Nobear

I posted about this in another thread, and a developer responded saying the issue has been entered to be fixed. Edit: here's the thread: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/80252-106-mac-gog-custom-formations-get-bugged/

I'm glad, thanks! I wonder if it could be based on defeating him too fast. I know my party is strong lol, no cheats though, and all companions except for one, so I think it could potentially affect other people playing legitimately too.

Sometimes things don't work like the description would suggest, that's why I asked. Good to know though, thanks, and for the tips too.

Thanks. After reading (I believe from you) how good Echo is, but not being fond of the idea of running all around the battlefield to spray a beam while I have enough micro for my taste with my other characters already, a use for it occurred to me that suits me. I just hit level 5 and got it btw. I have a ranged chanter. I find his phantom does very solid damage for his level, but I've often summoned him as an off tank in case an enemy gets past my two tanks. Especially as I get higher summons, I can instead try summoning them to wreak havoc behind the enemies, positioning them so that my cipher can get decent mileage from Echo without having to run all around. I find that I use my cipher for CC and debuffs in most fights when she's not auto attacking, but maybe I can get some fights well controlled enough to use Echo to decent effect by the time my chanter can cast a summon. I'll see how I like it. Still want to know about my main question though. By the time I replace my adventurer cipher with Grieving Mother (since I like the feel and banter of companions), I can always get different abilities.

It says something like User: 20% beam damage. What does this mean? Does it mean the cipher that casts it suffers 20% of the damage it causes? Or 120%? Or does it mean the damage done is boosted by 20%, which should have just been factored into the damage numbers listed? Or that the cipher gets a buff which makes it (or another beam spell) 20% stronger if cast twice in short succession? Or something else? Thanks PS Is it still friendly fire even though the tooltip says Foe? I know I can easily check this, but if you have a quick answer based on the latest patch, that'd be great.

Adino, I decided not to take it personally that you put down my build in another thread that you asked for help in, but now it seems ironic that you are reading animosity in others. I don't see animosity in what manageri said, and yes I do think rogue would be a better choice for a melee DPS for you based on the thoughts and preferences you've expressed. Edit: Now I've read your reply to me as well, and it seems you are reading ill intent toward you in others when it's not there. This is not a good start, and it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, because you are giving people a reason to dislike you if they had nothing against you at first. The one thing you may be accurately reading in me is that I find your responses to help to be somewhat narrow-minded. You ask for help, you do thank people for the help (which I appreciate), but then you criticize the help and show how you can do better. This is not a particularly hard game as games go, and there's lots of leeway for people to play how they want. I have a similar issue to you in that I spend a lot of time thinking about build that I could be spending playing the game on Normal or Hard without worrying so much, then replaying it more optimally on PoTD. As I've said, I've remade my character tons of times trying to optimize. You have barely started playing this game. It's good that you are seeking knowledge. However, sometimes it comes across like you are saying "Ok thanks, now I understand the game, and I've come up with this build that I know is better than any of yours, even though I haven't tested it yet." That's your thought today. Tomorrow you may learn something new about the game that changes your thinking, or you may have a new thought based on your actual experience or seemingly out of nowhere, and you will decide this other build is now the best. It happens to me too, and I have this urge to restart that's hard to resist, even though I know I'd rather experience more of the story than keep replaying Act 1. However, in my case, I take care to realize this, and so I try to present my current thinking of "the best" for me in a humble way that recognizes viable alternatives, both from other players and almost certainly from my future self. Thus, people don't get the impression that I'm attacking their build, and they don't attack me either. Granted, this impression that I'm getting may not be what you mean to convey, just like manageri and I weren't meaning animosity where you read it. That's why I'm taking the time to write this. Like my Shieldbearer paladin, I'm trying to juggle that seemingly contradictory line between honest and diplomatic here, but I'll admit I tend to prioritize honesty. Even in game, I got 3 Honesty in Act 1, but I'm in Defiance Bay and still only at 1 Diplomatic .

I'm not a fan of Barbarian in part because Frenzy conceals Health and Endurance, and I like to always keep an eye on those to plan heals and other tactical decisions. I've read that they can be decent as a second row melee character with a reach weapon (in particular, http://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Tall_Grass is popular). But some people like classes for reasons unrelated to min-maxing or power gaming, like RP flavor, e.g. if they want to play a character who is wild and uncontrolled in combat. If you don't like that concept, maybe it isn't for you. Thankfully there's a lot of choice in this game. If you don't like classes who rely on getting into trouble to maximize their combat effectiveness, you probably won't like Monk either. His abilities depend on wounds, so he actually wants high Con but low deflection and little to no DR from armor so he gets hurt more. People often play classes like this because they find it fun, or even because they like the challenge of "living on the edge." If that's not your thing, pick other classes. Edit: I recommend a rogue if you want a melee DPS class that doesn't benefit from getting hit. If you don't think there are a lot of enemies, you are probably not playing on PoTD anyway (num of enemies scales with difficulty), and you can think of this play through as "training wheels" for PoTD. Rogues and other crit-based builds work really well below PoTD, where enemy defenses are low enough that their crit rate is really high. Your rogue will get hit now and then even though you don't want him to, but he has the best single-target DPS in the game, so he can usually kill an enemy before it kills him.

You want my system specs and OS version? I should have called him Nyrid instead of Purnisc. These are the very specific things I did from when the file was saved: 1) Talk to Purnisc. The ranged stay in that corner so they won't get hit. The bug is produced whether I choose to attack him right away, or express interest in a deal and then change my mind. 2) I have the game set to auto-pause when I spot an enemy, when combat begins, and after each enemy dies. At the start of the fight, when the game first pauses: a. Command all to attack Nyrid (but some will do other things, as follows) b. Command Quri to use Flames of Devotion on Nyrid c. Command Eder to use Knock Down the guard closest to him d. Command Durance to cast Interdiction over the enemies (anticipating, but the range is big so you will probably get them all) e. Command Kalaestra to cast Mental Binding on Nyrid 3) Watch Durance and pause when he casts Interdiction. Then: a. Command Durance to cast Armor of Faith on the party (the range is barely big enough at just the right spot, but if you can't get it perfect, you can leave out one member in the back row) b. Command Aloth to cast Slicken so that it hits where the enemies are going to be (which is as far back as Eder), without affecting any allies 4) Unpause. Before anyone's second round of spells can cast, Nyrid should be defeated and beg. Choose to take him prisoner. Note that I gave you the log file from just after I had done all this, the screen turned black, and I had quit with command-q.

I figured it was something like that. Now, for the purposes of reporting bugs, can I take for granted that the various distributions will be from the same build, meaning that a bug in one should be present on another, the only possible difference being across platform? I ask because, like with the Outworn Buckler issue I've discussed elsewhere, some people don't have my issue with how it's suppressing stats from other items, and I'm wondering if this is due to different distributions or just different platforms. I agree that players shouldn't have to wait artificially if the patch is ready for them sooner, I am mainly concerned with consistency between distributions when I report bugs or trade advice between players.

And what about Outworn Buckler not stacking on the latest Mac GoG version? Has this been fixed as well?

This has happened twice in a row. I have uploaded my save file from right before the fight with Purnisc, as well as my log file from just after I defeat him and tell him to come to my dungeon: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l5iwiz05ylyyn5m/AAAPiu1CVRQLMOqvZRFL7U-qa?dl=0 This causes the screen to turn black. Update: I found a workaround. I set the game to run in a window (I normally do fullscreen). Then I tab out of the game and back in. This causes the black screen to return to normal. An interesting side note: none of the abilities/spells I had set to execute/cast actually completed by the time Purnisc had been defeated, and when I got the screen back from black, they were no longer in queue to perform. At least I can move on, but a bug with a workaround is still a bug to be squashed!

I do not see it on GoG. It will have to wait a few days as usual I take it? BTW Why is that, and are the Steam and GoG versions based on the same build, or are the GoG ones a newer build by the time they come out? Thanks.

Would one illustrating Outworn Buckler suppressing other items also be useful? I know there's another thread about it, but there seems to be differing understanding even within Obsidian about whether the Herald effect a) should be party-wide and b) should stack. For me, it's party-wide but doesn't stack.

Thanks again for responding. I see a new post from you already. It's great to have someone to talk it through with. So, thinking about your responses, and assuming those stats are in order as they are listed in the game menu, I've had some thoughts and wanted to see what you thought about the concepts I've listed below. First off, dialogue checks range from 11 to 19 points in an attribute. You can see their numbers by turning on the appropriate game option. There's one option to show the values, and another to show options you don't meet the requirements for. I have these options off, because I want an immersive experience and it feels a little like cheating for me, but feel free to turn them on if it doesn't bother you. 1. As I've stated, I have 14 Int not just because of dialogue checks, or to have decent buff durations, but because (not considering the current bug in the Mac GoG 1.0.6 hotfix which makes paladin auras huge), 20 Int is the exact breaking point needed to cover my entire back row with accuracy in my custom formation. Adding all these benefits together makes 14 base Int worthwhile to me. I can get 20 Int starting in early Act 2 with one item and a resting bonus. 2. Choosing a paladin (or priest) for your main has a significant advantage: they each get bonuses to one ability based on your reputations that you get from dialogue choices, and this only applies if it's your main character. For paladins, it's Faith and Conviction. If your reputations align with those preferred and discouraged by your order, you can gain up to 6 Deflection and 12 to the other defenses over what you'd have if the paladin wasn't your main. Soloing early game has never been a concern of mine, because you only run into one (easy) enemy solo if you head straight to Gilded Vale where you pick up two companions and can hire adventurers, and you could avoid this enemy too if you really wanted to. Also, as I've noted, I consider that I make good use of the Int I have assigned, and why would I not make good use of Lore? In fact, Lore is probably best on tanks, since you are not giving up much damage to use a scroll and can still absorb hits, and some of the most powerful spells in scrolls are things like Fan of Flames that have friendly fire and cast in a cone or a line in front of you, so a tank is most likely to be positioned optimally for this without extra running around and danger. 3 and 4. Since I value having good bang for my buck in defenses so have pretty much maxed Per and Res, and since I consider Con to be the next best tank stat, and since I value 14 Int as I've explained above, that leaves either Might or Dex to dump, and I definitely want to NOT dump the one that affects my Silver Tide. Just because there's a stat I haven't maxed doesn't mean I'm horrible with it. The base Silver Tide values are high enough that it's the compromise that makes most sense to make my character optimal in the well-rounded way that I envision her. You could say that she has a major in tanking and a minor in support. Arguing about whether you call that min-maxed I think is splitting hairs. I've maxed some stats, dumped one, and achieved what I consider optimal for myself, taking into account my whole party. You realize a party of 6 is more than the sum of its parts, it is important to consider their synergy as well, and it makes a significant difference whether everyone gets the paladin's aura or not. 5. Each class has its own advantages, and part of the fun of the game is having a wide array of classes with different strengths and flavor. I don't think you could name a clear winner over all situations in the game between Fighter and Paladin. My answer to this? Have one of each. Done. They don't have to be at odds with each other. Fighter can engage more enemies and can knock an enemy prone twice per encounter. Though his prone is only single target, it can be very useful in emergencies such as when an enemy is about to take off to hit your back row. The Cipher's Mental Binding relies on Focus, and spells take time to cast. All of the above are useful depending on the situation, sometimes all of them within the same encounter. Since Fighter can engage more enemies, I usually have him tank more. My guess is Paladin will probably be the hardier tank against small numbers of hard hitters endgame, partly because of Faith and Conviction. Even if there's a clear difference, my Fighter will still shine with large swarms which are very common on PoTD. 6 through 8. Look, step back a moment and realize we are talking about a game that people are beating solo on the hardest difficulty. If you don't trust my advice just because I haven't beaten the game yet, I won't give any more. But if the game is beatable solo on PoTD, then there is clearly leeway to have differences of opinion. Want your tank to give up defensive stats so he can hit slightly harder, even though the DPSers will get more mileage from the same % DPS increase, and your tanks might die in more cases so you have to reload more often? Be my guest. It'll still be possible to beat the game. But did you come to these forums for advice, or to prove you can min-max better than more experienced players? Your ideas are yours, and that should mean something. This game is easy and flexible enough to allow for great build diversity. Notice that I've been saying I consider my ideas optimal for the way I play. I'm not saying they're the one and only best way, and neither are yours. One of the ways you know a decently-balanced RPG is that there is no one best cookie-cutter build for all situations. There is more than one right answer, and many ways to beat the game. Play the way you want to play, and have fun.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the wizard's Blast and Minor Blights conjure spells both have range affected by Int as well. Dex will increase DPS more when targets are close, but that's not always the case.

I have not sat and figured out whether you can get all the stat bonuses in endgame without the helm slot. My guess (and it's only a guess) is that a non Godlike character can always have some small stat advantage with the right selection of gear. I'm not saying that such a stat advantage is worthless. I'm saying that 2-3 points of any stat can't compare with Silver Tide for a tank. The whole point of min-maxing is to make your character optimal, which includes abilities and not just stats. Feel free to disagree, but I think giving up the helm slot is a very small price to pay for such a powerful passive ability that triggers exactly when you need it. BTW it's 22 Endurance at level 5, and my tank has 15 Con and 113 Endurance, but keep in mind it's even a much larger portion of the health pool of the back row should they need it. And yes it's only 12 levels, but it takes much more XP to gain each subsequent level. No spoilers please, but I'm going to take a guess that Act 1 is probably less than 1/3 of the whole game.

Those stats are not going to be all one one helm, it's just 2 + 1. Look here: Thanks Cantousent, I was the one asking for that. Also, what manageri said: the same bonus from different items won't stack, you have a few item slots, and you can enchant chest. You can choose if you want an item to boost a stat (sometimes two stats) or something else (a defense, grant a spell or ability, etc.) The only item slots that are considered separately and stack are weapon and shield, which you can also enchant but not with stats. I don't know the max level stats for Silver Tide, as I've restarted the game many times to optimize and still haven't gotten very far past Act 1. Speaking of which, gonna play a bit now before bed haha! Let this be the last time I remake my character until I beat the game.

1) Silver Tide does scale with level (as well as Might) which is awesome. Even for a tank, I didn't dump Might largely because of Silver Tide (and my Fortitude would suck too). 2) Headgear never gives more than 2 to one stat and 1 to another. I'd so much rather have Silver Tide. All your other allies can wear helms, so it's not like you're missing out on experiencing a type of loot. Now a question of my own: How do you create spoiler tags? I don't know if the Wiki has all the helms, but if you search for headgear you can get a decent idea.

Hello and welcome. You are thinking things out and have some good ideas. My paladin tank build (I should say my most recent, since I keep starting over to optimize ) is as follows: 10/14/4/18/14/18. I do max both Per and Res, because they offer the biggest bang for your buck in terms of defensive stats (deflection and another defense). I actually tried minimizing Con on a paladin tank based on some feedback I'd read, and it was workable but I didn't like it. This person preferred 20 Int for the long-lasting buffs. Well, I don't care to prioritize stretching buff duration to the absolute max, if it's going to sacrifice my tanking ability. Besides, on the latest Mac GoG build (don't know if this applies to any other builds), there is currently a bug where paladin auras grow ridiculously large before you even hit level 4, enough to cover any formation without needing to focus on Int. I have Zealous Focus. When the bug gets fixed, I will be able to easily reach 20 Int with an item and a resting bonus, which is needed to cover my back row without the bug. Str is better than Dex for a tanking paladin IMHO because of the per-encounter abilities it affects. In particular, Flames of Devotion, and most importantly for me, the Moon Godlike power Silver Tide. It's widely considered the best tanking ability to have, as its range is huge and it can potentially heal everyone multiple times in a single tough fight. Those who prefer the more offensive Fire Godlike and Darkozzi retaliation ability are also benefitted by Str and not Dex. Since you have 6 party members, you really don't need to worry about the DPS of your tanks if you've got 4 solid DPSers. If you do, that's totally personal preference and optional, but I like my tanks to be rocks and my DPSers handle the rest. Edit: There are also the conversation options to consider. Only the attributes and skills of your main character affect the options available in conversations. I've read that Res and Int are the most common conversation checks for attributes, and Lore is the most common for skills. So conversations plus aura range and duration considerations make Int something I wouldn't want to dump, but have what I'd consider "just enough" of.

It seems to me they would be decent choices IF you can't find 6 other good talents to take. That would depend on your class and build and preferences. They are what I'd consider convenience talents, rather than peak power talents. They allow you to either use spells more often if you rest with the same frequency, or not rest as often. On my priest, once I realized how good Interdiction and its boosting talents are, even if you also have a wizard since the area and effects on Interdiction are much better, I didn't find I had the talents to spare. My opinion is only take them if you can't find 6 other good talents for your class.

I am experiencing the same thing (Mac GoG 1.0.6 hotfix). The Outworn Buckler also suppresses stats the same way, but only once I enter combat.

Ok then, apparently I'm wrong and I'd like a knowledgable/official word on this too. PS What's your version, platform, and distribution (Steam, GoG)?

Wow I don't know how I concluded that the Outworn Buckler had changed for me in the latest GoG hotfix. In my latest restart of the game to tweak my stats (yeah I'm bad ), it is party-wide but not stacking. If I had to choose one, I'd take the stacking, but I'd rather have both. Even by the time you get it, your front line already has +5 to all defenses from items, so it's basically a regular buckler unless you haven't positioned the fight well and your back row is closer than it should be. Even then, it isn't long until they get their defenses covered from items. Consistency between distributions! Any word on this philosophy from a developer?

It takes multiple choices to gain each rank in a disposition. Just check your dispositions regularly, and if you get an unfavorable one, go back to a previous save. If you don't have a rank yet, it's not worth starting over, it doesn't affect you at all until you gain a whole rank. Edit: I played briefly with the option turned on to show reputation and disposition changes, and I do remember this indicating that certain choices made a minor, modest or major difference. I turned the option off since I consider it cheating in a way. I don't know if even a major disposition change is enough to gain a whole rank, though.

Do you have dumped Con? I found, after completing Act 1 on PoTD with a dumped Con paladin tank, there were some issues with that. None that I couldn't overcome, but poison from Wood Beetles and such meant my party had to rest a lot. There will be some hard-hitters, Forest Lurkers I remember being far worse than Spear Spiders, but for me the hardest were fights with Shades and Shadows teleporting around. Those just require the right strategy though. It's funny how things can seem really hard, and then you approach them differently and they seem easy. I guess that's the beauty of a tactical game like this. With hard hitters especially, CC is your friend :D.