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Everything posted by Boeroer
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Yes, it's also annoying that you'll only have 1 cast of that 7th spell tier without using Grimoire oVW - which then requires you to use Blood Sacrifice more often (because Zandethu's Draconic Fury is on the same tier as Wall of Draining for example). It may be cool with a dedicated melee Druid/Wizard Spiritshift build for a party (where you might not need WoD that often) but I guess not great for solo.
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You understood correctly. Wearing a medium shield will reduce your accuracy by 4 points. For weapon attacks but also for spells. With a large shield it's -8. Small shields do nothing to your accuracy - so those have no drawback for spellcasting. Somebody coded it that way. --- Since you asked for weapon affects that also affect spellcasting: weapons that give you an attribute bonus (e.g. Godasthunyr +1 MIG or Abydon's Hammer +4 MIG) will also affect your spellcasting of course (more MIG = more spell damage). Another weapon that somewhat has an effect on spells is Spelltongue: the action speed it drains from enemies works with everything, also spellcasting. But it doesn't stack with stuff like Deleterious Alacrity of Motion. I don't recall any other weapons in PoE that did something good for spellcasting.
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Usually that's not the case. Weapon effects usually only affect attacks with that weapon, not spells*. On the (bad) flipside a shield that has an accuracy malus will also lower your spells' accuracy. There's one exception that comes to my mind: Single one handed weapon usage (gives +12 accuracy with that weapon) will also give +12 ACC with offensive chants (e.g. The Dragon Thrashed). I guess it's a little error that never got fixed.
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If you need a tank or blocker the Dragon is cool. Especially if you have an Ancient in the party whic can cast Wild Growth on the dragon (it has no duration and will last until the dragon's summoning duration is over). It will have a ton of health and good AR then. And while its auto-attacks are rubbish its abilities are very good because of Power Level scaling. But I would also say that Ancient Weapons are more universally useful. Still... summoning a dragon... it's just very cool.
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I actually never thought about prolonging Lifegiver's Spiritshift with WoD so that you wouldn't have the PL drop. Neat! The casting speed is indeed great.
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I don't think that it implies that. But anyway: I didn't say that nor did I mean that. "Immature" has a negative connotation but boing young is just... being young. Being young is cool. But I guess we can agree that younger people - generally speaking - like different things than older ones. Just generally speaking. I really liked Throne of Bhaal etc. a lot. Didn't say you did. I just wanted to make it clear that I wouldn't be against it if it were an option - but wouldn't want it as a default ending. No. I didn't say nor meant that you specifically did that. I just speculated - based on personal experience - that age or nostalgia may be a reason some people like those endings better. And why I personally don't long for such endings anymore (because older now). You must not take what I wrote as offense. I wasn't meant that way. I was just engaging in armchair reasoning. If you don't agree with what I speculated that's no problem.
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I like Vanishing Strikes, but imo Gambit with 100% crit conversion is better suited for party setup. Pure "Assassin stuff" where you backstab and assassinate from stealth and invisibility often requires too much work and attention to be effective for me in a party. It profits a lot from good setup and stealthy gameplay and is more "tactical" - which often leads to a situation where you park your party somewhere and do invisible stuff with the Assassin alone because the other party members will only mess things up. At least that's my experience when I don't use the Assassin with a caster combo but as "original" roguish weapon hitter. I remember my finished playthrough with an Assassin/Priest of Skaen: at some point it accidentally turned into a 95% solo run. Streetfighter with Gambit can just run along with the others since it's not really complicated. Solo it can be great, too - especially once you also include weapons with on-crit effects like Rust's Poignard, Ball and Chain and such. Even bosses like Dragons and the Beast of Winter will be perma-prone and you can uphold this way longer than Vanishing Strikes because of the almost guaranteed refund. But I like it better with a party because it makes it much easier to debuff enemies' defenses so you can't really graze or miss. As I said I really like Vanishing Strikes and the whole invisibility shebang - but it requires some "special" gameplay to be fun in my case. I mean you can also combine both and do Gambit while invisible from Vanishing Strikes of course as an Assassin (for a Streetfighter that doesn't make a lot of sense bc. he'll lose the flanking - unless he's bloodied). But the use of Vanishing Strikes already takes you under 100% conversion if you didn't get up to a lot of max Guile. One has to say that a Rogue with Gambit turns into a total One-Trick Pony. You can retrain then and only pick passives + Gambit - because you won't use your Guile for anything else anymore except maybe Gouging Strike and Smoke Veil in some special cases. Edit: ninja'd by Kaylon.
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Yes, Beguiler's mechanic is pretty broken because it applies the deception's affliction first and only then checks whether you'll get focus back or not (which will always be the case if you don't miss). What is pretty cool about Beguiler/Beckoner is that you can use summons AND mind control to turn a whole army against one remaining enemy (or a few). But as I said above: that works even better if you have one Beckoner and one Beguiler, not necessarily a Beguiler/Beckoner. Because you can cast that stuff at the same time and don't have to cast everything one after another. Still fun build of course.
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No, the only thing that unlocks the Assassin's passive are attack rolls from stealth or invisibility. Beguiler does nothing special for an Assassin. Actually I find it's a suboptimal combination. Maybe. Just know that SC Rogue may feel a bit less interesting at first - because you have less options. But on the other hand you'll unlock new abilites a lot faster - and spamming Gambit can be a lot of fun.
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I don't. That would be the same as usual (in fantasy CRPGs) and feels a bit like an appeal to everybody's secret delusions of grandeur. That was cool when it happened with Ultima IX or Throne of Bhaal or something back then. I was much younger and liked that "I'm so special" treatment. But I don't read the kinds of books nowadays that I read back then. I don't watch the same kinds of movies anymore. I grew old. I actually found it kind of refreshing to have a somewhat surprising yet anticlimactic ending and not the typical "you're important and you get it all" stuff. I mean if it would have been one of many possible outcomes: fine with me. But as the most probable "default" ending? Nah... I suspect Josh Sawyer (who is about my age) felt the same and that's why we have that unusual ending. Maybe it's just not satisfying for younger audiences in general - or audiences who still feel young and/or like nostalgia and being reminded of games they played a long time ago - no idea. But on the other hand: the ending is a massive cliffhanger. PoE3 could easily lead to an outcome that you hoped for. One can see that it's just an opener for a thick metaphysical and political plot for another sequel. Unfortunately Deadfire sold so poorly at release and in the first year that a PoE3 was off the table for the longest time. But yesterday I learned from Josh (on Twitter) that Deadfire makes a profit since last year (and continues to do so - it's on sale with a bundle currently, 75% off). So maybe... maybe you might get your "ascension" to godhood, who knows?
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Fast attacks and lots of crits sounds like a Berserker/Streetfighter with dual daggers. Or at least anything else with Streetfigher, not necessarily Trickster. Played one with Marux Amanth + Pukestabber and all the speed goodies (Alkohol, Devil of Caroc + Abraham, Two Weapon Style, Frenzy, Bloodlust, Heating Up, Blackblade's Hood and so on) and all the dmg goodies (One Sands Alone, Blooded, Barbaric Smash, Bloody Slaughter, Sneak Attack, Deathblows, Blood Storm, Deep Wounds etc.). It's incredibly fast once you get flanked and has very high crit damage bonuses with Barbaric Smash, especially against near death enemies and when bloodied. You need to watch out for the seld damage though. The AR is quite good but you still are vulnerable when flanked. DoC Breastplate can be used to heal you on crit and you can wear Voidward & Ring of Greater Regeneration + use Stalwrd Defiance, but still good to wathc him closely. Monk/Streetfighter is also nice. Devoted/Streetfigher is sturdier while still great offensively. "Classic" rogue like that would be a single class Streetfighter, no? Gambit with DoC Breastplate and the right tavern bonus can bring you over 10 Guile rel. early. That means 100% hit to crit with Gambit which lets you spam it nonstop (until you roll a miss or graze, then you'll lose Guile). Also the dmg of Gambit raises with high Guile and leads to great numbers.
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I guess "POD" is Might? Imo the problem with low CON isn't mainly the lowish endurance but the low health. Wizards don't really start with good health to begin with and the level-ups aren't great either (in that regard). Unlike a party Wizard one might consider taking Infuse with Vital Essence as spell mastery when going solo. It will offer you actual health gains which even persist after combat, scales with healing bonuses (such as from camping/survival and of course MIG) and can somewhat counter that problem. It can make stuff like Wound Binding obsolete. Of course you can always rest and just get to 100% health right away. But that can also be very inconvenient at times due to the limit to camping supplies on PotD. Also in some (long) fights it's not the low endurance that kills you (if you have enough sources of normal healing) but the low health. For endurance I found that Veteran's Recovery isn't the worst pick for a melee or solo Wizard, at least for the early to mid game. I found Munacra Arret to be a very useful item when soloing, no matter which class. I also never use tables/spreadsheets etc. I just take what's in the box. I also try to avoid consumables. But that's just me.
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There are several combos that can boost summons. But actually - since the buffing/support for summons doesn't have to be done by the one summoning - it's better to use party synergy instead of multiclass-synergy because the action economy is much better compared to doing all stuff by yourself - imo. That means I would recommend a SC Beckoner and supporting his summons with another party member. Also because the upgrade of Animated Weapons with a Beckoner is very good (8 weapons). The Beckoner himself can already support with phrases (e.g. Mith Fyr + The Arrow Sings ) and Animancy Cat etc. Also Edér with the pet slot can be considered. You can have two pets then which both can be used to support summons (e.g. Animancy Cat + Harley). You could then use a SC Priest with Spark the Souls of the Righteous (very good with multiple summons like 8 animated weapons or lots of skeletons for example) and of course the usual priest support stuff, Paladin can provide an Shared Flames, an Aura, Inspired Beacon and Exhortations, a Cipher can provide Pain Block etc. Ancient can cast Wild Growth on your beast or primordial summons (hello 2 supertanky dragons) and so on... If a multiclass is more interesting to you: I would pick either Darcozzi (Flame Shield on summons), Kind Wayfarer (healing summons and giving them a lash with Shared FLames at the same time) or Shielbearer (BDD on summons), all Priests (general support like all Priests do), Psion (Pain Link, Valorous Echoes, Tactical Meld etc.) or Ancient (general support + Wild Growth on primordial and beast summons). If it's not only "passive" support you are looking for with buffs but want to actively help with debuffs, CC and so on then of course a whole lot of combos come to mind. Like Monk with AoE Stunning Surge, Wizard most prominently I think with all the CC spells, Druid again... But in this case you's have to spread your attributes more. If you focus on the summoning and support via buffs you could easily drop PER for example since you'd never try to hit an enemy.
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It would be invisible support (supportive invocations, Mith Fyr, Animancy Cat etc.) and doing debuffs/CC (Shield Cracks, Killers, Ben Fidel's Neck etc.) for your summons. Arkemyr's Brillant Departure only breaks when you deal damage yourself. Summons and Walls do not count as "yourself". "Normal" self damage like Alacrity or Berserker Frenzy also won't end it, but unfortunately Blood Sacrifice counts (there seems to be a hidden attack roll involved thatr determined whether you get low, medium or high self dmg), so it will end the invisibility. So in the end it has to be Wall of Draining + Arkemyr's Brilliant Departure to sustain invisibilty for long. That's very late. Our you could use Blood Sacrife only to get back the cast for ABD once it's about to run out. With Grimoire of Vaporous Wizardry and invocations you should have plenty of options anyway. I guess a Bellower is not the best subclass though because of the reduced chant AoE. Troubadour (again)?
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You are missing one point. I guess from the cultural background? 5 INT would be a no-go for me personally. I would do 10 MIG and 10 DEX I think. You'll have +5 MIG from Thunderous Blows and +5 DEX from Swift Strikes at some point. When going for Swift Flurry I would go high PER, with Lightning Strikes I would go a bit lower.
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Yes. The Chanter's initial phrase boost only kicks in after combat started. He will have 0 out of combat iirc (also a chanter will not chant when stealthed). In a party that's no problem because somebody else can trigger combat. Using Smoke Veil: offensive phrases will break invisibility? You can just use non-offensive ones of course (those which do no attack rolls). I never tried but I think a Bloodmage/Bellower (or any other chanter) could use Arkemyr's Brilliant Departure + summons like Animated Weapons (deal damage) + offensive chats (that don't deal dmg) + cc invocations like Killers Frozen Stiff without ever breaking invisibility?
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Why Fury? The passive of the Fury only works with Druid spells that have the "Elements" keyword. Also Lord Darryn's Voulge (+3 PL to storms) doesn't work with Thrice Was She Wronged (afaik). For Heart of the Storm? Imo it would be better to use a SC Bellower (+3 PL compared to multiclass bec. SC reach 9 and can pick Prestige) or some class combo that provides additional spell dmg and/or PEN. Like for example Helwalker (+15 MIG, +2 PEN via passive + Thunderous Blows).
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Yes, that's a lot of PLs with very little effort and maybe the most usable way. Fire is one of the more resisted dmg types though. But you'll have plenty of non-fire PL bonuses, too. For lots of more versatile PL bonuses one might want to pick a Bellower I guess. Even if the Bellower can't profit from that many fire PLs one can get up to +7 PLs from the phrase counter alone. Nature Godlike + Stone of Power and you are at 9 power levels that are not tied to a certain type of damage. Add Empower once per encounter with Sasha's Singing Scimitar and the Weyc's Wand and you'll have a +14 PL spell once and will have +3PL for some time afterwards.
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I agree. Unless you face imps in the early game I don't know how Valorous Echoes may be more impactful than Whisper of Treason. And iirc there's no encounter in the early game with only imps. Strong and Insightful are nice to have, but if you are in a party anyway Valorous Echoes is inferior to casting Holy Power + Blessing: lasts as long/longer and can cover the whole party. And since early game encounters aren't long the big advantage of a Cipher (that he could recast Valorous Echoes over and over again) does not make an impact. Whisper of Treason on the other hand turns most encounters from hard into easy for me. If you manage to charm one or more gorecci str. thugs there's so much less heat on your own characters. Charm the drake at the digsite: enemies fall apart. It's like taking away an enemy from the battlefield and replacing it with a summon. If you have a guy with a club modal in the party (as I do when I plan to use Whisper of Treason) it's easy to not miss with it, too. If you even have a Wizard with Miasma who hits after the club: usually you'll crit with WoT then - even the tough nuts (not imps though). Lingering Echoes + crit = a very long charm duration for the early game. You can charm several enemies before the first one flips back again. Finally if you're a Beguiler it's very cheap (5 instead for 10 focus - only if you don't miss with it though). I don't say that Valorous Echoes can't be good. But what was said above may explain why few players talk about it. I personally would even pick Soul Shock over Valorous Echoes. It's very helpful against certain enemies with high AR against slash/crush/pierce. I also would pick Soul Shock over Amplified Thrust most of times I think. If you hit two enemies it's already better dmg and I like shock dmg a lot more than pirece dmg. The short casting time + push effect are very nice to remove engaging enemies from party members though. Other echo spells are very popular: Ectopsychic Echo, Pain Block, Amplified Wave and Ancestor's Memory get mentioned a lot. So if you wanted to do an "echo only build" (no idea why because there's no specialization like with Wizards and also no synergistic mechanics with echo spells) you could totally create a viable character. But I can't agree to the statement "Echo skills might be the cipher's most powerful and most useful abilities". Because for me that's a cipher's mind control abilites. Not that echo spells can't be awesome of course.
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Maybe, but the initial dmg part will get PL bunuses from fire and shock keywords, the pulsing part will get bonuses from freeze/water keywords and they all should get bonuses from storm and wind keywords afaik. There is no other spell that combines as many PL bonuses in theory. If you pick a Nature Godlike Fury that spells should combine the most PL and PEN bonuses of all abilities think. At least I don't recall any other ability that has that many keywords which overlap with that many PL buffs from items.