Abel

I do not have time to read the second half of this thread. So, i'll post this link, which will explain to you how to increase xp needed for lvl up throughout the game without using IE mod. http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/84356-too-fast-leveling/ This is just about editing a file with hexa, all is explained in the link. If you are a bit of a completionist, you should try 30 or 35% xp increase. This will prevent you from reaching max lvl way before the end of the game, and playing the game with lower levels should provide some more challenge. The change is retroactive, which means you'll need quite some time to reach your lvl 11. Hope this will be helpful. Good game.

I only played DA:O, and not the 2 sequels. I read a lot (for hours and hours) about these sequels, looked at videos, read countless players opinions on metacritic, and i guess it was enough to grasp roughly what these games were like. Let's bring a point though: DAI sold many copies, but have you taken a look at the metactric players score for DA 2 and DAI? I did. And when Loren suggests that commercial success is not a solid indicator of quality, i feel he's right, because these low scores tend to prove his assumption. I've seen much about the DAI story and sidequests (through dozens of long players critics, and some videos). While some would argue that the (short) main plot is ok, the game seems to be filled with nonsensical grinding. Many feel it disrupts the story and it's just fillers to artificially increase the game lenght. So, it's no surprise that you played 153h to finish the game. If for you, it was solid RPG, then, there are things i don't understand. How can someone who played RPGs with so many written quests as BG can feel MMO quests fully statisfying? I don't pass judement, i'm wondering in earnest. Maybe you are a player that considers RPGs as a way to relax yourself at times, something like sitting before the TV. And thus, you need a no brainer, easy game, that barely need you to "click to win". It's probably not a bad way to consider games. But if it's the case, PoE is definitely not for you. Because even the side stories, the main plot will need you to be invested, to think things thoroughly, and to ponder many details. PoE is definitely not a no brainer game (though not to the extent of Planescape). And that is precisely what the guys who backed it liked. Pillars does not just tell you a story through dialogues. It tries to make you concerned about plot and side quests. And thus, it needs efforts to play through them. When you say that you expected more work on the NPCs, i guess you mean "i expected them to be fully automatized through AI and to follow my character mindlessly even in the bathrooms". Well, PoE is not this kind of game. The fact that you need to handle more than one character in combat is not because of a lack of work. It's a design choice, since the very start. I still don't understand how you did not expect that. PoE exists because there are people who are fed up with mindless RPG like Skyrim or DA. It's obvious you would not find in PoE the same things than in DAI. We are not mocking you. We are not saying that your tastes are wrong (even though i despise games like DAI or Fallout 4 more than i could ever say). Because tastes are personal matters, and they don't result of some boring, well grounded mathematical formulae. We are merely pointing out that the things you said in your last posts are irrelevant. And even i, will agree with some things Loren said. It's worth pointing this out, because it's really a rare occasion lol.

For what it's worth, I think the OP's point has some merit. Of course it's subjective and others prefer the less-epic world of Eora and PoE, but I have to be honest and say that I felt the loot to be a bit underwhelming and "samey-samey". Some of that can perhaps be applied to spells too, though I didn't really miss the "epicness" in that part of the game. The world itself I liked, and look forward to how we can explore it further in PoE2, probably in a different region. But after killing so many nasty things in PoE, I did miss some more "oomph" from the weapons and other loot we came across. It may not be a universal complaint, but I've seen it often enough for it to hopefully register at Obsidian HQ. (It should be mentioned, however, that I haven't bought WM yet, so whatever the developers introduced there, I haven't seen yet.) WM introduces some really powerful stuff. To me, it's even a bit too overpowered at times. But, for some reason that i can't clearly identify, even though these items are really powerful, i don't feel they are epic. Don't know, maybe it's all about the way you get them? Having Saint Ydwen's Redeemer as loot on a mercenary is not exactly the same thing as having the holy sword as loot after killing Firkraag, and the same can be said with the ring dropped by Kangaax, or the staff dropped by the wizard in the lich area in Atkathla. I'm a bit disappointed, too, that PoE lacks a cliché i love: the fact that you can make yourself an armor with dragon's scales. When killing dragons, you get meat... sigh.

I don't feel players "have" to go back to get some rest or buy camping supplies. Players who do this all the time, and complain about "having" to do this should either drop the difficulty level or build better strategies that does not require to unleash lvl 1589234 spells on 3 goblins. If they don't, they should not complain about the consequences of their own choices. If they try to cheat the system and complain it's boring to do so, they should just stop doing it. As demeisen said, it's not meant to be a hindrance, but limited resources should be handled carefully, be it camping supplies or spells. I'm definitely with demeisen in everything he said up to now.

Pillars was designed to not be "epic". This was one of the requested things when Justin Bell composed the music. It's a universe that has a more human being dimension, not a godly/héroic one. It's more intimate, imho, because the whole watcher thing is about something threatening, scary, for the MC. I still think that Pillars 1 is more "epic" that BG1. Actually, i would say that i feel there are too many dragons in the game. This make dragons a bit too casual opponents at times. I think that if there is to be some epicness in the watcher's saga this must come later, step by step. When Obs started developing Pillars, i read somewhere that they thought of creating a real saga, if everything went well. I still hope the 2nd game will be a sequel to the first, with the same MC. And if that's the case, there is plenty of time to raise the stakes all along the whole story. I quite like this more mortal focused scale in Pillars 1. This helps as... well... to me this helps to "feel" my character. And the sequel could bring the stakes to another level. I know that Obs can do it right.

I think i somehow understand your dilemma, although, it's probably nothing rational. I'm halfway through the game and i already spent 200H on my playthrough :D. I tended to reload for the exact same reasons, too, and have the same kind of problems picking attributes in Pillars. I bet you were, too, the kind of guy to roll dozens of times in Baldur's Gate in order to have the kind of attribute distribution you talk about. In BG, you had a spark of divinity, so it could make sense to have a character with 90+ attribute points. In some regards the fact that your character in Pillars, and all NPCs seem to have the exact same number of attribute points tend to show that nobody is "special", not even your MC. I think there is a Eternity trainer to edit savegames. I'm not sure how it works, or if it works with 3.03. Never tried it. If you're into roleplay, maybe you can try something like a female character, orlan, or elf. This would be a good excuse to drop a bit Might and con, and to raise int, per, or dex. This is the kind of things i do, at least, playing in hard. The only other workaround i can think of is, indeed, using the console. Though, i would probably warn against a first playthrough in PotD. Unless you use the console and want to ''punish'' you for doing so (because, even with 4 more attribute points, the difference in your MC's power won't be this impressive). I guess PotD is probably for peple who are used to the game by now. Anyway, i don"t think there is a ideal workaround. Good luck

Don't worry, i understood your whole point the first time . And i'm not trying to say your way to play is bad. I'm just saying that Pillars is much like Baldur's Gate, Planescape Torment and the other games Boeroer lists, and that their design goals regarding combat are mostly the same. Furthermore, you can definitely build Durance to be proficient in battle with his staff. Though, story-wise, i'm not sure it will necessarily be the most relevant for him. This staff has a special story and Magran has her own prefered weapons. I'm roleplaying in Pillars like i almost never did in a solo RPG. There are many things in the story, side quests, or universe that echo deeply within my character. And actually, the combats are one of these many things. Because they are sometimes hard and she feels her life only hangs to one thin thread (fear), because she has to deal with undeads (walking corpses!) (fear), because she gets sick when looking at the light disappearing in the eyes of people she had no other choices but to kill (fear, disgust, feeling guilty for taking the life of another kith), and because she is fighting alongside her companions (the ropes that prevent her from turning crazy), with whom she has weaved bounds. While i see your point regarding the need to look your companions be independent all the time, as if they had their very own life, i much rather microing them to perform various actions in combat that make sense, rather than just looking at them spaming the same suboptimal patterns all the time. Because they are not bots, and because doing so make them look like an actual party of people rather than an addition of stereotyped scripts. I did not try the AI in recent RPGs, but i quite disliked them back in DAO days. My point is that in a RPG, strategy and roleplay are not mutually exclusive. So, if there is one thing i don't understand about your post, it is the Total War reference. And the reason why i bring this point is that i feel like, for some reason, you began to feel that combat is frustrating in some way, and want to seperate the 2 aspects of the game (i feel there is no way you did not know that Pillars was somewhat like BG, since the game was always advertised like a spiritual successor). You can't really take one aspect and not the other in Pillars. That's why i suggested you to try story mode while using the scripted AI. Pillars has not the greatest story in history (though i feel like it's still really good), but the ambiance, the universe, the feel you get from the aesthetics, everything is great. If you like roleplaying, it would be a shame to miss this game. You should try Story mode + AI. But, if Story mode + AI can't bring you to bear the party based combat system, and you rather not play solo, then, sadly, i would probably conclude the same thing as Boeroer and Loren... Play another game. Don't play Torment Numenara, Wasteland 2, Divinity OS, Tyrany or Pillars 2.

I guess that you need to provide some more infos if you look for someone's help. I won't be able to help, but some in these forums are more skilfull than i am. But they will need more details about what happened, in the same fashion OP provided them. If the only thing you say is "i crashed", i don't think this will help to figure things out.

The fact that you need to control the six party members is, imho, the core of the combat in Pillars. It allows rewarding strategies, once the combined actions of all six members lead to a result you planned ahead yourself (be it with microing of finely tuned AI settings you set beforehand). This kind of microing make for a really deep, and fun game experience, and that is exactly what the backers of the game wanted and could not find anymore in the game industry. Personaly, i would never invest even one hour in things like the late DA, because it's utterly dull (for me at least). Plus, microing in combat your party members has nothing to do with roleplay. It's all about strategy. It may need some time to get used to this system and understand why there are players who longed for such a game, but after having extensively tried it, if you still feel that it's still not your thing (even with the help of the AI Ben told you about), i'm afraid you'll miss the whole point of the strategic aspect of the game. Pillars, in this regard, is really like Baldur's Gate. If combats in Pillars or Baldur's gate are rewarding once you get used to it, it is definitely not a "click to win game". In conclusion, if you are not into that combat aspect of things, and you can't find a way to overcome this with the limited AI settings, then, i guess the best choice may be to use the story time mode.

I very much like your post. All these are things i can understand, and i guess you're right (though, who said having a personality is needed to be loved? while i look around me in real life, i tend to have some doubts it's needed lol. Ok, let's put the trolls aside :D). Didn't play Alpha Protocol, but at least, i see your point. And in Pillars... It's true that you can play the kind that is unapprochable, because of said nightmares, because you're on the run, and because you have plenty of things to think about and no time for love. But i tend to think that there are things that come at the most unexpected moments, disregarding the fact that you may be unprepared. And i think that love, in its essence, is not necessarily rational. Don't know, maybe the fact that you're struggling with nightmares, your fears, your destiny, the fact that it looks like you're done for if you don't find the guys who awakened you, but still going forward regardless of all these things, could be one of the possible reasons why someone who is by your side all the time (one companion) comes to be touched by your character's predicament. And that could be the start of something. It's just one possible pattern. One where your character is not left alone while he would have been tempted to isolate himself. And obviously, this one pattern could probably not work if it were designed as just a "one shot side quest". It needs to be developped all along the main story, somewhat like Durance side quest is using dialogue (and definitely not like Caroc's one). And this should take months (in game time) to complete. At least, i can definitely see the kind of roleplay value this kind of thing could bring to my character development. Although it's true that if you play the fearless kind of character, this one pattern i talk about may not work either, and this is where the difficulties start while designing such a thing. I think romances tend to be bland because thay have to work with whatever roleplay the player have. And as such, it's easier to start from the companion, who have defined personality and may have this or this problem. It was the case in BG. And it felt weird, while you should hurry to go save Imoen that you could take your time to listen Aerie's complaints all the time. Well... nobody said it's an easy thing to design. Designing such plot romance would indeed take time. But i feel that people saying "it's not worth it spending resources for it" basically say "Since i would rather have several more traditional side quests, and because i'm not interested in romance stuff, i wouldn't want this romance stuff to deprive me of these side quests". While i definitely can't say they are wrong, i feel this is highly subjective. Because while it's true some resources are needed for both, in the end, it's a matter of taste. And in these times, i guess the majority wins ^^.

Yep, they are not related in the least. That's what the "mature themes" i spoke are all about. It's more of a "teeneger content" to me.

I see your point and i will definitely agree with you Yep, that's why i said lvl 6/8. I guess leveling further before starting over would indeed spoil a bit too much Defiance Bay. Leveling is fast. maybe a bit too much. Lvl 6 is not this big a deal to reach actually. I agree with you that it may be usefull to do so, since there is a learning curve in the game. I started over twice too. II feel like not starting over is hard, and thus, i understand quite well why our beloved noob is struggling to figure things out beforehand. EDIT: @Slack83er don't forget to give us your impression about the game once you're getting started . We (or, at least, me) are curious now . Anyway, have fun.

@Climhazzard; Your post makes sense. It's basically what i said earlier . Trying whatever class as a first game test, getting the few first companions, all this helps learning the basics. And once you've learnt enough to get the gist of things, it's time to ditch your first playthrough (once you are, let's say, lvl 6 or 8 ) to start over for good. I will add (i like shields, sorry ) that if it's true that heavier shields lower accuracy (small shield -0 ACC, medium shield -4 ACC, tower shield -8 ACC), the weapon+shield style increases dramatically both deflection AND reflexes (since the deflection bonus of the shield is added to reflexes defense). As an example, a medium, exceptionnal shield grants +26 deflection, +26 reflex, -4 accuracy. If i'm mistaken in the numbers (i'm not this much into numbers), please, anyone, correct me . EDIT: Han! Medium shield: (12) + exceptionnal quality (8 ) + weapon/shield style (6) = 26! Thx mister wiki.

I thought for a while and i finally reached the conclusion that i should roleplay it with my priestess using magic to help Sagani with her first aids along the nighttime. Though it should only be first aid. I gave Sagani and Eder Field Triage for the exact reasons you noted . I would want to give it to my character too. Though, it is half satisfying, because it implies i have to explain things i can't explain without having to come up with some far fetched explanation. In this particular case, what what far fetched was that it should have needed more than basic medecine knowledge to solve Sagani's pedicament (very few hp left). Anyway let's leave the debate as it is. Not that it's not interesting, but because i'm the kind to have some instinvtive way to feel things, and i have never been good with rational matters. While some people will understand my reasons for saying things right away, others won't. And it's not because either is dumb. Just because people are different.

I voted for you lol. I guess your topic won't be super popular though. But i'm totally with you on this one. There are people who are not against romances (like me) for the exact reasons you explained. It's true that a well written and well developed romance could bring new opportunities for character development in the roleplay aspect of things. alala... I guess most people were fed up with what Bioware did (am i wrong? at least i were). I disliked most romances in Dragon Age Origins. For some reason it became too systematic, and, probably for the sake of some idea of "no segregation", everyone had to be bi (and it was sex feast at the camp yohou!)... Well one would have been ok. I did not need some fan service, either (the music wrapping these naked bodies by the firecamp.... :s). The one with Allistair could be ok-ish, probably because it involved some possible character development with Alistair, which could impact the main storyline in the end. But if the dev remember that their players have more than 12 years old, i'm sure that they can come up with romances which feel natural, and are inscribed in the story developement, and even the world. With mature stakes for the characters involved (not themes, spare me the mature themes, please). Something that can make characters evolve for really good reasons. I think this option could be a good option. Unless everyone start loving everyone after 1H of gameplay, of course.

I was referring to the paladin, and I play easy. That's the reason for not taking damage. But with the other MCs I use to be punished quite a lot. I've also tried Monk, but prefer paladin. I have two questions though... does flames of devotion work ranged? Because on the wiki it says melee only... and then again... I was curious about a hybrid paladin build... just wanted to know if it's viable... Not a specialist about paladins either, but i'm pretty sure that i could use flames of devotion with an arquebus with Pallegina... Paladins are cool. But there is just one thing i don't like about them as a MC. And this is that there are some abilities they have that can profit only to allies, not themselves. I know for sure it's the case of reinforcing exhortation and Inspiring Triumph (guess it's the name) since i tried them both with Pallegina. But well, one good thing about them is that they can wear Ryona's breastplate while priests or fighters can't, according to the wiki. (Monks can wear it too btw). Don't really know about viability of such a hybrid paladin. I guess it's possible, as with any other classes.

I'm not a monk specialist, but from what i understand, you need at least some understanding of some advanced game mechanics in order to use their abilities at their fullest (though you may have some time to learn before you reach the level where you can pick these abilities). Monks need to be injured in combat in order to be able to use these abilities. And they are better off using their fists or dual wielding. Which ultimately means they may be the most powerfull as half-squishie melee fighters (light or medium armor, no shield). You can use shields or plate armors. But i'm unsure if it's really a good way to use them at their fullest. Others will know better. The advantage he has over the priest is that he has much more health and endurance. But if you can get past the prologue with a monk, then just try monk. The most important is that you have fun. You will be able to pick several companions along the road. It will be a great opportunity to learn the basics of their respective classes. And maybe you will find one that you like better than others. It's all i wish for you.

From what i understood, this abandonned temple is a convenient hidden place for secrecy, where the Leaden Key reunite. They give missions to people without them knowing what is the purpose for it. It's once the 100 persons have accomplished their own mission that the whole Leaden Key plan takes form. Basically, the less everyone know about what are doing others and why they were give such tasks, the lesser the risk their plot is uncovered. The Leaden Key guys have to trust that everything has a greater purpose. So, to me, it's quite obvious that you can't see consequences once you've done your tasks, since they seem to be just a very little part of a plot that was going on maybe for decades. You can kill them and get the same clues at the end of the slaughter. PS: where is this damn 'spoiler' tab?

I was about to say the exact same thing as Boeroer. At this point, my first advice is: don't try to force things. rheingold is right in all he says. Especially when he speaks about the learning curve that even BG veteran will need to experience. If you couldn't get through the prologue with a priest in easy mode, my first advice is: Play a fighter. Get used to the game. And once you're used to it, just trash aside your first playthrough and play the class you like the most. The goal is not to be rebuked by the game. Try the simplier class to understand at first (fighter). It won't be too late to switch later on.

I guess that their good point is that they can fight normally while chanting, thus giving buffs and debuffs passively. Which may be quite strong. But i must admit i still haven't been able to figure a good way to use their potential strenght yet. Not played chanter much. I suppose there are threads somewhere in these forums that could give you some tips.

Be careful with the IA. Either you have to tune it according to your playstyle, or cut it. There are people who use it and tune it. Personally i stop it completely. I like to control my goons so that i can choose everything they do. Don't forget to over use the pause, obviously. Like in BG.

You should have Calisca in the prologue, who is a fighter. And another one later on. If you use Calisca to tank the ennemies, if you flank the ennemies in order to decrease their deflection, concentrate on killing as fast as possible one after another, this should be feasible. But don't worry. The prologue is quite hard. I died too in my playthrough. You probably just need to get used to things. If you're a priest, maybe spells like armor of faith could help. And blessing (for the +5 accuracy). Since you don't have many spells to cast yet, probably these group, long term buffs are the best options at start.

I'm still spending hours doing researchs on the game :D. The start of the game is probably the hardest part i think. Up until Defiance Bay maybe. Which include Gilded Vale (temple of Eothas and Raedric Hold), and liberating Caed Nua. I guess your race is up to you. I don't think that either choice will have enough incidence to change things at the start completely. The start of the game is hard, which is why getting companions soon is important. Wood Elves have a distant advantage, and i suppose it works with offensive spells too (though most priest spells have low range, and distant advantage works for 4m or more, if i remember well). Pale elves have the fire and cold resistances, which are not used this often but can be useful in some occurences, like against drakes (which can be tough opponents at first). Each race has its advantages. Talking about knowledge, since you're playing priest, the affliction mechanics are somewhat core in combat. Understandings of these things may be important. It took me a while and i'm still not completely familiar with all this stuff. But the good thing is if you're playing in normal, a shallow understanding should be enough most of the time. Like in "Ouh! my fighter have 3 bad afflictions, let's suppress them"

I think your stat spread is too uneven, yet unexpecialized. Generaly, it is hard to notice a raise or drop of 2 or 3 points in a stat. For a MC frontliner Priest, I suggest: 15 MIG 10 CON 14 DEX (can't waste half the fight pre-buffing) 10 PER (accuracy is easy to buff with talents and spells) 15 INT 14 RES (at the beginning of White March there is an Ogre boss that drops a ring that gives +3 RES, which is enough for the most relevant and useful RES interaction I've seem: convincing a Dragon to negotiate.) EDIT: but I am glad you liked how your Priest turned out! Yeah, your attribute distribution looks really better than mine. My problem is that i feel like everything is important for a melee priest and i tend to be unable to choose which attributes i should raise :D. And it's true that a few accuracy points (PER) don't matter this much later on. Though, there are quite a lot of dialogue options where you need up to 17 PER to qualify i guess.

What i meant is that i can't find a good way to use them. Like in "i tried but i'm not able to get good results using them". Which is why i said "maybe i play poorly" oO. I thought of shocking grasp, but since there are two jumps, i'm not sure if i should call it a single target spell. For some reason, i thought thrust was a lvl 2 one, and i completely forgot about the kalakoth's grasp. Why have i the impression that the "you can't grasp the usefulness of single-target spells you were previously complaining there weren't enough of in the first place?" relate to something i never said? I have the impression you're implying that i don't see the point of one targeted spells? Is it that? Where did that come from? If you understand what i say in a way that have nothing to do with what i actually want to say, it's either that i can't express myself correctly with english (and my apologies for that), or i'm not the only wall here.