Eternity Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Pre-Release Thread [BETA RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Prime Junta]

*Barbarian interrupted by wolf, every single attack* Yes, this stats at 3 business is working well.

Should've pumped DEX and PER. You'll interrupt them first.

 

[Prime Junta]

BTW this is rather amusing. The original complaint was that Pillars stats do nothing. Now the complaint is that they're all too important for all characters. Which is kind of the opposite. I guess some people just love their 18 18 18 3 3 3 fighters/wizards/clerics/whatevers.

 

[Mojobeard]

So the only time I can actually dumpstat is if I'm a ranged guy who never gets hit ever? And if I'm frontline I need a balance of all stats, with a little more in one of them.

Gee it's like that thing I was talking about.

 

[Prime Junta]

So the only time I can actually dumpstat is if I'm a ranged guy who never gets hit ever? And if I'm frontline I need a balance of all stats, with a little more in one of them.

No, you can also dumpstat if you're a frontline tank, for example. You won't need DEX or PER for shit. Lots of other similar cases. Or if you're a rogue wielding a reach weapon, stabbing at people from behind a fighter's back. Or if you're a sword-and-board ranger relying on items for situational healing. Or... jeez, as Grunker said, most power builds pump and dump with the best of them.

Gee it's like that thing I was talking about.

That in this game stats actually mean something? Why yes, yes they do.

And if you're really confused, there's no shame in leaving everything at 14 or thereabouts. It'll work, you'll just trade off power for versatility. It's not a bad way to go for your first playthrough actually, after that you should have a handle on the mechanics so you'll know what to do when going for a minmaxed build.

Or if you don't want to figure it out yourself, read a guide.

 

[Mojobeard]

Figuring out the dumpstat for each class was maybe what I was getting at? I just could not manage a melee character that had lower stats in pretty much anything.

I'll pack my bags full of those retarded ratings and try to figure out the first game again.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Somebody stop this man before he reproduces.

 

[Prime Junta]

Figuring out the dumpstat for each class was maybe what I was getting at?

There isn't a dumpstat for each class. That's kind of the point of the attribute system. You, however, can figure out specific builds, tactics, and item choices that make minmaxed characters work.

D&D stats are almost pointless because there's only one way to distribute them for each class; you might as well not have stats and bake the bonuses/penalties into the classes.*

*This does not apply to PnP games using the original, strict character creation rules -- i.e., roll 3d6 for each stat without reassigning or redistributing points, pick the class best suited for your stat spread, and make the best of it. To my knowledge, no D&D cRPG ever does this; even ToEE in hardcore mode allows point redistribution.

 

[Lacrymas]

In no way is RES a dump stat.

How is it not? Concentration, lol? There is also this very specific build - http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/89991-class-build-the-golden-dragon-barbarian-tank/ , but other than that? In what situation do you need it to be at more than 10, and that's only for tanks?

 

[Parabalus]

CON and RES are dump stats, best left at 3, only "useful" at 10 for tanks. Everything else is very important, so it's already better at that than D&D.

For ranged characters only.

If you dump CON and RES to 3 with an melee (not Tall Grass extended range) rogue you will get instantly swapped to by every enemy you engage.
This doesn't mean that dumping them is bad, but it's not a no-brainer, since you have to tailor your playstyle to it.

In no way is RES a dump stat.

How is it not? Concentration, lol? There is also this very specific build - http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/89991-class-build-the-golden-dragon-barbarian-tank/ , but other than that? In what situation do you need it to be at more than 10, and that's only for tanks?

It's a purely defensive stat, putting points into it above the average makes you a tank(y) by definition.

On melee's I tend to drop CON sooner than RES since RES has OoC dialogue uses, even though it is worse than CON for battles.

 

[Lacrymas]

No, I mean tanks set it at 10 and that's it. I dumped both RES and CON on all my DPSers (2 melee, 2 ranged) and didn't have problems. Priest buffs took care of everything. I suppose the situation will be different if you don't have a priest, though.

 

[Prime Junta]

I suppose the situation will be different if you don't have a priest, though.

It'll be different if you only have one priest, because you'll have half the number of casts between rests. You'll save the bonkers RES buffs for the tougher fights, when it counts.

(I very rarely find it necessary to pump RES much though, I admit. Basically only if I want to turn Edér, Pallegina, or PC into an unsquashable tank. It is the closest Pillars has to a dump stat, just like DEX is the closest it has to a mandatory pump stat.)

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

No, I mean tanks set it at 10 and that's it. I dumped both RES and CON on all my DPSers (2 melee, 2 ranged) and didn't have problems.

Didn't you spend past 30 pages complaining that you have to use choke points during every fight?

 

[Lacrymas]

I didn't HAVE to, I COULD and that's what I did, but that's different.

 

[Haplo]

Most standard builds have several stats with 3 or 18. If anything, the worst part of the system was that it still incentivized dump- and focus stats rather than more varied spreads.

*Barbarian interrupted by wolf, every single attack* Yes, this stats at 3 business is working well.

You could have your party cleric cast Holy Meditation for a nice boost to Concentration. Or wear the gloves which auto-cast it when critted.
Or, you know, wait all of the 3 seconds it will take the enemy to engage your actual dedicated spearhead tank, like a fighter or a Paladin and then shred them from the flank
(along with all his buddies, via Carnage). It's a party based game after all.

 

[LESS T_T]

Versus Evil, an indie publisher that released Banner Saga, publishes PoE 2: http://versusevil.com/news/versus-e...-eternity-ii-deadfire-publishing-partnership/

VERSUS EVIL AND OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE PILLARS OF ETERNITY II: DEADFIRE PUBLISHING PARTNERSHIP


SEQUEL TO AWARD WINNING RPG TO LAUNCH ON PC, MAC AND LINUX IN EARLY 2018!
Independent games publisher Versus Evil today announced its partnership with Obsidian Entertainment to publish Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. The sequel to the critically acclaimed, award-winning RPG Pillars of Eternity, will launch on Windows PC, Mac and Linux in early 2018.

“Pillars of Eternity and Obsidian are practically synonymous with quality RPGs and we couldn’t be happier to work with their team and their community in supporting Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire”, said Steve Escalante, General Manager of Versus Evil. “The sequel builds on the massive critical success of the first game and will be one of the premier RPGs to launch in 2018. Fans of the franchise will be thrilled with everything that this sequel has to offer, and newcomers to the Pillars universe will get to experience a technically superior RPG adventure with a more meaningful companion system, deep progression mechanics and uniquely rich storyline for the first time.”

For its part, Obsidian Entertainment CEO Feargus Urquhart said: “We are thrilled to be working with the team at Versus Evil on Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, the first sequel we’ve ever made into one of our own IPs. Partnering with a team that is as passionate as we are about making Pillars of Eternity outstanding has already been such a gratifying and exciting experience. We know that Steve and his team will treat Deadfire right and help us make it the game that our incredible fans and generous backers expect and deserve.”

In Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, players embark on a dangerous voyage of discovery as they hunt down a god to save their own souls. Building on the award-winning gameplay of the first Pillars of Eternity, every aspect of Deadfire has been improved and expanded. Vastly more detailed graphics, deeper game mechanics, increased player choice and reactivity, a new companion relationship system, streamlined combat, and an entirely new, hand-crafted adventure make Deadfire the ultimate cRPG experience. Players travel the far-flung region of the titular Deadfire Archipelago by ship, where they will discover new races, visit exotic islands, defend their ships against pirates, and, most importantly, choose their allies carefully, as there are powerful factions to encounter at nearly every port.

 

[Lacrymas]

That's ....weird. What about Paradox? Also, STREAMLINED COMBAT, what?

 

[santino27]

I hope it gains the sneak attack, too, not just abilities like Blinding Strike.

Just from the wording, I don't think it will... I expect it will be activated attacks only, not passives (i.e. sneak attack is an intrinsic abilit of a rogue, not a hotbutton item). We'll see though!

 

[pomenitul]

Weird indeed. At least it's not Paradox.

 

[Rivmusique]

Thanks for all the press, paradox!

 

[Lacrymas]

Just from the wording, I don't think it will... I expect it will be activated attacks only, not passives (i.e. sneak attack is an intrinsic abilit of a rogue, not a hotbutton item). We'll see though!

The wording on the Wizard schools also doesn't mention extras like the familiar or maluses like -20% speed to schools that aren't your specialty.

 

[undecaf]

What about Paradox?

Didn't the Paradox guys say already after Tyranny that they and Obsidian are wrestling in a tad different and probably not too compatible weight classes, or something to that effect?


Other than that, yeah, I don't really get where they drew Versus Evil from...

 

[santino27]

Just from the wording, I don't think it will... I expect it will be activated attacks only, not passives (i.e. sneak attack is an intrinsic abilit of a rogue, not a hotbutton item). We'll see though!

The wording on the Wizard schools also doesn't mention extras like the familiar or maluses like -20% speed to schools that aren't your specialty.

True enough. We'll see what the actual implementation is eventually... I still suspect you're going to have to stick with a rogue/* multiclass if you want sneak attack, but we're just guessing at this point.

Also, this whole vs. evil thing is odd to me, especially after the paradox-funded press tours. Was that seriously just about building hype for Tyranny's minor DLC?

 

[Lacrymas]

True enough. We'll see what the actual implementation is eventually... I still suspect you're going to have to stick with a rogue/* multiclass if you want sneak attack, but we're just guessing at this point.

If you do get a sneak attack, then you can simulate triple-classes like Priest/Rogue/X, with the most obvious second class being Fighter with specialization in stilettos (if that's still a thing). Otherwise it seems kinda awkward, you get Rogue abilities, but not sneak attack and end up feeling like a watered down and useless Rogue, so you have to get Rogue as a second class to get them, but then the active abilities from Skaen are redundant.

 

[FreeKaner]

In no way is RES a dump stat.

How is it not? Concentration, lol?

Res gives will and deflection, both are moderately important for any type of frontline character, but especially so for support/frontline characters which want all defences they can get, plus don't want to be interrupted while casting their occasional spells. Paladins and chanters fit this bill most.

I really enjoyed my frontline chanter with a shield and starcaller, a lot of offensive and supportive invocations work best if the chanter himself is in the thick of the combat. It's slightly weaker than purely summon chanter perhaps but oh well, it's a decent compromise.

 

[Sentinel]

What about Paradox?

Didn't the Paradox guys say already after Tyranny that they and Obsidian are wrestling in a tad different and probably not too compatible weight classes, or something to that effect?


Other than that, yeah, I don't really get where they drew Versus Evil from...

It's different because the Pillars of Eternity IP is probably worth a lot more and the first game got a lot better reception. IIRC it became Paradox's fastest selling title along with Cities Skylines. It's weird that they aren't publishing the sequel, but maybe they wanted to renegotiate the deal to get more $$$ out of it this time around and Feargus told them to sod off. Also IIRC Paradox is slowly being swallowed by those Tecent chinks.
Never heard of Versus Evil though.