What are some fun gunslinger/ranged DPS options besides Mindstalker?

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

Hey guys, 

 

So, I'm really not a fan of melee DPS. I don't like getting up into the thick of things and having to worry about micromanaging heals on myself, as well as my tanks. So, for my pro-Rauatai watcher, I've been trying to think about a fun gunslinger concept (Plus, it suits their military industry focused society). 

 

I've been playing with a Mindstalker, but I've run into a few problems with it - namely, the very slow early game start before I get powers like Borrowed Instinct that let me take Accuracy from enemies to overcome the maluses associated with the Blunderbuss and Pistol modals. I know it clears up soon after that, but I just can't get over that aspect of it. 

 

Another option I've considered, and that I think might actually be fairly unique, is Harbinger (Chanter/Rogue). I probably would just go with vanilla Rogue in this case, and maybe Troubadour. Chanters have a pretty important role in Rauatai culture, too, so it's a little more fitting. Plus, does the DoC Breastplate grant extra Phrases? 

 

- The biggest concern I have with that option is getting Afflictions going on my enemies, as well as Recovery time/Reload time with Ranged weapons. I won't be making use of Streetfighter's incredible Recovery time, but I will have almost no Recovery time from armor, and will be making use of Sure-handed Illa. I also won't have the +1 bonus penetration from Cipher for weapons OR spells, but I hardly think that matters too much. 

 

- That said, compared to Cipher spells, Chanter invocations have significantly lower cast times (At least, most of them). So, depending on whether I use the DoC Breastplate or Miscreant's Leathers, Recovery time shouldn't be too bad. 

 

I've also considered a Spiritualist (Cipher/Chanter) but I'm not as big a fan of that one. It doesn't do much damage on its own without Rogue abilities, so it doesn't have access to a lot of really good Focus building strikes. 

 

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this. I think a Harbinger could be really fun, but a Mindstalker has way more special dialogue choices than a Chanter does. Granted, I'm not sure how many of the Cipher-specific dialogues are just "You resist X mental effect placed on you." 

Edited July 15, 2018 by Cyrus_Blackfeather

[Daidre]

In my experience, building anything gun-focused without at least 0.5 of ranger is kinda questionable. Driving Flight at lvl 9/13 for single/multi is just this amazing. For full attack abilities it is two extra hits from dual wielded guns. + It has lots of acc bonuses to negate in-build penalty on all guns, Gunner for extra -20 reload and other useful passives. So Ghost Heart (or Sharpshooter for RP) looks pretty good.

 

Ranger/Rogue is natural conclusion, with only problem, that everything MC can do as one, Maya will do better, because of passive bonuses from her Gun Hawk unique class.

 

If you want to mix it with a chanter, Ghost Heart with Troubadour looks really solid (almost everything is solid with Troubadour), but Skald imho is also worth a try. All this extra hits from Driving Flight with huge acc bonuses from ranger should generate tons of extra phrases. But honestly, I had no idea how blunderbuss AOE interacts with Skald ability.

 

If you still want to give Cipher a chance, you could try single class Ascendant. He is more than capable of building full focus himself with two good guns and do not need martial multi for this. Borrowed Instinct at lvl 9 and Amplified Wave at lvl 11 with all PL scaling it will get later * Strength bonus is quite impressive.

[Boeroer]

Max INT, Watershaper's Focus + Trickster + Ghost Heart. Pick Accurate Wounding Shot and all the Rogue's DoTs, especially Toxic Strike. Driving Flight. Deep Wounds. Also Devastating Strike. Use Escape and Evasive Roll to escape melee guys.

 

The Watershaper's Focus let's your AoE attack jump one time, Driving Flight a second time. Tons of AoE damage and Deep Wounds + DoT. You'll apply afflictons with the first AoE hit already, the second and third profit from Sneak Attack.

 

This also works very well (even better) with Hand Mortar and Fire in the Hole (also jumps one time with enchantment). Use Streetfighter + Sharpshooter + Powder Burns then. The damage per shot is lower than with the rod for some reason (base damage is supposed to be higher, no idea why), but the attacks are way faster because of Street Fighter. Also here you can escape/evade even faster because: guns have no recovery.

 

I like the rod better - but just because of style and everybody uses Streetfighter/Powder Burn.

 

Toxic Strike is the most underrated ability in the game I think. Everybody shies away from the 3 Guile, but the DoT damage builds up very quickly and is devastating.

 

You can even go single rogue just to get Toxic earlier.

 

Or you pick single ranger in order to use Twinned Shot. Twinned Shot + Driving Flight + the two hand mortars is very, very devastating in an AoE as well.

[Elric Galad]

I think everyone stay away from Toxic Strike because its description is quite vague 

[Theosupus]

Toxic strike is very strong. It deserves it's cost and use. People who pass it up, are passing up on a lot of damage potential.

[1TTFFSSE]

For single target "sniper" old fashioned gunner/sniper a helwalker/ghostheart with The Red Hand is very nice. 

 

Yeah if you want to be an aoe nuker you go the streetfighter blunderbuss or the rod route but I think spellcasters make for better aoe nukers. 

[colma86]

Not sure how this competes with the red hand but something with bleak walker using dual pistols puts out great single target damage.

 

By spamming flames of devotion you attack with both pistols without having to reload one at a time.

[arkane83]

 

In my experience, building anything gun-focused without at least 0.5 of ranger is kinda questionable. Driving Flight at lvl 9/13 for single/multi is just this amazing. For full attack abilities it is two extra hits from dual wielded guns. + It has lots of acc bonuses to negate in-build penalty on all guns, Gunner for extra -20 reload and other useful passives. So Ghost Heart (or Sharpshooter for RP) looks pretty good.

 

Ranger/Rogue is natural conclusion, with only problem, that everything MC can do as one, Maya will do better, because of passive bonuses from her Gun Hawk unique class.

 

If you want to mix it with a chanter, Ghost Heart with Troubadour looks really solid (almost everything is solid with Troubadour), but Skald imho is also worth a try. All this extra hits from Driving Flight with huge acc bonuses from ranger should generate tons of extra phrases. But honestly, I had no idea how blunderbuss AOE interacts with Skald ability.

 

If you still want to give Cipher a chance, you could try single class Ascendant. He is more than capable of building full focus himself with two good guns and do not need martial multi for this. Borrowed Instinct at lvl 9 and Amplified Wave at lvl 11 with all PL scaling it will get later * Strength bonus is quite impressive.

 

 

NEVER run ghost heart with troubadour. They synergize terribly because your pet counts as a summon if you are a ghostheart. Pet unsummons your chanter summons and vise versa!

 

You are way better off with sharpshooter. The speed penalty can be easily offset for guns with either your chants, gear, or pistol modal.

Edited August 13, 2018 by arkane83

[thundercleese]

The above issue is moot if you don't ever intend to summon your pet. But otherwise yes, it is a bad combo (though not as bad as Beckoner/Ghost Heart). Well, they are both about as bad as each other.

Edited August 13, 2018 by thundercleese

[kilay]

or you can try some modded weapons that really fit your build idea

https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/162

Edited August 13, 2018 by kilay

[brasilgringo]

Not sure how this competes with the red hand but something with bleak walker using dual pistols puts out great single target damage.

 

By spamming flames of devotion you attack with both pistols without having to reload one at a time.

Is it better than the AOE damage you can do with blunderbuss?  If you went Bleak Walker / Rogue dual wielding blunderbuss, could you do even better damage but in AOE?

There was a fextralife Fanatic bulid for dual-pistol BW/Barb abusing FoD recently - sort of interesting.  But that's before I found out the blunderbuss lets you apply the Rogue extra damage (from blinds, etc.) in AOE.  Presumably it would let you do that with FoD too.  Unless the damage of Blunderbuss is so much lower than pistol it's not worth it.

[1TTFFSSE]

 

Not sure how this competes with the red hand but something with bleak walker using dual pistols puts out great single target damage.

 

By spamming flames of devotion you attack with both pistols without having to reload one at a time.

Is it better than the AOE damage you can do with blunderbuss?  If you went Bleak Walker / Rogue dual wielding blunderbuss, could you do even better damage but in AOE?

There was a fextralife Fanatic bulid for dual-pistol BW/Barb abusing FoD recently - sort of interesting.  But that's before I found out the blunderbuss lets you apply the Rogue extra damage (from blinds, etc.) in AOE.  Presumably it would let you do that with FoD too.  Unless the damage of Blunderbuss is so much lower than pistol it's not worth it.

 

The Red Hand will do better single target damage on such a build in the example when you face a boss/dragon enemy. on most mob pulls though yeah best is to optionally use a scroll of avenging storm and then unload crippling/arerial strikes and FoD from the aoe hand mortars. Bonus points if a wizard puts combusting wounds on the group.

Edited August 14, 2018 by 1TTFFSSE

[Dorftek]

 

 

Not sure how this competes with the red hand but something with bleak walker using dual pistols puts out great single target damage.

 

By spamming flames of devotion you attack with both pistols without having to reload one at a time.

Is it better than the AOE damage you can do with blunderbuss? If you went Bleak Walker / Rogue dual wielding blunderbuss, could you do even better damage but in AOE?

There was a fextralife Fanatic bulid for dual-pistol BW/Barb abusing FoD recently - sort of interesting. But that's before I found out the blunderbuss lets you apply the Rogue extra damage (from blinds, etc.) in AOE. Presumably it would let you do that with FoD too. Unless the damage of Blunderbuss is so much lower than pistol it's not worth it.

The Red Hand will do better single target damage on such a build in the example when you face a boss/dragon enemy. on most mob pulls though yeah best is to optionally use a scroll of avenging storm and then unload crippling/arerial strikes and FoD from the aoe hand mortars. Bonus points if a wizard puts combusting wounds on the group.

If we are using scrolls of avenging storm, blunderbusses should be better then red hand vs bosses as well, singletarget blunders ofc.