Pathfinder Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Game of the Year Edition

[Priest]

I just started this game recently and the writing already somewhat turns me off. I mean "Baphomet"? Seriously? Couldn't they come up with something original?

https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Baphomet

Pathfinder was created as an alternative to 4th edition D&D which a lot of people thought was a travesty. It's not supposed to be original.

Sure but the writing is still off. PoE was more mature

 

[Roguey]

Sure but the writing is still off. PoE was more mature

Pathfinder doesn't have any Very Serious Sawyeresque writers, just people who love Forgotten Realms and queer content.

 

[GloomFrost]

I just started this game recently and the writing already somewhat turns me off. I mean "Baphomet"? Seriously? Couldn't they come up with something original? Not an hour into the game and someone considers it their duty to mention their sexual orientation. The settings and dialogues feel uninspired and childish. I wasn't ready for that.

That makes me wonder, which CRPG has the most unique setting and writing that requires at least three digit IQ to comprehend? I've only played PoE1-2 and D:OS2

Don't play Pathfinder WOTR for its writing. Plain and simple. If you want "unique setting" and decent writing then try Planescape Torment, Mask of the Betrayer, Arcanum, Dark Sun games.

 

[ga♥]

I just started this game recently and the writing already somewhat turns me off. I mean "Baphomet"? Seriously? Couldn't they come up with something original? Not an hour into the game and someone considers it their duty to mention their sexual orientation. The settings and dialogues feel uninspired and childish. I wasn't ready for that.

That makes me wonder, which CRPG has the most unique setting and writing that requires at least three digit IQ to comprehend? I've only played PoE1-2 and D:OS2

Considering your tastes, you should stick to POE1, and probably fortnite, or call of duty.
Baphomet has been a demon lord in Dnd since...Gary Gigax put it there in the '80s.

 

[LannTheStupid]

especially in what's still a competitive market.

"Competitive market?" Really?

Pray, tell me what you are going to play that is like Wrath but not Wrath. Kingmaker is from the same studio you hate so much. Deadfire was not good, and it is old now. Wartales are good, but very different, with a different theme. The same is true for Disco Elysium, which is not that fresh either.

So what? Divinity: Original Sin 3? PoE-1? Wasteland-3? Which competition in old-school isometric CRPG do you see on the market?

I mean - you can play Call of Duty and consider it Wrath's competitor, for sure.

 

[Yosharian]

I mean "Baphomet"? Seriously?

Welcome to Pathfinder lore, it's ... not very good

 

[volklore]

Well, first 2 Acts are stellar.
Act 3 changes the pacing, is different, but packed to the brim with content, so I'd say its still excellent, just different.
Act 4 changes the pacing again. Is pretty original. Has its quirks, isn't perfect, but I'd still rate it pretty high.
In Act 5 things go downhill fast.

I'd love act 2 to pieces if it wasn't for drezen. I like all the other maps, but drezen drains the soul out of me. The citadel is a cool dungeon but I would love it more if it there was a tempo break between it and the siege map.
I really love act1,3 and 4 though. That's mainly because, contrary to kingmaker, the crusade/kmanagement has no point in this game since it isn't tied to rest restriction/separate from the RPG gameplay. Act3 is a great free roaming act with cool content all over the place, but the crusade shit breaks the adventuring pacing for no tangible impact on the actual RPGing, so I tend to prefer 1 and 4.

 

[Haplo]

Well, first 2 Acts are stellar.
Act 3 changes the pacing, is different, but packed to the brim with content, so I'd say its still excellent, just different.
Act 4 changes the pacing again. Is pretty original. Has its quirks, isn't perfect, but I'd still rate it pretty high.
In Act 5 things go downhill fast.

I'd love act 2 to pieces if it wasn't for drezen. I like all the other maps, but drezen drains the soul out of me. The citadel is a cool dungeon but I would love it more if it there was a tempo break between it and the siege map.
I really love act1,3 and 4 though.

For me Drezen is the highlight of the game...

 

[LannTheStupid]

I'd love act 2 to pieces if it wasn't for drezen. I like all the other maps, but drezen drains the soul out of me. The citadel is a cool dungeon but I would love it more if it there was a tempo break between it and the siege map.

You can start the Drezen siege from three different entry points. Also, advice from a (possible?) traitor is probably not the best one.

 

[volklore]

I'd love act 2 to pieces if it wasn't for drezen. I like all the other maps, but drezen drains the soul out of me. The citadel is a cool dungeon but I would love it more if it there was a tempo break between it and the siege map.

You can start the Drezen siege from three different entry points. Also, advice from a (possible?) traitor is probably not the best one.

I know you can, it doesn't change the map drastically though. You can get to the giants pretty fast from the front door too. I should do the release the queen pheromones version once though. Haven't done that yet... but I ain't sure filling the place with swarms will improve it :D

 

[LannTheStupid]

I know you can, it doesn't change the map drastically though. You can get to the giants pretty fast from the front door too. I should do the release the queen pheromones version once though. Haven't done that yet... but I ain't sure filling the place with swarms will improve it :D

It reduces aerial bombardment from the giants because, well, they are dead, and swarms can't use the catapults.

 

[Haplo]

I'd love act 2 to pieces if it wasn't for drezen. I like all the other maps, but drezen drains the soul out of me. The citadel is a cool dungeon but I would love it more if it there was a tempo break between it and the siege map.

You can start the Drezen siege from three different entry points. Also, advice from a (possible?) traitor is probably not the best one.

Its not. But it is the fastest way to recruit Arue, if you care and have done her hidden mini-puzzle.
And to get behind the first fortifications faster.

In order to minimize the time spent there, Regill's route is probably best - but then you're forced to take him into the party - which may or may not be good for you. And if you do it the quick way, you're loosing out on some serious xp, and maybe loot too, so...

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

I'm thinking of playing this after I finish Dead Space.
Apparently there's Warpriests and Hellknights in this game.
Can I do Warpriest into HellKnight Signifier on a Lich Mythic Path? There's something so hilariously edgy about that combo that it sounds like it could be fun.

 

[Max Damage]

I surely love cryptic "squint your eyes" puzzles.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Can I do Warpriest into HellKnight Signifier on a Lich Mythic Path? There's something so hilariously edgy about that combo that it sounds like it could be fun.

You can go Aeon then Devil for more edge but Devil path is motly lackluster.

I surely love cryptic "squint your eyes" puzzles.

It'll be even worse with larger of those...

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Oh, you can do multiple mythic paths? I might go Aeon then Lich then. Get that whole Judge Death thing going, you know.

 

[Cyberarmy]

There are advenced paths that you can choose near late game. Aeon to Lich is not possible since they are both "vanilla" paths, though Aeon itself is kinda Judge Dredd enough. It'll give you more than enough "IM THE LAW" vibes and delete things from existance.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Well, first 2 Acts are stellar.
Act 3 changes the pacing, is different, but packed to the brim with content, so I'd say its still excellent, just different.
Act 4 changes the pacing again. Is pretty original. Has its quirks, isn't perfect, but I'd still rate it pretty high.
In Act 5 things go downhill fast.

I'd love act 2 to pieces if it wasn't for drezen. I like all the other maps, but drezen drains the soul out of me. The citadel is a cool dungeon but I would love it more if it there was a tempo break between it and the siege map.
I really love act1,3 and 4 though.

For me Drezen is the highlight of the game...

I would argue Ivory Labyrinth in Chapter 3 is one. Room and encounter design is still pretty nice topped off with a fun boss.

But yeah when your game peaked around half-way there are a lot of issue with your game

 

[Aarwolf]

I surely love cryptic "squint your eyes" puzzles.

There's a mod for this, it auto-solves puzzles for you.

https://www.nexusmods.com/pathfinderwrathoftherighteous/mods/246

 

[gurugeorge]

Yeah I use that mod too. Life's too short to spend half of it squinting at difficult-to-see symbols in videogames.

It's a shame because the puzzles themselves aren't all that bad, it's just the QOL of the mechanics of trying to solve them that's really annoying.

 

[LannTheStupid]

Do Westerners not have glasses?

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

So here's what I'm thinking -
Since this is a game about going on crusade, I'm going to assume fanaticism is going to be appropriate. Which means some warhammer level of purging.
So, with that in mind :

Champion of the Faith archetype,
Deity : Asmodeus (for the mace, also edgy devil boi)
Spec into Hellknight Signifier, join Order of the Godclaw
Take Aeon Path, then Devil path

Commit war crimes along the way.



That should make a sufficiently edgy boi whilst still being somewhat logical thematically.
I wanted to go Zon Kuthon but Godclaw doesn't cover him and if I'm playing a crusading fanatical warrior priest I might as well go Godclaw.

 

[Mauman]

Deity : Asmodeus (for the mace, also edgy demon boi)

....
Any self-respecting follower of Asmodeus would lodge that mace up your rectum for calling him a demon.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Deity : Asmodeus (for the mace, also edgy demon boi)

....
Any self-respecting follower of Asmodeus would lodge that mace up your rectum for calling him a demon.

That's fair, I meant Devil.

 

[Gargaune]

Forgotten, switched to different tools, requiring more data to troubleshoot, changed legal situation, etc... . Your guess is as good as mine and I haven't seen anyone make an effort to find out.
As for why they don't come out and explain it, as if any answer (including saying that they'll remove it) won't just add more oil to the fire. You can blame the reliable overreaction of gamers for this.

That's not the way this works, you paid for the game under a set of terms and then those terms changed unilaterally, without you being offered an option to opt out or refund. The EULA model affords the developer the option, unfair as it is, but if they choose to take advantage of it, it's not an "overreaction" for potential customers to criticise it and not want to do business anymore.

Edit: I'm also not sure why you're suggesting that "addressing or removing it" would make the PR situation worse. Addressing it, maybe, since there's no way to put a nice spin on it, but I have a hard time picturing any part of the customer base going "nooo, we like the datamining, keep it in!"

That goes both ways, why are you scared they'll "add they'll own my cat" to the EULA when you know they won't/can't sue you for still having cats anyway.

And all this FUD for meaningless posturing about this one game? When you're not clearing your cookies while hopping between websites, use a smartphone or a modern OS (IOS or Windows >7), then your ass-cheeks are already being spread data gathering wise.

Don't fuck around over a cat metaphor, we're talking about perfectly feasible items here, in this instance adding the option to collect and sell user data to marketers, shit like that. As for why I take this position relative to WotR in particular, it's simply because I've been made aware of it thanks to that one customer who had the patience to go through the EULA. I'm well aware that Google can probably chart all our bowel movements, but that doesn't mean you can't minimise that exposure when opportunity arises, especially given the dismal practice of throwing the datamining in after release.

"Competitive market?" Really?

Yep. The thing about isometric cRPGs in particular is that they're a fairly mature format, and have been for a while, which means old titles aren't all that deprecated. So you're not just competing with new products coming out but also a hoard of classics. Especially at the rate I complete games, I can look at anything from Solasta or Black Geyser to Arcanum or any of the other old RPGs I missed out on.

I know the Codex likes to bitch about the scarcity of cRPGs these days, and the field ain't exactly plentiful, sure, but it ain't that barren either. And it's just videogames, at the end of the day, I was interested in WotR, but it's not quite an essential purchase.