Thoughts on party build

[dejarik]

Hello everyone!

 

As many of you, I find it excruciating choosing the class for my companion. I love to reroll my characters and try out new things, but the class choice is locked in (if there is a way to change it, please let me know).

 

I'm currently in Neketaka and planning on picking up Maia, Tekehu and Pallegina. I've already tested a bit and looked at their skill trees. Here is my idea for my party (I'm playing on Veteran with level scaling all):

 

MC: Nature Godlike Bleak Walker/Berserker. Dual-wielding melee DPS. 

Eder: Fighter/Rogue main tank. Sword+shield, dual pistols to start combat (full attack from rogue abilities).

Pallegina: Paladin/Chanter support. Can off-tank. Aura for accuracy, sure-handed Ila for gunners. Main weapon: 2H gun (Arquebus?), Greatsword for melee

Serafen: Cipher DPS/CC. Arquebus and pistols. Accurate shot on Arquebus for that first, focus-boosting shot.

Maia: Ranger DPS (some CC). Arquebus. Bird gives some damage and CC.

 

Some questions I have:

- Do you think it would be better to have Maia as a Ranger/Rogue? I would be missing the attack bonus, some good full attack abilities (Crippling Strike, Blinding Strike). The advantages of Ranger is faster higher level abilities and the level 8 and 9 abilities - but I assume my party will be pretty good anyway when I get that high leveled.

- Do you think I have enough healing with the MC's paladin abilities, Eder's self heal and Pallegina's healing (from both Chanter and Paladin)?

- Do you think I need one of the three casters (Xoti as monk, Aloth as wizard or Tekehu as druid/changer (not set yet))? If so, for what?

 

[Crucis]

Honestly, I'd feel nekkid without a priest in my party for healing duties, but that's just me.  Though I suppose that with 2 multi-classed paladins you're not in that bad a shape for healing.  I can do without a wizard as long as I have a cipher.  I suppose you'll be OK.  I'm probably no further along than you, seeing as I just picked up Maia, though I held off on picking up Pallegina.

[dejarik]

I have Xoti set as a single class Priest, so I can add her and remove one of Pallegina, Maia or Serafen (probably Pallegina or Maia). The alternative would be Tekehu as he can heal as a Druid or as a Theurge. I looked through Tekehu's healing skills, and I didn't find the healing that good. The druid doesn't have a reanimation spell either (as far as I could see).

[1TTFFSSE]

It is fine but as above poster pointed our Xoti would fit the party slightly better than Eder if you play Walker/Berserker. You can spec Xoti as Priest/ Monk or Priest and she would provode more of heals/ buffs and some dps via monk.

 

If you insist on running Eder make sure you spec Pallegina to extra healing abilities both in Paladin and Chanter. 

 

But overall I think point still stands that this party would be more "versatile" with Xoti. Eder is pretty much doubling the role of the MC here and is not doing anything unique for the party. Because your single-target dps specialist will be Maia and not Eder.

[dejarik]

With the setup in the original post, I’m planning on running Eder as the main tank to draw engagement while the MC beats up on people. In POE1 I had Eder in the same role. With the stance that give +3 engagement, a shield and maybe a spear, Eder can be the one that everyone attacks.

 

With a setup where I run Xoti instead of Eder, MC and Pallegina would be the two melee classes. I guess Pallegina would be the one tanking with a shield?

[Crucis]

It is fine but as above poster pointed our Xoti would fit the party slightly better than Eder if you play Walker/Berserker. You can spec Xoti as Priest/ Monk or Priest and she would provode more of heals/ buffs and some dps via monk.

 

If you insist on running Eder make sure you spec Pallegina to extra healing abilities both in Paladin and Chanter. 

 

But overall I think point still stands that this party would be more "versatile" with Xoti. Eder is pretty much doubling the role of the MC here and is not doing anything unique for the party. Because your single-target dps specialist will be Maia and not Eder.

 

I wouldn't agree with this entirely. Eder does presumably bring rogue skills to the party.  Of course, if one doesn't value Mechanics and just charges right in like a bull in a china shop, well, then I suppose he does seem superfluous.  But I'm the sort of player who enjoys carefully moving through dungeons and caves searching for traps and such.  It just seems like an important part of the whole role playing experience to me.  But to each his own.

[1TTFFSSE]

With the setup in the original post, I’m planning on running Eder as the main tank to draw engagement while the MC beats up on people. In POE1 I had Eder in the same role. With the stance that give +3 engagement, a shield and maybe a spear, Eder can be the one that everyone attacks.

 

With a setup where I run Xoti instead of Eder, MC and Pallegina would be the two melee classes. I guess Pallegina would be the one tanking with a shield?

Yes that is true but with Eder if you make him a tank I think you go would have to go pure fighter as it is just "better" for a tank, if he is a striker you go fighter-rogue with him. I guess you can make him to be a fighter-rogue tank but in that case Pallagina can be made into a tank with better natural utility. The problem stems from choosing offense vs defense and it depends on the overall difficulty what you can get away with. I am saying it could work as long as Eder does not melt while drawing engagement from like 3 enemies go for it. Rogue skills tend to lend themselves to being a dps and not a tank that is why I was confused by the original post. 

[Mercbeast]

If you're looking for an interesting priest build. I've got one for you!

 

Priest (Wael)/Rogue(Streetfighter)

 

Weapons, Dagger/Blunderbuss.

 

You will mainhand the Blunderbuss with the Modal on, and offhand the Dagger with the Modal on. 

 

This is a buffing/healing priest.

 

Why Wael/Streetfighter? When you're flanked, you gain 50% recovery speed. By running the blunderbuss modal, you are forcing yourself to be flanked, giving you a permanent 50% recovery speed buff. I'm not entirely sure on what is possible, but you can for sure take a 4S recovery time down to 1.6 at least.

 

The basic premise of this build is, to create a second line priest, who is RIGHT behind the melee line, able to give them consecration healing, buffs, single target buffs, etc. The blunderbuss modal hurts your deflection, and your accuracy, so the dagger modal early game will help to offset the deflection hit. You're going to be sitting behind the mainline, just SPAMMING out blunderbuss shots. Later on, you can drop the dagger if you want for something else, even dual blunderbusses if you like. Not only are you creating an auto attack sustained DPS monster, this is going to be the most responsive, heal on a dime healer in the game. You're not going to get caught waiting for 4s to cast that heal while you recover from swinging at someone. You're going to be able to spam out fast casting abilities like no tomorrow.

 

How you want this priest to play, will depend largely on your stats.

 

I'd suggest there are multiple ways to stat this fella out.

 

Want debuffs, max damage and strong healing? Pump str and perception.

 

Want long lasting debuffs? Emphasize int. Don't care about debuffs? Drop perception a bit, and focus on str/int for longer lasting buffs, harder hitting attacks, and stronger healing.

 

Where does Wael come in? Well, with the deflection buffs Wael gets for free at the different power levels, you can create an exceptionally tanky priest. Throw an accuracy inspiration on this guy to mitigate the self flanking and self distracting and weeeeeeeeeeeeee, you're a tanky, rapid casting, gattling gun

Edited May 13, 2018 by Mercbeast