Hey, 

 

So, I'm working on making a DPS character and, as usual, I've dumped Resolve. And, honestly, I may be better off doing that when making a tanky character as well - as all it really offers me is a reduction in hostile effect duration. +1 Deflection per point just really doesn't seem worth it, since there are ways to get better Deflection gains through spells and potions. Plus, if you're wanting to tank, low Deflection is sometimes better - since enemies tend to 'aggro' onto the lowest deflection members of the party. 

 

That's how it works from a gameplay perspective, at least. From a story perspective, things get a little more complicated. 

 

People have already said that Resolve is no longer 'king' in PoE2. The game is good enough at providing multiple different ways to resolve quests that you don't have to feel penalized for having low Resolve. I also realize I used 'resolve' twice in the same sentence there. That being said, for certain kinds of characters (Especially ship captains, like the one I'm wanting to play), having a high investment in the game's equivalent of the "Charisma" stat seems like a good idea. 

 

So, my question is... What do I lose, for not having a super high Resolve? I know most of the dialogues you unlock with it revolve around preventing mental intrusion, from Serafen's wild magic, mostly. But then there's other things, like the one town event with the oozes, or a dialogue check after the intimidate check for the Bardatto/Valera negotiations. Again, nothing that ruins the experience if it's missed, particularly. 

 

I suppose what I'm asking is... are there any moments where having a low Resolve typecasts your character as a 'coward' per se? 

Only if you choose to interpret it as being cowardly. I've never been a fan of dump stats, but I've mentioned that before in one if your build threads.

 

*Insert obligatory comment about Bleak Walkers or how awesome Durance is*

I'm playing with a "low" resolve ( and I don't think I'm missing much, but my character is shady/clever, so I don't care much about being a coward or not being able to resist cyphers or convince people.