Ophiuchus

Warlock (Berserker/Generalist Wizard) is quickly becoming my new favorite: cast Infuse With Vital Essence, Fleet Feet, Merciless Gaze, etc., then pop Frenzy and let the good times roll. For weapons I'm going sword, flail, and battle axe; for armor I swap between Miscreant's Leathers, Fleshmender, and Casita Samelia's Legacy. Dual wielding and grimoires also give the build a good degree of versatility and flavor, allowing you to swap from melee to range via pistols or stealth empower nuke trash mobs with missiles and fireballs.

I've almost finished unnerfing Frostseeker, save for the freezing lash component, and can't figure out where that information is stored. I've checked Spiritual Successor for the Garland's Tears status effect (Garlands_tears_SE_Information) and the Frostseeker entry, looking for 10s and 25s (the lash was nerfed from 25 to 10 and I'm not sure if SS is fully updated to 1.1), but nothing. Could anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks.

I just want a Vithrack...could function like Goris's disguise in Fallout 2.

I've been having good success with her as a Fighter/Rogue (Brawler), alternating between fists and daggers. Pukestabber is her weapon of choice for obvious reasons, though I can't complete its enchantments because bloatbelly eel seems ludicrously rare. While we're at it, Pallegina should come equipped with a hood or mask by default. Those nictitating membranes lead to idle, impure thoughts.

Wouldn't you consider Druid to be a hybrid class?

Am I the only person who thinks Driving Echoes is the best buff to your party's casters in the game? By a landslide? Yeah, but that's just one good power, and by the time you get it, the game is mostly over. The last three tiers are all like that -- one good active power and a bunch of dead buttons that aren't worth pressing. Tier VII, Stasis Shell is the best option and it's basically just a crappy paralyze for paralyze-immune targets. Tier VIII, Time Parasite is good, reaping knives should be redundant if you've built correctly (spending 80 focus to get back focus is usually a bad trade), and defensive mindweb is nerfed into the ground Tier IX, Driving Echoes is good, Haunting Chains is worse than a fifth-level wizard spell, 1000 cuts is . . .well, not awful against a boss, but compare vs. any wizard damage spell? The class is playable. It's not utterly broken. But the current implementation is always gonna be the weak link in the party. Not disagreeing with you; was only asking re:comment that "there is no reason to play pure cipher". Driving Echoes is a great ability, but like Doc Hieronymous explained, it's a diamond in a sea of mediocrity: as a Cipher, your decisions are largely based on what's not bad instead of what shines. I'd like to see: Focus pool starts at 50 percent of max; adjust for Ascendant. Focus pool growth feels off compared to other classes. Soul Whip/Biting Whip scales with PL so single class Cipher isn't gimped on damage. Self-targeting Echos. Meme Powers like Fractured Volition, Screaming Souls, and Haunting Chains completely reworked. Buff Mental Binding since Paralyze isn't nearly as powerful as in PoE1. Phantom Foes could use better functionality. Maybe add Gunner and/or Marksman passives. Gear that adds +PL or other effects to Power subsets. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall there being any items that provide specific bonuses to Cipher.

With the nerfs to Time Parasite and Ascended there's really no reason to go single class Cipher now. Feels bad, man.

Oh, Cipher...

Maybe not never, but... Trickster gains a mechanic that steals inspirations. Ghost Heart gets an upgrade that gives the pet veil piercing to add to its role as a backline harasser. Ranger trinkets that modify/add lashes to pet damage. I agree that cosmetic slots would be a welcome addition, especially for companions so they can keep their signature looks.

Like the one unique hunting bow that's located on the other side of the map and has +crush damage as its gimmick? Or the war bow that requires Survival and Religion to work? Veilpiercer looks good, but it's endgame so there won't be enough time to use it. I'm rate salty about the lack of bows in this game, if it wasn't apparent. You could literally get this at level 8 on the prior PotD. With the balance changes, you can still probably get it at level 8 on Veteran and 10 - 12 on PotD. It's still lousy for Focus gain. Meh. Cipher/Ranger is looking better now anyways.

It hurts, but I expected it. Frostseeker still wins in the eye candy department anyway, and I find the other (very few) unique bows still aren't worth using in comparison. Of course the developers are likely to take this the wrong way and nerf Frostseeker even harder instead of buffing the other bows. Even then, I still haven't found a better ranged weapon for Ciphers to use anyway, so in my view, Frostseeker just went from broken to amazingly good. My Ascendant archer Cipher is still chugging along just fine on Veteran mode. The fire dragon still didn't stand any chance at all even with all the nerfs, and even with me still using the un-optimized Biting Whip instead of Draining Whip. Though with the damage nerf to Frostseeker, I am making plans to respec to Draining Whip. I'm just going to find a way to mod the damage back in*. The main reason I got into PoE1 and Deadfire was balance fatigue/anxiety from another title, and I'm too old to deal with that anymore. *I'd appreciate it if anyone could point me in the right direction on how to do this.

Like the one unique hunting bow that's located on the other side of the map and has +crush damage as its gimmick? Or the war bow that requires Survival and Religion to work? Veilpiercer looks good, but it's endgame so there won't be enough time to use it. I'm rate salty about the lack of bows in this game, if it wasn't apparent.

RIP, single class Ascendant - especially archers since our one good weapon is gone.

Frostseeker was nerfed, so with no other decent bow alternatives (that one unique hunting bow) I guess it's conform to firearms on my Cipher (which has been wrecked anyways). Blech. This is why I quit MMOs and moved back to CRPGs...

The Huana Storm Speaker in Port Maje and Vektor in Tikawara also recognize White that Wends.

Excellent build as always. I'm looking forward to trying this out on a run...also digging the aesthetics and synergy with elemental endurance and Dragon's Dowry.

Mirke. Please.

More propaganda against the one TRUE sidekick Ydwin. How dare you insult the sacred waifu Fassina Gentlefolk, gentlefolk, please. The true answer is all of the above. No. Drunk c0ckney gremlin Kristin Schaal > other sidekicks.

I've noticed the same behavior with torches, including the unique one that functions as a saber.

I really like combining the ghost pet with Ectopsychic Echo. Since it's immune to disengagement, you can freely control the beam.

I'm thinking of rolling Aloth as a pure Wizard and replicating the Kalakoth's Blast build from PoE:1, but I'm not delving too deeply until a few more bug fixes. How does it fare in Deadfire? Would it be better to go One-Handed Style for extra crits or Dual Wielding with an offhand dagger/hatchet for decreased Recovery? Would it be worth it to invest in more than one elemental PEN passive?

Imo, Beguiler is best suited for multiclassing since you're probably only going to cast Deception powers. I've had a blast with ranged Beguiler/generic Rogue for obvious synergy, and even after taking Biting Whip, I haven't had any problems with Focus generation. I'll usually open up with an upgraded Crippling Strike (the one that applies Distracted...can't remember the name at current) from Stealth, followed by Phantom Foes, Secret Horrors, and Eyestrike. Affliction traps and poisons add some good flavor to the build. Also, casting a Deception power from Stealth triggers the Focus generation, which pares well with Whisper of Treason. I'm also certain the Focus generation is based on level or power level since it increases over time.

Josh mentioned in the post-launch stream they're looking into buffing two-handers and gave extra PEN as a possibility.

I'd vote for Ranger because the pet passives feel like you're investing in something not terrible instead of something good.

She showed up in my captain's quarters the first time I explored the ship, but vanished shortly after.