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

[0sacred]

ah yes, typical Durance NPC. Maybe in your homebrew campaign of drunkmaxxing hobos and escaped lunatics.

 

[Grunker]

One major - and I think undebatable - decline from the first game is the companions. They're all fucking shit in POE2. They're all either babbling morons, faggots or quip machines. That they turned Eder into a quipster and NO NOT THE HECKIN DOGGOS! guy is almost unforgivable. Serafen is okay except he reminds me of like an early reddit or facepunch fag who thinks adding a bunch of adjectives to "fuck" or "shit" is super cool. It seems like a crime that the only tolerable companion I can have is a bird nigger.

Durance was a bro and everyone loved him. Grieving mother was interesting. What the fuck is going on in this one? Track down eder's friend with benefits? Help aloth find a dildo that will fit his stretched out clown pocket? Xoti comes across as literally brain damaged.

The only reason people say Durance and Grieving Mother are so great is because half the codex strokes Chris Avelonne's dick. The characters in Deadfire are not meant to be realistic and/or be your favourite book character. They are your typical fantasy npc's which you will encounter in any regular board game (like in Baldur's Gate) and which can be enjoyed by a younger audience as well. If you want intellectual stimulation, try reading "A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism." But something tells me you pseudo-intellectuals don't have the brain power to do so.

I liked Durance a lot, but Grieving Mother bored me to tears. And I am not known for being an Avellone-fan excepting select stuff. I do suck PS:T's cock tho

 

[rusty_shackleford]

durance = eder > GM > * >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> maneha

grieving mother was interesting for the same reason ciphers are, some of the few times the game actually plays to the strength of the setting

 

[gurugeorge]

One major - and I think undebatable - decline from the first game is the companions. They're all fucking shit in POE2. They're all either babbling morons, faggots or quip machines. That they turned Eder into a quipster and NO NOT THE HECKIN DOGGOS! guy is almost unforgivable. Serafen is okay except he reminds me of like an early reddit or facepunch fag who thinks adding a bunch of adjectives to "fuck" or "shit" is super cool. It seems like a crime that the only tolerable companion I can have is a bird nigger.

Durance was a bro and everyone loved him. Grieving mother was interesting. What the fuck is going on in this one? Track down eder's friend with benefits? Help aloth find a dildo that will fit his stretched out clown pocket? Xoti comes across as literally brain damaged.

The only reason people say Durance and Grieving Mother are so great is because half the codex strokes Chris Avelonne's dick. The characters in Deadfire are not meant to be realistic and/or be your favourite book character. They are your typical fantasy npc's which you will encounter in any regular board game (like in Baldur's Gate) and which can be enjoyed by a younger audience as well. If you want intellectual stimulation, try reading "A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism." But something tells me you pseudo-intellectuals don't have the brain power to do so.

The charm of Durance is really the combination of the portrait and the voice actor, and the testy, slightly unpredictable responses - the deeper layer doesn't really work that well (can anyone say wtf his ramblings are actually about?). Grieving Mother is terminally boring and has a backstory that I don't think anyone could precis meaningfully.

There, I said it

 

[Starwars]

I preferred the POE1 companions too, though they varied a lot in quality. Durance in particular for me was a standout, not just because he had an interesting story to him, but also because he was a lot more antagonistic than the rest. The closest thing to an "evil" companion. But, he's also way too wordy. Could've done with an editing pass for sure and less "let's mine these dialogue trees". And while Avellone often comes up with the most interesting characters, there are also parts of his writing where I remember going "wtf are you even talking about now?" because he words things in such a convoluted way.
But these games could've done with a couple more evil or antagonistic characters. In Deadfire, they can be antagonistic depending on how you act but it's in a more bitchy manner rather than being evil.

Zahua is my favorite from POE1. A bit stereotypical but to the point, with heart and also with some comic relief. Similar to Edér. I like Sagani too, a good sort of "buddy companion".
On the other hand, Devil of Caroc and Maneha are pretty damn bad despite having interesting backstories (at least in the case of the Devil).

For POE2, despite not liking the characters as much I have to say that I really enjoyed how much they chimed in in dialogues. They did a great job of upping the reactivity and it all flows surprisingly well when you're talking with NPCs around the world.

I liked Maia and even Tekehu (obviously an annoying personality but I did like the way his character develops). Xoti is bad and, aside from uneven writing, also manages to feel like she's a character from another game/setting. The tone of her character is just completely off and the way her character develops just feels weird.

But yeah, the way the companions chimed in is the highlight of the companions in POE2. And the whole character relationship thing was a pretty fun idea at least.

 

[Faarbaute]

I liked Edér. More so in the first installment, than the latter though.

 

[Faarbaute]

Sorry for double posting. I don't know how to insert a quote when editing a previous post.

grieving mother was interesting for the same reason ciphers are, some of the few times the game actually plays to the strength of the setting

I think they did quite a good job on this over all. Most of the companions are somewhat relevant to the setting and the goings on in the story.

 

[cretin]

One major - and I think undebatable - decline from the first game is the companions. They're all fucking shit in POE2. They're all either babbling morons, faggots or quip machines. That they turned Eder into a quipster and NO NOT THE HECKIN DOGGOS! guy is almost unforgivable. Serafen is okay except he reminds me of like an early reddit or facepunch fag who thinks adding a bunch of adjectives to "fuck" or "shit" is super cool. It seems like a crime that the only tolerable companion I can have is a bird nigger.

Durance was a bro and everyone loved him. Grieving mother was interesting. What the fuck is going on in this one? Track down eder's friend with benefits? Help aloth find a dildo that will fit his stretched out clown pocket? Xoti comes across as literally brain damaged.

The only reason people say Durance and Grieving Mother are so great is because half the codex strokes Chris Avelonne's dick. The characters in Deadfire are not meant to be realistic and/or be your favourite book character. They are your typical fantasy npc's which you will encounter in any regular board game (like in Baldur's Gate) and which can be enjoyed by a younger audience as well. If you want intellectual stimulation, try reading "A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism." But something tells me you pseudo-intellectuals don't have the brain power to do so.

nigga you look at pictures of children's asses

 

[S.torch]

Grieving Mother was cute. Period.

And that's more than you can say about every single character in Deadfire.

 

[Desiderius]

Soyer wussed out on Eder's quest in Deadfire, but he's an appealing sidekick. I like Durance, Sagani, and the Furry Pirate. Tekehu grew on me unexpectedly and is a well-fleshed out character/story arc.

The rest are pretty forgettable (and forgotten - having trouble even remembering them). Xoti is Soyer trying to be nice to rednecks but he's no Neal Stephenson.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

One major... decline...fucking shit...POE2.

ftfy

 

[Tenebris]

Soyer wussed out on Eder's quest in Deadfire, but he's an appealing sidekick. I like Durance, Sagani, and the Furry Pirate. Tekehu grew on me unexpectedly and is a well-fleshed out character/story arc.

The rest are pretty forgettable (and forgotten - having trouble even remembering them). Xoti is Soyer trying to be nice to rednecks but he's no Neal Stephenson.

Was it Sawyer? Didn't he give a lot of creative freedom to his writers or something? His companion quest was such dog shit in Deadfire. Why they just redid the same storyline as the novella is a mystery. I'm also still upset that the only reason we didn't get Eder ask Waidwen about Woden was because the writer "forgot".

 

[Desiderius]

Soyer wussed out on Eder's quest in Deadfire, but he's an appealing sidekick. I like Durance, Sagani, and the Furry Pirate. Tekehu grew on me unexpectedly and is a well-fleshed out character/story arc.

The rest are pretty forgettable (and forgotten - having trouble even remembering them). Xoti is Soyer trying to be nice to rednecks but he's no Neal Stephenson.

Was it Sawyer? Didn't he give a lot of creative freedom to his writers or something? His companion quest was such dog shit in Deadfire. Why they just redid the same storyline as the novella is a mystery. I'm also still upset that the only reason we didn't get Eder ask Waidwen about Woden was because the writer "forgot".

He has the final say. When you see a character arc missing a branch (like Val or Cam in PF) it’s a pretty good bet it was sawed off for political/cultural reasons and Soyer’s way lost in those weeds.

Eder reuniting with his son would have been too pro-breeder I guess. Which sux on its own (out of character for Eder for starters) but also kills C & C.

You can guarantee if Eder were Ekun that branch would have been there with big flashing lights.

 

[Jvegi]

I remember a paladin with a vagina, called Pallegina, and I remember her only because of how dumb it is.

I don't remember anybody else, except for the dude rusty is using. The game is boring and it's shit.

 

[Parabalus]

Zahua isn't too bad either, DoC similarly but a bit one-dimensional.

From Dumpsterfire Maia is decent.

 

[luj1]

durance = eder > GM > * >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> maneha

They are all turds

 

[Crichton]

In the first game, I thought there was a surplus of fun companions; Eder and Sagani were favorites of mine but Pallegina, Durance and GM were good too. Even Aloth, Zahua and Kana were good for a laugh. The only ones that really grated on me were Hiravias and Maneha and honestly better voice-acting might have smoothed over the rough edges there.

In the 2nd game, I thought they really trashed Eder both with the lousy quest and the interactions with Eothas (to be fair, the PC's interactions with Eothas are just as stupid, the writers had no idea what they wanted to do there). Aloth picked up a little depth so I actually like him better than I used to. But Pallegina went from a good person trying to balance competing goals to a total neo-fascist bootlicker (It's like they just wanted to make her the mirror-image of Maia, another empty suit). The wacky blue companions (pirate Wolverine and gay shark-boy) were good for a laugh, but I thought they got boring fast. When I did a second playthrough for the TB mode, my priestess of Eothas just took Eder and Xoti and rolled up a couple of Merc chanters to sing Gaun's praises.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

Maia is best waifu, RDC is best faction.

Spoiler

Although I also have a soft spot for a Furrante-led Principi.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

having two similar rival factions was a terrible idea tbh

their differences basically came down to stupid ways of speaking

 

[Crichton]

Maia is best waifu, RDC is best faction.

Spoiler

Although I also have a soft spot for a Furrante-led Principi.

I played a Rautai scholar fighter/priest (Eothas) for my first playthrough and chose the Rautai option whenever possible, right up until the end. I refused to go full Rautard and kill the queen, so I went independent for the ending.

I thought most of the faction stuff was handled well but I thought Maia was terrible; she seemed to have no personality whatsoever or any interaction with the rest of the gameworld except for her bullshit quest, she was like a placeholder for the actual RDC companion to be written later. The only positives for me were the pet interactions with Elder.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

Maia is best waifu, RDC is best faction.

Spoiler

Although I also have a soft spot for a Furrante-led Principi.

I played a Rautai scholar fighter/priest (Eothas) for my first playthrough and chose the Rautai option whenever possible, right up until the end. I refused to go full Rautard and kill the queen, so I went independent for the ending.

I thought most of the faction stuff was handled well but I thought Maia was terrible; she seemed to have no personality whatsoever or any interaction with the rest of the gameworld except for her bullshit quest, she was like a placeholder for the actual RDC companion to be written later. The only positives for me were the pet interactions with Elder.

For my first playthrough, I played a Coastal Aumaua paladin (Bleak Walker) aristocrat from Rauatai and naturally went with the RDC all the way. Second playthrough was with an Ocean folk human paladin (Darcozzi) aristocrat from Old Vailia and went for a Furrante-led Principi. Was pleasantly surprised with the reactivity in both cases and both playthroughs were fun enough.

And eh, personally I didn't mind Maia's unidimensional character. Eder is also quite unidimensional, but that's what makes him a cozy companion to have around. Just a simple farmhand, just as Maia's a simple rank & file. No need for snowflake companions.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

but I thought Maia was terrible

 

[AwesomeButton]

I remember a paladin with a vagina cloaca, called Pallegina, and I remember her only because of how dumb it is.

Let's be a bit more gender-positive here, ok? Thank you!

Spoiler

 

[Desiderius]

Maia is best waifu, RDC is best faction.

Spoiler

Although I also have a soft spot for a Furrante-led Principi.

I played a Rautai scholar fighter/priest (Eothas) for my first playthrough and chose the Rautai option whenever possible, right up until the end. I refused to go full Rautard and kill the queen, so I went independent for the ending.

I thought most of the faction stuff was handled well but I thought Maia was terrible; she seemed to have no personality whatsoever or any interaction with the rest of the gameworld except for her bullshit quest, she was like a placeholder for the actual RDC companion to be written later. The only positives for me were the pet interactions with Elder.

Maia's a lesbo. It is what it is. Her raging bulldyke contact in Port Maje made me really not want to get into that whole quest/faction very much.

 

[Grunker]

I thought Maia was terrible;

might literally be the only legitimately good companion of the series

especially in the second game she is the only sensible adult in a group of sex-crazed children

ironically, despite her being a lesbian, she is the only normie of the bunch