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

[IHaveHugeNick]

Whether combat is good enough depends entirely on your knowledge of the game. If you're yet to start or stopped to wait for patches, yeah, it should be huge improvement.

On subsequent playthroughs, like I've already detailed couple of days ago, it depends entirely on whether you"re able to play somewhat organically and resist optimizing gear and xp paths.

If you know what you are doing, it's trivial to be fully decked with endgame gear by level 10, and also have level 10 at the point in the game where they expected you to have level 6.

It's like with Grunker accidently stumbling upon The Red Hand. It can happen to him, because he doesn't know where it is, and it's actually easy to miss when you're playing the first time. But I know where it is, I know that it's free, I know how to get it 3 minutes after leaving tutorial island, and how to upgrade it to Legendary within next 30 minutes.

 

[Grunker]

It's like with Grunker accidently stumbling upon The Red Hand. It can happen to him, because he doesn't know where it is, and it's actually easy to miss when you're playing the first time. But I know where it is, I know that it's free, I know how to get it 3 minutes after leaving tutorial island, and how to upgrade it to Legendary within next 30 minutes.

I actually decided not to visit the area since it was listed as stealing and there were guards around. The only reason I ended up there is that initially thought Dereo was in Delver's Row and when I couldn't find him I decided to check out the only area left with Fog of War.

 

[Haplo]

I find the combat pretty good as far as challenge goes. In Oathbinder's sanctum on PotD you get 11 enemies, rogues, paladins, 3 or so casters...

Oathbinder's sanctum is cool. But I bet a bigger surprise awaits someone planning to go exploring the main town island and killing some wimpy not-kobolds...

 

[Infinitron]

 

[AwesomeButton]

A time limit combined with a strong moneysink changes the experience completely. I have to calculate how much time I'll use up to travel somewhere and back, and make sure I have enough money for ship supplies and wages. I can barely keep my weapons and armor in shape with the money I make from loot.

In the search for easy XP I went to Tikawara at level 10. Now I'm about to turn level 11 in Poko Kohara, but I have just 15 days to be at Magran's Teeth and not just reach the place, but meet with Eothas there. If I'm lucky I should be level 12 at that time, then probably level 13-14 at Ukaizo. It's going to be a tough final battle.

 

[111111111]

Is rouge still the best class for speedrunning?

 

[Lacrymas]

Question - is there reactivity concerning what you do with the adra dragon in PoE1?

 

[2house2fly]

Very very minor(par for the course in PoE1 reactivity in Deadfire) but yes.

Spoiler

if you let the dragon take over the Dragon Slayer, the dragon slayer's name appears on one of the captains' chairs in Dunnage

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Just open up custom world state creator in Deadfire menu and you can see exactly which decisions have first game reactivity.

 

[2house2fly]

The save creator includes some stuff which seems to have zero reactivity of any kind (Sagani, Hiravias, Grieving Mother off the top of my head) and was probably there in case they found something to do with it in the DLC, like the reference to Maerwald in SSS

 

[AwesomeButton]

Inter-game reactivity is such a scam, why does anyone bother. As long as major NPCs aren't dead, nothing matters.

 

[Tigranes]

It's cancer. Huge fuckton of work for no tangible benefit. Nobody should bother with it. But people get used to having something when it's promised, and now you regularly find Codexers asking for it too. (I don't mean Lacrymas, who only asked a question.)

 

[Safav Hamon]

I find it cool that Deadfire recognizes most of my decisions in the first game. I'd even say it's necessary to a certain extent because they share a protagonist.

On the other hand, I believe the inter-game reactivity should of been reserved only for major decisions and not every single sidequest. That would of allowed them to focus more on in-game reactivity instead.

 

[Grunker]

Just beat triple red skull Giant Cave Grub :D

All empowers used, second chance on main character, Xoti down, Tekehu on 2hp lol. Maia Rua went down to the last remaining smaller cave grub just before the fight ended.

 

[Jarpie]

Is PoE 2 still easy on PotD or did they work on that yet?

 

[Grunker]

Is PoE 2 still easy on PotD or did they work on that yet?

Definetely easier than PoE1 so far except for the beginning. But they buffed it a couple of times since release.

 

[FreeKaner]

A time limit combined with a strong moneysink changes the experience completely. I have to calculate how much time I'll use up to travel somewhere and back, and make sure I have enough money for ship supplies and wages. I can barely keep my weapons and armor in shape with the money I make from loot.

In the search for easy XP I went to Tikawara at level 10. Now I'm about to turn level 11 in Poko Kohara, but I have just 15 days to be at Magran's Teeth and not just reach the place, but meet with Eothas there. If I'm lucky I should be level 12 at that time, then probably level 13-14 at Ukaizo. It's going to be a tough final battle.

Sounds like expeditions:conquistador. People talk about how it's hard to implement strategic elements that is not irrelevant but you can legitimately spiral out in expeditions sinking deeper and deeper until loss state if you don't plan out your journeys. It's definitely a journey and an adventure.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Just beat triple red skull Giant Cave Grub :D

All empowers used, second chance on main character, Xoti down, Tekehu on 2hp lol. Maia Rua went down to the last remaining smaller cave grub just before the fight ended.

I recently beat this, from the second attempt, was level 9.This was an example of RtwP combat that requires tactics and thought.

Sounds like expeditions:conquistador. People talk about how it's hard to implement strategic elements that is not irrelevant but you can legitimately spiral out in expeditions sinking deeper and deeper until loss state if you don't plan out your journeys. It's definitely a journey and an adventure.

In the words of The Man in Black, "The stakes are real". I'm not sure if I'll make it to the end of the game. Sometimes combat incurs more costs in repairing weapons and armor afterwards than it gains you in terms of loot.

Another thing is D&D is a boring generic fantasy setting, PoE is also a boring generic fantasy setting

"Boring" is highly subjective, and it really matters how you go about executing your idea, more than what your idea is. Avellone's example about the story "about a guy who dresses as a bat and fights a criminal who paints his face as a clown" is very good for illustrating that point.

 

[fantadomat]

Also maybe the failure of dumpsterfire will mean they will no longer try to make "the dream" IE derivative generic fantasy. Now that would mean this dumpsterfire could at least have some warmth.

We already have that dream IE experience,it just needs a ton of patching......it is called Kingmaker!

 

[Grunker]

Just beat triple red skull Giant Cave Grub :D

All empowers used, second chance on main character, Xoti down, Tekehu on 2hp lol. Maia Rua went down to the last remaining smaller cave grub just before the fight ended.

I recently beat this, from the second attempt, was level 9.This was an example of RtwP combat that requires tactics and thought.

Yeah, great fight. I was level 7 and it was hella hard. Key to victory ended up being focusing grub spawners, then taking out all but 1 additional grubs constantly, making Serafen Puppet Master the single remaining grub. Still, due to those failing a few times it didn't always go as planned, hence the deaths.

 

[111111111]

I just redownload deadfire this is my first impressions:

"Ac,AC,Ac,Ac, ekera, ekera,ekera,ekera,ekera,ekera,Ac,Ac"

 

[Safav Hamon]

Buffan vi, vu tros men merla!

 

[Grunker]

Is there a way to side with VTC and keep Maia Rua? Or any other faction for that matter? A bit bummed that her talking points lead me to believe there isn't.

 

[2house2fly]

I think if you romance her she'll support you no matter the faction. The VTC requires you to act explicitly against Rauatai, which caused her to leave me before the endgame, so I don't think just being friendly would do it. I think you can complete her personal quest by getting her to quit, so maybe doing that will make her not mind you siding with the VTC

 

[Safav Hamon]

Maia will not support the VTC or Huana no matter what. There's no way to make her quit the RDC either.

Your only choice in her personal quest is whether to do it at all, and doing it leads to bad endings for Port Maje and Tikiwara.