Vasvary5050

Been away from home since Monday but will give the Brynlod bounty and the Adra Dragon another go tomorrow. It felt like I nearly managed to win the fight but at the end there was still an illusionist and I think some illusionist doubles. I can't quite remember now.

Thanks Boeroer. The druid is now #2 on my damage table, and that with some of their damage not showing because its DoTs, and it certainly feels like the enemies are melting much quicker than when I had 2 cipher. Just did the Magran's Faithful bounty and the enemy just melted. I'm liking this drood so far. Relentless Storm is great. ... Okay, I think I've now I've hit new road block with the Brynlod bounty.

Thinking of replacing one of the ciphers with a druid. Any suggestions for a top-tier list of offensive spells for a druid. I've never really leant into using an offensive druid caster (used druid for melee and for healing more than offensive spells). I know it sucks when enemy druids cover me in insects and magots but I'm wondering how good those spells are when used by us rather than against us? I thought I'd test it with some bounty missions that I haven't yet done, and they seem to be doing something, but the damage in the records page doesn't seem to be very high (the druid seems to be quite far behind the cipher, and also behind my monk tank). Maybe because its DoT damage (maybe this isn't logged properly). Anyway, my general question is, what are the best spells to use for an offensive druid caster?

I think rather than re-try with this squad, I'm going to plough on a bit with the main adventure, get another level under my belt, and then come back to deal with the dragon, perhaps with a few different team members. Its a tough fight. I managed to kill the adds quicker and easier than I expected, but my tank went down, and then I was on the back foot. I managed to rez them but not before losing my off-tank, and then it was a very messy battle. I was struggling to heal my tank as whenever anyone tried to get closer to the dragon they ended up getting hit by one attack or another. The ciphers were useful for the mobs but they struggled against the dragon (basically doing tickle damage with their ranged weapons and they ran out of focus quick). Any chance of some suggestions for a good party composition for just this fight. I've got access to all the companions and can hire some temporary ringers if necessary. I think Durance is the only essential character for the prayers and buffs (that side of things went mostly fine). I think the monk tank was fine though I'm wondering if a fighter tank might be more durable for this encounter? Any suggestions for an optimal crew for just this one fight?

Managed to kill all the mobs and get Adra Dragon down to badly injured before it ate me

Any tips for the Adra Dragon at the end of the endless path. I'm thinking I may need to respec my party a bit for this as I had a quick go and wiped (made the classic mistake of not turning the dragon and the party got almost insta-gibbed). I'm currently running: Monk Tank (Zahua) Paladin MC (kind wayfarer) - Off Tank, heals and utility Durance Kana 2 Ciphers (Grieving Mother and custom companion) I've currently level 14, having finished the WM part 1 and 2 quests, though I haven't yet done Cragholdt's Bluff. I've still got a lot of the final act stuff to do and some bounties. Presumably level 14 is okay for the Adra dragon as its not even DLC content, but it seems a tough fight. I could probably get at least another level under the belt before returning to the dragon if necessary. Even with turning the dragon properly, there are a lot of mobs to deal with in addition to the dragon. Maybe I should do Cragholdt's Bluff then return to the dragon. I am on PoTD. Any tips?

The Rise and Fall of The Hammer It was my first Path of the Damned run, and I had just reached the moment of reckoning—the battle against the Eyeless. The three monstrosities lurking in the military camp were relentless, their sheer bulk and raw power turning every fight into a struggle. Frustrated, I devised a bold solution: a hyper-crit-focused Orlan melee rogue whose sole purpose was to wield Abydon’s Hammer with surgical precision. In a stroke of stunning originality, I christened my creation The Hammer—and it was a thing of beauty. The battlefield became a stage for devastation as The Hammer delivered blow after blow, the Eyeless crumbling in mere seconds, insta-gibbed before they even knew what hit them. This was it. Perfection. And yet, fate had other plans. In my exhilaration, I had completely forgotten the cruel price of victory. Without the right gear, the battle with the Kraken demanded a sacrifice. And so, The Hammer, in all their glory, was swallowed by the abyss, sinking into the depths with Abydon’s Hammer clutched in their grasp. The shortest-lived hero. Gone in an instant. Farewell, The Hammer. Farewell, Abydon’s Hammer. (The End)

Any suggestions for best shield options for monk for fist + shield? Badgradr's Barricade? Sura's Supper Plate?

Yep, I just completed his quest and he became Anitlei. Spoiler Warning:

Lol, I know Grieving Mother is veiling who she is, but after dozens of fights where she is blasting the crap out of enemies with her abilities, I figured the party would realise she is a cipher rather than some strange lady just following us around. And then Eder made me realise that its literally only me that can see her, when he says when we ask Grieving Mother to help with his quest: "Look I appreciate the initiative, but I don't think there is much chance that this nice stranger lady happens to be a cipher." Did he not wonder at the psychic howls and occasional disintegrations of enemies.

Thanks Chaosspread for the list of vendors. Managed to get a healthy supply for now. With regard to Monk, I agree with both you and Boeroer. I've been using Zahua, spec'd as tank, and at least at this stage in Pillars, he feels like a better tank than Eder with more disables per encounter. The only thing I'm disappointed about is that there hasn't been much story/dialogue engagement from him. That said, I haven't yet finished WM so maybe there will be more before I finish.

Hi folks. My POTD run is now into Whitemarch (currently level 11). One issue I am having is that I'm struggling to upgrade some of my gear to exceptional as I've not found many Vithrack Brains or Rubies. Is there a good vendor to buy these from or place to farm them? Also, to mix things up a bit, I'm thinking of taking Zahua into the party whilst in WM as I've never used him before. Do you think in Pillars 1 a Monk can be a decent tank? He has decent Con and Res, and I was thinking with Stunning Blow, Duality, Iron Wheel, veteran's recovery and hold the line, he could probably be okay in this role. Maybe Weapon and Shield style as well and have him use a shield. I've used a multiclass Monk in Deadfire but never played a monk in Pillars 1, or a single-class monk in either, so I'm not sure how strong it will.

Replying to Boeroer: Skald does look interesting. I do enjoy fantasy that blends with Lovecraftian horror, though one has to be in the mood for it. Can be a bit depressing to get attached to characters that you know will probably end up going totally insane and/or being doomed. Replying to thelee: I do find Pillars 1 and Deadfire to be very re-playable in a way that somehow BG3 hasn't (for me) replicated. I think I prefer the RTWP style combat in Pillars/Deadfire to BG3, and I also prefer the dual-classing in Deadfire to the multi-classing in BG3 (mathematically more options in BG3, but I find the strongest builds in BG3 tend to be most levels in one class with a shallow dip into one or two other classes, whereas I enjoy the more balanced dual-classing in Deadfire). With BG3 I tend to end up running 4 quite similar builds to the previous runs (albeit I might have changed which companion is the fighter or the bard or whatever this time compared to last time). If I'm going to play BG3 again I really will need to start using modded classes I think. But the actual characters in BG3 are very engaging (watching the interactions in BG3 is a bit like watching a movie). I have bought Avowed, but my progress is slow. Its nice to see Eora from a first person perspective, and to see some new post-Deadfire lore, and I enjoy the combat a lot (dual-wielding pistols with magic feels good), but its not the same as Pillars 1 and Deadfire. I'm sure I'll complete it but I don't think it will be one that I return to repeatedly. That said, even if Pillars 3 is a pipe dream, I would enjoy seeing the world of Eora expanded in other formats. Family D&D sounds great. I'm a bit envious. I miss the old days of playing D&D but I don't know anyone near me that still plays any tabletop RPGs anymore.

Hi folks. As someone who returns to Eora every couple of years for another run of Pillars of Eternity or Deadfire (having completed both games and their DLCs multiple times), I find myself once again deep in another PoE 1 playthrough. I'm not yet a Pillars veteran like a lot of posters here, but I'm an enthusiast of Eora and the genre generally. My curiosity led me to wonder what other fans, especially long-time veterans, are playing these days. In particular, I’m interested in games that share similarities with Pillars in terms of lore, gameplay, or both, as these are the aspects that keep drawing me back to these titles. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed a variety of CRPGs, including the original Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale games, the two Pathfinder titles, and several turn-based RPGs like BG3. While many of these have been great experiences, the two Pillars games remain the only ones I return to for just one more run. So, I’d love to hear from others: what are you playing now or recently? What games do you consider spiritually or mechanically similar to PoE 1 and Deadfire?

Hi Boeroer. In previous post you said: "Against high DR foes it's not a bad idea to bring a backup pistol (same weapon focus)." Been thinking about this a bit for ranged cipher. My issue with blunderbuss and pistol is that (a) once fired they both take a long time to reload, and (b) I like to have to have my characters carrying 2 weapons covering at least 2 or 3 damage types (e.g. war bow and wand), and blunderbuss isn't so great if there aren't any obvious targets with low DR in the fight. I could take the talent that gives me an extra weapon slot so I could get blunderbuss, pistol and something else, I guess. I'm not sure. At level 9 (my level at moment), cipher only has 4 talents, and 2 of those go on draining and biting whip, which doesn't leave a lot of spare talents for this kind of building. ... I guess my question is, what talents would you go for on a cipher using a blunderbuss?