Efiriel

The Tall Grass was there for reach as well as on-crit prone. But the idea to make her a second sword-n-board seems tempting. Ok, when it comes to Rogues - do ranged ones still work? Is putting a reach weapon on one optimal? Or should i just go dual wield and rely on Shadowing Beyond?

I'm fine with both, actually. I guess it's a question of what's better: stronger HR or a non-wolf pet. Speaking of Rangers: how good is the new gunpower-based modal?

To answer some of the questions and add context, i was going to make Eder into the Tank, give Maneha Tall Grass, Pallegina duals/2hander and aim at doing damage and Kana is the designated "Plug-the-hole" character who can tank, fight CQC or shoot, depending on the situation. Rearraging the roles is fine by me, btw, it was just an idea. Priest + wizard combo is something that crossed my mind, although i would most likely make the Wizard more into a controller than a nuker. What about a Ranger? I am a little out of touch with the game currently, but would Priest + Ranger work? The CC would suffer, sure, but another body in front (making a total of 5), plus Priest buffs benefitting lots of targets sounds OK on paper? Last, but not least, how does the "Shooter" Pallegina MaxQuest mentioned compare to a melee-centric one?

PotD, used it since i started and there's little reason to play on anything lower. Thanks for pointing it out, it is important:)

A returning player here, just bought WM part 2, planning on playing all the way through from scratch, on PotD. I personally love the banter and voice overs, plus the additional XP makes things more convenient in the beginning, so i prefer to run with story companions. This time around the plan is to include Maneha, plus the personal favourties: Eder, Kana and Pallegina. Here's where I need help. With those 4 locked down, i need to figure out what PC to make and who gets the 6th slot. I'm open to all suggestions, be it based on personal experience, or other crazy ideas that you guys might come up with!

To add on top of that, some people (myself included) are waiting with their purchase of the expansion because of that glitch - it's really major and i wouldn't want it to ruin my playthrough. Some news on that would be appreciated.

Crucis: thing to keep in mind is that all the "per Rest" casters actually have decent amount of utility on "per Encounter" basis. Druid would be the weakest here (especially on PotD), but Shapeshift is still good. Wizard has Arcane Assault that is being hugely underestimated (Raw dmg + Daze, twice!), while Priest has Inspiring Radiance and Painful Interdiction, both neat. Not to mention Spell Mastery kicking in at 9. While it's far less than a Cipher can do every single encounter, at the same time, you can unload your entire arsenal as a Wizard/Druid, tripling or quadrupling what a Cipher would do. It's just about a good balance of both "per Rest" and "per Encounter", when making a good party.

Just checked. Shielding Flames stack with Shielding Touch. Reinforcing Exhortation suppresses Shielding Flames, but not Touch.

It's for Aura's, Exhortations and Lay on Hands. Might + Int combo is especially great for LoH, increasing the amount it heals substantially. Alpha strike - first strike made before the combat starts, from stealth. You can have everyone in your party fire a big firearm for a 6-man volley, then switch them all to their main weapons before enemies engage you. Paladins are really good for that thanks to Flames of Devotion - if you use FoD before combat starts, you do not use one of the 2 charges.

Yeah that was my observation too. Hence the idea of making the Ranger more tanky - since your Pet is worth a DPS class alone, it would improve your overall combat viability by going more sturdy. Testing seems to confirm this - early levels this is the hands-down strongest class out there. As for later levels, i am not sure, but the option to respec is still there, so is the Stormcaller + Twinned Arrows + Driving flight build.

Any reason for that? Rogues seem kinda squishy, plus they dont have any reliable AoE. Is it all down to Shadowing Beyond, or is there something i'm missing?

There's few ways you can approach this. Firstly, Priest of Magram is still good, just have to be careful about using the Arqebus, perhaps turning AI off for the priest is the way to go. Secondly, Skaen was mentioned. That bonus is actually quite good, considering the amount of buffs a Priest is casting anyway, you will end up being a decent damage source after you unleashed your Buff Rotation. Thirdly, Wael does indeed have Rods (best implements) and Staff as the passive bonus. That's a very neat duo for a more caster oriented Priest, can go with that and play more like a classic Wizard would play, Robes & spellcasting from the backrows. Lastly, if all you use your priest for are Buffs & Heals, you absolutely do not need Accuracy. This means that Hatchet & Large Shield combo is fair game, plus you can dump Perception. Sure, you won't do any damage and you will never be a full-fledged tank with low base Deflection and mediocre Endurance. But if your party has enough offensive spellcasters and not enough frontline, making your priest a little more sturdy might be the best idea.

Few points here to consider. Firstly, wizard doesn't necessarily have to max Might. There is a plethora of disabling spells that you can focus on, making your Wizard a crowd controller, instead of a damage dealer. This allows you to be more flexible with your stats, for instance keeping moderate Resolve and Consitution. Secondly, what Wolken said about Priest of Magram has one important caveat. Arquebus has a VERY long reload animation. If your priest starts it, thats few seconds you won't be able to cast spells. Bad if you have to heal someone fast.

Has anyone tried a melee ranger for this? You know, get a shield and a one handed weapon, pump your Resolve (good for quest solving anyway) and make yourself a tank for your pet?