TheMetaphysician

Ok, that basic reasoning makes a lot of sense. I'm glad, since I'm planning on making Aloth a melee wizard, and I really like the idea of multiclassing him with a martial class and thinking of the martial class as expressing the influence of Iselmyr. On that line: what's the best synergies between wizard and fighter, in your view? What do you focus on when you build a wizard/fighter?

What are good ways to build a melee wizard, focusing on summoned weapons? Is it better to go single-class or multi-class? Which are the key abilities? How does the melee wizard stack up against other melee classes?

I'd also really like to hear clarification on the level scaling options. I was surprised to hear Josh imply that if you chose level scaling, you wouldn't have the experience of encountering content too difficult for you, that you'd have to come back to later. I want enemy levels to scale UP to my level, not down. I only want the level scaling to avoid outleveling content, not to make high-level content doable on lower levels. I hope that will be an option.

Enormously helpful.

Yeah, those sound a lot more fun. I just remember finding Durance as boring as could be, and since I don't like his personality, that just makes it worse.

Boerer, which priest builds are awesome in melee? I don't like any of my priests.

I recommend the Enhanced Editions. Some purists will decry them because they don't like some of the minor additions made (like a couple new companions), but I played the originals, and the Enhanced Editions are wonderful upgrades, particularly graphically.

Very, very cool build. I love the use of the White Crest Armor, which I always want to use but just can't justify. You could replace the dual Bittercuts with Hours of St. Rumbalt (and the 2-weapon skils with 2-handed skills). You'd lose the Bittercut casting abilities (Vile Thorns/Infestation of Maggots) and the double rolls for knockdown, in exchange for an on-crit knockdown, which also seems to fit the theme just fine. But other than that, it would seem to play the same, wouldn't it? I think I'm going to try this out on Eder on my current run, to pair with my Counselor Ploi-type MC paladin (with Coordinated Attacks and a marking weapon to give Eder +20 accuracy). Edit: I was trying to think of other spellbind items that would work with this, and I thought of the charm items, munacra zrret, ring of changing heart, spirit spiral. You can pull the same combo with disciplined barrage as boerer and jojobo pull with sworn enemy. Wouldn' t fit the theme as well tho.

Are you serious? I played through the game like 5 times and never noticed this.

I couldn't agree more. I believe that they'll do what they say. I just wanted a little clarity on what exactly they were saying by offering the 20$ DLC package, that's all, so that I'll know what I should believe about it. I think the answers I've gotten do a pretty good job of clarifying what exactly they are saying. They are offering at least some DLC for $20 now, and that will be at least $20 worth of DLC. If that's all they are promising, I'm not sure I'll do it. If I knew that the 20$ would be at least some sort of discount, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Perhaps a dev could clarify?

I see. So it looks as if we don't actually know whether the $20 price now will end up being a discount at all? Or can we assume that they are committed to it being something of a discount, no matter how they go about releasing the DLC?

What exactly does the $20 DLC option on Fig get you? Copies of any and all DLC that will ever be released for Deadfire? It just says "Early Bird access," which confused me a bit, as I don't care about Early Bird access, just about actually having the DLC.

Yeah, I thought of that. That would be fine, though it may require some explaining. Maybe some still have to steer the ship, put out fires, etc.?

I have a request/idea for the developers regarding the companions on the ship: when you go on the ship, it would be really great if the companions you don't currently have in your party are actually hanging out on the ship, and you can see them, go up to them, and talk to them like you can when they are in your party. And it would be even better if they are doing something useful (and fitting to their character), like Eder helping out with the rigging, or Maia Rua supervising the steering, or something. It seems like such a small thing, but that's the thing I wanted the most in the original PoE -- I really wanted to walk around Caed Nua and see Eder supervising the planting of some wheat, or Kana debating or performing in the forum. (Also some more random NPCs in the castle/on the ship, sitting in the forum watching, maintaining the ship, etc., would help.) The reason is that I long to feel connected to the companions who are not currently in my party, which is really hard to do as things stand. Seeing them in the stronghold would make me feel like they are a part of a community that I was building. Interestingly, I think this is the most important change of all that I'd like to see, based one what I didn't like about PoE 1. That's pretty good evidence that I really liked PoE 1, I guess.

I really enjoyed the "favorite talents/abilities" thread, and I love all the "favorite/best build" ideas. I want to ask another question: what has been your favorite party to play the game through with? Not so much for RP reasons (I'm not so much interested in the companions with your favorite personalities or banters with each other) as for mechanical/battle strategy reasons. Which build/class/tactics combinations went into your favorite party?

I love the idea of scripted interactions happening during travel from one section of the city to another. It should make the city feel really big, in a way that the cities in PoE didn't quite. Like the BG2 interactions when traveling around Athkatla but so much better!

Kana was my favorite companion from the first one. So sad when I learned he wasn't returning. But then I find out that I get to meet his sister! That's awesome -- actually deeper and better than just having Kana back! What a great developer decision.

1. Baldur's Gate 2 2. Kotor 1 3. Baldur's Gate 1

I've tried to use the new IE mod option for modifying companion attributes, but it crashes my game (since the patch is now 3.05 and all that is available for the IE mod is a beta for 3.03). Everything else on the IE mod works for me, though.

A couple of you mentioned that you like Pull of Eora. What are some of your favorite tactics with it?

I know this isn't exactly what you asked (since it is about gear abilities), but I love stacking on one low-resolution, high-armored frontline character as much gear as possible with abilities that trigger when the character is critically hit -- Shod-in-Faith boots, Sanguine Plate, Nature's Embrace, Swaddling Sheet are my favorites, in particular. My favorite character to put them on? A heavily-armored (basically the Juggernaut build on these forums, though emphasizing intelligence a bit more than it does), Moon Godlike monk with Veteran's Recovery. Hit me and die!!

They should totally rename the talent to this from boring "radiance." I have an image of one of those radioactive ghouls from Fallout as a priest in PoE.

Oh, that's a bummer. That really cuts down on the motivation to use it on a dual-wielder.

Have you tried using Steadfast with this build? Maybe as an off-hand weapon with a fist main-hand? Champion's Boon on-kill sounds like it would be really good with this build.

Did you find Into the Fray or Clear Out useful for that playstyle?