Constentin Lévine

Troubadour is really noticeable as interrupting build, because of the modal : while energized, every crit included chant cause an interrupt, so a possibility every 3 s in the area without any thing to do. This especially true with the chant Thick Grew which remove all the layers of concentration that prevent interrupt. Some other builds are using the Troubadour modal, the other time Boeroer found a nice way to constantly apply the debuffs from chants : enable the modal after the phrase hit refresh the debuff to the initial duration each new phrase hit (from 6s + linger, the first debuff is refreshed to 6s+linger each 3s ( or 6s when 2 phrases are alternatively chanted). Skald have a nice passive, sun and moon is useful for maximise the phrase chance gain. Her Revenge is a fast spell, it is not a problem to cast in melee, especially with a good recovery time malus.

there is also some other items, a pair of BoW boots for resistance, 2 items that give a dex immunity, and some spells that also prevent the afflictions. "End game" food prevent that too. I personally never used pet for a resistance. Shaken and Frightened are very common debuff from enemies, most of my casters are Wild Orlans for this reason. But like you said, when you are enought late in game, and you have got a lot of equipment and access to preventive spells (and food), some other races will become more interesting (dependant of the classe I mean). But however, a resistance can be always useful, from the beginning to the end of the game.

I suggest Wild Orlan for a race : the resolve resistance is always useful and most of the other resistances are easily obtainable by the euipement (there is only one necklace for Resolve, late in game)

Thelee is right, and that will be more fun to explore some classes via companions or hired adventurers, with some challenge but not more than.

Only weapon damages generate focus, not DoT or carnage (it is a status effect). The Amra carnage effect does, it is a weapon effect, but not a melee one! I'm not sure but I think Bloody Slaughter work only with melee weapons, I cant look for the moment the in-game tooltip. Against intellect resistant ennemy, you have to dominate the target to charm her, you are right. Whispers of Treason is cheap and useful, but while charmed, ennemies loose their hostile abilities, they are more impactful while dominated. Both are impactful however!

Maybe you have already try with Lion's Sprint, but the +1s period turn the "conditional" first roll into an extendable period, isnt it? I say that but I think you have fixed the duration, I just cant look now :)

Death Godlike PL bonus is very situational, I mean at less you are planning to abuse of Baring Death Door, or if you have a great amount of health, it is not easy to keep the near death status for a long time. But it is possible however. Nature Godlike PL bonus is easy to get, but in comparison to bonus from helms (generally +2 to 1 stat, + some bonus, or equivalent) I personally think +1PL is low. Before, the bonus was too high in my opinion, +2 PL is more strong than the helms give. If you want a "stacking-PL" character, it is a good choice, in other case it is nice (especially for caster because how to PL work). Moon Godlike can be useful, vanilla game Moon and Fire godlike scales badly but CP correct that. It is maybe nice with an healer like Herald, or a regenerating tank. For a Bleak Walker/Assassin, maybe Moon Godlike can be cool, other godlike seems (to me) not great. In my concern, I would choose another race to equip a helm, early and at mid-game, they are already really good.

Interrupt remove one layer of concentration (below the health on the top-left windows when you point the mouse on a character). The chant Thick Grew and others spells that make the target Immune to concentration attack remove all the layers and prevent them to regain concentration. Then, all your interrupting attacks cause an interrupt : when the concentration acount is 0, the action is lost and the target is "stun-lock" for a short time. Energized cause every crit to interrupt, whatever the source. A chanter get, on top of Thick Grew, an invocation that give him Energized Inspiration, so chants "passively" interrupt when they begin. Carnage is less efficient than it was in PoE1, but the game is different : carnage depend of PL so at end level, it is not 33% of base weapon damage in AoE, but more than. Carnage cant crit, so dont work for Blood Frenzy ; Spirit Frenzy work differently, even a graze from any source (spells, weapon, carnage...) cause Stagger. Carnage is not a weapon attack, so enchantments and weapon effects are not applied. Lay of Hand upgrade with a Paladin (I personally prefer the Courageous upgrade) and Reinforcing Exhortation, Frenzy and Savage Defiance with a Barbarian, Pain Block from a cipher, some priest spells, wizard self-buff etc.. Constitution Inspirations are the easiest to have, but only druid and chanter can give an AoE constitution buff. With a party, a lot of classes are able to tank, fighter and paladin are just more resistant without supporting classe nearby, and fighter (Unbroken) seems designed to engagement. Summons are good for the job too, since you plan 2 chanters in your party. There are some way to "aggro" ennemies without tank, with crowd control. As a wizard, Pull of Eora do the job, and because there is 2 items that make you immune to Pull an Push effect, the combinaison between your main wizard and a melee tank in the Pull of Eora area is nice, even if pull and push effect doent proc a disengagement attack. With a cipher, Puppet Master on a tank ennemy is great (adverse paladin are often resistant to intellect, so Puppet Master charm them, not Whisper of Treason)

You can also consider Instrument of Pain, FF and Soul Annihilation can be used at range with this ability. At high level, you can build your transcendant in other way than only melee guy, with a lighter armor for exemple. Weapons with the mention Increased Range (pikes etc) gain 9m, others and FF only 5m.

As a Nazpalca Monk you have to use drugs (excepted if you absolutely want to dont healing yourself with for example MC bloodmage), and drugs have the +10pl from the subclass. I say that because you cant max alchemy, arcana and explosives in one character. For Alchemy, most of the potions (and drugs) are beneficial effects you can prolonge with some spells. Explosives are good, but in my experience, no more than good. However, it is fun to use in combinaison with Sleight of Hand and Stealth, but you cant max all skills. Spells from scrolls can be expensives but upscale with both arcana and PL bonus. Because you can have only at max 6 differents scrolls * 5/slots, building around only scrolls is hard. Ciper's shared nightmare or Monk +10int increase the AoE of explosives and scrolls, so a high int SC cipher can be the best instant-healer of the game (healing scrolls have a little area). Personally, it is my SC cipher who use scrolls, but he is not focused on it, like you want. Most of the Martialists are generally enought quick with theirs abilities to compensate the cast time from consummables. Rangers could be an interresting choice since they are less vulnerables because their range. As mentionned by Frak_the_2nd, Chanter are good candidate too. This is a list of some items that can help to think about a "skill-build" : Lucero (pet) : -25% Recovery Time with items for the party (end-game) Spellkeeper and The Amazing and Truly Incredible Instant Potion Belt (per rest *) The Giftbearer's Cloth (item slot) Fleshmender (item slot that stack with the Cloth) different gloves You can find in the forum (Ultimate part2 I think) a way to stack every drugs, exploiting a reload-save-bug. *: I know that if you have 2 Rings of resets (the first equipped and the other in the bag) then the per-rest charges become per-combat ; maybe it it the same for these belts, and for Charm of Bones and others, I didnt test that for the moment.

I took a look into the gamedata file, and Scordeo's Edge ranged acc bonus work in the same way ; +30acc for the lance's AoE , maybe it is more dangerous than the first hit from the weapon ! I have to do some test to see what happen for spells you mentioned. Then the acc bonus work for everything that is an ranged effect from a weapon but not for spells. I tried many options with a cipher an a wizard. Maybe a MC ranger with Scordeo's Edge and Grave Calling killing skeletons can be very powerful.

Toxic Strike is keyworded as Poison, so against foes that are not immune, you can gain +4 PL with the items from the Kraken and Splintered Reef (with BPM since the mod make the ability KW match with the KW). If you want to build around this ability, maybe MC with a druid can be nice, or with a wizard : as ranged, the ranger side you dont really want provide some acc bonus you can compensate with Citzal's Martial Power +20acc. I dont know if the inherent +10acc from Toxic Stike stack with it since both are active. You gain also some potential good selfbuff that the rogue side dont have. You can also consider a ranged Barbarian-rogue , Carnage and some passive dont work for ranged attacks but I played a ranged Barbarian sometime, that was really nice. Also, the Watershaper's Focus rod with the modal bounce one time in AoE, with a longer range than Mortars. I think his AoE apply the abilities"s effect for all targets too.

Effects from abilities are applied to everyone in the AoE, but with some exceptions : like for Poisons, Shadow Step paralyse effect only concern the first target. Speaking about Scout, Eliminating Blow with dual mortars is a "Full-Least unstable Coil" stuff : when you get this belt, because the ability trigger another one on hit and mortar hit many enemies, you can get all the tier3 inspirations. It is the same for Kind Wayfarers's Flame of Devotion and upgrade by the way. But early in game, with the Heaven's Cacophony and so Avenging Storm, Mortars are mortals because (maybe I'm wrong) the fire AoE from the Blunderbuss modal trigger, like the AoE attack itself, the lightnings. I'm sure about Blinding Smoke in other hand. What do you like about Rangers subclass?

As you probably know, the Ring of the Marksman, the Harley pet and the Acina's Tricorn give some bonus to some weapon's effects, like the AoE of Citzal's Spirit Lance, WotEP, Amra, Keeper of the Flame etc. and also weapon's abilities like Thunderous Report and others. The Sharpshooter subclass give also +1pen and 15% crit chance with these effects, like other Passives from the ranger side (like Marksman). I made some test, so the fire damages from Keeper of the flame on myself have the +1pen from the subclass (<4m), but not from Marksman talent (>4m). In other side, Thunderous Report on far than 4m targets have +5acc from the talent, but not the pen bonus. That mean, for melee AoE weapons, the subclass is advantageous, anf for other effects (>4m), the class is beneficial. I thought that can be interesting to know.

But that make sense to me that a perception affliction give a penalty to Reflex ( -5 per) and Deflection ; if you are distracted, disoriented or blinded, that should be difficult to fully spare the direct attacks, I think. I'm agree for Deathblow, except for debonaire, it is maybe to easy. But changing the Afflictions's status effects is really gamechanging, the game is consistent because of this system, among others.

How is your Howler after some time in game?

I'm agree with Kaylon, the Citzal's lance is very efficient as AoE melee weapon, and because the area is not a cone but a circle, Int bonus seem better. Monk-Wizard is nice for AoE melee character because obviously of the +10 Int bonus, CC melee abilities that profit from the AoE, the long reach from the Lance that Instrument of Pain convert into a truly ranged weapon (WotEP profit as the same), and also because of Raised Torment. This last ability proc a damaging line behind each target, like a big AoE attack. Fighter's Power Strike doesnt work as the same way and benefit more from Sun and Moon double strike. I dont know if Swift Flurry and HbD work with other targets than the first one, as mentionned before the AoE attack is not a true weapon attack but an AoE effect that is considered as ranged. Barbarian with the lance or WotEP would only proc carnage on the first target, then other ennemies catch in the AoE of the weapon should be hit twice : 1 by the attack itself, and 2 by the Carnage attack. Maybe somebody can confirm, it is just speculative.

You can try a Chanter Priest maybe, Priest is very well as support, and in opposition to the Paladin, their spells are in AoE. Both classes have the potential to support the party, to deal some damages, to rescue uncouscious or near death ally, to debuff enemies. Priest of Wael can give you some solution when attacked in melee (wearing a Bow mean -10 deflections), Skaen subclass some spells to run away in this case, Eothas get some spells by default you may appreciate preserving Ability point for others stuffs, Priest of Woedica get some unique spells that can "mute" enemies however their resistances. In the Chanter side, Skald can be good since offensive invocations cost -1 phrase, but Troubadour have +50% duration to the linger of the phrase. Bellower is not a good choice I think because of the reduced radius for the chants. And Beckoner is focused on summons. As mentioned by NotDumbEnough, the tier 3 chant Sure-Handed is more efficient that the text suggest, Bow is not a bad option at all.

and Strike the Bell, Sap, Flame of devotion and some others could work for the Least Unstable Coil with Mortars, or multi-projectiles weapons, since the ability trigger an effect when scoring hit. Instrument of Boundless Rage dont use the weapon, and Heart of Fury dont proc an effect on hit..

I tried but, like others similars abilities, doesnt work like that : it is only 1/cast.

Yes I know that, I suspected that the knock down effect could be an "on event" triggering stuff, an maybe the damage too. Instrument of Boundless Rage give 2 inspirations, yes, but many abilities are working in the same way.

Gracefully there is Blood Surge to make SC Barbarian really offensive even in longer fight, and carnage applies Hemmorhaging (and so Spell Disruption) but only with BPM that give to Carnage the possibility to crit. Because of the impossibility to use scroll, Mage Slayer with Effort is more potent to disabling spellcasters when multiclassed with Spellcaster in my opinion, particularely with druid or chanter (Refreshing ressources, Her Revenge can crit a multiple time each enemies, and because of Troubadour's 3s). But offensively, SC barbarian are really strong.

I would look about that, since Driving Roar should work, maybe Dazing Shout too. Barbaric Roar maybe work, I dont think about Barbaric Shout. Then after some test, it appears that dont work with Least Unstable Coil. I suspected that because of the similarity with some other spells that proc the LUC, but not. I took a look again by the way to other Barbarian's PL8-9 abilities, and SC barbarian is not great for Least Unstable Coil.

Yes Spell Disruption is from melee and weapon. That also exclude the AoE of melee weapons, and their abilities..

I'm agree with you, when I tried Mage Slayer with Effort, I was really happy at the point I noticed that in the topic chapter (effort & avenging storm), not in commentary! Actually, I thought about Mage Slayer since 2018, but never found a perfect place in my party for him, because of stronger malus. Now, it is different.