Verde

Ciphers really need to be blended with a strong physical attacking class. It makes me sad because a priest of magran/cipher get 75 unique interactions, the most in the game for any class by far. Tis true. I like Soulblade/Rogue or Trickster combo.

Way too harsh. One of the sidekicks is a Conjurer and you get like, 1-2 Conjuration spells a level, and the familiar stinks. And no Evocation! They aren't worth it.

Anything with Cipher, Rogue, or Wizard mixes well. Fighter too but a bit more bland. Personally I'd stay away from multi Priests as their high level spells are really good.

This is also true. And Intimidation is a great skill.

Yeah Secret Horrors could prob serve as level 5 or 6 spell. It's fast with good AoE and one of the best debuffs I can think of.

There is no attack called alpha strike I have no idea what you're talking about. Streetfighter is a blunderbuss gimmick period. If you don't want to use blunderbuss than it's not the class for you. So no, SF and Soul Annihilation do not go together.

Both - Diplomacy

Don't feel bad for cheesing enemies which insta dominate on retaliation

So I went with Trickster/Beguiler. My thoughts - 1. This build is more CC/Debuff than DPS. Requires Final Blow to really get that offensive oomph. Doesn't really need Crippling or Withering Strike due to so many debuff abilities. 2. With the updates to Trickster this class has a ton of Deception-like tricks...able to AOE debuff and Sneak Attack constantly. 3. For RP it fits well - a wily adventurer who is both streetwise and diplomatic. Well at least my take So from the RP perspective it makes my "top tier". 4. Beguiler's enhanced ranged on Deception is a HUGE bonus. Add in improved cast times and you will be Mental Binding nonstop. Secret Horrors is way to fast and powerful for it's level ha. Focus is never really and issue. 5. Overall I really like the class but it's currently (lvl 10) not as powerful as a Swashbuckler or Soulblade Mindstalker. But as far as debuffing, he's pretty powerful. If you like the idea of a more cerebral Mindstalker, this build is a good choice. Just be mindful (hehe) that it is more on the support than offensive side (e.g. Soulblade or Assassin). Hope this helps anyone considering a similar build. Perfect time consider the buffs to both Trickster and Cipher!

The story is trying to be too urgent to really be an "open world story." It would've made a lot more sense for the factions and their interactions to be front and center, but I guess then you'd have difficulty drawing the Watcher out of Caed Nua. So why even re-use the existing player character? What would've been wrong with new characters? As we saw, it was completely plausible for characters from the first game to have made their way to the Deadfire Archipelago on their own - it's not like they all hung out in Caed Nua, they all had their own things to be doing. Preaching to the choir.

I mean we can call it nostalgia but I call it charm and cohesion. POE2 has charm but it's buggy. And the cohesion is not there currently...maybe it never will with these open world trends.

So probably cipher/rogue then for added sneaky solutions to role-playing quests? Yes I can personally attest to a Mindstalker being very fun and deadly. And it's versatile depending on which subclasses you choose.

It's up there but nothing compares to Splintered Reef bs.

Cipher should be multi classed tho. Very boring on it's own.

I think Ranger is far and away the worst. They really suffer from a lack of killing shot. Not enough ranged attacks in general. I think Priests are fine but would never main one. The top 3 makes sense to me. As a Rogue/multi player I agree with Rogue #3.

Duh

Well I'm certainly up for your take on the Streetfighter. It was very powerful on my Swashbuckler (Blackjacket/SF) once he got Persistent Distraction. Ran high Resolve and Riposte. But he required more specific conditions than I was willing to micro every fight. Trickster is actually the best class for Riposte. Also, Assassin/Soulblade = highest single target DPS :D Rogues aren't "unmatched in singletarget dps". Have u tried a monk? Assassin/soulblade is not the highest singletarget dps. Highest singletarget alpha hit probably but not DPS. Yes I always have a monk in my party. Orlan Soulblade/Rogue with emphasis on crit %/dmg was my last playthrough. I'm not a backstab guy so no Assassin. Anyway, his burst damage was crazy. A few hits and a crit then Soul Annihilation. Also Withering Strike is wayyy stronger than I expected.

Can you use Assassinate with Soul Annihilation? That ability is crazy powerful. Like seriously. Just make sure you have high Accuracy. If it does work, makes the case for the skill that gives you higher focus at the beginning of battle = more damage. I'm sure there are some deadly fun combinations out there.

Well I'm certainly up for your take on the Streetfighter. It was very powerful on my Swashbuckler (Blackjacket/SF) once he got Persistent Distraction. Ran high Resolve and Riposte. But he required more specific conditions than I was willing to micro every fight. Trickster is actually the best class for Riposte. Also, Assassin/Soulblade = highest single target DPS :D

Easy - the ones who want to max Metaphysics (+Athletics) to fully utilize the sweet, sweet Engwithan shield Cadhu Scalth. I know it's wierd to think of a tank with Metaphysics but +Deflection and -Spell Damage is a seriously sweet combo. EDIT: Upon further thought, why not split between History and Metaphysics. From a RP perspective may take some tinkering, but the cape and the shield are providing serious defense. Paladin maybe?

I think Trickster now surpasses vanilla Rogue and Streetfighter and on par with Assassin. After extensive play I think these two are at minimum A tier (if S is the best). Rogues are simply unmatched in single target debuff and DPS and can grow into more versatile classes. Only con is -10% Sneak Attack. That's it. For a Rogue/Illusionist that now gets a spell EVERY powerlevel and we are talking good spells here. It's certainly one of the most versatile subclasses. It allows the Rogue to be self sufficiant with (AoE) Sneak Attacks and makes a case for multi-ing other team members with Rogues.

But they can change and with your help they ARE changing.

I really thought the RDC "twist" was daring and shocking. Loved it. But ofcourse it wouldn't be an Obsidian game without the complete lack of consequences ruining it. No change in overall rep, no convo from Maia, not a single comment from any other faction or authority. Not to be too negative. I thought the Principi campaign was great reminded me of the Witcher..Aedyris or whatever her name is def should be a romance option

The entire Gods squabbling arc is so cringey I don't know what they were thinking. At one pt, the fish lady says "Yeah we can't do anything because we can't get along." I physically cringed. Are these Gods or children? The passing suggestion of throwing a moon down makes...no sense whatsoever. You are stuck squabbling, exacting no influence whatsoever on Eothos plans, having the Watcher do your dirty work, yet you suggest throwing down a planet? Pft. It's like a wimpy guy telling you he is tough. Even after Eothos tells you his plan to expose the Gods, they are still powerless. And showing them took away their luster. Fail Obsidian, major epic fail!

Could post in the bug section