Need Advice on PC and Party Comp

[Drachenwulf]

I did some searching and I can't find the advice im looking for so I apologize if I missed a thread or post that suits my needs.

 

In Games such as PoE I tend to have an obsession with finding  all the hidden loot and being able to open all locked chests and doors, and since it also provides xp, disarming traps.

 

So my first instinct is to go with a rogue, and in PoE since there is no rogue companion early on it seems like a reasonable decision. but I have a few questions, as I want a rogue in PoE for reasons that don't need getting into at this juncture.

 

Is there an Attribute or skill or ability that affects whether or not you spot traps or hidden thing when in scout mode?

 

Is a rogue Needed or Wanted in the party?

 

Is it better to have a Tanky character as the PC?

 

What are my options for either PC or Companions for Crowd Control?

 

These are all the questions I can comeup with at the moment...

[Psychevore]

Is there an Attribute or skill or ability that affects whether or not you spot traps or hidden thing when in scout mode?

Only Mechanics affects it. Nothing else.

 

Is a rogue Needed or Wanted in the party?

Needed, no. Wanted is entirely up to you. They are the easiest to get to 10 mechanics though.

 

Is it better to have a Tanky character as the PC?

Tankyness doesn't matter, I think. Personally though, I do prefer the PC to be melee, as the PC special skills work best on a frontline warrior imo, but that might just be a matter of preference.

 

What are my options for either PC or Companions for Crowd Control?

I'm not entirely sure what you mean here.

 

Every class has some sort of CC. Ciphers, Wizards and to a lesser extent Priest are the best though. (not sure about Druids, I use them purely as massive damage dealers)

[lameover]

I prefer DDs\supporters as the PC.

Don't forget about respec, so in early game (~1-5lvl) you can level up mechanics on your PC, then it'd be better to respec Kana to mechanics.

Check this videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4UqltmSKaEeCbgMY7nx2U0kngJ77wwhX it's really helpfull.

[Ymarsakar]

I did some searching and I can't find the advice im looking for so I apologize if I missed a thread or post that suits my needs.

 

In Games such as PoE I tend to have an obsession with finding  all the hidden loot and being able to open all locked chests and doors, and since it also provides xp, disarming traps.

 

So my first instinct is to go with a rogue, and in PoE since there is no rogue companion early on it seems like a reasonable decision. but I have a few questions, as I want a rogue in PoE for reasons that don't need getting into at this juncture.

 

Is there an Attribute or skill or ability that affects whether or not you spot traps or hidden thing when in scout mode?

 

Is a rogue Needed or Wanted in the party?

 

Is it better to have a Tanky character as the PC?

 

What are my options for either PC or Companions for Crowd Control?

 

These are all the questions I can comeup with at the moment...

The rogue is the highest single dps class. So generally a balance party is tank, healer, dps. Most of the classes in Pillars is a hybrid, so you get some interesting combinations, which can be extended with buffs and equipment changes. The rogue would by itself fill the dps slot, so that frees you from picking another dps class.

 

They made it so that you can spot things automatically, outside scout mode. I'm sure it still uses mechanics, but it's a lot easier now. But traps and spotting hidden stuff is made by mechanics, and there's no separate skill required to unlock hidden chambers (other than solving puzzles).

 

Crowd control is generally taken care of by the cipher, the wizard, or the druid. With chanter, priest, and ranger having a little bit of a debuff too. Paralysis, stuns, prone, petrified, stuck for crowd control are the most powerful.

 

If you want a tank as main, then the paladin. Any class can take mechanics per level, but the rogue can get it up faster due to the initial bonus. Later levels cost less.

Edited September 4, 2015 by Ymarsakar

[jsaving]

One thing to consider in choosing your main character is that the PC does all the talking and reaps all the rewards and penalties that come with that.  PC priests and paladins get slightly better Holy Radiance and Faith and Conviction abilities; PCs who lack a high Lore skill miss out on some information; PCs with low Resolve miss some opportunities to persuade or intimidate.  These differences are small, but if you (for example) wanted a rogue and paladin in your party but weren't sure which one to make your PC and which one should be hired at an inn, it might be slightly better to go with a paladin as your main character and the rogue as a hireling. 

[Drachenwulf]

From playing a bit I do know that Eder is fairly tanky, is one tank enough or would a second be beneficial?

 

Considering many of the damaging aoe spells damage anything in the aoe, including party members, should I stick to single target dps? or is some aoe dps needed?

[KDubya]

From playing a bit I do know that Eder is fairly tanky, is one tank enough or would a second be beneficial?

 

Considering many of the damaging aoe spells damage anything in the aoe, including party members, should I stick to single target dps? or is some aoe dps needed?

 

 

I like to have either 2 melee with a ranger pet or 3 melee guys up front to establish the battle line. Having just Eder and five guys in dresses casting spells might not work as well as it used to.

 

A higher intellect gives you and expanded foe only zone in your AoE attacks that you can use to hit the enemies but not your own team. Also many AoE are foe only and these can be cast with impunity.

 

 

 

 

On the paladin or rogue discussion, you can choose a starting trade that gets you +1 mechanics as a paladin. It costs 9 more skill points then someone like a chanter or cipher who gets one point at free or 17 more skill points than a rogue but you can get a paladin's mechanic skill up to ten. Finding the mechanic gloves would help a bunch. I always liked to have the trap finder be up front and a squishy caster type might not like to be the first thing that enemies see.

 

Really all you need are 3 athletics for everyone on the team, you're going to rest when the weakest gets fatigued anyway so no use to go past 3 except for one dedicated athlete to do the swimming type missions. Depending on your use of consumables survival can be left low at 3 or so, wherever they start to get expensive. Stealth at 3 or so is cheap and lets you get into range easily. All that remains is lore and a paladin starts with two free points. Add in another free at start and you are at 3. Level two scrolls will take one skill point, level three will take six skill points, level four will take fifteen skill points. Its easy enough to get to level three scroll use and have ten in mechanics.

[Drachenwulf]

Okay say I go for a paladin; this will be for my first complete playthrough on easy mode (unless you can convince me to go normal) what races besides Moon Godlike?

 

should I drop any stats below 10?

 

if this character is likely going to offtank, what order should I pick?

[KDubya]

Go at least normal difficulty

 

I personally do not like the godlike race, or at least the moon and possibly fire due to being OP. Having three AoE heals per encounter for free that auto activate sounds like cheating to me. The Death one seems balanced as does the Nature.

 

I like Dwarves, Boreal ones anyway. The +15 accuracy to two of the more common enemy types is noticeable. Plus Dwarves are cool.

 

Pale elves are nice with their  +10 fire and frost DR, really takes the sting out of many magic attacks.

 

Humans are always solid. Getting bonuses if you take a bunch of damage could change the outcome of a fight.

 

Coastal Amaumau get a bonus versus stun and prone, ok but not game changing.

 

Island Amaumau get an extra weapon slot which can make a big difference. Have a ranged weapon, a two hander and a weapon and shield, swapping as needed. Or as a Paladin you could go with Soldier weapon group have a warhammer and shield or two handed sword in one slot and have two arquebus in the other two to switch to for a big time Flame of Devotion shot and not worry about the reload, just fire and switch weapons. 

 

Really any of the races will work fine, better to go with what you like.

 

 

 

For stats I wouldn't drop any below a 10 and I would not max any of them either. All of them are useful depending on your playstyle and build.

 

 

For the Order I'd go with one that interests you either for their abilities or for their personality likes and dislikes. If you can't role play aggressive and cruel stay away from a Bleak Walker. Likewise If you need to sacrifice a companion for a minor stat buff don't pick any order that dislikes cruel behavior.

[Ymarsakar]

Moon godlike is pretty op for first and second line party members. Having more than one, you won't even need to heal yourself. It's an auto heal. For every ally on 2 screens over.

 

Normal and hard isn't much different. Path of the damned is where things get real different tactically.

 

<B> Having three AoE heals per encounter for free that auto activate sounds like cheating to me.</b>

 

Whoever is doing the balance changes tend to buff things too much and then nerf things too hard. They complained about the moon godlike being useless, so now it's what it is. Of course, it was useless to people back then because most people didn't know how to use any tactics in Pillars to begin with. It was probably a little bit weak, but most of that was due to the opaqueness of the tool tips. 

 

Generally a melee tank can keep 1-2 enemies engaged, via swapping, without terrain bottlenecks or talents. On path of the damned, the spiders may number 5+ so one tank won't handle them. In certain caves and waves, there might be 10+ of them. Wildlings are also a problem, because of their AI and paladin heals. The beasts are dangerous because of their high dps and stats.

 

Generally build eder with sword and shield and have him as fighter switch main tanking with the paladin. That should work. Generally if you find the game too difficult, bring in more paladins/monks/priests. The paladin and fighter can fight back to back, so they aren't easily flanked. Also makes it easier to cast buffs and heals on them from one area.

 

People who can tank, who can dps, and who can heal, are always pretty op. As for tanking, you just need deflection and DR. So anyone can wear full plate, if you get it. After that is whoever has the most endurance/health and then healing.

Edited September 5, 2015 by Ymarsakar

[Drachenwulf]

Do you guys still think Moon Godlike are OP when you consider that Silver tide is now once per encounter?

 

and what is the difference then bettween Easy and Normal?

 

an aside from Eder, and the wizard in guilded vale (his name escapes me right now) and Durance, which other 2 companions should I consider for my party? (for both a paladin and a rogue PC)

[Nobear]

Do you guys still think Moon Godlike are OP when you consider that Silver tide is now once per encounter?

 

and what is the difference then bettween Easy and Normal?

 

an aside from Eder, and the wizard in guilded vale (his name escapes me right now) and Durance, which other 2 companions should I consider for my party? (for both a paladin and a rogue PC)

 

1) Wait what?? Silver Tide is now once per encounter? I still haven't had time to really get into the expansion yet. Can anyone else confirm this as well?

 

2) All four difficulties vary by the number of enemies. Occasionally they might vary by type as well, like replacing a few weak xaurips with a stronger type of xaurip. Only PoTD also affects the stats of enemies.

 

3) For my PoTD party (meaning it'll work even better for lower difficulties), I have a PC paladin main and Eder as tanks, Aloth the wizard and Durance, Hiravias the druid, and Grieving Mother the cipher. I really like the synergy in this composition. Make sure to adjust a custom formation to your liking, and fights can be really well controlled like this. You will also be very versatile in terms of everything you might need to face different challenges. Multiple of these companions can DPS, CC, and debuff, in slightly different ways that you can choose from based on the specifics of the situation, and Durance is great for buffs among other things.

 

One tank race that didn't get mentioned is the Wild Orlan, which was certainly popular pre-2.0, especially for tanking dragons with their fear auras which would keep their defenses high. As I mentioned, I haven't played much in 2.0, so I can't tell you whether tanks are squishy enough now to get good use out of abilities like Silver Tide. Pre-2.0, Silver Tide sounded great on paper, but hardly saw any use after about level 6, when a well-built tank could become practically invincible outside of a small handful of fights. Now I really don't know how the changes have affected that, but I still think a Wild Orlan is an option worth mentioning.

[lameover]

1) Wait what?? Silver Tide is now once per encounter? I still haven't had time to really get into the expansion yet. Can anyone else confirm this as well?

It hits once per 75% 50% and 25% endurance. After you reach 25% and Silver Tide strikes, then it's all. No more Silver Tides until next encounter

[Nobear]

 

1) Wait what?? Silver Tide is now once per encounter? I still haven't had time to really get into the expansion yet. Can anyone else confirm this as well?

It hits once per 75% 50% and 25% endurance. After you reach 25% and Silver Tide strikes, then it's all. No more Silver Tides until next encounter

 

 

So nothing has changed in 2.0? It still hits anywhere from 0 to 3 times per encounter, depending on how much endurance is lost and in what size chunks?

[Wolken3156]

So my first instinct is to go with a rogue, and in PoE since there is no rogue companion early on it seems like a reasonable decision. but I have a few questions, as I want a rogue in PoE for reasons that don't need getting into at this juncture.

 

Is there an Attribute or skill or ability that affects whether or not you spot traps or hidden thing when in scout mode?

 

Is a rogue Needed or Wanted in the party?

The Mechanics skill governs both trap disarming, spotting hidden caches and lock picking. So technically any class can actually do it. Rogues, Ciphers and Wizards tend to be the standouts though since all three have starting points in the skill. Its worth noting a Priest might consider it as well, since it also governs the accuracy of your own traps, and the Priest's trap spells work off it.

 

That said, a Rogue isn't a terrible character by any means. A melee Rogue has the highest single target DPS of any class, while a ranged Rogue is no slouch at it either. Of course, the drawbacks are that they lack decent defensive options, so it can be tricky to keep them alive, especially on higher difficulties.

 

 

Is it better to have a Tanky character as the PC?

Paladins are a strong choice for the main character since Faith and Conviction gets bonuses depending on your main character's choices, and only the main character can get these bonuses.

 

To be fair though, it really doesn't matter what class the main character is, just pick whichever you prefer. I personally prefer having my main character as a Cipher, since I like casters, and my character is a liar and steals from everyone.

 

... I'm a terrible person.

 

From playing a bit I do know that Eder is fairly tanky, is one tank enough or would a second be beneficial?

I prefer running two tanks, though I usually give each of my characters some kind of defensive tool in case things go south, just in case. If you give Aloth Arcane Veil he makes a fine tank as well (Believe it or not).

 

Considering many of the damaging aoe spells damage anything in the aoe, including party members, should I stick to single target dps? or is some aoe dps needed?

Eh, I'd go with both. AoE spells have a safe spot (Represented by the yellow bit of the indicator), so once you have high INT score, a lot spells become very safe to cast.

 

Okay say I go for a paladin; this will be for my first complete playthrough on easy mode (unless you can convince me to go normal) what races besides Moon Godlike?

I prefer Pale Elf for the elemental resistances. Coastal Aumua is good too for the high defenses against Prone and Stun. Lay on Hands is so insane with a high Might score that you actually don't even need Moon Godlike's Silver Tide. Having both is just... overheal.

 

should I drop any stats below 10?

Depends on the class, but its often not really needed except in PotD, and even then you can do without doing so.

 

For a Paladin though, Dexterity is their least important stat. Perception would probably be the next one to drop, but I would only drop it if your aiming to just be a specialized meat bag. The other stats are far too important to justify dropping.

 

if this character is likely going to offtank, what order should I pick?

Paladins actually should be the "main tank" since they have the highest defenses of any class >_>

 

Darcozzi, Goldpact and St. Elcga are the best ones for tank based Paladins. Darcozzi get Inspiring Liberation which gives an Accuracy bonus, Goldpact get  Bond of Duty which protects against Confuse, Charm and Domination (The most annoying ailments), and finally St. Elcga get both Shielding Flames and Shielding Touch which gives allies Deflection bonuses.

 

For damage dealing Paladins, Bleak Walkers are the way to go, Remeber Rakhan Field is a very strong buff to Flames of Devotion. Goldpact is also a decent choice for Enduring Flames.

 

Do you guys still think Moon Godlike are OP when you consider that Silver tide is now once per encounter?

They're still one of the stronger races.

 

an aside from Eder, and the wizard in guilded vale (his name escapes me right now) and Durance, which other 2 companions should I consider for my party? (for both a paladin and a rogue PC)

Kana Rua is the next to join, he's an Island Aumua Chanter. Chanters typically specialize in buffs and summons.

Sagani is a Boreal Dwarf Ranger. Rangers are strictly ranged damage dealers. With the buffs they've received they're pretty strong now.

Pallegina is a Avian Godlike Paladin. She's also the worst character in the game due to not being able to access her order's talents. You can ignore her.

Hiravias is a Hearth Orlan Druid. Druids as I mentioned are good at crowd control. They can also Shapeshift to deal some good melee damage as well.

Grieving Mother is a Human Cipher. Ciphers are primarily damage dealers but they have excellent control and buffs as well.

Zahua is a Human Monk. Monks are good as either tanks or damage dealers.

The Devil of Caroc is a... Rogue. She's... also not a very good companion either, so I wouldn't get too excited on her.

 

The best companions though are obviously the ones you can make yourself. Though keep in mind they don't add any additional dialog and cannot contribute to conversations.

[Nobear]

 

So my first instinct is to go with a rogue, and in PoE since there is no rogue companion early on it seems like a reasonable decision. but I have a few questions, as I want a rogue in PoE for reasons that don't need getting into at this juncture.

 

Is there an Attribute or skill or ability that affects whether or not you spot traps or hidden thing when in scout mode?

 

Is a rogue Needed or Wanted in the party?

The Mechanics skill governs both trap disarming, spotting hidden caches and lock picking. So technically any class can actually do it. Rogues, Ciphers and Wizards tend to be the standouts though since all three have starting points in the skill. Its worth noting a Priest might consider it as well, since it also governs the accuracy of your own traps, and the Priest's trap spells work off it.

 

That said, a Rogue isn't a terrible character by any means. A melee Rogue has the highest single target DPS of any class, while a ranged Rogue is no slouch at it either. Of course, the drawbacks are that they lack decent defensive options, so it can be tricky to keep them alive, especially on higher difficulties.

 

if this character is likely going to offtank, what order should I pick?

Paladins actually should be the "main tank" since they have the highest defenses of any class >_>

 

Darcozzi, Goldpact and St. Elcga are the best ones for tank based Paladins. Darcozzi get Inspiring Liberation which gives an Accuracy bonus, Goldpact get  Bond of Duty which protects against Confuse, Charm and Domination (The most annoying ailments), and finally St. Elcga get both Shielding Flames and Shielding Touch which gives allies Deflection bonuses.

 

I like most of what you say in this post, but I'm quoting two parts to which I have comments:

 

First, the priest's seal spells were changed from traps to hazards, and are no longer affected by Mechanics. I forget which version this change was made in, but it was definitely before 2.0.

 

Second, I'd like to elaborate about the paladin orders you mentioned.

 

1) Darkozzi also gets a personal flame shield for 15 sec base after using Flames of Devotion, although Inspiring Liberation seems to be by far the more popular "must-have" talent from that order. It causes one of your twice/encounter exhortations to also grant +10 Accuracy, which will stack if applied twice to the same ally.

 

2) Goldpact I've heard mentioned in tank order discussions, but for a different reason. I don't find Bond of Duty to be needed if you have Righteous Soul (which all paladins can take), and with a priest in your party you will also eventually get spells to protect everyone from specific CC effects, including the various forms of mind control. The reason I've heard Goldpact mentioned is that (along with Bleak Walkers) they don't despise cruelty. Without spoiling too much, there's a point in the game in which you can make your PC slightly stronger in one of several ways, but you have to have at least one point in Cruel. However, it would be kind of silly to take a hit in Faith and Conviction just for this. TBH, this benefit is so small it's barely worth mentioning, but it has been mentioned before FWIW.

 

3) One thing you should make sure you fully understand if you want to make a Shieldbearer is that those Deflection bonuses to allies do not apply to yourself. They can still be helpful for your other tank and/or front row, or even for your whole party in certain situations when things get messy.

[Ymarsakar]

Paladin is a pretty op class right now, since for emergency spike healing their lay on hands has a high tick and casts quickly. In fact many of the paladin abilities are either instantaneous or fast, which saves a lot of time. Got to love trying to heal party members before Caed Nua with the priest, when his dex sucks and then the tank dies before the heal even activates. Consecrated ground and the ionic dps/heal wave attack are the most used 2nd level spells for priest. I didn't really use the level 3+ buffs all that much. I kept saving them for unpredictable fights later on, but my control techniques made harder fights more manageable.

 

Druids are awesome in corridor and bridge fights, anywhere where terrain bottlenecks can create a kill zone. Don't even need melee tanks for that, just someone to block them from going across the line while everyone else just snipes at range.

 

As for difficult, per some early tests and beta information, the tooltips are relatively accurate for difficulty rating once you read them in the options. Generally, each encounter has a mix of enemy types which may be different groups together or different sub types of the same group. So if there is six in your party, and you meet 3 slimes, you can manage easily. If those 3 slimes are replaced by the more dangerous slimes, you would have a slightly more difficult issue on hand. If those 3 weak slimes are in front, then 3 more hard ones spawn in the back, that's even more difficult. At the highest difficulties, you have everything spawn in each encounter, they all have more hp and defenses, and they might be packing some special caster type enemies as well on top.

 

Easy and normal are good for people that dislike the combat system in Pillars and just want to do quests and grind out experience to get more powerful items and abilities, to finish the game quickly. Hard and Path of the Damned, cater more to people who like to play tactical games like X Com Ufo defense (old one) and various war games/simulators. As it allows longer fights and more detailed understanding of enemy defenses and behavior.

 

Generally if you go with the stronger builds and combinations now, hard basically becomes like normal or easy in terms of relative difficulty. A person that is figuring all of this out, playing on normal, will have a difficult time. It took me several fights against enemy party compositions in this game before I got good at understanding and using my own party's power combos. So a lot of fights become a breeze as you gain tactical knowledge and in game stats/items/power.

 

<B>3) For my PoTD party (meaning it'll work even better for lower difficulties), I have a PC paladin main and Eder as tanks, Aloth the wizard and Durance, Hiravias the druid, and Grieving Mother the cipher.</b>

 

I used that combo before as well, and it's pretty strong, especially with per encounter spells. But before then, I tended to hoard spells overly much so a lot of my casters also became support ranged dps. That required a couple of respecs though, in 1.03. Except my main was always the cipher and pallegina filled in the paladin slot.

 

I generally experiment with different stat combinations with the companion classes using the console. This saves me from having to miss out on some story dialogue and it saves me from having to create an entirely new characters which I have to manage the inventory of.

 

<B>an aside from Eder, and the wizard in guilded vale (his name escapes me right now) and Durance, which other 2 companions should I consider for my party? (for both a paladin and a rogue PC)</b>

 

Eder, Aloth, Durance, and Kana the chanter are available in the first area group.

 

The rest are only available after you get through a few hard fights against a certain fortress along the crit path.

 

So generally you won't need to choose in the early days. You only need to choose once you get past the crit path and the world opens up more. Then you can collect the druid, the cipher, the paladin, or the ranger. And the White March npcs too.

 

Party composition is generally something you need to worry about only if you play on Path of the Damned and only if you lack certain roles. So basic party composition is made out of tank, dps, healing.

 

So if you choose some of the op healing builds or the paladin, you don't have to worry about healng, and can choose as many tank or dps classes as you wish.

 

So a paladin MC has the tank/healing roles down, usually. A rogue MC has the dps role down. The other 5 slots can then be filled however you wish, so long as you at least keep the party ratio in balance. 1 tank, 1 dps, 1 healer. So for example,

 

Paladin fills tank and healer role at same time.

Cipher can fill the tank and dps role at the same time if you got the armor.

Ranger is better at the dps role, in range. For tanking, they have relatively good deflection and health.

Priest has the healing role

Druid has the dps/control role as well as some close range aoe healing spells.

 

Or to use the Kickstarter npc guides, the classes are set into various categories.

 

Leaders who provide healing and buffs. Paladin and priest.

 

Hard hitters, the primary single target dps characters like cipher or rogue or ranger.

 

The tough mainline fighters and tanks. Monk, Fighter. The barbarian is somewhere between a second line fighter and an aoe dps. The paladin is a strong hybrid of healing and tanking roles.

 

The aoe debuff/dps/control class like the Druid and Wizard.

 

The designers at Obsidian wanted for a more flexible class system with a few hybrid elements, in order to avoid multi class and other game balance issues. So a lot of the classes have powers that can do a number of different roles as they level up. Because any class can use any weapon or armor combination, there's no limitation due to that.

 

http://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Monk

 

The wiki is still a good place to get some background information on various classes. It's also good for role playing.

Edited September 6, 2015 by Ymarsakar

[Drachenwulf]

can you adjust stats using the console? I thought you could only add talents and such

[Nobear]

can you adjust stats using the console? I thought you could only add talents and such

 

 

You can, but I'm not the only player who has had major issues with these console commands messing things up unpredictably. Ymarsakar is one who has apparently avoided these issues. Personally, the one time I tried doing something simple (removing one talent from each of my tanks and replacing it with another), it caused weird glitches like the new talent not being successfully added, yet some other talent being listed twice on my character sheet.

 

So be forewarned, and keep a save from before you start messing with console commands, if you want to experiment with that. Fortunately, it's not remotely necessary to do this, even on PoTD, especially with the respec feature. The respec feature doesn't let you edit stats on the story companions, but I consider myself an average skilled player and have beaten the game on a completionist PoTD run with all companions. Now that you've been warned, do whatever you want .

[Ymarsakar]

There's potentially a lot of issues with spelling. If you mispell a command or talent, who knows what'll happen. But I avoid adding or removing talents, that's not really necessary due to IE Mod class change commands or the recent Re Specialization system.

 

http://rien-ici.com/iemod/pillars_of_eternity

 

The commands are on there.

 

The safest way to use them is to type them out on the notepad and copy/paste.

 

Generally, it's pretty hard to mess up attribute changes. It either works or it doesn't. And if it does work and some other attribute changed, the msg pops out and you can check your spelling.

 

There was  a serious bug back in 1.0 I think it was, that certain effects on you didn't go away and various modals stacked until forever, due to save/reload bug. So IE class change actually got rid of some of that. It runs an auto script that removes the class' abilities, just like the new respec option. Some stuff they left out or removed too much back when the script was still new, but I could always add it back in using a simple search on the Pillars of Eternity\PillarsOfEternity_Data\assetbundles\prefabs\objectbundle

 

Now the IE Mod is pretty polished, although a lot of beta changes due to the PX1 patch.

 

<B>Personally, the one time I tried doing something simple (removing one talent from each of my tanks and replacing it with another), it caused weird glitches like the new talent not being successfully added, yet some other talent being listed twice on my character sheet.</b>

 

I recommend using the IE mod for that, it's a lot safer, but you have to relevel up. That way, they check what you should or shouldn't have. However, the mod replaces a code file, and if you have gog, you should back up that entire folder due to the way patches work. In the objectbundle folder talents start with tln_arcane_veil

 

So it's important to use the exact case and spacing there, hence why I used notepad to get it just right. If you get it wrong or shorten it, the game may add the "effect" not the talent or power, so you get a double stack of it and the save file gets bugged until that character gets reloaded or purified by a script. The attribute changes are much simpler. You don't need to hunt for item names or talent names in that folder.

 

The only time I need to add talents instead of re spec is because of wizards like Aloth. So annoying.

Edited September 6, 2015 by Ymarsakar

[abaris]

 

So my first instinct is to go with a rogue, and in PoE since there is no rogue companion early on it seems like a reasonable decision. but I have a few questions, as I want a rogue in PoE for reasons that don't need getting into at this juncture.

 

For the longest time I played kind of a rogue/Cypher hybrid. Cyphers are pretty good for the job, given the right profession chosen in their backstory. Merchant or laborer are the ones to go, since they give you a boost to mechanics. There's also no other talent that needs to be upped with Cyphers. A few notches on athletics and the rest into mechanics and you can open every chest and disarm every trap.

 

Now I've chosen a different tactic. Create a custom rogue, and - since I have the expansion - then go with the devil.

[Drachenwulf]

Okay going to try a Moon Godlike Paladin.  Since I don't like being cruel in games like this and am not one to Saccrifice even annoying companions, bleak walkers is off the table.  Is Kind Wayfarers a bad choice for a paladin tank?

 

How high should I bump the Highly recommended and recomended stats?

[Ymarsakar]

Okay going to try a Moon Godlike Paladin.  Since I don't like being cruel in games like this and am not one to Saccrifice even annoying companions, bleak walkers is off the table.  Is Kind Wayfarers a bad choice for a paladin tank?

 

How high should I bump the Highly recommended and recomended stats?

 

There's a talent to negate penalties to disposition on the paladin. So you can still roleplay as you wish without taking penalties, and still might gain bonuses from any points in the disposition they like.

 

It's just not extremely optimized. A talent is pretty rare to use on something like that. Then again, paladins are pretty strong, so it won't bother them much having one less talent. Getting huge defenses from the disposition is a power stronger than a talent anyways.

 

If you intend to tank, then your resolve should be pretty high, near 15-16 to 18. Your con may be sufficient at 10, I recommend 12-13. Might is good enough at 14 or above. INT increases the aura of your modals and exhortation buffs, so can be pretty important as leader.

 

PER can be left at 10 unless you plan to wield two handed weapons that stun on crit, but that one's a different build than the tank healer one.

 

The interesting thing about a paladin is that its abilities don't rely on large dmg like a cipher needs for his focus gain. It doesn't even need dexterity since the abilities are fast casts. So the stat differences for a build doesn't affect the tactics as much.

 

Kindwayfers have a healing ability that procs when you kill something. So it's even better as a tank healer, if you can get the last hit in.

Edited September 7, 2015 by Ymarsakar

[Grimtong]

So it's even better as a tank healer, if you can get the last hit in.

That's a bit difficult for tank to last hit something =(

[Ymarsakar]

 

So it's even better as a tank healer, if you can get the last hit in.

That's a bit difficult for tank to last hit something =(

 

 

It's a little bit easier for paladin given the flames, double handed, and perception dps buff. Bloody slaughter talent actually is beneficial there as well as godlike death. It works better with a combo between blunderbuss cipher, since the blunderbuss cipher does not want to hit an enemy that's almost dead. So it makes more sense for the other people, like the tanks, to finish em off.

 

The party can just sit and watch as the paladin duels people, and against small weak enemies like spiders, it'll happen more naturally.

 

A min maxed 18 con 18 int 18 might, 3 per, 3 dex, paladin may still work, but the more balanced paladin can do about the same with higher accuracy.

 

Before PX1 2.0, my tanks needed extremely high deflection, and probably still do at earlier levels. Now at level 9-11, I find that the extremely high deflection builds I used before, aren't as necessary now. More dps and healing gets me some more flexible options, and paladin still has that ultra fast lay on hands healing and exhortations. A paladin and defensive monk built with cc in mind and torment's reach, can tank lots of fish wildlings in White March, high level content enabled and Path of the Damned. Switching between a large weapon for dps and then using a backup shield for when you need deflection, feels much more natural and efficient now than before. Since the aggro has more chances of changing and sometimes they just ignore the tanks.

Edited September 7, 2015 by Ymarsakar