Build your own party of 6 immediately (almost)

[AzureG]

  So you don't want to use the NPCs that can join your party, right?  And you want to build your party with your own six characters right away?  No problem.  This is easiest with a Ranger or Druid.  Be sure that your character has mechanic skill.  Immediately loot the chests in the starter area.  Go to the bodies on the east side (south of the camp you start in) and loot them.  Then go back to the starting merchant.  Strip off your armor, all of it.  Then sell everything to the merchant.  If you have a ranger or druid you can also sell your weapon and the potions you've picked up (but KEEP the weapon for the NPC fighter you start with).

  You should have no problem killing the starting mobs using either spells or your pet, or just transform - if you're a druid - and kill the first two.  Then re-equip yourself with what you loot.  Rinse and repeat in the caves.

  By the time you get to town you should have a hair over 1500 coppers, enough to hire one level 2 characters and four level 1 characters.  And there you have it, a complete party of six before you start serious adventuring. 

  (To get the level 2 character, you must first complete the quest with the hanging dwarf, so you make it to level 3.  Otherwise you can't hire a level 2.  If you want five level 1 characters, you don't have to do this quest first, as you only need to be level 2 for that.)

  I must say that playing with the NPCs the game provides does add flavor, especially as their stories unfold, but to get the old-fashioned feeling of building your own party from the get-go, this is great.

 

[sad0]

You better recruit 5 level 1 NPC at lvl 2. Then do you quest in town, you up level 3 and everyone up level 2.

[Infares]

Indeed, the tutorial rogue will buy your stuff for far more than you can get for it anywhere else, although around a thousand coppers is enough alongside the gear you get through the dungeon to get your 5 party members. I also suggest engaging scout mode through the area with the wolves and bandits until you get to the first town and avoid getting too much extra experience points so you can share them with your party and get them to level 2 asap.

You can also get a few exp if you just leave the trap puzzle alone and come back with a character with 3 Mechanics and have them disarm the entire floor.

[AzureG]

Indeed, the tutorial rogue will buy your stuff for far more than you can get for it anywhere else, although around a thousand coppers is enough alongside the gear you get through the dungeon to get your 5 party members. I also suggest engaging scout mode through the area with the wolves and bandits until you get to the first town and avoid getting too much extra experience points so you can share them with your party and get them to level 2 asap.

 

You can also get a few exp if you just leave the trap puzzle alone and come back with a character with 3 Mechanics and have them disarm the entire floor.

  Yes, just over 300 exp for disarming all 25 traps.  

 

  As for choosing all level 1 characters, yes, overall that is probably best.  It costs less, and saves you a trip into the Valewood to make enough money to have a grappling hook (yes cash gets tight if you start with 4 level 1 and 1 level 2). 

 

  If you do choose 5 level 1 characters, after you talk to the dwarf then go back to the Valewood (I am assuming that you avoided all fights there on your first time through), when you come back to town and discuss the aftermath of the bear fight, all five will make level 2 before you start on the more difficult quests.

 

  Also, I love having the white worms option for  my chanter at level 1 rather than having to wait till level 4 (as you do if you want to pick up the NPC chanter.)

Edited April 1, 2015 by AzureG

[Sephie]

I want to ask something. 

 

Are your custom companions able to do the talking too? Like use one for resolve checks, another for might etc?

 

Or is it just about getting different attributes?

 

Because I don't care if an npc has 16 instead of 18 might and a few different skills otherwise, you can build them mostly how you like. 

[Blave]

Why the hassle? I'd just cheat in the money and give them the XP of my main character. Custom party was free in the IE-games, so it might as well be the same with PoE.

 

Anyway, I like the NPCs. Makes the game more interesting. I think I'll play with them for the first couple of playthroughs. Hoping for a Mod that makes them more useful.

[Infares]

I want to ask something. 

 

Are your custom companions able to do the talking too? Like use one for resolve checks, another for might etc?

 

Or is it just about getting different attributes?

 

Because I don't care if an npc has 16 instead of 18 might and a few different skills otherwise, you can build them mostly how you like. 

Your main character always does the talking.

 

Like, even when returning to the tutorial ruins with an NPC fire godlike in your party, if you didn't already light the pillars, you still need to use a torch, the fire godlike option is still redded out for you even if you use your fire godlike NPC to talk to the pillars. 

[Valtonis]

you can also just kill all the backers that you see and loot their corpses

[ISC]

Why the hassle? I'd just cheat in the money and give them the XP of my main character. Custom party was free in the IE-games, so it might as well be the same with PoE.

 

Anyway, I like the NPCs. Makes the game more interesting. I think I'll play with them for the first couple of playthroughs. Hoping for a Mod that makes them more useful.

 

1. Because some people want to play the game without cheating and/or importing advantagous mechanisms from other games.

 

2. You can already 'mod' the NPC characters using the IE-mod and console commands? Give them the attributes, classes and abilities you want.

Edited April 1, 2015 by ISC

[Fimconte]

 

2. You can already 'mod' the NPC characters using the IE-mod and console commands? Give the the attributes, classes and abilities you want.

 

This.  

If you want to keep it 'fair' just limit yourself with your edits to be in line with what a custom character can get and remove the copper they'd cost. 

 

Since you can change companion class with IE-mod, there's no reason to deny yourself the immersive little banter segments and storylines tied to pre-made NPCs. 

[Blave]

This part of the mod is still not confirmed to work without problems, as far as I know. I'd LOVE to use it to make the NPCs more useful but not at the risk of breaking my game.

[Mungri]

My plan is better. Sell guans pledge and the dissapointer to Headon In the tutorial - 1537 + 750 gold. By the time I get to the first town I have 2500 gold. Get just enough XP to hit level 3 (3005 possible - don't disarm any traps in first dungeon or ki any mobs after it - go strait to town, rest, speak to the dead lady, do the mill quest and get the explorer to calisca's sisters house = 3005 XP).

 

Level to 3, buy 5 level 2 hirelings. Go back through the first two areas and get the traps too for more XP.

[ISC]

If you want to keep it 'fair' just limit yourself with your edits to be in line with what a custom character can get and remove the copper they'd cost. 

Since you can change companion class with IE-mod, there's no reason to deny yourself the immersive little banter segments and storylines tied to pre-made NPCs. 

 

 

Yeah, this is what I do. You have to calculate the attributes and stuff, but it creates the best compromise of experiences for me. Although I also try to stick to similar classes (no aloth barbarians or eder wizards for me, but ciphers/rogues).

[ISC]

This part of the mod is still not confirmed to work without problems, as far as I know. I'd LOVE to use it to make the NPCs more useful but not at the risk of breaking my game.

 

Is there any reason to believe that it comes with any problems? I have not suffered any bugs more than the one's affecting just about everyone.

 

My plan is better. Sell guans pledge and the dissapointer to Headon In the tutorial - 1537 + 750 gold. By the time I get to the first town I have 2500 gold. Get just enough XP to hit level 3 (3005 possible - don't disarm any traps in first dungeon or ki any mobs after it - go strait to town, rest, speak to the dead lady, do the mill quest and get the explorer to calisca's sisters house = 3005 XP).

 

Level to 3, buy 5 level 2 hirelings. Go back through the first two areas and get the traps too for more XP.

 

You get that much for the disappointer? Nice. What are you refering to with "get the explorer to calisca's sisters house", have I missed a quest or something?

[Mungri]

Probably, you go inside her house and you get just enough XP to push you to 3005 after the mill quest and dead lady.

 

Haegans prices are much higher, and he gives you 750 gold for the dissapointer. I loot and sell everything I fond I'm the first area to him before picking up the water, and 3k+ gold already.

 

Also she gives you a quest. I cant remember her name though, chat about calisca not making it and why she needed her help and you help her instead.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Mungri

[Fimconte]

Probably, you go inside her house and you get just enough XP to push you to 3005 after the mill quest and dead lady.

 

Haegans prices are much higher, and he gives you 750 gold for the dissapointer. I loot and sell everything I fond I'm the first area to him before picking up the water, and 3k+ gold already.

 

Also she gives you a quest. I cant remember her name though, chat about calisca not making it and why she needed her help and you help her instead.

Disappointer becomes pretty beast after you overwrite the negative enchant on it though. 

[Mungri]

But 750 gold

[Infares]

 

Probably, you go inside her house and you get just enough XP to push you to 3005 after the mill quest and dead lady.

 

Haegans prices are much higher, and he gives you 750 gold for the dissapointer. I loot and sell everything I fond I'm the first area to him before picking up the water, and 3k+ gold already.

 

Also she gives you a quest. I cant remember her name though, chat about calisca not making it and why she needed her help and you help her instead.

Disappointer becomes pretty beast after you overwrite the negative enchant on it though. 

 

Could you do that with just "Fine"? And it makes the whole enchant go away?