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Hi All! I haven’t seen much in the way of Spiritualist builds, so I hope this spurs some fresh discussion. This is my first posted build. I have been playing with this build on Veteran and am about halfway through. I have so far found it very fun to play, although it does take a bit of micro. I suspect I could use the AI to run a few things, but paying attention to targeting and tactical placement are still important. If anyone would like to go where I fear and run this on PotD and/or solo please let me know how it goes! Here is my character build detail for the Siren. I hope you all like it. Build Name Siren Subclass(es): Beckoner/Beguiler (Spiritualist) Description: The Siren is about control, both of your enemies and of some summons. She also has a good amount of debuff with most of her abilities focused on the mind and deception tags. She prefers short ranged combat using the blunderbuss as her main source of damage. She tries to remain as central to her teammates and summons to maximize her chant and other AOE abilities. Her intellect allows her control and debuff capabilities extended duration and maximizes the area of effect of them. Her dexterous nature allows her to utilize her talents at a frightening speed. Author: Toadbat Game version: 2.0 Difficulty: Veteran (I am a wimp, this build might be able to go higher) Solo: Untested Companion: No companion or sidekick fit’s this class build. Race: Moon Godlike (I chose this for some additional staying power, but any race will work.) Culture: Old Vailia (for the increased intelligence) Background: Artist (This is open to change based on your desired skill choices) Attribute Adjusted Incl/BB Might 8 10 Constitution 8 10 Dexterity 18 20 (Godlike) Perception 18 20 Intelligence 20 22 (Godlike, Old Vailia) Resolve 6 8 Level Proficiency Active Skill Passive Skill Ability 1 Blunderbuss Whispers of Treason 1 Saber If their Bones.../Come, Come Soft Winds… 2 Athletics Survival Lingering Echoes 3 Athletics Metaphysics Eyestrike 4 Dagger Mechanics Insight Draining Whip, At the Sound of His Voice… 5 Stealth Metaphysics Mental Binding 6 Stealth Insight Dual Weapon Style 7 Arcana Metaphysics Secret Horrors, At the Sound of His Voice… 8 Hatchet Mechanics Bluff Ancient Brittle Bones 9 Athletics Insight Combat Focus 10 Arcana Metaphysics And Their Fear Followed…, Body Attornment 11 Mechanics Bluff The Lover Cried out… 12 Pistol Athletics Insight Hammering Thoughts 13 Arcana Metaphysics Borrowed Instinct, Rapid Casting 14 Mechanics Bluff Gernisc's Beast Lit the Night… 15 Athletics Insight Aefyllath Ues Mith Fyr 16 Spear Arcana History The Empty Soul, Quick Summoning 17 Mechanics Bluff Mind Plague 18 Athletics History Spell Resistance 19 Arcana History Yet it's mate…, The Complete Self 20 Mace Mechanics Bluff Echoing Horror I picked what weapon proficiencies made sense to dual wield, so I could improve my reaction time. I maxed perception because this is my trap-finder. As far as skills go, pick what you want. I know a lot more min/max’ing could occur and feel free to discuss that here. Also, please comment and opine on the skill and attribute selections. I am not yet sure that the ones listed below are best in class. I am looking forward to your opinions. -Toadbat Edited for format and some content. Word copy/paste import failed miserably . I will continue to improve. Updated abilities based on comments from Verde and Ophiuchus. Further improved formatting, rewrote some of the content to flow better, corrected chant to Aefyllath Ues Mith Fyr per Ophiuchus (thanks!) Just realized that 2.0 came out a while ago, no changes there affect this build to my knowledge. I have updated the Version above to reflect that.

Hi all, I am a returning player and finally decided to tackle the hardest achievements this game has to offer before moving to Deadfire. I have seen Wodjee's Ultimate run with a rogue and found genuinely cool although I am more inclined of doing it with a cipher. The builds I've found seem to be somewhat out-dated or not suitable for soloing let alone The Ultimate Achievement. So my questions as of now are the following: 1) At the current actual state of the game is it easier to achieve Ultimate with a rogue or a cipher? 2) It'd be very interested in corresponding SOLO(!) TCS/Ultimate build guides. post scriptum: I know there are maybe stronger classes (chanter, druid bla bla) but I want to have consistency with the char I am playing in Deadfire and a rogue or beguiler just seems way more piratey. Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences and any offered advice

Hey guys, in response to the new update v1.20 which gives us access to a mod manager and makes the integration of custom classes easier than ever, I thought it would be a cool idea for the community to make a library of all the class and subclass ideas they have that could be integrated into the game. One of my favorite things about Neverwinter Nights 2 and other crpgs is the sheer amount of classes and subclasses available for us to choose. While Deadfire has added to the number it never hurts to go the extra mile with mods to tailor your experience. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I would like to start off with the Priest of Abydon, a priest focused on defense and uses a variety of transmutation and earth like abilities. Description: Abydon is the god of duty, preservation, hope, progress, aspiration and industy. The patron of balcksmiths, laborers and the Crusible knights, the god inspires excellence in your chosen field and encourages honest work and tenacity. Abydon sacrificed himself to stop a cataclysmic event from wiping out the Entwithan civilization. He rebuilt himself from scraps of his essence and the help of Magran into the Golem, a being made of metal, however the geas that drove him towards preservation was lost. The watcher chose whether to remind him of it or let it remain forgotten. (Favored dispositions: honest and stoic, disfavored dispositions: deceptive and clever) The priest gains spells that correspond to Abydon when they reach a new power level. The Blessings of the white forge: +Deflection bonus when wearing heavy armor and if possible, can enchant normal equipment to highest level but not legendary and add lass to equipment (meant to help early game not replace unique equipment) Spells and Abilities gained: Fan of Flames: Bellows of the forge Firebrand: lose access to spiritual weapons or if these two options are in the realm of possibilities: 1. Spiritual weapon: Warhammer, crushing dmg and 2. Gift of the Forge: add burning lass to currently equiped weapon/s Twin stones: the hammer of Abydon could send shockwaves across the earth Ironskin: known as the god of constructs, Abydon rebuilt himself into a being made of metal Calling the World's Maw Embrace the Earth's Tallon Rusted Armor: Corrode poorly forged armor Unbreakable: Rebuild yourself as Abydon once did, if possible could include Symbol of Abydon: deals crushing damage and provides deflection bonus Citzal's enchanted armory: Fabricate weapons and a breastplate out of thin air, and Incarnate: Summon Steelclad Construct The Golem Reconstructed Edit: Decided to change the disposition to honest and stoic, fit better.

Persitent -1 power level. I have not any way to clear this curse. My last save https://drive.google.com/open?id=1muVBJHyViqaZhf91fhI0OgNVxjN0Tl0r How a can fix this?

This is a thread I will start for peeps to list their experiences playing this class and variations as a single-class and not multi in the current game and should provide a resource of information on it as well as build ideas in the current game and future patches. Quick background: I have decided to play through and with this class on PotD as it was my main in PoE1 and after trying out some multi-class variations of it in the end decided that giving up Time-Parasite and Defensive Mindweb was not worth it for the multiclass. It may have been a premature bad decision but I want to make it "work" and share my stats/ experiences so far and as I progress the game. So far my build has been working smoothly and the current PotD difficulty has not been a challenge *maybe because the PotD in this game is easier than in PoE1. Ok without further ado, here is the concept and stats for the build I am playing: Cipher single ascendant nuker (build description) Race: Wood Elve (+1 Dex/ +1 Perc) Starting Stats: 14 Might/ 5 Con / 19 Dex/ 19 Perc / 18 Int / 3 Resolve reasoning: No half measures, min maxed, pure range and make sure I send in the tank to grab aggro and never be with my glass cipher in the middle of the fight. 5 Con base + buffs from items is enough hp to get through, the low resolve can be somewhat mitigated eventually by +Will perk/talent and food. Dex and Pec (accuracy) are the most important stats now for single-class cipher as you want attack speed and accuracy to keep your focus supplied and building and to speed up casting time. In-game, I will look for items that increase speed/ accuracy to amplify this going forward as that is pretty much what these whole build relies on. Primary weapon of choice: Hunting Bow - consistent and fast, and even faster with the perk for rapid shots. On weaker mobs with rapid shots getting focus maxed (with DrainingWhip perk) takes about 2-3 at most 4 hits so really fast and usually, with the high Dex, the toon is already "ascended" just pew-pewing some weaker mobs from the back lines as my tank is running forward to engage them. At that point, I switch to spamming soul shock if I need aoe or Amplified Thrust on single target (low levels) damage. Whispers of treason on any targets that may be an asset and I want to turn. Later this will be replaced by Amp wave and other juicy powers. -Draining Whip!!! is a must on an ascendant build!!! so reach max focus fast - this is the first perk you absolutely have to take -Secondary weapons: optimal later will be to open with a double blunderbuss or pistol volley and immediately switch to the hunting bow, which is more consistent and reliable. If you stack speed/ go naked it should not hurt too bad to switch but overall I think the Hunting Bow is the most reliable weapon on a single-class build. Dual wield scepters are also there should you need to get away from piercing damage. Other perks I take: Penetrating Visions. Hammering Thoughts (increase on the penetration of your attacks) Endgame: go into the ascended mode under Time-parasite and nuke the field with amplified waves. You'll have 30s in super-speed mode of probably doing insane damage. Notes: given the secondary talents you need to take for spell penetration and maybe the +will talent you don't have slots for cc/debuff cipher spells to this is more a pure striker. Take another toon without to do the cc/ debuffing work specifically built for that. Also the way the advanced party setup works with this build is I need "front-loaded immediate cc" from a different toon for the cipher to have time to get ascended and nuke the field - at least I expect that to be the case on the more challenging pulls in the game. Anyways so far building focus for accended (I am in the second major city, lvl5) has not been hard, was actually pretty easy. I'll be excited to see if that remains so going forward in the mid and high levels as the focus pool increases. Cheers, please post your single class cipher experiences in PoE2 and suggestions!

I'm new to the game but it seems like this may be a problem, shouldn't I still be able to get focus from them? Please correct me if I am wrong.

Overall the patch look like nice, with lot of interesting balance. the new trickster look interesting, but I think the rogue need another balance pass on it's core abilities, ring the bell, whittering strike, positioning & sap. - crippling strike : the +25% dmg feel a lot for a 1 guile cost attack compared to other 2guiles attack. - Ring the bell is great for ranged but feel bad with one handed weapon (the dot is really low & don't stack, don't worth the 2 guiles). Each ring the bell upgrade boost a different weapon type (they don't stack) so why we can't take the 3 upgrades? Perhaps just keep ranged bonus for all weapons and make it your piercing & high dmg ability? - Whithering strike : the 3 cost feel too much. Boost the dmg bonus compared to others attacks? Or make it you main DOT ability as a base. - smoke cloud + dot : the dot is like inexistant. 3dmg / tick at lvl 20 - Positioning & sap : Positionning feel to situational, but the main problem these abilities doesn't feel like PL 6 & 7 abilities. Sap could perhaps worth it if it was merged with the upgrade. If you multiclass you have far better options for confusion or even better charm/domination with cipher. BUG : I loaded a save game with a trickster lvl 20, he didn't get the extra trickster spells. Cipher & Brilliant : a way to boost cipher attraction and pl7 choices, but... Cipher always suffer from spells on allied target only. For a pure cipher that not a problem, but for a multiclass one that don't really fix the problem at all. How cipher generate focus make martial classes a really attractive choice of multiclassing. And with allied target only buff, a cipher is stuck to a support role (for these spells) and can't buff he's second half. PL 7 for an offensive cipher is still 'trash' and not attractive at all. It's a way to nerf brilliant? but you can still take 2 ciphers that buff each other (not necessary fun).

I have started the game as an Inquisitor (Paladin + Cipher) and have never retrained. The only Cipher abilities I can use are the level 1 abilities. Anything beyond that is categorized on my action bar but the abilities themselves won't show up and are not clickable. Clarification: The bug is caused by UI creating categories for abilities while they are only passive abilities, so they show up empty and weird. Savegame, outputlog and dxdiag Thanks.

In Deadfire inspirations don't stack and most classes have access to self buff inspirations. Priests & chanters can even AOE self buff. But the 2 buffs spells Cipher get (inspirations) are single target and ally only. Valorous Echoes and Pain block could serve the cipher the most. Or Wild Leech need to be less random. Attack spells that target allies are fine, but the restriction on the buff spells make no sens. Description wise nothing block the cipher to apply them on himself. Balance wise, with all the buff most classes have access that don't seems to be a problem to allow cipher to self buff and that would boost the class. And you have the recovery. In one cipher cast, the wizard can full buff himself and be ready to cast an offensive spell. I don't see how allowing cipher to buff himself would unbalance the game. That would give more options for multiclassing too. MC is here for versatility, but if you mc some classes you loose that capacity to buff them with the ciper. Rogue & ranger + cipher, or druid + cipher. Just a little change to make the class more interesting to play.

So I bought PoE 2 but I still didn't beat PoE (I'm planning to beat after the release of all PoE 2 dlcs and finish college semester). And the few hours playing PoE sometime ago made me very happy with the Cipher class. And the multiclass option with melee classes in PoE2 made me even happier =D So my questions is, what is the pros and cons of each fighter subclass (with the Cipher subclass Soulblade)? From my my first view about, - Black Jacket is to a DW user with different weapons, flexible with range and melee weapons, but the lose of constant recovery is a great con? - Devoted can use one type of weapon but receive great bonus to that weapon, the only cons I see is to someone who like to use different weapons and the restriction to melee OR range weapon outside of the option "Range Weapon and Unarmed". My regret in the moment is we don't have Soulbond Sabre and that's my favorite weapon type and I would like to my char have a soulbond - Unbroken could work as a off tank in union with a main tank to use the great bonus penetration from Disengagement Attack? (That could be hard to manage, I think? I don't have in-game knowledge for this) P.S. English is not my native language, so sorry for my mistakes P.P.S. If anyone wants, you can also talk about the other multiclass options of Cipher with melee classes

I can't really motivate taking Biting whip for just an extra 10% damage, when you get such an improved bonus from Draining Whip. It made me think that maybe if you add a +1 (or even +2) Penetration to the Biting Whip it would even up more towards being able to spam abilities that you can with Draining Whip. Or simply nerf Draining Whip is an option too. It doesn't really feel like a choice between these two?

After playing BB4 for several hours, I'm sold on my Beguiler/Ghost Heart (Seer) Watcher. While the build certainly falls in the viable but not optimal category, it suits my character's backstory: a wandering neutral good type whose destiny is guided by spirits (often manifesting as wolves), and whose lack of enthusiasm and cosmopolitan skills are often overlooked for his grit, honesty, and kindness toward the downtrodden. This isn't set in stone obviously, as release and subsequent upgrades will probably shift it. That being said, I'd appreciate any feedback - with an understanding some decisions are RP. I plan on taking this Watcher through Hard Mode/upscaling on critical path with story companions. Seer (Beguiler/Ghost Heart) Race: Pale Elf Culture/Background: White that Wends/Mystic Pet: Ghostly Wolf Level: 9 Primary Active Skills: Alchemy, Stealth, a bit of Athletics (I may reverse the latter two). Primary Passive Skills: Metaphysics, Insight, Survival Mig: 15 Con: 8 Dex: 13 Per: 15(+1) Int: 16 Res: 10 (Again, these stats are for RP purposes. Even though the character is a backliner, I don't want to dump RES because I feel surviving in the White that Wends would require a degree of resilience. I didn't mind dumping CON a bit, though, since my character's physical development was a bit stunted, stemming from undefinable, haunting visions that kept nights long and friends fair-weather.) Weapons: War Bow, Hunting Bow, Rod (Blast), Arquebus (for alpha strikes), maybe Crossbow for interrupts. These choices will largely depend on unique weapons, but I would like to stick to bows if possible. Core Ideas: This build combines ranged damage and afflictions along with an upgraded, disposable pet that can easily move through the battlefield (immune to disengagement attacks) to disrupt enemy spellcasters and archers/gunners or help the backline in an emergency. Unfortunately, both Rangers and Ciphers are starved for ability points compared to other class combinations (no freebees beyond character creation), which can impede optimization. (Though you could also argue no point goes to waste like multi-class Fighter). Beguiler: Beguiler's range bonus (20 percent) to Deception Powers couples well with a Seer and often allows faster, safer opportunities to cast wide afflictions on mid and backliners. Ideally, enemies should always be covered in afflications (other party members like a Blast Rogue or Druid will offer redundancy), which generate Focus when attacking or casting Deceptions. This character will always initiate combat from Stealth, negating Beguiler's attack and Focus generation penalties when target is ineligible for Sneak Attack. Beguiler Abilities: Powers: Eyestrike, Whisper of Treason, Phantom Foes, Secret Horrors Eyestrike being a third level affliction right out the door is nice and Whisper of Treason offers some useful tricks with Stealth. While its effect is weak, Phantom Foes casts quickly and can cover a wide area, often hitting backliners when directed at stragglers racing to the frontlines; and since Mental Binding has fallen from grace, it gets tossed out for a passive or Ranger ability. Secret Horrors is a solid Power, which disables active abilities and lowers CON and RES, which helps Eyestrike and physical attacks land along with increasing affliction durations across the board. Passives: Beguiler, Biting Whip, Hammering Thoughts Since there's not a large choice of Powers, I picked Biting Whip and Hammering Thoughts for extra ranged damage. I skipped the 10 percent duration bonus to afflictions (name escapes me atm) since I felt having an INT at 16 and a good Focus flow was enough. Ghost Heart: A Seer Mystic summoning a fallen companion from beyond is appealing to me, and I never liked the Grieving Bond penalty, so Ghost Heart became my immediate choice. Calling the beast into Eora is quick and doesn't incur a recovery penalty, which lets the Seer immediately follow the ritual with Powers. Higher INT boosts the summon duration, extending the companion's use. Unfortunately, the skill has a short range, making timing an important factor in narrow encounters: before foes are bottlenecked but after they are engaged. (I try to time the summon into my Priest's rotation so the pet gets an inspiration while heading out.) The ghostly companion has its own set of properties, which makes it different from its living counterparts. It functions as a spirit-type with its associated strengths and weaknesses (afaik its not possible to actually see these effects) and is immune to disengagement attacks, which allows it to effortlessly swap between enemies when needed and bypass the opposition's frontliners. Ghost Hearts cannot learn the skills Heal Pet and Revive Pet, though this may not be such a sacrifice considering their hefty Bond costs and ability investment. When the pet expires due to death or duration, the Seer will not be affected by Grieving Bond, which will keep his Powers and attacks accurate. Side Note: Ghost Heart companions are handy at distracting, kiting, and blocking small side groups of enemies, and at one Bond point and short cast and recovery, can easily be summoned when necessary. A ghostly bear or antelope could make for a resilient (albeit temporary) tank. Ghost Heart Abilities: Bond: Wolf Companion, Takedown, Marked for the Hunt I chose the wolf (named 'im Volkhavaar) for my companion for RP and extra damage - lions make a good secondary choice for their increased attack speed. Takedown disrupts enemy backliners and can be upgraded for extra PEN or a damage boost. Marked for the Hunt deserves its own mention. Its baseline ability (Marked Prey) is far superior to Wounding Shot: the latter has been repeatedly nerfed, the Wounding effect doesn't generate Focus, and spending two ability points for a level one affliction or a selfish accuracy buff is a waste in a crunched build. Marked Prey and Marked for the Hunt never miss, cast fast, have no recovery, and last as long as the marked target; and Ciphers always appreciate more accuracy. Marked for the Hunt transfers the effect when the marked foe is killed, and combined with the Ghost pet's immunity to disengagement, allows the strange apparition to safely move to the next target - often messing up enemy pathing for a brief time. The ability's jump-on-death effect seems to have no limit, which helps cut down on Bond points in longer battles; however, it can vanish if its next target dies too fast. Passives: Ghost Heart, Marksman, Merciless Companion, Vicious Companion Marksman plus Marked Prey/Marked for the Hunt synergize, giving the Seer a +15 bonus to accuracy from over four meters away; and as mentioned earlier, Beguiler's ranged bonus to Deception powers lets him stay a touch back. The Companion passives are there to increase damage, add PEN, and apply a moderate Sneak Attack bonus, which will be triggered often. Rotation Example Start the battle in Stealth with an Arquebus (modal on). If possible, position your frontliners in a way that can open a path for the pet. Begin the frontline engagement/prep inspirations/shoot a long-range foe with your Arquebus to generate some Focus. By using an Arquebus, recovery is at 0. Follow the shot with Marked for the Hunt on a ranged foe (no recovery), then summon your pet (also no recovery). (Note: Marked for the Hunt breaks Stealth, which is why I shoot before using it. Casting Deceptions from Stealth can be useful, but recovery can significantly hinder the rotation.) Have your pet attack or use Takedown on the Marked foe depending on the circumstance, then cast Phantom Foes on an enemy that gives the most coverage. Follow this by swapping to a bow or rod, then work to cast Secret Horrors and Eyestrike. Follow Marked for the Hunt as it bounces through enemies and focus fire for the best effect. Continue casting Deceptions, attacking marked targets, and summoning when needed. --Will add other thoughts and variations after waking up. Thanks for reading.

See topic. I've got a soft spot for psychic kickpunchers, and I'm curious about people's experiences with or thoughts on them.

I'm new to theorycrafting but I thought there could be some cool synergies with a Shattered Pillar / Soul Blade combo. I'm not in the beta, but here's my concept: I would basically try to leverage Swift Strikes --> Swift Flurry plus crit conversion passives plus Hearth Orlan to build resources as fast as possible and just repeatedly slam down Soul Annihilations. There are also a fair number of crit-enhancing passives in both trees, as well as penetration bonuses. For weapons I would do unarmed / rapiers. My questions are: 1. What would a good stat spread look like for this build? 2. What cipher spells would be helpful for this? Is it worth taking shred spells (which compete with Soul Annihilation)? Or more expensive CC? 3. Any other issues with this idea? Thanks.

Hey all, I can't decide between a Battlemage (Fighter/Wizard) and a Psyblade (Fighter/Cipher). I want to make a character with good melee capability as well as decent magic/casting to help augment that melee ability further and occasionally cause damage with casting. Essentially I don't mind occasionally using jolting touch or mind wave to cause damage (I certainly want to use these abilities), but most of the time I want to stay in melee and fight it out. That means I want to use (most of the time) instantaneous casting abilities as augments, because if I'm in melee I don't wanna spend too much time in recovery (I'm also a fan of heavy armor). I find a fighter is a great base class with a nice mix of defensive and offensive passives which is why I am going with that, though I'm open to suggestions. The Wizard and Cipher both bring casting to the table but they do it in different ways. I usually look at buffs/debuffs in terms of "does this increase my chances of hitting them and reduce their chance to hit me?". I feel the wizard is more focused, or rather, has better options for self buffing (arcane veil, mirror image, displaced image, citzal's martial power) increasing my melee abilities and most/all of these are instant cast. Cipher can do something similar but does it by debuffing enemies more with eyestrike and other abilities. These abilities have long cast times which makes me iffy about how much time I'll spend in recovery. But on the other hand I can get soul whip and soul annihilation for increased damage. This is essentially my problem, do I take instant, strong buffs over soul whip and slower debuffs? If anyone has any one tried these classes, please share your opinion of their effectiveness and just how much fun you had.

I was looking through some ability trees and I just couldn't wrap my head around how powerful some abilities were and the tier they were placed at. Am I missing something here or is this really unbalanced? Here is a power level 6 ability: and here is a power level 9 ability: One does roughly a 1200 damage in 15 seconds (guaranteed because its raw), the other does a 1/5 of that in twice as much time (possibly even less since its not raw damage), and is a higher tier ability. Is there a buff or a nerf required here?

Anyone play around with this. I was thinking of continuing my POE1 character (Bleak Walker + Guns) with a Bleak Walker + Ascendant with blunderbusses to build focus real quick. Anything wrong with this idea on its face? High Dex/Per/Might/Int Might spread it too thin, although I don't know much about the stat distribution changes in PoE2.

Hello all. I'm towards the beginning of a Cipher run, and believe it or not, I've never played a Cipher before (I know, they're supposed to be amazing, but I'm just getting around to it). Now, I'm at the point where I need to start making some real commitments to what direction I'm going to take my character in, but I'm split between two: 1. Crazy Awesome DPS 2. Crazy Awesome Crowd-control As you can see, either would be crazy awesome. But essentially, my character could go either way and, since I have zero experience with Ciphers, I was just wondering what the masses would suggest. Of the Cipher powers, which ones do you think are more effective, which ones work well with a party set-up (I'm probably going to stick mostly with Eder, Pallegina, Aloth, Durance, and Kana - I'm thinking of carrying this character over to Deadfire), etc.? Just FYI, my build is as follows: Meadow Folk Might: 16 Constitution: 9 Dexterity: 10 Perception: 15 Intellect: 18 Resolve: 10 And I'm playing on Hard. All suggestions are welcome.

In the first PoE I didn’t really played much with Ciphers (reading class description felt kind of weird with its “powers requried people to activate” or something to that effect… which in reality wasn’t really what I was imagining) even though I generally like playing psionic characters. Made a few GM quests and that’s it. However, since we get this not yet dead wonderful multiclassing thing I thought of making my custom supporting ranger a Ranger/Cipher. She is a projection of protagonist’s mind so that should be fine RP-wise. (Current mass muscular atrophy aside) is there anything interesting cipher can add to ranger in battle who is primarily ranged specialist with her wolf knocking down dragons on the side? // I don’t have beta access.

Cipher stun himself by Psychic Backlash at the begining of battle. Also looks like it depends on Hirbel's Protective Skin...

Cipher: A beginner's guide to GUNMAGE Introduction This guide merely exists as an example on how to build a ranged Cipher, and isn't strictly the only way to build one. As such it may a bit wordy here. This guide is intended for Path of the Damned, but there's no reason why it couldn't work on lower difficulties. Races Personally the race choice doesn't really matter too much, though some races are a lot more useful than others. Wood Elf is the race chosen for this build, it doesn't hurt to explore the other races as some can possibly offer more. Human A ranged Cipher typically want to avoid damage whenever possible, so the Human's racial ability isn't particularly something you want to rely on, and the ability itself is pretty weak compared to what the Godlikes have to offer. On the other hand, unlike Godlikes, you can still wear a hat which may be significant. Wood Elf Typically the race of choice for a ranged Cipher, since just by being 4m away from an enemy you'll gain damage and accuracy bonuses. This does however restrict your power selection a tad bit, as you'll most likely want to avoid powers that move you close to an enemy, such as Ringleader. Pale Elf Resistances to burn and cold damage is never a bad thing. Cold damage resistance in particular is very helpful when dealing with Shades early in the game. Both types are also very useful to have in Cragholdt as the numerous casters in the area favor those two elements. Overall, I'd say its a pretty strong pick. Mountain Dwarf Poison and Disease resistances are alright I guess. Most of these types of attacks usually come from melee attacks, however enemy Druids are very trigger happy with spells of these types. Its not a bad choice for a melee Cipher, but for a ranged I'd probably look at other options. Boreal Dwarf Accuracy bonuses to Wilders and Primordials is actually better than you think, since a lot of the most dangerous enemies in the game are of these types! Adragans and Ogre Druids are among these, and we all know how much of a pain those two are. Coastal Aumua Not too many enemies will be using Prone attacks on a Cipher, assuming you're able to keep them away from melee attackers. Ranged Stuns though can come from Cean Gŵla, Greater Wind Blights and a majority of enemy Druids. Stun however is mostly deadly for frontliners due to their greatly reduced Deflection, though it is an annoying status effect as a whole. Island Aumua An extra weapon set can provide some utility. One strategy is to equip two guns and fire one shot from each to generate a large amount of Focus and then switch to 3rd faster attacking weapon like a War Bow. Obviously if you plan on taking advantage of their weapon sets, you'll want the Quick Switch talent to minimize the amount of time you take swapping weapons around. Overall, this race's usefulness ultimately hinges on your play style; personally I think an extra weapon slot is quite useful. Hearth Orlan An excellent race, Ciphers love crits and this race helps increase your chances of getting them. Not much else to add really, enjoy getting those crits! Wild Orlan Getting a bonus to all defenses upon being hit by a Will attack is pretty good, as enemy casters (In particular other Ciphers) will likely aim their spells at you. This will also work on fear auras which can be very useful when fighting dragons or drakes. Nature Godlike Functionally, their ability is similar to a Human's, though it packs much more of a punch. You do lose the ability to use a helmet though. Death Godlike Death's Usher is a pretty good damage dealing talent when paired up with damage over time effects or AoE. The Cipher however does have a fairly limited number of them available. Its still a pretty good race overall though. Moon Godlike Blah blah Silver Tide. This ability is great on any class and Cipher is no exception. Fire Godlike These make very potent melee Ciphers... but since we're talking about ranged... they're not really an option. Attributes The attribute spread I would recommend is: MIG 18 DEX 18 CON 3 PER 18 INT 18 RES 3 With Deadfire Archipelago - Drifer chosen as the back ground. This is min/maxed of course and isn't always the optimal spread, as such you may choose to add extra CON or RES to help with your squishiness. Just a few guidelines though: Might A primary stat for the Cipher and one of the most important. Might affects all damage you deal, and as Ciphers are designed to primarily deal damage, this is obviously important. Perhaps more important however is that the amount of Focus you gain is directly based on the amount of damage you deal. As such, the higher your Might, the more Focus you'll generate with each attack, making this stat perhaps even more important to the Cipher than it is to any other class. Dexterity Dexterity affects your attack speed and casting speed. With the 3.0 changes, Ciphers don't have as many powerful slow casting powers as they used to, so this stat is slightly less important. Its still however very useful for Focus generation as this will affect your attack speed with your weapons, and faster attacks means quicker Focus generation. Constitution Extra endurance never hurts as damage is ultimately unavoidable. A ranged Cipher though will most likely opt to dump this, as if they're getting swarmed they're gonna die regardless of how much Endurance they have. Perception Accuracy is paramount for a Cipher, as missing or grazing with your weapon is extremely costly as it'll have a powerful effect on your Focus gain. Also a lot of the Cipher's powers have much shorter duration than the spells coming from a Wizard or Druid, as such Ciphers value crits a lot for their duration bonus. With high perception it becomes significantly easier to score crits with your various powers. Keep in mind that the value of this stat decreases as you get further in game; especially if you have a Priest. Intelligence As mentioned above, the duration of powers is a little on the short side compared to spells. Having a high Int though, will make your powers have much longer durations. Int also affects the AoE size, however Ciphers do not have too many AoE powers, and some of them like Mind Lance or Mind Blades, are unaffected by Int. Resolve A lot of what I mentioned in Con also applies to Resolve. It should be noted though that Resolve will have an effect on concentration. If you plan on running low Resolve, consider making Potions of Spirit Shield when fighting enemies that utilize a lot of interrupting effects (Such as the Ogre Druid's Insect Plague). Talents I recommend the following: 2 - Biting Whip 4 - Draining Whip 6 - Penetrating Shot 8 - Weapon Focus: Ruffian 10 - Apprentice's Sneak Attack 12 - Gunner or Outlander's Frenzy 14 - Marksman You can of course take them in any other order you choose. Or even take other talents, just a "quick" rundown on them: Psychic Backlash and Brutal Backlash Enemy Ciphers commonly pack these two, which is part of the reason they're annoying. These two talents though are highly situational, so its hard to recommend giving up a talent slot for these. I am almost certain these do however work on fear auras, which would make them very useful when dealing with dragons and drakes. Biting Whip Probably a given, but being able to hit harder equates to more Focus generated, so you will always want to grab this. Draining Whip Another obvious one to take, as this will increase the amount of Focus you generate with your attacks. Greater Focus The main reason to grab this is the fact that it can increase your starting Focus, which means its possible to use your higher level powers at the start of combat. This is especially useful during early game as your starting Focus pool is very small. Late game however, you'll have much more sizable Focus pool, as such this power may be slightly less useful depending on your playstyle. Weapon Focus Accuracy boosts are always welcome. Once you've decided on the weapon you want for your build, you'll want to grab the appropriate talent. Marksman For ranged Ciphers you get another accuracy boost to play with. Envenomed Strike Not a bad talent actually, the raw damage is very strong. However, its hard to justify picking this over other talents. If you have a free talent slot though, by all means go ahead and grab this. Gunner If you plan on using a firearm (And not swapping weapons) this talent is a must-have. Reloading is the bane of any gun user, and being able to quicken it is always a welcomed ability. Dangerous Implement Implements aren't very good at generating Focus, however you may want to use them when dealing with pierce immunes. One weapon however worth considering is the Golden Gaze, which hits multiple times and generates a solid amount of Focus. If you want to use that, then you'll want this of course. Beast Slayer/Primal Bane/Ghost Hunter/Sanctifier/Wilder Hunter They're not bad talents but they're very situational. You could grab one of these and pair them up with a camping bonus to get a huge bonus against one type of enemy, but still you usually have better choices to pick. If you had to grab one of these though, I would say Ghost Hunter is the best choice, as Spirits are incredibly common and are very dangerous. Interrupting Blows Compared to other classes, Ciphers are actually terrible at generating Interrupts, so I wouldn't recommend this. Penetrating Shot The ability to ignore DR means you'll be able to deal a lot more damage. This is especially important in PotD, as a majority of enemies have good DR values. Bloody Slaughter Not a bad talent actually, typically you use this to power up DoT or AoE effects. You could however fire an attack at a enemy low on endurance and generate a slightly larger amount of Focus. This ability also works with Death's Usher, so a Death Godlike with this ability can be quite fearsome on low Endurance enemies. Snake's Reflexes/Bear's Fortitude/Bull's Will/Superior Deflection A bonus to defenses is always welcomed. Grabbing these if you have talent slots to spare if often a very good idea. Quick Switch Swapping around weapon sets brings a lot of utility to your Cipher. If you plan on swapping around weapons a lot, this talent is a must-have. Otherwise you can probably ignore this. Its worth noting there's also a belt in the game that has this talent on it, which can allow you avoid using this on a talent slot. Apprentice's Sneak Attack An easy way to boost damage. You should ideally be setting up the conditions for this to kick in, especially since a lot of the Ciphers powers are good at doing this. Outlander's Frenzy This is a very potent talent, giving you a damage boost and attack speed boost, which can do wonders with your Focus generation. Keep in mind though that the attack speed boost does not stack with Time Parasite, and if you're using a Gun, this will do nothing to your reloading animation. Powers Finally we hit the section we've been waiting for, the Powers. There's gonna be a lot to cover here, of course first up we have the one my build uses: 1st - Antipathetic Field, Mind Wave, Soul Shock, Whisper of Treason 2nd - Mental Binding, Phantom Foes, Psychovampiric Shield, Recall Agony 3rd - Ectopsychic Echo, Secret Horrors, Soul Ignition 4th - Body Attunement, Pain Block, Silent Scream, Wild Leech 5th - Borrowed Instinct, Tactical Meld, Detonate 6th - Amplified Wave, Disintegrate 7th - Time Parasite 8th - Reaping Knives, Defensive Mindweb And of course I'm gonna sum them all up, hoo boy. Lets get started. 1st-level Powers Antipathetic Field This is a very powerful tether based power, dealing more damage than the Wizard's Ray of Fire! Its does have the limitation of being forced to move around to position it, plus you must avoid getting your allies caught in it as this will destroy them in no time flat. Eyestrike Blind is a very powerful status effect and being able to freely use it in each encounter makes this extremely useful during the early parts of the game. This also affects Will as well, which a lot of enemies during Act 1 have a low value in that area. If you have a Wizard or Druid though, this power does become less useful during a skirmish they may decide to toss out a spell or once Spell Mastery is available, as their sources of blind are much more effective overall. Mind Wave Knocking a group of enemies Prone has a lot of applications, especially if you run a lot of other casters. It can help with being swarmed and it can allow Reflex and Deflection based attacks land much easier. Soul Shock A potent and extremely spammable AoE power. It deals decent damage and has no affect on your own allies. This power alone will decimate a majority of early game encounters. I find myself using it less later in the game, but its still a pretty good AoE attack, especially if you have someone running the Stormcaller. Tenuous Grasp Its very hard to recommend this over Whisper of Treason now, due to its average cast speed and less powerful overall effect. The Frightened effect though has a very long duration, which can really help out with landing a majority of your powers. Whisper of Treason The signature move of a Cipher and with good reason too, as this power is just incredible now. It has a fast cast speed and it also inflicts Charmed which has numerous applications. A Charmed target will distract enemies, and also attack them too. Charm also lowers all defenses by 25 points, which makes them very easy to kill. 2nd-level Powers Amplified Thrust Much like Soul Shock, another early and powerful source of damage. This power though gets outclassed a tad bit quicker than Soul Shock though as you start to get more powerful weapons and powers. Mind Blades A decent AoE power, this move does less damage than Soul Shock however, but it does affect a much broader area. Mental Binding Paralysis is an excellent effect and is a good way to stop a dangerous enemy in its tracks. Paralysed enemies also make the best Focus generation targets. As such an ideal use of this power would be to open with it and then fire a shot at them and generate a huge chunk of Focus in return. Another thing that makes this power really stand out is that any enemies near the paralysed target get inflicted with Stuck, making this useful even for controlling groups. Its duration though is very short, but its still there. Phantom Foes This power has a very long duration and a very large radius. Its very useful for triggering Sneak Attacks, especially in areas where setting up flanks is difficult due to the narrow space, like a lot of indoor battles. However, this does get suppressed by other afflictions that lower Deflection, including Blind. Psychovampiric Shield Oh hey I wrote about this recently. Copy/Paste +25 Deflection is pretty nice, but I've always preferred this Power for its -10 Resolve. -10 Resolve from Psychovampiric Shield is a great way to lower an enemy's deflection and will defense. It also lowers their Concentration as well which great for Interrupting. This also doesn't get suppressed from Miasma of Dull Mindness which means you can get a -16 Resolve on one enemy target. It also doesn't get suppressed by Wild Leech either which could potentially lead to a very tasty -20 Resolve, however Wild Leech does pick a random attribute so it isn't exactly reliable Wild Leech doesn't get suppressed by Miasma either, so in theory you could stack all three and potentially get an incredible -26 Resolve! But I haven't actually tested it, and it would be difficult to test since Wild Leech is so random. Recall Agony The Cipher's equivalent Combusting Wounds, though it unfortunately only affects a single target. Functionally though, you would use this in the same manner as you would use Combusting Wounds by pairing it with a lot quick rapid hitting attacks. This power also stacks with Combusting Wounds, though ticks from Combusting Wounds won't trigger any damage from this and vice versa. 3rd-level Powers Ectopsychic Echo The most famous (infamous?) power in the Cipher's arsenal. Much like Antipathetic Field, this power deals enormous amount of damage, rivaling the likes of the Wizard's Bitter Mooring! However what makes this power even better is that you can tether to an ally with it, and this power has no friendly fire attached, making it much more user friendly. Attaching this to a melee character at the start of a combat and having him move around behind the enemy lines is an effective use of the power, and can potentially make this the Cipher's best source of AoE damage even. Fractured Volition This power is a massive debuff to enemy defenses, making it a pretty ideal power to make use of against major targets. If you have other sources of Hobbled and Weakened though, you may want to pass on this. Pain Link Basically the Fire Godlike's racial ability made into a power. Its pretty underwhelming and generally not worth the Focus to cast unless you're up against a really large group, and they're all targeting one character. Puppet Master Whisper of Treason will usually be a better use of Focus since Charmed does nearly the same thing as Dominate, costs significantly less Focus and has a much longer range. Puppet Master does have a few things going for it though; for one it has longer duration than Whisper of Treason. Dominate also doesn't incur a massive penalty to accuracy and defenses like Charmed does, making a Dominated target much more of a potent threat to their own allies. Secret Horrors This power inflicts Sickened and Frightened in a wide area, which excellent for lowering enemy defences. This power is really good if you're packing a lot of casters as this will make Fort-based spells much easier to use. Frightened is also good since it lowers Will, so this power can also work as an accuracy boost for your Cipher. Soul Ignition Strong DoT affect; though it only affects a single target. 4th-level Powers Body Attunement Lowering enemy DR is always a good to have. This is also gives you sizable boost to your own DR which can be handy in some situations. Mind Lance This is a very damaging AoE attack, it is however a line based AoE so you'll most likely have to adjust your positioning in order to avoid damaging your own allies with this. As a line AoE, this also puts it at slight odds with Ectopsychic Echo and Antipathetic Field. Pain Block This is the Cipher's one and only healing power, its a pretty good one though. It heals for a decent amount and also gives a delicious +10 DR to the affected ally. Silent Scream This power may seem less impressive than Mind Lance until you realize that this baby deals Raw damage. Which means it flat out ignores DR, making this an incredibly deadly AoE attack. It also inflicts Stunned on the primary target as well, which you can also use to gain back the Focus you spent on this power too. Wild Leech This power can seem unreliable since it affects a random attribute so you don't have too much control over it. It is however a -10 to a random attribute so the effects will still be felt regardless of what it affects. This also in turn gives you a +10 bonus to random attribute which can be very powerful since it has a fairly good chance of affecting one of your primary attributes. 5th-level Powers Borrowed Instinct What an incredible power. -8 to Intelligence and Perception is pretty dang good, but to add to it you also get all kinds of accuracy and defensive bonuses as well! Ringleader AoE Charmed and Dominate is as good as it sounds. The range of this is painfully short however, so caution is advised when using it. Detonate Yep, that's a lot of raw damage. It also deals a sizable amount of Crush damage should you kill a target with this, making it an incredible source of AoE damage. This does have friendly fire attached, so make sure your allies are either out of range or well defended. Tactical Meld Fairly unerwhelming since Borrowed Instinct is overall a better use of Focus. It is useful as an opening against some of the toughest fights though, where getting Borrowed Instinct to land isn't guaranteed. 6th-level Powers Amplified Wave This deals a decent amount of Crush damage and affects a wide area. The real reason you want to use this though is the fact this also inflicts Prone. Coupled with its massive AoE, this is an excellent CC tool. It does cost an enormous amount of Focus however. Disintegration Quite possibly the most powerful DoT effect in the game, this power deals colossal amounts of raw damage. Mind Plague AoE confuse is pretty good and this power disperses in a wide area too. However 60 Focus is hard to justify for it, especially when you can just use Scrolls of Confusion or even just a Wizard for similar effects. 7th-level Powers Stasis Shell This power can be used to lock out an enemy from combat, they won't be able to take any damage however. This makes it highly situational, and with a 70 Focus cost, its almost not worth even using. Time Parasite A combination of Deleterious Alacrity of Motion and Arduous Delay of Motion. Not a bad combo by any means but it does cost an enormous 70 Focus; but if you're running a Dex heavy build, the benefits can outweigh its cost. 8th-level Powers Reaping Knives One of the best summoned weapons in the game. It deals excellent damage, can be used by martial classes like Monks and each hit with it gives you Focus. Highly recommended if you have a dual wielder of any kind. Defensive Mindweb The best spell for turtling. This is a game changer, as having a Paladin or Fighter in range makes this into a massive defence boost. Suddenly, now your entire party can tank a dragon (Or at least attempt it). Equipment This I confess is an area I'm not very good at. What I typically run though is: Weapon 1: Scon Mica's Roar Weapon 2: Golden Gaze Head: Helm of Darksee Body: Vengiatta Rugia Neck: Talisman of the Unconquerable Hands: Pilferer's Grip Feet: Glanfathan Stalking Boots Waist: Girdle of Maegfolc Might Ring 1: Ring of Protection Ring 2: Ring of Thorns Which decent but I'm sure many of you can think of better builds then that. I won't really delve into this though, as there's a ton of items and I'll be here forever trying to cover them all. So here's a brief list on some other good choices. Weapon 1: Scon Mica's Roar, Lead Splitter, Dulcanale, Fellstroke, Persistence, Stormcaller, The Rain of Godagh Field, Borresaine, Lenas Êr, Stormcaller Weapon 2: Golden Gaze, Pretty Pretty's Rib Head: Helm of Darksee, Hermit's Hat, Stag Helm, Azalin's Helmet, Tempered Helm Body: Vengiatta Rugia, Starlit Garb, Raiment of Wael's Eyes, Angio's Gambeson, just plain boring enchanted Clothing Neck: Talisman of the Unconquerable Hands: Pilferer's Grip, Bracers of All-Consuming Rage, Gauntlets of Swift Action, Gauntlets of Accuracy, Ryona's Vambraces, Gloves of Manipulation, Rabbit Fur Gloves Feet: Glanfathan Stalking Boots, Boots of Speed, Boot of Stealth, Malina's Boots Waist: Girdle of Maegfolc Might, Broad Belt of Power, Sentinel's Girdle, Belt of Stelgaer, Coil of Resourcefulness Rings: Ring of Protection, Ring of Thorns, Ring of Searing Flames, Ring of Unshackling, Pensiavi mes Rèi, Sigil of the Arcane, Frigid Claim, Bartender's Ring Conclusion I have probably missed a TON of things. So go yell at me for anything I missed or anything I may be unaware of.

Hi again all, I finally got quite curious about Ciphers, and I would like to play one as MC for my next run (should be in hard mode, temptatively 4 people party but to be seen). The idea is that I want to play a ranged Cipher without too much micro management, and with a specific roleplay / background. Race would be pale elf, with the concept of a lonely "cursed" hunter having to leave home weapons : arquebuse (or BB but Arquebuse preferred regarding background / roleplay), bow, pike (2h sword as an alternative) I was wondering which stats and talents would be appropriate ? Do you think this could result in a gimp MC with all my specific background (especially on hard mode with a small party) ? I don't know Cipher skills at all so difficult to choose without risk. I know this must have been said many times, but I can't find a build close to this one on the forum. Again many thanks for your great insights. Aginorh

Hi. My main character is a godlike cipher and the class bonus modifier for accuracy is +5 while the Grieving Mother has +25. Something to do with Godlike? Thanks.

Hello you all! After being persuaded by my brother to finally get a new computer just to play the only recent game I am actually interested in and spending 2 days choosing a class... I am at a loss xD luckily I still have time till i have my new computer I definitely want to play a hearth orlan cipher, no question there anymore, but I can't choose a combat-style or stats. While I don't mind min/maxing to a certain extent, I do mind ignoring roleplay. My brother said, as I am used to playing Baldurs Gate on SCS (heavy AI-improvement mod), I would feel at home on PotD, though they are very different games... How does a melee Cipher fare on PotD? What stats should I go for? Or is ranged far superior to melee on a Cipher? Do I suffer role-playability (compassionate good guy with racial issues because of 'heritage') because of necessary powergaming when I go melee? Probably stupid questions (dunno, me tired) but still relevant to me ^^ Greetings Adelard