Downloading but have questions

[Nyro]

I grew up on ARPGs such as Diablo and Diablo 2 and have pretty much stuck to that genre my whole life....but with ARPGs getting rather stale lately I decided to try something different. I knew of Baldur's Gate growing up but my cousin suggested Pillars of Eternity. Is there any basic tips you can give someone who has Never played a game like this before?

[Elerond]

Ready yourself to read quite lot text, lower space, need to control multiple characters at same time.

 

Basics are similar, create character, try to find best equipment that supports your build, kill monsters (although game focuses more on quest than killing enemies).

[Nyro]

Ready yourself to read quite lot text, lower space, need to control multiple characters at same time.

 

Basics are similar, create character, try to find best equipment that supports your build, kill monsters (although game focuses more on quest than killing enemies).

Thank you for the input. Are they taking orders already for the expansions in case I decided to purchase it also?

[Cantousent]

In Action RPGs, the stories can be good, but the way they unfold tends to be more one way, with the devs putting a story out for the player and the player following along as much as he wants.  In PoE, you'll make more decisions about where the story goes.  That's a generalization.

 

In an ARPG, the player decides on a class and often trees within that path.  In PoE, the player decides on a class and different avenues open up within that class, but there are more general abilities, talents and traits available for character customization.  Moreover, some of that customization reflects on non-combat situations.  Don't get me wrong, both games have combat (and sometimes an ARPG will also allow for some combat avoidance), but RPGs such as PoE lend more latitude for combat avoidance or even peaceful solutions.  You *will* fight in PoE, but there are many situations where dialogue or stealth will allow the party to skip combat altogether.  In some situations, non combat solutions yield even better results in the short or long term than combat.

 

In an ARPG, the immediate goals are virtually always known and lead directly to the long term goals.  In an RPG, the short term goals are generally known, but can often lead to diverging paths in some manner or another.

 

ARPGs tend to be extremely linear.  RPGs tend to have more options for non linear exploration or advancement.

 

This is all off the top of my head, and I'm speaking in generalities on purpose.  There are always counter-examples, although some people strain mightily to come up with them.  Some are more less obvious.

 

One thing I can say definitively is that some of our more erudite members can give a much more interesting and detailed response, so, having pushed your question through to our most excellent members, I'll leave it to them to cough up with the goods.  :Cant's welcome to the board icon:

 

EDIT:  word choice confusion

[Nakia]

@ Nyro, welcome to the forum and world of Eora.  I may not be the best person to sell you on this game.  I am an avid reader and a completionist.  To me  I backed this game with every cent I could scrounge up.  I also love this game and have spent hours playing it.  

 

You have already be warned that there is a lot reading in this game.  There is also a definite learning curve for playing the game.  I strongly advise taking your time right from the character creation onward.  Every decision you make does have its affect.  Explore and then explore some more.  Talk to people, dialogue is important.  It affects what people will tell you, what reputation you will achieve which also affects what people will say and do.     This is a very complicated game.  The devs tried to give players as many options as they could.

 

I played the early IE games and loved them but then I was playing the TES games so when PoE was released I spent a few hours just playing on easy with all hints and even the in-game tutorial turned on as I knew or at least certainly hoped that this would be more like those early RPGs.  

 

Enemies are not leveled to the character's level so be aware of that.   The game does have some leveling especially in the wilderness areas.  In the beginning the monsters are mostly low level.  It is the scripted quests that cause most people problems.    Even what first seems a simple fetch and carry task can have its surprises.  Although there is certainly a good bit of slash and bash in the game it is not a slash and bash game.

 

PS:  I have not seen any pre-order info for the expansion.

 

Please ask questions if you need more info.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Nakia

[Nyro]

@ Nyro, welcome to the forum and world of Eora.  I may not be the best person to sell you on this game.  I am an avid reader and a completionist.  To me  I backed this game with every cent I could scrounge up.  I also love this game and have spent hours playing it.  

 

You have already be warned that there is a lot reading in this game.  There is also a definite learning curve for playing the game.  I strongly advise taking your time right from the character creation onward.  Every decision you make does have its affect.  Explore and then explore some more.  Talk to people, dialogue is important.  It affects what people will tell you, what reputation you will achieve which also affects what people will say and do.     This is a very complicated game.  The devs tried to give players as many options as they could.

 

I played the early IE games and loved them but then I was playing the TES games so when PoE was released I spent a few hours just playing on easy with all hints and even the in-game tutorial turned on as I knew or at least certainly hoped that this would be more like those early RPGs.  

 

Enemies are not leveled to the character's level so be aware of that.   The game does have some leveling especially in the wilderness areas.  In the beginning the monsters are mostly low level.  It is the scripted quests that cause most people problems.    Even what first seems a simple fetch and carry task can have its surprises.  Although there is certainly a good bit of slash and bash in the game it is not a slash and bash game.

 

Please ask questions if you need more info.

I have only done the first quest so far but I like the pace so far. I am playing with tips as I have never played a game like this before. However the reading does not bother me, it makes the experience even more rewarding. I love a good story.

[Elzarath]

One thing to note is that most XP is gained through completing quests. Fighting monsters, enemies, creatures, etc. only gives you very limited XP.

[Nakia]

A little note that some new players don't realize.  You can pick up two pre-made party members in Gilded Vale and you can hire an adventurer at any inn.  Depending on what my PC is, class that is I usually hire a rogue to start as you do need someone with mechanics skill.  Endurance is important so give your party members points in athletics, recommendations vary but I think three is good.

[Nyro]

A little note that some new players don't realize.  You can pick up two pre-made party members in Gilded Vale and you can hire an adventurer at any inn.  Depending on what my PC is, class that is I usually hire a rogue to start as you do need someone with mechanics skill.  Endurance is important so give your party members points in athletics, recommendations vary but I think three is good.

My player character is a Fighter. I had to get some rest last night but I plan on playing a ton today.

[Cantousent]

I would say that, as a new player, you should probably pick up NPCs to fill out your party, even if they're the same class.  First of all, while you might have to make tough choices with early gear, each class has at least a little something different to contribute.  Fighters can be tanks, but they're not terrible damage dealers depending on how you customize them.  Wizards can be range damage dealers, but you can customize them to step up into the fray.  Then, when you get more NPCs to fill out the party, you can dump some members (which will cause grief because you will have come to know and love some of them.  Others you'll love to hate).

 

I would *not* eschew pre-made NPCs in favor of adventurers guild character you make.  One of the beautiful things about RPGs that focus on story is NPC interaction and NPC subquests.  You lose those if you don't take any NPCs.  Later, after your first run, you can theorize about party composition and experiment without losing the joy of the stories the pre-made NPCs provide.

[Nyro]

I would say that, as a new player, you should probably pick up NPCs to fill out your party, even if they're the same class.  First of all, while you might have to make tough choices with early gear, each class has at least a little something different to contribute.  Fighters can be tanks, but they're not terrible damage dealers depending on how you customize them.  Wizards can be range damage dealers, but you can customize them to step up into the fray.  Then, when you get more NPCs to fill out the party, you can dump some members (which will cause grief because you will have come to know and love some of them.  Others you'll love to hate).

 

I would *not* eschew pre-made NPCs in favor of adventurers guild character you make.  One of the beautiful things about RPGs that focus on story is NPC interaction and NPC subquests.  You lose those if you don't take any NPCs.  Later, after your first run, you can theorize about party composition and experiment without losing the joy of the stories the pre-made NPCs provide.

Yeah, I thought I would do a playthrough on easy to get my bearings and then I would have some basic knowledge of the game and be able to focus more on perfecting everything.

[Strange_Trees]

I guess my advice would be: Take your time. Explore, talk to NPCs, get a feel for the world. Don't always feel like you have to make the "right" choice for a quest.

 

Personally, there's nothing quite like the feeling of exploring a new game world fresh for the first time, and I think it's something worth savouring a bit

 

Oh, and don't forget to save often. Nothing frustrates me quite like getting murdered near the end of a level and realizing I haven't saves since I got through the door D:

[Nakia]

Nyro, I have a feeling you will learn the  game mechanics very quickly so if you do find easy difficulty too easy remember that you can switch to Normal in-game.  It works this way - go to options change the difficulty to normal then exit to a new area.  That changes the difficulty level.  Then you can go back to wherever you wish and try it out.

 

PS: Pick up every thing you have plenty of room in your stash.  Even those junky looking notes may be of importance.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Nakia

[Nyro]

Nyro, I have a feeling you will learn the  game mechanics very quickly so if you do find easy difficulty too easy remember that you can switch to Normal in-game.  It works this way - go to options change the difficulty to normal then exit to a new area.  That changes the difficulty level.  Then you can go back to wherever you wish and try it out.

 

PS: Pick up every thing you have plenty of room in your stash.  Even those junky looking notes may be of importance.

I may end up needing to up the difficulty we shall see. The only thing I do not like is that I wished it had a party based multiplayer system lol, but at the same time that would probably ruin the game. I can socialize on the forums

[macadam]

Its replay value stems from narrative content much more than from skill sets, although it's a lot of fun to try out different builds and such. There are no random encounters, so no need for grinding. A 'cheat' I recommend for story reasons is enabling the pointers in brackets for changes in reputation through dialogue choices. I did my first playthrough without and ended up with a deeply shizophrenic character who was both a compulsive liar and known for his honesty.

[Nakia]

I understand what you mean.  Next to actually playing the game what I enjoy most is discussing the game with others who are congenial.  That was true back in the early days and is still true now.  I love to find out how others are playing and it also gives me new ideas as to how to do things.

 

Multiplayer would change the game and I have seen interviews with the devs where they explain why they couldn't do that.  

[Nakia]

Its replay value stems from narrative content much more than from skill sets, although it's a lot of fun to try out different builds and such. There are no random encounters, so no need for grinding. A 'cheat' I recommend for story reasons is enabling the pointers in brackets for changes in reputation through dialogue choices. I did my first playthrough without and ended up with a deeply shizophrenic character who was both a compulsive liar and known for his honesty.

Yes, good idea.  I did one play where in Act II I couldn't get the rep for Defiance Bay up and I ended up with one quest giver not believing me and turning hostile.  Be careful about stealing things.  

[macadam]

The only thing I do not like is that I wished it had a party based multiplayer system lol, but at the same time that would probably ruin the game. I can socialize on the forums

Although I wouldn't touch any game's multiplayer with a ten foot pole, I'm still curious as to how you think it could *ruin* the game rather than benefit from it? I agree with you, mind but I'd still like to know.

[Nyro]

 

The only thing I do not like is that I wished it had a party based multiplayer system lol, but at the same time that would probably ruin the game. I can socialize on the forums

Although I wouldn't touch any game's multiplayer with a ten foot pole, I'm still curious as to how you think it could *ruin* the game rather than benefit from it? I agree with you, mind but I'd still like to know.

 

Well, with story driven content, from MY personal experience in games where you can make moral and or dialogue choices that effect the outcome multiplayer usually does 1 of 2 things to these types of *choices* you can make in games.....

 

1. Forces you to receive an outcome that did not match your character by being "outvoted" on that outcome by your team mates. (A LOT of mmos with choice/moral options have this issue)

 

or

 

2. You pretty much are just partying up to grind. Which can damage your own personal experience with a game in many ways such as:

*If you like to RP and you get stuck with people that do not want to.

 

*If you have a slower or faster gameplay pace then others in your group forcing you to either slow down or go faster then you want through content which can ruin your own personal experience with the game

 

Or simply you may be one of those people ( like me) that want to see everything a game has to offer and maybe your group members do not because they have already beaten the game multiple times or are just interested in loot.

 

Of course there are many more reasons but those are my major concerns with multiplayer RPGs of any kind. These things can be done right however but very few developers get them right.

 

 

**** Question: My wizard keeps getting targeted and taken out of fights early. I have defensive on my fighters but he still gets targeted by tyese darn shadows in the temple. Is there anything I could be doing to help him last longer in my fights? I have not had a complete party wipe yet but he gets knocked out A LOT?

[macadam]

Thanks for explaning, makes a lot of sense if put that way.

 

Well his name IS Aloth ... nvm, shutting up

 

Yeah teleporting to your wizard is their favourite pastime, I either put an off-tank next to him or just swap armors so that Eder gets targeted instead. I'm still fairly high level before braving the Temple in any case, because shades are generally terrible.

[MalVeauX]

I grew up on ARPGs such as Diablo and Diablo 2 and have pretty much stuck to that genre my whole life....but with ARPGs getting rather stale lately I decided to try something different. I knew of Baldur's Gate growing up but my cousin suggested Pillars of Eternity. Is there any basic tips you can give someone who has Never played a game like this before?

 

Heya,

 

So, Diablo is not an RPG at all. It's just a hack and slash action game essentially. It is similar in some ways, but these old cRPG type games that have a heavy focus on the roleplay aspect generally focus on dialog a lot. You make choices in the game that effect different outcomes and directions. Things like that are not in Diablo. You couldn't choose to just side with the Demons and lay waste to Tristram, nor could you attack Tyreal because you thought he was lying. Text dialog wasn't interactive, it was just back-story. So in a game like Pillars of Eternity, the dialog & text are story as well as choice making where you literally choose to do something or not, and it can have an outcome on things. How you say something matters too.

 

I really enjoyed Diablo 1, and put way too much of my time into Diablo 2 on the ladder on b.net, and pretty much watched the idea of Diablo die with the release of the cancer that is Diablo III. But honestly, I really enjoyed Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, Icewind Dale series, Neverwinter night series, and now Pillars of Eternity way more than any of the Diablo series, because I really like role playing. I actually much prefer the pen & paper approach to role playing with friends. But when you're not able to do that with a good group, these kinds of games help quench the thirst.

 

Why do I like games like Pillars of Eternity? Because I like an unfolding story where you make choices and you can be a Hero, or really, a selfish Villain basically, or totally apathetic and just in it for the loot and swag, and you get to have more than one character and they actually interact and matter to each other. The game has a strong focus on combat, which is different from some other cRPG's where you can essentially find alternative methods around situations other than combat (and some exist in Pillars).

 

Very best,

[Nyro]

^{Does this game have a time limit?}

Edited July 14, 2015 by Nyro

[Nakia]

^{Does this game have a time limit?}

No, you can play at your own pace.  Skip a quest and go back to it later which in some cases is a good idea.

[Nyro]

 

^{Does this game have a time limit?}

No, you can play at your own pace.  Skip a quest and go back to it later which in some cases is a good idea.

 

Thank you . This forum is A LOT more helpful then steam forums for questions lol.

[Nakia]

  Thank you, I think there are several reasons for that.  1) We are serious role players here. 2) Even when we disagree with each other we are still comrades. 3) By posting on the official forums we can drive the developers crazy with all our suggestions as to how to improve the game.  4) We have really good moderators here. 

 

Ps: Some of the developers are well known to posters here.  Obsidian is a family of sorts with all that entails.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Nakia