Boeroer

I guess he meant a guide for Lifegiver specifically?

The good thing about Insect Swarm and Plague of Insects, Infestatio of Maggots etc. is that they deal raw damage so you don't need to worry about penetration. But as I said they target fortitude which is often very high and some of them are tagged as poison which means that immune enemies (undead, constructs etc.) will not be affected at all. You could also go for some shock spells. What you like better. I prefer the Plague stuff most of times.

It is a really good sabre and worth keeping - if you want to spend the resources to upgrade it. Besides the normal sabre stats it is accurate (+5) which is great. And the best thing is not even listed under the list of echantments (or "Additional Effects") : This is a 20% burning lash. Lashes are mutiplicative dmg bonuses and therefore pretty good. This sabre works as if you'd have a "passive" Baby-Flames of Devotion: +ACC and a burning lash. It doesn't have the usual sabre "sharpness" which is +10% dmg. But that's only an additive dmg modifier and a lot weaker than the +20% burning lash. On top comes the 20% chance to deal some additional burn damage that is not connected to the initial weapon hit (has its own base dmg) and which you can upgrade to an AoE. This makes it one of the rel. few melee weapons with an AoE effect. This effect can happen on any hit roll. So for example if you use Heart of Fury, Whirling Strikes or Whispers of the Wind it can proc multiple times. And it emits light! Yay! Edit: I forgot - the burn AoE which can happen 20% of times targets Reflex instead of Deflection, also has its own base dmg (something around 8 or so I think?) but gets all the bonuses a normal weapon attack would get: weapon quality (fine, exceptional etc.), Might, Sneak Attack, Accuracy buffs (even the +5 from the sabre itself) and so on.

Ah yes , sorry - I forgot that +2 to Rejuvenation and +3 to Beast are mutually exclusive enchantments. I'd pick Emp. Lifeblood as Lifegiver.

If you use Spine of Thicket Green you can use some of the beast spells that deliver damage over time (Insect Swarm, Plague of Insects etc.) to do good damage. But hitting will be hard because you seem to be inclined to drop PER and those spells go against fortitude.

Cipher beams have a fixed duration, INT doesn't change it. I know for sure because I once played around with potential 1-INT-builds (using Ring of Mule's Wit). I didn't check and don't remember my ingame experience because I don't use beams much but I believe all beams work like this - but maybe the non-cipher ones are different. There are some other things that don't work with INT like one would assume - like the weird AoEs of Missile Salvo or Storm of Holy Fire. Also those "straight line" AoEs like Iconic Projection or Mind Lance etc. are unaffected by INT as well.

A Livegiver has +2 Power Level for Rejuvenation spells and gets another +5 when he is shifted. But there's a malus of -5 after the shift. Note that those PL changes immediately affect the potentcy of spells that are currently at work - for example the healing ticks of healing over time spells will get influenced. The durations however will not change. The Spine of THicket Green is en excellent stat stick for a Livegiver - however: its bonses don't apply when shifted.

Exactly. Whatever floats your boat. It's just tricky and worth a discussion as soon as you start "competing" with other players I guess. That's why multiplayer games or any competitive game (and even if it's only comparing highscores) has some sort of (constantly improving) ruleset or ode of conduct. I don't mean that Deadfire needs one - not even the ultimate challenge (there's few enough players trying it anyway so just go for it however I'd say) - just saying.

Before Josh made his statements about "spirit of the game" and "bugs are ok because we weren't able to remove them so it's our fault" there already were plenty of known chssesy options like Brilliant + SoT or WoD etc. So abusing bugs and using cheesy tactics were obviously ok for the ultimate challenge. But I didn't hear anything official about the really impactful Strand of Favor trick which not only is very powerful but also requires no planning/skill/metakowledge etc. at all - so I wasn't sure if that also got sanctioned/allowed or not. In this thread it boils down to "what is the current strongest PotD solo build" - and you could discuss if that means with or without cheesy tactics - and where OP likes to draw the line. Besides that every discussion is fine if there's some knowledge gained and info - and opinions - shared. Everybody has to draw that line for himself - mainly based on what feels good for the individual player. I personally don't use consumables besides food and sometimes unguents and also almost never use resting bonuses or any kind as well as SoT, WoD and sources of Brillant (not even Tactician). I will use Gouging Strike and Lover's Embrace and also Brand Enemy - but only with a dedicated character where it fits. And only for one playthrough where it was fun. It loses its appeal very quickly though because it's too easy - which is the problem with all too powerful approaches. Yet I don't blame anybody for using any of this. Even Strand of Favor. If it's fun then do it. It's not for me so I don't do it but that's it. I neither did bash an exploit nor did I advertise any. I merey wanted to know what "allowed" meant in that context. Putting words into people's mouth doesn't look very serious either. The post afterwards was only explaining how I personally feel about the difference between lowering the challenge to the same levels with either official/intentional cheats (like the console) vs. using unofficial/accidental cheats (like Strand of Favor) - and how some people might think the latter is somehow "better" than the first. Imo there is none: you are just breaking the game all the same. But I also said that's okay with me as long as it's fun for you. I merely think as soon as others are involved - for example when you compete with other players for a patch or a plate on a wall of honor (where places are limited) there should be more strict rules or at least more sincere discussion about what is okay and what not. Imagine there's only one plate left, you did a "clean" run but got beaten by a guy who quickly ran through his attempt with Strand of Favor + Vanishing Strikes - how would you feel about that. Maybe something like "well I could have known about it, silly me" or maybe "well that's a bit unfair". Well it's now too late to redeem that "bugs are fair game" statement of course (I doubt that anybody truly believes that running through the challenge 100% invisible is "in the spirit of the challenge") - and maybe it also would have been too difficult to draw a line in the first place without giving the impression of pure arbitrariness. Imagine you think a bug is fair game but then get your run disqualified afterwards: major bummer. Difficult. I think I personally would have restricted the challenge to "only using effects that work as intended" which would include endless DOTs, WoD & SoT with Brilliant etc. But that would have required constant updates and monitoring so maybe that wouldn't have been feasible either. But of course that has not much to do with OP's original question. Since he's not here anymore I gues we will never know what he consideres "strongest" but not too cheesy and where to draw the line.

If one wants to aquire Engoliero do Espirs earlier: It's possible to export a character who already has the estoc. Then import that character as a hired adventurer in your new game. It will be quite expensive, so it's not really blatant cheating - you can't afford it without Berath's Blessing money. You cannot use console commands to get the weapon for the "mule" char because he will be marked as cheated as well. It's a good way to play a character idea without waiting too long for it to become available. Players can share such exported characters.

The only thing that's not quite "Death Guardish" about it is that it's an estoc. The attack animation is the thrust and only the thrust. It's not really "badass" looking compared to a great sword if you know what I mean. *poke* *poke* *BAMGHOSTBLADES*

Besides that I look at stuff like Strand of Cheesor the following way: There's not much mechanical difference between cheating with the console to become immortal and using Strand of Favor to become immortal. The only difference is that one way marks the savegame as cheated while the other doesn't. If one thinks the second way more "legit" than the first one they're just cheating themselves. What's the point of doing a solo run on the hardest difficulty if you remove the challenge with one simple switch? Could as well do a party story mode run then - if it's not about the "achievement". But what is an achievement actually worth if you can get it so easily? Don't get me wrong: I love to read about tricks like that and applaud the effort to find and research it. But I cannot really get behind using it. If one has fun using it: cool with me. As long as it doesn't affect other players nobody should apologize about the way they play - with console, with cheats, with abusing glitches, whatever. And on has to admit that using Vanishing Strikes + unlimited duration probably is "the strongest" solo build as was asked for. It becomes tricky though when I look at the Ultimate Challenge (which wasn't what OP started with though).

Yes, indeed. That is the case. But actually stupid me meant Magran's Favor (the battle axe), not Magran's Blessing - sorry.

I listed them above for Priest of Berath.

Ah thanks. Good info. Josh did say bugs are fair game when they released the Ultimate Challenge. But I wasn't sure how far they would go with that statement because it was made pre Strand-of-Favor cheese.

I wouldn't drop Resolve as Paladin either. Sacred Immolation can be very potent if your RES is high (= the self damage part is a lot shorter). MIG I wouldn't raise too high, some CON is good to have. All in all I would go for a rel. balanced stat distribution I think. Would be cool to get some Berath's Blessing points and get the Infamous Captain perk as well as bonus stats. You can unlock all Berath Blessing points like so (if you wish):

For beginners I would recommend class combos that are frontloaded with good abilities. That's usually subclasses. That way you'll experience quick success and don't have to wait so long for your character to actually work well.

Sounds like Paladin/Chanter. My pick would be Steel Garrote/Troubadour or Bleak Walker/Troubadour.

What does that mean? This bug was discovered (or at last made widely known) long after the last patch for Deadfire was released and its lifecyle ended. Not fixing this bug doesn't mean "allowed". I'm certain that if this bug would have been known by devs during the lifecycle of Deadfire it would have been patched out. Or do you mean "allowed" is when Obsidian doesn't invalidate an ultimate run where this trick was used? If yes: did that happen (I haven't read about it but possible)?

Spirit Lance' initial hit does pierce damage, the AoE does crush damage. I assume "DK" means Death Knight. Imo such a Death Knight - or in case of the Eora universa called Death Guard - has to have some "death" magic as his disposal. Or stuff that could be interpreted as such. Four classes come to mind and I will list them here with the bilites I find most fitting (I'll only go up tp Power Level 7 because I assume multiclass is more interesting than single class) : Chanter: Invocations: If their Bones --> Ancient Brittle Bones But Reny Daret's Ghost --> His Hunt for Revenge, Eternal White Worms --> Their Putrid Stench Wafts Across Reny Daret's Ghost Spake --> Ben Fidel's Neck Was Exposed Their Companion Braved the Horde Alone Called to His Bidding, the Ancient Instruments of Death Boil Their Flesh From Skin to Bone Phrases: Come, Come Soft Winds of Death The Long Night's Drink Aefyllath Ues Mith Fyr Old Siec Would Not Rest 'til His Hunger Was Sated Many Lives Pass By Druid: Touch of Rot Taste of the Hunt Autum's Decay Firebrand Spreading Plague Nature's Terror Infestation of Maggots Rot Skulls Rusted Armor Priest of Berath: Touch of Rot Barbs of Condemnation Spiritual Great Sword Divine Mark Spreading Plague Desponent Blows Divine Terror Barring Beath's Door Rot Skulls Rusted Armor Wizard: Chillfog Ghost Blades Thrust of Tattered Veils Fetit Caress Corrosive Siphon Necrotic Lance Repulsive Visage Draining Touch Enervating Terror Bitter Mooring Death Ray (unique grimoire) Shadowflame (unique grimoire) Spirit Lance Death Ring Killing Bolt Draconic Fury (unique grimoire) Others may have different preferences. In PoE 1 they throw a lot of Fireballs around... You can then combine that with any martial (sub)class that makes sense thematically - like Helwalker, Streetfighter, Bleak Walker, Steel Garrote, Furyshaper, Berserker, Devoted and so on. Theoretically any class can become a death guard. Your will just has to be strng enough so your soul refuses to pass through the wheel and clings to your body after dying - in game we've seen paladins (Lucia Rivan - Darcozzi, Raedric VII - unknown), priests (Yseyr the Berathian) and Fanatic (Babrarian/Paladin - Death Guard Fanatic in the Forgotten Catacombs). So I guess Paladin is a good choice thematically. Mechanically I think Arcane Knight (Paladin/Wizard) is a good combo. I really like Steel Garrote + Bloodmage. Paladin/Chanter is also great. Anything that casts + Helwalker is very good, too. Barbarian + caster is also neat. Streetfighter + Priest of Berath is a powerful combo due to Barring Death's Door + Salvation of Time as well. Lots of options. I personally would settle for a certain "look and feel" I want to achieve and then chose the classes and abilites accordingly. Some items that might have the right "vibes": Blackened Plate + helmet Casita Samelia's Legacy Rekvu's Fractured Casque Horns of the Aurochs St. Drogga's Skull Sanguine Great Sword Engoliero do Espirs Voidwheel Grave Calling Skullcrusher Magistrate's Cudgel Ragged Cloak Marux Amanth Saru-Sichr Watcher's Blade Thaos' Headdress Whitewitch Mask

Magran's BlessingFavor + Sun & Moon is a well known combo since it can give you +4 Power Levels for Flames & Devotion.

If you have a single class Kind Wayfarer then I highly recommend to take Divine Retribution later in the game and get a Chanter party member who can summon Ancient Brittle Bones and uses the Many Lives Pass By phrase. Troubadour with Brisk Recitation + Many Lives is the best combo with SC Kind Wayfarer imo. You will send a lot of really weak skeletons into he fight all the time and when they die they will give the Paladin +2 Zeal. Which means 2 more White Flames uses. You can spam it all the time then and at the same time heal all the time. Just time it so/position yourself that you don't heal the skeletons every time. Edit: since White Flames heal you as well you can even combine that with Divine Immolation to great effect. But again: don't heal your skeletons. It also works if you kill the skeletons yourself by the way. It's easy to do "accidentially" with Powder Burns (blunderbuss modal) for example.

In this special case (Troubadour/Psion) I almost only use Brisk Recitation because the big base idea is (imo) to reload phrases while you spend focus - and vice versa. It's all about spamming invocations/cipher powers and less about chant support. Because of this I don't use buffing phrases like Mith Fyr. I'll use offensive phrases because often those are not influenced be the no-linger of BrRec. Once they hit an enemy they will apply an effect and it doesn't really matter that the linger is gone. Also, once you get Their Champion invocation you might want to use offensive chants only because you will have the chance to interrupt enemies in the chant AoE every 3 secs. I'll use stuff like Thick Grew Their Tongues + The long Night's Drink (depending on enemies' defenses). Or I'll switch to Many Lives Pass By because - let's be honest - it's bonkers with Brisk Recitation. You'll send a skeleton into battle every 3 secs while loading up your phrase counter which is awesome. Especially if you have a SC Paladin in the party (nobody has, just saying ;)) you want that. Because Divine Retribution + Many Lives... *chef's kiss* With other class combos that might be different. For example a ranged Troubadour/Streefighter I played never used Brisk Recitation but wanted to uphold Sure Handed Ila + Mith Fyr all the time.

Some other thing which ius not obvious with wizard tanking: singular defense buffs (Arcane Veil, Mirrored Images, Wizard's Double, Llengrath's Displaced Image and so on) will all stack with Lllengrath's Safeguard (+20 to all defenses). Usually active buffs don't stack - but the game considers individual defense buffs (+x to deflection) and universal defense buffs (+x to all defenses) to be different things so they stack. Also works with Fighter's Vigorous Defense and Cipher's Borrowed Insticts. Llengrath's Safeguard has the additional bonus of 5 AR which is great. You can prolong Lllengrath's Safeguard with Wall of Draining, too.

Escape's deflection buff has a very short duration. But as a Rogue/Wizard you can prolong it with Wall of Draining which makes it very good since it has no drawbacks (like Arcane Veil, Wizard's Double or Mirrored Images). Also Rogues have Adept Evasion which can be very useful for tanking spells, too - especially when wearing a (large) shield. Also Rogue/Wizard can stack the Escape deflection buff with Llengrath's Safeguard (+20 to all defenses) which is great. A human Streetfighter/Wizard who uses Wall of Draining and becomes bloodied and then triggers Lllengrath's Safeguard and "escapes" to a position where he's flanked will have great offensive power AND superb deflection and AR. Needs a bit planning - but it's like a tactical puzzle and it's fun because it can be very rewarding. If you pick WotEP + Offensive Parry you can even stack that with Riposte. Or use Spirit Lance or shield + Draining Touch or even club+modal and Draining Touch. Lots of options. Just don't let Arcane Dampener hit you. So tanking as Rogue/Wizard is possible (also as Rogue/Fighter or Rogue/Paladin) - especially if you pick the Trickster subclass for Fighter or Paladin multiclasses obviously.