MalVeauX

Update: On an interesting note, now already facing the challenges of choke points and not being able to reach an opponent some times, and having used the Paladin, Fighter, Rogue, Ranger, Barbarian, etc, I'm starting to think of something. I like how Zealous Focus works with the Rogue with single weapon style for the accuracy bump and graze conversion, he's critting non-stop, so he's dropping lots of wonderful DPS (he's currently naked with max Dex). The Barb with a reach weapon, also naked with high Dex, is also doing loads of damage and his AOE helps against the trash mobs from behind the two front line tanks. Ranger does pretty nice damage too, and the aura from the Paladin actually reaches him often due to that big Int. I had to pull the Priest back, and resort to a ranged weapon on him. Which works out well anyways so he can keep alive to support everyone with his spells. But I have to wonder... does a high dex, high accuracy based, AOE barb with a reach weapon end up doing more single and mob damage, than a rogue who single targets only? Kind of curious on that and will see how it plays out I suppose. Very best,

Cool, I'm slowly edging towards playing POTD. I'm a bit too casual for it just yet I think. I'm on my 4th play through right now. I like your build, and I agree with you on Fighters being so versatile for this kind of play through. It requires you know the maps and fights very well to be able to equip and prepare for them. It forces you to have multiple damage types and sources. But it really, really stresses the focus on using the environment to slowly one on one enemies instead of getting mob flanked and killed by a trash mob. I'm playing with a fighter right now very similar to yours, as an off-tank and melee DPS agent. I may have to try playing through solo with one like this. But I'm always flirting with the idea of a Druid, Priest or Wizard to play through as... but I don't think any of them are up to the solo POTD. Very best,

Heya, So maybe I'll swallow it and just go with a Ranger. Still a martial character. Primarily for singling out a target, like anti-wizard/priest duty. I'll let him use a bow primarily, with a nasty companion animal based on DPS as well, utilizing Mark and other high speed, high accuracy, high damage output methods at range to nuke something. Will focus on Lore for him since he will have little need of anything else (stealth in the current game is a joke really, the 2.0 changes on stealth are very welcome and invite an interesting party of Rogues & other characters that build around that concept, so I'll do that then) beyond athletics splashed in. So... Ranger it is. Very best,

Heya, So it has begun... So far, here's my party: PC - Barbarian (Mig, Dex, Int), will focus on skills for damage increase, speed increase and accuracy increase, AOE & Reach, no armor other than enchanted clothing. Paladin (Int, Per, Res), focusing on heals and support skills, defensive talents that increase tankiness. Will take a single offensive talent for a weapon swap when not tanking. Fighter (Mig, Per, Res), off-tank, focusing on a mix of offense & defensive talents and skills. Rogue (Mig, Dex, Int), focusing on high accuracy, high speed, will sneak attack and crit as often as possible. Will have a reach weapon as 2nd switch. Priest (Mig, Int, Res), focusing on support, but taking some talents to be able to hit things with a reach two hander and do some damage. I'm mixing in a lot of reach, so it's 2 non-reach, the rest with reach as a swap where I can. I know I can run into issues with this if I choke some areas and I'm ok with that for now. I'm more interested in how it will be when I don't have an obvious choke point and things scatter and being able to destroy anything that passes my tank(s) quickly, instead of a caster that gets swatted around. I've yet to get that 6th member. I'm trying to figure out where to go from there. My natural instinct is to add a Wizard for the awesome support spells I could get, but I don't want a dedicated caster and will focus on scrolls. It's bad enough I caved and added a Priest, but I just like how wicked they are and their support spells are massive for a party like this and I will no doubt need the revives & heals later on. My second go-to was a Chanter, but I always play with Chanters and want to avoid that this time for variety. I'm still not sold on a monk. I just don't like their overall class I guess. Won't include a Druid, since I already have a Priest (too bad Druids cannot specialize in melee and stay shapeshifted indefinitely in encounters... otherwise, a werewolf druid would be in my party right away, let alone an entire party of wolf druids, how cool would that be). I thought about another Barb or Rogue. And I'm thinking about a Ranger. But I'm not sure what a Ranger will really add, since I wanted to focus on melee mostly. I might have to build a Ranger and see what it looks like from a melee perspective. Onwards to slapping servants! Very best,

Heya, I enchanted weapons and armor to specific foes. Mostly, spirits. So I enchanted things, mostly pierce weapons and crush weapons, to have the spirit slaying modifier and burning last fire damage, as they almost universally don't like that, so they take a lot more damage this way. My armor, I often enchanted with freeze damage reduction as a lot of them deal cold damage attacks that pierce. It made the shade/phantom/spectre fights so much easier. I think you face a total of 8~9 ogres total in the game that I can remember depending on if you even fight them, so I didn't worry about that. They're really easy to mess up as their Will is low anyways (depends on party, but a little Lore and some Confuse goes a long way here). The nasty Primordials are pretty common in a lot of the mid-game content, and they're nasty with their spells and hard to kill to boot. So slaying for primordials is probably good since they're so nasty. I didn't find Beasts to be worth while as the only hard to kill beast in the game is a Dragon really, and you can always enchant something for those specifically if you wanted. I didn't bother with anything versus animats, because there's so few in the total game. Like Ogres. And they're not particularly hard, as they don't do a lot of damage (unlike Ogres). Very best,

Heya, I would enjoy this feature. I too enjoy taking a character through a few play-throughs so that you have the initial experience, the re-experience, and then the "I walk through cities and they burn" experience. Since there's no real big supply of protagonist villain based games, it's as close as it gets to being a high level character rolling the game and not being nice to everyone doing it. Very best,

Hrm, Food for thought. I'm wondering if this will be do-able, with a less than 6 man party. Maybe 4 man party? Barb, Fighter, Rogue, Priest? Or substitute Fighter for Paladin (self healing tank?). I'm just thinking through the game and how this party might even begin to approach certain fights (the big fights, not just normal trash mobs). I'm thinking a priest will be pretty important though. The alternative, is to make a *gasp* balanced martial group that isn't just a bunch of min/maxed specialists, all wearing plate, all with self-heals where possible, and focus on consumables and scrolls and potions for each character, and just have everyone capable of minor tanking and decent melee output. But this seems less fun to me in general if not in a real RPG where that matters, instead of a linear cRPG where you already know what's needed and what's not. Con for example, in the current game, seems near pointless for any character and I've played through with tanks, casters, etc, all kinds, 3 times now, and none of them had a Con higher than 3 or 5. Very best,

Heya, So I've completed another enjoyable play through with a primary all caster party and it was fun, definitely got into the whole spell slinging thing. I'm thinking of doing it again, a fast run, but knowing most of the game fairly well, I can do completionist type campaigns pretty quick now. I don't find the game terribly difficult, but I enjoy casually playing so no Expert Mode (hey, I like maimed as an option!) and no Path of the Damned (though I'm tempted to attempt this with a well thought out party, just not yet, want to do a few more play throughs with different approaches to the game first). So I'm thinking of doing what I haven't done yet, and that's a melee based party. I'm also imposing that my character's choices are going to be cruel where possible, and likely kill anyone and anything I can get away with. Will probably steal as often as possible. Will choose aggressive stances in dialogue where cruel is not available. So melee... and cruel. No talking out of things. Just straight up horrible attitude. And I'd like to do it with martial characters since that's not my norm at all. Here's what I'm thinking (feel free to suggest something else!): PC, Paladin (Bleak Walker, Cruel) - Melee DPS (two hand, Mig, Int, Dex; Athletics & Lore) *** Faith & Conviction, Fighting Spirit, Lay on hands, Liberating Exhortation, Reviving Exhortation, Righteous Soul, Zealous Focus *** The Black Path, Critical Focus, Two hand style, Weapon Focus Adventurer Fighter - Primary Tank (Per, Res, Con and some Int; Althetics & Lore) *** Constant Recover, Defender, Knock Down, Vigorous Defense, Unbending *** Rapid Recovery, Wary Defender, Weapon & Shield Style, Superior Deflection Fighter - Melee DPS (two hand, estoc probably for DR; Mig, Int, Dex; Athletics & Lore) *** Armored Grace, Confident Aim, Constant Recovery, Knock Down (2), Fighting Spirit, Weapon Spec Adventurer *** Two hand style, Vulnerable Attack, Weapon Focus Adventurer, Weapon Mastery Adventurer Barbarian - Melee DPS (two hand, reach weapon, AOE; Mig, Int, Dex; Athletics & Lore) *** Blooded, Brute Force, Carnage, Fighting Spirit, Frenzy, One Stands Alone, Savage Defiance *** Barbaric Blow, Greater Frenzy, Accurate Carnage, Two hand style Rogue - Melee DPS (primary mechanic, condition & sneak attacks; Mig, Int, Dex; Mechanics & Lore) *** Crippling Strike, Deep Wounds, Dirty Fighting, Fighting Spirit, Reckless Assault, Sneak Attack, Withering Strike *** Backstab, Viscous Fighting, One-handed style, Bloody Slaughter From here, I'm wondering.... off-tank Priest or melee reach Priest? Or a 2nd Rogue? Interested in some thoughts. Very best,

Heya, Completed the game. Was pretty sweet taking down a dragon with necrotic lances. Let alone the end game content. I felt like the game was much easier with casters than it was with a party of ranged DPS characters and no spells other than a few scrolls. Time to do a scroll based, melee DPS party with maybe a priest or two. Wanna do something hard. Very best,

Heya, Depends. I used level 1 spells all the way to the end. Those spells are still very good. I had a party of Wizards and they took spell talents the whole time because... why not? What else is so critical for a caster to have, right? I wanted every spell cast possible I could get by the end. And it paid off having some more casts, even of level 1 and level 2 spells, because they're all pretty good (fanning, chill fog, necrotic lance, etc, awesome stuff). Very best,

Heya, I've seen the barbarian fondly enjoyed by role players and by min/maxers alike. The role players enjoy the savageness, the idea of it, whether the game translates that as well for some or not. The min/maxers like turning the barbarian into an effect 2nd row AOE DPS engine (naked, maxed out int/dex/might, Tall Grass, etc). It really just comes down to what you want to do. I really like barbarians in idea. Not really my play style. But I like them. I like the idea of a savage brute that wades into combat and beats up everything and gets more powerful as they get hurt. Sure, it doesn't work like that in this game necessarily. But if you want AOE DPS from second row without it being a spell, Barbarians do it. The only other class to get AOE damage naturally are Wizards with implements and taking the blast and improved blast talents (wasting two talents on that...) for low AOE damage. Barbarians do much more damage with a weapon and have better AOE damage. It does seem odd to me though. You would think a frenzied barbarian would be the first in a fight, charging right in. But that will get him killed quick in this game. "Oh look at those shades, I'll murder them all! Charge! *Knocked out*" It's weird that your crazy DPS barbarian is reserved.. hangs out a minute, then strikes at foes from behind a tank wall. Just weird. And if you load up your barbarian on deflection attributes and plate armors, he doesn't do damage anymore, and he has no tank-like abilities, so he's not really useful that way. So second row damage dealer it is. Very best,

Heya, First time I've seen someone say the game is hard. Most slightly experienced gamers in these types of games seem to find it only normal on Hard mode at best. But nevermind that. So a lot of it is going to come down to tactics and what level you are. I assume you're at least level 5~6 or so based on where you are. 1. Change your formation. You need your tanks forward and your non-tanks in the rear. This helps control who gets seen first and who gets near the enemy first, which is your tank, to force engagement. 2. Scout as you proceed in dungeons. Not only good for traps, but also alerts you to enemies before they see you so that you can best manage your party's location and formation. You want your tank(s) forward, and your non-tanks hugging away from the fight to avoid engagement. Once your tanks go forward and engage, that's when you can bring your non-tanks out to drop damage. 3. Pre-buff. Consumables, eat them. Anything you can do before a fight, do it. All the pies and stuff in the game are great. Ale/Mead is your best friend for additional damage reduction. As soon as your tank engages the enemy you can start casting combat-only-buffs. Make scrolls, like Scroll of Defense (all party +20 defenses, this is awesome and cheap/easy to make, make tons of them). 4. Shades and all that are spirits. Anything you can use that hurts spirits more will help. They deal cold damage, so any damage reduction against cold will help. They are weak against fire, so using anything fire-related will help. Use fire spells. Use weapons with fire damage. Enchant can be your friend to help battle all the spirits in the game. 5. Use the game's AI and environment. Especially in that dungeon you're in, there's a door way to every fight. Leave your party behind the door. Enter the room in scout mode with your tank (pre-buffed). Let him engage and start the fight. As the shades/spectres/phantoms all get on the tank(s), that's when you come in with the rest of the party. Let them stay engaged on your tank. It's best to do this in door ways or obvious choke points so that they cannot move around much (shades can teleport though). Bring in the party, heal your tank, drop a buff, drop a debuff, and start hitting things with fire or additional damage to spirits weapons (or combine the two). Shades do not like fire. Fanning the flames is great. Pre-buff your tank's reflex and he can take it (dex). By the way, I've completed the game a few times now, and I hate shades. So much so that my party always enchants all weapons with spirit slaying and extra accuracy and burning lash for fire damage. Made playing through all the shade fights through the game way, way easier. Very best,

There's tons of silly funny things in the game in general. Very best,

Heya, On another thought, I just played through with non-fighter tanks and they were only at Deflections of 95~100 or so with gear. I mostly used buffs from scrolls, chants, conditions, etc, to make the most of the Deflection scores. I took weapon & shield style talent for the extra defense, and superior deflection, but other than that, they're wide open for talent use. So depending on the rest of your party, you could easily mold a paladin into something tanky while still having offensive properties. I second the damage reduction approach. But ultimately it's accuracy that is the biggest deal, can't deal damage if you don't hit. Very best,

Heya, Being an old soul in Pillars of Eternity, you should be able to walk around and all these souls you reach out to, actually have an option for re-experiencing past relationships so you experience all the crazy, insane, passionate, hateful, etc, moments and go absolutely nuts and then hide from forging relationships for fear of re-experiencing them later once you realize being a nomadic savior with no attachments is the way to go. SPOILER WARNING, DO NO OPEN ATTACHED IMAGE IF YOU WISH TO REMAIN UNSPOILED. Very best,

Agreed, Hrm. You have me thinking... how would it be to play a bleak, totally destitute story line, with a mired bunch of would-be-heroes who just don't care anymore, but keep shoving on for the sake of not dying from boredom, and really, to ensure they die of something more glorious. A weird, misanthropic viking cRPG for example, where Ragnarok occurs. I'd play it! Very best,

I've yet to try that one, there goes more money! Very best,

Hot keys. Pause, execute, unpause. The powers of video voodoo. Very best,

Heya, So, some will love the idea of Minsc, others are annoyed by him. I would not call this making the companions "better." A wide variety of companions for the sake of making a party with characters' personalities that you enjoy is one thing, and that doesn't mean they will be useful in the game for other purposes. Imagine if Durance was the new Minsc, over the top with "butt kicking for goodness" but he actually was horrible at everything and basically missed and died a lot. Personally I really enjoyed Minsc. I liked the comic relief. I wouldn't want another Minsc though, as it would take away from Minsc. I think some new interesting characters would definitely be fun. A little more chatter. Maybe some more variable personalities. What would really be cool, would be that when you get a hireling or NPC you make, that there were personality templates that you could select and you could essentially make these interactions for you. Egotistical idiot? Passionate do-gooder? Over-the-top-with-a-mighty-pet? Bored with life? Will do anything for money? Think about how fun those templates would be, especially if community content were possible. Then when you make a character or hire one, you could add personalities, along with the rest of the stuff. Pre-scripted interactions that are simple but fun would be all it takes. Very best,

Heya, I've yet to find anything to do with them other than sell for copper. I figured it would have been for crafting, but they do not drop into the crafting supplies section of your stash and I didn't find anything late game for it either. Sell with confidence. Very best,

Heya, I actually would like to try an all priest party. Probably would just go with a relatively balanced attribute line, instead of min/max with a dump stat or two, and make up for everything with gear and buffs. I like the idea of pushing defenses really high with buffs, dropping conc ground for auto-healing, and then start dropping the fire based attack spells. Might just be fun, albeit a little slow. I definitely noticed a lot of the priest's spells take a long time to cast, so concentration will be a big deal. Mean while, I can drop a fireball in a heartbeat with a wizard. Then again, I wonder... all priests... or really, all druids. Hrm. Very best,

Heya, Rolling Act 2 still nicely. Chanter tanks with Frighten & Reflex saves are great at taking bad AOE and spell effects in general. Once I get something ugly engaged, I can flank and hose with nasty spells like this. Priest is awesome for the massive defensive stats buffs. I can get reflex high enough to not worry at all and drop nasty AOE on my own tanks and they come out untouched. Very best,

Heya, I'm starting to ponder a party to benefit a Wizard dropping prone, blind, confuse and dull-minds. Since they last a while, the Wizard can be basically plate armor wearing to take a little damage in case he gets jumped (and maybe a minor spell for self-preservation). I'm wanting to play through as a cruel Barbarian maybe. A party of Barbs. Or possibly a mix of Barbs & Rogues. All melee though. I know it will be hard to take on ugly spell casters, but really, if they're blind or prone, they shouldn't be a problem and instead, go down fast to some frenzy high DEX melee characters with a few sneak attacks mixed in there. So I'm thinking maybe: Wizard (focusing on condition spells for foe debuff, equating to indirect party buff and party survival) Priest or Druid (cannot quite choose here; heals, buff, minor damage dealing) Barbarian (raw damage output, pure dex, might & int, two hand weapon and talents for more carnage, frenzy, etc) Barbarian (as above) Rogue (all about the damage output, melee talents, evasion for mobility to get through a crowd) Rogue (as above) I don't think I'll worry so much about stealth on the rogues or barbs, and instead, will just go with athletics and survival. One of the rogues will have high mechanics. Very best,

Hey all, I'm curious if anyone has used a caster in some form, or many, through the course of the game (I've played through, spoilers are not a problem for me), using a lot of conditions, rather than just pure DPS. For example, is there utility in things like mass prone, mass blindness along with things like confuse late game, from a Wizard? I ask because I'm considering yet another play through, but this time, using a bunch of melee DPS characters, no real pure tanks, using a mix of fighters, rogues and barbarians with a wizard as support, with the ability to do lots of prone spells, blind spells, confuse, etc. Obviously meant for just a fun casual play through, not looking to be optimal, just seeing if it could work at all. I'm not sure how useful prone/blind/confuse is through the whole game when you put it in the context of a bunch of melee DPS characters. Thoughts? Very best,

Heya, I just find that a really good tank doesn't do any meaningful damage really. So to me, it seems that if you're going to give up defensive talents that help with being a tank (Sword & Shield, Superior Deflection, etc), then taking on something that allows you to go from tank-mode to DPS would be useful, like talents that allow you to suddenly actually do damage (and not just see a bunch of 0.6's, or 1's above the enemy when they get hit), so anything that converts grazes to hits, and actually do damage. It's possibly good to have a good two hand talent, and weapon set talent to get some damage and accuracy. Most tanks roll with a Hatchet +1 or a unique Hatchet, and defensive Talents that support Deflection. Since literally every fight in the game that I've been in really does revolve around a tank not taking a nap on the job, I've yet to need my tank to carry the fight and do the damage after the party wipes. It's usually the tank holds the line and we're good. Or the tank falls, and the party scatters and falls. Dependent on party of course. It really also depends on class. A chanter or druid are very different tanks with different offensive abilities than a fighter for example. Chanter tanks can drop damage dealing summons and actually win fights on their own merit that way. Druids can tank and drop nasty spells (plague & storms). Very best,