The Pillars of Eternity No Reload Challenge

[Serg BlackStrider]

Or does it just select based on the innate DR values of enemies?

This.

The Stormcaller reduce foe's Shock DR by -6 and if the result will be the lowest value of Pierce/Shock DR of the enemy, then this decreased Shock damage reduction will be taken into calculation. The Heart of the Storm's +20% Damage bonus is applied to the base Shock damage of Stormcaller (see Damage Resolution here).

Edited December 13, 2018 by Serg BlackStrider

[Alesia_BH]

Only base, huh? Noted. That's a difference maker.

 

Thanks, Serg!

 

(Ok, since elemental talents are additive, and lashes are multiplicative, Stormcaller is not a great choice for a cipher. I see the argument now. It's a fun weapon, though. I look forward to trying it on a ranger)

Edited December 13, 2018 by Alesia_BH

[FNGRenegade]

Strange been trying some solo builds cause I got a little bored, it seems the random loot list is now really random getting different results on day 20 each time. Did they update the game again? Am I just missing something important?

[Jaheiras Witness]

Due to limited experience playing with rogues, I won't be adding much to the discussion - I only want to mention that one of the very, very few documented cases of someone achieving the elusive "The Ultimate" achievement (which not only involves PotD, trial of iron (which is no-reload play), expert mode and solo play, but also defeating all of the toughest opponents in the game, such as the dragons, archmages and bounties) was done by someone playing as a rogue - it's even available as a youtube video (though I've never had the patience to watch much of it):

 

I finally got round to starting watching this.

 

While a lot of the play is very impressive and shows incredible game knowledge, I don't believe it's a true successful ultimate in terms of no-reload. I've watched the first 3 hours and I've noticed several instances where the game has been reloaded - the dialogue box is a giveaway (it is empty when you reload). Here's an example:

 

Leaving the area:

 

 

 

 

Upon entering the new area:

 

 

 

 

I've noticed this multiple times just in the first 3 hours of the video.

 

Now it is possible that the player did this in multiple sittings, saved and exited, then started a new session and has stitched the video together. But I find that hard to believe due to a number of reasons, including frequency and how sloppy/fast/careless the gameplay is. Nobody playing no-reload plays like that. The gameplay resembles somebody who knows they will reload if things go wrong.

 

I'm not having a go at the person who did the video, it is still a very interesting, entertaining and instructive video: I just don't believe they truly succeeded in what they are claiming. And that means a true rogue solo no-reload on PotD is probably still up for grabs (Alesia hint  ).

[Alesia_BH]

Noted!

 

Was the Ultimate Rogue a no reload, by our definition? I've refrained from judgement on this for lack of information.

 

There is a distinction between Trial of Iron mode play and no reload play, as we define it. The latter requires players to see through difficult battles without force quiting. The former does not- at least not by definition. The author of the video claimed to complete a Trial of Iron run, not a no reload run. I'm not inclined to speculate on whether the run met our standards. The author made no claims to that effect, as far as I'm aware, and it would be difficult to discern in any case.

 

I do see your point, however, and had noticed the same.

 

In any event, it is an informative video, one that helps point the way for those of us interested in solo rogue play. I look forward to studying it further. And I look forward, too, to seeing more solo attempts in our thread.

 

Best,

 

A.

Edited December 14, 2018 by Alesia_BH

[semiticgod]

I've been meaning to watch that video, but I keep putting it off. It seems like a valuable source of information.

 

I would not include it in the Honorable Mentions category, if that's what we're discussing, since this is an unknown figure to us and the video apparently indicates evidence of reloads. Putting aside those concerns, I think we should reserve the Hall of Heroes, Honorable Mentions, and Graveyard for runs posted here; runs conducted outside of the community should not be submitted for entry.

 

It's true that, since we work with screenshots rather than videos, we operate on the honor system rather than documented proof (after all, unless you're playing live for every session on a Twitch stream or something, there's no way to prove the absence of reloads). But then, this challenge is already populated by no-reloaders with established reputations built on years of helpful and friendly behavior. The best way to keep the Hall "clean" is to ground it in reputation and documentation--in a word, by participating in this thread, sharing knowledge and sharing experiences.

 

I've actually thought about the streaming thing before. You know, we have some very skilled, knowledgeable, and likeable people here, and there might be an audience for a Twitch streamer doing no-reload runs. I'd definitely tune in to watch Alesia_BH talking about playing chess in the Unity engine (though I know Internet connections are spotty on your adventures in real life, Alesia), and I've considered doing it myself more than once.

[Alesia_BH]

We're not considering it for our lists. Runs have to be posted here, as they occur, to qualify. A video of a run, completed in the past, with unknown standards, clearly can not.

 

This issue was whether a solo rogue has been NRed on PotD. The answer is we don't know.

[Serg BlackStrider]

Strange been trying some solo builds cause I got a little bored, it seems the random loot list is now really random getting different results on day 20 each time. Did they update the game again? Am I just missing something important?

 

If I'm not mistaken in v3.05 they do change loot tables implementing some kind of 'shifts' to them. And truth be told, I'm quite happy with that. I have never used those tables and even avoided to study the information about them. In Baldur's Gate I always use an Item Randomiser mod and I love it. Having a metagame knowledge of where you can get a specific loot item seems to me if not totally cheesy but non-sporting and immersion breaking for sure. I prefer my characters to use what items they randomely get through the normal gameplay flow rather than plan their builds around some specific set of items and rush through the game to particular areas just to get those items as quickly as possible.

Edited December 14, 2018 by Serg BlackStrider

[FNGRenegade]

 

Strange been trying some solo builds cause I got a little bored, it seems the random loot list is now really random getting different results on day 20 each time. Did they update the game again? Am I just missing something important?

 

If I'm not mistaken in v3.05 they do change loot tables implementing some kind of 'shifts' to it. And truth be told, I'm quite happy with that. I have never used those tables and even avoided to study the information about them. In Baldur's Gate I always use a Item Randomiser mod and I love it. Having a metagame knowledge of where you can get a specific loot item seems to me if not totally cheesy but non-sporting and immersion breaking for sure. I prefer my characters to use what items they randomely get through the normal gameplay flow rather then plan their builds around some specific set of items and rush through the game just to get those items as quickly as possible.

 

 

It might not be the same change since this is not just a shift in days, I see loot in places it shouldn't show up in even and between runs its different even for the same character. 100% agreed on this being a good thing though Serg although like Alesia_BH I found it hard to ignore the knowledge once I had it, I'm just happy that it's changed now so I have no idea anymore. I just thought it was worth mentioning although it did still work a week ago so that would mean that the steam version was updated in the past week orso.

 

As far as runs go, I've been playing my run as prep for PoE II but I have to say I had a lot more fun roleplaying my out of themselves all melee party then my current one. Also while the melee cipher is performing very well (using Firebrand) I'm so far a little tired of the amount of micro required. I'm not sure if I'll be posting about this run or even finishing it at the moment, it might also be that I'm getting a little PoE tired after 4 full runs in a row and some partials and solo testing.

 

I have an idea to use Mithlean's run for PoE 2 as a "good" run and maybe retrying another "evil" run but I'm still doubting between the party I would want to use for this. Or I might finish the Ciphers run anyway she is already quite a way into act II, I just haven't reported on it yet since I was unsure what I wanted to do.

[Serg BlackStrider]

I just thought it was worth mentioning although it did still work a week ago so that would mean that the steam version was updated in the past week orso.

 

I don't think so. My current steam version is 3.7.0.1318 (latest) and it was released long long ago.

Edited December 14, 2018 by Serg BlackStrider

[Alesia_BH]

Okay, everyone! Since I was uncomfortable with the lack of precision in regards to the cipher weapons discussion, I decided to do some spreadsheet work. These calculations were conducted specifically for Alyssa, factoring in her stats, talents, item choices and habits. Some may find it interesting. I've compared the 6 weapons that have caught my attention: Dulcanale, Forgiveness, Rain, Borresaine, Stormcaller and the Engwithan Scepter. Which one is best? It depends. A few comments, before we begin:

1) My instincts are better than I thought. The impressions I was under were born out.
2) I see why Semiticgod likes scepters, while most people hate them. Simultaneously, I think most people are underestimating scepters, although for reasons that differ from Semiticgod's rationale.
3) The weapons are pretty close under normal conditions. Differences only become significant in very specific circumstances
4) I have even more respect for weapon balancing in PoE now, following this exercise.

Okay! Let's begin. We need to talk about Alyssa first. Alyssa typically has a Dex of 20 and a Might of 14. She has Merciless Hand, Dungeon Delver and Apprentice Sneak Attack, in addition to Biting Whip. Her ACC v Def differential is typically extremely high due to her Survival points, Zealous Focus, Devotions for the Faithful and Tactical Meld. She wears hide or padded armor and has the Gauntlets of Swift Action. The spreadsheet found on these forums allowed consideration of all those factors. She doesn't have Durgan steel yet and she's a little lazy about taking speed buffs, such as DAOM. We factored that in, too.

Following some experiments in the White March, I was beginning to suspect that: 1) Stormcaller was at least as good as Borresaine for Alyssa, pre Durgan; 2) Dulcanale, however, seemed competitive, and arguably better than both, to my surprise, due to her sky high effective ACC, intersected with Annihilation. The numbers bore that out.

Here's our first condition. No Durgan steel, relative ACC/DEF bonus of 15, no DAOM or other speed buffs. I'm assuming Gunner for pistols and Penetrating Shot for bows/scepters. Stormcaller beats Borresaine, albeit slightly (and without factoring in Stun); Pistols beat both, at least at high DR, with Forgiveness in the lead.



Next, No Durgan steel, relative ACC/DEF bonus of 25, no DAOM or other speed buffs. The extra 10 ACC allows Dulcanale to pull ahead. That lead will grow as the ACC differential grows. For Alyssa, it's typically high, due to her buffs (her effective ACC is usually ~135, sometimes higher). That's why Dulcanale has seemed so good for her.



Now we add Durgan steel. Since speed bonuses are multiplicative, the speed weapons are pulling ahead. Rain is in the lead now. And the Engwithan Scepter is competitive. Stormcaller is becoming irrelevant, at least from a Focus generation perspective.




So, Semiticgod may have been on to something with scepters. But he never did White March and did not, as far as I'm aware, make extensive use of DAOM or other speed buffs. So why did he like them so much, whereas others poo-poo them?

I simulated Semiticgod's conditions, taking away Alyssa's Merciless Hand + Dungeon Delver, upping Might and removing Alyssa's armor. Disregard Rain and Stormcaller, because Semiticgod never acquired those. As you can see the Engwhithan Scepter is in the lead, at least at low DR. And if you were to subtract out Penetrating Shot (I don't think he used that), it would look even better, at least at low DR. His instincts weren't entirely off.



What's the upshot of this? Weapon balancing in PoE is exquisite. Different weapons have comparative advantages at different times and for different characters, depending on build details. Be skeptical of general arguments. Instead, go slow and do the math. Details matter and while our instincts can serve us well, results can be counterintuitive..

Best,

A.

Btw, don't generalize from Alyssa's results: crunch the number for your character specifically. The spreadsheet can be found here:

https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/92293-a-dps-spreadsheet-calculatorwip/

 

EDIT: As mentioned below, upon review, I've concluded that the speed formula is off. Recovery time turns negative if you stack too many speed buffs. It's an easy fix, but be mindful of it.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Alesia_BH

[FNGRenegade]

Very interesting numbers Alesia_BH although I do feel that these numbers leave an important (maybe more important for me as a melee cipher) factor behind. And that is attack and recovery speed. After taking a 2h Firebrand Cipher to around level 8 or 9 I found that even though she did a TON of damage, I would often find myself needing to quickly crowd control something or respond to something and because the recovery time of my swing was so long it would take me too long to get that ability off. This time i'm playing a dual wield Cipher and I'm having a much easier time controlling the battle. Something to keep in mind with discussions of firearms vs bows for sure.

[Alesia_BH]

And that is attack and recovery speed.

 

 

Good point! Attack and recovery speed are included, at least in respect to DPS, but not as they affect casting speed.

 

I concur that casting speed is relevant, too, and worth considering.

 

Best,

 

A.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Alesia_BH

[Alesia_BH]

NW: Upon review, the spreadsheet's speed formula is incorrect. Recovery frame values turn negative if too many speed enchants are stacked. It's an easy fix, but be mindful of the problem.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Alesia_BH

[semiticgod]

@Alesia_BH: Interesting work! There's actually a very simple reason why I held the Engwithan Scepter to be an excellent weapon: the only other weapons you mentioned that I'd even heard of were Borresaine and Forgiveness, and I would have thought that Persistence would be up there rather than Forgiveness (since then I've noticed your comment about the wounding effect not contributing to Focus). I had no idea what the hell Rain, Dulcanelle, or Stormcaller were, or what Durgan steel was, and I'm not familiar with any speed buffs or any spells above level 5, nor did I know that speed buffs stacked multiplicatively.

 

I just thought a fast weapon with +20% attack speed would be excellent. I'm surprised Forgiveness is up there--how dramatic do speed buffs get, that firearms can compete for the purposes of sustained damage? Does this require the reload speed talent and Chanter phrase? When I looked up the reload speeds online, I thought they seemed incredibly impractical outside of an opening shot on the first round of combat, since the user spends so much time doing nothing.

 

Did you factor in Dangerous Implement for the Engwithan Scepter? I've been skeptical of its use, since I don't like the idea of taking damage with every attack, but an archer-type cipher wouldn't need to worry very much about gradual damage, the talent can be toggled, and the damage bonus would ostensibly be much worse on the enemy than the 3 Raw damage is on the cipher.

 

I'm surprised to see you do number-crunching with DPS--but then, I shouldn't be. You had generally regarded DPS as unimportant in BG despite the popular fixation on it (I strongly agree with you, but that's another subject), but you've adjusted your assumptions and adapted to the new system. DPS was a low priority in BG because there were so many other factors that played a larger role, but PoE appears to be very much a game of numbers, and maximizing percentages seems much more important than developing counters or playing wizard chess for SCS. I like that you've been adjusting your tactical mindset and ordering of priorities--I love your commentary, and you have an analytical streak that makes it that much more fun to read.

 

I've generally used "game of numbers" in a negative sense, since it tends to result in very narrow builds and narrow gameplay. But PoE's four-part damage system (base damage, attack rate, damage reduction, and Accuracy) really balances things out. All the tradeoffs keep things complex and make optimal gameplay much more diverse.

[semiticgod]

@Alesia_BH: Does it bother you that, despite its highly diverse weapon types and even the inclusion of firearms, Pillars of Eternity has no slings in it? It's tragic that Alesia the rogue won't be able to kite stuff with a sling!

[Alesia_BH]

Btw, some comments taking casting into consideration.

 

With the Gauntlets of Quick Action + DAOM and Durganized armor, it's possible for a cipher to cast at zero recovery while wearing scale. Happily, while using Durganzied Rain it's also possible to reach zero recovery in scale armor. All things considered, that may be the best configuration: Durganized Rain + Durganized scale + Gauntlets of Quick Action. That would give you fast focus generation, fast casting and protective armor.

 

If you wanted to use Borresaine rather than Rain, for the stun, you'd need to wear a robe to maintain zero recovery. My call is Rain + scale. Even if I were comfortable in a robe, I'd still use Rain, since that would allow me to send the Gauntlets of Quick Action to another party member without incurring a recovery penalty.

 

Best,

 

A.

 

EDIT: Upgraded Aloth's leather is tempting for the +10% AoE. 

Edited December 15, 2018 by Alesia_BH

[Alesia_BH]

Quick Note on Alyssa's Game:

 

Alyssa, Phantom Foes->Amplified Wave; Alora, AoE scroll is performing well in early testing. Phantom Foes + Amplified Wave quickly creates a large area in which to trigger death blows. First test, in a safe environment. Not bad for a cheap L1 scroll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In combat test with Twin Stones. Interestingly, Twin Stones triggers Deep Wounds, which I suppose makes sense, given the description.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best,

 

A.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Alesia_BH

[semiticgod]

By the way: I'm midway through a run that I have yet to document in this thread. Since I plan on taking it through White March, it's probably going to end in failure, but I want to keep going so I familiarize myself more with the expansion. We've got two priests, a cipher, a rogue, a wizard, and a barbarian. I'm trying out the Forgemaster Gloves with the rogue and she regularly does upwards of 80 damage on crits with basic sneak attacks. She has the fire damage talent, but I'm not sure if it actually increases damage from Firebrand. The barbarian is dual-wielding the March Steel Dagger with the Ravenwing mace, but I haven't really noticed her doing much, maybe because I felt I had to bump up her Constitution at the expense of other, more offensive-oriented stats--or maybe because it's the rogue and cipher who get the biggest hits and therefore are more attention-grabbing.

 

My wizard has been using Kalakoth's Minor Blights and it seems like it has great potential. It seems quite fast, the duration is extremely long, and the damage is pretty impressive. I've been thinking about a weapon-oriented wizard build that uses no offensive spells and only casts spells to conjure weapons and buff him or herself, and it seems like a wizard would make a pretty solid tank.

 

At some point, I'd like to try out an Undertale-themed run like I used to do in BG, with Frisk as a priest or cipher, Undyne as an Aumaua fighter or paladin using spears and pikes, Chara as a druid, Papyrus as a rogue, Sans as a wizard, and Asriel as a wizard or druid or priest.

[Jaheiras Witness]

Scion of Flame most definitely increases the damage of Firebrand. Spirit of Decay does the same for Bittercut.

[Alesia_BH]

 

I just thought a fast weapon with +20% attack speed would be excellent. 

 

It's a great enchantment- especially when intersected with other speed buffs.

 

Some of the earlier numbers, now deleted, overstated the benefits of Speed 20, due to the aforementioned error in the spreadsheet's speed formula, but it's still great. It's possible to reach zero recovery without Speed 20. It remains relevant, nonetheless: 

 

1) It increases the number of party members who can achieve or approach zero recovery

2) It makes it possible to achieve zero recovery in heavier armor

 

 

 

 I'm surprised Forgiveness is up there--how dramatic do speed buffs get, that firearms can compete for the purposes of sustained damage? Does this require the reload speed talent and Chanter phrase? 

 

Attack speed is but one variable in the DPS formula. Slow heavy weapons can do as much damage, or more damage, across time depending on the details. I'll suggest that you may be underestimating the merits of slow weapons. Faster/weaker isn't always better than slower/stronger.

 

Pistols are competitive early. They underperform against low DR but are preferable against high DR. The question becomes whether you'd like to emphasize DPS against low DR targets or high DR.

 

Later, and with speed buffs, pistols start to lag. The issue is that reload speed is not as amenable to reduction as recovery. Recovery reduction affects pistols, too, naturally, but it accounts for a smaller portion of the pistol speed formula due to the presence of the reload variable. Consequently, recovery reduction disproportionately benefits weapons that do not require reloads.

 

The earlier calculations did not assume use of Sure-Handed Ila, since it is, by the midgame, usually crowded out by Dragon Thrashed.

 

 

Did you factor in Dangerous Implement for the Engwithan Scepter? I've been skeptical of its use, since I don't like the idea of taking damage with every attack, but an archer-type cipher wouldn't need to worry very much about gradual damage, the talent can be toggled, and the damage bonus would ostensibly be much worse on the enemy than the 3 Raw damage is on the cipher.

 

Yes. I'll acknowledge, though, that I fear that it would be problematic at zero recovery. 

 

 

I'm surprised to see you do number-crunching with DPS--but then, I shouldn't be. You had generally regarded DPS as unimportant in BG despite the popular fixation on it (I strongly agree with you, but that's another subject), but you've adjusted your assumptions and adapted to the new system. .

 

One needs to understand the numbers and experiment with DPS maximization before deciding how important they are or aren't.

 

I did the same in BG. By the time we got to know each other, I had moved passed the DPS concept, since I had concluded that it accounted for very little variation in combat outcome. In BG it's pretty rare that you die because you've done fractionally less damage per second. You're far more likely to die because, say, your aura was clouded when you needed to quaff a Potion of Clarity. Nonetheless, people talk about DPS all the time and rarely talk about defensive micro-tactics. It's understandable, but odd-ish.

 

I'm merely trying to understand one aspect of gameplay. I can't yet say how important that aspect is or isn't. My guess is that I'll find DPS far less interesting/important once I've gotten better at PoE. 

 

 

I've generally used "game of numbers" in a negative sense, since it tends to result in very narrow builds and narrow gameplay. But PoE's four-part damage system (base damage, attack rate, damage reduction, and Accuracy) really balances things out. All the tradeoffs keep things complex and make optimal gameplay much more diverse.

 

Agreed. It's a good system. 

 

Best,

 

A.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Alesia_BH

[Alesia_BH]

 

At some point, I'd like to try out an Undertale-themed run

 

 

[Ivanfyodorovich]

Aures - Act I, Chapter 3: To Unseat a Tyrant

 

Part 1: House Cleaning

We return with Sagani to the first level of the Endless Paths to clear out the last remaining Spiders and Looters. The spiders go down easily. The looters are much more dangerous for our group. We set up around the corner, and seemingly all of them are targetting Niclesa, who is burst down before I can react. She is hobbled via a crippling strike, and then one of the rogues crits her for most of her health. We stablize with lay on hands and Holy Radiance, but then she gets hit again and drops. I think this is our first knock out. I start pulling out all of the stops to turn things around. Sagani and the fox are making progress. 31 dmg hits from him are wonderful. Consecrated ground as a last ditch. We make it through. 

 

We clear Magran’s fork, except the boars, after resting. On to Esternwood. Not much to report there. Niclesa suggests we do some reconnaissance at Raedric’s Hold, and we try to get in through the sewers, only to find we aren’t strong enough and lack the proper tools. We go back to Gilded Vale to buy a crowbar, and return to the crypts under the hold.

 

We fight some Guls. They have enough HP that we need to manage the fight, but they drop quickly to concentrated dps. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Niclesa level 4: White Worms; Veteran’s Recovery

Gregoria level 4: Interdiction

 

We clear the rest of the crypts, with the exception of Osyra. We also don’t free Giacco. We don’t want to tip off Raedric that we’re coming for him.

 

We head to black meadow to see what resources we can gather. The first battle is against 3 trolls. We engage in formation. Reny cuts through like butter. Trolls, Wichts, and the rest we clear out. We leave the Forest Shambler.

 

We need a little bit more XP, and the temple seems like the best option. Things are easier than expected, especially the Skuldr Kings. Chillfog is so valuable, and so far zero misplacements resulting in friendly fire. I don't want to use this spell long term without a targeting circle, but while we still have Aloth, it's doing great work. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aures confronts Wirtan and charges him with redemption. We are still not quite ready for Raedric. Time to explore the Endless Paths.

 

Part 2: Oh no, I think I just lost the game

It's time for a Xaurip party. We euthanize the poisoned xaurip and clear our way to the sacrificial chamber. 

 

In the last fight before the chamber, Niclesa ate most of the Wurm fire breath and has dangerously low health. We decide to go clear the rest of the level before engaging the final battle. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aures level 5: Liberating Exhortation

 

We pull the room around to the west, and Niclesa uses some potions of Vital Essence to restore her health during the pull. Things are looking great until an Iconic Projection decimates the group - knocking out Eder and Itamuk. I think this is it. The run is about to end on a non-quest trip to the Endless Paths. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stabilize with consecrated ground and every heal we can find. I use one of my scrolls of protection.  My heart is racing and I chain pause and re-assess each time what I can do to turn this around. Somehow we make it through! White Worms goes boom!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We choose not to engage the battle at the sacrificial pit right now after that scare. Instead, we move down to level 3, where we agree to help Thulgar, and gain a level disarming a trap by the entrance.

 

Aloth level 5: Kalakoth’s Minor Blights, Expose Vulnerabilities

 

Pull an Ogre and kill it on the bridge. Gain more levels. 

 

Eder level 5: Weapon Specilization: Adventurer

Sagani level 5: Stalker’s Link

 

Feeling a little bit better with our gained levels, we decide to camp and go ahead and kill the last group of Xaurips on level 2 to get Measured Restraint and a little more XP. We set up in the hallway around the corner and eat our food buffs. We pull around the corner, and wait. A few come around, including the high priest. We buff and blast it.

 

 

 

 

 

I keep waiting for the mass of other Xaurips to come around too. They never come. We somehow pulled only 3 or 4. I send one of our tanks around to pull the rest of the group. Again, only 1 or 2 come with. We move up and try again. This time the rest of the group (minus 1 wurm) comes. We grab our rewards and head back to Gilded Vale. It’s time for Raedric!

 

Part 3: You deserve what you get, but I still feel bad . . . 

We climb the wall, having already scouted the sewers. Donning the robes, we bluff our way to Nedemar and agree to rescue Giacco, who we saw in the crypts earlier. We use the stairs down through the kitchen, and face down Osyra. The fight is much quicker than I expected, and she dies while I’m not looking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We let Giacco go free and return to Nedemar to give him the news. After a rest, we use the stairwell from the door in the scriptorium to get to the throne room. We want to fight Raedric in the doorway to the bedroom, but I prepare the group inside of the door by the stairs, just in case it won’t work to sneak across the throne room. I’ve died on this fight in the past, trying to run from the throne steps, back to the bedroom. We are able to sneak across, though, and we set up in the bedroom. We even drop a trap, because it can't hurt. 

 

This time we try attacking one of the guards from range, without starting a conversation with Raedric. This isn’t how Aures would prefer to do things, but Raedric is clearly crazy and very well guarded. There's no way he's going to convince us to take another resolution. I mean, there's a big tree full of dead people. 

 

Sadly, I didn’t realize this would break the encounter. Only half of the guards come with the first crossbow shot and no Raedric.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We kill them and send Niclesa out again to pull the rest. This time the other half comes, but still no Raedric. Now I just feel lame. We head back and Raedric is there by himself. He chases us to the doorway where White Worms and a quick beatdown remove him from the throne.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is not how it was supposed to be, but I guess I’ve learned a lesson here. Defeating Raedric before the end of Act I was supposed to feel really good. All of the excitement of the NR just disappeared when I broke the encounter. Now I just want to keep things moving. In the future, I plan to take these kinds of things head on, even if it feels risky or I need to out-level a little to make sure. 

 

Defiance Bay awaits . . . 

Edited December 21, 2018 by Ivanfyodorovich

[Alesia_BH]

 I'm trying out the Forgemaster Gloves with the rogue and she regularly does upwards of 80 damage on crits with basic sneak attacks. She has the fire damage talent, but I'm not sure if it actually increases damage from Firebrand. 

 

 

Scion of Flame helps, but you're looking in the wrong place. Since the effect is additive, proportionate to base, not multiplicative with total damage, the effect is less noticeable, not more, as you stack on damage multipliers.

 

Your rogue has Sneak Attack and Firebrand has Annihilation. In a sneak attack crit, the additional 20% of base would be hard to notice, in light of the size of the other modifiers and the range of variation. If you collected data you would notice an average difference, albeit a small one.

 

The effect should be more noticeable in non-crits that are not sneak attacks. You should be able to see it there without recording numbers.

 

Best,

 

A.

Edited December 16, 2018 by Alesia_BH

[Alesia_BH]

 Things are looking great until an Iconic Projection decimates the group - knocking out Eder and Itamuk. I think this is it. The run is about to end on a non-quest trip to the Endless Paths. 

 

Iconic Projection is weird. Sometimes it does way too much damage. I've seen it happen on both sides. It's happened to enemies and to my own party, as it happened to you.

 

At first I thought Iconic Projections bounced, like a Rolling Flame or a Crackling Bolt, hence the occasional outsized damage. But after reviewing your screen shot I now think something else is going on. First, I'd like to do a little survey: Who else has seen Iconic Projection do outrageous damage?

 

 

This is not how it was supposed to be, but I guess I’ve learned a lesson here. Defeating Raedric before the end of Act I was supposed to feel really good. All of the excitement of the NR just disappeared when I broke the encounter. Now I just want to keep things moving. In the future, I plan to take these kinds of things head on, even if it feels risky or I need to out-level a little to make sure. 

 

 

Wise move! There's little joy in winning if you break the game world in the process. Good insight!

 

Best,

 

A.

Edited December 16, 2018 by Alesia_BH