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

gurugeorge

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Strap Yourselves In
and is logically inconsistent (Muscle Wizards)

That was sort of explained, kinda.

Might represents either physical or spiritual strength, whatever that means, so a Wizard with high Might isn't a bodybuilder, he's spiritually very strong. :M
Stat checks still treated Might as a strength check. Had they given casters and martials separate checks it probably would have been better received.

Definitely agreed. I don't have a problem with having one "oomph" stat for physical fighting damage and magic damage, but do I think non-combat/skill checks should have been separate.

I always rather liked Champions Online's solution to the (let's call it the) "oomph stat balancing problem" - there were the usual distinctions between strength, speed, intelligence, etc., and you could build a stat distribution respecting your rp, but you could set your main stat as your "super stat" and everyone got roughly the same boost (with some variation from gear progression possible) to their damage from doing so, but the stat worked normally in all other respects (e.g. in terms of tinkering skill for int, etc.). Ofc that was in a context where they were designing partly for PvP, where doing such a thing makes most sense. But conceptually it's a neat idea.

For PvE, I don't think the reason for doing such a thing is necessarily the bad one of, "everyone must win, all get prizes" but rather the good one of making sure that class choices aren't anomalously "lumpy." That every class should be a viable damage dealer makes sense for computer games, which (let's face it) usually devolve to "DPS is king." The only alternative I can see is to have generous, plentiful and impactful storyboard sequences, so that all stat picks have a chance to shine outside the matter of damage dealing, and DPS is no longer the most important thing in the game.

Also, ofc in games where teamwork matters, like in some MMOs, you can have extreme specialization in support at the cost of damage dealing, but even MMOs tend to devolve to DPS mattering the most.
 

Fedora Master

STOP POSTING
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Why does the Codex consistently fail to pinpoint the issues with Pillars?
The writing is too wordy and unengaging, the ruleset relies on "pick the least shit option" and is logically inconsistent (Muscle Wizards), the gameplay is tedious and the story destroys all sense of achievement.
We spent years talking about this stuff, the topic has been exhausted.
Clearly it hasn't if the thread comes back to the question of "Why Pillars bad?!"
 

IHaveHugeNick

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Joined
Apr 5, 2015
Messages
1,870,487
-claims Codex can't pinpoint the issues,

- only brings up issues that were all pinpointed at least once at each of the 445 pages.
 
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Gahbreeil

Scholar
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Feb 9, 2021
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Asarlaíocht
The first dungeon has a beetle, a random skeleton and a dwarf who somehow walked past traps that surround him and is waiting for you to save him. 3/6
 

A-Minish

Educated
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Oct 21, 2021
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Occupied Gallia Celtica
I started to lurk here around 2018-2019, but I have the impession there are no other RPGs who were dissected as much as PoE1&2 on the Codex.

I will always laught at Aloth bending the metal bars at the foot of Raedric's Hold though.

I am restarting a game of PoE2 with a party of 8 this time, PoTD and upscale, juste for the lol. but i think I will massacre a lot of people in town too. Italian nogs and korean fishmen are going to be on the menu.
 

Diggfinger

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Jan 6, 2014
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Belgium
Josh recently said on Twitch that 2house2fly's Half Health Mod makes turn-based mode much better. Anyone tried it?

"Isn't turn-based mode a slog? This mod will get you through it in half the time!

This cuts base HP and HP gained per level in half for every single character in the game- the player, your party, NPCs and all enemies and bosses in the base game and DLCs. Note that while it's intended for use in turn-based mode, it makes the same changes in RTWP mode as well.

Damage values are untouched, as are healing values- this has the knock-on effect of all healing now being much more impactful. I considered halving those as well, but one of the big hazards of this mod is that a group of enemies might all gang up on one character and do severe damage before that character can react in any way, and having powerful healing helps to even things up if you get into a situation like that. I also didn't touch the health of destructibles, like barrels and sigils."
 
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Arthandas

Prophet
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Apr 21, 2015
Messages
1,512
SteamDB shows Deadfire got a patch 4 months ago and I can't find any information about it, does anyone know what was updated?
 

Immortal

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Safe Space - Don't Bulli
Why does the Codex consistently fail to pinpoint the issues with Pillars?
The writing is too wordy and unengaging, the ruleset relies on "pick the least shit option" and is logically inconsistent (Muscle Wizards), the gameplay is tedious and the story destroys all sense of achievement.
We spent years talking about this stuff, the topic has been exhausted.

That's what the losers in the debate say because their tired of being beaten up about it. Combat XP won.
 

Yosharian

Arcane
Joined
May 28, 2018
Messages
10,200
Location
Grand Chien
Why does the Codex consistently fail to pinpoint the issues with Pillars?
The writing is too wordy and unengaging, the ruleset relies on "pick the least shit option" and is logically inconsistent (Muscle Wizards), the gameplay is tedious and the story destroys all sense of achievement.
We spent years talking about this stuff, the topic has been exhausted.
Responding to a Fedora Master post, man you must have been bored on that day
 

ERYFKRAD

Barbarian
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Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Messages
29,588
Strap Yourselves In Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Why does the Codex consistently fail to pinpoint the issues with Pillars?
The writing is too wordy and unengaging, the ruleset relies on "pick the least shit option" and is logically inconsistent (Muscle Wizards), the gameplay is tedious and the story destroys all sense of achievement.
We spent years talking about this stuff, the topic has been exhausted.
Responding to a Fedora Master post, man you must have been bored on that day
So was Fedora
 

IHaveHugeNick

Arcane
Joined
Apr 5, 2015
Messages
1,870,487
So I was checking recent Nexus mods and this really caught my eye.


Comprehensive Leveling Improvement and EXP Reduction

In an RPG, the journey is as important as the destination, and there is WAY too much experience in the Deadfire for players who want a long and rewarding journey. The DLCs made this even worse. It is extremely unsatisfying to hit max level with so much ahead of you, and most of the challenge turns into tedium. Players often turn to level scaling, which can create wonky difficulty spikes and divots as well as other problems. Traditional EXP reduction mods only change a flat modifier, which makes the early sections of the game even more difficult, and can exacerbate meta-gamey tactics and imbalances in other areas such as weapons/armor. This mod tries to solve those problems. I want to have fun in the Engwithan Digsite, and feel excited instead of bored during the mid/late-game exploration phase.

What changes:
  • 25% faster level 5
  • Normal speed level 9
  • 25% slower level 20
  • Benched companions receive 100% of EXP gained
  • Bounty quests do not reward EXP
  • Bounties provide triple cash rewards
  • Roughly the same amount of EXP removed from bounties has been added to late-game DLC side quests
  • For details, see the image with the numbers
It was only uploaded last year, but fuck me, those are well-thought out changes. It would definitely make the whole progression feel much better, instead of just flat XP reduction which sucks ass for other reasons.
 

AwesomeButton

Proud owner of BG 3: Day of Swen's Tentacle
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PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath
Last I played it it was with XP reduction by 25% and I remember the progression feeling just fine for my taste.
 

Lacrymas

Arcane
Joined
Sep 23, 2015
Messages
18,550
Pathfinder: Wrath
I'd enable the xp reduction after the tutorial island on PotD. You wouldn't have enough tools to deal with the drake fight and Gorecci street otherwise. You still could, but it's insanely difficult and requires too much RNG going your way.
 

IHaveHugeNick

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Messages
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Yup, that's why I like this one much better. He even explains it in the text, it keeps the starter island fun instead of dreading it if you're on Iron Man run. Then it slows down the mid-late game progression to deal with power creep. He also stop bounties from breaking the xp but still made them wroth doing. Very cool.
 

Dishonoredbr

Erudite
Joined
Jun 13, 2019
Messages
2,397
So I was checking recent Nexus mods and this really caught my eye.


Comprehensive Leveling Improvement and EXP Reduction

In an RPG, the journey is as important as the destination, and there is WAY too much experience in the Deadfire for players who want a long and rewarding journey. The DLCs made this even worse. It is extremely unsatisfying to hit max level with so much ahead of you, and most of the challenge turns into tedium. Players often turn to level scaling, which can create wonky difficulty spikes and divots as well as other problems. Traditional EXP reduction mods only change a flat modifier, which makes the early sections of the game even more difficult, and can exacerbate meta-gamey tactics and imbalances in other areas such as weapons/armor. This mod tries to solve those problems. I want to have fun in the Engwithan Digsite, and feel excited instead of bored during the mid/late-game exploration phase.

What changes:
  • 25% faster level 5
  • Normal speed level 9
  • 25% slower level 20
  • Benched companions receive 100% of EXP gained
  • Bounty quests do not reward EXP
  • Bounties provide triple cash rewards
  • Roughly the same amount of EXP removed from bounties has been added to late-game DLC side quests
  • For details, see the image with the numbers
It was only uploaded last year, but fuck me, those are well-thought out changes. It would definitely make the whole progression feel much better, instead of just flat XP reduction which sucks ass for other reasons.
Common Modders W.
 

IHaveHugeNick

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Apr 5, 2015
Messages
1,870,487
Oh heck, I see the same modder has a difficulty mod that also seems more sensible than others.

Sigil of Balance - a Level Scaling Alternative

In Short
This mod makes the early game easier and the late game harder, smoothing out difficulty bumps and divots, so that the game is both less frustrating and less easy. No longer will you slip and drown on Gorecci street before casually dropping Rymrgand in his own realm.


What does it do?
  • Accuracy and defenses per level have been reduced by 33% (from 3 to 2). This affects everyone - the player party and all enemies. Level is now a smaller factor in whether or not you can handle any given encounter, and in whether or not a given encounter provides a challenge to you.
  • The party gains +10 to accuracy and all defenses at level 1
  • A scaling effect causes the party to slowly lose this advantage (see image)
  • By level 20, the party suffers a -15 penalty. Note: You will never lose stats for leveling up
  • Expands level scaling range for those who wish to use it


A Level Scaling Companion
Despite the title, this mod should actually work well in conjunction with level scaling (upwards). For those who enjoy it, level scaling has been increased to apply across a 10 level difference (in the base game, it is only 4).

Well fuck, that convinced me to try a new run.
 

IHaveHugeNick

Arcane
Joined
Apr 5, 2015
Messages
1,870,487
Here's my mods. Anything else worth trying out?

Difficulty and progression.

Comprehensive Leveling Improvement and EXP Reduction
Sigil of Balance - a Level Scaling Alternative

Fixes and QoL

Enhanced User Interface
Community Patch
Out With The Good - clean up for the buff interface
Easy Watcher Ability Choices
Better Crew

or if you really hate dealing with ships

Mythic Crew

Gameplay changes
- I avoided mods that flat out buff things up, just going for more build options and variety.

Lore-Friendly Companion Class Changes - Serafen should've always been a Rogue, Josh.
FG Soulbound Upgrade - Soulbounds go to Legendary quality now
Improved Single Classes - small buffs to classes that were too good as multi to ever single class them (ie SC Fighter etc.)
Priest of Rymrgand (DLC) and other Hidden Classes Unlocked - opens up Tekehu and Maias unique class and some others

Flavor
A Bigger Fish
Everyone's Two Cents
Navy of Deadfire
Slower Days and Longer Nights

I tried to make sure there's no conflicts but we'll see, but with all of these it kinda starts looking like a fresh game.

Of course it's still easy to metagame ie going straight after tutorial to that tribal island at top of the map and robbing an entire vault of endgame items +M
 

White Grey

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Dec 8, 2021
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Fuck
IHaveHugeNick, I appreciate how exited you seem to be about my mods. Mine is the most carefully tuned EXP mod, but AwesomeButton is correct that it is fairly low-impact for the effort involved (somewhat better when you use it in a package with my other progression mods). Mostly I just enjoyed digging into these systems since I never get to play tabletop anymore and homebrewing digital is much more invovled. Realistically, for the typical gamer, the best EXP mod is Level cap 33 because even though it completely breaks the design, it can be installed mid-play and feeds the power fantasy most players want. Players largely seem to not give a shit about the intended design, or else to disagree with the direction. If you like the comprehensive approach you may also like my Economy mod, which has the same reasoning behind the changes. That and the leveling one are also meant to be used alongside my Equipment Scaling mod. Otherwise, your level being held back means much less since you can just load up on Legendary gear almost immediately using the right tactics, and Sigil of Balance only has a significant impact on difficulty during the late game. I've been thinking about doing a megapack that intertwines them a bit more in ways that would not be possible with separate releases, but it will probably have to wait until I return to the game.

I would highly recommend adding the following to your list:
More Custom AI conditions
Balance Polishing Mod
Anything from my island deity Noqn

And also just let me know if, during your playthrough, you decide that any systems in the game should be tweaked. I don't work during the winter and have the time to try and make it happen. Players seem to bitch a lot about the design in Deadfire, and not without reason, but they can't formulate clear solutions. For example, if you can come back to me and tell me that x% graze/hit/crit range would be better than the current system, then I can implement it in like 30minutes thanks to the POWER OF APOTHEOSIS. Anyway, take it easy bud. Have fun. Really nice surprise to see your posts.
 

AwesomeButton

Proud owner of BG 3: Day of Swen's Tentacle
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PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath
I make a little tweak to increase the walking speed when you've turned off running for a character, or for the whole party. I can post the json if you care about walking vs running.
 

IHaveHugeNick

Arcane
Joined
Apr 5, 2015
Messages
1,870,487
White Grey - you should definitely put together a package and maybe throw some other popular mods into a collection, those are some pretty comprehensive changes. I'm not sure about equipment mod though - I get the idea, it does get tiresome to always go for the same strong items that you can pick for free, but that's dictated by open structure of the world map. I tend to play with Ondra's challenge enabled, makes it more risky to swim around in a starter ship to grab all the easy loot.

Anyhoo, started a new run, here's my attempt at auto-debuffer:

Hearth Orlan, Skald/Debonaire with a pike. Lowest Might possible, max Int Per Dex, rest neutral. Basically looking to spam Skald's charm which would then trigger crits from Debonaires passive which then would then trigger Skald passive allowing to spam even more invocations.. Gonna put him behind Eder and 'Gina (with crit aura ofc), with pike for more safety and to debuff Deflection and hopefully even more crits.

Onwards.
 
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