Drachenwulf

Are there any of the original 8 companions whose quests are "time limited"? Either need to be completed by a certain point in the game or need to be in the party at a certain time for their quest to continue? Also While I find I like certain companions so far, I am open to suggestions on which companions to keep with me unless they are needed at certain points for their quests: My MC is a rogue that I build based on suggestions in a previous thread to give him more deflection (namely giving him a shield)

I am wondering if I should give that to eder... so is the 2m radius +10 Deflection for other party members good or not?

so I am going to have a MC Rogue with a shield, and eder so far for a front line; for other companions I will have durance, Aloth, Grieving Mother, and Sagani. should I replace any of them with Pellagina? (I like GM for the debuffs she has a lot that can enable sneak attack. and should I have 2 plus itunak or 3 plus itunak in the front rank? if 3 who should be the third?

oh I forgot to ask, for any character does the hatchet deflection bonus stack if dual wielding hatchets? nevermind asked a friend and he says they do.

should a rogue with a shield avoid reckless assault (negates some or all of the shield bonus) or vulnerable attack (nothing to mitigate the speed penalty)?

not sure how I feel about orlans...more of a visual thing... I have trouble seeing them as party leaders LOL (kinda the same thing with dwarves)

How useful is Death's Usher? How often does one encounter Burn and/or Freeze Damage? what other races would be good for a sturdier rogue other than death godlike or pale elf?

what attributes (M, C, D, P, I, R) should be considered or avoided for such a sturdier rogue? my initial thoughts would be Dex, Per, and Res, with maybe some might thrown in...

so if I give my rogue a shield of some size, do you recommend Weapon and shield style? is there any point where the shields can be replaced by devensive talents to boost deflection? if there is a chance to have a durable rogue that can dual wield sabres then I would rather not have to spend the coin to respec 1 talent (weapon and shield to two weapon)

Aside from Stilleto for it's dr bypass, what are the best melee weapons for rogues? should a rogue be Single weapon, Two weapon or weapon and shield? (for the deflection bonus) Am I correct in guessing that I should be using companions to inflict status ailments that enable sneak attacks and deflection debuffs on enemies over trying to buff the rogue's accuracy? likewise for debuffing enemy accuracy over buffing rogue deflection? Is the weapon bonus of doing the best of 2 different damage types as good as it seems on paper? (examples swords or warhammers) What exactly is the weapon bonus for sabers?

except that the icons for inn rest bonus and camping rest bonus both show up....

Mechanics: better on main character or a companion? how do the 3.0 changes to athletics and survival factor in to skill choice for characters? since lore on a companion seems to be only good for scroll using, how many companions should have lore?

I got informed of this task I think even before finishing act 1. How long can starting this questline be delayed?

okay then, if selling off companion unique armor, what armors should I give to: Aloth Eder Durance Sagani Grieving mother

I have noticed that most companions start with at least 1 unique item, and I was wondering how good are they? I know for example that Eder's unique armor is a no brainer to keep as long as possible for the second chance enchantment in it but what about the others? I am specifically concerned with the unique armors because I have been wanting to switch some of them out.... Also Is the night runner Armor worth getting for a rogue MC?