Prince of Lies

You get his world famous massage after every fight.

My Dread Pirate Power Fantasy™

I too am having the same issue. Running mods: Unity Console, Enhanced UI, Upgradeable Companion EQ, Better Ghost Ship, Better Sub. Disabled mods, no change. Verified/Repaired install, no change. See here for affected save. EDIT: Looks like others have found the problem.

I feel the game is pretty balanced. I completely disagree with the topic title, though. A multiclass character should have the opportunity to be on par with a single-class character (which, if built correctly, is definitely true). I also feel that the "OP" spellcaster thing is a holdover from POE1 and Vancian spellcasting. That being said, classes like the Cipher and Chanter have some pretty powerful early-mid game skills (Charm/Dominate). Martial classes have some game-changing passive abilities (Armored Grace, Riposte). The only class that I haven't really fooled around with (because they seem underwhelming from the get-go) is the Ranger.

I've never had inventory lag before. It's likely not a graphics issue. I imagine (I may be incorrect), that you have a rather large amount of items in your inventory/stash that the game is trying to reference all at once; it might be an issue with system memory- especially with the memory leak issues after long periods of play.

Each level in od nua counts as a different area.

It works with the current version of Pillars, if that's what you mean. Save games do seem to bloat. I'm assuming its the editor pulling raw data that otherwise wasn't being used.

If the experience system is pretentious, I'd hate to see what your post is. Also, misogyny. Not cool. The only thing I'd have to agree with is the story could've been stronger. More NPC interactions would have been nice, but it certainly didn't ruin the game. I'd hate to see you play Baldur's Gate.

There's no mod that I know of that increases the amount of attribute points you spend at character creation. You can, however, use console commands or a character editor like Eternity Keeper. In truth though, it's really unnecessary. Even if your min-maxing, your still going to have quite a few conversation options available. Plus, you get a bonus to your attributes through equipment, consumables, and resting bonuses- which doesn't just effect combat, as you can always use them if you want to get certain dialogue options.

This thread seems to be getting a little salty. I also have said in my earlier posts in this thread that if your in the main line of fire, throw on heavier armor and plop some points into constitution and resolve. I have also continually said that it's all personal preference. Your repeating what I've already said (minus the perception thing- which your correct- is totally valid, but is again, personal preference). Also take into account that the original poster plays the Baldur's Gate series with Sword Coast Stratagems. More than likely playing on the hardest difficulty. And, to be perfectly honest, that is more difficult than playing Pillars of Eternity on Path of the Damned. Mostly because, unlike Pillars, you can't really build a rogue as a tank as effectively as you can with a fighter, etc. Also unlike Pillars, not all attributes were used by all classes- making min-maxing more effective. And because the starting health of certain classes was arbitrarily going to be smaller (wizards d4 hit-die, versus the fighters d10), it didn't make as much sense to put points in constitution for those lower hit-die classes. I specifically remember with SCS kobolds one-hitting my rogue with short bows in the first major dungeon. It took a lot of micromanagement. Similar, say, to a cipher with low constitution and resolve- which is currently the attribute array the original poster is currently planning on using. Seeing as that's the case, even with wearing heavier armor, it would be more effective for that cipher to be micromanaged in such a way it reduces the instances that the cipher is being directly engaged. In any event, you don't need three tanks to play this way. I do it with one tank, and one off-tank on larger groups of enemies. You can get talents and items that increase the amount of enemies can be engaged at any time by a single character; thus increasing a single characters ability to tank by pulling as many enemies as possible.

I stand corrected.

I have already timed it- I found similar results, but the reload animation in particular did not change. As i've addressed earlier: Perception only increases your chances to hit and your interrupt rate. You'd still have points left over, and I've been able to hit everything with at least 12 points in perception (plus talents/equipment). Constitution and resolve only really matter if you plan on being in the line of fire. If your playing it similarely to a rogue, you really don't need constitution or resolve. As also mentioned earlier. More damage = more focus. More focus = more powerful powers. Also, you know, logic would show that higher damage kills things faster.

That is indeed correct. However, it does not speed up your reload times with firearms/crossbows/arbalests.

It's a moot point, and I think we are both on point. But you can easily have high Might/Dexterity/Intellect, and still have a few points to go around. That's not even min-maxing. Another thing to keep in mind is that dexterity affects your recovery speed- which doesn't effect reload speed, which takes a long time with firearms (it's less noticeable with crossbows and arbalests).

Except if you have low might, you limit your ability to generate focus. The more damage you deal, the more focus you generate. Seeing as that's how you use powers as a cipher, It would be counter-intuitive to have low might. Sure, it'd work- but it wouldn't be nearly as effective as having high might. You can easily have high might without a deficit to your other attributes. You also get a recovery speed penalty for switching weapons mid-combat without certain talents. You also only have two weapon slots unless your an island Aumaua or you take another specific talent. So the benefit of changing from a gun to another gun to avoid reloading without talents is minimal. Those certainly aren't the worst talents, but there are more optimal choices for a cipher.

@AdelarD Doesn't matter. You can always respec at a tavern- and you can totally have a character built for melee weapons, but still have them hold their own with ranged weapons (regardless of attributes/talents/etc). Sabres are arguably the best melee weapons in the game, depending on who you ask. For "medium" sized weapons, they have the highest damage per hit, so you'll be able to punch through some high DR enemies easily. They also hit fairly quick. There are also some pretty cool unique sabres. Yes. They attack faster than crossbows/firearms, and more damage per hit than the hunting bow. Just like your question about sabres, it's really just personal preference. Any race can play any class/build well. Obviously some are more well-optimized, but it certainly won't gimp you. Personally, In my first cipher play through, I played a coastal Aumaua who used a blunderbuss and pistol. In my second cipher play through, I tried a death godlike dual wielding stilettos and an estoc for high-DR enemies. When it comes to weapons, it doesn't really matter, just remember you may need to use bigger weapons to punch through higher DR enemies more effectively. If your finding that enemies have resistance or immunities, you have quite a few debuffs at your disposal while your teammates chip away at 'em. @DreamWayfarer I'm assuming you mean firing two shots before going to melee range- you can't dual-wield firearms. That entirely depends on how you build your cipher. There are some very powerful support powers that the cipher gets. Furthermore, "nuking" with a cipher is more than viable, most of their "nuking" powers deal raw damage, which no enemy in the game has immunity or resistance to (it completely bypasses DR). When it comes to class builds anything can really work. Without spoiling much, my Aumaua took certain talents and used certain items that allowed him to essentially act as a rogue with sneak attack. You can totally build a character to use both melee and ranged weapons without suffering a loss to DPS or viability. The devs specifically went out to make it so anything would work with anybody, so the game won't punish you if you choose to build your character a certain way. The only caveat to that is, of course, running the game solo, which in this case doesn't really apply. (And in reality just would make the game more difficult, not overtly punishing you.) Hope that clarifies.

If you want higher deflection, wear heavier armor or plop some points into resolve... Increasing their base deflection would be a little overpowered seeing as they have one of the highest DPS in the game with sneak attack- and have access to the same talents/equipment as everyone else. Seeing as Pillars of Eternity is at the end of it's development cycle, you probably won't see another patch in a while.

Engage the enemy with your tanks first, then start picking them off from the side. If your having trouble, you can always open up with your cipher using a ranged weapon, have your tank take agro, then go melee and use Mind Wave to knock enemies prone and go to town. Use Eyestrike on enemies that appear to be hitting you pretty hard- and you should be good to go.

If you're going melee, you'll want to keep resolve at 10, otherwise the moment you get touched you'll probably drop. Also, you'l get interrupted like crazy when trying to use your powers. Not a huge deal when going ranged, so long as you stay back- I also never found hitting things to be a problem with at least 12 perception. You can also build anyone to fit a role. I've used Devil of Caroc as a tank. Durance can off-tank pretty good as well (throw some mail on him). If you have WM1/2; I'd consider swapping out Grieving Mother for Devil of Caroc, Zahua, or Maneha. I'm assuming you meant Sagani- I felt she was... Meh. Pallegina can be built as a tank as well. At least an off-tank. Aloth is pretty interesting as well, with arcane veil and some other spells wizards can make pretty good tanks/off-tanks.

Any build is technically viable in POTD. The key mechanic to the cipher is generating focus by dealing damage (via soul whip), and spending that focus on powers. When you do not have full focus, you deal extra damage. So mostly, it's about having a balance of saving up focus for powers, but having a slight deficit to keep damage output as high as possible. Most builds you'll see usually use light armor for the fast recovery speed, which increases your attack speed and damage output (and thus focus gain). However, an argument could be made about using medium armor (or even heavy armor) to increase your Damage Reduction (DR), deflection and survivability. Melee wise: Light weapons have low damage, but high attack speeds- Making them typically deal more damage per second (DPS), but have a harder time getting through high DR enemies. Medium weapons are generally balanced. Heavy weapons have high damage and slow attack speeds- They typically deal less DPS but punch through high DR enemies. Wielding a shield would increase survivability at the expense of DPS/Focus Gain. Ranged wise: Hunting/War Bows fire the fastest, as they don't have to reload, leading to high DPS, Crossbows/Arbalests deal more damage, but take longer to reload-They are generally the middle ground between bows and firearms. Firearms deal the most damage, but take the longest to reload- great for punching through high DR enemies. It all really works out to personal preference- all weapons have special properties: I.E. Arbalests knock enemies prone on a critical hit, stilettos have 3 DR bypass, pikes have reach, blunderbusses fire multiple projectiles, etc. Ranged ciphers are probably "easier" because they need less micromanagement- you can just have them sit back and unload on the enemy. Attribute wise: Might - More might equals more damage, I recommend putting at least a few points here. Role-playing wise, might reflects using brute force or physical intimidation. Used somewhat often in dialogue options. Constitution - More constitution, more health. Unless you plan on being in the front line, there's really no need to have this above 10. Role-playing wise, reflects one's ability to endure physically taxing ordeals. Used rarely in dialogue options. Dexterity - High dexterity equals faster attack speed. Most builds put some points here. Role-playing wise, reflects quickness of action. Used somewhat often in dialogue options. Perception - More perception means you'll hit more often. It's debatable if its worth putting points here. Role-playing wise, reflects how observant you are. Used somewhat often in dialogue options. Intellect - The higher your intellect, the longer the duration of your powers will be. Furthermore, it increases your powers area of effect. Doesn't necessarily have to be your highest attribute, but you really want to put a few points here. Role-playing wise, reflects your problem-solving. Used very often in dialogue options. Resolve - The higher your resolve, the higher your deflection. Only put points here if you want to be tankier. Role-playing wise, reflects mental intimidation and leadership. Used very often in dialogue options. Attributes really depend on your play-style. Most builds see lightly armored ciphers either acting similarly to a rogue (Letting the tank take agro, attack/disable then run if you take heat), or sitting safely behind your front-liners destroying them with ranged weapons/powers. However, I have seen some tankier builds usually used in POTD solo runs. Also remember many items/resting bonuses/consumables affect your attributes as well- so you can always use certain equipment, rest at a certain tavern or eat some food to get a temporary boost needed for combat or for a scripted interaction/dialogue. Hope this helps.

Major options would include things that have large/widespread consequences An Example:

That command is considered experimental, so it might not work as intended. You can always use Eternity Keeper to edit your character. Or use the respec feature at a tavern.

Certain options yield more "points" than others. Minor options give one point, average options give three points, and major options give seven. 25 Points = Rank 1 50 Points = Rank 2 75 Points = Rank 3 100 Points = Rank 4 125 Points = Rank 5 I don't think you can reach above level five in disposition, not because there isn't Rank 6, but rather there aren't enough points to reach Rank 6. I could be wrong, though.

By completing the game/expansions. Or, as AndreaColombo said, use the console.

You can't increase a party member's attributes; and because your party members aren't speaking in dialogue, their attributes are never used in those conversations. However, they ARE used in scripted interactions alongside your skills. Skills also have other gameplay mechanics: Athletics grants second wind, Survival grants camping bonuses, etc. If your talking about scripted interactions, you always send the character that would have the best chance of completing said interaction (I.E. Sending a low-con character into a burning house is probably not going to work). Edit: To put it concisely, your companions have absolutely no impact on dialogue. They might make a quick quip, but it doesn't affect the conversation in any way.