PoTD party compostion

[Red_Iron]

Hi, guys! I need your advice.

 

Currently I'm playing on PoTD with next party (custom mercs):

1. Paladin (Kind Wayfarers) - main character.

2. Paladin (Bleak Walkers)

3. Barbarian (2h, Tall Grass/Grey Sleeper)

4. Ranger (Stormcaller)

5. Druid

6. Priest

 

This party is very comfortable for me. Two paladins are very good tanks and provides 2 auras, 4 strong heals and 2 revives per encounter. Barbarian with the Tall Grass - control/DPS. Stormcaller ranger is main DPS character, his pet is a good scout and tanks first enemy spells and other agression. Druid is the ranger's best friend (-5 shock resist) because of Returning and Relentless Storm and wild shock, and he is also good burst DD when shifted. Priest - buffs.

 I came to the WM1 at lvl 7. Initially it was not very easy, but now, at lvl 11, gameplay becomes very comfortable. I think, when paladins gets Sacred Immolation, my party completely becomes a steamroller.

 

Now I'm thinking about party for the next game.

I want to keep paladin, ranger, druid and priest in my party. I can take 2-nd paladin again (I like double auras and heals) and repalce barbarian by chanter (for Aefyllath (does it stacks with Sacred Immolation?), Dragon Thahed and Ila). Or I can keep barbarian (nice control, DPS ant it is very funny when Twin Stones from Sleeper procs in large group of mosnters) and use chanter as tank. But in this variant I lose aura and heal.

 

Any suggestions?

[theBalthazar]

You do an enormous mistake if you don't take Pallegina;

 

She now have a unique power. And with 2 paladins in your team... its not possible to not take her : p

 

Otherwise, its a good team. Personnally, I think one paladin is enough, but with the rest of your team, like you said, is comfortable.

Edited March 7, 2016 by theBalthazar

[Red_Iron]

I play with party of story companions in another game Or she is so strong now, that can feel herself ok in PoTD?

Edited March 7, 2016 by Red_Iron

[Zeraili]

Hello, regarding party composition in potd with WM2. I was wondering if its viable to make low magic party with no magic classess or maybe one more passive like chanter or paladin.

 

Would it be effective with ranger and melee rogue? Who should be frontline IF i would like to have like 3-4 custom characters and maybe sometimes add companion for a moment.

[Psychevore]

I'm sure it's viable, but I would never play a game without both a cipher and a wizard.

 

Currently thinking of doing this:

 

Chanter (one of the 2 handed souldbound weapons it can equip, Ryona's armor)

Fighter (Steadfast, Dragon's Maw Shield)

Priest (Nightshroud)

Cipher (Stormcaller)

Wizard, ranged, CC/AoE (Gyrd Háewanes Sténes)

Wizard, melee, heuristics/single target (Greenstone Staff)

 

Mostly because: I've never finished a game with a chanter in the party. Ever. ANd I've never finished a game after the release of WM1, so I've never used soulbound weapons. This would allow me to use loads in a single run.

 

 

 

After that, if I'm still up for another run, I'll do something crazy like:

 

Druid

Ranger

Wizard

Cipher

Chanter

Priest

 

Just to see how far I'll get without a true tank.

[Zeraili]

I could add maybe cipher for sone control but what would be choice for tanks that could enable rogue that wont require much micro?

[Psychevore]

Fighter, can engage the most.

[Zeraili]

I was thinking about something that wont be jest bypassed by new AI and will provide some kind od controland rogue would be a bit safer . I dont thibk fighter is such kind od class or maybe im wrong and was building him wrong.

[DreamWayfarer]

Fighter, can engage the most.

Fighters are much better at being durable damage dealers, and investing ability points into engagement, something of very dubious use, instead of something that helps dealing damage and not dying, is a bad idea.

 

For a "pure" tank, I would only use either a chanter or paladin, since they also bring much-desired utility while alive.

[Psychevore]

 

Fighter, can engage the most.

Fighters are much better at being durable damage dealers, and investing ability points into engagement, something of very dubious use, instead of something that helps dealing damage and not dying, is a bad idea.

 

For a "pure" tank, I would only use either a chanter or paladin, since they also bring much-desired utility while alive.

 

He didn't want to micro much.

 

I read that as: something that just stands there soaking hits. So a fighter.

[Zeraili]

I can manage some micro but i thought chanter is not very micro heavy class same for pala. But will they provide some dmg too or jest tanks/ controll?

 

 

Will melee rogue outdps ranged classess like cipher or ranger? Or there are other better DPS builds for melee? Is there like best DPS class at the moment or like few good DPS builds?

[DreamWayfarer]

I can manage some micro but i thought chanter is not very micro heavy class same for pala. But will they provide some dmg too or jest tanks/ controll?

Eventualy, you will unlock a chant that does a lot of Fire/Slash damage in a large AoE, and be able to melt faces just by standing there. Before that, your tank chanter will mostly be a support character who does something cool once in a while.

 

Paladins can be built as high-burst mage killers, but more often than not you will use them for tanking and support. They are somewhat more active than Chanters, and in some ways more flexible.

 

As for damage dealers, Rogues are probably the strongest martial class at single-target melee DPS, but Rangers are able to compete with them if you are good enough at micro-managing the pet, since it is basically a mini-Rogue. Monks are extremely powerful, if you play them well, but are not a class I would recomend to a new player, or someone who dislikes micro-managing. Barbarians are also very interesting to use, after you get more experienced, and damage dealing Fighters are more reliable than Rogues, even though they have less raw firepower.

[Zeraili]

Its not that i dont like micro, Its just I like maybe have one or two classes that i can micromanage and like 2 others that are not that micro intensive. Thats why i would prefer to have low to medium micro tanks and like 2 dmg dealers with higher micro.

I never tried monks and barbs and dont know how it would be to play them and how to build them. Maybe it would be easier for me or not.

I have only played more with dps melee rogue and melee mage so far both were great and Im wondering how would monk be compared to dps of rogue or melee mage.

 

Regarding party composition it could be like

chanter+pala for tankig and than like dps rogue/range or maybe ranger monk/barb.

As im thinking for rogue its better to have party with much cc that would enable him and let him move more free. I dont have idea how it would be for ranger monk and barb.

Could You give any suggestions for build for them ?

 

Regards

[Arnegar]

 

Fighter, can engage the most.

Fighters are much better at being durable damage dealers, and investing ability points into engagement, something of very dubious use, instead of something that helps dealing damage and not dying, is a bad idea.

 

For a "pure" tank, I would only use either a chanter or paladin, since they also bring much-desired utility while alive.

 

 

With the new Overbearing Guard talent, fighters feel incredibly good at holding aggro now, so much so that I feel no need to have any kind of secondary tank in the party when I have a fighter tank. It probably doesn't work quite as well in a melee-heavy party, though, because while Overbearing Guard seems to make the enemy AI terrified of the fighter's disengagement attacks, they're no less likely to turn around and hit someone within reach. But that would be the same for any other tank.

 

The issue with pure tank paladins and chanters is that enemies mostly just ignore them. Having your paladin as a tank also means you have a fairly small window in which to position your backline so that they're close enough for Zealous Focus but far enough for the wood elf accuracy bonus. I prefer my paladin right in the middle with a blunderbuss, where the aura's radius lets everyone move as they please and you can easily reach anyone with Lay on Hands.

Edited March 8, 2016 by Arnegar

[KDubya]

Hello, regarding party composition in potd with WM2. I was wondering if its viable to make low magic party with no magic classess or maybe one more passive like chanter or paladin.

 

Would it be effective with ranger and melee rogue? Who should be frontline IF i would like to have like 3-4 custom characters and maybe sometimes add companion for a moment.

 

I've run parties with no casters on PotD and found it to be fun.

 

1.) MC Kind Wayfarer Paladin - 2 HS

2.) Pellagrina - Estoc

3.) Zahua - fists Juggernaut

4.) Kana - Pike

5.) Devil of Caroc - We Toki & Shield

6) Maneha - Spelltongue & Unlabored Blade

 

Another time I had

1.) MC Juggernaut Monk fists

2.) Zahua Juggernaut TideFall

3.( Devil of Caroc - Sabre & Shield

4.) Kana - weapon & shield

5.) Pellagrina - Estoc

6.) Sagani - Stormcaller

 

Both groups had hardly any/ maybe none per rest abilities, only stopped when health loss became a threat to perma death.

 

You need different tactics but you can overcome situations without casters and in a pinch there are always items with spells and scrolls. Another plus is that the teams did not have anyone squishy except for Sagani. No one needed protecting and most had group wide benefits.

[Ymarsakar]

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/84357-quality-of-the-new-class-skills/page-4?do=findComment&comment=1786101

 

I was just talking about a party with no Vancian casters over there, and how it might produce more faithful and interesting results and gameplay/flow styles.

 

Paladins have some of the best permanent group buffs and /encounter heals. Chanters have infinite heals due to their spell invocations, and some light aoe heals from their limited duration effects. 

 

 

"Would it be effective with ranger and melee rogue? Who should be frontline IF i would like to have like 3-4 custom characters and maybe sometimes add companion for a moment."

 

 

From highest priority to lowest. And Least micro to more control needed to optimize. Chanter, Paladin, Fighter, Rogue/Ranger/Barbarian/monk.

 

The chanter's death chant aoe and ability to wield weapon/small shield, while stacking defensive talents, makes it pretty versatile. More so than a fighter using overbearing guard and 2/4 engagement limit. The Paladin has personally higher defense as it levels up, but because it needs to use powers, that drops engagement on enemies, which can disturb how the battlefield is laid out. So as Arnegar wrote of it, I would also put a paladin in the middle with arbalest/arquebus in slot 1 and Soldier weapon in slot 2. Then if anyone slips past the chanter, the paladin can engage them.

 

Fighters can do some pretty good CC and spike damage output in the beginning of a fight, and is very stable defensive wise due to constant recovery. A sabre/small shield fighter for good dps and defense. A spear/small shield fighter for a bonus to knockdown and active abilities accuracy. warhammer/small/medium shield fighter to make use of crits against flanked/prone enemies with disciplined barrage, and the +1 engagement warhammer. Against bosses, might need an enchanted larder door. Or against enemies that can stun/petrify/prone/etc when procing physical attacks. The hard CCs.

 

As for some of the other class setups, I usually run rogues with sabre + small shield, using escape and backstab. Shadowing beyond, coordinated positioning, and finishing attack are also important.

 

Rangers like Sagani, I tend to keep naked or with just a robe, doing lots of dmg with driving flight and stunned shot cc or prone/stun on crit weapons, using the pet more as a mini rogue flanker and damage meat shield.

 

The monk normally wears plate armor if he is in a normal party, but here he can go with lighter armor and hit the enemy's backline using dual fists, torment's reach, anguish.

 

The barbarian I used with hide armor, and put either a reach weapon on them, Soldier focus, or dual spears. Well any weapon that has additional effects on hit/crit is useful with carnage.

 

Monks don't need too much micro management if you use AI script with self defense/defense on auto attack and aggressive on the class profile. That's because the script knows how to use swift strikes and torment's reach. It's only the anguish one you often times have to micro, because anguish is either very low priority or the script doesn't use it at all.

Edited March 9, 2016 by Ymarsakar

[KDubya]

..... SNIP,,,,,,,

 

Monks don't need too much micro management if you use AI script with self defense/defense on auto attack and aggressive on the class profile. That's because the script knows how to use swift strikes and torment's reach. It's only the anguish one you often times have to micro, because anguish is either very low priority or the script doesn't use it at all.

 

I'm actually glad that the Monk Aggressive AI only uses Swift Strikes and Torment's Reach. Those two I want active and spammed. I've also seen the AI summon the Twins as well if you get up to eight wounds. Force of Anguish and Flagellent's Path are both more situational and require either targeting for Flagellant's or a decision to even use it for FoA. In a trash mob I'd rather get two Torment's than one FoA, if it is a boss I'd rather the FoA. I can much better make that call than the AI.