rheingold

I like pretty much all the ranger modals, but it's a waste to get all of them, so it really boils down to vicious aim or swift aim and twinned shots or powder burns. Might be an interesting build though to take as many modals as you can and switch between them as required. Only problem though is the delay before you can activate a replacement once you've turned it off. While twinned arrows is great it comes really late so it's really pointless not picking up a replacement to last you till then. So to summarize swift aim v vicious aim. No clear winner because they are so situational? Swift aim works with melee as well while vicious aim works with scrolls as far as I know... So I guess it's just preference then.

So is there any consensus as to whether vicious aim or swift aim is better? I'm presuming that one would be better for bows and the other for guns? Mainly for dr reasons.

"That's it. Pillars of Eternity is a hot girl that doesn't put out." What? Seriously? Is this for real? I don't suppose you have any conception as to how offensive that comment is. Sadly, it puts the rest of your post into perspective.

Yup - a "3 stooges run" except it would be the "6 stooges". Actually sounds like fun... I will have to think about it myself.

Barbarians are kinda tough to beat as a melee character now, so many builds - and they are pretty much the best trash collector bar none now... (I'd include casters in that assessment now that Hof is per encounter). loads of fun as well. I'd also second chanters, really good all rounders and can be fun to play depending on which chants you use.

Ok, thanks guys

So do shields with bash benefit from dual wielding (the speed bonus) or the sword and shield talent (bonus to deflection and reflex)? Can never remember the correct names....

Love thIs build. Playing it at the mo, not min/maxed of course, but the self healing is insane, even at 5 th level with fulvanos amulet and the survival bonus. Makes an awesome tank. Just a pity about the bugs, I like using loads of invocations....

It's actually a great class... Tanks well, has some crowd control and dps at later levels. Can be micro intensive or not, it's your choice, though it's never going to be as micro intensive as a rogue.... Any race works well enough, really only moon godlike is overpowered, so you can choose whatever you like. I'm partial to boreal dwarves or pale elves myself. Boeroer has got 2 excellent builds chillfog and the drakes ambassador. Regarding stats, you seriously don't have to min/max in this game if you don't want to. That includes POTD. So if you like a build just remember you can use the idea and tweak the stats to your liking. For a chanter I like str 16, Int 16, Res 16 everything else at 10. Gives a large number of dialogue options from high resolve and Int. Bear in mind that chanters are really powerful but very deceptive characters. You only start noticing them at high levels even though they do more than pull their weight at low levels. They are just not flashy before say 9th level or so.

Not sure if the op has tried a chanter? They definitely do not need to be min/maxed and are good from a roleplay point of view if that's his major concern.

Just bear in mind that easy is actually not that easy - unless you mean story time. The middle difficulties are very close to one another. In fact the only difference between easy and hard is the amount and type of creatures you encounter. Their stats are still the same. So, yeah its easier overall, but there can still be some tough fights on easy, mainly the dragon fights - they won't have any adds with them which helps a lot, but the dragons are still painful. At one point when I was really battling against the adra dragon I dropped down to easy.... Darn dragon still kept one shotting my party. Turns out the adds were not the problem

Ummm... somehow "the empire strikes again" doesn't have the same ring...

Or you could, I dunno just pick up Eder

As raven says Paladins are not micro intensive and tough... You could also try a chanter.., they make pretty good tanks, and excellent role playing characters like Paladins if that's what interests you. Bear in mind though the beginning of the game is the toughest (barring certain high level fights) in particularly if you are new to the game.... There is a learning curve even if you come from baldurs gate etc.

Monk or paladin are good choices. Paladin also has more of a role playing element to it with the orders. It's also difficult to make a mistake building, the talents tend to be obvious. Only potential issue is its more of a support character like a chanter (another excellent option). Monk is pretty much the opposite, and very micro intensive. But loads of fun. It's by far my favourite melee class to play. Check the builds section out, there are some good ones there. For monks, the juggernaut is simple but rather brutally effective. Just make sure you have torments reach and force of anguish, high strength and constitution (17+) everything else can be left at 10. Except Int should get a couple of points. Dual wield talent and you are good to go. Bear in mind you don't have to follow a build exactly to benefit from it. Even on POTD, you don't have to min/max.

Overwhelming wave is by far the best opener I've found. It's great fun and turns tough fights into cake walks, as long as you don't hit your own characters....

You'd also have to specifiy what role the character is supposed to play. With few exceptions most classes can't do everything. The only classes who can do everything - dps and crowd control really well are wizards and druids. But neither of them are awesome tanks. Obviously a chanter at high level can add damage. But overall the classes tend to specialize into dps, support, crowd control and tanking roles and can't really match a specialist in a particular area. So it really depends what you mean by power? I reckon as an alrounder type character though, a monk has got to be tops. Tanks, dps with some crowd control. That of course does not make it the most powerful character unless you define power as allround ability.

Hmm. I certainly don't think Hof 1/encounter is unbalanced. It seems right at the moment.... I mean when you look at what other classes like mages, priests and Druids can do it is most definitely not overpowered. Seems like barbs are pretty good now, which is awesome for me... Haven't played seriously in a while but hoping to start soon with a barb main.

Ha! Beautifully done, though it may have gone over a few heads though. You guys have done a great job since release.

Relax guys, really... the idea that the game is broken is simply absurd. There are issues, just like every game which is released. Really try and keep some perspective. As for this being the last patch I doubt it, wait for some official confirmation on the forums. Pillars is actually in pretty good shape...

mmmm for most classes it's pretty easy to get decent dex - around 14 and above. I just really struggle with barbarians stat spreads. They are like the good old d&d paladins in that they are mad dependent. Sadly dex is normally left at around 10 for them with me - I don't really min/max so I wouldn't drop it further. To be honest from a practical point of view using a monk and barb both with 10 dex and dual wielding they seem to do just fine dps wise. And that's without 0 recovery as I haven't got durgan steel yet. Not sure if you go one handed or two handed.

Yes, but now the patch is here, what are we going to complain about? Thanks devs! Now we gotta find other entertainment

Derailing this thread further, and adding to what the good doc said about pvp. I'd imagine rogues with their invisibility would be nigh unbeatable. Cast that the moment combat starts and then a couple of full attacks with blinding/withering strike and it would be game over. But yeah, the whole pvp thing is useless in pillars. It would come down to who hits first.

I don't know about the hammer but tall grass is super reliable for prone and the reach helps immensely. At high levels it's like having a Mage spam slicken. Only problem is the piercing damage. Regarding the relative strengths and weaknesses of melee classes it's actually difficult to debate mainly because the classes are set up as specialists. For example a paladin is a great tank and support character. But they are pretty useless dps wise. Does that make them a worthless class? Rogues are great for single target dps, they don't do much else. I'd say monk is probably the best all rounder if that's what's needed. Followed by ranger. Every other class melee class just doesn't multi task that well. Though the great thing about pillars is if you want to build a dps paladin you can. It just won't be the most effective character you could build. That goes with all the classes including barb. Regarding them only being useful against trash mobs which are easy to beat anyway, I have found there are many tough fights with a couple of powerful bosses who are surrounded by mobs. Having a barb who can deal effectively with the mobs makes the fights really easy.

A rogue will take out a barb in pvp? Really? I should hope so, there would be something radically wrong if that was not the case. The entire point of a rogue is single target dps, just as the entire point of a barb is aoe damage. They are specifically designed at opposite ends of the spectrum. Rogues and barbs are good at what they where designed for, they don't work if you make them try and do the others job. May as well complain that rogues are terrible because they can't deal with mobs....