What are the best builds for companions?

[InsaneCommander]

To anyone who played the Beta, what builds do you suggest for the companions? Is any of the combinations too bad or really good?

 

The options were revealed recently, check the specific thread:

 

https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/96217-companionsidekick-class-options-revealed/

 

And I'll put it here too for easy reference:

 

 

Also, what do you think of Fury/Ghost heart? One of my characters was a Wolf Druid, but I will change her into a Druid/Ranger and pretend that Eothas caused her spirit to split, causing her to loose the ability to turn into a wolf and gaining a spiritual animal companion.

[wahmann1]

I think the problem with the question is the powers are going to change. I'll take a stab at it, though, based on what I've read: 

 

Aloth: Battlemage

Eder: Fighter (Devoted)

Maia Rua: Ranger (Stalker)

Pallegina: Paladin (Bleak Walker)

Seraphen: Barbarian (Berserker)

Tekehu: Theurge

Xoti: Contemplative

Fassina: Loremaster

Konstanten: Barbarian (Berserker)

Rekke: Brute

Ydwin: Mindstalker

[InsaneCommander]

I think the problem with the question is the powers are going to change.

 

Ok. Then there isn't much to say now. But thanks for the suggestions.

[jones092201@gmail.com]

this kind of worries me. In pillars, I relied heavily on durance, my priest.

yet here, there is no option for a dedicated priest. only xoti as a monk/priest.

Does that bother anyone else? it feels like the companions are not particularly useful for healing, buff.

[Dant3]

 

this kind of worries me. In pillars, I relied heavily on durance, my priest.

yet here, there is no option for a dedicated priest. only xoti as a monk/priest.

Does that bother anyone else? it feels like the companions are not particularly useful for healing, buff.

 

If you look at the picture in the opening post you'll see that Xoti can be a priest, a monk or a multiclass priest/monk. So there is at least one dedicated priest npc, you just have to choose "priest" as a class for Xoti and never multiclass her.

[Yosharian]

I think the problem with the question is the powers are going to change. I'll take a stab at it, though, based on what I've read: 

 

Aloth: Battlemage

Eder: Fighter (Devoted)

Maia Rua: Ranger (Stalker)

Pallegina: Paladin (Bleak Walker)

Seraphen: Barbarian (Berserker)

Tekehu: Theurge

Xoti: Contemplative

Fassina: Loremaster

Konstanten: Barbarian (Berserker)

Rekke: Brute

Ydwin: Mindstalker

Wait can you select subclasses for companions?  I thought you couldn't

 

Edit: according to Blotter:

 

> While Eder and Aloth don't use any subclasses, that's not the case for the rest of the main companions. Per an older post from Sawyer's Tumblr, Pallegina will either be a Kind Wayfarer or a member of the Frermàs mes Canc Suolias, Maia has a unique ranger subclass (Gunhawk), Serafen has access to a unique cipher subclass (Wild Mind), Xoti can be a priestess of Gaun and/or a Sister of the Reaping Moon monk, and Tekehu can be a unique subclass of chanter (Storm Speaker) and/or druid (Watershaper). Sawyer also said that two of the sidekicks have subclasses, but he doesn't go into detail and I don't recall whether this post was before or after they discarded Radora and Bonteru in favor of Fassina and Konstantin. If it was before, then the bit about sidekick subclasses could apply to sidekicks who no longer exist.

 

So:

 

Eder: can only be a Fighter/Rogue and cannot pick a specialism

Aloth: same as Eder

Maia Rua: 'Gunhawk', not sure about her Wizard options, hope she's a generalist, **** Wizard subclasses

Pallegina: Kind Wayfarer, not sure about Fighter/Chanter

Serafen: 'Wild Mind' Cipher, not sure about Barbarian specialism

Tekehu: 'Storm Speaker' chanter, 'Watershaper' Druid

Xoti: Priestess of Gaun, Sister of the Reaping Moon

 

Here, I updated the image:

 

Edited February 23, 2018 by Yosharian

[CottonWolf]

On the assumption that high level abilities will actually be worth taking (and disagreeing with the general consensus that casters are bad currently, except ciphers, they are bad), I'd go:

 

Aloth - pure wizard (eak out those power levels for more powerful spells)

Eder - swashbuckler (insane engagement limit combined with persistant distraction should be a good combo and escape gives good manuverablility to get the tank in the right position)

Maia - scout (long range gunnery combined with the benefit of rogue abilities to pick off targets)

Pallegina - herald (chants are good, especially for a tank/healer build)

Serafen - cipher (assuming the cipher rebalances are good, more cc is always good and there's a lot of melee already)

Xoti - priest (healing is necessary, I don't like multiclassed monks because they don't get full fist progression, and if you're not punching as a monk, what are you doing?)

Tekehu - pure chanter or druid (depending on whether you need a frontline or a backline, and you get the wereshark either way)

Fassina - sorcerer (because conjurer's the worst wizard subclass, given that summoned weapons don't scale with power level, and the storm spells are good)

Konstantin - howler (built as a tank for the same reasons as Pallegina)

Rekke - brawler (the fighter additive damage for specialised weapons should offset the lack of full fist progression, and punching things is cool)

Ydwin - cipher (see Serafen)

[InsaneCommander]

@Cottonwolf I like your suggestions. I want to keep Aloth and Xoti as pure casters too. But Pallegina and Eder I'll probably have as multiclass. Herald looks interesting.

[Yenkaz]

I don't know about 'best', but the idea of making Pallegina run around *singing* given her disdain for Hylea amuses me, while Heralds seems like they have a really good support skillset. On the other hand I really want to see some high level paladin abilities.

 

Keeping Xoti a pure priest to get access to high level spells. Edér a swashbuckler (he was a dual wielding pain outlet in my second POE game, much better than semi immortal tank), Maia... Probably scout, not a fan of single class rangers and I doing a vanilla Wizard.

 

Don't know about the others.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Yenkaz

[Frog Man]

With Kdubyas post about ranged attack speed, I’m really interested in a single class rogue build for Eder where he fires a single pistol. Think McCree from Overwatch. Nice bc the voice actor for Eder is the same as McCree (Matt mercer)

 

High noon bitches !

Edited February 24, 2018 by Frog Man

[Ascaloth]

So I realize the Companions are yet to be playable in the beta... but for those who might have looked into the code, does anyone know what sort of stacking rules apply to Vielo Vidorio?

 

I'm asking because I'm thinking of starting my first playthrough with Pallegina as a ranged Herald; she'd be the self-buffing and ranged support of the party, with Zealous Focus for ACC, Vielo Vidorio and Sure-Handed Ila for speed, while rocking an FoD-powered arquebus for massive alpha damage. Wondering if this would actually work.

[Boeroer]

Arquebus damage got tuned down and also does no bonus damage on crit, so the FoD damage might be ok with it, but not massive. Dual pistol or blunderbuss has The higher potential because of the Full Attack. The highest damage with FoD I get with rods (because of Blast's AoE getting the lash as well), great swords and sabres atm. Dual scepters with modal are also nice (but short range).

The advantage of FoD with an arquebus is that with the modal on (+20 ACC) you can't miss. Or let's say it's really hard to miss. This is great against tougher enemies.

 

I don't think that Videlo Vidorio is even in the beta code.

 

Two hints that they might stack:

- in PoE they stacked

- Deadfire's rule of stacking: passives stack, actives don't. Sure Handed Ila is on the passive side, FoD on the active one.

Edited March 1, 2018 by Boeroer

[Murp]

I was hoping we could have made aloth a barbarian. Making him both a wizard and a wizard slayer would have been both funny and kind of fitting considering the "split personality".

[Carric Greenleaf]

I will probably multiclass Aloth into a battlemage considering he was the first person to end up knocked out on the floor in nearly every combat encounter. It is probably worth sacrificing higher level spells for this since in PoE 1 he sometimes fell unconscious after casting only one spell in more difficult encounters.

[Yosharian]

I will probably multiclass Aloth into a battlemage considering he was the first person to end up knocked out on the floor in nearly every combat encounter. It is probably worth sacrificing higher level spells for this since in PoE 1 he sometimes fell unconscious after casting only one spell in more difficult encounters.

 

Just being a Fighter doesn't automatically grant survivability.

 

You can put Aloth in full plate, even with no Fighter levels.

[Boeroer]

But you will get Constant Recovery when being a Battlemage. So it indeed does grant you more survivability automatically.

Edited March 19, 2018 by Boeroer

[Yosharian]

But you will get Constant Recovery when being a Battlemage. So it indeed does grant you more survivability automatically.

Well, ok. But I don't think it's worth multiclassing just to get Constant Recovery.

[Boeroer]

Right, maybe not.

 

But it also can get you Weapon & Shield Style as well as other nice defensive passives. Those don't come automatically of course.

 

I can't remember: what's the difference in starting values in Deadfire nowadays for wizard and fighter?

[Yosharian]

Right, maybe not.

 

But it also can get you Weapon & Shield Style as well as other nice defensive passives. Those don't come automatically of course.

 

I can't remember: what's the difference in starting values in Deadfire nowadays for wizard and fighter?

 

If the wiki is correct: +5 deflection, +8 HP at level 1, +4 HP/level, +5 Fortitude, -15 Will.

 

But you don't get those by multiclassing to Fighter as a Wizard, you get the average, of course.  Apart from Deflection: you get nothing.

Edited March 20, 2018 by Yosharian

[PneumaticFire]

Currently doing a re-run of Pillars 1 in preparation for Deadfire, I'm really torn being roleplaying and practical/build choices for Pallegina.   My story preference makes her turn into a Kind Wayfarer, yet I really don't want to lose her Wrath of the Five Suns ability with her current order....

 

*sigh* what to do....

 

There's also the fact that I will most likely play as a Templar (Eothasian/Kind Wayfarer) and class overlap of abilities vs roleplaying Kind Wayfarer interactions and a relationship with a character who follows a similar path.

Edited April 9, 2018 by PneumaticFire

[TheMetaphysician]

Currently doing a re-run of Pillars 1 in preparation for Deadfire, I'm really torn being roleplaying and practical/build choices for Pallegina.   My story preference makes her turn into a Kind Wayfarer, yet I really don't want to lose her Wrath of the Five Suns ability with her current order....

 

*sigh* what to do....

I have the same dilemma!

[Frog Man]

Which build works better for Pallegina if her lifeless corpse is rotting at the bottom of a blood pool?

[Boeroer]

Aren't corpses always lifeless?

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

To anyone who played the Beta, what builds do you suggest for the companions? Is any of the combinations too bad or really good?

 

The options were revealed recently, check the specific thread:

 

https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/96217-companionsidekick-class-options-revealed/

 

And I'll put it here too for easy reference:

 

 

Also, what do you think of Fury/Ghost heart? One of my characters was a Wolf Druid, but I will change her into a Druid/Ranger and pretend that Eothas caused her spirit to split, causing her to loose the ability to turn into a wolf and gaining a spiritual animal companion.

 

 

I'd missed this thread before now but my suggestions would be:

 

Aloth as a pure wizard because you don't want to miss top end Wizzy spells

 

Eder as a fighter/rogue because his job is tanking and damage, not flashy abilities, and a fighter/rogue is a master of both those things. I suspect there's a high-end riposte tank build lurking in his stats somewhere, but you'll have to get his Deflection *very* high as riposte currently functions only off of misses, not grazes.

 

Maia Rua -- you have to be a pure ranger for Twinned Shot.

 

Pallegina: Paladin/chanters with shared flames and the burning lash chant and a lot of summons are one of the most effective builds period right now. She can't be a beckoner though, sad. Make sure to get Hel-Hyraf's for those hard to penetrate monsters.

 

Serafen: no idea, Barbarians lost carnage proc'ing on-hit effects in Deadfre, so it'll depend.

 

Tekehu: Druid/Chanter for the same reason as Paladin/Chanter above -- buffs and summons.

 

Xoti: you'll probably want a pure priest in the party just for counters and heals and inspirations and wiping afflictions with suprress affliction. Whether it's worth multiclassing her will depend on the value of the top end priest spells and whether or not it's worth it to hit the higher level priest stuff faster.

 

Fassina: Conjuror + Chanter seems like a decent pet class but normally the wizard subclasses are a little deprecated due to lack of flexibility. 

 

Konstanten: maybe good for the same reason chanters are good. Barbarian doesn't have much synergy though with pure chanter. (Maybe skald if that's allowed? but I doubt it).

 

Rekke: ok why do you hate Eder

 

Ydwin: Cipher/rogues have pretty good synergy but it's a shame she can't be a beguiler.

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

Which build works better for Pallegina if her lifeless corpse is rotting at the bottom of a blood pool?

 

 

Are the ones consigned to the blood pool actually dead? Also, you spelled "Grieving Mother" wrong