DreamWayfarer

You should make hirelings instead of respecing your char if learning all spells is what you want. I mean, that way at least you only have to learn spells you didn't already know instead of forgetting everything.

I guess the confusion came from the fact early experiments also included lashes, that are also affected.

Maybe they are going to make Interrupts rarer but also make them force the interrupted action to be restarted instead of merely paused? I can't see much else tgey could mean with "Redesign"

Weird, as I had a lot of fun with tankier Druids. Do you remember to let the tougher guys go first and start casting your CC as soon as possible?

I think the reason the Sneak Attack bonus is impossible to see in the combat log is because it is checked and applied per attack, instead of being part of the character. Other boni that depend on the target, like Slayer enchantments and talents don't show up on the character sheet, do they?

It does appear... but only if you open the character sheet during combat.

That is actually a question I've asked myself for a long time, actually. If I had to guess, I would say it is not much longer. But I still don't believe we will play as the Watcher again. Hard to go more epic than what we have already seen without going too far. But... maybe the Watcher can appear, as a NPC or plot point, or maybe... What if the game opens with the Watcher dying, and the new PC finding his/her soul, and maybe being bound to it? No idea how that would work from a roleplaying or even gameplay standpoint, having a PC with two souls, but it does sound like something the could happen.

Plus, you can always have both and remove other talents instead. I mean, Rogues aren't the most talent starved class, are they? Ninja-ed by Boeroer. I was replying to the poster above him.

Backstabs can be a good way to give more burst to Rogues wielding two-handed weapons, as they get much less mileage from Full Attacks, but stacking damage multipliers benefits them greatly. Imagine Backstab + Sneak Attack + Deathblows on FIREBRAND or maybe Hours(if you crit). However they are not supposed to be the core of a build, only a nice plus, and I am still going to test how viable my specific idea of a greatsword hearth orlan Rogue focused on crits, mobility and the ocasional backstab is.

I find the direct sequel part an unlikely assumption, as Pallegina is one of the companions who would have the least trouble making a cameo on a game with a different protagonist. The same story applies to Kana, BTW.

While I did enjoy PoE, I must agree that it is not that fun without grasping the mechanics, which are all too obscure and arcane for most players (including me, who had to resort to the forums to understand things) to learn on their own without boring trial and error. Truth to be told, it kinda stabbed itself in the back when it came to character building, as it offered an ocean of flexibility... and dropped you on a lonely island with all the materials to build a whole fleet of boats but an incomplete manual.

Funny you think different damage types are not exciting, since there are entire builds based on the fact there is a sabre that deals corrode damage in PoE. Not to mention some Barbarian builds that are made possible by the fact some weapons have a highter than expected interrupt lenght ymto attack speed ratio, while most builds couldn't care less about interruting foes. And he meant character-building and tactical skills, I believe. A unique weapon in PoE is only as good as your capacity to exploit its strenghts. I'd reccomend seeing the sticky build list on the PoE Character Builds and Strategies forum to see why loot is more interesting in it than in most other games.

Eh, I disagree with the "no reward" part. The number of powerful build enabling uniques you only get after tough encounters is considerable. I also wouldn't call the game easy on PoTD, but I am no minmaxer and I admit being on a area on the wrong level (which became even easier with the expansions) can change the perceived difficulty a lot. And I also don't really care about games focused on looting and levelling up as rewards. Combat should be only one of multiple ways of advancing the plot, which should be the reward on itself.

PoE is cool, I suppose. Lots of flexibility, build options and more choice & consequence than many other RPGs, even if encounter design could use more variety and there was way too much combat in the expansions. The narrative also leaves some to be desired, but it is still much above most games I played. I don't regret buying it, but at the same time I find it hard to gather determination to push through parts of it at times. I have hope that PoE 2 will be better at keeping my attention.

Reflex... well, having it at base or close below is not bad for someone like a Monk, who has enough endurance to tank a few damage spells. As for speed fists are fast as hell, dual wielding already diminishes your recovery period a lot, and Torment's Reach is a full attack, which means both weapons strike in quick sucession, making the less than stellar DEX not a problem. And if you feel reflexes are really such a problem, you can spend a talent point on it and wear gear that boosts reflexes, right? Monks have very good base accuracy, and their fists gain an accuracy bonus automatically as you level. Talents should be enough to rarely graze, and buffs from your party members can make you crit a reasonable amount of time. INT however, is harder to buff, and it affects most Monk abilities in a significant way. And yes, INT is way more relevant to dialogue than PER IMO. RES still hangs somewhat above both, though.

Well, I wouldn't advice this, as the OP wanted to have many dialogue options, and RES is, while not synergic with Monks not really as detrimental as some think, as with light or medium armor grazes can still give Wounds, and if you don't get many Wounds... you probably don't need them . Yeah, RES is not the most combat effective stat for Monks, but IMO you can raise it without being guilty.

Not all RES dialogue is about intimidation and bullying. Most is simply about sounding like you really mean what you are saying and sometimes it allows you to reach a peaceful solution. Luckly, in the beggining of White March you get a ring that gives +3 RES as a drop from the ogre Boss you have to fight, and with bonuses from resting and prostitutes you can make that +6, I think. Most important RES options are available at 17 RES and PER is nowhere as relevant to dialogue as RES and INT so I would use the following spread: 16 MIG 15 CON 8 DEX 10 PER 15 INT(plus armor enchatment you get 17, a good number) 14 RES(try to get the ring as early as possible. Level 6 or 7 should be enough, depending on your party. It gets easier with scrolls of paralysis or sneaking past the first Ogres.) You won't be the very best of all DPS characters, but your tanking and CC will be good, and you can get veteran's recovery to compensate the need for taking damage. Invest in Survival and Lore, as not only they give tons of dialogue options, but you also benefit greatly from scrolls and the extra healing received from survival. Wear medium or light armor depending on the encounter, and use your fists as your main weapon. As for which NPCs to use, you can't go wrong with Pallegina by your side, and her order specific talent improving flames of devotion will help compensate the below average DEX, as will the Torment's Reach full attacks. And as a hint for when you build you characters: A increase or decrease of two or three points in a single attribute is hard to notice, unless you do the sane with another that affects the sane defense. More than that, however, can make a big difference, so you should be careful with not spreading your points too thin, and also think twice before dumping a stat below 8. EDIT: the sane defense. Now I want a Sanity meter in PoE and things that target it . Keeping the typo. Ah Ah Aj

Modding Baldur's Gate and playing The Witcher 3, mostly ... Killing time while waiting for 3.03 to drop. I've kept the build list updated, though Will add your Monksterlash build soon, btw. If you have been keeping it updated... WHERE IS THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE? THE WORLD MUST KNOW THE GLORY OF TWISTED SCROLL-USING ROGUES BEFORE POE2 IS OUT! /Spiritcapslock

Wuthering Strike, you poser There was also a dragon husky thing once, wasn't there? Somene called the Alpine Dragon droggie and it became the ultimate Ranger pet, if I remember well. EDIT: but my favorite is of course, fighters getting Knock Knock Knocking (down) on Heaven's door as an ultimate skill.

Truth to be told, I just can't get Chanters. They have the best lore, interesting mechanics, extreme potential... but I just can't make them live up to it! When I try to make Kana an off-tank he often dies before his second invocation, or stays there mostly uselessly while my other party members shine so I never use a Chanter long enough to see Dragon Thrashed in action. But then, my usual playstyle focuses on charging on the enemy priority targets as quickly as possible after applying buffs and CC, and making sure all chars can share some of the aggro after the hero killers are dealt with, instead of running a tight formation with a body wall and two or three cannons, so Chanters aren't exactly ideal to my playstyle. Of course, some particulary big encounters in White March make me believe my tactics are just all around suboptimal, as how am I supposed to actually reach the priority targets before they kill me if they have endless legions blocking the way? Much easier to just cast Wall of Fire and Combusting Wounds, I guess...

1)Why do you consider martial classes brutish? 2)Have you considered using a melee shield-using Druid like Boeroer's Bat**** Crazy build? I can say from experience that they are very reliable characters, and since many powerful offensive druid spells are cones or lines with friendly fire, and most of their healing is centered on self, there are many benefits to the approach. It also works well with Hiraivias base stats. 3)Have you considered making Durance an off-tank? There is a Pale Knight solo Priest of Berath build somewhere in this forum you could adapt for that.

On the rifts, I've found they are much easier to activate if you switch from the tactical camera (what was its name?) to the Third Person Shooter view, press the button and switch back.

I have a hard time playing with more than two casters, and I rarely use priests. All those "Prayer Against" spells just feel so cheap.

I disagree with this part. Classes with high base accuracy and passive accuracy modifiers can afford to lower PER and still hit often enough to be good hybrids. Low PER on classes without high base accuracy, however? You are a hundred percent right.

Actually, the companion endings depend on how you deal with their quests. Play again and see what changes!