Cyrus_Blackfeather

What'd you recommend for MH then? Modwyr?

That's cool! Wondering what weapons I should use with this... Maybe Squid's Grasp and Rusts' Poignard? And then have a set in the OH for dealing with Crush/Slash. And then Gipon Prudensco for Engagement immunity, or DoC BP for action speed.

For a Mindstalker I recommend a dual-wielding Trickster/Soulblade. Trickster is durable enough to offtank, can even get some ripostes. Duals will make him fast enough. With the nerf to dual Full-Attacks, SA might actually do better damage then Rogue attacks (which on the other hand should do a nice job charging SA). With a Trickster you actually mostly spend Guile on doing damage (apart from a few cheap self-buffs), which is cool. Sadly rogues are missing speed boosts, which are IMO necessary to reasonably use two-handers. I'll go ahead and try Trickster/Soul Blade when I get back from work. I think that could be a bit of fun, especially since the Trickster buff (Honestly, it's now the Rogue class that has the most goodies attached to it, which I like). I've also heard the nerf to dual wield isn't 'too' bad when you take all of Rogue's passive damage boosts into account?

Dialogue interactions and that's about it. Godlikes have far and away the most dialogue choices of any race, and can actually skip entire combats without requiring high dialogue tests (Like the Lighthouse with the Naga). There's a mod (Deadfire Tweaks, I believe) that gives them +2 Intellect/Perception instead of +1. That's the equivalent of most head items in the game. Other than that, the Death Godlike for a Bloodied build is probably going to be your best bet.

Yeah, I was definitely going to go Soulblade if I went Mindstalker. Also, thanks for the mod. Once the patch drops, I'll check it out. I wonder if it'd break the game too much to use it with a Cipher multiclass as well? That does adjust the rankings somewhat. Now, I'd really want to try a pure Cipher (Using your mod) or a Mindstalker before a Transcendent or a Witch. I think I'll run a few tests with the Mindstalker after work tomorrow and see how well the Soulblade plays - but Guile regen is going to be a pain. Unless someone's made a mod that gives Rogues better resource management.

Alright, so. Situation report time: 1. Plain Ascendant: Gets really good stuff early, but lacks in a lot of interesting/useful things later on. Hit-to-Crit for Will targeting abilities is good, as is AoE size based on Focus, for Ascendant at least, but Time Parasite's duration is much too short for being both a PL8 ability and Cipher's only Action Speed boost. Ranged 2. Transcendent: Good Action Speed buff, solid power and replenishing resources, but may have a few too many options (Which is weird, I know, but Recovery time between casts is a thing). Ranged 3. Mindstalker: Melee DPS with Soul Annihilation and some important fast-cast Cipher spells. Trades versatility in terms of Cipher powers for damage from Soul Annihilation coupled with Rogue offensive abilities like Devastating Blow. The only downside is a lack of a Recovery reduction unless I take Streetfighter, or spam Stealth skills and absolutely destroy my Guile. Melee 4. Witch: According to what folks have said, Witch is the best, but it really doesn't fit in terms of an RP perspective. That said, it offers solid hit-to-crit and Penetration, makes good use of two-handed weapons for Soul Annihilation and AoE attacks with Carnage (Amra, LDV, etc.) and can scream enemies to death with Silent Scream in true Barbarian fashion. I'm wondering if there's another way to approach this build that might work better. Melee My current rankings are: 1. Mindstalker 2. Transcendent 3. Witch (Or equivalent) 4. Ascendant

I'm hoping that'll be patched out, because that's a silly and nonsensical interaction that gimps the rest of the skills of the class.

No, party.

My concern with Witch is that it might be too chaotic for the kind of character I'm wanting to play here.

Hrm... I'll give both a try and see what sticks.

Yeah, I REALLY don't like to dump INT if I can help it, since it's so important from a roleplay context. I think I'm going to try out both Mindstalker and Transcendent as Mercs and see which performs best DPS-wise. You dont need to really go low INT with a mindstalker soulblade since the common stat to go low is RES. Just having high MIG and DEX makes the stalker get into a flow of dispatching their enemies really quick from filling up focus immediately from a round of attacks then execution with soul annihilation right after. Alright, I'll give it a go! Wasn't a fan of dropping Res either at first, but since it's much less the "Charisma" stat now, I'm okay with it. Just basically need high Might, Dex, Perception, and Intellect. I do like the idea of Soul Annihilation though just because it has such a fun name. Is it still pretty powerful? I heard it got nerfed.

Yeah, I REALLY don't like to dump INT if I can help it, since it's so important from a roleplay context. I think I'm going to try out both Mindstalker and Transcendent as Mercs and see which performs best DPS-wise.

What do you mean by "Dumbstalker"? Just keeping Int low so that Disintegrate ticks for more?

... Sherlock Holmes WAS a coke addict, yeah. Which I guess would be... Svef in this case? And there's nothing saying I have to stay 100% true to how the subclass presents itself. I was just mostly thinking about this; "The Nalpazca distinguish between the material world and the imagined world of perceptions, feelings, and false structures, seeing the latter as the limiting force that prevents a person's transcendence. They employ extreme practices to remain ever-conscious of what is truly real, and are known for exhibiting bizarre anti-social behavior in public settings, consuming powerful hallucinogenic drugs, and inflicting great pain upon themselves, all so as to allow themselves to "see more clearly." There are even rumored to ritualistically cannibalize the flesh of the recent dead so that they might come to terms with their own mortality, though such rumors have the ring of superstition." Pretty intense stuff! I might try no-subclass though, just because with the nerfs to the way Alchemy scales things now, I feel like the negatives to Nalpazca outweigh the positives. I could be wrong, though. And Monks in general can occupy many of the same places a Rogue might in society; some work as assassins. It's a pretty tough pick. I'd be interested to hear the pros and cons of both Transcendent and Mindstalker.

Hey guys, So, I'm fairly set on really wanting to play a Cipher for my pro-Vallian playthrough, for a couple of reasons; 1. Roleplay-wise it really fits. The Republics are one of the few places where animancy (And thus, one assumes, Ciphers) are fairly widespread and accepted, albeit with some caveats - you can't go around shooting people in the head to test out your new headache curing short bow, for instance (See: Essence Interruptor). 2. I played a Cipher in the first game, and had a lot of fun with it. 3. After Priest, it has the highest number of special dialogue interactions. Now, I've been having some problems deciding on what class to play - because I'm trying to get a happy medium between good roleplay and a fun build to try in general. Ergo, I've considered the following. 1. Transcendent (Ascendant/Helwalker): Turning Wheel's fire lash affects spell damage as well, so things like Amplified Wave can, when they Pen, do pretty significant damage. Lightning Strikes affects ranged weapon as well as melee weapon damage, and then couple that with Recall Agony and that's a really good suite of lash damage. Helwalker also allows for +10 Might/+10 Int per wound, albeit at a pretty steep damage vulnerability cost, especially when taken with the damage penalties from The Red Hand, or the High Harbinger's Robes. Why not Nalpazca? Because Nalpazca really doesn't work from a roleplay perspective for me. Plus, most drugs have had their effects severely nerfed. I would like to get some feedback from anyone who's tried a Transcendent Helwalker and how hard it was to keep them alive/how much micro had to be used. 2. Mindstalker (Assassin/Soulblade or No Subclass/Soulblade, I'm not sure): I'm really not a fan of Mindstalkers, because without the Streetfighter they don't really offer any action speed buffs or good penetration outside of Assassinate, which is conditional. That said, the Assassinate bonus does apply to spells as well, so I could use it for some of Cipher's big "Needs to hit/crit" powers like Ringleader or Borrowed Instinct. I was inspired by this video, but I'm not sure how much of this has been nerfed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBU60vMDi3c And also this build: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/101391-class-build-dishonored-mindstalker/ And here's my attempt at a (Ranged) Mindstalker here: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/104034-final-copy-the-company-man-ranged-mindstalker-assassinascendant-for-heavy-immersion-company-rp/ (This is incredibly out of date) If I did make a Mindstalker, it'd most probably be melee. Also, not sure if Streetfighter or Assassin would be a better choice there. Streetfighter kind of hinges on getting yourself in a situation you'd really rather not be in in order to work. 3. Inquisitor/Psyblade: I list both of these here because I have similar problems with the two of them. For Inquisitor, there's really not a Paladin subclass that suits the kind of character I want to play (Bleak Walker comes the closest, but then they're way too aggressive for the subtle sort of secret agent/assassin character I'm going for). Psyblade almost works, but then the Fighter is a tad too unsubtle. 4. Pure Ascendant: I already have a thread up about this, but it definitely seems to suffer pretty badly from ability drought after PL6. For example, Time Parasite, for being such an ubiquitous power, has a REALLY crappy duration. Of these choices, the one that best fits the kind of character I'm wanting to play is Mindstalker. While it doesn't have an on-demand Penetration boost like the Monk does, and lacks in terms of raw stat power, it does offer quite a bit of bonus damage to recycle Focus quickly, and aesthetically fits the sort of spy/assassin/Corvo Attano from Dishonored character I'm trying to evoke here. Transcendent is probably my second choice, provided I pick the right Monk school, but Mindstalker is offering most of what I feel like I need.

This is just a continuation of that previous thread with a bit more information on the character to help with decision making. Yeah, I went back and read about the Nalpazca. They are QUITE zealous, even compared to other Monastic orders. The whole "Suppression of Vanity through Revulsion" wouldn't really fit the sort of debonair spy/assassin I'm going for. So Rogue/Priest or Rogue/Cipher makes sense.

So, I wanted to describe the type of character I plan to play for my pro-Vallian or pro-Rauatai playthrough, then share the ideas I've had for classes thus far and get your feedback on them. I'm asking this here because I've tried asking this in the build subforum, and only really gotten responses from a "What's best optimized from a game design perspective" response. "To describe the character as he appears elsewhere, he's an intelligence and counter-terrorist agent who's dedicated to gathering information on, undermining, and assassinating key threats to his nation's security; whether that be a kingdom or a country in the modern age. That said, he's not completely dispassionate - in fact, he's quite charming when you're not on his bad side. He has an interest in ancient history and modern day science and research. In one canon, he's a Mesmer - that is, a spellcaster that uses illusion magic to disorient and devastate his foes and he follows that setting's goddess of illusions (Like Wael, but with less tentacles and mouths and eyes). While illusion magic isn't prevalent in every universe where i play him, he tends to be pretty slippery in combat, favoring the indirect approach which leaves him with the largest number of escape options open, rather than charging in blindly. He's competent, across mediums, with swords (Hand-and-a-half swords), rapiers, and various types of firearms and prefers lighter armor." So, I'm looking for a character that has some proficiency in manipulating others, either through illusion magic or straight up destroying their minds and souls through Cipher magic. I've considered the following options, in no particular order. 1. Transcendent (Ascendant/Nalpazca): Kind of an inward and outward approach to soul manipulation. Ciphers focus on manipulating the souls of their enemies and allies, while Monks use mortification through pain or, in this guy's case, getting really really high to strengthen their own souls. There's a natural synergy there from a roleplay perspective. If I did this, I would probably see about modding Turning Wheel to do 3% lash damage per wound, as 20% at 10 wounds seems really rather low. 2. Zealot (Priest of Wael/Streetfighter): I got the idea in my head from a build on the forums - basically, it provides powerful Illusion spells to complement the Streetfighter Rogue's need to be in dangerous situations. I think it could be a bit of fun, but I'm really not a fan of the Priest of Wael's Domain spells. I'd like to see more offensive Illusion spells in general, perhaps projectile versions of Wall of Many Colors if possible. 3. Inquisitor/Arcane Knight/Psyblade/Holy Slayer: I put these all here because I have similar problems with each of them. None of the Paladin orders 100% suit the kind of character I'm wanting to play (Clever and Shady), and those that do, well... From a roleplay perspective, they work, but from a balance perspective, their bonuses aren't that good (Darcozzi and, should I enable it, Brotherhood of Five Suns). Psyblade is there because, while it circumvents a lot of the Paladin problems, it's also kind of unsubtle. Plus I just hate the name Psyblade. Like, a lot. Like, even Mindstalker and Holy Slayer sound better than Psyblade. 4. Harbinger: Saw a build like this on the forums a while back - basically using a Trickster Rogue with a Skald. Curious as to your thoughts on all of these. Of the ones listed, I'm most leaning toward a Transcendent.

I also like the idea of a Priest multi so he can use Marux Amanth with its spell copying ability. That said, a lot of Priest skills don't really seem... that great. Though maybe I shouldn't compare them to the Wizard.

Isn't Blade Turning kind of not in a great place right now, though? I actually sent someone a fairly large description of the character in a PM. I'll include it here. "To describe the character as he appears elsewhere, he's an intelligence and counter-terrorist agent who's dedicated to gathering information on, undermining, and assassinating key threats to his nation's security; whether that be a kingdom or a country in the modern age. That said, he's not completely dispassionate - in fact, he's quite charming when you're not on his bad side. He has an interest in ancient history and modern day science and research. In one canon, he's a Mesmer - that is, a spellcaster that uses illusion magic to disorient and devastate his foes and he follows that setting's goddess of illusions (Like Wael, but with less tentacles and mouths and eyes). While illusion magic isn't prevalent in every universe where i play him, he tends to be pretty slippery in combat, favoring the indirect approach which leaves him with the largest number of escape options open, rather than charging in blindly. He's competent, across mediums, with swords (Hand-and-a-half swords), rapiers, and various types of firearms and prefers lighter armor." So, basically... How best do I evoke that?

See the title. Can you use the Unity Console mod to add the Legendary enchantment to fully upgraded Soulbound weapons while removing the Superb enchantment?

How can a Transcendent tank? Monk has like... no defensive skills outside of maybe Blade Turning.

Hey guys, So, I've had a few ideas kicking around in my head for a pro-Vallian or perhaps Pro-Rauatai Watcher who serves as a government agent who, after finally being able to touch base with his or her homeland after five years, begins working to secure company interests in the Deadfire, putting their skills in espionage, subterfuge, sabotage, and assassination to use. I've brainstormed a bunch of different ideas for this sort of character, but one of the class combinations I was thinking about was a Zealot - Priest/Rogue who would serve as a tanky MC who can raise his own Deflection, debilitate enemy Accuracy, and do solid damage. I was inspired by the "Let's Learn with Umezawa" build, which uses a Wael/Streetfighter combination, but I think the concept could work well with a Magran/Trickster, Rymrgand/Trickster, or Skaen/Trickster as well. That said, the type of character I'm playing would align himself most with Wael's teachings, uncovering enemy secrets while safeguarding his nation's own. I'm wondering about the synergy of this sort of build, and how it would perform. I'm not worried about solo capability, but I also want something that can deal a respectable amount of damage. When playing a mixed martial/spellcaster class, there's also the concern about casting spells in combat, with their long cast times versus attack/recovery from weapon attacks, so that's a worry as well. I'm also thinking of taking a look at the Wael Priest's domain spells and seeing about adjusting some of them - namely, Iconic Projection and Confusion. Other builds I've considered for this theme are Arcane Knight, Holy Slayer, and Inquisitor (Though none of the Paladin orders really fit the character all that well, and those that might, like Darcozzi and Brotherhood of Five Suns, both have garbage bonuses), as well as Psyblade (Though Fighter is a little too unsubtle for the type of character I'm wanting to evoke). There's also Transcendent (Nalpazca/Ascendant) for a ranged damage dealer that sacrifices survivability for raw damage.

It refreshes the duration. The inspirations don't overwrite (Thankfully) since it detects that more powerful ones are already applied. At least, I'm PRETTY sure it refreshes the duration - I got a prompt saying the action speed buff had been refreshed, and that's the main consistent thing through both of them.

Hey guys, Just a quick follow-up on my "I'll describe a character" post from a few days ago. I'm curious as to how fun it is to play and/or RP a Priest, a Priest of Wael especially. I was thinking that worshiping (basically) an Elder god (I love Wael's design), and having a theological perspective coming into Deadfire would create an interesting set of character interactions. I was thinking about playing a Priest of Wael/Streetfighter Zealot. I'm curious as to how fun Priests are to play in Deadfire compared to PoE1, where they honestly wrecked house with some of their spells. Also, someone mentioned on another thread that Wael's choice for PoE1's ending ONLY shows up if you pledge to another god first - thus you have to break the oath in order to take that choice. Is that true, or can you take the option if you don't make any prior pledges?

Speaking of... I am surprised we can't enchant clothes in Deadfire, since we were able to do so back in POE1. I would have certainly wanted to use Principi clothing on my more morally-questionable Cipher. Maybe has something to do with the way they changed the enchantment system? I remember in PoE1, they were a lot more generalized. The usual "Fine, Exceptional, Superb, Legendary" and then stuff like elemental resistances and lashes and stuff. Now all of that stuff is gone, and we have specific upgrade paths. It'd be cool if we could do that, though.