Help with a new party composition

[Toobz]

I've started the game about three times (usually I make it until the second time you speak with Eothas) around level 12-13. 

 

I always end up with the same party

 

Eder - Tank,

Xoti - Priest

Aloth - Wizard

Tekehu - Druid / Chanter

 

Can someone recommend a different party make up?  Ideally I'd like to change up on my current playthrough.  Although I'm not really opposed to starting over a fourth time if the MC is fun enough.  Previous, aborted, runs the MC was a Fate Testerossa monk/druid build, Herald, and Beguiler (current run when I'm losing steam).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Firepengu]

Have you tried subbing out Aloth for a Half Wizard/Ranger Maia? She can be a competent spell caster if you build her right. What do you look for in a companion/party member?

[Toobz]

Mostly I'm hoping to find another party composition that is reasonably function and does not include the people I described above.  I feel  stuck with, for example, Xoti as a healer...

[MountainTiger]

For healing: Pallegina in any of her class combinations can combine passive AOE healing with single target burst healing. She's also pretty tanky in all those combinations, so she's viable as a tank/healer hybrid.

[Parasol_Syndicate]

If you have access to beast of winter, and don't mind lowering the difficulty, you could maybe get away with using Vatnir as your major healer for the latter half of the game.

You could even build him as a chanter/priest, and free up the healer and chanter spots. 

 

With a solid front line (in most cases, that means a melee PC) you can get away with using Maia in place of Aloth. 

[Crucis]

For healing: Pallegina in any of her class combinations can combine passive AOE healing with single target burst healing. She's also pretty tanky in all those combinations, so she's viable as a tank/healer hybrid.

 

Just something to think about, some companions are not tied to the factions but others are.  And the ones that are tied to the factions may leave you if you decide to pick the opposing faction, unless perhaps you go through some contortions to avoid it.  To be honest, this is why I don't like depending on a party full of "faction-tied" companions for the long term, unless you know which faction you intend to side with.  For example, if you intend to side with the RTC, then depending on Maia long term should be just fine, but Pallegina will probably leave once you do make your decision to side with the RTC.  

 

Oh, also remember that the sidekicks are also not tied to factions, so they're quite useful in that regard.  With my current party, I'm using Ydwin as a pure cipher instead of using Aloth or Fassina, and I rarely regret having her in the party.

[Verde]

If you dual Tekehu make sure someone has 15 Arcana for Greater Maelstrom (maybe Aloth?). At least on Veteran it seems to be the best nuke.

 

A thought bout Xoti Priest - her high level spells blow so I'd think about multi classing or going Monk.

Edited February 20, 2019 by Verde

[thelee]

If you dual Tekehu make sure someone has 15 Arcana for Greater Maelstrom (maybe Aloth?). At least on Veteran it seems to be the best nuke.

 

A thought bout Xoti Priest - her high level spells blow so I'd think about multi classing or going Monk.

high level priest spells are amazing. xoti doesn't get a great AL9 spell, but other AL9 spells are powerful, and her free Symbol of Eothas at AL8 is fantastic.

 

I actually think monk/priest xoti is the worst xoti you can do.

[AeonsLegend]

I never use Xoti anymore. You can use Pallegina with her AoE heal and build her tank with fighter/paladin and give her another AoE heal shield called Lethandria's Devotion. Add Ydwin for damage and another heal with Pain Block. If you don't want to add another rogue you can have Ydwin be Cipher/Rogue.

 

Pallegina doesn't work well RP wise with many people and most notably with Tekehu and Maia.

 

Now if you're really wanting to have full party members you could go with Serafen as a secondary Cipher. Pretty useful. I think Maia or Pallegina will leave if you choose the opposing faction so pick one or the other.

 

Mirke is a good pick for frontline dps. Konstanten is pretty good as a chanter for even more healing and alround spellcasting. If you still really want a priest you have only Vatnir from the beast of winter dlc. I myself really like Fassina as a spellcaster and usually dual her with druid for AoE raw damage abilities. She's a conjurer so she cannot cast evocation spells. Her damage spells come from the druid class strangely enough.

 

So:

Pallegina (frontline tank) fighter/paladin. Unkillable.

Ydwin as cipher/rogue. Basically a support/dps character

Konstanten for more healing/support

Fassina for wizard/druid ranged spellcaster

 

Now you can exchange Fassina or Konstanten with Mirke if you decide to go ranged. I always feel it is a good idea to have two frontliners so you can protect your backline better in open areas. But that's up to you.

Edited February 21, 2019 by AeonsLegend

[thelee]

If you still really want a priest you have only Vatnir from the beast of winter dlc.

 

Vatnir is great. It's too bad he's gated beyond a mid-high level DLC and a tough dragon fight.

[Verde]

Yeah I love Palle in combat but I always ditch her for RP purposes (and then create a Goldpact).

[Triple - A Foxy Lad]

Ye, once vatnir joined my party, he never left. I was a big fan of that little chancer. I admired the way he played a godawful hand, survived in the face of everything and proved himself talented enough to face down the worst of eora. for me, he was the underdog and reluctant hero the setting needed. not a charming rogue, just a rogue like the rest of us.

 

also, i like his stat spread and class choices. i havent really given zealot a chance but celebrant and priest of rymrgand felt pretty good.

[Essyllt]

This feels like a post about me, haha. Though in my first run of Deadfire, I tended to swap party members around a lot while doing quests and things just to get time with everyone. But I would be lying if I said my main party wasn't comprised of exactly as TS's above. 

 

I do think making use of the sidekicks could help; Fassina is a decent replacement for Aloth, though she does require the DLC to grab her into the fold. An alternative to having Xoti as a perma-healer is also to just.. play a healer yourself, I suppose. Part of why I picked up Chanter in my second playthrough of PoE1 was so I wouldn't always need to bring Kana with me. Not because I dislike him, by any means - but until I got Hiravius, it was always a toss-up between throwing him or Pallegina into the keep to deal with missions.

 

As someone mentioned above, Ydwin is also really great as a cipher/rogue - she's great for support dps, plus has an enjoyable personality to her. Pallegina is also very good as a healer sometimes, though as with any companion, her personality may not be as suitable for RP purposes.