Porkchopsandwiches247

I tend to not like to drop CON. Im sure Im overrating it, but I kind of like my main character to be able to take a hit or two and not be a priority target for the AI enemies. So I usually keep it as 10. Otherwise those are around the stats Id go for. Wael+Stalker does make a lot more sense for solo, but solo really feels like a bad fit for a Priest in general since so much of their repertoire is based around full party support. Can of course make it work but it I dont care for the idea personally. You can probably make Wael+animal companion 'feel' more natural if you imagine Wael the unpredictably trickster teleporting a ghost bear on top of your enemies when they think youd be just casting spells lol Speaking of Woedica, I probably am underestimating the Writ spells a bit, but on reflection Id bet that the Spiritual Weapon Fists + Raw Lash + Ranger Accuracy bonuses could be pretty nasty single target damage. Stalker would make the most sense here but definitely not a requirement.

1. With party. I find the interactions far more enjoyable. 2. Hard. I find this to be the best balance of fun and challenge, forcing you to play and develop your party smartly but not forcing you into perfectly optimal setups or abilities. I mostly am focusing on Priest for roleplay purposes. I find them kind of funky in Deadfire compared to PoE1. Not bad, but kind of need to TLC to make them shine. I find multiclassing just more fun in general too, for sake of variety (with a few exceptions).

Preface: I enjoy creating unconventional builds that have interesting and varied playstyle, preferably ones that make some thematic sense. So while I dont need super optimal character creation, I would like to make the most of what the classes can bring to the table. With that out of the way, I actually think this is a fairly solid combination. One of the issues with Priest is that they spend so much time casting, if multiclassing you usually want either 1. To have a way to speed up said casting or 2. to have some action economy going, where theyre bringing passive value from the multiclass while Priest is occupied with their casting. Some of the pros of a Priest/Ranger I can see: The pet can be dealing damage and keeping the enemy occupied completely independent of what the Priest is doing Ranger actually does have a speed buff in Evasive Roll, giving 10 seconds of quick at Class Lvl 3 Marked Prey (+10 ACC one enemy), Stalker's Link (+10 ACC on each pet-engaged enemy), and Survival of the Fittest (+10 ACC on enemies under 50% health) are (as far as I'm aware, correct me otherwise please) conditional accuracy buffs that stack, and apply to not just weapon attacks but spells also. There are a few ways to boost engagement of the pet like Champions Boon or that one Chanter chant, so you can even make Stalker's Link effect multiple targets thats a whole lot of spell (and weapon attack) accuracy. All the Ranger's accuracy buffs and other passive ranged attack buffs provide the Priest with a pretty solid autoattack DPS when they're not casting Priest+Ranger apparently has more story interaction triggers than any other combination, when choosing the right subclasses (Priest 25, Ranger 21, Magran 25, Ghost Heart 14). I dont know if any of these overlap or if they even bring any value gameplay/battle wise, but I thought it was interesting There are naturally some downsides with all these of course, but overall the combination isnt too shabby compared to other Priest multiclasses. Some thoughts on subclasses... Priest of Berath/Ghost Heart - This sounds fun from a thematic point of view. Priest of Death + ghost wolf. Ghost Heart means you can fire and forget your pet at the start of battle without worrying about it dying and debuffing yourself. Touch of Rot does stupid damage for a Lvl 1 spell even if it has some limitations. This might be one of the few times the Greatsword modal might be useful (+30% damage for -10 ACC) with your overabundance of Accuracy buffs on a single target. Otherwise you can go into battle with one or more Arquebus/Arbalest, unload at the start, go on a casting spree, then summon your spirit Greatsword with a 31% corrode weapon lash to finish off single targets. I doubt Rot Skulls would be worth it still, maybe with the Ranger bounce and as a way to simply put a DOT on the enemy to buff pet damage? Priest of Magran - Has a number of Priest-unique damaging spells. Ray of Fire + Ranger ACC bonuses probably works great, as does getting a crit with something like Shining Beacon (not unique to Magran but fitting for leaning towards fire). Torrent of Flame could be kind of hilarious using Evasive Roll to teleport into perfect position to blast enemies. Itd likely be much better to have Magran's Favor + Marux Amanth (or Sun and Moon) for spell PL boosting/echo chance, so unfortunately the ranged perks of Ranger would be a bit wasted...Although potentially the spirit weapon pistol + bounce + 31% fire lash + ACC bonuses + Gunner could be pretty solid damage? Also can just switch over to another weapon slot. Priest of Skaen - for some reason I assumed Finishing Blow was melee ranged, but nope! I havent actually tested this, but Finishing Blow + Ranger Bounce ACC buffs should do a truckload of damage. Could even combine this with Hand Mortars or other AoE/bounce unique weapons too. Marux Amanth could even give it a chance to echo? Arcane Archer - I didnt enjoy this subclass much last time I tried it, and if I remember correctly none of the spiritual weapons apply as Arcane, so your autoattacks would get an ACC penalty unless you had one of the specific unique weapons that have that property...and I completely forget which actually apply. That said, I guess with the right setup these abilities could be a great start of fight opening to pin down enemies, with imbue web/pull of Eora, then you could start piling on debuffs or damage while theyre immobilized, or fire off a Fireball, which with Ranger bounce + bounce from weapons could cause some chaos. Seeing as you spend so much time casting as a Priest, just dumping all your Bond points at fight start for big effect kind of makes sense. Magrans Favor in one hand + Fire in the Hole in the other would probably have the most synergy here, with the + to Fire PL and the extra bounce. Priest of Woedica - not much here other than the fact the spiritual weapon is extremely strong. Not a ton of unique synergy with Ranger though other than all the ACC buffs... Sharpshooter - When paired with a Hunting Bow with its -50% recovery modal, might be a pretty solid combo. Anyways, Ill leave it at that. Look forward to hearing any more ideas I hadnt thought about. Thanks for reading!

Sort of an unconventional build is to create a damage-dealing tank in the form of a Holy Slayer (Paladin/Rogue). A Paladin bringing the durability, the Rogue the damage buffs with Sneak Attack. Flames of Devotion + Sneak Attack hits like a truck and is quite cheap (just 1 zeal). If you want to lean into the tank role, you can go Shieldbearer of St Elga (+1 engagement with a shield) so that with the Rogue perk you engage 3 different targets. Taking the Trickster subclass will let you give yourself buffs like Mirrored Image (+30 deflection), which when combined with the shield DEF, the shield perk (+6 DEF), and a Paladins innately high DEF from Faith and Conviction (up to +15 I believe), you should be extremely hard to hit. You can combine this with Riposte to get free full hits, 30% chance per Miss against you. Trickster gives you more variety in the form of spells in general. If you want to lean into more of an offensive roll, equipping Whispers of the Endless Path will (with the right upgrade) automatically counterattack when missed in melee with a 100% chance. It also attacks in an AoE, so you can cause some chaos with a Rogue’s abilities like Blinding Strike to blind every enemy in that AoE. If you pick Steel Garrote as the Paladin subclass, you actually end up healing yourself against enemies vulnerable to sneak attack…something youll be aiming for anyway and can apply with a Rogue’s abilities easily. Also nothing wrong with going the classic Herald (Paladin+Chanter). Really an excellent party support character, that can be tanky when you need, and switch into damage mode when you need. If I remember correctly, Sworn Enemy stacks with Inspired Beacon (+60% damage total), which does stupid amounts of damage when combined with a Chanter’s offensive invocations. My only problem with this combo is that Pallegina already can do it, and I prefer characters to be unique.

Probably because of PoE1…and just the name of the weapon type in general…I expected Hunting Bows to be somewhat lacking in damage compared to other weapon types. But after running the numbers I was shocked at how wrong I was. Hunting Bow+Modal (other factors ignored, base weapon stats) did more dps than even a monks fists or dual wielded weapons with speed buffs! Of course, there are clear downsides of the weapon and its modal…the low inherit PEN of the weapon, and the accuracy debuff of the modal (-15). But I think these downsides can be mitigated quite a bit with class skills/abilities, and taking into account that Hunting Bows use best of two different damage types. Fighter - is probably the easiest “fix”. Disciplined Barrage and Confident Aim upgrade hit types, so as long as youre not missing entirely a lot of that accuracy debuff should be negated. Conqueror Stance+Barrage negates the ACC debuff entirely. Rolling a Devoted bumps PEN by 2, which isnt a bad idea with Hunting Bows, since it has two damage types, so you likely wouldnt need to change weapons anyway. If anything, you ought to be overpenetrating at that point. Ranger - gets a ton of ACC buffs to begin with. Marked Prey+Marksman+Stalkers Link should be +25 ACC that I think stacks with each other, and Driving Flight bumps the damage even more. Sharpshooter might actually be a great pairing with a Hunting Bow, as you can bump Hit to Crit or +1 PEN as needed, and the +10% to Rec Time doesnt hurt as bad with the modal (-50%). Cipher - takes a bit to get it, but Borrowed Instinct (+20 ACC) at the start of the fight eliminates the ACC penalty and then some. Then they have Hammering Thoughts (+1 PEN) early to make up for the low innate PEN. Monk - better than Id have thought at first. Dance of Death boosts ACC a lot as long as you dont get hit, which is possible as a ranged character. Later Thunderous Blows can give +2 PEN. I didnt test it, but I want to say that Force of Anguish works with HBs, as kind of a funny “get off me” ability if an enemy gets past the frontline. Anyways, Im sure there are other synergies and/or buffs that can be used to negate the Hunting Bow downsides, just thought it was interesting how damaging they were with the modal and wanted to mention some that jumped out at me. Something like Devoted+Cipher with a HB seems particularly powerful now.

I thoroughly enjoy going Devoted-Skald. Its built for crits. Choosing sabres and picking up monastic unarmed training, you should have all the weapon variety you need. The self-buff that Fights can pick up + their natural accuracy bonus can lead to a ton of melee crits to get chants back, and having that reliable and unconditional crit chance added to your offensive invocations like Thrice can make them crazy powerful. Later the Chanter can self buff with Energized, which makes the crit synergy even crazier. And theyre very sturdy. Between Armoured Grace + Sashas Singing Scimitar its pretty quick too.

Speaking of clear out, does it also proc Heartbeat Drumming, or is limited to one ‘free’ hit per action? Seems like you could end up with a chain reaction attack explosion with a Monk-Fighter with Clear Out, Mob Stance, and the free hit on crit chances.

Based on what you said in your opening post, I would also say to go for a Cipher/Monk. Between their raw fist damage, Swift Strikes, and a Cipher’s melee damaging passives (and buffs), you should be swimming in focus. Plus, those are the two classes youre missing in your party. Cipher has a lot of fast cast spells, so you can fire them off and then go back to your punching. I would recommend more but dont want to add to your analysis paralysis lol While Assassin is a fun sounding class, I too find it somewhat…formulaic starting all battles with stealth nukes. Imo the most fun classes are ones that feel almost ‘opportunistic’, where you have a lot of offensive tools and you can use best one when theres an opening.

I dont recall there being a multi-hit ability on single enemies...Whispers of the Wind doesnt work on just one, right? I think your best bet might actually just be to slap on the Rushed Reload modal with Dual Wielding. If you can still reliably hit with the ACC penalty you should pile up shots pretty fast (particularly with other speed buffs like Frenzy or Swift Strikes), and by putting a melee weapon in your offhand youll only be shooting with Scordeo's Trophy. I forget if Blood Thirst from a Barbarian applies to reloading, might be kind of an interesting strategy to fire off shots every time you get a kill, speeding you up even more. Actually, can you use Riposte from Rogue to trigger shots from guns with the primary weapon trick? Could be kind of fun to speed up more and more as enemies miss your character. Combine with Toutilo's Palm for even more of a chance for a retaliatory full attack on a miss.

Uh Im actually going to bump this because nothing appears to have changed? Lol

Ah, maybe thats where the difference in our experiences are. As a SC Ascendant youre getting a ton of Damage and PL increases that interact multiplicatively with each other, so that would jack up its usefulness a lot. As a multiclass non-Ascendant Cipher its very underwhelming compared to other spells thatve been mentioned in this thread. I do enjoy the fast cast though for sure.

Oh wow, didnt even consider Driving Flight in combination with Whirling Strikes...thats kind of nuts. I might have severely underestimated a SC Ranger lol 5x -10% stacks are not quite as good as one -50%, so not quite as amazing is it mightve first appeared. But that still has to be pretty crazy.

Yeah, Whispers of the Wind is nuts lol. Late game Monk in general. I was thinking more along the lines of how it could work for multiclassing but the strategy you mention sure as hell works too haha

I was doing some theorycrafting with this weapon (since its available pretty early), and want to see if I have this right… You can upgrade it to have a stacking -5% recovery for 30 sec, or a -10% stacking recovery for melee weapons only for 30 sec. Normally this is only so so because of the slower reload speed of pistols, but what if you combined it with the oddities of Clear Out, which as I understand actually can be made to work if you equip a ranged weapon in your primary hand a melee weapon in your offhand? It shouldnt be impossible at all to get a -50% recovery time bonus (possibly even more) with one use of Clear Out, and then you end up attacking like a pyscho with your offhand melee weapon. And as a weapon enchant, it should stack with other speed buffs like Frenzy, +dex buffs or even Streetfighter… Just how low can recovery go if this works as I imagine lol

Mind Blades always seems...bad to me. I know it gains a jump per 2 PL, but each successive jump gets a larger damage debuff...so its not as nice as it would appear. And the base damage is so low it takes a lot for it to really add up. I feel like there are quite a few AoE abilities that are much more damaging, unless you get an 'ideal' scenario where its ping ponging between two enemies, or are getting some shenanigans like with Combusting Wounds (also that spell probably fits this thread with all its weird synergies lol). Soul Shock also does surprisingly little damage for how long the cast time is. It does have a nice radius and penetration score however. Phantom Foes is also an incredibly easy way of giving a Tactician Brilliant too, if you have that subclass on your team.