favorite and least favorite god(s) in deadfire?

[Taevyr]

 

 

The only god that I agree with to some extent is actually Skaen, but that's just because I'm a proletariat rebel who wants to bring down the entire classist system in a massive spray of noble blood.

 

Unfortunately I feel like he got flanderized into "evil" in this game and is a total ****bag. If anything he should be working with Eothas to bring down the other gods and their oppressive system, just in an infinitely more violent fashion than Eothas is doing it.

Skaen did not get flanderized, he was deliberataly designed this way. Engwithians wanted kith to be submissive, so they created hierarchy among the gods with Woedica as the queen. But I guess they aniticipated that people would still want to rebel, so they gave them the most twisted god of rebellion imaginable.

 

Skaen does not help his followers change the status quo, he only grants violent revenge (including collateral damage) at a cost of great pain and death. Nobody, except the most desperate, would make that deal. Skaen is the closest god slaves and abused have to identify with and he's so repulsive, no same person would worship him. So they just accept their place in the world.

 

That makes Skaen hands down the most interesting god in Eora's pantheon. Unless I'm missing something and he's just an edgy schemer. That however would be extremely disappointing.

 

I agree with this. Skaen has always confused me as I'd also be inclined to like a god of rebellion. Yet he seems to be Woedica's lapdog, which made me assume the "today my master chokes on his own whip" mantra was more about punishing rebels than actually helping them. He's really into sacrificing friends for personal gain too. So all in all, he seems to be all about inflicting pain and suffering upon self and others while actually maintaining the existing power systems more than anything else, or maybe to demonstrate that resistance is futile. OTOH I might be totally wrong.

 

The way i see Skaen, he needs Woedica because he's the god of quiet resentment and rebellion: without a clear established order to oppose, scheme against, and tear down, he's nothing. Not to mention Woedica's plot in PoE1 involved regaining control from the gods that took it from her, in other words: Overthrowing an established order she deeply hates. Sounds perfectly up Skaen's alley to me.

 

This is also why he's said to abandon his followers who achieve their goals or higher status: he stands for rebellion and hate, so the moment said followers no longer have overlords to rebel against/hate, he no longer has any reason to support them. As i interpret him, he'd just as easily aid slaves from rising up against their masters, as he would aid those former masters from overhtrowing their former slaves a few months later: so long as there's hate and resentment aimed towards an established order, he'll be there.

 

I'd also say calling him evil misses his point, and that of the Pillars gods in general. They're stated to have been created from ideals, which usually transcend the idea of good and evil: so long as you follow the dictates of a god's core belief/ideal, it'll be "good" from his/her point of view, and opposing it will always be "evil" from their point of view. It's a sense of morality, but a far cry from the one we're familiar with.

Edited June 3, 2018 by Taevyr

[Opheleus]

I thought Wael and Magran were among the most interesting gods in PoE1, but after Deadfire - the only one that I liked was Rymrgand. He's the only one that felt like a true all-powerful being, and he's one of the only two gods that actually kills you if you piss 'em off. The gods in Deadfire suffer from overexposure, and honestly - after the mystique and great wrath they exhibited in the previous game - I think they were poorly written in the sequel. The constant bickering, whining, and flying off the handle is very reminiscent of a popular high schooler, and not very god-like. I guess they were going for a more Greco-Roman style of deity, but even if that were the case, the Pillars gods fall short; the Olympians plotted, warred, and manipulated one another constantly, but they were never subservient to the whims of mortals, and they never lost their composure during one of their get-togethers. PoE1 gods were closer, in that regard. 

[Dr. Explosion]

Where's the "they all suck" option? I guess my favourite is Eothas, because his plan shafts the rest of the petty children, but all the rest of them can go fcuk themselves.

[Insolentius]

[Chant] Nemnok! Nemnok!

[Katarack21]

The constant bickering, whining, and flying off the handle is very reminiscent of a popular high schooler, and not very god-like.

I think that's the point. They're *not* all-powerful, they're *not* omnipotent, they're not really any better than Kith. They're not *actually* gods. They call themselves gods and they have immense power, but all they actually are is sentient complex constructs built around philosophical ideals--and they were built by Kith hands around Kith philosophies, so they are in the end every bit as ****ty and flawed as Kith.

[Slotharingia]

The way i see Skaen, he needs Woedica because he's the god of quiet resentment and rebellion: without a clear established order to oppose, scheme against, and tear down, he's nothing. Not to mention Woedica's plot in PoE1 involved regaining control from the gods that took it from her, in other words: Overthrowing an established order she deeply hates. Sounds perfectly up Skaen's alley to me.

 

This is also why he's said to abandon his followers who achieve their goals or higher status: he stands for rebellion and hate, so the moment said followers no longer have overlords to rebel against/hate, he no longer has any reason to support them. As i interpret him, he'd just as easily aid slaves from rising up against their masters, as he would aid those former masters from overhtrowing their former slaves a few months later: so long as there's hate and resentment aimed towards an established order, he'll be there.

 

I'd also say calling him evil misses his point, and that of the Pillars gods in general. They're stated to have been created from ideals, which usually transcend the idea of good and evil: so long as you follow the dictates of a god's core belief/ideal, it'll be "good" from his/her point of view, and opposing it will always be "evil" from their point of view. It's a sense of morality, but a far cry from the one we're familiar with.

So that would make him still represent the futility of rebellion, as it implies power corrupts, with the self mutlilation and sacrifice of other symbolising that?

[wRAR]

I totally like this idea of Woedica and Skaen: https://www.reddit.com/r/projecteternity/comments/89r9z3/heavy_spoilers_within_the_thread_is_there_no_god/dwtpnfi/

[Insolentius]

 

The constant bickering, whining, and flying off the handle is very reminiscent of a popular high schooler, and not very god-like.

I think that's the point. They're *not* all-powerful, they're *not* omnipotent, they're not really any better than Kith. They're not *actually* gods. They call themselves gods and they have immense power, but all they actually are is sentient complex constructs built around philosophical ideals--and they were built by Kith hands around Kith philosophies, so they are in the end every bit as ****ty and flawed as Kith.

 

That's self-evident, but it doesn't change the fact that Obsidian transformed them into one-dimensional caricatures of what they were in the original game and what they could have been. Instead of a rich, layered reflection of the ideals of an advanced ancient civilization, we get a bunch of petulant teenagers. Whoever was in charge of Deadfire's overall narrative design can't be the same person who worked on the original Pillars (and they're most likely anime aficionados).

[Taevyr]

 

The way i see Skaen, he needs Woedica because he's the god of quiet resentment and rebellion: without a clear established order to oppose, scheme against, and tear down, he's nothing. Not to mention Woedica's plot in PoE1 involved regaining control from the gods that took it from her, in other words: Overthrowing an established order she deeply hates. Sounds perfectly up Skaen's alley to me.

 

This is also why he's said to abandon his followers who achieve their goals or higher status: he stands for rebellion and hate, so the moment said followers no longer have overlords to rebel against/hate, he no longer has any reason to support them. As i interpret him, he'd just as easily aid slaves from rising up against their masters, as he would aid those former masters from overhtrowing their former slaves a few months later: so long as there's hate and resentment aimed towards an established order, he'll be there.

 

I'd also say calling him evil misses his point, and that of the Pillars gods in general. They're stated to have been created from ideals, which usually transcend the idea of good and evil: so long as you follow the dictates of a god's core belief/ideal, it'll be "good" from his/her point of view, and opposing it will always be "evil" from their point of view. It's a sense of morality, but a far cry from the one we're familiar with.

So that would make him still represent the futility of rebellion, as it implies power corrupts, with the self mutlilation and sacrifice of other symbolising that?

 

I wouldn't necessarily say that, but it's a reasonable interpretation. He definitely seems to be the most extreme of the gods, but as "the ideal" of rebellion and revolutions that's about what should be expected.

As for my take on your interpretation: He simply aids people rebelling against their hated overlords. Nowhere does it state the need for those overlords to actually be evil or corrupted: It could just as well be religious extremists rebelling against their peaceful secular government, to name a random example. Rebellion defines him: the why, how, when, who, etc. doesn't factor into it.

 

EDIT: Come to think of it though, in a way, it's just as futile as Galawain's "strength becomes weakness becomes strength"; or Abydon's "steady progress while knowing your place"; or even Wael's "knowledge comes through mystery and revelation": none lead anywhere when you'd follow them blindly, and only serve to keep the Engwithan status quo intact....

 

Well then. Screw the Engwithans, I guess.

Edited June 4, 2018 by Taevyr

[topologista]

 

 

Well then. Screw the Engwithans, I guess.

 

role-playing aside, this is definitely the best take to have. the engwithans were nothing more than a society so obsessed with their own self-importance that they collectively **** themselves when they realized the universe wasn't guided by any divine hands. and instead of maturing and dealing with this new anxiety they literally committed genocide to establish a more comfortable engwithan order. and then proceded to commit even more atrocities for the next 2000 years.

Edited June 4, 2018 by topologista

[Yonjuro]

...

Least favorite?  Skaen.  Sure Woedica may as well be called Adolf Hitler, and Ondra has completely lost her marbles by this point, but at least they are not sniveling little skivey dbags blaming all their problems on others like Skaen.

 

 

  Skaen is pretty much the god of sniveling skivey dbag-ery. He is the god of hopeless resentment. If a rebellion was successful, he would now be the god of overthrowing the now successful former rebels whether they've made things better, worse or whatever.

 

 

 

 

 

Well then. Screw the Engwithans, I guess.

 

role-playing aside, this is definitely the best take to have. the engwithans were nothing more than a society so obsessed with their own self-importance that they collectively **** themselves when they realized the universe wasn't guided by any divine hands. and instead of maturing and dealing with this new anxiety they literally committed genocide to establish a more comfortable engwithan order. and then proceded to commit even more atrocities for the next 2000 years.

 

 

 Yes. The unenlightened making gods in their own image - not really a recipe for success.

[Verde]

Magran and Skaen.

 

Durance represented Magran well. Skaen because he is essentially the god of torture, like Hellraiser, but wimpier.

[Opheleus]

 

 

The constant bickering, whining, and flying off the handle is very reminiscent of a popular high schooler, and not very god-like.

I think that's the point. They're *not* all-powerful, they're *not* omnipotent, they're not really any better than Kith. They're not *actually* gods. They call themselves gods and they have immense power, but all they actually are is sentient complex constructs built around philosophical ideals--and they were built by Kith hands around Kith philosophies, so they are in the end every bit as ****ty and flawed as Kith.

 

That's self-evident, but it doesn't change the fact that Obsidian transformed them into one-dimensional caricatures of what they were in the original game and what they could have been. Instead of a rich, layered reflection of the ideals of an advanced ancient civilization, we get a bunch of petulant teenagers. Whoever was in charge of Deadfire's overall narrative design can't be the same person who worked on the original Pillars (and they're most likely anime aficionados).

 

 

Yep. A thousand and one souls produced... Teenagers? Mmm, tastes like advanced civilization to me.

[Karkarov]

Yep. A thousand and one souls produced... Teenagers? Mmm, tastes like advanced civilization to me.

Well the Engwithan technology was really advanced, so they probably had the internet.  The end result seems almost inevitable.

[Tarlonniel]

Well the Engwithan technology was really advanced, so they probably had the internet.  The end result seems almost inevitable.

*gasp* The Engwithans were ruled by cats?

[Yonjuro]

 

Yep. A thousand and one souls produced... Teenagers? Mmm, tastes like advanced civilization to me.

Well the Engwithan technology was really advanced, so they probably had the internet.  The end result seems almost inevitable.

 

 

 

Oh ****! We are the Engwithans.

[Tarlonniel]

Oh ****! We are the Engwithans.

Do we get to choose which god we become part of? I'm holding out for Wael.

[Yonjuro]

 

Oh ****! We are the Engwithans.

Do we get to choose which god we become part of? I'm holding out for Wael.

 

 

 It depends on the sum total of your social media posts. If you tweet about how resentful you are, Skaen. Write on facebook about how you feel so much benevolence that you need to oppress the monsters who are less benevolent, Hylea. Angry about people posting your picture on Snapchat? Wael

 

 Etc.   

[Katarack21]

 

 

Oh ****! We are the Engwithans.

Do we get to choose which god we become part of? I'm holding out for Wael.

 

 

 It depends on the sum total of your social media posts. If you tweet about how resentful you are, Skaen. Write on facebook about how you feel so much benevolence that you need to oppress the monsters who are less benevolent, Hylea. Angry about people posting your picture on Snapchat? Wael

 

 Etc.   

 

 

*checks Facebook*

 

*Sees "BURN THE RICH!"* and ***** TEMPLARS*

 

Well, ****.

 

 

[Karkarov]

It depends on the sum total of your social media posts. If you tweet about how resentful you are, Skaen. Write on facebook about how you feel so much benevolence that you need to oppress the monsters who are less benevolent, Hylea. Angry about people posting your picture on Snapchat? Wael

 

 Etc.

*notices all his social media posts are snarky comments and likes on cute dog videos*

 

Looks like I am signing up with Galawain...

[Yria]

What if I don't use twitter outside of work? I wanna be a 0.0000000000001 part of a god too!

[Yonjuro]

 

It depends on the sum total of your social media posts. If you tweet about how resentful you are, Skaen. Write on facebook about how you feel so much benevolence that you need to oppress the monsters who are less benevolent, Hylea. Angry about people posting your picture on Snapchat? Wael

 

 Etc.

*notices all his social media posts are snarky comments and likes on cute dog videos*

 

Looks like I am signing up with Galawain...

 

 

 

Good call. Cute, ferocious, wild dog videos, right?

[Yonjuro]

What if I don't use twitter outside of work? I wanna be a 0.0000000000001 part of a god too!

 

 

 Only at work? Abydon.

[jf8350143]

I find it interesting that from what he says when we first goes into his realm, Rymrgand already knows what Eothas's gonna do while the other gods has no clue.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that he lend the power to bring Eothas back so he could destroy the wheel in the first place.

[Soki]

Voted for Nemnok cause he just wants to be big and have knowledge and free imps from servitude. Those are good goals to have, you go Nemnok, I support you.

 

I disliked all the others really. I'm with those that say that the gods are overexposed in this game and lost the mysteriousness they had in the first game. Not really fond of their art either, I preferred it when they didn't really have a 'shape', like Wael is just all kinds of kith and Hylea was 'shown' as various kinds of birds. Them having an actual look kinda ruins them for me.

 

Also wasn't fond of the meetings, there was no real reason for you to be present at them anyway. They summon you there and then all they do is bicker together while you watch, I'd rather just get back to adventuring with my buddies please.