diazexmachina

Probably this will be considered "necroposting", but I'd like to point out that you can't take Vicious Fighting at level 7, because that's a Talent and can be chosen only at even levels. So in this build there is one Talent too much and an Ability less. I'll choose for my playthrough to take Deep Wounds at level 7, and take Vicious Fighting at level 10 instead of Quick Switch. If @K-Slash has better ideas about this, I would be happy to read them.

I understand your point of view @claudius, but personally I prefer to keep the story companions within a certain degree of "originality". I don't think I'm the only one with these preferences, and that's why I decided to put these restrictions.

Hello everyone, Some time ago I've created a Google Sheet with the automatic level progression for all the story companions in the game. I this spreadsheet I've noted all the options each companion would automatically take at each level if automatic leveling is enabled (took me quite a lot to do this through console commands), as well its Skill Points allocation and its starting equipment. Now I would like to take this thing up a notch, and insert as well an example of end-game gear each companion should wear. The problem is, I'm not so savvy about equipment in Pillars of Eternity, since I still haven't finished the game once (I'm currently at the beginning of Act III), thus I thought that someone here could help me with this project by pointing out the best equipment for each character. Before you (hopefully) start commenting on the sheet I have just two limitations about the equipment: since this is more intended for role-play than optimization the various companions must keep their "iconic" equipment (those item's with their names on it, or otherwise named after their background, like the Saint's War Armor or Massuk Hunting Bow), and also the type of weapon and/or armor can't be changed (for example, if a character comes with a brigadine and a estoc it can't equip a padded armor and a pike in the end-game). That said I hope to find someone who can help me with this project. If you have questions about it just ask away, I don't bite. Thank you in advance for your help and time.

Thanks for all the replies guys. I would like another little help from you: could you take a look at this order of play-through and tell me if it makes sense? Also, could you give me a hand adding recommended levels to every major entry? Thank you in advance for your help.

Thanks @draego, but I've already played with a barbarian and I want to change this time. I'm also not that interested in optimized builds, I would rather try to build my Watcher with talents and abilities that suits his background or progression through the story.

Hey guys, I am once again creating a new Watcher in PoE1 and I need a bit of help. I'll be playing on Normal, with a party consisting of my Watcher, Aloth, Edér, Kana, Durance, and Pallegina. They will be built following the game's default builds, and I want them to use the kind of equipment they come with (meaning that I won't, let's say, make Edér a two weapon fighter, or give Pallegina a pike instead of her great sword). I will swap some of them just to do the other Companions' quests, but for 90% of the time that will be my party. Now, I'd like to make my Watcher a fighter, precisely a "sword and board" fighter. As for the story companions, I want to make him use the kind of equipment he starts with, so choosing the appropriate Culture is very important (I was thinking maybe the Living Lands, to start with padded armor, a spear, and a large shield). Would such character be useful knowing that I already have a tanky fighter in my party (Edér)? Should I go for another kind of PC, maybe change class altogether? Or maybe, since I'm playing on Normal, having two tanky characters won't make a big difference? I know that the limits I'm using to define my party are weird and, well, limiting, but this is how I like to play, even if for someone else is kind of stupid. Thank you in advance for your answers and help.

@Boeroer I didn't took into consideration my level at all, I have to admit. Maybe I'll do a few side quests in Defiance Bay before going to the White March, to get at least a couple more levels (I'm currently level 5, I think).

Thanks again @draego, your answer is very welcome.

Hello everyone. A couple of days ago I started a new play-through of Pillars of Eternity, hoping that this time I will be able to finish the game and continue on to Deadfire (I already have a game where I'm roughly at 2/3 of the story, but since I haven't played the game for a year or so I decided to do a fresh start with a new Watcher). Since I like to plan my games I decided to write down some kind of "road map", a rough order by which complete the various acts and quests. For now the order looks like this: Begin Act I Endless Paths of Od Nua 1 Finish Act I Endless Paths of Od Nua 2-3 Begin Act II The White March Part I Endless Paths of Od Nua 4-5 Continue Act II Endless Paths of Od Nua 6-8 Finish Act II Begin Act III Endless Paths of Od Nua 9-11 The White March Part II Endless Paths of Od Nua 12-14 Continue Act III Endless Paths of Od Nua 15 Finish Act III Begin Act IV End What do you think of this? Is there something you would change? Right now I'm about to start Act II, and two questions came to my mind: What's the right time to do The Battle of Yenwood Field? What's the right time to do Siege of Crägholdt? Thank you in advance for your answers and help.

No clue, I'm sorry. I have zero knowledge of mods, you may have a better chance to get your questions answered at the Nexus Mod Community.

Thank you again @Boeroer, you're advice are always top-notch

Thank you @Boeroer, that is a really nice guide. I've already tried the Cauterizer in a previous run (which I didn't finished), but this time I want to try Two Weapon Style. But, what about level 14, 15, and 16? Also, shouldn't Blooded be placed at like level 15?

Hello everyone. I need help with choosing Abilities and Talents—maybe also Skills—for a human barbarian. I want to build him as a full melee DPS character, dual wielding swords and/or battle axes. I came up with this Attribute spread: MIG 16 CON 13 DEX 14 PER 12 INT 13 RES 10 I'm not looking to min-max since I'm playing on Normal, I just need to plan which Abilities and Talents to take at each level, so I won't spend too much time thinking about my options whenever I level up. Thank you in advance for your help.

Ok, thank you for the clarification @Boeroer

Yes, I know the Attribute scores are hidden in a spoiler, but in the same spoiler, after the Stat Array, the OP wrote "If you want a higher RES score, check out the alternative stat array below.". But I can't find any other array in the post. Am I missing something?

Where is this "Alternative Stat Array" for Tank of Pain? I can't find it.

Hello everyone. I'm trying to add all the story companions through console commands to my roster to check out their automatic leveling level-per-level. The problem is that I can't find their names to make the commands valid. For example, when I tried to use "AddToParty Aloth" to add him to my party it didn't work, so I tried "FindCharacter Aloth" to find his correct name, but nothing happened. I also tried to use names like "companion_aloth" with both capitalized and non-capitalized first letters in any combination, I tried the same with Edér, Durance, and Grieving Mother, but had the same non-existent results. Can you help me with this predicament? Thank you in advance for your help.

Having sort of the same problem, but with "AddToParty", I can't add to my party any of the story companions (Aloth, Edér, Durance, etc.).

So, after all these years, we still have no mod or easy way to change the main menu background back to how it was before the expansions? Isn't it weird?

Hello everyone. After a six months hiatus I'm coming back to PoE, and I've decided to restart the game anew. The only problem is, I don't know which character to play. In my previous playthrough (in which I've reached the start of Act III, completed 12 levels of the Endless Path, and finished Part I of the White March) I've played a human barbarian, but got bored. I want to play something more tied to the setting, which also will fit nicely in my party composition. My main party will be comprised of: Aloth (back-line control); Edér (front-line tank); Durance (mid-line support); Kana (mid-line damage dealer); Pallegina (front-line off-tank). I thought that the best fit would be a cipher (back-line damage dealer), both for the party composition and for the involvement in the story. So I created an hearth orlan cipher, but found out soon that playing something that's not human just feels off to me. Call me racist, but to identify myself with my character, it has to be human, like myself. So I'm thinking of creating a human cipher, do you think it could work? What kind of spread should I build it with? Which culture and background would better fit the main character of the story? By the way, I'm playing in Normal difficulty, so I don't think that min-maxing is really needed, but if you also have any build to suggest, that would be nice. Thank you in advance for your help.

So, let's say I change my frontliners' builds - at least the tanky ones -, which would you advise to use? I'd like to play Kana with an estoc, Pallegina with a great sword, and keep Edér with sabre and shield, maybe give him a medium one instead of the large one he's currently using. The barbarian I think could keep his actual build with the great sword, he does amazing damages with Tidefall/Firebrand.

So you say I should go with four frontline characters, and leave Durance and Aloth in the backline? Aldo I'd prefer to keep Edér as the main tank, I see Pallegina and Kana much better as off-tanks. Do you think that such composition would still work?

Hello everyone. I am playing my first complete playthrough of the game with a party composed of a Barbarian Main Character, Aloth, Edér, Kana, Durance, and Pallegina. Right now Barb, Edér and Pallegina form my frontline, respectively occuping the roles of Melee DPS, Main Tank, and Off-tank, While the other party members form the backline, Durance as Support, Aloth as Ranged DPS/Controller, and Kana as general Utility. My question is: what kind of Phrases should I use with Kana, and in what combination? At this moment Kana has access to these Phrases: "At the Sight of their Comrades, their Hearts Grew Bold"; "Blessed Was Wengridh, Quickest of His Tribe"; "Come, Come Soft Winds of Death"; "Sure-Handed Ila Nocked Her Arrows with Speed"; "Dull the Edge, Blunt the Point"; "The Dragon Thrashed, The Dragon Wailed". How should I combine them? Also, should I bring Kana to the frontline to take advantage of his Chants? Thank you in advance for your answers.

The priest would be built for the frontline? A "classic" melee priest? Because I like this idea. A backline made up of Cipher, Druid, and Ranger could be interesting, mainly because I'm not playing these classes in my normal playthrough.

I'm taking in consideration the possibility of having a more "open" approach about classes, and don't limit the party build around the "classic core". That would give me a very wide range of options, building the team around the main character instead of building everything around four characters. Now the only question is: what kind of character would I like to play? Which class is absolutely needed in any functioning party? I'm thinking about priest or wizard, those two seem to be the most important party members of any party. Do you guys have any suggestion?