damages, a worthless feat ? Even for martial class, taking it for your lash damages worths it. +5% multiplicative damage boost is an honnest bonus (that you'll pick after style and focus of course). I would be curious about what you think is a good talent then. Extra cast are among the mehest talents at high level, not to mention that on boss battle, you'll rarely swing your wand a single time. Caster classes have a damage type with excellent spells (wizzard : ice, druid : electrical, priest : fire), so picking this one talent is highly recommanded.

It's hard to imagine a better advice than "take a priest with High Dex, you're first PotD run will be safer" I won't lower Constitution below 10, because the first quality of a priest is to be alive. Perception is good only for damages spells, and you better have might for this instead. Might also works well for healing. I would even consider taking another priest if your main is a priest. The first task of priest is to be a buff machine, but their medium to high level damage spells are awesome. With one single priest your MC will mostly buff things. With a second one, you'll buff quickly and start spamming firestorms. For other advices : Act I is tedious, be sure to get a couple of scolls of fan of flames. Have at least one Hard crowd controller in your party. At least one Wizard or one Druid is a must. Chanters and Paladins are good supports and tanks. At high level they are also excellent (in the case of chanter crazy strong) AoE damage dealers.