The backer beta uses tool tips and detailed windoids to describe weapons and armor effects. These descriptions are often somewhat confusing or incomplete. Some of the descriptions in the Character window are also confusing.

 

The most annoying issue is I can't figure out how to determine damage over time (DTS) for a weapon. This figure has multiple influences: the weapon itself, the character's Dexterity, and a variety of status effects. But it wouldn't be hard to calculate this number on the fly to display in a descriptive window. Since the windows already contain a great deal of information and not every player may want all that detail, one could right-click on the window to bring up an even more detailed display.

 

A related issue is figuring out each character's delay between attacks. It doesn't seem that attacks just occur in rounds, in which everyone gets one turn. Instead, it appears that each character can attack once every few seconds, and that this frequency varies based on the weapon, armor, and status effects. Obviously, more frequent attacks are more effective, all else being equal.

 

Some descriptions are just incomplete. For example, "Envenomed Strike" says just "Envenomed Strike Poison for 10 sec...the character is able to deliver a poisonous strike that does Raw damage over time." Doesn't tell you very much.

 

Here's a confusing description: "Barbs of Condemnation" does "25-37 Pierce (base 20-30), -5 All Defenses for 14 sec (base 10 sec) vs. Fortitude (+10 Accuracy)". What I THINK this means is it lowers defenses by -5 for 14 seconds unless the attack fails a Fortitude test that itself is helped by an additional 10 Accuracy to succeed at the attack. But it's taken a full play-through of the Backer Beta until this made some sense.

 

"Holy Radiance" includes "Only Vessels, Frightened for 42 sec (base 30 sec) - Only Vessels vs. Will." What's a Vessel?

 

Under the character description for BB Rogue, it says, for Athletics of 2, "-80% Combat Fatigue Gain". What's Combat Fatigue Gain? 

 

And for my Paladin PC, his 19 Might gives him +27% Healing. What's Healing? If it's Restoration (restoring Endurance gradually over time), how much and how fast?

 

How do Skills like Athletics, Lore, and Survival affect combat? Is it possible to increase Defense through Dexterity as in the ADD games? -- my reading is no. Only Perception and Resolve improve Deflection, and then only by a little.

 

Does armor reduce the likelihood of a successful hit, the damage done if successful, or both?

 

Is it true that Health and Endurance diminish by the same amount with each successful attack? So that if I receive a 10-point hit to my Endurance in each of four battles, after the last battle my Endurance will fully recover, but my Health is down by 40 points until I rest? (I just have a lot more Health.)

"Holy Radiance" includes "Only Vessels, Frightened for 42 sec (base 30 sec) - Only Vessels vs. Will." What's a Vessel?

A vessel is a category of enemy. They're creatures which are souls bound to bodies or constructs. Think undead and machines animated by souls.

 

Under the character description for BB Rogue, it says, for Athletics of 2, "-80% Combat Fatigue Gain". What's Combat Fatigue Gain?

When fighting characters get fatigued. Fatigue lowers your maximum endurance, accuracy and defenses. The higher your athletics, the longer it takes to be fatigued.

 

And for my Paladin PC, his 19 Might gives him +27% Healing. What's Healing? If it's Restoration (restoring Endurance gradually over time), how much and how fast?

Healing is the amount of healing your character does when s/he uses a healing ability like Lay on Hands or whatever.

 

How do Skills like Athletics, Lore, and Survival affect combat?

Athletics affects how quickly you get fatigued. Lore affects how quickly you gain bestiary entries and gain the associated xp as well as which scrolls you can use. Survival affects how long bonuses from potions and food last.

 

Is it possible to increase Defense through Dexterity as in the ADD games? -- my reading is no.

You read right.

 

Does armor reduce the likelihood of a successful hit, the damage done if successful, or both?

The damage done.

 

Is it true that Health and Endurance diminish by the same amount with each successful attack? So that if I receive a 10-point hit to my Endurance in each of four battles, after the last battle my Endurance will fully recover, but my Health is down by 40 points until I rest? (I just have a lot more Health.)

Yep.

Edited March 8, 201510 yr by MasterPrudent

THANK YOU!! That's very helpful! Of note, I don't recall seeing any display of my characters' fatigue during combat, just health and endurance. And except for fatigue, it appears that none of the Skills affects Attack or Defense statistics.

 

Given my understanding of Health and Endurance, it appears that in a well-rested character, the only thing that matters in a single battle is Endurance, unless people use a lot of healing spells/potions. Health becomes an issue if you're battered in successive combats without resting. But are enemies apt to attack unconscious characters (zero Endurance) and further degrade their Health? 

 

Also, it would be great if the developers clarified strategies for building fighters, clerics, rogues, and wizards. For example, during yesterday's PoE demo at Pax East (YouTube "watch?v=roK1wzOLT-k"), it was mentioned that wizards have such good protective spells they can wade into melee combat after firing off spells. Since the number of available spells doesn't reset until after a rest, wizards can now do something useful once you're in mop-up mode. So having adequate Strength is important. (Or, you can use bows. I've given every NPC ranged weapons. As with most RPGs, starting off combat with a barrage of arrows/bullets is a great way to whittle down a single enemy.)

 

Speaking of wizards, are they limited to just the spells in a single grimoire, with the option of swapping one grimoire for another? And to what extent is friendly fire a problem with combat spells? Some descriptions suggest an attack just hits enemies, whereas others seem to affect anyone in the AoE. I think I've fried some of my allies with the electricity spell, but at yesterday's demo someone tossed a Fireball into the middle of a melee, seemingly without harming any allies.

 

Since Dexterity doesn't protect rogues from getting clobbered, I haven't found a useful way to put them in melee besides the single use of invisibility. The beta makes it clear that putting your fighters in a narrow doorway to block enemies' access to squishier NPCs in the back doesn't always work, because many enemies can get around the obstruction.

 

Finally, it appears that the classic strategy of having just one character max out each Skill or Attribute works well in PoE - for example just having the rogue increase Mechanics. In the beta at various points I needed someone with a lot of Athletics and another with high Strength. Agreed? It does look like just magic users need high Intelligence, but so does the main PC to improve options in dialogue. Whose statistics are measured during the skills checks for various dialogue options?

 

Health becomes an issue if you're battered in successive combats without resting. But are enemies apt to attack unconscious characters (zero Endurance) and further degrade their Health?

No once a character is down enemies will shift targets. Health is only intended to be a long term resources.

 

 

Speaking of wizards, are they limited to just the spells in a single grimoire, with the option of swapping one grimoire for another?

Yes. Wizards can only cast spells from their active grimoire but they can, as you write, switch out grimoires when not in combat.

 

 

And to what extent is friendly fire a problem with combat spells?

As you say some are foe only and some affect everyone caught in their radius. The spell's description should tell you which one it is. The additional catch is that any additional aoe radius that you get from having increased intelligence will never harm allies regardless of the spell. Whenever you select an aoe spell you'll notice that it brings up two circles inside of each other to show the area the spell will hit. The space between the circles is the foe only area.

 

 

Since Dexterity doesn't protect rogues from getting clobbered, I haven't found a useful way to put them in melee besides the single use of invisibility.

 

 If you want to use a low deflection character in melee I'd advise holding the character back until the front lines are engaged and relatively stable. At that point you can get the character to attack someone who's focused on another of your characters. If you get into trouble you can use the rogue's escape ability to get away and then pick a new target. You could also use a weapon that allows you to attack from behind another character, like a pike or a spear.

 

 

Finally, it appears that the classic strategy of having just one character max out each Skill or Attribute works well in PoE - for example just having the rogue increase Mechanics.

I think it's worth spending points in two or three skills per character. So far there aren't a lot of skill checks that can only be surmounted with one maxed out skill and I think giving everyone a few points in athletics is helpful to avoid severe fatigue. Also I like having more than one party member who can use scrolls.

 

When it comes to dialogue every attribute and skill will be checked at some point and apparently they've made the spread pretty even. There's certainly no point in choosing an attribute solely for additional conversation options although on the skills side lore does seem to get checked a lot in the beta. (Who knows if that will carry over into the game.)

 

For the scripted interactions (the storybook sequences in which you can use your whole team) it looks like you do want to have a party that covers most or all of the attributes and skills between them.

 

 

 

If you want more feedback on combat strats and other things I suggest posting in general discussion. There are a lot of more knowledgeable people on these boards than me and they'd respond to a post there.