Thoughts on Godlike (are they worth it?)

[firkraag888]

To be honest I don't roll godlikes because of not being able to have the option of using helmets.

 

I love adventuring and finding new items to equip. Helmets can be quite varied and powerful items, not being able to equip them takes away that "gain " feeling and sense of accomplishment and it also prevents you from varying your build with helms to change them.

 

I never roll pallegina for this reason.

[Regggler]

Not a fan of the no-helmet thing either. However, I do like godlikes visually and thematically, nature godlikes in particular. And I always run with Pallegina, I just like the character.

[Boeroer]

Moon Godlikes' racial ability is very powerful - I mean if you compare it to available headger in PoE1. I don't use them a lot because I don't like the looks too much but they are powerful.

 

I used Fire Godlikes quite often because you can do a some nice shenanigans with the burn retalition - because it scales with level and leads to insane retaliation damage if you combine it with certain class abilites. Examples:

 

- monk: Battle Forged retaliation with Scion of Flame, Turning Wheel, Lightning Strikes and Blood Testament Gloves will have +20% base damage and lashes of +60% burn, +25% shock and +20% raw. This leads to retaliation strikes which do 100-150 burn damage with Battle Forged alone. Add a Flame Shield potion and other retaliation items as well as Rooting Pain and it gets totally crazy. This monk can just stand there and do nothing and still kills everything that hits him in melee (as long as it's not immune to fire).

 

- barbarian: One Stands Alone and Blooded work with Battle Forged. Add Scion of Flame, Firebrand and Barbaric Retaliation and he can also be a powerful retaliation tank as the above monk. Both have the advantage of very high endurance and health so that the 50% endurance is not that tricky.

 

- cipher: used to generate  focus via Battle Forged. Now it's all nerfed and doesn't work anymore - but the combo of Ring of Searing Flames (Combusting Wounds) + all the retaliation you can stack + Pain Link is still very powerful.

 

- priest: can reach very high MIG which results in high Battle Forged damage. Plus: Fire Godlike priest of Magran fits nicely. Meh: priests' endurance and health are quite bad and you shouldn't plan to use Battle Forged a lot because you will have to rest all the time because of low health.

 

Death Godlike I seldomly use. I like the combo of Death Godlike and chanter or priest of Berath - but to be honest the racial ability is not good enough to justify the loss of headgear.

 

Nature Godlike: same basically. Nature Godlike Stag Druid or Nature Godlike stag ranger are nice concepts - stylistically - but the racial ability is very underwhelming. It stacks with everything though, but it would have been better if it triggered at 75%. Or if it worked like Fighting Spirit (humans). The term "Wellspring of Life" suggests that there's healing involved - which is not the case. An inherent regeneration like those of a trollhide belt that scaled a bit would also have been awesome.

 

Bird Godlike: ok, the racial ability is totally bonkers, but Pallegina makes up for this with her awesome Wrath of the Five Suns. I like her very much.

Edited April 4, 2017 by Boeroer

[DigitalCrack]

Moon Godlikes' racial ability is very powerful - I mean if you compare it to available headger in PoE1. I don't use them a lot because I don't like the looks too much but they are powerful.

Would have definitely played a moon godlike had they actually looked like the portraits. specifically the one that was almost ghostlike with the wispy hair and all (male portrait)... But instead they gave you head options that did not do the portraits justice...

[Ninjamestari]

I don't like the god-like, and stat-wise their bonuses are way too weak to justify not having a helmet. I do like Pallegina though, she's the most interesting companion in the whole game, even if that is mostly a result of the other companions being kinda lame.

[Archaven]

why not have the head circlet for godlikes instead of helmet?

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Some have nice abilities and imo headgear is underwhelming and ugly for the early game, but the lack of a headslot is a big loss later game and some godlike variaties aren't very good. Still, PoE is easy enough outside of a TC playthrough where you can take a few along and be effective.

 

But the name sucks.

[Karkarov]

I don't dig the godlikes, not because of any in game rules nonsense, I just never enjoyed "demi" races.  Like Teiflings for example, I always felt they were good NPC's but I never let people play as them.  Or their often totally forgotten counter parts, Aasimar.

[CrumpetsForBreakfast]

I like moon godlike too. I'm not too worried about helmet slots for bonuses but visually it limits options so much.

 

Like if it rains you will always get wet and you can't wear anything on your head even if it's just for visual purposes. Combined with only having three head variations and no separate hair variation means all godlikes look the same.

 

I just wish there were more options to differentiate godlike characters visually.

[injurai]

I don't dig the godlikes, not because of any in game rules nonsense, I just never enjoyed "demi" races.  Like Teiflings for example, I always felt they were good NPC's but I never let people play as them.  Or their often totally forgotten counter parts, Aasimar.

 

Kind of feel you. Some games work better when the pc is of demigod status. It would be neat if you got a reverse superman scenario. Godlike on some foreign plane, but reduced to a common in the here and now.

[Aleh1811]

Its not very important for me if the racial bonuses are combat balanced. I think too much focus on balance takes away from the role playing experience. Its ok if some races or classes are weaker or stronger than others as long as they feel different.

 

For me the main issue with them was there were so many of them. It really made them seem mundane.

[Amentep]

I took it that the plethora of godlike in the first game (even though I think its a factor of the fan made npcs) was due to the offer of land and/or work that brought the PC to the area.
 
Given that godlikes can't have children, the area experiencing an epidemic of hollowborn children wouldn't be an issue of concern for them, so there would be less reason for godlikes to not take the opportunity if they needed it.  In turn that could lead to more godlikes in the area than would be normally seen.

[Ninjamestari]

I took it that the plethora of godlike in the first game (even though I think its a factor of the fan made npcs) was due to the offer of land and/or work that brought the PC to the area.

 

Given that godlikes can't have children, the area experiencing an epidemic of hollowborn children wouldn't be an issue of concern for them, so there would be less reason for godlikes to not take the opportunity if they needed it.  In turn that could lead to more godlikes in the area than would be normally seen.

 

That rationalization could work if it was presented by the game and not a player on the forums. Makes it kinda sad, considering that all it would've taken to preserve the integrity of immersion was an NPC commenting on the number of Godlikes the offer for land had attracted, and a little speculation on how "I guess the whole legacy business doesn't concern them, seeing how they're not able to get kids in the first place".

[Torm51]

I refused to play Moon godlike.  WAY too good.  Nothing compares.  There are a few PotD runs I messed up that If I had a Moon Godlike I would have won.  Instead we all died.  You cant have a race thats SO powerful it makes that kind of a difference.  I was surprised it was never fixed or acknowledged by the devs.

[Amentep]

 

I took it that the plethora of godlike in the first game (even though I think its a factor of the fan made npcs) was due to the offer of land and/or work that brought the PC to the area.

 

Given that godlikes can't have children, the area experiencing an epidemic of hollowborn children wouldn't be an issue of concern for them, so there would be less reason for godlikes to not take the opportunity if they needed it.  In turn that could lead to more godlikes in the area than would be normally seen.

 

That rationalization could work if it was presented by the game and not a player on the forums. Makes it kinda sad, considering that all it would've taken to preserve the integrity of immersion was an NPC commenting on the number of Godlikes the offer for land had attracted, and a little speculation on how "I guess the whole legacy business doesn't concern them, seeing how they're not able to get kids in the first place".

 

 

I don't disagree such an explanation should be in the game. 

 

That said, since an explanation came to me and the game didn't contradict it, I personally didn't have an issue with this aspect of the game.  But totally understand that it was an issue for others.

[Ninjamestari]

I don't disagree such an explanation should be in the game. 

 

That said, since an explanation came to me and the game didn't contradict it, I personally didn't have an issue with this aspect of the game.  But totally understand that it was an issue for others.

 

 

Sounds like you should've been on the dev team ^^

[injurai]

I took it that the plethora of godlike in the first game (even though I think its a factor of the fan made npcs) was due to the offer of land and/or work that brought the PC to the area.

 

Given that godlikes can't have children, the area experiencing an epidemic of hollowborn children wouldn't be an issue of concern for them, so there would be less reason for godlikes to not take the opportunity if they needed it.  In turn that could lead to more godlikes in the area than would be normally seen.

 

That's fascinating. Weren't the backer npcs currated though? I feel like they had certain archetypes that they were written as. The Godlike often seemed to be passer-throughs, with no real place to call a home aside from the frontiers and trade routes.

[Amentep]

 

I don't disagree such an explanation should be in the game. 

 

That said, since an explanation came to me and the game didn't contradict it, I personally didn't have an issue with this aspect of the game.  But totally understand that it was an issue for others.

 

 

Sounds like you should've been on the dev team ^^

 

 

Thanks for the compliment, but I'd probably have overall made things worse.

 

 

I took it that the plethora of godlike in the first game (even though I think its a factor of the fan made npcs) was due to the offer of land and/or work that brought the PC to the area.

 

Given that godlikes can't have children, the area experiencing an epidemic of hollowborn children wouldn't be an issue of concern for them, so there would be less reason for godlikes to not take the opportunity if they needed it.  In turn that could lead to more godlikes in the area than would be normally seen.

 

That's fascinating. Weren't the backer npcs currated though? I feel like they had certain archetypes that they were written as. The Godlike often seemed to be passer-throughs, with no real place to call a home aside from the frontiers and trade routes.

 

 

They were curated to make sure they fit the lore.  I don't think anyone curated backer NPCs regarding their race.

[injurai]

They were curated to make sure they fit the lore.  I don't think anyone curated backer NPCs regarding their race.

 

Well, the lore was what I was more referring to.

[Karkarov]

I don't disagree such an explanation should be in the game. 

 

That said, since an explanation came to me and the game didn't contradict it, I personally didn't have an issue with this aspect of the game.  But totally understand that it was an issue for others.

Have to concur.  It would have been nice to see the explanation in game, however, sometimes from an RP perspective things that are "taken for granted" shouldn't be lore dumped on you.  That kind of info had no real impact on the game itself, so blatantly in your face explaining it isn't really "required". 

 

Let the player make some cognitive leaps on their own, it gets them more invested.

[Ninjamestari]

Have to concur.  It would have been nice to see the explanation in game, however, sometimes from an RP perspective things that are "taken for granted" shouldn't be lore dumped on you.  That kind of info had no real impact on the game itself, so blatantly in your face explaining it isn't really "required". 

 

Let the player make some cognitive leaps on their own, it gets them more invested.

 

 

Making cognitive leaps like that is something that happens when a player is already sufficiently invested, players who are not already highly invested and immersed in the fantasy will not be able, nor willing, to make that kind of cognitive leaps on their own. Whether or not an explanation is 'required' is a question for the developers, but I would consider it a good practice to gently guide the player towards these cognitive paths that will ease them into the game-world despite the god-like mess all over the place or other similar situations.

[rjshae]

I'd like to see a mission to help out an outcast godlike child who is living off scraps and occasional handouts. Find out the story behind the child's bleak condition and try to discern some type of religious connotation to its birth.

[Karkarov]

Making cognitive leaps like that is something that happens when a player is already sufficiently invested, players who are not already highly invested and immersed in the fantasy will not be able, nor willing, to make that kind of cognitive leaps on their own. Whether or not an explanation is 'required' is a question for the developers, but I would consider it a good practice to gently guide the player towards these cognitive paths that will ease them into the game-world despite the god-like mess all over the place or other similar situations.

Fair enough, but a player not invested enough to think about those things, probably doesn't care about the explanation to begin with.

[Ninjamestari]

Fair enough, but a player not invested enough to think about those things, probably doesn't care about the explanation to begin with.

 

 

Immersion is essentially an act of seduction, it just might help a player care.

 

I'd like to see a mission to help out an outcast godlike child who is living off scraps and occasional handouts. Find out the story behind the child's bleak condition and try to discern some type of religious connotation to its birth.

 

This could be interesting, it would probably make the god-like feel more like a real part of the fantasy instead of just an arbitrary option that doesn't really fit.

[Amentep]

 

They were curated to make sure they fit the lore.  I don't think anyone curated backer NPCs regarding their race.

 

Well, the lore was what I was more referring to.

 

 

I think in the case of race though, they gave everyone a deadline to enter by, but I think it'd have been hard to go to backers and say - "well godlikes are supposed to be rare, and if we allow you to use godlike as your race we'll go over 5% NPC backers being godlike...so you need to pick another race".

 

 

 

I don't disagree such an explanation should be in the game. 

 

That said, since an explanation came to me and the game didn't contradict it, I personally didn't have an issue with this aspect of the game.  But totally understand that it was an issue for others.

Have to concur.  It would have been nice to see the explanation in game, however, sometimes from an RP perspective things that are "taken for granted" shouldn't be lore dumped on you.  That kind of info had no real impact on the game itself, so blatantly in your face explaining it isn't really "required". 

 

Let the player make some cognitive leaps on their own, it gets them more invested.

 

 

I don't think a lore dump would have been necessary. Something like Ninjamestari's suggested dialogue line could have been enough.  Although perhaps there could have also been more that could have been done without being a lore dump.  A group that is resentful of godlikes because they're above the tragedy and because they're coming in and taking jobs.  Some charlatan godlikes trying to work a con on some religious types.  Some death godlikes who can't find work and have taken to frighting people out of their cash.  Any of those kinds of things could have built on both the godlikes role in society and also why there were so many in the area without necessarily needing to lore dump things.