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

[Desiderius]

In RT dual-wield comes with a substantial recovery bonus that can be enhanced with the two-weapon passive. The main FAQ says that bashing Shields don’t count as two-weapon so don’t get that bonus.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/227477-pillars-of-eternity-ii-deadfire/faqs/76599

EDIT: this faq actually says it does work? Maybe I read that it doesn’t on obsidian forum? Will research tomorrow

 

[Haplo]

Barbs are kinda weird because for 90% of the game you're better off multiclassing , but those endgame tier single class abilities are pretty sweet.

Barb/Fighter is very good for tanking

He can do some fun things with certain weapons, AFAIR. But I'd not trade a Swashbuckler for one.

Tactical Barrage is really what the doctor ordered to turn on Carnage (as is Confident Aim). Even cancels Confusion on Berserker until you can find an item (or Fighter passive) to do it. I consider Caroc broken so don't use.

The pull ability on Fighter is fast with no recovery and Fighter provides the extra Engagement Barb needs. Anything tries to leave gets a Full Attack triggering more Carnage for everyone stuck nearby.

Fighter also nice with Pal to get those Auras wider.

Fighter / Barb indeed has merit. Not my favorite combination, but very solid.

Edit: Really nice with morningstars. The modal Body Blows lowers Fortitude by 25 (!), which is great for Barb Brute Force (and Knockdown and...). Larger number of crits generally offsets the lowered damage from modals.
And is great for party CC, of course. Plus with Willbreaker you can also debuff Will by -15, make the enemies Shaken and Interrupt them.
Although Lord Darryn's Voulge bound to a Barb is pretty awesome too.

However Fighter / Paladin is just silly IMO. There's nothing in the game remotely calling for this kind of durability. Being an immovable object serves no purpose IMO.
A Fighter is effectively immortal once he gets Unbending anyway.

 

[Haplo]

Yeah, I have no interest whatsoever in TB with this game. Totally breaks the mechanics.

Right. I generally agree. Though its a fun power-trip for certain builds.

Fighter Eder tanking and tossing the bombs is the shit. Get to the Empower passives and open with Empowered Charge. Turn on the Defense buff and let them keep renewing it for you while wasting their time attacking him.

Whatever you're doing with Riposte pales in comparison to Fighter-buffed disengagement attacks. If the mobs stay there trying to attack Eder just drop holy hell on them with your nukes.

And how you're gonna force those disengagement attacks, hmm? A Trickster Swash (so not Eder) could's use Terrifying Aspect at least. Although I don't remember if that actually works or not.
For sure this subclass multiclass can achieve godlike defenses and is best at ripostes. Though personally for an MC, I like the Streetfighter multiclass even more, dashing headfirst into mobs and slaying left, right & center - while being effectively immortal with Unbending.

Plus nothing's stopping a Swashbuckler from getting Overbearing Guard (except he gets it later)? I'm pretty sure Deathblows + Overbearing (plus Deep Wounds, plus Dirty Fighting) is much stronger then Overbearing alone.

 

[Piotrovitz]

Looking at another POTD run with abovementioned dynamic XP/economy overhaul mods - need some party suggestions

On my first and only playthrough I rolled with:

MC rogue/soulblade
Eder rogue/fig
custom wayfarer pal/chanter
custom sharpshooter/ascendant
Aloth wiz

Probably not too optimal (too many melees etc) but was doing ok most of the time and had fun with this party comp. Looking for something new, but not too wonky. So far I'm thinking bout:

Aloth pure wiz
Maia rog/rang

Not sure about the rest three slots for the frontline, including MC

Herald seems to good to skip, but perhaps there are other classes that synergizes well with chanter? Was thinking priest, but the buffs seem to be nerfed into oblivion compared to PoE.

Think I'd like to try devoted/soulblade - those fully charged soul annihilation crits are too damn satisfying.
Also thinking about some monk multi (helwalker/trickster?) but not sure how to play those - never used one in PoE.

looking for some suggestions bros

 

[Desiderius]

Yeah, I have no interest whatsoever in TB with this game. Totally breaks the mechanics.

Right. I generally agree. Though its a fun power-trip for certain builds.

Fighter Eder tanking and tossing the bombs is the shit. Get to the Empower passives and open with Empowered Charge. Turn on the Defense buff and let them keep renewing it for you while wasting their time attacking him.

Whatever you're doing with Riposte pales in comparison to Fighter-buffed disengagement attacks. If the mobs stay there trying to attack Eder just drop holy hell on them with your nukes.

And how you're gonna force those disengagement attacks, hmm? A Trickster Swash (so not Eder) could's use Terrifying Aspect at least. Although I don't remember if that actually works or not.
For sure this subclass multiclass can achieve godlike defenses and is best at ripostes. Though personally for an MC, I like the Streetfighter multiclass even more, dashing headfirst into mobs and slaying left, right & center - while being effectively immortal with Unbending.

Plus nothing's stopping a Swashbuckler from getting Overbearing Guard (except he gets it later)? I'm pretty sure Deathblows + Overbearing (plus Deep Wounds, plus Dirty Fighting) is much stronger then Overbearing alone.

I don’t want to force them. I’m not soloing. Always-on passive Pull of Eora is very good for what rest of team wants to do (cast/shoot in peace).

Eder himself can chuck bombs from there too if he wants or use summoning items.

 

[Desiderius]

Barbs are kinda weird because for 90% of the game you're better off multiclassing , but those endgame tier single class abilities are pretty sweet.

Barb/Fighter is very good for tanking

He can do some fun things with certain weapons, AFAIR. But I'd not trade a Swashbuckler for one.

Tactical Barrage is really what the doctor ordered to turn on Carnage (as is Confident Aim). Even cancels Confusion on Berserker until you can find an item (or Fighter passive) to do it. I consider Caroc broken so don't use.

The pull ability on Fighter is fast with no recovery and Fighter provides the extra Engagement Barb needs. Anything tries to leave gets a Full Attack triggering more Carnage for everyone stuck nearby.

Fighter also nice with Pal to get those Auras wider.

Fighter / Barb indeed has merit. Not my favorite combination, but very solid.

Edit: Really nice with morningstars. The modal Body Blows lowers Fortitude by 25 (!), which is great for Barb Brute Force (and Knockdown and...). Larger number of crits generally ofsets the lowered damage from modals.
And is great for party CC, of course. Plus with Willbreaker you can also debuff Will by -15, make the enemies Shaken and Interrupt them.
Although Lord Darryn's Voulge bound to a Barb is pretty awesome too.

However Fighter / Paladin is just silly IMO. There's nothing in the game remotely calling for this kind of durability. Being an immovable object serves no purpose IMO.
A Fighter is effectively immortal once he gets Unbending anyway.

Durability?

How many ways are there to buff INT? I want that Acute buff for my million Pal AoEs, and that free Engagement and mobility. Pal’s biggest downside is getting stuck in traffic. Charge solves it.

Plus that INT extends duration on Pallegrina’s speed buff from Flames of Devotion to always-on, and makes the AoE on Whispers of Endless Paths less sucky. If you like Riposte the Counterattack on Endless Paths puts that to shame. The +1 PL on Acute ain’t too shabby either and she’s immune to INT affliction so it stays on.

 

[White Grey]

In RT dual-wield comes with a substantial recovery bonus that can be enhanced with the two-weapon passive. The main FAQ says that bashing Shields don’t count as two-weapon so don’t get that bonus.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/227477-pillars-of-eternity-ii-deadfire/faqs/76599

EDIT: this faq actually says it does work? Maybe I read that it doesn’t on obsidian forum? Will research tomorrow

Bashing shields work with both the dual wield and shield feats at the same time. They're fun and cool. They suck later on anyway because the damage doesn't scale with item upgrades. One exception being Tuotilo's Palm, and only if you are a monk, because monks are amazing. A few mods out there change this. Biggest problem after that is that there are very few bashing shields and most are just shit.

All that said, I question the value of an item subtype that blurs the line between weapon and shield so much. Shield bash would probably have been better as a built in ability for a Gladiator subclass or something.

 

[Haplo]

Barbs are kinda weird because for 90% of the game you're better off multiclassing , but those endgame tier single class abilities are pretty sweet.

Barb/Fighter is very good for tanking

He can do some fun things with certain weapons, AFAIR. But I'd not trade a Swashbuckler for one.

Tactical Barrage is really what the doctor ordered to turn on Carnage (as is Confident Aim). Even cancels Confusion on Berserker until you can find an item (or Fighter passive) to do it. I consider Caroc broken so don't use.

The pull ability on Fighter is fast with no recovery and Fighter provides the extra Engagement Barb needs. Anything tries to leave gets a Full Attack triggering more Carnage for everyone stuck nearby.

Fighter also nice with Pal to get those Auras wider.

Fighter / Barb indeed has merit. Not my favorite combination, but very solid.

Edit: Really nice with morningstars. The modal Body Blows lowers Fortitude by 25 (!), which is great for Barb Brute Force (and Knockdown and...). Larger number of crits generally ofsets the lowered damage from modals.
And is great for party CC, of course. Plus with Willbreaker you can also debuff Will by -15, make the enemies Shaken and Interrupt them.
Although Lord Darryn's Voulge bound to a Barb is pretty awesome too.

However Fighter / Paladin is just silly IMO. There's nothing in the game remotely calling for this kind of durability. Being an immovable object serves no purpose IMO.
A Fighter is effectively immortal once he gets Unbending anyway.

Durability?

How many ways are there to buff INT? I want that Acute buff for my million Pal AoEs, and that free Engagement and mobility. Pal’s biggest downside is getting stuck in traffic. Charge solves it.

Plus that INT extends duration on Pallegrina’s speed buff from Flames of Devotion to always-on, and makes the AoE on Whispers of Endless Paths less sucky. If you like Riposte the Counterattack on Endless Paths puts that to shame. The +1 PL on Acute ain’t too shabby either and she’s immune to INT affliction so it stays on.

Well, a monk with Duality of Mortal Presence and Turning Wheel would be much better for this. Also better for offense and CC.

And no, WoEP Offensive Parry is not good. Abyssmal damage (as opposed to Rogue Riposte Full Attacks), no aoe effect on this. Not good to achieve high Deflection, slow. Pretty terrible.

 

[Desiderius]

Charge can be used to position Pallegrina in a spot where she can pull in* casters/ranged attackers to melee range while still reaching most of team with her (wider) Auras including (longer) Defense buff on Kill. Crusader applies own Aware so doesn’t have to wait around for Dire Blessing.

I’ve got her on Club rn with Will modal for my MC Cipher (Serafen can also fill that role) if needed but mostly Whispers.

After Contemplative Xoti buffs team (fast from Stealth) she can run out (Monk gets extra Stride passive, Nimble from Swift Strikes, and Pallegrina Aura buffs Stride) to punch far flung casters/shooters into Pallegrina’s range. Anguish is vs Fort that is usually their low save and she gets extra Accuracy from Dance.

Save debuff modals are ok but tough saves (Fort for melee usually) can also be lowered by effects that attack weak saves. Spells like Fractured Volition are underrated because they have unusual saves for the effect.

It has long duration (especially with Community Patch), attacks typical Weak save for melee, powers thru CON affliction resistance (what Weakened is for), and is fast cast. Likewise with Daze from Whispers Counterattack. Good follow up to fast Tenuous Grasp.

I like having access to the save debuff modals vs bosses so fits well with Shield for tanking them. But for regular mobs party comp can be used to simply attack save that’s already weak.

* - the Pull ability like the Knockdown targets Fort but unlike Knockdown typically targets foes with low Fort and it also has no recovery time.

EDIT: looks like Community Patch changed several of these abilities so we may be comparing apples and oranges

 

[Desiderius]

Barbs are kinda weird because for 90% of the game you're better off multiclassing , but those endgame tier single class abilities are pretty sweet.

Barb/Fighter is very good for tanking

He can do some fun things with certain weapons, AFAIR. But I'd not trade a Swashbuckler for one.

Tactical Barrage is really what the doctor ordered to turn on Carnage (as is Confident Aim). Even cancels Confusion on Berserker until you can find an item (or Fighter passive) to do it. I consider Caroc broken so don't use.

The pull ability on Fighter is fast with no recovery and Fighter provides the extra Engagement Barb needs. Anything tries to leave gets a Full Attack triggering more Carnage for everyone stuck nearby.

Fighter also nice with Pal to get those Auras wider.

Fighter / Barb indeed has merit. Not my favorite combination, but very solid.

Edit: Really nice with morningstars. The modal Body Blows lowers Fortitude by 25 (!), which is great for Barb Brute Force (and Knockdown and...). Larger number of crits generally ofsets the lowered damage from modals.
And is great for party CC, of course. Plus with Willbreaker you can also debuff Will by -15, make the enemies Shaken and Interrupt them.
Although Lord Darryn's Voulge bound to a Barb is pretty awesome too.

However Fighter / Paladin is just silly IMO. There's nothing in the game remotely calling for this kind of durability. Being an immovable object serves no purpose IMO.
A Fighter is effectively immortal once he gets Unbending anyway.

Durability?

How many ways are there to buff INT? I want that Acute buff for my million Pal AoEs, and that free Engagement and mobility. Pal’s biggest downside is getting stuck in traffic. Charge solves it.

Plus that INT extends duration on Pallegrina’s speed buff from Flames of Devotion to always-on, and makes the AoE on Whispers of Endless Paths less sucky. If you like Riposte the Counterattack on Endless Paths puts that to shame. The +1 PL on Acute ain’t too shabby either and she’s immune to INT affliction so it stays on.

Well, a monk with Duality of Mortal Presence would be much better for this. Also better for offense and CC.

Pallegrina isn’t a Monk. Monks don’t have Charge or Guardian Stance or Confident Aim or Armored Grace or Unbending Guard.

Monks are better at running around with Nimble and Fast Stride to go after far flung threats.

 

[Haplo]

Barbs are kinda weird because for 90% of the game you're better off multiclassing , but those endgame tier single class abilities are pretty sweet.

Barb/Fighter is very good for tanking

He can do some fun things with certain weapons, AFAIR. But I'd not trade a Swashbuckler for one.

Tactical Barrage is really what the doctor ordered to turn on Carnage (as is Confident Aim). Even cancels Confusion on Berserker until you can find an item (or Fighter passive) to do it. I consider Caroc broken so don't use.

The pull ability on Fighter is fast with no recovery and Fighter provides the extra Engagement Barb needs. Anything tries to leave gets a Full Attack triggering more Carnage for everyone stuck nearby.

Fighter also nice with Pal to get those Auras wider.

Fighter / Barb indeed has merit. Not my favorite combination, but very solid.

Edit: Really nice with morningstars. The modal Body Blows lowers Fortitude by 25 (!), which is great for Barb Brute Force (and Knockdown and...). Larger number of crits generally ofsets the lowered damage from modals.
And is great for party CC, of course. Plus with Willbreaker you can also debuff Will by -15, make the enemies Shaken and Interrupt them.
Although Lord Darryn's Voulge bound to a Barb is pretty awesome too.

However Fighter / Paladin is just silly IMO. There's nothing in the game remotely calling for this kind of durability. Being an immovable object serves no purpose IMO.
A Fighter is effectively immortal once he gets Unbending anyway.

Durability?

How many ways are there to buff INT? I want that Acute buff for my million Pal AoEs, and that free Engagement and mobility. Pal’s biggest downside is getting stuck in traffic. Charge solves it.

Plus that INT extends duration on Pallegrina’s speed buff from Flames of Devotion to always-on, and makes the AoE on Whispers of Endless Paths less sucky. If you like Riposte the Counterattack on Endless Paths puts that to shame. The +1 PL on Acute ain’t too shabby either and she’s immune to INT affliction so it stays on.

Well, a monk with Duality of Mortal Presence would be much better for this. Also better for offense and CC.

Pallegrina isn’t a Monk. Monks don’t have Charge or Guardian Stance or Confident Aim or Armored Grace or Unbending Guard.

Monks are better at running around with Nimble and Fast Stride to go after far flung threats.

I've adressed buffing Int, aoes and durations. Monks are vastly better at this then fighters.

Monks don't lack mobility.
They get Flagellant's Path for example.

Paladin's don't need further defensive abilities. Their own are sufficient.

 

[Desiderius]

I’m not using the Fighter for defensive abilities but for battlefield control and improving Pal offense. Tactical Barrage applies both Acute *and* Aware, so she doesn’t have to wait around for Dire Blessing but can start fight with her Sworn Enemy Fire attack then Charge in while rest of team is still Stealthed.

Flagellant’s Path is a lvl 6 ability (doesn’t unlock until lvl 16) while Charge is lvl 4 (lvl 10). Big difference. Monks run around outside fast but Fighter/Ranger/Rogue can teleport to specific spot.

Monk’s INT bonus goes down as it spends Wounds, Acute always stays at 5 and is also +1 PL.

And Pallegrina isn’t a Monk. She does get two unique abilities and INT affliction immunity. Looks like in base game it’s INT and PER Resistance, so I guess she can use Powder Burns with no downsides for another Fire attack (good idea to give her Fire boosting items and Scion anyway).

 

[Haplo]

Its not like a monk is lacking mobility.

In my book, the fighter/paladin was the single most futile and unproductive multiclassing combination. Two tank classes in a game where you can do without tanking and there's nothing punishing enough to push either of these classes to its limits.
Pure class in either would be better, I think.

But you do you, Desiderius.

 

[Desiderius]

Do Pallegrina like I’m telling you. It’s pretty great! Don’t forget the Explosives!

Fighter is just what the doctor ordered to get her unique Flames of Devotion AoE speed buff firing on all cylinders, but the other passives are great too.

As for Mobility there’s a big difference between running around the outside or trying to get through crowded traffic and simply teleporting exactly where you want, and stunning things on the way there. Contemplative Xoti *wants* to be on the outside to push casters into party reach (and Prone them) with Anguish. Pal wants to be in the middle.

If you’re relying on Path you’re using endgame thinking again. A lot of fights between lvl 10 and 16. Path is a good bit slower too and doesn’t Stun on the way.

 

[Desiderius]

I took two Paladin playthroughs to level ten (Inquistor Beguiler not a great combo) figuring out that the Flames speed Aura is exclusive to Pallegrina’s class.

The companions with unique classes are good! Even Serafen’s is positive on average and the downsides are manageable.

 

[Desiderius]

Two tank classes

Hard for Pal to tank if nothing is attacking it, and it doesn’t have the native engagement to make anything do so. That’s where Fighter comes in. Attack Pallegrina or do nothing, either one is fine with me. Just don’t try to get away or get knocked on your ass.

Barb/Fighter has Frenzy to lower Deflection to lure in some attacks but Pal native defenses make it an unappealing target.

INT-buff classes are good to pair with Pal, but only Fighter among those classes fixes the Engagement issue and adds Armored Grace and Unbending Guard to accentuate it and Confident Aim is such a nice Lose Less passive. Picking up the teleport just when the fighting heats up really hits the sweet spot.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

In my book, the fighter/paladin was the single most futile and unproductive multiclassing combination.

Indeed, it's a waste of slot.

Looking for something new, but not too wonky. So far I'm thinking bout:

Aloth pure wiz
Maia rog/rang

Not sure about the rest three slots for the frontline, including MC

Herald seems to good to skip, but perhaps there are other classes that synergizes well with chanter? Was thinking priest, but the buffs seem to be nerfed into oblivion compared to PoE.

Think I'd like to try devoted/soulblade - those fully charged soul annihilation crits are too damn satisfying.
Also thinking about some monk multi (helwalker/trickster?) but not sure how to play those - never used one in PoE.

looking for some suggestions bros

Herald is one class I never skip, its just too good.

 

[Haplo]

Even Serafen’s is positive on average and the downsides are manageable.

Now that's really delusional.

 

[Desiderius]

Even Serafen’s is positive on average and the downsides are manageable.

Now that's really delusional.

Well he’s no Beguiler but he can spam that Tenuous Grasp (-20 Will, -3 PL, -5 DEF, -75% AoE area, -25% Hostile Effect duration, removes friend/foe) like nobody’s business and it seems like the short duration extra PLs effect procs a lot. More bounces (and damage, accuracy, and PEN) on Mind Blades! Any crit procs Blood Frenzy bleed so the more Blades the merrier.

I usually have Shock AR up already for Tekuhu’s Bolts so getting a free nuke from Serafen is all upside.

• Positive effects:
  • +5 Cipher Power Level for 3.0 sec
  • Echo spell cast (cast twice)
  • +999 Focus (set Focus to full)
  • Push target 3m
  • Apply random Affliction to target, one of: Blinded, Dominated, Enfeebled, Paralyzed, Stunned, Terrified for 8.0 sec
  • Add Empower point
• Negative effects:
  • -3 Cipher Power Level for 3.0 sec
  • Miscast: Self AoE (2.5m radius) Deals 1.5x accrued Focus as Shock Damage, 7 Penetration. Target also takes damage
  • Set target enemy Invisible for 15 seconds
  • Apply random Inspiration to target, one of: Brilliant, Courageous, Energized, Intuitive, Robust, Swift for 20.0 sec
  • Remove Empower point

​

5 PLs is a lot! 3.0 sec isn’t. You’ve got Frenzy and Wild Sprint plus a quick cast Shred spell to take advantage, right?
Shred spells like to be copied
Greater Focus raises starting focus too
Tier 3 Afflictions are good
Make sure you’re not at max Empower in case this triggers

Don’t accrue too much Focus (spend it) unless you’re ready for the nuke (which isn’t that hard) or he’s a, you know, Barb so just stand him away from your party over by the mobs where he can get good and Bloodied to trigger Lone Wolf/Bloodied items and hit shit with his Carnage.
Invisible enemy can be annoying but not disastrous
Giving enemy a Tier 3 Inspiration isn’t great but you’re better at removing them than the AI is, right?
I forget to use my Empower points half the time anyway. Or spam them to refill Rage. Can’t lose an Empower point you don’t have!

 

[Desiderius]

Herald’s fine since Pal can blow through its Zeal pretty fast/or need to save it situationally.

It just not great on Pallegrina since she has two class unique abilities that cost low amounts of Zeal but eat up most of her action econ. That’s why Fighter passives (among with quick abilities like Tactical Barrage, Charge, and Into the Fray) are a great fit.

 

[Desiderius]

Do the buffs and heals of Confused casters apply to their enemies as well?

 

[Desiderius]

Nice

Tenuous Grasp with Community Patch is .5 cast and 2.0 recovery with substantial duration. On Beguiler I open with Foes and can just spam that thing on everything. Even faster with Frenzy, Sprint, and Fury Totem from Furyshaper Barb.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Herald’s fine since Pal can blow through its Zeal pretty fast/or need to save it situationally.

It just not great on Pallegrina since she has two class unique abilities that cost low amounts of Zeal but eat up most of her action econ. That’s why Fighter passives (among with quick abilities like Tactical Barrage, Charge, and Into the Fray) are a great fit.

Herald is not doing anything aside from casting an invocation every once in a while, so you can use abilities from other class to your hearts content. As usual you're playing in Microsoft Excel and ranting about imaginary problems that don't exist in the actual game.

Like Haplo already pointed out, Fighter/Pala is an ultimate tank in a game that hardly needs a tank class at all, so there's zero syngergy there. You can probably come up with some cool glasscannon offensive build for it, abusing the fact that it's basically immortal, but it's not gonna outperform exisiting specialized class for frontline bashing. So it's basically redundant.