Boeroer

In Deadfire: Blooded = below 50% Near Death = below 25% Disciplined Barrage and later Tactical Barrage will give you bonus PER and convert 50% hits to crits and 50% grazes to hits. It's quite awesome and only costs 1 point of Discipline (the resource the fighter uses).

By the way the Belt of the Royal Deadfire Cannoneer is pretty great on this. Not because of Firebrand, but because of the automatic Flame Shield (no need for potions) and the Torrent of Flame. And the stat bonuses of course.

It's in a hidden treasure room in Blood Sands/Twin Elms. Sometimes you have to reequip and reload to make them work. If you can't see a raw lash in the combat log once you have some wounds then they have a hickup.

Yes - at least all the advice I give is based on PotD. The good thing is that whatever works well on PotD usually also works well on lower difficulties - but I might miss or skip things that would be fun on normal/hard but don't work well on PotD. I think the game on hard or even normal is challenging enough for a new player - you have to put some effort into building a nice party that feels powerful. But once said player has gained meta knowledge and understands the mechanics he/she can get away with a lot of stuff, yes. Not only on on the lower difficulties, also on PotD. Once you know the tricky stacking rules and some other rules, tricks and synergies and that the key to success is nearly always "buff ACC -> do CC -> deal damage" PotD is also not very challenging (with a party). I mean I can just buff ACC on a cipher with +70 in seconds with the right party, cast a Disintegration on a dragon and then charm him. Good riddance. One can even feel sorry for that wurm. But it takes some time to figure that out. For most players it's just "Wooot! He wiped me whole party with a wing slam! Wtf this is too damn difficult! *ragequit*" Concerning monk: if you never take damage then obviously a monk doesn't work too well. Especially if your party is heavy on CC. He's also tricky to play in the early game because the "1 wound/max endurance" ratio is pretty high. Meaning in order to have 10 wounds you'd basically have to get knocked out and your health bar will suffer a lot - while at higher levels the endurance pool and especially the health pool are so much bigger that you can easily accumulate 10 wounds without feeling threatened. A nice way to make the monk easier to play in the early game is to put on heavy armor and pick Veteran's Recovery since this gives you a lot more "virtual" health and endurance and the wound management becomes less stressful. Maybe the monk is another class that works best on PotD where you can't avoid to take some damage anyways und thus can make good use of it. However, although I think monks are the best melee class overall I don't play them as much with a party of six - because they require a hell lot of micromanagement and often enough I don't want to spend that much attention on a single character. It's like the opposite of a DT-Chanter whom you simply steer into the fray and say "and now sing" and that's it. I'm always willing to give advice - also for rogues, even on Story Mode. If somebody asks for advice on rogues I will not say "but they suck, use a monk instead" but try to point out things and tricks that I think are powerful and fun when playing a rogue. Doesn't need to be the potentially most powerful way or so - because when I look how different the approaches of players are I don't think that a definitive "most powerful build" even exists.

It's nice but it needs levels. You get Shared Flames early enough but Mith Fyr comes a bit late for multiclass characters. Make sure to use most of your zeal for FoD in order to hold up the Shared Flames. A Kind Wayfarer can also prevent his summons from dying prematurely. I used a pike with modal to "prepare" the enemies for my summons.

Summons scale with char level in Deadfire - which makes them useful throughout the whole game. With a Beckoner you get 6 skeletons. They are small and have less health - but they hit as hard as the "normal" ones. And they hit pretty hard compared to those noodle-skeletons in PoE1. With two burning lashes from Shared Flames and Mith Fyr their combined damage is actually pretty crazy. If you combine it with some AR debuff they shred most enemies pretty quickly. And on tp comes the awesome body blocking with six skeletons - which break apart into two lesser skeletons each after death! I mean in theory there yould be 12 skeletons fighting for you... You can summon them behind the enemy line so that they don't get into the way of your shark. Another plus as I said: the two burning lashes also apply to all the other party members which is quite powerful. It's like everyone has Flames of Devotion all the time.

I don't want to discuss this in lenght and unravel every paragraph. You wanted to know why a lot of people say that the rogue feels weak to them - and we gave some reasons why that might be the case. If in your game the rogue is very good (also because you taylor your party accordingly) and you like to play him then everything is fine. Also if interrupts play a major role in your game and you can use them to your advantage then that's also nice. If monk isn't your thing that's also cool with me - I just want to interject one or two opposing arguments if somebody says something like "class X is definitely bad" - just so that other reader's don't get the impression that this is more than a personal opinion and never try that class. How I play the game the rogue usually is the least useful class because of the reasons I stated above. Some other experienced players think the same way I guess - but that doesn't mean that this is the universal truth and applies to every player and every playstyle. I also don't think he's rubbish. The classes are fairly balanced when it comes to a full party. But if you ask me as a quite experienced player which is the least useful class I'd always say rogue. That doesn't mean that he's not fun to play for me. I fact I think he's more fun than the usual DT-chanter - but he's less useful/powerful nonetheless, at least for me. That doesn't mean that this applies to all other players. The most important part is that the game is fun to play.

Paladin/Beckoner with Shared Flames and Mith Fyr. Nice support (gives them all two burning lashes, heals, zealous aura...) and also is immensely helpful with his summons (who also get supported).

It seems that you haven't understood some mechanics correctly. For example the Dragon Thrashed chant is a DoT effect that doesn't have to overcome the full DR. It's also stackable with itself - which means that at higher levels (due to Brisk Recitation and high INT) three instances can be stacked at a time. That means that 60 base damage get applied every 3 seconds, more with a crit (10 base slash + 10 base burn per 3 sec). Add high MIG and you can see where this is going and why it "melts" enemies. On normal or hard most foes will be dead before a rogue can kill three of them. On PotD it's even better because there are more enemies and they all get hit at once. More enemies is meaningless for the Chanter because he hits them all. It has to do an attack roll and thus can also crit. It is not awesome against bosses, but not bad. I mean you deal lots of damage passively - that's quite awesome. Also your perception of the cipher deviates a lot from what most people here think about them. First of all they can achieve similar single target damage as a rogue with auto-attacks (Soul Whip + Biting Whip) whithout the need for afflictions - which is awesome for a caster. Then a cipher is unmatched when it comes to mind control which is the most powerful crowd control mechanic in the game. Ask the dragons... If you think the monk is bad you simply didn't understand how he plays. After playing several playthroughs with all classes and after countless testing session and also solo runs I believe that the monk is the strongest melee class in the game overall - from the beginning of the game till the end - if you handle him correctly. But needs a lot more micromanagement - more like a caster. He's also one of the best ranged dps classes in the game (from lvl 7 on). I'd say THE best ranged class. He can have awesome single target damage via lashes, very good AoE damage, very solid defenses, great starting values, some very potent single target CC options and a very big endurance and health pool. There's a reason why most players fear high level enemy monks - but enemy rogues? Not so much. You also didn't seem to understand that a monk can use any weapon with all his abilities. He's not restricted to fists in any way, but they are a good alternative to weapons. It sounds as if you didn't really play one. How can you say a monk is bad if you didn't play him? The rogue is especially weak on PotD - but even on the other difficulties he's not top notch. And at higher levels the "ultimate CC effect aka death" takes some time to get applied. Especially once the rogue lies flat on his face again. I guess if you'd do a poll in this forum then most people would say that priest is the most powerful/impactful class, followed by wizard/druid. By the way: two handers have the same attack speed and recovery as swords/maces/spears (all the heavier one handed weapons). Dual wielding and every other speed bonus except DEX only affects recovery time. So once you can achieve 0 recovery with a two hander it's the better dps option (except with Full Attacks of course). It's way easier to achieve 0 recovery when dual wielding. Especially from early to mid game dual wielding is superior in most cases. But some mechanics favor two handers over DW (abilities with primary attack & Blood Thirst for example). Dps wise the best auto-attack option for rogues are fast one handers for the most part of the game. The melee weapon with the best dps in the game is Drawn in Spring if you are not at 0 recovery. Great weapon for a rogue. Once you can hit 0 with a two hander then then best dps weapon is Tidefall. Single target interrupts become less important if you have other good CC options and if you are fighting a lot of enemies.

Yes. A lot. Basically all melee heavy classes work well with monk. Swift Flurry + Cleaving Stance is a (not so) secret tip for example. Also monk with ranger works quite well. The Long Pain and Swift Flurry work with Driving Flight...

Oh, I think I can answer this. He was suggesting those two items for the Paladin, because of the increase in burn damage that class can get natively and easily, plus I literally asked for a 2-handed paladin build, and that's a pretty standard one from what I've seen. Basically with Firebrand and Bleak Walker you can get the highest spike damage possible in the game (besides Backstab + Deathblows which requires a heck of micro). Lady of Pain with Tidefall is a solid choice. Runner's Wounding Shot isn't about the hobble, it's about the +80% raw multiplicative damage. Usually it does the same overall damage as a strike woth FoD + Intense Flames. It's great to take out high priority targets asap. Especially because the paladin has no other special attacks besides his 2 FoD strikes. Of course Charge is better, but that's lvl 13 (!) while Runner's Wounding Shot comes very early.

Yes, on PotD the enemies are not only tougher, they also come in greater numbers and deal more damage (also because there are other, more dangerous types of enemies). A rogue, while his offense is great in the early to mid game because of Sneak Attack, totally falls behind in the later game because he can only deal single target damage and nothing else. And in the later game his damage doesn't rise as much as enemies' endurance does - meaning it takes a while to grind down an enemy with melee attacks, even with Sneak Attack + Deathblows. While building your whole party around it so that the rogue can shine you lose so much potential while gaining rel. little damage. And on top the guy's squishy as an overcooked ravioli. At the same time a spiritshifted druid can do even more melee single target damage without the whole party having to pamper him. His time as melee single target guy my be limited, but he can also cast awesome spells once his single target damage is not sufficient. A monk can come close to a rogue's single target damage (but takes more levels) while being a lot sturdier and also having great CC and AoE capabilities. It's the same problem the standard dps fighter has on PotD. Hits quite hard - but there are too many foes and he isn't very useful for anything else. A chanter on the other hand is really great on PotD (while he's not so good on lower difficulties - as you said the fights are too short). On PotD however a chanter - specialized on Dragon Thrashed AoE damage - is one of the best damage dealers in every party while being very sturdy and doing passive healing for the party at the same time. Single target damage dealers can still be good on PotD if you build them sturdy enough to survive without too much support and then send them behind enemy lines to take out the squishies - and they have their value in boss fights. But generally rogues and fighters are considered to be weak after the mid game on PotD because of the reasons I mentioned above. Also because you can have awesome occasional single target (spike) damage with other classes who bring additional stuff to the table (wizard, priest, druid, paladin). Dps fighters can get their act together again with Charge, rogues don't have such an awesome high level ability. Because that's another reason: the rogue has weak high level abilites compared to other melee classes. Barbs get Heart of Fury and Dragon Leap, Paladins get Sacred Immolation, Fighters get Charge, rogues get... Smoke Cloud? Feign Death? Shadow Step? Ironic wow! But all in all it depends mostly on the difficulty setting. I played countless PotD playthroughs and the standard dw glass cannon rogue is by far the weakest party member in every playthrough. Not in terms of damage, but in overall usefulness. Can still be fun though.

Kind of. Since the belt is in the game Firebrand went from an occasional weapon (3 per rest) to a potential main weapon (6 per rest). And since it's the melee weapon with the highest possible damage per hit it's nice for several builds. Other two handers like Tidefall can ourperform it in the late game (with a lot of enchanting), but it's so much fun to use it throughout the entire game that I stick to it. It also helps to spare precious resources like durgan steel, dragon/kraken eyes etc.

If you want to make sure they only get 25% damage instead of 100% or even 130% and will not be the ones who get hit first all the time then yes. For -75% damage everybody can handle longer recovery times. In PoE there was a sweet spot when it comes to DR and rushing. Also every point of armor did something for you. In Deadfire it's more like all or nothing. Of course it may be that we'll see some awesome unique medium armors - who knows...

I would never go naked because even your backline can be targeted by ranged attackers easily - and when being naked it's very "easy" to suffer from +30% damage. Also characters with low DR get targeted a lot more than ones with at least decent DR. If you want to concentrate fire on a bait-character (yoi can cast Barring Death's Door or the Kind Wayfarer's ability on him foirst so he doesn't get down) just run him naked and with low deflection and everybody and their neighbor's blowdarts will target this character first.

Yeah - it's just too important now to have good AR. I mean that's maybe realistic - every combatant in medieval times would have worn plate armor if it would have been affordable. But this is a game and not a simulation. All kinds of armor should have some pros and cons and be viable at least. I also don't get why you can't give medium armors excessive protection against certain damage types while they are just medium in general. For example why not give padded and hide armor a LOT more AR against freeze damage? I mean more that heavy armors have. Stuff like that. That would make at least sure they get used in certain encounters/environments. And with plate for example I would even suggest to remove AR vs. shock completely. Also heavy armor should have some impact when you are a seafaring adventurer. There's a reason why plate isn't famous on ships...

It's a pity because Bleak Walker + Spiritual Great Sword would be very nice. They could have made it so that you automatically take Untroubled Faith as first ability when choosing those combos.

Phew - I'm glad that we cleared that up. Now off to something different!

If you like paladins and flaming swords and high spike damage, then here's something: Race: doesn't really matter, go for your favorite Stats (not set in stone): MIG: 15 CON: 10 DEX: 15 PER: 15 INT: 15 RES: 08 Class: Bleak Walker's or Goldpact Knight (more spike damage) or Kind Wayfarer (good AoE healing - here Moon Godlike makes sense) Key items: Forgemaster Gloves and Belt of the Royal Deadfire Cannoneer (both are obtainable quite early so you're not spending 75% of the game with hunting equipment to make a build work). Talents: - Weapon Focus <whatever your backup/alternative weapon should be> - Remember Rhakan Field or Enduring Flames or Strange Mercy+Sword & Shepherd - Intense Flames - Scion of Flame - Runner's Wounding Shot - Two Handed Style - Savage Attack - Apprentice's Sneak Attack (not in case of Kind Wayfarer) Abilities: - Flames of Devotion - Lay on Hands - Zealous Focus - Sworn Enemy - Inspiring Triumph - Righteous Soul - Sacred Immolation - Behold the Martyr or Abjuration Your main weapon will be Firebrand which you will use in every fight (you'll have 6 uses per rest which is plenty). Against burn immune foes you need a solid two handed backup weapon you like. I like using a pike because of the reach, but a great sword is also good because of the two damage types. ST. Ydwen's Redeemer is also a good backup weapon. If you take this I would also pick Abjuration. You can then get instant kills with vessels and spirits which can help a lot. Redeemer can use any weapon focus. Firebrand itself works with any weapon focus, too. Story talents you desperately want: Merciless Hand (Doemenel Faction) and Dungeon Delver (dyrwooden looters). Firebrand itself is already Annihilating and seasoned with those talents it nearly do +50 damage on crit. With Sworn Enemy + Flames of Devotion (+ 35 ACC) you'll crit pretty often. Use a priest to buff party's accuracy with Devotions of the Faithful and Inspiring Radiance! I recently tested a Bleak Walker with this setup and got crits over 200 with Flames of Devotion... Also Runner's Wounding Shot with Firebrand is very good. Offtanking is ok as always with a paladin. Use Lay on Hands on yourself if you need to. Spike damage is awesome. Really nice. You might want to use medium armor instead of plate in order to be faster. In the early game plate is very good but durig Act II I would tune it down to hide or even padded. But this depends what feels best for you. If you like plate then it's also ok of course. The micro is not too high: summon Firebrand and beat up stuff with FoD and Runner's Wounding Shot. Heal once you or friends seem to have trouble. That's it. Later summon Firebrand and turn on Sacred Immolation.

See shanties! Now that's a cool nice addition. Maybe I will come around and like the ship stuff after all.

You can use Empower to regain half of your spell uses (that is 1 cast per spell level) once per encounter.

I'm using the armors that fit my characters and which I like optically. For example I don't like the shiny appearance of standard/fine/exceptional plate on my frontliners so much so I will use breastplate or so. And with some abilities you can do some AR stacking so that you can outperform enemies' PEN. But this requires some meta knowledge (already spend 200+ hours on the beta). To be on the safe side you want to use plate or brigandine all the time. I don't know how you could make standard/non-unique medium armor worthwhile in the current system. I suggested a stride malus for heavy armor as well (the heavier the more severe - while tuning down the recovery maluses a bit) - maybe that would do something. Also a non-linear increase in recovery penalty might help.

I noticed some robes from WMII are missing (Robes of the Tidebringer for example). Null-edit doesn't fix it this time. I think they are just not in.

Depends on enemies corrode/burn DR. Both are ok. Goldpact Knights have the advantage that their dispositions are not as "extreme". Penetrating Shot for an arquebus is kind of wasted. It only gives you +5 damage and DR bypass does nothing for your lashes (FoD/Intense Flames/lash on weapon). Quick Switch can be substituted with the Coil of Resourcefulness to free up another talent point. Just an option though. Quick Switch is a bit faster and they also stack (for super quick switching). What about Arms Bearer? You could add a third arquebus and pick Runner's Wounding Shot. It's as good as an FoD shot against 0 DR but better against high DR foes. It's only 1/encounter but usually enough to melt one squishy. Critical Focus is crap. Edit: If you really want to use a single weapon and use a Bleak Walker then I'd suggest Bittercut and also take Spirit of Decay. It will add +20% damage to your physical damage as well as the Rhakan-Field lash.

What do you mean? PoE? In PoE you can go with exceptional durganized robe (= 0 recovery penalty, 7 DR) and be fine in the late game. You can also try to stack crazy amounts of DR (superb plate + Iron Wheel + Second Skin + Blunting Belt + Cloak of Comfort for example for way over 30 DR). That helps but is really extreme. For tanks who can't deal damage or do active support of course more DR is always better (see Dragon Thrashed Chanter). Since more DR with no speed loss doesn't hurt, builds that have crazy speed stacking can also go with plate and have 0 recovery. But every other build who has decent endurance and can't reach 0 recovery in heavy armor should go with a 0 recovery armor (so durganized robes - or in case of fighter durganized scale). But the DR in PoE also has another aspect: certain enemies will not focus on you if you have decent DR. So even it it doesn't do much once you get attacked, a thicker armor can prevent that xou get attacked at all. That's why I always wear medium armor with by backline - it helps a lot to prevent rushing.