Cyrus_Blackfeather

Hey guys, So, I'm about to start a Bleak Walker playthrough after my Marauder playthrough, in which - after picking a bunch of options that I felt were in character - I wound up with at least one rank in almost all of the dispositions (Except Stoic, Shady, and Cruel). I'm going to be picking a Paladin/Wizard as my next character, and probably my main - and I'm aiming for a Bleak Walker. Now, my issue with this is that the game seems pretty sneaky about slipping in lots of different reputation gains that you might not want as that particular kind of character. I'm not saying it doesn't make sense for a Bleak Walker to NEVER be diplomatic/benevolent, just that - since the system tends to be in the background (I play on Expert)- some of those options can sneak up on you. "Sure, I'll help you with your problem" = Benevolent vs "If I'm in the area, I'll keep an eye out" = Neutral My main point is... would it be in bad faith to play as a Paladin with "Show reputation gains" turned on, especially since Reputation in this game isn't on an axis and there's no way to "lose" points with what should be opposing reputations (Cruel vs Benevolent, Diplomatic vs Aggressive... granted, Aggressive is a bad example since it's opposed to Stoic/Rational as well). Just to avoid situations like the one I mentioned above (Which I have seen, in testing).

So, this is my first attempt really making a "Character Build," so I wanted to try something a little different from the goody-good characters I usually play in games like this. I also wanted to go for something with a little more defensive power than the Berserker/Marauder I was playing, but can still deal out decent damage. So, I decided to go for a Paladin/Wizard build with a focus on primarily Frost spells with some Decay that I'm calling the "Knight of Winter." It's meant to play into the Beast of Winter DLC and the later DLC focusing on the Archmages. The Character: Blessings: Bonus Attributes/Bonus Skills Race: Pale Elf (For extra flavor, plus I don't need to worry about needing to see when I'm Bloodied anymore) Culture/Background: White that Wends/Aristocrat Ability Focus: Alchemy (Active)/Metaphysics and Intimidate (Passive) Stats: (With Berath's Blessing, Gift of the Machine, Chameleon's Touch factored in) Might: 15 (11+2+1+1) Constitution: 14 (12+2) Dexterity: 16 (13+3) Perception: 20 (16+4) Intellect: 19 (16+2+1) Resolve: 12 The stat block is where things get the most muddled, because my spells are kind of split between spells that do direct damage (And thus would require higher Might) and those that have durations (And thus require high INT). I think 14 Might is a good cut-off point, especially since I can boost it up with drugs as needed. Abilities (Per Level): Primary Offensive Grimoire - Ninagauth's Teachings Primary Defensive Grimoire - N/A Level 1 - Lay on Hands/Kalakoth's Sunless Grasp Level 2 - Deep Faith Level 3 - Chill Fog Level 4 - Zealous Aura/Infuse With Vital Essence Level 5 - Concelhaut's Corrosive Siphon Level 6 - Necrotic Lance Level 7 - Llengrath's Displaced Image/Combat Focus Level 8 - Two Weapon Fighting Level 9 - Noxious Burst Level 10 - Ironskin/Exalted Endurance Level 11 - Secrets of Rime Level 12 - Iron Gut* Level 13 - Rapid Casting/Tough Level 14 - Blast of Frost Level 15 - Ryngrim's Enervating Terror Level 16 - Gaze of the Adragon/Virtuous Triumph Level 17 - Improved Critical Level 18 - Arcane Reflection Level 19 - Stoic Steel/Citzal's Martial Prowess Level 20 - Wall of Draining Abilities are also highly subject to change. Picking spells for a Wizard at-level is probably the hardest thing for me to do right now because of how Grimoires work. Don't get me wrong, I love the change because it makes each grimoire a new font of potential knowledge instead of just... a spell depository, but still. Also, since I intend to play on PotD, I'll probably be looking at a respec once I hit Neketaka and taking early game spells for dealing with the peskier encounters, like Thrust of Tattered Veils instead of Sunless Grasp for the Anomalies. Equipment: Ooh, this'll be fun, especially since most of the entries for equipment aren't even on the wiki yet, or aren't completed. Here's what I have so far, and why. Grimoires: My primary attacking Grimoire is Ninagauth's Teachings, both because it fits the theme and because it supplements my defensive spell selection with some REALLY good unique Frost spells. Plus, it's similar to another grimoire acquired from the White March DLC, which Aloth made good use of in my PoE1 save. Other grimoire suggestions as supplements to this one would be appreciated. Armor: Devil of Caroc Breastplate, though I might swap out for Blackened Plate Armor for mid-late game. Weapons: Modwyr/Whispers of Yenwood OR Watcher's Blade - Dual wielding swords just seems right, somehow. Admittedly, enemies seem to have pretty high slash/pierce resistance, so I'm considering other weapons for different weapon sets. This is just what I've thought about for my main one. Does anyone have any recommendations for Crush damage coverage?* Rings: Entonia's Signet Ring and Chameleon's Touch Amulet: Claim, Refusal OR Cauldron Shard* Belt: Nature's Embrace OR The Maker's Own Power* Cloak: Nemnok's Cloak (Is it possible to get this and then just leave the Drowned Barrows and return for the rest of the quest later?) If not, Cloak of Superior Deflection until I'm high enough level for Nemnok's Helm: Thaos's Headdress (Steal from Aloth) upgrade to Blackened Plate Helm later. Gloves: Woedica's Strangling Grasp OR Killer's Gloves (Not a lot of good hand options)* Thoughts? I know this is a lot to read, and I appreciate those who stuck with me through it. I would really appreciate any feedback regarding... 1. The Stat Block 2. The Abilities (What should I change out, what's worth keeping?) 3. The Equipment (As I'm unsure about gear in almost every slot) To reiterate, I'm looking to play a character who upholds the Bleak Walker traditions and values, mainly resolving every quest through brutal efficiency, but I want to have some FUN while I'm at it. I want to laugh at enemy attacks bouncing off of me, but still be able to dish out respectable damage in return. Do you think this build has the potential to do this? If not, what changes would you make?

Alright. Forgive the looooong post, but I went ahead and mapped out spell/ability choices for both multiclass options. Just kind of a shame I miss out on some of the better ones from Wizard. Paladin/Druid: Level 1 - Sworn Enemy/Touch of Rot Level 2 - Deep Faith Level 3 - Retribution Level 4 - Zealous Aura/Insect Swarm Level 5 - Autumn's Decay Level 6 - (Weapon Related Feat) Level 7 - Infestation of Maggots/Combat Focus Level 8 - Eternal Devotion Level 9 - Spreading Plague Level 10 - Form of the Delemgan/Exalted Endurance Level 11 - Spirit of Decay Level 12 - (One of the Paladin Defensive Abilities; Mental Fortress, Iron Gut, etc.) Level 13 - Rapid Casting/Tough Level 14 - Plague of Insects Level 15 - Righteous Soul Level 16 - Rot Skulls/Virtuous Triumph Level 17 - Improved Critical Level 18 - Conjure Greater Blight Level 19 - Stoic Steel/Rusted Armor Level 20 - ??? Paladin/Wizard (I went a little more Lich-King with this and worked in some cold spells. I'll probably use Ninagauth's Teachings for this one, since it has some really nice spells and is easy enough to get) Level 1 - Sworn Enemy/Kalakoth's Freezing Grasp Level 2 - Deep Faith Level 3 - Retribution Level 4 - Zealous Aura/Necrotic Lance Level 5 - Fetid Caress or Arcane Veil Level 6 - Infuse with Vital Essence Level 7 - Llengrath's Displaced Image/Combat Focus Level 8 - Eternal Devotion Level 9 - Noxious Burst Level 10 - Ironskin/Exalted Endurance Level 11 - Spirit of Decay Level 12 - (One of the Paladin Defensive Abilities; Mental Fortress, Iron Gut, etc.) Level 13 - Rapid Casting/Tough Level 14 - Malignant Cloud Level 15 - Ryngrim's Enervating Terror Level 16 - Gaze of the Adragon/Virtuous Triumph Level 17 - Improved Critical Level 18 - Arcane Reflection Level 19 - Stoic Steel/Tayn's Chaotic Orb Level 20 - Citzal's Martial Prowess OR Wall of Draining I've also considered a pure Wizard variant which, while it lacks the extra defensive power of the Paladin, would allow me to play without having to pick the aggressive/cruel options all the time. Plus, Wizards can be pretty tanky in their own right. Once again, I went with a mix of cold/corrosive spells to fill in the gaps. Level 1 - Kalakoth's Sunless Grasp/Chill Fog Level 2 - Spirit Shield Level 3 - Necrotic Lance/Infuse With Vital Essence Level 4 - Arcane Veil Level 5 - Llengrath's Displaced Image/Combat Focus Level 6 - Expose Vulnerabilities Level 7 - Secrets of Rime/Spirit of Decay Level 8 - Ironskin Level 9 - Rapid Casting/Noxious Burst Level 10 - Ryngrim's Enervating Terror Level 11 - Arcane Reflection/Gaze of the Adragon Level 12 - Blast of Frost Level 13 - Tayn's Chaotic Orb/Wall of Draining Level 14 - Kalakoth's Freezing Rake/Caedebald's Blackbow Level 15 - Tough Level 16 - Petrification/Concelhaut's Corrosive Skin Level 17 - Llengrath's Reflection Level 18 - Citzal's Enchanted Armory Level 19/20... ??? Right now, I'm leaning toward either playing a pure Wizard or a Paladin/Wizard, slightly leaning toward playing a pure Wizard. I feel like a more magically inclined character might have a little more to do with both the Beast of Winter DLC and the upcoming DLC revolving around all of the Archmages (I probably won't kill Llengrath in that one). I want to go with a very "Dark/Cold/Rot is not Evil" theme with this character, sort of incorporating Xoti's philosophy (Though not taking it to quite the same extremes that she does). Do you guys think a Wizard focused around Cold and Decay could work out on PotD? What are some spells I should swap out, and thoughts for my last two slots? Once I have an idea of what I want to do, I'll go ahead and make an 'official' post to see what people think.

Hey guys, Bit of an odd question. I suppose I'm curious as to whether or not finishing up a companion's sidequest effectively locks you out of seeing any of the additional "Hey, Watcher!" conversation options with that companion? Like, if I finished Xoti's personal quest, could I still trigger the romance with her later by just... getting enough reputation gains, I guess? Also, which companions have specific interactions with each other that you can sort of... eavesdrop on and offer your input? I know Xoti and Pallegina HATE each other - is there a way to help them through that? Then Serafen and Xoti have their moment where he helps with her nightmares, and Eder and Xoti have their potential romance (I received one dialogue relating to that, but told Eder to be up front with her about how he felt regarding the gods and then nothing happened afterwards). Are there any others? Eder seems to absolutely despise a pro-Leaden Key Aloth, for instance. Granted, Eder seemed pretty fed up with Aloth through most of the first game, too.

Hey guys, So for one of my character concepts, I wanted to try a sort of tanky/offensive magic caster with a darkness theme, basically playing off of the Dark Knight archetype from Final Fantasy or the Blackguard archetype from D&D. Unfortunately there isn't a "Darkness" attribute for spells in this game, so Corrode is probably my best bet. I'm debating between a Bleak Walker/Wizard or a Fighter/Wizard with a focus on defensive buffing spells and Corrode/Raw damage spells (Like Noxious Burst/Malignant Cloud). Granted, I've also considered going pure Wizard and just using defensive spells/conjured weapons so that I have access to higher level offensive spells like Cloak of Death or Caedebald's Blackbow. This would be a PotD build and is intended for either solo or party play. Thoughts?

I checked over the changes to items and classes in 1.2 and I noticed the following changes to Lord Darryn's Voulge, which is an item I'd been making pretty heavy use of for my Barbarian/Rogue: Corsairs AOE now strikes only hostiles. Now has the Electricity keyword, as does Static Charge effect. Static Charge now only applies to those that have charged stacks on them. Static Charge trigger effect no longer deals extra damage in addition to the charged stack damage. Static Charge no longer uses Resonant Touch VFX and instead displays Shock VFX on affected targets. Static Charge is now considered a hostile effect. Now, admittedly I really liked getting to blow up huge chunks of the battlefield with this thing, but so far this doesn't really seem all that bad. I am curious as to what the "Corsair's" AoE is referring to though. It seems like the biggest change is that the Static Charge damage is no longer affected by damage multipliers, and that it doesn't blow up everyone anymore (So no using it to perma-Distract my Marauder when under the effects of Frenzy. Sad). But it still seems like a really good weapon, especially with the additional Penetration that two handed weapons are getting. Just not ridiculously overpowered. And, frankly, I don't mind not accidentally blowing up my party when I'm Frenzied...

Hey guys, So I sailed into a storm for Lord Darryn's Voulge and got a weird bit of dialogue with someone saying "I wish we had a Boatswain." But... We do. Beodul. Admittedly he's not in a Boatswain 'slot' but he's got ranks in it. Please note, I'm using the sloop. Is there a Boatswain slot on other ships, or am I just dumb?

I went ahead and had someone steal his ship and then killed him. It was appropriate since he wanted to steal my ship and then kill me.

Hey guys, So I wanted to go with the New Principi route this playthrough, and I took some time to poke around Fort Deadlight. My first time through, I just went with the party route - blow up Benweth using the harpsichord, then promptly left. Now I've followed the conversation tree, and I found the option to settle things peacefully. I can either get 1000 gold (Which is honestly chump change) or I can make him sing my praises to everyone in Fort Deadlight... which I assume is a reputation boost? Or I can just kill him and get a really good piece of gear. Does Aeldys like you more if you don't kill Benny, or does she not care? I should also probably apologize profusely for murdering most of the rest of the crew of the Drake down in the dungeons, I suppose. Also, is it just me or is stealing his ship out from under him and making him run out unguarded a lot more satisfying than blowing him up in the middle of a party?

Hey, I'll accept that. When I was her age, I used to mimic things that the adults around me would say to try to sound more mature.

So, I started a new playthrough yesterday on PotD and just finished Port Maje. I wake up after the first Council of the Gods to find Vela in my cabin. I talk to her and... generic sailor dialogue. Seems like she's bugged again.

Hey guys, So, I'm a huge fan of melee/martial characters in games like this, and I'm wanting to hear some opinions on which ones you've all had the most fun with. So far, I've been really enjoying my Marauder (Berserker/Streetfighter), though it's definitely kind of slow early on. I just cleared Port Maje on PotD so I should hopefully be getting some better gear soon, because not being in melee definitely hurts. I'm curious as to what other class combinations you guys have found success with, in case I want to try something out for a different playthrough.

That doesn't allow me to reselect weapon specializations picked at character creation though.

Hey guys, Is there a mod that'd allow me to replace a weapon proficiency taken at character creation with another one? I picked up Warbow proficiency for early PotD when my Marauder wasn't going to be able to go out in the front lines much, but I don't really need it anymore. I'd like to replace it with sword or hatchet specialization.

Attempting the Drake encounter now. Unfortunately I can't pull the mobs apart. First try went really well, but now the Panthers are slipping past Eder to flank my backrow. News at twelve.

Hey guys, So, I'm playing a ranged focused Marauder for the first leg of PotD (Until I clear Tutorial Island and get some better gear so I can actually stand up in Melee). I took Blunderbuss/Warbow as my first two proficiencies (Turns out I didn't need War Bow much), and Pollaxe as my first on level-up. I think I may want to keep Blunderbuss Proficiency because the Modal is nice to have, but I feel like Warbow is going to become redundant after I no longer need to fear for my life in melee as much. I'm at level 4 right now. How many additional weapon proficiencies do I get as a multiclass character after the two I'm allowed to pick while leveling up? Also, is there a mod I can get off of Nexus that'll let me remove the Warbow proficiency and replace it with something else once I no longer need it? Thanks!

Status Update! First Boar/Wurm pull is cleared - I picked up a Cipher and made the Boars fight for me. Turns out the enemies are a lot more manageable when they all fight each other. Then I was able to run away when my two charmed Boar friends ran off somewhere to frolic or something, and popped a rest. Gonna mop up the rest of the stragglers. Money is running low, hopefully I'll be able to keep my crew somewhat satisfied until we berth in Neketaka.

So, if doing this with Mercenaries would help make things easier, what do you recommend? I'm thinking a Chanter with Ancient Memory and Skeletons, but I'm not sure. I do want to clear this at least once to say I overcame probably the biggest challenge in PotD. It'd make me feel a little more like I earned it, you know? I think cipher would help. Charm the drake and focus on the weakest enemies first such as the panthers and imps. Make sure you got potions on you if you're in a pinch. Potion of spirit shield helps as well to keep your people alive. Having fighters makes things easier as well. They will have good defenses and regeneration. Makes them last a long time. Having summons will also help them focus elsewhere, but that will only be good if they last long enough. I've not played with a chanter yet in my games. Alright. I think I'll recruit a Fighter/Paladin and Cipher Mercenary then.

So, if doing this with Mercenaries would help make things easier, what do you recommend? I'm thinking a Chanter with Ancient Memory and Skeletons, but I'm not sure. I do want to clear this at least once to say I overcame probably the biggest challenge in PotD. It'd make me feel a little more like I earned it, you know?

Well, I'm wanting to have my MC (Berserker/Streetfighter at range for the tutorial), Eder (Pure Fighter or Swashbuckler), and Xoti (Priest) as well as two Mercenaries, one that's intended to be a Main Tank (Unless Eder would be better suited for that) and one that's an additional support (Cipher, for Charm probably).

Alright. Is Eder good enough as a MT if I make him a Swashbuckler or keep him a pure Fighter, or should I invest in a Chanter/Paladin or Chanter/Fighter tank like I'd considered doing? There seem to be multiple different ways to handle this. I'll probably grab a ranged Cipher hireling as well to fill out my party and keep the boars Charmed and otherwise enfeebled. That'll aid my Marauder's Sneak Attack damage with his bow too. This is definitely seeming more and more doable, if slightly less heroic.

Well, for what it's worth, I plan on going through with party companions and not abusing mercenaries if I can. So, it's probably in my best interest to still stealth through most of Port Maje, I imagine.

Alright, let's do this. I want to give the Engwithan Digsite an honest try. People have completed it solo, so I see no reason why I couldn't do it with a party, even a party of (mostly) story companions (And one mercenary, who I'll just say was another member of my ship's crew). That said, I'm going to need some help (And maybe a map) to go over a solid strategy for exactly how best to do this. Blessings: Bonus skills/Bonus attributes (I plan to resolve both the Mokeha quest and Gorecci Street nonviolently, because that makes sense in character). Dramatis Personae: The Watcher Marauder (Berserker/Streetfighter) Weapons: Blunderbuss (Most important)/Bow (For Ranged) Proficiencies: Blunderbuss/Hatchet Race: Human Stats (Subject to Change) Might: 19 Constitution: 14 Dexterity: 9 Perception: 18 Intellect: 18 Resolve: 12 (I may drop Resolve down to 7 base to bump up Dexterity, but Streetfighter's -50% Recovery Time, according to others, essentially amounts to a pretty substantial Dexterity bonus) Background - Deadfire/Mercenary Active Skill Specialization - Alchemy Strategy: Powder Burns to trigger Distracted and just keep unloading one handed (Or maybe two handed) Blunderbuss shots onto the enemies while MT keeps them bunched up. Might go in swinging the hatchet to flank enemies MT has engaged. Mercenary (MT) Paladin (Shieldbearers/Kind Wayfarer)/Chanter (Troubadour? Beckoner?) Stats: I'm not sure. I figure I'll want high Might, Con, Intellect, and Resolve - but I also feel like Resolve probably wouldn't matter too much since enemies will have 15 to their accuracy anyway. Might is important for Lay on Hands, Con is important for Health, and Intellect is important for summon/beneficial effect duration as well as AoE range/linger of chants. Basically, this guy is supposed to be the almighty wall that I plant in front of the enemies/my party. I don't know what he'll be armed with exactly, but I do know he'll be using a large shield. I want him to be using summoning invocations while chanting buffs for himself and the rest of the party. Race - Probably Aumaua Specialization: Athletics. Eder I'll be having as an OT until I can get him some decent armor. He'll be up in the front, flanking with the MT and throwing explosives/laying down traps. I'll probably make him a Swashbuckler to get the best out of flanking, as well as provide nice boosts to his Explosives/Mechanics for trap setting. Xoti is going to be a standard healbot priest, though I may steal her Hatchet and give it to the MC. I may want to recruit another Mercenary (If nothing else, it'll make ship combat a little bit easier) either as another frontline defensive fighter or as a Wizard (until I get Aloth) or a Cipher (For Charm, but then Cipher requires hits against Deflection to work) The Strategy: After searching the boards, the strategy for handling the exterior of the digsite seems to heavily involve splitting enemies into smaller groups and making use of chokepoints to limit the number hammering your MT. The thing is, I'm not exactly sure how best to split the mobs (I've heard that using Sparkcrackers and traps works, but I'm not sure 'how'), and I'm not sure where those chokepoints are. I've tried making them by using traps, but the enemies seem to like running over traps to murder my backrow. I'm definitely going to have to stock up on consumables before I head out there, but I'm also working on limited resources. I plan to be making use of drugs for my Watcher to help him hit and make use of the Sneak Attack bonus damage. I'll be Frenzying too, so hopefully the Raw damage will help me hit a Bloodied state so I can get On the Edge. Eder will make use of explosives to debilitate enemies, using whatever resources I'm able to scrounge from Port Maje. For the Drake, I'm assuming I can't pull that group apart, so I'm thinking I may have to just rely on the gunpowder barrel and pray from there. What I need from you guys: Polish regarding my Paladin/Chanter or perhaps a better strategy for a MT mercenary to take into this. Eder could work too. Also, if I need to recruit a fifth party member, thoughts on what I should make him? Both of these will be retired to the boat and only taken out to level - they get to be shipboard defense. Preferably a map with choke points laid out and a strategy for tackling each pull. I need to know how to make the game mechanics work for me, rather than against me. A strategy for the Drake encounter at the end - Do I really have to just blow them all up, then send in my MT and pray? Videos are fine, but I do prefer having things in writing - I don't really process video strategies all that well without written guides. Basically, I'm seeing this as an opportunity to really cut my teeth on Infinity Engine combat. I want to get better, and I won't if I just balk at the first sign of resistance. I know the game gets considerably easier later on, but I want to tackle one of its more difficult encounters before that happens. And I want to be able to do this with a character I enjoy playing.

Yes, yes I do. I've been on Port Maje so many times I know all the dialogue by heart. I like to remix it by skipping through conversations at different points. I don't think I ever asked, since I think I sought you out for Barbarian/Rogue advice. Do you use Streetfighter or Assassin as your Rogue multiclass? Streetfighter but as I said before, my playstyle is probably not relevant to what you want to achieve. Streetfighter synergizes with Berserker and Human when Bloodied. If you wanted to take advantage of huge bonus that comes from attacking from stealth Assasin is better, though more fragile. If you will have decent CON 15+ as soon as you level up a bit you will have huge HP pool and with party support, the issues you are concerned with now will probably go away. Just leave the starting island, do not kill stuff there if it's too hard and you will get strong enough soon enough. Alright. I'll do that, then.

Yes, yes I do. I've been on Port Maje so many times I know all the dialogue by heart. I like to remix it by skipping through conversations at different points. I don't think I ever asked, since I think I sought you out for Barbarian/Rogue advice. Do you use Streetfighter or Assassin as your Rogue multiclass?