Thuringwethil

I would've liked an option to place pets in the stronghold and see them enjoying the place when not part of the party. It seems a lot of people think the keep needs a bit more life around as it's built up, and piglets rolling in the dirt or cats evading dogs to find places to curl up and sleep in Brighthollow could be a step in that direction.

One can do the first quest for any/all factions and gain access to that faction's merchant without officially siding with that faction, I think, though I'm only sure of that in the case of the Dozens merchant (I went Doemenel on my first run, and Crucible on my second.)

Hiravias is short, but his banter makes clear he's up for anything, and probably anyone - though I suspect even he'd avoid Durance, who for all his talk of whores was probably rendered impotent by the pox anyway.

I think that if Hiravias is in the party with you and Sagani when you finally find Persoq that he may egg Sagani on until she starts a fight with the Fangs even if you ask her to avoid bloodshed... or maybe he's only that mouthy if you've been encouraging him back toward his original patron. (I don't remember if I had him in my party at that time in the playthrough where I encouraged him toward his more contemplative path.)

If you cleared out the lighthouse for its new owner before the Defiance Bay riots, it's in the process of reconstruction when you return - the lowest level is a tavern but no rooms for rent because the construction crew is still working on the upper floors. No significant content, but a nice touch.

13 seems to trigger a fair number of Perception and Resolve checks (though not all, of course) and can be achieved on your current character once you've acquired a few stat-boosting items. Don't be ashamed to switch to different item sets for combat vs. dialogue situations - in a single-player game it's your fun that matters and you shouldn't have to nuke your character to start over, especially since as you point out the Cipher seems a useful class on the whole. I made a Cipher for my own current playthrough and frequently stand just behind the tougher front-liners with a pike, which isn't deal for all the Cipher's abilities but does allow one to let off a fair bit of mind-magic and then recharge Focus by poking nice bloody wounds (I the pike Tall Grass) in whoever Eder and Co. are holding off. Or if you find the Cipher still squishes too much, you should be able to get by with the missile weapon of your choice even without having so many abilities invested in it. Don't give up hope yet!

The + sign can be hard to see on some of the character portraits. I had a similar problem spotting it to level my PC.

Anyone playing a Godlike's going to have to resort to brute force, if the nonviolent option depends on wearing a hood.

I appreciate the Boo tribute, but couldn't leave the poor loyal Black Hound to pine for a person who abandoned a good dog. I grew up with rescued dogs, currently live with two great cats from a shelter, and hope those who are able consider adopting animals in RL need.

I wanted someone who'd be unlike any of the companions I'll be recruiting along the way. So here I am as a Fire Godlike monk. The racial ability's handy when fights get tough, and she looks flaming awesome.

I'm glad to hear you sought treatment and that the doctor sounds willing to consider the possibility that it might not go away in a few days and may well be serious if it remains or gets worse. I received some needed medical treatment myself today; here's hoping we're all healthy and fit to play PoE when it's available to us!

I rarely use familiars in other games that have offered them as an option for wizards for exactly this reason. I find the penalty to the wizard to be a liability that nearly always outweighs any benefit the familiar brings. The 'nearly' is for games/situations in which the familiar can physically hide to avoid the risks of combat yet remain close enough to grant benefits to its wizard; I specify physical hiding because every protection spell cast on a familiar is magic the wizard would otherwise be able to use to another purpose.

I don't have time to properly care for a dog right now, but I grew up with a few, including a Beagle/Dachshund mix who was perfectly sweet to humans and a perfect terror to raccoons... none of which ever looked behind to see the tiny weinerbeagle chasing them up trees and/or out of the yard. I haven't scanned any of the few old photos of that dear old dog, so here's someone else's happy 'hund:

Garage/yard sales are the square root of the original problem. Yeah, what you'll find is completely random, but it might be quite interesting vintage stuff and it's almost certain to be cheap.

You could play a (non-Death) Godlike.