Newbie Question - how do you start a game with 2 PCs?

[rputran]

Have been reading about various party options and a common suggestions is to build 2 characters and then use companions for the remaining 4. How does one start a game with 2 characters?

 

[Gfted1]

You can hire custom adventurers at any inn.

[Torm51]

You do not start it with 2.  After you get through the opening area you will run into a town. At that tavern or any tavern in Dyrwood the inn keeper will have an option for you to ask them if they know anyone that is looking for work.  Select that option and it will take you to the custom party member character creator screen,

[jsaving]

In Baldur's Gate 1/2, joinable NPCs often came with extra abilities (like Minsc's 1/rest barbarian rage or Edwin's extra spell slots) that you'd lose if you were to create your own party members.  In Pillars of Eternity, by contrast, joinable NPCs have no extra abilities (for the most part) and suffer from poor attribute choices that the devs chose not to let you fix through respeccing.  This means your party is strictly weaker with joinable NPCs than it would be if you were to simply roll all your characters yourself. 

 

Because the game isn't that difficult, my preference is to accept the weakness that comes from using 5 joinable NPCs in exchange for seeing their personalities through the game.  A true min/maxer, on the other hand, would roll every party member himself in order to squeeze out every ounce of power he could for the party.  As you say, a common compromise between these two views is to roll up one additional party member at an inn (often a rogue, paladin, or wizard) and then use 4 of the joinable NPCs. 

[Ymarsakar]

The NPC stats can be changed though. What absolutely can't be changed is the race/gender/culture of the companion npcs.

 

The rebalanced classes are very powerful now, and my primary issue in potd is finding ways to de level and downgrade the party's power, not using scrolls and pots help but not enough.

 

This is mostly around Act 2 and 3 though, so there's probably that big gap between levels. But it's also because of how many stats in POTD got nerfed down besides the special battles.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Ymarsakar

[Blades of Vanatar]

The starting NPCs do have unique equipment. Eder's armor is worthwhile.

[KDubya]

The stats for the companions aren't min/maxed, there is no 3 con glass cannon but they all are more than usable on PotD.

 

Take Eder, for a general purpose Fighter his stats are pretty close to what you'd pick if you could. You want a high might, high con, with the rest it doesn't matter as much. Even his higher than average intellect helps with all a Fighter's duration based abilities which now are more of the core of a Fighter.

 

Aloth would have a higher Might score if you built him but what difference does it make? Maybe you could pick up 12% more damage but its not as if he is a gimp. In my groups he is at worst second in damage output, beaten by the PC if at all.

 

Even Durance with his super Resolve score still does what a Priest is supposed to do which is cast buffs as well as the next Priest. Make use of his higher than normal deflection and put him on or near the front lines to cast his regenerating battle spells and he is perfect.

[Oralaina]

You do not start it with 2.  After you get through the opening area you will run into a town. At that tavern or any tavern in Dyrwood the inn keeper will have an option for you to ask them if they know anyone that is looking for work.  Select that option and it will take you to the custom party member character creator screen,

 

You do need more copper than you'll probably have at that point though....

[Ymarsakar]

The stats for the companions aren't min/maxed, there is no 3 con glass cannon but they all are more than usable on PotD.

 

Take Eder, for a general purpose Fighter his stats are pretty close to what you'd pick if you could. You want a high might, high con, with the rest it doesn't matter as much. Even his higher than average intellect helps with all a Fighter's duration based abilities which now are more of the core of a Fighter.

 

Aloth would have a higher Might score if you built him but what difference does it make? Maybe you could pick up 12% more damage but its not as if he is a gimp. In my groups he is at worst second in damage output, beaten by the PC if at all.

 

Even Durance with his super Resolve score still does what a Priest is supposed to do which is cast buffs as well as the next Priest. Make use of his higher than normal deflection and put him on or near the front lines to cast his regenerating battle spells and he is perfect.

 

Pretty much agree, although Durance's low dex will hurt him at level 9 when he needs to bump out as many spells as he can. Although the "quadratic wizard" thing applies to all these standard ish casters at that level and beyond.

[rputran]

When I get to the inn and get to the relevant screen it says adventurers not available. Does that have anything to do with either not having any copper or that my level is still 1 (have not levelled up) ?

[mosspit]

Because he are level 1. The max level of the adventurers you can hire is 1 below that of your PC.

[Vorad]

 

You do not start it with 2.  After you get through the opening area you will run into a town. At that tavern or any tavern in Dyrwood the inn keeper will have an option for you to ask them if they know anyone that is looking for work.  Select that option and it will take you to the custom party member character creator screen,

 

You do need more copper than you'll probably have at that point though....

 

If you loot all the starting area + the village and sell the stuff then you have enough money to build a full party at the inn. I have employed this tactic many times and sold every loot appart from eder's armor, everything else is subpar and you can sell it.

Edited September 18, 2015 by Vorad

[rputran]

Yes. I levelled up and then tried and I got to create a custom character. Thanks everyone.

[Nobear]

If you loot all the starting area + the village and sell the stuff then you have enough money to build a full party at the inn. I have employed this tactic many times and sold every loot appart from eder's armor, everything else is subpar and you can sell it.

 

You can also take advantage of what some might consider an exploit, but it's been the case and has never been fixed... Heodan (the rogue merchant at the beginning of the game) pays dramatically more for your items than any other merchant will. Depending on your difficulty setting and personal preferences, you could sell everything you collect just before you loot the waterskin (even Caliscia's and your armor; the weapons you're using are probably still going to mean more to you if you don't sell them).

 

And then there's... oops, I forgot how to do spoiler tags lol.

Edited September 19, 2015 by Nobear

[Vorad]

 

If you loot all the starting area + the village and sell the stuff then you have enough money to build a full party at the inn. I have employed this tactic many times and sold every loot appart from eder's armor, everything else is subpar and you can sell it.

 

You can also take advantage of what some might consider an exploit, but it's been the case and has never been fixed... Heodan (the rogue merchant at the beginning of the game) pays dramatically more for your items than any other merchant will. Depending on your difficulty setting and personal preferences, you could sell everything you collect just before you loot the waterskin (even Caliscia's and your armor; the weapons you're using are probably still going to mean more to you if you don't sell them).

 

And then there's... oops, I forgot how to do spoiler tags lol.

 

Working as intended   Perhaps you start with maximum reputation for Heodan.