Solo, Does this game support such a thing this time?

[DiabloStorm]

This is how I started POE1 (blind), it was challenging, but doable. But with this game, everything seems spread way too thin.
You need perception AND mechanics in this game to do what mechanics did in the first, there are way too many skills and too few skill points, seriously, why isn't stealth and sleight of hand combined, arcana (lore? why the rename?) and alchemy, mechanics and explosives?
Also... 9 passive skills? Nobody thought it would be a good idea to combine some of these to eliminate how excessive this is? Oh, wait, there were actually going to be MORE judging by the unused icons for skills I've seen. This is ridiculous.
Is there even a solo achievement anymore or because this is an "atypical" way of playing was it just decided "screw those players"?

I felt POE1 had a good thing going for it, so I really don't understand the massive core mechanic changes to the game. I started as wizard again, turns out I can't cast anything more than twice under normal circumstances and spells that were once instant cast now have ridiculous casting times, restart, sacrifice res and some con to cap out dex this time, might/int but now I can't find any hidden objects. Guess I'm SOL there. I like the idea of pickpocketing, but I have absolutely no room to utilize it, especially when it's dependent on stealth !!!!! Oh, and why were the character backgrounds changed, specifically, what was wrong with attempting to keep the bonuses in line with what they were in POE1? I was drifter previously for stealth/mechanics, now it turns out it has zero mechanics so I was forced into hunter in order to obtain that. Doesn't this break some kind of fundamental lore rule or is that of no importance to Obsidian, to just not have anything established with the game systems...

And speaking of lore, THREE minutes into the game I'm reading the In-Between description and how it's telling me gods cannot reach that location. You mean the location I was currently in where i'm face to face with the GOD Berath? What even is that? An oversight? Is it explained later or is this a precursor to the game's inability to stay in line with lore and have an established system in place? I don't understand the indecisiveness with Obsidian this time. Maybe they were trying to improve things they felt needed improved, but don't fix what isn't broken. Please.

Seriously though, is there a POTD solo achievement or not?

Edit: Considering forcing myself to restart a third time and pick aumaua just to be able to wear helmets (I'm death godlike as i was in POE1...) just to make up for the distinct lack of attributes...

Normally I wouldn't have purchased this game this early (yes early) because I know Obsidian does a lot of bug squashing and even further mechanic changes (which to me are annoying to deal with in the middle of a playthrough) but I sincerely hope, probably in vain, that they revisit some of what I've mentioned.

Edited February 22, 2019 by DiabloStorm

[DiabloStorm]

Also, why is level scaling scaling up enemies when I'm level 1 with multiple levels pending? I deliberately hold off on leveling in a blind playthrough so I can attempt to figure out what I might need to put into to progress, but it's prematurely scaling up enemies. I wanted the challenge but I can only deal with so many enemies capable of one shotting me. Guess I'm forced to turn that off, it's scaling up while I'm still level 1. It shouldn't be doing that.

[Boeroer]

It's not harder than in PoE - except for the starting island if you want to solve everything with fighting.

Using Perception for discovering secrets and traps and mechanics for disarming traps and picking locks makes a lot more sense. If you feel you need to spread thin you can always juggle around resting bonuses from food with stat bonuses - which was not possible in PoE (I mean without finite duration).

You were in the Beyond, not the In-Between. The In-Between is between the Here and the Beyond. Somehow makes sense...

I guess scaling is based on your XP, not if you actually did hit the level-up icon. Since you can retrain like everywhere for a few bucks - why would you want to hold off on leveling?

This game is made for a party. It is possible to play it solo and there are some achievements, but it's not its main focus. So if you start with a blind solo with you will find situations where the game doesn't cater your wishes.
Is that really a problem that Obsidian should have to fix?

Edited February 22, 2019 by Boeroer

[asnjas]

Consolidating passives for solo play screws over party players. It isnt ridiculous: it is more fun.

 

This aint a solo game. The main idea is for each of your party members to pick a skill to be good at. Individual specialists coming together to overcome challenges as a group is kind of the basis of these types of role playing games.

 

So yea one guy unable to do everything is by design. You Use 5 chars to fill out needed roles in the group so that explains why your one man comes up short.

 

Seriously this sounds like it isnt the game youre looking for.

[baldurs_gate_2]

I never played in a group and could do everything, except one fight where you get turned into a ironclad and missing your talents etc. But you don't have to do that anyway, so who cares.

 

But there is no solo achievement at the moment, maybe in the future.

[DiabloStorm]

It's not harder than in PoE - except for the starting island if you want to solve everything with fighting.

 

Using Perception for discovering secrets and traps and mechanics for disarming traps and picking locks makes a lot more sense. If you feel you need to spread thin you can always juggle around resting bonuses from food with stat bonuses - which was not possible in PoE (I mean without finite duration).

 

You were in the Beyond, not the In-Between. The In-Between is between the Here and the Beyond. Somehow makes sense...

 

I guess scaling is based on your XP, not if you actually did hit the level-up icon. Since you can retrain like everywhere for a few bucks - why would you want to hold off on leveling?

 

This game is made for a party. It is possible to play it solo and there are some achievements, but it's not its main focus. So if you start with a blind solo with you will find situations where the game doesn't cater your wishes.

Is that really a problem that Obsidian should have to fix?

 

 I do tend to make things hard on myself, in POE 1 when I completed POTD solo I killed everything I could that posed a challenge, I didn't take the quickest route to the credits screen.

 

It might make sense that way, but things still could be condensed for a bit more simplicity...I just dont understand why things needed changed from the last game? I figure I'd have to adapt if I'm going to play this way again, but still...

 

I guess I stand corrected with the in-between thing. Had to reread the dialogue, was kinda unclear.

 

I hold off on leveling because it's a tactic I learned from the first game. I also hold off on buying/selling anything until I know that I need to. This play-style doesn't afford you to do unnecessary actions.

I fully understand that I'm playing the game in a way that most people wont play it but this is the way that interests me most and the idea of doing it the "normal" way is a concept that bores me because it's too easy. I don't get the same sense of accomplishment. I like to outsmart the game design, AI, and find clever ways to proceed. I just wasn't sure if Obsidian was supporting my way of playing this time. If there is no achievement like there was for the first game, it certainly would seem like they've shifted away from my play-style... I just didn't feel it was unreasonable to expect to be catered to this time when I was catered to last time. I streamed my entire playthrough and killed everything in POE1 and just wanted to do the same here in the sequel. Doesn't sound like an unreasonable expectation to have.

 

 

Consolidating passives for solo play screws over party players. It isnt ridiculous: it is more fun.

 

This aint a solo game. The main idea is for each of your party members to pick a skill to be good at. Individual specialists coming together to overcome challenges as a group is kind of the basis of these types of role playing games.

 

So yea one guy unable to do everything is by design. You Use 5 chars to fill out needed roles in the group so that explains why your one man comes up short.

 

Seriously this sounds like it isnt the game youre looking for.

First game managed to make things work for both play-styles, what's fun or isn't fun is opinion.

 

Last game supported both, evidenced by the achievements offered, so, not unreasonable to expect the same thing again this time around.

 

Seriously, I streamed and played POTD solo in POE1, for all intents and purposes, this IS the game I'm looking for. At least it SHOULD be, with it being a SEQUEL and all. So, yeah, it would be ridiculous to not expect both play-styles to work in this game when it did in the last.

 

I never played in a group and could do everything, except one fight where you get turned into a ironclad and missing your talents etc. But you don't have to do that anyway, so who cares.

 

But there is no solo achievement at the moment, maybe in the future.

What difficulty are you on?

[Katarack21]

Edited because I misread your post and my response was completely moot.

Edited February 23, 2019 by Katarack21

[baldurs_gate_2]

 

It's not harder than in PoE - except for the starting island if you want to solve everything with fighting.

 

Using Perception for discovering secrets and traps and mechanics for disarming traps and picking locks makes a lot more sense. If you feel you need to spread thin you can always juggle around resting bonuses from food with stat bonuses - which was not possible in PoE (I mean without finite duration).

 

You were in the Beyond, not the In-Between. The In-Between is between the Here and the Beyond. Somehow makes sense...

 

I guess scaling is based on your XP, not if you actually did hit the level-up icon. Since you can retrain like everywhere for a few bucks - why would you want to hold off on leveling?

 

This game is made for a party. It is possible to play it solo and there are some achievements, but it's not its main focus. So if you start with a blind solo with you will find situations where the game doesn't cater your wishes.

Is that really a problem that Obsidian should have to fix?

 

 I do tend to make things hard on myself, in POE 1 when I completed POTD solo I killed everything I could that posed a challenge, I didn't take the quickest route to the credits screen.

 

It might make sense that way, but things still could be condensed for a bit more simplicity...I just dont understand why things needed changed from the last game? I figure I'd have to adapt if I'm going to play this way again, but still...

 

I guess I stand corrected with the in-between thing. Had to reread the dialogue, was kinda unclear.

 

I hold off on leveling because it's a tactic I learned from the first game. I also hold off on buying/selling anything until I know that I need to. This play-style doesn't afford you to do unnecessary actions.

I fully understand that I'm playing the game in a way that most people wont play it but this is the way that interests me most and the idea of doing it the "normal" way is a concept that bores me because it's too easy. I don't get the same sense of accomplishment. I like to outsmart the game design, AI, and find clever ways to proceed. I just wasn't sure if Obsidian was supporting my way of playing this time. If there is no achievement like there was for the first game, it certainly would seem like they've shifted away from my play-style... I just didn't feel it was unreasonable to expect to be catered to this time when I was catered to last time. I streamed my entire playthrough and killed everything in POE1 and just wanted to do the same here in the sequel. Doesn't sound like an unreasonable expectation to have.

 

 

Consolidating passives for solo play screws over party players. It isnt ridiculous: it is more fun.

 

This aint a solo game. The main idea is for each of your party members to pick a skill to be good at. Individual specialists coming together to overcome challenges as a group is kind of the basis of these types of role playing games.

 

So yea one guy unable to do everything is by design. You Use 5 chars to fill out needed roles in the group so that explains why your one man comes up short.

 

Seriously this sounds like it isnt the game youre looking for.

First game managed to make things work for both play-styles, what's fun or isn't fun is opinion.

 

Last game supported both, evidenced by the achievements offered, so, not unreasonable to expect the same thing again this time around.

 

Seriously, I streamed and played POTD solo in POE1, for all intents and purposes, this IS the game I'm looking for. At least it SHOULD be, with it being a SEQUEL and all. So, yeah, it would be ridiculous to not expect both play-styles to work in this game when it did in the last.

 

I never played in a group and could do everything, except one fight where you get turned into a ironclad and missing your talents etc. But you don't have to do that anyway, so who cares.

 

But there is no solo achievement at the moment, maybe in the future.

What difficulty are you on?

 

Potd upscaled

[giftmefood]

This is how I started POE1 (blind), it was challenging, but doable. But with this game, everything seems spread way too thin.

You need perception AND mechanics in this game to do what mechanics did in the first, there are way too many skills and too few skill points, seriously, why isn't stealth and sleight of hand combined, arcana (lore? why the rename?) and alchemy, mechanics and explosives?

Also... 9 passive skills? Nobody thought it would be a good idea to combine some of these to eliminate how excessive this is? Oh, wait, there were actually going to be MORE judging by the unused icons for skills I've seen. This is ridiculous.

Is there even a solo achievement anymore or because this is an "atypical" way of playing was it just decided "screw those players"?

 

I felt POE1 had a good thing going for it, so I really don't understand the massive core mechanic changes to the game. I started as wizard again, turns out I can't cast anything more than twice under normal circumstances and spells that were once instant cast now have ridiculous casting times, restart, sacrifice res and some con to cap out dex this time, might/int but now I can't find any hidden objects. Guess I'm SOL there. I like the idea of pickpocketing, but I have absolutely no room to utilize it, especially when it's dependent on stealth !!!!! Oh, and why were the character backgrounds changed, specifically, what was wrong with attempting to keep the bonuses in line with what they were in POE1? I was drifter previously for stealth/mechanics, now it turns out it has zero mechanics so I was forced into hunter in order to obtain that. Doesn't this break some kind of fundamental lore rule or is that of no importance to Obsidian, to just not have anything established with the game systems...

 

And speaking of lore, THREE minutes into the game I'm reading the In-Between description and how it's telling me gods cannot reach that location. You mean the location I was currently in where i'm face to face with the GOD Berath? What even is that? An oversight? Is it explained later or is this a precursor to the game's inability to stay in line with lore and have an established system in place? I don't understand the indecisiveness with Obsidian this time. Maybe they were trying to improve things they felt needed improved, but don't fix what isn't broken. Please.

 

Seriously though, is there a POTD solo achievement or not?

 

Edit: Considering forcing myself to restart a third time and pick aumaua just to be able to wear helmets (I'm death godlike as i was in POE1...) just to make up for the distinct lack of attributes...

 

Normally I wouldn't have purchased this game this early (yes early) because I know Obsidian does a lot of bug squashing and even further mechanic changes (which to me are annoying to deal with in the middle of a playthrough) but I sincerely hope, probably in vain, that they revisit some of what I've mentioned.

 

Potd upscaled can definitely be soloed by quite a few class combinations. You just need more knowledge and experience. 

[Boeroer]

It can be soloed by any class. Question is how much effort you want to put in.

 

Who remembers Noober?

[Kilburn]

dont try to board any ships if youre solo. youll be swarmed by 10-20 enemies lol. 

 

on POTD the combat will be generally impossible if youre solo IMO but i guess you will be trying to avoid most of it. 

Edited February 24, 2019 by Kilburn

[TheisEjsing]

It can be soloed by any class. Question is how much effort you want to put in.

 

Who remembers Noober?

Are you gonna throw rocks at me?

[Boeroer]

dont try to board any ships if youre solo. youll be swarmed by 10-20 enemies lol. 

 

on POTD the combat will be generally impossible if youre solo IMO but i guess you will be trying to avoid most of it. 

You should generally avoid boarding fights because they make no sense - unless you like fights with no special outcome (items or achievements for example) - just for the sake of fighting.

 

Of course on PotD solo combat is not impossible and one don't have to avoid any fight. Plenty of people here did and do solo megabosses.

If one can solo megabosses one can solo anything in the game. 

 

Doesn't necessarily mean that you can do it of course.    

[xzar_monty]

 

dont try to board any ships if youre solo. youll be swarmed by 10-20 enemies lol. 

 

on POTD the combat will be generally impossible if youre solo IMO but i guess you will be trying to avoid most of it. 

You should generally avoid boarding fights because they make no sense - unless you like fights with no special outcome (items or achievements for example) - just for the sake of fighting.

 

Why do you say they make no sense? I'm not questioning you, I am simply curious to know where you're coming from, i.e. I'd like to understand your thinking. Is there a difference, for instance, between a boarding fight and let's say a fight against five skeletons in the undercity?

 

As for achievements: if they could be permanently disabled (who knows, maybe they can), I would do that straight away. Of the recent developments in computer gaming, achievements are the most superfluous: they add nothing to the game, they only serve as a (fortunately minor) distraction, in the sense that every once in a while I receive a message concerning an achievement I honestly couldn't care less about.

[Boeroer]

It makes no sense* because it's always easier to sink a ship than to do a solo boarding fight. The loot is the same (except for some crap items the extra fighting crew carries).

 

Ship fights do not take into account your char level. It is very easy to sink way overleveled crews, get the naval experience, the char xp, eventually bounty xp and the loot without too much resources. Boarding on the other hand will cost you ship resources (because your ship suffers if you close to board) and a ship fight can take forever - especially solo.

 

)* It makes no sense to choose the boarding option unless you like fighting long battles withoput special outcome. Or if you like that better than naval combat. But then I'd say you just don't know yet how to do naval combat. Not that it's superawesome, but if you know what you're doing you can sink most ships very quickly.

 

Just with your poopy sloop mind you.

 

For the top dogs like Deck of Many Things you only need a few upgrades. 

 

I don't care for achievements at all. But others might. No idea - but I guess there's a reason why they are there. They don't hurt me. And if other enjoy them - why not? 

Edited February 24, 2019 by Boeroer

[xzar_monty]

Ah, right -- you were talking about solo boarding fights in particular. Thanks for that, and you're probably quite right, although I have never tried soloing anything.

[Boeroer]

Not even when playing Skat?

[baldurs_gate_2]

It makes no sense* because it's always easier to sink a ship than to do a solo boarding fight. The loot is the same (except for some crap items the extra fighting crew carries).

 

Ship fights do not take into account your char level. It is very easy to sink way overleveled crews, get the naval experience, the char xp, eventually bounty xp and the loot without too much resources. Boarding on the other hand will cost you ship resources (because your ship suffers if you close to board) and a ship fight can take forever - especially solo.

 

)* It makes no sense to choose the boarding option unless you like fighting long battles withoput special outcome. Or if you like that better than naval combat. But then I'd say you just don't know yet how to do naval combat. Not that it's superawesome, but if you know what you're doing you can sink most ships very quickly.

 

Just with your poopy sloop mind you.

 

For the top dogs like Deck of Many Things you only need a few upgrades. 

 

I don't care for achievements at all. But others might. No idea - but I guess there's a reason why they are there. They don't hurt me. And if other enjoy them - why not? 

Depends on the Level. I feel not the need to board a ship b4 level 20. With WotW every of these fights is easy, exluding thaenic, that can be pretty hard.

[Boeroer]

You still have to reach the ship which will cost more resources than just sinking it. Even if you could one-shot the entire enemy crew there's no advantage.

 

But going after high level bounty ships while still at lvl 5 or so offers great advantages. Not only the XP is great, also the high quality items you get so early make your playthrough a lot easier (be it from selling or using).

Edited February 24, 2019 by Boeroer

[Kilburn]

 

dont try to board any ships if youre solo. youll be swarmed by 10-20 enemies lol. 

 

on POTD the combat will be generally impossible if youre solo IMO but i guess you will be trying to avoid most of it. 

You should generally avoid boarding fights because they make no sense - unless you like fights with no special outcome (items or achievements for example) - just for the sake of fighting.

 

Of course on PotD solo combat is not impossible and one don't have to avoid any fight. Plenty of people here did and do solo megabosses.

If one can solo megabosses one can solo anything in the game. 

 

Doesn't necessarily mean that you can do it of course.    

 

 

 

Could be possible if you way out level the boarding fight you're doing or figure out some cheese tactic of breaking the game. 

 

If you can show us a video or screenshots of you soloing the Vailian trading company expert captain on POTD at level 6 or lower I would love to see it though. :D 

 

What do  you have against boarding fights? It's a quick and easy way to upgrade to exceptional gear and make a crapload of money.

[Boeroer]

What do you mean? How I sink the ship of an Vailian Expert Captain at lvl 6? The difficulty or solo doesn't matter - ship fights don't get influenced by difficulty and also don't care if you are solo.

 

It's so easy that I will not bother posting anything about it. If you can't do it than you simply don't know how naval combat works. Sinking al ships around Neketaka is the frist thing I will do in most playthroughs. As I already wrote several times your level doesn't matter in naval combat. Only your ranks as captain/crew and your ship statistics matter. 

 

You get the same gear when sinking a ship. You don't have to board the ship in order to get the exceptional or whatever gear. I thought I made that clear.

 

Why on earth would I want to fight a Vailian Expert Captain in a boarding fight at lvl 6? The goal is to finish the game at the highest difficulty. It's easier if you are smart. Of course if you want to do unneccessary stupid things just for the fun of it then all power to you. But then you can't complain about the difficulty setting being to harsh.

 

That would be as if you're trying to learn ice skating and complain after your first day that ice sakting is impossible because you still can't do axel jumps - while your instructor just tried to show you to skate in a straight line. 

 

The whole point is that you don't have to fight impossible fights. You can always level otherwise and come back when you're good enough. And I repeat: if you can solo the megabosses you can solo everything.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Boeroer

[Kilburn]

What do you mean? How I sink the ship of an Vailian Expert Captain at lvl 6? The difficulty or solo doesn't matter - ship fights don't get influenced by difficulty and also don't care if you are solo.

 

It's so easy that I will not bother posting anything about it. If you can't do it than you simply don't know how naval combat works. Sinking al ships around Neketaka is the frist thing I will do in most playthroughs. As I already wrote several times your level doesn't matter in naval combat. Only your ranks as captain/crew and your ship statistics matter. 

 

You get the same gear when sinking a ship. You don't have to board the ship in order to get the exceptional or whatever gear. I thought I made that clear.

 

Why on earth would I want to fight a Vailian Expert Captain in a boarding fight at lvl 6? The goal is to finish the game at the highest difficulty. It's easier if you are smart. Of course if you want to do unneccessary stupid things just for the fun of it then all power to you. But then you can't complain about the difficulty setting being to harsh.

 

That would be as if you're trying to learn ice skating and complain after your first day that ice sakting is impossible because you still can't do axel jumps - while your instructor just tried to show you to skate in a straight line. 

 

The whole point is that you don't have to fight impossible fights. You can always level otherwise and come back when you're good enough. And I repeat: if you can solo the megabosses you can solo everything.

 

 

I meant a boarding fight obviously. 

 

actually im pretty sure you dont get the same gear. you get less of all the exceptional weapons and armor if you just sink the ship. 

Edited February 24, 2019 by Kilburn

[Boeroer]

As I said: you don't get the gear of the additional fighting crew if you sink the ship which is some generic weapons and armor.

 

But even if you only would get 20% of the loot (which is not the case) you could still sink ships with exceptional and superb gear at very low char levels. You can't do that when boarding. Thus, sinking ships is way more useful in general. You can get high quality loot, lots of char XP and additonal naval experience at very low levels where it matters most. This is way more useful than getting a bit more exceptional gear at higher levels because you board.

 

You can still do that if you feel you need more exceptional gear. Since ships respawn endlessly you loose nothing if you sink enemy ships instead of boarding them at very low levels. You only gain items and XP faster and easier.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Boeroer

[Gromnir]

As I said: you don't get the gear of the additional fighting crew if you sink the ship which is some generic weapons and armor.

 

But even if you only would get 20% of the loot (which is not the case) you could still sink ships with exceptional and superb gear at very low char levels. You can't do that when boarding. Thus, sinking ships is way more useful in general. You can get high quality loot, lots of char XP and additonal naval experience at very low levels where it matters most. This is way more useful than getting a bit more exceptional gear at higher levels because you board.

 

You can still do that if you feel you need more exceptional gear. Since ships respawn endlessly you loose nothing if you sink enemy ships instead of boarding them at very low levels. You only gain items and XP faster and easier.

 

am kinda baffled by the player element which insists boarding actions is better from a pure practical pov.  being able to depopulate deadfire waters o' named ship captains immediate after leaving port maje, and recognizing how the difficulty slider affects ship combat sans boarding actions not in the least, makes ship combat potential exploitive.  nevertheless, there is a tenacious element which clings to ship boarding superiority which defies any efforts at reason or common sense.

 

argue ship boarding combat is more fun?  would not even attempt to gainsay.  but subjective fun isn't the issue for most folks.

 

is one o' those boardie splits o' opinion which leaves us perplexed.

 

HA! Good Fun!

Edited February 24, 2019 by Gromnir

[Kilburn]

ya i dont really enjoy the rng fest ship battle mini game personally but if youre going triple crown i agree that you dont really have a choice.