Planning a new POE1/POE2 playthrough and looking for advice on last party member being druid or wizard

[AnRPGer]

Hard mode RTWP (both games, maybe upgrade to POTD on Deadfire since I recall it being ridiculously easy when it first released, though supposedly the patched it to be harder).

Basically want to create 3 chars in POE1, being Monk (main char), Chanter, and the third one being either a Wizard or a Druid.  Then in POE2, I'll port my Monk over, and recreate the other two chars; possibly changing stats, possibly multiclassing, but the race/first class must be the same, as thematically they are meant to be the "same characters".  For full party comp in each game, it will look like this:

POE1:
1)  Monk (main char)

2) Chanter (custom)

3) Druid or Wizard (custom)

4) Eder

5) Durance

6) Grieving Mother (maybe Sagani, I love both).

POE2:
1) Monk (Main char)

2) Chanter (custom), maybe multiclass priest

3) Druid or Wizard (custom, maybe multiclass, but prefer pure class)

4) Eder (pure class, maybe multiclass rogue)

5) Xoti (pure class)

I'm asking this in the POE2 forums because I care more about an effective party in this game as many years ago I remember really disliking POE1 and am giving it another try, but may end up giving up and jumping straight to POE2.  

Sorry my initial comp is bare bones, been so long since I played I don't remember it well, so was just looking for some initial thoughts to see if either a pure wizard or a pure druid would fit the rest of what I have here better.  Will also note that I've never played a druid in either game, so I've a small bias towards that for the sake of being more fresh.

Edit: Should also say I don't plan to use guides too much; I kind of want to just jump in and figure it out as I go.  So ease of play/not screwing things up badly is another big factor, and I'm thinking it's harder to mess up a druid than it is to mess up a wizard.

Edited March 23, 2023 by AnRPGer
Forgot to add another point.

[Shai Hulud]

Wizards are going to be stronger IMO in both games, particularly blood mages in Deadfire. That said you can easily complete both games with either party.

You can actually do fine with party companions (hiravias and tekehu as druids, or aloth as wizard)

Tekehu also plays well as a multiclass druid/chanter, and kana is a decent chanter in poe1. 

It is pretty hard to mess up wizards since you can cast from grimoires and respec anyway. Aloth has decent wizard stats for an NPC. 

Also I think Deadfire is considerably harder than POE1, at least if you're going farther than the main story into DLC content and whatnot.

If I were you playing on Hard and wanting to play druids id just go with hiravias and tekehu. They're both fun companions and their stat spread is decent enough.

[AnRPGer]

Thanks.  Now I'm focusing on POE2 a bit more (and like a dunce, forgot that Xoti is a Priest by default and want to take her while keeping main char a monk).  For POE2 on Hard Upscaled, would:

Monk/Fighter/Priest/Druid/Wizard (Bloodmage) work ok, including Megabosses?  Or would the lack of Brilliance be a big problem?  

Also, I'm SC'ing everything because that's just my preference/style, even though from what I can tell, it's very underpowered compared to MC'ing. 

TLDR:  What is a good party comp for POE2 Megabosses (Hard) all SC?  If for sure I am using at least:  Monk/Fighter/Priest.  What 2 SCs would go well with this party comp for Hard, inc. DLC, and Megabosses?  And how essential is Brilliance for Megabosses?  

Oof:  Just saw that Chanters no longer give Brilliance like they used to.  Originally had thought of including a Chanter as one of those two SCs just to get it for Megabosses.

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by AnRPGer
Realized something had changed in an update

[Shai Hulud]

16 hours ago, AnRPGer said:

Thanks.  Now I'm focusing on POE2 a bit more (and like a dunce, forgot that Xoti is a Priest by default and want to take her while keeping main char a monk).  For POE2 on Hard Upscaled, would:

Monk/Fighter/Priest/Druid/Wizard (Bloodmage) work ok, including Megabosses?  Or would the lack of Brilliance be a big problem?  

Also, I'm SC'ing everything because that's just my preference/style, even though from what I can tell, it's very underpowered compared to MC'ing. 

TLDR:  What is a good party comp for POE2 Megabosses (Hard) all SC?  If for sure I am using at least:  Monk/Fighter/Priest.  What 2 SCs would go well with this party comp for Hard, inc. DLC, and Megabosses?  And how essential is Brilliance for Megabosses?  

Oof:  Just saw that Chanters no longer give Brilliance like they used to.  Originally had thought of including a Chanter as one of those two SCs just to get it for Megabosses.

 

That party will probably work but having a chanter (troubadour) and especially a cipher would make things easier on you for megabosses. Like maybe monk/cipher/troubadour/blood mage/(priest or druid). You probably don't want to build around megabosses though as that's just a small part of the game and you can always recruit adventurers specifically for those encounters. 

You don't really need brilliant for most classes. Chanter does gives a brilliance like effect but it is pretty expensive at 7 phrases. Still, with a troubadour that's like 21 seconds with brisk recitation so you could make it work. Ciphers can hand out single target brilliant for 12s (modified by INT), so a cipher with maxed INT could hand out about 24s of brilliance, a bit longer if single class, which would restore 4 resources for 70 focus. If you make the cipher a DPS monster like a devoted/cipher (hunting bow) or ranger/cipher you can get 70 focus in like one hit (though SC is good too for defensive mindweb and reaping knives). Hierophant (blood mage / cipher) is also really good. And forbidden fist / soul blade is extremely good but forbidden fist only generates focus if you have the community patch from nexus mods, which I'd recommend anyway. In vanilla the forbidden fist ability isn't considered a weapon attack and doesn't generate focus. If you want to defeat all the megabosses it is easier if you have a cipher since they can kill Hauni O Whe with disintegration while if you don't have a cipher you have to be able to stop merges. It is very doable with a full party, easiest way is likely to give everyone arbalests and crossbows with the modals to interrupt the oozes.

For megabosses anything that can regenerate resources tends to be strong. So monks, chanters, ciphers, blood mages, tactician (if you can proc brilliant tactician, which is easier solo I think). But even something like a ranger is quite strong with generic attacks as long as you can keep them from being damaged too much. Just give them a hunting bow like Essence Interrupter and with hunting bow modal they do massive damage. Of the classes you listed priests and druids will have harder times in megaboss fights since they can't regenerate spells by themselves, but if you have a chanter casting "His Heart Did Fill With The Light Of The Dawn" and a cipher handing out "Ancestor's Memory" you should be able to maintain resources. SC ciphers are really good in parties in Deadfire also because Defensive Mindweb is insanely good, and you can hand reaping knives to a monk or other melee char to generate focus even faster. 

Another option for resource regeneration is the mod "potions of enlightenment" which adds a fairly expensive potion you can purchase in certain shops (or create, with vithrack brains main ingredient) that gives +1 resource / 30s for the rest of the fight. You can find this mod standalone or as part of @Elric Galad's Balance Polishing Mod.

You might also consider the Balance Polishing Mod for its own sake, particularly the buffs package, as it makes the chanter's brilliant-like ability a little better and gives resource regeneration options to most single classes that didn't already have them (fighters get resource chance on being hit, rogues on making crits, paladins when an ally falls, rangers when their animal companion is hitting enemies (using bonded fury ability). Summons are also improved quite a bit. The balance polishing mod also has a nerf package but you don't have to install that part.

https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/335 (community patch)

https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/438 (balance polishing mod - needs community patch)

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Should add if you don't have room in the party for both a chanter and a cipher a chanter/cipher is quite good, you can still cast "Ancestor's Memory" as a cipher while sending out endless summons and buffs as a troubadour. Troubadour/psion works well if the character doesn't do much direct fighting but troubadour/generic cipher is also excellent. 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Shai Hulud

[AnRPGer]

Alright, thanks.  All great resources here.  Will, at the minimum, grab the community patch and I'll look further into the polishing patches too.  I'm glad we have options to customize which changes we would want to an extent; ty to those involved in the hard work on both projects!

When ahead and rolled a Chanter as my main, actually, and jumped right in.  I still plan to make a custom Monk as well.  Party comp will be similar to some of the idea mentioned above, but for now, I need to put my analysis paralysis aside or I'll never play (happens to me all the time with games like these).