dgray62

You might be interested in AeonsLegend's recent post on a Tactician/Ascendant multiclass build.

You make an excellent point, AeonsLegend. It would be a great idea to make immunity to being flanked an upper level perk for melee classes.

It's much harder tp fight multiple individuals than it is to fight a single individual, for the reasons Kaylon indicated. This is the reason that in many martial arts traditions, one has to spar multiple opponents to demonstrate the level of mastery of a black belt. I think the flanking "affliction" accurately reflects this.

Going back to the original question, I think that Adra Ban occasionally shows up at locations where you randomly find gems. For example, I often find one hidden in one of the pilings at the end of a dock in the Undercroft area below Neketaka. Usually in that location I find either jade or Adra Ban. Needless to say, I always hope for the latter.

When enemies are casting a spell or ability you'll see a little icon above them indicating what they are attempting to cast. If you interrupt them, say by knock down or mulekick, during this phase, you'll get the discipline point back and will also prevent them from casting.

That makes sense, AeonsLegend, thanks! Helwalker would be too squishy I'm sure. Nalpazca is probably the strongest for melee if you can tolerate the drug micromanagement. And there'd be no need to max CON either.

This looks amazing, AeonsLegend. I've played druids using the Voulge as a stat stick, but this seems like a much better use of this amazing weapon. You play a Helwalker for the STR boost, right? I believe I see the Helwalker status icon on your screen shot. Have you found the raw damage from Berzerker magnified by the Helwalker incoming damage boost to be a problem? Am I correct in assuming that you'd want max PER and INT for this build, for crits and a large carnage radius? I imagine you'd want high CON as well, and that STR, DEX and RES are not as important.

You can also get boost to PL if you multiclass with fighter. The acute inspiration from tactical barrage gives you +1 PL, as does Brilliant if you multiclass as a Tactician, and set up the conditions to gain the Brilliant Tactician status.

Ascaloth posted a great build for Aloth last month. It's geared for end game equipment. Around 7th level, I'd recommend that you get him the Grimoire of Vaporous Wizardry at the Dark Cupboard, for the extra cast per level, and then get Rekvu's Fractured Casque in Delver's Row. With the casque equipped, he's immune to interrupts so long as he has an injury, negating the downside to using this grimoire. And you can get him a minor injury, acute rash, by having him repeatedly cast Necrotic Lance on himself out of combat until he knocks himself unconscious. Whenever you rest, just repeat this to get him the rash again. It's kind of funny, as it seems to suit his somewhat unpleasant personality. And you can set him up with this equipment as soon as you arrive in Neketaka. (edited for accuracy)

Thank you for the very detailed reply, AeonsLegend. I've never played with Saffina but I like the idea of adding her to a party. I wonder if adding Tekehu would be a good idea, for the foe-only chill fog to help activate Brilliant Tactician. But I gather this isn't necessary, since clearly two ciphers can handle this very well.

This build sounds like a lot of fun, AeonsLegend. Did you play it in a party or solo? If in a party, how did you keep party members from being flanked? Also, what cipher powers did you find to be useful aside from those you mentioned, Mind Blades, Disintegration and Amplified Wave? Any tips regarding optimal gear would be appreciated too. Like you, I prefer melee ciphers, even though ranged might be more optimal.

I'm in the early stages of a run with this build, with Aloth currently at 7th level. I am trying to get a sense of what would be the best equipment and spell set up until reaching the end-game Weyc gear. I was thinking of using the Grimoire of Vaprous Wizardry and Rekvu's fractured casque (and selecting spells accordingly at level up), and using a scepter or wand and Nerian's Ward. How does that sound as a mid-game equipment array? I won't be using Ningauth's Teaching with Aloth as my MC, an evoker arcane knight, will be using that grimoire. Any alternative suggestions would be appreciated; this is my first game with a single class wizard in the party. Like many newbies, I tended to initially run multi-classed parties, but I am increasingly appreciating the power of single class builds, especially in parties. That said, I do love the martial caster multi-class builds.

Thanks for the feedback, Ascaloth. I suppose if one went with Nature Godlike one could get concentration by casting Spirit Shield. But I think I'll play this with Aloth as intended, and give him another chance.

This looks like a great build, Ascaloth. I look forward to trying it with a Watcher, as I find Aloth's personality to be a bit tiring in Deadfire. For a Watcher, what "better-optimised Races and Attributes" would you recommend? Would the +1 power level of a Nature Godlike throughout the game be worth missing out on The Mask of the Weyc at the end of the game?

Thanks for the advice, Boeroer. I think I will go with the single class Nalpazca monk in this run. I will use fists as I prefer this style for monks. However, I will create a Witch companion who will wield a morning star. I only wish there were more morning starts in the game! Per your advice, this is one of my favorite multiclasses. And since many monk abilities target fortitude, this will be a great companion for my monk MC.

I was considering trying out a run with a devoted/nalpazca brawler as my main character. I know that brawlers were OP before the nerfs to cleaving stance/swift flurry/heartbeat drumming, but I thought that the increased crits and crit damage from the devoted side would synergize nicely with swift flurry and heartbeat drumming despite the nerfs. I also like Nalpazca as the monk subclass as the drug boosts add color and a versatile range of buffs along with the steady stream of wounds. The fighter multiclass also adds survivability and defense, making it worthwhile to take Dance of Death so long as you're using Tuotilo's palm in the off hand. My question is, do these pluses outweigh the major minus of losing access to level 8 and 9 monk abilities? Losing access to Resonant Touch, WotW, and Inner Death makes me hesitate. However, since you wouldn't gain access to these abilities until level 17 anyway, it seems like a devoted/nalpazca brawler would be more powerful for most of the game. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, are Rooting Pain and Flagellant's Path worth it? The latter was great in POE 1, but I am underwhelmed by the ability's description in POE2; 5-10 crush damage is hardly "terrible crush damage."

A Furyshaper/Beguiler multiclass seems like a perfect fit for the "witch" paradigm, and I like the Spirit Frenzy + Secret Horrors + Morning Star modal + Brute Force synergy. It sounds like a lot of fun. I think I'll try this, thanks!

Thanks again for the advice, Boeroer. I hadn't even considered the Beguiler possibility, but I like it, and I see that it would fit the "witch" theme very nicely I'll sketch out a provisional build, and see how I might put this together. Do you think a beguiler with WotEP initially and then Engoliero do Espirs would work well, or would this be best with a ranged build?

Having already created and enjoyed playing several builds for my MC (vanilla monk, fury/helwalker ascetic and goldpact/evoker arcane knight), I am planning a Witch run, and had a questions regarding its design. On the barbarian side, the berserker subclass seems like a no brainer for the upgraded inspirations, improved hit-to-crit rate, and the easily avoided downside. But I was unclear about the cipher side of this multiclass. I probably would have picked Soulblade originally, but post-nerf it seems that this is a rather disappointing option. I am seriously considering Ascendant, but it seems, on paper at least, to be poorly designed for a melee multiclass. I say this because the soul whip damage bonus is reduced by half (to 10%) when you're not in the ascended state, when you really need the boost, and then is seriously boosted to 30% when your in the ascended state, when you no longer need it since you'll likely be spamming cipher powers then. Would an Ascendant/Berserker witch work out better than it seems on paper, or would it be best to use a plain cipher with no subclass? I am also planning on running this as 2H melee build, using WotEP initially and then Engoliero do Espirs late game for the AOE madness on kills. I'm doing this for variety, as I used a Magran's Favor-focused fire build with the Arcane knight and don't want to repeat this. I'll also use the devil of caroc breastplate to avoid the confused affliction while frenzied. Any advice on designing a fun MC Witch would be most appreciated.

Many thanks to both of you, Hansvedic and Boeroer. I will stick with a vanilla monk for my first run through, and try Forbidden Fist later. I imagine that Clarity of Wounds is particularly important for this subclass, right? I also want to try a monk/druid hybrid, and will go with Helwalker then.

Thanks, Boeroer. I appreciate the excellent advice once again! What do you think of playing a single class Shattered Pillar monk? I get the impression that it is quite powerful for a DPS oriented build. How would it compare to a vanilla monk? Is the limit of 5 wounds problematic?

I'm new to POE 2 and wanted to play my first game as a monk, which was my favorite class in POE 1, and I understand is quite powerful in POE 2. I am a bit bewildered by all of the choices, however. I would appreciate suggestions for an initial run as a single class in "classic" mode before I try out multiclassing or higher difficulty levels. I was considering playing a Nature Godlike monk for the power boost when inspired, which is pretty much constant, I understand, so long as swift strikes is active. I would also like to focus on unarmed combat. I was considering starting with STR 15, CON 15, DEX 16, PER 15, INT 10, and RES 7. Does that sound like a good stat spread? I would also appreciate advice regarding which abilities and skills to take when leveling up. There are so many compared to POE 1, and I am not sure which are the most important to select at the beginning. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

This build is loads of fun, Boeroer, and is probably my favorite among your builds, followed closely by you boar druid and Witchdoctor monk builds. It's just amazing how quickly the Cauterizer just burns through the rather tough hordes on POE. As you note, the build is somewhat weak at first, as is typically the case for barbarians. He first started to shine at level 6, with accurate carnage, and then becomes amazing starting at level 7 when you get Blood Thirst. This is the ability that really makes this build; it would be weak without it. Later, I use Dragon Leap to position him in the midst of a horde, and then launch HoF, and watch them melt as one Blood Thirst after another is activated. As you note, you really need Firebrand for this melting effect to work, although I find that The Hours of St. Rumbalt is good when you run out of Firebrands, since it is annihilating and also prones on crits, which is great since you do land a lot of crits. Which companion do you recommend sacrificing to the blood pool? Maneha, for the boost to strength and prone and stun resistance?

The Company Captain's Cap is still bugged, alas. It confuses your allies when you are "hit" by beneficial effects cast by them, such as heals and buffs. Generally, it's a good idea to put it on your priest (or protect him/her with the hermit's hat); otherwise they'll be confused in almost every fight. But you can also use this to your advantage. To upgrade the Cap you need to cause the confused affliction 15 times. An easy way to do this is to don the Shod-in-Faith; when it procs it will usually confuse you, and typically at the end of the battle when this is a harmless effect.

I agree, with the shifter druids you definitely want to dual wield!