Party setup suggestions!

[oscer]

Hey dudes and dudettes!

 

With Deadfire around the corner I decided to replay pillars for the fifth time or so. I feel pretty stuck in my ways when it comes to my general play style. I usually just run a full custom party on PotD as such; 

• Cipher
• Monk
• Paladin
• Priest
• Rogue
• Rogue

I have a very hard time deviating from this setup for some reason, hence this post! I decided to for the first time ever use Pallegina, Aloth and Edér since they seem to be the only ones who made it to Deadfire. So my question is, what type setup (2 customs + PC) do you guys feel would be a great complement to our fantastic trio on PotD? I've done some research on them so I'm not entirely in the blind here or without ideas, I'm merely curious to see if someone has some fun ideas!

 

Cheers

[Archaven]

I mostly use all companions from campaign. I have never use custom party though. Honestly, i haven't try the expansions companions yet but here is what i love the most for my party setup:

 

Kana - I kinda think Chanter > Fighter. This guy can tank. He can heal, he can revive, he can deal AOE damage. He is also a godly support >_>. Sure Handed Ila is godly. I can't seem to live without a Chanter anymore. 

 

Eder - I love him as companion alot but for reasons like chanter, I have to replace him with Kana. But his knockdown is so good is just that he has low INT IINM. Therefore the Knockdown isn't that long.

 

Durance - This guy must have in every party unless i'm priest myself. In POTD i must need him.

 

Pallegina - If you are playing in POTD, i think she is a must!. Her ZF (+6 ACC) to whole party and her markings  .  She can heal, her exthortations are awesome!. She's a godly support!

 

Aloth - He's a great debuffer and he can be a godly tank in frontlines and from the back  . Parasitc Concelhaut/Kalakoth + DAoM (Deletrious Alacrity)

 

Hiravias - This guy ... Returning Storm, Relentless Storm and with Frenzy on Shifted form is no joke  . Not to mention this guy can nuke, can debuff, can heal.. it's just i can't live without him in any party setup.

 

See.. i have more.. but 6 party slots    ... In Deadfire we have 5    

 

And  look at Sagani... you can check out the Returning Storm build. This makes me felt in love with Ranger so much!. She's like a machine gunner on steroid  . And don't forget Itumaak  . Therefore on other PT, i'm thinking that i MUST have Sagani too 

 

Poor Eder... I love him. It's just that his role ain't that good. I must multi-class him for Fighter/Ranger or Rogue/Ranger in Deadfire 

Edited October 21, 2017 by Archaven

[MaxQuest]

I decided to for the first time ever use Pallegina, Aloth and Edér since they seem to be the only ones who made it to Deadfire. So my question is, what type setup (2 customs + PC) do you guys feel would be a great complement to our fantastic trio on PotD?

Feel a bit conflicted on having Pallegina AND Eder in party at the same time. As usually a custom paladin can combine the tankiness + utility in just one character.

 

Aside from that, here are the thoughts:

v1. General use:

frontline: Pallegina (utility offtank), Eder (main tank), Aloth (1h+shield, focused exclusively on crowd-control)

backline: Cipher (borresaine/sabra, cc+dps), Priest (moongodlike, fire), Cipher (persistence/cloudpiercer/rain, dps+cc)

 

v2. General use:

frontline: Eder (main tank), chanter (tank, dragon trashed), druid (1h+shield, shifting+storms)

midline: Pallegina (starts with arquebus shot, switches to 1h+shield)

backline: Aloth (golden gaze/gyrd/kalakoth), Priest (moongodlike, fire)

 

v3. Alpha-strike team: (heavy micro)

frontline: Eder (main tank)), chanter (min MIG, aefillath/sure-handed, tank), Aloth (1h+shield)

backline: priest, Pallegina (starts with arquebus shot), cipher (starts with Lead Spitter shot)

[Boeroer]

I like to have both Edér and Pallegina in the party - and that's because a fighter with Disciplined Barrage with the aid of a marker paladin is a great boss killer.

[MaxQuest]

Just note me down as sad, because Vielo Vidorio doesn't stack with DAoM and other AttackSpeedMult buffs

 

Plus aside from mid-game alpha-striking, I don't really see how she's not superseded by a Darcozzi or Goldpact hireling in overall utility.

[Boeroer]

I meant if you are going to use official companions only. I never use Vielo Vidorio. That is doesn't stack with other speed buffs is a real bummer. 

[Torm51]

I meant if you are going to use official companions only. I never use Vielo Vidorio. That is doesn't stack with other speed buffs is a real bummer.

Also it's AOE is small just like Sword and the Shepherd and Shielding Flames their AOE does not get increased by INT for some reason. *shrug* although The Heal and Deflection buff seem to have bigger AOE.

 

All the Flames of Devotion added buffs don't scale with INT

Edited October 21, 2017 by Torm51

[Torm51]

Just note me down as sad, because Vielo Vidorio doesn't stack with DAoM and other AttackSpeedMult buffs

 

Plus aside from mid-game alpha-striking, I don't really see how she's not superseded by a Darcozzi or Goldpact hireling in overall utility.

Well a Darcozzi is better then every Paladin on PoTD. ACC bonus that stacks with everything is reliable CC on the most dangerous enemies. You can't beat that.

 

Well a Bleak Walker is a better Alpha Striker then the Darcozzi if she/he takes rakhan field and intense flames but he can't reach Darcozzi accuracy.

[MaxQuest]

Well a Darcozzi is better then every Paladin on PoTD.

I've been thinking if I want a Goldpact over Darcozzi in the next run.

With 10 survival, priest and Wit Dyr Jerky (+3 acc) I didn't encounter real accuracy problems.

 

Yet I've had a few knockdowns when my chanter/barb got confused or dominated at the same time as my priest (who was responsible for 'unshackling').

That made me looking at the Bond of Duty as a pre lvl-13 solution.

Edited October 22, 2017 by MaxQuest

[Moneo]

A Goldpact pally is quite good as a PC, 'cause he can be Cruel and Benevolent simultaneously and is not penalized in his theocracy.

 

BTW, I didn't use Bond of Duty or any other order-specific talents. Aegis of loyalty can give you infinite anti-CC stuff on top of Liberating Exhortation (of course, this requires some micromanagement and party positioning), and you can take it as soon as at level 7.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Moneo

[MaxQuest]

BTW, I didn't use Bond of Duty or any other order-specific talents. Aegis of loyalty can give you infinite anti-CC stuff on top of Liberating Exhortation (of course, this requires some micromanagement and party positioning), and you can take it as soon as at level 7.

Yeap, that's the main reason I don't auto-pick Goldpact paladin.

But still,.. Sacred Immolation comes only at lvl 13. And before that undominating distant allies via Aegis can be tricky. Redfield/Executioner helm range is quite limited, and it's not like Paladin will be switching to hunting bow.

[Torm51]

 

Well a Darcozzi is better then every Paladin on PoTD.

I've been thinking if I want a Goldpact over Darcozzi in the next run.

With 10 survival, priest and Wit Dyr Jerky (+3 acc) I didn't encounter real accuracy problems.

 

Yet I've had a few knockdowns when my chanter/barb got confused or dominated at the same time as my priest (who was responsible for 'unshackling').

That made me looking at the Bond of Duty as a pre lvl-13 solution.

1. I hear you Bond of Duty is decent. But if you have a priest once he gets Prayer against Treachery you are solid.

 

2. Liberating Exhortation will get allies out of a mind control it just won't make them immune. It feels like the AI has a cooldown on abilities or something cause 1 enemy doesn't spam mind controls. Just smartly bait the mind control and use liberating or the priest spell. Burn the mind controller.

 

3. Aegis of Loyalty if no priest or as a secondary backup to prayer of treachery.

 

4. Lastly I'm thinking of POE 2 and I think the Goldpact kit SUCKS. No Zealous Auras for the lose.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Torm51

[Moneo]

 

BTW, I didn't use Bond of Duty or any other order-specific talents. Aegis of loyalty can give you infinite anti-CC stuff on top of Liberating Exhortation (of course, this requires some micromanagement and party positioning), and you can take it as soon as at level 7.

Yeap, that's the main reason I don't auto-pick Goldpact paladin.

But still,.. Sacred Immolation comes only at lvl 13. And before that undominating distant allies via Aegis can be tricky. Redfield/Executioner helm range is quite limited, and it's not like Paladin will be switching to hunting bow.

 

 

You mean, a tanky pally is rather useless unitl level 13? Yes, he deals quite little amount of damage, that's true. After getting Sacred Immolation and Scion of Flame, he becomes an okay damage dealer.

 

Of course, Aegis of Loyalty is not a panacea. But it's quite helpful as an addition to Liberating Exhortation and priest's Suppress Affliction. It's just not intended to be used in every case, just on occasion.

 

I use a tanky pally as a scroll caster too. Taking Aristocrat background, you can easily get 7-8 Survival and 12 Lore with your paladin. Actually, in my party, it's the only character besides a priest, who can get 12 lore and cast Protection against Treachery from scrolls, thus he frees my priest from spending time and spell slots casting this spell. Of course, this comes later than level 11 (at level 14, if I remember correctly). Also, I found, that for a pally who abuses Sacred Immolation, it's handy to take a +2 DR Survival bonus over +40% healing. In my party, I have enough sources of healing to keep such an unkillable character standing straight, but the harm to the health from SI may become an important hinder which makes you rest more often. So, the less harm this guy takes from the mobs, the better. Wearing an Exceptional plate armor, having +2 DR resting bonus, Second Skin talent and buffed with Zealous Endurance, this character will have 23 base DR, that's not bad.

 

Also, I feel that Zealous Endurance on PotD is quite handy and it boosts your party's survivability. It's not about keeping your buddies alive during the battle, but it diminishes harm to health, and you can move from one battle to another without resting (and this strategy fits my playstyle pretty well).

 

So, a tankadin may be a bit passive and boring character. It just boosts your party and helps his mates to do the job.

 

Also, I prefer an arbalest, not a war bow as a ranged backup for my pally. I usually use Hold Wall (+Slaying Primordials against those Spores, I prefer to shoot them from distance).

Edited October 22, 2017 by Moneo

[Torm51]

 

 

BTW, I didn't use Bond of Duty or any other order-specific talents. Aegis of loyalty can give you infinite anti-CC stuff on top of Liberating Exhortation (of course, this requires some micromanagement and party positioning), and you can take it as soon as at level 7.

Yeap, that's the main reason I don't auto-pick Goldpact paladin.

But still,.. Sacred Immolation comes only at lvl 13. And before that undominating distant allies via Aegis can be tricky. Redfield/Executioner helm range is quite limited, and it's not like Paladin will be switching to hunting bow.

You mean, a tanky pally is rather useless unitl level 13? Yes, he deals quite little amount of damage, that's true. After getting Sacred Immolation and Scion of Flame, he becomes an okay damage dealer.

 

Of course, Aegis of Loyalty is not a panacea. But it's quite helpful as an addition to Liberating Exhortation and priest's Suppress Affliction. It's just not intended to be used in every case, just on occasion.

 

I use a tanky pally as a scroll caster too. Taking Aristocrat background, you can easily get 7-8 Survival and 12 Lore with your paladin. Actually, in my party, it's the only character besides a priest, who can get 12 lore and cast Protection against Treachery from scrolls, thus he frees my priest from spending time and spell slots casting this spell. Of course, this comes later than level 11 (at level 14, if I remember correctly). Also, I found, that for a pally who abuses Sacred Immolation, it's handy to take a +2 DR Survival bonus over +40% healing. In my party, I have enough sources of healing to keep such an unkillable character standing straight, but the harm to the health from SI may become an important hinder which makes you rest more often. So, the less harm this guy takes from the mobs, the better. Wearing an Exceptional plate armor, having +2 DR resting bonus, Second Skin talent and buffed with Zealous Endurance, this character will have 23 base DR, that's not bad.

 

Also, I feel that Zealous Endurance on PotD is quite handy and it boosts your party's survivability. It's not about keeping your buddies alive during the battle, but it diminishes harm to health, and you can move from one battle to another without resting (and this strategy fits my playstyle pretty well).

 

So, a tankadin may be a bit passive and boring character. It just boosts your party and helps his mates to do the job.

 

Also, I prefer an arbalest, not a war bow as a ranged backup for my pally. I usually use Hold Wall (+Slaying Primordials against those Spores, I prefer to shoot them from distance).

Sacred Immolation is raw damage to the Paladin and fire damage to the enemy. The self harm portion ignores DR.

 

Zealous Endurance is good. All the auras are. At points in the game I wish I had all of them.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Torm51

[Moneo]

Yes, it ignores DR. But I wrote about the damage from mobs. A paladin not only damages himself, he receives some punches from the foes. And the more tanky he is, the more effectively he can abuse SI.

 

+2 DR means roughly +20 health spare from 10 enemy's hits and +200 health spare from 100 enemy's hits.

 

About auras. Yes, they all are very good. I had a hard time thinking, which is better, ZF or ZE. After some time and having some experience, I decided that Zealous Endurance is slightly better than Zealous Focus on the long run, although there are encounters where ZF would be very handy.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Moneo

[Torm51]

Oh I got you. Ya like I said I think all the auras are solid. I like Zealous Focus. +6 ACC that Stacks with devotions of the faithful and Inpairing Radiance gives you reliable CC in dragon fights. Like I said a case can be made for all of them.

[Moneo]

Yeah, speaking on importance of ZF, I meant those hard boss fights. But this also depends on your playstyle. If your pally is tanking bosses, and your party is standing in some distance, ZF is useless for your damage dealers/CC-ers, whereas ZE is always useful even for your paladin alone. But I usually take ZF in the beginning of the game, 'cause early on, a low accuracy is a serious issue. Later on, low acc is an issue mostly in boss fights, but by that time, you have different ways to boost it.

 

BTW, a chanter can buff your party's accuracy against the dragons by whopping +20.

[Torm51]

Yeah, speaking on importance of ZF, I meant those hard boss fights. But this also depends on your playstyle. If your pally is tanking bosses, and your party is standing in some distance, ZF is useless for your damage dealers/CC-ers, whereas ZE is always useful even for your paladin alone. But I usually take ZF in the beginning of the game, 'cause early on, a low accuracy is a serious issue. Later on, low acc is an issue mostly in boss fights, but by that time, you have different ways to boost it.

 

BTW, a chanter can buff your party's accuracy against the dragons by whopping +20.

You are on point. I agree I usually don't tank them I do a lot of mindncontrolling and disabling so ZF works. But in my early days I did tank them a few times and ZE was def better cause like you said if you split from the party ZF is kind of pointless.

[Ascaloth]

There is a way to make Eder and Pallegina synergize well in the same party; have Eder take Guardian Stance, and Pallegina Zealous Focus.

 

That's party-wide Accuracy and Deflections bonuses between the two of them, which will work well especially with a melee-heavy party. Or with a melee Watcher, such as the DW Barbarian PC I recently completed a PotD "canon" run with.