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

[Safav Hamon]

I'll give a brief summary of every fight in the arena I've done so far

Spoiler

Agony of the Elements: Black hole that devours spirits which restore its health and gives it new powers

Trial of the Naga: Five fire naga archers, three fire naga warriors, two poison naga warriors, one fire naga shaman (summons fire drakes), and one poison naga shaman (summons poisonous blobs)

Memories of a Madman: Boss battle with Maerwald, four fire blights, and a reflection of your entire party

The Bloodletting: Battle against a super tough party. The arena is a circle with a walkway down the center.

Gul Trouble Endurance: Several waves of ancient Fampyrs, Darguls, and Guls.

Razorback Pack: Fight against five giant razorbacks. Every time you kill one it resurrects into a stronger version three times.

The Animancers Folly Endurance Trial: Several waves of steel and iron constructs. Your only assistance is a shock device in the middle that you need to manually fuel.

A Changelings Dance: Your entire party turns into a random variety of monsters and you have to fight a group of warriors.

A Trial of Fur and Fang: Several giant staelgars and about eight strong tigers. The arena is divided with various walls and elevated platforms.

Cult of the Naga Shaman: Poison Naga Shaman boss that summons endless poison naga warrior reinforcements and buffs them. Attacking him does poison damage to you.

There are at least 15 more unlockable arena fights according to the game files, not including the final boss.

 

[aweigh]

Heads up, they released a Pathfinder DLC for this game called 'Kingmaker'.

 

[Haplo]

Aren't the summoned weapons counted as universal for the purposes of specialization?

I think not. But proficiencies usually aren't very important. They simply add a modal ability that usually isn't worth the cost.

Although there are exceptions. Flails, clubs and morningstars with their modals debuff respectively reflex, will and fortitude on hit by 25 (!). So those are good if if can exploit those weakened defenses.
Pistols and hunting bows have huge speed bonuses, so are also good if you can eat the high accuracy penalties (although in case of pistols its almost offset by 1-hand accuracy bonus, if you go with a single 1).
Arquebusses have a large accuracy bonus (+20), so are very nice for alpha strikes, assassinations and such.
Estoc and sword Pen bonuses come at the cost of deflection, so for some builds that already dump deflection the cost means very little.
Blunderbuss Powder Burns add quite a lot of damage at higher levels... and the Perception+Flanked debuff is a real nice and reliable way to trigger the huge Streetfighter bonuses (at the cost of some accuracy).

Pikes have Marking - lower enemy Deflection by 10. So-so for party players I'd say. Sadly it does not work in the aoe of the Spirit Lance strike, only on the primary target. Plus there aren't any great pikes, really (apart from the summoned one).

 

[AwesomeButton]

I haven't progressed too far, but it looks like you might only be able to get one soulbound item per playthrough. I'm getting the Missing Content Itch just thinking about it

Do you mean just in the SSS DLC, or in the whole game? Because you can find many soulbound items in the game, in a single playthrough.

Heads up, they released a Pathfinder DLC for this game called 'Kingmaker'.

I have my 'B' team on that one - my wife is playing it I really want to finish my gods' challenges run.

 

[Safav Hamon]

Most of the proficiencies are worth using:

Arbalests - Combined with a max dexterity and perception build it's the best modal in the game.
Crossbows - Good if you want to disable spellcasters, but not as good as arbalests
Rod - Worth using in any fight against multiple enemies.
Wand - Makes a good debuff against tough enemies.
Hatchet - Same as above
Dagger - Good for squishy rogues and monks that already do insane damage
Rapier - The accuracy bonus makes up for the recovery time penalty in most fights
Sabre - The added penetration bonus is significant, especially in the DLCs
Warhammer - Same as above
Stiletto - Same as above
Spear - Stride is useless except for rogues and monks
Small Shield - Accuracy is more important in many fights
Medium Shield - Worth it when you're only focus is on tanking
Large Shield - If you're tanking then you don't need to move
Great Swords - Whenever accuracy isn't a problem it's a great buff
Quarterstaff - +20 deflection against melee weapons is not bad

Only proficiencies not worth using are Pollaxes, Pistols, Scepters, Battle Axes, Flails, Maces, and Morningstars

Pikes have Marking - lower enemy Deflection by 10. So-so for party players I'd say. Sadly it does not work in the aoe of the Spirit Lance strike, only on the primary target. Plus there aren't any great pikes, really (apart from the summoned one).

The advantage of Pikes is that they're the only melee weapon capable of attacking from outside engagement and through party members.

 

[aweigh]

Any melee weapon with reach can attack outside of engagement/thru party members. Also, stfu.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Most of the proficiencies are worth using:

Arbalests - Combined with a max dexterity and perception build it's the best modal in the game.
Crossbows - Good if you want to disable spellcasters, but not as good as arbalests
Rod - Worth using in any fight against multiple enemies.
Wand - Makes a good debuff against tough enemies.
Hatchet - Same as above
Dagger - Good for squishy rogues and monks that already do insane damage
Rapier - The accuracy bonus makes up for the recovery time penalty in most fights
Sabre - The added penetration bonus is significant, especially in the DLCs
Warhammer - Same as above
Stiletto - Same as above
Spear - Stride is useless except for rogues and monks
Small Shield - Accuracy is more important in many fights
Medium Shield - Worth it when you're only focus is on tanking
Large Shield - If you're tanking then you don't need to move
Great Swords - Whenever accuracy isn't a problem it's a great buff
Quarterstaff - +20 deflection against melee weapons is not bad

Only proficiencies not worth using are Pollaxes, Pistols, Scepters, Battle Axes, Flails, Maces, and Morningstars



The advantage of Pikes is that they're the only melee weapon capable of attacking from outside engagement and through party members.

In my experience these modals only get important on PotD, but they do become important due to the buffed Armor Ratings. I've used the sabre's Windmill Slash to quite an effect.

 

[Jenkem]

Yeah it's becoming the theme with these games that you're screwing yourself over by playing on launch.

This is why it's the perfect time to hold out on Pathfinder: Kingmaker and check out the DLC for our dear beloved Deadfire!!!

 

[Lacrymas]

Aren't the summoned weapons counted as universal for the purposes of specialization?

I think not. But proficiencies usually aren't very important. They simply add a modal ability that usually isn't worth the cost.

That's why I specifically said specializations, as in the Fighter/Devoted talents, and not proficiencies. That kinda shoehorns you into using only 1 type of summoned weapon if you are playing Devoted/Wizard, but maybe that's the point. I haven't tested whether Spiritual Weapon gets the Devoted bonuses on my Priest, though, I didn't pick up the spell.

 

[aweigh]

Why The New DLC For Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire Reinforces A Problematic 'White Savior' Narrative

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

How far did you get? The fights get crazier and harder the further you go.

I only got to the 3rd trial so far and got my ass kicked. Got to see from your writeup about later fights that they try some creative stuff instead of throwing another wave of trash mobs at you.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Does anyone know what's the deal with the Mythic tier of enchantment? Is this now possible for all unique enchantable items or just for some, found in the DLC? I can't remember if my unique items had this new tier visible in the UI.

 

[2house2fly]

Do you mean just in the SSS DLC, or in the whole game? Because you can find many soulbound items in the game, in a single playthrough.

In SSS. One of the soulbounds is themed after the Seeker, one after the Slayer, and one after the Survivor, and the dialogue has indicated that eventually you'll have to pick one to follow

E: the Mythic enchantment was introduced with the 3.0 patch. Every unique weapon and armour can be upgraded to Mythic, but the option is only visible in the UI if you have a Mythical Adra Stone, whichis the only ingredient needed. You get one from beating the megaboss, and presumably will get one from any other ones they put in

 

[AwesomeButton]

This sounds pretty cool.

 

[Lacrymas]

Too bad there isn't a huge endgame dungeon where the new enchantment level will be most useful.

 

[AwesomeButton]

After Magran's Teeth I was at the level cap, and already going through combat like a hot knife through butter. I think this time around I'll wait to reach the level cap and then go for SSS just before the final trip to Ukaizo. Use the DLC as a substitute final dungeon.

 

[Lacrymas]

The final DLC can add such an endgame dungeon, tuned for the most powerful weapons and armor you can find up to now. What the rewards from it should be is a good question, though. That's always a problem, what to do with your awesome endgame items now that the game is practically over.

 

[pomenitul]

Is 20 still the level cap? If so, do they plan on raising it at some point?

 

[AwesomeButton]

I don't think they will be raising it with the third DLC, and it's still at 20. There are mods that raise it though, but I don't know how good they are.

One problem with raising the cap would be that they would have to come up with new awesome abilities for all the classes, accompanied by balancing efforts, etc.

 

[zerosum]

POE tabletop sure looks like a lot of fun...

 

[Lacrymas]

Aren't the highest level abilities ridiculous enough as it is? I don't think raising the cap is a wise choice, the game already is kinda lacking in 14+ challenges, remedied somewhat by the DLCs.

 

[AwesomeButton]

POE tabletop sure looks like a lot of fun...

Can't you already tell, from the inspiration in her writing on Deadfire?

 

[AwesomeButton]

Aren't the highest level abilities ridiculous enough as it is? I don't think raising the cap is a wise choice, the game already is kinda lacking in 14+ challenges, remedied somewhat by the DLCs.

I wouldn't say so. Can't think of anything so ridiculous. Actually, I didn't even use my 20th level abilities as a Paladin, I didn't like them, decided to take some passives instead.

Of the wizard's spells, I tried meteor shower a couple of times. Yeah, it was powerful, but with its red-only circle of AoE, you have to be careful for friendly fire.

In Deadfire, with abilities power scaling with your power level, it's possible for an early-level ability to be continuously useful throughout the game.

 

[2house2fly]

The final DLC can add such an endgame dungeon, tuned for the most powerful weapons and armor you can find up to now. What the rewards from it should be is a good question, though. That's always a problem, what to do with your awesome endgame items now that the game is practically over.

People mock getting weapon enhancements or powerful unique items as a reward for beating the hardest fight in the game, ie when you've proved you don't need them, but I don't know what a good alternative would be. Making the main quest actually difficult would be one idea

 

[AwesomeButton]

The final DLC can add such an endgame dungeon, tuned for the most powerful weapons and armor you can find up to now. What the rewards from it should be is a good question, though. That's always a problem, what to do with your awesome endgame items now that the game is practically over.

People mock getting weapon enhancements or powerful unique items as a reward for beating the hardest fight in the game, ie when you've proved you don't need them, but I don't know what a good alternative would be. Making the main quest actually difficult would be one idea

They are mocking it because they haven't seen the next megabosses?