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    The Ultimate discussion thread

    in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Characters Builds, Strategies & the Unity Engine (Spoiler Warning!)

    Posted · Edited by abstrack

    Hi,

     

    what is it with Steel Garrote/Priest of Woedica? (or Skaen)

    My theory: resolve max with lone wanderer and void ward---> sacred immolation---> trigger brilliant cloack---> barrings death door and salvation---> repeat then go fight with sacred immolation (trigger and trigger brilliant when fight) 
    U can afflict the enemy with the Woeduca spell and heal u with sacred immolation (steel garotte ability)
    What do you think?

    The Ultimate discussion thread

    in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Characters Builds, Strategies & the Unity Engine (Spoiler Warning!)

    Posted

    2 hours ago, thelee said:

    doesn't matter. same trick as tactician. run in, shadowing beyond out, with a withdrawn vela, only instead of getting brilliant automatically you keep wall of flaming yourself until you get brilliant.

    upon further thought might not work as well because there's the very real possibility that once vela pops back out she just keeps walking into your wall of fire.

    *sigh* this is rough

    how get you brilliant with these tactic automatically??

    What are barbarians good at?

    in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Characters Builds, Strategies & the Unity Engine (Spoiler Warning!)

    Posted

    Lvl 20?

     

    Variant 1: The Pulverizer

    Put on the Tricorn.

    Pick Blood Storm, Bloodlust, Blood Thirst, Blood Surge and Driving Roar.

    Try to target groups of foes. Once fight starts just roar enemies to pieces. Bonus points if they stand near a wall. It's foe-only and doesn't care for INT (Konstanten has only 10).

     

    Proof:

     

     

    Driving_roar.gif?dl=1

     

     

    We those dmg numbers? Yeah... that's a totally unoptimized Serafen doing it. Konstanten would do equally well.

     

     

     

    Variant 2: Knocks Fort

     

    Willbreaker, Body Blows, Ring of Ov + Ring of Ov., +INT gear, Aloth's armor, Spirit Tornado, Bloodlust, Blood Storm Thirst, Blood Surge, Heart of Fury, Panther's Leap.

    Leap into crowd, do Spirit Tornado, do HoF with Body Blows, leave for your nuker to target crowd with whatever fort spell suits you. Enemies will be Dazed, Terrified, then Staggered and under the effect of Body Blows which results in -45 -35 Fortitude and -20 -10 Will (and more because Willbreaker does lower Will as well per hit). Very good at debuffing while dealing damage. You can also use Blood Storm and Barbaric Shout instead of Spirit Tornado. But the latter is safer.

     

    Variant 3: Heart of Lightning

    Dual mortars and same procedure as Knocks Fort. But Blood Storm. Put on Heaven's Cacophony, cast Avenging Storm. Cast Blood Storm. Jump in and do HoF with Mortars (Powder Burns). Bonus points if somebody did cast Combusting Wounds first.

     

    Variant 4: Bloody Backlash

     

    Patinated Plate (Juggernaut), Thick Skinned, Blunting Belt, Blood Storm, Blood Thirst, HoF, Bloodlust,Blood Surge, Barbaric Retaliation, Panther's Leap. Dual Battle Axes (Oathbreakers also works) or Willbreaker or Saru-Sichr, Sanguine Sword. Cast Blood Storm, jump in and let them hit you while you hit them. Dual Battle Axes are best. Recovery will not matter with retaliation. Will not matter with HoF. If somebody dies: Blood Thirst. And so on. Whirlwind of Bleeding Cuts. Nice Variant: Grave Calling + Scordeo's Edge with Blade Cascade.

     

     

    The Pulverizer works like a super easy AI bot, too. Needs no special gear. Not much works with Driving Roar. But the hat is nice since it gives +5 ACC.

    Holy **** Boeroer!! :D

     

    The Pulverizer is awesome, can he solo the PotD upscaled? Items and stats? :) Ty!

    [Class Build] The Dark Wanderer (Forbidden Fist/Arcane Archer)

    in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Characters Builds, Strategies & the Unity Engine (Spoiler Warning!)

    Posted

    attachicon.gifwanderer.png

     

    ===================================

    The Dark Wanderer

    ===================================

    Difficulty: PotD, upscaled

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Patch: v4.01 

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Class: Forbidden Fist/Arcane Archer

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Animal Companion: Boar ®

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Race: Hearth Orlan

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Background: White that Wends - Mystic (optional) 

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Stats:

     

    MIG: 2

    CON: 15

    DEX: 18

    PER: 21

    INT: 3

    RES: 19

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Active Skills: Arcana 

    Passive Skills: Insights/Metaphysics (optional)

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Weapon Modals:

    Sabres, Pistols, Morningstar 

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Talents (®=recommended, !=important)

    1: Force of Anguish(!) , Marked Prey (!) 

    2: Resilient Companion (!)

    3: Swift Strikes ®

    4: Dance of Death (!), Two Weapon Style (!)

    5: Long Stride ®

    6: Protective Companion (!)

    7: Efficient Anguish (!), Evasive Roll (!)

    8: Marked for the Hunt (!)

    9: Soul Mirror (!)

    10: Enduring Dance (!), Stalker's Link (!) 

    11: Duality of Mortal Presence (!)

    12: Thunderous Blow (!)

    13: Torment's Reach ®, Uncanny Luck (!)

    14: Enervating Blows (!)

    15: Raised Torment ®

    16: Turning Wheel (!), Survival of the Fittest (!)

    17: Swift Flurry ®

    18: Tough ®

    19: Heartbeat Drumming (!), Superior Camouflage (!)

    20: The Dichotomous Soul ®

     

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Items (!=important, r=recommended):

     

    Weapon Set 1: Grave Calling (! with Paralysis on Crit enchant) / Thundercrack Pistol (! with - action speed aura enchant)

    Weapon Set 2: Morningstar (optional)

     

    Boots: any

     

    Head: Fair Favor ®

     

    Armor: Miscreant ® (Lucky enchantment (!) )

     

    Neck: any

     

    Belt: any

     

    Rings: Ring of Greater Regeneration ®, Power of Money ®

     

    Hands: Mortification Binding ®

     

    Cape: The Cape of Falling Star (Caution: item is currently bugged causing game freezes, use deflection cape instead until fixed)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

     

    Hi!

    Long time forum lurker 1st time poster. I have beat both PoE games at PotD many times mostly following Boeroer and Nerd Commando's builds, so today I want to share my favorite build on the forum. Let me start by saying this is not a cookie cutter build but rather the most tactical yet rewarding character build I've ever played. Hope you enjoy.

    Role in a Party:

    Single target dps, single target crowd control, AOE crowd control, AOE dps

    ..  but, but how is that even possible for one charater? Let's see next section

     

    Team Fights Procedures:

    1: Identify high priority targets, aka mages,archers,priests

    2: Shoot one round of Pistol, waiting frontline engagement

    3: Mark a pesky mage, then immediately Evasive Roll to his face 

    4, Forbidden Fist, if not hit do FF again but not more (if target Fort too high for you, bring Animal Companion for +20 accuracy)

    5, Auto attack. If target trying to use any special action, use Force of Anguish to interrupt

    6, Grave Calling fully charged, now move to next high priority target with Forbidden Fist then followed with permanent paralysis (3 sec default + 1.5 enfeebled bonus + INT bonus ). In case of paralysis not connecting use Force of Anguish. 

    7, Rinse and repeat for all high priority targets. 

    8, If no ranged enemy targeting you, turn on Dance of Death

    9, Shoot Thundercrack from long distance, while charging Dance of Death

    10, With Duality, you transformed from the dumbest rock in the class to the smartest kid in the room

    11, Turn on Thunderous Blow, Swift Flurry, Dichotomous then jump into the fray of enemy main force

    12, Imbue: Eora (or Imbue:Web as a poor man's Eora) at point blank distance, make sure you are inside the pull for free wounds and heals

    13, Torment's Reach whoever inside Eora, the stun from Torment also make Eora's life easier

    14, If energy gang up on you, Evasive Roll out and recharge Dance of Death

     

    Priority when Gearing:

    Focus on evasion for Dance of Death (% resistance is the best or ranged deflection), crit conversion for chaining paralysis ( 5% uncanny luck + 10% orlan + 15% money ring + 10% fair favor + 25% paralysis) 

     

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Self Q&A:

    Why Forbidden Fist? Can a normal monk like Nalpazca do the same job?

    Not quite. Forbidden Fist's enfeebled affliction is likely strongest in the game, and to get it at lv1 is god forbidden. The best use of FF is a combo initiation tool. As it reduces fortitude and comes with -100% heals, but more importantly is the +50% hostile effect duration. That being said, using FF comes with a hefty price and that is why I suggest not stacking more than 2 FF. 

     

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Why Grave Calling?

    The 3 sec paralysis on Crit which nobody takes suddenly becomes the strongest CC in the game thanks to Forbidden Fist, with 4.5 seconds baseline. Paralysis itself also has innate hit->crit which helps chain CC. 

     

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Why ranged & melee weapon setup?

    Because we don't have any proper ranged and melee build yet. Seriously this setup gives maximum utilization of Grave Calling. Compared to normal duals you only attacks with Grave Calling which means 100% speed boost if we only care about chaining paralysis. Compared to Single hand style, we lose +12 accurary and 20% hit-to-crit, but gained +30% and +15% speed from dual wielding. We already have highest accuracy in the game so speed is more important for chaining paralysis. Last but not least, the - action speed aura from thundercrack also super useful, it effectively means you have more time to paralysis.

     

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Why Arcane Archer? 

    This choice is more debatable. Stalker can achieve very similar playstyle, and ask Aloth to provide Eora when needed. But I prefer my build to be self-sustainable, and also Eora normally takes 8 secs total to cast but with Imbue it's instant. 

     

    AA -5 weapon malus? 

    nope. Grave Calling is frost weapon and Thundercrack is storm weapon, both immune from -5 malus.

     

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Why the stat distribution tho?

    low might: significantly reduce FF damage. Meanwhile 99% damage for this build comes from weapons, and a low score here only reduce total damage by ~10%. 

     

    low int: reduce FF length. You dont need INT while working on high priority targets, and in the second phase of battle INT will be boosted to 13 which is pretty good.

     

    high res: reduce FF length, also making you less likely to be hit so you can continue to Dance of Death

     

    high con: reduce the impact of FF.

     

    high per/dex: for chain paralysis. This build won't function without these two stats maxed. 

     

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Is this the type of build that only works at lv20 with full gear? 

    Absolutely not. All the gear I listed can be acquired at lv 6 or 7 when you left beginner island. Grave Calling can be bought (with Berath money). Thundercrack can be stolen with 8 Stealth. Miscreant just follow the non-violent route in Principi quest. The rest can all be bought with money and they are not as crucial. 

     

    At level 7 you can already start using the dual phase of combat with Anguish and Evasive Roll to take out mages, then jump back in after charging up Dance of Death.

    Very nice build!! Is this build possible to PoTD solo? :)

    [HELP] Spear and Shield

    in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Characters Builds, Strategies & the Unity Engine (Spoiler Warning!)

    Posted

    Unbroken/Trickster with Akola's Apex Ward (shield), Reckless Briandine, Mohora Tanga (spear) and Hold the Line + Persistant Distraction engages five enemies (6 with spear modal) without Defender Stance. So he applies Distracted to five enemies, gets +25% speed bonus from Mob Stance and 25% speed bonus from Reckless Brigandine once he engaged 5 enemies. Riposte with Mirrored Image adds a bit fun while tanking, so does Apex Ward's Crush retaliation, Into the Fray pulls enemies back who disengaged (if they survived), Mince-to (from spear) does the same AND adds additional 30% speed. Llengrath's Displaced Image balanced out the lower reflex of the Unbroken pretty nicely. Of course you should use Overbearing Guard as well. It just destroys enemies who disengage - because usually they get Deathblows + Sneak Attack + Overbearing Guard's bonus damage (50%) AND the Unbroken's bonus of +10 PEN on disengagement attacks. Usually you will crit and overpenetrate as well. Piles up nicely... :)

    I chose the Whitewitch Mask because it looks super rad (just my opinion) with the shield and the rest of the gear (which is all Huana-themed). And it also raises the Trickster's Illusions. It also prevents you from getting pummeled to death because it triggers Repulsive Visage once you drop below 50% health. You will lose the engagements of terrified enemies but it's such a strong debuff that they be no threat anymore.

     

    It's a great mix between tanking, crowd control (via engagement) and offense (attack speed, dmg mods). If you like more offense and less tankyness you can use Streetfighter instead of Trickster.

     

    It's also nice to play from a role-playing perspective (if you want to play a Huana Mataru from the Archipelago).

     

    I made a screenshot with a Wood Elf instead of an Aumaua - but I guess you get the picture. ;)

     

    Hauana_Unbroken_Trickster.png?dl=1

    Is this build possible to PoTD solo yet? Or only in party?

    POTD Solo Druid

    in Pillars of Eternity: Characters Builds, Strategies & the Unity Engine (Spoiler Warning!)

    Posted

    Best Race might be Moon Godlike because gear doesn't work while shifted anyway, but godlike racial bonuses do.

     

    I used a boreal dwarf for my playthrough though.

     

    It is possible so solo PotD with almost anything - we even had somebody in this forum who did a complete playtrough with a lvl-1 character ("Noober").

     

    I did an Ultimate run with a Barbarian with 3 RES and 3 DEX - wasn't too hard (but I died from a Battle-Forged/Second Whind bug at lvl 16 in Noonfrost on the way to Thaos - after killing all bounties and dragons).

     

    So - a shifting druid should be possible as well (and easier than a barb).

     

    With casters it's tougher at the beginning but easier later on - due to the "scaling" of per-rest spell casting (few spells at low levels, a ton at high levels). Druid is a bit easier in the early game than let's say priest, because Spiritshift is quite effective right from the start.

     

    You will most likely need high move speed for kiting and pulling. A shifted druid (and druids in general) are not Masters of defense and can't tank all the enemies in an encounter. They have awesome CC and dmg spells, but sometimes you will have to flee.

     

    You will need to buff your accuracy somehow against bosses (scrolls for example) because that's what druids lack a bit.

    Thank you very much, i think i will start today my Dwarf Druid with Boar-form! :) Name: Boaroar Borskyr :D :D :D :D

    • Like 2

    POTD Solo Druid

    in Pillars of Eternity: Characters Builds, Strategies & the Unity Engine (Spoiler Warning!)

    Posted

    On the other hand you don't lose much spell power if you spec for Spiritshift.

     

    A shocking boar druid with focus on self heals (Veteran's Recovery, healing spells, high MIG and INT) can be very sturdy, wreck stuff in melee (also against high DR targets) with Wildstrike + Avenging Storm, be a great CCer and will still able to cast other devastating spells (like Plague of Insects). High MIG and INT are good for (self) healing, Dot effects (boar tusks, spells like Plague oI) and AoE damaging spells in general.

    Achievements are not unlocking

    in Pillars of Eternity: Technical Support (Spoiler Warning!)

    Posted · Edited by abstrack

    Have you entered any console commands? They will disable Achievements. If you send me your save file I can check for you.

     

    I got your back

    -Sking

    Im so stupid, Steam has syncronized itself, i have received all of the missing achievments.

    The problem was that (i think) i have been playing the game in 2 different countries, and the steam-system didnt refreshed.... :facepalm: 

     

    Im so sorry for the hasty post...im a bit impatient :blink: 

     

    Thank you very much for the fast answer!!!

    TCS Paladin Weapon

    in Pillars of Eternity: Characters Builds, Strategies & the Unity Engine (Spoiler Warning!)

    Posted

    If you really want to use two handed weapons all the time (survivability might be a problem in very hard encounters like bounties) you should also pick up the Forgemaster's Gloves. The summoned weapon "Firebrand" is a great sword that does burn damage only and has very high base damage. It's nice if you combine it with Scion of Flame, Flames of Devotion + Intense Flames and Sacred Immolation - because Scion of Flame works with it all. It's 120% weapon burn damage all the time with Firebrand and + 90% burnin lash for your FoDs. That will result in higher numbers compared to "normal" great swords - especially against targets with low deflection and weakness to fire.

     

    Tidefall is of course always nice. It heals you and has like an additional "raw" lash over time. Later in the game it's even better than Firebrand - once you can properly enchant it with a burning lash and ACC and dmg bonuses and most of all durgan steel.

     

    Another good option for a Bleak Walker is Bittercut, a sabre which you can get quite early if you want and which does corrode/slash damage. Besides the fact that two damage types are always nice and this is the only sabre with it, this one also works with Spirit of Decay, adding 20% damage to it's hits (funnily even the slash ones) like with Firebrand. You can add a corrosive lash (+30% instead of +25% because of Spirit of Decay), Remember Rakhan Field for your FoD (+30 instead of +25%), Intense Flames (+90% burn with FoD because of Scion of Flame). So your normal hits would do 120% corrode damage + 30% corrosive lash and your FoDs would do  120% +30% +30% corrode + 90% burn. Which is nice.

    You can even duplicate it and dual wield it which also gives you 4 Vile Thorns per rest but also a huge defense malus to poison attacks. Other than that, I like it with a shield like Outworn Bucker - also looks nice together.

     

    Drawn in Spring is maybe the best option, but it comes quite late.  

     

    I really dont know... Which better and why? Bittercut or Drawn of Spring? Bittercut is very sweet for my Bleak Walker and i have spirit of decay + corrosive lash. The base dps is higher by the Bittercut AND its slash/corrosive dmp type, DoS is ONLY slash... hmmm..

    TCS Cipher 3.02

    in Pillars of Eternity: Characters Builds, Strategies & the Unity Engine (Spoiler Warning!)

    Posted

    You mean Ultimate TCS?

    Possible, yes but very time consuming since you will need to figure out strategies before every fight.

    So you either need multiple runs (not really recommended) or a non TCS save on the side.

    Melee is the obvious choice.

    I would go moonlike.

    As to the stats you will have to adjust those via respec quite a lot but I guess at least 10 Res (maybe even maxed for trashmobs fights), maxed PER and INT, DEX at the beginning of the game higher, later when you have Durgan it can be 10.

    Other stats at your discretion but if I would play this build I would go high Con early and later redistribute to might, since even tho MI is kinda useless for melee attack cuz soul whip it's still very good for spells. (Per and IN more important for spells tho.)

    Thank you very much! :)

     

    And what do you think of powers and talents? Most important/most useful? Or all powers is situational?

    • Like 1
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