Samugol

Hi, I enjoyed the game very much on PS4 and with the upcoming PoE 2 PS4 release I wanted to solo the original on trial of iron. I know there are quite a few guides about this on Path of the Damned difficulty, most using a chanter or monk. However, I would like to do it with a different class that is not usually mentioned such as Cipher or non melee Wizard. The thing is I would like to get a good challenge out of it but still enjoy it, so I am ok playing on easy or normal. i would still like to play a character that feels relatively strong. I want to avoid as much cheese tactic as possible. So no pathfinding exploits or constant running away. I wanted it to be more about clever tactics, consumables and overall preparedness. If any of you have any cool ideas please share if you feel like it. I would prefer to play a casting wizard or any cipher but I am open to other classes as well. Thanks in advance.

Dude, you just go way beyond awesome. This is amazing, Thanks for the millionth time now EDIT: I decided to use HoSR because I think it is a better fit. If you take Blade of the Endless Paths it just does damage. Tidefall's wounding does not work very well because of high intellect. Also it's draining does not count as healing so you do not get as much health in return. The moment I realized, that Durganizing stuff also increases critical chance, I immediately looked at some on crit effects. HoSR is such a beast even among all other weapons. The fact that you get your target prone results in less damage taken, but the real awesome is the increased crit multiplier. When you are a cipher, the enemies have lower resolve a lot of the time...resulting in a lot more crits and this weapon just capitalizes on that so much. When I crunched the numbers, this bad boy has comparable damage to the BotEP while doing so much more.

Boeroer to the rescue :D thanks man. I can finally level up now... and pick a weapon focus :D EDIT: What upgrades would you put on that bad boy? :D BTW: also I was waiting for an update of the game to download, more than 5GB any idea what that is about? From what I can tell the controls are different (PS4)

As I can pick another talent on my AWESOME melee cipher, I would like to pick a weapon focus. BUT since I am an aesthetics freak, I have a hard time choosing 2 handed weapon that looks good with fine plate armor. (weapon focus adventurer vs soldier). I have found a picture of a nice 2 handed great sword that would work great with my build. The Hours of St. Rumbalt, but there are two versions of pictures. One that goes really well with a fine plate. One that would look better with the golden exceptional plate. So which one is it in the game? I assume one is from the older build. BTW: if there are ANY suggestions for cool looking weapons in fine plate, lay it on me :D I am not sure how to post pictures so this might suck....

The people here are so nice and helpful. It always makes me feel fuzzy inside :D Thanks everyone.

Thank you maxQuest Do you get to cast shadowflame and slicken once? or is it 4 times per encounter?

Huh, did not realize that about Kalakoth's minor blights. I thought that it is some sort of spell. It says "ball of energy" in the description. So if it is implemented as an actual WAND that is kind of neat. Also quite cheesy :D if they meant it as a spell and made it into a wand... and now I just exploit the hell out of it...Might have to think about that one. @MaxQuest - I see that it is just as I feared, that it might be cool early, but later on, I do not think I can boost implement damage very much. And I should have plenty of spells to cast that should be a much better option. Also... are you talking about cipher ranged or cipher melee or just cipher using his powers? EDIT: can someone actually tell me how do those per encounter spells work? how many do you get? is it spammable?

Hi, I have been having a blast with the game and one of my favorite characters Aloth has become a permanent member of the group. He always helps with keeping mobs in place (CC) and is able to output impressive amount of damage when I really need something dead fast. The thing I am not sure about is 1. Make him more useful during most encounters by taking some of talents that would help with his auto-attack such as (blast, penetrating blast, dangerous implements) 2. Use the talents to boost some of his cool fire/frost/corruption spells. Or add something like a beast slayer, or even take some of the defensive talents (deflection, body control, Bull's will etc.) The thing is he is about level 7 now, and I know that at level 9 you are going to get some per rest spells. I just do not understand how spells per encounter work. If I get one extra spell per encounter, that is nice but definitely not game changing so it makes sense to have some effective auto-attack as backup so I do not have to rest all time. On the other hand, If I get 4 casts of say Chill fog, than I cannot imagine I would auto attack EVER AGAIN :D So any thoughts about this from people who have some experience would be very welcome.

Hi, I have been playing for a while now, and there is this one thing about grimoires that I cannot make much sense of. I was wondering if there is anyone who could shed some light on this. From reading some of the lore on wizards on official wiki, it seems that grimoires are special books, made from special materials that gather the residual soul energy from the area around the caster. Also the caster by himself cannot do much without a grimoire. This can be seen in the game, when you unequip the grimoire, the caster is unable to cast. I have been using Aloth as a companion and did not think much about it, until I started using Concelhaut's Parasitic Staff, which is a 1st level wizard spell that summons a nice quarterstaff. When you have a 2 handed weapon equipped (or sword and shield, or any two handed option for that matter) the grimoire disappears and yet, you are still able to cast spells. The animation is different though. It is the same as when you hold a grimoire, but this time only the funky light around your hand appears (as if the grimoire disappeared). There is a specific slot for a grimoire that only wizards have (much like equipment, not a weapon). Does this mean that a grimoire is just some kind of conduit, that you can have somewhere (anywhere) on your body and cast the spells with it? Or do you strictly have to hold it. In which case how do you cast with a 2 handed weapon. Is it a quality of life thing? Design choice? I am really curious. Any other info about lore of wizards/grimoires is welcome (such as what materials is it used from or who constructs it). Thank you for any responses in advance.

@Boeroer HOLY CHRIST. This is soooo awesome :D Literally like the awesomest of awesome. I'm gonna have to rethink the way I look, cause fashion souls for life :D @Braven thanks, I will definitely check it out.

Boerer, would you also post an ingame picture of BotEP vs Tidefall, it came to a point I am so undecided about those two that I am willing to have a vote off base on styles alone. Hell, you tell me which one to go for and that is the one I will go for, this is as much yours build as it is mine at this point :D EDIT: only if you feel like it, you by no means have to, it's just you have started to post pics....which made me hungry for more :D

Maaan that looks soooo awesome..... (even though the skull is a bit bigger than I though). So you are saying I will not be able to look like that....That just sucks.... Are there any other menacing looking helmets? I like some of the horned ones :D and black brigandine also looks the part. BTW: for anyone who might be interested I ran a damage comparison of Tidefall vs Blade of the Endless Paths (BotEP) in FULL PLATE: 1. When you reach 0 recovery withe BotEP vs best possible recovery with TIDEFALL about 20-25% more damage for BotEP 2. When you do not use time parasite, it is THE SAME this was calculated while completely ignoring DR, which BTW is better for Tidefall, because it has that wounding thingy which is raw damage (I thought this would go to estoc because of the DR penetration) if someone wants to see the calculations sure, but I wrote it on paper and I really did not feel like writing it all down, it is mostly similar to this thread: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/92266-tidefall-vs-blade-of-the-endless-paths-on-fighter/ so considering TIdefall is obtainable earlier, has more damage types and heals you... it is clearly a superior choice for me (not to mention that it looks a bit more worn which gives it a more evil look) EDIT: @Lampros, the gloves of swift action are great but I am sure that I will be able to find something that is also adequate, such as Mourning gloves, without going through such lenghts. EDIT: actually scratch this calculation, it only works if wounding on tidefall stacks, if it does not, it is not true and I honestly do not know if it stacks with itself

I am on a console.... sooo I guess no console (see what I did there? :D).

Naaah if it were between a quarterstaff and an estoc, I would definitely go for estoc (it is not like I do not like it, it is a cool long sword with a pointy end) :D I like Tidefall because of the lifedrain. Like I said, it does not have to be perfect and Tidefall's draining goes so well with the theme of the build. Combat recovery + high might is MORE HEALTH, Skull looks cool/evil and more might is MORE HEALTH, those boots you have suggested(cannot recall the name but they have that consecrated ground thingy) is MORE HEALTH, survival bonus means MORE HEALTH and guess what. Tidefall with lots of damage buffs and draining means MORE HEALTH.... I am gonna be the sturdiest damage dealer in the party :D with a sword that drains the life itself from my enemies. You have already helped me more than enough man. I am really looking forward to playing this. Especially since I do not have to go neither to WORK nor SCHOOL tomorrow :D I can actually start playing today. Also Tidefall has dual damage type which is more versatile. Not to mention I somehow do not believe that FOCUS gain is going to be a problem... it was extremely manageable from the few moments I spent with a cipher. I cannot imagine it would be a problem with all those damage boosting talents/items + draining whip. The other thing I might do is not to actually take the weapon focus talent early and wait until I get both weapons, so I can play around with them and see which one suits me better(looks, gameplay, lore).

Well, I crunched the numbers and (considering time parasite + durganized stuff in every assumption below). You are right about Two handers being the best DPS with very low/no recovery. However, because I am dead set on wearing heavy armor NO recovery is only achievable with the gloves of swift action (which can be troublesome to get since it is a random loot) + speed enchant on a weapon. And because I really want to use tidefall, NO recovery is impossible. That being said, the recovery in heavy armor + tidefall with the gloves of swift action (if you are lucky to get them is about 0.5s . Does it decrease DPS? well of course (almost 50%actually because instead of attacking about once every 1s you attack about once every 1.5s) but the survivability + cool factor outweigh this. Not to mention that attacking extremely quickly in a succession makes your character look like a Duracel bunny on steroids. This has also very little impact on actual casting (if you wait 0s or 0.5s before you cast is like nothing), because you are not going to be auto-attacking all the time. The thing is I am not really worried about killing my enemy in 20s vs 30s, but rather being stunned/proned for several seconds while several mobs go to town on me. When the stun ends I wanna be alive and relatively OK (even if I have 30% health, I might be able to CC mobs, heal through tidefall draining or something....) For the last couple of years I have played (and finished ) games on IronMan only, even those that do not support the IronMan mode per se (Dragon age series, fire emblem, fallout series etc. ) The most dangerous situations are when something unexpected happens. That is when things start to fall apart (the last moment I can recall was in XCom 2 towads the end, when two of my best damage dealers got panicked, died and everything went to hell, could not recover from the loss of my best troops and lost a few missions later). So if I come across as nonsensical, paranoid or just plain out sick in the head it is because of that. Most people do not play IronMan so they naturally care about HIGHEST DPS, or quickest way to do things, but this approach usually leads to quick death and frustration.

Wow. When I see the frames it makes me doubt my two hander approach.

For a millionth time thanks :D that is pretty much what I thought. I like draining whip and biting whip, but taking activated abilities LATER seems lame, because you do not get to enjoy them for most of the game. So the only conundrum I had, was whether take Weapon Focus or Biting whip second. And it seems you, Dr <3 and me agree on that. EDIT: Mosspit, I knew from the way you were writing, that you definitely knew your stuff. Your comment was very insightful and definitely made me settle on my final idea. Thanks for the advise on the "death knight" armor :D I thought I would just wing it, since you can change the armor color within the game (so anything that looks good in black :D, even the starting brigandine looks good in black). It also made me happy that someone has already made a cipher ToI run with a Tidefall cipher. That just me super sure that not only it is gonna be viable but super fun as well. Even though I'm not gonna be as fast as your cipher....but maybe a bit sturdier in plate ,

Thanks :D The items you mentioned seem great. I really like the amulet, gloves are also cool(but I really want to get those speedy ones), I definitely plan to use consumables and such. I however do not want to dump RES all the way down to 3, I was never a big MIN - MAX guy. Also I like my guy to reflect myself a bit. So I do gymnastics - DEXTERITY :D I go to college INT... and so on. It just feels wrong to dump the stat all the way just because it is preferable by the game engine. Also, I like your order of talents. I'm gonna take combat recovery first though, because I always have a problem with those couple of bandits before reaching gilded vale :D Also, consumables should be something that is saved for a tougher fight. I really do not want to rely on a spirit potion for EVERY battle.

What is the order of talents you would pick? I am having a hard time deciding now. I know I'm taking combat recovery first but then.... there are just so many cool talents.... I have an idea but I would like to hear your take on it Boeroer.

Oh the order of talents is not set in stone, the only thing I am sure about is the combat recovery is the first one. I really like to be more survivable. I completely agree that cipher's intended role is to be the damage dealer/crowd controller/debuffer (and in a nice well balanced party he does not need combat recovery or heavy armor for that matter). But I just like combat recovery so much :D It makes almost any character a lot more survivable, especially in heavier armor. And I really wanna be the vanguard of the group up in enemy faces. Giving orders from the front lines. And considering I am on trial of iron, better safe than sorry :D Also, I agree with you that taking weapon focus talents early is smart. I could take the cooler ones (biting whip) later on, to have some sense of progression.

I know there is just nothing particular I think is necessary. Greater focus? Maybe? Suggestions?

So savage strike + apprentice sneak attack. I am ready now . Thanks to anyone who has contributed. Human with grey hair, scruffy beard and scary look, probably from Aedyr empire. Probably a mercenary for flavor. MIG 17 CON 10 DEX 15 PER 13 INT 16 RES 07 cool cipher powers(more on the darker side), that sweet looking skull helmet, some dark looking plate armor, tidefall+ equip mentioned above. Draining whip Biting whip Combat recovery Apprentice sneak attack Two handed wepon style Savage strike Weapon focus soldier Be a reasonable guy, but no mercy for those who oppose me or prey on others. This is probably one of the nicest builds I will have the honor of playing. Trial of iron, normal or hard + story companions. :) It is gonna be EPIC. PS: it is SOOOO nice to be able to post freely.

No, no you misunderstood :D Shining knight is the opposite of what I want. Ever since Dungeons and Dragons, my goal was always to be this scary presence on the battlefield. The moment your enemies see you is the moment they flee in horror :D You do not have to be evil, but you want to be scary. Darker armor with scary motives, horned helmets and skulls :D So shining white armor is definitely not the way to go for me :D

Tidefall -obtainable early -greatsword has a nicer attack animation -draining helps with staying alive Blade of the Endless Paths -has innate 5DR penetration -has a speed enchant -looks pretty cool I honestly do not know which one is a superior choice. The spellcasting info is great. Thanks. I have done all tests and stuff and I sometimes I do not realise it is just the beginning and more options will open up. So yeah, I might be reading too much into interrups. The armors you have suggested are great and probably better from a gameplay perspective. However, Im a sucker for knights and plate armor. So I want to go with that because of my personal preference and "realism". The only time I would go for a lighter armor would be if I went with more of a swashbuckling fencer type. Such as dual wielding rapier + dagger. Thanks for the suggestions though. Did you take savage(+20%dmg talent) strike? Is there a reason you went with tidefall? How about attack speed, did you find it ok?

I'm definitely swapping Outlander's frenzy (even though I might not use sanguine plate, there are a few full plate sets I like better) for sneak attack (great advice guys, did not realize that I might pull of sneak attacks even with a two hander, because of all those CCs), I'm not sure about savage attack though. 20% damage is nice, but: I tried MIG 18 CON 10 DEX 14 PER 13 INT 16 RES 7 and it was definitely OK, when I was attacking an already engaged opponent. But when things got hairy(more opponents, or when my tank could not hold engagment), I was interrupted more times than I like. It was kind of lame actually. Then I tried MIG 17 CON 10 DEX 10 PER 13 INT 16 RES 12 and the difference was very noticeable, almost no interrupts, this was awesome especially when I cast so much during combat. Granted, the first setup is better when I can just pick of some enemy that is already fighting somebody else. Actually I tried timing how much time it takes me to kill 3 bandits, with different setups, and surprisingly, after a few tries, it was about the same (I expected higher DEX to be much faster, but in reality all those interrupts cost me time). Bottom end, I would be very hesitant to lower my attack speed even further (even though it was still pretty OK with 10DEX). I still plan to used +15 speed gloves +15 durgan tidefall + 15 durgan armor + time parasite (maybe the speed potion as well not sure if they stack) , so that might offset the speed problem, but still, I'm already pretty slow. It would be nice if there was a way to increase concentration through some other means than consumables (only spirit shield potions come in mind). Great suggestions guys :D keep 'em coming, with all the workload it seems I might not get to actually play this week :/