claudius

That's surprising to me with respect to ranged attacks. Also good information all around. With ranged attacks I guess I am conditioned from DnD crpgs that face tanking with a bow is going to be -4 (out of d20) to attack and also generates attacks of opportunity.

I was wondering if there is knowledge about situational things that affect accuracy? I'm guessing at these from knowledge of other games (DnD) mechanics. Does attacking flanking (this one's probably on tooltip about flanking)? Out of stealth? Attacking with a ranged weapon (bow or gun) when you are in someones face? (ie point blank with ranged). Any other situational modifiers to accuracy??

I've been playing with monk my whole time at this game usually using two fists and both of these these: Swift Strikes and Two Weapon Style. But I never thought to confirm that attack speed modifiers stack. Do these? And how do they stack with other talents that raise or lower attack speed? Can anyone confirm these things so that I can visit an Inn and relevel if need be?

Any suggestions about what part of the game to start adding enchantments to weapons or armor? Like what level or guidelines on what weapons to wait for? I don't require to be optimal but then I also don't want to waste materials... Thanks!

Does it hurt anything if you skip some areas and go to Caed Nua first in order to unlock areas? I wanted to pick up my eventual favorite companions sooner? Afterwards I am traveling back to clear those areas with all my crew that I want to have for the playthrough. Remember not to spoiler anything (for the OP) I was just wondering if it "spawns" enemies in an area at your level like Kingdoms of Amalur and some other games do.? So if I run through maps in stealth I might mess up my game (if I was playing Amalur) by setting enemies to whatever level I first arrived on the map.

It probably helps more (aside from the 4x gun) when you know the meta game of what weapons are available. Even just knowing or paying attention to DR of enemies I suppose it might help more than the feat that gives you reduced attack speed with DR reduction?

Is the benefit just to swap to a different weapon that have different specialties or damage types or does this have a hidden benefit? Does a weapon you have in a slot but not equipped possibly add any benefits? Or no? To illustrate does a weapon that gives +2 to CON only give that when equipped or does it grant anything when not equipped but in a weapon slot? Thanks

I'm curious if the wounding shot of ranger can be active at same time of another party member who is NOT a ranger but has the Runner's Wounding Shot talent? I don't know why I ask but I was skeptical if you can apply both at same time?

Blades of Vanatar I didn't see an inn with a mechanics rest bonus for the Whitemarch area. And I didn't check if I had a bonus with scroll. Good suggestions though. I think even with a workaround from one of those call me obsessive but it just ate away at me that there was a mistake in the build plan for Aloth as a mechanic. I found myself wanting to relevel to fix that building error I made putting points in the wrong spot. And in any case I find myself enjoying starting over from the beginning to be honest. I know more of the lore starting on a second play through so that it's like watching a movie a second time and noticing more to the story. I will be on the lookout for mechanics scrolls though this playthrough; good suggestions.

Cool! I am actually having fun rebuilding from level 1. Revisiting lore to repeat hearing and revisiting a chance use the tactics I have learned on a partial playthrough to become stronger in tactics early in the game. But if I get tired with that I can always go and use your technique on my last save when I realized I had borked the mechanics of Aloth. Thanks!

I just realized that my designated Mechanic who is Aloth I accidentally allocated enough points to raise his athletics 3. So 3 in the base. That I tracked down in my save games files to level 9 and now I'm level 12! And it's catching up with me in that in Durgan's Battery he can't open the door. I hit the problem that to relevel him I lose all of his wizard spellbook!! I don't mind restarting just to "do it all again with my improved knowledge" but I thought to post to see if there is a better way to relevel wizards so they don't lose their spell picks or have to pay for them again if they saved the Grimoir'es they picked up? Thanks!

Strictly speaking hit points is a terrible simulation. A weapon would deal a very specific injury. I remember an old console game Bushido Blade (not an rpg) worked like that and most any hit on you might injure your arms or legs or more likely it was fight over and game over.

It is also nice for debuffs and all the scenarios would be hard to calculate mathematically. Because if a debuff critical hits (or hits instead of graze etc) then that debuff is up longer. Usually debuffs reduce various defenses and thus make it easier that another debuff hits hard and so on and so on. So say chill fog hits several enemies. It's going to make a big difference if you critical hit with blindness versus hit or graze. Blindness is a strong effect. And then you have 6 party members and many have debuff abilities.

One thing to consider is that Pearlwood Chicken is long lasting and very cheap. Dragon Egg and Dragon Meat are a bit more potent but much more expensive.

Thanks. Any advice on how to identify an item that is worth upgrading (versus not using or selling)? I figure you have to look at each of your party members and what they bring to the group. I suppose you look for items with properties that you can't enchant and then add your basic enchants available as according to their capacity of enchantment points available.

My monk has enervation and it works good giving weakened status to enemies he crits. I was curious if rooting pain could deliver a crit and thereby deliver enervation. That would be a good set up because rooting pain fires a fair amount I have noticed on another monk playthrough. On that playthough I didn't think to test rooting pain crits and I didn't have enervation.

Hi I'm looking for some general advice on enchanting. How do you choose what item to enchant? Some items I have just seen a lot on the forum like Whispers of Yenwood. Ok I will give an example. My monk (level 10) is wearing Wayfarer's Hide https://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Wayfarer%27s_Hide It comes with superb quality (+6 DR). Also gives a bonus against some disabler attacks and 1 Nature's Vigor per rest. So quite good at my level but not obviously OP. I'm thinking of enchanting with an Attribute bonus. We have lots of gold but only 1 diamond. So if I make a +2 Attribute that uses that diamond until I find another. Or I could give a +1 attribute bonus and we have tons of materials for that (on the order of about 10 for the scarcist resource). So with that in mind I plan to enchant my armor to +1 attribute for now and later I can enchant over that if I wish when we have found lots of diamonds. So that is just an example. But the question is just some 'rules of thumb' people have to decide what to enchant. Edit: bonus question. My armor has different efficiencies. Like the Wayfarer Hide (above) has -50% efficiency corrode and +25% efficiency freeze. Would it be wise to proof it against my weakness (corrode) or wise to proof against strength (freeze)?

When dragon threshed crits does both the duration AND the rate (damage/time) increase? Is that why it is considered multiplicative?

Also say you are going to hit them with a fire attack that gives an attack against a defense. A lot are reflex defense for fire. Like say example of fan of flames. But if you attack with something first that makes reflex weaker then choosing the order to apply these effects rationally makes you more efficient. So example I can't remember if 'daze' hurts reflex defense but if it does then apply daze first and then fan of flames rather than the reverse. Note: fan of flames you can avoid some friendly fire with careful positioning.

It helps to read the books and notes. I try not to think of the books as something that is distracting me from the action. Rather the books are part of the exploration. Sometimes instead of working on a quest I will go to my stronghold library or to the Defiance Bay library and read books there. Also restarting after 4 months away and half through the game probably helped to review the lore.

I previously made a partial playthrough and I eventually stopped. Returning to the game I decided to restart with slightly different main character and party concepts. I have enjoyed that decision. It is almost a review on lore and tactics. I'm concentrating on only 5 companions rather than experimenting between them. On my previous play I did most all I could figure to do in Defiance Bay and part of WM1 and about half of the Endless Dungeon. I noticed online that I could hold off on talking to the messenger who starts (ball rolling on a long line resulting in) the Battle for Yenwood which made me happy because I wanted to be a bit stronger for that. The first time I played it I had a little trouble. So that battle isn't my topic but rather I am asking advice on what order to do exploration and quests? I know Craighold is for high level side quest. Should I do 'the man who waits' (Sanitarium main quest) and 'heritage hill' (main quest) before exploring the Dyrford area and all other wilderness areas accessible to act 2? So I'm trying to avoid having content not missed say if one of those 2 main quests being done affects quests out towards Dyrford. Or avoid having it not make sense. Just asking for general advice not neccessarily needing detailed spoilers.

Thanks for the suggestion of focusing the chants a little more. Here is my setup so far at level 5. Normal Chant: 1 movement/reflex 2 fortitude/will. :repeat: Kill Mage Chant: 1 Reduce Concentration of enemies :repeat; Using lots of Ranged: 1 Increased ranged attack recharge: repeat

How do you change the name? I noticed it already had a name (I have option to pick leveling of charcter after level 1). And then I monkeyed with the chants to put them in order how I want. Now they are chants A and B and they are slightly different but I couldn't see how to name them. Edit: and I will take a picture of what I mean by a reduced duration from base. It's a different statistic than the 'linger' though. That I remember. Edit 2 (avoid double posting); Ok I see how to name them now. So got that figured out. So my concern still is that say for "At the sight of their comrades, their hearts grow bold". That chant has a base duration of 4.0 seconds and a base linger of 2.0 seconds. That's 'base'. But Kana has 3.6 seconds duration (so shorter), and 2.8 linger (so longer). Kana's intelligence right now is 18 so 40% more duration. 2.0 x 40% = 2.8 linger. So it appears intelligence is modifying the linger. Also Kana is level 5. The 'base' is 10% shorter (4.0 x 10% = .4 seconds shorter consistent with 3.6 duration). So doesn't look like intelligence is modifying duration. Might is 16 (18% damage) so doesn't look right. Constitution is 12 and that is 10% but would be odd if that is the culprit.* Brisk Recitation is -10% phrase recitation time. So maybe 'duration' is the same statitic as 'phrase recitation'? *note: I tried eating pearlwood chicken and no effect on chanting 'duration' so constitution isn't affecting that stat.

I just aquired/met Kana Rua and trying to figure out chanting. The chants are having shorter duration from base even though Kana has high intelligence. Is this because of Brisk Recitation? I thought BR would be time to execute chant? But not stop the duration? Maybe I don't understand the mechanics.

I wondered if dexterity affects everything by making it execute/happen faster such as: 1 attacks 2 talents 3 spells (druid, wizard, priest, invocations, cipher spells) Ok those I think probably but thought of some others: 4 Chanter chanting speed? 5 Potions? 6 Scrolls? 7 Items that summon things 8 Items/abilities that buff (like disciplined barrage etc) 9 Any other ideas or exceptions?