Noob here: any advice?

[MILF Lover]

Hey there.

 

Never really played CRPGs before, PoE will be my first.

 

My experiences in RPGs began with BioWare titles Dragon Age and Mass Effect. As I don't like the path this company is going down after Dragon Age's latest instalment, I am on the hunt for different games.

 

I kept hearing great things about PoE, but was also warned that it's quite hard.

 

And no, I don't expect a dialogue wheel, a voiced protagonist or a virtual romance.

 

So I've just downloaded the game off of GOG: any advice?

 

For the record I enjoy playing rogues with a bow. Is there a particular race I should pick that would grant me bonuses in this field?

[MunoValente]

Wood elf is probably the best for a bow rogue.  Hearth orlan or boreal dwarf are ok too.

 

For general advice I'd set up some of the auto pauses, I like the enemy spotted, completed action and low health.  Also if you're struggling near the start and don't have a full party you can hire adventurers at inns for a fairly low price to fill gaps in your party.

[HoopleDoople]

The difficulty isn't actually too bad once you get the hang of it, but the game can be a bit complex at first. If you're confused ask questions on the forums or consult the wiki. The wiki isn't completely up to date but it is generally accurate on the underlying mechanics.

 

Some specific advice that will serve you well early on:

• The game will be much easier once you have a full party. Make recruiting companions a priority and don't be afraid to hire a custom character as a stopgap if needed.
• Standard battle tactics is having some tank characters engage enemies in melee while DPS oriented characters attack and cast spells from range. Learning the engagement system and using it to your advantage is crucial.
• Accuracy is incredibly important and affects both your attacks and spells (excluding heals and buffs which are automatic). With low accuracy you'll find yourself missing or grazing (-50% damage and duration of effects compared to a hit) while high accuracy will get you a lot more hits and crits (50% extra damage and duration of effects).
• Talents, items, and spells that buff you can be really useful, but buffs to the same stat will sometimes suppress each other - only your highest bonus will count. The same stat can be buffed once by items and once by active/modal abilities. You can also stack as many passive bonuses to the same stat as you want.

For a ranged Rogue ideal races would be a Wood Elf or Hearth Orlan. The Wood Elf gets accuracy and defensive bonuses against enemies more than 4 meters away; the Hearth Orlan converts some hits into crits when attacking the an enemy that is being targeted by a teammate. When building your character Might and Dexterity are the only must have attributes. Of the remaining attributes Resolve and Intellect are probably more useful for your build than Constitution and Perception, and will be useful attributes for conversation options. An ideal weapon type for the Rogue is the War Bow, as there are some very nice ones that have effects on crit.

 

You will also do well to master how to set up sneak attacks for your Rogue, which do 50% higher damage. Any attack made in the first two seconds of combat are automatically sneak attacks. After that you'll need the enemy to be Blinded, Flanked, Hobbled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Prone, Stuck, Stunned or Weakened for a sneak attack. The Rogue can get some early abilities that can blind or hobble the enemy. Flanking can be achieved by attacking an enemy in melee from both its front and back (which can be difficult to pull off if there is a lot of enemies). Various spells and abilities on other classes can inflict these status effects on enemies as well.

[NerdCommando]

Rush towards Dyrford, you'll love the NPC you can get there.

[roller12]

do a youtube search for the poster above ( NerdCommando ) his excellent guides will tell you everything about the game, classes, skills and everything

[Gromnir]

milf lover?

 

*sigh*

 

a beavis and butthead reference might be too 1990s, eh?

 

HA! Good Fun!

[NerdCommando]

do a youtube search for the poster above ( NerdCommando ) his excellent guides will tell you everything about the game, classes, skills and everything

ATM, I'd probably recommend my steam guide more - videos are still decent, but the guide is more updated for the 1.06 realities (and I'm somewhat lazy to redo them atm as I'll still have to redo them all once the addon comes out).

[Nakia]

There is a lot of good advice posted so I will not repeat it.  I do want to address the report that PoE is hard.  It is a complex game and requires a lot of reading.  It is not a game to be rushed.  Dialogue is important.    Pay attention to what is said to you.  Check your quest journal if you are uncertain as to what to do.  Check your party members character sheet to make sure equipped items are not suppressing each other.   Mechanics is important for finding traps, unlocking things, finding hidden objects and crafting.  Rogues automatically get a bonus to mechanics.  Priest also need mechanics for their seal spells.

 

I give each party member 3 levels in athletics in order to increase endurance.  

 

For someone new to this type of game I recommend starting on normal or even easy difficulty which is set when you start a new game but can be changed in-game.  There is also an option for an in-game tutorial I haven't used it so do not know how good it is.

 

As already said ask questions here in the forums.

[Gfted1]

Check your party members character sheet to make sure equipped items are not suppressing each other.

What does this mean?

[Gromnir]

if you have one item that boosts accuracy by 5 and another that boosts accuracy by 6, only the +6 item will be counted towards your combat accuracy.  in most cases, bonuses do not stack, and only the greater modification is applied... but that ain't always true.  nakia suggests checking your character record sheet as suppressed bonuses will be clear identified.  in our initial example, the +5 accuracy boosting item would be identified as being suppressed.  it would be smarty to switch out the +5 accuracy item in favor o' one that would provide a meaningful benefit in combat, yes?

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Nakia]

if you have one item that boosts accuracy by 5 and another that boosts accuracy by 6, only the +6 item will be counted towards your combat accuracy.  in most cases, bonuses do not stack, and only the greater modification is applied... but that ain't always true.  nakia suggests checking your character record sheet as suppressed bonuses will be clear identified.  in our initial example, the +5 accuracy boosting item would be identified as being suppressed.  it would be smarty to switch out the +5 accuracy item in favor o' one that would provide a meaningful benefit in combat, yes?

 

HA! Good Fun!

Thanks, Gromnir, for explaining what I meant.  

[MILF Lover]

Thanks people.

 

I cranked it up and will admit I had some trouble with the combat despite getting a crit on a wolf while hunting for berries.

 

I made a dwarf ranger but I'm thinking about starting again with a new character and spending more time reading up on the culture, background etc.

 

I must say I enjoy the text. I love reading books, and the dialogue plays out like an interactive story. Having dialogue wheel and voice acting in BW titles left players with little choice.

[Namutree]

I've got lots of useful advice for you:

 

1) Don't watch any movies featuring the bane of all that is righteous and just: Ryan Reynolds.

 

2) Give me all of your wealth so you can achieve nirvana.

 

3) Don't play Metroid: Other M.

 

4) Don't buy into the nonsense that Ma-Ti has the weakest ring of the planeteers. Heart is OP and Ma-Ti just doesn't abuse it correctly.

 

Regarding PoE:

 

1) Don't be ashamed if you need to play the game on easy. I've seen people play games too hard for them on normal and get frustrated with the difficulty. It ruined for them what could have been a good game experience.

 

2) Don't be too shy to ask for specifics on the mechanics in the future. This forum has people who would be more than happy to help you understand how the game works.

 

3) Hire some mercenaries in Gilded Vale. Having a full team will make the game's early difficulty easier for you to handle.

 

4) Talk to everyone. Read the dialog/text and try to get immersed in the game world. You'll enjoy it more that way.

[roller12]

Guys, OP wrote he played through Mass Effect and DA:O. On the highest difficulty both are more challenging than this game

[Nakia]

Guys, OP wrote he played through Mass Effect and DA:O. On the highest difficulty both are more challenging than this game

On Easy or normal this game is not that difficult but it is complex.  PoE is not DA:O or Mass Effect.  This is Pillars of Eternity and has its own peculiarities, its own combat system, its own story.  The OP asked for help and we are trying to help.  

[Clicks]

Try not to pay attention to anyone's advice regarding class/race/attributes etc. You'll have a much better time choosing a character you're drawn to, and experimenting with your own choice of skills than trying to replicate someone's idea of a 'good' build.

[roller12]

 

Guys, OP wrote he played through Mass Effect and DA:O. On the highest difficulty both are more challenging than this game

On Easy or normal this game is not that difficult but it is complex.  PoE is not DA:O or Mass Effect.  This is Pillars of Eternity and has its own peculiarities, its own combat system, its own story.  The OP asked for help and we are trying to help.

 

Well ye, but i think you are taking the thread title from a poster named "Milf-lover" a bit too literally

 

//among those 3 very similar games, PoE is the easiest no matter the difficulty as it requires the least tactics to win. Basically just dont get ambushed and you won.

Edited June 19, 2015 by roller12

[Nakia]

 

 

Guys, OP wrote he played through Mass Effect and DA:O. On the highest difficulty both are more challenging than this game

On Easy or normal this game is not that difficult but it is complex.  PoE is not DA:O or Mass Effect.  This is Pillars of Eternity and has its own peculiarities, its own combat system, its own story.  The OP asked for help and we are trying to help.

 

Well ye, but i think you are taking the thread title from a poster named "Milf-lover" a bit too literally

 

//among those 3 very similar games, PoE is the easiest no matter the difficulty as it requires the least tactics to win. Basically just dont get ambushed and you won.

 

I take people who ask for help seriously until they prove me wrong.

 

If the only thing important to you is the combat you are missing the best part of the game.  The intricate role playing part which is why I backed the game.

 

Edit: If combat is your thing Ubisoft has a game coming "For Honor".  Looks to me perfect for those who want combat, combat, combat.  It is on console.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Nakia

[roller12]

Id rather not get involved into those comparison debates. What im saying is whoever played ME and DA has already enough experience to not get lost in this game and that IS my tip, exactly what the OP has asked for.

 

 

But since we are at it already, combat is where PoE has the best chances against those two RPG behemoths anyway.

[PAAC]

I'm new to PoE as well and what's helping me is reading the "Cyclopedia" in my journal.