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

[Grunker]

Gorecci Street and the drake fight are easily the hardest fights in the entire game. Once that's done everything else should be peachy.

With the usual disclaimer that megabosses are different.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Eder+ crusader PC healed by Xoti should be more fine. Get Maia from Neketaka and ditch one of Aloth/Serafen from the lineup, they work better as debuffers and there's no use having two debuffers.

 

[Grunker]

Eder+ crusader PC healed by Xoti should be more fine. Get Maia from Neketaka and ditch one of Aloth/Serafen from the lineup, they work better as debuffers and there's no use having two debuffers.

Aloth can frontline just fine with the battlemage build

 

[rusty_shackleford]

I recall chanters being pretty good healers

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Aloth can frontline just fine with the battlemage build

He already has a capable frontline though.

 

[TedNugent]

Aloth can frontline just fine with the battlemage build

He already has a capable frontline though.

With heavy armor and armor magic?

I'll admit, I started building him as a control/backline nuker, and he is sort of garbage as is. Walking around with around 37 deflection versus most mid-level NPCs at around 55 and 8-9 armor, and front line NPC fighters at 70+ and 10-12 armor early-game. I figure he would need an armor spell and some heavy armor at least, which would make him kind of shitty at dealing damage. Then again, he's already kind of shitty at dealing damage.

 

[Haplo]

Rogues and other mobs have an uncanny ability to teleport into Aloth and delete him relatively easily as he is walking around with roughly 37 deflection, which is pants. Further, he can only cast maybe 3 only modestly effective AoE spells that are usually countered by enemy priests. He also gets deleted in ship combat due to arquebus and pistol spammage. I am avoiding ship combat for that reason.

Wizards seem quite mediocre in this game and I am almost inclined to get three front liners to deal with the congestion in case the old reliable doorway trick isn't available. My wizard simply isn't the reliable gun battery that he was in PoE1, and my priest doesn't have the laundry list of spammable buffs to bridge the stat gap.

I am thinking that I need a reliable source of accuracy and deflection on these characters, if not, I want at least one more toon with some respectable armor. Xoti at least provides relatively reliable healing, but I don't think much of Aloth as a pure wizard or that green orlan as a pure cipher. Should I have multiclassed them? Starting to think I should have changed up my roster a bit here, maybe the green guy should have some barbarian abilities. I need a reliable damage dealer, and neither of these idiots are doing it. Maybe I should recruit Pallegina again? If nothing else, the free defensive stats from a Paladin or a Crusader are nice and Paladins get a lot of cheap Lay on Hands casts, since I can't seem to spam fireballs.

Aloth is great as pure wizard. I've built him as battlemage a few times... and wasn't impressed. But let me tell you when I finally used him pure, he was much more useful. Getting much better spells quicker really does make a difference. As does getting the highest level spells. With Black Bow summon he was basically hands off and still managed to contribute a lot. Wall of Many Colors is sick CC. And of course, the level 9 nukes are good too.

But anyway, if you're not a Blood Mage or don't run Brilliant Inspiration sheningans, you can't exactly spam spells here. You need to strategize. Although the Grimoire of Vaporous Magic (+1 spell slot per level, but any damage causes an interrupt) along with Rekvu's Scorched Casque (for Interrupt immunity) - both of which you can... obtain in Neketaka, will help quite a bit.
Anyway, spell selection is important. Some of the best early spells include: Chillfog (pretty much best low level spell), Slicken (rocks against enemies with weak Reflex), Combusting Wounds (your main source of damage for a looong time - land that and spam multi-attack abilities/quick attacks - like rays, wall spells, missile spells, blunderbuss attacks and such - to see ridiculous damage stacks pile up and enemies melt). Its nice to have a morningstar user in the party with modal active to debuff enemy Fortitude to land Combusting and other deadly spells (like Death Ray or cipher Disintegrate). Also Repulsive Visage (enemies can't really melee him with that active), Mirror Image and Spirit Shield (awesome AR buff, stack with plate armor during boarding battles) for defenses. A bit later the combo of Draining Touch + Essential Phantom is nice (eventually with Black Bow its even better).

Serafen isn't very good as a cipher. His special subclass is very annoying, he can suicide and destroy your entire party. Prefer him as barbarian. But he's not great as either to be honest. A good cipher is very useful, as he can provide strong Crowd Control and damage.

But yeah, Maia would be a great choice for a single target damage dealer.

 

[AwesomeButton]

But yeah, Maia would be a great choice for a single target damage dealer.

Maia is insane as a scout/ranger multiclass. Inflict all the rogue's high single-target damage abilities from a safe distance. Works equally well with any ranged weapon, not just firearms.

 

[Haplo]

But yeah, Maia would be a great choice for a single target damage dealer.

Maia is insane as a scout/ranger multiclass. Inflict all the rogue's high single-target damage abilities from a safe distance. Works equally well with any ranged weapon, not just firearms.

But why wouldn't you use firearms, when The Red Hand exists?

 

[TedNugent]

I'm about to do Family Ties, so I should get a ton of exceptional weapons. I'm guessing that's when it will get much easier to play.

Is Blade of the Endless Paths worth building into? That thing has a built in frontal cone and some good affixes. I'm starting to regret not getting Serafen as a Barbarian or at least a multiclass. It seems like the potential for AoE damage would be pretty significant.

 

[Haplo]

I'm about to do Family Ties, so I should get a ton of exceptional weapons. I'm guessing that's when it will get much easier to play.

Is Blade of the Endless Paths worth building into? That thing has a built in frontal cone and some good affixes. I'm starting to regret not getting Serafen as a Barbarian or at least a multiclass. It seems like the potential for AoE damage would be pretty significant.

IMO no in general. Too low single target damage. IMO the best use cases for it include:

1. A Bloodmage/Steel Garrote Paladin Arcane Knight - you stand on the frontline and spam spells, while enemies attacking you get hit with Offensive Parry and Dazed and trigger your self healing when damaging afflicted enemies. This is the best use for it by far, IMO.

2. Soulblade / Trickster using Soul Annihilation - it used to be OP, deal SA damage to all target in cone, but has been fixed/balanced. Still the calculations are wonky and you get more total SA damage then normally (as hitting one enemy already fuels a little SA juice for the next one). Offensive Parry also provides some Focus for you passively from ripostes (along with the Rogue Riposte ability). Many of the rogue afflictions/DOTs should get transferred via the aoe cone as well. Definately switch to stronger single target weapons when not fighting crowds or fighting strong enemies, though.

3. Lastly, Run Trough is a strong base damage single target damage 1/encounter ability, so it can be used effectively as a weapon switch on a backstabbing Assassin or possibly other weapon switching classes, like a Blackjacket. Of course, you can combine both to have a nice collection of special arms to fire with the Stealth and possibly backstab bonuses.
That's actually a pretty sweet build.

In general you want to do melee aoe? Then a better bet would be Karaboru sword or Amra axe. Eager Blade estoc has a pretty nifty effect too.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Is Blade of the Endless Paths worth building into?

iirc they nerfed it, it used to be really good though

 

[AwesomeButton]

I use the Blade of Endless Paths as a Slash/Pierce option, but I most often need Saru-Sichr for the Crush damage.

But why wouldn't you use firearms, when The Red Hand exists?

I'm currently with St. Omaku's Mercy, but that's probably suboptimal.

 

[AwesomeButton]

BTW, Haplo , have you managed to find out what's the logic followed by Marux Amanth for filling up the "Inflict fire damage" meter? I keep spamming Soul ignition with my cipher (Ydwin), but it only gets a couple points per fight or none at all. I read that it's bugged but I think it's more likely that the rules are unclear about how it counts the fire damage.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

does anyone actually play this in turn-based mode?

 

[AwesomeButton]

The only drawback of the TB mode is the debalancing of recovery times when they are converted to mean "turn order within the round". Other than that, I'd say TB is superior. I've been playing 100 hours of my TB playthrough, and my party is lvl 16. It's not in any way slower than when I'm playing RTWP, but then I seem to be one of the people who pause a lot more to micromanage.

The TB playthrough is on Veteran though, so fewer enemies than what would be on PotD. But then I consider PotD to be too much of a slog on RTWP as well, adds more frustration to the same complexity of decision-making than making the decision making process more involved.

 

[Lambach]

TB on PotD can be downright painful sometimes. Never attempt to tackle encounters that you're underleveled for or you'll spend over an hour tickling one Steelclad Golem's balls due to insufficient Penetration. This is true on RT as well, but at least in RT you don't have to manually issue every single attack command.

 

[AwesomeButton]

TB on PotD can be downright painful sometimes. Never attempt to tackle encounters that you're underleveled for or you'll spend over an hour tickling one Steelclad Golem's balls due to insufficient Penetration. This is true on RT as well, but at least in RT you don't have to manually issue every single attack command.

Here is an idea: install the 6 party members mod and play PotD upscaled. In turn based mode.

This will be known as "the huana tantric sex"

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

I think Maia needs an firearm because of her passive, but Omaku's works great on a PC character build to utilize recovery reset enchantment. If you focus on crits it keeps resetting recovery like mad.

 

[TedNugent]

If you recruit Maia, does Pallegina not show up at the Vailian Trading Company HQ?

She's got her chest symbol tarnished and wasn't at the queen's palace.

 

[Grunker]

Maia Rua is the only good companion (and the only adult companion period) so you should recruit her regardless

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Maia Rua is the only good companion (and the only adult companion period) so you should recruit her regardless

Imagine disliking Eder, what is wrong with you.

 

[NJClaw]

Maia Rua is the only good companion (and the only adult companion period) so you should recruit her regardless

Grunker anon! Good strong Danish skeleton anon! Give me cute Xoti wife anon! Give me cute redneck lesbian lantern wife anon! Xoti wife does give me maximum soreness anon! She does! Tank you anon! You are a good anon anon!

 

[AwesomeButton]

If you recruit Maia, does Pallegina not show up at the Vailian Trading Company HQ?

She's got her chest symbol tarnished and wasn't at the queen's palace.

Apparently you didn't complete Pallegina's quest in PoE in a favorable way, so now her reputation is tarnished, and she is not a Vailian agent anymore.

https://pillarsofeternity2.wiki.fextralife.com/Pallegina

• Her recruitment location would depend on the result of her mission in the first game. If she disobeyed the ducs, you can meet her at the square of Queen's Berth district, Neketaka. She refuses to join you this time, but you can recruit her later in Vailian Trading Company Headquarters after you visit the Kahanga Palace and speak with the queen. If Pallegina obeyed the ducs (or disobeyed them, but your decision was to strenghthen souls in Dyrwood), you can recruit her directly in the palace after the conversation with the queen and the diplomats.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

If you recruit Maia, does Pallegina not show up at the Vailian Trading Company HQ?

She's got her chest symbol tarnished and wasn't at the queen's palace.

Apparently you didn't complete Pallegina's quest in PoE, so now her reputation is tarnished, and she is not a Vailian agent anymore.

Also depends on how you complete it.