Soloing PoE : Sucess so far ( Hard Dificulty Expert Mode )

My name is the same on Steam.  I'll add later tonight when I get on.

Patch didnt fix DR bug from Battle Forged Im afraid, I will have to start all over again, I wont be able to try my godlike fire build in a long time I suposse... Still its good that Obsidian is working so hard on fixing the game.

Is the patch live?

Is the patch live?

Yes, it is.

switched to 12/18...think in long run, higher healthpool is in solo stronger, baby sneak attach is 1.2 more damage, 20% boost on autoattack...will see if it works to out of combat spells, too. priest has some good one.

 

at priest I will sell preorder item... in starting area....together with pistol, you will start with 3000 money...

 

the rouge in startig area as trader pays buying price for items

 

where do you get a pistol in the starting area?

 

switched to 12/18...think in long run, higher healthpool is in solo stronger, baby sneak attach is 1.2 more damage, 20% boost on autoattack...will see if it works to out of combat spells, too. priest has some good one.

 

at priest I will sell preorder item... in starting area....together with pistol, you will start with 3000 money...

 

the rouge in startig area as trader pays buying price for items

 

 

where do you get a pistol in the starting area?

Sneak around the tents on the other side of the river

It seems they added new items... Got an amulet of endurance in a cage in temple of eothas' first floor:

+15 Max ENdurance... m lvl 4 and Im at 107 endurance lols ( ye no bugs double checked :D)

if you can get a priest to level 11 solo, you can make over 100 seal of repulsing before starting a fight. very good way to cheese fights...

 

http://www.reddit.com/r/projecteternity/comments/31clce/pic_infinite_repulsing_seals/

i think Withdraw might be even better to abuse for a solo than repulsing seal. if you can get a priest to level 9.

 

it makes you safe for 20 (base) seconds. assuming you pulled enemies away from where they start, they will walk away.

 

when they get a little ways away, it breaks combat, ends withdraw, and they retarget you again (in my testing with beetles) because they aren't very far away yet. then, due to breaking combat for a moment, you go back up to max level 1 spells (if you're level 9). so you can use withdraw as much as you want and keep healing and get out of combat as needed. if your health gets low, you can just leave, it lets you really easily pick off enemies one at a time.

 

even if you aren't level 9, you could abuse this a lot. with the level 1 spell talent and supplies, you could get 15 casts of withdraw between visits to the inn.

 

i'm on GOG so i don't have the patch with the increased solo XP yet but maybe i'll try this when i get the patch. (i've been learning about the game with a full party for now, and haven't decided exactly what sort of extreme challenge i want to go for.)

 

EDIT: i wanted to add that combat breaks when the last enemy walks a little ways away from you. the result is it's really good at splitting enemies up. you will end up with 1 guy at a good range and most other enemies probably further away.

Edited April 3, 2015 by curi

There is no increased solo XP in PotD.

 

Testet this afternoon XP gain after prolog, when you enter dungeon solo.

Got on my test char 417Xp--> which was added as 625 group XP. means +50%.

After patch, i done the same, solo entering the first dungon, got 417XP --> which added 625 group XP ---> 50%

 

Unlucky, it doesn't feel that you get more XP in PotD with this patch.

They stealth nerfed the dissapointer, now sells for basically nothing, meaning you are poorer early game. As for the priest thing that crosses te line between min maxing and cheating for me tbh but to each their own

There is no increased solo XP in PotD.

 

Testet this afternoon XP gain after prolog, when you enter dungeon solo.

Got on my test char 417Xp--> which was added as 625 group XP. means +50%.

After patch, i done the same, solo entering the first dungon, got 417XP --> which added 625 group XP ---> 50%

 

Unlucky, it doesn't feel that you get more XP in PotD with this patch.

Yea i noticed this too, i feel ripped off, was expecting a major buff and all i got was a nerf to my early game gold

i hate trying to decide what's "fair" exploits and unfair exploits. why is splitting mobs up with running/ai-abuse/etc non-cheating, but withdraw spam would be cheating? i think it's too impossible to draw a line, so unless something is really really disgusting (like infinite stacking permanent stat boosts), i have a hard time saying anything against it. the whole point is to find the best strategies possible, not hold yourself back some sorta unclear amount.

 

regarding xp, you should not get an xp bonus in higher difficulty modes. that's a bad idea. the whole point of higher modes is to make the game harder, not to let you get higher level spells in earlier zones!!! if they gave xp bonus for higher difficulty, it would make it partly harder and partly easier, and they'd have to be very careful with game design and balance to make sure it was actually harder and not easier, and they could easily mess that up. i think it's a very good thing you don't get xp from difficulty mode either directly or also indirectly (b/c u don't get combat xp, spawning more enemies doesn't overlevel you - good, more of a challenge). with no xp bonus, harder modes are strictly harder, which i think is how it should be, instead of partly an advantage.

 

honestly, for the same reason, they probably shouldn't give any bonus xp at all for soloing. bonus xp gives solo an upside. it makes it a mixed blessing instead of strictly harder. that's dangerous. it might turn out soloing has some significant advantages b/c you can level faster to per-encounter spells or to a very high stealth skill. and there are also full-party strategies where you level up solo with xp bonus, then recruit companions who are 1 level below you or your current level. then you have a full party at a higher level than is normally possible. that is exploitable in a regular non-solo run. you take chanter or whoever is easiest, solo to level 6 or something (or higher, i don't know) using the 50% xp bonus, then recruit a full party, and it's kinda like the entire party got the 50% xp bonus for what you played so far. (like my old BG strategy, which went something like this: start game, solo basilisks for easy level 5, recruit companions who start at level 5, have a full high level party. whereas if you got a party first then killed basilisks, everyone would be more like level 2.)

Edited April 3, 2015 by curi

i hate trying to decide what's "fair" exploits and unfair exploits. why is splitting mobs up with running/ai-abuse/etc non-cheating, but withdraw spam would be cheating? i think it's too impossible to draw a line, so unless something is really really disgusting (like infinite stacking permanent stat boosts), i have a hard time saying anything against it. the whole point is to find the best strategies possible, not hold yourself back some sorta unclear amount.

 

regarding xp, you should not get an xp bonus in higher difficulty modes. that's a bad idea. the whole point of higher modes is to make the game harder, not to let you get higher level spells in earlier zones!!! if they gave xp bonus for higher difficulty, it would make it partly harder and partly easier, and they'd have to be very careful with game design and balance to make sure it was actually harder and not easier, and they could easily mess that up. i think it's a very good thing you don't get xp from difficulty mode either directly or also indirectly (b/c u don't get combat xp, spawning more enemies doesn't overlevel you - good, more of a challenge). with no xp bonus, harder modes are strictly harder, which i think is how it should be, instead of partly an advantage.

 

honestly, for the same reason, they probably shouldn't give any bonus xp at all for soloing. bonus xp gives solo an upside. it makes it a mixed blessing instead of strictly harder. that's dangerous. it might turn out soloing has some significant advantages b/c you can level faster to per-encounter spells or to a very high stealth skill. and there are also full-party strategies where you level up solo with xp bonus, then recruit companions who are 1 level below you or your current level. then you have a full party at a higher level than is normally possible. that is exploitable in a regular non-solo run. you take chanter or whoever is easiest, solo to level 6 or something (or higher, i don't know) using the 50% xp bonus, then recruit a full party, and it's kinda like the entire party got the 50% xp bonus for what you played so far. (like my old BG strategy, which went something like this: start game, solo basilisks for easy level 5, recruit companions who start at level 5, have a full high level party. whereas if you got a party first then killed basilisks, everyone would be more like level 2.)

I dont want an exp bonus for playing higher difficulties I just was dissapointed that all this patch seemed to bring was nerfs and a couple of minor buffs. As for what I consider cheating I guess split pulling is at my very high end of what i consider fair play, and only then because it makes the game possible to solo, i mean you are just picking off the enemy one at a time, infitine prones takes that a step further and makes what should be very hard fights laughably easy as you wont get hit once. I mean the game limits you to a certain number of spells per encounter/rest to balance combat. I dunno it is a difficult line to draw but looking at that picture you linked i cant think anything other than thats game breaking, how can any opponent, even the end boss hope to kill you if they are prone for the entire fight.

i hate trying to decide what's "fair" exploits and unfair exploits. why is splitting mobs up with running/ai-abuse/etc non-cheating, but withdraw spam would be cheating? i think it's too impossible to draw a line, so unless something is really really disgusting (like infinite stacking permanent stat boosts), i have a hard time saying anything against it. the whole point is to find the best strategies possible, not hold yourself back some sorta unclear amount.

 

Anyone who completes this insane, tedious, did I mention insane, (but fun) challenge will have cheesed it up. Exploit is an exploit, no sense calling some "fair". The game was designed around a party.

 

Good luck to all my fellow cheesers out there.

i expect them to patch the infinite repulsing seal thing, but if they choose not to patch it then i'd consider it fair game. you do need level 11 for that after all, and the opportunity to palce them before the fight stars, so it's not entirely a free win. i won't be at all surprised if they don't patch stuff with withdraw though!

 

i agree it's a really bad balance issue, but i think it's the developer's responsibility to patch it, not mine to hold back.

Edited April 3, 2015 by curi

it won't let me edit my post and deleted what i wrote. trying again:

 

i wanted to add: how is abusing seals worse than stuff with abusing summons?

 

and if you were to limit yourself, what would the limit be? what is fair seal use for a priest? is fair use 4 of each seal per character? (5 with talent)? so set up 12-15 seals for a solo priest, 8-10 of which deal damage? that seems to be intended. maybe. they did limit it to 1 trap per party. who knows what they were thinking with seals. devs should change it, i should report it then play to win. (within the game, the only things i'm really against are stuff like intentionally not patching, or exploiting ironman by playing in a virtual machine and backing up the virtual machine periodically. or backing up save files if that works, or killing the game in task manager. i'm against outside of the game exploits like that, but i think that's the only good place to draw a line, and whatever you can do purely in game is legitimate).

i do never wrote anythink...that one think or other of cheese is bad.

 

PotD force you to cheese in most classes...and in RP accpect...going a dungeon, fight 7 monsters in one group there, go back to next bar for a 8h sleep...so that you can kill the next 7 monsters in one group...sounds like cheese, too.

 

Summon cheese bottle neck are the low damage numbers...it is save...but it needs hours and concentrate gameplay during this time.

 

Cipher charmed is similar...you have always to charm mobs...and than fight...100% concentration needed.

 

perma repulse...cheese, sure...but it is obsidian fault that priest got a out of combat combat cast with unlimit use as trap...i think every wizard in forum wished, they could cast more out of combat spells.

 

And than there are stealthnerfs in this patch...look to horn summon price in first town...from 600/500 up to 6000/5000...and it only hurts solo playstyl, because for 250 i get perma summon with optimal stats in Inn next door

Edited April 3, 2015 by Aqvamare

i tested Withdraw more. i ran up to the middle of some beatles and did withdraw. even though i'm right next to them, once they all return to their starting positions, combat ends, withdraw is cancelled, i get my per-encounter abilities back, and combat instantly starts again (from being in range of them). i think that's really interesting that getting back to their default map locations makes combat end.

 

we should try to figure out any ways to force combat to start or end in this game. it's very important. for example if you leave one enemy in a fight attacking your phantom summon, you can now walk your whole party over to the next fight, cast buffs like priest blessing, etc, and do the next fight pre-buffed. this is an important exploit for party play. i think it's even useful for solo play: you could leave one summon being attacked by one enemy, go to the next fight, cast a chanter damage spell on them, run away, get your invocations back, cast ranged damage spell, run, repeat, while the summon tanks something. and if the summon gets low, run back over there and make a new one.

 

another thing you can do with solo chanter i thought of: have 1 wurm tank an enemy, send the other 2 to kill stuff. this should let you cheese almost every map in the game, right?

 

maerwald fight keeping you in combat if you run away is interesting. i want to know what else does. if we can control being in our out of combat, we can spam chanter spells and per-encounter abilities, pre-buff for fights, etc, etc

 

 

about the horn price and pistol sell price, that is pretty mean of them :D  i like it. i'm glad they make the game harder. i like hard games. i think it's good to make the game harder!!!

Edited April 3, 2015 by curi

i expect them to patch the infinite repulsing seal thing, but if they choose not to patch it then i'd consider it fair game. you do need level 11 for that after all, and the opportunity to palce them before the fight stars, so it's not entirely a free win. i won't be at all surprised if they don't patch stuff with withdraw though!

 

i agree it's a really bad balance issue, but i think it's the developer's responsibility to patch it, not mine to hold back.

Thats exactly my mentality do you play eu4? I see it as an ongoing battle between the players to find exploits and DDRJake to find them lol

It seems they added new items... Got an amulet of endurance in a cage in temple of eothas' first floor:

 

+15 Max ENdurance... m lvl 4 and Im at 107 endurance lols ( ye no bugs double checked :D)

 

Not added, I got the same amu before the patch.

 

And than there are stealthnerfs in this patch...look to horn summon price in first town...from 600/500 up to 6000/5000...and it only hurts solo playstyl, because for 250 i get perma summon with optimal stats in Inn next door

 

250? What inn and what permasummon?

 

 

honestly, for the same reason, they probably shouldn't give any bonus xp at all for soloing. bonus xp gives solo an upside

 

Have you even tried the game on solo PotD?

**** then, on all my runs I never found it wtf... Oh well.

Lvl 4 cleared everything but Raedics Castle of the part East from Caed Nua... Im heading there now. It will be a slaughter :D

something i noticed that could maybe be abused: ranger companions never seem to take health damage (only tested at low level with bear). it takes endurance damage but its health never ever goes down. so with a source of healing, maybe you can abuse that somehow. (not sure how solo, but with a party you could use chanter heal aura and it would be a convenient way to have 100% unlimited FOREVER tanking of a single enemy to stay in combat, for example).

 

when someone in your party gets knocked out, like a second party member or your ranger companion, it seems that they will only stand back up if 1) you are out of combat   AND   2) no enemies are near.

 

so i guess one way you can abuse solo is: play ranger. lure enemies away from where they start. have your bear fight while you run away. bear dies. enemies walk home. enemies took a little damage. bear now revives at full health.

 

so wouldn't this let ranger abuse the game even better than chanter summons, because the ranger can "summon" his companion while out of combat? with the downside you have to lure enemies back, not fight them where they spawn.

 

by the way, something to be careful with: even if you fight away from enemy spawn points, if they make a summon (e.g. pyrga guys summoning lesser blights), i believe the summon will last forever (or at least a long time, i don't know) and will stay where it was summoned as its spawn point. so it would be possible to get your dead bear next to a summoned enemy so it can't revive, and you'd have to kill the summon with your ranger.

 

you have to be careful. if anyone is knocked out, including ranger companion, you cannot leave the area, even if you are out of combat. do people think ranger companion thing might be a good way to do solo? slow, yes, but seems like it would work well.

 

i tested Withdraw more. i ran up to the middle of some beatles and did withdraw. even though i'm right next to them, once they all return to their starting positions, combat ends, withdraw is cancelled, i get my per-encounter abilities back, and combat instantly starts again (from being in range of them). i think that's really interesting that getting back to their default map locations makes combat end.

 

we should try to figure out any ways to force combat to start or end in this game. it's very important. for example if you leave one enemy in a fight attacking your phantom summon, you can now walk your whole party over to the next fight, cast buffs like priest blessing, etc, and do the next fight pre-buffed. this is an important exploit for party play. i think it's even useful for solo play: you could leave one summon being attacked by one enemy, go to the next fight, cast a chanter damage spell on them, run away, get your invocations back, cast ranged damage spell, run, repeat, while the summon tanks something. and if the summon gets low, run back over there and make a new one.

 

another thing you can do with solo chanter i thought of: have 1 wurm tank an enemy, send the other 2 to kill stuff. this should let you cheese almost every map in the game, right?

 

maerwald fight keeping you in combat if you run away is interesting. i want to know what else does. if we can control being in our out of combat, we can spam chanter spells and per-encounter abilities, pre-buff for fights, etc, etc

 

 

about the horn price and pistol sell price, that is pretty mean of them :D  i like it. i'm glad they make the game harder. i like hard games. i think it's good to make the game harder!!!

 

I think it should, depends i think it might be a bit of a stretch as by the time you have wurms most mobs will be hitting hard enough to kill them at a decent rate so you would have to recast quite often. Its hard to say without trying it but when i got will o wisps i noticed that they were barely an improvement over phantoms and take 4 chants to cast. I might try this before it inevitably get patched over but im jsut having too much fun with my monk

**** then, on all my runs I never found it wtf... Oh well.

 

Lvl 4 cleared everything but Raedics Castle of the part East from Caed Nua... Im heading there now. It will be a slaughter :D

 

what are you playing as now?