Eternity Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire + DLC Thread - now with turn-based combat!

[rusty_shackleford]

Tells you all you need to know about Obsidians writing talent.

all you need to know about Obsidian's writing talent is that they didn't feel the need to make the most interesting character you encounter more than a sidekick

 

[Delterius]

"Companion treatment". Because writing characters is not a creative processs, no, it's a cookie-cutter job. Also, I didn't know that every character is obliged to have an "emotional arc" in order to be a "companion". I've always thought this is something that should or should not be there, depending on whether it fits the character or not.

id like to point something out

of personal quests, deeper relationships, > or < emotional arcs.

yer complaining about the mandatory nature of something that is optional

 

[Sailor Woedica]

Justin Bells music is iconic his scores are the background to so many amazing scenes from Critical Role’s 1st campaign!

 

[Alpan]

I think in the case of Bell it's just a matter of poor musical direction this time around. The symphonic score just doesn't fit the tone of a game revolving around a sea adventure. The more Deadfire approaches the first game, the better the soundtrack becomes: For instance the Arkemyr theme I thought was pretty good, but that works precisely because Arkemyr's manor and quest is itself a tonal disconnection from the rest of the game. The character creation and Serpent's Crown themes are also okay for similar reasons.

It feels like Josh Sawyer understood this, but couldn't communicate it to Bell for whatever reason -- I associate the inclusion of Frölich Geschray with Sawyer which I thought was a good fit for the inns of Deadfire.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Justin Bells music is iconic his scores are the background to so many amazing scenes from Critical Role’s 1st campaign!

I liked PoE's music. Deadfire's is bad, and so much lacking in good catchy themes, that it's like it's been done by a different composer.

In Deadfire it feels like Josh gathered everyone at a meeting and did the "this time around we'll be doing more of our own thing" speech, and now that they weren't directed to do emulate classic western fantasy, and had to come up with their own ideas, all the creative impotence immediately shined.

 

[Delterius]

deadfire does have a better setting, though

 

[Orma]

Is the best Pike in the game (Wicked Beast) really unobtainable unless you piss off VTC?

there's one cape that's apparently really good, that you can only get as loot from the final boss battle

Yeah, I found out the pike I wanted is only on one of those captains that spawn if you piss of Vailians for -3. Which really blows, since there are like only 2 good pikes in the entire game.

Your positive rep doesn't matter as long as you have the -3 on the other side i hope?

 

[Grunker]

Music in PoE1 was functional but boring, in Deadfire it's just horrific. Excepting the shanties, though you do get tired of those after a while.

It's possible to not have Maia leave you even if you don't side with RDC by the way, same with Pallegina. However it requires specific choices, in case of Pallegina it even requires you have a specific PoE1 background.

How? I googled to no avail after I was done? And based on Maia's dialogue she was hypercritical of RDC and about ready to leave it.

 

[Riddler]

Music in PoE1 was functional but boring, in Deadfire it's just horrific. Excepting the shanties, though you do get tired of those after a while.

It's possible to not have Maia leave you even if you don't side with RDC by the way, same with Pallegina. However it requires specific choices, in case of Pallegina it even requires you have a specific PoE1 background.

How? I googled to no avail after I was done? And based on Maia's dialogue she was hypercritical of RDC and about ready to leave it.

I mean the combat music of Deadfire... There is no excuse. So shit and no thematic connection to the game either. It is so trash it almost feels like it has to be intentional.

What the hell happened from WM to Deadfire?

WM:

Deadfire:


To be fair though some of it is OK (like: ) but the lows are so low that my ears bleed.

Almost all the good music in deadfire is repurposed from PoE1 or not composed by Justin at all.

 

[Parabalus]

The music you can at least turn off. No way to turn off the writing. Just look at this: "They're companions you pick up along the way who don't get the full "companion treatment" of personal quests, deeper relationships, or emotional arcs."

"Companion treatment". Because writing characters is not a creative processs, no, it's a cookie-cutter job. Also, I didn't know that every character is obliged to have an "emotional arc" in order to be a "companion". I've always thought this is something that should or should not be there, depending on whether it fits the character or not.

Tells you all you need to know about Obsidians writing talent.

The sidekicks are honestly better than the full companions because the entire system is dogtrash.

 

[AwesomeButton]

The sidekicks are honestly better than the full companions because the entire system is dogtrash.

You can't make system driven something that should be tailor-made per character, and retain the beauty. Or if you can, at least you shouldn't expose the numbers to the players IMO.

BTW, I just beat the dragon hidden in

Spoiler

the watershapers' guild

with a level 16 party, on PotD scale all/only upwards.
pic:

Spoiler

If anyone is interested I'll try to replicate it and record a video. The whole trick is to strategically interrupt him so he can't cast any of his party wipe abilities, and the rest is just pouring damage on him, preferably lighting.

This powergaming custom party is turning out quite well.

 

[Parabalus]

The sidekicks are honestly better than the full companions because the entire system is dogtrash.

You can't make system driven something that should be tailor-made per character, and retain the beauty. Or if you can, at least you shouldn't expose the numbers to the players IMO.

My bigger issue is with the fact that the numbers don't even fucking do anything.

Or they might have, but I have no idea that they did that.

 

[AwesomeButton]

My suspicion, based on Alex Scokel's recent tumblr post is that the numbers mostly serve for being evaluated in conditionals on whether some character should have some reaction to something in conversation.

EDIT: Lol, if you take up Onekaza's mission you can talk to Karu in the Rauatai HQ and double-cross Onekaza. I purposefully took her up on the mission and then went to see if I can rat her. Points for Sawyer!

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Dragon in Neketaka is easy, I've had more problems with mobs in the cave that get you to the dragon.

 

[Grunker]

The sidekicks are honestly better than the full companions because the entire system is dogtrash.

You can't make system driven something that should be tailor-made per character, and retain the beauty. Or if you can, at least you shouldn't expose the numbers to the players IMO.

BTW, I just beat the dragon hidden in

Spoiler

the watershapers' guild

with a level 16 party, on PotD scale all/only upwards.
pic:

Spoiler

If anyone is interested I'll try to replicate it and record a video. The whole trick is to strategically interrupt him so he can't cast any of his party wipe abilities, and the rest is just pouring damage on him, preferably lighting.

This powergaming custom party is turning out quite well.

You're playing with a custom party? Doesn't the game become a complete walkover?

 

[AwesomeButton]

Dragon in Neketaka is easy, I've had more problems with mobs in the cave that get you to the dragon.

I can make a video of that too. I cleared the first mob in the first attempt. The second mob I did in two parts, pulled the non-magic users first. The dragon had me reload 2 times.

You're playing with a custom party? Doesn't the game become a complete walkover?

Surprisingly it doesn't. But unfortunately the fact that it doesn't is due mainly to the fact that enemies will always have the potential to surpass your level (the level cap is higher than what you can reach, so you can always find yourself underleveled even when you are on lvl 20), and to their numbers. Additionally, I make it a little harder for myself by fighting enemies with a skull mark or two.

I try to counter their numbers by increasing my own numbers through summoning, through the bow that spawns summons, by locking them down with my tank's engagement slots, and by keeping the game slowed down.

On PotD/scale all only upwards, the first mob in the watershapers' guild consists of two three-red-skulls enemies, and a few one-white-skull enemies when you are lvl 16.

 

[Roguey]

I liked PoE's music. Deadfire's is bad, and so much lacking in good catchy themes, that it's like it's been done by a different composer.

In Deadfire it feels like Josh gathered everyone at a meeting and did the "this time around we'll be doing more of our own thing" speech, and now that they weren't directed to do emulate classic western fantasy, and had to come up with their own ideas, all the creative impotence immediately shined.

Bell knew that Pillars of Eternity would call back to Infinity Engine games in several ways. One, suggested by lead area designer Bobby Null, was to write combat tracks—motifs that play during encounters—that evoked Infinity Engine games. Bell latched on to the concept. One combat track was reminiscent of Baldur’s Gate, another called back to Icewind Dale, and so on. “That was a deliberate decision, because we wanted people to immediately recognize [classic games] when engaging in combat,” Bell said.

The rest of the game’s music was matched to particular areas or characters as a way to assist Pillars of Eternity in establishing an identity all its own. Obsidian’s artists supplied Bell with plenty of reference material. “For me, as a composer, the thing that really resonates with me is the game itself, and the world, and the artwork. I could hear a story or see evocative artwork, and I immediately get a feeling about that. And I just go with it.”

This time around, Bell was less concerned with paying homage to Infinity Engine titles. Deadfire’s content informed his composition. “I didn't pay attention to other music. I literally listened to no other music while I was writing the score for Deadfire. I only wanted to see the content, understand the narrative, and react to that as an artist.

Bell, only passable when he's copying other people.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

Bell, only passable when he's copying other people.

So he's like Mark Morgan then.

 

[AwesomeButton]

I can't stress enough how much the experience is improved when you install the No Narrator Mod!

 

[Quillon]

I can't stress enough how much the experience is improved when you install the No Narrator Mod!

- AwesomeButton says.

 

[AwesomeButton]

You mean you like the narrator?

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Why bother? Intro you skip and god councils you 111111 so there's barely any narrator content after that.

 

[TT1]

I am playing again, and, holy shit, Mirke is a fucking beast. She is critting all the time and applying high damage with her bare hands.

Mirke, Rekke and Konstanten are much, much better than the companions. Even Ydwin, I'd say. Fassina is meh.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Even Ydwin, I'd say.

Cipher/Rogue should be very tough. Most of the Cipher's abilities attack Will and Reflex. Most of the Rogue's attack Deflection and Fortitude.

Fassina is meh.

Fassina is built to be a Wizard fighting with summoned weapons and buffing her defences with spells. There is even a special grimoire in the dark cupboard shop that's tailor made for such wizards. You make her a Chanter/Wizard, buy her that gimoire, and spend all her points on Chanter stuff. Then that grimoire contains all the spells you'll need. You have a beast Chanter/Wizard.

 

[Vityaz]

Is the best Pike in the game (Wicked Beast) really unobtainable unless you piss off VTC?

there's one cape that's apparently really good, that you can only get as loot from the final boss battle

Yeah, I found out the pike I wanted is only on one of those captains that spawn if you piss of Vailians for -3. Which really blows, since there are like only 2 good pikes in the entire game.

Your positive rep doesn't matter as long as you have the -3 on the other side i hope?

Hmm, not quite sure on that. Gotta see for myself soon.