Has the stronghold been improved at all in recent months?

[AzuredreamsXT]

I was hoping before buying this game that the stronghold would get a bit of love and care from the developers when they released the expansion, as I heard it was pretty poorly done.

 

Have they given it any improvements? Or is it still lifeless and unprofitable with no unique items to acquire from the venture?

[AzuredreamsXT]

Like are there at least some peasants walking around now?

[MasterCipher]

Nothing new. There's always room for improvement, but I don't think it's as bad as others.

You can buy unique items from a travelling merchant if your prestige is high enough, but the items are even less useful compared to expansion loot.

The money you get from taxes can eventually pay for the costs of buying the upgrades IF you don't hire hirelings and you get the keep early and reload when gaining experience from quests and tasks until the random number generator advances the stronghold turn counter. Not all quests/tasks can advance the counter, but frankly this isn't worth because the game gives you more than enough cash. My current game is in act 2 with 45,000 and tens of thousands of unsold fine, exceptional, and unused named gear with nothing to spend on. I suppose I could buy dragon meat and eggs, but the extra +1 stat over cheap food for a couple minute buff doesn't seem worth 3,000 gold to me.

Hirelings could end up boosting your security so high your patrols automatically stave off attacks. Attacks from kith bandit type mobs actually drop gear, so you lose out on money drops.

Hiring Kograk the ogre is fun to have standing around the keep and he hits pretty hard and with decent hp.

[Sylvus_Moonbow]

The Stronghold will not be given a retrofit, love, and care until White March 2. A number of minor quests and average adventures can be expected.

Otherwise, work is being done to improve the implications of a Stronghold for POE2 and make it feel more lived-in, vs. the current app-like addition.

Edited October 20, 2015 by Sylvus_Moonbow

[Boeroer]

Well - I think the +3 resting bonuses that last for 3 rests are pretty good now.

Edited October 20, 2015 by Boeroer

[AndreaColombo]

Agreed. Those resting bonuses are pretty good now.

 

Josh mentioned on SA that creating new content for the stronghold is a focus for him for TWM pt. II but no details are known except that new minor/average/major adventures are being added for companions you leave there. It will be named adventures with fixed rewards.

[KDubya]

_{One thing I'd like to see is if the adventures available for the followers at the stronghold were like the illustrated cutscenes instead of the blah that they currently are. Probably have to make them for story companions only but that'd be really cool.}

[Boeroer]

Agreed! Nice idea. Also that would give all the companions a proper use (besides being sacrificed in the blood pool) since I always park them in the stronghold and do "adventures" with them. Would also be nice if they had some impact on prestige/security and would help defending the stronghold. Kana for example would give +1 prestige, eder +1 security and so on. And while adventuring, these bonuses don't apply of course. It should also be said which type of adventure it is and the outcome should be better if you chose a companion that fits the task - class- and skillwise. So - the guarding of a noblewoman should be perfect for a defensive melee char, findig an artifact would be easier with high lore, stealing something from a nobleman -> high stealth and so on. Would also be very nice if these adventures would reward you with a unique item or something very rare like sky dragon eyes and the like. Or a pet that has some cool effect like concelhaut's skull. Doesn't have to be superpowerful. I'm so disappointed that the ethereal piggy does nothing. A weak form of silver tide would have been great vor some form of recovery. Or a bonus to one of your skills. Some pets could discover traps, others could place drop traps now and then, distract, lower your resolve but raise perception...

Also: armor and collars for your animal companions. Now how cool would it look if your bear would be wearing a scale mail? Very cool? You're right!

Edited October 20, 2015 by Boeroer

[Ymarsakar]

Only time I heard them talk about revamping the Stronghold was for Pillars 2, because they said it had too much mechanical systems in it but lacked content.

 

It was a kickstarter stretch goal, so it probably got cut off from all quest lines, crit paths, and anything else having to relate to the A path content. Even after it was funded, that is, the priority on it would have been B, stuff that could be cut at the end to favor resources for the A stuff.

 

If there are mentions of White March part 2 stronghold upgrades, that would be a hopeful early change.

Edited October 20, 2015 by Ymarsakar