[CLASS BUILD] The Automated Evergreen Juggernaut a.k.a. Unbroken Fist - Solo Upscaled PotD with BPM

[Boeroer]

I found that high(ish) INT compared to low(ish) INT doesn't make a huge difference as soon as you have stacked enough hostile effect duration reduction. All you need is a short enough duration so that the curse wears off during your recovery imo. If in fat armor the wiggle room is rel. high. Not that I would go for 35 INT or so.

 

[dgray62]

Wow, this has been a very informative thread. I can see the benefits of going with brawler. One of the nice things about the votary is that with the renewable courageous inspiration you could keep the RES at 30, and boost other stats (DEX and INT) a bit. The 10% fire lash from eternal flames is nice too, since it also boosts the FF attack. Does weapon spec. & mastery work with the FF attack if you have CP? I assume it doesn't since it only works with proficient weapon attacks, but perhaps I'm wrong about this. Also, the SG votary gets the soul power +1 PL that stacks with everything if you sided with Woedica in POE 1, which makes up somewhat for tactical barrage.

[Not So Clever Hound]

25 minutes ago, dgray62 said:

Does weapon spec. & mastery work with the FF attack if you have CP? I assume it doesn't since it only works with proficient weapon attacks, but perhaps I'm wrong about this

Thanks for bringing this up @dgray62 I stand corrected. Weapon spec/mastery doesn't apply to FF attack indeed, but what is crazy is that it also doesn't apply to Heartbeat Drumming attacks for example which use your normal weapon attack. Pretty sh*tty but hey, silver lining is that I now have two more ability points to invest somewhere else . And Monk abilities have more than enough scaling anyway... But good catch, I didn't know that.  

28 minutes ago, dgray62 said:

Also, the SG votary gets the soul power +1 PL that stacks with everything if you sided with Woedica in POE 1, which makes up somewhat for tactical barrage.

Is that really a thing you verified in game? I thought it was only for NPCs based on wiki description... if so I will have learned two things today!

[dgray62]

Thanks, I suspected this was the case but wasn't sure. As for soul power, you're right, it wasn't implemented. I forgot that I downloaded a mod that implements this for main characters too. Also, regarding food, I wonder if Hylea's Bounty might be ideal for martial multi classes like this? The extra defense, skill points and health would all be great, and this doesn't seem like a build that requires empowering attacks.

Edited May 4, 2022 by dgray62
Additional info.

[Not So Clever Hound]

8 hours ago, dgray62 said:

As for soul power, you're right, it wasn't implemented. I forgot that I downloaded a mod that implements this for main characters too.

Ah ok that makes sense  

8 hours ago, dgray62 said:

I wonder if Hylea's Bounty might be ideal for martial multi classes like this? The extra defense, skill points and health would all be great, and this doesn't seem like a build that requires empowering attacks.

It would be great for Votary I believe, but the +10 All Defenses doesn't stack with the Fighter's Refreshing Defenses unfortunately (just as it doesn't stack with e.g. Llengrath Safeguard).

[dgray62]

Likewise, the +2 all skills doesn't stack with Luminous Adra Potion. Not worth it even for votary unfortunately.

[Not So Clever Hound]

4 minutes ago, dgray62 said:

Likewise, the +2 all skills doesn't stack with Luminous Adra Potion.

Actually, the skills bonuses stack if you save/reload, at least in my game. But the +All Defenses don't for some reason.

[dgray62]

I just tried it but they didn't stack even when I saved and reloaded. Weird. What do you think about playing a FF/blood mage solo upscaled? I am thinking that this might be a bit more dynamic and fun than a votary, which gets a bit boring after while unless you automate it and sit back with a beer, as you did with your brawler run.

[Not So Clever Hound]

10 minutes ago, dgray62 said:

I just tried it but they didn't stack even when I saved and reloaded. Weird. What do you think about playing a FF/blood mage solo upscaled? I am thinking that this might be a bit more dynamic and fun than a votary, which gets a bit boring after while unless you automate it and sit back with a beer, as you did with your brawler run.

I think that sounds fun. The Sage archetype is often about using Helwalker bonuses to enhance spellcasting and/or Stunning Surge/ Raised Torment with Spirit Lance. FF/BM sounds fun and you can greatly benefit from a high RES build.

You can petrify/stun/enfeeble/terrify/blind the same target - that's something! ...Well that actually sounds like my mother in law.   

[dgray62]

Yes, it would be something. Maybe it would be worth giving up on nature godlike to be able to wear headgear. This toon would benefit greatly from Whitewitch mask early on and Helm of the White Void late game.

[Raven Darkholme]

On 5/2/2022 at 8:18 PM, Not So Clever Hound said:

The build details are below, and here are 2 videos to give a bit of flavor. 1) The Menzzago encounter in Splintered Reef and 2) the first encounter with Infested Librarians in Forgotten Sanctum. They're not the hardest fights in the game but they're good enough and you can see how the build carries itself all by itself when Menzzagouille la Fripouille and all his friends/tentacles go to town with Missile Salvos etc. to no avail. And when those pesky Lvl 22 Monks with Tier 3 Inspirations try something similar, without success.

 

 

This build is super impressive, but does it actually work without BPM?

I remember BPM buffing FF ability, but maybe I'm just a confused old man. (I mean I am anyway)

[Elric Galad]

5 minutes ago, Raven Darkholme said:

This build is super impressive, but does it actually work without BPM?

I remember BPM buffing FF ability, but maybe I'm just a confused old man. (I mean I am anyway)

CP tweaked a bt Forbidden Fist ability (especially to make it work with Cipher)

BPM didn't change it. BPM only buffed Forbidden Pie 

[Raven Darkholme]

3 hours ago, Elric Galad said:

CP tweaked a bt Forbidden Fist ability (especially to make it work with Cipher)

BPM didn't change it. BPM only buffed Forbidden Pie 

Confused old man it is then, thanks for clarifying!

[Not So Clever Hound]

10 hours ago, Raven Darkholme said:

Confused old man it is then, thanks for clarifying!

Thanks Victor! The build is made slightly better on the healing side by BPM because Nature Godlike get Evergreen Vigor passive (+15% healing received at >50% health) and because of Eric's rework of Constant Recovery which now ticks every 6s but doesn't have a finite duration. Given health is never an issue I think it would be as good on vanilla/CP. You would actually gain back the uber powerful vanilla Unbending if needed, which is still very strong on BPM but not as broken.

[yorname]

I hope I read this post and comments more carefully, because I rolled a Devoted/FF without realizing I gave up 1AR for basically nothing, and I'm already halfway.  Now I wonder why the fixed FF work with Haymaker and everything else, but not devoted bonus specifically.

[Not So Clever Hound]

3 minutes ago, yorname said:

I hope I read this post and comments more carefully, because I rolled a Devoted/FF without realizing I gave up 1AR for basically nothing, and I'm already halfway.  Now I wonder why the fixed FF work with Haymaker and everything else, but not devoted bonus specifically.

Hey,

You mean +2 PEN from Devoted doesn't stack on the Forbidden Fist attack? Is it just not showing or being suppressed (which shouldn't be the case since the Devoted bonus is passive)? That really sucks, also for the +% Crit DMG. I wasn't aware of that - or knew and forgot... Well if you're not looking to complete any achievement, you can simply console your Devoted into Unbroken and nobody will be any the wiser.

[yorname]

3 minutes ago, Not So Clever Hound said:

Hey,

You mean +2 PEN from Devoted doesn't stack on the Forbidden Fist attack? Is it just not showing or being suppressed (which shouldn't be the case since the Devoted bonus is passive)? That really sucks, also for the +% Crit DMG. I wasn't aware of that - or knew and forgot... Well if you're not looking to complete any achievement, you can simply console your Devoted into Unbroken and nobody will be any the wiser.

Yep, intentional or not it's just not there (checked combat log), must be something about FF being a similar but not exactly fist attack.

I'm both mildly frustrated and amused because it performed so well and autopiloted through contents I previously struggled even though I picked human without healing and PL bonus. BPM fighter changes are pretty insane.

Thanks for the advice, I'm not familiar with console but will give it a try.

[Not So Clever Hound]

9 minutes ago, yorname said:

I'm both mildly frustrated and amused because it performed so well and autopiloted through contents I previously struggled even though I picked human without healing and PL bonus. BPM fighter changes are pretty insane.

Yeah, TBH it's not putting any dent in your potential for automated annihilation  and yes the constant recovery being constant is nice especially because it's a positive asymmetry for you: enemy fighters will get enfeebled (no healing) and you cannot be CON afflicted basically (35 RES + Solitary Wanderer and 190+ fortitude =  the very few CON affliction that land don't last more than 2 sec).

9 minutes ago, yorname said:

Thanks for the advice, I'm not familiar with console but will give it a try.

Check the wiki, all commands are listed it's quick to get a handle on.

https://pillarsofeternity.fandom.com/wiki/Console#In_Deadfire

Edited June 1, 2022 by Not So Clever Hound

[Shai Hulud]

This build doesn't work with Abydon's challenge on unfortunately. I just tried it vs Huani O Whe and it appeared pretty invulnerable for a while, steadily chipping down the ooze's health (though with his 16 AR I had to turn on haymaker). My FF cycles were super low at like 2.2s, lower with Crucible of Agony. Tried maxing dex and dropping CON a bit, helped a bit but the problem is if you use shields it doesn't really matter if he underpens or grazes you, every hit is a damage tick and after I got HOW down to about 50% health my shield broke, then I started taking more damage and by this point my armor was damaged, my toon kept grinding it out for a few more minutes before her armor broke and then she was quickly slaughtered. 

Didn't even have vela with me... 

I guess with abydon's challenge on you just can't have these grindy kinds of fights unless your deflection is so high you're outright missed most of the time. 

Still messing around with builds for BPM with magran's fires challenges. No success except with imprinting blood mage, who can avoid these issues by being invisible...

Could also just do damage so fast your armor can't break down but HOW has really high deflection and really really high AR except vs elemental attacks, so again kinda just leaves casters. A blood mage / cipher could probably do it, maybe even a plain cipher at least for this particular encounter, stacking accuracy and casting soul ignition over and over. Or you can stay off screen and let summons attack. Exploding phantoms could easily handle this if they had more penetration on explosion effects. Could maybe handle this encounter even with bad penetration since HOW is weak to fire and lightning. But then there's stopping the merges...hmm tricky tricky.

[Not So Clever Hound]

Yes I can totally see that with Abydon’s challenge, that build doesn’t work. Against HoW once it splits, scrolls of tornado, especially with BPM, are really good with high arcana. I think it was Kaylon who had come up with that strategy. 

[Shai Hulud]

8 hours ago, Not So Clever Hound said:

Yes I can totally see that with Abydon’s challenge, that build doesn’t work. Against HoW once it splits, scrolls of tornado, especially with BPM, are really good with high arcana. I think it was Kaylon who had come up with that strategy. 

Problem with scrolls for all-trials is mostly if you have Vela with you you need a lot of slots for withdraw scrolls. But that's a good idea in general since none of the ingredients for tornado are hard to get.