summatsupeer

Yeah I understand the power of the shouts but I'd like to make HoF work as best I can. I've done the retaliation thing before, though didn't understand penetration so probably why I struggled with it then. With 10% bleed per 3s for 60s, with two weapons or a two hander that's not bad damage over time, with a bit of carnage on top. I'm sure shouts would be better with front loaded damage, im just not sure how much better. I'll probably take one line of shouts and HoF so have choice between slash+bleed of HoF or crush of shout. Oh yeah I get that, but there must come a point where your better off just attacking since the additional bleed won't get many ticks of damage. I'm completely forgetting the instant attack reset on kill that won't be affected by the action penalty! And they could be bleeding whilst I'm doing other things like shouts... I was Iremembering my last barbarian who 2 hitted enemies with amra so was no time to bleed, though they were probably weaker enemies even on POTD and scalling. I forget about that food. My usual go to is the chant to resist INT afflictions. Drugs is another I could make use of that I typically forget unless I'm the druggy monk. I don't think I've seen the Harmony ring... nothing coming to mind.

The main thing that puts me off Furyshaper is the -Will when most of the time I minimize RES. Though thinking about it now INT gives Will which would make up for the Furyshaper penalty. Never used that subclass before so am tempted to try it. Maybe don't max MIG and don't min RES so avoid a bit more damage and have more Will? Any other things to minimize getting Charmed cos of low Will? Against very resistant enemies I guess so? Once I have a few bleed effects on a target I feel like there's no point adding more since i'll only get a few seconds of the bleed and having a quicker attack/action speed to finish them would be quicker.

Haven't played for a bit but got that itch again so planning the next build: Barbarian (SC)! The main thing I want to try is combining the Battle Axes Proficiency (10% damage per 3s for 60s) and Heart of Fury with high intelligence to apply it to as many enemies as I can, maximizing that 4 Rage cost. Then turn off the proficiency and get hacking away. Would be surprised if not done by someone before but I have a few questions. Weapons Duel wield axes to potentially apply 2 bleeds or would a two handed axe like Amra work better? As its a percentage of the damage done i'm not sure. Subclass I've used Berserkers a lot but prefer them when multiclassing. With the Confused (INT) penalty on Frenzy it goes against the idea, I'd have to Frenzy after using HoF but then won't get the extra might, pen, crit etc for HoF and the bleed. I did consider just making the Barbarian a drug user, Svef to remove the Confusion, that wouldn't remove the raw damage though. If I remember correctly Confusion + Svef is a bit buggy? Maybe it was due to Arcane Dampener... Second option is Corpse Eater which I've never played before so could be new and fun. Whilst it adds 1 Rage to everything, with high INT spending 2 for Frenzy and 5 for HoF doesn't seem too bad and can gain Rage back via Blood Surge and eating corpses. If I take Barbaric Smash then it refunds the full 3 Rage if the target is killed or just the base abilities 2? Sprint or Leap or Neither If I use Leap that applies Dazed for 3 Rage but could use Dazing Shout for 2 Rage for a more static tank style. Does the Accuracy bonus of Lions Sprint work with HoF? Might be better for 2 Rage plus the Dexterity to cast Frenzy and HoF quickly. Save the rage and use neither? Just stand/run in first, with the Low Deflection enemies will likely just surround the Barbarian right? I will probably just have a Priest (Xoti) or Cipher (Ydwin) do Tactical Mind. Attributes Max INT and MIG. Default DEX Min RES. Raise PER and CON with remaining points. Thinking more about late game but low RES might make it painful early on. HoF doesn't come till late game and at least until Blood Thirst Barbarians seem to just get smacked more/harder than they smack others. Just use shield and heavy armour until late game? Any other tips to aid my idea would be appreciated.

Definitely. I think the biggest issue i've had is against enemies who have Arcane Dampener (Splintered Reef final fight) as it seems to cause the drug effect to run out, resulting in drug crash penalty that isn't removed when the Arcane Dampener effect runs out. As Nalpazca that penalty is massive stopping all healing and losing wounds. I'm not sure if Clarity of Agony affects Arcane Dampener or if it gets "suspended"?

I'm playing the Ravager (Beserker + Nalpazca) build again but with the Lord Darryn's Voulge and its great! I'm using mainly Svef as the drug of choice since it gives +3 PER which fills the gap of the main self buff that's missing. Plus gives Resistance to Intellect, Perception, and Resolve afflictions so I don't get Confused from the Beserkers Frenzy. Don't need to use Enlightened Agony as often, maybe even save the ability points to put into something else, but it is handy to have. Not like need more damage abilities, especially once you hit level 19... At level 19 I picked up Heartbeat Drumming and Blood Thirst, the damage spike you get is crazy . Wounds flowing in from the Frenzy self damage and Nalpazca drug use even if not being attacked. I have the AI set to use Raised Torment at 10 Wounds for the +25% damage, whilst it doesn't stun the current target it is potentially stunning the next target or those in carnage range. Quite often when I switch to the next target I get two instant hits, i'm not sure if its because i've recovered normally and the Blood Thirst's free hit hasn't timed out or if a free Heartbeat Drumming or Swift Flurry has carried over. Its nice to make sure those attacks all hit and potentially start a new chain of crits so having the target stunned helps (paralyzed helps more). Only other active damage ability I use is Barbaric Smash setup for <25% HP enemies. The rest is passives, survivability and utility.

That could be a bit hard due to Helwalker taking more damage per wound, which I think affects the self damage you take from the Barbarians Berserker Frenzy. In addition I think the +10 Might would also increase the Berserkers Frenzy self damage as Might is applied to the damage frenzy does to yourself. Then when enemies attack you, being a Barbarian means your Deflection starts lower so your going to get hit and then hard because of Helwalker. Maybe a better player could make this work but personally I think Helwalker is easiest to use for ranged builds. I'd suggest Shattered Pillar instead of Helwalker if you really don't want Nalpazca, the penalty is in effect just "less bonus" of +5 INT & 10% Fire Dmg Lash instead of +10 and 20%. INT is handy for a bit more AOE on Carnage and the monks abilities (Torments Reach) but I think the extra duration on your abilities is the biggest benefit plus longer afflictions on enemies. Also on the plus side if no one attacks you and you are successfully attacking something then your generating wounds. The other option of Forbidden Fist i'm not sure if it would work in the style you want as you really need high RES for that subclass. It feels more like a tank build to me when I have high RES, though still does good damage. There are some tricks to gain wounds, which then can heal your Frenzy self-damage but thats not really my style so someone else would be better explaining them. Hence I went with Nalpazca as its simple to manage, passively gaining wounds regardless of what's happening and keeping your max wounds of 10 for the Turning Wheel bonuses.

I dislike the getting bonuses from killing your own summons which limits what i've tried and can suggest. I think this build would benefit from it but doesn't need it, it just takes you longer to get going and against "boss" enemies with no weak enemies it can be harder. Ravager - Beserker + Nalpazca Can self-buff Might, Dex, Action Speed, Crit Chance, Pen, Int, Con... the only thing you can't improve (except for drugs/potion) is Perception/Accuracy (Monk "can" but need to not get hit or you lose it). A Priest can fill that Perception hole for you. Just need to make sure you keep healing that Beserker damage. Xoti is a great support Priest for this character, Triumph of the Crusaders is a personal favourite. There's a lot of synergies between them, monk wants Crits and Barbarian boosts crit rate and damage, plus lots of others interesting combinations: Frenzy gives 30% hit to crit rate and so many of the Monks abilities give you something on crit. Enlightened Agony can remove the Confused affliction. Stunning Surge if it crits refunds the cost and the stunned affliction gives defensive penalties. The free wound generation from Nalpazca drug taking can feed Torments Reach (+25% bonus damage + foe AOE damage & stun). Bloody Slaughter increases hit to crit chance and crit damage to help finish enemies off under 25% health, especially when combined with Frenzy and the Monks Swift Furry and Heartbeat Drumming to then trigger your on kill abilities. Enervating Blows to apply Weakened on crit, that lowers Fortitude so more likely to get stun on Stunning Surge. You might take Brute Force because of this if you have a spare point. Weapons? A lot of the monk abilities are Primary Attack so a two handed weapon could work well, single target or AOE: Oathbreaker with Scales of Justice can add a bit of AOE damage on kill. An axe so gets bonus Crit damage. Amra has AOE but it hits friendlies so need to be careful. An axe so gets bonus Crit damage. Karaboru is an interesting one as it has a chance of AOE damage on crit. Whispers of the Endless Paths is an obvious one for VS groups but will want a good 2nd option vs a single target. Wahai Poraga is a good early option but its another AOE that can hit friendlies. Lord Darryns Voulge is interesting as I believe Carnage applies the stacking effect. Duel Wield is also a good option since both attacks have the chance of triggering the extra hit on crit. The Tuotilo's Palm shield is classed as second weapon so can add a bit of damage on Full Attacks and has Transcendent Suffering applied so the damage scales whilst you have the defense of a small shield plus the option of the small shield modal to boost your accuracy. Maybe Sun and Moon with its double hits would work well giving another chance of the extra attack on crit. When I played this character I just used fists or Sabres, looking at these options I want to try it again!

I dont really think about carnage, it's weaker than POE1. Barbarians main pros are the crits, attack speed and resets rather than carnage. Mob stance is good but since it was nerfed to only hit one enemy on kill its only one free hit (like barbs instant reset). Its good to quickly move onto next target but it no longer cleaves multiple enemies so much less AOE damage than it had. To do good AOE damage you'd need a AOE weapon really as most of the best melee AOE abilities need single class to access and are later game.

Killed him. I think bringing Xoti to remove the Blind helped a lot, then everything else hit more often so could keep him locked down better. Maybe due to path i'd taken to that point but i'd barely picked up any good piece weapons besides the Modwyn sword. I think I have something against Piece weapons anyway, especially melee ones as so many of the enemies in this game are immune to them. Having better Piece weapons like Red Hand definitely would of helped.

Thanks for the screenshot, it definitely makes things clearer whilst discussing. I can't remember using Antipathetic Field in Deadfire, does it still hurt friendlies? (I don't trust the game descriptions). I use Serefen with Mortars/Blunderbuss' so he's near the front so could be possible if its enemies only. I think Kitchen Stove is the only unique Pierce weapon i've picked up so far except for a few Swords. I could use them with the modal to get there penetration up I suppose, my Ravager's deflection is already bad so the penalty probably won't make much difference. Ah yeah the blind, I wasn't sure where that was coming from. IIRC it didn't have a timer either so Clarity of Agony didn't affect it. I think the high Willpower and Fort really hurt Serefen as a Cipher and Aloth couldn't hit debuffs like Expose Vulnerabilities either. I should probably give someone a Club with the modal to help setup those spells.

I think you might of looked at wrong enemy, IIRC it's weakest to Piece not Crush, which I kind of lack weapon wise for my Monk. I don't recall its Shock being low, my sources of it lacked the pen to be worth using. Just realised I have Blunderbuss as backup weapons for Serefen which are probably better than his mortars to focus the Death Guard Fanatic. I tried keeping him Paralyzed with Serefen but at best it was 50% chance (typically it was around 35%), I think I get some unlucky rolls on it to. I think one thing I need to remember to keep in my team (or find a way to self-boost) is Perception/Accuracy for my Ravager. Was using Druid Tekehu with his heals over time so can keep Bloodied easier and counter the Beserkers self damage easier but might want to bring Xoti instead for her Aware Inspiration Tanglefoot (Tekehu) and Slicken (Aloth) could interrupt the Death Guard Fanatic and help stop that spell from one shoting half my group.

Trying to do the Forgotten Catacomb at Level 12 and even if I kill everything else, the Death Guard Fanatic is taking so little damage whilst can one shot half my group unless I keep near 100% health with his Chilling/Freeze ability. He's nearly always the biggest major challenge I have after the Engwithan Digsite. Obviously I could leave and come back with better gear and more levels (but I have upscaling on) and my gear isn't terrible, everyone has Exceptional/Superb items but only a few unique items. He does have 1 skull above him so suggesting i'm a level early. I think one of the main issues is when I have abilities which can hit friendlies as he can jump in, then I can't use them which limits what I can do to him, besides his invulnerabilities/resistances and strong will+fort. Last game with a Druid it was so much easier with damage spells like Insect Swarm if can lower Fort. My player character is a Barb (Beserker) + Monk (Nalpazca) with the typical companions available. She's the main damage character with melee strikes and the Death Guard Fanatics deflection isn't the highest but seems like I get a lot of grazes and end up doing < 10 damage per hit. Am I missing something obvious when taking on this enemy?

Whilst I might revisit the Spellblade later on, it doesn't feel like what i'm after right now. After talking and thinking about the assassin subclass so much, I think thats what I want to focus on as a melee character more than magic. To make the most of that Assassinate ability you really want a crit hit so been trying to decide if single, or two handed weapons are better. Two Handed gives the higher base damage so makes sense but you get more accuracy and crit conversion if single handed. With that in mind i've been thinking about multiclassing the Rogue (Assassin) with: Barbarian (Beserker): Marauder - As neither have extra accuracy/perception (except for first hit of assassinate) I was thinking single handed might be better. Berserker gives more Might, Pen, Attack Speed and Con so can hopefully survive a few hits better, which would be likely to happen with the low Deflection. The Confused (INT) penalty shouldn't matter too much besides shorter afflictions but Guile will mostly be for Escape/Shadow/Smoke. Gets that Hit to Crit bonus to but the "on kill" abilities might be a bit wasted since don't want to have lots of enemies nearby. Edit: Beserkers take self damage which I totally forgot, im guessing the assassin extra damage taken affects that so probably a bad idea. Monk (Nalpazca): Shadowdancer - I don't want to be a tanky riposte character hence not Forbidden Fist, taking even more damage from Helwalker seems risky. Am considering Shattered Pillar though. I figured as Nalpazca whilst invisible i'd still be gaining wounds. No self perception buffs but get Might and +2 Pen ability and a lot of abilities are Primary Attack so Single handed weapon? With good chance of crit on the first hit should get free hits with Swift Fury (plus attack speed) and Heartbeat Drumming to help finish off whatever we hit initially with Assassinate. Plus Fire lash from Turning Wheel that also gives INT so maybe could pickup Toxic Strike for tough enemies? Maybe Lightning Strikes with its damage lash would give more guaranteed damage? Fighter (???): Swashbuckler - Devoted for even more pen and crit damage? Not sure about limiting to one weapon type though. Disciplined Strikes seems perfect for an Assassin plus can use Mule Kick to help protect myself. Conqueror Stance for more accuracy but I don't think i'll need anymore raw accuracy, hit to crit is probably more useful. Does using Clear Out from invisibility apply assassinate to each hit or just the first person you strike? Paladin (Bleak Walker): Holy Slayer - Sworn Enemy -> Stealth -> Flames of Devotion seems like it is possibly the most damage you can do in one hit? Can add a small accuracy and hit to crit chance through Exalted Focus but no Might or "free hits". The rest of the kit looks a bit defensive though but could just put more points into Rogue abilities so have more flexibility. Priest (Skaen): Zealot - Still thinking about this, even though not as flexible as other Priests since same abilities I can save some Guile and go into different Rogue abilities. Get access to Healing+Buffs though feels a bit of a Magic character. Edit: I'm favouring Shadowdancer currently. Struggling to decide on weapon(s) to, i'd love to use Dagger / Stiletto for more of the assassin style but the fast but low base damage doesn't fit for a bonus that is for just 1 hit...

Spellblade is interesting me as I don't tend to mix melee + caster much so could be something new. I think I usually get stuck at character creation struggling to decide how I should balance attributes and build them . Especially Wizards with so many spell options.

I was thinking Skaen so could get those abilities through that class and use Guile for different abilities. For example I could Escape and Shadowing Beyond twice and from Rogue I could do Escape and Shadow Step or skip that line entirely and use the Guile for Smoke, Crippling Strike, Confounding Blind / Gouging Strike or Strike the Bell, maybe even Toxic Strike since I could self-buff INT. The talk earlier of Wizards and Chanters got me thinking. Does the assassins attack from stealth bonus apply to a spell if its <2m from target? (I don't trust the games descriptions anymore). For example use Smoke then run in and use a Chanters invocation such as Seven Nights or Wizards spell like Minolettas Piercing Burst or Death Ring?

Been thinking about a Rogue (Assassin) to try and make use of Escape, Shadowing Beyond or Shadow Step and/or Smoke Veil, Smoke Cloud or Pernicious Cloud. If using most of the Rogues Guile for those abilities I think I should multiclass with one that has a good damage ability or maybe something with a DOT ability to finish enemies off? Assassin gives Pen, accuracy and crit damage so to make use of the extra crit damage I think the second class should also increase crit rate to make sure that attack from stealth does as much damage as possible. I'm thinking Fighter with its Disciplined Strikes for more accuracy and crit rate, Mule Kick that gives extra accuracy+damage plus a bit of protection and Penetrating Strike for more damage+pen. Maybe a Devoted with a one-handed weapon? Another idea was involving a Skaen Priest since it has many of the same abilities as the Rogue? Is this viable on PotD or do enemies just have too much HP/DR to "assassinate" and run/hide?

As you want to be self reliant i'd suggest something with self healing: Fighter Paladin Druid Priest Chanter does to but its minor compared to others AOE Damage using Melee weapons would need an AOE weapon like Whispers of the Endless Paths but beware some like Wahai Pōraga doe AOE to friend or foe. Druids and Priest can do a bit of everything, buff, debuff, heal, AOE Damage etc but its mostly active abilities you'd have to manage. Druid has some of the strongest AOE spells and can shift into animal form to give you some melee if thats something that interests you. But if you want to look cool in armour probably not? One of the simplest yet strong melee builds is a Cipher (Soul Blade) multi-classed with either Fighter (Devoted) or Paladin (any subclass that you like really). You get Raw Damage from Cipher (can setup AI to use the soul blade ability automatically) whilst the Fighter/Paladin brings defense and self buffing/heals. Only thing is it lacks AOE unless you use Cipher spells which isn't recommended for Soul Blades but nothing stopping you.

I wasn't sure about Trickster if I'd be spending most of the Guile on Escape and damage abilities I want to like Forbidden Fist but for some reason it hasn't really interested me, I think with the high RES it feels to me like it should be more of a main tank build which i'm not looking for. Brute is interesting with Fighters healing to offset Beserkers self damage. Fighter gives accuracy, barb gives might and attack speed, both give crit... Does Charge attack enemies it hits with your weapons? Pretty sure i've seen builds built around that but not sure if patches have changed it. How does Mob Stance and Blood Thirst combine? Ravager was something I looked at, the Barbs crit chance and attack speed+resets combined with Monks extra hits on crit seem a great combo. I wish the Barbarian sub-classes were more interesting to me. I find the self damage of Berserker so annoying scaling off Might so I'd like some self healing to offset the frenzy self damage and the other sub-classes don't seem worth using. Not sure what Monk subclass would be best for this combo. I have considered a speedy run around character before as I'd not used the Barbarians "Sprint" abilities until recently, Leap always seemed better. It does look interesting but would need to be quite focused with the items and multiple ability points which worried me for fights with fewer but strong enemies.

I seem to be doing the same thing every run; 1. send tank in. 2. Cast/fire from backline and/or join tank. I am rarely using abilities like Charge, Leap, Sprint or Flagellants Path. Escape is probably my most used "dash" ability but literally never used its higher level versions (3 guile looks a lot). Most of the dash type abilities come mid/late game which is an issue to focus a build around, I think Fighters Charge and Rogues Escape are the only early game options? I guess I could start off with ranged weapons then switch, though I know I could use Mortars and dash through a group for lots of aoe damage i'd like to do a melee build. The secondary thing I'm thinking of is what can the build do in fights with no "weak" backlines where mobility won't be as useful. I was looking at MC Monk (Forbidden Fist) + Rogue (subclass?) so can Enfeeble (Konstanten debuffing Fort) before Ring the Bell or Toxic Strike. Is 3 guile Shadow Step ever worth it for the Paralyze over 1 guile Escape? I don't want to burn through all resources killing "weaker" backlines to then struggle against the "bosses". Alternatively a "Brawler" Monk+Fighter, the fighters health regen to offset Forbidden Fist self damage and early-ish Charge ability. Plus accuracy and hit->crit boosting for the Monks extra attacks on crit. Though I can't think of a good synergy for a Fighter ability with Enfeebled maybe i'm looking for too many in one build. Any fun build ideas?

Got a few questions about Stormspeaker Tekehu and Sasha Sabre but also Chanters in general. Firstly I think for my group the most "effective" use is to just Empower Ben Fidels with Sashas Sabre (Refreshing Finale). I know other weapons were mentioned but I wanted to try Sasha's Sabre as i'd never used it. I was wondering for opponents weak against Shock damage would it be worth doing: Relentless Storm (Deltro's Cage) Empower The Ranga Meted Out the Fury of the Gods (Sashas Sabre - Encore) 2x The Skies Opened If not a group of enemies and just a few then maybe "Not One Foe Was Spared Amira's Wrath" would be better? Any better uses for Empowering Tekehu's shock damage? Finally my googling has failed me: is the Accuracy for Chants and Invocations just the accuracy value shown on the character screen with whatever the current weapon selected is? If so then his accuracy really isn't as bad as I expected for having base 10 Perception as I am just one single handed weapon. How does that work with dual wielding? Can you do Rapier+Modal trick?

Definitely like the Cipher + Druid combo. Start with Cipher spells to help setup the Fortitude based abilities then switch back. I think I hit I key level for my group when I got Pain Block. Before then Konst would have issues self healing cos of being hit so much and interrupted. I didn't take Flanking or Secret horrors since Eder has Persistent Distraction and Tekehu "should" be hitting Ben Fidel and Long Nights Drink. But Tekehu having Perception 10 on PotD doesn't really help his hit rate when using offensive invocations/chants. I do have Xoti casting Dire Blessing so get Aware inspiration. No point taking Tactical Meld over Borrowed Instinct. Just picked up Plague of Insects so should melt groups even more but the single target damage is lacking. Can get Disintegration in a few levels but its another Fort attack and I just had Might+Con resistant/immune (can't remember which) enemies so felt could of done with some raw weapon damage. I think I went a bit too defensive with Eder with sword+board and Riposte etc. Having fun though, thanks for the help/ideas

Do you guys accidently discover these things?!? Interesting interaction thanks!

Maybe "waste" wasn't the best term since Frenzy is giving Might and Action Speed straight away. I was thinking that in the early game there's not many druid abilities to cast and by time Bloodlust is triggered your probably down to auto attacks. Plus many of the strong Barb abilities are melee weapons only so can't take them to help your auto attacks. Interesting, some of those abilities are tucked away on those enchanting levels. I was thinking more about the lack of the attack speed slow, blind etc that you get early game. Another cool interaction I never thought of with melee weapon affecting chants/invocations. Dual Mortars are amazing for those on hit procs. Cheers for help.

The main thing putting me off SC Furyshaper is it doesn't really feel that different from just using Serafen or Konstanten, especially early on when you can't really see the effect the Ward has or the accuracy vs spirits. Maybe the Fear ward effect is more visible once you get it, but then its a big gap till the Blood ward which I think would be the thing that makes the class able to do different things. Yeah I was making use of Maggots once Insect Swarm had been given time to work. Got Konstanten along as SC Barb to use Morningstar and Tekehu as Theurge to help lower Fortitude, though i'm considering making Tekehu a SC Chanter just because having my own druid spells plus Priest Xoti and Theurge Tekehu is so much ability management every single fight! I think having fewer but stronger abilities supporting my character might suit me better. The attack speed bonuses of the Barb kind of go to waste, Monk looks to add a lot more as you've pointed out, even a bit of accuracy by using Dance assuming it applies to abilities? I think the extra accuracy would defiantly be good. The DoT spells would still be ticking over whilst they're Charmed does amuse me. Definitely interesting, totally agree with the bottomless pool thing, it makes Cipher one of my favourites. With the AOE DoT style I feel like you need some good "delaying" through CC/Defence whilst the DoT spells tick over, plus the longer fights go on the better the bottomless resource pool is. Is Psions +1 focus per second always that or does it increase with levels? Would make the higher level active abilities unusable I think. Yeah I love the idea of Barbarians but I just don't like there sub-classes, especially how Berserkers self damage scaling works. I might try this kind of build in the future but since I want Tekehu in the group and he will have some Shock based abilities I don't really want my player character to have a Shock focus to. ------------------------------ My next plan I think is: Player - Oracle (Ancient+Psion) or Ascetic (Ancient+Helwalker). DoT with some Protection/heals. Eder - MC Swashbuckler Tank to drop abilities on Konstanten - SC Barb Tank with Morningstar + Yells + Drop to Debuff Tekehu - SC Chanter to Debuff (Long Nights Drink, Shield Cracks, Ben Fidel's) Xoti - SC Priest Buffs + Heals Not having Tekehu's Druid spells might hurt though, being able to drop Chill Fog on top of Swashbuckler to blind and help him tank just seems too good, especially with chance of Riposte attacks. Oracle could offer more CC/Blind etc abilties so favouring that for this group. Ascetic does seem very powerful just through its own abilities though. Keeping RP in mind would there be a better group to support the Oracle / Ascetic?

Started a run as a Barbarian (Furyshaper) + Druid (Ancient) as Nature Godlike. Up to now i've only really used Tekuku as Druid so only certain abilities so still learning a bit. Whilst I quite like the theme the number of abilities i'd say there's very few Beast/Plant abilities that are really good. Many are quite specialist (Beetle Shell) or difficult to use (Stags Horn) and even then don't look that strong. The raw damage of Insect Swarm is great and i'm sure Plague will be to once reach it. Only up to tier 3 abilities so that might be part of the issue, plus not got the number of spells to spam yet. Maybe part of the issue is wanting to be quite offensive but some of the abilities are healing/defensive so got a bit too much buffing and not enough actual damage dealing. Might also be to do with Tekehu lacking Pen on his abilities so end up with nothing left and them both auto-attacking and also having Priest Xoti back there. Am I correct that you can't summon the Sporelings and have a Totem spawned? Trying to decide if I should stick with it and it will get better or to restart as Fury, although more of a duplication in abilities with Tekehu then. Maybe use Beserker instead of Furyshaper but if Ancient the raw damage spells don't need the pen so that would be more for with Fury. Maybe not a Nature Godlike either since lost that theme with Ancient.