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The Iron Hammer This dwarf calls upon his ancestors' spirits to aid him in battle. They surround their progeny while he fights, blurring his outline and confusing, or terrifying, his enemies. He fights defensively and outlasts his enemies by locking them down in engagement and picking his moment for devastating retaliatory attacks. He can engage what seems like a whole screen of enemies (and gets better the more he engages) and provides persistent distraction to the whole group, making them all flanked and open for deathblows (including his own ripostes). If you pair the Iron Hammer with any AoE Rogue, that opening salvo (if you wait for engagement) will be all deathblows. *Update notes: I tweaked quite a few abilities and changed the gear to reflect. I also tested a min/max version of the build (stats and gear changes, abilities stayed the same) and it worked amazing on just about all the fights I put it in. I also did some testing solo and it was just too annoyingly slow for me to continue, but he was able to defeat all of the encounters I tried (with cheese tactics like summons and invisibility resets). NOTE: I have now used this build for Eder and it worked amazingly. Game Version: 3.1.1 Difficulty: PotD (+all Upscale, no mods) Solo: Untested Race: Dwarf, Mountain Class: Swashbuckler (Unbroken/Trickster) Home: White that Wends Background: Explorer Theme. Starting Stats (w/Berath’s Blessing): Mig: 10 Con: 8 (10) Dex: 8 (10) Per: 19 Int: 10 (11) Res: 18 Min/Max. Starting Stats (includes BB): Mig: 15 Con: 8 Dex: 2 Per: 19 Int: 16 Res: 18 Skills: Theme: Active: Split Athletics/Alchemy; Passive: Cap History Min/Max: Cap Athletics; Cap Metaphysics Abilities (In suggested order of selection): Disciplined Barrage Escape Fast runner Knockdown Fighter stance Weapon & shield Confident aim Determination Tactical Barrage Riposte Hold the line Bear’s fortitude Vigorous defense Persistent Distraction Unstoppable Fearless Superior deflection Deep wounds *Guardian stance (if in a party) / Unbending (if solo) Armored Grace Weapon specialization Adept evasion *Overbearing Guard (if in party) / Bull’s will (if solo) *Unbending (if in party) / Snake’s reflexes -or- Conqueror Stance (if solo) Unbending trunk Deathblows *Weapon mastery -or- Unbreakable (for a last ditch save) Weapon slots: Theme. Last Word (Threatening) & Akola’s Apex Ward (Shark teeth counter & Hide & Tooth) Min/Max: Kapa Taga (All Comers & Champion’s relic) & Cadhu Scalth (Luminous Harmony) Gear: Blackened Plate Helm Token of faith Blackened Plate Armor (Usher’s beckoning & Death in Life) Ring of Minor deflection Ring of greater regen Rakhan Field Boots Upright Captain’s belt Bracers of greater deflection Theme: The Gift Bearer’s cloth Min/Max: Cloak of Greater Deflection -or- Champion's Cape *Your choice of trinket (I normally have detonator shard on this guy as an emergency heal on back line, but Eye of Rymrgand is great defensive one) Nalvi (dog):+1 resolve and Reduces armor penalty for whole party *Put DPS pet, on Eder if you have that BB Consumables: Potion of Spirit Shield Potion of Moderate Healing Mohora wraps Coral snuff if you want to use drugs

[CLASS BUILD] The Man of Mistery – SC Trickster Solo Upscaled PotD Class: Trickster Concept: Fun and Versatile Rogue that mixes spellcasting, ranged and melee attacks to adapt to each situation and tricks his enemies into certain death. Optimized for a No-Rest run. Game Version: RTwP. Works with latest updates and DLCs as of v5.0.00040. I recommend the Full Community Patch and the No Forced Rests mod (otherwise just metagame around them, it’s fully viable but just a bit annoying). PotD Solo Viable: Yes. Of note, I think this is a Solo build that is particularly well compatible with party play because he can do so many things that will benefit others. Companion: Nope. -----WHAT IS INTERESTING ABOUT THIS BUILD?------ Why go with an SC Trickster? As an SC Rogue, it’s probably not the strongest Solo option (arguably it is Assassin). As a Trickster, multiclassing is usually the way to go as it pairs so well with other classes, in particular martial ones. I wanted to try out this build nevertheless to see how much mileage I could get out of its unique access to high-level Illusion spells, notably by stacking as much Illusion Power Levels as I could while achieving a really cool, nightmarish style (see this thread) fitting well the fluff of an Arcane Rogue who vanquishes his enemies with scary illusions and deadly, freezing tricks. I was especially curious about using Kalakoth’s Freezing Rake and Wall of Many Colors as a Rogue. These are spells that I’ve loved since PoE1, particularly for their utility against certain Adra/Alpine large beasts, but in Deadfire I haven’t used them so much as a SC Wizard because 1) there is usually another certain Wall spell that I want to keep up and 2) there is a lot of competition on PL8 spells and offensive spells in general. All in all, I’ve found this SC Trickster quite surprisingly powerful and very fun to play Solo, mostly for its versatility and because it’s a Rogue archetype that doesn’t play exactly like a typical Deadfire Solo Rogue. Here are some key highlights: We reach PL14 on Illusion spells (we can even reach PL16 on Freezing Rake wielding Sun & Moon at night). That is a lot of PL, which combined with high No-Rest stats make all Illusion DMG and CC attacks hit like trucks. Huge AoE, nice ACC, long duration, large damage… We can then supplement that with powerful ranged and melee offense depending on the situation. I would usually always start with Dazzling Lights to lure/group enemies but then every combat sequence can be totally different depending on the enemies and layout. I’ll detail key abilities and strategies below. Because it has so many options, this build is the opposite of a one-trick pony and can actually stay in most fights for some time before resetting the encounter or abusing Gouging Strike, if at all. Even if in many situations on Upscaled PotD you still have to go invisible/resest before the end of the fight, I have found that you might reset less often than Assassin for instance, and can take down a lot more enemies than you thought in one go (ah, the random power of Fyonlecg's Wall of Many Colors…). Of course, it should be also be said that as a SC Rogue with non-renewable resources, completing the harder DLC fights (non-resettable, small battlefield, lots of enemies with lots of health) without cheese requires Arcana. But that’s also true for an Assassin. Or you know... abuse Strand of Favor and remove all challenge (that is not what this build/post is about, but it is a possibility). -----SPECS------ Race: I went with Pale Elf for style and +PER Background: The White that Wends – Hunter FINAL STATS WITH ALL PERMABUFFS AND NO-REST BUFFS AS OF 5.0 (without combat buffs): MIG 22 (15 Base +2 Berath +1 Gift from Machine +2 Alchemic Brawn +2 Hot Razor Skewers) CON 12 (3 Base +2 Berath +2 Alchemic Brawn +2 Konstanten Boon +3 Girdle of Eoten CON) DEX 27 (18 Base +1 Elf +2 Berath +2 Alchemic Guile +2 Amira’s Blessing +2 Footprints Ahu Taka) PER 30 (18 Base +1 Elf +1 White that Wends +2 Berath +1 Konstanten Boon +1 Effigy: Sagani +2 Alchemic Guile +1 Savage Cunning +1 Cauldron Brew +1 Ajamuut’s Cloak +1 Kuaru’s Prize) INT 26 (18 Base +2 Berath +1 Konstanten Boon +2 Alchemic Wits +2 Charm of Bones +1 Kuaru’s Prize) RES 11 (3 Base +2 Berath +2 Alchemic Wits +2 Nature’s Resolve +2 Rikuhu’s Blessing) ADDITIONAL PERMABUFFS: Food: Hot Razor Skewers Adratic Glow All Trainings Dawnstar Blessing Luminous Adra Potion Nature’s Resolve (Accuracy) Savage Cunning (Survival) Galawain’s Gift Magran’s Blessing Infamous Captain, Bonus Skills, Champion Stats, Port Maje vendor, Fully discovered Map, Bonus Money… invested all 105 Berath’s Blessing Points SKILLS I just spent between Mechanics, Athletics, Stealth and Survival, Diplomacy. Max Arcana temporarily for certain end-game situations. ----- ABILITIES ------ ACTIVE Crippling/Arterial Strike, Blinding/Gouging Strike, Smoke Veil/Smoke Cloud/Pernicious Cloud, Withering/Toxic Strike, Gambit, Vanishing Strike. PASSIVES Key: Backstab, Fast Runner, Monastic Unarmed Training, Arms Bearer, Two Weapon Style, Dirty Fighting, Persistent Distraction, Tough, Uncanny Luck, Deep Wounds, Improved Critical, Deathblows, Prestige. Optional: Snake Reflex, Combat Focus, Adept Evasion, Wall of Flashing Steel. -----GEAR------ Weapon Set 1: Hand Mortar (Blinding Smoke), The Eye of Wael (The Hundred Visions, Shrouded Strike). Weapon Set 2: Kitchen Stove (Thunderous Report, Everything and Anything) single wielded. Weapon Set 3: Monastic trained Fists. Head: Whitewitch Mask. Neck: Charm of Bones. Chest: Pale Hide (Ghost in White, Dread Howl). Cape: Ajamuut’s Stalking Cloak. Gloves: Gauntlets of Accuracy. Rings: Kuaru’s Prize, Ring of the Marksman. Boots: Footprints of Ahu Taka. Belt: Girdle of Eoten Constitution. Pet: Harley. -----STRATEGIES------ I’ll just outline a few simple example situations but there are so many fun combos to create and you can mix depending on the situation and the resources you have left (I always start with Weapon Set 1): Melee Style: Lure with Dazzling Lights, get close in stealth, combat starts, cast Repulsive Visage to Terrify everyone, Switch to Fists, Use Gambit as much as you want (you have 11 Guile ), reapply Repulsive Visage, Gambit ad nauseam and other Rogue attacks or autoattacks. Can also use Dread Howl. Works surprisingly well! Mage Style: Lure with Dazzling Lights, Gaze of the Adragan, 2 or 3 Freezing Rakes, mix and match with Wall of Many Colors and Thunderous Report for fun. Dread Howl can help if survivors get aggressive. (EDIT: one Freezing Rake can do about 300 DMG per target on a Crit, on average definitely in the 200s). Rogue Style: Lure with Dazzling Lights, Fire AoE with Vanishing Strike from stealth > combat starts, all enemies are stunned and you’re invisible. Follow up with AoE Gouging Strike (you have reloaded instantly the shot from stealth), Pernicious Cloud, Smoke Veil. From there, you can try to add an Arterial Strike + Smoke Veil or simply just retreat to a safe location and wait it out. Won't be long . Weird/Wael Style: Lure with Dazzling Lights, Gaze of the Adragan, Wall of Many Colors to hit all enemies, see what happens then and what is best to apply next. -----THE END------ That’s it. Not the strongest Solo build but really fun to play, especially if the unique features of the Trickster subclass have triggered your curiosity. I also think it would be an absolute monster in a party. Let me know if you have any comment or question!

======== Alistair ======== ~the Trickster Prince~ -------------------------- Class and Specialization -------------------------- MindStalker: Cipher (Beguiler) + Rogue (Trickster) Wood Elf: Resistance to Dexterity afflictions Origin: Old Vailia Background: Aristocrat -------------------- Stats: M/C/D/P/I/R -------------------- 16/10/15/15/17+1/04 Notes: ----- I prefer Beguiler since I'm more concerned with casting Control skills than with dishing out damage. Rogue on its own provides most of the damage needed and Arterial Strike (Crippling Strike upgrade) and then Killing Blow does most of the work damaging an opponent while the damage bonus from Trickster Sneak Attack (+20%, later Deathblows +50%) and Beguiler Soul Whip (+20%, +10% under Sneak Attack conditions) makes this unit's AA powerful enough on its own. The Rogue skill-tree exists primarily for its passives--'Persistent Distraction' is powerful in melee (-10 Deflection, +1 Engagement, no defense check) and the Trickster's class spells augment the Beguiler's power and flavor quiite nicely. I am aware that Beguiler is an unpopular pick at the moment, but I will make the distinction that, compared to the other three classes, Beguiler is useful and powerful as a function of volume rather than strength. Bear with me as I explain. For this purpose, I'd like to make a comparison between Ascended and Beguiler. Unlike Ascendant, Soulblade and especially Psion, Beguiler benefits not just from a better Soul Whip (+50% although it is locked behind a Sneak Attack condition), but also from being able to frontload its spells whereas the others have their power backloaded. Unlike Ascendant which needs to build up its focus painstakingly and with a massive disadvantage, the relative DPS of a Beguiler is much more consistent and with about 10~ focus resotred on Hit per Hit at level 15-20, it's easy to get enough Focus per cast in order to cast high-level spells consistently. The only time when Ascended does take over would be during through the Ascended buff and even then not by much. They get the full Soul Whip bonus and a +3 to power level but the amount of time to get there is much slower unless when taking advantage of AoE attacks. Trickster, on the other hand, is chosen both for the utility gained from their bonus spells and the offensive power of both the Rogue abilities and the bonus from Sneak Attack. With this last, the build gains at least (1 + 2.10)x damage to its Auto-attack from the collective benefit from Rogue's Sneak Attack + Deathblows (20% + 50% +x% from PL scaling), and the bonus from Biting Whip and the Bonus from Sneak Attack to Soul Whip (20% + 10%) not including any bonuses from items. Sadly, these bonuses only apply to auto-attacks and weapon-based attacks. I am unsure if the bonus from Soul Whip applies to the Rogue's Full attacks but it should not be too much of a problem considering the above par margin on damage these abilities gain simply from a combination of Sneak Attack and Dual Wield. On the utility side, the build gains bonuses not just from its free spells but also a plethora of other utility skills from Rogue Cipher such as Persistent Distraction, Hammering Thoughts, Gouging Strike, Cipher Afflictions, etc. These range from the extremely useful Llengrath's Displacement, to the powerful but niche Ryngrim's Visage. Alternatives: ------- Some of the better alternatives to this build involve exchanging Trickster either with (1) Assassin or (2) Debonaire, the first to take advantage of any invisibility the build might obtain through its abilities while the latter is best paired with double Blunderbusses in order to take advantage of the party-unfriendly modal available to the Blunderbusses ========= Synergies ========= The usual opener I'd suggest would be (Secret Horrors) + (Phantom Foes -or- EyeStrike) Blind is one of the most powerful afflictions in the game since it not only reduces a two defenses but reduces the enemy's max range and accuracy. Frightened does two things, the first is that it reduces the Will defense and lengthens the duration of Afflictions and similar status ailments. Since the Beguiler bonus works with Body and Mind Afflictions, Casting Secret Horrors first and then EyeStrike should net the Cipher a good bit of Focus for future casts. When going melee, the following is recommended (Llengrath's or Mirror Image) with Wael's Sceptre + (Borrowed Instinct) Based on this, https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/104896-the-big-post-of-stacking-rules/ it should be possible to stack the above for a total of +30 Deflection and +30% Hit to Graze conversion from both abilities. If one's defenses are sufficiently high, Mirror Images would be a better pick clocking in at +50 Deflection add in (Body Attunement) + (Tactical Meld) if Accuracy or Armor is insufficient. Body Attunement alone is pretty useful even when ranged while Tactical Meld is useful for engagement. That said, (Tactical Meld) + (Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage) + (Persistent Distraction) is a good way of getting free Disengagement Attacks for bonus damage if surrounded. It should be noted that I get almost no damage skills, but a few could be useful. Amplified wave should be easy to cast consistently with the Beguiler bonus and barring that, casting the lower level spells like Ectopsychic Echo and Mind Blades should be easy. There are others but these, I think are the best. ========== Equipment ========== --------- Weapons --------- Set 1: Rannig's Wrath + Tuotilo's Palm -or- The Best Defense Set 2: Watershaper's Rod -or- (Fire-in-the-Hole + Hand Mortar) -or- (Wael's Sceptre + The Best Defense) Set 3: Whispers of the Endless Paths Armor: Honor Guard Breastplate -or- Caroc's Breastplate -or- Miscreant's Leathers Notes: ----- (1) Weapon swap is recommended when using the Trickster spells--which, incidentally, is probably the most annoying aspect of this setup. The melee weapons are the main source of DPS; Hand Mortar has AoE for Focus generation and AoE distraction; Wael's Sceptre grants +2 Illusions Power Level and 10% chance to become invisible on crit (backstabs); Current's rush has y% Crit guarantee ramp and z% Crush dmg on crit. (2) The build can make for a very good off-tank since the Cipher spell 'Borrowed Instinct' (+20 ACC, +20 all defenses) and the Trickster access to Mirror Image (+30 DEF) and Llengrath's Displacement (+10 DEF +20 REF, 20% Hit to Graze) [these two spells don't stack] makes for a very durable off-tank. (3) There's an interesting interaction between Wael and Current.Current makes it so that both Sceptres trigger their on-crit effects. Try to get Backstab from Rogue to make the most of the free invisibility. Otherwise replace Hand-Mortar with Eager Blade (4) One important thing to note is that the Rogue afflictions will transfer using AoE weapons. This is where the double Blunderbusses come in. Using these Blunderbusses, you can transfer Gouging Strike to a large number of units so that they will suffer from AoE bleed. This usually helps clear out waves of enemies especially in PotD since Gouging Strike lasts until the end of battle. (5) Caroc's Breastplate would be the best armor to use on most occasions but I prefer Honor Guard just for looks. ------------- Accessories ------------- HGr: Heaven's Cacophony (+2 INT) Amt: Bauble of the Fin (+1 INT, +1 CON, +3% Damage Aura) Clk: Giftbearer's Cloth Blt: Sash of Judgment (+10% Damage above 50% Health) Bts: Footprints of Ahu Taka (+2 DEX) Glv: Aegor's Swift Touch (+1 DEX, +5% Action Speed) -or- Hylea's Talons Rn1: Chameleon's Touch (+1 INT, +1 PER) Rn2: Entonia Signet Ring -or- RIng of Clenched Muscle (random afflictions and random inspirations on hit) Notes: ----- These Accessories focus on giving additional Hit damage and utility instead of direct stats. The rest focus on improving defenses or Damage. =============== Level Progression =============== This section has a tier-system to facilitate the creation of a list of recommendations for the build. Recommendations are ranked according to priority starting from a rank of (1) onwards with (1) being the highest priority. Cipher is marked as (C) while Rogue is marked as (R). So a first priority skill from a Cipher will be indicated (C) while a second-priority skill from the same class would be indicated (C2). (1) Eyestrike (C), Crippling Strike (R) (2) Soul Shock (R) (3) Penetrating Visions (C) (4) Draining Whip (C), Two-Weapon Style (G) (5) Phantom Foes (C) (6) Blinding Strike (C) (7) Secret Horrors (C), Gouging Strike (R) (8) Hammering Thoughts (C) (9) Recall Agony (C), Weapon and Shield Style (esp. when using "Tuotilo's Palm" or "The Best Defense" as shields) (G2) (10) Body Attunement (C), Persistent Distraction (R), Riposte (R2) (11) Withering Strike (R) (12) Silent Scream (C) (13) Ringleader (C), Deep Wounds (R) (14) Borrowed Instinct (C) (15) Tactical Meld (C) (16) The Empty Soul (C), Toxic Strike (R) (17) Amplified Wave (C) (18) Improved Critical (R) (19) Ancestor's Memory (C) Deathblows (R) (20) Stasis Shell (C) Notes: ----- As can be seen from the distribution, there is an emphasis on getting important Crowd Control spells from the Cipher tree as opposed to the usual damage spells. Due to the benefits to resource-volume from Beguiler, Amplified Wave is sufficient in its role as main DPS source and combined with Sneak Attack and Deathblows by Rogue (+70% Sneak Attack damage to Spells) one would need little in the way of DPS in terms of spells. Feel free to take DPS spells along the way. Stats can always be re-specced so its no real burden on the build. One thing to look out for is the fact that this build specializes in single-target damage. AoE Damage is best delivered through weapons since these benefit from the bonus ailments and conditions made possible by Rogue. Otherwise, the build still performs well as an AA build with the combined effect of Deathblows, Biting Whip, Persistent Distraction and Borrowed Instinct. Take note that I don't take the lower level Charm spells. First, one can take them at lower levels then spec out of them upon reaching higher levels. Second, consider that Ringleader does most of the work of those spells only better and that you can opt out of any earlier build by paying the innkeep. Third, while those lower level spells are fun to spam and undoubtedly powerful (charm is powerful in general), one can easily do without them. There's the not-so-good reason that it would be a waste of a Charm spell if it stands in the way of your AoEs but by far the best reason is that there's already a higher level spell that does most of the lifting. Ringleader does for AoE what the others can only hope to achieve and with better range.

A seemingly fragile glass cannon that can attacks fast, dodge everything, deal with mobs, and get out of the stickiest situations alive. Alright, this is my first post after years of lurking. (Sorry about my poor formatting skills and no pics) This build is for you if you like: - versatile characters - playing around your afflictions - outmaneuvering enemies with risky plays This build is NOT for you if you: - hate micro - don't like very squishy characters - feel uneasy because you don't have heals (ya goddamn chicken, **cluck-cluck...!**) When Trickster was the only class to get buffed in the last two patches, I thought I'd try a solo run on a character I had in mind originally as a Streetfighter/Nalpzaca, which proved to be too squishy and unreliable in some fights. What does this build do: goes into fight and builds up asap maximum Wounds, either by deliberately getting yourself hit a couple of times (but who wants that, really), or by using the titular ability of this build, i.e. Dance of Death. Then, as you have a +10 Int +15 Might bonus, you can start casting all the defensive buffs that allow you to not get hit, and keep stacking bonuses while attacking very fast thanks to Lightning Strikes. All of this spiced up by the mystique of the Trickster, which provides all the afflictions and the CC that base Rogue is missing. THE PREMISE: BUILD BERATH'S BLESSINGS: RACE: REGION: STATS: ABILITIES BY LEVEL: SKILLS: EQUIPMENT: STRATEGY Thanks to Stealthmandem for some useful suggestions!

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!

Riposte Tank - Trickster/Bleak Walker Click the video below for a more detailed look at the build Showcase video Steam Guide Follow me on twitch >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Combat Showcase Timestamp <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Overview: This build is designed to be a resolve based dodge/riposte tank which utilizes the rogue passive Riposte and the enchant ability of the great sword Whispers of the Endless Path to counter attack when an opponent misses you in melee. It relies on a lot of deflection based passives, items and buff+-/debuff spells to mitigate damage taken in melee by making the opponent miss. It has very low constitution and is therefore bit weak to magic and ranged damage compared to other tank builds, but makes up for it by having the added damage from going 2 handed. I haven't tested it yet but the build should be able to solo on PotD. Bleak Walkers favored disposition is Aggressive and Cruel but you can make this build work with other Orders aswell. Update: Trickster recieved some buffs in patch 1.2.0. It shouldnt affect the build path just makes Trickster stronger. Rogue Trickster Gaze of the Adragan Guile Cost 3 -> 2. Trickster Wall of Many Colors Guile Cost 4 -> 3. Trickster Sneak Attack penalty -20% Damage -> -10%. Trickster now also acquires wizard illusion spells at PL 2, 4, 6, and 8. Eliminating Blow only applies Shaken to secondary targets, as suggested by its upgrade string. Attributes: Might 10 Constitution 5 Dexterity 14 Perception 14 Intellect 15 Resolve 19 Role: Main/offtank, Offhealer/buffs, AoE damage dealer The build offers a lot of utility to the party in addition to beeing a tank by buffing and healing your team while debuffing enemies. Race: Human or Hearth Orlan. Both have bonus Resolve and racial passives that increases damage. Level progression: Level 1: Lay on Hands/Crippling strike Level 2: Deep Faith Level 3: Backstab Level 4: Dirty fighting/Zealous Aura Level 5: Two handed style Level 6: Inspiring Triumph Level 7: Riposte/Glorious Beacon Level 8: Hands of Light Level 9: Eternal Devotion Level 10: Finishing blow/Zealous aura upgrade (Exalted charge?) Level 11: Persistent Distraction Level 12: Scion of Flame Level 13: Elimination Blow/Enduring Beacon Level 14: Uncanny Luck Level 15: Deep Wounds Level 16: Improved Critical/Virtous Triumph Level 17: Divine Purpose Level 18: Retribution Level 19: Deathblows/Sacred Immolation Level 20: Stoic Steel Skills: Max intimidate for Casità Samelia's Legacy Passive Mix stealth/Athletics Weapon Proficiencies: Great Sword N/A. Just choose other two handers Pros: High damage for a tank build Can work as an off-healer Buffs/Debuffs High AoE damage Cons: Weak to ranged and magic damage due to low constitution Equipment/Gear: Priority is to max the deflection as high as possible to proc Riposte and Offensive Parry. There is quite a lot of gear you can pickup before endgame but I will list best in slot items Weapons: Whispers of the Endless Path with Offensive Parry enchant Equipment: Helm - Whitewitch Mask : +1 Illusion Power levels, Ryngrim's Enervating Terror, Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage when bloodied Neck - Claim and Refusal Modal ability: +10% damage taken from Melee attacks, +15 damage with Melee attacks Chest - Casità Samelia's Legacy +Deflection that increases with Intimidate skill Ring 1 - Entonia Signet Ring Entonia Signet Ring: +3 All Defenses when Engaged (Stack 5 times) Ring 2 - Ring of Focused Flame 10 accuracy with fire attacks Boots - Boots of the Stone +1 Dexterity, +1 Resolve, Resistance to Might afflictons Belt - The Maker's Own Power Reforge the flesh; The wearer transforms into a stationary pillar of steel, reducing incoming damage and restoring health Gloves - Gatecrashers Slugger: +2 Might, 50% chance to knock targets down on Critical Hit/Reeling Blow: Cone attack that pushes and stuns target (2 per rest) or Onepahua's Strength +2 Might, + 2 Intimidate Cloak - Cloak of Greater Deflection +7 Deflection Pet - Nalvi (Dog): Reduce recover Penalty for armor (varies by type) - Party Wide Consumables: Coral Snuff +10% action speed, +5 Deflection, +5 Reflex for 180 sec Grog (Deadfire) +15% Damage with Melee attacks, -1 Dexterity Potion of Improved Arcane Reflection (Against Casters) Potion of Insubstantial Form (Against Melee) Core Abilities: Faith and Conviction: +All defenses scales with disposition Enduring Beacon: Blind enemies, + Deflection Sacred Immolation: AoE DoT around caster Mirrored Image: + Deflection buff Riposte: Counterattack when opponent misses in melee Offensive Parry (Whispers of the Endless Path enchant): Counterattack when opponent misses in melee

Hello, i am trying a solo Marauder build - Berserker / Trickster and i have encountered quite serious problem. My frenzy make me confused and that causes Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage to terrfy me as well. I have resitance to resolve affliction which reduces the terrify to frightened but still. Is there any way to negate the confusion or be immune to resolve afflictions completely? I mean tools available to this class combo. This is solo playtrough. Svef and Captains banquet give only resistance to resolve afflictions, not immunity. Which doesnt solve my problem unfortunately. Thank you for your tips.

I would first like to say that the stealth revamp and the vision cone in deadfire is miles ahead of what we had in PoE1. The system helps a lot in making rogues and sneaking more immersive, and backstabbing is an actual thing now unlike in the previous game where it was basically an afterthought. That said, I think rogues here have another problem - too many similar skills. Hobbling strike, Blinding strike, Strike the Bell, Finishing Blow, Withering Blow, Sap, Gambit and Vanishing Strike. That's 8 attack abilities not counting the various upgrades for most of them. I'm pretty sure most players don't need them, and some are pretty much wasted space by the time you get to them (why would you ever use sap). You might say how it gives rogues options, but not really, most of these work pretty much the same and are boring in effect, with the exception of finishing blow and vanishing strike. Gambit single-handedly trivializes any kind of choice once you unlock it. But if you nerf gambit then you're just forced to use a combination of the other strikes. If you ask me, we should drastically reduce the damage of some of the strikes (strike the bell, sap, withering blow for example) give them some sort of utilitary role, or replace them completely. Sap could stun the target but do 10% damage. Put in rogue-specific poisons that are more effective, cheap or can be used per-encounter like poison that lowers stats, armor, defenses or fighting capabilities of stricken targets. Put in skills that promote gun/sword combos. For example a Ranged or Melee attack that does not have recovery as long as you used the opposite weapon before it. I'm pretty sure I'm late to the party when it comes to these suggestions, but maybe for a bigger patch or expansion there's hope.