Elric Galad

I agree this could be annoying for TB, but as stated in the initial post, the mod wasn't designed (and was absolutely not tested at all) for TB. TB is too far from being balanced anyway and I have not enough experience with this mode to commit Something about it : that's why I discarded it from my objectives. Please take into account that the Blood Mage nerf is a dedicated file that you can delete, as stated in the installation instructions : "- If you don't want a particular change, search the file with the corresponing name in the PillarsOfEternityII_Data\override\xxx\design\gamedata directory and delete it. "

1.2 Changes Greater Focus : +1 starting and max Focus per character level, up to +20 starting and max Focus Keen Mind : +1,5 starting and per character level,+30 starting Focus Complete Self : (minor buff) 50% +5 focus on Crit. This one should be enough. Brutal Takedown : Interrupt on Hit -> Interrupt on Graze (to give it more interest compared to Takedown Combo) Rooting Pain : +0.25 PEN per PL above Tier 4 (instead of nothing). The total absence of PEN scaling (passive usually does not scale) was annoying. Moon Godlike : 10 health +2/PL (I think it's pseudo-PL like Monastic Unarmed Training) so it would sit around 30 at max level. CP made it 10 health +1/PL This would be comparable to restore (except for PL scaling) but with much greater AoE. This 3x per encounter would feel enough, even if you don't control it. Maybe even a tad strong. It's around 100 party health for the price of a Helmet and Racial. Fire Godlike :(I have already set ashen skin to +4 Fire AR to match Pale Elves)+1AR under 50% -> +2Base Damages 2-4 -> 4-5Damage increase : +20%/PL ((I think it's pseudo-PL too), so ultimately close to fire shield. BalancePolishingModBuffs 1.2.zip BalancePolishingModNerfs 1.2.zip BalancePolishingSummonRebalance 1.2.zip I hope I'm done now (and I can finally release it on Nexus)

So for Godlikes, what I am thinking about : I'm trying to make the effect weak at low level, since you don't get good helmets at this point. Moon Godlike : 10 health +2/PL (I think it's pseudo-PL like Monastic Unarmed Training) so it would sit around 30 at max level. CP made it 10 health +1/PL This would be comparable to restore (except for PL scaling) but with much greater AoE. This 3x per encounter would feel enough, even if you don't control it. Maybe even a tad strong. It's around 100 party health for the price of a Helmet and Racial. Fire Godlike : (I have already set ashen skin to +4 Fire AR to match Pale Elves) +1AR under 50% -> +2 Base Damages 2-4 -> 4-5 Damage increase : +20%/PL ((I think it's pseudo-PL too), so ultimately close to fire shield. PEN scaling (from base 7) : +0.5/PL (so it would be comfortable at high levels).

Thanks for your feedback. However, I still feel that these abilities may be useful at low level but could be less significant later on. Do you guys think that a bonus based on class level (to end up around 20-30) could be OK ?

Yup, but as you say, it changes only for a couple clevel, mostly for SC because Greatest Focus is Tier 4, and is basically the only use for it. Do you actually use or for your builds ?

Also, I think that guns mechanics in PoE2 are very generous for getting starting focus. When you can double hit with Red hand or a Dual Mortars Full Attack and cast immediately after, I don't think that +10 Focus is going to make a relevant differance. Do somebody actually use these Abilities ?

Now that I'm thinking about it, all Cipher Focus talents are pretty bad. Complete Self isn't even the Worse. How much focus worth ? I usually consider following equivalence : 1 ressource pool point* <-> Tier 1-3 spells 2 ressources pool point <-> Tier 4-6 spells 3 ressources pool point <-> Tier 7-9 spells *bar special cases such as Focus and Phrases So given the focus cost of Cipher spells, I'd say that 1 ressource pool point <-> 20-30 focus. There are Abilities that provide +1 ressource. So Greater Focus and Keen Mind should provide around 20-30 focus instead of 10. 10 is bad. I would consider Something like this : Greater Focus : +20 starting and max Focus Keen Mind : +30 starting Focus Complete Self : (minor buff) 50% +5 focus on Crit. This one should be enough.

Well, Writ of Healing provides Enfeebled, so CON malus is redundant too. I don't say it's a bad idea, I'm just saying that for me it has the same number of problems of my current version (reduncy between 2 tier 9 spells vs redundancy between a spell and a given Equipment). I knew I had to make this spell foe-only (which would be a solution, I could even revert back to previous range) so we wouldn't be re-opening this topic

Death's Usher isn't great on its own, but since you get it in addition to Pallid Fate, I like it. It helps mitigating sitiuationl issue of Pallid Fate. Moon Godlike 3 procs healas much as a Tier 1 Priest spell. Even with better PL scaling from CP, it is still not much. 10 health per proc is OK at level 1, it could get +2 per level without feeling too strong I think. Fire Godlike : I'm hesitating between rising the health threshold to 75%, adding +1AR (for total +2) below the threshold and/or simply increasing damages. I have to check the PEN too, since passive usually doesn't scale. 12 PEN at level 20 would make sense, and if it requires 12 PEN at level 1, I'll do it (low damages could compensate). I've already set Fire AR to +4 instead of +2 (this is minor but logical, so they have as much fire AR as pale elves).

Don't know. I loved Skaen priest in PoE1 ("subversion, the scapegoat cousin of justice"), then I was disappointed when Skaen suddenly decided to SERVE Woedica. Yup, serving a Queen. I don't have much esteem for him since then Also, there is this description from Effigy's description : If the offering is accepted by the god - which is not guaranteed - Skaen will manifest in the effigy and become an utterly unstoppable and pitiless vessel of the god's power, immune to pain and imbued with a monstrous strength. Not very sure about reducing Healing, since it feels quite redundant with Woedica's Writ of Healing on same Tier (and taking Skaen spell as part of a Woedican priest would make sense...).

Sounds a bit better fluff-wise but a bit worse mechanically. I'm going to think about it

While we are here. I feel that Nature and Death Godlike are fine. And you ?

That's a fair consideration. The problem is that a Tier IX spell that feels redundant needs a bit more than just extra duration to be right (except INFINTE duration, but I start abusing it a bit too much). Even a 10m radius AoE would still feel a bit lacking... There would still be a lower level spell that does the same job even if less conveniently. For now, I'm leaving it as it is. I'm just going to pretend that is another manifestation of Skaen treacherous nature (you though you were protected, my fellow priest ? uhh no). But don't hesitate to suggest alternate ideas, because you're right about the slightly sad flavour of this issue.

OK, I'll consider looking at it. Do you think Moon Godlike are OK after CP buff ?

Does going Fire Godlike worth it though ? Even with CP added scaling, it has a weak base of 2-4 damages and I'm not even sure PR scales...

Well, it's not worse than the other focus talent. Free focus is still free focus. Granting +5 focus here and there is still giving you free casts. You can't really compare an ability with a subclass feat that comes along drawbacks. Low priority, not mandatory, but probably good enough.

And Fire Godlike ?

I'll be tempted to go Ranger/Priest of Skaen. Pile up accuracy vs Single Target, add Divine Mark or Barbs of Condemnation on top of that and go for weapons that benefit from high accuracy (such Aldris blade or Thundercrack pistols). Minor Avatar is nice on Tier VII too. Skaen is not even mandatory but bring along a nice set of abilities, especially if you don't want to go support. All ranger subclasses should work, except Sharpshooter. I won't go Arcane Archer for such build.

I think it's technically categorized as "Weapon" Attack, so everything applying to weapon should apply to it. That was my impression when modding it with the help of Noqn. I guess it generates Focus.

OK, here's what I implemented for 1.1 : Nerfs & tweaks : Refer this link for the reason and debates about these changes : https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/114874-op-classes/ Brilliant : Now only restore spell Slot up to Tier 3 for Priests, Wizards and Druids. His Heart Did Fill with the Light of the Dawn : Removed the buff from 1.0. Since I initially wanted to make it more comparable to Ancestor's Memory and I've nerfed Brilliant in 1.1. Now it is the only ability in the game (apart Blood Sacrifice) able to restore Spell Slots above Tier 4. Blood Mage : Blood Sacrifice Recovery to 3s Added a -100% healing received for base 6s when using Blood Sacrifice, to make it more tricky to use. Minor/Medium/Major blood sacrifice now restore spell Tier up to Tier 3/6/9 as intended (and not 4/7/9, thanks @Noqn for pointing it) Tactician : Tactical Dilemna now activates on Flanked or Hurt or Below (less than 75% health) and gives +50% recovery malus. I wanted Tactician to have a big drawback for all the goodies it gets. This one sort of Mirrors Streetfighter. Wall of Draining : Now only add 0.25s to beneficial effects per ennemy hit every second. That is equivalent to +33%/+100%/+300%/Infinite Duration bonus when hitting 1/2/3/4 foes. You really need to hit much more foes reliably to get infinite duration. That doesn't prevent completely OP combs, but makes them more situational and more tricky to get. To compensate, it now removes 2s from their beneficial effects instead of -1s. Now correctly displayed as foe-only (it was incorrectly displayed as hitting allies when casting). Buffs (Mostly to address the general problem of Single Class Martial ressources) : Stunning Shot : add 10% chance Bond on Crit Heart Piercer : back to 4 bonds (1.0 tuned it to 3), but Enfeebled set to infinite duration (I wanted it to be a sort of passive) Distracting Training : in addition to my previous duration buff to 15s, it is now allowed it to work on any Attack (not just melee), which is very good with Bonded Fury. Wall of Flashing Steel : add 10% chance Guile on Crit Vengeful Defeat : add 2 Rages on Unconscious Wall of Force : Now correctly displayed as foe-only (it was incorrectly displayed as hitting allies when casting). Here are the files below : BalancePolishingModBuffs 1.1.zip BalancePolishingModNerfs 1.1.zip BalancePolishingSummonRebalance 1.1.zip

3-1 It was actually simple. It's already coded and working.

That is a bit the reason why I modded Adra Ban to be in Una's Shop (for 10 000 gold each) : there are enough Adra Bans (with other alternate ingredients) for you optimal party set up. So the only thing it does is forcing player to use meta knowledge and party planning. This is more annoying than actually limitating.

Ouch, my attempt of implementing the principles I had in mind has resulted in a total failure this week-end. Might be due to my own errors, or simply that the code behind the gamedata files isn't robust enough. I'm probably going to take a break about modding until my holidays, second half of June. I'm a bit pissed off now I might consider using a more radical approach (also more simple, and with less side-effects) : simply make Brilliant never regenerated spells above Tier III. This would make it a bit less good for casters (but still enough IMHO), but Chanter Tier IX "His Heart did Fill..." would then have a more distinctive purpose. I'll keep anyway the idea above for Tactician Dilemma, which is similar enough to Streetfighter to be guaranteed to work... eventually

Yup, I wasn't convinced myself either. Now I think I'm going to try implementing a 15% chance +1 ressource every 3s. It's closer to the current effect but much less strong I'm going to try adding a filter so it deosn't work under invisibility (so it doesn't cancel it). This should be silent enough, even if not 100% clean. The % chance is better than longer ticks because even with 30s tick you'll get instant +1 ressource each time you cancel+reapply the effect The thing is I want to give Tactician a real drawback that you can't run easily away from with Squid's Grasp (ad this would basically make some equipment too obvious choices). Tactician has exceptional advantages so I think it deserves at least a hard penalty. I'm not set on "Afflicted" though. I think you're right when you say it is too chaotic. What would you think about "Flanked, or Hurt or Below" ? "When things go wrong, Tactician starts acting overcautiously". This one is still very hard to avoid, but I feel it is less chaotic than eating a random affliction. You can avoid it with proper control of combat, and it rewards Constitution a bit which is a good thing I think. "Flanked, or Bloodied or Below" would feel a bit too easy to avoid too.

OK, so I've come up with a Solution for tactician that I feel satisfying (but not tried implementing, so I guess I might still face surprise). First I don't plan to change Brilliant anymore. The only thing I will change is implementing random spell tier regeneration, as Blood Mage gets. This would cause Brilliant to dispell invisibility on initial caster which isn't ideal, but more than changing the rules too much or regenerating Maeltstorm every 6s. There's other pulsating spells that cancel invisibility anyway. My plans are : - Brilliant Tactician : Replace Brilliant by Acute and an effect that provides 1 Ressource (for both class) on 10% Graze/Hit/Crit from weapons. Ability should be renamed "Clever Tactician". This should provide much less ressource back than Brilliant, but should still work during long fights. If tactician is used as a tank, it will still provide significant benefit, provided you can get the condition for "Clever Tactician" (which aren't that hard to get, as pointed). The 10% Graze/Hit/Crit from weapons is not 100% set in my mind, but I need a trigger that does not conflict with invisibility. - Tactician Dilemna : Change the conditions to Flanked OR Afflicted. Change the effect to +50% Recovery. This is a Huge penalty but given the benefit you can get from the class (and Fighter's ability to mitigate it through passive), I would say that it is suitable. The idea is to let the subclass be what it is meant to be : a subclass with huge advantages that you have to work a bit to get, which usually revolve around getting more ressources. However, I wanted to nerf the following aspects : - Ressources every 6s from Brilliant was just too much. - The subclass needed a significant drawback for those incredible goodies it gets (Acute + Discipline on Interrupt + Ressource back from Attacks is an incredible set of abilities).