Ophiuchus

I can't wait for the eventual Obsidian-branded canvas bag mod. Finding it, though, that's not the hard part. It's letting go.

Geomancer wielding dual blunderbusses or Citzal's Spirit Lance: you get a nice AoE teardown through Tranquilizing Shot (strips beneficial effects by 30 seconds iirc) along with the usual debuff and CC Wizard offers (Curse of Blackened Sight, Slicken, Pull of Eora, Freezing Pillar, Expose Vulnerabilities, etc.). Cipher multiclassed with Ranger or Rogue can provide consistent afflictions and disables with some nice damage. Secret Horrors packs a lot of effects all in a 0.5 window and at a small cost of 30 Focus. I'm fond of a short bow Beguiler/Trickster for such a build.

It'd be nice if they could extend Magistrate's Cudgel to Steel Garrote and Priest of Woedica.

I agree. Mage Slayer and Shattered Pillar are still a mess.

My next RP after 4.0 launches: "The Woedican Bounty Hunter" Class: Steel Garrote/Trickster (Holy Slayer) Race: Meadow Human or Wood Elf Sex: Male Culture: Aedyr Background: Mercenary (maybe Clergy) Alignment: Lawful Evil Dispositions: Cruel, Rational (natch) During this run, I plan on making enemies with the Principi (wiping out Fort Deadlight on the first visit), Delver's Row, and Vailians (animancy being a big no-no) while siding with the Huana (Woedica worshippers) and keeping a close eye on the Rauatains. Any quest given by Aruhi and Onekaza must be finished to the fullest; those who operate outside the law, such as the denizens of Delver's Row, can be exploited. Steel Garotte synergizes well with Rogue; Trickster adds utility, and from a metaphoric standpoint, represents Woedica's cheater aspect. Build-wise, the character will feature lock downs, damage over time, and good defenses and maneuverability.

Not to hijack the thread, but related: the unique soulbound mace Magistrate's Cudgel is a weapon based on Woedica but is restricted to Fighter, Cipher, and Monk. Now that Steel Garrote and Priest of Woedica are playayble, would it be possible to extend the mace to those subclasses?

I haven't had a whole lot of time to test all the subclasses but I've been enjoying The Steel Garrote/Trickster (Holy Slayer) to level nine. The combination plays well with afflictions, adding damage and healing over time, and has superb defense and mobility. I like Garrote a lot on paper but since it targets Fortitude, I modded the cost down to one Zeal; it feels right. My only qualm so far with the build is the awkwardness in progression: since other Paladin orders get an upgraded version of a default ability for free, having to buy both FoD and Sworn Enemy feels weird; it'll all get smoothed over later on, of course. I'm mostly excited for this build from an RP/aesthetic position since I plan to play him as a Lawful Evil bounty hunter type: combining lock down effects with damage over time.

IIRC, 20 INT offsets the linger malus on Troubadour.

If you're going Shifter, you should definitely give this a whirl. https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/244

IMHO, there should be conditions that can force the AI to surrender... "hand me your triumph and never return to these waters" for the good-aligned Watchers.

I just started a straight PoE1 to Deadfire run since I'm taking a break from the latter for a spell. I'm playing this one "retroactively" based on the custom save state I made for the character in Deadfire.

I had the same issue.

After three runs with my favorite sidekick, I'm getting burnt out on micromanaging Mirke's Shadowdancer (Monk/Streetfighter) multiclass. Could a modder kindly make a variant that replaces Streetfighter with Trickster? Thanks.

And Two-Eyed Pim is a gentleman of good standing and repute, I do declare.

Looks like a solid update overall. That Infamous Past blessing means Berserker Warlock run no. three is coming soon.

I don't get super heavy into the RP but it makes for some fun nalpazca/shower thoughts. My favorite Watcher RP: Name: Zevir Race: Pale Elf (Male) Class: Cipher (PoE1), Seer (Ascendant/Ghost Heart) (PoE2) Culture: White that Wends Background: Mystic (PoE1), Explorer (PoE2) Alignment: Neutral Good Favored Dispositions: Benevolent, Stoic, Honest, Diplomatic Disfavored Dispositions: Aggressive, Deceptive/Shady, Cruel, Passionate Weapons: Hunting Bow, War Bow, Arquebus Pet: Ghostly Wolf (Volkhavaar) Active Skills: Alchemy, Athletics Passive Skills: Insight, Metaphysics, Survival In Zevir's backstory, I picture him as a physically weaker member of his Land tribe who made up for his shortcomings via his inborn Cipher abilities: tracking game or predators from a distance in the same vein as Deadfire's scripted encounters; reading the emotions and intentions from traders and outside groups. While his powers made him something of an outsider, he was well regarded for his kindness, especially in such unforgiving climes. At some point following his maturation, he began experiencing muddled visions of a spiritual nature, which he believed originated from Galawain: dreams of a fractured realm being strengthened: something far removed from the desolation of his homeland. Compelled by this call, his curiosity, and a generous offer from the lord of Gilded Vale, he made his way to the Dyrwood. I roleplay Zevir as your wandering quiet hero type who moves from place to place, fixing problems while on his mystical journey. He's dismissive and stone-faced toward the malevolent and generous with the downtrodden; and while he lacks (and is uninterested in) political and higher class standards, he'll often serve as a diplomat between two struggling groups. Zevir's also an honest and blunt Glamfellen but isn't above utilizing his deceptive Cipher powers like any other weapon against evil. On the other end, it's rare for him to show his cleverness outwardly and his taciturn demeanor often conflicts with his role as a leader. Being from the White that Wends, he's also very traditional and is highly skeptical of modern advancements such as animancy. Some highlights from Pillars 1: Went for benevolent/peaceful options during most side quests. Defeated Raedric twice. Released Maerwald's soul. Sided with the Crucible Knights/Pro-Animancy (he set aside his misgivings and ignorance on animancy since stopping Thaos was a higher priority). Killed Concelhaut, Llengrath, and all dragons except Sky. Palled around with Eder, Aloth, Pallegina, Zahua, and a moon godlike Priest of Eothas hireling named Lumina. He found a strong kinship with Hiravias despite the ornery orlan's loose tongue and temperament, and convinced him to follow Wael. Rescued Vela. Tempered Abydon. Sided with Galawain and funneled the Hollowborn souls to the Dyrwood. Released Iovara from her torment; blanked out Thaos in case he had any contingency plans. Following the defeat of Thaos at Sun and Shadow, Zevir returned to Caed Nua with his faith (and ultimately purpose) in a state of disarray. The forces that called out to him many moons ago - the instruments of his Awakening and strengthening the Dyrwood - seemed hollow now; and while he still revered Galawain's hunt and Abydon's wisdom, he could no longer worship them. His responsibilities as roadwarden grew to be confining and challenging due to his uncultured wild upbringing, and he often left the keep to wander for months at a time: allowing trusted advisors to represent him in courtly manners. During his travels, Zevir cast aside his mystic calling and supplanted it with the thrill of discovery and improvement, becoming an explorer. His journeys tested his resolve and ingenuity, and he used these opportunities to make up for his adolescent fragility: training in rugged conditions; becoming a master marksman; rescuing, taming, and raising a wolf companion (named Volkhavaar). Deep down he wondered if this had been part of Galawain's plan. Then it was all gone: uprooted in an instant: his keep; his wolf; his life. My Berserker Warlock is a fairly close second to this but that's a story for another day.

And throw on Combusting Wounds and Slicken for good measure. Geomancer is really overlooked, imo.

Veilpiercer has an upgrade that adds a Suppressive Shot, which prevents ability usage. IIRC, it's once per rest and has a base duration of six seconds so it's not too hot.

I like going Borrowed Instinct -> Secret Horrors -> Mind Plague -> Mental Binding for some spicy tear down on my Seer.

If you're ok with modding, Checoden's Deadfire Tweaks has a module that adds Sharpshooter's bonuses/penalties to Ghost Heart. https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/72

I'd also like to add that Driving Flight + Tranquilizer Shot + dual blunderbusses adds some nice utility to such a build.

I like rogues, but I've always found ciphers underwhelming. I've not done a soul blade though. Is it just spamming Soul Annihilation? Do you guys have an idea on a multiclass paladin survivability? What class would you bring in for a big dps boost? I like the idea of going fire or decay themed from there, but I don't have enough game knowledge to plan it out. Spamming Soul Annihilation gets a bit tedious after a while, and you have so many Powers to choose from. I wouldn't invest in too many of them like your standard caster, but stuff like Mental Binding, Mind Blades, Secret Horrors, Recall Agony, and Borrowed Instinct work well on a Soulblade. I'm rather fond of going Soulblade/Trickster for the free Sparkcrackers and bonus defense/utility. For your Paladin, I'd recommend a Bleak Walker/Monk Votary (probably Helwalker; maybe Nalpazca), which grants you fire/decay damage via Flames of Devotion along with a fire lash through Turning Wheel. I main a melee Mindstalker (Assassin/Soul Blade), and I find that it's more about micromanagement. Stealth In, Perishing Strike or Gouging Strike -> Soul Annihilation -> Devastating Strike (You could also just do Devastating Strike -> Soul Annihilation but I like applying enfeebled or blinded) I'm wearing a certain pair of slippers, so I'll usually crit and go back into stealth. If they aren't dead, repeat. If you need some CC, replace Soul Annihilation with Whispers of Treason/Puppet Master/Ring Leader. If you need more damage- on single target replace Soul Annihilation with Disintegrate, on groups of enemies, replace with Mind Blades. Use Smoke Veil or Potion of Invisibility to get invisible again. Rinse, Repeat. If you need more Focus, just use rogue abilities (Perishing Strike, Devastating Strike) to generate it. I also usually have another cipher in the party for Ancestor's Memory to regen guile. I also use the other cipher to apply afflictions/debuffs For OP: Some variation of Monk or Paladin would fit your criteria. What weapons do you prefer? I just got my Soul Blade/Trickster to level 11, and Ranning's Wrath and Rust's Poignard are working well; I'll probably go Sungrazer and Sun and Moon Flail on the second set.

I like rogues, but I've always found ciphers underwhelming. I've not done a soul blade though. Is it just spamming Soul Annihilation? Do you guys have an idea on a multiclass paladin survivability? What class would you bring in for a big dps boost? I like the idea of going fire or decay themed from there, but I don't have enough game knowledge to plan it out. Spamming Soul Annihilation gets a bit tedious after a while, and you have so many Powers to choose from. I wouldn't invest in too many of them like your standard caster, but stuff like Mental Binding, Mind Blades, Secret Horrors, Recall Agony, and Borrowed Instinct work well on a Soulblade. I'm rather fond of going Soulblade/Trickster for the free Sparkcrackers and bonus defense/utility. For your Paladin, I'd recommend a Bleak Walker/Monk Votary (probably Helwalker; maybe Nalpazca), which grants you fire/decay damage via Flames of Devotion along with a fire lash through Turning Wheel.

I don't find Seer boring or mediocre at all. I play it like a tactician: sit back and tear down enemy defenses so my troops can do what they need to do.

A Nalpazca Sage is a fun, flexible multiclass that gives you great damage /w Citzal's Spirit Lance and Ninagauth's Teachings, and isn't too squishy. I prefer Berserker Warlock for the sheer action speed/recovery but like to keep him Bloodied. Seconded, especially the nasty tricks department. Secret Horrors is a great opener for bursting down a foe (lowers Deflection and max Health).