I just started playing PoE. I played BG2 for many years, so I am not entirely new to rpgs. However, my wizard is constantly dying, in every single fight. Even against a lonely wolf. I am playing on normal/easy. So I wonder whether there is something I completely miss or do not understand in this gameplay or whether a wizard is just a pretty crappy choice to begin with.

Wizard is pretty powerful. You need to tell us more about what you're doing. (After all, if you whacked wolves with a staff at the start of BG1 your wizard would die, every time.) Talents? Attribs? Strategies? Rest of party?

Sounds like you're solo. Best thing to do is get to town and grab some companions. Get a tank to engage your enemies, then start raining ranged death with your wizard.

Sounds like you're solo. Best thing to do is get to town and grab some companions. Get a tank to engage your enemies, then start raining ranged death with your wizard.

 

^This.

 

At the start, many characters are not particularly well suited to going it solo (unless you're particularly skilled as a player, I suppose).  So often the best thing to do is to try to sneak past any possible encounters and get into town to gather up some companions before going back to clear the area.

my guess u are in that area before the first town. After entering you are fatigued so you stats are lower then usual so make sure u rest.

 

Also unless u going for a solo run dont stay and fight all the encounters there. Go to the next area(town) and pick up a companion or 2 (also will most likely take you to level 3) before coming back and clearing the place.

I think the problem is solved, I did find a fighter companion.

 

However, I just started a Cipher. Since I really hate it if I, after having played some time, find out that I chose a wrong ability (as with my Wizard), I would like to ask whether what I have done so far is fine:

 

Human Death Godlike

Old Vailia - Aristocrat

Mig 18

Con 5

Dex 19

Per 7

Int 20

Res 9

I was mot sure whether it would be better to have Con and Per on the minimum, on the other hand, this does not feel good.

 

Mind Wave and Soul Shock are my first two skills.

I don't know what "this does not feel good" means. 

 

You've minmaxed the typical attributes. Your cipher's going to be most useful in the back line, with a blunderbuss or something, relying on generating focus for the abilities. 

 

Soul Shock and Mind Wave are decent, but Whisper of Treason is the best level 1 power that will stay strong for the next few levels. 

If you are going for a ranged Cipher which it looks like according to your stats, you might be better off with some other power than Mind Wave as it's a cone power directly from yourself.  Soul Shock will be your bread and butter dmg power for a long time.  But as Tigranes said you're probably better off with Whisper of Treason or Eyestrike which blinds your opponents which lowers their accuracy and deflection making them easier to kill.

If you are going for a ranged Cipher which it looks like according to your stats, you might be better off with some other power than Mind Wave as it's a cone power directly from yourself.  Soul Shock will be your bread and butter dmg power for a long time.  But as Tigranes said you're probably better off with Whisper of Treason or Eyestrike which blinds your opponents which lowers their accuracy and deflection making them easier to kill.

 

Actually, it's a cone that originates from your target and flows behind that target. The targeting cone in game is wrong. It's an incredibly effective ability, because it's cheap and causes aoe prone with very little positioning setup.

Looks good OP.

 

I ended up using at level 3

 

1.  Mind wave, Tenuous Grasp, Antipathetic Field, Soul Shock, 

2.  Mental Binding

 

Most of the 2nd lvl powers are pretty underwhelming yet there are 4 good 1st lvl picks.  Whisper of Treason is handy but I always felt it was too slow to cast while confuse basically does the same thing in terms of enemies beating down on them.  Also, can be used as an opener unlike Whisper.

Edited April 26, 201510 yr by MoxyWoo

 

 

If you are going for a ranged Cipher which it looks like according to your stats, you might be better off with some other power than Mind Wave as it's a cone power directly from yourself. Soul Shock will be your bread and butter dmg power for a long time. But as Tigranes said you're probably better off with Whisper of Treason or Eyestrike which blinds your opponents which lowers their accuracy and deflection making them easier to kill.

Actually, it's a cone that originates from your target and flows behind that target. The targeting cone in game is wrong. It's an incredibly effective ability, because it's cheap and causes aoe prone with very little positioning setup.

I found that it rarely knocked foes prone for me, maybe I should try it more

I knocked quite a few foes prone with it long as the Cipher cast it as monsters were moving close.  Once bunched, its much harder to get the cone going without moving off to the side to hit them via cone again or the closest one has to be at a certain angle.  Usually used Shock at the low levels tho.

You might want to raise that con to 10 because later on in some fights you'll get hit unless you're using really well planned tactics and with low con like that you can't keep on fighting, you'll have 1 hp while your other companions have plenty hp and thus it'll make your character useless until you rest.