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[This post has been edited do to accidentally posting before it was completed] Most of the time when I play an Rpg I just try to get a balance of Attack and Defense. This normally means I play as rogues, barbarians, fighters, and any other close range fighter. As of late though I’ve felt yearning to do something different, so I’m going to do a ranged build. Ranger, of course, is my first choice. And I would like to multiclass. But if there is any other ideas I want to hear them.

Hi there. Relatively new player here (played 20 hours last year at launch), looking to create a ranged mindstalker for a Classic playthrough using the Turn-Based mode. I was hoping to get some advice re: stat priority, weapons (2h vs DW), and key abilities to really make the multi-class shine. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Like the title says I would love to hear your builds that would fit well together. 1 Tank 1 Melee DPS 1 Ranged 1 Magic 1 Healer Custom characters all. Thanks in advance!

A frigid soul in a cold barren land. She wanders around aimlessly, unknowingly guided by the Cosmo. Always alone but determined, she gazes towards the coal-black unflinching sky, her treasured flute by her side. At a distance spanning mountains wide, there is fire and warmth. A caravan can be seen, perched upon the snow capped mountains, the smell of barley and ale, the jovial atmosphere and the loud chattering of kith resting after a long day's travel. Unmistakably, the group of kith starts hearing a faint but sonorous melody. Not a second too long, a thunderous parade of jagged streaks can be seen painting blue the once austere sky. They jolt gently like falling Sakura leaves, chaotic but peaceful. The once loud chattering of the kith folk stops abruptly as if time itself has stopped. Even the previously biting gale lays still, replaced by the thunderous echoes of a forgotten past yearning for a distant future. As abrupt as it came, the spectacle ceases to exist. The void replaced by stars, slowly forming in the sky. And just like that, this band of weary travelers have bared witness to a famous bard's tale only thought to have been a legend. 1. Watch these Gameplay Videos first before you read on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSX6l2QgP2o 2. Required Mods Mod: Level Scaling Mod Why? We want the game to be harder so it will be more satisfying to beat. We want to DL the file called, "Level Scaling Mod" under the old files section. This is because the new mod file got tuned down as a response to the 1.1 patch which increased the game difficulty. We want the original file. https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/24?tab=files Mod: Afflictions and Inspirations Mod Why? This is just an optional mod but it really improves the UI of the game. It's much cleaner to look at and much more informative than the standard base UI the game comes with. https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/32 3. Character Creation Race: Pale Elf Why? I just like the way they look. Also, *whispers* Class Selection: Devoted Fighter + Nalpazca Monk Why Devoted? This build has a 46% chance to crit so having that +25% crit damage would prove useful. That's not even the best part. Why we pick Devoted is because of the +2 penetration we get. Since we will be playing on POTD and since we will be using a Blunderbuss (low base pen), we will need as much armor pen as we can get. Why Nalpazca? It's miles ahead in comparison to any other monk subclass. This is because Helwalker makes us too squishy, Shattered is a no go because we need max wounds to take advantage of Turning Wheel and No Subclass gives us no benefit. Nalpazca on the other hand offers us a substantial benefit (+10 pl to drugs) with an easily fixed penalty (we need to take drugs). Also, Drugs are ridiculously good! Attributes: Without/With Berath's Blessing Mig 8 -> 10 Con 8 -> 10 Dex 18 -> 20 Per 18 -> 20 Int 18 -> 20 Res 8 -> 10 Why we only need few of might, constitution or resolve? Our weapon (Blunderbuss) has a low base damage so +% damage from might is not that attractive, the +% healing we get is ok but we have enough ways to keep ourselves healthy. We will have enough defense rating (deflection, fortitude, reflex, will) to offset our non-investment in constitution. Resolve gives us an ok amount of deflection. We also have sufficient tools to lower hostile effect duration through Ring of Solitary Wanderer (-35% hostile effect duration) and Clarity of Agony (-5 sec Duration of hostile effects, -50% Hostile effect duration for 20.0 sec). Why we need a lot of dexterity, perception and intellect? We need dex to attack fast so we can keep procing Avenging Storm which is the reason for this build. Perception is the king of stats, especially in POTD. We want to hit enemies. As a side benefit, both dexterity and perception increases our reflex defense. With sky-high reflex, plenty of the heavy hitting enemy ranged aoe damage will miss us leaving enemies to rely on their puny basic attacks to do damage on us. Enemy spells shouldn't be an issue either as we have enough will to resist it. The reason why we max intellect is for the increased duration in our abilities, scrolls, and drugs. This is more valuable than it sounds! Culture: The White that Wends Mystic Why? Mainly for the Lore. Also, Mystic gives us +1 to Arcana (the active skill we are going to max). Weapon Proficiency: Blunderbuss Why? We will be using Kitchen Stove which is a Blunderbuss. Active Skill: Max Arcana Why? Arcana along with Alchemy are straight-up bonkers as of patch 1.1. +1 Arcana is equivalent to +1 to power level of scrolls. We will be taking advantage of all the scrolls we can find/craft to unleash hell towards our enemies. Avenging Storm is our bread and butter. Passive Skill: Max History Why? We will be using the The Giftbearer's Cloth (+5 all defenses except deflection, increases with the History skill). 4. Equipment and Consumables Equipment: Helmet- Pearlescent Helm or Death's Maw (you can use whatever for this) Necklace - Bonesetter's Torc (for the +5% crit, +10% healing done and injury removal) Armor - Devil of Caroc Breastplate (still the best armor in-game despite the nerf imho) Ring Slot 1 - Ring of Solitary Wanderer (for the -35% harmful duration) Boots - Footprints of Ahu Taka (for the +2 dex and +10% healing done) Cape - The Giftbearer's Cloth (still gives a lot of defenses despite the nerf, +15 at 20 History) Gloves - Firethrower's Gloves (has everything we need for this build, +2 dex and +1 Arcana) Ring Slot 2 - Entonia Signet Ring (you can use whatever for this) Belt - Upright Captain's Belt (for the immunity to push/pull effects) Pet - Abraham (reduces recovery speed by a lot, best pet in-game imho) Weapon: Kitchen Stove - We want to use a Blunderbuss for its multi-shot passive. Kitchen Stove just happens to be the best Blunderbuss. Note# We want the modal on as it does crazy AOE damage. Its negative effect is offset by Intuitive from Disciplined Strikes. Note# The optimal enchantments are Frantic Reload and Wild Barrage. Food: Hot Razor Skewers is really good as it gives us +2 might, +2 pen and +1 to power level. Any other food should be fine as well. Note# Captain's Banquet +20% action speed bonus overrides the action speed bonus of our abilities. They don't stack together. Note# Captain's Banquet +20% dmg with spells doesn't work with Avenging Storm for some reason. Note# Crusted Swordfish +2 pen with spells doesn't work with Avenging Storm for some reason. Drugs: Deadeye is excellent for this build as it gives us accuracy as well as the % interrupt that gets pretty crazy due to multi-shot (Blunderbuss passive). Note# Coral Snuff is not good because its action speed bonus overrides the action speed bonus of our abilities. They don't stack together. Note# For hard encounters, use Deadeye. For general encounters, use any other drugs or even no drugs at all. Scrolls: Scroll of Avenging Storm - Our bread and butter. This is the reason why this build exists. Nuff Said. Scroll of Circle of Protection - Increases our defenses by 15 until combat ends. This is pretty crazy huh? Scroll of Moonwell - Increases our defenses by 10 and gives us a huge amount of constant healing (26.2hp per 3 seconds) for a long duration (40.5s). Scroll of Withdraw - We will only use this as a last resort. It makes us untargetable while healing us but we are stunned for the duration. Note# I only use these set of scrolls for hard encounters. For general encounters, use any other scrolls or even no scrolls at all. Note# No matter how much fun it is to always use Avenging Storm, I only use it when I actually need it. Use it sparingly as it's hard to craft. Note# I'm not using Scroll of Meteor Shower and Scroll of Great Maelstrom because they just one shot everything with maxed out Arcana. 5. Abilities Abilities by level guide: 2. Lesser Wounds 3. Fast Runner 4. Fighter Stances + 1H Style (+20% critical chance is crazy good) 5. Determination (amazing tanking passive) 6. Confident Aim 7. Disciplined Strikes + Lightning Strikes (core abilities of this build) 8. Rapid Recovery 9. Clarity of Agony (really good against strong damage over time) 10. Vigorous Defense + Thunderous Blows (+2 pen applies to Avenging Storm) 11. Duality of Mortal Presence 12. Crucible of Suffering (amazing tanking passive) 13. Conqueror Stance (+10 to accuracy/deflection is nuts) + Enlightened Agony (we love intellect) 14. Armored Grace 15. Enervating Blows (super useful against enemies that heal) 16. Refreshing Defense + Turning Wheel (we love intellect) 17. Body Control (resistance to might affliction) 18. Unstoppable (resistance to dex affliction) 19. Snake's Reflex + Bear's Fortitude (more defenses) 20. Uncanny Luck AI Behavior Script:

Hey! I'm working with a mod to add a new subclass and I'm trying to remove the "unfit for melee" -10 deflection malus from bows for this particular subclass. I found the statuseffect and the particular mod ranged weapons use. I'm quite a noob with modding and I've gotten quite far just with common sense but this seems to elude my brain.. I managed to remove the malus with a simple mod that changes the malus to +0, but I can't make it just for a particular subclass.. I just copied the Boolean ProgressionTableIsSubclass(Guid) from progressiontables. Aaaaand there I see the problem. It's not a progressiontable. It's a statuseffect. What's the correct conditional? So. is it easier to just give the subclass an automatic +10 to deflection passive ability to offset the malus? Appreciate if someone has the time to check it out! Thx! { "GameDataObjects": [ { "$type": "Game.GameData.StatusEffectGameData, Assembly-CSharp", "DebugName": "MOD_Unfit_For_Melee_2H_SE_Deflection", "ID": "27a61142-ec74-4ec3-a469-85c114bd6ca5", "Components": [ { "$type": "Game.GameData.StatusEffectComponent, Assembly-CSharp", "StatusEffectType": "Deflection", "OverrideDescriptionString": -1, "OverrideDescriptionStringTactical": -1, "UseStatusEffectValueAs": "None", "BaseValue": 0, "DynamicValue": { "Stat": "None", "SkillDataID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "ClassID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "MultiplyBy": 1, "Operator": "Add" }, "KeywordsIDs": [], "DurationType": "Infinite", "Duration": 0, "MaxStackQuantity": 0, "ApplicationBehavior": "UseLongerDurationIfAlreadyApplied", "ApplicationType": "ApplyOnStart", "IntervalRateID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "StackedChildrenApplyEffects": "false", "ApplicationPrerequisites": { "Conditional": { "Operator": 0, "Components": [ { "$type": "OEIFormats.FlowCharts.ConditionalCall, OEIFormats", "Data": { "FullName": "Boolean ProgressionTableIsSubclass(Guid)", "Parameters": [ "99b951f7-3dff-4e3f-b2ee-04de75084814" ], "Flags": "", "UnrealCall": "", "FunctionHash": 0, "ParameterHash": 0 }, "Not": false, "Operator": 0 } ] }, "VisibilityConditional": { "Operator": 0, "Components": [ { "$type": "OEIFormats.FlowCharts.ConditionalCall, OEIFormats", "Data": { "FullName": "Boolean ProgressionTableIsSubclass(Guid)", "Parameters": [ "99b951f7-3dff-4e3f-b2ee-04de75084814" ], "Flags": "", "UnrealCall": "", "FunctionHash": 0, "ParameterHash": 0 }, "Not": false, "Operator": 0 } ] }, "TriggerAdjustment": { "TriggerOnEvent": "None", "TriggerOffEvent": "None", "ValidateWithAttackFilter": "false", "ParamValue": 0, "ValueAdjustment": 0, "DurationAdjustment": 0, "ResetTriggerOnEffectTimeout": "false", "MaxTriggerCount": 0, "IgnoreMaxTriggerCount": "false", "RemoveEffectAtMax": "false", "ChanceToTrigger": 1 }, "PowerLevelScaling": { "UseCharacterLevel": "false", "BaseLevel": 0, "LevelIncrement": 1, "MaxLevel": 0, "ValueAdjustment": 0, "DurationAdjustment": 0 }, "IsHostile": "false", "ClearOnCombatEnd": "false", "ClearOnRest": "false", "ClearOnFoodRest": "false", "ClearWhenAttacks": "false", "ClearOnDeath": "false", "HideFromCombatTooltip": "true", "HideFromCombatLog": "false", "HideFromUI": "false", "VisualEffects": [], "MaterialReplacementID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "AttackFilter": { "KeywordsIDs": [], "KeywordLogic": "Or", "Race": "None", "IsKith": "false", "HealthPercentage": 0, "HealthOperator": "EqualTo", "Range": "Melee", "ClassTypeID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "Source": "Weapon", "DefendedBy": "None", "Empowered": "false", "Disengagement": "false", "Stealthed": "false", "UseStealthLinger": "false", "PowerLevel": 0, "PowerLevelOperator": "EqualTo", "ChanceToApply": 1, "AttackHostility": "Default", "TargetType": "None" }, "AttackTargetFilter": { "KeywordsIDs": [], "KeywordLogic": "Or", "Race": "None", "IsKith": "false", "HealthPercentage": 0, "HealthOperator": "EqualTo", "Distance": 0, "DistanceOperator": "EqualTo", "HasDOT": "false", "IsMarked": "false", "TargetHostility": "Default" }, "ExtraValue": 0, "OverridePenetration": 0, "DamageTypeValue": "All", "KeywordValueID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "RaceValue": "None", "StatusEffectTypeValue": "None", "ItemValueID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "AfflictionTypeValueID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "StatusEffectsValueIDs": [], "AttackValueID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "AttackOverrideValue": "None", "EventValue": "OnApply", "ClassValueID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "WeaponTypeValue": "None", "AttackHitType": "None", "SkillValueID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "AudioEventListID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "BedRestDaysMinimum": 0, "BedRestDaysMaximum": 0 } ] }, { "$type": "Game.GameData.StatusEffectGameData, Assembly-CSharp", "DebugName": "MOD_Unfit_For_Melee_1H_SE_Deflection", "ID": "60b91a02-f95e-46c1-b764-33392fdbb038", "Components": [ { "$type": "Game.GameData.StatusEffectComponent, Assembly-CSharp", "StatusEffectType": "Deflection", "OverrideDescriptionString": -1, "OverrideDescriptionStringTactical": -1, "UseStatusEffectValueAs": "None", "BaseValue": 0, "DynamicValue": { "Stat": "None", "SkillDataID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "ClassID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "MultiplyBy": 1, "Operator": "Add" }, "KeywordsIDs": [], "DurationType": "Infinite", "Duration": 0, "MaxStackQuantity": 0, "ApplicationBehavior": "UseLongerDurationIfAlreadyApplied", "ApplicationType": "ApplyOnStart", "IntervalRateID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "StackedChildrenApplyEffects": "false", "ApplicationPrerequisites": { "Conditional": { "Operator": 0, "Components": [ { "$type": "OEIFormats.FlowCharts.ConditionalCall, OEIFormats", "Data": { "FullName": "Boolean ProgressionTableIsSubclass(Guid)", "Parameters": [ "99b951f7-3dff-4e3f-b2ee-04de75084814" ], "Flags": "", "UnrealCall": "", "FunctionHash": 0, "ParameterHash": 0 }, "Not": false, "Operator": 0 } ] }, "VisibilityConditional": { "Operator": 0, "Components": [ { "$type": "OEIFormats.FlowCharts.ConditionalCall, OEIFormats", "Data": { "FullName": "Boolean ProgressionTableIsSubclass(Guid)", "Parameters": [ "99b951f7-3dff-4e3f-b2ee-04de75084814" ], "Flags": "", "UnrealCall": "", "FunctionHash": 0, "ParameterHash": 0 }, "Not": false, "Operator": 0 } ] }, "TriggerAdjustment": { "TriggerOnEvent": "None", "TriggerOffEvent": "None", "ValidateWithAttackFilter": "false", "ParamValue": 0, "ValueAdjustment": 0, "DurationAdjustment": 0, "ResetTriggerOnEffectTimeout": "false", "MaxTriggerCount": 0, "IgnoreMaxTriggerCount": "false", "RemoveEffectAtMax": "false", "ChanceToTrigger": 1 }, "PowerLevelScaling": { "UseCharacterLevel": "false", "BaseLevel": 0, "LevelIncrement": 1, "MaxLevel": 0, "ValueAdjustment": 0, "DurationAdjustment": 0 }, "IsHostile": "false", "ClearOnCombatEnd": "false", "ClearOnRest": "false", "ClearOnFoodRest": "false", "ClearWhenAttacks": "false", "ClearOnDeath": "false", "HideFromCombatTooltip": "true", "HideFromCombatLog": "false", "HideFromUI": "false", "VisualEffects": [], "MaterialReplacementID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "AttackFilter": { "KeywordsIDs": [], "KeywordLogic": "Or", "Race": "None", "IsKith": "false", "HealthPercentage": 0, "HealthOperator": "EqualTo", "Range": "Melee", "ClassTypeID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "Source": "Weapon", "DefendedBy": "None", "Empowered": "false", "Disengagement": "false", "Stealthed": "false", "UseStealthLinger": "false", "PowerLevel": 0, "PowerLevelOperator": "EqualTo", "ChanceToApply": 1, "AttackHostility": "Default", "TargetType": "None" }, "AttackTargetFilter": { "KeywordsIDs": [], "KeywordLogic": "Or", "Race": "None", "IsKith": "false", "HealthPercentage": 0, "HealthOperator": "EqualTo", "Distance": 0, "DistanceOperator": "EqualTo", "HasDOT": "false", "IsMarked": "false", "TargetHostility": "Default" }, "ExtraValue": 0, "OverridePenetration": 0, "DamageTypeValue": "All", "KeywordValueID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "RaceValue": "None", "StatusEffectTypeValue": "None", "ItemValueID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "AfflictionTypeValueID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "StatusEffectsValueIDs": [], "AttackValueID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "AttackOverrideValue": "None", "EventValue": "OnApply", "ClassValueID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "WeaponTypeValue": "None", "AttackHitType": "None", "SkillValueID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "AudioEventListID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000", "BedRestDaysMinimum": 0, "BedRestDaysMaximum": 0 } ] }, }

Overview: To get the most up to date stats (Patch 2.0) i've used a mix of the Official wiki, Fexxtra's Wiki, and ingame stats. There are certain item synergies I haven't taken account for like the rangers Gunner Passive (20% faster reload), Sharpshooter's garb -20% Reload Time with Arbalest / Arquebus / Crossbow attacks or Blunderbuss weapon modal giving flanked making it must have for Ranged Streetfighter. These types of weapons will be even stronger relatively speaking with these synergies. Eccea Arcane Blaster Pistol is similar to Animancer's Energy Blade that its OP vs moderate/extreme underpenetration but terrible vs normal/overpen targets. Some of the lower rated weapons can be exceptionally strong in very rare scenarios (for instance vs spirits) but I am mostly rating them for their general usefulness. Weapons are listed randomly within any Tier. Might change that at some point but it will require some work. I am also comparing weapons at max enchants. I haven't taken into account that some weapons will be very useful early on in the game if they start out with high weapon quality, forgoing the need to upgrade them. Channel Links: Twitch Channel Youtube Channel Steam Guide Reddit Discussion Donate via Streamlabs God - Tier The Red Hand (Arquebus) - Double Barrel: Fires two shots before reloading, but has a reduced range. Guilty Conscience 2% Damage dealt and received on Kill until Rest (Stacks 20 times). Twin Slugs Knockback target within 4m on scoring Hit. Hands down the most broken item in the game right now. Double Barrel effect is almost doubling your dps by itself and Guilty Conscience stacks up to 40% dmg taken/recived. Very easy to get (12 lock difficulty chest in delvers row) Guilty Conscience buff works for other weapons, so it's possible to stack it up and then swap to another weapon (does reset on rest though). S - Tier Dragon's Dowry (Arquebus) - Runelock upgrade: 15% chance for wielder to suffer 15 Burn Damage on launching attack, +30% Damage as Burn. 1 per rest ability: +40 Action Speed for 20 sec, 5 Burn Damage for wielder per 3 sec for 25 sec. 30% Lash dmg and a very powerful active puts this solidly into tier S. Does make you deal dmg to yourself so use with care. Xefa's Empirical Explication (Blunderbuss) - Multi-Shot: Fires multiple projectiles Transmogrified Shot: +15% Damage as Raw Matter Repulsion: Target knocked back on Crit. +1 Penetration, 15% damage as Slash. -25% Range, +15% Damage. Massive dmg buffs and knockback on crit makes it one of the best ranged 1hs in the game Eccea Arcane Blaster Pistol (Pistol) - deals Raw Damage, Imbued Ammunation deals additional Crush/Corrode Damage & +35% Reload. Bullet Time: 10% chance to reload instantly for a short time. Raw dmg means it is increasingly strong against targets that you would normally underpenetrate (- 25/50/75% dmg) but weak with normal/overpenetration attacks. (Lower dps then a non-unique). Keep it as a backup vs heavily armored targets. The Eye of Wael (Scepter, Caster stat stick) - Obfuscation 10% chance to become Invisible for 8s on scoring Critical Hit. The Hundred Visions +2 all Illusions Power levels Illusive Spell: 5% chance to cast random Illusion spell on target on scoring Hit. 10% chance to cast random affliction on target on crit. Form Phantasmic: Cast random defensive illusion spell when bloodied. Really strong on Illusion Mages. Decent on Illusion Priest/Ranged Trickster Frostseeker (Warbow) - Garland's Tears: Fires multiple projectiles at slightly reduced damage +10% Damage as Freeze. Garland's Rake: Freeze/Slash Damage AoE at target location on scoring Crit. Garland's Breath Deals 15-30 Freeze damage and paralyzes enemies for 8 second in a cone area. Extremly good dps stats. The on use is abit clunky to use since it requires you to flank if you want to hit multiple enemies without hitting your own guys. Watershaper's Focus (Rod, Caster Stat stick) - +3 water PLs, +3 Frost PLs, 15% chance to cash Crush dmg AoE on hit. Very Strong of Frost/Wind Wizard or Druid. S-Tier Stat Stick if you build around it. Watershaper's Focus (Rod, Ranged auto attack) - +3 water PLs, +3 Frost PLs, 15% chance to cash Crush dmg AoE on hit. Some pretty wierd mechanics with Ondra's Wrath enchant. Can proc multiple instances of Ondra's Wrath against targets that are bunched up very close together. Combined with effects like Driving Flight and Twinned Shot from Ranger means you can get some absurd bouncing effects getting in the ballpark of 25 full weapon attacks vs 8 clustered up opponents. Seems really strong for solo play where this effect is easier to reproduce, but less useful (but still strong) for party play. Kitchen Stove (Blunderbuss) - Hurried -25% reload time. Everything and Anything +5% Damage as Slash, +5% Damage as Crush. Wild Barrage(2/rest): -20% reload time, Ranged Attacks bounce 2 times, 10% dmg for 15 sec. 10% Combined Lash, reduced reload time and a very strong active. Multi shot proccs on hit effects in AoE (for instance Stunning Surge from Monks). A - Tier Spearcaster (Arbalest) - Forceful Impact: 50% chance to Knockback and Daze target on Hit Elemental Bolts +5 Ranged Accuracy (Increases with Arcana skill, 0,5 Accuracy/point), +3% Damage as Burn, +3% Damage as Corrode, +3% Damage as Freeze, +3% Damage as Shock. Pinning 20% chance to Immobilize target on scoring Hit. Combined 12% lash effect and additional accuracy with arcana skill gives this crossbow very high dps. You have to invest heavily into arcana to make it worthwhile forgoing other useful active skills like athleticism, so if you are not planning on making the wielder a scroll user it is probably not worth picking. The Eye of Wael Obfuscation (Scepter, Martial) - 10% chance to become Invisible for 8s on scoring Critical Hit. Illusive Spell: 5% chance to cast random Illusion spell on target on scoring Hit. 10% chance to cast random affliction on target on crit. Form Phantasmic: Cast random defensive illusion spell when bloodied. A Whale of a Wand (Wand, Caster stat stick) - Beasts Imagined: Hits with this weapon have an 5% chance to cast Form of the Helpless Beast on their target Sea Stories: Spell Hits have a 5% chance to Charm targets. Fantastic Friends Summons a pair of drakes to fight for the caster. Tall Tales 5% chance to cast Arkemyr's Dazzling Lights on target. Useful stat stick for casters. Sea Stories proc is very nice with AoE spells. Ok proccs and a very strong active summon ability. Fleetbreaker (Arbalest) - +8 accuracy. 30% miss to graze. Can be enchanted with either +4 accuracy, +1 pen, 10% dmg against targets 8 or more meters away or +8 accuracy, +2 pen, 20% dmg against targets 4m or closer. The 4m or closer is probably strongest since in a lot of fights (except for some bossfights with massive aoe) you want to keep your party close to hit with AoE heals/buffs. Probably B/C-Tier if going with the 4m or further away enchant Fire in the Hole (Blunderbuss) - Basic attacks deal best of Pierce or Slash Damage in small Radius- Ranged attacks bounce +1 times, -15% damage, +15% reload time. Ranged attack bouncing is very strong but has pretty strong penalty to make up for that. Multi shot proccs on hit effects in AoE (for instance Stunning Surge from Monks). Scordeo's Trophy (Pistol) - Obliterating Crit +25% Crit damage. Opening Barrage Scoring Hits with this weapon grants a stacking -5 Recovery time for 30.0 sec. I think going for the melee/ranged synergy for the alternative enchants is too much of a hassle and not powerful enough. The reduced recovery time stacks infinitely but the stacks fall off one at a time when their 30 sec are up. I havent done much testing but its possible that you can make a very good one handed style ranged build with this weapon. Apparently you can get multiple stacks from AoE effects. This means the weapon by itself much stronger, and the synergy between the ranged/melee weapon is also stronger. Might be deserving of Tier S. Essence Interrupter (Hunting bow) - Experimental Souls: Critical Hits with this weapon transfer experimental soul energy into the target, morphing them into a sentient creature when the target dies. Soul Diplomacy Modifies Experimental Souls effect: now creatures are always allies. Charged Copper: Deals Best of Pierce/Shock. Either +5% Damage as Shock or 5% as Burn(Increases with Metaphysics). After some quick testing the proc seems very terrible. The summons lasts for about 20 seconds. It can proc pets (maybe they give you pet buffs?, but they don't do anything in combat), young boars or some lower lvl mobs. I only tried it in the tavern The Hole, so the spawns might scale with enemy levels making it stronger. The summons scales with creature level making the summon effect very powerful. B - Tier Blightheart (Arquebus) - Living Wood: 20% chance to cast Corrode Damage cone AoE from self and Hobble target on attack. Additional effects based on Class/soulbound level. Soulbound only upgrading to superb holds it back. Very useful early game because you can get it early and its easy to get max soulbound level. Aamiina's Legacy (Hunting Bow) - 15% dmg as crush, 5% dmg as slash. Grants Precision Impact (5% chance to daze, 10% if wielder is dwarf). Grants Warning of Blue Water (1/rest). AoE Resolute/Shaken(Rank 2/1 Inspiration/Affliction). 20% Lash dmg makes it a decent choice for dps. Hand Mortar - Deals best of Slash and Pierce in small AoE. Point Blank +20% Ranged Damage at ranges below 2.5. The damage is addative not multiplicative making it not that strong of an effect. Can make it work on a ranged rogue with Backstab passive but otherwise not very good. Multi Shot effect proccs on hit effect in AoE (like Stunning Surge for Monks). C - Tier Thundercrack Pistol (Pistol) - Veil Piercing (50% dmg vs spirits), 15% dmg as Shock, Paralyze target for 2s on crit, Storm Rune Shot (1/rest) Pulsing AoE shock dmg. Very strong vs spirits. 15% Lash makes it ok. Current's Rush (Scepter, Beast of Winter)- 1% hit to crit every 1s (resets on crit), 20% chance to AoE crush/Immobilize on crit. +10% crit dmg. Havent tested but unless the AoE is absolutely massive this scepter doesn't seem that useful. You even get it so late in the game (Beast of Winter) that you should have picked up multiple strong options before then. Veilpiercer (Warbow) - 10% dmg as Raw, Veil Piercing (bonus dmg vs spirits),15 accuracy vs spirits. 50% chance to recover immidietaly on crit. -10% duration of beneficial effecs on hit. Grants Purging Volley (1/rest) Removes all hostile and beneficial effects in an AoE. 10% dmg as Raw and 50% chance to recover immediately on crit is decent for dmg. Veil Piercing makes it great vs spirits. Saint Omaku's Mercy (Warbow) - -10% action speed, 5% dmg (Increases with survival skill, 0,5% per point), +1 pen. Resotre +10 health to nearby allies on Kill (Increases with Religion). 50% chance to recover immediatly on crit. Saints Grace (10m Aura). +15% action speed (increases as wielder loses health, Scales UP to 15%, starts at 0%). At 20 survival its only 15% dmg. 50% chance to recover immediately on crit is nice. Action speed as wearer loses health is pretty meh since it seems to be inversely proportional to the health you have (so 15% action speed at 0 health, 0% at max health) D - Tier Three Bells Through (Arquebus) - Unstoppable Shot: Reduced base Damage (Only 50%), Attacks in a line (mxximum 3 targets), +1 Penetration. 10% dmg. Attacks interrupt on crit. Reduced base dmg makes it terrible for single target dps and attacking 3 targets in a line is awkward. Cone is very small. Amira's Wing (Rod) - +15 defenses vs wind attacks, +1 Wind PL. 5% chance to interrupt and prone on hit. Grants Hylean Squall (1/rest,) AoE crush, -65% stride for 10s, 4m push. Grants Wilting Wind (1/rest, PL 8 Wizard spell!) AoE raw dmg, Weakend for 12s. The weapon itself is pretty terrible but beeing able to cast Wilting Wind (1/rest) is very nice. Rod of the Deep Hunter (Rod) - -1 Deflection & +3% recovery time for 45s on hit (stacks, doesnt include grazes). Grants Crashing Surf (1/rest) AoE Crush and knock prone. Requires to flank to not hit allies. The proc takes way too long to stack up and would only be useful against bosses. Amaliorra (Scepter) - +10 accuracy vs vessels. Frighten attack on Kith/Wilder on crit. Grants Claim the Husk (1/rest) Dominates a Vessel. Pretty terrible unless fighting Vessels. Keybreaker Scepter (Scepter) - +10 defenses except for deflection for 30s on scoring kill with keybreaker. Frighten Kith on crit. Misotheist (5m Aura) 20% chance to Reflect Punishment/Condemnation attacks. Pretty weak. Edit: Moved Kitchen Stove into tier S, Fire in the Hole to Tier A and Hand Mortar into Tier B after learning that Multi Shot effect proccs on hit effect in AoE (like Stunning Surge for Monks). Moved Essence Interrupter into Tier A, due to the summon effect beeing way more powerful then my initial assessment. Added Watershaper's Focus alternative usage (Ranged dps) as a different classification.

Finishing up my 1st playthrough as a melee War Caller (Skald/Fighter) on Veteran, so I'm looking to make a ranged Bleak Walker for my 2nd one, probably on PotD (not solo). My basic idea is the following: A Votary Bleak Walker/Helwalker who uses Dragon's Dowry's enchant to increase action speed and inflict damage on myself which generates wounds, which in turn triggers Paladin's Retribution ability while healing back up with Lay on Hands and Moon Godlike passive. Stat distribution is as follows: MIG: 15 CON: 10 DEX: 18 PER: 18 INT: 14 RES: 3 Helwalkers get a bonus to MIG with each wound, which is why I left it at 15, 18 DEX for hitting/casting fast, 18 PER so I don't miss, 14 INT for longer heals, dumped RES but not CON. Although I wonder if I should switch INT and PER since Paladins get +5 Accuracy from the aura. What do you think? Curious to see suggestions/improvements/changes you would make.

Hi Everyone ! [& Devs included, if you're coming by ! ] Josh was recenty talking about Quarterstaffs & I wanted to talk about Magic Staffs (in D&D type of Game). For 20+ Years now, we've always had those "Two-Handed Melee only Staffs". Moreover, most of them where somehow, kinda Sh**ty in my opinion. But here's the thing, we've never had Big "Ranged" Magic Staffs, that shoots Magic Bolts of whatever you want (Let's say Minelotta's type of projectiles, would be a perfect exemple for that). Pillars Of Eternity was the perfect Game, & perfect Setting (with Archmages being around & quite common in Eora), to finally introduce this ! But it's not here, & I think it lacks a lot. It would bring more Diversity, Unique Playstyle, Unique Visual Animations, Awesome Epic Loots for Mages (Unique Skins for big Archmages fights), diverse types of damage, (just random guessing here but for exemple : Ice, Corrosion, Fire, etc). Instead we continue to get these Short unappealing Sticks, Wands, Rods, or whatever they're called. I have to insist on "Unappealing" because... Really, these things are not that cool. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From a Visual standpoint only, it would feel more Rewarding, & especially "SATISFYING", to see Aloth (or PC) wearing one awesome Magic Two-Handed Ranged Staff, instead of those Sushy-Grabber Sticks we're always getting. Plus, I'd assume it would be wayyy easier for a developper to make a Gorgeous Unique looking Skin for a Big Magic Staff, than it is to make one for a Short Wand that we can barely see In-Game anyway. I'm really wondering why bother making unique visuals for Sticks, that we can't see most of the time In-Game. But anyway... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I asked Josh about this & (Thanks to him), he responded : But again, "Rods" translate as Short Wands (Baguette Magique) to me, like, something small. I don't know if you get the difference I'm pointing at, between : Une "Baguette Magique" & Un "Bâton Magique" So, there you go, I think Ranged Magic Staff lacks a lot, & are very interesting. In terms of : Mechanics it can bring. Auto-Attacks Animations (you can create really Stylished Moves & Cool Projectiles). Probably Easier to work with, when it comes to create Unique Skins. Are Visually, a lot more Satisfying & Rewarding to wear on a Character. Repeating myself, but Pillars was the perfect New Game coming around (at the time), to introduce this. I hope they'll take a look at it, iterate on it, & maybe consider this in the future. Thanks for reading ! PS : I think visually Unique Mage Robes were lacking aswell, but hopefuly they'll do something about this in Deadfire !

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

Hello there forum , so with upcoming Patch 1.05 bringing ton of changes to our game , i decided to start my 3rd Playtrough for the new patch , with Min/Maxed Ranged Rogue PC meanwhile using "story companions" to support this character as hard as they can . I am going to play simple Path of the Damned , without any strings attached ( no Trial no Expert ).Here i make this topic so you could help me find best choices for this build , also to discuss anything that is related to Ranged Rogue and Player Character specific buffs and Min/Max'ing .Try to keep the discussion about Ranged Rogue only ( No Ranger , no Cipher discussion and no melee Rogue either) , also keep in mind that Max damage is the key and the point of this build not dialogue choices or anything else like that , so dont mix it into this thread . Thank You ! Spoiler Heavy ! Let's begin. Race Choice : Hearth Orlan Living Lands(Might 18 Con 3 Dex 18 Per ? Int 18 Res ?) OR Wood Elf Living Lands (Might 19 Con 3 Dex 19 Per ? Int 18 Res ?) We got two Race choice's . At the moment i am leaning towards Hearth Orlan(Full Crit focused Build) but Wood Elf and its +Accuracy is always an option(This is POTD and Accuracy=Crit),also Wood Elfs tend to get better attributes and you can start 19 Might 19 Dex or 18 Might 20 Dex , meanwhile Orlan can get as good as 18 Might and 18 Dex only, but their racial is BEAST . Any1 choosing Wood Elf over Hearth Orlan ? Why ? Why Not ? Attributes : Max Might , Max Dex , Max Int - These are the obvious choice's not much to discuss here tho ATM i am prioritizing Might over Dex all the way (Speed is nice but the damage just gets real with more Might and it doesnt scale that good with more Dex imo) Anyone maxing Dex over Might ? Going something like 18 Might 20 Dex Wood elf builds ? Why ? Why not ? Min Con - No use for constitution at all , this character is supposed to never get hit and use Shadowing Beyong if he does get targeted . Attributes choice : Perception or Resolve ? So After Maxing MIGHT,DEX,INT , Minimazing Con , we still got arround 12 Points left to almost max either Perception or Resolve . If interrupts were any good ( Maybe they will be after 1.05? ) Perception would be obvious choice ( also fits the class in general rpg sense ) , How Valuable is Some concentration(Resolve) if we never getting hit , also having high resolve would help WIll defense ( paired with max INT = much will , no charms ? ) . I am lost here , what would be your prefered choice ? Both seem to have little impact . That is why it is always hardest choice for me here when making a ranged rogue . Skill Points Distribution : Stealth X , Athletics 3 , Lore 0 , Mechanics 2(Class) , Survival 10 . So the idea here is to get 3 Athletics for basic needs , and Max Survival ( Using potion or two every fight on this character is gona be a thing , even on trash fights etc , more into that later ) , after survival i put rest points into Stealth, 2 Points in Mechanics from Class will be enough to cover early game needs , after that just gona dedicate one of the companions to have 10 , not planing to use even single scroll with my ranged marksman so Lore = 0 . Talent Build : Marksman > Shadowing Beyond (OH Sheet button, not gona run full glasscanon without this, getting it as early as i can either) > Vicious Fighting > Penetrating Shot > Bloody Slaughter - Self Explanatory Here Max Red Numbers . Last Talent Choice: Weapon Focus Adventurer / Devastating Blows / Envenomed Strike / Interrupting Blows(If Maxed Per over Res) . Last talent choice is unclear , what would be your choice out of these ? Devastating Blows +2% seems pathetic kinda... Interrupting Blows might be a thing after 1.05 ? anyone tested it ? WF: A is always a decent choice so is Envenomed Strike's ( Not that good with a bow tho ) . What is your opinion here ? what would you choose ? why this and not that ? Skills Choice : Level 1 : Blinding Strike / Crippling Strike ? - Which one is better for ranged rogue ? why do you think so ? Blidning clearly better debuff but Crippling is 2 per encounter . Level 3 : Dirty Fighting - Obvious Choice Level 5 : Finishing Blow / Deep Wounds / Level 1 Skill ? - Confused Here Level 5 and 7 you can take 2 out of these 3 skills which ones you go for ? Why ? Level 7 : Finishing Blow / Deep Wounds / Level 1 Skill ? - Same as above Level 9 : Withering Strike / Fearsome Strike ? - Same choice like lvl 1 , which 1 is better ? 1 Per rest ( sets up deathblows ) or 2 per encounter ( 1 debuff only ) Level 11 : DeathBlows - R.I.P Enemy Weapon Choice : War Bow - Borresaine / Cloudpiercer - Which one is better ? Stunning seems to be way to go for me is Jolting Touch striking worth it ? and The Rain of Godagh Field for endgame. 2nd Set : Arbalest for Alpha Strike - Is it worth to open with arbalest and switch to war bow? Too time Consuming maybe(Without quick switch it takes long to recover) ? What is your Opinion ? Other Items : Best i can get (+3Might , +3 Dex ,+2/3 Int , +2/3 Perc/Resolve , +Crit) Armor : Clothing + Gwisk Glas /Jack of Wide Waters - When i need more armor/survival/2nd chance ill swap clothing for those 2 . Any other good armors to consider ? Buffs Choice,Faction Choice, PC Talents Choice : In general i am leaning towards stacking might with every buff possible ( Inns,Courtesans) , any1 consider to stack Dex instead ? A little bit of Both ? Why and why not ? Here are the Buffs and Talents available trough the game : Mob Justice ( Dozens +5 Acc ) or Merciless Hand ( Doemenel +0.3 Crit Dmg ) - This is important choice , what would be better stacking even more accuracy or going for crit damage ? does this one stack with Dungeon Delver ? I am leaning towards Merciless Hand , but going Merciless Hand + Hearth Orlan over Dozens+Wood Elf is huge accuracy loss in the end , that is why there is a decision here . Galawain ( +1Might+1Athletics ) or Skaen ( +1Dex+1Survival) Wild Running (+Defenses ) or Dungeon Delver ( +0.1 Crit ) - Does this stack with Merciless Hand ? Salty Mast Boon Choice(Much faction them courtesans) +2Might+2Const (Alternative +2Dex+2Const) Sacrifice Companion Choice (SO CRUEL :D) Sagani(+1Per+2Accuracy) or Hiravias (+1Dex+1DT) Food Choice : +2/3Might Egg/Beef or Dragon (Alternative +2Dex) Inn Choice before Important Fights : Dragon's Lair +2Might+2Int+2Cons (Alternative+2Dex or +4 Int) Gift From the Machine(+1Might) ,Blooded Hunter(+1Stealth),Song of the Heavens(+1Per), Scale-Breaker Potions Choice : 1 Healing + 3 DPS / 2 DPS + Figurine - Most Likely 3 DPS Potions and 1 Healing that restores alot of endurance instantly Eldricht Aim(Stacks with what? What does this potion replace which buffs ? ) , Potion of Power , Potion of Merciless Gaze(Stacking? Does this Stack with Paladins Crit Aura ? if it replaces paladins crit aura there is no point to take pallegina as companion then ) , Potion of Deleterious Alacrity of Motion ( This is beast but only available from mid game in big quantities ) Companions : Eder Main Tank , Aloth 2ndOT+Debuffer+CC ,Durance Buffer/Healer+Gunner Arquebus(+Marking for PC from that endgame Arquaebus), Kana 1st OT+Buffs+Summons+Reload&Fire Chants ( Does Fire weapon chant enhance ranged ones ? ) Last Companion Choice : Pallegina (Crit Aura ) / Grieving Mother (Cipherlol) - If Merciless Gaze Potion replaces Palladin's crit aura there is no choice here then , just taking GM .( Question here is if Palladins Crit aura is Exclusive is 5% of crit worth whole cipher maybe it is if thats 5% i cant get anywhere else ! ) Planing to use Wizard to setup Sneak Attacks for Rogue and Control the fight , priest to buff the rogue and heal the others , Eder for maintanking , Kana for Reload and Fire weapon chants . Going to do first part as a party of 5 until i can get trough Caed Nua then picking either Pallegina or GM , leaning towards GM at the moment . Post your insights , advice and criticism , and help me make those choices , i know most of them seems pretty small but all of them together forms that one max damage build . I Will try to update the thread with your ideas and keep it documented , for people who want to min/max a true marksman .

Could a first-level barbarian ability allowing a limited version of Carnage to be used at range (and possibly locking out melee Carnage) be balanced, or would it almost certainly be too good? I've been pondering the fact that barbarians are only usable at melee range. At first, it seemed like a natural consequence of what the class is all about, and I'm not sure it isn't, but I do wonder if there isn't room for ... I dunno, shooting through a guy and into another guy, or ricochets, or something like that. Barbarians have started to interest me in the same way that Ciphers interest me, and I'd like to know what other people think about this.

What do you think its the best firearm?And for what class? I use blunderbuse for my cipher, and arquebuse for any other ranged.I used pistol, and i didnt find it anymore less accurate then arquebuse.

Hi, i want to create a Cipher for my second playtrough.This time i want to min/max a little bit.I aim to create a inteligence-based CC spells only Cipher, to get most out of max Int. I want to use guns.Mainly because i never played ranged, and didnt played much of a dnd rpgs with gunpowder. RACE Should i choose Godlike for that +1 inteligence?And try to max out Int to 20?If yes, what kind?The racial bonuses seems a little off... Or just go with human? Atributes What would be the ideal number of inteligence for max CC?Is 20 overkill?I dont think that Might will give me bonus to ranged damage.Low cont is ok, i will be back anyway and plan to have at least 2 tanks.High dex i suppose, and maybe resolve for interupting reloading and casting spells? Talents From Cipher tallents: Greater Focus.Since i will do big damage, should i have this so i can earn more? Biting whip?I think its good, i would take it. Draining whip?Instead of Greater focus? Psychic/brutal backlash.Since im not at front lines, i will not be will targeted, no? All tallents Weapon Focus Ruffian.I think its must.I will be using pistol AND blundebuss. Marksman/Close shooter : What is close and what is distant?I would take Marksman. Gunner.Since guns are slow to reload, would this be good? Two-handed style.Wiki didnt sad it is only for melle...so i dunno What about armor?Should i carry only light?Or some lighter medium armor? if you have any tips in area i didnt mention, let me know.And thank you in advance for any advice!

I'm currently building a ranged rogue (not an optimal build for rogue or ranged hero I know) and can't decide on weapon specialization class due to confusion regarding different ranged weapons. As I understand it, bows are generally higher interrupt and lower damage compared to firearms (although firearms can pierce Arcane Veil), but what about attack speed and potential upgrades/enchantments? From the Wiki, there seem to be much better unique bows than unique pistols or blunderbusses. Are there any quantitative values for attack speed for each class of projectile weapon? I know firearms have reload time, but just how much slower is it?

How do you like to structure fighter / warrior classes. The traditional (1st / 2nd Ed) D&D route is to (a) choose specific weapons (b) put proficiencies into them (c ) maybe choose a subclass or kit and (d) use the right magic items. It was pretty straightforward and not as interesting as the spell-casting / stealth classes. 3E made things a bit more interesting with kits, allowing you to build a tank, 'light fighter', dual-wielder, berserker or whatever using a menu of symbiotic skills, feats and classes. Then prestige classes came in and killed it. Then I started thinking about other games and the cultural underpinnings of warrior classes. If you think about it, the culture a warrior comes from will have an enormous influence on his or her class. * Types of weapons used (tech level / culture / taboo / tactics) * Codes / ethics (is there an elite warrior caste with rigid codes of chivalric honour or are fighters just mercenary scum?) * Armies (does the fighter come from a culture with a standing army or one with levies or auxiliaries or just a tribal horde) * Culture (tribal / developed) * Class (noble warrior trained in certain weapon types and tactics, or tribal skirmisher with survival skills and tracking?) Over to you. But I would like a warrior class that allows me to imagine a range of character archetypes, from rapier-armed remittance man through to axe-wielding berserker savage through to professional musketeer / mercenary through to wily and cunning tribal scout / skirmisher. And *without* the need for kits / subclasses. Is this possible?