Cyrus_Blackfeather

Alright, thanks! I'll definitely be sticking with this, but I won't worry too much about the little details. Like I said, now that the retraining shouldn't... give me a bunch of random weapon proficiencies and remove all of my level 1 skills if I upgrade them, I can afford to experiment a bunch more. I think I'm more or less content with my current stat spread. Now, I'm just waiting for the next patch and (Hopefully) more PotD balance changes. They said it was coming in a few weeks... a few weeks ago. Now that I know most of the big leadership/command dialogue options come from Diplomacy, Bluff, Intimidate, and so on I don't have to worry about maxing out Resolve. It's good for flavor but apparently doesn't lock you out of anything in particular.

Hey guys, Two mod requests here. I feel like one of these is going to be considerably more difficult than the other. I'd like to hear your thoughts on them. 1. Devil of Caroc Breastplate available after "Killing Harmke." - This is more or less a pet peeve of mine, and brought up by others on the forums too. Basically, offering an alt-text version of the Devil of Caroc BP that's spawned inside Marihi's Metalworks in the same chest, same difficulty lock, if the "Kill Harmke" choice is selected. The text would read as follows. "After her long journey ended beneath the ocean waves, the empty shell that once housed the Devil of Caroc was discovered by treasure divers on the sea floor some time later. It seems that at least one industrious smith saw some use for her remains. This bronze breastplate was forged from the Devil’s chest piece, brass buckles, and rivets from her various clockwork mechanisms. While her soul has doubtless departed, the remains are not wholly inanimate. The metal, no longer a prison for the soul, nevertheless seems to have been infused with life force and retains some power." 2. Soulbound weapon adjustments (Unlocking Legendary as a final Soulbound upgrade/Swapping some upgrade orders) - I'm not sure if this one is even possible. Basically, I'd like every Soulbound item to have the ability to become Legendary, because that option is available for one of them (Modwyr) and I feel like all of them deserve a chance. For most of them, Superb would then become available on the third upgrade step and Legendary on the fourth. For one SB item in particular (Lord Darryn's Voulge), I'd like the third and fourth upgrades to be switched to be more thematic. This, I imagine, could be VERY difficult, since it's tied to a specific vignette. Basically. Third step for LDV - Sail into a storm. Unlocks a special option where you climb into the rigging, hold the weapon up to the sky, and absorb the power of the storm. I want this to be the requirement to unlock the fourth stage of the weapon which would make it Legendary. Fourth step for LDV - 30 (I think) Critical Hits. I want this to be the third stage of the weapon, and unlock Superb. None of the others, to my knowledge (Except Modwyr, and she can be made Legendary through completing her quest) have story/dialogue based upgrade steps, so leaving theirs as they are is fine. Again, just move Superb to the third upgrade step and make the fourth unlock Legendary.

Alright, thank you! I won't worry about it too much for my character, then. To be honest, the Cipher/God mind invasions actually kind of add to the experience. I think you wind up HAVING to let Ondra play around in your brain to advance some of the Tekehu stuff.

Sadly it does not. And after a little testing I think Mob Stance might not be worth it, particularly in party play. You really have to be surrounded for a tangible benefit. Up to 4 enemies around you, Armored Grace is always better in medium armor. Also with each enemy gone, the effect diminishes. Alright! Thankfully, I can change around skills and such fairly freely now. Edit: Never mind, went back to the original stats. Still considering dropping some things to boost Resolve up a bit (At least to 18, since I think that's the break point for most Resolve checks in the game) but not sure what the effect on my Shock damage DPS would be, if any.

??? I didn't get to see what was originally posted, so I'm not sure what the 'nvm' is about.

Hey guys. Was wondering about the number of times Resolve is used to test leadership ability 9r strong will in a meaningful way compared to the first game?

Does Charge proc Avenging Storm?

That's true too! It's a nice early "Signature move" for Fighter. Yeah, I can't think of anything that I could drop that wouldn't be missed in some way to pick up Mule Kick. Maybe Vigorous Defense, but that's about it.

Yeah... If nothing else, I could just stick with Knock Down since it has the Interrupt on Graze effect. But I do want to get the bonus damage though. Man, if only I could pick one more talent.

Says it's per "Threatened Target," and the description states "Nearby enemies" so it looks like I don't even have to be engaged with them. The only skill I could realistically see dropping would be Charge, since I already have Staggered from Spirit Frenzy, but Charge is nice for a gap closer.

Picked up Knock Down, not sure where I'd put Mule Kick. Any recommendations for what I could get rid of/move?

Naw, I'm set. I don't want to deal with the squishiness of the Marauder, and this honestly brilliantly fits what I want to play. Oh my gosh, this is perfect. Thank you! Not sure! I guess because of a lack of options? I'll swap it out for Barbaric Yell.

Homie......I will pay you to play this guy and not start a maurader thread in 15 hours Stick with it dude, I think it really checks a ton of the boxes you've been looking for. Okay. 10,000$! No, seriously, don't worry. I'm working on/waiting on a few little mod projects, and then I'm going to bust this guy out. I think it'll be a load of fun!

"I am the storm, brother... The first storm and the last." "When men see my sail, they pray." Mood Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RirEqehfsg&t=0s&index=4&list=FL09VAUpnF20CEQz2ofbeKlA Who is he? A pirate in the Deadfire who rose to notoriety at a young age, gaining a reputation as a fierce warrior who seemed to have control over the weather itself. When he hunted a prize, a storm whipped up, a tempest that always seemed to catch his enemies flat-footed but never seemed to impede him - in fact, he was as comfortable on a storm-swept deck as most men were on solid ground. Notably, he had a reputation as both a ferocious warrior and a fair leader when it came to divvying up the spoils, always making sure each man had his fair share of loot, good food, a ration of rum, and adequate medical care should injuries arise. Of course, the care he showed his crew warranted a certain degree of respect in return. Those who plotted mutiny against him soon found themselves strung up for lashes, any who were fool enough to attempt such were marooned with a waterskin and a pistol with a single bullet. What motivated his life of crime? A sister who Awakened in her early teens and now suffers intense psychological trauma because of it. With their parents both dead, he cares for her in their home in Dunnage, trying to raise a king's ransom to afford the latest in animancy innovations in order to help her. Because of this, despite his usual attitude toward the pirate life, he maintains a soft spot for families, especially those with children, explaining his involvement in the Hollowborn Crisis in the Dyrwood five years ago. Dispositions: Aggressive, Clever, Shady, Benevolent Role: Off-tank/AoE Nuker (Eder grabs enemies and holds them, this character deals heavy damage to large packs). Race: Oceanfolk Human Faction: Principi Ship Name: Silence Class: Brute (Berserker/Devoted - Pollaxes) Culture/Background: Deadfire/Raider Skills: Mechanics and Stealth with a splash of Athletics/Insight and Intimidate with a splash of Metaphysics Attributes: 23 Might (17 Base + 1 Human + 1 Chameleon's Touch + 1 Gift of the Machine +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Permanent Stat Boost) 12 Con (8 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Chameleon's Touch +1 Upright Captain's Belt) 14 Dexterity (10 Base +1 Deadfire +1 Boots of the Stone +2 Berath's Blessing) 20 Perception (18 Base +2 Berath's Blessing) 20 Intellect (16 Base +2 Berath's Blessing +2 Heaven's Cacophony) 10 Resolve (6 Base +1 Human +2 Berath's Blessing +1 Boots of the Stone) (Considering taking 5 points each from Might and Dexterity to put into either Constitution or Resolve. Resolve for 'leadership' based dialogue checks, though I'm not sure how many of those there are in the game. Constitution for more HP) Abilities: Level 1: Disciplined Barrage/Frenzy Level 2: Knock Down Level 3: Blooded Level 4: Fighter Stances/Barbaric Blow Level 5: Two-Handed Style Level 6: Confident Aim Level 7: Disciplined Strikes/Bloodlust Level 8: Thick-Skinned Level 9: One Stands Alone Level 10: Vigorous Defense/Spirit Frenzy Level 11: Bloody Slaughter Level 12: Mule Kick or Charge Level 13: Unbending/Barbaric Smash Level 14: Mob Stance Level 15: Interrupting Blows Level 16: Armored Grace/Brute Force Level 17: Clear Out Level 18: Refreshing Defense Level 19: Blood Thirst/Unbending Trunk Level 20: Spirit Tornado Changes from the old build: Took out Hold the Line for Vigorous Defense early so I could take Bloody Slaughter for extra hit-to-crit and Crit damage against Near Death enemies. Took out Overbearing Guard for Clear Out for another AoE attack and for a nice "signature move" that I thought fit on a thematic level alongside Barbaric Smash. Equipment: Pet: Abraham - Heal on kill. Though I might consider Nalvi for +1 Resolve if I want to try to pump that up. Weapon: Lord Darryn's Voulge - The signature weapon of this build, and what the synergy is based around. AoE attacks mark up lots of enemies with Static Thunder, and this includes Carnage. It's available ridiculously early in the game, and comes with a physical/elemental dual damage type (And is one of very few items to do so). Plus it has very nice VFX. Armor: Devil of Caroc Breastplate - Recovery reduction, negates Confusion, and offers either health regeneration on crit or extra armor while Bloodied. Because of Armored Grace, this character can also use other pieces of armor as well, like Reckless Brigandine for more action speed, or Deltro's Cage (Though the extra penetration to shock powers it offers isn't that much). Helm: Heaven's Cacophony. Available pretty early on and grants Avenging Storm per rest. Not sure if Avenging Storm procs on Carnage, but it definitely does on Clear Out (And looks great when you do). Alternatively, use the Defiant Apparel for Perception affliction resistance, for a piratey look if Heaven's Cacophony is too much. Gloves: Boltcatchers. Available mid-game from the Steel Preacher bounty, and comes with a shock attack chance on crit. The only downside is the penetration for the attack seems kind of low, at least in my initial testing. Not sure if there's any food that ups shock penetration chance. Neck: Cog of Cohh - 5% extra weapon damage (To self and party members), so effectively 2 Might. Waiting for this to get nerfed like Baubles of the Fin. Back: Cloak of Greater Protection > Upgrade to Shroud of Likeness when I do Berkana's Folly (Around level 13 or so). 1% chance to get Brilliant on hit, combined with Frenzy, combined with Unbending. It's just a nifty little bonus, honestly. Rings: Voidward and Chameleon's Touch - Voidward combined with Unbending/Unbending Trunk generates regeneration for the Raw damage taken from Berserker's Frenzy. Belt: Upright Captain's Belt - +1 Constitution, free Concentration, and immunity to Pull of Eora effects. Boots: Boots of the Stone for +1 Resolve/Dex and Might affliction resistance or Boots of the White for +1 Resolve and Dex affliction resistance. Conclusion This build has been a long time coming, and once 2.1 rolls out and (Hopefully) brings some balance changes, this will be what I bring into BoW content. Full disclosure, this is not a solo build, as I don't really feel like I get the most out of the game that way. There's a lot of neat interactions with sidekicks in BoW/probably the next few DLC that I want to see as much of as possible. This also isn't a build optimized around doing as much damage as humanly possible, though from the tests I and others have run with it, it seems to hold up fairly well, considering. It's based around a theme and, I feel, plays to that theme quite well. Some tweaks I'm considering are based around Constitution - namely, how much I want to drop either Might or Dexterity to add to it, especially keeping in mind the +5 I get from Frenzy. As it stands, with the GotM bonus, I'll be looking at 434 HP when Frenzied at level 20. Of course that's not getting into things like "Effective Hit Points" through armor, regeneration, and so on. Also, the little backstory snippet is for my interpretation of this character. He (Or she!) can be played in any number of ways.

I'd love to see someone take a stab at these.

What are your thoughts/experiences on Brute compared to either of those two? Brute is really strong too but Brute is more crowd control/aoe damage dealer than the other two. Marauder is pure single target burst and is very good at that. Swashi is kind of in the middle and adaptable. Like if I run a marauder I will always set them loose at the enemy backline as a pure striker against dangerous squishy foes like enemy mages priests and druids. Swashi and Brute would be better in classical off tank role cleaving the targets the main tank gathers with another dedicated single target damage dealer like a scout, (red hand) wanderer or said marauder striker dedicated at attacking the enemy spellcasters. So if you run a brute in the party I would recommend another damage dealer specifically dedicated to single target burst. If you run a swashi offtank you are more flexible but they are paired well with wizard dps or cipher/multi dps. You can probably get away without another single target burst dps if you run a swashy in the party. for solo Swashy is definitely the strongest and most reliable of the three, with Brute in the middle in terms of gameplay ease and marauder the hardest. Hmm, alright. Marauder and Brute both make the best use of all of the Shock damage. So then I guess it comes down to whether I'll be dealing with AoE or single target situations more often. The one thing I do like about Rogues in this game is that they evoke duelists just as much, if not more, than the cunning/sneaky assassin types.

What are your thoughts/experiences on Brute compared to either of those two?

changing the weapon is out of the question. That is the base being built around. I found the opposite in my testing. I found the brawler build more mobile/fun but took a while to kill everything. Brute and marauder did massive kills very fast. Swashbuckler did great (both trickster and streetfighter) but not as fast as the other tested builds. I linked some vids in one of OPs other posts. The brute cleared floor one of VTC solo within a signal duration of unbending. I have tested all this so I'm speaking from that position not supposition based on paper. From my point of view, the trouble is that you're testing builds at level cap and taking full advantage of 1/rest effects (mainly Avenging Storm). That's nice for build theorycrafting, but IMVHO not so great for actual gameplay, which generally mainly consists of getting to level 20, not playing there. Also personally I don't want to rest after every (optionally every challenging) encounter. And IMO before the cap and discounting Avenging Storm, Swash will badly outperform the Brute. You don't always trigger Streetfighter bonus, but when it counts, you tend to do and things start to die fast. And you always have your regular sneak, Persistent Distraction and Finishing/Devastating Blow. Nothing on the Barbarian's side really compares. Marauder is another story, but he's squishy as hell, so even more gimmicky to use with stuff like Nemnok's Cloak or Cleric casting Barring the Death's Door with Salvation of Time. One other thing. The Deltro's Cage Armor. Does it provide enough benefit to be worth the heavy armor Recovery malus - and resource loss from not using the DoC? Does Lord Darryn's Voulge Static Charge even benefit from that? If so, how much? It'd be good for stuff like Heaven's Cacophony Avenging Storm (seriously, I don't think they should have put such a powerful effect on an available early, repeatable use item, kinda devaluates the Druid - but hey, it's there to be used) or Mantle of 7 Bolts, but those are 1/rest. -I agree that PD is powerful but Eder can provide the PD, so no need to double up on that. -I also agree that having a set test with a set encounter with set gear and just changing classes and builds does not provide a complete picture for ever encounter where one might outperform another. --But in order to provide a data set you need to provide controls. In this case: same levels, same enemies, same difficulty, same gear, just different builds. -Something to keep in mind is this wasn't meant to be a MIN/max test anyways. It was a play-style test to see which build fit into OP's plan to make a Euron Greyjoy type character using the LDV. --Even then with the controls in place the order of speed of completion was: Marauder, Brute, Ravager, Brawler, Fanatic (No Immolation), Brawler, Holy slayer Gear notes: -AS is available at level 3-4. -Deltro's Cage is available about the same time and conductive storm isn't very hard to get on it. -With the brute you can use any armor due to armored grace+pet+intuitive strikes+frenzy (I.S. stopping confused). -That said; I tested both armor choices. -In the vid I posted I was wearing the DOC armor because I found the 4 resources provided much more DPS than extra few damage points from the electric attacks. Yeah, Deltro's Cage only gives half a Penetration point. If I weren't going to use DoC Breastplate I'd probably use Reckless Brigandine. I never even thought to use Heaven's Cacophony.

Hey guys, So... I was wondering if someone could give me a quick rundown on how to add portraits to the game - can I drop them into the game proper or does it have to be done as a mod? Also, can I experiment with them in offline mode, or do I have to have the game in online mode to be able to add portraits? None of the available options really suit the kind of character I want to play.

Did some testing on Brute vs Marauder. Brute definitely didn't hit as hard as the Marauder, but in exchange I didn't feel like I had to babysit it as much - Unbending pretty much meant I was perpetually self-healing myself just by taking Frenzy's raw DoT. Marauder, meanwhile, hit really hard, and felt a lot faster. But then that's only through maintaining the Streetfighter bonus, which I can't do in every fight because there's not enough enemies to flank me. Both looked very cool, making use of LDV and the Boltcatchers.

The only thing that I think the DoC Breastplate really offers over the Reckless Brigandine is the +2 class resources. That adds up to +2/+2 - or two resources for each martial class if you're a martial multi.

Alright. I'm going to play around with Brute a little more.

changing the weapon is out of the question. That is the base being built around. I found the opposite in my testing. I found the brawler build more mobile/fun but took a while to kill everything. Brute and marauder did massive kills very fast. Swashbuckler did great (both trickster and streetfighter) but not as fast as the other tested builds. I linked some vids in one of OPs other posts. The brute cleared floor one of VTC solo within a signal duration of unbending. I have tested all this so I'm speaking from that position not supposition based on paper. I'm going to give Brute another try. The only issue is, I don't know how to console in a version of LDV that's been fully Soulbound, for the purposes of testing/comparison. Do you think I'm limiting myself by building around one particular weapon/synergy? I like to think I'm not - because isn't discovering how specific weapons/classes work together part of the fun?

Marauder, I think, would ultimately be more fun. Though how do you get Deltro's Cage Helm to work with Brute? Just never purge the Confusion from Frenzy so you're constantly shocking yourself?

That's a very good question! Right now, I'm looking at a Barbarian/Rogue - So I was thinking of going for Nemnok's Cloak early (Around 7 or 8 with good Stealth) since you can get at that with just the Bounding Boots from Fort Deadlight. Other items include Chameleon's Touch (A fairly early get), the DoC Breastplate (Can be stolen right as you get into Neketaka), the Upright Captain's Belt (Early Principi questline), and so on. After the Cloak, which can be cheesed, the Boltcatchers are probably going to be the ones that require the most work, and you said those could be acquired at level 12. This is all going to be on PotD by the way, and probably not solo. Also, when is SSS supposed to launch?