A warning - hiring prostitutes at Caed Nua permanently removes their benefits

[Jojobobo]

See topic title. With a high enough Dex and Con you can convince the Salty Mast prostitutes to become hirelings at Caed Nua, causing them to disappear from the Salty Mast.

 

However, they permanently lose their ability to give you a boon when you sleep with them. I've now lost Lyrinia's Boon because of this on my Act III character, as I didn't see a need to save before this event as it shouldn't be a problem in the first place, and I lack any other previous saves now. This has permanently gimped my solo character, as I can now no longer achieve the Might or Con scores that I could have done before for boss fights.

 

Hats off to Obsidian for turning what should have been a fun easter egg into a nice crap sandwich.

[Juodas Varnas]

You can do WHAT?

 

God damn it, i'm off to get some hookers for my Caed Nua, brb

[Jojobobo]

Yeah I never realised it was possible too, and thought, "Okay, this sounds fun to try," and then experienced a bug which I feel personally ruins my current playthrough (no longer hitting the Might and Constitution I should be able to, which is a problem as this was a damage/endurance focused build). While people normally don't use the prostitute boons often, I had been using them almost constantly as I could get them for free with a Dex of 20 - so they've been an integral part of my build since I reached Ondra's Gift.

 

I think I'm pretty much at my limit of frustration with Obsidian as a company now, and if nothing is done about this I will be getting a refund for Deadfire. I should be able to do something in the game without encountering an extremely inconveniencing bug. That's the bare minimum I expect from any game, and Obsidian consistently have failed in this regard, and they took some of my money to even have the opportunity to build the game in the first place. I'm tired of it.

Edited January 17, 2018 by Jojobobo

[Torm51]

Yeah I never realised it was possible too, and thought, "Okay, this sounds fun to try," and then experienced a bug which I feel personally ruins my current playthrough (no longer hitting the Might and Constitution I should be able to, which is a problem as this was a damage/endurance focused build). While people normally don't use the prostitute boons often, I had been using them almost constantly as I could get them for free with a Dex of 20 - so they've been an integral part of my build since I reached Ondra's Gift.

 

I think I'm pretty much at my limit of frustration with Obsidian as a company now, and if nothing is done about this I will be getting a refund for Deadfire. I should be able to do something in the game without encountering an extremely inconveniencing bug. That's the bare minimum I expect from any game, and Obsidian consistently have failed in this regard, and they took some of my money to even have the opportunity to build the game in the first place. I'm tired of it.

That is a crappy bug and I feel your pain especially on a solo character.  If you had a group relying on bonuses isnt that big of a deal but it can be big solo.  That being said you can still win your solo run.  If it was a bug that was game stopping I would understand but you can still win a solo run with 17 DEX or whatever.

[Jojobobo]

 That is a crappy bug and I feel your pain especially on a solo character.  If you had a group relying on bonuses isnt that big of a deal but it can be big solo.  That being said you can still win your solo run.  If it was a bug that was game stopping I would understand but you can still win a solo run with 17 DEX or whatever.

Personally, I'm not happy with any bug like this. Obsidian designed a challenging game, with a tight mechanical system underpinning the challenge.

 

For me to now experience an element of unfair challenge, because of their incompetency, entirely sours the experience for me as they've fundamentally undermined the difficult complex gameplay that they were shooting for. To put things in context I've already lost 100 hours of gameplay due to their previous laundry list of bugs that either gave me an unfair advantage or made the challenge unfair (Battle Forged granting permanent DR, Confident Aim adding loads of damage, Bash hitting several times through Carnage, etc.).

 

Additionally, I'm also experiencing other bugs that I haven't made a big deal of - for example when enemies are Prone and Stunned they often are still able to attack you while the affliction duration is running. I haven't bothered to report this, as it's fairly minor, but as I'm using an Overbearing weapon in at attempt to keep a single target constantly Prone its still a bug that's comes up as another unfair disadvantage every time I play the game.

 

I've mentioned in a different thread about this, that as I was using these boons more or less constantly (I have 20 Dex, so I could get them for free) I now have a permanent -2 Might -2 Con compared to what I should have. If a character was bugged so it was permanently injured with Bruised Ribs (-4 Con), there would be uproar, and yet mechanically that's also exactly what is happening here.

 

I'm also not so sure that I would be able to complete the game. I'm playing a Rogue, and because their base Endurance and Health are poor not having crummy Constitution is actually very important for the build. A whole two points less permanently, or if I choose to buff it through other resting bonuses now being unable to buff Might so high and do as much damage as a consequence, can easily make a once viable solo build now unviable.

 

Even if they do patch it, it shouldn't have been a problem in the first place. There have been way too many bugs in this game from release until now for a supposedly reputable games developer for my liking.

Edited January 17, 2018 by Jojobobo

[Blades of Vanatar]

If they fix the bug they should also implement the character getting a disease for using the hookers too often. One too many trips to the well could deliver a fine case of Crabs or VD. Just saying....

[Torm51]

 

 That is a crappy bug and I feel your pain especially on a solo character.  If you had a group relying on bonuses isnt that big of a deal but it can be big solo.  That being said you can still win your solo run.  If it was a bug that was game stopping I would understand but you can still win a solo run with 17 DEX or whatever.

Personally, I'm not happy with any bug like this. Obsidian designed a challenging game, with a tight mechanical system underpinning the challenge.

 

For me to now experience an element of unfair challenge, because of their incompetency, entirely sours the experience for me as they've fundamentally undermined the difficult complex gameplay that they were shooting for. To put things in context I've already lost 100 hours of gameplay due to their previous laundry list of bugs that either gave me an unfair advantage or made the challenge unfair (Battle Forged granting permanent DR, Confident Aim adding loads of damage, Bash hitting several times through Carnage, etc.).

 

Additionally, I'm also experiencing other bugs that I haven't made a big deal of - for example when enemies are Prone and Stunned they often are still able to attack you while the affliction duration is running. I haven't bothered to report this, as it's fairly minor, but as I'm using an Overbearing weapon in at attempt to keep a single target constantly Prone its still a bug that's comes up as another unfair disadvantage every time I play the game.

 

I've mentioned in a different thread about this, that as I was using these boons more or less constantly (I have 20 Dex, so I could get them for free) I now have a permanent -2 Might -2 Con compared to what I should have. If a character was bugged so it was permanently injured with Bruised Ribs (-4 Con), there would be uproar, and yet mechanically that's also exactly what is happening here.

 

I'm also not so sure that I would be able to complete the game. I'm playing a Rogue, and because their base Endurance and Health are poor not having crummy Constitution is actually very important for the build. A whole two points less permanently, or if I choose to buff it through other resting bonuses now being unable to buff Might so high and do as much damage as a consequence, can easily make a once viable solo build now unviable.

 

Even if they do patch it, it shouldn't have been a problem in the first place. There have been way too many bugs in this game from release until now for a supposedly reputable games developer for my liking.

 

I hear you man and I am with you 200%.  They have had some bad bugs I for the most part have been spared them as it SEEMS that Windows 7 steam users get the least buggy experience.  For instance I never got the pink square thing (fingers crossed) but ya the afflictions over riding each other and then FREEing enemies is really crappy.  I have not bothered to report it either because I just cycle my CC and its not an issue.  But you are right.

Edited January 17, 2018 by Torm51

[Messier-31]

You can do WHAT?

 

God damn it, i'm off to get some hookers for my Caed Nua, brb

 

Aren't you familiar with the wiki?

 

https://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Stronghold_management_(Pillars_of_Eternity)#Hirelings

Edited January 17, 2018 by Messier-31

[Kerozevok]

I'm not sure there is a bug... Many bonus are available if you to rest to Caed Nua and in compensation, the prostitutes give a "prestige bonus" (sic) to the stronghold.

[Jojobobo]

You can still sleep with them, are you're literally paying them a wage. Did they become bad in bed upon employing them? I doubt it.

 

The devs might try and claim that it's not a bug, but given the high requirements to get them in the stronghold in the first place, and that +2 Prestige is an awful benefit for what you're losing, I'd say it's quite clear someone dropped the ball.

 

If you weren't paying them (i.e. they'd come to Caed Nua for a romance, in which case you could argue they would be no longer acting like a prostitute) or if the option to have sex with them wasn't there I'd say you had a point. But neither of those things are true, so I'm 95% sure it's a bug, and the other 5% of me would say if it's not a bug it's a terrible design choice which should come with a fore-warning - in which case I'm still annoyed.

 

Even if they offer to patch it (which I'd be amazed if they bothered to now, seeing as they only did the bare minimum in their last hotfix and didn't sort out the appearance of the pirate outfits) then I have to wait 3 weeks or so to get my character back to normal, either that or I put in another 27 hours of my time and this time don't pick the option for Lyrinia to go to Caed Nua. Neither of these things I'm prepared to do, and as a gamer trying to enjoy his free time I shouldn't have to.

 

I'm sick and tired of playing Pillars to stumble into some new game altering bug, as I'd say around 60% on my playthroughs have been marred by experiences like this. I no longer believe Obsidian are competent enough, at least for the time being, to produce a game where I wouldn't end up being frustrated, when I could just be playing any other game. As such I'm awaiting my Deadfire refund, which I think is the simplest way to show a vote of no confidence in a company, and then I'll be off.

Edited January 18, 2018 by Jojobobo

[Juodas Varnas]

I no longer believe Obsidian are competent enough, at least for the time being, to produce a game where I wouldn't end up being frustrated, when I could just be playing any other game. As such I'm awaiting my Deadfire refund, which I think is the simplest way to show a vote of no confidence in a company, and then I'll be off.

[Jojobobo]

It may seem dramatic and ridiculous, but I'm just tired of it. No one wants to be playing a game for 27 hours only to have to restart or sit on their hands for several weeks while it's patched to get the character back to normal. This is addition to other bugged playthroughs (such as the one mentioned here) where I sunk 45 hours in the game, only to find out that Confident Aim was bugged and overpowered like crazy so my solo PotD fighter may as well have been playing on Easy mode (and in addition to the other playthroughs where I encounted something similar, Battle Forged giving permanent DR for example). Fool me once and at all that, but at this many times fooled I feel like an idiot for putting my trust in them. I want to play the Pillars that was advertised as having a fair yet difficult challenge, not be getting unfair advantages and disadvantages over two and half years down the line since release.

 

I think it's time to exercise my right to get a refund and chose a company who can competently make a game. To Obsidian's credit they've mostly been pro-active with patching these problems out (apart from Confident Aim, which I think the community pretty much bullied them into fixing - as the patched it out even after they'd announced a "final patch") - but the game should have never been so buggy in the first place. I'm bored of it.

Edited January 18, 2018 by Jojobobo

[Tigranes]

I think it's perfectly appropriate response for you to be frustrated by those bugs. Having played RPGs for 20 years, I just don't think you will ever be able to go and 'find another company' that can guarantee you'd never have this problem, not when we're talking about RPGs with a modicum of tactical and systems complexity. I don't even mean that it's physically impossible, I just mean that's how the lay of the land is. 

Edited January 18, 2018 by Tigranes

[Jojobobo]

I think it's perfectly appropriate response for you to be frustrated by those bugs. Having played RPGs for 20 years, I just don't think you will ever be able to go and 'find another company' that can guarantee you'd never have this problem, not when we're talking about RPGs with a modicum of tactical and systems complexity. I don't even mean that it's physically impossible, I just mean that's how the lay of the land is. 

Very true, but I'd say at least some AAA games manage it better, and yes they have much larger number of staff putting out their games so they can more effectively beta test - but that still doesn't excuse Obsidian, doubly so as it was a crowd-funded game.

 

I'll probably take a break from RPGs or sandbox games in general, and go for more story focussed games. I think we all know these games are a massive sink of anyone's free time, and for me the returns have become diminishing when you encounter a bug that sours your personal experience of what is such a heavy investiture in the first place.

[Jojobobo]

If anyone was interested, I followed through here. As mentioned I won't be sticking around much longer, so hopefully there's enough info about for people to replicate my semi-finished builds.

[Juodas Varnas]

If anyone was interested, I followed through here. As mentioned I won't be sticking around much longer, so hopefully there's enough info about for people to replicate my semi-finished builds.

Edited January 19, 2018 by Juodas Varnas