Sorcerer anyone?

[Karver]

Hey, guys. Been just wondering if anyone gave the Sorcerer a shot and what are your thoughts on it? Seen the Evoker/Fury combo mentioned few times, but frankly the glasscannon doesn´t interest me. I am personally interested in more of a well-rounded character, and so far I´ve been giving a Wizard/Lifegiver some thought.

 

Are the druid´s healing spells still as good as in PoE1? I mean, getting the healing spells for free without the need to invest a point into them sounds like it could offer some breathing room in terms of points investment, with the downside being no Druid summoning - not that big bummer for me honestly.

 

Another thing I wonder about is whether to invest more into Druid´s damaging spells or into Wizard´s damaging spells. The former would allow me to invest into Mirror Image and Arcane Veil, but frankly are they that good this time? Especially when I take into consideration other Level 2 spells like Combusting Wounds or Necrotic Lance?

 

Also, has anyone tested how Concelhaut´s Staff works with Taste of the Hunt?

 

All thoughts are welcome, and if you have an opinion on what would be better - well, better...more fun in terms of gameplay, not necessarily more powerful - pure caster multiclass I´m all up for hearing your thoughts.

 

Deadfire out! Cheers!

[Ganrich]

Druid healing is pretty legit.  Lifegiver is just icing on the cake.  Druids, Chanters, Pallys, and Priests all have solid healing.  Priests don't have a lock on it anymore.  Chanters and Pallys MC really well with the other 2 as well, and MC well with each other.  I haven't tried Druid/Priest.  So, I won't say it is good or bad.  I have little interest in it.  I would rather be either of them as a single class first. 

 

Just keep in mind that Grimoires only have 2 spells of each level in them in this game.  You cannot memorize spells like in PoE1, and those spells are static, but grimoires can be put in your quick item slot and swapped during combat.  Works just like weapon swap, but with your grimoire and it is in your quick item slot vs weapon slot.  Anyway, I would avoid the Wizard Subclasses.  losing 2 schools of magic for what you get is a horrid trade off, but if it fits your character...  Do what you have to do.   Just be wary.  You can't cast those spells from those 2 schools you lose even if your grimoire is chocked full of them. 

 

I would be a generic wizard.  Focus a lot on Druid with talents, pick up a wizard spell here and there, and then have spells from your grimoire to cast.  Perhaps focusing on a skill that doesn't have consumables so you can use all 4 slots for spell books.  That will mean you will retain a lot of the wizard flexibility and get a good bit of the goodies from Druid too. 

 

Yes, I believe Concelhaut's Staff and TotH work together.  How well?  Can't say, but I doubt it's not viable to do.  Unless, maybe, you are playing PotD.  But since PotD hasnt been tuned, and is easier than it should be at present... You should be fine. 

 

Both Druid and Wizard have good damage spells.  I don't think you can go wrong, but I (personally) like the Druid stuff more.  Druids are just silly good in Deadfire.  They and Chanters are amazing to have on a team. 

[SamOftheUels]

@Ganrich

 

Still trying to figure out my class, Druid was one I had my eye on - When you say silly good, is this in terms of Damage or Utiliity, or maybe all?

 

If wanting to build for damage, which subclass is going to be the way to go, although I gues that depends if you multi - I want to basically cast, so thinking even Fury or Animancer.

 

Single Class or Multi for these 2? Any synergies I should be aware of??

[Ganrich]

@Ganrich

 

Still trying to figure out my class, Druid was one I had my eye on - When you say silly good, is this in terms of Damage or Utiliity, or maybe all?

 

If wanting to build for damage, which subclass is going to be the way to go, although I gues that depends if you multi - I want to basically cast, so thinking even Fury or Animancer.

 

Single Class or Multi for these 2? Any synergies I should be aware of??

 

Druids are silly good because if you want to heal Lifegiver is one of the best.  If you want to melee then you have Shifter.  The other 2 are more of a hybrid between using their forms and casting.  Although, I am less familiar with the Fury.   Druids can do damage via spells, melee, or heal.  They are versatile.  If you get something that breaks your front lines your druid can always shift, and intercept.  Wizards, well they have the versatility of Grimoire swapping, some solid self buffs, and so on.  They have a great kit, but it isn't as versatile as Druid IMHO.  However, if you are casting predominantly then it should be fine. 

 

If you are mostly casting then I would look at what defense the spells attack.  Druids have a few solid spells that do damage, but also give afflictions like Hobble or Sicken.  If you are reducing an enemies dexterity via one of those spells (the Hobble affliction does this) then you are also reducing their Reflex save, and thus I would look at spells from wizard that feed off of that.  -5 dexterity from hobble should be reducing their Reflex save by 10.  2 lost per dexterity.  I can't think of any blatant combos.  Unfortunately, MCing casters doesn't lead to those neat little combos as often as MCing 2 melee classes or mixing a melee and a caster.   So, my best advice is look at debuff spells that help your other spells hit.  Right click and read the tool tips.

 

The only MCing with casters I have done a lot of (in beta) is mixing Chanter with Druid and Wizard.  Once again, no real combos to speak of, but they work.  Especially if you look at ways to reduce the enemies saves before you start dropping your damage.  The lower the save the more likely you are to hit or crit.  In beta I made a skald/Shifter, and used a Flail.  The flails modal reduces Reflex by -25.  That is a bunch.  So, I would pop them once, and start casting in there face.  Then I would shift, and keep in their face. Since you can't cast while shifted with the Shifter I would break shift once my chants built back up, and repeat.  It was pretty fun, and worked really well. 

 

Druid/Wizard Example:  Nature's Mark is a druid AoE spell that reduces deflection and Reflex by 10 each.  Hit a pack of enemies with that spell, and then launch a Wizard spell like Fan of Flames or Fireball because they attack against the Reflex save. 

 

Another Druid spell is Vile Thorns which does damage and attacks Fortitude, but it sickens the target.  Sicken lowers Constitution by 5.  Thus it lowers their Fortitude by 10.  So, follow up with the mage spell Fetid Caress, or whatever else you have that attacks Fortitude like Noxious Burst (corrode fireball).  MIght and Constitution govern Fortitude save.  Dex and Perception govern Reflex.  Intellect and Resolve govern WIll saves.  The 4th defense save is Deflection which is predominantly for weapon attacks, but some spells attack it too.  The afflictions and inspirations that reduce these are much more numerous, but the game's built in hyperlink system should let you hover the Affliciton in question and figure out what it reduces.  These Afflictions have other things they do.  Like Sicken reduces the healing the target can receive on top of the -5 Constitution.  So keep that in mind.  It can be a good way to further give you an advantage. 

 

Also be wary that some enemies in the deadfire are resistant or immune to these sort of effects.  If you hover an enemy, and it says Immune to attacks on Constitution then Vile Thorns won't work because the Sicken won't apply to the target.  Hover enemies, pay attention to what their saves are, and try to be versatile enough to have a combo for most situations.  If you come across a fight where your spells aren't very effective... Spiritshift and maybe some wizard buffs and step into melee for this one encounter,  Keep a plethora of Grimoires so you can swap into some spells that are helpful too. 

 

Don't hyper focus on spells that attack a single save like Reflex, fortitude, or will.  You want to try and attack the save that is the lowest on your target or targets.  Usually though the battlefield has a mix of types.  Some enemies might have high fortitude while others will, and they are mixed together.  Use your best judgement. 

 

To answer a bit more specifically, Fury or Animancer would both be great at Damage, can be built to mostly cast, and can off heal really well too.  I can't get into too much more specific at the moment as I am about get some shut eye.   Fury does have the passive that increases your shifts duration if you kill the enemy.  So, keep that in mind if you want to mostly cast.  You still won't go wrong with either of these Subclasses. 

I hope I helped at least a little bit.  One more quick thing.  You really can't screw up unless you are running on PotD.  Even Veteran is pretty easy once you get to understand debuffing in this new Affliction/Inspiration system.  You will be doing stuff that is suppose to be above your level regardless of which classes you mix together.  I am playing a Troubadour/Rogue.  It isn't a meta build or anything.  I just gave it some flavor, and have learned how to play to its strengths.  I really don't think you can screw up your character.  Unless you screw up on your attributes, but as long as you aren't dumping anything below say... 8 you will be fine. 

[Azalore]

@Ganrich
You've mentioned "meta builds" is there a specific way to check which builds are considered good/meta? 
Right now I'm theorycrafting about my main and party in Deadfire. Being able to check what others are doing could put some insight, because I had not chance to test things in the beta.

One more question tho, as far as I know respec doesn't allow to change subclass or multiclass, right? So the choice is permanent?  

[Ganrich]

Not as of yet.  Other than seeing what people like Boeroer are posting.  Also, some things are a bit different in the game now then they were in beta.  They definitely patched things.  Might was an all or nothing stat because it was Multiplicative, but they made it additive.  So now it is still a powerful stat, but the others are closer.  Some combos work better than others.  Beckoner/Kind Wayfarer with Heal chant or Fire weapons chant + summons is powerful, and probably broken.  Devoted combines with a lot of melee classes to silly ends.  Devoted/Skald or Barbarian/Skald (not mage slayer subclass) can generate phrases for invocations pretty fast.  So they are good.  I can't get into specifics as I rarely play that way, but I read what others do.  Honestly, if you are dabbling with Paladin, Monk, Barbarian, Fighter, Chanter, or Druid as one of your classes... I think you are fine.  They are all super strong.  Priests are good to, but I haven't messed with them enough myself, and don't know for sure.  Ciphers are good, but they need to work with certain classes.  Rogues and Rangers are ok in a MC imho.  Especially if you play to their strengths.  Wizards are great.  They just are tougher to MC with.  Either your buffing and going melee, or you mix with a caster and need to know the spells and the spell system with some detail. 

 

Honestly, everything works minus a few odd things that i could see troublesome like a Mage Slayer/Skald.  That's because the Mage Slayer is resistant to magic.  Both positive and negative, and the Skald's Chants might not stick to him.  Which basically makes a goofy class.  I might play one just to let RNG kill me.

 

respec just lets you reset your talents after Character Creation.  You cannot change classes, reset attributes, background, race.  At least as far as I know.  I would try to not rely on it as I ran across a bug after respeccing and lost a talent from character creation.  Chanters need a phrase and an Invocation in order to function as a class, and when I respecced well I lost one of those so I was a talent point short.  I doubt it will effect other classes, but I am not sure.  Just a heads up. 

[Ascaloth]

I have a particular theorycraft in mind for this, actually; Nature Godlike Transmuter/Lifegiver. Both subclasses come with PL bonuses to their respective schools of magic, and combined with the Nature Godlike racial, this is pretty much a PL cheese character.

 

Why Transmuter? Because it lets this Sorcerer do almost anything. She can do CC (Transmutation), she can heal like a boss (Rejuvenation), and she can do both at boosted levels because of the PL cheese. She can also do melee with two choices of shapeshifting; whatever Spiritshift she chooses, plus Form of the Fearless Brute (which I understand is rather gimped atm, but pretty sure it'll see buffs in time). She can even nuke with a specific combo; take Spirit of Decay, start with Pull of Eora, then Purge of Toxins (to protect your own party morons from what's next), and then blast the lot with Noxious Burst.

 

About the only thing this Sorcerer cannot do are creature summons, and Chanters are generally better for that anyway. Hope you like it.

[Nyarlathotep]

Hey, so i always roll a sorc. If i can its kinda my thing. I was pretty dismayed to see how its a hybrid class, i wanted a BG style wizard subclass basically. So i went with a wizard instead for 10 hours.

 

For some reason i was really unsatisfyed. It was a little boring doing the exact same spell combo as PoE WM, and i wasnt doing too well over all. So i started a new game as a Sorc.

 

Boy was i wrong. The sorc is SO good. He buffs. He heals. He drops damage like a BOSS. I blew up four Xaurip skirmishers at lvl 2 with a talon slash and gunned down the rest with magic missles. I went toe to toe with a enemy spell caster (noob thought he was lit), so i turned into a wolf and tore his throat out. Then i turned back and dropped healing like a boss over my party. Between him and the cipher paladin (Inquisitor check her out shes SO strong) my priest only drops blessings and buffs lately.

 

I cant wait to start using my tentacles and confuse. Being a damage/summoner/crowd control was OP already, now i can buff con. and heal and summon. Got a frickin arsenal of druid and mage spellswhich draw from seperate spell pools per level cast. Seriously sorc. makes me never wanna go back to wizard. Though i might make a wiz hireling just so i can test out those cool looking 9th level spells.

 

So might be abummer that i miss out on those 8 & 9th level spells. But i suspect i wont really care since hes gonna be so strong at that level anyways. Only level 7 now but hes wayyy better than my wiz at that same level. But in WM i mostly layed down tentacles confuse and fireball. I will miss the Rainbow wall 8th level that thing was crazy strong.

[evilcat]

Was thinking about sorcerer.

Primary DPS/Healer (both use might).

Lifegiver Druid for heals.

Generalist Druid for best use of others grimoirs.

Stag form when run out of spells

Normally Scepters/Pistols for range support.

Nature Godlike for extra Power Level.

Using Infuse Vital Essence for selfbuff. (Godlike trigger)

 

Party: Eder Fighter/Rogue DPS, Xoti Priest/Monk dps/buffs. ( i like these two)  Rest i am open to suggestions.  Could Always go Sefarian CIpher/Barbarian and Pallegina/Chanter.

 

Are there some good con/dex/might buffs i should pick up?

Which DPS spells on Druid/Wizz are too good to miss?

 

PS Rolled Sorcered Nature Godlike Generalist Animalist (had Xoti in party). The results are... good. So many spells. Dual wield Pistols/Scepters. When in trouble go beastmode. Fun.

Edited May 13, 2018 by evilcat