Eternity Pillars of Eternity + The White March Expansion Thread

[2house2fly]

The DLC party members are impressively integrated as well- you can sacrifice them to the blood pool in Dyrford for bonuses, and they get their own dialogue with Iovara and Thaos at the end, and their own ending slides

 

[Ninjerk]

Did 3.0 trivialize triple crown play?

 

[Mexi]

Wow, this game is fucking looong on PotD. I've been playing for a while now and haven't even been able to get inside the damn forge.

Seems like every fucking encounter you need to rest after. They just throw tons and tons of enemies at you. I accidentally pissed off the Alpine Dragon, and holy shit, the thing spawns the entire White March behind you. I'm not even going to try that one until I get to a way, way higher level. Also, did they do a few things with the latest patch?

Prior to the latest patch, I was neck-deep in coin. Now, I'm seriously scrounging coin. I float between 4K-5K, but it gets depleted fast. Most likely, it's the expensive recruits I'm housing at my base, but at the same time, I was doing the same prior to the patch and still swimming in money. Not at all sure, but I've been managing funds so much that I can't even manage to play around with my companion's builds. Secondly, did they severely gimp confusion? Last patch, I cut through that dragon at Searing Falls with ease using confusion. Now, enemies move to the back of your line (near Aloth), sit there in green and take up Durance's heals. Then you're fucked once they turn red again because they've moved behind you. I try to only target the back line with confuse now.

By the way, they also don't attack one another anymore. They either just sit around or do as I said and move behind your frontline. Is it just me or is anyone else experiencing this?

One last thing. The estoc quest with the riddles is fucking boss!

 

[Piotrovitz]

Wow, this game is fucking looong on PotD. I've been playing for a while now and haven't even been able to get inside the damn forge.

Are you playing with some gimped party?
PotD is hard at the beginning, but once you get to Defiance Bay it doesn't differ that much from Hard.

Prior to the latest patch, I was neck-deep in coin. Now, I'm seriously scrounging coin. I float between 4K-5K, but it gets depleted fast. Most likely, it's the expensive recruits I'm housing at my base, but at the same time, I was doing the same prior to the patch and still swimming in money. Not at all sure, but I've been managing funds so much that I can't even manage to play around with my companion's builds.

Haven't had a run with latest patch, but if they refined economy that would be fucking awesome. Swimming in gold by mid-game is fault of shitload of CRPGs.

Secondly, did they severely gimp confusion? Last patch, I cut through that dragon at Searing Falls with ease using confusion. Now, enemies move to the back of your line (near Aloth), sit there in green and take up Durance's heals. Then you're fucked once they turn red again because they've moved behind you. I try to only target the back line with confuse now

Can someone confirm if Confusion was indeed nerfed? If so, that's also fucking awesome, as it trivialized lots of encounters.

 

[Edmund Spenser]

Going through the game now again now, probably halfway done, hoping to get finished soon to start PoE2.

Got some questions that I've scoured the internet for and have been unable to find clear answers:

1) How exactly does Wounding work?
2) If I'm trying to optimize DPS, is 2h or dual wield better?
3) I'm currently playing a melee Cipher using an Estoc -- what would be the best endgame weapon for me? Tidefall? BotEP?
4) Would dual wielding be better for a Cipher?
5) What is the best dual wield combination for DPS? I got the +4 Accuracy for Stilletto/Daggers from Gref's Rest and that seems relevant.

Assume endgame gear and assume access to all itemization/bonuses/enchants. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Prime Junta]

Going through the game now again now, probably halfway done, hoping to get finished soon to start PoE2.

Got some questions that I've scoured the internet for and have been unable to find clear answers:

1) How exactly does Wounding work?

It applies a DoT effect. If it's, say, 25% over 5 seconds, and you landed a 40 point hit, that means an additional 10 points will be applied over the next 5 seconds.

(Doesn't sound like much, but try combining it with certain ranger pet abilities and it becomes huge. Tidefall ranger built around this is concentrated murder.)

2) If I'm trying to optimize DPS, is 2h or dual wield better?

Dual wield against mobs, 2H against bosses.

3) I'm currently playing a melee Cipher using an Estoc -- what would be the best endgame weapon for me? Tidefall? BotEP?

Tidefall is a greatsword so not that. BotETP is excellent. There's also a Soulbound you might want to look into.

4) Would dual wielding be better for a Cipher?

Against mobs, yes. Against bosses, no. The estoc is a solid choice.

5) What is the best dual wield combination for DPS? I got the +4 Accuracy for Stilletto/Daggers from Gref's Rest and that seems relevant.

I'll leave this to the number-crunchers. It really depends on what you're fighting -- sabres have the best base damage but are relatively poor against armour; maces and stilettos are better against armour. A lot of the endgame weapons also aren't about DD, they're about status effects which synergise with stuff you can use to massively boost DD. So I don't even know if there is an easy answer to this.

I will say that the overall most effective dual-wielder I played with was Maneha with dual fully upgraded Spelltongues (cloned it with the Hellwax Mold). Base DPS is terrible but the Spelltongues make her buffs stay up forever, and Rage + Savage Defiance alone are wack; stack a couple priest buffs or potions on top of that and she'd solo just about anything.

 

[Edmund Spenser]

Thanks for the prompt reply!

A point of clarification: for Wounding, do additional hits stack additional wounding damage, or does it do something else, like overwrite damage/reset the DoT timer?

Seems like I'll just stick with BotEP then. Does Speed stack with Durgan Steel?

 

[Parabalus]

2) If I'm trying to optimize DPS, is 2h or dual wield better?

Dual wield against mobs, 2H against bosses.

Where do you draw these conclusions from? Higher boss DR? Seems too general a statement.

Thanks for the prompt reply!

A point of clarification: for Wounding, do additional hits stack additional wounding damage, or does it do something else, like overwrite damage/reset the DoT timer?

Seems like I'll just stick with BotEP then. Does Speed stack with Durgan Steel?

Yes, though the stacking isn't really simple. You should aim (if you want to optimize) for having 0 recovery (no grey bar after attacking/casting spells), which for speed buffs with Time Parasite/Gloves of Swift Action/Speed weapon/Durgan Steel is possible in some (durganized) armor. Dual wield gets +20% thanks to the talent, but it's not not needed.

IIRC Wounding doesn't stack and overwrites it only if it would be bigger.

 

[Prime Junta]

Where do you draw these conclusions from? Higher boss DR? Seems too general a statement.

It was a general answer to a general question.

Dual-wielding will have, generally speaking, higher base DPS, but proportionately more of that will get soaked by armour, even allowing for Vulnerable Attack, stilettos, and maces. So dual-wielding sabres will wreck a pack of lagufaeth, but you will be at a disadvantage against a dragon. With DR 32 not a whole lot of it will get through. And yeah most bosses do have high DR.

A point of clarification: for Wounding, do additional hits stack additional wounding damage, or does it do something else, like overwrite damage/reset the DoT timer?

Seems like I'll just stick with BotEP then. Does Speed stack with Durgan Steel?

Yes and yes.

 

[Edmund Spenser]

IIRC Wounding doesn't stack and overwrites it only if it would be bigger.

Yes and yes.

I'm interested in Wounding since as a Cipher the ability to continue to do damage while casting spells is relevant, so learning as much about the enchant I can helps me plan. Are there any resources available for a certain answer on this? Junta seems to be saying that the damage stacks, but I might be misunderstanding.

 

[Prime Junta]

I'm interested in Wounding since as a Cipher the ability to continue to do damage while casting spells is relevant, so learning as much about the enchant I can helps me plan. Are there any resources available for a certain answer on this? Junta seems to be saying that the damage stacks, but I might be misunderstanding.

Yeesh now I'm not 100% sure anymore. I built a ranger around that one Wounding hunting bow though and I'm faaaairly certain it stacked. Try it, if you're attacking fast enough that it should stack, you should be able to see it in the combat log pretty easily.

It is not true though that DoT effects from the same source categorically do not stack. The Soft Winds of Death chant for example definitely stacks with itself; a party of six Chanters doing an acapella of that is pretty amusing.

Either way it's not going to make a huge difference either way most of the time, because the duration is pretty short. You will need to pump both attack speed and accuracy a quite a lot before you start losing more than the very occasional small tick. Again, the main point of Wounding is how it synergises with Merciless Companion and Combusting Wounds; by itself it doesn't do much.

 

[Parabalus]

IIRC Wounding doesn't stack and overwrites it only if it would be bigger.

Yes and yes.

I'm interested in Wounding since as a Cipher the ability to continue to do damage while casting spells is relevant, so learning as much about the enchant I can helps me plan. Are there any resources available for a certain answer on this? Junta seems to be saying that the damage stacks, but I might be misunderstanding.

So proper stacking would mean that if you do 100+100 damage, the dot would be 25/5 sec and after you attack again it'd be ((25-5*(sec since last attack))+25)/5 sec, instead of resetting to 25/5 sec. I can't find a source that it's the former but from my playthroughs I don't recall the raw ticks ever increasing.

Wounding is actually "bad" for a Cipher, since it drains power budget from a weapon without contributing to focus gain. I wouldn't worry about any of those too much though, if you want "damage while casting" you have Disintegrate.

 

[Edmund Spenser]

Perfect, thanks for the info! That answers everything!

It's a damn shame neither Ruffian nor Noble have a two-hander available to them, or I'd be able to put the Orlan's Head bonus to great use...

 

[Mexi]

So, I had to go back and complete a certain quest to get that sword off my character. I literally just eased through a part of the main quest with no issue on PoTD. The White March is a slow pace, but after I finish, I think I'll be extremely overpowered. I don't understand why Obsidian would put not one, but two expansion packs in the middle of a fucking game.

By the way, there is one badass encounter in the forge. You hit a huge line of those dwarf defenders and a high-level spirit (I forgot its name). Up on a perch, they have dwarf crossbowmen and another high-level spirit. Very interesting one. I had to actually use potions and scrolls for that one. Was a great encounter. Took me several reloads to get past that one.

 

[MajorMace]

Wrong thread hey.
How's your day gentlemen ?

 

[Comte]

Wrong thread hey.
How's your day gentlemen ?

Its ok sir how is your day?

 

[MajorMace]

Very pleasant milord.

 

[Mexi]

Is the Alpine Dragon still available to fight after WM: part I? I tried to kill the motherfucker at level 11, but he just stomps me. Eder with the heaviest, best armor I have gets one-shotted.

 

[Ninjerk]

The fact that you bring up your armor makes me think you aren't paying enough attention to your defenses.

 

[Blakemoreland Hybrid Boss]

Is whitemarch worth playing ? Trying to finish quick before PoE2 ...

If you LOVE Rings of Combusting wounds, Rings of Unshackling and Boots of Speed and just cant get enought of it, than yes. Otherwise maybe about 10 percent of it.
You know how people complain about trash combat in POE? Well, WM1 is actually undeniably much worse...

You literally start with a map full of trash mobs. There are at least 5 combat """encounters""" of ogre,ogre cannoneer, ogre chanter, winter wolf. Your approach to them will be identical. Till you reach the boss fight with more ogres, ogre cannoneers, ogre chanters and winter wolfs. And you will use the same tactic as before just on the first map. IF you thought that this is the bad part, weee lad.

You go left next and there are literally combat encounters that have overlapping LOS..................................................... See map below, for example 4 and 3 can be triggered at the same time. 5 is a bounty that spawns on the map if you were dumb enough to talk to an NPC but also in the same place is another combat encounter with elfs. You cannot go a step without the combat music starting to play. It is insane. 4 is actually a quest but you are better of fighting it.
The only encounter worth trying here is bottom left. So 1/11.

The second level of the famed White Forge is nothing but trash. OMG there is even trash that spawns after you cleared the fucking map and think yourself finally freeeee.
There is an encounter vs characters here but they a pushover compared what POTD scaling will throw at you.
Its like the Ogre Druid bounty, the bounty itself in the cave is a much easier fight than the horde of ogres outside......

This pattern repeats itself in WM1 over and over and over. Its worse than the 15 levels of trash below the Keep...
First level of the Forge. You may substract 1 fight because I was TLDR with all the deep lore...

"Merciful" last level. You wont see it that way after the first 2...

Right of Stalwart is an area is the same trash collection. There is POTD mob fight there with 3 brood mothers and friends, maybe the toughest fight in WM1 (short of another druid bounty)... and its literally just an upscaled trash mob on a bridge.

There is laboratory of a construct builder with the worst attrition battles imaginable. Its trash^2.

Do not touch anything POE if you are not a retarded Obshitian.

 

[Mazisky]

For those who complain Pillars to have trash encounter, how Bg was different?

i remember mines, fortress and forests full of same spiders\gnoll\cobolds\whatever over and over again. was that better?

Same for Dao, entire levels full of boring trash mobs over and over.

 

[The Great ThunThun*]

For those who complain Pillars to have trash encounter, how Bg was different?

i remember mines, fortress and forests full of same spiders\gnoll\cobolds\whatever over and over again. was that better?

Same for Dao, entire levels full of boring trash mobs over and over.

Congrats. This is the argument I have been making for ages. BGs weren't the great game design examples everyone seems to remember.

 

[Ninjerk]

For those who complain Pillars to have trash encounter, how Bg was different?

i remember mines, fortress and forests full of same spiders\gnoll\cobolds\whatever over and over again. was that better?

Same for Dao, entire levels full of boring trash mobs over and over.

Mazurka and his doctor buddies didn't talk shit for 3 years on the games that made their KS possible and rpgs in general.

 

[Mexi]

The fact that you bring up your armor makes me think you aren't paying enough attention to your defenses.

I just wanted a simple answer. I'm not asking for tactics.

 

[Ninjerk]

The simple answer is that you'd be too stupid to use tactics if they were given to you.