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Unconventional Wildrhymer based on summons and ranged damage Hi all! Eventually, my second long-awaited build for PoeII Deadfire is finally here. I don't remember exactly how this build was born in my head, but I thought about a young little woman pale elf with a lovely pet as a friend and a cute family in the White that Wends. I don't know why, who, when and how, at some time her nice pet and her beatiful family were massacred by only gods know. She became eager to help all the weak people in difficulty, she began to not tolerate the abuses of the strong and her spirit of revenge, together with the bond she had with her loved ones, became so strong that she learned to evoke the souls of her deceased loved ones and of her pet bear (Oëdenläff) to help her in her battles. (Now follows a series of reasons for my choices) Pale Elf Wildrhymer (Beckoner / Ghost Heart) - The "Summoner with Warm Heart and Cold Gaze" "Be careful: I'm not as alone as I seem..." - Laerne's warning to ill-intentioned people Name: Laerne PoTD/SOLO/ULTIMATE: YES - You can beat all contents, also all Mega Bosses ( and without too much cheese ) Game Version: ver. 5.0.0.0040 with all FREE DLCs and all DLCs ("Beast of Winter", "Seeker, Slayer, Survivor" and "The Forgotten Sanctum" plus "Mega Boss Battles") Race: Elf (+1 DEX, +1 PER) Subrace: Pale Elf (Elemental Endurance: +4 Burn Armor Rating, +4 Freeze Armor Rating). Almost any other choice would have been better, made only for RPG purposes Classes: Wildrhymer - Beckoner (+1 Bluff, History, Arcana, Sleight of Hand and Diplomacy) / Ghost Heart (+1 Diplomacy, Survival, Alchemy, Stealth and Bluff) Culture: The White that Wends (+1 PER). It's my RPG culture and besides, +1 PER is perfect. Background: Mystic (+1 Arcana, Metaphysics and Religion). A summoner of ancient spirits seems good as a mystic, and bonus to Arcana and Metaphysics is good for us Pose: Pious (To connect more with the spirits and pray for them to manifest ;P) Berath's Blessing: NONE --- Attributes: base (with permanent effects collected through the run) Mig: 10 (10) Con: 6 (6) Dex: 18 (20, +1 as Elf, +1 Cauldron Brew) Per: 18 (20, +1 as Elf, +1 The White that Wends) Int: 18 (18) Res: 5 I like to MAX INT, DEX and PER attributes often for my characters, but in this case there are also valid reasons to do that. INT is essential for the range of phrases, for the duration and range of skills and especially summons; PER is always important in SOLO (to discover hidden objects) but as a Ranger it can be lowered a little; DEX as a Chanter is not important if it is maxed out but as a Ranger it increases DPS a lot and is still good for speeding up spells and summons. MIG is less important for DPS (I use PER and DEX for that and summons do a lot of damage) but I don't want to dump it, also because it is needed for STR and healing (even if this can be increased quite easily). I don't want to dump CON and RES either, with low scores as you play easily, wanting to bring the skills to 7 or 8 you can take away some points from PER and DEX if you want. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Skills score There are no particular reasons to use one or the other of the skills, during the game I MAXED Arcana a few times because with high PER certain scrolls are devastating - see for instance these "Storm of Holy Fire" damages against Hauani O Whe: Alchemy to be able to increase the effect of drugs and potions to a great extent and Metaphysics for the effects of certain objects (Essence Interrupter ); the latter, in addition to being very useful, is also perfectly relevant to the character For hard battles (i.e. Megabosses) you need often specific skills: see the videos below. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abilities I respeced and experimented many times through the run, so I'll do a resume of how I'd do the build now, after my run: which skills have I used most often and which have been the most useful. For hard battles (i.e. Megabosses) you need specific build: see the videos below. Level 1 Beckoner (free) Invocations summon twice the number of creatures. The chanter's summons are smaller and have half their normal health. Summon Invocations cost +1 Phrases. Nothing special here, half health is not a great problem with healing, +1 Phrases is a heavy drawback but we can use more times early level summons but DOUBLE creatures is insane sometimes Ghost Heart (free) Immune to Bonded Grief. Animal Companion is immune to Engagement. Must actively summon Animal Companion during battle (costs Bond and has a duration of 30.0 sec). Companion is considered a Spirit and is affected by Spirit-targeting powers. Animal Companion cannot be healed (Unable to learn both Heal Pet and Revive Pet abilities). As I said, I pick GH above all for charcater history and because I like playing LITERALLY SOLO, but for the sake of analysis my considerations follow. No Bonded Grief is pleasant, nothing disatrous but nice to have. Immune to Engagement: also said before, it is good having the AC run to one foe and keep him busy with no time wasted - underrated ability. You must summon your AC: bad thing because you waste bonds for it, but this build doesn't need many bonds, summon is very fast and with high INT it lasts a very long time. Companion is a Spirit: I never noticed it, not actually a drawback. AC cannot be healed: ROTFL, we heal as a Chanter: not a drawback. Bear Companion: picked above all for RPG purpose (I like the idea of a little Pale Elf Woman friend of a White Bear) but Bear is tanky with +2 AR and is larger than other AC, thus he can block better the foes in some situations. If their Bones Still Slept Under that Hill, None Can Say I picked up "The Thunder Rolled Like Waves on Black Seas" to keep foes away, but if I started again I'd choose "If their Bones Still Slept Under that Hill, None Can Say" because 6 skeletons help a lot and its upgrade is useful late game, too. Come, Come Soft Winds of Death Not so much to choose here, but you need a Phrase and "Come, Come Soft Winds of Death" at least is a healing source early levels, but it is not so effective and it losts value late game. Marked Prey No brain. +10 ACC versus a foe is huge late, mid and end game. Weapon Proficiencies Dagger (Parrying Blade some defense when we are forced in melee. Hunting Bow (Rapid Shot we have high ACC so we can increase DPS a lot with more speed. Level 2 Arms Bearer More choices, more chances of damage, more fun! Level 3 The Thunder Rolled Like Waves on Black Seas Ok, eventually I pick this one. Not much else better and a source of Stunned in AoE with few bonds is always appreciated and it can save your back also late game. Alternative: Fast Runner, but you can increase stride also with equip. Level 4 Two-Handed Style I used ah huge amount of tow-handed ranged weapons, so this is obvious. Marksman +5 ACC almost always. Nothing else to say. WP: Pistol (Rushed Reload) Same speech made with the hunting bow AND it is important for Eccea's Arcane Blaster Level 5 Shot on the Run Gunner can be better, but we are often using also bows, so Shot on the Run seems a better choice. Level 6 Gernisc Slew the Beast, but Soon Faced Its Kin Six ranged wurms with fire attack can do the difference in many situations. Level 7 Ancient Brittle Bones Six skeletons who died and splits in twelve, and the latter don't count as summon total? Oh yeah - tanky funky And if they don't make huge damage, 12 or more little skeletons who hit a foe, count for "on hit" effects Evasive Roll Cheap cost, great panic button and on the top, a source of Quick… believe me, you'll always miss it if you've tried it at least once. Alternative: Marked for the Hunt, but not always you face many foes at once and you can choose the following target… Level 8 Sure-Handed Ila Nocked Her Arrows with Speed Less reload and revovery time, more speed, more DPS. And it is good with your ranged summons. Do you remember the wurm from before? WP: Crossbow (Interrupting Shot) A never ending source of interrupts. Why not? Level 9 Ancient Memory Wonderful infinite source of AoE (for summons and companion) healing. Also with mid MIG we can exploit it. Level 10 ...and Their Screams Reached The Heavens Why have wurms if we don't use their Screaming Breath? Alternative: The Lover Cried out to the Beloved, "I am Yours!" - An AoE Charme, if you are satisfied with "regular" wurms. Hunter's Claw Not for itself but rather for its upgrade Alternative: a passive like Gunner or Two Weapons Style or Weapons and Shield Style. Level 11 The Brideman Slew Thirty 'Fore They Crossed Half the Hall Strong and Steadfast for you and yours summons/companion. Not bad. Alternative: ...Its Crash Could Not Be Denied, if you enjoy stunning people, +15 ACC is always welcomed Level 12 At the Sound of His Voice, the Killers Froze Stiff It is a no brain choice, more with high ACC and INT. And it is an alternative to Stunned and/or enemies with high Reflex. Companion, Skeletons and Wurms are enough for us and alternatives chanter summons are not so good or important to pick up. Alternative: The Long Night's Drink Birthed the Revenge of Morning - a source of Weakened and a -14 debuff to Fortitude, I didn't think so but it is an underrated Phrase. WP: Medium Shield (Block) 30% complete resistance to attacks is huge when we are in trouble somentimes. Alternative: you can experiment with Magical implements modals, such as Scepters (Destructive Channeling) or Rods (Blast). Level 13 Rapid Casting Speed can make the difference between life and death. Always picked up in my runs. Practiced Healer Wait! Why not Driving Flight?!?! Well, like Marked for the Hunt not always we are facing more foes at once and we need to compensate mid MIG for healing capability, besides it synergies with chanter healing abilities and everyone benefits from it (summons and AC). And if we stack Healing buffs, we can heal like no one. Level 14 The Bride Caught their Ruse and Set to Make them Pay AoE lasting Quick and Insightful - no brain. Alternative: Gernisc's Beast Lit the Night with his Breath - ok, you can have fun with it, but Dragons are not as good as you can hope Level 15 Tough We have not a large reserve of health and we often need it - trust me. Alternative: Together They Slew Forth a River of Red or ...And Their Fear Followed Them into the Foothills - improve previous Invocations with nasty effects. Level 16 Quick Summoning Mandatory for a summon-based build. Hunter's Fang Balnce out for our mid MIG. It does wonder with Boss and megaboss (se the videos below). WP: Large Shield (The Wall) Useful when you search refuge versus projectiles and/or need more REF. And I have used two unique large shields extensively during my run, and of ot them has a enchantment that works with this WP. Level 17 Survival of the Fittest More ACC is Always welcomed, even if we have already high ACC. With high defense values of some foes it is envaluable. Level 18 Improved Critical Plenty of choices here. I'd prefer this one because with our ACC we score many Crits thus we are improving our DPS, and a passive ability is more advisable than active one usually. But you can go for an alternative with no worries. Alternative: pick an upgrade of a previuos Invocation, i.e. ...Each Kill Fed His Fury because +5 CON helps us a lot; or have fun with So Singt thy Biting Winds o' Eld Nary but Tornado is quite clumsy in my opinion. Their Champion Braved The Horde Alone is good for PEN buff, but you have already The Brideman Slew Thirty 'Fore They Crossed Half the Hall who give more MIG. With our excellent DPS Old Siec Would Not Rest 'til His Hunger Was Sated works very weel, instead. Level 19 Called to His Bidding, the Ancient Instruments of Death And finally, our SIX animated weapons full of self healing and their own abilities! Superior Camouflage +8 DEF against ranged attacks when we are almost always far from the fight, is our bread. Alternative: ok, you can pick Driving Flight because is a great DPS enhancer all in all Level 20 Many Lives Pass By, Each Leaving Footprints Sometimes, without it, you wouldn't be able to win certain battles. A free skeleton invocation. Alternative: Mercy and Kindness Followed Where'er She Walked if you want a more healing-oriented build; Set to Their Purpose, They All Knew Their Part because more INT more the summons last. Or have fun with Boil Their Flesh From Skin to Bone seeing enemies explode when they are almost dead WP: War Bow (Overdraw) Most because to be considered a ranged weapon specialist. Or follow advices of level 12. Watcher's Abilities Wit of Death's Herald Taking always sassy responses to Gods, you have a source of "Brilliant". And Laerne has a bold personality No Time for the Lost More duration to Beneficial Effects, Less duration of hostile effects - it's the best choice, but it doesn't make so much difference,RPG-wise you can also go for Mercy for the Lost. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equipments Weapons There are three weapons I've used in my run more than the others: Frostseeker, Essence Interrupter and Eccea's Arcane Blaster. Frostseeker comes relatively early and it has three properies that make it vry good for us: it is multi-shot, it has 2 different damages and it has an AoE effects. The best choice early/mid game versus groups of foe. And it is perfect from RPG point of view! Essence Interrupter can be bought almost immediately, it has 2 (or three) different damages, DPS can be improves by skill maxing and as a hunting bow it is very fast. Extensively used through all my run. Eccea's Arcane Blaster is maybe the best ranged weapon for us when pierce, frost and shock damage are failing or we need corrode/crush damage. Imbued Ammunition deal a lot of damage and we are so fast that 35% more recovery doens't worry. On top of that Fractured Bullet furthermore enhance DPS and helps delivering one of the other enchantments. And it is a lot of fun to use it! Other weapons used frequently Scourge of Bezzello: useful for canceling enemies concentration with multi-shot and its modal. Kitchen Stove: needed for stacking Hunter's Fang buffs with multishot and Wild Barrage. Blightheart: a soulbound arquebuse we can wield early game as a healing source and to build phrases faster. A dagger for parry when I were using a defensive slot with a shield. There are some other weapons used but just for fun or occasionally. Shields Somentimes I've used The Best Defense when I needed a weapon slot for defensive purpose as well as Nerian's Ward, Lethandria's Devotion (the latter benefits also of our healing buffs) or Wintertide Bulwark. Armor Miscreant's Leathers: my favourite dress early game. -10% Recovery, +8 REF, -10% Crit Damage taken and +5% Misses converted to Grazes. What else do we need? Fleshmender: +5 Health Restored per 12.0 sec which become superhigh with our healing buff, +3 AR bonus at combat start, on top of that +1 Quick Item Slots and 5% of incoming Hits converted to Grazes. It is like a god mode with this character I has ended up wearing it all mid/late game. RPG-wise you can use also Sharpshooter's Garb, but it is less effective than Fleshmender, I warn you Clothing Head: Acina's Tricorn (more DPS) Neck: Baubles of the Fin (more DPS for summons) / Bone Setter's Torc (healing buff and more self DPS) - Charm of Bones against vessels, with also its +2 INT Hands: Aegor's Swift Touch (more DPS) / Finger 1: Ring of the Marksman (+1 PEN is fundamental) / Ring of Prosperity's Fortune (increase DPS) Finger 2: Ring of Greater Regeneration (with our healing buffs is a huge boost in healing) / Kuaru's Prize (+1 INT is always more summons time and it increase also our scrolls DPS) Waist: Physicker's Belt (healing buff) / Sash of Judgment (improve DPS) / The Undying Burden (defensive choice and +2 CON) Feet: Footprints of Ahu Taka (DEX and healing buff) / Boots of Stone (DEX and resistance to stunned, moreover looks better than sandals ;P) / Fenan's Finery (the best fitting RPG shoes) Cape: The Giftbearer's Cloth (one more quick item, one more weapon and more defence that we lack) / Cloak of the Theocrat (more INT more summons time) Pet: Harley (+10% ranged damage is better than all the rest) / Animancy Cat (improves summons a lot and Arcana and Metaphysics is just our skill!) Trinket: Muātu's Head or Crucible Token Quick slot items With high Alchemy I've found these potions very useful in my run: - Potion of Spatial Alacrity, Potion of Deftness and Potion of Perfect Aim to increase DPS; - Potion of Impediment for interrupts; - All healing potion cause of our high healing buff. Any drug is good for us, especially Mouth Char, Deadeye (in this case Potion of Impediment and Potion of Deftness are unnecessary), Taru Turu Chew for our low/mid MIG and CON and occasionally Whiteleaf for its healing effect upgraded by our healing buffs. With high Arcana Scroll of Avenging Storm is awesome when we shot with a multi-projectile weapons (i.e. Frostseeker); Scroll of Moonwell is wonderful for us and our summons because of healing; Scroll of Withdraw lasts a lot and can save us many times; all powerful scrolls deal much damage with our high PER (i.e. Scroll of Storm of Holy Fire, Scroll of Great Maelstrom and so on...) Unfortunately, the Scroll of Kalakoth's Minor Blights could have been a beautiful and appropriate weapon for Laerne, but they are less effective than other "normal weapons" because the damage type changes randomly with each hit (this is not suitable for almost any creature) and it would be better if it were a rod or a scepter; the wand is a bit "meh", but you can use it just for fun every now and then. Food and Drink Laerne is especially fond of Mohorā Wraps: it gives us a lot of strength (which we lack) and speed, which increases our DPS. Apart from that, Glazed Chops are also great for strength and the healing buff as well as Honey Wine Hen for even more defensive fights. ===================================================================================================================================================== How to play the build The way to play the build is not very difficult to understand: summon allies with the chanter's invocations, make them tank and shoot as much as you can with the throwing weapons that are most suitable for the enemy you are facing. Use as many buffs as you can with the Phrases and/or the ranger's abilities, in case of danger use "Evasive Roll" and/or "The Thunder Rolled Like Waves on Black Seas" and if you can't use the chanter's summons, spend a bond on your beautiful badass bear VIDEOS Laerne in action: all megabosses, Nemnok - a very difficult fight! - and Changeling's Dance as bonus track Nemnok Changeling's Dance Sigilmaster Auranic Belranga Dorudugan Hauani O Whe Guardian of Ukaizo

Glanfathan Soul Hunter Game Version - 1.2 Difficulty - PoTD up-scaled / Solo / Deadly Deadfire Race: Wooden Elf Class - (Ranger) Ghost Heart / (Cipher) Ascendant Alignment - Neutral (The strongest survives) Culture: Aedyr God - Galawain Companion - Bear Increase difficulty mod: Deadly Deadfire Hardcore (https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/43) Videos: Showcases L20 - Equipment (On this video I didnt have Bracers of Greater Deflection) L20 - Abilities, Attributes (On this video, I used my old setup, check new version in abilities section) L20 - Queen L20 - Ukaizo L19 - Fampyr L15 - Adra lighthouse L13 - Ondra Temple Attributes Might - 10 Constitution - 10 Dexterity - 19 Perception - 10 Intellect - 18 Resolve - 11 Skills Alchemy 19 History 19 Abilities Whispers of Treason (CL1) + Marked Prey (HL1) Resilient Companion (HL2) Penetrating Visions (CL3) Draining Whip (CL4) + Gunnery (HL4) Marksman (HL5) Weapon and Shield Style (CL6) Ectopsychic Echo (CL7) + Evasive Roll (HL7) Protective Companion (HL8) Hammering Thoughts (CL9) Body Attunement (CL10) + Stalker's Link (HL10) Recall Agony (CL11) Bear's Fortitude (HL12) Ring Leader (CL13) + Driving Flight (HL13) Borrowed Instinct (CL14) Tactical Meld (CL15) Disintegration (CL16) + Survival of the Fittest (HL16) The Empty Soul (CL17) Defensive Bond (HL18) The Complete Self (CL19) + Superior Camouflage (HL19) Snake's Reflexes (HL20) Equipement Pet: Abracham (https://pillarsofete...dia.com/Abraham Weapon 1: Bronlar's Phalanx (https://pillarsofete...cordeo's_Trophy) + Scordeo's Trophy (https://pillarsofete...cordeo's_Trophy Weapon 2: Hand Mortal(https://pillarsofete...com/Hand_Mortar) + Cadhu Scalth (https://pillarsofete...om/Cadhu_Scalth) Weapon 3: Dragon's Dowry (https://pillarsofete...ven's_Cacophony) Armor: Patinated Plate (https://pillarsofete...Patinated_Plate) Head: Heaven's Cacophony (https://pillarsofete...ven's_Cacophony) Belt: Girdle of Eoten Constitution (https://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Girdle_of_Eoten_Constitution_(Deadfire)) Ring: Ring of the Marksman (https://pillarsofete...of_the_Marksman) + Small Ring of Protection Footprints: Boots of the Stone (https://pillarsofete...ts_of_the_Stone) Gloves:Bracers of Greater Deflection (https://pillarsofete...eadfire_bracers) Cloak: The Giftbearer's Cloth (https://pillarsofete...eadfire_bracers) Belt: Captain Belt (https://pillarsofete..._Captain's_Belt) Amulet: Strand of Favor(https://pillarsofete...Strand_of_Favor) Modals: * Large Shield * Pistol * Blunderbuss Food: Captain Banquette Gameplay: Charm enemies Put Ectopsychic Echo on Companion Generate Focus and RS with Scordeo If enemies surround switch on Hand Mortal and use Heaven's Cacophony active skills When you Ascended put Disintegration on each enemy around you Tips: Food: Captain Banquette prevent you from Rogue distraction and stop enemies sneak attack Food: Captain Banquette prevent you from Fear, Terrified Food: Captain Banquette prevent you from Domination Alchemy: Potion of Piercing Strikes with Body Attunement helps penetrate Golems and Ukaizo armor Alchemy: Potion of Ascension increase Disintegration damage

Somewhere in Old Vailia, 15-year-old Dervide Riso gave his crush, Centa Enricis a carved rod with which she was supposed to scratch her back. A bully, Marco Zaurippi, took the rod and threw it onto a frozen river. While trying to retrieve it, Dervide fell through the thin ice and with him his beloved pet bear Frogfish. They were pulled away by the current. Dervide suddenly found himself in the local library and discovered his ability to "jump" from one place to another. Amazed with his new ability, he left his permanently boozed father and leaped away from home. Frogfish simply drowned that day but was too dumb to notice, so he followed Dervide as a ghooohoohoost. Booo! Eight years later, an adult Dervide lived lavishly on stolen money and fed his Frogfish imaginary golden currywurst nearly every day. One other day, he was ambushed in his home by Lolrand Capon, a member of the Goldpact Knight Paladins, who was hired to tracking down Dervide because of his habit to steal everything that's not nailed down. But Dervide escaped with some nice evasive leaps. Feeling that he needed to leave the hot zone, he returned to Old Vailia, seeking his old crush Centa. Unfotunately she turned out to be ugly like an Ogre Matron who regularly ate directly from the deep fat fryer without cutlery. When Marco attacked him again, Dervide leaped right behind him and hit him with a newly carved rod. A Blast got released and Marcos head exploded! Yikes! Dervide quickly cleaned up the mess and from that point on decided to turn off the gib option in his life menu. He then returned to Centa. After talking, they shared a kiss - brrrr - and "let the rod have a blast". Yikes again! Dervide then invited her on a trip to the Dyrwood because some wacko Rodriguez lord made a call for settlers. Dervide and Centa finally arrived in the Dyrwood by ship. But when they got on shore, Centa tripped over her greasy shoelaces and fell off the gangway and into the Dyrwooden mud. One half-unwitting leap later Dervide found himself amongst some people with a caravan and was a bachelor again. During some neat adventures that followed and which involved going on the nerves of some fake gods, killing a guy with two inbecile living statues with big noses, opening up an ancient forge and killing sevel dragons with magnificent Blasts from his rod he became the Lord of Caed Nua by killing some presumptuous smug. Lots of killing lately, really. Then onother imbecile statue emerged... Yikes! "See you later Watershaper far'well-ahoy fishy boy. I'll have to borrow your back scraper 'cause it will be my new toy." - Dervide Riso while stealing Tekehu's rod - =================================== The Deep Leap =================================== Difficulty: PotD v. 1.2 -------------------------------------------------------------- Solo: untested -------------------------------------------------------------- Class: Ghost Heart/Trickster -------------------------------------------------------------- Race: Wood Elf (alternative: whatever) -------------------------------------------------------------- Background: Old Vailia - Dissident -------------------------------------------------------------- Stats: MIG: 15 CON: 03 DEX: 19 PER: 19 INT: 19 RES: 03 -------------------------------------------------------------- Abilities | Skills | Proficiencies (a=automatic) 01. Marked Prey + Crippling Strike + Arkemy'r Dazzling Lights (a) | Rod, Arbalest 02. Escape | +1 Arcana (-> 1), +1 Diplomacy (-> 2) 03. Wounding Shot | +1 Arcana (-> 2), +1 Streetwise (-> 2) 04. Marksman + Dirty Fighting + Mirrored Image (a) | +1 Arcana (-> 3), +1 Bluff (-> 3) | Scepter 05. Blinding Strike | +1 Arcana (-> 4), +1 Diplomacy (-> 3) 06. Two-Handed Style | +1 Arcana (-> 5), +1 Streetwise (-> 3) 07. Evasive Roll + Arterial Strike + Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage (a) | +1 Arcana (-> 6), +1 Bluff (-> 4) 08. Gouging Strike | +1 Arcana (-> 7), +1 Diplomacy (-> 4) | Pistol 09. Marked for the Hunt | +1 Arcana (-> 8 ), +1 Streetwise (-> 4) 10. Concussive Shot + Withering Strike + Llengrath's Displaced Image (a) | +1 Arcana (-> 9), +1 Bluff (-> 5) 11. Protective Companion | +1 Arcana (-> 10), +1 Diplomacy (-> 5) 12. Stalker's Link | +1 Arcana (-> 11), +1 Streetwise (-> 5) | Crossbow 13. Driving Flight + Deep Wounds + Confusion (a) | +1 Arcana (-> 12), +1 Bluff (-> 6) 14. Accurate Wounding Shot | +1 Arcana (-> 13), +1 Diplomacy (-> 6) 15. Finishing Blow | +1 Mechanics (-> 2), +1 Streetwise (-> 6) 16. Concussive Tranquilizer + Toxic Strike + Arkemy'r Wondrous Torment (a) | +1 Mechanics (-> 3), +1 Bluff (-> 7) | Arquebus 17. Survival of the Fittest | +1 Mechanics (-> 4), +1 Diplomacy (-> 7) 18. Devastating Blow | +1 Mechanics (-> 5), +1 Streetwise (-> 7) 19. Accurate Empower + Deathblows + Gaze of the Andragan (a)| +1 Mechanics (-> 6), +1 Bluff (-> 8 ) 20. Lasting Empower | +1 Mechanics (-> 7), +1 Diplomacy (-> 8 ) | Wand --------------------------------------------------------------- Items (!=important, r=recommended) Weapon Set 1: Watershaper's Focus (! - +Ondra's Wrath, +Legendary) Weapon Set 2: Spearcaster (+Pinning, +Missile upgrade) Head: Acina's Tricorn (r - for ranged ACC - also works with certain spells) Back: Magnificent Escape Cape Neck: Charm of Bones (for more Blast AoE and longer DoTs) Armor: Aloth's Leather Armor (+Superb, +Structurally Stable, Known Causality - for the Blast AoE) Waist: Spellkeeper (for the fun) Hands: Burglar's Gloves / Aegor's Swift Touch Rings: Ring of Overseeing (for the Blast AoE), Ring of the Marksman Boots: Boots of Speed Pet: Loki (because it's a Trickster and Loki is the trickster-god And because of Blast's AoE of course) --------------------------------------------------------------- Hi! The Dead Leap? What's that? It the combination of Deep Wounds with DoT afflictions, Blast with several jumps and leaping around to and fro on the battlefield. What's interesting about this build? It's the Watershaper's Focus! Believe it or not, but when you combine the Focus' inherent jump with Driving Flight and Ondra's Wrath (enchantment of the Focus) you can reliably produce a chain reaction of multiple Blasts jumping around and also multiple crushing waves rolling around so that everything is dead that can't swim. Only thing is: you want to have the enemies in one spot to make this happen - because recovery is so sluggish you can only afford to fire twice: out of stealth and then immediately after (because stealth reduces recovery by 85%). But honestly: two is all you need... So if there's let's say 5 enemies in a tight spot and I shoot them with Watershaper's Focus + Driving Flight, I theoretically generate 3*5 = 15 hits with one shot. Each hit would have a 15% chance to trigger Ondra's Wrath. This would mean a nearly certain proc chance of over 90%. Something weird is going on... But that's not all. Something else is going on. I suspect that the Wrath's crushing attacks themselves jump, too. Because I generate not 15 or even 30, but hundrets of hits with this setup as long as there are enough enemies. Ondra's Wrath usually triggers multiple times as long as there are more than three enemies. Combined with Deep Wounds and for example Arterial Strike I also add so much raw DoT that most mobs just explode in a wave of crushing water *booooom*. Even if some survive they get felled rather quickly by Deep Wounds + Arterial Strike (and/or Toxic Strike and/or Gouging Strike). If you manage to gather the enemy in one spot, encounter is over before it even starts most of the time. Single enemies are no problem as well: I shoot them with Spearcaster + Arterial Strike and leap here and there to make them follow me. They die like with any other rogue. Sneaky crowd control: Who's there? Now that we know that we have to cramp as many enemies as we can into a tight spot, how can we do that? Sparkcrackers? Meh... But doesn't Arkemy'r Dazzling Lighs work the same way? It does! That's actuall my no. 1 reason for picking Trickster And if you don't hit an enemy with it you even stay stealthed. That's important because the recovery bonus of stealth (85%) lets you fine two shots in very quick succession if you start shooting from stealth. So the huge recovery malus of Blast is not noticeable between the first two shots. But two shots of this caliber should be enough for most enemy groups, shouldn't it? It should. Even high level enemies with a lot of health (like Rathuns for example) nearly aloways get one- or two-shotted as long as you can get them to gather in one place. Additional stuff Besides the powerful AoE behavior I also found out that gaze spells like Gaze of the Andragan work with Driving Flight (=two chances to paralyze) and also work with the hat's accuracy bonus. Neat... The cons What are the weaknesses? Obviously enemy gunmen. Since this build is extremely squishy as long as you didn't cast Mirrored Image he can get screwed by ranged enemies pretty quickly. But to be honest I like the "all or nothing" approach. Plays like... This build basically plays like an Assassin without being one. The difference is that you assassinate the whole encounter if everything works smoothly, not only one single enemy. But what about... Now you might think: would a pure Ranger with Twinned Shot be even more devastating? I also thought about that and tested it - but funnily enough a pure Ranger with Twinned Shots doesn't perform half as good as the Scout. I guess it is because of Deep Wounds, Sneak Attack and all the DoTs you do apply. But to be honest I don't really know why the scout performs so much better. I only know that the Scout one-shots nearly every cramped group while a Ranger doesn't - even though the Ranger can generate six Blasts with one shot. If somebody wants to find out what really-really happens: be my guest! Variants (after a nerf...?) Another nice variant is to pick Sharpshooter/Street Fighter instead and use Fire in the Hole and Hand Mortar. The dps is better after the initial attacks because rod's Blast causes 50% recovery penalty. Vids I have huge problems recording the game atm. I get massive flickering blue bars when trying to capture a vid directy from the graphics card. I blame my drivers. What works is Peek (makes short animated GIFs). And if I'm honest I like those even more than Youtube vids for some unknown reason. Maybe because they remind me of Monkey Island? Enjoy (open tags to load animated gif)! --------------------------------------------------------------- Luring enemies to a spot with Arkemy'r Dazzling Lights: --------------------------------------------------------------- One-shot of a group of Rotghasts: --------------------------------------------------------------- Attacking a group of Rathun Raiders out of stealth with Empower: --------------------------------------------------------------- Attacking a group of Rathun Raiders from stealth without Empower: --------------------------------------------------------------- With Empower - without Empower - makes no difference, hehe. Edit: had to rewrite some text because of major forum formatting screwup that put links everywhere. Yikes!

So, I'm planning to roll up a Ghost Heart multi-class soon that will have some CC, some DoTs available to it, and maybe some slow healing available to it, depending on the 2nd class. I'm trying to decide which animal companion would work best for the Ghost Heart. I've done some research already and playtested a bit with the wolf (it dies quickly). On the one hand, the two main damage dealers are the Wolf and the Lion. The Wolf is squishy (but Ghost Heart = no Bonded Grief) but stronger than the other companions, while the Lion has more health and has an attack speed bonus. On the other hand, the Bear and the Boar are semi-decent off-tanks, from what I've read. The Bear has a bit more armor and does decent damage, while the Boar has the most health and has a health regeneration effect, but is slow and doesn't deal a lot of damage. I've read that animal companions generally don't deal a lot of damage, even with all of their buffs (Predator's Sense, Merciless Companion, Vicious Companion); if this is still the case, is it even worth going something other than Boar? I mean, I could go Bear for a little extra armor, but will that really make a difference? As added information, I am planning to be a Hearth Orlan for extra crits and I am going to be running with the official companions. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Despite setting my Ghost Heart Ranger's Animal Companion AI to "Aggressive", I still have to command it to attack when summoning it.

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.