Rod/Scepter Priest

[Slack83er]

Howdy guys.

 

I'm trying to put up a Priest who stays in the middle of the two groups (melee and ranged).

 

Matter is...

 

1 - Noone except Wael favors a rod. Scepters or wands are not taken into account by the infamous PoE gods. Nor Crossbows. Or Bows. Or Pistols.

As Ben already noted in another thread, noone ever mentions Wael. It's just as if he didn't exist. 

2 - No really good Soulbound weapon to use ( Gyrd Haewanes Stenes is a Scepter, and though it's wearable from Priest I don't know why but I don't find it very fitting) But I reckon that this is all in my head...

3 - I HATE vessels as well as spirits. I'd like to be equally versatile Vs. these two kind of monsters... but how?

 

I know I like dwarves, and I will play as one. Background will be either Noble or Ecclesiastic... maybe prefer noble.. I have a liking for Scholar too..

Back on the god, instead, Berath is the fitting God for the undead slayers. All I must do is try playing it because I always end up being too soft-hearted.

 

I would like to have the +10ACC to the weapon, but in this case it's just no of use...

Suggestions?

 

 

[Boeroer]

1: Any soulbound weapon works with a priest's weapon profiency. This means Weapon Focus and also things like "The Pallid Hand" and so on work. And you don't have to bind your soul to the soulbound weapon in order to use it. So, for example a priest can easily use Stormcaller, but not bind it. It might still be of some use until he finds better equipment.

I'm sure gods like Hylea or Galawain would have favored bows or other weapons that are not covered yet. Unfortunately their priests are not covered in this game.

 

Magran allows arquebuses - it seems to be a good weapon for your purpose. It's not a pistol, but it's close.

 

2.: Gyrd Haewanes Stenes does work perfectly well as it's a soulbound. And I can't imagine which weapon fits better to a priest of Wael. You could also use a quarterstaff like Llawran's Stick and attack from behind the backline. 

 

3.: You should pick up the bartender's ring in Defiance Bay. It's exactly your thing. It's in a locked chest in the inn "Goose and Fox" in Copperlane. It will give you +20% damage against spirits and vessels.

You could then pick "Sanctifier" and "Ghost Hunter". This will give you additional +25% damage. You could then enchant two similar weapons (like two generic rods): one with vessel-slaying and one with spirit-slaying. That's +4 ACC and +25%. And then take Dangerous Implements and you will get +25% damage again. So you could use Gyrd Haewanes Stenes  for all foes except spirits and vessels and have +25% damage (and insane ACC because that scepter has a +21 !!! ACC enchantment) - and against vessels and spirits you would pick the right "special" rod and do +4 ACC and +95% damage and just rip them apart. +95% is more than rogues do with Sneak Attack (at the price of two talents). This can all be done with Weapon Focus Noble (+6) and Incomprehensible Revelation (+10 ACC). If you don't have a paladin in the party, you could als use Gallent's Focus. You're in the perfect position (=in the middle) for that. That would give you +20 ACC in total.

Edited October 15, 2016 by Boeroer

[Slack83er]

I'd take pallegina right now if I could... I like paladins, but somehow they don't satisfy my ego... they're simply fighters without prowess but with some cure or banishment ability. So priest suits me better I think. Arquebus is awfully slow... I'm seeing it with kana. While he often IS decisive, he just shoots once or twice in a whole fight. That is acceptable for a chanter as he is already doing something with the chant.. but not for a priest who does nothing amidst the shots. I don't know if I'd be able to play Wael because of his disposition... deceptive.... a cleric who is not honest... how can that be? But you're right, this is the only way to achieve that ACC bonus which is so large...

[Boeroer]

Why? You can use Gyrd Haewanes Stenes to its full potential with any priest. Also Eothas if honest and benevolent are your favourite dispositions.

 

Another ROFL for "a cleric who is not honest... how can that be?" I hope you didn't mean real life...

[Slack83er]

No, in this case I just meant that usually clerics are just pious persons, with a faith... not someone who just enjoy lying to people...

[Boeroer]

I was an altar boy in the catholic church for many years (no "incidents") and if I know one thing for sure it's that clerics cover the whole range of dispositions - like the rest of all people do. For example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz-Peter_Tebartz-van_Elst

That guy is an example for a deceptive priest - in a faith that tells you that "superbia", "luxuria" and "gula", are capital sins.  

 

In that regard, priests in the PoE stand true to their faith.  

[JerekKruger]

... It's just as if he didn't exist.

 

Just as planned

 

As for priests and lying, try to remember that priests in Eora aren't Christian priests of our world. The ideal behaviours of priestliness are likely to be different, particularly when the ideals of the priests god are so different to the Christian God. Also try not to think of a priest of Wael "lying" so much as furthering the great mystery of Wael. Lying, to me at least, implies selfish intent, for example lying about how much I sold a piece of stolen item for to keep more of the cut for myself from my partner. Priests of Wael aren't lying for this reason, they're lying because they feel that mystery and obfuscation are good things in of themselves.

 

I actually think Wael is a really interesting deity, and it's a shame that there wasn't more content around him/her/them/it. Fingers crossed for PoE2.

Edited October 15, 2016 by JerekKruger

[Slack83er]

This is also true... what can I say... I still believe in the good side of humanity? 

Well... I must admit that sometimes even this insignificant (in terms of real life of course) games make me open my eyes... I should not think by stereotypes...

The difficult part is "acting" in the game like I should. (i.e. following a certain disposition) Believe me, I find it difficult to act deceptively even in the blasted game, for I'm an honest person... Bah...I'll never be an actor....I'm a receptionist in fact

 

That said.. the god that I find most suitable even for a dwarf, is Berath. The skeptical and grumpy straightforward nature of the dwarves makes a good "team" with Berath's 

Stoic and Rational dispositions. Maybe I could complain about the fact that in this game being stoic means being a egotistical a.hole... Rational is instead very fun to be as it is in some way "similar" to being honest...

 

Second thing I don't properly like is his chosen weapon. Greatsword or Mace. Unless I got a soulbound weapon, no ACC bonus will be possible with ranged. And this points me back towards Wael. But the funny guy condemns both rational and honest. Oddly enough, benevolent yelds no malus at all... funny that. I must decide.

[AndreaColombo]

what can I say... I still believe in the good side of humanity?

 

Don't worry, that phase will only be passing and you should survive the process.

 

 

 

 

(You should also read that in a David Warner voice.)

[JerekKruger]

I think that the good side of humanity is, mostly, a real thing. Of course there are exceptions, but most humans are mostly decent people I think. As an atheist I take the view that this is because, as a social species, it was evolutionarily advantageous to us that we could trust each other to not lie and murder each other, but some believers would argue the goodness comes from their particularly deity. Either way, I think it's there.

 

For the classic view of Dwarfs I'd agree that Berath fits (out of the available deities at least, Abydon is also an obvious choice). If you've not played WM1 though, you'll find that Dwarfs in Eora don't quite fit the standard mould of fantasy Dwarfs and show as much variety as humans, therefore any god can fit.

 

Yeah, unfortunately if you want ranged then your only choices are Wael or Magran or using one of the three soulbound weapons.

[JerekKruger]

 

what can I say... I still believe in the good side of humanity?

Don't worry, that phase will only be passing and you should survive the process.

 

Does Slack83er have much... untapped power?

[Slack83er]

 

what can I say... I still believe in the good side of humanity?

 

Don't worry, that phase will only be passing and you should survive the process.

 

I'm 33... I think I'm definitely lost... hahahaha!  

Back on topic though... I still don't own the expansions, which I'll take as soon as my pay comes. So yes, I've seen that dwarves here are not properly the known ale-chugger burp-emitting stout folk... but... I'd like to know the reason of that statement... don't worry of spoilers...

[JerekKruger]

Mainly it's just an attempt by Obsidian to make non-human races more than just one-dimensional cliches I think. There are still elements of classic fantasy Dwarfs there, but I think they did a decent job of making them more diverse. It's hard to give specific details, so I'll just say enjoy Durgan's Battery when you get the expansion, it's a great dungeon.

[Slack83er]

Thank you, I surely will.

Now all that's left is to understand how to build this dwarf... I know he must have might for cures and damages, then INT for areas, Con shouldn't be much important, with my paladin I was never downed. RES and PER I don't know... guess what remains along with dex? I like Berath for the undead flavour but... I could take wael and take bg scholar along with "all matters arcane" just to fit with mystery..

[AndreaColombo]

Have a look at The Unfaithful build--best Priest build I've ever played. When you get access to Minor Avatar, there's no end to how fast you cast (and how damaging your Pillars of Faith are.)

[Slack83er]

Ok, I'll take a look... but if it's min-maxed I won't be able to play it...

[Boeroer]

(and how damaging your Pillars of Faith are.)

That's because you never played my berathian "Gatekeeper" build. Which is no wonder because I'm writing it atm.

[JerekKruger]

Ok, I'll take a look... but if it's min-maxed I won't be able to play it...

 

AndreaColumbo's Support Priest Build is a nicely non-min maxed priest build that does it's job very well. It's not a dedicated damage dealing priest, but it can pull its weight when needed.

 

 

 

That's because you never played my berathian "Gatekeeper" build. Which is no wonder because I'm writing it atm. 

 

Another Boeroer build? I can't wait.

Edited October 15, 2016 by JerekKruger

[AndreaColombo]

That's because you never played my berathian "Gatekeeper" build. Which is no wonder because I'm writing it atm.

Write faster, goddammit! XD

[Slack83er]

Hahahah! I'll promise that I'll read all of your builds BEFORE you write 'em next time!

 

P.s. I've seen both unfaithful and the other build. As the 1st is min-maxed, I don't like it. The support priest is more viable, sure, but still not the main concept I have in mind... and neither of the two is ranged... perhaps Boeroer's new one is?

Edited October 15, 2016 by Slack83er

[JerekKruger]

To be honest, to do their primary job a Priest won't be using their weapon much, and if their primary job isn't doing weapon damage then it's not the end of the world if their unique talent matches up with the weapon they're using.

[Boeroer]

Nope. She's GSWMM*

 

 

)* great sword wielding muscle mass... with a vengance.

[Slack83er]

To be honest, to do their primary job a Priest won't be using their weapon much, and if their primary job isn't doing weapon damage then it's not the end of the world if their unique talent matches up with the weapon they're using.

True enough, but I don't like staying in the center of the field just casting, and anyway in the first few levels you have so few spells that you run quickly out of 'em.. so I'd like to be quite offensive too...

 

Edit for clarity: What I want to do is to be a kind of Durance...who strikes with the staff from behind... if I cannot be ranged. But the good man is a priest of Magran, which i don't like... Staff and Rod are Wael's... and I think that for my priest I mostly like Berath (for the hatred vs undead) and that "dwarf-y grumpy" dispositions...

Edited October 15, 2016 by Slack83er