Cyrus_Blackfeather

More or less. I've considered going Warlock or Trickster for the defensive buffs, but then I lose out on a lot of bonus damage.

The points in Resolve were mostly taken for roleplay reasons - I don't like having super low willpower IC. Trickster would be a good choice too, though. I've also considered Warlock, because IwVE allows me to circumvent the Berserker penalty with one spell cast, and I can take a Grimoire that offers the majority of the spells I need, and is available fairly early on. There's also Pull of Eora, which synergizes with the Upright Captain's Belt you get for Principi quests.

Warlock could be really cool too... Hmm. Could pick up Llengrath's Martial Masteries for all of the really good defensive buff spells.

Hey guys, Decided I'd make a poll to help me decide between Witch or Marauder for my Principi character. I really like Barbarians in this game, especially since you can play them as super intelligent, apparently, so I wanted to roll with a multiclass of one. Unfortunately, both builds I've come up with seem fun, so I'm really at a loss. I figure I'll post the two of them here and get some votes from you guys. Please leave your comments below as to your experiences with each. Witch (Berserker/Soulblade): https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/104124-tentative-melee-witch-for-a-pro-principi-character/ Marauder (Berserker/Streetfighter): https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/104188-tentative-marauder-build-revisiting-an-old-concept-for-a-principi-character/ Once I decide on one, I'll begin creating a more finalized build with gear and stuff. Right now, I'm leaning toward Marauder because A: It fits the theme a little bit more and B: I played around with one around 1.02 and had a lot of fun with it, but didn't get very far. I'm excited to hear what you guys think. Also, I know both are viable - in fact, the cool thing about this game is that most builds are viable. What I want to know is... 1. Which do you think fits the theme more? 2. Which has a better synergy? Edit: Added Warlock to the poll, but I don't have a build for it yet.

Hey guys, So, I wound up beating the game my first time going with the Huana route, but wanted to try again as a pro-Principi character who was a pirate/ruffian from the start. I've showcased my concept for a Witch build before, but now I wanted to show off my Marauder. This is a variant of a character I had some fun with early on, but who I feel like I could build a little bit better with what I know about Rogue abilities and such. This is just a stat spread and abilities per level up, once I decide which of the two I want to go with and finalize stats and such, I'll post a more complete version with gear ideas and the like. This is for a Human (For the Bloodied bonus) though the build could work with Godlike fairly well too. Might: 15 (10 Base +1 Human +1 GotM +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Permanent Stat Boost) Con: 12 (8 Base +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance) +1 Chameleon's Touch +2 Berath's Blessing) Dexterity: 13 (10 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) Perception: 20 (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing) Intellect: 20 (17 Base +1 Old Vallia +2 Berath's Blessing) Resolve: 15 (12 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing) Using the Deadfire Speed Calculator reveals that, with Streetfighter bonus and Frenzy both up, the difference between 12 Dexterity and 18 Dexterity when dual wielding melee weapons is 0.3 seconds. 15 Resolve is picked because, well... from a roleplay perspective I feel like a pirate character should have somewhat of a strong will. They should also be strong physically, of course, but 15 Might already IS pretty strong. Abilities: Level 1 - Frenzy/Crippling Strike Level 2 - Blooded Level 3 - Escape Level 4 - Barbaric Blow/Two Weapon Style Level 5 - Dirty Fighting Level 6 - Blinding Strike Level 7 - Confounding Blind/One Stands Alone Level 8 - Bloodlust Level 9 - Finishing Blow Level 10 - Thick Skinned/Persistent Distraction Level 11 - Withering Strike Level 12 - Unflinching Level 13 - Barbaric Smash/Deep Wounds Level 14 - Tough Level 15 - Devastating Blow Level 16 - Toxic Strike/Brute Force Level 17 - Interrupting Blows Level 18 - Improved Critical Level 19 - Deathblows/Blood Thirst Level 20 - Slippery Mind So it turns out there's a lot more stuff that I wanted to take than I thought, but ultimately this is what I came up with. I'd appreciate any feedback you could provide. For armor, I plan to use the DoC Breastplate (Which is still very good on a dual martial class) which frees me up weapon-wise to use things besides Modwyr. Alternatively, Bloody Links for the boosts while Bloodied. What do you guys think? Ultimately, I feel like this would be a more enjoyable character than the Witch, though it does lose out on Cipher's dialogue choices. That said, I think having a higher Resolve than "Timid" would help with some of that - Mainly, I don't want to play a character that's vulnerable to all forms of mental intrusion.

That is true.

Hey guys, So, I'm wanting to make a Barbarian for my pro-Principi character because I really like the idea of a Victarion Greyjoy type warrior leaping from boat to boat, frenzied and leaving swathes of destruction in his wake. I had originally planned to go with a Soulblade multiclass, or possibly a Streetfighter multiclass, for this character. Soulblade would give me an extra DPS ability in Soul Annihilation and some good self-buffs/enemy debuffs, while Streetfighter would synergize well with Barbarian's "On bloodied" effects and offer options for more afflictions. However, I've also considered whether Barbarian might be better served being played as a no-subclass character, because of some of the abilities that open up at PL 8 and 9. Heart of Fury, Dragon Leap/Panther Leap, and Blood Surge all seem like really good abilities. I'd like to get some feedback here. I've gone ahead and listed what I think the pros of each are. Witch (Berserker/Soulblade) Pros - Cipher unique dialogue choices, Soul Annihilation for extra Raw damage, Borrowed Instinct (Extra Accuracy), Extra damage from Soul Whip. Cons - Long recovery from Cipher spells (Though mitigated with Frenzy and Blood Thirst) Marauder (Berserker/Streetfighter) Pros - Absurdly high damage bonuses on Sneak Attack vulnerable targets while Bloodied (So I can actually drop Might to pump up Con/Resolve), Further -50% Recovery reduction while Bloodied or Flanked. Extra Afflictions, and attacks that target Reflex as well as Fortitude. Cons - 20% extra Recovery when not Flanked or Bloodied. Barbarian (Berserker) Pros - Heart of Fury (AoE Full Attacks) and Blood Surge (Chance for extra Rage on kill), and extra Power Levels much quicker. Cons - No extra damage boosts besides what the Barbarian itself gets.

Also, I've considered whether I'd be better served by going Berserker/Streetfighter too, or whether Barbarian is good enough on its own that it'd be worth it to just stick with Barbarian/Cipher for something new.

I was only going to bump it down to 10 (15 adjusted with the Blessing, Human bonus, and Gift of the Machine). So that's 15% extra damage as opposed to 30%, in addition to everything else. Dexterity is important too, but the difference between 12 and 18 Dexterity with Frenzy taken into account is 0.6 seconds, so I'm not sure how big of a deal that really is. I also don't really *have* to drop Might super low, since if I just drop Dex down to a flat 10, I can boost Resolve up to 12 (With the Blessing) and then shave a point off of Perception (11 Accuracy compared to 10 Accuracy isn't going to make or break anything) for 13 Resolve, and then drop Might down to 13 (18 with all of the boosts taken into account) for 15 Resolve. That cuts the Deflection penalty from Frenzy in half, while still giving me 24% bonus damage to my Soul Annihilation. Edit: Can someone tell me how much max Focus a Soul Blade ends with at level 20?

Oh yes, definitely agreed... I hate dumping Resolve from a roleplay perspective. It's probably one of the most game-y things about character building in this game. Constitution is mitigated somewhat by both high base HP and the 10% bonus from sacrificing Durance to the Blood Pool and using the Engwithan Machine. I could dump DEX to boost Resolve without losing much, I think, because Action Speed, especially with things like Frenzy, Blood Thirst, Bloodlust, etc., kind of has diminishing returns after a while. Especially since I'll be using a pet to offset the Recovery Time from my armor. Edit: I could also dump Might, I think, to boost Resolve even further - because if I decide to go with Soul Blade, I don't think Might would affect that damage much either. It would also free up a slot - I wouldn't have to take Psychovampiric Shield.

I actually haven't made a decision regarding that yet. I was hoping to kind of learn about Aeldys and Furrante through questing in the game and make a decision from there.

You can do most, if not all their quests on the same playthrough. I don't know how many of the faction quests you've covered on the Huana route, but quite a few of them actually intertwine, so you'll have to deal with both factions anyway. Same goes for locations. As for NPC, Principi have their two leaders, Benweth, Mad Morena, and Dereo, all of whom are more or less interesting (except maybe Morena). VTC have Castol, Alvari, Flaune Elette aka the chief animancer, and a bunch of dukes and princes from the Republics whose names I don't even remember since they only appear in one single scene. So I guess Principi win in terms of numbers. But again, you can get to deal with both sides' characters regardless of who you support. I might actually not kill Benweth this time, since I don't need Miscreant's Leathers for this build anyway. Kill him on principal then. Does he do anything else if you spare him, or is he just never mentioned again?

Alright, had a go at the abilities again... Level 1 - Frenzy/Whispers of Treason Level 2 - Blooded Level 3 - Iron Will Level 4 - Barbaric Blow/Draining Whip Level 5 - Two Weapon Style Level 6 - Thick Skin Level 7 - Psychovampiric Shield/One Stands Alone Level 8 - Hammering Thoughts Level 9 - Bloodlust Level 10 - Spirit Frenzy/Penetrating Visions Level 11 - Bear's Fortitude Level 12 - Unflinching Level 13 - Barbaric Smash/Borrowed Instinct Level 14 - Rapid Casting Level 15 - Tough Level 16 - Amplified Wave/Brute Force Level 17 - Interrupting Blows Level 18 - Improved Critical Level 19 - Ancestor's Honor/Blood Thirst Level 20 - Spirit Tornado I might not take Penetrating Visions, because honestly I only have one damage dealing Cipher power, and I think Amplified Wave gets pretty good Penetration on its own. Otherwise, I'm not sure. I'd like something that has more Cipher powers to it, but there's really not a good way to do that without losing out on a lot of good Barbarian passives. The cool thing though is that Spirit Frenzy/Spirit Tornado IS sort of a Barbarian/Cipher power in terms of flavor, so that's neat. Oh, I'll also be using the Upright Captain's Belt for free Concentration, I think. Alternatively, should I take Combat Focus instead?

You can do most, if not all their quests on the same playthrough. I don't know how many of the faction quests you've covered on the Huana route, but quite a few of them actually intertwine, so you'll have to deal with both factions anyway. Same goes for locations. As for NPC, Principi have their two leaders, Benweth, Mad Morena, and Dereo, all of whom are more or less interesting (except maybe Morena). VTC have Castol, Alvari, Flaune Elette aka the chief animancer, and a bunch of dukes and princes from the Republics whose names I don't even remember since they only appear in one single scene. So I guess Principi win in terms of numbers. But again, you can get to deal with both sides' characters regardless of who you support. I might actually not kill Benweth this time, since I don't need Miscreant's Leathers for this build anyway.

Alright. So would you recommend Soulblade (And just ignore spells) or Ascendant (And take some CC/Direct Damage spells?) Endgame because of norecovery+ascendant aoe nukes ascendant barb will deal more damage. Soul annihilation can't compete with machine gun aoe amplified waves. Fair 'nuff! Ascendant it is. I made a thread back during launch about a Witch build, I was hoping to get help with turning it into a build, but I suppose I can offer what I knew then (1.1). Soul annihilation does good damage, but it is hindered by not being a full attack, so there's no benefit from using two weapons. The only full attack you have is barbaric blow, which you are taking. I had tested the build with both Ascendant and Soul Blade on PoTD back during 1.1, I was unimpressed with Ascendant as most fights tended to be over before I managed to get to the ascended status. For race I chose Fire Godlike for the extra damage as your health gets low, although I'm not sure it makes a huge difference. There is a Barbarian PL 2 talent called Toughen Up(?), which boosts your defence, that I would recommend. I would also recommend getting the Bloody Links armor from Fort Deadlight which further boosts your defense when you become Bloodied. While Beserker does hide your health, there is a way to approximate where your health is with the Blooded talent, which also causes you to do more damage while bloodied, which is also why you want more defense to survive in that state longer. The real challenge would be nullifying the berserkers confusion so you don't murder your party with your aoes. If you choose Bloody Links as your armor you have Modwyr, party buffs, and consumables as an option. Bloody Links is a good piece of gear, I checked with the Deadfire speed calculator and it's only a few tenths of a second slower than something like Miscreant's Leathers. As for removing the Confusion effect, I was definitely thinking Modwyr for that, plus it's thematically appropriate for the kind of character I want to play, and has the extra lash damage and other good effects too. Thick Skin/Tough Skin is a good talent that I should definitely pick up. I should grab it instead of Recall Agony. Ascendant, as 1TTFFSSE says, really shines later on, with chain-casting Amplified Wave using Blood Thirst. Plus it means I don't have to take things like Keen Mind or Greater Focus, which frees up slots for other things.

Alright. So would you recommend Soulblade (And just ignore spells) or Ascendant (And take some CC/Direct Damage spells?) Endgame because of norecovery+ascendant aoe nukes ascendant barb will deal more damage. Soul annihilation can't compete with machine gun aoe amplified waves. Fair 'nuff! Ascendant it is.

Alright. So would you recommend Soulblade (And just ignore spells) or Ascendant (And take some CC/Direct Damage spells?)

Did they? I know they changed it to 1 Focus = 0.5 damage. Ascendant might be a better choice, especially since Soul Whip sticks with you into the Ascended state... Hmm.

Tenuous Grasp is a nice, cheap and fast primer (-20 Will) for many great powers that you... uh... don't plan to pick. Of course it also lowers Deflection by 5. Haha, yeah... Alright, I'll keep that in mind. I suppose I was still in "Hey, this looks cool," mode.

I might take Whispers of Treason instead of Tenuous Grasp.

Hey guys, So - I know that with 2.0 coming next week, a lot of builds might get turned on their heads, with certain things either getting buffed or massively nerfed, but I wanted to do a sort of "for the moment" build for a melee Witch for my pro-Principi playthrough (My "PPP" as it were). I'll keep things pretty simple, and return to this more completely once 2.0 comes out and I've more of an idea of where things stand. Class: Berserker/Ascendant Race: Human or Godlike (Fire/Nature/Death): It's really up to your discretion here. My stats assume Human, but you can get away with anything, really. Culture: Old Vallia, Aristocrat (For conversational skills/extra dialogue, and fitting a Principi character. Deadfire background also works, though that's more Huana-based). Skills: Alchemy (Active)/Insight and Intimidate (Passives) - Alchemy for potions/poisons, Insight for dialogue checks, Intimidate for dialogue checks. I might bump Metaphysics as well. Stats: Might: 20 (15 Base +1 Human +1 GotM +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Permanent Stat Boost) Con: 10 (6 Base +1 Effigy's Resentment (Durance) +1 Chameleon's Touch +2 Berath's Blessing) Dexterity: 18 (16 Base +2 Berath's Blessing) Perception: 21 (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch) Intellect: 20 (17 Base +1 Old Vallia +2 Berath's Blessing) Resolve: 6 (3 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing) Constitution's a little bit higher for more HP, which allows for a little less concern when fighting in melee with the extra Raw damage and hidden HP of the Berserker. High Perception, Intellect, and Dexterity for Accuracy, ability duration, and Action Speed. Abilities: Level 1 - Frenzy/Tenuous Grasp Level 2 - Blooded Level 3 - Iron Will Level 4 - Barbaric Blow/Draining Whip Level 5 - Two Weapon Style Level 6 - Recall Agony Level 7 - Psychovampiric Shield/One Stands Alone Level 8 - Hammering Thoughts Level 9 - Bloodlust Level 10 - Spirit Frenzy/Greater Focus Level 11 - Bear's Fortitude Level 12 - Unflinching Level 13 - Barbaric Smash/Borrowed Instinct Level 14 - Keen Mind Level 15 - Tough Level 16 - Disintegration/Brute Force Level 17 - Interrupting Blows Level 18 - Improved Critical Level 19 - Ancestor's Honor/Blood Thirst Level 20 - Spirit Tornado These ability choices aren't set in stone. I went for spells with mostly low cast-time for better use in combat, and mostly Shreds to make use of the -5 cost. I've considered picking up Sprint > Lion's Sprint. Equipment: TBD I don't want to go back through all of the equipment again to pick stuff again. Feedback on stats/ability choices is moreso what I'm after. I think this could be quite a fun class, with a surprisingly unique synergy from an RP context. Keep in mind that everything here is subject to change come 2.0, and I do hope we get the Patch Notes for that early so we know what to expect next week. Edit: Went up to 20 Might and down to 10 Con.

Hey all, So, I finished my Huana playthrough (Decided to go with the "Help the natives" route first, just to get it out of the way) and now I'm trying to decide between VTC or Principi for my next playthrough, where I intend to roleplay a lot more heavily. Unfortunately, this is proving to be somewhat difficult of a decision to make, as both sides appeal to me for different reasons, but at the same time they share some similar philosophies, just expressed in different ways. So, only having scratched the surface of each in other playthroughs, I was hoping for some insight into - as spoiler free as possible - impressions of the two as a whole. Don't go too much into the different leaders of each Faction (Aeldys/Furrante, Castol/The other one) because I'd like to get to know them and their different philosophies once I make my decision. Basically, overall... Which of the two do you think - Has the more interesting quests - Has more interesting NPCs/locations

I did notice that Mayor Eder seemed to stop saying "For Eothas!" as a battle cry, which I thought was a nice touch. But others are right in that he was bugged for the LONGEST time... The conversation with Xoti happening either way makes a little bit of sense though. Xoti is, at that point, full of the same kind of zeal that led people like Eder's brother to die in droves for Readceras during the Saint's War. He probably sees a lot of both himself AND his older brother in her. Granted, it's been a while since I've read that conversation - at least to me, it seemed like he was speaking about her zeal, not the fact that she worshiped a god. Both Eders are also pro-Eothasian either way. Pallegina is another story, because she's now so vehemently pro-Republics whereas before she was shown to be willing to question orders if she thought the ducs bel were doing something that could cause problems. That was the WHOLE POINT of her questline. But nope, now she's dogmatically pro-Vallian even if the Vallians stripped her of her rank, banished her, and made her join the Kind Wayfarers.

Scepter/Pistol might actually be pretty cool, yeah. And definitely really unique... Hmm. I guess now my concern is just how much the Cipher's extra dialogue choices matter, in the end.

Hey guys, Had a few questions about playing a ranged Assassin in a party on PotD. 1. How fun is playing a ranged Assassin using pistols, and how much damage does it do compared to melee Assassin? In Verde's thread posting DPS numbers, Soulblade/Assassin seemed to do quite a bit, but fell short of other options like pure Ranger Maia or Swashbuckler Eder. I was thinking of running Ascendant/Assassin, and was curious as to both the fun factor (Mainly worried about super long recovery time stalling combat) and whether or not there are better options for ranged damage. 2. Speaking of better options for ranged damage, would Assassin/Evoker be a better option? This combination was recently brought to my attention on one of my other threads discussing this, because Assassinate works on spells from Stealth - so big AoE spells like Fireball or Ninagauth's Shadowflame have +25 extra Accuracy and extra Penetration/Crit Damage when attacking Fortitude and Reflex. I do lose out on Cipher's excellent CC roster, and I'm also missing out on some of Wizard's excellent self-buffs if I go for Evoker.