shifter questions

[SweetMagooMagoodle]

Howdy.  So excited for Pillars 2, although I will probably wait a bit for further patches and dlc before I jump in headfirst.  Or not -- I will likely at least tool around a bit but wait for a full playthrough

 

Anyway, I really, really enjoyed Boerer's druid build for pillars 1 -- my favorite of my 4 playthroughs -- while I used my spells a lot, my primary identity was as a Boar dps-er, backup tank. The versatility was great, and while I could have done more damage as a pure caster druid, I had more fun as a sometime caster, oftentimes boar.

 

i have looked at some of the deadfire threads on druid shifter abilities and the shifter subclass here but i am confused about a couple things still.

 

Am I correct in understanding that  a monk / druid build does't give the advantages one would assume while shifted? I seem to recall seeing some conversation about that. And are the shifted forms attacking with two weapons or one?  Are they considered fists like with a monk, or claws?  In other words, how do the shifted forms' attacks work and what skills / classes are they compatible with in case I go multi instead of pure druid. 

 

Also, in Pillars !, i made frequent use of Taste of the Hunt.  If I take a Shifter sub class in 2 (something I am excited to try -- talk about versatility), is Taste of the Hunt off limits because you cant use spells while shifted in that subclass?  I would assume so as they added the healing ability while changing forms maybe to make up for that.

 

In sum:  if one wanted to go into Deadfire as a druid who uses spells occasionally but is mostly a damage dealing animal dps-er or tank, what are some exciting, usable builds?

 

Sorry for all the questions -- and thanks!

 

 

Thanks, all!

 

 

[Boeroer]

Hi! Glad you liked the boar.

 

The Animist druid (normal druid like in PoE) works nearly the same as in PoE.

You can shift into one form (same as in PoE),can cast while shifted and so on. The natural weapons while shifted are all dual wielding setups like in PoE.

 

The Shapeshifter can shift into all animal forms one after another in a single encounter and heals after a shift ends - and you are correct: he can't use Taste of the Hunt when shifted.

 

Furies are special: they have a two-handed ranged weapon in the shifted form that does shock damage (works with Heart of the Storm) and after it hits the initial target it jumps to one additional target.

 

If you multiclass with a monk the bonuses from Transcendent Suffering will not get applied to your shifted weapons. Like in PoE where Novice's Suffering didn't boost Spiritshift weapons. But there are synergies: for example Lightning Strikes (+30% shocking lash) stacks with the Wildstrike lashes. The attack speed bonus of Swift Strikes works while shifted and so on.

 

Good candidates for multiclassing (if you want to be a better melee druid) are fighter, monk, paladin, rogue and even ranger. There's synergies with all of them (I or others can elaborate).

 

If you're looking for the same "feel" as in PoE I would use the Animist druid and no subclass like Shapeshifter or so.

[Archaven]

i like to ask.. in terms of stacking rules, is it clearly highlighted in the beta? or obsidian still doing a poor job in being transparent on what stacks and what not?

[MaxQuest]

i like to ask.. in terms of stacking rules, is it clearly highlighted in the beta? or obsidian still doing a poor job in being transparent on what stacks and what not?

In terms of stacking DoTs... there is no other way to tell unless you test it.

 

In terms of stacking buffs... there is a tooltip that states: all passive effects stack completely, while in case of active only the highest applies.

Note: modals are considered active.

[Boeroer]

I haven't seen an exception of that active/passive rule (yet).

 

So hats off for making stacking rules more transparent.

[Tattyblue]

I love druid spirit shifting one of my favorite adventurers was a druid in Pillars 1. If their melee damage is similar in Deadfire I will probably go Druid/something.  I thought about Druid/Barb but no one seems to like this combination.

 

 

Thank you for the druid topic. Not a lot of interest it seems in this class this time.

[HiddenWings]

As far as Shifter restrictions go:

 

What counts as a "spell" when multiclassing? I'd expect priest and wizard spells, as they use the exact same casting system as druid. Are cipher powers spells? Are Chanter invocations spells? What about the paladin actives (I don't know what they're called)?

 

Edit: All cipher powers are considered spells and are locked out. This even includes soul annihilation for the Soulblade, sadly. Chants work while shifted, but Invocations to not.

Edited April 15, 2018 by HiddenWings

[Boeroer]

I simply forgot about druid/barb.

 

Also a good combo. The attack speed bonuses from Frenzy and Bloodlust work well when shifted.

 

Shapeshifter/Corpse Eater sounds plausible.

[Andraste]

Good candidates for multiclassing (if you want to be a better melee druid) are fighter, monk, paladin, rogue and even ranger. There's synergies with all of them (I or others can elaborate).

 

I'm curious about how Druid/Ranger works - I'm seriously considering multiclassing my Druid from the first game for roleplaying reasons, but it would be nice if she were also useful in combat .

[Boeroer]

Druid Boar/Ranger works well because ranger has Wounding Shot (also works in melee) that is a Full Attack and thus good with dual weapons. Marked Prey is giving an ACC buff which is good for the druid who sometimes struggles with grazes. Also the boar's woundig tusks trigger Predator's Sense for the animal companion. Also the healing spells of a druid help a lot to keep the pet alive. And seriously: what's more cool than a were-boar running around with another boar?

Edited April 15, 2018 by Boeroer

[Madscientist]

Do the claws of a shifted druid scale with player level or with power level?

I know that monk fists scale with power level, but I am not sure about shapeshift.

 

If claws scale with power level, a single class nature godlike would be best.

If claws scale with character level, it would be best to multiclass a shifter with a martial class to hit enemies harder. Learning spells slower and missing the high level spells is not a big problem because you cannot cast while shifted and it makes little sense to play a shifter if you are not shifted most of the time.

[Boeroer]

Character level. So there's no damage drop because of multiclassing when it comes to melee damage. When multiclassing with a rogue you'll get a lot more dps from Sneak Attack (casting something like Tanglefoot first is a good idea). Mulitclassing with a fighter gives you Cleaving Stance and 75% graze-tohit and hit-to-crit conversion as well as sturdyness. But don't pick Devoted because he will be non-proficient with the claws since there's no proficiency for that.

Muticlassing with a monk will get you stuff like Swift Strikes/Lightning Strikes and Stunning Blows and so on. Furies should consider Helwalker because he can get +10 MIG and +10 INT with 10 wounds which is awesomest with the elemental druid spells like Storms and whatnot and especially powerful with DoTs like Plague of Insects or Maggots and such. 

 

I'm seriously thinking about an Animist/Helwalker (emulation) for my last-last-last PoE run to import to Deadfire.

Edited April 15, 2018 by Boeroer

[SweetMagooMagoodle]

Thanks, all, for the responses and continued conversation.   I can see that  I (and others) will suffer from a serious case of restartitis -- so many possible combinations, and nuances to figure out.  I can see the argument, even for we experienced POE 1 and rpg players, to start pure class just to learn the tweaks from 1 to 2.   

 

The shifter still sounds like a blast -- I hated losing my form in PoE 1 and having to rely on my soulbound weapon to re-shift me... And quite frankly i rarely used spells in shifted form anyway except for Taste of the Hunt, a loss I can live with.  

[theBalthazar]

Obsidian love closed system.

 

Stacking rules are a mess.

[Boeroer]

Eh? They are simple:

 

passives stack, actives don't (if they affect the same stat). I found no exception so far. All modals are considered actives.

Edited April 16, 2018 by Boeroer

[Gregorovitch]

Druid/Monk (aka Ascetic) would appear to hit not so much like truck but more like Armoured Fighting Vehicle. Particualr highlight is the roundhouse head kick as a bear for example.

 

 

Ouch!

[Andraste]

Druid Boar/Ranger works well because ranger has Wounding Shot (also works in melee) that is a Full Attack and thus good with dual weapons. Marked Prey is giving an ACC buff which is good for the druid who sometimes struggles with grazes. Also the boar's woundig tusks trigger Predator's Sense for the animal companion. Also the healing spells of a druid help a lot to keep the pet alive. And seriously: what's more cool than a were-boar running around with another boar?

 

Thank you for the info!

 

My druid was mostly a ranged caster in POE1, but she used the boar spiritshift to great effect any time something wanted to melee with her. So getting a boar pet would definitely make sense ...