Eternity Pillars of Eternity + The White March Expansion Thread

[Iznaliu]

I'm actually happy they and Larian have found success, it means RPGs aren't dead. yet.

RPGs will die someday.

 

[Lacrymas]

Is it just me or does Amplified Wave just wreck the balance and trivializes pretty much everything? It's grotesquely overpowered.

 

[FreeKaner]

All of the late game AoE CCs are broken, amplified wave is one of the worst offenders. Although Wizards can probably keep the whole encounter CC'd for longer.

 

[Iznaliu]

And people say PoE is balanced...

 

[Lacrymas]

Ok, here's a question that just popped into my mind. I did the Cinders of Faith quest and returned the piece of the bomb to what's-her-face in the temple in First Fires. I told her that this was a trial made by Magran for her and she failed it by sending me. This got me thinking, why would Magran send this priestess to such a trial knowing that she will inevitably fail? There is no way she could've retrieved the fragment from a full-grown drake and its minions. Unless Magran approves of someone else taking on your burdens? If it's not connected to Magran at all, why would she receive the vision?

 

[Iznaliu]

This got me thinking, why would Magran send this priestess to such a trial knowing that she will inevitably fail?

Gods in PoE aren't omniscient like YHWH.

 

[Lacrymas]

So the goddess of trials sends you on trials she has no way of knowing whether you have any chance to conquer or not? Sounds legit.... actually, no, it doesn't. It sounds stupid.

 

[Iznaliu]

So the goddess of trials sends you on trials she has no way of knowing whether you have any chance to conquer or not? Sounds legit.... actually, no, it doesn't. It sounds stupid.

Just because she doesn't know doesn't mean that she knows nothing.

 

[Roguey]

Ok, here's a question that just popped into my mind. I did the Cinders of Faith quest and returned the piece of the bomb to what's-her-face in the temple in First Fires. I told her that this was a trial made by Magran for her and she failed it by sending me. This got me thinking, why would Magran send this priestess to such a trial knowing that she will inevitably fail? There is no way she could've retrieved the fragment from a full-grown drake and its minions. Unless Magran approves of someone else taking on your burdens? If it's not connected to Magran at all, why would she receive the vision?

Magran's completely fine with people dying in her service. What's death to a god after all, the soul's just going to get reborn into another vessel.

 

[Lacrymas]

Magran's completely fine with people dying in her service. What's death to a god after all, the soul's just going to get reborn into another vessel.

Ok, sure, but she is sending this woman to her inevitable death. It's not performing any kind of service for her neither does the priestess have a chance to conquer the trial. What's the point? Or is Magran just sadistic and likes watching her followers die for no reason?

 

[Roguey]

Magran's completely fine with people dying in her service. What's death to a god after all, the soul's just going to get reborn into another vessel.

Ok, sure, but she is sending this woman to her inevitable death. It's not performing any kind of service for her neither does the priestess have a chance to conquer the trial. What's the point? Or is Magran just sadistic and likes watching her followers die for no reason?

It proves her devotion.

 

[Lacrymas]

It proves her devotion.

Pretty cheap if that's the case tbh. That goes into the territory of "die so you can prove your loyalty to me". Not to mention that this is totally absurd, no god deserves your worship if it demands your death in such a deceitful way. Not only demands, but sends you to it in the guise of the dogma. I would be glad to be rid of Magran if I were the priestess, it's not like there aren't any other gods who won't needlessly send you to die. She is literally worse than Skaen.

 

[Roguey]

It proves her devotion.

Pretty cheap if that's the case tbh. That goes into the territory of "die so you can prove your loyalty to me". Not to mention that this is totally absurd, no god deserves your worship if it demands your death in such a deceitful way. Not only demands, but sends you to it in the guise of the dogma. I would be glad to be rid of Magran if I were the priestess, it's not like there aren't any other gods who won't needlessly send you to die. She is literally worse than Skaen.

Magran is a bitch, Durance tells you this a million times. And yet still he cries himself to sleep because she won't return his calls.

 

[Prime Junta]

She is literally worse than Skaen.

They're all worse than Skaen.

Also you're talking like it's somehow shocking and unusual of a god to demand martyrdom or otherwise fuck with their devoted followers. Magran was weaksauce.

 

[Lacrymas]

Abraham knew what was demanded of him, so there's no trickery involved. The story of Job has always been a ....weird one, I don't know why they put it in there to begin with. Except to say "God fucks with you no matter what" which I don't think is a good selling point, but 'k :p Is it comparable to Magran sending the priestess to a trial she knows she can't pass? Job's story is more fucked up, sure, but I can't get over the fact that Magran's deceit is veiled in the guise of her portfolio. The goddess of trials and perseverance sends you on trials you can't pass. How is it a trial then? It's literally a death sentence rather than a test.

 

[Sizzle]

It's possible she objects to a Drake hoarding the shard of the Godhammer, and wants it back - maybe as a means to inspire the people/bolster her own worship?

 

[axedice]

A priestess of her status could've assembled an expedition capable of taking out the drake and its minions. Just because she's an npc doesn't mean she has to do it triple crown solo.

Instead she choose to outsource her trial, thus failing it (according to Durance's perspective). And he's probably right from what other information we have on Magran.

 

[Sizzle]

I think she's actually not that high up the Magranite church ladder (if I'm remembering correctly). And when you meet her, she's not exactly sure what her visions mean (or where they point to), so that's the reason why she hires you.

It's only Durance who points out that she probably failed because she didn't undertake the quest herself (on the other hand - it's Durance, he may be just interpreting it through his own rigid belief).

 

[Lacrymas]

She doesn't know a drake is guarding it, we didn't know before going in the cave either, so she wouldn't know to assemble an expedition. The priestess actually made the smartest decision in the circumstances. Either way the only different thing she could've done is come with us and then hide while we tackle the drake. Not to mention that she fails the "trial" only depending on what you say to her, not in general. Which is even weirder. In effect it was no trial, but a way for her to reaffirm her belief and faith in Magran. Or it WAS a trial, but it depends on her own viewpoint whether she failed or not. I don't think Durance would approve in both cases.

 

[Prime Junta]

The way I read it, Magran was really pissed off at the priestess, which is why she put out those fires in the first place. Magran felt she deserved to be eaten by a drake... or, on the off-chance that she would succeed, be re-admitted into her good graces.

Bit of a Shtrafbat kind of situation, but nobody said Magran's particularly nice.

 

[Lacrymas]

Still pretty weird that the outcome depends on the priestess' mindset rather than anything else.

 

[Prime Junta]

The "off" bit was one of the possible endings, not the quest as such. There is no way it should ever have ended with her still a priest of Magran and the flames lit. Magran should have struck her down when you brought her the fragment.

 

[fantadomat]

The biggest mistake in the game was that the gods are bunch of computers.Might and magic games managed to combine magic and science in interesting and logical way.While in PoE is just stupid.

 

[Roguey]

I agree with Lacrymas, that quest was off. The mental gymnastics in this comment chain is testimony to that.

Gods do dumb petty ridiculous things all the time.

Athena, goddess of wisdom, turned an innocent woman into a spider because her sewing skills were better than hers.

 

[Lacrymas]

Uhm, Arachne challenged Athena and insulted Zeus with her weave, at least in Ovid's version. Being turned into a spider was punishment for her hubris, not a random petty impulse Athena had. The other version is Athena feeling sorry for Arachne's loss of ability to weave and turned her into a spider so she can weave without loom or spindle.