Eternity Pillars of Eternity + The White March Expansion Thread

[Lacrymas]

PoE is terribly documented, confusing even the devs, so I don't think that's a trivial complaint. The computer can do all the calculations on the fly, but it should tell me what it's doing so I know what is going on and how to build my characters. The more complex it becomes the more it requires transparency, not less. Not to mention that when you get down to it, PoE isn't THAT complex of a game compared to many others, so there's no reason not to tell me what it's doing.

 

[CptMace]

PoE is terribly documented

No. If you want a terribly documented game, I recommend Grimoire. PoE is obscure in some areas (recovery and interrupt, basically), but the core gameplay is very much clearly detailed in the in-game encycopledia.

 

[TT1]

1.6 Gb Update:

Hey you bunch of faithful gamers,

We decided to slip one more patch in! The patch will be available on the Beta Branch of Steam for a few days. Please jump in and let us know what you think. The patch will go live soon after that.

Patch contains;

- Fixed an issue with the Company Captain's Cap confusing party members when they cast a buff/heal spell.

- Realized we went a little overboard on the Deadfire Uniforms. We knocked the defenses they granted from +20 to +9.

- Added optional analytics. This is just simple data collection (where parties wipe, which classes players choose, etc....). A pop up will trigger as soon as you launch the game after patching, asking 'would you like to enable analytics.' We'd love it if everyone did, but feel free to just click 'no' and forget it ever happened.

 

[Infinitron]

What you meant to post was this:

Hail Watchers!

The Beta Branch has been pushed to the live branch and is now live on Steam with the fixes above!

Cheers!

I see some people are complaining about a visual downgrade.

 

[Andkat]

Does the White March stuff make the game actually good? Or if I disliked the vanilla should I skip WM as well?

 

[Sentinel]

It's a lot more focused in terms of writing, has one good companion, but in terms of gameplay it's the same boring wankery while reinforcing some things people liked like scripted interactions.

 

[Lacrymas]

I think the base game is a dense swamp of tedium and a complete waste of time, but WM2 is much better and I actually unironically enjoyed it. Does it make *the game* good? No. Is it worth playing through it? Yes.

 

[FreeKaner]

It also has better writing and in fact I'd say good writing. Some of the side quests actually impressed me in their loose structure and creativity.

Spoiler

Like the quest where you get some dwarf's amulet and armour from the Temple of Ondra, there are so many ways you can proceed with this quest and very varied outcomes

 

[Lacrymas]

The maps in WM2 also have an artistic flair to them that the base game and WM1 completely lack. There is more understanding in how to properly pace encounters and have a payoff. The quests are more varied and have more ways to solve them. I wouldn't say the writing stands out, though, it's still amateurish. The characters don't have any agency, the genre keeps flipping between surrealism and typical fantasy schlock in the most jarring possible way, the structure is a bit of a mess, the motivations of everyone are wonky, there are some cheap moments (like the plot revolving around McGuffins), they still struggle to find a place for the protagonist in their own story, it lacks depth and poetry in general, etc. I'd say the writing is the biggest problem of WM2, but everything else is fine and it's an easy pill to swallow.

 

[Haplo]

Does the White March stuff make the game actually good? Or if I disliked the vanilla should I skip WM as well?

Like Lacrymas wrote, its not perfect... but few things are in this world. It's far better then 98% of stuff out there. Don't waste time. Go and play it. Now.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Just noticed that the PS4 version is on sale on the PS store, wonder how well the game did on consoles and it was justified or not to waste resources on that port.

 

[Lacrymas]

So, I've been thinking of doing a Triple Crown run (not solo). I'm thinking of going with Druid (MC), Monk (tank), Chanter (who will cast the required Priest spells from scrolls), Fighter (damage + off-tank), Rogue (moar damage) and Wizard (probably built around CC and Kalakoth's Minor Blights). Any tips? Will this party make it without a Priest? Will Monk be sufficient for main tanking?

 

[Parabalus]

So, I've been thinking of doing a Triple Crown run (not solo). I'm thinking of going with Druid (MC), Monk (tank), Chanter (who will cast the required Priest spells from scrolls), Fighter (damage + off-tank), Rogue (moar damage) and Wizard (probably built around CC and Kalakoth's Minor Blights). Any tips? Will this party make it without a Priest? Will Monk be sufficient for main tanking?

Keeping a melee rogue alive is a pain without a priest, probably best to use Tall Grass in brawls.

I'd switch either the fighter or rogue for a barbarian or cipher, for more/spammable AoE CC, one single target specialist is enough IMO (MC druid is also insane is his spirit shift is the cat). The chanter you could set up very defensively so your monk has a buddy, I doubt you'd have issues because of your composition.

 

[Lacrymas]

I wanted to use all the classes I hadn't used on my previous run and that's why I chose this party. Fighter is the most boring of these and Barbarian is mostly the same, so I can change that around. And yeah, it's going to be a cat, I don't see a reason to pick anything else.

 

[Haplo]

Barbarian boring? In PoE? LOL. You're in for a surprise.

 

[Lacrymas]

Fighter, not Barbarian. I meant "the same" as the same archetype as the Fighter.

 

[Haplo]

Okay, archetype perhaps. But they play vastly different due to no aoe capability of the fighter (and the relative, although controllable and counterable, squishiness of the Barbarian).

 

[Lacrymas]

I do want an off-tank, though, while I was thinking of using Stormcaller with the Chanter, since that -Shock DR is great for Wildstrike, all the lightning storms and Kalakoth's Minor Blights.

 

[Parabalus]

I do want an off-tank, though, while I was thinking of using Stormcaller with the Chanter, since that -Shock DR is great for Wildstrike, all the lightning storms and Kalakoth's Minor Blights.

I'd put the chanter on the front lines so he buffs everyone with +25% firedamage, it's absolutely massive (makes taking both elemental talents on druid worth it). Stormcaller on chanters sadly sucks (tried it on Kana), since the proc chance is 5% and the spell is a short cone so even when it triggers it hardly hits anyone.

 

[FreeKaner]

I do want an off-tank, though, while I was thinking of using Stormcaller with the Chanter, since that -Shock DR is great for Wildstrike, all the lightning storms and Kalakoth's Minor Blights.

May I suggest Pallegina? I know her stats are subpar for an offtank but her Paladin order buff on flames of devotion is one of the best buffs in the game for DPS. Also stats really don't matter much after all the itemisation and such.

 

[Anthedon]

That reminds me, has anyone done a Triple Crown solo recently?

 

[Lacrymas]

May I suggest Pallegina? I know her stats are subpar for an offtank but her Paladin order buff on flames of devotion is one of the best buffs in the game for DPS. Also stats really don't matter much after all the itemisation and such.

I don't want a Paladin as I already used one in my previous playthrough. Besides, isn't there a cap of the attack speed anyway? Cat and Rogue can easily get to that cap, while the Monk can use Full Attacks constantly because he's the tank and swimming in Wounds, soooo. Unless Vielo Vidorio stacks with absolutely everything and bypasses the cap.

EDIT: Ugh, elves look terrible in this game. I picked female Pale Elf due to the DEX bonus + elemental DR which stacks with Form of the Delemgan, wanted to go male this time, but I hate the appropriate male portraits, so decided against it. The female voice sets are also terrible...

 

[Parabalus]

Unless Vielo Vidorio stacks with absolutely everything and bypasses the cap.

It doesn't stack with DAoM and it's radius is pretty short so it's impossible to hit all 6 members - cool ability but not too powerful.

 

[Piotrovitz]

May I suggest Pallegina? I know her stats are subpar for an offtank but her Paladin order buff on flames of devotion is one of the best buffs in the game for DPS.

Let's forget about the wrath of five suns, which is uber combat starter in most of the encounters.

 

[FreeKaner]

It doesn't stack with DAoM and it's radius is pretty short so it's impossible to hit all 6 members - cool ability but not too powerful.

You know for a game that's supposed to have a lot clarity, the game does not do a good job of explaining what stacks with what. Especially in terms of attack speed and accuracy.