Boeroer

Clear the Path is quite broad and very long. Comparable to Driving Roar but broader (maybe twice the size). Since it's a weapon attack it works extermely well with AoE procs. For example Karabörü... Also mortars work with it if you use a melee weapon in the offhand. Don't ask my why. But that leads to a ton of AoE attack rolls.

Do you guys think that the following wildstrike icons are ok (second row: Greater Wildstrike)?

Yeah ok. But it would be good to learn how to add experience to specific companions...

I didn't try, but it should get +3. Maelstrom doesn't seem to have the freeze keyword. I tried with LD's Voulge (+3 to storms) and Deltro's Cage (+2 to shock) and those stack to +5 with Greater Maelstrom (has shock and storm keywords). Take Otto Starcat (+1 to burn), Prestige and Power Surge and you are already at a bonus of +8 PL for Great Maelstrom. You could use Magran's Favor + Sun and Moon to get to +9 I suppose.

Just generic ones. No "named" captains.

You never played a SC fighter with Clear the Path then.

I can do that. I just thought the originals weren't that great because so much of the claw gets clipped. Also: those are always the same icons for Wildstrike, Greater Wildstrike and Wildstrike Frenzy. And since there was so little space in the original icons to expand the fire/freeze etc...

Please be more specific.

Altered some of the criticized "old" icons (from Fighter, Rogue, Paladin) and also Ranger's. So just a quick update. Special subclass passive icons will follow soon.

Wildstrike icons (down below). I don't know why, but those were especially tedious to do.

Once they join they will have your Watcher's level. So if you don't want to bring them along until some point anyway it's smarter (in regards to XP gain) to pick them up later. I don't know if you can miss a companion if you wait too long. Don't think so but I didn't try to "break" the system in that regard. But there are certain companions that you might only be able to pik up in a certain situation that you can't avoid (Edér, Aloth, Serafen maybe?). If you reject them they will be gone. Although some of them might have an option that tells them that youÄll come back later. But as I said: I didn't test that companion recruitment stuff a lot so I'm not sure.

Crägholt Bluffs: lvl 12 at least. Maybe wait for 14. Longwatch Falls: 10 if you are bold. 12 should be ok. This is only out of memory. I didn't play PoE for a while. Which hirelings doesn't matter that much. They are only cannon fodder since they don't level properly. Choose them based on the prestige/defense they bring to your stronghold. More defenses: fewer annoying raids. More prestige: higher lvl stronghold adventures and events.

I don't use Heralds that much. But when I do they are usually good enough as healers once you can stack Ancient Memory with Exalted Endurance. The passive healing + Lay on Hands is usually all you need.

For example Savage Attack. It's totally fine to lose 5 ACC later in the game since you will have tons of ACC through weapon enchantments and Borrowed Insticts (which is a must have/use in my opinion). For more sturdyness Veteran's Recovery is fine, especially if you have high MIG an INT. Also Outlander's Frenzy can be used to speed up your attacks until you have collected enough focus for Time Siphon. Aspirant's Mark is better suited to ensure more crits than Bloody Slaughter is as well. It's actually pretty good as opener for a cipher since it lasts pretty long and will cost no focus. Even Scion of Flame/Heart of the Storm/Spirit of Decay/Secrets of Rime would be better than Bloody Slaughter - depending on which lash you put onto your weapon via enchantmant. If you put on a burning lash take Scion of Flame for example. It raises the lash percantage from 15% to 30%. Since lashes are multiplicative dmg modifiers and also generate focus this is worthwhile for a cipher. Especially if you also have a chanter in the party who puts an additional burning lash onto your weapon via "Mith Fyr" chant.

If you already did all the content and your companions are not lvl 20 yet I'm afraid they won't get there. I mean if you do the expnsions now they totally will. Beast of Winter is totally fine with lvl 14+.

That is correct! I can't edit the build list in the Deadfire's Character Builds subforum anymore! That's... Booo?

That melee build from steam is ok - except wasting a talent point for Bloody Slaughter which is absolute rubbish. Please note that the Lady of Pain with a two handed setup can only reach 0 recovery if you frequently use potions of Deleterious Alacrity of Motion. If you don't want to do that you must go for Two Weapon Style.

Searing Falls and the cave can be done at lvl 8. The cave can get tough though. Don't rely on fire attacks there. Also bring a character with at least 10 in mechanics and sneak through the cave once you cleared it in order to find a secret... Going to Stalwart at lvl 8 is also ok. Most early areas there like Russetwood and Durgan's Battery (outside) can be done then. Longwatch Falls is especially tough though. Some bounties may be labeled with lvl 14 but with a little preparation you can do way lower. Crägholt Bluffs is very high level stuff - except if you are very experienced (I mean as a player, not character ). If you get most of the support for Yenwood Field (Veterans, Ogres from White March - don't kill any Ogres inside their cave in Russetwood - stronghold hirelings and so on) you can do the fight at lvl 8. If not then it's tough. No idea about Geyda, never experienced this.

Besides Neketake quests and the main plot, ship combat (which is mostly bounty hunting) is a very fast and easy way to collect lots of XP, valuable items and cash. You can do it very early because your captain skills have zilch to do with your character level. After a few sunken ships you will outrank most other ship captains and crew.

As long as steam is running and the game is not exited it will count it as playtime. Even if you to other software, your browser etc. So if the source of gaming hours is Steam: it's not very reliable. If you suddenly realize you have to go shopping or left the stove on at you mum's place and rush off without exiting competely - it will count that as playtime.

Druid's PL 8 gets you Avenging Storm. Try it with dual hand mortars (Blinding Smoke from Hand Mortar triggers Avenging Storm and Fire in the Hole will jump one time - including AoE) or blunderbusses against single targets. I like to put Tekehu in Deltro's Cage, fire up a Chillfog and Returning + Avenging Storm spells and then wade in, guns blazing. It's so helpful that all his Watershaper "bonus" spells are foe only and the storm spells (Relentless + Avenging Storm) are as well. At PL 9 Greater Maelstrom... ouch.

If a build is taylored towards (solo) PotD difficulty it will surely work on lower difficulties and in a party as well. A fun an powerful two handed build which becomes tanky enough (after some levels) is "The Cauterizer" Barbarian from the build list. Lady of Pain does less damage (consumables aside) but is sturdier in the earlier levels. Also check out dual wielding characters with good sturdyness: "Monksterlasher", "The Juggernaut" and "The Anvil" all work very well. Generally speaking you shouldn't tank with a non-shield character. Paladin, Fighter and Monk (with Veteran's Recovery) can make really good and "no fuzz" main tanks. Chanters will struggle a bit in the early game but will be ok later on with that role. You can also use Ciphers, Rogues or Barbarians as main tank, but those need support in the early game and only can take the role as main tank after certain levels. Safest bet for a tank is Paladin and Fighter.

Yes, some rework is needed. Also for the Empty Soul. The spiral on the forehead becomes a grey blob. I can expand the more roundish symbols for a square canvas. I just make then round in order to see how it looks with the round mask. Because that's how you will look at them most of times (when deciding what to pick when leveling up). I will tackle that once I finished the general/subclass/wildstrike icons. Distracting Training: it's a boar that got missed by a melee attack. Easy. I think I can just delete some of the filigree leafs and then Sup. Camouflage will be ok. Actual army camouflage is not very fantasy-like. Also I only have two colors at my disposal. Your version of Survival of the Fittest looks indeed much better at 42x42. Will change it accordingly.

You miss Seeker, Slayer, Survivor. So you can't directly compare PoE + all expansions to Deadfire with one expasion missing. Deadfire's main plot is indeed a lot shorter - but there are also a lot more sidequests and more exploration than in PoE. I can't quite understand how a completionist gets less hours out of Deadfire than he/she gets out of PoE (with one playthrough).

And suddenly I'm getting logged out very quickly again...