The Pillars of Eternity No Reload Challenge

[Serg BlackStrider]

Congratulations, Enuhal! 

 

I pretty much adore a thorough completionist approach and glad I'm not alone here. While I absolutely respect any other approaches (if someone doesn't want to be distracted from the saving of the world from yet another Big Boss Scum or whatever else), you miss a lot if you skip the stuff. And I don't like to skip the stuff - it's just feel 'incomplete' to me. The thing is that I see my character not as a Hero, set on a world saving mission, but as a Wanderer (Strider), who just love to explore the world, look at every nook, meet new characters to banter and vicious creatures to test his mettle. 

 

Anyway, Liresh just entered the list of Honorable Mentions here and I hope you'll solve your Deadfire's performance issues in due time to see his adventures there.

Congratulations one again. Fantastic run!

Edited November 17, 2018 by Serg BlackStrider

[Serg BlackStrider]

... we use stealth to scout a safe route to the doors of Caed Nua, fighting only this one Will-o-the-Wisp:

 

You can see from the map below that the safest way in is to skirt the southern wall as far east as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

Didn't you meet the big group of Phantoms/Shadows near the Amphitheatre down there?

[Enuhal]

Thanks, Alesia_BH and Serg BlackStrider! I've now also added links to all previous updates to every post of the run, so it should be easier to follow it over the many pages of this thread.

 

Well done with the throne room, Jaheiras Witness. Good luck in your battle against Maerwald!

[Jaheiras Witness]

 

Didn't you meet the big group of Phantoms/Shadows near the Amphitheatre down there?

 

 

I was in stealth mode, I saw plenty of phantoms and shadows but backed away. If you stay hugging the south wall you never pass close to any spirits, I don't think you need much of a stealth score either (mine is 4).

[Serg BlackStrider]

I was in stealth mode, I saw plenty of phantoms and shadows but backed away. If you stay hugging the south wall you never pass close to any spirits, I don't think you need much of a stealth score either (mine is 4).

 

I see. So that's not an invariably safe approach. For solo character with decent Stealth yes. But I don't think one would build the whole party around Stealth. There are other useful skills out there to develop and even high ranks in Stealth don't allow you to get an enemy close enough for surprise attack (i.e. backstab).

 

This all is just a fair warning for those, who might think ''Oh, I could sneak around south wall right into the a main hall'' and then suddenly get in troubles unprepared.

Edited November 17, 2018 by Serg BlackStrider

[Jaheiras Witness]

Jazz Wit, Solo Coastal Aumaua Chanter (Hard), Part 7

 

Dungeons and spiders.

 

 

 

 

I'm quite low on health but I have a specific reason to press on without resting.

 

 

 

 

Here is the reason:

 

 

 

 

I won't be needing to rest very much from now on (other than for reasons of fatigue, recharging per rest items, getting a different rest bonus, or if I run short of these potions).

 

Here's an example. Drink:

 

 

 

 

And when the combat ends:

 

 

 

 

I don't know specifically what it is about the mechanics of Vital Essence that does this, whether it's a bug or intended behaviour; but when combat ends, you can find yourself with more health than when the combat started. Luckily the effect within combat works correctly (it restores the right amount of health and endurance, which is 50 modified by MIG + other healing modifiers) or else it would be really broken. As it stands, it's a really convenient way of restoring health without resting.

 

Positioning gone wrong again, this is not the spot I wanted to fight these beetles...

 

 

 

 

But sink a potion just in time to avoid a very embarrassing way to die.

 

 

 

 

I use my White Worms invocation for the first time (works great at chokepoints where bodies are piled up):

 

 

 

 

I generally avoid disengaging, especially when being attacked by multiple opponents, but sometimes you just have to run:

 

 

 

 

Much better spot:

 

 

 

 

That gets me to level 5 \o/

 

 

 

 

I increase Mechanics to 6, Survival to 2, and take the 'One Dozen Stood' chant (provides a bonus against fear, will hardly ever use it but there isn't a single phrase at level 2 that does me any good at all).

 

This is just too tempting not to do it:

 

 

 

 

They are fighting amongst themselves :D

 

 

 

 

More Fan of Flames fun:

 

 

 

 

And so Maerwald. I have seen many people talk about this battle and how difficult/dangerous it is. I don't know why but I have never had any trouble with this fight, even on PotD. I take an obvious precaution in retreating to the door and drinking a Bulkwark against the Elements potion. Casting Chill Fog was as annoying as Maerwald got:

 

 

 

 

Phantom kills him in perfect time, just as it is unsummoned:

 

 

 

 

The new lord of Caed Nua, trying to decide where to go next:

 

 

 

 

Raedric's Hold is an option and trivially easy, though I don't know if character-wise Jazz Wit has enough dislike of Raedric even to bother. Defiance Bay is more interesting and makes more sense RP-wise. Will have to think about it.

Edited November 17, 2018 by Jaheiras Witness

[Jaheiras Witness]

 

I was in stealth mode, I saw plenty of phantoms and shadows but backed away. If you stay hugging the south wall you never pass close to any spirits, I don't think you need much of a stealth score either (mine is 4).

 

I see. So that's not an invariably safe approach. For solo character with decent Stealth yes. But I don't think one would build the whole party around Stealth. There are other useful skills out there to develop and even high ranks in Stealth don't allow you to get an enemy close enough for surprise attack (i.e. backstab).

 

This all is just a fair warning for those, who might think ''Oh, I could sneak around south wall right into the a main hall'' and then suddenly get in troubles unprepared.

 

 

As long as you send one character at a time (and not try to move the whole party), even a stealth score of 0 might be enough, since you don't even spot any enemies if you hug the bottom wall (or if you do they are at the edge of vision). It's the northern path where you cannot avoid the spirits. I'll see if I've got a save to demonstrate with screenshots.

[Serg BlackStrider]

As long as you send one character at a time (and not try to move the whole party), even a stealth score of 0 might be enough, since you don't even spot any enemies if you hug the bottom wall (or if you do they are at the edge of vision). It's the northern path where you cannot avoid the spirits. I'll see if I've got a save to demonstrate with screenshots.

 

Please do. Because in my case they where standing right in that narrow pass to the east and engaged Eder (Stealth 0) the very moment he approached them (stealthy of course).

[Jaheiras Witness]

So I loaded up my save from the start of the session and recruited Kana, who has a Stealth score of 0:

 

 

 

 

Kana enters in stealth - nothing here:

 

 

 

 

Still nothing:

 

 

 

 

Here (near the chapel) we spot two shadows:

 

 

 

 

But they are avoided without the yellow bar even starting to fill up:

 

 

 

 

Until you get to the Will-o-Wisp, which cannot be avoided:

 

 

 

 

So yes, it is fool proof even with 0 stealth as long as you don't try to march the entire party in formation.

[Serg BlackStrider]

Got it, thanks!

[Jaheiras Witness]

Jazz Wit, Solo Coastal Aumaua Chanter (Hard), Part 8

 

Well I just did something monumentally stupid, breaking all the rules around unnecessary risks in no-reload.

 

I decide to head to Defiance Bay. I do want to do Raedric's Hold at some point, if for no other reason than to set up the Act 3 retribution. It's very easy for a Chanter, epecially the sneaky route, but we'll let it wait since it is hardly a priority for Jazz Wit. So we go south to Woodend Plains.

 

Start off absolutely fine: stealth the entire map, avoiding all enemies and just collecting the free herbs and loot. I almost run into a wandering lion:

 

 

 

 

I may need to defeat him to go up the path; but I am currently hungover from Goldrot Chew withdrawal. In England we call this 'Hair of the Dog':

 

 

 

 

I manage to sneak past the wandering lion and come across the pack.

 

 

 

 

It's a pride of lions. Led by an Elder Lion. The loot from the body behind them is the Heath Harvest, which is an excellent weapon except that I have already decided to stick with Whispers of Yenwood. So I don't need it.

 

I don't need to go near this encounter.

 

Literally no reason to do it.

 

 

 

 

I drink Spirit Shield to help with concentration and then unleash my new Watcher ability to frighten the pride (which reduces their accuracy).

 

 

 

 

I have a decent spot to fight. 3 of the lions can engage me but that is better than all 5. The Elder Lion is also frightened for 15 seconds, so his accuracy will not be so great.

 

 

 

 

A hit for 32 damage. His accuracy is better than my DEF (which is reduced by flanking) even when frightened. I have officially stepped right in it.

 

I am now sinking potions as fast as I can.

 

 

 

 

All those screenshots are taken just after I drunk the potions (which are healing 87 points each). So I was around the 30-40 endurance mark just before I managed to swig, which is 1 hit territory. I have also used everything else I have at my disposal: the second casting of Speaker to the Dead, the 3 Fan of Flames scrolls in my quick slots, and summoning Phantoms whenever I can.

 

 

 

 

I got away with it. But that's how close it was. What on earth was I doing?

 

Jazz Wit makes it to Defiance Bay, which is the second major milestone I look for in a solo Chanter. But Jaheiras Witness the player is off to have a stern word with himself.

[Serg BlackStrider]

@Jaheiras Witness: Glad, you've made it through that encounter! It's truly fearsome. Myself only dealt with that single wandering lion and a pack of Pwgras/Forest Trolls on my first visit of Woodend Plains. That's was enough for me to not touch that huge lion's pack no matter how much I want to put my hands on Hearth Harvest.

Edited November 17, 2018 by Serg BlackStrider

[semiticgod]

@semiticgod: regarding Eder and his death, when he revived wth 1 health and endurance, he was really dead: the only reason he woke up is because you have maim before death selected (so the game maimed him rather than kill him). This is the free second life you are giving your characters by having that option selected. But next time they die, it counts and that is what happened with the skirmisher.

Makes sense. I'm still a little confused, though. My other knocked-out characters didn't get up when combat ended, despite having Health above zero. They only got up when the Lurker actually died.

 

@Alesia_BH: I actually skip the lone Outlaw after losing Calisca and Heodan. I stay on the north end of the path as I approach the river, cross the river, and then head south straight to Gilded Vale. This shouldn't require any stealth points; I don't even see the Outlaw when I do this.

 

@Enuhal: Congratulations! Solid work on dealing with White March--I haven't read that part to avoid spoilers and metaknowledge (I'd like to try the expansion blind), but if it got you to level 16, it looks like White March has a lot of challenges in it.

 

@Jaheiras Witness: I'm still amazed that PoE is doable with a solo character. I've always had a low opinion of the potential of chanters because Kana never impressed me, but you're really doing well! I've tried the Phantom summoning invocation before, but I haven't had such success with it--maybe because I keep trying to use the Phantom to absorb damage for the party, and it's actually better suited to dealing damage and stun from a safe distance?

 

Stealth is seeming less and less and less useful. Higher stealth values don't seem to make much difference in scouting, and using it to enable better sneak attacks doesn't seem to offer much, either: rogues need an extra Talent to deal the 150% extra damage on backstabs, and it only lets you score it one more time in-combat because you can't re-enter stealth during combat. Even a rogue doesn't seem to gain much from stealth.

[Jaheiras Witness]

Thanks! And yes, it's a nasty battle; good job I was on Hard and not PotD, I would definitely have lost if that same encounter in the same situation was on PotD.

 

The silly thing is I now remember I died to that very same encounter in a playthrough quite some time ago and told myself then that it was not worth it; I think it's part of the reason why I have decided on Whispers of Yenwood as main weapon rather than Heath Harvest. So I would have been really annoyed with myself if I'd ended this run right there, but thankfully got through by the skin of my teeth.

 

No more silly risks. It's a timely reminder.

[Jaheiras Witness]

Makes sense. I'm still a little confused, though. My other knocked-out characters didn't get up when combat ended, despite having Health above zero. They only got up when the Lurker actually died.

 

@Jaheiras Witness: I'm still amazed that PoE is doable with a solo character. I've always had a low opinion of the potential of chanters because Kana never impressed me, but you're really doing well! I've tried the Phantom summoning invocation before, but I haven't had such success with it--maybe because I keep trying to use the Phantom to absorb damage for the party, and it's actually better suited to dealing damage and stun from a safe distance?

 

Stealth is seeming less and less and less useful. Higher stealth values don't seem to make much difference in scouting, and using it to enable better sneak attacks doesn't seem to offer much, either: rogues need an extra Talent to deal the 150% extra damage on backstabs, and it only lets you score it one more time in-combat because you can't re-enter stealth during combat. Even a rogue doesn't seem to gain much from stealth.

 

 

I don't know exactly what happened but your other characters behaved "correctly": knocked out characters should only revive when the combat is truly finished (i.e. opponents are dead). Sometimes if you are running around/kiting, enemies stop chasing you and start walking back to their base location and the combat ends. And then because they see you again, combat restarts after a very short pause. Something like that may have happened, triggering Eder to wake up, but the combat restarted before the others woke up. I don't know, I am speculating, hard to know without seeing it.

 

With regards to solo: I am fully expecting you to be in the midst of this action after a few party playthroughs! You are one of the experts in BG solo and it's only a matter of time and experience before you are doing it in PoE too, I'm sure. There are plenty of people who probably cannot believe BG can be done solo without dying.

 

A Chanter really is an excellent class; even Kana if used properly, the stats don't matter all that much. For the phantom, yes you are using it incorrectly: the phantom is the hammer, not the anvil. If you look at my screenshots you will see that I have the opponents attacking my PC (the anvil, focused on defence) while I summon the phantom behind them. The phantom promptly flanks the opponent, triggering sneak attacks. With nobody attacking it, it can wreak havoc while my PC rides out the enemy attacks. 95% of the time my phantom disappears because the duration expires or combat ends, not because it is killed.

 

Stealth is one of those skills you want to get around the 3-5 mark early in the game (for a solo character at least) so you can sneak past early opponents you don't need to fight. This is the phase of the game where it most benefits you to avoid combat. Later on you will be able to defeat enemies easily enough not to need stealth. It is not a skill to invest a lot of points in, even very high stealth scores don't enable you to get right behind opponents without being spotted and it is not really used for backstab or anything like that. If you don't invest in stealth early (say before level 6) then you don't need to invest in it at all - if you have got to level 7 and beyond, you are not going to need it.

[Enuhal]

@semiticgod There are a certain number of quests where you can avoid potentially dangerous or annoying battles with stealth, but this is usually only true if your entire party has a certaint amount of stealth (~3-5, which, in my opinion, isn't worth it). For solo runs, high stealth can actually be crucial - certain encounters are generally always avoided by solo PotD players, and some of these can only be avoided with a certain stealth level.

 

Regarding The White March, there is indeed a lot of content there - it is somewhat different from the main game and has quite often been compared to Icewind Dale with the main game being a bit more like BG2 - WM offers more battles, more dungeons and less story. I would be interested to see a blind attempt - possible to achieve, I think (if one strives for peaceful solutions whenever possible, at least), but tough. Quickly figuring out new types of enemies is certainly required.

[semiticgod]

@Jaheiras Witness: I'm guessing Alesia will be on the solo challenge before me; she invented much of the metagame for BG solo no-reload runs and is more experienced (she has the largest number of successful solo runs for BG). If my memory is correct, the only truly solo run I've ever done was my LoB run with an Archer/Mage. But I am looking forward to a solo PoE run at some point, and it might be a rogue.

 

How do you guys deal with the prologue solo? Is it possible to remove Calisca and Heodan from the party, or do you just have to keep them out of the way for every fight? Or is the prologue treated as an exception? Or do you have to actually kill them manually to keep them out of the party?

[Enuhal]

The prologue is officially an exception - the solo achievements that actually exist for the game explicity mention going solo AFTER the prologue. As far as I know, most people go along with this official way of doing things. I've done two solo runs (on lower difficulties, once as a rogue, once as a ranger) and kept both of them in my party as far as I can remember. It is possible to have Heodan die, and its also possible to have Calisca leave the party upon entering the ruins (both options depend on dialogue options), but I'm not sure you can get rid of both without killing one of them. If remember correctly, having Calisca leave depends on Heodan being there and getting wounded.

Edited November 17, 2018 by Enuhal

[Jaheiras Witness]

Jazz Wit, Solo Coastal Aumaua Chanter (Hard), Part 9

 

Explored Copperlane district, picking up a few quests and staying away from unnecessary risks . We found the wood beetle figurine before completing the Something Secret task (and without searching for it: Mechanics 6 must be plenty).

 

 

 

 

The figurine was soon called into action in Purnisc's house:

 

 

 

 

Jazz Wit buffed with Vital Essence and Wizard's Double in this fight (in the spirit of not taking chances):

 

 

 

 

I summoned the phantom once the wood beetles had been slain (you can only have one summon per character; if I had summoned before the wood beetles were gone, they would have been instantly unsummoned):

 

 

 

 

The upstairs battle is usually tougher. I tried Ironskin and Wizard's Double for maximum physical protection:

 

 

 

 

Annoyingly, the Wizard's Double did not last long due to Zealous Focus graze to hit conversion:

 

 

 

 

But the phantom and a couple more healing potions ensured there were not too many dramas.

 

 

 

 

I am very short of healing now (1 x Infuse with Vital Essence left; no endurance potions) so will have to try to avoid combat for a bit until I have replenished supplies.

[Jaheiras Witness]

Jazz Wit, Solo Coastal Aumaua Chanter (Hard), Part 10

 

Progress update - lots of Defiance Bay quests and tasks completed and several more picked up. The completed list is: Rogue Knight, Built To Last, Far From Home, Supply & Demand, At All Costs, Clandestine Cargo, All Hands On Deck and Brave Derrin. Some highlights and screenshots are below.

 

Fighting Penhelm in the Rogue Knight quest:

 

 

 

 

The Dozens are playing with fire:

 

 

 

 

A nice set of armour to replace the mail Jazz Wit has been wearing since Magran's Fork:

 

 

 

 

Fighting the thugs harrassing the Salty Mast:

 

 

 

 

And their ringleader, Aefre, another Dozens wastebasket:

 

 

 

 

Completing this quest got me to level 6. I increased Mechanics to 7, took the 'At the Sound of his Voice' invocation (AoE paralyse) and the Superior Deflection talent (+5 DEF).

 

I also went to Heritage Hill to camp at the entrance (to finally get rid of the Goldrot Chew hangover I have been carrying since Caed Nua). I chose to camp rather than stay at an inn since I already have an inn bonus that will last for another rest, and I can take the +20% healing bonus from Survival on top.

 

Serel's boon:

 

 

 

 

More thugs, these from the All Hands on Deck quest:

 

 

 

 

I get to use Second Wind to heal for the first time (thanks to Serel):

 

 

 

 

Animats and blights from the Clandestine Cargo quest:

 

 

 

 

Using the 'At the Sound of his Voice' invocation for the first time:

 

 

 

 

Bragan pays with his own life:

 

 

 

 

Ready to enter the Catacombs to progress the main quest:

 

 

 

 

Updated character record and inventory:

 

 

 

[Alesia_BH]

 

 

Makes sense. I'm still a little confused, though. My other knocked-out characters didn't get up when combat ended, despite having Health above zero. They only got up when the Lurker actually died.

 

This would happen if the other knocked out characters were still in proximity to the lurker. If part of the team falls, and the rest of the team leaves the engagement area, then combat will end, for the entire team, seemingly, however, any fallen members who remain in proximity to enemies will stay down until the enemy in question goes away somehow- either by death or movement. 

 

So, if part of your crew fell near the lurker's spawn point, and Eder fell away from it (which is, if I'm not mistaken, what happened), then upon disengagement, one would expect Eder to awaken, but not the others. Eder would awaken once the enemy walked back to his spawn point. The others, however, would still be in the lurkers proximity, keeping them down.

Edited November 18, 2018 by Alesia_BH

[Alesia_BH]

@Enuhal. Do you have any interest in trying a solo run? It could be fun to see another, perhaps with a different class.

[Enuhal]

I'm really not much of a solo player, to be honest. I'm terrible at it, and I enjoy party play a lot more, so I only ever did my two PoE solo runs in order to get achievements (the solo one and the pacifist one). I might try my hand at it some day, but for now, I've started a BG run again, so that's where my focus will be.

[Alesia_BH]

Aotha, Hearth Orlan Rogue: Minor Quests in and Around Guilded Vale

 

While Aotha's crew was never endangered in the early game, they did take their share of lumps and bumps as I adjusted to PotD. True threats were non-existent. Knockouts were, however, common. Sadly, the character who suffered most was our former PC, turned companion NPC, Ashoka, Kind Wayfarer Paladin. Has a character ever suffered more at the hands of an inept pilot? I ask you.

 

Having observed the loss of Aur to the large group of spiders in the Eothasian temple, I chose to employ a strategy that left one and only one of our team members imperiled. Guess who? That's right, our beleaguered heroine, Ashoka. Ashoka was tasked with luring the spider to our predetermined safe engagement point, the doorway on the south end of the room. Caught in a web, Ashoka fell, predictably. Her sacrifice was not in vain, however: the rest of the crew prevailed with ease.

 

 

Moving on to the skuldrs, Ashoka, helped Eder form a wall, despite a sprained ankle. Happily, she stayed on her feet and the skuldrs fell without incident.

 

On level 2, we learned that our spirit fighting tactics were on point, if not perfect. We suffered no knockouts at the hands of shades or spectres.

 

 

Our black ooze fighting tactics, in contrast, leave room for improvement. Charging blindly with a low con L2 recruit in the lead is, unsurprisingly, less than ideal.

 

 

The final oozy engagement of the quest was a success, although, the party did take its lump upon first approach. Aloth and Durance both fell to an opening spit salvo. In the end, however, Aloth's Fan of Flames won the day.

 

 

The recovery of Ranga's potion went smoother. By now,I was starting to internalize the need to buff in each and every semi-major engagement on PotD. This lesson was driven home when Eder found himself imperiled due to my decision to withhold Prayer Against Infirmity.

 

 

I was slightly anxious heading into the quest's focal battle, the xaurip encounter, but Aotha and her team handled it capably, despite a fiery surprise. When Aloth joined us, he had some questionable spell choices. I decided not to respect him, however, since respecting NPCs has always felt icky to me. In need of AoE damage, we decided to tap L2 via Rolling Flame, operating under the assumption that bounce backs wouldn't be an issue in a large, open, outdoor area.

 

 

Imagine my surprise when I saw this: our Rolling Flame returned. Happily, both of them missed us.

 

 

In the end, Zealous Accuracy + Armor of Faith + Blessing + Consecrated Ground, with a little help from Prayer Against Fear, proved sufficient. We won without serious injury.

 

 

Finally, the sporelings.Zealous Accuracy +  Armor of Faith + Blessing + Consecrated Ground once again.

 

 

I'll post on Caed Nua soon.

 

Best,

 

A.

Edited November 18, 2018 by Alesia_BH

[Jaheiras Witness]

Jazz Wit, Solo Chanter (Hard), Part 11

 

Anyone for Black Pudding?

 

 

 

 

Nifty pair of gauntlets; no net gain in stats from Fulvano's Gloves but MIG is higher priority than DEX for me, so swap immediately.

 

 

 

 

At some point in this session (I think in the hidden crypt north of the underground temple) I also found a Ring of Deflection, which is a 4 point upgrade on the minor version I had before.

 

Positioning perfection:

 

 

 

 

That battle took an age though. I couldn't summon the phantom behind the opponent I was attacking, so it was head-on without flanking. The sporelings can take a beating and the trolls just last forever, they must have hundreds of endurance points. By the time I was done I was pretty beat up and must have summoned maybe 10 times during the fight.

 

More sporelings:

 

 

 

 

I lure them back to the bridge, which gives me an opportunity to unleash this attack:

 

 

 

 

There's an even better example of the power of this invocation later.

 

Lots of undead (well it is the catacombs), including mages:

 

 

 

 

I met Eorn and gave him cash to escape.

 

I used the phantom as a shock absorber in this battle:

 

 

 

 

That was a brutal fight, 3 mages unleashing damage spells and the fighter skeletons are really tough to take down. Took quite a few potions to stay intact.

 

I bet you thought mages frying their own companions was a thing of the past, when CRPG AI wasn't very advanced?

 

 

 

 

I went the disguised/peaceful route through the Temple of Woedica and advanced to level 7 after leaving (Mechanics 8, some irrelevant phrase selected).

 

'The Main Who Waits':

 

 

 

 

Want to see how obscene White Worms can be at a chokepoint with corpses piling up?

 

 

 

 

That's over 400 damage by my counting