Suggestions for the Expansion

[Namutree]

I got a new suggestion! Make a quest with a dungeon you can't exit until you complete it. Just be sure to let the player know in advance that this will be the case.

[VahnXIII]

My wishlist: 

 

More companions to choose from - I miss the 20+ companions you could recruit from BG

More banter and companion interaction

More lively cities

More lively NPC's - I miss the shouting from inns in BG "I need a swig of some strong, dwarven ale" or "I wouldn't mind her porkchops in me lap" etc. Builds atmosphere

Respawning enemies - just enough to keep the immersion going

Single companion stealth instead of having the entire party go into stealth

Better ranger class

More unique weapons and armor - love the weps and armors that come with a little back story

More areas to explore - the overall map seems small. I would love to see more areas to explore and perhaps have little stories and quests to complete

Better stonghold - I think this was a great idea. I loved having a "stronghold" of some sort in BG2. Though this stronghold in PoE could use some fleshing out

 

 

Those are the big ones on my list. I love PoE and I would like to see future works on making the setting more lively and full of character. It would make this a masterpiece imo.

[Namutree]

 

Better stonghold

Speaking of improving the stronghold- I think that reducing traveling time a bit would make thwarting the attacks on your stronghold more managable and thus more fun. An easy way to improve the stronghold-player relationship.

[Crucis]

Oh, one more thing. We need identical items to stack in shops. I don't want to see a giant list of crappy shields that I sold every time I go to the shop.

 

I'd like to see all unique items (as opposed to generic ones) placed at the top of the store's list.  It's a bit tedious to have to scroll down through the inventory looking for the unique items, though this would be made less tedious by your suggestion.

[Dadalama]

More wilderness/side-quest areas. And bigger areas. People always complain about the "empty" wilderness areas in BG, but they allow you to breathe and move during encounters without stumbling onto another encounter.

 

More unique lore- and world-building encounters(Icharyd, Gnoll Stronghold, Gibberling Mountains, Drienne and the cat, Carsa and Kahrk etc.).

 

More varied encounters in general(Also improving current encounters).

 

On that note, more enemy variety. Of course, it takes time to build the kind of bestiary that DnD-based IE games could build on, but too many enemies aren't very distinctive.

 

Random encounters. Areas should re-populate over time, just to make the world feel more alive. If there's a Xaurip camp somewhere, they should return. Established camp sites should randomly have neutral caravans staying there, the occasional bandits, etc.

What was oddly prevalent in the regular game was all the damned roads that went nowhere. There's one leading west out of Magran's fork. One leading north of the eastern woods. One leading west of that one woodland area right after the opening dungeon. I went over there and was like "what's over this way" got to the map screen and found out "not a damn thing". It also looks like you should be able to go west of Anslog's Compas.

[Qorach]

 

 

Better stonghold

Speaking of improving the stronghold- I think that reducing traveling time a bit would make thwarting the attacks on your stronghold more managable and thus more fun. An easy way to improve the stronghold-player relationship.

 

Or a quick portal to stronghold, Throne of Bhaal-like. Maybe through some gem or such.

[Crucis]

My wishlist: 

 

More companions to choose from - I miss the 20+ companions you could recruit from BG

More banter and companion interaction

More lively cities

More lively NPC's - I miss the shouting from inns in BG "I need a swig of some strong, dwarven ale" or "I wouldn't mind her porkchops in me lap" etc. Builds atmosphere

Respawning enemies - just enough to keep the immersion going

Single companion stealth instead of having the entire party go into stealth

Better ranger class

More unique weapons and armor - love the weps and armors that come with a little back story

More areas to explore - the overall map seems small. I would love to see more areas to explore and perhaps have little stories and quests to complete

Better stonghold - I think this was a great idea. I loved having a "stronghold" of some sort in BG2. Though this stronghold in PoE could use some fleshing out

 

 

Those are the big ones on my list. I love PoE and I would like to see future works on making the setting more lively and full of character. It would make this a masterpiece imo.

 

 

That's quite a list with a lot of good ideas.

 

I'd love at least one companion in each class for starters.  Rogue in particular.  Without a companion rogue, you're stuck either having to play a rogue yourself, have a non-rogue companion be a substandard trap and lock miester, or pick up a custom Rogue NPC.  All doable, but (other than playing the rogue PC) not as much fun as having a Companion NPC.  Of course, more Companions is probably a costly thing, supposedly due to the cost of voice acting, so I don't know how likely this is.

 

Speaking of voice acting, one little gripe I have is the voices available to PC's and custom built NPCs all sound almost the same to me, almost like the same person (one male and one female) was doing them with only a mildly different flavor to match the flavor of the voice.  It'd be nice if the voices sounded much more obviously different.

 

 

Better Ranger class.  Yes please.

 

Speaking of cities, one thing that I remember from BG1 (correct me if I'm wrong) was that the time of day mattered.  People disappeared (presumably went home) after dark.  Some businesses may have closed.  And so on.  It seemed more real than being able to walk around a city or town and not be able to tell if it was day or night by something other than whether it was light or dark out.

 

 

 

More unique ITEMS in general, not just weapons and armor.

 

More areas.  Of course.  But frankly I'd assume that any expansion would add its own areas, like were seen in the various BG1/2 and IWD1 expansions.  Actually, IIRC, only BG1's expansion was merged within the base game of BG1 and accessible without leaving for an entirely new area/"sub-game".

 

 

[Namutree]

Actually, IIRC, only BG1's expansion was merged within the base game of BG1 and accessible without leaving for an entirely new area/"sub-game".

 

That's correct. Obsidian has already that they will be doing a Tales of the Sword Coast style (the BG1 expansion) expansion pack.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Namutree

[EdwinP]

A stronghold that's integrated into the side quests, so that when you get the upgrades each one provides different options. If I have a chapel, I want to be able to send the lost young girl to it. If I have a dungeon, I want to take people prisoner and deal with their friends coming for ransom or revenge. I want to do quests to get new blacksmiths and force some evil wizard to create potions for my shop.

 

In this same vein, I want companions to react to my race, class, background, and culture. If I'm a Priest of Eothas, Eder should really be reacting. I was playing a hard core cipher; I expected a lot more interesting dialogues with Grieving Mother. The system they have is excellent, but doesn't get applied enough. I want the world to alter in various, subtle ways based on all these choices I've made.

 

I like the encounters, the fact that experience is based on completing quests and that the player is free to explore the world in whatever order they want.

 

1) I too would like to see more changes based on the actions of my PC.

 

Example: If I help Lord Raedric and slay Klosec, let him assign me more quests and let the ruined temple of Ethros be rebuilt into a Temple of Berath. If Lord Raedric is slain have new NPCs appear in the Gilded Vale.

 

Example: If I choose to build a chapel at the Stronghold, let me select the deity of the chapel and let the chapel attract NPCs worshippers. As I rebuild the stronghold let more NPCs appear in it - i.e. workers, maids, cooks, servants, etc - so that it seems more alive and when battle is impending let them flee to safety while the PCs and their hirelings deal with the threat.

 

Example: Let monsters attack a village and reduce it to ruins, unless my PCs can stop them.

 

Example: 2 lords are conspiring against each other. Which one does the PCs aid and that is the effect of that aid?

 

2) In addition to more planned encounter sites/dungeons, I would like to a chance for random encounters when traveling from one location to another. Your survival skill should affect the chance to accept or avoid these encounters. Example: 20% chance of a random encounter on each trip - If an encounter occurs  the highest survival skill determines whether: PCs can elect to avoid the encounter , PCs surprise the creatures or 2) the creatures surprise the PCs. Let the encounter occur on a random map - it may be a forest, swamp, mountain pass, bridge, isolated farmhouse in ruins, etc. The encounters may be with creatures or other travelers.

 

Example:

 

Random Encounter

------- Survival Check Pass

----------------- Avoid Encounter

----------------- Accept Encounter - PCs surprise Creatures

------- Survival Check Fail

----------------- Encounter Occurs - Creatures surprise PCs

 

3) More creatures. I would like to see more creatures such as Goblins and Orcs. Give me a quest to clear out an Orc stronghold or track down the source of Giant and Ogre attacks.

[Amentep]

 

 

1. I have only passing experience with the stronghold thus far. Even with extremely high security proportionate to prestige, I still manage to get all but 15 coppers stolen every cycle. For the money invested, that certainly doesn't bode well.

 

How do you have the stronghold on act 1? Act 1 ends when you get the stronghold.

 

 

 

Act I should end when Act II begins - when you enter Defiance Bay.  You only need to 5 maps to get the strong hold (Cilant Lis, Valewood, Gilded Vale, Maegran's Fork, Black Marsh, Caed Nua).  That would leave Anslog's Compass, Easternwood, Raederic's Hold, Madhmr Bridge, and Woodend Plane open to explore before triggering Act I (assuming you can't get to Stormwall Gorge and beyond before going to Defiance Bay...something I've never tried...) 

 

[illathid]

So I normally hate random encounters, but I was thinking of a way that they'd be less annoying. Have them be random scripted interactions. No fighting trash mobs, but you'd have to deal with the realities of the road.

[lightblade75]

I would like to see an expansion with 30 plus hours of gameplay.

 

At least one new class and of course new companions. 3 new companions would be great.

 

The world map still has some empty stains - enough place for new content like:

 

- a new big city

- one or two villages

- and of course some wilderness areas with an interesting content.

- new monsters

- some new spells

-the level cap of each character should be raised to at least 15 or 16

- some new characer portraits.

 

Hey you Devs at Obsidian: Please give us some information about the Expansion!  )

[swordofthesith]

Enchantable capes, helmets, and boots.

 

Craftable weapons, armor, and rings. Not just given to me; I want to do something to learn how forge rings from gold, silver, etc. that I find, and then enchant those rings with the same kinds of enchantments I can find on rings I loot.

 

Multiple, varied enchanting recipes for many more things. Some of which are quest rewards or even looting recipes.

 

A stronghold that's integrated into the side quests, so that when you get the upgrades each one provides different options. If I have a chapel, I want to be able to send the lost young girl to it. If I have a dungeon, I want to take people prisoner and deal with their friends coming for ransom or revenge. I want to do quests to get new blacksmiths and force some evil wizard to create potions for my shop.

 

In this same vein, I want companions to react to my race, class, background, and culture. If I'm a Priest of Eothas, Eder should really be reacting. I was playing a hard core cipher; I expected a lot more interesting dialogues with Grieving Mother. The system they have is excellent, but doesn't get applied enough. I want the world to alter in various, subtle ways based on all these choices I've made.

 

Awesome suggestions Katarack! Voted up! 

[petrivanzyl]

Speaking of voice acting, one little gripe I have is the voices available to PC's and custom built NPCs all sound almost the same to me, almost like the same person (one male and one female) was doing them with only a mildly different flavor to match the flavor of the voice.  It'd be nice if the voices sounded much more obviously different.

 

 

Surely this can't be too difficult or expensive. Fans will probably do this for free if the devs gives them the scripts / lines. Then they can choose some of the best. Lots of variety this way.

[perilisk]

One thing that might be nice for an X pack is a fancy Watcher power that lets you draw on the experience of your companions' past lives (without literally awakening them), basically enabling you to create a character that functions identically for story purposes, but which has whatever stats, class, etc. you choose. They could retain the same XP, or it could work more like the Nameless One's class changes in PS:T.

[Namutree]

If Obsidian increases the level cap then they should amp up the final battle to keep the final battle at least kinda challenging.

[rjshae]

As with others, I'd like to see more development of the Stronghold, such as:

• A means to integrate the resting bonuses.
• More ambient characters, including guards and a butler.
• Politics. Economics. A nearby community to protect.
• Have a dragon devastate the place in response to your behavior.
• A means to let your pets loose to wander about.

I'd also like to see some packaged encounters for inter-area travel in response to your prior choices.

[kalel78]

some stuff id like to see:

 

an in game option (thats not "cheating") to respec the story companions.. they are great story wise.. but dont always give you the optimal spec.. id like it if we were given the OPTION to spec the way we want so we could still keep them in the party.

 

more dragons.

 

more keeps to take over / liberate.  i really enjoyed the Lord Roedric quest line in Act 1.  i'd like to see more of these in the expansion.

 

more floors added to Od Nua.

 

a crafting system that would allow us to craft new weapons, armor, helms, rings, etc..

[EdwinP]

I would like to see a traditional keep rescue encounter in an expansion.

 

1. An Order of Knights has a keep blocking a mountain pass, besieged by an army of creatures lead by an evil wizard. Catapults and Giants fling giant rocks towards the opposing side.

 

------- Good Path - PCs are called upon to help defend the keep and if they arrive in time they can fight alongside the defenders and uncover the spies within the keep.

------------------------------- If PCs arrive late or ignore the quest, the keep falls to the enemy. The keep is partially in ruins (new map) and populated by monsters with a few survivors imprisoned in the dungeons below. The Evil Wizards gains 2 levels.

------- Evil Path - PCs are called to aid in the assault on the keep, They can sneak in and drop the drawbridge to let in the attackers.

 

Consequences - If the keep falls, Evil Wizards army attacks other lands in the Pillars of Eternity until the PCs stop them. If the Keep holds, the PCs can venture beyond it to the Wizard's Tower.

[perilisk]

I would like to see an explanation for why the unseen subjects of Caed Nua are paying taxes to a talking chair. But that's just me.

[Suen]

The Stash

 

I'd like to see "The Stash" as a walking treasure chest following the party.

It would be the reason why we don't have a long line of pack-mules behind us, and a homage to Terry Pratchett.
And Animancy can explain it!

 

The Pets

 

Let me pet the pets!

I'm almost in physical pain for not being able to caress my cats. And the fox. And the bear. Or play with them.

[Zwiebelchen]

I don't really see how a new class would benefit anything... I think we have all the grounds covered and I would rather see a different twist like multiclasses or just new and interesting class talents.

 

So basicly: instead of increasing the number of classes, increase the variety of playstyles within the classes.

 

 

The mage and the rogue class offer this to some extent already:

Mage can be played as a spellsword melee-mage with heavy armor and as the typical glass cannon.

The rogue can be played as a typical melee-hard-hitter or as a substitute for a ranger (unfortunately, this build is actually better than the real ranger class).

 

The other characters lack such sub-class decisions completely. I'd totally love to have at least two viable playstyles for every class. Like making shapeshifting for druids actually interesting (currently, only the cat form is worth a damn) or giving chanters something to do besides auto-attacking until summoning spell are available.

 

 

The Stash

 

I'd like to see "The Stash" as a walking treasure chest following the party.

It would be the reason why we don't have a long line of pack-mules behind us, and a homage to Terry Pratchett.
And Animancy can explain it!

 

Edited April 28, 2015 by Zwiebelchen

[elegz]

I suggest to focus on quests. Make them more complex, more interesting, true nonlinearity. Replay Fallout 2. One example from it: we can path through only gate of Vault City by several ways. And they are not so evident and easy to find.  Raedric's Keep has just several PHYSICAL ways to path in and all of them you can find for 1 min. In POE it is called the great example of non-linerity. It is not serious.

[Crucis]

As with others, I'd like to see more development of the Stronghold, such as:

• A means to integrate the resting bonuses.
• More ambient characters, including guards and a butler.
• Politics. Economics. A nearby community to protect.
• Have a dragon devastate the place in response to your behavior.
• A means to let your pets loose to wander about.

I'd also like to see some packaged encounters for inter-area travel in response to your prior choices.

 

I thought that I read that in the next PoE patch, they were going to allow parties to rest anywhere in the Stronghold as if they were resting in Brighthollow, with my assumption being that this would be a way of avoiding 2 load screens to get to the bedroom to rest.

 

 

Regarding Resting Bonuses:  What I'd like to see done is to merge all the resting bonuses.  At worst (or best), it's just a bunch of +1's to various stats and skills.  It's not as powerful as the +4 INT bonus for the inn in Brackenberry, or the +2/+2/+2 bonus to 3 stats for the Celestial Sapling inn.  Whenever you repair one of the buildings in the SH that has rest bonus attached to it, add that bonus to the other bonuses you might already have, until you've repaired everything and have the max bonus.  This would give the player a really serious incentive to fully repair the Stronghold.

[Dadalama]

More areas is primarily what I want. More areas, more things to do. More people to meet and more quest. Maybe spreading out the damned backer "vision people" that seem to be everywhere. Maybe some explanations as to why you need a bear ass, a rock, and a daffodil to make your average dude killer into a finely made dude killer.