I couldn't decide between monk and cipher so i hired an adventurer for my first playthrough.

 

My monk is going to be focusing on Per and interrupting/going after the spellcasters and my cipher will be using bow + dd spells.

 

It's only on normal so maybe i don't have to overthink it but i'm not sure how i wll build up the rest of the party?

 

I'm going to have companions for the other 4 slots

 

I'm thinking 3 melee + 3 caster or maybe 2 melee + 4 casters.

 

What do you guys think?

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

On normal you can pick any NPC that strikes your fancy safe in the knowledge they will serve you well

 

I often play fighter, monk, priest, wizard, cipher, and the sixth slot can be anything. Works great for me at any difficulty level.

In my opinion pick companions that you know you might use for later playthroughs. If your not going to hire any more NPCs then I would pick up Aloth and Durance for sure, as you should start learning how all the different spells work. Then probably Pallegina for a tank and then pick either Sagani or Hiravas for another source of DPS. 

 

P.S. Ciphers really shine at CC so don't focus to much on dps. They only get a couple good DPS abilities imo.

The good thing about ciphers: they can decide to do only CC with their powers and leave the damage part to their weapons. Cipher get+40% damage from soul whip which is pretty awesome. You have to hit foes anyway to get focus. I played a melee cipher with a sabre and small shield in a playthrough some time ago - and the combination of CC and weapon damage was great.   

Edited December 17, 201510 yr by Boeroer

In my opinion pick companions that you know you might use for later playthroughs. If your not going to hire any more NPCs then I would pick up Aloth and Durance for sure, as you should start learning how all the different spells work. Then probably Pallegina for a tank and then pick either Sagani or Hiravas for another source of DPS. 

 

P.S. Ciphers really shine at CC so don't focus to much on dps. They only get a couple good DPS abilities imo.

I hired another adventurer, a fighter tank so without companions i now have a monk, a fighter/tank and a cipher/ranged.

 

I was thinking like you said to go with aloth, durance and hiravias so that i will have 1 of each caster.

 

So how about the damage dealing and crowd control, which casters are best at what? From what i have read it's something like: wizard - cc / dd, cipher - cc / dd, priest buff / debuff and druid - pretty much everything.

 

So is it safe to just pick the spells/powers i feel that i need and it will work since i'm playing normal difficulty?

 

Thanks for the help guys

Edited December 19, 201510 yr by elkrider

Almost any combo will work on normal. As long as you are using buffs from your Priest you will get by on most battles. Normal difficulty will allow you to test different CC and Damage spells until you get comfortable with them.

So how about the damage dealing and crowd control, which casters are best at what? From what i have read it's something like: wizard - cc / dd, cipher - cc / dd, priest buff / debuff and druid - pretty much everything.

Wizards are the damage dealing kings among the casters and have some very solid crowd control options. Druids are strictly crowd control and support, since their damage options really pale in comparison to a Wizard until they get their glorious 5th-level spells. Priests have the strongest support options in the game, and they're quite good at dealing damage once Shining Beacon and Spark the Souls of the Righteous become available. Finally, Ciphers have some of the best crowd control tools in the game. In terms of dealing damage though, they're mostly reliant on Ectopsychic Echo, which requires careful party positioning. It is very strong though and well worth it, but if you're not using it, don't expect your Cipher's damage output to be particularly impressive.

 

Just pick the one that appeals to your playstyle the most. I personally like running all 4, but does make battles very micromanagement heavy.

Edited December 21, 201510 yr by Wolken3156

Don't forget that ciphers do a lot of damage with weapons, too. They are a bit like rogues with spells.