AeonsLegend

White March fixed to for me already. Although I've read that it doesn't for some people. I'm not running any beta patches.

don't have the money.

Hm, that doesn't sound all that effective for sustained fights. I'm currently playing a Barbarian on PotD and Frenzy only lasts as long as a sneeze with 18 intelligence. Fights last way way longer than that, because these ****ty PotD enemies have DR from 16-40.

How do you get 0 recovery with a 2 handed weapon?

Gonna kick Eder from the party for now. I'm going to miss the early game cc of his knockdown.

Ok it's definitely broken then. I never paid it no mind, but it seems I'm cheesing my way through the early stages of PotD with this. Blegh.

It was just Eder with his starting Sabre which I upgraded to "Nice". I saw it happening earlier as well. He has Confident Aim yea. No sneak attack.

So help me understand this. Damage range shows 17 - 25 (including might etc) and the character hits for 36 damage on a normal hit. No extra buffs, the character is level 4 with no specials. Excluding lashes, it was the plain slash damage from the weapon before damage reduction.

Rogues have little synergy with the rest of the team. Perhaps if you build a composition around them somehow. They at least need someone to babysit them when they go in.

The only reason why I would use the mod is to even out experience. I think it's crap that if you hire a party member from a tavern he/she is one level below you and if they sit the bench they get only half experience. And don't give me the "Companions have crappier stats so hirelings have to have a downside." Getting a hireling at level 3 means they're only a tad bit lower than you. This is fine because later in the game they will always be at your level. The problem arises if you hire a new one at say level 12 or something and they will never catch up. And I don't see an issue with re-rolling companions either. I haven't done so myself, because it isn't necessary even on PotD.

I tried to like them. I tried using them, but stat wise they don't really look that great. I mean a Two Handed Sword has only 1 damage more than a Sabre. The extra passive is +15% damage. Is it even worth having a big slow weapon that deals the same amount of damage as a one handed weapon that can be dual wielded for faster attacks or single handed for extra accuracy and crit chance? What am I missing?

Huh, that seems a bit dodgy. Why would it be dodgy?

Indeed, you'll need to look up console commands, and do a little bit of simply arithmetic to make sure you reassign the right number of attributes etc. I assume mods also invalidate achievements, so if you're okay with the console I'd recommend that as the easiest method. IE Mod (also on the nexus) doesn't invalidate achievements, but Eternity Keeper has a visual interface that is much easier to use. Plus it can do things console commands cannot.

You can use Eternity Keeper. I've been using it with success. It's also the only tool that allows you to even out experience over your entire party, so adding a new character later or having someone sit the bench is not an issue anymore. http://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity/mods/75/?

I'm not for a minute suggesting that Ciphers don't shine on hard. Just that they don't compare in my experience to a rogue. I find that crowd control on hard and below is a tad overated. Rogues just kill things really quickly. Yes they are pretty one dimensional but as far as doing what they were designed to do they are very efficient. I don't see why a Rogue two shotting an enemy is different from a Cipher, Fighter, Paladin, Barbarian or Monk two shotting an enemy. Sure the single target damage is higher on a Rogue, but it's only marginally so. Damage is something that is available to all classes. Other classes just add something else. As Raven states, the Cipher actually has a more consistent damage output than a Rogue. +40% damage on all hits + 15% when sneak attacking. They can also deny an enemy attacking them and steal resistances, stats and attack speed.

It's not that they are bad, it's that other classes do better and they don't have the short comings of a Rogue. As it stands, if you want a Rogue in your party you pick a Cipher. A Rogue currently is extremely one dimensional. It's based on stats only, their kit does not give them a real edge so when enemy stats are racked up suddenly they feel crappy. A Cipher for instance has tons of cc to add to a similar damage output of a Rogue.

IE Mod is your friend: http://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity/mods/1/?

Maybe increase deflection to fighter level and remove deflection penalty from his modal ability and give him an innate penalty to damage resistance instead or even lower endurance. For me a Rogue should be about preventing damage not about soaking it and if he does get hit it hurts. Also maybe give him a deflection penalty when wearing armor heavier than medium and give him a deflection bonus when wearing light.

I feel like Obsidian couldn't find a way to make Rogues fit their archetype (super high single target damage glass cannon) that also worked in their ruleset. I also wonder whether there was less enthusiasm for Rogues in Obsidian because their abilities just seem dull compared other classes. When I look at the list of abilities for Monks and Barbarians I get excited, but when I look at the Rogue's list I just don't care. I hope that if PoE2 has a Rogue class* they redesign it in some way to make it more fun. As for Ranger I feel that they are saved by Stormcaller and the usefulness of their pet as a disposable tank. Also ever since I took the Adra Dragon from lightly wounded to dead with Sagani alone (run away, take a shot, graze, run away, take a shot, graze, repeat) I can't hate on her. *I know suggesting that an RPG not have a Rogue class is blasphemy, but when the stealth, lock picking and trap detecting skills aren't tied to the Rogue class, it's not really clear why a Rogue should be different from, say, a different Fighter build. There's many things they could do with a rogue without relying on stealth. Teleport backstab, with the option to teleport back on command. AoE dagger flourish. AoE teleport attacks. Preferably adding hard cc in later levels such as petrification by throwing a small AoE bottle. They're not super original, but can be implemented as signature attacks for a rogue. I don't know, just thinking stuff up.

Chanter?

This is a good post, though I wouldn't wait to cast Returning/Relentless Storm untill after buffs are cast since they re-check your accuracy and intelligence every time they hit, which makes them great spells to open encounters with immediately since they'll still take advantage of buffs cast later. I feel that if your party is just busy buffing they are more prone to get overwhelmed if the enemy is fast and then your defensive casts can be interrupted. When I started out I followed the buffing -> debuffing -> attacking route for normal encounters, but battles are won more quickly and cleanly by skipping buffing spells altogether. If anything only accuracy needs to be buffed.

For dragons, buff defenses (potions/scrolls/spells) and accuracy and then use Painful Interdiction, Venombloom, Envenomed Strike, Disintegrate, Plague of Insects. Then get a cup of coffee and the battle is won.

Hm, cloak and ring don't stack though. My favorite early game sabre is Resolution. Dropped by Greater Black Ooze, Endless Paths of Od Nua Level 4. Very doable if you rush it early and ignore most of the enemies in those levels. Later Purgatory found in Blood Sands because it heals you. Both have +50% damage on crits which is massive.

The hit that follows is a full attack. Dual wielding hits twice, but does not use the cooldown of those attacks, only of the charge ability. So on arrival you can almost attack immediately again.

I usually start with Empowered Painful Interdiction because this weakens and dazes the enemy and lowers their resistances to other debuffs allowing them ensured hits and crit more often. That followed by Amplified wave is usually enough to be able to destroy any enemy party. These are also fast cast spells with enormous per encounter Foe AoE so you're bound to hit everyone with it and can use it reliably every fight. I've never had the need to use any other debuffing spells. When I think a fight is tough I move my druid slightly forward and cast one of the lightning storm (such as Returning Storm) spells because they are Foe AoE damage spells with chance to stun enemies. If they are weakened this will usually crit normal enemies. Note that many of the really good debuff/cc spells target fortitude, so weakening the enemy allows those spells to have a better effect. What you're casting depends on the enemy composition. If they have spellcasters with cc you'll want to be able to focus them. So silent scream is useful. Cc also debuffs enemy resistances, mostly dexterity and deflection allowing your normal basic attacks to deal with the enemy. I don't really use high tier limited cast spells in normal encounters though.