Ophiuchus

I agree that Priest is bad in many ways but I'm confused when you say not to single class it or multiclass it with another caster. I'm assuming you multiclass it with Paladin (Priest of Wael tank?) or Chanter?

I like Ascendant for single class and generic Cipher or Beguiler for ranged multiclass.

Sadly this appears to be hardcoded and can't be changed as far as I know. Dang. Thanks for looking into it all the same.

Looks good. I'm definitely going to use this on my next playthrough. Would you be able to renable Shattered Pillar's Wound generation from attack abilities? Also, mods to Holy Radiance (upgrade paths like Aggrandizing Radiance from Pillars 1; bonus based on Priest deity) would help Priests a good deal, imo.

So long as the island is guarded by fearsome packs of adra ban-infused bloatbelly eels.

I'd go Stalker for less micro and defensive synergy. Also, the Robust Lay on Hands upgrade is leagues better than Heal Pet.

This sounds intriguing and I've wanted a good Xoti replacement. Care to share more details?There is a good "solo" thaumaturge build here in the forum builds list from araj. I suggest using it as a blueprint and modify it slightly for party play, like taking circle of protection and maybe despondent blows instead of llengrath safe wards. Basically, it is a midline support. You use Ninigath's grimoire ideally, take all the cool and useful priest party buff spells like level 1 aoe heal, withdraw, salvation of time, circle of pretection and the fire damage spells. Skip devotions for barring death door+shining beacon imo. In wizard you take defensive boosting spells at low level but maybe also combusting wound+expose vulnerabilities, definitely scion of flame and maybe secret of rime. At mid level (5+) wizard you take terrify spell and at high level pillar of flame and holy storm from a priest. In the end you basically get a more tradition backline/midline priest who uses utility spells to buff part and debuff enemies and do damage through cold+fire spells. Ideal weapons are Sun+moon and the soulbound dagger (or Xoti's sickle with speed buff). It's not a monster damage dealer until storm of holy fire but it has a nice toolkit of buffs and debuffs which are different in their nature from cipher or chanter buffs/debuffs. Basically also you make wizard/priest if you want a dedicated buffer/debuffer of that type in your party - one that does not need other resources to buff/debuff like chanter or cipher and can unload all the spells instantly without attacking. Nice. Thinking of going Priest of Rymrgand(modded)/Generalist Wizard for a new hireling. Thanks. It's not that special minus the high level spells. Considering its unique spells are mostly Wizard spells the combo above might be a bit redundant. Maybe Priest of Berath, then. I like the idea of a character that has access to Priest, Wizard, and Druid spells.

This sounds intriguing and I've wanted a good Xoti replacement. Care to share more details? There is a good "solo" thaumaturge build here in the forum builds list from araj. I suggest using it as a blueprint and modify it slightly for party play, like taking circle of protection and maybe despondent blows instead of llengrath safe wards. Basically, it is a midline support. You use Ninigath's grimoire ideally, take all the cool and useful priest party buff spells like level 1 aoe heal, withdraw, salvation of time, circle of pretection and the fire damage spells. Skip devotions for barring death door+shining beacon imo. In wizard you take defensive boosting spells at low level but maybe also combusting wound+expose vulnerabilities, definitely scion of flame and maybe secret of rime. At mid level (5+) wizard you take terrify spell and at high level pillar of flame and holy storm from a priest. In the end you basically get a more tradition backline/midline priest who uses utility spells to buff part and debuff enemies and do damage through cold+fire spells. Ideal weapons are Sun+moon and the soulbound dagger (or Xoti's sickle with speed buff). It's not a monster damage dealer until storm of holy fire but it has a nice toolkit of buffs and debuffs which are different in their nature from cipher or chanter buffs/debuffs. Basically also you make wizard/priest if you want a dedicated buffer/debuffer of that type in your party - one that does not need other resources to buff/debuff like chanter or cipher and can unload all the spells instantly without attacking. Nice. Thinking of going Priest of Rymrgand(modded)/Generalist Wizard for a new hireling. Thanks.

Also having this exact same issue...especially frustrating when saving at sea since there's no way to change the formation.

I had the same issue but with two Valian Paladin health bars, which carried over from a ship battle. It persisted on every active screen (including the world map) until I restarted.

This sounds intriguing and I've wanted a good Xoti replacement. Care to share more details?

Which firearms do you use? I'm only an hour or two into Neketaka on this playthrough so I only have a fine arquebus; I'm planning on using The Red Hand. Basing it off this build with a few modifications for Veteran + Upscaling difficulty: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1450681362

Hearth Orlan Wildrhymer (Troubadour/Sharpshooter(Boar)) named Kinslee. With firearms she makes an effective midliner.

Game won't be complete until Thorel romance DLC. I agree with the spirit behind point six, though. The disparity of available uniques is one of my bigger gripes with Deadfire.

Shelved the poor soul due to lack of good synergy. I restarted as a Bleak Walker/Greatsword Devoted for that lumbering Death Knight fix and the results have been pretty spicy so far.

1.3 Patch Notes: Removed Grave Calling from the game.

Getting the new Ancestor's Memory earlier would be a fair reason to go single class Ascendant.

Having immensely enjoyed Boeroer's melee Priest of Berath build in PoE1, I was excited to continue that character in Deadfire as a Cleric (Greatsword Devoted/Berath) but so far (at level 10) the experience has been a complete slog. Unfortunately, many of the tools needed to make the old build shine (Aggrandizing Radiance, accuracy bonus to Greatswords) were lost in the interim, and I'm struggling to replicate it. Priest spells generally have brutal recovery speeds, and when combined with heavy armor (to fit the aesthetic), I often find the battle half finished by the time my Cleric gets into the fray. Touch of Rot and Spreading Plague are nice out of the box but vs Fortitude significantly reduces their effectiveness later on. Overall, this multiclass makes me feel like I'm patching up penalties instead of building something effective. Has anyone been able to successfully make a decent Cleric of Berath (or melee Berath) - say for Veteran with upscaling? Battlemage is leagues beyond it as a hybrid but I can't help but think there might be a hidden gem or two.

So many great discussions on Warlock lately. I'm glad players are enjoying it - probably my favorite multiclass.

I haven't tried DAoM on my Warlock since it was buffed. Wouldn't Frenzy's bonus action speed override the +15%? IIRC, the Dex bonus would stack but in that case Fleet Feet would be ideal. Warlock could be really cool too... Hmm. Could pick up Llengrath's Martial Masteries for all of the really good defensive buff spells. Yep. Wizard/Martial classes really shine with the versatility of grimoires: when leveling you can select your core buffs and equip offensive grimoires or focus on the martial portion and pick up Llengrath's.

Berserker/Generalist Wizard is one of my favorite combos in Deadfire: it offers a fine degree of flexibility with grimoire swapping and Frenzy pares well with just about everything. The build can excel as an off-tank using Barbarian passives and defensive spells; can take advantage of elemental weaknesses from range; and with Leap and Fleet Feet, can easily move across the battlefield, adapting to different situations. I went human for synergy with Bloodied and the Death Runes helm (which effectively adds another on-kill effect to the build's arsenal) or the naga helm for its INT bonus. Most of your core spells (Fleet Feet, Merciless Gaze, Infuse with Vital Essence, and defensive stuff) are available early on, which gives you more wiggle room when experimenting. I start my Warlock with Infuse -> Fleet Feet -> Merciless Gaze -> defensive spell (if needed) -> Frenzy to get optimal use out of Infuse's INT bonus. Since this build is buff heavy, make sure to prioritize casters that use Arcane Dampener (generally undead wizards); on the other end, Salvation of Time helps keep your momentum going. For weapons, I like to go dual wielding with Magran's Favor, Sungrazer, Duskfall, Sun and Moon, etc.; Miscreant's Leathers for armor. With grimoires, I alternate between Spark and Flame and Ninagauth's Teachings.

Agreed. Adding multi-classing to the system opened up an ocean of possibilities but the end result feels flat and unfinished. I wonder if PoE1's enchanting system - modified but not removed - could have helped in this regard. Imagine adding a 20 percent recovery bonus on Priest spells to your Cleric's platemail, for example.

If you aren't against modding you could always use Unity console to change your MC into Tekehu's class(es) or the Rymyrgand Priest once Beast of Winter releases.

Touch off topic but can you disable the traps in Sandswept Ruins by using a Ranger pet? I really like this idea and was just about to request a light weapon/buckler riposte Harbinger. Much appreciated.

Thank you for posting this. I've been trying to get a friend into Deadfire (she's never played a cRPG), and I'll be sure to share this with her if/when she buys it.