Nakia

Thanks, Sylph_14, you said what I wanted to say. Eder is the man or woman next door who is a good neighbor, the stranger willing to take a moment to help someone, the person you want around when you get news that a person dear to you has died. The ordinary person who lights the way and makes life worth living. PS: Whoever wrote Eder's part is brilliant because they understood that being ordinary is a very extraordinary thing.

I agree with you. This does seem like an oversight and a missed opportunity to make a minor quest a little more interesting and valid.

I wish I was better at expressing myself because I think Eder the best written companion in the game. A simple man not an intellect like Kana. He is a solid man not having inner conflicts like Aloth, not filled with anger like Durance. He has a sense of humour and can enjoy the common, simple things, soft fur of the fox, curly tail of a pig. He is the man I want at my side whether it be a tough fight or just a stroll in the park. He recognizes his own flaws, has become rather skeptical of the motives of others partly I think because he does recognize his own flaws. In one dialogue exchange you ask why he still worships Eothas and his answer basically is "because I believe in what he taught". It is the belief that is important, the rightness of those beliefs, the hope they can give the individual. He has the strength of his own convictions without needing to force them on other people. I think he is the opposite of Theos. He believes that people have the ability to be better, yes they need guidance but not force. Our strength, our redemption lies within us not with some exterior diety that demands our unquestioning worship. I have had the joy of knowing people like him in real life.

Really? I wonder what game I have been playing.

I can play many hours if I like a game and it allows me to create different types of characters. But I may only play the game through a few times. PoE does have diversity in dialogue choices and how you do some of the quests which helps. There are also several factions some of whom are exclusive so there is a little variety there. I will also set a game aside and play other game then return to it if there is an expansion or mods that add interest to the game. There will be an expansion to PoE and I suggest setting the game aside for now. When the expansion is released you can decide if it is worth your buying and playing.

Please remove.

You are right, abaris, I shouldn't say that Easy difficulty is easy. My first little game after installation was to try out Easy Difficulty with all the hints and the in-game tutorial. I played through part of Act I. I do think that for a new player it is a good learning process. You can disabled options if you find you don't need them and has you learn the tactics you can increase the difficulty if you want to. Not sure what to say about auto pause. I only use it for for seeing enemies and hidden objects. Other wise it drives me crazy. My own rather strong opinion of the game is that to get the most out of it you need to take your time, don't rush through it. Read, read, read. Pay attention to the dialogue the devs have used it to give you hints about what you should be doing. Take the time to check your character sheets. Bonuses on equipped items often won't tack and even are suppressed if duplicated. When I run across one of those unique items I take the time to check who can actually benefit from it. Since this a no spoiler forum I am trying to avoid out right spoilers but I wonder how many people are taking advantage of the Prologue where you enter the ruins and actually exploring those instead of rushing through them.

Is there some reason you are not using the pre-made companions you can pick up in Gilded Vale, Aloth a wizard and Eder a fighter? Eder is your defensive fighter and should be built to absorb hits. Then use the Paladin for offense. Aloth is pretty weak IMO to start so keep him ranged with wand or scepter. You can also pick up Durance a priest fairly early. Make sure he has mechanics skill. Playing on easy should be easy for most encounters. Use stealth to avoid encounters in the wilderness if you are having problems there. My Act I party usually consists of my PC, Eder, Aloth, either a rogue, fighter. barbarian or monk and then Durance. I give Eder and/or my fighter most of the endurance raising potions which last a short time. The above is my style of play others may be able to give you more and better advice.

I do not remember r the companions in BG I as being that memorable. The ones I do remember where ones that continued in BG II. I think it unfair to compare the companions in PoE to companions in BG II a sequel to BG I.

It's certainly a factor in the glorious gestalt that has me rolling on the floor whenever I watch it, but I wouldn't give it undue weight. I usually use DA: O as an example of what I mean by teen-dark, but I have started to wonder if maybe I have not been giving Bioware enough credit, that maybe they intended it to be hilarious.... Bioware may have a sense of humour but somehow I doubt that EA does.

Yeah, I had that Korgrak comment, but not the kitchen one. I assume, you mean restoring the hearth. Yes, to me it is a kitchen and hearth refers to the fireplace in it. Actually he likes the hearth. He has some cute comments about a few things.

I do not understand how "Currently unpaid" actually affects the game in any way except to be a bit confusing at first.

Well the Orlan shopkeeper gives Korgrak the Ogre something to comment on. He also likes it when you upgrade the kitchen although how he manages to use it I have never figured out.

We each have our likes and dislikes and are free to make suggestions. The final decision is up to the developers. I would like to see Vendor updates. As for Detect Evil spell I would not want it. I like that evil in this game is not black and white but grey. For me it adds to the role play and the replay-ability. The game raises questions and I really like that aspect. As for the difficulty of the fights the game provides options for making the combat more difficult. With all the variety of players we need variety in difficulty or some will simply become frustrated and give up or others will become bored and give up. IMO the game does provide variety. Knock spell I see no real need for but am not against it either. Don't care one way or another. The Stronghold has it usefulness but could use some improvement. I like having it.

Since you posted "Game play for a beginner" I would like to ask a couple of questions. 1) what difficulty mode are you using? 2) What class are you playing? 3) How many party members do you have? I ask these because I have noticed a tendency Of people new to PoE to assume that because they have experience with modern games they can play the game game on hard or even PotD right from the start. PoE is a game where strategy is important, where there is a lot of reading. There are a lot of in-game hints and advice available. The more information we have the more we can help you. PS: Make sure you point some points in athletics. That increases endurance. I put at least two levels maybe three in every party member. This helps with not only with fighting but cuts down on fatigue from traveling. Food may not increase endurance very much but it has a longer time span than potions so use it before you start the battle.

Also check your quest journal to see if there is any hint there as to where the quest stands.

I bought a few since I never got around playing them when they were new and they're dead cheap anyway. Plan on giving them a try, but didn't get around to do it so far. The graphics got in the way. I really didn't remember how bad they were just some 15 years ago. Fifteen years ago the BG graphics were awesome.

A strong hold on one's sanity is also very necessary when reading and posting on these forums.

@ wanderon. theoretically the upgrades should affect the success or failure of the attacks and also who you hire to defend the Stronghold. However my experience has been that the attacks set to auto resolve cause a lot of damage which cost money to repair or replace. This forces you to return if you want to actually defend the Stronghold. Since the attacks seem to be triggered when you leave the Stronghold this can get very annoying. That is my experience anyway.

I voted "just right" because to me PoE deals with the human element. It is the dark side of human nature that rules in PoE. Your PC is not god born, not the essence of some god or some "Dragonborn" creature. You aren't out to save the world but to save yourself and maybe help others along the way if you wish. The antagonist Theos is humanoid actually doing what he feels is right. The story leaves me with many more questions than it answers which is fine with me.

I agree with abaris. Especially about the secret spots I always feel a bit let down when I find fruit or a useless helm instead of something I can use or at least sell for a decent amount. Boots seem oddly lacking in the game to me. I find robes of minor protection or amulets but usually only at most two boots. Robes and amulets take the same equip slot so I have to decide which to use and which to sell. There are a few more gloves but with the suppressed design sometimes it takes me a while to see if a party member can use them to advantage. Those gloves of manipulation are really useful but I have found them only once after quite a few start games. Boots os speed always give me a chuckle because they remind me of the Blinding boots of speed in Morrowind.

I think there is an element of nostalgia. The IE games broke ground and established a standard that I believe was lost when cRPG games became big business. For me there was a sense of mystery in those games, a feeling that your character grew, learned and was seeking to learn about his/herself. The story was important and the actions of the PC were important. I also loved the companions in those games. I played those games plus Arcanum and Fallout NV and loved them. When I heard that Obsidian was starting a Kickstarter to make a game in the spirit of those older games I rushed over to make a pledge. I was hoping for a game with a good story, with choices that mattered, with some of that mystery and self exploration. Obsidian has made a game I love and I look forward to the expansions and sequel. Obsidian took on a challenge and I think has done a great job with a limited budget.

Not a problem: Also, AI doesn't distinguish fleeing and luring. Higlite mine. If the AI could distinguish between fleeing and luring then it should also be smart enough to stop the enemy from responding to a lure tactic. At least the enemy should proceed with caution. How smart should the enemy AI be? If it is so smart that a player on hard or PotD cannot win won't people get frustrated and complain about that? Would they be justified? I think so. A game should be fun for as many people as possible. If you have fun playing on easy that is what you should do. If you want a challenge and want to play PotD, solo or Iron Man you should be able to do that. I do not think any player should be made to feel they need to apologize for the way they play their game.

George S. Patton said: If the combat system, the AI is flawed or poorly designed it is up to the developers to fix it. The individual player works within the rule set of the game. We can courteously ask for changes or make suggestions and it is also possible to be courteous to other players and posters. Could someone explain to me what is wrong with this scenario? A player playing PotD is faced with a room full of twenty or more enemies. He has a party of six and the ability to lure the enemies to a choke point. He wins the battle using the strategy provided in the game. If he had simply walked into the room he would have been quickly surrounded by the foe and his party wiped out. Why should he be forced to stop playing on PotD so he can reset his difficulty level to normal or easy? What he is doing is making the best possible use of the strategy provided by the developers. He is not cheating and in my opinion is doing what he should be doing, winning.

Me too I'd like to know.