Less than ten rests, Relative Pacifism

[Hulk'O'Saurus]

I thought about making this a sort of partial strategy guide included with a rogue build, but in the end I have different things to say about that run. 

 

I've done it on PotD without Trial of Iron on because I wanted to see how much of the game I could explore and do in this mode, and also because the mechanics of the game are still so shaky when it comes to stealth and avoiding killing things. I think it's a shame and a missed opportunity, because there were very fun parts like Cliaban Rilag level 2, for instance, and very frustrating parts... like Cliaban Rilag level 1 last room. 

 

Shadowing Beyond is a good friend, and you can replenish them by respecing, though people may disagree on how valid this is, even though one can RP around this--by paying money for scout intel, for instance. The levels of stealth you need are abnormal. Stealth level 17 wasn't enough to sneak safely around the Battery Sirens at Durgan's and level 13 wasn't enough to do it safely around the spores in Cliaban Rilag. The game also forces you out of stealth in scripted situations, such as the drake at Endless Paths level 5, and also in some cases it doesn't end combat in some of those scenarios, even though the enemies are not pursuing you - again, Endless Paths level 5 is an example. Sometimes your defeated enemies counter goes up, even though you haven't even scratched a bug, or a spider... or Maerwald for that matter, like in the case of... Maerwald, where you can aggravate a pack of angry spiders to kill him without you having to lift a finger. In the case of the slavers at WM1 you can finish the slave orlan's quest without killing anyone by bringing in a pack of angry lagufaeth on top of the slavers and then attacking the slavers one by one in combat in order to keep the combat going on, otherwise the combat ends, and each party just leaves. 

 

Generally speaking, the game shows little respect for sneaky characters, and sometimes doesn't even anticipate you trying not to kill much. Like getting to looters at Madhmr Bridge without killing the two who are on post(you can do that by pulling them away with a potion of fleet feet), they still say that they heard fighting and your conversation options are still situated around you killing them. At Trygil's shop he attacks you, even though you've made peace with the Skaenites... also the game keeps you in combat there, even though no body is attacking anybody. You also quite often need to play tag with the enemies while in Shadowing Beyong, because they still chase you while you're invisible, so you need to touch them to make them go away. It's surprising how much polish PoE is lacking in this regard. Durgan's Battery has got an interesting design... you can actually make it to the last room - I suspect with stealth level 18 or 19 - without killing anything, though I ran out of patience trying, plus I don't know if there is any way not to fight the angry spirit dwarves. In comparison, Act 1 and 2 allow you a bit more freedom in this regard because you can bargain and flip sides more often. At one point at Durgan's, enemies attack you while you're sneaking and no body is spotting you, locking you out of a room full of loot, though not critical for the plot. 

 

At the end I sort of gave up and finished the game at level 11, at which point Thaos wasn't much of a challenge. Some parts of the game were alright, some were fun, some were atrocious and some showed complete lack of developer foresight. I suppose you can finish the favour of the gods by killing one or two things only, though I am not sure, because I just got the cat... which is killing 7 things, if memory serves. The dragon, if the little drake doesn't chase you, should count for one - but like I said - I don't know. I am pretty sure you can do the two of the White Marches, but you need to really plan your rests. I included the transition to WM1 and the passing out of the watcher at the end of act 2 into my rest count, though I didn't plan those out. So, I sort of ran out of rests and couldn't continue. 

 

And there you have it... some thoughts on pacifist less than ten rests run. 

 

[InsaneCommander]

I'm trying this in the story mode to prepare for my Ultimate attempt. I might as well get the No Rest for the Pro and Relative Pacifism achievements when I don't have to worry about Trial of Iron and going Solo.

 

How many kills did you end up with? I hope it is not that difficult to avoid killing, because I already invested some points in Mechanics and Athletics (to avoid fatigue).

 

Btw, can I get achievements in Story Mode? And can I skip the WM1 and 2?

 

Edit: I said I invested in Mechanics and Athletics so I can't reach a high level of Stealth.

Edited October 30, 2018 by InsaneCommander

[Hulk'O'Saurus]

I think you do get achievements in story mode... but when have I played that. :| 

 

I ended up with 165 kills, but you need way less than that if you focus mostly on main story. I think you can beat the game with less than 20, but take that with a pinch of salt--it has been a while, after all. 

 

I focused on stealth only and apparently avoided most litographic sequances. Do rememeber that in first Pillars you don't die for having more than 3 injuries, so you can get a collection of those and then just rest every once in a while. 

 

Yeah, you can totally skip the White Marches. 

[InsaneCommander]

Good to know. My plan is to finish the game asap. I'll follow the guide and do everything that doesn't require combat. Then I'll do the main quest and try to beat Thaos. Since it's story mode and I'll have companions, I will probably do it and won't even notice.

 

And I'll use this run to get a better idea of what is the mandatory path for an Ultimate run.

[Hulk'O'Saurus]

Story mode won't give you the neither the scaling nor the numbers of enemies you need to better grasp the idea. Not to mention that some traps that can one shot you won't be the same difficulty as on Story mode. 

 

Finishing first Pillars 'asap' to understand Ultimate is not a good idea. Your best bet in my opinion is to have a test non Trial of Iron build ready and doing everything several times, then hopping into your Ultimate toon and redoing it while it's fresh.

 

I am soloing PoE with a Wizard right now and I have a few vids and can provide a few tips on that class, too. 

[InsaneCommander]

That is ok. I just want to remember the mandatory path. And get these two achievements, because I'll certainly not be able to get them when trying the Ultimate.

 

I saw that idea before, I'll have two parallel games and I'll try it some times before doing anything with the Ultimate save.

 

Thanks for the tips, but I think I'll use a Monk or a Paladin.

[Hulk'O'Saurus]

Well... yeah. I think you probably want to not rest that much if you lean towards marshals... but I really don't know how they play in solo. Scrolls are more robust in the first as opposed to bullet sponge equalizer in the second, but you'll still get a lot of clear speed out of pretty much any class if you utilize those. There's also some nice Spellbinds on top, albeit you'll have to rest more often if you decide to use those.