Where are the builds that don't dump resolve?

[Stargazer55]

Hi everyone.

 

While this forum contains a lot of interesting builds, I noticed that a blantant majority of them dump resolve. With the exception of one or another paladin or barbarian all of them have minimum resolve.

 

Is resolve really such a bad stat or does it only work with standard builds while the interesting, exciting ones need to minimize it?

 

I thought maybe we could start collecting some exciting builds that don't dump resolve. Mind you, I'm not limiting this to builds with maximum resolve ... just NOT single digit resolve values.

 

What do you say?

Edited March 26, 2017 by Stargazer55

[draego]

Ye i dont know about exciting builds. i am not a power gamer. Right now i am playing a hearth orlan ranger deadfire slave. I am playing him as a melee dual wield ranger and these are the stats.

 

STR: 17

CON: 11

DEX: 9

PER: 16

INT: 9

RES: 16

 

The only reason i have 11 con is because i couldn't put any more into strength. I guess i could have bumped up Res again or something. Now i am also not playing on POTD for this build because i dont want to grind to much and just play the story out to send it to POE2. I am dueling sabre and stiletto/club/drawn in spring. I am pumping up pet talents and abilities and will use stunning shots later. I am also trying a trap build. I have never really used traps. I just want to see what they can do. Lots of fun if you like microing and positioning tactics. This build is also nice for conversations as Res and Per come up. Although Res is not needed for conversation per se but its a perk of this build because i dont like to meta game and find out what stat checks are needed for what encounters so it easy to get Res and Per high for all checks without metagaming well not much meta gaming . 

 

I have also played a melee Coastal  Aumaua ranger with these starting stats a while back. What was nice was most enemies actually didnt target you that much not like a ranged ranger i played where i lowered Con and Res (enemies seemed to flock to him for certain encounters). Like how some enemies target weak companions. So it was easy to keep myself out of trouble. The fortitude defense also synchronizes nicely with the Coastal aumaua ability. This one is more off tank build probably with shield but dont have to.

 

STR: 18

CON: 15

DEX: 10

PER: 10

INT: 10

RES: 15

Edited March 26, 2017 by draego

[Hynkel]

Resolve is primarily useful for when you plan to build a front-liner, since it affects Deviation and Concentration. 

 

Pillars of Eternity is made in such a way that you can build a super squishy character and get away with it because you can rely on the tough guys to take the hits. And since 4 of the 6 attributes affect DPS in some way or another, people tend to dump RES and CON. 

 

That doesn't mean dumping RES is the absolute best choice for ranged characters. Sometimes, things will go wrong, enemies will infiltrate your formation and your glass cannon character will die. But I guess losing DPS to be a little sturdier isn't a very popular option for a ranged MC, unless you play solo. 

 

So RES isn't a bad stat at all, it's just not an optimal pick if enemies don't engage you.

 

But if you want to be the front guy, go RES all the way.

[draego]

I do find, with a lot of the builds posted, that the attributes are not as important as you would think. So if you see a build with 3 Res and High Dex or Perception or anything. You can almost certainly raise the Res back up to 10 or something and the build will still feel about the same. That is because for a lot of build the talents, abilities and gear are more important than the attributes. And you realize this a lot with the companions who dont have the min max stats but can still be built like the builds posted on this forum

Edited March 26, 2017 by draego

[QuiteGoneJin]

Gear and buffs tend to shore up a LOT of stat issues mid to late game too, especially for ranged toons and skirmishers (non front liners), thats why you see it. Tbh I love high resolve just for convo but I also like high dex/perc (cause I play only on potd), might is not as important to me as it is for most people. 

[Undesirable]

If each point of res gave 1.5 or 2 points of deflection instead of 1, I think it might be a viable stat again, since deflection has been horribly nerfed in the past.

[firkraag888]

Hi everyone.

 

While this forum contains a lot of interesting builds, I noticed that a blantant majority of them dump resolve. With the exception of one or another paladin or barbarian all of them have minimum resolve.

 

Is resolve really such a bad stat or does it only work with standard builds while the interesting, exciting ones need to minimize it?

 

I thought maybe we could start collecting some exciting builds that don't dump resolve. Mind you, I'm not limiting this to builds with maximum resolve ... just NOT single digit resolve values.

 

What do you say?

it helps at low/mid levels but once you hit med/high levels it becomes less usefull.

 

eg having 125 deflection instead of 132 because you dumped resolve wont matter at all in the late game.

[Livegood118]

Putting resolve to less than 10 on a melee character is a pretty big no-no in my books but your mileage may vary.

[Boeroer]

It totally depends what you character is supposed to do. You can totally dump RES to 3 if you plan to use items like Sanguine Plate and Shod in Faith etc. 

 

If interrupts are a problem, put on items which give bonuses to resolve and use Potions of Spirit Shield, Holy Meditation (priest or item like Celebrant's Gloves) or other items that give you concentration bonuses directly.

 

Other frontliners can have strong CC abilites and don't get hit a lot (e.g. druid with Relentless Storm). Those also can dump RES quite easily and put it all into PER without getting overly punished.

[Phenomenum]

Maybe i will say a strange things, but after all my playthroughs i realise that you may set up all attributes on 13 and you don't lose nothing, even on PotD difficulty, whatever class you chose.
90% of your class power you gain through class abilities and items, and your mind.

Well, if you'll maxed 3 or 4 attributes from start, you will gain some benefits here and there, but all in all, it's notaceble only till lvl 8-9 - before you main andentures.
I wonder, when every one new player think about correct starting attributes like savior - like it's only one proper way to make a game (like in Baldur's Gate and Planscape). It's an illusional. One way to make combat easier is knowing mechanics of game and creativity of your mind.
There is no restriction in this game - rejoice.

Look at the story charachers - all of them very efficient on PotD.

Edited March 28, 2017 by Phenomenum

[Stargazer55]

If that is true, why do people say the Devil of Carock is a useless character because of her high resolve and low dexterity?

[Boeroer]

Because those people have no idea what they are talking about. Or to say it in a more friendly way: they don't know the mechanics of the game as well as they think they do.

 

What Phenomenum said is true. Attribute scores have minor impact on the game. If you go to extremes (like piling up MIG up to 50 or something like that) you can really feel a difference - but 5 points here and there don't have a big effect.

 

Besides that: Devil of Caroc is especially awesome because she has immunities. She can't be mind controlled and she is immune to poison. She is the only character you can play who has this. You can do awesome things with that - for example go in first and draw fire on you when fighting Lagufaeths with blowguns, when meeting Vithracks, you can walk right into your wizard's Malignant Cloud and your druid's poison spells without being harmed. I once build a poison/disease based wizard just because he works so well with the Devil (Bilestomper build in this forum).

And even besides the immunities: give her a stunning or overbearing weapon like Godansthunyr, put on the binding rope and Badgradr's Barricade and see how "useless" she is.

Edited March 28, 2017 by Boeroer

[Blades of Vanatar]

If that is true, why do people say the Devil of Carock is a useless character because of her high resolve and low dexterity?

You don't really see the meta gamers/build posters saying that about DoC's stats. Her built in Armor limits how you build her. She still makes for an excellent companion when used as a frontliner.

[Boeroer]

Yes - and you can enchant the breastplate - so it's not too bad even if you put her into the back row. But she is better in the front row I'd say.

[Stargazer55]

Sounds like I have to use the dear Devil in my next playthrough

[JFutral]

Because those people have no idea what they are talking about. Or to say it in a more friendly way: they don't know the mechanics of the game as well as they think they do.

 

What Phenomenum said is true. Attribute scores have minor impact on the game. If you go to extremes (like piling up MIG up to 50 or something like that) you can really feel a difference - but 5 points here and there don't have a big effect.

 

Besides that: Devil of Caroc is especially awesome because she has immunities. She can't be mind controlled and she is immune to poison. She is the only character you can play who has this. You can do awesome things with that - for example go in first and draw fire on you when fighting Lagufaeths with blowguns, when meeting Vithracks, you can walk right into your wizard's Malignant Cloud and your druid's poison spells without being harmed. I once build a poison/disease based wizard just because he works so well with the Devil (Bilestomper build in this forum).

And even besides the immunities: give her a stunning or overbearing weapon like Godansthunyr, put on the binding rope and Badgradr's Barricade and see how "useless" she is.

This is simultaneously the beauty and annoyance of the game, as RPGs go. That makes the game playable for players new not just to PoE, but to RPGs in general. It helps make character and party make-up less important and forgiving.

 

I gave up on my '10s across the board' Average Joe party playthrough, at least on Normal and Hard. Over all play-ability just wasn't affected. It was actually kind of boring.

 

What makes this annoying to me is that I want to play a character that is a hero, not someone who could be anyone and still accomplish the quests. A hero to me has something or at least becomes someone that few others have or are, something extraordinary about them (not just the chosen quest and being "woke"). The Watcher skills/talents are all kind of meh. I would have liked for at least those things to set my PC apart from the rest of the party.

 

The only thing this game suffers from is too much balance on the PC/class/race characteristics at all levels of play. Hard should at least make certain choices more important. Then at PotD it is both choices (of attributes, skills, talents, weapons, defenses, etc) AND tactics (as in a deep understanding of the mechanics) important. Not just a few battles being tougher.

 

I mean, I don't consider myself all THAT skilled at cRPGs. I'm above a novice, but I am only truly experienced in BG, NWN, and Diablo (I've played others but boredom quickly set in). So when PotD was a whole lot easier than I had expected, There appears to me some serious scaling issues.

 

I get that a game needs to be playable by a broad range of experiences. I don't know what the answer is. I enjoy the core game well enough. I kind of wish the expansions were separate quests. Once I get through them, even scaled, the rest of the core game gets far too easy, though the story is still enjoyable.

 

Joe

[draego]

I actually love the attribute system. To me it makes the game more role play friendly. I want to be able to play characters in a way i want and not have to play each class in the a predetermined optimal build for the class. That is boring. I think part of the fun is being able to make every class basically fit every role in the game more or less. So each playthrough i can change that role.

Edited March 28, 2017 by draego

[Blades of Vanatar]

 

Because those people have no idea what they are talking about. Or to say it in a more friendly way: they don't know the mechanics of the game as well as they think they do.

 

What Phenomenum said is true. Attribute scores have minor impact on the game. If you go to extremes (like piling up MIG up to 50 or something like that) you can really feel a difference - but 5 points here and there don't have a big effect.

 

Besides that: Devil of Caroc is especially awesome because she has immunities. She can't be mind controlled and she is immune to poison. She is the only character you can play who has this. You can do awesome things with that - for example go in first and draw fire on you when fighting Lagufaeths with blowguns, when meeting Vithracks, you can walk right into your wizard's Malignant Cloud and your druid's poison spells without being harmed. I once build a poison/disease based wizard just because he works so well with the Devil (Bilestomper build in this forum).

And even besides the immunities: give her a stunning or overbearing weapon like Godansthunyr, put on the binding rope and Badgradr's Barricade and see how "useless" she is.

This is simultaneously the beauty and annoyance of the game, as RPGs go. That makes the game playable for players new not just to PoE, but to RPGs in general. It helps make character and party make-up less important and forgiving.

 

I gave up on my '10s across the board' Average Joe party playthrough, at least on Normal and Hard. Over all play-ability just wasn't affected. It was actually kind of boring.

 

What makes this annoying to me is that I want to play a character that is a hero, not someone who could be anyone and still accomplish the quests. A hero to me has something or at least becomes someone that few others have or are, something extraordinary about them (not just the chosen quest and being "woke"). The Watcher skills/talents are all kind of meh. I would have liked for at least those things to set my PC apart from the rest of the party.

 

The only thing this game suffers from is too much balance on the PC/class/race characteristics at all levels of play. Hard should at least make certain choices more important. Then at PotD it is both choices (of attributes, skills, talents, weapons, defenses, etc) AND tactics (as in a deep understanding of the mechanics) important. Not just a few battles being tougher.

 

I mean, I don't consider myself all THAT skilled at cRPGs. I'm above a novice, but I am only truly experienced in BG, NWN, and Diablo (I've played others but boredom quickly set in). So when PotD was a whole lot easier than I had expected, There appears to me some serious scaling issues.

 

I get that a game needs to be playable by a broad range of experiences. I don't know what the answer is. I enjoy the core game well enough. I kind of wish the expansions were separate quests. Once I get through them, even scaled, the rest of the core game gets far too easy, though the story is still enjoyable.

 

Joe

I agree the watcher abilities are subpar and don't make the PC stand out as the hero. Hopefully Deadfire adds better Watcher abilities.

[Boeroer]

Skewer the Soul is a nice watcher ability. The rest is pretty meh, I agree. They should have made several watcher talents which you could choose from, that would be neat. You could pick the ones which work est with your character idea.

[Ensign]

It's not that it's a bad stat as much as it's a defensive stat, and one that is substitutable as well.  Defenses, even those that scale linearly on the sheet, end up being pretty binary in practice - either you have 'enough' to take what's coming in (and going far above doesn't add much) or you don't have 'enough' and your strategy falls apart.  The amount of defense you can get away with also tends to drop with experience as well (though I feel this often turns into a chest beating ritual, aka, 'I can get away with 3 con and res but you might need more if you suck') - so there are limits to how much you'd want even under the best of circumstances.

 

The real issue is that it's a really easy stat to substitute for late in the game.  Crowns for the Faithful is the most extreme example, but even earlier in the game Holy Meditation or Holy Power provide big chunks of resolve (or pseudo-resolve) to shore up concentration and deflection when needed.  The difference between 3 and 10 resolve is actually kind of a big deal (interrupts matter yo), but the difference between 28 and 35 just isn't.

As such it's a stat that matters a lot more for trash fights (presuming you aren't walking back to town to rest after every trash fight) where unbuffed stats have a bigger impact.  When you're resting and saving before fighting dragons, with a plan to blow every per-rest cooldown possible, resolve just isn't going to matter much.

[Boeroer]

Another thing is that you can easily take the threat out of crits that result in your low deflection. Just put on a Girdle of Mortal Protection and enemies will only do +10% crit damage instead of +50%.

 

It's a great way to ensure that your spell holding gear triggers but you don't suffer too much damage at the same time. Combined with concentration buffs from gear, spells or potions you can easily work around low resolve.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Boeroer

[rheingold]

Yeah, must say I get a lot of mileage out of having average to good stats across the board. A good fit for me would be lots of 15's and 14's. It makes a pretty well balanced character. And it doesn't suffer as a jack of all, master of none - Pillars stats just don't work that way. In fact I reckon there is an argument that it makes the character stronger especially when you factor in all the stat boosting items.

[Livegood118]

Another thing is that you can easily take the threat out of crits that result in your low deflection. Just put on a Girdle of Mortal Protection and enemies will only do +10% crit damage instead of +50%.

 

It's a great way to ensure that your spell holding gear triggers but you don't suffer too much damage at the same time. Combined with concentration buffs from gear, spells or potions you can easily work around low resolve.

 

This is a pro tip. I had no idea this thing was this good and it seems like a best in slot if you've got a Sanguine Plate/Shod in Faith 2H/DW char.

[Boeroer]

Yes, people think it's bad because its description says "27% of damage". But it's 27% of the higher crit damage:

 

100 (normal damage) + 50% (crit) = 150

 

150 * (1-0.27) = 109.5

 

So, a bit less than 10% bonus damage you have to soak up instead of 50%

It worked really well on a solo PotD priest of Berath with dumped RES who used Tidefall and wore Sanguine Plate + Shod-in-Faith.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Boeroer

[JFutral]

A bit of a non-physiological point, there are a number of dialogue options that are affected by one's Resolve score. It's not vital, but it does contribute to the RP part of the game.

 

Nothing scientific, just recollection, but it seems like Resolve and Perception, followed closely by Intellect and Might, have the most options, itr. I don't know/remember if Resolve plays a part in any physical oriented scripts.

 

Joe