Eternity Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pre-DLC Thread [GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Tigranes]

Eh, I've gotten great mileage out of single wizard Aloth. Because spells don't have bonus accuracy anymore, what you do is stack accuracy gear on your primary debuffer. So in my case Aloth can open with a debuff that targets enemies' weakest defence - e.g. Miasma or Arkemyr Hex vs. Will, Slicken for Ref - and then follow up with that horror spell which is perennially fantastic.

Lacrymas POTD isn't really a missfest when you do some optimisation, so I think the current rate is good. On veteran you can probably just cast anything you want.

This is why level-based acc/def gain matters; if you are level 14 or so and you encounter a bit weaker enemies sporting sub-90 defences, you know that your debuffs will land and the entire mob will be in disarray within two spells, just because of the level-based acc advantage.

It's telling that the best experiences happen when, say, your best stuff targets Will and you're fighting a dude who happens to have jacked up Will defence, forcing you to search for secondary options.

 

[Lacrymas]

I just left Port Maje, so I don't really have a lot of options on items. My custom companions are indeed optimized for Accuracy, so I guess I just have to go to Neketaka and work my way from there. And we are still 4th level, so the spell selection is also limited.

 

[Shadenuat]

Enervating Terror is one of those broken spells. Bizarrely, Will is the most often weakest enemy defence (THEY ALL DUMP RESOLVE!! ) even on enemies which you think would be resistant (say vampires). Also, Terrify is the only effect that does so much and stays for so long.

Fortitude for some reason is often very high (up to 120sh).

But before you're reasonably high level, your spells will fail >50% of the time, unless you stack like a motherfucker.

 

[Tigranes]

Well, Lacrymas, you're basically in prologue, so a bit early to make any conclusions. Leveling up to ~8 is very fast.

Fampyrs have pr. high defences across the board, no? And I thought they had immunity to resolve afflictions? I forget.

It's so weird that they dumbed down Confusion but kept Terrify, making the latter one of the most effective ways to disable enemies.

Honestly, even 40-60% accuracy on a AOE debuff is fine - you're usually going to be able to target 4+ enemies on POTD, and get a couple of them. It would be ridiculous if it was 80% THC.

 

[Shadenuat]

On AoE debuff yes. But on say ray of fire or killing bolt with it's what, 9 sec cast, probably no. Spells mostly have same acc regardless of how they affect the enemy.

 

[Lacrymas]

Btw, didn't they streamline the stacking rules for character builds? The Accuracy aura and Accuracy Fighter stance don't stack, however. Soooo, what's up with that?

 

[Shadenuat]

Passives like items stack, actives like weapon modals, auras pick the highest.

 

[Infinitron]

AD&D also has level-based acc/def gain.

The differences are:

1) The Acc gain is only for physical weapons (THAC0) while magic has no concept of Acc.

2) The Def gain is only for the equivalents of Fortitude, Reflex, Will (saving throws) while the equivalent of Deflection (Armor Class) is determined entirely by attributes and items (which means it eventually plateaus).

3) The gain rate is different and also varies considerably by class.

What I'm wondering is how relatively important each of these differences are in making PoE's combat play differently from AD&D. Is it mainly 1? Mainly 3? Would be interesting to mod the game and check.

 

[Efe]

it has saving throws against spells. you could argue its a form of accuracy

 

[Lacrymas]

Smudboy was more correct than I had anticipated. I really, really don't care about anything in this game. Why is nothing interesting happening? The only vaguely cool thing was the gods talking about what to do about Eothas, Woedica and Skaen were delicious in that exchange. Also, some things are seriously nonsensical, what was the point of conjuring up the spirits for a theatrical display for a bunch of random thugs we could've easily taken on? Why did Berath insist on that? Wouldn't it have been more prudent to do it in-front of Onekaza II during the meeting? Ugh, it's so dull it makes me want to play something else.

 

[Tigranes]

I found the gods talking to each other boring, like they were trying to come up with the most one-dimensional ways to represent their portfolio. Port Maje and Neketaka introductions I thought were far more interesting in the colonial tensions.

The spirit show is retarded - but, as a rule, in POE1/2, if you ever hear narrations and if you ever start reading souls & seeing spirits, you know it's shit. (Of course, the two tend to come together.)

 

[Darth Roxor]

lol people are still paying attention to the dialogues and story

smh

 

[Lacrymas]

What colonial tensions in Port Maje? The governor and the storm speaker exchanged 2 sentences and then you crashed that party. Nothing else was said. And even then, talking about something doesn't mean the themes are actually explored. At least the gods had a dimension and were actually concerned about what trouble Eothas might stir.

 

[AwesomeButton]

I've got half a mind to kick all companions and replace them with hires. I'll only leave Serafen.

 

[Darth Roxor]

At least the gods had a dimension

SUDDENLY *DRUMROLL*

dialogue screen with a pretty pic pops up

blablablablablablablablabla

1. Reply that doesn't matter.
2. Reply that doesn't matter.
3. Reply that doesn't matter.
4. Reply that doesn't matter.

blablablablablablabla

dialogue screen vanishes

back to world map

muh dimensions

 

[Lacrymas]

Lol, that's exactly what I did. I decided not to take anyone but Serafen and made a custom Evoker to fill the last spot.

Darth Roxor, the dimension is voyeuristic, you obviously have no agency in this story either way, might as well listen to the gods arguing with each other and Skaen and Woedica being over the top.

 

[Abu Antar]

If you take a companion, it felt to me like Tekehu was the most relevant to the story. Serafen, works in that regard.

 

[Rinslin Merwind]

I've got half a mind to kick all companions and replace them with hires. I'll only leave Serafen.

Lol, that's exactly what I did. I decided not to take anyone but Serafen and made a custom Evoker to fill the last spot.

Okay, whats going on and why you all decided leave Serafen, the most butt pirate of them all? Even Tekehu a bit better in terms that he just retarded. Not to menton that "Wild Mind" subclass is not THAT good.

 

[Tigranes]

Lacrymas, you dismiss one thematic dimension because it's not actually explored, and then you're a fan of another thematic dimension where all you do is sit there and listen to some bad caricatures shout things at each other. My point wasn't even that the colonial themes are far better, but that it seems quite arbitrary to like one and not the other.

(Hilariously, the biggest question after the end of POE1 - how will the world respond to the news that the gods are fabricated - remains completely unexplored, even as the entire sequel is ostensibly about it.)

 

[Lacrymas]

It's not a thematic dimension, it's just funny listening to them bicker and Skaen and Woedica being shady and dismissive of the others. That's why I wanted to take Pallegina at first, she's confrontational and likes to bitch and yell at the others. Fun. It might be personal fun, but I'd rather have personal fun than being bored listening to the others talk about nothing.

 

[Darth Roxor]

but the gods talk about nothing

 

[AwesomeButton]

lol people are still paying attention to the dialogues and story

smh

You continue on, and the rough stone changes to smooth cobbles under your feet. Wan lamplight shivers ahead, as yellow and tremulous as fear itself.

Before you is a narrow cavern that writhes with shadows and echoes with the music of jingling coins.

 

[fantadomat]

I've got half a mind to kick all companions and replace them with hires. I'll only leave Serafen.

Lol, that's exactly what I did. I decided not to take anyone but Serafen and made a custom Evoker to fill the last spot.

Okay, whats going on and why you all decided leave Serafen, the most butt pirate of them all? Even Tekehu a bit better in terms that he just retarded. Not to menton that "Wild Mind" subclass is not THAT good.

Because it is written by a human and thus making him the only decent character in the whole game.

 

[Rinslin Merwind]

(Hilariously, the biggest question after the end of POE1 - how will the world respond to the news that the gods are fabricated - remains completely unexplored, even as the entire sequel is ostensibly about it.)

I don't think somebody would believe a random guy (even if he Watcher) that he and his small team saved Dyrwood and discovered that Gods fabricated. It's very hard for people to abandon their believes and faith even God show any miracle, but in Eora it's even harder because gods literally power up their priest and allow them cast spells.

 

[fantadomat]

but the gods talk about nothing

And they do nothing! The writing is total drivel,too much cut content. With 10 millions and years of development i could do 10 times better game. Leave it to americans to waste huge amount of resources and end up with mediocre buggy shit.